scaffold-project.py and family.py init: an empty flag value is read as not given, a passed --id is told to be "explicit lowercase" whatever its fault, and the derived --family remedy leads to naming-not-a-family #911

Goal: in scaffold-project.py and family.py init, a value passed empty is refused by name, and an id's refusal says what an id may hold, with a refused name refused first.

Filed by lane openRepoShape-3, from its triage of #459 at the v1.1.1 release commit 5017830. It groups #459's lines U156, U157 and U160 (L2-79, L2-80, L2-83), U158 and U159 (L2-81, L2-82) and U162 (L2-85), one pull request's worth. The id sentence is shared with adopt-project.py, whose half is #902.

Empty values read as not given (U156, U157, U160)

State. The values are read by truth, not by is not None:

• scaffold-project.py:801 is checked_value("--id", args.id or project.lower()), and :802-805 read --name, --elected-on and --reference the same way;
• scripts/family.py:2226 is args.id or family.lower(), and :2661 and :2668 read --name and --created-on the same way;
• _elector (scaffold-project.py:762-763) and _creator_name (scripts/family.py:2424-2426) fall back to GIT_AUTHOR_NAME, then git config user.name, when the flag is empty, and _elector_named tests if args.elected_by: (scaffold-project.py:962);
• the manifest-value label loops test if not given: (scaffold-project.py:747, scripts/family.py:2353 and :3345), so once an empty value is a value the run holds, they would call it "not given".

What happens. Measured at 5017830, from a clone at that commit, with the stub gh, GIT_AUTHOR_NAME=probe, and --local-remote-dir and --work-dir folders added to each command:

scaffold-project.py --org testorg --project NorthWind --id= --dry-run
  exit 0: project      NorthWind (northwind)   topic xf-project-northwind
family.py init --org testorg --family NorthWind --id= --dry-run
  exit 0: family       NorthWind (northwind)
--elected-by ''          exit 0: elected by   probe on 2026-10-18
init --created-by ''     exit 0: created by   probe on 2026-10-18

A script that passes --id "$ID" with ID unset gets a derived id without a word. With no identity at all, the refusal says "no --elected-by" about a flag that was passed. Adopt refuses --id '' since #699, and --tracking-branch '' is already refused by name.

Evidence. The lines and the probe above.

Direction. Read each flag by is not None and refuse an empty passed value by name; move the two if not given: loops with it; one test row per flag.

A passed --id is told "pass an explicit lowercase --id" (U158, U159)

State. PASSED_ID_REMEDIATION = "Remediation: pass an explicit lowercase --id." (scaffold-project.py:834), its twin at scripts/family.py:2096, and adopt's _refuse_bad_id (adopt-project.py:4512). The bad-id check runs before the naming check.

What happens. Measured at 5017830 in the same way:

scaffold-project.py --org testorg --project NorthWind --id foo_bar --dry-run
  REFUSED scaffold-bad-id: --id 'foo_bar' must match ^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*$
  Remediation: pass an explicit lowercase --id.
scaffold-project.py --org testorg --project North_Wind --id north-wind --dry-run
  REFUSED naming-unclassified: 'North_Wind' matches no family in the naming policy. ...

foo_bar is already explicit and lowercase; its fault is the underscore. For --project North_Wind --id north_wind, the remedy's retype then meets naming-unclassified. family.py init prints the same.

Evidence. The lines and the probe above.

Direction. For a passed id, say "lowercase letters, digits and hyphens, starting with a letter or digit", and let the naming refusal speak first when the name itself is refused.

The derived --family remedy and openGlass (U162)

State. DERIVED_FAMILY_ID_REMEDIATION (scripts/family.py:2097-2101) says only "change --family to one CamelCase token with no hyphen, underscore, dot or space"; _classify_family_name refuses any open<Product> or <X>-Install name as naming-not-a-family.

What happens. Measured at 5017830: family.py init --org testorg --family open_glass --dry-run exits 2 with REFUSED family-bad-id: --id (not given, so --family lowercased) is 'open_glass' ... and that remedy. The retype --family openGlass is one CamelCase token and is then refused naming-not-a-family. The second refusal says why, so it costs a run, not a dead end.

Evidence. The line and the probe above.

Direction. Add "and not an open<Product> or <X>-Install name", in naming-not-a-family's words, with one test row at openGlass.

Size: M.

Lane: openreposhape-3 (openRepoShape-3)