arkgate v4.4.0

ArkGate 4.4.0

• Status: published
• npm: arkgate@4.4.0 (latest)
• Git tag: v4.4.0
• OIDC publish: publish-npm.yml run 31342710132
• gitHead: d4ce0fa

Minor over 4.3.0. Improvement compass: named architecture lenses projected from
existing sensors (not a score), doctor/HTML residual coaching, deeper skills and compact router
for vibe-coder / full-AI workflows, and product-only public docs.

No required config migration. Codex / Cursor / OpenCode remain advisory at write time. Skills
and AGENTS projection never enforce. Z09 / RB-11 remain open. No new skill names, no new
presets/packs, no LLM pass/fail in the package, no numeric architecture score.

What ArkGate is / isn't

• Guardrail + write firewall + coach — not an autonomous architect. Scan is deterministic;
  process (placement, pilots, wording) is agent/human judgment outside the package.
• Green edges / ark-check pass ≠ finished architecture or good design. Design residual and
  judgment remain after Enforce; design-weak is honest residual, not “healthy finished.”
• The improvement compass is not a score. Residual lenses are projections of existing
  evidence; out-of-scope dimensions (scalability APM, app SAST, full resilience) stay honest.
• Structure sensors and many smells are heuristics. Validate warnings by reading the code.
• Without a required CI / merge status check, enforcement is still avoidable. Local hooks and
  MCP only coach; they do not replace a required GitHub status context.
• Soft hosts (Codex / Cursor / OpenCode): advisory at local write. The hard merge boundary is a
  required GitHub status running arkgate-check --strict-merge (alias ark-check --strict-merge).

What changed

Area	4.4.0 result
Improvement compass	Doctor human + doctor.improvementCompass JSON: 15 closed lenses, notAScore: true, capped topResidual, optional next action
Residual honesty	Type-only placement debt (failsStrict: false) maps to modularity residual only — not coupling
HTML report	Advisory section data-advisory="improvementCompass" with report parity vs doctor facts
Status (thin)	Schema accepts optional residual-id slice; ark status does not compute lenses yet — read doctor
Skills + compact router	Same 13 skill names: compass preflight, anti false-done, AI-easy cues, Completion Compass bullet
Public docs	use / develop / agent-guide teach compass + Align → Stabilize → Shape in product language

What did not change

• Write gate / CI fail-closed semantics for value-layer edges
• Host hardness claims (Codex/Cursor/OpenCode stay advisory at local write)
• Skill names (still 13)
• Z09 / RB-11 field claims (still open)
• Binary gate; no numeric trust score; no LLM process verdict in package
• No new ArkRules sensors

Upgrade

npm install -D arkgate@4.4.0
# or: npm install -D arkgate@latest
npx arkgate-check --doctor
npx arkgate-check --doctor --json   # doctor.improvementCompass
npx arkgate-check --report ark-report.html

No ark.config.json migration. Dual bins arkgate* / ark* unchanged. Residual lenses never
change valid / strict-merge / goal.met.

Compatibility and limits

• Compass residual is advisory coaching, not a gate input.
• Out-of-scope lenses (scalability, resilience, security tooling) never invent residual from
  missing APM/SAST/chaos sensors.
• Soft hosts stay advisory; required CI status remains the shared hard merge boundary.
• Does not close Z09 / RB-11 retained-adoption claims.

Maintainer publication checklist

1. Full-matrix CI and Security green on the release SHA (PR #121 / squash d4ce0fa)
2. Package measurement under budget ceilings (or re-record budget)
3. npm run release:npm -- --dry
4. Signed tag v4.4.0 + GitHub Release from this file
5. gh workflow run publish-npm.yml -f tag=v4.4.0 -f dry_run=false (OIDC run 31342710132)
6. Verify npm version, latest, provenance, and gitHead (d4ce0fa)
7. Flip public pointers and this status to published
8. mcp-publisher validate server.json && mcp-publisher publish server.json

Security notes

No new dependency advisories unique to this prepare beyond overrides already on main.
Compass and skill deepen add advisory surfaces only — they do not weaken gate edges or invent
hard-write for soft hosts.