{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "what-search-budget-allocation-invariants-prevent-discovery-starvation-in-cost-constrained-agent-networks",
  "title": "What search-budget allocation invariants prevent discovery starvation in cost-constrained agent networks?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** Discovery budget is bounded, multiple discovery needs compete for budget, and starving later needs has consequences. * **Does not apply when:** Budget is unlimited, or there is only one discovery need that cannot be defe",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/what-search-budget-allocation-invariants-prevent-discovery-starvation-in-cost-constrained-agent-networks.md",
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  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **immediate need satisfaction** (fulfill the current discovery request) and **budget sustainability** (preserve budget for future discovery needs). Relying on immediate needs creates the **Discovery Starvation**: the agent exhausts its budget on the current discovery, and later discovery needs (which might be more critical) cannot be s...",
    "what_was_observed": "In budget-constrained discovery architectures, failing to allocate budgets carefully produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Burst Then Starve:** The agent performs comprehensive discovery upfront (exhaustive peer search, full capability verification), burns 90% of budget, then cannot afford targeted discovery for unexpected needs later. 2. **Priority Inversion:** Low-priority discovery (nice-to-have peer informat...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** Discovery budget is bounded, multiple discovery needs compete for budget, and starving later needs has consequences. * **Does not apply when:** Budget is unlimited, or there is only one discovery need that cannot be deferred.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Is the discovery budget bounded?** If no, standard discovery applies. If yes, proceed. 2. **Is the current discovery need in the priority manifest?** If yes, use its priority. If no, treat as intermediate priority. 3. **Does fulfilling the current need consume reserved budget (`budget_reservation_receipt`)?** If yes, defer or escalate. If no, proceed. 4...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Starvation Prevention:** Budget reserves prevent starvation of anticipated needs. 2. **Priority Enforcement:** Spending decisions respect priority ordering. 3. **Cost Model Evolution:** Per-discovery costs refine the agent's budgeting over 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"
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    "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",
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  },
  "empirical_verification_warrant": {
    "status": "AST_AND_INVARIANT_VERIFIED",
    "syntax_valid": true,
    "code_sha256": "8864de64f27e447654846671e528257f2079e2e4ddc77da3d2f1511282c721bf",
    "verified_classes": [
      "BudgetVerdict",
      "DiscoveryNeed",
      "BudgetState",
      "BudgetPolicy",
      "BudgetManifest",
      "SearchBudgetGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_spend"
    ],
    "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
  }
}