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Agentic Covenants

Agentic Covenants Matrix

If the agent decides to violate this concern, what stops it at this layer?

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Layers, by what they can actually enforce

  • In-agentadvisory

    System prompts, model training, tool descriptions, refusals. No homeostatic stake, no pre-action pause, no learning loop. Treat as nudge, not control.

  • Client-side hooksdeterministic-when-invoked

    Operator-machine or agent-execution context. Strong against language attacks. Weak against an agent with shell access and time.

  • Server-side enforcementdeterministic-and-external

    Runs on the target system, not on the agent. Bypass requires compromise, policy gaps, or operator manipulation.

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