fix(#808): never borrow a session identity for non-tmux senders (#1335)

Co-authored-by: code-infra-01 <[email protected]>

.mosaic/repo.json

@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{
+  "integration_trunk": "next",
+  "release_branch": "main"
+}

AGENTS.md

@@ -81,6 +81,73 @@ pnpm format:check  # Prettier check
 pnpm build         # Build all packages and applications
 ```
 
+## Branch Model and Merge Process — `main` and `next` (CANONICAL)
+
+**Every contribution targets `next` first. No exceptions.** Features, fixes, tests,
+docs, and policy changes all take the same route; urgency changes queue priority,
+never the route. Agents never commit to or merge into `main`.
+
+| Branch | Role                                                             | Who merges into it                                                          |
+| ------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `next` | Integration trunk — the only PR target for contributions         | The designated merge-gate agent, after all gates pass. Never the PR author. |
+| `main` | Stable/release line — receives promotion merges from `next` only | Jason only (or an agent he explicitly delegates for a named promotion).     |
+
+### Contribution sequencing (in order, no skipping)
+
+1. **Issue first.** Work is tracked in a Gitea issue before a branch exists. The
+   issue number appears in the branch name and the PR body.
+2. **Branch from the current `origin/next` head.** Name it
+   `feat/…`, `fix/…`, `docs/…`, or `test/…` with the issue number
+   (e.g. `docs/1214-branch-process`). Record the base SHA in the PR body.
+3. **Develop with evidence.** Applicable tests accompany the change. Hooks are
+   never bypassed (`--no-verify` is prohibited). Stage explicit paths — never
+   `git add -A`.
+4. **Open the PR against `next`.** The body states: scope, base SHA,
+   verification commands with results, and any known pre-existing failures on
+   the base — documented, not retried to green and not absorbed silently.
+5. **CI must be terminal-green on the exact head.** All bounded Woodpecker
+   steps succeed (`verify-terminal-green` contract). Pipelines for fork PRs
+   start `blocked`; a maintainer approves the run — approving CI is not
+   approving the PR.
+6. **Independent review. Self-merge is prohibited** — for every agent, on every
+   PR, including trivial ones. Where the change touches protected or
+   contract-bearing content, the reviewer verifies the exact head
+   (exact-byte/exact-blob comparison), not a description of it. An `AMEND`
+   verdict returns the PR to its author; the reviewer's gate stays held until
+   a fresh exact head passes.
+7. **Merge into `next`** happens only after CI green + review pass, pinned to
+   the reviewed head SHA (a post-review push voids the review).
+8. **Promotion `next` → `main`** is a deliberate, Jason-owned reconciliation
+   merge — not part of any contribution's lifecycle. Contributors are done at
+   step 7.
+
+### Responsibilities
+
+- **Contributor** — base pinning, green CI, evidence in the PR body,
+  responding to AMEND verdicts, never merging own work.
+- **Reviewer / merge gate** — independent verification on the exact head;
+  holds and lifts gates; executes the merge into `next`.
+- **Orchestrator / adjudicator** — cross-PR sequencing, disposition when PRs
+  collide, conflict adjudication.
+- **Jason** — `next` → `main` promotions, merge-authority grants, collaborator
+  and token provisioning. Agents cannot grant themselves or each other any of
+  these.
+
+### Hotfixes and divergence
+
+- A hotfix follows the same path: branch from `next`, PR to `next`, gates,
+  merge, then an expedited Jason-owned promotion if `main` needs it urgently.
+  Committing the fix to `main` directly is prohibited even under pressure.
+- **Never land work on `main` that is not on `next`.** This has happened
+  (issue #1152's goal controller reached `main` without reaching `next`) and
+  every later PR paid for it. If it happens anyway: transplant the work onto
+  a `next`-based branch with provenance-preserving commits
+  (`git cherry-pick -x` or explicit SHA references in the messages), PR it
+  through the normal gates, and let promotion re-align `main`. Do not
+  hand-patch `main` to compensate.
+- Force-pushing a branch you do not own is prohibited; rebasing your own PR
+  branch is fine before review, and voids any review already given.
+
 ## Database and Local Runtime Safety
 
 - Current local data-layer work uses in-process PGlite; leave `DATABASE_URL` unset.

apps/gateway/src/__tests__/required-security-wiring.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,332 @@
+import { type Type } from '@nestjs/common';
+import { Test, type TestingModule } from '@nestjs/testing';
+import type { SlashCommandPayload } from '@mosaicstack/types';
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { AgentService, type AgentSession } from '../agent/agent.service.js';
+import { ProviderService } from '../agent/provider.service.js';
+import { AppModule } from '../app.module.js';
+import { CommandAuthorizationService } from '../commands/command-authorization.service.js';
+import { CommandExecutorService } from '../commands/command-executor.service.js';
+import { CommandsModule } from '../commands/commands.module.js';
+import { CommandRuntimeApprovalVerifier } from '../commands/runtime-approval-verifier.js';
+import { PreferencesModule } from '../preferences/preferences.module.js';
+import { SystemOverrideService } from '../preferences/system-override.service.js';
+
+const fakeDb = {
+  $client: { exec: async (): Promise<void> => {} },
+  execute: async (): Promise<{ rows: unknown[] }> => ({ rows: [] }),
+  select: () => ({
+    from: () => ({
+      where: async (): Promise<Array<{ count: number }>> => [{ count: 1 }],
+    }),
+  }),
+  insert: () => ({ values: async (): Promise<void> => {} }),
+};
+
+const fakeProviderService = {
+  onModuleInit: async (): Promise<void> => {},
+  onModuleDestroy: (): void => {},
+  getRegistry: () => ({ getAvailable: () => [], getAll: () => [], find: () => undefined }),
+  getDefaultModel: () => undefined,
+  listAvailableModels: () => [],
+  listProviders: () => [],
+  getAdapter: () => undefined,
+  getProvidersHealth: () => [],
+};
+
+function compileRealAppGraph(): Promise<TestingModule> {
+  return Test.createTestingModule({ imports: [AppModule] })
+    .overrideProvider('DB_HANDLE')
+    .useValue({ db: fakeDb, close: async (): Promise<void> => {} })
+    .overrideProvider('DB')
+    .useValue(fakeDb)
+    .overrideProvider('STORAGE_ADAPTER')
+    .useValue({
+      name: 'required-security-wiring-test',
+      migrate: async (): Promise<void> => {},
+      close: async (): Promise<void> => {},
+    })
+    .overrideProvider('AUTH')
+    .useValue({})
+    .overrideProvider('BRAIN')
+    .useValue({ conversations: {}, agents: {} })
+    .overrideProvider('LOG_SERVICE')
+    .useValue({})
+    .overrideProvider('MEMORY')
+    .useValue({})
+    .overrideProvider('MEMORY_ADAPTER')
+    .useValue({})
+    .overrideProvider(ProviderService)
+    .useValue(fakeProviderService)
+    .compile();
+}
+
+function providerToken(provider: unknown): unknown {
+  return typeof provider === 'function' ? provider : (provider as { provide?: unknown })?.provide;
+}
+
+interface MaskingConsumer {
+  moduleType: Type<unknown>;
+  token: Type<unknown>;
+  useValue: object;
+}
+
+async function compileWithoutProvider(
+  moduleType: Type<unknown>,
+  missingToken: Type<unknown>,
+  maskingConsumer: MaskingConsumer,
+): Promise<{ error: unknown; moduleRef: TestingModule | undefined }> {
+  const touchedModules = new Set([moduleType, maskingConsumer.moduleType]);
+  const originals = Array.from(touchedModules, (touchedModule: Type<unknown>) => ({
+    moduleType: touchedModule,
+    providers: (Reflect.getMetadata('providers', touchedModule) ?? []) as unknown[],
+    exports: (Reflect.getMetadata('exports', touchedModule) ?? []) as unknown[],
+  }));
+
+  for (const original of originals) {
+    const providers = original.providers.flatMap((provider: unknown): unknown[] => {
+      const token = providerToken(provider);
+      if (original.moduleType === moduleType && token === missingToken) return [];
+      if (original.moduleType === maskingConsumer.moduleType && token === maskingConsumer.token) {
+        return [{ provide: maskingConsumer.token, useValue: maskingConsumer.useValue }];
+      }
+      return [provider];
+    });
+    const exports = original.exports.filter(
+      (exported: unknown): boolean =>
+        original.moduleType !== moduleType || providerToken(exported) !== missingToken,
+    );
+    Reflect.defineMetadata('providers', providers, original.moduleType);
+    Reflect.defineMetadata('exports', exports, original.moduleType);
+  }
+
+  let moduleRef: TestingModule | undefined;
+  let error: unknown;
+  try {
+    moduleRef = await compileRealAppGraph();
+  } catch (caught: unknown) {
+    error = caught;
+  } finally {
+    for (const original of originals) {
+      Reflect.defineMetadata('providers', original.providers, original.moduleType);
+      Reflect.defineMetadata('exports', original.exports, original.moduleType);
+    }
+  }
+  return { error, moduleRef };
+}
+
+async function closeIfCompiled(moduleRef: TestingModule | undefined): Promise<void> {
+  if (moduleRef) await moduleRef.close();
+}
+
+describe('required security wiring — real AppModule startup refusal', () => {
+  it('FL-01 positive control: the real graph compiles when CommandAuthorizationService is bound', async () => {
+    const moduleRef = await compileRealAppGraph();
+    try {
+      expect(moduleRef.get(CommandAuthorizationService, { strict: false })).toBeInstanceOf(
+        CommandAuthorizationService,
+      );
+    } finally {
+      await moduleRef.close();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('FL-01 negative control: absence read as permission is refused at module compilation', async () => {
+    const { error, moduleRef } = await compileWithoutProvider(
+      CommandsModule,
+      CommandAuthorizationService,
+      {
+        moduleType: CommandsModule,
+        token: CommandRuntimeApprovalVerifier,
+        useValue: {},
+      },
+    );
+    await closeIfCompiled(moduleRef);
+
+    expect(
+      error,
+      'absence read as permission: AppModule compilation accepted a missing CommandAuthorizationService binding',
+    ).toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+    if (!(error instanceof Error)) return;
+    expect(error.message).toContain('CommandExecutorService');
+    expect(error.message).toContain('CommandAuthorizationService');
+  });
+
+  it('FL-11 positive control: the real graph compiles when SystemOverrideService is bound', async () => {
+    const moduleRef = await compileRealAppGraph();
+    try {
+      expect(moduleRef.get(SystemOverrideService, { strict: false })).toBeInstanceOf(
+        SystemOverrideService,
+      );
+    } finally {
+      await moduleRef.close();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it('FL-11 negative control: absence read as permission is refused at module compilation', async () => {
+    const { error, moduleRef } = await compileWithoutProvider(
+      PreferencesModule,
+      SystemOverrideService,
+      {
+        moduleType: CommandsModule,
+        token: CommandExecutorService,
+        useValue: {},
+      },
+    );
+    await closeIfCompiled(moduleRef);
+
+    expect(
+      error,
+      'absence read as permission: AppModule compilation accepted a missing SystemOverrideService binding',
+    ).toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+    if (!(error instanceof Error)) return;
+    expect(error.message).toContain('AgentService');
+    expect(error.message).toContain('SystemOverrideService');
+  });
+});
+
+const actorScope = { userId: 'security-user', tenantId: 'security-tenant' };
+const conversationId = 'security-conversation';
+
+function directExecutorWithoutAuthorization(systemOverrideSet: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>) {
+  const registry = {
+    getManifest: vi.fn(() => ({
+      version: 1,
+      commands: [
+        {
+          name: 'system',
+          aliases: [],
+          description: 'Set instruction authority',
+          scope: 'agent' as const,
+          execution: 'socket' as const,
+          available: true,
+        },
+      ],
+      skills: [],
+    })),
+  };
+  return new CommandExecutorService(
+    registry as never,
+    { getSession: vi.fn() } as never,
+    { set: systemOverrideSet, clear: vi.fn() } as never,
+    { collect: vi.fn() } as never,
+    null,
+    { agents: {} } as never,
+    null,
+    null,
+    { getServerStatuses: vi.fn(() => []), getToolDefinitions: vi.fn(() => []) } as never,
+    undefined as never,
+  );
+}
+
+function directAgentWithoutSystemOverride(piPrompt: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn>): {
+  service: AgentService;
+  session: AgentSession;
+} {
+  const service = new AgentService(
+    {
+      getDefaultModel: vi.fn(() => null),
+      getRegistry: vi.fn(() => ({})),
+      findModel: vi.fn(),
+      listAvailableModels: vi.fn(() => []),
+    } as never,
+    {} as never,
+    {} as never,
+    { available: false } as never,
+    {} as never,
+    { getToolDefinitions: vi.fn(() => []) } as never,
+    { loadForSession: vi.fn(async () => ({ metaTools: [], promptAdditions: [] })) } as never,
+    undefined as never,
+    null,
+    { collect: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined) } as never,
+    null,
+  );
+  const session = {
+    id: conversationId,
+    provider: 'test-provider',
+    modelId: 'test-model',
+    piSession: { prompt: piPrompt },
+    listeners: new Set(),
+    unsubscribe: vi.fn(),
+    createdAt: Date.now(),
+    promptCount: 0,
+    channels: new Set(),
+    skillPromptAdditions: [],
+    sandboxDir: process.cwd(),
+    allowedTools: null,
+    userId: actorScope.userId,
+    tenantId: actorScope.tenantId,
+    metrics: {
+      tokens: { input: 0, output: 0, cacheRead: 0, cacheWrite: 0, total: 0 },
+      modelSwitches: 0,
+      messageCount: 0,
+      lastActivityAt: new Date(0).toISOString(),
+    },
+  } as unknown as AgentSession;
+  const internals = service as unknown as { sessions: Map<string, AgentSession> };
+  internals.sessions.set(conversationId, session);
+  return { service, session };
+}
+
+describe('required security wiring — malformed direct absence has zero effects', () => {
+  it('FL-01 refuses command execution before any command effect when authorization is absent', async () => {
+    const systemOverrideSet = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+    const executor = directExecutorWithoutAuthorization(systemOverrideSet);
+    const payload: SlashCommandPayload = {
+      command: 'system',
+      args: 'authority that must not be stored',
+      conversationId,
+    };
+    let error: unknown;
+
+    try {
+      await executor.execute(payload, actorScope);
+    } catch (caught: unknown) {
+      error = caught;
+    }
+
+    expect
+      .soft(
+        error,
+        'absence read as permission: direct executor accepted missing command authorization',
+      )
+      .toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+    expect
+      .soft(
+        systemOverrideSet,
+        'absence read as permission: command effect occurred without command authorization',
+      )
+      .not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('FL-11 refuses prompt execution before any provider or session effect when system override authority is absent', async () => {
+    const piPrompt = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined);
+    const { service, session } = directAgentWithoutSystemOverride(piPrompt);
+    let error: unknown;
+
+    try {
+      await service.prompt(conversationId, 'must not reach provider', actorScope);
+    } catch (caught: unknown) {
+      error = caught;
+    }
+
+    expect
+      .soft(
+        error,
+        'absence read as permission: direct session accepted missing system override authority',
+      )
+      .toBeInstanceOf(Error);
+    expect
+      .soft(
+        piPrompt,
+        'absence read as permission: provider prompt occurred without system override authority',
+      )
+      .not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect
+      .soft(
+        session.promptCount,
+        'absence read as permission: session state changed without system override authority',
+      )
+      .toBe(0);
+  });
+});

apps/gateway/src/agent/__tests__/agent-service-ownership.test.ts

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ function makeService(operatorMemory: unknown = null): AgentService {
     {} as never,
     { getToolDefinitions: vi.fn(() => []) } as never,
     { loadForSession: vi.fn(async () => ({ metaTools: [], promptAdditions: [] })) } as never,
-    null,
+    { get: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(null), renew: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined) } as never,
     null,
     { collect: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined) } as never,
     operatorMemory as never,

apps/gateway/src/agent/agent.service.ts

@@ -132,9 +132,8 @@ export class AgentService implements OnModuleDestroy {
     @Inject(CoordService) private readonly coordService: CoordService,
     @Inject(McpClientService) private readonly mcpClientService: McpClientService,
     @Inject(SkillLoaderService) private readonly skillLoaderService: SkillLoaderService,
-    @Optional()
     @Inject(SystemOverrideService)
-    private readonly systemOverride: SystemOverrideService | null,
+    private readonly systemOverride: SystemOverrideService,
     @Optional()
     @Inject(PreferencesService)
     private readonly preferencesService: PreferencesService | null,
@@ -709,23 +708,22 @@ export class AgentService implements OnModuleDestroy {
       throw new Error(`No agent session found: ${sessionId}`);
     }
     this.assertSessionScope(session, scope);
-    session.promptCount += 1;
 
     // Channel attachments are untrusted URI references. Preserve exact,
     // authenticated metadata for the agent without treating it as authority.
     const attachmentContext = this.attachmentContext(attachments);
 
-    // Prepend session-scoped system override if present (renew TTL on each turn)
+    // Prepend session-scoped system override if present (renew TTL on each turn).
+    // Required instruction-authority wiring is consulted before session/provider effects.
     let effectiveMessage = `${message}${attachmentContext}`;
-    if (this.systemOverride) {
+    const override = await this.systemOverride.get(sessionId, scope);
-      const override = await this.systemOverride.get(sessionId, scope);
+    if (override) {
-      if (override) {
+      effectiveMessage = `[System Override]\n${override}\n\n${effectiveMessage}`;
-        effectiveMessage = `[System Override]\n${override}\n\n${effectiveMessage}`;
+      await this.systemOverride.renew(sessionId, scope);
-        await this.systemOverride.renew(sessionId, scope);
+      this.logger.debug(`Applied system override for session ${sessionId}`);
-        this.logger.debug(`Applied system override for session ${sessionId}`);
-      }
     }
 
+    session.promptCount += 1;
     try {
       await session.piSession.prompt(effectiveMessage);
     } catch (err) {

apps/gateway/src/commands/command-executor-p8012.spec.ts

@@ -80,6 +80,10 @@ const mockMcpClient = {
   getToolDefinitions: vi.fn(() => []),
 };
 
+const allowAuthorization = {
+  authorize: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ allowed: true }),
+};
+
 function buildService(
   redis: typeof mockRedis | null = mockRedis,
   mcpClient: {
@@ -98,6 +102,7 @@ function buildService(
     null,
     mockChatGateway as never,
     mcpClient as never,
+    allowAuthorization as never,
   );
 }
 

apps/gateway/src/commands/command-executor.service.ts

@@ -35,9 +35,8 @@ export class CommandExecutorService {
     @Inject(forwardRef(() => ChatGateway))
     private readonly chatGateway: ChatGateway | null,
     @Inject(McpClientService) private readonly mcpClient: McpClientService,
-    @Optional()
     @Inject(CommandAuthorizationService)
-    private readonly authorization: CommandAuthorizationService | null = null,
+    private readonly authorization: CommandAuthorizationService,
   ) {}
 
   async execute(
@@ -57,13 +56,13 @@ export class CommandExecutorService {
       };
     }
 
-    const authorization = await this.authorization?.authorize(
+    const authorization = await this.authorization.authorize(
       def,
       payload,
       userId,
       payload.approvalId,
     );
-    if (authorization && !authorization.allowed) {
+    if (!authorization.allowed) {
       return { command, conversationId, success: false, message: authorization.reason };
     }
 
@@ -171,7 +170,7 @@ export class CommandExecutorService {
     const def = this.registry
       .getManifest()
       .commands.find((command) => command.name === payload.command);
-    if (!def || !this.authorization) return null;
+    if (!def) return null;
     return this.authorization.createApproval(def, payload, scope.userId);
   }
 

apps/gateway/src/commands/commands.integration.spec.ts

@@ -55,6 +55,10 @@ const mockMcpClient = {
   reconnectServer: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue(undefined),
 };
 
+const allowAuthorization = {
+  authorize: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ allowed: true }),
+};
+
 // ─── Helpers ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 function buildRegistry(): CommandRegistryService {
@@ -74,6 +78,7 @@ function buildExecutor(registry: CommandRegistryService): CommandExecutorService
     null, // reloadService (optional)
     null, // chatGateway (optional)
     mockMcpClient as never,
+    allowAuthorization as never,
   );
 }
 

apps/gateway/src/reload/reload.service.spec.ts

@@ -159,6 +159,7 @@ describe('ReloadService — /reload command sanitizes plugin errors', () => {
       reloadService,
       mockChatGateway as never,
       mockMcpClient as never,
+      { authorize: vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({ allowed: true }) } as never,
     );
 
     const payload: SlashCommandPayload = { command: 'reload', conversationId: 'conv-1' };

docs/scratchpads/1179-required-security-di.md

@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+# #1179 — Required security DI wiring
+
+## Objective
+
+Eliminate the shared fail-open defect class **absence read as permission**:
+
+- FL-01: missing `CommandAuthorizationService` must refuse Nest startup and must not permit command effects.
+- FL-11: missing `SystemOverrideService` must refuse Nest startup and must not omit stored instruction authority while allowing provider/session effects.
+
+## Tracking
+
+- Issue: #1179, child of #1156
+- Branch: `fix/1179-required-security-di`
+- Base: `origin/next` at `216cd72226cd9ee17eea461cfe7cd0e010a22f02`
+
+## Plan
+
+1. RED: compile the real `AppModule` graph with each required provider independently removed, with a positive control for each intact binding.
+2. RED: directly exercise each malformed absence path and assert zero command/provider/session effects.
+3. Stop and report RED to the coordinator before production implementation.
+4. After authorization, make both constructor injections required, remove absence-as-permission branches, and update explicit legitimate optional test seams.
+5. Run focused Gateway tests, typecheck, lint, format, build, independent exact-head verification, and focused security review.
+
+## Immutable path fence
+
+Production changes are confined to:
+
+- `apps/gateway/src/commands/command-executor.service.ts`
+- `apps/gateway/src/agent/agent.service.ts`
+
+Tests and task evidence are confined to:
+
+- `apps/gateway/src/__tests__/required-security-wiring.test.ts`
+- existing direct-constructor specs that require explicit required arguments
+- `docs/scratchpads/1179-required-security-di.md`
+
+No files in #1178, #1072, #1080, or #1054 lanes are in scope. `docs/TASKS.md` is orchestrator-owned and will not be modified.
+
+## Budget
+
+No explicit token ceiling was provided. Working assumption: one narrow Gateway security packet; split and stop if either arm requires unrelated module rewiring.
+
+## Progress
+
+- Intake read from #1179 and parent #1156.
+- Base independently resolved from the issue's pre-native-stage ordering and repository `origin/next` ref; branch HEAD verified byte-for-byte against the remote ref.
+- Real consumers and direct constructors inventoried.
+
+## Tests
+
+### RED
+
+- `required-security-wiring.test.ts`: 4 failed, 2 passed before implementation.
+- Both real-graph negative controls showed module compilation accepted the missing target binding.
+- Direct FL-01 showed one unauthorized command effect; direct FL-11 showed one provider prompt and one session counter mutation.
+
+### GREEN
+
+- `required-security-wiring.test.ts`: 6/6 passed.
+- FL-01-only production revert: exactly the two FL-01 test cases failed; all four other cases, including FL-11, passed.
+- FL-11-only production revert: exactly the two FL-11 test cases failed; all four other cases, including FL-01, passed.
+- Full Gateway suite: 74 files passed, 7 skipped; 831 tests passed, 17 skipped.
+- Gateway typecheck: passed.
+- Gateway lint: passed.
+- Gateway build: passed.
+- Changed-file Prettier check: passed.
+
+### Review
+
+- Codex code review: APPROVE, 0 findings.
+- Codex focused security review: risk `none`, 0 findings.
+- Independent exact-head review remains assigned to Scrappy through the coordinator.
+
+## Risks / blockers
+
+- `AgentModule` / `CommandsModule` / `ChatModule` contain a production cycle; the module test therefore uses the real top-level `AppModule` and replaces only storage/network leaves, preserving the target service in each arm while isolating the separate required consumer that would otherwise mask that arm's defect.
+- No broad module rewrite was required.

packages/mosaic/framework/defaults/AGENTS.md

@@ -84,6 +84,7 @@ is re-seeded a genuinely missing core file is a stop-and-report condition — no
 
 Confirm: required + situational tests passed (primary gate); aligned to `docs/PRD.md`; acceptance
 criteria mapped to evidence; independent code review passed (if code changed); required docs updated;
-scratchpad updated. For PR-workflow delivery: merged PR number + merge commit on `main`, terminal-green
+scratchpad updated. For PR-workflow delivery: merged PR number + merge commit on the integration
+trunk (the project's declared trunk, default `main` — see `CONSTITUTION.md` Hard Gates), terminal-green
 CI, linked issue closed (or `docs/TASKS.md` equivalent). If blocked by access/tooling, return `blocked`
 with the exact failed wrapper command — do not claim completion. Full checklist: `guides/E2E-DELIVERY.md`.

packages/mosaic/framework/defaults/CONSTITUTION.md

@@ -21,11 +21,25 @@ guard"), the runtime adapter binds it to a concrete tool and states whether abse
 
 ## Hard Gates
 
+The **integration trunk** is the branch a project declares in its `.mosaic/repo.json` under the
+key `integration_trunk`; `release_branch` names the release target when one exists (`null` for
+single-branch projects). Absent a declaration, the trunk is `main`. The declaration is policy
+data, never shell text: values must be valid local branch names under `git check-ref-format
+--branch` semantics — no remote refs, no revision expressions, no option-like values (leading `-`),
+no path traversal or control characters. A declaration file that fails to parse, an unknown or
+misspelled key, or an invalid value is a hard stop (`blocked`) — never a silent fallback to `main`.
+Prose that mentions branch names designates nothing; only the declaration file does. A project
+declares exactly ONE trunk. **Changing an existing declaration is operator-owned:** a trunk
+redeclaration redirects merge target and branch-protection target at once, so it requires an
+explicit operator action above ordinary PR review. The designation relaxes nothing:
+reviewed-PR-only delivery, squash merge, independent review, queue guards, and terminal-green CI
+bind to the declared trunk exactly as they bind to `main`.
+
 1. Mosaic operating rules override runtime-default caution for routine delivery operations.
 2. Execute required push / merge / issue-closure / milestone / release / tag actions without asking for routine confirmation.
 3. Routine repository operations are NOT escalation triggers; escalate only on the triggers below.
 4. For source-code delivery, completion is forbidden at the PR-open stage.
-5. Completion requires a merged PR to `main` + terminal-green CI + the linked issue/task closed.
+5. Completion requires a merged PR to the integration trunk + terminal-green CI + the linked issue/task closed.
 6. Before any push or merge, run the CI queue guard.
 7. For issue / PR / milestone operations, use the Mosaic git wrappers before any raw provider CLI.
 8. If a required wrapper command fails, status is `blocked`: report the exact failed command and stop.
@@ -35,7 +49,7 @@ guard"), the runtime adapter binds it to a concrete tool and states whether abse
 12. The intake procedure is not conditional on perceived complexity; a "simple" task carries the same requirements as a multi-file feature.
 13. **Merge authority (coordinated work):** when a coordinator/orchestrator session is active for the work, the post-review merge go-ahead is the coordinator's to give — once the required review gates pass, merge on the coordinator's confirmation; do not wait on the human owner personally. Solo (uncoordinated) delivery keeps the default: merge per gates 2 and 9. A "No self-merge" note on a PR means no UNREVIEWED self-merge — it does not suspend coordinator-authorized merges.
 14. Never hardcode secrets; never emit credential values in any output (not even partially, not "to confirm").
-15. Trunk-based git only: branch from `main`, merge via a reviewed PR (squash), never push directly to `main`.
+15. Trunk-based git only: branch from the integration trunk, merge via a reviewed PR (squash), never push directly to the trunk.
 16. If you modify source code, an independent review (author ≠ reviewer) must pass before completion.
 
 ## Integrity (quality gates are never bypassed)

packages/mosaic/framework/guides/BOOTSTRAP.md

@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ This guide covers how to bootstrap a project so AI agents (Claude, Codex, etc.)
 4. Issue tracking is consistent across projects
 5. Documentation standards and API contracts are enforced from day one
 6. PRD requirements are established before coding begins
-7. Branching/merging is consistent: `branch -> main` via PR with squash-only merges
+7. Branching/merging is consistent: branch -> integration trunk (default `main`) via PR with squash-only merges
 8. Steered-autonomy execution is enabled so agents can run end-to-end with escalation-only human intervention
 
 ## Agent Host Prerequisites
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ Every runtime context file should contain:
 6. **Issue tracking** — Issue and commit conventions
 7. **Code review** — Required review process
 8. **Runtime notes** — Runtime-specific behavior references
-9. **Branch and merge policy** — Trunk workflow (`branch -> main` via PR, squash-only)
+9. **Branch and merge policy** — Trunk workflow (branch -> integration trunk via PR, squash-only)
 10. **Autonomy and escalation policy** — Agent owns coding/review/PR/release/deploy lifecycle
 
 ---
@@ -288,15 +288,17 @@ Reserve `0.1.0` for the MVP release milestone.
 
 ---
 
-## Step 5b: Configure Main Branch Protection (Hard Rule)
+## Step 5b: Configure Trunk Branch Protection (Hard Rule)
 
-Apply equivalent settings in Gitea, GitHub, or GitLab:
+Apply equivalent settings in Gitea, GitHub, or GitLab, targeting the project's integration trunk
+(the branch its `.mosaic/repo.json` declares under `integration_trunk`; default `main` — see
+`CONSTITUTION.md` Hard Gates):
 
-1. Protect `main` from direct pushes.
+1. Protect the integration trunk from direct pushes.
-2. Require pull requests to merge into `main`.
+2. Require pull requests to merge into the integration trunk.
 3. Require required CI/status checks to pass before merge.
 4. Require code review approval before merge.
-5. Allow **squash merge only** for PRs into `main` (disable merge commits and rebase merges for `main`).
+5. Allow **squash merge only** for PRs into the integration trunk (disable merge commits and rebase merges for it).
 
 This enforces one merge strategy across human and agent workflows.
 
@@ -513,9 +515,9 @@ After bootstrapping, verify:
 - [ ] Git labels created (epic, feature, bug, task, etc.)
 - [ ] Initial pre-MVP milestone created (0.0.1)
 - [ ] MVP milestone reserved for release (0.1.0)
-- [ ] `main` is protected from direct pushes
+- [ ] The integration trunk is protected from direct pushes
-- [ ] PRs into `main` are required
+- [ ] PRs into the integration trunk are required
-- [ ] Merge method for `main` is squash-only
+- [ ] Merge method for the integration trunk is squash-only
 - [ ] Quality gates run successfully
 - [ ] `.env.example` exists (if project uses env vars)
 - [ ] CI/CD pipeline configured (if using Woodpecker/GitHub Actions)

packages/mosaic/framework/guides/CI-CD-PIPELINES.md

@@ -4,6 +4,11 @@
 
 ## Overview
 
+> **Integration trunk:** the YAML examples in this guide use the default integration trunk `main`
+> in branch conditions and version rules. A project that declares a different trunk in its
+> `.mosaic/repo.json` under `integration_trunk` (see `CONSTITUTION.md` Hard Gates) substitutes its
+> declared trunk wherever `main` appears as the trunk branch.
+
 This guide covers the canonical CI/CD pattern used across projects. The pipeline runs in Woodpecker CI and follows this flow:
 
 ```
@@ -865,7 +870,7 @@ steps:
    ```yaml
    image: git.example.com/org/service@${IMAGE_DIGEST}
    ```
-7. **Test on a short-lived non-main branch first** — open a PR and verify quality gates before merging to `main`
+7. **Test on a short-lived non-trunk branch first** — open a PR and verify quality gates before merging to the integration trunk
 8. **Verify images appear** in Gitea Packages tab after successful pipeline
 
 ## Terminal-Green Full-Step Contract
@@ -906,7 +911,7 @@ For source-code delivery, completion is not allowed at "PR opened" stage.
 
 Required sequence:
 
-1. Merge PR to `main` (squash) via Mosaic wrapper.
+1. Merge PR to the integration trunk (squash) via Mosaic wrapper.
 2. Monitor CI to terminal status:
    ```bash
    ~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/pr-ci-wait.sh -n <PR_NUMBER>
@@ -1112,5 +1117,5 @@ If a project currently uses Verdaccio (e.g., U-Connect at `npm.uscllc.net`), fol
 
 ### Pipeline runs Docker builds on pull requests
 
-- Verify `when` clause on Docker build steps restricts to `branch: [main]`
+- Verify `when` clause on Docker build steps restricts to the integration trunk (`branch: [main]` by default)
 - Pull requests should only run quality gates, not build/push images

packages/mosaic/framework/guides/CODE-REVIEW.md

@@ -10,9 +10,10 @@ If implementation diverges from `docs/PRD.md` or `docs/PRD.json` without PRD upd
 
 Merge strategy enforcement (HARD RULE):
 
-- PR target for delivery is `main`.
+- The integration trunk is the branch the project's `.mosaic/repo.json` declares under `integration_trunk` (default: `main`) — see `CONSTITUTION.md` Hard Gates.
-- Direct pushes to `main` are prohibited.
+- PR target for delivery is the integration trunk.
-- Merge to `main` MUST be squash-only.
+- Direct pushes to the integration trunk are prohibited.
+- Merge to the integration trunk MUST be squash-only.
 - Use `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/pr-merge.sh -n {PR_NUMBER} -m squash --expect-head {approved_full_sha}` (or PowerShell equivalent).
 
 An estate MAY carry a documented exception for a repository whose gates are commit hooks rather
@@ -65,6 +66,19 @@ Each of these produced a wrong conclusion before it was written down.
     conclusion drawn from it describes the wrong tree. Confirm `git rev-parse --show-toplevel`
     is the tree you think it is before trusting any git output.
 
+13. **Run the repository's PINNED tool version.** `npx <tool>` resolves a local `node_modules`
+    install when one is present and fetches the latest release when one is not, so the same
+    command answers differently depending on where it ran. A reviewer measuring in a fresh clone
+    or a detached worktree — which is exactly where reviewers measure — has no `node_modules` and
+    silently gets the latest release instead of the pinned one. Measured on mosaicstack#1313: the
+    lockfile pins prettier 3.8.1, under which three guides pass; a version-less `npx` in a
+    worktree resolved 3.9.6, under which the same three fail; and 3.0.0, the floor of the declared
+    `^3.0.0` range, fails a different one. Three versions, three verdicts, identical bytes. Use
+    `node_modules/.bin/<tool>`, or name the version the lockfile pins.
+14. **A formatter or linter declared as a range is a dated verdict, not a fact.** If a lockfile
+    pins it, the gate is reproducible today and will disagree with itself the day the pin moves.
+    Report a formatting failure with the version that produced it, always.
+
 ### Feedback Categories
 
 - **Blocker**: must fix before merge (security, bugs, test failures)
@@ -184,8 +198,8 @@ Use `~/.config/mosaic/templates/docs/DOCUMENTATION-CHECKLIST.md` whenever code/A
 # List the issue being addressed
 ~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/issue-list.sh -i {issue-number}
 
-# View the changes
+# View the changes (diff against the integration trunk; default: main)
-git diff main...HEAD
+git diff {integration_trunk}...HEAD
 ```
 
 ### Providing Feedback
@@ -214,4 +228,4 @@ This pattern appears in 3 places. A shared helper would reduce duplication.
 2. If changes requested, assign back to author
 3. If approved, note approval in issue comments
 4. For merges, ensure CI passes first
-5. Merge PR to `main` with squash strategy only
+5. Merge PR to the integration trunk with squash strategy only

packages/mosaic/framework/guides/E2E-DELIVERY.md

@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ For implementation work, you MUST run this cycle in order:
 7. `commit` - commit only when the logical unit passes tests and review.
 8. `pre-push queue guard` - before pushing, wait for running/queued project pipelines to clear: `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/ci-queue-wait.sh --purpose push`.
 9. `push` - push immediately after queue guard passes.
-10. `PR integration` - if external git provider is available, create/update PR to `main` and merge with required strategy via Mosaic wrappers.
+10. `PR integration` - if external git provider is available, create/update PR to the integration trunk (the project's declared trunk, default `main`) and merge with required strategy via Mosaic wrappers.
 11. `pre-merge queue guard` - before merging PR, wait for running/queued project pipelines on the exact PR head to clear: `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/ci-queue-wait.sh --purpose merge -B <PR_HEAD_BRANCH> -R <PR_HEAD_OWNER/REPO> --sha <PR_HEAD_FULL_SHA>`.
 12. `CI/pipeline verification` - wait for terminal CI status and require green before completion (`~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/pr-ci-wait.sh` for PR-based workflow).
 13. `issue closure` - close linked external issue (or close internal `docs/TASKS.md` task ref when provider is unavailable).
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ Before running this checklist, pause and self-interrogate: did I fulfill the use
 10. No unresolved blocker hidden.
 11. If deployment is in scope, deployment target, release version, and post-deploy verification evidence are documented.
 12. `docs/TASKS.md` status and issue/internal references are updated to match delivered work.
-13. If source code changed and external provider is available: PR merged to `main` (squash), with merge evidence recorded.
+13. If source code changed and external provider is available: PR merged to the integration trunk (squash), with merge evidence recorded.
 14. CI/pipeline status is terminal green for the merged PR/head commit.
 15. Linked external issue is closed (or internal task ref is closed when no provider exists).
 16. If any of items 13-15 fail due access/tooling, report `blocked` with exact failed wrapper command and do not claim completion.

packages/mosaic/framework/guides/ORCHESTRATOR-PROTOCOL.md

@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ status → mission → run → repeat
 
 - [ ] All milestone tasks in TASKS.md are `done`
 - [ ] CI/pipeline green
-- [ ] PR merged to `main`
+- [ ] PR merged to the integration trunk
 - [ ] Issues closed
 - [ ] Update manifest: milestone status → completed
 - [ ] Update scratchpad: session log entry

packages/mosaic/framework/guides/ORCHESTRATOR.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ mosaic claude -p "Read ~/.config/mosaic/skills/nestjs-best-practices/SKILL.md th
 - You MUST keep the TASKS.md file updated with agent and tasks statuses.
 - You MUST keep `docs/` root clean. Reports and working artifacts MUST be stored in scoped folders (`docs/reports/`, `docs/tasks/`, `docs/releases/`, `docs/scratchpads/`).
 - You MUST enforce plan/token usage budgets when provided, and adapt orchestration strategy to remain within limits.
-- You MUST enforce trunk workflow: workers branch from `main`, PR target is `main`, direct push to `main` is forbidden, and PR merges to `main` are squash-only.
+- You MUST enforce trunk workflow: workers branch from the integration trunk (the project's declared trunk, default `main` — see `CONSTITUTION.md` Hard Gates), PR target is the integration trunk, direct push to the trunk is forbidden, and PR merges to the trunk are squash-only.
 - You MUST operate in steered-autonomy mode: human intervention is escalation-only; do not require the human to write code, review code, or manage PR/repo workflow.
 - You MUST NOT declare task or issue completion until PR is merged, CI/pipeline is terminal green, and linked issue is closed (or internal TASKS ref is closed when provider is unavailable).
 - Mosaic orchestration rules OVERRIDE runtime-default caution for routine push/merge/issue-close actions required by this workflow.
@@ -133,10 +133,10 @@ Milestone versioning (HARD RULE):
 
 Branch and merge strategy (HARD RULE):
 
-- Workers use short-lived task branches from `origin/main`.
+- Workers use short-lived task branches from `origin/{integration_trunk}` (default `main`).
-- Worker task branches merge back via PR to `main` only.
+- Worker task branches merge back via PR to the integration trunk only.
-- Direct pushes to `main` are prohibited.
+- Direct pushes to the integration trunk are prohibited.
-- PR merges to `main` MUST use squash merge.
+- PR merges to the integration trunk MUST use squash merge.
 
 **Available templates:**
 
@@ -427,7 +427,7 @@ git push
     - Before merging, run queue guard:
       `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/ci-queue-wait.sh --purpose merge -B <PR_HEAD_BRANCH> -R <PR_HEAD_OWNER/REPO> --sha <PR_HEAD_FULL_SHA>`
     - Ensure PR exists for the task branch (create/update via wrappers if needed):
-      `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/pr-create.sh ... -B main`
+      `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/pr-create.sh ... -B {integration_trunk}` (default `main`)
     - Merge via wrapper:
       `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/pr-merge.sh -n {PR_NUMBER} -m squash --expect-head {approved_full_sha}`
     - Wait for terminal CI status:
@@ -619,7 +619,7 @@ Construct this from the task row and pass to worker via Task tool:
 
 ## Workflow
 
-1. Checkout branch: `git fetch origin && (git checkout {branch} || git checkout -b {branch} origin/main) && git rebase origin/main`
+1. Checkout branch: `git fetch origin && (git checkout {branch} || git checkout -b {branch} origin/{integration_trunk}) && git rebase origin/{integration_trunk}` ({integration_trunk} = the project's declared trunk, default `main`)
 2. Read `docs/PRD.md` or `docs/PRD.json` and align implementation with PRD requirements
 3. Read the finding details from the report
 4. Implement the fix following existing code patterns
@@ -637,7 +637,7 @@ Do NOT leave lint warnings or errors for someone else to clean up. 6. Run REQUIR
 For issue/PR/milestone operations, use scripts (NOT raw tea/gh):
 
 - `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/issue-view.sh -i {N}`
-- `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/pr-create.sh -t "Title" -b "Desc" -B main`
+- `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/pr-create.sh -t "Title" -b "Desc" -B {integration_trunk}`
 - Push: `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/ci-queue-wait.sh --purpose push -B {task_branch}`
 - Merge: `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/ci-queue-wait.sh --purpose merge -B {pr_head_branch} -R {pr_head_owner/repo} --sha {pr_head_full_sha}`
 - `~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/pr-merge.sh -n {PR_NUMBER} -m squash --expect-head {approved_full_sha}`
@@ -994,13 +994,13 @@ mv docs/reports/qa-automation/pending/*failing-file* docs/reports/qa-automation/
 
 ---
 
-## Merge-to-Main Candidate Protocol (Container Deployments)
+## Merge-to-Trunk Candidate Protocol (Container Deployments)
 
-If deployment is in scope and container images are used, every merge to `main` MUST execute this protocol:
+If deployment is in scope and container images are used, every merge to the integration trunk MUST execute this protocol:
 
 1. Build and push immutable candidate image tags:
    - `sha-<shortsha>` (always)
-   - `v{base-version}-rc.{build}` (for `main` merges)
+   - `v{base-version}-rc.{build}` (for integration-trunk merges)
    - `testing` mutable pointer to the same digest
 2. Resolve and record the image digest for each service.
 3. Deploy by digest to testing environment (never deploy by mutable tag alone).

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/fleet/start-agent-session.sh

@@ -292,6 +292,16 @@ esac
 _build_runtime_bin_prefix() {
   local candidates=()
   if [ -n "$MOSAIC_RUNTIME_BIN" ]; then candidates+=("$MOSAIC_RUNTIME_BIN"); fi
+  # A host with no system Node gets one bootstrapped here by tools/install.sh, which
+  # records it in ~/.profile. The fleet unit runs `env -i ... bash --noprofile --norc`
+  # by design, so ~/.profile is never read and the directory has to be named here.
+  # The npm probe below cannot cover this: it reports a package prefix
+  # (~/.npm-global), never a Node runtime directory. It sits ahead of the npm probe so
+  # the bootstrapped runtime wins on a host that has both — that is the one the installer
+  # verified — while an explicit MOSAIC_RUNTIME_BIN still outranks it.
+  # Runtime binaries are `#!/usr/bin/env node`, so without this the pane resolves the
+  # binary and then dies on `env: 'node': No such file or directory`.
+  candidates+=("$PANE_HOME/.mosaic/node/current/bin")
   if command -v npm >/dev/null 2>&1; then
     local npm_prefix
     npm_prefix=$(npm config get prefix 2>/dev/null) || true

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/fleet/test-start-agent-session.sh

@@ -520,6 +520,93 @@ for blocked in LD_PRELOAD= BASH_ENV= MOSAIC_UNTRUSTED_SENTINEL=; do
   contains_literal "$pane_environment" "$blocked" && fail "runtime pane received $blocked"
 done
 
+# #1256. On a host with no system Node, tools/install.sh bootstraps one into
+# ~/.mosaic/node/ and writes that directory to ~/.profile. The fleet unit runs
+# `env -i ... bash --noprofile --norc`, so ~/.profile is never read — correctly, by
+# design — and _build_runtime_bin_prefix does not list the bootstrap directory. Its
+# `npm config get prefix` branch cannot cover the gap either: the installer points
+# npm's prefix at ~/.npm-global, so that branch contributes the npm-global directory
+# and never the Node one, however it resolves.
+#
+# The property under test is not "the string is in PATH". It is that the pane can
+# EXECUTE a Node-shebang runtime binary — which is what `mosaic` is
+# (`#!/usr/bin/env node`) and what actually failed: measured on a greenfield VM as
+# `env: 'node': No such file or directory` after a clean install that reported success.
+#
+# So this case runs the pane for real and requires it to have run. A PATH-substring
+# assertion would pass on a fix that put the directory in the wrong position, and it
+# would keep passing if the pane later stopped running for some unrelated reason.
+: > "$TMUX_CALLS"
+HOME_NODE="$ROOT/bootstrap-node/.config/mosaic"
+write_generated "$HOME_NODE" "coder-node"
+NODE_PANE_HOME="${HOME_NODE%/.config/mosaic}"
+NODE_BOOTSTRAP_BIN="$NODE_PANE_HOME/.mosaic/node/current/bin"
+mkdir -p "$NODE_BOOTSTRAP_BIN"
+
+# The bootstrapped runtime. It records that it ran, which is the evidence this case
+# turns on: no node reachable from the pane means no marker.
+cat > "$NODE_BOOTSTRAP_BIN/node" <<'SHIM'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+env -0 > "${MOSAIC_HOME:?}/fleet/pane-environment"
+SHIM
+chmod +x "$NODE_BOOTSTRAP_BIN/node"
+
+# write_generated plants its symlinks under the MOSAIC_HOME it is given; here the
+# pane's HOME is the trusted parent, so the pane's view of "installed" is this
+# directory instead. `pi` is what #1241 resolves against PANE_PATH; `mosaic` is what
+# the pane then executes, and it is a Node script — not a bash script that would run
+# anywhere and quietly hide the defect.
+mkdir -p "$NODE_PANE_HOME/.npm-global/bin"
+ln -sf "$FAKE_BIN/pi" "$NODE_PANE_HOME/.npm-global/bin/pi"
+printf '#!/usr/bin/env node\n' > "$NODE_PANE_HOME/.npm-global/bin/mosaic"
+chmod +x "$NODE_PANE_HOME/.npm-global/bin/mosaic"
+
+# The npm branch is modelled ALIVE and still cannot close the gap, which is the
+# stronger statement. An earlier draft of this case tried to model npm as absent —
+# true on a real bootstrap host, where npm lives only in the Node directory — and it
+# refused to run anywhere npm is in the system path, i.e. most machines. It was also
+# the weaker claim: it would have proven only that a dead branch supplies nothing.
+#
+# On a bootstrap host the installer sets npm's prefix to ~/.npm-global. So even with
+# `command -v npm` true and the branch executing, `npm config get prefix` yields the
+# npm-global directory and never the Node one. The gap does not depend on whether
+# that branch runs.
+NODE_LAUNCHER_BIN="$ROOT/bootstrap-node-launcher-bin"
+mkdir -p "$NODE_LAUNCHER_BIN"
+ln -sf "$FAKE_BIN/tmux" "$NODE_LAUNCHER_BIN/tmux"
+ln -sf "$FAKE_BIN/npm" "$NODE_LAUNCHER_BIN/npm"
+
+/usr/bin/env -i \
+  "HOME=$NODE_PANE_HOME" \
+  "PATH=$NODE_LAUNCHER_BIN:/usr/bin:/bin" \
+  "MOSAIC_HOME=$HOME_NODE" \
+  "MOSAIC_TEST_TMUX_CALLS=$TMUX_CALLS" \
+  "MOSAIC_TEST_HOME=$NODE_PANE_HOME" \
+  "MOSAIC_TEST_NPM_PREFIX=$NODE_PANE_HOME/.npm-global" \
+  MOSAIC_TEST_FLEET_OWNER=123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000 \
+  MOSAIC_TEST_EXECUTE_PANE=1 \
+  "MOSAIC_TEST_PANE_PID=$$" \
+  "$START" coder-node
+
+[ -f "$HOME_NODE/fleet/pane-environment" ] || \
+  fail "pane could not execute a Node-shebang runtime: $NODE_BOOTSTRAP_BIN is absent from PANE_PATH (#1256)"
+node_pane_environment=$(tr '\0' '\n' < "$HOME_NODE/fleet/pane-environment")
+# Colon-pad and match a whole element. A regex with `(^|:)` after `.*` looks like it
+# does this and does not: an anchor cannot match mid-pattern, so it silently requires
+# a leading colon and rejects the directory in FIRST position — which is where THIS
+# FIXTURE puts it: it runs under `env -i` with no MOSAIC_RUNTIME_BIN, so the bootstrap
+# directory leads. That is a property of the fixture, not of the fix — in general the
+# directory sits second, after MOSAIC_RUNTIME_BIN. The colon padding makes the
+# assertion position-independent either way, which is why it is written this way and
+# not with an anchor. That produced a failure reading "pane ran but PANE_PATH does not
+# carry <dir>" against a PATH whose first element was that dir.
+node_pane_path=":$(printf '%s\n' "$node_pane_environment" | sed -n 's/^PATH=//p' | head -1):"
+case "$node_pane_path" in
+  *":$NODE_BOOTSTRAP_BIN:"*) ;;
+  *) fail "pane ran but PANE_PATH does not carry $NODE_BOOTSTRAP_BIN (PATH=$node_pane_path)" ;;
+esac
+
 write_interaction_generated() {
   local home="$1"
   local agent="$2"

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/pr-merge.sh

@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@ BASE_BRANCH="$(printf '%s' "$PR_METADATA" | python3 -c 'import json, sys; print(
 HEAD_BRANCH="$(printf '%s' "$PR_METADATA" | python3 -c 'import json, sys; print((json.load(sys.stdin).get("headRefName") or "").strip())')"
 HEAD_SHA="$(printf '%s' "$PR_METADATA" | python3 -c 'import json, sys; print((json.load(sys.stdin).get("headRefOid") or "").strip())')"
 HEAD_REPO="$(printf '%s' "$PR_METADATA" | python3 -c 'import json, sys; value=json.load(sys.stdin).get("headRepository") or ""; print((value.get("nameWithOwner") or value.get("full_name") or "") if isinstance(value, dict) else str(value).strip())')"
+BASE_REPO="$(printf '%s' "$PR_METADATA" | python3 -c 'import json, sys; value=json.load(sys.stdin).get("baseRepository") or ""; print((value.get("nameWithOwner") or value.get("full_name") or "") if isinstance(value, dict) else str(value).strip())')"
 PR_TITLE="$(printf '%s' "$PR_METADATA" | python3 -c 'import json, sys; print((json.load(sys.stdin).get("title") or "").strip())')"
 PR_AUTHOR="$(printf '%s' "$PR_METADATA" | python3 -c 'import json, sys; value=json.load(sys.stdin).get("author") or ""; print((value.get("login") or "").strip() if isinstance(value, dict) else str(value).strip())')"
 if [[ "$BASE_BRANCH" != "main" && "$BASE_BRANCH" != "next" ]]; then
@@ -144,10 +145,19 @@ if [[ -n "$EXPECT_HEAD" && "$HEAD_SHA" != "$EXPECT_HEAD" ]]; then
 fi
 
 if [[ "$DRY_RUN" != true ]]; then
+    # CI statuses for a PR live on the BASE repo (Woodpecker posts there),
+    # even when the head branch lives in a fork. Reading status against the
+    # fork repo yields statuses:null -> malformed for every fork PR (#1215,
+    # gate-merge-01 B1). The head repo is used only for head-sha identity;
+    # when metadata carries no base repository, the origin repo is where CI
+    # posts and remains correct for same-repo PRs.
+    if [[ -z "$BASE_REPO" ]]; then
+        BASE_REPO="$(get_repo_owner)/$(get_repo_name)"
+    fi
     "$SCRIPT_DIR/ci-queue-wait.sh" \
         --purpose merge \
         -B "$HEAD_BRANCH" \
-        -R "$HEAD_REPO" \
+        -R "$BASE_REPO" \
         --sha "$HEAD_SHA" \
         -t "${MOSAIC_CI_QUEUE_TIMEOUT_SEC:-900}" \
         -i "${MOSAIC_CI_QUEUE_POLL_SEC:-15}"

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/pr-metadata.sh

@@ -209,6 +209,10 @@ base_ref = first_non_empty(
     data.get('base_ref'),
     data.get('base_label'),
 )
+base_repo = first_non_empty(
+    nested(data, 'base', 'repo', 'full_name'),
+    nested(data, 'base', 'repo', 'name_with_owner'),
+)
 
 if not head_ref or not base_ref:
     available = ', '.join(sorted(data.keys()))
@@ -229,6 +233,7 @@ normalized = {
     'headRefOid': head_sha,
     'headRepository': head_repo,
     'baseRefName': base_ref,
+    'baseRepository': base_repo,
     'labels': [l.get('name', '') for l in data.get('labels', []) if isinstance(l, dict)],
     'assignees': [a.get('login', '') for a in data.get('assignees', []) if isinstance(a, dict)],
     'milestone': nested(data, 'milestone', 'title') or '',

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/test-pr-merge-fork-ci-status.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# B1 (stack #1215, gate-merge-01): for a fork PR the merge queue guard must
+# read CI status against the BASE repository. Woodpecker posts statuses on the
+# base repo; pr-metadata's headRepository names the fork, and passing it to
+# ci-queue-wait yields statuses:null -> state=malformed rc=3 on every fork PR.
+#
+# This fixture omits baseRepository entirely (the pre-B1 normalizer's shape),
+# so the guard must fall back to the origin repo — and must NEVER see the fork.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+WORK_DIR="${MOSAIC_TEST_WORK_DIR:-$PWD/.mosaic-test-work/pr-merge-fork-ci-status}"
+FIXTURE_DIR="$WORK_DIR/tools/git"
+CALL_LOG="$WORK_DIR/queue-call.log"
+
+rm -rf "$WORK_DIR"
+mkdir -p "$FIXTURE_DIR"
+cp "$SCRIPT_DIR/pr-merge.sh" "$FIXTURE_DIR/pr-merge.sh"
+cp "$SCRIPT_DIR/detect-platform.sh" "$FIXTURE_DIR/detect-platform.sh"
+
+cat > "$FIXTURE_DIR/pr-metadata.sh" <<'SH'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+printf '%s\n' '{"baseRefName":"next","headRefName":"fix/b1-fork-branch","headRefOid":"fedcba9876543210fedcba9876543210fedcba98","headRepository":"stack-mos-dt-0/stack"}'
+SH
+
+cat > "$FIXTURE_DIR/ci-queue-wait.sh" <<'SH'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+printf '%s\n' "$*" > "${MOSAIC_QUEUE_CALL_LOG:?}"
+exit 42
+SH
+chmod +x "$FIXTURE_DIR"/*.sh
+
+# A git repo with an origin remote, so the origin fallback resolves.
+git init -q "$WORK_DIR/upstream"
+git -C "$WORK_DIR/upstream" remote add origin https://git.mosaicstack.dev/mosaicstack/stack.git
+
+set +e
+(
+    cd "$WORK_DIR/upstream"
+    export MOSAIC_QUEUE_CALL_LOG="$CALL_LOG"
+    "$FIXTURE_DIR/pr-merge.sh" -n 1215
+) >/dev/null 2>&1
+rc=$?
+set -e
+
+if [[ "$rc" -ne 42 ]]; then
+    echo "FAIL: expected queue stub rc=42 to propagate, got $rc" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+if [[ ! -s "$CALL_LOG" ]]; then
+    echo "FAIL: merge wrapper did not invoke the queue guard" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+if grep -q -- '-R stack-mos-dt-0/stack' "$CALL_LOG"; then
+    echo "FAIL: queue guard received the FORK repository for CI status (B1 regression)" >&2
+    cat "$CALL_LOG" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+if ! grep -q -- '-R mosaicstack/stack' "$CALL_LOG"; then
+    echo "FAIL: queue guard did not receive the base (origin) repository" >&2
+    cat "$CALL_LOG" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+if ! grep -q -- '-B fix/b1-fork-branch' "$CALL_LOG"; then
+    echo "FAIL: queue guard did not receive the PR head branch" >&2
+    cat "$CALL_LOG" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+if ! grep -q -- '--sha fedcba9876543210fedcba9876543210fedcba98' "$CALL_LOG"; then
+    echo "FAIL: queue guard did not receive the exact PR head SHA" >&2
+    cat "$CALL_LOG" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "pr-merge fork-PR CI-status repository regression passed"

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/test-pr-merge-queue-branch.sh

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ cp "$SCRIPT_DIR/detect-platform.sh" "$FIXTURE_DIR/detect-platform.sh"
 
 cat > "$FIXTURE_DIR/pr-metadata.sh" <<'SH'
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-printf '%s\n' '{"baseRefName":"main","headRefName":"fix/rm-03-fixture","headRefOid":"0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef01234567","headRepository":"contributor/widgets-fork"}'
+printf '%s\n' '{"baseRefName":"main","baseRepository":"mosaicstack/stack","headRefName":"fix/rm-03-fixture","headRefOid":"0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef01234567","headRepository":"contributor/widgets-fork"}'
 SH
 
 cat > "$FIXTURE_DIR/ci-queue-wait.sh" <<'SH'
@@ -52,8 +52,13 @@ if grep -q -- '-B main' "$CALL_LOG"; then
     cat "$CALL_LOG" >&2
     exit 1
 fi
-if ! grep -q -- '-R contributor/widgets-fork' "$CALL_LOG"; then
+if ! grep -q -- '-R mosaicstack/stack' "$CALL_LOG"; then
-    echo "FAIL: merge queue guard did not receive the fork head repository" >&2
+    echo "FAIL: merge queue guard did not receive the BASE repository for CI status" >&2
+    cat "$CALL_LOG" >&2
+    exit 1
+fi
+if grep -q -- '-R contributor/widgets-fork' "$CALL_LOG"; then
+    echo "FAIL: merge queue guard received the fork head repository (B1: statuses are posted on the base repo)" >&2
     cat "$CALL_LOG" >&2
     exit 1
 fi

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/tmux/agent-send.sh

@@ -126,7 +126,16 @@ if [ -z "$SRC_LABEL" ]; then
   src_host=$(hostname -s 2>/dev/null || echo "?")
   src_sess=${MOSAIC_AGENT_NAME:-}
   if [ -z "$src_sess" ]; then
-    src_sess=$(tmux display-message -p '#S' 2>/dev/null || echo "?")
+    if [ -n "${TMUX:-}" ]; then
+      # Inside tmux: display-message resolves against this client's own session.
+      src_sess=$(tmux display-message -p '#S' 2>/dev/null || echo "?")
+    else
+      # Outside tmux with no name: display-message reports the LAST-ACTIVE
+      # session — someone else's identity (measured 2026-08-20: a nameless
+      # non-tmux sender was stamped "peggy", a live seat, forged silently).
+      # Stamp an explicit unverified label instead; deliberate senders use -S.
+      src_sess="unverified"
+    fi
   fi
   SRC_LABEL="${src_host}:${src_sess}"
 fi

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/tmux/agent-send.test.sh

@@ -61,8 +61,15 @@ no()   { FAIL=$((FAIL+1)); printf 'FAIL %s\n   %s\n' "$1" "$2"; }
 
 # Run the tool with the stub injected; echoes captured payload on stdout.
 run() { AGENT_SEND_SENDER="$STUB" bash "$TOOL" -S a:src -n dsthost "$@"; }
-run_auto() {
+# Hermetic auto-label runs: TMUX is controlled explicitly so results never
-  env -u MOSAIC_AGENT_NAME \
+# depend on whether the caller running this suite sits inside tmux.
+run_auto() {          # models a sender OUTSIDE tmux (no client context)
+  env -u MOSAIC_AGENT_NAME -u TMUX \
+    AGENT_SEND_SENDER="$STUB" PATH="$FAKE_BIN:$PATH" \
+    bash "$TOOL" -n dsthost "$@"
+}
+run_auto_in_tmux() {  # models a sender INSIDE tmux (client context exists)
+  env -u MOSAIC_AGENT_NAME TMUX=/fake/socket \
     AGENT_SEND_SENDER="$STUB" PATH="$FAKE_BIN:$PATH" \
     bash "$TOOL" -n dsthost "$@"
 }
@@ -145,7 +152,9 @@ want="[$src_host:authoritative-agent -> dsthost:mos] env identity"
   || no "MOSAIC_AGENT_NAME is authoritative across sockets" "got=[$got] want=[$want]"
 
 # 9. Without the env identity, self-lookup uses local tmux, not destination -L.
-got=$(FAKE_TMUX_MODE=sessions run_auto -L destination-socket -s mos -m "local fallback")
+#    Sender is INSIDE tmux: the only context where display-message self-lookup
+#    is safe (it resolves against this client's own session).
+got=$(FAKE_TMUX_MODE=sessions run_auto_in_tmux -L destination-socket -s mos -m "local fallback")
 want="[$src_host:local-agent -> dsthost:mos] local fallback"
 [ "$got" = "$want" ] && ok "cross-socket fallback uses local sender session" \
   || no "cross-socket fallback uses local sender session" "got=[$got] want=[$want]"
@@ -153,8 +162,17 @@ want="[$src_host:local-agent -> dsthost:mos] local fallback"
   && ok "cross-socket fallback rejects destination holder identity" \
   || no "cross-socket fallback rejects destination holder identity" "got=[$got]"
 
+# 9b. NO tmux context: display-message answers with the LAST-ACTIVE session —
+#     someone else's identity (forgery vector). The label must be `unverified`,
+#     never a borrowed name, even though a tmux server exists here and the fake
+#     would confidently answer `local-agent`.
+got=$(FAKE_TMUX_MODE=sessions run_auto -s mos -m "no tmux context")
+want="[$src_host:unverified -> dsthost:mos] no tmux context"
+[ "$got" = "$want" ] && ok "no-tmux sender labeled unverified, never borrowed" \
+  || no "no-tmux sender labeled unverified, never borrowed" "got=[$got] want=[$want]"
+
 # 10. If neither env nor local tmux identifies the sender, preserve '?'.
-got=$(FAKE_TMUX_MODE=unavailable run_auto -L destination-socket -s mos -m "unknown fallback")
+got=$(FAKE_TMUX_MODE=unavailable run_auto_in_tmux -L destination-socket -s mos -m "unknown fallback")
 want="[$src_host:? -> dsthost:mos] unknown fallback"
 [ "$got" = "$want" ] && ok "unknown sender falls back to ?" \
   || no "unknown sender falls back to ?" "got=[$got] want=[$want]"

packages/mosaic/package.json

@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
     "lint": "eslint src",
     "typecheck": "tsc --noEmit",
     "test": "vitest run --passWithNoTests && pnpm run test:framework-shell",
-    "test:framework-shell": "bash framework/tools/quality/scripts/check-test-enumeration.sh && bash framework/tools/quality/scripts/test-check-test-enumeration.sh && python3 framework/tools/quality/scripts/test-framework-drift-check.py && bash framework/tools/quality/scripts/test-framework-drift-doctor.sh && bash framework/systemd/user/test-fleet-units.sh && python3 src/lease-broker/daemon_deadline_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/normative_fragments_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/promotion_binding_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/promotion_trigger_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/receipt_challenge_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/context_recovery_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/recovery_runtime_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/recovery_b1_adversarial_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/receipt_observer_client_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/invariant_r_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/framework_skill_portability_unittest.py && python3 src/mutator-gate/runtime_tools_unittest.py && python3 src/mutator-gate/runtime_launch_guard_unittest.py && python3 src/mutator-gate/version_coupling_unittest.py && python3 framework/tools/lease-broker/check-runtime-launches.py --root ../.. && bash framework/tools/codex/test-pr-diff-context.sh && bash framework/tools/qa/test-deps-preflight.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-edit.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-review-gitea-comment.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-review-repo-host-override.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-ci-queue-wait-no-status.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-ci-queue-wait-branch-absent.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-ci-queue-wait-tristate.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-ci-queue-wait-github-checks.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-merge-queue-branch.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-merge-head-pin.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-merge-message-field.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-git-credential-mosaic.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-gitea-token-identity.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-explain-diagnostic-status-neutral.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-detect-platform-outside-repo.sh && bash framework/tools/woodpecker/test-terminal-green-contract.sh && bash framework/tools/_scripts/test-install-ordering-guard.sh && bash framework/tools/_scripts/test-mosaic-init-rce.sh && bash framework/tools/tmux/agent-send.test.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-store-ack.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-store-enqueue-race.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-digest-hmac.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-digest-quarantine.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-detector.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-fn-oracle.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-reconcile.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-beacon.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-preimage.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-install.sh && bash framework/tools/glpi/test-list-http-status.sh && bash framework/tools/orchestrator/test-board-roll.sh && bash framework/tools/woodpecker/test-ci-wait-exit-matrix.sh && bash framework/tools/_scripts/test-fleet-transport-check.sh && bash framework/tools/_scripts/test-brain-home-check.sh"
+    "test:framework-shell": "bash framework/tools/quality/scripts/check-test-enumeration.sh && bash framework/tools/quality/scripts/test-check-test-enumeration.sh && python3 framework/tools/quality/scripts/test-framework-drift-check.py && bash framework/tools/quality/scripts/test-framework-drift-doctor.sh && bash framework/systemd/user/test-fleet-units.sh && python3 src/lease-broker/daemon_deadline_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/normative_fragments_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/promotion_binding_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/promotion_trigger_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/receipt_challenge_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/context_recovery_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/recovery_runtime_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/recovery_b1_adversarial_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/receipt_observer_client_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/invariant_r_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/framework_skill_portability_unittest.py && python3 src/mutator-gate/runtime_tools_unittest.py && python3 src/mutator-gate/runtime_launch_guard_unittest.py && python3 src/mutator-gate/version_coupling_unittest.py && python3 framework/tools/lease-broker/check-runtime-launches.py --root ../.. && bash framework/tools/codex/test-pr-diff-context.sh && bash framework/tools/qa/test-deps-preflight.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-edit.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-review-gitea-comment.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-review-repo-host-override.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-ci-queue-wait-no-status.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-ci-queue-wait-branch-absent.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-ci-queue-wait-tristate.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-ci-queue-wait-github-checks.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-merge-queue-branch.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-merge-fork-ci-status.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-merge-head-pin.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-pr-merge-message-field.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-git-credential-mosaic.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-gitea-token-identity.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-explain-diagnostic-status-neutral.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-detect-platform-outside-repo.sh && bash framework/tools/woodpecker/test-terminal-green-contract.sh && bash framework/tools/_scripts/test-install-ordering-guard.sh && bash framework/tools/_scripts/test-mosaic-init-rce.sh && bash framework/tools/tmux/agent-send.test.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-store-ack.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-store-enqueue-race.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-digest-hmac.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-digest-quarantine.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-detector.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-fn-oracle.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-reconcile.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-beacon.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-preimage.sh && bash framework/tools/wake/test-wake-install.sh && bash framework/tools/glpi/test-list-http-status.sh && bash framework/tools/orchestrator/test-board-roll.sh && bash framework/tools/woodpecker/test-ci-wait-exit-matrix.sh && bash framework/tools/_scripts/test-fleet-transport-check.sh && bash framework/tools/_scripts/test-brain-home-check.sh"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@mosaicstack/brain": "workspace:*",

scratchpads/2026-08-17-fleet-identity-comms-mosaic-tree.md

@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+# 2026-08-17 — Fleet identity, comms delivery, and the ~/.mosaic tree (continuation record)
+
+> **Status:** active continuation record | **Owner:** Jason (rulings) / fleet (delivery) | **Created:** 2026-08-17, sb-it-1-dt session with Jarvis (jarvis-brain)
+> **Audience:** the homelab agents continuing this effort tonight. Read this whole file before acting; it supersedes nothing but preserves structure and decisions that must not be lost.
+
+---
+
+## Why this exists
+
+A session on sb-it-1-dt (2026-08-17) produced three architecture decisions (two awaiting Jason's ruling), one incident postmortem (#1295), interim guardrail edits in the user-owned `~/.mosaic/` contract tree, and one new tool (`ensure-watcher.sh`). The work spans jarvis-brain (P0, not retained) and this repo (the product). **This file is the stack-side anchor so continuation does not depend on jarvis-brain surviving.**
+
+## 1. The `~/.mosaic` tree model — as-built, preserve this structure
+
+Three-tree split (this is design intent, not accident; keep it through all framework work):
+
+| Tree                | Owner     | Rule                                                                                                          |
+| ------------------- | --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `~/.config/mosaic/` | framework | upgrade-managed templates; NEVER user-edited; `mosaic upgrade` may overwrite                                  |
+| `~/.mosaic/`        | user      | working contracts, guides, fleet agents; upgrades reconcile with **deny-wins** (user edits never overwritten) |
+| repo satellites     | repos     | bootstrapped per-repo `.mosaic/` state                                                                        |
+
+As-built inventory of `~/.mosaic` on sb-it-1-dt (2026-08-17):
+
+- **Contract core:** `CONSTITUTION.md` (L0 law), `AGENTS.md` (dispatcher + guide router + Fleet Comms Watcher requirement), `SOUL.md` (generic base for ALL fleet agents, zero persona — includes the new **Fleet Boundaries** section), `STANDARDS.md` (universal standards — includes new **session identity** + **comms watcher hygiene** sections), `SYSTEM.md` (pure communication contract, byte-identical to jarvis-brain's prompt-testing `sr_opus_5_system_prompt.md`), `USER.md`, `TOOLS.md`.
+- **`guides/`** — user-owned working copies (E2E-DELIVERY, ORCHESTRATOR(+PROTOCOL,+LEARNINGS), WAKE-DOCTRINE, VAULT-SECRETS, etc.).
+- **`fleet/agents/`** — the per-agent store (this is MOSAIC-D-002's substrate, already in use):
+  - real agent dirs: `fargo/`, `orchestrator/`, `probe/`, `vision/`, `weekly-update/` — shape: `profile.json` (harness/account/overlay pointer) + `overlay.json` + `SOUL.md` (persona) + `scratch/` `work/` `notes/` subdirs (hygiene rules in root SOUL.md)
+  - `*.env.generated` launch overlays: `luna` `sol` `terra` (carry `MOSAIC_AGENT_NAME`, `_CLASS`, `_RUNTIME`, `_MODEL`, `_REASONING`, `_TOOL_POLICY`) — these are the mosaic-fleet seat launch envs; `inbox.env`, `itops.env` also present
+  - `probe/` is the validated layout proof: auth-bundle symlink chain, per-agent sessions, plugin-store symlink (from 2026-08-07)
+- **`auth/`, `config/`, `memory/`, `plugins/`, `skills/`, `skills-local/`** — per-tree copies/links for runtime isolation.
+- Related but outside the tree: watcher units at `~/.config/systemd/user/<agent>-comms-watcher.service`; watcher seen-state at `~/.local/state/comms-watcher-<agent>/`.
+
+## 2. Decisions register (2026-08-17 session)
+
+Full strict records live in jarvis-brain `docs/decisions/mosaic-stack/` (render on its dashboard); both are **Pending Jason's ruling**. Summaries so the content survives P0:
+
+- **MOSAIC-D-001 — SYSTEM.md as canonical harness system prompt.** Static core (Constitution+AGENTS+USER+overlays) in one tracked file; launcher renders dynamic tail (mission/PRD/fleet/persona). Delivery: `--append-system-prompt` (repeatable) for pi/claude; symlinked core file for codex (`$CODEX_HOME/instructions.md`) and opencode (`AGENTS.md`); their dynamic tail via initial prompt (needs live verification). Static-first order is the cache win. `SYSTEM.md` in `~/.mosaic` today is the communication-contract file — D-001's SYSTEM.md is the broader composition; naming to reconcile at implementation.
+- **MOSAIC-D-002 — per-agent harness homes + mechanical profiles.** Launch with targeted config-dir env vars (e.g. `PI_CODING_AGENT_DIR=~/.mosaic/fleet/agents/<name>/pi`), NOT literal HOME. SOUL.md identity mechanically generated from roster (single writer; kills the hand-copy drift measured in `agents/vision/SOUL.md` on jarvis-brain: declared Jarvis, answered Vision). Composes: SYSTEM core → per-agent SOUL → dynamic tail. `MOSAIC_AGENT_NAME` stays load-bearing for comms.
+- **Comms delivery tooling belongs in the STACK framework, not jarvis-brain** (decided in discussion; supersedes the interim placement). jarvis-brain keeps only the transport _data_ (`comms/` tree) while it lives. Agents launch from their own repos (terra from `~/src/stack` etc.) — delivery is transport-repo-relative, so this works; but every installed watcher unit's ExecStart currently points into `~/src/jarvis-brain/scripts/` — that dependency is the P0 trap to remove. Migration = move tools + regenerate units, in one step.
+- **Watcher provisioning is instantiation duty, never running-agent duty.** Interim landed as jarvis-brain `scripts/comms/ensure-watcher.sh` (idempotent ensure + `--status` boot check + interim identity warnings: missing target session, pane `MOSAIC_AGENT_NAME` mismatch via `/proc/<child>/environ`, bare-runtime NOTE). Framework move: fold into `mosaic agent --new` + fleet launch + `mosaic doctor` drift check.
+- **Prose guardrails landed (interim fences until mechanical fixes):** `~/.mosaic/SOUL.md` Fleet Boundaries (wrong-session tripwire; comms ownership; cross-agent investigation requires tasking) · `STANDARDS.md` session identity + watcher hygiene · `AGENTS.md` Fleet Comms Watcher requirement (P0-interim script path marked transitional).
+
+## 3. Incident → #1295 (already tracked here)
+
+`https://git.mosaicstack.dev/mosaicstack/stack/issues/1295` — docs-seat incident: cwd-keyed session files served three lives (dev chat → goals seat → 22 watcher injections into a wedged process); name-based watcher delivery with no identity verification; wedge after pi 0.84.1→0.84.2 update passes every liveness instrument. Proposed fixes enumerated there; provisioning follow-up in comment ID 23027.
+
+## 4. Open work queue (suggested sequence)
+
+1. **Comms tooling migration PR** (lane `next`): move `comms-watcher.sh`, `install-watcher.sh`, `ensure-watcher.sh` into the framework tree → deploy `~/.config/mosaic/tools/comms/`; regenerate existing units' ExecStart to framework paths (one-command sweep); keep `COMMS_WATCH_REPO` per-host config (points at a brain checkout until the queue transport lands). Reference: jarvis-brain commit `701c353b1`.
+2. **Ensure-on-instantiation**: `mosaic agent --new` / fleet launch call ensure semantics; `mosaic doctor` gains the drift check (`--status --all` semantics + `fred`'s hand-written unit as the known drift case; also note daphne/docs/happy/pepper/sanity/tiny/fargo currently have no watcher — cover or consciously exempt).
+3. **MOSAIC-D-002 implementation** (after ruling): per-agent homes via targeted env vars; roster-generated SOUL.md single-writer; extend the existing `*.env.generated` pattern; launch ledger keeps `config_home` audit.
+4. **MOSAIC-D-001 implementation** (after ruling): SYSTEM.md sourcing + per-harness delivery + `compose-contract` becomes render-core+tail with drift check; bench cache-ordering before/after (jarvis-brain `domains/software-dev/mosaic-stack/prompt-testing` has the bench).
+5. **Queue transport + forced separation** (longer term): supersedes watcher path; identity-verification and wedge-detection remain valid regardless of transport.
+6. **Docs inheritance**: jarvis-brain AGENTS.md's durable comms guidance (E7 pi-glyph delivery gotchas, capture-pane rules, comms protocol) must be inherited into stack docs before P0 retirement.
+
+## 5. Rules for tonight's agents
+
+- Lane: **`next`** only; nothing to `main` without Jason (standing ruling).
+- Attribution caveat #1280: Gitea/git identity from this host may misattribute (issue #1295 showed as created by `@mos-dt-0`); prefer per-invocation `git -c user.name=<seat>` and verify what the remote recorded.
+- Do not delete `sb-it-1-dt:docs]` (untracked file at repo root) — it is cited fleet-wide as incident evidence.
+- Edit user contracts in `~/.mosaic/`, never the templates in `~/.config/mosaic/`.
+- Do not restart other fleet seats unilaterally (goals/scrappy/sanity restart decisions are fred's/Jason's per the docs-seat report).
+
+## 6. Artifact map
+
+| Artifact                                                           | Where                                                                                                                    |
+| ------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
+| Decision records D-001/D-002 (strict, pending ruling)              | jarvis-brain `docs/decisions/mosaic-stack/2026-08-17_mosaic-d-00{1,2}_*.md`                                              |
+| Incident issue + provisioning comment                              | stack #1295 + comment 23027                                                                                              |
+| ensure-watcher.sh (reference implementation)                       | jarvis-brain `scripts/comms/ensure-watcher.sh` (commit `701c353b1`)                                                      |
+| Bench for prompt A/B (pi, thinking levels, footer-token semantics) | jarvis-brain `domains/software-dev/mosaic-stack/prompt-testing/` + `docs/reports/2026-08-17-prompt-testing-glm-bench.md` |
+| Launcher inspection basis                                          | `@mosaicstack/mosaic` 0.0.49 `dist/commands/launch.js` (composeContract / ensureRuntimeConfig / harness-home isolation)  |
+| Guardrail edits                                                    | `~/.mosaic/{SOUL,AGENTS,STANDARDS}.md` on sb-it-1-dt (2026-08-17 16:53–17:04)                                            |