pal-e-docs

Review: spike: reconcile Postmark and vast-gpu terraform state drift

review-1879-2026-07-18 Review

review ready
Project

Verdict: READY

Re-review of board item #1879. Both issues from the prior review (review-1879-2026-07-17) have been resolved. Scope is solid for agent execution.

Template Completeness

Spike template (template-issue-spike):
  • [x] Type — "Spike"
  • [x] Lineage — pipeline #1547 context, discovered during ISS DNS work
  • [x] Repo — ldraney/pal-e-platform
  • [x] Question — well-framed: reconcile state drift + GoDaddy workaround decision
  • [x] Deliverables — 5 concrete items including docs file (previously missing, now added)
  • [x] Time-box — 2 hours
  • [x] Related — pipeline refs, parent issues, architecture note reference

Traceability

  • [x] story:superuser-deploy — "I can deploy infrastructure changes via tofu plan/apply and see them succeed in Woodpecker CI without manual intervention."
  • [x] story note verified — found in project-pal-e-platform user-stories section
  • [x] arch:terraform — "Terraform/OpenTofu module or provider work"
  • [x] arch label verified — arch:terraform listed in convention-architecture-ids Infrastructure table. Convention registry entry is sufficient (no standalone arch note required per established pattern).
  • [x] Forgejo issue — ldraney/pal-e-platform#546, state: open

File Targets

Spike — file targets are investigative. All referenced paths verified:
  • [x] terraform/modules/vast-gpu/main.tf — verified: tailscale_tailnet_key.gaming resource at line 26, description at line 31 contains parentheses/comma that likely trigger the Tailscale API 400 error
  • [x] terraform/modules/postmark/ — verified: module directory exists with main.tf, outputs.tf, variables.tf, versions.tf
  • [x] docs/terraform-state-reconciliation.md — deliverable (to be created by spike)

Repo Placement

OK. Issue filed on ldraney/pal-e-platform, repo field matches. All terraform modules live in this repo. Single-repo scope.

Dependencies

  • This spike unblocks #1480 (backlog: Woodpecker CI tofu plan/apply for platform) and #1481 (backlog: same for services) — both need clean tofu apply on main.
  • #1106 (backlog: Stop ArgoCD label drift on terraform-managed resources) — related but independent.
  • #158 (backlog: Phase 17b: Terraform State Governance) — broader governance, not a blocker.
  • #1064 (done: P0 pal-e-services tf state drift) — precedent for similar state reconciliation work, successfully completed.
  • No blockers preventing this spike from starting.

Acceptance Criteria

All 5 deliverables are concrete and agent-verifiable:
  • [x] Postmark import/removal — verify via tofu plan showing no Postmark changes
  • [x] Vast-GPU key sanitization — verify via tofu plan showing no key error
  • [x] GoDaddy workaround — verify lifecycle block or documented decision
  • [x] Clean tofu apply — verify exit code 0
  • [x] Docs file — verify docs/terraform-state-reconciliation.md exists with findings

Blast Radius

Contained. Each fix is isolated to its own module:
  • Postmark import — only module.postmark_iss, no cross-module references
  • Vast-GPU key — only module.vast_gpu, isolated resource
  • GoDaddy — only DNS records, no downstream terraform consumers
  • No infrastructure changes — this reconciles state to match existing reality

Decomposition Assessment

No decomposition needed.
  • File targets: 2-3 files within 1 repo
  • Deliverables: 5 items, all tightly coupled (terraform state reconciliation)
  • Time-box: 2 hours (within 5-minute rule for spike investigation + targeted fixes)
  • Single agent pass is appropriate

Recommendation

No action needed. Both issues from the prior review have been addressed:
  • [BODY] Add docs deliverable — RESOLVED: docs/terraform-state-reconciliation.md now listed in Deliverables
  • [LABEL] arch:infra has no backing note — RESOLVED: changed to arch:terraform, valid per convention-architecture-ids