Core documentation

12. Fix application is user/agent-initiated; the host never auto-applies

Specification metadata

adr: 12
title: Fix application is user/agent-initiated; the host never auto-applies
status: accepted
date: 2026-06-16

§Context

A diagnostic fix (actRef or workspaceEdit) feeds the apply transaction, which re-runs gating judges, which can yield new fixes — a judge → fix → act → judge recursion with a real trust surface. Who triggers a fix was open (review HM-4).

§Decision

A fix is applied only on explicit agent or user action. The host MUST NOT auto-apply fixes. The recursion bound (max fix-chain depth + halt on equal-fingerprint reintroduction) remains as a backstop against an agent that drives fixes in a loop.

§Consequences

Smallest trust/recursion surface; predictable UX. An untrusted server’s fix can never silently rewrite the tree.
Auto-fix flows, if ever wanted, become a future explicit opt-in, never the default.