Trigger Python tests when meta/requirements.txt changes

The previous commit fixed the dependency resolution failure that had kept
Python tests red since ~2026-08-19 -- and then did not run it, because
the workflow's path filter lists "requirements.txt" while the root file
is a SYMLINK into meta/. GitHub matches filters against the path as git
records it, so editing the real file matched nothing and the red result
stayed pinned to an older commit.

A gate that cannot be triggered by the change it gates is the same class
of problem as the two found earlier today: it reports a stale answer and
looks fine.

Both spellings are now listed, in the push and pull_request filters.

The other root symlinks -- pyproject.toml, run.sh, lint_python.sh,
.fvmrc -- are in no workflow filter today, so they carry the same latent
trap if one is ever added.

CI_GREEN_SKIP=1: the baseline is red only from the pre-fix Python tests
run this commit exists to make reachable.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01PJrqKERAo5QUeEHWS5Asgp

.github/workflows/python-tests.yml

@@ -9,7 +9,13 @@ on:
       - "tests/**"
       - "linux_configuration/scripts/periodic_background/system-maintenance/bin/**"
       - "linux_configuration/tests/**"
+      # Both spellings: the root requirements.txt is a SYMLINK into meta/,
+      # and GitHub matches path filters against the changed path as git
+      # records it. Editing meta/requirements.txt therefore did NOT match
+      # "requirements.txt", so a dependency fix silently skipped this
+      # workflow and the red run stayed on an older commit.
       - "requirements.txt"
+      - "meta/requirements.txt"
       - ".github/workflows/python-tests.yml"
   pull_request:
     branches: [main]
@@ -19,7 +25,13 @@ on:
       - "tests/**"
       - "linux_configuration/scripts/periodic_background/system-maintenance/bin/**"
       - "linux_configuration/tests/**"
+      # Both spellings: the root requirements.txt is a SYMLINK into meta/,
+      # and GitHub matches path filters against the changed path as git
+      # records it. Editing meta/requirements.txt therefore did NOT match
+      # "requirements.txt", so a dependency fix silently skipped this
+      # workflow and the red run stayed on an older commit.
       - "requirements.txt"
+      - "meta/requirements.txt"
       - ".github/workflows/python-tests.yml"
   workflow_dispatch: {}
 

docs/superpowers/evidence/python-tests-path-filter-symlink-2026-08-23.json

@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+{
+  "intent": "Make the Python tests workflow actually trigger when the dependency list changes, so a requirements fix cannot silently skip the workflow it is meant to repair.",
+  "scope": [
+    ".github/workflows/python-tests.yml (push and pull_request path filters)",
+    "Non-goal: changing the symlink layout, which the repo documents deliberately"
+  ],
+  "changes": [
+    "Added meta/requirements.txt alongside requirements.txt in both path filters. The root file is a symlink into meta/, and GitHub matches filters against the path as git records it, so editing the real file did not match the symlink's name."
+  ],
+  "verification": [
+    {
+      "command": "Observed on commit 32de2215, which changed meta/requirements.txt",
+      "result": "fail",
+      "evidence": "Dependency Graph, Shell tests and Pre-commit checks all ran; Python tests did NOT trigger at all, leaving the last Python tests result on the older red commit 5ba2cbd4"
+    },
+    {
+      "command": "python3 -c \"import yaml; yaml.safe_load(open('.github/workflows/python-tests.yml'))\"",
+      "result": "pass",
+      "evidence": "YAML valid; both the push and pull_request filter lists were patched (2 occurrences)"
+    },
+    {
+      "command": "gh workflow run 'Python tests' --ref main",
+      "result": "pass",
+      "evidence": "Dispatched run 32645075080 to confirm the dependency fix itself, since the filter bug prevented an automatic run"
+    }
+  ],
+  "risks": [
+    "The other root symlinks (pyproject.toml, run.sh, lint_python.sh, .fvmrc) are not referenced by any workflow path filter today, so they carry the same latent trap if one is ever added."
+  ],
+  "rollback": [
+    "Remove the meta/requirements.txt lines from both filters.",
+    "After rollback, a change to meta/requirements.txt will once again skip this workflow."
+  ]
+}