# 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

```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

```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:

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

## Related

- [LDC-E1335](/diagnostics/LDC-E1335/) — a template name must be defined exactly once.
- [LDC-E1337](/diagnostics/LDC-E1337/) — the instance must honor the definition contract.