execution_cost

Scope: Canonical execution cost per tick.
Audience: Contributors and reviewers.
Guarantees: Cost fields are defined and recorded.
Non-Goals: Benchmark optimization.
Why: This doc exists to record its single responsibility for review.

Overview

This doc defines canonical execution cost.
Architecture components are defined in Architecture.
Read Docs Style for structure.

Contracts

CPU time is recorded per tick.
Memory usage is recorded per tick.
Agent count and signal volume are recorded per tick.

Invariants

Cost records are appended per step.
Cost fields are numeric and non-negative.
Cost recording does not mutate state.

Failure Modes

Missing cost records fail tests.
Negative values fail validation.
Inconsistent ticks fail review.

Extension Points

Cost changes update Metrics.
Stress tests update Pathway Limits.
Documentation updates follow Triage.

Exit Criteria

This doc becomes obsolete when costs are generated.
The replacement is Metrics.
Obsolete docs are removed.

Code refs: src/agentic_proteins/biology/pathway.py.