fix(presets): seed constitution from preset constitution-template (#3272) by BenBtg · Pull Request #3276 · github/spec-kit

BenBtg · 2026-06-30T18:54:47Z

Summary

Fixes #3272. A preset that ships a type: template constitution-template entry (e.g. strategy: replace with a ratified constitution) was never applied to .specify/memory/constitution.md. The constitution is the only template materialized to a live file rather than resolved on demand, yet ensure_constitution_from_template hardcoded a copy from the core template and bypassed PresetResolver. Combined with init seeding the constitution before preset installation, a preset's constitution could never go live.

This is a provenance fix (resolve through the same priority stack every other template uses), not a copy-into-core fix.

Changes

commands/init.py — ensure_constitution_from_template now resolves constitution-template through PresetResolver (project overrides → installed presets → extensions → core). Core remains the fallback when nothing overrides it. Skip-if-exists / not-found behavior preserved.
commands/init.py — reordered so the constitution is seeded after preset installation, so specify init --preset seeds from the resolved stack. No-op for non-preset init.
presets/__init__.py — install_from_directory re-seeds .specify/memory/constitution.md from the resolved preset template, only when the memory file is missing or still contains generic placeholder tokens ([PROJECT_NAME] / [PRINCIPLE_1_NAME]). Authored constitutions are never overwritten. Covers specify preset add and install_from_zip (which delegates here).
Tests — preset seeds memory; placeholder memory re-seeded; authored constitution preserved; CORE_TEMPLATE_NAMES override resolves constitution-template to the preset file; resolver-aware init seeding (core fallback, preset override, existing-file preservation).

Key guard

Placeholder-token detection (_constitution_is_placeholder) prevents clobbering legitimately authored constitutions during preset add on an existing project.

Testing

pytest tests/test_presets.py — 333 passed (7 new)
Full suite — 3853 passed, 4 skipped

This PR was authored autonomously by GitHub Copilot (model: Claude Opus 4.8). Each commit carries an Assisted-by: trailer.

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gglachant · 2026-07-01T08:41:26Z

+1 — we hit this independently. We maintain a spec-kit harness for a team with a fixed, ratified constitution authored upstream in a canonical repo and installed verbatim downstream. /speckit.constitution treating .specify/memory/constitution.md as a template to (re-)author from placeholders is exactly the hazard #3272 names: for us an AI-authored variant is a governance violation, not a convenience.

We read #3276's diff against our use case, and it handles our edge cases correctly:

Deferred-value markers are preserved. Our authored constitution carries a few intentional spec-kit-style TODO(FIELD) deferred values (e.g. TODO(RATIFICATION_DATE)) that resolve at a later milestone. Because _constitution_is_placeholder keys on the stock template's specific sentinels ([PROJECT_NAME], [PRINCIPLE_1_NAME]) rather than any generic TODO( / [...], such a constitution is correctly classified authored and preserved. 👍 (That was our one worry from the summary; the diff resolves it.)
Byte-faithful install. shutil.copy2(resolved, memory_constitution) materializes the preset's replace template unchanged — exactly what a ratified constitution needs (no reformatting, token-fill, or version recompute).

One small maintainability suggestion: _CONSTITUTION_PLACEHOLDER_TOKENS is a fixed pair — worth a test pinning it to the actual [ALL_CAPS] tokens in the stock constitution-template.md, so the guard can't silently drift out of sync if that template's placeholders ever change.

Our current stopgap is cp canonical → diff (confirm byte-identical) → run the command report-only plus disabling the auto-authoring path; #3276's preset-aware replace path would let us ship the constitution as a preset template and retire that entirely. Thanks for picking this up.

(Disclosure, per CONTRIBUTING: this comment was drafted with the assistance of Claude Code (an AI coding agent) and reviewed by a human before posting.)

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Files reviewed: 3/3 changed files
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BenBtg · 2026-07-01T18:30:45Z

Addressed review feedback in f954e30.\n\n- Fixed constitution seeding to handle composing strategies (//) in both paths ( and ): we now materialize composed content via whenever the winning layer is non-.\n- Added regression tests that verify wrap composition is materialized (no unresolved ) in both seeding paths.\n- Added a drift-guard test that pins to placeholders present in the core , per gglachant’s maintainability suggestion.\n\nPosted on behalf of @BenBtg by GitHub Copilot (model: gpt-5.3-codex).

BenBtg · 2026-07-01T18:30:52Z

Correction to my previous comment (shell quoting ate formatting). Addressed review feedback in f954e30.

Fixed constitution seeding to handle composing strategies (prepend/append/wrap) in both paths: ensure_constitution_from_template and PresetManager._seed_constitution_from_preset now materialize composed content via PresetResolver.resolve_content() whenever the winning layer is non-replace.
Added regression tests that verify wrap composition is materialized with no unresolved {CORE_TEMPLATE} in both seeding paths.
Added a drift-guard test that pins _CONSTITUTION_PLACEHOLDER_TOKENS to placeholders present in the core templates/constitution-template.md, per gglachant’s maintainability suggestion.

Posted on behalf of @BenBtg by GitHub Copilot (model: gpt-5.3-codex).

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Files reviewed: 3/3 changed files
Comments generated: 3
Review effort level: Low

BenBtg · 2026-07-01T18:53:34Z

Addressed the latest Copilot feedback in aa09272.

Moved resolver/layer collection behind the existing-memory fast path in ensure_constitution_from_template, so we avoid unnecessary I/O when memory already exists.
Updated tracker output to distinguish copied vs composed constitution materialization.
Deduplicated constitution materialization logic used by both init seeding and preset install re-seeding into a shared helper (_materialize_constitution_template) to keep behavior in sync.

Posted on behalf of @BenBtg by GitHub Copilot (model: gpt-5.3-codex).

) The constitution is the only template materialized to a live file (.specify/memory/constitution.md) rather than resolved on demand, yet ensure_constitution_from_template hardcoded a copy from the core template and ignored PresetResolver. Combined with init seeding the constitution before preset installation, a preset's constitution-template (e.g. strategy: replace with a ratified constitution) could never go live. Changes: - ensure_constitution_from_template now resolves constitution-template through PresetResolver, so a preset/override/extension wins and core is the fallback. - init seeds the constitution after preset installation so init --preset uses the resolved stack. - install_from_directory re-seeds memory/constitution.md from the resolved preset template, guarded to only act when the memory file is missing or still contains generic placeholder tokens — authored constitutions are never overwritten. Covers preset add and install_from_zip. - Tests for preset seeding, placeholder re-seed, authored-constitution preservation, override resolution, and resolver-aware init seeding. Assisted-by: GitHub Copilot (model: Claude Opus 4.8, autonomous) Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Take on review feedback from Copilot and gglachant: - constitution seeding previously copied the top layer file path verbatim even when the winning layer used a composing strategy (prepend/append/wrap), which could leave {CORE_TEMPLATE} unresolved. - both seeding paths now inspect resolver layers and only copy verbatim for replace; non-replace strategies materialize composed content via PresetResolver.resolve_content(). - add regression tests for wrap strategy composition in both PresetManager seeding and ensure_constitution_from_template. - add a drift-guard test pinning _CONSTITUTION_PLACEHOLDER_TOKENS to the placeholders in templates/constitution-template.md. Assisted-by: GitHub Copilot (model: GPT-5.3-Codex, autonomous) Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

Address latest Copilot feedback on the constitution seeding path: - moved resolver/layer I/O behind the existing-memory fast path in init - corrected tracker output for composed materialization - deduplicated materialization logic shared by init and preset install seeding into presets._materialize_constitution_template() Behavior is unchanged for replace strategies (copy verbatim) and remains composed for prepend/append/wrap via resolve_content(). Assisted-by: GitHub Copilot (model: GPT-5.3-Codex, autonomous) Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

The constitution materialization refactor removed the module import, but init still uses shutil.rmtree when cleaning up a failed new-project initialization. Restore the import so the required ruff check passes. Assisted-by: GitHub Copilot (model: GPT-5.6 Sol, autonomous) Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>

BenBtg · 2026-07-13T15:51:49Z

Resynced this PR with current main and marked it ready for review.

Rebased cleanly with no conflicts; branch is now 0 commits behind main.
Restored the required shutil import in init.py (commit e03fb69), fixing the prior ruff failure.
Local validation: ruff passed; 4,040 tests passed and 4 skipped.
All GitHub checks are now passing across lint, CodeQL, and the Python 3.13/3.14 OS matrix.

Posted on behalf of @BenBtg by GitHub Copilot (model: gpt-5.6-sol).

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Review details

Files reviewed: 3/3 changed files
Comments generated: 4
Review effort level: Medium

Address the outstanding review batch for preset constitution seeding: - use checked atomic writes and reject symlinked memory paths - replace placeholder heuristics with hash/source provenance - rematerialize unchanged generated constitutions by resolver priority - preserve authored or edited constitutions, including placeholder mentions - warn non-fatally when post-install materialization cannot complete - retain exact core-template comparison for legacy projects without provenance Add focused provenance, priority, symlink, and failure-path coverage, and update integration inventories for the generated provenance sidecar. Assisted-by: GitHub Copilot (model: GPT-5.6 Sol, autonomous) Co-authored-by: Copilot App <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com> Copilot-Session: 1b2c095d-b45c-4d52-8d56-bd6121d96ab6

BenBtg · 2026-07-13T16:57:07Z

Addressed the outstanding review batch in commit 116ab2c.

Routed constitution and provenance writes through checked atomic helpers and rejected symlinked parents and destinations.
Replaced placeholder substring heuristics with hash/source provenance, retaining exact core-template comparison for legacy projects.
Made unchanged generated constitutions follow resolver priority while preserving edited or authored files.
Made expected post-install materialization failures non-fatal warnings.
Confirmed the earlier composition, fast-path, tracker, and shared-helper feedback remains addressed.

Validation: ruff passed; 343 focused preset tests passed; full suite passed with 4,045 tests and 4 skips.

Posted on behalf of @BenBtg by GitHub Copilot (model: gpt-5.6-sol).

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Review details

Files reviewed: 10/10 changed files
Comments generated: 2
Review effort level: Medium

+        # constitution) must be propagated here. Guard against clobbering an
+        # already-authored constitution by only replacing a file whose recorded
+        # hash (or exact legacy core-template content) proves it was generated.
+        self._seed_constitution_from_preset(manifest)


+        # already-authored constitution by only replacing a file whose recorded
+        # hash (or exact legacy core-template content) proves it was generated.


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		# already-authored constitution by only replacing a file whose recorded
		# hash (or exact legacy core-template content) proves it was generated.

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BenBtg commented Jun 30, 2026

Summary

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