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Capstone Extension Guide

Guide Fit

flowchart TD
  family["Reproducible Research"] --> program["Deep Dive DVC"]
  program --> pressure["A concrete learner or reviewer question"]
  pressure --> guide["Capstone Extension Guide"]
  guide --> next["Modules, capstone, and reference surfaces"]
flowchart TD
  question["Name the exact question you need answered"] --> skim["Skim only the sections that match that pressure"]
  skim --> crosscheck["Open the linked module, proof surface, or capstone route"]
  crosscheck --> next_move["Leave with one next decision, page, or command"]

Read the first diagram as a timing map: this guide is for a named pressure, not for wandering the whole course-book. Read the second diagram as the guide loop: arrive with a concrete question, use only the matching sections, then leave with one smaller and more honest next move.

Use this guide when changing the DVC capstone after the course is already in use.

The goal is not to forbid growth. The goal is to keep new work from weakening the state, promotion, and recovery contracts the course depends on.

Boundaries That Must Stay Legible

These boundaries should remain explicit:

  • source data versus derived state
  • declared pipeline contract versus recorded execution state
  • internal repository state versus publish/v1/
  • local cache convenience versus remote-backed durability

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Safe Kinds Of Change

These changes are usually safe when reviewed carefully:

  • adding a new internal stage whose dependencies and outputs are fully declared
  • enriching the publish bundle without breaking existing promoted files
  • extending params or metrics when comparability rules are updated with them
  • strengthening verification or recovery evidence

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Risky Kinds Of Change

These changes need stronger review:

  • changing the meaning of an existing promoted artifact
  • adding parameters that silently invalidate historical comparisons
  • moving recovery guarantees from the remote to local cache assumptions
  • changing stage behavior without making the new dependency surface legible in dvc.yaml

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Minimum Proof After A Change

After any meaningful capstone change, rerun:

  1. make PROGRAM=reproducible-research/deep-dive-dvc capstone-walkthrough
  2. make PROGRAM=reproducible-research/deep-dive-dvc capstone-verify
  3. make PROGRAM=reproducible-research/deep-dive-dvc capstone-recovery-drill
  4. make PROGRAM=reproducible-research/deep-dive-dvc capstone-tour

If any of those results become harder to explain, the repository likely got worse even if it still runs.

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Best Companion Pages

Use these pages with this guide:

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