Le:
Sorta one of the grey areas again. Based on the definition, with no damage/removal of building finish, it is IMHO, NEC compliant.
From a guy with tools point of view......he finds note of splice point/box location, finds the right recess can & drops out the interior. He eyeballs the 4x box, mutters a few words & proceeds. He has to work by 'feel' or 'brielle' with one hand.
As an AHJ, that is an 'acceptable' scenario; do I allow it? Short answer, yes. However, most guys work the 'splice' into the fixture wiring compartment/box.
