ADR-115: Tool data-class enforcement is the default for new installs 

Status

Accepted

Date

2026-07-23

Authors

Netresearch DTT GmbH

Context 

The trust-zone tool gate (ADR-094) shipped in observe mode: it computed and logged the decision but still offered an over-ceiling tool, so an operator could watch it before turning it on. ADR-113 made the switch fail-closed — only an explicit observe observes — but the shipped DEFAULT was still observe, so a brand-new install offered over-ceiling tools until someone opted in to enforcement. A security control that is off by default on a fresh install is the wrong default.

The reason it shipped observe-by-default was to avoid an upgrade silently stripping tools from a working setup. That constraint is real, but it applies to EXISTING installs, not new ones.

Decision 

Ship enforce as the default and preserve observe for existing installs with an upgrade wizard, so the two cases are treated differently:

  • New install — ext_conf_template.txt now sets tools.dataClassEnforcement = enforce. Combined with the fail-closed read (ADR-113), a fresh install enforces without any operator action, and a missing or mistyped value also enforces.
  • Existing install — DataClassEnforcementDefaultUpdateWizard pins an explicit observe so the flip changes nothing for a setup that relied on the old default, and its description points the operator at the run log and the switch to enforce when ready.

Distinguishing the two 

The wizard fires only when a provider is configured (you cannot run a tool without one, so a fresh install has none) AND the enforcement mode was never explicitly stored — read from the raw $GLOBALS['TYPO3_CONF_VARS']['EXTENSIONS']['nr_llm'] rather than the template-merged ExtensionConfiguration::get(), which cannot tell "relying on the default" apart from a deliberate choice. An operator who already chose a mode is left untouched: an explicit enforce is respected, an explicit observe already matches.

Consequences 

  • A new install is safe by default; the tool gate no longer waits for an opt-in.
  • An existing install's behaviour is unchanged across the upgrade — the wizard makes its implicit observe explicit before the default flips under it.
  • The change is announced in the extension configuration label and the wizard description; combined with the fail-closed read, an operator cannot end up in observe by accident, only by deliberate choice.
  • A dedicated readiness report (how many tools each configuration would lose under enforce) remains future work; the run log already records what enforcement would do while an install is in observe.