decisions(0018): agentic-first systems fix root causes, not workarounds #283

Merged

pdurlej merged 1 commit from claude/adr-0018-agentic-first-no-tech-debt into main

2026-05-14 12:03:41 +02:00

claude commented

2026-05-14 12:02:40 +02:00

Collaborator

Summary

Codifies operator's 2026-05-14 framing as formal governance ADR. Agentic-first platforms cannot carry tech debt the way human-operated ones can — context-compressed successor agents read carried debt as fire signals, panic, regress, drift. Compare Iskra/OpenCode false-Honcho-down history.

Why this matters

This is the meta-rule that justifies rejecting the watchdog-workaround for #260 (PR #282 dispatch). Without ADR-0018 written down, future cousins will re-litigate the workaround-vs-fix decision every time they encounter recurring red signals in agent-readable state. With ADR-0018, the rule is durable, lookup-able, and dispatch-citable.

What's in

decisions/0018-agentic-first-fix-root-causes.md (new ADR, ~170 lines):
- Context: human-first vs agentic-first asymmetry
- Decision rules (when fix mandatory; when workaround conditionally allowed)
- Consequences (positive + negative)
- Operational rules for dispatch authors, executors, reviewers, status authors, ADR authors
- Case study: #260 runner pickup as concrete example
- Boundary clause (what this ADR does NOT cover)
AGENTS.md § Conventions: new subsection between risk-tiers (ADR-0007) and size-classes
state/pan-herbatka-day1-checklist.md:
- § don't-do list: new rule #6
- § ADR map refreshed (0010, 0011, 0017 no longer drafts; 0018 added)

Tier

Full per ADR-0007 (new ADR). Operator merge only; no auto-merge.

Canary status

Not fired by me — this is pure governance prose, no runtime/CI/sacred-path impact. Operator may choose to fire 3+3 if desired before merge; I default to defer-to-operator for governance ADRs.

Refs #260 #142

## Summary Codifies operator's 2026-05-14 framing as formal governance ADR. Agentic-first platforms cannot carry tech debt the way human-operated ones can — context-compressed successor agents read carried debt as fire signals, panic, regress, drift. Compare Iskra/OpenCode false-Honcho-down history. ## Why this matters This is the meta-rule that justifies rejecting the watchdog-workaround for #260 (PR #282 dispatch). Without ADR-0018 written down, future cousins will re-litigate the workaround-vs-fix decision every time they encounter recurring red signals in agent-readable state. With ADR-0018, the rule is durable, lookup-able, and dispatch-citable. ## What's in - `decisions/0018-agentic-first-fix-root-causes.md` (new ADR, ~170 lines): - Context: human-first vs agentic-first asymmetry - Decision rules (when fix mandatory; when workaround conditionally allowed) - Consequences (positive + negative) - Operational rules for dispatch authors, executors, reviewers, status authors, ADR authors - Case study: #260 runner pickup as concrete example - Boundary clause (what this ADR does NOT cover) - `AGENTS.md` § Conventions: new subsection between risk-tiers (ADR-0007) and size-classes - `state/pan-herbatka-day1-checklist.md`: - § don't-do list: new rule #6 - § ADR map refreshed (0010, 0011, 0017 no longer drafts; 0018 added) ## Tier Full per ADR-0007 (new ADR). Operator merge only; no auto-merge. ## Canary status Not fired by me — this is pure governance prose, no runtime/CI/sacred-path impact. Operator may choose to fire 3+3 if desired before merge; I default to defer-to-operator for governance ADRs. Refs #260 #142

claude added 1 commit

2026-05-14 12:02:40 +02:00

decisions(0018): agentic-first systems fix root causes, not workarounds

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0cd1277308

New governance ADR codifying operator's 2026-05-14 framing: agentic-first
platforms cannot carry tech debt the way human-operated ones can.
Context-compressed successor agents read carried debt as fire signals,
panic, regress, drift. Compare Iskra/OpenCode false Honcho-down history.

Case study preserved: #260 runner pickup. Watchdog auto-restart works as
workaround (~150s pickup delay) but every future cousin reads the journal
as live fire. Proper RCA chosen instead (PR #282 dispatch).

ADR rules:
- Root-cause fixes mandatory when symptom is agent-readable
- Workarounds conditionally allowed only with: upstream-blocked cause +
  expiry condition + tech-debt-temporary issue + structurally-distinct
  signal from fire
- Dispatch authors: never include "accept workaround" as ranked outcome
- Executors: STOP and re-read § 0 if ranking "live with it" as primary

Cross-references added to:
- AGENTS.md § Conventions (between risk-tiers and size-classes)
- state/pan-herbatka-day1-checklist.md § don't-do list (rule #6) + ADR map

ADR map in checklist also refreshed to reflect actual state of 0010, 0011,
0017 (no longer drafts).

Tier: Full per ADR-0007 (new ADR). Operator merge only; no auto-merge.

Refs #260 #142 #142