Operator (2026-05-30): a cc-ci-authored compose overlay risks silent drift from
the recipe users actually run — avoid it wherever possible.
- plan.md §9 guardrail: when a recipe needs a cc-ci-env-tuned value (e.g. a longer
healthcheck start_period for the slow single node), the preferred fix is an
UPSTREAM recipe PR exposing it as an env var (e.g. APP_START_PERIOD) with the
current value as the default in env.sample — CI sets the env, no new compose.
For making the upgrade tier work from an older base version, prefer DECLARING
that version not-testable under this CI env over crafting a custom compose.
Overlay = last resort, Adversary-confirmed non-drifting + paired with the env PR.
- plan-prefer-env-over-compose-overlay.md: migrates the existing debt —
ghost/discourse compose.ccci-health.yml start_period -> APP_START_PERIOD recipe
PRs (default=current) then drop the overlays; discourse image re-pin + mumble
old-base host-ports copy -> declare those old versions untestable instead of
forking compose. No test weakened; untestable-version is an honest outcome.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
