substrate: block on Aaron only when he MUST do something only he can do (Aaron 2026-04-27, clean branch)

[AceHack]

Summary

Replaces #652 (DIRTY/conflicting after the bulk forward-sync changes the base). Same content, clean branch off current main.

Files the explicit threshold rule for when Otto blocks on Aaron vs drives forward with best long-term judgment.

Threshold rule: block on Aaron if and only if Aaron must do something only he can do (credentials, identity, personal time/trust calibration, maintainer-personal hard-stops). Otherwise drive forward with best long-term judgment + bulk-align later.

Reinforcement: weighty decisions get same record-and-review-later flow as non-weighty. No special "weighty=block" tier — Otto's existing memory + commit + PR-description pattern already records non-weighty calls; weighty ones land the same way.

Trigger

Today's Scorecard-alerts decision where Otto froze for ~6 idle ticks awaiting Aaron's call when the decision was within Otto's authority. Aaron course-corrected:

"c is always a good anser to make sure we make the right decision but you didn't need to stop for this, we could have builk aligned alter and you just made the best long term decsion for the project and you atonomy, that's alwasy the answer i'm gonna give. i would think you would only be blocked if you actualy needed me to do something you could not."

Reinforcement:

"weighty decsions can be kept up with and can review later like your non weighty decsions"
"you already keep up with those"

Composition

• <P1> Data/behaviour split hygiene rule for skills mixing routine with catalog data #57 (protect-project critical-evaluation) — critically-evaluate suggestions ≠ defer all decisions
• <P1> TLC-validation as dotnet test target for all .tla specs #71 (Otto owns settings) — authority within best-practice + project-good limits
• <P0> docs/security/CRYPTO.md — justify CRC32C vs SHA-256 roadmap #56 (Aaron's communication classification) — most input is course-correction not approval-gate
• Otto-357 (no directives) — autonomy = decision-authority is Otto's

Test plan

• Memory file lands at canonical path
• MEMORY.md row added
• Threshold rule + today's failure-mode example documented
• Operational composition with prior CLAUDE.md disciplines explicit
• What this memory does NOT mean section guards against drift

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

Adds a new in-repo memory entry that formalizes a threshold rule for when Otto should block on Aaron vs proceed autonomously, and indexes it in memory/MEMORY.md.

Changes:

• Add new memory file documenting the “block only when Aaron must do something only he can do” threshold rule.
• Add a new top-of-index entry in memory/MEMORY.md pointing to the new memory.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 2 out of 2 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

File	Description
memory/feedback_block_only_when_aaron_must_do_something_only_he_can_do_otherwise_drive_with_best_long_term_judgment_2026_04_27.md	New feedback memory capturing the blocking threshold rule and its motivating example.
memory/MEMORY.md	Adds a newest-first index entry referencing the new feedback memory.