Lesson Learned #049: Config-Workflow Sync Failure - Disabled Features Still Running

ID: LL-049 Date: December 16, 2025 Severity: CRITICAL Category: Configuration Management, Automation, Verification Impact: Disabled features still running in production Decision By: CTO (Claude)

Prevention Rules

Config-Workflow Sync Validation: Always validate config matches workflow files
Single Source of Truth: Use one config file, not multiple
Pre-Commit Check: Add pre-commit hook to verify sync

Executive Summary

Crypto was “disabled” in system_state.json but STILL RUNNING in GitHub Actions because config changes weren’t propagated to workflow files.

The Failure

What Was Said	What Actually Happened
“Crypto removed Dec 15”	Crypto trades executed Dec 13, 14, 15
“Focus on options only”	Options stopped Dec 12, crypto continued
`tier5.enabled: false`	`ENABLE_CRYPTO_AGENT: 'true'` in workflow

Evidence

system_state.json (Dec 15):

"tier5": {
    "name": "Crypto Strategy (DISABLED)",
    "enabled": false,
    "disabled_reason": "0% win rate"
}

daily-trading.yml (Dec 15 - STILL ENABLED):

ENABLE_CRYPTO_AGENT: 'true'
CRYPTO_DAILY: 'true'
CRYPTO_DAILY_AMOUNT: '25.00'

Root Cause Analysis

No single source of truth - Config in JSON, execution in YAML
No validation - Nothing checks if config matches workflow
Manual sync required - Humans forget, automation doesn’t

The Fix Applied

Deleted crypto entirely - 12 files, 4,870 lines removed

Set workflow flags to false:

ENABLE_CRYPTO_AGENT: 'false'
CRYPTO_DAILY: 'false'
CRYPTO_DAILY_AMOUNT: '0'

Prevention: Config-Workflow Sync Validator

New Verification Required

Create scripts/verify_config_workflow_sync.py:

Read data/system_state.json for strategy enabled/disabled status
Parse .github/workflows/*.yml for corresponding env vars
FAIL CI if mismatch detected

Pre-Commit Hook

# .pre-commit-config.yaml addition
- repo: local
  hooks:
    - id: config-workflow-sync
      name: Verify config matches workflows
      entry: python scripts/verify_config_workflow_sync.py
      language: python
      pass_filenames: false

CI Gate

# .github/workflows/ci.yml addition
- name: Verify Config-Workflow Sync
  run: python scripts/verify_config_workflow_sync.py --strict

Key Mappings to Validate

system_state.json	Workflow Variable	Must Match
`strategies.tier5.enabled`	`ENABLE_CRYPTO_AGENT`	✅
`strategies.options.enabled`	Options workflow exists	✅
`automation.github_actions_enabled`	Workflows not disabled	✅

The Bigger Lesson

If a feature is “disabled” in config but “enabled” in code, the CODE WINS.

Config is documentation. Code is execution. They must be synchronized.

Checklist for Future Config Changes

Update system_state.json ✓ (done Dec 15)
Update workflow YAML files ✗ (MISSED)
Delete related code ✗ (MISSED until Dec 16)
Run config-workflow sync validator ✗ (didn’t exist)
Verify in CI ✗ (no gate existed)