> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://www.aicontrolarchitecture.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://www.aicontrolarchitecture.org/foundation/06-requirements-catalogue.md).

# 06 · Requirements Catalogue

This is the normative backbone of the architecture: the numbered, testable control requirements that the pillars implement, the templates capture evidence for, and the crosswalks map to external standards. Where the earlier documents explain *what control means and why*, this document states *what is required.*

***

## How to read a requirement

Every requirement has a stable ID and a normative statement:

```
ACA-<pillar>-<n> e.g. ACA-09-02
```

* **ID**: `ACA` + two-digit pillar (07–16) + sequence. IDs are stable; requirements are never renumbered, only deprecated.
* **Statement**: written with **SHALL** (required), **SHOULD** (expected unless justified), **MAY** (permitted), in the RFC 2119 sense.
* **From tier**: the lowest risk tier at which the requirement applies (see below). It also applies to every higher tier.
* **Boundary**: the minimum [boundary source](/foundation/03-core-thesis.md) expected: *Declared, Evidenced, Verified, Enforced.*
* **Crosswalk**: the external provisions it helps satisfy (see [`mappings/`](/standards-crosswalks/mappings-readme.md)).

Each pillar document (07–16) is the authoritative source for its own requirements and their guidance; this catalogue is the consolidated, citable index.

***

## Risk tiers

Requirements are graduated by tier. Tier is set in [pillar 07](/the-ten-pillars/07-pillar-ai-inventory-and-classification.md) from a use case's consequence (See/Decide/Do) and autonomy.

```
T1 Baseline every AI use case, including read-only and embedded vendor AI
T2 Elevated accesses sensitive data, influences decisions, or has limited autonomy
T3 High takes consequential actions, or operates with material autonomy (agents)
```

A requirement marked **From T2** applies to T2 and T3, not T1.

***

## The catalogue

Representative requirements per pillar. This set is normative and versioned; it grows as the pillar documents are completed, and full guidance for each lives in its pillar.

### 07, Inventory & Classification

| ID        | Requirement                                                                                             | From | Boundary  |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | --------- |
| ACA-07-01 | The organization **SHALL** maintain an inventory of all AI use cases, including embedded and vendor AI. | T1   | Evidenced |
| ACA-07-02 | Each use case **SHALL** have a named accountable owner recorded at intake.                              | T1   | Declared  |
| ACA-07-03 | Each use case **SHALL** be assigned a risk tier before controls are selected.                           | T1   | Evidenced |
| ACA-07-04 | The inventory **SHALL** be reconciled on a defined cadence and on material change.                      | T2   | Evidenced |

### 08, Identity & Access Control

| ID        | Requirement                                                                                 | From | Boundary |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | -------- |
| ACA-08-01 | AI **SHALL** act under a distinct non-human identity, not a user's standing credentials.    | T2   | Verified |
| ACA-08-02 | AI identities **SHALL** be granted least-privilege access scoped to the use case.           | T2   | Verified |
| ACA-08-03 | AI access **SHALL** be revocable promptly and completely.                                   | T2   | Verified |
| ACA-08-04 | High-tier actions **SHALL** be attributable to the identity and grant that authorized them. | T3   | Enforced |

### 09, Data Boundary Control

| ID        | Requirement                                                                               | From | Boundary  |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | --------- |
| ACA-09-01 | The data sources an AI may access **SHALL** be explicitly defined and approved.           | T1   | Evidenced |
| ACA-09-02 | Retrieval **SHALL** be scoped so AI cannot surface data the requester is not entitled to. | T2   | Verified  |
| ACA-09-03 | Sensitive data classes **SHALL** be excluded or masked unless explicitly permitted.       | T2   | Verified  |
| ACA-09-04 | Third-party processing and retention of data **SHALL** be known and bounded.              | T2   | Evidenced |

### 10, Input Control

| ID        | Requirement                                                                                    | From | Boundary  |
| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | --------- |
| ACA-10-01 | Untrusted input, including retrieved content, **SHALL** be treated as potentially adversarial. | T2   | Evidenced |
| ACA-10-02 | Prompt-injection and manipulation **SHALL** be mitigated proportionate to tier.                | T2   | Verified  |
| ACA-10-03 | System instructions **SHALL** be protected from override by user or retrieved content.         | T3   | Enforced  |

### 11, Output & Decision Control

| ID        | Requirement                                                                      | From | Boundary  |
| --------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | --------- |
| ACA-11-01 | Output that influences a consequential decision **SHALL** be identified as such. | T2   | Evidenced |
| ACA-11-02 | High-impact decisions **SHALL** require human validation before effect.          | T3   | Enforced  |
| ACA-11-03 | AI-influenced decisions **SHALL** be recorded with the output and rationale.     | T2   | Evidenced |

### 12, Tool & Action Control

| ID        | Requirement                                                                                    | From | Boundary |
| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | -------- |
| ACA-12-01 | The tools and actions an AI may invoke **SHALL** be explicitly allow-listed.                   | T2   | Verified |
| ACA-12-02 | High-impact actions **SHALL** require approval or step-up before execution.                    | T3   | Enforced |
| ACA-12-03 | No action class **SHALL** be enforced live without a defined containment or compensation path. | T3   | Enforced |
| ACA-12-04 | Every action **SHALL** be logged with the requesting identity, inputs, and outcome.            | T2   | Verified |

### 13, Human Accountability

| ID        | Requirement                                                                                | From | Boundary  |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---- | --------- |
| ACA-13-01 | A named human **SHALL** own each consequential outcome, decision, approval, and exception. | T1   | Declared  |
| ACA-13-02 | Risk acceptance for a use case **SHALL** be recorded and attributable.                     | T2   | Evidenced |
| ACA-13-03 | Recovery ownership **SHALL** be assigned before go-live at tier ≥ T2.                      | T2   | Declared  |

### 14, Assurance & Testing

| ID        | Requirement                                                                                      | From | Boundary |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---- | -------- |
| ACA-14-01 | Controls **SHALL** be tested before go-live, proportionate to tier.                              | T2   | Verified |
| ACA-14-02 | High-tier use cases **SHALL** undergo adversarial testing of input, output, and action controls. | T3   | Verified |
| ACA-14-03 | Test results **SHALL** be retained as evidence and re-run on material change.                    | T2   | Verified |

### 15, Monitoring & Evidence

| ID        | Requirement                                                                                       | From | Boundary |
| --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | -------- |
| ACA-15-01 | Activity **SHALL** be logged sufficiently to reconstruct what AI saw, produced, decided, and did. | T2   | Verified |
| ACA-15-02 | Logs **SHALL** be tamper-evident and retained per policy.                                         | T2   | Verified |
| ACA-15-03 | Anomalous or policy-violating behavior **SHALL** be detectable and alertable.                     | T3   | Verified |

### 16, Containment & Recovery

| ID        | Requirement                                                                              | From | Boundary  |
| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---- | --------- |
| ACA-16-01 | Each tiered use case **SHALL** have a tested means to disable the AI capability quickly. | T2   | Enforced  |
| ACA-16-02 | High-impact actions **SHALL** have a containment or compensation/rollback path.          | T3   | Enforced  |
| ACA-16-03 | Recovery from an AI incident **SHALL** be owned, documented, and exercised.              | T2   | Evidenced |

***

## Using the catalogue

* **Assessing a use case:** tier it (07), then apply the requirements at or below that tier, recording the boundary source achieved for each.
* **Proving control:** each requirement's boundary column is the bar; a requirement met only at *Declared* when *Verified* is expected is a finding.
* **Mapping obligations:** the [crosswalks](/standards-crosswalks/mappings-readme.md) tie these IDs to NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001, EU AI Act, SR 11-7, NYDFS, and OWASP, so one pass serves many.

***

## Machine-readable form

This catalogue is also published as data, generated from this document, in [`controls/`](/machine-readable-catalogue/controls-readme.md):

```
controls/aca-requirements.yaml
controls/aca-requirements.json
```

Assessment tooling, agents, and GRC systems can consume that single source rather than re-transcribing the requirements. This document remains authoritative; the data files are built from it and checked against every pillar's table. A future version is expected to add an [OSCAL](https://pages.nist.gov/OSCAL/) profile.

***

**Next:** [07 · Inventory & Classification](/the-ten-pillars/07-pillar-ai-inventory-and-classification.md)

*Version 0.1.0 · Licensed under the terms in* [*LICENSE.md*](/project/license.md)*.*


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