Workflow Gate

Enforcement Modes

The workflow gate runs taste gate run against changed files and returns an exit code based on the enforcement mode:

Mode	Behavior	Exit Code
advisory	Report verdicts, never block	Always 0
warn	Report verdicts, exit 1 only for contradictions	0 or 1
required	Exit 1 for any verdict below mostly_aligned	0 or 1

Gate Policy

Each repo has a gate policy that controls enforcement per artifact type:

taste gate policy-init    # Create default policy
taste gate policy-show    # View current policy

The policy file (.taste/gate-policy.json) maps artifact types to enforcement modes:

{
  "default_mode": "advisory",
  "surfaces": [
    { "artifact_type": "readme", "mode": "required", "globs": ["README.md"] },
    { "artifact_type": "feature_brief", "mode": "warn", "globs": ["docs/briefs/**"] },
    { "artifact_type": "architecture_note", "mode": "required", "globs": ["docs/arch/**"] }
  ]
}

Running the Gate

# Review all changed files (uses git diff)
taste gate run

# Review specific files
taste gate run --files path/to/artifact.md

# In CI
taste gate run || exit 1

The gate detects artifact types automatically and applies the matching policy mode.

Override Receipts

When a required-mode artifact fails but must ship anyway, record an override:

taste gate override --artifact path/to/file.md --reason "Shipping for deadline, will fix in follow-up"

Overrides create a receipt — a permanent record that includes:

• Who overrode
• When
• Why
• The verdict at time of override

taste gate report    # Rollout report including override history

Promotion Doctrine

Repos typically start in advisory mode and promote surfaces to warn then required as canon matures:

1. advisory — Run reviews, build confidence in canon quality
2. warn — Block contradictions, let drift through with warnings
3. required — Full enforcement, overrides needed for exceptions

The promotion queue (in org mode) tracks which surfaces are ready for the next level based on:

• Canon confidence (enough curated statements)
• Review history (consistent verdicts)
• Override rate (low overrides = healthy canon)

Rollout Report

taste gate report --dir /path/to/repo

Shows per-artifact-type breakdown:

• Current enforcement mode
• Review count and verdict distribution
• Override count and rate
• Promotion readiness assessment