Module: Change Propagation — the Mirror Sites Gates Miss
Loaded by: planning-architect · implementing-architect · code-review-architect · debugging-architect · deployment-architect · maintenance-architect · security-architect. Read it when a run reaches a change of the shapes below; do not restate its content in a skill file.
Why this exists: a green pipeline is not proof a change fully landed. Each protocol below covers sites the automated gates structurally cannot reach. They trigger on the shape of the change, not on the project.
Every concrete example here is an illustration of a category, not a rule. Substitute what exists in the project you are in. Categories are what survive; a catalogue of last month's field names is what rots.
When each protocol fires
| Protocol |
Fires when the change… |
| A — Shared data shape |
renames, removes, retypes, or restructures a shared field (object↔array, string↔object); changes an enum value; moves a numeric bound |
| B — Public API & test doubles |
adds, renames, removes, or re-signs a method on a service, module, or class's public surface |
| C — External origins & configuration |
makes the app load a new external origin (tiles, an API host, a font, an image CDN, a third-party script), or depends on new runtime configuration |
More than one can apply to a single change. If none apply, say so in one line rather than omitting the section.
The three moments it is used
- At plan time — the plan's Files to Modify list enumerates every mirror site, one per line, plus the verification line for the change's shape. Walking the categories is what turns "update the field" into a complete plan.
- At build time — run the sweep, then the closing check, before claiming the change is done.
- At review time — verify the sweep actually happened. Findings of this class are the highest-value output of a review, because they pass every gate.
Read the Protocol That Fires
| Read |
Protocol |
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/protocol-a-shared-shape.md |
A — a shared field renamed, removed, retyped, restructured; an enum value changed; a numeric bound moved. |
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/protocol-b-public-api.md |
B — a public method added, renamed, removed, or re-signed. |
${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/protocol-c-external-origins.md |
C — a new external origin, or a new runtime configuration value. |
The review-time audit below is short enough to stay here, because a reviewer needs all three shapes at once.
The Review-Time Audit
When verifying that someone else's change swept correctly, these five are where it fails:
- Stale markup/template bindings referencing a removed name — these pass type-check and fail only at build/runtime. If the build gate was green, this is covered; if it was skipped, grep the markup for the old name.
- Orphaned user-facing keys left by a removed field — grep each suspect key across source; zero references → finding.
- Compiler-silenced fixtures still holding the pre-change shape — flag any mock that doesn't match the current schema.
- Test doubles missing a newly added method — the spy list, mock class, or inline stub returns nothing and the test fails misleadingly, or worse, passes.
- Moved bounds / swapped enum values — verify by semantic site, per Protocol A. A site left on the old value is a finding even when grep and tests are green.
Verification lines, by change shape
- Identifier renames/removals — re-grep the old identifier across the source tree; expect zero hits outside changelog/migration docs.
- Numeric bounds and enum values — grep is unreliable; list the semantic sites by name instead.
- Templates — confirm via the
<build> gate, not <typecheck>.
Recurring sites are recorded, not rediscovered
A propagation site found the hard way goes into the Project Profile's §Recurring Propagation Sites (Guidelines §5), so the next change of that shape is swept for it automatically. That write-back is what stops this module from being the same lesson learned twice.
1---2name: module-propagation3description: Module — loaded by name from an m-skills architect, not an entry point. The change-propagation protocols: the mirror sites a green pipeline structurally cannot catch when a shared data shape, a public API surface, or an external origin changes.4---56# Module: Change Propagation — the Mirror Sites Gates Miss78**Loaded by:** `planning-architect` · `implementing-architect` · `code-review-architect` · `debugging-architect` · `deployment-architect` · `maintenance-architect` · `security-architect`. Read it when a run reaches a change of the shapes below; do not restate its content in a skill file.910**Why this exists:** a green pipeline is **not** proof a change fully landed. Each protocol below covers sites the automated gates structurally cannot reach. They trigger on the **shape** of the change, not on the project.1112> Every concrete example here is an **illustration of a category**, not a rule. Substitute what exists in the project you are in. Categories are what survive; a catalogue of last month's field names is what rots.1314---1516## When each protocol fires1718| Protocol | Fires when the change… |19|---|---|20| **A — Shared data shape** | renames, removes, retypes, or restructures a shared field (object↔array, string↔object); changes an enum value; moves a numeric bound |21| **B — Public API & test doubles** | adds, renames, removes, or re-signs a method on a service, module, or class's public surface |22| **C — External origins & configuration** | makes the app load a new external origin (tiles, an API host, a font, an image CDN, a third-party script), or depends on new runtime configuration |2324More than one can apply to a single change. If none apply, say so in one line rather than omitting the section.2526## The three moments it is used2728- **At plan time** — the plan's *Files to Modify* list enumerates **every mirror site, one per line**, plus the verification line for the change's shape. Walking the categories is what turns "update the field" into a complete plan.29- **At build time** — run the sweep, then the closing check, before claiming the change is done.30- **At review time** — verify the sweep actually happened. Findings of this class are the highest-value output of a review, because they pass every gate.3132---3334## Read the Protocol That Fires3536| Read | Protocol |37|---|---|38| `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/protocol-a-shared-shape.md` | **A** — a shared field renamed, removed, retyped, restructured; an enum value changed; a numeric bound moved. |39| `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/protocol-b-public-api.md` | **B** — a public method added, renamed, removed, or re-signed. |40| `${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/protocol-c-external-origins.md` | **C** — a new external origin, or a new runtime configuration value. |4142The review-time audit below is short enough to stay here, because a reviewer needs all three shapes at once.4344## The Review-Time Audit4546When verifying that someone else's change swept correctly, these five are where it fails:4748- **Stale markup/template bindings** referencing a removed name — these pass type-check and fail only at build/runtime. If the build gate was green, this is covered; if it was skipped, grep the markup for the old name.49- **Orphaned user-facing keys** left by a removed field — grep each suspect key across source; zero references → finding.50- **Compiler-silenced fixtures** still holding the pre-change shape — flag any mock that doesn't match the current schema.51- **Test doubles missing a newly added method** — the spy list, mock class, or inline stub returns nothing and the test fails misleadingly, or worse, passes.52- **Moved bounds / swapped enum values** — verify by semantic site, per Protocol A. A site left on the old value is a finding even when grep and tests are green.5354---5556## Verification lines, by change shape5758- **Identifier renames/removals** — re-grep the old identifier across the source tree; expect zero hits outside changelog/migration docs.59- **Numeric bounds and enum values** — grep is unreliable; list the **semantic sites by name** instead.60- **Templates** — confirm via the `<build>` gate, not `<typecheck>`.6162---6364## Recurring sites are recorded, not rediscovered6566A propagation site found the hard way goes into the Project Profile's **§Recurring Propagation Sites** (Guidelines §5), so the next change of that shape is swept for it automatically. That write-back is what stops this module from being the same lesson learned twice.
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