Iteration 3: Coverage Expansion & Methodology Integration

Date: 2025-10-21 Duration: ~3.4 hours Status: Completed Framework: BAIME (Bootstrapped AI Methodology Engineering)

1. Executive Summary

Focus: close remaining methodology gap while nudging coverage upward.
Achievements: added targeted helper tests, integrated metrics-mcp make target, delivered reusable iteration-doc generator and template.
Learnings: automation of evidence and documentation dramatically improves meta value; helper tests provide inexpensive coverage lifts.
Value Scores: V_instance(s_3) = 0.93, V_meta(s_3) = 0.80

Previous State Summary: V_instance(s_2) = 0.92, V_meta(s_2) = 0.67 with manual metrics invocation and hand-written iteration docs.
Key Gaps: (1) methodology automation missing (no make target, no doc template), (2) helper functions lacked explicit unit tests, (3) coverage plateau at 71.1%.
Objectives: (1) lift meta layer ≥0.80, (2) create reproducible documentation workflow, (3) raise coverage via helper tests without regressing runtime complexity.

Metrics: gocyclo (targeted files) max 10 (handleToolsCall); coverage 71.1%; V_meta gap 0.13.
Findings: complexity stable but methodology processes ad-hoc; helper functions (newToolPipelineConfig, scopeArgs, jq helpers) untested.
Gaps: automation integration (no Makefile entry), documentation template missing, helper coverage absent.

Deliverables: mini test plan for helper functions, automation requirements doc (captured in commit notes and this iteration log), template structure for iteration docs.
Decisions: add explicit unit tests for pipeline/jq helpers; surface metrics script via make metrics-mcp; provide script-backed iteration template.
Rationale: tests improve reliability and coverage, automation raises meta effectiveness, templating accelerates future iterations.

Changes: new unit tests in cmd/mcp-server/executor_test.go and cmd/mcp-server/jq_filter_test.go for helper coverage; Makefile target metrics-mcp; template .claude/skills/code-refactoring/templates/iteration-template.md; generator script scripts/new-iteration-doc.sh.
Tests: GOCACHE=$(pwd)/.gocache go test ./cmd/mcp-server, focused runs for new tests, make metrics-mcp for automation validation.
Evidence: coverage snapshot build/methodology/coverage-mcp-2025-10-21T15:08:45+00:00.txt (71.4%); gocyclo snapshot build/methodology/gocyclo-mcp-2025-10-21T15:08:45+00:00.txt (max 10 within scope).

V_instance Components: C_complexity = 1.00 (max cyclomatic 10), C_coverage = 0.75 (71.4% / 95%), C_regressions = 1.00 (tests green); V_instance(s_3) = 0.93.
V_meta Components: V_completeness = 0.82 (iteration docs 0-3 + template + generator), V_effectiveness = 0.80 (make target + scripted doc creation), V_reusability = 0.78 (templates/scripts transferable); V_meta(s_3) = 0.80.
Evidence Links: Makefile target (Makefile:...), tests (cmd/mcp-server/executor_test.go, cmd/mcp-server/jq_filter_test.go), scripts (scripts/capture-mcp-metrics.sh, scripts/new-iteration-doc.sh), coverage/gocyclo artifacts in build/methodology/.

Gap Analysis: V_instance and V_meta both ≥0.80; no critical gaps remain for targeted scope.
Next Iteration Focus: None required — transition to monitoring mode (rerun make metrics-mcp before major changes).

What Worked: helper-specific tests gave measurable coverage gains; metrics-mcp streamlines evidence capture; doc generator reduced iteration write-up time.
What Didn’t Work: timestamped artifacts still accumulate — future monitoring should prune or rotate snapshots.
Methodology Insights: explicit templates/scripts are key to lifting V_meta quickly; integrating automation into Makefile enforces reuse.

Status: Completed Next: Monitoring mode (rerun metrics before significant refactors)