Digital Karma Federation Architecture

• Discovery layer: /ai/manifest.json, /llm.txt, /robots.txt, and the root /sitemap.xml.
• Meaning layer: Schema.org, entity files, catalog data, and page-level structure that tell AI systems what the content actually represents.
• Relationship layer: /ai/federation.json and optional /federation/ mapping files that show how the site connects to peers.

The v7 line documents deeper federation intelligence in four stages:

1. v01 listings: raw inventory of known members.
2. v02 clusters: groups sites by role such as authority node, support site, tool, or commercial property.
3. v03 relationships: records how the sites reference and support each other.
4. v04 propagation: describes how trust, discovery, and network value can flow across the map.

Not every site needs the full mapping layer, but the model becomes powerful when a portfolio grows beyond a few isolated domains.

DigitalKarmaWeb.com publishes the standard and can host an optional registry, but it does not gate membership. A site can implement the protocol independently, publish the required files, and become discoverable through peer relationships and public URLs. That keeps owners in control of their own properties while still benefiting from a shared standard.

Federation architecture gives owners more than a technical diagram. It helps related properties reinforce each other, makes AI discovery paths more intentional, supports cleaner audits, and turns a set of websites into a more understandable network. For agencies, publishers, portfolio owners, and product families, that extra structure can compound into stronger coverage and better machine-readable authority over time.