Radix insert can reach the pending-backup/stale-tail split probe on only a subset of CP ranks. The previous opportunistic ack drain called writing_check(), which may issue a scalar write-visibility collective while other ranks are polling inflight transfer state with a different tensor shape. That ordering mismatch matches the observed Gloo 4-vs-2 abort after CP_HICACHE_FALLBACK insert_deferred_pending_backup_split logs.
This keeps the split probe local and conservative: it leaves ready write acks queued and lets the globally ordered scheduler/cache-event path drain them. The regression test locks the contract by making any collective from the pending-split probe fail.
Constraint: CP radix insert/pending-split probing is not globally ordered across ranks.
Rejected: Drain ready write acks from the split probe | can interleave with scheduler poll collectives and corrupt distributed collective ordering.
Confidence: high
Scope-risk: narrow
Directive: Do not call writing_check() or any CP/TP collective from radix pending-split probes; drain write acks only from globally ordered paths.
Tested: Remote cjy container: PYTHONPATH=python python -m pytest -q test/registered/unit/mem_cache/test_cp_hicache_metadata.py => 126 passed, 21 warnings.
Tested: Remote cjy container: python -m py_compile python/sglang/srt/mem_cache/hiradix_cache.py => PY_COMPILE_OK.
Not-tested: Full ETE prefill/decode replay after this change.
Co-authored-by: OmX <omx@oh-my-codex.dev>
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