Structured output and hand-off

A WorkUnit emits structured output. Workforce validates and stores the accepted state output against the state’s declared outputs map. Each port is either a typed value (type, optional object properties / array items, optional closed variants) or an exact Resource attest / construct realization.

A downstream state declares inputs. Every input has one from source:

• workflow.inputs.<port> or workflow.requires.<role>;
• states.<state>.outputs.<port>.

required: true gates dispatch until the value exists. approved_by names an accepted state-output reference and requires equality with the artifact that was approved, so an old approval cannot authorize a new revision.

Top-level Workflow outputs project exact states.*.outputs.* ports. Those terminal projections form the Outcome acceptance contract; concatenating child outputs or merely completing every child is not acceptance. The parent Executor must read child terminal outputs, integrate them, and produce its own declared root outputs.

The Outcome read model evaluates that contract once and exposes:

• acceptance_deliverables[]: output_id, the exact Workflow output contract, optional fulfillment (value or exact Resource snapshots), and acceptance_state;
• acceptance_summary: total, fulfilled, and complete.

The derived state table is closed: open + missing is pending; open + present is fulfilled; completed + present is accepted; canceled is canceled regardless of fulfillment. Completed + missing is an integrity failure. Only accepted state-output envelopes named by the root Workflow’s from references can fulfill the contract; a latest Run result or child output cannot substitute.

Closed variants support publish-time transition coverage. Shape enforcement belongs to the typed port, Resource schema/realization, and transition validator; there is no parallel produces, downstream state-level requires, or generic output_contract format.

See Workflow author contract.