hakorune/docs/archive/phases/phase-150-167/phase154_feedback.md

# Phase 154: Feedback & Recommendations

## Implementation Feedback

### What Went Well ✅

1. **Clear Architecture from the Start**
   - The MIR already had CFG information (predecessors, successors, reachability)
   - Following Phase 153's boxed pattern made DeadBlockAnalyzerBox straightforward
   - Separation of concerns: CFG extraction (Rust) vs. analysis (.hako)

2. **Comprehensive Documentation**
   - Phase 150 results provided excellent test cases to reference
   - Inventory document clarified the data flow early
   - Implementation summary will help Phase 155 engineer

3. **Test-Driven Design**
   - Created test cases before implementation
   - 4 patterns cover common unreachable code scenarios
   - Smoke script validates infrastructure even without data bridge

4. **Graceful Degradation**
   - DeadBlockAnalyzerBox skips gracefully if CFG unavailable
   - Smoke test doesn't fail during MVP phase
   - Non-breaking changes to existing hako_check flow

### Challenges Encountered ⚠️

1. **Data Bridge Gap**
   - **Issue:** analysis_consumer.hako builds IR from text scanning, not MIR
   - **Impact:** CFG extractor implemented but not yet usable
   - **Resolution:** Documented as Phase 155 task (2-3 hour estimate)

2. **Module System Complexity**
   - Initial confusion about where to add `cfg_extractor` module
   - Resolved by examining existing join_ir module pattern
   - **Lesson:** Always check `mod.rs` structure first

3. **Testing Without Data**
   - Hard to validate DeadBlockAnalyzerBox without actual CFG
   - Created mock-aware smoke test as workaround
   - **Lesson:** Unit tests in Rust covered CFG extraction logic

## Recommendations for Future Phases

### Immediate (Phase 155) 🔥

**Priority 1: Complete CFG Data Bridge**

Add builtin function to extract CFG from compiled MIR:

```rust
// In src/boxes/compiler_box.rs or similar
fn extract_mir_cfg(text: &str, path: &str) -> Result<serde_json::Value, String> {
    // 1. Compile text to MIR
    let ast = parse_source(text)?;
    let module = MirCompiler::new().compile(&ast)?;

    // 2. Extract CFG
    let cfg = extract_cfg_info(&module);

    Ok(cfg)
}
```

Then update `analysis_consumer.hako`:
```hako
build_from_source_flags(text, path, no_ast) {
    local ir = new MapBox()
    // ... existing text scanning ...

    // NEW: Add CFG if available
    local cfg = extract_mir_cfg(text, path)  // Rust builtin
    if cfg != null {
        ir.set("cfg", cfg)
    }

    return ir
}
```

**Estimated Time:** 2-3 hours
**Complexity:** Low (mostly plumbing)

### Short-term (Phase 156-158) 📋

**Enhancement 1: Source Location Mapping**
- Track span information in CFG extractor
- Show line numbers in HC020 output
- Example: `[HC020] ... :: test.hako:15`

**Enhancement 2: Better Reason Inference**
- Analyze surrounding context (not just terminator type)
- Distinguish between different Branch patterns
- Example: "constant false condition" vs "always true guard"

**Enhancement 3: Integration Testing**
- Add hako_check tests to main test suite
- Verify HC020 doesn't trigger false positives
- Test with large real-world .hako files

### Medium-term (Phase 160-165) 🚀

**Feature 1: Constant Propagation**
```hako
local x = 0
if x > 0 {  // Can be proven false at compile time
    // Should trigger HC020
}
```
Currently: May not detect (depends on MIR optimizer)
Future: Always detect via symbolic execution

**Feature 2: Path-Sensitive Analysis**
```hako
if condition {
    if not condition {  // Contradiction!
        // Should trigger HC020
    }
}
```

**Feature 3: CFG Visualization**
```bash
# Generate DOT graph with dead blocks highlighted
./tools/hako_check.sh --format dot --dead-blocks program.hako > cfg.dot
dot -Tpng cfg.dot -o cfg.png
```

Red nodes = unreachable blocks
Gray edges = never taken

### Long-term (Phase 200+) 🌟

**Feature 4: Interactive Reports**
- HTML output with clickable CFG
- Hover over blocks to see code
- Click to jump to source location

**Feature 5: Fix Suggestions**
```
[HC020] Unreachable basic block: fn=Main.test bb=5 (after early return)
Suggestion: Remove unreachable code at lines 15-20, or move before return at line 12
```

## Design Improvements for Similar Tasks

### 1. Early Data Flow Validation

**What to do differently:**
- Before implementing analyzer, verify data availability
- Create end-to-end mockup with hardcoded data
- Test analysis logic before building pipeline

**Why it helps:**
- Catches integration gaps early
- Validates assumptions about data format
- Allows parallel development (data bridge + analysis)

### 2. Incremental Testing

**What to do differently:**
- Test CFG extractor → Test DeadBlockAnalyzerBox → Test CLI integration
- Each step independently validated
- Mock data for middle layers

**Why it helps:**
- Pinpoints failures faster
- Easier to debug
- More confidence at each stage

### 3. Documentation-First Approach

**What worked well:**
- Writing inventory doc forced careful investigation
- Implementation summary guided development
- Feedback doc captures lessons learned

**Apply to future phases:**
- Always start with design doc
- Document decisions and alternatives
- Create feedback doc after completion

## Specific Code Improvements

### CFG Extractor

**Current:**
```rust
fn terminator_to_string(inst: &MirInstruction) -> String {
    match inst {
        MirInstruction::Branch { .. } => "Branch".to_string(),
        MirInstruction::Jump { .. } => "Jump".to_string(),
        MirInstruction::Return { .. } => "Return".to_string(),
        _ => "Unknown".to_string(),
    }
}
```

**Future Enhancement:**
```rust
fn terminator_to_string(inst: &MirInstruction) -> String {
    match inst {
        MirInstruction::Branch { condition, .. } => {
            // Check if condition is constant
            if is_constant_value(condition) {
                "ConstantBranch".to_string()
            } else {
                "Branch".to_string()
            }
        }
        // ... rest ...
    }
}
```

Benefit: Enables better reason inference in DeadBlockAnalyzerBox

### DeadBlockAnalyzerBox

**Current:**
```hako
_infer_unreachable_reason(terminator) {
    if terminator == "Return" { return "after early return" }
    if terminator == "Jump" { return "unreachable branch" }
    // ...
}
```

**Future Enhancement:**
```hako
_infer_unreachable_reason(block, cfg) {
    // Look at parent block's terminator
    local parent_id = me._find_parent_block(block, cfg)
    local parent = me._get_block_by_id(cfg, parent_id)

    if parent.terminator == "ConstantBranch" {
        return "constant false condition"
    }
    // ... more sophisticated analysis ...
}
```

Benefit: More actionable error messages

## Testing Recommendations

### Unit Test Coverage

**Add tests for:**
- CFG extraction with complex control flow (nested loops, try-catch)
- DeadBlockAnalyzerBox edge cases (empty functions, single-block functions)
- Terminator inference logic

**Test file:**
```rust
// src/mir/cfg_extractor.rs
#[test]
fn test_nested_loop_cfg() { /* ... */ }

#[test]
fn test_try_catch_cfg() { /* ... */ }
```

### Integration Test Patterns

**Once bridge is complete:**

1. **Positive Tests** (should detect HC020)
   - Early return in nested if
   - Break in loop with subsequent code
   - Panic/throw with subsequent code

2. **Negative Tests** (should NOT detect HC020)
   - Conditional return (not always taken)
   - Loop with conditional break
   - Reachable code after if-else

3. **Edge Cases**
   - Empty functions
   - Functions with only one block
   - Functions with dead blocks but live code

## Process Improvements

### 1. Parallel Development Strategy

**For Phase 155:**
- One person implements data bridge (Rust-side)
- Another prepares integration tests (.hako-side)
- Meet in middle with agreed JSON format

### 2. Smoke Test Evolution

**Current:** Lenient (allows CFG unavailability)
**Phase 155:** Strict (requires CFG, expects HC020)
**Phase 160:** Comprehensive (multiple files, performance tests)

Update smoke script as pipeline matures.

### 3. Documentation Maintenance

**Add to each phase:**
- Before: Design doc with alternatives
- During: Progress log with blockers
- After: Feedback doc with lessons

**Benefit:** Knowledge transfer, future reference, debugging aid

## Questions for Discussion

### Q1: CFG Bridge Location

**Options:**
1. New builtin function: `extract_mir_cfg(text, path)`
2. Extend existing parser: `HakoParserCoreBox.parse_with_cfg(text)`
3. Separate tool: `hakorune --extract-cfg program.hako`

**Recommendation:** Option 1 (cleaner separation)

### Q2: Performance Optimization

**Question:** Should we cache CFG extraction?

**Analysis:**
- MIR compilation is expensive (~50-100ms per file)
- CFG extraction is cheap (~1ms)
- But hako_check runs once, so caching not useful

**Recommendation:** No caching for now, revisit in CI/CD context

### Q3: Error Handling

**Question:** What if MIR compilation fails?

**Options:**
1. Skip HC020 silently
2. Show warning "CFG unavailable due to compile error"
3. Fail entire hako_check run

**Recommendation:** Option 2 (user-friendly, informative)

## Success Metrics (Phase 155)

### Definition of Done

- [ ] CFG data bridge implemented and tested
- [ ] All 4 test cases produce HC020 output
- [ ] Smoke test passes without warnings
- [ ] No false positives on large .hako files
- [ ] Documentation updated (bridge complete)

### Performance Targets

- CFG extraction: <5ms per function
- HC020 analysis: <10ms per file
- Total overhead: <5% of hako_check runtime

### Quality Gates

- Zero false positives on test suite
- HC020 output includes function and block ID
- Error messages are actionable
- No crashes on malformed input

## Conclusion

Phase 154 **successfully delivered the infrastructure** for block-level dead code detection. The core components are complete, tested, and documented.

**Key Success Factors:**
- Clear architecture from Phase 153 pattern
- Thorough investigation before implementation
- Graceful degradation during MVP
- Comprehensive documentation for handoff

**Next Phase (155) is Straightforward:**
- 2-3 hours of Rust-side plumbing
- Well-defined task with clear deliverables
- High confidence in success

**Recommendation:** Proceed with Phase 155 implementation immediately. The foundation is solid, and the remaining work is mechanical.

---

**Feedback Author:** Claude (Anthropic)
**Date:** 2025-12-04
**Phase:** 154 (Complete)
**Next Phase:** 155 (CFG Data Bridge)
Status: Historical