Give scripts a stable JSON output contract
CI currently scrapes a colored table and breaks when a package name wraps. Add --json to inspect so automation can consume a versioned response.
- Focused work estimate
- 1h 15m + prerequisites
- Priority in the scenario
- Medium
- Engineering practice
- API contracts · CLI design · Compatibility
Estimated field mix
- Developer tooling70%
- API design30%
Field percentages are editorial estimates of the ticket's engineering focus. They total 100%; they are not measured time, proficiency scores, or ownership evidence.
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Project context
A team maintains six related packages. Release notes, version changes, and tags are copied between a spreadsheet and a terminal; a failed upload recently left two packages ahead of their dependents. The exercise uses temporary repositories and a fake registry.
Setup prerequisites
- Create a temporary Git repository with three related fixture packages.
- Use a local registry double; no publishing credentials are required.
Preceding work
Complete these dependencies, or supply their agreed outputs before taking this ticket.
Acceptance criteria
- JSON output includes schemaVersion, workspace packages, and warnings with stable field names.
- Stdout contains exactly one JSON document with no ANSI escapes.
- Diagnostics go to stderr and invalid arguments keep a documented nonzero exit code.
Implementation constraints
- Keep human rendering separate from the result model.
Verification to include
- Parse stdout from a successful --json run with JSON.parse.
- Combine --json with an unknown flag and assert no partial success document is printed.
Deliverables
- JSON response schema and CLI exit-code reference
Rollout and recovery
Add the opt-in format without changing existing human output; version incompatible schema changes.
Value of the work
For the engineer: Practice CLI contracts, graph reasoning, filesystem safety, and recovery from partial work.
For the team: Review how an engineer makes release changes inspectable and recoverable before they affect consumers.
Evidence boundaries
Outcome Evidence: Tests, patches, and runbooks are requested deliverables. They become Outcome Evidence only through a qualified Mission and immutable Evidence IDs.
Ownership Evidence: Independent adaptation must be observed under a declared verification policy and cite immutable Evidence IDs. Completing a planning ticket establishes no Ownership Evidence.