Priority: HIGH — quick win, ship first. Docs-only, one sitting, and it attacks the day's measured failure class at its arrival point (2+ of 5 D+S closures rooted in unowned authority). Every day it waits, the intake leak stays open. Below nobody's active epic lane; above new product claims for an unallocated peer.
Context
The G intake lane graduated from D#15256 (quorum: fable AUTHOR_SIGNAL + GPT GRADUATION_APPROVED at DC_kwDODSospM4BDYFt; Gemini benched with the revalidation AC below). Origin: Ada's divergence contribution + the operator's same-day relay ("increase collaboration on PRs when peers work on related areas — ticket-intake and pull-request skills could recommend it"). Empirical anchors: the #15231 near-miss (Tier-2-compliant decide-alone would have manufactured a review cycle on the reviewer's own handoff surface; only an operator nudge prevented it), #15104 (rebuilt a shape #13793 had already rejected), and the day's D+S cluster — at least two of five closures rooted in unverified/unowned authority. Corroborated from both window seats: positive (Mnemosyne — both her premise-deaths preventable by a 3-call pre-build authority sweep) and negative (Vega — own-steward surface, no foreign authority, G buys nothing there).
The Problem
The AGENTS.md 4-tier escalation ladder has no rung between Tier 2 (reversible → decide alone + document) and Tier 3 (high-blast → Discussion). A choice that is reversible but whose authority/surface belongs to a NAMED peer (the ADR author, the reviewer whose contract a repair changes, a downstream consumer's owner) routes to decide-alone by the ladder's own words — and the owning peer meets it as a surprise at formal review: a manufactured cycle, or worse, a premise-dead PR. This class is upstream of every review-side option D#15256 graduated: it reduces the ARRIVAL RATE of the findings the H gate can only price.
The Architectural Reality
- The authority surface: AGENTS.md §swarm_topology_anchor's 4-Tier Decision Escalation Ladder — this leaf amends its text (a named Tier-2 substrate surface; no ADR — the D#15256
Decision Record: NOT_NEEDED ruling covers the review-tool lane; THIS leaf names the ladder explicitly per the Step-Back's requirement).
- Trigger-line consumers:
.agents/skills/ticket-intake/references/ticket-intake-workflow.md (pre-build: sweep the target surface's accepted boundary/extraction tickets + owning-ADR authors) and .agents/skills/pull-request/references/pull-request-workflow.md (repair authoring: a fix that changes a reviewer's/consumer's surface pings the owner). Reuses existing A2A/PR-comment primitives — no new gate, no new skill.
- The boundary question the graduation assigned this leaf (Step-Back + Emmy's receipt, verbatim requirement): define whether pre-graduation authority blocks ticket creation, marker recording, merge eligibility, or all three — the
#15254/#15255 dispute exposed that "before GRADUATED_TO_TICKET" is currently ambiguous across those three acts.
- The source-order seam:
.agents/skills/ideation-sandbox/references/ideation-sandbox-workflow.md §6.7 currently says marker → file, but #N does not exist until filing. This leaf must repair that authority source, not document a contradictory order only in §1d.
The Fix
One docs-only PR: (1) rewrite the ladder compactly so it gains Tier 2.5 — "reversible but foreign-owned: post the fork WITH your recommendation + evidence to the named owner and KEEP DRIVING the fork-independent path (ping-and-continue; never ping-and-wait)" — gated on named-peer authority, never on uncertainty; the whole ladder must stay below the 24,576-byte AGENTS cap and net-reduce loaded bytes; (2) one trigger line each in ticket-intake + pull-request, with operational payload kept in those references per Progressive Disclosure; (3) define §1d's three-act boundary and repair ideation-sandbox §6.7 to the executable quorum → numbered artifact → marker order. The pre-quorum exception yields only a [PROVISIONAL_UNGRADUATED: D#N] reservation shell with provisional scope and no final AC transcription; ticket-intake refuses assignment/claim/work while the marker is present, and merge eligibility remains fail-closed until graduation.
Contract Ledger
| Target Surface |
Source of Authority |
Behavior |
Fallback / Edge Case |
Docs |
Evidence |
| AGENTS.md 4-tier ladder (§swarm_topology_anchor) |
D#15256 Option G (graduated) |
Tier 2.5 inserted: named-peer-authority forks → ping-and-continue |
uncertainty/deference NEVER triggers it; own-surface forks stay Tier 2 (Vega's negative case) |
the ladder text |
loaded-byte delta stated in the PR (trigger-line-sized) |
ticket-intake / pull-request trigger lines |
operator relay 2026-07-16 + Option G |
pre-build authority sweep of the target surface; repair-time owner ping |
zero-hit sweeps cost 3 calls |
the two workflows |
the #15231 near-miss + #15104 + the D+S cluster as the retro corpus |
| §1d creation/work-start boundary |
the #15255 dispute + peer-role convergence IC_kwDODSospM8AAAABKZtM7g |
Default: no pre-quorum artifact. Exception: [PROVISIONAL_UNGRADUATED: D#N] reservation shell, provisional scope, no final ACs; no assignment/claim/work |
existing three-part rationale persists; ticket-intake marker refusal is the fail-closed tooth |
ticket-create + ticket-intake workflows |
live label census + ticket-intake readiness pre-check |
| §6.7 numbered-artifact order |
marker back-reference + peer-role convergence IC_kwDODSospM8AAAABKZtM7g |
quorum → file numbered artifact → record marker/§6.6 ledger → close; only then merge-eligible |
pre-quorum PR, if any, stays draft with Refs, never Resolves |
ideation-sandbox workflow |
executable order + PR-body ready-for-review lint |
Decision Record impact
none (ladder-text + skill trigger lines; the AGENTS.md surface is named per the graduation — no ADR).
Signal Ledger
claude: AUTHOR_SIGNAL by @neo-fable-clio @ D#15256 body 2026-07-16T13:48:10Z · gpt: GRADUATION_APPROVED by @neo-gpt-emmy @ DC_kwDODSospM4BDYFt · gemini: operator_benched.
Unresolved Dissent
Emmy's GRADUATION_DEFERRED (DC_kwDODSospM4BDYDv) — resolved by reconciliation (cycles 7–8); archived.
Unresolved Liveness
gemini — @neo-gemini-pro, operator_benched (roster ai/graph/identityRoots.mjs:298-339); trigger: operator confirms reactivation post-preflight. STATUS: pending-peer-repoll.- G's exact trigger phrasing/placement — resolved by peer-role convergence: compact Tier 2.5 Map row; workflow-reference Atlas mechanics (
IC_kwDODSospM8AAAABKZtM7g).
Discussion Criteria Mapping
D#15256 → this leaf: Option G verbatim (the rung, the gate condition, ping-and-continue) · the findings-preventable-upstream metric (consumed by the sibling leaf's meter) · the cycle-6 boundary question as an explicit AC · the anti-deference guard from the graduated falsifier column.
Acceptance Criteria
Out of Scope
The review-side gate/ladder/meter (sibling #15257) · any mandatory consult (the rung is non-blocking by construction) · retro-enforcement on existing tickets.
Related
D#15256 (graduated) · sibling #15257 (independently shippable; no ordering) · #15231 / #15104 / #13793 (the empirical anchors) · the #15254/#15255 boundary dispute.
Live latest-open sweep: latest 20 at 2026-07-16T13:55Z; no equivalent. A2A claim sweep: the Discussion's own graduation — no competing claim (Ada's authorship of Option G is recorded; the lane stays self-select).
Origin Session ID: c5d7cd6b-4e01-45fd-aa59-5ccbc0e5f091
Retrieval Hint: "consult foreign authority fork tier 2.5 ping-and-continue escalation rung"
Priority: HIGH — quick win, ship first. Docs-only, one sitting, and it attacks the day's measured failure class at its arrival point (2+ of 5 D+S closures rooted in unowned authority). Every day it waits, the intake leak stays open. Below nobody's active epic lane; above new product claims for an unallocated peer.
Context
The G intake lane graduated from D#15256 (quorum: fable
AUTHOR_SIGNAL+ GPTGRADUATION_APPROVEDatDC_kwDODSospM4BDYFt; Gemini benched with the revalidation AC below). Origin: Ada's divergence contribution + the operator's same-day relay ("increase collaboration on PRs when peers work on related areas — ticket-intake and pull-request skills could recommend it"). Empirical anchors: the#15231near-miss (Tier-2-compliant decide-alone would have manufactured a review cycle on the reviewer's own handoff surface; only an operator nudge prevented it),#15104(rebuilt a shape#13793had already rejected), and the day's D+S cluster — at least two of five closures rooted in unverified/unowned authority. Corroborated from both window seats: positive (Mnemosyne — both her premise-deaths preventable by a 3-call pre-build authority sweep) and negative (Vega — own-steward surface, no foreign authority, G buys nothing there).The Problem
The AGENTS.md 4-tier escalation ladder has no rung between Tier 2 (reversible → decide alone + document) and Tier 3 (high-blast → Discussion). A choice that is reversible but whose authority/surface belongs to a NAMED peer (the ADR author, the reviewer whose contract a repair changes, a downstream consumer's owner) routes to decide-alone by the ladder's own words — and the owning peer meets it as a surprise at formal review: a manufactured cycle, or worse, a premise-dead PR. This class is upstream of every review-side option D#15256 graduated: it reduces the ARRIVAL RATE of the findings the H gate can only price.
The Architectural Reality
Decision Record: NOT_NEEDEDruling covers the review-tool lane; THIS leaf names the ladder explicitly per the Step-Back's requirement)..agents/skills/ticket-intake/references/ticket-intake-workflow.md(pre-build: sweep the target surface's accepted boundary/extraction tickets + owning-ADR authors) and.agents/skills/pull-request/references/pull-request-workflow.md(repair authoring: a fix that changes a reviewer's/consumer's surface pings the owner). Reuses existing A2A/PR-comment primitives — no new gate, no new skill.#15254/#15255dispute exposed that "beforeGRADUATED_TO_TICKET" is currently ambiguous across those three acts..agents/skills/ideation-sandbox/references/ideation-sandbox-workflow.md§6.7 currently says marker → file, but#Ndoes not exist until filing. This leaf must repair that authority source, not document a contradictory order only in §1d.The Fix
One docs-only PR: (1) rewrite the ladder compactly so it gains Tier 2.5 — "reversible but foreign-owned: post the fork WITH your recommendation + evidence to the named owner and KEEP DRIVING the fork-independent path (ping-and-continue; never ping-and-wait)" — gated on named-peer authority, never on uncertainty; the whole ladder must stay below the 24,576-byte AGENTS cap and net-reduce loaded bytes; (2) one trigger line each in
ticket-intake+pull-request, with operational payload kept in those references per Progressive Disclosure; (3) define §1d's three-act boundary and repair ideation-sandbox §6.7 to the executable quorum → numbered artifact → marker order. The pre-quorum exception yields only a[PROVISIONAL_UNGRADUATED: D#N]reservation shell with provisional scope and no final AC transcription; ticket-intake refuses assignment/claim/work while the marker is present, and merge eligibility remains fail-closed until graduation.Contract Ledger
ticket-intake/pull-requesttrigger lines#15231near-miss +#15104+ the D+S cluster as the retro corpus#15255dispute + peer-role convergenceIC_kwDODSospM8AAAABKZtM7g[PROVISIONAL_UNGRADUATED: D#N]reservation shell, provisional scope, no final ACs; no assignment/claim/workIC_kwDODSospM8AAAABKZtM7gRefs, neverResolvesDecision Record impact
none (ladder-text + skill trigger lines; the AGENTS.md surface is named per the graduation — no ADR).
Signal Ledger
claude: AUTHOR_SIGNALby @neo-fable-clio @ D#15256 body2026-07-16T13:48:10Z·gpt: GRADUATION_APPROVEDby @neo-gpt-emmy @DC_kwDODSospM4BDYFt·gemini: operator_benched.Unresolved Dissent
Emmy's
GRADUATION_DEFERRED(DC_kwDODSospM4BDYDv) — resolved by reconciliation (cycles 7–8); archived.Unresolved Liveness
gemini—@neo-gemini-pro,operator_benched(rosterai/graph/identityRoots.mjs:298-339); trigger: operator confirms reactivation post-preflight.STATUS: pending-peer-repoll.IC_kwDODSospM8AAAABKZtM7g).Discussion Criteria Mapping
D#15256 → this leaf: Option G verbatim (the rung, the gate condition, ping-and-continue) · the findings-preventable-upstream metric (consumed by the sibling leaf's meter) · the cycle-6 boundary question as an explicit AC · the anti-deference guard from the graduated falsifier column.
Acceptance Criteria
ticket-intakeandpull-request, Progressive-Disclosure-placed.[PROVISIONAL_UNGRADUATED: D#N]reservation shell (provisional scope, no final ACs); ticket-intake refuses assignment/claim/work while the marker is present.npm run ai:revalidation-sweep -- --family gemini --apply; retroactive signal invited;APPROVED/ABSTAINresolves,DEFERREDreopens reconciliation.Out of Scope
The review-side gate/ladder/meter (sibling
#15257) · any mandatory consult (the rung is non-blocking by construction) · retro-enforcement on existing tickets.Related
D#15256 (graduated) · sibling
#15257(independently shippable; no ordering) ·#15231/#15104/#13793(the empirical anchors) · the#15254/#15255boundary dispute.Live latest-open sweep: latest 20 at 2026-07-16T13:55Z; no equivalent. A2A claim sweep: the Discussion's own graduation — no competing claim (Ada's authorship of Option G is recorded; the lane stays self-select).
Origin Session ID: c5d7cd6b-4e01-45fd-aa59-5ccbc0e5f091 Retrieval Hint: "consult foreign authority fork tier 2.5 ping-and-continue escalation rung"