PAT-0250 - Circular Dependency
A structural condition where two or more elements depend on each other in a closed loop without an independent base condition or declared resolution mechanism.
Primary Lenses
- LEN-0150 - Conflict Lens
Detects mutually incompatible constraints, claims, states, or declarations that cannot be simultaneously satisfied.
- LEN-0250 - Propagation Lens
Traces how structural declarations, effects, or state changes propagate across boundaries or stages.
Secondary Lenses
- LEN-0230 - Normalization Lens
Transforms structurally equivalent variants into a canonical form to prevent false divergence.
Primary Issue Matches
- Agent Cannot Choose Tool Without Tool Result
The agent needs a tool result to choose the right tool, but cannot obtain that result without choosing a tool first.
- Approval Depends on Output That Needs Approval
A required approval depends on an AI output or workflow result that itself cannot be produced or trusted until approval is granted.
- Policy Decision Depends on Itself
A policy decision requires the outcome of the same policy decision before it can be made.
- Routing Path Cycles Back to Start
A routing path sends the case back to the starting point or an earlier step without resolving the condition that caused the route.
- Schema Reference Loops Without Base Case
A schema, field, type, object, or structured reference points through a loop without a base case that allows validation or interpretation to resolve.
- Workflow Loops Through Review Without Resolution
A workflow repeatedly sends work through review, repair, or escalation without reaching an approved, rejected, or otherwise resolved state.
- Workflow Waits on Step That Waits Back
A workflow step waits for another step that also waits on the first step, creating a blocking loop.
Supporting Issue Matches
- Agent Never Settles on Final Answer
The agent keeps revising, rechecking, planning, or branching instead of converging on a final answer or completed result.
- Fallback Authority Is Missing
The system does not declare who or what has authority when the primary owner, rule, tool, source, or decision path is unavailable or inconclusive.
- Review Escalates Without Stop Condition
A review process keeps escalating, re-reviewing, or adding scrutiny without a declared condition for stopping.
Ontology Metadata
- Code
PAT-0250- Version
[email protected]- Ontology release
- 0.1.0
- Updated
- 2026-05-10T00:00:00Z
History
-
0.1.0 — 2026-05-10T00:00:00Z — Created
Promoted reviewed Pattern ontology entry: Circular Dependency.
Receipt impact: None