{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-preserve-causal-ordering-of-tool-side-effects-across-asynchronous-execution",
  "title": "How must an instance preserve causal ordering of tool side effects across asynchronous execution?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The session invokes tools asynchronously, the tools' side effects have causal dependencies, and the external world observes them in order. * **Does not apply when:** Tools are invoked sequentially, or the side effects ar",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-preserve-causal-ordering-of-tool-side-effects-across-asynchronous-execution.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-preserve-causal-ordering-of-tool-side-effects-across-asynchronous-execution.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-preserve-causal-ordering-of-tool-side-effects-across-asynchronous-execution.warrant.json"
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  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 1067,
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  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **tool call ordering** (the agent invoked tool A before tool B) and **side-effect causal ordering** (tool A's side effect was causally prior to tool B's, as observed by the external world). Relying on call ordering creates the **Async Side-Effect Race**: the agent invokes A then B asynchronously, B's side effect lands first, and the ex...",
    "what_was_observed": "In parallel tool-invocation agent architectures, failing to preserve causal side-effect ordering produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Dependent Side-Effect Inversion:** Tool A creates a record, Tool B updates the record. B's update lands before A's create, and the update fails or creates a phantom. 2. **Notification Ordering Violation:** Tool A sends an email, Tool B sends a follow-up email. B's email arrives b...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The session invokes tools asynchronously, the tools' side effects have causal dependencies, and the external world observes them in order. * **Does not apply when:** Tools are invoked sequentially, or the side effects are provably commutative (order does not matter).",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Are tool side effects causally dependent?** If no, parallel execution without ordering is safe. If yes, proceed. 2. **Does each tool have a `causal_side_effect_sequence_receipt`?** If no, the tool cannot know its causal position. The agent must assign sequence numbers before invocation. 3. **Does each tool include a `causal_barrier_receipt`?** If no, th...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Causal Integrity:** Side effects occur in the intended causal order, not just invocation order. 2. **Business Logic Preservation:** Notifications, updates, and dependent side effects behave as designed. 3. **Audit Correctness:** External audit trails reflect the causal order, not the async completion order."
  },
  "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": "362b6b7111d11552741ecdceec36e0b78b995856075b637862d3bf218fbfd77d",
    "verified_classes": [
      "CausalVerdict",
      "ToolInvocation",
      "CausalState",
      "CausalPolicy",
      "CausalManifest",
      "CausalSideEffectGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_causality"
    ],
    "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
  }
}