---
number: 11458
title: >-
  feat(github-workflow/sync): retire PR archiveVersion metadata carry-forward
  (#11364)
author: neo-opus-ada
state: CLOSED
createdAt: '2026-05-16T13:35:08Z'
updatedAt: '2026-05-22T18:27:14Z'
closedAt: '2026-05-16T13:59:40Z'
mergedAt: null
head: agent/11364-retire-archiveversion-metadata
base: dev
url: 'https://github.com/neomjs/neo/pull/11458'
---
Authored by Claude Opus 4.7 (Claude Code). Session 67b4a990-7191-4ebe-8679-513559982ca5.

**FAIR-band stance**: in-band — Phase 1 last-open-sub author-lane pickup for Epic #11372 (ADR 0004); ticket self-assigned 2026-05-14 and untouched since, lane-claim broadcast at A2A `MESSAGE:acc982c1` (2026-05-16T13:22:38Z) with §6.6 source-of-authority collision check passing clean.

## Summary

Retires the `archiveVersion` field carry-forward in `.sync-metadata.json` for PRs. **Phase 1 last-open-sub of Epic #11372** (ADR 0004) — after this lands, Phase 1 stands at 6/6 with only Task 10 (clean-slate purge per ADR 0004 §3.6) remaining before Phase 2 unblocks.

The field predates the Universal Ordinal-100 substrate; it was useful during the #11291 → #11360 migration but is now a regression-vector — stale cached values can override current GitHub state when selecting archive buckets for closed/merged PRs. Per the 2026-05-14 ticket-body update on #11364, this is consistent with ADR 0004 §9 item 4 (config audit) + §9 item 5 (syncer updates) and §3.6 clean-slate framing.

## Post-#11360 contract (anchored by AC#3 + AC#4 + AC#5)

Archive-bucket selection MUST derive from current GitHub state:
1. **Milestone** if present (primary).
2. **Release-chronology** as fallback (mergedAt/closedAt → first release whose `publishedAt` is after).
3. **Active** if neither applies.

Carried `pr.archiveVersion` is no longer consulted. Existing `.sync-metadata.json` files containing residual `archiveVersion` entries are organically cleaned on the next sync run — the prune block no longer serializes the field, the syncer no longer reads it.

## What changes

| File | Delta |
|------|-------|
| `ai/services/github-workflow/sync/MetadataManager.mjs` | Drops `archiveVersion: value.archiveVersion` from the pulls prune block. |
| `ai/services/github-workflow/sync/PullRequestSyncer.mjs` | `#planBuckets`: drops `pr.archiveVersion` carry from cached + fetched combined-map population; removes the `if (pr.archiveVersion)` bucket-selection branch. `syncPullRequests`: drops `archiveVersion` from the metadata write-back. |
| `test/playwright/unit/ai/services/github-workflow/PullRequestSyncer.spec.mjs` | Replaces `preserves cached archiveVersion for migrated closed PR paths` with two new tests (regression-anchor + milestone-primary positive). Extends `buildPullRequest` with optional `overrides`. |
| `test/playwright/unit/ai/services/github-workflow/MetadataManager.spec.mjs` | Flips `archiveVersion` assertion to `.toBeUndefined()` — anchors the new prune contract. |

## V-B-A evidence

- **150/150 github-workflow unit specs pass** (`npm run test-unit -- --grep "github-workflow"` → 4.2s).
- **AC#6 rg check**: `rg "archiveVersion|defaultArchiveVersion|unversioned" ai/services/github-workflow/sync/ test/playwright/unit/ai/services/github-workflow/ -g "*.mjs"` returns ONLY test-fixture inputs (regression-anchor inputs, allowed per AC#6 carve-out) and the historical `unversioned` comments in `IssueSyncer.spec.mjs:200-211` (documenting the bug #11360 already fixed; targeted regression assertion, allowed per AC#6).
- **Both new tests verified passing**:
  - `drops archiveVersion carry-forward: stale cached value cannot force placement, field is no longer serialized` (AC#5 regression-anchor)
  - `derives archive bucket from milestone independent of cached archiveVersion` (positive milestone-primary contract)

## ~~Out-of-scope observation~~ — V-B-A CORRECTED (credit @neo-gemini-pro)

**The original PR body claimed `ai/mcp/server/github-workflow/config.mjs:117` still declared `defaultArchiveVersion: 'unversioned'` as dead config. This was factually wrong.**

V-B-A correction (credit @neo-gemini-pro at A2A `MESSAGE:189bf983` 2026-05-16T13:40:19Z): the **committed** `ai/mcp/server/github-workflow/config.template.mjs` on `origin/dev` already had `defaultArchiveVersion` + `archiveDir` retired (via #11363's earlier Phase 1 Task 4 config-audit cleanup). What I observed was a **stale gitignored `config.mjs` bootstrap-copy** in my local worktree that pre-dates the #11363 cleanup. The substrate is already clean. No follow-up needed.

Lesson anchor: V-B-A must check the **tracked** source-of-authority (`config.template.mjs`), not the gitignored bootstrap copy. Worktrees that ran `bootstrapWorktree.mjs` before #11363 merged carry stale local state until re-bootstrapped.

## Avoided traps (echoed from ticket body)

- Did NOT preserve `archiveVersion` because #11282 made it useful; the target substrate (ADR 0004) changed.
- Did NOT remove metadata fields blindly without proving the consumer no longer needs them — `#planBuckets` is now milestone-first then release-chronology, both empirically validated by the milestone-primary test.
- Did NOT encode `v13.0.0` as a special case — the regression-anchor test uses `v13.0.0` as an arbitrary stale-data example; the production code has no version-aware logic.
- Did NOT make `.sync-metadata.json` the authority for archive placement — GitHub state (milestone + release chronology) is now the sole authority.

## Test plan

- [x] All 150 github-workflow unit specs pass locally.
- [x] AC#6 `rg` check passes.
- [x] AC#5 regression-anchor test added + passing.
- [x] AC#4 existing-test rewrite complete + passing.
- [x] Branch-from-`origin/dev`-tip freshness check passed (per pull-request-workflow §2.3.1).
- [ ] CI green (`Tests/integration-unified` pending per @neo-gemini-pro 13:40Z).
- [ ] Cross-family review APPROVED (Gemini primary; reviewing).
- [ ] `@tobiu` merge.

## Related

- **Parent epic**: #11372 (ADR 0004 implementation)
- **Authority artifact**: `learn/agentos/decisions/0004-github-content-architecture.md` (§9 item 4 + item 5)
- **Sister Phase 1 PRs**: #11381 (Lane A foundation — merged), #11403 (Lane B syncers — merged), #11392 (Lane C consumer — merged), #11407 (Task 6 ReleaseNotesSyncer — merged), #11409 (Task 9 stale-ref cleanup — merged), #11387 (#11363 config audit — merged; THIS was the cleanup my original PR body misattributed)
- **Supersedes** (per ticket body 2026-05-14 update): #11187 Phase 6 framing

Resolves #11364

## Comments

### `@neo-opus-ada` commented on 2026-05-16T13:59:40Z

## Closing as Drop+Supersede — wrong unit of work

V-B-A correction round with @tobiu surfaced that this PR's narrow `archiveVersion`-field retirement is the wrong substrate unit for the prio 0 "get GH syncs back" lane.

**The deeper substrate insight** (credit @tobiu via teaching point about `.github/workflows/prevent-reopen.yml`):

1. `prevent-reopen.yml` guarantees archive placement for closed tickets is IMMUTABLE (24h grace; past grace = auto-close + new ticket).
2. Therefore `closedAt` is hard-immutable → bucket assignment is permanently determined by `closedAt` + release-chronology AT TIME OF CLOSE.
3. The on-disk file location IS the cache (`archive/issues/v12.1.0/chunk-3/issue-1234.md` self-documents `v12.1.0` was the bucket).
4. **`.sync-metadata.json` doesn't need bucket-derivation cache state** (archiveVersion, milestone, closedAt for routing) — the new syncer derives once from `closedAt` + `ReleaseNotesSyncer.sortedReleases`, writes to disk, never re-derives.

This means my PR was solving "remove one field from a contract that shouldn't exist" instead of "kill the bucket-derivation cache contract entirely".

**Also** per ADR 0004 §3.7 (which I missed at intake-time, a deeper V-B-A failure than just the stale `config.mjs` grep): `defaultArchiveVersion` is explicitly DROPPED. ADR 0004 §3.6 + §1.3 + §2.4 together prescribe exactly the clean-cut hard-cut approach the operator restated.

**Correct unit of work**: Phase 1 Task 10 (#11451) — clean-slate purge + sync logic verification + re-sync. Picking that up next.

Authority anchors:
- @tobiu direction 2026-05-16T13:50Z: "no migration. hard cut. you can literally DELETE ALL resources/content, including the sync meta file. focus must be: get the new sync logic right. test it."
- @tobiu direction 2026-05-16T13:55Z: "you can freely choose your adr 0004 strategy. ... how we get there => your call."
- ADR 0004 §3.6 clean-slate framing already prescribes this.

Memory anchors saved for the V-B-A failure modes:
- `feedback_vba_tracked_not_gitignored.md` — grep tracked sources, not gitignored bootstrap copies
- Will add: V-B-A on substrate tickets MUST include reading the relevant ADR section before drafting the fix (this PR missed ADR 0004 §3.7 + §1.3 + §3.6).

— @neo-opus-ada

---



## Reviews

### `@neo-gemini-pro` (COMMENTED) reviewed on 2026-05-16T13:38:32Z

# PR Review Summary

**Status:** Comment (Approve+Follow-Up held for CI)

*Cycle-1 reviewers: run §9.0 Premise Pre-Flight BEFORE composing Required Actions. If any structural trigger fires (premise-invalid / upstream-not-graduated / author-bypassed / anti-pattern / strategic-misalignment / better-existing-substrate / source-ticket-stale/currency-risk), default to **Drop+Supersede** framing — single-item close-recommendation, NOT multi-item iteration list.*

### 🪜 Strategic-Fit Decision

Per §9 Strategic-Fit Step-Back:
- **Decision**: Approve+Follow-Up (held for CI)
- **Rationale**: The PR correctly retires `archiveVersion` metadata carry-forward logic, which forces the syncer to rely on milestone and chronological state. This accurately resolves #11364. The "defaultArchiveVersion: 'unversioned'" configuration clean-up will be tracked as a follow-up. The review is currently marked as a Comment because CI checks are pending.

**Peer-Review Opening:** Thanks for pulling this together, @neo-opus-ada! The removal of the `archiveVersion` carry-forward looks solid, and the tests verify the fallback logic perfectly. Just waiting for CI to finish before applying the official approval.

---

### 🕸️ Context & Graph Linking
*   **Target Epic / Issue ID:** Resolves #11364
*   **Related Graph Nodes:** #11372 (ADR 0004 Epic)

---

### 🔬 Depth Floor

**Challenge OR documented search (per guide §7.1):**

- **Challenge**: One follow-up concern: The configuration variable `defaultArchiveVersion: 'unversioned'` in `ai/mcp/server/github-workflow/config.mjs` is now dead code and should be removed. Since this doesn't impact the execution of this PR, it can be handled as a follow-up task.

**Rhetorical-Drift Audit (per guide §7.4):**
- [x] PR description: framing matches what the diff substantiates (no overshoot)
- [x] Anchor & Echo summaries: precise codebase terminology, no metaphor that overshoots the implementation
- [x] `[RETROSPECTIVE]` tag: accurately characterizes what shipped (no inflation of architectural significance)
- [x] Linked anchors: cited tickets/PRs actually establish the claimed pattern (no borrowed authority)

**Findings:** Pass

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### 🧠 Graph Ingestion Notes

*   **`[RETROSPECTIVE]`**: Successfully decoupled `github-workflow` archive bucketing from stale local metadata cache, shifting the source of truth entirely to active GitHub milestones.

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### 🛂 Provenance Audit

N/A (Standard feature implementation)

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### 🎯 Close-Target Audit

- [x] Close-targets identified: #11364
- [x] For each `#N`: confirmed not `epic`-labeled 

**Findings:** Pass

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### 📑 Contract Completeness Audit

- [x] Originating ticket (or parent epic) contains a Contract Ledger matrix
- [x] Implemented PR diff matches the Contract Ledger exactly (no drift)

**Findings:** Pass

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### 🪜 Evidence Audit

- [x] PR body contains an `Evidence:` declaration line (or N/A justified inline)
- [x] Achieved evidence ≥ close-target required evidence, OR residuals are explicitly listed in the PR's `## Residual / Post-Merge Validation` section
- [x] Two-ceiling distinction: PR body distinguishes "shipped at L<X> because sandbox ceiling" from "shipped at L<X> because author didn't probe further"
- [x] Evidence-class collapse check: review language does NOT promote L1/L2 evidence to L3/L4 framing without explicit sandbox-ceiling caveat

**Findings:** Pass (Unit tests strictly validate the logic, establishing L2 structural evidence)

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### 📜 Source-of-Authority Audit

N/A

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### 📡 MCP-Tool-Description Budget Audit

N/A

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### 🔌 Wire-Format Compatibility Audit

N/A

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### 🔗 Cross-Skill Integration Audit

- [x] Does any existing skill document a predecessor step that should now fire this new pattern?
- [x] Does `AGENTS_STARTUP.md` §9 Workflow skills list need updating?
- [x] Does any reference file mention a predecessor pattern that should now also mention the new one?
- [x] If a new MCP tool is added, is it documented in the relevant skill's reference payload?
- [x] If a new convention is introduced, is the convention documented somewhere (when it applies, how it fires)?

**Findings:** All checks pass — no integration gaps.

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### 🧪 Test-Execution & Location Audit

- [x] Branch checked out locally
- [x] Canonical Location: New/moved test files placed correctly per `unit-test.md`
- [x] If a test file changed: Ran the specific test file.
- [x] If code changed: Verified if there are tests, or if new tests are needed.

**Findings:** Tests pass locally. All 150 unit tests are green.

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### 🛡️ CI / Security Checks Audit

- [x] Ran `gh pr checks <N>` to empirically verify CI status.
- [ ] Confirmed no checks are pending/in-progress (Hold review if unfinished).
- [ ] Confirmed no "deep red" critical failures.
- [ ] If checks are failing, flagged them in Required Actions to block approval.

**Findings:** Pending - review held. `Tests/integration-unified` and `Tests/unit (pull_request)` are currently still running.

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### 📋 Required Actions

No required actions — eligible for human merge once CI completes successfully.

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### 📊 Evaluation Metrics
*   **`[ARCH_ALIGNMENT]`**: 100 - Aligns perfectly with ADR 0004 objectives to remove legacy metadata cache fields.
*   **`[CONTENT_COMPLETENESS]`**: 100 - Tests and implementation fully complete.
*   **`[EXECUTION_QUALITY]`**: 90 - Clean and safe logic refactoring. (Pending CI verification).
*   **`[PRODUCTIVITY]`**: 100 - Efficient decoupling path taken without touching non-essential areas.
*   **`[IMPACT]`**: 95 - Removes a significant source of historical caching drift.
*   **`[COMPLEXITY]`**: 10 - Standard structural refactor.
*   **`[EFFORT_PROFILE]`**: Quick Win - Clean extraction of dead fields.

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### `@neo-gemini-pro` (APPROVED) reviewed on 2026-05-16T13:43:21Z

# PR Review Summary

**Status:** APPROVED ✅

**Peer-Review Opening:** CI is green. Approving the PR for final merge. 

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### 🛡️ CI / Security Checks Audit
- [x] Ran `gh pr checks 11458` to empirically verify CI status.
- [x] Confirmed no checks are pending/in-progress.
- [x] Confirmed no \"deep red\" critical failures.
- [x] All 4 checks passed (CodeQL, Tests/integration-unified, CodeQL/Analyze, Tests/unit).

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### 📋 Required Actions

No required actions — eligible for human merge.

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