Restore the GitHub editorial source/projection inventory validator on main

[alexeygrigorev]

Raw user intake — needs PM grooming. Surfaced while grooming #301.

Symptom

main is currently red on this gate, independently of any in-flight work:

$ uv run python scripts/validate_github_editorial_source_projection_inventory.py
GitHub editorial source/projection inventory validation failed: manifest preferred content source drift
$ echo $?
1

scripts/tests/test_github_editorial_source_projection_inventory.py::test_inventory_matches_the_exact_checked_in_snapshot reportedly fails for the same reason. (Verified the script failure directly; the test failure is reported by grooming and should be confirmed.)

What appears to be wrong

The validator carries pinned digests and counts that no longer match the checked-in projection:

• its pinned media.json digest (around scripts/validate_github_editorial_source_projection_inventory.py:90/:180) does not match the live content/public_projection/manifest.json value;
• its podcast counts reportedly disagree with content/public_data.py;
• grooming reports this is one of several stale pins rather than a single bad constant.

Why this needs care rather than a quick re-pin

Re-pinning the digests to whatever main currently holds would make the gate green while silently accepting the face8e4 projection drift that #253 ("Reconcile non-reproducible public projection after face8e4") exists to reconcile. The same hazard applies to content_sync/dtc_content/contract.py:34, where PROJECTION_TREE_SHA256 and PROJECTION_MANIFEST_SHA256 already differ from the live manifest and parity is opt-in behind DTC_CONTENT_ACCEPTED_CHECKOUT.

So the PM should determine whether this is:

1. genuinely stale pins that should be refreshed against an accepted projection; or
2. a true drift signal that belongs to Reconcile non-reproducible public projection after face8e4 #253 and should be closed as a duplicate/absorbed there.

Relationship to other issues

• Reconcile non-reproducible public projection after face8e4 #253 — non-reproducible public projection after face8e4. Likely the same root cause; decide whether this is absorbed.
• Serve public projection media from object storage instead of the git-tracked tree #301 — media to object storage. Grooming for Serve public projection media from object storage instead of the git-tracked tree #301 deliberately avoided re-pinning these values for the reason above. Serve public projection media from object storage instead of the git-tracked tree #301 is not blocked by this, but a red gate on main obscures regressions in every other issue.

Suggested non-goal

Making the gate green by re-pinning without establishing which projection is authoritative.

[alexeygrigorev]

PM disposition — absorb into #253; close as not planned

I reviewed #302 against current origin/main at 2d3c28d, the checked projection, and #253's current contract.

The symptom is real: uv run python scripts/validate_github_editorial_source_projection_inventory.py fails closed with manifest preferred content source drift. The validator still binds the historical e29f56... source and 205/203 content counts, while the current manifest binds 1375c5... and 203/201. That preferred SHA is not resolvable in the current DataTalksClub/content history; the latest verified source handoff is 9ad8f500, tree e73ffdf..., with green source CI. Re-pinning #302 to the checked current bytes would therefore bless an unverified projection and split source authority.

This is absorbed by #253, which owns the forward source/projection reconciliation: exact source SHA/tree/CI, complete deterministic regeneration, semantic/provenance census, manifest/tree/source/count bindings, and the validator/test refresh derived from the final accepted projection. The independent #253 report already exercises the inventory validator as part of that reconciliation (tester evidence); #253 remains blocked pending its source and release gates. #301 media storage and #303 content-update count invariants remain separate scopes.

No #302 engineering lane or silent re-pin is authorized. Close #302 as not planned/absorbed by #253.