# Lock-in catalog

> A mechanism-first catalog of technical, economic, contractual, identity, and operational lock-in.

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LLMS index: [llms.txt](/llms.txt)

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> [!NOTE]
> Taxonomy ready; named examples require evidence review before publication.

## Mechanism classes {#classes}

| Class | Typical symptom | Exit test |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Data gravity | Transfer time or charge dominates the move | Export full data and price elapsed transfer |
| Proprietary semantics | A compatible API loses required behavior | Replay the critical operation set elsewhere |
| Identity coupling | Accounts, policies, or keys cannot be reconstructed | Rebuild authorization from exported declarations |
| Control-plane dependence | Operations require provider-only orchestration | Execute recovery without the original control plane |
| Commitment lock | Unused spend or credits become stranded | Price exit at multiple dates |
| Organizational dependency | Skills and procedures exist only inside the provider path | Run an independent recovery drill |

Records name the mechanism before the vendor. The same provider can reduce one
kind of lock-in while increasing another, and the same service can behave
differently by feature or plan.