Attributing Subagent Work in Coding-Agent Protocol Adapters

Coding-agent adapters can report a subagent's file edits against the wrong request. We find this defect in the open-source Codex and Claude adapters for the Agent Client Protocol (ACP): work dispatched for request A appears in request B's file-change report. We define an origin-attribution invariant and build TURNSTILE, a checker that runs real adapter builds against scripted providers and explores event orders in hand-written scenarios. The original adapters misattribute in 581 of 956 Codex and 39 of 111 Claude schedules; staged runs with real providers reproduce both defects. Binding children when they start still fails when a start or restart arrives during a later request. Dispatch-time binding removes the tested Codex misattributions but can omit legitimate work. For the typed Codex 0.160.1 interface, we give a source-grounded indistinguishability witness: under stated lifecycle and observation conditions, identical adapter input requires different correct reports. Truthful lineage available before reporting suffices for exact attribution. A patch using the newer rootTurnId field prevents misattribution across 2,423 schedules, but omits own evidence in 34 registration-race cases; a separate control exposes edit-revert omissions. A source screen of eight additional ACP implementations finds no further confirmed instance. The findings isolate a reporting failure at the adapter boundary and show why request identifiers alone do not establish the origin of delegated work.

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Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-10-31
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23841931
Primary Topic
Software Testing and Debugging Techniques
Type
preprint
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preprint

Attributing Subagent Work in Coding-Agent Protocol Adapters

Rajasekhar Josyula, Lakshmi Sravya Vedantham
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Software Testing and Debugging Techniques
preprint

Attributing Subagent Work in Coding-Agent Protocol Adapters

Rajasekhar Josyula, Lakshmi Sravya Vedantham
preprint en

Abstract

Coding-agent adapters can report a subagent's file edits against the wrong request. We find this defect in the open-source Codex and Claude adapters for the Agent Client Protocol (ACP): work dispatched for request A appears in request B's file-change report. We define an origin-attribution invariant and build TURNSTILE, a checker that runs real adapter builds against scripted providers and explores event orders in hand-written scenarios. The original adapters misattribute in 581 of 956 Codex and 39 of 111 Claude schedules; staged runs with real providers reproduce both defects. Binding children when they start still fails when a start or restart arrives during a later request. Dispatch-time binding removes the tested Codex misattributions but can omit legitimate work. For the typed Codex 0.160.1 interface, we give a source-grounded indistinguishability witness: under stated lifecycle and observation conditions, identical adapter input requires different correct reports. Truthful lineage available before reporting suffices for exact attribution. A patch using the newer rootTurnId field prevents misattribution across 2,423 schedules, but omits own evidence in 34 registration-race cases; a separate control exposes edit-revert omissions. A source screen of eight additional ACP implementations finds no further confirmed instance. The findings isolate a reporting failure at the adapter boundary and show why request identifiers alone do not establish the origin of delegated work.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Software Testing and Debugging Techniques
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Attributing Subagent Work in Coding-Agent Protocol Adapters — Rajasekhar Josyula, Lakshmi Sravya Vedantham · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS