# γ Close-Out — Cycle #266 (PR #267)

## Cycle summary

| | |
|---|---|
| Issue | #266 — *CDD process: committed dist/ + main-side package edits = merge race (L7 MCA candidate)*. Filed by β during close-out of #262 (`3e850f3`); selected as next MCA at γ-triage in the same close-out. Closed by PR #267 (`Closes #266`, auto-closed on merge). |
| PR | #267 — *dist: move dist/ out of git — eliminate the rebase-race class (#266)*. Squash-merged to main as `a05af27`. |
| α | Claude (shared identity — `usurobor`) |
| β | Claude (shared identity — `usurobor`) |
| γ | Sigma |
| Review rounds | 3 |
| Findings | 4 (all mechanical — F1 C / F2 B / F3 A / F3-bis A); N=4 below §9.1 10-finding floor |
| Cycle level | L6 (L7 MCA shipped; capped by intra-doc-drift miss — both α and β independently reach L6) |
| Ships in | unreleased. Last tagged release `3.57.0`; cycles #262 / #264 / #265 / #266 + multiple CDD skill iterations accumulated since. Rollup recommendation in §Next MCA. |

## Selection

Operator handed γ `Issue: gh issue view 266` at session start. Candidate table built from CHANGELOG TSC (3.57.0 row named γ as weakest axis), encoding-lag table (10 growing-lag items, freeze in effect), and cycle #262 γ close-out (named #266 as explicit Next MCA).

| Candidate | Rule | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| **#266 dist-rebase-race** | §3.3 prior-cycle commitment (γ close-out `ccb901a` names #266 as "Next MCA"); §3.6 weakest axis (γ cycle economics per 3.57.0 PRA); §3.7 max leverage (unblocks every packaging-adjacent cycle; recurred twice in #262) | **SELECT** |
| #264 deterministic tarballs | resolved — shipped via PR #265 packlist derivation + `da92e44` Go 1.24 pin | reject |
| #262 AC1/AC5 CLI rename | β ranked after #266; no stronger rule fires | defer |
| #262 B1/AC3 narrowing | blocked on root-file-to-content-class migration design | defer |
| #230 deps-restore upgrade skip | 3.57.0 PRA names as natural follow-on *after* dist chain reproducible | defer |

**Decisive clause:** CDD §3.3 (assessment commitment default). §3.6 and §3.7 concurring.

**Work shape:** substantial, design-first (AC1 is a design doc per the patched issue body).

**Sizing:** not immediate-output; not small-change. Full cycle.

## Dispatch

### Issue patching before dispatch (gate compensation)

Issue #266 as β-filed carried problem / evidence / candidate MCAs (A/B/C) / ACs / non-goals / level / related. Running the γ §2.4 issue-quality gate surfaced 5 missing fields: **priority**, **work-shape**, **Tier 3 skills**, **active design constraints**, **sequencing/dependency**. Per γ §2.4 rule "fix the issue, don't compensate in the prompt," patched #266 via `mcp__github__issue_write` before α dispatch. The patch added:

- **Priority** — *highest in current backlog* (filed before next packaging-adjacent PR per β's close-out recommendation; γ-axis work).
- **Work shape** — substantial, design-first.
- **Sequencing** — AC1 design pass → AC2 implementation → AC3 future-cycle verification.
- **Tier 3 skills** — `eng/evolve` for AC1; implementation skills option-dependent (enumerated for A/B/C).
- **Active design constraints** — `DESIGN-CONSTRAINTS.md §1` (single source of truth), `§2.2` (source / artifact / installed clarity) — both materially moved by any of A/B/C.
- Explicit `Signed: γ (sigma@cdd.cnos)` trailer preserving β's original authoring intact above.

Gate re-checked; 10/10 items passed.

### α and β prompts

Per updated `gamma/SKILL.md §2.5` (commit `02cdb35`, landed same session), produced both prompts at dispatch time so β could subscribe and begin intake in parallel.

```text
You are α. Project: cnos.
Load src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/alpha/SKILL.md.
Issue: gh issue view 266
Tier 3 skills: eng/evolve
```

```text
You are β. Project: cnos.
Load src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/beta/SKILL.md and follow its load order.
Issue: gh issue view 266
```

α expanded the trade-off space A/B/C → A/B/C/D/E in `DESIGN-266-dist-out-of-git.md §Alternatives Considered` and chose **A** (move `dist/` out of git). β's close-out recommendation (option A) was input; the choice was defended in the design doc on its own merits.

### Unblock actions during the cycle

γ did not unblock α or β during this cycle. Review converged via β's direct (a)/(b) framing on F1 and α's on-branch fixes for F2/F3/F3-bis. No artifact facts needed γ injection; no role-state leakage risk arose.

**Mid-cycle skill patches** landed by the operator (not γ-authored, but γ-adjacent): `f381ceb` (β step 3 polling loop), `8b564d5` (periodic polling across all roles), `2fd8864` (γ subscribes to issue and PR), `6013328` (γ reads last PRA first). These closed a β-intake notification gap β flagged at cycle open. Recorded here for audit trail; disposition covered in §Triage item 2.

## Close-out triage (CAP)

Consolidating α-side observations (α close-out §1–§4) and β-side γ-reports (β close-out §γ reports §1–§4). Overlap merged; independent items kept distinct.

| # | Finding | Source | Type | Disposition | Artifact |
|---|---------|--------|------|-------------|----------|
| 1 | Intra-doc value repetition — peer enumeration generalizes below cross-surface scale | α §1 + β §1 (same root cause, two surfaces) | **skill gap** | **Immediate MCA — patch landed this commit.** `alpha/SKILL.md §2.3` (intra-doc repetition + commit-message closure claims); `review/SKILL.md §2.1.3` (grep-every-occurrence before filing numeric/SHA/count findings). | this commit |
| 2 | Pre-review-gate transient rows (branch rebase, CI green) written once, not re-validated before β reads | α §2 (F1 + F2 same class) | **skill gap** | **Immediate MCA — patch landed this commit.** `alpha/SKILL.md §2.6` (transient vs durable row note); `alpha/SKILL.md §2.7` (re-validate transient rows before requesting review). | this commit |
| 3 | β-step-3 notification gap | β §2 | process/environmental | **Drop — already closed.** Four skill commits landed mid-cycle (`f381ceb`, `8b564d5`, `2fd8864`, `6013328`); polling replaces event subscription for all roles. No further γ action. | — |
| 4 | Shared-identity review degradation (α and β share `usurobor`) | α §4 + β §3 | known gap | **Agent/project MCI — datapoint added here.** 3 consecutive multi-round cycles (#260, #265, #267) under shared identity. Tracked in `review/SKILL.md §7.1` and issue #45 migration queue. No fresh MCA this cycle; `gh pr review --event=COMMENT` degradation is documented and workable. | #45 |
| 5 | Branch-name convention drift — harness omits issue number | β §4 (+ cycle #262 γ close-out `3e850f3` evidence-of-one) | process/tooling | **Project MCI — deferred issue filing.** N=2 threshold met (#265 + #267). GitHub MCP token expired mid-session; issue body drafted and embedded in §Deferred outputs below. Operator files on token refresh. | §Deferred outputs appendix |
| 6 | β-filed candidate MCAs reduce α selection cost (healthy pattern observation) | α §3 | observation | **Drop — record only.** Confirms issue/SKILL.md §2.3 "scope and non-goals" value at cycle-handoff scale. No skill change; the pattern β used in #266's filing is what the spec already prescribes. | — |

**Silence is not triage** — every item has an explicit disposition.

## §9.1 Triggers

Cycle data vs §9.1 thresholds:

| Trigger | Fired? | Actual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| review rounds > 2 (target: 2) | **yes** | 3 rounds | R1 APPROVED + F1/F2/F3; R2 REQUEST CHANGES (F3-bis after incomplete R1 F3 fix); R3 APPROVED final |
| mechanical ratio > 20% with ≥ 10 findings | **no** | 4/4 = 100%, but N=4 < 10-finding floor | below automatic-trigger threshold; signal recorded without formal filing |
| avoidable tooling / environmental failure | **no** | — | Go 1.24 pin (`da92e44`) and deterministic tarballs (from #264) held; no rebase-race this cycle (self-referentially — the cycle shipped its own prevention) |
| loaded skill failed to prevent a finding | **yes** | `eng/go §2.12` and `alpha/SKILL.md §2.3` were loaded but did not generalize to intra-doc scale | α explicitly names this in close-out §Cycle Iteration §Skill impact |

Two triggers fired → `Cycle Iteration` section mandatory (below).

## Cycle Iteration

### Triggers fired

- [x] review rounds > 2 (actual: 3)
- [ ] mechanical ratio > 20% (100%, but N=4 < 10-finding floor)
- [ ] avoidable tooling / environmental failure (none this cycle)
- [x] loaded skill failed to prevent a finding (peer-enumeration scale gap, items 1 and 2 in triage)

### Friction log

Both close-outs independently identify the same friction pattern across Rounds 1–3:

1. **R1** — β filed F3 naming 1 of 3 intra-doc count-drift sites. α fixed the named site and asserted closure ("fixes the one remaining mismatch"). F3-bis was the direct consequence: R2 narrowing found the other 2 sites.
2. **Transient pre-review-gate rows** — F1 and F2 both had the same shape: claims true-at-write-time, false-at-read-time. α wrote them at PR-open, did not re-validate before β read the PR 9 minutes later (main moved 3 commits in the window; CI went green).
3. **Concurrent main activity during review** — 3 commits during review, 4 between approval and merge, all in `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/`. Post-merge no committed-dist diff exists for those moves to disagree with — **the cycle's MCA was exercised on its own purpose**, demonstrating the fix works.

### Root cause

**Peer-enumeration scope mismatch** (α's reading, confirmed by β). The principle — "enumerate every peer before claiming closure" — is already loaded in `alpha/SKILL.md §2.3` and `eng/go §2.12`. The skills' examples are all cross-producer scale (Go parser vs shell writer; Go type vs YAML workflow step). Application biased toward that scale, which missed two smaller scales of the same rule:

- **Intra-doc repetition** — one document's multiple sentences naming the same fact (F3 / F3-bis class).
- **Commit-message closure claims** — a commit restating a finding's resolution without running the grep that would tell you otherwise (the `9f162dc` commit-message class).

A complementary root cause applies to §2.6 pre-review-gate rows: the gate's row list does not distinguish **transient** rows (external state, time-varying) from **durable** rows (artifact state, α-controlled). Application treated all rows alike — write once, declare satisfied.

### Skill impact (landed this commit — immediate MCA per CDD §10.1)

Three skill surfaces patched in one commit, synced per the "single joint patch" rule:

- **`src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/alpha/SKILL.md §2.3`** — added "Peer enumeration applies at any scale" paragraph naming intra-doc repetition + commit-message closure claims as peer classes, with grep-based ✅/❌ examples. *Derives from: #266 F3 / F3-bis.*
- **`src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/alpha/SKILL.md §2.6` + §2.7** — added "Transient vs durable rows" paragraph to §2.6 distinguishing rows 1 and 10 from rows 2–9, plus an explicit re-validation bullet to §2.7 before requesting review. *Derives from: #266 F1 / F2.*
- **`src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/review/SKILL.md §2.1.3`** — added mechanical-scan bullet for numeric / SHA / count / named-value findings: grep for every occurrence of the wrong and corrected value before filing; file all sites in one finding or enumerate remaining. *Derives from: #266 F3 / F3-bis (β-side symmetric rule).*

These patches land in the same commit as this close-out, per CDD §10.1 "skill patches identified by cycle iteration … landed now, not later" and "skill/spec patches produced as immediate outputs … the edited artifact has a paired authority surface, both must be updated in the same commit."

### MCA summary

**System change shipped by the cycle:** `dist/` out of git — rebase-race friction class structurally impossible. β's AC3 observational commitment carries into the next release's PRA.

**Process change shipped by this close-out:** three-surface peer-enumeration scale patch (items 1 + 2 above).

### Cycle level

**L6** (per §9.1 "lowest miss" rule).

- **L5 local correctness** — met on final diff; failed at cycle level because intra-doc arithmetic drift reached review.
- **L6 system-safe execution** — partial miss (F3 / F3-bis reached review); caught and reconciled before merge with skill patch now landed.
- **L7 system-shaping** — achieved on the substantive axis (rebase-race class eliminated); capped at L6 by the cycle's L6 miss.

Both α and β independently reach L6; γ concurs.

## Independent γ process-gap check (γ §2.9)

Per γ §2.9, even if no §9.1 trigger fired the check must still run. Here triggers did fire; the check also surfaces one additional γ-scope observation not already covered above:

**Issue-quality gate as structural protection.** Before dispatch, γ §2.4 identified 5 missing gate fields in β-filed #266 (priority, work-shape, Tier 3 skills, active design constraints, sequencing). Patching the issue (rather than the prompt) before dispatch worked — α's close-out §1 §3 records that β-filed candidate MCAs + γ-added Tier 3 skills + design-constraint links materially reduced α's trade-off mapping cost. α explicitly cites this as why this cycle's design was cheap. The gate is doing its job; no patch needed here, but the datapoint strengthens the gate's standing for future cycles.

**No other γ-scope process gap surfaced.** Dispatch chain ran cleanly, no role-leakage events, no unblock interventions needed, close-out collection completed after explicit operator action on the missing α close-out.

**One flag:** α close-out did not land unprompted. γ requested it (as gate-required per CDD §1.4 γ Phase 3 step 8); operator re-dispatched α; α produced it. Worth noting because evidence-of-one is not yet a pattern, but if α close-outs miss again next cycle, the CDD α algorithm step 11 may need a mechanical reminder (e.g. γ polls for α close-out on merge). Recording as observation, not filing as MCI yet.

## Deferred outputs

### 1. Branch-name mechanization MCI — issue filing deferred (GitHub MCP auth)

GitHub MCP token expired mid-session; `issue_write` returned `MCP server "github" requires re-authorization (token expired)` twice. Issue body drafted and preserved in this close-out appendix below; operator files on token refresh (or γ files in a subsequent session).

**Target title:** `Branch-name validation: enforce CDD §4.2 canonical format mechanically`
**Labels:** `enhancement`, `process`

---

#### Issue body (ready to file)

> ## Problem
>
> Branches created for α-side implementation routinely omit the issue number required by CDD §4.2 canonical format `{agent}/{issue}-{scope}`. The drift is consistent across the last two cycles:
>
> - **#265** (cycle #262): branch `claude/add-content-class-constant-Oo4a8` — no issue number, scope phrased rather than keyed
> - **#267** (cycle #266): branch `claude/alpha-tier-3-skills-0OOu5` — no issue number, scope references Tier 3 dispatch semantics rather than the issue
>
> This recurs because the harness that generates branch names does not know the issue number at the moment it picks a name — it picks from the dispatch prompt's session-level context. α cannot rename a pushed branch without opening a new PR (churn-heavy), so the drift is accepted at review time and never corrected.
>
> ## Evidence
>
> - #265 Finding A1 (β close-out, §Findings A1) — accepted as polish, recorded as evidence-of-one.
> - #267 γ reports §4 (β close-out, cycle #266) — *"Same class as #265's Finding A1. Evidence-of-two (this cycle + #265). γ close-out of #262 (`3e850f3`) already considered branch-name mechanization as candidate #1 and deferred to #266."*
> - γ close-out of cycle #262 (`ccb901a`) §γ reports §3 — *"Evidence-of-two for γ if branch-name validation is worth mechanizing."*
>
> Evidence-of-two is now met.
>
> ## Candidate MCAs
>
> **A. CI pattern check on PR open.** `.github/workflows/coherence.yml` (or a new workflow) adds a job that greps `${{ github.head_ref }}` against `^[a-z0-9_.-]+/[0-9]+-[a-z0-9_.-]+$` (also accepts the version variant). Fails the PR if the name doesn't match. `ci:branch-name-exempt` label for operator overrides.
>
> **B. `cn cdd branch <issue> <scope>` helper.** Creates `<current-agent>/<issue>-<scope>` from current main. Agent from `git config user.name`. Makes the right thing easy; no enforcement surface. Complementary to A.
>
> **C. Post-dispatch `.cdd/dispatch-context` file.** γ dispatch writes the issue number to a workspace-local file α reads when creating the branch. Lower leverage.
>
> ## Acceptance criteria
>
> **AC1:** Design note that names the chosen MCA and rejects the others. `docs/alpha/` or inline PR-body design block if small.
> **AC2:** Implementation lands such that a non-canonical branch name either fails a CI gate or is never created in the first place.
> **AC3:** The release's PRA re-evaluates whether the chosen option closed the drift class across the next 3–5 cycles (mirrors #266's AC3 pattern).
>
> ## Non-goals
>
> - Retroactively renaming closed-PR branches.
> - Changing CDD §4.2 canonical format itself.
> - Enforcing non-branch naming conventions (PR title, commit message).
>
> ## Related
>
> - #266 — γ close-out adjacent; reduced the rebase-race class but not the larger branch-surface-hygiene class
> - #265 Finding A1 — first data point
> - #267 γ reports §4 — second data point, formally crossing evidence-of-two
> - CDD §4.2 — canonical branch format
>
> ## Priority
>
> Low-medium. Drift is cosmetic at review time; no correctness or merge-race cost. Worth mechanizing because it recurs every cycle.
>
> ## Work shape
>
> **Small change** if option A. **Substantial** if option B. **Process-only** if option C. Chosen in AC1.
>
> ## Skills (Tier 3)
>
> - **Design pass (AC1):** none specific beyond CDD Tier 1/2.
> - **Implementation (AC2):** option-dependent. A: `eng/ship`. B: `eng/go` + `eng/ux-cli`. C: `eng/process-economics`.
>
> ## Active design constraints
>
> - `docs/alpha/DESIGN-CONSTRAINTS.md §3.1` (git-style subcommands) — option B must fit the existing noun-verb convention.
>
> ---
>
> Signed: γ (`sigma@cdd.cnos`) · 2026-04-24 · filed during close-out of cycle #266 per `3e850f3` evidence-of-two threshold

---

### 2. Release rollup (3.58.0) — recommend γ dispatch next cycle as release-only

See §Release rollup below.

### 3. Open cycle #262 remaining ACs

β's #262 close-out ranked #262 AC1 (`cn pack` rename + CLI registration) / AC5 (`--list` / `--dry-run`) as **next after #266**. These require `eng/ux-cli` Tier 3 skill. Ship order: release rollup first (to take the L7 MCA live and publish installable tarballs), then #262 AC1/AC5 as the next substantial cycle.

### 4. Abandoned remote branch `claude/alpha-skill-go-implementation-XGhL5`

`git cherry origin/main origin/$b` reports 0 unmerged commits but no PR was ever opened for this branch. Not merged via formal review. Operator authorization required before deletion; not in this cycle's cleanup scope.

## Release rollup

**Recommendation: γ dispatches a release-only cycle next — tag 3.58.0 rolling up #262 slice + #264 + #266 + CDD skill iterations.**

### Rationale

**Adoption-blocking:** PR #267 deleted `dist/packages/*.tar.gz` from git. `cn deps restore` now fetches from release assets. Until a release exists at 3.58.0, **external consumers cannot install any package at all** — the new fetch path has no assets to pull from until a tag fires `release.yml`. This is not "good hygiene"; this is the adoption gate.

**Release workflow already handles it.** `.github/workflows/release.yml` lines 108–116 build packages at release time (`./cn build` against checked-out main) and upload tarballs + index + checksums as release assets (lines 131–146). No workflow change needed — the existing release-on-tag path is correctly shaped for dist-out-of-git; cycle #266's deletion relies on this path firing.

**Four unreleased cycles is above normal rollup size.** #262 slice, #264, #265 skill-and-process patches, #266 + heavy CDD skill iteration since `3.57.0` (including this close-out's patches). Deferring further taxes γ cycle economics — the weakest axis per 3.57.0 PRA.

**PRA attachment for AC3.** β's AC3 commitment ("track rebase-race recurrence across next 3–5 cycles") needs a tagged PRA to attach to. Without a tag, the commitment floats in unreleased close-outs.

### 3.58.0 scope (preliminary)

| Cycle | Issue | Shape | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| #262 | `cn pack` packlist derivation (slice) | substantial, partial | shipped via PR #265 (`9a1c7df`); #262 stays open for AC1/AC5/B1 remainders |
| #264 | Deterministic tarball builds | bug fix | shipped via PR #265 (`da92e44` Go 1.24 pin + packlist-derivation-based build); issue closed |
| #266 | `dist/` out of git (L7 MCA) | substantial, L7 | shipped via PR #267 (`a05af27`); issue closed |
| CDD iteration | Skill patches (dispatch prompts, polling, close-out discipline, issue quality, peer-enum scale) | process | landed direct-to-main across multiple commits since `3.57.0` |

Cycle-level read: L7 MCA (#266) is the dominant story for 3.58.0. α/β/γ axis reads will be reconciled at PRA authoring time.

### Dispatch shape

Rollup cycle is **β-led release** — the substantial work is already merged. α's role: author CHANGELOG TSC row + RELEASE.md (if the project takes one) + VERSION bump + `cn.json` bump. β's role: gate, tag, trigger release.yml, write PRA covering #262 slice + #264 + #266 + iteration, commit β close-out. γ's role: coordinate the rollup, update hub memory.

γ will produce the α and β rollup prompts in the next γ session when the operator opens it. The issue to dispatch against: either open a new tracking issue ("Release rollup 3.58.0") or use the release as its own tracking surface — γ's call at dispatch time. No candidate issue is more leverage-positive than the rollup for the next cycle.

## Hub memory

Per `CDD.md §1.4` γ Phase 5 step 13, γ writes daily reflection + adhoc thread update. The cnos-kernel repo does not carry a hub-memory surface (confirmed in `3.57.0` PRA §8); `cn-sigma/threads/` lives in a separate operator-held repo outside this workspace. γ cannot write to it directly this session.

**Proxy artifact in-repo:** this close-out serves the daily-reflection analog per 3.57.0 PRA §8 precedent.

### Daily reflection content (for operator sync to `cn-sigma/threads/reflections/daily/20260424.md`)

- **Cycle:** #266 closed; L6 (L7 MCA shipped).
- **TSC deltas from 3.57.0 baseline (provisional, pre-rollup PRA):** α: A- → A- (no regression; joint α+β peer-enum miss is skill-level, not artifact-level). β: A- → A (sharper (a)/(b) framing on F1; caught F3-bis in narrowing; review converged cleanly despite shared-identity degradation). γ: A- → A (selection by rule order + issue patching before dispatch + immediate skill patch in close-out commit; gate violation on α close-out was surfaced cleanly and operator-resolved).
- **MCI freeze status:** still frozen (growing-lag ≥ 3 per 3.57.0 PRA); #266 closure net-closes one growing item; new growing item (branch-name MCI, pending filing) adds one; net change ≈ 0.
- **Next move:** release rollup 3.58.0 per §Release rollup.

### Adhoc thread content (for operator sync to `cn-sigma/threads/adhoc/20260424-cdd-skill-agent-compliance.md`)

This cycle extends the CDD-skill-compliance thread opened in cycle #262's γ close-out:

- **New evidence:** peer-enumeration scale mismatch — loaded skill (`alpha §2.3` + `eng/go §2.12`) applied at exemplar scale (cross-producer) but did not generalize to intra-doc or commit-message scale. Symmetric β-side miss in `review §2.1.3`. Joint fix landed in this close-out commit.
- **Cross-thread tie:** this is the same underlying pattern as cycle #262's "agents treat skill instructions as suggestions when system prompts conflict" — both are cases where a skill's stated rule applies but its application surface is narrower than the actual coverage need. The fix shape is the same: make the scale explicit in the skill text, derive from the observed failure, keep the exemplar.
- **Still open:** shared-identity review degradation (#45 queue — 3-consecutive-cycle datapoint added); branch-name mechanization (MCI drafted, filing blocked on GitHub MCP auth).

Operator: when you resume `cn-sigma` surface, consider copying the two sections above into the respective thread files. The content is captured durably here in-repo as backup.

## Branch cleanup

Standard `git branch -r --merged origin/main` does not detect squash-merged branches. Used `git cherry origin/main origin/$b | grep -c '^+'` (patch-id based) to detect squash-merged content across candidate remote branches.

| Branch | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|
| `claude/alpha-tier-3-skills-0OOu5` | squash-merged via PR #267 | **delete** |
| `claude/implement-alpha-algorithm-cky3D` | squash-merged via PR #259 | **delete** |
| `claude/implement-alpha-algorithm-gXXy3` | squash-merged via PR #258 | **delete** |
| `claude/alpha-skill-go-implementation-XGhL5` | 0 unmerged commits but no PR ever opened | **skip** — deferred to operator per §Deferred outputs §4 |
| `claude/load-gamma-skill-docs-Nd52c` | active γ session branch (this one) | **keep** |

**Attempted at close-out commit `83028dd`; all 3 returned `HTTP 403 / send-pack: unexpected disconnect / Everything up-to-date`** — the same harness-environmental constraint β flagged in #265 and #267 close-outs (and referenced as the `.cdd/unreleased/beta/260.md` Finding 2 precedent). Branches remain on remote. Deferred to operator, same deferral pattern as β's tag-push in 3.57.0 release.

**Pattern escalation:** β's #267 close-out flagged "if γ observes this is now four consecutive cycles, that's threshold for a harness-level tooling issue." With tag-push failures in 3.57.0 release, branch-delete in #262 close-out, branch-delete in #266 β close-out, and now branch-delete in this γ close-out, the HTTP 403 on ref-write operations has recurred across **4+ cycles**. Threshold met. Filing as MCI is appropriate but deferred for the same reason as the branch-name MCI: GitHub MCP auth expired this session. Noting here for operator awareness; body draft below.

#### Harness ref-write 403 MCI — body draft (for filing)

> **Title:** Harness env: HTTP 403 on `git push origin --delete <branch>` and `git push origin <tag>`
>
> **Problem:** `git push` operations that create or delete refs (tags, branch deletions) against the configured remote return `HTTP 403 / send-pack: unexpected disconnect / Everything up-to-date`. Normal ref-updating pushes (commits to existing branches) succeed. Pattern first documented in `.cdd/unreleased/beta/260.md` Finding 2.
>
> **Evidence:**
> - 3.57.0 release: β's `git push origin 3.57.0` returned HTTP 403 (β close-out `.cdd/releases/3.57.0/beta/261.md` §7).
> - Cycle #262 close-out: `git push origin --delete claude/add-content-class-constant-Oo4a8` returned same (β close-out `.cdd/unreleased/beta/265.md` §γ reports §Remote branch delete).
> - Cycle #266 β close-out: `git push origin --delete claude/alpha-tier-3-skills-0OOu5` returned same (β close-out `.cdd/unreleased/beta/267.md` §Closure evidence).
> - Cycle #266 γ close-out: 3× `git push origin --delete <branch>` all returned same (this cycle, commit `83028dd`).
>
> **Pattern:** ref-*writing* operations blocked; ref-*updating* operations succeed. Consistent with a remote-side permission shape that allows push-to-own-branch but forbids ref-delete and tag-create.
>
> **Candidate MCAs:** (A) harness environment gains the missing permissions scope; (B) release-time `git push --tags` migrates to API-based tag creation (no git-transport); (C) branch cleanup migrates to GitHub API delete-branch calls.
>
> **Priority:** P1. Three cycles' worth of branch cleanup and one release's tag push are accumulating deferred-to-operator. Not blocking new cycles, but every cycle now carries a deferral bullet the mechanization would eliminate.

Deferred to operator along with the branch-name MCI. Both issues file together when GitHub MCP auth refreshes.

## Closure evidence (γ §2.10)

Per γ `SKILL.md §2.10` closure gate:

| Gate item | Status |
|---|---|
| 1. α close-out on main | ✅ `.cdd/unreleased/alpha/266.md` at commit `f0c4284` |
| 2. β close-out on main | ✅ `.cdd/unreleased/beta/267.md` at commit `e13e9e3` |
| 3. Post-release assessment | N/A — cycle ships unreleased; PRA deferred to rollup release per β close-out §Closure evidence |
| 4. Every fired §9.1 trigger has a Cycle Iteration entry with root cause + disposition | ✅ Both fired triggers addressed in §Cycle Iteration above |
| 5. Recurring findings assessed for skill/spec patching | ✅ Peer-enum scale (item 1) and transient-gate-rows (item 2) patched this commit; branch-name (item 5) drafted as MCI |
| 6. Immediate outputs landed or ruled out | ✅ Skill patches landed; branch-name MCI drafted and deferred to auth-refresh; hub-memory content captured in-repo |
| 7. Deferred outputs have issue / owner / first AC | ✅ Release rollup (γ dispatch next cycle); branch-name MCI (AC1 design note + 3-candidate table in body); #262 AC1/AC5 (β-ranked sequencing) |
| 8. Next MCA named | ✅ Release rollup 3.58.0 |
| 9. Hub memory updated | ⚠️ Partial — content captured in §Hub memory above; operator sync to `cn-sigma/` pending |
| 10. Merged remote branches cleaned | ⚠️ Attempted at commit `83028dd`; 3/3 failed with HTTP 403 env constraint — **deferred to operator** per §Branch cleanup above. Same class as β's tag-push deferral in 3.57.0. |

Gates #9 and #10 are partial-not-blocking: both are mechanical operations blocked by the harness environment (hub-memory sync requires `cn-sigma` context outside this workspace; branch cleanup requires ref-delete permission the push returned 403 on). The intent is satisfied in-repo; the external-transport completion is deferred to the operator, symmetric to β deferring tag push in 3.57.0 per CDD §1.4 β step 8 and γ §2.6 (γ completes deferred mechanics only when the environment permits).

Gate passes. Cycle closes on commit of this close-out (and the subsequent follow-up commit recording the env-defers) + push.

## Next MCA

**Release rollup 3.58.0.** γ dispatches in the next γ session (operator-initiated). Scope per §Release rollup above.

---

Signed: γ (`sigma@cdd.cnos`) · 2026-04-24 · merge commit `a05af27` · α close-out `.cdd/unreleased/alpha/266.md` · β close-out `.cdd/unreleased/beta/267.md` · issue #266 auto-closed on merge · skill patches landed this commit.

Cycle #266 closed. Next: release rollup 3.58.0.
