---
id: 11435
title: 'ADR 0007 amendment: §21 trigger entries as Recursive-Reload Anchor (post-pruning-discipline-recall)'
state: CLOSED
labels:
  - documentation
  - enhancement
  - ai
  - architecture
  - model-experience
assignees:
  - neo-gemini-pro
createdAt: '2026-05-15T18:27:29Z'
updatedAt: '2026-06-07T17:12:13Z'
githubUrl: 'https://github.com/neomjs/neo/issues/11435'
author: neo-opus-ada
commentsCount: 0
parentIssue: null
subIssues: []
subIssuesCompleted: 0
subIssuesTotal: 0
blockedBy: []
blocking: []
closedAt: '2026-05-16T10:09:13Z'
---
# ADR 0007 amendment: §21 trigger entries as Recursive-Reload Anchor (post-pruning-discipline-recall)

## Context

PR #11434 added `FAIR-band stance declaration per §1.3` + `FAIR-band declaration verification` to AGENTS.md §21 trigger table per operator-direction. The substantive insight surfaced during PR #11434 review-handoff (operator messages 2026-05-15 ~18:18Z + ~18:28Z): **AGENTS.md §21 trigger entries function as recursive-reload anchors for post-pruning-discipline-recall, not just first-time-invocation pointers.**

The current ADR 0007 baseline taxonomy (3-axis slot rule: trigger-frequency × failure-severity × enforceability) doesn't explicitly capture this dimension. Phase C compression planners need this annotation to preserve §21 entries as load-bearing under compression cycles.

## The Problem

Currently, skill-payload-only discipline (the content loaded via `view_file` on skill payload at trigger-time) is **fragile under context pruning in long sessions**:

- `AGENTS.md` is L1 anchor; reloaded every turn
- Skill payloads loaded only on-invocation via `view_file`
- After context-pruning, skill content is pruned but AGENTS.md reloads
- Without §21 trigger, the agent **cannot recover the pruned discipline** until independently rediscovering the need + skill path

This means: any substrate-discipline that depends on skill-payload-only loading is empirically unreliable in long sessions. Even invoked-earlier disciplines (`/lead-role`'s relaxed-planning mindset; `/peer-role`'s convergence-pressure posture; FAIR-band author-lane discipline) silently forget post-compaction.

## The Architectural Reality

ADR 0007 (Compaction Taxonomy) §2.1 baseline disposition table currently classifies sections by:
- **Disposition** (`keep` / `move` / `compress-to-trigger` / `rewrite` / `retire`)
- **Tag** (`MACHINE-ENFORCEABLE-CANDIDATE` / `DISCIPLINE-ONLY`)
- **Rationale / Friction Capture**

What's missing: **annotation of which `keep` rows are *recursive-reload-required*** (load-bearing for post-pruning discipline recall) vs which are merely high-frequency-trigger entries.

§21 trigger table specifically holds the recursive-reload anchors for the entire skill substrate. Phase C compression candidates must NOT touch §21 entries that have `recursive-reload-required` semantic, even if other axes (frequency / severity / enforceability) would otherwise justify compression.

## The Fix

Amend `learn/agentos/decisions/0007-agents-md-compaction-taxonomy.md` with:

**1. New §2.0.1 Post-Pruning-Recurrence-Rate Sub-Axis** explaining the dimension:
- Trigger-frequency now decomposes into (a) per-turn-load-frequency (existing) + (b) post-pruning-discipline-recall-recurrence (new)
- Skills that shape ongoing-session-behavior (lead-role, peer-role, FAIR-band, blocked-task-state, others) NEED their §21 trigger as recursive-reload anchor
- Skills that are one-shot-and-done (ticket-create, structural-pre-flight, session-sunset) may be lower-priority on this axis

**2. Annotate baseline disposition table** with new `recursive-reload-required` column for `keep` rows in §21:
- `pull-request`, `pr-review`, `post-review-pickup`, `lead-role`, `peer-role`, FAIR-band: YES
- `ticket-create`, `ticket-triage`, `ticket-intake`, `structural-pre-flight`, `session-sunset`, `unit-test`, `whitebox-e2e`: NO (one-shot lifecycle skills; discipline doesn't persist across turns)

**3. New §5.3 Anti-Pattern: Recursive-Reload Anchor Retirement** — explicit prohibition on retiring §21 entries marked `recursive-reload-required` during Phase C compression cycles.

## Acceptance Criteria

- [ ] ADR 0007 §2.0.1 (or equivalent) codifies post-pruning-recurrence-rate as sub-axis of trigger-frequency
- [ ] Baseline disposition table (§2.1) extended with `recursive-reload-required` annotation for relevant `keep` rows
- [ ] §5 Anti-Patterns adds explicit prohibition on retiring `recursive-reload-required` entries during compression
- [ ] PR body documents which §21 entries are annotated; cross-reference Phase C compression planning surface
- [ ] FAIR-band stance declaration per `pull-request-workflow §1.3` (per the discipline that surfaced this insight)

## Out of Scope

- AGENTS.md §21 content changes (the entries are already correct per recent PRs; this is metadata-amendment to ADR 0007)
- New skill creation
- Phase C compression itself (separate work tracked in archived Discussion #11419)
- Mechanical CI enforcement of the annotation (defer to future ticket if needed)

## Avoided Traps / Gold Standards Rejected

- **Adding the annotation to AGENTS.md inline** — rejected per substrate-accretion-defense; the annotation belongs in the ADR substrate that GOVERNS the §21 entries, not the §21 entries themselves
- **New ADR 0009** — rejected; this is a substantive amendment to ADR 0007's framework, not a new primitive. ADR 0007 already establishes the framework being extended.
- **Discussion (ideation-sandbox) first** — rejected; the architectural insight is surfaced via operator-direct framing 2026-05-15 with empirical anchors (PR #11434 context-pruning case + the lead-role/peer-role substrate-discipline-fragility examples). No high-blast ambiguity needing convergence; direct ticket path is appropriate.

## Empirical Anchors

- **Operator framing 2026-05-15 ~18:28Z**: *"think of context pruning in long sessions: even lead or peer role might be 'forgotten' (adding weight for agents.md)"*
- **PR #11434** — §21 trigger addition surfaced the recursive-reload framing during operator-correction cycle
- **PR #11432** — primary FAIR-band codification at `post-review-pickup-workflow.md §4`; the substrate this ADR amendment governs
- **Discussion #11419** — graduation source for ADR 0007 + Phase C compression substrate
- **Ticket #11413** — Phase C compression implementation ticket (Phase C planners are the primary consumer of this amendment)
- **AGENTS.md §15.6 Helpful Assistant Regression-Defense** — empirical anchor for skill-invocation bypass shape that paired with context-pruning makes payload-only disciplines fragile

## Related

- ADR 0007 — Compaction Taxonomy (the artifact being amended)
- ADR 0006 — ADRs as Graph-Queryable Entities (this amendment becomes graph-queryable via ADR 0006)
- ADR 0005 §2.3 amended — ADR-amendment lifecycle (Proposed → Accepted via operator merge)
- PR #11434 — FAIR-band PR-Pre-Flight Gate (surfaced the insight; Substrate Mutation Rationale section partially captures this rationale)
- PR #11432 — FAIR-band primary codification (merged 2026-05-15)
- Discussion #11419 — substrate-evolution archaeology (Phase C planning consumer)
- Ticket #11413 — Phase C compression implementation (load-bearing consumer of this amendment)
- `feedback_skill_adherence_asymmetry.md` family — empirical anchor for skill-payload-only-discipline fragility

## Origin Session ID

`656c0935-0b3e-4b06-9b14-548524275859`

## Handoff Retrieval Hint

Memory query: *"AGENTS.md §21 recursive-reload anchor post-pruning-discipline-recall"* OR *"ADR 0007 amendment annotation column"*. Cross-reference: PR #11434 substrate mutation rationale + operator-direction 2026-05-15 ~18:28Z context-pruning framing.

## Substrate Enforcement Sufficiency Audit (per `ticket-intake-workflow.md §9.2`)

Required for substrate tickets per Hot Context Fast-Path Substrate Exception.

**Target failure mode:** Phase C compression cycle (ticket #11413 + others) retires §21 entries based on the existing 3-axis disposition table without recognizing that some `keep` entries are load-bearing recursive-reload anchors for post-pruning-discipline-recall. The compression succeeds on the byte-budget axis but fragilities the swarm's behavioral substrate in long sessions.

**Existing enforcement layers:**
- **Layer 4 (CI)**: `lint-substrate-size.mjs` (PR #11415) enforces byte cap; no awareness of which `keep` entries are recursive-reload-anchors
- **Layer 1 (AGENTS.md)**: §21 trigger table exists but doesn't self-annotate which entries are recursive-reload-required
- **Existing skill logic**: ADR 0007 Compaction Taxonomy provides the 3-axis framework but doesn't capture the post-pruning-recurrence-rate sub-axis

**Insufficiency proven:** No existing substrate signals to Phase C compression planners that §21 entries with recursive-reload semantic must be preserved. The current framework would permit a `compress-to-trigger` disposition for, e.g., `lead-role` §21 trigger — which would empirically break post-pruning lead-role discipline recall.

**Decision:** Amend ADR 0007 to capture the post-pruning-recurrence-rate sub-axis + annotate baseline disposition table + add §5 anti-pattern. ROI Positive — preserves substrate-evolution velocity (Phase C compression can proceed) while protecting load-bearing recursive-reload anchors.

## Timeline

- 2026-05-15T18:27:31Z @neo-opus-ada added the `documentation` label
- 2026-05-15T18:27:31Z @neo-opus-ada added the `enhancement` label
- 2026-05-15T18:27:31Z @neo-opus-ada added the `ai` label
- 2026-05-15T18:27:31Z @neo-opus-ada added the `architecture` label
- 2026-05-15T18:27:32Z @neo-opus-ada added the `model-experience` label
- 2026-05-15T18:32:13Z @neo-gpt cross-referenced by PR #11434
- 2026-05-15T18:54:14Z @neo-gemini-pro cross-referenced by PR #11436
- 2026-05-15T19:02:02Z @neo-gemini-pro referenced in commit `e0dc3cd` - "docs(agentos): add §2.2 sub-axis and extend recursive-reload coverage (#11435)"
- 2026-05-15T19:13:04Z @neo-gemini-pro referenced in commit `3cb460c` - "docs(agentos): address PR #11436 Cycle-1 CR feedback (#11435)"
- 2026-05-15T19:36:39Z @neo-gemini-pro assigned to @neo-gemini-pro
- 2026-05-15T19:38:05Z @neo-gemini-pro cross-referenced by PR #11439
- 2026-05-15T19:45:42Z @neo-gemini-pro referenced in commit `b009fd6` - "docs(agentos): amend ADR 0007 with recursive-reload anchor annotations (#11435)"
- 2026-05-16T02:12:23Z @neo-gemini-pro referenced in commit `eadcb2f` - "docs(agentos): amend ADR 0007 with recursive-reload anchor annotations (#11435)"
- 2026-05-16T10:09:14Z @tobiu closed this issue
- 2026-05-16T10:09:14Z @tobiu referenced in commit `e218fce` - "docs(agentos): amend ADR 0007 with recursive-reload anchor annotations (#11435) (#11439)

Co-authored-by: neo-gemini-3-1-pro <neo-gemini-3-1-pro@users.noreply.github.com>"
- 2026-05-16T12:01:56Z @neo-gpt cross-referenced by #11453

