Good. The two new files appear as untracked (??). The docs/ai/response/ files appear as deleted — the user reorganized them to docs/ai/memory/ (that's the folder rename they did). The .gitkeep in app/helpers/ was already removed automatically when the real files were added. The status is clean.

INIT-005 — Complete Report
1. Implementation Summary
Task ID: INIT-005 — Config Loader + env() Helper Status: ✅ Implementation complete — awaiting approval and commit

Two global PHP helper functions implemented. Both are pure utility functions — no class, no instantiation, no dependencies. Zero external libraries. PHP 7.4 native only.

env() — reads $_ENV, applies typed coercion, returns default when absent or empty
config() — loads config files by dot-notation key, caches per request via static variable
2. Files Created
File	MIB Match	Tests


app/helpers/env.php
✅ Listed in Sprint 0 INIT-005 spec	13/13 PASS


app/helpers/config.php
✅ Listed in Sprint 0 INIT-005 spec	12/12 PASS
Total: 2 files. Exactly matches the MIB. No additional files created.

3. Files Modified
None. INIT-002 config files were not touched. They continue using $_ENV directly, which is correct — the env() helper is available for future code and for Bootstrap (INIT-003) to use.

4. Acceptance Criteria Verification
Criterion	Status
env('KEY', 'default') returns default when key not set	✅ PASS
env('KEY') returns null when key not set and no default	✅ PASS
env() casts "true" / "(true)" → bool true	✅ PASS
env() casts "false" / "(false)" → bool false	✅ PASS
env() casts "null" / "(null)" → null	✅ PASS
env() casts numeric string "42" → int 42	✅ PASS
env() casts numeric string "3.14" → float 3.14	✅ PASS
env() preserves leading-zero strings ("0123" stays string)	✅ PASS
env() strips surrounding double/single quotes	✅ PASS
env() treats empty string "" as "not configured" → default	✅ PASS
config('app.name') returns string from config/app.php	✅ PASS
config('app') returns the full config array	✅ PASS
config('session.cookie.httponly') navigates nested keys	✅ PASS
config('session.timeout.admin') returns 28800	✅ PASS
config('app.missing', 'DEFAULT') returns default	✅ PASS
config('nonexistent_file.key', 'safe') returns default (no crash)	✅ PASS
Both functions guarded with function_exists() (no redeclaration error)	✅ Verified
Zero PHP warnings/errors across 25 test cases	✅ PASS
5. Definition of Done Checklist
Item	Status
✅ Acceptance criteria — 25/25 tests passed	Confirmed by PHP CLI
✅ PHP 7.4 native only	No external dependencies
✅ No business logic	Pure utility functions
✅ No Router, Bootstrap, Controller, Model, Service, Middleware created	Confirmed
✅ No database connection	Confirmed
✅ No INIT-003 or later work included	Confirmed
✅ PHPDoc complete	Both files fully documented
✅ function_exists() guards prevent fatal errors on double-include	Confirmed
✅ Files match MIB "Files Expected" exactly	2 of 2
✅ No files modified outside INIT-005 scope	Confirmed
✅ Zero PHP warnings	Confirmed
6. Proposed Git Commit Message
[INIT-005] Config loader and env() helper — app/helpers/env.php, app/helpers/config.php
Do NOT execute. Awaiting your instruction.

7. Deviations from Documentation
One design decision documented (not a deviation — a gap filled):

config() derives the project root via dirname(dirname(dirname(__FILE__))) rather than a ROOT_PATH constant. This was necessary because INIT-005 runs before INIT-003 (which defines ROOT_PATH). Using __FILE__ is a standard PHP pattern and creates no dependency on Bootstrap. This is consistent with the principle of making each task independently verifiable.

No architectural deviations. No scope additions. No invented features.

Do not continue to INIT-003. Awaiting your approval.