University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

In stateful agent harnesses, a state functions as a contract boundary governing phase completion, verification, and transition gating. While the state prompt defines the expected internal work of the phase, the runtime enforces explicit exit conditions before permitting a transition. An exit hook (`out_hook`) persists progress, updates receipts, or prepares artifacts for the subsequent phase, while a pre-transfer block (`before_transfer`) evaluates configured exit conditions. If a check fails, the run remains in the source state to enable inspection and repair rather than silently propagating unverified work or incomplete handoffs into later phases.

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