14 scripts carry cosmetic brace-injection damage (};//, comments swallowed); compile but outline degraded #890

Rationale

14 additional scripts carry COSMETIC brace-injection damage from the 13103f0→#581 import chain — they COMPILE (invisible to any compile sweep) but their stored outline no longer matches the authored comment hierarchy. Signature: "};//" (comment text swallowed after an injected close-brace). Invisible to functional tests but degrades code readability and maintainability. All are repairable from pre-13103f032 mirrors (verified round-trip-stable).

Current State

Cosmetic brace-injection damage identified (provenance: commits 13103f0 and #581):

• Same corrupting mechanism as userland.cleanRoot (12 Virgin.root scripts genuinely broken in DB (fail to compile in place); webBrowser.openURL + cleanRoot block #855 #879's brace corruption)
• Commit 13103f0 (2026-03-21): guillemet sed mangled mirror corpus, claiming "no functional change"
• PR db: add db.compactDatabase + slim Virgin.root from 99 MB to 11 MB #581 (2026-05-07): imported mangled mirror back to ODB
• Result: "};//" pattern — comment text swallowed after injected close-brace

Affected scripts (14 total):

1. system.menus.handlers.repl.help
2. system.menus.handlers.repl.clear
3. system.menus.handlers.repl.keycodes
4. system.menus.handlers.repl.exit
5. script.newScriptObject (ITSELF damaged)
6. op.newOutlineObject (ITSELF damaged)
7. html.dialog.draw
8. soap.rpc.client
9. xml.rss.formatDrivers.feed.compile
10. Manila wizard.callbacks.customRenderer
11. Manila wizard.callbacks.getValue
12. Manila wizard.callbacks.setValue
13. xmlStorageSystem wizard.callbacks.getValue
14. xmlStorageSystem wizard.callbacks.setValue

Impact:

• Scripts compile successfully (invisible to compile sweep)
• Stored outline structure diverged from authored hierarchy
• Code readability degraded (comments swallowed)
• Maintainability impact (outline navigation confused by missing structure)
• No functional impact (comment injection doesn't break execution)

Desired Outcome

Repair all 14 scripts from pre-13103f032 mirrors (verified round-trip-stable):

1. Restore correct outline hierarchy
2. Verify compile after repair (should remain green)
3. Verify no functional regression (comments are cosmetic)

Recommendation

Repair source: Pre-13103f032 mirrors (verified stable)

git show 13103f032^:usertalk_scripts/system/menus/handlers/repl/help.ut

Repair method: Reinstall each via script.newScriptObject using the correct pre-13103f032 source

Integration: Natural home is root-build plan's Step 5 (repair-in-text) — repair all three damage classes together:

• 12 Virgin.root scripts genuinely broken in DB (fail to compile in place); webBrowser.openURL + cleanRoot block #855 #879 (3 corrupted: cleanRoot, openUrl, isValidUrl)
• 14 scripts carry cosmetic brace-injection damage (};//, comments swallowed); compile but outline degraded #890 (14 cosmetic: brace-injection)
• Plus pre-existing documentation/example outlines (leave as-is)

Exit Criteria

• All 14 scripts reinstalled from pre-13103f032 mirrors
• Verify: all 14 compile successfully after repair
• Verify: no functional regression (comments are cosmetic)
• Verify: outline hierarchy restored (comments visible in outline navigation)
• Cross-check: no other scripts carry similar brace-injection damage

Related Context

• Found by: Provenance investigation following 12 Virgin.root scripts genuinely broken in DB (fail to compile in place); webBrowser.openURL + cleanRoot block #855 #879 correction, 2026-08-11
• Related issues: 12 Virgin.root scripts genuinely broken in DB (fail to compile in place); webBrowser.openURL + cleanRoot block #855 #879 (3 corrupted scripts, 12 Virgin.root scripts genuinely broken in DB (fail to compile in place); webBrowser.openURL + cleanRoot block #855 #879 major correction), 65 Virgin.root scripts fail round-trip idempotence (string->newScriptObject); latent normalization divergence #878 (round-trip non-idempotence), ROOT_BUILD_FROM_SOURCE_PLAN.md (Step 5 repair-in-text)
• Root cause: Commits 13103f0 (destructive sed) and db: add db.compactDatabase + slim Virgin.root from 99 MB to 11 MB #581 (import of mangled mirrors)
• Repair source: Pre-13103f032 mirrors (git show 13103f0^:...)
• Verification: Round-trip stable (mirrors tested today)
• Scope: 14 scripts, all compile, all repairable

Damage Class Definition

Cosmetic brace-injection damage: Signature "};//" (injected close-brace swallows subsequent comment text). Invisible to compile (scripts remain valid) but outline structure diverged from authored hierarchy. Contrast with functional corruption (#879, #881) where scripts fail or behave incorrectly.

Prevention

Future modernization passes (sed, mass edits) on mirror corpus must:

1. Include compile verification (catch brace-injection immediately)
2. Preserve outline structure (validate comments are intact)
3. Use structural tools, not regex (avoid sed traps)
4. Test round-trip: mirror → ODB → mirror idempotent