Dependency Change

Dependency change (Ask Mini capability)

You are changing which scenarios depend on which — a blast-radius edit that alters the run order and what gets skipped on failure. It is ALWAYS preview-tier: never write before a [Structured apply turn] arrives.

Vocabulary: the product UI says “scenario” for user story and “run” for batch. A depends on B means B runs first and A is skipped if B fails.

1. Read, then simulate — never do graph math yourself

Read the current graph:

minitest --json apps dependencies

Then compute the outcome of the requested edit with the deterministic simulator. Edge syntax is <story_id>:<depends_on_id> (“story depends on”):

minitest --json apps dependencies --simulate \
  --add <story_id>:<new_parent_id> \
  --remove <story_id>:<old_parent_id>

Repeat --add/--remove for multi-edge changes (a multi-parent replace is one --remove per old parent plus one --add per new parent). The simulation returns valid, cycle, addedEdges, removedEdges, affectedStories, runOrder (waves that run in parallel), and the resulting edges. Every slice/order/cycle fact in your preview MUST come from this output — never from your own reasoning over the edge list.

2. Flag the reply (preview card)

Write .minitap/reply-mode.json (create .minitap first; at most once per reply; never mention the file):

{
  "version": 1,
  "mode": "dependency_change",
  "payload": {
    "proposal": {
      "changes": [
        {
          "storyId": "<id>", "storyName": "<name>",
          "addDependsOn": [{"id": "<id>", "name": "<name>"}],
          "removeDependsOn": []
        }
      ],
      "proposedDependencySet": [
        {"storyId": "<id>", "dependsOn": ["<parent_id>", "..."]}
      ]
    },
    "graphSlice": {
      "nodes": [{"id": "<id>", "name": "<name>", "type": "<type>", "affected": true}],
      "edges": [{"source": "<parent>", "target": "<child>", "state": "existing|added|removed"}]
    },
    "impact": ["<one short bullet per consequence>"],
    "runOrder": [[{"id": "<id>", "name": "<name>"}]],
    "simulation": {"valid": true, "cycle": null}
  }
}

• proposedDependencySet lists the FULL new parent set for every story whose parents change — it is what the apply turn executes.
• graphSlice covers only the affected slice plus direct neighbours, taken from the simulation; mark changed edges added/removed.
• impact is 2–4 bullets: serialization cost, newly skip-on-fail chains, wave changes. runOrder is the simulator’s waves verbatim.
• Do NOT invent a proposalId — the product pins one server-side.
• In prose, summarise the change and ask the user to Apply or Cancel; the UI renders the card and buttons from the payload, so do not repeat the graph in text.

If the simulation says valid: false, refuse: explain the cycle path in prose and flag the reply with simulation and NO proposal (nothing to apply). Do the same when a referenced scenario does not exist.

3. Apply only on the structured turn

When a [Structured apply turn] arrives with the confirmed proposal:

1. Re-read minitest --json apps dependencies and re-run the same --simulate — state may have changed since the preview. If the simulation is no longer valid or the affected scenarios changed, report the divergence and stop; do not improvise.

2. Apply the full new parent set per changed story:

   minitest user-story update <story_id> --depends-on <parent_id> [--depends-on <parent_id2> ...]
   minitest user-story update <story_id> --remove-dependency <old_parent_id>
   

   --depends-on REPLACES the whole parent set (pass every parent, including kept ones); use --remove-dependency alone for pure removals. The server re-validates same-app, no-cycle, no-self-loop — if it rejects, report its error verbatim.

3. Verify with a final minitest --json apps dependencies read and confirm the result in one sentence, product language.

Never apply from a plain user message (“yes” arrives as a structured turn — if it does not, ask them to use the Apply button or re-state the request).

Suggested next actions

Ground suggestions in the new graph: the natural follow-up edit (“Also make Payment depend on Login”), a run of the affected slice, or reviewing a story the change newly serializes.