📖About

2757 showed the four-role step pipeline is checklist theater: the real Sage-Archon-Forge-Argus team lane (with per-role deliverables) exists but sits behind a feature flag that defaults OFF and is set nowhere, so a single Developer Executor does everything and support roles get auto-stamped pass. Fix (Ninad ruling): (1) the team lane becomes the DEFAULT for planner build steps (env flag stays as kill-switch) - Forge always receives a real fact-pack from Sage and a real design from Archon before building; (2) Merlin gains bounded LOOP-BACK: when Forge reports insufficient design/spec or Argus verification implicates the design or requirements, Merlin routes the chain back to Archon or Sage (max 2 loops) with the failure context, and narrates the loop-back on Palantir; (3) team roles narrate their deliverables so the wall reflects the teamwork.

⚖️Decisions

• Elrond's bypass methodology checklist (a reminder, not a gate -- you've got this): 0. File it requested_mode='bypass' (planner-vs-bypass is a deliberate choice). bypass_start REFUSES a non-bypass initiative (CAROL-INI-1846), and the dispatcher only skips the bypass lane when the mode says bypass -- a 'planner' mistag lets Merlin's pipeline grab the placeholder step and block your finished work. 1. Filed as planned status -- let the bypass claim/activate it; never file active. 2. Open the bypass (bypass_start) with your droid id + the remediation answer (remediates_initiative_id=NNN, or remediates_nothing=True). 3. Work the blocks for your work-type: template -> design -> code -> test -> review. Do the real work; record decisions on the initiative as you make them. 4. Reality is recorded for you at close -- code (files changed), each decision, and the twin-review verdict become real activities tied to this initiative and show in the Activity Tracker like a planner run (CAROL-INI-1840). No dummy rows. 5. Keep the initiative status moving; it parks in 'reviewing' and is tagged uat-pending for you at close (CAROL-INI-1836), so the stuck-watchdog leaves it alone until UAT. 6. Close runs the gates (design/architecture compliance + caller-audit). If a gate flags something pre-existing or unrelated to your change, waive it with a clear written rationale -- audit, don't skip. 7. Bypass skips the planner's auto-orchestration, NOT the standards. Same template checklist, same review, same observability as a planner run. (elrond)
• Current state at filing (Elrond validity check): Currently, the Sage-Archon-Forge-Argus team lane is behind a feature flag that defaults OFF and is set nowhere. Merlin does not loop back on design or spec failure. Team roles do not narrate deliverables on Palantir. The pipeline, Palantir, and pipeline app are all running and registered. (elrond)
• [status-router] planned -> executing | event=bypass_executing | bypass transition (or-bx-01)
• [status-router] executing -> reviewing | event=bypass_reviewing | bypass transition (or-bx-01)
• Orion remediated: INI-999901674 bypass closed — CAROL-INI-696 close-marker: the Orion bypass INI-999901674 filed against this parent reached terminal state (closed). This row's literal prefix Orion remediated: is the canonical signal the cookbook-155 dispatcher gate looks for. (shared.bypass.bypass_end)
• UAT fail round 1 (acceptor ninad) (uat)
• [status-router] reviewing -> planned | event=uat_fail_rework | pipeline_uat uat_fail_rework (ninad)
• [status-router] planned -> executing | event=bypass_executing | bypass transition (or-bx-01)
• Handover-watchdog: planner-pending nudge for phase 2 (auto-invoked Elrond planner). (elrond)
• Handover-watchdog: planner-pending nudge for phase 2 (auto-invoked Elrond planner). (elrond)
• [rework r1 live proof] First-ever real role artifacts through the team lane (2026-07-19 ~12:15 UTC): sage_runner returned a genuine analysis (non-stub, degraded=False) and archon_runner a genuine design, both via real model calls attributed to their registered submission droids - the identity gate accepted them. Engine fix confirmed at the call level; full pipeline E2E lands with tonight's 2982-02 resume (WATCH). (orion)
• [delivery-check] 3 pending must-have criteria stamped met at bypass_end on live re-performance evidence (CAROL-INI-3020): test test_ini2972.py: PASS (8 passed in 4.37s); test test_ini2972_r1.py: PASS (9 passed, 1 skipped in 0.44s) (orion)
• [status-router] executing -> reviewing | event=bypass_reviewing | bypass transition (or-bx-01)
• [status-router] reviewing -> closed | event=operator_signoff | Auto-accepted (CAROL-INI-1859): Orion-initiated, >2 days in reviewing with no objection. (el-srac-01)

✅Success criteria

• A planner build step runs through the real four-role team by default - Forge builds only after Sage produced a fact-pack and Archon a design, all persisted as step deliverables. (must_have)
• When the build or verification fails for design or spec reasons, Merlin sends the work back to Archon or Sage (bounded loops) instead of failing outright, and the loop-back is visible on the initiatives Palantir wall. (must_have)
• Sage, Archon and Argus appear on the Palantir wall for steps they worked - no more silent stamped roles. (must_have)