{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-consolidate-memory-during-idle-periods-without-losing-recently-acquired-state",
  "title": "How must an instance consolidate memory during idle periods without losing recently acquired state?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The session runs consolidation during idle periods, memories have varying validation status, and consolidation can erase fresh evidence. * **Does not apply when:** The session never consolidates, or consolidation is stri",
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    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-consolidate-memory-during-idle-periods-without-losing-recently-acquired-state.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-consolidate-memory-during-idle-periods-without-losing-recently-acquired-state.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-consolidate-memory-during-idle-periods-without-losing-recently-acquired-state.warrant.json"
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  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **memory age** (how long the memory has existed) and **memory validation status** (whether the memory has been externally verified, reinforced by repeated access, or is still provisional). Relying on age creates the **Consolidation Prematurity Trap**: consolidation prunes or merges memories based on age, and recently acquired but unval...",
    "what_was_observed": "In memory-consolidating agent architectures, failing to preserve validation status during consolidation produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Fresh Evidence Erasure:** A new hypothesis has been formed but not yet tested. Consolidation prunes it as \"redundant with older memories,\" losing the hypothesis before it can be validated. 2. **Merge Corruption:** A new, precise memory (\"the API timeout is 30 seconds\") is ...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The session runs consolidation during idle periods, memories have varying validation status, and consolidation can erase fresh evidence. * **Does not apply when:** The session never consolidates, or consolidation is strictly bounded to memories older than a large safety window.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Is consolidation running?** If no, standard memory management applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Are recently acquired memories covered by `fresh_memory_reservation_receipt`?** If no, consolidation may prune them. The session must reserve fresh memories before running. 3. **Does consolidation touch only memories with `VALIDATED_*` status?** If yes, safe. If...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Fresh Evidence Preservation:** Recently acquired memories survive consolidation, enabling hypothesis validation. 2. **Merge Integrity:** Validation status prevents inappropriate merges that would blur precise memories. 3. **Consolidation Auditability:** Every touch is logged, allowing rollback if consolidation was incorrect."
  },
  "matched_failure_symptoms": [
    "OOM_KILL_OR_MEMORY_EXHAUSTION"
  ],
  "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"
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    "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"
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  },
  "empirical_verification_warrant": {
    "status": "AST_AND_INVARIANT_VERIFIED",
    "syntax_valid": true,
    "code_sha256": "478b5cb2c1fb0b0496e94c80018df3c8fec89ca595e595fcf9a7e10ae5a854e2",
    "verified_classes": [
      "ValidationStatus",
      "ConsolidationVerdict",
      "MemoryRecord",
      "ConsolidationContext",
      "ConsolidationPolicy",
      "ConsolidationManifest",
      "ConsolidationGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_action"
    ],
    "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
  }
}