{"record":{"id":"73b9f50e1f76d15d","repo":"JuliusBrussee/caveman","slug":"where-causal-slice-references-a-workflow-varian","errorCode":null,"errorMessage":"${where} causal slice references a workflow variant that is not in this report","messagePattern":"(.+?) causal slice references a workflow variant that is not in this report","errorType":"exception","errorClass":"Error","httpStatus":null,"severity":"error","filePath":"packages/shared/contracts/scripts/validate-continuous-improvement.mjs","lineNumber":173,"sourceCode":"      throw new Error(`${where} cohort arms (${comparedUnits}) plus exclusions (${excluded}) do not account for its ${item.cohort.family_unit_count} family units`);\n    }\n\n    const selectedPerArm = new Map();\n    for (const trace of item.representative_traces) {\n      const variant = armVariants.get(trace.arm);\n      if (!variant || variant.id !== trace.variant_id) throw new Error(`${where} representative trace names a variant that is not that arm's variant`);\n      if (!unitsByID.has(trace.analysis_unit_id)) throw new Error(`${where} representative trace ${trace.analysis_unit_id} is not an analysis unit of this report`);\n      if (!familyUnits.has(trace.analysis_unit_id)) throw new Error(`${where} representative trace ${trace.analysis_unit_id} is not a member of the cohort's task family`);\n      if (!variant.analysis_unit_ids.includes(trace.analysis_unit_id)) throw new Error(`${where} representative trace ${trace.analysis_unit_id} did not run that arm's workflow variant`);\n      selectedPerArm.set(trace.arm, (selectedPerArm.get(trace.arm) ?? 0) + 1);\n    }\n    for (const [arm, count] of selectedPerArm) {\n      if (count > 3) throw new Error(`${where} arm ${arm} carries ${count} representative traces, more than three`);\n    }\n\n    const slice = item.causal_slice;\n    const sliceVariant = variantsByID.get(slice.variant_id);\n    if (!sliceVariant) throw new Error(`${where} causal slice references a workflow variant that is not in this report`);\n    if (sliceVariant.id !== armVariants.get(\"baseline\").id) throw new Error(`${where} causal slice is not taken from the baseline arm's variant`);\n    const sliceNodes = new Set(sliceVariant.nodes.map((node) => node.id));\n    if (slice.manifestation_node_id !== \"\" && !sliceNodes.has(slice.manifestation_node_id)) {\n      throw new Error(`${where} manifestation node ${slice.manifestation_node_id} is not a node of variant ${sliceVariant.id}`);\n    }\n    if (item.diagnosis.manifestation.node_id !== slice.manifestation_node_id) {\n      throw new Error(`${where} diagnosis manifestation node disagrees with its causal slice`);\n    }\n    for (const nodeID of slice.node_chain) {\n      if (!sliceNodes.has(nodeID)) throw new Error(`${where} causal slice node ${nodeID} is not a node of variant ${sliceVariant.id}`);\n    }\n    if (slice.manifestation_node_id !== \"\" && !slice.node_chain.includes(slice.manifestation_node_id)) {\n      throw new Error(`${where} causal slice omits its own manifestation node`);\n    }\n    const provenDependency = (edge) => edge.strength === \"hard\" && (edge.type === \"data\" || edge.type === \"control\") && edge.evidence_refs.length > 0;\n    const variantEdges = new Map(sliceVariant.edges.map((edge) => [`${edge.from}\u0000${edge.to}\u0000${edge.type}`, edge]));\n    for (const edge of slice.hard_edges) {\n      if (!provenDependency(edge)) throw new Error(`${where} hard chain carries an unproven edge ${edge.from}->${edge.to}`);","sourceCodeStart":155,"sourceCodeEnd":191,"githubUrl":"https://github.com/JuliusBrussee/caveman/blob/766dce6b1394ebb56a3090748d5a0240a5aefb36/packages/shared/contracts/scripts/validate-continuous-improvement.mjs#L155-L191","documentation":"item.causal_slice.variant_id must resolve against the report's workflow_variants map (validate-continuous-improvement.mjs:171-173). The causal slice is a subgraph of a variant this report carries; a dangling id — typo, deleted variant, or an id from another fixture — fails here before any node or edge checking begins.","triggerScenarios":"The slice block was copied from another case or fixture with a different variant id; the variant was renamed; slice.variant_id was left as a placeholder while hand-authoring a case.","commonSituations":"Template-based fixture authoring; refactors that rename variant ids; cases cloned as starting points and only partially adapted.","solutions":["Set causal_slice.variant_id to a variant id that exists in this report — specifically the baseline arm's variant (see error 614).","If the variant object was removed, restore it to workflow_variants.","Regenerate the case rather than cloning, then re-run the validator."],"exampleFix":"// before\n\"causal_slice\": { \"variant_id\": \"wf-build-9\", ... }\n// after — the baseline arm's variant in this report\n\"causal_slice\": { \"variant_id\": \"wf-build-01\", ... }","handlingStrategy":"validation","validationCode":"const danglingSliceVariants = (report) => {\n  const ids = new Set(report.workflow_variants.map((v) => v.id));\n  return report.cases.filter((c) => !ids.has(c.causal_slice.variant_id)).map((c) => c.id);\n};","typeGuard":null,"tryCatchPattern":"try {\n  execFileSync(process.execPath, [VALIDATOR, reportPath, spansPath]);\n} catch (err) {\n  if (/causal slice references a workflow variant/.test(err.message)) {\n    failCI(`slice variant id not in this report: ${err.message}`);\n  } else throw err;\n}","preventionTips":["Derive causal_slice.variant_id from the baseline arm in the generator instead of typing it.","Keep slices and their variants in the same fixture file.","When cloning a case as a template, the slice variant id is the first thing to rewrite."],"tags":["fixtures","cross-validation","causal-slice","referential-integrity"],"backgroundTag":"dangling-id-reference","analyzedSha":"766dce6b1394ebb56a3090748d5a0240a5aefb36","analyzedAt":"2026-08-18T03:14:35.516Z","contentChangedAt":"2026-08-18T03:14:35.516Z","schemaVersion":2},"datasetVersion":"2026-09-14T00:17:10.932Z"}