SOURCE_RESOLUTION_FAILED — No edition of the source applies

What it means

A rule that cites a source “as amended” does not pin an edition in text: the edition is chosen at the case’s legal time during evaluation. When no edition of the cited work is in force at that time, there is nothing to ground the rule in, so inference never starts and the answer records this status instead of a guess.

This status is about the source, not the package. The rules are fine; the cited work simply covers no edition on the case’s date.

When you see it

Arxo Law

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

source DemoAct {
    kind regulation;
    jurisdiction US;
    number "Demo 1";
}

edition DemoAct_20200101 of DemoAct {
    language en;
    officiality official;
    adopted @2020-01-01;
    in_force [@2020-01-01, @2021-01-01);
}

reference DemoRef {
    source DemoAct;
    locator "article/1";
    resolve_at legal_time;
}

entity Applicant;
relation resident(a: Applicant) kind institutional;
relation permit_eligible(a: Applicant) kind institutional;

@source(DemoAct)
rule PermitEligibility strict {
    for a: Applicant;
    when resident(a);
    then permit_eligible(a);
}

lawtest

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

test "late case" {
    given {
        context { legal_time @2026-03-01; decision_time @2026-03-01T09:00:00Z; knowledge_time @2026-03-01T09:00:00Z; timezone "UTC"; }
        assert resident(entity_ref("urn:demo:diagnostics:ann")) { origin case_input; }
    }
    evaluate truth(permit_eligible(entity_ref("urn:demo:diagnostics:ann")));
    expect issue(SOURCE_RESOLUTION_FAILED);
}

The only edition ended in 2021; the 2026 case falls outside every edition, so the dynamic reference resolves to nothing and inference never starts. A fatal issue carries no result, so the scenario expects the issue itself rather than a status field.

What to do

Move the case into a covered edition, add the missing edition to the source, or pin the rule to a static fragment instead of the work “as amended”. Then ask the question again.

Related

• Sources — editions, fragments, and dynamic references.
• COMPUTED — the healthy outcome this status replaces.