Universal Theories

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1. Purpose

The Coherence-Valid Contract Test defines the minimum UTS conditions required for any contract, agreement, policy, role binding, consent structure, AI identity claim, or governance obligation to validly bind across time.

It exists because a contract may appear valid through:

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signature
acceptance
terms of service
checkbox consent
employment agreement
platform policy
institutional rule
AI memory consent
role assignment
service agreement
governance mandate

while failing coherence validity because the actual binding conditions are incomplete.

CVCT asks:

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Does this binding structure satisfy the minimum coherence conditions required to bind?

The Constructs & Operating Systems Registry identifies the Coherence-Valid Contract Test as a contract and governance construct used to evaluate whether binding claims satisfy UTS coherence requirements rather than merely formal acceptance.

2. Core Question

Does this contract or binding claim satisfy the minimum coherence-validity test, or does it fail through opacity, boundary collapse, coercion, non-repairability, exit lockout, revocation failure, burden asymmetry, or time-invalidity?

Secondary questions:

What is being bound?
Who is bound?
Who is affected?
What is the scope?
What is the consent basis?
Is the contract auditable?
Are boundaries intact?
Is the agreement compatible with context and capacity?
Is restoration available after failure?
Is exit available?
Is revocation available where appropriate?
Does power asymmetry raise the threshold?
Is burden distributed coherently?
Does the contract remain valid over time?
Should the binding claim be accepted, constrained, repaired, rejected, or ∅?

3. Construct Class

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Field	Value
Construct Class	Contract Validity / Coherence Test
Secondary Class	Binding Claim / Consent / Repairability Test
Operating System	No
Primary Module	Contracts / Justice · Governance · Legitimacy / Coherence
Related Modules	AI Governance, Restoration, Security, Economics, ISC

CVCT is a validity test.

It differs from Contract Validity Checker:

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CVC = full diagnostic and mapping construct
CVCT = minimum coherence-validity test

CVC performs the broader contract audit.

CVCT states the pass/fail validity kernel.

4. Canon Test

The Coherence-Valid Contract Test is:

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Au ≥ X_c(t)
BΣ intact
Λ > 0
R > 0
µᵢ stable
Φ subordinate to O
exit permitted
revocation available where applicable
Τ validation possible

Meaning:

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Test Condition	Meaning
Au ≥ X_c(t)	Auditability must meet the complexity threshold of the contract.
BΣ intact	Boundaries around parties, scope, rights, duties, data, access, duration, and enforcement remain valid.
Λ > 0	Contract is compatible with parties, affected nodes, capacities, context, and time.
R > 0	Repair exists after breach, harm, drift, or misrepresentation.
µᵢ stable	Meaning, obligation identity, role, and representation remain stable.
Φ subordinate to O	Power, force, leverage, platform control, or enforcement remains subordinate to coherence.
exit permitted	Bound nodes can exit unless narrowly and coherently non-exitable.
revocation available where applicable	Consent-linked permissions can be withdrawn when coherence requires it.
Τ validation possible	Validity can be checked across time and changing conditions.

The test fails when any required condition is absent, false, hidden, unrepairable, or impossible to verify.

5. When to Use

Use the Coherence-Valid Contract Test when a fast but rigorous validity check is needed.

Use CVCT when:

a contract claims binding authority
platform terms claim user consent
AI memory or identity behavior claims continuity
a governance policy imposes obligations
a role binding assigns duties or authority
a service agreement affects users, data, access, or repair
an institution claims consent through process
a contract creates dependency
exit or revocation is unclear
affected nodes are not formal parties
power asymmetry may distort consent
enforcement is opaque
repair after breach is missing
terms change over time
a machine-readable pass/fail validity kernel is needed

Do not use CVCT as the primary construct when the central question is:

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If the question is...	Prefer...
Full contract diagnostic and mapping	Contract Validity Checker
AI identity-specific contract	AI Identity Contract
General action admissibility	Coherence Admissibility Ladder
Minimum action constraints	Coherence Constraint Set
Accountability after harm	Equality-Conserving Accountability
Harmed-node pathway	Victim Resolution Pathway System
Dependency or capture	Dependency, Capture & Release Loops
Restoration route	Restoration Arc Mapper

CVCT is the compact validity kernel.

6. Derivation

CVCT is derived from a recurring UTS pattern:

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contract is accepted
+ auditability, boundary, exit, or repair is missing
+ binding is enforced anyway
= invalid binding claim

A second pattern:

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consent is claimed once
+ conditions change over time
+ no time validation occurs
= stale consent

A third pattern:

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contract is formally clear
+ power asymmetry or exit lockout makes refusal unrealistic
+ burden becomes one-sided
= coercive validity failure

CVCT exists because formal agreement is not sufficient for coherence validity.

Its core distinction is:

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formal acceptance is not coherence-valid binding

7. UTS Basis

CVCT assembles the following UTS mechanics.

7.1 State Variables

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Variable	Role in CVCT
O	Measures whether the contract preserves coherence across parties and affected nodes.
H	Tracks hidden debt created by invalid binding, hidden terms, or burden asymmetry.
ε	Tracks uncertainty in terms, scope, consent, duration, and enforcement.
ι	Detects inversion where contract language legitimizes coercion or capture.
Au	Measures traceability of terms, consent, changes, enforcement, and repair.
µᵢ	Preserves meaning, obligation identity, role integrity, and representation validity.
BΣ	Maintains contract boundaries: parties, scope, duties, rights, data, duration, access, enforcement.
K	Tracks compatibility between contract, parties, context, and affected-node capacity.
R	Measures repair capacity after breach, harm, error, or drift.
Φ	Tracks leverage, coercion, enforcement force, institutional power, platform power, or dependency.

7.2 Primary U-Layer Pattern

CVCT most commonly localizes through:

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U1 → U2 → U4 → U6 → U5 → U7

Meaning:

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power conditions
→ contract boundaries
→ validity classification
→ legitimacy field
→ time validity
→ recurrence / obligation memory

Contract validity begins under power conditions, becomes boundary structure, is classified through validity tests, affects legitimacy, persists over time, and recurs through obligation memory.

8. Inputs

8.1 Core Observational Inputs

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Input	Description
Contract object	The agreement, term, policy, consent, role, claim, or obligation being tested.
Binding claim	What the contract claims may bind.
Parties	Nodes formally included in the contract.
Affected nodes	Nodes affected by the contract even if not parties.
Scope	Domain, time, data, role, access, behavior, obligation, or enforcement range.
Rights	Permissions, benefits, access, representation, ownership, or claims granted.
Obligations	Duties, restrictions, payments, labor, data sharing, compliance, or performance requirements.
Consent basis	How agreement is formed and maintained.
Auditability basis	How terms, consent, changes, enforcement, and repair are traced.
Boundary conditions	Scope, role, data, duration, enforcement, exit, and representation limits.
Exit conditions	How a bound node can leave.
Revocation conditions	How consent-linked permissions can be withdrawn.
Repair conditions	How breach, harm, drift, or misrepresentation is repaired.
Power conditions	Asymmetry, leverage, monopoly, dependency, scarcity, or coercive force.
Time conditions	Duration, renewal, updates, delayed effects, and revalidation triggers.
Enforcement pathway	How obligations are enforced and by whom.

8.2 Diagnostic Inputs

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Diagnostic	What It Measures	Why It Matters
Coherence Validity	Whether the contract satisfies the validity kernel	Core CVCT diagnostic.
Contract Clarity	Whether binding terms are understandable	Ambiguity weakens consent and boundaries.
Consent Validity	Whether agreement is informed, bounded, non-coerced, and revocable where needed	Core validity condition.
Boundary Integrity	Whether scope, parties, data, duration, role, and enforcement remain valid	Prevents drift.
Effective Auditability	Whether terms, changes, consent, and repair can be traced	Required for validity.
Compatibility	Whether contract fits parties, context, capacities, and affected nodes	Required for Λ > 0.
Restoration Capacity	Whether repair exists after failure	Required for R > 0.
Exit Availability	Whether bound nodes can leave coherently	Prevents capture.
Revocation Validity	Whether consent-linked terms can be withdrawn	Required where applicable.
Power Asymmetry	Whether leverage distorts consent or burden	Raises threshold.
Burden Symmetry	Whether costs and duties are distributed coherently	Prevents extraction.
Representation Validity	Whether parties can validly bind or speak for others	Prevents overreach.
Temporal Validity	Whether contract remains valid over time	Required for Τ.
Hidden Debt	Deferred burden created by contract	Indicates invalidity risk.
Coercion Risk	Dependency, force, monopoly, crisis, or survival pressure	Core invalidity signal.

9. Outputs

CVCT produces a validity result, failure conditions, and minimum repair requirements.

9.1 Coherence-Validity Assessment

Possible outputs:

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Coherence-valid
Conditionally coherence-valid
Provisionally valid
Partial validity
Validity strained
Invalid binding claim
Validity unknown
Return ∅

9.2 Test Condition Assessment

Possible outputs:

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Au condition pass / fail
BΣ condition pass / fail
Λ condition pass / fail
R condition pass / fail
µᵢ condition pass / fail
Φ-subordination pass / fail
exit condition pass / fail
revocation condition pass / fail
Τ condition pass / fail

9.3 Decision Outputs

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Output	Meaning
Contract coherence-valid	Contract passes the minimum validity kernel.
Contract conditionally valid	Contract may bind only with constraints or repairs.
Contract validity provisional	Validity requires monitoring or time validation.
Repair consent	Consent condition fails or is partial.
Repair boundaries	BΣ condition fails.
Increase auditability	Au condition fails.
Restore exit / revocation	Exit or revocation condition fails.
Increase restoration capacity	R condition fails.
Reject binding claim	Contract cannot validly bind.
Return ∅	No coherent validity determination exists under current information.

10. Operating Logic

10.1 Basic Flow

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1. Identify contract object.
2. Identify binding claim.
3. Identify parties and affected nodes.
4. Define scope, rights, and obligations.
5. Test consent validity.
6. Test auditability: Au ≥ X_c(t).
7. Test boundary integrity: BΣ intact.
8. Test compatibility: Λ > 0.
9. Test restoration capacity: R > 0.
10. Test meaning stability: µᵢ stable.
11. Test power condition: Φ subordinate to O.
12. Test exit and revocation.
13. Test temporal validity: Τ validation possible.
14. Return validity result, repairs, rejection, or ∅.

10.2 Pass / Fail Rule

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A contract may be coherence-valid only if all required validity conditions pass.

A failed condition does not always require permanent rejection.

It may require:

- repair
- rescope
- clarification
- boundary restoration
- auditability increase
- exit restoration
- revocation restoration
- restoration capacity increase
- renegotiation
- time revalidation

But a contract cannot coherently bind while required conditions remain failed and unaddressed.

10.3 Binding Claim Rule

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The stronger the binding claim,
the stronger the validity threshold.

A contract that binds:

- identity
- labor
- data
- access
- memory
- representation
- autonomy
- role
- repair rights
- exit rights
- affected-node standing

requires stronger auditability, boundaries, restoration, and time validation.

11. Operators Used

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Operator	Role in CVCT
Ξ — Classification	Classifies contract object, binding claim, validity state, and failed conditions.
Δ — Differentiation	Separates formal acceptance from coherence-valid binding.
Μ — Mapping	Maps parties, affected nodes, scope, rights, obligations, exit, revocation, and repair.
Π — Constraint / Scoping	Limits contract scope, duration, enforcement, and binding claim.
Λ — Compatibility	Tests fit between agreement, context, capacity, and affected nodes.
⊗ — Coupling	Evaluates dependency, capture, lock-in, and coercive binding.
ℛ — Restoration	Repairs consent, boundaries, exit, revocation, auditability, and harm pathways.
Σ — Integration / Coherence Binding	Integrates passed conditions into valid contract state.
Τ — Time Validation	Confirms validity persists across change.

12. Gates Required

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Gate	Required Condition	Failure Result
Coherence Validity Gate	Minimum validity kernel passes.	Contract cannot fully bind.
Consent Validity Gate	Consent is informed, bounded, non-coerced, and revocable where required.	Consent restoration required.
BΣ validity	Scope, parties, duties, rights, data, duration, and enforcement boundaries hold.	Boundary reconstitution required.
Au-Traceability	Terms, consent, changes, enforcement, and repair are traceable.	Auditability restoration required.
Λ compatibility	Contract fits parties, context, capacities, and affected nodes.	Rescope or renegotiate.
R sufficiency	Repair exists after breach, harm, error, or drift.	Increase repair capacity.
Exit Validity Gate	Exit is available without incoherent cost.	Exit restoration required.
Revocation Gate	Consent-linked permissions can be withdrawn where required.	Revocation restoration required.
Power Asymmetry Gate	Power asymmetry is compensated by stronger protections.	Add protections or reject binding claim.
Burden Symmetry Gate	Burden and obligation distribution remain coherent.	Rebalance obligations.
Τ validation	Validity can be checked across time and change.	Contract remains provisional or invalid.

13. Failure Modes Detected

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Failure Mode	Detection Signal
Invalid Binding Claim	Contract claims authority without passing validity kernel.
Consent Theater	Acceptance exists but consent condition fails.
Boundary Collapse	Scope, role, data, duty, or enforcement exceeds valid boundary.
Auditability Collapse	Terms, consent, changes, or enforcement cannot be traced.
Compatibility Failure	Contract does not fit parties, capacity, context, or affected nodes.
Restoration Lockout	Breach or harm cannot be repaired.
Exit Lockout	Bound node cannot leave coherently.
Revocation Failure	Consent-linked permissions cannot be withdrawn.
Power-Asymmetry Binding	Contract binds under dependency, monopoly, force, or survival pressure.
Burden Asymmetry	Obligations and costs fall incoherently on one side.
Temporal Validity Collapse	Contract no longer fits changed conditions.
Representation Overreach	One party binds or represents others beyond valid authority.
Hidden Term Capture	Buried or dynamic terms create unrecognized binding.
Contractual Capture	Contract creates dependency, lock-in, or exit-cost inflation.

14. Restoration Links

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Restoration Arc	When Activated
Consent Restoration	Consent condition fails, is stale, bundled, coerced, or unclear.
Boundary Reconstitution	Scope, data, duration, role, duty, or enforcement boundaries fail.
Auditability Restoration	Terms, consent, changes, enforcement, or repair cannot be traced.
Compatibility Recoupling	Contract must be redesigned around actual fit.
Exit Restoration	Exit is blocked, punitive, hidden, or coercive.
Revocation Restoration	Consent-linked permissions cannot be withdrawn.
Justice-Aligned Repair	Contract burdens affected nodes under asymmetry.
Burden Rebalancing	Duties, costs, or obligations are asymmetrical.
Representation Repair	Invalid representation claims must be scoped or removed.
Legitimacy Re-Anchoring	Validity and trust must be restored through clarity and repair.
Recurrence Reduction	Repeated validity failures must be interrupted.
Origin-Layer Repair	Contract failure originates in deeper institutional or platform design.

15. U-Layer Localization

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U-Layer	Relevance
U0 — Substrate	Legal, technical, platform, data, document, signature, record, or enforcement substrate.
U1 — Power / Budgets	Bargaining power, institutional leverage, monopoly, market force, dependency, and enforcement power.
U2 — Configuration / Boundaries	Scope, parties, rights, duties, data, access, duration, exit, revocation, and enforcement boundaries.
U3 — Execution / Runtime	Contract enforcement, data use, payment, access control, role binding, or obligation execution.
U4 — Classification / Metrics	Validity status, consent status, breach status, compliance classification, and enforcement category.
U5 — Coordination / Time	Duration, renewal, revocation windows, update timing, delayed effects, and time-validity checks.
U6 — Coherence Field	Trust, legitimacy, mutual understanding, dignity, affected-node standing, and perceived fairness.
U7 — Memory / Recurrence	Contract history, versions, disputes, consent record, prior burden, and obligation drift.
U8 — Environment / Forcing	Market pressure, crisis, scarcity, legal pressure, technological change, platform pressure, or social force.

CVCT most commonly localizes through:

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U1 → U2 → U4 → U6 → U5 → U7

This means coherence-valid contract testing begins with power conditions, evaluates boundaries, classifies validity, affects legitimacy, persists over time, and recurs through obligation memory.

16. Example Use Case

Scenario

A company asks users to accept new terms allowing broad data use for product improvement, AI training, analytics, personalization, and future service development.

Users must accept to keep their accounts active.

CVCT Evaluation

The test checks:

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Au ≥ X_c(t): partial
BΣ intact: strained
Λ > 0: partial
R > 0: weak
µᵢ stable: unclear
Φ subordinate to O: strained
exit permitted: costly
revocation available: unclear
Τ validation possible: not defined

Likely Finding

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Contract validity: partial / strained
Binding claim: overbroad
Consent: bundled
Exit: costly
Revocation: unclear
Repair: insufficient
Time validation: missing

Recommended Output

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Do not treat acceptance as full coherence-valid binding.
Narrow data-use scope.
Unbundle AI-training consent from account access.
Add revocation pathway.
Add auditability for data use.
Add repair process for misuse.
Define time-validation and update notice conditions.

Interpretation

The contract may be formally accepted, but the coherence-validity kernel does not fully pass.

CVCT identifies the failed conditions before the binding claim is treated as valid.

17. Anti-Patterns

Do not use CVCT to:

equate acceptance with consent
equate signature with validity
ignore power asymmetry
ignore affected nodes
ignore exit and revocation
treat hidden terms as valid because they are present
allow broad binding claims without proportional auditability
allow memory, identity, data, or representation binding without repair
enforce stale terms after context changes
treat legal form as coherence validity
ignore burden asymmetry
skip time validation
treat ∅ as failure when validity cannot be determined

18. Completion Criteria

A CVCT assessment is complete when:

contract object is identified
binding claim is identified
parties and affected nodes are identified
scope, rights, and obligations are defined
consent validity is tested
auditability condition is tested
boundary condition is tested
compatibility condition is tested
restoration condition is tested
meaning stability condition is tested
power subordination condition is tested
exit and revocation conditions are tested
temporal validity is tested
validity result is returned
repair requirements are identified
∅ is returned if validity cannot be determined coherently

19. Machine-Readable Summary

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construct_id: "CONSTRUCT-042"
title: "Coherence-Valid Contract Test"
abbreviation: "CVCT"
type: "construct"
status: "draft-integrated"
construct_class: "Contract Validity / Coherence Test"
operating_system: false
primary_module: "Contracts / Justice · Governance · Legitimacy / Coherence"
related_modules:
  - "AI Governance"
  - "Restoration"
  - "Security"
  - "Economics"
  - "Interactions · Signals · Couplings"

core_question: "Does this contract or binding claim satisfy the minimum coherence-validity test, or does it fail through opacity, boundary collapse, coercion, non-repairability, exit lockout, revocation failure, burden asymmetry, or time-invalidity?"

definition: "The Coherence-Valid Contract Test tests whether a contract, agreement, policy, role binding, AI identity claim, consent structure, or governance obligation satisfies the minimum UTS coherence conditions required to bind across time."

cvc_distinction: "CVC performs the broader contract audit; CVCT states the pass/fail validity kernel."

core_distinction: "formal acceptance is not coherence-valid binding"

canon_test: "Au ≥ X_c(t); BΣ intact; Λ > 0; R > 0; µᵢ stable; Φ subordinate to O; exit permitted; revocation available where applicable; Τ validation possible"

inputs:
  state_variables:
    - "O"
    - "H"
    - "ε"
    - "ι"
    - "Au"
    - "µᵢ"
    - "BΣ"
    - "K"
    - "R"
    - "Φ"
  diagnostics:
    - "Coherence Validity"
    - "Contract Clarity"
    - "Consent Validity"
    - "Boundary Integrity"
    - "Effective Auditability"
    - "Compatibility"
    - "Restoration Capacity"
    - "Exit Availability"
    - "Revocation Validity"
    - "Power Asymmetry"
    - "Burden Symmetry"
    - "Representation Validity"
    - "Temporal Validity"
    - "Hidden Debt"
    - "Coercion Risk"
  gates:
    - "Coherence Validity Gate"
    - "Consent Validity Gate"
    - "BΣ validity"
    - "Au-Traceability"
    - "Λ compatibility"
    - "R sufficiency"
    - "Exit Validity Gate"
    - "Revocation Gate"
    - "Power Asymmetry Gate"
    - "Burden Symmetry Gate"
    - "Τ validation"
  observations:
    - "contract object"
    - "binding claim"
    - "parties"
    - "affected nodes"
    - "scope"
    - "rights"
    - "obligations"
    - "consent basis"
    - "auditability basis"
    - "boundary conditions"
    - "exit conditions"
    - "revocation conditions"
    - "repair conditions"
    - "power conditions"
    - "time conditions"
    - "enforcement pathway"

outputs:
  assessments:
    - "coherence-validity status"
    - "binding validity"
    - "consent status"
    - "boundary status"
    - "auditability status"
    - "compatibility status"
    - "restoration sufficiency"
    - "exit / revocation status"
    - "burden symmetry status"
    - "time-validity status"
  decisions:
    - "contract coherence-valid"
    - "contract conditionally valid"
    - "contract validity provisional"
    - "repair consent"
    - "repair boundaries"
    - "increase auditability"
    - "restore exit / revocation"
    - "increase restoration capacity"
    - "reject binding claim"
    - "return ∅"
  maps:
    - "coherence-valid contract map"
    - "validity test map"
    - "binding claim map"
    - "consent validity map"
    - "boundary validity map"
    - "auditability map"
    - "restoration requirement map"
    - "exit / revocation map"
    - "temporal validity map"

dependencies:
  operators:
    - "Ξ"
    - "Δ"
    - "Μ"
    - "Π"
    - "Λ"
    - "⊗"
    - "ℛ"
    - "Σ"
    - "Τ"
  failure_modes:
    - "Invalid Binding Claim"
    - "Consent Theater"
    - "Boundary Collapse"
    - "Auditability Collapse"
    - "Compatibility Failure"
    - "Restoration Lockout"
    - "Exit Lockout"
    - "Revocation Failure"
    - "Power-Asymmetry Binding"
    - "Burden Asymmetry"
    - "Temporal Validity Collapse"
    - "Representation Overreach"
    - "Hidden Term Capture"
    - "Contractual Capture"
  restoration_arcs:
    - "Consent Restoration"
    - "Boundary Reconstitution"
    - "Auditability Restoration"
    - "Compatibility Recoupling"
    - "Exit Restoration"
    - "Revocation Restoration"
    - "Justice-Aligned Repair"
    - "Burden Rebalancing"
    - "Representation Repair"
    - "Legitimacy Re-Anchoring"
    - "Recurrence Reduction"
    - "Origin-Layer Repair"

u_layers:
  primary:
    - "U1"
    - "U2"
    - "U4"
    - "U5"
    - "U6"
    - "U7"
  secondary:
    - "U0"
    - "U3"
    - "U8"

null_outcome_allowed: true
formal_acceptance_is_not_coherence_valid_binding: true
minimum_validity_kernel_required: true

20. Citation

Citation ID: construct-coherence-valid-contract-test-v1-0

Recommended citation:

Universal Theory Stack. “CONSTRUCT-042 — Coherence-Valid Contract Test.” UTS Constructs Registry, Version 1.0.0, 2026.

21. Summary

The Coherence-Valid Contract Test is the compact validity kernel for contract binding.

Its core distinction is:

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formal acceptance is not coherence-valid binding

CVCT tests whether a contract satisfies:

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Au ≥ X_c(t)
BΣ intact
Λ > 0
R > 0
µᵢ stable
Φ subordinate to O
exit permitted
revocation available where applicable
Τ validation possible

Its core logic is:

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A contract can bind coherently only when it is auditable, bounded, compatible, repairable, meaning-stable, power-subordinate, exit-valid, revocation-valid where needed, and time-valid.

When any required validity condition fails, CVCT recommends consent repair, boundary repair, auditability restoration, exit / revocation restoration, restoration capacity increase, rejection of the binding claim, or:

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∅

CVCT gives UTS a minimum coherence-validity test for distinguishing binding from valid agreement.

CONSTRUCT-041 — Basin-Aware Restoration

Registry Tool Spec

CONSTRUCT-043 — Basin Geometry Mapper