<!-- sections: [Header, Pre-merge gate, AC verdict matrix, Findings, Verdict] -->
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---
cycle: 367
role: beta
issue: "https://github.com/usurobor/cnos/issues/367"
date: "2026-05-15"
review_pass: R1
base_sha_origin_main: "ffdd77acab2fcfa7670b4c2d77f1dc305fcff76b"
head_sha_cycle: "724e061bb448ea26f946b62705d6727dfbe3231e"
verdict: APPROVE
rounds: 1
---

# β Review — #367

## Header

Target: `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/RECEIPT-VALIDATION.md` (new, 632L) — Phase 1 of #366 (coherence-cell executability roadmap).

Predecessor doctrine: `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/COHERENCE-CELL.md` (frozen by this cycle's contract).

Mode: docs-only, design-only. Target round count: ≤1 (cycle #364 precedent).

Review base / head:
- `origin/main` = `ffdd77acab2fcfa7670b4c2d77f1dc305fcff76b` (synchronous `git fetch --verbose origin main` at review-pass start; matches γ-scaffold `base_sha`)
- `origin/cycle/367` = `724e061bb448ea26f946b62705d6727dfbe3231e`

## Pre-merge gate

Run per `beta/SKILL.md` §Pre-merge gate, all rows.

| # | Row | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | **Identity truth** | `git config user.email` → `beta@cdd.cnos`; `user.name` → `beta`. Asserted at session start; verified after. PASS. |
| 2 | **Canonical-skill freshness** | `git fetch --verbose origin main` → `up to date`. `origin/main` = `ffdd77ac` = γ-scaffold `base_sha`. No mid-cycle main advance. Loaded skills (`CDD.md`, `beta/SKILL.md`, scaffold doctrine) match origin/main snapshot at session start. PASS. |
| 3 | **Non-destructive merge-test** | Throwaway worktree at `/tmp/cnos-merge-test-367/wt` from `origin/main`; `git config --worktree user.{name,email}` set to avoid shared-config leak (cycle #301 O8 precedent); `git merge --no-ff --no-commit origin/cycle/367` → "Automatic merge went well; stopped before committing as requested"; `git diff --name-only --diff-filter=U` → empty (zero unmerged paths); merge tree exactly: `.cdd/unreleased/367/{alpha-codex-prompt,beta-codex-prompt,gamma-scaffold,self-coherence}.md` + `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/RECEIPT-VALIDATION.md`. Worktree torn down. PASS. |
| 4 | **γ artifact completeness** | `.cdd/unreleased/367/gamma-scaffold.md` exists on `origin/cycle/367` (145L; AC-derived posture summary at §Acceptance posture). PASS. |

All four rows PASS. Merge-side gate clear.

## AC verdict matrix

Issue body's 9 ACs are the binding contract. Each is reviewed against the doc and the diff.

| AC | Invariant | Evidence (file:line / surface) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| AC1 | Doc at canonical path | `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/RECEIPT-VALIDATION.md` exists, 632L, valid markdown, no broken links | PASS |
| AC2 | Draft-design status + predecessor citation + binding-under-Phase-3 | Token "draft design" — 5 hits (lines 6, 14, 26, 37, 580+); "COHERENCE-CELL.md" — 31 hits; binding clause at line 31 ("This document becomes binding once Phase 3 implements `V`") and reinforced at line 37, line 632 | PASS |
| AC3 | Q1 — δ-boundary authoritative; γ-preflight non-authoritative; ordering rule | §Q1 (lines 71–127): "authoritative firing point is **δ-boundary validation**" (line 73); γ-preflight section (lines 86–99) explicitly: "γ preflight is **non-authoritative**" (line 90), "A γ-preflight PASS does not authorize δ to skip its own invocation" (line 91), "A γ-preflight verdict is not recorded as the cell's `ValidationVerdict`" (line 92); ordering rule diagram (lines 105–111); three constraints (lines 113–117); "Why not pre-merge or 'possibly twice'" reconciles predecessor framing (lines 120–123) | PASS |
| AC4 | Q2 — capability or command, single chosen | §Q2 (lines 131–202): "**`V` is the capability; `cn-cdd-verify` is the command that wraps the capability**" (line 154); three-count rationale (substitutability, policy-vs-detail, two-consumer); minimal invocation sketch present (lines 158–186); design's non-commitments enumerated (lines 190–197) | PASS |
| AC5 | Q3 — ε target, Phase 6 ships move | §Q3 (lines 205–247): "ε relocates to **`ROLES.md`**" (line 207); explicit "**This cycle names the target; Phase 6 ships the move.**" (line 207); three-reason rationale (role-vs-substrate, no false-package-boundary, existing ladder home); §"What this cycle does not do" (lines 241–243) reinforces no edits to `ROLES.md` or `epsilon/SKILL.md` | PASS |
| AC6 | Q4 — override shape, required fields, downstream-consumer detection rule, override never rewrites V or substitutes for PASS | §Q4 (lines 251–320): "**structured `override:` block inside the receipt's `boundary` block**" (line 253); three-shape trade-off table (lines 261–266); required fields table (lines 277–284) covers actor, justification, original_validation_verdict, failed_predicates_overridden, degraded_state, **downstream_consumer_detection_rule** (line 284); "What override never does" three constraints (lines 290–294) — never rewrites verdict, never substitutes for PASS in downstream consumers, never emits `OVERRIDE-PASS`; biconditional detection rule (lines 300–314): "A receipt is PASS-equivalent ⇔ `validation.result == PASS` AND `boundary.override == null`" | PASS |
| AC7 | Q5 — five files' roles named; receipt is parent-facing; derivation rule | §Q5 (lines 324–388): "the typed **receipt is the parent-facing artifact**" (line 326); five files become evidence-graph inputs / receipt-derivation sources (line 326); per-file role table (lines 343–348) assigns each of the five a named role (none deprecated); derivation rule diagram (lines 358–371) — "receipt is computed at γ close-out from the five files plus the diff plus the contract" (line 354); "receipt is computable, not authored" structural commitment (line 375) | PASS |
| AC8 | Validation interface frozen: input + output + invocation contracts; verdict/decision distinction; "schema syntax is Phase 2" disclaimer; no `.cue` in interface | §Validation Interface (lines 391–576): opens with "**Schema syntax is Phase 2**" disclaimer (line 393); input contract `V : ContractRef × ReceiptRef × EvidenceRootRef → ValidationVerdict` (line 400) with the three refs explained (lines 402–407); output contract `ValidationVerdict { verdict, failed_predicates, warnings, provenance }` (lines 416–422); invocation contract reproduces Q1's when + Q2's how + composition rule (lines 434–457); verdict/decision distinction (lines 459–476) — table at 463–467 lives in `validation` vs `boundary` receipt blocks, three explicit constraints (470–474); illustrative example (lines 478–550) is prose-tabular, *not* `.cue` syntax — explicitly disclaimed "the shape … is `.cue`-compatible-ish but is not `.cue`" (line 480); "What Phase 2 chooses" (lines 552–571) hard-separates design (this doc) from schema (Phase 2); `.cue` mentions in the doc are negative references (line 47, 393, 480, 591, 625) — none pin schema syntax inside the interface | PASS |
| AC9 | Surface containment | `git diff origin/main..HEAD --stat`: exactly 5 files — `.cdd/unreleased/367/alpha-codex-prompt.md` (A), `.cdd/unreleased/367/beta-codex-prompt.md` (A), `.cdd/unreleased/367/gamma-scaffold.md` (A), `.cdd/unreleased/367/self-coherence.md` (A), `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/RECEIPT-VALIDATION.md` (A). Set = exactly the allowed set {RECEIPT-VALIDATION.md (A), `.cdd/unreleased/367/*.md`}. No prohibited file touched: zero `.cue`, zero edits under `commands/cdd-verify/`, zero edits to `operator/SKILL.md` / `gamma/SKILL.md` / `epsilon/SKILL.md` / `CDD.md` / `ROLES.md` / `COHERENCE-CELL.md`. Doc body §Non-goals (lines 580–610) restates the non-goals explicitly | PASS |

All 9 ACs PASS.

## Findings

None.

The eight γ-flagged failure modes (gamma-scaffold §Failure modes) are checked against the doc:

| γ-flag | Check | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Resolving without choosing | Each `## Q{n}` opens with a single chosen position headline; no "TBD"; no enumerations without selection | clear |
| 2. Schema-pinning the interface | "Schema syntax is Phase 2" disclaimer present; example is prose-tabular; explicit "`.cue`-compatible-ish but is not `.cue`" call-out (line 480) | clear |
| 3. Verdict/decision collapse | Table + three explicit constraints (lines 463–474); illustrative FAIL/override example shows `validation` block UNCHANGED while `boundary.override` is populated (lines 533–547) — the load-bearing distinction is enforced through the worked example, not only by prose | clear |
| 4. Surface drift | `git diff --stat` shows exactly the allowed set; no editing of predecessor doctrine | clear |
| 5. γ-preflight as authority substitute | Explicit four-bullet non-authoritative posture (lines 90–95); ordering rule constraint #2 reinforces ("γ preflight does not substitute", line 116) | clear |
| 6. ε relocation overreach | "This cycle names the target; Phase 6 ships the move" (line 207); §"What this cycle does not do" (lines 241–243) | clear |
| 7. Override pathway substituting for PASS | Biconditional PASS-equivalence rule (lines 302–303): `validation.result == PASS AND boundary.override == null`; "Override never substitutes for PASS in downstream consumers" constraint (line 293) | clear |
| 8. AC-as-checklist drift | Each `## Q{n}` section is design prose (chosen-position → rationale → structural consequence) with required answer tokens embedded in operative reasoning, not in answer tables | clear |

### Disclosure observations (non-findings)

- **δ-authored `self-coherence.md` (recovery wrapper).** `self-coherence.md` was authored by δ after α was SIGTERM'd, per the commit message `724e061b` and the file's §Debt entry. The doc content (632L `RECEIPT-VALIDATION.md`, across 8 α-authored commits `e3d78411..a27abba1`) is α's authorship. The evidence wrapper is δ's per `operator/SKILL.md` §timeout-recovery. This is disclosed in-artifact (self-coherence.md frontmatter `note:` + §Debt row 1), is structurally sound (no β/α surface conflated), and does not affect the design-surface review. Recording here so γ's PRA can carry it as a recovery instance, not as scope drift.
- **AC2 binding-status sentence is structurally important.** Line 31 ("This document becomes binding once Phase 3 implements `V` as a working predicate") is what makes this doc design rather than doctrine, and it is reinforced at three other points in the doc (line 37 explanation, §Closure line 632 restating the transition condition). The contract Phase 3 inherits from this design is therefore well-anchored against later interpretation drift.

## Verdict

**APPROVE.**

Justification (compressed): All 9 ACs pass with evidence above. Pre-merge gate rows 1–4 all PASS. The eight γ-flagged failure modes are each independently guarded by named content in the doc. No findings raised. Recovery posture (δ-authored evidence wrapper) is honestly disclosed and structurally sound.

Round count: R1 → APPROVE. Target ≤1 round met (cycle #364 precedent for docs-only design surface upheld).

β will now: merge `cycle/367` into `main` per `beta/SKILL.md` §1; write `beta-closeout.md`. β does not tag, version, or release — δ owns the release boundary.
