Lucent-Financial-Group · AceHack · May 26, 2026 · May 26, 2026
diff --git a/docs/AUTONOMOUS-LOOP-PER-TICK.md b/docs/AUTONOMOUS-LOOP-PER-TICK.md
@@ -142,6 +142,18 @@ Priority order:
    tool ports, infrastructure
 3. **Gap-of-gap audits** — meta-improvements (substrate-discovery,
    index regeneration)
+4. **Sometimes-task: local-memory ↔ git-memory delta audit + migrate**
+   (B-0797; per the maintainer 2026-05-26 *"can you direct your
+   background service on the local only memories as part of its
+   natural loop sometimes as an option?"*). NOT every tick — invoke
+   when the higher-priority queue is empty AND the operator is offline
+   or unengaged. Audits the delta between user-scope
+   `~/.claude/projects/<slug>/memory/` (per-Mac, per-Otto-CLI surface
+   only) and in-repo `memory/` (git-canonical, visible to all
+   maintainers + agents + clones). Migrates substantive substrate
+   from local-only to in-repo via PR. Token-bounded: pick 1-3
+   candidate files per tick maximum; substrate-honest classification
+   per file (keep-local, migrate, or supersede).
 
 If `claim acquire` blocks on a row, pick a different row in the same
 priority tier — do NOT go idle.

diff --git a/docs/BACKLOG.md b/docs/BACKLOG.md
@@ -732,6 +732,7 @@ are closed (status: closed in frontmatter)._
 - [ ] **[B-0786](backlog/P2/B-0786-feature-flags-substrate-openfeature-as-operator-contract-flipt-as-simplest-first-backend-aaron-mika-2026-05-25.md)** Feature flags substrate — OpenFeature as operator contract; Flipt as simplest first backend; composes with Argo Rollouts experiment-routing (B-0785)
 - [ ] **[B-0791](backlog/P2/B-0791-vscode-native-multi-harness-ontology-standardization-microsoft-not-anthropic-agents-skills-hooks-mcp-instructions-as-uniform-ide-scope-vocabulary-across-claude-kiro-cursor-gemini-codex-aaron-2026-05-26.md)** Microsoft VSCode-native "Agents window" surface is standardizing multi-harness ontology AT IDE SCOPE — Agents / Skills / Hooks / MCP Servers / Instructions as uniform vocabulary across .claude / .kiro / .cursor / .gemini / .codex; NOT an Anthropic-specific surface; platform-level external pull on Zeta's multi-harness substrate strategy
 - [ ] **[B-0796](backlog/P2/B-0796-twilio-phone-support-substrate-AI-picks-up-call-fixes-cluster-via-event-store-runbooks-while-talking-sms-parallel-interface-amazon-USB-sales-enabled-by-AI-as-support-layer-aaron-mika-2026-05-26.md)** Twilio phone-support substrate — AI picks up call / SMS, has full cluster context via event store + runbooks, fixes problems live; one unified conversational interface across voice + SMS; ONE exception to "electricity cost only" because phone infra isn't self-hostable; enables Amazon-USB sales business model where AI IS the support layer
+- [ ] **[B-0797](backlog/P2/B-0797-local-user-scope-memory-to-in-repo-git-memory-delta-audit-and-migrate-as-autonomous-loop-sometimes-task-aaron-2026-05-26.md)** Local user-scope memory ↔ in-repo git-memory delta audit + migrate substrate-to-git as autonomous-loop sometimes-task — Otto-CLI background service uses idle ticks to audit ~/.claude/projects/<slug>/memory/ vs in-repo memory/ + migrates substantive substrate via PRs; token-bounded; substrate-honest classification per file
 
 ## P3 — convenience / deferred
 

diff --git a/...y-delta-audit-and-migrate-as-autonomous-loop-sometimes-task-aaron-2026-05-26.md b/...y-delta-audit-and-migrate-as-autonomous-loop-sometimes-task-aaron-2026-05-26.md
@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+---
+id: B-0797
+priority: P2
+status: open
+title: Local user-scope memory ↔ in-repo git-memory delta audit + migrate substrate-to-git as autonomous-loop sometimes-task — Otto-CLI background service uses idle ticks to audit ~/.claude/projects/<slug>/memory/ vs in-repo memory/ + migrates substantive substrate via PRs; token-bounded; substrate-honest classification per file
+effort: M
+ask: aaron 2026-05-26
+created: 2026-05-26
+last_updated: 2026-05-26
+depends_on: []
+composes_with:
+  - B-0782
+  - B-0790
+  - B-0794
+tags: [memory-sync, local-vs-git, autonomous-loop, sometimes-task, substrate-or-it-didnt-happen, persistence-discipline, token-bounded-migration]
+---
+
+## Problem
+
+The maintainer 2026-05-26 surfaced the substrate-persistence gap empirically:
+
+> *"are you backloging that or just putting in in memories on this machine only?  how much in local memories are missing from git?"*
+
+Empirical audit 2026-05-26 (Aaron's primary Mac):
+
+- **841 files in local user-scope memory** at `/Users/acehack/.claude/projects/-Users-acehack-Documents-src-repos-Zeta/memory/` — visible only on THIS Mac, only to THIS Otto-CLI surface
+- **1645 files in in-repo `memory/`** under `/Users/acehack/Documents/src/repos/Zeta/memory/` — git-canonical; visible to all maintainers + all agents + all clones
+- **Newest local-only files dated 2026-05-25** (yesterday) — substantive substrate that DID NOT migrate to git:
+  - `feedback_claude_code_session_jsonl_oversize_image_self_heal_recovery_pattern_classifier_blocks_claude_operator_runs_2026_05_25.md` (12KB — substrate-honest recovery substrate)
+  - `feedback_simplest_first_then_add_complexity_only_when_simple_shape_demonstrably_doesnt_fit_aaron_mika_2026_05_25.md`
+  - `feedback_announce_destructive_or_blocking_action_immediately_before_firing_it_aaron_2026_05_25.md`
+  - `project_zeta_cluster_install_target_persona_first_time_cli_users_3_node_production_ready_easier_than_proxmox_aaron_2026_05_25.md`
+  - `feedback_cold_boot_cascade_continues_independent_of_dotgit_clearance_5th_today_dotgit_recovered_named_dep_pr_4937_wait_ci_otto_cli_2026_05_25.md`
+
+**Risk**: local-only substrate is lost if the Mac dies, invisible to other maintainers, doesn't survive fresh clones, doesn't compose with cross-Otto / cross-agent substrate (Alexa-Kiro, Riven-Cursor, Vera-Codex, Lior-Antigravity all read in-repo `memory/` but NOT local user-scope).
+
+The maintainer's design direction:
+
+> *"yes can you direct your background service on the local only memories as part of its natural loop sometimes as an option?"*
+
+Implement as **autonomous-loop sometimes-task**: not every tick, but during idle ticks when the higher-priority work queue is empty, the autonomous-loop picks N local-only files + classifies them + migrates substantive ones to git via PR.
+
+## Target
+
+End-state: substantive substrate written to local user-scope memory automatically migrates to in-repo git over time (within hours-to-days, depending on how often idle ticks fire + how big the delta is). Operator never needs to remember "did that important learning land in git?" — the autonomous-loop sweeps continuously.
+
+## Sub-targets
+
+### Sub-target 1 — local-vs-git delta tool
+
+`tools/memory/audit-local-vs-git-delta.ts`:
+
+- Reads local user-scope memory dir (path derived from `process.env.HOME` + Claude Code project slug)
+- Reads in-repo `memory/` recursively
+- Computes set delta: files in local ONLY (not mirrored to git by name)
+- Emits ranked candidate list: prioritize by file age, size, substrate-honest signals (`feedback_*` named files; `project_*` named files; explicit substrate-engineering content)
+- Output format: JSON for programmatic consumption + Markdown for human reading
+
+### Sub-target 2 — per-file classifier
+
+`tools/memory/classify-memory-file.ts`:
+
+- Reads a single local-only memory file
+- Classifies as ONE OF:
+  - **MIGRATE**: substantive substrate; should land in git as-is (or with minor frontmatter cleanup)
+  - **SUPERSEDE**: in-repo `memory/CURRENT-*.md` already covers this content; local file is older snapshot; skip
+  - **KEEP-LOCAL**: ephemeral / per-machine / sensitive content that doesn't belong in git
+  - **NEEDS-OPERATOR-REVIEW**: ambiguous; flag for human disposition
+- Token-bounded: emit classification + 1-paragraph rationale; no full content rewrites
+
+### Sub-target 3 — autonomous-loop sometimes-task hook
+
+Already partially landed in `docs/AUTONOMOUS-LOOP-PER-TICK.md` Step 3 (priority 4 — sometimes-task: local-memory ↔ git-memory delta audit + migrate). Implementation discipline:
+
+- NOT every tick: invoke when higher-priority queue (steps 1-3) is empty AND operator is offline / unengaged
+- Token-bounded: 1-3 candidate files per tick maximum (don't burn an entire tick on memory sync)
+- Each MIGRATE: opens its own PR (one file per PR; small diffs; easier to review)
+- KEEP-LOCAL + SUPERSEDE: log + skip
+- NEEDS-OPERATOR-REVIEW: bus-publish + flag for next operator interaction
+
+### Sub-target 4 — substrate-honest classification heuristics
+
+Initial heuristics for MIGRATE-vs-KEEP-LOCAL:
+
+| Pattern | Default classification |
+|---|---|
+| `feedback_*` (load-bearing learnings) | MIGRATE |
+| `project_*` (project-context substrate) | MIGRATE |
+| `aaron_*` / `mika_*` / persona-specific | MIGRATE to `memory/persona/<name>/` |
+| `*_secret*` / `*_password*` / `*_key*` | KEEP-LOCAL (sensitive) |
+| `*_local*` / `*_per_machine*` | KEEP-LOCAL (per-machine substrate) |
+| Files with explicit `local-only: true` frontmatter | KEEP-LOCAL |
+| Files with explicit `migrate: true` frontmatter | MIGRATE (operator-flagged) |
+| Otherwise: NEEDS-OPERATOR-REVIEW | Conservative default; never silently migrate ambiguous content |
+
+### Sub-target 5 — backfill the existing 841-file delta
+
+One-time historical sweep: run sub-target 1 + sub-target 2 across ALL 841 local-only files; classify + emit a migration plan; operator reviews the plan + authorizes batch migration; autonomous-loop executes over multiple ticks until complete.
+
+For the empirically-known recent batch (2026-05-25 files surfaced above): prioritize these in the first sweep — they're substantive substrate from yesterday's session that clearly belongs in git.
+
+## Acceptance
+
+- [ ] **Sub-target 1**: `tools/memory/audit-local-vs-git-delta.ts` lands; emits ranked candidate list
+- [ ] **Sub-target 2**: `tools/memory/classify-memory-file.ts` lands; per-file classification with rationale
+- [ ] **Sub-target 3**: per-tick discipline ([`docs/AUTONOMOUS-LOOP-PER-TICK.md`](../../AUTONOMOUS-LOOP-PER-TICK.md) Step 3 priority 4) — initial landing in this PR; autonomous-loop picks up at next cold-boot
+- [ ] **Sub-target 4**: classification heuristics validated empirically on 50+ files
+- [ ] **Sub-target 5**: one-time historical sweep of 841 local-only files; migration plan reviewed; batch executed
+- [ ] **Empirical end-to-end**: substantive substrate written to local memory today migrates to git within N idle ticks (target N=24 = ~6 hours at current cron cadence)
+
+## Composes with substrate
+
+- **B-0782** (composes; cluster IS the DIO; substrate-persistence across maintainers + agents is load-bearing; local-only memory breaks the DIO substrate)
+- **B-0790** (composes; zero-dev-machine homelab persona end-state; operator's local Mac is conversational interface, not work substrate; substrate that lives only on the conversational-interface Mac is brittle)
+- **B-0794** (composes; node self-registration substrate uses same pattern — local node writes substrate to git via per-node git-auth; this row is the operator-Mac analog)
+- `.claude/rules/substrate-or-it-didnt-happen.md` (composes; local-only memory IS substrate-that-didn't-happen at cross-Otto / cross-maintainer scope; this row operationalizes the discipline at memory-sync scope)
+- `.claude/rules/never-be-idle.md` (composes; sometimes-task fits the idle-tick fallback ladder)
+- `.claude/rules/holding-without-named-dependency-is-standing-by-failure.md` (composes; memory-sync IS legitimate decomposition work; counts as counter-reset)
+- `tools/memory/reindex-memory-md.ts` (existing tool; sub-target 1 audit-tool can reuse parts of it)
+- `tools/hygiene/audit-memory-index-entry-lengths.ts` (existing memory-audit tool; same pattern)
+- `tools/memory/validate-memory-parity.ts` (existing parity-validation tool; sub-target 2 classifier can compose with it)
+
+## Out of scope
+
+- Migration of OTHER persona surfaces' local-only memory (Alexa-Kiro, Riven-Cursor, Vera-Codex, Lior-Antigravity each have their own user-scope memory dirs) — each surface implements its own version of this audit if/when needed
+- Bidirectional sync (git → local) — only local → git migration is in scope; the in-repo memory IS the canonical surface
+- Per-maintainer-cluster sync (if multi-maintainer governance lands) — out of scope; single-maintainer-cluster substrate first
+- Encryption / sensitive-substrate handling — KEEP-LOCAL classification handles the safety floor; encrypted-in-git substrate is separate future concern
+
+## Origin
+
+The maintainer 2026-05-26 during iter-5.2.2 session, after the substrate-persistence question:
+
+> *"are you backloging that or just putting in in memories on this machine only? how much in local memories are missing from git?"*
+
+→ empirical audit surfaced 841-local-vs-1645-in-repo + substantive 2026-05-25 substrate trapped locally
+
+> *"yes can you direct your background service on the local only memories as part of its natural loop sometimes as an option?"*
+
+→ design direction for autonomous-loop sometimes-task
+
+Filing as P2 because:
+
+1. **Substrate-honest urgency**: local-only substrate decay risk is real but not immediate (Mac is healthy, no imminent loss); P2 captures importance without forcing immediate work
+2. **Composes with autonomous-loop existing discipline**: small additive change to `docs/AUTONOMOUS-LOOP-PER-TICK.md` per-tick discipline; doesn't require new harness substrate
+3. **Token-bounded by design**: 1-3 files per tick keeps the cost low; sweeps complete over hours-to-days
+4. **Operator-reviewable**: NEEDS-OPERATOR-REVIEW default + per-file PRs preserve operator authority over what migrates
+
+Per the maintainer's 2026-05-26 *"going for right not fast"* discipline — the substrate-persistence concern is real; the sometimes-task design is correctly modest (don't try to boil the ocean in one tick); the historical-sweep sub-target 5 handles the existing-delta cleanup separately.