SubMiner/backlog/tasks/task-72 - Make-startup-config-loading-strict-with-clear-user-facing-errors.md

id, title, status, assignee, created_date, updated_date, labels, dependencies, priority

id	title	status	assignee	created_date	updated_date	labels	dependencies	priority
TASK-72	Make startup config loading strict with clear user-facing errors	To Do		2026-02-18 11:35	2026-02-18 11:35	config ux reliability		medium

Description

Startup config loading currently falls back to default config when strict parse fails, while hot-reload path reports strict errors. This mismatch can hide broken config at startup and cause surprising runtime behavior.

Action Steps

1. Align startup loading semantics with strict reload behavior.
2. Surface parse/validation errors to user via clear logs/OSD/notification where appropriate.
3. Define fallback policy explicitly (fail fast vs safe mode) and apply consistently.
4. Add regression tests for malformed JSON/JSONC at startup.
5. Document startup error behavior in troubleshooting/config docs.

Acceptance Criteria

• #1 Startup and hot-reload use consistent strictness semantics
• #2 Malformed config surfaces explicit actionable error
• #3 Tests cover malformed startup config path

Definition of Done

• #1 Config and startup tests pass
• #2 Docs updated for new startup error behavior