A publish that breaks followers is refused unless forced

Context

A rule change can invalidate the purposes of consumers already following it.

Decision

Refuse an incompatible publication unless the publisher forces it, in which case suspend the affected following uses in the publishing transaction.

Alternatives Considered

Let consumers discover incompatibility later: Failure would reach users before administrators see the affected uses.

Forbid incompatible publication entirely: A stale consumer could block a necessary release indefinitely.

Consequences

Suspended uses reject evaluation rather than return a negative qualification. The publication trail records follower suspensions. Administrators must repair a suspended use before resuming it.