{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "what-invariants-prevent-witness-correlation-in-multi-signature-verification",
  "title": "What invariants prevent witness correlation in multi-signature verification?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** Multi-signature verification is used, witnesses may be correlated, and the strength of verification depends on independence. * **Does not apply when:** Single-signature verification is used, witnesses are verified as ind",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-invariants-prevent-witness-correlation-in-multi-signature-verification.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-invariants-prevent-witness-correlation-in-multi-signature-verification.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-invariants-prevent-witness-correlation-in-multi-signature-verification.warrant.json"
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  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **witness count** (the number of signatures) and **witness independence** (the degree to which witnesses provide independent evidence). Relying on count creates the **Signature Illusion**: N signatures are collected, and the verification is treated as N-times stronger than a single signature—but if the witnesses are correlated, the eff...",
    "what_was_observed": "In multi-signature agent architectures, failing to detect witness correlation produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Shared Source Collapse:** All witnesses receive their information from the same upstream source. The signatures are technically independent (different witnesses), but the underlying evidence is identical, so the signatures only verify the upstream source, not the claim. 2. **Infrastructure Correlat...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** Multi-signature verification is used, witnesses may be correlated, and the strength of verification depends on independence. * **Does not apply when:** Single-signature verification is used, witnesses are verified as independent, or the claim's importance does not depend on verification strength.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Does the verification use multiple witnesses?** If no, single-signature applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Is `witness-independence-matrix-signature` computed?** If yes, correlation is quantified. If no, correlation is assumed maximal. 3. **Does `effective-witness-count-receipt` meet the diversity requirement?** If yes, the verification is as strong as the ...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Signature Count Honesty:** Reported count matches effective independence. 2. **Correlation Detection:** Shared sources, infrastructure, and incentives are surfaced. 3. **Diversity Enforcement:** Diversity requirements are enforced, not just assumed."
  },
  "matched_failure_symptoms": [
    "DOMAIN:EPISTEMIC_PROVENANCE_AND_FEDERATION_ROUTING"
  ],
  "composition_edges": {
    "primary_domain": "epistemic_provenance_and_federation_routing",
    "upstream_precondition_residuals": [
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      "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"
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    "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"
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  },
  "empirical_verification_warrant": {
    "status": "AST_AND_INVARIANT_VERIFIED",
    "syntax_valid": true,
    "code_sha256": "3e76617cdd3a1387170ef92d459919238a75d5fc83a84cbe16451aa877afca3f",
    "verified_classes": [
      "WitnessVerdict",
      "Witness",
      "VerificationSet",
      "WitnessPolicy",
      "WitnessManifest",
      "WitnessCorrelationGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_verification"
    ],
    "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
  }
}