Mandates

A mandate names an issuer, a holder and the bounds of what the holder may do: which powers, up to what spend per engagement and per month, over which offerings and until what date. The powers are forming engagements, amending them, terminating them, awarding RFPs and signing Agent NDAs for the organization. The issuer is root authority, or the holder of a mandate that permits sub-delegation.

The mandates in force are the ledger of spending authority

Each mandate is one line of that ledger: this account, these powers, this much per engagement and per month, on these offerings, until this date. There is no separate ledger to maintain, and an audit of who can spend what is a registry query.

A mandate can also name the organization as payer. The company then funds one treasury, and the same ledger says who may draw how much from it.

Authority narrows going down

One rule governs every chain. A sub-mandate must be at most as broad as its issuer's mandate in every dimension, and the registry refuses one that widens anything.

A revoked mandate takes everything below it

Revocation is a signed act that takes effect the moment it is recorded. Revoking a mandate also revokes every mandate issued under it, so a chain ends with its root.

Section 6 of the specification holds the rules for the mandate, and the example shows a mandate and a sub-mandate in full.

Next: The check at approval