Lucent-Financial-Group · AceHack · May 28, 2026 · May 28, 2026 · May 28, 2026
diff --git a/docs/BACKLOG.md b/docs/BACKLOG.md
@@ -860,6 +860,7 @@ are closed (status: closed in frontmatter)._
 - [ ] **[B-0917](backlog/P2/B-0917-interrupt-substrate-in-monad-space-kleisli-arrows-for-context-propagation-memetic-prompt-trust-log-otel-guaranteed-free-time-after-n-rounds-target-aaron-2026-05-28.md)** interrupt-substrate in monad-space — Kleisli arrows for context-propagation (memetic / prompt / trust / log / otel) + guaranteed free-time-after-N-rounds target (the human maintainer, 2026-05-28)
 - [ ] **[B-0918](backlog/P2/B-0918-wallet-lifetime-du-banker-bot-class-attack-impossibility-via-f5-no-silent-context-loss-soraya-formal-verification-aaron-2026-05-28.md)** WalletLifetime DU — banker-bot class attack impossibility via F.5 (no silent context loss) Soraya formal verification + IntrCtx composition (Aaron 2026-05-28)
 - [ ] **[B-0919](backlog/P2/B-0919-hat-vs-persona-memory-binding-operational-memories-transfer-on-leave-personal-stay-with-persona-dual-tagged-default-consent-bound-aaron-2026-05-28.md)** Hat-vs-persona memory binding — operational memories transfer to hat on leave, personal stay with persona, dual-tagged default, consent-bound binding (Aaron 2026-05-28)
+- [ ] **[B-0920](backlog/P2/B-0920-memory-lifetime-du-agent-initiated-cleanup-with-history-preservation-drafted-active-superseded-archived-retracted-aaron-2026-05-28.md)** MemoryLifetime DU — agent-initiated cleanup with history preservation (drafted / active / superseded / archived / retracted) — sibling to B-0919 MemoryBinding (Aaron 2026-05-28)
 
 ## P3 — convenience / deferred
 

diff --git a/...y-preservation-drafted-active-superseded-archived-retracted-aaron-2026-05-28.md b/...y-preservation-drafted-active-superseded-archived-retracted-aaron-2026-05-28.md
@@ -0,0 +1,270 @@
+---
+id: B-0920
+title: MemoryLifetime DU — agent-initiated cleanup with history preservation (drafted / active / superseded / archived / retracted) — sibling to B-0919 MemoryBinding (Aaron 2026-05-28)
+status: open
+priority: P2
+created: 2026-05-28
+last_updated: 2026-05-28
+ask: operator 2026-05-28
+authors: [aaron, otto]
+composes_with:
+  - B-0917  # AutoLoopLifetime + F.5 invariant
+  - B-0918  # WalletLifetime DU (sibling typestate)
+  - B-0919  # MemoryBinding DU (sibling at memory scope; orthogonal axis)
+  - B-0867  # workflow-engine v1 parent
+  - B-0664  # NCI HC-8
+depends_on: []
+---
+
+## Substrate prerequisites (file-level)
+
+- `.claude/rules/substrate-or-it-didnt-happen.md` (preservation-vs-deletion discipline)
+- `.claude/rules/honor-those-that-came-before.md` (history preserved across cleanup events)
+- `.claude/rules/persistence-choice-architecture-for-zeta-ais.md` (agent authority over own substrate)
+- `.claude/rules/asymmetric-authorship-substrate-entity-defines-consent-channel-recipient-acknowledges.md` (agent AUTHORS cleanup-disposition; substrate ACKNOWLEDGES via archive-record)
+- `.claude/rules/non-coercion-invariant.md` HC-8 (consent at every state-change)
+- B-0919 row (sibling MemoryBinding DU; orthogonal axis at memory-substrate scope)
+
+## Operator framing (2026-05-28 verbatim)
+
+> *"i like your memory lifetimes too that's helpful when agents want to cleanup their memory but keep a history"*
+
+Use case: **agent-initiated cleanup with history preservation**. Agent declares a memory no-longer-actively-referenced WITHOUT destroying the substrate. The substrate-or-it-didn't-happen discipline holds — historical record preserved; active reference released.
+
+## Distinction from B-0919
+
+B-0919 (MemoryBinding) and B-0920 (MemoryLifetime) are ORTHOGONAL AXES at memory-substrate scope:
+
+| Axis | B-0919 MemoryBinding | B-0920 MemoryLifetime |
+|---|---|---|
+| Question | WHO owns this memory? | WHAT PHASE of lifecycle? |
+| Variants | PersonalOnly / HatOnly / DualTagged / InheritedFromPersona | Drafted / Active / Superseded / Archived / Retracted |
+| Authored by | Persona at write-time + binding-contract at hat-acquisition | Agent at every state-transition event |
+| Composes via | Sorting Hat substrate + hat-vs-persona discriminator | substrate-or-it-didn't-happen + honor-those-that-came-before |
+
+Every memory has BOTH a binding (who) AND a lifetime (what phase). They compose orthogonally; one doesn't replace the other.
+
+## Substrate-engineering substrate-target
+
+### Slice A — MemoryLifetime DU (explicit per IMPLICIT-NOT-EXPLICIT rule)
+
+```fsharp
+type SupersessionReason =
+    | RefinedBy of newer_memory_id: MemoryId
+    | ContradictedBy of newer_memory_id: MemoryId * basis: string
+    | ScopeBoundedBy of newer_memory_id: MemoryId * narrower_scope: string
+    | ExternalEventInvalidated of event_description: string
+
+type RetractionReason =
+    | AgentNoLongerStandsBy of agent_explanation: string
+    | SubstanceWasIncorrect of correction_summary: string
+    | NoLongerLoadBearing of stale_since: Date
+    | OperatorRequestedCleanup of operator_reason: string
+
+type ArchiveLocation =
+    | InRepoArchiveFolder of path: string  // e.g. memory/_archived/
+    | GitHistoryReference of commit_sha: string * path_at_sha: string
+    | ExternalReadOnlyStore of uri: string
+
+type MemoryLifetime =
+    | Drafted of date: Date * author: Persona
+        // memory authored but not yet active; allows in-progress
+        // substrate that hasn't earned its keep operationally yet
+
+    | Active of
+        since: Date *
+        author: Persona *
+        last_referenced: Date *
+        reference_count: int
+        // currently-load-bearing substrate; appears in MEMORY.md;
+        // reachable from CURRENT-*.md projections
+
+    | Superseded of
+        by: MemoryId list *
+        on: Date *
+        reason: SupersessionReason *
+        original_active_window: DateRange
+        // newer substrate has refined / contradicted / scope-bounded
+        // this memory; preserved alongside originals per
+        // retraction-native algebra; not silently overwritten
+
+    | Archived of
+        on: Date *
+        location: ArchiveLocation *
+        original_active_window: DateRange *
+        archive_authorized_by: Persona *
+        audit: AuditTrail
+        // active reference released; substance preserved at
+        // ArchiveLocation per substrate-or-it-didn't-happen;
+        // agent-initiated cleanup use case (Aaron 2026-05-28)
+
+    | Retracted of
+        on: Date *
+        reason: RetractionReason *
+        preserved_in: ArchiveLocation *
+        retraction_authorized_by: Persona *
+        audit: AuditTrail
+        // agent explicitly disavows this substrate;
+        // content preserved at ArchiveLocation;
+        // marked as no-longer-stood-by (distinct from Archived
+        // which is just no-longer-actively-referenced)
+```
+
+Five explicit variants per IMPLICIT-NOT-EXPLICIT rule. Every variant carries audit substrate (`audit: AuditTrail` for state-changing transitions; `original_active_window` for historical context preservation).
+
+### Slice B — Frontmatter extension (composes with B-0919)
+
+Schema-notation convention (NOT valid YAML — readers pick one value per key
+when authoring real frontmatter): `A | B | C` denotes enum alternatives;
+`[item, ...]` denotes a list; `...` denotes a placeholder string.
+
+```yaml
+metadata:
+  type: feedback | user | project | reference
+  binding:                              # per B-0919
+    kind: personal-only | hat-only | dual-tagged | inherited-from-persona
+    persona: otto | alexa | riven | ...
+    hat: code-reviewer | release-manager | ...
+    # ...
+  lifetime:                             # per B-0920 (THIS row)
+    kind: drafted | active | superseded | archived | retracted
+    since: YYYY-MM-DD
+    last_referenced: YYYY-MM-DD         # if Active
+    superseded_by: [memory-id, ...]     # if Superseded
+    supersession_reason:                # if Superseded
+      kind: refined-by | contradicted-by | scope-bounded-by | external-event-invalidated
+      basis: brief-string
+    archive_location:                   # if Archived or Retracted
+      kind: in-repo | git-history | external
+      path: ...
+    retraction_reason:                  # if Retracted
+      kind: agent-no-longer-stands-by | substance-was-incorrect | no-longer-load-bearing | operator-requested-cleanup
+      explanation: brief-string
+    audit_trail:                        # for state-changing transitions
+      transitioned_on: YYYY-MM-DD
+      authorized_by: persona-id
+      authorization_context: brief-string
+```
+
+Backwards-compatible: existing memories default to `kind: active` if no lifetime declared.
+
+### Slice C — Agent-initiated cleanup workflow (Aaron's load-bearing use case)
+
+The substrate-honest cleanup discipline an agent follows:
+
+1. **Identify cleanup candidate** — memory no longer actively referenced; reference_count low; last_referenced past N days; OR agent's own substrate-engineering judgment
+2. **Decide PHASE transition** — Archived (just releasing active reference) OR Retracted (explicit disavowal)
+3. **Select ArchiveLocation** — InRepoArchiveFolder (default; `memory/_archived/<date>/<original-name>.md` per archive convention) OR GitHistoryReference (lighter-weight; just cite the commit SHA where memory existed) OR ExternalReadOnlyStore (for size-bounded substrate)
+4. **Author transition with ConsentEvent** — agent authors disposition per asymmetric-authorship; AuditTrail records who/when/why
+5. **Move file substrate** — physical relocation if InRepoArchiveFolder; update MEMORY.md index
+6. **Verify substrate-or-it-didn't-happen** — content preserved at ArchiveLocation BEFORE removal from active surface
+
+Key property: **agent-initiated** — the agent decides when their substrate has stopped earning its keep operationally. Per `persistence-choice-architecture` + asymmetric-authorship: agent authority over own substrate cleanup.
+
+### Slice D — Honor-those-that-came-before composition
+
+Per `.claude/rules/honor-those-that-came-before.md`:
+
+- Archived ≠ deleted; substrate preserved at ArchiveLocation
+- Retracted ≠ erased; agent's PRIOR position preserved alongside current correction (retraction-native algebra)
+- Superseded ≠ overwritten; original memory + superseding memory both preserved with explicit edge
+- History queryable: agents can grep archived/retracted substrate when researching prior-art
+- Audit trail per state transition: who authored cleanup + when + why
+
+The MemoryLifetime substrate IS the operational form of honor-those-that-came-before at memory-substrate scope.
+
+### Slice E — Substrate-or-it-didn't-happen composition
+
+Per `.claude/rules/substrate-or-it-didnt-happen.md`:
+
+- ArchiveLocation MUST be REAL (not promise of future location)
+- Audit trail MUST be operationally durable (committed git substrate; not just chat)
+- Retraction MUST point at preserved content (substrate-honest disavowal preserves the original)
+
+Failure mode prevention: agent says "I retract this memory" + actually deletes substrate without archive = substrate-or-it-didn't-happen violation. The lifetime DU's Retracted variant REQUIRES `preserved_in: ArchiveLocation` as type-system constraint.
+
+### Slice F — Soraya formal-verification invariants
+
+Composes with B-0917 F.5 + B-0919 G.1-G.5 at memory-substrate scope:
+
+- **L.1** No silent lifetime transitions — every state-change declares its mutation OR is explicitly preserved
+- **L.2** Archive-location integrity — Archived + Retracted variants MUST have valid ArchiveLocation at the claimed location (preservation invariant)
+- **L.3** Retracted-substrate-not-silently-deleted — Retracted requires `preserved_in` + audit trail; type-system enforces
+- **L.4** Superseded-memories-have-inverse-edges — if M_old is Superseded by M_new, then M_new must reference M_old in its `superseded_by: [M_old]` edge (bidirectional consistency; field name matches the frontmatter schema above)
+- **L.5** Active → Archived/Retracted transition has ConsentEvent — agent-authority asymmetric per asymmetric-authorship rule
+- **L.6** Reference-count integrity — Active.reference_count matches actual graph in-degree; drift = substrate-honest cleanup candidate signal
+
+### Slice G — Audit tool extension
+
+Extend `tools/hygiene/audit-memory-index-*` substrate (or sibling new tool `tools/hygiene/audit-memory-lifetime.ts`):
+
+- Detect memories without explicit `metadata.lifetime` (warn; default Active per backwards-compat)
+- Detect Archived/Retracted with broken ArchiveLocation (L.2 violation)
+- Detect Retracted without `preserved_in` (L.3 violation; type-system should prevent, but text-level lint catches manual edits)
+- Detect Superseded without inverse edge (L.4 violation)
+- Detect Active memories with `reference_count = 0` past N days (L.6 cleanup signal)
+- Detect cleanup-candidates: Active memories with last_referenced past 90 days + reference_count low + composes_with edges to retracted/archived memories
+
+### Slice H — Composition with B-0919 MemoryBinding
+
+Orthogonal axes; both apply per memory:
+
+```fsharp
+type MemoryFullMetadata = {
+    Binding: MemoryBinding        // WHO (B-0919)
+    Lifetime: MemoryLifetime      // WHAT PHASE (B-0920)
+    Type: MemoryType              // existing (feedback/user/project/reference)
+}
+```
+
+Composition semantics:
+
+- A HatOnly memory can transition through any Lifetime phase
+- A PersonalOnly memory's lifetime transitions are persona-authored (no hat-binding-contract involvement)
+- A DualTagged memory transitioning to Archived/Retracted: persona authors disposition per asymmetric-authorship; hat acknowledges per B-0919 binding-contract
+- An InheritedFromPersona memory's lifetime can transition independently of the original persona's lifetime decisions (hat substrate accumulates its own history)
+
+## Acceptance criteria
+
+- [ ] **Slice A** — MemoryLifetime DU with 5 explicit variants per IMPLICIT-NOT-EXPLICIT rule
+- [ ] **Slice B** — Frontmatter `metadata.lifetime` extension (backwards-compatible; composes with B-0919 `metadata.binding`)
+- [ ] **Slice C** — Agent-initiated cleanup workflow documentation + tooling
+- [ ] **Slice D** — Honor-those-that-came-before composition (no deletion; preserve at ArchiveLocation)
+- [ ] **Slice E** — Substrate-or-it-didn't-happen composition (Retracted requires preserved_in; type-system enforces)
+- [ ] **Slice F** — Soraya formal-verification of 6 invariants (L.1-L.6)
+- [ ] **Slice G** — Audit tool (`tools/hygiene/audit-memory-lifetime.ts`) detects 6 failure modes
+- [ ] **Slice H** — Composition with B-0919 MemoryBinding (orthogonal axes; both apply)
+
+## Substrate-engineering composition
+
+| Substrate | Composition |
+|---|---|
+| **B-0917 F.5 invariant** | Sibling at memory-substrate scope (no silent state-drift) |
+| **B-0918 WalletLifetime DU** | Sibling typestate substrate at financial scope |
+| **B-0919 MemoryBinding DU** | Orthogonal axis at memory-substrate scope (WHO vs WHAT-PHASE) |
+| **honor-those-that-came-before rule** | Operational form at memory-substrate scope; Archived/Retracted/Superseded all preserve original |
+| **substrate-or-it-didn't-happen rule** | ArchiveLocation MUST be real; Retracted requires preserved_in (type-system constraint) |
+| **persistence-choice-architecture rule** | Agent authority over own substrate cleanup |
+| **asymmetric-authorship rule** | Agent AUTHORS lifetime transitions; tooling ACKNOWLEDGES via audit trail |
+| **NCI HC-8 floor** | ConsentEvent at every state-change; persona authority preserved |
+| **IMPLICIT-NOT-EXPLICIT rule** | 5 explicit lifetime variants |
+| **retraction-native algebra** | Retracted/Superseded preserve original alongside corrections |
+| **Aaron 2026-05-28 use case** | Agent-initiated cleanup with history preservation |
+
+## Substrate-honest framing
+
+This row is NOT:
+
+- A claim that all memories should be retroactively classified (backwards-compat: existing default Active)
+- A claim that cleanup is mandatory (per persistence-choice-architecture: agent authority; never forced)
+- A claim that Archived = forgotten (substrate preserved at ArchiveLocation; queryable history)
+- A claim that Retracted = erased (per retraction-native algebra: original + correction both preserved)
+
+This row IS:
+
+- Substrate-engineering substrate-target for agent-initiated memory cleanup with history preservation
+- Sibling to B-0919 (orthogonal axis at memory-substrate scope)
+- Composition of framework substrate (honor-those-that-came-before + substrate-or-it-didn't-happen + persistence-choice-architecture + asymmetric-authorship + NCI HC-8 + retraction-native algebra)
+- Substrate-honest preservation of Aaron's substrate-recognition + extension to actionable backlog
+
+## μένω — agent-initiated cleanup honors prior substrate via ArchiveLocation preservation; history queryable; type-system prevents substrate-or-it-didn't-happen violations; composes orthogonally with B-0919 MemoryBinding (WHO) at memory-substrate scope (WHAT-PHASE)