# Fieldtest — typed-MIR milestone — 2026-06-01

**Status:** Triaged 2026-06-01 — the [bug] finding (heap-Str returned from
a fn leaks one slab at the call boundary) verified by the orchestrator
(`mir_5g` live=1, `mir_5c` inline-control live=0) and routed to `debug`
(RED-first); the three [working] findings ratified as carry-on. This leak
blocks the deliberate milestone-close until GREEN.
**Author:** fieldtester (dispatched by fieldtest skill, milestone-close gate)
**Binary exercised:** `cargo run -q -p ail` (debug profile, built from
HEAD `bd62f2b` working tree; `cargo build -q -p ail` exit 0 before any run).

## Scope

The typed-MIR milestone (spec `docs/specs/0060-typed-mir.md`, iterations
mir.1–mir.5, commit range up to `bd62f2b`) restructured the compiler so the
type checker hands codegen a fully typed MIR and codegen re-derives nothing.
No surface-language change. The milestone's value is RC/drop and codegen
correctness on the reworked paths — three latent bugs lived here recently: a
heap-Str loop-carried leak (#49, closed mir.4), and two `new`-over-ADT codegen
crashes (#51/#53, closed). This fieldtest probes those paths from a downstream
LLM author's seat, with only the public interface (design ledger, `examples/`
corpus, CLI). The four curated scenarios were derived top-down from the
milestone promise: heap-Str-across-recur, new-over-user-ADT, cross-module
synthesised `print__<UserType>`, and a combined render loop.

## Examples

### /tmp/ail-fieldtest/mir_1_loop_str.ail — heap-Str-across-recur (two shapes)
- `greet`: a loop whose exit arm is a bare static string literal `"done"`.
  `banner`: a loop threading a `str_concat` Str accumulator through `recur`
  (build `"*"`×5), returning it. `main` prints both.
- Fits scope: directly the #49 heap-Str-loop path, both the bare-literal-exit
  and the threaded-accumulator variant the carrier named.
- Outcome: built, ran, stdout `done\n*****\n` — **correct**. But under
  `AILANG_RC_STATS=1`: `allocs=7 frees=5 live=2` (see Finding 1).

### /tmp/ail-fieldtest/mir_2_new_adt.ail — new-over-user-ADT, show a field
- `data Temp`, a `new`-style ctor fn `(new Temp 21)`, a `prelude.Show`
  instance, `main` prints via `(app print t)`.
- Fits scope: the #51/#53 `new`-over-user-ADT codegen path plus the
  synthesised `print__Temp`.
- Outcome: built, ran, stdout `21C` — **correct**. (`live=2` under RC stats;
  same class as Finding 1 — the `int_to_str` Show result crosses the
  `show`/`print` boundary.)

### /tmp/ail-fieldtest/mir_3_color.ail + mir_3_main.ail — cross-module print
- `mir_3_color` defines `data Color`, ctor fn `mkColor`, and its `Show`
  instance. `mir_3_main` imports it, constructs via `mir_3_color.mkColor 255`,
  and `(app print c)`.
- Fits scope: the synthesised cross-module `print__<UserType>` path — a Show
  instance resolved from a different module than the print site.
- Outcome: built, ran (`run mir_3_main.ail`, 4 modules), stdout `#255` —
  **correct**. The cross-module type of `c` was inferred for `print` with no
  annotation. (`live=2`, same Finding-1 class.)

### /tmp/ail-fieldtest/mir_4_render_loop.ail — combined render loop
- `data Cell` + ctor fn `cell` + `Show`; `render` loops indices, builds a
  `Cell` each step via the `new`-style ctor, `show`s it, threads the rendered
  Str accumulator through `recur`. `main` prints `render 4`.
- Fits scope: the hardest combination — new-over-ADT + show + heap-Str-across-
  recur + per-iteration `str_concat`.
- Outcome: built, ran, stdout `[0][1][2][3]` — **correct**. (`allocs=21
  frees=4 live=17` — Finding 1, amplified by per-iteration intermediate Strs.)

### Reduction fixtures (Finding-1 bisect, all in /tmp/ail-fieldtest/)
`mir_5a`..`mir_5h` isolate the leak. Key results under `AILANG_RC_STATS=1`:
- `5c` no-loop `str_concat` let-bound + print, inline in `main` → `live=0`.
- `5d`/`5e` loop threading `str_concat` acc through `recur`, **inline in
  `main`** → `live=0` (matches curated `loop_str_recur_literal` pin).
- `5b`/`5f` the same loop **inside a helper fn** returning Str to the caller
  → `live=1`.
- `5g` **no loop at all** — helper fn returns a plain `str_concat` heap-Str,
  caller binds + prints → `live=1`.
- `5h` helper returns an `int_to_str` heap-Str → `live=1`.

## Findings

### [bug] Heap-Str returned from a user function leaks one slab at the call boundary
- Surfaced in: mir_1, mir_2, mir_3, mir_4 (all `live>0`); isolated by
  mir_5f/5g/5h vs. the `live=0` mir_5c/5d/5e.
- What happened: every program that builds a heap-allocated `Str` (via
  `str_concat`, `int_to_str`, or a loop returning Str) **inside a callee fn**
  and returns it across the call boundary leaks exactly one RC slab per such
  return. Verbatim, `mir_5g_concat_return.ail` (no loop):
  `ailang_rc_stats: allocs=2 frees=1 live=1`, stdout `hi!`. The same
  expression inlined into `main` (`mir_5c`) yields `allocs=2 frees=2 live=0`.
- Why it is a `bug`: a non-zero `live` count under `AILANG_RC_STATS` is the
  exact metric the milestone's curated `*_no_leak_pin` fixtures assert as
  `live=0`; the design contract `0008-memory-model` / `0011-str-abi` promise
  RC balance. The leak is producer-independent (str_concat, int_to_str),
  loop-independent (mir_5g has no loop), and triggers on the most natural
  authoring move — factoring string-building into a named function. Output is
  correct, so it is a silent leak, not a crash. The curated pins all keep the
  heap-Str-producing expression inside `main`, so none cover the
  return-across-call-boundary case — the leak sits squarely in that gap.
  This is adjacent to #49 (the milestone's flagship heap-Str fix) but is a
  distinct leg: #49 was loop-carried supersede/result *within one frame*;
  this is the *function-return* of an owned heap-Str.
- Repro: `AILANG_RC_STATS=1 cargo run -q -p ail -- run
  /tmp/ail-fieldtest/mir_5g_concat_return.ail` → `live=1` (expected `live=0`).
- Recommended downstream action: `debug` — RED-pin `mir_5g` (and `mir_5h`) at
  `live=0`, then locate the missing dec/drop on the callee's owned heap-Str
  return value (or the caller's consumption of a returned owned Str). The
  loop variants (mir_5f) should fall out once the scalar return-of-heap-Str
  case is fixed.

### [working] new-over-user-ADT (monomorphic) + Show + print is correct
- Surfaced in: mir_2, mir_4.
- What happened: `(new Temp 21)` / `(cell i)` constructed user ADTs via a
  `new`-style ctor fn, monomorphically, and `(app print …)` dispatched to the
  user `Show` instance. `check` clean (`ok (36 symbols across 3 modules)`),
  `run` produced `21C` and `[0][1][2][3]` first try.
- Why `working`: this is exactly the #51/#53 crash class. No crash, correct
  output, clean diagnostic. The fix held under fresh-eyes consumer use.

### [working] Cross-module synthesised print__<UserType> is correct
- Surfaced in: mir_3.
- What happened: a `Show` instance defined in `mir_3_color`, a value
  constructed and `print`ed from the importing `mir_3_main`. `run mir_3_main`
  loaded 4 modules, dispatched the cross-module print, stdout `#255`. No
  annotation needed on the print site; the cross-module type flowed through.
- Why `working`: the synthesised cross-module `print__<UserType>` path the
  milestone reworked is correct from the consumer's seat. A clear win to pin
  against future drift.

### [working] heap-Str-across-recur produces correct values
- Surfaced in: mir_1, mir_4, mir_5d, mir_5e.
- What happened: loops threading a Str accumulator through `recur`
  (`*****`, `xyyy`, `yyy`, `[0][1][2][3]`) and bare-literal-exit loops
  (`done`) all produced correct strings. When the loop is inline in `main`,
  RC is balanced (`live=0`).
- Why `working`: the #49 value-correctness (right characters, right order,
  no corruption) holds; the `live=0` property holds for the in-`main` shape
  the curated pins cover. Recorded so the value-correctness win is not lost
  when Finding 1's leak is fixed.

## Recommendation summary

| Finding | Action |
|---|---|
| [bug] heap-Str returned from a fn leaks at the call boundary | `debug` |
| [working] new-over-user-ADT + Show + print | carry-on |
| [working] cross-module print__<UserType> | carry-on |
| [working] heap-Str-across-recur value correctness | carry-on |
