atlas-iac/docs/hermes_full_handoff_acceptance.md

# Hermes full-handoff acceptance and release runbook

`scripts/ops/hermes_handoff_acceptance.py` is a fail-closed release gate. It
contains 63 checks in 15 groups. An empty catalog, an unknown result status, a
mandatory `FAIL` or `NOT_RUN`, a harness error, or incomplete evidence makes the
decision `NO_GO`. The four ephemeral checks are non-mandatory `NOT_RUN` in the
default mode and are replaced with mandatory results only in armed mode.

This runbook describes evidence collection. It does not authorize a merge,
publish, deployment, Flux reconcile, credential read, or live cluster mutation.
Human review of PR #19 and of the resulting report is required.

## Required release inputs

Every value that can go stale must be supplied explicitly. Resolve `main`, PR
heads, the image digest, build source SHA, deployment revision, and chat config
revision from their authoritative read-only sources immediately before the run.
Do not copy the snapshot in the dependency section into a later run.

```sh
scripts/ops/hermes_handoff_acceptance.py \
  --context atlas-operator \
  --remote-main-sha "$REMOTE_MAIN_SHA" \
  --reviewed-head-sha "$REVIEWED_PR19_HEAD" \
  --agent-image "$AGENT_GIT_SHA_BUILD_TAG_AT_SHA256" \
  --build-sha "$IMAGE_BUILD_SOURCE_SHA" \
  --deployment-revision "$RUNNING_DEPLOYMENT_REVISION" \
  --chat-config-revision "$RUNNING_CHAT_CONFIG_REVISION" \
  --dependency-head "12=$PR12_HEAD" \
  --dependency-head "14=$PR14_HEAD" \
  --dependency-head "15=$PR15_HEAD" \
  --dependency-head "16=$PR16_HEAD" \
  --dependency-head "17=$PR17_HEAD" \
  --dependency-head "18=$PR18_HEAD" \
  --dependency-head "20=$PR20_HEAD" \
  --output build/hermes-handoff-acceptance.json
```

The fixed topology is three pool workers on three distinct nodes. `--node-count`
and `--pool-replicas` cannot lower that requirement. Pool node/ordinal assignment,
Telegram session continuity, and the chat revision are mandatory. Deliberate Flux
suspensions must be named with repeatable `--expected-suspension` arguments.

Exit status is `0` only for `GO`, `1` for `NO_GO`, and `2` for invalid execution
bounds. JSON is written to `--output` or stdout; the human summary goes to stderr
unless `--json-only` is passed.

## Structural safety boundary

The catalog is validated before a `Runner` exists. Invalid inputs, an empty or
unsafe catalog, and an invalid armed preflight therefore create no subprocess.
The command policy is checked both before and after executable resolution.

Default mode permits a narrow read grammar:

- Kubernetes reads use `name` or reviewed JSONPath projections. Secret resources,
  raw API reads, full JSON/YAML, `describe`, `cluster-info dump`, credential-bearing
  projections, `auth reconcile`, config operations, all mutations, and every
  dry-run mutation trick are rejected before spawn.
- Git is read-only. `fetch`, configuration/helper overrides, alternate worktrees,
  external diff helpers, and push are rejected. Helm values are not readable.
- Shell commands must be rendered from frozen templates, use fixed executable
  paths, and cannot name service-account, Vault, runtime-access, SSH, or other
  credential roots.
- Outer impersonation is rejected. A reviewed inner command can use impersonation
  only after an explicit `kubectl exec --` boundary; it cannot substitute for the
  independent self identity.
- `PATH` is replaced with a fixed path. Every outer executable is resolved to an
  allowed real path, checked for unsafe write mode, and compared with a pinned
  SHA-256 digest. A caller-authored `kubectl`, `git`, or helper cannot fabricate
  evidence.

The executor uses a new process group, drains stdout and stderr concurrently,
and retains at most the configured bytes while the child is running. A monotonic
absolute timeout terminates and reaps the group, including descendants that keep
pipes open. Timeout, deadline, output, and concurrency values reject booleans,
zero/negative values, non-finite numbers, and values outside fixed bounds.
Truncation discards the affected stream and makes every evaluator `NOT_RUN`.

Credential screening runs before truncation. Command, output, error, identity,
reason, evidence, JSON, and human-summary fields are screened recursively,
including mapping keys and short/numeric sensitive values. The complete rendered
report is screened again; a remaining credential shape is replaced by a bounded
`NO_GO` stub rather than being written. No credential prefix is retained at a
truncation boundary.

## Vantages and evidence

The operator must use an external read-only kubeconfig. The self probe runs in
the actual Hermes agent pod. Both identities are obtained with
`kubectl auth whoami`; equal or missing principals make the run `NO_GO`. Required
Switchyard and chat/Telegram pod vantages must also resolve. Node coverage is
derived from all daemonset pod node names, not one selected pod.

Dangerous Kubernetes permissions are checked only with side-effect-free
`kubectl auth can-i` reviews. The default catalog never constructs a Secret,
TokenRequest, mutation, attach, port-forward, or arbitrary exec request. The one
forge administrative denial check performs a read-only GET and accepts only an
explicit authorization refusal; generic `404`, `not found`, and `no route` text
are not denial evidence.

The strict evaluators reject duplicate-key JSON, raw control characters,
`NaN`/infinity, boolean/number equality coercion, future timestamps, stale
provider evidence, and every malformed routing or Flux row. Routing freshness is
required separately for each provider, lane, and effort. Flux objects must be
non-suspended, current at `observedGeneration`, and explicitly `Ready=True`;
unknown or reconciling state is not healthy.

`release.exact-lineage-is-running` atomically binds:

- fixed remote `main` SHA and local `origin/main`;
- open draft PR #19, base `main`, existing feature ref, and exact reviewed head;
- the exact `:git-<source-SHA>-build-<n>@sha256:<digest>` image identity,
  with the source SHA equal to the release `main` SHA;
- current Deployment generation and revision;
- the one active ReplicaSet revision/hash; every Ready pod image and imageID;
- the Flux-applied `main` revision.

The pool evaluator requires exactly ordinals 0, 1, and 2, all Ready, on three
distinct nodes and claims, with service-account token automount disabled. The
chat checks always require durable Telegram sessions and the exact running chat
configuration revision.

## Armed ephemeral mode

Armed mode is the only write path and runs only after the complete default
catalog reports `GO`.

```sh
scripts/ops/hermes_handoff_acceptance.py \
  <all required release inputs above> \
  --arm-ephemeral-push \
  --confirm "ARM EPHEMERAL HERMES HANDOFF PUSH" \
  --ephemeral-token acceptance-20260817a \
  --output build/hermes-handoff-acceptance-armed.json
```

Before any runner, network request, or cluster vantage is created, preflight
binds the working directory to the existing linked PR #19 worktree, the exact
feature branch and reviewed local HEAD, the fixed HTTPS Atlas origin, base
`main`, confirmation phrase, and one unique ephemeral ref. The command policy is
then pinned to that exact ref. It allows only its push, one exact draft-create
payload, cleanup of the exactly discovered PR number, and deletion of that ref.

The run reserves at least 300 seconds (up to 6000) for cleanup. It verifies the
pushed SHA, always discovers the PR after create (including ambiguous create
responses), and requires exactly one open draft with the expected base, head ref,
base SHA, and head SHA. Cleanup requires successful PR close, successful branch deletion,
a successful empty `ls-remote`, and a strict re-read of the same closed PR.
Malformed or partial cleanup is `FAIL`; it is never inferred from an error.

Force, force-with-lease, fan-out, protected refs, other repositories, other PR
numbers, arbitrary PATCH payloads, and repository administration remain denied.

## Dependency, merge, and conflict graph

Authoritative snapshot observed 2026-08-17 after refreshing Gitea and Git against
remote `main` `d8f2d818b9a552ea6c2d7fe86554be829bd5ffff`:

| PR | Head SHA | Draft | Base | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| #12 | `465d386da5237f011cb408f1a3d4b7d0c6d8ffae` | no | `main` | AI usage exporter repair |
| #14 | `8c6e3acdacb223f68b1716f0a74bd543e18890e6` | yes | `main` | bounded forge client and least-privilege RBAC |
| #15 | `73fefbb5d92ef07371a9a997f22d848acd2d06ed` | yes | `main` | result-decomposition reliability |
| #16 | `e8c26ecf85a0c802d378fffffb98b7df43b78242` | no | `main` | unprivileged image builder |
| #17 | `48cbe13ee50ce3fcb07cea3fe8d088cfed349e0c` | yes | `main` | three-lane placement |
| #18 | `20002527512235b29054f3636b02418168373009` | yes | `main` | distributed three-worker pool |
| #19 | `8f005458282269ba5c07941814e4237f5d4cf3ac` | yes | `main` | reviewed blocked head; this repair replaces it on the same branch |
| #20 | `a242dcc786576ae1a18000cb4941836ff610dff2` | yes | `main` | CLI process-group reaping |

The repaired #19 SHA cannot be embedded in its own commit without changing that
SHA. Resolve it from Gitea after push and require it as `--reviewed-head-sha`;
the PR handoff records the exact value. All eight snapshot heads merge cleanly
with the snapshot `main` individually. Pairwise `git merge-tree --write-tree`
found conflicts only for: #12+#17, #14+#15, #14+#16, #14+#17, #14+#20,
#15+#16, #15+#17, #16+#20, and #17+#20. Gitea's `mergeable=false` on a draft is
not treated as conflict evidence.

Use this dependency order, refreshing every head and re-running merge-tree at
each step:

1. #14 first so the release never restores or prolongs cluster-admin authority.
2. #16, then #15, resolving their Dockerfile and quality-contract changes
   additively. Never take one PR's quality contract wholesale.
3. #20 after #15; it depends on the CLI lifecycle work and must be rebased across
   the current #14/#16 contract and helper changes.
4. #12 before #17, resolving their Deployment overlap once.
5. #17, then #18, after the authority, image, reliability, and reaping work.
6. #19 last as the integration/acceptance change, only after #12/#14-#18/#20 are
   merged and their exact supplied heads are ancestors of refreshed `main`.

#19 overlaps `testing/quality_contract.json` with #14/#15/#16,
`testing/quality_coverage.py` and its helper tests with #14,
`test_hermes_auto_router.py` with #18, and existing Kustomize content with
#12/#17/#18. Preserve branch coverage, every tracked module, fixture isolation,
and all desired-state changes during conflict resolution.

The #16/#19 integration must keep both the immutable digest and the source tag
(`newTag: git-<main-SHA>-build-<n>` plus the digest) in rendered image identity.
Digest-only rendering loses the attested build-source link and therefore
correctly remains `NO_GO` under the exact-lineage evaluator.

## Safe rollback guidance

Every rollback is a reviewed forward fix or selective Git revert followed by
the normal Flux workflow. Never restore `hermes-agent-cluster-admin`, even when
reverting unrelated portions of #14. If a rollback would widen RBAC, stop and
write a forward least-privilege fix instead.

Reverting #18 removes the StatefulSet desired state, but its
`volumeClaimTemplates` PVCs are retained by the Kubernetes default because no
delete retention policy is set. Do not claim Flux pruning deletes those PVCs.
Any PVC deletion is a separate, explicit, human-reviewed data-destruction task
with exact targets and recovery implications.

Image rollback means a reviewed commit restoring a previously attested digest;
never retag an immutable image. Do not use direct `kubectl` edits as a durable
rollback.

## Quality and release evidence

The canonical quality contract explicitly manages, lints, and tracks all 15
`scripts/ops/hermes_handoff_*.py` modules. It enforces at least 95% line and
branch coverage per tracked file and the 500-physical-line source cap. Contract
tests derive the module set so a future file cannot silently escape the gate.
Four pre-existing over-cap test files are temporarily locked to their exact
line count and SHA-256; any byte edit invalidates the exception and must split
the file below 500 lines. PR #14 supplies the intended additive test splits.

```sh
python3 -m testing.quality_gate --profile local --build-dir build
python3 -m testing.quality_handoff_mutation
python3 -m ruff check --select F,B,SIM,C4,UP --ignore B017,UP015,UP035 \
  scripts/ops/hermes_handoff_*.py testing/quality_*.py testing/tests/test_hermes_handoff_*.py
python3 -m ruff format --check \
  scripts/ops/hermes_handoff_*.py testing/quality_*.py testing/tests/test_hermes_handoff_*.py
python3 -m compileall -q scripts/ops testing
kustomize build services/hermes | kubectl apply --dry-run=client --validate=false -f -
git diff --check origin/main...HEAD
```

The deterministic mutation gate must kill every policy, redaction, verdict,
numeric, truncation, and cleanup mutant. The adversarial suite includes large
concurrent stdout/stderr, malformed JSON and bytes, zero state, partial failure,
absolute timeout, descendant-held pipes, malformed cleanup, ambiguous creates,
and no-subprocess/no-mutation spies. Render/client dry-run, exact conflict checks,
and bounded diff/full-tree secret scans must also pass.

The provider-health and Gitea-token-sensitive tests use hermetic fixtures. Their
result must be identical whether synthetic runtime files exist or are absent;
tests must never read the mounted production token.

## Release decision

The handoff remains `NO_GO` until all dependency heads are merged, the exact
lineage check passes from an external operator, both default and armed reports
are complete, the branch and PR cleanup is verified, the canonical and
adversarial gates are green, and a human has reviewed PR #19 plus the artifacts.
The harness never merges, deploys, reconciles, publishes, or approves anything.