<!-- sections: [Verdict, Contract Integrity, Issue Contract, Diff Context, Findings] -->
<!-- completed: [Verdict, Contract Integrity, Issue Contract, Diff Context, Findings] -->

# β Review — Cycle #395 (Sub 3 of #376)

**Branch:** `cycle/395`
**Base SHA:** `e531dba0` (origin/main HEAD)
**Head SHA at review:** `299ff2fe` (post-self-coherence)
**Reviewer:** β-collapsed-on-α (γ+α+β-collapsed-on-δ; β-α-collapse acknowledged below)
**Date:** 2026-05-21

---

## §Verdict

**R1 APPROVED.** All 6 ACs PASS by mechanical oracle; classification tables in α's `self-coherence.md` §ACs are validated; no findings of substance.

## §Contract Integrity

| # | Row | β verifies | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Identity truth | β session uses `beta@cdd.cnos`; α + γ + ε also on canonical patterns (`alpha@cdd.cnos`, `gamma@cdd.cnos`, `epsilon@cdd.cnos` in this single-session collapsed cycle) | PASS — `git log --format='%ae' origin/cycle/395` shows canonical identity rotation across commits |
| 2 | Canonical-skill freshness | `git rev-parse origin/main` at session start = `e531dba0`; main has not advanced during cycle (single-session collapsed) | PASS |
| 3 | Validators on merge tree | n/a — docs-only Markdown cycle; no skill-frontmatter validator was modified, no Go test surface touched | PASS |
| 4 | γ-artifact completeness | `.cdd/unreleased/395/gamma-scaffold.md` exists on `origin/cycle/395` at canonical §5.1 path: `git ls-tree -r origin/cycle/395 .cdd/unreleased/395/gamma-scaffold.md` returns the entry | PASS |

## §Issue Contract

**β-α-collapse acknowledgement.** Per `CDR.md §"Field 6"`, α=β collapse is **never permitted for research-claim cycles**. This cycle is **not** a research-claim cycle — it is a CDS (engineering protocol) cycle authoring CDR-protocol documents. The matter is engineering-shaped (docs about a research protocol), not research-shaped (claims about the world). Per the same Field 6: "Engineering-class collapse precedents (γ+α+β-collapsed-on-δ for mechanical refactor cycles) do **not** transfer to research-class claim transmission" — the reverse direction (engineering collapse for docs authoring) is permitted by the existing CDD doctrine and is the same precedent used by cycles 375/377/378/388/390/392. The β-α-collapse here is engineering-class, not research-class; the failure mode the prohibition guards against (research overclaim) is not in play because no research claim is being transmitted by this cycle.

The CDR protocol-overlay documents authored by this cycle are *artifacts*, not *claims*. They will be reviewed by future research β actors only when those actors load them for a research wave; this cycle's review is engineering-class review of the skill-file authoring.

### AC1 — Five role SKILL.md files exist, non-empty, frontmatter valid

β-mechanical run:
```
$ for f in src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/{alpha,beta,gamma,operator,epsilon}/SKILL.md; do
    test -s "$f" && wc -l "$f"
  done
162 src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/alpha/SKILL.md
148 src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/beta/SKILL.md
170 src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/gamma/SKILL.md
150 src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/operator/SKILL.md
70 src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/epsilon/SKILL.md
```

All 5 files present, non-empty. Each frontmatter has `name`, `description`, `artifact_class: skill`, `governing_question`, `parent: cdr`, `triggers`, `scope` (manually verified by Read). epsilon's 70-line count mirrors cnos.cdd epsilon's 74-line compact convention.

**β-verdict: PASS.**

### AC2 — Each role overlay extends, not replaces, the generic doctrine

β-mechanical run:
```
$ rg -c "cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/(alpha|beta|gamma|operator|epsilon)/SKILL.md" src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/{alpha,beta,gamma,operator,epsilon}/SKILL.md
src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/alpha/SKILL.md:2
src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/beta/SKILL.md:2
src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/gamma/SKILL.md:2
src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/operator/SKILL.md:4
src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/epsilon/SKILL.md:1
```

5 files with ≥1 hit each (issue oracle: ≥5 hits total, one per file). Total: 11 hits. Each overlay's preamble blockquote explicitly declares "this is a CDR-specific extension of the generic cnos.cdd <role> doctrine" with the kernel-grammar-inherited-by-reference framing.

**β-verdict: PASS.**

### AC3 — Research-loss-function language; no software-protocol verbs as δ verbs

β re-runs the oracle and re-classifies:
```
$ rg -n "release|deploy|tag" src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/operator/SKILL.md
```

6 hits. β reads each in context:

| line | hit context | β classification |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | "The engineering-specific surfaces (`scripts/release.sh`; the disconnect-the-triad-via-tag at §3.4; CI-green-or-recovery-runbook for release CI; branch-cleanup after release; the wave-coordination subsection at §10's release framing) do **not** transfer; research analogues are named below." | cross-reference to cnos.cdd surfaces marked as not-applicable |
| 46 | "Engineering δ holds external gates: push, tag, release CI, branch cleanup. Research δ holds **research-protocol gates**:" | disavowal — names engineering surfaces to contrast research surfaces |
| 84 | "Research δ runs a **wave-transition cadence**, not a release cadence." | disavowal — "not release" |
| 107 | "**No `git tag` / `scripts/release.sh` / VERSION-stamping.** Research waves close on the typed receipt; there is no analogue of the disconnect-via-tag at `cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/operator/SKILL.md` §3.4. The receipt is the disconnection point." | disavowal under "What research δ does NOT do" |
| 108 | "**No release CI / release-workflow polling.** A research wave's 'CI' analogue is β's reproduction-from-clean (which β runs); δ verifies the record, not the execution." | disavowal |
| 109 | "**No 'cut the release' disconnection.** Per `CDR.md §"Field 4"`: 'the receipt is the artifact; there is no release-bundle artifact in the engineering sense.' δ records the verdict; the wave is closed." | disavowal |

β confirms: zero hits use `release`, `deploy`, or `tag` as **normative verbs describing what research δ does**. All hits are either (a) cross-references to engineering-protocol surfaces being explicitly declared not-to-transfer, or (b) disavowals in explicit "what research δ does NOT do" subsections. Same pattern as Sub 1's CDR.md (`rg "release|deploy|tag" CDR.md` returned 6 hits with the same disavowal structure — accepted by cycle #390).

Positive evidence of research-loss-function vocabulary throughout: claims, evidence, data_refs, method_refs, result_refs, claim_status, reproduction, falsifiability, citation integrity, transmissibility, GO/REVISE/NO-GO/INDETERMINATE/BOUNDED-GO gate verdicts.

**β-verdict: PASS.**

### AC4 — Persona/protocol/project boundary

β-mechanical run on Sub 3's authored surface (the role overlays + loader; CDR.md is Sub 1's deliverable, not Sub 3's):
```
$ rg "I am Rho|my voice|my temperament|/opt/" src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/{alpha,beta,gamma,operator,epsilon}/SKILL.md src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/SKILL.md
(no output)
```

**0 hits in Sub 3's authored surface.** The 2 hits the broader `rg src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/` run finds are in CDR.md (Sub 1's deliverable) in disavowal context — CDR.md *literally states* "CDR.md does not state 'I am Rho' or 'my voice'" — and were authored and accepted by cycle #390.

α's classification table (self-coherence §AC4) correctly identifies this: AC4's oracle wording targets the patterns role overlays must not author; CDR.md's disavowal predates this Sub and is not part of Sub 3's surface. Each role overlay's "Persona / protocol / project boundary" section explicitly declares the boundary (alpha/SKILL.md, beta/SKILL.md, gamma/SKILL.md, operator/SKILL.md, epsilon/SKILL.md §3 — all five files).

**β-verdict: PASS.**

### AC5 — SKILL.md loader updated to reference role overlays

β-mechanical run:
```
$ rg -c "alpha/SKILL.md|beta/SKILL.md|gamma/SKILL.md|operator/SKILL.md|epsilon/SKILL.md" src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/SKILL.md
15
```

15 hits (oracle: ≥5). The loader stub names each of the 5 role overlay files in: (i) the YAML frontmatter `calls:` list (5 hits), (ii) the §"Load order" section (5 hits), (iii) the §"Role skills" section (5 hits). Sub 2 (#394) will extend with package-level concerns when it ships; the preamble blockquote names this hand-off explicitly.

**β-verdict: PASS.**

### AC6 — No surface fusion

β re-runs and re-classifies the 20+ literal hits per α's §AC6 table. β agrees with each classification:

- `claude -p` appears only in disavowal: gamma/SKILL.md "no `claude -p` invocation prose"
- `gh issue` appears 0 times
- `cn dispatch` appears 0 times
- `polling` appears only in disavowal: gamma/SKILL.md "no `claude -p` invocation prose, no polling loops" + operator/SKILL.md "No release CI / release-workflow polling"
- `dispatch` appears in three legitimate classes:
  - **schema field value** — `repair_dispatch` is the literal enum value in `#CDRReceipt.boundary_decision.action` (cited in beta/SKILL.md + operator/SKILL.md)
  - **abstract role-function concept** — γ→α/β handoff; CDR.md uses "dispatch" 6+ times in this sense including line 160 explicitly assigning dispatch-discussion to "role-overlay skills (Sub 3) and ... persona/operator contracts"
  - **disavowal** — "γ does not execute dispatch directly"; "δ does not rewrite γ's dispatch prompts"

No role file authors:
- A subprocess invocation (no `claude -p` or `gh` or `cn dispatch` CLI commands in normative position)
- A polling loop (no `while ... sleep ... done`)
- A git command (no `git tag`, `git push`, `git switch`, `git merge`, `git fetch`)
- A CI hook (no `gh run`, no `scripts/release.sh`, no workflow file references in normative position)
- A release-driver effection (no version-stamping, no tag-push, no branch-cleanup procedure)

Same precedent: CDR.md (Sub 1) uses "dispatch" 6 times including line 160's explicit Sub 3 assignment; the AC6 oracle's intent is to prevent runtime-mechanic authoring, not abstract concept usage.

**β-verdict: PASS.**

## §Diff Context

```
$ git diff --stat origin/main..cycle/395
 .cdd/unreleased/395/design-notes.md                |  139 +++
 .cdd/unreleased/395/gamma-scaffold.md              |  231 +++++
 .cdd/unreleased/395/self-coherence.md              |  214 +++
 src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/SKILL.md          |   77 ++
 src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/alpha/SKILL.md    |  162 +++
 src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/beta/SKILL.md     |  148 +++
 src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/epsilon/SKILL.md  |   70 +
 src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/gamma/SKILL.md    |  170 +++
 src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/operator/SKILL.md |  150 +++
```

9 files at this point. The remaining cycle artifacts (β-review.md, alpha-closeout.md, beta-closeout.md, gamma-closeout.md, cdd-iteration.md, INDEX.md row) will land in subsequent commits per the closure gate.

Surfaces touched:
- `src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/` — 6 new files (5 role overlays + loader stub); all the cycle's load-bearing surface.
- `.cdd/unreleased/395/` — cycle evidence.

No files outside these two surfaces. No code modified. No schemas modified. No `ROLES.md` or `CDR.md` modified.

## §Findings

**No D or C findings.** All ACs PASS by mechanical oracle and by β's hit-by-hit classification. The cycle is review-ready.

### Observations (non-blocking)

**Obs-1: AC oracle-wording-vs-intent for forbidden-token classes.** AC3, AC4, AC6 oracles use bare `rg` counts, but the issue body's prose acknowledges disavowal context as permitted (AC3 explicitly: "matches only in cross-references or 'what CDR is **not**' disclaimers"; AC4 implicit: persona-pattern strings in disavowal are not prohibitions; AC6 implicit: protocol-overlay layer must discuss the abstract concept of "dispatch" per CDR.md §"Persona, Protocol, Project" line 160). The classification tables in α's self-coherence and in this review handle the gap. Sub 3 is the second cycle to surface this pattern (Sub 1 #390 was the first with `release|deploy|tag` 6 hits — explicitly noted in #390's cdd-iteration.md §2). A future ε iteration may want to sharpen the AC oracle template (carve out "in disavowal context" as a structural exception); this is a `cdd-protocol-gap` candidate for ε-side patch consideration but not blocking for this cycle.

**Obs-2: Loader-file integration debt with Sub 2.** This Sub authored a minimal `cdr/SKILL.md` loader stub. When Sub 2 (#394) ships, the merge will need to integrate (a) Sub 2's package-level loader content with (b) Sub 3's role-overlay references. The stub's preamble blockquote names the integration plan explicitly. Tracked.

**Obs-3: ε=δ collapse precedent reinforced.** The CDR ε overlay's §2 explicitly carries over the cnos.cdd ε=δ collapse rule with the same wording; the collapse is conditionally safe in small-protocol regimes. This reinforces the cross-protocol pattern that ε is structural (the work happens), not headcount-required.

**Obs-4: AC6 "dispatch" hit count.** The count is non-zero (multiple) because the role-function concept of "γ dispatches α/β" is part of CDR.md doctrine (Sub 1) and the protocol-overlay layer cannot describe γ's coordination without using the word. AC6's oracle as written would flag any role file mentioning "dispatch" as a concept; the issue body's AC6 prose ("No role skill authors runtime mechanics") names the intent precisely. Classification table in §AC6 above resolves the gap.

**No findings blocking merge.** R1 APPROVED.

---

**β-verdict: R1 APPROVED.** Cycle ready for closure.
