Files
alknet/docs/architecture/questions/046-runner-api-surface.md
T
glm-5.2 5941280bca fix(agents): break the hedging-at-the-root pattern — deferred(unclear), impacts field, reviewer detection
Address the root cause of rework-causing hedging: the architect was
put in a logical bind where it couldn't express justified uncertainty
('the pieces exist but the shape isn't clear yet'). The only options
were 'decide now' (premature) or 'deferred(scope)' (false — the
information isn't missing, it's un-synthesized). The agent picked
deferred(scope) with a circular blocking condition (OQ-64 blocked on
OQ-55, OQ-55 needs OQ-64) because there was no honest way to say 'I
can see the pieces but I can't see the shape.'

Changes to the architect role spec:
- Add deferred(unclear) state: the pieces exist but the composition
  isn't clear; resolution requires investigation (work through
  examples, POC), not waiting. Has an investigation target and an
  impacts field.
- Add 'Impacts' field to the OQ format: what does this block
  downstream? Be specific ('blocks the first hub deployment because
  the hub dials workers' not 'blocks the hub crate'). The triage
  signal that makes deferral urgency visible — the field that would
  have made the AlknetClient circular hedge visible.
- Add circular-reasoning guard to self-review: 'check that your
  blocking condition isn't a prerequisite of the thing you're
  deferring.'
- Trim anti-patterns #9-#11 (hedging synonyms catalog, ~40 lines):
  detection belongs in the reviewer, not the architect's self-review.
  The architect is too close to its own reasoning to see its own
  circular hedges.
- Trim door-types section (30→10 lines): keep the one-paragraph
  summary, cut the elaboration.

Changes to the architecture-reviewer role spec:
- Add Decision Quality (F) category: false-deferral check
  distinguishing three cases — (1) hedging on a resolved decision, (2)
  false deferral / circular hedge (the blocking condition is a
  prerequisite of the thing being deferred), (3) legitimate deferral.
- Add Impacts Field Coverage (G) category: check that unresolved OQs
  have specific impacts fields.
- Note: the Decision Quality category is often the highest-value
  check on poorly-defined projects — the architect cannot self-review
  it (circular reasoning is invisible from inside the circle).

Retrofit existing OQs:
- Add Impacts field to all 16 unresolved OQs (10 deferred, 6 open).
- Update OQ-63 (TlsError shape) to reflect ADR-087's client-side
  addition — the error type now covers both server and client
  variants.
- Move OQ-65 (WebSocket carrying channels) to alknet-http theme
  (done in prior commit; this commit adds its impacts field).
- Verified: no circular reasoning found in existing deferrals. The
  AlknetClient hedge (OQ-64) was the circular one; it's already
  resolved by ADR-087.
2026-07-15 07:35:55 +00:00

1.4 KiB

OQ-46: Runner API Surface

  • Origin: docs/research/alknet-tty/phase-0-findings.md OQ-TTY-05; crates/tty/tty-local.md (the runner pattern in pipe mode).
  • Status: deferred(scope)
  • Door type: Two-way
  • Priority: low
  • Impacts: None — the runner mechanism (pipe mode) is in alknet-tty. Would impact a future alknet-runner crate if job management / log persistence / task graph integration becomes needed.
  • Blocked on: a concrete runner-policy use case that forces the API surface (job management, log persistence, task graph integration).
  • Resolution: Not yet decidable. The runner mechanism (pipe mode — TtyParams.terminal = None → std::process::Command with piped stdio → framed byte stream + exit code) is in alknet-tty (ADR-054). The runner policy (job management, log persistence, task graph integration) is a downstream crate's job, not in scope for alknet-tty. This OQ tracks whether a runner-policy crate (e.g., an alknet-runner crate that builds on the pipe mode + the wire format to provide job management) is needed, and what its API surface would be. The decision is deferred until a concrete use case forces it; the mechanism is preserved regardless. See ADR-054 and tty-local.md §"The Runner Pattern".
  • Cross-references: ADR-054, tty-local.md