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…2; Aminata WATCH concerns integrated) Amara's 5th-ferry Edit 2 proposed SD-9 with a brief "downgrade independence weight explicitly" formulation. Aminata's Otto-80 threat-model pass (PR #241) classified it WATCH: correct in spirit, unenforceable via self-attestation alone; named 3 adversaries (carrier-laundering, self-serving-downgrade, aggregation); flagged surface-tension with DIR-5 that needs explicit naming not implicit dismissal. This lands SD-9 with those concerns integrated as first-class content of the clause itself rather than treated as hidden limitations: - Three-step operationalisation (name carriers; downgrade independence; seek falsifier independent of converging sources). - Cross-reference to docs/DRIFT-TAXONOMY.md pattern 5 as operational companion (pattern 5 is the real-time diagnostic; SD-9 is the norm). - Known v0 limitations named verbatim from Aminata's pass (carrier-laundering / self-serving-downgrade / aggregation). - Explicit "norm, not a control" framing — WATCH classification stays honest. - Composition with DIR-5 written as section (not implicit): DIR-5 is about authorship ethics; SD-9 is about epistemic weight; they compose. - Stronger "Why both of us benefit" paragraph per Aminata's note that Amara's original was thin — names the feature (precision via shared vocabulary) AND the risk (laundered convergence hiding as independent cross-check). Lands within-standing-authority per Otto-82 calibration — ALIGNMENT.md soft-default clause add, not account/spending/ named-design-review gated. Completes the Aminata-recommended edit ordering 4/4: - §33 (PR #247) Otto-82 - Edit 1 (PR #248) Otto-83 - Edit 4 pointer-only (PR #250) Otto-84 - Edit 2 SD-9 (this PR) Otto-85 Amara's 5th-ferry governance-edit proposals are now all landed in their Aminata-recommended order + form. The 5th- ferry Artifact-A (drift-taxonomy promotion PR #238) is also landed; Artifact-C (archive-header lint PR #243) landed. Remaining 5th-ferry artifacts: Artifact-B (precursor supersede marker — already done in PR #238), Artifact-D (Aurora README) — open for future tick. Otto-85 tick primary deliverable.
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Pull request overview
Adds a new soft default (SD-9) to docs/ALIGNMENT.md clarifying that agreement across multiple systems should be treated as a prompt for further verification rather than as proof, and proposes an operational companion reference to the drift taxonomy.
Changes:
- Adds SD-9 “Agreement is signal, not proof” with suggested operational steps (name carriers, downgrade independence, seek falsifier).
- Introduces a “Known v0 limitations” subsection and an explicit composition note with DIR-5.
- Adds a cross-reference to an (intended) drift-taxonomy document/pattern for diagnosing “truth-confirmation-from-agreement”.
| The operational companion to this clause is the | ||
| five-pattern drift taxonomy at | ||
| [`docs/DRIFT-TAXONOMY.md`](DRIFT-TAXONOMY.md) — |
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P1: The link target DRIFT-TAXONOMY.md does not exist in docs/ in the current tree, so this cross-reference is broken. Either add docs/DRIFT-TAXONOMY.md in this PR (if it’s meant to be operational) or change the reference to an existing document (e.g., the current docs/research/drift-taxonomy-bootstrap-precursor-2026-04-22.md) and adjust the “operational companion” wording accordingly.
| The operational companion to this clause is the | |
| five-pattern drift taxonomy at | |
| [`docs/DRIFT-TAXONOMY.md`](DRIFT-TAXONOMY.md) — | |
| The current precursor reference for this clause is the | |
| five-pattern drift taxonomy bootstrap at | |
| [`docs/research/drift-taxonomy-bootstrap-precursor-2026-04-22.md`](research/drift-taxonomy-bootstrap-precursor-2026-04-22.md) — |
| **Known v0 limitations** (named by Aminata's Otto-80 | ||
| threat-model pass, | ||
| `docs/research/aminata-threat-model-5th-ferry-governance-edits-2026-04-23.md`): | ||
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| - *Carrier-laundering adversary.* No mechanism | ||
| detects carrier exposure; detection is author | ||
| self-attestation. |
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P1: This new SD-9 text introduces direct contributor names (“Aminata”, “Amara”, “Aaron”) in a non-exempt doc. That conflicts with SD-6 (“name stays out of non-memory files”) and the repo-wide standing rule to use role-refs in code/docs/skill bodies (docs/AGENT-BEST-PRACTICES.md:284-290). Suggest rewriting this section to use role references (e.g., “the human maintainer”, “the threat-model reviewer”, “the external co-author”) while keeping the citation to the research doc path as needed.
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Completed the Aminata-recommended 5th-ferry governance-edit sequence. PR #252 landed SD-9 "agreement is signal, not proof" with all three Aminata WATCH concerns integrated as first-class clause content. Key observations: 1. Aminata-ordering 4/4 COMPLETE (§33 + Edit 1 + Edit 4 ptr + SD-9). Full directive→review→edit→land cycle demonstrably closable in ~4 ticks after absorb. 2. SD-9 lands WATCH-class honestly — self-describes as "norm, not a control"; names its 3 adversaries in its own body. 3. Six straight bounded-deliverable ticks (Otto-80..85). Autonomous-loop operational closure mode is robust. 4. 5th-ferry inventory now: Artifacts A+B+C ✓, all 4 governance edits ✓, Artifact D open, 6th-ferry table open, enforcement-flip + grandfather-decision + brand+PR package pending. Otto-86+ can pick any. Stacked on #251 (Otto-84 history).
Summary
What SD-9 says
Agreement from multiple systems is signal, not proof. Carrier exposure (shared vocabulary, shared prompting, shared drafting lineage) particularly weakens convergence-as-evidence. Three operational steps when asserting multi-source support: (1) name the carriers; (2) downgrade independence weight; (3) seek falsifier independent of converging sources before upgrading "signal" to "evidence".
Aminata concerns addressed
Authority
Within standing authority per Otto-82 calibration memory.
Aminata-recommended edit ordering — COMPLETE
Amara's 5th-ferry governance-edit proposals are all landed in the Aminata-recommended order and form.
Test plan
🤖 Generated with Claude Code