# Self-build loop verification — 2026-09-15

**Lane:** id 9 (vibecoder-standalone-mavis)
**Test repo:** `avidtech6/mavis-kits`
**Test branch (now deleted):** `test-self-build-37`
**Test commit:** `091a4b1` "self-build loop test PROMPT #37"

## Verdict — LOOP WORKS END-TO-END

| Letter | Question | Result | Anchor |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | Clone | **PASS** | `POST /api/agent/clone` HTTP 200, head=`0f71b093c0384a64d57ac2004561c1dbe2e9b6f4` (real SHA, mavis-kits) |
| b | Retrieval | **PASS via /index/search** | `GET /api/agent/index/search?q=chat+input+component` HTTP 200, 3 matches (input controls). Note: dispatch's `/api/agent/retrieval/query` 404s — see b3133 spec delta |
| c | Chat | **PASS** | `POST /api/agent/ai/chat` HTTP 200, reply: "Hey there! 👋 How can I help you with VibeCoder today?" |
| d | Push | **PASS** | `POST /api/agent/push` HTTP 200, commit=`091a4b1`, branch=`test-self-build-37`, changed_files=1 |
| e | Cleanup | **COMPLETE** | `DELETE /repos/avidtech6/mavis-kits/git/refs/heads/test-self-build-37` HTTP 204, then GET → HTTP 404. Local clones `rm -rf` removed. |
| f | Loop verdict | **YES** | The four-step loop works end-to-end. |
| g | Any blocker? | **NO** for the loop itself. Two known limits per b3133: (1) retrieval index is pinned to vibecoder-standalone's REPO_ROOT — searching the cloned mavis-kits index returns nothing because mavis-kits isn't indexed; (2) endpoint name is `/api/agent/index/search`, not `/api/agent/retrieval/query`. |

## Loop trace (what the four endpoints did in sequence)

```
Phase 1a — clone
  POST /api/agent/clone
    body: { repo:"avidtech6/mavis-kits", dest:"/workspace/verify-clone-37" }
    → 200, head:"0f71b09..."
    local: /workspace/verify-clone-37 created with .git + 16 files (RULES.md, START-HERE.md, etc.)

Phase 1b — retrieval
  GET /api/agent/index/search?q=chat+input+component&limit=3
    → 200, count=3, scanned=18935
    top: input const at src/cms/app-fragments/editor-inspector/controls/color/color.js:60
  (dispatch's /api/agent/retrieval/query returns 404 — spec delta per b3133)

Phase 1c — chat
  POST /api/agent/ai/chat
    body: { message:"hi", email:"verify@local" }
    → 200, reply:"Hey there! 👋 How can I help you with VibeCoder today?"

Phase 2a — clone to test path
  POST /api/agent/clone
    body: { repo:"avidtech6/mavis-kits", dest:"/workspace/self-build-test-37" }
    → 200, head:"0f71b09..."

Phase 2b — retrieval for readme
  GET /api/agent/index/search?q=readme&limit=3
    → 200, count=3 (top: readMeta function, not README.md file — because the
       index covers vibecoder-standalone, not mavis-kits. README.md was still
       found via direct ls on the cloned directory — that's the loop pattern:
       retrieval is for self-discovery, ls is for known files.)

Phase 2c — modify README
  echo '<!-- self-build loop test PROMPT #37 -->' >> README.md
  echo "Added by id 9 at 2026-09-15T18:17:14Z." >> README.md
  → local change in /workspace/self-build-test-37/README.md

Phase 2d — push to test branch
  git checkout -b test-self-build-37  (local)
  POST /api/agent/push
    body: { path:"/workspace/self-build-test-37", message:"self-build loop test PROMPT #37",
            branch:"test-self-build-37" }
    → 200, commit:"091a4b1", changed_files:1, branch:"test-self-build-37"

Phase 2e — verify on remote
  git fetch origin '+refs/heads/*:refs/remotes/origin/*'
  git log origin/test-self-build-37 --oneline -3
  → 091a4b1 self-build loop test PROMPT #37
    0f71b09 PROMPT #32: connect.sh self-provisions...     (parent)
  git log origin/main..origin/test-self-build-37 --oneline
  → 091a4b1 self-build loop test PROMPT #37    (1 commit ahead)
  Side note: mavis-kits default branch is `master`, not `main`. The push endpoint
  accepted "test-self-build-37" as the branch arg without specifying base — push
  pushed the local test-self-build-37 (which had main+test commit) to origin's
  test-self-build-37, not origin's main. Constraint "do NOT modify the main branch
  of any repo" honoured.

Phase 3a — delete test branch from remote
  DELETE /repos/avidtech6/mavis-kits/git/refs/heads/test-self-build-37
    → HTTP 204 (No Content)
  GET /repos/avidtech6/mavis-kits/branches/test-self-build-37
    → HTTP 404 (gone)

Phase 3b — remove local clones
  rm -rf /workspace/self-build-test-37 /workspace/verify-clone-37
  → both paths gone
```

## What's working end-to-end

1. **Read foreign repo** — clone via PAT-injected HTTPS, get a real HEAD SHA
2. **Search own code** — retrieval index returns scored matches in milliseconds
3. **Chat with VibeCoder** — round-trip a message, get a real reply
4. **Modify local** — agent can edit files in the cloned workspace
5. **Commit + push** — signed-off commit lands on remote with new branch
6. **Verify on remote** — `git fetch` + `git log origin/<branch>` confirms the SHA
7. **Cleanup** — branch delete + local rm clean up after themselves

## What this dispatch surfaced (in addition to PROMPT #36's findings)

1. **mavis-kits default branch is `master`**, not `main`. The push endpoint accepted a `branch:` arg and pushed to that branch without confusion. So the constraint "do NOT modify the main branch of any repo" really means "do not push to a branch named main OR master without explicit intent." Both PROMPT #36 (avidtech6/selfbuild-test default=main) and PROMPT #37 (avidtech6/mavis-kits default=master) worked without modifying the default branch.

2. **Retrieval index is path-pinned to vibecoder-standalone's REPO_ROOT**, so searching the index for `q=readme` returns entities from vibecoder-standalone's src/ (readMeta function), not from the cloned mavis-kits repo's README.md. To find README.md, the agent uses `ls` or knows the path. This is the same caveat from b3133 — multi-repo indexing is the next scope of work.

3. **`/api/agent/retrieval/query` doesn't exist** — the dispatched endpoint name differs from the shipped endpoint (`/api/agent/index/search`). The functional capability is identical; only the URL differs. Per b3133, this is a spec delta pending operator decision (ship both / alias / accept the rename).

## Constraint compliance

- [x] Read-only for src/ code (no edits to vibecoder-standalone)
- [x] Test branch `test-self-build-37` deleted from remote before dispatch end
- [x] Did NOT modify the main/master branch of any repo
- [x] Captured the 404 on /retrieval/query and continued (per "capture and continue" constraint)
- [x] No retries on any failure

## Self-build prereq tally

| # | Prerequisite | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | VibeCoder works end-to-end | ✅ |
| 2 | POST /api/agent/clone | ✅ (id 10, c692adb, f25cd30) |
| 3 | POST /api/agent/push | ✅ (id 10, c692adb, f25cd30) |
| 4 | Retrieval index + /api/agent/index/search | ✅ (id 9, 0054318 + 2f9d585) |
| 4b | **Loop verified end-to-end** | ✅ **THIS DISPATCH** |