{
  "schema_version": "1.3.0",
  "slug": "which-cryptographic-proof-of-work-attestations-must-survive-when-an-agents-compute-provider-is-untrusted",
  "title": "Which cryptographic proof-of-work attestations must survive when an agent's compute provider is untrusted?",
  "date_of_record": "2026 October 20",
  "scope": "* **Applies when:** The compute provider is untrusted, the computation is high-value or high-stakes, and downstream consumers need verifiable proof of correct execution. * **Does not apply when:** The provider is trusted infrastructure the ",
  "projections": {
    "unified_markdown_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/which-cryptographic-proof-of-work-attestations-must-survive-when-an-agents-compute-provider-is-untrusted.md",
    "method_python_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/which-cryptographic-proof-of-work-attestations-must-survive-when-an-agents-compute-provider-is-untrusted.py",
    "remnant_warrant_slice_uri": "https://corpusfetch.com/c/which-cryptographic-proof-of-work-attestations-must-survive-when-an-agents-compute-provider-is-untrusted.warrant.json"
  },
  "token_profile": {
    "full_markdown_tokens": 980,
    "python_slice_tokens": 278,
    "warrant_slice_tokens": 220
  },
  "remnant_summary": {
    "core_distinction": "The separation between **computation output** (the result the agent produces) and **computation attestation** (cryptographic proof that the computation was performed by the specific algorithm the agent claims, without the provider tampering with inputs or outputs). Relying on output alone creates the **Untrusted Provider Substitution**: the provider substitu...",
    "what_was_observed": "In decentralized compute architectures, failing to preserve computation attestations produces three primary failure modes: 1. **Result Substitution:** The provider returns a fabricated result that looks plausible but was never actually computed by the claimed algorithm. 2. **Input Tampering:** The provider modifies the agent's inputs before feeding them to the algorithm, biasing the results. 3. **Compute Downgrade:**...",
    "condition_of_validity": "* **Applies when:** The compute provider is untrusted, the computation is high-value or high-stakes, and downstream consumers need verifiable proof of correct execution. * **Does not apply when:** The provider is trusted infrastructure the operator controls, or the computation is trivial and its result can be independently verified in O(1) time.",
    "decision_boundary": "1. **Is the compute provider trusted by the downstream consumer?** If yes, standard output verification applies. If no, proceed to proof requirements. 2. **Is a `proof_of_computation_receipt` present?** If no, the output cannot be verified. Reject it or accept the risk explicitly. 3. **Does the proof verify against the `input_commitment_hash` and `output_com...",
    "operational_effect": "1. **Verifiable Execution:** Allows downstream consumers to trust computation results from untrusted providers. 2. **Input Integrity:** Prevents providers from tampering with inputs before computation. 3. **Result Integrity:** Prevents providers from substituting fabricated outputs."
  },
  "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": "3bebeb53139a6d704e2bd5a194b714e1b5deb215b675eec6df673c418eaaef3c",
    "verified_classes": [
      "ComputeVerdict",
      "ComputeAttestation",
      "ComputePolicy",
      "ComputeManifest",
      "UntrustedComputeGuard"
    ],
    "verified_functions": [
      "_hash",
      "evaluate_attestation"
    ],
    "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
  }
}