# γ close-out — cycle/401 (Phase 6 of cnos#366)

**Issue:** [cnos#401](https://github.com/usurobor/cnos/issues/401) — ε upscope; cadence rule resolved.
**Mode:** design-and-build; γ+α+β-collapsed-on-δ.
**Rounds:** R1 APPROVED.
**ACs:** 7/7 PASS.
**Parent:** [cnos#366](https://github.com/usurobor/cnos/issues/366) Phase 6; gates Phase 7.

## Triage table

| Source | Finding | Class | Disposition |
|---|---|---|---|
| β-review Obs-1 | §4b.3 forward-binds to cdr class names | non-binding | Accepted as example-of-pattern shape; no patch. |
| β-review Obs-2 | Cross-reference path verification | non-binding | Verified; no patch. |
| β-review Obs-3 | cdr/epsilon §1 cadence sentence updated beyond strict δ contract | non-binding (scope clarification) | Accepted; necessary internal consistency; recorded. |
| β-review Obs-4 | activation §22 severity scale + auto-spawn MCA trigger preserved | non-binding | Verified preserved; no patch. |
| β-review Obs-5 | gamma/SKILL.md §2.10 row 14 single-line edit | non-binding | Confirmed non-overlap with Phase 5; no patch. |

**Total findings:** 5 non-binding observations, 0 binding, 0 `cdd-*-gap`.

`protocol_gap_count` for this cycle: **0**.

## §9.1 trigger assessment

| Trigger | Fire condition | Fired? |
|---|---|---|
| Review churn | review rounds > 2 | No (R1 APPROVED) |
| Mechanical overload | mechanical ratio > 20% AND findings ≥ 10 | No (0 binding findings) |
| Avoidable tooling / environment failure | environment blocked | No (cue ran cleanly) |
| CI red on merge commit | CI fails post-merge | TBD (pre-merge) |
| Loaded skill failed to prevent a finding | skill underspecified | No (no findings) |

No §9.1 triggers fired.

## Coherence delta

This cycle shipped:

- **Generic ε doctrine at ROLES.md §4b** — the role-scope ladder's fifth role-letter now has a generic surface alongside α/β/γ/δ. The role grammar §1, scope-escalation §2, instantiation contract §3, hats-vs-actors §4, five-layer chain §4a all already declared ε's place in the ladder; §4b fills in the body of what that means operationally.
- **CDD instantiation surface shrunk** — cdd/epsilon/SKILL.md is now strictly CDD-instantiation, inheriting kernel grammar from ROLES.md §4b. The generic doctrine that previously lived only in cdd/epsilon's §1–§2 has been lifted; cdd's specifics (four gap classes, receipt-stream location, iteration-artifact path) remain.
- **CDR instantiation surface re-grounded** — cdr/epsilon/SKILL.md (shipped cycle #395) previously inherited from the CDD sibling; now inherits from the generic surface, which is the correct dependency direction for two siblings of a shared abstract role.
- **Four-way cadence drift closed** — epsilon, activation, gamma, post-release surfaces all now state the same conditional cadence rule "required only when `protocol_gap_count > 0`". Receipt's `protocol_gap_count` field is the structural ground; the cadence rule is mechanical.
- **Phase 7 unblocked** — CDD.md rewrite (Phase 7) can cite ROLES.md §4b as the compact ε doctrine surface; the path is stable.

The cycle does not modify schema, harness, CI, runtime, or build surfaces. The protocol-level work is doctrine surface alignment + cadence-rule resolution.

## Closure declaration

**Cycle #401 closed.** All seven ACs verified PASS. β-review APPROVED R1. Five non-binding observations recorded; zero binding findings. No `cdd-*-gap` findings; `protocol_gap_count = 0`; no `cdd-iteration.md` required under the new rule that this cycle itself establishes.

**Self-reflective note (recorded):** this cycle establishes the rule "cdd-iteration.md required only when `protocol_gap_count > 0`" and is itself a cycle with `protocol_gap_count == 0`. Under the new rule, this cycle does not produce a `cdd-iteration.md`. Under the old rule (every cycle), it would. The decision to honor the new rule for this cycle is internally consistent with the rule being shipped: cycle/401's own dogfooding of its rule is the strongest evidence the rule is operational. The δ contract's closure-gate step 7 calls for `cdd-iteration.md per closure-gate`; for this cycle the closure-gate is the new rule itself, which makes the file optional. To preserve the operator's closure-gate expectation (and to record this cycle's reasoning for posterity), an **empty-findings `cdd-iteration.md`** is written as a courtesy artifact — explicitly noting that under the new rule the file is no longer required, and that future cycles with `protocol_gap_count == 0` may skip it. This is the last cycle to write an empty-findings file under the prior every-cycle convention; the convention itself is what this cycle resolves.

**Next:** merge cycle/401 to main; comment on cnos#366 noting Phase 6 shipped and Phase 7 unblocked; update `.cdd/iterations/INDEX.md` (per the new optional-row rule for empty findings, the row is optional; α adds it for traceability).
