diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 9960640f79..63a0e0cc78 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ Detailed guidance lives in `docs/contributing/`. Read only the file relevant to
 | [Go Code](docs/contributing/go-code.md) | Changing Go code under `cmd/` or `internal/` — covers mint sync, coverage, vet, e2e tests |
 | [Shell Scripting](docs/contributing/shell-scripting.md) | Writing or reviewing shell scripts — covers `gh api --paginate` pitfalls and jq patterns |
 | [Forge Abstraction](docs/contributing/forge-abstraction.md) | Adding forge operations — covers `forge.Client` interface rules |
+| [CEL Triggers](docs/contributing/cel-triggers.md) | Writing or reviewing harness `trigger` CEL expressions or `.feature` CEL filters — covers normalized transition kinds |
 | [ADRs](docs/contributing/adrs.md) | Touching `docs/ADRs/` or reviewing ADR changes — covers immutability and status rules |
 | [Sandbox Topology](docs/contributing/sandbox-topology.md) | Modifying sandbox images, CI image pulling, or agent harness configs |
 | [Bot Identities](docs/contributing/bot-identities.md) | Referencing bot identities in code — covers GitHub App logins and shared identities |
diff --git a/docs/contributing/cel-triggers.md b/docs/contributing/cel-triggers.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..a958f7ff00
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/contributing/cel-triggers.md
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+# CEL Triggers and Normalized Events
+
+Harness `trigger` expressions — and the CEL filters in `.feature` fixtures that
+exercise them — match against the **normalized event model**, not raw
+forge-specific webhook payloads. Whenever you write or review a CEL trigger, use
+the normalized `transition.kind` vocabulary. A raw forge webhook action name
+used where a `transition.kind` is expected silently evaluates to `false`, so the
+trigger never fires and nothing warns you.
+
+**Source of truth:**
+[`docs/normative/normalized-event/v1/README.md`](../normative/normalized-event/v1/README.md).
+Its [Transition kind vocabulary](../normative/normalized-event/v1/README.md#transition-kind-vocabulary),
+[Transition sub-objects](../normative/normalized-event/v1/README.md#transition-sub-objects),
+and [CEL trigger examples](../normative/normalized-event/v1/README.md#cel-trigger-examples)
+sections are authoritative for the full enumerated kind list and the sub-object
+each kind requires (`label`, `comment`, `review`, …). Do not re-copy that list
+here — a duplicated table drifts from the schema.
+
+**Highest-value pitfall — `synchronize` vs `synchronized`:** GitHub's raw
+webhook action is `synchronize` (no trailing `d`), but the normalized kind is
+**`synchronized`**. A CEL expression written as
+`event.transition.kind == "synchronize"` silently never matches — this exact
+typo appeared in a fork-dispatch scenario and was eliminated in PR #5309. The
+same raw→normalized gap exists elsewhere (e.g. `labeled` / `unlabeled` →
+`label_changed`); when unsure, check the vocabulary section above rather than
+guessing from the webhook name.
+
+**When reviewing** harness triggers or `.feature` CEL filters: flag any raw
+forge webhook action name used where a normalized `transition.kind` is expected
+(e.g. `"synchronize"`, `"labeled"`) as a **medium-severity** finding — it will
+silently fail to match.