@garygentry/feature-forge 0.3.1 → 0.3.2

package/adapters/copilot/scripts/validate-traceability.py

@@ -5,12 +5,20 @@ Extracts REQ-XXX-NN identifiers from a PRD file and checks that every
 requirement is referenced in at least one implementation spec document.
 Also reports orphaned references (IDs found in specs but not in PRD).
 
+A suite may legitimately mention a *foreign* requirement id — most often when a
+spec quotes an antecedent feature's test docstrings verbatim, carrying that
+feature's ids into this suite's text. Those are not this suite's requirements and
+are not orphans. Declare them with --allow-orphan, or one id per line in
+<specs-dir>/.traceability-allowlist; allowed ids are reported, never silently
+dropped.
+
 Usage:
     python validate-traceability.py <prd-path> <specs-dir> [--json]
+                                    [--allow-orphan REQ-ID ...]
 
 Exit codes:
-    0 = all requirements covered, no orphans
-    1 = gaps or orphans found
+    0 = all requirements covered; no orphans other than allowlisted ones
+    1 = uncovered requirements, or orphans that are not allowlisted
     2 = file not found or read error
 """
 
@@ -27,12 +35,46 @@ from pathlib import Path
 #: character stays `[A-Z]` so a lowercase or digit-led token is still not an ID.
 REQ_PATTERN = re.compile(r"REQ-[A-Z][A-Z0-9]*-\d+")
 
+#: Optional per-suite allowlist of foreign requirement ids, read from the specs dir.
+#: One id per line; blank lines and `#` comments ignored. Kept beside the suite it
+#: describes rather than hardcoded here, so this validator stays generic across
+#: repos and suites.
+ALLOWLIST_FILENAME = ".traceability-allowlist"
+
 
 def extract_req_ids(text: str) -> set[str]:
     """Extract all unique REQ-XXX-NN identifiers from text."""
     return set(REQ_PATTERN.findall(text))
 
 
+def read_allowlist_file(specs_dir: Path) -> set[str]:
+    """Read <specs-dir>/.traceability-allowlist, if present.
+
+    A missing file is not an error — most suites have no foreign ids at all.
+
+    Args:
+        specs_dir: The suite's specs directory, searched for the allowlist file.
+
+    Returns:
+        The declared foreign requirement ids; an empty set when the file is
+        absent or unreadable.
+    """
+    allowlist_path = specs_dir / ALLOWLIST_FILENAME
+    if not allowlist_path.exists():
+        return set()
+    try:
+        text = allowlist_path.read_text()
+    except OSError as e:
+        print(f"Warning: Could not read {allowlist_path}: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
+        return set()
+    ids: set[str] = set()
+    for raw_line in text.splitlines():
+        line = raw_line.split("#", 1)[0].strip()
+        if line:
+            ids.add(line)
+    return ids
+
+
 def main() -> int:
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
         description="Validate requirement traceability between PRD and specs"
@@ -42,6 +84,17 @@ def main() -> int:
     parser.add_argument(
         "--json", action="store_true", dest="json_output", help="Output as JSON"
     )
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--allow-orphan",
+        action="append",
+        default=[],
+        dest="allow_orphan",
+        metavar="REQ-ID",
+        help=(
+            "Requirement id that may appear in the specs without being defined in "
+            f"this suite's PRD (repeatable). Merged with {ALLOWLIST_FILENAME}."
+        ),
+    )
     args = parser.parse_args()
 
     prd_path = Path(args.prd_path)
@@ -96,9 +149,16 @@ def main() -> int:
         except OSError:
             pass
 
-    # Analysis
+    # Analysis. Allowed foreign ids are subtracted from the orphan set but reported
+    # below, so an allowlist entry is always visible rather than an invisible pass.
+    allowlist = read_allowlist_file(specs_dir) | set(args.allow_orphan)
     uncovered = sorted(prd_reqs - all_spec_reqs)
-    orphaned = sorted(all_spec_reqs - prd_reqs)
+    raw_orphaned = all_spec_reqs - prd_reqs
+    allowed_orphans = sorted(raw_orphaned & allowlist)
+    orphaned = sorted(raw_orphaned - allowlist)
+    # An allowlist entry that no longer matches anything is stale — surface it so the
+    # list cannot quietly outlive the quotation that justified it.
+    unused_allowlist = sorted(allowlist - raw_orphaned)
 
     # Per-requirement coverage map
     coverage: dict[str, list[str]] = {}
@@ -118,6 +178,8 @@ def main() -> int:
             "total_spec_files": len(spec_files),
             "uncovered_requirements": uncovered,
             "orphaned_references": orphaned,
+            "allowed_orphans": allowed_orphans,
+            "unused_allowlist_entries": unused_allowlist,
             "coverage": coverage,
             "valid": not has_issues,
         }
@@ -142,8 +204,27 @@ def main() -> int:
                 print(f"  - {req_id}: found in {', '.join(sources)} but not in PRD")
             print()
 
+        if allowed_orphans:
+            print(f"ALLOWED FOREIGN REFERENCES ({len(allowed_orphans)}):")
+            for req_id in allowed_orphans:
+                sources = [
+                    name for name, reqs in spec_reqs.items() if req_id in reqs
+                ]
+                print(f"  - {req_id}: found in {', '.join(sources)}; allowlisted")
+            print()
+
+        if unused_allowlist:
+            print(f"STALE ALLOWLIST ENTRIES ({len(unused_allowlist)}):")
+            for req_id in unused_allowlist:
+                print(
+                    f"  - {req_id}: allowlisted but no longer referenced — remove it "
+                    f"from <specs-dir>/{ALLOWLIST_FILENAME} "
+                    f"(advisory; does not fail this check)"
+                )
+            print()
+
         if not has_issues:
-            print("All requirements covered. No orphaned references.")
+            print("All requirements covered. No unallowlisted orphaned references.")
         else:
             total_issues = len(uncovered) + len(orphaned)
             print(f"Found {total_issues} issue(s).")

package/adapters/copilot/skills/forge/forge.md

@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ R="$(bash -c 'for d in "${FEATURE_FORGE_ROOT:-}" "$HOME"/.claude/skills/feature-
 [ -n "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
 python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" rank-features --specs-dir "{specsDir}" --json
      ```
-     This returns `{active: [...], counts: {...}}` with active features sorted by `updatedAt` **descending** (row 0 is the most recent). Each row carries `currentStage`, `nextStage`, `nextCommand`, `verifyPending`, `verifyCommand`, `verifyStage`, `verifyState` (`fresh`/`stale`/`failing`/`never`/`none`), `autoVerify` (the effective per-stage setting), `autoFix` (the single source of stage order), and `verifyGate` (`none`/`auto`/`standard` — the single resolved verify-gate, computed once by the ranker; read it rather than re-deriving from `verifyPending`+`autoVerify`). A top-level `invalidAutoVerifyKeys` array appears when `forge.config.json` has `autoVerifyStages` keys outside the five verify-capable stages — surface it as a one-line warning. The `active` list excludes nested epic members surfaced in Tier 1 — but the ranker scans them too, so ignore rows whose `epic` is non-null here (they belong to the epic rollup).
+     This returns `{active: [...], counts: {...}}` with active features sorted by `updatedAt` **descending** (row 0 is the most recent). Each row carries `currentStage`, `nextStage`, `nextCommand`, `verifyPending`, `verifyCommand`, `verifyStage`, `verifyState` (`fresh`/`stale`/`failing`/`never`/`auto-pending`/`none` — `auto-pending` means automatic verification was **scheduled and recorded on disk but has not run yet**: verification is *owed*, never "never verified", and never resolved), `autoVerify` (the effective per-stage setting), `autoFix` (the single source of stage order), and `verifyGate` (`none`/`auto`/`standard` — the single resolved verify-gate, computed once by the ranker; read it rather than re-deriving from `verifyPending`+`autoVerify`). A top-level `invalidAutoVerifyKeys` array appears when `forge.config.json` has `autoVerifyStages` keys outside the five verify-capable stages — surface it as a one-line warning. The `active` list excludes nested epic members surfaced in Tier 1 — but the ranker scans them too, so ignore rows whose `epic` is non-null here (they belong to the epic rollup).
    - **Pick the feature:** if exactly one active standalone pipeline exists, show its dashboard. If multiple exist, use the host's question mechanism — **list the most-recently-updated first, labeled `(recommended)`**, each option's description showing its `currentStage` and a relative age ("updated 2h ago"). Always include a free-form escape ("A different feature / something else") so the user is never boxed in. Then render the chosen feature's dashboard.
 
 If no epics and no standalone features exist **on the current branch**, do not conclude the pipeline is empty yet — the state may live on topic branches (a fresh clone / default-branch session sees nothing on disk). Run `discover-feature --all` (via the standard prelude: `python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" discover-feature --all --specs-dir "{specsDir}" --json`). If it surfaces features, list them with their branches and offer to switch (explicit accept + clean tree only, per the Feature Directory Resolution block), then render that feature's dashboard. Only when `--all` also returns nothing, say: "No active feature pipelines found. Start one with `/feature-forge:forge-1-prd <feature-name>` or group several with `/feature-forge:forge-0-epic <epic-name>`." Never fabricate a dashboard from memory of earlier sessions.
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ Use these status indicators:
 - ✅🔍 = verified and fixes applied
 - ⏭️ = verification skipped (user chose to proceed without verifying)
 - ⚠️ = stale (built against an older version of an upstream artifact)
+- ⏳ = **automatic verification owed** — the row's `verifyState` is `auto-pending`: verification was scheduled at the producing stage's exit and has not run. Annotate the row with the obligation sentence, naming the served stage and the retry command: `{feature}: automatic verification is still pending for {verifyStage}; run {verifyCommand} to resolve it.` (when the recorded scheduled revision differs from the current one, append both revision numbers). Never render an ⏳ row as ⬜/never-verified — the obligation is recorded on disk and is outstanding, not un-attempted. Do not dump or reformat the state file.
 
 ### 3b. Drive to the Next Stage
 
@@ -107,13 +108,13 @@ python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" context-usage --json
 - `{"available": true, ...}` → note `pct` (e.g. "context ~68% full") and `overThreshold`. Window/threshold come from `contextWindowTokens` / `contextWarnThreshold` in `forge.config.json` (the helper defaults to a 200k window and 0.7 threshold, and auto-bumps the assumed window to 1M once observed usage exceeds 200k; **on a 1M-context model set `contextWindowTokens: 1000000` so the percentage is accurate below 200k too** — 1M can't be detected from the transcript until usage crosses 200k).
 - `{"available": false, ...}` → omit context advice silently (non-Claude host, or a fresh session with no transcript). Never treat this as an error.
 
-**2b. Auto-verify catch-up (when `verifyPending` is true).** Under this behavior the just-completed authoring stage runs auto-verify **in-stage** (`references/stage-exit-protocol.md`, in-stage verify block), which clears `verifyPending` — so on the normal path this branch does **nothing**. It fires only as a **catch-up**: `verifyPending` is still true because the producing stage could not dispatch a clean-room subagent (non-Claude host), or ran before this behavior landed. When it does fire, decide whether verify runs automatically (identical logic to the in-stage run, so a stage that already verified is never double-verified):
+**2b. Auto-verify catch-up (when `verifyPending` is true).** Under this behavior the just-completed authoring stage runs auto-verify **in-stage** (`references/stage-exit-protocol.md`, in-stage verify block), which clears `verifyPending` — so on the normal path this branch does **nothing**. It fires only as a **catch-up**, for any of three reasons: the producing stage could not dispatch a clean-room subagent (non-Claude host); it ran before this behavior landed; or the stage exit **recorded durable `auto-verify-pending` debt** that was never discharged — the row's `verifyState` is `auto-pending`, meaning verification was scheduled on disk and never ran (a dropped or declined in-stage dispatch, a crash, or a cleared session). **This branch fires on an `auto-pending` row**: the debt is owed and recorded, so treat it exactly like any other outstanding verification and never as "never verified" or as already discharged. Lead with the obligation sentence from the legend before acting. When it does fire, decide whether verify runs automatically (identical logic to the in-stage run, so a stage that already verified is never double-verified):
 
-- **`autoVerify` is true for the just-completed `verifyStage`** → **skip the verify question entirely** and run verify now, *provided it can run clean-room*. Auto-verify is safe to run unattended only because verify executes in a fresh `forge-verifier` subagent that inherits none of this session's context (so no clear your session / start a fresh session is needed and only a compact digest returns). Guard the clean-room assumption: proceed unattended **only when the host's subagent mechanism + `forge-verifier` subagent are available**. Invoke `feature-forge:forge-verify` via the host's skill-invocation mechanism in **require-clean (`auto`) mode** — in that mode forge-verify refuses to run inline and returns a sentinel if the subagent is not dispatchable (see `skills/forge-verify/SKILL.md`). Then:
+- **`autoVerify` is true for the just-completed `verifyStage`** → **skip the verify question entirely** and run verify now, *provided it can run clean-room*. Auto-verify is safe to run unattended only because verify executes in a fresh `forge-verifier` subagent that inherits none of this session's context (so no clear your session / start a fresh session is needed and only a compact digest returns). Guard the clean-room assumption: proceed unattended **only when the host's subagent mechanism + `forge-verifier` subagent are available**. Invoke `feature-forge:forge-verify` via the host's skill-invocation mechanism in **require-clean (`auto`) mode**, passing the literal `owner: nested` token in the invocation prompt — you are the dispatcher here, so **you** are the sole terminal owner and the branch skill prints no terminal block of its own (see "Branch ownership: the `owner:` token" in `references/stage-exit-protocol.md`). In require-clean mode forge-verify refuses to run inline and returns a sentinel if the subagent is not dispatchable (see `skills/forge-verify/SKILL.md`). Then:
   - **Sentinel returned (clean-room unavailable)** → do **not** run verify inline. Degrade to the manual gate: fall through to step 3 with the **"Verify `{stage}` first (manual)"** option included, and if `overThreshold`, recommend "clear your session / start a fresh session, then verify in a clean session." Verify state stays outstanding; the stage is never advanced on false assurance.
   - **Verify passed / no findings** → proceed to the normal advance gate (step 3), no verify option.
   - **Verify found findings** →
-    - **`autoFix` is true AND preconditions hold** — the findings document has **zero unresolved decision points** and the **working tree is clean** → invoke `feature-forge:forge-fix` via the host's skill-invocation mechanism, then run a **mandatory re-verify** (require-clean mode). Advance only if the re-verify passes. On **any** precondition miss (decisions required, dirty tree), a forge-fix early stop, or a red re-verify → fall back to the digest + prompt below (never a silent partial mutation).
+    - **`autoFix` is true AND preconditions hold** — the findings document has **zero unresolved decision points** and the **working tree is clean** → invoke `feature-forge:forge-fix` via the host's skill-invocation mechanism with the literal `owner: nested` token in the invocation prompt, then run a **mandatory re-verify** (require-clean mode, also `owner: nested`). Every call in this catch-up chain is nested and prints no terminal block — you remain the sole terminal owner and print exactly one closing block after the chain settles. Advance only if the re-verify passes. On **any** precondition miss (decisions required, dirty tree), a forge-fix early stop, or a red re-verify → fall back to the digest + prompt below (never a silent partial mutation).
     - **`autoFix` is false (default), or preconditions failed** → present a **compact findings digest** as text, then the host's question mechanism: *Apply fixes now (forge-fix)* / *Review findings* / *Skip & advance*.
 - **`autoVerify` is false/unconfigured** → do not auto-run; use the advance gate in step 3, which gains the folded opt-in verify options ("Verify `{stage}` now" and "Verify `{stage}` now + enable auto-verify going forward").
 
@@ -128,7 +129,7 @@ python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" context-usage --json
 **4. Act on the choice.**
 - **Clean session** (the default) → give the exact next command and the clear your session / start a fresh session-then-re-run instruction; do not invoke anything (you cannot clear your session / start a fresh session for the user).
 - **Continue in this session** → if `autoInvokeNextStage` is true (default) **and** the host's skill-invocation mechanism is available, invoke the chosen stage **via the host's skill-invocation mechanism** in this same session (e.g. `skill: "feature-forge:forge-3-specs"`, `args: "{feature}"`) — no retyping, no paste. If `autoInvokeNextStage` is false, or the host's skill-invocation mechanism is unavailable (a non-Claude host), fall back to printing `{nextCommand}` prominently for the user to run.
-- **Verify now / Verify now + enable auto-verify** → invoke `feature-forge:forge-verify` via the host's skill-invocation mechanism (require-clean mode). For the **enable-auto-verify** variant, additionally patch `autoVerify: true` into `forge.config.json` in place (preserve formatting and other keys) — never a silent write. On a non-Claude host or when degrading to the manual/inline gate, print `{verifyCommand}` instead.
+- **Verify now / Verify now + enable auto-verify** → invoke `feature-forge:forge-verify` via the host's skill-invocation mechanism (require-clean mode) with the literal `owner: nested` token. **Every navigator dispatch of `forge-verify`/`forge-fix` — the step 2b catch-up chain, this gate, and the "Apply fixes now" choice of the findings digest — carries `owner: nested`**, so the branch skill returns its structured result and prints no terminal block, and the navigator stays the sole terminal owner. For the **enable-auto-verify** variant, additionally patch `autoVerify: true` into `forge.config.json` in place (preserve formatting and other keys) — never a silent write. On a non-Claude host or when degrading to the manual/inline gate, print `{verifyCommand}` instead.
 - **Different stage** → honor the free-form request.
 
 **Host fallback.** On a non-Claude host or when the host's skill-invocation and subagent mechanisms are unavailable, auto-verify never runs unattended — fall back to printing `{verifyCommand}` exactly as today, mirroring `autoInvokeNextStage`.
@@ -149,7 +150,7 @@ and render from its output:
 
 - **Epic header:** name + `status` (active | paused | abandoned | complete).
 - **Dependency graph:** each feature with its `dependsOn`, as an arrow list or indented tree (the helper guarantees the graph is acyclic).
-- **Per-feature rows:** reuse the **existing status indicators** below (✅/✅⚠️/🔄/⬜/❌/✅🔍/⏭️/⚠️), driven by each feature's derived `stage`/`status`. Mark `blocked` features and list their `unmetDeps`.
+- **Per-feature rows:** reuse the **existing status indicators** below (✅/✅⚠️/🔄/⬜/❌/✅🔍/⏭️/⚠️/⏳), driven by each feature's derived `stage`/`status`. Mark `blocked` features and list their `unmetDeps`. `render-status --json` also emits an owed-automatic-verification obligation in its `warnings` array for any member carrying that debt — surface those lines verbatim rather than restating them, and mark those members ⏳, never ⬜.
 - **Pending epic changes:** for any feature with `openEpicChangeRequests > 0`, append a ⚠️ marker and a hint: *"N pending epic change(s) — run `/feature-forge:forge-0-epic {epic}` to reconcile."* If `blockingEpicChangeRequests > 0`, use a stronger marker (⚠️ **blocking**) and word it *"reconcile the epic **before** writing specs"* — this mirrors the pause-now vs finish-then split that stage-exit already routes on. Take these counts **only** from `render-status --json` (`features[].openEpicChangeRequests` / `.blockingEpicChangeRequests`); do not read member `.pipeline-state.json` directly for them.
 - **Actionable vs blocked:** list the `actionable` set and the recommended `nextCommand`.
 - **Rollup:** `{complete}/{total} features complete`.

package/adapters/copilot/skills/forge/references/pipeline-state-schema.json

@@ -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/copilot/skills/forge/references/shared-conventions.md

@@ -191,6 +191,44 @@ Pipeline state is written by the `state-*` verbs of `scripts/forge-session.py`
 
 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)
 
 When loading upstream artifacts as prerequisites, check `basedOnVersions` in the pipeline state for this stage. If any upstream stage's current version is newer than the version recorded in `basedOnVersions`, warn the user before proceeding:
@@ -199,6 +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.