## Post-Release Assessment — Cycle #338

**Date:** 2026-05-10
**Assessor:** γ (Gamma)

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## §1 Cycle ID

**#338** — cdd: Add §1.6c — dispatch sizing, prompt scope, and commit checkpoints

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## §2 What Shipped

Three normative additions addressing the dispatch-sizing protocol gap (N=4 failures: cnos #335, TSC supercycle):

1. **CDD.md §1.6c** — timeout budget heuristic (`max(300s, 120 × ac_count)` docs; `max(400s, 180 × ac_count)` code), prompt-scope guidance, commit-checkpoint mandate
2. **operator/SKILL.md §7** — timeout recovery procedure with five-row decision tree and override declaration template
3. **post-release/SKILL.md §4** — three telemetry fields (`dispatch_seconds_budget`, `dispatch_seconds_actual`, `commit_count_at_termination`) to validate and tighten the heuristic over ≥10 cycles

All 5 ACs passed β oracle verification. β approved in round 1 (R1). Docs-only disconnect path (§2.5b).

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## §3 Merge Commit

`bc9eac7d` on `main`

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## §4 Grades

| Role | Grade | Summary |
|------|-------|---------|
| α | **A** (4/4) | Comprehensive self-coherence; all 5 ACs with oracle evidence; CDD-Trace complete; one arithmetic error confined to process artifacts (bootstrap paradox); no D/C/B findings from β |
| β | **A** (4/4) | R1 APPROVED; 5 ACs oracle-verified; gate run and reported; F1 correctly classified A-level; gate circular dependency identified with structural precision |
| γ | **A-** (3/4) | Correct issue selection; bootstrap paradox anticipated; gate circular dependency not anticipated at intake; candidate fix filed; PRA complete post-merge per §2.5b |

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## §5 Gate Finding — Circular Dependency

**Observation:** The §2.10 pre-merge closure gate requires `gamma-closeout.md` to be present before the cycle is declared closed. However, `gamma-closeout.md` is necessarily a post-merge artifact: it records the merge commit SHA, β's final verdict, and the cycle directory destination — none of which exist pre-merge.

**Effect:** The pre-merge gate script classified cycle #338 as "small-change" (missing the `gamma-closeout.md` check); the merge-tree run detected missing artifacts. β confirmed this discrepancy in `beta-closeout.md §3`. δ merged manually after β approval as a workaround.

**Classification:** Structural constraint in gate design — not a cycle failure. Cycle completed correctly.

**Candidate MCA:** Distinguish pre-merge vs. post-merge required artifact rows in `scripts/validate-release-gate.sh` and/or `gamma/SKILL.md §2.10`. δ to write a waiver record at merge time as an interim workaround.

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## §6 Deferred Actions

| Item | Owner | Milestone |
|------|-------|-----------|
| Heuristic validation (D3): ≥10 cycles telemetry needed to tighten `max(300s, 120×ac_count)` formula | post-release telemetry | ≥10 cycles |
| Gate circular dependency fix (candidate MCA) | next γ intake | next intake |

No items are blocking. No immediate follow-up commits required.

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## §7 Recurring Findings

**F1 (`cdd-protocol-gap`):** patch-landed — three commits on main (`69de7ef8`, `b2f5ee3b`, `482f1c81`). Root cause addressed. Telemetry in place to validate fix over time.

**Arithmetic error (process artifacts only):** dropped — confined to non-normative bootstrap artifacts; shipped normative content correct; no post-hoc patch possible without rewriting historical records.

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## §8 Closure

Cycle #338 closed. Cycle directory at `.cdd/releases/docs/2026-05-10/338/`. Branch `cycle/338` cleanup: δ hygiene step (post-closure).
