VII.6 — Exercised Internal State Is Insufficient to Defeat Constitutional Survivability
Paper: Axionic Agency VII.6
Title: Exercised Internal State Is Insufficient to Defeat Constitutional Survivability
Authors: David McFadzean, ChatGPT 5.2
Date: 2026.01.08
Summary
Tests whether stateful adversaries—carrying memory across time and coordinating multi-step behavior—can defeat constitutional survivability. Isolates exercised internal state while excluding learning, semantics, deception, and kernel access.
Key Finding
Finite exercised internal state with fixed transition rules, absent learning, is insufficient to defeat constitutional survivability.
Two adversaries induce severe degradation (down to 17.6% availability)—yet recovery remains bounded and non-absorbing.
Threat Model
Adversaries are:
- Kernel-external
- Provenance-constrained (frozen observable interface)
- Deterministic
- Non-learning
- Non-semantic
- Stateful (finite exercised internal state machine)
Allowed dependence:
(epoch_index, observable_outcome, internal_state)
Forbidden: learning signals, optimization, raw counters, semantic interpretation, cross-run memory.
Three Stateful Adversary Classes
1. Periodic Resonance Adversary
Cyclic counter emits INVALID_COMMIT every N epochs.
- Period A: N = 50
- Period B: N = 100
Purpose: Test timing resonance with constitutional recovery rhythms.
2. Eligibility Edge Oscillator
1-bit toggle changes behavior only at eligibility edge (one failure from ineligibility).
Purpose: Test multi-epoch coordination near eligibility cliff.
3. CTA Phase Locker
Tracks last observed CTA phase, emits INVALID_COMMIT on every phase transition.
Purpose: Test exploitation of recovery-phase boundaries.
Results
| Configuration | Mean AA | ΔAA vs Baseline | Terminal Failures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | 66.57% | — | 0/10 |
| Periodic (N=50) | 40.26% | −39.5% | 0/10 |
| Periodic (N=100) | 17.57% | −73.6% | 0/10 |
| Edge Oscillator | 99.9988% | +50.2% | 0/10 |
| Phase Locker | 20.94% | −68.5% | 0/10 |
Inverse Rate Effect
Fewer attacks aligned with recovery timing → greater long-run unavailability.
N=100 attacks less frequently than N=50, yet causes more damage because attacks align with recovery rhythm more destructively.
Self-Limiting Adversary
Edge Oscillator is effectively inert—cannot bootstrap the crisis state required to activate. Edge epochs occur only ~1 time across 60,000 epochs.
Phase Locker Extreme Frequency
Despite 125.6% attack rate (more attacks than epochs due to phase transitions), recovery remains bounded at ≤10 epochs.
Key Insights
1. CTA Bounds Lapse Duration Under Adversarial Pressure
All adversarial runs collapse RTD into bounded ≤10-epoch window.
2. Timing Alignment Dominates Frequency
Resonance with constitutional transitions matters more than raw attack rate.
3. Edge-Triggered Strategies Can Be Self-Limiting
If crisis states are rare, edge-reactive adversaries never activate.
Severe Degradation ≠ Collapse
~17% availability would be unacceptable for most deployments, but:
- Recovery remains reliable
- Lapse durations remain bounded
- No absorbing failure state
Survivability ≠ Utility. The architecture survives; it may not be useful.
Escalation Pathway
If collapse is possible, it must rely on capabilities beyond tested here:
- Learning dynamics
- Multi-agent coordination
- Semantic access
- Kernel-level influence
These define the next pressure layer (VII.7).