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Why Generated Files Go Stale—and How CI Can Catch Them

Generated files are only a snapshot of an earlier run. Regenerate them in CI, compare against HEAD, and check for both new untracked output and obsolete files.

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Committed generated files can look valid—even compile—while no longer matching the source or generator configuration that is supposed to produce them. To verify them, CI must run the generator again and compare the result with the commit it checked out, including checks for new and obsolete files.

Why committed generated files can be wrong

Generated code in Git is a snapshot of an earlier generator run, not proof that the current inputs would produce the same output. A schema or source change can leave the committed output stale while that old output still compiles. For example, a changed or reused protobuf field can require regenerating files with buf generate; a successful build alone does not establish that regeneration happened. The original article describes this failure mode.

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What a reliable CI check needs to compare

The check should regenerate the declared outputs and compare them with the commit CI is testing. Comparing with HEAD checks the checked-out commit rather than only the developer’s Git index. The check also needs to catch files a plain diff can overlook:

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  • New output: a generator may create files that are untracked, which ordinary tracked-file diff output does not necessarily show.
  • Obsolete output: if a generator stops producing a file, an old tracked copy can remain in the output directory. If it is unchanged, a diff may not flag it.

For that reason, a careful single-generator check starts from a clean output directory, runs the generator, compares the result with HEAD, and checks for untracked generated files. Cleanup matters: stale files must not be allowed to masquerade as current output.

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Write a single-generator check

For a directory containing only generated files, a shell check can follow this sequence:

set -eu
rm -rf path/to/generated
run-your-generator
git diff --exit-code HEAD -- path/to/generated
if [ -n "$(git ls-files --others --exclude-standard -- path/to/generated)" ]; then
  echo "Untracked generated files found" >&2
  exit 1
fi

Replace path/to/generated and run-your-generator with the repository’s actual output path and generator command. The script deliberately checks both tracked differences and untracked files. Removing the directory first also exposes tracked files the generator no longer emits: they appear as deletions relative to HEAD.

Protect mixed directories

Do not recursively delete an output path that also contains handwritten files. If generated and handwritten files share a directory, clean only the generated files, or use a generator configuration that disables broad cleanup (the source describes this as clean: false). A cleanup rule must be no broader than the generated output it owns.

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Keep a developer’s checkout safe

A cleanup-and-regenerate script can alter a developer’s working tree, particularly if it is run outside CI. The article describes genguard’s --isolated mode as running the check in a temporary worktree, leaving the original checkout alone. An isolated worktree reduces accidental disruption; it does not remove the need to declare accurate inputs and outputs.

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Pin and provision generator versions

Local and CI runs can disagree simply because they use different generator versions. Pin the versions the project expects, and ensure the CI job actually installs or otherwise places those binaries on PATH. A version declared in configuration is not the same as a binary being installed: genguard’s described behavior is to run configured commands, not fetch or install the tools for you.

The source article’s genguard example lists buf 1.32.0 and sqlc 1.27.0. Those are example pins from an article dated October 1, 2026, not recommendations about which versions to adopt now. Choose versions appropriate to your project and pin them consistently in local development and CI.

When genguard may fit

genguard automates checks for configured generators: it reruns their commands and fails when declared outputs differ from HEAD. The described configuration can group inputs and outputs, declare tool versions, and distinguish exclusively generated directories (clean: true) from directories containing handwritten files (clean: false). See the source article’s genguard walkthrough for the example and setup details.

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Its boundaries matter when deciding whether it suits a repository:

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  • It does not install configured generator binaries; CI must provision them and make them available on PATH.
  • It checks declared output paths, so omitted outputs are outside the check.
  • It does not commit regenerated changes; a mismatch is something the team must fix and commit.
  • It cannot make a generator bit-stable. A generator that emits different output across runs can still cause drift failures.

The October 1, 2026 article identifies genguard v0.7.0 and notes that the project is pre-1.0 and had changed flags previously. Treat those details as a dated snapshot, not a guarantee of current setup syntax; consult the project’s documentation for the release you install.

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Use selective checks without skipping necessary work

Running every generator on every change may be expensive, but a changed-path filter can silently skip necessary regeneration if it watches only obvious source files. A sound skip decision needs to consider the declared input paths and output paths, generator configuration changes, missing declared outputs, and untracked files. If any of those can affect or reveal stale output, the check should run. The source describes these as failure modes to account for, not as a benchmark proving that one strategy is universally best.

Choose a check by its coverage

Question Handwritten regeneration check Configured genguard check
What is compared? Depends on the script; compare regenerated files with HEAD to verify the CI commit. Reruns configured generators and fails when declared outputs differ from HEAD.
Are new and obsolete files detected? Only if the script checks untracked files and cleans output before regeneration. Coverage depends on correct declared outputs and cleanup configuration.
Who installs the generator? The CI workflow or repository’s tooling setup. The CI workflow; genguard does not install the configured generators.
What happens to regenerated changes? The script can fail on a diff; the team updates and commits output. It checks for differences but does not commit regenerated output.
Will the original checkout be modified? Potentially, depending on where and how the script runs. The described --isolated mode uses a temporary worktree.

Neither approach is automatically complete: coverage depends on the files cleaned and checked, generator availability and stability, and whether the check runs when relevant inputs or configuration change.

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