Files
dotfiles/claude/memory/feedback-mechanical-vs-architectural.md
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David F GliddenandClaude Opus 4.7 e9e772d69c memory: bundle accumulated 04-17/26 + lock ARC about-page architecture
Safety checkpoint before deep-audit Phase 0 of the ARC repo. Steward-authorized
commit-everything for rollback safety.

ARC architectural locks (2026-04-26 evening):
- Path 1 enfilade structure (separate Colophon and Lex items)
- 8-door enfilade locked: Colophon · Lex · Framework · Vignette · Attention ·
  Chamber · Tools · Now (+ Bio quiet link)
- Adsum and threshold-hic as two distinct texts on the reflowed About page
  (steward verbatim: "They are certainly not the same text")

ARC consolidation pass (canonical tracker project-arc-rework.md, +~700 lines):
fold 04-23 evening (Norris read), 04-24 (lex-method authored, posture cluster,
§XII Sidenotes, ARC CLAUDE.md cleanup), 04-25 (marks cluster, colophon-at-scale,
full Vico/Harrison lex-chain), 04-26 (chamber-library walk, cluster scaffolds,
canonical-tracker discipline surfaced).

Sibling-file integration: four 2026-04-26 frame files folded into the canonical
tracker (Integrations A/B/C/D) with INTEGRATED redirect notices retained as
audit trail.

New durable feedback memories:
- feedback-canonical-workstream-tracker-discipline (umbrella drift surfaced
  2026-04-26 by steward; proposes /wake-up + /wrap-up amendments)
- feedback-catalogues-stale-walk-trees (steward feedback on chamber-library
  catalogue currency)

Implementation plan drafted for the coming week: Phase 0 deep audit → Phase 5
cleanup, with steward additions on second pass (deep audit; Chamber v1 as own
browsable archive; clean rebuild of cluster sources rather than moving test
artifacts as canon).

Also bundled (untracked accumulation since 04-17):
- ~24 session memory + ledger files for 04-17 through 04-26 work
- ~10 feedback memories (BMF + ARC + working-method)
- 5 project memories (lex-as-method, strunk-white queue, plus today's four)
- 4 user memories (duality-rules, formation-practice, foundation-work, humic-layer)

Steward-side modifications also in this commit: ~/CLAUDE.md, bin/bmf-start.sh,
open-tasks.md, project-focus-april-may.md, session-2026-04-17 — all
pre-existing, not from today's session.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-04-26 14:52:14 +02:00

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4.1 KiB
Markdown

---
name: Mechanical vs architectural — scope of executor-authored fixes on L1 territory
description: Steward principle (2026-04-19) distinguishing fixes the steward+executor can author together on L1 code from fixes that belong to Seb or steward-with-Seb. Mechanical fixes are in scope; architectural changes are not.
type: feedback
originSessionId: a3ddbf34-da48-4129-acba-658f2f869783
---
# Mechanical vs architectural — scope principle for L1 work
Under the new territory framing (steward joined Seb on L1 production), executor-authored fixes on BetterMemories.io code are scoped to **mechanical** changes. Architectural changes remain Seb's or steward-with-Seb's call, not executor-authored.
**Why:** Steward verbatim (2026-04-19): *"For example, I would not touch an Architectural element, but mechanical, etc yes"*. The principle keeps code authorship aligned with the reviewer who has the design-shape intuition. Mechanical fixes are safe to author because their correctness is locally verifiable; architectural changes need the codebase author's perspective on design fit.
## Classification
**Mechanical (in scope for executor + steward):**
- Bug fixes to localized logic with no design-shape implication (e.g., #126's min-max degenerate case — a 3-line guard on existing logic).
- Comment corrections when code reveals the comment is factually wrong.
- Type-signature fixes, import path fixes, dead-code removal.
- Test additions for known bugs.
- Small defensive guards (null checks, range checks) that don't change behavior semantics on the happy path.
- Minor refactors that preserve exact behavior (renames, extract-function, inline).
**Architectural (out of scope — Seb's territory or escalated):**
- Design-shape changes: introducing a new mode, new state, new contract, new dispatch path.
- Decisions about "what should happen when X" (error vs empty vs fallback vs degrade).
- Cross-cutting invariant changes (L1/L2 boundary, logchain contract, module independence).
- Integration shape between subsystems (hooks ↔ recall, slot graduation, etc.).
- Performance strategy choices (O(N²) vs async post-hoc vs cap-batch vs cheap classifier).
- Environment/runtime-state coupling decisions (battery-aware behavior, resource pressure responses).
**Gray zone (flag explicitly, ask before acting):**
- Fixes that are mechanically small but have design implication (e.g., H3's `?? 'temporal_stats'` fallthrough — 3-line fix but the new behavior is a design call).
- Changes to defaults (env vars, threshold values) — mechanical to edit but semantic to decide.
- Adding logging/telemetry — usually mechanical but can reveal PII or shift operational semantics.
## How to apply
- **Before authoring a fix on BMF code**: classify it as mechanical or architectural.
- **Mechanical**: implement → test → PR as steward → Seb reviews.
- **Architectural**: surface as `[PROPOSAL]` or brief note, let Seb author the fix (he has design-shape intuition we don't).
- **Gray zone**: surface with the design question explicit, let steward decide whether to author or route to Seb.
## Worked examples from 2026-04-19 L1 audit
| Finding | Classification | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| H1 / #126 min-max normalize clobber | **Mechanical** | Known edge case, 3-line guard on existing logic |
| BM25 score-range comment at `query-router.ts:542-543` | **Mechanical** | Doc correction, zero behavior impact |
| H3 temporal `?? 'temporal_stats'` fallthrough | **Gray zone** | Fix is tiny but "what SHOULD happen" is a design call |
| H2 battery suppression silent failure | **Architectural** | Whether/how to surface, fall back, or degrade is design |
| H4 agent events entering WM | **Architectural** | Hook integration shape, not a local bug |
| Entity O(N²) relationship inference | **Architectural** | Fix-space is wide (A-F options from forensic doc); choice is design |
## Related
- Territory framing: `project-focus-april-may.md` — steward joined Seb on L1.
- Authorization-taxonomy: `[FIX]` (in scope) vs `[PROPOSAL]` / `[ESCALATE]` (architectural) per `~/CLAUDE.md`.
- Independent-review discipline: `feedback-independent-specialist-authorization.md` — always audit sub-agent returns via Symmetria.