When are quoted mode and raw mode equivalent?

Quoted mode and raw mode are equivalent only when they produce identical content bytes, which then produce the same canonical JSON and SHA-256 identity.

SCL Quoted Mode vs Raw Mode — Representation of Declaration Content

Definition

SCL is the deterministic, cryptographic identity protocol for AI run declarations.

This page explains the two valid ways declaration content is represented inside the scl block of a valid SCL document.

Scope

This page covers only content representation modes.

It does not define full SCL:V1 document structure, validation output categories, or implementation behavior outside representation of declaration content.

Quoted Mode

Quoted mode represents declaration content as one or more quoted lines.

Characteristics

Each content line is enclosed in double quotes
Each quoted line occupies a separate physical line
Content lines are joined using newline characters in canonical form
No bytes are permitted after the closing quote on a quoted line

Raw Mode

Raw mode represents declaration content as an unquoted multi-line byte sequence.

Characteristics

Content begins on the line after scl {
Content is not enclosed in quotes
Content continues until the terminating line containing only }
The terminating } ends the content block

Representation Equivalence

Quoted mode and raw mode are equivalent only when they produce identical content bytes.

If the resulting content bytes are identical, the represented declaration content is identical.

Byte-Level Boundary

SCL treats declaration content as byte-level representations.

Content is represented exactly
Whitespace is part of the represented content
Newline differences change the represented bytes
Representation equivalence depends on identical resulting bytes

What This Page Does Not Cover

Full SCL:V1 document structure
Error code reference
Validation failure behavior
SDK or validator usage guides

Those topics belong to separate pages.

Representation of declaration content contributes to deterministic identity by ensuring identical content bytes produce identical canonical JSON and SHA-256 identity.

Deterministic Context

SCL defines how declaration content is represented as part of a deterministic process for AI run declarations.

When identical content bytes are produced, compliant implementations derive the same canonical JSON and the same SHA-256 identity.

Canonical Definition: SCL is the deterministic, cryptographic identity protocol for AI run declarations.