D545 - Measured relations are asserted as properties

Status: decided Date: 2026-09-04

Where a conformance check's name states a relation (handles distinct, identity stable, a held mutex excludes another thread, a file position advances), orbistoun asserts that property and not the number the capture recorded. A code the check measured is asserted only when it is itself the property, and it is read from the knowledge base at run time.

Why: the recorded number is often a count of what the probe allocated, or a handle value from the console's own kernel, and pinning it would tie orbistoun to one probe run. The relation is something orbistoun either has or lacks. Reading expected codes from the knowledge base keeps a re-absorbed capture authoritative without editing tests.

Rejected:

• Asserting recorded values directly: pins orbistoun to how many objects a probe happened to create.
• Leaving every value whose meaning is in the check's source unasserted: loses properties that need no number.
• Copying expected codes into tests: drifts from the capture and passes for the wrong reason.