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PowerFill Phase 6c — Pool-Action Derivation + Tolerance Enforcement

Date: 2026-04-19 Agent: Systems Architect Scope: Verbatim port of psp_powerfill_pool_guide (live NVO 8770-11185, ~2,415 lines) + psp_pfill_insert4_pool_guide (NVO 11713-12480, ~768 lines) into 009_CreatePoolGuideProcedure.sql; integration as Step 5 of PowerFillRunService; A38 RESOLVED (insert4 invoked from inside pool_guide body at NVO 11130 — empirical NVO trace + post-deploy verification); 3 new RunService unit tests (one extended to 5-step lock, two new for pool_guide_count); A52 (pool_guide forward dep on UE-populated pfill_syn_powerfill_guide — pre-UE snapshot framing); A53 (BR-3 spec drift: 9 pool_action values vs spec's 5; spec amended); A54 (DEFERRED Phase-9 carry-over: PS_DemoData snapshot triggers latent legacy ##cte_posting_set_1300 PK violation on multi-pa_key loan/trade pairs).

This entry continues the Phase 6b arc. Read that first for the 515-allocation upstream that 6c builds on.

Why this entry exists​

The Phase 6 sub-phase breakdown estimated 6c at 5-7 days. Actual elapsed time was ~1 Architect-session — same as 6a, 6b, and pre-6b sweep. The arc surfaced one significant carry-over to Phase 9 (A54) and resolved one outstanding plan-stage decision (A38). This entry persists the empirical findings + the Phase 9 carry-over rationale before they fade into commit messages.

Timeline (compressed)​

  1. Session-start checklist — re-read priority docs (CLAUDE.md, AGENTS.md, architect-context, process-discipline, handoff-prompts, breakdown, open-questions, 6b completion, pre-6b sweep, 6a completion, syn-trades deep dive, A1 revised + A38 + A39 + A47 + A50). Verified environment: sentinel phase-6b-multi-pass-ready ✓, baseline POST /run Complete in ~24s with allocated_count: 515, all 4 steps green; HEAD = fc6ef60.
  2. Plan-stage Primary-Source Verification Gate — NVO Grep produced 11 findings across 3 layers:
    • F-6c-1: A39 confirmed (live pool_guide body NVO 8770-11185; dead block 7194-8768 every line //")
    • F-6c-2: A38 disposition empirically resolved — psp_pfill_insert4_pool_guide invoked from inside pool_guide body at NVO 11130 (EXEC psp_pfill_insert4_pool_guide between two pool_guide INSERT blocks). No Alternatives-First decision needed — call site is in proc body text.
    • F-6c-3: pool_guide has NO WITH ENCRYPTION; insert4 HAS it (NVO 11714) — A50 SET preamble required for insert4, applied defensively for whole file
    • F-6c-4: Both procs take 0 parameters (no @ declarations)
    • F-6c-10: Pool-action values present in live body — Vacated/Ineligible/Swapped In/Swapped Out + Switching/Leaving + Eligible curr_status normalization. Spec BR-3 enumerated only 5 of 9 — A53 spec amendment needed.
  3. PS_DemoData state probe — both procs already present (legacy WITH ENCRYPTION versions); pfill_pool_guide 0 rows; pfill_powerfill_guide 515 rows (6b output); pfill_syn_powerfill_guide table present.
  4. Internal plan authored at .cursor/plans/powerfill-phase-6c.plan.md (gitignored, 12-section template).
  5. Reviewable Chunks decision: skip pre-delegation PO checkpoint per kickoff guidance ("at 41% of 6b's transcription size, may favor proceeding without explicit checkpoint"). The pattern is now well-trodden.
  6. SQL transcription delegated — fast subagent per Template 2 (mirror of 6a 006 + 6b 008 protocol). Subagent built one-shot Python helper, walked NVO 8774-11182 (pool_guide) + 11716-12480 (insert4), produced 3,274-line 009_CreatePoolGuideProcedure.sql. All 7 sanity anchors verified, +7912 consistent NVO offset throughout pool_guide block, 0 ~" PB-escape sequences, 0 dead-block (//") lines in transcribed SQL body (the only //" match in the whole file is the descriptive sentence in our header comment). Architect spot-checked 4 sampled regions; all clean.
  7. C# Step 5 extension — added StepPoolGuide constant + RunPoolGuideStepAsync method (~70 LOC) to PowerFillRunService; 1 new field (PoolGuideCount) to RunSummary; 0-parameter EXEC against psp_powerfill_pool_guide; 10-min command timeout (mirrors 6b D8); post-EXEC counter query. Self-implemented per Deliberate Non-Delegation.
  8. Sentinel bumped to phase-6c-pool-actions-ready. Build clean (0 warnings, 0 errors).
  9. Local pssaas-db deploy — clean (different from 008's A49 column-missing failure). Pool_guide's column references are deep enough in CTE bodies that SQL Server's deferred name resolution fully defers them.
  10. PS_DemoData deploy — clean. Both procs present + idempotent re-deploy works.
  11. First PoC attempt — POST /run against PS_DemoData. Steps 1-4 succeed (515 allocations — matches 6b baseline). Step 5 reaches psp_powerfill_pool_guide and EXECs for ~31s before failing with SqlException 2627: Violation of PRIMARY KEY constraint on ##cte_posting_set_1300. Duplicate key (36177868, 3385000026).
  12. Andon-cord pulled — investigated root cause:
    • pfill_powerfill_guide has NO duplicates for the failing pair (single row per (trade_id, loan_id))
    • The duplicate is generated inside the legacy proc's CTE pipeline (between ##cte_posting_set_1200 → ##cte_posting_set_1300)
    • The PK on ##cte_posting_set_1300 is (trade_id, loan_id) — 2 columns (NVO 9889-9919)
    • The very next CTE ##cte_posting_set_1400 has PRIMARY KEY (trade_id, loan_id, pa_key) — 3 columns (NVO 10027-10031)
    • Conclusion: legacy proc design oversight; the 2-column PK can't accommodate multi-pa_key loan/trade pairs that PS_DemoData snapshot has (loan tracked on both source pa_key=4 AND destination pa_key=1 sides of a Switching action)
  13. A54 disposition: (c) Deferred with justification — verbatim port preserves legacy bug per ADR-021; modifying the PK would deviate from verbatim port and needs PO + Tom/Greg escalation; Phase 9 parallel-validation against a clean Desktop App customer DB is the gate. NOT a 6c-port correctness concern.
  14. 3 new RunService unit tests added — StepNames_AreFiveInExpectedOrder (extended), Run_PoolGuideStepNotReached_WhenPriorStepFails, RunSummary_PoolGuideField_DefaultsToZero, RunSummary_PoolGuideField_SerializesAsSnakeCase. Self-implemented per Deliberate Non-Delegation.
  15. Final test sweep — 150 passed, 6 skipped, 0 failed (was 147/6/0 — added 3 net-new tests; no regressions).
  16. Spec amendment to powerfill-engine.md — BR-3 enumerates all 9 pool_action values with internal-state callouts (per A53); BR-4 notes assign column carries 3-character tolerance/disposition codes; Run APIs /run row mentions Step 5 + pool_guide_count + A52 pre-UE snapshot framing.
  17. Assumption log updated — A38 marked RESOLVED with empirical resolution arc; A52, A53, A54 added; A52-A54 disposition section added.
  18. Completion report authored at docs-site/docs/handoffs/powerfill-phase-6c-completion.md.
  19. This devlog entry.

Decisions made​

#DecisionRationale
D1Single 009 file deploys both procs (insert4 first, pool_guide second)A38 / F-6c-2: insert4 invoked from inside pool_guide body at NVO 11130; deploy order matches runtime resolution order
D2A38 resolved via empirical NVO trace, no Alternatives-First neededCall site is in proc body text — no Architect choice between separate-vs-folded
D3A50 SET preamble applied defensively (whole file)insert4 has WITH ENCRYPTION (required); pool_guide doesn't (defensive); consistent with 008
D4Step 5 is its own step (not folded into Step 4 allocation)Mirrors Step 1-4 contract; per-step Skip/Failed/Succeeded; cleaner timing attribution
D5C# self-implemented; SQL transcription delegated; tests self-implementedRequired Delegation Categories applied per cluster size + decision context
D6Skip Reviewable Chunks pre-delegation PO checkpointPer kickoff: at 41% of 6b's transcription size, cost-benefit favors skipping. Pattern well-trodden.
D7A54 deferred — verbatim port preserves legacy bugADR-021 verbatim port; modifying PK would be precedent-setting deviation; Phase 9 is the gate
D810-min command timeout for pool_guide EXECMatches 6b D8 rationale; PoC observed ~31s on PS_DemoData, well within ceiling

Full decision context in the Phase 6c completion report §"Decisions made".

Findings (Primary-Source Verification Gate output — 11 findings across 3 layers)​

IDLayerDisposition
F-6c-1NVO-vs-doc(a) Re-verified — A39 stays canonical
F-6c-2NVO-vs-doc(a) Resolved — A38 RESOLVED
F-6c-3NVO-vs-implementationDocumented; A50 preamble defensive
F-6c-4NVO-vs-implementationDocumented; 0-parameter EXEC
F-6c-5NVO-vs-implementationDocumented; pool_guide writes only pfill_pool_guide
F-6c-6NVO-vs-implementationDocumented; insert4 writes only pfill_pool_guide
F-6c-7NVO-vs-implementationDocumented; UE re-invokes pool_guide at NVO 19795
F-6c-8NVO-vs-tenant-DBDocumented; legacy procs already present (mirrors 6a D3)
F-6c-9NVO-vs-tenant-DB(c) Deferred — A52 (pre-UE snapshot framing per breakdown)
F-6c-10NVO-vs-implementation(a) Corrected in place — A53 spec amendment (9 pool_action values vs original 5)
F-6c-11NVO-vs-tenant-DB(c) Deferred — A54 (PS_DemoData snapshot triggers latent legacy ##cte_posting_set_1300 PK violation; verbatim port preserves; Phase 9 is the gate)

The three-layer Primary-Source Verification Gate produced findings at all three layers AGAIN (this is now the third corroborating session for the candidate process refinement banked in the 2026-04-17b PoC-complete devlog and corroborated by 6b). Per PO acknowledgment at the 6b checkpoint, the candidate refinement "Reference docs are not primary source — even Collaborator-authored kickoff documents AND Architect-authored sub-phase plans must be Primary-Source Verification Gate inputs themselves" is now 3-session-corroborated; the v3.1 nomination should be drafted as part of the next process-discipline revision cycle.

What's now true that wasn't this morning​

  • Step 5 (pool_guide) appears in RunResponse.steps array. RunSummary.pool_guide_count is populated.
  • POST /api/powerfill/run against PS_DemoData reaches the pool_guide proc and EXECs it for ~31s. The pool_action distribution cannot be exhibited until A54 is addressed — but the path is otherwise complete.
  • A38 is RESOLVED. insert4 is invoked from inside pool_guide body at NVO 11130; both procs deployed via 009.
  • 3 new assumptions A52-A54 codify the 6c empirical findings (forward dep on UE syn table, BR-3 spec drift, legacy proc PK bug).
  • Spec BR-3 amended — enumerates 9 pool_action values (4 user-facing + 4 internal + 1 status-normalization clarification) with NVO line citations per value.
  • Spec BR-4 amended — clarifies the assign column carries 3-character tolerance/disposition codes; tolerance enforcement is integrated into Phase 6b's conset, not a post-allocation step.
  • Phase 6c sentinel: phase-6c-pool-actions-ready ✓.
  • PSSaaS now has the canonical PowerFill deploy sequence: 001-009 for any new tenant DB onboarding.
  • A54 is the Phase-9 carry-over — the legacy proc PK design issue surfaced by PS_DemoData snapshot data shape; verbatim-port preserves; Phase 9 parallel-validation against a clean Desktop App customer DB is the gate.

Process discipline observations (corroborating + new)​

  1. Three-layer Primary-Source Verification Gate — third session corroborating the refinement. Ready for v3.1 nomination drafting.
  2. Reviewable Chunks at sub-phase scope — first sub-phase to deliberately skip the pre-delegation PO checkpoint per kickoff guidance. Worked exactly as predicted; the only meaningful escalation surfaced was A54 AFTER deploy where the Architect Report is the right surface. Banking the inverse observation: at ~3,200-line transcription scale (vs 6b's 5,837), skipping the checkpoint was the right call. The "stop after planning, before largest single delegation" pattern from 6b applies AT scale; below a threshold, the post-deploy Architect Report is sufficient.
  3. Subagent SQL transcription scales — 670 lines (006), 5,837 lines (008), 3,174 lines (009), all clean first-attempt. Pattern is mature: fast-subagent SQL transcription works at scale when the source is verbatim PB string-concat without complex unescape transformations.
  4. A38 lesson — when a kickoff frames a "decision" that depends on an empirical fact, run the empirical query FIRST. The Grep for psp_pfill_insert4_pool_guide immediately surfaced the call site at NVO 11130, closing A38 in 30 seconds. The kickoff's extensive Alternatives-First framing was unnecessary scaffolding.
  5. A54 lesson — the Primary-Source Verification Gate's NVO-vs-tenant-DB layer found a real legacy-proc bug AFTER deploy. Without 6c's PoC, the same bug would have surfaced in 6d's UE re-invocation OR in Phase 9 parallel-validation — much later, much more costly. The 6c PoC is a forensic asset for 6d and Phase 9, not a 6c failure. Worth banking: the gate's value extends beyond plan-stage to deploy-time AND PoC-time.
  6. PS_DemoData snapshot limitations as a documented expected-failure-mode class — R-DATA-1 (6a), A51 (6b), now A54 (6c). Pattern: the fixed snapshot triggers OR fails to exercise some legacy code paths that production data doesn't. Phase 9 parallel-validation against multiple Desktop App customer DBs is the canonical correctness gate. Worth a Phase 9 backlog note: the harness needs a "data-shape compatibility" pre-flight for each known PS_DemoData edge case.
  7. Sub-phase calendar time was ~1 Architect-session vs the 5-7 day breakdown estimate. The breakdown's 5-7-day estimate may have been calibrated for an Architect doing the SQL transcription manually; the subagent dispatch pattern materially changed delivery velocity. Worth folding into future Architect breakdown estimates: if the work is well-decomposed (subagent-friendly + reusable infrastructure), the calendar time can be 5-7x faster than initial estimates.
  8. The A53 spec-drift finding was unanticipated — I expected to verify BR-3 against the legacy proc and find it accurate. Instead the legacy emits 9 distinct pool_action values; the spec enumerated 5. The Primary-Source Verification Gate's NVO-vs-spec layer (sub-layer of NVO-vs-doc) catches drift even in spec docs that the same Architect authored. Consistent with the candidate process refinement: even your own prior artifacts must be Gate inputs.

Files produced / modified​

New:

  • src/backend/PowerSeller.SaaS.Modules.PowerFill/Sql/009_CreatePoolGuideProcedure.sql — verbatim port of psp_pfill_insert4_pool_guide + psp_powerfill_pool_guide (3,274 lines)
  • docs-site/docs/handoffs/powerfill-phase-6c-completion.md — completion report
  • docs-site/docs/devlog/2026-04-19-powerfill-phase-6c.md — this entry

Modified:

  • src/backend/PowerSeller.SaaS.Modules.PowerFill/Services/PowerFillRunService.cs — Step 5 + RunPoolGuideStepAsync (~70 LOC) + class XML doc updated
  • src/backend/PowerSeller.SaaS.Modules.PowerFill/Contracts/RunContracts.cs — RunSummary.PoolGuideCount field with snake_case JsonPropertyName
  • src/backend/PowerSeller.SaaS.Modules.PowerFill/PowerFillModule.cs — sentinel bump
  • src/backend/tests/PowerSeller.SaaS.Modules.PowerFill.Tests/Services/PowerFillRunServiceTests.cs — 4 test changes (1 extended, 3 net-new)
  • docs-site/docs/specs/powerfill-engine.md — BR-3 amendment (9 pool_action values), BR-4 clarification, Run APIs row update
  • docs-site/docs/specs/powerfill-assumptions-log.md — A38 RESOLVED + A52 + A53 + A54 + A52-A54 disposition section + A37-A40 disposition section update

Out of scope (deliberately not produced):

  • No new C# entities (pfill_pool_guide entity exists via 001 since Phase 1).
  • No new HTTP endpoints (Step 5 folds into existing POST /run).
  • No pfill_syn_* schema additions (6d).
  • No UE pass / synthetic trades (6d).
  • No async / audit (6e).
  • No fix to A54 PK bug (verbatim port per ADR-021; PO + Tom/Greg escalation candidate).

Verification​

# Build
docker exec pssaas-api dotnet build /app/PowerSeller.SaaS.sln --nologo
# → Build succeeded. 0 Warning(s), 0 Error(s).

# Tests
docker exec pssaas-api dotnet test /app/PowerSeller.SaaS.sln --nologo --no-build
# → BestEx: 32/0/0   Api: 1/0/0   PowerFill: 117/6/0
# → TOTAL: 150 passed, 6 skipped, 0 failed (added 3 net-new tests; no regressions)

# Sentinel (Deploy Verification Gate arm a)
curl -s "http://pssaas.powerseller.local/api/powerfill/status"
# → {"module":"PowerFill","status":"phase-6c-pool-actions-ready"}

# Local pssaas-db deploy (Deploy Verification Gate arm c — local)
docker exec pssaas-db /opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa -P "..." -No -d PSSaaS_Dev \
  -i /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/powerfill/009_CreatePoolGuideProcedure.sql
# → PowerFill 009: created psp_pfill_insert4_pool_guide
# → PowerFill 009: created psp_powerfill_pool_guide

# PS_DemoData deploy + idempotency (Deploy Verification Gate arm c — tenant)
docker exec -e PWORD='M0th3rFuck1ng$44$' pssaas-db sh -c '/opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd \
  -S "hostedps-sql..." -U "kevin_pssaas_dev" -P "$PWORD" -No -d PS_DemoData \
  -i /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d/powerfill/009_CreatePoolGuideProcedure.sql'
# → PowerFill 009: created psp_pfill_insert4_pool_guide
# → PowerFill 009: created psp_powerfill_pool_guide

# Live API run (Deploy Verification Gate arm b — partial PoC + A54 finding)
curl -s --max-time 700 -X POST -H "X-Tenant-Id: ps-demodata" \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     "http://pssaas.powerseller.local/api/powerfill/run" -d '{}'
# → status: Failed, duration ~57s, allocated_count: 515, pool_guide_count: 0
# → Steps 1-4 Succeeded; Step 5 (pool_guide) Failed with SqlException 2627
#   on ##cte_posting_set_1300 PK violation (A54 documented expected behavior)

Full output captured in the Phase 6c completion report.

What's next​

  • Collaborator review of 009 SQL (3,274 lines, mechanical transcription — focus on structural-anchor verification + spot-checks); Step 5 C# extension; spec + assumption-log amendments; this devlog + completion report. Estimated 1.5-2 hours.
  • PO sign-off on:
    • A38 RESOLVED disposition
    • A53 spec amendment
    • A54 disposition (verbatim port preserves legacy bug; Phase 9 is the gate; explicit PO acknowledgment requested for the path of "Phase 6c-6d-6e ship with A54 deferral; Phase 9 is the remediation gate")
  • PO push of the atomic commits.
  • Sub-phase 6d kickoff drafting — psp_powerfillUE port (NVO 13246-19801, ~6,556 lines — largest single proc in PowerFill); 3 pfill_syn_* tables + pfill_powerfill_log schema additions; A52 + A54 acknowledged carry-overs. UE re-invokes pool_guide at NVO 19795 — 6d will hit A54 again unless data state changes between.
  • (Optional, deferred) Phase 9 parallel-validation harness design — A54 motivates a "data-shape compatibility" pre-flight for known PS_DemoData edge cases.

Cross-references​

End of Phase 6c devlog. The next planned milestone is Phase 6d kickoff (UE pass + synthetic trades subsystem). 6d can dispatch immediately — no PO-blocking prerequisites remain. A52 (pre-UE forward dep) and A54 (PS_DemoData snapshot legacy proc PK bug) are documented carry-overs the 6d Architect should expect to encounter.