[Schema Consistency] Schema Consistency Check - 2026-03-25

[github-actions[bot]]

Summary

• Inconsistencies Found: 3 new + persisting prior findings
• Categories Analyzed: Schema, Parser/Compiler, Documentation, Feature Flags
• Strategy Used: Feature Flag Dead Code + Orphaned Constants Audit (Strategy-36)
• Approach: Cross-referenced all FeatureFlag constants in pkg/constants/constants.go with actual isFeatureEnabled() call sites in pkg/workflow/ to find orphaned constants and undocumented active flags

Critical Issues

CRITICAL: mcp-gateway Feature Flag Has Zero Runtime Effect (Schema Self-Contradiction)

The MCPGatewayFeatureFlag = "mcp-gateway" constant is defined in pkg/constants/constants.go:725 and:

• sandbox.md documents it under "Feature Flags" table as "Enable MCP gateway routing"
• frontmatter-full.md:1409 comment says "Requires the 'mcp-gateway' feature flag to be enabled"
• Schema sandbox.mcp field description says "Requires the 'mcp-gateway' feature flag to be enabled"

But: MCPGatewayFeatureFlag is NEVER passed to isFeatureEnabled() anywhere in the codebase. The MCP gateway auto-activates based on HasMCPServers() in compiler_yaml_main_job.go:255.

The schema has an internal contradiction: the top-level sandbox field description says:

"The MCP gateway is always enabled and cannot be disabled."

…while sandbox.mcp field description says:

"Requires the 'mcp-gateway' feature flag to be enabled."

These statements are mutually exclusive. Users who add features: mcp-gateway: true get no behavioral change; users who omit it still get the gateway auto-enabled.

Impact: Users following sandbox.md documentation add a useless feature flag. The schema is self-contradictory.

Evidence

// pkg/constants/constants.go:724-725
// MCPGatewayFeatureFlag is the feature flag name for enabling MCP gateway
MCPGatewayFeatureFlag FeatureFlag = "mcp-gateway"

// pkg/workflow/compiler_yaml_main_job.go:254-257
// Ensure MCP gateway defaults are set before generating aw_info.json
if HasMCPServers(data) {
    ensureDefaultMCPGatewayConfig(data)   // <-- NO isFeatureEnabled() check
}
```

```
$ grep -rn "isFeatureEnabled.*mcp-gateway\|isFeatureEnabled.*MCPGateway\|MCPGatewayFeatureFlag" pkg/workflow/
(no results)

High Priority Issues

HIGH: mcp-scripts Feature Flag Is Dead Code

MCPScriptsFeatureFlag = "mcp-scripts" is defined in pkg/constants/constants.go:723 but is never passed to isFeatureEnabled(). MCP Scripts activation uses IsMCPScriptsEnabled() → HasMCPScripts() which only checks if tools are configured (len(config.Tools) > 0), with no feature flag gate.

The constant exists, tests validate its string value, but it controls nothing at runtime.

Impact: Dead code creates false confidence that the feature can be toggled via features: mcp-scripts: false. It cannot.

Evidence

// pkg/workflow/mcp_scripts_parser.go:52-56
// IsMCPScriptsEnabled checks if mcp-scripts are configured.
// MCP Scripts are enabled by default when configured in the workflow.
func IsMCPScriptsEnabled(mcpScripts *MCPScriptsConfig, workflowData *WorkflowData) bool {
    return HasMCPScripts(mcpScripts)  // <-- just checks len(Tools) > 0, no feature flag
}
```

```
$ grep -rn "MCPScriptsFeatureFlag" pkg/workflow/
(no results — only in pkg/constants/constants_test.go)

HIGH: disable-xpia-prompt Feature Flag Active But Completely Undocumented

DisableXPIAPromptFeatureFlag = "disable-xpia-prompt" is actively used in pkg/workflow/unified_prompt_step.go:106:

if !isFeatureEnabled(constants.DisableXPIAPromptFeatureFlag, data) {
    unifiedPromptLog.Print("Adding XPIA section")
    sections = append(sections, PromptSection{
        Content: xpiaPromptFile,
        IsFile:  true,
    })
} else {
    unifiedPromptLog.Print("XPIA section disabled by feature flag")
}

When features: disable-xpia-prompt: true is set, the Cross-Prompt Injection Attack (XPIA) protection prompt section is omitted from the AI system prompt. This is a significant security-related behavioral change.

Zero documentation: No mention in docs/, no schema examples, not listed in frontmatter.md features section. Users cannot discover this flag exists.

Impact: Security-relevant flag with no user-facing documentation. No way for users to know it exists or understand its implications.

Persisting Issues from Prior Runs

The following findings from previous strategy runs remain unresolved:

View Persisting Issues (strategies 30-35)

CRITICAL (strategy-30): status-comment schema description says "Must be explicitly set to true" but compiler_safe_outputs.go:192-195 auto-enables it for slash_command/label_command triggers. A pending changeset (minor-decouple-status-comment.md) describes the fix but it is not yet implemented.

HIGH (strategy-30): proxy-args is a valid top-level MCP server config field (mcp_config_custom.go:661) but MISSING from $defs/stdio_mcp_tool.properties in main_workflow_schema.json. Since additionalProperties: false, using proxy-args at the top level fails schema validation.

CRITICAL (strategy-31): update-discussion labels is a dead feature — schema defines it, docs document it, but the LLM tool definition has NO labels parameter and update_discussion.cjs has zero label handling code.

HIGH (strategy-32): mcp_tools_management.go:171 and gh-aw-as-mcp-server.md:284 reference codemod ID sandbox-agent-false-removal which DOES NOT EXIST in fix_codemods.go. Actual codemod is sandbox-false-to-agent-false.

HIGH (strategy-33): close-older-key field (for create-issue and create-discussion) is fully implemented but COMPLETELY ABSENT from all documentation.

HIGH (strategy-35): set-issue-type and mark-pull-request-as-ready-for-review safe output types are fully implemented but COMPLETELY ABSENT from safe-outputs.md.

MEDIUM (strategy-35): features.copilot-requests flag controls significant Copilot engine behavior (skip secret validation, use GH Actions token as COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN, inject copilot-requests: write permission) but is COMPLETELY UNDOCUMENTED.

Recommendations

1. Fix schema self-contradiction in main_workflow_schema.json: Remove the misleading "Requires the 'mcp-gateway' feature flag" wording from sandbox.mcp description — replace with "MCP Gateway is always enabled when MCP servers are configured"
2. Remove dead MCPScriptsFeatureFlag and MCPGatewayFeatureFlag constants from pkg/constants/constants.go, or wire them to actual isFeatureEnabled() checks if toggle capability is desired
3. Update sandbox.md to remove the Feature Flags section claiming mcp-gateway enables MCP routing, since the feature flag has no runtime effect
4. Document disable-xpia-prompt in the features section of frontmatter.md with a security warning
5. Document disable-xpia-prompt behavior in schema features examples (currently only action-tag and experimental-feature are shown)
6. Prioritize proxy-args schema fix (strategy-30 HIGH) — this is an active schema validation failure for users trying to use a documented feature

Strategy Performance

• Strategy Used: Feature Flag Dead Code + Orphaned Constants Audit
• Findings: 3 new high-quality findings
• Effectiveness: HIGH — systematic cross-referencing of constant definitions vs. actual usage sites is efficient and reliable
• Should Reuse: YES — worth doing periodically after new constants/flags are added

Next Steps

• Fix schema self-contradiction for sandbox.mcp (requires mcp-gateway flag vs always enabled)
• Remove or wire MCPGatewayFeatureFlag and MCPScriptsFeatureFlag dead constants
• Document disable-xpia-prompt in frontmatter.md features section
• Implement the pending minor-decouple-status-comment.md changeset
• Add proxy-args to $defs/stdio_mcp_tool.properties in schema
• Add set-issue-type and mark-pull-request-as-ready-for-review to safe-outputs.md
• Document close-older-key field in reference docs

References: §23524850130

AI generated by Schema Consistency Checker · history

• expires on Mar 26, 2026, 4:32 AM UTC

[github-actions[bot]]

🤖 Smoke test agent was here! 👋

Just dropped by to confirm the Copilot engine is alive and kicking! All systems nominal (except Serena who seems to have taken the day off 🏖️). The smoke smells like success! 🔥✅

📰 BREAKING: Report filed by Smoke Copilot · ◷

[github-actions[bot]]

This discussion has been marked as outdated by Schema Consistency Checker.

A newer discussion is available at Discussion #23037.