@possumtech/rummy 2.1.0 → 2.2.0

package/SPEC.md

@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 # RUMMY: Architecture Specification
 
 The authoritative reference for Rummy's design. The instructions
-plugin (`instructions.md` + phase-specific `instructions_10N.md` +
-tool docs) defines model-facing behavior. This document defines
-everything else.
+plugin (`instructions-system.md` + `instructions-user.md` + tool
+docs) and the persona plugin (`persona/default.md`) define model-
+facing behavior. This document defines everything else.
 
 ---
 
@@ -18,10 +18,9 @@ uses one of these words, it should mean exactly what's written here.
 | **loop** | One `ask` or `act` invocation and all its continuation turns until terminal `<update>`, abandonment, or abort. A run can contain multiple loops if a fresh prompt arrives on an existing run. |
 | **turn** | One round-trip with the LLM: one assembled prompt sent, one response parsed. A loop is a sequence of turns. |
 | **mode** | `ask` (read-only — no proposals, no `<sh>`, no edits) or `act` (full tool surface). Per loop, set at the entry point. |
-| **phase** | (Primary, FCRM sense.) One of five FCRM states selected by `<update status="1XY">`: 104=Definition, 105=Discovery, 106=Demotion, 107=Deployment, 108=Verification. Maps to `instructions_10N.md` rendered in `<instructions>`. **The model-facing instructions call these "stages"** — same concept, dual vocabulary kept for the model's surface stability. Two non-FCRM uses of "phase" coexist in the codebase and AGENTS.md: (1) "two-phase turn execution" refers to RECORD→DISPATCH within a single turn; (2) AGENTS.md "Phase 1 / Phase 2 / ..." entries refer to project-development milestones (Schema, Primitives, etc.) — neither is the FCRM phase. Context disambiguates; if it doesn't, it's a doc bug. |
-| **stage** | Model-facing synonym for **phase**. Lives in `instructions_*.md` and tooldocs. |
+| **phase** | The RECORD→DISPATCH split within a single turn (see [dispatch_path](#dispatch_path)). AGENTS.md "Phase 1 / Phase 2 / ..." entries refer to project-development milestones; that's a separate use of the word. The model-facing workflow lives in `persona/default.md` as the 7D ladder — Draft → Decompose → Discover → Distill → Define → Determine → Deliver — a persona convention, not a status-keyed engine state. |
 | **proposal** | A tool-call entry at status 202 awaiting client resolution (accept/reject). Side-effecting actions (`<sh>`, `<env>`, file `<set>`, file `<rm>`/`<mv>`/`<cp>`, `<ask_user>`) emit proposals. YOLO mode auto-accepts. |
-| **verdict** | The end-of-turn ruling from `hooks.error.verdict` (owned by the error plugin). Returns `{continue, status, reason}`. Decides whether the loop continues to another turn or terminates. |
+| **verdict** | The end-of-turn ruling from `hooks.turn.verdict.filter` — a generic filter chain. Returns `{continue, status, reason}`. The error plugin is the canonical subscriber today; future plugins (cycle-detection, budget-overflow termination) can join the chain to vote without touching error.js or AgentLoop. Decides whether the loop continues to another turn or terminates. |
 | **strike** | A turn whose verdict counts toward `MAX_STRIKES`. A strike fires when `turnErrors > 0` (any `error.log` entry that turn) or when cycle detection trips silently. The streak counter resets on a clean turn (no errors, no cycle); reaches `MAX_STRIKES` → loop abandons at 499. |
 | **resolution** | Client's accept/reject of a proposal via `run/resolve` RPC. |
 | **dispatch** | The DISPATCH phase of a turn — actually executing recorded action entries. |
@@ -124,11 +123,12 @@ hooks-and-filters system. Plugins subscribe to events (fire-and-forget
 side effects) and filters (transformation chains that thread a value
 through subscribers in priority order).
 
-**Every `<tag>` the model sees is a plugin.** `<knowns>` → known
-plugin. `<unknowns>` → unknown plugin. `<performed>` → performed
-plugin. `<previous>` → previous plugin. `<prompt>` → prompt plugin.
-No monolithic assembler decides what goes where. Each plugin filters
-for its own data from the shared row set, renders its section, returns.
+**Every `<tag>` the model sees is a plugin.** `<summary>` /
+`<visible>` → known plugin. `<unknowns>` → unknown plugin. `<log>`
+→ log plugin. `<instructions>` → instructions plugin. `<prompt>` →
+prompt plugin. `<budget>` → budget plugin. No monolithic assembler
+decides what goes where. Each plugin filters for its own data from
+the shared row set, renders its section, returns.
 
 **Plugins compose, they don't coordinate.** A plugin subscribes to a
 filter at a priority, receives the accumulator value, appends its
@@ -252,7 +252,7 @@ Every entry plays one of four roles:
 
 | Role | Category | Section | Description |
 |------|----------|---------|-------------|
-| **Data** | `data` | `<summarized>` + `<visible>` | Entries the model works with — persistent state and captured payload. Summary line in `<summarized>` for visible+summarized tiers; full body in `<visible>` only when promoted. |
+| **Data** | `data` | `<summary>` + `<visible>` | Entries the model works with — persistent state and captured payload. Summary line in `<summary>` for visible+summarized tiers; full body in `<visible>` only when promoted. |
 | **Logging** | `logging` | `<log>` | Records of what happened — tool results, lifecycle signals |
 | **Unknowns** | `unknown` | `<unknowns>` | Open questions the model is tracking |
 | **Prompt** | `prompt` | `<prompt>` | The task driving the loop |
@@ -287,7 +287,7 @@ across two namespaces as a direct consequence:
   scheme=`log`, category=`logging`. Renders in `<log>`.
 - **Payload channels** live in `{action}://turn_N/{slug}_N` —
   scheme=`{action}` (registered as `category: "data"`). Render in
-  `<summarized>` (always, while tracked) and `<visible>` (when
+  `<summary>` (always, while tracked) and `<visible>` (when
   promoted).
 
 This keeps `<log>` a terse audit trail (what happened, exit code,
@@ -390,11 +390,18 @@ the current loop; pending loops survive. Projects > runs > loops > turns.
 
 The `file_constraints` table is project-level configuration — it
 defines which files a project cares about. This is backbone, not tool
-dispatch. Constraints have three visibilities:
-
-- `active` — matching files are promoted into the run's context
-- `readonly` — promoted but not editable by the model
-- `ignore` — demoted (excluded from context)
+dispatch. Constraint type governs **membership** and **write
+permission**, not in-context visibility. In-context visibility
+(`visible` / `summarized` / `archived`) is per-entry and model-
+controlled — files default to `archived` on ingestion; the model
+promotes via `<get>` / `<set visibility=…>`.
+
+- `add` — file is part of the project; ingested as an entry; model
+  may write. Default for `setConstraint`.
+- `readonly` — same ingestion; `<set>` is vetoed at the proposal-
+  accept gate.
+- `ignore` — excluded from scans entirely. The file remains on disk
+  for `<sh>` / `<env>` invocation but is not present as an entry.
 
 **Boundary:** Setting a constraint (`File.setConstraint`) is a
 project-config write. Promoting/demoting the matching entries is tool
@@ -503,9 +510,9 @@ to a continuation (the model's claim of doneness is false); the update
 plugin resolves the update entry to 409 and surfaces it to the next
 turn as a continuation. Multiple `<update>` tags → last signal wins.
 
-**Post-dispatch budget check:** After all tools dispatch, the budget
-plugin re-materializes context and checks the ceiling
-(`hooks.budget.postDispatch`). If context exceeds the ceiling, Turn
+**Post-dispatch budget check:** After all tools dispatch, TurnExecutor
+emits `turn.dispatched`; the budget plugin subscribes, re-materializes
+context, and checks the ceiling. If context exceeds the ceiling, Turn
 Demotion fires — all `visible` `run_views` rows for the current turn
 have their `visibility` flipped to `summarized`, and an `error://` entry at status 413 is
 written. Status is NOT touched (see [schemes_status_visibility](#schemes_status_visibility)). The tools already ran;
@@ -685,44 +692,43 @@ plumbing for the attribute and the rummy-context payload enrichment
 on `proposal.pending`. Feature logic stays in
 `src/plugins/yolo/yolo.js`.
 
-### Repo Overview {#repo_overview}
+### Project Manifest {#project_manifest}
 
-The `rummy.repo` plugin maintains a single `repo://overview` entry per
-run, regenerated on every scan, that gives the model a navigable map
-of the project. It is the entry-point for code-aware runs — files
-themselves default to `archived` so a 5000-file repo doesn't dump
-hundreds of thousands of tokens into context before any work happens.
+The `rummy.repo` plugin writes a single `log://turn_0/repo/manifest` entry
+once per run — a flat snapshot of every project file with its token
+cost. It gives the model orientation at run start without burning
+prefix-cache on a turn-keyed regeneration. Files themselves default
+to `archived` so a 5000-file repo doesn't dump hundreds of thousands
+of tokens into context before any work happens.
 
 **Entry contract.**
 
-- Path: `repo://overview` (scheme `repo`, category `data`,
-  `model_visible: 1`)
-- Visibility: `visible` (the navigation map is always in context)
-- Body: a markdown structure containing the project root, file count,
-  root-level files, top-level directories with file counts,
-  active/readonly constraints, and a navigation legend showing the
-  promote/demote idioms.
-- Visible projection: full body.
-- Summarized projection: first ~12 lines + a truncation marker, so a
-  model can demote it once it has the layout memorized.
+- Path: `log://turn_0/repo/manifest` (log scheme; turn-0 marks "before
+  any model turn"). One entry per run, written once.
+- Visibility: `visible` at write; demotable like any log entry.
+- Body: a flat list of `* <relative-path> - <N> tokens` lines, one
+  per file, sorted by path. No headers, no directory aggregation, no
+  constraints, no navigation legend — those are the model's business
+  to derive from the list itself or from tooldocs.
+
+**Stale by design.** The manifest is a turn-0 snapshot; it does not
+update mid-run. Authoritative current state lives in the per-file
+entries (mtime/hash-driven, change-only writes). The model can
+`<get path="**" preview/>` for a fresh listing if it suspects
+staleness.
 
 **File default visibility flip.**
 
 `FileScanner` registers each tracked file at `archived` by default
 (was `summarized`). Files with `constraint=active` still register at
-`visible`. The model uses `repo://overview` to discover paths, then
+`visible`. The model uses the manifest to discover paths, then
 promotes individual files via `<get path=...>` (visible, full body)
 or whole subtrees via `<set path=".../**" visibility="summarized"/>`
 (skim mode, symbols only).
 
-**Bounded cost.** The overview body is constant-ish in size regardless
-of repo size: root files capped, directory counts aggregated, no per-
-file symbol enumeration. The token cost in context stays roughly
-flat from a 30-file project to a 50,000-file monorepo.
-
 **Disabled when noRepo.** Setting `noRepo: true` on a run skips the
-scan entirely; no `repo://overview` is created and no file entries
-are registered. Behaviour identical to pre-plugin runs.
+scan entirely; no manifest is created and no file entries are
+registered. Behaviour identical to pre-plugin runs.
 
 ### Streaming Entries {#streaming_entries}
 
@@ -749,13 +755,13 @@ log://turn_N/{action}/{slug}    scheme=log       category=logging   status=202
 
 {action}://turn_N/{slug}_1      scheme={action}  category=data      status=102 → 200/500
                                 body: primary stream (stdout for shell)
-                                summary="{command}" visibility=summarized
-                                (line in <summarized>; full body in
+                                tags="{command}" visibility=summarized
+                                (line in <summary>; full body in
                                  <visible> when promoted)
 
 {action}://turn_N/{slug}_2      scheme={action}  category=data      status=102 → 200/500
                                 body: alt stream (stderr for shell)
-                                (line in <summarized>; full body in
+                                (line in <summary>; full body in
                                  <visible> when promoted, often empty)
 ```
 
@@ -809,21 +815,32 @@ Two messages per turn. System = stable truth. User = active task.
 
 ```
 [system message]
-    instructions text
-        (instructions.md base template + tool docs injected via
-         instructions.toolDocs filter; optional persona appended)
-[user message]
-    <summarized>
+    instructions-system.md text (with [%TOOLS%] / [%TOOLDOCS%]
+    expansions) + persona body. Resolved by the instructions
+    plugin's hooks.instructions.resolveSystemPrompt — single-owner,
+    cache-stable across all turns within a run. The assembly.system
+    filter chain exists but currently has no subscribers; the
+    system message is the resolved system prompt verbatim.
+[user message]                     (sandwich ordering — see below)
+    <prompt tokenUsage="N" tokensFree="M">user prompt</prompt>
+        (prompt.js, assembly.user priority 30 — front, cacheable
+         across the run within a loop)
+    <summary>
         one entry per category=data entry whose visibility is visible
-        or summarized; plus the named carve-out (archived prompts pass
-        through with visibility="archived" so the model can <get> the
-        active prompt back). Each entry renders under its scheme tag
-        with its summarized projection as the tag body — this is the
-        compact-but-informative view produced by the plugin's summary()
-        hook (e.g. truncated knowns, code symbols for files, page
-        abstracts for URLs). Identity-keyed, slow-mutating: only grows
-        when a new entry lands. (known.js, assembly.user priority 50)
-    </summarized>
+        or summarized. Each entry renders under its scheme tag with
+        its summarized projection as the tag body — the compact-but-
+        informative view produced by the plugin's summarized() hook
+        (truncated knowns, code symbols for files, page abstracts
+        for URLs). Identity-keyed, slow-mutating: only grows when a
+        new entry lands. Archived entries — including prompts —
+        are filtered out uniformly. There is no instruction-side
+        guard against archiving the active prompt — if the model
+        archives it, the next turn renders without a <prompt> tag
+        and visibly fails (paradigm purity over silent rescue;
+        action-gate is the principled future fix per
+        src/plugins/prompt/README.md).
+        (known.js, assembly.user priority 50)
+    </summary>
     <visible>
         each category=data entry whose visibility is visible, rendered
         under its scheme tag with its visible projection as the tag
@@ -833,63 +850,86 @@ Two messages per turn. System = stable truth. User = active task.
         (known.js, assembly.user priority 75)
     </visible>
     <log>
-        action history — log:// entries + pre-latest prompts
+        action history — all logging-category entries (log:// audit
+        records, error://, update://) plus pre-latest prompt://
+        entries (the active prompt is extracted to <prompt>).
         (log.js, assembly.user priority 100)
     </log>
     <unknowns>
-        (open questions at category=unknown, unknown.js priority 200)
+        open questions at category=unknown, rendered under <unknown>
+        children with their bodies as questions. (unknown.js,
+        assembly.user priority 150)
     </unknowns>
     <instructions>
-        current phase directive — one of instructions_104.md …
-        instructions_108.md, selected by the latest <update status="1XY">
-        emission (instructions.js, assembly.user priority 250)
+        instructions-user.md text. Per-turn imperative reminders.
+        Same bytes every turn — no phase keying, no status-driven
+        selection. (instructions.js, assembly.user priority 165)
     </instructions>
-    <prompt mode="ask|act" tokenUsage="N" tokensFree="M">user prompt</prompt>
+    <budget tokenUsage="N" tokensFree="M">…breakdown table…</budget>
+        (budget.js, assembly.user priority 175 — last, recency for
+         the live accounting at the action site)
 ```
 
 **System** = stable world state the model operates within (identity,
-tools, tool docs). Stable across turns within a run, which keeps
-prompt caching intact. **User** = active work (what the model is
-doing right now): the project's data surface, history, open questions,
-current phase, and current prompt. Both phase-specific
-`<instructions>` and the codebase blocks (`<summarized>` / `<visible>`)
-live in the user message because they change turn-to-turn — putting
-mutable state in system would invalidate the cache on every promote
-or phase transition.
+tools, tool docs, persona). Stable across turns within a run, which
+keeps prompt caching intact. **User** = active work: the project's
+data surface, history, open questions, current task, and live
+accounting. The user message changes turn-to-turn so it sits outside
+the prefix-cacheable region; both `<instructions>` and the codebase
+blocks (`<summary>` / `<visible>`) live here because they mutate at
+turn cadence — putting mutable state in system would invalidate the
+cache on every promote.
+
+**Sandwich ordering.** User-message blocks are arranged
+`<prompt>` (30, front) → `<summary>` (50) → `<visible>` (75) →
+`<log>` (100) → `<unknowns>` (150) → `<instructions>` (165) →
+`<budget>` (175, last). The prompt sits at the front (cacheable
+across turns of a loop, since it doesn't change within a loop); the
+instructions and budget sit at the tail so the rules and live
+accounting have recency at the action site. An earlier front-loaded
+ordering (instructions first for max cache) regressed terminal-
+`<update>` discipline in e2e — the model lost the rule when it sat
+3K tokens upstream of the action. Recency at the action site beats
+cache savings when the action depends on remembering a rule.
 
 **Why two blocks instead of one `<context>`.** Promote/demote is the
-dominant intra-phase operation. Today's single-block render
-invalidates the entire data surface every time. With the split,
-`<summarized>` mutates only when a new entry lands (slow); `<visible>`
+dominant intra-loop operation. A single-block render would
+invalidate the entire data surface on every promote. With the split,
+`<summary>` mutates only when a new entry lands (slow); `<visible>`
 mutates on every promote/demote (fast). Ordering slow-above-fast
-preserves the prefix cache for `<summarized>` across the common case.
-Cognitively: `<summarized>` is "what I know exists" (identity);
+preserves the prefix cache for `<summary>` across the common case.
+Cognitively: `<summary>` is "what I know exists" (identity);
 `<visible>` is "what I'm reading right now" (working memory).
 
 The `<prompt>` tag is present on every turn — first turn and
-continuations alike. The model always sees its task. The active prompt
-is extracted from its chronological position and placed last for maximum
-recency. The `<prompt>` element carries `tokenUsage` / `tokensFree`
-attributes so the model can do budget arithmetic in-line with the cause.
+continuations alike. The model always sees its task. The
+`tokenUsage` / `tokensFree` attributes also appear on `<budget>` so
+the model can do budget arithmetic at both ends of the user message.
 
-### Loops, Previous, and Performed {#loops_previous_performed}
+### Loops and Cross-Loop Continuity {#loops_previous_performed}
 
 A **loop** is one `ask` or `act` invocation and all its continuation
-turns until `<update status="200">`, fail, or abort.
-
-**Previous** = all completed loops on this run. The user prompt, model
-responses, tool results, agent warnings — the full chronicle in order.
-Lives in the system message as established history. Omitted on the
-first turn of the first loop.
-
-**Performed** = the active loop's work so far. Model responses, tool
-results, agent warnings — in order. Does NOT include the user prompt
-(one per loop, extracted to `<prompt>`). Lives in the user
-message as immediate context. Empty on the first turn of a loop.
+turns until `<update status="200">`, fail, or abort. A run may
+contain many loops; pending loops queue FIFO via the loops table.
+
+Cross-loop continuity is carried by the entry store itself:
+
+- **Knowns, files, unknowns** persist across loop boundaries with
+  whatever visibility the model left them at. They render in
+  `<summary>` / `<visible>` per visibility, regardless of which
+  loop wrote them.
+- **Log entries** (action audit, errors, updates) accumulate at
+  `log://turn_N/...` for every turn of every loop; `log.js`
+  renders all logging-category entries plus pre-latest prompts in
+  `<log>` in chronological order.
+- **The active prompt** is extracted from its chronological
+  position and rendered as `<prompt>` at priority 30 (front);
+  prior prompts render in `<log>` like any other logging entry.
 
 When a new prompt arrives on an existing run, the prior loop's
-`<performed>` content plus its prompt move to `<previous>`. When a loop
-continues (next turn), new results append to `<performed>`.
+`prompt://N` entry stays in the store; on the next assembly it
+falls out of `<prompt>` (replaced by the new prompt) and into
+`<log>` — visibility-driven re-rendering of the same entry rows.
 
 ### Key Entries {#key_entries}
 
@@ -911,23 +951,33 @@ Each turn:
 
 1. Write `instructions://system` (empty body, attributes = { persona, toolSet })
 2. Emit `turn.started` — plugins write prompt/instructions entries
-3. Resolve the instructions system prompt (`hooks.instructions.resolveSystemPrompt`)
+3. Resolve the instructions system prompt
+   (`hooks.instructions.resolveSystemPrompt` — single-owner; see
+   AGENTS.md "Architectural exceptions"). Returns
+   `instructions-system.md` with `[%TOOLS%]` / `[%TOOLDOCS%]`
+   expanded, persona body appended.
 4. Query `v_model_context` VIEW → visible entries (joined from
    `run_views` + `entries` + `schemes`)
 5. Project each entry through its scheme's `visible`/`summarized` projection
 6. Insert projected rows into `turn_context`
-7. Invoke `assembly.system` filter chain (instructions text as base):
-   - Known plugin (priority 100) → `<knowns>` section
-   - Previous plugin (priority 200) → `<previous>` section
+7. Invoke `assembly.system` filter chain — currently no
+   subscribers, so the system message is the resolved system
+   prompt verbatim.
 8. Invoke `assembly.user` filter chain (empty string as base):
-   - Performed plugin (priority 100) → `<performed>` section
-   - Unknown plugin (priority 200) → `<unknowns>` section
-   - Prompt plugin (priority 300) → `<prompt>` element (carries
-     `tokenUsage` / `tokensFree` attrs when `contextSize` is set)
+   - Prompt plugin (priority 30) → `<prompt>` element (carries
+     `tokenUsage` / `tokensFree` attrs)
+   - Known plugin (priority 50) → `<summary>` section
+   - Known plugin (priority 75) → `<visible>` section
+   - Log plugin (priority 100) → `<log>` section
+   - Unknown plugin (priority 150) → `<unknowns>` section
+   - Instructions plugin (priority 165) → `<instructions>` section
+     (renders `instructions-user.md`)
+   - Budget plugin (priority 175) → `<budget>` element (carries
+     `tokenUsage` / `tokensFree` and per-scheme breakdown)
 9. Store as `system://N` and `user://N` audit entries (telemetry plugin)
 
 The VIEW determines visibility from `visibility` and `status`:
-- `visibility = 'visible'` → full body visible in `<knowns>` / `<performed>`.
+- `visibility = 'visible'` → full body visible in `<visible>` (data) or `<log>` (logging).
 - `visibility = 'summarized'` → summarized projection visible (typically path +
   summary attr). Promote with `<get>` to expand.
 - `visibility = 'archived'` → invisible. Discoverable via pattern search
@@ -947,6 +997,29 @@ Model controls visibility via `<set>` attributes:
 attaches a description (≤ 80 chars) that persists across visibility
 changes.
 
+### Filesystem Freshness {#filesystem_freshness}
+
+After any mutation of a file or scheme entry, the next turn's
+assembled context reflects the post-mutation body AND visibility,
+without the model needing a fresh `<get>` to recover its own
+changes. The model's view of the entry store is always a faithful
+projection of current state — there is no read-after-write skew.
+
+The invariant has two parts:
+
+1. **Body freshness** — a write that changes the entry body shows
+   the new body on the next assembly's `<visible>` (when visible)
+   or under `<get>` (when summarized/archived).
+2. **Visibility freshness** — a write that explicitly sets
+   `visibility=...` honors the requested level on the next
+   assembly. Edit-path side effects (e.g., a SEARCH/REPLACE accept
+   silently downgrading visibility) violate the invariant; the
+   model would answer the next turn from memory of pre-edit state
+   while the new body sits invisible.
+
+Enforcement: `test/integration/file_freshness.test.js` exercises
+write-through for both file and scheme entries.
+
 ### Token Accounting {#token_accounting}
 
 Tokens are a property of the materialized packet, not of stored entries.
@@ -1021,49 +1094,55 @@ an entry is being written.
 ### Budget Enforcement {#budget_enforcement}
 
 The model owns its context. The system enforces a hard ceiling and
-surfaces the numbers — it does not automatically manage entries.
+surfaces the numbers. Auto-demotion is reserved for the 413 budget
+grinder, which only fires in response to actual overflow — never
+helpfully or speculatively.
 
 **Ceiling.** `ceiling = floor(contextSize × RUMMY_BUDGET_CEILING)`
 (default `RUMMY_BUDGET_CEILING = 0.9`, i.e. 10% headroom). All budget
 decisions compare `assembledTokens` against `ceiling`, never against
 `contextSize` directly.
 
-**Pre-LLM enforce** (`hooks.budget.enforce`, in TurnExecutor before
-the LLM call). Measures the assembled messages (using
-`turns.context_tokens` from the prior turn when available,
-`countTokens(messages)` as a first-turn estimate).
-
-- `assembledTokens ≤ ceiling` → return 200, proceed to LLM.
-- `assembledTokens > ceiling` on the first turn of a loop → **Prompt
-  Demotion**: demote the incoming `prompt://N` entry to `visibility =
-  demoted`, re-materialize, re-check. If the retry fits, proceed.
-- `assembledTokens > ceiling` on a non-first turn, or still over after
-  Prompt Demotion → return 413. AgentLoop exits the loop with 413.
-
-**Post-dispatch Turn Demotion** (`hooks.budget.postDispatch`, after
-all tool dispatches complete). Re-materializes end-of-turn context
-and re-checks. If still over the ceiling, flips every `run_views` row
-for this turn from `visibility = visible` to `visibility = summarized`
-(status preserved — see [schemes_status_visibility](#schemes_status_visibility))
-and emits a 413 error via `hooks.error.log.emit` with the descriptive
-body (what was demoted, the 50% rule for the next turn). The model
-sees the `error://` entry next turn and adjusts.
-
-**Delta-from-actual prediction.** Post-dispatch uses
-`predictNextPacket = lastContextTokens + Σ countTokens(body) for rows added this turn`,
-not the conservative measureMessages estimator. Reason: a 60%+
-divergence between the pre-call `<prompt tokenUsage>` (real API
-prompt_tokens) and the post-check estimator made the model dismiss
-the budget as janky and stop following demote rules. The two numbers
-must live on the same scale.
-
-**Prior-turn-pressure fallback.** If post-dispatch finds nothing to
-demote in the current turn but the packet still overflows, the
-pressure is coming from prior-turn promotions the model never demoted
-itself. Demotion widens to all currently-visible entries in the run
-and the prompt is also demoted. Without this fallback, observed
-behavior was strikes accumulating on runs whose base context had
-drifted over ceiling through no fault of the current turn.
+**Pre-LLM grinder** (`hooks.turn.beforeDispatch.filter`, in
+TurnExecutor before the LLM call; budget is the canonical
+subscriber). A four-step ladder. Each step demotes a strictly smaller
+scope and rechecks. The first step that fits the ceiling proceeds to
+the LLM; if step 4 fires, AgentLoop exits the loop with 413.
+
+1. **Check budget.** Measure `assembledTokens` (using
+   `turns.context_tokens` from the prior turn when available, the
+   materialized packet estimate as a first-turn fallback). If
+   `assembledTokens ≤ ceiling`, proceed to the LLM.
+2. **Soft 413 — previous-turn demotion.** Flip every `run_views`
+   row where `turn = current_turn - 1 AND visibility = visible` to
+   `summarized` (status preserved — see
+   [schemes_status_visibility](#schemes_status_visibility)). All
+   schemes participate; no exemption for knowns / unknowns /
+   files. Re-materialize, re-check.
+3. **Soft 413 — current-prompt demotion.** Flip the incoming
+   `prompt://N` entry to `summarized`. Re-materialize, re-check.
+   Step 3 exists because the prompt is stamped at `current_turn`,
+   not the previous turn — step 2's filter never sees it. Without
+   step 3, an oversized first-turn prompt has no path to fit.
+4. **Hard 413.** Emit a 413 `error://` entry via
+   `hooks.error.log.emit` with the descriptive body (what was
+   demoted across steps 2-3, the ceiling, the residual overflow).
+   AgentLoop exits the loop with 413.
+
+Steps 2 and 3 also emit 413 `error://` entries when they fire
+(distinct from step 4 in that the run keeps going). The model reads
+those next turn and learns what got auto-demoted. Status of the
+turn that proceeded after a soft 413 is unaffected.
+
+**Trunks and forks are treated identically.** A forked run inherits
+the parent's `run_views` rows verbatim — each entry keeps its
+original `turn`. There is no fork-event restamping. The grinder's
+`current_turn - 1` rule applies the same way in both cases. For
+the rule to point at meaningful inherited content on a fork's first
+dispatch, the child run inherits the parent's `next_turn` so turn
+numbering is absolute across the lineage; sibling forks share the
+same prior history at lower turn numbers and only diverge at
+fork-time.
 
 **LLM-reported context exceeded.** If the LLM rejects the request
 with a "context too long" error (detected via the regex in
@@ -1147,9 +1226,9 @@ on `get` also sets a project-level file constraint (operator privilege).
 
 | Method | Params |
 |--------|--------|
-| `startRun` | `{ model, temperature?, persona?, contextLimit? }` |
-| `ask` | `{ prompt, model, run?, temperature?, persona?, contextLimit?, noRepo?, noInteraction?, noWeb?, fork? }` |
-| `act` | `{ prompt, model, run?, temperature?, persona?, contextLimit?, noRepo?, noInteraction?, noWeb?, fork? }` |
+| `startRun` | `{ model, temperature?, persona?, contextLimit?, yolo? }` |
+| `ask` | `{ prompt, model, run?, temperature?, persona?, contextLimit?, noRepo?, noInteraction?, noWeb?, noProposals?, yolo?, fork? }` |
+| `act` | `{ prompt, model, run?, temperature?, persona?, contextLimit?, noRepo?, noInteraction?, noWeb?, noProposals?, yolo?, fork? }` |
 | `run/resolve` | `{ run, resolution: { path, action, output? } }` |
 | `run/abort` | `{ run }` |
 | `run/rename` | `{ run, name }` |
@@ -1161,6 +1240,10 @@ on `get` also sets a project-level file constraint (operator privilege).
 be added explicitly by the client).
 `noInteraction` removes `ask_user` from the tool list.
 `noWeb` removes `search` from the tool list.
+`noProposals` removes `ask_user` / `env` / `sh` from the tool list
+(no proposals at all).
+`yolo` opts the run into server-side proposal auto-accept and
+in-process sh/env execution — see [yolo_mode](#yolo_mode).
 
 #### Streaming (see [streaming_entries](#streaming_entries))
 
@@ -1190,17 +1273,20 @@ connected clients). `stream/cancel` also handles stale 102 cleanup.
 
 #### Skills & Personas
 
-| Method | Params |
-|--------|--------|
-| `skill/add` | `{ run, name }` |
-| `skill/remove` | `{ run, name }` |
-| `getSkills` | `{ run }` |
-| `listSkills` | — |
-| `persona/set` | `{ run, name?, text? }` |
-| `listPersonas` | — |
-
-Skills loaded from `RUMMY_HOME/skills/{name}.md`. Personas from
-`RUMMY_HOME/personas/{name}.md`.
+Both attach to a run via the entry grammar.
+
+- **Skills** — model emits `<skill path="[path-or-url]"/>`.
+  Handler walks local file/folder/`.zip` (via `yauzl-promise`) or
+  fetches a URL. Single `.md` registers as `skill://<name>`
+  (summarized); folder/zip registers root `index.md` summarized,
+  rest archived; `foo/index.md` collapses to `skill://<name>/foo`.
+  Re-emit overwrites. Authors link with absolute `skill://...` URIs.
+- **Personas** — `ask` / `act` / `startRun` accept `persona` as a
+  run attribute. The persona plugin renders the persona body inside
+  the system prompt (below tooldocs) on first turn; if no `persona`
+  is passed, `AgentLoop.ensureRun` defaults to
+  `src/plugins/persona/default.md`. 1:1 run:persona, immutable for
+  the run's lifetime.
 
 ### Notifications {#notifications}
 
@@ -1378,18 +1464,116 @@ are universal — not a feature of any single tool.
 
 ---
 
-## Hedberg Editing Syntax {#hedberg}
+## Edit Syntax
+
+The model expresses entry writes through `<set path="..."><body></set>`.
+The body shape determines the operation. All shaped operations use a
+bash-heredoc-flavored marker family.
+
+### Marker Grammar
+
+    <<IDENT
+    body content
+    IDENT
+
+Where `IDENT` matches `[A-Z][A-Za-z0-9_]*`. The leading keyword of
+`IDENT` selects the operation; any trailing alphanumeric suffix is
+opaque to operation routing and exists to disambiguate nested markers
+or avoid collisions when the body literally contains the bare keyword
+(same convention as bash heredoc `<<EOF1` vs `<<EOF`).
+
+The opener `<<IDENT` must be preceded by start-of-body, whitespace,
+or `>` (so `vec<<SEARCH` mid-token does not false-trigger). The
+closer is bare `IDENT` with whitespace boundaries on both sides.
+
+Newline-tolerant: the multi-line shape above and the single-line
+`<<IDENT body IDENT` form parse identically.
+
+### Distinct from Packet Rendering
+
+The engine renders entry bodies in context using a different marker
+shape: `<<:::path...:::path` (see `plugins/helpers.js`). Edit syntax
+is the bare `<<IDENT` form; packet rendering keeps the `:::` sentinel.
+The two grammars are visibly distinct so model emissions and engine
+renderings can never be confused. A `<set>` body echoing the packet
+shape is NOT treated as edit syntax — it falls through to plain-body
+REPLACE with the markers preserved as literal content.
+
+### Operations
+
+| IDENT prefix | Effect |
+|---|---|
+| `NEW` | Create the entry. Behaves identically to `REPLACE` on existing entries — named separately to align with model intent. |
+| `PREPEND` | Prepend body content to the existing entry. Creates the entry if it doesn't exist. |
+| `APPEND` | Append body content to the existing entry. Creates the entry if it doesn't exist. |
+| `REPLACE` | Replace the entire entry body with the marker content. Standalone (not preceded by `SEARCH`). |
+| `DELETE` | Remove a literal-matching region from the existing entry body. The marker content is the region to remove. |
+| `SEARCH` | Match a literal region in the existing entry body. Must be immediately followed by a `REPLACE` block; the pair is an in-place edit. |
+
+### SEARCH / REPLACE Pairs
+
+Surgical in-place edits. `SEARCH` must be immediately followed by
+`REPLACE` (no intervening operation):
+
+    <set path="src/main.go"><<SEARCH
+    old line
+    SEARCH
+    <<REPLACE
+    new line
+    REPLACE</set>
+
+Multiple pairs in one `<set>` body apply in order against the
+progressively-edited body.
+
+### Suffix for Body Collisions
+
+When the body content literally contains a marker keyword (`SEARCH`
+in prose, `<<` in code), the model appends a digit or alphanumeric
+suffix to the IDENT so the inner literal does not prematurely close
+the outer marker:
+
+    <set path="docs/grammar.md"><<DOC1
+    The opener is <<SEARCH and the closer is bare SEARCH alone on
+    a line. Use <<SEARCH1 ... SEARCH1 if your body contains literal
+    SEARCH or <<SEARCH tokens.
+    DOC1</set>
+
+### Errors
+
+| Condition | Outcome |
+|---|---|
+| `SEARCH` content not found in current body | conflict (soft) |
+| `DELETE` content not found in current body | conflict (soft) |
+| Lone `SEARCH` (no following `REPLACE`) | parse error |
+| Unclosed marker (opener with no matching `IDENT` closer) | parse error |
+| Non-keyword `IDENT` (e.g. `<<EOF`, `<<DOC`) | routes to REPLACE — inner content becomes the new body |
+| `<set>` body with no `<<IDENT` markers at all | full-body REPLACE (tolerated; not demonstrated to models) |
+
+### Pattern Matching
+
+The literal-match semantics used by `SEARCH` and `DELETE` are
+delegated to the Hedberg pattern library — see [hedberg](#hedberg).
+Matching is fuzzy on whitespace and indentation; an exact-byte match
+is not required.
+
+---
+
+## Hedberg Pattern Library {#hedberg}
+
+The pattern library exposed to every plugin through `core.hooks.hedberg`.
+Used internally by the Edit Syntax (above) for `SEARCH` / `DELETE`
+matching and by `<get>` / `<rm>` for path globs.
 
-The model picks its preferred edit format. The parser understands all of them:
+| Function | Purpose |
+|---|---|
+| `match(pattern, string)` | Full-string match — paths, equality. |
+| `search(pattern, string)` | Substring search — content filtering. |
+| `replace(text, search, replace, options)` | Patch application; fuzzy on whitespace and indentation. |
+| `generatePatch(path, oldBody, newBody)` | Unified-diff rendering for telemetry. |
 
-1. Git merge conflict: `<<<<<<< SEARCH ... ======= ... >>>>>>> REPLACE`
-2. Replace-only: `======= ... >>>>>>> REPLACE`
-3. Unified diff: `@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@` with `-`/`+` lines
-4. Sed syntax: `s/old/new/flags`
-5. Claude XML: `<old_text>old</old_text><new_text>new</new_text>`
-6. JSON body: `{"search": "old", "replace": "new"}` or `{search="old", replace="new"}`
-7. XML attributes: `<set search="old" replace="new"/>`
-8. Full replacement: anything else becomes the new content
+Pattern types: glob (picomatch-backed, with `**` cross-slash and
+`!()` negation), regex (`/pattern/flags`), xpath, jsonpath. Detection
+is by syntactic shape — see `src/lib/hedberg/patterns.js`.
 
 ---
 
@@ -1477,10 +1661,9 @@ htmlparser2 dropped. Close current, open new, emit recovery warning.
 attributes on the open tag *and* body text inside the tag. If the
 canonical attribute is missing, the body silently fills it. The
 shape per tool:
-- `set` — structured edit detection (merge-conflict markers, udiff,
-  Claude `<old_text>` XML, JSON `{search,replace}`, sed `s/.../.../`,
-  attribute-mode `search=`/`replace=`, body-as-search-when-`body=`
-  attr-set, plain write).
+- `set` — body parsed via `parseMarkerBody` (see "Edit Syntax"
+  above): `<<:::IDENT...:::IDENT` markers route to `operations`
+  list; bodies without markers are plain-body REPLACE.
 - `update` — body fills `body`, status defaults to 102 if absent.
 - `get` / `rm` — attr `path` or body fills target. Spread `a` so
   `line` / `limit` / `visibility` / future attrs reach the handler.
@@ -1642,7 +1825,7 @@ Full reference is `.env.example` — these are the load-bearing vars.
 | Var | Default | Purpose |
 |-----|---------|---------|
 | `PORT` | 3044 | WebSocket port |
-| `RUMMY_HOME` | `~/.rummy` | Skills, personas, local config |
+| `RUMMY_HOME` | `~/.rummy` | Local config root. Used by telemetry; available for future per-user state. |
 | `RUMMY_DB_PATH` | `rummy.db` | SQLite path |
 | `RUMMY_MMAP_MB` | 0 | SQLite mmap hint (MB; 0 disables) |
 | `RUMMY_DEBUG` | false | Verbose logging |
@@ -1665,10 +1848,12 @@ Full reference is `.env.example` — these are the load-bearing vars.
 | `RUMMY_MIN_CYCLES` | 3 | Consecutive repetitions to trigger cycle detection |
 | `RUMMY_MAX_CYCLE_PERIOD` | 4 | Max cycle period checked by healer |
 | `RUMMY_RETENTION_DAYS` | 31 | Days of completed/aborted runs kept |
-| `RUMMY_THINK` | 1 | Enable `<think>` tag reasoning |
-| `RUMMY_TEMPERATURE` | 0.5 | Default LLM temperature |
+| `RUMMY_THINK` | 0 | Reasoning request flag forwarded to LLM provider |
+| `RUMMY_TEMPERATURE` | 0.1 | Default LLM temperature |
 | `RUMMY_RPC_TIMEOUT` | 30000 | RPC timeout (ms) |
 | `RUMMY_FETCH_TIMEOUT` | 300000 | LLM HTTP timeout (ms) |
+| `RUMMY_LLM_DEADLINE` | 600000 | LLM transient-retry deadline (ms). Used as the budget for `warmup` and `rate_limit` categories in `src/llm/retry.js#retryClassified`; gateway/server categories have shorter hardcoded deadlines (30s / 60s). |
+| `RUMMY_LLM_MAX_BACKOFF` | 30000 | Max single backoff between retry attempts (ms) for warmup/rate_limit categories. |
 
 **LLM providers** (plugin-scoped; a provider with no config is inert):
 
@@ -1699,9 +1884,11 @@ local `node_modules` then global).
 
 | Var | Purpose |
 |-----|---------|
-| `RUMMY_SEARCH` | `brave` \| `searxng` |
-| `BRAVE_API_KEY` | Brave Search API key |
-| `RUMMY_SEARXNG_URL` | SearXNG instance URL |
+| `RUMMY_WEB_SEARXNG_URL` | SearXNG instance URL (SearXNG federates Brave / DuckDuckGo / Wikipedia / etc. upstream and normalizes the responses) |
+| `RUMMY_WEB_FETCH_TIMEOUT` | Playwright `page.goto` timeout (ms) |
+| `RUMMY_WEB_PLAYWRIGHT_WS` | Optional CDP endpoint for shared chromium |
+| `RUMMY_WEB_NO_SANDBOX` | `1` to drop chromium's user-namespace sandbox |
+| `RUMMY_WEB_CHROMIUM_HEAP_MB` | Cap chromium's V8 heap (MB) |
 
 **Testing:**