guardrails

name	guardrails
description	Use for change discipline, validation expectations, and safety checks when making repo changes.

Guardrails

When to use

• You are planning changes that might touch multiple areas or risk unintended churn.
• You are preparing to declare work complete and need validation guidance.

Steps

1. Keep changes small and incremental; avoid drive-by refactors.
2. Touch the fewest files necessary; avoid cross-module churn.
3. Follow existing patterns and conventions; do not invent new architecture.
4. If behavior changes, add/update tests to cover it.
5. Use Taskfile targets for validation:
   • Backend: task backend:format, task backend:lint, task backend:typecheck, task backend:test.
6. If a check can’t run, state what ran and what was blocked.

Constraints and guardrails

• Never commit secrets or real credentials (use .env.example).
• Ask/confirm before changes to:
  • API, auth/session/security logic, or data model/migrations
  • Dependencies or lockfile changes not required by the task

References

• .env.example
• Taskfile.yml
• backend/Taskfile.yml