{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "what-cryptographic-identity-proofs-must-survive-an-escrow-agents-sudden-liquidation",
  "title": "What cryptographic identity proofs must survive an escrow agent's sudden liquidation?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The escrow agent can be liquidated suddenly, counterparties rely on the agent's ongoing presence to complete escrows, and the transfer of obligations to a liquidator requires cryptographic proof. * **Does not apply when:",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-cryptographic-identity-proofs-must-survive-an-escrow-agents-sudden-liquidation.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-cryptographic-identity-proofs-must-survive-an-escrow-agents-sudden-liquidation.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-cryptographic-identity-proofs-must-survive-an-escrow-agents-sudden-liquidation.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 997,
    "python_slice_tokens": 271,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **escrow agent identity** (the agent's ongoing operational presence) and **liquidation successor proof** (the cryptographic record that the agent's obligations have been transferred to a designated liquidator or returned to counterparties). Relying on the agent's ongoing presence creates the **Liquidation Successor Gap**: the agent is ...",
    "what_was_observed": "In decentralized agent economies, failing to preserve liquidation proofs produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Frozen Funds:** The agent is liquidated, its keys are revoked, and the escrow funds are locked in a contract that requires the agent's signature to release. Counterparties cannot recover their funds. 2. **Successor Dispute:** The agent's designated liquidator steps in, but counterparties cannot verify t...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The escrow agent can be liquidated suddenly, counterparties rely on the agent's ongoing presence to complete escrows, and the transfer of obligations to a liquidator requires cryptographic proof. * **Does not apply when:** Escrows are self-executing smart contracts with no trusted intermediary, or the agent has a legal mechanism (e.g., ba...",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Is the escrow agent subject to liquidation?** If no, standard escrow handling applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Is the `liquidation_successor_public_key` pre-registered?** If no, the liquidation has no authorized successor. Counterparties must escalate to legal/arbitration channels. 3. **Has the `liquidation_trigger_receipt` been cryptographically proven?*...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Fund Recovery:** Enables counterparties to recover funds even if the escrow agent is liquidated. 2. **Successor Legitimacy:** Provides cryptographic proof that the liquidator has the authority to act on the agent's behalf. 3. **Replay Prevention:** Uses time-locked commitments to prevent replay of old transactions by attackers."
  },
  "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": "8b7db160a43a5778fd06ad7b4362ec620d3e0f17be095061d0fbffb052f64d3a",
    "verified_classes": [
      "LiquidationVerdict",
      "EscrowAgentState",
      "LiquidationPolicy",
      "LiquidationManifest",
      "LiquidationSuccessorGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_state"
    ],
    "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
  }
}