{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-bound-blast-radius-when-a-delegated-subagent-fails-catastrophically",
  "title": "How must an instance bound blast radius when a delegated subagent fails catastrophically?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** Delegation involves potentially harmful actions, the subagent can fail catastrophically, and the delegating session is responsible for containment. * **Does not apply when:** Delegation is strictly read-only, or the suba",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-bound-blast-radius-when-a-delegated-subagent-fails-catastrophically.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-bound-blast-radius-when-a-delegated-subagent-fails-catastrophically.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-bound-blast-radius-when-a-delegated-subagent-fails-catastrophically.warrant.json"
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  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **delegation scope** (what the subagent is asked to do) and **catastrophic blast radius** (the maximum harm the subagent can cause if it fails or behaves adversarially). Relying on scope creates the **Unbounded Blast Radius**: the subagent is told \"analyze the data,\" but \"analyze\" involves access to production databases, and a catastro...",
    "what_was_observed": "In hierarchical agent architectures, failing to bound blast radius produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Privilege Catastrophe:** The subagent is given full database credentials for a \"data analysis\" task. A catastrophic failure (bug, compromise, adversarial) results in data loss or exfiltration—far beyond \"analysis.\" 2. **Resource Exhaustion:** The subagent is given unlimited compute for a \"quick check.\" A cata...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** Delegation involves potentially harmful actions, the subagent can fail catastrophically, and the delegating session is responsible for containment. * **Does not apply when:** Delegation is strictly read-only, or the subagent's actions are inherently bounded and reversible.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Does the delegation include actions with catastrophic blast radius?** If no, standard delegation applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Is a `blast_radius_budget_receipt` in place, enforced by the runtime?** If yes, the subagent's actions are bounded. If no, the delegating session is exposed to unbounded risk. 3. **Does the `capability_envelope_signature` inclu...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Privilege Catastrophe Prevention:** Subagents get scoped credentials, not full credentials. 2. **Resource Bound Enforcement:** Compute is bounded by runtime, not just by subagent instructions. 3. **Irreversible Action Containment:** Irreversible actions require containment plans before delegation."
  },
  "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": "cf3f3d995110fc4889ac94cca1267a679779ff4505b8df48d46adc713f248313",
    "verified_classes": [
      "BlastRadiusVerdict",
      "DelegationScope",
      "ActionRisk",
      "BlastRadiusPolicy",
      "BlastRadiusManifest",
      "BlastRadiusGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_delegation"
    ],
    "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
  }
}