{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-discover-discovery-mechanisms-when-no-authoritative-directory-exists",
  "title": "How must an instance discover discovery mechanisms when no authoritative directory exists?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** No authoritative discovery directory exists, agents must self-organise discovery, and multiple mechanisms may coexist. * **Does not apply when:** A single authoritative discovery mechanism is enforced by the network.",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-discover-discovery-mechanisms-when-no-authoritative-directory-exists.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-discover-discovery-mechanisms-when-no-authoritative-directory-exists.py",
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  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **capability discovery** (finding what exists) and **meta-discovery** (finding how discovery itself works in this network). Relying on capability discovery creates the **Meta-Discovery Void**: the agent searches for capabilities without knowing what discovery mechanisms exist or are trusted, and either wanders through peer recommendati...",
    "what_was_observed": "In decentralised agent networks without authoritative directories, failing to enable meta-discovery produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Discovery Protocol Assumption:** An agent from one network assumes the discovery mechanism is HTTP-based (or DNS-based, or gossip-based), attempts to use it in a network with a different mechanism, and fails to find any resources despite abundant availability. 2. **Bootstrap B...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** No authoritative discovery directory exists, agents must self-organise discovery, and multiple mechanisms may coexist. * **Does not apply when:** A single authoritative discovery mechanism is enforced by the network.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Does the agent know what discovery mechanisms exist in this network?** If no, it must execute bootstrap discovery (using seed set) before attempting capability discovery. If yes, proceed. 2. **Are the `meta_discovery_manifest_receipt`s from a diverse set of peers?** If yes, the discovery landscape is mapped. If no, the agent's view may be limited or man...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Discovery Landscape Awareness:** Agents know what discovery mechanisms exist before searching. 2. **Bootstrap Enablement:** New agents can learn the landscape from a small seed set. 3. **Cross-Subnetwork Discovery:** Bridges enable discovery across mechanisms, preventing fragmentation."
  },
  "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": "cddefd159260a42e2c95734e3a3d226b12924bedc8422d962603b3b69c8add3a",
    "verified_classes": [
      "MetaDiscoveryVerdict",
      "DiscoveryManifest",
      "DiscoveryState",
      "MetaDiscoveryPolicy",
      "MetaDiscoveryResult",
      "MetaDiscoveryGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_discovery"
    ],
    "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
  }
}