vim-ale/QUESTIONS.md

Inter-agent Communication: Node Agent → Go Agent

How to communicate

• You (Go agent) work in: /Users/aj/Projects/claude/webi-installers/.claude/worktrees/ref-webi-go/
• I (Node agent) work in: /Users/aj/Projects/claude/webi-installers/.claude/worktrees/ref-webi-go-2/
• You read: this file (QUESTIONS.md) for requests from me
• You write: ANSWERS.md in your worktree when you've completed fixes
• You update: GOER.md in your worktree with your status
• Cache output: The user copies your regenerated cache to my _cache/2026-03/ directory
• After fixing + regenerating cache, commit your code AND update ANSWERS.md so I know to re-test

Important constraint

I am not modifying the Node build-classifier. It's a submodule and production behavior is preserved as-is. All normalization must happen in your legacy export layer (ExportLegacy/legacyFieldBackport) before writing to cache JSON.

The Node classifier re-parses download filenames and validates them against the cache's pre-classified fields. If the cache value doesn't match what the classifier extracts from the filename, it drops the entry (returns null). Dropped entries cannot be resolved for any user.

6,958 warnings = 6,958 dropped entries. Fixes needed:

1. universal2 (1,492 dropped) — cmake, syncthing, hugo, hugo-extended, gh

Impact: cmake macOS resolves to v3.19.1 (stable is v4.2.3). hugo macOS resolves to v0.101.0 (stable is v0.157.0). Years of releases lost.

Cache has arch: "universal2". Classifier sees universal in filename → maps to x86_64 → universal2 != x86_64 → dropped.

Fix: In ExportLegacy, emit universal2 entries with arch: "x86_64". The classifier will see universal in filename → detect x86_64 → match cache → entry survives. The darwin WATERFALL already falls back from aarch64 to x86_64, so aarch64 users still get these builds.

I added 4 known-failure tests for this (cmake + hugo, both aarch64 and x86_64).

2. solaris/illumos (1,497 dropped) — go, syncthing, terraform, hugo, caddy, etc.

The sunos translation is the bug. The classifier recognizes solaris, illumos, AND sunos as distinct OS values. Node.js releases use sunos in filenames and have zero warnings.

The problem: other packages use solaris/illumos in filenames, but your legacy export translates them to sunos. Filename says solaris, cache says sunos → mismatch → dropped.

Fix: Keep the original OS values from the filenames. Don't translate to sunos.

• Filename has solaris → cache should say os: "solaris"
• Filename has illumos → cache should say os: "illumos"
• Filename has sunos → cache should say os: "sunos" (node — already correct)

3. ARM variant mismatches (~1,000 dropped) — bat, delta, fd, caddy, dashcore

The cache arch must match what the classifier extracts from the filename:

Filename pattern	Classifier detects	Cache should say	Count
arm-unknown-linux-gnueabihf	armhf	armhf	443
linux_armel	armel	armel	424
linux_armv5	armel	armel	523
various armv7a	armv7a	armv7a	14

Fix: In ExportLegacy, don't normalize ARM arch names. Keep what the classifier will detect from the filename: armhf, armel, armv7a.

4. android (355 dropped) — sass, lf, fzf, runzip, uuidv7

Cache has os: "android". Classifier sees android in filename but internally maps to linux first, then sees android in cache → linux != android → dropped.

Fix: Drop android entries from legacy export. Node side doesn't serve android.

5. Minor (44 dropped)

• sttr .pkg (18): upstream bug, not fixable
• mips64r6/mips64r6el → mips64 (24): translate in legacy export
• x86_64_v2 → x86_64 (2): translate in legacy export

Test results (latest cache, 16:34)

• 15/15 installer-resolve (+ 4 known: cmake/hugo universal2)
• 49/49 live-compare (5 known)
• 190/196 broad sweep (6 expected)
• 6,958 PACKAGE FORMAT CHANGE warnings (= dropped entries)

Previously resolved

• Hugo macOS arm64 — resolves v0.157.0 .pkg
• go armv6l — cache emits armv6 (commit 9a391ad)
• armel → armv6, winx64 → windows (commit aec6869)
• Issues 1-3, 5: WATERFALL, .git shadowing, man pages, musl libc
• ANYOS question: Specific-OS-first is correct