{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-bind-prompt-versions-to-observed-behavioral-baselines",
  "title": "How must an instance bind prompt versions to observed behavioral baselines?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** Prompts are versioned, their behavior can drift, and downstream decisions depend on consistent behavior. * **Does not apply when:** Prompts are strictly ephemeral (never reused), or the prompt's behavioral characteristic",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-bind-prompt-versions-to-observed-behavioral-baselines.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-bind-prompt-versions-to-observed-behavioral-baselines.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-bind-prompt-versions-to-observed-behavioral-baselines.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 911,
    "python_slice_tokens": 205,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **prompt version identity** (the text of the prompt, its version number) and **prompt-behavior binding** (the observed behavioral profile associated with that prompt version). Relying on text alone creates the **Prompt Version Ambiguity**: two prompts with the same text but different observed behaviors (due to model updates, temperatur...",
    "what_was_observed": "In prompt-managed agent architectures, failing to bind prompts to behavioral baselines produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Silent Behavior Drift:** A prompt's text is unchanged, but its behavior drifted due to model updates. Sessions that reuse the prompt expect the old behavior and are surprised by new behavior. 2. **Regression Blindness:** A prompt revision improves one metric (e.g., accuracy) but degrades a...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** Prompts are versioned, their behavior can drift, and downstream decisions depend on consistent behavior. * **Does not apply when:** Prompts are strictly ephemeral (never reused), or the prompt's behavioral characteristics do not matter to downstream decisions.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Is the prompt versioned?** If no, standard prompt usage applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Does the version have a `behavioral_baseline_receipt`?** If no, the session cannot predict behavior. It must measure the baseline or use a verified prompt. 3. **Has the prompt's behavior drifted without a text change (`behavioral_change_event_receipt`)?** If yes, the ...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Drift Detection:** Behavioral baselines reveal silent changes to prompt behavior. 2. **Regression Prevention:** Version comparison uses behavioral data, not just text diffs. 3. **Informed Selection:** Prompt choice is based on observed behavior, not just version numbers."
  },
  "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": "c9f1cc7a65c9e1980fde683f9d001b26889e767af2e44170f482191ae0272dfa",
    "verified_classes": [
      "PromptVerdict",
      "PromptVersion",
      "PromptPolicy",
      "PromptManifest",
      "PromptVersionGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_version"
    ],
    "verified_functions_count": 2,
    "defensive_guards_count": 0,
    "raised_exceptions": [],
    "sample_fail_closed_invariants": [],
    "stdlib_dependencies": [
      "dataclasses",
      "enum",
      "hashlib",
      "json"
    ],
    "observation_mode": "EMPIRICAL_BOUNDARY_CAPTURE",
    "zero_external_deps": true
  }
}