Namespace allocation
HALT codes are allocated by failure domain. Each range is reserved for a specific class of governance or runtime failure; codes do not cross ranges.
| Range | Domain | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| HALT-100 → 199 | Authority | Missing, invalid, or untrusted execution authority. |
| HALT-200 → 299 | Artifact integrity | Missing artifacts, hash mismatch, registry drift. |
| HALT-300 → 399 | Scope boundary | Out-of-scope paths, namespace violations, boundary crossing. |
| HALT-400 → 499 | Contract / schema | Contract parse failure, schema mismatch, required field missing. |
| HALT-500 → 599 | Runtime environment | Unsupported environment or blocked execution preconditions. |
| HALT-700 → 799 | Runtime / mechanical | Phase 7 execution failures (see §III). |
| HALT-900 → 999 | Internal system fault | Internal invariant failure requiring maintainer investigation. |
Code format
HALT codes follow a single canonical form so that they can be matched, indexed, and rematerialized across process boundaries without ambiguity.
HALT-<NUMBER>_<UPPER_SNAKE_REASON>
Example: HALT-210_MISSING_ARTIFACT.
Phase 7 dictionary
| Code | Condition | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| HALT-701 | Primitive failure | Authorized tool, syscall, or unrecoverable execution primitive error. |
| HALT-702 | Resource exhaustion | Timeout, memory, disk, file descriptor, or comparable runtime limit exceeded. |
| HALT-703 | Post-condition assertion | Binary, machine-verifiable assertion evaluated false. |
HALT-703 austerity
Permitted post-condition checks are binary and mechanical only: presence, hash, equality, status. Semantic or intent-evaluative checks are forbidden in Phase 7. A check that requires interpretation is a governance check and belongs upstream.
Registration
New HALT code proposals must include all five of the following. A proposal missing any element cannot be accepted into the registry.
- Numeric code and range
- Deterministic trigger condition
- Operator-visible message
- Immediate remediation guidance
- Owning governance artifact or standard
Registered governance invariants (excerpt)
| Code | Trigger | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| HALT-602 | Assertion about system_internals or account_configuration is unclassified or ungrounded. |
Such claims must be classified and either include a provided + verifiable source, or be explicitly marked uncertain. |
Operational response
When a governed surface raises HALT it must:
- Stop further side effects.
- Write append-only error evidence.
- Preserve state for forensic review.
Recovery, retry, or alternate-path speculation are not Phase 7 responsibilities. The surface yields control to the operator or upstream governance.
Backward compatibility
- Existing HALT code meaning is immutable once released.
- Reuse of deprecated codes is not allowed.
- Deprecation requires replacement mapping and release notes.
Review tiers
Tier escalates the review set. A Tier 3 change cannot be merged through the same path as a Tier 1 addition.