# ARS Issue #133 — Phase Scope Inflation: Design Doc (v4 — HIGH-finding amendment)

**Date:** 2026-05-18
**Issue:** #133 — Phase 2+ agents can silently inflate scope and skip independent Phase 3/5 checkpoints
**Severity:** HIGH (silent integrity failure; recurrence-risk pattern)
**Target release:** v3.9.2
**Design phase:** v3 review complete (codex `review --base main` broken-corner + inline opus subagent). Opus surfaced 2 HIGH + 5 MED + 3 LOW findings. v4 (this doc) addresses both HIGH; MED/LOW deferred to impl phase per user decision.
**Related:** #134 (v3.10 active conductor architecture — long-term fix; hook + multi-phase schema + provenance now live there)

**Doc revision history:**
- v1: initial — single-track self-review. 9 issues identified.
- v2: incorporated codex r2 + inline opus + self triple-track review. Resolved 3 conflicts; v2 committed to hook + verifier in v3.9.2.
- v3: incorporated v2 dual-track review (codex r2 retry + inline opus). 14 findings showed scalar `ars_phase` schema is wrong (multi-phase agents exist), L1 routes to orchestrator that can't handle it, hook lookup mechanism is hand-waved. **Scope narrowed**: hot-fix ships only L1 routing + Fix 1 prompt fence + advisory verifier. Hook (Fix 2), multi-phase schema, deterministic provenance all moved to v3.10 conductor.
- v4 (this doc): incorporated v3 review (codex broken corner + inline opus). HIGH-1 (3-bucket model insufficient → 4-bucket A/B/C/D with out-of-scope inflation column) + HIGH-2 (multi-phase lite reminder is placebo → cut entirely, honest framing) addressed. MED/LOW carry to impl phase. Effort revised 18-22h → 18-23h with Phase 0.2 bumped to 2-3h.

---

## 1. Problem (unchanged from v2)

#133 was originally framed as "subagent inflates scope when invoked phase-by-phase." A user incident report on 2026-05-18 revealed a deeper root cause: **ARS itself routes ambiguous input to a single-phase subagent instead of engaging the orchestrator**, then the subagent inflates from that bad starting position.

### L1 — Routing failure (root cause)

User provided pre-existing abstract (Phase 4 artifact) + pre-collected literature (Phase 2 artifact) with no explicit invocation. ARS routing logic auto-dispatched a single phase agent without engaging `pipeline_orchestrator_agent`. This is a routing discipline failure: ambiguous input + LLM helpfulness = shortcut to single-phase dispatch.

### L2 — Subagent scope inflation (downstream symptom)

Once dispatched without orchestrator oversight, the phase agent treated visible end-goal + write permissions as license to "be helpful" and produced Phase 3/4/5/6 output autonomously. Mandatory independent crosschecks (DA2 / DA3 / editor-in-chief / ethics_review) were silently skipped.

### Relation to #134 (v3.10 conductor)

v3.10 will replace passive routing + autonomous subagent with active conductor + structured task envelopes. v3.9.2 is the **hot-fix** that buys time for v3.10 to be designed correctly.

---

## 2. Why v3 narrowed scope (review findings that forced the call)

v2 design committed to deterministic hook + verifier in v3.9.2. Round-2 dual-track review (codex retry + inline opus) surfaced critical findings that revealed the deterministic gate cannot be built correctly in hot-fix scope. Key blockers:

### Blocker 1: Scalar `ars_phase` schema is wrong

Multi-phase agents exist in actual ARS:
- `devils_advocate_agent` runs at **Phases 1, 3, 5 + Socratic Layer 2, 4** (per `deep-research/SKILL.md` agent table)
- `report_compiler_agent` runs at **Phases 4, 6**
- `socratic_mentor_agent` runs at Socratic layers, not numbered phase
- `compliance_agent` runs at any phase (Stage 2.5 / 4.5 integrity gates, cross-skill)
- academic-paper has sub-phases (5a/5b, generator-evaluator contract)

Single scalar `ars_phase: <N>` cannot represent any of these. v2's `{1..6, orchestrator, meta}` enum is also insufficient (e.g., what's DA's value? `1`? `1,3,5`? `meta`?).

**Correct schema is multi-phase** (`ars_phase_writes: [list]`, `ars_phase_reads: [list]`) or pattern-based (`ars_phase: "1|3|5"`). Designing that properly + auditing all 38 agents to assign correct values is **multi-day work**, not hot-fix scope.

### Blocker 2: Codex P1 — forbidding `phase{N-1}_*/` reads breaks legitimate handoffs

v2 Phase 1 prompt fence said:
> You MUST NOT: Read or write files in `phase{N+1}_*/`, `phase{N-1}_*/`, ...

Codex P1 finding: Phase 3 synthesis **must** read Phase 2 bibliography; Phase 4 drafting must read Phase 3 synthesis; etc. The "no regress" rule was over-reach. v3 corrects: only **writes** are scope-bound, reads from upstream phases are always allowed.

### Blocker 3: Opus H3 — L1 routes to orchestrator that can't handle cross-phase materials

Current `pipeline_orchestrator_agent.md` keyword-matches user phrasing (Stage 1 vs Stage 2 etc.). It does NOT have logic for "user dropped cross-phase artifacts, no passport, no explicit invocation — figure out where in the pipeline to resume from." That capability is the heart of #134 (conductor with structured intake), not a hot-fix patch.

v2's L1 strategy (route ambiguous input to orchestrator) was thus broken — destination was non-functional. v3 changes L1: instead of routing to orchestrator, ARS simply **clarifies** with the user.

### Blocker 4: Opus H2 + Codex P2 — hook lookup + verifier provenance are missing infrastructure

- Hook needs `agent_type → ars_phase` lookup mechanism that doesn't exist (where it lives, regeneration, stale-safe).
- Verifier needs tamper-resistant author provenance on each phase file that doesn't exist (current passport records skill/mode, not exact agent).

Both are infrastructure work that v3.10 conductor will design correctly with task envelopes. Trying to bolt them on in hot-fix produces fragile half-solutions.

### Decision: narrow v3.9.2 to prompt-and-routing-discipline-only

Hot-fix scope:
- **L1**: routing clarification gate (not orchestrator detour — destination is broken)
- **Fix 1**: prompt hard fence per agent (writes only, reads allowed) — for **single-phase agents** only in v3.9.2; multi-phase agents get prose-only "be aware of your phase" reminder pending v3.10 schema
- **Fix 3**: SKILL.md phase-by-phase invocation contract
- **Fix 4 lite**: advisory-only verifier (heuristic, no provenance guarantee)

Cut from v3.9.2:
- ~~Fix 2 PreToolUse hook~~ → v3.10 (needs multi-phase schema + lookup mechanism + Phase 0.1's `agent_type` finding is preserved for v3.10)
- ~~Multi-phase `ars_phase` schema~~ → v3.10
- ~~Orchestrator cross-phase intake capability~~ → v3.10 (this is conductor's core feature anyway)
- ~~Deterministic verifier with provenance~~ → v3.10

What remains is a **prompt-discipline-plus-routing-clarification hot-fix**. It won't fully prevent #133 (capable models can still rationalize past prompts), but it raises the bar significantly + buys time for v3.10.

---

## 3. Implementation plan (scope-narrowed)

### Phase 0: Pre-flight (~1h)

- **0.1 ✅ DONE** Phase 0.1 from v2 preserved as note: CC PreToolUse payload contains `agent_type` field equaling agent frontmatter `name`. **Not used in v3.9.2** (hook deferred to v3.10). Recorded for v3.10 conductor design.
- **0.2 (NEW)** Audit each of the 38 unique agent .md files to classify into **4 buckets** (revised per v3 review opus HIGH-1):
  - **Bucket A — Single-phase** (e.g., `bibliography_agent` = P2 only, `research_question_agent` = P1 only) → gets v3.9.2 hard boundary prompt
  - **Bucket B — Multi-phase** (e.g., `devils_advocate_agent` = P1+P3+P5, `report_compiler_agent` = P4+P6) → **NO boundary added in v3.9.2** (per HIGH-2 honest framing — placebo prose would create illusion of enforcement). Recurrence acknowledged; v3.10 envelope is the fix.
  - **Bucket C — Phase-orthogonal** (e.g., `socratic_mentor_agent` operates on Socratic Layers 1-5 not numbered pipeline phases; `compliance_agent` runs at Stage 2.5 / 4.5 integrity gates cross-skill) → no boundary added. Note in classification doc whether the agent has any latent inflation risk class (e.g., socratic_mentor inflating into direct conclusions); v3.9.2 explicitly does not cover those classes.
  - **Bucket D — Cross-phase / meta** (e.g., `pipeline_orchestrator_agent`, `field_analyst_agent`, `intake_agent`) → no boundary added (legitimate cross-phase by design role)
  
  **Audit-flag (NOT a bucket):** `draft_writer_agent`, `literature_strategist_agent` already carry partial boundary language. Assigned to whichever real bucket they belong (likely both Bucket A — Phase 4 and Phase 2-equivalent respectively); audit existing language for v3.9.2 consistency. Do NOT classify these as a separate bucket.
  
  **Output table columns** (per opus HIGH-1):
  
  | Agent | Bucket | Phase(s) declared in | v3.9.2 fence coverage | Out-of-scope inflation risk | Source citation |
  |---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | bibliography_agent | A | Phase 2 | hard-fence | (none specific to v3.9.2) | deep-research/SKILL.md row 3 |
  | devils_advocate_agent | B | Phase 1, 3, 5, Socratic L2/L4 | none-unmitigated | scope inflation across invocations; awaits v3.10 envelope | deep-research/SKILL.md row 8 |
  | socratic_mentor_agent | C | Socratic Layers 1-5 (phase-orthogonal) | not-applicable | latent: direct-conclusion inflation (different class from #133, not covered) | deep-research/SKILL.md row 10 |
  | compliance_agent | C | Stage 2.5 / 4.5 cross-skill | not-applicable | latent: high-write-authority misclassification (low probability) | shared/agents/compliance_agent.md |
  | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
  
  Output: `docs/design/2026-05-18-ars-v3.9.2-agent-phase-classification.md` (38-row table with the columns above).
  
  **Estimate revision:** 2-3h (not 1-1.5h per opus MED-5 — 38 agents × careful cross-check against SKILL.md tables + frontmatter + actual usage is non-trivial).

### Phase L1: Routing clarification gate (~3-4h)

**Goal:** When user provides ambiguous cross-phase input, ARS must clarify before dispatching ANY agent. v2's "route to orchestrator" approach dropped because orchestrator can't handle this case (deferred to v3.10).

#### L1.1 — Routing discipline rule in `.claude/CLAUDE.md` (single source of truth)

Insert before existing "Routing Rules":

```markdown
## Routing Discipline (v3.9.2)

**Routing precedence:** This section runs BEFORE Routing Rules 1-5. Once this section settles on a destination, Rules 1-5 apply within that destination's skill family.

Before invoking any ARS skill or agent, classify the user's input:

1. **Explicit clear intent** (user names a specific skill via `/ars-*` command or unambiguous trigger keyword like "lit-review this", "review my paper"):
   → Route directly; no clarification.

2. **Cross-phase materials detected** (user provides artifacts spanning ≥ 2 pipeline phases — e.g., pre-written abstract + pre-collected literature):
   → **Clarify**. Do NOT auto-route to a single-phase agent. List candidate workflows as a-d options in markdown body (NOT via AskUserQuestion tool, per `feedback_no_askuserquestion_use_brainstorm.md`).
   → Reason: clarification is the safest action when materials don't unambiguously identify intent. (v3.10 conductor will handle this via structured intake; for now, ask.)

3. **No materials, ambiguous request:**
   → Clarify per `shared/references/intent_clarification_protocol.md`.

**Escape hatch:** Prefix `[direct-mode]` at start of first message → all clarification bypassed; ARS dispatches whatever single agent matches the literal trigger.

**Anti-pattern (caused #133):** Receiving ambiguous cross-phase materials and silently auto-routing to a single-phase agent based on which phase the materials "look closest to."

**Forward note (v3.10):** Active conductor will reframe this gate as structured intake with task envelope dispatch. v3.9.2 ships clarification-only as interim.
```

#### L1.2 — Protocol doc: `shared/references/intent_clarification_protocol.md` (NEW file)

Carries:
- **Trigger condition table** (precise rules for the 3 routing classes)
- **Clarification message template** (a-d options format, multi-select discipline per `feedback_telegram_conversation_style.md`)
- **`[direct-mode]` escape hatch behavior spec**: must be byte-0 of first message (case-insensitive); literal `[direct-mode]` or `[Direct-Mode]` accepted; consumed by main session before routing, stripped from passed-through message
- **3-5 worked examples** of inputs → correct routing outcome
- **Forward note** referencing #134 / v3.10 active conductor

#### L1.3 — Single-line backpointer in 4 SKILL.md files

```markdown
> **Routing discipline:** see `.claude/CLAUDE.md` "Routing Discipline (v3.9.2)" + `shared/references/intent_clarification_protocol.md`. This skill assumes routing has already settled.
```

No rule duplication; source-of-truth lives in CLAUDE.md + protocol doc.

#### L1.4 — Behavioral smoke tests (NOT deterministic unit tests, honestly framed)

8 fixture cases covering:
- Cross-phase materials (abstract + lit) → asserts clarification triggers (NOT silent dispatch)
- Single-phase material (literature only) → asserts ARS proceeds with Phase 2 work (no clarification needed for single-phase)
- No materials + ambiguous request → asserts clarification with a-d options
- Explicit `/ars-lit-review` invocation → asserts skip clarification
- `[direct-mode] run bibliography_agent` → asserts skip clarification
- `[direct-mode]` mid-message (not byte-0) → asserts clarification still fires (escape hatch not honored)
- `[Direct-Mode]` case variant → asserts escape hatch honored (case-insensitive)
- Full draft + abstract + lit → assertion: clarification fires (cross-phase, no clear skill named)

**Acceptance criterion:** 100% pass on Opus 4.7; ≥ 75% pass on Sonnet 4.6 + GPT-5.5 (degradation flagged but non-blocking ship). Framed as behavioral smoke test + cross-model spot-check, not green/red unit test.

### Phase 1: Fix 1 — Prompt hard fence per agent (~4-5h, NOT 5-7h, scope narrowed)

**Scope (per Phase 0.2 4-bucket classification, revised per v3 review):**
- **Bucket A — Single-phase agents** (~25 of 38, finalized in Phase 0.2): full hard boundary block as below
- **Bucket B — Multi-phase agents** (~8 of 38): **NO boundary added** (placebo prose creates false-enforcement illusion; HIGH-2 honest framing)
- **Bucket C — Phase-orthogonal agents** (~3 of 38): no boundary added; classification doc notes any latent inflation risk
- **Bucket D — Cross-phase / meta agents** (~2 of 38): no boundary added (legitimate cross-phase role)
- **Audit-flag (within Bucket A):** `draft_writer_agent`, `literature_strategist_agent` carry existing partial language — harmonize with v3.9.2 hard fence shape

Net effect: only Bucket A agents receive new prompt fence. Bucket B-D are documentation-only changes (added to classification doc, no agent .md modification).

#### Single-phase hard boundary block

Insert after persona, before role description:

```markdown
## Phase Boundary (v3.9.2)

You are a single-phase agent assigned to Phase N (<phase name>). Your sole deliverable is <X>.

You MUST NOT:
- WRITE files in `phase{M}_*/` directories where M ≠ N (no inflate)
- Produce content classified as a downstream-phase deliverable type (synthesis / draft / review / revision / etc.) even if you can see the end-goal
- Invoke or simulate any other agent persona's output
- "Helpfully" continue past your assigned deliverable

You MAY READ files in `phase{1}_*/` through `phase{N}_*/` (upstream + own phase) for legitimate context. Reads from downstream phases (`phase{N+1}_*/`+) are not needed for your work.

If downstream work is needed, return control to the caller with a recommendation. Do not execute.

**Enforcement (v3.9.2):** prompt-level only. Advisory verifier (`scripts/check_pipeline_integrity.py`) can detect violations post-hoc. Deterministic PreToolUse hook deferred to v3.10 active conductor (#134).
```

#### Multi-phase agents: NO additional prompt in v3.9.2 (honest framing per v3 review)

v3 dual-track review (inline opus HIGH-2) surfaced that any prose-level "lite reminder" for multi-phase agents is essentially placebo — #133's caller prompt already contained tight phase-scope language ("Phase 2 only, no fabrication, return under 300 words") and the agent still inflated. Adding a similar reminder at the agent persona layer delegates enforcement back to the same prompt mechanism that already failed.

**Decision:** multi-phase agents (devils_advocate, report_compiler, etc., per Phase 0.2 classification) receive **NO additional prompt fence in v3.9.2**. Their existing role descriptions stand. The multi-phase inflation class is **explicitly unmitigated in v3.9.2**; deterministic enforcement via task envelope is the v3.10 conductor (#134) fix.

This is documented in:
- The Phase 0.2 classification table (per-agent column: "v3.9.2 fence coverage" with values `hard-fence | none-unmitigated | not-applicable`)
- §5 Failure modes — explicit "multi-phase inflation remains possible; recurrence expected for ~N agents until v3.10"
- README migration note — if user sees DA / RC / similar multi-phase agent producing out-of-scope content, the remediation is "report to issue #134, do not retry, switch to Mode A orchestrator-driven invocation"

**Rationale for not adding placebo prose:** users (and codex review) reading the multi-phase agent .md should not see boundary language that creates an illusion of enforcement. Either the fence works (single-phase case) or there's no fence (multi-phase case, explicitly acknowledged). This is more honest than splitting hairs about "lite reminder" semantics.

#### Frontmatter: NO `ars_phase` field in v3.9.2

v2's scalar `ars_phase` is intentionally NOT added in v3.9.2. Multi-phase schema is v3.10 work. Adding scalar now and changing to multi-list later creates schema migration friction.

### Phase 3: Fix 3 — SKILL.md phase-by-phase invocation contract (~1h)

Add to all 4 SKILL.md files:

```markdown
## Phase-by-phase Invocation Contract (v3.9.2)

ARS pipeline runs in 6 phases. Two invocation modes:

**Mode A — orchestrator-driven (default):** `pipeline_orchestrator_agent` runs all phases end-to-end with state tracking.

**Mode B — phase-by-phase (Material Passport resume):** User invokes one agent per phase across sessions (long-running projects).

In Mode B, **each single-phase agent stays strictly within its assigned phase for writes**. Reads from upstream phases are allowed. Multi-phase agents (e.g., `devils_advocate_agent`) do exactly the work specified by the caller's invocation prompt, no more.

Routing into Mode B requires explicit user signal — `/ars-<mode>` slash command or `[direct-mode]` prefix. Ambiguous cross-phase input triggers clarification (per `.claude/CLAUDE.md` Routing Discipline).

**Enforcement:** prompt-level + advisory verifier in v3.9.2; deterministic gate in v3.10 active conductor (#134).
```

### Phase 4: Fix 4 lite — Advisory post-hoc verifier (~2h, simpler than v2 design)

File: `scripts/check_pipeline_integrity.py` (joins existing 28 `check_*.py` scripts).

**Logic (v3.9.2 lite — no provenance required):**
- Scan working directory for `phase{1-6}_*/` dirs
- For each directory pair (phaseN_, phaseM_) where N+1 < M (skip-ahead detected):
  - Flag (INTEGRITY-ADVISORY) if files in both directories share creation timestamp within 5-minute window (suggests single-dispatch generation)
- For Phase 5 specifically:
  - Flag (INTEGRITY-ADVISORY) if phase5_*/ exists but no separate review reports from DA / EIC / Ethics (heuristic: filenames not matching `*devils*`, `*editor*`, `*ethics*`)
- **Output:** human-readable advisory list, NOT machine-enforceable. User reviews + decides.

**Acceptance criterion:** verifier flags the #133 reported failure case (bibliography_agent producing phase3_*/phase4_*/phase5_*/phase6_*/ in single dispatch — they'll all have timestamps within ~minutes of each other).

**Limitations explicit (v3.9.2):**
- NO author provenance check (deferred to v3.10 conductor + envelope schema)
- 5-minute window is heuristic, not deterministic
- Multi-phase agents producing legitimate work in 2+ phases will trigger false-positive (acknowledged limitation)
- Advisory-only — does not block, only surfaces signals for user review

### Phase 5: Lint compat audit (~2h) — MOVED before Phase 1 per opus H5

**Order corrected from v2:** lint compat audit runs **before** prompt fence sweep, not after. Reason: if existing 28 `check_*.py` scripts have strict frontmatter validation, adding boundary block headings (or worse, frontmatter fields) could break CI mid-sweep.

**Audit method:**
- Grep all 28 `scripts/check_*.py` for `frontmatter`, `yaml`, `parse_yaml`, agent .md path patterns
- Identify which scripts read agent frontmatter and what fields they expect
- Run each on a single test agent .md with proposed v3.9.2 prompt fence body (no new frontmatter field — just new section in body) — confirm no break
- Document findings in Phase 0.2 classification doc

**Expected outcome:** no breaks (we're adding markdown sections, not frontmatter fields). But verify before sweep.

### Phase 6: TDD + cross-model review (~3-4h)

**Test additions:**
- L1.4 behavioral smoke tests (8 fixtures, cross-model spot-check)
- Phase 4 verifier tests (positive: #133 case detected; negative: legitimate multi-day pipeline run not flagged)
- Lint compat verified (Phase 5)

**Review:**
- `codex review --base main` (success corner config: small diff, free-form output)
- Inline opus subagent independent review (parallel)
- Skip Gemini per memory sample 12 (broken on ARS context)

**Expected rounds:** 2-3 (v3 already incorporates 2 rounds of dual-track findings; remaining iterations cover implementation-level issues codex catches in the actual code).

### Phase 7: Security + PII + public-flip readiness (~1h)

- Run the maintainer's local boundary-check script against the repo root
- Per `feedback_public_flip_readiness_checklist.md` 12-item audit (ARS is public repo)
- Per `feedback_ars_public_repo_boundary.md` — grep for hei-platform / Springer / HEEACT leakage in new files

### Phase 8: Documentation + migration (~1.5h)

- Spec doc `docs/design/2026-05-18-ars-v3.9.2-phase-boundary-spec.md` (final)
- CHANGELOG entry under `[Unreleased]`
- README migration note: existing in-flight projects → no break expected (we only added prompt sections and an advisory verifier; no behavior change for explicit-intent flows)
- `feedback_*` memory updates as warranted

---

## 4. Pipeline-wide silent drift inventory — MOVED to #134 (v3.10 conductor)

The original v1 design doc carried a 14-row inventory of silent drift candidates beyond #133. Per v2 opus subagent review, that material is roadmap-class, not hot-fix material, and is in #134 issue body.

---

## 5. Failure modes + mitigations (v3 scope-narrowed)

- **L1 over-asks** (codex v2 finding): less risk in v3 — clarification only fires on cross-phase materials OR no-material ambiguous requests. Single-phase materials route directly. Risk reduced vs v2 (which routed everything to orchestrator).
- **Capable model rationalizes past prompt fence** (acknowledged limitation): v3.9.2 explicitly states "prompt-level only, deterministic gate in v3.10." User expectation aligned.
- **Multi-phase agents receive NO v3.9.2 fence** (acknowledged limitation per v3 HIGH-2 honest framing): the ~8 Bucket B agents (devils_advocate, report_compiler, etc.) are explicitly **unmitigated in v3.9.2**. Recurrence expected for this class; v3.10 conductor + envelope schema is the proper fix. User-facing remediation: switch to Mode A orchestrator-driven invocation if multi-phase agent appears to inflate; report case to #134.
- **Phase-orthogonal agents (socratic_mentor, compliance_agent)** have latent inflation classes (direct-conclusion drift for socratic, write-authority misclassification for compliance) that are **explicitly out of v3.9.2 scope** — different failure class from #133. Classification doc records the risk per opus HIGH-1.
- **Verifier false-positives on legitimate fast pipeline runs** (acknowledged): advisory output is user-reviewed, not auto-blocking.
- **`[direct-mode]` prefix edge cases** (per opus M1): specified in protocol doc — byte-0, case-insensitive, stripped before pass-through.
- **Lint compat break** (per opus H5): Phase 5 moved before Phase 1 to gate the sweep.
- **No deterministic enforcement** (acknowledged hot-fix trade-off): v3.9.2 buys time for v3.10 conductor; this is the explicit cost.
- **Codex 0.130 broken on ARS context** (memory sample 12): use `codex review --base main` with small diff (success corner); skip xhigh `codex exec`; inline opus subagent as parallel insurance.

---

## 6. Verification plan

Once Phases 0-8 land, produce proof:

1. **Negative integration smoke test:** input "abstract + literature, see what you can do" → ARS clarifies with a-d options, does NOT silently dispatch. Verbatim transcript in `tests/fixtures/issue_133/`.
2. **L1 boundary case sweep:** 8 fixtures pass on Opus 4.7; degradation flagged on Sonnet + GPT-5.5.
3. **Verifier flags #133 case:** run on test fixture matching reported failure → ≥ 4 INTEGRITY-ADVISORY lines flagged.
4. **Lint compat clean:** all 28 existing `check_*.py` pass on agent files with new boundary block.
5. **Phase 0.2 classification table:** 38-row doc shipped, citations to SKILL.md / agent .md frontmatter for each phase assignment.
6. **Full pytest suite:** v3.9.1 baseline (1463+) + new tests; no regression in v3.6.7 / v3.7.3 / v3.9.0 / v3.9.1 patterns.

---

## 7. Effort estimate (recalculated for v3 scope-narrowed)

| Phase | Description | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Pre-flight + 38-agent **4-bucket** phase classification (per opus HIGH-1) | 2-3 |
| 5 | Lint compat audit (MOVED before Phase 1) | 1.5-2 |
| L1 | Routing rule + protocol doc + 4 SKILL.md backpointer + 8 smoke tests | 3-4 |
| 1 | Prompt fence × ~25 Bucket A agents only (Bucket B/C/D no agent .md changes) | 3-4 |
| 3 | SKILL.md phase contract × 4 | 1 |
| 4 | Advisory verifier (lite, no provenance) | 2 |
| 6 | TDD red tests + cross-model review (2-3 rounds) | 3-4 |
| 7 | Security + PII + public-flip audit | 1 |
| 8 | Spec doc + CHANGELOG + README migration | 1.5 |

**Total v3.9.2:** **18-23h, ~3-4 working days.**

(v2 estimate was 22-32h with hook + provenance; v3 cut both. v4 adjustments — Phase 0.2 bump for 4-bucket audit + Phase 1 shrink because only Bucket A gets fence — net to 18-23h.)

---

## 8. v3.10 carry-over (logged for #134)

Items deferred from v3.9.2 to v3.10 conductor:

| Item | Reason for deferral |
|---|---|
| PreToolUse hook (Fix 2) | Requires multi-phase schema + lookup mechanism; v3.10 conductor's task envelope is the proper substrate |
| Multi-phase `ars_phase_writes` + `ars_phase_reads` schema | Cannot be retrofitted scalar → list cleanly; v3.10 will design correctly with envelope |
| Deterministic verifier with author provenance | Requires tamper-resistant author record on phase files; v3.10 envelope provides natively |
| Orchestrator cross-phase intake capability | Heart of v3.10 conductor architecture — passive routing → active intent classification |
| `agent_type → ars_phase` lookup mechanism | Will be obsoleted by envelope-carried phase info |
| Phase-5 reviewer cross-phase READ exception | Becomes envelope-declared read permissions |

Phase 0.1 finding (CC PreToolUse payload has `agent_type` field equaling agent frontmatter `name`) preserved as design input for v3.10 conductor hook implementation.

---

## 9. Decision log

| Decision | v3 Choice | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Hook (Fix 2) | **DEFERRED to v3.10** | v2 dual-track review — Codex P1 (regress read break) + Opus H1 (multi-phase schema) + Opus H2 (lookup hand-wave) |
| Multi-phase `ars_phase` schema | **DEFERRED to v3.10** | Codex P1 (multi-phase agents exist) + Opus H1 |
| L1 routing default | **Clarify, not orchestrator detour** | Opus H3 — orchestrator doesn't handle this case yet |
| Deterministic verifier with provenance | **DEFERRED to v3.10**; v3.9.2 ships advisory-only | Codex P2 — provenance infrastructure missing |
| Prompt fence READ scope | **Allow upstream reads, only block writes** | Codex P1 — v2 over-reached |
| Single-phase vs multi-phase agent treatment | **Different prompts** (hard fence vs lite reminder) | Codex P1 (multi-phase exist) |
| Effort estimate | **18-22h** (down from v2's 22-32h) | Scope narrowed |
| Lint compat audit order | **Before Phase 1 sweep** | Opus H5 |
| `[direct-mode]` prefix spec | Byte-0, case-insensitive, stripped before routing | Opus M1 |
| Q1 platform scope | Option B (preserved from v1/v2) | unchanged |
| Inventory (14 silent drift) | Lives in #134 | v2 Opus |
| Codex 0.130 routing | `codex review --base main` only; skip xhigh `codex exec` | Memory sample 12 |
| **v4: 4-bucket classification model** | A single-phase / B multi-phase / C phase-orthogonal / D cross-phase-meta; "already-has-language" is audit-flag within Bucket A, not separate bucket | v3 review opus HIGH-1 |
| **v4: Multi-phase agents get NO fence in v3.9.2** | Honest framing — placebo prose would create false-enforcement illusion. ~8 Bucket B agents explicitly unmitigated; v3.10 envelope is the fix. | v3 review opus HIGH-2 |
| **v4: Phase 0.2 estimate revised 1-1.5h → 2-3h** | 38 agents × 4-bucket careful cross-check is non-trivial | v3 review opus MED-5 |
