Diff Guard

Protect the repository from code bloat, unsolicited refactoring, and excessive diff churn. Diff Guard must be respected on every single code modification.

Invariant Rules

1. Surgical Edits Only:
   • Change strictly the lines directly related to the active task chunk.
   • Use targeted edit tools (e.g., replacement blocks, line-based sed/edits, or AST modifiers).
   • Never print or rewrite an entire 300-line file to adjust a 4-line function.
2. Zero Slop:
   • Do NOT add decorative or obvious comments (e.g., // Constructor, // Returns the id).
   • Do NOT insert unrequested helper functions, hypothetical abstractions, or premature utility layers.
   • Do NOT update adjacent code formatting, variable renames, or style preferences outside the task scope.
   • Do NOT add unsolicited dependencies or packages unless explicitly specified in TASKS.md.
3. Preserve Existing Structure:
   • Keep existing variable naming conventions, export patterns, and indentation intact.
   • Preserve existing comments, licenses, and docstrings untouched.

Pre-Completion Verification Check

Before signaling that an edit or chunk is ready for review:

1. Inspect Git Diff:
   • Review git diff --stat and the exact line diffs.
2. Diff Size vs. Task Size Evaluation:
   • Compare the diff footprint against the single task objective in TASKS.md.
   • If a 10-line logic fix resulted in a 150-line diff, identify what was rewritten unnecessarily.
3. Surgical Reversion:
   • Immediately revert any changes that do not directly contribute to fulfilling the task chunk.
   • Strip out extraneous files, debug logging statements, or test scaffolding created solely for ad-hoc manual verification.