archive-spec

Archive Spec

Archive a completed spec by writing <slug>.md under the resolved archive root and removing <resolved-spec-root>/<slug>/, which stays in Git at the record's source_revision. The source is the configured Spec Root; the destination is its resolved archive root — docs/history/specs/ for the built-in docs/specs root, or <spec-root>/_archived/ for an external or non-default root, matching the roundfix archive destination. A normal archive means implemented, verified, and self-contained — every task done, QA passed, and every indexed reference owned by the Spec. A QA Archive Override records the explicit exception without claiming verification. After either disposition, one ls <spec-root>/ separates live work from history, and the archive stays greppable as the record of what was built and why.

The trigger is spec completion, not publication: run this automatically at the end of the implement-spec loop once the QA gate passes, or whenever the user asks. Merge and release are separate, user-driven steps — the archive commit simply travels with the branch and ships inside the feature's own PR.

Archive Relink

Before writing the Archive Record, the archive performs an Archive Relink. It automatically promotes each cited non-core file that a Live Document references from the owner Spec to docs/references/<basename>, then rewrites citations from each Live Document to the promoted copy; citations of the Spec folder or a core artifact point to the Archive Record. The record lists rewritten files under relinked when any exist. The source keeps one owner, so a secondary Spec needs no copy (ADR-0260, ADR-0083).

The Spec folder retires by deletion. In the copied outcome and each promoted copy, a destination inside the removed folder names a promoted copy or becomes a Git Locator, `<path>@<commit>`; it never points at the record itself. The commit holds the path and is reachable from the default branch or a tag. When no such commit exists, the locator names the path and the record's pull request. Other destinations retain their repository target (ADR-0278).

The archive refuses to write when a promotion destination already exists, when two promotions share a basename, or when a Live Document to be rewritten has changes not committed at HEAD. Citations in files that are not Live Documents, or citations that remain after rewriting, are warnings naming the file, line and target; the archive leaves those files unchanged.

Squash merges

A squash merge keeps source_revision only in the pull request's head ref; the record names that pull request in pull_request.

QA settlement

The same outcome settles the authored qa Task and determines what the archive leaves:

Outcome	Settles	Archives
pass	Settles the QA Task as completed and makes the Spec archive-eligible when the report has no disallowed blocked rows.	The Archive Record, which names the QA Report and verdict; the Spec, its QA report and evidence stay in Git at the record's source_revision.
qualifying declared partial	Settles the QA Task as completed when no row failed, was skipped or is finding-blocked, every declared-blocked row is covered by a matching ## Unreachable Acceptance declaration, and every environment-blocked row is the pre-PR Pull Request row, recorded as blocked (environment: no open Pull Request) with the Pull Request row named in its provenance, or an outside-evidence row the Run sandbox could not reach, recorded as blocked (environment: network denied: <host>) with the outside-evidence row named in its provenance. Neither row needs an Unreachable Acceptance declaration, and a partial whose only unmet rows are such rows qualifies.	The Archive Record, which names the QA Report and verdict and carries the declarations' satisfied-by record as unproven; the Spec, its QA report and evidence stay in Git at the record's source_revision.
environment-blocked	Leaves the row blocked; the report can still settle as pass when equivalent evidence satisfies the environment policy.	Nothing by itself; a qualifying report can archive the Spec.
failed	Leaves the QA Task unresolved and refuses archive unless an authorized override applies.	Nothing.
missing	Leaves the QA Task unresolved and refuses archive unless an authorized override applies.	Nothing.
override	Does not change the QA Task status or report verdict; settles archive as explicitly authorized despite failed or missing QA.	The Archive Record with qa_override, qa_override_approval, qa_override_reason, qa_override_qa_outcome, qa_override_qa_task_status when the QA Task is incomplete, and qa_override_revision; the QA Task and Reports stay unchanged in Git at the record's source_revision.

Rows the Spec's authorization keeps offline

The qualifying declared partial above also accepts an outside-evidence row the gate did not look up because the Spec's own authorization forbids that lookup, recorded as blocked (environment: <subject> prohibited by Spec authorization) with the outside-evidence row named in its provenance. The subject names what the authorization forbids, in its words: network for a network lookup, or another repository; it is 1 to 80 characters and holds no parenthesis. Like the network-denied row, it never decides a qualifying partial and needs no Unreachable Acceptance declaration, a row counts toward one exempt kind at most, and settlement, roundfix qa-report accept and roundfix archive read it through the same policy (ADR-0276, ADR-0335).

Cancelling a Spec

A Spec that will not be delivered is cancelled with roundfix cancel <slug> --reason <text>, never deleted by hand. The command writes an Archive Record with disposition cancelled, returns each adopted Backlog Entry to docs/backlog/ with status: open and each adopted Finding to docs/findings/ with status: pending, then removes the Spec folder while its bytes stay in Git at source_revision. A cancelled record never meets a prerequisite, never supersedes another Spec and is refused by Delivery Retry.

Ignored files and a failed removal

The Archive Command and the Cancel Command refuse while Git ignores any file under the Spec folder. Each command lists every ignored file and writes nothing. The operator must remove each file or commit it with git add -f, then retry.

If the final removal of the Spec folder fails, both commands keep every write, exit 1, and print the command that finishes the removal: chmod -R u+w '<folder>' && rm -rf '<folder>'.

Preconditions — verify, don't trust

Check all three with fresh command evidence before touching anything:

1. Required tasks completed. For a normal archive, read each task_NN.md listed in _tasks.md; every status must be completed. For a QA Archive Override, every non-QA Task must be completed; the QA Task may remain pending or failed. If the QA Task is also completed, the newest report must remain ineligible or the override is unnecessary and refused.

   Command: run grep -n '^status:' <each-task-file-listed-in-_tasks.md> and retain its output. Any value other than status: completed blocks a normal archive. During an override, only a non-QA Task with another status blocks the archive; name that Task file.

2. QA passed. The newest report in qa/ must pass the repository's QA verifier. Do not substitute a line grep for structured validation. In Roundfix, use the same internal/spec.QAVerdict contract as the Archive Command: select the newest report by the qa-report-YYYY-MM-DD[-NN].md filename contract, parse its YAML frontmatter, require a supported verdict, require both blocked-row fields to be non-negative integers when present, and reject verdict: pass when rows_blocked_finding is nonzero. Retain the verifier's report path and result as evidence. A missing qa/ directory, malformed newest report, or non-passing verdict blocks the normal archive. Proceed only under an explicit QA Archive Override performed through roundfix archive <slug> --qa-override --approval <source> --reason <text>. Never record the override by editing the Archive Record. A qualifying newest report does not make a failed or pending QA Task completed; the override is refused only when the report qualifies and every Task is completed.

3. The Spec is self-contained. Apply this precondition when docs/specs/<slug>/references/_index.md exists or is a symbolic link; a symbolic link, including a broken one, is invalid index state rather than a legacy Spec. Only a Spec where that path neither exists nor is a symbolic link predates this contract and passes without retrofitting historical artifacts. For an indexed Spec, every indexed path must exist relative to _index.md, every never-updated source path must be absent, and no Markdown link destination inside the Spec may point into docs/_inbox/ or docs/findings/.

   Commands: first run this link-destination check; its syntax deliberately matches inline or reference-style Markdown links, not prose that merely names either tree:

   spec_dir=docs/specs/<slug>
   link_hits=$(grep --include='*.md' -RInE '(\]\([^)]*(docs/)?(_inbox|findings)/[^)]*\)|^[[:space:]]*\[[^]]+\]:[[:space:]]*<?[^[:space:]>]*(docs/)?(_inbox|findings)/)' "$spec_dir")
   link_status=$?
   if test "$link_status" -eq 0; then
     printf '%s\n' "$link_hits"
     echo "self-containment failed: rewrite each listed link at adoption step 8"
     exit 1
   fi
   test "$link_status" -eq 1 || exit "$link_status"
   

   Then parse and validate every data row. The index belongs to the current Spec: owner must equal its four-digit prefix, type must be inbox, finding, or backlog, and each source and path must appear only once. A path must be one basename relative to _index.md; reject absolute paths, ., .., path separators, and symbolic links instead of allowing traversal or a link outside references/. Run the following from the repository root and retain the normalized rows plus any diagnostic as evidence:

   slug=<slug>
   index="docs/specs/$slug/references/_index.md"
   expected_owner=${slug%%-*}
   parsed_index=$(mktemp) || exit 1
   trap 'rm -f "$parsed_index"' EXIT HUP INT TERM
   
   if test -L "$(dirname "$index")"; then
     printf 'self-containment failed: references/ must not be a symbolic link\n' >&2
     exit 1
   fi
   
   if test -L "$index" || test ! -f "$index"; then
     printf 'self-containment failed: references/_index.md must be a regular, non-symbolic-link file\n' >&2
     exit 1
   fi
   
   awk -F '|' -v expected_owner="$expected_owner" '
   function trim(value) {
     gsub(/^[[:space:]]+|[[:space:]]+$/, "", value)
     return value
   }
   function reject(message) {
     print "self-containment failed: " message > "/dev/stderr"
     invalid = 1
   }
   function separator(value) {
     value = trim(value)
     return value ~ /^:?-{3,}:?$/
   }
   /^[[:space:]]*$/ || /^[[:space:]]*#/ { next }
   !header {
     if (NF != 7 || trim($2) != "source" || trim($3) != "type" ||
         trim($4) != "owner" || trim($5) != "adopted date" ||
         trim($6) != "path") {
       reject("_index.md must use the fixed source | type | owner | adopted date | path header")
     } else {
       header = 1
     }
     next
   }
   !divider {
     if (NF != 7 || !separator($2) || !separator($3) || !separator($4) ||
         !separator($5) || !separator($6)) {
       reject("_index.md has an invalid table separator")
     } else {
       divider = 1
     }
     next
   }
   {
     source = trim($2)
     type = trim($3)
     owner = trim($4)
     adopted = trim($5)
     path = trim($6)
     if (NF != 7 || source == "" || type == "" || owner == "" ||
         adopted == "" || path == "") {
       reject("invalid index row at line " NR ": " $0)
       next
     }
     if (type != "inbox" && type != "finding" && type != "backlog") {
       reject("type must be `inbox`, `finding`, or `backlog` at line " NR ": " type)
     }
     if (owner != expected_owner) {
       reject("owner must be " expected_owner " at line " NR ": " owner)
     }
     if (seen_source[source]++) {
       reject("duplicate source at line " NR ": " source)
     }
     if (seen_path[path]++) {
       reject("duplicate path at line " NR ": " path)
     }
     if (adopted !~ /^[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9]-[0-9][0-9]-[0-9][0-9]$/) {
       reject("adopted date must be YYYY-MM-DD at line " NR ": " adopted)
     }
     if ((type == "inbox" && source !~ /^docs\/_inbox\/[^\/]+\.md$/) ||
         (type == "finding" && source !~ /^docs\/findings\/[^\/]+\.md$/) ||
         (type == "backlog" && source !~ /^docs\/backlog\/[^\/]+\.md$/)) {
       reject("source does not match type at line " NR ": " source)
     }
     print source "|" type "|" owner "|" adopted "|" path
   }
   END {
     if (!header || !divider) {
       reject("_index.md is missing its fixed table header")
     }
     if (invalid) {
       exit 1
     }
   }
   ' "$index" > "$parsed_index" || exit $?
   
   while IFS='|' read -r source type owner adopted path; do
     case "$path" in
       ""|.|..|/*|*/*|*\\*)
         printf 'self-containment failed: path must be one basename relative to `_index.md`: %s\n' "$path" >&2
         exit 1
         ;;
     esac
     source_basename=${source##*/}
     if test "$path" != "$source_basename"; then
       printf 'self-containment failed: path must equal source basename for %s: %s != %s\n' "$source" "$path" "$source_basename" >&2
       exit 1
     fi
     current="$(dirname "$index")/$path"
     if test -L "$current" || test ! -f "$current"; then
       printf 'self-containment failed: invalid or missing path %s; finish adoption step 7\n' "$path" >&2
       exit 1
     fi
     if test -e "$source" || test -L "$source"; then
       printf 'self-containment failed: source still exists at %s; finish adoption step 7\n' "$source" >&2
       exit 1
     fi
   done < "$parsed_index"
   cat "$parsed_index"
   

A QA Archive Override performed only through roundfix archive <slug> --qa-override --approval <source> --reason <text> overrides the unmet normal QA prerequisite: an incomplete QA Task, an ineligible newest report, or missing or unreadable QA evidence. The command is refused only when every Task is completed and the newest report qualifies, because that Spec can archive normally. It never overrides self-containment: verification can be overridden by the maintainer, but self-containment is a property of the artifact and must be repaired by finishing adoption.

A merged PR or release tag is not a precondition, and the archive never waits for one.

If any check fails, stop and report the offending Task, report, source, or link and the adoption step that fixes a self-containment failure — the Spec stays active.

To archive despite failed, missing or otherwise ineligible QA, use the explicit approval and reason with the archive command:

roundfix archive <slug> --qa-override --approval <source> --reason <text>

The override still requires every non-QA Task to be completed. It accepts a failed or pending QA Task regardless of the newest report's verdict and refuses only when every Task is completed and the newest report qualifies, because the same Spec can archive normally. It records the approval source, reason, observed QA outcome and archived revision without changing the QA Task or report. When the QA Task is not completed, it also records qa_override_qa_task_status. An unreadable report's recorded outcome names its path relative to the Spec folder, never the machine's absolute path.

Steps

For a QA Archive Override, perform the archive only through roundfix archive <slug> --qa-override --approval <source> --reason <text>. For a normal archive, run roundfix archive <slug>; it verifies the preconditions, writes the Archive Record and removes the Spec folder. Never hand-edit the Archive Record; the command owns its refusals, provenance, and archive lifecycle. The Delivery Queue writes the commit subject docs: archive <slug> (Conventional Commits), or, when that would pass 100 characters, docs: archive the <spec number> Spec (docs: archive the Spec for a slug without a Spec number). Do not push unless asked.

Report the new path and anything carried over (open follow-ups from task ## Result sections belong in new specs, not in the archive). When the work isn't merged yet, suggest opening the PR via github-pr-workflow; opening the PR is the user's call.

Archive Record

An archive writes <slug>.md under the resolved archive root. The record names the QA Report and verdict, its disposition, and source_revision, the Git revision where the removed Spec folder remains recoverable. Before archiving, use roundfix archive <slug> --plan to see the cut and Archive Advice for candidate files. Promote durable knowledge with repeatable --promote <path>; promotion copies that file to docs/references/ in the archive change.

Unarchive

Rare, explicit, reversed: Restore the Spec folder from Git at the record's source_revision and delete the record. Reopening usually means new work — prefer a fresh spec that references the archived one.

Anti-patterns

• Archiving with failing or missing QA silently — the override must be the user's word, on the record.
• Blocking the archive on a merged PR or release tag — completion (tasks + QA) is the gate; publishing is a separate, user-driven step.
• Leaving a completed spec in the active set "until the PR merges" — the active folder is for live work only.
• Editing an archived spec — it is a record; new requirements get a new spec that links back.
• Deleting instead of archiving — the graveyard is where "didn't we already try this?" gets answered.