SkillsModeManager fresh-install default: revert Auto→Approval (deferred from #1 PR#2 — needs test-env setup first)

[Scaler0222]

Background

Filing this so the change is tracked separately and the rest of #1 isn't held up by it.

SkillsModeManager.cs:143 currently returns SkillsOperatingMode.Auto for a fresh install (no UnitySkills_OperatingMode pref, no legacy install marker). The test contract — SkillsModeManagerTests.CurrentMode_FreshInstall_NoKeys_DefaultsToApproval (Test Matrix Besty0728#17) — says it should be Approval. A brand-new install should require explicit user consent before any AI-driven skill runs.

Decision D1 of the #1 plan was to revert that fallback to Approval in PR#2. It was attempted and rolled back during PR#2 verification because the change triggers exactly the regression Codex flagged at the Define→Develop debate gate (R2):

ForgeAI.Tests.EditMode.ContentAgents.ForgePrefabBuildSpecTests.BuildPrefab_AppliesMaterial_WhenProvided
ForgeAI.Tests.EditMode.ContentAgents.ForgePrefabBuildSpecTests.Parity_EnemyPrefab_HasExpectedComponentShape  (also flaked under D1)
UnitySkills.Tests.Core.EditorUndoRedoTests.EditorUndoRedo_RestoresLatestSkillMutation
UnitySkills.Tests.Core.SelectionDrivenSkillTests.SmartAlignToGround_AlignsSelectedObjects
UnitySkills.Tests.Core.SelectionDrivenSkillTests.SmartDistribute_SpreadsMiddleObjectsBetweenEndpoints
UnitySkills.Tests.Core.SelectionDrivenSkillTests.SmartRandomizeTransform_ModifiesSelection
UnitySkills.Tests.Core.SelectionDrivenSkillTests.SmartReplaceObjects_ReplacesSelectedObjectsWithPrefab
UnitySkills.Tests.Core.SelectionDrivenSkillTests.SmartSceneLayout_ExecutesAgainstCurrentSelection
UnitySkills.Tests.Core.SelectionDrivenSkillTests.SmartSelectByComponent_SelectsMatchingObjects
UnitySkills.Tests.Core.SelectionDrivenSkillTests.SmartSnapToGrid_SnapsSelection
UnitySkills.Tests.Core.SelectionDrivenSkillTests.UIAlignSelected_AlignsRectTransforms
UnitySkills.Tests.Core.SelectionDrivenSkillTests.UIDistributeSelected_RepositionsRectTransformsEvenly

All 8 SelectionDrivenSkillTests + EditorUndoRedoTests fixtures fail with the same shape: Expected: "success" / But was: "error" — the SkillRouter envelope returns NeedsGrant because the affected skills (FullAuto / MutatesScene = true) hit the Approval-mode gate without any grant set up in [SetUp]. These tests rode on the implicit Auto default; flipping it to Approval is a silent behavior break.

Why this needs its own PR

The fix is not the one-line revert. The test environment needs a deterministic mode set BEFORE any UnitySkills.Tests.Core test runs, so the default fall-through value doesn't matter for the tests at all.

Recommended shape:

// Tests/Editor/Core/UnitySkillsTestEnvironment.cs
using NUnit.Framework;
using UnityEditor;

namespace UnitySkills.Tests.Core
{
    [SetUpFixture]
    public class UnitySkillsTestEnvironment
    {
        private const string PrefKeyMode = "UnitySkills_OperatingMode";
        private string _savedMode;
        private bool _hadSavedMode;

        [OneTimeSetUp]
        public void OneTimeSetUp()
        {
            // Pin Bypass for the test suite — tests that need a specific mode
            // (SkillsModeManagerTests) explicitly set + reset their own state.
            _hadSavedMode = EditorPrefs.HasKey(PrefKeyMode);
            if (_hadSavedMode) _savedMode = EditorPrefs.GetString(PrefKeyMode);
            EditorPrefs.SetString(PrefKeyMode, "Bypass");
        }

        [OneTimeTearDown]
        public void OneTimeTearDown()
        {
            if (_hadSavedMode) EditorPrefs.SetString(PrefKeyMode, _savedMode);
            else EditorPrefs.DeleteKey(PrefKeyMode);
        }
    }
}

Once that lands, SkillsModeManager.cs:143 can flip from Auto to Approval without breaking anything — the test suite becomes default-agnostic.

Tests already in place for the eventual revert

PR#2 of #1 (the one that filed this issue) added the migration test matrix in SkillsModeManagerTests.cs as a forward-promise:

• CurrentMode_ExplicitAutoPref_PersistsAcrossFreshInstallDefaultRevert — pins case (a): explicit pref wins.
• CurrentMode_MigrationMatrix_AllThreeBranchesHonorIntent — pins cases (a)/(b)/(c) of the getter. Case (b) currently asserts Auto (the deferred state); the assertion message explicitly calls out it needs flipping when D1 lands.

Acceptance criteria

• Tests/Editor/Core/UnitySkillsTestEnvironment.cs (or equivalent global setup) sets Bypass for the suite.
• Editor/Skills/SkillsModeManager.cs:143 returns SkillsOperatingMode.Approval for the fresh-install path.
• SkillsModeManagerTests.CurrentMode_FreshInstall_NoKeys_DefaultsToApproval passes.
• SkillsModeManagerTests.CurrentMode_MigrationMatrix_AllThreeBranchesHonorIntent case-(b) assertion flips to Approval in lock-step.
• No regression in the 8 fixtures listed above.
• Forge baseline (host project, 761 tests) stays green.

Gate artifact

Adversarial Define→Develop debate transcript that originally flagged this is at the consumer-project path .claude/embrace-gate-define-develop-2026-05-28.md (3-way: Codex STOP / Gemini-fast PROCEED / Claude PROCEED-with-remediations). Codex's R2 finding is the one that ended up calling this exactly right.