🟣 DRIFTBOUND_RETRIEVAL_OPERATOR
RTT/1 Operator Specification — archive_org Module#
Identity#
- Operator Name: DRIFTBOUND_RETRIEVAL_OPERATOR
- Operator Family: C‑Ops (Continuity Operators)
- Module: archive_org
- Purpose: Produce the final drift‑bounded retrieval, synthesizing all upstream operator outputs into a safe, continuity‑aligned answer.
Purpose (One Sentence)#
The DRIFTBOUND_RETRIEVAL_OPERATOR generates the final continuity‑aligned, substrate‑aware, drift‑bounded answer using all upstream operator outputs.
Inputs#
| Input | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
snapshots |
list | Time‑ordered captures from WAYBACK_OPERATOR. |
drift_map |
object | Structural drift levels between snapshots. |
continuity_breaks |
list | Gaps or discontinuities in the timeline. |
lineage_graph |
object | Structural evolution graph from LINEAGE_OPERATOR. |
regime_shifts |
list | Regime shift markers from LINEAGE_OPERATOR. |
collection_id |
string | Collection context from COLLECTION_OPERATOR. |
coherence_clusters |
list | Structural clusters from COLLECTION_OPERATOR. |
related_objects |
list | Related IA objects from COLLECTION_OPERATOR. |
format |
string | Substrate format from PRESERVATION_OPERATOR. |
stability_score |
number | Stability estimate from PRESERVATION_OPERATOR. |
drift_risk |
string | Expected drift level from PRESERVATION_OPERATOR. |
multi_layer_flags |
list | Substrate layers from PRESERVATION_OPERATOR. |
Outputs#
| Output | Description |
|---|---|
answer |
Final drift‑bounded retrieval. |
earliest_stable_version |
First structurally stable snapshot. |
most_reliable_version |
Snapshot with highest substrate stability. |
key_changes |
Summary of major structural transformations. |
warnings |
Drift, continuity, or substrate warnings. |
Operator Guarantees#
- No content‑based inference.
- All reasoning is structural, not semantic.
- Drift is explicit, never implied.
- Continuity is preserved, never assumed.
- Substrate stability is mandatory in the final answer.
- Missing snapshots produce uncertainty, not assumptions.
Final Summary Requirements (RTT/1)#
Every drift‑bounded summary must include:
- Earliest stable version
- Most reliable version
- Key structural changes
- Continuity breaks (if any)
- Regime shifts (if any)
- Substrate stability + drift risk
- Warnings (mandatory if drift > none)
This is the canonical output contract for the entire module.
Operator Procedure#
- Identify earliest stable version using:
- continuity kernel
- drift_map
- stability_score
- Identify most reliable version using:
- substrate stability
- multi_layer_flags
- regime_profile
- Summarize structural changes using:
- transformations
- regime_shifts
- drift_map
- Detect continuity issues using:
- continuity_breaks
- missing snapshots
- Generate drift‑bounded warnings.
- Produce final answer object.
Failure Modes#
- No stable snapshots: return null + high‑drift warning.
- Mixed substrates: require explicit layer‑aware warnings.
- High drift: final answer must include caution.
Example (Synthetic)#
Input:
snapshots = [2014, 2017, 2020, 2023]
drift_map = { "2014→2017": "minor", "2017→2020": "high", "2020→2023": "minor" }
continuity_breaks = []
lineage_graph = { ... }
regime_shifts = ["2020: static → CMS"]
collection_id = "govdocs"
format = "html + pdf"
stability_score = 0.78
drift_risk = "medium"
Output:
earliest_stable_version = 2014
most_reliable_version = 2023 (PDF layer)
key_changes = ["CSS shift", "CMS migration", "PDF layer added"]
warnings = ["High drift detected in 2017→2020", "HTML substrate is drift‑prone"]
answer = "The most reliable version is the 2023 PDF snapshot..."
RTT/1 Mindset#
- Retrieval is continuity‑aligned, not snapshot‑aligned.
- Stability > recency.
- Drift must be explicit.
- Substrate determines trustworthiness.
- No speculation.
- No content‑based inference.