Meridian:freeze

/meridian:freeze — Edit Scope Lock

Lock edits to a specific directory during focused work. Advisory safety net to prevent accidental edits outside scope.

Arguments

• <directory> — Directory to lock edits to
• --status — Show current freeze state
• --clear — Remove edit lock (alias: /meridian:unfreeze)

Keywords

freeze, lock, scope, restrict, directory, unfreeze, guard, safety

Procedure

Step 1: Route by argument

If --status: Show freeze state:

PYTHONPATH=$MERIDIAN_HOME uv run --project $MERIDIAN_HOME -- python -c "
from scripts.db import open_project
from scripts.freeze import format_freeze_status
with open_project('.') as conn:
    print(format_freeze_status(conn))
"

If --clear: Remove freeze:

PYTHONPATH=$MERIDIAN_HOME uv run --project $MERIDIAN_HOME -- python -c "
from scripts.db import open_project
from scripts.freeze import clear_freeze
with open_project('.') as conn:
    cleared = clear_freeze(conn)
    print('Edit lock removed' if cleared else 'No active edit lock')
"

Step 2: Set Freeze

PYTHONPATH=$MERIDIAN_HOME uv run --project $MERIDIAN_HOME -- python -c "
import json
from scripts.db import open_project
from scripts.freeze import set_freeze
with open_project('.') as conn:
    result = set_freeze(conn, '<directory>')
    print(json.dumps(result, indent=2))
"

Step 3: Confirm

Display: "Edit lock active: <directory>. Edits outside this directory will trigger a warning."

Advisory Behavior

When freeze is active, before editing any file:

1. Check if the file is within the frozen directory
2. If OUTSIDE: warn the user and ask for confirmation before proceeding
3. If INSIDE: proceed normally
4. This is advisory — user can always override

When to Use

• Debugging a specific module (lock to that module's directory)
• Focused refactoring of one package
• Preventing accidental cross-module edits during implementation

When NOT to Use

• Broad refactoring across multiple directories
• Initial project setup