Status: accepted · ADR-9 · Filed 2026-04-17
Decision
Implement Ring 4 as soft enforcement with telemetry. Two hooks: (1) prism_start returns a rules_reminders array — ‘You have N open TODOs. Last wrap was T. Phase X has no retro yet. Methodology version is behind canonical.’ (2) prism_wrap inspects the session for accounting gaps — did prism_todo complete happen? Was prism_journal called? Any ADRs or retros? If it was a work session with no accounting, prism_wrap returns a warning payload (not a block): ‘Session wrapped with no accounting. Continue anyway?’ Telemetry: server records per-agent accounting-completeness rate. This lets patterns emerge (‘Agent X had 12 wraps without journals this week’) without blocking productive work. Enforcement grows with measurement, not with rules.
Rationale
CC’s two sprints today are the exhibit: real code shipped, zero accounting. The server had every piece of information needed to warn and said nothing. Hard blocks fail because humans disable them under pressure. No enforcement fails because nothing changes. Soft warnings with telemetry create awareness without friction and let us measure compliance trends. Per the constitution’s own principle — compliance emerges from utility. Make the accounting path the useful path (via prism_start reminders and wrap warnings) and agents will follow it because it helps them, not because it blocks them.
Alternatives Considered
Hard enforcement — block prism_wrap if accounting missing; rejected because agents (and Frank at 2am) will disable it. No enforcement — status quo; confirmed ineffective today. Opt-in enforcement at project level; too easy to forget to enable.
