Denoise the design hook and let agents self-serve confident ignores (#497)

The directive footer now emits in full once per session (a one-line
reminder after), the DESIGN.md staleness note is mentioned once per
session, rule descriptions dedupe within an emission, and the per-line
ignore suggestion shrinks to the bare rule/value pair. The footer and
hooks.md replace the confirmation-gated ignore policy with a three-way
triage: fix real problems, self-serve the narrowest ignore for confident
false positives or sanctioned exceptions and disclose it (with an honest
--reason), ask when unsure. Self-serve stops at ignore-value, and the
footer now gives a runnable hook-admin.mjs command instead of a slash
command agents cannot execute.

Measured on a seeded lab session replaying 11 hook events: 33,658 to
14,063 chars of agent-visible output (-58%).

AI-assisted (Cursor agent), directed and reviewed by @abdulwahabone.

Co-authored-by: Cursor <cursoragent@cursor.com>
This commit is contained in:
Abdul Wahab
2026-08-04 14:11:17 +05:00
co-authored by Cursor
parent 620ba1fe7d
commit 6509b1497e
4 changed files with 280 additions and 96 deletions
+148 -58
View File
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@
* dedupeAgainstCache(findings, cache, sessionId, filePath)
* renderTemplate(findings, filePath, config, opts)
* renderCleanAck(filePath, opts) / renderPendingAck(filePath, known, opts)
* appendDesignSystemNote(text, scanOptions) / appendDesignSystemNoteOnce(text, scanOptions, cache, sessionId)
* footerModeForSession(cache, sessionId)
* shouldEmitAckForFile(filePath, config?)
* writeAuditLog(env, entry)
* loadDetector() -> Promise<{ detectText, detectHtml }>
@@ -979,11 +981,12 @@ export function renderTemplate(findings, filePath, config, opts = {}) {
const remaining = total - shown.length;
const header = `${ENVELOPE_PREFIX} Design hook findings requiring review in ${display} (${total} issue(s)):`;
const lines = shown.map((f) => formatFindingLine(f));
const seenRules = new Set();
const lines = shown.map((f) => formatDedupedFindingLine(f, seenRules));
const more = remaining > 0
? `... and ${remaining} more (see ${IMPECCABLE_COMMAND} audit).`
: null;
const footer = directiveFooter(display);
const footer = directiveFooter({ mode: opts.footer });
const blocks = [header, ...lines];
if (more) blocks.push(more);
@@ -1013,6 +1016,9 @@ function renderGroupedTemplate(groups, config, opts = {}) {
const header = `${ENVELOPE_PREFIX} Design hook findings requiring review across ${realGroups.length} files (${total} issue(s)):`;
const lines = [];
let shownCount = 0;
// One seen-set across all groups: a rule already described under one file
// is not re-described under the next.
const seenRules = new Set();
for (const group of realGroups) {
const display = relativize(group.filePath, cwd);
@@ -1020,7 +1026,7 @@ function renderGroupedTemplate(groups, config, opts = {}) {
const remainingCap = Math.max(0, cap - shownCount);
const shown = group.findings.slice(0, remainingCap);
for (const finding of shown) {
lines.push(formatFindingLine(finding));
lines.push(formatDedupedFindingLine(finding, seenRules));
}
shownCount += shown.length;
const hidden = group.findings.length - shown.length;
@@ -1029,7 +1035,7 @@ function renderGroupedTemplate(groups, config, opts = {}) {
}
}
const footer = directiveFooter('the affected files', { grouped: true });
const footer = directiveFooter({ mode: opts.footer });
let text = [header, ...lines, '', footer].join('\n');
if (text.length > maxChars) {
text = clampGroupedToBudget(header, lines, footer, maxChars);
@@ -1083,30 +1089,45 @@ function clampToBudget(header, lines, more, footer, maxChars) {
return assembled;
}
function formatFindingLine(f) {
// `compact` drops the registry description: within one emission the first
// occurrence of a rule carries the full description and repeats keep only the
// rule id, name, and their own ignore hint (values differ per line, so the
// hint must survive the dedupe).
function formatFindingLine(f, opts = {}) {
const prefix = f.line && f.line > 0 ? `- L${f.line}` : '-';
const desc = (f.description || '').trim();
const desc = opts.compact ? '' : (f.description || '').trim();
const name = (f.name || '').trim();
// Description from the registry already ends in punctuation; join with a
// single space. `name` may have a trailing period already, keep it clean.
const nameSegment = name ? `${name.replace(/\.+\s*$/, '')}.` : '';
const ignoreCommand = formatFindingIgnoreCommand(f);
const ignoreSegment = ignoreCommand
? ` If the user explicitly confirms this value is intentional: \`${ignoreCommand}\`.`
: '';
const ignoreHint = formatFindingIgnoreHint(f);
const ignoreSegment = ignoreHint ? ` If intentional: \`${ignoreHint}\`.` : '';
return `${prefix} [${f.antipattern}] ${nameSegment} ${desc}${ignoreSegment}`.replace(/\s+/g, ' ').trim();
}
function formatFindingIgnoreCommand(finding) {
// Dedupe applied in shown-line order, so the first rendered occurrence of a
// rule always carries the description. The budget clamps pop lines from the
// end, which can never orphan a compact repeat before its described first
// occurrence.
function formatDedupedFindingLine(finding, seenRules) {
const rule = normalizeIgnoreRule(finding?.antipattern);
const compact = rule ? seenRules.has(rule) : false;
if (rule) seenRules.add(rule);
return formatFindingLine(finding, { compact });
}
// The rule/value pair the footer's `hook-admin.mjs ignore-value` command
// takes. Deliberately just the args: the executable prefix, the --reason
// contract, and the disclosure rule live in the directive footer, stated once
// instead of per line.
function formatFindingIgnoreHint(finding) {
if (!finding || typeof finding !== 'object') return '';
const rule = normalizeIgnoreRule(finding.antipattern);
if (!rule) return '';
const normalizedValue = extractFindingIgnoreValue(finding);
if (!normalizedValue) return '';
const value = extractFindingIgnoreValueRaw(finding);
const valueArg = quoteCommandArg(value);
const reason = quoteCommandArg(`User confirmed ${value} is intentional`);
return `${IMPECCABLE_COMMAND} hooks ignore-value ${rule} ${valueArg} --shared --reason ${reason}`;
const valueArg = quoteCommandArg(extractFindingIgnoreValueRaw(finding));
return `ignore-value ${rule} ${valueArg}`;
}
function quoteCommandArg(value) {
@@ -1599,31 +1620,69 @@ export function appendDesignSystemNote(text, scanOptions) {
return `${text}\n\n${ENVELOPE_PREFIX} DESIGN.md is newer than .impeccable/design.json. Run ${IMPECCABLE_COMMAND} document to refresh the design-system sidecar.`;
}
// Session-scoped once-only gate for repeat-prone message parts. Returns true
// the first time a flag is consumed in a session and false after, mirroring
// the `cleanAcked` mechanic: the mtime skew (and the policy footer) do not
// change between edits, so re-stating them on every emission spends context
// to say nothing new. Callers must persist the cache for the flag to stick.
function consumeSessionNoticeFlag(cache, sessionId, flag) {
const session = ensureSession(cache, sessionId);
if (session[flag]) return false;
session[flag] = true;
session.updatedAt = Date.now();
return true;
}
// Once-per-session variant of appendDesignSystemNote for the emission paths
// that have cache access. The staleness note names standing project state,
// not new information, so one mention per session is enough.
export function appendDesignSystemNoteOnce(text, scanOptions, cache, sessionId) {
if (!text || !scanOptions?.designSystem?.mdNewerThanJson) return text;
if (!consumeSessionNoticeFlag(cache, sessionId, 'designNoteShown')) return text;
return appendDesignSystemNote(text, scanOptions);
}
// Full directive footer once per session, the short reminder after. Fresh
// emissions and Cursor denials share the session flag (`footerShown`), so a
// session pays the full policy exactly once however it first fires.
export function footerModeForSession(cache, sessionId) {
return consumeSessionNoticeFlag(cache, sessionId, 'footerShown') ? 'full' : 'short';
}
const HOOK_ADMIN_COMMAND = `node ${quoteCommandArg(path.join(__dirname, 'hook-admin.mjs'))}`;
// The directive footer is the part of the hook output that steers model
// behavior. Three intentional moves:
// 1. **Imperative, not advisory.** "Handle these..." beats "Consider
// revising..." which the model treats as a soft suggestion it can
// override when the user asked for any kind of throwaway / demo UI.
// 2. **Explicit judgment clause.** Without it, the model will try to
// "fix" intentional motion, bad fixtures, anti-pattern examples in
// docs, or test cases. Naming the judgment inline beats hoping the
// model infers it from context.
// 3. **Acknowledgement instruction.** Hook output is injected as
// developer-role context, not a chat turn, so the user never sees the
// raw envelope. Asking the model to surface the resolution in its
// reply is the cheapest way to make the feedback loop visible.
function directiveFooter(display, opts = {}) {
// Offer the rule-scoped-to-file form first. `ignore-file` silences every rule
// for the path forever, which is far more than one noisy rule on a real UI
// surface justifies, and it was previously the only option named here.
const target = opts.grouped ? '<path>' : quoteCommandArg(display);
const fileIgnoreGuidance = `run \`${IMPECCABLE_COMMAND} hooks ignore-value <id> "*" --file ${target}\` to scope just that rule to the file, or \`${IMPECCABLE_COMMAND} hooks ignore-file ${target}\` only when the whole file is out of scope for design review (a fixture, a generated artifact, a deliberate demo)`;
// behavior. Intentional moves, in order:
// 1. **Imperative, not advisory.** "Triage each finding..." beats
// "Consider revising...", which the model treats as a soft suggestion.
// 2. **Positive triage branches.** Fix / suppress-and-disclose / ask. The
// suppress branch names the calibration examples (demo, fixture,
// documented bad design, user-confirmed choice) because the agent now
// acts on its own confidence and needs the bar stated.
// 3. **Executable ignore path.** The old footer named only the slash
// command, which an agent reacting to hook output cannot run; the
// hook-admin.mjs invocation is runnable as-is and keeps agents out of
// hand-editing config.json.
// 4. **Honest provenance.** The --reason is the audit trail; "user
// confirmed" appears only when the user actually did.
// 5. **Acknowledgement instruction.** Hook output is injected as
// developer-role context, so the reply is where the user sees the
// resolution, including any ignore the agent persisted.
// 6. **Once per session.** The full policy emits on the session's first
// fire; later emissions carry the one-line short form (mode 'short').
function directiveFooter(opts = {}) {
if (opts.mode === 'short') {
// No command path here: the session's first emission already gave the
// runnable hook-admin.mjs invocation, and restating ~70 chars of absolute
// path on every repeat is the duplication this mode exists to cut.
return 'Triage per the session policy: fix real problems; persist confident false-positive or sanctioned-exception ignores via `hook-admin.mjs ignore-value` and disclose them in your reply; unsure, ask in one line.';
}
return [
'Handle these before finalizing: fix findings that are real design problems, or explicitly classify contextually intentional findings as false positives. Acknowledge what you changed or why you are leaving a finding unchanged.',
'',
'Use context judgment before editing. A finding is not automatically a defect; literal or domain-appropriate motion, intentional demos or fixtures, documentation of bad design, and user-confirmed choices can be valid as-is.',
'',
`Do not change intentional design just to satisfy the hook, and do not silence a real finding with an inline ignore comment to skip fixing it. Suppress a finding only after the user explicitly confirms it is intentional. Prefer a config ignore (one reviewable place, the commands below); reach for an inline \`impeccable-disable <rule>\` comment only when the waiver must travel with a file that leaves the repo, such as an exported or standalone document. Prefer the narrowest persisted exception: run the exact \`${IMPECCABLE_COMMAND} hooks ignore-value ... --shared\` command shown next to a value-specific finding. For \`overused-font\`, use \`ignore-value\` for a specific font and use \`${IMPECCABLE_COMMAND} hooks ignore-rule overused-font --all-values\` only when the user asks to ignore overused fonts generally. For a finding whose line shows no exact ignore-value command, such as \`side-tab\`, ${fileIgnoreGuidance}; use \`${IMPECCABLE_COMMAND} hooks ignore-rule <id>\` only when the user asks to suppress the whole non-value-specific rule. Run ${IMPECCABLE_COMMAND} audit for the full pass.`,
'Triage each finding, then state in your reply what you fixed, what you suppressed, and what you left standing:',
'- Real design problem: fix it. Keep intentional design as designed.',
`- Confident false positive or sanctioned exception (an intentional demo or fixture, documentation of bad design, literal or domain-appropriate motion, a choice the user confirmed): persist the narrowest ignore yourself and disclose it. Run \`${HOOK_ADMIN_COMMAND} ignore-value <rule> "<value>" --reason "<who decided: evidence>"\` with the pair shown on the finding line, or value "*" plus \`--file <path>\` when the line shows none. Write "user confirmed" in a reason only when the user did.`,
'- Unsure: leave it as is and ask the user in one line.',
`Self-serve ends at ignore-value: \`ignore-file\` and \`ignore-rule\` need the user's explicit approval, and never add an ignore to push a blocked write through. Full suppression ladder: ${IMPECCABLE_COMMAND} hooks.`,
].join('\n');
}
@@ -1845,20 +1904,18 @@ export async function runHook({ stdinJson, env = {}, cwd = process.cwd(), now =
}
}
// Persist only when the write is earned: fresh findings justify creating
// `.impeccable/` (dedup and suppression need it), deferred findings do
// too (the Stop deep pass needs the touched-file list to surface them),
// and an already-present `.impeccable/` dir marks a project that opted
// in. A non-UI edit, or a clean UI edit in a project with no Impeccable
// footprint, must be a no-op on disk (issues #344, #305).
if (freshGroups.length > 0 || deferredTotal > 0
|| (cacheDirty && fs.existsSync(path.join(projectCwd, '.impeccable')))) {
persistCache(projectCwd, cache);
}
// Consuming a session notice flag mutates the cache, so both must happen
// before the persist that makes the flag stick across events.
if (freshGroups.length > 0) {
const firstGroup = freshGroups[0];
const text = appendDesignSystemNote(renderGroupedTemplate(freshGroups, config, { cwd: projectCwd }), scanOptions);
const footerMode = footerModeForSession(cache, sessionId);
const text = appendDesignSystemNoteOnce(
renderGroupedTemplate(freshGroups, config, { cwd: projectCwd, footer: footerMode }),
scanOptions, cache, sessionId,
);
// Fresh findings always earn the cache write, including creating
// `.impeccable/`: dedup, suppression, and the notice flags need it.
persistCache(projectCwd, cache);
const allFindings = freshGroups.flatMap((group) => group.findings);
return {
exitCode: 0,
@@ -1881,6 +1938,33 @@ export async function runHook({ stdinJson, env = {}, cwd = process.cwd(), now =
};
}
// Resolve the ack emission before the persist below: appendDesignSystem-
// NoteOnce consumes a session flag, and the flag only sticks when the
// write happens after it. Quiet mode emits nothing, so it consumes
// nothing. The clean arm mirrors the branch order further down: pending
// outranks suppression, suppression outranks clean.
let ack = null;
if (!quietMode && pendingWinner && shouldEmitAckForFile(pendingWinner.filePath, config)) {
ack = {
kind: 'pending',
text: appendDesignSystemNoteOnce(renderPendingAck(pendingWinner.filePath, pendingWinner.known, { cwd: projectCwd }), scanOptions, cache, sessionId),
};
} else if (!quietMode && !suppressionWinner && cleanWinner && !cleanAckDeduped && shouldEmitAckForFile(cleanWinner.filePath, config)) {
ack = {
kind: 'clean',
text: appendDesignSystemNoteOnce(renderCleanAck(cleanWinner.filePath, { cwd: projectCwd }), scanOptions, cache, sessionId),
};
}
// Persist only when the write is earned: deferred findings need the
// touched-file list for the Stop deep pass, and an already-present
// `.impeccable/` dir marks a project that opted in. A non-UI edit, or a
// clean UI edit in a project with no Impeccable footprint, must be a
// no-op on disk (issues #344, #305).
if (deferredTotal > 0 || (cacheDirty && fs.existsSync(path.join(projectCwd, '.impeccable')))) {
persistCache(projectCwd, cache);
}
if (detectorThrewAny && !pendingWinner && !cleanWinner) {
return result({ emitted: false, error: 'detector-threw', durationMs: Date.now() - started });
}
@@ -1889,8 +1973,8 @@ export async function runHook({ stdinJson, env = {}, cwd = process.cwd(), now =
return result({ emitted: false, quiet: true, durationMs: Date.now() - started });
}
if (pendingWinner && shouldEmitAckForFile(pendingWinner.filePath, config)) {
const text = appendDesignSystemNote(renderPendingAck(pendingWinner.filePath, pendingWinner.known, { cwd: projectCwd }), scanOptions);
if (ack?.kind === 'pending') {
const text = ack.text;
return {
exitCode: 0,
stdout: payload(text, 'PostToolUse', harness),
@@ -1923,8 +2007,8 @@ export async function runHook({ stdinJson, env = {}, cwd = process.cwd(), now =
};
}
if (cleanWinner && !cleanAckDeduped && shouldEmitAckForFile(cleanWinner.filePath, config)) {
const text = appendDesignSystemNote(renderCleanAck(cleanWinner.filePath, { cwd: projectCwd }), scanOptions);
if (ack?.kind === 'clean') {
const text = ack.text;
return {
exitCode: 0,
stdout: payload(text, 'PostToolUse', harness),
@@ -2108,11 +2192,17 @@ export async function runStopHook({ stdinJson, env = {}, cwd = process.cwd(), no
return result({ emitted: false, skipped: 'stop-clean', durationMs: Date.now() - started });
}
// Fresh findings earn the cache write so the next Stop fire is silent
// unless new issues appear.
persistCache(projectCwd, cache);
// A per-edit fire earlier in this session already consumed the footer
// flag, so the Stop wall of text carries the one-line short footer.
const footerMode = footerModeForSession(cache, sessionId);
const text = appendDesignSystemNoteOnce(
renderGroupedTemplate(freshGroups, config, { cwd: projectCwd, footer: footerMode }),
scanOptions, cache, sessionId,
);
const text = appendDesignSystemNote(renderGroupedTemplate(freshGroups, config, { cwd: projectCwd }), scanOptions);
// Fresh findings earn the cache write so the next Stop fire is silent
// unless new issues appear; the notice flags ride along.
persistCache(projectCwd, cache);
return {
exitCode: 0,
stdout: payload(text, 'Stop', harness),