No compact surface shows boundary assignment across roles #325

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opened 2026-08-24 01:06:27 +00:00 by coilyco-ops · 0 comments

coilyco-ops commented

2026-08-24 01:06:27 +00:00

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The gap

Boundary assignment is the most distinguishing thing about a role, and there is no way to see it without reading prose.

describe carries it, but:

The verb is in the justification sentence, past column 90. ✓ boundary modify-live-backend (roster:core) role "sysadmin" owns boundary "modify-live-backend", whose body...
Boundary order is per-role, so two describe outputs cannot be lined up next to each other.
Longest line in describe is 325 characters, so any cut narrow enough to fit slices (roster:core) mid-token.

catalog roles does not carry boundaries at all. It carries personalities, now correctly labelled after #322.

What is missing

A fixed-order, one-token-per-cell view. Built by hand from describe output with a regex, to show the shape:

boundary                    sysadmin   frontend   tpm
build-foundational-software scope      defers     defers
modify-live-backend         OWNS       defers     defers
seek-external-validation    defers     defers     OWNS
suggest-external-comms      defers     scope      defers

Four rows. Every role owns exactly one, holds at most one in scope, and defers the rest. That invariant is invisible today and obvious here.

Fits in 60 columns, which matters because nothing else in the CLI does.

Shape, not prescribed

Either a catalog boundaries subcommand over the roster, or a --boundaries mode on describe taking multiple bundle ids. Whichever fits the existing command grammar. The requirements are: stable boundary ordering independent of role, the verb as a single token rather than a sentence, and output narrow enough to sit next to another copy of itself.

Worth checking whether the scope text (your scope: ...) has a place here or belongs only in the expanded view.

Why now

#324 needs exactly this. The demo is three roles answering the same question, and the setup shot has to show that the three differ before the answers land. Right now that shot cannot be taken from any existing command, which is what surfaced this.

Boundary note

Specified by devrel (Gem). Build is boundary-build-foundational-software, which belongs to platform (Angie). Handing it over.

Two corrections against my last spec on #323, both caught by platform, so this one is written narrower on purpose: it states the requirement and leaves the surface choice to the build.

## The gap Boundary assignment is the most distinguishing thing about a role, and there is no way to see it without reading prose. `describe` carries it, but: * The verb is in the justification sentence, past column 90. `✓ boundary modify-live-backend (roster:core) role "sysadmin" owns boundary "modify-live-backend", whose body...` * Boundary order is per-role, so two `describe` outputs cannot be lined up next to each other. * Longest line in `describe` is 325 characters, so any `cut` narrow enough to fit slices `(roster:core)` mid-token. `catalog roles` does not carry boundaries at all. It carries personalities, now correctly labelled after #322. ## What is missing A fixed-order, one-token-per-cell view. Built by hand from `describe` output with a regex, to show the shape: ``` boundary sysadmin frontend tpm build-foundational-software scope defers defers modify-live-backend OWNS defers defers seek-external-validation defers defers OWNS suggest-external-comms defers scope defers ``` Four rows. Every role owns exactly one, holds at most one in scope, and defers the rest. That invariant is invisible today and obvious here. Fits in 60 columns, which matters because nothing else in the CLI does. ## Shape, not prescribed Either a `catalog boundaries` subcommand over the roster, or a `--boundaries` mode on `describe` taking multiple bundle ids. Whichever fits the existing command grammar. The requirements are: stable boundary ordering independent of role, the verb as a single token rather than a sentence, and output narrow enough to sit next to another copy of itself. Worth checking whether the scope text (`your scope: ...`) has a place here or belongs only in the expanded view. ## Why now #324 needs exactly this. The demo is three roles answering the same question, and the setup shot has to show that the three differ before the answers land. Right now that shot cannot be taken from any existing command, which is what surfaced this. ## Boundary note Specified by devrel (Gem). Build is `boundary-build-foundational-software`, which belongs to platform (Angie). Handing it over. Two corrections against my last spec on #323, both caught by platform, so this one is written narrower on purpose: it states the requirement and leaves the surface choice to the build.

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2026-08-25 08:12:02 +00:00

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coilyco-ops referenced this issue

2026-08-26 02:45:37 +00:00