Independent validation of Model M is wasted if the branch under review still contains lookahead, a laptop path or an unseeded shuffle. This note decides what a reviewer blocks before M can be validated, and produces a short comment set on a hypothetical change — without teaching git installation or the basic commit cycle already covered in git.
Learning objectives. By the end of this note you should be able to:
- classify a diff as validation-blocking versus style-only;
- write review comments that name the economic failure mode, not just the line number;
- insist that the run record's commit hash matches the reviewed tip;
- refuse "we'll fix it after paper trading" for integrity defects.
In this lesson
- The decision: what blocks validation?
- Artifact: review comments on a hypothetical change
- Limitation: review cannot invent missing economics
- How to read a diff like a validator
- Review outcomes that feed governance
- Worked refusal: "ship for paper, fix later"
- Desk checkpoint: review as a control
Before you start
The full lesson, with worked examples and exercise solutions, is for members.
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