This document outlines foundational mandates, architectural patterns, and project-specific conventions to ensure high-quality, idiomatic, and consistent code from the first iteration. When modifying this file, always review the full document to prevent the introduction of duplicate instructions and ensure the content remains coherent and logically organized.
- Addition: When adding new symbols, ensure the corresponding import is added.
- Removal: When removing the last usage of a class or symbol from a file (e.g., removing a
@Inject Clock clock;field), immediately remove the associated import. Do not wait for a build failure to identify unused imports. - No Redundant Qualifications: NEVER use fully qualified class names (e.g.,
java.time.temporal.ChronoUnit.DAYS) in code when an import can be used instead. Always prefer adding an import and using the simple name. - Static Imports for Utilities: Always statically import methods from utility classes like
DateTimeUtilsorCacheUtils. (e.g., usetoInstant(...)instead ofDateTimeUtils.toInstant(...)). - Checkstyle: Proactively fix common checkstyle errors (line length > 100, formatting, unused imports) during the initial code write. Do not wait for CI/build failures to address these, as iterative fixes are inefficient.
- Verification: Before finalizing any change, scan the imports section for redundancy.
- License Headers: When creating new files, ensure the license header uses the current year (e.g., 2026). Existing files should retain their original year.
- Idiomatic java.time Usage: Avoid redundant conversions between
InstantandDateTime. If a field or parameter is anInstant, use it directly. Do not convert toDateTimejust to call a deprecated method if anInstantalternative exists or can be easily created. Furthermore, you should not calltoInstant()ortoDateTime()conversion methods when not strictly necessary; always prefer to use an alternative method that returns the correct type if one exists (e.g. usetm().getTxTime()which returns anInstantinstead of callingtm().getTransactionTime().toInstant()). - CRITICAL MISTAKES TO AVOID:
- NEVER use
toInstant(clock.nowUtc())ortoInstant(fakeClock.nowUtc()). BothClockandFakeClockhave anow()method that natively returns ajava.time.Instant. You MUST useclock.now()orfakeClock.now()directly. - NEVER double-wrap conversions like
toInstant(toDateTime(...))ortoDateTime(toInstant(...)). - NEVER mark
Instantparameters or local variables asfinalunnecessarily, as it clutters the codebase. - When using test helpers like
assertThatCommand().atTime(...)orForeignKeyUtils.loadResource(...), ALWAYS use theInstantoverloads. DO NOT wrapInstantinstances intoDateTime(...)just to pass them to deprecated overloads.
- NEVER use
- UTC Timezones: Do not use
ZoneId.of("UTC"). Use a statically importedUTCfromZoneOffsetinstead (import static java.time.ZoneOffset.UTC;). - Millisecond Precision: Always truncate
Instant.now()to milliseconds (using.truncatedTo(ChronoUnit.MILLIS)) to maintain consistency with JodaDateTimeand the PostgreSQL schema (which enforces millisecond precision via JPA converters). - Clock Injection:
- Avoid direct calls to
Instant.now(),DateTime.now(),ZonedDateTime.now(), orSystem.currentTimeMillis(). - Inject
google.registry.util.Clock(production) orgoogle.registry.testing.FakeClock(tests). - Use
clock.nowDate()to get aZonedDateTimein UTC. - When defining timestamps for tests, prefer using a fixed, static constant (e.g.,
Instant.parse("2024-03-27T10:15:30.105Z")) over capturingclock.now()to prevent flaky tests caused by the passage of real time. Avoid using the Unix epoch (START_INSTANT) unless specifically testing epoch-related logic; instead, use realistic dates and vary them across different test suites to ensure logic isn't dependent on a specific "standard" date.
- Avoid direct calls to
- Beam Pipelines:
- Ensure
Clockis serializable (it is by default in this project) when used in BeamDoFns. - Pass the
Clockthrough the constructor or via Dagger provider methods in the pipeline module.
- Ensure
- Command-Line Tools:
- Use
@Inject Clock clock;inCommandimplementations. - The
clockfield should be package-private (no access modifier) to allow manual initialization in corresponding test classes. - In test classes (e.g.,
UpdateDomainCommandTest), manually setcommand.clock = fakeClock;in the@BeforeEachmethod. - Base test classes like
EppToolCommandTestCaseshould handle this assignment for their generic command types where applicable.
- Use
- Concrete Types: Dagger
injectmethods must use explicit concrete types. Genericinject(Command)methods will not work. - Test Components: Use
TestRegistryToolComponentfor command-line tool tests to bridge the gap betweenmainandnonprod/testsource sets.
- JPA Converters: Be aware that JPA converters (like
DateTimeConverter) may perform truncation or transformation. Ensure application-level logic matches these transformations to avoid "dirty" state or unexpected diffs. - Transaction Management:
- Top-Level: Define database transactions (
tm().transact(...)) at the highest possible level in the call chain (e.g., in an Action, a Command, or a Flow). This ensures all operations are atomic and handled by the retry logic. - DAO Methods: Avoid declaring transactions inside low-level DAO methods. Use
tm().assertInTransaction()to ensure that these methods are only called within a valid transactional context. - Utility/Cache Methods: Use
tm().reTransact(...)for utility methods or Caffeine cache loaders that might be invoked from both transactional and non-transactional paths.reTransactwill join an existing transaction if one is present (acting as a no-op) or start a new one if not.- This is particularly useful for in-memory caches where the loader must be able to fetch data regardless of whether the caller is currently in a transaction.
- Transactional Time: Ensure code that relies on
tm().getTransactionTime()is executed within a transaction context.
- Top-Level: Define database transactions (
- FakeClock and Sleeper: Use
FakeClockandSleeperfor any logic involving timeouts, delays, or expiration. - Empirical Reproduction: Before fixing a bug, always create a test case that reproduces the failure.
- Base Classes: Leverage
CommandTestCase,EppToolCommandTestCase, etc., to reduce boilerplate and ensure consistent setup (e.g., clock initialization).
- Common Module: When using
Clockor other core utilities in a new or separate module (likeload-testing), ensureimplementation project(':common')is added to the module'sbuild.gradle.
- No CodeSearch: This project is hosted on GitHub, not Google3. Do NOT use
mcp_Coding_search_for_files_codesearchor other internal Google3 search tools. - Local Grep: Use local shell commands like
git greporgrepviarun_shell_commandto search the codebase.
- Turn Minimization: Aim for "perfect" code in the first iteration. Iterative fixes for checkstyle or compilation errors consume significant context and time.
- Context Management: Use sub-agents for batch refactoring or high-volume output tasks to keep the main session history lean and efficient.
- Code Formatting: Do not write custom Python scripts or manual regex replacements to fix code formatting issues (e.g., unused imports, import ordering, line length). Instead, use the project's built-in formatting tools: run
./gradlew spotlessApplyto fix unused/unordered imports and./gradlew javaIncrementalFormatApply(orgoogle-java-format --replace <files>) to automatically fix Java formatting and indentation errors.
Based on historical PR reviews, avoid the following common mistakes:
- No Unnecessary Casts: Do not unnecessarily cast objects if the method signature accepts the type directly (e.g., avoid
(Instant) fakeClock.now()or(ImmutableSet<String>) bsaQuery(...)if it compiles without it). - Visibility Modifiers: Do not use
/* package */comments to denote package-private visibility. Just leave the modifier blank; it is an established idiom in this codebase.
- Immutable Types: Declare variables, fields, and return types explicitly as Guava immutable types (e.g.,
ImmutableList<T>,ImmutableMap<K, V>) instead of their generic interfaces (List<T>,Map<K, V>) to clearly communicate immutability contracts to callers. UsetoImmutableList()andtoImmutableMap()collectors in streams rather than manually accumulating into anArrayListorHashMap. - Constructors: Do not perform heavy logic, I/O, or external API calls inside constructors. Initialization logic should be deferred or handled in a factory method or a dedicated startup routine.
- Exception Handling: Do not catch generic
ExceptionorThrowableif a more specific exception is expected. Never "log and re-throw" the same exception; either handle it entirely (and log), or throw it up the chain. For batch processes, catch exceptions at the individual item/chunk level so one failure doesn't abort the entire batch. - Fail Fast: Validate inputs and fail fast (using
Preconditions.checkArgumentor similar) at the highest level possible rather than passing invalid state (likenulls) deeper into business logic. - Magic Numbers: Always document magic numbers or hardcoded limits (like
50.0or30) with inline comments explaining the rationale. - Null Safety and Optional: Prefer using
Optionalfor any variable that is expected to potentially be null. For any other variable that can be null but cannot use anOptional(e.g., function parameters or return types whereOptionalis not idiomatic), it MUST be annotated with@Nullable. Always use thejavax.annotation.Nullableannotation.
This document captures high-level architectural patterns, lessons learned from large-scale refactorings (like the Joda-Time to java.time migration), and specific instructions to avoid common pitfalls in this environment.
- Transaction Management: The codebase uses a custom wrapper around JPA. Always use
tm()(fromTransactionManagerFactory) to interact with the database. - Dependency Injection: Dagger 2 is used extensively. If you see "cannot find symbol" errors for classes starting with
Dagger..., the project is in a state where annotation processing failed. Fix compilation in core models first to restore generated code. - Value Types: AutoValue and "ImmutableObject" patterns are dominant. Most models follow a
Buildablepattern with a nestedBuilder. - Temporal Logic: The project is migrating from Joda-Time to
java.time.- Core boundaries:
DateTimeUtils.START_OF_TIME_INSTANT(Unix Epoch) andEND_OF_TIME_INSTANT(Long.MAX_VALUE / 1000). - Year Arithmetic: Use
DateTimeUtils.plusYears()andDateTimeUtils.minusYears()to handle February 29th logic correctly.
- Core boundaries:
- Committing: Always create a new commit on the branch if one hasn't been created yet for the branch's specific work. Only perform amending (
git commit --amend --no-edit) for subsequent changes once the initial commit has been successfully created. - One Commit Per PR: All changes for a single PR must be squashed into a single commit before merging.
- Default to Amend: Once an initial commit is created for a PR, all subsequent functional changes should be amended into that same commit by default (
git commit --amend --no-edit). This ensures the PR remains a single, clean unit of work throughout the development lifecycle. - Commit Message Style: Follow standard Git commit best practices. The subject line (first line) MUST be a maximum of 50 characters, concise, capitalized, and must not end with punctuation (e.g., a period). The body MUST explicitly encapsulate and summarize all changes made across the entire diff, detailing the "what" and "why" comprehensively.
- Strict Completion Verification: You MUST NEVER declare a task, commit, or amendment as complete until you have explicitly verified that the workspace is clean. You MUST follow this exact sequence of actions across multiple conversational turns if necessary:
- Execute the
git commitorgit commit --amendcommand. - Wait for the tool to return successfully.
- Execute
git status. - Wait for the tool to return and explicitly verify the output contains
nothing to commit, working tree clean(or similar indication that no unstaged changes remain). If changes remain, stage them and amend the commit, then repeat this verification loop. - Only after step 4 has successfully returned a clean working directory may you generate a text response to the user declaring that the task is complete.
- Execute the
- Diff Review: Before finalizing a task, review the full diff (e.g.,
git diff HEAD^) to ensure all changes are functional and relevant. Identify and revert any formatting-only changes in files that do not contain functional updates to keep the commit focused.
Before finalizing any PR or declaring a task complete, you MUST perform a thorough, rigorous self-review of your entire diff. Run git diff HEAD^ (or review the staged changes) and actively verify the following against every modified line:
- Imports & FQNs: Did I leave any fully-qualified class names or static variables inline? Did I add the necessary imports for them? Crucial Exception: If the file already imports a class with the identical name (e.g., it uses both
java.time.Durationandorg.joda.time.Duration), one MUST remain fully qualified to avoid a compilation conflict. - Redundant Conversions: Did I use
toDateTime(clock.now())whereclock.nowUtc()would suffice? Did I usetoDateTime(END_INSTANT)instead ofEND_OF_TIME? Did I use.toInstant()or.toDateTime()on something that could be avoided by using a different method overload (e.g.,tm().getTxTime())? - Verbose Math: Did I write any verbose time conversions inline? Are there
DateTimeUtilsmethods I should be using instead? If not, should I abstract this math intoDateTimeUtils? - Assertion Cleanliness: Am I polluting test assertions with
toDateTime(...)wraps? If so, I need to add overloaded assertions to the Truth Subjects instead. - Diff Scope: Are there any formatting-only changes in files that I did not functionally modify? If so, revert them. Does the total line count of the diff align with the approved scope (e.g., ~1,000 lines for migrations)?
- Commit Message: Does the commit message title fit within 50 characters? Does the body encapsulate the entirety of the changes across the diff cleanly and professionally?
- Missing Tests & Coverage: Perform a structured check for any new methods or modified behavior. Did I add a new utility method (like
plusMonths(Instant, int)) or change core logic? If so, I MUST open the corresponding test file and write tests to cover the new functionality (including edge cases, negative values, and leap years) before considering the task complete. A code review is not thorough if it only checks for compilation. I must actively ensure every new branch of logic has a test.
Only after actively confirming these checks against your diff are you permitted to finalize the task.
This project treats Error Prone warnings as errors.
@InlineMeSuggester: When creating deprecated Joda-Time bridge methods (e.g.,getTimestamp() -> return toDateTime(getTimestampInstant())), you MUST immediately add@SuppressWarnings("InlineMeSuggester"). If you don't, the build will fail.- Repeatable Annotations:
@SuppressWarningsis NOT repeatable in this environment. If a method or class already has a suppression (e.g.,@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")), you must merge them:- ❌
@SuppressWarnings("unchecked") @SuppressWarnings("InlineMeSuggester") - ✅
@SuppressWarnings({"unchecked", "InlineMeSuggester"})
- ❌
- Null Overloads: Adding an
Instantoverload to a method that previously tookDateTimewill break allcreate(null)calls. You must cast them:create((Instant) null). - Type Erasure: Methods taking
Optional<DateTime>andOptional<Instant>will clash due to erasure. Use distinct names, e.g.,setAutorenewEndTimeInstant(Optional<Instant> time).
- Surgical Changes: In large-scale migrations, focus on "leaf" nodes first (Utilities -> Models -> Flows -> Actions).
- PR Size: Minimize PR size by retaining Joda-Time bridge methods for high-level "Action" and "Flow" classes unless a full migration is requested. Reverting changes to DNS and Reporting logic while updating the underlying models is a valid strategy to keep PRs reviewable.
- Validation: Always run
./gradlew build -x testbefore attempting to run unit tests. Unit tests will not run if there are compilation errors in any part of thecoremodule. Before finalizing a PR or declaring a task done, you MUST verify your changes. Prefer scoped builds (e.g.,./gradlew :core:build) if you are only modifying backend Java code. Running the global./gradlew buildtriggers the frontendconsole-webappbuild, which unnecessarily runsnpmInstallDepsand modifiespackage-lock.json. If you must run a global build, you must revertconsole-webapp/package-lock.jsonafterwards. Do not declare success if formatting checks (e.g.,spotlessCheckorjavaIncrementalFormatCheck) or tests fail. If formatting fails, run./gradlew spotlessApplyand then re-run your build command to verify everything passes.
-
Mixing Joda and Java Durations: Methods like
Tld.get().getRenewGracePeriodLength()return a JodaDuration, which cannot be passed directly toInstant.plus(...)because it doesn't implementTemporalAmount. You MUST use.plusMillis(duration.getMillis())instead. -
Serialization Precision (
.000Z): When asserting against or generating XML/YAML files, remember that millisecond precision (.000Z) is required. Always useDateTimeUtils.formatInstant(...)to formatInstantobjects (it preserves the.000Zsuffix) instead ofInstant.toString()(which drops it for exact seconds). We have added custom JacksonInstantKeySerializers for this purpose, but you must keep this precision in mind when manually updating.xmlor.yamltest data. -
Static Imports: Methods like
toDateTime,toInstant,plusYears,plusMonths, andminusDaysfromDateTimeUtilsMUST be statically imported. Do NOT use them fully qualified (e.g.,DateTimeUtils.plusMonths(...)). -
Redundant Parses: Never write
toDateTime(Instant.parse(...))ortoInstant(DateTime.parse(...)). If you need aDateTime, useDateTime.parse(...)directly. If you need anInstant, useInstant.parse(...)directly. -
cloneProjectedAtTime vs cloneProjectedAtInstant: When converting tests and logic that use
clock.now()to project resource state into the future or past, do not wrap the JavaInstantintoDateTime()just to callcloneProjectedAtTime(). Instead, switch the method call to use the nativecloneProjectedAtInstant()method which is available on allEppResourcemodels. -
Do not go in circles with the build: If you see an
InlineMeSuggestererror, apply the suppression to ALL similar methods in that file and related files in one turn. Do not fix them one by one. Furthermore, do not run a global./gradlew buildwhen a scoped./gradlew :core:buildor./gradlew :core:testis faster and more appropriate. Run global builds only when doing final verification. -
Exception Conversion in Tests: When migrating time types (e.g., from Joda
DateTimeto JavaInstant), be extremely careful with tests that verify parsing failures (e.g.,assertThrows(IllegalArgumentException.class, ...)). Joda'sDateTime.parse()throws anIllegalArgumentExceptionon failure, butInstant.parse()throws ajava.time.format.DateTimeParseException. You must update the expected exception type in these tests to ensure they actually test the correct behavior, and verify the tests are not failing prematurely on the first line if it contains invalid data meant to be ignored. -
Dagger/AutoValue corruption: If you modify a builder or a component incorrectly, Dagger will fail to generate code, leading to hundreds of "cannot find symbol" errors. If this happens,
git checkoutthe last working state of the specific file and re-apply changes more surgically. -
replacetool context: When usingreplaceon large files (likeTld.javaorDomainBase.java), provide significant surrounding context. These files have many similar method signatures (getters/setters) that can lead to incorrect replacements.
This protocol defines the standard for interacting with GitHub repositories and processing Pull Request (PR) feedback.
- Primary Tool: ALWAYS use the
ghCLI for all GitHub-related operations (listing PRs, viewing PR content, checking status, adding comments). - Credential Safety: Never expose tokens or credentials in shell commands.
- Systematic Review: When asked to address PR comments, first fetch all comments using
gh pr view <number> --json reviews,comments. - Minimal Scope Expansion: Address comments surgically. If a fix requires changes beyond a few lines or expands the PR's original scope significantly, DO NOT implement it without explicit user approval. Instead, report the issue to the user.
- Verification: After addressing feedback, run the full build (
./gradlew build) and relevant tests to ensure no regressions were introduced.
- One Commit Per PR: Ensure all changes are squashed into a single, clean commit. Use
git commit --amend --no-editfor follow-up fixes. - Clean Workspace: Always run
git statusand verify the repository state before declaring a task complete. - Package Lock: The Gradle build automatically modifies
console-webapp/package-lock.jsonvia thenpmInstallDepstask. ALWAYS revert this file (git checkout console-webapp/package-lock.json) before staging changes or finalizing a commit unless you explicitly modified NPM dependencies.