# Inspection and refinement methodology

The launch separates deterministic code-point inspection from optional editorial refinement and keeps each proposed change reviewable.

Canonical: https://watermarkslayer.com/methodology
Markdown alternate: https://watermarkslayer.com/methodology.md
Last reviewed: 2026-08-12

## Exact source first

Inspection receives the exact, unnormalized source. A deterministic scanner walks Unicode code points while recording UTF-16 ranges that match browser selection APIs.

No transform applies Unicode normalization. Derived views never replace the original string.

## Registry-backed observations

The engine scanner assigns the action, status, risk, and fixture identity from the typed artifact registry. Only explicitly selected, fixture-proven transforms can produce cleanup edits.

## Provenance is structural at launch

A bounded candidate matching the C2PA 2.4 unstructured-text framing is reported as detected but unverified. Launch inspection does not perform cryptographic verification and does not expose decoded manifest bytes.

## Reviewable result

Supported cleanup and editorial suggestions use explicit, non-overlapping UTF-16 edit ranges. The writer can accept, reject, or manually revise the proposed result while the exact source remains available.

## Evidence

- [Unicode 17.0 Core Specification, Chapter 5](https://unicode.org/versions/Unicode17.0.0/core-spec/chapter-5/)
- [Unicode 17.0 Core Specification, Chapter 23](https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode17.0.0/core-spec/chapter-23/)
- [C2PA Content Credentials 2.4 specification](https://spec.c2pa.org/specifications/specifications/2.4/specs/ContentCredentials.html)