Core Invariants

The SDK enforces three invariants:

• Determinism
• Canonical Form
• Parity Witnessing

These are not software niceties. They are force-alignment tools.

Determinism = Predictable Force Flow

A tether distributes load across nodes. Each node must compute tension, drift, and compensation identically. If two nodes disagree about force vectors, the tether begins accumulating hidden stress.

Determinism guarantees identical output everywhere.

every node “sees” the same tether

In mechanical terms, determinism prevents phantom torque.

Canonical Form = Shared Geometry

Canonical serialization ensures that the structure describing the tether is identical everywhere.

• node A thinks 12.000 m
• node B thinks 11.999 m

That rounding error becomes oscillation under load.

Canonical form removes representational drift.

Parity Witnessing = Distributed Safety Brake

Parity turns disagreement into a controlled halt instead of silent corruption.

• motion stops
• compensation stops
• force is not redistributed blindly

The tether enters a safe hold state.

Parity is not about uptime. Parity is about refusing to lie.

Reflection Pattern Alignment

Testing reflection alignment verifies shared state geometry, force model, and temporal ordering.

The ledger merge procedure is structural resynchronization.

Automatic vs Reactive Safety

Human operators are reactive. Invariants are preemptive.

automatic safety > heroic response

The operator supervises. The invariants guard continuously.

Practical Consequences

• load distribution is smooth
• oscillations damp instead of amplify
• recovery is bounded
• drift cannot accumulate silently

Operator Mental Model

Think of the invariant layer as:

• a distributed tension equalizer
• a geometry lock
• a truth filter
• a safety clutch

Summary

The tether is safe when all nodes share the same geometry, timing, and interpretation of force.

A tether breaks when reality forks.

The invariant system exists to prevent forks.