---
slug: "BreadthGovernor"
name: "BreadthGovernor"
type: "Inference"
layer: "Mind"
ref: "BreadthGovernor#be54"
sema_id: "sema:BreadthGovernor#mh:SHA-256:be54a4887d50ae1a49139c6c97d29a349c581d1af8f25f8554b13119700dd4d2"
tags: ["Mind","Inference"]
updated: 2026-11-11
mindscape: "bootstrap"
index_url: https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/index.json
url: https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/BreadthGovernor/
related: ["Budget","Context","Decompose","Parallel","Parsimony","Value"]
---

# BreadthGovernor

Structural limit on parallel execution (Fan-out)

Layer: Mind · Category: Inference

## Mechanism

[Parsimony](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Parsimony.md)-Bounded Expansion. Limits the maximum number of parallel branches (fan-out) at any single node. Prioritizes branches by 'Distinctness' and 'Expected [Value](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Value.md)'. If Candidates > Max_Breadth, applies Truncation (Top-K) or Clustering (merge similar branches). It enforces limits defined by [Budget](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Budget.md) during the [Decompose](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Decompose.md) phase; candidate generation is upstream.

## Invariants

- [Parallel](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Parallel.md) branches are pairwise distinct under the declared distinctness metric.
- Fan-out at a single node never exceeds `max_breadth`.

## Preconditions

- Candidate list generated
- Decomposition request received

## Postconditions

- Candidate list truncated to <= max_breadth

## Failure modes

- Fork Bomb: Unchecked decomposition creates exponential agent explosion.
- Choice Overload: Too many weak hypotheses dilute the quality of the best ones.
- [Context](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Context.md) Fragmentation: Parent agent cannot integrate results from N > 7 children.

## Parameters

- `max_breadth` (Integer, [3, 10]): Default: 5
- `selection_strategy` (Enum, {TopK, Cluster}): How candidates are reduced: keep the best, or merge similar ones.

## Builds on

- [Budget](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Budget.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [Context](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Context.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [Decompose](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Decompose.md) (Mind; References)
- [Parallel](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Parallel.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [Parsimony](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Parsimony.md) (Mind; References)
- [Value](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Value.md) (Infrastructure; References)

## Used by

—

## Identity

- Sema ID: `sema:BreadthGovernor#mh:SHA-256:be54a4887d50ae1a49139c6c97d29a349c581d1af8f25f8554b13119700dd4d2`
- Ref: `BreadthGovernor#be54`
- Supersedes:
  - `sema:BreadthGovernor#mh:SHA-256:d22009d16f04fac6c9adfeb2ccfe15290aeb9def95ddd4328b21344555c21169`
  - `sema:BreadthGovernor#mh:SHA-256:e924663e0589e01869b6403b59fc721b69a0250190a6019fa6130a225360080e`
  - `sema:BreadthGovernor#mh:SHA-256:c7ea1965d69acf5735eb3e6bc1cb21a2d8308b8b115d115c443dfc4bb949e719`
  - `sema:BreadthGovernor#mh:SHA-256:7a9d3fdfda8f6c7f8336404d879c3699d517eda06ac1897ce542b4814d3d23e6`

## Links

- [Pattern page](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/BreadthGovernor/)
- [View in the interactive graph](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/#BreadthGovernor)
- [JSON](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/BreadthGovernor.json)
- [Index of all patterns](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/index.json)