Add grants_waiting_list_update deadline type

[estyxx]

Summary

• Add a dedicated grants_waiting_list_update deadline type instead of using a "custom" deadline with name matching
• This deadline is used to inform grant applicants on the waiting list when they should expect an update about their application
• Includes a data migration to convert existing custom deadlines with name "Update Grants in Waiting List" to the new type
• Updates CLAUDE.md to specify that all Python/Django commands must run inside Docker

Test plan

• Tests pass: docker exec pycon-backend-1 uv run pytest grants/tests/test_tasks.py -k "waiting_list"

[vercel]

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Project	Deployment	Review	Updated (UTC)
pycon	Ready	Preview	Jan 28, 2026 6:50pm

[codecov]

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 94.15%. Comparing base (efadf5a) to head (c9a9b88).
⚠️ Report is 1 commits behind head on main.

Additional details and impacted files

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  Coverage   94.15%   94.15%           
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  Files         353      353           
  Lines       10339    10342    +3     
  Branches      760      761    +1     
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+ Hits         9735     9738    +3     
  Misses        502      502           
  Partials      102      102           

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[claude]

Summary

This PR refactors the grants waiting list deadline handling by introducing a dedicated grants_waiting_list_update deadline type instead of relying on string matching against custom deadlines. The change includes a data migration to convert existing custom deadlines and updates the related task logic to use the new type with proper error handling.

Overall, this is a solid improvement that makes the codebase more maintainable and type-safe. The changes are well-tested and the migration is properly reversible.

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Architecture & Design ✅

Strengths:

• Moving from string-based "magic" matching (name__contains={"en": "Update Grants in Waiting List"}) to a proper enum value is excellent for type safety and maintainability
• The new deadline type follows the established pattern (similar to grants, cfp, voting, etc.)
• Proper separation: the deadline type lives in the model, the migration handles data conversion, and the task logic is updated accordingly

Minor consideration:

• The admin validation at backend/conferences/admin/conference.py:52-61 allows multiple custom deadlines but will now also allow multiple grants_waiting_list_update deadlines since it skips validation for custom types. Consider whether you want to enforce uniqueness for this new type. If yes, update the admin validation logic to exclude it from the type == Deadline.TYPES.custom check.

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Testing & Coverage ✅

Strengths:

• Excellent addition of the test case for missing deadline scenario (test_send_grant_waiting_list_email_missing_deadline)
• All existing tests updated to use the new deadline type
• Both waiting list email scenarios are covered (initial and update)

Minor improvement opportunity:
The migration's data conversion logic could benefit from a test, though this is optional. Consider adding a migration test that:

1. Creates a custom deadline with the old name pattern
2. Runs the migration
3. Verifies the type is converted correctly
4. Tests the reverse migration

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Error Handling ✅

Strengths:

• Proper error handling added when deadline is missing (lines 143-149 in tasks.py)
• Clear, actionable error messages that include the conference code
• Appropriate use of ValueError for configuration issues

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Performance ✅

No performance concerns. The .filter(type="grants_waiting_list_update").first() query is simple and will benefit from existing database indexes on the deadline type field.

---

Migration Considerations

Potential issue with JSONField query:
The migration uses name__contains={"en": "Update Grants in Waiting List"} (line 15). This works for PostgreSQL JSONField queries, but be aware:

• This will only match deadlines where the English translation contains the exact string
• If any production deadlines have slightly different wording, capitalization, or spacing, they won't be migrated
• Consider checking production data first to ensure all relevant deadlines will be caught

Suggestion: Before deploying, verify in production:

Deadline.objects.filter(type="custom", name__contains={"en": "Update Grants"}).values('id', 'name', 'conference__code')

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CLAUDE.md Changes ✅

The Docker command documentation updates are helpful and clear. Good addition for developer experience.

---

Recommendations

High priority:
None - the PR is ready to merge from a code quality perspective

Nice to have:

1. Verify production data matches the migration query before deploying
2. Consider adding admin validation to prevent multiple grants_waiting_list_update deadlines per conference (if desired)
3. Optional: Add a migration test

Great work on this refactoring! 🎉