H.7.1 Integration Models

An integration model defines the authoritative shared source state and how candidate changes converge into it.

• Frequent trunk integration limits hidden divergence and needs reliable feedback, small changes, and inactive incomplete behavior.
• Integration branches preserve an intermediate state whose evidence, ownership, and lifetime must be operated.
• Squash, rebase, merge commits, and stacks preserve different audit, bisect, review, freshness, and revert information.
• Runtime flags separate code integration from exposure while adding configuration, testing, ownership, and cleanup.
• State which branch is authoritative, how long divergence may live, and how changes and fixes move between maintained lines.