REMOTE_EXECUTION.md

Remote Execution Contract

This repository treats remote execution as a contract, not as a separate controller.

Authority Path

• Outer-loop authority remains scripts/innovation_loop.py
• Remote execution is only a backend choice for stage commands inside goal.yaml

Contract Requirements

Any remote wrapper must preserve these behaviors:

1. return a non-zero exit code on failure
2. write metrics to the expected metrics artifact path
3. write a checkpoint path when resume is possible
4. accept --resume-from <checkpoint> without changing semantic meaning
5. keep stdout/stderr useful enough for judge and recovery diagnostics

Recommended Pattern

• local orchestrator calls stage commands from goal.yaml
• stage commands may internally wrap:
  • local python execution
  • remote SSH execution
  • scheduler submission
• but they must still obey the same metric/checkpoint contract

Minimum Validation

Before using a real remote backend, validate:

npm test -- tests/e2e/python-controller-real-dvc.test.ts

Then run one environment-specific smoke where your wrapper:

• launches a remote baseline
• launches a remote candidate
• writes metrics
• writes checkpoint
• resumes from checkpoint
• returns status cleanly to the local controller

What Not To Do

• do not create a second remote-specific outer controller
• do not bypass experiments/ artifacts as truth source
• do not change the meaning of keep/discard based on transport layer