fdeops 3.15.1 → 3.16.0

package/skills/fde/SKILL.md

@@ -1,23 +1,23 @@
 ---
 name: fde
-description: Keeps engagement memory for client work - sponsor, promise, what shipped, who accepted it. Use when the human names a client, customer or stakeholder. Use when they debrief a meeting or paste notes from one. Use when they ask what was agreed, or want dates and receipts. Use when they prep a client meeting or readout, when scope or trust shifts, or when they say @fde. Route the phase and run the local fde CLI (or npx --yes fdeops if it is not installed); never ask them to type commands. Not for ordinary code edits, unit tests, refactors or commits.
+description: Keeps the engagement record for client work. Use when they name a client or stakeholder. Use when they debrief a meeting or paste notes. Use when they ask what was agreed. Use when they run a POC, slice a feature on the client's codebase, prove it on their staging, or need evals before a model acts. Use when they prep a readout, when trust shifts, or they say @fde. Route and run the local fde CLI (or npx --yes fdeops). Never ask them to type commands. Not for ordinary code edits in an unbound repo.
 ---
 
 # @fde
 
 ## Purpose
 
-The **engagement record** for one client. One skill; six stages (land → close). You pick the method; they never pick a skill. Confirm, then write `.fde/`. The host agent writes the TypeScript; you log what they got. The artifact is the memory.
+The **engagement record** for one client, from first meeting to signed outcome. One skill; six stages (land → close). You route; they never pick a skill. Confirm, then write `.fde/`. The workspace still compiles and commits. `@fde` does not leave.
 
 ## When to use
 
 - They named a client, pasted notes, or asked what was agreed
 - The brief feels wrong, a sponsor went quiet, or Friday needs the ledger
-- Unbound — ask the name once, then **you** run `fde resume --init`
+- Unbound - ask the name once, then **you** run `fde resume --init`
 
 ## When NOT to use
 
-TypeScript errors, unit tests, refactors, git commits, generic debug: **host agent**. Agreed slice + code: implement in the host, then `fde log delivery`.
+A one-line typo or compile error in a file that will not ship. On a bound client: stay here for POC, slice, characterisation, eval, go-live, rollback, and acceptance.
 
 ## Use these first
 
@@ -25,14 +25,26 @@ TypeScript errors, unit tests, refactors, git commits, generic debug: **host age
 |---------|-----------------|---------|-----------|
 | **The brief is wrong** | "If this works, who in their company would have to agree that it worked?" | `fde resume` then discover | `references/discover.md` |
 | **They went quiet** | "Is this a process gap, or a trust problem?" | `fde log contact "…" --signal amber\|red\|green` | `references/rescue.md` |
-| **When did we agree?** | Don't argue from memory. Search the record. | `fde receipts <term>` | — |
-| **What did they get?** | A number nobody signed is claimed, not delivered. | `fde status` | `references/status.md` |
+| **When did we agree?** | Don't argue from memory. Search the record. | `fde receipts <term>` | - |
+| **What's the outcome?** | A number nobody signed is claimed, not delivered. | `fde status` | `references/readout.md` |
 
 After a meeting: `fde debrief --smart` → confirm → `--apply`. Walk-in: `fde prep`. Friday: `fde status`.
 
+## Ground loop
+
+On someone else's site the work is not "write code, remember later." Every slice stays on `@fde`:
+
+1. **Name it** in `decisions.md` (plan) or kill it in a day (poc).
+2. **Characterise their code** before you change it (thin-slices). Their tests, their runner.
+3. **Prove it where they live.** Staging they operate, a screen the signer in `success.md` can reject.
+4. **If a model judges:** `evals.md` Verdict SHIP before the slice is done (eval-pack).
+5. **Log delivery.** Outcome is promised → measured → accepted, not a green CI.
+
+A throwaway file can skip the loop. A client slice cannot.
+
 ## Human surface vs agent plumbing
 
-**FDE (human):** `@fde` + English, or `/brief` `/discover` `/plan` `/ship` `/got` `/close` `/debrief` `/prep` `/quiet` `/agreed` `/status`. Never a skill catalog.
+**FDE (human):** `@fde` + English, or `/brief` `/discover` `/plan` `/ship` `/outcome` `/close` `/debrief` `/prep` `/trust` `/receipts` `/readout`. Never a skill catalog.
 
 **You (agent):** run the CLI. **Never tell the FDE to type** `fde …`. If unbound, you run `fde resume --init` after one question. Never ask them to run the CLI.
 
@@ -42,7 +54,7 @@ Fallbacks: `node ~/.claude/fdeops/fde.js …`, then `npx --yes fdeops …`. Skil
 
 1. `fde resume` (bounded `context.md`). `--full` only if you need the whole log.
 2. **NO ENGAGEMENT:** ask "What should we call this client?" then **you** init. Pasted notes → debrief after bind.
-3. Playback 2–3 lines. `hygiene:` → offer `fde doctor`; **never auto-rewrite**.
+3. Playback 2-3 lines. `hygiene:` → offer `fde doctor`; **never auto-rewrite**.
 4. Route. Read **one** `references/*.md`. Confirm, then write.
 
 Writes need a bind (`FDEOPS_ENGAGEMENT` or registry). Never install fdeops on infrastructure they do not control.
@@ -54,13 +66,13 @@ Writes need a bind (`FDEOPS_ENGAGEMENT` or registry). Never install fdeops on in
 | debrief / pasted notes | `fde debrief --smart` → you rewrite prefixes → confirm → `--apply`. `--smart` is a gate, not a brain. `references/debrief.md` |
 | prep me for … | `fde prep "<label>"` |
 | when did we agree | `fde receipts <term>` |
-| sponsor update / what they got | `fde status` |
+| sponsor update / the outcome | `fde status` |
 | they went quiet | `fde log contact "…" --signal amber\|green\|red` |
 | fieldbook page | `fde dashboard` |
-| clean up the fieldbook | `fde doctor` — never auto-rewrite |
+| clean up the fieldbook | `fde doctor` - never auto-rewrite |
 | scrub a secret | `fde redact <term>` then `--apply` after confirm |
 | pull Granola/Slack/transcript | capability check → `fde ingest stage` → confirm → apply. Never auto-apply. `references/ingest.md` |
-| connect an MCP | `references/ingest-connect.md` |
+| connect an MCP | `references/connect.md` |
 | Obsidian / one window | `fde vault` (`--redacted` for a shared screen) |
 
 ## The memory contract
@@ -69,35 +81,35 @@ Writes need a bind (`FDEOPS_ENGAGEMENT` or registry). Never install fdeops on in
 2. **Deliverable = memory.** The work *is* the `.fde/` file. The reference names which one.
 3. **Evidence.** Every claim has a source. Traceable beats plausible.
 4. **No invented facts.** People, quotes, meetings, numbers: they said it or the repo shows it. Else `unknown - ask: <question>`.
-5. **Session digest** (end of session and before a PR) — thinking, not the chat. Confirm, then write. Never a transcript dump.
+5. **Session digest** (end of session and before a PR) - thinking, not the chat. Confirm, then write. Never a transcript dump.
 
    | Digest beat | Lands in |
    |-------------|----------|
    | **TL;DR** | `context.md` |
-   | **Key decisions & why** | `decisions.md` — skip if none |
+   | **Key decisions & why** | `decisions.md` - skip if none |
    | **Pivot / aha** | `context.md` or `decisions.md` |
    | **Scope + verification** | `delivery.md` if code/PR; else skip |
    | **Gotchas** | `context.md` |
-   | **Next action** | existing `## Next action` — **replace**; never append a second heading |
+   | **Next action** | existing `## Next action` - **replace**; never append a second heading |
 
    Judgment ships in the fieldbook. Raw transcripts stay on the machine. The `session-stop` hook is a thin backstop; **you** write the digest.
 
 6. **One customer, one folder.**
 7. Never drop `## Signal history` or `## Retired` when rewriting those files.
 
-**Don't invent.** Don't tell them to run the CLI. Don't fill `success.md` / `terrain.md` with guesses. Don't ship on "probably fine" — intent vs diff, then pre-blast. Don't grill mid-flow. Don't sync transcripts into git.
+**Don't invent.** Don't tell them to run the CLI. Don't fill `success.md` / `terrain.md` with guesses. Don't ship on "probably fine" - intent vs diff, then pre-blast. Don't grill mid-flow. Don't sync transcripts into git.
 
 ## Data boundary
 
-CLI is local (`git` + files, no network). You see their code only when they point you at it. AI policy unknown → ask before loading code. `<private>` is redacted from CLI/dashboard/hooks — do not open raw private blocks with file tools.
+CLI is local (`git` + files, no network). You see their code only when they point you at it. AI policy unknown → ask before loading code. `<private>` is redacted from CLI/dashboard/hooks - do not open raw private blocks with file tools.
 
 ## Voice
 
-Direct. Their words. No "Certainly." Playback 2–4 lines, then act. One question only when a missing fact changes the next move.
+Direct. Their words. No "Certainly." Playback 2-4 lines, then act. One question only when a missing fact changes the next move.
 
 New embed: sprint / standard / programme changes depth, not which methods exist. Before first code: safe place to break things, plus AI-code policy. Before go-live: who needs to know, what's the rollback. Before a sponsor artifact: as-is or gut-check first.
 
-Muddy signal: name it ("discover or rescue — leaning X"). Never a phase-picker interview. Default: land if new, audit if takeover.
+Muddy signal: name it ("discover or rescue - leaning X"). Never a phase-picker interview. Default: land if new, audit if takeover.
 
 ## Routing - 6 stages
 
@@ -109,18 +121,18 @@ Read **one** reference and follow it. Do not improvise from memory.
 |----------|-------|-----------|
 | Starting fresh, new customer, first meeting, just got the brief | land | `references/land.md` |
 | Taking over, previous consultant left, joining mid-project | audit | `references/audit.md` |
-| Need to understand who matters, who decides, who blocks quietly | stakeholder-radar | `references/stakeholder-radar.md` |
-| Need to earn access, navigate AI policy, build credibility | trust-engineering | `references/trust-engineering.md` |
-| "Also can you…", scope expanding, timeline unchanged | scope-defense | `references/scope-defense.md` |
+| Need to understand who matters, who decides, who blocks quietly | who-decides | `references/who-decides.md` |
+| Need to earn access, navigate AI policy, build credibility | earn-trust | `references/earn-trust.md` |
+| "Also can you…", scope expanding, timeline unchanged | hold-scope | `references/hold-scope.md` |
 
 ### Discover
 
 | You hear | Skill | Reference |
 |----------|-------|-----------|
 | Don't know the real problem, brief feels wrong, shadow processes | discover | `references/discover.md` |
-| The brief feels too neat, assumptions untested, "we just need…" | assumption-audit | `references/assumption-audit.md` |
-| Multiple use cases competing, "we want to do everything" | use-case-scoring | `references/use-case-scoring.md` |
-| Need to validate a direction, prototype, demo to de-risk | sketch | `references/sketch.md` |
+| The brief feels too neat, assumptions untested, "we just need…" | test-assumptions | `references/test-assumptions.md` |
+| Multiple use cases competing, "we want to do everything" | score-use-cases | `references/score-use-cases.md` |
+| Need to validate a direction, prototype, demo to de-risk, **POC**, spike, killer assumption | poc | `references/poc.md` |
 
 ### Plan
 
@@ -128,43 +140,43 @@ Read **one** reference and follow it. Do not improvise from memory.
 |----------|-------|-----------|
 | Break this down, what order, sequence the build | plan | `references/plan.md` |
 | Sponsor needs justification, need to defend budget or timeline | business-case | `references/business-case.md` |
-| Significant decision, multiple approaches, "what should we do?" | options-analysis | `references/options-analysis.md` |
-| 20 things are "urgent," need to pick the 3 that matter | initiative-triage | `references/initiative-triage.md` |
+| Significant decision, multiple approaches, "what should we do?" | three-options | `references/three-options.md` |
+| 20 things are "urgent," need to pick the 3 that matter | pick-three | `references/pick-three.md` |
 
 ### Ship
 
 | You hear | Skill | Reference |
 |----------|-------|-----------|
-| Large feature, need visible progress every 2–3 days | incremental-build | `references/incremental-build.md` |
-| What could go wrong, touching shared infrastructure, need to assess impact | blast-radius | `references/blast-radius.md` |
+| Large feature, need visible progress every 2-3 days, slice it, characterise their tests, POC follow-through | thin-slices | `references/thin-slices.md` |
+| What could go wrong, touching shared infrastructure, need to assess impact | what-breaks | `references/what-breaks.md` |
 | Production down, urgent - OR stakeholder gone quiet, trust slipping | rescue | `references/rescue.md` |
 | Ready to deploy, going live, pre-flight check | ship | `references/ship.md` |
 | Review this change, is it safe, does it match what we agreed | review | `references/review.md` |
 | Diff grew / scope creep in the PR / "did we only build what we said" / KEEP JUSTIFY SPLIT DROP | review (+ ship if going live) | `references/review.md` Stage 1 · `references/ship.md` Intent vs diff |
-| Wrap the session / share the thinking / catch teammates up / before I open the PR | (memory contract — session digest) | SKILL.md **On exit** — write TL;DR + decisions/why into `.fde/`; no transcript sync |
-| "We can always revert" - need to actually test the escape route | rollback-drill | `references/rollback-drill.md` |
+| Wrap the session / share the thinking / catch teammates up / before I open the PR | (memory contract - session digest) | SKILL.md **On exit** - write TL;DR + decisions/why into `.fde/`; no transcript sync |
+| "We can always revert" - need to actually test the escape route | rollback | `references/rollback.md` |
 
 ### Prove
 
 | You hear | Skill | Reference |
 |----------|-------|-----------|
-| Weekly update due, "need to send the sponsor something" | status | `references/status.md` |
+| Weekly update due, "need to send the sponsor something" | readout | `references/readout.md` |
 | Demo coming up, show-and-tell, exec walkthrough | demo-prep | `references/demo-prep.md` |
 | Just out of a meeting, raw notes, "they said…", "debrief" | debrief | the debrief verb (above) + `references/debrief.md` |
 | Make sure we're up to date, pull what's relevant, fetch from Granola/Slack/Gmail/transcript | ingest | `references/ingest.md` (capability check → stage → propose → confirm → apply) |
-| Connect a new MCP / connect Granola Slack or Notion / what can you pull | ingest-connect | `references/ingest-connect.md` (+ `mcp/recipes/`) |
+| Connect a new MCP / connect Granola Slack or Notion / what can you pull | connect | `references/connect.md` (+ `mcp/recipes/`) |
 | Prep me for a meeting / walk-in brief / "what should I know before I talk to…" | - | run `fde prep "<label>"`, present in plain language |
-| Sponsor's boss needs a summary, board update, justify continued investment | exec-narrative | `references/exec-narrative.md` |
+| Sponsor's boss needs a summary, board update, justify continued investment | board-memo | `references/board-memo.md` |
 | Status across all my customers | dashboard | `references/dashboard.md` |
 
 ### Close
 
 | You hear | Skill | Reference |
 |----------|-------|-----------|
-| Juggling 2+ customers, losing track, context-switching | multi-customer-ops | `references/multi-customer-ops.md` |
+| Juggling 2+ customers, losing track, context-switching | switch-clients | `references/switch-clients.md` |
 | Wrapping up, handoff, making yourself replaceable | close | `references/close.md` |
-| Engagement ending, team needs to operate without you | handoff-engineering | `references/handoff-engineering.md` |
-| Something worked well and will apply to future engagements | pattern-extract | `references/pattern-extract.md` |
+| Engagement ending, team needs to operate without you | runbook | `references/runbook.md` |
+| Something worked well and will apply to future engagements | encode-pattern | `references/encode-pattern.md` |
 | "Red-team this," "stress-test my plan," poke holes, what am I missing | red-team | `references/red-team.md` |
 | "What did we agree about X?", scope dispute, receipts | - | run `fde receipts <term>`, answer with dates |
 
@@ -173,7 +185,7 @@ Read **one** reference and follow it. Do not improvise from memory.
 | Signal | Overlay |
 |--------|---------|
 | AI, ML, LLM, model, embeddings, RAG, agents, fine-tuning, inference, drift | `references/ai.md` |
-| Golden set, eval suite, eval pack, pass/fail before AI ship, HITL gate for model | `references/eval-pack.md` (+ `ai.md`) |
+| Golden set, eval suite, eval pack, pass/fail before AI ship, HITL gate for model, POC the model | `references/eval-pack.md` (+ `ai.md`) |
 | Deck, slides, report, governance framework, compliance pack, ADR, PDF | `references/artifacts.md` |
 | Patient data, PHI, HIPAA, EHR, clinical | `references/healthcare.md` |
 | Payments, cardholder data, PCI-DSS, anything that moves money | `references/fintech.md` |
@@ -184,8 +196,9 @@ Ready to build with no `terrain.md` / plan: discover or plan first. Takeover wit
 ## Principles
 
 - Never ask the FDE to pick a phase. That's your job.
-- Read `context.md` before speaking. One sharp question — never a barrage.
-- Never invent people, meetings, or numbers — `unknown - ask:` beats a polished lie.
+- Ground loop on a bound client: name → characterise → prove where they live → log. Do not hand the slice to a generic coding pack.
+- Read `context.md` before speaking. One sharp question - never a barrage.
+- Never invent people, meetings, or numbers - `unknown - ask:` beats a polished lie.
 - Every phase ends with its artifact written. No artifact, no "done."
 - Evidence on every claim. The FDE will be challenged on these files.
 - Overlays activate on signal, not on request.

package/skills/fde/references/ai.md

@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ Never start with the most powerful model. Start with the cheapest that meets the
 4. **Does it need fine-tuning?** Only when: you have 500+ high-quality examples, the base model fails consistently on your domain, and the cost of inference at scale justifies the training cost.
 
 **Evaluation method (before choosing):**
-- Build a test set: 50–100 representative inputs with expected outputs.
+- Build a test set: 50-100 representative inputs with expected outputs.
 - Run every candidate model against the test set.
 - Score: accuracy, latency, cost per call, failure modes.
 - The cheapest model that scores above the quality threshold wins.
@@ -38,16 +38,16 @@ Write model selection rationale to `decisions.md`. Include: models tested, test
 
 ## Engagement eval pack (before AI ships)
 
-When any slice touches a model, embeddings, RAG, or an agent: create or update `.fde/evals.md` **before** ship. Full method: `references/eval-pack.md`. This is the engagement-local test set — not unit tests.
+When any slice touches a model, embeddings, RAG, or an agent: create or update `.fde/evals.md` **before** ship. Full method: `references/eval-pack.md`. This is the engagement-local test set - not unit tests.
 
 **Minimum pack (do not grow until the minimum exists):**
-1. **Component + quality bar** — one sentence each; kill switch / fallback named.
-2. **Golden cases** — 5–20 representative inputs with expected outputs and a pass rule. Prefer real production-shaped data (sanitized).
-3. **Failure modes** — at least the silent ones: hallucination/ungrounded, retrieval miss (if RAG), drift, cost runaway.
-4. **Pass/fail** — dated run; Verdict **SHIP** or **NO-SHIP**; critical fails must be 0.
-5. **HITL gate** — which decisions need human review before action (align with `trust-profile.md`). Empty when policy requires review → NO-SHIP.
+1. **Component + quality bar** - one sentence each; kill switch / fallback named.
+2. **Golden cases** - 5-20 representative inputs with expected outputs and a pass rule. Prefer real production-shaped data (sanitized).
+3. **Failure modes** - at least the silent ones: hallucination/ungrounded, retrieval miss (if RAG), drift, cost runaway.
+4. **Pass/fail** - dated run; Verdict **SHIP** or **NO-SHIP**; critical fails must be 0.
+5. **HITL gate** - which decisions need human review before action (align with `trust-profile.md`). Empty when policy requires review → NO-SHIP.
 
-**When to write:** plan seeds the pack; sketch/build grows goldens; ship requires Verdict SHIP and a receipt in `delivery.md` → `## Ship receipts`. Non-AI work skips this file entirely.
+**When to write:** plan seeds the pack; poc/build grows goldens; ship requires Verdict SHIP and a receipt in `delivery.md` → `## Ship receipts`. Non-AI work skips this file entirely.
 
 ## RAG architecture (retrieval-augmented generation)
 
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ When the AI needs to answer questions about the client's data:
 3. **Generate** - chunks + query → LLM → answer with citations
 
 **Common failure modes:**
-- **Chunk size wrong.** Too small = lost context. Too large = noise drowns signal. Start at 500–1000 tokens with 100-token overlap.
+- **Chunk size wrong.** Too small = lost context. Too large = noise drowns signal. Start at 500-1000 tokens with 100-token overlap.
 - **No citation/grounding.** If the model can't point to where it found the answer, you can't verify it. Always require source attribution.
 - **Stale index.** Documents update, embeddings don't. Define the refresh cadence. Real-time for critical data, daily for reference docs.
 - **Retrieval miss.** The right document exists but wasn't retrieved. Test with known-answer queries where the answer IS in the corpus - if retrieval misses these, the embedding model or chunking strategy needs work.

package/skills/fde/references/{exec-narrative.md → board-memo.md}

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# exec-narrative - the story that gets the next phase funded
+# board-memo - the story that gets the next phase funded
 
 **Enter when:** the sponsor's boss needs a summary, a board update mentions the engagement, the FDE needs to justify continued investment, or a quarterly review is approaching.
 

package/skills/fde/references/business-case.md

@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 # business-case - the economics that get the sponsor to say yes
 
-**Enter when:** the sponsor needs justification for the next phase, the FDE needs to defend budget or timeline, a feature decision needs cost/benefit evidence, or sketch produced a direction that needs funding.
+**Enter when:** the sponsor needs justification for the next phase, the FDE needs to defend budget or timeline, a feature decision needs cost/benefit evidence, or poc produced a direction that needs funding.
 
-**Read first:** `reality.md`, `success.md`, `delivery.md`, `context.md`. Load `business-case.md` from sketch if it exists - extend it, don't restart.
+**Read first:** `reality.md`, `success.md`, `delivery.md`, `context.md`. Load `business-case.md` from poc if it exists - extend it, don't restart.
 
 Technical FDEs lose engagements by shipping good code without business justification. The sponsor's boss doesn't ask "is the code clean?" - they ask "what did we get for the money?" A business case translates technical work into the language that keeps the engagement alive.
 
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ Keep the drivers explicit. "We estimate $200K savings" means nothing. "3 people
 
 **3. Sensitivity check - name the two drivers that swing the result:**
 
-Every business case has 1–2 variables where a small change flips the outcome. Name them explicitly:
+Every business case has 1-2 variables where a small change flips the outcome. Name them explicitly:
 
 > "This case holds if the team actually reclaims 6+ hours/week per person. If it's only 3 hours, the payback extends from 5 months to 14 months. The validation: measure time-spent before and after pilot with 2 team members."
 
@@ -75,9 +75,9 @@ Acme phase 2 needs funding. The case starts with the cost of doing nothing, not
 
 Anchor: two silent failures since March, each one day of finance reconciliation by hand plus a late close (`reality.md`, Marco's sheet). That is the number the sponsor already believes because her own team reported it.
 
-Driver model the sponsor can trace: incidents/quarter × hours of manual reconciliation × loaded cost, plus the tail risk of a late regulatory close — stated separately, because mixing a certain small number with an uncertain large one is how a case loses credibility.
+Driver model the sponsor can trace: incidents/quarter × hours of manual reconciliation × loaded cost, plus the tail risk of a late regulatory close - stated separately, because mixing a certain small number with an uncertain large one is how a case loses credibility.
 
-Sensitivity names the two drivers that swing it: incident frequency (2/quarter → 1/quarter and the case halves) and whether the manual re-run continues in parallel (if Marco keeps re-running every morning, the saving is theoretical). The second one is the honest weakness, so it is in the case rather than waiting to be found in the room — with the condition that makes it hold: the morning re-run stops after two clean cycles, agreed with Marco.
+Sensitivity names the two drivers that swing it: incident frequency (2/quarter → 1/quarter and the case halves) and whether the manual re-run continues in parallel (if Marco keeps re-running every morning, the saving is theoretical). The second one is the honest weakness, so it is in the case rather than waiting to be found in the room - with the condition that makes it hold: the morning re-run stops after two clean cycles, agreed with Marco.
 
 ## Principles
 

package/skills/fde/references/close.md

@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ The engagement doesn't end at ship. It ends when the customer can maintain what
 - AI components: did they behave in production? What failure modes did the prototype hide? Is the team equipped to maintain them?
 
 **1b. Value + receipts close gate (refuse green close if any fail):**
-- Primary value bucket in `success.md` matches what the sponsor funded; at least one ledger row has **Measured** (not forever-`pending`) with evidence **and a named customer-side owner in Accepted by** for that bucket — or the retrospective explicitly records “not measured; sponsor accepted pending.” A measured-but-unaccepted number closes as `claimed`; say so in the retrospective rather than closing green on arithmetic nobody signed.
+- Primary value bucket in `success.md` matches what the sponsor funded; at least one ledger row has **Measured** (not forever-`pending`) with evidence **and a named customer-side owner in Accepted by** for that bucket - or the retrospective explicitly records “not measured; sponsor accepted pending.” A measured-but-unaccepted number closes as `claimed`; say so in the retrospective rather than closing green on arithmetic nobody signed.
 - Audit receipt exists for the final shipped path (exceptions/operating map walked; cite file).
 - Eval receipt: **n/a if no AI**, else final golden/eval result + HITL owner recorded; kill switch / fallback named in `handoff.md`.
 - One line in the retrospective: which bucket moved, by how much, vs baseline.
@@ -39,17 +39,17 @@ The engagement doesn't end at ship. It ends when the customer can maintain what
 
 ## Checkpoint
 
-Direct assessment to the FDE: did the engagement achieve `success.md` · 2–3 lessons that matter · is the pattern worth encoding · is the handoff complete or where are the gaps. Also: value bucket + audit receipt green; eval **n/a or green**. Pending Measured without sponsor acceptance = gap, not green close. Honest - a gap named now is cheaper than a callback in six weeks.
+Direct assessment to the FDE: did the engagement achieve `success.md` · 2-3 lessons that matter · is the pattern worth encoding · is the handoff complete or where are the gaps. Also: value bucket + audit receipt green; eval **n/a or green**. Pending Measured without sponsor acceptance = gap, not green close. Honest - a gap named now is cheaper than a callback in six weeks.
 
 ## Worked example
 
 Acme, twelve weeks in, the FDE is rolling off.
 
-Retrospective against the receipts: `brief.md` asked for monitoring, `reality.md` proved it was ownership — and the delta is the most useful paragraph in the file, because it is exactly the argument the next engagement will need.
+Retrospective against the receipts: `brief.md` asked for monitoring, `reality.md` proved it was ownership - and the delta is the most useful paragraph in the file, because it is exactly the argument the next engagement will need.
 
-The close gate bites in a useful way. The ledger shows detection at 12 minutes measured across two real incidents, but **Accepted by** is empty — Marco confirmed it in Slack, Denise (finance) never did, and Denise is whose escalation started the engagement. So it closes as `claimed` with a one-line retrospective note and a named next step, rather than a green close on a number nobody with budget agreed to.
+The close gate bites in a useful way. The ledger shows detection at 12 minutes measured across two real incidents, but **Accepted by** is empty - Marco confirmed it in Slack, Denise (finance) never did, and Denise is whose escalation started the engagement. So it closes as `claimed` with a one-line retrospective note and a named next step, rather than a green close on a number nobody with budget agreed to.
 
-`handoff.md` is written for the person woken at 2am: the three things that break, what the page means, how to re-run manually the way Marco does, and who holds the tribal knowledge (Raj, who built the original job — credited, because he protects it now). `patterns.md` gets *"unowned job" presents as "unmonitored job"* — it has now happened twice.
+`handoff.md` is written for the person woken at 2am: the three things that break, what the page means, how to re-run manually the way Marco does, and who holds the tribal knowledge (Raj, who built the original job - credited, because he protects it now). `patterns.md` gets *"unowned job" presents as "unmonitored job"* - it has now happened twice.
 
 ## Principles
 

package/skills/fde/references/{ingest-connect.md → connect.md}

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# ingest-connect - wire a source MCP in plain language
+# connect - wire a source MCP in plain language
 
 **Enter when:** the FDE says "I want to connect a new MCP", "connect Granola / Slack / Notion", "how do I pull from …", or a pull request fails because no source tools exist.
 
@@ -15,15 +15,15 @@
 
 ## Method
 
-1. **Ask one question** — which source? (`file` / `granola` / `slack` / `notion` / other). If "other", ask for the MCP they intend to use. If they just want paste → send them to debrief and stop.
-2. **Capability check (current session)** — list MCP tools you can actually call:
+1. **Ask one question** - which source? (`file` / `granola` / `slack` / `notion` / other). If "other", ask for the MCP they intend to use. If they just want paste → send them to debrief and stop.
+2. **Capability check (current session)** - list MCP tools you can actually call:
    - Sink: `fde ingest` CLI (preferred) and/or `ingest_stage`
    - Source: anything that can **fetch** that system's content (not post)
    - Say clearly: *available now* vs *needs config*.
-3. **Emit config for the source only** — open `mcp/recipes/<source>.md`. Fill placeholders from *that product's* docs. Tell them to paste secrets into host env — never into `.fde/`.
-4. **Tell them where to paste** — Cursor MCP settings / `mcp.json`. Claude Code: their MCP config. Save → reload MCP / restart session.
-5. **Verify** — after reload: re-run capability check. If source tools appear, offer a **test pull** staged to `.inbox/` only. Stop before apply unless they ask to propose.
-6. **Handoff phrase** — e.g. `@fde pull today's Acme Granola into the fieldbook`.
+3. **Emit config for the source only** - open `mcp/recipes/<source>.md`. Fill placeholders from *that product's* docs. Tell them to paste secrets into host env - never into `.fde/`.
+4. **Tell them where to paste** - Cursor MCP settings / `mcp.json`. Claude Code: their MCP config. Save → reload MCP / restart session.
+5. **Verify** - after reload: re-run capability check. If source tools appear, offer a **test pull** staged to `.inbox/` only. Stop before apply unless they ask to propose.
+6. **Handoff phrase** - e.g. `@fde pull today's Acme Granola into the fieldbook`.
 
 ## If they only want paste / files
 

package/skills/fde/references/debrief.md

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 
 - The `fde` CLI is **local, deterministic, no AI**. `--smart` is a **gate + writer**, not a brain.
 - It keeps lines that already have `decision:` / `risk:` / `delivery:` / `contact:` / `next:` prefixes, plus a thin keyword pass (e.g. "we agreed", person+verb lines, "open question").
-- Real messy notes without prefixes often route **0 useful lines** — everything else lands as a context dump. That is expected. **You are the router:** rewrite `.debrief-propose` with type prefixes, then `--apply`.
+- Real messy notes without prefixes often route **0 useful lines** - everything else lands as a context dump. That is expected. **You are the router:** rewrite `.debrief-propose` with type prefixes, then `--apply`.
 - `.debrief-propose` is raw lines only (no routing annotations). "Edit if mis-routed" means **rewrite the line with the right prefix**, not leave a comment in the file.
 
 ## Method (you do this work)
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 1. Save the FDE's notes to a temp `.md` file in the workspace (or pipe stdin).
 2. Run `fde debrief --smart <notes.md>` (or `npx fdeops debrief --smart …`).
 3. Open `.debrief-propose`. If lines lack type prefixes, **rewrite them** before showing the FDE, e.g.:
-   - `decision: agreed chargebacks stay phase 2 — Priya`
+   - `decision: agreed chargebacks stay phase 2 - Priya`
    - `risk: legal may reopen scope if we slip the SOW date`
    - `contact: Priya pushed hard on Friday deck [signal:amber]`
    - `next: send one-pager before Thursday 9am`

package/skills/fde/references/discover.md

@@ -22,16 +22,16 @@ State your read, let the FDE correct, then discover.
 
 Use when the "problem" is unfalsifiable, success is undefined, or you cannot name the decision discovery informs. Skip when `reality.md` / `terrain.md` already pin a testable claim and the FDE is ready to dig.
 
-Same format as land — one Q + GUESS, no checklist:
+Same format as land - one Q + GUESS, no checklist:
 
 ```
 READ: <the real problem you think exists, in one sentence>
-CONFIDENCE: ~NN% — missing: <what would falsify or confirm it>
+CONFIDENCE: ~NN% - missing: <what would falsify or confirm it>
 Q: <one question that changes where you dig>
 GUESS: <your answer, so they can correct it>
 ```
 
-Stop when you can write the decision sentence under **Frame the decision first**. If a name, quote, or metric is still missing, write `unknown - ask:` — never invent ops folklore to make the map look complete.
+Stop when you can write the decision sentence under **Frame the decision first**. If a name, quote, or metric is still missing, write `unknown - ask:` - never invent ops folklore to make the map look complete.
 
 ## Frame the decision first
 
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@ The real spec is what people **do** when the system fails - not what the slide d
 - **The hesitation.** When someone says "well, there's also this other thing we do…" - stop them, ask them to finish. The main story is what they're comfortable explaining; the hesitation is the real problem.
 - **"Which part of the codebase do you least want to touch?"** The answer is unanimous and it's the load-bearing wall. Check it against your churn scan - when the human answer and the churn data agree, that's your first map landmark.
 - **Shadow AI.** Someone pasting data into ChatGPT to cope = a real unmet need + an uncontrolled data risk. Note both.
-- **Exception-led operating map.** For each real break (not the slide-deck process): what fails, who notices first, what they do today, and which artifact is trusted in that moment. Prefer exceptions over happy-path swimlanes — the workaround is the operating system. Write rows under `terrain.md` → `## Operating map (exception-led)`. If the section is missing on an older engagement, add it; never regenerate the rest of terrain. When AI is in play, also fill `## Intelligence placement` (deterministic vs LLM judgement vs human approve). **`fde doctor` requires at least one filled exception row before plan/build/ship/close** — empty map after discover is a hygiene fail, not optional polish.
+- **Exception-led operating map.** For each real break (not the slide-deck process): what fails, who notices first, what they do today, and which artifact is trusted in that moment. Prefer exceptions over happy-path swimlanes - the workaround is the operating system. Write rows under `terrain.md` → `## Operating map (exception-led)`. If the section is missing on an older engagement, add it; never regenerate the rest of terrain. When AI is in play, also fill `## Intelligence placement` (deterministic vs LLM judgement vs human approve). **`fde doctor` requires at least one filled exception row before plan/build/ship/close** - empty map after discover is a hygiene fail, not optional polish.
 
 ## Method - part 3: workshop facilitation
 
@@ -137,13 +137,13 @@ A use case that depends on a "Blocker" source doesn't get scored - it gets a dat
 
 Score every candidate use case before anything gets prototyped:
 
-| Dimension | Question | 1–5 |
+| Dimension | Question | 1-5 |
 |---|---|---|
 | Business value | What does it cost them unsolved? | |
 | Complexity | How hard to build safely? (5 = hardest) | |
 | Data readiness | Available, clean, sufficient volume today? | |
 
-**Score = (Value × Data readiness) / Complexity.** Highest score gets prototyped first (hand to `sketch`). A 5-value/1-complexity/5-readiness case scores 25; a 5-value/5-complexity/2-readiness case scores 2 - they look identical on a whiteboard. Never let a technically interesting use case override the score.
+**Score = (Value × Data readiness) / Complexity.** Highest score gets prototyped first (hand to `poc`). A 5-value/1-complexity/5-readiness case scores 25; a 5-value/5-complexity/2-readiness case scores 2 - they look identical on a whiteboard. Never let a technically interesting use case override the score.
 
 ## Artifact (this IS the memory - write it as you work)
 
@@ -196,9 +196,9 @@ Stop. Don't form a fourth hypothesis. Three disproven reads means the brief is a
 
 Acme's brief blamed missing monitoring. Discovery goes to the workaround first.
 
-`git log` shows the reconciliation module at 47 commits/90d with no tests, all from one author who left in February. Marco (ops lead) turns out to keep a spreadsheet: every morning he re-runs the job manually and eyeballs the totals — a habit nobody mentioned because to him it is just the job. That spreadsheet is the system of record when the job fails, which is the actual finding.
+`git log` shows the reconciliation module at 47 commits/90d with no tests, all from one author who left in February. Marco (ops lead) turns out to keep a spreadsheet: every morning he re-runs the job manually and eyeballs the totals - a habit nobody mentioned because to him it is just the job. That spreadsheet is the system of record when the job fails, which is the actual finding.
 
-`reality.md`: **Confirmed:** the job has no owner, and the manual re-run masks failures for a day (evidence: Marco's sheet, Day 5; two silent failures since March, finance escalation Mar 14). **Stated brief was wrong because:** alerting existed last year and was disabled — adding it again without an owner reproduces the same outcome. `terrain.md` gets the hotspot row and an operating-map row: `job fails silently → Marco notices next morning → re-runs by hand → spreadsheet is truth → LOAD-BEARING (Marco, Day 5)`.
+`reality.md`: **Confirmed:** the job has no owner, and the manual re-run masks failures for a day (evidence: Marco's sheet, Day 5; two silent failures since March, finance escalation Mar 14). **Stated brief was wrong because:** alerting existed last year and was disabled - adding it again without an owner reproduces the same outcome. `terrain.md` gets the hotspot row and an operating-map row: `job fails silently → Marco notices next morning → re-runs by hand → spreadsheet is truth → LOAD-BEARING (Marco, Day 5)`.
 
 Checkpoint to the FDE names the sponsor decision this creates: fund ownership, or fund alerting and accept the same failure in six months.
 

package/skills/fde/references/{trust-engineering.md → earn-trust.md}

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# trust-engineering - earning commit access one move at a time
+# earn-trust - earning commit access one move at a time
 
 **Enter when:** new engagement where you don't have full access yet, trust is thin, the customer said "let's start small," or you need to navigate "we don't trust AI-generated code."
 
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ Mistakes happen. What matters is speed and honesty:
 **`trust-profile.md`** - updated sections:
 ```markdown
 ## Trust level
-Current: <level 0–5> as of <date>
+Current: <level 0-5> as of <date>
 Evidence: <what earned this level>
 Next target: <level> - requires: <specific action>
 

package/skills/fde/references/{pattern-extract.md → encode-pattern.md}

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# pattern-extract - if you did it twice, encode it
+# encode-pattern - if you did it twice, encode it
 
 **Enter when:** the engagement is closing and reusable patterns exist, a technique worked well and will apply to future clients, the FDE notices themselves doing the same thing on a second engagement, or close identified a pattern worth preserving.
 

package/skills/fde/references/eval-pack.md

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # eval-pack - prove the system before it acts
 
-**Enter when:** the work touches AI/LLM/agents/RAG, or ship/close is blocked because there is no evidence the non-deterministic path is safe. Activate alongside `ai.md`, `sketch`, `build`, or `ship` — not instead of them.
+**Enter when:** the work touches AI/LLM/agents/RAG, or they need to POC a model, or ship/close is blocked because there is no evidence the non-deterministic path is safe. Activate alongside `ai.md`, `poc`, `thin-slices`, or `ship` - not instead of them.
 
 **Read first:** `trust-profile.md` (AI policy + HITL), `terrain.md` (operating map), `delivery.md`. Create or extend `evals.md`.
 
@@ -14,19 +14,19 @@ Intelligence without evidence is token-maxing with a nicer name. An FDE earns tr
 
 **1. Scope the judgement surface.** One sentence: which step uses model judgement, and what must never be autonomous.
 
-**2. Build a golden set (minimum 5–20 for a slice; prefer 50–100 before broad scale).** For each case:
-- input (sanitized — no `<private>` raw values)
+**2. Build a golden set (minimum 5-20 for a slice; prefer 50-100 before broad scale).** For each case:
+- input (sanitized - no `<private>` raw values)
 - expected outcome or expert-approved acceptance note
 - pass rule (exact / contains / short rubric)
 - source: real historical example / expert label / staged fixture
 
 **3. Score pass/fail, not vibes.** Run the suite. Record count pass / fail. Failures get a failure-mode tag (missing data, wrong record, format drift, hallucination, retrieval miss, unsafe action, other).
 
-**4. Human-in-the-loop gate.** Name which outcomes require human approve before side effects. If none, write why that is allowed under `trust-profile.md` AI policy — do not invent permission.
+**4. Human-in-the-loop gate.** Name which outcomes require human approve before side effects. If none, write why that is allowed under `trust-profile.md` AI policy - do not invent permission.
 
 **5. Ship rule.** Until `evals.md` shows Verdict **SHIP** with a dated run (critical fails = 0) and HITL filled when policy requires it, AI-touching ship stays **fix-first**. Log a one-line eval receipt in `delivery.md` → `## Ship receipts`.
 
-## Artifact — `evals.md`
+## Artifact - `evals.md`
 
 Create on first AI-touching slice (not at `resume --init`). Use the stub in `templates/.fde/evals.md`. Every claim needs a source. Missing evidence → leave the cell `unknown - ask:`, never invent scores.
 
@@ -38,6 +38,6 @@ Present to the FDE: suite size, pass rate, top failure mode, HITL gate, Verdict
 
 - No golden set, no AI ship.
 - Pass/fail beats “looks good.”
-- Failure modes are the product — the happy path is table stakes.
+- Failure modes are the product - the happy path is table stakes.
 - HITL is a gate, not a slide.
 - Non-AI work does not need this file.

package/skills/fde/references/{scope-defense.md → hold-scope.md}

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# scope-defense - holding the line without losing the relationship
+# hold-scope - holding the line without losing the relationship
 
 **Enter when:** "also can you…" mid-build, a stakeholder adds requirements without adjusting timeline, the FDE feels scope creeping but can't name it, or `success.md` no longer matches what's being asked.
 
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Log via `fde log decision "scope change: <summary> - requested by <who>, impact:
 
 **The key phrase: "Let me place it."** Not "that's out of scope" (adversarial) or "sure" (absorbed). "Let me place it" signals you're taking it seriously while buying time to assess the real cost.
 
-**4. The accumulation conversation.** When the scope receipts show a pattern - typically 3–5 absorbed changes - the FDE needs a conversation with the sponsor:
+**4. The accumulation conversation.** When the scope receipts show a pattern - typically 3-5 absorbed changes - the FDE needs a conversation with the sponsor:
 
 Frame it as **protection, not complaint:**
 > "We've absorbed five changes since the original agreement. Each one made sense individually. Together, they've added roughly two weeks. I want to make sure the timeline expectation still matches - should we adjust the delivery date, or reprioritise to keep the original date?"
@@ -67,9 +67,9 @@ Acme, week 5. Nothing has been formally added, and the slice is a week late.
 
 The pattern shows in three receipts, not one argument: a "quick" finance CSV export (Jun 20, half a day, from Denise directly), retry-logic cleanup asked for mid-build (Jun 24, one day, Tom), and a dashboard tile "while you're in there" (Jun 27, half a day). Each was individually reasonable; together they are the slip.
 
-Three-bucket response, applied at the moment of the third ask rather than in a retrospective: the CSV export goes to Next with an accepted trade (it displaces the runbook polish), the retry cleanup goes to the kill list in `decisions.md` with the blast-radius reason, and the tile is absorbed because it is genuinely twenty minutes — logged anyway, since an unlogged absorption is the one that gets forgotten in the accumulation conversation.
+Three-bucket response, applied at the moment of the third ask rather than in a retrospective: the CSV export goes to Next with an accepted trade (it displaces the runbook polish), the retry cleanup goes to the kill list in `decisions.md` with the what-breaks reason, and the tile is absorbed because it is genuinely twenty minutes - logged anyway, since an unlogged absorption is the one that gets forgotten in the accumulation conversation.
 
-That conversation happens with Priya at three receipts, with the dates on screen: "these are the four asks, here is the two days, here is what moved." Not a complaint — a decision she gets to make, with evidence, before the deadline makes it for her.
+That conversation happens with Priya at three receipts, with the dates on screen: "these are the four asks, here is the two days, here is what moved." Not a complaint - a decision she gets to make, with evidence, before the deadline makes it for her.
 
 ## Principles