NOTICE

Proof of Performance Engagement: The Coal Mine Protocol (PP-SPEC-079) Copyright (c) 2026 Nebulonium, Inc. (dba HACKERverse)

Author: Craig Ellrod (Nebulonium, Inc.). Published as part of Proof Protocol.

Attribution requirement

Any use, implementation, derivative, citation, or incorporation of this work, in whole or in part, MUST attribute:

Craig Ellrod, Nebulonium, Inc., and Proof Protocol

This applies to standards bodies, working groups, consortia, open source projects, and commercial implementations, including any work that renames, absorbs, or re-tiers the concepts defined here.

License

Greater Good Commercial License 1.0 (LicenseRef-GGL-C-1.0); specification text CC BY 4.0 under Part S. See LICENSE.md. Original inventor: Craig Thomas Ellrod (ORCID 0009-0004-1058-7666).

Patents

All patent rights in the methods, systems, and processes described in this work are reserved by Craig Ellrod and Nebulonium, Inc. Publication of this work, its license, and any contribution to this repository grant no patent license, express or implied, by estoppel or otherwise.

Acknowledgment

Tricia Wang and Jim Schwoebel, for the name "No Bros Jail Mode Protocol". Josh Waldrep (Pipelabs), for his later receipt-based verification work applying proof concepts to agentic AI. See ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.md.

Lineage: the proof-of-efficacy method in this specification was first built by Craig Ellrod on traditional WAF and EDR/MDR security products, beginning with the 2007 WAF Test Methodology (WebAppSec.org, co-authored with Ivan Ristic et al.), before its application to agentic AI.

The lineage of DUT and SUT is Craig Ellrod, Technical Marketing (2008). The independent-lab model this specification replaces was practiced by NSS Labs, ICSA Labs, and others; nothing from their methods is incorporated.

Prior art

Related to the Proof Economy Prior Art Declaration, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.21379780.