chore(format): prettier docs/fleet/PRD-fleet-suite.md (pre-existing main violation)

Pre-existing repo-wide format:check failure on origin/main (markdown table
alignment only — no content change). Picked up to unblock the pre-push gate;
flagged to the Lead. Not part of the P5 composer change.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01EsgTQzV5YUGk1JtCLP4B83

docs/TASKS.md

@@ -45,3 +45,9 @@ Active workstream is **W1 — Federation v1**. Workers should:
 - Status: PR open, awaiting maintainer merge ratification (fleet-governing change).
 - Cut always-injected contract AGENTS+TOOLS+RUNTIME 8,827→4,122 tok (−53%); all 12 hard gates intact.
 - Validation: deterministic gate-checklist PASS; headless A/B thin 7/9 vs monolith 5/9. Detail: scratchpads/contract-thin-core.md.
+
+## P5 — Overlay composer + cross-harness (#604) — feat/p5-overlay-composer
+
+- Status: in progress. R7 (compose-contract) + R8 (cross-harness) + R9 (composer test).
+- `composeContract({harness, mosaicHome})` pure fn + `.local` overlay deltas-by-value; `mosaic compose-contract <harness>` command; AGENTS bare-launch nudge; composer spec (per-tier anchor + Tier-3 byte-equality). Detail: scratchpads/p5-overlay-composer.md.
+- Defer to P6: CONTRIBUTING.md + compliance matrix; line-count CI ceiling; aiguide; alpha tag.

docs/fleet/PRD-fleet-suite.md

@@ -20,8 +20,9 @@ functional, we use the fleet itself to continue the work.
 ## Requirements
 
 ### A. Configure-without-AI CLI
+
 | ID  | Requirement                                                                                                   |
-|---|---|
+| --- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 | R1  | `mosaic fleet` command set is functional end-to-end (init/install/start/stop/status/ps/verify + agent verbs). |
 | R2  | `mosaic fleet init` is an interactive, **AI-free** CLI wizard.                                                |
 | R3  | Init asks the **configuration type**: `general`, `coding`, `research`, `hybrid`, … (extensible).              |
@@ -32,24 +33,27 @@ functional, we use the fleet itself to continue the work.
 | R17 | Fleet controls are **simple and intuitive**.                                                                  |
 
 ### B. Comms & orchestrator chat-ops
+
 | ID  | Requirement                                                                                                                       |
-|---|---|
+| --- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 | R6  | Init can wire the orchestrator to a chat connector — **Telegram / Discord / Matrix / Slack** — for command + comms.               |
 | R7  | Designed with the end-goal of **Matrix comms on a locally-controlled server**.                                                    |
 | R16 | Fleet supports **tmux AND Matrix** comms, **user-configurable** at init or any time. Not all users want Matrix.                   |
 | R19 | **"Mos" orchestrator on Discord** (`chan 1517622518662434996` / `srv 1112631390438166618`) on `w-jarvis` — the first live target. |
 
 ### C. Runtime, health, lifecycle
+
 | ID  | Requirement                                                                        |
-|---|---|
+| --- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 | R9  | Fleet is **mutable by the orchestrator agent** — add/remove agents per need.       |
 | R13 | Fleet **gracefully handles Pi + Claude harness updates** — keep harnesses current. |
 | R14 | The **Pi harness is customized** for proper tool usage, etc.                       |
 | R15 | **Agent heartbeat** properly configured for **Claude AND GPT/Pi** agents.          |
 
 ### D. Surfaces, testing, docs
+
 | ID  | Requirement                                                                         |
-|---|---|
+| --- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
 | R18 | Fleet built so the **webUI can view / monitor / terminate / butt-in** on a session. |
 | R11 | Installed and **tested on both `w-jarvis` and `dragon-lin`**.                       |
 | R12 | **Documentation**: how to install, configure, and use the fleet.                    |
@@ -66,7 +70,7 @@ functional, we use the fleet itself to continue the work.
 ## Phases (incremental, each shippable)
 
 | Phase                             | Deliverable                                                                                                                         | Notes                                 |
-|---|---|---|
+| --------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
 | **F1 Presets + init wizard**      | preset rosters (general/coding/research/hybrid) + always-orchestrator + AI-free `fleet init` selecting a preset; re-init idempotent | R1–R5, R8, R10, R17                   |
 | **F2 Connector + Mos-on-Discord** | orchestrator chat-connector config (Discord first) + **Mos live on Discord `1517…`/`1112…`** on w-jarvis                            | R6, R19, partial R16                  |
 | **F3 Heartbeat + harness**        | HB confirmed for claude + pi/gpt; **custom Pi harness** (tool usage, native HB, model self-report); graceful harness updates        | R13, R14, R15                         |

docs/scratchpads/p5-overlay-composer.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# P5 — Overlay composer + cross-harness (compose-contract)
+
+- **Issue:** #604 · **Branch:** `feat/p5-overlay-composer` · **Lineage:** #542 → constitution alpha
+- **Requirements:** R7 (compose-contract) + R8 (cross-harness) + R9 (composer test)
+- **Design of record:** `docs/design/framework-constitution/{DESIGN.md §3.2, PRD.md §4}` (on `feat/framework-constitution-alpha`)
+
+## Locked design (sequential-thinking)
+
+Current `launch.ts` assembly (`buildComposedPrompt`) injects by value: mission + PRD + hard-gate +
+CONSTITUTION + AGENTS + USER + TOOLS + runtime. It does **not** inject SOUL or STANDARDS (those are
+read-on-demand per the gutted AGENTS dispatcher), and has no `.local` overlay support.
+
+**Decision (ASSUMPTION — recorded for the PR):** overlays are injected as **deltas by value** under
+labeled sections; base files keep their existing residency.
+
+- `USER.local.md` → appended directly under the `# User Profile` block (USER is injected).
+- `SOUL.local.md` + `STANDARDS.local.md` → a trailing `# Operator Overlays` section (their bases are
+  load-on-demand, so only the small delta is injected — not the full base prose).
+- **Why:** honors DESIGN §3.2 ("model gets one pre-merged blob, no read-merge ritual") while preserving
+  the P3 byte-budget tiering (don't re-inject large SOUL/STANDARDS prose). Precedence order kept: base
+  layers first, operator overlays at recency.
+- Base-only is automatic when a `.local` file is absent (`readOptional`).
+
+## Plan
+
+| #   | Task                                                                                                   | File                                    |
+| --- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------- |
+| 1   | Extract `composeContract({harness, mosaicHome})` pure fn; `buildComposedPrompt` delegates              | `src/commands/launch.ts`                |
+| 2   | Overlay logic (USER.local under profile; SOUL/STANDARDS.local in `# Operator Overlays`)                | `src/commands/launch.ts`                |
+| 3   | `mosaic compose-contract <harness>` command → prints blob to stdout                                    | `src/commands/launch.ts`                |
+| 4   | Bare-launch overlay nudge in self-load fallback                                                        | `framework/defaults/AGENTS.md`          |
+| 5   | `compose-contract.spec.ts`: per-tier anchor, Tier-3 byte-equality, overlay present/absent, per-harness | `src/commands/compose-contract.spec.ts` |
+
+## Deferred to P6
+
+CONTRIBUTING.md + harness×gate compliance matrix; resident line-count CI ceiling; `aiguide` reconcile;
+alpha tag `mosaic-vX.Y.Z-alpha`.
+
+## Status
+
+- [x] Phase scaffold (branch, issue #604, scratchpad, TASKS)
+- [ ] Implementation (tasks 1–5)
+- [ ] prettier + vitest green; PR via wrapper → Lead (rides 0.0.39; 0.0.38 mid-cut)

packages/mosaic/framework/defaults/AGENTS.md

@@ -9,7 +9,10 @@ overwritten on upgrade. (Layer model: `constitution/LAYER-MODEL.md`.)
 1. Your context already includes `CONSTITUTION.md` + `USER.md` + the TOOLS index + the runtime
    contract (injected by `mosaic` launch) — do not re-read those. **If you were launched bare**
    (a harness started without `mosaic`, so the law is NOT in your context), read
-   `~/.config/mosaic/CONSTITUTION.md` now, before your first action.
+   `~/.config/mosaic/CONSTITUTION.md` now, before your first action. A bare launch also gets
+   **base contracts only** — operator overlays (`*.local.md`) are composed by the launcher, so if
+   `SOUL.local.md`/`USER.local.md`/`STANDARDS.local.md` exist, relaunch via `mosaic <harness>` (or run
+   `mosaic doctor`) to pick them up.
 2. Read `SOUL.md` (agent persona — small, once).
 3. Read project-local `AGENTS.md` / `CLAUDE.md` if present (these may only make behavior stricter).
 4. Read guides ONLY as triggered by the table below — pull role-relevant depth on demand, not up front.

packages/mosaic/src/commands/compose-contract.spec.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest';
+import { mkdtempSync, mkdirSync, writeFileSync, rmSync, readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os';
+import { join } from 'node:path';
+import { composeContract } from './launch.js';
+
+/**
+ * Composer unit test (R7/R8/R9): asserts the launcher-composed runtime contract
+ *
+ *   - includes the per-tier anchors (CONSTITUTION / AGENTS / USER / runtime),
+ *   - keeps the CONSTITUTION block byte-equal to the on-disk file (Tier-3
+ *     byte-equality — the bare-launch fallback read must match what is injected),
+ *   - merges `*.local.md` operator overlays as deltas-by-value, and omits them
+ *     entirely when absent (base-only),
+ *   - selects the correct per-harness RUNTIME.md.
+ *
+ * `composeContract` takes `mosaicHome` as a param, so each test runs against an
+ * isolated fixture home. We also chdir to an empty temp cwd so the cwd-relative
+ * mission/PRD blocks contribute nothing (deterministic output).
+ */
+
+const CONSTITUTION = '# CONSTITUTION\n\nGATE-1: the non-negotiable law.\n';
+const AGENTS = '# Mosaic Agent Dispatcher\n\nLoad order + guide router.\n';
+const USER = '# operator\n\nName: Test Operator\n';
+const TOOLS = '# tools index\n';
+
+function makeHome(): { home: string; root: string } {
+  const root = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'mosaic-compose-'));
+  const home = join(root, 'mosaic-home');
+  for (const h of ['claude', 'codex', 'opencode', 'pi']) {
+    mkdirSync(join(home, 'runtime', h), { recursive: true });
+    writeFileSync(join(home, 'runtime', h, 'RUNTIME.md'), `# ${h} runtime contract\n`);
+  }
+  writeFileSync(join(home, 'CONSTITUTION.md'), CONSTITUTION);
+  writeFileSync(join(home, 'AGENTS.md'), AGENTS);
+  writeFileSync(join(home, 'USER.md'), USER);
+  writeFileSync(join(home, 'TOOLS.md'), TOOLS);
+  return { home, root };
+}
+
+describe('composeContract — overlay composer', () => {
+  let fixture: ReturnType<typeof makeHome>;
+  let prevCwd: string;
+  let cwdDir: string;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    fixture = makeHome();
+    prevCwd = process.cwd();
+    cwdDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'mosaic-cwd-'));
+    process.chdir(cwdDir); // neutralize cwd-relative mission/PRD blocks
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    process.chdir(prevCwd);
+    rmSync(fixture.root, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    rmSync(cwdDir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+  });
+
+  it('includes the per-tier anchors and the selected harness runtime', () => {
+    const out = composeContract('claude', fixture.home);
+    expect(out).toContain('GATE-1: the non-negotiable law.'); // L0
+    expect(out).toContain('Mosaic Agent Dispatcher'); // AGENTS
+    expect(out).toContain('# User Profile'); // USER header
+    expect(out).toContain('Name: Test Operator'); // USER body
+    expect(out).toContain('# Runtime-Specific Contract');
+    expect(out).toContain('# claude runtime contract');
+  });
+
+  it('keeps the CONSTITUTION block byte-equal to the on-disk file (Tier-3)', () => {
+    const out = composeContract('pi', fixture.home);
+    const onDisk = readFileSync(join(fixture.home, 'CONSTITUTION.md'), 'utf-8');
+    // The injected L0 must be a byte-equal substring of the composed blob, so a
+    // bare-launch fallback read of CONSTITUTION.md matches what was injected.
+    expect(out.includes(onDisk)).toBe(true);
+  });
+
+  it('is base-only when no *.local overlays exist', () => {
+    const out = composeContract('claude', fixture.home);
+    expect(out).not.toContain('# Operator Overlays');
+    expect(out).not.toContain('Operator Overlay (USER.local.md)');
+    expect(out).not.toContain('Persona Overlay');
+    expect(out).not.toContain('Standards Overlay');
+  });
+
+  it('merges USER.local.md directly under the operator profile', () => {
+    writeFileSync(join(fixture.home, 'USER.local.md'), 'Prefer terse status updates.\n');
+    const out = composeContract('claude', fixture.home);
+    expect(out).toContain('## Operator Overlay (USER.local.md)');
+    expect(out).toContain('Prefer terse status updates.');
+    // Overlay appears AFTER its base profile.
+    expect(out.indexOf('# User Profile')).toBeLessThan(
+      out.indexOf('## Operator Overlay (USER.local.md)'),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('merges SOUL.local.md + STANDARDS.local.md as deltas in the Operator Overlays block', () => {
+    writeFileSync(join(fixture.home, 'SOUL.local.md'), 'Tone: dry and direct.\n');
+    writeFileSync(join(fixture.home, 'STANDARDS.local.md'), 'Require 90% coverage on auth code.\n');
+    const out = composeContract('claude', fixture.home);
+    expect(out).toContain('# Operator Overlays');
+    expect(out).toContain('## Persona Overlay (SOUL.local.md)');
+    expect(out).toContain('Tone: dry and direct.');
+    expect(out).toContain('## Standards Overlay (STANDARDS.local.md)');
+    expect(out).toContain('Require 90% coverage on auth code.');
+  });
+
+  it('ignores whitespace-only *.local overlays (no empty overlay section)', () => {
+    writeFileSync(join(fixture.home, 'SOUL.local.md'), '   \n\n');
+    const out = composeContract('claude', fixture.home);
+    expect(out).not.toContain('# Operator Overlays');
+  });
+
+  it('selects a different RUNTIME.md per harness', () => {
+    expect(composeContract('codex', fixture.home)).toContain('# codex runtime contract');
+    expect(composeContract('pi', fixture.home)).toContain('# pi runtime contract');
+    expect(composeContract('codex', fixture.home)).not.toContain('# pi runtime contract');
+  });
+});

packages/mosaic/src/commands/launch.ts

@@ -291,12 +291,23 @@ function buildPrdBlock(): string {
 
 // ─── Runtime prompt builder ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
-function buildRuntimePrompt(runtime: RuntimeName): string {
+/**
+ * Compose the full runtime contract for a harness: the resident-by-value core
+ * (CONSTITUTION + AGENTS + USER + TOOLS + runtime) plus operator overlays
+ * (`*.local.md` deltas), merged in precedence order so the model gets one
+ * pre-merged blob (DESIGN §3.2 / R7). Overlays are injected as deltas by value;
+ * base files keep their existing residency (USER injected; SOUL/STANDARDS are
+ * load-on-demand, so only their small `.local` deltas are injected here).
+ *
+ * `mosaicHome` is parameterized for testability; production callers use the
+ * module-level default.
+ */
+export function composeContract(runtime: RuntimeName, mosaicHome: string = MOSAIC_HOME): string {
   const runtimeContractPaths: Record<RuntimeName, string> = {
-    claude: join(MOSAIC_HOME, 'runtime', 'claude', 'RUNTIME.md'),
+    claude: join(mosaicHome, 'runtime', 'claude', 'RUNTIME.md'),
-    codex: join(MOSAIC_HOME, 'runtime', 'codex', 'RUNTIME.md'),
+    codex: join(mosaicHome, 'runtime', 'codex', 'RUNTIME.md'),
-    opencode: join(MOSAIC_HOME, 'runtime', 'opencode', 'RUNTIME.md'),
+    opencode: join(mosaicHome, 'runtime', 'opencode', 'RUNTIME.md'),
-    pi: join(MOSAIC_HOME, 'runtime', 'pi', 'RUNTIME.md'),
+    pi: join(mosaicHome, 'runtime', 'pi', 'RUNTIME.md'),
   };
 
   const runtimeFile = runtimeContractPaths[runtime];
@@ -331,27 +342,55 @@ For required push/merge/issue-close/release actions, execute without routine con
 `);
 
   // CONSTITUTION.md (L0 — the non-negotiable law; lead with it). Tolerant of
-  // pre-constitution installs that have not been re-seeded yet.
+  // pre-constitution installs that have not been re-seeded yet. Injected by
-  const constitution = readOptional(join(MOSAIC_HOME, 'CONSTITUTION.md'));
+  // value verbatim so the bare-launch fallback read is byte-equal (R8).
+  const constitution = readOptional(join(mosaicHome, 'CONSTITUTION.md'));
   if (constitution) parts.push(constitution);
 
   // AGENTS.md
-  parts.push(readFileSync(join(MOSAIC_HOME, 'AGENTS.md'), 'utf-8'));
+  parts.push(readFileSync(join(mosaicHome, 'AGENTS.md'), 'utf-8'));
 
-  // USER.md
+  // USER.md (+ USER.local.md operator overlay, appended directly under the
-  const user = readOptional(join(MOSAIC_HOME, 'USER.md'));
+  // profile its base owns).
+  const user = readOptional(join(mosaicHome, 'USER.md'));
   if (user) parts.push('\n\n# User Profile\n\n' + user);
+  const userLocal = readOptional(join(mosaicHome, 'USER.local.md'));
+  if (userLocal.trim()) {
+    parts.push('\n\n## Operator Overlay (USER.local.md)\n\n' + userLocal);
+  }
 
   // TOOLS.md
-  const tools = readOptional(join(MOSAIC_HOME, 'TOOLS.md'));
+  const tools = readOptional(join(mosaicHome, 'TOOLS.md'));
   if (tools) parts.push('\n\n# Machine Tools\n\n' + tools);
 
+  // Operator overlays whose base layers are load-on-demand (SOUL, STANDARDS):
+  // inject only the small `.local` delta by value so the customization reaches
+  // the model without re-injecting the full base prose (preserves the byte
+  // budget). Absent `.local` files → base-only, automatically (R7 §3.2).
+  const overlayBlocks: string[] = [];
+  const soulLocal = readOptional(join(mosaicHome, 'SOUL.local.md'));
+  if (soulLocal.trim()) {
+    overlayBlocks.push('## Persona Overlay (SOUL.local.md)\n\n' + soulLocal.trim());
+  }
+  const standardsLocal = readOptional(join(mosaicHome, 'STANDARDS.local.md'));
+  if (standardsLocal.trim()) {
+    overlayBlocks.push('## Standards Overlay (STANDARDS.local.md)\n\n' + standardsLocal.trim());
+  }
+  if (overlayBlocks.length > 0) {
+    parts.push('\n\n# Operator Overlays\n\n' + overlayBlocks.join('\n\n'));
+  }
+
   // Runtime-specific contract
   parts.push('\n\n# Runtime-Specific Contract\n\n' + readFileSync(runtimeFile, 'utf-8'));
 
   return parts.join('\n');
 }
 
+/** @deprecated internal alias — use composeContract. Retained for call-site clarity. */
+function buildRuntimePrompt(runtime: RuntimeName): string {
+  return composeContract(runtime);
+}
+
 // ─── Session lock ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 function writeSessionLock(runtime: string): void {
@@ -976,6 +1015,22 @@ export function registerLaunchCommands(program: Command): void {
     launchRuntime(runtime, extraArgs, yolo);
   });
 
+  // compose-contract — emit the composed runtime contract (base + operator
+  // overlays) for a harness to stdout, without launching. For inspection,
+  // `mosaic doctor`, diffing, and the composer test (R7).
+  program
+    .command('compose-contract <harness>')
+    .description('Print the composed runtime contract (base + *.local overlays) for a harness')
+    .action((harness: string) => {
+      const valid: RuntimeName[] = ['claude', 'codex', 'opencode', 'pi'];
+      if (!valid.includes(harness as RuntimeName)) {
+        console.error(`Unknown harness '${harness}'. Expected one of: ${valid.join(', ')}.`);
+        process.exitCode = 64;
+        return;
+      }
+      process.stdout.write(composeContract(harness as RuntimeName));
+    });
+
   // Coord (mission orchestrator)
   program
     .command('coord')