update-cert

name	update-cert
description	Refresh facts on an existing certification JSON when an Issue or routine sweep flags that something changed.

update-cert

When to use

• An update-certification Issue arrives.
• A routine sweep (monthly cron or make target) finds a cert with a stale official.fetched_at.
• A reviewer notices a logistics field is wrong (cost changed, exam retired, blueprint refreshed).

Process

1. Locate the file under data/certs/<vendor>/<cert>.json.

2. Re-fetch the official URL with WebFetch. Compare against the JSON, diffing field-by-field:

   • name, abbr, vendor.url
   • logistics.cost_usd, duration_min, questions, languages, renewal_years, ce_required, format
   • prerequisites.experience_years, recommended_certs

   Special attention to recommended_certs[]: this list powers the roadmap UI's arrow overlay (prerequisite arrows from this cert, and inverse-lookup successor arrows on the prereqs themselves). If the vendor adds, removes, or renames a prerequisite, the arrows must follow — update the list explicitly rather than leaving stale entries.

3. Refresh third_party_evaluations[]. For each existing entry, re-fetch to confirm the URL still resolves and the level_hint still matches the evaluator's current page. Add new entries when you find them.

4. Update official.fetched_at to today's date. Add note fields to any factor whose evidence has shifted.

5. Do not rewrite scoring_factors casually. Only change a factor when the underlying evidence has changed. Comment on the diff in the PR description.

6. Track availability changes. If the vendor has paused, retired, or announced a future launch, set the top-level availability field (paused / retired / coming-soon) and a one-line availability_note quoting the vendor's wording. Reset to available (or remove the field) once delivery resumes. The roadmap UI surfaces availability as a card badge and a banner in the detail panel.

7. Reset evaluation freshness. Set evaluation.computed_at = null and evaluation.computed_tier = null so CI's check_evaluations_fresh.py forces a re-run of evaluate-roadmap-3-personas.

8. Update manifest + validate (make manifest, make validate).

9. Open a PR with a description that lists each changed field and links the evidence.

Retired or renamed certs

• If the vendor has retired the cert, set evaluation.computed_tier = null and add a top-level field is not appropriate (the schema does not allow extra fields). Instead: in the PR description, propose moving the file to data/certs-retired/ (a future schema addition) and ask the maintainer.
• If renamed, change name and abbr; keep the file path so URLs in third-party documents still resolve, unless the vendor itself changed.