DIDP Compliance Mitigation

Protocol Version: DIDP v2.1
Status: Active
Category: Doctrine

Purpose

This document defines deterministic mitigation and prevention rules for DIDP workflow violations. These rules are:

Generic — Not tied to any specific executor or agent system
Mechanical — Enforceable without human interpretation
Reusable — Applicable to any DIDP-compliant system

Violation Types

Type	Meaning
`out_of_iteration`	Work occurred without an active iteration
`out_of_phase_action`	Work executed after terminal phase
`phase_skip`	Required phase was skipped
`incomplete_cleanup`	Temporary or draft artifacts remain

1. Mitigation Actions

1.1 out_of_iteration

Corrective Actions:

Create iteration_state.yaml retroactively with:
- iteration_id: Generated from date + sequence
- created: Timestamp of first work artifact
- phase.name: Set to phase where work was discovered

Attach prior work as retrospective documentation:

retrospective:
  pre_iteration_work: true
  artifacts_created_before_iteration:
    - <list of files/commits>
  note: "Work performed before iteration created. Non-authoritative until validated."

Log deviation to deviations.log with:
- Date
- Identifier: NO-ITER
- Description of work performed
- Resolution taken
Continue iteration from current state (do not restart work)

1.2 out_of_phase_action

Corrective Actions:

Identify the terminal phase at which violation occurred
Determine if action was:
- Substantive (new content, spec changes) → Requires new iteration
- Mechanical (deployment, cleanup) → May be absorbed with deviation log
If substantive:
- Abort current state
- Create new iteration for remaining work
- Reference prior iteration in handoff_notes
If mechanical:
- Log deviation
- Document action in iteration’s outcome section
- Propose amendment to exit criteria

1.3 phase_skip

Corrective Actions:

Identify skipped phase(s) in the required sequence:

planning → analysis → spec_lock → implementation → testing → archive → merge → complete

Execute skipped phase retroactively:
- Create phase artifacts that would have been produced
- Mark exit criteria as satisfied (or document why N/A)
Block merge until all prior phases complete

Update iteration_state.yaml:

phase_history:
  - name: <skipped_phase>
    entered: <retroactive_timestamp>
    exit_criteria_met: true
    note: "Executed retroactively after phase_skip deviation"

1.4 incomplete_cleanup

Corrective Actions:

Identify orphaned artifacts:
- Draft files in pending/, drafts/, or temporary locations
- Uncommitted changes
- Stale branch references
For each artifact, determine disposition:
- Archive: Move to archive/ with timestamp
- Delete: Remove if no longer needed
- Promote: If draft should be published, create iteration
Verify cleanup complete before marking iteration complete

Document cleanup actions in iteration outcome:

outcome:
  cleanup_performed:
    - action: deleted
      path: pending/drafts/old-spec.md
    - action: archived
      path: archive/2025-12-26-orphan.md

2. Prevention Gates

2.1 GATE-001: out_of_iteration

Enforcement Phase: Before any work begins (pre-planning)

Requirement	Level	Description
Iteration exists	MUST	`iteration_state.yaml` MUST exist with valid `iteration_id` before any work
Branch created	MUST	Iteration branch MUST be checked out before file modifications
Phase defined	MUST	`phase.name` MUST be set before work proceeds

On Failure:

ABORT: No work permitted
ACTION: Create iteration first

Exemption (FTL-014):

Trivial work MAY bypass iteration ceremony if ALL conditions are met:

Human explicitly approves BEFORE work begins
No new content pages (specs, docs)
No spec changes
Configuration/tooling only
< 5 files modified

When exemption applies, log to maintenance.log:

[DATE] APPROVED-TRIVIAL | description | human approval note

2.2 GATE-002: out_of_phase_action

Enforcement Phase: All phases (continuous)

Requirement	Level	Description
Terminal phase immutable	MUST	`phase: complete` is terminal; no further work on that iteration
Work matches phase	MUST	Actions MUST be permitted by current phase constraints
Deployment before complete	SHOULD	Deployment SHOULD occur during `archive` or `merge`, not after `complete`

On Failure:

BLOCK TRANSITION: Cannot advance to next phase
ACTION: Require new iteration for additional work

Phase Immutability:

Phase	Mutable	Permitted Actions
planning	Yes	Scope changes, exploration
analysis	Yes	Validation, clarification
spec_lock	Yes	Finalization only
implementation	Yes	Code, docs per spec
testing	Yes	Defect fixes only
archive	Yes	Cleanup, versioning
merge	Yes	Merge to target branch
complete	No	None (terminal)

2.3 GATE-003: phase_skip

Enforcement Phase: archive → merge transition

Requirement	Level	Description
Linear progression	MUST	Phases MUST advance in defined order
Exit criteria satisfied	MUST	All exit criteria for current phase MUST be met before transition
No phase omission	MUST	Every phase MUST be entered and exited

On Failure:

BLOCK MERGE: Cannot merge to target branch
ACTION: Execute skipped phase(s) before proceeding

Legal Transitions:

planning ──► analysis ──► spec_lock ──► implementation ──► testing ──► archive ──► merge ──► complete
     │                         │
     ▼                         ▼
 (replan)                  planning
                         (if replan_required)

Back-transitions:

ONLY analysis → planning is permitted (when replan_required: true)
All other back-transitions are FORBIDDEN

2.4 GATE-004: incomplete_cleanup

Enforcement Phase: archive (before merge)

Requirement	Level	Description
No orphaned drafts	MUST	`pending/`, `drafts/` directories MUST be empty or archived
No uncommitted changes	MUST	Working directory MUST be clean
Temporary files removed	SHOULD	Build artifacts, cache files SHOULD be excluded
Version source updated	MUST	Canonical version MUST reflect release

On Failure:

BLOCK TRANSITION: Cannot advance from archive to merge
ACTION: Complete cleanup before proceeding

Cleanup Checklist:

[ ] Draft directories empty (pending/, drafts/)
[ ] No TODO markers in published content
[ ] Version source updated (VERSION, package.json, or tag)
[ ] Changelog entry added (if required)
[ ] Build artifacts excluded from commit
[ ] Working directory clean (git status)

Summary

Violation Type	Gate ID	Enforcement Phase	On Failure
out_of_iteration	GATE-001	pre-planning	Abort
out_of_phase_action	GATE-002	all phases	Block transition
phase_skip	GATE-003	archive → merge	Block merge
incomplete_cleanup	GATE-004	archive	Block transition

Protocol Invariant

These gates are deterministic and mechanically enforceable. Any DIDP-compliant system MUST implement equivalent checks at the specified enforcement phases.

Workflow Contract — Agent constitution
Phase Model — Phase state machine
Foundation Task Ledger — FTL-014 (Trivial Work Exemption)

DIDP Compliance Mitigation

Purpose

Violation Types

1. Mitigation Actions

1.1 out_of_iteration

1.2 out_of_phase_action

1.3 phase_skip

1.4 incomplete_cleanup

2. Prevention Gates

2.1 GATE-001: out_of_iteration

2.2 GATE-002: out_of_phase_action

2.3 GATE-003: phase_skip

2.4 GATE-004: incomplete_cleanup

Summary

Protocol Invariant

Related