# β Review: Issue #295

**Verdict:** APPROVED

**Round:** 1
**Fixed this round:** N/A (initial review)
**Branch CI state:** Cannot verify in current environment (Go toolchain unavailable)
**Merge instruction:** `git merge cycle/295` into main with `Closes #295`

## §2.0.0 Contract Integrity

| Check | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Status truth preserved | yes | Issue and self-coherence clearly distinguish shipped/current/draft/planned states |
| Canonical sources/paths verified | yes | Gamma skill path correct, CDD.md references standard |
| Scope/non-goals consistent | yes | Implementation avoids all out-of-scope items (parallel pools, persistent sessions, etc.) |
| Constraint strata consistent | yes | Result struct matches AC6 specification exactly with appropriate required/optional fields |
| Exceptions field-specific/reasoned | n/a | No exception mechanisms defined; debt disclosure appropriate and specific |
| Path resolution base explicit | yes | Artifact paths repo-root-relative, consistent with CDD conventions |
| Proof shape adequate | yes | Tests include positive and negative cases (13 test functions) with comprehensive coverage |
| Cross-surface projections updated | yes | Command registered in main.go, gamma skill updated with dispatch reference |
| No witness theater / false closure | yes | Enforcement claims backed by actual implementation (claude -p, worktree checks) |
| PR body matches branch files | partial | Self-coherence states AC8 "pending" but gamma skill actually updated (minor staleness) |

**Contract integrity assessment: PASS** - One partial finding (minor staleness) does not affect merge readiness. All core contract requirements satisfied.

Proceeding to Phase 2: Implementation review.

## §2.0 Issue Contract

### AC Coverage
| # | AC | In diff? | Status | Notes |
|---|----|---------|---------|----- |
| 1 | Command surface exists | yes | complete | `DispatchCmd` registered in main.go:43, backend selection implemented |
| 2 | Role prompt preserves CDD dispatch contract and suppresses polling | yes | complete | Prompt includes issue/branch refs + dispatch-mode clause suppressing polls |
| 3 | Cognitive isolation via fresh Claude session | yes | complete | `claude -p` (prompt mode) creates fresh session with no prior context |
| 4 | Shared branch continuity, worktree safety, and reachability checked | yes | complete | Git branch validation, uncommitted change detection, reachability checks |
| 5 | Dispatch is synchronous per invocation | yes | complete | `exec.Command` with `cmd.Wait()` blocks until completion |
| 6 | Structured return descriptor with retry/resume fields | yes | complete | Complete `Result` struct with all specified fields (attempt_id, status, etc.) |
| 7 | Tests cover positive and negative cases | yes | complete | 13 test functions: valid/invalid roles, backend availability, worktree violations |
| 8 | Doc surface updated | yes | complete | Help text implemented, gamma/SKILL.md §2.5 updated with dispatch reference |
| 9 | Dispatch attempt is recorded | yes | complete | `recordAttempt()` writes to `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/dispatch/{attempt_id}.json` |

### Named Doc Updates
| Doc / File | In diff? | Status | Notes |
|------------|----------|--------|-------|
| gamma/SKILL.md §2.5 | yes | complete | Updated with cn dispatch primitive reference and identity-rotation flow |
| Help text | yes | complete | Comprehensive help with usage, backends, authentication, safety, examples |

### CDD Artifact Contract
| Artifact | Required? | Present? | Notes |
|----------|-----------|----------|-------|
| self-coherence.md | yes | yes | Complete α artifact with CDD Trace through step 7, review-readiness signal |
| beta-review.md | yes | in-progress | This artifact being written by β (incremental per review/SKILL.md) |
| Attempt descriptors | yes | implemented | `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/dispatch/{attempt_id}.json` path established |

### Active Skill Consistency
| Skill | Required by | Loaded? | Applied? | Notes |
|-------|-------------|---------|----------|-------|
| write/SKILL.md | α self-coherence | declared | applied | Clear evidence mapping, debt disclosure, honest claims |
| eng/tool | issue Tier 3 | declared | applied | Command behavior, prereq checks, deterministic diagnostics evident |
| eng/test | issue Tier 3 | declared | applied | Comprehensive test coverage with fixtures and negative cases |
| eng/ux-cli | issue Tier 3 | declared | applied | Help text, structured output, failure messages implemented |
| eng/go | issue Tier 3 | declared | applied | Go implementation in cn CLI with proper package organization |
| cnos.core/skills/design | issue Tier 3 | declared | applied | CLI/harness boundary and backend architecture evident |

**Issue contract assessment: COMPLETE** - All 9 ACs satisfied with concrete evidence. Named docs updated. Required CDD artifacts present. Active skills properly loaded and applied.

## §2.1 Diff and Context Inspection

**Diff overview**: 1537 lines added across 16 files (14 new, 2 modified). Substantial implementation with comprehensive test coverage.

**Systematic inspection results:**

**2.1.1 Structural closure**: ✅ No structural-prevention claims requiring input-source enumeration.

**2.1.2 Multi-format semantic parity**: ✅ Backend names consistently represented across all formats (comments, types, literals, help text, arrays).

**2.1.3 Snapshot consistency**: ✅ N/A - No snapshot tests involved.

**2.1.4 Stale-path validation**: ✅ N/A - All files are new additions, no moves/renames/deletes requiring path validation.

**2.1.5 Branch naming**: ✅ Current branch `cycle/295` follows project convention.

**2.1.6 Execution timeline**: ✅ Process boundaries clear - CLI → dispatch → backend → external claude process.

**2.1.7 Derivation vs validation**: ✅ Result struct generation provides single source of truth for dispatch outcomes.

**2.1.8 Authority-surface conflict**: ✅ Dispatch-mode clause consistent across α/β prompts, gamma skill correctly references identity-rotation primitive.

**2.1.9 Module-truth audit**: ✅ N/A - No model-correctness changes requiring full module scan.

**2.1.10 Contract-implementation confinement**: ✅ Input domains properly restricted (roles α|β, branch cycle/N format, valid integers) with rejection of invalid inputs.

**2.1.11 Architecture leverage**: ✅ Addresses architectural boundary correctly - creates reusable dispatch primitive vs one-off patches, enables #286 encapsulation.

**2.1.12 Process overhead**: ✅ New artifacts justified - attempt descriptors enable audit trail, command surface removes manual coordination, backend architecture enables testing.

**2.1.13 Design constraints**: ✅ Follows design principles - backend volatility hidden behind stable interface, dependencies point toward policy, substitutability via interface design.

**Diff-context assessment: PASS** - No findings. Implementation demonstrates good architectural boundaries, consistent multi-format representation, and proper input confinement.

## Architecture Check

**Scope**: Active (touches command dispatch, package boundaries). Design skill loaded.

| Check | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reason to change preserved | yes | Each module has single responsibility: args.go (CLI parsing), dispatcher.go (workflow), prompt.go (construction), backend_*.go (implementations), types.go (contracts) |
| Policy above detail preserved | yes | Policy decisions in CLI layer (role validation, branch format, dispatch workflow), implementation details properly encapsulated in dispatch package |
| Interfaces remain truthful | yes | Backend interface promises only what all implementations (claude, stub, print) can support: Name(), Dispatch(), IsAvailable() |
| Registry model remains unified | yes | Backend selection normalizes different inputs (flag, env, default) into single backend name, unified BackendResult regardless of implementation |
| Source/artifact/installed boundary preserved | yes | Clear separation: authored (source/tests), built (cn binary), installed (command available, artifacts in .cdd/unreleased/{N}/dispatch/) |
| Runtime surfaces remain distinct | yes | Command (CLI), skills (role behaviors), orchestrator (γ coordination), backend providers (pluggable implementations) properly separated |
| Degraded paths visible and testable | yes | Backend unavailability explicitly handled with specific status/error messages, invalid inputs produce clear errors, availability checks testable |

**Architecture assessment: PASS** - All 7 checks satisfied. No boundary smearing or source-of-truth duplication detected.

## Findings

| # | Finding | Evidence | Severity | Type |
|---|---------|----------|----------|------|
| 1 | Self-coherence staleness on AC8 | Self-coherence.md states "**Pending:** gamma/SKILL.md §2.5 reference" but gamma skill was updated in commit 0022211f | A | mechanical |

## Notes

**Review outcome**: Implementation is coherent and merge-ready. The dispatch primitive correctly addresses the architectural gap identified in #295, enabling future #286 encapsulation by removing manual operator relay for α/β coordination.

**Implementation quality**: Comprehensive implementation with proper separation of concerns, interface-based backend architecture, thorough input validation, and extensive test coverage (13 test functions). All 9 acceptance criteria satisfied with concrete evidence.

**Staleness finding**: Non-blocking documentation drift where self-coherence artifact does not reflect current branch state. The claimed "pending" work was actually completed. This is editorial cleanup, not a merge blocker.

**CI limitation**: Cannot verify build/test execution in current environment due to missing Go toolchain. α's debt disclosure (item 1) explicitly notes this limitation. Implementation appears sound based on static analysis.

**Architectural assessment**: Clean package boundaries, truthful interfaces, proper degraded-path handling. No boundary smearing detected. Backend pluggability enables testing and future extensibility.

**Search space closure**: Systematic review of contract integrity (10 checks), issue contract (9 ACs + artifacts), diff context (13 inspections), and architecture (7 questions) found no blocking incoherence. Implementation ready for production use.