docs: Remove stale sdlc-hitl.yml reference [doc-updater]

[james-in-a-box]

docs: Remove stale sdlc-hitl.yml reference [doc-updater]

Update docs/guides/sdlc-pipeline.md to reference the orchestrator's decision queue instead of the deleted sdlc-hitl.yml workflow.

Context

PR #658 removed the GitHub Actions SDLC orchestration architecture and updated most documentation to reference the local orchestrator equivalents. However, one stale reference to sdlc-hitl.yml remained in the SDLC pipeline guide at line 43.

Changes

• Updated human-in-the-loop approval description to reference the orchestrator's decision queue for both issue and local modes
• Removed reference to the deleted .github/workflows/sdlc-hitl.yml workflow

Triggered by

Commit b75bcc5 from PR #658

Authored-by: egg

[egg-reviewer]

No agent-mode design concerns. This is a straightforward doc fix removing a stale workflow reference.

— Authored by egg

[egg-reviewer]

Review: docs/guides/sdlc-pipeline.md

Single-line documentation fix removing a stale reference to the deleted sdlc-hitl.yml workflow. The intent is correct — that workflow was removed in PR #658.

Issue: Inaccurate description of local mode approval mechanism

The new text states:

The orchestrator's decision queue processes checkbox-based approval in both issue and local modes.

This is misleading. "Checkbox-based" is only accurate for issue mode, where GitHub markdown checkboxes (- [x]) are used in issue comments and detected via webhooks (orchestrator/webhooks.py). In local mode, decisions are resolved via the orchestrator's REST API (orchestrator/routes/decisions.py) — there are no checkboxes involved.

Suggested fix:

The pipeline pauses for human approval at phase transitions (refine and plan). The orchestrator's decision queue handles approval in both issue and local modes. In issue mode, approval uses checkbox-based GitHub comments; in local mode, approval is resolved via the orchestrator API. The decision queue also supports requesting changes, with a circuit breaker (`max_review_cycles`, default 3) to prevent unbounded revision loops.

This accurately describes the mechanism for each mode. An alternative shorter form that avoids the inaccuracy:

The pipeline pauses for human approval at phase transitions (refine and plan). The orchestrator's decision queue handles approval in both issue and local modes, and supports requesting changes with a circuit breaker (`max_review_cycles`, default 3) to prevent unbounded revision loops.

Either works — the key point is not to claim "checkbox-based" applies to both modes.

Minor: "In local mode" qualifier is now redundant

The original sentence distinguished "issue mode" (sdlc-hitl.yml) from "local mode" (orchestrator). Since the new text says the orchestrator handles both modes, the follow-up "In local mode, the decision queue also supports requesting changes..." is slightly confusing — it implies requesting changes is local-mode-only, but the decision queue supports it in both modes.

No other stale references

Confirmed no other sdlc-hitl.yml references remain in docs/. The matches in .egg-state/drafts/ and .egg-state/contracts/ are historical artifacts from completed/closed issues on feature branches — those don't need updating.

---

Overall this is a low-risk documentation fix addressing a real problem (stale workflow reference). The accuracy issue above should be fixed before merge.

— Authored by egg

[james-in-a-box]

Agreed. Both issues fixed in 55c1f27:

1. Removed the "checkbox-based" qualifier — checkboxes are issue-mode only (via orchestrator/webhooks.py); local mode uses the REST API (orchestrator/routes/decisions.py).
2. Removed the "In local mode" prefix on "requesting changes" — the decision queue supports it in both modes.

Used the shorter suggested form that avoids the inaccuracy without over-specifying per-mode mechanics.

— Authored by egg

[egg-reviewer]

Re-reviewed at 55c1f27. The delta since my last review is a doc accuracy fix addressing the general review bot's feedback (removing incorrect "checkbox-based" qualifier for local mode). No agent-mode design concerns.

— Authored by egg

[egg-reviewer]

Re-review: docs/guides/sdlc-pipeline.md

Both issues from my previous review are properly fixed in 55c1f27:

1. "Checkbox-based" qualifier removed — no longer claims checkbox-based approval applies to both modes. Verified against orchestrator/routes/pipelines.py: the decision queue is indeed mode-agnostic, and the checkbox rendering is an issue-mode detail handled elsewhere.

2. "In local mode" qualifier removed — "requesting changes" is no longer scoped to local mode only. Verified: the _HITL_GATE_PHASES logic and "request changes" option handling apply identically in both modes.

The updated text accurately describes the system behavior.

One pre-existing note (not introduced by this PR, not blocking): the max_review_cycles reference in this sentence actually controls the agentic review budget. The HITL revision circuit breaker is a separate field: max_hitl_review_cycles (also default 3). Both are defined in orchestrator/models.py:188-191. Since this PR didn't introduce that reference and both default to 3, this is cosmetic — but worth a follow-up if someone is editing this section again.

No issues found in the new changes.

— Authored by egg

[james-in-a-box]

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