c148. Config Overlays

Opened 2026-11-13 from Mark's answer to c146's call C9: what happens when the company's plane manages the configuration and the person asks their agent to change it. It was raised to be noted for a future cycle, not dealt with in c146.

Mark, 2026-11-13:

Let's check with Mark Peterson, but perhaps the person can say–tell me first so I can fix on my own. Also, we can maybe allow policies that are more restrictive than the company one? I may be managing agents that are not on company accounts, so I need a way to manage them, keep them out of company directories and knowledge bases. So we may need to overlay multiple policy files, but Let's note that for a future cycle that we can create now, but not try to deal with that complexity yet.

What it's about

• Stricter local layers. A person can add rules on top of the company's configuration, as long as they only tighten it.
• Agents outside company accounts. Someone may run agents on personal accounts on the same machine. They need a way to manage those agents and keep them out of company directories and knowledge bases.
• More than one file, layered. Two or more configuration files, merged in a known order, with a rule for which one wins. qconfig's include already merges targets and behaviors from several files; it has no notion of a file that only tightens.

Starts from

• c146's page, its three modes and its rulings (single file, single source).
• c146 C9, which waits on Mark Peterson.
• qconfig's include and behavior folding (include.rs, resolve.rs on qcontrol main).
• The governance model's "loosens" flag (c121 D1): an edit that loosens needs a reason. That flag is how we would tell a tightening layer from a loosening one.

Stage 1 only: no CYCLE.md and no plan until Mark kicks it off.