Harness Perf

# Harness Perf

> Performance enforcement and benchmark management. Tier-based gates block commits and merges based on complexity, coupling, and runtime regression severity.

## When to Use

- After code changes to verify performance hasn't degraded
- On PRs to enforce performance budgets
- For periodic performance audits
- NOT for initial development (use harness-tdd for that)
- NOT for brainstorming performance improvements (use harness-brainstorming)

## Process

### Iron Law

**No merge with Tier 1 performance violations. No commit with cyclomatic complexity exceeding the error threshold.**

Tier 1 violations are non-negotiable blockers. If a Tier 1 violation is detected, execution halts and the violation must be resolved before any further progress. Do not attempt workarounds.

---

### Phase 1: ANALYZE — Structural and Coupling Checks

1. **Assess current performance posture.** Run `check_performance` to evaluate current performance metrics against defined budgets. Run `get_critical_paths` to identify performance-critical functions and hot paths.

2. **Run structural checks.** Execute `harness check-perf --structural` to compute complexity metrics for all changed files:
   - Cyclomatic complexity per function
   - Nesting depth per function
   - File length (lines of code)
   - Parameter count per function

3. **Run coupling checks.** Execute `harness check-perf --coupling` to compute coupling metrics:
   - Fan-in and fan-out per module
   - Afferent and efferent coupling
   - Transitive dependency depth
   - Circular dependency detection

4. **Classify violations by tier:**
   - **Tier 1 (error, block commit):** Cyclomatic complexity > 15, circular dependencies, hotspot in top 5%
   - **Tier 2 (warning, block merge):** Complexity > 10, nesting > 4, fan-out > 10, size budget exceeded
   - **Tier 3 (info, no gate):** File length > 300, fan-in > 20, transitive depth > 30

5. **If Tier 1 violations found,** report them immediately and STOP. Do not proceed to benchmarks. The violations must be fixed first.

6. **If no violations found,** proceed to Phase 2.

---

### Graph Availability

Hotspot scoring and coupling analysis benefit from the knowledge graph but work without it.

**Staleness sensitivity:** Medium -- auto-refresh if >10 commits stale. Hotspot scoring uses churn data which does not change rapidly.

| Feature                              | With Graph                                                   | Without Graph                                                                                                                    |
| ------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Hotspot scoring (churn x complexity) | `GraphComplexityAdapter` computes from graph nodes           | `git log --format="%H" -- <file>` for per-file commit count; complexity from `check-perf --structural` output; multiply manually |
| Coupling ratio                       | `GraphCouplingAdapter` computes from graph edges             | Parse import statements, count fan-out/fan-in per file                                                                           |
| Critical path resolution             | Graph inference (high fan-in) + `@perf-critical` annotations | `@perf-critical` annotations only; grep for decorator/comment                                                                    |
| Transitive dep depth                 | Graph BFS depth                                              | Import chain follow, 2 levels deep                                                                                               |

**Notice when running without graph:** "Running without graph (run `harness scan` to enable hotspot scoring and coupling analysis)"

**Impact on tiers:** Without graph, Tier 1 hotspot detection is degraded. Hotspot scoring falls back to churn-only (no complexity multiplication). This limitation is documented in the performance report output.

---

### Phase 2: BENCHMARK — Runtime Performance

This phase runs only when `.bench.ts` files exist in the project. If none are found, skip to Phase 3.

1. **Check baseline lock-in.** Before running benchmarks, verify baselines are kept in sync:
   - List all `.bench.ts` files changed in this PR: `git diff --name-only | grep '.bench.ts'`
   - If any `.bench.ts` files are new or modified:
     - Check if `.harness/perf/baselines.json` is also modified in this PR
     - If NOT modified: flag as Tier 2 warning: "Benchmark files changed but baselines not updated. Run `harness perf baselines update` and commit the result."
     - If modified: verify the updated baselines include entries for all changed benchmarks
   - If no `.bench.ts` files changed: skip this check
   - This check also runs standalone via `--check-baselines` flag

2. **Check for benchmark files.** Scan the project for `*.bench.ts` files. If none exist, skip this phase entirely.

3. **Verify clean working tree.** Run `git status --porcelain`. If there are uncommitted changes, STOP. Benchmarks on dirty trees produce unreliable results.

4. **Run benchmarks.** Execute `harness perf bench` to run all benchmark suites.

5. **Load baselines.** Load existing baselines via `get_perf_baselines` before running new benchmarks. Read `.harness/perf/baselines.json` for previous benchmark results. If no baselines exist, treat this as a baseline-capture run.

6. **Compare results against baselines** using the `RegressionDetector`:
   - Calculate percentage change for each benchmark
   - Apply noise margin (default: 3%) before flagging regressions
   - Distinguish between critical-path and non-critical-path benchmarks

7. **Resolve critical paths** via `CriticalPathResolver`:
   - Check `@perf-critical` annotations in source files
   - Check graph fan-in data (functions called by many consumers)
   - Functions in the critical path set have stricter thresholds

8. **Flag regressions by tier:**
   - **Tier 1:** >5% regression on a critical path benchmark
   - **Tier 2:** >10% regression on a non-critical-path benchmark
   - **Tier 3:** >5% regression on a non-critical-path benchmark (within noise margin consideration)

9. **If this is a baseline-capture run,** report results without regression comparison. Recommend running `harness perf baselines update` to persist. After benchmarks pass, update baselines via `update_perf_baselines` to record new performance targets.

---

### Phase 3: REPORT — Generate Performance Report

1. **Format violations by tier.** Present Tier 1 violations first (most severe), then Tier 2, then Tier 3. Each violation entry includes:
   - File path and function name
   - Metric name and current value
   - Threshold that was exceeded
   - Tier classification and gate impact

2. **Show hotspot scores** for top functions if knowledge graph data is available:
   - Query the graph for functions with high churn + high fan-in
   - Rank by composite hotspot score
   - Flag any hotspots that also have performance violations

3. **Show benchmark regression summary** if benchmarks ran:
   - Table of benchmark name, baseline, current, delta percentage, tier
   - Highlight critical-path benchmarks with a marker
   - Show noise margin and whether the regression exceeds it

4. **Recommend specific actions** for each Tier 1 and Tier 2 violation:
   - For high complexity: suggest extract-method or strategy pattern refactoring
   - For high coupling: suggest interface extraction or dependency inversion
   - For benchmark regressions: suggest profiling the specific code path
   - For size budget violations: suggest module decomposition

5. **Output the report** in structured markdown format suitable for PR comments or CI output.

---

### Phase 4: ENFORCE — Apply Gate Decisions

1. **Tier 1 violations present** — FAIL. Block commit and merge. List all Tier 1 violations with their locations and values. The developer must fix these before proceeding.

2. **Tier 2 violations present, no Tier 1** — WARN. Allow commit but block merge until addressed. List all Tier 2 violations. These must be resolved before the PR can be merged.

3. **Only Tier 3 or no violations** — PASS. Proceed normally. Log Tier 3 violations as informational notes.

4. **Record gate decision** in `.harness/state.json` under a `perfGate` key:

   ```json
   {
     "perfGate": {
       "result": "pass|warn|fail",
       "tier1Count": 0,
       "tier2Count": 0,
       "tier3Count": 0,
       "timestamp": "ISO-8601"
     }
   }
   ```

5. **Exit with appropriate code:** 0 for pass, 1 for fail, 0 for warn (with warning output).

---

## Harness Integration

- **`harness check-perf`** — Primary command for all performance checks. Runs structural and coupling analysis.
- **`harness check-perf --structural`** — Run only structural complexity checks.
- **`harness check-perf --coupling`** — Run only coupling analysis.
- **`harness perf bench`** — Run benchmarks only. Requires clean working tree.
- **`harness perf baselines show`** — View current benchmark baselines.
- **`harness perf baselines update`** — Persist current benchmark results as new baselines.
- **`harness perf --check-baselines`** -- Verify baseline file is updated when benchmarks change. Runs the baseline lock-in check standalone.
- **`harness perf critical-paths`** — View the current critical path set and how it was determined.
- **`harness validate`** — Run after enforcement to verify overall project health.
- **`harness graph scan`** — Refresh knowledge graph for accurate hotspot scoring.

## Tier Classification

| Tier | Severity | Gate         | Examples                                                                                            |
| ---- | -------- | ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 1    | error    | Block commit | Cyclomatic complexity > 15, >5% regression on critical path, hotspot in top 5%, circular dependency |
| 2    | warning  | Block merge  | Complexity > 10, nesting > 4, >10% regression elsewhere, fan-out > 10, size budget exceeded         |
| 3    | info     | None         | File length > 300 lines, fan-in > 20, transitive depth > 30, >5% non-critical regression            |

## Success Criteria

- All Tier 1 violations are resolved before proceeding
- Performance report follows structured format with tier classification
- Benchmark regressions are compared against noise margin before flagging
- Gate decision is recorded in state
- `harness validate` passes after enforcement

## Rationalizations to Reject

These are common rationalizations that sound reasonable but lead to incorrect results. When you catch yourself thinking any of these, stop and follow the documented process instead.

| Rationalization                                                                                               | Why It Is Wrong                                                                                                                                                         |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| "The cyclomatic complexity is 16 but the function is straightforward, so I can override the Tier 1 threshold" | Tier 1 violations are non-negotiable blockers. No merge with Tier 1 performance violations. If a threshold needs adjustment, reconfigure with documented justification. |
| "The benchmark regression is only 6% and it is probably just noise"                                           | The noise margin (default 3%) is applied before flagging. A 6% regression on a perf-critical path exceeds the Tier 1 threshold even after noise consideration.          |
| "The working tree has a small uncommitted change but it should not affect benchmark results"                  | No running benchmarks with a dirty working tree. Uncommitted changes invalidate benchmark results.                                                                      |
| "I will update the baselines to match the new performance numbers rather than fixing the regression"          | Baselines must come from fresh runs against committed code. Silently moving the goalposts defeats the purpose of performance gates.                                     |

## Examples

### Example: PR with High Complexity Function

```
Phase 1: ANALYZE
  harness check-perf --structural
  Result: processOrderBatch() in src/orders/processor.ts has cyclomatic complexity 18 (Tier 1, threshold: 15)

Phase 2: BENCHMARK — skipped (Tier 1 violation found)

Phase 3: REPORT
  TIER 1 VIOLATIONS (1):
    - src/orders/processor.ts:processOrderBatch — complexity 18 > 15
      Recommendation: Extract validation and transformation into separate functions

Phase 4: ENFORCE
  Result: FAIL — 1 Tier 1 violation. Commit blocked.
```

### Example: Benchmark Regression on Critical Path

```
Phase 1: ANALYZE — no structural violations

Phase 2: BENCHMARK
  harness perf bench
  Baseline: parseDocument 4.2ms, current: 4.8ms (+14.3%)
  parseDocument is @perf-critical — Tier 1 threshold applies (>5%)

Phase 3: REPORT
  TIER 1 VIOLATIONS (1):
    - parseDocument: 14.3% regression on critical path (threshold: 5%)
      Recommendation: Profile parseDocument to identify the regression source

Phase 4: ENFORCE
  Result: FAIL — 1 Tier 1 violation. Merge blocked.
```

### Example: Clean PR with Minor Warnings

```
Phase 1: ANALYZE
  harness check-perf --structural --coupling
  Result: src/utils/formatter.ts has 320 lines (Tier 3, threshold: 300)

Phase 2: BENCHMARK
  harness perf bench — all within noise margin

Phase 3: REPORT
  TIER 3 INFO (1):
    - src/utils/formatter.ts: 320 lines > 300 line threshold
  No Tier 1 or Tier 2 violations.

Phase 4: ENFORCE
  Result: PASS — no blocking violations.
```

## Gates

- **No ignoring Tier 1 violations.** They must be fixed or the threshold must be reconfigured (with documented justification).
- **No running benchmarks with dirty working tree.** Uncommitted changes invalidate benchmark results.
- **No updating baselines without running benchmarks.** Baselines must come from fresh runs against committed code.
- **No suppressing violations without documentation.** If a threshold is relaxed, the rationale must be documented in the project configuration.

## Escalation

- **When Tier 1 violations cannot be fixed within the current task:** Propose refactoring the function into smaller units, or raising the threshold with a documented justification. Do not silently skip the violation.
- **When benchmark results are noisy or inconsistent:** Increase warmup iterations, pin the runtime environment, or run benchmarks in isolation. Report the noise level so the developer can make an informed decision.
- **When critical path detection seems wrong:** Check `@perf-critical` annotations in source files and verify graph fan-in thresholds. The critical path set can be overridden in `.harness/perf/critical-paths.json`.
- **When a violation is a false positive:** Document it with a `// perf-ignore: <reason>` comment and add the exception to `.harness/perf/exceptions.json`.