Canon Lock

Canon Lock is the magic moment. It's a single, intentional action — never automatic — that takes a chapter you approve and makes it real: the chapter becomes permanent, your approved state changes apply, and the rest of the Alcove catches up.

Draft is not canon until you lock it.

Why locking is separate from writing

Writing is fast, cheap, and reversible. Canon is deliberate and durable. Keeping them separate is what lets any producer propose boldly while you stay fully in control:

• A chapter — whether generated by Alcove, submitted over MCP, or pasted — produces proposed state changes. It never edits your world directly.
• You review those proposals as prose and as Canon Changed — consequences described in story terms, not as a technical checklist.
• Only you, by tapping Canon Lock, make them canon.

Never let generated artifacts directly mutate canon.

How review works

Before you lock, you read the chapter as prose, open the check results, and inspect every proposed consequence. Keep or drop each change, then lock.

Canon Lock refuses while required checks are still pending or failed. Advisory judgments stay visible without taking the writer's taste away.

Where you review depends on how you're reading:

• Flow reader — review and lock inline at the end of the chapter, then continue scrolling.
• Lock harness — review on the Canon Lock surface (Overview, Context, Checks, Canon Changed) before returning to the forge.

Both surfaces show the same proposal and the same proposed changes.

What happens when you lock

1. The chapter is locked into your Save File timeline.
2. Approved state updates apply — relationships shift, world facts change, and your route progress advances.
3. Your Cast Board and Story Codex update to reflect what's now known.
4. The Auto Route re-evaluates and offers your next three moves.

Canon Lock itself is always free.

Your story remembers itself

Because canon is tracked as structured state rather than left to a chat window's memory, later chapters stay consistent with everything you've locked. That's the whole point:

Your story remembers itself.

You can also review proposed changes and Canon Lock from an MCP-capable assistant — same consent, same account. See MCP & your AI.

Next: after every lock the Auto Route offers your next three moves — and branching a Test Save lets you try a different direction without touching your canon.