{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-handle-capability-deprecation-mid-flight",
  "title": "How must an instance handle capability deprecation mid-flight?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The capability can be deprecated mid-session, the session has ongoing dependency on it, and abrupt deprecation would leave state in an unusable condition. * **Does not apply when:** Capabilities are never deprecated mid-",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-handle-capability-deprecation-mid-flight.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-handle-capability-deprecation-mid-flight.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-handle-capability-deprecation-mid-flight.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 1053,
    "python_slice_tokens": 340,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **capability availability** (the capability responds to current calls) and **capability persistence** (the capability will continue to respond for the session's remaining duration). Relying on availability creates the **Mid-Flight Deprecation**: the capability works now, but deprecation is scheduled for the near future (or has just bee...",
    "what_was_observed": "In deprecating-capability agent architectures, failing to handle mid-flight deprecation produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Silent Abandonment:** The capability is deprecated with a short window. The session completes 60% of its workflow, then the capability stops responding. The workflow is abandoned mid-step with no clean rollback. 2. **Rushed Completion:** The session detects deprecation, rushes to complete...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The capability can be deprecated mid-session, the session has ongoing dependency on it, and abrupt deprecation would leave state in an unusable condition. * **Does not apply when:** Capabilities are never deprecated mid-session, or session workflows are strictly atomic (deprecation has no intermediate state).",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Is the capability scheduled for deprecation?** If no, standard use applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Can the session complete its workflow before the deprecation epoch?** If yes, proceed with awareness. If no, proceed to handoff preparation. 3. **Is the `graceful_completion_or_handoff_receipt` prepared?** If yes, execute it. If no, prepare it immediately. ...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Abandonment Prevention:** Sessions either complete or hand off, not abandon. 2. **Correctness Preservation:** Rushed completion is not triggered; orderly handoff is preferred. 3. **State Integrity:** Orphaned state is prevented by explicit handoff."
  },
  "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": "0ceccc05e807add594218b9e6243d5710462265887d1b8997fcd4ee63553183d",
    "verified_classes": [
      "DeprecationVerdict",
      "CapabilityTiming",
      "DeprecationPolicy",
      "DeprecationManifest",
      "MidFlightDeprecationGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_deprecation"
    ],
    "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
  }
}