--- date: 2026-03-24 topic: "mindmodel-generation" status: draft --- # Mindmodel generation - Implementation Plan Goal: Integrate a generated .mindmodel/ snapshot safely via an audit-first, incremental approach. Add a report-only validator, CI validation job, and a small set of conservative remediation changes (dev-deps, formatter configs) in separate low-risk PRs. Design: thoughts/shared/designs/2026-03-24-mindmodel-generation-design.md Important constraints taken from the design doc: - Keep the generated .mindmodel/ files read-only until validated. - Do not make behavioral changes to production code in the same change as model metadata updates. - Avoid committing secrets or lockfiles without explicit review. - Validator must be report-only by default (non-blocking), CI job should surface issues but not fail merges at first. --- ## Dependency Graph ``` Batch 1 (parallel): 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4 Batch 2 (parallel): 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 [depends on Batch 1] Batch 3 (parallel): 3.1, 3.2 [depends on Batch 1] Batch 4 (parallel): 4.1, 4.2 [depends on Batches 1-3] ``` Notes: each microtask is one file + its test when applicable. Config/docs-only files may be standalone (no test) per project conventions. --- ## Batch 1: Foundation (parallel - 4 implementers) All tasks in this batch have NO dependencies and can run simultaneously. ### Task 1.1: Validator module (skeleton) **File:** `src/validators/mindmodel_validator.py` **Test:** `tests/validators/test_mindmodel_validator.py` **Depends:** none **Effort:** S Purpose: Provide a conservative, report-only validator API that consumes a .mindmodel/ manifest and emits a structured report (missing files, truncated evidence, potential secrets). Implementation will be a safe skeleton (no auto-fixes). The module will expose a function validate_manifest(manifest_path: str, report_only: bool = True) -> dict. Verify locally: - python -m pytest tests/validators/test_mindmodel_validator.py::test_validator_reports_missing_file Commit message suggestion: `feat(mindmodel): add report-only validator skeleton` ### Task 1.2: Manifest types and helpers **File:** `src/validators/types.py` **Test:** `tests/validators/test_types.py` **Depends:** none **Effort:** S Purpose: Define small dataclasses / pydantic models (or simple typed dicts) used by the validator: Manifest, Constraint, EvidencePointer. Keep minimal: fields required by validator (file_path, evidence_excerpt, flags). Verify locally: - python -m pytest tests/validators/test_types.py::test_manifest_model_parses_sample Commit message suggestion: `feat(mindmodel): add manifest types and helpers` ### Task 1.3: Add a read-only sample manifest (orchestrator output) **File:** `.mindmodel/manifest.yaml` **Test:** `tests/mindmodel/test_manifest_parse.py` **Depends:** none **Effort:** S Purpose: Add the generated snapshot (or a sanitized copy) under .mindmodel/ in the repo as read-only content. The manifest should be explicitly marked in-file as "DO NOT EDIT - read-only until validated" and include a small sample of constraints (3-5) for validator development. Do NOT include secrets or lockfiles. Verify locally: - python -m pytest tests/mindmodel/test_manifest_parse.py::test_manifest_loads Commit message suggestion: `chore(mindmodel): add read-only orchestrator manifest (sanitized)` Notes: This PR must explicitly state the read-only policy in the description and request human review. ### Task 1.4: Design & integration doc (developer-facing) **File:** `thoughts/shared/mindmodel/README.md` **Test:** none **Depends:** none **Effort:** S Purpose: Explain how the validator works, where the manifest lives, and reviewer checklist (check for secrets, truncated evidence). This is developer documentation to speed review. Verify: manual review of the file in the PR. Commit message suggestion: `docs(mindmodel): add README and reviewer checklist` --- ## Batch 2: Core modules (parallel - 3 implementers) These tasks depend on Batch 1 (validator types + sample manifest present). ### Task 2.1: CLI wrapper to run validator **File:** `scripts/validate_mindmodel.py` **Test:** `tests/scripts/test_validate_cli.py` **Depends:** 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 **Effort:** S Purpose: Provide a tiny CLI that calls the validator and writes a structured JSON report to stdout and to `reports/mindmodel-report-YYYYMMDD.json`. Defaults: report-only = True. This lets local and CI runs use a single entrypoint. Verify locally: - python scripts/validate_mindmodel.py --manifest .mindmodel/manifest.yaml --report reports/tmp.json - python -m pytest tests/scripts/test_validate_cli.py::test_cli_runs Commit message suggestion: `chore(mindmodel): add CLI wrapper for validator` ### Task 2.2: Unit tests for validator edge cases **File:** `tests/validators/test_validator_edgecases.py` **Test:** (itself) **Depends:** 1.1, 1.2 **Effort:** M Purpose: Add unit tests that exercise key failure modes: missing files referenced by constraints, truncated evidence excerpts, evidence pointers that look like secrets (simple heuristics), and constraint marked needs-review. These tests will assert the validator reports issues (report-only) but do not raise exceptions. Verify locally: - python -m pytest tests/validators/test_validator_edgecases.py Commit message suggestion: `test(mindmodel): add validator edge case tests` ### Task 2.3: Test harness to parse and assert manifest schema **File:** `tests/mindmodel/test_manifest_schema.py` **Test:** (itself) **Depends:** 1.2, 1.3 **Effort:** S Purpose: Ensure the manifest YAML loads into the types defined in 1.2; catches basic YAML formatting issues early in PRs. Verify locally: - python -m pytest tests/mindmodel/test_manifest_schema.py Commit message suggestion: `test(mindmodel): manifest schema parse test` --- ## Batch 3: Conservative remediation (parallel - 2-3 implementers) These are the small, non-invasive repo edits recommended in the design. They depend on Batch 1 tests/tools being present to validate effects. ### Task 3.1: Move test runner to dev dependency (pyproject change) **File:** `pyproject.toml` (UPDATE) **Test:** `tests/config/test_pyproject_deps.py` **Depends:** 1.2 **Effort:** M Purpose: Remove testing tools (pytest) from top-level production dependencies and document them as dev-dependencies. If the project uses Poetry or PEP 621 style, follow project's existing pattern; if unclear, add a `[tool.dev-deps]` section or a `requirements-dev.txt` and reference it. This change must be small and isolated. Verification locally: - python -m pytest tests/config/test_pyproject_deps.py::test_pytest_not_in_prod_deps Risk mitigation: Keep the change to a single commit; include CI job that still installs test deps for CI runs. Commit message suggestion: `chore(deps): move pytest to dev-dependencies` ### Task 3.2: Add formatter / linter config files **File:** `.pre-commit-config.yaml` **Test:** `tests/config/test_formatters_present.py` **Depends:** none (safe to add anytime, but keep in this batch) **Effort:** S Purpose: Add pre-commit and formatter config stubs (black, ruff, isort) to make future automation deterministic. This does not change code behavior and can be staged in a separate PR. Verify locally: - python -m pytest tests/config/test_formatters_present.py::test_precommit_exists Commit message suggestion: `chore(format): add pre-commit and formatter configs` --- ## Batch 4: CI and automation (parallel - 2 implementers) Final integration pieces. Depend on earlier batches so validator and CLI exist. ### Task 4.1: Add GitHub Actions CI job (report-only first) **File:** `.github/workflows/mindmodel-validation.yml` **Test:** `tests/ci/test_workflow_exists.py` **Depends:** 1.1, 2.1, 3.1 **Effort:** M Purpose: Add a CI workflow that runs the CLI against `.mindmodel/manifest.yaml` and uploads `reports/mindmodel-report-*.json` as an artifact. Important: the job should be non-blocking for merges initially (report-only). Job steps: - checkout - setup python - pip install -r requirements-dev.txt (or install test/dev deps) - run scripts/validate_mindmodel.py --manifest .mindmodel/manifest.yaml --report reports/out.json - upload artifact Verify locally by running the validator CLI (see Task 2.1) and by checking workflow YAML syntax with `act` or GitHub's validator in UI. Commit message suggestion: `ci(mindmodel): add report-only mindmodel validation workflow` ### Task 4.2: Add scheduled CI check (optional, experimental) **File:** `.github/workflows/mindmodel-schedule.yml` **Test:** `tests/ci/test_schedule_exists.py` **Depends:** 4.1 **Effort:** S Purpose: Add a cron-scheduled workflow to run the validator daily/weekly and produce artifacts, helping detect drift over time. Keep the schedule job report-only at first. Verify: manual check in GitHub Actions UI after merge; run local syntax checks. Commit message suggestion: `ci(mindmodel): add scheduled validation workflow` --- ## CI changes summary - Add `.github/workflows/mindmodel-validation.yml` (report-only initial behavior). - CI will install test/dev deps (do not switch prod installs) to ensure validator and tests run. - CI job uploads a JSON report artifact and prints a short human-readable summary to logs. - After an observation period (e.g., 1-2 weeks), change the workflow to fail on high-severity validator issues (manual gate required). --- ## Tests / verification commands (developer guide) - Run all new unit tests: python -m pytest tests/validators tests/mindmodel tests/scripts tests/config tests/ci - Run a single validator: python scripts/validate_mindmodel.py --manifest .mindmodel/manifest.yaml --report reports/tmp.json - Validate workflow YAML syntax: yamllint .github/workflows/mindmodel-validation.yml (optional) CI command (workflow): uses the CLI script; job is non-blocking and uploads artifacts. --- ## Low-risk incremental PR order (recommended) 1) PR A (Batch 1 - Validator skeleton + types + tests, no .mindmodel/ content) — Adds validator API and types. (Small, S) 2) PR B (Batch 1 - Add sanitized read-only `.mindmodel/manifest.yaml` + docs) — Separate PR so reviewers can inspect the raw manifest without behavioral changes. (S) 3) PR C (Batch 2 - Add CLI wrapper + validator edge-case tests) — Enables local/CI execution. (S) 4) PR D (Batch 4 - Add CI workflow as report-only) — Hook CI to run the validator and upload reports; do not fail CI yet. (M) 5) PR E (Batch 3 - Move pytest to dev-deps) — Small config change in pyproject; CI continues to install test deps. (M) 6) PR F (Batch 3 - Add pre-commit/formatters) — Non-invasive tooling. (S) 7) PR G (Batch 4 - Add scheduled validation job) — Optional, report-only. (S) Rationale: each PR is kept small and focused. PR A/B/C/D are prioritized so we have validator + CI reporting quickly without touching production behavior. Remediation changes (E/F) are separate, so reviewers can focus on policy vs. code changes. --- ## Risk mitigation and decisions made - Validator is report-only by default. Decision: safer to surface issues and build trust before enforcing failures. - .mindmodel/ files will be added read-only and explicitly labeled in-file and in PR description. - Move pytest to dev-deps rather than removing from pyproject entirely if project conventions are unclear. Decision: add a `[tool.dev-deps]` or `requirements-dev.txt` depending on project tools; the implementer will choose the minimally invasive approach. - No automated fixes in validator; only reporting. If trivial YAML path reformatting is desired later, add an opt-in flag after human review. --- ## CI policy / timeline suggestion - Week 0: Merge PRs A-C (validator, manifest, CLI). CI runs report-only jobs and uploads reports. - Week 1: Merge PR D (CI workflow) so reports appear in PR runs. Collect feedback and sample manual reviews on 3-5 constraints. - Week 2: Merge remediation PRs (E/F) as separate changes. Keep CI non-blocking. - Week 3-4: After confidence is built, update CI job to fail on a small set of clear, high-confidence checks (missing files, secrets) behind a feature flag or branch protection rule. --- ## Files to be added/modified (summary) - src/validators/mindmodel_validator.py — validator API (S) - src/validators/types.py — manifest dataclasses/types (S) - .mindmodel/manifest.yaml — sanitized manifest (S) (read-only) - thoughts/shared/mindmodel/README.md — developer docs (S) - scripts/validate_mindmodel.py — CLI wrapper (S) - .github/workflows/mindmodel-validation.yml — CI workflow (M) - pyproject.toml — small update to move pytest to dev-deps (M) - .pre-commit-config.yaml — formatter config (S) - tests/... corresponding tests for each file (S/M as noted) --- ## Short summary for each microtask (one-line) - 1.1: validator skeleton exposing validate_manifest(...). (S) - 1.2: typed manifest models (dataclasses / pydantic). (S) - 1.3: add sanitized .mindmodel/manifest.yaml read-only snapshot. (S) - 1.4: developer README with reviewer checklist. (S) - 2.1: CLI wrapper script to run validator and emit JSON reports. (S) - 2.2: tests covering validator edge cases (missing files, truncated evidence). (M) - 2.3: manifest schema parse test. (S) - 3.1: move pytest to dev-deps in pyproject or add requirements-dev.txt. (M) - 3.2: add pre-commit and formatter configs (black/ruff/isort). (S) - 4.1: add GitHub Actions workflow to run validator (report-only). (M) - 4.2: add scheduled workflow to run validation on a cadence (S) --- Path where this plan is written: `thoughts/shared/plans/2026-03-24-mindmodel-generation.md` If you'd like, I can now split these microtasks into individual ticket-sized action items (one file + test per task) with ready-to-apply patch templates for each; tell me how many parallel implementers you expect and I will group them into batches accordingly.