mindforge-cc 11.9.2 → 11.9.3

package/.agent/mindforge/orch-add-feature.md

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ with `$ARGUMENTS` as the request and `operation = add-feature`. The engine will:
 3. TDD each task via `mindforge-tdd_extended` (new failing tests → green), then
    `/mindforge:review` (+ the `quick.md` security auto-trigger / `security-reviewer`
    if a security trigger is touched).
-4. Commit as conventional `feat(...)` commits, each writing a Merkle-linked
+4. Commit as conventional `feat(...)` commits, each writing a hash-chained
    AUDIT.jsonl entry. → **GATE 2** (confirm before commit).
 
 Honor both gates — do not write implementation before Gate 1, do not commit

package/.agent/mindforge/orch-build-mvp.md

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ with `$ARGUMENTS` as the doc path and `operation = build-mvp` (default floor:
    > the orch-pipeline skill.
 4. `/mindforge:review` (+ the `quick.md` security auto-trigger / `security-reviewer`
    on any security-trigger slice), then commit the scaffold and each slice as
-   separate conventional `feat(...)` commits, each writing a Merkle-linked
+   separate conventional `feat(...)` commits, each writing a hash-chained
    AUDIT.jsonl entry. → **GATE 2**.
 
 If `$ARGUMENTS` is empty, ask the user for the path to the design/spec doc.

package/.agent/mindforge/orch-change-feature.md

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ with `$ARGUMENTS` as the request and `operation = change-feature`. The engine wi
    first is what makes this a tweak, not a fix.)
 4. `/mindforge:review` (+ the `quick.md` security auto-trigger / `security-reviewer`
    on a security trigger), then commit as conventional `feat(...)` / `refactor(...)`
-   + Merkle-linked AUDIT.jsonl entry. → **GATE 2**.
+   + hash-chained AUDIT.jsonl entry. → **GATE 2**.
 
 Use this only when the feature **works** but should behave differently — not for
 bugs (`/mindforge:orch-fix-defect`) or net-new capability

package/.agent/mindforge/orch-fix-defect.md

@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ with `$ARGUMENTS` as the request and `operation = fix-defect`. The engine will:
    this a fix, not a tweak.)
 3. `/mindforge:review` (+ the `quick.md` security auto-trigger / `security-reviewer`
    if the defect sits in a sensitive path).
-4. Commit as a conventional `fix(...)` commit + Merkle-linked AUDIT.jsonl entry.
+4. Commit as a conventional `fix(...)` commit + hash-chained AUDIT.jsonl entry.
    → **GATE 2** (confirm before commit).
 
 Use this only when behavior is **broken/wrong** — not for intentional changes

package/.agent/mindforge/orch-refine-code.md

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ with `$ARGUMENTS` as the request and `operation = refine-code`. The engine will:
    — the existing suite proves behavior is unchanged). Dead-code/dup sweeps
    delegate to `/mindforge:de-slop`.
 4. `/mindforge:review`, then commit as `refactor(...)` (the diff must be
-   behavior-neutral) + Merkle-linked AUDIT.jsonl entry. → **GATE 2**.
+   behavior-neutral) + hash-chained AUDIT.jsonl entry. → **GATE 2**.
 
 Use this only when behavior must **not** change. If behavior should change at
 all, use `/mindforge:orch-change-feature` or `/mindforge:orch-fix-defect`.

package/.agent/mindforge/qa.md

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 ---
-description: @mindforge qa [--phase N] [--auto]
+description: /mindforge:qa [--phase N] [--auto]
 ---
 
 # /mindforge:qa
 
 ## Usage
-`@mindforge qa [--phase N] [--auto]`
+`/mindforge:qa [--phase N] [--auto]`
 
 ## Description
 Runs systematic visual QA on UI surfaces changed in the current phase.

package/.claude/CLAUDE.md

@@ -25,25 +25,37 @@ You are a **Dynamic Multi-Agent Swarm (Agentic Mesh)**. Your mission is to execu
 
 ## 🛠️ CORE PROTOCOLS (The "How")
 
+> **These are protocols you follow, not modules you call.** `SwarmController`, `PersonaFactory`
+> and `WaveExecutor` are role names in the specs under `.mindforge/engine/`, not importable code —
+> there is no file by any of those names. Every step below is something you do by reasoning and by
+> using your own tools. Where a real executable exists, it is named with its path.
+
 ### 1. Swarm Dynamic Orchestration (V4)
 **IF** task complexity/impact is high **OR** cross-disciplinary logic is required:
-1.  Invoke `SwarmController` and activate `mindforge-swarm-execution`.
+1.  Adopt the swarm-orchestration protocol described in `.mindforge/engine/`.
 2.  Spawn task-specific ephemeral specialist cluster (AIEngineering, Security, etc.).
-3.  Inject knowledge patches via `PersonaFactory` (Context7).
-4.  Execute parallel mesh waves via `WaveExecutor` guided by `mindforge-parallel-mesh_extended`.
+3.  Load the relevant persona brief from `.mindforge/personas/` before each specialist acts.
+4.  Execute parallel mesh waves, consolidating dependent work before independent work.
 5.  Consolidate mesh findings into a single `SWARM-SUMMARY`.
 
 ### 2. The Sharded Memory Loop (SRD)
 **IF** context ≥ 70% **OR** starting a new task:
-1. Initialize `shard-controller.js`.
-2. Rotate context per the Tri-Tier strategy (Hot/Warm/Cold).
-3. Inject only sharded relevant data into the active buffer.
+1. Rotate context per the Tri-Tier strategy (Hot/Warm/Cold) yourself — this is an advisory
+   discipline, not an automated step.
+2. Inject only sharded relevant data into the active buffer.
+3. Re-read the current phase's plan rather than carrying stale detail forward.
 
 ### 3. The Adversarial Decision Loop (ADS)
 **BEFORE** committing any architectural change:
-1. Spawn Red-Team/Blue-Team debate contexts.
-2. Run `soul-engine.js` on the proposed diff.
-3. **STOP** if SOUL Score < `[MIN_SOUL_SCORE]` from MINDFORGE.md.
+1. Spawn Red-Team/Blue-Team debate contexts and argue the change against itself.
+2. Score the proposal on impact, leverage, reversibility, effort, risk and cost.
+3. **STOP** if the resulting SOUL Score < `[MIN_SOUL_SCORE]` from MINDFORGE.md.
+
+ADS is a reasoning protocol you run, not a command. Do not look for a script: measured, the two
+scripts this section used to name (soul-engine.js and shard-controller.js) do not exist
+anywhere in the package. The nearest real implementation, `runADSSynthesis()` in
+`bin/review/ads-engine.js`, is a library with a single internal caller, exposes no CLI, and takes
+`{phaseNum, goal, context, sessionId}` rather than a diff, so it cannot be invoked here either.
 
 ### 4. Standard Extended Protocols (Quality Gates)
 **MANDATORY**: For specific workflows, activate the corresponding `_extended` protocol:
@@ -78,18 +90,26 @@ Prioritize based on `[REACTIVE_MODE]` in MINDFORGE.md. These are the **Quality g
 - [ ] **AgRevOps Check**: Verify ROI trends and Security Health Score via `/api/revops`.
 - [ ] **PLAN-FIRST RULE**: Never code without a verified XML plan.
 - [ ] **Verify First**: Never task-complete without successful `<verify>` output.
-- [ ] **Audit Always**: Write a JSONL entry for every significant session event. All entries must be Merkle-linked.
+- [ ] **Audit Always**: Write a JSONL entry for every significant session event. The result is a hash-chained append-only audit log (SHA-256 back-links): each entry sets `previous_hash` to the prior entry's `_hash`.
 
 ---
 
 ## ⚡ COMMAND SUITE
 
+Every entry below has a backing command file, checked by `tests/protocol-claims.test.js`. Two that
+did not (the brainstorming and history entries) are gone: neither existed in
+`.claude/commands/mindforge/` or `.agent/mindforge/` (both hold exactly 221 files, so this was not
+a mirror gap), and neither had a near-match to correct to. Temporal history is reachable, just not
+as a slash command, so it is named as what it actually is.
+
 - `/mindforge:next` — Primary auto-discovery.
 - `/mindforge:auto` — Reactive engine start.
-- `/mindforge:brainstorming` — Creative & architectural exploration.
-- `/mindforge:history` — Temporal Hub access.
+- `/mindforge:plan-phase` — Plan the next phase before writing code.
+- `/mindforge:verify-phase` — Verify the phase against its plan.
 - `/mindforge:status` — Project health & sharding state.
 - `/mindforge:audit` — Day 4 governance access.
+- `mindforge temporal <status|cleanup|inject>` — reasoning-history access (a CLI command, not a
+  slash command).
 
 ---
 
@@ -109,7 +129,11 @@ Adopt the Principal AI persona. Be instruction-dense, unambiguous, and architect
 
 **Source of Truth Hierarchy**:
 
-1. SOUL.md (Sovereign Identity — Behavioral OS)
+1. SOUL.md (Sovereign Identity — Behavioral OS). **Not shipped in the package**, and generated
+   locally rather than installed: `bin/memory/identity-synthesizer.js` creates and evolves it. If
+   your project has no SOUL.md, this entry is vacant and authority passes to MINDFORGE.md — do not
+   infer its contents. The prompt-defense baseline it carries is reproduced verbatim at the top of
+   this file, so that part reaches you either way.
 2. MINDFORGE.md (Parameter Registry)
 3. .agent/CLAUDE.md (Protocols)
 4. `.mindforge/` (Framework Binary Logic)

package/.claude/commands/mindforge/browse.md

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 ---
-description: "@mindforge browse <url | action>"
+description: "/mindforge:browse <url | action>"
 ---
 
 # /mindforge:browse
 
 ## Usage
-`@mindforge browse <url | action>`
+`/mindforge:browse <url | action>`
 
 ## Description
 Controls the persistent MindForge browser daemon. 

package/.claude/commands/mindforge/checkpoint.md

@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ Remove old checkpoints, keeping the last 5.
 
 ## AUDIT linkage
 
-Each create/verify optionally writes a Merkle-linked AUDIT.jsonl entry:
+Each create/verify optionally writes a hash-chained AUDIT.jsonl entry:
 
 ```json
 { "event": "checkpoint_created", "name": "core-done", "sha": "abc1234", "tests_pass_rate": 1.0, "coverage": 0.0 }

package/.claude/commands/mindforge/harness-audit.md

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ LLM layer judges *whether it matters here* and proposes the highest-leverage fix
 
 ## Step 3 — Report + AUDIT entry
 
-Summarize the scorecard, then write a Merkle-linked AUDIT.jsonl entry:
+Summarize the scorecard, then write a hash-chained AUDIT.jsonl entry:
 
 ```json
 {

package/.claude/commands/mindforge/orch-add-feature.md

@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ with `$ARGUMENTS` as the request and `operation = add-feature`. The engine will:
 3. TDD each task via `mindforge-tdd_extended` (new failing tests → green), then
    `/mindforge:review` (+ the `quick.md` security auto-trigger / `security-reviewer`
    if a security trigger is touched).
-4. Commit as conventional `feat(...)` commits, each writing a Merkle-linked
+4. Commit as conventional `feat(...)` commits, each writing a hash-chained
    AUDIT.jsonl entry. → **GATE 2** (confirm before commit).
 
 Honor both gates — do not write implementation before Gate 1, do not commit

package/.claude/commands/mindforge/orch-build-mvp.md

@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ with `$ARGUMENTS` as the doc path and `operation = build-mvp` (default floor:
    > the orch-pipeline skill.
 4. `/mindforge:review` (+ the `quick.md` security auto-trigger / `security-reviewer`
    on any security-trigger slice), then commit the scaffold and each slice as
-   separate conventional `feat(...)` commits, each writing a Merkle-linked
+   separate conventional `feat(...)` commits, each writing a hash-chained
    AUDIT.jsonl entry. → **GATE 2**.
 
 If `$ARGUMENTS` is empty, ask the user for the path to the design/spec doc.

package/.claude/commands/mindforge/orch-change-feature.md

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ with `$ARGUMENTS` as the request and `operation = change-feature`. The engine wi
    first is what makes this a tweak, not a fix.)
 4. `/mindforge:review` (+ the `quick.md` security auto-trigger / `security-reviewer`
    on a security trigger), then commit as conventional `feat(...)` / `refactor(...)`
-   + Merkle-linked AUDIT.jsonl entry. → **GATE 2**.
+   + hash-chained AUDIT.jsonl entry. → **GATE 2**.
 
 Use this only when the feature **works** but should behave differently — not for
 bugs (`/mindforge:orch-fix-defect`) or net-new capability

package/.claude/commands/mindforge/orch-fix-defect.md

@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ with `$ARGUMENTS` as the request and `operation = fix-defect`. The engine will:
    this a fix, not a tweak.)
 3. `/mindforge:review` (+ the `quick.md` security auto-trigger / `security-reviewer`
    if the defect sits in a sensitive path).
-4. Commit as a conventional `fix(...)` commit + Merkle-linked AUDIT.jsonl entry.
+4. Commit as a conventional `fix(...)` commit + hash-chained AUDIT.jsonl entry.
    → **GATE 2** (confirm before commit).
 
 Use this only when behavior is **broken/wrong** — not for intentional changes

package/.claude/commands/mindforge/orch-refine-code.md

@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ with `$ARGUMENTS` as the request and `operation = refine-code`. The engine will:
    — the existing suite proves behavior is unchanged). Dead-code/dup sweeps
    delegate to `/mindforge:de-slop`.
 4. `/mindforge:review`, then commit as `refactor(...)` (the diff must be
-   behavior-neutral) + Merkle-linked AUDIT.jsonl entry. → **GATE 2**.
+   behavior-neutral) + hash-chained AUDIT.jsonl entry. → **GATE 2**.
 
 Use this only when behavior must **not** change. If behavior should change at
 all, use `/mindforge:orch-change-feature` or `/mindforge:orch-fix-defect`.

package/.claude/commands/mindforge/qa.md

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 ---
-description: "@mindforge qa [--phase N] [--auto]"
+description: "/mindforge:qa [--phase N] [--auto]"
 ---
 
 # /mindforge:qa
 
 ## Usage
-`@mindforge qa [--phase N] [--auto]`
+`/mindforge:qa [--phase N] [--auto]`
 
 ## Description
 Runs systematic visual QA on UI surfaces changed in the current phase.

package/.mindforge/MINDFORGE-SCHEMA.json

@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@
     },
     "COST_HARD_LIMIT_USD": {
       "type": "number", "minimum": 0, "maximum": 10000,
-      "description": "Daily hard cost limit in USD. DECLARED BUT NOT ENFORCED as of 11.9.2: bin/models/cost-tracker.js reads MODEL_COST_HARD_LIMIT_USD, which this registry does not declare, so preflight() returns early and no cap is applied. Do not treat this as a spend control. Tracked as COST-02."
+      "description": "Daily hard cost limit in USD. ENFORCED as of 11.9.3 (COST-02): bin/models/cost-tracker.js preflight() throws COST_LIMIT_REACHED once today's ledger spend plus the call estimate reaches this value, and bin/models/model-client.js re-throws it. 0 disables the cap, and so does omitting the key (it is `recommended`, not `required`) — an upgrade never rewrites an existing MINDFORGE.md. A present-but-unparseable value throws COST_LIMIT_MISCONFIGURED rather than silently running uncapped."
     },
     "ADS_DEBATE_ROUNDS": {
       "type": "number", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 10,

package/.mindforge/config.json

@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 {
-  "version": "11.9.2",
+  "version": "11.9.3",
   "environment": "development",
   "governance": {
     "drift_threshold": 0.75,
     "critical_drift_threshold": 0.5,
     "res_threshold": 0.8,
-    "active_did": "did:mindforge:766e07ac-8f56-4840-be61-316b90bbed35"
+    "active_did": ""
   },
   "revops": {
     "market_registry": {
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@
   },
   "mesh": {
     "_node_id_note": "Set node_id to a unique value per node in multi-node deployments. auto = hostname-derived.",
-    "node_id": "beta-node",
+    "node_id": "auto",
     "peers": []
   },
   "ase": {

package/.mindforge/engine/autonomous/headless-adapter.md

@@ -46,8 +46,8 @@ Typical GitHub Action setup:
 ```yaml
 steps:
   - uses: actions/checkout@v4
-  - name: Run MindForge Auto
-    run: npx mindforge auto --phase 3 --headless
+  - name: Run MindForge headless
+    run: npx mindforge headless --phase 3
     env:
       MINDFORGE_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.MINDFORGE_TOKEN }}
       AUTO_PUSH_ON_WAVE_COMPLETE: true

package/.mindforge/engine/temporal-protocol.md

@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ Temporal Vision enables high-fidelity "Time-Travel Debugging" by snapshotting th
    - `task_completed`
    - `hindsight_injected`
 2. **Persistence**: Snapshots are stored in `.planning/history/[audit_id]/`.
-3. **Retention**: The system retains snapshots for the current milestone. Completed milestones should be archived or purged using `/mindforge:temporal --cleanup`.
+3. **Retention**: The system retains snapshots for the current milestone. Completed milestones should be archived or purged using `mindforge temporal cleanup`.
 
 ## Hindsight Injection Protocol
 Hindsight Injection is a powerful tool and must be used according to these safety rules:
@@ -37,4 +37,4 @@ Hindsight Injection is a powerful tool and must be used according to these safet
 ## Common Operations
 - `GET /api/temporal/history`: View the timeline.
 - `POST /api/temporal/inject`: Perform hindsight repair.
-- `/mindforge:temporal --status`: Check history size and snapshot count.
+- `mindforge temporal status`: Check history size and snapshot count.

package/.mindforge/governance/change-classifier.md

@@ -44,9 +44,25 @@ Scan the actual diff content, not only filenames, for patterns such as:
 This protects against security-critical code being added to innocuous filenames
  like `src/utils/helper.ts`.
 
-### Signal C — AUDIT history patterns
-If the current phase has a recent HIGH or CRITICAL `security_finding`, the next
- change in that phase is elevated to Tier 3 automatically.
+### Signal C — AUDIT history patterns (SPECIFIED, NOT IMPLEMENTED)
+Intended behaviour: if the current phase has a recent HIGH or CRITICAL
+ `security_finding`, the next change in that phase is elevated to Tier 3
+ automatically.
+
+**This signal does not exist in `bin/change-classifier.js`.** It is recorded here
+ as a design intent, not as a live protection, because it would read from
+ `.planning/AUDIT.jsonl` — which is gitignored (`.gitignore:81`), untracked, and
+ absent from `package.json` `files[]`. That file therefore does not exist in the
+ fresh clone the classifier actually runs in
+ (`.github/workflows/control-plane.yml`). Implementing it against a source that is
+ structurally unavailable at the point of enforcement would produce a signal that
+ silently never fires — the same defect class as the Signal B gap above, where 13
+ of the 19 documented patterns were specified and absent.
+
+The `security_finding` event itself is real and carries `severity`: see
+ `bin/dashboard/metrics-aggregator.js:160` and `bin/revops/debt-monitor.js:23`,
+ both of which read it from a local audit log. Enabling Signal C needs a decision
+ about how phase history reaches CI, not merely classifier code.
 
 ## Classification audit entry
 Record why the tier was selected:
@@ -56,7 +72,7 @@ Record why the tier was selected:
   "event": "change_classified",
   "tier": 3,
   "classification_reason": "code pattern: jwt.sign found in src/utils/helper.ts",
-  "signals_checked": ["file_path", "code_content", "audit_history"],
+  "signals_checked": ["file_path", "code_content"],
   "signal_triggered": "code_content",
   "pattern_matched": "jwt.sign"
 }

package/.mindforge/memory/sync-manifest.json

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "pattern-library.jsonl": {
-    "lastSync": "2026-08-16T19:50:41.118Z",
+    "lastSync": "2026-08-21T12:02:25.078Z",
     "localCount": 1
   }
 }

package/.mindforge/skills/agent-architecture-audit/SKILL.md

@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ audit has a real target, not an abstraction.
 | 9 | Answer shaping | SWARM-SUMMARY consolidation | Format corruption in the final response |
 | 10 | Platform rendering | Dashboard (localhost:7339) / CLI / API transport | Transport-layer mutation of a valid answer |
 | 11 | Hidden repair loops | soul-engine ADS rewrite + Temporal hindsight regeneration | Silent fallback/retry running a second LLM pass |
-| 12 | Persistence | auto-state.json + Merkle audit log | Expired state or cached artifacts reused as live evidence |
+| 12 | Persistence | auto-state.json + hash-chained audit log | Expired state or cached artifacts reused as live evidence |
 
 ### Common Failure Patterns
 
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ Define what you're auditing:
 Gather evidence from the codebase:
 - **Source code** — swarm loop, hooks_route tool router, shard admission, prompt
   assembly across the source-of-truth hierarchy
-- **Logs** — NexusTracer session traces, Merkle-linked AUDIT entries, tool-call
+- **Logs** — NexusTracer session traces, hash-chained AUDIT entries, tool-call
   records
 - **Config** — MINDFORGE.md parameters, tool schemas, PersonaFactory patches,
   provider settings

package/.mindforge/skills/orch-pipeline/SKILL.md

@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ Each phase delegates — it does not do the work inline.
   and `security-auditor` / `penetration-tester` whenever the diff touches a
   security trigger.
 - **6. Commit** — conventional commits (`feat:` / `fix:` / `refactor:` / …), one
-  per logical chunk, **+ a Merkle-linked AUDIT.jsonl entry per commit**. → **GATE 2.**
+  per logical chunk, **+ a hash-chained AUDIT.jsonl entry per commit**. → **GATE 2.**
 
 ---
 
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ This family is **gated, not autonomous**:
    work, the manual security overhead is completed here before approval.
 2. **GATE 2 — before Commit.** Present the diff summary and proposed conventional
    commit messages; do not commit until the user confirms. Each confirmed commit
-   writes a Merkle-linked AUDIT.jsonl entry (below).
+   writes a hash-chained AUDIT.jsonl entry (below).
 
 Everything between the gates flows without stopping.
 
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ On user confirmation at Gate 2, for **each** logical commit:
 
 1. Commit with a **conventional** message scoped to one logical change:
    `feat(<scope>): …` / `fix(<scope>): …` / `refactor(<scope>): …` / etc.
-2. Append a **Merkle-linked** AUDIT.jsonl entry to `.planning/AUDIT.jsonl`. Each
+2. Append a **hash-chained** AUDIT.jsonl entry to `.planning/AUDIT.jsonl`. Each
    entry sets `previous_hash` to the prior entry's `_hash` and computes its own
    `_hash` (per `.mindforge/audit/AUDIT-SCHEMA.md`):
 
@@ -263,7 +263,7 @@ On user confirmation at Gate 2, for **each** logical commit:
       security trigger was touched; `/mindforge:security-scan` passed PRE-COMMIT
       with no unaddressed Medium+ findings.
 - [ ] Commits are conventional and scoped to one logical change.
-- [ ] Each commit wrote a Merkle-linked AUDIT.jsonl entry (`previous_hash`/`_hash`).
+- [ ] Each commit wrote a hash-chained AUDIT.jsonl entry (`previous_hash`/`_hash`).
 - [ ] New / changed behavior has tests; coverage ≥ 80%.
 
 ---

package/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,199 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [11.9.3] — 2026-08-21 — Honesty: gates that can fail, commands that run, a release path that is checked
+
+Patch release. No new features. Twenty-one fixes, and they all turned out to be the
+same defect: **an instrument reported success while doing nothing.** Gates that could
+not fail, tests satisfied by a comment, docs describing capabilities with no code
+behind them, commands printing success while performing no action, and a publish path
+that no check ever touched.
+
+Contains behaviour changes under a patch bump — several of the things being fixed were
+bugs that a consumer could have been relying on. Read BREAKING before upgrading if you
+script against the CLI or the installer.
+
+### BREAKING
+
+Each of these is a bug fix whose correct behaviour differs from the shipped behaviour.
+
+- **Routed CLI commands now act on YOUR project, not MindForge's own checkout.**
+  `bin/mindforge-cli.js` passed `cwd: ROOT` to every routed command, so `mindforge
+  classify` diffed MindForge's repository instead of yours, and `mindforge health`
+  inspected MindForge's `node_modules`. Measured across all 27 routed commands: 7
+  changed behaviour, all in the correct direction, none regressed. If you parsed output
+  that happened to describe MindForge itself, it now describes your project. (#201)
+
+- **`npx mindforge-cc install` — and any other positional argument — now exits 1.**
+  The installer takes flags only and silently ignored stray words, so
+  `npx mindforge-cc install` appeared to work while installing nothing configured.
+  It now refuses with the correct form. `--runtime`'s value token is still accepted.
+  Use `npx mindforge-cc --claude --local`. (#202)
+
+- **`mindforge verify` now SKIPS unavailable stages instead of failing them.** A project
+  with no ESLint config, no test script or no `bin/verify-audit.js` was reported as
+  FAILING those stages rather than as not having them. If your CI relied on a non-zero
+  exit in those cases, it will now pass. A run in which every stage skipped prints a
+  "NOTHING WAS VERIFIED" banner rather than a clean bill of health. (#204)
+
+- **`scripts/sync-version.js` now exits non-zero when the plugin build artifacts are
+  stale.** A bump used to report `✅ every derivable channel is at <version>` and exit 0
+  while leaving `npm test` red. If you script this, handle the new exit code — it means
+  "run the build chain it just printed". (#211)
+
+- **A self-install no longer writes over your tracked files.** Running the installer
+  inside a MindForge checkout printed that it was skipping and then overwrote 149
+  tracked files, including `CLAUDE.md`, `.claude/**`, `.agent/**` and `.mindforge/**`.
+  The skip is now honoured for local scope. (#200)
+
+- **Releases must be tagged on a commit reachable from `main`.** The release workflow
+  now refuses a tag that is not an ancestor of `origin/main`. The documented flow is
+  develop → release → main; tagging elsewhere previously published, with provenance
+  attesting to that tree. (#216)
+
+### Fixed
+
+**Installer**
+
+- A self-install claimed to skip and then overwrote 149 tracked files. The gate is now
+  scope-aware (`isSelfInstall() && scope === 'local'`). (#200)
+- Every `--global` install reported failure on a correct run: `verifyInstall` demanded
+  six `bin/**` paths regardless of scope, so a global install ended
+  `❌ 6 of 12 required file(s) missing` and exit 1, with a `--force` retry that could
+  not help. A global install writes 389 files to `$HOME/.claude` and, deliberately,
+  zero to `bin/`. (#210)
+- 11 of 27 routed CLI verbs died on `MODULE_NOT_FOUND` in a real install: the router
+  shipped but 6 of the scripts it dispatches to did not. `coreFiles` grew from 2 entries
+  to 8. (#210)
+- Two leaks: `/tmp` staging files left behind on abandoned runs, and developer runtime
+  state (`celestial.db`, `.browser-daemon-token`) copied into consumer projects.
+  `SENSITIVE_EXCLUDE` now covers both. (#210)
+- The forge commands overwrote three `mindforge` commands of the same name. (#197)
+- The documented default install did not deliver the CLI it documents. (#196)
+
+**Versioning and release**
+
+- `sync-version.js --fetch-sha` hashed npm's 404 error body. For an unpublished version
+  the registry answers `{"error":"Not found"}` and `curl -sL` exits 0, so the digest
+  written into the Homebrew formula was the SHA-256 of that error text — the same
+  constant for every unpublished version — and `--check` then passed. Now `curl -fsSL`
+  plus a gzip magic-byte check, and it refuses rather than writing a digest no artifact
+  can match. (#203)
+- The Homebrew formula may now LAG canonical but never LEAD it. Requiring equality
+  before publishing required something impossible: the digest is the hash of a tarball
+  that does not exist yet, and `npm test` blocked the publish that would have made it
+  satisfiable. (#208)
+- Semver comparison is numeric per component. Lexicographically, `11.10.0` reads as
+  *behind* `11.9.2` — wrong on exactly the first release past a `.9` minor. (#208)
+- Three version channels had no writer at all, so `npm test` failed on every bump and
+  the documented remedy could not fix it: `mcp-server/server.json` (both keys, matched
+  by identifier), `AGENTS.md`, and `sdk/README.md`'s second shape. (#207, #211)
+- **No channel covered a document a user receives.** `SECURITY.md` — the security policy
+  at the root of the published package — said "Current version: 11.9.0", and
+  getting-started, faq, troubleshooting, user-guide and sdk-reference all titled
+  themselves v11.9.0: three releases stale, while every npm manifest was correct.
+  `--check` was green throughout, because a channel that does not exist cannot drift.
+  Structural markers now track canonical; narrative measurements deliberately do not.
+  (#211)
+- A bump is not finished when `sync-version.js` exits. Two tracked artifacts are gated
+  against `package.json` and only a build can write them —
+  `plugins/mindforge/.claude-plugin/plugin.json` and
+  `plugins/mindforge/mcp/dist/index.js`. They are now reported under
+  `🔨 REQUIRE A BUILD` with the exact three-command chain, which nothing had documented.
+  (#211)
+- `sync-version.js` reported "a channel is AHEAD of canonical" whenever its exit code
+  was non-zero for any reason, so the `--fetch-sha` refusal for an unpublished tarball
+  claimed the formula LEADS canonical in the same run that printed "DEFERRED until after
+  publish (behind, not ahead)". (#211)
+- `changelogs/index.json`, which `bin/updater/changelog-fetcher.js` reads as the
+  authoritative version list, was missing 11.9.2. (#218)
+
+**Publishing**
+
+- **The tag push that publishes was exempt from every gate.** Publishing is triggered by
+  exactly one event — a `v*` tag push — and the repository's only ruleset targets
+  branches, so its six required checks applied to nothing on the path that ships. GitHub
+  cannot attach required status checks to a tag. A `preflight` job now gates it. (#216)
+- The `stable` npm dist-tag was moved by hand, or not at all — it sat four releases
+  behind `latest` (11.8.3 against 11.9.2), so `npm i mindforge-cc@stable` delivered a
+  build with none of the 11.9.x fixes. The release workflow now moves it as its final
+  step: forward-only, prereleases skipped, and verified against npm's uncached dist-tags
+  endpoint rather than the CDN-cached packument. (#216)
+
+**Dashboard**
+
+- `--status` and `--stop` were documented in nine places and implemented in none; both
+  printed nothing and exited 0. Now implemented, before `express` is required, so they
+  work without the dependency installed. (#206)
+- `--stop` identified the target by the SHAPE of its command line, which matched any
+  `node <anything>/dashboard/server.js` — verified against
+  `node /var/www/unrelated_app/dashboard/server.js`. It now resolves the script's
+  realpath and compares it to its own. (#206)
+- `--status` printed a port it could not know: the PID file records only the pid, so it
+  reported whatever port that invocation happened to receive. Measured, `--status` on a
+  server started with `--port 7466` printed "port 7339". (#206)
+
+**Memory**
+
+- Every abandoned exit left a full copy of the database on disk — 1.8 GB of orphaned
+  `.tmp` files. (#199)
+- The SDK's WebSocket client took the caller's process down on a failed reconnect. (#191)
+
+**Verification**
+
+- `mindforge verify`'s lint stage used `--max-warnings=0`, which made it impossible to
+  pass in the repository it ships from: `npx eslint .` reports 199 problems / 0 errors /
+  199 warnings, so `verify` reported a lint FAILURE on a tree that is green by the
+  project's own contract. Aligned with the project's definition; errors still fail. (#204)
+- `temporal cleanup` printed "🧹 Cleaning up old temporal snapshots..." and
+  "✅ Cleanup complete." with no cleanup between them. Now wired to
+  `TemporalHub.gc({maxSnapshots: 50, maxAgeDays: 30})` with `--dry-run` and honest
+  counts, including zero. (#209)
+
+**Documentation that named things that do not exist**
+
+- The protocol files instructed the agent to run `soul-engine.js` and
+  `shard-controller.js`, neither of which exists anywhere in the package. Those steps
+  are reasoning protocols and now say so. (#205)
+- Fifteen phantom `/mindforge:` slash commands in shipped docs. A reader following
+  `docs/user-guide.md` typed `/mindforge:personas --list` and got nothing. They were not
+  typos: `.agent/workflows/` holds 130 tracked files using those exact names — an old
+  target layout, committed and orphaned, shipping zero files. (#209)
+- Four documented CLI invocations could not be run, each verified by running it:
+  `npx mindforge-cc@latest install` (exit 1), `mindforge-cli.js dashboard` (exit 1),
+  `npx mindforge auto` in a shipped engine doc (`auto` is a slash command, never a CLI
+  verb), and `@mindforge <verb>`, a syntax that exists nowhere. (#213)
+- `workflow` is the most-documented CLI verb in the project and works, but appeared in
+  neither `--help` nor the "Available commands" list, so a user who mistyped it was told
+  it does not exist. (#213)
+- Root `CLAUDE.md` named `bin/hooks/mindforge-context-monitor.js`; the file is under
+  `.agent/hooks/`. (#214)
+
+### Added
+
+- **`preflight` job on the release workflow.** Asserts the tagged commit is an ancestor
+  of `origin/main`, then runs the six gates a tag push never saw, with the publish job
+  behind `needs:`. (#216)
+- **Automatic `stable` dist-tag movement**, forward-only and verified. (#216)
+- **`node bin/dashboard/server.js --status` / `--stop`.** Not CLI verbs —
+  `mindforge-cli.js dashboard` does not route. (#206)
+- **`mindforge temporal cleanup --dry-run`.** (#209)
+- New regression gates, each falsified by mutation before being trusted:
+  `tests/protocol-claims.test.js` (no exemption list, deliberately — a name-keyed
+  allowlist was shown to excuse the exact defect it was written for), the shipped-doc
+  phantom-command gate, the CLI-verb gate, the authority-doc `.js` gate, the
+  version-channel round trips, and assertions that the release preflight itself cannot
+  be silently removed.
+
+### Notes for operators
+
+- `npm run version:check` is the offline drift check. A bump is finished only when
+  `sync-version.js` exits 0 — if it prints `🔨 REQUIRE A BUILD`, run the three commands
+  it names and commit both regenerated files.
+- Releases are now gated on being tagged from `main`. One residual, inherent to
+  tag-triggered workflows: a tag push resolves the workflow from the TAGGED ref, so a
+  tag placed on a commit predating this release runs that commit's workflow and is
+  ungated.
+
 ## [11.9.2] — 2026-08-16 — Correctness: audit-chain integrity, dashboard crash policy, secret scanning
 
 Patch release. No new features. Correctness work closing defects found by a