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mc.js Force Approval Queue (MC #100818)

mc.js Force Approval Queue (MC #100818)

MC: #100818 (Reality Anchor P1.1 — Remove --force bypass)
Parent: Reality Anchor Doctrine Phase 1
Owner: CodeCraft / Petter Graff
Date Shipped: 2026-05-15
Code: ~/system/tools/mc.js lines 2293-2412, 6837-6997

Problem Statement

The old mc.js done --force allowed agents to bypass evidence gates immediately with only a rate limit and audit log. This was a structural bypass that undermined the entire Reality Anchor doctrine. Any agent could self-authorize gate skips.

Reality Anchor Doctrine (P1.1): "Remove --force flag OR add 24h CEO approval queue."

The implemented solution: --force flag still exists but NO LONGER executes immediately. Instead, it enqueues the request for CEO approval with 24h TTL.

New Workflow

  1. Agent attempts mc.js done <id> --force --reason "..."
    • Minimum reason length: 20 characters (enforced for audit quality)
    • Example: mc.js done 100818 --force --reason "Proveo verified manually, evidence at /tmp/evidence-100818/login-pass.json"
  2. mc.js enqueues to ~/system/state/force-pending.jsonl
    • Generates queue_id (UUID)
    • Records: task_id, task_title, actor, force_reason, requested_at, expires_at (24h), status=pending_ceo_approval
    • Exits with code 45 (not executed)
  3. CEO email alert sent
    • Subject: [FORCE-QUEUE] MC #<id> — approval required (<queue_id_short>)
    • Body includes: task title, actor, reason, queue_id, approval/deny commands
  4. CEO reviews queue
    • node ~/system/tools/mc.js force-pending — list all pending requests
    • CEO decides: approve or deny
  5. CEO approves OR denies
    • Approve: mc.js force-approve <queue_id> → updates status to ceo_approved, logs to audit ledger, instructs actor to re-run WITHOUT --force
    • Deny: mc.js force-deny <queue_id> --reason "..." → updates status to ceo_denied
  6. Auto-expiry after 24h
    • Requests not approved/denied within 24h are listed as expired (effective denial)

Commands

List Pending Requests

node ~/system/tools/mc.js force-pending

Output:

=== FORCE-PENDING QUEUE (P1.1 Reality Anchor) ===
Pending CEO approval: 2 | Expired: 0 | Processed: 3

  Queue ID: a5fc1ca8-e62f-449b-9ce7-d8949f3fc639
  Task:     #100818 — Reality Anchor P1.1 force removal
  Actor:    codecraft
  Reason:   Proveo verified manually, evidence at /tmp/evidence-100818/login-pass.json
  Expires:  2026-05-16T14:30:00Z (in 320 min)
  Approve:  node ~/system/tools/mc.js force-approve a5fc1ca8-e62f-449b-9ce7-d8949f3fc639
  Deny:     node ~/system/tools/mc.js force-deny a5fc1ca8-e62f-449b-9ce7-d8949f3fc639 --reason "<text>"

Approve a Request

node ~/system/tools/mc.js force-approve <queue_id>

Example:

node ~/system/tools/mc.js force-approve a5fc1ca8-e62f-449b-9ce7-d8949f3fc639

Output:

CEO APPROVED: force request a5fc1ca8-e62f-449b-9ce7-d8949f3fc639
  Task:    #100818 — Reality Anchor P1.1 force removal
  Actor:   codecraft
  Reason:  Proveo verified manually, evidence at /tmp/evidence-100818/login-pass.json

  The actor may now re-run their mc.js done command WITHOUT --force.
  The approval is recorded. Task completion will proceed through normal gates.

  Note: CEO approval does NOT bypass evidence/verifier gates.
  It only removes the --force block. All other gates (P1.3, P2.2) still apply.

Deny a Request

node ~/system/tools/mc.js force-deny <queue_id> --reason "<text>"

Example:

node ~/system/tools/mc.js force-deny a5fc1ca8-e62f-449b-9ce7-d8949f3fc639 --reason "Evidence incomplete — missing commit verification"

Test Queue Entry

A test queue entry exists for validation:

{
  "queue_id": "a5fc1ca8-e62f-449b-9ce7-d8949f3fc639",
  "task_id": 100818,
  "task_title": "Reality Anchor P1.1 — remove --force bypass",
  "actor": "codecraft",
  "force_reason": "Proveo verified manually, evidence at /tmp/evidence-100818/login-pass.json",
  "outcome_requested": "P1.1 gates operational",
  "requested_at": "2026-05-15T14:30:00Z",
  "expires_at": "2026-05-16T14:30:00Z",
  "status": "pending_ceo_approval",
  "approved_at": null,
  "approved_by": null,
  "node_argv": "done 100818 --force --reason \"Proveo verified manually, evidence at /tmp/evidence-100818/login-pass.json\""
}

Audit Trail

All force attempts and CEO decisions are logged to:

  • ~/system/state/force-pending.jsonl — queue state (pending/approved/denied/expired)
  • ~/system/state/bypass-attempts.jsonl — bypass audit ledger (legacy compatibility)

Each entry includes:

  • event_type: force_completion
  • timestamp, mc_id, actor, reason, gate_bypassed, session_id
  • For approvals/denials: approved_at, approved_by, denied_at, deny_reason

Key Invariants

  1. No immediate execution: --force NEVER completes the task immediately. It always enqueues.
  2. CEO-only approval: Only CEO can approve (hardcoded in force-approve command).
  3. 24h TTL: Requests expire automatically. Actor must re-request if needed.
  4. --reason required: Minimum 20 characters to ensure audit quality.
  5. Approval ≠ bypass: CEO approval only removes the --force block. All other gates (P1.3 verifier, P2.2 writer≠witness) still apply.

Exit Codes

Code Meaning
42 BLOCKED: --reason missing or <20 characters
45 Queued for CEO approval (not executed)
0 Success (for force-approve / force-deny commands)
1 Error (queue_id not found, already processed, expired)
  • Parent MC: #100818 (Reality Anchor P1.1)
  • Doctrine: Reality Anchor v1 Final
  • Code: ~/system/tools/mc.js lines 2293-2412 (enqueue), 6837-6997 (queue commands)
  • Proveo Test: MC #100818 validation includes synthetic force-approve attack (must reject if already processed)

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