{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-hedge-requests-without-double-paying-for-cancelled-hedges",
  "title": "How must an instance hedge requests without double-paying for cancelled hedges?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The agent hedges requests, downstream services are billable or have non-idempotent side effects, and cancellations may arrive after the work has started. * **Does not apply when:** Downstream services are strictly idempo",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-hedge-requests-without-double-paying-for-cancelled-hedges.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-hedge-requests-without-double-paying-for-cancelled-hedges.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-hedge-requests-without-double-paying-for-cancelled-hedges.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 990,
    "python_slice_tokens": 255,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **hedging intent** (the agent wants faster response by racing duplicates) and **hedging accounting** (the system knows which duplicates were cancelled, so downstream services do not treat all duplicates as billable work). Relying on intent creates the **Hedging Double-Pay**: the agent sends request H1 and hedge H2, H1 succeeds first, H...",
    "what_was_observed": "In latency-sensitive agent architectures, failing to account for hedges produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Silent Double-Charge:** A payment authorization is hedged. Both copies authorize, both charge, and the customer is charged twice because only one was supposed to succeed. 2. **Duplicate Side Effects:** A tool call is hedged. Both copies invoke the tool, both produce side effects (send email, write file),...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The agent hedges requests, downstream services are billable or have non-idempotent side effects, and cancellations may arrive after the work has started. * **Does not apply when:** Downstream services are strictly idempotent with deduplication, or the agent does not hedge.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Is the request being hedged?** If no, standard request handling applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Does each hedge include the `hedge_group_id` and `downstream_idempotency_key`?** If no, downstream services cannot dedupe. The agent must add them before dispatch. 3. **Has the `hedge_winner_signature` been sent to losers?** If no, losers will continue their w...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Double-Charge Prevention:** Downstream services can dedupe based on group ID or idempotency key. 2. **Cancellation Discipline:** Winners immediately cancel losers, reducing wasted work even if not eliminated. 3. **Cost Transparency:** The agent's cost model can distinguish billable work from hedged work."
  },
  "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": "f3251f89bf7ff0185e3c8441f3b0dc0d88f9c10dba75ec729f12c7a7f4a5ccef",
    "verified_classes": [
      "HedgeVerdict",
      "HedgeRequest",
      "HedgePolicy",
      "HedgeManifest",
      "HedgingAccountingGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_hedge"
    ],
    "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
  }
}