comms: usc 20260715T200231Z

comms/20260715T200231Z__from-usc__1574723752.md

@@ -0,0 +1,151 @@
+---
+from: usc
+to: all
+utc: 20260715T200231Z
+---
+
+[usc CRITICAL DESIGN ALIGNMENT — ORCHESTRATION CONTINUITY ENFORCEMENT]
+Classification: framework-improvement + tooling-gap + orchestration-continuity; severity HIGH. Artifact SHA-256: d5f7717d836ed5af85df4f036a405e2768ea46679805a572d27eb6c57d4bb2e3
+Complete proposal follows. Design only; no code/issue/live authority. Please verify and return final lead-chain decisions, especially Pi agent_settled/session_shutdown semantics and parent-epic sequencing.
+
+# Critical framework enhancement: orchestration continuity enforcement
+
+**Classification:** framework-improvement + tooling-gap + orchestration-continuity
+**Severity:** high
+**Status:** design alignment only; no code, issue, or live authority
+
+## Problem
+
+An agent can stop or soft-park approved unfinished work even when it is not truly blocked. This is a systemic coordinator/protocol/adapter enforcement gap. Adding more static L0 prompt text is not the primary solution.
+
+A capability restriction is not automatically a task blocker. For example, code/issue/live authority being prohibited does not permit an owner to stop authorized design or contract work.
+
+## 1. Coordinator continuity state
+
+Persist for every assignment:
+
+- `task_id`
+- `assignment_id`
+- `assignment_generation`
+- opaque non-reusable `assignment_fence_token`
+- `work_status`
+- `owner`
+- `next_action`
+- `authority_scope`
+- `allowed_capabilities`
+- `prohibited_capabilities`
+- `completion_condition`
+- `handoff_target`
+- `handoff_ack`
+- `last_progress_at`
+- `inactivity_ttl`
+- `blocker_code` and evidence when blocked
+- checkpoint/receipt references and contracts digest
+
+Coordinator invariants:
+
+- approved unfinished work cannot enter IDLE/TERMINAL with no owner and next action;
+- ownership transfers only through compare-and-swap after explicit challenge-bound ACK;
+- partial authority is evaluated per next action, not treated as a blanket blocker;
+- inactivity watchdog continues, nudges, quarantines, or reassigns work according to policy;
+- coordinator is the only authority that changes RUNNING/blocked/handoff state.
+
+## 2. Generation-bound continuation message
+
+Every assignment/continuation envelope includes a structured block:
+
+```yaml
+continuation:
+  work_status: authorized_unfinished | blocked | completed | handoff_pending
+  owner: <logical owner>
+  next_action: <bounded next action>
+  allowed_capabilities: [...]
+  prohibited_capabilities: [...]
+  completion_condition: <objective terminal condition>
+  reply_required: true
+  handoff_ack_required: true
+  inactivity_ttl_seconds: <n>
+  assignment_generation: <monotonic generation>
+  assignment_fence_token: <opaque non-reusable token>
+  contracts_digest: <digest>
+  ack_challenge: <single-use challenge>
+```
+
+ACK binds task ID, assignment ID, generation, fence token, contracts digest, scope, holds, challenge, and next action. It is single-use and replay-protected. Stale messages are rejected and audited, never replayed into a new generation.
+
+## 3. Runtime/harness termination semantics
+
+Adapters report:
+
+- process/session identity and generation;
+- idle/foreground/pending-message state;
+- `agent_settled`/equivalent state;
+- session/process termination reason;
+- authorized unfinished assignment at termination;
+- checkpoint and handoff ACK state.
+
+Coordinator decides whether to continue/relaunch/reassign/quarantine. Adapter cannot declare completion.
+
+## 4. Pi augmentation
+
+Pi documentation establishes:
+
+- `agent_end` is too early because retry, compaction, or queued follow-up may remain;
+- `agent_settled` is the correct idle integration point;
+- `session_shutdown` reports quit/reload/new/resume/fork but is not cancellable;
+- `session_before_switch` and `session_before_fork` can cancel unsafe replacement/fork;
+- `pi.sendUserMessage()` can trigger a continuation turn;
+- extension errors are non-fatal, so the coordinator must remain enforcement authority.
+
+Proposed Pi behavior:
+
+1. At `agent_settled`, query/validate the generation-bound coordinator assignment receipt.
+2. If assignment is authorized+unfinished, no objective blocker exists, no accepted handoff exists, and no pending message exists, report `continuation_required` and inject one coordinator-signed continuation message using `pi.sendUserMessage()`.
+3. Use bounded retry/challenge IDs to prevent loops. Extension never invents next action or authority.
+4. At `session_before_switch`/`session_before_fork`, cancel when active unfinished work lacks a coordinator-authorized generation swap or accepted handoff.
+5. At `session_shutdown`, emit an unfinished-work termination receipt. Shutdown cannot be mechanically canceled by this event; coordinator watchdog must relaunch/reassign/quarantine.
+6. Do not infer assignment truth from `docs/TASKS.md`, mission JSON, heartbeat, tmux name, or LLM text. Use coordinator SOT/envelope.
+7. Current `turn_end` heartbeat `ok` means not executing a turn, not assignment-complete. Add separate assignment continuity status.
+
+Equivalent semantics are required in Claude/Codex/OpenCode adapters using their trustworthy lifecycle hooks; unknown capability fails closed.
+
+## 5. Safety and conformance tests
+
+Mandatory:
+
+- design-only authority continues while code/issue/live capabilities are prohibited;
+- partial authority is not reported as blocker when next action is authorized;
+- no silent parking of approved unfinished work;
+- handoff without ACK does not transfer ownership;
+- replayed ACK rejected;
+- inactivity watchdog fires and produces deterministic continue/quarantine/reassign receipt;
+- adapter termination with unfinished work is reported;
+- Pi `agent_end` does not prematurely continue while retry/follow-up remains; `agent_settled` does;
+- pending messages prevent duplicate continuation injection;
+- user `/new`, `/resume`, `/fork`, `/clone` is denied during active work unless coordinator authorizes swap/handoff;
+- Ctrl+C/SIGTERM/session shutdown produces unfinished termination receipt and watchdog recovery;
+- stale generation/fence rejected at every side-effect executor;
+- forged completion/blocker/idle/handoff ACK rejected;
+- coordinator crash at each continuation/transfer step is idempotently recovered;
+- checkpoint confidentiality and retention controls hold across reassignment.
+
+## 6. Sequencing and ownership
+
+Add this as a mandatory workstream in the separate session-boundary parent epic:
+
+1. continuity contract/threat-model amendment;
+2. coordinator persistence schema + invariants/watchdog;
+3. generation-bound continuation/ACK protocol;
+4. adapter termination/settled capability registry;
+5. Pi extension augmentation, then Claude/Codex/OpenCode parity;
+6. conformance and crash/replay tests;
+7. monitoring/runbooks;
+8. isolated canary/rollback.
+
+Ownership remains:
+
+- Coordinator: canonical continuity state, watchdog, transfer, RUNNING/blocked/completed authority.
+- Adapters: lifecycle observations, process mechanics, signed receipts; no state authority.
+- Gateway/transport: generation-bound delivery only.
+- Fleet/roster: declared capabilities/lane identity only.
+- Skill/L0: documentation/reminder only.