worldmonitor/todos/186-pending-p2-regime-transition-driver-always-empty.md

status, priority, issue_id, tags, dependencies

status	priority	issue_id	tags	dependencies
pending	p2	186	code-review phase-0 regional-intelligence dead-code schema

regime.transition_driver field is dead weight (always empty in Phase 0)

Problem Statement

scripts/seed-regional-snapshots.mjs:137 passes empty string as the driver to buildRegimeState because the diff isn't computed yet at that point in the pipeline. Field exists in type, is serialized, never populated. Phase 1 readers will find always-empty.

Findings

• regime.transition_driver is part of the persisted snapshot shape
• Value is always "" because diff is computed later in the pipeline
• Phase 1 consumers will be forced to ignore the field or special-case it
• Options: populate after diff step, or defer the field to Phase 2

Proposed Solutions

Option 1: Populate transition_driver from inferTriggerReason(diff) after the diff step

Rewire the pipeline so regime state is built after the diff is known.

Pros: Field carries real information Cons: Requires reordering steps in the orchestrator Effort: Small Risk: Low

Option 2: Document as Phase 2 and keep empty

Add a comment noting the field is intentionally deferred.

Pros: No behavioral change Cons: Field remains dead weight Effort: Small Risk: Low

Recommended Action

Technical Details

File: scripts/seed-regional-snapshots.mjs:137 - call site with empty driver. Function: buildRegimeState - consumer. Function: inferTriggerReason(diff) - would populate the field.

Acceptance Criteria

• Populate regime.transition_driver from inferTriggerReason(diff) after the diff step
• OR document the field as Phase 2 and keep empty

Work Log

Resources

• PR #2940
• PR #2942