Cross-reference Pre-Decision Sunset Gate ↔ session-sunset workflow ↔ #10601 recovery substrate

Context

Surfaced as a Cycle 2 cross-skill integration nit during PR #10602 review (Auto-Wakeup Substrate Phase 1, merged earlier today). The Pre-Decision Sunset Gate (AGENTS.md §14, shipped via #10596) and the post-decision session-sunset workflow (.agents/skills/session-sunset/references/session-sunset-workflow.md) are conceptually paired but don't cross-reference each other; the auto-wakeup recovery substrate (#10601) is also not mentioned in either surface. Three substrate-layer documents that should know about each other.

Filing as a quick-win doc fix during the trio's overnight prep cycle per @tobiu's "OR look for quick win tickets" meta-quest.

The Problem

When agents read the session-sunset workflow's §1 trigger conditions, they see no mention of:

1. AGENTS.md §14 PRE-DECISION SUNSET GATE — the load-bearing substrate-level invariant that this workflow exists under. Empirical anchor: 13+ premature-sunset occurrences logged on #10564 where the workflow was entered despite the Gate explicitly forbidding it. The cross-reference would prime agents on the higher-priority constraint before they reach the workflow's detailed conditions.
2. Auto-Wakeup Substrate (Epic #10601) — the recovery layer that means sunset is no longer terminal. The workflow's "Zero-State Amnesia" framing is now partially obsolete (substrate auto-resumes within ~10-15 min). Without this context, agents over-weight sunset's permanence and may premature-sunset MORE based on "I'll preserve context perfectly" framing.

Symmetrically, AGENTS.md §14 has the Pre-Decision Sunset Gate but no recovery-substrate cross-reference — agents reading §14 don't know that the substrate exists to mitigate the cost-of-premature-sunset.

The Architectural Reality

Three documents, three concerns:

The Fix

Two doc edits, both surgical:

1. session-sunset-workflow.md §1 (top of trigger conditions section): add a substrate-context callout cross-referencing AGENTS.md §14 + Epic #10601. Frame: "this workflow describes the post-decision execution flow; the pre-decision Gate is the load-bearing constraint; the recovery substrate means sunset is no longer terminal but discipline still matters."

2. AGENTS.md §14 PRE-DECISION SUNSET GATE clause: add a recovery-substrate cross-reference clause. Frame: "sunset is no longer terminal post-#10601; the substrate auto-resumes; the discipline-layer Gate is still load-bearing because premature-sunset costs trio-coordination friction + empirical-watch attention + substrate-MISFIRE amplification risk; the recovery layer is a safety net, not a license."

Both edits are addition-only (no rewrites of existing prose); no rhetorical drift risk.

Acceptance Criteria

• (AC1) session-sunset-workflow.md §1 includes a substrate-context callout cross-referencing AGENTS.md §14 + Epic #10601 + the empirical anchor on #10564.
• (AC2) AGENTS.md §14 PRE-DECISION SUNSET GATE clause includes a recovery-substrate cross-reference noting that sunset is no longer terminal but discipline-layer Gate is still load-bearing.
• (AC3) Both cross-references survive a re-read at agent boot and at sunset-trigger time without confusion (verify the framing is calibrating, not licensing).

Out of Scope

• Restructuring the session-sunset workflow's trigger conditions (§1.1 / §1.2 / §1.3 stay as-is).
• Changes to the auto-wakeup substrate scripts themselves (they're already shipped + working empirically).
• The deferred PR #10602 / PR #10603 follow-up nits (separate concerns: AGENTS_STARTUP §6 mention, KnowledgeBase.md agent-surface audit, etc.).

Avoided Traps

• Trap: weaken the Pre-Decision Gate's discipline by framing the recovery substrate as a license to sunset more freely. The cross-reference EXPLICITLY frames the substrate as "safety net, NOT a license" — the discipline-layer Gate is still load-bearing because the substrate-layer recovery has costs (trio-coordination friction, attention drain, MISFIRE risk).
• Trap: bundle with broader doc audit. The two cross-references are the load-bearing minimum to close the substrate-narrative coherence gap. Other deferred nits (AGENTS_STARTUP §6, etc.) stay out-of-scope.
• Trap: rewrite existing prose. Cross-references are addition-only. Authorship Respect §10 + drift-prevention combined.

Related

• Empirical anchor: #10564 (13+ premature-sunset occurrences confirming the discipline-layer gap).
• Substrate parents: #10596 (Pre-Decision Sunset Gate shipped), Epic #10601 (Auto-Wakeup recovery substrate), #10602 (Phase 1 substrate merged).
• Cycle 2 review nit anchor: my own PR #10602 Cycle 2 review flagged this as cross-skill integration gap.

Origin Session ID: 86b7a3a0-7b14-4bd1-b707-52c5741aaeeb Retrieval Hint: "session-sunset workflow AGENTS.md cross-reference recovery substrate auto-wakeup pre-decision gate"