Policy Loading

Policy loading belongs in the control plane so repository checks and runtime ops share the same declared rules.

Policy Loading Model

flowchart TD
    Find[Policy loading] --> Source[Find policy source]
    Source --> Precedence[Resolve precedence]
    Precedence --> Parse[Parse and validate]
    Parse --> Valid{Policy valid?}
    Valid -- No --> Fail[Fail with explicit error]
    Valid -- Yes --> Effective[Effective policy set]
    Effective --> Use[Used by rules and automation]

This model is important because policy loading is where governance stops being a pile of files and becomes the effective rule set a command or check actually uses.

Repository Anchors

• governance sources live under configs/sources/governance/
• governance state and exception loading are handled in src/application/governance.rs
• control-plane policy rendering is wired in src/application/control_plane.rs
• the dev-atlas policy loader and validator live in src/policies/

Main Takeaway

Policy loading is the bridge between authored rule files and actual enforcement. If the control plane cannot find, validate, and render the effective policy set clearly, maintainers lose the ability to trust the checks that follow.