Distributed systems · 2026 · Solo — research, systems design, build, verification
Lease Forge
An interactive deterministic simulator that proves lease ownership and resource authorization are separate safety mechanisms.
The problem
A paused process can outlive its lease, resume after a successor commits newer work, and still reach storage. Lease Forge turns that race into a bounded experiment: Worker A pauses with token 1, Worker B takes over with token 2, and both resource policies receive A's identical late command.
Architecture
Key decisions
Separate coordination from authorization
The key invariant is resource-side monotonic fencing: token 1 is rejected after token 2 becomes the high-water mark, regardless of which worker believes it owns the lease.
Use virtual time, not flaky timers
TTL and pause inputs derive a fixed six-event ordering, making the race repeatable, explainable, and safe to test entirely in the browser.
Make one command produce two receipts
The same resumed command visibly corrupts the unsafe register and is rejected by the fenced register. That observable demo, strict TDD trail, and production evidence earned a verified 34/35 hiring signal.