# α self-coherence — cycle/414

**Verdict:** All 9 ACs PASS. Review-ready.

α verifies each AC against its declared oracle. Where the oracle has a mechanical command, α runs the command and records the output. Where the oracle is structural, α reads the artifact and confirms the structure.

## AC1: Essay file exists at canonical path

**Oracle:** `docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md` exists, ≥ 300 lines.

**Result:**

```
$ wc -l docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md
610 docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md
```

610 lines ≥ 300. **PASS.**

## AC2: Frontmatter matches the dispatch brief

**Oracle:** YAML frontmatter has `title`, `status: DRAFT`, `version: v0.1.0`, `date: 2026-05-22`, `proposed-path`, `class: design essay`, `axis: gamma`, `related:` (15+ entries).

**Result:**

Frontmatter (lines 1–26) verbatim from dispatch brief:

```yaml
title: "From Task Execution to Decreasing Incoherence"
status: DRAFT
version: v0.1.0
date: 2026-05-22
proposed-path: docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md
class: design essay
axis: gamma
related:
  - docs/THESIS.md
  - docs/alpha/essays/COHERENCE-SYSTEM.md
  - docs/alpha/essays/FOUNDATIONS.md
  - docs/essays/agent-first.md
  - docs/gamma/essays/CCNF-AND-TYPED-TRUST.md
  - src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/CDD.md
  - src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/COHERENCE-CELL-NORMAL-FORM.md
  - src/packages/cnos.cds/skills/cds/CDS.md
  - src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/CDR.md
  - ROLES.md
  - schemas/cdd/
  - schemas/cds/
  - schemas/cdr/
  - usurobor/tsc:docs/THESIS.md
  - usurobor/tsc:runtime/SELF-MEASURE.md
```

All 7 required scalar fields present. `related:` has 15 entries (13 cnos-internal + 2 `usurobor/tsc:*` cross-repo); ≥ 15. **PASS.**

## AC3: All required sections present

**Oracle:** Essay contains 21 specific top-level sections (verified by `grep "^## "`).

**Result:**

```
$ grep "^## " docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md
## Executive summary
## Governing question
## Current foundations
## Problem
## Design thesis
## Core model
## Failure-to-mechanism map
## Incoherence-decrease loop
## Issue proposal surface
## Investment classes
## Persona and protocol implications
## CCNF-O relationship
## CUE and runtime relationship
## Autonomy levels
## Anti-gaming rules
## Design decision
## Migration plan
## Success criteria
## Open questions
## Decision summary
## References
```

All 21 required sections present in the exact order required by the issue body. **PASS.**

## AC4: No mojibake remaining

**Oracle:** `grep -E "Î[±²³´µ]|â¡|matterâ|Î±â" docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md` returns 0 lines.

**Result:**

```
$ grep -E "Î[±²³´µ]|â¡|matterâ|Î±â" docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md | wc -l
0
```

Source from dispatch brief was already Unicode-clean; the authored file preserves that. **PASS.**

## AC5: Greek letters and subscripts present (cleanup verified positive)

**Oracle:**
- `grep -c "α\|β\|γ\|δ\|ε"` returns ≥ 20
- `grep -c "ₙ"` returns ≥ 5
- `grep -c "→"` returns ≥ 10
- `grep -c "C≡"` returns ≥ 1

**Result:**

```
$ grep -c "α\|β\|γ\|δ\|ε" docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md
39
$ grep -c "ₙ" docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md
10
$ grep -c "→" docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md
25
$ grep -c "C≡" docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md
1
```

All four thresholds strictly cleared (39 ≥ 20; 10 ≥ 5; 25 ≥ 10; 1 ≥ 1). The CCNF kernel block at lines 175–179 reads exactly:

```
matterₙ   := αₙ.produce(contractₙ)
reviewₙ   := βₙ.review(contractₙ, matterₙ)
receiptₙ  := γₙ.close(contractₙ, matterₙ, reviewₙ, evidenceₙ)
verdictₙ  := V(contractₙ, receiptₙ)
decisionₙ := δₙ.decide(receiptₙ, verdictₙ)
```

The FOUNDATIONS-cited stack reads exactly:

```
C≡ → TSC → CTB → cnos
axiom → measure → execute → coordinate
```

**PASS.**

## AC6: README.md updated

**Oracle:** `docs/gamma/essays/README.md` Document Map table has a new row for `DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md`. Reading Order has an entry positioning it after `CCNF-AND-TYPED-TRUST.md` (item 5).

**Result:**

```
$ grep "DECREASING-INCOHERENCE" docs/gamma/essays/README.md
| [DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md](./DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md) | Essay (DRAFT v0.1.0) | From task execution to decreasing incoherence; CCNF + V + δ + TSC measurement loop → ε grounded issue proposals |
5. **[DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md](./DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md)** — the coherence-driven steering layer above typed trust
```

Document Map row inserted as the 5th row of the table (after `CCNF-AND-TYPED-TRUST.md`). Reading Order item is position 5 (after item 4: `CCNF-AND-TYPED-TRUST.md`). Both verbatim from the dispatch brief. **PASS.**

## AC7: No other docs touched

**Oracle:** `git diff origin/main..HEAD -- docs/` shows only `docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md` (added) and `docs/gamma/essays/README.md` (modified). No other files under `docs/` modified.

**Result:**

```
$ git diff origin/main..HEAD --name-only -- docs/
docs/gamma/essays/DECREASING-INCOHERENCE.md
docs/gamma/essays/README.md
```

Exactly the 2 expected files. Also verified the four existing essays remain unchanged:

```
$ git diff origin/main -- docs/gamma/essays/STATELESS-AGENCY.md \
                          docs/gamma/essays/EXECUTABLE-SKILLS.md \
                          docs/gamma/essays/COHERENCE-MUST-BE-FREE.md \
                          docs/gamma/essays/CCNF-AND-TYPED-TRUST.md
(no output — 0 lines)
```

**PASS.**

## AC8: No src/packages, schemas, or code edits

**Oracle:** `git diff origin/main..HEAD -- src/ schemas/` returns 0 lines.

**Result:**

```
$ git diff origin/main..HEAD -- src/ schemas/ | wc -l
0
```

**PASS.**

## AC9: Frontmatter `related:` paths resolve

**Oracle:** Each path in the `related:` frontmatter list either:
- Exists on origin/main (for cnos-internal paths), OR
- Is documented as a cross-repo reference (e.g. `usurobor/tsc:docs/THESIS.md` — external; no check required).

Spot-check ≥ 5 of the cnos-internal paths.

**Result:**

All 13 cnos-internal `related:` paths verified to exist via `ls`:

| # | Path | Exists? |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | `docs/THESIS.md` | ✓ |
| 2 | `docs/alpha/essays/COHERENCE-SYSTEM.md` | ✓ |
| 3 | `docs/alpha/essays/FOUNDATIONS.md` | ✓ (line 55 confirms `C≡` symbol per AC9 spot-check) |
| 4 | `docs/essays/agent-first.md` | ✓ |
| 5 | `docs/gamma/essays/CCNF-AND-TYPED-TRUST.md` | ✓ |
| 6 | `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/CDD.md` | ✓ |
| 7 | `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/COHERENCE-CELL-NORMAL-FORM.md` | ✓ |
| 8 | `src/packages/cnos.cds/skills/cds/CDS.md` | ✓ |
| 9 | `src/packages/cnos.cdr/skills/cdr/CDR.md` | ✓ |
| 10 | `ROLES.md` | ✓ |
| 11 | `schemas/cdd/` | ✓ (directory) |
| 12 | `schemas/cds/` | ✓ (directory) |
| 13 | `schemas/cdr/` | ✓ (directory) |

The 2 external `usurobor/tsc:*` paths (`docs/THESIS.md`, `runtime/SELF-MEASURE.md`) are explicit cross-repo references using the `repo:path` convention; no in-repo check required. 13 ≥ 5 spot-check threshold. **PASS.**

## Final α self-coherence statement

All 9 ACs PASS. Essay file exists at canonical path with all 21 required sections; Unicode is clean (no mojibake; Greek/subscript/arrow counts all above threshold); README.md Document Map and Reading Order updated; no other docs or code touched; all related: paths resolve.

The cycle is review-ready (β-side R1). The implementation contract pinned by δ at dispatch (`docs-only`; markdown; exact 2-file delta; no runtime deps; verbatim content with Unicode discipline) was honored exactly — α did not editorialize, did not improve prose, and did not modify any non-target file.

Self-coherence verdict: **PASS — review-ready.**

Filed by α@cnos (γ+α+β-collapsed-on-δ) on 2026-05-22.
