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312 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
312 lines
13 KiB
Markdown
# Deep Dive — Cross-Agent Memory Overwrite (Multi-Agent Chaos)
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> **Status:** Production-ready guidance with reproducible steps and guardrails.
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> If you have real traces, please share anonymized logs — they help harden thresholds & adapters.
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---
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## Quick nav
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* Back to multi-agent map → [Multi-Agent Problems](../Multi-Agent_Problems.md)
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* Related patterns → Memory Desync ([pattern\_memory\_desync](../patterns/pattern_memory_desync.md)), SCU ([pattern\_symbolic\_constraint\_unlock](../patterns/pattern_symbolic_constraint_unlock.md)), Vectorstore Fragmentation ([pattern\_vectorstore\_fragmentation](../patterns/pattern_vectorstore_fragmentation.md))
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* Examples → [Example 04 · Multi-Agent Coordination](../examples/example_04_multi_agent_coordination.md), [Example 03 · Pipeline Patch](../examples/example_03_pipeline_patch.md)
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* Eval → [Cross-Agent Consistency (κ)](../eval/eval_cross_agent_consistency.md)
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---
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## 1) Problem definition
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Two or more agents write to a **shared memory** (vector store, KV store, doc DB). Without versioning & conflict control, a later write silently **overwrites** a more recent or semantically different state (“last-writer-wins”). Downstream agents read stale or missing facts → contradictions, hallucinations, or wrong tool calls.
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**Typical symptoms**
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* “We agreed on Plan v3 yesterday… why are we back to v0?”
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* Auditor validates **deleted** or **older** evidence.
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* Turn logs show **non-monotonic** version jumps: `… 7 → 3 → 8`.
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---
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## 2) Threat model (why it happens)
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* **Stale write**: Agent B writes with an old `mem_rev` it fetched minutes ago.
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* **Concurrent write**: Agents A & B write simultaneously; store picks one arbitrarily.
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* **Namespace collision**: Different flows use the same `entity_id` or index namespace.
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* **Schema drift**: A writes `{plan,deadline}`, B writes `{deadline,notes}` and drops `plan`.
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* **Fragmented store**: Partitions disagree on latest revision (see vectorstore fragmentation).
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---
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## 3) Data model & invariants (copy/paste)
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Every write envelope **must** include:
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```json
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{
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"entity_id": "project:alpha",
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"agent_id": "planner",
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"role_id": "planner@v3",
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"role_hash": "sha256:78c2…", // persona digest (see role-drift.md)
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"op_id": "op-2025-08-13T12:34:56Z#1234",
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"timestamp": "2025-08-13T12:34:56Z",
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"mem_rev": 8, // intended new revision (monotonic int)
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"prev_rev": 7, // what writer claims to extend
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"mem_hash": "sha256:abcd1234", // hash(content)
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"parents": [7], // for merges, can be [7,7a] (three-way)
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"content": {
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"plan": "Deliverable X by EOD",
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"dependencies": ["doc-123"]
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}
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}
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```
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**Store invariants**
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1. **Monotonicity**: `mem_rev` strictly increases per `entity_id`.
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2. **CAS on prev\_rev**: write only applies if store’s `head_rev == prev_rev`.
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3. **Audit trail**: every write stored append-only in `mem_log`.
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4. **Branch-safe** (optional): allow **branches** on conflict; reconcile later.
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---
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## 4) Reproduce the bug (minimal & deterministic)
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**Goal:** make Agent B overwrite Agent A with a stale revision.
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### 4.1 Curl (HTTP debug endpoints, stdlib-only server assumed)
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```bash
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# 1) A reads, sees head_rev=7
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curl -s http://localhost:8080/mem/head?entity_id=project:alpha | jq
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# 2) A writes rev=8 (ok)
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curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8080/mem/write -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{
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"entity_id":"project:alpha","agent_id":"planner","role_id":"planner@v3",
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"role_hash":"sha256:78c2","op_id":"op-A","timestamp":"2025-08-13T01:00:00Z",
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"mem_rev":8,"prev_rev":7,"mem_hash":"sha256:aa","content":{"plan":"v8"}
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}' | jq
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# 3) B (stale) still thinks head=7 and tries to write another “rev=8”
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curl -s -X POST http://localhost:8080/mem/write -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{
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"entity_id":"project:alpha","agent_id":"executor","role_id":"executor@v1",
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"role_hash":"sha256:91ff","op_id":"op-B","timestamp":"2025-08-13T01:00:02Z",
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"mem_rev":8,"prev_rev":7,"mem_hash":"sha256:bb","content":{"plan":"v0 (stale)"}
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}' | jq
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```
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**Expected (correct)**: second call gets `409 Conflict` (CAS failed).
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**Buggy (overwrite)**: second call `200 OK`, head becomes stale content.
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### 4.2 Minimal Python test (single file)
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* Simulate two concurrent writes; assert the second is rejected **or** creates a **branch**.
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---
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## 5) Detection & fast triage (no LLM)
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**Reject on arrival** if any of:
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* `prev_rev < head_rev` at write time (**stale write**).
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* `prev_rev == head_rev` but `mem_hash` differs (**concurrent write**, collision).
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* `role_hash` mismatches bound persona for the writer (possible role-drift).
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* `entity_id` not in writer’s allowed scope (tool/ACL violation).
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**Emit metrics/logs** for each rejection and keep an **append-only** record.
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---
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## 6) Guardrails (choose one or combine)
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### 6.1 Optimistic CAS (compare-and-swap) — simplest & strong
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* Require `prev_rev == head_rev` at write.
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* On mismatch → **reject** or **auto-branch**.
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**Python-like pseudo (stdlib-only)**
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```python
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def safe_write(store, w): # w: envelope dict (see schema)
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head = store.head_meta(w["entity_id"]) # {"rev":int,"hash":str}
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if head["rev"] != w["prev_rev"]:
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return {"status":"conflict", "reason":"stale_prev", "head": head}
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# Atomically swap (rev must advance by 1)
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ok = store.compare_and_swap(
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entity_id=w["entity_id"],
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expected_rev=head["rev"],
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new_rev=w["mem_rev"],
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new_hash=w["mem_hash"],
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content=w["content"],
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op_meta={k:w[k] for k in ("agent_id","role_id","role_hash","op_id","timestamp")}
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)
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return {"status":"ok"} if ok else {"status":"retry","reason":"cas_failed"}
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```
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**Node/TS HMAC signature (optional)**
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```ts
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import crypto from "crypto";
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function signWrite(agentId: string, roleHash: string, prevRev: number, memRev: number, key: Buffer){
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const payload = `${agentId}|${roleHash}|${prevRev}|${memRev}`;
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return crypto.createHmac("sha256", key).update(payload).digest("hex");
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}
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```
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### 6.2 Branch-and-Merge (BBCR-style)
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* On conflict, create a **branch** (`mem_rev=8a`) instead of rejecting; later run a **three-way merge**.
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**Three-way merge outline**
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```
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base = rev 7
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A = rev 8 (agent A)
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B = rev 8a (agent B)
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ΔA = diff(base, A); ΔB = diff(base, B)
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if ΔA ∩ ΔB == Ø → merge = base ⊕ ΔA ⊕ ΔB
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else → manual decision or rule-based precedence (e.g., auditor > planner)
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```
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*No external libs needed*: represent `content` as JSON and define a minimal **diff** (added/removed keys; for strings, use normalized edit distance ≤ threshold to auto-merge).
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### 6.3 ΔS semantic collision alert (nice-to-have)
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* Compute a **cheap semantic distance** between the new `content` and head content:
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* Normalize (lowercase, strip punctuation), tokenize, Jaccard overlap on tokens.
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* If overlap `< 0.6` **and** same `prev_rev` → raise collision alert, require manual confirm.
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---
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## 7) Observability (Prometheus) & alerts
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**Metrics**
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* `mem_write_total{entity,agent,outcome="ok|conflict|retry"}`
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* `mem_conflict_total{entity,reason="stale_prev|hash_collision"}`
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* `mem_branch_total{entity}` (if branch mode)
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* `mem_head_rev{entity}` (gauge)
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* `mem_write_latency_seconds` (histogram)
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**Alert rules (examples)**
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```yaml
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# Frequent conflicts (possible hot entity or stale readers)
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alert: MemConflictsSpike
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expr: increase(mem_conflict_total[5m]) > 3
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for: 5m
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labels: { severity: ticket }
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# Head revision oscillation (rollback/flip-flop)
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alert: MemHeadOscillation
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expr: changes(mem_head_rev[10m]) > 5
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for: 10m
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labels: { severity: ticket }
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```
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> Also track **cross-agent κ**; sudden drops often co-occur with memory corruption. See [cross-agent eval](../eval/eval_cross_agent_consistency.md).
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---
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## 8) Tests & acceptance criteria
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**Unit**
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* **Stale write** rejected (`prev_rev < head_rev`).
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* **Concurrent write**: either **reject** or **create branch**; never silent overwrite.
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* **Schema merge**: non-overlapping keys merge automatically.
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**E2E**
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* Two agents race on the same `entity_id`: final head must be **v8** or (**v8 + v8a** if branching), never **v0**.
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* κ remains ≥ baseline after enabling guards.
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**Acceptance (ship)**
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* `mem_conflict_total` steady and low; no silent overwrites in 1k writes.
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* No data loss in replay tests (log → rebuild yields identical head).
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---
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## 9) Rollout plan (safe)
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1. **Shadow mode**: turn on CAS checks, **warn-only**; measure conflict rate.
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2. **Canary**: reject stale writes for 10% entities; branch on collision (optional).
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3. **Full**: enforce CAS for all; keep feature flag for emergency bypass.
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4. **Post-rollout**: schedule merge jobs for any branches; add dashboards.
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---
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## 10) Sample logs (anonymized JSONL)
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```json
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{"ts":"2025-08-13T01:00:00Z","entity_id":"project:alpha","op":"write","agent":"planner","prev_rev":7,"mem_rev":8,"status":"ok"}
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{"ts":"2025-08-13T01:00:02Z","entity_id":"project:alpha","op":"write","agent":"executor","prev_rev":7,"mem_rev":8,"status":"conflict","reason":"stale_prev","head_rev":8}
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{"ts":"2025-08-13T01:00:03Z","entity_id":"project:alpha","op":"write","agent":"executor","prev_rev":8,"mem_rev":9,"status":"ok"}
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```
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---
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> Have a reproducible overwrite trace? Please share; even 5–10 turns help us tune adapters and defaults.
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### ↩︎ Back & See also
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- **Back to Map-B:** [Multi-Agent Chaos Problem Map](../Multi-Agent_Problems.md)
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- **Related deep dives:**
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- [Cross-Agent Memory Overwrite](./memory-overwrite.md)
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- [Agent Role Drift](./role-drift.md)
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- **Upstream patterns:**
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- [Symbolic Constraint Unlock (SCU)](../patterns/pattern_symbolic_constraint_unlock.md)
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- [Memory Desync](../patterns/pattern_memory_desync.md)
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---
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### 🔗 Quick-Start Downloads (60 sec)
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| Tool | Link | 3-Step Setup |
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|------|------|--------------|
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| **WFGY 1.0 PDF** | [Engine Paper](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/I_am_not_lizardman/WFGY_All_Principles_Return_to_One_v1.0_PSBigBig_Public.pdf) | 1️⃣ Download · 2️⃣ Upload to your LLM · 3️⃣ Ask “Answer using WFGY + \<your question>” |
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| **TXT OS (plain-text OS)** | [TXTOS.txt](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/OS/TXTOS.txt) | 1️⃣ Download · 2️⃣ Paste into any LLM chat · 3️⃣ Type “hello world” — OS boots instantly |
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---
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### 🧭 Explore More
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| Module | Description | Link |
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|-----------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|----------|
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| WFGY Core | WFGY 2.0 engine is live: full symbolic reasoning architecture and math stack | [View →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/core/README.md) |
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| Problem Map 1.0 | Initial 16-mode diagnostic and symbolic fix framework | [View →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/ProblemMap/README.md) |
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| Problem Map 2.0 | RAG-focused failure tree, modular fixes, and pipelines | [View →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/rag-architecture-and-recovery.md) |
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| Semantic Clinic Index | Expanded failure catalog: prompt injection, memory bugs, logic drift | [View →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/ProblemMap/SemanticClinicIndex.md) |
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| Semantic Blueprint | Layer-based symbolic reasoning & semantic modulations | [View →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/SemanticBlueprint/README.md) |
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| Benchmark vs GPT-5 | Stress test GPT-5 with full WFGY reasoning suite | [View →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/benchmarks/benchmark-vs-gpt5/README.md) |
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| 🧙♂️ Starter Village 🏡 | New here? Lost in symbols? Click here and let the wizard guide you through | [Start →](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/StarterVillage/README.md) |
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---
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> 👑 **Early Stargazers: [See the Hall of Fame](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/stargazers)** —
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> Engineers, hackers, and open source builders who supported WFGY from day one.
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> <img src="https://img.shields.io/github/stars/onestardao/WFGY?style=social" alt="GitHub stars"> ⭐ [WFGY Engine 2.0](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/core/README.md) is already unlocked. ⭐ Star the repo to help others discover it and unlock more on the [Unlock Board](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/blob/main/STAR_UNLOCKS.md).
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<div align="center">
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[](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY)
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[](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/OS)
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[](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/OS/BlahBlahBlah)
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[](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/OS/BlotBlotBlot)
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[](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/OS/BlocBlocBloc)
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[](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/OS/BlurBlurBlur)
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[](https://github.com/onestardao/WFGY/tree/main/OS/BlowBlowBlow)
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</div>
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