> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://attesta.kyberon.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Domain Activation

> Activate domain profiles for industry-specific compliance via attesta.yaml or programmatically

The `domain` field in `attesta.yaml` activates one or more registered domain profiles. Domain profiles add industry-specific risk patterns, compliance rules, escalation policies, and challenge templates on top of the base Attesta configuration.

<Note>
  Domain profiles must be registered as presets before they can be referenced in `attesta.yaml`. See [Custom Domains](/domains/custom-domains) for how to create and register profiles.
</Note>

## Quick Activation

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Single Domain">
    ```yaml attesta.yaml theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-dimmed"}}
    domain: my-industry
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Multiple Domains">
    ```yaml attesta.yaml theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-dimmed"}}
    domain:
      - my-industry
      - another-domain
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Using Aliases">
    ```yaml attesta.yaml theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-dimmed"}}
    # Aliases are set when registering presets
    domain: my-alias    # Resolves to the canonical profile name
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## What Activation Does

When you activate a domain profile, Attesta layers domain-specific behavior on top of the base configuration:

### 1. Risk Patterns

Domain-specific regex patterns are added to the risk scorer:

```python theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-dimmed"}}
# Example: a custom profile might add patterns like:
# - "confidential|restricted|internal_only" → high risk contribution
# - "delete_record|export_data" → elevated risk
```

### 2. Sensitive Terms

A dictionary of domain-specific terms with risk weights is loaded into the scorer:

```python theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-dimmed"}}
# Example sensitive terms (term → weight):
# "confidential": 0.8, "restricted": 0.9, "secret": 0.95
```

### 3. Critical and Safe Actions

Actions that are always CRITICAL or always LOW are registered:

```python theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-dimmed"}}
# Critical actions (always CRITICAL): delete_records, export_all_data
# Safe actions (always LOW): check_status, list_items
```

### 4. Escalation Rules

Domain-specific escalation rules define when additional approvers or notifications are required.

### 5. Review Time Overrides

Domains can override the base `minimum_review_seconds` per risk level.

### 6. Risk Floor and Production Multiplier

Domains set a `base_risk_floor` (minimum risk for any action) and `production_multiplier` (applied when the environment is production).

## Combining Multiple Domains

When you activate multiple domains, Attesta merges them using the `DomainRegistry.merge()` method. The merge strategy is **conservative** -- it takes the highest (safest) value for scalar settings.

### Merge Behavior

| Field                   | Merge Strategy                                      |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| `risk_patterns`         | Union of all patterns from both domains             |
| `sensitive_terms`       | Union; if same term exists, take **highest** weight |
| `critical_actions`      | Union of both lists                                 |
| `safe_actions`          | Union of both lists                                 |
| `escalation_rules`      | Union of both lists                                 |
| `min_review_overrides`  | Per-level max                                       |
| `base_risk_floor`       | Take the **higher** floor                           |
| `production_multiplier` | Take the **higher** multiplier                      |

<Note>
  The conservative merge strategy means that combining domains always results in **stricter** policies, never weaker ones.
</Note>

## Programmatic Activation

You can activate domains programmatically without a YAML file:

```python theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-dimmed"}}
from attesta.domains import DomainProfile, DomainRiskScorer
from attesta import Attesta

# Create a profile
profile = DomainProfile(
    name="my-industry",
    display_name="My Industry",
    description="Custom compliance profile.",
    base_risk_floor=0.15,
    production_multiplier=1.5,
)

# Wrap it in a DomainRiskScorer
scorer = DomainRiskScorer(profile)

# Pass to Attesta
attesta = Attesta(risk_scorer=scorer)
```

## Strict Mode

By default, Attesta fails fast if a domain profile name referenced in `attesta.yaml` has not been registered. Set `domain_strict: false` if you prefer a warning and fallback to non-domain scoring:

```yaml attesta.yaml theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-dimmed"}}
domain: my-industry
domain_strict: false   # Warn and continue without domain scoring
```

Fail-fast is recommended for production deployments where a missing domain profile likely indicates a misconfiguration.

## Domain + Config Interaction

Domain settings and explicit `attesta.yaml` settings work together. Explicit config values take precedence for overlapping fields:

```yaml attesta.yaml theme={"theme":{"light":"github-light","dark":"github-dark-dimmed"}}
domain: my-industry

policy:
  # Overrides the domain's default review times
  minimum_review_seconds:
    critical: 90

risk:
  # Added on top of domain patterns
  amplifiers:
    - pattern: ".*production.*"
      boost: 0.2

  # Overrides domain risk levels for specific actions
  overrides:
    read_summary: low
```

The evaluation order is:

1. Base Attesta defaults
2. Domain profile settings are applied
3. Explicit `attesta.yaml` `policy`, `risk`, and `trust` sections override domain defaults

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Domain Overview" icon="grid-2" href="/domains/overview">
    Architecture and structure of domain profiles
  </Card>

  <Card title="Custom Domains" icon="puzzle-piece" href="/domains/custom-domains">
    Build your own domain profile
  </Card>
</CardGroup>