reading assemble proves only a relative --out against a symlinked ancestor: writeArtefacts treats every ABSOLUTE --out as outside the repository (inRepo := !filepath.IsAbs(outDir) && ValidRelPath(rel)) and hands it to os.MkdirAll as given, so --out naming the checkout's own local tier absolutely, or climbing out and back in (../<repo>/...), is followed through a committed symlink at any level and the assembled input and manifest land at the link's target. Absolute is not outside; the sibling verb history reconstruct proves every spelling with gitutil.ProveOperandDir.

reading assemble proves only a relative --out against a symlinked ancestor: writeArtefacts treats every ABSOLUTE --out as outside the repository (inRepo := !filepath.IsAbs(outDir) && ValidRelPath(rel)) and hands it to os.MkdirAll as given, so --out naming the checkout's own local tier absolutely, or climbing out and back in (../<repo>/...), is followed through a committed symlink at any level and the assembled input and manifest land at the link's target. Absolute is not outside; the sibling verb history reconstruct proves every spelling with gitutil.ProveOperandDir.

Grounds

• pursued: an absolute --out and a ../<repo>/ --out below a committed local-tier link are both refused with nothing written at the link's target, while an absolute directory outside every checkout is still written; TestAssembleRefusesAnOutSpelledIntoTheCheckoutThroughALink failing on either spelling, or on the outside control, would show it wrong