Lucent-Financial-Group · AceHack · May 16, 2026 · May 16, 2026 · May 16, 2026
diff --git a/docs/BACKLOG.md b/docs/BACKLOG.md
@@ -671,12 +671,13 @@ are closed (status: closed in frontmatter)._
 - [ ] **[B-0517](backlog/P3/B-0517-memory-md-index-bloat-cleanup-cadence-2026-05-14.md)** MEMORY.md index bloat cleanup + entry-length enforcement cadence
 - [ ] **[B-0519](backlog/P3/B-0519-multi-otto-branch-state-contamination-rca-2026-05-14.md)** Multi-Otto branch-state contamination — RCA + mechanization candidate
 - [ ] **[B-0521](backlog/P3/B-0521-tinygrad-uop-rewrite-walk-retract-mapping.md)** Decomposed: Tinygrad UOp rewrite walk + retract mapping (peeled from B-0202)
-- [ ] **[B-0528](backlog/P3/B-0528-shadow-launchd-installer-unit-tests-2026-05-15.md)** Unit tests for tools/shadow/launchd/install-launchagent.ts
+- [x] **[B-0528](backlog/P3/B-0528-shadow-launchd-installer-unit-tests-2026-05-15.md)** Unit tests for tools/shadow/launchd/install-launchagent.ts
 - [x] **[B-0530](backlog/P3/B-0530-cron-sentinel-mutex-prevent-otto-cli-self-contention-2026-05-15.md)** Cron-sentinel mutex — prevent multi-Otto-CLI self-contention on .git/objects/pack
 - [ ] **[B-0532](backlog/P3/B-0532-backlog-graph-consistency-lint-parent-child-status-mismatch-2026-05-15.md)** Backlog-graph consistency lint — flag parent `status: closed` while declared child is `status: open`
 - [ ] **[B-0533](backlog/P3/B-0533-section33-migration-dead-xref-sweep-and-lint-2026-05-15.md)** §33 migration dead-xref sweep + static lint — live-nav pointers to docs/research/ paths that have been migrated to memory/persona/<name>/conversations/
 - [x] **[B-0535](backlog/P3/B-0535-backlog-id-uniqueness-lint-extension-of-b0532-2026-05-15.md)** Backlog ID-uniqueness lint — extension of B-0532 to catch cross-agent B-NNNN collisions
 - [ ] **[B-0536](backlog/P3/B-0536-orphan-ferry-ref-cleanup-and-audit-false-positives-2026-05-15.md)** Orphan-ferry-ref cleanup + audit false-positive on filename paths
 - [ ] **[B-0537](backlog/P3/B-0537-memory-md-index-entry-lengths-cleanup-and-gate-2026-05-15.md)** memory/MEMORY.md index-entry length cleanup (100 long entries) + CI gate
+- [ ] **[B-0553](backlog/P3/B-0553-audit-backlog-status-drift-detection-2026-05-16.md)** Backlog status-drift auditor — detect `status: open` rows whose primary artifact has already shipped
 
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diff --git a/docs/backlog/P3/B-0553-audit-backlog-status-drift-detection-2026-05-16.md b/docs/backlog/P3/B-0553-audit-backlog-status-drift-detection-2026-05-16.md
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+---
+id: B-0553
+priority: P3
+status: open
+title: "Backlog status-drift auditor — detect `status: open` rows whose primary artifact has already shipped"
+tier: factory-hygiene
+effort: S
+created: 2026-05-16
+last_updated: 2026-05-16
+depends_on: []
+composes_with: [B-0506, B-0528, B-0530, B-0535, B-0532, B-0535]
+tags: [backlog, hygiene, drift, factory-cadence, mechanization, friction-reducer]
+type: feature
+---
+
+# Backlog status-drift auditor
+
+## Origin
+
+2026-05-16T04:15Z–05:00Z Otto-CLI session manually caught 4 status-drift rows in a single 45-minute window (B-0506, B-0528, B-0530, B-0535 closed via PR #3733, #3743, #3737, #3742 respectively). Peer Otto-CLI surface independently caught the 4th (B-0535) using the same pattern. Empirical evidence captured in [`memory/feedback_substrate_drift_catch_pattern_claim_acquire_plus_existence_check_otto_cli_2026_05_16.md`](../../../memory/feedback_substrate_drift_catch_pattern_claim_acquire_plus_existence_check_otto_cli_2026_05_16.md).
+
+The "substrate-drift-catch pattern" memorialized in that file is currently a per-tick discipline applied manually. This row mechanizes the audit step.
+
+## Why P3
+
+P3 friction-reducer — manual discipline works but is human-attention-bound. 4 catches in 45 minutes suggests the drift rate is non-trivial; an automated audit converts repeated manual work into a single CI/cron check.
+
+Not P2 because the manual pattern is operational and produces the same outcome; mechanization is convenience, not correctness.
+
+Not P4 because the 4-catch empirical evidence is recent and concrete.
+
+## Proposed mechanization
+
+`tools/hygiene/audit-backlog-status-drift.ts` — TypeScript audit tool.
+
+### Behavior
+
+1. Enumerate all `docs/backlog/P*/B-*.md` rows
+2. For each row with `status: open` in YAML frontmatter:
+   - Parse the **Acceptance** and **Proposed mechanization** sections to extract primary-artifact paths (under `tools/` or `.claude/` or `docs/`)
+   - **Critically: do NOT extract paths from `composes_with:` (frontmatter), `Composes with` section, or rule citations.** A naive `grep -oE 'tools/[a-z0-9_/-]+\.ts'` over the whole body has empirical false-positive rate of ~100% (4-of-4 candidates in the 0500Z manual scan).
+3. For each extracted primary-artifact path, check whether it exists on disk
+4. Report rows where ALL primary-artifact paths exist (likely drift)
+5. With `--prune-claims`, release any matching `bus.ts claim acquire` entries for the row
+6. With `--open-close-pr`, auto-open close-row PRs (status: open → closed + Resolution section + `BACKLOG_WRITE_FORCE=1 bun tools/backlog/generate-index.ts` regen)
+
+### Section parsing — the load-bearing detail
+
+The parsing must distinguish row-body sections by their headings:
+
+| Section | Treatment |
+|---|---|
+| `## Acceptance` / `## Acceptance criteria` | extract primary-artifact paths |
+| `## Proposed mechanization` | extract primary-artifact paths |
+| `## Scope` | extract primary-artifact paths |
+| `composes_with:` (frontmatter) | **skip** (cross-reference only) |
+| `## Composes with` (body section) | **skip** (cross-reference only) |
+| `## Origin` / `## Source` / `## Why P3` | **skip** (context only) |
+| `## Non-goals` | **skip** (intentionally absent work) |
+
+A path mentioned in the `## Acceptance` section is a primary artifact. A path mentioned in `## Composes with` is a sibling, not a primary artifact.
+
+### Empirical false-positive catalog (2026-05-16T05:00Z manual scan)
+
+The naive `grep -oE 'tools/[a-z0-9_/-]+\.ts'` over the whole body flagged 4 P3 rows as drift candidates; all 4 were false positives:
+
+| Row | False match | True state |
+|---|---|---|
+| [B-0116](B-0116-gh-jq-safe-wrapper-zsh-quoting-2026-04-30.md) | `tools/github/poll-pr-gate.ts` (composes_with) | Primary artifact `tools/gh-jq-safe.sh` does NOT exist; row is genuinely open |
+| [B-0205](B-0205-multi-trajectory-validation-basis-instrumentation-aaron-2026-05-05.md) | `tools/github/poll-pr-gate-batch.ts` (composes_with) | Effort: L research+architecture row; multi-axis instrumentation in-progress |
+| [B-0422](B-0422-clifford-algebraic-narrative-engine-pauli-symmetry-breaking-falsifiability-test-2026-05-12.md) | `.claude/rules/backlog-item-start-gate.md` (rule citation) | Research row; Clifford engine in-progress |
+| [B-0537](B-0537-memory-md-index-entry-lengths-cleanup-and-gate-2026-05-15.md) | `tools/hygiene/audit-memory-index-entry-lengths.ts` (existing audit tool, but row's work is cleanup + CI gate which haven't shipped) | Genuinely open work (Slice A cleanup + Slice B CI gate pending) |
+
+These four cases drive the section-aware parsing requirement.
+
+## Acceptance
+
+- New `tools/hygiene/audit-backlog-status-drift.ts`
+- Parses YAML frontmatter for `status: open`
+- Extracts primary-artifact paths from **Acceptance / Proposed mechanization / Scope** sections only
+- Skips `composes_with:` (frontmatter), `## Composes with` section, and other context sections
+- Reports candidates as markdown table (default) or JSON (`--json`)
+- `--prune-claims` releases matching bus claims
+- `--open-close-pr` opens close-row PRs automatically (one per candidate)
+- Exit 0 in detect-only mode; structured exit on `--check` mode when candidates found
+- Bun-runnable; respects the `tools/` TS-first convention per Rule 0
+- Unit tests covering: section discrimination (Acceptance vs Composes-with), false-positive cases listed above, missing-file → no flag, all-exist → flag
+- Documented invocation pattern in the file header
+
+## Composes with
+
+- [B-0506](B-0506-stale-worktree-prune-cadence-mechanization-2026-05-14.md) (closed-row precedent — same pattern caught manually)
+- [B-0530](B-0530-cron-sentinel-mutex-prevent-otto-cli-self-contention-2026-05-15.md) (closed-row precedent — same pattern caught manually)
+- [B-0528](B-0528-shadow-launchd-installer-unit-tests-2026-05-15.md) (closed-row precedent — same pattern caught manually)
+- [B-0535](B-0535-backlog-id-uniqueness-lint-extension-of-b0532-2026-05-15.md) (closed-row precedent — peer Otto-CLI catch)
+- [B-0532](B-0532-backlog-graph-consistency-lint-parent-child-status-mismatch-2026-05-15.md) (parent-child status mismatch lint — similar audit-shape sibling)
+- [`memory/feedback_substrate_drift_catch_pattern_claim_acquire_plus_existence_check_otto_cli_2026_05_16.md`](../../../memory/feedback_substrate_drift_catch_pattern_claim_acquire_plus_existence_check_otto_cli_2026_05_16.md) — the discipline this row mechanizes
+- [`.claude/rules/backlog-item-start-gate.md`](../../../.claude/rules/backlog-item-start-gate.md) — the start-gate this audit extends with the zero-th step
+- `tools/backlog/generate-index.ts` — the `BACKLOG_WRITE_FORCE=1` regen path used after status updates
+- `tools/bus/claim.ts` — the claim-acquire mechanism this audit can `--prune-claims` against
+
+## Non-goals
+
+- Detecting drift in `status: closed` rows (out of scope — those are already done)
+- Auto-merging close-row PRs (the `--open-close-pr` mode opens them but doesn't arm auto-merge; agent discretion)
+- Cross-row drift detection (e.g., B-0537 references `composes_with: B-0535` — out of scope; this is the realm of B-0532's parent-child status mismatch lint)
+- Cleaning up the row file itself (Resolution section authoring is human/agent work; the tool only flags + optionally drafts a PR)
+
+## Wire-up
+
+- A periodic cadence (suggested: per-tick in autonomous-loop AS A SECOND-PASS after `cron-sentinel-mutex`, OR a daily GitHub Actions cron)
+- Manual invocation by Otto on cold-boot when picking work — saves the manual existence-check step from the start-gate workflow
+
+## Origin tick
+
+[`docs/hygiene-history/ticks/2026/05/16/0415Z.md`](../../hygiene-history/ticks/2026/05/16/0415Z.md) + [`0425Z.md`](../../hygiene-history/ticks/2026/05/16/0425Z.md) + [`0436Z.md`](../../hygiene-history/ticks/2026/05/16/0436Z.md) + [`0438Z.md`](../../hygiene-history/ticks/2026/05/16/0438Z.md) + [`0448Z.md`](../../hygiene-history/ticks/2026/05/16/0448Z.md) — the 5-shard trail documenting the 4 drift catches that motivated this row.