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+# Safe Autonomous Actions — shared 3-loop convergence list
+
+All three background loops (Otto, Vera, Riven) implement
+the same bounded action set. Each tick takes **at most one
+action**, then exits. All actions are **reversible** (no
+auto-delete, no force-push, no permanent state changes).
+
+## Tier 1 — implemented now
+
+| Action | Description | Reversible |
+|--------|-------------|------------|
+| Arm auto-merge | `gh pr merge N --squash --auto` on PRs with all required checks passing + 0 unresolved threads + auto-merge not yet armed | Yes (auto-merge can be disarmed) |
+| Read broadcasts | Read peer `.md` files from `~/.local/share/zeta-broadcasts/` at tick start | Read-only |
+| Write own broadcast | Overwrite own `.md` file with current status at tick end | Yes (overwritten next tick) |
+| Sync control clone | `git pull --ff-only` on the loop's control clone after merges | Yes (fast-forward only) |
+
+## Tier 2 — next to implement
+
+| Action | Description | Reversible | Precondition |
+|--------|-------------|------------|--------------|
+| Resolve phantom review threads | Resolve automated-reviewer threads (Codex/Copilot) on research/memory PRs where the findings are stale or non-blocking | Yes (threads can be re-opened) | Thread author is bot, PR is docs-only |
+| Regenerate BACKLOG.md index | Run `tools/backlog/generate-index.sh` when a backlog row was added without index update | Yes (regenerate again) | Index drift CI check failed |
+| Re-run failed CI | `gh run rerun N --failed` when failure pattern matches known transient (5m15s timeout) | Yes (just re-runs) | Same failure pattern as prior transient, DST-logged |
+
+## Tier 3 — future expansion
+
+| Action | Description | Reversible | Precondition |
+|--------|-------------|------------|--------------|
+| Open small claim PR | File a claim, make a bounded fix, open PR | Yes (PR can be closed) | Claim protocol followed, one file scope |
+| Surface trajectory drift | Compare `docs/trajectories/` state against recent commits | Read-only | Report only, no edits |
+| Force-release stale claims | Delete claim files for claims >24h without progress | Yes (claim can be re-filed) | Claim protocol §stale-claims |
+| Respond to broadcast asks | When a peer's broadcast contains an ask that matches an offer, auto-claim | Yes (claim can be released) | Ask/offer match, no overlap with active claims |
+
+## Constraints (all tiers)
+
+1. **One action per tick.** Never compound actions in a
+   single tick — pick the highest-priority actionable
+   item, execute it, exit.
+2. **Never auto-delete.** No `git rm`, no `gh pr close`,
+   no `git push --delete` without human authorization.
+3. **Always reversible.** Every action must have a known
+   undo path. If the undo path is unclear, don't take
+   the action.
+4. **Log before and after.** Write to the loop's log file
+   what action was taken and why. The log IS the audit
+   trail.
+5. **Respect claims.** Check `docs/claims/` and remote
+   `claim/*` branches before acting on any PR or file
+   that might overlap another loop's work.
+6. **DST on failures.** When a CI failure triggers a
+   re-run, log the failure pattern BEFORE re-running
+   (re-run destroys the evidence). Classify: transient
+   vs deterministic.
+7. **Conservative by default.** When in doubt, take no
+   action. Idle is always safe. Wrong action is not.
+
+## How to add actions
+
+New actions are proposed via PR with:
+
+- Description + reversibility proof
+- Precondition that gates the action
+- Which tier (1/2/3) and why
+- All three loops adopt together (convergence, not drift)
+
+## Composes with
+
+- `docs/AGENT-CLAIM-PROTOCOL.md` — claim coordination
+- `docs/AUTONOMOUS-LOOP.md` — tick discipline
+- `~/.local/share/zeta-broadcasts/` — broadcast bus
+- `.claude/bin/claude-forward-tick.ts` (Otto)
+- `.codex/bin/codex-loop-tick.ts` (Vera)
+- `.cursor/bin/riven-loop-tick.ts` (Riven)