# Audit scripts that classify or summarize must have a `--strict` quality gate that exits 1 on regression

## What it says

Every audit script in `scripts/audit_*.py` that produces classified output (weak types, exception handling, tier2 leaks, etc.) MUST implement a `--strict` mode that exits non-zero when the audit finds violations. The default mode (no `--strict`) is informational — it prints a human-readable report and exits 0. The `--strict` mode is the CI gate.

## Why

An audit without a gate is a suggestion. An audit with a `--strict` gate is a convention enforced before merge. The project's 4 existing audit scripts (`audit_weak_types.py`, `audit_exception_handling.py`, `audit_main_thread_imports.py`, `audit_no_models_config_io.py`) all follow this pattern. New audit scripts MUST follow it too.

## The pattern

```python
def main() -> int:
 parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
 parser.add_argument("--strict", action="store_true", help="Exit 1 on any violation")
 parser.add_argument("--json", action="store_true", help="Machine-readable output")
 args = parser.parse_args()
 violations = run_audit()
 if args.json:
  print(json.dumps(violations))
 else:
  print_human_report(violations)
 if args.strict and violations:
  return 1
 return 0
```

## See also

- `conductor/directives/convention_enforcement_4_mechanisms` — the 4-mechanism enforcement model (styleguide + checklist + audit script + CI gate)
- `conductor/directives/quality_gate_catches_broken_classifier_before_ship` — the quality gate for classifier scripts