Phase 6: Quality Gates & CI/CD for AI Code · 40 min · Git · GitHub Actions · Python

Spec-Code Drift Gates in CI

A drift-check script someone might run is a discipline. A required CI status check that structurally disables the merge button is a control.

Real-world application: Knowing that a CI check must be configured as a required status check to actually enforce anything — not just exist in the pipeline — is the exact configuration detail that separates real enforcement from a check nobody's forced to respect.

What you will learn

Distinguish an advisory CI check (informational, bypassable) from a required status check (structurally blocking)
Explain why wiring the drift gate into CI turns it from a discipline into an enforced control
Identify the specific configuration detail (required status check) that determines whether a failing gate can be bypassed
Simulate a CI merge attempt against both a required and a non-required drift gate configuration

Introduction

Spec-Code Drift Gates in CI

Objective

Run the real git-based drift gate against a failing change, then simulate merge attempts under required and non-required CI configurations, confirming they produce different outcomes.

Unlock the full lesson

You've read the first 2 sections. The rest of this lesson covers The Problem, The Concept, Build, Check Yourself, Key Terms & Next — plus a hands-on lab, quiz, and project artifact.

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