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Degraded Mode

Degraded mode lets ORCA Framework continue when an external integration is missing, optional, or partially available.

Principles

  • Do not block local work for optional tools.
  • Preserve the system of record through local artifacts when direct writes are unavailable.
  • State what the user must do manually.
  • Record the missing capability so future agents do not assume full setup.

Examples

GitHub Issue or Project Access Unavailable

Continue only safe local work. Preserve the exact missing permission and prepare a local draft of any issue comment or Project update. Do not claim that GitHub state changed; resume the canonical issue/Project update when authenticated access is available.

No MCP Support

Use a CLI helper, native connector, browser workflow, or manual copy/paste path. Do not claim MCP-only features are available.

Read-Only Access

Read service context, then produce a local write artifact for the authorized GitHub writer. Do not silently treat the draft as a tracker update.

Done Condition

Degraded mode is acceptable when the user can still complete the ORCA Framework phase with clear manual steps and no hidden loss of evidence.