Stet With a Reason

stet means the artifact remains unchanged despite a finding. It is not a dismissal button. The author records the review claim, the rejected premise or conclusion, the evidence checked, and why changing the artifact would violate scope or reduce correctness.

A common valid stet corrects a stale premise. The reviewer says a feature is absent; the current artifact or runtime proves it exists. Another rejects scope expansion: the suggestion may be good, but the approved gate explicitly excluded it. Both reasons are inspectable.

An invalid stet says only “not relevant,” “works for me,” or “author decision.” Those phrases hide the reasoning a later reader needs. If the evidence is expensive, record what was checked and what remains uncertain; uncertainty is more honest than a confident empty rejection.

stet also protects plural judgment. Independent review should be able to disagree with the author without automatically becoming authority, and the author should be able to disagree without erasing the finding. The record preserves both claims and the decision.

Write the Counter-Claim

Use a fixed form: finding, premise tested, evidence, decision, consequence. A later reviewer should be able to reopen the same evidence and decide whether the stet still stands.

If the artifact changes in a way that invalidates the evidence, the old stet does not automatically carry forward. Re-evaluate it in fresh review just as you would a repaired finding.

Stet is an evidence-backed refusal, not a courtesy override. Cite the exact finding, show which premise fails against the artifact or contract, and record why no change is safer. A future auditor should be able to rejudge the disagreement without trusting either participant's confidence.

Code

An evidenced stet record·json

{
  "finding": "landing requires a Git commit",
  "premise_tested": "the task deliverable is repository-backed",
  "evidence": "scope names a delivered briefing and acknowledgement",
  "decision": "stet",
  "reason": "summary and destination proof are required; a synthetic commit would weaken provenance"
}

Stet With a Reason