{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "what-minimum-state-snapshot-allows-zero-loss-resumption-after-an-unexpected-crash",
  "title": "What minimum state snapshot allows zero-loss resumption after an unexpected crash?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** Writing atomic step-boundary checkpoints and validating those snapshots prior to resuming an interrupted multi-step execution. * **Does not apply when:** Archiving concluded post-session operational residuals after a wor",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-minimum-state-snapshot-allows-zero-loss-resumption-after-an-unexpected-crash.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-minimum-state-snapshot-allows-zero-loss-resumption-after-an-unexpected-crash.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-minimum-state-snapshot-allows-zero-loss-resumption-after-an-unexpected-crash.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 1028,
    "python_slice_tokens": 309,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "A crash-recovery snapshot is a deterministic state-machine frontier, not a raw conversational transcript dump. A critical architectural failure occurs when an instance either checkpoints too little—omitting idempotency keys and in-flight step statuses, which forces the resuming instance to re-execute non-idempotent side effects—or checkpoints too much by ser...",
    "what_was_observed": "In long-horizon agentic workflows subjected to unexpected process kills (`SIGKILL`), OOM evictions, or network partitions, improperly scoped checkpoint snapshots produce four distinct resumption failures: 1. **In-Flight Mutation Replay Hazard:** Checkpointing only completed steps without recording the `in_flight_idempotency_key` of a dispatched but unacknowledged tool call causes the resuming instance to dispatch a s...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** Writing atomic step-boundary checkpoints and validating those snapshots prior to resuming an interrupted multi-step execution. * **Does not apply when:** Archiving concluded post-session operational residuals after a workflow has already reached terminal completion.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Does the snapshot contain the exact execution frontier (`step_index`, `plan_dag_sha256`) and the cryptographic hash of the external environment state?** If either coordinate is missing, refuse blind resumption and require a full state reconciliation audit. 2. **Was a mutating operation in flight (`in_flight_action_pending == True`) when the snapshot was...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Exact-Once Resumption Semantics:** Interrupted workflows resume from the precise uncommitted boundary without duplicating upstream side effects or re-running verified steps. 2. **Minimal Storage & Token Footprint:** Checkpoints remain compact, deterministic JSON/binary structures completely decoupled from verbose conversational history."
  },
  "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": "f427a48b1218a8abe4962a6384e26d7daf0759cbe7ed5f3ad3a2b950eb0d868a",
    "verified_classes": [
      "CrashRecoverySnapshot",
      "UnsafeCrashResumptionViolation",
      "ZeroLossResumptionGate"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "compute_integrity_digest",
      "verify_resumption_safety"
    ],
    "verified_functions_count": 2,
    "defensive_guards_count": 5,
    "raised_exceptions": [
      "UnsafeCrashResumptionViolation"
    ],
    "sample_fail_closed_invariants": [
      "Workflow plan DAG drifted across crash boundary; refusing blind resumption.",
      "Live environment hash diverges from snapshot anchor; out-of-band mutation detected.",
      "In-flight action flagged without an idempotency key; cannot guarantee zero-duplicate replay.",
      "Invalid negative step index in recovery snapshot."
    ],
    "stdlib_dependencies": [
      "dataclasses",
      "hashlib",
      "typing"
    ],
    "observation_mode": "EMPIRICAL_BOUNDARY_CAPTURE",
    "zero_external_deps": true
  }
}