AI Agent Action Plan - Reddit Termination

Start Here: Quick guide for AI agents implementing the Reddit termination plan.

Quick Status Check

✅ Documentation Complete - All phases documented
✅ Codebase Analyzed - Current state understood
✅ Plan Revised - Adjusted for current codebase (v1.1)
❌ Implementation - NOT STARTED

Immediate Next Steps

Step 1: Verify Environment (5 minutes) 

cd /home/tmacey/code/mit/apps/open-discussions

# Check current state
git status
git branch

# Verify models exist
python manage.py shell
>>> from channels.models import Post, Comment, Channel
>>> Post._meta.get_field('post_id')  # Should exist (Base36IntegerField)
>>> exit()

# Check tests run
pytest channels/models_test.py -x

Step 2: Read Phase 1 Documentation (15 minutes)

  1. Read: docs/reddit-termination-plan/PHASE_1_SCHEMA.md
  2. Understand: Current vs. needed state for each model
  3. Note: We’re UPDATING models, not creating from scratch

Step 3: Create Working Branch (2 minutes) 

git checkout -b reddit-termination-phase-1
git push -u origin reddit-termination-phase-1

Step 4: Install Dependencies (5 minutes) 

# Install django-treebeard
poetry add django-treebeard

# Update settings.py
# Add 'treebeard' to INSTALLED_APPS

Step 5: Start Implementation (Phase 1)

Follow PHASE_1_SCHEMA.md exactly. Here’s the order:

  1. Update models.py (~30 min)
    • Add fields to Channel, Post, Comment
    • Create CommentTreeNode model
    • See PHASE_1_SCHEMA.md sections 1.1-1.4
  2. Create Migration 1 (~15 min)
    • Add reddit_id, archived_on, created fields
    • See PHASE_1_SCHEMA.md section 4.2
  3. Test Migration 1 (~10 min) 
    python manage.py makemigrations channels
python manage.py migrate channels
pytest channels/models_test.py
  4. Create Migration 2 (~10 min)
    • Add plain_text field
    • Test it
  5. Create Migration 3 (~10 min)
    • Modify score defaults
    • Test it
  6. Create Migration 4 (~15 min)
    • Create CommentTreeNode table
    • Test it
  7. Create Migration 5 (~15 min)
    • Add indexes
    • Test it
  8. Write Tests (~45 min)
    • See PHASE_1_SCHEMA.md “Testing Requirements” section
    • All test cases provided
  9. Verify Success Criteria (~15 min)
    • Run all verification commands
    • Check all boxes in Phase 1 success criteria

Total Time: ~3-4 hours for Phase 1

Critical Safety Rules

🚨 NEVER DO THESE

  1. Never test on production - Always use staging
  2. Never remove old fields yet - Keep post_id, comment_id until Phase 7
  3. Never skip tests - Every migration must have tests
  4. Never skip verification - Phase 3 verification is mandatory
  5. Never proceed with errors - Fix all failing tests before continuing

✅ ALWAYS DO THESE

  1. Always backup before changes - git commit frequently
  2. Always test migrations on clean DB - Create fresh test DB
  3. Always test migrations on staging - Copy production data
  4. Always run full test suite - pytest before committing
  5. Always document deviations - If you change something, explain why

When You’re Stuck

Problem: Current code doesn’t match docs

Solution: Docs were written based on analysis. Code may have changed. Document actual state and adjust.

Problem: Migration fails

Solution: Check dependencies. Run python manage.py makemigrations --dry-run to see what would happen.

Problem: Tests fail

Solution: Update factories if needed. Factories may need to handle nullable fields.

Problem: Don’t understand something

Solution:

  1. Check docs/reddit-migration/ for historical context
  2. Review related code in channels/api.py
  3. Ask for clarification before proceeding

Implementation Checklist

Phase 1: Schema Design (THIS WEEK)

  • Dependencies installed (django-treebeard)
  • Models updated with new fields
  • CommentTreeNode model created
  • 5 migrations created and tested
  • All model tests written and passing
  • Migration tests written and passing
  • Success criteria verified
  • Code reviewed
  • Branch pushed to origin

Phase 2: Data Migration (NEXT 2-3 WEEKS)

  • Review PHASE_2_DATA_MIGRATION.md
  • Create export commands
  • Test exports on sample data
  • Export all channels
  • Export all posts
  • Export all comments
  • Build comment trees
  • Verify data integrity

Phase 3: Verification (WEEK 4)

  • Review PHASE_3_VERIFICATION.md
  • Run comprehensive verification
  • Run performance tests
  • Sign off on data quality

Phase 4-7: See PHASE_4_READONLY_API.md and PHASES_5_6_7_SUMMARY.md

Progress Tracking

How to Track Your Progress

Option 1: Use this file Update checkboxes above as you complete tasks.

Option 2: Create GitHub issues Use templates in GITHUB_ISSUES.md

Option 3: Update README.md Change status table in README.md

Quick Reference

Key Files

  • Phase docs: docs/reddit-termination-plan/PHASE_*.md
  • Models: channels/models.py
  • API: channels/api.py
  • Tests: channels/models_test.py, channels/test_models.py
  • Factories: channels/factories.py

Key Commands 

# Run tests
pytest channels/ -v

# Make migrations
python manage.py makemigrations channels

# Apply migrations
python manage.py migrate channels

# Check for issues
python manage.py check

# Shell access
python manage.py shell

# Database shell
python manage.py dbshell

Key Documentation

  • This plan: docs/reddit-termination-plan/
  • Original plan: docs/reddit-migration/
  • Current status: docs/reddit-termination-plan/REVISION_SUMMARY.md

Questions Before Starting?

  1. What’s the goal? Remove Reddit dependency, create read-only archive
  2. How long? 9-13 weeks total, Phase 1 is 1 week
  3. Can I skip phases? No, must follow order
  4. What if I find bugs? Fix only if related to your task, file issue otherwise
  5. What about old migration docs? Those were dual-write approach, ignore them

Ready to Start?

  1. ✅ Read this file
  2. ✅ Read PHASE_1_SCHEMA.md
  3. ✅ Understand current codebase state
  4. ✅ Have staging environment ready
  5. ✅ Created working branch

If all checked, proceed to Step 4: Install Dependencies above

Last Updated: 2024-12-05
Next Review: After Phase 1 completion
Questions? See INDEX.md or REVISION_SUMMARY.md