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Hotfix lane ​

Not every bug deserves the full backlog-row-first capture flow. When the fix is obviously local and small, demanding a FIX-Row, detail file, branch, and (in github-sync mode) GitHub issue before the fix runs adds friction without adding visibility. The hotfix lane lets /coding fix immediately and then create the artifacts right after, so the work is still visible in the backlog and on the team board.

Five criteria (all must hold) ​

The hotfix lane is allowed only when all five apply:

  1. The fix touches at most three files.
  2. No new feature, no new dependency.
  3. No breaking change to a public API or interface.
  4. The fix takes under 15 minutes.
  5. An existing FEAT covers the affected functionality, so the FIX has a clear parent to attach to.

If any single criterion fails, fall back to the standard bug-capture flow: write the FIX-Row first, then implement.

The flow ​

When all five criteria hold:

  1. Fix immediately. /coding analyses, fixes, and runs the relevant tests in place. No FIX-Row yet.
  2. Document right after the fix lands locally. Mandatory:
    • Write the BACKLOG row for the FIX (status Ready or In Progress depending on whether the commit already exists, phase Building, Source BUG, Refs the parent FEAT).
    • Create the FIX detail file under _devprocess/requirements/fixes/FIX-{ee}-{ff}-{nn}-{slug}.md.
    • Commit with the canonical message fix: FIX-{ee}-{ff}-{nn} <short description> and the standard Refs: trailer.
    • When mode = "github-sync": create the matching GitHub issue (gh issue create --title "FIX-{ee}-{ff}-{nn}: {slug}" --label "fix,hotfix"), then run python3 tools/github-integration/flow.py sync-status --item FIX-{ee}-{ff}-{nn}.
    • Always (in any mode) close with python3 tools/github-integration/flow.py validate-fix --item FIX-{ee}-{ff}-{nn}.
  3. Acknowledge in chat: list the modified files, the FIX-ID, the issue URL (if created), and the validate-fix verdict.

The hotfix lane does NOT suspend the regression-test cycle (Phase 4b in /coding). If the bug is non-trivial enough to need a regression test, write it; the 15-minute budget includes the test.

Four consistency mechanisms ​

The hotfix lane skips the V-Model phases, but it does not skip consistency. Four mechanisms keep the lane safe:

  1. FIX-Row in BACKLOG.md (mandatory, even retroactively). Every fix gets a row with full id FIX-{ee}-{ff}-{nn}, either before the fix (standard lane) or right after (hotfix lane). The row is the anchor that /consistency-check mode A uses to find and validate the fix.

  2. Commit cites the FIX-id. The commit subject and Refs: trailer both name the FIX, the parent FEAT, and any other affected artifact:

    fix: FIX-05-02-01 button click handler null check

Refs: FIX-05-02-01, FEAT-05-02

    Git history and BACKLOG.md stay synchronized through the cite.

  3. Deferred-stub marker (bidirectional binding). If the fix leaves a temporary stub, /consistency-check mode A enforces the link in both directions:

    • code marker // FIXME(stub): <reason> -- see FIX-05-02-01
    • the FIX row points back at the stub via the Notes column

    A missing pair triggers stub-without-fix-row or fix-without-stub-evidence.

  4. Regression-test cycle (3 runs). Hotfixes still run the Phase 4b cycle: write the test, the test passes, revert the fix, the test fails, restore the fix, the test passes again. The FIX detail file gets a ## Regression test entry that confirms the cycle.

Closing the consistency gap with validate-fix ​

/consistency-check mode A normally fires at the end of every phase. Hotfixes have no phase boundary, so the check has no automatic trigger. To close the gap, the hotfix flow ends with flow.py validate-fix --item FIX-{ee}-{ff}-{nn}. The subcommand performs a hotfix-scoped mode-A check:

  • FIX row exists in BACKLOG.md with the correct id and references the parent FEAT in the Refs column
  • at least one commit on the current branch cites the FIX id in the subject or Refs: trailer
  • no FIXME(stub): referencing this FIX-id is present in the codebase without a matching FIX row
  • in mode = "github-sync": the matching GitHub issue exists

The validate-fix call is part of the hotfix lane's mandatory post-fix steps; it is not optional.

Anti-misuse signal ​

The directions meeting reviews the share of hotfix-lane FIX items per iteration. If hotfixes account for more than 30% of an iteration's work, the lane is being misused as a process bypass and the backlog gets a quality-debt item: either the fixes are larger than the criteria allow (file the IMP), or the codebase needs structural fixes that prevent the recurring small bugs (file the EPIC).

See also ​

  • skills/coding/SKILL.md for the operational steps the agent takes when running the lane
  • Coding guide for the surrounding bug-capture flow and Plan Coverage Gate
  • Verification gates for the regression test 3-run cycle in detail
  • Commands reference for validate-fix