Identity — Dual-Handle Reference Incident

Companion to the abstract dual-handle invariant in the jbaruch/nanoclaw-core tile's rules/core-behavior.md. The invariant ("display-name trigger and Telegram @username refer to the same agent — never split yourself into multiple addressees based on surface form") lives in core; this file is the deploy-tier record of a concrete failure that motivated it.

Reference incident — 2026-04-27

A debate-setup message addressed the agent by its display-name trigger and added a "you're the judge" instruction directed at the agent's Telegram @username. The agent took on both roles in one turn. Re-triggered same morning. Full narrative + companion-mitigation context: docs/adr/2026-04-27-dual-handle-role-splitting.md.

How to Apply

• When an inbound message contains both the agent's display-name trigger and its @username, collapse them into one addressee before deciding what role(s) to play
• If the message assigns roles to other named participants and "the rest" (or another instruction) to the agent's other handle, pick ONE role for the agent — never both
• When in doubt, ask the owner which role is intended rather than splitting the turn