Sealed Mode makes the doorway harder to route around.
ZLAR governs actions that pass through it. Sealed Mode is the deployment posture that makes more important capabilities pass through ZLAR, and blocks paths that should not bypass it.
The doorway matters. The deployment still matters.
ZLAR gate
The fixed decision point for routed actions.
Sandbox and egress
Deployment controls for paths outside the doorway.
Keys and rule files
Read-only gate files and signing authority outside the AI.
Controlled shell and MCP
Important capabilities exposed through governed surfaces.
Receipts and reports
Records that show what counted as authorized effect and where coverage ended.
Verifier and witnesses
External validation paths when the deployment needs them.
The code checks what reaches it. Deployment decides what reaches it.
The practical mission of a serious deployment is to make "routed" approach "all important paths." That is not only a code property. It is the work of operating AI inside a controlled environment.
Sealed Mode is for teams that need the doorway to be visible, enforceable, and reviewable.
Disclosure
Sealed Mode is a deployment posture, not a magic perimeter. Any capability not routed through ZLAR and not blocked by surrounding controls remains outside ZLAR governance.