> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.joystream.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Conformance failures

> Why a conform run failed, and what to do about each cause.

## Reading the verdict

```text theme={null}
FAIL: schema=1 judge=0 spec_conflict=1 ignored=0 (exit 1)
```

Per-lane counts, how many flags were suppressed, and the exit code. Every flag above it names a rule, a target, a copyable id, and a plain-English rationale.

## Exit 1 with zero flags

This means a required lane didn't run.

`schema` and `spec_conflict` are required. If you filtered one out with `--source`, or it errored, conformance can't certify and fails closed — even with nothing to report.

Check the lanes line:

```text theme={null}
lanes: schema=ran spec_conflict=did_not_run
```

If a lane says `did_not_run`, either you excluded it or it crashed. With `--json`, `lane_errors` names the error type.

<Note>
  This is deliberate. "We didn't check" is never a pass.
</Note>

## Exit 2

A usage or input error, not a conformance failure. Causes:

* The package directory doesn't exist. Check the path — `conform` takes the directory containing `manifest.yaml`, not the manifest itself.
* An invalid flag value, such as an unrecognized `--fail-on`.
* An unknown lane in `--source`.
* An unreadable allowlist file.
* A package the engine refused to read: oversized, containing symlinks, or malformed.

## Schema flags

Schema is authoritative and has no false positives by construction. A schema flag is a real, mechanical problem: a missing required field, a bad enum, an out-of-range value, a dangling file reference, an unparseable JSONPath.

Fix the package and re-run. Each fix drops a flag.

## Spec-conflict flags

These flag known contradictions or stale residue in the spec itself, surfaced so canonical examples aren't mistaken for a clean oracle. They default to `warning`, but a rule can override to `error` — the lifecycle conflict is one such override.

```text theme={null}
[error] SPEC_CONFLICT_LIFECYCLE_DECLARED  (manifest.lifecycle)
    manifest declares the platform-managed deployment lifecycle state;
    lifecycle lives in .runtime/state/lifecycle.yaml, not the manifest
```

Remove the field the flag names. Lifecycle state is managed by the platform, not declared by you.

## An ignore stopped working

Two likely causes.

**The entry expired.** An allowlist entry with an `expires` date at or before today stops suppressing, so the flag resurfaces. That's intentional — it forces a periodic re-decision. Renew or remove the date:

```yaml theme={null}
expires: 2027-01-01
```

**The flag's identity changed.** A flag id is `sha256(rule_id + artifact_target + violation_class)`. Rephrasing a rationale doesn't change it, but a change to the rule, the target, or the violation class does. Re-run with `--show-ignored` to see what is actually suppressed, and compare against the new flag's fields.

```bash theme={null}
jstm agent conform ./failed-payment-digest --show-ignored
```

## Too many flags on an existing package

Snapshot the current state so only new drift surfaces afterward:

```bash theme={null}
jstm agent conform ./failed-payment-digest --write-baseline
```

This writes one entry per flag and exits without running the verdict. Re-baselining is idempotent and never drops prior acknowledgements.

## Making flags advisory

```bash theme={null}
jstm agent conform ./failed-payment-digest --fail-on none
```

All flags become advisory and the run exits `0` regardless of severity. A degraded required lane still forces `1`.

Use this while adopting conformance, not as a permanent setting — it turns off the gate.

## The spec version changed

A spec pack is identified by a content hash, like `v05@84aa360f…`. When the vendored spec is refreshed, the hash changes and acknowledgements are re-evaluated against the new content.

Conformance always checks against an explicit version:

```bash theme={null}
jstm agent conform ./failed-payment-digest --spec v0.5
```

Checking a v0.5 package against a future version is a deliberate migration exercise, never a silent drift.

## In CI

```bash theme={null}
jstm agent conform ./failed-payment-digest --json --fail-on error
```

The command exits with the report's own code, so no wrapper is needed. Diagnostics go to stderr, so the JSON on stdout stays parseable.

## See also

* [Agent package conformance](/features/conformance/overview)
* [Reading the flag report](/features/conformance/flag-report)
* [Acknowledging flags](/features/conformance/ignores)