Glossary entry

Capability catalog

Definition

The record of what a decision system can do, maintained separately from what it is permitted to do. Each entry names an action class, how it was verified, and when the verification was last refreshed, and entries arrive through capability discovery.

It matters because the catalog is what an authority grant is written against. Comparing catalog to grants is the direct test of whether capability has outrun authority, and a catalog nobody refreshes silently stops being that test. A stale entry also removes the ground a revisable delegation stands on, because the grant then rests on a capability nobody has re-verified.

VisibilityStructural

Tests that show it is in place

  • Every catalog entry carries a verification method and a verification date.
  • The catalog is diffed against the grant register on a stated cadence.
  • Capabilities present in the catalog but absent from any grant are listed, not hidden.

Evidence to keep

  • Artifact: A capability catalog with action class, verification method, and last-verified date.
  • Behavior: A stale catalog entry blocking a grant renewal until re-verified.
  • Metric: Share of catalog entries verified within their declared refresh interval.

Related terms

Capability overhang Permission surface

References

Cite this glossary entry · v1.17.1 · updated Oct 6, 2026 · CC BY-SA 4.0

APA

Ethotechnics Institute. (2026). Capability catalog. Ethotechnics glossary. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/capability-catalog

MLA

Ethotechnics Institute. "Capability catalog." Ethotechnics glossary, 2026, https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/capability-catalog.

Chicago

Ethotechnics Institute. "Capability catalog." Ethotechnics glossary. Oct 6, 2026. https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/capability-catalog.

BibTeX

@misc{glossary_capability-catalog,
  title={Capability catalog},
  author={Ethotechnics Institute},
  year={2026},
  howpublished={Ethotechnics glossary},
  url={https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/capability-catalog},
  version={v1.17.1}
}

RIS

TY  - WEB
TI  - Capability catalog
AU  - Ethotechnics Institute
PY  - 2026
UR  - https://ethotechnics.org/glossary/capability-catalog
ER  -

Authorship

Contact: hello@ethotechnics.org

Publication details

  • Published: Dec 3, 2025
  • Last updated: Oct 6, 2026
  • Version: v1.17.1

License: CC BY-SA 4.0

Credit Ethotechnics Institute, include the term title and version, and link to the glossary permalink.

Archive: Wayback Machine history

Latest change

v1.17.1 · Oct 6, 2026 — Editorial revision. Titles are in sentence case. Pasted spec blocks are replaced with prose and worked examples, 79 operational tests are rewritten as pass conditions, 22 origin notes are rewritten or sourced, and unsourced superlatives are cut. No terms were added or removed, and permalinks are unchanged.

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