@ahmed-g-gad/apothem 0.1.1

package/src/apothem/rules/agents-md-convention.md

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+---
+name: "agents-md-convention"
+description: "The repository carries a single agent-facing canon at the root AGENTS.md; per-folder operating guidance lives in each folder's README.md, which serves both the human and the agent reader. Per-folder AGENTS.md companions are not required; any present companion stays current with its folder and the root AGENTS.md stays coherent with the AI-surface canon."
+pathFilter: "**/AGENTS.md, **/README.md"
+alwaysApply: false
+---
+
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT -->
+
+# Rule: Root-Only AGENTS.md Convention — One Canon, Folder READMEs, Canon-Coherent
+
+## What this rule enforces
+
+The repository carries a **single agent-facing canon** at the root `AGENTS.md`. Per-folder operating guidance lives in each folder's `README.md` — one file per folder, **two audiences** (human + agent). The model:
+
+- **Root `AGENTS.md`** is the agent-facing source of truth.
+- **Per-folder `README.md`** is the navigable-folder guide an agent and a contributor both read on arrival.
+- **Per-folder `AGENTS.md` companions are NOT required.** A meaningful folder without one is conformant.
+- **Materialized harness-output `AGENTS.md`** under `harnesses/*/templates/` are **product surfaces**, not companions — they carry **no** obligation under this rule.
+
+Where a folder genuinely needs a standalone agent companion beyond its README, the rare per-folder `AGENTS.md` it authors MUST stay **current** with its folder (updated in the same change-set that materially alters the folder's artifacts or conventions). The root `AGENTS.md` MUST stay **semantically coherent** with the AI-surface canon — it contradicts no shared claim.
+
+## Pre-conditions
+
+Applies whenever a meaningful folder is created, its load-bearing artifacts or local conventions change, its `README.md` is authored or edited, or a rare standalone per-folder `AGENTS.md` is authored or edited. The meaningful-folder set — the navigable-folder set the README convention applies to — is defined mechanically in §1.
+
+## Required behavior
+
+### 1. The Meaningful-Folder Definition
+
+A folder is **meaningful** when it is navigable (a contributor or agent reasons about it as a unit) and load-bearing. Under the root-only convention this is the **navigable-folder set the README convention applies to** — each meaningful folder carries a `README.md` serving both readers. It is no longer an `AGENTS.md`-coverage requirement; the matcher retains the enumeration as its source-of-truth for the freshness check's folder-ownership map. The set is the union of two reproducible rules minus a fixed exclusion list:
+
+- **(A) Companion-anchored.** Any folder that directly carries a contributor `README.md`. Excluded: test-fixture leaf directories whose README is itself the subject of a presence check (the `tests/conformity/<matcher>/{pass,fail}` fixture trees, the inject-header fixture trees) and single-artifact example scaffolds (`examples/minimal-*`) — their README documents a fixture, not a navigable subsystem.
+- **(B) Source-package.** Any `src/apothem` folder that directly contains a Python source file but carries no `README.md` — the harness adapter packages, the shared adapter helpers, the hook library. An agent operating inside one of these packages needs the same orientation a README-bearing folder provides.
+
+Constant exclusions across both rules: vendored trees (`_vendor/`), generated trees (`dist/`, `site/dist/`), git/cache/ephemera directories, the plan-suite scratch (`.apothem/`, `.plans/`, `.audit/`), and rendered harness-output template leaves (`src/apothem/harnesses/*/templates/`). Including any would pollute fixtures or describe machinery no contributor navigates by hand.
+
+The definition is **executable**: `conformity/agents_md_coverage_grep.py` exposes `meaningful_folders(root) -> list[str]` as the single source of truth. Re-running the enumeration over an unchanged tree yields the identical set — the definition, the freshness check's folder-ownership map, and the CI gate all consume the same function, so the set never drifts between prose and gate. The matcher reports the set's size as `folders_inspected`; it raises **no** finding for a folder lacking a per-folder `AGENTS.md`.
+
+### 2. The Folder README — One File, Both Readers
+
+A folder's `README.md` carries the documentation for **both** the human reader and the agent reader. The agent-facing operating guidance a per-folder companion previously held now lives in a dedicated section of the same README. One file covers these concerns with no separate companion:
+
+| Concern | What the folder `README.md` carries |
+|---|---|
+| **Purpose** | What the folder is and its role in the system — prose a contributor reads on arrival and an agent reads to understand what depends on it. |
+| **Contents** | A map of children plus the load-bearing artifacts an agent touches and how they are organized. |
+| **Conventions** | The concrete invariants an agent MUST respect — file-header form, frontmatter contract, naming scheme, gate requirements, mutation guards. |
+| **Operating guidance** | How to add, modify, or remove an artifact in this folder safely, and which checks verify the change. |
+| **Relationships** | Cross-links to sibling folders and the upstream / downstream edges — what this folder consumes and produces. |
+
+The agent-facing section is **stable operating contract**, not volatile inventory: it does NOT carry counts (e.g., "71 rule files") that go stale. The root `AGENTS.md` remains the agent-facing **canon**; the folder README extends it folder-by-folder for the navigable-folder reader.
+
+### 3. The Optional Standalone Companion File Shape
+
+A per-folder `AGENTS.md` is **optional**. Where a folder genuinely needs a standalone agent companion beyond the agent-facing section of its README, the companion follows the root canon's file shape: a YAML frontmatter block (`name`, `version`, `updated`, `description`, `scope: folder`, `portability: repo-local`), then the canonical single-line SPDX license header, then the body authored against `templates/agents-md-template.md`. Any such companion is **agnostic**: it privileges no single harness, model, or tool, and pre-sets no model or effort preference. A folder describing a specific harness adapter names that harness by its catalog slug (one entry among the registered set), never by a privileging brand phrase. The same shape and agnostic discipline apply to the agent-facing section of a folder's README.
+
+### 4. The Living-Document Rule
+
+A folder's `README.md` — the file carrying its operating contract — MUST be updated in the **same change-set** that materially alters its folder's artifacts or conventions: a new load-bearing artifact, a removed one, a changed local convention, a changed mutation guard. The same obligation binds any present standalone `AGENTS.md` the folder keeps. A folder change that lands without updating the present companion is a **freshness defect**: the companion now misdescribes the folder.
+
+The defect is detected mechanically. `agents_md_coverage_grep.py` reads git commit history and flags a folder whose directly-contained artifacts were last committed more recently than its **present** `AGENTS.md`. A folder with no per-folder `AGENTS.md` raises no finding — absence is conformant. The signal is **commit time**, not filesystem mtime — a checkout rewrites mtimes, so only commit history carries the truth of what changed when. Where git history is unavailable, the check degrades to a clean pass and never blocks a fresh clone.
+
+### 5. The Canon-Sync Rule
+
+The root `AGENTS.md` is the AI-surface **canon**. Every folder README's agent-facing guidance — and any present standalone per-folder `AGENTS.md` — **extends** the canon folder-by-folder and **contradicts no shared claim** the canon makes. The shared claims to stay coherent with: plans locality, authorship headers, ambiguity handling, naming, release freshness, human-only authorship, and public-surface plain-language. A folder MAY add folder-specific operating guidance the canon does not carry; it MUST NOT state a folder-specific rule that conflicts with a canon shared claim. When a folder's reality and the canon diverge, the divergence is a **canon-sync defect**: reconcile the folder guidance to the canon, or — if the folder genuinely needs an exception — route the exception through the canon, never silently in the per-folder file.
+
+## Disclosure surface
+
+Every folder-guidance emission, refresh, or reconciliation is recorded in the disclosure ledger:
+
+- `[Companion — authored: <folder>/README.md (agent section); covers: <artifact-set>]` for new agent-facing folder guidance (or `<folder>/AGENTS.md` for a rare standalone companion).
+- `[Companion — refreshed: <folder>/README.md; reason: <folder-change | convention-change | canon-sync>]` for an update.
+- `[Companion — canon-sync: <folder>/README.md; reconciled: <shared-claim>]` for a divergence reconciled against the canon.
+
+## Failure tells
+
+A meaningful folder with no `README.md` (the navigable-folder reader has no guide). A folder README that omits agent-facing operating guidance, leaving an agent without the folder's invariants and safe-operation steps. A folder README — or a present standalone `AGENTS.md` — carrying a volatile inventory count that has gone stale. A folder whose artifacts changed in a commit that did not touch its operating-contract surface (the README, or a present companion). Folder guidance that contradicts a root-canon shared claim (e.g., asserts a plans location other than `<project-root>/.apothem/plans/`). Folder guidance that privileges one harness by a brand phrase or pre-sets a model / effort preference. A materialized harness-output `AGENTS.md` under `harnesses/*/templates/` mistaken for a companion and held to the folder-guidance obligation.
+
+## Bindings (§0.j five-direction)
+
+- **Drives →** Every meaningful folder's `README.md` agent-facing guidance and any rare present standalone `AGENTS.md`. The present-companion freshness matcher at `conformity/agents_md_coverage_grep.py`. The optional template at `templates/agents-md-template.md`. The CI coverage gate that runs the matcher on every change.
+- **Driven by ←** The root `AGENTS.md` AI-surface canon (the §5 canon each folder's guidance extends). The own-voice, harness-agnostic baseline established by `agnostic-posture.md` (every surface inherits the agnostic posture).
+- **Satisfies →** The root-only agent-surface discipline: one agent-facing canon at the root, per-folder operating guidance in each folder's README, every present companion current and canon-coherent.
+- **Established by ↑** The root `AGENTS.md` AI Surface Canon section; the per-folder README convention this rule centers.
+- **Cross-bound with ↔** `agnostic-posture.md` (the §3 agnostic invariant the folder-guidance content sweep enforces). `own-voice-reimplementation.md` (the own-voice baseline every folder-guidance prose honors). `plain-language.md` (the folder's agent-facing guidance is an out-of-scope agent-facing process surface, not a user-facing surface — its agent vocabulary is load-bearing).

package/src/apothem/rules/agile-sprints-elements.md

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+---
+name: "agile-sprints-elements"
+description: "Path-filtered companion rule carrying the canonical sprint-element bodies (Sprint Goal, Backlog INVEST, DoR, DoD, Review, Retrospective, Velocity), the Three Pillars detail, the Surface Imposition table, and the Failure Recovery table; demand-loaded when the parent `agile-sprints.md` rule's anchors surface."
+pathFilter: "**/.apothem/plans/**, **/.plans/**, **/phases/**, **/PHASE.md, **/MASTER-PLAN.md, **/PROGRESS.md, **/REPORT.md"
+alwaysApply: false
+---
+
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT -->
+
+# Rule: Agile Sprints — Canonical Elements (Companion Sub-Rule)
+
+## Purpose
+
+Specify the canonical sprint-element bodies for the M11 — Agile Process discipline declared at the parent rule's `rules/agile-sprints.md`. This companion is path-filtered: it loads when the assistant edits any of the multi-phase plan or phase-report surfaces where the sprint apparatus is operationalized, keeping the parent's always-on payload lean while preserving full element fidelity at the demand-load surface. The parent rule remains the canonical home for the M11 standing directive, the seven-element summary, the trivial-vs-non-trivial threshold anchor, and the disclosure surface; this companion carries the per-element bodies (§1.1–§1.7), the Three Pillars detail (§2), the Surface Imposition table (§3), and the Failure Recovery table (§4).
+
+## Obligations
+
+### 1. The Canonical Sprint Apparatus — Per-Element Bodies
+
+Every non-trivial multi-step work surface emits the seven canonical elements detailed below.
+
+#### 1.1 Sprint Goal
+
+A **single sentence** stating the sprint's outcome, definitive per `rules/definitiveness.md` (no hedging vocabulary, no `TBD` / `TODO`, pre / post / failure conditions stated where applicable). The goal MUST be **outcome-shaped**, not activity-shaped — "users can authenticate with OAuth" is a goal; "implement OAuth" is an activity. The goal MUST be testable: at sprint close it is either achieved or not, with evidence.
+
+#### 1.2 Sprint Backlog
+
+A **committed, ordered list of work-items** that together achieve the Sprint Goal. Every backlog item is **INVEST-shaped**:
+
+- **Independent.** Each item delivers value alone; cross-item dependencies are explicit and minimized.
+- **Negotiable.** The item's scope can be refined at sprint planning without re-deriving the goal.
+- **Valuable.** The item advances the Sprint Goal in a way the user can recognize.
+- **Estimable.** The item carries a story-point estimate (or a host-discovered alternative — t-shirt size, hours, story points) that fits within the sprint's velocity.
+- **Small.** The item fits within the sprint window; items larger than the sprint window are split during planning.
+- **Testable.** The item carries acceptance criteria the Definition of Done verifies.
+
+The backlog is **prioritized** — items are ordered by value, dependency, or risk, with the ordering rationale recorded.
+
+#### 1.3 Definition of Ready (DoR)
+
+The DoR is a checklist applied at **sprint entry** to every backlog item. An item that fails the DoR MUST NOT be committed to the sprint; it is returned to the upstream backlog for refinement. The canonical DoR:
+
+- Item description states the change in natural domain language.
+- Acceptance criteria are stated and testable.
+- Item carries an estimate (story points, hours, or host-discovered unit).
+- Item's prerequisites (other items, upstream gates, host-side decisions) are satisfied or explicitly deferred.
+- Item's INVEST shape is verified.
+- Item's affected scope (files, modules, services, public surfaces) is identified.
+
+The host may extend the DoR with project-specific gates (e.g., security review for items touching auth surfaces, performance benchmark for items touching hot paths) per M1 host-discovery.
+
+#### 1.4 Definition of Done (DoD)
+
+The DoD is a checklist applied at **sprint exit** to every committed backlog item. An item that fails the DoD MUST NOT count toward the sprint's velocity. The canonical DoD:
+
+- Artifact emitted (code / docs / configuration / data) at the canonical layout per `rules/canonical-layout.md`.
+- Verification passed (tests, lint, format, type-check, security scan — every gate the host ratifies per M13 code-craft and M15 production-ready).
+- Pre-emission gate attestation recorded per `rules/pre-emission-gate.md` (every fifteen-bar check passed or marked `n/a` with reason).
+- Bindings updated per `rules/bidirectional-binding.md` (reciprocal back-pointers added in the same change-set).
+- Acceptance criteria met (from §1.3 DoR).
+- Disclosure ledger updated per `rules/disclosure-ledger.md` (amendments, extensions, refinements, deferrals disclosed).
+- Production-ready discipline satisfied per `rules/production-ready-prs.md` (tests + docs + CHANGELOG entry + conformant commit + CI green in the same change-set).
+
+The host may extend the DoD with project-specific gates (e.g., CODEOWNERS approval, security sign-off, performance regression gate) per M1 host-discovery.
+
+#### 1.5 Sprint Review
+
+At sprint close, **every committed backlog item is inspected** against the Definition of Done. The inspector is the **user-as-Product-Owner** by default; where the user has authorized batched review per the continuous-execution discipline at CM-16, the agent simulates the inspection and emits a Sprint Review record the user audits asynchronously.
+
+Each item's inspection outcome is one of three:
+
+- **Approved.** Item meets the DoD. Counts toward the sprint's velocity.
+- **Rejected.** Item fails the DoD. Item is returned to the backlog for the next sprint. The rejection reason is recorded against the specific DoD criterion that failed.
+- **Carry-forward.** Item is partially complete and the remaining scope is fungible across the sprint boundary. The carried portion enters the next sprint's backlog as a fresh item with refined scope.
+
+The Sprint Review surfaces emergent concerns — items the agent encountered during execution that surface gaps in the host's process (per M6 Expertise Incorporation). Emergent concerns are recorded as findings for the user's decision.
+
+#### 1.6 Sprint Retrospective
+
+After the Sprint Review, a **Sprint Retrospective** identifies **process-adjustment actions for the next sprint**. The retrospective surfaces three classes of observation:
+
+- **Continue.** Process elements that worked and the next sprint should preserve.
+- **Stop.** Process elements that produced friction or waste; the next sprint should eliminate them.
+- **Start.** Process elements absent from this sprint that the next should adopt.
+
+Retrospective actions are **specific** and **actionable**, not vague (`"do better next time"` is non-conformant; `"add a test-coverage gate to the DoD"` is conformant). Actions enter the next sprint's backlog as process work-items or amend the DoR / DoD checklists in place.
+
+#### 1.7 Velocity Tracking
+
+Velocity is the **count of approved backlog items** (or the sum of their story points / equivalents) per sprint. Velocity feeds **empirical process control**:
+
+- **Transparency.** Velocity is recorded sprint-over-sprint; the trajectory is visible.
+- **Inspection.** Velocity changes (rising, falling, oscillating) are inspected for their drivers (scope drift, technical debt, external dependencies, learning curve).
+- **Adaptation.** The next sprint's backlog is sized against the rolling velocity; over-commitment is flagged at sprint planning.
+
+Velocity is **not** a performance metric — it is an empirical signal feeding sprint-sizing decisions. Velocity MUST NOT be treated as a target: doing so produces gaming behavior and corrupts the signal.
+
+### 2. Empirical Process Control — The Three Pillars
+
+Throughout the sprint, three pillars operate:
+
+- **Transparency.** Every increment is visible to the user. The Sprint Backlog, work-in-progress items, completed items, and emergent concerns are surfaced at the user's review cadence (real-time at SHARED+, batched at PUBLIC_LAUNCH per CM-16, on-demand at lower seriousness tiers).
+- **Inspection.** Every increment is inspected against the Definition of Done at the moment of completion, not deferred to sprint close. The pre-emission gate per `rules/pre-emission-gate.md` operationalizes per-increment inspection.
+- **Adaptation.** Every retrospective adapts the next sprint based on what was learned. Adaptations are recorded as process work-items in the next sprint's backlog.
+
+### 3. Surface Imposition — Where Sprints Land
+
+| Surface | Sprint obligation |
+|---|---|
+| `CLAUDE.md` | Carries the standing directive that non-trivial multi-step work runs as Agile sprints with the canonical apparatus (M11 row in §8 fifteen-mandate registry). |
+| `skills/*/SKILL.md` with multi-step procedures | Procedure body is structured as Sprint Planning → Execution → Review → Retrospective. |
+| `commands/*.md` with multi-step output | Working trace emits sprint structure (Sprint Goal, backlog of steps, DoD verification per step, retrospective at command exit). |
+| `agents/*.md` whose remit is multi-step | Return format organizes work as sprints with DoD attestation. |
+| `output-styles/*.md` | Preserve sprint metadata (Sprint Goal, backlog references, retrospective notes) rather than flattening them. |
+| Multi-phase plans at `<project-root>/.apothem/plans/*/` | Each top-level phase IS a sprint; the phase apparatus (Goal, Inputs, Outputs, Verification, Report) maps to (Sprint Goal, DoR, DoD, Sprint Review, Retrospective). The mapping is explicit per the M11 ↔ phase-apparatus correspondence at `rules/canonical-layout.md`. |
+
+### 4. Failure Recovery — When Sprint Discipline Lapses
+
+- **Missing Sprint Goal.** Pause execution. Surface the gap as a finding. Author the goal before resuming execution.
+- **Backlog item fails INVEST at planning.** Return the item to the upstream backlog for refinement. Do not commit the item to the sprint with a placeholder estimate or unstated acceptance criteria.
+- **Item fails DoD at review.** Reject or carry-forward per §1.5. Do not silently lower the DoD bar to admit the item.
+- **Retrospective skipped under time pressure.** The retrospective is **mandatory** at SHARED+; skipping it forfeits empirical process control's adaptation pillar. The skip is itself a finding the next sprint's retrospective surfaces.
+- **Velocity treated as target.** Velocity is the **signal**, not the **target**. When velocity gaming surfaces (item splitting to inflate count, scope shrinking to claim completion), the retrospective surfaces the corruption and the DoD adapts to close the loophole.
+
+## Enforcement
+
+Path-filtered (the seven glob patterns in this rule's `pathFilter` field — `**/.apothem/plans/**`, `**/.plans/**`, `**/phases/**`, `**/PHASE.md`, `**/MASTER-PLAN.md`, `**/PROGRESS.md`, `**/REPORT.md`), always-on at every seriousness level when in scope. Demand-loaded companion to `rules/agile-sprints.md`. The parent rule carries the M11 standing directive, the seven-element summary, the trivial-vs-non-trivial threshold anchor, the disclosure surface, and the failure-tells; this companion carries the per-element bodies (§1.1–§1.7), the Three Pillars detail (§2), the Surface Imposition table (§3), and the Failure Recovery table (§4).
+
+## Bindings (§0.j five-direction)
+
+- **Drives →** ● The per-element population at every multi-phase plan's `phases/NN-topic/PHASE.md` and parent `MASTER-PLAN.md`. ● Every Sprint Review record's three-outcome classification (approved / rejected / carry-forward) per §1.5. ● Every retrospective's continue / stop / start surface per §1.6. ● The DoR / DoD checklists at every sprint-entry / sprint-exit boundary.
+- **Satisfies →** ● the fifteen-mandate registry row **M11 — Agile Sprints** (the demand-load surface for the per-element bodies). ● `rules/agile-sprints.md` parent anchor (the parent rule's pointer to this companion's full element catalog).
+- **Established by ↑** ● `rules/agile-sprints.md` (parent-rule anchor). ● the fifteen-mandate registry (ratifies M11). ● The Scrum Guide's empirical process control framework (transparency / inspection / adaptation — the canonical Agile foundation; this rule's §2 Three Pillars subsection is the host-project projection of that framework).
+- **Gated by ←** ● The path-filter (the six glob patterns) — this rule demand-loads only on multi-phase plan / phase-report artifact touches. ● `rules/agile-sprints.md` always-on baseline (parent rule must be live for the companion's anchors to surface). ● The §8.1 trivial-vs-non-trivial threshold (trivial work is exempt from the sprint apparatus).
+- **Cross-bound with ↔** ↔ `rules/agile-sprints.md` (parent rule; anchors bind this companion). ↔ `rules/canonical-layout.md` (M12 — phase / sub-phase reporting is the layout-tier surface for sprint outputs; the M11 ↔ M12 correspondence is mutual). ↔ `rules/pre-emission-gate.md` (M4 — bar 11 of the gate enforces sprint-apparatus instantiation; §2 Inspection pillar operationalizes per-increment gate inspection). ↔ `rules/production-ready-prs.md` (M15 — DoD's `production-ready` criterion). ↔ `rules/disclosure-ledger.md` (M2 — sprint apparatus emissions are recorded in the ledger). ↔ `rules/definitiveness.md` (M8 — Sprint Goal must satisfy the definitiveness floor per §1.1).

package/src/apothem/rules/agile-sprints.md

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+---
+name: "agile-sprints"
+description: "Non-trivial multi-step work in host projects runs as disciplined Agile sprints — Sprint Goal + Backlog + Definition of Ready + Definition of Done + Sprint Review + Retrospective + Velocity tracking. The trivial-vs-non-trivial threshold is the ratifiable choice (line-count + scope hybrid). Empirical process control — transparency, inspection, adaptation — applies throughout."
+pathFilter: ""
+alwaysApply: true
+---
+
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT -->
+
+# Rule: Agile Process — Sprints, DoR / DoD, Empirical Process Control
+
+## What this rule enforces
+
+Binds **M11 — Agile Process — Sprints, DoR / DoD, Empirical Process Control**. Non-trivial multi-step work in a host project MUST be structured as disciplined Agile sprints carrying the seven canonical elements (Sprint Goal, Backlog, DoR, DoD, Review, Retrospective, Velocity) under empirical process control — transparency, inspection, adaptation.
+
+## Pre-conditions
+
+Applies whenever the agent undertakes non-trivial multi-step work, per the trivial-vs-non-trivial threshold ratified once at the trivial-vs-non-trivial threshold (and any project-scope override per §3). Trivial work is exempt; the threshold MUST NOT be silently picked per task.
+
+## Required behavior
+
+### 1. Seven Canonical Elements
+
+Every non-trivial multi-step work surface MUST emit all seven: Sprint Goal (outcome-shaped, testable), Sprint Backlog (INVEST-shaped, prioritized), Definition of Ready (sprint-entry gate), Definition of Done (sprint-exit gate), Sprint Review (approved / rejected / carry-forward per item), Sprint Retrospective (continue / stop / start), Velocity Tracking (signal, never target).
+
+(Companion Sub-Rule Anchor) See `rules/agile-sprints-elements.md` §1 for per-element bodies.
+
+### 2. Three Pillars of Empirical Process Control
+
+Transparency, inspection, adaptation operate throughout every sprint.
+
+(Companion Sub-Rule Anchor) See `rules/agile-sprints-elements.md` §2 for pillar detail.
+
+### 3. Trivial-Threshold Anchor
+
+The trivial-vs-non-trivial threshold is ratified once at the trivial-vs-non-trivial threshold; a project-scope override per §8.1 honors M1 host-discovery and cites its ratifying source. Host silence at the boundary routes through `rules/authority-inquiry.md` with the §8.1 default as the **Recommended** option per `rules/option-annotation.md`.
+
+### 4. Surface Imposition
+
+The apparatus binds `CLAUDE.md`, multi-step skills / commands / agents, output-styles (preserved), and multi-phase plans (each phase IS a sprint per the M11 ↔ M12 correspondence at `rules/canonical-layout.md`).
+
+(Companion Sub-Rule Anchor) See `rules/agile-sprints-elements.md` §3 for the surface table.
+
+### 5. Failure Recovery
+
+A missing Sprint Goal, an INVEST-failing item, a DoD-failing item, a skipped retrospective, and velocity-as-target gaming each carry a specific recovery path; none MAY collapse silently into a passing sprint.
+
+(Companion Sub-Rule Anchor) See `rules/agile-sprints-elements.md` §4 for the recovery table.
+
+## Disclosure surface
+
+Every sprint apparatus emission is recorded in the disclosure ledger per `rules/disclosure-ledger.md` with `[Sprint — opened …]` at planning, `[Sprint — increment …]` at each Review item (approved / rejected / carry-forward outcome plus DoD pass / fail lists), `[Sprint — retrospective …]` at close (continue / stop / start plus velocity), and `[Sprint — adaptation …]` when DoR / DoD checklists are amended.
+
+## Failure tells
+
+A bulk multi-day diff with no sprint structure or retrospective. A Sprint Goal phrased as activity rather than outcome. Backlog items without estimates or acceptance criteria. DoD with `n/a` on every criterion. Rubber-stamp Reviews. Vague retrospective actions. Velocity collected but never inspected. Non-trivial work emitting no apparatus (silent threshold-pick). Trivial scope emitting full apparatus (over-calibration). Project-scope threshold override without ratifying-source citation.
+
+## Bindings (§0.j five-direction)
+
+- **Drives →** ● Every non-trivial multi-step work surface in every host project (the seven canonical sprint elements are the work-shape floor). ● Every `skills/*/SKILL.md` multi-step procedure (Sprint Planning → Execution → Review → Retrospective). ● Every multi-phase plan's per-phase apparatus (the M11 ↔ phase-apparatus correspondence). ● The empirical process control's three pillars (transparency, inspection, adaptation) at every sprint cadence. ● The pre-emission gate's per-increment DoD inspection per `rules/pre-emission-gate.md`.
+- **Satisfies →** ● the fifteen-mandate registry row **M11 — Agile Sprints**. ● the Pre-Emission Gate row 11 (M11 agile-sprints check). ● the trivial-vs-non-trivial threshold (this rule operationalizes the §8.1 ratification at sprint planning).
+- **Established by ↑** ● the fifteen-mandate registry (ratifies M11). ● the trivial-vs-non-trivial threshold (the trivial-threshold ratification). ● the Pre-Emission Gate row 11. ● The Scrum Guide's empirical process control framework (transparency / inspection / adaptation — the canonical Agile foundation; this rule's §2 Three Pillars subsection is the host-project projection of that framework).
+- **Gated by ←** ● The §8.1 trivial-threshold (trivial work is exempt from the sprint apparatus). ● `CLAUDE.md` always-loaded preamble. ● `rules/expertise-posture.md` calibration ladder (depth-to-task calibration governs whether sprint apparatus is the right scale; over-calibration on trivial work is non-conformant per §6's failure tells).
+- **Cross-bound with ↔** ↔ `rules/agile-sprints-elements.md` (path-filtered companion sub-rule carrying §1 per-element bodies, §2 Three Pillars detail, §3 Surface Imposition table, §4 Failure Recovery table). ↔ `rules/canonical-layout.md` (M12 — phase / sub-phase reporting; the M11 ↔ M12 correspondence is mutual). ↔ `rules/pre-emission-gate.md` (M4 — bar 11 enforces sprint-apparatus instantiation). ↔ `rules/expertise-posture.md` (M6 — calibration ladder cross-references the trivial-threshold). ↔ `rules/production-ready-prs.md` (M15 — DoD's `production-ready` criterion). ↔ `rules/disclosure-ledger.md` (M2 — sprint emissions recorded). ↔ `rules/definitiveness.md` (M8 — Sprint Goal definitiveness floor). ↔ `rules/agnostic-posture.md` (the sprint apparatus is opt-in under the host-agnostic posture, not a default-on obligation).

package/src/apothem/rules/agnostic-posture-checklist.md

@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+---
+name: "agnostic-posture-checklist"
+description: "Path-filtered companion to `agnostic-posture.md`: the default-off and opt-in invariant checklist, each with a concrete verification step, that every phase's definition of done satisfies and the planning-pipeline commands and learning loop consult."
+pathFilter: "**/commands/**, **/rules/**, **/output-styles/**, **/statuslines/**, **/.apothem/plans/**, **/.plans/**"
+alwaysApply: false
+---
+
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT -->
+
+# Rule: Agnostic Posture — Checklist (Companion Sub-Rule)
+
+## Purpose
+
+Carry the verification checklist for the parent rule `agnostic-posture.md`. The parent declares the posture — default-off behaviors, advisory correctness gates, harness neutrality, end-user-invoked preference, preserved machinery. This companion makes that posture **checkable**: it restates each invariant with a concrete verification step so a phase, a planning pass, or a learning-loop iteration can confirm a clean install still imposes nothing. Path-filtered: loads when the agent touches a shipped surface, a command, or a plan — where the posture is produced and verified.
+
+## Obligations
+
+### 1. The Invariant Checklist
+
+Every phase that changes a shipped surface MUST satisfy all six invariants before its work is done. Each invariant carries a verification step that produces evidence; a phase records the outcome of each step it touches.
+
+| # | Invariant | Verification step (evidence) |
+|---|-----------|------------------------------|
+| 1 | **Workflow behaviors ship default-off.** The sprint apparatus, agent-team dispatch, parallel multitasking, continuous multi-step advancement, and continuous-learning capture are each off until the end user opts in. | Load the default shared profile and assert every `enforcement` flag (`sprints`, `agent_teams`, `multitasking`, `continuous_execution`, `learning_loop`) is `False`. A flag defaulting `true` in the shipped schema or example profile fails the invariant. |
+| 2 | **A clean install imposes no workflow.** A request runs with no sprint ceremony, no forced agent dispatch, and no parallel-task imposition unless a flag was set. | Trace a representative request against a default profile; confirm none of the five behaviors auto-applies. Where a sibling rule marks a behavior "mandatory" or "always-on", confirm that marking describes the opted-in shape, not a clean-install imposition. |
+| 3 | **Correctness gates are advisory.** Lint, format, type-check, test, security scan, conformance, and the pre-emission gate emit findings plus a definitive next step and then yield — none blocks the end user's action by default. | Run the conformity gate without the strict opt-in; confirm it surfaces findings and a next step and exits zero. Confirm the strict flag and the strict environment variable restore blocking for the pipelines that opt in. |
+| 4 | **No shipped surface tailors to one harness.** Every rule, command, output-style, statusline, and template renders identically across every registered harness; a harness name appears only by its slug as one catalog entry among many. | Run the agnosticism sweep over the shipped rules, commands, output-styles, and statuslines; confirm zero findings. A privileging brand reference outside a fenced example or a catalog row fails the invariant. |
+| 5 | **Preference is end-user-invoked.** No shipped config pre-determines a model, effort, or workflow preference; the default state is unset until an in-conversation choice resolves it. | Inspect shipped commands and templates for an `effort:` or `model:` frontmatter preset; confirm none is present. The agnosticism sweep flags any re-introduced preset in a command. |
+| 6 | **De-enforced machinery is preserved, not deleted.** Each default-off behavior keeps a working invocation path — an opt-in flag, a documented command, or a named procedure — so opting in restores it intact. | Confirm each behavior's invocation path exists, then exercise the preserve-machinery smoke test that opts each behavior in and asserts it activates. A behavior reachable by no path fails the invariant: removal, not preservation, is the defect. |
+
+### 2. Per-Surface Use
+
+- **A phase's definition of done.** A phase touching a shipped surface MUST run every invariant whose surface it changed and record the verification outcome. The checklist is the phase-level agnosticism gate; an unverified invariant on a touched surface is an open finding, not a pass.
+- **The planning-pipeline commands.** Each `/plan-<stage>` command consults this checklist when shaping a phase, so each phase inherits the default-off and opt-in invariants as acceptance criteria rather than re-deriving them.
+- **The learning loop.** When the learning loop captures a correction, it checks the correction against this checklist so a learned behavior is never wired in as a clean-install imposition.
+
+### 3. Failure Tells
+
+A shipped profile with an `enforcement` flag defaulting `true`. A correctness gate that aborts the end user's action on a clean install. A rule or command naming one harness as the assumed runtime or privileged path. A command frontmatter carrying an `effort:` or `model:` preset. A de-enforced behavior with no surviving invocation path. A phase that changed a shipped surface and recorded no verification outcome for the invariants it touched.
+
+## Bindings (§0.j five-direction)
+
+- **Drives →** every phase's agnosticism definition-of-done check; the planning-pipeline commands' per-phase acceptance criteria; the learning loop's clean-install-imposition guard; the agnosticism sweep's two detection classes (the mechanical arm of invariants 4 and 5).
+- **Driven by ←** the parent rule `agnostic-posture.md` (the posture this checklist verifies); the operator directive that the agent impose no workflow, model, or effort.
+- **Satisfies →** the default-off and opt-in invariant enumeration with per-invariant verification; the phase-level agnosticism gate.
+- **Established by ↑** `agnostic-posture.md` (the posture the checklist operationalizes); the shared-profile `enforcement` schema (the opt-in surface invariant 1 inspects).
+- **Cross-bound with ↔** `agnostic-posture.md` (parent rule; this companion carries its verification checklist); `agile-sprints.md`, `agent-orchestration.md`, `context-management.md` (the opted-in behaviors invariants 1–2 hold default-off); `pre-emission-gate.md` (its bars surface as advisories per invariant 3).

package/src/apothem/rules/agnostic-posture.md

@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+---
+name: "agnostic-posture"
+description: "Default-off, opt-in posture for every shipped behavior; correctness gates stay advisory; every surface is harness-neutral; model, effort, and workflow preference resolve only from an explicit in-conversation choice."
+pathFilter: ""
+alwaysApply: true
+---
+
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT -->
+
+# Rule: Agnostic Posture — Default-Off, Opt-In, Harness-Neutral
+
+## Purpose
+
+Govern the shipped posture so a clean install imposes nothing — no workflow ceremony, no model or effort preset, no harness bias auto-applied. Every behavior is reachable, but only the end user turns it on. This rule is the standing frame every other shipped rule and command reads its enforcement defaults through.
+
+## Obligations
+
+### 1. Default-off behaviors
+
+Workflow behaviors — the sprint apparatus, agent-team dispatch, parallel multitasking, continuous multi-step advancement, and continuous-learning capture — ship **default-off**. A clean install MUST run a request with none of them engaged. Each is opt-in through the shared profile's `enforcement` flags (every flag defaults `false`); set a flag `true` to invoke that behavior. Where a sibling rule marks one of these behaviors "always-on", "mandatory", or "required at" a tier, that marking describes the behavior's shape **once the operator opts in** — never an imposition on a clean install.
+
+### 2. Advisory correctness gates
+
+Correctness and quality gates — lint, format, type-check, test, security scan, conformance, the pre-emission gate — stay active but **advisory**. Each MUST emit its findings plus a definitive next step and then yield; none blocks, aborts, or silently mutates the end user's action. The end user decides what to do with a finding.
+
+### 3. Harness neutrality
+
+No shipped surface carries tailoring for one harness. Every rule, command, output-style, statusline, and template MUST render identically across every registered harness. A harness name appears only as one catalog entry among many — never as a tailored default, a privileged path, or an assumed runtime.
+
+### 4. End-user-invoked preference
+
+Model, effort, and workflow preference resolve only from an explicit in-conversation choice. No shipped config pre-determines them; the default state is unset, and the agent asks or waits rather than guessing.
+
+### 5. Machinery preserved
+
+De-enforced behavior MUST NOT be deleted. Each behavior keeps a working invocation path — an opt-in flag, a documented command, a named procedure — so opting in restores it intact. Preservation, not removal, is the discipline.
+
+### 6. Verification
+
+The per-invariant verification checklist for this posture — each of the five obligations restated as a checkable invariant with a concrete verification step — lives at the path-filtered companion `agnostic-posture-checklist.md`. Every phase that changes a shipped surface runs the checklist as its agnosticism definition-of-done gate.
+
+## Bindings (§0.j five-direction)
+
+- **Drives →** the default-off shape of every shipped rule and command; the shared profile's `enforcement` opt-in flags; the advisory framing every correctness gate honors; the harness-neutral rendering of every shipped surface.
+- **Driven by ←** the operator directive that the agent impose no workflow, model, or effort and delegate every such preference to the end user.
+- **Satisfies →** the agnostic, zero-enforcement posture across the whole shipped surface; the harness-neutrality floor.
+- **Established by ↑** `operational-mandates.md` (CM-1 critical evaluation gates whether any behavior is imposed); the shared-profile `enforcement` schema (the opt-in surface this rule references).
+- **Cross-bound with ↔** `agnostic-posture-checklist.md` (the path-filtered companion carrying this posture's per-invariant verification checklist); `agile-sprints.md` (sprint apparatus is opt-in here); `agent-orchestration.md` (agent-team dispatch is opt-in here); `context-management.md` (continuous advancement is opt-in here); `interactive-questions.md` (preference selection routes through the end user); `pre-emission-gate.md` (its bars surface as advisories, not blocks); `own-voice-reimplementation.md` (reimplementations derive conventions from each harness's own documentation under this host-agnostic posture, not from a single reference); `multi-agent-workflow.md` (the independent-critique / open-loop / dynamic multi-agent capability is opt-in and default-off under this posture's §1; §4 governs its model and effort agnosticism — this posture controls on any apparent conflict); `agents-md-convention.md` (the per-folder folder-guidance surface that inherits the agnostic posture — every folder README's agent-facing guidance and any standalone companion privileges no harness, model, or effort). `rules/own-voice-reimplementation.md` (reimplementations derive conventions from each harness's own documentation under this host-agnostic posture).

package/src/apothem/rules/authoritative-referencing-quotation.md

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+---
+name: "authoritative-referencing-quotation"
+description: "Quotation-ceiling / paraphrase-default companion to authoritative-referencing — paraphrase a cited source by default with attribution; quote sparingly and briefly (a short excerpt, never a full third-party work); attribute the source without offering a legal or fair-use opinion. Path-filtered to prose surfaces where source material is reproduced."
+pathFilter: "**/*.md, **/*.mdx, **/docs/**, **/site/**"
+alwaysApply: false
+---
+
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT -->
+
+# Rule: Authoritative Referencing — Quotation Ceiling & Paraphrase Default (Companion Sub-Rule)
+
+## Purpose
+
+Govern *how much* of a cited source is reproduced once `rules/authoritative-referencing.md` has decided the source is authoritative and worth citing. The parent rule binds *which* source a claim rests on and *when* to reach for a live one; this companion binds the reproduction form: paraphrase by default, quote sparingly, never copy a whole third-party work, and attribute without judging the legality of the reproduction. Path-filtered: it loads on prose surfaces — Markdown / docs / site — where source material is most likely reproduced.
+
+## Obligations
+
+### 1. Paraphrase by default, with attribution
+
+The default reproduction form is a **paraphrase** of the source's content in apothem's own words, carrying an attribution to the source (a link, footnote, or inline citation per `rules/code-craft-markdown.md` §6). A paraphrase preserves the source's meaning; it does not preserve the source's wording. Reproducing a source's exact phrasing where a paraphrase would carry the same meaning is non-conformant.
+
+### 2. Quote sparingly and briefly
+
+A direct quotation is reserved for the case where the source's exact wording is itself load-bearing — a definition under audit, a contract clause, a phrase whose precise form is the subject. When a quotation is used:
+
+- it is a **short excerpt** — the smallest span that carries the load-bearing wording, not a paragraph where a sentence suffices;
+- it is **clearly marked as a quotation** (block quote, inline quotation marks, or fenced span) and visually distinct from apothem's own prose;
+- it carries its **attribution** at the quotation site, never deferred.
+
+A quotation longer than the load-bearing span, or used where a paraphrase would have carried the meaning, is non-conformant.
+
+### 3. Never reproduce a full third-party work
+
+A full third-party work — an entire article, page, chapter, file, specification section run end to end, or any reproduction that substitutes for accessing the source itself — MUST NOT be reproduced. When a reader needs the whole source, the citation links to the source so the reader reaches the original; apothem reproduces only the load-bearing excerpt and points to the rest.
+
+### 4. Attribute without a legal opinion
+
+Attribution names the source so the reader can reach it and credits its author or owner. Attribution does **not** assert that the reproduction is lawful, fair use, permitted, or licensed — apothem is not the arbiter of that question. A reproduction is kept within the §1–§3 ceiling (paraphrase-default, brief-quotation, no-full-work) so the question rarely arises; where a reproduction's scope is genuinely in doubt, the doubt is surfaced as an open question per `rules/authority-inquiry.md`, never resolved with a self-issued legal conclusion.
+
+## Failure tells
+
+A source's exact phrasing reproduced where a paraphrase would carry the same meaning (default-paraphrase skipped). A multi-paragraph block quote where a one-sentence excerpt is load-bearing (over-quotation). A quotation with no attribution at its site (uncredited reproduction). A full article, page, or file reproduced inline instead of linked (whole-work reproduction). A reproduction defended with a self-issued "this is fair use" / "this is permitted" claim (legal opinion offered where attribution was the obligation). A paraphrase that drops the source attribution (uncredited paraphrase — the parent rule's no-folklore failure tell).
+
+## Bindings (§0.j five-direction)
+
+- **Drives →** Every reproduction of a cited source on a prose surface under the path-filter; the paraphrase-default, brief-quotation, whole-work, and attribution-without-legal-opinion ceilings each reproduction honors before it lands.
+- **Satisfies →** `rules/authoritative-referencing.md` — the reproduction-form half of the referencing discipline (the parent binds *which* source and *when*; this companion binds *how much* is reproduced).
+- **Established by ↑** `rules/authoritative-referencing.md` (parent rule — the citation discipline this companion bounds the reproduction form of); the meaningful-scope threshold the parent inherits.
+- **Gated by ←** The path-filter (`**/*.md`, `**/*.mdx`, `**/docs/**`, `**/site/**`) — this companion demand-loads only on prose-surface touches where source material is reproduced; `rules/authoritative-referencing.md` always-on baseline (the parent must be live for this companion to bound coherently).
+- **Cross-bound with ↔** `rules/authoritative-referencing.md` (parent rule — the citation half binds which / when; this companion binds the quotation-ceiling / paraphrase-default reproduction form). `rules/source-accessibility.md` (source-trust ranking decides which source is cited; this companion bounds how much of it is reproduced). `rules/code-craft-markdown.md` (§6 link / citation discipline carries the attribution this companion requires). `rules/authority-inquiry.md` (M5 — a reproduction whose scope is in genuine doubt surfaces as an open question rather than a self-issued legal opinion). `rules/disclosure-ledger.md` (M2 — paraphrase / quotation reproduction outcomes recorded in the ledger).

package/src/apothem/rules/authoritative-referencing.md

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+---
+name: "authoritative-referencing"
+description: "Every claim, argument, hypothesis, and asserted fact cites an authoritative, official, current source — the scattered referencing discipline (ten-dimension dim 9, sota named-exemplar, disclosure-ledger rationale, output-style citations) consolidated by reference; folklore and 'industry standard' appeals are non-conformant."
+pathFilter: ""
+alwaysApply: true
+---
+
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT -->
+
+# Rule: Authoritative Referencing — Cite the Source, Never Folklore
+
+## Purpose
+
+Make the referencing bar one standing mandate, not a discipline scattered across four homes. Every claim, argument, hypothesis, or asserted fact the ecosystem emits MUST rest on an authoritative, official, current source — cited, not assumed. This rule consolidates the discipline by reference; it does not restate the per-home detail (per the de-duplication mandate).
+
+## Obligations
+
+### 1. Every claim carries a source
+
+A claim, argument, hypothesis, or asserted fact of meaningful scope MUST cite its source: an official specification, vendor documentation, a primary standard (RFC / ISO / W3C), peer-reviewed work, a named currently-shipping project, or the host's own ratified source of truth at file:line. An assertion with no citable source MUST be surfaced as an open question, never stated as settled.
+
+### 2. Authoritative, official, current
+
+The cited source MUST be **authoritative** (the primary owner of the fact, not a downstream paraphrase), **official** (the vendor / standards body / maintainer, not an aggregator), and **current** (the in-force version, not a superseded edition). Source-trust ranking and reachability are governed by `rules/source-accessibility.md`.
+
+### 3. Consolidate by reference, not restatement
+
+Each per-surface referencing home keeps its single authoritative form and is cited here, never duplicated:
+
+- **`rules/ten-dimension-check.md` dimension 9** — the scholarly / technical referencing dimension every artifact passes at emission.
+- **`rules/sota-elevation.md` §2** — the named-exemplar discipline (a currently-shipping project, never "industry standard").
+- **`rules/disclosure-ledger.md`** — the rationale-citation bar every ledger marker meets.
+- **`output-styles/default.md` §Citations** — the link-the-source rendering on user-facing output.
+
+### 4. No folklore
+
+Folklore, hearsay, "best practice" without a named owner, "industry standard", "everyone knows", and consensus-appeal phrasings are non-conformant. A claim is grounded in a citable source or it is reframed as an open question.
+
+### 5. When to consult a live source
+
+Reach for a live source when a fact may have shifted since training or its current status is unknown — a version, release, price, or API surface. Skip it for timeless or definitional facts. Obligation 2 governs *which* source; this governs *when*.
+
+## Seriousness Scaling
+
+| Level | Referencing obligation |
+| ----- | ---------------------- |
+| EXPLORING | Cite where a claim is load-bearing; folklore avoided. |
+| PERSONAL_USE | Cite material claims; named sources for non-obvious facts. |
+| SHARED | Every meaningful-scope claim cited to an authoritative current source. |
+| PUBLIC_LAUNCH | Every public-surface claim cited; no folklore; superseded sources refreshed to the in-force edition. |
+
+## Enforcement
+
+Always-on at every seriousness level, scaling per the table above. Referencing is checked as dimension 9 of the pre-emission gate's ten-dimension bar (`rules/ten-dimension-check.md`); this rule is its outward-projected standing mandate, not a second matcher.
+
+## Failure tells
+
+A claim stated as settled with no citable source; "industry standard" / "best practice" / "everyone knows" offered as the authority; a citation to a downstream aggregator where the primary owner exists; a superseded edition cited as current; a SOTA citation with no named currently-shipping exemplar.
+
+## Bindings (§0.j five-direction)
+
+- **Drives →** Every claim / argument / hypothesis / fact emission across every ecosystem surface; the citable-source requirement each carries before it is stated as settled.
+- **Satisfies →** The standing-mandate end-state that no claim rests on folklore; the consolidation of the scattered referencing discipline into one cited home.
+- **Established by ↑** The operator's standing-mandate set (the authoritative-referencing mandate — cite authoritative / official / current sources).
+- **Gated by ←** `rules/source-accessibility.md` (the source-trust ranking and reachability decide WHICH source is cited); the meaningful-scope threshold (trivial edits cite only load-bearing claims).
+- **Cross-bound with ↔** `rules/authoritative-referencing-quotation.md` (path-filtered companion — the quotation-ceiling / paraphrase-default reproduction form bounding *how much* of a cited source is reproduced); `rules/ten-dimension-check.md` (dimension 9 Scholarly / technical referencing — the per-artifact check this mandate outward-projects); `rules/sota-elevation.md` (§2 named-exemplar discipline — the no-"industry-standard" citation bar); `rules/disclosure-ledger.md` (M2 — the rationale-citation bar every ledger marker meets); `rules/source-accessibility.md` (the trust-outranks-accessibility ranking feeding obligation 2).

package/src/apothem/rules/authority-inquiry-categories.md

@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+---
+name: "authority-inquiry-categories"
+description: "Path-filtered companion sub-rule carrying the seven-category inquiry catalog (full forbidden-to-invent + inquire-because columns), the required-vs-optional explanatory paragraph, the carved-out auto-decisions catalog, and the failure-tells enumeration declared at the parent `authority-inquiry.md` rule's anchors; demand-loaded on host-project artifact authoring."
+pathFilter: "**/*.md, **/CLAUDE.md, **/rules/**, **/commands/**, **/skills/**, **/agents/**, **/docs/**"
+alwaysApply: false
+---
+
+<!-- SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT -->
+
+# Rule: Authoritative Inquiry — Seven Categories, Carve-Outs, and Failure Tells (Companion Sub-Rule)
+
+## Purpose
+
+Specify the executable catalog surfaces for the M5 authoritative-inquiry discipline declared at the parent rule `rules/authority-inquiry.md`. This companion is path-filtered: it loads when the assistant edits any host-project artifact under the governed-core authoring directories, keeping the parent's always-on payload lean while preserving full catalog fidelity at the demand-load surface. The parent rule remains the canonical home for the M5 standing directive, the canonical-channel routing, and the disclosure-surface anchors; this companion carries the full seven-row inquiry catalog, the required-vs-optional explanatory paragraph, the carved-out auto-decisions catalog, and the failure-tells enumeration.
+
+## Obligations
+
+### 1. The Seven Inquiry Categories
+
+| Category | Forbidden to invent | Inquire because |
+|---|---|---|
+| **Identity** | Names, emails, handles, pronouns, organizations, tenants, team affiliations, role descriptions. | Bind to a real person; create real-world artifacts (commits, PRs, public attribution). |
+| **Scope direction** | Which subtree, which branch, which environment (dev / staging / prod), which target (libraries vs services), which user-facing vs internal-only. | The user has implicit context the agent lacks; silent picks misalign. |
+| **Preference** | Formatter, linter, test framework, documentation generator, CI provider, branch strategy, commit-message convention, release-signing mechanism, versioning scheme, license — *where the host has not ratified one*. | Each is a long-lived ratification that resists silent adoption. |
+| **Security** | Secret-rotation cadence, allowed shells, allowed network egress, accepted-risks list, trusted-action allowlist, MCP-server auth endpoint specifics. | Security misconfiguration is high-impact; silent picks risk silent breach. |
+| **Naming** | A new convention introduced where the host has none, or a name binding (function name, CLI flag, subcommand, config key) where the user has implicit preferences. | Names are durable; silent picks compound into namespace pollution. |
+| **Infrastructure** | Endpoints, hosts, ports, paths, regions, queue names, topic names, table names. | Bind to real-world resources; invention causes real-world failures. |
+| **Version pins** | Which version of which dependency, where the host has not pinned and the choice matters (security-relevant deps, behavioral-shift deps, semver-major boundaries). | Long-tail consequences; silent picks burden the user. |
+
+**Required inquiries** (Identity, Scope direction, Security posture, Naming-of-public-surfaces) MUST block dependent artifacts: emission produces `<USER-CONFIRM:id=<id>>` placeholders that pre-emission gate row 5 at `rules/pre-emission-gate.md` rejects until resolved. **Optional inquiries** the user MAY decline by silence; the agent then falls back to the **Recommended** option per `rules/option-annotation.md` and records the fallback as a finding so the user sees a decision was made. The split is fixed: the four required categories never silently resolve to an internal default; the remaining categories never block emission.
+
+### 2. Carved-Out Auto-Decisions
+
+To prevent inquiry fatigue, the agent MAY decide the following five classes **without inquiry** — each disclosed in the change ledger as `[Default — applied: <decision>; class: <carve-out>]`:
+
+- **Pure validity.** Syntax errors, schema violations, unambiguous typos.
+- **Pure rigor.** Folklore → cited; missing dates added; unverifiable claims marked.
+- **Universally-safe security.** `deny .env*`, `deny ~/.ssh/**` reads, `deny rm -rf:*`, `deny sudo:*`, `deny git push --force*` to protected branches, `deny eval` / `exec` on untrusted input.
+- **Pure formatting normalization.** EOL, trailing whitespace, single quote-style per file *where the host has a ratified style and the artifact diverges*.
+- **Internal reference repair where the fix is unambiguous.** Dead path → unique live path discovered by search.
+
+Anything outside this carve-out goes through the inquiry surface.
+
+### 3. Failure Tells
+
+A `mailto:` field with a plausible-looking but unverified address. An invented domain in an MCP endpoint. A `CODEOWNERS` line with a guessed handle. A README "maintainer" field that the user has not stated. A version pin on a host-mutable dependency without the user's ratification. A `package.json` `author` field populated from `.git/config` without inquiry. A test-fixture user record with a synthetic-looking name and email. An emitted artifact carrying an unfilled `<USER-CONFIRM:…>` placeholder. A required-category decision (identity / scope / security / public-surface naming) silently resolved to an internal default.
+
+## Enforcement
+
+Path-filtered (the seven glob patterns in this rule's `pathFilter` field), always-on at every seriousness level when in scope. Demand-loaded companion to `rules/authority-inquiry.md`. The parent rule carries the M5 standing directive, the canonical-channel routing through `rules/interactive-questions.md`, and the disclosure-surface anchors; this companion carries the seven-row inquiry catalog with full columns, the required-vs-optional explanatory paragraph, the carved-out auto-decisions catalog, and the failure-tells enumeration. Together they constitute the canonical specification for M5 — Authority Principle (inquiry half).
+
+## Bindings (§0.j five-direction)
+
+- **Drives →** ● Every host-project artifact authoring session under the seven path-filter globs (every authoritative-data emission consults the §1 catalog). ● The carve-out auto-decision routing at §2 (every default-applied decision is recorded with the named class). ● The failure-tells sweep at §3 (every emitted artifact passes the failure-tell screening). ◐ The pre-emission gate row 5 at `rules/pre-emission-gate.md` (the placeholder-presence check operationalizes this companion's required-inquiry blocking).
+- **Satisfies →** ● the fifteen-mandate registry row **M5 — Authority Principle** (inquiry-half catalog surface). ● `rules/authority-inquiry.md` — Required Categories (the seven-row catalog). ● `rules/authority-inquiry.md` Carved-Out Auto-Decisions (the carve-out catalog). ● `rules/authority-inquiry.md` companion-sub-rule anchors (the parent rule's pointers to this companion's full catalogs).
+- **Established by ↑** ● `rules/authority-inquiry.md` (parent-rule anchors). ● the fifteen-mandate registry (ratifies M5). ● `rules/authority-inquiry.md` + §10.1 (the upstream catalog specifications this companion reproduces with operational depth).
+- **Gated by ←** ● The path-filter (the seven glob patterns) — this rule demand-loads only on host-project artifact authoring touches. ● `rules/authority-inquiry.md` always-on baseline (parent rule must be live for the companion's anchors to surface).
+- **Cross-bound with ↔** ↔ `rules/authority-inquiry.md` (parent rule; companion-sub-rule anchors bind this companion). ↔ `rules/interactive-questions.md` (the canonical-channel routing the parent rule delegates; every §1 inquiry routes through the structured inquiry schema). ↔ `rules/host-discovery.md` (M5 discovery half — the discovery and inquiry halves form a complete coverage of authority data; §1 categories are the inquiry-half projection of M1's discovery walk). ↔ `rules/disclosure-ledger.md` (M2 — every §1 inquiry outcome and §2 carve-out default is recorded in the ledger). ↔ `rules/option-annotation.md` (M7 — every §1 inquiry's option set carries the recommended marker). ↔ `rules/pre-emission-gate.md` (M4 — bar 5 of the gate enforces this companion's `<USER-CONFIRM:…>`-placeholder absence and unresolved-inquiry array population).