# α close-out — Cycle 420

**Cycle:** [cnos#420](https://github.com/usurobor/cnos/issues/420) — Sub 6 of [cnos#404](https://github.com/usurobor/cnos/issues/404)
**Date:** 2026-05-22
**Role:** α (γ+α+β collapsed on δ)

## Closure declaration

α's substantive work is delivered:

- Residual citation sweep performed across `src/packages/cnos.cdd/`, `src/packages/cnos.cdr/`, `src/packages/cnos.cds/`. No old-path-as-canonical handoff-surface citations remain. The single apparent grep hit (`operator/SKILL.md:364` "canonical δ algorithm") is a self-reference to the operator skill as canonical δ-role home — not a handoff-surface citation.
- One stale citation discovered and repaired: `.cdd/iterations/INDEX.md` line 5 re-pointed from `cdd/post-release/SKILL.md` to the canonical `cnos.handoff/skills/handoff/receipt-stream/SKILL.md`.
- `cnos.handoff/skills/handoff/HANDOFF.md` Version + Status updated to v0.1-complete; Landed section unchanged (already had all 5 sub-skills); no Forthcoming section.
- `cnos.handoff/skills/handoff/SKILL.md` loader de-qualified end-to-end: frontmatter outputs, §"Load order" v0.1-status paragraph, per-step "Pending" qualifiers, §"Rule" tense, §"Sub-skills" intro, §"Conflict rule" parenthetical, §"v0.1 caveat" → §"v0.1 surface" — all rewritten to landed/canonical posture.
- `cnos.handoff/README.md` v0.1-complete: §"Package Structure" rewritten, §"Surfaces (v0.1 Landed)" replaces §"Forthcoming surfaces", §"Quick Start" repaired (broken link to old cross-repo path → new canonical path; cds-binding parenthetical de-qualified), §"Status" rewritten as wave-closure narrative.
- `cnos.handoff/docs/extraction-map.md` v0.1-complete: top-of-file "Wave complete (2026-05-22)" blockquote; metadata + scope updated to archival framing; §7 "Status: v0.1 deferred-by-design"; §9 "Status: v0.1 complete" + per-row complete declarations; §10 coverage verification updated to post-completion narration; §11 all 7 open questions marked resolved.

The cnos.handoff package now declares its v0.1-complete state coherently across loader / HANDOFF.md / README.md / extraction-map.md.

## D6 decision (compatibility-stub disposition)

The 28-line compatibility stub at `cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/cross-repo/SKILL.md` is **preserved as-is**. Rationale:

1. External repos (cph, sigma, future c-d-X projects) may cite the old cdd path; the stub costs nothing and preserves resolvability.
2. The stub already carries its own line-29 self-note ("A future cleanup cycle may remove this file entirely once all consumers cite cnos.handoff directly") authored by Sub 2 — this is the correct posture; no edit needed.
3. The cnos.cds extraction-map at lines 111 and 283 cites `cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/cross-repo/SKILL.md` in historical pre-migration prose (e.g. "skill currently cited from `cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/cross-repo/SKILL.md`"); these are archaeological context citations, not canonical-home claims, and stubble-resolve through the pointer.
4. cnos.cdr v0.1 documentation (README.md, CDR.md) references cross-repo doctrine via parent-package patterns that benefit from the pointer's resolvability while the v0.1 docs remain authoritative.

The "tighten further" option was considered and rejected: the stub is already a minimal 28-line pointer (frontmatter + canonical-home declaration + 7-line content scope + 1-line backward-compat rationale). Further tightening would either harm clarity or remove the backward-compat scope declaration.

The "mark for future deletion" option was considered: the stub already carries this wording in its line 29 ("A future cleanup cycle may remove this file entirely..."). No edit needed.

## Files changed (summary)

| File | Change kind |
|---|---|
| `src/packages/cnos.handoff/README.md` | v0.1-complete rewrite of §"Package Structure" / §"Quick Start" / §"Status"; §"Forthcoming surfaces" → §"Surfaces (v0.1 Landed)" |
| `src/packages/cnos.handoff/skills/handoff/SKILL.md` | de-qualify load-order/rule/sub-skills/conflict-rule/v0.1-section to v0.1-complete |
| `src/packages/cnos.handoff/skills/handoff/HANDOFF.md` | Version + Status lines updated to v0.1-complete |
| `src/packages/cnos.handoff/docs/extraction-map.md` | top-of-file wave-complete note; §7/§9 status declarations; §10 narrative; §11 resolution status |
| `.cdd/iterations/INDEX.md` | header line 5 re-pointed to canonical receipt-stream home |

## Findings

No findings. The sweep verified the cdd/cdr/cds consumer skills are already correctly framed (cdd-side surfaces self-describe as consumers/pointers/runbooks; canonical-home statements name cnos.handoff). The Subs 2–5 of cnos#404 (cnos#416, cnos#417, cnos#418, cnos#419) each repaired cites at the point of migration; Sub 6's residual sweep confirmed no further consumer-side repair was required.

One opportunistic repair (INDEX.md header) found via the sweep is recorded above.

## Review-ready

Per `self-coherence.md §Review-readiness`: α-420 is ready for β-420.

## What's next

β-420 reviews + emits `beta-review.md` + commits its closeout; γ-420 emits `gamma-closeout.md` + courtesy `cdd-iteration.md` + INDEX.md row + this closeout file. δ merges `cycle/420` to `main` with `--no-ff` and merge message: `Merge cycle/420: Sub 6 of #404 — final cleanup. Closes #420; Closes #404.` (BOTH `Closes` keywords required so GitHub auto-closes the parent tracker.)
