@garygentry/feature-forge 0.3.0 → 0.3.2

package/adapters/gemini/skills/forge-0-epic/forge-0-epic.md

@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ sequence, **not** a dependency ordering). Preserve the C2 order unless the user
 Compose the full `epic-manifest.json` per the 00 §2 schema, setting:
 
 - `schemaVersion`: `1`
+- `revision`: `1` — the canonical artifact revision epic-scoped verification freshness compares against. Creation always writes `1`; every later mutation bumps it exactly once via the helper mutators. Never hand-edit it.
 - `epic`: `"{epic}"`
 - `description`: from C1
 - `status`: `"active"`
@@ -230,7 +231,7 @@ so the navigator and resolver can see them before any stage runs. For each `feat
      standalone feature. **No per-feature `status` beyond the stage entry** — the member state
      holds derived stage progress only.
 
-For an example member state, read `references/edit-mode.md` (Member State Example section).
+For an example member state, read `references/edit-mode.md` (Member State Example section). This stub is written by hand rather than by a `state-*` verb — deliberately: no verb writes the `epic` back-pointer a brand-new member needs, so this is a sanctioned exception to the Pipeline State Protocol.
 
 The member subtree holds the **same** artifact set a standalone feature holds; only
 `.pipeline-state.json` exists at creation. No PRD/specs are authored here. The epic subtree is
@@ -247,15 +248,17 @@ now self-contained: manifest + EPIC.md + one subdirectory per member.
 
 3. **Closing message — the Stage Exit Protocol.** Congratulate the user ("Epic `{epic}` created with {N} features."), then close with the Stage Exit Protocol below (single-sourced in `references/stage-exit-protocol.md`; the epic → first-PRD boundary is a full stage boundary — do not improvise a "Next steps" list). `{first-actionable-feature}` = any feature with empty `dependsOn` (or the first entry of `render-status`'s `actionable` set):
 
+Determine `{verify-capability}` per the **Host and capability determination** section of `references/stage-exit-protocol.md`: `interactive` needs both a question mechanism and *permission* to dispatch the clean-room `forge-verifier`, and a session that merely needs consent first is still `interactive`.
+
 **Close this stage with the Scripted Stage Exit** (contract: `references/stage-exit-protocol.md`; do not improvise a "Next steps" list). Run:
 
 ```bash
 R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${FEATURE_FORGE_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-forge "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/* "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge "$HOME"/.agents/skills/feature-forge ./.agents/skills/feature-forge; do [ -x "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh" ] && exec "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh"; done')"
 [ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
-python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" stage-exit --feature "{epic}" --stage forge-0-epic --next-feature "{first-actionable-feature}" --specs-dir "{specsDir}" --host generic
+python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" stage-exit --feature "{epic}" --stage forge-0-epic --next-feature "{first-actionable-feature}" --specs-dir "{specsDir}" --host generic --verify-capability "{verify-capability}"
 ```
 
-Obey the DIRECTIVES it prints, in order, per the directive contract: `runInStageVerify: true` → dispatch the in-stage clean-room verify now (honoring `autoFixEligible`); `verifyGate: "standard"` → present the Standard Verify Gate; `verifyGate: "manual-print"` → print the `verifyCommand` for the user; non-empty `invalidAutoVerifyKeys` → print a one-line warning. Then **print the NEXT-STEPS block verbatim as your absolute last output — nothing after its sentinel line.**
+Obey the DIRECTIVES it prints, in the consumption order this protocol fixes: surface `invalidAutoVerifyKeys` and every `warnings` entry first; `runInStageVerify: true` → run the in-stage clean-room verify chain now (honoring `autoFixEligible`, and asking through the Standard Verify Gate first when you may not dispatch unsolicited); `verifyGate: "standard"` → present the Standard Verify Gate; `verifyGate: "manual-print"` → print the `verifyCommand` for the user and do **not** dispatch inline. Then, and only when `terminalOwnedBy` is `"self"`, **print the NEXT-STEPS block verbatim as your absolute last output — nothing after its sentinel line.** A `terminalOwnedBy: "outer"` payload carries `nextSteps: null`: return your structured result to the caller and print no terminal block at all.
 
 ---
 
@@ -274,6 +277,8 @@ EPIC.md patch rule, and the E6 Observability / Pipeline State & Commit machinery
 `references/edit-mode.md`. For the exact `epic-manifest.py` mutator flag surface and
 per-subcommand exit-code (`0`/`1`/`2`) handling, read `references/epic-manifest-subcommands.md`.
 
+An edit-mode mutation closes through the **same** Scripted Stage Exit command Step C8 runs — there is one scripted exit for this skill, not one per branch. Only the argument differs: edit mode re-reads live epic status **after** the mutation and its commit, passes the resulting concrete member as `--next-feature`, and **omits that flag entirely** when no member is actionable (so the router hands back to the epic dashboard instead of naming a member it cannot resolve). Those substitution rules, the `render-status` failure path, and the script's member fallback warning are all in `references/edit-mode.md` — do not improvise a closing pointer here.
+
 ---
 
 ## Error Handling

package/adapters/gemini/skills/forge-0-epic/references/edit-mode.md

@@ -163,29 +163,15 @@ For the initial creation write (C5) the skill sets `createdAt == updatedAt`.
 - **Edit mode:** edits mutate the **manifest**, not member pipeline states — except the
   newly-created subdir for `add-feature`, which follows C7 (create the member subdir + back-pointer
   state). The skill does **not** rewrite existing members' `stages` on an edit.
-- **`.epic-state.json` (lazily created, written by skills — NOT the helper):** epic-*scoped* stage
+- **`.epic-state.json` (lazily created, written by `state-verify`):** epic-*scoped* stage
   entries that belong to no single member — currently only `forge-verify-epic` — are persisted in a
   dedicated `{specsDir}/{epic}/.epic-state.json`. It holds **only** epic-scoped stage entries,
   never derived per-feature status (so it does not violate REQ-STATE-02). `forge-0-epic` does
   **not** create this file — no epic-scoped stage runs during creation or edit; it appears only once
-  `forge-verify` epic mode runs. When a skill does write it (e.g. forge-verify epic mode), it writes
-  **directly** using an atomic temp-file + `os.replace` pattern — the helper exposes no subcommand
-  for it. On I/O failure the skill reports and leaves any prior file intact (never a partial write).
-  Minimal schema:
-
-  ```jsonc
-  {
-    "epic": "auth-overhaul",            // matches manifest `epic`
-    "stages": {
-      "forge-verify-epic": {
-        "status": "findings-reported",   // "findings-reported" | "passed" | "findings-applied"
-        "findingsFile": ".verification/VERIFY-epic-2026-06-12.md",
-        "findingsCount": 3,
-        "verifiedAt": "2026-06-12T00:00:00Z"
-      }
-    }
-  }
-  ```
+  `forge-verify` epic mode runs, and that skill records the result through `state-verify --stage
+  forge-0-epic` (the sanctioned epic writer, per the Pipeline State Protocol in
+  `references/shared-conventions.md`). No skill ever hand-authors this file, and its minimal shape
+  is documented once, alongside that call, in `skills/forge-verify/references/findings-template.md`.
 
   The git-commit step below stages the whole epic subtree, so `.epic-state.json` is captured
   automatically when present.
@@ -210,13 +196,27 @@ follow the Git Commit Protocol in shared-conventions:
 Because every mutation is committed, the git history of `epic-manifest.json` is the audit trail; no
 separate in-manifest audit log is kept.
 
-### Closing message
+### Closing the stage — fresh live status, then the Scripted Stage Exit
+
+After a successful **creation**, close with Step C8's Scripted Stage Exit, exactly as specified there.
+
+After a successful **edit-mode mutation** — the mutator returned exit `0` **and** the E6 commit above landed — confirm the change in one line (`Epic {epic} updated (<action>).`) and then close with the **same** Scripted Stage Exit. Do **not** hand-write a dashboard pointer, a "Next steps" list, or any other next command: the script owns edit-mode routing end to end, and a second hand-written command can only disagree with it.
+
+**Read live status again first.** The E4 `render-status` snapshot is stale by the time you get here — it was taken *before* the mutation, so a member the edit just unblocked (or just blocked) is misreported, and the whole point of routing from live state is lost. Re-read it **after** the mutation and the commit:
+
+```bash
+R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-forge "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/* "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge "$HOME"/.agents/skills/feature-forge ./.agents/skills/feature-forge; do [ -x "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh" ] && exec "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh"; done')"
+[ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
+python3 "$R/scripts/epic-manifest.py" render-status "{epic}" --specs-dir "{specsDir}" --json
+```
+
+Choosing the `--next-feature` argument from that **fresh** payload is the only routing decision this step makes; every other one belongs to the script:
 
-After a successful **creation**, present the next-steps message (already specified in C8). After a
-successful **edit-mode mutation**, confirm the change and re-surface the dashboard pointer:
+- **`actionable` is non-empty** → `{first-actionable-feature}` is its **first** entry, a concrete member name. Pass it as `--next-feature "{first-actionable-feature}"`. The script then resolves that member's own `.pipeline-state.json` and routes to its **first incomplete production stage**, so a member whose PRD is already written resumes at tech/specs/backlog/loop/docs — it is never sent back to `forge-1-prd`. Do **not** derive that stage yourself and do **not** read the member's state to second-guess the script.
+- **`actionable` is empty** → there is no member to hand off to. **Omit `--next-feature` entirely**; the script routes to the epic dashboard/completion view. Never substitute a stand-in for the flag value — not the literal `{first-actionable-feature}`, not the epic name, not an arbitrary member off `features[]`. An unresolved placeholder is not a member name, and the script rejects an unsafe value with exit `2`.
+- **`render-status` exits `≥ 1`, or its payload is malformed or missing a required field** → surface every `findings[]` entry **verbatim**, then take the same no-member path: close with the epic stage exit carrying **no** `--next-feature`, so recovery lands on the epic dashboard. A failed status read is never grounds to guess a follow-up member.
 
-> Epic `{epic}` updated (`<action>`). Run `/feature-forge:forge {epic}` to see the refreshed
-> dashboard, or re-run `/feature-forge:forge-0-epic {epic}` to make another change.
+**Surface the script's warnings before the block.** `warnings` is part of the directive contract. When the selected member's pipeline state is missing, unreadable, malformed, or not a member of this epic, the script emits a named warning naming that member and the recovery command, and degrades **only** to `forge-1-prd {member}` on its own. Print that warning ahead of the terminal block exactly as emitted, and leave the routing where the script put it — do **not** "correct" the fallback to a later stage you inferred, and do **not** re-read the member's state to override it.
 
 ## EPIC.md Mirror Template (creation C6 / edit E5)
 

package/adapters/gemini/skills/forge-0-epic/references/pipeline-state-schema.json

@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
     "currentStage": {
       "type": "string",
       "enum": ["forge-1-prd", "forge-2-tech", "forge-3-specs", "forge-4-backlog", "forge-5-loop", "forge-6-docs", "complete", "forge-verify-prd", "forge-verify-tech", "forge-verify-specs", "forge-verify-backlog", "forge-verify-impl", "forge-0-epic", "forge-verify-epic"],
-      "description": "Where the pipeline IS: the most recently started stage — its `stages[<currentStage>].status` is `in-progress` while that stage is being authored, then `complete` once its artifacts are committed. A stage skill sets this to its own id when it starts. This is deliberately NOT 'the next stage to run': the next stage is DERIVED, never stored — it is the first production stage whose `stages[].status` is not `complete` (see `next_stage()` in forge-session.py, surfaced as the navigator/doctor `nextStage`). Consumers that need 'what runs next' compute it from `stages[].status`, not from this field. `complete` here means the whole pipeline is done. (Legacy/absent value: tools fall back to the derived next stage for display only — `build_rows` in forge-session.py.)"
+      "description": "Where the pipeline IS: the most recently started stage — its `stages[<currentStage>].status` is `in-progress` while that stage is being authored, then `complete` once its artifacts are committed. A stage skill sets this to its own id when it starts. This is deliberately NOT 'the next stage to run': the next stage is DERIVED, never stored — it is the first production stage whose `stages[].status` is not `complete` (see `next_stage()` in forge-session.py, surfaced as the navigator/doctor `nextStage`). Consumers that need 'what runs next' compute it from `stages[].status`, not from this field. `complete` is a LEGACY enum value, retained so pre-0.14 state files still validate: no writer produces it (the `state-*` verbs are the only writers, and only `state-enter` touches this field, setting it to the stage being entered). A finished pipeline therefore records the last stage it started — `forge-6-docs` — and 'the whole pipeline is done' is DERIVED too: `next_stage()` returns null (surfaced as `nextStage: null` / `complete: true`). Never test this field against `complete` to decide whether a pipeline finished. (Legacy/absent value: tools fall back to the derived next stage for display only — `build_rows` in forge-session.py.)"
     },
     "notes": {
       "type": "string",
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@
       "properties": {
         "status": {
           "type": "string",
-          "enum": ["pending", "passed", "findings-reported", "findings-applied", "skipped"]
+          "enum": ["pending", "auto-verify-pending", "passed", "findings-reported", "findings-applied", "skipped"]
         },
         "findingsFile": {
           "type": ["string", "null"],
@@ -184,7 +184,9 @@
         "verifiedAt": { "type": ["string", "null"], "format": "date-time" },
         "fixedAt": { "type": ["string", "null"], "format": "date-time" },
         "commitHash": { "type": ["string", "null"], "description": "Git commit SHA of the verify/fix artifact commit. Recorded via the two-commit Git Commit Protocol (shared-conventions.md) so it points at the artifact commit, never an orphaned amend." },
-        "verifiedStageVersion": { "type": ["integer", "null"], "description": "The production stage's `version` at the moment this verify was resolved. The navigator's freshness ledger compares it to the stage's current `version`: equal means the verify is fresh; a mismatch (artifact revised since) or an absent field (legacy state) means stale, so auto-verify re-fires. Recorded by forge-verify/forge-fix when writing a passed/findings-applied status." }
+        "verifiedStageVersion": { "type": ["integer", "null"], "description": "The production stage's `version` at the moment this verify was resolved. The navigator's freshness ledger compares it to the stage's current `version`: equal means the verify is fresh; a mismatch (artifact revised since) or an absent field (legacy state) means stale, so auto-verify re-fires. Recorded by forge-verify/forge-fix when writing a passed/findings-applied status." },
+        "scheduledAt": { "type": ["string", "null"], "format": "date-time", "description": "UTC ISO-8601 timestamp at which unattended in-stage verification was scheduled for this entry. Written alongside the `auto-verify-pending` status and DELETED (not nulled) by any terminal result, so an absent field means 'not scheduled'." },
+        "scheduledStageVersion": { "type": ["integer", "null"], "minimum": 1, "description": "The artifact revision current when verification was scheduled — the production stage's `version` for a feature, the epic manifest's `revision` for an epic. Makes rescheduling idempotent (an identical revision does not rewrite the entry) and lets a read tell debt owed on the current artifact from debt stranded on an older one. Deleted by any terminal result." }
       }
     }
   }

package/adapters/gemini/skills/forge-0-epic/references/shared-conventions.md

@@ -133,6 +133,8 @@ mkdir -p "<specsDir>"
 If the host is Claude (the `AskUserQuestion` tool is available), also ensure the Claude-framed variant:
 
 ```bash
+R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-forge "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/* "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge "$HOME"/.agents/skills/feature-forge ./.agents/skills/feature-forge; do [ -x "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh" ] && exec "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh"; done')"
+[ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
 [ -f "<specsDir>/CLAUDE.md" ] || cp "$R/references/templates/specs-hygiene/CLAUDE.md" "<specsDir>/CLAUDE.md"
 ```
 
@@ -183,7 +185,49 @@ If the helper is unavailable (a non-Claude host without the resolver), skip this
 
 ## Pipeline State Protocol
 
-Write pipeline state conforming to `references/pipeline-state-schema.json`. Always update `updatedAt` when modifying pipeline state.
+Pipeline state is written by the `state-*` verbs of `scripts/forge-session.py` — never by hand. Each verb writes `{resolvedFeatureDir}/.pipeline-state.json` atomically, conforms to `references/pipeline-state-schema.json` by construction, and refreshes `updatedAt` for you, so no stage needs to read the schema in order to author state.
+
+**Epic members MUST pass `--epic`.** Every `state-*` verb takes an optional `--epic "{epic}"`, and it is **required** whenever the feature is an epic member (its resolved directory is `{specsDir}/{epic}/{feature}/`, i.e. its state carries an `epic` back-pointer) — append it to **every** `state-*` call in this file and in every skill body, exactly as the `state-ecr` calls already do. Omit it only for a standalone feature. Without it the verb resolves the bare name itself and, mirroring `epic-manifest.py resolve`, refuses with exit 2 whenever more than one directory carries a state file rather than guessing which feature to write — so a same-named standalone feature can never be mutated in a member's place.
+
+If a `state-*` verb exits 2, surface the plain `Error:` line from stderr verbatim, do **not** proceed to the next step of the surrounding protocol, and do **not** hand-author the JSON as a workaround. The stage remains resumable because the entry stamp is already on disk — re-run the verb once the cause is fixed.
+
+**The eight `state-*` verbs.** `state-enter` (Stage-Entry Guard), `state-artifact` (incremental artifact tracking), `state-complete` (Git Commit Protocol), `state-branch` (Branch Setup and Branch Reconciliation), `state-note` (the Immediate Downstream Note below, and the optional completion note at stage closure), `state-decision` (deferred decisions), `state-ecr` (epic change requests), and `state-verify` (one `forge-verify-*` verification transition — below). The `--epic` member requirement and the exit-2 failure protocol above apply to **every** one of them, `state-verify` included; no verify entry is ever hand-authored.
+
+### `state-verify` — verification results and provenance
+
+`state-verify` writes exactly one `stages.forge-verify-{token}` entry — the verification result for the production stage named by `--stage` — plus the top-level `updatedAt`, and nothing else. `--stage` takes the **served production stage** (`forge-0-epic` through `forge-5-loop`; `forge-6-docs` has no verification token and is rejected). Add `--epic "{epic}"` when the feature is an epic member — required, per the member rule above. Result mode passes `--status` (`auto-verify-pending`, `passed`, `findings-reported`, `findings-applied`, or `skipped`) with whatever `--findings-file`, `--findings-count`, and `--verified-stage-version` that status requires; contradictory metadata is refused before any write. `passed` may additionally carry `--findings-file` + `--findings-count` together for an **advisory-only** report (`inconsistency`/`improvement` findings only, per forge-verify's severity floor) — the stage resolves without a fix round and the report stays attached:
+
+**`auto-verify-pending` is not a skill-facing status.** It is written by `stage-exit`'s scheduling boundary, which records the debt automatically when auto-verify is effective for a stage. The value is accepted on this CLI so the entry stays inspectable and repairable, not so a skill can hand-schedule verification: no skill body and no reference passes it, and none should. Every other status in the list is the recorded *result* of a verification that ran (or was explicitly skipped); this one records that one was *owed*.
+
+```bash
+R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-forge "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/* "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge "$HOME"/.agents/skills/feature-forge ./.agents/skills/feature-forge; do [ -x "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh" ] && exec "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh"; done')"
+[ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
+python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-verify \
+  --feature "{feature}" --stage "{served-production-stage}" --status "<status>" \
+  --specs-dir "{specsDir}"
+```
+
+Provenance follows the same two-commit sequence as `state-complete`: the result transition above writes `commitHash: null`, Commit 1 records the findings document and the state, and a second `state-verify` call records the full 40-hex hash of Commit 1 and touches nothing else (never `--amend`; an abbreviated hash is refused rather than expanded). Add `--epic "{epic}"` for an epic member — required, per the member rule above:
+
+```bash
+R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-forge "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/* "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge "$HOME"/.agents/skills/feature-forge ./.agents/skills/feature-forge; do [ -x "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh" ] && exec "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh"; done')"
+[ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
+python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-verify \
+  --feature "{feature}" --stage "{served-production-stage}" \
+  --commit-hash "$(git rev-parse HEAD)" --specs-dir "{specsDir}"
+```
+
+Epic-scoped verification is the single exception to the member rule: with `--stage forge-0-epic`, `--feature` names the **epic** and `--epic` must be absent or exactly equal to it. That call writes `{specsDir}/{epic}/.epic-state.json` and never a member's `.pipeline-state.json`, and its freshness version is the epic manifest's `revision`, never a member's stage version:
+
+```bash
+R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-forge "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/* "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge "$HOME"/.agents/skills/feature-forge ./.agents/skills/feature-forge; do [ -x "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh" ] && exec "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh"; done')"
+[ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
+python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-verify \
+  --feature "{epic}" --stage forge-0-epic --status "<status>" \
+  --specs-dir "{specsDir}"
+```
+
+On exit 2 the verification result is **not** recorded: surface the `Error:` line verbatim, name the feature (and epic), and do not claim the verification was persisted or advance past it.
 
 ### Staleness Detection (Read-Time)
 
@@ -193,6 +237,31 @@ When loading upstream artifacts as prerequisites, check `basedOnVersions` in the
 
 Frame the choice with its cost: re-running re-derives this stage from the current upstream (safest, but discards any hand-edits to this stage's artifacts); proceeding stale is faster but risks baking outdated assumptions into everything downstream. Recommend re-running unless the user knows the upstream change doesn't affect this stage.
 
+## Immediate Downstream Note (Parking Lot)
+
+When an interview raises a concern that belongs to a *later stage of this same feature*, acknowledge it and persist it **immediately, at the moment it is raised** — not at stage closure — by running `state-note` with a concise one-line statement of the concern. Add `--epic "{epic}"` when this feature is an epic member — required, per the Pipeline State Protocol above; omitting it for a member is an error and must never be allowed to fall back to a same-named flat feature.
+
+```bash
+R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-forge "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/* "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge "$HOME"/.agents/skills/feature-forge ./.agents/skills/feature-forge; do [ -x "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh" ] && exec "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh"; done')"
+[ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
+python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-note \
+  --feature "{feature}" --note "<concise downstream concern>" \
+  --specs-dir "{specsDir}"
+```
+
+`state-note` **overwrites** the single top-level `notes` string — it does not append. To preserve an earlier note, read the current `notes` value out of the feature's `.pipeline-state.json` first and pass one combined concise string in a single `--note`; never edit or round-trip the JSON by hand. This interview-time call is separate from the optional completion note offered at stage closure and must not be deferred until then — a session that ends before closure would otherwise lose the concern entirely.
+
+On `UsageError`/exit 2, surface the `Error:` line verbatim together with the named feature (and epic) and the recovery instruction, and **stop claiming the concern was recorded** — it was not. Epic *decomposition* changes are not notes: they go through `state-ecr` into `epicChangeRequests`, never into `notes`.
+
+## Verify Capability
+
+Skills that close a stage pass `--verify-capability interactive|manual` to `stage-exit`. The full determination rule, the Standard Verify Gate, and the recovery path live in `references/stage-exit-protocol.md`; the two facts that are most often gotten wrong:
+
+- **Dispatch capability is *permitted* dispatch, not a listed tool.** The question is "**may I dispatch `forge-verifier` right now**", not "is a subagent-dispatch tool in my tool surface". A session can carry a standing host instruction against dispatching subagents unless the user asked; such instructions are injected by the harness, sit outside this project's control, and outrank skill prose. Classify on permission, up front.
+- **A consent requirement is `interactive`, not `manual`.** When dispatch is barred only *unless the user asked* and a question mechanism is available, pass `interactive`: the gate's own affirmative choice supplies the missing user request. Pass `manual` only when there is **no** question mechanism **and** **no** permitted dispatch.
+
+A bar on unsolicited dispatch is never grounds to skip verification, and never grounds to fence the production successor while verification is unresolved. On the `runInStageVerify: true` path the emitted `verifyGate` stays `none`: reuse the Standard Verify Gate block for consent with **choice 2 omitted** (auto-verify is already effective, so "enable auto-verify going forward" is a no-op), leaving exactly two choices: *Verify now* (recommended) and *Skip for now*. The clean-room `forge-verifier` is **dispatched on the affirmative choice**, never merely printed for the user to run later; *Skip for now* is persisted as an explicit `skipped` before any advancing block.
+
 ## Branch Setup
 
 Invoke this block at the **very start** of a pipeline entry point — `forge-1-prd` (standalone feature) and `forge-0-epic` (epic) — **before** any directory resolution or interview, so the rest of the run lands on the intended branch. `{label}` is the feature name (forge-1-prd) or epic name (forge-0-epic); `{scope}` is `feature` or `epic` correspondingly.
@@ -214,7 +283,16 @@ Invoke this block at the **very start** of a pipeline entry point — `forge-1-p
    - **Create** → `git switch -c {branchPrefix}{label}` (or `git checkout -b` if `switch` is unavailable). If the branch already exists, `git switch {branchPrefix}{label}`.
    - **Stay** → proceed on the default branch; note that subsequent commits (and any `forge-5-loop` run) will land directly on `{defaultBranch}`.
 
-**Record the branch.** After this block resolves, write the resulting branch name to the feature's `.pipeline-state.json` top-level `branch` field (create/update it when the state file is first written for this stage). Downstream stages and `forge-5-loop` read it to detect drift back onto the default branch.
+**Record the branch.** After this block resolves, record the resulting branch name in the feature's top-level `branch` field by running `state-branch` (create/update it when the state file is first written for this stage). Emit the call **once the feature directory exists** — i.e. after Feature Directory Resolution and the Entry Stamp, **not** at this block: Branch Setup runs at the very start of the entry point, before any directory resolution, and a brand-new standalone feature may have no directory yet. Add `--epic "{epic}"` to the call when this feature is an epic member — required, per the Pipeline State Protocol.
+
+```bash
+R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-forge "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/* "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge "$HOME"/.agents/skills/feature-forge ./.agents/skills/feature-forge; do [ -x "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh" ] && exec "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh"; done')"
+[ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
+python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-branch \
+  --feature "{feature}" --branch "<name>" --specs-dir "{specsDir}"
+```
+
+Downstream stages and `forge-5-loop` read it to detect drift back onto the default branch.
 
 ## Branch Reconciliation
 
@@ -227,10 +305,19 @@ python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" reconcile-branch --feature "{feature}" --s
 ```
 
 Act on the emitted `action` (source of truth is where the state actually resolves, not the recorded field):
-- **`adopt-current`** — you are on a non-default topic branch where the state resolves, and the recorded `branch` differs (a stale/imposed value). Write `newBranch` into the state `branch` field with a **visible one-line note** ("recorded branch was `{stateBranch}`; work is on `{currentBranch}` — updating to match") — never silently, and **never push the user back** to the recorded branch (offer that only as a plain alternative).
+- **`adopt-current`** — you are on a non-default topic branch where the state resolves, and the recorded `branch` differs (a stale/imposed value). Run `state-branch` (below) to write `newBranch` into the state `branch` field, with a **visible one-line note** ("recorded branch was `{stateBranch}`; work is on `{currentBranch}` — updating to match") — never silently, and **never push the user back** to the recorded branch (offer that only as a plain alternative).
 - **`warn-drift`** — you are on the **default** branch and the state records a topic branch. Via `AskUserQuestion`, strongly recommend creating/switching to `{branchPrefix}{feature}` (then record it), still allowing **proceed on the default branch**. Never hard-stop.
 - **`none`** / **`not-resolved`** — nothing to do; proceed.
 
+The `adopt-current` write, with the portable plugin-root prelude. Add `--epic "{epic}"` when this feature is an epic member — required, per the Pipeline State Protocol:
+
+```bash
+R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-forge "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/* "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge "$HOME"/.agents/skills/feature-forge ./.agents/skills/feature-forge; do [ -x "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh" ] && exec "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh"; done')"
+[ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
+python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-branch \
+  --feature "{feature}" --branch "{newBranch}" --specs-dir "{specsDir}"
+```
+
 If the helper is unavailable (non-Claude host without the resolver), fall back to the manual check: current branch differs from recorded → adopt the current branch unless it is the default, in which case recommend creating `{branchPrefix}{feature}`.
 
 ## Git Commit Protocol
@@ -240,14 +327,29 @@ When `gitCommitAfterStage` is true, follow this exact order to avoid state incon
 **Why two commits.** The stage's `.pipeline-state.json` is itself part of the staged commit, but the stage's `commitHash` cannot be known until *after* that commit is made. Recording it *inside* the same commit is a chicken-and-egg with no single-commit solution. Resolve it with a **deterministic two-commit sequence**, and **never** with `git commit --amend`: amending rewrites HEAD, so a hash captured before the amend points at an orphaned commit that is not in the final history (the exact defect this protocol exists to prevent).
 
 1. **Stage specific files only:** `git add {specsDir}/{feature}/` — never use `git add -A` or `git add .`
-2. **Commit 1 — artifacts + state, hash not yet known:** In `.pipeline-state.json`, set this stage's `status: "complete"` and `commitHash: null`, then `git commit -m "{commitPrefix}({feature}): <action>"`. This is the stage's **artifact commit**; its hash is the provenance hash callers rely on.
-3. **If Commit 1 succeeds — Commit 2 records the hash:** Capture the hash of Commit 1 (`git rev-parse HEAD`). Write it into this stage's `commitHash` in `.pipeline-state.json`, then commit only that one-line change: `git add {specsDir}/{feature}/.pipeline-state.json && git commit -m "{commitPrefix}({feature}): record stage commit hash"`. The stored `commitHash` now points at the artifact commit (Commit 1) — never at Commit 2, and never at an orphaned amend. The working tree is clean afterward, so the next stage's dirty-tree check passes.
-4. **If Commit 1 fails:** do NOT update pipeline state to complete. Report the error to the user and leave state as `in-progress` so the stage can be resumed. Common failure causes:
+2. **Commit 1 — artifacts + state, hash not yet known:** Run `state-complete --feature {feature} --stage {stage} --version N …` (which sets this stage's `status: "complete"`, `completedAt`, `version`, `basedOnVersions`, `artifacts` and `commitHash: null`, and applies the downstream staleness cascade), then `git commit -m "{commitPrefix}({feature}): <action>"`. This is the stage's **artifact commit**; its hash is the provenance hash callers rely on.
+3. **If Commit 1 succeeds — Commit 2 records the hash:** Capture the hash of Commit 1 (`git rev-parse HEAD`) by running `state-complete --feature {feature} --stage {stage} --version N --commit-hash $(git rev-parse HEAD)`, which writes it into this stage's `commitHash` and touches nothing else, then commit only that one-line change: `git add {specsDir}/{feature}/.pipeline-state.json && git commit -m "{commitPrefix}({feature}): record stage commit hash"`. The stored `commitHash` now points at the artifact commit (Commit 1) — never at Commit 2, and never at an orphaned amend. The working tree is clean afterward, so the next stage's dirty-tree check passes.
+4. **If Commit 1 fails:** do NOT update pipeline state to complete. Report the error to the user and leave state as `in-progress` so the stage can be resumed. Do that with `state-complete --feature {feature} --stage {stage} --version N --resumable`, which records **only** `status` — no `completedAt`, no version bump, no `basedOnVersions`/`artifacts`, no `commitHash` reset, and no staleness cascade, so the stage stays resumable. (`--version` is still REQUIRED by argparse and must be passed even though `--resumable` does not write it; omitting it makes the recovery command exit 2 every time.) Common failure causes:
    - **Pre-commit hook failure:** Report the hook output. Never use `--no-verify` to bypass. Help the user fix the underlying issue.
    - **Merge conflicts:** Report conflicting files. Suggest resolution steps appropriate to the conflict.
-   - **Nothing to commit:** If all artifacts were already committed, this is fine — mark the stage `complete`, leave `commitHash` at its existing value (or `null` if there was never an artifact commit), and skip Commit 2. There is no new artifact commit to record.
+   - **Nothing to commit:** If all artifacts were already committed, this is fine — mark the stage `complete`, leave `commitHash` at its existing value (or `null` if there was never an artifact commit), and skip Commit 2. Pass `--preserve-commit-hash` on the Commit-1 `state-complete` call so the recorded hash is left alone instead of being reset to `null`. There is no new artifact commit to record.
 5. **Never** use `git add -A`, `--amend`, `--no-verify`, or `--force` flags
 
+The two `state-complete` calls, with the portable plugin-root prelude. Add `--epic "{epic}"` to each when this feature is an epic member — required, per the Pipeline State Protocol:
+
+```bash
+R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-forge "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/* "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge "$HOME"/.agents/skills/feature-forge ./.agents/skills/feature-forge; do [ -x "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh" ] && exec "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh"; done')"
+[ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
+# Commit 1 — before `git commit`
+python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-complete \
+  --feature "{feature}" --stage "{stage}" --version {n} \
+  --based-on "<upstream>=<n>" --artifact "<file>" --specs-dir "{specsDir}"
+# Commit 2 — after Commit 1 lands, so its hash exists
+python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-complete \
+  --feature "{feature}" --stage "{stage}" --version {n} \
+  --commit-hash "$(git rev-parse HEAD)" --specs-dir "{specsDir}"
+```
+
 ## Stage-Entry Guard
 
 Invoke this block at the **start of an authoring stage** (`forge-1-prd`..`forge-4-backlog`), **after** Feature Directory Resolution and **before** any interview or (re-)authoring. It prevents a re-entered stage — an injected skill body or a re-invoked `Skill` — from blindly re-running the interview over an in-progress or already-complete draft. `{stage}` is the invoking skill's id (e.g. `forge-2-tech`).
@@ -263,16 +365,27 @@ Invoke this block at the **start of an authoring stage** (`forge-1-prd`..`forge-
 
 3. **Re-authoring** (`status: "complete"` or `"stale"`) — a finished draft exists. Warn via `AskUserQuestion` before overwriting: "A completed {stage} artifact already exists for '{feature}' (v{n}{, marked stale}). Continuing will create a new version. Proceed?" On confirm, proceed to the Entry Stamp and author a new version (the version increments at exit, per that stage's Update-Pipeline-State step).
 
-**Entry Stamp** (fresh, restart, and re-author paths — NOT the resume path). Before authoring, write to `{resolvedFeatureDir}/.pipeline-state.json` and update `updatedAt`:
-- `stages.{stage}.status` → `"in-progress"`
-- `stages.{stage}.startedAt` → current ISO-8601 UTC timestamp
-- top-level `currentStage` → `"{stage}"` (where the pipeline IS, per O1)
+**Entry Stamp** (fresh, restart, and re-author paths — NOT the resume path). Before authoring, record the entry stamp by running `state-enter` — one atomic write that sets `stages.{stage}.status` → `"in-progress"`, `stages.{stage}.startedAt` → current ISO-8601 UTC timestamp, top-level `currentStage` → `"{stage}"` (where the pipeline IS, per O1), and refreshes `updatedAt`. Add `--epic "{epic}"` when this feature is an epic member — required, per the Pipeline State Protocol:
+
+```bash
+R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-forge "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/* "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge "$HOME"/.agents/skills/feature-forge ./.agents/skills/feature-forge; do [ -x "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh" ] && exec "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh"; done')"
+[ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
+python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-enter \
+  --feature "{feature}" --stage "{stage}" --specs-dir "{specsDir}"
+```
 
 This write is **left uncommitted**: it is staged and committed as part of this stage's existing exit commit (Git Commit Protocol), so no extra commit is needed at entry. If the run is interrupted after the stamp but before the exit commit, the marker survives on disk (uncommitted) and the next entry classifies as **Interrupted** — which is exactly the intent.
 
 **Force Mode.** When `--force` is passed, skip the interactive gate: do not prompt for resume-vs-restart or the re-author warning. Treat entry as a fresh restart — apply the Entry Stamp and author. (`--force` already skips prerequisite checks; here it likewise bypasses the self-stage gate. Existing on-disk artifacts are still loaded per Force Mode.)
 
-**Incremental artifact tracking:** When a stage writes multiple files (e.g. forge-3-specs writing a suite of spec documents), update the `stages.{stage}.artifacts` array in `.pipeline-state.json` after writing each file — not just at stage completion. This is what makes the Interrupted inventory above precise about which files were successfully written.
+**Incremental artifact tracking:** When a stage writes multiple files (e.g. forge-3-specs writing a suite of spec documents), run `state-artifact --feature {feature} --stage {stage} --path <file>` after writing each file — not just at stage completion. This is what makes the Interrupted inventory above precise about which files were successfully written. Add `--epic "{epic}"` when this feature is an epic member — required, per the Pipeline State Protocol.
+
+```bash
+R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-forge "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/* "$HOME"/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge "$HOME"/.agents/skills/feature-forge ./.agents/skills/feature-forge; do [ -x "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh" ] && exec "$d/scripts/forge-root.sh"; done')"
+[ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
+python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-artifact \
+  --feature "{feature}" --stage "{stage}" --path "<file>" --specs-dir "{specsDir}"
+```
 
 ## Stage-Completion Re-check