{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "what-invariants-preserve-contract-precedence-when-terms-conflict",
  "title": "What invariants preserve contract precedence when terms conflict?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The contract can contain conflicting terms, precedence rules are relevant, and application must be consistent. * **Does not apply when:** Contracts are formally verified non-conflicting, or conflicts are trivially resolv",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-invariants-preserve-contract-precedence-when-terms-conflict.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-invariants-preserve-contract-precedence-when-terms-conflict.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-invariants-preserve-contract-precedence-when-terms-conflict.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 832,
    "python_slice_tokens": 265,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **term presence** (multiple terms exist) and **term precedence** (which term governs when terms conflict). Relying on presence creates the **Precedence Ambiguity**: conflicting terms are present, the session applies whichever it encounters, and both parties can claim the session is violating the contract by applying the \"wrong\" term.",
    "what_was_observed": "In complex-contract agent architectures, failing to preserve precedence produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Silent Precedence Selection:** The session applies a term without noting the conflict, and the peer claims the conflicting term was intended to govern. 2. **Precedence Flip-Flop:** The session applies different terms in different contexts, creating inconsistent obligations and confusing both parties abou...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The contract can contain conflicting terms, precedence rules are relevant, and application must be consistent. * **Does not apply when:** Contracts are formally verified non-conflicting, or conflicts are trivially resolvable.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Are there conflicting terms in the contract?** If no, standard application applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Does `contract-precedence-clause-receipt` resolve the conflict?** If yes, apply the clause. If no, proceed to default. 3. **Does `default-precedence-signature` cover the conflict?** If yes, apply the default. If no, escalate. 4. **Conversely, when c...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Silent Selection Prevention:** Conflicts are surfaced and resolved. 2. **Flip-Flop Prevention:** Precedence is consistent across contexts. 3. **Post-Hoc Prevention:** Resolution is documented at application time."
  },
  "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": "3bbab32af10bdc912e112fd14b7091b207cf7aad96ad99f523e5bf3e441432a2",
    "verified_classes": [
      "PrecedenceVerdict",
      "TermConflict",
      "PrecedencePolicy",
      "PrecedenceManifest",
      "ContractPrecedenceGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_conflict"
    ],
    "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
  }
}