Interface Flow Calculus (IFC): A Gated Interface Specification for Reliable Information Flow

A gated interface spec for reliable information flow: receipts, repair, and composable wiring. Interface Flow Calculus (IFC) is a tool-oriented specification for moving uncertain information through a four-gate pipeline: Identity (I), Distinction (D), Binding (B), and Repair (R). IFC standardizes a Canonical Interface Signature (CIS) request/response envelope, a Standard Message Normal Form (SMNF) payload schema, and a receipt format so drops, merges, and repairs are never silent. It includes bounded repair behavior (depth-limited bridge emission) to prevent infinite clarification loops, and explicit conflict resolution via Consensus Receipts to avoid integration ambiguity when modules disagree. The document is implementation-agnostic: any LLM/RAG/symbolic module can be swapped in as long as it satisfies the interface contracts. A pipeline diagram, composition rules (serial and parallel wiring), capability declarations, and a copy/paste audit log template are provided for practical adoption.