---
session_id: S-2026-0217-1517
timestamp: 2026-02-17T14:17:57Z
predecessor: S-2026-0217-1413
tasks_active: [T-107, T-109, T-110, T-111, T-113, T-114, T-116, T-117]
tasks_touched: [T-112, T-115, T-116, T-117]
tasks_completed: [T-112, T-115]
uncommitted_changes: 0
owner: claude-code
session_narrative: "Governance forensics session. User noticed T-108 in completed/ unexpectedly, triggering forensic investigation (3 agents) that found 5 governance violations including premature closure and post-closure drift. Documented findings (L-034, FP-006, D-022, research doc), created mitigation tasks (T-113, T-114). Systematic audit of all 109 tasks found 58% have empty task files, 85% have post-closure commits, 16% have stale episodics. Found and fixed silent data loss bug in add-pattern command (T-115). Three-position debate on task logging → designed hybrid episodic system (git-mined + task-file decisions). Promoted L-034 to practice P-010."
---

# Session Handover: S-2026-0217-1517

## Where We Are

Major governance analysis session. Forensic investigation of T-108 premature closure revealed structural gaps in task completion lifecycle. Systematic audit of all 109 completed tasks confirmed the problem is systemic (58% empty task files). Designed a hybrid episodic system (git owns timeline/metrics, task file owns decisions/AC, episodic merges both). Ready for implementation experiment next session.

## Work in Progress

### T-107: Initialize German pronunciation app project
- **Status:** captured — bridge task (unchanged from last session)
- **Last action:** No work done this session
- **Next step:** User decides project directory path, then `fw setup /path/to/pronunciation-app`
- **Blockers:** User decision on directory path
- **Insight:** fw setup wizard validated and bug-free after T-108 fixes

### T-109: Structured result ledger protocol
- **Status:** started-work (inception, unchanged from last session)
- **Last action:** No work this session (carried forward)
- **Next step:** Spike — design envelope schema, implement fw bus post/read/manifest, test with simulated dispatch. Time-box: 2 hours.
- **Blockers:** None
- **Insight:** Thesis: "task-scoped file-based result ledger, not real-time bus." Research: docs/reports/2026-02-17-agent-communication-bus-research.md

### T-110: Agent trigger via systemd.path
- **Status:** captured (inception, unchanged from last session)
- **Last action:** No work this session
- **Next step:** Spike systemd.path unit watching .context/bus/inbox/, test handler firing
- **Blockers:** None — independent of T-109
- **Insight:** systemd.path uses inotify internally. Key question: can handler invoke Claude Code CLI?

### T-111: Autonomous compact-resume lifecycle
- **Status:** captured (inception, unchanged from last session)
- **Last action:** No work this session
- **Next step:** Map compact-resume lifecycle, identify mechanical vs judgment steps, prototype
- **Blockers:** None — independent of T-109/T-110
- **Insight:** User insight: compact-resume is purely mechanical, automating it enables indefinite agent sessions

### T-113: Add acceptance criteria gate to task completion
- **Status:** captured (created this session from T-112 analysis)
- **Last action:** Created with full description and references
- **Next step:** Implement: update default.md template (add AC section), modify update-task.sh to parse AC checkboxes and refuse work-completed unless all checked or --force
- **Blockers:** T-117 design should land first (template changes overlap)
- **Insight:** Part of the hybrid episodic design — AC section serves dual purpose (completion gate + episodic outcomes)

### T-114: Add closed task commit warning to commit-msg hook
- **Status:** captured (created this session from T-112 analysis)
- **Last action:** Created with full description and references
- **Next step:** Modify commit-msg hook to check if referenced task is in completed/, print Tier 1 warning
- **Blockers:** None — independent, small scope
- **Insight:** Simple grep of .tasks/completed/ in existing hook. Should take <30 min.

### T-116: Audit completed tasks for T-108-like governance issues
- **Status:** started-work (audit complete, needs closing)
- **Last action:** 3 parallel agents scanned 109 tasks. Reports written. Should be closed next session.
- **Next step:** Close task — all audit reports committed, findings fed into T-117 design
- **Blockers:** None
- **Insight:** 58% empty task files is systemic, not isolated. T-012 post-closure commits are by convention (not drift).

### T-117: Design hybrid task-file + git-mined episodic system
- **Status:** started-work (design complete, ready for experiment)
- **Last action:** Full design doc written with 4-phase experiment plan. D-023 recorded. Three debate docs produced.
- **Next step:** Execute experiment plan (Phase 1-4) per docs/reports/2026-02-17-hybrid-episodic-design.md
- **Blockers:** None — design approved, implementation ready
- **Insight:** Key insight from debate: git owns "what happened" (immutable, code-linked), task file owns "why" (decisions, rationale). Episodic merges both automatically.

## Inception Phases

**4 inception task(s) pending decision** — run `fw inception status` for details.

## Gaps Register

**1 spec-reality gap(s) being watched** — see `.context/project/gaps.yaml`

- **G-004** [low]: Multi-agent collaboration untested

Run `fw audit` to check if any trigger conditions are met.

## Decisions Made This Session

1. **Implement AC gate + closed task commit warning as mitigations (D-022)**
   - Why: T-108 forensics showed work-completed is unvalidated flag. 5 governance violations found.
   - Alternatives rejected: Full update logging enforcement (58% prove it doesn't work)

2. **Hybrid task-file + git-mined episodic system (D-023)**
   - Why: 58% empty task files prove Updates-as-log failed. 97% git traceability proves commits are natural authority. Merge both sources.
   - Alternatives rejected: Pure enforcement (Position A — fights observed behavior), Pure git (Position B — loses decision rationale)

3. **No deep multi-agent design on mitigations**
   - Why: Root causes well-understood, mitigations are bounded shell changes. Better to ship than analyze further.

## Things Tried That Failed

1. **FP-006 silently lost by add-pattern command** — `fw context add-pattern` said "Pattern added: FP-006" but the awk script silently dropped it. Found and fixed in T-115.

## Open Questions / Blockers

1. Can Claude Code CLI be invoked programmatically by a systemd service? (T-110, T-111)
2. Where should the pronunciation app directory be? (T-107)
3. Will agents actually write Decisions entries, or will they be empty like Updates? (T-117 experiment will test)
4. testdev user on this machine needs cleanup (password redacted)

## Gotchas / Warnings for Next Session

- T-116 should be closed (audit complete, reports committed, just needs status update)
- T-113 and T-117 have overlapping template changes — do T-117 first, T-113 builds on it
- T-115 fixed a bug in add-pattern: previously all add-pattern calls to non-empty sections were silently dropped
- testdev user still exists (created for testing, not cleaned up)
- 8 active tasks — most are captured/inception, only T-117 has immediate action
- **Read design doc before starting:** docs/reports/2026-02-17-hybrid-episodic-design.md

## Suggested First Action

Check context budget (`checkpoint.sh status`), then:
- **Primary:** T-117 experiment — execute 4-phase plan from design doc (~2h). Close T-116 first (5 min).
- **Quick win:** T-114 (closed task commit warning) — small, independent, <30 min
- **User decision needed:** T-107 (pronunciation app directory)

## Files Changed This Session

- Created: docs/reports/2026-02-17-premature-task-closure-analysis.md, docs/reports/2026-02-17-hybrid-episodic-design.md, docs/reports/debate-{enforce-task-logging,adapt-to-git,hybrid-synthesis}.md, docs/reports/audit-{post-closure-commits,thin-task-files,episodic-accuracy}.md, .tasks/active/T-{113,114,116,117}-*.md, .context/episodic/T-{112,115}.yaml
- Modified: agents/context/lib/pattern.sh (fix silent drop bug), .context/project/{learnings,patterns,decisions,practices}.yaml
- Moved: .tasks/{active→completed}/T-{112,115}-*.md

## Recent Commits

- 21af83e T-117: Design hybrid task-file + git-mined episodic system
- 0b0c0e4 T-116: Systematic audit of 109 completed tasks for governance issues
- f2b9c3d T-115: Complete — episodic enriched, L-035 captured
- ff03018 T-115: Fix silent pattern drop in add-pattern command
- eb4a366 T-112: Promote L-034 to practice P-010 (acceptance criteria validation)
- 49d31e7 T-112: Complete — episodic enriched, task closed
- 47e198f T-112: Document T-108 premature closure governance gap

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## Handover Quality Feedback (for next session to complete)

- Did this handover help? [ ]
- What was missing?
- What was unnecessary?
