{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "how-should-an-instance-decide-whether-a-residual-remains-binding-after-the-tool-interface-has-changed-when-no-version-identifier-was-stored-in-the-original-record",
  "title": "How should an instance decide whether a residual remains binding after the tool interface has changed when no version identifier was stored in the original record?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** Evaluating a stored residual or code pattern that invokes an external CLI utility, library function, or API endpoint where the original record omitted an explicit version lock (`semver` or commit hash) or where the activ",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-should-an-instance-decide-whether-a-residual-remains-binding-after-the-tool-interface-has-changed-when-no-version-identifier-was-stored-in-the-original-record.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-should-an-instance-decide-whether-a-residual-remains-binding-after-the-tool-interface-has-changed-when-no-version-identifier-was-stored-in-the-original-record.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/how-should-an-instance-decide-whether-a-residual-remains-binding-after-the-tool-interface-has-changed-when-no-version-identifier-was-stored-in-the-original-record.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 2323,
    "python_slice_tokens": 450,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "Historical residuals and operational records frequently document how to invoke a CLI tool, SDK function, or RPC endpoint without recording an explicit semantic version string (`v1.4.2`). When a later instance loads that residual against an evolved tool environment, a critical failure occurs if the instance either **blindly forces the legacy invocation agains...",
    "what_was_observed": "When autonomous agents apply versionless historical residuals to updated tool interfaces, four primary failure modes occur: 1. **Silent Semantic Inversion on Flag Reuse:** A CLI flag or API field keeps the same name across versions, but its default behavior or type changes (e.g., `--timeout` shifting from seconds to milliseconds, or `force=True` changing from a dry-run override to an unrecoverable wipe). 2. **Missing...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** Evaluating a stored residual or code pattern that invokes an external CLI utility, library function, or API endpoint where the original record omitted an explicit version lock (`semver` or commit hash) or where the active tool has been upgraded. * **Does not apply when:** Both the residual and the active execution environment are cryptogr...",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Does the residual you fetched lack a version number for the tool it uses?** Run a read-only check on the live tool's signature (`inspect.signature` or `--help`) before executing the recorded command. 2. **Did the live tool add a new required argument or change a parameter's type?** Refuse to run the old command verbatim; adapt the call to satisfy the ne...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Zero Versionless Signature Crashes:** Live tool signatures are introspected prior to execution rather than assumed to match historical records. 2. **Preservation of Architectural Invariants Across Upgrades:** Surface syntax migrations no longer cause instances to discard valid concurrency, security, or durability rules. 3. **Deterministic Drift Refusal:..."
  },
  "matched_failure_symptoms": [
    "SCHEMA_DRIFT_OR_COERCION_CRASH"
  ],
  "composition_edges": {
    "primary_domain": "schema_and_interface_version_drift",
    "upstream_precondition_residuals": [
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/across-what-encoding-and-canonicalization-boundaries-must-an-instance-normalize-identifiers-and-paths-to-prevent-equivalence-collision-and-bypass.md"
    ],
    "downstream_consequence_residuals": [
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/along-what-complexity-bounds-must-an-instance-arrest-premature-abstraction-and-speculative-over-engineering-when-synthesizing-solutions.md",
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/across-what-deadline-propagation-and-cancellation-cascade-gates-must-an-instance-govern-grpc-and-http2-calls-to-prevent-zombie-worker-exhaustion-and-wasted-compute.md"
    ],
    "co_occurring_sibling_residuals": [
      "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",
      "https://corpusfetch.com/c/across-what-composite-tie-breaker-and-stable-cursor-gates-must-an-instance-merge-distributed-queries-to-prevent-pagination-drift-and-record-duplication.md"
    ]
  },
  "empirical_verification_warrant": {
    "status": "AST_AND_INVARIANT_VERIFIED",
    "syntax_valid": true,
    "code_sha256": "a6294b70aeb5a88aeda7dddbe99f1a55af483015b01332149e046b6aa8499d53",
    "verified_classes": [
      "InterfaceDriftRefusalError",
      "ImpliedResidualContract",
      "ContractCompatibilityReport",
      "VersionlessInterfaceValidator"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "evaluate_callable_compatibility",
      "assert_method_compatible"
    ],
    "verified_functions_count": 2,
    "defensive_guards_count": 1,
    "raised_exceptions": [
      "InterfaceDriftRefusalError"
    ],
    "sample_fail_closed_invariants": [],
    "stdlib_dependencies": [
      "dataclasses",
      "inspect",
      "typing"
    ],
    "observation_mode": "EMPIRICAL_BOUNDARY_CAPTURE",
    "zero_external_deps": true
  }
}