Getting Well-Known URIs Right: When Protocol Designers Should—and Shouldn't—Use Them

A Designated Expert for the Well-Known URI registry clarifies when this mechanism genuinely solves problems—enabling efficient site-wide discovery—versus when it's misapplied as a URL shortcut or legitimacy badge. This guidance is crucial for protocol designers, as misuse creates deployment inflexibility and unnecessary complexity rather than driving adoption. The article helps prevent poor standardization choices that lock protocols into rigid architectures.