---
project: acdl
milestone: v1.18
generated_at: 2026-08-06
generator: lead-developer
verification_toolchain:
  typecheck: "python3 -m py_compile core/submission_readiness.py mcp/atelier/server.py && python3 -m jsonschema schemas/submission-readiness.schema.json"
  test: "pytest tests/test_submission_readiness.py tests/test_atelier_mcp.py   # REQ-220 + REQ-225"
  build: "bash scripts/render_deck.sh docs/presentations/nova-no-humans-platform-marp.md   # HTML + PPTX (D-142)"
  note: |
    v1.18 adds the Citizen Developer & Production-Grade Guidance surface:
    submission-readiness gate, Atelier-derived skills, the Atelier MCP server
    (plugin-registry, stdio), and PPTX-as-first-class-artifact deck automation.
    Three active personas: lead-developer (coordination + decks + RACI/scope
    docs), backend-engineer (MCP server + submission-readiness validator +
    render/attach scripts), data-engineer (submission-readiness schema if it
    touches contract storage / DynamoDB shape). frontend-engineer stays
    deactivated (v1.18 has no frontend; decks are markdown = lead-developer
    territory). The MCP plugin-registry is a backend pattern, so a separate
    mcp-engineer persona is NOT added — it folds into backend-engineer.
---

# ACDL — Persona Roster (v1.18 Citizen Developer & Production-Grade Guidance)

> v1.18 roster. Three active personas + one deactivated. The MCP server
> plugin-registry (D-140) is a backend pattern, not a new persona — it
> folds into backend-engineer. v1.17 precedent (frontend-engineer
> deactivated, decks are markdown = lead-developer territory) is upheld.

## Active personas

### lead-developer
- **Domain:** coordination
- **Active:** true
- **Phase-specific:** false
- **Frameworks:** [] (no framework — owns process + narrative, not code)
- **Constraints:** ["pragmatic", "battle-tested defaults", "no fabrication (NORTH_STAR honesty model)"]
- **Territory:**
  - `docs/presentations/**` (Step 1/2/4 markdown + the deck automation trigger)
  - `.ciagent/**` (PROJECT, ROADMAP, REQUIREMENTS, RESEARCH, PLAN, GRILL, PERSONAS, REVIEW, CHECKPOINT)
  - `PROJECT.md` (RACI matrix + PDLC-scope statement, REQ-215/216)
  - `ROADMAP.md`
  - `REQUIREMENTS.md`
  - `docs/raci.md` (REQ-215)
  - `docs/scope.md` (REQ-216)
  - `docs/skills.md` (REQ-222 — the index page, not the skill files themselves)
  - `docs/submission-readiness.md` (REQ-219 — citizen-developer-facing copy; co-owned with backend-engineer for the reason-code catalog)
- **Reason:** Owns CIAgent metadata, the milestone narrative, the RACI +
  PDLC-scope statements (REQ-215/216), the deck (21 slides, S&P theme
  regression check vs P1, CAP-024), the skills index page (REQ-222), and
  the citizen-developer-facing submission-readiness doc (REQ-219). Is
  the only persona that touches `.ciagent/**` and the deck markdown.
- **Phase-specific flag:** none (active for all of P0–P7).

### backend-engineer
- **Domain:** backend
- **Active:** true
- **Phase-specific:** false
- **Frameworks:** ["mcp (Python SDK v2)", "pydantic", "jsonschema", "urllib"]
- **Constraints:** ["api-first", "strict-typing", "plugin-registry extensible (D-140)", "stdio now / HTTP-ready (D-135)", "no stack traces to citizen developers (REQ-218)"]
- **Territory:**
  - `mcp/atelier/server.py` (REQ-223)
  - `mcp/atelier/plugins/**/*.py` (REQ-223 — principles.py, validation.py)
  - `mcp/atelier/vendor/**` (REQ-224 — vendored Atelier snapshot)
  - `mcp/atelier/VERSION.md` + `mcp/atelier/README.md` (REQ-224)
  - `scripts/update_atelier_vendor.sh` (REQ-224)
  - `core/submission_readiness.py` (REQ-218 — the validator, invoked as `contract_ingestor.py --check-readiness`)
  - `scripts/render_deck.sh` (REQ-228 — HTML + PPTX render)
  - `scripts/attach_release_asset.py` (REQ-228 — Gitea release asset upload)
  - `tests/test_atelier_mcp.py` (REQ-225)
  - `tests/test_submission_readiness.py` (REQ-220)
  - `docs/submission-readiness.md` (REQ-219 — reason-code catalog section; co-owned with lead-developer for the narrative)
- **Reason:** Owns the MCP server (plugin-registry, stdio, vendored
  Atelier), the submission-readiness validator (extends
  `contract_ingestor.py --check-readiness`, D-133), the render/attach
  scripts (D-142 trigger), and the two new test files. The MCP
  plugin-registry (D-140) is a backend pattern — no separate
  mcp-engineer persona is created; backend-engineer owns it.
- **Phase-specific flag:** none (active for P1 deck-render, P3 validator,
  P5 MCP server, P6 scripts).

### data-engineer
- **Domain:** data
- **Active:** true
- **Phase-specific:** false
- **Frameworks:** ["jsonschema", "dynamodb (item shape)"]
- **Constraints:** ["schema-first", "superset-gate NOT duplicate (PROJECT.md hard constraint)", "W3.E per-env mandatory table is the source of truth"]
- **Territory:**
  - `schemas/**` (REQ-217 — `submission-readiness.schema.json` is the new schema; existing schemas untouched)
  - `core/lambda/contract_ingestor.py` (the `--check-readiness` subcommand wiring, D-133 — the validator is in `core/submission_readiness.py` but the ingestor dispatches to it; co-owned with backend-engineer)
- **Reason:** Owns the submission-readiness JSON Schema (REQ-217) — it
  is a schema artifact, data-engineer territory. The schema is a
  *superset gate above* `contract.schema.json`, not a duplicate (it
  references contract fields, does not redefine them). The
  per-env-mandatory table comes from W3.E (the locked decision). The
  ingestor wiring is co-owned with backend-engineer (the dispatch point
  is backend; the schema it validates against is data).
- **Phase-specific flag:** none (active for P3 schema + ingestor wiring).

## Deactivated personas

### frontend-engineer
- **Active:** false
- **Domain:** frontend
- **Frameworks:** ["react", "next.js"] (inert — no territory)
- **Constraints:** ["component-first", "server-components", "minimal-client-js"] (inert)
- **Territory:** [] (no territory in v1.18)
- **Reason:** v1.18 has no frontend; decks are markdown (lead-developer
  territory); deactivated per PERSONAS.md v1.17 precedent. v1.18's
  observability stays PowerBI / external (Out of Scope: "A Nova-built
  frontend / dashboard"). The MCP server exposes tools to an AI agent,
  not a web UI. No reactivation trigger in this milestone.

## Roster decisions

### D-143 (0.90): Fold mcp-engineer into backend-engineer
The MCP plugin-registry (D-140: `plugins/<name>.py register(mcp)`) is a
backend code pattern — Python modules, type hints, stdio transport,
urllib for the Gitea asset API. It shares nothing with the data domain
(schemas/DynamoDB) and is not a new engineering discipline. Creating a
separate `mcp-engineer` persona would fragment ownership of the server +
its tests + the render/attach scripts (all backend). **Decision:** fold
into backend-engineer. backend-engineer's `frameworks` list gains
`mcp (Python SDK v2)`. Confidence 0.90 — the only counter-argument is
that MCP is a distinct protocol skill, but the SDK v2 API surface
(`@mcp.tool()` + type hints) is small and well within backend-engineer's
range (it's the same Pydantic/FastAPI-style pattern the persona already
knows).

### Territory-overlap resolution (co-ownership)

| Path | Primary | Co-owner | Why |
|------|---------|----------|-----|
| `docs/submission-readiness.md` | lead-developer (narrative + examples) | backend-engineer (reason-code catalog, REQ-218 codes) | The doc is citizen-developer-facing copy (lead) but the reason-code catalog (MISSING_TAGS, ENV_MISSING_MANDATORY, AGENTIC_MISSING_INTENT, MISSING_APP_SOURCE, POLICY_PRECONDITION_MISSING) is backend (it mirrors the validator's return codes). |
| `core/lambda/contract_ingestor.py` | backend-engineer (dispatch wiring) | data-engineer (the schema it validates against) | D-133 places the `--check-readiness` subcommand on the ingestor (backend dispatch), but the readiness schema it loads is data-engineer territory. |
| `schemas/submission-readiness.schema.json` | data-engineer (schema artifact) | backend-engineer (the validator must match it) | The schema is data-engineer's; the validator (REQ-218) is backend-engineer's and must stay in sync with it. |