Cognition · Software component
Contingency Branch Activator
Software componentCognitionCognition & Memoryarc:ContingencyBranchActivator
A replanner that, when an observed condition matches a prepared failure signature, immediately switches execution to the corresponding pre-computed contingency branch.
Responsibility. Activates the matching pre-computed contingency branch without search at execution time.
Also known as: Tactical contingency layer, Layer 2 contingency activation
Variant of Replanner abstract
When to choose. Choose when failures are frequent (>30%), predictable from observable conditions (time of day, sensor state), stable, few (2-5 modes), and replanning pauses of 3-5 s are intolerable.
Relationships
reads dependency
is routed to by dynamic
sends data to dynamic
fails over to control
alternative to variability
Design guidance
- SHOULD be used for failures that are frequent, predictable from observable conditions, and stable over time.
- MUST hand novel failures (no matching contingency) to search-based replanning.
Quantitative guidance
As stated by the sources; verify before use.
- Choose contingency planning when >30% of executions hit anticipated scenarios; at a 5% failure rate it cost 43 s/day vs 25 s reactive (Ch5.6).
- Tactical layer operates on a 1-10 second timescale (Ch5.6).
Classification
- Patterns
- IF condition THEN pre-planned responseFailure-signature matching
- Quality attributes
- Performance efficiency (ISO/IEC 25010)
Sources
- Ch5.6: T. Nguyen, "A* Search and Replaning," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 5.6. ISBN: 9798244538229.