[dmccoystephenson]

Summary

• Six fixture cases are added to CheckReadmeStepsSyncTests in tests/test_check_docs.py, so that check_readme_steps_sync gets the same edge-case coverage check_placeholders received in Add check_placeholders cases for conditionals, section bounds, and trimming #155:
  • numbered items after the next ## heading are not counted (section bound)
  • a ## What it does section at end of file is still read (the \Z branch)
  • out-of-order README items still pass. This documents current behavior: both lists are sorted before comparison, so ordering is not enforced
  • a duplicated README number is reported ([1, 1] vs [1])
  • numbered items without a bold ** lead are not counted
  • a ### N - heading with a hyphen instead of an em dash is not counted as a Step. This also documents current behavior
• Each failure case checks the number lists inside the error message, not only the error count, so a check that fires for the wrong reason is still caught.
• These are characterization tests only. Production code is unchanged and no bug was found.

No tracking issue: the gap was found during triage (Stage B unit-test expansion).

Skipped backlog: every other open issue was deferred this cycle:

• The template-rule issues and the other process issues (Phase 4's rubric scores the diff only, so PR-description obligations like CLAUDE.md's retrofit note go unchecked #120–Phase 5: compress the review wait for a single autonomous run with no reviewer assigned or requested #150) need changes to the template or its process text. Nothing can validate those changes in a headless dispatch ([self-audit] The repo's own validation anchor is structurally unrunnable in a headless dispatch, so template changes can never merge autonomously #109), so they could not merge autonomously.
• CLAUDE.md still links gardener under the old dmccoystephenson owner #106 needs a CLAUDE.md edit. That is harness-blocked and needs separate operator authorization.
• Unverified: whether an in-checkout .worktrees/ survives gardener's refresh (git clean -fdx) #114 needs an observation of gardener's refresh behavior, which this repo cannot observe.

Research grounding

RESEARCH.md §3: regression guards and characterization tests help an agent tell real fixes apart from coincidental patches. No template change is made.

Test plan

• python3 scripts/check_docs.py printed "Doc consistency check passed."
• python3 -m unittest discover -s tests -v ran 25 tests, all OK (19 before this change)
• No /create-dev-loop run is needed because neither create-dev-loop.md nor the template changed.

This PR description was drafted during a Gardener session (https://github.com/Stephenson-Software/gardener).

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

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drafted by Claude on behalf of Daniel Stephenson

[dmccoystephenson]

Self-review rubric:

• Scope: PASS. Only tests/test_check_docs.py was modified (+45/-0), and all of it is new CheckReadmeStepsSyncTests cases.
• Tests-new: PASS. No new production functions were added. The six cases exercise the existing check_readme_steps_sync.
• Tests-fix: N/A. No bug fix is included: production code is unchanged and these are characterization tests.
• Sibling structure: PASS. The cases follow the existing class pattern: inline fixture strings, check_docs.errors = [] reset in setUp(), and assertions on message content.
• Sibling renames: N/A. Nothing was renamed.
• Docs: PASS. The Phase 7 table was checked and no doc describes these edge cases. The module docstring about the setUp() reset still holds.
• Issue resolution: N/A. No Closes #N; the gap was found during triage.
• CI: PASS. doc-consistency is green on the PR head, and locally 25 tests ran OK.
• Placeholder parity / README Step parity / fence escaping / phase numbering / version comments: N/A. create-dev-loop.md and README.md were not touched.
• Research grounding: PASS. RESEARCH.md §3 is cited; no finding is shipped, so no Implementations entry is needed.
• No back-ported specifics / gardener interface / retrofit note: N/A. Steps and template are unchanged.
• Behavioral validation: N/A. No template or Step change.

Judgment call flagged: test_order_is_not_enforced and test_step_heading_without_em_dash_is_not_counted lock in permissive current behavior. If ordering or heading strictness is ever wanted, those tests will need deliberate updates. That is intentional for characterization tests.

Do-not-auto-merge check: no protected path is matched. Only tests/test_check_docs.py changed, with no deletions.

This review comment was drafted during a Gardener session (https://github.com/Stephenson-Software/gardener).

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drafted by Claude on behalf of Daniel Stephenson