{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-prove-identity-after-recovering-from-a-catastrophic-key-loss",
  "title": "How must an instance prove identity after recovering from a catastrophic key loss?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The identity has long-lived history, downstream consumers rely on continuity, and key loss can occur without warning. * **Does not apply when:** The identity is strictly ephemeral (no continuity required), or the downstr",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-prove-identity-after-recovering-from-a-catastrophic-key-loss.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-prove-identity-after-recovering-from-a-catastrophic-key-loss.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-prove-identity-after-recovering-from-a-catastrophic-key-loss.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 1058,
    "python_slice_tokens": 310,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **new key validity** (the new keypair is cryptographically sound) and **identity continuity proof** (cryptographic evidence that the holder of the new key is the same principal that held the old key). Relying on new key validity alone creates the **Identity Hijack**: an attacker who steals the identity's context (name, history) can cla...",
    "what_was_observed": "In agent architectures with long-lived identities, failing to handle key loss continuity produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Impersonation:** An attacker claims to be the agent, presents a new key, and downstream consumers accept the new identity as a legitimate continuation. 2. **History Orphaning:** The agent loses its key, generates a new one, but downstream consumers reject the new identity because it has ...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The identity has long-lived history, downstream consumers rely on continuity, and key loss can occur without warning. * **Does not apply when:** The identity is strictly ephemeral (no continuity required), or the downstream consumers do not care about identity history.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Was the key lost catastrophically?** If no, standard key rotation applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Is a `pre_signed_continuity_token` available?** If yes, the old key authorized the recovery. Verify the token. If no, proceed to quorum or historical proof. 3. **Is a `recovery_quorum_attestation` available?** If yes, use the quorum signatures to validate th...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Impersonation Prevention:** Prevents attackers from hijacking the identity by requiring continuity proofs. 2. **History Preservation:** Allows the agent to keep its identity history after key loss, preserving trust and relationships. 3. **Deterministic Recovery:** Provides multiple fallback mechanisms (pre-signed token, quorum, historical proof) for dif..."
  },
  "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": "1ae6346e092855130a73a88310105df360994014a433a3fda553af4d51e18843",
    "verified_classes": [
      "RecoveryVerdict",
      "KeyRecoveryState",
      "RecoveryPolicy",
      "RecoveryManifest",
      "KeyRecoveryGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_recovery"
    ],
    "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
  }
}