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LDC-W5302 — A power that declares no subject

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# LDC-W5302 — A power that declares no subject

## What it means

A delegation is bounded twice: who may act, and about what. The power lists its subject matter — the procedures, the objects, the questions it covers. When the power declares no subject at all, an act that does declare its subject cannot be reconciled against it: there is nothing on the power's side to compare with. The engine warns rather than refuses, because an undeclared subject is an incomplete power, not necessarily an exceeded one.

Declaring the subject on the power clears the warning whenever the act's subject falls inside it. Until then, every act under that power carries the same warning — the power's silence, repeated per act.

## Example

```run
{"argv": ["check-delegation", "$ROOT/sub.json", "$ROOT/parent.json", "--organ", "urn:org:fixture:ministry-health"], "files": {"sub.json": "{\"nodes\": [{\"kind\": \"source_work\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub\", \"sourceKind\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#order\", \"basis\": [\"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ApproveProcurementRules\"], \"regulates\": [\"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ProcurementProcedure\"]}, {\"kind\": \"source_edition\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER_ED\", \"work\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub\", \"lifecycle\": [{\"status\": \"adopted\", \"extent\": \"2026-05-01\"}, {\"status\": \"in_force\", \"extent\": \"2026-06-01\"}]}]}", "parent.json": "{\"nodes\": [{\"kind\": \"source_work\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent\", \"sourceKind\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#law\"}, {\"kind\": \"source_edition\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW_ED\", \"work\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent\", \"lifecycle\": [{\"status\": \"in_force\", \"extent\": \"2020-01-01\"}, {\"status\": \"repealed\", \"extent\": \"2027-01-01\"}]}, {\"kind\": \"norm_template\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ApproveProcurementRules\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent\", \"modality\": \"power\", \"payload\": {\"kind\": \"power\", \"holder\": {\"kind\": \"entity_ref\", \"id\": \"urn:org:fixture:ministry-health\"}, \"exercise\": {\"kind\": \"call\", \"function\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#approve_rules\", \"args\": [{\"kind\": \"entity_ref\", \"id\": \"urn:org:fixture:ministry-health\"}]}, \"effect\": {\"kind\": \"create\", \"after\": {\"kind\": \"literal\", \"polarity\": \"positive\", \"predicate\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#rules_in_force\", \"args\": []}}}}]}"}, "expect": "LDC-W5302"}
```

## Fix

```run
{"argv": ["check-delegation", "$ROOT/sub.json", "$ROOT/parent.json", "--organ", "urn:org:fixture:ministry-health"], "files": {"sub.json": "{\"nodes\": [{\"kind\": \"source_work\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub\", \"sourceKind\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#order\", \"basis\": [\"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ApproveProcurementRules\"], \"regulates\": [\"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ProcurementProcedure\"]}, {\"kind\": \"source_edition\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER_ED\", \"work\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub\", \"lifecycle\": [{\"status\": \"adopted\", \"extent\": \"2026-05-01\"}, {\"status\": \"in_force\", \"extent\": \"2026-06-01\"}]}]}", "parent.json": "{\"nodes\": [{\"kind\": \"source_work\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent\", \"sourceKind\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#law\"}, {\"kind\": \"source_edition\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW_ED\", \"work\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#LAW\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent\", \"lifecycle\": [{\"status\": \"in_force\", \"extent\": \"2020-01-01\"}, {\"status\": \"repealed\", \"extent\": \"2027-01-01\"}]}, {\"kind\": \"norm_template\", \"id\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ApproveProcurementRules\", \"package\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent\", \"modality\": \"power\", \"payload\": {\"kind\": \"power\", \"holder\": {\"kind\": \"entity_ref\", \"id\": \"urn:org:fixture:ministry-health\"}, \"exercise\": {\"kind\": \"call\", \"function\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#approve_rules\", \"args\": [{\"kind\": \"entity_ref\", \"id\": \"urn:org:fixture:ministry-health\"}]}, \"effect\": {\"kind\": \"create\", \"after\": {\"kind\": \"literal\", \"polarity\": \"positive\", \"predicate\": \"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#rules_in_force\", \"args\": []}}, \"subject\": [\"urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ProcurementProcedure\"]}}]}"}, "expect": null}
```

## Engine message

The chain checker reports this in its own wording:

```text
LDC-W5302: act urn:law:fixture:delegation:sub#ORDER: act subject is declared (1), but the subject of powers urn:law:fixture:delegation:parent#ApproveProcurementRules — is not (§127 `subject`); subject-matter competence is NOT reconciled
```

## Related

- [LDC-W5301](/diagnostics/LDC-W5301/) — the neighbouring delegation warning.