backlog(B-0113): mechanical CURRENT-staleness check (Deepseek peer review)

docs/BACKLOG.md

@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ are closed (status: closed in frontmatter)._
 - [x] **[B-0106](backlog/P2/B-0106-tsc-noemit-gate-job-for-ts-tools-2026-04-30.md)** Add `tsc --noEmit` gate job for tools/**.ts so type errors fail CI
 - [ ] **[B-0108](backlog/P2/B-0108-immune-system-upgrades-research-absorb-2026-04-30.md)** Immune system upgrades — research absorb (Aaron 2026-04-30)
 - [ ] **[B-0112](backlog/P2/B-0112-stale-2026-04-27-project-file-internals-bleed-out-cleanup-2026-04-30.md)** Stale 2026-04-27 project file internals-bleed-out cleanup
+- [ ] **[B-0113](backlog/P2/B-0113-current-staleness-mechanical-freshness-check-deepseek-2026-04-30.md)** Mechanical CURRENT-staleness check — same-tick-update discipline as enforced rule, not vigilance (Deepseek 2026-04-30)
 
 ## P3 — convenience / deferred
 

docs/backlog/P2/B-0113-current-staleness-mechanical-freshness-check-deepseek-2026-04-30.md

@@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
+---
+id: B-0113
+priority: P2
+status: open
+title: Mechanical CURRENT-staleness check — same-tick-update discipline as enforced rule, not vigilance (Deepseek 2026-04-30)
+tier: factory-hygiene
+effort: S
+ask: Deepseek peer review 2026-04-30 — the same-tick CURRENT-update discipline currently relies on agent memory of whether the rule fired. A 4-day staleness gap on `memory/CURRENT-aaron.md` was caught only because Deepseek flagged it during peer review, not by mechanism. The rule needs a mechanical trigger.
+created: 2026-04-30
+last_updated: 2026-04-30
+composes_with:
+  - PR-934
+  - feedback_otto_341_lint_suppression_is_self_deception_noise_signal_or_underlying_fix_greenfield_large_refactors_welcome_training_data_human_shortcut_bias_2026_04_26.md
+tags: [deepseek-2026-04-30, current-files, mechanism-not-vigilance, freshness-check, factory-hygiene, peer-review-finding]
+---
+
+# B-0113 — Mechanical CURRENT-staleness check
+
+## Source
+
+Deepseek peer review of the 2026-04-30 substrate-landing session
+(forwarded by Aaron 2026-04-30T~PM):
+
+> *"CURRENT-aaron.md is 4 days stale. This is a real gap. The
+> file exists specifically to prevent cold-start agents from
+> needing to read the full memory index. If it's 4 days behind
+> ... a cold-starting agent will make decisions on incomplete
+> context. The same-tick CURRENT-update discipline needs a
+> mechanical trigger, not an agent's memory of whether it
+> remembered. A pre-commit hook that checks the last-modified
+> date of CURRENT-aaron.md against the newest memory file and
+> warns if the gap exceeds 24 hours would close this."*
+
+## Why this matters
+
+CURRENT-*.md files are the **fast-path projection** of
+currently-in-force rules per maintainer. Per CLAUDE.md
+session-bootstrap protocol:
+
+> *"Fast-path on wake: read any `CURRENT-<maintainer>.md`
+> files ... before the raw `feedback_*.md` ... log."*
+
+If CURRENT-aaron.md is stale, cold-starting agents read an
+outdated projection and make decisions on incomplete context.
+The same-tick-CURRENT-update rule (codified in CURRENT-aaron.md
+itself: *"When a new memory updates a rule here, I update this
+file in the same tick. If I don't, this file is lying by
+omission."*) currently depends on the agent's memory of whether
+the rule fired — vigilance, not mechanism.
+
+The 2026-04-30 session caught a 4-day staleness only because
+peer-AI review flagged it. Without that catch, the gap could
+have persisted indefinitely.
+
+## Proposed mechanism
+
+Two design alternatives:
+
+1. **Pre-commit hook** (`tools/hygiene/check-current-freshness.sh`):
+   - For each `CURRENT-<name>.md` file, compute its last-modified
+     date (via `git log -1 --format='%ad' --date=short`).
+   - For each `memory/feedback_*.md` file referencing the same
+     maintainer name (heuristic: filename contains `<name>` or
+     `aaron`/`amara`/`ani`), compute newest-modified date.
+   - If newest feedback file is more than 24 hours newer than
+     the CURRENT file, fail with diagnostic.
+   - Allowlist: explicit override comment in CURRENT file's
+     frontmatter or footer ("staleness-tolerated until <date>")
+     for cases where the staleness is intentional.
+2. **CI lint job** (`.github/workflows/gate.yml` extension):
+   - Same logic as hook but runs in CI, not pre-commit.
+   - Trade-off: catches at PR time vs commit time. CI is less
+     aggressive (allows local commits that are stale, fails the
+     PR).
+
+Hook is more aggressive (block commit); CI is less aggressive
+(allow commit, block merge). Either is mechanism-not-vigilance.
+
+The 24-hour threshold is a starting point — could be tighter
+(12 hours) for high-velocity rounds or looser (72 hours) for
+low-velocity periods. Deepseek's 24-hour suggestion is a
+reasonable default.
+
+## Composes with
+
+- **Otto-341 lint-suppression discipline** — the rule's response
+  to a stale-CURRENT failure should be "fix the staleness," not
+  "suppress the lint." The hook's diagnostic output should make
+  the fix path obvious.
+- **Otto-363 substrate-or-it-didn't-happen** — the CURRENT file
+  is the substrate projection; staleness is the projection
+  drifting from canonical truth.
+- **PR #934** (worked example) — manual catch via peer review.
+  This row is the structural fix that makes future-PR-934
+  unnecessary (mechanism catches before peer review needs to).
+- **`memory/CURRENT-aaron.md`** §"How this file stays accurate"
+  — the rule itself; this row mechanizes the rule.
+
+## Effort estimate
+
+**S (small)** — under a day. Single bash script (~50-100 lines)
+or single CI job (~20 lines YAML + script). Pattern matches
+existing `tools/hygiene/check-no-conflict-markers.sh` and
+`tools/hygiene/check-tick-history-order.sh` shape.
+
+## What this row does NOT do
+
+- Does NOT auto-update CURRENT files. The fix is still the
+  agent's job; this row only catches the gap mechanically so
+  the agent can't forget.
+- Does NOT replace peer review of CURRENT-file accuracy. Stale
+  by date is mechanical; *correct* by content needs a reader.
+- Does NOT extend to per-user CURRENT files outside the repo
+  (none currently — CURRENT-ani.md is user-scope-only at time
+  of writing).
+
+## Carved sentence
+
+*"Same-tick-CURRENT-update is a rule. Vigilance is the
+implementation. Mechanism is the implementation that doesn't
+forget."*