LDC-E1336 — Expansion reference resolves nothing

What it means

Every instance names the template it instantiates: either a definition from the same file, or a pinned definition from the accompanying context. A reference that matches neither — a typo, or a template that was never declared — leaves the instance with no shape to expand, so the compiler stops at the reference.

The repair is a spelling check: point the instance at the defined template, declare the missing definition, or present the pin the manifest promises. A resolved reference expands exactly as written.

Example

Arxo Law

language "law.core" version "0.2";
package demo.diagnostics version "0.1.0";
namespace "urn:law:demo:diagnostics";

entity Person;
entity Choice;
entity SpecialChoice : Choice;
entity Other;
const Selected: SpecialChoice = entity_ref("urn:choice:selected");
const Wrong: Other = entity_ref("urn:choice:wrong");
relation eligible(p: Person, choice: Choice) kind empirical;
relation applicable(p: Person, choice: Choice) kind institutional;
expansion fixed {
    params { subject: binder; choice: value; ground: relation(subject, choice); result: relation(subject, choice); }
    emit rule self/result defeasible {
        for subject;
        when ground(subject, choice);
        then result(subject, choice);
        scope from self; effective from self; labels from self; source from self;
    }
}
expand ghost Result {
    label en official "Fixed option";
    bind subject = person: Person;
    choice = Selected;
    ground = eligible;
    result = applicable;
    effective [@2026-01-01, @2027-01-01);
}

Fix

Arxo Law

language "law.core" version "0.2";
package demo.diagnostics version "0.1.0";
namespace "urn:law:demo:diagnostics";

entity Person;
entity Choice;
entity SpecialChoice : Choice;
entity Other;
const Selected: SpecialChoice = entity_ref("urn:choice:selected");
const Wrong: Other = entity_ref("urn:choice:wrong");
relation eligible(p: Person, choice: Choice) kind empirical;
relation applicable(p: Person, choice: Choice) kind institutional;
expansion fixed {
    params { subject: binder; choice: value; ground: relation(subject, choice); result: relation(subject, choice); }
    emit rule self/result defeasible {
        for subject;
        when ground(subject, choice);
        then result(subject, choice);
        scope from self; effective from self; labels from self; source from self;
    }
}
expand fixed Result {
    label en official "Fixed option";
    bind subject = person: Person;
    choice = Selected;
    ground = eligible;
    result = applicable;
    effective [@2026-01-01, @2027-01-01);
}

Engine message

The engine reports this in its own wording:

Output

example.law:22:8: error LDC-E1336: expand Result: definition "ghost" does not resolve (§279.1.3)

Related

• LDC-E1335 — a template name must be defined exactly once.
• LDC-E1337 — the instance must honor the definition contract.