Files
alknet/docs/architecture/questions/032-multi-hop-federation.md
T
glm-5.2 5941280bca fix(agents): break the hedging-at-the-root pattern — deferred(unclear), impacts field, reviewer detection
Address the root cause of rework-causing hedging: the architect was
put in a logical bind where it couldn't express justified uncertainty
('the pieces exist but the shape isn't clear yet'). The only options
were 'decide now' (premature) or 'deferred(scope)' (false — the
information isn't missing, it's un-synthesized). The agent picked
deferred(scope) with a circular blocking condition (OQ-64 blocked on
OQ-55, OQ-55 needs OQ-64) because there was no honest way to say 'I
can see the pieces but I can't see the shape.'

Changes to the architect role spec:
- Add deferred(unclear) state: the pieces exist but the composition
  isn't clear; resolution requires investigation (work through
  examples, POC), not waiting. Has an investigation target and an
  impacts field.
- Add 'Impacts' field to the OQ format: what does this block
  downstream? Be specific ('blocks the first hub deployment because
  the hub dials workers' not 'blocks the hub crate'). The triage
  signal that makes deferral urgency visible — the field that would
  have made the AlknetClient circular hedge visible.
- Add circular-reasoning guard to self-review: 'check that your
  blocking condition isn't a prerequisite of the thing you're
  deferring.'
- Trim anti-patterns #9-#11 (hedging synonyms catalog, ~40 lines):
  detection belongs in the reviewer, not the architect's self-review.
  The architect is too close to its own reasoning to see its own
  circular hedges.
- Trim door-types section (30→10 lines): keep the one-paragraph
  summary, cut the elaboration.

Changes to the architecture-reviewer role spec:
- Add Decision Quality (F) category: false-deferral check
  distinguishing three cases — (1) hedging on a resolved decision, (2)
  false deferral / circular hedge (the blocking condition is a
  prerequisite of the thing being deferred), (3) legitimate deferral.
- Add Impacts Field Coverage (G) category: check that unresolved OQs
  have specific impacts fields.
- Note: the Decision Quality category is often the highest-value
  check on poorly-defined projects — the architect cannot self-review
  it (circular reasoning is invisible from inside the circle).

Retrofit existing OQs:
- Add Impacts field to all 16 unresolved OQs (10 deferred, 6 open).
- Update OQ-63 (TlsError shape) to reflect ADR-087's client-side
  addition — the error type now covers both server and client
  variants.
- Move OQ-65 (WebSocket carrying channels) to alknet-http theme
  (done in prior commit; this commit adds its impacts field).
- Verified: no circular reasoning found in existing deferrals. The
  AlknetClient hedge (OQ-64) was the circular one; it's already
  resolved by ADR-087.
2026-07-15 07:35:55 +00:00

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Markdown

# OQ-32: Multi-Hop Federation
- **Origin**: [ADR-029](decisions/029-peer-graph-routing-model.md) §3.7, `docs/research/alknet-call-peer-routing/findings.md` §3.7
- **Status**: deferred(scope)
- **Door type**: One-way (federation model), two-way (mechanism)
- **Priority**: low
- **Impacts**: None currently — the one-hop model covers all current use
cases. Would impact peer-graph routing if a multi-hop topology becomes
needed (e.g., chained hubs).
- **Blocked on**: A concrete use case for multi-hop federation. The one-hop model covers all current use cases (head→worker, runner→hub).
- **Resolution**: The model is **one-hop** — worker A does not transitively
see worker B's ops through the head unless the head explicitly re-exports
them. The peer-keyed overlay model extends to multi-hop without redesign
(a chain of `PeerRef::Specific` routing decisions), but path-finding
(which peer reaches which op transitively) is where a graph library
(petgraph) would pay off. For one-hop (shallow), a nested
`HashMap<PeerId, HashMap<String, ...>>` suffices. Multi-hop federation is
a feature extension — the one-hop model is the architectural commitment;
extending to multi-hop doesn't break downstream crates. Whether multi-hop
becomes a real use case is a future decision; the peer-keyed model does
not foreclose it.
- **Cross-references**: ADR-029, [client-and-adapters.md](crates/call/client-and-adapters.md)