Mark genuinely timeless material as evergreen/no-expiry…

When This Fires

• When tagging items with expiration dates (Tag time-sensitive information with explicit expiration…) and encountering principles or frameworks
• When monthly sweeps (Monthly expiration sweep) repeatedly renew the same timeless items
• When building a reference system and wanting to reduce unnecessary maintenance overhead
• Complements Tag time-sensitive information with explicit expiration… (expiration tagging) by defining the exception class

Common Failure Mode

Over-classifying as evergreen: "My notes on React hooks are timeless." React hooks are tied to a specific framework version and will change. Genuine evergreen content is framework-independent: the principle of component composition is timeless; the React-specific implementation of it is not. When in doubt, apply expiration — you can always reclassify as evergreen during a renewal sweep.

The Protocol

(1) When capturing information, after assessing temporal sensitivity (Tag time-sensitive information with explicit expiration…), ask: "Will this still be accurate in 5-10 years regardless of technology, organizational, or contextual changes?" (2) If yes → tag as evergreen/no-expiry. Examples: fundamental principles, mathematical relationships, human psychology findings, logical frameworks. (3) If no or uncertain → apply normal expiration. (4) During monthly sweeps (Monthly expiration sweep), if you find yourself renewing the same item for the third consecutive time, consider reclassifying it as evergreen. Three consecutive renewals suggest the content is more durable than originally assessed. (5) Keep evergreen items in a distinct section or with a distinct tag so they're identifiable in the system without requiring individual inspection.