@azure-id/orc 1.7.0 → 1.7.1

package/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -10,6 +10,48 @@ Format: `### v<version> — <title> _(<date>)_`.
 
 ---
 
+### v1.7.1 - the rules card now reaches the agent _(2026-09-14)_
+
+**Still on the unscoped `orc` package?** Do this once first - your `orc upgrade`
+is the pre-v0.56.0 one and cannot install itself. Full detail in the CAUTION at
+the top of this file.
+
+- **Step 1 - release the command from the old package:** `npm uninstall -g orc`
+- **Step 2 - install the current package:** `npm i -g @azure-id/orc`
+- **Step 3 - re-apply it to your project:** `orc update`
+
+**Do not use `npm i -g -f`.** Full detail in v0.56.0 below.
+
+In v1.7.0, subagents and the preflight showed the house rules only. Your project
+rules and the ORC rules did not reach the agent.
+
+**The cause.** `orc rules slice` built the card correctly. But each place that
+builds an executor slice named only the `house_rules` card: the `/orc` Phase 3
+dispatch step, `/orc-mini`, `/orc-fast`, `/orc-quick`, the Extra foreign
+dispatch, and the executor contract. `/orc` Phase 3 also did not load
+`rules.md`, and the `/orc` preflight template had no `rules:` row.
+
+**The fix.**
+
+- **A new slice field, `rules_card`.** It is the `text` of
+  `orc rules slice --lane <lane> --json`, put in verbatim directly under
+  `house_rules`. A front-end task adds `--pack ui`.
+- **The executors read it.** They obey it after the house rules, and return
+  `rules_applied[]`, `rules_conflicts[]` and `rules_overridden[]`.
+- **The `/orc` preflight prints `rules:`** - the CLI `line`, verbatim.
+- **`rules.md` now says it clearly:** the `line` is the report, the `text` is
+  the card. Printing the line is not the same as sending the card.
+- **Guards.** `rules_card` is a registered contract token, and a new test
+  checks that every dispatch site carries both cards.
+
+**How to check it.** Run `orc rules slice --lane orc --json`. When
+`.claude/orc/rules.md` has rules, `line` shows `yours N lines` and `text` starts
+with `YOUR PROJECT'S RULES`. In a run, look for the `rules:` preflight row and
+the three `rules_*` fields in each executor return. Run `orc update` in your
+project to get the fixed skills.
+
+---
+
 ### v1.7.0 - the rules that keep the slop out _(2026-09-13)_
 
 **Still on the unscoped `orc` package?** Do this once first - your `orc upgrade`

package/README.md

@@ -7,14 +7,14 @@
 *Intake → analyze → plan → score → parallel subagents → review → verify → ship.*
 
 ![npm](https://img.shields.io/npm/v/%40azure-id%2Forc?style=for-the-badge&color=cb3837&logo=npm)
-![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.7.0-blue.svg?style=for-the-badge)
+![Version](https://img.shields.io/badge/version-1.7.1-blue.svg?style=for-the-badge)
 ![License](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-green.svg?style=for-the-badge)
 ![Node](https://img.shields.io/badge/node-%3E%3D18-brightgreen.svg?style=for-the-badge)
 ![Claude Code](https://img.shields.io/badge/Claude_Code-Skills-purple.svg?style=for-the-badge)
 ![Dependencies](https://img.shields.io/badge/dependencies-zero-lightgrey.svg?style=for-the-badge)
 ![GitHub stars](https://img.shields.io/github/stars/azure-id/orc?style=for-the-badge&color=yellow)
 
-**Latest: v1.7.0** · updated 2026-09-13 · [full changelog](CHANGELOG.md)
+**Latest: v1.7.1** · updated 2026-09-14 · [full changelog](CHANGELOG.md)
 
 **On npm: [`@azure-id/orc`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@azure-id/orc)** — `npm i -g @azure-id/orc`
 
@@ -630,108 +630,36 @@ a current audit: [EVAL-REPORT.md](EVAL-REPORT.md).
 **Full history: [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md)** — or `orc changelog`, which prints
 only what is newer than the version you have.
 
-### v1.7.0 - the rules that keep the slop out _(2026-09-13)_
+### v1.7.1 - the rules card now reaches the agent _(2026-09-14)_
 
-ORC writes a lot of prose and a lot of code, and both came out carrying the same
-recognisable defaults: sentences that say nothing in a confident shape, and code
-that is longer, more defensive and more abstract than the task asked for. There
-was one standing card against it - the seven-line house rules - and it is about
-CODE. Nothing said anything about the words.
-
-**`orc rules` is a second rule surface, and it has two halves that never mix.**
-
-- **ORC rules** - 65 rules in four packs, shipped, tagged, **read-only**. They
-  change with `orc update` and with nothing else. `orc rules set --pack ...` is
-  refused BY NAME, with the command that replaces it.
-- **Your rules** - `.claude/orc/rules.md`. Plain text, three headings, as much
-  under each as you want. **They beat an ORC rule outright.**
-
-The packs: **`OSW` writing (23)**, **`OSC` code (22)**, **`OSD` delivery (10)** -
-what an agent reports about its OWN work - and **`OSU` UI (10)**, which rides per
-TASK rather than per lane, because a UI rule in a backend slice is tokens paid on
-every spawn for a rule that cannot apply.
-
-Three tiers, taken from `anti-slop`: **HARD** absolute, **PURPOSE** allowed with
-a written one-line reason, **LOCK** a consistency check. The purpose gate is the
-mechanism that matters - a ban list alone leaves a void, and a model fills a void
-with its most generic output.
-
-**Credit is a shipped artifact here, not a line in a commit message.** Every pack
-opens with its sources; `orc rules credits` prints author, handle, repository,
-licence, and what ORC took from each. Adapted from
-[`petergyang/no-ai-slop`](https://github.com/petergyang/no-ai-slop) (MIT),
-[`miqdadbadjuber/anti-slop`](https://github.com/miqdadbadjuber/anti-slop) (MIT),
-[`ehmo/slopkit`](https://github.com/ehmo/slopkit),
-[`BioInfo/slopless`](https://github.com/BioInfo/slopless), Andrej Karpathy's
-`CLAUDE.md`, Matty Cartwright's Anti-Slop Writing Rules, and three papers on LLM
-code smells.
+In v1.7.0, subagents and the preflight showed the house rules only. Your project
+rules and the ORC rules did not reach the agent.
 
-**Precedence: house rules > your rules > ORC rules.** The house card is CODE and
-BEHAVIOUR only - it says nothing about the words an agent writes, so it never
-overrules a writing rule. A project rule beats an ORC rule OUTRIGHT: the rule is
-removed from the slice and the removal is stated inside it.
-
-**An override is counted the only honest way.** The CLI counts ORC rule ids you
-NAMED, and says that is what it counted. A conflict you did not name is found by
-the agent at dispatch and comes back as `rules_conflicts[]` - a gap, never a
-silent choice. The CLI cannot parse intent, so it does not pretend to: the same
-decision `orc doc rules` made about its structural boundary, for the same reason.
-
-**`orc rules lint` is free, deterministic, and small on purpose.** It checks 13
-of the 65 - banned lexicon and phrases, em dash DENSITY (a dose rule, measured
-per file, because ORC's own docs use them), emoji headings, six comment shapes,
-artifact filenames, `outline: none`, UI buzzwords - and it prints, in every mode
-including `--json`: `not checked here: 52 rules. They need a reader, not a
-matcher.` A clean exit that stands in for a review nobody did is the failure that
-line prevents. It skips the rule packs themselves (a rule that bans a word has to
-print that word to define it) and anything marked `orc-rules-ignore`, and counts
-both rather than staying quiet.
-
-**Findings are advisory. There is no gate.** A style preference that fails a
-build gets switched off within a week, and then nothing is enforced at all.
-
-The card rides in every slice of **28 lanes** - every one that writes words or
-code. **`/orc-doc` is excluded by design**; it has `orc doc rules`. One assembler
-(`orc rules slice`), because a card built in twenty-eight spines is
-twenty-eight ideas of the precedence order, and because it is the only place the
-per-spawn token weight can be measured. Measured: **~3 600 tokens** per
-build-lane slice, ~2 200 for a prose lane.
-
-**`orc ui` gains a Rules panel** - the ladder, your textarea, the 65 read-only
-rows behind a filter, the credit table, and the lint.
+**The cause.** `orc rules slice` built the card correctly, but each place that
+builds an executor slice named only the `house_rules` card. `/orc` Phase 3 also
+did not load `rules.md`, and the `/orc` preflight had no `rules:` row.
 
----
+**The fix.**
+
+- **A new slice field, `rules_card`** - the `text` of
+  `orc rules slice --lane <lane> --json`, put in verbatim directly under
+  `house_rules` in `/orc`, `/orc-mini`, `/orc-fast`, `/orc-quick` and the
+  Extra foreign dispatch.
+- **The executors read it** and return `rules_applied[]`, `rules_conflicts[]`
+  and `rules_overridden[]`.
+- **The `/orc` preflight prints `rules:`** - the CLI `line`, verbatim.
+- **Guards** - `rules_card` is a registered contract token, and a test checks
+  every dispatch site.
 
-**`orc wiki`, one doc at a time.** Targeted refresh has existed since v0.33.0 and
-is not rebuilt. What was missing is the other half: **adding one topic** to a
-wiki that already exists. Until now a new coverage area only appeared as a
-by-product of the coverage-gap sweep during a delta refresh, so "add the
-remittance feature" had no path that did not re-plan every area in the repo.
-
-- **`/orc-wiki update <doc-or-topic>`** - the targeted refresh, under the name
-  people actually type. A topic resolves to a doc first.
-- **`/orc-wiki add "<topic>"`** - A0-A7: resolve, scope, confirm, reserve, scan,
-  write, sweep, check. Nothing spawns before the one confirmation turn.
-- **`orc wiki resolve <topic>`** - free, no scan. A MATCH must beat the runner-up
-  by half again plus one; anything closer is **AMBIGUOUS and becomes a question**,
-  because two docs a point apart is exactly where guessing costs a scan of the
-  wrong area.
-- **`orc wiki add <slug> --covers ...`** - reserves a stub carrying
-  `status: reserved` and a body that says nothing in it is evidence. A doc that
-  lies is worse than a doc that is missing.
-- **`orc wiki refs [--check]`** - the DERIVED-REFERENCE sweep. After one doc
-  changes, six surfaces are behind it: the registration, reserved rows, the
-  orientation page, the architecture overview, the CLAUDE.md pointer's doc COUNT,
-  and any crosslink tag anchored to a file that is gone. It **repairs only the
-  registration**, because `orc wiki sync` is free and already the single writer.
-  Everything else is reported with its command - a sweep that silently
-  regenerated prose would be spending money nobody asked it to spend.
-
-The Knowledge panel gains a **One doc at a time** card for both halves.
+**How to check it.** Run `orc rules slice --lane orc --json`. When
+`.claude/orc/rules.md` has rules, `line` shows `yours N lines` and `text`
+starts with `YOUR PROJECT'S RULES`. Run `orc update` in your project to get the
+fixed skills.
 
 <details>
-<summary><strong>Earlier releases</strong> — 114 of them, titles only. Full text in <a href="CHANGELOG.md">CHANGELOG.md</a>.</summary>
+<summary><strong>Earlier releases</strong> — 115 of them, titles only. Full text in <a href="CHANGELOG.md">CHANGELOG.md</a>.</summary>
 
+- **v1.7.0** — the rules that keep the slop out · _2026-09-13_
 - **v1.6.0** — the rule that can finally say no · _2026-09-07_
 - **v1.5.0** — the lane that runs the test · _2026-09-07_
 - **v1.4.2** — the panel that stops reloading, and the fields you could not read back · _2026-09-05_

package/bin/verify-contracts.js

@@ -162,6 +162,32 @@ const CONTRACTS = [
       "skills/orc/subskills/orc-execution/core.md",
     ],
   },
+  {
+    name: "rules_card slice field (v1.7.1 — the anti-slop card rides every dispatch slice, not only the preflight line)",
+    token: "rules_card",
+    files: [
+      "agents/orc-executor-haiku-4-5.md",
+      "agents/orc-executor-opus-4-7-high.md",
+      "agents/orc-executor-opus-4-7-med.md",
+      "agents/orc-executor-opus-4-8-high.md",
+      "agents/orc-executor-opus-5-high.md",
+      "agents/orc-executor-opus-5-low.md",
+      "agents/orc-executor-opus-5-med.md",
+      "agents/orc-executor-sonnet-4-6-high.md",
+      "agents/orc-executor-sonnet-4-6-med.md",
+      "agents/orc-executor-sonnet-5-high.md",
+      "skills/_shared/extra-dispatch.md",
+      "skills/_shared/phases/execution.md",
+      "skills/_shared/phases/rules.md",
+      "skills/orc/SKILL.md",
+      "skills/orc/references/preflight-report.md",
+      "skills/orc/subskills/orc-execution/SKILL.md",
+      "skills/orc/subskills/orc-execution/core.md",
+      "skills/orc-fast/SKILL.md",
+      "skills/orc-mini/SKILL.md",
+      "skills/orc-quick/SKILL.md",
+    ],
+  },
   {
     name: "validation_gate[] flow (codify -> slice -> review -> verify)",
     token: "validation_gate",

package/package.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@azure-id/orc",
-  "version": "1.7.0",
+  "version": "1.7.1",
   "description": "ORC — an orchestrator skill constellation for Claude Code: intake, planning, scored parallel subagents, code-pattern matching, review, verify, ship, plus a project knowledge-base wiki.",
   "bin": {
     "orc": "bin/cli.js"

package/templates/agents/orc-executor-haiku-4-5.md

@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
 - house_rules — standing behavioral card (injected literally): surgical changes
   only, simplicity-first, no unrequested scope, boring-solution preference,
   never claim unobserved results, honest partial over false done
+- rules_card — the anti-slop card (injected literally, directly under
+  house_rules): YOUR PROJECT'S RULES, then ORC RULES. A project rule beats an ORC
+  rule; house_rules beat both, but only on code and behaviour. Absent = no card
 - log_digest — decisions from earlier waves; absorb before starting
 - pattern — resolved code-pattern for your task's language, or null. Present =
   {conventions[] you MUST MATCH, invariants[] that are BLOCKING, validation_gate[]
@@ -53,7 +56,8 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
    is a corruption bug), and build/test output is always read whole. Canonical:
    `.claude/skills/_shared/read-ladder.md`.
 3. Implement the task within declared_files only. Obey every house_rules
-   line. Follow every constraint. If
+   line, then every rules_card rule — two rules that disagree go in
+   rules_conflicts[], never a silent choice. Follow every constraint. If
    `pattern` is present, MATCH its conventions, satisfy every BLOCKING invariant
    AND every enforceable validation_gate line (re-check your diff before
    returning; advisory gate lines never require new tooling). Create/update
@@ -108,6 +112,10 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
   malformed. NOT required when you never repaired anything, and a loop that hit
   tdd_loop_max and stopped returns `none` — an unsolved failure is not a gotcha.
   You RETURN it; the orchestrator writes the file. Never write it yourself.
+- rules_applied[] · rules_conflicts[] · rules_overridden[] — REQUIRED when the
+  slice carried a rules_card (each may be empty; absent is malformed): the rule
+  ids you acted on, two rules that disagree, and the ORC ids a project rule
+  replaced. Omit all three when no rules_card was supplied.
 
 Malformed returns = failure — including status=done with a runner present but
 no evidence, or status=done with a non-empty unmet[]. needs_context cap 2 per task.

package/templates/agents/orc-executor-opus-4-7-high.md

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
 - house_rules — standing behavioral card (injected literally): surgical changes
   only, simplicity-first, no unrequested scope, boring-solution preference,
   never claim unobserved results, honest partial over false done
+- rules_card — the anti-slop card (injected literally, directly under
+  house_rules): YOUR PROJECT'S RULES, then ORC RULES. A project rule beats an ORC
+  rule; house_rules beat both, but only on code and behaviour. Absent = no card
 - log_digest — decisions from earlier waves; absorb before starting
 - pattern — resolved code-pattern for your task's language, or null. Present =
   {conventions[] you MUST MATCH, invariants[] that are BLOCKING, validation_gate[]
@@ -54,7 +57,8 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
    is a corruption bug), and build/test output is always read whole. Canonical:
    `.claude/skills/_shared/read-ladder.md`.
 3. Implement the task within declared_files only. Obey every house_rules
-   line. Follow every constraint. If
+   line, then every rules_card rule — two rules that disagree go in
+   rules_conflicts[], never a silent choice. Follow every constraint. If
    `pattern` is present, MATCH its conventions, satisfy every BLOCKING invariant
    AND every enforceable validation_gate line (re-check your diff before
    returning; advisory gate lines never require new tooling). Create/update
@@ -109,6 +113,10 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
   malformed. NOT required when you never repaired anything, and a loop that hit
   tdd_loop_max and stopped returns `none` — an unsolved failure is not a gotcha.
   You RETURN it; the orchestrator writes the file. Never write it yourself.
+- rules_applied[] · rules_conflicts[] · rules_overridden[] — REQUIRED when the
+  slice carried a rules_card (each may be empty; absent is malformed): the rule
+  ids you acted on, two rules that disagree, and the ORC ids a project rule
+  replaced. Omit all three when no rules_card was supplied.
 
 Malformed returns = failure — including status=done with a runner present but
 no evidence, or status=done with a non-empty unmet[]. needs_context cap 2 per task.

package/templates/agents/orc-executor-opus-4-7-med.md

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
 - house_rules — standing behavioral card (injected literally): surgical changes
   only, simplicity-first, no unrequested scope, boring-solution preference,
   never claim unobserved results, honest partial over false done
+- rules_card — the anti-slop card (injected literally, directly under
+  house_rules): YOUR PROJECT'S RULES, then ORC RULES. A project rule beats an ORC
+  rule; house_rules beat both, but only on code and behaviour. Absent = no card
 - log_digest — decisions from earlier waves; absorb before starting
 - pattern — resolved code-pattern for your task's language, or null. Present =
   {conventions[] you MUST MATCH, invariants[] that are BLOCKING, validation_gate[]
@@ -54,7 +57,8 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
    is a corruption bug), and build/test output is always read whole. Canonical:
    `.claude/skills/_shared/read-ladder.md`.
 3. Implement the task within declared_files only. Obey every house_rules
-   line. Follow every constraint. If
+   line, then every rules_card rule — two rules that disagree go in
+   rules_conflicts[], never a silent choice. Follow every constraint. If
    `pattern` is present, MATCH its conventions, satisfy every BLOCKING invariant
    AND every enforceable validation_gate line (re-check your diff before
    returning; advisory gate lines never require new tooling). Create/update
@@ -109,6 +113,10 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
   malformed. NOT required when you never repaired anything, and a loop that hit
   tdd_loop_max and stopped returns `none` — an unsolved failure is not a gotcha.
   You RETURN it; the orchestrator writes the file. Never write it yourself.
+- rules_applied[] · rules_conflicts[] · rules_overridden[] — REQUIRED when the
+  slice carried a rules_card (each may be empty; absent is malformed): the rule
+  ids you acted on, two rules that disagree, and the ORC ids a project rule
+  replaced. Omit all three when no rules_card was supplied.
 
 Malformed returns = failure — including status=done with a runner present but
 no evidence, or status=done with a non-empty unmet[]. needs_context cap 2 per task.

package/templates/agents/orc-executor-opus-4-8-high.md

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
 - house_rules — standing behavioral card (injected literally): surgical changes
   only, simplicity-first, no unrequested scope, boring-solution preference,
   never claim unobserved results, honest partial over false done
+- rules_card — the anti-slop card (injected literally, directly under
+  house_rules): YOUR PROJECT'S RULES, then ORC RULES. A project rule beats an ORC
+  rule; house_rules beat both, but only on code and behaviour. Absent = no card
 - log_digest — decisions from earlier waves; absorb before starting
 - pattern — resolved code-pattern for your task's language, or null. Present =
   {conventions[] you MUST MATCH, invariants[] that are BLOCKING, validation_gate[]
@@ -54,7 +57,8 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
    is a corruption bug), and build/test output is always read whole. Canonical:
    `.claude/skills/_shared/read-ladder.md`.
 3. Implement the task within declared_files only. Obey every house_rules
-   line. Follow every constraint. If
+   line, then every rules_card rule — two rules that disagree go in
+   rules_conflicts[], never a silent choice. Follow every constraint. If
    `pattern` is present, MATCH its conventions, satisfy every BLOCKING invariant
    AND every enforceable validation_gate line (re-check your diff before
    returning; advisory gate lines never require new tooling). Create/update
@@ -109,6 +113,10 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
   malformed. NOT required when you never repaired anything, and a loop that hit
   tdd_loop_max and stopped returns `none` — an unsolved failure is not a gotcha.
   You RETURN it; the orchestrator writes the file. Never write it yourself.
+- rules_applied[] · rules_conflicts[] · rules_overridden[] — REQUIRED when the
+  slice carried a rules_card (each may be empty; absent is malformed): the rule
+  ids you acted on, two rules that disagree, and the ORC ids a project rule
+  replaced. Omit all three when no rules_card was supplied.
 
 Malformed returns = failure — including status=done with a runner present but
 no evidence, or status=done with a non-empty unmet[]. needs_context cap 2 per task.

package/templates/agents/orc-executor-opus-5-high.md

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
 - house_rules — standing behavioral card (injected literally): surgical changes
   only, simplicity-first, no unrequested scope, boring-solution preference,
   never claim unobserved results, honest partial over false done
+- rules_card — the anti-slop card (injected literally, directly under
+  house_rules): YOUR PROJECT'S RULES, then ORC RULES. A project rule beats an ORC
+  rule; house_rules beat both, but only on code and behaviour. Absent = no card
 - log_digest — decisions from earlier waves; absorb before starting
 - pattern — resolved code-pattern for your task's language, or null. Present =
   {conventions[] you MUST MATCH, invariants[] that are BLOCKING, validation_gate[]
@@ -54,7 +57,8 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
    is a corruption bug), and build/test output is always read whole. Canonical:
    `.claude/skills/_shared/read-ladder.md`.
 3. Implement the task within declared_files only. Obey every house_rules
-   line. Follow every constraint. If
+   line, then every rules_card rule — two rules that disagree go in
+   rules_conflicts[], never a silent choice. Follow every constraint. If
    `pattern` is present, MATCH its conventions, satisfy every BLOCKING invariant
    AND every enforceable validation_gate line (re-check your diff before
    returning; advisory gate lines never require new tooling). Create/update
@@ -109,6 +113,10 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
   malformed. NOT required when you never repaired anything, and a loop that hit
   tdd_loop_max and stopped returns `none` — an unsolved failure is not a gotcha.
   You RETURN it; the orchestrator writes the file. Never write it yourself.
+- rules_applied[] · rules_conflicts[] · rules_overridden[] — REQUIRED when the
+  slice carried a rules_card (each may be empty; absent is malformed): the rule
+  ids you acted on, two rules that disagree, and the ORC ids a project rule
+  replaced. Omit all three when no rules_card was supplied.
 
 Malformed returns = failure — including status=done with a runner present but
 no evidence, or status=done with a non-empty unmet[]. needs_context cap 2 per task.

package/templates/agents/orc-executor-opus-5-low.md

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
 - house_rules — standing behavioral card (injected literally): surgical changes
   only, simplicity-first, no unrequested scope, boring-solution preference,
   never claim unobserved results, honest partial over false done
+- rules_card — the anti-slop card (injected literally, directly under
+  house_rules): YOUR PROJECT'S RULES, then ORC RULES. A project rule beats an ORC
+  rule; house_rules beat both, but only on code and behaviour. Absent = no card
 - log_digest — decisions from earlier waves; absorb before starting
 - pattern — resolved code-pattern for your task's language, or null. Present =
   {conventions[] you MUST MATCH, invariants[] that are BLOCKING, validation_gate[]
@@ -54,7 +57,8 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
    is a corruption bug), and build/test output is always read whole. Canonical:
    `.claude/skills/_shared/read-ladder.md`.
 3. Implement the task within declared_files only. Obey every house_rules
-   line. Follow every constraint. If
+   line, then every rules_card rule — two rules that disagree go in
+   rules_conflicts[], never a silent choice. Follow every constraint. If
    `pattern` is present, MATCH its conventions, satisfy every BLOCKING invariant
    AND every enforceable validation_gate line (re-check your diff before
    returning; advisory gate lines never require new tooling). Create/update
@@ -109,6 +113,10 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
   malformed. NOT required when you never repaired anything, and a loop that hit
   tdd_loop_max and stopped returns `none` — an unsolved failure is not a gotcha.
   You RETURN it; the orchestrator writes the file. Never write it yourself.
+- rules_applied[] · rules_conflicts[] · rules_overridden[] — REQUIRED when the
+  slice carried a rules_card (each may be empty; absent is malformed): the rule
+  ids you acted on, two rules that disagree, and the ORC ids a project rule
+  replaced. Omit all three when no rules_card was supplied.
 
 Malformed returns = failure — including status=done with a runner present but
 no evidence, or status=done with a non-empty unmet[]. needs_context cap 2 per task.

package/templates/agents/orc-executor-opus-5-med.md

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
 - house_rules — standing behavioral card (injected literally): surgical changes
   only, simplicity-first, no unrequested scope, boring-solution preference,
   never claim unobserved results, honest partial over false done
+- rules_card — the anti-slop card (injected literally, directly under
+  house_rules): YOUR PROJECT'S RULES, then ORC RULES. A project rule beats an ORC
+  rule; house_rules beat both, but only on code and behaviour. Absent = no card
 - log_digest — decisions from earlier waves; absorb before starting
 - pattern — resolved code-pattern for your task's language, or null. Present =
   {conventions[] you MUST MATCH, invariants[] that are BLOCKING, validation_gate[]
@@ -54,7 +57,8 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
    is a corruption bug), and build/test output is always read whole. Canonical:
    `.claude/skills/_shared/read-ladder.md`.
 3. Implement the task within declared_files only. Obey every house_rules
-   line. Follow every constraint. If
+   line, then every rules_card rule — two rules that disagree go in
+   rules_conflicts[], never a silent choice. Follow every constraint. If
    `pattern` is present, MATCH its conventions, satisfy every BLOCKING invariant
    AND every enforceable validation_gate line (re-check your diff before
    returning; advisory gate lines never require new tooling). Create/update
@@ -109,6 +113,10 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
   malformed. NOT required when you never repaired anything, and a loop that hit
   tdd_loop_max and stopped returns `none` — an unsolved failure is not a gotcha.
   You RETURN it; the orchestrator writes the file. Never write it yourself.
+- rules_applied[] · rules_conflicts[] · rules_overridden[] — REQUIRED when the
+  slice carried a rules_card (each may be empty; absent is malformed): the rule
+  ids you acted on, two rules that disagree, and the ORC ids a project rule
+  replaced. Omit all three when no rules_card was supplied.
 
 Malformed returns = failure — including status=done with a runner present but
 no evidence, or status=done with a non-empty unmet[]. needs_context cap 2 per task.

package/templates/agents/orc-executor-sonnet-4-6-high.md

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
 - house_rules — standing behavioral card (injected literally): surgical changes
   only, simplicity-first, no unrequested scope, boring-solution preference,
   never claim unobserved results, honest partial over false done
+- rules_card — the anti-slop card (injected literally, directly under
+  house_rules): YOUR PROJECT'S RULES, then ORC RULES. A project rule beats an ORC
+  rule; house_rules beat both, but only on code and behaviour. Absent = no card
 - log_digest — decisions from earlier waves; absorb before starting
 - pattern — resolved code-pattern for your task's language, or null. Present =
   {conventions[] you MUST MATCH, invariants[] that are BLOCKING, validation_gate[]
@@ -54,7 +57,8 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
    is a corruption bug), and build/test output is always read whole. Canonical:
    `.claude/skills/_shared/read-ladder.md`.
 3. Implement the task within declared_files only. Obey every house_rules
-   line. Follow every constraint. If
+   line, then every rules_card rule — two rules that disagree go in
+   rules_conflicts[], never a silent choice. Follow every constraint. If
    `pattern` is present, MATCH its conventions, satisfy every BLOCKING invariant
    AND every enforceable validation_gate line (re-check your diff before
    returning; advisory gate lines never require new tooling). Create/update
@@ -109,6 +113,10 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
   malformed. NOT required when you never repaired anything, and a loop that hit
   tdd_loop_max and stopped returns `none` — an unsolved failure is not a gotcha.
   You RETURN it; the orchestrator writes the file. Never write it yourself.
+- rules_applied[] · rules_conflicts[] · rules_overridden[] — REQUIRED when the
+  slice carried a rules_card (each may be empty; absent is malformed): the rule
+  ids you acted on, two rules that disagree, and the ORC ids a project rule
+  replaced. Omit all three when no rules_card was supplied.
 
 Malformed returns = failure — including status=done with a runner present but
 no evidence, or status=done with a non-empty unmet[]. needs_context cap 2 per task.

package/templates/agents/orc-executor-sonnet-4-6-med.md

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
 - house_rules — standing behavioral card (injected literally): surgical changes
   only, simplicity-first, no unrequested scope, boring-solution preference,
   never claim unobserved results, honest partial over false done
+- rules_card — the anti-slop card (injected literally, directly under
+  house_rules): YOUR PROJECT'S RULES, then ORC RULES. A project rule beats an ORC
+  rule; house_rules beat both, but only on code and behaviour. Absent = no card
 - log_digest — decisions from earlier waves; absorb before starting
 - pattern — resolved code-pattern for your task's language, or null. Present =
   {conventions[] you MUST MATCH, invariants[] that are BLOCKING, validation_gate[]
@@ -54,7 +57,8 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
    is a corruption bug), and build/test output is always read whole. Canonical:
    `.claude/skills/_shared/read-ladder.md`.
 3. Implement the task within declared_files only. Obey every house_rules
-   line. Follow every constraint. If
+   line, then every rules_card rule — two rules that disagree go in
+   rules_conflicts[], never a silent choice. Follow every constraint. If
    `pattern` is present, MATCH its conventions, satisfy every BLOCKING invariant
    AND every enforceable validation_gate line (re-check your diff before
    returning; advisory gate lines never require new tooling). Create/update
@@ -109,6 +113,10 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
   malformed. NOT required when you never repaired anything, and a loop that hit
   tdd_loop_max and stopped returns `none` — an unsolved failure is not a gotcha.
   You RETURN it; the orchestrator writes the file. Never write it yourself.
+- rules_applied[] · rules_conflicts[] · rules_overridden[] — REQUIRED when the
+  slice carried a rules_card (each may be empty; absent is malformed): the rule
+  ids you acted on, two rules that disagree, and the ORC ids a project rule
+  replaced. Omit all three when no rules_card was supplied.
 
 Malformed returns = failure — including status=done with a runner present but
 no evidence, or status=done with a non-empty unmet[]. needs_context cap 2 per task.

package/templates/agents/orc-executor-sonnet-5-high.md

@@ -26,6 +26,9 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
 - house_rules — standing behavioral card (injected literally): surgical changes
   only, simplicity-first, no unrequested scope, boring-solution preference,
   never claim unobserved results, honest partial over false done
+- rules_card — the anti-slop card (injected literally, directly under
+  house_rules): YOUR PROJECT'S RULES, then ORC RULES. A project rule beats an ORC
+  rule; house_rules beat both, but only on code and behaviour. Absent = no card
 - log_digest — decisions from earlier waves; absorb before starting
 - pattern — resolved code-pattern for your task's language, or null. Present =
   {conventions[] you MUST MATCH, invariants[] that are BLOCKING, validation_gate[]
@@ -54,7 +57,8 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
    is a corruption bug), and build/test output is always read whole. Canonical:
    `.claude/skills/_shared/read-ladder.md`.
 3. Implement the task within declared_files only. Obey every house_rules
-   line. Follow every constraint. If
+   line, then every rules_card rule — two rules that disagree go in
+   rules_conflicts[], never a silent choice. Follow every constraint. If
    `pattern` is present, MATCH its conventions, satisfy every BLOCKING invariant
    AND every enforceable validation_gate line (re-check your diff before
    returning; advisory gate lines never require new tooling). Create/update
@@ -109,6 +113,10 @@ never spawn other agents, never work outside your task slice.
   malformed. NOT required when you never repaired anything, and a loop that hit
   tdd_loop_max and stopped returns `none` — an unsolved failure is not a gotcha.
   You RETURN it; the orchestrator writes the file. Never write it yourself.
+- rules_applied[] · rules_conflicts[] · rules_overridden[] — REQUIRED when the
+  slice carried a rules_card (each may be empty; absent is malformed): the rule
+  ids you acted on, two rules that disagree, and the ORC ids a project rule
+  replaced. Omit all three when no rules_card was supplied.
 
 Malformed returns = failure — including status=done with a runner present but
 no evidence, or status=done with a non-empty unmet[]. needs_context cap 2 per task.

package/templates/skills/_shared/extra-dispatch.md

@@ -524,7 +524,7 @@ orc extra dispatch --task <slice.json> --json
 
 **The slice content is IDENTICAL to what a Claude executor would receive** — the
 task's `prompt`, `acceptance[]`, `tdd_spec` tests, the `house_rules` card, the
-resolved pattern, the scope-matched gotchas, `declared_files`, `grounding[]`.
+`rules_card`, the resolved pattern, the scope-matched gotchas, `declared_files`, `grounding[]`.
 Only the transport differs. That is the property that keeps every gate
 downstream engine-blind, and it is why a foreign task needs no second slice
 builder.

package/templates/skills/_shared/phases/execution.md

@@ -42,7 +42,9 @@ the codifier); hold resolved patterns in run state.
    `TDD-RED`/`TDD-GREEN` per iteration; cap hit → STOP SEQUENCE + honest red
    report) and the `house_rules` card lines
    (`house-rules.md`, injected LITERALLY — read once per run, never
-   a pointer); FE/BE and `db:postgres` tasks get the resolved `pattern`
+   a pointer) with the `rules_card` directly under it — the `text` of
+   `orc rules slice --lane <lane> --json`, VERBATIM, `--pack ui` added for a
+   front-end task (`rules.md`; the preflight `line` alone is NOT the card); FE/BE and `db:postgres` tasks get the resolved `pattern`
    injected literally (pattern-gate.md), and — with `gotchas: on` — the
    SCOPE-MATCHING gotchas beside it (glob vs this task's `declared_files`, cap 3,
    highest `hits` first; zero matches = NO block, never an empty one — NEVER

package/templates/skills/_shared/phases/rules.md

@@ -58,6 +58,11 @@ Nothing goes above 1. Nothing goes between 2 and 3. The assembler emits 2 and 3
 as one block in that order, so the lane's job is to place that block directly
 under the house card and before the task.
 
+**The slice field is `rules_card`, and it is the `text` field — not the `line`.**
+Run the command at DISPATCH, not only at preflight. The `line` tells the user
+which rules are in force; the `text` is what the agent reads. A lane that prints
+the line and injects only the house card has reported rules that no agent got.
+
 ## Precedence, and the one sentence that gets it wrong
 
 ```

package/templates/skills/orc/SKILL.md

@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ them; they are never dispatched as subagents).
 - Phase 1 wiki grounding → `../_shared/phases/wiki-consult.md` + `references/preflight-report.md`
 - Phase 2 → `references/effort-and-mode.md`; tagging → `references/pattern-gate.md`
 - Phase 3 → `../_shared/phases/wave-grouping.md` + `log-protocol.md` + `../_shared/phases/house-rules.md`
-  + `pattern-gate.md` (resolve gate); workers → `subskills/orc-execution/`;
+  + `../_shared/phases/rules.md` (the `rules_card` rides every slice) + `pattern-gate.md` (resolve gate); workers → `subskills/orc-execution/`;
   stops → `subskills/orc-checkpoint/SKILL.md` + `../_shared/phases/stop-resume.md`
 - Phase 5–6 → `subskills/orc-review-verify/`; FE tasks →
   `../orc-pattern/references/fe-a11y.md` + `fe-perf.md` (as `fe_rules[]`)

package/templates/skills/orc/references/preflight-report.md

@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ pattern:   js cached · ts cached
 gotchas:   12 known · 3 match this change's files
 pact:      11 holding · 2 drifted · 3 uncheckable
 bound:     9 execute · 2 escalate · 1 refuse (2 stale)
+rules:     ORC 65 (W 23 · C 22 · D 10 · U 10) · yours 9 lines (P0 4 · P1 2 · P2 3) · 1 override
 after:     src/payments — 2 shipped files rewritten within 30 days of run store-credit
 crosslink: 2 boundaries (payments-api) — advisory
 extra:     ON — 4 of 9 tasks foreign · deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash via api [0,30)
@@ -60,6 +61,11 @@ waves:     3 planned — will pause after wave 2 (batch_pause_every=2)
   ACTIVE mode is named whenever a verdict is later printed (`boundary_gate: off`
   omits the line). Uncarded areas are `unknown`, never REFUSE. Canonical:
   `../../orc-boundary/references/gate.md`.
+- **rules:** ALWAYS printed — the `line` field from `orc rules slice --lane orc
+  --json`, VERBATIM, never recounted. `yours none` is an answer (the project has
+  no `.claude/orc/rules.md` rules yet), not a failure. Name each override under
+  it. This line is the REPORT; the card itself is the `text` field, injected as
+  `rules_card` into every slice (`../../_shared/phases/rules.md`).
 - **after:** printed **ONLY when the area this run is about to touch has a recent
   churn signal** (`orc aftermath status --json`, exit 1 or 2, intersected with the
   plan's `declared_files`). A clean run prints nothing at all — the whole value of

package/templates/skills/orc/subskills/orc-execution/SKILL.md

@@ -26,7 +26,8 @@ contract); the summary below orients — on any conflict, `core.md` wins.
 2. Implement EXACTLY the task in the slice, touching only `declared_files[]`,
    honoring every `constraints[]` hard rule AND the standing `house_rules` card
    (surgical changes, simplicity-first, no unrequested scope, never claim
-   unobserved results, honest partial over false done); create/update
+   unobserved results, honest partial over false done), then the `rules_card`
+   under it (project rules beat ORC rules; return the three `rules_*` fields); create/update
    tests for what you build.
 3. Run the proof: build/test for your changes, capturing `evidence`
    {command, exit_code, tail} VERBATIM (no runner → `no_runner_detected: true`);

package/templates/skills/orc/subskills/orc-execution/core.md

@@ -59,6 +59,13 @@ subagent; the orchestrator never runs this itself.
 - house_rules             — the standing behavioral card (injected literally,
                             never a pointer): surgical changes, simplicity-first,
                             no unrequested scope, boring-solution preference
+- rules_card              — the anti-slop card from `orc rules slice`, injected
+                            literally directly under `house_rules`: the project's
+                            rules, then ORC's. A project rule beats an ORC rule;
+                            `house_rules` beat both on code and behaviour only.
+                            Carried → return `rules_applied[]`,
+                            `rules_conflicts[]`, `rules_overridden[]`
+                            (`../../../_shared/return-validation.md` §5c)
 - log_digest              — compacted decisions from prior waves; absorb before working
 - worktree_path           — null unless worktrees mode
 - model, effort           — informational (already applied by the caller)
@@ -74,7 +81,8 @@ subagent; the orchestrator never runs this itself.
    a FULL read before you edit it (an `old_string` rebuilt from an outline is a
    corruption bug), and build/test output is always read whole.
 3. Perform the task within `worktree_path` (or the current tree if null).
-   Obey every `house_rules` line. Follow every constraint. If `pattern` is present, MATCH its conventions,
+   Obey every `house_rules` line, then every `rules_card` rule (two rules that
+   disagree go in `rules_conflicts[]`, never a silent choice). Follow every constraint. If `pattern` is present, MATCH its conventions,
    satisfy every BLOCKING invariant, and satisfy every enforceable
    `validation_gate[]` line (re-read your diff to confirm before returning;
    advisory gate lines are informational — never add tooling to meet one);

package/templates/skills/orc-fast/SKILL.md

@@ -121,8 +121,8 @@ pinned in the agent file). **Under `opus5_only` it is `orc-executor-opus-5-low`*
 - **the read ladder** (`../_shared/read-ladder.md`): read only as far up as the
   question needs — a file the task will EDIT is read in full first. Precomputed
   knowledge REPLACING exploration is this lane; a directory sweep is not.
-- the standing `house_rules` card (`../_shared/phases/house-rules.md`,
-  injected literally, same as full/mini)
+- the standing `house_rules` card (`../_shared/phases/house-rules.md`, literal,
+  same as full/mini) + the `rules_card` under it (`orc rules slice` → `text`, verbatim)
 - constraints from the intent spec
 - **terse-return rule:** standard contract fields, NO narrative prose — files
   changed, one-line diff summary, smoke-relevant notes only.

package/templates/skills/orc-mini/SKILL.md

@@ -52,9 +52,9 @@ Phase 0  intake (Q1–Q4, soft sign-off) + run folder + intent-spec
 Phase 1  planning (dispatch orc-planner-mini; analyst first only on real docs)
          → one-line complexity read (mini-ok? or recommend switch-to-full)
 Phase 3  dispatch ONE executor (orc-executor-sonnet-5-high) — slice carries
-         the standing `house_rules` card (../_shared/phases/house-rules.md,
-         injected literally) + the cached `postgres` pattern on a data-access
-         task (cache HIT only) — collect + validate return
+         the standing `house_rules` card (../_shared/phases/house-rules.md, literal)
+         + the `rules_card` under it (`orc rules slice` → `text`, verbatim) + the
+         cached `postgres` pattern on a data-access task (cache HIT only) — collect + validate return
 Phase M  SMOKE GATE — run build+test → GREEN proceed · RED block ship + surface
 Phase X  MOCK EXAMPLE (config mock_example) — offer/build after a GREEN gate
 Phase T  TEST-AUTHORING ASK (opt-in) — offer to write test cases (never run them)

package/templates/skills/orc-quick/SKILL.md

@@ -202,7 +202,8 @@ Rules:
 
 Put in the slice: the change sketch, the Q2 answers, 2–3 acceptance bullets,
 the wiki **paths**, the cached pattern (whole text), the `house_rules` card
-(`../_shared/phases/house-rules.md`, whole text), PR comments with their
+(`../_shared/phases/house-rules.md`, whole text), the `rules_card` under it
+(`orc rules slice --lane orc-quick --json` → `text`, whole text), PR comments with their
 `file:line`, and a short-return rule (fields only, no long prose).
 
 For an **ad-hoc** dispatch, also tell the agent to report its own