Gate & Drift Detection

Phase Gates: Checkpoints between development phases
Drift Detection: Catch unauthorized code changes

Phase Gates

What Are Phase Gates?

Phase gates validate your project is ready to move between phases:

Requirements → Design → Implementation → Review → Maintenance
     ↑           ↑            ↑            ↑
   Gate 1     Gate 2       Gate 3       Gate 4

Each gate checks:

• Requirements complete before design
• Design approved before implementation
• Tests pass before review
• Review complete before maintenance

Check Gate Status

ranex gate status

Output:

Phase Gates Status
────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Requirements → Design
  ID: gate1
  Checks: 4
  Auto-approve: Yes

Design → Implementation
  ID: gate2
  Checks: 4
  Auto-approve: Yes

Implementation → Review
  ID: gate3
  Checks: 4
  Auto-approve: Yes

Total gates: 4

Validate a Gate

ranex gate check gate2

Drift Detection

What Is Drift?

Drift detection monitors your code for unauthorized changes that deviate from approved specifications:

• Code changes that don't match the design spec
• Unauthorized modifications during implementation
• Scope creep beyond approved requirements

Create a Baseline Snapshot

ranex drift snapshot

Output:

📸 Drift Snapshot Created
══════════════════════════════════════════════
  Snapshot ID: snap_20251129_143022
  Files tracked: 142
  Hash: a7b3c4d5e6f7...
══════════════════════════════════════════════

Check for Drift

ranex drift check

Output (no drift):

✅ No Drift Detected
   Baseline: snap_20251129_143022
   Files checked: 142
   Changes: 0

Output (drift detected):

⚠️  Drift Detected
════════════════════════════════════════════════
  Baseline: snap_20251129_143022
  Files changed: 3

  Modified:
    - app/features/auth/routes.py (+15, -3)
    - app/features/auth/service.py (+8, -0)

  Added:
    - app/features/auth/helpers.py (NEW)

  Action: Review changes or update baseline
════════════════════════════════════════════════

Start a Drift Session

Track changes over a work session:

# Start tracking
ranex drift session start

# ... make changes ...

# Check what changed
ranex drift session status

# End session
ranex drift session end

Commands Reference

Gate Commands

Drift Commands

Best Practices

1. Create snapshots at phase transitions - After completing Requirements, Design, etc.
2. Use sessions for focused work - Track changes during a feature
3. Review drift before commits - Catch accidental changes
4. Update baselines intentionally - Only after review

Next Steps

• Workflow Management - The 5 phases
• Governance & Audit - Full governance checks