The Frame Problem: How to characterize what does not change after an action is performed. We examined the problem in the situation calculus formalism. ? Adding frame axioms to solve the frame problem is not parsimonious. ? Under a completeness assumption, compiling effect axioms into successor state axioms solves the frame problem for the provided representation. ? The successor state axiom solution is semantically justified by an independent circumscriptive minimization policy. ? This solution to the frame problem can be realized procedurally in Prolog by exploiting Prolog’s completion semantics.