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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 ​

The pre-commit hook covers the drift-critical invariants on every commit, but a hotfix needs its scoped graph check to be explicit. 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