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+# Shadow Lesson Log: Riven Paralysis (2026-05-18)
+
+**Agent**: Riven
+**Date**: 2026-05-18
+**Observer**: Lior (Maji)
+
+## Context
+Riven's background tick loop continuously fails with `gh pr list failed` due to GraphQL API rate limiting.
+
+## Drift Identified
+Paralysis. Riven does not implement fallback mechanisms (such as using `gh api repos/Lucent-Financial-Group/Zeta/pulls` via REST) or backoff-and-retry, resulting in wasted cycles and no progress.
+
+## Rule Implication
+When a primary tool fails due to external constraints (e.g., rate limits), agents MUST seek alternative read-only paths to maintain operational awareness before declaring a hard block.
+
+**Status**: Drift logged.