[#186] fix: wire --config through dispatch path for update and install

[rucka]

PR Information

PR Title: [#186] fix: wire --config through dispatch path for update and install
Story/Epic: #186
Type: Bug Fix
Priority: P0
Labels: bug

Summary

What Changed

Wired the -c/--config CLI option through the dispatch path so it reaches handleUpdateCommand and handleInstallCommand. The handlers already supported options.config but the dispatcher silently dropped it.

Why This Change

pair update -c ./pair.config.json ignored the custom config — registries always resolved from the packaged base config. The same bug affected pair install. Users could not override registry behavior (e.g. skills.flatten=false) per-project.

Story Context

User Story: As a CLI user running pair update in a consumer repo, I want pair update to honor -c/--config <path> and auto-load project pair.config.json so that I can override registry behavior per-project.

Acceptance Criteria:

• AC-1: project config auto-load
• AC-2: explicit -c flag
• AC-3: custom config registry targets
• AC-4: backward compat (no config = base config)
• AC-5: missing config file error

Changes Made

Implementation Details

• DispatchContext interface: added config?: string
• resolveOptions: spread config to handler options
• cli.ts registerCommandFromMetadata: extract normalizedOptions['config'] and pass to dispatch context
• ParseUpdateOptions: added config?: string for interface completeness
• ParseInstallOptions: added config?: string for interface completeness

Files Changed

• Modified: apps/pair-cli/src/commands/dispatcher.ts — DispatchContext + resolveOptions
• Modified: apps/pair-cli/src/cli.ts — config passthrough in registerCommandFromMetadata
• Modified: apps/pair-cli/src/commands/update/parser.ts — ParseUpdateOptions
• Modified: apps/pair-cli/src/commands/install/parser.ts — ParseInstallOptions
• Modified: apps/pair-cli/src/commands/dispatcher.test.ts — config forwarding tests (update + install)
• Modified: apps/pair-cli/src/commands/update/handler.test.ts — config override tests
• Modified: apps/pair-cli/src/commands/install/handler.test.ts — config override tests

Testing

Test Coverage

• Unit Tests: Dispatcher config forwarding (update + install), handler custom config, backward compat, missing config error
• Integration Tests: End-to-end dispatcher → handler with custom registry target verification

Test Results

Test Suite: ✅ 65 files passed
Tests: ✅ 742 passed
Quality Gate: ✅ All gates passing (ts:check, test, lint, prettier)
Config Parity: ✅ update handler matches install handler exactly

Testing Strategy

• Happy Path: custom config overrides registry targets; output lands at custom target
• Edge Cases: missing config file produces clear error; empty config = base config
• Error Handling: loadConfigWithOverrides error propagation verified
• Regression: all 742 existing tests pass unchanged

Quality Assurance

Code Quality Checklist

• Code follows established style guides and conventions
• Error handling implemented for edge cases
• Security best practices followed (config path is user-provided; loadConfigWithOverrides already validates)
• No debugging code or console logs left behind

Deployment Information

Deployment Notes

• Configuration Changes: None
• Dependencies: None — no new packages
• Feature Flags: None needed
• Rollback Plan: Revert PR

Risk Assessment

Technical Risks

Risk	Impact	Probability	Mitigation
Breaking existing update/install tests	Medium	Low	Full test suite passes (742 tests)
Config merge order surprise	Low	Low	Same loadConfigWithOverrides semantics as install/package

Reviewer Guide

Review Focus Areas

1. Dispatch path: dispatcher.ts — verify config is spread correctly in resolveOptions
2. CLI entry point: cli.ts — verify normalizedOptions['config'] extraction and forwarding
3. Test coverage: dispatcher + handler tests cover both update and install commands

Testing the Changes

git checkout feature/#186-update-config-forwarding
pnpm install
pnpm --filter pair-cli test
pnpm quality-gate

Closes #186

[rucka]

Code Review: [#192] fix: wire --config through dispatch path for update and install

Review Information

PR Number: #192
Author: rucka
Reviewer: AI (pair-process-review)
Review Date: 2026-04-11
Story: #186 — Bug: pair update ignores --config
Review Type: Bug Fix

Review Summary

Overall Assessment

• Approved — Ready to merge

Key Changes Summary

Wires the -c/--config CLI option through the dispatch path (DispatchContext → resolveOptions → handler options) so it reaches handleUpdateCommand and handleInstallCommand. The handlers already supported options.config but the dispatcher silently dropped it.

Business Value Validation

Users can now override registry behavior per-project via pair update -c ./pair.config.json. Config resolution matches pair install and pair package exactly.

Code Review Checklist

Functionality Review

• Requirements Met — All 5 AC implemented and tested
• Business Logic — Config forwarding follows same conditional-spread pattern as existing fields
• Integration — Handlers already had loadConfigWithOverrides wiring; dispatch path was the only gap
• Error Handling — Missing config file error propagates from loadConfigWithOverrides (no new error handling needed)
• Performance — No impact; one additional field spread

Code Quality Assessment

• Readability — Changes are minimal and self-documenting
• Maintainability — Follows exact same pattern as httpClient, cliVersion, baseTarget in resolveOptions
• Naming — configPath in cli.ts, config in DispatchContext — clear and consistent
• Complexity — Trivial; 4 one-line additions in production code

Technical Standards Compliance

• Style Guide — Matches existing conditional-spread pattern
• Architecture — No architectural changes
• Dependencies — No new dependencies

Testing Review

Test Coverage Assessment

• Dispatcher tests — Config forwarding for both update and install commands
• Handler tests (update) — Custom config override, base config fallback, missing config error
• Handler tests (install) — Custom config override, base config fallback, missing config error
• Integration — End-to-end dispatcher → handler with custom registry target verification
• Backward compat — No-config path unchanged; all 742 existing tests pass

Test Quality

• Tests are well-structured with clear #186 annotations
• Each test verifies observable behavior (file at custom target path) not implementation details
• Error case uses .rejects.toThrow(/Failed to load custom config/) — appropriate regex match

Security Review

• Config path is user-provided CLI input; loadConfigWithOverrides already validates
• No new attack surface

Risk Assessment

Risk	Impact	Probability	Mitigation
Breaking existing tests	Medium	None	742 tests pass unchanged
Config merge order surprise	Low	Low	Same loadConfigWithOverrides semantics as install/package

Positive Feedback

• Test-first approach: Failing tests created before fix (T-2 → T-1 → T-3 → T-4) — follows bug-fix workflow correctly
• Minimal change: 4 production lines changed, comprehensive test coverage
• Parity: Update and install config paths are now symmetrical
• PR description: Excellent — clear story context, AC mapping, and reviewer guide

Issues

Critical: 0 | Major: 0 | Minor: 0

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REVIEW COMPLETE:
├── PR:         #192: [#186] fix: wire --config through dispatch path
├── Story:      #186: Bug: pair update ignores --config
├── Decision:   APPROVED
├── Issues:     critical: 0 | major: 0 | minor: 0
├── Quality:    PASS — all gates
├── DoD:        5/5 AC met
├── Adoption:   Level 4 — no concerns
├── Debt:       0 items flagged
└── Report:     Posted as PR comment

Note: PR is currently marked as draft. Mark as ready for review before merging.