@mrciphersmith/keryx 0.2.71 → 0.2.72

package/src/gdskills/bundled/skills/orchestration/job-orchestrator/SKILL.codex.md

@@ -37,7 +37,11 @@ Proceed directly with your assigned task.
 
 ## Purpose
 
-Dynamic orchestrator that builds execution plans based on user intent. Unlike a fixed pipeline, the orchestrator adapts its workflow to what the user actually needs — from "just analyze this issue" to "implement, review, and create a PR". It dispatches sub-agents (`issue-analyzer`, `context-collector`, `task-implementer`, review skills) and persists all work via `job-documenter`.
+Dynamic orchestrator that builds execution plans based on user intent. Unlike a fixed pipeline, the orchestrator adapts its workflow to what the user actually needs — from "just analyze this issue" to "implement, review, and create a PR". It dispatches sub-agents (`issue-analyzer`, `context-collector`, `tests-creator`, `task-implementer`, `code-verifier`, `review-orchestrator`) and persists every step, document and retry through `keryx job`, which writes `.metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/`.
+
+**The package is the state.** `keryx job` is the only writer of `state.json`; it validates every write against the registered contract `job-orchestrator-state` and refuses one that does not conform. Never hand-write `state.json`, and never hold a step's outcome only in this session — a step recorded nowhere is a step that did not happen as far as the next session is concerned.
+
+**Execution metrics (opt-in):** when a USER runs this orchestrator directly (not as a dispatched subagent), at the start ask "Collect execution statistics for this run? (yes/no)" per `.metaproject/rules/core/execution-metrics.md`. If yes, append the `## Execution Metrics` section at the end and save it under the job dir (`jobs/<job>/metrics/`). Never ask or emit it when dispatched as a subagent.
 
 **Key design principle** (from Anthropic's "Building Effective Agents"):
 > "The key difference from parallelization is its flexibility — subtasks aren't pre-defined, but determined by the orchestrator based on the specific input."
@@ -70,11 +74,32 @@ Phase 3: COMPLETION          →  Final report, optional PR, tell user where doc
 
 ### 0.0 State Resumption Check
 
-Before asking any questions, check if an interrupted job exists:
-1. Look in `$JOBS_ROOT` for any directory containing an incomplete `state.json`.
-2. If found, ASK the user: "Found paused job '<job-name>'. Do you want to resume it or start a new orchestrated job?"
-3. If resume → Parse `state.json`, restore `JOB_STATE`, and jump directly to the first uncompleted step in Phase 2.
-4. If new → Proceed to 0.1.
+Before asking any questions, list existing job packages:
+
+```bash
+keryx job list --json
+```
+
+Every entry carries `phase`, `stepsDone`/`stepsTotal` and `nextStep`. A job whose
+`phase` is not `COMPLETION` is unfinished.
+
+1. If an unfinished job exists, ASK the user:
+   "Found unfinished job '<job-name>' (<stepsDone>/<stepsTotal> steps, next: <nextStep>).
+   Resume it or start a new orchestrated job?"
+2. If resume → read the package and jump directly to the step it names:
+
+   ```bash
+   keryx job status <job-name> --json
+   ```
+
+   `next_step` is the first step that is neither `completed` nor `skipped` — computed
+   from the file, not recalled. `retries` gives the recorded attempt count per step, so
+   a resumed session continues from the real number instead of restarting at zero, and
+   `documents` lists what has already been produced.
+3. If new → proceed to 0.1.
+
+There is no `paused` status and nothing writes one. A job is unfinished exactly when a
+step is still open, and `keryx job status` is what reports that.
 
 ### 0.1 Determine User Intent
 
@@ -82,7 +107,7 @@ Parse the user's request to identify the intent:
 
 | User Says | Intent | Plan Type |
 |-----------|--------|-----------|
-| "Implement issue #N" / "Issue to PR" | `implement` | Full: analyze → branch → implement → review → fix → checks → PR |
+| "Implement issue #N" / "Issue to PR" | `implement` | Full: analyze → branch → implement → verify → review → fix → PR |
 | "Analyze issue #N" / "Study issue" | `analyze` | Analysis only: analyze → report. Then ask if user wants to implement. |
 | "Review my code" / "Review branch" | `review` | Review only: review → report |
 | "Analyze and implement" | `implement` | Same as implement |
@@ -121,7 +146,7 @@ For `custom` intent OR any ambiguous request, invoke the `interviewer` skill **b
 
 **Invoke:**
 ```
-Load skill: skills/interviewer/SKILL.md
+Load skill: skills/gdskills/planning/interviewer/SKILL.md
 
 INPUT:
   topic: <user's original request>
@@ -163,7 +188,9 @@ The orchestrator MUST collect all required context before proceeding:
    git -C <project_dir> symbolic-ref refs/remotes/origin/HEAD 2>/dev/null | sed 's@^refs/remotes/origin/@@'
    # Fallback: check for main, master, develop
    ```
-   Present detected branch and ask to confirm. No hardcoded default.
+   Present detected branch and ask to confirm. No hardcoded default — and
+   `input-contract.schema.json` declares none either, so the contract cannot
+   reintroduce one behind the question.
 
 **Intent-specific questions:**
 
@@ -236,13 +263,24 @@ Ready to proceed:
   Intent:    implement
   Issue:     #4141 — Pipeline validation improvements
   Project:   /Users/.../<PROJECT>
-  Base:      develop-2
+  Base:      <detected base branch>
   Create PR: yes
   Job name:  issue-4141--pipeline-validation
 
 Proceed? (yes / adjust)
 ```
 
+This is the **operator** gate and it is not governed by `skip_confirmation`. That
+setting is `{"const": true}` in `input-contract.schema.json` and means exactly one
+thing: dispatched sub-agents run without asking the operator to approve each
+dispatch. It has never covered this question, and the two are named apart here so
+the contract and the prose stop reading as a contradiction. The gate that *can* be
+turned off is `plan_approval` in 1.3.
+
+`job_name` must match `^[a-z0-9-]+$` — the pattern `state.schema.json` declares and
+`keryx job init` enforces before it builds a path from the value. `issue-4141--pipeline-validation`
+conforms; anything with a slash, a space or an uppercase letter is refused.
+
 ---
 
 ## Phase 1: PLAN BUILDING
@@ -271,22 +309,40 @@ PLAN:
   15. { id: "deploy",          type: "deploy",   agent: "deploy",          depends: ["pr"], conditional: true }
 ```
 
-**Conditional step triggers:**
-- `sanity-check`: always runs — verifies ≥1 commit was made
-- `tests-creator`: always runs — mandatory TDD step before every task-implementer wave
-- `verify`: always runs — code-verifier is the mandatory quality gate after implementation
-- `security`: diff touches auth/, api/, migrations, schema files, or `.env`
-- `fix`: review or verify found CRITICAL/HIGH findings
-- `verify-post-fix`: always runs after fix (confirms fix resolved the findings)
-- `perf-check`: diff contains *.tsx, *.jsx, *.css, dist/, build/ files
-- `security`: diff touches auth/, api/, migrations, schema files, or `.env`
-- `fix`: review found CRITICAL/WARNING findings
-- `perf-check`: diff contains *.tsx, *.jsx, *.css, dist/, build/ files
-- `pr`: `create_pr: true`
-- `deploy`: user answers "yes" to post-PR staging deploy prompt
+This is the plan `keryx job init --intent implement` writes, step for step. The `agent`
+field is the **label recorded in the plan**, not a dispatch target: the `review` step is
+executed by `review-orchestrator` (2.6), and `orchestrator` means this skill does the
+step itself. Read the recorded plan back at any time with `keryx job status <job-name>`.
+
+**Conditional step triggers** — one row per step, no step listed twice:
+
+| Step | Runs when |
+|------|-----------|
+| `sanity-check` | always — verifies ≥1 commit was made |
+| `tests-creator` | always — mandatory TDD step before every task-implementer wave |
+| `verify` | always — `code-verifier` is the mandatory quality gate after implementation |
+| `security` | diff touches `auth/`, `api/`, migrations, schema files, or `.env` |
+| `fix` | review or verify produced a `blocker` or `major` finding |
+| `verify-post-fix` | after `fix` ran — confirms the fix resolved the findings |
+| `perf-check` | diff contains `*.tsx`, `*.jsx`, `*.css`, `dist/` or `build/` files |
+| `pr` | `create_pr: true` |
+| `deploy` | user answers "yes" to the post-PR staging deploy prompt |
+
+Severities are the canonical four — `blocker`, `major`, `minor`, `info` — from
+`review-finding.schema.json`. They are the only vocabulary this skill uses, so the
+`fix` trigger and the counts in the report are read off the same field.
 
 Note: `security` runs in parallel with `review` (both depend on `implement` results, no overlap).
 
+**A conditional step is not exempt from the record.** Every step in the plan is
+written into the package by `keryx job init`, and `keryx job complete` refuses while
+any step is neither `completed` nor `skipped`. A condition that did not fire is
+closed explicitly:
+
+```bash
+keryx job step <job-name> perf-check --status skipped --reason "no frontend files in diff"
+```
+
 **For `analyze` intent:**
 ```
 PLAN:
@@ -308,72 +364,90 @@ PLAN:
 **For `custom` intent:**
 Build plan dynamically. Each step must have: id, type, agent, dependencies.
 
-### 1.2 Initialize Job Documentation
+### 1.2 Create the Job Package
 
-Dispatch `job-documenter` with `init` action:
+Create the package with the CLI. This is one command, run by the orchestrator — not
+a sub-agent dispatch:
 
+```bash
+keryx job init --name <job-name> --intent implement|analyze|review|custom --project <project_dir>
 ```
-Task({
-  description: "Init job docs: <job-name>",
-  subagent_type: "general",
-  prompt: |
-    You are the job-documenter agent.
-    Load skill: skills/job-documenter/SKILL.md
-    Follow rules: rules/core/jobs-documentation.mdc
 
-    ACTION: init
-    JOB_NAME: <job-name>
-    JOBS_ROOT: <JOBS_ROOT>
+It creates `.metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/` containing:
 
-    DATA:
-      TITLE: <job title>
-      DESCRIPTION: <description>
-      INTENT: <intent>
-      SOURCE: <issue URL or description>
-      PROJECT: <project path>
-      BRANCH: TBD
-      BASE_BRANCH: <base branch>
-      PLAN: <plan steps>
-
-    Execute and return DOCUMENTER_RESULT.
-})
+- `state.json` — validated against the registered contract `job-orchestrator-state`
+  on **every** write. A state that does not conform is refused, not written.
+- `journal.md` — append-only, one line per recorded event, written by `keryx job`.
+- the plan for the chosen intent, every step `pending`, with `plan.current_step`
+  already pointing at the first one.
+
+`--intent` defaults to `implement`. `--project` defaults to the current directory;
+pass the path collected in 0.2 explicitly rather than relying on the default.
+
+**Refusals to expect, and what each means:**
+
+| Message | Cause |
+|---------|-------|
+| `Job package already exists: .metaproject/jobs/<name>` | The package is there. Run `keryx job status <name>` and resume it (0.0) instead of re-initialising. |
+| `Invalid --name "<name>"` | The name is not `^[a-z0-9-]+$`. |
+| `Invalid --intent "<value>"` | Not one of `implement`, `analyze`, `review`, `custom`. |
+
+Confirm the result before proceeding:
+
+```bash
+keryx job status <job-name>
 ```
 
-**Validate response:** status must be `success`. If `error` → report to user, ask how to proceed.
+It prints the phase, the step list with statuses, and `next:` — the step execution
+starts from.
 
 ### 1.3 Display Plan + Agent Approval
 
-Show each step with its agent and status, then ask the user to approve or adjust:
+Display the plan the package actually holds — do not retype it from memory:
+
+```bash
+keryx job status <job-name>
+```
+
+There is **one** plan. Every step listed in 1.1 is in it, including the conditional
+ones; a conditional step is one whose trigger may not fire, not one that is absent
+until somebody adds it. For the `implement` intent that is fifteen steps:
 
 ```
-Execution plan — <N> steps:
+Execution plan — 15 steps (◦ = conditional):
 
   Step 1   analyze          issue-analyzer              → issue #<N>
   Step 2   context          context-collector           → project context + test framework
-  Step 3   prepare          orchestrator                → feature branch
+  Step 3   prepare          orchestrator                → feature branch worktree
   Step 4   tests-creator    tests-creator × <tasks>     → RED test stubs per task (MANDATORY)
   Step 5   implement        task-implementer × <tasks>  → <N> tasks make tests GREEN (wave-parallel)
   Step 6   sanity-check     orchestrator                → verify commits exist
   Step 7   verify           code-verifier               → lint + type-check + tests + imports (MANDATORY)
-  Step 8   review           code-review × 4             → parallel agents
-  Step 9   fix              task-implementer            → [conditional: CRITICAL/HIGH findings]
-  Step 10  verify-post-fix  code-verifier               → [conditional: after fix]
-  Step 11  report           orchestrator                → final summary
-  Step 12  pr               orchestrator + gh CLI       → [conditional: create_pr=true]
+  Step 8   review           review-orchestrator         → managed review round
+  Step 9 ◦ security         security-audit              → auth/API/DB/env files touched
+  Step 10◦ fix              task-implementer            → blocker or major findings
+  Step 11◦ verify-post-fix  code-verifier               → after fix
+  Step 12◦ perf-check       perf-check                  → frontend/bundle files changed
+  Step 13  report           orchestrator                → final summary
+  Step 14◦ pr               orchestrator + gh CLI       → create_pr=true
+  Step 15◦ deploy           deploy                      → user asked for a staging deploy
 
-Optional (not in plan — add if needed):
-  + security-audit   auto-detect: auth/API/DB changes
-  + perf-check       auto-detect: if frontend/bundle files changed
-  + deploy           ask after PR: "Deploy to staging?"
+Proceed? (yes / adjust: "skip fix", "remove pr", etc.)
+```
 
-Proceed? (yes / adjust: "skip fix", "add security-audit", "remove pr", etc.)
+**If user adjusts:** record the decision in the package rather than holding it in
+this session:
+
+```bash
+# "skip fix" — close it now, with the reason on the record
+keryx job step <job-name> fix --status skipped --reason "operator asked to skip at plan approval"
+# "remove pr"
+keryx job step <job-name> pr --status skipped --reason "create_pr: false"
 ```
 
-**If user adjusts:**
-- Parse natural language: "skip fix" → mark `fix` step as disabled
-- "add security-audit" → insert `{ id: "security-audit", agent: "security-audit", depends: ["review"] }` after review
-- "remove pr" → set `create_pr: false`
-- Re-display updated plan and ask again
+Then re-display with `keryx job status <job-name>` and ask again. A step the operator
+removed is `skipped` with a reason, never silently dropped — that is the difference
+between a plan somebody changed and a plan that quietly shrank.
 
 **If `plan_approval: false`** (automation setting) → skip this display and proceed directly.
 
@@ -385,41 +459,75 @@ Execute each step in plan order, documenting results after each step.
 
 ### 2.1 General Execution Loop
 
+Every step in the loop is bracketed by two `keryx job` calls. The package, not this
+session, is what says a step ran.
+
 ```
 FOR step in PLAN:
   IF step.conditional AND condition_not_met:
-    SKIP step, mark as "skipped"
+    keryx job step <job-name> <step-id> --status skipped --reason "<why the trigger did not fire>"
     CONTINUE
 
-  2.1.1  Mark step as in-progress (update display)
+  2.1.1  Open the step:
+           keryx job step <job-name> <step-id> --status in-progress
+         Re-entering a step that was already opened increments `metrics.steps[].retries`
+         — that counter is the attempt budget, and it survives a session restart.
+
   2.1.2  Execute step (see step-specific instructions below)
          **CRITICAL RESILIENCE**: If the sub-agent returns a malformed result or fails to follow formatting rules, run an explicit retry:
          "The previous output was malformed. Fix these errors: [errors] and try again." (Max 2 retries before counting as critical failure).
+         Re-open the step before each retry so the retry is counted.
+
   2.1.3  Collect result
-  2.1.4  Document result via job-documenter (add-document)
-         (Also update job state `state.json`)
-  2.1.5  Update job README via job-documenter (update-readme)
-  2.1.6  Mark step as completed
-  
+
+  2.1.4  Write the document to disk, then record it in the package:
+           keryx job document <job-name> --type analysis|implementation-report|review|verification-report --file <path>
+         The file must already exist — `job document` refuses a `--file` it cannot
+         find with "Write the document first, then record it." It copies the file
+         into the package and adds it to `documentation.documents_created`.
+         Re-recording the same type replaces the file and leaves one entry.
+
+  2.1.5  Confirm what the package now holds:
+           keryx job status <job-name>
+         The step list, the retry counts and the recorded documents come from
+         `state.json`. This is the job index; there is no README to update.
+
+  2.1.6  Close the step:
+           keryx job step <job-name> <step-id> --status completed
+
   IF step failed critically:
+    keryx job step <job-name> <step-id> --status failed --reason "<what failed>"
     Ask user: "Step '<name>' failed. Continue with remaining steps or abort?"
-    IF abort: skip to Phase 3 (COMPLETION) with status "aborted"
+    IF abort: skip to Phase 3 (COMPLETION)
 ```
 
+**`failed` is not terminal.** `keryx job complete` refuses while any step is `failed`
+or still open, and names them. A job that genuinely ends with a step unfinished is
+closed by deciding what happened to that step — `--status skipped --reason "<why>"` —
+which leaves the decision on the record instead of leaving the package half-written.
+
+Only four document types exist: `analysis`, `implementation-report`, `review`,
+`verification-report`. Anything else is refused with the valid list.
+
 ### 2.2 Step: ANALYZE
 
 Dispatch `issue-analyzer` as a sub-agent.
 
-**Prepare prompt:** Read `skills/issue-analyzer/orchestrator-prompt.md` (if it exists) and fill in:
+**Prepare prompt:** Read `skills/gdskills/orchestration/issue-analyzer/orchestrator-prompt.md`
+and fill in:
 - Issue URL or repo+number
 - Codebase paths with roles
 - Automation settings (skip_confirmation: true, search_depth: focused)
 
+That file ships with the skill. If the read fails, the path is wrong or the skill is
+not installed — stop and say so. Do not proceed on an improvised prompt: a missed
+template is exactly the failure that hid behind the old "(if it exists)" hedge.
+
 **Launch:**
 ```
 Task({
   description: "Issue analysis: #<N>",
-  subagent_type: "general",
+  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
   prompt: <constructed prompt>
 })
 ```
@@ -437,18 +545,16 @@ ANALYSIS_RESULT:
 
 **Validate:** At least 1 task, no circular dependencies, all dependency references valid. Dependency_order array must contain all task_ids exactly once.
 
-**Document:** Send to job-documenter:
-```
-ACTION: add-document
-DATA:
-  DOC_TYPE: analysis
-  TARGET: both
-  TITLE: Issue Analysis — #<N>
-  CONTENT: <human-readable summary for man/, raw JSON for ai/>
-  AGENT: issue-analyzer
-  TASK: Analyze issue #<N>
+**Document:** write the analysis, then record it:
+
+```bash
+keryx job document <job-name> --type analysis --file <path/to/analysis.md>
 ```
 
+It lands in the package as `analysis.md` (the source extension is preserved, so a
+`.json` analysis lands as `analysis.json`) and appears in `documents` on the next
+`keryx job status`.
+
 **For `analyze` intent:** After documenting, present analysis to user. Ask:
 ```
 Analysis complete. Found <N> tasks.
@@ -456,24 +562,24 @@ Want me to implement this? I'll create a feature branch and run the full pipelin
 ○ Yes, implement
 ○ No, analysis is enough
 ```
-If "Yes" → extend PLAN with context → prepare → implement → review → fix → checks → pr steps. Continue execution.
+If "Yes" → follow Plan Extension below: create an `implement` package and continue there. Do not rewrite this package's plan.
 If "No" → skip to Phase 3 (COMPLETION).
 
 ### 2.3 Step: CONTEXT
 
 Dispatch `context-collector` to build the unified context document.
 
-**Prepare prompt:** Use the template from `skills/context-collector/SKILL.md`:
+**Prepare prompt:** Use the template from `skills/gdskills/orchestration/context-collector/SKILL.md`:
 
 ```
 Task({
   description: "Collect context: <job-name>",
-  subagent_type: "general",
+  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
   prompt: |
     You are the context-collector agent. Your task is to research and build
     a context document for the current job.
 
-    Load the skill from: skills/context-collector/SKILL.md
+    Load the skill from: skills/gdskills/orchestration/context-collector/SKILL.md
 
     ACTION: collect
     JOB_NAME: <job-name>
@@ -500,16 +606,27 @@ CONTEXT_RESULT:
 
 **Validate:** status must be `success`. If `error` → log warning, continue (context is helpful but not blocking).
 
-**After context is collected:** All subsequent sub-agents receive the **versioned** context path from state.json:
+**After context is collected:** the orchestrator holds the context path and puts it
+into every subsequent dispatch prompt:
+
 ```
-CONTEXT_LOCATION: <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/ai/context_v<N>.md
+CONTEXT_LOCATION: <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/context_v<N>.md
 ```
 
-**Context versioning:** Never overwrite `context.md` — save snapshots as `context_v1.md`, `context_v2.md`, etc.
-- Version 1 is created during Step 2.3 (first collect)
-- Subsequent versions increment on each update
-- `state.json → context_doc.version` always points to the latest version
-- Sub-agents always read the path from `state.json`, not a hardcoded filename
+**Context versioning:** never overwrite an existing context file — write snapshots as
+`context_v1.md`, `context_v2.md`, and so on. Version 1 comes from the first collect in
+2.3; each update writes the next number.
+
+The current version is the highest-numbered file in the package, which is a fact on
+disk that any session can read:
+
+```bash
+ls .metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/context_v*.md
+```
+
+`state.json` does not carry a context pointer and nothing writes one — do not tell a
+sub-agent to look for one. The orchestrator passes the path (Constructing Subagent
+Context, below); subagents receive, they do not retrieve.
 
 **Triggering context updates during execution:**
 
@@ -518,11 +635,11 @@ If during later steps (implement, review) a sub-agent reports missing context or
 ```
 Task({
   description: "Update context: <job-name>",
-  subagent_type: "general",
+  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
   prompt: |
     You are the context-collector agent. Update the existing context.
 
-    Load the skill from: skills/context-collector/SKILL.md
+    Load the skill from: skills/gdskills/orchestration/context-collector/SKILL.md
 
     ACTION: update
     JOB_NAME: <job-name>
@@ -598,122 +715,145 @@ BRANCH_STATE:
   run_command: <RUNNER>
 ```
 
-> **Store `package_manager` and `run_command` in JOB_STATE** — all subsequent steps use these instead of hardcoded `npm`.
+> **Carry `package_manager` and `run_command` into every subsequent dispatch prompt** — all subsequent steps use these instead of hardcoded `npm`. They are not persisted; the orchestrator holds them for the run and states them explicitly in each dispatch.
+
+**Record:** close the step and put the branch on the record:
+
+```bash
+keryx job step <job-name> prepare --status completed --reason "feature/<branch-slug> at <worktree_path>"
+```
 
-**Document:** Update README via job-documenter (update-readme) with branch info.
+`--reason` is appended to the package's `journal.md` with a timestamp, which is where
+"what branch did this job use" is answerable after the session ends.
 
-### 2.4.1 Step: TESTS-CREATOR + IMPLEMENT — Wave Isolation
+### 2.5 Step: TESTS-CREATOR + IMPLEMENT
 
 **IRON LAW: tests-creator MUST run before task-implementer for every task. No exceptions.**
 
-**CONTEXT BUDGET RULE: Each wave runs as a single isolated sub-agent. The orchestrator never dispatches task-implementers or tests-creator directly. This keeps the orchestrator context bounded to compact wave summaries regardless of job size.**
+There is no `wave-executor` agent. Each wave is two dispatches the orchestrator makes
+itself — `tests-creator`, then `task-implementer` — and both are real, installed
+skills. Nothing is delegated to an intermediary that does not exist.
+
+**CONTEXT BUDGET RULE: instruct every dispatched agent to write its full result to a
+file and return only a compact summary line.** The orchestrator's context grows with
+what agents *return*, not with what they do; a returned result file path costs a line,
+an inlined verification log costs thousands. After 3–4 waves of inlined results the
+session freezes on context reload, which is the failure this rule exists to avoid.
 
 ---
 
-#### Why wave isolation
+#### Wave ordering
 
-When the orchestrator dispatches task-implementers directly, each sub-agent result (STATUS text + verification output) accumulates in the orchestrator's context. After 3–4 waves this context can reach 100k+ tokens, causing the session to freeze during context reload. Wave isolation prevents this: each wave sub-agent runs in its own context and returns only a compact summary.
-
----
+Waves come from `dependency_order` in `ANALYSIS_RESULT`, which `issue-analyzer` already
+returned topologically sorted and which 2.2 validated. Wave 1 is every task with no
+unsatisfied dependency; wave N+1 is every task whose dependencies are all in waves 1..N.
+Do not re-derive an ordering the analysis already produced.
 
 #### Execution pattern
 
 ```
-WAVES = topological_sort_into_waves(dependency_order, task_dependencies)
-
 FOR wave_index, wave_tasks in enumerate(WAVES):
-  Dispatch SINGLE Agent("wave-executor") with all tasks in this wave.
-  
-  Receive compact WAVE_RESULT:
-    STATUS: WAVE_DONE | WAVE_PARTIAL | WAVE_FAILED
-    Wave: <index>
-    Commits: [hash msg, hash msg, ...]
-    Tests: <N passed, M failed>
-    Tasks: task-1 ✅, task-2 ✅
-    Result files: <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/results/task-*.json
-  
-  Decision:
-    WAVE_DONE    → continue to next wave
-    WAVE_PARTIAL → log warnings, continue (read result files for details)
-    WAVE_FAILED  → STOP, read result files for failed tasks, ask user
+
+  keryx job step <job-name> tests-creator --status in-progress      # wave 1 only
+  # Step A — tests-creator (MANDATORY, run first)
+  Dispatch one tests-creator per task in this wave, in a SINGLE turn (parallel).
+  Wait for ALL of them. Collect TEST_SPECS[task_id] from each response.
+  keryx job step <job-name> tests-creator --status completed         # last wave only
+
+  # Parallel safety check, before Step B:
+  # if two tasks in this wave share a target_file, dispatch them sequentially.
+
+  keryx job step <job-name> implement --status in-progress           # wave 1 only
+  # Step B — task-implementer (after all test stubs are committed)
+  Dispatch one task-implementer per task in this wave, in a SINGLE turn (parallel),
+  each carrying test_case_specs: TEST_SPECS[task_id].
+  Wait for ALL of them.
+
+  Read each result's STATUS line:
+    all DONE                  → continue to next wave
+    any DONE_WITH_CONCERNS    → record the concerns, continue
+    any BLOCKED               → STOP, read the result file, resolve or ask the user
 ```
 
-#### Wave executor prompt template
+#### tests-creator dispatch (Step A)
 
 ```
 Task({
-  description: "Wave <N>: implement tasks <task_ids>",
-  subagent_type: "general",
+  description: "Wave <N> tests: <task_id>",
+  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
   prompt: |
-    You are a wave executor. Implement all tasks in this wave, then return a compact summary.
-    
-    ## Wave
-    Wave <N> of <total>
-    
-    ## Tasks
-    <JSON array of task objects for this wave>
-    
+    Load skill: skills/gdskills/quality/tests-creator/SKILL.md
+
+    ## Task
+    <the single task object>
+
     ## Workspace
-    - worktree_path: <absolute path>
-    - branch: <branch name>
-    - package_manager: <pm>
-    - run_command: <runner>
-    - issue_number: <N>
-    - job_name: <job-name>
-    - context_path: <path to context_vN.md>
-    
-    ## Instructions
-    
-    **Step A — tests-creator (MANDATORY, run first):**
-    For each task in this wave, dispatch tests-creator in parallel:
-      Load skill: skills/tests-creator/SKILL.md
-      Pass: task object, workspace, context_path
-      Collect: TEST_SPECS[task_id] from each response
-    Wait for ALL tests-creator agents to finish before Step B.
-    
-    **Step B — task-implementer (after all test stubs committed):**
-    For each task in this wave, dispatch task-implementer in parallel (if no file overlap; sequential otherwise):
-      Load skill: skills/task-implementer/SKILL.md
-      Pass: task object WITH test_case_specs: TEST_SPECS[task_id], workspace, job_name, context_path
-    Wait for ALL task-implementer agents to finish.
-    
-    **Parallel safety check:** Before Step B, verify no two tasks share target_files.
-    If overlap → run sequentially within this wave.
-    
+    - worktree_path:    <absolute path>
+    - branch:           <branch name>
+    - package_manager:  <pm>
+    - run_command:      <runner>
+    - context_path:     <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/context_v<N>.md
+
+    ## Required response
+    Begin with STATUS: <STATUS>. Return the test_case_specs for this task and
+    nothing else inline; write anything longer to
+    <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/results/<task_id>-tests.json and return the path.
+})
+```
+
+#### task-implementer dispatch (Step B)
+
+```
+Task({
+  description: "Wave <N> implement: <task_id>",
+  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
+  prompt: |
+    Load skill: skills/gdskills/orchestration/task-implementer/SKILL.md
+
+    ## Task
+    <the single task object, WITH test_case_specs: TEST_SPECS[task_id]>
+
+    ## Workspace
+    - worktree_path:    <absolute path>
+    - branch:           <branch name>
+    - package_manager:  <pm>
+    - run_command:      <runner>
+    - issue_number:     <N>
+    - job_name:         <job-name>
+    - context_path:     <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/context_v<N>.md
+
     ## Required response format (compact — no inline JSON)
-    
-    STATUS: WAVE_DONE
-    Wave: <N>
-    Commits: [abc1234 feat(x): ..., def5678 feat(y): ...]
+    STATUS: DONE
+    Task: <task_id>
+    Commits: [abc1234 feat(x): ...]
     Tests: <N passed, M failed>
-    Tasks: task-1 ✅, task-2 ✅
-    Result files: <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/results/task-1.json, task-2.json
-    
-    Use WAVE_PARTIAL if any task is DONE_WITH_CONCERNS.
-    Use WAVE_FAILED if any task is BLOCKED or failed.
-    Do NOT include full task output inline — write details to result files.
+    Result file: <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/results/<task_id>.json
+
+    Write full detail to the result file. Do NOT inline it.
 })
 ```
 
-**After all waves, document:**
-```
-ACTION: add-document
-DATA:
-  DOC_TYPE: implementation-report
-  TARGET: both
-  TITLE: Implementation Report
-  CONTENT: <summary of all waves, commits, test totals>
-  AGENT: wave-executor
-  TASK: Implementation phase
+**Each wave runs in ONE worktree.** The worktree created in 2.4 is the whole job's
+workspace — waves are ordered, not isolated from each other, and a later wave sees
+what an earlier one committed. That is what makes the dependency order mean anything.
+
+**After all waves, document:** write the implementation report, then record it:
+
+```bash
+keryx job document <job-name> --type implementation-report --file <path/to/implementation-report.md>
+keryx job step <job-name> implement --status completed
 ```
 
+The report summarises every wave: commits, files, test totals, and each task's final
+STATUS.
+
 ### 2.5.1 Post-Implementation Checkpoint
 
 After all waves complete, check if tests were created. If not, offer `test-gen`:
 
 ```
-# Derive all modified files from wave summaries and result files
-ALL_FILES = collect from WAVE_RESULTS (read result files for details if needed)
+# Derive all modified files from the per-task result files
+ALL_FILES = collect from <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/results/*.json
 
 IF no test files in ALL_FILES:
   Auto-trigger test-gen for new/modified source files
@@ -736,15 +876,23 @@ What's next?
 ```
 
 **Mapping:**
-- A → continue to REVIEW step (default if no response in 60s)
+- A → continue to the REVIEW step (2.6)
 - B → run `git diff <merge_base>..HEAD --stat` and `git diff <merge_base>..HEAD`, then re-ask
-- C → skip REVIEW and FIX steps, go to CHECKS → PR
-- D → skip to Phase 3 (COMPLETION) with status "paused"
+- C → skip REVIEW and FIX, go to VERIFY (2.8) → PR. Record both:
+  `keryx job step <job-name> review --status skipped --reason "operator chose to skip review"`
+- D → close the open steps with a reason and go to Phase 3:
+  `keryx job step <job-name> <step-id> --status skipped --reason "operator stopped here to continue manually"`
 
-### 2.5.5 Step: IMPLEMENT SANITY CHECK
+**Wait for the answer.** There is no default and no timer: this skill runs as a model
+in a turn-based session, and nothing here can observe wall-clock time passing while a
+user does not reply. A "default after N seconds" could never fire, so it is not
+offered.
+
+### 2.5.2 Step: IMPLEMENT SANITY CHECK
 
 Lightweight verification after all waves complete, **before** launching review.
-This catches the case where a wave sub-agent claims WAVE_DONE but made no actual git changes.
+This catches the case where a task-implementer reports `STATUS: DONE` but made no
+actual git changes.
 
 ```bash
 # Run in worktree directory
@@ -756,43 +904,78 @@ git log <merge_base>..HEAD --oneline
 
 | Check | Pass | Fail action |
 |-------|------|-------------|
-| At least 1 commit exists | ≥1 commit | `retryable` — re-dispatch the failed wave-executor with: "No commits were made. Implement the changes and commit them." |
+| At least 1 commit exists | ≥1 commit | `retryable` — re-dispatch the task-implementers for that wave with: "No commits were made. Implement the changes and commit them." |
 | At least 1 file modified | ≥1 file changed | Same as above |
-| Claimed files actually modified | All files in wave result match diff | Log discrepancy as WARNING, continue |
+| Claimed files actually modified | All files named in the result files appear in the diff | Log discrepancy as a concern, continue |
+
+Re-open the step before re-dispatching, so the attempt is counted:
 
-**If retry also produces no commits** → classify as `terminal`, ABORT with:
+```bash
+keryx job step <job-name> implement --status in-progress
 ```
-"wave-executor returned WAVE_DONE twice but made no git changes.
-Please implement manually and re-run from the review step."
+
+`metrics.steps[].retries` for `implement` goes up by one. Read it back with
+`keryx job status <job-name> --json` — the count is on disk, so it is still right
+after a session restart.
+
+**If the retry also produces no commits** → classify as `terminal` and stop:
+
+```bash
+keryx job step <job-name> sanity-check --status failed --reason "task-implementer reported DONE twice with no git changes"
 ```
 
-**Record:**
 ```
-SANITY_CHECK:
-  commits: <count>
-  files_changed: <count>
-  lines_added: <N>
-  lines_removed: <N>
-  verified: true | false
+"task-implementer returned STATUS: DONE twice but made no git changes.
+Please implement manually and re-run from the review step."
 ```
 
+**Record the outcome** in the journal, where it survives the session:
+
+```bash
+keryx job step <job-name> sanity-check --status completed \
+  --reason "<N> commits, <M> files changed, +<A>/-<R> lines"
+```
+
+There is no `sanity_check` field in `state.json` and nothing writes one — the
+journal line is the record.
+
 ---
 
 ### 2.6 Step: REVIEW
 
-#### 2.6.0 Review Strategy Selection
+`review-orchestrator` is the review path. It is not one strategy among several: it is
+the only entry point that produces a **managed review record**, and every round this
+skill runs is a round that must be citable afterwards. The legacy alternatives —
+launching `code-ai-review` / `code-learned-review` / `code-style-review` by hand, or the
+never-bundled `code-review` 4-agent skill — are gone. They emitted prose into a chat
+transcript and nothing else, which is precisely the failure the managed pipeline
+replaced.
 
-If the user didn't specify a review approach, offer options:
+A pull request driven by this orchestrator has to pass the completion gate shipped in
+0.2.71. Its five conditions are what 2.6 and 2.7 are built to satisfy:
+
+| Gate condition | Satisfied by |
+|---|---|
+| every fix round has a managed record | `keryx review start` before, `keryx review ingest` after (2.6.1, 2.7) |
+| every finding has a terminal disposition | `keryx review complete --finding … --disposition … --evidence …` (2.7) |
+| scope B is recorded when a scope-B reviewer ran | `keryx review blast-radius --json` → `review ingest --blast-radius` (2.6.1) |
+| no inbound PR comment is unanswered | `keryx review comments collect` every round, `… reply --final` once (2.6.2) |
+| verification stats exist | `review-verifier` dispatched, passed as `--verifications` (2.6.1) |
+
+#### 2.6.0 Review Scope Selection
+
+Ask which reviewer set to use. The flags are `review-orchestrator`'s, and they select
+reviewers — there is no "quick vs thorough" mode:
 
 ```
-How should I review the implementation?
+Which reviewers should run on this branch?
 
-  A) 🚀 Quick (code-review 4-agent parallel) — ~30 sec
-  B) 📋 Thorough (individual reviewers: ai + boss + style + mobx) — ~2 min
-  C) 🔒 Security-focused (code-review + security-audit) — ~1 min
-  D) ⏭ Skip review entirely
+  A) Auto-detect from the diff (recommended) — review-orchestrator picks from changed files
+  B) Named domains — e.g. --backend --security, --frontend --testing-practices
+  C) Everything — --all
+  D) Skip review entirely
 
-> pick a letter (default: A)
+> pick a letter
 ```
 
 Then ask which optional convention reviewers to include when local convention docs or matching
@@ -812,107 +995,169 @@ Detected reviewers:
   - review-flow-graph: shared graph/flow abstraction files
 ```
 
-Only show detected reviewers. If the user chooses B, ask for the exact skill names to include or
-exclude, then persist the choice in job state as `convention_reviewers`.
+Which reviewers are even applicable is **detected, not eyeballed**:
 
-**Auto-select** (skip this question) when:
-- `review_mode` is explicitly set in automation settings → use that
-- `convention_reviewers` is explicitly set in automation settings → use that for optional convention reviewers
-- User already chose at Post-Implementation Checkpoint (2.5.1 option A) → use default (A)
-- Time pressure (total_job_timeout close) → use A (fastest)
+```bash
+keryx review stack --json
+```
+
+It reads `package.json` once and every installed review-category skill's declared
+`metadata.stack_requires`, and reports per reviewer whether the requirement is met.
+Show only what it includes, and carry its exclusions with their reasons into the
+report — a reviewer silently absent reads as a reviewer that found nothing.
 
-#### 2.6.1 Execute Review
+**Auto-select** (skip these questions) when:
+- `review_flags` is explicitly set in automation settings → use that
+- `convention_reviewers` is explicitly set in automation settings → use that for optional convention reviewers
+- User already chose at Post-Implementation Checkpoint (2.5.1 option A) → use auto-detect (A)
 
-Dispatch review skills on the whole branch. **Launch all reviewers in parallel** for speed.
+The selection is held for this run and named in the dispatch. There is no
+`convention_reviewers` field in `state.json` and nothing writes one; the choice is
+carried in the dispatch prompt and reported in 2.9.
 
-**Strategy A — `code-review` (4-agent parallel):**
+#### 2.6.1 Execute the Round
 
-Dispatches 4 agents in parallel (correctness, security, performance, style) and produces a unified severity report.
+**Step 1 — check the budget before dispatching, while stopping is still possible.**
 
-```
-Launch code-review skill with:
-  scope: git diff <merge_base>..HEAD
-  output: unified report with CRITICAL/HIGH/MEDIUM/LOW findings
+```bash
+keryx review budget --spent <usd-so-far> --outstanding <subagents this orchestrator has in flight>
 ```
 
-**Fallback — individual reviewers (if code-review unavailable or user prefers):**
+`--outstanding` is not optional here. `src/review/caps.ts` names `job-orchestrator`
+as the outermost of the three nesting levels — `job-orchestrator` →
+`flow-orchestrator` → `review-orchestrator` — that its cap of 4 in-flight reviewers
+was chosen to survive. keryx is a CLI invoked once per command; it cannot observe
+subagents running inside another orchestrator's process. **The cap binds the nested
+total only when the parent declares its own in-flight count.** Omit `--outstanding`
+and the cap bounds the reviewer fan-out alone, which the record then states plainly.
 
-Determine and **dispatch all reviewers simultaneously** (not sequentially):
+A non-zero exit means the spend ceiling (3 USD by default) is reached: stop and ask
+the user rather than dispatching another fan-out.
 
-| Reviewer | Condition | Launch |
-|----------|-----------|--------|
-| `code-ai-review` | Always | Parallel |
-| `code-boss-review` | Always | Parallel |
-| `code-style-review` | Always | Parallel |
-| `code-mobx-store-review` | Only if `*.store.ts` modified | Parallel |
-| `review-frontend-conventions` | If selected and frontend files/local frontend docs match | Parallel |
-| `review-testing-practices` | If selected and tests/stories/e2e files match | Parallel |
-| `review-core-boundaries` | If selected and shared core files match | Parallel |
-| `review-flow-graph` | If selected and shared graph/flow files match | Parallel |
+**Step 2 — open a managed round.**
 
+```bash
+keryx review start --target branch --ref <feature-branch> --head "$(git -C <worktree> rev-parse HEAD)"
+# reviewing an existing PR instead:
+keryx review start --target pull-request --ref <pr-number> --head <pr-head-sha>
 ```
-# Launch ALL applicable reviewers in a SINGLE turn (parallel):
-Agent 1: code-ai-review (correctness, security)
-Agent 2: code-boss-review (architecture, logic)
-Agent 3: code-style-review (naming, patterns)
-Agent 4: code-mobx-store-review (if applicable)
-Agent 5+: selected convention reviewers (if applicable)
 
-# Wait for all to complete, then merge results
+**A fix round is managed, not optional.** A round whose findings were never ingested
+cannot be cited as a completed round, because nothing durable records what it found.
+
+**Step 3 — collect inbound PR comments, every round.**
+
+```bash
+keryx review comments collect --repo <owner/repo> --pr <n> --sha <head-sha> \
+  --self <our-login> --round <n> --out <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/comments-r<n>.json
 ```
 
-**Review-orchestrator mode (preferred when available):**
+`--sha` is required and is the commit collected against; the completion gate compares
+it to the PR head, so a collection that ran before the comments arrived reads as
+stale rather than clean. Bot reviewers count as reviewers. Do **not** reply yet —
+replies happen once, in 2.7, after the last round.
 
-If `review-orchestrator` exists in the skill catalog, dispatch it with the selected review flags
-instead of manually launching individual reviewers. Pass selected convention reviewer flags:
-`--project-conventions`, `--frontend-conventions`, `--testing-practices`, `--core-boundaries`,
-and/or `--flow-graph`.
+**Step 4 — build both scopes.**
 
-Pass review orchestration controls:
-```
-context_mode: <review_context_mode automation setting; default "light", ask "full" for high-risk PRs>
-token_budget: <review_token_budget automation setting or computed scope budget>
-model_strategy: <review_model_strategy automation setting; default "current">
-output: unified report with findings, review_context, token_policy, and model metadata
+```bash
+BASE_SHA="$(git -C <worktree> merge-base HEAD <base_branch>)"
+keryx review scope --ref "$BASE_SHA" --json > <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/scope.json
+keryx review blast-radius --ref "$BASE_SHA" --json > <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/blast-radius.json
 ```
 
-**Collect and merge findings:**
-```
-REVIEW_FINDINGS: [{
-  reviewer: "<skill-name>",
-  findings: [{ file, line, severity: CRITICAL|WARNING|INFO, message }]
-}]
+Scope A (`review scope`) is the bounded diff, with every drop recorded and its reason.
+Scope B (`review blast-radius`) is what the change can break — the regression set.
+**Keep both files.** `review ingest --blast-radius <file>` is refused on any round that
+dispatched `review-regression`, which is every recommended and full round, and an
+ingest carrying a scope-B finding without the record is refused in code.
+
+**Step 5 — compute the model per dispatch, never by hand.**
+
+```bash
+keryx review tier --scope <scope> --diff-lines <n> --findings <n> [--security] [--verifier reasoning] --json
 ```
 
-**Strategy C — Security-focused:**
+Paste the `model` block it prints into that dispatch. `model_strategy: "current"` is
+gone: it meant "do not switch models", which is exactly the behaviour this command
+replaced. The command names no model — it ranks what the provider reports at runtime
+and, when it cannot rank anything, prints `inherit: true`, which means the dispatch
+runs on the session model. That is a correct answer, not a failure.
+
+**Step 6 — dispatch `review-orchestrator`.**
 
-Run `code-review` (4-agent) AND `security-audit` in parallel:
 ```
-Agent group 1: code-review (correctness, security, performance, style)
-Agent group 2: security-audit (dependency vulnerabilities, secrets scan, OWASP patterns)
+Task({
+  description: "Review round <n>: <job-name>",
+  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
+  prompt: |
+    Load skill: skills/gdskills/review/review-orchestrator/SKILL.md
+
+    flags:            <selected flags, e.g. --backend --security --testing-practices>
+    commit_range:     <BASE_SHA>..HEAD
+    issue_url:        <issue URL, when the job has one — enables the Stage 1 spec gate>
+    context_doc:      <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/context_v<N>.md
+    verification_mode: annotate
+    managed_review:   { mode: "review-flow", target: "branch", target_ref: "<feature-branch>" }
+    is_fix_round:     <true on any round after the first>
+    pr_comments:      { enabled: <true when a PR exists> }
+
+    Emit the unified report AND the fenced ```json keryx:findings``` block.
+    Dispatch review-verifier (Wave C) over the consolidated findings and return
+    its verification claims as a file path.
+})
 ```
-Merge findings from both into unified `REVIEW_FINDINGS`.
 
-**Deduplicate:** If multiple reviewers flag the same file:line, merge into a single finding with the highest severity.
+**Step 7 — verification is part of the round, not an extra.** `review-orchestrator`
+dispatches `review-verifier` in Wave C over the consolidated findings. The verifier
+**runs something** and can only delete — it never raises a severity, adds a finding,
+or rewrites one, and it never verifies a finding raised by the same reviewer. Its
+claims are merged by the CLI, not by hand.
+
+**Step 8 — ingest the round.** This is what makes it citable.
+
+```bash
+keryx review ingest --report <path/to/review-report.md> --ref <feature-branch> \
+  --head "$(git -C <worktree> rev-parse HEAD)" \
+  --scope <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/scope.json \
+  --blast-radius <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/blast-radius.json \
+  --verifications <path/to/verifications.json> --verification-mode annotate \
+  --refuted <path/to/refuted.json> \
+  --spent <usd-so-far> --outstanding <subagents in flight>
+```
+
+An unrecognised option is **refused, not ignored** — a silently dropped flag writes
+nothing and still reports success. `--refuted` carries findings this round raised and
+then dismissed; without it the package keeps only the survivors of an unlogged triage.
+
+**Findings are the canonical shape.** One vocabulary, everywhere in this skill:
+
+- severities are `blocker`, `major`, `minor`, `info` — `review-finding.schema.json`;
+- the report ends with **exactly one** fenced block whose info string is
+  ` ```json keryx:findings ` — ingest reads that block, not the prose, and a round
+  that emits only prose cannot seed the next one;
+- `reviewer` is the reviewer that actually produced the finding, never the
+  orchestrator;
+- identity for dedupe and for the stuck check is `dedupe_key` when the finding has
+  one, otherwise reviewer + file + symbol + problem — never the display id, which is
+  per-report.
 
 **Classify:**
 ```
-NEEDS_FIX = count(CRITICAL) > 0 OR count(WARNING) > 0
+NEEDS_FIX = count(blocker) > 0 OR count(major) > 0
 ```
 
-**Document:**
-```
-ACTION: add-document
-DATA:
-  DOC_TYPE: review
-  TARGET: both
-  TITLE: Code Review Results
-  CONTENT: <findings summary for man/, structured findings for ai/>
+**Document:** record the report in the job package too, so the job and the review
+record point at each other:
+
+```bash
+keryx job document <job-name> --type review --file <path/to/review-report.md>
 ```
 
 #### 2.6.2 PR Review Report Publication
 
-If this job is reviewing an existing GitHub PR, or if a PR number/URL was resolved before the review step, ask whether to publish the consolidated review report after review findings are documented and before fix decisions. This gives the user a chance to record the current review state before any automatic fix loop changes it.
+If this job is reviewing an existing GitHub PR, or a PR number was resolved before the
+review step, ask whether to publish the consolidated review report — after the round is
+ingested and before any fix decisions.
 
 Ask unless automation settings explicitly set `publish_pr_review_report`:
 
@@ -928,43 +1173,53 @@ Publish the review report to the PR?
 
 **Rules:**
 - The PR comment and AI artifact must be written in English only, regardless of the chat language or reviewer output language.
-- Default is C. Never publish to a PR without explicit user confirmation or `publish_pr_review_report: comment`, `publish_pr_review_report: comment-and-ai-artifact`, or legacy `publish_pr_review_report: true`.
-- If the job has review findings but no PR number yet, store `pending_pr_review_report_comment` and `pending_review_ai_artifact` in job state. If the later PR step creates a PR, ask the same question after PR creation.
-- If the user chooses A, delegate concise comment formatting to `review-orchestrator`'s PR Review Report Publication contract when available.
-- If the user chooses B, delegate concise comment formatting and generate `.metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/ai/review-ai-report.md` using `review-orchestrator`'s Detailed AI Markdown Artifact contract.
-- If the user chooses B, the PR comment `Meta` section must include both an `AI artifact` link/path and an `AI artifact description` row explaining in human-readable language that the markdown file contains detailed findings, fix guidance, patch guidance, regression coverage, validation plan, and follow-up agent context.
-- If using legacy reviewers, normalize findings into the same concise PR comment and AI artifact structures before posting.
-- Record the final decision in job state as `publication_plan.mode`: `comment`, `comment-and-ai-artifact`, or `none`.
+- Default is C. Never publish to a PR without explicit user confirmation or `publish_pr_review_report: comment`, `publish_pr_review_report: comment-and-ai-artifact`.
+- If the user chooses A, delegate concise comment formatting to `review-orchestrator`'s PR Review Report Publication contract.
+- If the user chooses B, also generate `.metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/review-ai-report.md` using `review-orchestrator`'s Detailed AI Markdown Artifact contract, and include in the comment's `Meta` section both an `AI artifact` path and an `AI artifact description` row explaining that the file carries detailed findings, fix guidance, patch guidance, regression coverage, validation plan, and follow-up agent context.
+- **If no PR exists yet**, do not ask now and do not stash a pending decision — nothing persists one. Ask this question again after the PR step (2.10) creates the PR, when the answer can actually be acted on.
+- The decision is acted on immediately or not at all. There is no `publication_plan` field in `state.json`; what was published is stated in the 2.9 report.
 
 **Automation values:**
 - `publish_pr_review_report: ask` -> ask the question above.
-- `publish_pr_review_report: comment` or legacy `true` -> publish the concise PR comment only.
-- `publish_pr_review_report: comment-and-ai-artifact` -> publish the concise PR comment and create/link the detailed AI markdown artifact.
-- `publish_pr_review_report: none` or legacy `false` -> do not publish.
+- `publish_pr_review_report: comment` -> publish the concise PR comment only.
+- `publish_pr_review_report: comment-and-ai-artifact` -> publish the concise PR comment and create the detailed AI markdown artifact.
+- `publish_pr_review_report: none` -> do not publish.
 
 #### 2.6.3 Post-Review Checkpoint
 
-After review completes, present findings and ask user:
+After the round is ingested, present findings and ask the user:
 
 ```
-Review complete:
-  🔴 <N> CRITICAL  🟠 <M> HIGH  🟡 <K> MEDIUM  🔵 <L> LOW
+Review round <n> complete:
+  🔴 <N> blocker  🟠 <M> major  🟡 <K> minor  🔵 <L> info
+  verified: <V> claims recorded, <R> findings refuted
+  inbound PR comments this round: <C>
 
-  A) 🔧 Auto-fix and continue (fix CRITICAL + HIGH, skip LOW)
+  A) 🔧 Auto-fix and continue (fix blocker + major)
   B) 📋 Show all findings — I'll decide what to fix
   C) ⏭ Skip fixes, proceed to PR as-is
   D) ⏹ Stop — I'll fix manually
 ```
 
+The counts come from the ingested package, not from re-reading the prose:
+
+```bash
+keryx review status <review-id-or-path>
+```
+
 **Mapping:**
-- A → proceed to FIX step (default if CRITICAL > 0)
+- A → proceed to the FIX step (2.7)
 - B → display all findings grouped by file, then re-ask A/C/D
-- C → skip FIX step, go to CHECKS (only if 0 CRITICAL — refuse if CRITICAL > 0)
-- D → skip to Phase 3 (COMPLETION) with status "paused"
+- C → skip FIX, go to VERIFY (2.8) — allowed only when 0 blockers; refuse while a blocker stands
+- D → close the open steps with a reason (2.1) and go to Phase 3
+
+Whichever branch is taken, **every finding still needs a disposition** before the
+review can be completed — see 2.7. "Nobody chose to fix it" is `dismissed-wont-fix`
+with evidence, not silence.
 
 **Auto-proceed** (skip this question) when:
-- 0 findings → skip directly to CHECKS
-- Only INFO findings → skip FIX, go to CHECKS
+- 0 findings → go straight to VERIFY (2.8)
+- only `minor`/`info` findings → skip FIX, go to VERIFY (2.8)
 - `auto_create_pr: true` → auto-select A
 
 ### 2.7 Step: FIX (conditional)
@@ -984,43 +1239,95 @@ The bound is a ceiling, not a target. Repetition ends the loop earlier and
 slowly" from "stuck", and an agent emitting the identical failing output three
 times spends the whole budget before anything notices.
 
+**A finding leaves this loop by being dispositioned, never by being absent.** The
+previous version of this section recomputed "unresolved" as whatever the next round
+still reported — so a finding the next reviewer simply did not look at was recorded as
+fixed. That is absence-as-evidence, and the completion gate refuses it.
+
 ```
-UNRESOLVED_FINDINGS = all CRITICAL + WARNING findings from step 2.6
-PREVIOUS_REVIEW_OUTPUT = <the review output from step 2.6>
+UNRESOLVED_FINDINGS = all blocker + major findings from step 2.6
+PREVIOUS_REVIEW_OUTPUT = <the ingested report from step 2.6>
 
 FOR iteration in [1, 2, 3]:
   IF NOT NEEDS_FIX: BREAK
 
+  keryx job step <job-name> fix --status in-progress     # increments metrics.steps[].retries
+
   1. Group UNRESOLVED_FINDINGS by file
   2. Construct fix prompt — MUST include unresolved findings from previous attempt:
 
      task_type: "fix"
-     findings: <UNRESOLVED_FINDINGS>
+     findings: <UNRESOLVED_FINDINGS, in the canonical finding shape>
      iteration: <N>
      previously_unresolved: <findings that were in UNRESOLVED_FINDINGS last iteration but still present>
          → Prefix: "These specific findings were NOT fixed in iteration <N-1>: [list]"
 
-  3. Launch task-implementer with fix prompt
-  4. Run sanity-check (step 2.5.5 logic) — verify commits were made
-  5. Re-run reviewers (step 2.6) — parallel dispatch
-  6. Recompute NEEDS_FIX from new findings
-  7. Update UNRESOLVED_FINDINGS = remaining CRITICAL + WARNING
-
-  8. STUCK CHECK — runs before the next iteration and ignores the budget:
+  3. Launch task-implementer with the fix prompt (subagent_type: "general-purpose"),
+     on the model `keryx review tier --fix-attempt <N> --findings <n> --json` computes
+  4. Run the sanity check (step 2.5.2 logic) — verify commits were made
+  5. Run the next managed round — the FULL 2.6.1 sequence, not a bare re-dispatch:
+       keryx review budget  --spent <usd> --outstanding <n>
+       keryx review start   --target branch --ref <feature-branch> --head <new-head>
+       keryx review comments collect --repo <r> --pr <n> --sha <new-head> --round <N+1> --out <file>
+       keryx review scope        --ref "$BASE_SHA" --json > scope.json
+       keryx review blast-radius --ref "$BASE_SHA" --previous blast-radius.json --json > blast-radius.json
+       <dispatch review-orchestrator with is_fix_round: true>
+       keryx review ingest  --report <new-report> --ref <feature-branch> --head <new-head> \
+                            --scope scope.json --blast-radius blast-radius.json \
+                            --verifications <file> --refuted <file> --outstanding <n>
+  6. Recompute NEEDS_FIX from the ingested findings
+  7. Record what became of each finding raised in the PREVIOUS round — every one of
+     them, before the next iteration starts:
+
+       keryx review complete <previous-review-id-or-path> \
+         --finding F-001 --disposition acted-on --evidence "fixed in <commit-sha>" \
+         --finding F-002 --disposition dismissed-incorrect --evidence "<what was run, what it showed>" \
+         --finding F-003 --disposition dismissed-out-of-scope --evidence "<decision, where written>"
+
+     States: unknown, acted-on, dismissed-incorrect, dismissed-wont-fix,
+     dismissed-out-of-scope, dismissed-deprioritised. Everything except `unknown`
+     must cite where the outcome is written down. A recorded state and its citation
+     cannot be overwritten by a later close — record a correction as a new round.
+     Closing with no dispositions leaves every finding reading `unknown`, which means
+     "nobody wrote down what happened".
+  8. UNRESOLVED_FINDINGS = the blocker + major findings of the NEW round that are
+     still without a terminal disposition
+
+  9. STUCK CHECK — runs before the next iteration and ignores the budget:
      IF any finding identity is in UNRESOLVED_FINDINGS for the SECOND iteration
         OR the new review output is identical to PREVIOUS_REVIEW_OUTPUT
      THEN log "stuck: <what repeated>" and BREAK, even with iterations left.
      Identity is the finding's dedupe_key when it has one, otherwise
      reviewer + file + symbol + problem — never the display id, which is
      per-report and would fire on every second iteration whatever happened.
-  9. PREVIOUS_REVIEW_OUTPUT = the new review output
+
+     Detection is also available from the durable record rather than this
+     session's memory, which is the version that survives a restart:
+       keryx review loop --flow <flow-id>
+     It escalates with a non-zero exit on a recurring finding or two identical
+     consecutive rounds, regardless of the remaining budget.
+ 10. PREVIOUS_REVIEW_OUTPUT = the new ingested report
+
+  keryx job step <job-name> fix --status completed
+
+AFTER THE LAST ROUND ONLY — answer every inbound PR comment, once:
+  keryx review comments reply --repo <owner/repo> --pr <n> --outcomes <file> \
+                             --sha <head-sha> --final [--flow-link <url>]
 
 IF still NEEDS_FIX after max iterations, or the stuck check broke the loop:
   Log "Unresolved after <N> iterations" with finding list, and say WHICH of the
   two ended it — a budget exhausted and a loop detected call for different next
-  steps → continue to checks
+  steps. Give every surviving finding a disposition (dismissed-wont-fix or
+  dismissed-deprioritised, with evidence) rather than leaving it `unknown`
+  → continue to VERIFY (2.8)
 ```
 
+`comments reply` **refuses without `--final`**: replying per round turns one review
+thread into six, and a reply written mid-loop states an intention rather than an
+outcome. Each reply is cut in code to 2 sentences and 600 characters, threaded where
+GitHub gives a thread, capped at 30 with one summary comment for the remainder.
+`--dry-run` rehearses the whole pass without posting.
+
 **Fix prompt escalation pattern:**
 - Iteration 1: "Fix these findings: [list]"
 - Iteration 2: "These findings were NOT fixed in iteration 1: [subset]. Fix them now."
@@ -1028,14 +1335,15 @@ IF still NEEDS_FIX after max iterations, or the stuck check broke the loop:
 
 ### 2.8 Step: VERIFY (code-verifier)
 
-Dispatch `code-verifier` as a sub-agent. This replaces the orchestrator-internal "checks" step.
+Dispatch `code-verifier` as a sub-agent. This is the quality gate; there is no separate
+`CHECKS` step, and nothing in this document jumps to one.
 
 ```
 Task({
   description: "Quality gate: <job-name>",
-  subagent_type: "general",
+  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
   prompt: |
-    You are code-verifier. Load skill: skills/code-verifier/SKILL.md
+    You are code-verifier. Load skill: skills/gdskills/orchestration/code-verifier/SKILL.md
 
     codebase_path: <worktree_path>
     base_branch:   <base_branch>
@@ -1049,24 +1357,22 @@ Task({
 ```
 IF VERIFICATION_RESULT.gate == "PASS" or "PASS_WITH_WARNINGS":
   → Proceed to review
-  → Log findings as informational in job docs
+  → Log findings as informational in the job report
 
 IF VERIFICATION_RESULT.gate == "FAIL":
-  → Extract CRITICAL/HIGH findings
-  → Check if fix step is already scheduled
-    - If not → add fix step to plan (dispatch task-implementer in fix mode)
-    - If fix already ran 2× → escalate to user, skip to report
+  → Extract blocker/major findings
+  → Check whether the fix step has already run:
+      keryx job status <job-name> --json     # retries["fix"] is the recorded count
+    - If it has not → run the fix step (2.7) with these findings
+    - If `retries["fix"]` has reached 3 → escalate to the user and go to report.
+      Three is the bound, and it is the same three everywhere in this skill.
 ```
 
-**Document result:**
-```
-ACTION: add-document
-DATA:
-  DOC_TYPE: verification-report
-  TARGET: both
-  TITLE: Verification Report — <gate status>
-  CONTENT: <VERIFICATION_RESULT formatted>
-  AGENT: code-verifier
+**Document result:** write the verification report, then record it:
+
+```bash
+keryx job document <job-name> --type verification-report --file <path/to/verification-report.md>
+keryx job step <job-name> verify --status completed --reason "gate: <PASS|PASS_WITH_WARNINGS|FAIL>"
 ```
 
 ### 2.8.1 Step: VERIFY-POST-FIX (code-verifier, conditional)
@@ -1075,14 +1381,20 @@ After fix iterations, dispatch `code-verifier` again with identical parameters.
 
 ```
 IF fix ran:
+  keryx job step <job-name> verify-post-fix --status in-progress
   Dispatch code-verifier (same params as step 2.8)
   IF gate still FAIL:
-    Log "Verification failed after fix" → skip to report with warning
+    Log "Verification failed after fix" → go to report with a warning
   IF gate PASS:
     Proceed to report
+  keryx job document <job-name> --type verification-report --file <path/to/verification-post-fix.md>
+  keryx job step <job-name> verify-post-fix --status completed --reason "gate: <status>"
+
+IF fix did not run:
+  keryx job step <job-name> verify-post-fix --status skipped --reason "no fix round was needed"
 ```
 
-### 2.8.1 Step: PERF-CHECK (optional)
+### 2.8.2 Step: PERF-CHECK (optional)
 
 Auto-trigger `perf-check` when frontend/bundle files were modified:
 
@@ -1094,7 +1406,42 @@ IF any modified file matches: *.tsx, *.jsx, *.css, *.scss, webpack.*, vite.*, ne
     Add findings to report (informational, not blocking)
 ```
 
-Skip if no frontend files changed or no build output exists. Results are advisory — they don't block the PR.
+Skip if no frontend files changed or no build output exists. Results are advisory — they don't block the PR. Either way the step is closed on the record:
+
+```bash
+keryx job step <job-name> perf-check --status completed|skipped --reason "<result or why it did not run>"
+```
+
+### 2.8.3 Step: SKILL LEARNING (conditional)
+
+Close the self-learning loop (see `rules/core/skill-lifecycle.mdc`). Collect the
+learning signals produced upstream:
+- `skill_drift` fields from each task-implementer result (`stale:`/`missing:`).
+- the `## Skill Learning` block from `review-orchestrator`.
+
+```
+IF no skill_drift and Skill Learning == none:
+  → skip this step (log "no skill drift")
+
+ELSE for each flagged project-skill:
+  1. Dispatch a subagent to build the learning proposal:
+     - Model: COMPUTED, not chosen — run
+         keryx review tier --scope narrow --json
+       and paste the `model` block into the dispatch. The command names no model:
+       it ranks what the provider reports at runtime, and when it cannot rank
+       anything it prints `inherit: true`, which means the dispatch runs on the
+       session model. See rules/core/model-selection.mdc for what the tiers mean.
+     - Command: keryx skills learn --from-review <review-report-path> \
+                  --skill <module>/<skill>
+       (or --from-test / --from-failure when the signal came from verification)
+     - The subagent returns the proposal path. It does NOT apply.
+  2. The orchestrator (flagship) reads the proposal and either:
+     - keryx skills learn apply <proposal.json>   (accept), or
+     - discards it and notes why in the report.
+```
+
+Never apply a proposal unread, and never run `learn` in a hook. Record applied
+skill updates in the Job Report under "Skill Updates".
 
 ### 2.9 Step: REPORT
 
@@ -1109,7 +1456,7 @@ Aggregate all information into a human-readable summary.
 - **Source:** <issue URL or description>
 - **Branch:** `<branch_name>`
 - **Tasks:** <completed>/<total> completed
-- **Review Iterations:** <N>
+- **Review Rounds:** <N> (managed records: <review-id list>)
 - **Final Status:** <READY FOR PR | HAS WARNINGS | HAS ISSUES | ANALYSIS ONLY>
 
 ## Analysis
@@ -1122,19 +1469,27 @@ Aggregate all information into a human-readable summary.
 - **Commits:** <hashes>
 
 ## Review Results
-### code-ai-review
-- CRITICAL: <N>, WARNING: <N>, INFO: <N>
-### code-boss-review
-- ...
+Round <n> — `.metaproject/reviews/<review-id>/`
+| Reviewer | blocker | major | minor | info |
+|---|---|---|---|---|
+| review-logic | <N> | <N> | <N> | <N> |
+| … | | | | |
+
+Verification: <V> claims recorded, <R> findings refuted, <U> unverified.
+Reviewers excluded by `keryx review stack`: <name — reason>.
+Inbound PR comments: <C> collected, <A> answered in the final reply pass.
 
 ## Unresolved Issues
-- [ ] <file>:<line> — <message> (from <reviewer>)
+- [ ] <file>:<line> — <message> (from <reviewer>, disposition `<state>`, evidence `<ref>`)
 
 ## Final Checks
 - Lint: PASS
 - Type Check: PASS
 - Tests: 42 passed, 0 failed
 
+## Skill Updates
+- `<module>/<skill>` v1.2.0 → v1.3.0 (from review F-012; applied) | none
+
 ## Changes Summary
 ### Files Modified (<N>)
 - `src/...`
@@ -1159,7 +1514,7 @@ JOB_NAME: <job-name>
 BRANCH: <feature_branch>
 BASE: <base_branch>
 ISSUE_NUMBER: <issue_number if available>
-CONTEXT_PATH: <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/ai/context.md
+CONTEXT_PATH: <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/context_v<N>.md
 ```
 
 `pr-issue-documenter` will analyze the branch diff and produce a structured PR description (Summary + Changes by area + Key Files table). Use its output as the `body` for the PR.
@@ -1197,42 +1552,66 @@ EOF
 )" --base <base_branch> --head <feature_branch> --draft
 ```
 
+Then record the step, with the PR on the record:
+
+```bash
+keryx job step <job-name> pr --status completed --reason "<PR URL>"
+```
+
+If the job had review findings but no PR until now, ask the 2.6.2 publication
+question here — this is the point at which it can be acted on.
+
 ---
 
 ## Phase 3: COMPLETION
 
-### 3.1 Finalize Job Documentation
+### 3.1 Close the Job Package
 
-Dispatch job-documenter with `finalize` action:
+```bash
+keryx job complete <job-name>
+```
 
+This is a **gate, not a formality.** It refuses while any step is still open or
+`failed`, and the refusal names them:
+
+```
+Cannot complete job <name> — 12/15 steps terminal (not terminal: perf-check, deploy; failed: fix).
+Close each with: keryx job step <name> <step-id> --status completed|skipped [--reason "<why>"]
 ```
-ACTION: finalize
-DATA:
-  FINAL_CONTENT: <full report markdown>
-  FINAL_STATUS: completed | aborted
-  SUMMARY: <1-3 sentence summary>
+
+So close every remaining step first, with a reason that says what happened:
+
+```bash
+keryx job step <job-name> deploy --status skipped --reason "user declined the staging deploy"
 ```
 
-**Validate response:** status must be `success`.
+A job that ended badly is closed the same way — each unfinished step recorded as
+`skipped` with the reason it stopped. There is no "aborted" status to set: what
+happened is in the step statuses and in `journal.md`, which is a record, not a label.
+
+On success the package moves to `phase: COMPLETION` and `plan.current_step` is
+cleared, so 0.0 will no longer offer it for resumption.
 
 ### 3.2 Present Results
 
 Tell user:
 1. What was accomplished (summary)
-2. Where documentation is stored: `.metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/`
+2. Where the package is: `.metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/`
 3. PR URL (if created)
-4. Metrics summary (time, tokens)
-5. Any unresolved issues
+4. Step durations and retries, read from the package
+5. Any unresolved issues, each with its recorded disposition
 
 ```
 ✅ Job completed successfully.
 
-  Documentation: <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/
-  Branch:        feature/<slug> (worktree: <path>)
-  PR:            <URL or "not created">
-  Metrics:       <total time>, <total tokens>
-  
-  See .metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/README.md for the full job index.
+  Package:   <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/
+  Branch:    feature/<slug> (worktree: <path>)
+  PR:        <URL or "not created">
+  Review:    <N> managed rounds, .metaproject/reviews/<review-id>/
+  Steps:     <done>/<total>, retries <sum>
+
+  keryx job status <job-name>   — the step list, retries and recorded documents
+  <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/journal.md — every recorded event, in order
 ```
 
 ### 3.3 Post-Completion Options
@@ -1259,99 +1638,124 @@ What would you like to do next?
 
 When the orchestrator starts with an `analyze` intent and the user then says "yes, implement":
 
-1. **Keep existing completed steps** (analyze, context, report are already done)
-2. **Extend plan** with new steps: prepare → implement → review → fix → checks → report → pr
-3. **Update job documentation** via job-documenter (update-readme with new plan)
-4. **Continue execution** from the first new step
+1. **Keep the existing package** — its completed steps (analyze, context, report) stay
+   completed and stay on the record.
+2. **Create the implementation package** and run it as an `implement` job:
 
-This is the core of dynamic planning — the plan grows based on user decisions.
+   ```bash
+   keryx job init --name <analysis-job-name>-impl --intent implement --project <project_dir>
+   ```
+
+   `keryx job` does not rewrite a package's plan after `init`, and this skill does not
+   ask it to: a plan that could be rewritten in place is a plan whose recorded history
+   cannot be trusted. The two packages are linked by naming and by a journal line:
+
+   ```bash
+   keryx job step <analysis-job-name> proposal --status completed \
+     --reason "user accepted; implementation continues in job <analysis-job-name>-impl"
+   ```
+3. **Complete the analysis job** (`keryx job complete <analysis-job-name>`) once its
+   steps are closed, so it stops being offered for resumption in 0.0.
+4. **Continue execution** from Phase 1.3 of the new package.
+
+This is the core of dynamic planning — the work grows based on user decisions, and each
+stage keeps its own auditable package rather than one package quietly changing shape.
 
 ---
 
 ## State Management
 
-The orchestrator maintains state throughout all phases:
+There are two kinds of state, and confusing them is how a job loses its record.
+
+**Persisted — written by `keryx job`, survives the session.** This is exactly what
+`state.schema.json` declares and exactly what the six commands write. The root carries
+`additionalProperties: false`, so a field that is not on this list cannot be stored:
 
 ```
-JOB_STATE:
-  phase: CONTEXT | PLAN | EXECUTION | COMPLETION
-  intent: implement | analyze | review | custom
-  create_pr: <bool>
-  job_name: <string>
-  
+state.json:
+  phase:      CONTEXT | PLAN | EXECUTION | COMPLETION      (job init, job step, job complete)
+  intent:     implement | analyze | review | custom        (job init)
+  job_name:   <slug matching ^[a-z0-9-]+$>                 (job init)
+  create_pr:  <bool>
   context:
-    issue: { number, title, url, type }
-    project_dir: <path>
-    base_branch: <string>
-  
-  branch:
-    name: <string>
-    worktree_path: <path>
-    merge_base: <commit hash>
-  
+    project_dir:  <path>                                   (job init --project)
+    base_branch:  <string>
+    issue:        { number, title, url, type }
   plan:
-    steps: [{ id, type, agent, depends, status: pending|in_progress|completed|skipped|failed, prompt_chars: <int>, prompt_hash: <sha256 first 8 chars> }]
-    current_step: <step_id>
-  
-  analysis:
-    total_tasks: <N>
-    tasks: [<task objects>]
-    dependency_order: [<task_ids>]
-  
-  context_doc:
-    path: <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>/ai/context.md
-    version: <current version>
-    status: collected | updated | not-collected
-  
-  implementation:
-    task_results: {<task_id>: <result>}
-    all_commits: [<hash>]
-    all_files: [<path>]
-  
-  review:
-    iteration: <N>
-    findings: [<findings>]
-    needs_fix: <bool>
-    unresolved: [<findings>]
-  
-  final_checks:
-    lint: <result>
-    type_check: <result>
-    tests: <result>
-  
+    steps: [{ id, type, agent, depends, conditional,
+              status: pending|in_progress|completed|skipped|failed }]   (job step)
+    current_step: <first step that is not terminal>        (maintained by job step)
   documentation:
-    job_path: <JOBS_ROOT>/<job-name>
-    documents_created: [<paths>]
+    job_path:          .metaproject/jobs/<job-name>
+    documents_created: [<file name per recorded document>] (job document)
+  metrics:
+    steps: [{ step_id, status, started_at, completed_at, duration_ms, retries }]  (job step)
+  jobs_root:  .metaproject/jobs
+  updated_at: <ISO 8601, stamped on every write>
+```
+
+`journal.md` sits beside it: append-only, one timestamped line per event, with the
+`--reason` text where one was given. Between the two, "what happened to this job" is
+answerable without this session.
+
+**In-session — held by the orchestrator for this run, and NOT persisted.** Say it in
+the dispatch prompt, or it does not reach the sub-agent:
+
 ```
+branch:      { name, worktree_path, merge_base, package_manager, run_command }
+analysis:    { total_tasks, tasks, dependency_order }
+context_doc: the path to the highest-numbered context_v<N>.md in the package
+review:      the current round's findings — the durable copy is the managed review
+             package, not this
+```
+
+Five fields this skill used to claim it recorded — `sanity_check`,
+`convention_reviewers`, `publication_plan.mode`, `pending_pr_review_report_comment`,
+`pending_review_ai_artifact` — are **not** persisted and are not in the schema. Nor is
+a `paused` or `timeout` status. Nothing writes them, so nothing claims them: what would
+have gone into them goes into a `--reason` on the journal, or into the 2.9 report.
 
 ---
 
 ## state.json Specification
 
-The orchestrator persists JOB_STATE to `.metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/state.json` for job resumption.
+**Location:** `.metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/state.json`
 
-**Location:** `.metaproject/jobs/<JOB_NAME>/state.json`
+**Schema:** `skills/gdskills/orchestration/job-orchestrator/state.schema.json`, registered
+as the contract `job-orchestrator-state`.
 
-**Schema reference:** `skills/job-orchestrator/state.schema.json`
+**Who writes it:** `keryx job`, and nothing else. Every write is validated against the
+registered contract first and a non-conforming state is **refused**, not written:
 
-**When to create:** During Phase 1.2 (Initialize Job Documentation) — write initial state after job docs are initialized.
+```
+Refusing to write .metaproject/jobs/<name>/state.json — it does not validate against
+job-orchestrator-state:
+  - /plan/steps/0/status: must be one of pending, in_progress, completed, skipped, failed
+```
 
-**When to update:** After every step completion in Phase 2 (EXECUTION) — update `plan.steps[i].status`, `plan.steps[i].prompt` (store the prompt used), and `plan.current_step`.
+**Do not hand-write it.** No `cat > state.json`, no `jq` edit, no sub-agent writing it
+directly. A hand-written state bypasses the validation and the journal, which is how a
+package ends up describing a job that did not happen.
+
+Validate any state file against the contract directly if you need to:
 
-**How to write state.json:**
 ```bash
-# Write state (orchestrator handles this directly, not via job-documenter)
-cat > .metaproject/jobs/<JOB_NAME>/state.json << 'EOF'
-{
-  "phase": "EXECUTION",
-  "intent": "<intent>",
-  "job_name": "<job-name>",
-  ...
-}
-EOF
+keryx skills contracts validate .metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/state.json --schema job-orchestrator-state
 ```
 
-**Job resumption (Phase 0.0):** If `state.json` exists and `phase` is not `COMPLETION`, offer to resume. Parse the file, restore JOB_STATE, jump to the first step with `status: "pending"` or `status: "in_progress"`.
+**When it is written:**
+
+| Command | What it changes |
+|---|---|
+| `keryx job init` | creates the package, the plan, `phase: PLAN` |
+| `keryx job step` | a step's status, `plan.current_step`, `metrics.steps[]` (including `retries`), `phase: EXECUTION` |
+| `keryx job document` | `documentation.documents_created`, and copies the file in |
+| `keryx job complete` | `phase: COMPLETION`, clears `plan.current_step` — refused unless every step is terminal |
+
+**Job resumption (Phase 0.0):** `keryx job list --json` finds packages whose `phase` is
+not `COMPLETION`; `keryx job status <name> --json` names `next_step` — the first step
+that is neither `completed` nor `skipped`. Both answers are computed from the file, so
+a resumed session does not depend on remembering where it was.
 
 ---
 
@@ -1372,15 +1776,16 @@ Do not attempt to infer status from prose. Do not trust a response that "looks f
 **`STATUS: DONE`**
 - Accept result.
 - Extract structured payload (JSON result, files changed, commits, verification results).
-- Mark step as completed in JOB_STATE.
+- Record it: `keryx job step <job-name> <step-id> --status completed`.
 - Continue to next step in the plan.
 
 **`STATUS: DONE_WITH_CONCERNS`**
 - Accept result as complete.
 - Read the `## Concerns for orchestrator` section carefully.
 - Decide: (a) log concern and continue, (b) surface concern to user at next checkpoint, or (c) re-dispatch with adjusted scope if the concern affects correctness.
-- Do NOT silently discard concerns. Record them in JOB_STATE and include in the final report.
-- Mark step as completed.
+- Do NOT silently discard concerns. Put them on the record and include them in the final report:
+  `keryx job step <job-name> <step-id> --status completed --reason "<the concern>"`
+  — the reason lands in `journal.md`, so the concern outlives the session.
 
 **`STATUS: BLOCKED`**
 - Do NOT proceed to any step that depends on this task.
@@ -1417,7 +1822,7 @@ Use this structure for every subagent dispatch:
 ```
 Task({
   description: "<one-line summary for logs>",
-  subagent_type: "general",
+  subagent_type: "general-purpose",
   prompt: |
     ## Task
     <Exactly what to do — no ambiguity>
@@ -1439,6 +1844,10 @@ Task({
 })
 ```
 
+`subagent_type` is **`general-purpose`**. That is the dispatcher's own name for a
+general agent; `"general"` is not a value any dispatcher accepts, and a dispatch
+carrying it does not run.
+
 ### Minimality principle
 
 Pass only what the subagent needs for this specific task. Do not dump job state, full analysis JSON, or conversation history. Extraneous context fills the subagent's context window with noise and increases hallucination risk.
@@ -1463,27 +1872,30 @@ The subagent must not fetch orchestrator state independently. If the subagent ne
 
 | Setting | Default | Options | Description |
 |---------|---------|---------|-------------|
-| `skip_confirmation` | `true` | true/false | Skip confirmation for sub-agents |
-| `base_branch` | auto-detect | any | Base branch (auto-detect from repo default, or ask user) |
-| `max_review_iterations` | `3` | 1-5 | Max review → fix iterations |
+| `skip_confirmation` | `true` | `true` only | Sub-agents run without per-dispatch confirmation. `{"const": true}` in the input contract. Does **not** cover the 0.4 operator gate — that one is `plan_approval`. |
+| `base_branch` | auto-detect | any | Base branch (auto-detect from repo default, or ask user). No default in the contract. |
+| `max_review_iterations` | `3` | 1-3 | Max review → fix iterations. Three everywhere: this table, 2.7, and the input contract's `maximum` and `default`. |
 | `create_pr` | `true` | true/false | Whether to propose PR at the end |
 | `auto_create_pr` | `false` | true/false | Auto-create PR without asking |
-| `review_mode` | `"code-review"` | `"code-review"` / `"individual"` | Use 4-agent parallel or individual reviewers |
-| `reviewers` | `["code-ai-review", "code-boss-review", "code-style-review"]` | skill names | Individual reviewers (when review_mode=individual) |
-| `conditional_reviewers` | `{"code-mobx-store-review": "*.store.ts"}` | skill→pattern | Conditional reviewers |
+| `review_flags` | auto-detect | `review-orchestrator` flags | Reviewer selection passed to `review-orchestrator` (e.g. `--backend --security`). Unset means auto-detect from the diff. |
 | `convention_reviewers` | `"ask"` | `"ask"` / `"all"` / `"none"` / skill names | Optional convention reviewers to include in review |
+| `verification_mode` | `annotate` | `off`/`annotate`/`filter` | Passed to `review-orchestrator` and to `review ingest --verification-mode` |
 | `run_final_checks` | `true` | true/false | Run lint/type-check/test |
 | `run_interview` | `true` | true/false | Run interview skill in Phase 0 |
 | `dry_run` | `false` | true/false | Plan-only mode: full Phase 0+1, no agent dispatch or git ops |
-| `log_prompt_sizes` | `true` | true/false | Store prompt char count per step in state.json for observability |
 | `plan_approval` | `true` | true/false | Show agent plan and ask approve/adjust before execution (1.3) |
 | `run_test_gen` | `true` | true/false | Auto-run test-gen if implementer skips tests |
 | `run_security_audit` | `true` | true/false | Auto-run security-audit if auth/API/DB files touched |
 | `run_perf_check` | `true` | true/false | Auto-run perf-check if frontend/bundle files changed |
 | `run_changelog` | `true` | true/false | Auto-generate changelog entry and include in PR description |
-| `publish_pr_review_report` | `ask` | `ask`/`comment`/`comment-and-ai-artifact`/`none`/`true`/`false` | Whether to publish a concise PR review comment and optional detailed AI markdown artifact |
+| `publish_pr_review_report` | `ask` | `ask`/`comment`/`comment-and-ai-artifact`/`none` | Whether to publish a concise PR review comment and optional detailed AI markdown artifact |
 | `run_deploy` | `ask` | `ask`/`true`/`false` | Post-PR deploy: ask user (ask), always deploy (true), never (false) |
 
+`review_mode` is gone. It defaulted to `"code-review"` — a skill that is not bundled
+and not catalogued — and its `"individual"` alternative named the legacy hand-dispatch
+path 2.6 replaced. Reviewer selection is `review_flags`, and the reviewers are
+`review-orchestrator`'s.
+
 ## Dry-Run Mode
 
 When `dry_run: true` is set (or `--dry-run` is passed):
@@ -1496,16 +1908,21 @@ When `dry_run: true` is set (or `--dry-run` is passed):
 ```
 Dry-run plan for: issue-4141--pipeline-validation
 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
-Step 1: analyze         [issue-analyzer]          → input: issue #4141
-Step 2: context         [context-collector]       → input: analysis result, project_dir
-Step 3: prepare         [orchestrator]            → creates: feature/pipeline-validation
-Step 4: implement       [task-implementer × 3]    → sequential, 3 tasks
-Step 5: sanity-check    [orchestrator]            → verifies commits exist
-Step 6: review          [code-review × 4]         → parallel
-Step 7: fix             [task-implementer]        → conditional: if NEEDS_FIX
-Step 8: checks          [orchestrator]            → lint + type-check + test
-Step 9: report          [orchestrator]            → aggregates all results
-Step 10: pr             [orchestrator + gh CLI]   → conditional: if create_pr
+Step 1: analyze          [issue-analyzer]           → input: issue #4141
+Step 2: context          [context-collector]        → input: analysis result, project_dir
+Step 3: prepare          [orchestrator]             → creates: feature/pipeline-validation worktree
+Step 4: tests-creator    [tests-creator × 3]        → RED stubs, one per task
+Step 5: implement        [task-implementer × 3]     → wave-parallel, 3 tasks
+Step 6: sanity-check     [orchestrator]             → verifies commits exist
+Step 7: verify           [code-verifier]            → lint + type-check + test + imports
+Step 8: review           [review-orchestrator]      → managed round, ingested
+Step 9: security         [security-audit]           → conditional: auth/API/DB/env files
+Step 10: fix             [task-implementer]         → conditional: if NEEDS_FIX
+Step 11: verify-post-fix [code-verifier]            → conditional: after fix
+Step 12: perf-check      [perf-check]               → conditional: frontend/bundle files
+Step 13: report          [orchestrator]             → aggregates all results
+Step 14: pr              [orchestrator + gh CLI]    → conditional: if create_pr
+Step 15: deploy          [deploy]                   → conditional: if user asks
 ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
 Estimated sub-agent calls: 11-14 (varies with tasks and review findings)
 No changes will be made. Use without --dry-run to execute.
@@ -1513,21 +1930,27 @@ No changes will be made. Use without --dry-run to execute.
 
 5. Ask user: "Execute this plan? (yes / adjust / abort)"
 
-## Budget Guards & Timeouts
+## Budget Guards
+
+**There are no timeouts, because this execution model has no clock.** This skill runs
+as a model inside a turn-based session: it cannot observe wall-clock time passing, it
+cannot kill a sub-agent mid-flight, and it has no persisted start time to measure
+against. A `step_timeout_ms` that "kills the agent if exceeded" was a guard nothing
+could ever enforce, and a job could not end with a `timeout` status because no such
+status exists in `state.schema.json`.
 
-The orchestrator enforces resource limits to prevent runaway sub-agents:
+What actually bounds this orchestrator:
 
-| Guard | Default | Description |
-|-------|---------|-------------|
-| `step_timeout_ms` | `300000` (5 min) | Max time per step. Kill agent if exceeded. |
-| `implementation_timeout_ms` | `600000` (10 min) | Max time for full implementation phase |
-| `total_job_timeout_ms` | `1800000` (30 min) | Max time for entire job. Abort to Phase 3 if exceeded. |
-| `max_retries_per_step` | `2` | Max retries for a failed step before asking user |
+| Guard | Bound | Where it is enforced |
+|-------|-------|----------------------|
+| review → fix rounds | 3 | 2.7, and `max_review_iterations` (`maximum: 3`) in the input contract |
+| repetition, whatever the count says | first repeat | the STUCK CHECK in 2.7, and `keryx review loop` against the durable record |
+| retries per step | recorded, not guessed | `metrics.steps[].retries`, incremented by `keryx job step --status in-progress` and read back with `keryx job status --json` |
+| reviewer fan-out | 4 in flight | `keryx review budget --outstanding <n>` before every dispatch (2.6.1) |
+| spend | 3 USD by default | `keryx review budget --spent <usd>` — a non-zero exit means stop and ask |
 
-**Timeout behavior:**
-- When a step times out → mark as `failed`, record partial results if any
-- Ask user: "Step X timed out after Y minutes. Retry / Skip / Abort?"
-- If total job timeout → force transition to Phase 3 (COMPLETION) with status "timeout"
+Each of these is a number some command reads or writes. A guard that no command can
+observe is not a guard, and this section no longer lists any.
 
 **Context passing rules (minimal context principle):**
 - `issue-analyzer`: receives only issue data + codebase paths (NOT previous job state)
@@ -1544,7 +1967,7 @@ Each step failure is classified into one of three classes with different recover
 | Class | Meaning | Action |
 |-------|---------|--------|
 | `terminal` | Unrecoverable — cannot continue | ABORT immediately, surface actionable message |
-| `retryable` | Transient failure (bad output, timeout) | Auto-retry up to 2× with **identical prompt**. After 2 failures → escalate to `recoverable` |
+| `retryable` | Transient failure — malformed output, an unusable reply, a command that failed on something transient | Auto-retry up to 2× with **identical prompt**, re-opening the step each time so `retries` counts it. After 2 failures → escalate to `recoverable` |
 | `recoverable` | Partial success or skippable failure | Ask user with specific "continue from here / skip step / abort" options |
 
 ### Error Table
@@ -1556,25 +1979,38 @@ Each step failure is classified into one of three classes with different recover
 | Branch/worktree creation fails | `terminal` | ABORT — report git error. NEVER fall back to `git checkout -b` |
 | Interviewer `ready_to_proceed: false` | `terminal` | STOP — tell user which blockers remain |
 | Sub-agent returns malformed JSON | `retryable` | Retry with: "Output was malformed. Fix: [errors]. Try again." (max 2×) |
-| Sub-agent timeout | `retryable` | Retry with identical prompt (max 2×) |
+| Sub-agent returns nothing usable | `retryable` | Re-open the step (`job step --status in-progress`, which counts the retry) and re-dispatch the identical prompt (max 2×) |
 | Task implementation fails | `recoverable` | Ask: "Step failed. Continue remaining tasks / skip this task / abort?" |
-| Job-documenter returns error | `recoverable` | Log warning, continue (documentation is non-blocking) |
-| All reviewers fail | `recoverable` | Skip review, add warning to report, continue to checks |
-| Fix loop exceeds max_review_iterations | `recoverable` | Log unresolved findings, continue to checks |
+| `keryx job` refuses a write | `terminal` | The message names the field that failed validation. Fix the input; do NOT hand-write `state.json` to route around it. |
+| `keryx job complete` refuses | `recoverable` | It names the open and failed steps. Close each with `job step --status completed\|skipped --reason "<why>"`. |
+| `keryx review ingest` refuses a scope-B finding | `terminal` for that round | Recompute `keryx review blast-radius --json` and re-ingest with `--blast-radius`. The round is not recordable until the set is supplied. |
+| All reviewers fail | `recoverable` | Record the round as failed with a reason, add a warning to the report, continue to VERIFY (2.8) |
+| Fix loop exceeds max_review_iterations | `recoverable` | Disposition every surviving finding, log which ended the loop, continue to VERIFY (2.8) |
 | Final checks fail | `recoverable` | Include in report, still propose PR (user decides) |
-| gh CLI not available | `recoverable` | Print PR data, user creates manually |
+| gh CLI not available | `recoverable` | Print PR data, user creates manually. `keryx review comments` needs it too — say so rather than reporting `0 outstanding`. |
 
 ### Retry Protocol (for `retryable` errors)
 
 ```
-attempt 1: run step normally
+attempt 1: keryx job step <job-name> <step-id> --status in-progress
+           run step normally
 → failure: classify error
-→ if retryable: retry with EXACT same prompt + "Fix these errors: [list]"
+→ if retryable: keryx job step <job-name> <step-id> --status in-progress   # retries += 1
+               retry with the EXACT same prompt + "Fix these errors: [list]"
 → if fails again: escalate to recoverable → ask user
-→ if success: continue
+→ if success: keryx job step <job-name> <step-id> --status completed
 ```
 
-**Critical:** On retry, use the **same prompt** stored in `state.json → step.prompt`. Never re-derive it — re-derivation causes drift.
+**Critical:** on retry, re-send the **same prompt** — hold it for the duration of the
+step and re-send it verbatim. Never re-derive it; re-derivation causes drift.
+
+The prompt itself is **not** persisted: `keryx job` writes no `step.prompt` and no
+prompt size, so do not instruct a resuming session to read one. What *is* persisted is
+that the attempt happened — `metrics.steps[].retries`, incremented every time the step
+re-enters `in_progress`, and the `--reason` line in `journal.md`. A resumed session
+therefore knows how many attempts a step has had, which is the fact the retry budget
+needs, and reconstructs the prompt from the plan and the analysis exactly as the first
+attempt did.
 
 ---
 
@@ -1599,13 +2035,17 @@ The orchestrator must keep the user informed during long-running execution. This
 │  ├─ ✅ task-1: Add validation schema
 │  ├─ ✅ task-2: Implement validator
 │  └─ 🔄 task-3: Add integration tests...
+├─ ⏳ Verify
 ├─ ⏳ Review
 ├─ ⏳ Fix (if needed)
-├─ ⏳ Final checks
 └─ ⏳ PR
 ```
 
-**Minimum notification interval:** Every 30 seconds during long steps (implementation, review). This prevents the user from thinking the process is stuck.
+**Notify at every step boundary** — before dispatching and after recording the result.
+Those are the moments this skill actually regains control, so they are the only moments
+it can say anything; a "notify every 30 seconds" rule would need a timer nothing here
+has. `keryx job status <job-name>` renders the same tree from the package, which is
+what to show a user who asks mid-run.
 
 **If notification tools are unavailable** (no MCP, no Telegram): fall back to inline text output between steps.
 
@@ -1615,66 +2055,76 @@ The orchestrator must keep the user informed during long-running execution. This
 
 1. **DO** ALWAYS collect context in Phase 0 — project directory is MANDATORY, never assume.
 2. **DO** build plans dynamically based on intent — not a fixed 8-phase pipeline.
-3. **DO** initialize job documentation before executing any step.
-4. **DO** document every step result via job-documenter.
+3. **DO** run `keryx job init` before executing any step.
+4. **DO** record every step with `keryx job step` and every document with `keryx job document` — the package, not this session, is the record.
 5. **DO** parallelize independent tasks and reviewers where safe.
 6. **DO** respect dependency order — use wave-based execution for implementation.
-7. **DO** limit review → fix loop to max_review_iterations.
+7. **DO** limit review → fix loop to max_review_iterations, and stop earlier on repetition.
 8. **DO** present PR proposal to user before creating (unless auto_create_pr).
-9. **DO** tell user where documentation is stored at completion.
+9. **DO** tell user where the job package is at completion.
 10. **DO** ALWAYS use `git worktree add` for feature branches — NEVER `git checkout -b`.
 11. **DO** run ALL commands in the **worktree directory**, never in the original project.
 12. **DO** ask user for confirmation before extending plan (e.g., analyze → implement).
-13. **DO** send progress notifications at phase/step transitions and every 30s during long steps.
+13. **DO** send progress notifications at phase and step transitions.
 14. **DO** use auto-detected `package_manager` and `run_command` — never hardcode `npm`.
 15. **DO NOT** ask the user anything during execution (after Phase 0) — except for critical failures and plan extension decisions.
 16. **DO NOT** push the branch until user confirms (or auto_create_pr).
-17. **DO NOT** skip job documentation — it's a core feature, not optional.
-18. **DO NOT** create job documentation for sub-agent results directly — orchestrator formats and sends to documenter.
-19. **DO** store the prompt used for each sub-agent step in `state.json → step.prompt` before dispatching — required for retry and resume.
-20. **DO** classify every step failure as `terminal`, `retryable`, or `recoverable` — never just abort or ask without classifying first.
-21. **DO** show agent-explicit plan in 1.3 and ask approve/adjust — unless `plan_approval: false`.
-22. **DO** run `sanity-check` after every implement step before dispatching review.
-23. **DO** auto-trigger `test-gen` if implementer produced no test files (unless `run_test_gen: false`).
-24. **DO** auto-trigger `security-audit` if diff touches auth/API/DB/env files (unless `run_security_audit: false`).
-25. **DO** include changelog entry in PR body (unless `run_changelog: false`).
-26. **DO NOT** deploy without user confirmation (unless `run_deploy: true` explicitly set).
+17. **DO NOT** hand-write `state.json`, or let a sub-agent write it. `keryx job` is the only writer, and it validates every write.
+18. **DO NOT** let a sub-agent record its own result in the package — the orchestrator runs `keryx job document`.
+19. **DO** run `keryx review start` before a fix round and `keryx review ingest` after synthesis, so the round is citable.
+20. **DO** give every finding a terminal disposition with `keryx review complete --finding … --disposition … --evidence …`. A finding never leaves the loop by being absent from the next round.
+21. **DO** classify every step failure as `terminal`, `retryable`, or `recoverable` — never just abort or ask without classifying first.
+22. **DO** show agent-explicit plan in 1.3 and ask approve/adjust — unless `plan_approval: false`.
+23. **DO** run `sanity-check` after every implement step before dispatching review.
+24. **DO** auto-trigger `test-gen` if implementer produced no test files (unless `run_test_gen: false`).
+25. **DO** auto-trigger `security-audit` if diff touches auth/API/DB/env files (unless `run_security_audit: false`).
+26. **DO** include changelog entry in PR body (unless `run_changelog: false`).
+27. **DO** dispatch with `subagent_type: "general-purpose"` — `"general"` is not a value any dispatcher accepts.
+28. **DO** compute every dispatch's model with `keryx review tier` — never assign a tier by hand, and never write a model id into a dispatch.
+29. **DO** pass `--outstanding <n>` on `keryx review budget` and `keryx review ingest` — this orchestrator is the outermost of the three nesting levels the concurrency cap was sized for, and the cap binds the nested total only when the parent declares its in-flight count.
+30. **DO NOT** deploy without user confirmation (unless `run_deploy: true` explicitly set).
 
 ---
 
 ## Configurable Jobs Root
 
-The jobs documentation root is configurable, not hardcoded:
-
-**Resolution order:**
-1. `JOBS_ROOT` passed explicitly by the orchestrator in the sub-agent dispatch prompt
-2. `GDMETAPRO_JOBS_ROOT` environment variable (if set)
-3. Default: `.metaproject/jobs/`  ← project-local (PROJECT_DIR is known by Phase 0.2)
+`JOBS_ROOT` in this document is shorthand for **`.metaproject/jobs`, relative to the
+project directory** — and that is the only value it takes. `keryx job` resolves it from
+the working directory and records it in `state.json → jobs_root`; there is no
+environment variable and no override, so do not tell a sub-agent to look one up.
 
 ```bash
-JOBS_ROOT="${GDMETAPRO_JOBS_ROOT:-.metaproject/jobs}"
+JOBS_ROOT=".metaproject/jobs"
 ```
 
-All references to job paths in sub-agent prompts must use the resolved `JOBS_ROOT`.
+The project directory is the one collected in Phase 0.2 and passed as
+`keryx job init --project <path>`. Run `keryx job` commands from that directory, and
+expand `<JOBS_ROOT>` to the literal path when writing a sub-agent prompt — a subagent
+receives paths, it does not resolve them.
 
 ---
 
 ## Post-Mortem (for failed/aborted jobs)
 
-When a job ends with status `aborted`, `timeout`, or has unresolved critical issues:
+When a job ends with a step recorded `failed`, or with unresolved blocker findings:
+
+1. **Auto-generate post-mortem** document. The timeline is not recalled — it is read
+   off `journal.md`, which `keryx job` timestamped as the job ran, and the retry counts
+   come from `keryx job status <job-name> --json`:
 
-1. **Auto-generate post-mortem** document:
 ```markdown
 # Post-Mortem: <job-name>
 
 ## Timeline
-- Phase 0 completed: <timestamp>
-- Phase 2, step "implement" started: <timestamp>
-- Step "task-3" failed after 2 retries: <timestamp>
-- Job aborted by user: <timestamp>
+(from .metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/journal.md — every line as recorded)
+- <ISO timestamp> - created
+- <ISO timestamp> - step: implement in-progress (retries 0)
+- <ISO timestamp> - step: implement in-progress (retries 1)
+- <ISO timestamp> - step: implement failed (retries 1) — <reason>
 
 ## What Went Wrong
 - <Step name> failed with: <error class> — <error message>
+- Recorded retries: <metrics.steps[].retries>
 - Root cause hypothesis: <analysis>
 
 ## What Worked
@@ -1684,43 +2134,56 @@ When a job ends with status `aborted`, `timeout`, or has unresolved critical iss
 ## Recommendations for Retry
 - Fix <specific issue> before re-running
 - Consider splitting task-3 into smaller subtasks
-- Increase step_timeout_ms if timeout was the issue
 ```
 
 2. Save to `.metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/post-mortem.md`
 3. Include in final user message: "Post-mortem saved to `.metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/post-mortem.md`"
 
+There is no `aborted` or `timeout` job status to key this on and nothing writes one.
+The trigger is what the package says: a `failed` step, or findings still without a
+terminal disposition.
+
 ---
 
 ## Metrics Collection
 
-The orchestrator tracks timing and token usage for each step to enable optimization over time.
+`keryx job step` writes a metrics row per step. Nothing here is collected by hand.
 
-**Collected per step:**
+**Written per step, into `state.json → metrics.steps[]`:**
 ```json
 {
   "step_id": "implement",
-  "started_at": "2024-03-15T10:30:00Z",
-  "completed_at": "2024-03-15T10:35:22Z",
+  "status": "completed",
+  "started_at": "2026-08-30T10:30:00.000Z",
+  "completed_at": "2026-08-30T10:35:22.000Z",
   "duration_ms": 322000,
-  "total_tokens": 84500,
-  "status": "success",
   "retries": 0
 }
 ```
 
-**Saved to:** `.metaproject/jobs/<job-name>/metrics.json`
+- `started_at` is stamped every time the step enters `in_progress`.
+- `retries` counts attempts **beyond the first**: the first `--status in-progress`
+  leaves it at 0 and every re-entry adds one. It is on disk, so a resumed session
+  reads the real count instead of restarting at zero.
+- `duration_ms` is `completed_at - started_at` for the last attempt.
+- `total_tokens` is declared in the schema and **nothing writes it**. Do not report a
+  token figure as if it came from the package; if you have one, say where it came from.
+
+**Read it back:**
+```bash
+keryx job status <job-name> --json     # `retries` per step, plus phase and next_step
+```
 
-**Aggregated in report:**
+**Aggregated in the report:**
 ```markdown
 ## Metrics
-| Step | Duration | Tokens | Retries |
-|------|----------|--------|---------|
-| Analyze | 45s | 12K | 0 |
-| Context | 30s | 8K | 0 |
-| Implement | 5m 22s | 84K | 0 |
-| Review | 1m 10s | 25K | 0 |
-| **Total** | **7m 47s** | **129K** | **0** |
+| Step | Duration | Retries |
+|------|----------|---------|
+| Analyze | 45s | 0 |
+| Context | 30s | 0 |
+| Implement | 5m 22s | 1 |
+| Review | 1m 10s | 0 |
+| **Total** | **7m 47s** | **1** |
 ```
 
-This data helps identify which steps are bottlenecks and whether budget guards need adjustment.
+This data identifies which steps are bottlenecks and which ones needed a second attempt.