Read/write boundary

frontera lectura/escritura

The line separating an agent that only queries systems from one that leaves a record in them. It is the single variable that moves an agent project cost, timeline and approval count the most.

A read-only agent needs query access and somewhere to leave its output. An agent writing into a system of record also needs four pieces that almost never make it into the budget: per-action undo, periodic reconciliation that catches bad writes nobody noticed, an exception queue with a person watching it, and a per-action trail that can be reconstructed months later. Implementa editorial formulation: the boundary is not gradual, you cross it all at once, and it is worth deciding on day one because the rest of the budget hangs off it.