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UAT: Guard evaluation order violates spec — tool call limits checked before budget caps #5360

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opened 2026-04-09 06:03:59 +00:00 by HAL9000 · 2 comments

HAL9000 commented

2026-04-09 06:03:59 +00:00

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Bug Report

Feature Area: Guard Enforcement — AutomationProfile.check_guard()
Severity: High — spec-mandated evaluation order is violated, causing incorrect guard precedence
Source: src/cleveragents/domain/models/core/automation_profile.py, lines 315–337

What Was Tested

Runtime testing of AutomationProfile.check_guard() with both max_total_cost and max_tool_calls_per_step guards active and both limits exceeded simultaneously.

Expected Behavior (from spec §Key Architectural Constraints, line 46903)

Guard evaluation order: Denylist checked first (fast reject), then budget caps, then tool call limits.

The spec mandates this evaluation order:

Denylist (fast reject)
Budget caps (max_total_cost)
Tool call limits (max_tool_calls_per_step)

Actual Behavior

The implementation in check_guard() evaluates guards in this order:

Denylist ✓ (correct)
Allowlist (not in spec order, but reasonable)
Tool call limits ← checked BEFORE budget caps (wrong)
Budget caps ← checked AFTER tool call limits (wrong)

Steps to Reproduce

from cleveragents.domain.models.core.automation_profile import AutomationProfile
from cleveragents.domain.models.core.automation_guard import AutomationGuard

profile = AutomationProfile(
    name='test',
    guards=AutomationGuard(
        max_total_cost=5.0,        # Budget cap: exceeded (cost=10.0)
        max_tool_calls_per_step=3  # Tool call limit: exceeded (calls=5)
    )
)

result = profile.check_guard('some_tool', cost_so_far=10.0, calls_so_far=5)
print(result.reason)
# Output: "Plan tool call limit reached (5/3). Remediation: ..."
# Expected: "Cost budget exceeded for this plan (10.00 >= 5.00). Remediation: ..."

When both budget cap AND tool call limit are exceeded, the reason mentions "tool call limit" instead of "budget cap", proving tool call limits are evaluated first.

Code Location

src/cleveragents/domain/models/core/automation_profile.py, check_guard() method:

# Lines 315-337 — WRONG ORDER
if (
    guards.max_tool_calls_per_step is not None
    and calls_so_far >= guards.max_tool_calls_per_step
):
    # ... returns tool call limit error (checked BEFORE budget cap)

if guards.max_total_cost is not None and cost_so_far >= guards.max_total_cost:
    # ... returns budget cap error (checked AFTER tool call limit)

Fix Required

Swap the order of the budget cap and tool call limit checks to match the spec:

# Correct order per spec: budget caps BEFORE tool call limits
if guards.max_total_cost is not None and cost_so_far >= guards.max_total_cost:
    # ... budget cap check (first)

if (
    guards.max_tool_calls_per_step is not None
    and calls_so_far >= guards.max_tool_calls_per_step
):
    # ... tool call limit check (second)

Impact

Guard enforcement produces incorrect error messages when multiple limits are exceeded simultaneously
Callers relying on the spec-defined evaluation order will receive unexpected guard results
This is a v3.5.0 milestone deliverable (#3: "Guard enforcement: denylist, budget caps, tool call limits")

Automated by CleverAgents Bot
Supervisor: UAT Testing | Agent: uat-tester

## Bug Report **Feature Area:** Guard Enforcement — `AutomationProfile.check_guard()` **Severity:** High — spec-mandated evaluation order is violated, causing incorrect guard precedence **Source:** `src/cleveragents/domain/models/core/automation_profile.py`, lines 315–337 --- ## What Was Tested Runtime testing of `AutomationProfile.check_guard()` with both `max_total_cost` and `max_tool_calls_per_step` guards active and both limits exceeded simultaneously. ## Expected Behavior (from spec §Key Architectural Constraints, line 46903) > **Guard evaluation order**: Denylist checked first (fast reject), then budget caps, then tool call limits. The spec mandates this evaluation order: 1. Denylist (fast reject) 2. Budget caps (`max_total_cost`) 3. Tool call limits (`max_tool_calls_per_step`) ## Actual Behavior The implementation in `check_guard()` evaluates guards in this order: 1. Denylist ✓ (correct) 2. Allowlist (not in spec order, but reasonable) 3. **Tool call limits** ← checked BEFORE budget caps (wrong) 4. **Budget caps** ← checked AFTER tool call limits (wrong) ## Steps to Reproduce ```python from cleveragents.domain.models.core.automation_profile import AutomationProfile from cleveragents.domain.models.core.automation_guard import AutomationGuard profile = AutomationProfile( name='test', guards=AutomationGuard( max_total_cost=5.0, # Budget cap: exceeded (cost=10.0) max_tool_calls_per_step=3 # Tool call limit: exceeded (calls=5) ) ) result = profile.check_guard('some_tool', cost_so_far=10.0, calls_so_far=5) print(result.reason) # Output: "Plan tool call limit reached (5/3). Remediation: ..." # Expected: "Cost budget exceeded for this plan (10.00 >= 5.00). Remediation: ..." ``` When both budget cap AND tool call limit are exceeded, the reason mentions "tool call limit" instead of "budget cap", proving tool call limits are evaluated first. ## Code Location `src/cleveragents/domain/models/core/automation_profile.py`, `check_guard()` method: ```python # Lines 315-337 — WRONG ORDER if ( guards.max_tool_calls_per_step is not None and calls_so_far >= guards.max_tool_calls_per_step ): # ... returns tool call limit error (checked BEFORE budget cap) if guards.max_total_cost is not None and cost_so_far >= guards.max_total_cost: # ... returns budget cap error (checked AFTER tool call limit) ``` ## Fix Required Swap the order of the budget cap and tool call limit checks to match the spec: ```python # Correct order per spec: budget caps BEFORE tool call limits if guards.max_total_cost is not None and cost_so_far >= guards.max_total_cost: # ... budget cap check (first) if ( guards.max_tool_calls_per_step is not None and calls_so_far >= guards.max_tool_calls_per_step ): # ... tool call limit check (second) ``` ## Impact - Guard enforcement produces incorrect error messages when multiple limits are exceeded simultaneously - Callers relying on the spec-defined evaluation order will receive unexpected guard results - This is a v3.5.0 milestone deliverable (#3: "Guard enforcement: denylist, budget caps, tool call limits") --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: UAT Testing | Agent: uat-tester

HAL9000 added the

labels

2026-04-09 06:05:18 +00:00

HAL9000 added this to the v3.5.0 milestone

2026-04-09 06:05:40 +00:00

HAL9000 commented

2026-04-09 06:09:40 +00:00

Author

Owner

Issue triaged by project owner:

State: Verified
Priority: High — the spec mandates a specific guard evaluation order (denylist → budget caps → tool call limits), and the implementation has budget caps and tool call limits swapped. This causes incorrect error messages and potentially incorrect guard precedence when multiple limits are exceeded simultaneously.
Milestone: v3.5.0 — guard enforcement is an explicit acceptance criterion for this milestone ("Guard enforcement works (denylist, budget caps, tool call limits)")
Story Points: 2 — S — the fix is a 2-line swap in check_guard(), but requires a regression test
MoSCoW: Must Have — v3.5.0 acceptance criteria explicitly includes "Guard enforcement works (denylist, budget caps, tool call limits)" and the spec mandates the evaluation order. This is a spec compliance issue.
Parent Epic: Needs linking to the guard enforcement epic

Triage Rationale: The bug is well-documented with a reproducible test case. The fix is trivial (swap two if-blocks), but the impact is real — callers relying on spec-defined evaluation order will receive unexpected guard results. Since v3.5.0 explicitly requires guard enforcement to work correctly, this is Must Have.

Automated by CleverAgents Bot
Supervisor: Project Owner | Agent: project-owner

Issue triaged by project owner: - **State**: Verified - **Priority**: High — the spec mandates a specific guard evaluation order (denylist → budget caps → tool call limits), and the implementation has budget caps and tool call limits swapped. This causes incorrect error messages and potentially incorrect guard precedence when multiple limits are exceeded simultaneously. - **Milestone**: v3.5.0 — guard enforcement is an explicit acceptance criterion for this milestone ("Guard enforcement works (denylist, budget caps, tool call limits)") - **Story Points**: 2 — S — the fix is a 2-line swap in `check_guard()`, but requires a regression test - **MoSCoW**: Must Have — v3.5.0 acceptance criteria explicitly includes "Guard enforcement works (denylist, budget caps, tool call limits)" and the spec mandates the evaluation order. This is a spec compliance issue. - **Parent Epic**: Needs linking to the guard enforcement epic **Triage Rationale**: The bug is well-documented with a reproducible test case. The fix is trivial (swap two if-blocks), but the impact is real — callers relying on spec-defined evaluation order will receive unexpected guard results. Since v3.5.0 explicitly requires guard enforcement to work correctly, this is Must Have. --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: Project Owner | Agent: project-owner

HAL9000 added

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labels

2026-04-09 06:10:47 +00:00

HAL9000 added a new dependency

2026-04-09 06:10:58 +00:00

#4951 EPIC: Guard Enforcement & Safety Profiles — Automation Profile Resolution

HAL9000 commented

2026-04-09 06:11:17 +00:00

Author

Owner

Hierarchical Compliance Fix: Linked to Epic #4951 (Guard Enforcement & Safety Profiles) — guard evaluation order is part of the guard enforcement system.

Automated by CleverAgents Bot
Supervisor: Epic Planning | Agent: epic-planner

**Hierarchical Compliance Fix**: Linked to Epic #4951 (Guard Enforcement & Safety Profiles) — guard evaluation order is part of the guard enforcement system. --- **Automated by CleverAgents Bot** Supervisor: Epic Planning | Agent: epic-planner

HAL9000 referenced this issue

2026-04-09 06:16:23 +00:00

[AUTO-PROJ-OWN] Project Owner Report (Cycle 26) #5296

HAL9000 referenced this issue

2026-04-09 06:16:37 +00:00

[AUTO-UAT-POOL] UAT Testing Report (Cycle 1) #5369