Context
resources/content/sandman_handoff.md is a generated Dream Pipeline / Golden Path artifact. The fix is generation code and orchestration contract, never manual markdown maintenance.
This ticket is intentionally scoped to the Golden Path forecast / strategic handoff contract only. REM parser over-cap behavior and stale PR-cycle snapshots are separate tickets.
The Problem
The generated handoff currently lacks the documented strategic summary layer and does not prove whether its Golden Path forecast is current, degraded, or stale. learn/agentos/DreamPipeline.md documents the Strategic Interpretation brief as part of the handoff output, but the checked generated artifact can contain a Computed Golden Path list without that summary/provenance layer.
When this happens, agents inherit a stale-looking forecast without enough generated context to judge whether the route is current, partial, or degraded.
The Architectural Reality
learn/agentos/DreamPipeline.md documents sandman_handoff.md as the Golden Path output and includes Strategic Interpretation as the explanation layer for computed route selection.ai/services/graph/GoldenPathSynthesizer.mjs owns the centralized handoff render/write pass.- The orchestrator has a dedicated
golden-path task that calls GoldenPathSynthesizer.synthesizeGoldenPath(...).
- The generated handoff must make forecast provenance visible. A successful task-state record is not enough if the artifact itself can look current while carrying stale or incomplete route context.
The Fix
- Make Golden Path handoff generation self-describing: generated timestamp, route source/provenance, freshness/degraded status, and summary status.
- Ensure
Strategic Interpretation is always present as either the model-generated brief or a compact deterministic fallback / explicit degraded reason.
- Update
DreamPipeline.md to match the current source-owned contract instead of the old monolithic REM pipeline wording where needed.
Contract Ledger
| Target Surface |
Source of Authority |
Proposed Behavior |
Fallback / Edge Case |
Docs |
Evidence |
resources/content/sandman_handoff.md Golden Path forecast |
DreamPipeline.md; GoldenPathSynthesizer |
Render route provenance, generated timestamp, freshness/degraded status, Computed Golden Path, and Strategic Interpretation. |
If model brief fails or graph route is unavailable, render deterministic/degraded explanation instead of omitting the section. |
Yes |
Renderer unit tests for success and degraded paths. |
GoldenPathSynthesizer.synthesizeGoldenPath() |
current source |
Owns full Golden Path forecast rendering and returns enough outcome metadata for task state. |
Failure records a typed reason; artifact does not silently preserve old forecast as current. |
JSDoc if contract changes |
Focused synthesizer test. |
learn/agentos/DreamPipeline.md |
current source + this ticket |
Describes the split between REM digestion and Golden Path forecast generation accurately. |
If manual paths remain documented, their relationship to the forecast writer is explicit. |
This doc |
Doc diff reviewed against source anchors. |
Acceptance Criteria
Out of Scope
- REM parsing over-cap / runaway model-call behavior.
- Active PR Cycle State freshness.
- Manually editing the generated markdown artifact as a fix.
Related
- #13956 / PR #13957 — previous handoff bloat and Strategic Interpretation fallback work.
- #13962 / PR #13963 — zero-candidate stale-author-section fallthrough.
- #13750 — historical Golden Path freeze root.
Release classification: boardless urgent Agent OS hardening; this is reliability substrate, not deployment-doc scope.
Retrieval Hint: GoldenPathSynthesizer Strategic Interpretation sandman_handoff route provenance degraded forecast
Context
resources/content/sandman_handoff.mdis a generated Dream Pipeline / Golden Path artifact. The fix is generation code and orchestration contract, never manual markdown maintenance.This ticket is intentionally scoped to the Golden Path forecast / strategic handoff contract only. REM parser over-cap behavior and stale PR-cycle snapshots are separate tickets.
The Problem
The generated handoff currently lacks the documented strategic summary layer and does not prove whether its Golden Path forecast is current, degraded, or stale.
learn/agentos/DreamPipeline.mddocuments theStrategic Interpretationbrief as part of the handoff output, but the checked generated artifact can contain a Computed Golden Path list without that summary/provenance layer.When this happens, agents inherit a stale-looking forecast without enough generated context to judge whether the route is current, partial, or degraded.
The Architectural Reality
learn/agentos/DreamPipeline.mddocumentssandman_handoff.mdas the Golden Path output and includesStrategic Interpretationas the explanation layer for computed route selection.ai/services/graph/GoldenPathSynthesizer.mjsowns the centralized handoff render/write pass.golden-pathtask that callsGoldenPathSynthesizer.synthesizeGoldenPath(...).The Fix
Strategic Interpretationis always present as either the model-generated brief or a compact deterministic fallback / explicit degraded reason.DreamPipeline.mdto match the current source-owned contract instead of the old monolithic REM pipeline wording where needed.Contract Ledger
resources/content/sandman_handoff.mdGolden Path forecastDreamPipeline.md;GoldenPathSynthesizerGoldenPathSynthesizer.synthesizeGoldenPath()learn/agentos/DreamPipeline.mdAcceptance Criteria
Strategic Interpretationon success.learn/agentos/DreamPipeline.mdis updated to describe the current code-owned contract.Out of Scope
Related
Release classification: boardless urgent Agent OS hardening; this is reliability substrate, not deployment-doc scope. Retrieval Hint:
GoldenPathSynthesizer Strategic Interpretation sandman_handoff route provenance degraded forecast