@garygentry/feature-forge 0.3.2 → 0.3.5

package/adapters/claude/skills/forge-4-backlog/SKILL.md

@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" effective-config --config ./forge.config.j
 
 **Prerequisite check:** Read `{resolvedFeatureDir}/.pipeline-state.json`. If not in force mode, stages `forge-1-prd`, `forge-2-tech`, and `forge-3-specs` must all be `complete`. If not, STOP and tell the user which prerequisites are missing.
 
+**Carried-over note check.** If that state's top-level `notes` is a non-empty string, surface it verbatim before proceeding and treat it as input to this stage — it was persisted for exactly this cross-session handoff (often at the previous stage's exit), and it can carry backlog-shaping constraints (e.g. "no item may create file X"). It never overrides the specs or config; raise any conflict instead of silently following either side.
+
 After the prerequisite check, invoke the **Stage-Entry Guard** block in `references/shared-conventions.md` with `{stage}` = `forge-4-backlog` — it detects an interrupted or complete `backlog.json`, runs the resume/restart or new-version gate, and stamps entry before Step 2 loads the specs. (The backlog is a single artifact, so "resume" means: reuse the existing `backlog.json` if the previous run wrote it, rather than re-authoring from scratch.)
 
 Then invoke the **Epic-Member Base Guard** block in `references/shared-conventions.md` (this stage does not run Epic Context Injection, so invoke it explicitly here). It self-gates to a no-op for standalone features; for a nested epic member on a branch that lacks the epic manifest it stops with a home-branch pointer (Issue #125).
@@ -92,6 +94,8 @@ After presenting the plan as text, use `AskUserQuestion` following the **Decisio
 
 `author-backlog` owns all item-quality rules (granularity hard limits, self-contained descriptions, acceptance criteria, `agentDelegation`, the correct `type`/`status` enums, `dependsOn`, `specReferences`, the schema source). Do not re-encode them here — follow whatever it produces.
 
+**Return contract.** This is the **delegate-and-resume** posture of "Caller-side resumption: the declared resume point" in `references/stage-exit-protocol.md`. `author-backlog` is a sub-skill of this stage, not its terminal: when it returns, control returns to **this skill, at Step 5** — forge-4 still owns the stage and its terminal output. Two of the sub-skill's own instructions do not apply on this delegated path (it also serves direct user invocation, and those instructions are its direct-invocation posture): its wait-for-user-approval-before-writing gate is already satisfied by Step 3's approved plan — do not re-ask; and its closing "run `rauf backlog validate` … and confirm the validated result" posture is subsumed by Step 5, which owns validation (see Step 5's ownership note). Do not adopt the sub-skill's report-and-stop terminal — it is the freshest instruction in context after the return, but it belongs to the sub-skill: continue to Step 5 in the same turn; Steps 6 and 7 still run, and the stage closes only at Step 7's exit.
+
 > **If the rauf plugin / `author-backlog` skill is not available:** fall back to
 > authoring inline using the schema source rule (prefer the project's installed
 > `{stateDir}/backlog.schema.json`, else the published `$id`
@@ -108,6 +112,8 @@ After presenting the plan as text, use `AskUserQuestion` following the **Decisio
 
 ## Step 5: Validate via the loop runner
 
+**Validation ownership.** This step is authoritative for validation, whether or not `author-backlog` already ran its own `rauf backlog validate`: this stage carries the degradation rules for a missing/old/not-set-up runner (below) that the sub-skill does not, and this step's result is what Step 6 reports. A validate the sub-skill already ran cleanly makes this a cheap idempotent re-run, never a reason to skip it — and the sub-skill's validate never discharges this step.
+
 Validate the generated backlog by running the runner's **validate command**
 (`loopRunner.validateCommand`), rendered with `{resolvedBacklogDir}` and `{specsDir}`
 substituted — the rauf default:
@@ -132,11 +138,43 @@ Interpret the result:
 >    (`validate` reports the project marker missing), likewise warn and continue
 >    — validation will run cleanly once `rauf install .` has been done.
 
+## Step 5b: Topology Report (advisory)
+
+After validation (or a recorded skip), report the backlog's dependency topology. Pipe the runner's **list command** (`loopRunner.listCommand`, rendered with `{resolvedBacklogDir}` — the rauf default shown below) into the topology verb. It is a pure function over the runner's item array and never takes a `backlog.json` path:
+
+```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 "$R" ] || { echo "feature-forge: cannot locate plugin root" >&2; exit 1; }
+rauf backlog list . --backlog {resolvedBacklogDir} --json | python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" backlog-topology --items-stdin --json
+```
+
+ALWAYS print the metrics, citing the runner counts from the payload:
+
+```
+Topology: {itemCount} items, {rootCount} roots, max chain depth {maxChainDepth}.
+Per-root fan-out (gated subtree size): {id}→{gatedCount}, … (largest first).
+```
+
+Only when the payload's `warnings` array is non-empty, also render this block, including only the bullet(s) for warnings that actually fired:
+
+```
+⚠️ Fragile topology (advisory — does not block authoring):
+  - single-root-fanout: root {id} gates {gatedCount}/{itemCount} items (≥50%).
+  - chain-depth: max chain depth {maxChainDepth} is ≥50% of {itemCount} items.
+A single defect in a high-fan-out root or a long chain can strand most of the backlog
+(the loop-recovery incident: 3 roots gating 81%, 13-deep chain). Consider splitting the
+gating root's subtree or flattening the chain — this is a heads-up, not a gate.
+```
+
+This step is **guidance only — it never fails authoring**. If the topology command itself errors, note the error and continue to Step 6 (advisory).
+
 ## Step 6: Review with User
 
 Present a summary: total items N, dependency-chain depth, estimated loop iterations (`ceil(pendingItems * loopIterationMultiplier)`). Note whether validation passed or was skipped (runner not yet available).
 
-State that the backlog is ready and invite adjustments before committing — a statement, not a forced gate: "Backlog is ready. Tell me if you want any items split, merged, or reordered; otherwise I'll record state and commit." Proceed to Step 7 unless the user asks for changes.
+This is a **non-blocking review (invitation)** — per the **Stage Review Gate** in `references/shared-conventions.md`: sibling stages block here; this stage deliberately does not, and the invitation obliges you to continue, not stop.
+
+State that the backlog is ready and invite adjustments before committing — a statement, not a forced gate: "Backlog is ready. Tell me if you want any items split, merged, or reordered; otherwise I'll record state and commit." **Proceed to Step 7 in this same turn** unless the user asks for changes — emitting the invitation and stopping strands the stage before Step 7 runs.
 
 ## Step 7: Update Pipeline State and Commit
 
@@ -145,7 +183,7 @@ Before writing state or running the stage exit, invoke the **Stage-Completion Re
 Pipeline state is written by the `state-*` verbs — see the Pipeline State Protocol in `references/shared-conventions.md`. Follow the Git Commit Protocol in `references/shared-conventions.md`.
 
 1. Record completion by running `state-complete` (below) with `--version`, `--artifact backlog.json`, and `--based-on forge-1-prd=<current version> --based-on forge-2-tech=<current version> --based-on forge-3-specs=<current version>`. It sets `status: "complete"`, `completedAt`, the version and `basedOnVersions`, and applies the downstream staleness cascade deterministically, so no downstream status is set by hand.
-2. **Offer a note — don't force one.** As a statement (not a blocking question), let the user know they can jot anything worth preserving across sessions and you'll store it in the `notes` field. If they volunteer something, store it; otherwise proceed.
+2. **Offer a note — don't force one.** As a statement (not a blocking question), let the user know they can jot anything worth preserving across sessions and you'll store it in the `notes` field. If they volunteer something, store it via `state-note` — it **overwrites** the single `notes` string (latest note wins), so fold any still-relevant existing note into the one combined string; otherwise proceed. The next stage's Step 1 reads and surfaces this note.
 3. If `gitCommitAfterStage` is true, follow the Git Commit Protocol: stage files, attempt commit (marking `stages.forge-4-backlog.status` `complete` with `commitHash: null` in that commit), then record the artifact-commit hash via the protocol's two-commit follow-up (never `--amend`) only on success. If commit fails, leave status as `in-progress`.
 4. If verification was available but the user chose to skip it, persist that skip through `state-verify` using the fence below — never by hand. The choice to proceed unverified is durable state owned by the scripted writer.
 5. **Close with the Stage Exit Protocol** (single-sourced in `references/stage-exit-protocol.md`; do not improvise a "Next steps" list). Lead with the item count ("Backlog complete with {N} items."), then:
@@ -164,7 +202,7 @@ python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-note \
   --feature "{feature}" --note "<what the user volunteered>" --specs-dir "{specsDir}"
 ```
 
-The `state-verify` call for item 4 — **only** when verification was available and the user explicitly chose to skip it. A verifier that could not be dispatched is not a skip, so do not run this on an unavailable-tool path. Add `--epic "{epic}"` when this feature is an epic member — required, per the Pipeline State Protocol in `references/shared-conventions.md`:
+The `state-verify` call for item 4 — **only** when verification was available and the user explicitly chose to skip it. A verifier that could not be dispatched is not a skip, so do not run this on an unavailable-tool path. And only over an entry that is absent or unresolved: if `stages.forge-verify-backlog` already records `passed` or `findings-applied`, do **not** run the call — those statuses are resolved, the verb refuses to demote them to `skipped` (#203), and the existing result stands with nothing written. Add `--epic "{epic}"` when this feature is an epic member — required, per the Pipeline State Protocol in `references/shared-conventions.md`:
 
 ```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')"

package/adapters/claude/skills/forge-4-backlog/references/shared-conventions.md

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ I found that the codebase uses React and TanStack Router.
 
 ### Decision Support: Help the User Choose
 
-When an `AskUserQuestion` carries substantive options (a real choice — not a trivial yes/no confirmation), do not just list them. The interview stages have already done codebase research and integration analysis; surfacing that synthesis at the decision moment is the whole point. For every such question:
+When a question posed through `AskUserQuestion` carries substantive options (a real choice — not a trivial yes/no confirmation), do not just list them. The interview stages have already done codebase research and integration analysis; surfacing that synthesis at the decision moment is the whole point. For every such question:
 
 - **Lead with a recommended option.** Place it first and label it `(recommended)` (matching the `AskUserQuestion` "(Recommended)" convention).
 - **Put the trade-off in each option's `description`.** Say why you'd pick it and what you give up versus the alternatives — the cost, not just the benefit.
@@ -53,6 +53,17 @@ For genuinely comparable artifacts (competing module structures, two code snippe
 
 The **Branch Setup** block below is the reference pattern: a strong recommendation as the first option, rationale inline, the alternative still available, never a hard-stop.
 
+## Stage Review Gate
+
+Every authoring stage ends its "Review with User" step in exactly one of two shapes. Which shape a stage uses is declared **here, once** — each stage's review step points at this block by title, and the shape is never re-derived from the surrounding prose or inferred from how sibling stages behave (three stages block and one does not; majority-shape inference is precisely the failure this block exists to prevent):
+
+- **Blocking review (gate).** The stage presents the artifact and collects feedback through `AskUserQuestion`; it does **not** proceed until the user answers, iterating until they confirm. Stages: **forge-1-prd** (Step 5), **forge-2-tech** (Step 6), **forge-3-specs** (Step 6).
+- **Non-blocking review (invitation).** The stage states the artifact is ready and invites adjustments **as a statement, not a question** — and then **proceeds to the next step in the same turn unless the user asks for changes**. The invitation obliges the agent to *continue*: emitting the invitation sentence and stopping treats the non-gate as a gate and strands the stage `in-progress` with its completion step unrun — a defect, not caution. Stage: **forge-4-backlog** (Step 6).
+
+**Why the shapes differ.** A blocking review guards an artifact whose content was just authored from open-ended interview or synthesis — the user is the only authority on "complete", so the stage must wait. forge-4's backlog is *derived* from specs the user already approved, was planned interactively in its Step 3, and is machine-validated in its Step 5; a second hard gate would re-ask a settled question, and the loop never launches without forge-5-loop's own Step 2d confirmation anyway. The invitation is a courtesy checkpoint, not an approval gate (removed deliberately in #78's consistency sweep).
+
+A stage that changes shape changes it **in this block first**; the per-stage pointer stays a pointer.
+
 ## Configuration Reading
 
 Read `forge.config.json` from the project root. If it doesn't exist, use defaults.
@@ -130,7 +141,7 @@ mkdir -p "<specsDir>"
 [ -f "<specsDir>/AGENTS.md" ] || cp "$R/references/templates/specs-hygiene/AGENTS.md" "<specsDir>/AGENTS.md"
 ```
 
-If the host is Claude (the `AskUserQuestion` tool is available), also ensure the Claude-framed variant:
+If the host is Claude (the Claude-native question 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')"
@@ -191,7 +202,7 @@ 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.
+**The nine `state-*` verbs.** `state-enter` (Stage-Entry Guard), `state-artifact` (incremental artifact tracking), `state-complete` (Git Commit Protocol), `state-skip` (the deliberate forge-6-docs documentation skip — scoped to that one stage; writes `status: "skipped"` + `skippedAt`, refuses to erase a record of docs that exist, and is the only sanctioned writer of a skipped docs stage), `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
 
@@ -395,7 +406,7 @@ Invoke this block **at the head of any post-entry step that writes a stage artif
 
 1. **Proceed** when `stages.{stage}.status` is `"in-progress"` (this session's Entry Stamp — you are finishing the run you started) or absent/`pending`. Run the write / exit normally.
 
-2. **Detect-and-refuse** when ALL of these hold: `stages.{stage}.status ∈ {"complete", "stale"}` **AND** the stage's artifacts (incl. `TRACEABILITY.md` for forge-3-specs) exist on disk **AND** a `commitHash` is recorded for the stage **AND** you did **not** author this stage earlier in the current session. This is a stale/replayed continuation of an already-finished, committed stage. Do **not** overwrite the artifact or re-run the exit. Route instead to the **Stage-Entry Guard**'s *Re-authoring* path: surface the same `AskUserQuestion` warning ("A completed {stage} artifact already exists for '{feature}' (v{n}{, marked stale}). Continuing will create a new version. Proceed?"). Only on explicit confirmation re-enter from the Entry Stamp (the version bumps at exit); otherwise **stop** and report that the stage is already complete — cite the recorded `commitHash` and offer `/feature-forge:forge {feature}` to see true state.
+2. **Detect-and-refuse** when ALL of these hold: `stages.{stage}.status ∈ {"complete", "stale"}` **AND** the stage's artifacts (incl. `TRACEABILITY.md` for forge-3-specs) exist on disk **AND** a `commitHash` is recorded for the stage **AND** you did **not** author this stage earlier in the current session. This is a stale/replayed continuation of an already-finished, committed stage. Do **not** overwrite the artifact or re-run the exit. Route instead to the **Stage-Entry Guard**'s *Re-authoring* path: surface the same warning via `AskUserQuestion` ("A completed {stage} artifact already exists for '{feature}' (v{n}{, marked stale}). Continuing will create a new version. Proceed?"). Only on explicit confirmation re-enter from the Entry Stamp (the version bumps at exit); otherwise **stop** and report that the stage is already complete — cite the recorded `commitHash` and offer `/feature-forge:forge {feature}` to see true state.
 
 When you cannot confirm you authored the current run, treat it as a replay and refuse: a false refuse costs one confirmation click; a false proceed overwrites a committed artifact and re-churns a stage version. `--force` follows Force Mode (skip the gate, treat as a deliberate re-author).
 

package/adapters/claude/skills/forge-4-backlog/references/stage-exit-protocol.md

@@ -47,8 +47,8 @@ an epic member. Only the flags below are stage-specific; pass no others.
 |---|---|---|
 | `forge-0-epic` | `forge-0-epic` | `--next-feature "{member}"` when a concrete member exists |
 | `forge-1-prd` … `forge-4-backlog` | that stage's own id | none beyond identity/capability |
-| `forge-5-loop` | `forge-5-loop` | `--outcome` — one of `complete`, `partial`, `blocked`, `needs-human`, `deferred` |
-| `forge-6-docs` | `forge-6-docs` | `--outcome` — `complete` or `blocked` |
+| `forge-5-loop` | `forge-5-loop` | `--outcome` — one of `complete`, `partial`, `blocked`, `needs-human`, `deferred`, `resolved`; optional `--cause dependency-starvation` with `--outcome partial` |
+| `forge-6-docs` | `forge-6-docs` | `--outcome` — `complete`, `blocked`, or `skipped` (deliberate docs skip, persisted via `state-skip` before the exit; routes like `complete` with honest wording) |
 | direct `forge-verify` | `forge-verify` | `--owner direct`, `--outcome` (`passed`, `findings`, `skipped`, `failed`), and served-stage metadata |
 | nested `forge-verify` | `forge-verify` | `--owner nested`, plus the same outcome and served-stage metadata |
 | direct/nested `forge-fix` | `forge-fix` | the matching `--owner`, a `FixOutcome` (`no-findings`, `decisions`, `failed`, `applied`, `reverified`, `reverify-findings`, `deferred`), and served-stage metadata |
@@ -100,9 +100,9 @@ Obey the DIRECTIVES it prints, in the consumption order this protocol fixes: sur
 
 The stamp is shown with `--host claude`; the adapter build substitutes `pi`/`generic` per
 target, and §"Host and capability determination" below governs the value. The literal is
-deliberate — `scripts/build-adapters.py` keys its host translation on the exact string
-`--host claude`, and the stamp sites are compared byte-for-byte, so it is the one token in
-that line that is not a placeholder.
+deliberate — `scripts/build-adapters.py` keys its host translation on the exact canon
+value of that flag, and the stamp sites are compared byte-for-byte, so it is the one token
+in that line that is not a placeholder.
 
 ## Host and capability determination
 
@@ -110,8 +110,9 @@ Before the call, compute the two inputs independently. They are unrelated: **a h
 implies a capability**, and the script takes `--verify-capability` at face value.
 
 **`--host`** describes only the active adapter command surface — `claude`, `pi`, or
-`generic`. It selects command syntax (`/feature-forge:` vs `/skill:` vs host-neutral) and
-fresh-session wording (`/clear` vs `/new` vs neutral prose). Nothing else.
+`generic`. It selects command syntax (Claude's stage-command prefix vs Pi's `/skill:` vs
+host-neutral) and fresh-session wording (Claude's clear command vs Pi's `/new` vs neutral
+prose). Nothing else.
 
 **`--verify-capability interactive`** is passed only when **both** of these hold:
 
@@ -151,7 +152,8 @@ production successor** while verification is unresolved.
 - a capable Pi session is `--host pi --verify-capability interactive`, and receives the
   same logical gate a capable Claude session does;
 - Pi without a dispatchable verifier is `--host pi --verify-capability manual`;
-- a Claude session that cannot dispatch is `--host claude --verify-capability manual`.
+- a Claude session that cannot dispatch keeps the Claude host value with
+  `--verify-capability manual`.
 
 Interactive gate options keep their explicit labels, their recommended default, and their
 one-line trade-off descriptions (below). The manual path prints the verify command as the
@@ -199,6 +201,44 @@ second sentinel-terminated block **inside** an outer stage's exit, breaking the
 exactly-one-terminal-block rule — and the canon guard cannot catch it, because both
 wordings legitimately appear in the same file. Judge the token, not the phrasing.
 
+## Caller-side resumption: the declared resume point
+
+The `owner:` token and `terminalOwnedBy` arbitrate who prints — but they specify only
+the **callee** side: a nested skill stays quiet and returns its structured result. This
+section is the reciprocal, caller-side half of that contract.
+
+**On a sub-skill's return, the caller re-owns the terminal.** Every closing instruction
+in the callee's own body — its report-and-stop posture, its "confirm the result" close,
+its own next-steps habits — is void for this turn. The caller resumes at its **declared
+resume point**, in the same turn, and its remaining steps run to its own terminal.
+
+**Every Skill-tool delegation site declares, at the invocation, what happens on
+return.** Suppression without resumption is the failure mode this section closes: the
+callee's closing posture is the freshest instruction in context while the caller's next
+step is the oldest, so an undeclared return silently ends the run one layer too early —
+the caller's remaining steps (validation, state writes, commit, stage exit) dropped,
+with no error surfaced. An implicit "let it run to its natural stopping point" is that
+bug spelled politely, and it is banned on delegation sites. A site takes one of two
+declared postures:
+
+- **Delegate-and-resume** — the callee is a sub-step of the caller: the site names the
+  caller's own step that control returns to, and the caller continues there in the same
+  turn. The callee never owns the caller's terminal. The worked instance is
+  `forge-4-backlog` Step 4's **Return contract** for the `author-backlog` delegation
+  (control returns at Step 5; the sub-skill's direct-invocation posture — its approval
+  gate and its validate-and-confirm close — is explicitly disapplied on the delegated
+  path). New delegation sites follow that pattern rather than re-deriving it.
+- **Terminal handoff** — the caller's job ends at the invocation and the invoked skill
+  owns the terminal from there on (e.g. the navigator's `autoInvokeNextStage`
+  "continue in this session" advance into the next production stage). Declaring the
+  handoff is what keeps it distinct from an accidental drop.
+
+Scope: this contract governs **Skill-tool delegation within one session**. The
+truncated-verifier-return guard (forge-verify's `findings-template.md`, "Truncated
+Verifier Returns") is a different mechanism — it polices what an **Agent-dispatched
+subagent's** return payload must contain, not where a caller resumes. A dispatch site
+can be subject to both; satisfy each on its own terms.
+
 ## Directive consumption order
 
 `stage-exit` emits a DIRECTIVES object and (for a direct owner) a NEXT-STEPS block. The
@@ -299,7 +339,11 @@ first:
   a stage's artifact commit.
 - **Skip for now** — go straight to the NEXT-STEPS block without verifying. Record this
   stage's verify status as `skipped` in pipeline state (via `state-verify`, never by hand)
-  **only** on an explicit skip — a skip does not go stale.
+  **only** on an explicit skip — a skip does not go stale. Exception: if the existing
+  entry records `passed` or `findings-applied` (a resolved result whose freshness has
+  merely lapsed), write **nothing** — `state-verify` refuses to demote a resolved status
+  to `skipped` (#203), and the recorded result stands on its own; the user's decline is
+  honored by simply not re-verifying.
 
 **Advancement is allowed only after a pass, or after an explicit skip has been
 persisted.** Choosing to stop, or losing the interaction, produces no advancing terminal
@@ -358,8 +402,8 @@ directive is informational — you do **not** re-derive the wording:
   unchanged; the block appends a non-blocking reminder line ("You also flagged N epic
   change(s) to reconcile when convenient …"). This is *finish-then-edit*.
 
-Either way the added lines are host-neutral (no literal `/clear`) and sit **above** the
-sentinel; just print the NEXT-STEPS block verbatim as always.
+Either way the added lines are host-neutral (they name no fresh-session command) and sit
+**above** the sentinel; just print the NEXT-STEPS block verbatim as always.
 
 ### Deferred decisions — do not solicit next-stage decisions at this exit
 

package/adapters/claude/skills/forge-5-loop/SKILL.md

@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ argument-hint: <feature-name>
 
 Execute the autonomous coding loop against a forge feature's backlog. The loop spawns a fresh agent session per backlog item, implementing each task with full verification.
 
-The loop **runner** is configured, not hardcoded. feature-forge talks to it through the `loopRunner` block in `forge.config.json`; rauf is the default and reference implementation (see `references/ralph-loop-contract.md`). Every command below is rendered from `loopRunner` with token substitution — there are no hardcoded `rauf …` commands in this skill, and even the human log filename is tokenized as `{loopRunner.logFile}`.
+The loop **runner** is configured, not hardcoded. feature-forge talks to it through the `loopRunner` block in `forge.config.json`; rauf is the default and reference implementation (see `references/ralph-loop-contract.md`). Every command below is rendered from `loopRunner` with token substitution — no hardcoded `rauf …` commands; even the human log filename is tokenized (`{loopRunner.logFile}`).
 
 ## Resolve the loop runner
 
@@ -42,13 +42,15 @@ Read and follow `references/shared-conventions.md` for feature name validation,
 
 Read `{resolvedFeatureDir}/.pipeline-state.json`. If not in force mode, `stages.forge-4-backlog` must be `complete`. If not, STOP and tell the user: "Backlog hasn't been created yet. Run `/feature-forge:forge-4-backlog {feature}` first."
 
+If the state's `notes` is non-empty, surface it before proceeding and treat it as run input — often backlog-time constraints; it never overrides specs or config (raise any conflict).
+
 ### 1b. Verification Check
 
 Read `stages.forge-verify-backlog` and branch on its status — **four** cases, in this order (the pending case must be tested *before* the generic one, or owed-and-dropped debt gets reported as never-scheduled):
 
 1. **`passed`** — proceed with no prompt.
-2. **`findings-applied`** — fixes were applied but nothing re-verified them: this status deliberately clears freshness, so the backlog's verification is still outstanding, not silently satisfied. Use `AskUserQuestion` to offer: **Re-verify first (recommended)** (`/feature-forge:forge-verify {feature} backlog`) · **Continue without re-verifying** — an explicit deferral, persisted via `state-verify --status skipped` (never by hand; add `--epic "{epic}"` for members) before the loop starts, so it is a recorded decision and not a walked-past gate.
-3. **`auto-verify-pending`** — automatic verification *was* scheduled for the backlog stage and the debt *was* durably recorded; it simply has not run. Say exactly that, naming the served stage and the retry command: *"{feature}: automatic verification is still pending for forge-4-backlog; run `/feature-forge:forge-verify {feature} backlog` to resolve it."* Then use `AskUserQuestion` to offer the same two choices as case 4. Never report this as "hasn't been verified yet" — "nobody ever asked for this" and "this was owed and dropped" are different facts and the operator acts on them differently.
+2. **`findings-applied`** — fixes were applied but nothing re-verified them: this status deliberately clears freshness, so the backlog's verification is still outstanding, not silently satisfied. Use `AskUserQuestion` to offer: **Re-verify first (recommended)** (`/feature-forge:forge-verify {feature} backlog`) · **Continue without re-verifying**. On continue, write **nothing**: `state-verify` refuses demoting `findings-applied` to `skipped` (#203); the recorded status already says re-verification is outstanding.
+3. **`auto-verify-pending`** — automatic verification *was* scheduled for the backlog stage and the debt *was* durably recorded; it simply has not run. Say exactly that, naming the served stage and the retry command: *"{feature}: automatic verification is still pending for forge-4-backlog; run `/feature-forge:forge-verify {feature} backlog` to resolve it."* Then use `AskUserQuestion` to offer the same two choices as case 4. Never report this as "hasn't been verified yet" — "nobody ever asked for this" and "this was owed and dropped" are different facts.
 4. **Anything else** (absent, `pending`, `skipped`, `findings-reported`) — use `AskUserQuestion` to warn with the cost of skipping: "Backlog hasn't been verified yet. Recommended: run `/feature-forge:forge-verify {feature}` first — the loop implements items autonomously and commits as it goes, so a bad item (wrong scope, missing dependency, untestable acceptance criteria) is far cheaper to catch now than after several commits build on it. Continue anyway?"
 
 Cases 3 and 4 offer the same choices: **Verify first (recommended)** · **Continue without verifying**. The proceed-anyway path is unchanged.
@@ -115,13 +117,17 @@ Verify the file exists on disk. If not, STOP and tell the user: "No backlog.json
 
 The runner commits each item onto the current branch. Skip if not a git repo or `branchPerFeature` is false. Otherwise run the **Branch Reconciliation** block in `references/shared-conventions.md` (it runs `reconcile-branch` and, on `warn-drift` — you are on the default branch — strongly recommends creating `{branchPrefix}{feature}` via `AskUserQuestion` before the loop commits; on `adopt-current` it updates the recorded branch to the current one, never pushing you back to a stale/imposed branch). Never hard-stop.
 
+### 1g. Stranded-Work Pre-flight (if using git)
+
+Run `git status --porcelain`. If it reports changes **and** `{backlogDir}/{loopRunner.stateDir}/state.json` exists from a previous run, **STOP**: name that run (its `startedAt`, `currentItem`, and `blockedItems` from `state.json`) and point the user at the **Post-Run Tree Reconciliation** section of `references/recovery-procedure.md` to commit / stash / discard the stranded work before relaunch — never auto-pass `--force`. If the tree is dirty with **no** prior-run `state.json`, keep today's behavior (surface it; let the user commit/stash or pass `--force`). A clean tree is silent. rauf's own launch refusal remains the backstop.
+
 ## Step 2: Construct the Loop Command
 
 ### 2a. Analyze Backlog
 
-Run the **list command** (`loopRunner.listCommand`, default `rauf backlog list . --backlog {backlogDir} --json`) and count items by status: `pending`, `in_progress`, `done`, `blocked`.
+Run the **list command** (`loopRunner.listCommand`, default `rauf backlog list . --backlog {backlogDir} --json`) and count items by status: `pending`, `in_progress`, `done`, `blocked`. Pipe that same list-command JSON into `backlog-topology --items-stdin --json` (a `forge-session.py` verb — invoke it via Step 3a's `$R` fence) and read `maxChainDepth` to report alongside the iteration count — advisory only: no prompt, no operator decision.
 
-Calculate the iteration count: `ceil((pending + in_progress) * loopIterationMultiplier)` where `loopIterationMultiplier` comes from `forge.config.json` (default: 1.5). This headroom allows retries without exhausting iterations.
+Calculate the iteration count: `ceil((pending + in_progress) * loopIterationMultiplier)` where `loopIterationMultiplier` comes from `forge.config.json` (default: 1.5, headroom for retries).
 
 If there are no pending or in_progress items, STOP and tell the user: "All backlog items are already done or blocked. Nothing to run."
 
@@ -134,8 +140,6 @@ If there are `blocked` items, note them — the user may want `--retry-blocked`.
 - If `backlogDir` is set in config: use the per-feature subpath `{backlogDir}/{feature}` (matching the 1e composition rule and forge-4-backlog §6.2).
 - Otherwise: use `{resolvedFeatureDir}` (the directory containing `backlog.json`).
 
-**Example:** If `specsDir` is `./specs` and feature is `auth`, `{backlogDir}` is `specs/auth`.
-
 ### 2c. Build Command
 
 Render the **run command** (`loopRunner.runCommand`) with token substitution, e.g. the rauf default becomes:
@@ -159,19 +163,20 @@ Backlog summary:
   - Done: {done}
   - Blocked: {blocked}
   - Iterations: {iterationCount} ({activeItems} items x {loopIterationMultiplier} multiplier)
+  - Max chain depth: {maxChainDepth} — depth bounds achievable progress regardless of iteration budget
 
 For the model-selection precedence (item.model > --model/options > project default >
 provider default), read references/runner-contract.md.
 ```
 
-**Run mode and full loop-runner contract:** follow `## Run mode (Step 2d, rauf)` and the remaining sections in `references/runner-contract.md` verbatim.
+**Run mode and full loop-runner contract:** follow `## Run mode (Step 2d, rauf)` and the remaining sections in `references/runner-contract.md` verbatim; `loopRunner.reviewMode` (`"always"`/`"never"`) suppresses the Run-mode question — semantics live there.
 
 #### Agent selection (gated on `loopRunner.agentArgument`)
 
 **Capability gate.** Everything below applies **only when** the effective `loopRunner.agentArgument` is present and non-empty. **When it is absent or empty, Step 2d is exactly the confirmation above — no probe, no agent question, no availability listing, no `Agent:` line — byte-identical to today** (REQ-PLUG-02, REQ-COMPAT-01). The full algorithm, precedence, and verbatim message shapes are in `## Agent selection` of `references/agent-selection.md`; read it. When the gate is on, augment Step 2d in order:
 
 - **(a) Probe once.** Before confirming, run `loopRunner.agentsProbeCommand` (default `{bin} agents --json`) **exactly once** (no retries, no second probe); it exits 0 with `{ agents: [...] }`. Parse `agents[]`; build the advertised set `{ row.id }` — this one parsed array drives (b)–(d).
-- **(b) Agent question.** Add an **"agent"** question to the same `AskUserQuestion` surface: **one option per advertised row** labelled `"{displayName} ({id}) — available/not found"`, **plus an explicit `"default (claude-cli)"` choice mapping to `run_selection = None`**. Resolve the pick (run > project, empty/whitespace unset, an explicit runner-default pick collapses to the default path) into `{resolved.agent, resolved.source}`. Precedence: `item.provider > --agent > project defaultAgent > runner default` (forge never reads a backlog item's provider).
+- **(b) Agent question.** Add an **"agent"** question to the same `AskUserQuestion` surface: **one option per advertised row** labelled `"{displayName} ({id}) — available/not found"`, **plus an explicit `"default (claude-cli)"` choice mapping to `run_selection = None`**. Resolve the pick (run > project, empty/whitespace unset, an explicit runner-default pick collapses to the default path) into `{resolved.agent, resolved.source}`. Precedence: `item.provider > --agent > project defaultAgent > runner default` (forge never reads a backlog item's provider). Under `loopRunner.agentMode: "auto"`, skip this question (`run_selection = None`); (a)/(c)/(d)/(d-model) still run — see `references/agent-selection.md`.
 - **(c) Availability listing.** From the **same** parsed `agents[]` (no second probe), list `id` / `displayName` / available (`yes`/`no`, `detail` on unavailable rows).
 - **(d) Verdict** — only for a **non-default** resolved agent (default path `None`/`claude-cli` → no probe, byte-identical to today). Classify by **membership** then `available` (never by exit code): **UNKNOWN** (`∉` set) → **hard-reject BEFORE any loop side-effect**, error lists the **sorted** valid ids, **NO proceed-anyway**; **UNAVAILABLE** (member, `available False`) → warn with `detail`, `AskUserQuestion` offering **proceed-anyway OR choose-another** (re-presents the same `agents[]`), never silent; **AVAILABLE** → proceed, the validated id fills `{agent}`; **probe failure** (non-zero exit / unparseable / missing or empty `agents[]` / row lacking `id`) → surface it, offer **choose-another OR abort**, **never launch the non-default agent unvalidated** and never silently fall back to the default.
 - **(d-model) Claude-only model-alias guard.** Runs **only** when the resolved agent is **non-default** (not the default / `claude-cli` path). Read the backlog.json (Step 1e path); collect items whose `model` is a **Claude-specific alias** (tier `opus`/`sonnet`/`haiku` or a `claude-*` id). **If none, skip silently.** Otherwise warn before launch via `AskUserQuestion` (NOT prose): `item.model` outranks `--agent`, so the alias is forwarded verbatim to `{agent}`, which will likely reject it (e.g. codex 400 *"The 'sonnet' model is not supported…"*) — every spawn exits 1 and rauf circuit-breaks (*"3 consecutive infra failures — halting"*) with no hint of the cause. Offer: **(1) Strip `model` for this run (recommended)** — rewrite backlog.json removing the `model` key from each affected item (persistent edit; re-run forge-4-backlog to restore), then proceed; **(2) Proceed as-is** — only safe if `{agent}` understands the pinned ids. forge touches only `model`, never `provider`. Full rationale: `references/agent-selection.md`.
@@ -194,7 +199,7 @@ Then commit this state write before launching (mandatory). The runner refuses to
 
 ### 3b. Launch Background Process
 
-Launch the loop **backgrounded** (`run_in_background: true`) so it survives session end and does not block the session. For a runner that **persists its own structured event file** (the default — rauf writes `{stateDir}/events.ndjson` natively and rotates it per run), launch the **plain `runCommand`** with **no stdout redirect** and supervise the runner's **native** `events.ndjson` directly; do **not** redirect `--ndjson` into `{stateDir}` (it is redundant and collides with the runner's own writer — see `references/runner-contract.md`). Only a stdout-only runner (no native event file) uses `eventStreamCommand`, redirected to a file **outside** `{stateDir}`. The background task's exit notification is the single authoritative terminal signal (Step 4). Loop runs can take significant time (minutes to hours depending on backlog size). For the exact launch commands (incl. the `mkdir -p` state-dir guard and the root→`IS_SANDBOX` sandbox guard) and the self-persisting vs. stdout-only detail, read `references/runner-contract.md`.
+Launch the loop **backgrounded** (`run_in_background: true`) so it survives session end and does not block the session. For a runner that **persists its own structured event file** (the default — rauf writes `{stateDir}/events.ndjson` natively and rotates it per run), launch the **plain `runCommand`** with **no stdout redirect** and supervise the runner's **native** `events.ndjson` directly; do **not** redirect `--ndjson` into `{stateDir}` (it is redundant and collides with the runner's own writer — see `references/runner-contract.md`). Only a stdout-only runner (no native event file) uses `eventStreamCommand`, redirected to a file **outside** `{stateDir}`. The background task's exit notification is the single authoritative terminal signal (Step 4). For the exact launch commands (incl. the `mkdir -p` state-dir guard and the root→`IS_SANDBOX` sandbox guard) and the self-persisting vs. stdout-only detail, read `references/runner-contract.md`.
 
 ### 3c. Inform User
 
@@ -203,21 +208,12 @@ Follow the **Inform-user output template (Step 3c)** section of `references/runn
 ### 3d. Arm a Monitor on the event stream, and react to events
 
 Arm the **`Monitor` tool** on the structured event stream (the NDJSON file, or the
-human log as fallback) so events flow back into this session as they happen. Use
-**`persistent: true`** — runs can exceed `Monitor`'s maximum `timeout_ms` (1 hour),
-and a bounded timeout would silently stop watching a still-running loop. The filter
-MUST match every terminal and exception state, not just the happy path (silence is
-not success). Monitor the **structured** surface, never raw `RAUF_*` tokens.
-
-Each Monitor event arrives as a message; react per type — surface `needs_human` /
-`loop_error` immediately with a `PushNotification`, coalesce `item_completed` into
-milestones, and treat `llm_stuck_warning` as a hang warning. A `needs_human` /
-`blocked` signal does **not** pause the loop — the runner sets the item aside and
-keeps going.
-
-For the exact Monitor commands (NDJSON `jq` filter and the log-fallback `grep`
-prefixes), the coverage-complete filter event list, and the full per-event reaction
-rules, read `references/runner-contract.md`.
+human log as fallback) with **`persistent: true`**, a coverage-complete filter
+matching every terminal and exception state (silence is not success), and react to
+each event as it arrives. The exact Monitor commands, the filter event list, and the
+full per-event reaction rules (`needs_human` / `loop_error` surfaced immediately with
+a `PushNotification`, `item_completed` coalesced into milestones, `llm_stuck_warning`
+as a hang warning) are in `references/runner-contract.md` — follow them verbatim.
 
 ### 3f. Reach completion
 
@@ -233,12 +229,16 @@ Run the **status-json command** (`loopRunner.statusJsonCommand`) and read
 `backlogSummary` for the authoritative counts — it separates the three non-done
 outcomes: genuine `blocked`, `needsHuman`, and runner-`deferred` ("false blocks").
 Fall back to the **list command** (`loopRunner.listCommand`) if `statusJsonCommand`
-is not configured. You will already have most of this from the live tally in 3e. If the run used a review flag (e.g. rauf's `--review`), also read any `review_completed` event (event stream, or `{loopRunner.stateDir}/events.ndjson`) for its `itemsCreated`/`summary` to surface in 4b — see `references/result-reporting.md`.
+is not configured. If the run used a review flag (e.g. rauf's `--review`), also read any `review_completed` event (event stream, or `{loopRunner.stateDir}/events.ndjson`) for its `itemsCreated`/`summary` to surface in 4b — see `references/result-reporting.md`.
 
 ### 4b. Report Results
 
 Present a summary to the user. Pick **every** branch that applies (a run can be both
-blocked and needs-human) and render its report. The five verbatim result-report output templates — **all-done**, **needs-human**, **blocked**, **deferred**, and **pending** (iteration limit reached) — are in `references/result-reporting.md`, together with the Step 7 `LoopOutcome` ladder these same counts feed. The reports are descriptive only: they carry no next command, and the run does not end here. If the authoritative counts cannot be obtained at all (4a failed or its output does not parse), follow **Operational failure before the counts are known** in that same file: surface the failure and its recovery, and close nothing — no outcome, no stage exit, no terminal block.
+blocked and needs-human) and render its report. The five verbatim result-report output templates — **all-done**, **needs-human**, **blocked**, **deferred**, and **pending** (with a conditional cause) — are in `references/result-reporting.md`, together with the Step 7 `LoopOutcome` ladder these same counts feed. The reports are descriptive only: they carry no next command, and the run does not end here. If the authoritative counts cannot be obtained at all (4a failed or its output does not parse), follow **Operational failure before the counts are known** in that same file: surface the failure and its recovery, and close nothing — no outcome, no stage exit, no terminal block.
+
+### 4c. Post-Run Recovery Pass (unconditional)
+
+Run the **Post-Run Recovery Procedure** (`references/recovery-procedure.md`) now — on **every** run close, before Step 5 writes state, so the tree it inspects is exactly what the run left. The live `needs_human` handler (3d) collects answers early but is **not** the entry condition: a run that emitted no event still enters here — this is what makes the plain-blocked unblock reachable on blocked-only runs. With nothing to decide, its step 1 skips straight to the §4 tree reconciliation — silent on a clean tree. A run can strand uncommitted work with no signal (items failing a shared final acceptance criterion are never committed); this pass reconciles it — 1g's pre-flight is only the next-launch backstop. Its step-7 gate feeds Step 7's `resolved` rung; the stage still closes exactly once, in Step 7.
 
 ## Step 5: Update Pipeline State
 
@@ -254,9 +254,9 @@ python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-complete --feature "{feature}" --sta
 
 ## Step 5b: Offer Impl-Verify (standalone path)
 
-**Gate:** run only if (a) the feature's `.pipeline-state.json` has **no** `epic` key **and** (b) Step 5 set `stages.forge-5-loop.status` to `complete`. Otherwise **skip** straight to Step 7 — a non-complete run has nothing to verify yet, and epic members get the equivalent offer in Step 6.1 (do **not** prompt twice). This standalone counterpart to Step 6.1 nudges verification interactively rather than via the easily-missed "Next steps" text. Use `AskUserQuestion` (NOT inline prose) to offer: *"{feature}'s loop is complete. Recommended: run `/feature-forge:forge-verify {feature} impl` to audit the implementation before generating docs. Run it now, or skip to forge-6-docs?"* On **run**, invoke `feature-forge:forge-verify {feature} impl` with the literal `owner: nested` token in the dispatching prompt — this dispatch happens inside the loop stage, so **you** remain the sole terminal owner and the branch skill returns its structured result and prints no terminal block of its own (see "Branch ownership: the `owner:` token" in `references/stage-exit-protocol.md`). On **skip**, persist the skip through `state-verify` using the fence below (mirrors `forge-4-backlog`'s skip handling) — the forge-6-docs backstop re-surfaces the skip. Either way, do **not** name a next command here: Step 7 routes, and it routes differently depending on what this step recorded.
+**Gate:** run only if (a) the feature's `.pipeline-state.json` has **no** `epic` key **and** (b) Step 5 set `stages.forge-5-loop.status` to `complete`. Otherwise **skip** straight to Step 7 — a non-complete run has nothing to verify yet, and epic members get the equivalent offer in Step 6.1 (do **not** prompt twice). This standalone counterpart to Step 6.1 nudges verification interactively. Use `AskUserQuestion` (NOT inline prose) to offer: *"{feature}'s loop is complete. Recommended: run `/feature-forge:forge-verify {feature} impl` to audit the implementation before generating docs. Run it now, or skip to forge-6-docs?"* On **run**, invoke `feature-forge:forge-verify {feature} impl` with the literal `owner: nested` token in the dispatching prompt — this dispatch happens inside the loop stage, so **you** remain the sole terminal owner and the branch skill returns its structured result and prints no terminal block of its own (see "Branch ownership" and "Caller-side resumption" in `references/stage-exit-protocol.md`; a delegate-and-resume site — on return, control resumes here). A verifier return without its report structure is a dropped digest, not a result (issue #183) — apply "Truncated Verifier Returns" in forge-verify's `findings-template.md` reference (resume or re-dispatch) before recording anything. On **skip**, persist the skip through `state-verify` using the fence below (mirrors `forge-4-backlog`'s skip handling) — the forge-6-docs backstop re-surfaces the skip. Either way, do **not** name a next command here: Step 7 routes, and it routes differently depending on what this step recorded.
 
-**The skip is written by `state-verify`, never by hand.** Add `--epic "{epic}"` when this feature is an epic member — required, per the Pipeline State Protocol in `references/shared-conventions.md`. On exit 2, surface the plain `Error:` line verbatim and stop: the skip is not persisted, so Step 7 would route on state that is not on disk.
+**The skip is written by `state-verify`, never by hand — and never over a resolved entry** (`passed`/`findings-applied`: the verb refuses that demotion, #203 — skip the fence and continue). Add `--epic "{epic}"` when this feature is an epic member — required, per the Pipeline State Protocol in `references/shared-conventions.md`. On exit 2, surface the plain `Error:` line verbatim and stop: the skip is not persisted, so Step 7 would route on state that is not on disk.
 
 ```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')"
@@ -268,7 +268,7 @@ python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-verify --feature "{feature}" --stage
 
 **Gate:** only run this step if (a) the resolved feature's `.pipeline-state.json` has an `epic` key **and** (b) Step 5 set `stages.forge-5-loop.status` to `complete` (all backlog items done). If either is false, **skip** straight to Step 7 — standalone completed features are handled by Step 5b, and a non-complete run has no handoff to make (REQ-COMPAT-01).
 
-1. **Offer impl-verify first (recommended, skippable).** Per the completion rule (`00-core-definitions.md §7`), a feature whose `forge-verify-impl.status == findings-reported` does **not** unblock dependents. Use `AskUserQuestion` (NOT inline prose) to offer: *"{feature}'s loop is done. Recommended: run `/feature-forge:forge-verify {feature} impl` before unblocking dependents. Run it now, or skip and continue the handoff?"* On **run**, invoke `feature-forge:forge-verify {feature} impl` with the literal `owner: nested` token in the dispatching prompt — this dispatch happens inside the loop stage, so **you** remain the sole terminal owner and the branch skill returns its structured result and prints no terminal block of its own (see "Branch ownership: the `owner:` token" in `references/stage-exit-protocol.md`). On **skip**, persist the skip through `state-verify --status skipped` using Step 5b's fence (add `--epic "{epic}"` — required for members) so the Step 7 exit reads a recorded decision instead of re-asking the question the user just answered; completion is then judged on the §7 rule with impl-verify explicitly skipped.
+1. **Offer impl-verify first (recommended, skippable).** Per the completion rule (`00-core-definitions.md §7`), a feature whose `forge-verify-impl.status == findings-reported` does **not** unblock dependents. Use `AskUserQuestion` (NOT inline prose) to offer: *"{feature}'s loop is done. Recommended: run `/feature-forge:forge-verify {feature} impl` before unblocking dependents. Run it now, or skip and continue the handoff?"* On **run**, dispatch exactly as Step 5b does — the same literal `owner: nested` token in the dispatching prompt (you remain the sole terminal owner), the same truncated-return guard before recording anything, and the same declared resume (control returns here; the handoff continues at 2). On **skip**, persist the skip through `state-verify --status skipped` using Step 5b's fence (add `--epic "{epic}"` — required for members) so the Step 7 exit reads a recorded decision instead of re-asking the question the user just answered; completion is then judged on the §7 rule with impl-verify explicitly skipped.
 2. **Recompute and announce.** Run `render-status "{epic}" --specs-dir "{specsDir}" --json`. Announce the feature's completion and the epic rollup (e.g. "2/4 features complete") — derived live from disk, never re-computed in prose.
 3. **Announce what is actionable — do not route.** Read `render-status`'s `actionable` set (every dependency now complete, not itself complete) and say plainly which members can start now, or which are still blocked and on which dependencies. This is context for the user, not a handoff: the Step 7 exit consumes the same live payload and fences the one authoritative next command itself, so do **not** present a next-feature picker, offer to author a member's PRD, or repeat a member's `nextCommand` here. Two competing actions is exactly the ambiguity the scripted exit removes.
 4. **Commit (REQ-OBS-01).** When `gitCommitAfterStage` is true, commit the Step 5 completion write (and any manifest `updatedAt` bump) via the shared-conventions **Git Commit Protocol**, staging the epic subtree so the member state change commits atomically: `git add {specsDir}/{epic}/` then `{commitPrefix}({feature}): complete loop`. If `gitCommitAfterStage` is false, skip the commit. Then fall through to Step 7 — the epic handoff closes there, once, like every other path.
@@ -277,7 +277,7 @@ python3 "$R/scripts/forge-session.py" state-verify --feature "{feature}" --stage
 
 Every loop run ends here, and ends here **exactly once** — standalone or epic member, complete or not.
 
-First select the single `LoopOutcome` with the ladder in `references/result-reporting.md` (`needs-human` → `blocked` → `deferred` → `partial` → `complete`, first match wins), reading it from Step 4a's authoritative counts and never from the runner's process exit code. If those counts were never obtained, follow that file's operational-failure rule instead: report the failure and its recovery and run no exit at all.
+First select the single `LoopOutcome` with the ladder in `references/result-reporting.md` (`resolved` → `needs-human` → `blocked` → `deferred` → `partial` → `complete`, first match wins), reading it from Step 4a's authoritative counts and never from the runner's process exit code. If those counts were never obtained, follow that file's operational-failure rule instead: report the failure and its recovery and run no exit at all.
 
 **Close this stage with the Scripted Stage Exit** (contract: `references/stage-exit-protocol.md`; do not improvise a "Next steps" list). Run:
 
@@ -293,10 +293,10 @@ Add `--epic "{epic}"` when this feature is an epic member — required, per the
 
 ## Gotchas
 
-- **Plugin-root discovery (1b-epic helper) covers installed paths, not workspace-dev checkouts.** The `forge-root.sh` search in 1b-epic probes `~/.claude/skills/feature-forge`, `~/.claude/plugins/cache/*/feature-forge/*` (marketplace-cache installs), `~/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge`, and `./.agents/skills/feature-forge` — the locations of an **installed** plugin. A feature-forge **source checkout** (e.g. `~/workspace/feature-forge`) is not on that list, so the helper exits "cannot locate plugin root." That is expected in a dev environment, not a bug; run the epic-manifest script from the checkout directly (`python3 <checkout>/scripts/epic-manifest.py …`). The bootstrap prelude wraps its candidate loop in `bash -c` so the `~/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge` glob is zsh-safe: an empty expansion no longer aborts the loop under zsh's `nomatch`.
+- **Plugin-root discovery (1b-epic helper) covers installed paths, not workspace-dev checkouts.** The `forge-root.sh` search probes the locations of an **installed** plugin only, so a feature-forge **source checkout** (e.g. `~/workspace/feature-forge`) exits "cannot locate plugin root." Expected in a dev environment; run the epic-manifest script from the checkout directly (`python3 <checkout>/scripts/epic-manifest.py …`). The bootstrap prelude wraps its candidate loop in `bash -c` so the `~/.claude/plugins/*/feature-forge` glob is zsh-safe: an empty expansion no longer aborts the loop under zsh's `nomatch`.
 - `{backlogDir}` is a **directory path**, not a file path. Pass `specs/auth`, not `specs/auth/backlog.json`.
-- rauf resolves `RAUF.md` with fallback (`{backlogDir}/.rauf/RAUF.md` first, then the project's `.rauf/RAUF.md`) — found as long as the runner is installed in the project. State files (state.json, {loopRunner.logFile}, etc.) are created at `{backlogDir}/{loopRunner.stateDir}/`, within the feature's spec directory (expected) and isolated per backlog dir, so concurrent features don't collide.
-- If the session disconnects during a long-running loop, the runner process continues independently — the user can check results later with the status / list commands. If a previous run left a stale lock, the user may need to pass `--force` to clear it (rauf reports this error clearly).
-- Never run the run command in the foreground (without `run_in_background`) — it blocks and will hit the Bash tool timeout for any non-trivial backlog. "Don't block the foreground" is NOT "stay silent": supervise via the `Monitor` tool (3d), never `sleep`/poll in the foreground. The `Monitor` must use `persistent: true` (not a bounded `timeout_ms`), watch the **structured** surface (`events.ndjson`), and never filter on raw `RAUF_*` tokens — they appear in agent prose and false-match. A `needs_human`/`blocked`/`review` signal does **not** pause the loop — the runner sets the item aside and keeps going; surface it live but don't tell the user the loop is waiting. See `references/runner-contract.md` for the full monitoring rules.
+- rauf resolves `RAUF.md` with fallback (`{backlogDir}/.rauf/RAUF.md` first, then the project's `.rauf/RAUF.md`). State files (state.json, {loopRunner.logFile}, etc.) land at `{backlogDir}/{loopRunner.stateDir}/`, isolated per backlog dir, so concurrent features don't collide.
+- If the session disconnects mid-loop, the runner process continues independently — check results later with the status / list commands. A stale lock from a previous run may need `--force` to clear.
+- Never run the run command in the foreground (without `run_in_background`) — it blocks and will hit the Bash tool timeout for any non-trivial backlog. "Don't block the foreground" is NOT "stay silent": supervise via the `Monitor` tool (3d) — `persistent: true`, the **structured** surface (`events.ndjson`), never raw `RAUF_*` tokens (they false-match in agent prose). A `needs_human`/`blocked`/`review` signal does **not** pause the loop — the runner sets the item aside and keeps going; surface it live but don't tell the user the loop is waiting. See `references/runner-contract.md` for the full monitoring rules.
 - The version gate (1c) uses the `--json` form on purpose; never parse `rauf version`'s human output.
-- **Implementation artifacts must not cite specs.** The loop should **read** the specs and `backlog.json` freely — they are the source of truth for what to build, and the backlog rightly references specs for provenance. But the artifacts the loop **writes into the target repo** (source code, generated `SKILL.md`/agent files, configs, code comments) must be **self-contained**: they must NOT reference feature-forge spec files (no `See specs/{feature}/NN-*.md`, no "source spec" provenance notes in shipped output). Specs are pre-implementation inputs that may be archived or deleted once the feature ships; the implementation must stand on its own. This applies only to shipped implementation output — never to the backlog or spec documents, which should keep citing specs.
+- **Implementation artifacts must not cite specs.** The loop should **read** specs and `backlog.json` freely — they are the source of truth, and the backlog rightly cites specs for provenance. But artifacts the loop **writes into the target repo** (source code, generated `SKILL.md`/agent files, configs, code comments) must be **self-contained**: no references to feature-forge spec files (no `See specs/{feature}/NN-*.md`, no "source spec" provenance notes) — specs are pre-implementation inputs that may be archived or deleted once the feature ships. This applies only to shipped implementation output, never to the backlog or spec documents, which keep citing specs.

package/adapters/claude/skills/forge-5-loop/references/agent-selection.md

@@ -21,6 +21,22 @@ Step 3c are byte-identical to today (capability gate;
 item.provider  >  --agent (run selection)  >  loopRunner.defaultAgent (project)  >  runner default (claude-cli)
 ```
 
+**`loopRunner.agentMode` gate (`"prompt"` default | `"auto"`).** `"prompt"`
+presents the Step 2d agent question (SKILL sub-step b) — byte-identical to today.
+`"auto"` suppresses **only the interactive pick**: skip the agent question and
+resolve as if the user made no per-run selection (`run_selection = None`, so
+`defaultAgent` — or the runner default when unset — applies). Everything else on
+this surface **still runs under `"auto"`**: the single probe, the availability
+listing, the verdict classification below (UNKNOWN hard-reject before any loop
+side-effect, UNAVAILABLE with its proceed-anyway/choose-another question,
+probe-failure handling), and the Claude-only model-alias guard — those questions
+are safety surfaces, not the pick, and are never suppressed. The resolved
+`Agent: {id} (source: …)` line still shows in the confirmation and the Step 3c
+template, so the choice is never hidden. Meaningless when
+`loopRunner.agentArgument` is absent — the capability gate above already removes
+the entire surface, and `agentMode` adds no second gate. An unrecognized value
+behaves as `"prompt"`.
+
 **Run-layer mapping — why forge never re-implements rauf's resolver.** forge owns
 **only** its run and project layers and collapses them into **one** value
 (`resolve()`: `run_selection or defaultAgent or none`), which it emits as a single

package/adapters/claude/skills/forge-5-loop/references/ralph-loop-contract.md

@@ -58,9 +58,12 @@ defined authoritatively in rauf's
 > item aside and **keeps working other runnable items to completion** (rauf:
 > `runner.ts` needs_human handler). So a supervising session can surface those
 > events live (visibility) and cancel early, but it cannot inject an answer and
-> resume the set-aside item mid-run — resolution is a follow-up retry pass. A
-> first-class pause/resume-with-answer capability is a desirable runner
-> enhancement (see `plans/rauf-enhancement-recommendations.md`).
+> resume the set-aside item mid-run — resolution is the **Post-Run Recovery
+> Procedure** (`skills/forge-5-loop/references/recovery-procedure.md`): record the
+> answer via `decision-record` at the moment of collection, then drive recovery
+> from the record after the run ends. A first-class pause/resume-with-answer
+> capability is a desirable runner enhancement (see
+> `plans/rauf-enhancement-recommendations.md`).
 
 ## rauf is the default and reference implementation