# Waivers

> Break a check rule for cause. Declare the break in the page with a measured reason, and learn what refuses and what only advises.

Canonical: https://vawe.dev/docs/waivers

A <Term id="waiver">waiver</Term> is a declared break of a check rule, with a reason, in the page. The checks accept the break only when the reason names a place and a measured value. So a waiver records a decision, not an excuse.

## Why it exists

A <Term id="check">check</Term> measures the page and prints advice. Some rules have a good reason to break: a held wordmark that is the last beat, for example. A waiver lets the page say so, in the one place where the checks, the critique and the judge all read it. A rule broken without a waiver is a finding in the next draft.

> A rule broken for cause is declared in the page with its reason, nowhere else. A waiver is for a break that is the point of the shot. For any other break, try the fix first and write `tried <what>` in the reason.

## How it works

Put one JSON block in the page.

```html
<script type="application/json" id="authoring">
{
  "allow": ["world-held@3.5-6.2"],
  "_why": {
    "world-held@3.5-6.2": "world s4, 2.7 s: the wordmark is the last beat and a caret ticks on it"
  }
}
</script>
```

| key     | what it holds                                                           |
| ------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `allow` | A list of entries. Each entry is a check code, or `code@instance`.      |
| `_why`  | An object. The key is the exact `allow` entry. The value is the reason. |

### Entries

An entry has one of two forms.

| form       | covers                                         | example              |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------------- | -------------------- |
| `code`     | Every finding of the check, in the whole film. | `world-held`         |
| `code@a-b` | A finding that lies in the seconds `a` to `b`. | `world-held@3.5-6.2` |
| `code@t`   | A finding at the second `t`.                   | `static-window@2.6`  |

Prefer the scoped form. A bare entry hides every finding of that code, also the ones you did not see. Each check has its own code:

| code               | the check                                                          |
| ------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `world-held`       | A <Term id="world">world</Term> stays longer than its limit.       |
| `static-window`    | The picture holds still for too long.                              |
| `tile-run`         | A run of near-identical frames.                                    |
| `tail-tiles`       | The end of the film holds still.                                   |
| `unverified-final` | A final of a recreation, without a passing match to the reference. |

The draft prints the exact line to paste after each finding that you can waive: `waive: "allow": ["world-held@3.5-6.2"], ...`. Copy the code from that line. The old code `dead-air` waives nothing, and so do `glow` and `off-colour`.

### What a reason must contain

A reason counts only when all of these are true:

1. It has 12 characters or more.
2. It is not generic. The words “intentional”, “by design”, “deliberate”, “stylistic”, “fine”, “ok”, “as intended”, “on purpose”, “owner approved” and “owner decision” say nothing. A reason with fewer than three other words does not count.
3. It names a place: a world id of this page (such as `s4`) or a second (such as `at 2.6 s`).
4. It names a measured value, a number with a unit (such as `2.7 s`, `3.4:1`, `42%`, `18 px`). A second is one number but is not the measure. With only a second as place, the reason needs two numbers.
5. It is not copied. The same reason on three waivers or more does not count.

| reason                                                                   | counts? | why                              |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------- | -------------------------------- |
| `intentional`                                                            | No      | Generic and under 12 characters. |
| `the wordmark holds on purpose`                                          | No      | No place and no number.          |
| `at 3.5 s the wordmark holds`                                            | No      | A second but one number only.    |
| `world s4, 2.7 s: the wordmark is the last beat and a caret ticks on it` | Yes     | A world id and a measure.        |

## What refuses and what advises

A finding that you did not waive is advice: the draft prints it and goes on. Only these refuse:

| what                                          | what happens                                                                                        |
| --------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A broken determinism rule                     | The render stops. See [Determinism](https://vawe.dev/docs/determinism).                                             |
| A banned item, such as `data-synth="bed"`     | The render stops. See [Audio](https://vawe.dev/docs/audio).                                                         |
| A reason that does not count                  | The waiver covers nothing. The finding stays, and the draft says `waiver "<entry>" refused: <why>`. |
| A final of a recreation with no passing match | `vawe ship` refuses, unless the page waives `unverified-final` with a reason that counts.           |

The draft lists every waiver that covers nothing, and the judge sees every waiver with its reason. When a waiver covers a rule that no earlier draft fired, and its reason does not say `tried`, the draft adds a `fix first` line.

## Limits

* A waiver cannot change a threshold. It accepts one finding.
* The reason is checked for form, not for truth. A critique from a fresh session checks that the decision is right.
* A waiver in the brief, in a comment or in another file does not count. Only `#authoring` in the page does.

  <Card title="Checks" href="/docs/quality-gates">
    The checks that print findings.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Worlds" href="/docs/worlds">
    The 

    `world-held`

     check.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Determinism" href="/docs/determinism">
    The rule no waiver bends.
  </Card>

{/* sources (vawe d8481cc61):
  block, allow, _why, entries, ranges, bare: harness/lib/waivers.mjs (splitWaiver, waiverCovers, isWaived); skills/vawe-page/SKILL.md "Waivers"; AGENTS.md "Hard rules"
  reason rules, stop phrases, 12 chars, units, 2 numbers with only a second, REPEAT_MAX 2: harness/lib/waivers.mjs reasonProblem, STOP_PHRASES, MIN_REASON_LEN, REPEAT_MAX
  retired codes dead-air glow off-colour: harness/lib/waivers.mjs RETIRED_CODES
  codes world-held static-window tile-run tail-tiles: skills/vawe-page/SKILL.md "Waivers"; harness/lib/worlds.mjs heldWorlds; harness/lib/still-limit.mjs
  unverified-final: harness/media/render-page.mjs assertFinalReady (969-979)
  refused wording: harness/lib/waivers.mjs waiverVerdicts / waiverProblems; judge sees waivers: harness/media/judge-fresh.mjs:121
  fix first, tried: harness/lib/waivers.mjs waiverAdvice, triedFix; AGENTS.md "Hard rules"
  "Checks advise; only determinism, banned items and a reason that does not count refuse": skills/vawe-page/SKILL.md "Waivers"
  waiver line printed after a finding: harness/lib/waivers.mjs waiverHint
  */}