Local Rule Spreads to Broader Cases

What This Looks Like

A rule intended for a narrow case begins affecting broader work. A local instruction, exception, file-specific rule, reviewer preference, temporary constraint, or one-off decision may start governing other cases, prompts, workflows, users, or outputs where it was not meant to apply.

Why It Matters

Local rules are useful because they are bounded. When they spread, they can quietly change broader behavior without a policy update or authority decision. Users may not realize a local condition has become a general rule until it affects unrelated cases.

Structural Signal

A rule crosses the boundary from local authority into broader authority without authorization. The issue is not that the local rule exists; it is that the system propagates it beyond its intended scope.

Common Triggers

• Local instructions are saved as durable memory or reusable prompt context
• Examples from one case become templates for other cases
• The AI generalizes a one-off exception
• Workflow state is copied without scoping rules
• A reviewer preference is treated as policy
• The system lacks labels for local, temporary, and global rules

When to Use This Issue

Use this Issue when a local rule, exception, instruction, or decision spreads into broader cases where it should not apply.

When Not to Use This Issue

Do not use this Issue when the rule was intentionally promoted to a broader policy. Do not use it when the local rule remains confined to its intended scope.