On FreeBSD, build everything from source. No binaries. Stated 2026-09-18.
Use ports or build from upstream source. Do not reach for pkg install as the default because it is quicker — that defeats the point of the policy.
If something turns out to be binary-only and there is no source route, that is a stop point. Get John's approval rather than installing the binary or quietly working around it. Say plainly what is binary-only and what it blocks.
It is a standing policy, not a preference to be traded against convenience. A binary dependency pulled in silently is hard to notice later, and the decision to accept one should be John's rather than an agent's.
FreeBSD hosts only. The Linux hosts — pomelo, gravlax and kelp are Debian — use apt normally.
Project-specific detail belongs with the project, not here — this note is the standing rule. For the concrete case in hand: uucp/handover-next-actions covers the uucp ansible role's Debian-only dependency task, the FreeBSD port for Taylor UUCP and what it patches, and the build options John wants set on it.