Constraint Drift: Pre-Closure Behaviour in Admissible Systems

This paper formalises constraint drift as the pre-closure behaviour of admissible systems within the Paton System. While closure defines the termination condition of recursive systems, constraint drift describes the gradual loss of alignment with governing constraints while continuation still persists. Constraint drift represents the first detectable instability within a system and manifests as boundary weakening, relational degradation, and reduced persistence capacity. The framework integrates with Boundary–Relation–Persistence (BRP), the Paton Admissibility Test (PAT), Datum Cascade, and Boundary Closure, completing the dynamic lifecycle of admissible systems.