code-modernization: legacy toolchain is advisory, not a transform blocker

Legacy code often cannot build locally by nature — CICS/IMS programs
have no local translator and the real runtime may be a mainframe the
user doesn't have. Stopping transform on a failed legacy smoke compile
would block exactly those systems.

- transform Step 0a: the target toolchain remains required (its tests
  cannot run without it); a failed or impossible legacy compile no
  longer stops the run — the equivalence strategy switches to recorded
  traces / golden-master fixtures, and that downgrade is stated in the
  plan and in TRANSFORMATION_NOTES.md so reviewers know the strength of
  the proof
- preflight: a red legacy toolchain now yields Ready-with-gaps for
  transform/reimagine instead of Not-ready

plugins/code-modernization/commands/modernize-preflight.md

@@ -87,8 +87,11 @@ followed by a **Ready / Ready-with-gaps / Not ready** verdict per command:
 - `assess` + `map` + `extract-rules` — need Checks 1–2 green-ish and
   Check 4's missing-include count low
 - `brief` — needs only the three discovery artifacts; no tooling
-- `transform` + `reimagine` — additionally need Check 3 green for both
+- `transform` + `reimagine` — additionally need Check 3 green for the
-  legacy and target stacks
+  **target** stack. A red legacy toolchain downgrades these to
+  Ready-with-gaps, not Not-ready: equivalence testing falls back to
+  recorded traces / golden-master fixtures instead of dual execution
+  (common and expected for CICS/IMS code that has no local runtime)
 - `harden` — needs Check 2 plus any stack-specific SAST tooling found
 
 Print the table in the session too, and end with the single most

plugins/code-modernization/commands/modernize-transform.md

@@ -9,22 +9,31 @@ equivalence.
 This is a surgical, single-module transformation — one vertical slice of the
 strangler fig. Output goes to `modernized/$1/$2/`.
 
-## Step 0a — Toolchain check (fail fast)
+## Step 0a — Toolchain check (fail fast on target, adapt on legacy)
 
 Verify the build environment **before** planning, not when the tests
 first run:
 
-- **Target stack ($3):** runtime, package manager, and test framework all
+- **Target stack ($3) — required.** Runtime, package manager, and test
-  respond (`java -version` + `mvn -v`, `node -v` + `npm -v`,
+  framework all respond (`java -version` + `mvn -v`, `node -v` + `npm -v`,
-  `python3 -V` + `pytest --version`, …).
+  `python3 -V` + `pytest --version`, …). If any are missing, stop and
-- **Legacy stack (if equivalence tests will execute legacy code):** the
+  report what to install — the new code and its tests cannot run without
-  compiler/interpreter works on this codebase — run a syntax-only compile
+  them, so a plan gate now would just defer the failure an hour. Suggest
-  of the module being transformed (e.g. `cobc -fsyntax-only`).
+  `/modernize-preflight $1 $3` for the full readiness report.
-
+- **Legacy stack — advisory, never a blocker.** Try a syntax-only compile
-If anything is missing or the smoke compile fails, stop and report what
+  of the module being transformed (e.g. `cobc -fsyntax-only`). Legacy
-to install or fix — suggest `/modernize-preflight $1 $3` for the full
+  code often *cannot* build locally by nature, not by misconfiguration —
-readiness report. Don't enter plan mode on a machine that can't run the
+  CICS/IMS programs have no local translator, and the real runtime may be
-proof.
+  a mainframe you don't have. A failed or impossible legacy compile does
+  **not** stop the transform; it changes the equivalence strategy:
+  - dual-execution proof is off the table — characterization tests
+    assert against **recorded traces / golden-master fixtures** (real
+    production outputs, captured reports/screens, SME-confirmed
+    examples) instead of live legacy runs
+  - say so explicitly in the Step 0b plan and later in
+    TRANSFORMATION_NOTES.md ("equivalence is trace-based; legacy was not
+    executable in this environment"), so reviewers know the strength of
+    the proof they're approving
 
 ## Step 0b — Plan (HITL gate)