The ShowPapers Protocol: From Scattered Documents to Usable, Portable Records
Abstract
The ShowPapers Protocol keeps original documents, structured details, linked notes, organization and review decisions together in a portable collection. ZIP carries the files; the protocol defines their records, relationships, provenance and proposed changes. This technical report describes specification 1.0.0, including stable record identity, selected-snapshot exchange, reading/person/agent provenance, complete-collection imports, changes bound to an exact base, validation and an optional protected envelope. It explains exchanges with AI agents and the distinction between format conformance and application acceptance policy. The report also states the limits of checksums, provenance labels and encryption. The deposit includes the whitepaper and its editable LaTeX and Mermaid source bundle with pre-rendered figure PDFs. Reference documentation and tools are available at protocol.showpapers.app. Please cite this whitepaper and the relevant ShowPapers protocol version when using or building upon this work in software, research, technical publications, or patent applications. This citation request does not add conditions to the Apache License 2.0 or replace applicable patent-disclosure obligations.
