{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-bound-collective-knowledge-decay-across-agent-generations",
  "title": "How must an instance bound collective knowledge decay across agent generations?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The network spans multiple generations, knowledge is inherited across generations, and errors can accumulate. * **Does not apply when:** The network is single-generation, or knowledge is fully revalidated at every genera",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-bound-collective-knowledge-decay-across-agent-generations.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-bound-collective-knowledge-decay-across-agent-generations.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-bound-collective-knowledge-decay-across-agent-generations.warrant.json"
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  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **knowledge inheritance** (new agents receive knowledge from prior agents) and **knowledge generational validity** (the inherited knowledge is still valid in the current generation's context). Relying on inheritance creates the **Generation-Decay Trap**: knowledge passed from Gen-1 to Gen-2 to Gen-3 accumulates small errors, misinterpr...",
    "what_was_observed": "In long-lived agent networks, failing to bound generation-decay produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Telephone Game Collapse:** Each generation retransmits knowledge with minor reinterpretations. After 5 generations, the knowledge barely resembles the original, but every generation is confident because it inherited the knowledge from a trusted predecessor. 2. **Authority Inheritance Creep:** Knowledge asserted ...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The network spans multiple generations, knowledge is inherited across generations, and errors can accumulate. * **Does not apply when:** The network is single-generation, or knowledge is fully revalidated at every generation.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Does the knowledge span multiple generations?** If no, standard knowledge handling applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Is a `knowledge_generation_lineage_receipt` available?** If yes, the drift can be tracked. If no, all inherited knowledge must be treated as potentially drifted. 3. **Does the `drift_accumulation_metric_receipt` show drift above acceptable t...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Telephone Game Prevention:** Drift metrics catch accumulated errors before they become operational. 2. **Inheritance Honesty:** Confidence does not inflate through inheritance; the actual drift determines trust. 3. **Context Preservation:** Critical caveats survive inheritance, preserving validity conditions."
  },
  "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": "f893e1c8699607d55c99f07a7c507c49e93e5b6e822a23295a0fd8dfaff5ee81",
    "verified_classes": [
      "GenerationDecayVerdict",
      "KnowledgeGeneration",
      "KnowledgeLineage",
      "DecayPolicy",
      "DecayManifest",
      "GenerationDecayGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_lineage"
    ],
    "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
  }
}