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+---
+name: Filesystem Watcher Architecture
+test_plan: pending
+---
+
+# Spike 61: Filesystem Watcher Architecture
+
+## Question
+
+Can we replace all the individual mutation handlers (`move_story_to_current`, `move_story_to_archived`, `close_bug_to_archive`, `move_story_to_merge`, etc.) with a single filesystem watcher on `work/` that auto-commits any change and notifies the frontend?
+
+## Motivation
+
+The server is a file mover that commits. Every mutation handler does the same thing: `fs::rename` + `git_stage_and_commit` with a deterministic message. There are hundreds of lines of near-identical code. A watcher would:
+
+- **Replace N mutation functions with 1 watcher** — any file appearing/disappearing in `work/*/` gets auto-committed
+- **MCP tools become one-liners** — just `fs::rename(from, to)`, the watcher handles commit + notify
+- **IDE drag-and-drop works** — drag a story from `1_upcoming/` to `2_current/` in Zed, watcher commits and frontend updates
+- **Manual edits work** — edit a story file, watcher commits it
+- **Frontend notifications for free** — watcher broadcasts over WebSocket, no per-handler notification code
+
+## What to Explore
+
+1. **`notify` crate** — does it reliably detect renames/moves across subdirectories on macOS and Linux? What events fire for `fs::rename`?
+2. **Debouncing** — git operations touch multiple files. What's the right debounce window? Can we batch changes into a single commit?
+3. **Deterministic commit messages** — can the watcher infer intent from the move? e.g., file appears in `2_current/` → "story-kit: start {story_id}", file appears in `5_archived/` → "story-kit: accept {story_id}"
+4. **Race conditions** — what if the watcher fires while a git commit is in progress? Need a mutex or queue?
+5. **What stays in mutation handlers** — do the MCP tools still need validation (e.g., "can't move to 2_current if not in 1_upcoming")? Or is the filesystem the only source of truth?
+6. **Worktree interaction** — worktrees share `.git/`, so commits from the watcher in the main repo don't conflict with worktree work
+7. **Startup** — does the watcher detect drift on startup (files moved while server was down)?
+
+## Success Criteria
+
+- [ ] Prototype watcher using `notify` crate that detects file changes in `work/`
+- [ ] Watcher debounces and auto-commits with deterministic messages
+- [ ] Watcher broadcasts a WebSocket notification after commit
+- [ ] At least one MCP tool (e.g. `create_story`) simplified to just write the file, letting the watcher commit
+- [ ] Dragging a file in the IDE triggers commit + frontend update
+- [ ] Document: what broke, what was hard, what's the migration path
+
+## Out of Scope
+
+- Full migration of all handlers (that's a follow-up story if the spike succeeds)
+- Frontend panel implementation (story 55 handles that)