How To Reopen After Overflow

A wave returned OVERFLOW, not PASS or FAIL. The worker hit the packet boundary mid-implementation. You want to continue.

Recipe

1. Read the OVERFLOW result. What did the worker complete? Where did it stop? What is the current state?
2. Evaluate continuation admissibility. Three positive conditions; three blockers.
3. If admissible, admit a continuation packet that extends the boundary; resume work.
4. If not admissible, return wave to revision; admit a new wave or re-scope.

Continuation Admissibility

Condition	Admissible	Not admissible
Direction	Still correct	Direction has shifted
Scope	Has not crossed into a new owner domain	Has crossed
Current state	Acceptable; packet boundary was too thin	Shadow truth introduced or fallback was needed

The methodology's overflow-continuation-policy is explicit:

allowed_when:
  - direction_is_still_correct
  - scope_has_not_crossed_into_a_new_owner_domain
  - current_state_is_acceptable_but_packet_boundary_was_too_thin
reject_when:
  - shadow_truth_was_introduced
  - fallback_or_alias_was_needed
  - packet_crossed_into_a_new_owner_domain

Recipe For An Admissible Continuation

1. Author continuation packet. New packet_id distinct from original; references original packet.
2. Wave state moves to continuation_packet_open. This is the typed state for "overflow continuation admitted."
3. Continuation packet's allowed_writes extends — same owner domain, broader path coverage if appropriate.
4. Continuation packet's acceptance_invariants are tightened or extended to capture the missing finish.
5. Dispatch worker. Worker resumes from where the original stopped.
6. Audit. Independent audit on continuation result.
7. Closeout. When the work is complete, close the wave.

Recipe For A Not-Admissible Overflow

1. Document the overflow reason. Specifically: shadow truth / fallback / new domain.
2. Wave state moves to needs_revision. Not closed; not continuation-admitted.
3. If the issue is recoverable in the same domain: a new packet replaces the original; original packet becomes superseded.
4. If the issue requires owner-domain re-scope: a new wave admits, with new owner domain. The current wave moves to superseded or is retired with explicit lineage.

Reader Scenario: An Overflow That Continues

A wave was implementing a substantial refactor. The worker completed 80% before hitting the packet's allowed_writes boundary. Direction is correct; scope stayed in the declared owner domain; no shadow truth introduced.

Step	Action
Result kind	OVERFLOW
Direction correct	Yes
Owner domain crossed	No
Shadow truth introduced	No
Fallback needed	No
Continuation admissible	Yes
Continuation packet authored	Extending allowed_writes
Wave state	implementation_active → continuation_packet_open
Worker resumes	Completes
Audit	PASS
Closeout	Four-closure dimensions met

Reader Scenario: An Overflow That Cannot Continue

A wave was implementing a refactor. The worker, hitting the boundary, introduced a fallback path to "make it work" and returned OVERFLOW.

Step	Action
Result kind	OVERFLOW
Inspect the work	Fallback path introduced
Continuation admissible?	No (fallback was needed = blocker)
Wave state	needs_revision
Resolution	New packet replaces original; fallback removed; work scoped tighter
Original packet	superseded

The fallback would have been placeholder_success if accepted. The methodology refuses; the wave returns to revision.

Reader Scenario: An Overflow Crosses Into A New Owner Domain

A wave was implementing changes in runtime/. Mid-flight, the worker realized changes are needed in realm/ for the work to make sense. Worker stopped at the packet boundary returning OVERFLOW, having identified the cross-domain need.

Step	Action
Result kind	OVERFLOW
Owner domain crossed in the analysis	Yes
Continuation admissible?	No (new owner domain = blocker)
Resolution	Admit a new wave with realm/ as owner domain; current wave moves to needs_revision or superseded; new wave deps include this one

The methodology forces the cross-domain need into the open: a new wave admits the realm work properly, rather than the runtime worker silently extending into realm.

What To Watch For

Symptom	Meaning
Continuation admitted to "save time" despite blocker present	Soft; reject
Continuation crosses owner domain in next packet	Reject; admit new wave
Overflow normalized to PASS	False closure; reject
Overflow normalized to FAIL	Loss of progress evidence; reject

Source Basis

• .nimi/methodology/overflow-continuation-policy.yaml
• .nimi/contracts/overflow-continuation.schema.yaml
• .nimi/contracts/result.schema.yaml
• .nimi/contracts/wave.schema.yaml