load_config re-read and re-parsed config.json, the secrets file, AND the
template (running the recursive migration diff) on every call — with
~30 call sites in web request handlers, some hit 2-3x per request.
Fast path: stat all three files (mtime_ns + size); when unchanged since
the last successful load, return the already-parsed self.config (same
aliasing semantics as before). The signature is taken AFTER load +
migration so a migration write-back doesn't retrigger, and both save
paths refresh it. Cross-process freshness is preserved by construction:
a save from the other process bumps the file mtime, so the next load
here re-reads — verified by a dedicated test. Same-second edits are
caught by mtime_ns plus a size check.
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01FqzC1nzTWL4kaqgMaQZFam
Co-authored-by: Chuck <chuck@example.com>
Co-authored-by: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
