Feature Overview (aka. Goal Summary)  

Cluster admins will gain the ability to trigger an on-demand, low-impact compatibility report against a specific target image. This report provides a clear list of blocking concerns and actionable steps required to unblock the update.
Note: we will start OTA work during 4.22-dev (OCPSTRAT-2843).

Goals (aka. expected user outcomes)

This feature introduces a pre-update preflight harness that allows OpenShift clusters to run compatibility logic extracted directly from a candidate target release. By moving away from static backported checks, we enable more accurate, scalable, and automated readiness validations—including support for future skip-level updates—ensuring cluster admins have high confidence before initiating an update.

• Elimination of Manual Audits: For example, clusters using manual-mode cloud credentials (CCO), admins currently perform manual compatibility audits. This feature automates that process, warning the admin only when changes are strictly required.

• Reduced "Multi-Hop" Requirements: Currently, admins often must update to the latest "z-stream" of a minor release just to pick up new upgrade guards. By extracting logic from the target payload, admins can move directly from an older $4.(y-1)$ to a new $4.y$ release with the latest guards already active.

• Future-Proofing for Skip-Levels: This architecture is a prerequisite for safe skip-level updates, as it allows a 4.y cluster to evaluate compatibility logic defined in a 4.(y+2) payload, which the current Upgradeable condition cannot achieve.

Requirements (aka. Acceptance Criteria):

• Automated Validation: A cluster-admin can successfully request a preflight check vs. a target release and receive a report containing both blocking concerns and actionable remediation steps.

• Skipped releases: A cluster admin can successfully requesta preflight check vs. a target update release which is not the next immediate minor version (e.g. 4.22 -> 5.0 or 5.2 -> 5.5)

• Harness Extraction: Verification that the logic is successfully extracted and executed from the target release payload rather than the local cluster state.

• Documentation: Complete technical and user-facing documentation for running preflights in Tech Preview.

• Technical Approval: Successful API-review and enhancement approval for associated openshift/api changes.

Anyone reviewing this Feature needs to know which deployment configurations that the Feature will apply to (or not) once it's been completed.  Describe specific needs (or indicate N/A) for each of the following deployment scenarios. For specific configurations that are out-of-scope for a given release, ensure you provide the OCPSTRAT (for the future to be supported configuration) as well.

Use Cases (Optional):

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Questions to Answer (Optional):

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Out of Scope

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Background

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Customer Considerations

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Documentation Considerations

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Interoperability Considerations

Which other projects, including ROSA/OSD/ARO, and versions in our portfolio does this feature impact?  What interoperability test scenarios should be factored by the layered products?  Initial completion during Refinement status.

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