# Failure shapes > Each failure shape names a way a check goes wrong without failing, the invariant it breaks, its fix, the records it shows up in and the quality rules that… Page: Ontology · Reasoning Canonical: https://banes-lab.com/ontology/reasoning#the-failure-shapes Listed in [Ontology · Reasoning](https://banes-lab.com/api/pages/ontology/reasoning.md), after [The invariants](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/reasoning/the-invariants.md) and before [The uncovered cells](https://banes-lab.com/ontology/reasoning/the-uncovered-cells.md). Each failure shape names a way a check goes wrong without failing, the invariant it breaks, its fix, the records it shows up in and the quality rules that refuse it. ### No reachable check Details Shape A representation that no check reaches. Fix Declare the representation into a check's jurisdiction, or state in writing that it lies outside it. Breaks [epi-reachable-check](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-reachable-check.md) Seen in [Manual-Only Governance](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/manual-only-governance.md), [Unobservable Failure](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/unobservable-failure.md), [Untested Implementation](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/untested-implementation.md) Refused by rules None, because whether a representation is reachable is a property of the gate's jurisdiction, which no source rule sees How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Empty domain Details Shape A check that ran over an empty domain and reported a pass. Fix Report the population beside every rate, and confirm at start-up that every name the check uses resolves. Breaks [epi-declared-domain](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-declared-domain.md) Seen in [Silent Failure](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/silent-failure.md) Refused by rules empty-block, exception-handling How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Spent parent Details Shape A parent counted as read while its children were never read. Fix Subtract the read set from the child set and report what remains. Breaks [epi-declared-domain](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-declared-domain.md) Refused by rules None, because a read set is known only while the run executes How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Edge from spelling Details Shape A dependency created because two names share a word. Fix Join on the id the referent declares. Breaks [epi-declared-dependency](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-declared-dependency.md) Seen in [Hidden Dependencies](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/hidden-dependencies.md) Refused by rules None, because a join on spelling reads like any other string comparison in source How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Trusted leaf Details Shape A node inside the graph that is trusted without a check, such as an exit code or a modification time. Fix Route the node through a check that can fail, and disclose what no check can reach. Breaks [epi-verdict-is-representation](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-verdict-is-representation.md) Seen in [Flaky Test Normalization](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/flaky-test-normalization.md), [Mock Mirage](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/mock-mirage.md), [Security Theater](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/security-theater.md) Refused by rules error-handling How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Lossy lowering Details Shape A reshaped representation that dropped a distinction a later check needs. Fix Keep the distinction, and refuse at the writer anything the layout cannot express. Breaks [epi-preserved-distinction](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-preserved-distinction.md) Seen in [Null Semantics Drift](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/null-semantics-drift.md), [Schema Drift](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/schema-drift.md), [Silent Data Corruption](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/silent-data-corruption.md) Refused by rules type-safety How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Stale read Details Shape A check that reads a representation the run already changed. Fix Derive after the last mutator, and decide freshness by the fingerprint of the inputs and the code. Breaks [epi-fresh-read](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-fresh-read.md) Seen in [Cache Poisoning by Design](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/cache-poisoning-by-design.md) Refused by rules None, because no catalogued rule refuses a cache keyed by time or by lifetime alone How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Two derivations Details Shape One question answered by two derivations that can drift apart. Fix Collapse them to one derivation, computed by the producer of the answer. Breaks [epi-one-derivation](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-one-derivation.md) Seen in [Duplicated Authority](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/duplicated-authority.md) Refused by rules duplicate-code How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Weak link kept Details Shape A link below the certainty floor kept in a chain with a flag on it. Fix Remove the link from the chain. Breaks [epi-weakest-link](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-weakest-link.md) Refused by rules None, because the certainty of a link is a property of the chain, which no source rule sees How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Absence certified by observation Details Shape No observed failure read as proof that no failure exists. Fix Use the observation to locate failures, and leave the verdict on absence to a check. Breaks [epi-observation-locates](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-observation-locates.md) Refused by rules None, because the shape lies in how a report is read, not in source How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Stop on confidence Details Shape A run that stops because the model is confident, before completion, saturation and verification hold. Fix Stop only when the three conditions hold, or when the run is blocked on something outside it. Breaks [epi-terminate-on-three](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-terminate-on-three.md) Refused by rules None, because the shape lies in how a run decides to stop, not in source How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Unfailable floor Details Shape A threshold set below what its population already meets, so the check it guards cannot fail until most of the population is gone. Fix Set the floor from the population as it stands, and plant a case below it to watch the check fail. Breaks [epi-verdict-is-representation](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-verdict-is-representation.md) Refused by rules None, because whether a floor can be reached is a property of the population, which no source rule sees How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Verdictless verifier Details Shape A tool named as a verifier that reports no pass, no fail and no exit code, so what it examines has no check at all. Fix Give the tool a verdict and an exit code, or rename it to the probe it is. Breaks [epi-reachable-check](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-reachable-check.md) Refused by rules None, because whether a tool issues a verdict is a property of its output contract, which no source rule sees How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ### Unindexed construct kind Details Shape A kind of construct the index a family of checks reads never records, so every check over that index misses every construct of the kind. Fix Record the kind in the index, and confirm that a planted construct of the kind is reported. Breaks [epi-preserved-distinction](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-preserved-distinction.md) Refused by rules None, because an index's coverage of construct kinds is a property of its builder, which no source rule sees How it is checked Checked by the quality rules each shape names, which refuse its syntactic signature where one exists, the classification step of the verification substrate, which files every silent failure under a shape before a fix is chosen Population Every source file the named rules lint, and every failure a check or a review classifies Freshness A verdict stands until the linted source, a named rule or the shape's instances change Refusal A named rule fails the lint stage on the signature; the invariant each shape breaks is gated in every structured document that grounds it Observation The runtime observations that locate a failure, which are then filed under a shape Evidence Watched to fire and to accept: a suite plants a shape that names no invariant and no canon, and the bundled shapes validate clean Authoritative side The invariant the shape breaks, which the shape cites, while each named rule conforms to the shape's signature Depends on Not answered Shape it refuses Not answered ## Links to - [Reachable Check](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-reachable-check.md) - [Manual-Only Governance](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/manual-only-governance.md) - [Unobservable Failure](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/unobservable-failure.md) - [Untested Implementation](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/untested-implementation.md) - [Declared Domain](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-declared-domain.md) - [Silent Failure](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/silent-failure.md) - [Declared Dependency](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-declared-dependency.md) - [Hidden Dependencies](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/hidden-dependencies.md) - [Checked Verdict](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-verdict-is-representation.md) - [Flaky Test Normalization](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/flaky-test-normalization.md) - [Mock Mirage](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/mock-mirage.md) - [Security Theater](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/security-theater.md) - [Preserved Distinction](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-preserved-distinction.md) - [Null Semantics Drift](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/null-semantics-drift.md) - [Schema Drift](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/schema-drift.md) - [Silent Data Corruption](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/silent-data-corruption.md) - [Fresh Read](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-fresh-read.md) - [Cache Poisoning by Design](https://banes-lab.com/records/architecture/cache-poisoning-by-design.md) - [One Derivation](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-one-derivation.md) - [Duplicated Authority](https://banes-lab.com/records/lexicon/duplicated-authority.md) - [Weakest Link](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-weakest-link.md) - [Observation Scope](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-observation-locates.md) - [Three-Condition Stop](https://banes-lab.com/records/reasoning/invariant-epi-terminate-on-three.md)