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SYNC IMPACT REPORT
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Version Change: Initial → 1.0.0
Principles Defined:
- I. Code Quality Standards (NEW)
- II. Testing Standards (NEW)
- III. User Experience Consistency (NEW)
- IV. Performance Requirements (NEW)
Templates Requiring Updates:
✅ plan-template.md - Constitution Check section aligned
✅ spec-template.md - Success Criteria section aligned with UX/performance
✅ tasks-template.md - Test task phases aligned with testing standards
Follow-up Actions: None - all placeholders resolved
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# KnowledgeMCP Constitution
## Core Principles
### I. Code Quality Standards
Code MUST maintain high readability, maintainability, and consistency across the codebase:
- **Static Analysis**: All code MUST pass linting and formatting checks before commit
- **Code Review**: Every change requires review by at least one other developer
- **Documentation**: Public APIs, complex logic, and architectural decisions MUST be documented
- **Naming Conventions**: Use clear, descriptive names following language-specific conventions
- **Single Responsibility**: Functions and classes MUST have one clear purpose
- **DRY Principle**: Avoid duplication; extract reusable logic into shared utilities
**Rationale**: Consistent, well-documented code reduces technical debt, enables team scalability, and decreases onboarding time. Code is read far more often than written.
### II. Testing Standards
Testing MUST be comprehensive, maintainable, and executed systematically:
- **Test Coverage**: Minimum 80% code coverage for critical paths; 70% overall
- **Test Types Required**:
- Unit tests for all business logic and utilities
- Integration tests for component interactions and API contracts
- End-to-end tests for critical user journeys
- **Test-First Approach**: Write tests before implementation when feasible (especially for bug fixes)
- **Test Quality**: Tests MUST be isolated, deterministic, and fast (<5s for unit tests)
- **Continuous Testing**: All tests MUST pass before merge; CI/CD pipeline enforces this gate
**Rationale**: Comprehensive testing catches regressions early, enables confident refactoring, and serves as living documentation. The cost of bugs increases exponentially with detection time.
### III. User Experience Consistency
User-facing features MUST deliver consistent, intuitive, and accessible experiences:
- **Design System**: Use established patterns, components, and styles across all interfaces
- **Accessibility**: MUST meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards (keyboard navigation, screen readers, color contrast)
- **Error Handling**: Provide clear, actionable error messages; never expose internal errors to users
- **Responsive Design**: Interfaces MUST function across device sizes and orientations
- **Performance Perception**: Loading states, progress indicators, and optimistic updates required for operations >200ms
- **User Feedback**: Confirm actions (saves, deletions) and provide clear success/failure indicators
**Rationale**: Consistent UX reduces cognitive load, increases user satisfaction, and builds trust. Accessibility is both ethical and often legally required. Poor UX directly impacts adoption and retention.
### IV. Performance Requirements
System performance MUST meet defined thresholds to ensure acceptable user experience:
- **Response Time**: API endpoints MUST respond within 500ms for p95, 1s for p99
- **Page Load**: Initial page load MUST complete within 2s on 3G connection
- **Database Queries**: Individual queries MUST execute in <100ms; optimize or cache slower queries
- **Memory Efficiency**: Processes MUST operate within allocated memory limits; no memory leaks
- **Scalability**: Design for horizontal scaling; avoid single points of bottleneck
- **Monitoring**: Track and alert on performance regressions using APM tools
**Rationale**: Performance directly impacts user satisfaction and retention. Even small delays (>100ms) are perceptible. Performance issues are expensive to fix after architecture is established.
## Quality Gates
All changes MUST pass these mandatory gates before merge:
- **Automated Testing**: All tests pass in CI/CD pipeline
- **Code Quality**: Linting, formatting, and static analysis checks pass
- **Security Scanning**: No high/critical vulnerabilities in dependencies
- **Performance Budgets**: No regressions in key performance metrics
- **Accessibility Audit**: No new accessibility violations introduced
- **Documentation**: Changes affecting APIs or architecture include documentation updates
## Development Workflow
Standard workflow for all feature development:
1. **Specification**: Create spec.md defining user stories, requirements, and success criteria
2. **Planning**: Generate plan.md with technical approach and constitution compliance check
3. **Task Breakdown**: Create tasks.md organizing work by user story with clear dependencies
4. **Implementation**: Execute tasks following test-first approach where applicable
5. **Validation**: Run full test suite, quality checks, and quickstart validation
6. **Review**: Code review ensuring principle compliance before merge
## Governance
This constitution establishes non-negotiable standards for the KnowledgeMCP project:
- **Authority**: Constitution supersedes ad-hoc practices and personal preferences
- **Amendment Process**: Amendments require documented rationale, team consensus, and version increment
- MAJOR version: Principle removal or incompatible redefinition
- MINOR version: New principle added or materially expanded guidance
- PATCH version: Clarifications, wording improvements, or non-semantic fixes
- **Compliance Review**: All pull requests MUST demonstrate compliance with relevant principles
- **Complexity Justification**: Deviations from principles require documented justification in plan.md
- **Version Control**: All amendments tracked with version history and impact analysis
**Version**: 1.0.0 | **Ratified**: 2025-10-25 | **Last Amended**: 2025-10-25
