[HC-012] Hard cutover runtime acceptance harness into case modules and normal-user probes

[doublemover]

Hard cutover policy: runtime acceptance is a modular test harness with normal-user execution. No 21k-line harness file, no UAC-elevated probe execution, no caught probe launch failure downgraded into evidence.

Source facts already established:

• scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/core.py has 21,707 lines.
• npm run test:fast passed 12 execution smoke fixtures, then failed runtime acceptance with OSError: [WinError 740] The requested operation requires elevation while launching dispatch_expectations_support_test.exe.
• Runtime acceptance mixes command execution, artifact registry, report building, case definitions, surface publication, and probe compilation in one file.

Required harness tree:

• scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/cli.py: argument parsing and exit code mapping.
• scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/registry.py: case registry.
• scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/case_result.py: result model.
• scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/commands.py: subprocess execution.
• scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/artifacts.py: artifact registry.
• scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/reports.py: JSON and progress reports.
• scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/probes/
  • compile.py
  • link.py
  • manifest.py
  • windows_manifest.py
• scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/cases/
  • runtime_library.py
  • dispatch.py
  • object_model.py
  • class_graph.py
  • protocols.py
  • categories.py
  • storage.py
  • properties.py
  • arc.py
  • blocks.py
  • errors.py
  • concurrency.py
  • metaprogramming.py
  • interop.py
  • package_loading.py
  • claimability.py
  • performance.py
• scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/surfaces/
  • source_surface.py
  • runtime_surface.py
  • evidence_surface.py

Required work:

• Split core.py into the tree above.
• Build probe executables with normal-user manifests.
• Store probes under unprivileged temp artifact directories.
• Add PE manifest validation for Windows probes.
• Treat any probe launch failure as a hard failing case.
• Move surface builders out of case execution modules.
• Make case modules declare required binaries, fixtures, probes, and artifacts.
• Delete runtime shim case naming from acceptance outputs.

Maximum effort shared hoist pass:

• Hoist subprocess execution to commands.py.
• Hoist artifact path creation to artifacts.py.
• Hoist C++ probe compilation to probes/compile.py.
• Hoist report writing to reports.py.
• Hoist source/evidence surface builders to surfaces/.

Acceptance criteria:

• core.py is deleted or reduced to a module import trampoline removed in the same PR.
• No runtime acceptance Python file exceeds 1,500 lines.
• Runtime acceptance probes run under a normal Windows user account.
• WinError 740 becomes a regression test.
• Fast runtime acceptance passes without elevation.

[doublemover]

Current checkout evaluation after the hard-cutover integration commits: PARTIAL, keep open.

Landed work:

• Runtime acceptance modules now exist under scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/, including domain files for object model, block ARC, concurrency, errors, metaprogramming, interop/packaging, and release claims.
• Fast runtime acceptance passed during the integration checkpoint.

Remaining blockers from the current checkout:

• scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/core.py is still 20,984 lines.
• cli.py, harness.py, native_build.py, probes.py, surfaces.py, and every domain module still import or delegate back to .core / ..core.
• The acceptance issue requires real case modules and no giant core file, not facade modules over the old core.

This should close only after the runtime acceptance behavior is actually owned by the split modules and the core file is retired or reduced below the cap.

[doublemover]

Checkpoint pushed: 7feae24ac.

Runtime acceptance split progress:

• Extracted RuntimeAcceptanceArtifactRegistry from scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/core.py into scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/artifacts.py.
• The extracted module now owns artifact cache keying, required-artifact validation, reuse/miss event recording, registration, and summary state.
• core.py now wires the registry through explicit ArtifactRegistryConfig and passes progress into reuse/register operations instead of the registry reaching back into core globals.

Validation:

• python -m py_compile scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/artifacts.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/core.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/harness.py PASS
• git diff --check -- scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/artifacts.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/core.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/harness.py PASS
• python scripts/check_objc3c_runtime_acceptance.py --case artifact-registry-key-isolation PASS (runtime-acceptance: PASS)

Keeping this open. This is a real core reduction, but core.py is still large and other split modules still delegate back into it. The remaining work is to continue moving case definitions, command execution, probe compilation/linking, reports, and surfaces into the owned module tree until the giant core file is retired or below the cap.

[doublemover]

Hard-cutover progress update (May 6, 2026): landed and pushed dccdcc77b (HC-012 extract runtime acceptance progress reporter).

Completed in this checkpoint:

• Extracted the runtime acceptance progress reporter out of scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/core.py into scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/progress.py.
• Updated scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/harness.py to re-export progress helpers from the new module while preserving the existing harness import surface.
• core.py now consumes RuntimeAcceptanceProgress, command_display, format_seconds, repo_display_path, and round_seconds from the dedicated progress module instead of owning that code inline.

Validation run:

• python -m py_compile scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/progress.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/core.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/harness.py
• python scripts/check_objc3c_runtime_acceptance.py --case artifact-registry-key-isolation
• python -m scripts.source_hygiene
• npm run objc3c -- lint
• git diff --cached --check

Current closure status: still open. core.py is down another extracted reporter, but it remains a large runtime acceptance coordinator at 21,326 lines. Next closure work is to continue moving coherent case/probe groups out of core.py, then lock the normal-user probe coverage once the giant core is reduced to orchestration only.

[doublemover]

Hard-cutover progress update (May 6, 2026): landed and pushed ffe19ddf1 (HC-012 own runtime acceptance probe helpers).

Completed in this checkpoint:

• Turned scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/probes.py from a facade over core.py into the real owner for probe compilation, probe execution, probe retry policy, and probe output parser re-exports.
• Moved the progress-aware command runner into scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/commands.py so probe helpers and core orchestration share one command boundary.
• Moved runtime acceptance progress state into scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/progress.py with explicit get_acceptance_progress() / set_acceptance_progress() ownership.
• Updated core.py to import probe helpers and command execution from the dedicated owners. core.py is now 21,234 lines after this slice.

Validation run for this checkpoint:

• python -m py_compile scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/progress.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/commands.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/probes.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/core.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/harness.py
• python scripts/check_objc3c_runtime_acceptance.py --case installation-lifecycle
• python -m scripts.source_hygiene
• git diff --check

I did not rerun the full npm run objc3c -- lint gate for this immediately-following slice because it had just passed on the previous checkpoint and this validation targeted the moved probe/runner paths directly. Current closure status: still open; next work is moving the large case/surface groups out of core.py into real domain modules.

[doublemover]

Hard-cutover runtime acceptance checkpoint (May 6, 2026): landed and pushed 893a4af12 (HC integrate runtime domains and helper ownership).

Completed in this checkpoint:

• Extracted native build/fixture/provenance ownership from scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/core.py into native_build.py, with shared assertions.py and checksums.py helpers.
• Replaced facade domain modules with real owners for release claims, block ARC, and error handling: domains/release_claims.py, domains/block_arc.py, and domains/errors.py.
• Routed the corresponding case factories and summary surfaces through the domain modules.
• core.py dropped substantially again and now delegates more runtime acceptance behavior instead of embedding it all inline.

Validation evidence:

• python -m py_compile across the changed runtime acceptance modules.
• python scripts/check_objc3c_runtime_acceptance.py --case installation-lifecycle --case claimable-surface-residual-non-claimable-gaps-source-surface --case block-arc-runtime-abi --case error-execution-cleanup-source PASS.
• python -m pytest tests/native/test_behavior_fixture_boundaries.py PASS, 8 passed.
• python scripts/check_objc3c_behavior_matrix.py --phase runtime PASS.
• python -m scripts.source_hygiene PASS, active_findings 0.
• git diff --cached --check PASS.

Current closure status: still open. This is a large reduction, but other runtime acceptance domains still delegate through core.py, and normal-user/full acceptance closure still needs final end-to-end validation.

[doublemover]

Runtime acceptance checkpoint (May 6, 2026): landed and pushed 1455128eb (HC expand runtime domains and canonical docs).

Completed in this checkpoint:

• Replaced more runtime acceptance facades with real domain ownership:
  • domains/object_model.py
  • domains/interop_packaging.py
  • domains/concurrency.py
• Routed object-model/runtime dispatch, package/interop, and concurrency case factories and summary surfaces through those domain modules instead of keeping the implementations embedded in core.py.

Validation evidence:

• python -m py_compile scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/core.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/domains/object_model.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/domains/interop_packaging.py scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/domains/concurrency.py PASS.
• python scripts/check_objc3c_runtime_acceptance.py --case canonical-dispatch --case cross-module-runtime-package-interop-source-surface --case unified-concurrency-runtime-abi PASS.
• python -m scripts.source_hygiene PASS, active_findings 0.
• git diff --cached --check PASS.

Current closure status: still open. Runtime acceptance core.py has fewer domain responsibilities, but remaining domains and full normal-user acceptance still need final closure validation.

[doublemover]

Pushed checkpoint 7b2c532. Runtime acceptance metaprogramming cases were extracted from scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/core.py into scripts/objc3c_runtime_acceptance/domains/metaprogramming.py. Validation evidence: python py_compile for runtime modules passed; python scripts/check_objc3c_runtime_acceptance.py --case metaprogramming-source-surface passed; git diff --check passed. This reduces core.py by roughly 2.3k lines but #8143 remains open because additional runtime acceptance domains still need extraction.