diff --git a/CLAIMS.md b/CLAIMS.md
index a11598ad..4b8315c5 100644
--- a/CLAIMS.md
+++ b/CLAIMS.md
@@ -36,13 +36,14 @@ is a CI failure (`.github/workflows/lane-shas.yml`).
 | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
 | ADR-0092 | `reviewer_registry` | Reviewer registry schema validates + bootstrap entry self-seals | `evals/reviewer_registry/results/v1_dev.json` | `681a2aab5aa4ffd58cd837ce5673c8b2a9545b570117aec3c02726a12f6876e6` |
 | ADR-0093 | `domain_contract_validation` | All ratified packs satisfy the 9 ADR-0091 contract predicates | `evals/domain_contract_validation/results/v1_dev.json` | `98ace04e3f02bbc5a8ad655bb6593c3f1ee64cb67014f1122fe6c3c85f48d22f` |
-| ADR-0095 | `miner_loop_closure` | Miner-sourced proposals route through single reviewed teaching path | `evals/miner_loop_closure/results/v1_dev.json` | `9f071733abe7dcacf759f928548ce738fb639af3fd6e4c621a651b306d7e77ce` |
+| ADR-0095 | `miner_loop_closure` | Miner-sourced proposals route through single reviewed teaching path | `evals/miner_loop_closure/results/v1_dev.json` | `537094fe21d7e6cfbaf42bfc32b82d669fa9bb05a132d2bc93c72b3ceb7762a6` |
 | ADR-0096 | `fabrication_control_summary` | Phantom endpoints / cross-pack non-bridges / sibling collapses refuse | `evals/fabrication_control/results/v1_summary.json` | `01e1b6b711141f2b4a14551d7df3ea482d8d6dd7b364a25c509f4f8d08cda8a8` |
-| ADR-0098 | `demo_composition` | Demos compose from shipped modules; no parallel mechanism | `evals/demo_composition/results/v1_dev.json` | `e2ba2314d8768459fb6a8db082a4bbcf4107b5161d869804a4b2a33c3724081a` |
+| ADR-0098 | `demo_composition` | Demos compose from shipped modules; no parallel mechanism | `evals/demo_composition/results/v1_dev.json` | `f0611a2ce41721dd40767fc6a83a08470d3c7fd7fc8f1ae8ba003abf8a25ec97` |
 | ADR-0099 | `public_demo` | Public showcase runs deterministically under 30s; all claims supported | `evals/public_demo/results/v1_dev.json` | `7d8ba0dbae9287cfe0bf15d231fa78a75abc627121c14900439293e01e1cc1d3` |
-| ADR-0104 | `curriculum_loop_closure` | Curriculum-sourced proposals route through single reviewed teaching path | `evals/curriculum_loop_closure/results/v1_dev.json` | `b46d56b2d209172cc3ffaf3776dc8dcfe55093f13587c5cb67372be6dfa23e8d` |
+| ADR-0104 | `curriculum_loop_closure` | Curriculum-sourced proposals route through single reviewed teaching path | `evals/curriculum_loop_closure/results/v1_dev.json` | `cb94ca0042d78ec2624129ff6493d52e767b69feea32d2997b85d88f1c0883af` |
 | ADR-0131 | `math_teaching_corpus_v1` | Math teaching corpus replays deterministically; all chains pass exit criterion (correct_rate=1.0, wrong=0) | `evals/math_teaching_corpus/v1/report.json` | `eaf160d145da29f9050ede8d58bf111b0f651dd40aeae9201857d0b97e014dd4` |
 | ADR-0206 | `deductive_logic_v1` | Propositional entailment scored against an independent truth-table oracle; dev+holdout+external 716/716 correct, wrong=0, refused=0 | `evals/deductive_logic/report.json` | `97a230949016e38d5e3f37a69e4245b320575ee70e5af92ff7607f7b05f74b5f` |
+| ADR-0256 | `deduction_serve_v1` | Flag-gated deduction serving decides real English/member/fused arguments end-to-end under earned SERVE licenses; wrong=0 across all splits | `evals/deduction_serve/report.json` | `b530ed99c414a6d1bdd239752b0e1c6c8c03893f402198def29122b9c2a8a8be` |
 
 ## Verification
 
diff --git a/core/cognition/pipeline.py b/core/cognition/pipeline.py
index e4e6ccd5..6e3a3bc9 100644
--- a/core/cognition/pipeline.py
+++ b/core/cognition/pipeline.py
@@ -486,6 +486,11 @@ class CognitiveTurnPipeline:
             grounding_provenance=grounding_src,
         )
         surface = resolved.surface
+        # Truth-path bytes for trace_hash (ADR-0069 inv C): the served
+        # surface carries register R6/R4 transforms and MUST NOT move the
+        # hash; hash_surface is the register-invariant canonical-precedence
+        # capture, kept in lockstep with every served-surface mutation below.
+        hash_surface = resolved.hash_surface or resolved.surface
         articulation_surface = resolved.articulation_surface
         authority_source = resolved.authority
 
@@ -518,6 +523,7 @@ class CognitiveTurnPipeline:
                 if logos_blocks_certified_answer(logos_decision):
                     refusal = decision_as_coherence_refusal(logos_decision)
                     surface = refusal.surface_message or refusal.message
+                    hash_surface = surface
                     articulation_surface = surface
                     authority_source = "logos_morph_constraint"
         except Exception:
@@ -667,6 +673,7 @@ class CognitiveTurnPipeline:
         # proposal (if any) is added below for FUTURE turns to see.
         if self._speculative_subjects and surface and self._should_mark_speculative(text, surface):
             surface = _SPECULATIVE_SURFACE_MARKER + surface
+            hash_surface = _SPECULATIVE_SURFACE_MARKER + hash_surface
             articulation_surface = _SPECULATIVE_SURFACE_MARKER + articulation_surface
 
         # 10. TEACHING — correction capture, review, and store
@@ -705,9 +712,11 @@ class CognitiveTurnPipeline:
                         if len(tok) >= 4 and tok not in _SUBJECT_STOPWORDS:
                             self._forget_speculative_subject(tok)
 
-        # Advance turn counter and remember surface for next correction binding
+        # Advance turn counter and remember surface for next correction binding.
+        # The truth-path surface (not the served, register-decorated bytes)
+        # feeds correction binding so register packs cannot perturb teaching.
         self._turn_number += 1
-        self._prior_surface = surface
+        self._prior_surface = hash_surface
 
         # 11. TRACE — deterministic hash (includes teaching IDs and any
         # typed-operator invocation per ADR-0018).
@@ -787,7 +796,7 @@ class CognitiveTurnPipeline:
         trace_hash = compute_trace_hash(
             input_text=text,
             filtered_tokens=filtered_tokens,
-            surface=surface,
+            surface=hash_surface,
             walk_surface=response.walk_surface,
             articulation_surface=articulation_surface,
             dialogue_role=str(response.dialogue_role),
diff --git a/core/cognition/surface_resolution.py b/core/cognition/surface_resolution.py
index 96009397..84affc4b 100644
--- a/core/cognition/surface_resolution.py
+++ b/core/cognition/surface_resolution.py
@@ -24,8 +24,6 @@ from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
 from core.cognition.fail_closed import (
     CoherenceRefusal,
     ContractViolation,
-    FailureClass,
-    ResidualState,
     contract_assessment_none_violation,
     open_geometry_refusal,
 )
@@ -86,6 +84,15 @@ class SurfaceResolution:
     refusal: CoherenceRefusal | None = None
     contract_violation: ContractViolation | None = None
     proof_trace: ProofTrace | None = None
+    hash_surface: str = ""
+    """Truth-path surface for ``trace_hash`` folding (ADR-0069 inv C).
+
+    ``surface`` carries the *served* bytes (post register R6/R4);
+    ``hash_surface`` carries the register-invariant truth-path bytes
+    (canonical-precedence base plus the same substrate/fold suffixes).
+    Empty means the served surface IS the truth-path surface (refusal,
+    abstention, and legacy callers) — the pipeline falls back to
+    ``surface`` when folding the trace."""
 
 
 def _base_runtime_surface(
@@ -95,25 +102,44 @@ def _base_runtime_surface(
     response_surface: str,
     response_articulation_surface: str,
 ) -> tuple[str, str, str]:
-    """Select the runtime-owned base surface by declared precedence."""
+    """Select the runtime-owned base surface by declared precedence.
 
-    if canonical_surface:
-        return canonical_surface, response_articulation_surface, "runtime_canonical"
+    ``response_surface`` is the runtime's final *served* bytes — post
+    realizer-guard, post substantive register (ADR-0077 R6), post seeded
+    decoration (ADR-0071 R4) — and always wins when present.
+    ``canonical_surface`` / ``pre_decoration_surface`` are truth-path
+    identity captures the pipeline folds into ``trace_hash``; they are
+    fallbacks for callers that never sealed a response surface, never a
+    substitute for served bytes.  Preferring canonical here strips the
+    entire register axis from pipeline-served turns (terse/convivial
+    stop differing from neutral) while trace_hash stays green — the
+    register-tour claims are the falsifiable contract that catches it.
+    """
+
+    if response_surface:
+        return response_surface, response_articulation_surface, "runtime"
     if pre_decoration_surface:
         return pre_decoration_surface, response_articulation_surface, "runtime_pre_decoration"
-    return response_surface, response_articulation_surface, "runtime"
+    if canonical_surface:
+        return canonical_surface, response_articulation_surface, "runtime_canonical"
+    return "", response_articulation_surface, "runtime"
 
 
-def _assessment_residual(
-    contract_assessment: "ContractAssessment | None",
-) -> ResidualState | None:
-    if contract_assessment is None:
-        return ResidualState(detail="contract_assessment is None")
-    return ResidualState(
-        missing_bindings=tuple(contract_assessment.missing_bindings),
-        unresolved_hazards=tuple(contract_assessment.unresolved_hazards),
-        detail=str(contract_assessment.explanation or ""),
-    )
+def _truth_path_base(
+    *,
+    canonical_surface: str,
+    pre_decoration_surface: str,
+    response_surface: str,
+) -> str:
+    """Register-invariant base folded into ``trace_hash``.
+
+    Canonical-first: the composer's pre-R6 capture is the truth-path
+    identity field, byte-identical across register packs (ADR-0069
+    inv C / ADR-0077).  Falls through to pre-decoration, then the
+    response itself for turns that never captured a canonical surface.
+    """
+
+    return canonical_surface or pre_decoration_surface or response_surface
 
 
 def _abstention_resolution(
@@ -211,9 +237,17 @@ def _grounded_open_hedge_resolution(
         response_surface=response_surface,
         response_articulation_surface=response_articulation_surface,
     )
+    truth_base = _truth_path_base(
+        canonical_surface=canonical_surface,
+        pre_decoration_surface=pre_decoration_surface,
+        response_surface=response_surface,
+    )
     surface = (
         f"{_GROUNDED_OPEN_HEDGE_PREFIX} {base_surface}" if base_surface else base_surface
     )
+    hash_surface = (
+        f"{_GROUNDED_OPEN_HEDGE_PREFIX} {truth_base}" if truth_base else truth_base
+    )
     articulation = (
         f"{_GROUNDED_OPEN_HEDGE_PREFIX} {base_articulation}"
         if base_articulation
@@ -229,6 +263,7 @@ def _grounded_open_hedge_resolution(
         refusal=None,
         contract_violation=None,
         proof_trace=None,
+        hash_surface=hash_surface,
     )
 
 
@@ -322,6 +357,11 @@ def resolve_surface(
         response_surface=response_surface or "",
         response_articulation_surface=response_articulation_surface or "",
     )
+    hash_surface = _truth_path_base(
+        canonical_surface=canonical_surface or "",
+        pre_decoration_surface=pre_decoration_surface or "",
+        response_surface=response_surface or "",
+    )
 
     # === DUAL-COMPETING SHADOW COHERENCE GATE ===
     # Forward and conjugate evaluated as independent competitors; commit
@@ -340,6 +380,7 @@ def resolve_surface(
 
     if not gate_blocks and realized_surface and forward_ok and conjugate_ok:
         surface = realized_surface
+        hash_surface = realized_surface
         articulation_surface = realized_surface
         authority = "substrate_realizer"
     elif (
@@ -352,12 +393,16 @@ def resolve_surface(
         # Transitional shim: geometric coherence holds, but graph not yet
         # fully grounded. Never used when conjugate residual fails.
         surface = realized_surface
+        hash_surface = realized_surface
         articulation_surface = realized_surface
         authority = "realizer"
 
     fold_sources: list[str] = []
     if walk_surface:
         surface = f"{surface} — {walk_surface}" if surface else walk_surface
+        hash_surface = (
+            f"{hash_surface} — {walk_surface}" if hash_surface else walk_surface
+        )
         articulation_surface = (
             f"{articulation_surface} — {walk_surface}"
             if articulation_surface
@@ -367,6 +412,9 @@ def resolve_surface(
 
     if compose_surface:
         surface = f"{surface} — {compose_surface}" if surface else compose_surface
+        hash_surface = (
+            f"{hash_surface} — {compose_surface}" if hash_surface else compose_surface
+        )
         articulation_surface = (
             f"{articulation_surface} — {compose_surface}"
             if articulation_surface
@@ -392,6 +440,7 @@ def resolve_surface(
         refusal=None,
         contract_violation=None,
         proof_trace=proof,
+        hash_surface=hash_surface,
     )
 
 
diff --git a/docs/handoff/generalization-2026-07/BRIEF-O-opus-medium-tier.md b/docs/handoff/generalization-2026-07/BRIEF-O-opus-medium-tier.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c58f5e07
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/handoff/generalization-2026-07/BRIEF-O-opus-medium-tier.md
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+# Handoff Brief — Tier O (Opus 5, MEDIUM risk)
+
+**Read first:** `docs/plans/generalization-arc-2026-07-24.md` (the plan of
+record — §4 gold contract and §6 constraint set are binding), then
+`AGENTS.md`. Reference ADRs on demand: 0256–0259 (band recipe),
+0175/0199 (license doctrine), 0251/0252 (math-reader guardrails).
+
+**You own, in order:**
+
+1. **O1 — Band v6-EX (existential `some` witnesses).** Follow the band
+   recipe exactly as ADR-0258/0259 executed it: reader module in
+   `generate/proof_chain/`, shape bands in `shape.py`, surface wiring in
+   `chat/deduction_surface.py`, arena templates ≥720/band in
+   `evals/deduction_serve/practice/gold.py`, hand-authored lane split,
+   ledger reseal, tests, ADR, research doc. Gotchas that bit before:
+   cross-module `_Reject` identity (catch both classes); band-N swallows
+   band-N+1 test texts (verify the prior band really refuses your
+   declined cases); surgical single-line pin edits only (never
+   `verify_lane_shas.py --update`).
+2. **O2 — Phase 2 physics serve lane** per the §4 curriculum-entailment
+   contract. Premises come ONLY from ratified domain chains
+   (`teaching/domain_chains/physics_chains_v1.jsonl` + pack mounts);
+   anti-recall probes (gold=UNKNOWN for true-but-untaught) are mandatory
+   or the lane must not ship. Independent closed-world oracle first,
+   then the lane. Biology second, only after O3 lands.
+3. **O3 — generic consumption bridge**: extract the seal→ratify→
+   SHA-verified-license→serve-gate pattern (models:
+   `chat/deduction_serve_license.py`,
+   `generate/determine/estimation_license.py`) into a reusable ADR-0175
+   Phase-5 bridge so subject arenas plug in without bespoke wiring.
+4. **O4 — math reader: seeding-sentence injection** (standing ruling
+   #77 — the 75% "no injection" wall). Then compare unblock (4.2).
+   Hard guardrails: no bespoke-per-case regex growth (ADR-0251); check
+   every new pattern against
+   `docs/research/reader-arc-overfit-inventory-2026-07-19.md`; measure
+   on the frozen tune/measure split; wrong=0 on the full 500 is the
+   gate, parse-rate gain is the goal.
+
+**Constraints (non-negotiable):** wrong=0; all flags stay default-off —
+flips are Shay's ratification only; Forgejo-primary (no `gh`); worktree
+per unit off `forgejo-https/main`; fresh venv per worktree
+(`rm -rf .venv && uv sync --locked --offline`, then `uv run --no-sync`);
+pre-push hook runs smoke+warmed_session (~4.5 min — budget timeouts);
+PRs opened by Shay via the compare URL the push prints (push PAT 403s
+the PR API); Shay merges — never you; branch+worktree deleted after
+merge; no timelines in any doc.
+
+**Your exit checkpoint (O→S):** v6-EX merged; ≥1 subject lane serving
+wrong=0 with earned licenses; bridge merged; math increment measured and
+documented (a null result is a valid checkpoint). Then update
+`BRIEF-S-sonnet-low-tier.md` with actual state, update memory, and stop
+for the Sonnet handoff.
diff --git a/docs/handoff/generalization-2026-07/BRIEF-S-sonnet-low-tier.md b/docs/handoff/generalization-2026-07/BRIEF-S-sonnet-low-tier.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c28170bc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/handoff/generalization-2026-07/BRIEF-S-sonnet-low-tier.md
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+# Handoff Brief — Tier S (Sonnet 5, LOW risk)
+
+**Read first:** `docs/plans/generalization-arc-2026-07-24.md` §6
+(constraint set is binding) and the Tier-O brief's constraints block —
+they apply verbatim. Opus will have updated this brief with actual state
+at its exit checkpoint; trust that update over anything stale below.
+
+**You own (independent items, any order unless noted):**
+
+1. **S1 — ratification packet for `deduction_serving_enabled`.**
+   Evidence collation only — the flip is Shay's decision, never yours.
+   Contents: 17+-band sealed ledger stats
+   (`chat/data/deduction_serve_ledger.json`), serve-lane results
+   (`evals/deduction_serve/report.json`), byte-identical-when-off proof
+   (cite ADR-0256 + `tests/test_deduction_surface.py` flag tests), blast
+   radius (exact dispatch point `chat/runtime.py` deduction branch), and
+   rollback (flip back, zero residue). One markdown doc in
+   `docs/research/`, PR'd.
+2. **S2 — lane re-pins + flake documentation.** Only AFTER the Phase-0.1
+   drift findings doc exists and says re-pin is safe. Surgical
+   single-line edits in `scripts/verify_lane_shas.py` — NEVER `--update`
+   (it rewrites every lane and silently drops erroring lanes' pins).
+   Document the `public_demo` env-timeout flake where the findings doc
+   says.
+3. **S3 — vocab-trigger instrument.** Implement the measurable test
+   specified in `docs/handoffs/COMPREHENSION-READER-AUDIT.md`
+   (§measurable-test, lines ~163–166 and ~231–238): refusal histogram
+   split mechanism-vs-coverage + Phase-2-admissions-per-lexicon-batch
+   counter. CLI or lane runner per the spec; do not invent policy — the
+   spec decides, you implement.
+4. **S4 — HITL proposal-queue CLI.** A `core` CLI surface listing +
+   reviewing pending proposals from the existing sinks
+   (`teaching/proposals/`, contemplation/idle sinks). Read + review-state
+   transitions only; NO ratification automation, NO corpus mutation, NO
+   flag flips.
+5. **S5 — housekeeping.** Promotion sweeps Opus's checkpoint notes call
+   for; capability-index entries for new subject lanes; docs/memory
+   updates; dead-code removal only when unambiguous.
+
+**Constraints:** identical to Tier O (worktrees, fresh venv, pre-push
+gate, compare-URL PRs, Shay merges, wrong=0, flags stay off, no
+timelines). When any item's scope turns out larger than described here —
+stop and flag it in the PR/handoff notes rather than improvising.
+
+**Arc close:** all Tier-S PRs pushed; memory updated; note whether the
+Phase-5 articulation trigger (multi-step decided content exists) has
+fired, for the next arc's scoping.
diff --git a/docs/plans/generalization-arc-2026-07-24.md b/docs/plans/generalization-arc-2026-07-24.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..ff51cebf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/plans/generalization-arc-2026-07-24.md
@@ -0,0 +1,238 @@
+# Generalization Arc — GSM8K-Level Capability Across Core Subjects
+
+**Date:** 2026-07-24 · **Status:** ACTIVE · **Base:** main @ `5224b5e0` (post ADR-0259 / Band v4-CM)
+
+This is the ratified plan of record for the arc that takes CORE from "one
+fully-closed cognitive lifecycle (deduction-serve)" to "the same lifecycle
+running across core subjects at GSM8K-exam level" — articulated answers,
+problem solving, comprehension, all under wrong=0 discipline.
+
+Execution is **risk-tiered across three operators** (§6): Fable 5 does the
+high-risk design + build, Opus 5 the medium tier, Sonnet 5 the low tier.
+Handoff briefs live in `docs/handoff/generalization-2026-07/`.
+
+---
+
+## 1. Ground truth at arc start
+
+- Exactly one lifecycle is closed end-to-end: **deduction-serve**
+  (comprehend → 5 band readers → ROBDD decide → sealed practice arena,
+  17 bands × 720, θ_SERVE=0.99 → SHA-verified ratified ledger → license
+  gate → render → register chain). Dark behind
+  `deduction_serving_enabled=False`, awaiting ratification.
+- Cross-subject substrate exists but is idle: 16 unmounted domain seed
+  packs, 5 domain chain corpora, 6 OOD fluency lanes, five-layer
+  teaching-order doctrine (`docs/teaching_order.md`), capability index.
+- Learning-loop organs exist but are write-only or dark: 19 default-off
+  flags; proposal/contemplation/promotion paths emit into review sinks
+  with no runtime consumer. Three real ratified-artifact consumers exist
+  (deduction ledger, estimation license, recognizer registry) — the
+  pattern to generalize.
+- Math is reader-gated, not solver-gated: compiler holds 50/50 wrong=0 on
+  dev-1 but the reader parses ~1% of real GSM8K; the ~30-band bet was
+  falsified; standing ruling #77 selects **seeding-sentence injection**
+  as the next math move.
+- ADR-0246 §3.7 identity calibration is explicitly OFF this critical
+  path (blocked on §11 research evidence; doctrine order:
+  capability → practice → calibration → serve).
+
+## 2. Phases
+
+### Phase 0 — Truth-substrate hygiene + first live serve *(Small)*
+- **0.1** Root-cause the 3-lane pin drift (`miner_loop_closure`,
+  `curriculum_loop_closure`, `demo_composition`). Classify: determinism
+  bug (stop-the-line) vs stale pins vs local/CI byte divergence.
+  Re-pin surgically only after root-cause. Findings doc in
+  `docs/research/`.
+- **0.2** Ratification packet for `deduction_serving_enabled` (evidence
+  collation only; the flip is Shay's decision).
+
+**Done when:** drift explained + resolved; packet delivered.
+
+### Phase 1 — Reading generalization: verb predicates + existentials *(Large)*
+The band cascade reads only copula sentences; every other subject states
+facts as verb sentences. Ordered by leverage:
+
+- **1.1 Band v5-VP — verb predicates**: predicate atoms keyed by
+  (verb lemma, argument tuple); intransitive + transitive with
+  named/classed arguments ONLY; closed morphology; typed refusal for
+  everything else (voice, tense shifts, ditransitives, PP-arguments).
+  This band gates Phase 2.
+- **1.2 Band v6-EX — existential (`some`) witnesses**: completes the
+  all/no/some square; witness-based lowering.
+- Deferred (unchanged from ADR-0259 §5): universal-nested-in-connective
+  (bound-variable tracking), identity/co-reference, tense.
+
+Recipe per band (proven 3×): reader module → shape bands → arena
+templates (≥720/band) → hand-authored lane split (content-disjoint from
+practice lexicon) → ledger reseal → tests → ADR → research doc.
+
+**Done when:** verb-predicate and existential arguments decided at SERVE
+wrong=0; ledger resealed; promotion sweep of previously-declined cases
+done honestly (promotion = *decided correctly*, not *decided favorably*).
+
+### Phase 2 — Port the lifecycle to two non-math subjects *(Medium-Large)*
+Physics and biology first (OOD lanes, seed packs, and domain chains
+already exist). Implemented strictly to the **curriculum-entailment gold
+contract** (§4 — the load-bearing design of this arc):
+
+- Mount subject packs; wire domain chains through the teaching corridor
+  per the five-layer order.
+- Exam-shaped serve lanes: question → read (v5-VP reading) → decide
+  **from ratified curriculum premises only** → licensed articulated
+  answer.
+- Per-subject band ledgers via the same arena; capability-index
+  coverage entries; 3-domain anti-overfit panel discipline
+  (independence must be in the READING).
+
+**Done when:** two subjects serve wrong=0 on hand-authored exam-shaped
+lanes with earned licenses, zero subject-specific engine code.
+
+### Phase 3 — Close the discovery→learning loop *(Medium)*
+- **3.1** Vocab-expansion trigger as code (the COMPREHENSION-READER-AUDIT
+  §measurable-test, made a standing instrument: refusal histogram split
+  mechanism-vs-coverage; admissions-per-lexicon-batch).
+- **3.2** HITL proposal-queue surface (review CLI over the existing
+  sinks).
+- **3.3** Generic consumption bridge: extract the seal → ratify →
+  SHA-verified license → serve-gate pattern (deduction ledger is the
+  model; estimation license the second instance) into the ADR-0175
+  Phase-5 bridge so each subject arena plugs in without bespoke wiring.
+- **3.4** Feed discovery-yield with real traffic (post 0.2 flip).
+
+**Done when:** a serve-time gap flows discovery → proposal →
+ratification → runtime consumption with no manual file surgery.
+
+### Phase 4 — Math problem-solving reader *(Medium-Large, parallel lane)*
+Independent of Phases 1–3 (no shared files; production-line pattern):
+
+- **4.1** Seeding-sentence injection (ruling #77; the 75% "no injection"
+  wall).
+- **4.2** Compare unblock (summation-question reader + inverse compare),
+  queued behind 4.1 per the same ruling.
+- **4.3** q:complex decomposition study (increment-1 band plan §9; 101
+  cases behind one label).
+- Guardrails pinned: `docs/research/reader-arc-overfit-inventory-2026-07-19.md`,
+  ADR-0251 recalibration (no bespoke-per-case regex growth),
+  ADR-0252.
+
+**Done when:** real-GSM8K parse floor materially above ~1% with wrong=0
+held on the full 500; ceiling revised with evidence.
+
+### Phase 5 — Articulation depth (`generate/` "core_logos") *(trigger-gated)*
+Not queued by order. Trigger: Phases 1–2 produce multi-step decided
+content (proof chains, multi-fact answers) — the evidence of where
+articulation quality binds that the intelligence-loop plan's Phase 6
+deferral was waiting for. Scope the arc from that evidence.
+
+## 3. Dependencies
+
+- Phase 1.1 gates Phase 2. Phase 0 first.
+- Phase 3.3 lands before the *second* subject arena (avoid copy-paste
+  wiring). 3.1/3.2 interleave freely.
+- Phase 4 fully parallel. Phase 5 trigger-gated on 1–2.
+- §3.7 identity calibration stays downstream of the whole arc (its
+  calibration data comes *from* this arc's practice volume).
+
+## 4. Curriculum-entailment gold contract (Phase-2 design, decided here)
+
+This section is the HIGH-risk design, fixed now so the medium tier can
+implement without re-litigating epistemology.
+
+1. **Verdict domain** — every exam item resolves to
+   {entailed, refuted, unknown, declined}, identical to deduction-serve.
+   UNKNOWN is the honest verdict for untaught facts. No open-world
+   recall, ever.
+2. **Two question shapes** — (a) self-contained arguments (premises in
+   the text): already owned by bands v2–v6; (b) **curriculum-grounded
+   questions** (the new Phase-2 shape): question text supplies only the
+   query; the premise set is compiled from the RATIFIED domain chain
+   corpus for that subject. Gold is a function of (curriculum, question)
+   — never of case-local hidden text. This is the decoding-not-generating
+   line in mechanical form.
+3. **Premise provenance** — each lane case pins the chain IDs it draws
+   on; the runner reconstructs premises from the ratified corpus and
+   MUST fail the case if a pinned chain is absent or unratified.
+4. **Independent oracle** — per subject, a closed-world reachability
+   oracle over the chain corpus (sharing no code with the serving path)
+   validates every gold verdict; the lane asserts corpus soundness
+   before any case runs (the `assert_corpus_sound()` pattern).
+5. **License granularity** — bands keyed by (subject × relation family ×
+   chain depth), earned in the ADR-0199 arena: θ_SERVE=0.99, n≥720,
+   wrong=0, sealed + SHA-verified ledger per subject.
+6. **Typed refusals, lifecycle-mapped** — `untaught_vocabulary`,
+   `unratified_chain`, `out_of_curriculum`, `ambiguous_reading`; the
+   OOV refusal feeds the Phase-3 proposal queue (refusals become
+   discovery, not dead ends).
+7. **Anti-recall probes (mandatory per lane)** — cases whose answer is
+   true in the world but absent from the curriculum; gold = UNKNOWN.
+   A lane without these probes cannot prove the system decodes rather
+   than recalls, and MUST NOT ship.
+
+## 5. Risks
+
+- **HIGH — subject-gold epistemology drift**: mitigated by §4 (contract
+  fixed before implementation; anti-recall probes mandatory).
+- **HIGH — v5-VP scope creep**: argument structure/voice/agreement are a
+  real jump from copula. Mitigation: two argument shapes only, closed
+  morphology, typed refusal for the rest — the same discipline that made
+  v2–v4 land clean.
+- **MEDIUM — arena scale**: 720/band × growing band count on local
+  hardware; linear sealing time; watch, don't block.
+- **MEDIUM — synthetic-overfit trap**: practice templates and lane cases
+  stay content-disjoint per subject (standing doctrine).
+- **MEDIUM — q:complex may not decompose**: nothing gates on Phase 4.
+- **LOW — drift root-cause escalates**: if Phase 0.1 finds a determinism
+  bug, the arc pauses until it is fixed (stop-the-line).
+
+## 6. Risk-tiered operator assignment
+
+Constraint set for every tier: wrong=0; flags stay default-off (flips
+are Shay's ratification only); Forgejo-primary, no GitHub/`gh`; local
+smoke + warmed_session gate before every push (pre-push hook); `uv`
+always; branch + worktree per unit; no merge automation; one PR per
+coherent solution; attribution disabled.
+
+### Tier F — Fable 5 (HIGH risk; this session)
+- F1: Phase 0.1 drift root-cause (+ surgical re-pin if benign).
+- F2: this plan doc + handoff briefs.
+- F3: §4 gold contract (done — it is this document).
+- F4: Band v5-VP (Phase 1.1), full recipe, PR.
+
+**Checkpoint F→O:** F1/F2/F4 PRs pushed with compare URLs; memory
+updated; briefs current. Opus starts at O1 with no open design
+questions.
+
+### Tier O — Opus 5 (MEDIUM risk)
+- O1: Band v6-EX existentials (Phase 1.2) — recipe + ADR-0257/0258/0259
+  as references.
+- O2: Phase 2 physics + biology serve lanes per §4 (mount packs, wire
+  chains, arena, ledgers, lanes). Physics first; biology second only
+  after the generic bridge (O3) lands.
+- O3: Phase 3.3 generic consumption bridge.
+- O4: Phase 4.1 seeding-sentence injection, then 4.2; 4.3 as analysis.
+  Guardrail docs pinned in §2/Phase 4.
+
+**Checkpoint O→S:** v6-EX merged; ≥1 subject lane serving wrong=0 with
+earned licenses; bridge merged; math increment measured + documented
+(whatever its outcome — a null result is a valid checkpoint).
+
+### Tier S — Sonnet 5 (LOW risk)
+- S1: Phase 0.2 ratification packet (evidence collation).
+- S2: Post-fix lane re-pins; public_demo flake documentation.
+- S3: Phase 3.1 vocab-trigger instrument (spec is pinned in
+  `docs/handoffs/COMPREHENSION-READER-AUDIT.md` §measurable-test).
+- S4: Phase 3.2 HITL proposal-queue CLI surface.
+- S5: Promotion sweeps, capability-index entries, docs/memory
+  housekeeping.
+
+**Arc close:** all three tiers merged; Phase 5 trigger evaluated with
+evidence in hand; next arc scoped from it.
+
+## 7. Non-goals (this arc)
+
+- ADR-0246 §3.7 / identity-gate calibration (evidence-blocked).
+- `core/ports/` Ring-2/3 consumption (own future flag-gated units).
+- Universal-nested-in-connective, co-reference, tense bands.
+- Any serving-flag flip without explicit ratification.
+- Zig substrate work.
diff --git a/docs/research/lane-drift-investigation-2026-07-24.md b/docs/research/lane-drift-investigation-2026-07-24.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0e203863
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/research/lane-drift-investigation-2026-07-24.md
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+# Lane-Pin Drift Investigation — miner / curriculum / demo_composition
+
+**Date:** 2026-07-24 · **Worktree:** `core-wt-gen` off main @ `5224b5e0`
+**Verdict:** two distinct causes; no determinism bug; one **real serving
+regression found and fixed** (register axis stripped from pipeline-served
+turns).
+
+Context: during the Band v4-CM arc (2026-07-23), a `verify_lane_shas.py
+--update` dry run showed three lanes' pins stale. This investigation
+root-causes all three before any re-pin (generalization-arc Phase 0.1).
+
+## Determinism check
+
+Each drifted lane was run twice in a fresh worktree (fresh
+`uv sync --locked` venv, hermetic `CORE_ENGINE_STATE_DIR`): byte-identical
+SHAs across runs for `miner_loop_closure` (`537094fe…`) and
+`curriculum_loop_closure` (`cb94ca00…`). **Not a determinism bug.**
+
+## Cause 1 — content-digest widening (miner + curriculum): benign, stale pins
+
+Commit `5c69b741` (2026-07-17, ADR-0244 Phase 5a "§2.7 content-id
+semantic rigor") widened `core/contemplation/schema.py::_content_digest`
+from 16-hex truncation to the full 64-hex sha256 (birthday-collision
+rigor). Both lanes' reports embed `finding_id` / derived `proposal_id`
+values from that digest: the fresh `finding_id` is the 64-hex extension
+of the exact pinned 16-hex prefix (`4d6b8b5e1d46eb60` →
+`4d6b8b5e1d46eb60ea7a…`), and every downstream `proposal_id` cascades.
+The commit re-pinned nothing. **Intentional, ADR-tracked, benign → both
+pins re-pinned surgically in this branch** (single-line edits; never
+`--update`, which rewrites every lane and silently drops erroring
+lanes' pins).
+
+## Cause 2 — demo_composition: a REAL serving regression (found via the drift)
+
+The fresh lane report flipped `register-tour` `all_claims_supported`
+true→false (plus `composite_supported`, which is `audit ∧ register`).
+Isolation showed the register tour's two substantive-differentiation
+claims failing while the three invariance claims held: **terse/convivial
+registers no longer differed from neutral on pack-grounded definitions**
+— the entire register axis (ADR-0077 R6 substantive + ADR-0071 R4
+decoration) was missing from pipeline-served surfaces.
+
+Mechanism (three commits, each individually defensible):
+
+1. `ff1dcb25` (2026-05-20, #76) introduced `resolve_surface` with a
+   `_base_runtime_surface` precedence of **canonical-first** — the
+   trace-hash identity capture preferred over the runtime's served bytes.
+   Dormant at first.
+2. `e0d1b475` (2026-07-20, #96 fail-closed linguistic governance) routed
+   pipeline turns through the resolver with `canonical_surface` populated
+   → pipeline-served turns began serving the pre-R6 canonical. The
+   runtime's own `chat()` path stayed correct; `warmed_session`
+   telemetry-consistency went red (0.9444) because TurnEvent (correct
+   bytes) disagreed with pipeline (stripped bytes).
+3. `5a343b49` (2026-07-22, T13) "fixed" the telemetry red by
+   back-stamping the pipeline's (stripped) surface onto TurnEvent —
+   making telemetry consistent with the *regressed* serving. The register
+   tour's claims — the falsifiable contract for the register axis —
+   then failed, which is exactly the byte drift the lane pin caught.
+
+Why no gate caught it: the e2e tests that pin this behavior
+(`tests/test_register_substantive_consumption.py::test_e2e_terse_*`)
+are red on main but are not in the curated smoke suite; the lane-shas CI
+job is the only gate that runs the demo lanes, and its failures were
+conflated with the known `public_demo` env flake.
+
+### Fix (this branch)
+
+`core/cognition/surface_resolution.py` + `core/cognition/pipeline.py`:
+
+- `_base_runtime_surface` precedence corrected to **response-first**
+  (served bytes = post-guard, post-R6, post-R4), canonical demoted to
+  last-resort fallback.
+- New `SurfaceResolution.hash_surface`: the truth-path
+  (canonical-precedence) bytes, kept in lockstep through substrate
+  overrides, folds, hedge prefix, logos-morph override, and the
+  speculative marker. `compute_trace_hash` now folds `hash_surface`,
+  so **trace_hash stays register-invariant (ADR-0069 inv C) while the
+  served surface carries the register**. `_prior_surface` (correction
+  binding) also stays on the truth path so register packs cannot perturb
+  teaching.
+- Removed dead `FailureClass` import + `_assessment_residual` (repo-wide
+  unreferenced).
+
+Verification: register tour **6/6 claims** (both substantive-differs
+claims restored AND `all_trace_hashes_identical` held);
+`tests/test_surface_resolution.py` (updated precedence tests + 2 new
+fallback tests), `test_register_substantive_consumption.py` (previously
+red e2e tests now green), `test_grounded_open_hedge_arm.py`,
+`test_cognitive_turn_pipeline.py`, `test_warmed_session_lane.py` (T13
+consistency) — all green; smoke suite via pre-push gate.
+
+### demo_composition pin disposition (measured)
+
+After the fix, every claims-supported flag in the lane report matches
+the committed report again (`all_claims_supported_a/b` true,
+`composite_supported` true). The only residual delta vs the 2026-07-14
+pin is the two tours' *inner payload* `sha256` values — those payloads
+embed per-prompt `trace_hash` values whose format legitimately changed
+post-pin (`e7d116c9`, 2026-07-20: Phase-B graph-topology inclusion in
+`compute_trace_hash`). Semantics restored, embedded hash format
+evolved → re-pinned to `f0611a2c…` with this diff as the audit trail.
+
+## public_demo (not one of the three, for completeness)
+
+Unchanged: its known failure mode is the env-timeout flake
+(`all_claims_supported=False` under cold/slow runs), documented in
+memory and the lane-shas remediation text. Do not re-pin from a laptop
+run; adjudicate on the Act runner.
+
+## Bonus latent break found while re-pinning
+
+`scripts/generate_claims.py` raised on every run since the
+`deduction_serve_v1` pin landed (2026-07-23): the pin was added to
+`PINNED_SHAS` without the required `_LANE_ADR` entry, so the lane-shas
+CI's `generate_claims.py --check` step has been red since then. Fixed
+here (ADR-0256 row added; CLAIMS.md regenerated, check green).
+
+## Follow-ups (assigned in the generalization-arc plan)
+
+- Tier S: add `tests/test_register_substantive_consumption.py` e2e
+  tests to the curated smoke suite so this axis can never silently
+  regress again (small, mechanical).
+- Tier S: document the lane-shas CI expectation that a red lane job is
+  triaged per-lane, never assumed to be the public_demo flake.
diff --git a/scripts/generate_claims.py b/scripts/generate_claims.py
index ec86a63b..14e7008d 100644
--- a/scripts/generate_claims.py
+++ b/scripts/generate_claims.py
@@ -74,6 +74,10 @@ _LANE_ADR: dict[str, tuple[str, str]] = {
         "ADR-0206",
         "Propositional entailment scored against an independent truth-table oracle; dev+holdout+external 716/716 correct, wrong=0, refused=0",
     ),
+    "deduction_serve_v1": (
+        "ADR-0256",
+        "Flag-gated deduction serving decides real English/member/fused arguments end-to-end under earned SERVE licenses; wrong=0 across all splits",
+    ),
 }
 
 
diff --git a/scripts/verify_lane_shas.py b/scripts/verify_lane_shas.py
index 735f1ad9..e2c9826c 100644
--- a/scripts/verify_lane_shas.py
+++ b/scripts/verify_lane_shas.py
@@ -43,11 +43,11 @@ LANE_TIMEOUT_S = int(os.environ.get("CORE_LANE_VERIFY_TIMEOUT_S", "900"))
 
 PINNED_SHAS: dict[str, str] = {
     "reviewer_registry": "681a2aab5aa4ffd58cd837ce5673c8b2a9545b570117aec3c02726a12f6876e6",
-    "miner_loop_closure": "9f071733abe7dcacf759f928548ce738fb639af3fd6e4c621a651b306d7e77ce",
-    "curriculum_loop_closure": "b46d56b2d209172cc3ffaf3776dc8dcfe55093f13587c5cb67372be6dfa23e8d",
+    "miner_loop_closure": "537094fe21d7e6cfbaf42bfc32b82d669fa9bb05a132d2bc93c72b3ceb7762a6",
+    "curriculum_loop_closure": "cb94ca0042d78ec2624129ff6493d52e767b69feea32d2997b85d88f1c0883af",
     "domain_contract_validation": "98ace04e3f02bbc5a8ad655bb6593c3f1ee64cb67014f1122fe6c3c85f48d22f",
     "fabrication_control_summary": "01e1b6b711141f2b4a14551d7df3ea482d8d6dd7b364a25c509f4f8d08cda8a8",
-    "demo_composition": "e2ba2314d8768459fb6a8db082a4bbcf4107b5161d869804a4b2a33c3724081a",
+    "demo_composition": "f0611a2ce41721dd40767fc6a83a08470d3c7fd7fc8f1ae8ba003abf8a25ec97",
     "public_demo": "7d8ba0dbae9287cfe0bf15d231fa78a75abc627121c14900439293e01e1cc1d3",
     "math_teaching_corpus_v1": "eaf160d145da29f9050ede8d58bf111b0f651dd40aeae9201857d0b97e014dd4",
     "deductive_logic_v1": "97a230949016e38d5e3f37a69e4245b320575ee70e5af92ff7607f7b05f74b5f",
diff --git a/tests/test_surface_resolution.py b/tests/test_surface_resolution.py
index c53eb6f4..6600112f 100644
--- a/tests/test_surface_resolution.py
+++ b/tests/test_surface_resolution.py
@@ -32,7 +32,10 @@ def _open_assessment() -> ContractAssessment:
     )
 
 
-def test_runtime_canonical_surface_has_base_precedence() -> None:
+def test_runtime_response_surface_has_base_precedence() -> None:
+    # response_surface is the served bytes (post register R6/R4 —
+    # ADR-0077/ADR-0071); canonical is the trace-hash identity capture
+    # and must never displace served bytes when a response exists.
     resolved = resolve_surface(
         canonical_surface="canonical",
         pre_decoration_surface="pre-decoration",
@@ -41,13 +44,39 @@ def test_runtime_canonical_surface_has_base_precedence() -> None:
         contract_assessment=_closed_assessment(),
     )
 
-    assert resolved.surface == "canonical"
+    assert resolved.surface == "runtime"
     assert resolved.articulation_surface == "articulation"
-    assert resolved.authority == "runtime_canonical"
+    assert resolved.authority == "runtime"
     assert resolved.fold_sources == ()
     assert resolved.authoritative is True
 
 
+def test_canonical_surface_is_last_resort_fallback() -> None:
+    resolved = resolve_surface(
+        canonical_surface="canonical",
+        pre_decoration_surface="",
+        response_surface="",
+        response_articulation_surface="articulation",
+        contract_assessment=_closed_assessment(),
+    )
+
+    assert resolved.surface == "canonical"
+    assert resolved.authority == "runtime_canonical"
+
+
+def test_pre_decoration_outranks_canonical_when_response_absent() -> None:
+    resolved = resolve_surface(
+        canonical_surface="canonical",
+        pre_decoration_surface="pre-decoration",
+        response_surface="",
+        response_articulation_surface="articulation",
+        contract_assessment=_closed_assessment(),
+    )
+
+    assert resolved.surface == "pre-decoration"
+    assert resolved.authority == "runtime_pre_decoration"
+
+
 def test_useful_realizer_requires_conjugate_coherence() -> None:
     """Realizer shim only when conjugate geometric contract is closed."""
     resolved = resolve_surface(