Protect reference inputs from a worker

Goal: give a worker ground truth to read (expected outputs, golden files, a reference dataset) and make sure the merge fails if the worker changed it.

A worker that is told to make a result match its reference can do so by editing the reference. --protect closes that route.

Declare the paths when you nucleate

cs nucleate task-work --var topic="Make the parser pass the fixtures" \
    --protect tests/fixtures/expected.json \
    --protect data/reference/

Each --protect is relative to the repository root and names a file or a directory (a directory protects everything below it). It is repeatable. An absolute path or one containing .. is refused before any molecule is created, and the flag cannot be combined with --from.

What happens next

• The worker's briefing lists the paths as read-only, with the reason.
• cs tackle clears the write bits on those paths in the worker's worktree.
• cs done refuses a branch that changed any of them. It exits with code 78 (protected_path_modified) and names each path.

When the change is intended

If you have read the change and it is correct, merge it explicitly:

cs done <id> --allow-protected-change

The override exists only at the terminal; the Remote Pilot Port has no equivalent.

See also: Molecule lifecycle commands for the --protect flag, and Execution commands for cs done.