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//! §Fase 36.b — the Backend Resolution Contract (D1).
//!
//! axon resolves the execution backend of any flow — behind an
//! `axonendpoint` route or a `/v1/execute` call — through ONE
//! deterministic, total, published precedence ladder. The first rung
//! that yields a usable concrete backend wins:
//!
//! 1. **request-explicit** — a concrete backend named on the request
//! 2. **endpoint-declared** — the `axonendpoint backend:` field
//! 3. **server-default** — `axon serve --backend` / `AXON_DEFAULT_BACKEND`
//! 4. **environment-available `auto`** — the registry-ranked list if
//! non-empty, else the canonical providers whose API key is
//! present in the environment, in canonical priority order
//! 5. **honest failure** — `Err(NoBackendAvailable)`; the ladder
//! NEVER falls through to `stub`
//!
//! A rung carrying `"auto"` (or empty) is *transparent* — it does not
//! fire, it falls through to the next rung. `stub` is reachable ONLY
//! by an explicit rung-1/2/3 value of `"stub"` — never from the `auto`
//! rungs (D5: `stub` is filtered out of the registry / env lists here,
//! so auto-resolution can never land on it).
//!
//! This module is **pure** — no I/O, no `std::env`, no clock. The
//! environment scan (which keys are present) and the registry scoring
//! are computed by the caller and passed in; that keeps the contract
//! exhaustively unit-testable and deterministic. The shared corpus in
//! the §36.l tests pins it.
/// Is `name` an explicit, concrete backend choice — i.e. a rung that
/// should FIRE rather than fall through? Empty and `"auto"` are
/// transparent (they mean "resolve normally").
pub fn is_explicit_backend(name: &str) -> bool {
!name.is_empty() && name != "auto"
}
/// Which rung of the precedence ladder resolved the backend.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
pub enum BackendResolutionReason {
/// Rung 1 — a concrete backend named on the request.
RequestExplicit,
/// Rung 2 — the `axonendpoint backend:` declaration.
EndpointDeclared,
/// Rung 3 — the server-wide default.
ServerDefault,
/// Rung 4a — the top of the operator-tuned `backend_registry` scores.
RegistryRanked,
/// Rung 4b — the first canonical provider with an API key in the env.
EnvironmentAvailable,
}
impl BackendResolutionReason {
/// Stable wire/observability slug (D8). The closed catalog.
pub fn as_slug(self) -> &'static str {
match self {
BackendResolutionReason::RequestExplicit => "request_explicit",
BackendResolutionReason::EndpointDeclared => "endpoint_declared",
BackendResolutionReason::ServerDefault => "server_default",
BackendResolutionReason::RegistryRanked => "registry_ranked",
BackendResolutionReason::EnvironmentAvailable => {
"environment_available"
}
}
}
}
/// A resolved backend + the rung that chose it.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
pub struct BackendResolution {
pub backend: String,
pub reason: BackendResolutionReason,
}
/// The honest-failure outcome (D5) — every ladder rung was empty and
/// `stub` was not explicitly requested.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
pub struct NoBackendAvailable;
impl std::fmt::Display for NoBackendAvailable {
fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
write!(
f,
"no execution backend available — axon will not silently \
run the no-op `stub`. Fix one of: declare `backend:` on \
the axonendpoint; set a provider API key in the server \
environment (ANTHROPIC_API_KEY / OPENAI_API_KEY / \
GEMINI_API_KEY / KIMI_API_KEY / GLM_API_KEY / \
OPENROUTER_API_KEY / OLLAMA_API_KEY); pass `--backend \
<name>` to `axon serve`; or request `backend=stub` \
explicitly to opt into the no-op."
)
}
}
impl std::error::Error for NoBackendAvailable {}
/// The inputs to one backend resolution — all pre-computed by the
/// caller so this contract stays pure.
#[derive(Debug, Clone, Default)]
pub struct BackendResolutionInputs {
/// Rung 1 — a backend named on the request. `None`, empty, or
/// `"auto"` = no request preference.
pub request_backend: Option<String>,
/// Rung 2 — the `axonendpoint backend:` declaration, if any.
pub endpoint_backend: Option<String>,
/// Rung 3 — the server-wide default, if configured.
pub server_default: Option<String>,
/// Rung 4a — registry-scored backends, best-first (from
/// `compute_backend_scores`). `stub` entries are ignored.
pub registry_ranked: Vec<String>,
/// Rung 4b — canonical providers with an API key present in the
/// environment, in canonical priority order. `stub` is never here.
pub env_available: Vec<String>,
}
/// §D1 — resolve the execution backend by the precedence ladder.
///
/// Total and deterministic: the same inputs always produce the same
/// result. `stub` is returned ONLY when an explicit rung-1/2/3 value
/// is literally `"stub"`; the `auto` rungs skip every `"stub"` entry,
/// so auto-resolution can never silently degrade to the no-op (D5).
pub fn resolve_backend(
inputs: &BackendResolutionInputs,
) -> Result<BackendResolution, NoBackendAvailable> {
// Rungs 1–3 — an explicit, concrete declaration fires immediately.
for (slot, reason) in [
(&inputs.request_backend, BackendResolutionReason::RequestExplicit),
(&inputs.endpoint_backend, BackendResolutionReason::EndpointDeclared),
(&inputs.server_default, BackendResolutionReason::ServerDefault),
] {
if let Some(name) = slot {
if is_explicit_backend(name) {
return Ok(BackendResolution {
backend: name.clone(),
reason,
});
}
}
}
// Rung 4 — `auto` resolution. The registry's operator-tuned
// ranking wins when populated; else the environment-available
// providers. An auto rung fires ONLY on a usable CONCRETE backend
// — `is_explicit_backend` (non-empty, not `"auto"`) AND not
// `"stub"`. So the transparent tokens and the no-op are skipped:
// auto-resolution can never land on `stub` (D5), nor on an empty
// / `"auto"` entry should one slip into the caller's list. The
// resolver stays total — it never returns a non-backend.
let is_usable_auto = |b: &&String| {
is_explicit_backend(b.as_str()) && b.as_str() != "stub"
};
if let Some(top) = inputs.registry_ranked.iter().find(is_usable_auto) {
return Ok(BackendResolution {
backend: top.clone(),
reason: BackendResolutionReason::RegistryRanked,
});
}
if let Some(top) = inputs.env_available.iter().find(is_usable_auto) {
return Ok(BackendResolution {
backend: top.clone(),
reason: BackendResolutionReason::EnvironmentAvailable,
});
}
// Rung 5 — honest failure. No silent stub.
Err(NoBackendAvailable)
}
// ── Tests ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
#[cfg(test)]
mod tests {
use super::*;
fn inputs() -> BackendResolutionInputs {
BackendResolutionInputs::default()
}
#[test]
fn is_explicit_rejects_auto_and_empty() {
assert!(!is_explicit_backend(""));
assert!(!is_explicit_backend("auto"));
assert!(is_explicit_backend("gemini"));
assert!(is_explicit_backend("stub"));
}
#[test]
fn request_explicit_wins_over_everything() {
let mut i = inputs();
i.request_backend = Some("kimi".into());
i.endpoint_backend = Some("gemini".into());
i.server_default = Some("anthropic".into());
i.registry_ranked = vec!["openai".into()];
let r = resolve_backend(&i).unwrap();
assert_eq!(r.backend, "kimi");
assert_eq!(r.reason, BackendResolutionReason::RequestExplicit);
}
#[test]
fn endpoint_declared_wins_when_request_is_auto() {
let mut i = inputs();
i.request_backend = Some("auto".into()); // transparent
i.endpoint_backend = Some("gemini".into());
i.server_default = Some("anthropic".into());
let r = resolve_backend(&i).unwrap();
assert_eq!(r.backend, "gemini");
assert_eq!(r.reason, BackendResolutionReason::EndpointDeclared);
}
#[test]
fn server_default_wins_when_request_and_endpoint_absent() {
let mut i = inputs();
i.server_default = Some("anthropic".into());
i.env_available = vec!["gemini".into()];
let r = resolve_backend(&i).unwrap();
assert_eq!(r.backend, "anthropic");
assert_eq!(r.reason, BackendResolutionReason::ServerDefault);
}
#[test]
fn registry_ranked_wins_over_env_in_auto_mode() {
let mut i = inputs();
i.registry_ranked = vec!["openai".into(), "kimi".into()];
i.env_available = vec!["gemini".into()];
let r = resolve_backend(&i).unwrap();
assert_eq!(r.backend, "openai");
assert_eq!(r.reason, BackendResolutionReason::RegistryRanked);
}
#[test]
fn environment_available_resolves_when_registry_empty() {
let mut i = inputs();
i.env_available = vec!["gemini".into(), "anthropic".into()];
let r = resolve_backend(&i).unwrap();
assert_eq!(r.backend, "gemini");
assert_eq!(r.reason, BackendResolutionReason::EnvironmentAvailable);
}
#[test]
fn empty_and_auto_slots_are_transparent() {
let mut i = inputs();
i.request_backend = Some(String::new());
i.endpoint_backend = Some("auto".into());
i.server_default = Some("kimi".into());
let r = resolve_backend(&i).unwrap();
assert_eq!(r.backend, "kimi");
assert_eq!(r.reason, BackendResolutionReason::ServerDefault);
}
#[test]
fn no_backend_anywhere_is_honest_failure_never_stub() {
// Every rung empty — D5: honest failure, not a silent stub.
assert_eq!(resolve_backend(&inputs()), Err(NoBackendAvailable));
}
#[test]
fn auto_rungs_never_land_on_stub() {
// §D5 — even if `stub` somehow appears in the registry / env
// lists, the `auto` rungs skip it. A stub entry alone with no
// real backend is an honest failure.
let mut i = inputs();
i.registry_ranked = vec!["stub".into()];
i.env_available = vec!["stub".into()];
assert_eq!(resolve_backend(&i), Err(NoBackendAvailable));
// …but a real backend behind a stub entry still resolves.
i.registry_ranked = vec!["stub".into(), "gemini".into()];
assert_eq!(resolve_backend(&i).unwrap().backend, "gemini");
}
#[test]
fn stub_is_reachable_only_by_an_explicit_rung() {
// An operator who explicitly asks for stub gets it — D5 forbids
// SILENT stub, not explicit opt-in.
let mut i = inputs();
i.request_backend = Some("stub".into());
let r = resolve_backend(&i).unwrap();
assert_eq!(r.backend, "stub");
assert_eq!(r.reason, BackendResolutionReason::RequestExplicit);
}
#[test]
fn resolution_is_deterministic() {
let mut i = inputs();
i.endpoint_backend = Some("gemini".into());
i.env_available = vec!["anthropic".into(), "kimi".into()];
let a = resolve_backend(&i).unwrap();
let b = resolve_backend(&i).unwrap();
assert_eq!(a, b);
}
#[test]
fn reason_slugs_are_the_closed_catalog() {
for (reason, slug) in [
(BackendResolutionReason::RequestExplicit, "request_explicit"),
(BackendResolutionReason::EndpointDeclared, "endpoint_declared"),
(BackendResolutionReason::ServerDefault, "server_default"),
(BackendResolutionReason::RegistryRanked, "registry_ranked"),
(
BackendResolutionReason::EnvironmentAvailable,
"environment_available",
),
] {
assert_eq!(reason.as_slug(), slug);
}
}
#[test]
fn honest_failure_message_names_the_fixes() {
let msg = NoBackendAvailable.to_string();
assert!(msg.contains("backend:"));
assert!(msg.contains("ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"));
assert!(msg.contains("--backend"));
assert!(msg.contains("stub"));
}
}