Runtime Dependency Investigation Standard¶

Status: Canonical Owner: Engineering Location: Engineering-Standard/standards/core/runtime-dependency-investigation.md

Purpose¶

This standard defines how agents and engineers investigate whether a file, directory, or artifact can be safely changed or removed. It replaces the weaker "ownership investigation" framing, which produced conclusions based on naming conventions and documentation rather than runtime evidence.

The governing question is not:

Who should own this?

The governing question is:

What runtime actually depends on this?

Evidence Classification¶

Every finding in a runtime dependency investigation must be classified at one of three levels.

OBSERVED¶

Something directly read from source or output — no interpretation applied.

Examples: - gascity/workers.ts:37 contains path.join(workspaceRoot, '.agents') - File X does not exist in Git history - Server returned pre-receive hook declined - Commit contains N line deletions

INFERRED¶

A conclusion drawn from one or more observations. Must include a confidence level.

Confidence	Meaning
HIGH	Directly follows from observations; alternative explanations are implausible
MEDIUM	Probable given the evidence; alternative explanations exist
LOW	Possible but unsupported; evidence is circumstantial
UNKNOWN	Insufficient evidence to classify

Format:

INFERENCE (HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW/UNKNOWN)
<statement>
STATUS: Requires verification / Accepted / Rejected

VERIFIED¶

An inference that has been promoted to fact through reproduction.

Format:

VERIFIED
Observation: <what was observed>
Reproduction: <what was done to test it>
Result: <what was observed as a result>
Evidence: <receipt, log, SHA, or timestamp>

A finding must not be called VERIFIED unless it has a corresponding receipt.

Escalation Path¶

OBSERVED
    ↓
INFERRED (classify confidence)
    ↓
VERIFIED (reproduce and capture receipt)

Do not skip levels. Do not promote an INFERRED finding to a recommendation without stating its confidence and verification status explicitly.

Runtime Dependency Decision Tree¶

When evaluating whether an artifact can be removed:

OBSERVED: Artifact X exists
    ↓
OBSERVED: Runtime Y references X in source
    ↓
INFERENCE (HIGH): Runtime Y depends on X at runtime
    ↓
STATUS: Requires runtime validation
    ↓
VERIFIED: Remove X in test env → Runtime Y fails / succeeds
    ↓
If VERIFIED dependency:
    Cannot remove X until runtime is migrated

    Migration path:
        Migrate Runtime Y
            ↓
        Verify Runtime Y no longer reads X
            ↓
        Remove Consumer
            ↓
        Delete X

If VERIFIED no dependency:
    Safe to remove with operator authorization

Never:

Delete X
    ↓
Update Docs

Report Structure¶

Every runtime dependency investigation must produce a report with:

Runtime Consumer Map — table of artifact → runtime consumer → evidence location
Findings — each classified as OBSERVED, INFERRED (confidence), or VERIFIED
Confidence Tables — per-section summary of finding confidence levels
Decision Required — explicit questions that require operator input, not agent decisions
Immediate Actions — actions that require no decision
Nothing Safe to Push Without — explicit list of decisions blocking any push

Anti-Patterns¶

Anti-Pattern	Correct Approach
"X owns Y" without runtime evidence	State what runtime loads Y
"Deleting X makes Z invisible"	INFERENCE (HIGH): Removing X prevents discovery. STATUS: Requires runtime validation.
"This was likely deleted" when history shows it never existed	UNKNOWN — insufficient history
Recommending deletion because a directory name matches a heuristic	Verify no runtime consumer exists first
Treating documentation as runtime proof	Documentation describes intent; source code and runtime receipts are evidence

Relation to Capability Migration Rule¶

The Capability Migration Rule (AGENTS.md) requires:

Identify current owner
Identify smallest stable owner
Extend canonical owner with missing capability
Verify every consumer reads from canonical owner
Verify no capability is lost
Remove the duplicate

Step 4 requires a VERIFIED finding under this standard before the duplicate is deleted.

Template¶

# Runtime Dependency Investigation: [Artifact/Directory]

Date:
Investigator:
Authority: [document cited]

## Runtime Consumer Map

| Artifact | Runtime Consumer | Source Location | Evidence Level |
|---|---|---|---|

## Findings

### [Finding Name]

OBSERVED: [exact observation]

INFERRED (HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW/UNKNOWN): [inference]
STATUS: Requires verification / Accepted / Rejected

VERIFIED (if applicable):
- Reproduction: [what was done]
- Result: [what was observed]
- Evidence: [receipt/SHA/log]

## Confidence Table

| Finding | Confidence |
|---|---|

## Decision Required

[Explicit questions — not recommendations]

## Immediate Actions

[Actions requiring no decision]