The format that lived in every head

Description and use

Automated receipt format validation using a catalog to eliminate false failures.

Problem

Auditors were incorrectly rejecting receipts because the format definitions were not codified, leading to false failures when memory mismatched the actual receipt content.

Outcome

All four known receipt classes now pass with exit 0 when invoked by class name; unknown classes fail closed with exit 2; mismatched classes fail with exit 1, eliminating false rejections.

Workflow

• 1. Create a registry file listing each receipt class and its expected predicates (verdict line, exit code, line counts, etc.).
• 2. Update the assertion tool to accept a class name and look up its predicates in the registry.
• 3. When running an audit, specify the receipt class instead of hard‑coded patterns.
• 4. If the class is missing from the registry, exit with code 2 and list available classes.
• 5. If the class exists but the receipt content does not match the predicates, exit with code 1.
• 6. Record all runs, including failures, to maintain a history of format changes.

Evidence

The fix is a catalog, not a smarter memory. One small registry file maps each class of receipt to its predicates...

Source

Proof — six receipts from the same run, each echoing the class it resolved: four passes... the unknown class failing closed with exit 2...

Source