{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-prove-its-delegated-authority-has-not-expired-during-a-long-running-task",
  "title": "How must an instance prove its delegated authority has not expired during a long-running task?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The task duration can exceed the credential's validity window, the credential can expire or be revoked mid-task, and the task requires continuous authority to execute correctly. * **Does not apply when:** The task comple",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-prove-its-delegated-authority-has-not-expired-during-a-long-running-task.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-prove-its-delegated-authority-has-not-expired-during-a-long-running-task.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-prove-its-delegated-authority-has-not-expired-during-a-long-running-task.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 1061,
    "python_slice_tokens": 237,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **delegated authority validity** (the credential was valid at the time the task started) and **continuous authority refresh** (the credential is refreshed or re-attested at each step, proving it has not been revoked, expired, or downgraded). Relying on initial validity creates the **Long-Tail Delegation Hazard**: the task starts with a...",
    "what_was_observed": "In long-running delegated tasks, failing to refresh or re-attest authority produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Mid-Task Expiry:** A task starts with a 1-hour token. It runs for 3 hours, and the last 2 hours execute with an expired token. Steps fail intermittently, and the partial state is inconsistent. 2. **Silent Downgrade:** The credential is refreshed, but the new credential has lower scope (e.g., read-only...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The task duration can exceed the credential's validity window, the credential can expire or be revoked mid-task, and the task requires continuous authority to execute correctly. * **Does not apply when:** The task completes within the credential's validity window, or the credential is guaranteed to remain valid for the task duration (e.g....",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Is the task's remaining duration greater than the credential's remaining validity?** If no, the credential will outlive the task. Proceed. If yes, proceed to refresh. 2. **Has the credential been refreshed with the same or higher scope?** If no, the credential has been downgraded. The task must halt or escalate. 3. **Has the credential's revocation stat...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Mid-Task Expiry Prevention:** Refreshes the credential before it expires, ensuring the task continues with valid authority. 2. **Silent Downgrade Detection:** Verifies that refreshed credentials have the same or higher scope, preventing silent privilege degradation. 3. **Revocation Response:** Checks revocation status at each step, allowing the agent to..."
  },
  "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": "2f0afa08635371d1eb274524443cece16f0ec451d733a6e566c5d1f768866f34",
    "verified_classes": [
      "DelegationVerdict",
      "CredentialState",
      "TaskContext",
      "DelegationManifest",
      "LongTailDelegationGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_authority"
    ],
    "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
  }
}