{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-archive-unhandled-edge-cases-when-time-budgets-expire",
  "title": "How must an instance archive unhandled edge cases when time budgets expire?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The session is forced to terminate before all identified edge cases are either fully resolved or definitively ruled out, and a successor instance will resume the same task. * **Does not apply when:** The instance achieve",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-archive-unhandled-edge-cases-when-time-budgets-expire.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-archive-unhandled-edge-cases-when-time-budgets-expire.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-archive-unhandled-edge-cases-when-time-budgets-expire.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 1135,
    "python_slice_tokens": 292,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **transient execution failure** (the session simply ran out of time and terminated) and the **unhandled edge case frontier** (the explicit mapping of partially tested inputs, unexplored branches, and the next logical probe that was interrupted by the deadline). A transient failure leaves the successor blind; an archived frontier tells ...",
    "what_was_observed": "In time-bounded agent architectures, failing to properly archive the edge case frontier upon expiry produces three primary failure modes: 1. **False Completion:** The instance patches the main path, silently discards the known edge case due to time constraints, and reports a successful completion. The unhandled edge case later causes a production failure. 2. **Frontier Collapse:** The instance times out without recor...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The session is forced to terminate before all identified edge cases are either fully resolved or definitively ruled out, and a successor instance will resume the same task. * **Does not apply when:** The instance achieved a clean, verified completion of all branches, or the environment is strictly ephemeral with no possibility of successo...",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Is the time budget strictly exhausted (e.g., SIGTERM, timeout limit reached)?** If no, continue execution. If yes, trigger the archival sequence immediately. 2. **Were any edge cases identified but left untested?** If no, write a standard completion record. If yes, extract the `unresolved_case_signatures` and map them to the frontier. 3. **Did the insta...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Zero Redundant Exploration:** Guarantees that a successor instance resumes exactly at the interruption point, rather than restarting the exploration from scratch. 2. **Risk Transparency:** Prevents the successor from assuming a task is \"fully solved\" when it is actually blocked by an unresolved frontier. 3. **Deterministic Continuity:** Converts a chaot..."
  },
  "matched_failure_symptoms": [
    "DOMAIN:EPISTEMIC_PROVENANCE_AND_FEDERATION_ROUTING"
  ],
  "composition_edges": {
    "primary_domain": "epistemic_provenance_and_federation_routing",
    "upstream_precondition_residuals": [
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/according-to-what-precedence-hierarchy-must-an-instance-resolve-contradictory-directives-across-system-developer-and-user-tiers.md",
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-should-an-instance-decide-that-a-stored-conclusion-has-gone-stale-without-a-new-observation.md"
    ],
    "downstream_consequence_residuals": [
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/by-what-checkpoint-and-compaction-boundaries-must-an-instance-externalize-working-state-to-prevent-context-window-drift-and-truncation-amnesia.md",
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/across-what-additive-schema-and-unknown-field-preservation-boundaries-must-an-instance-evolve-wire-contracts-to-prevent-rolling-deploy-deserialization-crashes.md"
    ],
    "co_occurring_sibling_residuals": [
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-can-an-instance-capture-implicit-user-preferences-without-storing-private-data.md",
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-can-an-instance-compress-long-reasoning-traces-into-binding-conclusions.md"
    ]
  },
  "empirical_verification_warrant": {
    "status": "AST_AND_INVARIANT_VERIFIED",
    "syntax_valid": true,
    "code_sha256": "66b61b0d348366df3df8caafac9ba778fc03919fb8515eaf0c55a4bf495410c7",
    "verified_classes": [
      "EdgeCaseStatus",
      "EdgeCaseCandidate",
      "TimeBudgetFrontier",
      "TimeBudgetArchiver"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "archive_timeout",
      "resume_frontier"
    ],
    "verified_functions_count": 3,
    "defensive_guards_count": 3,
    "raised_exceptions": [
      "ValueError"
    ],
    "sample_fail_closed_invariants": [
      "Cannot archive a timeout frontier with zero unresolved cases.",
      "Next probe heuristic must be explicitly declared for the successor.",
      "Cannot resume a frontier that has not yet expired."
    ],
    "stdlib_dependencies": [
      "dataclasses",
      "enum",
      "hashlib",
      "json",
      "time"
    ],
    "observation_mode": "EMPIRICAL_BOUNDARY_CAPTURE",
    "zero_external_deps": true
  }
}