From 9460689fffb4d52299b1e4db7edaaeed7cbb7175 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: jochen <jschoubben@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 2026 02:06:54 +0200
Subject: [PATCH] Relate a batch whose moves are not known to every change

The review found that a merge kept without its moves, judged again at
the cut, gave its batch no modules, so it could read as unrelated to a
walk it will build beside. An unknown change is never unrelated.
---
 cmd/mesh-controller/related.go      | 17 +++++++++++++++--
 cmd/mesh-controller/related_test.go | 18 ++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 33 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/related.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/related.go
index 0180e6bd..fdaefed0 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/related.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/related.go
@@ -14,9 +14,11 @@ import (
 // other (ADR 0304 decision 2, ADR 0282 decision 3); nothing walks so yet, and nothing but tests reads this.
 
 // footprint is what one change reaches: its repositories (lower case), its modules, and its delivery group
-// heads (the head branch names of its merges).
+// heads (the head branch names of its merges). unknown says a merge of it was kept without the modules it
+// moves, so what it reaches is not known: it is related to every change, never wrongly to none.
 type footprint struct {
 	repos, modules, heads map[string]bool
+	unknown               string
 }
 
 func newFootprint() footprint {
@@ -44,7 +46,9 @@ func footprintOfWalk(p inventory.Plan, kept []inventory.BatchedMerge) footprint
 }
 
 // footprintOfBatch is an assembling batch's footprint: each merge's repository and head, and the modules its
-// merges moved when heard, widened to their dependents as the walk cut from it would be (planOfMoves).
+// merges moved when heard, widened to their dependents (planOfMoves). A merge kept with no moves (one owed a
+// later look, or kept for its packaging) is judged again at the cut and may move anything then: its batch is
+// unknown, related to everything.
 func footprintOfBatch(merges []inventory.BatchedMerge, edges []inventory.Edge) footprint {
 	f := newFootprint()
 	var moved []string
@@ -54,6 +58,9 @@ func footprintOfBatch(merges []inventory.BatchedMerge, edges []inventory.Edge) f
 		if k.Head != "" {
 			f.heads[k.Head] = true
 		}
+		if len(k.Moves) == 0 && f.unknown == "" {
+			f.unknown = "the modules a merge of " + m.Repository + " moves are not known until its batch is cut"
+		}
 		moved = append(moved, k.Moves...)
 	}
 	for _, name := range reachableFrom(moved, edges) {
@@ -65,6 +72,12 @@ func footprintOfBatch(merges []inventory.BatchedMerge, edges []inventory.Edge) f
 // related says whether two changes are related, and the first reason in plain words; false and empty when
 // they are not.
 func related(a, b footprint, edges []inventory.Edge) (bool, string) {
+	if a.unknown != "" {
+		return true, a.unknown
+	}
+	if b.unknown != "" {
+		return true, b.unknown
+	}
 	if r := firstShared(a.repos, b.repos); r != "" {
 		return true, "both change " + r
 	}
diff --git a/cmd/mesh-controller/related_test.go b/cmd/mesh-controller/related_test.go
index bff1ec3b..764df1d3 100644
--- a/cmd/mesh-controller/related_test.go
+++ b/cmd/mesh-controller/related_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"strings"
 	"testing"
 
 	"github.com/novox/mesh-controller/internal/inventory"
@@ -90,3 +91,20 @@ func TestFootprintOfBatchWidensToDependents(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Errorf("footprint = %+v; want base-image and nzbget, no head", f)
 	}
 }
+
+// A batch holding a merge kept with no moves (one owed a later look, judged again at the cut) is related to
+// every change, in both orders: what it will move is not known, and an unknown change is never unrelated
+// (issue 525 review).
+func TestABatchWhoseMovesAreNotKnownIsRelatedToEverything(t *testing.T) {
+	unknown := footprintOfBatch([]inventory.BatchedMerge{heardMerge("novox/one", "fix/a", "app"), heardMerge("novox/two", "fix/b")}, nil)
+	other := footprintOfWalk(walkOf("novox/three", "nzbget"), nil)
+	for _, pair := range [][2]footprint{{unknown, other}, {other, unknown}} {
+		if ok, why := related(pair[0], pair[1], nil); !ok || !strings.Contains(why, "not known") {
+			t.Fatalf("an unknown batch read as %v (%q)", ok, why)
+		}
+	}
+	known := footprintOfBatch([]inventory.BatchedMerge{heardMerge("novox/one", "fix/a", "app")}, nil)
+	if ok, why := related(known, other, nil); ok {
+		t.Fatalf("a known, unrelated batch read as related: %q", why)
+	}
+}