TTP EXTENSION · DISTRIBUTED AUTHORITY

Quorum Consistency Rule

A locally valid threshold certificate is not enough. Before a quorum can authorize consequence, the verifier must bind it to a specific witness-set decision and detect whether another incompatible valid quorum certificate exists for that same decision.

LOCAL QUORUM ≠ GLOBALLY CONSISTENT QUORUM.

Decision rule

RECEIVE QUORUM CERTIFICATE QC
        ↓
AUTHENTICATE DISTINCT MEMBER STATEMENTS
        ↓
BIND SET ID + SET EPOCH + ROUND + HEAD
        ↓
CHECK THRESHOLD
        ↓
GOSSIP / CROSS-CHECK CERTIFICATE VIEW
        ↓
CONFLICTING VALID QC FOR SAME SET EPOCH + ROUND?
  ├─ yes
  │    ↓
  │  COMPUTE QUORUM INTERSECTION
  │    ↓
  │  FIND AUTHENTIC CONFLICTING SIGNATURES
  │    ↓
  │  QUARANTINE EQUIVOCATORS
  │    ↓
  │  HOLD / 0 CONSEQUENCE
  └─ no
        ↓
VERIFY HEAD + AUTHORITY VIEW + PROOF
        ↓
CURRENT OWNER ADOPTS
        ↓
FENCED COMMIT
        ↓
PROVE QC → GLOBAL CONSISTENCY → HEAD → EFFECT

Why the count is not enough

A threshold such as 2-of-3 proves only that two valid members supported one statement inside the verifier's observed view. Another verifier can hold a second 2-of-3 certificate for a conflicting statement. The certificates become globally meaningful only when their decision identity and overlapping signers can be compared.

I99–I102

• I99 — Local quorum ≠ globally consistent quorum.
• I100 — Quorum certificate must bind witness-set identity, set epoch, logical round, head identity and distinct signers.
• I101 — Conflicting locally valid quorum certificates for the same set epoch and round require intersection/equivocation check and hold before consequence.
• I102 — Equivocating intersection members must be quarantined; resume only with a non-conflicting threshold certificate excluding quarantined authority.

Evidence requirement

Preserve the witness-set identity and epoch, threshold, logical round, exact authenticated member statements, signer set, bound head digest, any competing quorum certificate, signer intersection, conflicting statements, quarantine disposition, recovery certificate and resulting effect trajectory.

Boundary

This experimental rule is not a complete Byzantine consensus protocol. Production safety depends on fault assumptions, quorum geometry, membership governance, key management, certificate dissemination, reconfiguration and the mechanism that makes conflicting views discoverable.