feat(869-c4): enforcement/activation version-coupling assertion

Part of #869 (Point-1 C4). Locks the lease broker's ENFORCEMENT half
(launch-runtime.py) and ACTIVATION half (execLeaseGatedRuntime, C1's
LEASE_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY) as one versioned unit, closing the #828
version-skew gap C1 only made observable.

- New packages/mosaic/framework/tools/lease-broker/activation_version_gate.py:
  EXPECTED_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY (enforcement-owned, mirrors but is
  independent from C1's LEASE_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY), a fail-closed
  subprocess probe of the CLI's hidden `mosaic __lease-capability`
  command, and an assertion that FAILS LOUD (VersionCouplingError with
  an actionable #869 remediation message) on mismatch OR absence —
  never a silent pass, never a dead gate.
- launch-runtime.py now runs this assertion first, before any broker
  registration, and denies with a dedicated exit code (65) distinct
  from its existing usage (64) and registration-failure (1) codes.
- Red-first tests: src/mutator-gate/version_coupling_unittest.py
  (module-level match/mismatch/name-mismatch/absent-capability cases,
  and seam-level LAUNCHER.main() cases proving the gate runs before
  broker registration and never silently passes).
- Existing fail-closed-on-absent-identity lock
  (runtime_tools_unittest.py) stays green: matching-capability fakes
  were injected into its pre-existing LAUNCHER.main() calls so the new
  gate runs alongside, not in place of, identity enforcement.
- mutator-gate.acceptance.spec.ts updated to supply a fake CLI-capability
  probe (matching the existing fake-broker/fake-runtime-binary test
  doubles already in that suite) everywhere it drives launch-runtime.py
  as a real subprocess.

launch.ts and lease-activation-probe.ts are untouched (C2/C5 avoidance,
C1 read-only).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

packages/mosaic/framework/install.sh

@@ -639,6 +639,10 @@ reconcile_framework_files
 # Ensure tool scripts are executable
 find "$TARGET_DIR/tools" -name "*.sh" -exec chmod +x {} + 2>/dev/null || true
 find "$TARGET_DIR/tools/_scripts" -type f -exec chmod +x {} + 2>/dev/null || true
+# git-credential-mosaic (per-agent Gitea identity helper) ships without a .sh
+# suffix — git resolves credential helpers by exact name/path, not extension —
+# so the *.sh glob above does not cover it; chmod it explicitly.
+[[ -f "$TARGET_DIR/tools/git/git-credential-mosaic" ]] && chmod +x "$TARGET_DIR/tools/git/git-credential-mosaic" 2>/dev/null || true
 
 ok "Framework synced to $TARGET_DIR"
 

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/README.md

@@ -33,3 +33,64 @@ The Gitea API token is **never passed on a curl command line.** An `Authorizatio
 Both `pr-review.sh` and `issue-comment.sh` accept an optional `--login <name>` flag that overrides the automatically detected Gitea login for that single invocation. The override selects **which credential the REST write, the `/user` identity lookup, and the read-back all use** — its token is resolved from the tea config for that login name (`get_gitea_token_for_login`), falling back to the repo host's credential when no login is named. The resolved login is **host- and port-bound**: the login's configured URL host **and effective port** (the scheme's default port — 80 for `http`, 443 for `https` — applies when a port is omitted, symmetrically on both sides) must match the repo remote's, so a login name shared across hosts (or an override configured for a different Gitea, including one on a different port of the same host) can never send one host's credential to another — a host or port mismatch fails closed rather than leaking a cross-host token. Resolving the acting identity and the read-back from the _same_ login that performs the write is essential: a write performed under an overridden login must be verified against that login's identity, not the host default's. Callers who need a different login than the host default should pass `--login <reviewer-login>`.
 
 As a durable successor to this mechanism, consider giving each reviewer/approver slot its own dedicated Gitea login credential, so that author≠reviewer holds at the credential level rather than relying on wrapper-level `--login` bookkeeping. This is a recommendation for future hardening, not something implemented by this flag.
+
+## Per-agent Gitea identity (Gate-16 author≠reviewer)
+
+By default, git push/fetch (via `git-credential-mosaic`) and the API wrappers above (via
+`detect-platform.sh`'s `get_gitea_token`) all authenticate as the single shared Gitea
+account/token configured through `tools/_lib/credentials.sh`. That means every agent in a
+fleet commits, pushes, and opens PRs under one identity — with no cryptographic
+separation between an author and a reviewer.
+
+Both `git-credential-mosaic` and `get_gitea_token()` resolve an optional **per-agent
+identity** before falling back to the shared account:
+
+1. `MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY` environment variable, or
+2. `git config --get mosaic.gitIdentity` (set per-worktree; persists on disk across
+   non-persistent shells — `git config mosaic.gitIdentity <agent-id>`), or
+3. (git-credential-mosaic only) the username git itself supplies for the credential
+   request.
+
+If the resolved identity has a token file at
+`~/.config/mosaic/secrets/gitea-tokens/gitea-{usc,mosaicstack}-<agent-id>.token`, that
+identity + token is used. **Nothing configured → nothing changes**: with no per-slot
+token file present, both tools fall through to the existing shared-account path
+unchanged, so this feature is a no-op on any host that hasn't provisioned per-slot
+tokens.
+
+### Enabling it for a clone
+
+The framework installer syncs `git-credential-mosaic` to
+`~/.config/mosaic/tools/git/git-credential-mosaic` (executable) on every install/update,
+but does **not** register it as git's credential helper automatically. Registration is a
+one-time, explicit step:
+
+```bash
+# Per-repo (recommended — scopes the helper to this clone only):
+git config credential.helper "$HOME/.config/mosaic/tools/git/git-credential-mosaic"
+
+# Per-worktree identity pin (Gate-16 separation):
+git config mosaic.gitIdentity <agent-id>
+```
+
+This is deliberately **not** auto-registered on install/update: `credential.helper` is
+global, order-sensitive git config (`~/.gitconfig`) that can already hold an
+operator-chosen credential manager (keychain, `store`, `manager-core`, …) for
+repositories unrelated to Mosaic. Silently inserting an entry on every framework
+install/upgrade risks reordering or shadowing that operator-owned surface across the
+whole host — the same operator-owned config the installer's manifest system is
+otherwise careful never to touch. Because identity is already resolved per-worktree
+(`mosaic.gitIdentity`), the correct granularity for registering the helper is per-clone
+too, so a documented manual step is the right shape here, not a global auto-write.
+
+### PowerShell parity
+
+`detect-platform.ps1`'s Gitea wrappers authenticate through `tea` CLI logins
+(`Get-GiteaLoginForHost`), not a raw-token `get_gitea_token`-equivalent function — there
+is nothing to prepend the identity-resolution block to on the PowerShell side. A native
+PowerShell git-credential helper is also unnecessary: `git-credential-mosaic` is invoked
+by git's credential-helper protocol (stdin/stdout), which works identically under Git for
+Windows' bundled `bash`/`sh` when configured via `credential.helper`, without a `.ps1`
+counterpart. A `tea`-login-based per-agent identity for the PowerShell wrappers is a
+separate, larger design (mapping identities to `tea login` profiles) and is out of scope
+here.

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/detect-platform.sh

@@ -505,6 +505,28 @@ get_gitea_token() {
     script_dir="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
     local cred_loader="$script_dir/../_lib/credentials.sh"
 
+    # 0. Per-agent identity (Gate-16 author≠reviewer). If MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY, or the
+    #    per-worktree `git config mosaic.gitIdentity`, resolves to an agent that has a
+    #    stored per-slot token for this host, act AS that agent so API tooling
+    #    (pr-create, issue-create, …) authors under the right identity — matching the
+    #    git credential helper. Backward-compatible: nothing resolvable → shared logic below.
+    local _ident="${MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY:-}"
+    [[ -z "$_ident" ]] && _ident="$(git config --get mosaic.gitIdentity 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    if [[ -n "$_ident" ]]; then
+        local _idpfx=""
+        case "$host" in
+            git.uscllc.com)      _idpfx=gitea-usc ;;
+            git.mosaicstack.dev) _idpfx=gitea-mosaicstack ;;
+        esac
+        if [[ -n "$_idpfx" ]]; then
+            local _idtok="$HOME/.config/mosaic/secrets/gitea-tokens/${_idpfx}-${_ident}.token"
+            if [[ -r "$_idtok" ]]; then
+                cat "$_idtok"
+                return 0
+            fi
+        fi
+    fi
+
     # 1. Mosaic credential loader (host → service mapping, run in subshell to avoid polluting env)
     if [[ -f "$cred_loader" ]]; then
         local token

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/git-credential-mosaic

@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# git-credential-mosaic — git credential helper — resolves Gitea tokens from
+# the Mosaic credential store at runtime so remote URLs never embed secrets.
+#
+# Install (one-time, per clone or globally):
+#   git config credential.helper "$HOME/.config/mosaic/tools/git/git-credential-mosaic"
+#   # or, fleet-wide: git config --global credential.helper "$HOME/.config/mosaic/tools/git/git-credential-mosaic"
+#
+# Per-agent Gate-16 identity (author != reviewer separation):
+#   git config mosaic.gitIdentity <agent-id>   # per-worktree, persists on disk
+#   # or: export MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY=<agent-id>
+#
+# Resolution priority: MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY env > git config mosaic.gitIdentity
+# (per-worktree, survives across non-persistent shells) > git-supplied username
+# (credential.username / URL). When the resolved identity has a matching
+# per-agent token file, use it instead of the shared account. Backward
+# compatible: nothing resolvable -> shared token (unchanged behavior).
+[ "$1" = "get" ] || exit 0
+host=""; username_in=""
+while IFS= read -r line; do
+  [ -z "$line" ] && break
+  case "$line" in
+    host=*)     host=${line#host=};;
+    username=*) username_in=${line#username=};;
+  esac
+done
+# Per-agent identity resolution (Gate-16 author≠reviewer separation).
+# Priority: MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY env  >  git config mosaic.gitIdentity (per-worktree,
+# survives across non-persistent shells)  >  git-supplied username (credential.username
+# / URL). When the resolved identity has a matching per-agent token, use it instead of
+# the shared account. Backward-compatible: nothing resolvable → shared token.
+ident="$MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY"
+[ -z "$ident" ] && ident=$(git config --get mosaic.gitIdentity 2>/dev/null)
+[ -z "$ident" ] && ident="$username_in"
+if [ -n "$ident" ]; then
+  case "$host" in
+    git.uscllc.com)      idpfx=gitea-usc;;
+    git.mosaicstack.dev) idpfx=gitea-mosaicstack;;
+    *) idpfx="";;
+  esac
+  if [ -n "$idpfx" ]; then
+    idtok="$HOME/.config/mosaic/secrets/gitea-tokens/${idpfx}-${ident}.token"
+    if [ -r "$idtok" ]; then
+      echo "username=${ident}"
+      echo "password=$(cat "$idtok")"
+      exit 0
+    fi
+  fi
+fi
+case "$host" in
+  git.uscllc.com)      svc=gitea-usc;;
+  git.mosaicstack.dev) svc=gitea-mosaicstack;;
+  *) exit 0;;
+esac
+# Script-relative (not $HOME-absolute) so this resolves correctly regardless
+# of where the framework installer places tools/ under $HOME — mirrors
+# detect-platform.sh's own cred_loader resolution in this same directory.
+script_dir="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+# shellcheck source=../_lib/credentials.sh
+source "$script_dir/../_lib/credentials.sh"
+load_credentials "$svc" >/dev/null 2>&1 || exit 0
+# GITEA_USER is not populated by load_credentials (it only exports
+# GITEA_URL/GITEA_TOKEN for gitea-*), so this fallback is normally taken. Gitea's
+# git-over-HTTP auth authenticates from the token itself (the password field),
+# not from the username string, so any non-empty placeholder works here — this
+# is deliberately NOT a real account name (framework files must stay
+# operator-agnostic; see tools/quality/scripts/verify-sanitized.sh).
+echo "username=${GITEA_USER:-git}"
+echo "password=$GITEA_TOKEN"

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/test-git-credential-mosaic.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Regression harness for `git-credential-mosaic` — per-agent Gitea identity
+# resolution (Gate-16 author≠reviewer separation).
+#
+# Covers:
+#   1. Identity resolution priority: MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY env > git config
+#      mosaic.gitIdentity (per-worktree) > git-supplied username.
+#   2. Correct per-slot token file path chosen per host
+#      (gitea-usc-<id>.token vs gitea-mosaicstack-<id>.token).
+#   3. Per-slot token present -> emits that identity + token.
+#   4. Per-slot token absent -> falls back to the shared account
+#      (backward-compat / no-op for hosts without per-slot tokens).
+#   5. Unknown/unrelated host -> exits 0 with no output (passthrough).
+#
+# Uses stubbed token files under a fake HOME + a real (throwaway) git repo.
+# NEVER reads real secrets or touches the real ~/.config/mosaic/secrets.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+WORK_DIR="${MOSAIC_TEST_WORK_DIR:-$PWD/.mosaic-test-work/git-credential-mosaic}"
+FAKE_HOME="$WORK_DIR/home"
+REPO_DIR="$WORK_DIR/repo"
+# Mirror the real deployed layout (~/.config/mosaic/tools/{git,_lib}/) under the
+# fake HOME: git-credential-mosaic resolves its credentials.sh sibling via a
+# script-relative path (BASH_SOURCE), so the copy must live next to a stubbed
+# _lib/credentials.sh, not the real one, to keep this test hermetic.
+HELPER="$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/tools/git/git-credential-mosaic"
+
+rm -rf "$WORK_DIR"
+mkdir -p "$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/secrets/gitea-tokens" \
+         "$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/tools/git" \
+         "$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/tools/_lib" \
+         "$REPO_DIR"
+
+cp "$SCRIPT_DIR/git-credential-mosaic" "$HELPER"
+chmod +x "$HELPER"
+
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" init -q
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" config user.email "test@example.invalid"
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" config user.name "Test"
+
+# Fake shared-account credential loader — stands in for
+# tools/_lib/credentials.sh's load_credentials(), scoped to this test only.
+cat > "$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/tools/_lib/credentials.sh" <<'SH'
+load_credentials() {
+  case "$1" in
+    gitea-mosaicstack) GITEA_URL="https://git.mosaicstack.dev"; GITEA_TOKEN="shared-mosaicstack-token"; export GITEA_URL GITEA_TOKEN; return 0 ;;
+    gitea-usc)         GITEA_URL="https://git.uscllc.com"; GITEA_TOKEN="shared-usc-token"; export GITEA_URL GITEA_TOKEN; return 0 ;;
+    *) return 1 ;;
+  esac
+}
+SH
+
+fail=0
+assert_eq() {
+  local desc="$1" expected="$2" actual="$3"
+  if [[ "$expected" != "$actual" ]]; then
+    echo "FAIL: $desc — expected '$expected', got '$actual'" >&2
+    fail=1
+  fi
+}
+
+# Feed "host=<h>\nusername=<u>\n\n" on stdin (mirrors git's credential protocol)
+# and run the helper with the fake HOME, inside REPO_DIR (so `git config
+# mosaic.gitIdentity` resolves per-worktree), plus any extra env passed in $@.
+run_helper() {
+  local host="$1" username_in="$2"; shift 2
+  (
+    cd "$REPO_DIR"
+    env -i HOME="$FAKE_HOME" PATH="$PATH" "$@" bash "$HELPER" get <<EOF
+host=$host
+username=$username_in
+
+EOF
+  )
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 1. No identity resolvable anywhere, no per-slot token -> shared fallback
+#    (backward-compat: unchanged behavior when nothing is configured).
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" config --unset mosaic.gitIdentity 2>/dev/null || true
+out=$(run_helper "git.mosaicstack.dev" "")
+assert_eq "shared fallback: username" "username=git" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^username=')"
+assert_eq "shared fallback: password" "password=shared-mosaicstack-token" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^password=')"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 2. git-supplied username resolves to an identity WITH a per-slot token ->
+#    that identity + token wins over the shared account.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo -n "agentA-mosaicstack-token" > "$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/secrets/gitea-tokens/gitea-mosaicstack-agentA.token"
+out=$(run_helper "git.mosaicstack.dev" "agentA")
+assert_eq "username-resolved identity: username" "username=agentA" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^username=')"
+assert_eq "username-resolved identity: password" "password=agentA-mosaicstack-token" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^password=')"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 3. git config mosaic.gitIdentity (per-worktree) beats git-supplied username.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo -n "agentB-mosaicstack-token" > "$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/secrets/gitea-tokens/gitea-mosaicstack-agentB.token"
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" config mosaic.gitIdentity agentB
+out=$(run_helper "git.mosaicstack.dev" "agentA")
+assert_eq "git-config beats username: username" "username=agentB" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^username=')"
+assert_eq "git-config beats username: password" "password=agentB-mosaicstack-token" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^password=')"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 4. MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY env beats git config mosaic.gitIdentity.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo -n "agentC-mosaicstack-token" > "$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/secrets/gitea-tokens/gitea-mosaicstack-agentC.token"
+out=$(run_helper "git.mosaicstack.dev" "agentA" MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY=agentC)
+assert_eq "env beats git-config: username" "username=agentC" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^username=')"
+assert_eq "env beats git-config: password" "password=agentC-mosaicstack-token" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^password=')"
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" config --unset mosaic.gitIdentity
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 5. Identity resolves, but no matching per-slot token file -> falls back to
+#    the shared account (per-agent identity is opt-in, not a hard requirement).
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+out=$(run_helper "git.mosaicstack.dev" "no-such-agent")
+assert_eq "no per-slot token: username" "username=git" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^username=')"
+assert_eq "no per-slot token: password" "password=shared-mosaicstack-token" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^password=')"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 6. Correct per-slot token PATH is chosen per host: same agent id, different
+#    host prefix (gitea-usc- vs gitea-mosaicstack-).
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo -n "agentD-usc-token" > "$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/secrets/gitea-tokens/gitea-usc-agentD.token"
+out=$(run_helper "git.uscllc.com" "agentD")
+assert_eq "host-scoped token path (usc): username" "username=agentD" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^username=')"
+assert_eq "host-scoped token path (usc): password" "password=agentD-usc-token" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^password=')"
+# agentD has NO mosaicstack token -> must fall back to shared mosaicstack, not
+# leak the usc token across hosts.
+out=$(run_helper "git.mosaicstack.dev" "agentD")
+assert_eq "host-scoped token path (cross-host must not leak): username" "username=git" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^username=')"
+assert_eq "host-scoped token path (cross-host must not leak): password" "password=shared-mosaicstack-token" "$(echo "$out" | grep '^password=')"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 7. Unrelated/unknown host -> exit 0, no output (passthrough for non-Gitea
+#    remotes, e.g. github.com via a different credential helper).
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+out=$(run_helper "github.com" "agentA")
+assert_eq "unknown host: no output" "" "$out"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 8. Non-"get" verb (store/erase) -> exit 0, no output (git-credential
+#    protocol: this helper only implements get).
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+store_out=$(cd "$REPO_DIR" && env -i HOME="$FAKE_HOME" PATH="$PATH" bash "$HELPER" store <<EOF
+host=git.mosaicstack.dev
+username=agentA
+password=whatever
+
+EOF
+)
+assert_eq "store verb: no output" "" "$store_out"
+
+if [[ "$fail" -eq 0 ]]; then
+  echo "git-credential-mosaic identity resolution regression passed"
+fi
+
+exit "$fail"

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/git/test-gitea-token-identity.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Regression harness for detect-platform.sh's get_gitea_token() per-agent
+# identity resolution (Gate-16 author≠reviewer separation) — the API-tooling
+# counterpart to git-credential-mosaic, so pr-create.sh/issue-create.sh/etc.
+# open records under the resolved agent identity, not the shared account.
+#
+# Covers:
+#   1. Identity resolution priority: MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY env > git config
+#      mosaic.gitIdentity (per-worktree).
+#   2. Correct per-slot token file path chosen per host
+#      (gitea-usc-<id>.token vs gitea-mosaicstack-<id>.token).
+#   3. Per-slot token present -> that token is returned (agent-authored calls).
+#   4. Per-slot token absent -> falls back to the shared credential-loader
+#      token (backward-compat / no-op for hosts without per-slot tokens).
+#   5. Unrelated host with no shared credentials configured -> failure
+#      (unchanged, existing behavior).
+#
+# Uses a stubbed credentials.json + stubbed per-slot token files under a fake
+# HOME. NEVER reads real secrets or touches the real ~/.config/mosaic/secrets.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+WORK_DIR="${MOSAIC_TEST_WORK_DIR:-$PWD/.mosaic-test-work/gitea-token-identity}"
+FAKE_HOME="$WORK_DIR/home"
+REPO_DIR="$WORK_DIR/repo"
+CREDENTIALS_FILE="$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/credentials.json"
+
+rm -rf "$WORK_DIR"
+mkdir -p "$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/secrets/gitea-tokens" "$REPO_DIR"
+
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" init -q
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" remote add origin https://git.mosaicstack.dev/mosaicstack/stack.git
+
+cat > "$CREDENTIALS_FILE" <<'JSON'
+{
+  "gitea": {
+    "mosaicstack": {
+      "url": "https://git.mosaicstack.dev",
+      "token": "shared-mosaicstack-token"
+    },
+    "usc": {
+      "url": "https://git.uscllc.com",
+      "token": "shared-usc-token"
+    }
+  }
+}
+JSON
+
+fail=0
+assert_eq() {
+  local desc="$1" expected="$2" actual="$3"
+  if [[ "$expected" != "$actual" ]]; then
+    echo "FAIL: $desc — expected '$expected', got '$actual'" >&2
+    fail=1
+  fi
+}
+
+# Runs get_gitea_token for $1=host inside REPO_DIR (per-worktree git config
+# resolves there) with a fake HOME + the stub credentials.json, plus any
+# extra env passed in $@.
+call_get_gitea_token() {
+  local host="$1"; shift
+  (
+    cd "$REPO_DIR"
+    # shellcheck disable=SC2016 # deliberately deferred: $DETECT_PLATFORM_SH is
+    # expanded by the INNER bash -c (via the exported env var below), not here.
+    env -i HOME="$FAKE_HOME" PATH="$PATH" MOSAIC_CREDENTIALS_FILE="$CREDENTIALS_FILE" \
+      DETECT_PLATFORM_SH="$SCRIPT_DIR/detect-platform.sh" "$@" \
+      bash -c 'source "$DETECT_PLATFORM_SH"; get_gitea_token "$1"' _ "$host"
+  )
+}
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 1. No identity resolvable -> shared credential-loader token (unchanged).
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" config --unset mosaic.gitIdentity 2>/dev/null || true
+out=$(call_get_gitea_token "git.mosaicstack.dev")
+assert_eq "shared fallback (no identity)" "shared-mosaicstack-token" "$out"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 2. git config mosaic.gitIdentity resolves to an agent WITH a per-slot
+#    token -> that token wins over the shared account.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo -n "agentA-mosaicstack-token" > "$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/secrets/gitea-tokens/gitea-mosaicstack-agentA.token"
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" config mosaic.gitIdentity agentA
+out=$(call_get_gitea_token "git.mosaicstack.dev")
+assert_eq "git-config identity token" "agentA-mosaicstack-token" "$out"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 3. MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY env beats git config mosaic.gitIdentity.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo -n "agentB-mosaicstack-token" > "$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/secrets/gitea-tokens/gitea-mosaicstack-agentB.token"
+out=$(call_get_gitea_token "git.mosaicstack.dev" MOSAIC_GIT_IDENTITY=agentB)
+assert_eq "env beats git-config identity token" "agentB-mosaicstack-token" "$out"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 4. Identity resolves but has no per-slot token for THIS host -> falls back
+#    to the shared token (per-agent identity is opt-in per host).
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" config mosaic.gitIdentity no-such-agent
+out=$(call_get_gitea_token "git.mosaicstack.dev")
+assert_eq "no per-slot token falls back to shared" "shared-mosaicstack-token" "$out"
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# 5. Correct per-slot token PATH per host: same agent id, only a usc token
+#    exists -> usc host returns it, mosaicstack host must NOT leak it and
+#    instead falls back to the shared mosaicstack token.
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo -n "agentD-usc-token" > "$FAKE_HOME/.config/mosaic/secrets/gitea-tokens/gitea-usc-agentD.token"
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" config mosaic.gitIdentity agentD
+out=$(call_get_gitea_token "git.uscllc.com")
+assert_eq "host-scoped token path (usc)" "agentD-usc-token" "$out"
+out=$(call_get_gitea_token "git.mosaicstack.dev")
+assert_eq "host-scoped token path (no cross-host leak)" "shared-mosaicstack-token" "$out"
+git -C "$REPO_DIR" config --unset mosaic.gitIdentity
+
+if [[ "$fail" -eq 0 ]]; then
+  echo "get_gitea_token identity resolution regression passed"
+fi
+
+exit "$fail"

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/lease-broker/activation_version_gate.py

@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Enforcement-side version-coupling gate (issue #869, Point-1 card C4).
+
+Root cause this exists to guard against (#828 version skew, restated from
+the C1 activation probe in ``lease-activation-probe.ts``): the lease
+broker's ENFORCEMENT half (this toolkit — ``launch-runtime.py``,
+``mutator-gate.py``, ``revoke-lease.py``) and its ACTIVATION half
+(``execLeaseGatedRuntime()`` in ``launch.ts``, which chains the gated
+runtime through ``launch-runtime.py`` and injects ``MOSAIC_LEASE_*``) ship
+on different channels — an npm package and a framework/CLI reseed. C1 gave
+the activation half a versioned, machine-checkable identity
+(``LEASE_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY``, printed by the CLI's hidden
+``mosaic __lease-capability`` subcommand). That identity is inert on its
+own: nothing yet asserted that ENFORCEMENT actually requires the version
+ACTIVATION advertises. This module is that assertion, owned by the
+enforcement side.
+
+``EXPECTED_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY`` below is this toolkit's own contract
+declaration — bump it only when this toolkit's launch/gate seam starts
+requiring a different activation contract (new env vars it depends on,
+changed chaining behavior, etc.), independent of any package semver, for
+the same reason C1's constant is: #828 happened precisely because a
+version number that should have moved did not.
+
+This module never talks to a real broker or a real installed CLI in its
+own tests — both the probe's command resolution and its ``run`` transport
+are injectable so tests can drive every branch with fakes/stubs (see
+``version_coupling_unittest.py``).
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import os
+import shlex
+import shutil
+import subprocess
+from collections.abc import Callable, Mapping
+from typing import Final, TypedDict
+
+
+class ActivationCapability(TypedDict):
+    name: str
+    version: int
+
+
+# ENFORCEMENT-side expected activation contract. OWNED by this toolkit (the
+# enforcement half). Mirrors — but is deliberately a SEPARATE constant from
+# — `LEASE_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY` in
+# `packages/mosaic/src/commands/lease-activation-probe.ts` (the activation
+# half's own declaration of what it implements). The two are compared at
+# runtime by `assert_activation_capability_matches()`; drift between them is
+# exactly the version-skew failure mode #828/#869 exist to catch, and must
+# FAIL LOUD, never a silent pass and never a dead (always-true) gate.
+EXPECTED_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY: Final[ActivationCapability] = {
+    "name": "lease-runtime-activation",
+    "version": 1,
+}
+
+# Matches `LEASE_CAPABILITY_PROBE_COMMAND` in lease-activation-probe.ts —
+# the hidden CLI subcommand that prints the activation half's advertised
+# capability as compact JSON.
+LEASE_CAPABILITY_PROBE_COMMAND: Final = "__lease-capability"
+
+PROBE_TIMEOUT_SECONDS: Final = 2.0
+
+# Override hook: a full shell-style command line (parsed with `shlex.split`)
+# to run INSTEAD of resolving `mosaic` on PATH and appending the probe
+# subcommand. Real deployments should never need this — `mosaic` is on PATH
+# whenever a runtime was launched via `mosaic <cmd>` in the first place, the
+# only real caller of this seam. It exists for integration tests that spawn
+# `launch-runtime.py` directly (never through the real CLI) to supply a
+# fake/stub CLI probe, matching the existing convention of those tests
+# supplying a fake broker and a fake runtime binary rather than depending on
+# host state.
+MOSAIC_COMMAND_OVERRIDE_VAR: Final = "MOSAIC_LEASE_VERSION_PROBE_COMMAND"
+
+
+class VersionCouplingError(Exception):
+    """Raised when the activation capability is absent, unreadable, or does
+    not match what enforcement expects. Callers MUST fail loud on this
+    (non-zero exit, clear actionable stderr) — never swallow it into a
+    silent pass, and never let its absence be treated as compatible."""
+
+
+def _resolve_probe_command(environ: Mapping[str, str]) -> list[str] | None:
+    override = environ.get(MOSAIC_COMMAND_OVERRIDE_VAR)
+    if override:
+        parsed = shlex.split(override)
+        return parsed or None
+    resolved = shutil.which("mosaic")
+    if resolved is None:
+        return None
+    return [resolved, LEASE_CAPABILITY_PROBE_COMMAND]
+
+
+def default_probe_activation_capability(
+    environ: Mapping[str, str] | None = None,
+    *,
+    run: Callable[..., subprocess.CompletedProcess[str]] = subprocess.run,
+) -> ActivationCapability | None:
+    """Real capability lookup: resolves and executes the CLI's hidden
+    ``__lease-capability`` probe subcommand out-of-process (the same
+    mechanism `defaultCapabilityProbe()` in lease-activation-probe.ts uses
+    from the activation side) and parses its JSON stdout. Any failure to
+    resolve a command, spawn it, have it exit zero, or produce a well-shaped
+    ``{name, version}`` JSON object is treated as NO capability (``None``)
+    — fail-closed, never a fabricated/guessed capability.
+    """
+    source_environment = os.environ if environ is None else environ
+    command = _resolve_probe_command(source_environment)
+    if command is None:
+        return None
+    try:
+        completed = run(
+            command,
+            capture_output=True,
+            text=True,
+            timeout=PROBE_TIMEOUT_SECONDS,
+            check=False,
+        )
+    except (OSError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired, ValueError):
+        return None
+    if completed.returncode != 0:
+        return None
+    try:
+        parsed = json.loads(completed.stdout)
+    except json.JSONDecodeError:
+        return None
+    if (
+        not isinstance(parsed, dict)
+        or not isinstance(parsed.get("name"), str)
+        or not isinstance(parsed.get("version"), int)
+        or isinstance(parsed.get("version"), bool)
+    ):
+        return None
+    return {"name": parsed["name"], "version": parsed["version"]}
+
+
+def format_mismatch_message(
+    activation: ActivationCapability | None,
+    expected: ActivationCapability,
+) -> str:
+    """Actionable, non-silent remediation message for either failure shape:
+    absent/unreadable capability, or a present-but-incompatible one."""
+    if activation is None:
+        return (
+            "Mosaic lease activation capability unreadable: enforcement "
+            f"expects '{expected['name']}' v{expected['version']} but the "
+            f"CLI's `mosaic {LEASE_CAPABILITY_PROBE_COMMAND}` probe produced "
+            "no usable result (mosaic not on PATH, non-zero exit, or "
+            "malformed output) — framework/CLI version skew; upgrade both "
+            "as one unit; see #869."
+        )
+    if activation["name"] != expected["name"]:
+        return (
+            f"activation capability name '{activation['name']}' != "
+            f"enforcement expects '{expected['name']}' — framework/CLI "
+            "version skew; upgrade both as one unit; see #869"
+        )
+    return (
+        f"activation capability v{activation['version']} != enforcement "
+        f"expects v{expected['version']} — framework/CLI version skew; "
+        "upgrade both as one unit; see #869"
+    )
+
+
+def assert_activation_capability_matches(
+    activation: ActivationCapability | None,
+    expected: ActivationCapability = EXPECTED_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY,
+) -> None:
+    """Raise `VersionCouplingError` unless `activation` is present AND its
+    `name`/`version` exactly match `expected`. Absence is treated the same
+    as a mismatch — never a silent pass."""
+    if (
+        activation is None
+        or activation.get("name") != expected["name"]
+        or activation.get("version") != expected["version"]
+    ):
+        raise VersionCouplingError(format_mismatch_message(activation, expected))

packages/mosaic/framework/tools/lease-broker/launch-runtime.py

@@ -12,11 +12,24 @@ from collections.abc import Callable, Mapping, Sequence
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Final
 
+from activation_version_gate import (
+    EXPECTED_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY,
+    ActivationCapability,
+    VersionCouplingError,
+    assert_activation_capability_matches,
+    default_probe_activation_capability,
+)
 from lease_generation import initialize_runtime_generation
 
 MAX_FRAME: Final = 64 * 1024
 BROKER_TIMEOUT_SECONDS: Final = 1.5
 CLAUDE_DANGEROUS_FLAG: Final = "--dangerously-skip-permissions"
+# Distinct, non-overlapping exit code for the C4 version-coupling gate (see
+# `activation_version_gate.py`) — deliberately different from the `1`
+# (broker registration failed closed) and `64` (usage error) codes already
+# owned by this script, so a version-skew denial is unambiguous in caller
+# logs/tests and is never confused with a broker-availability failure.
+EXIT_VERSION_SKEW: Final = 65
 
 
 def broker_request(socket_path: Path, request: dict[str, object]) -> dict[str, object]:
@@ -47,6 +60,10 @@ def main(
     request: Callable[[Path, dict[str, object]], dict[str, object]] = broker_request,
     execute: Callable[[str, list[str], dict[str, str]], object] = os.execvpe,
     initialize_generation: Callable[[Path, int], None] = initialize_runtime_generation,
+    probe_activation_capability: Callable[
+        [Mapping[str, str]], ActivationCapability | None
+    ] = default_probe_activation_capability,
+    expected_activation_capability: ActivationCapability = EXPECTED_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY,
 ) -> int:
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
     parser.add_argument("--runtime", required=True, choices=("claude", "pi"))
@@ -66,6 +83,25 @@ def main(
         command = [command[0], CLAUDE_DANGEROUS_FLAG, *command[1:]]
 
     source_environment = os.environ if environ is None else environ
+
+    # C4 version-coupling gate (#869 Point-1): before this ENFORCEMENT half
+    # chains into anything, assert that the ACTIVATION contract it is about
+    # to rely on (MOSAIC_LEASE_* injection, broker chaining) matches what
+    # this enforcement build expects. This is a build/deploy-defect check,
+    # not a broker-availability question, so it runs before — and
+    # independently of — broker registration below, and it FAILS LOUD: a
+    # clear stderr message plus a dedicated non-zero exit code, never a
+    # silent pass and never folded into the generic registration-failure
+    # branch.
+    try:
+        assert_activation_capability_matches(
+            probe_activation_capability(source_environment),
+            expected_activation_capability,
+        )
+    except VersionCouplingError as version_error:
+        print(str(version_error), file=sys.stderr)
+        return EXIT_VERSION_SKEW
+
     try:
         socket_path = Path(source_environment["MOSAIC_LEASE_BROKER_SOCKET"])
         generation = int(source_environment.get("MOSAIC_RUNTIME_GENERATION", "1"))

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": "python3 src/lease-broker/daemon_deadline_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/normative_fragments_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/framework_skill_portability_unittest.py && python3 src/mutator-gate/runtime_tools_unittest.py && python3 src/mutator-gate/runtime_launch_guard_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-review-gitea-comment.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-ci-queue-wait-branch-absent.sh"
+    "test:framework-shell": "python3 src/lease-broker/daemon_deadline_unittest.py && python3 src/lease-broker/normative_fragments_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/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-review-gitea-comment.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-ci-queue-wait-branch-absent.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-git-credential-mosaic.sh && bash framework/tools/git/test-gitea-token-identity.sh"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@mosaicstack/brain": "workspace:*",

packages/mosaic/src/mutator-gate/mutator-gate.acceptance.spec.ts

@@ -47,6 +47,22 @@ const piLifecyclePath = join(frameworkRoot, 'runtime/pi/lease-lifecycle.ts');
 const prdyInitPath = join(frameworkRoot, 'tools/prdy/prdy-init.sh');
 const prdyUpdatePath = join(frameworkRoot, 'tools/prdy/prdy-update.sh');
 const remediationHandlerPath = join(frameworkRoot, 'tools/qa/remediation-hook-handler.sh');
+
+// C4 (#869 Point-1): launch-runtime.py now asserts, before anything else,
+// that the CLI's advertised lease-activation capability (normally read via
+// the hidden `mosaic __lease-capability` subcommand) matches what
+// enforcement expects — see framework/tools/lease-broker/
+// activation_version_gate.py. This suite drives launch-runtime.py directly
+// as a subprocess (never through the real `mosaic` CLI), so — exactly like
+// the fake broker (daemon.py) and fake `claude` binaries already used
+// below — it must supply a fake activation-capability probe rather than
+// depend on a real `mosaic` binary being on PATH. `MOSAIC_LEASE_VERSION_PROBE_COMMAND`
+// is launch-runtime.py's injection point for that fake; this literal
+// {name, version} pair must be kept in sync with
+// `EXPECTED_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY` (activation_version_gate.py) and
+// `LEASE_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY` (lease-activation-probe.ts) — all three
+// currently agree on v1.
+const leaseCapabilityProbeStub = `python3 -c "import json; print(json.dumps({'name': 'lease-runtime-activation', 'version': 1}))"`;
 const children: ChildProcess[] = [];
 const temporaryRoots: string[] = [];
 
@@ -184,6 +200,7 @@ raise SystemExit(0 if len(session_id) == 64 and denied else 1)
       MOSAIC_PRDY_RUNTIME: 'claude',
       MOSAIC_LEASE_BROKER_SOCKET: socket,
       MOSAIC_RUNTIME_GENERATION: '1',
+      MOSAIC_LEASE_VERSION_PROBE_COMMAND: leaseCapabilityProbeStub,
     },
   });
 }
@@ -743,6 +760,7 @@ describe('whole mutator-class lease gate', () => {
           ...process.env,
           MOSAIC_LEASE_BROKER_SOCKET: socket,
           MOSAIC_RUNTIME_GENERATION: '1',
+          MOSAIC_LEASE_VERSION_PROBE_COMMAND: leaseCapabilityProbeStub,
         },
       },
     );
@@ -761,6 +779,7 @@ describe('whole mutator-class lease gate', () => {
           ...process.env,
           MOSAIC_LEASE_BROKER_SOCKET: join(tmpdir(), 'missing-mosaic-broker.sock'),
           MOSAIC_RUNTIME_GENERATION: '1',
+          MOSAIC_LEASE_VERSION_PROBE_COMMAND: leaseCapabilityProbeStub,
         },
       },
     );
@@ -878,6 +897,7 @@ raise SystemExit(0 if len(session_id) == 64 and hook_present and observers_prese
           PATH: `${binDir}:${process.env.PATH ?? ''}`,
           MOSAIC_LEASE_BROKER_SOCKET: socket,
           MOSAIC_RUNTIME_GENERATION: '1',
+          MOSAIC_LEASE_VERSION_PROBE_COMMAND: leaseCapabilityProbeStub,
         },
         proxyGate: () =>
           Promise.resolve({

packages/mosaic/src/mutator-gate/runtime_tools_unittest.py

@@ -39,6 +39,18 @@ LAUNCHER = load_tool("lease_runtime_launcher", "launch-runtime.py")
 GATE = load_tool("lease_mutator_gate", "mutator-gate.py")
 
 
+def matching_activation_probe(*_args: object, **_kwargs: object) -> dict[str, object]:
+    """Fake activation-capability probe matching what enforcement expects
+    (C4, #869 Point-1). Injected into `LAUNCHER.main()` calls below that are
+    exercising OTHER branches (registration, exec, generation init, ...) so
+    the new version-coupling gate — which runs before those — never blocks
+    on host state (no real `mosaic` CLI on PATH in a test sandbox). The
+    version-coupling gate's OWN behavior (match/mismatch/absent) is covered
+    by its dedicated red-first tests in `version_coupling_unittest.py`."""
+
+    return dict(LAUNCHER.EXPECTED_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY)
+
+
 class FakeSocket:
     def __init__(self, *chunks: bytes):
         self.chunks = list(chunks)
@@ -95,6 +107,7 @@ class LaunchRuntimeTest(unittest.TestCase):
             request=request,
             execute=execute,
             initialize_generation=initialize_generation,
+            probe_activation_capability=matching_activation_probe,
         )
 
         self.assertEqual(result, 0)
@@ -127,6 +140,7 @@ class LaunchRuntimeTest(unittest.TestCase):
             request=lambda *_args: {"ok": True, "session_id": "e" * 64},
             execute=lambda *args: executed.append(args),
             initialize_generation=lambda *_args: None,
+            probe_activation_capability=matching_activation_probe,
         )
         self.assertEqual(result, 0)
         self.assertEqual(
@@ -153,6 +167,7 @@ class LaunchRuntimeTest(unittest.TestCase):
             request=lambda *_args: {"ok": True, "session_id": "f" * 64},
             execute=lambda *args: executed.append(args),
             initialize_generation=lambda *_args: None,
+            probe_activation_capability=matching_activation_probe,
         )
         self.assertEqual(result, 0)
         self.assertEqual(executed[0][0:2], ("pi", ["pi", "--print", "hello"]))
@@ -188,6 +203,7 @@ class LaunchRuntimeTest(unittest.TestCase):
                     environ=environment,
                     request=lambda *_args, value=reply: value,
                     execute=lambda *args: executed.append(args),
+                    probe_activation_capability=matching_activation_probe,
                 )
                 self.assertEqual(result, 1)
                 self.assertEqual(executed, [])
@@ -203,6 +219,7 @@ class LaunchRuntimeTest(unittest.TestCase):
                     initialize_generation=lambda *_args: (_ for _ in ()).throw(
                         OSError("unsafe state")
                     ),
+                    probe_activation_capability=matching_activation_probe,
                 ),
                 1,
             )
@@ -220,6 +237,7 @@ class LaunchRuntimeTest(unittest.TestCase):
                         environ={"MOSAIC_LEASE_BROKER_SOCKET": "/x"},
                         request=request,
                         execute=lambda *_args: self.fail("must not execute"),
+                        probe_activation_capability=matching_activation_probe,
                     ),
                     1,
                 )
@@ -233,6 +251,7 @@ class LaunchRuntimeTest(unittest.TestCase):
                     request=lambda *_args: {"ok": True, "session_id": "c" * 64},
                     execute=lambda *_args: (_ for _ in ()).throw(OSError("missing")),
                     initialize_generation=lambda *_args: None,
+                    probe_activation_capability=matching_activation_probe,
                 ),
                 1,
             )

packages/mosaic/src/mutator-gate/version_coupling_unittest.py

@@ -0,0 +1,287 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Red-first tests for issue #869 Point-1 C4 — the enforcement/activation
+version-coupling assertion at the `launch-runtime.py` seam.
+
+Root cause under test (#828 restated): the lease broker's ENFORCEMENT half
+(this toolkit) and its ACTIVATION half (`execLeaseGatedRuntime()` in
+`launch.ts`, chained through `launch-runtime.py`) shipped on different
+channels and drifted. C1 (`lease-activation-probe.ts`) gave the activation
+half a versioned, machine-checkable identity
+(`LEASE_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY`, printed via the hidden CLI subcommand
+`mosaic __lease-capability`). C4 (this module + `activation_version_gate.py`)
+is the assertion that actually USES that identity: enforcement must refuse
+to proceed — loudly, with an actionable remediation message, never a
+silent pass — unless the activation capability it observes exactly matches
+what enforcement expects.
+
+Every case here drives the seam with injected fakes/stubs (a fake
+`probe_activation_capability` callable at the `launch-runtime.py` level, or
+a fake `run` transport at the `activation_version_gate` level) — never a
+real broker, a real installed CLI, or a real `mosaic` binary on PATH.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import importlib.util
+import io
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import unittest
+from contextlib import redirect_stderr
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+TOOLS_DIR = Path(__file__).parents[2] / "framework/tools/lease-broker"
+if str(TOOLS_DIR) not in sys.path:
+    sys.path.insert(0, str(TOOLS_DIR))
+
+
+def load_tool(module_name: str, filename: str):
+    spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location(module_name, TOOLS_DIR / filename)
+    if spec is None or spec.loader is None:
+        raise RuntimeError(f"unable to load {filename}")
+    module = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
+    spec.loader.exec_module(module)
+    return module
+
+
+# Loaded under distinct module names from runtime_tools_unittest.py's own
+# LAUNCHER/GATE loads — importlib.util.module_from_spec() gives each load a
+# fresh module object regardless of name collisions, but distinct names keep
+# tracebacks/debugging unambiguous when both files run in the same process.
+LAUNCHER = load_tool("lease_runtime_launcher_version_coupling", "launch-runtime.py")
+VERSION_GATE = load_tool("lease_activation_version_gate_test", "activation_version_gate.py")
+
+
+def matching_capability() -> dict[str, object]:
+    return dict(VERSION_GATE.EXPECTED_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY)
+
+
+class AssertActivationCapabilityMatchesTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Unit-level coverage of `activation_version_gate.py`'s own assertion,
+    isolated from the launch-runtime.py seam it is wired into below."""
+
+    def test_matching_capability_passes_silently(self) -> None:
+        VERSION_GATE.assert_activation_capability_matches(matching_capability())
+        # No exception is the assertion; nothing further to check.
+
+    def test_absent_capability_fails_closed_not_silent_pass(self) -> None:
+        with self.assertRaises(VERSION_GATE.VersionCouplingError) as raised:
+            VERSION_GATE.assert_activation_capability_matches(None)
+        message = str(raised.exception)
+        self.assertIn("#869", message)
+        self.assertIn("upgrade", message.lower())
+
+    def test_version_mismatch_message_is_actionable(self) -> None:
+        expected = {"name": "lease-runtime-activation", "version": 1}
+        mismatched = {"name": "lease-runtime-activation", "version": 2}
+        with self.assertRaises(VERSION_GATE.VersionCouplingError) as raised:
+            VERSION_GATE.assert_activation_capability_matches(mismatched, expected)
+        message = str(raised.exception)
+        self.assertIn("v2", message)
+        self.assertIn("v1", message)
+        self.assertIn("#869", message)
+        self.assertIn("upgrade", message.lower())
+        self.assertIn("version skew", message.lower())
+
+    def test_name_mismatch_fails_loud(self) -> None:
+        expected = {"name": "lease-runtime-activation", "version": 1}
+        mismatched = {"name": "some-other-capability", "version": 1}
+        with self.assertRaises(VERSION_GATE.VersionCouplingError) as raised:
+            VERSION_GATE.assert_activation_capability_matches(mismatched, expected)
+        message = str(raised.exception)
+        self.assertIn("some-other-capability", message)
+        self.assertIn("lease-runtime-activation", message)
+        self.assertIn("#869", message)
+
+    def test_reversed_drift_newer_activation_than_enforcement_expects_also_fails(self) -> None:
+        # A build/deploy where ACTIVATION shipped ahead of ENFORCEMENT is
+        # exactly as much version skew as the reverse (#828's actual shape
+        # was enforcement ahead of activation) — the assertion must not special
+        # case direction.
+        expected = {"name": "lease-runtime-activation", "version": 1}
+        newer_activation = {"name": "lease-runtime-activation", "version": 2}
+        with self.assertRaises(VERSION_GATE.VersionCouplingError):
+            VERSION_GATE.assert_activation_capability_matches(newer_activation, expected)
+
+
+class ProbeActivationCapabilityTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    """Coverage of the probe's command resolution and fail-closed transport
+    handling — never spawns a real `mosaic` process."""
+
+    def test_returns_none_when_mosaic_is_not_resolvable_on_path(self) -> None:
+        result = VERSION_GATE.default_probe_activation_capability(
+            {"PATH": "/nonexistent-bin-dir-for-869-c4-test"}
+        )
+        self.assertIsNone(result)
+
+    def test_override_command_is_parsed_and_the_probe_subcommand_is_not_double_appended(
+        self,
+    ) -> None:
+        captured: list[list[str]] = []
+
+        class FakeCompleted:
+            returncode = 0
+            stdout = '{"name": "lease-runtime-activation", "version": 1}'
+
+        def fake_run(argv: list[str], **_kwargs: object) -> FakeCompleted:
+            captured.append(argv)
+            return FakeCompleted()
+
+        result = VERSION_GATE.default_probe_activation_capability(
+            {VERSION_GATE.MOSAIC_COMMAND_OVERRIDE_VAR: "/fake/mosaic __lease-capability"},
+            run=fake_run,
+        )
+        self.assertEqual(result, {"name": "lease-runtime-activation", "version": 1})
+        self.assertEqual(captured, [["/fake/mosaic", "__lease-capability"]])
+
+    def test_fails_closed_on_nonzero_exit_malformed_json_and_missing_fields(self) -> None:
+        class NonZeroExit:
+            returncode = 1
+            stdout = '{"name": "lease-runtime-activation", "version": 1}'
+
+        class MalformedOutput:
+            returncode = 0
+            stdout = "not-json"
+
+        class MissingVersion:
+            returncode = 0
+            stdout = '{"name": "lease-runtime-activation"}'
+
+        class WrongShapeVersion:
+            returncode = 0
+            stdout = '{"name": "lease-runtime-activation", "version": "1"}'
+
+        class BooleanVersion:
+            # bool is a subclass of int in Python; must not be accepted as
+            # a version number.
+            returncode = 0
+            stdout = '{"name": "lease-runtime-activation", "version": true}'
+
+        for fake in (
+            NonZeroExit(),
+            MalformedOutput(),
+            MissingVersion(),
+            WrongShapeVersion(),
+            BooleanVersion(),
+        ):
+            with self.subTest(stdout=fake.stdout, returncode=fake.returncode):
+                result = VERSION_GATE.default_probe_activation_capability(
+                    {VERSION_GATE.MOSAIC_COMMAND_OVERRIDE_VAR: "/fake/mosaic"},
+                    run=lambda *_a, fake=fake, **_kw: fake,
+                )
+                self.assertIsNone(result)
+
+    def test_fails_closed_on_timeout_and_transport_error(self) -> None:
+        def timeout_run(*_args: object, **_kwargs: object) -> None:
+            raise subprocess.TimeoutExpired(cmd="mosaic", timeout=2.0)
+
+        def oserror_run(*_args: object, **_kwargs: object) -> None:
+            raise OSError("no such file or directory")
+
+        for run_fake in (timeout_run, oserror_run):
+            with self.subTest(run=run_fake.__name__):
+                result = VERSION_GATE.default_probe_activation_capability(
+                    {VERSION_GATE.MOSAIC_COMMAND_OVERRIDE_VAR: "/fake/mosaic"},
+                    run=run_fake,
+                )
+                self.assertIsNone(result)
+
+
+class LaunchRuntimeVersionCouplingSeamTest(unittest.TestCase):
+    """End-to-end (still fully faked) coverage of the seam as wired into
+    `launch-runtime.py`'s `main()` — the strongest natural enforcement point
+    per the C4 card, run before any broker registration."""
+
+    def _run(self, *, probe):
+        calls: dict[str, object] = {}
+
+        def request(_path: Path, payload: dict[str, object]) -> dict[str, object]:
+            calls["registered"] = True
+            calls["request"] = payload
+            return {"ok": True, "session_id": "a" * 64}
+
+        def execute(command: str, argv: list[str], environment: dict[str, str]) -> None:
+            calls["executed"] = (command, argv, environment)
+
+        def initialize_generation(_path: Path, _generation: int) -> None:
+            calls["generation_initialized"] = True
+
+        stderr = io.StringIO()
+        with redirect_stderr(stderr):
+            result = LAUNCHER.main(
+                ["--runtime", "claude", "--", "claude", "--print", "hello"],
+                environ={"MOSAIC_LEASE_BROKER_SOCKET": "/run/test/broker.sock"},
+                request=request,
+                execute=execute,
+                initialize_generation=initialize_generation,
+                probe_activation_capability=probe,
+            )
+        return result, stderr.getvalue(), calls
+
+    def test_matching_activation_version_passes_and_the_gate_proceeds(self) -> None:
+        result, stderr_text, calls = self._run(probe=lambda *_a, **_kw: matching_capability())
+        self.assertEqual(result, 0)
+        self.assertEqual(stderr_text, "")
+        self.assertTrue(calls.get("registered"))
+        self.assertIn("executed", calls)
+
+    def test_version_mismatch_fails_loud_denies_and_never_registers_or_execs(self) -> None:
+        expected = LAUNCHER.EXPECTED_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY
+        mismatched = {"name": expected["name"], "version": expected["version"] + 1}
+        result, stderr_text, calls = self._run(probe=lambda *_a, **_kw: mismatched)
+
+        self.assertEqual(result, LAUNCHER.EXIT_VERSION_SKEW)
+        self.assertNotEqual(result, 0)
+        self.assertIn("#869", stderr_text)
+        self.assertIn(f"v{mismatched['version']}", stderr_text)
+        self.assertIn(f"v{expected['version']}", stderr_text)
+        self.assertIn("upgrade", stderr_text.lower())
+        # Never reaches broker registration or exec — the version gate is a
+        # hard stop, not advisory.
+        self.assertNotIn("registered", calls)
+        self.assertNotIn("executed", calls)
+
+    def test_name_mismatch_fails_loud(self) -> None:
+        expected = LAUNCHER.EXPECTED_ACTIVATION_CAPABILITY
+        mismatched = {"name": "some-other-capability", "version": expected["version"]}
+        result, stderr_text, calls = self._run(probe=lambda *_a, **_kw: mismatched)
+
+        self.assertEqual(result, LAUNCHER.EXIT_VERSION_SKEW)
+        self.assertIn("#869", stderr_text)
+        self.assertIn("some-other-capability", stderr_text)
+        self.assertNotIn("registered", calls)
+        self.assertNotIn("executed", calls)
+
+    def test_absent_activation_capability_fails_closed_not_a_silent_pass(self) -> None:
+        result, stderr_text, calls = self._run(probe=lambda *_a, **_kw: None)
+
+        self.assertEqual(result, LAUNCHER.EXIT_VERSION_SKEW)
+        self.assertNotEqual(result, 0)
+        self.assertIn("#869", stderr_text)
+        self.assertNotIn("registered", calls)
+        self.assertNotIn("executed", calls)
+
+    def test_version_gate_runs_before_and_independently_of_broker_registration(self) -> None:
+        def request_must_not_be_called(*_args: object, **_kwargs: object) -> dict[str, object]:
+            self.fail("broker must not be contacted when activation version is mismatched")
+
+        stderr = io.StringIO()
+        with redirect_stderr(stderr):
+            result = LAUNCHER.main(
+                ["--runtime", "claude", "--", "claude"],
+                environ={"MOSAIC_LEASE_BROKER_SOCKET": "/run/test/broker.sock"},
+                request=request_must_not_be_called,
+                probe_activation_capability=lambda *_a, **_kw: None,
+            )
+        self.assertEqual(result, LAUNCHER.EXIT_VERSION_SKEW)
+
+    def test_dedicated_exit_code_never_collides_with_usage_or_registration_codes(self) -> None:
+        # Distinctness guard: a version-skew denial must never be mistaken
+        # for the pre-existing usage error (64) or registration/exec
+        # fail-closed code (1) this script already owns.
+        self.assertNotIn(LAUNCHER.EXIT_VERSION_SKEW, (0, 1, 64))
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    unittest.main()