Runtime-Independent Persistent Agents: Preserving Identity, Memory, and Code Across Models, Harnesses, and Servers

Abstract

Long-lived AI agents may replace their models, orchestration harnesses, interaction surfaces and hosts while retaining identity, memory and executable body lineage. We present a runtime-independent architecture that separates a continuity-bearing substrate $P_t=(I_t,M_t,B_t)$ from replaceable execution and interaction bindings. Six continuity invariants and a quiesce--checkpoint--validate--bind--rehydrate--resume protocol govern state preservation, capability changes and continuation authority. Enoch implements the design through a reusable software body, private installed state, provider contracts and fenced migration. We report complementary evidence from frozen implementation snapshots and three kinds of live study. An operational case retains an established instance's identity, nonempty memory, body revision and historical task IDs across host, joint Codex-to-Claude model/harness, and chat-surface substitutions. A separate cross-host task resumes from a verified artifact checkpoint. A supervised Codex--Muse--Codex study completes five ordinary round trips and five matched same-runtime controls on their first attempts after a separate qualification run. A planned worker interruption recovers through the native task API with the checkpoint preserved, a stale reply rejected and one task completion recorded. These results support mechanical continuity for the tested deployments and bounded workflows. They do not establish behavioral equivalence, arbitrary-task portability, general exactly-once external effects or unattended reliability.