config/alibaba-free-tier-allowlist.json carried "validUntil": "2026-08-27".
On the 28th the loader started rejecting it — correctly, that is the design —
and a test that asserted "the shipped pack loads" turned every PR and main red
with no commit involved (#11866). A time bomb: the one class of defect a diff
review can never catch, because there is no diff.
scripts/check/lib/configExpiry.mjs walks config/**/*.json for validUntil /
validTo / expiresAt / expiry / expires (and snake_case forms), parses the dates,
and classifies each as expired / expiring (< 7 days) / ok / unparseable.
The repo-wide test fails on expired or expiring packs unless the file is in a
small allowlist keyed to the issue that owns the renewal — and fails the OTHER
way when an allowlisted pack is no longer expiring, so entries cannot go stale.
A positive anchor requires at least one dated pack to be found, so a renamed
key cannot silently turn the suite into a no-op.
The Alibaba pack is allowlisted against #11866: whether the curated free-tier
list still matches reality is an operator data decision, not a test fix.
Removing that entry makes the suite fail as intended (verified).
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