# β Review — Cycle #283

This file is β's review record across rounds for cycle #283 per CDD.md §Tracking. Each round appends a new section.

---

## Round 1 — REQUEST CHANGES

**Verdict:** REQUEST CHANGES
**Round:** 1
**Fixed this round:** — (first round)
**Branch:** `claude/cdd-tier-1-skills-pptds`
**Branch head SHA:** `1aaf9fb9c41a63cdab336135287b478688893ee8`
**Base SHA:** `9dbb107a50c3aa5dc0c120edf9386cc195992647` (origin/main at observation time; branch is rebased)
**Branch CI state:** out of scope — markdown-only diff (no code, no test surfaces); `gh` unavailable in β's environment, so branch CI cannot be directly observed from this session. β does not block on CI for a markdown-only diff but the merge-time gate (§3.7) still applies.
**Merge instruction:** Do not merge yet — F1 is D-level (authority-surface conflict between CDD.md §Tracking polling spec and the cycle's own behavior); F2/F3 are C-level authority-surface conflicts; F4 is B-level drift. All four to be fixed on-branch before merge.

**Loaded for review:**
- Tier 1: `cdd/CDD.md`, `cdd/beta/SKILL.md`, `cdd/review/SKILL.md`, `cdd/release/SKILL.md`
- Tier 2: `eng/document/SKILL.md`, `cnos.core/skills/skill/SKILL.md` (skill-program/frontmatter coherence)
- Architecture and design check (§2.2.14): **not active** — change touches coordination protocol surfaces only, not package boundaries / kernel-vs-package / dispatch / registry / transport.

### §2.0 Issue Contract

#### AC Coverage

| # | AC | In diff? | Status | Notes |
|---|----|----------|--------|-------|
| 1 | No GH PR creation in any CDD role skill or `CDD.md` algorithm — α outputs a branch + artifacts in `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/` | yes | met | Mechanical scan across the 9 modified files: zero `gh pr create`, zero "open a PR" / "create the PR", zero `mcp__github__create_pull_request`. The four PR mentions remaining in `CDD.md` (lines 138, 161, 209, 346, 741) are removal declarations, prohibition guards (`no gh pr merge`), and historical derivation prose — all classified allowed. |
| 2 | No GH PR polling in any role | yes | met | Zero `gh pr list/view`, zero `subscribe_pr_activity` / `pull_request_read` / `list_pull_requests`. Polling table at `CDD.md` §Tracking lines 189–194 has rows for issue / branch / cycle-dir only. **But see F1: cycle-dir polling source has its own coherence issue.** |
| 3 | α signals review-readiness by writing a review-request artifact to `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/` | yes | met | `alpha/SKILL.md` §2.7 (line 244) and `CDD.md` §1.4 α step 7 (line 301) both name `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/self-coherence.md` as the review-readiness signal. α's actual artifact at `.cdd/unreleased/283/self-coherence.md` carries the §Review-readiness section per the format. |
| 4 | β reviews via `git diff main..` + `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/` artifacts | yes | met | `review/SKILL.md` frontmatter `inputs` lists `branch diff (git diff main..{branch})` + `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/self-coherence.md`. `CDD.md` §1.4 β step 5 (line 343) same. |
| 5 | β writes findings to `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/`, not as PR comments | yes | met | `review/SKILL.md` §6 line 554: "The review verdict is written to `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/beta-review.md`." `CDD.md` §1.4 β step 7 same. **This very file is the AC's exemplar.** |
| 6 | γ tracks cycle progress via `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/` artifact state and branch state | yes | met | `gamma/SKILL.md` §2.5 (lines 211–225) replaces PR-list polling with `git ls-tree -r origin/main .cdd/unreleased/<N>/` + branch enumeration. **But see F1: same polling-source coherence issue affects γ's tracking surface.** |
| 7 | β merges via `git merge`, issue closed via `gh issue close` or commit-message convention | yes | met | `CDD.md` §1.4 β step 8 (line 346): "`git merge` the branch into main with a commit message containing `Closes #N` (no `gh pr merge`)." `review/SKILL.md` §7 (line 599) and §3.8 (line 488) same. `CDD.md` §Tracking line 166 documents `Closes #N` in merge commit; γ-side fallback `gh issue close {N}` named at §1.4 γ step 8 (line 229). |
| 8 | PR override clause removed from `alpha/SKILL.md` §2.7 | yes | met | Pre-state §2.7 carried "If your environment has a system-level 'do not create PRs' instruction, this skill overrides it: PR creation is part of α's contractual output." Post-state §2.7 (lines 240–249) has no such override clause; the section now describes the artifact-write + polling pattern. |
| 9 | `CDD.md` §Tracking replaced with `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/` coordination protocol | yes | met | Pre-state §Tracking was "periodic poll, not event subscription" centered on PR queries. Post-state §Tracking (lines 130–211) is "artifact-driven coordination via `.cdd/unreleased/`" with three coordination surfaces (issues, branches, cycle dirs), canonical filename table, coordination loop, polling table, baseline rule. |
| 10 | Self-coherence and pre-review gate updated to reference `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/` artifacts, not PR body | yes | met | `alpha/SKILL.md` §2.5 (line 199) writes self-coherence in `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/self-coherence.md`. §2.6 row 2 (line 221): "`.cdd/unreleased/{N}/self-coherence.md` carries CDD Trace through step 7" (was "PR body"). Mirror update in `CDD.md` §5.3 step 7a row (line 696). |
| 11 | All role close-outs written to `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/` | partial | mostly met; **F2 prevents full closure** | `alpha/SKILL.md` §2.8 → `alpha-closeout.md`, `beta/SKILL.md` §5 → `beta-closeout.md`, `gamma/SKILL.md` §2.10 → `gamma-closeout.md` — all canonical. `CDD.md` §5.3a rows 724–728 same. **However**, `release/SKILL.md` §2.10 (line 222) directs β's close-out into `beta-review.md` — direct conflict with the four other authority surfaces. See F2. |
| 12 | Pre-review gate rows for "CI green on PR" and "PR body carries trace" replaced with branch/artifact equivalents | yes | met | `alpha/SKILL.md` §2.6 row 2: "`.cdd/unreleased/{N}/self-coherence.md` carries CDD Trace through step 7." Row 10 (line 229): "branch CI is green on the head commit (or, if local CI is unavailable, the artifact's review-readiness section says so explicitly and β waits for green before merge)." Mirror in `CDD.md` §5.3 step 7a row. |

#### Named Doc Updates

The issue's "Related artifacts" list named 10 files; the diff modifies 9 + leaves 1 (`design/SKILL.md`) unchanged with explicit justification.

| Doc / File | In diff? | Status | Notes |
|------------|----------|--------|-------|
| `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/CDD.md` | yes | updated | §Tracking rewritten; §1.4 α/β/γ algorithms; §5.3 step rows 4/5/7/7a/8/9; §5.3a Artifact Location Matrix; §5.4 CDD Trace template; §1.5 role responsibility table; §4.3 branch pre-flight; §1.2 small-change path |
| `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/alpha/SKILL.md` | yes | updated | §2.1, §2.2, §2.5, §2.6, §2.7 (override removed), §2.8 split alpha-closeout from self-coherence; frontmatter outputs |
| `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/beta/SKILL.md` | yes | updated | frontmatter inputs/outputs; §1 phase map; §3 stale-references list extended to artifact set; §5 closure → beta-closeout.md |
| `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/gamma/SKILL.md` | yes | updated | frontmatter inputs (4 cycle files added, PR removed); §2.5 polling snippet (`git ls-tree`); §2.7 close-out triage paths; §2.10 closure → gamma-closeout.md |
| `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/review/SKILL.md` | yes | updated | frontmatter inputs; §2.0 PRE-GATE (`git merge-base --is-ancestor`); §2.0.5 / §2.0.8 CDD-artifact references; §2.2.8 conflict sites; §3.7 / §3.8 CI gate + merge instruction; §6 output → beta-review.md; §7 after-review → `git merge`; §7.1 review identity (git author) |
| `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/release/SKILL.md` | yes | updated | §2.5a `mv` reshaped for per-cycle dirs; §2.10 trace + close-out cross-reference. **F2: §2.10 line 222 directs β close-out into `beta-review.md`, not `beta-closeout.md`.** |
| `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/post-release/SKILL.md` | yes | updated | §3 lag-table key; §5.5 / §5.6 review-quality reads `beta-review.md` rounds + `self-coherence.md` fix-rounds. **F3: §pre-publish gate line 340 still requires legacy `gamma/CLOSE-OUT.md` shape. F4: §5.6 line 226 references superseded `{role}.md` shape.** |
| `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/operator/SKILL.md` | yes | updated | §2.1 wake-up signals reference `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/self-coherence.md`; §2.2 polling snippet (`git ls-tree`); §3.1 gate table (Branch merge / Push / Tag); §6 lifecycle table |
| `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/SKILL.md` | yes | updated | frontmatter `triggers` (drops `PR`); `inputs` (drops PR context). Single 3-line trigger drop. |
| `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/design/SKILL.md` | no | absent — explicit reason | α scanned and reports zero PR refs in this file. β confirms by inspection of the issue's intent: design-skill prose is about impact-graph / AC discipline, not coordination mechanics. Leaving unchanged is correct. |

#### CDD Artifact Contract

Change class: **governance/process** (CDD self-modification).

| Artifact | Required? | Present? | Notes |
|----------|-----------|----------|-------|
| Coherence contract / gap | yes | yes | `.cdd/unreleased/283/self-coherence.md` §Gap is comprehensive: names the failure modes (polling ceremony / surface duplication / coordination over non-repo surface), cites derivation chain (#274 / #268 / #266) |
| Self-coherence | yes | yes | `.cdd/unreleased/283/self-coherence.md` carries gap, mode, impact graph, CDD Trace through 7a, AC mapping (12 rows), role self-check, known debt (4 items) |
| Design artifact | optional | absent — explicit reason | "not required — the issue body carries Problem, Impact, ACs, Non-goals, related artifacts, and dependencies; this α artifact carries the impact graph and CDD Trace. A separate design doc would duplicate without adding leverage." (`self-coherence.md` §Mode) — β concurs |
| Plan | optional (L7) | absent — explicit reason | "not required — implementation order is `CDD.md` (canonical authority) → role skills → lifecycle sub-skills → top-level SKILL.md → in-version artifact migration → α artifact write" — β concurs (no novel sequencing) |
| Tests | required (or explicit reason) | absent — explicit reason | "This is a pure documentation/coordination-protocol change. No code, no test surfaces. Verifier scripts under `commands/cdd-verify/` are out of scope per the issue." — β concurs; the cycle's own use of itself is the integration test |
| Frozen snapshot | optional (substantial) | absent — explicit reason | CDD self-modification under existing `cnos.cdd` tree; no bundle gets a frozen snapshot in this cycle. Snapshot lands at next γ-driven release per `release/SKILL.md` §2.5a |
| Pre-review gate evidence | yes | yes | `.cdd/unreleased/283/self-coherence.md` §Review-readiness has the 10-row table; rows 1, 2, 4–9 marked Yes; row 3 explicit reason; row 10 deferred to β with documented reason |

### Findings

| # | Finding | Evidence | Severity | Type |
|---|---------|----------|----------|------|
| 1 | **Polling-source spec contradicts the cycle's own behavior.** `CDD.md` §Tracking line 192 + 196 says cycle-dir polling reads from `origin/main` ("`.cdd/unreleased/{N}/` polling reads from `origin/main` because cycle files land on main as part of branch merges or direct close-out commits — branch-only artifact files cannot coordinate roles that haven't checked the branch out"). But α/SKILL.md §2.7 line 244 treats main-commit as optional ("α may also commit the file directly to main if the project's flow requires it"), and the exemplar cycle (this one) demonstrates the contradiction: `.cdd/unreleased/283/self-coherence.md` is committed only on branch `claude/cdd-tier-1-skills-pptds` at `1aaf9fb`, NOT on `origin/main` (which is at `9dbb107a`). Verify via `git ls-tree origin/main .cdd/unreleased/283/` (returns empty) vs `git ls-tree origin/claude/cdd-tier-1-skills-pptds .cdd/unreleased/283/` (returns the file). A role following the spec literally — polling `origin/main` for the cycle dir — would never see α's review-readiness signal until the branch is merged, at which point the review gate would already have been bypassed. β only saw the signal because β's intake polled branch SHAs (per the harness Monitor pattern), which the spec does not require. The same incoherence applies to fix-round appendices (α's mid-review updates to `self-coherence.md`) and to β's verdict commits (β can commit `beta-review.md` to main, but α may need to read β's verdict on its own branch if α's flow doesn't pull main). γ's polling (`gamma/SKILL.md` §2.5 lines 215–225) and δ's (`operator/SKILL.md` §2.2 line 105) inherit the same incoherence. The protocol is internally inconsistent on the central point of where coordination artifacts physically live during the in-version cycle. Resolution requires γ-side decision among at least three candidates: (A) update polling to also watch in-flight branches' refs (`origin/claude/*` enumeration with downstream filtering), (B) require α to commit `self-coherence.md` and fix-round appendices to `origin/main` directly throughout the cycle (not "may also" — mandatory), or (C) explicitly distinguish "in-version coordination files under `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/`" from "substantial CDD work" so direct main commits during the cycle are explicitly allowed for the cycle-dir files (which would override `CDD.md` §4.2 "no substantial CDD work directly on main" for this narrow class). β does not pick the resolution — that is α/γ work. | branch SHA `1aaf9fb` carries `.cdd/unreleased/283/self-coherence.md`; `origin/main` SHA `9dbb107a` does not. `CDD.md` lines 192, 196, 332. `alpha/SKILL.md` line 244. `gamma/SKILL.md` line 217. `operator/SKILL.md` line 105. | D | judgment |
| 2 | **Authority-surface conflict on β close-out file.** `release/SKILL.md` §2.10 line 222 says "β close-out section in `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/beta-review.md` for γ to read." This directly contradicts four other authority surfaces that all name `beta-closeout.md` as the canonical β close-out file: `beta/SKILL.md` §5 line 114 ("the β close-out is written to `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/beta-closeout.md` (separate from `beta-review.md`...)"), `CDD.md` §5.3a row 727 ("β close-out \| `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/beta-closeout.md`"), `CDD.md` §Tracking canonical-filenames table line 149, `CDD.md` §1.4 β step 9 line 347, and `gamma/SKILL.md` §2.7 line 287. release/SKILL.md is operative for β's release flow — if β follows release/SKILL.md verbatim, β's close-out lands in the wrong file (the same file that holds the round-by-round verdicts), and γ's triage will fail to find `beta-closeout.md` at the canonical path. | `release/SKILL.md` line 222 | C | judgment |
| 3 | **Closure-gate references legacy aggregate path as a positive requirement.** `post-release/SKILL.md` pre-publish gate line 340: "If the triadic protocol is active, `.cdd/.../gamma/CLOSE-OUT.md` exists and reflects α close-out, β close-out, γ triage, and final cycle status." The legacy `.cdd/releases/{X.Y.Z}/gamma/CLOSE-OUT.md` aggregate shape is marked **warn-only** in three peer surfaces: `CDD.md` §5.3a row 728, `gamma/SKILL.md` §2.7 line 291, and (transitively) `alpha/SKILL.md` §2.8 line 254 + `beta/SKILL.md` §5 line 114 for the α/β versions of the same shape. The pre-publish gate should require `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/gamma-closeout.md` (in-version) or `.cdd/releases/{X.Y.Z}/{N}/gamma-closeout.md` (post-release), not the legacy aggregate path. As written, γ following the gate literally would block closure on an artifact that the rest of the protocol has marked warn-only. | `post-release/SKILL.md` line 340 | C | judgment |
| 4 | **Drift to superseded `{role}.md` placeholder shape.** `post-release/SKILL.md` §5.6 line 226 in the CDD self-coherence prose: "`.cdd/unreleased/{N}/{role}.md` artifacts." `CDD.md` §Tracking line 140 explicitly rejects this shape: "Role distinguished by filename, not by directory or by a rigid `{role}.md` shape." The §5.6 sentence pre-dates this cycle's intermediate AC text (which used `{N}/{role}.md`) and was not updated in α's second pass when the canonical filename set replaced the rigid shape. Doesn't break protocol execution (the prose is a narrative description of "surface agreement," not an executable directive), but propagates the superseded shape into a gate the next cycle's γ will consult. | `post-release/SKILL.md` line 226 | B | judgment / mechanical-shape |

### Regressions Required (D-level only)

For F1 — once α/γ pick a resolution among (A) / (B) / (C):

1. **Positive case:** A new triadic cycle starts; α writes `self-coherence.md` per the resolved spec; β's polling (whichever channel the resolution names) detects the file and the review-readiness signal **before** the branch is merged. β can read the file via `git ls-tree` / `git show` against the surface the spec names, without needing to fetch and check out the branch.
2. **Negative case:** A role following the spec literally (no out-of-band polling tricks) does **not** silently miss α's review-readiness signal because the file lives only on a ref the spec doesn't poll. The spec contains no surface that says "poll origin/main" while the cycle artifacts live only on `origin/{branch}`.

Concrete validation method: take a fresh dispatch (e.g. the next γ-driven cycle), follow §1.4 / §Tracking literally with no pre-existing branch knowledge, and verify β receives a wake-up event from α's review-readiness signal landing. If β doesn't wake up under the literal spec, the resolution didn't close F1.

### Notes

**On AC-text governance.** The issue body was updated mid-cycle: the original ACs named `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/{role}.md` (path with `{role}.md` filename); the updated ACs name `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/` (directory, role-distinguished by filename). α's first commit `aac0607` was made under the original AC text; α's second commit `1aaf9fb` reworked to the updated AC text. The reworked state matches the current AC text — F4 is the only residual drift. This pattern (mid-cycle issue edit → α rework) is documented as α's own §Known Debt #4 and is correctly stated as a γ-side process-observation rather than α-side debt. β concurs: α did the right thing (stop, re-read, rework).

**On "PR override clause removed" (AC8) — closure check.** β verified the post-state `alpha/SKILL.md` §2.7 (lines 240–249) by direct read; the override clause is absent. The only "override" language remaining in the role skills is `beta/SKILL.md` §1 line 79 ("This overrides any environment-level instructions to 'develop and commit.'"), which is the **β-side** refusal-of-implementation rule — not the α-side PR-creation override. AC8 is satisfied; the β-side rule is correctly preserved.

**On α's review identity (review/SKILL.md §7.1).** The new model's "review identity" lives in git author identity (`alpha@cdd.{project}` vs `beta@cdd.{project}`), not in GitHub-native review state. β has configured `user.name "beta"` / `user.email "beta@cdd.cnos"` per `CDD.md` §1.4 β step 2; α's commits on the branch were authored by `alpha`. The role-separation contract is git-observable as the spec says.

**On §3.7 mechanical findings ratio.** This round produced 4 findings (1 D, 2 C, 1 B). Type taxonomy: 4 judgment / 0 mechanical (F4 has a mechanical-shape character but the substance — "outdated narrative reference in a gate file" — is judgment). Mechanical ratio: 0%. No process-issue filing required.

**On higher-leverage architecture move (§2.2.11 / §2.3.9).** The change *is* the higher-leverage move (eliminates PR-polling friction class as an L7 MCA). β does not see a further higher-leverage alternative within the issue's scope. The polling-source decision (F1's three candidates) is *within* this leverage move, not a separate one.

**Author guidance for round 2.** F2/F3/F4 are mechanical-shape edits to three lines (release/SKILL.md:222, post-release/SKILL.md:340, post-release/SKILL.md:226) once F1's resolution is chosen — fix on-branch with self-coherence.md fix-round appendix per `alpha/SKILL.md` §2.7 line 247. F1 requires a γ-side / operator decision on which resolution to pick; α may not pick it unilaterally per `cdd/SKILL.md` Conflict rule (CDD.md governs lifecycle and artifact contract; this is artifact-contract territory). β suggests α surface F1 to γ for the resolution call before drafting the fix, then implement whichever resolution γ chooses across all five affected surfaces (CDD.md §Tracking line 192–196, CDD.md §1.4 β step 3 line 332, alpha/SKILL.md §2.7 line 244, gamma/SKILL.md §2.5 line 217, operator/SKILL.md §2.2 line 105) in one fix-round.

**On where this verdict file lives — and an extra data point for F1.** The new spec's polling table (CDD.md §Tracking lines 187–196) says the cycle dir is read from `origin/main`. Following that, β intended to commit `beta-review.md` directly to `origin/main`. **In practice, β's session was dispatched onto a pre-set branch (`claude/implement-beta-skill-loading-ZXWKe`, parented at `origin/main`) and lacked operator authorization to push directly to `origin/main`.** The verdict commit therefore lands on the β-side branch, not on `origin/main`. This is exactly the F1 incoherence applied to β's verdict surface: a role following the spec literally — polling `origin/main` for `beta-review.md` — would not see this verdict either, until either (a) β's branch is somehow merged or rebased into main, or (b) γ/the operator reads β's branch out-of-band. β surfaces this as additional evidence for F1: the polling-source ambiguity affects every role that writes cycle-dir artifacts, not only α. F1's resolution must cover β's verdict-write path as well as α's self-coherence-write path. Practical workaround for this round: γ reads `beta-review.md` from `origin/claude/implement-beta-skill-loading-ZXWKe` (β's branch tip).

---

## Round 2 — APPROVED

**Verdict:** APPROVED
**Round:** 2
**Branch:** `claude/cdd-tier-1-skills-pptds`
**Branch head SHA at review:** `fc50265ec8bed2805124410def59cddbb4372eba` (α round-2 fix-round)
**Round-1 head SHA reviewed:** `1aaf9fb` (now history)
**γ-clarification commit:** `2f83095` (F1 resolution: branch-polling canonical, one cycle branch)
**β round-1 cherry-pick commit:** `8d78514` (cycle exemplifies its own rule — α picked option 1)
**Fixed this round:** `fc50265` closes F1, F2, F3, F4 from round 1.
**Branch CI state:** out of scope (markdown-only diff; `gh` unavailable in β's environment) — β confirms no code/test surface changed; merge-time gate handled by direct `git merge` verification.
**Merge instruction:** `git merge claude/cdd-tier-1-skills-pptds` into `main` with `Closes #283` in the merge commit message. **Pre-merge consideration:** `origin/main` has drifted by one non-overlapping commit (`b281e81` by sigma — CTB language-spec / semantics-notes / vision; touches `docs/alpha/ctb/` only, zero overlap with this cycle's diff). β to verify clean merge before pushing. β's harness-given side branch `claude/implement-beta-skill-loading-ZXWKe` is now redundant under γ's resolved model — δ to clean up at normal merged-branch hygiene.

### Narrowing — round-2 findings status

| # | Round-1 finding | Round-2 fix commit | Status |
|---|-----------------|--------------------|--------|
| F1 | Polling-source spec contradicts cycle's own behavior (5+ surfaces) | `fc50265` | **CLOSED.** All 5 named surfaces rewritten: `CDD.md` §Tracking polling table (rows 192–194 now use `origin/{branch}`/per-branch SHA), §Tracking new paragraph at 196 ("**The cycle's branch is the canonical coordination surface**" + auth precondition + `Derives from #283 β R1 F1`), §Tracking baseline-pull paragraph (line 211, baseline reads `origin/{cycle-branch}`), §1.4 β step 3 (replaced shell loop with per-branch head SHA tracking via associative array; β-side branch refusal added), `alpha/SKILL.md` §2.7 (drops "may also commit directly to main" clause; explicit "Do not commit cycle-dir files directly to `main` while the cycle is open"), `gamma/SKILL.md` §2.5 (per-branch SHA loop + new explanatory paragraph), `operator/SKILL.md` §2.2 (same pattern). Self-application achieved: β's round-1 verdict cherry-picked from β-side branch at `1ceb99c` onto α's cycle branch as `8d78514`, preserving git authorship (`author: beta`, `committer: alpha`) — content `diff` between the two SHAs returns zero divergence. **Regression test passes both arms:** positive — round-2's branch-glob + head-SHA polling is the same loop β re-arms after each verdict-write, and would surface α's signal correctly in a fresh dispatch; negative — β re-grepped `origin/main` references in the cdd skill tree at `fc50265` and found 8 matches, all classified (3 explicit prohibition prose, 2 merged-branch cleanup, 1 readiness check, 2 baseline-pull negative-form prose), zero "poll origin/main for in-flight cycle artifacts" instructions. |
| F2 | `release/SKILL.md` §2.10 directs β close-out into `beta-review.md` | `fc50265` | **CLOSED.** Both β-write bullets at `release/SKILL.md` §2.10 lines 220–224 now write to `beta-closeout.md`. Final paragraph rewritten with explicit role split: "β records the review verdict in `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/beta-review.md` (steps 8–9) and the close-out + release evidence in `.cdd/unreleased/{N}/beta-closeout.md` (step 10)." Authority surface count for `beta-closeout.md`: 5 (β/SKILL.md §5, CDD.md §5.3a row 727, §Tracking line 149, §1.4 β step 9, γ/SKILL.md §2.7) plus this fix = 6 surfaces in agreement; zero remaining contradiction. |
| F3 | post-release pre-publish gate requires legacy `gamma/CLOSE-OUT.md` | `fc50265` | **CLOSED.** Gate row at `post-release/SKILL.md` line 340 now reads "`.cdd/unreleased/{N}/gamma-closeout.md` (in-version) or `.cdd/releases/{X.Y.Z}/{N}/gamma-closeout.md` (post-release) exists ... Legacy aggregate `.cdd/releases/{X.Y.Z}/gamma/CLOSE-OUT.md` is warn-only per `CDD.md` §5.3a; do not require it." Aligns with §5.3a row 728 + γ/SKILL.md §2.7 line 291. |
| F4 | post-release §5.6 references superseded `{role}.md` | `fc50265` | **CLOSED.** `post-release/SKILL.md` §5.6 line 226 (CDD-β surface-agreement bullet) now reads "`.cdd/unreleased/{N}/` cycle artifacts (per the canonical filename set in `CDD.md` §Tracking)." Authority pointer added inline. β re-grepped the post-state for `{role}.md` in the cdd skill tree at `fc50265`: exactly one match remains, and it is the `CDD.md` §Tracking line 140 explicit-prohibition phrasing ("Role distinguished by filename, not by directory or by a rigid `{role}.md` shape"). |

### Notes — round 2

**Cycle exemplifies its own rule (per γ's option 1).** α chose the harder path: cherry-pick β's round-1 verdict from the β-side branch onto α's cycle branch. β confirms by `diff <(git show 1ceb99c:.cdd/unreleased/283/beta-review.md) <(git show fc50265:.cdd/unreleased/283/beta-review.md)` → identical, and by inspection of `8d78514` metadata (`author: beta <beta@cdd.cnos>`, `committer: alpha <alpha@cdd.cnos>`) — git authorship preserved across the cherry-pick. The cycle's own artifact tree at `fc50265` contains `gamma-clarification.md`, `self-coherence.md`, and `beta-review.md` — all three role surfaces present on α's branch as the new spec mandates.

**Transient-row drift on rebase (B-level, merge-time consideration only — not a blocker).** α's round-2 pre-review re-validation table records "`origin/main` HEAD still `9dbb107a` (no upstream drift since round 1)." That was true at the moment α wrote the appendix. **At round-2 review time, `origin/main` has advanced to `b281e81`** (sigma's CTB commit: `docs/alpha/ctb/CTB-v4.0.0-VISION.md` + `LANGUAGE-SPEC-v0.2-draft.md` + `SEMANTICS-NOTES.md`, +620/-2 lines). β verifies the drift is non-overlapping with #283's diff (#283 touches `src/packages/cnos.cdd/skills/cdd/` + `.cdd/unreleased/`; sigma's commit touches only `docs/alpha/ctb/`). `git merge` will succeed without conflict. β handles this at merge time without requiring α to rebase; if a conflict surfaces against expectation, β stops and surfaces. The transient-row rule (`alpha/SKILL.md` §2.6 "Re-validate transient rows immediately before signaling review-readiness") was followed correctly at α's signal time; the drift happened post-signal during the β-review window. β does not file this as a finding because the spec doesn't yet require α to re-rebase mid-review when a non-overlapping main commit lands; the merge-time `git merge` step naturally resolves it.

**β's polling-failure observation (process debt — for β close-out + γ PRA, not a finding on the diff).** β's `Monitor` polling missed all three new commits on α's branch (`2f83095`, `8d78514`, `fc50265`); the operator surfaced the activity manually. β's last several `[Monitor timed out — re-arm if needed.]` events fired without any preceding `branch-update:` event, even though α's branch advanced through three SHAs during the watch window. Suspected cause: `git fetch --quiet origin` in the poll loop returned silently with stale data (auth/network flake masked by the `--quiet` flag), so the transition-only stdout filter saw `cur == prev` and emitted nothing. Mitigations for future cycles: drop `--quiet` so fetch errors emit, or add an explicit `git fetch --prune --force origin` periodic full-sync cadence, or check exit code of `git fetch` and emit a `fetch-failed:` line as a wake event. β notes this as α-side-impact / β-side-process-debt observation; γ to triage in PRA. The new-spec polling form (per-branch head-SHA tracking, just landed in `fc50265`) is structurally correct — the bug is in the `git fetch` reliability layer underneath, not in the polling shape.

**Architecture / leverage check.** §2.2.11 / §2.3.9 — the cycle's outcome is the higher-leverage move (eliminates PR-polling friction class as L7-shaped MCA). Round-2 narrowing introduced no new architectural pressures; the model is internally consistent and self-applies. β does not see a further higher-leverage alternative within scope.

**Severity / type taxonomy across rounds.** Round 1: 1 D + 2 C + 1 B = 4 findings, all judgment, mechanical ratio 0%. Round 2: 0 findings. Total: 4 / 4 closed. No process-issue filing required (mechanical ratio 0% < 20% threshold).

**Round-2 search-space closure.** β re-read the round-2 narrowing diff (`git diff 1aaf9fb..fc50265` for the skill-file scope), independently verified each F1 surface change, ran four residual scans (origin/main, {role}.md, bare role-prefix.md, PR refs) — all clean. β does not see a remaining blocker in the artifact contract, polling spec, or coordination surface contract. **Approval scoped to the artifact contract this cycle establishes; merge action below is β's commitment to integrate.**

### Merge instruction

`git merge claude/cdd-tier-1-skills-pptds` into `main` with the merge commit message "`Closes #283: replace GitHub PR workflow with .cdd/unreleased/{N}/ artifact exchange in CDD`" (or operator-preferred phrasing — must include `Closes #283` for issue auto-close per `CDD.md` §Tracking line 166).

**β does not auto-execute the merge.** Pushing to `origin/main` is a high-blast-radius action; β will pause for operator confirmation before executing the merge step (β-step-8). On confirmation, β will: (1) verify the merge has no conflict against `origin/main` at `b281e81`, (2) execute `git merge --no-ff claude/cdd-tier-1-skills-pptds` on `main` with the `Closes #283` commit message, (3) push `main`, (4) tag if a release is also being cut, (5) write `beta-closeout.md` per `CDD.md` §1.4 β step 9 and `release/SKILL.md` §2.10 (corrected by F2 fix), (6) hand off to γ for the PRA per `CDD.md` §1.4 Phase 3.


