[media-types] Vendor media type registration: application/vn d.k9+nickel

Dear IANA Media Types team,

I would like to register the following vendor-tree media type per RFC 6838:

Type name: application
Subtype name: vnd.k9+nickel

The "+nickel" structured syntax suffix indicates that the format's
validation layer is expressed in the Nickel configuration language
(https://nickel-lang.org).

K9 (Self-Validating Components) treats files as active,
self-validating entities. The must-just-nickel triad enables
environment detection (POSIX shell), task orchestration (Just
recipes), and typed validation (Nickel contracts). A three-tier Leash
System (Kennel/Yard/Hunt) ensures security controls are proportional
to the component's requested privileges.

Required parameters: N/A
Optional parameters: security-level ("kennel", "yard", or "hunt"), version
Encoding considerations: 8-bit text (magic number "K9!" at offset 0, UTF-8 body)
Magic number(s): "K9!" (0x4B 0x39 0x21) at offset 0
File extension(s): .k9, .k9.ncl

Published specification:
  https://github.com/hyperpolymath/standards/blob/main/k9-svc/SPEC.adoc
  https://k9-svc.net

Security considerations: K9 implements a tiered security model. Kennel
level is pure data (no execution, safe for constrained devices). Yard
level permits Nickel contract evaluation only (functionally pure, no
side effects). Hunt level permits full execution but REQUIRES Ed25519
cryptographic signatures, explicit user consent, and containerised
execution. Full security analysis is included in the registration
template.

Applications that use this media type:
  - K9 component validators and deployers
  - CI/CD pipelines with self-validating configuration
  - Container orchestration systems (Podman-first)
  - The Contractile CLI system (must/trust/dust/intend/k9)

Intended usage: COMMON

Contact: Jonathan D.A. Jewell <[email protected]>
Author/Change controller: Jonathan D.A. Jewell, The Open University

The complete registration template per RFC 6838 Section 5.6 is available at:
  https://github.com/hyperpolymath/format-registrations/blob/main/iana/k9-media-type.txt

I am happy to submit via the IANA web form if preferred, or to provide
additional information.

Best regards,
Jonathan D.A. Jewell
[email protected]
https://github.com/hyperpolymath

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