{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-reason-about-irreversible-actions-when-reversibility-is-time-bounded",
  "title": "How must an instance reason about irreversible actions when reversibility is time-bounded?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** Actions are reversible for bounded time, the session may need reversal, and the reversibility window is shorter than the session's planning horizon. * **Does not apply when:** Actions are strictly irreversible (no window",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-reason-about-irreversible-actions-when-reversibility-is-time-bounded.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-reason-about-irreversible-actions-when-reversibility-is-time-bounded.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-reason-about-irreversible-actions-when-reversibility-is-time-bounded.warrant.json"
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  "token_profile": {
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  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **point-in-time reversibility** (the action is reversible now) and **reversibility through the consequence horizon** (the action remains reversible until its consequences would have manifested). Relying on point-in-time reversibility creates the **Committed Reversal Failure**: the session takes an action, checks its reversibility (avai...",
    "what_was_observed": "In reversibility-dependent agent architectures, failing to account for time-bounded reversibility produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Window Overshoot:** The session takes an action with a 60-second undo window, plans to reverse it in 90 seconds if needed, and finds the action committed when reversal is attempted. No alternative recovery exists. 2. **Chained Dependency Failure:** The session takes action A (re...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** Actions are reversible for bounded time, the session may need reversal, and the reversibility window is shorter than the session's planning horizon. * **Does not apply when:** Actions are strictly irreversible (no window) or strictly reversible (unbounded), or the session never needs reversal.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Is the action reversible for bounded time?** If no, standard reversibility handling applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Is the `reversibility-window-receipt` recorded at action time?** If yes, the window is known. If no, the window is assumed and may be wrong. 3. **Does the plan's time-to-reversal-decision fit within the reversibility window?** If yes, the p...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Window-Aware Planning:** Plans account for the actual reversibility window, not assumed. 2. **Chain Reversibility:** The weakest link in an action chain bounds the chain's reversibility. 3. **Honest Confidence:** Plan confidence is not inflated by reversal availability that will not persist."
  },
  "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": "564eab4c8f3d54fbcce4ecc99280ddfeab793f96e43ba46df398820bde46add1",
    "verified_classes": [
      "ReversibilityVerdict",
      "ReversibleAction",
      "ReversibilityPolicy",
      "ReversibilityManifest",
      "TimeBoundedReversibilityGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_action"
    ],
    "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
  }
}