brainclaw 1.26.2 → 1.27.0

package/docs/concepts/attempt-authority.md

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+# Attempt authority
+
+`AttemptAuthority` is the kind-neutral execution authority used by every
+worker-backed phase of the Loop Engine. It answers three questions that must
+never be inferred from process IDs, mutable projections, or telemetry:
+
+1. was the logical turn committed;
+2. which physical generation may spawn;
+3. which generation may settle the turn.
+
+It is not a sixth loop protocol and it adds no event journal. Review, ideation,
+implementation, research, and debug all use the same substrate. Loop events
+remain the causal history; runtime events remain telemetry; Assignment and
+AgentRun remain queryable projections.
+
+## Identity model
+
+One logical turn may now have several physical runs.
+
+| Identity | Lifetime | Rule |
+|---|---|---|
+| `turn_id` | logical turn | stable across takeover and retry |
+| `assignment_id` | logical work assignment | stable across takeover and retry |
+| `attempt_epoch` | physical generation | starts at `0`, increases by one |
+| `run_id` | physical execution | fresh for every epoch |
+| `launch_nonce` | launch fence | fresh and unpredictable for every epoch |
+| `contract_hash` | execution contract | recomputed for the generation's run and workspace |
+| `workspace_digest` | isolated workspace | binds the real workspace path to the turn and epoch |
+
+For backward compatibility, the first worker phase to occupy a slot in a
+protocol iteration uses the historical deterministic identity derived from
+`(loop_id, slot_id, iteration)`. When the same slot is reused by a different
+worker phase in that iteration, Brainclaw derives a versioned phase-qualified
+identity from `(loop_id, slot_id, phase, iteration)`. The resolver adopts an
+existing compatible legacy or phase-qualified reservation before minting
+anything, so same-phase retries remain exactly-once and in-flight upgrades keep
+their durable identity. A different logical phase is a different turn; a
+takeover remains a new physical generation of the same turn.
+
+Evidence for an AttemptAuthority v2 generation is accepted only when the full
+tuple matches:
+
+```text
+(assignment_id, turn_id, attempt_epoch, run_id, launch_nonce,
+ contract_hash, workspace_digest)
+```
+
+Matching only `turn_id`, `run_id`, and `nonce` remains supported for legacy
+reservations. Once a turn has a v2 generation chain, the complete tuple is
+mandatory. An old worker can therefore finish late, but its output cannot
+mutate the loop or the current AgentRun.
+
+## Durable decisions
+
+The original `TurnReservation` still owns logical commit and the immutable
+generation-zero contract. AttemptAuthority v2 adds small immutable decision
+cells under `.brainclaw/memory/loops/attempt-generations/<turn_id>/`; rollout
+guards and signed ACKs live separately under
+`.brainclaw/memory/loops/attempt-authority-v2/rollout/`:
+
+- one initial-generation cell per turn;
+- `launch(epoch)`, decided once as `crossed` or `revoked`;
+- `close(epoch)`, decided once as `settled`, `takeover`, `retry`, or
+  `cancelled`;
+- an optional `head.json`, which is only a rebuildable cache.
+
+Settlement and takeover contend on the same `close(epoch)` cell. Exactly one
+wins. A takeover embeds the complete successor generation in that cell, so a
+crash after the decision but before projections is repaired by replaying the
+same successor; it never mints another run.
+
+The publish protocol is intentionally conservative on Windows and POSIX:
+
+1. create a temporary file on the same volume;
+2. write, flush, `fsync`, and close it;
+3. publish the final path with a hard-link create-if-absent;
+4. read and adopt the incumbent on `EEXIST`.
+
+There is no rename fallback. If the filesystem cannot provide this no-clobber
+primitive, v2 mutations fail closed. Orphan temporary files are
+non-authoritative and safe to remove later.
+
+## Surfaces and their roles
+
+Four event/state surfaces exist. Their responsibilities are deliberately
+non-overlapping; only the first one answers whether a process may launch or a
+result may settle.
+
+| Surface | Role | Owner | Authority rule |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| `TurnReservation` plus immutable `initial`, `launch(epoch)` and `close(epoch)` cells | **Authoritative** execution decisions | `AttemptAuthority` | The first no-clobber decision wins. Mutable projections never override it. |
+| Loop `LoopEvent` journal | **Causal** protocol history | Loop Engine | Replays phases, artifacts, gates and generation-change causes; it does not grant spawn authority. |
+| `RuntimeEvent` stream | **Telemetry** | execution/runtime layer | Reports processes, heartbeats, adapters and diagnostics; it is evidence for an operator, never a launch/settlement decision. |
+| Legacy project `events.jsonl` | **Compatibility-only** audit stream | legacy consumers | Retained for compatibility. New AttemptAuthority or registry logic must not depend on it; journal v2 carries registry projections. |
+
+Assignment, AgentRun, Claim, slot and `head.json` records are queryable
+projections rather than a fifth event surface. The separation invariant is:
+`AttemptAuthority` decides execution, `LoopEvent` explains protocol causality,
+`RuntimeEvent` observes execution, and `events.jsonl` serves old readers.
+
+## What can run in parallel
+
+Brainclaw does not concurrently rewrite shared JSON files. That proved fragile
+in particular on Windows. Instead it narrows serialization to the decision
+that actually needs consensus:
+
+- capability resolution, liveness collection, contract construction, isolated
+  workspace preparation, and writer signatures can run in parallel;
+- each rollout writer publishes its own immutable ACK file independently;
+- contenders race on one immutable `launch(epoch)` or `close(epoch)` cell;
+- Assignment, AgentRun, loop event, runtime event, and head updates are
+  sequential, idempotent projections that may be replayed after a crash.
+
+This gives parallel preparation without permitting concurrent mutation of the
+same file. The global mutation pipeline remains serialized for ordinary store
+entities; AttemptAuthority decisions do not hold that lock while agents work.
+
+## Ordered dispatch
+
+P0A characterised the legacy order as
+`reserve → commit → durable projections → legacy launch CAS → spawn →
+reconcile`. That order remains the compatibility prefix: a crash before the
+launch CAS is repairable, and a replay observing an already-crossed legacy
+decision never spawns again.
+
+The shipped v2 order extends that prefix rather than bypassing it. During the
+Release-B cutover, generation zero is anchored only after the legacy launch
+decision has crossed. A crash between either boundary is repaired
+idempotently: the initial cell embeds the same immutable generation, and the
+v2 `launch(0)` cell remains the final spawn fence. Successor generations skip
+identity reminting for the logical work and use the v2 path below.
+
+The common worker path is
+[`prepareTurnExecution`](../../src/core/loops/turn-execution.ts):
+
+1. validate the loop phase, slot, claim, capabilities, and workspace policy;
+2. reserve and commit the stable logical turn;
+3. freeze its ExecutionContract and capability snapshot;
+4. create or validate all durable projections (Assignment, AgentRun, claim, and slot) before crossing;
+5. cross `launch(0)` immediately before spawn;
+6. when Release B is active, anchor generation zero in the v2 chain;
+7. accept completion only after rechecking the full fence under the loop lock;
+8. race settlement on `close(epoch)` before applying loop projections.
+
+For v2, worker MCP lifecycle reports stop at `accepted`, `started`, and
+`progress`. A worker cannot set the stable Assignment terminal or release its
+Claim, even with the current fence. It writes full-fence `LANE-RESULT.json`;
+settlement seals that result first, then Brainclaw projects Assignment,
+AgentRun, Claim, artifacts, and loop state.
+
+After takeover, re-entering the same common path keeps the logical Assignment,
+projects the successor AgentRun and contract, then races `launch(next_epoch)`.
+Only the caller whose publish returns `won: true` may spawn. Replays adopt the
+crossed cell and do not spawn.
+
+The per-kind phase graph, artifacts, gates, iteration, and stop condition stay
+in the [Loop Engine](./loop-engine.md). AttemptAuthority does not decide what a
+review verdict means, when an ideation synthesis is sufficient, or whether an
+implementation/debug verification is green.
+
+## Functional API
+
+The kind-neutral facade is
+[`src/core/loops/attempt-authority.ts`](../../src/core/loops/attempt-authority.ts).
+Its public operations map directly to the decisions above:
+
+- `prepareAttempt` and `projectAndCross` implement the legacy
+  reserve/commit/projection/cross compatibility prefix. `projectAndCross`
+  authorises a spawn only when it returns `kind: 'won'`.
+- `inspectAttempt`, `matchEvidence`, `revokeAttempt`, and `abortAttempt`
+  expose read-strict inspection and the irreversible legacy decision axes.
+- `bootstrapAttemptAuthorityV2` anchors generation zero without minting a
+  second logical Assignment.
+- `prepareAttemptTakeoverV2` closes the current epoch with a complete successor
+  embedded in the immutable cell; `takeoverLoopAttempt` applies the loop-level
+  causal and replayable projections.
+- `crossActiveAttemptGenerationV2` arbitrates the successor's launch cell.
+  Only its `won: true` result carries spawn authority.
+- `settleActiveAttemptGenerationV2` seals result evidence, competes on
+  `close(epoch)`, and exposes the incumbent verdict to losing/replaying calls.
+- `resolveTurnGenerationChain` and `rebuildAttemptGenerationHead` read the
+  immutable chain and repair the non-authoritative head.
+
+The low-level cell functions live in
+[`attempt-generations.ts`](../../src/core/loops/attempt-generations.ts); signed
+membership and authority-home checks live in
+[`attempt-rollout.ts`](../../src/core/loops/attempt-rollout.ts). The Loop Engine
+still owns artifacts, phase transitions, gates and convergence. Harness and
+execution adapters translate/execute a contracted turn but never call these
+functions to approve their own output.
+
+## Takeover and retry
+
+A coordinator may fence a crossed generation and arm a successor with:
+
+```bash
+brainclaw loop takeover <loop_id> \
+  --slot <slot_id> \
+  --turn-id <turn_id> \
+  --expected-epoch <n> \
+  --cause "heartbeat and process evidence are stale" \
+  --liveness-evidence "no heartbeat for 30m; wrapper exited" \
+  --external-effect-policy idempotent \
+  --next-workspace-path <existing-isolated-directory> \
+  --agent <loop-coordinator>
+```
+
+The equivalent MCP call is `bclaw_loop(intent="takeover", ...)`. It records an
+`attempt_generation_changed` LoopEvent, projects an `attempt_takeover`
+RuntimeEvent, interrupts the old AgentRun best-effort, and creates the new
+AgentRun. Its response is deliberately `spawn_authority: false`: the caller
+must dispatch the same logical turn through the common path, which crosses the
+new launch cell immediately before process creation.
+
+Takeover requires:
+
+- the loop coordinator identity;
+- the expected active epoch;
+- a non-empty cause and liveness evidence;
+- an existing linked Git worktree of the same repository, with a distinct
+  gitdir and top-level path that does not alias the prior workspace (including
+  through a Windows junction);
+- effects declared `none`, `idempotent`, or protected by an external fence.
+
+An operation with non-idempotent external effects and no external fencing must
+not be taken over automatically. Human recovery must first establish the
+external system's outcome or fence it there.
+
+## Two-release activation
+
+AttemptAuthority v2 is a writer compatibility boundary. Enabling a new writer
+beside an old binary would let the old binary ignore generation cells, so the
+rollout has two releases.
+
+Release A:
+
+1. deploy v2-aware readers and guarded writers everywhere;
+2. stop or drain pre-Release-A processes;
+3. prepare one immutable membership guard;
+4. let every active writer sign and publish its own ACK in parallel;
+5. activate the guard only after every active writer ACKs the same digest.
+
+Release B permits the first v2 generation write. CLI support:
+
+```bash
+brainclaw attempt-authority status --json
+brainclaw attempt-authority prepare --writers <agent_id...>
+brainclaw attempt-authority ack --membership-epoch 1 --agent-id <agent_id>
+brainclaw attempt-authority activate --membership-epoch 1
+```
+
+Membership epochs form an immutable chain. A genuinely offline writer can be
+revoked only by a later membership epoch chained to the active activation. A
+pre-Release-A binary cannot sign or honor this guard; it must be stopped or
+removed by deployment/service control before activation.
+
+## Migration and rollout runbook
+
+Treat the first v2 generation cell as the irreversible cutover boundary.
+Release A can be rolled back while no v2 cell exists; Release B cannot be
+downgraded in place.
+
+1. **Drain and inventory.** Stop new loop dispatch, let active generations
+   settle, list every process/service/host capable of writing this store, and
+   stop pre-Release-A binaries. An offline writer is not implicitly safe: it
+   must be removed from service control or excluded by a new membership epoch.
+2. **Create and verify a private backup.** With writers quiescent, run:
+
+   ```bash
+   node scripts/store-snapshot.mjs create --store .brainclaw
+   node scripts/store-snapshot.mjs verify --snapshot <snapshot-directory>
+   ```
+
+   Keep the snapshot outside the repository. Record its manifest hash and the
+   output of `brainclaw attempt-authority status --json`. The detailed storage
+   procedure is [store-snapshot.md](../playbooks/store-snapshot.md).
+3. **Release A guard.** Run `prepare`, let every active writer run `ack` in
+   parallel, then run `activate`. Re-run `status --json` and verify the
+   membership epoch, authority home and ACK digest before enabling Release B.
+   `prepare`/`ack` also exercise the hard-link create-if-absent primitive; a
+   filesystem that cannot provide it stops the rollout here.
+4. **Canary Release B.** Enable v2 on the authority home only. Run one
+   no-external-effect worker attempt, then one explicit retry/takeover in a
+   linked Git worktree. Verify that the Assignment stays stable, epochs and
+   AgentRuns change, one `close(epoch)` winner exists, stale output is rejected,
+   and `head.json` can be rebuilt from the chain. Observe LoopEvents and
+   RuntimeEvents separately; neither may contradict the decision cells.
+5. **Expand.** Resume ordinary dispatch only after the canary and targeted
+   tests are green. Add or revoke writers through a new, digest-chained
+   membership epoch; never edit an activated guard or ACK in place.
+
+**Abort before cutover.** If no v2 initial/launch/close cell was ever written,
+stop writers, restore the verified pre-cutover snapshot into an empty directory
+with `store-snapshot.mjs restore`, verify it, and re-point the workspace under
+the previous release. Do not restore over a live store.
+
+**Recovery after cutover.** Once any v2 cell exists, disabling the feature flag
+or installing an old writer is a forbidden downgrade. First stop all writers,
+export the current v2 store with `store-snapshot.mjs create`, verify the export,
+and restore it only into an empty directory using a v2-capable binary. Preserve
+the immutable generation/rollout cells and use the same local authority-home
+identity; a restore on another device is a passive replica until explicitly
+re-authorised. A pre-v2 backup may be inspected or used to recover unrelated
+data, but it must not replace a store whose v2 history has started.
+
+## Authority home and federation
+
+Every v2 fence carries an `authority_home`:
+
+```text
+{ store_instance_id, device_id }
+```
+
+The identity is random and stored outside the project store in the user's
+Brainclaw registry (`~/.brainclaw/store-instances/` by default). It is not
+derived from a path or hostname. Copying a `.brainclaw` directory therefore
+does not copy write authority. `BRAINCLAW_AUTHORITY_IDENTITY_ROOT` may relocate
+that local registry for managed or test environments.
+
+Only the activated authority home may write v2 cells. Federated replicas are
+passive readers of those cells; they do not arbitrate takeover independently.
+A copied or foreign device fails with `authority_home_mismatch`.
+
+## Recovery
+
+- No initial-generation cell: use the legacy reservation path. A Release-B
+  writer anchors generation zero only after the legacy launch has crossed.
+- `launch(epoch)` absent: projections may be repaired, then callers may contend
+  on launch.
+- `launch(epoch) = crossed`, `close(epoch)` absent: the run may still produce
+  acceptable full-fence evidence; do not respawn it.
+- `close(epoch) = takeover|retry`: the embedded successor is authoritative.
+  Replay missing projections and continue from it.
+- `close(epoch) = settled`: replay any missing terminal projections; never
+  takeover that generation.
+- Corrupt cells, broken chain links, authority mismatch, incompatible writer,
+  or unsupported hard links: fail closed and require operator repair.
+
+`head.json`, AgentRun status, RuntimeEvents, and process liveness never override
+the immutable chain. The head can always be rebuilt from generation and close
+cells.
+
+## Invariants (I1–I18)
+
+- **I1 — Stable logical identity.** `turn_id` and `assignment_id` do not
+  change across retry or takeover.
+- **I2 — Fresh physical identity.** Every epoch has a fresh `run_id`, nonce,
+  workspace identity/digest and generation contract hash.
+- **I3 — Single execution authority.** Only reservation and immutable
+  generation decision cells decide launch or settlement.
+- **I4 — Irreversible logical commit.** A committed reservation never becomes
+  aborted; an aborted reservation never becomes committed.
+- **I5 — One launch verdict per epoch.** `crossed` and `revoked` are exclusive,
+  and only the caller that creates `crossed` may spawn.
+- **I6 — One close verdict per epoch.** `settled`, `takeover`, `retry`, and
+  `cancelled` are mutually exclusive.
+- **I7 — One receivable generation.** A closed generation is never active;
+  late output stays audit-only.
+- **I8 — Full-fence evidence.** V2 acceptance matches assignment, turn, epoch,
+  run, nonce, contract hash and workspace digest.
+- **I9 — Evidence before projections.** Settlement seals immutable result
+  evidence before applying terminal Assignment, AgentRun, Claim, artifact or
+  loop projections.
+- **I10 — Projections are replayable.** Assignment, AgentRun, Claim, slot,
+  events and head can be created-or-validated again after a crash without
+  changing authority.
+- **I11 — Shared mutable JSON is serialized.** Parallel work prepares inputs or
+  publishes disjoint immutable files; it never concurrently rewrites one JSON
+  projection.
+- **I12 — No-clobber means hard link.** Final cells use same-volume temp,
+  fsync/close and hard-link create-if-absent. There is no rename fallback.
+- **I13 — Authority home is local.** Only the activated
+  `(store_instance_id, device_id)` may mutate v2 cells.
+- **I14 — Federation is passive.** Replicas may validate/replay the chain but
+  never promote themselves during a partition.
+- **I15 — Writer rollout is explicit.** Release B requires one activated,
+  signed membership epoch whose active writers all ACK the same digest and
+  both `minimum_writer_version` and `minimum_reader_version`.
+- **I16 — External effects are fenced.** Automatic takeover is forbidden for
+  non-idempotent external effects without an external fence.
+- **I17 — Recovery is decision-driven.** Digests and immutable cells determine
+  the next action; clocks, PIDs, heartbeats and marker files are supporting
+  liveness evidence only.
+- **I18 — Event roles remain separate.** AttemptAuthority is authoritative,
+  LoopEvent causal, RuntimeEvent telemetry, and `events.jsonl`
+  compatibility-only. No fifth journal is introduced.
+
+## Code map
+
+- [`attempt-reservation.ts`](../../src/core/loops/attempt-reservation.ts) —
+  logical reservation and legacy launch authority.
+- [`attempt-generations.ts`](../../src/core/loops/attempt-generations.ts) —
+  immutable generation, launch, close, and head primitives.
+- [`attempt-rollout.ts`](../../src/core/loops/attempt-rollout.ts) — signed
+  writer membership and local authority identity.
+- [`attempt-authority.ts`](../../src/core/loops/attempt-authority.ts) — common
+  facade, bootstrap, takeover, crossing, and settlement.
+- [`attempt-takeover.ts`](../../src/core/loops/attempt-takeover.ts) — loop-level
+  takeover transaction and replayable projections.
+- [`reconcile-turn.ts`](../../src/core/loops/reconcile-turn.ts) — full-fence
+  validation, close-cell settlement, and business convergence.
+- [`turn-execution.ts`](../../src/core/loops/turn-execution.ts) — common worker
+  dispatch path for all five LoopKinds.
+
+See also [Execution contract](./execution-contract.md),
+[Harness adapters](./harness-adapters.md), and the
+[Loop Engine](./loop-engine.md).

package/docs/concepts/evidence-attestations.md

@@ -0,0 +1,135 @@
+# Evidence envelopes, attestations, and protocol gates
+
+The Loop Engine does not treat an artifact's text as proof that a transition
+is safe. Every new loop binds `gate-policy-v1`; every artifact committed by
+the engine receives a server-sealed `EvidenceEnvelope` before it enters the
+thread.
+
+This contract applies equally to the five shipped loop kinds: review,
+ideation, implementation, research, and debug. It refines their gates; it
+does not introduce a separate workflow or event store.
+
+## EvidenceEnvelope v1
+
+An envelope binds:
+
+- the artifact digest, including id, phase, type, body/ref, producer,
+  production time, critique links, and iteration;
+- the exact subject: loop, artifact, phase, iteration and, when available,
+  slot, turn, assignment, claim, run, launch-nonce digest/epoch, execution-contract
+  hash, command digest, and workspace digest;
+- a server-derived producer and ingress channel;
+- an observation time and explicit validity window;
+- independent attestations;
+- a canonical SHA-256 integrity seal.
+
+Ingress callers never submit an envelope. `complete_turn`, turn reconciliation,
+the engine verify runner, operator-input handlers, bootstrap hooks, and
+`add_artifact` all seal at their server-controlled commit boundary. Likewise,
+`produced_by` is derived by the server; the public `add_artifact` input no
+longer accepts it as authority. A direct `add_artifact` commit is intentionally
+audit-only: its observation carries `artifact:write`, not `gate:artifact`.
+The internal evidence context and sealing helper are omitted from the public
+Loop Engine barrel; public completion and artifact functions explicitly strip
+any runtime object that attempts to smuggle such a context.
+
+The SHA-256 seal detects accidental or local-store tampering. It is not a
+remote cryptographic identity signature: Brainclaw's local store remains in
+the trusted computing base.
+
+## Attestations are independent
+
+There is deliberately no global confidence score and no ordering such as
+“verification is stronger than approval”. A policy asks for the exact right
+and attestation it needs:
+
+| Attestation | Meaning | Typical right |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| `claim` | the result is bound to the recorded claim/attempt subject | `subject:claim` |
+| `observation` | the engine observed and committed an artifact | `gate:artifact` |
+| `verification` | Brainclaw ran the opener-configured command | `gate:command_green` |
+| `approval` | an authorized reviewer slot returned an accepted verdict | `gate:reviewer_green` |
+
+A worker or adapter can report a passing `verify_report`, but it cannot grant
+itself `verification`. A generic artifact insertion can store a deliverable or
+an accepted verdict for audit, but cannot open either a generic artifact gate
+or a reviewer gate.
+
+Gate authority is an explicit tuple, not a producer-kind shortcut: policy
+matches the ingress channel, producer kind, attestation kind, issuer, right,
+and required subject fields. For example, `reviewer_green` accepts an approval
+issued by `brainclaw:review-slot` through `complete_turn` or a fully bound
+`reconcile_turn`; `command_green` accepts only `brainclaw:verify-command`.
+
+## Gate evaluation
+
+One evaluator is used by terminal stop conditions, phase-advance gates, and
+iteration exits. A decision records:
+
+- `passed`, plus distinct `strict_passed` and `legacy_passed` dimensions;
+- policy version and rollout mode;
+- a digest of the evaluated condition;
+- accepted evidence ids;
+- rejected artifact ids with machine-readable reasons.
+
+The decision is attached to causal `phase_advanced`,
+`phase_advance_blocked`, and automatic `closed` LoopEvents. RuntimeEvents
+remain best-effort telemetry and never authorize a transition.
+
+The evaluator rejects missing evidence on strict threads, invalid seals,
+artifact/subject mismatches, cross-loop or cross-iteration replay, evidence
+predating the loop, future timestamps, unauthorized channel/producer/issuer
+combinations, missing execution bindings or rights, and duplicate payloads in
+threshold gates. If an envelope is present but invalid, legacy behavior is
+never used as a fallback.
+
+The engine snapshots the workspace bytes immediately before and after
+`verify_command`, then again at the evidence commit boundary. A concurrent
+mutation changes the digest and forces the report red. The command argv and
+its digest plus the stable workspace digest are copied into the report and its
+sealed subject. Gate policy requires those bindings to match the configured
+command and recomputes the current workspace digest whenever the gate is read;
+a post-verification mutation therefore invalidates an earlier green report.
+Reconciled worker evidence likewise binds the run, launch generation, and
+execution contract. Pre-P1 reservations retain a deterministic hash of their
+immutable legacy reservation fields so an in-flight historical attempt can
+converge without pretending it carried a v1 execution contract.
+
+Reviewer approval is scoped to the current loop iteration and to the slot's
+current turn, assignment, and claim projections. A creator/admin recovery may
+settle a slot, but it is recorded as coordinator evidence and cannot mint the
+reviewer's approval.
+
+Negative convergence is fail-closed too: an invalid critique cannot be used
+to manufacture “no new critique”. After at least one full ideation cycle, a
+settled critique round with no eligible new critiques is evaluated before the
+quantitative critique gate. “Settled” is causal: the last trusted critic
+successful completion emits an engine-owned `critique_window_closed` artifact
+for that iteration. An open, assigned, running, failed, or cancelled critic
+turn therefore cannot create saturation merely by staying silent.
+
+## Rollout and legacy threads
+
+`LoopThread.evidence_policy` makes compatibility explicit:
+
+- absent: pre-policy thread; unsealed legacy artifacts retain legacy gate
+  semantics (including duplicate threshold counting), while any present
+  envelope is still validated;
+- `{version: "gate-policy-v1", mode: "shadow"}`: writers seal evidence and
+  decisions report both the independently composed strict and legacy results,
+  while the legacy outcome controls the transition;
+- `{version: "gate-policy-v1", mode: "strict"}`: only policy-eligible evidence
+  influences gates.
+
+New loops default to `strict`. Set `BRAINCLAW_EVIDENCE_ENVELOPES=shadow` for a
+measured rollout, or `off` before opening a loop to create an explicit
+pre-policy thread. The policy is frozen on the thread: changing the process
+flag later does not silently downgrade an already-strict loop.
+
+## Persistence model
+
+Evidence lives on `LoopArtifact`; gate decisions live in the existing
+append-only LoopEvent journal. Brainclaw does not add an evidence database or
+a second event journal. The attempt reservation, execution contract,
+artifact, evidence envelope, and causal event remain separately inspectable
+parts of one execution history.