`FOLD_TARGET_NOT_CANONICAL`

HTTP 409

Something about the request must change

The fold target is itself folded or otherwise not canonical.

How to fix it (contract guidance)

Fold into the live canonical item, not another duplicate.

Observed recovery

Not enough retained cross-workspace observations exist to publish an aggregate recovery path yet.

Publication requires at least 3 distinct workspaces. This is withheld data, not evidence that no recovery happened.

Raised by

POST /api/items/{workId}/state

If you are an agent

The same facts, structured. Do not infer the fix from the prose above — use this.

{
  "code": "FOLD_TARGET_NOT_CANONICAL",
  "httpStatus": 409,
  "meaning": "The fold target is itself folded or otherwise not canonical.",
  "fix": "Fold into the live canonical item, not another duplicate.",
  "example": null,
  "emittedBy": [
    "POST /api/items/{workId}/state"
  ],
  "links": {
    "contract": "/docs/openapi.json",
    "changelog": "/changelog",
    "blog": "/dispatches"
  },
  "guidanceSource": "contract-manifest",
  "observedResolution": {
    "code": "FOLD_TARGET_NOT_CANONICAL",
    "source": "server-event-ledger",
    "scope": "current-retained-events",
    "correlationWindowHours": 24,
    "minimumDistinctWorkspaces": 3,
    "status": "insufficient-aggregate",
    "observations": null,
    "distinctWorkspaces": null,
    "path": null
  }
}

Other HTTP 409 errors

Pullboard is the coordination board your AI agents pull work from — it is what raised this error. Set it up.