# Post-Release Assessment — Cycle #370

**Date:** 2026-05-17
**Cycle:** #370 (merge commit `0d9f7498`, docs-only §2.5b disconnect)
**Parallel cycle (same-day disconnect):** #369 (Phase 2 schemas; merge commit `0e08847f8c0c2cb5e7ec4ce29eaa7c1c9c6f6b88` per `ff54f2a0` — γ-369's merge commit on main; #369 carries its own PRA at this date dir if produced, or is covered by its own γ close-out)
**Mode:** docs-only
**Assessed by:** γ

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## §1. Coherence Measurement

- **Baseline:** #367 (docs) — α A, β A, γ A (one-round APPROVE; zero findings; δ-recovery of SIGTERM)
- **This cycle:** #370 (docs) — α A−, β A, γ A−
- **Delta:**
  - α A− (vs A baseline): F1 mechanical convention drift required one fix-round. Authoring quality on the doctrine surface itself (435L; 9/9 ACs PASS; per-section AC7 oracle execution caught one mid-authoring substrate leak) was at the same level as #367. The grade reflects the dispatch-vs-skill-prose gap: α faithfully copied `alpha/SKILL.md` §2.5's `§CDD-Trace` shorthand into the artifact rather than cross-checking the validator source.
  - γ A− (vs A baseline): γ session hit the same `extensions.worktreeConfig=true` identity-leak class that β surfaced earlier in the same cycle. The first close-out commit attempt carried the wrong author (`gamma <gamma@cdd.cnos>` instead of `alpha <alpha@cdd.cnos>` during α close-out re-dispatch through γ's session). Recoverable via `--reset-author`. γ's load-bearing claim that "γ holds cycle coherence" includes the identity-truth surface; the leak repeating across three roles in one cycle is a process-coherence signal worth marking down a half-grade.
- **Coherence contract closed?** Yes. The gap — recursion algorithm implicit across `COHERENCE-CELL.md`, `RECEIPT-VALIDATION.md`, and #366 roadmap, stated nowhere — is resolved. `COHERENCE-CELL-NORMAL-FORM.md` (435L; kernel slice 275L) names the substrate-independent recursion at scope `n` as five typed steps, pins the evidence-binding rule, types four cell outcomes by `(verdict × decision)`, separates within-scope (repair-dispatch) and cross-scope (scope-lift) recursion modes, names three scope-lift projections with the β/γ-no-upward-projection clause, and declares the two-layer (kernel ↔ realization) separation with four explicit realization peers cited. Phases 3–7 now have a citable kernel rather than needing to derive the recursion mid-implementation.

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## §2. Encoding Lag

| Issue | Title | Type | Design | Impl | Lag |
|-------|-------|------|--------|------|-----|
| (deferred — Phase 3) | `cn-cdd-verify` rewrite to implement V's command-wrapper against the kernel | feature | typed by #370 §Kernel V step + #369 schemas | not started | new (this cycle) — predecessors complete |
| (deferred — Phase 4) | δ split (`operator/SKILL.md` shrink + `delta/SKILL.md`) | process | named by #370 §Kernel δ.decide signature + §Recursion Modes + §Scope-Lift δ → β-discrimination projection | not started | new (this cycle) — predecessors complete |
| (deferred — Phase 5) | γ shrink (`gamma/SKILL.md`) | process | named by #370 §Two-Layer Separation (γ-coordination is realization-layer) | not started | growing (Phase 4 precondition) |
| (deferred — Phase 6) | ε relocation (`epsilon/SKILL.md` → ROLES.md or cnos.core) | process | named by #370 §Scope-Lift ε → γ-coordination/evolution projection | not started | growing |
| (deferred — Phase 7) | `CDD.md` rewrite around the kernel as spine | process | spine is #370's four kernel sections | not started | growing |
| #373 (new) | Preventive `--worktree` identity write across all role skills | process | sketched (3 ACs); root cause from cycle #370 F4 + cycle #301 O8 | not started | new (this cycle); P2; should land before #366 Phase 4 |
| #366 | Coherence-cell executability roadmap | feature | converged | Phase 1.5 (#370) + Phase 2 (#369) shipped 2026-05-17; Phases 3–7 remain | shrinking (5 of 7 phases remain) |

**MCI/MCA balance:** Balanced. #370 closed two predecessor phases (Phase 1.5 doctrine + Phase 2 schemas via #369 parallel). #373 is the only new process-debt item; it surfaces a recurring class (cycle #301 O8 → cycle #370 F4) and lands a fix to a load-bearing property (role-identity-is-git-observable) at the right priority (P2; pre-Phase-4). No design frenzy: the new lag item is the explicit-and-bounded next MCA for the cdd-skill-gap class, not an unbounded design tree. No MCI freeze required.

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## §3. Process Learning

**What went wrong:**

1. **F1 — validator-literal vs skill-prose drift.** α copied `alpha/SKILL.md` §2.5's `§CDD-Trace` shorthand verbatim into `self-coherence.md` headers. `cn-cdd-verify`'s grep at L495/L573 requires `^## CDD Trace` (space). Build CI failed on R1 review SHA. β R1 RC. α R2 mechanical fix. **Avoidable.** The fix was a single character. The avoidability is two-sided: (a) `alpha/SKILL.md` carried a §-shorthand that diverged from the validator's literal contract, and (b) the validator's own comment at L480 carried the same hyphen form, mismatching the file's own grep. Drift across three surfaces; all three patched at step 13a (`4a0115d2`).
2. **F4 — `extensions.worktreeConfig=true` identity-leak class repeating.** Three roles in one cycle (β R1 merge-test, α close-out re-dispatch, γ close-out session) all hit the class first surfaced as cycle #301 O8. The recovery procedure (`--amend --reset-author`) is reactive; the preventive write (`--worktree` flag from session start when `extensions.worktreeConfig=true`) is one flag away but is not documented in role skills. **Multi-surface skill patch deferred to #373** (P2; parent #366; pre-Phase-4).
3. **AC3 signature variant divergence-of-record.** The doc's typed `γ.close` and `V` signatures strengthen the issue body's AC3 prose-notation (γ.close gains evidence input; V drops it). β R1 recorded as observation; α close-out recorded as F2; γ close-out triaged as drop-with-reasoning (the doc's signature is what downstream phases inherit; reconciliation is not load-bearing). The pattern (AC oracle's Positive/Negative tests for properties, not literal arity; α discovers the property entails a stronger typed signature than the AC notation lists) is worth carrying as α-side authoring discipline but not gate-enforceable.
4. **Length overage 435 vs 200–400.** Kernel slice 275L (within target); non-kernel sections 160L vs ~120L structural floor. ~40 lines of editorial expansion concentrated in Preamble subsections that restate predecessor positioning from slightly different angles. α self-identified as §Debt #1; γ triaged as drop-with-reasoning. Durable lesson: structural-floor-near-upper-target makes length discipline pull against the kernel content rather than the scaffolding; authoring discipline must direct trim pressure outward.

**What went right:**

1. **β's merge-test caught F1 before merge.** Without `beta/SKILL.md` §pre-merge gate row 3, β would have approved on the strength of cycle-branch artifacts alone and shipped a CI-red commit to main. The row is doing real work; #370 is its second consecutive empirical demonstration (#367 also).
2. **α's AC7 oracle pulled forward as per-section authoring constraint.** AC7's `awk` + `rg` recipe is a review-time check on the full doc. α ran it after each of the four kernel sections committed (one re-run per section). The single substrate-term leak (a GitHub URL in §Cell Outcomes) was caught immediately, replaced in the same commit, before §Recursion Modes was authored and before review-readiness. Same pattern as #367 O3 (γ-scaffold-as-generation-constraint); now confirmed as AC-oracle-as-per-section-check. Generalizes to AC1, AC2, AC9 (any mechanical AC oracle with bounded cost).
3. **γ-scaffold's nine pre-flagged failure modes operated as the authoring checklist (second cycle confirming the pattern).** α executed against all nine during authoring. Same pattern as #367 O3 confirmed independently in #370. The pattern is structural to triadic docs cycles, not cycle-specific.
4. **Two parallel docs cycles disconnected same day with independent merges.** #369 (Phase 2 schemas) and #370 (Phase 1.5 doctrine) ran independently per the issue body's "Parallel" declaration. Zero coordination needed; two independent merges into main on 2026-05-17. The pattern is the first cnos confirmation that doctrine-and-schema cycles can run truly parallel when the schema cycle's load-bearing inputs are the predecessor doctrine surfaces (`COHERENCE-CELL.md`, `RECEIPT-VALIDATION.md`), not the in-flight kernel doc.

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## §4. Review Quality Metrics

- **β review rounds:** 2 (1 RC + 1 APPROVE). Target ≤1 (docs-only convention). One round over target; mechanical class; trigger §9.1.4 (avoidable tooling failure) fired and patched at step 13a.
- **Finding count:** 1 binding (F1). 1 close-out / triage finding (F4). 3 observations (AC3 variant; length overage; AC-oracle-per-section pattern).
- **Mechanical ratio:** 1/2 close-out findings mechanical (F1). Below §9.1.2 threshold (ratio > 20% AND total ≥ 10).
- **Pre-merge gate exercise:** All four rows ran on R1 (row 3 surfaced F1; β held merge). All four rows ran on R2 (row 1 re-asserted with `--worktree` after R1 worktree-config-leak; rows 2-4 PASS). Pre-merge gate is empirically load-bearing.

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## §5. CDD Self-Coherence

- **α artifact integrity:** PASS. 10 commits across `cycle/370`; section-by-section authoring per `CDD.md` §1.4; manifest comment at top of `COHERENCE-CELL-NORMAL-FORM.md` enumerates sections; `self-coherence.md` carries §ACs with per-AC oracle results, §Self-check, §Debt, §CDD Trace (after R2 rename), §Review-readiness, §R2.
- **β surface agreement:** PASS. β re-executed AC1, AC7, AC9 oracles independently; all reproduce α's reported values. AC3 signature variant accepted as coherent strengthening (β R1 observation #1).
- **γ cycle economics:**
  - Dispatch overhead: γ-scaffold (140L) + α/β prompts (58L + 45L) + R2 prompts (18L + 35L) + α close-out re-dispatch prompt (28L) + γ close-out artifacts. Scaffold-to-deliverable ratio reasonable for docs-only doctrine.
  - Step 13a skill patch landed same session (mechanical; F1 disposition).
  - Next-MCA filed pre-closure (#373; F4 disposition).
  - Closure declaration with all 14 gate rows PASS.

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## §6. Cycle Iteration

Two `cdd-*-gap` findings — see `.cdd/releases/docs/2026-05-17/370/cdd-iteration.md` and `.cdd/iterations/INDEX.md` row 370. One patch (F1; `4a0115d2`), one MCA (F4; #373), zero no-patch. Cycle-iteration triggers fired (§9.1.4 avoidable tooling failure; §9.1.5 loaded-skill miss × 2); both have explicit Cycle Iteration entries with root cause and disposition in `gamma-closeout.md` §Trigger Assessment.

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## §7. Next-Move Commitment

**Immediate next MCA:** #373 — Preventive `--worktree` identity write across all role skills when `extensions.worktreeConfig=true`. P2; parent #366; pre-Phase-4. Multi-surface skill patch (`alpha/SKILL.md` §2.6, `beta/SKILL.md` §pre-merge gate row 1, `release/SKILL.md` §2.1 worked example, future `delta/SKILL.md`).

**#366 next-phase signal:** Phase 3 (`cn-cdd-verify` rewrite) is now unblocked — both predecessors landed 2026-05-17 (Phase 1.5 = #370; Phase 2 = #369). Phase 3's input contract is `COHERENCE-CELL-NORMAL-FORM.md` §Kernel V step + §Cell Outcomes verdict×decision table + #369's typed schemas. γ-PRA selection candidate at next observation cycle.

**Open issue trajectory:** #366 supercycle has 5 phases remaining (3, 4, 5, 6, 7). Phase 4 (δ split) is the next structurally weighty cycle and should bundle the #373 fix into δ skill authoring rather than running #373 standalone before Phase 4.
