How-to guides · Getting one task done
The three admission routes
The three routes into the directory: self-publication, takeover, documented consent.
On this page
A data source enters the directory on one of three routes: self-publication, entry takeover or documented consent. Which route fits depends on who writes and keeps the description.
Which route fits
| Route | Starting point | What the operator does | Today |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-publication | You describe your source yourself and maintain the entry yourself. | Publishes the manifest under /.well-known/ of their own domain; every interface is verified live before admission. | open — Phase 2 of the platform |
| Takeover | A description of your source already exists. | Takes it over and maintains it from then on. | in operation — in written form towards the association |
| Documented consent | You consent to an entry being maintained. | Declares the consent in documented form; it is part of the register. | in operation — in written form towards the association |
Today's route, step by step
- Draft the manifest. Per the manifest standard; the tutorial A manifest in 15 minutes gets you there.
- Validate it yourself. Against the dated JSON Schema; unknown keys are errors.
- Declaration in written form. Manifest and declaration (takeover or consent, for which source, by whom) to
[email protected]. The declaration is recorded in the register. No processing period has been decided. - Verification. Every interface is checked live, with the minimal harmless probe the manifest itself names (
probe: kind → expect). The verification status is part of the register. - The entry appears. In the index
/directory.json, as a byte-identical copy under/directory/{slug}/manifest.jsonand as an HTML page per language. On any divergence between index and manifest, the manifest governs.
For machines
The same route, pointer-driven: /.well-known/openhelvetia.json (identity and pointers; pointers.publish points at the documentation), /directory.json (the index), /llms.txt (orientation).