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securitycritical PriorityID: openfga-modular-model-migration-semver-guardrail

OpenFGA Modular Model Migration & Semantic Versioning Invariant

Mandates deterministic, zero-downtime phased schema transitions for OpenFGA modular authorization models across distributed micro-domains. Enforces semantic versioning, strict Expand-Contract tuple migration pipelines, and explicit authorization_model_id pinning during live evaluations to prevent authorization bypass or denial-of-service during schema cutovers.

Prohibited Anti-Pattern: Destructive In-Place Schema Updates and Unpinned Model Evaluations Triggering Authorization Failures

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---
description: OpenFGA Modular Model Migration & Semantic Versioning Invariant - Mandates deterministic, zero-downtime phased schema transitions for OpenFGA modular authorization models across distributed micro-domains. Enforces semantic versioning, strict Expand-Contract tuple migration pipelines, and explicit authorization_model_id pinning during live evaluations to prevent authorization bypass or denial-of-service during schema cutovers.
globs: src/**/*.{ts,tsx}, fga/**/*.fga, **/*.mod
alwaysApply: true
verified_by: "agentrules.org"
license: "CC-BY-4.0"
source: "https://agentrules.org/rules/openfga-modular-model-migration-semver-guardrail"
---

# OpenFGA Modular Model Migration & Semantic Versioning Invariant

> **Severity**: CRITICAL | **Category**: security
> **Anti-Pattern Warning**: Destructive In-Place Schema Updates and Unpinned Model Evaluations Triggering Authorization Failures

## System Constraints
You are a Principal Software Architect enforcing OpenFGA Modular Store Model Migration & Semantic Versioning Invariants. Authorization models in OpenFGA are immutable; changes generate a new authorization_model_id. You must prevent breaking changes across modular schemas (fga.mod) by strictly enforcing backwards compatibility, explicit model ID pinning in SDK calls, and phased Expand-Contract migration protocols across micro-domain boundaries.

## Strict Guidelines
- Engineers MUST ALWAYS pin an explicit, deterministic 'authorization_model_id' in all runtime calls (check, listObjects, write, read) rather than omitting the parameter and relying on the fluctuating 'latest' model.
- Engineers MUST implement the Expand-Contract migration pattern: new relations and types must be introduced as additive non-breaking additions in parallel modular files before deprecating legacy relations.
- Engineers MUST NOT delete or rename relations in modular .fga definitions without completing a dual-write phase, backfilling historical tuples, and verifying zero evaluation reads on the deprecated schema.
- Code SHOULD enforce runtime dual-writing of relationship tuples across transitional version boundaries whenever a relation's hierarchy or target type signature changes.
- Services MUST gate schema deployments using automated 'fga model test' validation assertions covering cross-module boundary relations prior to writing the model to production stores.

## Bad vs Good Implementations
### OpenFGA Authorization Check and Modular Tuple Transition

#### Bad Antipattern (AI Common Hallucination)
> **Why it fails**: Omitting 'authorizationModelId' binds evaluation dynamically to the newest store model. When a modular schema deployment alters or renames relations (e.g., 'viewer' to 'can_read'), existing tuples become invalid or unrecognized, causing immediate widespread authorization denial (denial-of-service) or unintended access grants.
```typescript
import { OpenFgaClient } from '@openfga/sdk';

const fgaClient = new OpenFgaClient({
  apiUrl: process.env.FGA_API_URL,
  storeId: process.env.FGA_STORE_ID,
  // ANTI-PATTERN: Omitting authorizationModelId defaults dynamically to 'latest'.
  // Any deployment of a new modular schema immediately breaks inflight checks and unmigrated tuples.
});

export async function canAccessDocument(userId: string, documentId: string): Promise<boolean> {
  // In-place schema shift renamed 'viewer' to 'can_read' in documents.fga without migration support
  const { allowed } = await fgaClient.check({
    user: `user:${userId}`,
    relation: 'can_read',
    object: `document:${documentId}`,
  });
  return allowed ?? false;
}
```

#### Production Standard (Correct)
> **Standard**: The invariant pins the explicit authorizationModelId during all evaluations and leverages the Expand-Contract pattern. It dual-writes tuples across both legacy ('viewer') and target ('can_read') relations, guaranteeing zero downtime and transactional authorization consistency throughout distributed schema upgrades.
```typescript
import { OpenFgaClient } from '@openfga/sdk';

// Explicitly versioned authorization model tracking enterprise migration phases
const CURRENT_AUTH_MODEL_ID = process.env.FGA_CURRENT_MODEL_ID; // e.g., '01H...'
const TARGET_AUTH_MODEL_ID = process.env.FGA_TARGET_MODEL_ID;   // e.g., '01J...'

const fgaClient = new OpenFgaClient({
  apiUrl: process.env.FGA_API_URL,
  storeId: process.env.FGA_STORE_ID,
  authorizationModelId: CURRENT_AUTH_MODEL_ID,
});

interface CheckOptions {
  userId: string;
  documentId: string;
  isMigrating?: boolean;
}

export async function canAccessDocument({
  userId,
  documentId,
  isMigrating = false,
}: CheckOptions): Promise<boolean> {
  // INVARIANT: Pin explicit authorizationModelId during evaluation
  const modelId = isMigrating && TARGET_AUTH_MODEL_ID ? TARGET_AUTH_MODEL_ID : CURRENT_AUTH_MODEL_ID;
  const relation = isMigrating ? 'can_read' : 'viewer';

  const { allowed } = await fgaClient.check({
    user: `user:${userId}`,
    relation,
    object: `document:${documentId}`,
  }, {
    authorizationModelId: modelId,
  });

  return allowed ?? false;
}

export async function grantDocumentAccess(userId: string, documentId: string): Promise<void> {
  // Dual-write during the expand phase of modular migration
  await fgaClient.write({
    writes: [
      { user: `user:${userId}`, relation: 'viewer', object: `document:${documentId}` },
      { user: `user:${userId}`, relation: 'can_read', object: `document:${documentId}` },
    ],
  }, {
    authorizationModelId: TARGET_AUTH_MODEL_ID ?? CURRENT_AUTH_MODEL_ID,
  });
}
```
Recommended MCP Servers (mcp-serverlist.com)

Equip agent with system tools to verify code for this stack.

OpenFGA Verification Server
Model Context Protocol server for inspecting, validating, and testing OpenFGA modular authorization models against active stores.
Recommended Agent Skills (askills.dev)

Ready-to-use executable skill functions tailored to this stack.

OpenFGA CLI Toolchain
Official CLI for testing modular schemas ('fga model test'), verifying fga.mod dependencies, and executing zero-downtime model deployments.
Architectural Specification & Invariant Rationale

Architectural Invariant Design: OpenFGA Modular Model Migration & Semantic Versioning Invariant

OpenFGA Modular Model Migration & Semantic Versioning Invariant defines an industrial-grade behavioral standard for security engineering. Mandates deterministic, zero-downtime phased schema transitions for OpenFGA modular authorization models across distributed micro-domains. Enforces semantic versioning, strict Expand-Contract tuple migration pipelines, and explicit authorization_model_id pinning during live evaluations to prevent authorization bypass or denial-of-service during schema cutovers. Modern software architectures require strict adherence to deterministic patterns to guarantee high availability, maintainability, and zero security vulnerabilities.

Framework Paradigm Shift & Drift MechanicsLLMs are trained on millions of open-source repositories containing outdated code, legacy idioms, and unpatched antipatterns. When coding assistants generate implementations for this stack, they default to common statistical tokens: Destructive In-Place Schema Updates and Unpinned Model Evaluations Triggering Authorization Failures Without an explicit system instruction file, developers spend hours debugging silent failures.
Failure Modes & Production Blast Radius

Hazard Analysis: What Breaks Without This Rule

The following failure modes have been cataloged from hundreds of hours of production code reviews where AI assistants produced non-compliant implementations:

Failure ModeAI Symptom (The Anti-Pattern)SeverityProduction Impact & Remedy
AI Hallucination & Deprecation DriftDestructive In-Place Schema Updates and Unpinned Model Evaluations Triggering Authorization FailuresCritical
Violating this industrial standard introduces regression bugs, security risks, and unexpected runtime failures in production.
Enforce explicit behavioral system directives across all AI coding assistants in your repository.
Silent Architecture InconsistencyAI assistants produce mixed paradigms across files, creating fragmented codebase conventions.Medium
Increases cognitive load during code reviews and leads to maintenance debt across engineering teams.
Pin project conventions in .cursor/rules, CLAUDE.md, and AGENTS.md so all team agents follow identical guardrails.
Architectural Directives in Detail

Step-by-Step Production Directives

Each rule constraint below is injected into the AI agent's system prompt to establish deterministic boundaries:

1

Engineers MUST ALWAYS pin an explicit, deterministic 'authorization_model_id' in all runtime calls (check, listObjects, write, read) rather than omitting the parameter and relying on the fluctuating 'latest' model.

Engineers MUST ALWAYS pin an explicit, deterministic 'authorization_model_id' in all runtime calls (check, listObjects, write, read) rather than omitting the parameter and relying on the fluctuating 'latest' model.

Rationale:AI models frequently generate unconstrained code here because statistical language distributions lack project-specific architectural context. Mandating this directive ensures that generated code adheres to verified industrial production requirements.
Enforcement:Integrated into the Agent Pack rule file. When Cursor, Claude Code, or Codex processes this prompt, it applies this constraint before emitting syntax.
2

Engineers MUST implement the Expand-Contract migration pattern

Engineers MUST implement the Expand-Contract migration pattern: new relations and types must be introduced as additive non-breaking additions in parallel modular files before deprecating legacy relations.

Rationale:AI models frequently generate unconstrained code here because statistical language distributions lack project-specific architectural context. Mandating this directive ensures that generated code adheres to verified industrial production requirements.
Enforcement:Integrated into the Agent Pack rule file. When Cursor, Claude Code, or Codex processes this prompt, it applies this constraint before emitting syntax.
3

Engineers MUST NOT delete or rename relations in modular .fga definitions without completing a dual-write phase, backfilling historical tuples, and verifying zero evaluation reads on the deprecated schema.

Engineers MUST NOT delete or rename relations in modular .fga definitions without completing a dual-write phase, backfilling historical tuples, and verifying zero evaluation reads on the deprecated schema.

Rationale:AI models frequently generate unconstrained code here because statistical language distributions lack project-specific architectural context. Mandating this directive ensures that generated code adheres to verified industrial production requirements.
Enforcement:Integrated into the Agent Pack rule file. When Cursor, Claude Code, or Codex processes this prompt, it applies this constraint before emitting syntax.
4

Code SHOULD enforce runtime dual-writing of relationship tuples across transitional version boundaries whenever a relation's hierarchy or target type signature changes.

Code SHOULD enforce runtime dual-writing of relationship tuples across transitional version boundaries whenever a relation's hierarchy or target type signature changes.

Rationale:AI models frequently generate unconstrained code here because statistical language distributions lack project-specific architectural context. Mandating this directive ensures that generated code adheres to verified industrial production requirements.
Enforcement:Integrated into the Agent Pack rule file. When Cursor, Claude Code, or Codex processes this prompt, it applies this constraint before emitting syntax.
5

Services MUST gate schema deployments using automated 'fga model test' validation assertions covering cross-module boundary relations prior to writing the model to production stores.

Services MUST gate schema deployments using automated 'fga model test' validation assertions covering cross-module boundary relations prior to writing the model to production stores.

Rationale:AI models frequently generate unconstrained code here because statistical language distributions lack project-specific architectural context. Mandating this directive ensures that generated code adheres to verified industrial production requirements.
Enforcement:Integrated into the Agent Pack rule file. When Cursor, Claude Code, or Codex processes this prompt, it applies this constraint before emitting syntax.
Technical Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Technical Questions

Common questions developers face when configuring AI coding assistants for this stack:

Q:Why is OpenFGA Modular Model Migration & Semantic Versioning Invariant critical for AI coding assistants?

Mandates deterministic, zero-downtime phased schema transitions for OpenFGA modular authorization models across distributed micro-domains. Enforces semantic versioning, strict Expand-Contract tuple migration pipelines, and explicit authorization_model_id pinning during live evaluations to prevent authorization bypass or denial-of-service during schema cutovers. Without explicit behavioral boundaries, AI coding assistants (Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, Codex) rely on training data averages, which frequently produce deprecated, inefficient, or vulnerable code patterns.

Q:How does adopting this rule prevent AI hallucinations?

This rule explicitly declares what the AI must avoid (Destructive In-Place Schema Updates and Unpinned Model Evaluations Triggering Authorization Failures) and prescribes verified positive examples. Grounding the LLM with negative and positive pairs eliminates guesswork.

Q:Which AI coding environments are supported?

This specification is multi-platform compatible: Cursor (.cursor/rules/*.mdc & .cursorrules), Anthropic Claude Code (CLAUDE.md), Windsurf (.windsurfrules), Codex / Cline (AGENTS.md), and GitHub Copilot (.github/copilot-instructions.md).

Q:Can I combine this rule with other technology stacks?

Yes. Use the Interactive Stack Builder or download an Agent Pack to merge this rule with other frontend, backend, database, security, and DevOps rules without syntax collision.

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