Respect Generated Artifact Ownership
CHANGE-RESPECT-GENERATED-ARTIFACT-OWNERSHIP
Summary
Fix generated outputs through their source inputs, templates, metadata, or generator configuration whenever those own the result. Hand edits are durable only when the tool workflow explicitly supports curation.
Rule
Respect generated artifact ownership instead of hand-editing generated outputs.
Why
Generated changelogs, lockfiles, code, snapshots, API listings, docs, and release files often have a source input that owns their contents. A hand edit to the generated output may be overwritten on the next run, may hide that the generator configuration or source data is wrong, or may make future regeneration produce a surprising diff.
Respecting ownership keeps fixes at the durable layer: update the source input, generator configuration, template, release metadata, or generation command when those own the artifact. If a tool explicitly supports curated edits, make that ownership model visible so reviewers know the edit will survive the next generation step.
Helps
- Prevents manual generated-file edits from being lost or fighting the generator.
- Makes generator, template, and release-tooling changes reviewable at the source.
Limits
Some generated artifacts are designed for post-generation curation. Edit them by hand only when the tool's workflow says that curation is stable, and report whether the source, generated output, or both were intentionally changed.
Agent Instruction
Edit the source input, template, release metadata, or generator config for generated artifacts; hand
edit generated output only for tool workflows that make curation durable.Mechanisms
Supported by generated-file headers, generator commands in handoffs, release-tooling PRs, template tests, generated-output diffs, and checks that compare generated artifacts to their sources.