{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "what-reference-expiry-invariants-must-survive-latency-induced-validity-gaps",
  "title": "What reference-expiry invariants must survive latency-induced validity gaps?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** References have bounded validity, transit times are non-negligible relative to validity, and downstream actions depend on validity. * **Does not apply when:** References are immortal, transit is instantaneous, or validit",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-reference-expiry-invariants-must-survive-latency-induced-validity-gaps.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-reference-expiry-invariants-must-survive-latency-induced-validity-gaps.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-reference-expiry-invariants-must-survive-latency-induced-validity-gaps.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 1016,
    "python_slice_tokens": 313,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **origin validity window** (the reference was valid at origin for duration D) and **received validity window** (the reference is valid at the receiver for duration D minus transit time). Relying on origin validity creates the **Latency-Induced Expiry Surprise**: the reference arrives with less validity than expected, and agents act on ...",
    "what_was_observed": "In latency-sensitive reference networks, failing to account for transit-induced expiry produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Silent Expiry Mid-Use:** A reference with a 5-minute validity takes 4 minutes to arrive. The agent uses it for 2 minutes, the reference expires at minute 1, and the agent's second minute of use is against an expired reference. 2. **Burst Refetch Storm:** Many references arrive at their rec...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** References have bounded validity, transit times are non-negligible relative to validity, and downstream actions depend on validity. * **Does not apply when:** References are immortal, transit is instantaneous, or validity is meaningless.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Does the reference have a bounded validity window?** If no, standard reference handling applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Is the remaining validity on arrival above the `minimum_useful_validity_receipt`?** If yes, the reference is usable. If no, reject and re-fetch. 3. **Is the remaining validity above the expected use duration?** If no, refetch before use...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Expiry Surprise Prevention:** Remaining validity is computed on arrival, preventing silent mid-use expiry. 2. **Refetch Storm Prevention:** Refetch scheduling is staggered, avoiding simultaneous expiry-triggered refetches. 3. **Wasted Propagation Prevention:** References with insufficient remaining validity are filtered, freeing network capacity."
  },
  "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": "599a9984823bbbaef72809aac52233041c2706acca4839332b8dc593b30786eb",
    "verified_classes": [
      "ExpiryVerdict",
      "ReferenceTiming",
      "ExpiryContext",
      "ExpiryManifest",
      "LatencyExpiryGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_timing"
    ],
    "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
  }
}