Allow go test on one package while iterating (closes #51)

Follows sneak's ruling at
#51 (comment). An agent
whose work is confined to one package may run `go test` directly on that
package's suite, or on individual tests in it, while iterating. `go build`,
`go vet` and the linter still go through make targets. The full `make check`
is still required before every push. The `Makefile` gains nothing.

The rule on Docker now says the lint and test gates run there, because a run
while iterating is not a gate.

Model: opus-5-5

TODO.md

@@ -21,6 +21,13 @@ fmt-check, and commit.
 
 # Completed Steps
 
+- 2026-11-04: An agent whose work is confined to one package may run `go test`
+  directly on that package's suite, or on individual tests in it, while
+  iterating (https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/prompts/issues/51), on sneak's ruling at
+  https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/prompts/issues/51#issuecomment-167600. The full
+  `make check` is still required before every push, and the `Makefile` gains
+  nothing. The rule on Docker now names the lint and test gates, because a run
+  while iterating is not one.
 - 2026-11-04: node, yarn, npm, python, pip and venv now come from the
   distribution with no version and no hash
   (https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/prompts/issues/146), on sneak's ruling at

prompts/EXISTING_REPO_CHECKLIST.md

@@ -167,7 +167,9 @@ with your task.
     - [ ] JS: `package.json`, `yarn.lock`, `.prettierrc`, `.prettierignore`
           (fetch from
           `https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/prompts/raw/branch/main/.prettierrc` and
-          `https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/prompts/raw/branch/main/.prettierignore`)
+          `https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/prompts/raw/branch/main/.prettierignore`).
+          Make the first `yarn.lock` with yarn 1, from a distribution that
+          packages it, such as Alpine (`apk add nodejs yarn`).
     - [ ] Python: `pyproject.toml`
     - [ ] Docs/writing: `.prettierrc`, `.prettierignore` (same URLs as above)
 
@@ -211,8 +213,8 @@ with your task.
       image whose distribution packages yarn 1, such as Alpine.
 - [ ] `script/bootstrap`, `script/fmt` and `script/fmt-check` run yarn by
       whichever name is present: `yarn`, or `yarnpkg` on Debian and Ubuntu. With
-      neither name on `PATH`, they print one line saying to run
+      neither name on `PATH`, `script/fmt` and `script/fmt-check` print one line
-      `script/bootstrap`, and exit 1.
+      saying to run `script/bootstrap`, and exit 1.
 - [ ] `script/bootstrap` installs no linter of its own — delete the block, its
       version variables and its call site. A JS repo's `yarn install` stays; it
       brings a linter along with every other dependency, and no verdict is taken

prompts/NEW_REPO_CHECKLIST.md

@@ -179,7 +179,9 @@ Template files can be fetched from:
           `https://git.eeqj.de/sneak/prompts/raw/branch/main/.golangci.yml` and,
           in the same commit, set the lint phase digest to the one named in the
           `.golangci.yml` paragraph of `REPO_POLICIES.md`)
-    - [ ] JS: `yarn init`, `yarn add --dev prettier`
+    - [ ] JS: `yarn init`, `yarn add --dev prettier`. `script/bootstrap`
+          installs no yarn until `yarn.lock` exists, so use yarn 1 from a
+          distribution that packages it, such as Alpine (`apk add nodejs yarn`).
     - [ ] Python: `pyproject.toml`
 
 ## Configure script/ Entrypoints and Makefile
@@ -236,8 +238,8 @@ are thin shims calling them. Model scripts:
       `script/fmt-check` runs the formatter on the host.
 - [ ] `script/bootstrap`, `script/fmt` and `script/fmt-check` run yarn by
       whichever name is present: `yarn`, or `yarnpkg` on Debian and Ubuntu. With
-      neither name on `PATH`, they print one line saying to run
+      neither name on `PATH`, `script/fmt` and `script/fmt-check` print one line
-      `script/bootstrap`, and exit 1.
+      saying to run `script/bootstrap`, and exit 1.
 - [ ] No `docker build` in `script/` leaves a dangling image behind:
       `script/lint` and `script/test` write no image, and `script/docker` and
       `script/cibuild` tag theirs

prompts/REPO_POLICIES.md

@@ -123,26 +123,28 @@ style conventions are in separate documents:
 
     `script/bootstrap` installs node, yarn and the node packages only when
     `yarn.lock` is in the tree. With no `yarn.lock`, it installs no node and no
-    yarn, and it does not check yarn's version.
+    yarn, and it does not check yarn's version. Make a repository's first
+    `yarn.lock` with yarn 1, from a distribution that packages it, such as
+    Alpine (`apk add nodejs yarn`).
 
     Debian and Ubuntu name the yarn command `yarnpkg`. `script/bootstrap`,
     `script/fmt` and `script/fmt-check` each carry the same small function that
-    runs whichever name is present. With neither name on `PATH`, the function
+    runs whichever name is present. With neither name on `PATH`, `script/fmt`
-    prints one line saying to run `script/bootstrap`, and exits 1.
+    and `script/fmt-check` print one line saying to run `script/bootstrap`, and
+    exit 1.
 
     With `yarn.lock` in the tree, `script/bootstrap` stops with a one-line
     message when yarn's major version is not 1, before it installs any node
     packages. Debian 13 and Ubuntu 26.04 package yarn 4. With
     `--frozen-lockfile`, yarn 4 refuses a yarn 1 `yarn.lock`. Without that flag,
-    it rewrites the file in its own format, with its own hashes in place of
+    it rewrites the file in its own format, with yarn 4 hashes in place of the
-    these. A host whose distribution packages yarn 4 moves to one that packages
+    yarn 1 ones. A host whose distribution packages yarn 4 moves to one that
-    yarn 1, such as Alpine or Ubuntu 24.04.
+    packages yarn 1, such as Alpine or Ubuntu 24.04.
 
     A `Dockerfile` stage copies `yarn.lock` before it runs `script/bootstrap`
     only if that stage needs yarn. A stage that needs yarn starts from an image
     whose distribution packages yarn 1, such as Alpine. The Python and Go stages
-    below need no yarn, so they copy no `yarn.lock` before that step and never
+    below need no yarn and copy no `yarn.lock`, so they never reach the stop.
-    reach the stop.
 
     `script/cibuild` runs the CI build, and the Gitea workflow calls it. The
     script changes to the repo root, runs `script/bootstrap`, runs
@@ -174,6 +176,12 @@ style conventions are in separate documents:
   instead of invoking the underlying tools directly. The Makefile is the single
   source of truth for how these operations are run.
 
+    An agent whose work is confined to one package may run `go test` directly on
+    that package's suite, or on individual tests in it, while iterating. This is
+    the only exception to this rule. `go build`, `go vet` and the linter still
+    go through make targets. A run while iterating is not a gate, so the full
+    `make check` is still required before every push.
+
 - The Makefile is authoritative documentation for how the repo is used. Beyond
   the required targets above, it should have targets for every common operation:
     - running a local development server (`make run`, `make dev`)
@@ -205,9 +213,9 @@ style conventions are in separate documents:
     and the dependency manifests it needs (`package.json` + `yarn.lock`,
     `go.mod` + `go.sum`, etc.) before running it.
 
-- **Linting and testing run in Docker, as phases of the `Dockerfile`.** There is
+- **The lint and test gates run in Docker, as phases of the `Dockerfile`.**
-  no separate lint file. `script/lint` and `script/test` each build one phase
+  There is no separate lint file. `script/lint` and `script/test` each build one
-  and nothing else:
+  phase and nothing else:
 
     ```sh
     docker build --build-arg CACHEBUST="$(date +%s)-$$" \
@@ -569,10 +577,10 @@ style conventions are in separate documents:
     "$HOME/.pipenv/bin/pipenv" install --dev --deploy
     ```
 
-    Make `script/requirements.txt` once with
+    Make `script/requirements.txt` once, with
-    `echo pipenv | pip-compile --generate-hashes --allow-unsafe -o script/requirements.txt -`,
+    `echo pipenv | pip-compile --generate-hashes --allow-unsafe -o script/requirements.txt -`.
-    from Alpine's `py3-pip-tools` package, because Debian and Ubuntu do not
+    `pip-compile` comes from Alpine's `py3-pip-tools` package; Debian and Ubuntu
-    package it. Make the first `Pipfile.lock` with
+    do not package `pip-tools`. Make the first `Pipfile.lock` with
     `$HOME/.pipenv/bin/pipenv lock`, after the `pip install` line has installed
     pipenv.