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

# State transitions

> The forward path: each transition's direction, trigger, and authority.

State changes are controlled transitions, not status edits. Each has a direction, a trigger that initiates it, and an authority allowed to make it. The criteria a transition evaluates are internal and do not appear in this table or anywhere else in these docs.

## Forward path

| From                       | To                         | Trigger                         | Authority       |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------- | ------------------------------- | --------------- |
| `proposal_accepted_paid`   | `engagement_created`       | Payment confirmed               | Soteris backend |
| `engagement_created`       | `onboarding_open`          | Setup complete                  | Soteris backend |
| `onboarding_open`          | `document_gate_open`       | Document requirements generated | Soteris backend |
| `document_gate_open`       | `ready_for_soteris_review` | Inputs cleared                  | Soteris backend |
| `ready_for_soteris_review` | `agent_ready`              | Cleared for preparation         | Soteris backend |
| `agent_ready`              | `agent_running`            | Preparation started             | Agent runtime   |
| `agent_running`            | `soteris_review`           | Preparation complete            | Agent runtime   |
| `soteris_review`           | `cpa_gate`                 | Escalated to review authority   | Reviewer        |
| `cpa_gate`                 | `deliverable_review`       | Review concluded                | Reviewer        |
| `deliverable_review`       | `final_payment_pending`    | Release authorized              | Reviewer        |
| `final_payment_pending`    | `closed_paid`              | Final settlement                | Soteris backend |
| `closed_paid`              | `archived`                 | Retention                       | Soteris backend |

<Card title="Reading the table" type="info">
  The trigger names what starts a transition. The authority names who is allowed to commit it. Neither reveals the evaluation in between: whether the input gate opens, whether review concludes, and whether release is authorized are governed by criteria that stay private.

  The forward path is the minority of the contract. The input-gate block, the clarification loop, rejections, loop-backs, interruptions, and stopped engagements are specified in [Exception paths](/workflow/exception-paths), in the same trigger-and-authority shape, with an explicit live or contract-preview status on every exception row.
</Card>