How the directory evaluates listings

Tiers

Two tiers at v1: Bronze and Silver. Gold is deferred to a future framework version. The directory will not retrofit a tier no operator at this segment can reach.

Bronze

• Public INTEGRITY.md at the product's repo root or website.
• All six Layer 1 vetoes self-mapped: artifact-vs-outcome, independence, verifiability, AI accountability, pricing-rigor, the TechCrunch test.

Roughly half a day of honest reflection and writing for a thoughtful founder.

Silver

• Bronze, plus one of:
• integrity-cli green against the listed public repo (Layer 2 architectural checks pass), or
• Public methodology page with a Version heading and a Changelog heading.

The OR is deliberate. Code-bearing products demonstrate via the runner; document-heavy or closed-source products demonstrate via the methodology page. Both prove framework conformance from different angles.

Verification

At submission

1. The directory operator reads the listing's INTEGRITY.md.
2. For Silver claims, the operator runs integrity-cli against the public repo, or reads the methodology page for Version + Changelog headings.
3. Approve, request changes, or reject. Review SLA: 14 calendar days from submission to first response.

Periodic re-scan

• Quarterly. Automated where possible.
• Triggered re-scan on every framework version bump.
• Manual re-review for closed-source listings: re-read the INTEGRITY.md, confirm it has not been silently weakened.

Re-scan failure and delisting

• A failed re-scan triggers a public note explaining what failed.
• The listing is downgraded if the failure affects the Silver gate but not the Bronze gate.
• Grace window: 30 days for the founder to remediate before delisting.
• Persistent failure with no remediation results in delisting with a public note.
• Founder request: silent removal. Founders own their listing.
• Discovered fraud: delisting with a public note plus permanent ban from re-listing.
• Delisted listings remain in a public archive page so the audit trail survives.

A directory that quietly removes failed listings looks like it is hiding from its own rule set. Transparency about delisting is part of the credibility story.

Operator conflict of interest

Startvest LLC operates this directory and is also a listee for its four products. This is a real conflict of interest. The handling:

• Each Startvest listing carries an asterisk and a disclosure banner identifying the operator relationship.
• Startvest listings are evaluated under the same publicly-named gates as community listings. No private criteria.
• Per-product external-evaluator engagement is the long-term independence path. The disclosure banner will update once an external review is funded and findings published. No public target date is committed in copy until a real engagement is in motion.
• The directory's own INTEGRITY.md is self-rated Bronze, not Silver. A self-issued Silver from the operator would defeat this disclosure pattern.

Right of reply

A founder may publish a verbatim response to any delisting note or downgrade. One founder response, one directory response. Both stand. No back-and-forth.

Kill criteria

The framework requires every product to publish the criteria under which it would be shut down. The directory shuts down if any of the following hold:

• Framework adoption stalls indefinitely with no community submissions for 18 months.
• A structural conflict emerges that the disclosure banner cannot honestly cover.
• The framework itself is deprecated without a successor.

Disclaimer

The Integrity Framework Directory is published by Startvest LLC. Listings reflect each product's framework conformance at the most recent scan date. Listing inclusion is not a guarantee of any product's quality, fitness for purpose, or absence of bugs. Tier badges are descriptive of framework conformance, not of overall product trustworthiness. Buyers should independently verify any product before procurement. Startvest products are listed with disclosure asterisks and evaluated under the same rubric as community-listed products.

Version

0.1, dated 2026-04-25.

Changelog

0.1, dated 2026-04-25

• Initial methodology page published alongside v0.1 site scaffold.
• Two-tier (Bronze, Silver) gates locked.
• Verification, re-scan, delisting, COI handling, right-of-reply, and kill-criteria documented.