11# Constitution Template Sync
22
3- An ** opt-in** preset that makes ` /constitution ` propagate amended guidance into your project's own
4- templates and command files. After you update the constitution, it aligns
3+ An ** opt-in** preset that restores ` /constitution ` 's ability to propagate amended guidance into your
4+ project's own templates and command files. After you update the constitution, it aligns
55` plan-template.md ` , ` spec-template.md ` , ` tasks-template.md ` , project-local command files, and
66guidance docs so they reflect the current principles.
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8- The current version of Spec Kit does ** not** do this by default. Its default model is
9- ** runtime resolution** : ` plan ` , ` tasks ` , and ` analyze ` read ` .specify/memory/constitution.md ` live
10- on every run, so templates carry a pointer (` [Gates determined based on constitution file] ` ) rather
11- than a frozen copy. Add this preset only if you specifically want the guidance materialized into
12- reviewed, committed artifacts — and read the [ caveats] ( #caveats-you-take-on ) first, because
13- propagation and the preset composition stack pull in opposite directions.
8+ This propagation used to be built into ` /constitution ` ; it was dropped when the command moved to the
9+ preset model. Installing this preset opts you back into it: you get the guidance materialized into
10+ reviewed, committed artifacts instead of relying on runtime resolution alone.
11+
12+ > ** What you're opting into.** Propagation was removed deliberately — it duplicates the constitution
13+ > as the source of truth and can fight the composition stack (materialized edits get shadowed or
14+ > clobbered on the next recompose). This preset knowingly ** reintroduces** that behavior, and those
15+ > tradeoffs, for teams that want it. Read the [ caveats] ( #caveats-you-take-on ) before installing.
16+
17+ For most projects the default composable stack is the ** recommended** approach, and at organization
18+ scale it is usually the stronger governance model. Runtime resolution keeps the live constitution as
19+ the single source of truth (nothing to re-sync, so nothing drifts), and the stack composes the
20+ ** entire** Spec Kit ecosystem — not just the SDD commands, but every command, template, script and
21+ extension — with explicit priority levels, strategies, and independent versioning. It is a
22+ capability, not automatic governance: a core team authors its own organizational presets and
23+ extensions, then owns, versions, and audits that policy in one place and rolls it across many
24+ repositories, instead of scattering frozen, per-repo copies no central team can see. This preset is
25+ a supported escape hatch for teams whose workflow depends on reviewing materialized artifacts
26+ directly — useful as a bridge, though for org-wide policy the better long-term path is usually a
27+ versioned preset a core team maintains.
1428
1529## What it does
1630
@@ -19,15 +33,15 @@ current core command (via `{CORE_TEMPLATE}`), so it stays forward-compatible wit
1933appends a propagation pass that, after the constitution is written:
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2135- Aligns ` plan/spec/tasks-template.md ` in ` .specify/templates/ ` with the updated principles.
22- - Updates ** project-local** command files and guidance docs for stale references.
36+ - Updates ** project-local** command files and guidance docs to correct stale references.
2337- Extends the Sync Impact Report in ` .specify/memory/constitution.md ` with the files it touched.
2438
2539## What it does not do
2640
2741- It does ** not** change behavior for anyone who does not install it — the default runtime
2842 resolution model is untouched.
2943- It does ** not** disable runtime resolution. ` plan ` , ` tasks ` , and ` analyze ` still read the live
30- constitution every run; this preset adds materialized copies on top, it does not replace the
44+ constitution every run; this preset adds materialized copies on top — it does not replace the
3145 source of truth.
3246- It does ** not** edit versioned, package-owned files — templates or command files provided or
3347 wrapped by another preset or extension. Those are recomposed from the resolution stack, so it
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