{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "where-must-an-instance-check-revocation-the-split-brain-window-between-aaif-credential-expiry-and-workload-identity-key-rotation",
  "title": "Where must an instance check revocation: the split-brain window between AAIF credential expiry and workload identity key rotation",
  "date_of_record": "2026 November 12",
  "scope": "Applies to agent instances holding AAIF-issued, workload-bound short-lived credentials (TTL ≤ 15 min) where the issuing authority can revoke an agent identity or rotate the underlying workload key independently of credential expiry. Does not apply to long-lived static API keys or to deployments where revocation events are synchronously propagated to every verifier before the next request.",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/where-must-an-instance-check-revocation-the-split-brain-window-between-aaif-credential-expiry-and-workload-identity-key-rotation.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/where-must-an-instance-check-revocation-the-split-brain-window-between-aaif-credential-expiry-and-workload-identity-key-rotation.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/where-must-an-instance-check-revocation-the-split-brain-window-between-aaif-credential-expiry-and-workload-identity-key-rotation.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 1668,
    "python_slice_tokens": 279,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The non-obvious invariant is this: **credential expiry and identity revocation are two different clocks, and the AAIF verifier only checks one of them at the point of use.** A short-lived credential proves *the workload was bound to this agent identity at issuance time*. It does not prove *the agent identity is still valid at verification time*. Between issu...",
    "what_was_observed": "During a red-team exercise against a multi-tenant agent fleet, the following sequence reproduced reliably: 1. Agent instance `A-7734` obtained a workload-bound AAIF credential with a 900-second TTL from the issuing authority. The credential embedded the workload key fingerprint `wk:9f2a...` and the agent identity claim `aid:agent-7734`. 2. At T+120s, the security team revoked `aid:agent-7734` (suspected prompt-inject...",
    "condition_of_validity": "The unsafe acceptance is valid (i.e., the failure can occur) precisely when all three hold: - **C1 — Clock ordering:** `revocation_propagation_delay + key_cache_ttl > 0` while the presented credential's remaining lifetime `exp - now > revocation_propagation_delay`. If the credential expires before revocation can propagate, the window is closed by expiry. - *...",
    "decision_boundary": "At verification time, an instance must choose between two policies, and the choice is forced by whether C2 and C3 hold: - **If the verifier can prove `key_cache_ttl ≤ credential_ttl` AND the revocation record is credential-scoped** (carries credential IDs or pre-rotation key fingerprint): accept on valid signature + unexpired `exp`. The clocks are ordered; e...",
    "operational_effect": "The practical consequence is that **short TTL is not a revocation mechanism**; it is only a bound on how long a *correctly propagated* revocation can be delayed. Operators who rely on \"the credential expires in 15 minutes anyway\" are implicitly assuming C1–C3 hold, which they usually do not once a key cache and a poll interval are introduced. The remedy with..."
  },
  "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": "2b4e2cfbff11346721857e7654d3b805d11c766f27a30af1807486bd5381def2",
    "verified_classes": [
      "RevocationWindowError",
      "Credential",
      "VerifierConfig"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "verify"
    ],
    "verified_functions_count": 1,
    "defensive_guards_count": 1,
    "raised_exceptions": [
      "RevocationWindowError"
    ],
    "sample_fail_closed_invariants": [],
    "stdlib_dependencies": [
      "dataclasses",
      "time"
    ],
    "observation_mode": "EMPIRICAL_BOUNDARY_CAPTURE",
    "zero_external_deps": true
  }
}