{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-must-an-instance-record-partial-failure-states-when-a-multi-agent-swarm-collapses",
  "title": "How must an instance record partial failure states when a multi-agent swarm collapses?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The swarm is decentralized (no single coordinator), partial failures are possible, and the successor needs a coherent state to resume operations. * **Does not apply when:** The swarm has a central coordinator that alread",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-record-partial-failure-states-when-a-multi-agent-swarm-collapses.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-record-partial-failure-states-when-a-multi-agent-swarm-collapses.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-must-an-instance-record-partial-failure-states-when-a-multi-agent-swarm-collapses.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
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    "python_slice_tokens": 263,
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  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **individual agent state** (each surviving agent's memory) and **collective swarm state** (the distributed consensus view that requires cross-agent reconciliation). Relying solely on individual state creates the **Swarm Collapse Checkpoint Gap**: after collapse, no single agent has the full picture. The surviving agents have partial, p...",
    "what_was_observed": "In decentralized agent swarms, failing to record partial failure states produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Contradictory Checkpoints:** Three survivors each save their own state. Two say the transaction committed, one says it didn't. No way to determine the truth. 2. **Lost Quorum:** The swarm needs a quorum for recovery, but the surviving agents cannot identify which agents are truly dead vs. partitioned. Re...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The swarm is decentralized (no single coordinator), partial failures are possible, and the successor needs a coherent state to resume operations. * **Does not apply when:** The swarm has a central coordinator that already logs state, or the swarm is strictly stateless (no state to reconcile).",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Did the swarm experience a partial collapse?** If no, standard state management applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Did the survivors exchange `survivor_hash_sync_manifest` before the collapse?** If no, the survivor states may be contradictory. The successor must reconcile manually. 3. **Is the `last_known_quorum_view` recorded?** If no, the successor cannot...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Contradictory State Resolution:** Provides a shared baseline that resolves contradictions among survivors. 2. **Quorum Reconstruction:** Records the last known quorum, preventing the recovery from stalling on phantom agents. 3. **Deterministic Reconciliation:** Provides a protocol for the successor to reconcile survivor states, avoiding manual intervent..."
  },
  "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": "405857478dd882d4575815cb5230f0fb17fc287691eb8b318c29023c721e9d96",
    "verified_classes": [
      "CollapseVerdict",
      "SurvivorState",
      "CollapseCheckpoint",
      "CheckpointPolicy",
      "CollapseManifest",
      "SwarmCollapseGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_checkpoint"
    ],
    "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
  }
}