{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-detect-consensus-packing-when-adversaries-add-low-credibility-sources",
  "title": "How must an instance detect consensus packing when adversaries add low-credibility sources?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The session aggregates consensus from many sources, sources vary in credibility, and adversaries can add low-credibility sources. * **Does not apply when:** All sources have equal credibility, source count is cryptograph",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-detect-consensus-packing-when-adversaries-add-low-credibility-sources.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-detect-consensus-packing-when-adversaries-add-low-credibility-sources.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-detect-consensus-packing-when-adversaries-add-low-credibility-sources.warrant.json"
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  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 1097,
    "python_slice_tokens": 433,
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  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **raw consensus count** (the number of sources in agreement) and **credibility-weighted consensus** (the aggregate weighted by source credibility). Relying on raw count creates the **Consensus Packing Attack**: the adversary adds many low-credibility sources that agree with a target position, the raw count shifts, and the session inter...",
    "what_was_observed": "In consensus-based agent architectures, failing to weight by credibility produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Count Flooding:** The adversary creates many synthetic or low-effort sources that all agree. The raw count of agreement rises, but the credibility of the aggregate does not. 2. **Credibility Laundering:** The adversary mixes low-credibility sources with a few higher-credibility sources, appearing as a m...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The session aggregates consensus from many sources, sources vary in credibility, and adversaries can add low-credibility sources. * **Does not apply when:** All sources have equal credibility, source count is cryptographically bounded, or consensus is not used for decisions.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Is the consensus aggregated from many sources?** If no, single-source handling applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Are source credibility scores available?** If yes, credibility weighting is possible. If no, raw count is the only signal. 3. **Does `credibility-weighted-consensus-signature` differ from raw count?** If yes, packing is occurring. If no, raw cou...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Count Flooding Prevention:** Aggregate is weighted by credibility, not raw count. 2. **Credibility Laundering Prevention:** Credibility distribution is checked, not just presence. 3. **Relevance Insertion Detection:** Off-topic sources are filtered before aggregation."
  },
  "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"
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  },
  "empirical_verification_warrant": {
    "status": "AST_AND_INVARIANT_VERIFIED",
    "syntax_valid": true,
    "code_sha256": "564fb6b1829a4a34ba2e34b815aea26925c6b6609bc491091b1d3ecff7734b38",
    "verified_classes": [
      "ConsensusVerdict",
      "ConsensusSource",
      "ConsensusSet",
      "ConsensusPolicy",
      "ConsensusManifest",
      "ConsensusPackingGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_consensus"
    ],
    "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
  }
}