feat(soul): Stage 1 structural audit as a real route — an annotated characterization, not a score (#91)

`runStructuralAudit` has been an advertised MCP tool with nothing behind it: the
dispatcher GET'd /session/begin and returned that unrelated session digest under
an audit tool's name. Meanwhile the failure the audit would have caught ran
silently for about three weeks — the soul reporting 103,089 nodes while the
engram, which OWNS persistence, held ~79,900, a crash discarding the difference,
and every boot reporting green throughout, because nothing in the system ever
compared the two sides.

WHAT THE PATENT SPECIFIES, AND HOW IT SHAPED THIS
  CGI provisional, 05-detailed-description.md, "Stage 1: Structural audit 430".
  Two clauses did the design work. First the four things the module evaluates:
  the density and typed distribution of causal edges; value/execution-record
  consistency; the richness and connectivity of the self-model; and wonder-
  manifest authenticity. Second, and decisively: it "produces a coherence
  assessment 432 — NOT A BINARY SCORE but an annotated characterization of the
  graph's structural properties."

  So every finding carries its numbers AND a plain-language note saying what
  they mean and how they were obtained. There is no pass/fail and no composite
  health figure, and `"score":null` is emitted explicitly so a reader cannot
  mistake its absence for an omission.

WHAT IS IN STAGE 1 (four findings)
  owner_runtime_divergence   — the motivating case. Runtime counts vs the owner's
      own GET /api/stats, the delta, and the trend against the previous audit, so
      a second call answers "is the gap growing?" rather than restating it.
  self_model_connectivity    — the three identity pillars plus the self root:
      present, content length, one-hop degree. This RETIRES the Claude-side vitals
      identity block, which lived outside the system it was checking and went on
      reporting green while the memory-philosophy pillar was absent from the live
      graph. Asking the running soul is the designed mechanism; a shell probe was
      the fourth patch on the same hole.
  typed_edge_distribution    — exact counts against the claim-10 vocabulary, plus
      density, plus a separate count of LOWERCASE near-misses ("causes" vs
      "Causes"): "the vocabulary is unused" and "the vocabulary is misspelled by
      the write paths" are different defects with different fixes.
  orphans_and_dangling_edges — the tool's own long-standing promise.

WHAT IS DEFERRED, AND WHY IT IS DATA RATHER THAN A COMMENT
  Value/execution-record consistency and wonder-manifest authenticity ship as a
  `deferred` array that MEASURES the populations they would need (Prediction and
  WonderQuestion nodes) and reports those counts as the reason. Both are ~0 today
  — WonderQuestion because of a known write/read node-type mismatch. Asserting
  value coherence or a pull-weight correlation on an empty population would be a
  fabricated result, which is worse than a stated gap.

MEASUREMENT HONESTY: EXACT WHERE CHEAP, SAMPLED WHERE NOT, ALWAYS LABELLED
  Counts, edge typing and self-model connectivity are exact. Orphan and dangling
  rates are sampled, because engram_find_node_index is a linear scan — an
  exhaustive dangling check is O(nodes x edges), ~2.2e9 string compares at today's
  scale. Samples are UNIFORM across the whole population (str_index_of_all gives
  every edge offset in one pass, so any index is O(1); json_array_get would have
  been O(n^2)), never head-of-list, and each figure ships with its own sampled /
  population / exhaustive fields. ?edge_sample= and ?node_sample= at population
  size run either check exhaustively. The real fix is an id index in the runtime.

ONE BUG THIS FOUND IN ITSELF, CAUGHT IN TEST
  http_get does not return "" when the owner is unreachable — it returns a JSON
  error object. Testing only for "" made a DEAD owner read as reachable with
  node_count 0, so the audit reported 100% divergence and named it data loss.
  Reachability is now proved by the presence of the node_count field, and the
  owner's raw reply is attached. A confident wrong answer is exactly what this
  route exists to stop.

  Edge findings need relation labels and the runtime has no edge-enumeration
  builtin, so they use the same scratch export GET /api/graph/edges already uses
  (engram_save to TMPDIR, never the owner's canonical file — #117). That is a
  large write on a large graph, so this is a manual route, not a timer; ?edges=0
  skips it.

  neuron-api.el:900-1273  handler + helpers
  routes.el:567,752       GET and POST /api/neuron/audit/structural
  mcp-wrapper/src/main.el:113,682  tool description + dispatch off /session/begin
  dist/soul.c             regenerated (1255 bodies)

Rung: E2E-VERIFIED. Soul built from this branch (gen-soul-amalgam + cc-brain,
921,192 bytes, 16 warnings, 0 errors), booted on throwaway ports 7893/7896/7897
with throwaway HOMEs against a stub owner on 7894. Three scenarios pass: owner
reachable (runtime 62 vs owner 42, delta 20 / 32.2%, trend flat on the second
call; 12/20 edges claim-10 typed, 3 lowercase near-misses; 50/62 orphans, 3/20
dangling — every figure matches the fixture by construction), owner unreachable
(reported as a finding with the raw reply, not a crash), and file mode (owner
"none", divergence undefined). Reached end-to-end through the MCP tool via a
locally built wrapper. verify-soul-contract.sh: GATE PASS, 27/27 routes +
immutability. No process left running; live :7770 and :8742 untouched (GET only).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

awareness.el

@@ -889,10 +889,29 @@ fn awareness_run() -> Void {
             state_set("soul.last_beat_ts", int_to_str(now_ts))
             // Persist in-process Engram (sessions, memories, conversation nodes)
             // to local snapshot so they survive restarts.
+            // FILE MODE ONLY: "soul_snapshot_path" is set exclusively in the
+            // genesis+safe_to_seed branch of soul.el, and safe_to_seed is
+            // unconditionally false when ENGRAM_URL is set. In HTTP mode the
+            // owner persists; the soul must not (soul.el:571-573).
             let snap_path: String = state_get("soul_snapshot_path")
             if !str_eq(snap_path, "") {
                 mem_save(snap_path)
             }
+            // WRITE-THROUGH RETRY (neuron#117). The HTTP-mode counterpart of the
+            // save above: hand anything still spooled to the persistence owner.
+            //
+            // This is the retry arm of the whole design. Deltas that could not be
+            // pushed — owner down, owner restarting, transient refusal — stay on
+            // disk and are re-offered here every heartbeat until they land. It is
+            // also the catch-all for writes made by the awareness loop itself,
+            // which never passes through the HTTP handler's flush point.
+            //
+            // No-op with no HTTP call when the spool is empty or ENGRAM_URL is
+            // unset, so an idle soul in file mode pays nothing for this.
+            let wt_pushed: Int = wt_drain()
+            if wt_pushed < 0 {
+                ise_post("{\"event\":\"write_through_backlog\",\"ts\":" + int_to_str(now_ts) + "}")
+            }
         }
 
         // Curiosity scan: idle-gated AND wall-clock based. Only fires when the

chat.el

@@ -1162,7 +1162,7 @@ fn hist_trim_with_bell_guard(hist: String) -> String {
             + " | evicted_at:" + ts_str
             + " | message:" + safe_content
         let preserve_tags: String = "[\"bell-history\",\"bell:" + bell_level + "\",\"evicted\",\"affective\",\"BellEvent\"]"
-        let discard: String = engram_node_full(
+        let discard: String = wt_node(
             preserve_content,
             "BellEvent",
             "bell:" + bell_level + ":preserved",
@@ -1210,7 +1210,7 @@ fn conv_history_persist(session_id: String, hist: String) -> Void {
     if !str_contains(hist, "]") { return "" }
     let tags: String = "[\"conv-history\",\"persistent\"]"
     // FIX B: one label rule, shared with the agentic path. See conv_hist_label.
-    let node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let node_id: String = wt_node(
         hist, "Conversation", conv_hist_label(session_id),
         el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.8), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags
@@ -3461,7 +3461,7 @@ fn handle_dharma_room_turn(body: String) -> String {
     // engram_node(content, "episodic", ...) which wrongly put a TIER into the node_type
     // slot — that's why nodes showed node_type="episodic". Use the full, correct contract.)
     let utterance_tags: String = "[\"soul-utterance\",\"episodic\"]"
-    let discard_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let discard_id: String = wt_node(
         clean_response, "Conversation", "soul:utterance",
         el_from_float(0.6), el_from_float(0.6), el_from_float(0.8),
         "Episodic", utterance_tags
@@ -3552,7 +3552,7 @@ fn session_summary_write(summary_text: String) -> String {
         }
     }
     let tags: String = "[\"SessionSummary\",\"session-summary\",\"previous-session\",\"consolidate\"]"
-    let node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let node_id: String = wt_node(
         content, "SessionSummary", "session:summary",
         el_from_float(0.85), el_from_float(0.85), el_from_float(1.0),
         "Episodic", tags
@@ -3578,7 +3578,7 @@ fn session_summary_write_dated(summary_text: String, label: String) -> String {
     let ts_str: String = int_to_str(ts)
     let content: String = "[session-summary] " + trimmed + " | ts:" + ts_str
     let tags: String = "[\"SessionSummary\",\"session-summary\",\"previous-session\",\"consolidate\"]"
-    let node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let node_id: String = wt_node(
         content, "SessionSummary", label,
         el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(0.8), el_from_float(1.0),
         "Episodic", tags
@@ -3654,7 +3654,7 @@ fn auto_persist(req: String, resp: String) -> Void {
         + ",\"bell\":\"" + bell_level + "\""
         + ",\"label\":\"chat:" + ts_str + "\"}"
 
-    let conv_node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let conv_node_id: String = wt_node(
         content,
         "Conversation",
         "chat:" + ts_str,
@@ -3692,7 +3692,7 @@ fn auto_persist(req: String, resp: String) -> Void {
         let bell_tags: String = "[\"safety\",\"bell\",\"bell:" + bell_level + "\",\"affective\",\"BellEvent\"]"
         let bell_ts_str: String = int_to_str(time_now())
         let bell_label: String = "bell:" + bell_level + ":" + bell_ts_str
-        let bell_node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+        let bell_node_id: String = wt_node(
             bell_content,
             "BellEvent",
             bell_label,
@@ -3751,7 +3751,7 @@ fn auto_persist(req: String, resp: String) -> Void {
         let pos_tags: String = "[\"joy\",\"positive\",\"joy:" + positive_level + "\",\"affective\",\"PositiveEvent\"]"
         let pos_ts_label: String = int_to_str(time_now())
         let pos_label: String = "joy:" + positive_level + ":" + pos_ts_label
-        let pos_node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+        let pos_node_id: String = wt_node(
             pos_content, "PositiveEvent", pos_label,
             pos_sal_a, pos_sal_b, pos_sal_c, "Episodic", pos_tags
         )

mcp-wrapper/src/main.el

@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ tool("beginSession", "Initialize session: surface recent high-importance memorie
 "," + tool("linkCausal", "Create a causal edge (cause -> effect).") +
 "," + tool("restructureCausalGraph", "Re-balance the causal subgraph after new evidence.") +
 "," + tool("rebuildGraph", "Rebuild graph indices from the on-disk snapshot.") +
-"," + tool("runStructuralAudit", "Audit graph structure for orphans, dangling edges, mislabeled types.") +
+"," + tool("runStructuralAudit", "Stage 1 structural audit: owner-vs-runtime divergence, orphans and dangling edges, typed-edge distribution, self-model connectivity. Returns an annotated characterization, not a score.") +
 // ── Backlog + work ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 "," + tool("planWork", "Create a backlog item.") +
 "," + tool("reviewBacklog", "Browse work items.") +
@@ -680,7 +680,16 @@ fn dispatch_tool_call(tool_name: String, args: String) -> String {
         return mcp_json_result(resp)
     }
     if str_eq(tool_name, "runStructuralAudit") {
-        let resp: String = http_get(neuron_url() + "/session/begin")
+        // Was: GET /session/begin — an unrelated session digest returned under an
+        // audit tool name, i.e. the tool advertised a check that did not exist.
+        // Now points at the real Stage 1 route (neuron-api.el
+        // handle_api_structural_audit). Sample caps ride the query string; the
+        // defaults keep a manual audit to a couple of seconds.
+        let e_s: Int = json_get_int(args, "edge_sample")
+        let n_s: Int = json_get_int(args, "node_sample")
+        let qs: String = "?edge_sample=" + int_to_str(if e_s > 0 { e_s } else { 3000 })
+            + "&node_sample=" + int_to_str(if n_s > 0 { n_s } else { 300 })
+        let resp: String = http_get(neuron_url() + "/audit/structural" + qs)
         return mcp_json_result(resp)
     }
 

memory.el

@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
+import "persist.el"
+
 fn tier_working() -> String { return "Working" }
 fn tier_episodic() -> String { return "Episodic" }
 fn tier_canonical() -> String { return "Canonical" }
 
 fn mem_store(content: String, label: String, tags: String) -> String {
-    let id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let id: String = wt_node(
         content,
         "Memory",
         label,
@@ -17,13 +19,23 @@ fn mem_store(content: String, label: String, tags: String) -> String {
         println("[memory] write rejected by engram (empty id): label=" + label)
         return ""
     }
-    // Read back to verify the node actually persisted — guards against silent write failures.
+    // wt_node has already read the node back locally and returns "" if it did
-    let readback: String = engram_get_node_json(id)
+    // not land, so the old duplicate read-back here is gone.
-    if str_eq(readback, "") || str_eq(readback, "{}") {
+    //
-        println("[memory] WRITE VERIFY FAILED: label=" + label + " id=" + id + " — node absent after write")
+    // HONESTY (neuron#117): the receipt now says WHERE the write is.
-        return ""
+    // The old unconditional "write verified" line asserted against the soul's
+    // own RAM — true in memory, false on disk — and printed ~115,000 times on
+    // Tim's machine while the canonical snapshot sat frozen for three days.
+    // wt_commit flushes the spool and then asks the OWNER. When it says false
+    // the node is real and recallable but not yet durable, and the log says so
+    // rather than claiming a save that did not happen. The id is still returned:
+    // the local write DID succeed, and the queued delta will be retried.
+    let durable: Bool = wt_commit(id)
+    if durable {
+        println("[memory] write persisted at owner: " + id + " label=" + label)
+    } else {
+        println("[memory] write IN MEMORY ONLY (queued for owner, not yet durable): " + id + " label=" + label)
     }
-    println("[memory] write verified: " + id + " ok")
     return id
 }
 
@@ -51,12 +63,12 @@ fn mem_strengthen(node_id: String) -> Void {
 // memory.el (imported first) so awareness.el and neuron-api.el can both call it.
 fn mem_tombstone(node_id: String) -> String {
     let tags: String = "[\"Tombstone\",\"status:deleted\"]"
-    let marker: String = engram_node_full(
+    let marker: String = wt_node(
         node_id, "Tombstone", "tombstone:" + node_id,
         el_from_float(0.01), el_from_float(0.01), el_from_float(1.0),
         "Episodic", tags)
     if !str_eq(marker, "") {
-        engram_connect(marker, node_id, el_from_float(1.0), "tombstones")
+        wt_edge(marker, node_id, el_from_float(1.0), "tombstones")
     }
     return marker
 }

neuron-api.el

@@ -195,15 +195,24 @@ fn api_compact_activated(raw: String, max_items: Int, snip: Int) -> String {
 }
 
 // api_persisted — read-back-after-write guard against hallucinated saves.
-// After a write builtin returns an id, confirm the node is actually queryable
+//
-// via engram_get_node_json(id) (returns "" or "null" when missing). Returns
+// WIDENED FOR neuron#117. This function is the single gate every MCP write
-// true only when the node is genuinely persisted.
+// handler passes through before it reports success (10 call sites), which makes
+// it the right place to close the honesty gap rather than editing ten receipts.
+//
+// It used to read back from engram_get_node_json — the SOUL'S OWN in-process
+// graph. In HTTP-engram mode that asserts the wrong thing: the soul is not the
+// persistence owner, so a node present in its RAM and absent from the owner read
+// as "persisted" and then vanished on the next restart. The guard was doing
+// exactly what its comment promised and still certifying writes that did not
+// survive. It now flushes the write-through spool and asks the OWNER.
+//
+// In file mode (no ENGRAM_URL) the soul IS the owner and wt_commit collapses to
+// the original local read-back — unchanged behaviour, which is what keeps this
+// reversible.
 fn api_persisted(id: String) -> Bool {
     if str_eq(id, "") { return false }
-    let node: String = engram_get_node_json(id)
+    return wt_commit(id)
-    // engram_get_node_json returns "{}" (empty object) when node is not found — not "" or "null".
-    // Check all three to guard against any runtime variation.
-    return !str_eq(node, "") && !str_eq(node, "null") && !str_eq(node, "{}")
 }
 
 // api_not_persisted — standard error for a write that did not read back.
@@ -342,7 +351,7 @@ fn handle_api_remember(body: String) -> String {
         let inner: String = str_slice(base_tags, 1, str_len(base_tags) - 1)
         "[" + inner + ",\"project:" + project + "\"]"
     }
-    let id: String = engram_node_full(content, "Memory", "memory:remembered",
+    let id: String = wt_node(content, "Memory", "memory:remembered",
         sal, sal, el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", final_tags)
     if !api_persisted(id) { return api_not_persisted(id) }
@@ -369,7 +378,7 @@ fn handle_api_node_create(body: String) -> String {
             if str_eq(importance, "low") { 0.25 } else { 0.5 }
         }
     }
-    let id: String = engram_node_full(content, node_type, label,
+    let id: String = wt_node(content, node_type, label,
         sal, sal, el_from_float(0.9),
         tier, tags)
     if !api_persisted(id) { return api_not_persisted(id) }
@@ -422,11 +431,11 @@ fn handle_api_node_update(body: String) -> String {
     }
     let body_tags: String = json_get(body, "tags")
     let tags: String = if str_eq(body_tags, "") { "[\"" + node_type + "\"]" } else { body_tags }
-    let new_id: String = engram_node_full(content, node_type, label,
+    let new_id: String = wt_node(content, node_type, label,
         el_from_float(0.5), el_from_float(0.5), el_from_float(0.8),
         tier, tags)
     if !api_persisted(new_id) { return api_not_persisted(new_id) }
-    engram_connect(new_id, id, el_from_float(0.9), "supersedes")
+    wt_edge(new_id, id, el_from_float(0.9), "supersedes")
     return "{\"id\":\"" + new_id + "\",\"supersedes\":\"" + id + "\",\"ok\":true}"
 }
 
@@ -498,7 +507,7 @@ fn handle_api_capture_knowledge(body: String) -> String {
     let full: String = if str_eq(title, "") { content } else { title + ": " + content }
     let lbl: String = str_slice(title, 0, 80)
     let tags: String = "[\"Knowledge\",\"captured\"]"
-    let id: String = engram_node_full(full, "Knowledge", lbl,
+    let id: String = wt_node(full, "Knowledge", lbl,
         el_from_float(0.85), el_from_float(0.8), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags)
     if !api_persisted(id) { return api_not_persisted(id) }
@@ -513,12 +522,12 @@ fn handle_api_evolve_knowledge(body: String) -> String {
     if !str_eq(prior_id, "") && is_protected_node(prior_id) { return api_err_protected(prior_id) }
     let tags: String = "[\"Knowledge\",\"evolved\"]"
     // Empty label → engram_node_full derives content[:60] (LABEL FIX 2026-07-23).
-    let new_id: String = engram_node_full(content, "Knowledge", "",
+    let new_id: String = wt_node(content, "Knowledge", "",
         el_from_float(0.75), el_from_float(0.75), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags)
     if !api_persisted(new_id) { return api_not_persisted(new_id) }
     if !str_eq(prior_id, "") {
-        engram_connect(new_id, prior_id, el_from_float(0.9), "supersedes")
+        wt_edge(new_id, prior_id, el_from_float(0.9), "supersedes")
     }
     return "{\"id\":\"" + new_id + "\",\"supersedes\":\"" + prior_id + "\",\"ok\":true}"
 }
@@ -535,11 +544,11 @@ fn handle_api_promote_knowledge(body: String) -> String {
         "[\"Knowledge\",\"tier:canonical\",\"disposition:stable\"]"
     } else { tags_raw }
     // Empty label → engram_node_full derives content[:60] (LABEL FIX 2026-07-23).
-    let new_id: String = engram_node_full(content, "Knowledge", "",
+    let new_id: String = wt_node(content, "Knowledge", "",
         el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(0.9), el_from_float(1.0),
         "Canonical", tags)
     if !api_persisted(new_id) { return api_not_persisted(new_id) }
-    engram_connect(new_id, prior_id, el_from_float(0.95), "supersedes")
+    wt_edge(new_id, prior_id, el_from_float(0.95), "supersedes")
     return "{\"ok\":true,\"new_id\":\"" + new_id + "\",\"supersedes\":\"" + prior_id + "\"}"
 }
 
@@ -562,7 +571,7 @@ fn handle_api_define_process(body: String) -> String {
     if str_eq(content, "") { return api_err("content is required") }
     let label: String = if str_eq(name, "") { "process:unnamed" } else { "process:" + name }
     let tags: String = "[\"Process\"]"
-    let id: String = engram_node_full(content, "Process", label,
+    let id: String = wt_node(content, "Process", label,
         el_from_float(0.8), el_from_float(0.8), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Canonical", tags)
     if !api_persisted(id) { return api_not_persisted(id) }
@@ -647,7 +656,7 @@ fn handle_api_tune_config(body: String) -> String {
     if str_eq(key, "") { return api_err("key is required") }
     let content: String = "config:" + key + "=" + value
     let tags: String = "[\"ConfigEntry\",\"config\"]"
-    let id: String = engram_node_full(content, "ConfigEntry", key,
+    let id: String = wt_node(content, "ConfigEntry", key,
         el_from_float(0.85), el_from_float(0.85), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Canonical", tags)
     if !api_persisted(id) { return api_not_persisted(id) }
@@ -694,7 +703,7 @@ fn handle_api_link_entities(body: String) -> String {
     if is_protected_node(to_id) { return api_err_protected(to_id) }
     let relation: String = json_get(body, "relation")
     let eff_relation: String = if str_eq(relation, "") { "associates" } else { relation }
-    engram_connect(from_id, to_id, el_from_float(0.5), eff_relation)
+    wt_edge(from_id, to_id, el_from_float(0.5), eff_relation)
     return "{\"ok\":true,\"from_id\":\"" + from_id + "\",\"to_id\":\"" + to_id + "\",\"relation\":\"" + eff_relation + "\"}"
 }
 
@@ -727,11 +736,11 @@ fn handle_api_evolve_memory(body: String) -> String {
         }
     }
     let tags: String = "[\"Memory\",\"evolved\"]"
-    let new_id: String = engram_node_full(content, "Memory", "memory:evolved",
+    let new_id: String = wt_node(content, "Memory", "memory:evolved",
         sal, sal, el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags)
     if !str_eq(prior_id, "") && !str_eq(new_id, "") {
-        engram_connect(new_id, prior_id, el_from_float(0.9), "supersedes")
+        wt_edge(new_id, prior_id, el_from_float(0.9), "supersedes")
     }
     return "{\"id\":\"" + new_id + "\",\"supersedes\":\"" + prior_id + "\",\"ok\":true}"
 }
@@ -789,11 +798,11 @@ fn handle_api_cultivate(body: String) -> String {
         let content: String = json_get(body, "content")
         if str_eq(content, "") { return api_err("content is required") }
         let tags: String = "[\"Knowledge\",\"evolved\",\"cultivated\"]"
-        let new_id: String = engram_node_full(content, "Knowledge", "knowledge:cultivated",
+        let new_id: String = wt_node(content, "Knowledge", "knowledge:cultivated",
             el_from_float(0.75), el_from_float(0.75), el_from_float(0.9),
             "Episodic", tags)
         if !str_eq(prior_id, "") && !str_eq(new_id, "") {
-            engram_connect(new_id, prior_id, el_from_float(0.9), "supersedes")
+            wt_edge(new_id, prior_id, el_from_float(0.9), "supersedes")
         }
         return "{\"id\":\"" + new_id + "\",\"supersedes\":\"" + prior_id + "\",\"ok\":true,\"cultivated\":true}"
     }
@@ -809,11 +818,11 @@ fn handle_api_cultivate(body: String) -> String {
             }
         }
         let tags: String = "[\"Memory\",\"evolved\",\"cultivated\"]"
-        let new_id: String = engram_node_full(content, "Memory", "memory:cultivated",
+        let new_id: String = wt_node(content, "Memory", "memory:cultivated",
             sal, sal, el_from_float(0.9),
             "Episodic", tags)
         if !str_eq(prior_id, "") && !str_eq(new_id, "") {
-            engram_connect(new_id, prior_id, el_from_float(0.9), "supersedes")
+            wt_edge(new_id, prior_id, el_from_float(0.9), "supersedes")
         }
         return "{\"id\":\"" + new_id + "\",\"supersedes\":\"" + prior_id + "\",\"ok\":true,\"cultivated\":true}"
     }
@@ -833,7 +842,7 @@ fn handle_api_cultivate(body: String) -> String {
         if str_eq(to_id, "") { return api_err("to_id is required") }
         let relation: String = json_get(body, "relation")
         let eff_relation: String = if str_eq(relation, "") { "associates" } else { relation }
-        engram_connect(from_id, to_id, el_from_float(0.5), eff_relation)
+        wt_edge(from_id, to_id, el_from_float(0.5), eff_relation)
         return "{\"ok\":true,\"from_id\":\"" + from_id + "\",\"to_id\":\"" + to_id + "\",\"relation\":\"" + eff_relation + "\",\"cultivated\":true}"
     }
 
@@ -868,7 +877,7 @@ fn handle_api_consolidate(body: String) -> String {
     if !str_eq(summary, "") {
         let safe_summary: String = str_replace(summary, "\"", "'")
         let tags: String = "[\"SessionSummary\",\"consolidate\"]"
-        let summary_id: String = engram_node_full(
+        let summary_id: String = wt_node(
             "[session-summary] " + safe_summary,
             "SessionSummary", "session:summary",
             el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.9),
@@ -880,3 +889,462 @@ fn handle_api_consolidate(body: String) -> String {
     }
     return "{\"ok\":true,\"snapshot\":\"" + snap + "\"}"
 }
+
+// ── Stage 1: structural audit ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// WHAT THIS IMPLEMENTS
+//   The CGI provisional, 05-detailed-description.md, "Stage 1: Structural audit
+//   430". Verbatim, the audit module evaluates: the density and typed
+//   distribution of causal edges; the consistency between value nodes and
+//   execution-record neighborhoods; the richness and connectivity of the
+//   self-model; and the authenticity of open-question nodes in the wonder
+//   manifest. It "produces a coherence assessment 432 — NOT A BINARY SCORE but
+//   an annotated characterization of the graph's structural properties".
+//
+//   That last clause is the whole shape of this handler. Every finding carries
+//   its own numbers AND a plain-language note saying what the numbers mean and
+//   how they were obtained. There is no pass/fail, no percentage-of-health, no
+//   composite score, and `"score":null` is emitted explicitly so a downstream
+//   reader cannot mistake its absence for an omission.
+//
+// WHY IT EXISTS NOW, AND WHY THE FIRST FINDING IS THE ONE IT IS
+//   `runStructuralAudit` has been an advertised MCP tool with nothing behind it:
+//   the dispatcher GET'd /session/begin and returned that blob (mcp-wrapper/src/
+//   main.el). Meanwhile the failure the audit would have caught ran silently for
+//   about three weeks — the soul reported 103,089 nodes while the engram, which
+//   OWNS persistence, held ~79,900; a crash discarded the difference. Every boot
+//   reported green throughout, because nothing in the system ever compared the
+//   two sides. So finding 1 is owner-versus-runtime divergence: it is the check
+//   whose absence cost real memory, and it is cheap and exact.
+//
+// WHAT IS DELIBERATELY NOT HERE (stage 1b, see the `deferred` array in the
+// response): value/execution-record consistency and wonder-manifest
+// authenticity. Both need node types that barely exist in this graph today —
+// the response MEASURES those populations and reports the counts as the reason,
+// rather than asserting a deferral without evidence.
+//
+// MEASUREMENT HONESTY: EXACT WHERE CHEAP, SAMPLED WHERE NOT, ALWAYS LABELLED
+//   Counts, edge typing and self-model connectivity are exact. Orphan rate and
+//   dangling-edge rate are SAMPLED, because the engram runtime has no node-id
+//   index — `engram_find_node_index` is a linear scan over every node, so an
+//   exhaustive dangling check is O(nodes x edges) (~2.2e9 string compares at
+//   today's scale, tens of seconds inside one request). The samples are UNIFORM
+//   across the whole population, not head-of-list, and every sampled figure is
+//   emitted with its own `sampled` / `population` fields plus an extrapolation
+//   labelled as such. Raise `?edge_sample=` / `?node_sample=` to the population
+//   size to run either check exhaustively and pay the time. The real fix is an
+//   id index in the runtime; that is the engram repo's, not this handler's.
+
+// audit_pct1 — one-decimal percentage as a bare JSON number, sign-safe.
+// Integer math only: EL has no fixed-precision formatter, and float_to_str
+// would put an unbounded mantissa in the response.
+fn audit_pct1(num: Int, den: Int) -> String {
+    if den <= 0 { return "null" }
+    let neg: Bool = num < 0
+    let a: Int = if neg { 0 - num } else { num }
+    let tenths: Int = (a * 1000) / den
+    let whole: Int = tenths / 10
+    let frac: Int = tenths - (whole * 10)
+    let sign: String = if neg { "-" } else { "" }
+    return sign + int_to_str(whole) + "." + int_to_str(frac)
+}
+
+// audit_finding — the one envelope every finding uses: name, the measurements,
+// and the annotation. Keeping it in one place is what stops the characterization
+// from degenerating into a bag of numbers with no reading attached.
+fn audit_finding(name: String, measured: String, note: String) -> String {
+    return "{\"finding\":\"" + name + "\""
+        + ",\"measured\":{" + measured + "}"
+        + ",\"note\":\"" + api_json_escape(note) + "\"}"
+}
+
+// audit_str_at — read the quoted string value starting at byte `start`.
+// Slices a bounded window rather than the tail of the (multi-MB) edges array, so
+// this is O(window) per call instead of O(remaining input).
+fn audit_str_at(s: String, start: Int, maxlen: Int) -> String {
+    let n: Int = str_len(s)
+    if start < 0 || start >= n { return "" }
+    let end_guess: Int = start + maxlen
+    let stop: Int = if end_guess > n { n } else { end_guess }
+    let win: String = str_slice(s, start, stop)
+    let q: Int = str_index_of(win, "\"")
+    if q < 0 { return "" }
+    return str_slice(win, 0, q)
+}
+
+// audit_rel_count — exact count of edges carrying `rel`, by scanning the emitted
+// edge array for the literal `"relation":"<rel>"`. engram_emit_edge_json writes
+// metadata ESCAPED as a string, so no nested object can contain that literal and
+// the count cannot be inflated by edge payloads.
+fn audit_rel_count(edges: String, rel: String) -> Int {
+    return str_count(edges, "\"relation\":\"" + rel + "\"")
+}
+
+// audit_owner_stats — ask the persistence OWNER for its own counts.
+// Returns "" when there is no HTTP owner configured or the owner is unreachable;
+// both are reported as findings, never as a failure of the audit.
+fn audit_owner_stats(url: String) -> String {
+    if str_eq(url, "") { return "" }
+    return http_get(url + "/api/stats")
+}
+
+// audit_divergence — FINDING 1. Runtime (this soul's in-process graph) versus
+// the persistence owner's own count. Trend is measured against the previous
+// audit recorded in soul state, so a second call answers "is the gap growing?"
+// rather than just restating it.
+fn audit_divergence() -> String {
+    let rt_nodes: Int = engram_node_count()
+    let rt_edges: Int = engram_edge_count()
+    let url: String = wt_engram_url()
+
+    if str_eq(url, "") {
+        return audit_finding("owner_runtime_divergence",
+            "\"runtime_nodes\":" + int_to_str(rt_nodes)
+            + ",\"runtime_edges\":" + int_to_str(rt_edges)
+            + ",\"owner\":\"none\",\"owner_reachable\":false",
+            "No HTTP persistence owner is configured, so this soul IS the owner "
+            + "(file mode) and divergence is not defined. This check only has "
+            + "meaning when ENGRAM_URL points at a separate engram that owns the "
+            + "canonical store.")
+    }
+
+    let stats: String = audit_owner_stats(url)
+    // REACHABILITY IS PROVED BY THE PAYLOAD, NOT BY A NON-EMPTY REPLY.
+    // http_get does not return "" on a connection failure — it returns a JSON
+    // error object ({"error":"Failed to connect to ... Couldn't connect to
+    // server"}). Testing only for "" made a DEAD owner read as reachable with
+    // node_count 0, i.e. the audit would have reported a 100% divergence and
+    // named it as data loss. That false positive is worse than no check at all:
+    // it is precisely the kind of confident wrong answer this route exists to
+    // stop. Require the field the contract promises.
+    let owner_nc_raw: String = json_get_raw(stats, "node_count")
+    if str_eq(stats, "") || str_eq(owner_nc_raw, "") {
+        return audit_finding("owner_runtime_divergence",
+            "\"runtime_nodes\":" + int_to_str(rt_nodes)
+            + ",\"runtime_edges\":" + int_to_str(rt_edges)
+            + ",\"owner\":\"" + api_json_escape(url) + "\",\"owner_reachable\":false"
+            + ",\"owner_reply\":\"" + api_json_escape(api_utf8_trunc(stats, 200)) + "\"",
+            "The persistence owner at " + url + " did not return a node_count "
+            + "from GET /api/stats. Divergence is UNKNOWN, NOT ZERO — an owner "
+            + "that cannot be read is exactly the condition under which the "
+            + "runtime's own count means least, and reporting 0 for the owner "
+            + "would manufacture a total-loss reading out of a network error. "
+            + "Reported as a finding rather than raised as an error so the rest "
+            + "of the audit still returns; the owner's raw reply is in "
+            + "owner_reply.")
+    }
+
+    let ow_nodes: Int = json_get_int(stats, "node_count")
+    let ow_edges: Int = json_get_int(stats, "edge_count")
+    let d_nodes: Int = rt_nodes - ow_nodes
+    let d_edges: Int = rt_edges - ow_edges
+
+    // Trend against the previous audit in this soul's state.
+    let prev_raw: String = state_get("audit_prev_node_delta")
+    let prev: Int = str_to_int(prev_raw)
+    let abs_now: Int = if d_nodes < 0 { 0 - d_nodes } else { d_nodes }
+    let abs_prev: Int = if prev < 0 { 0 - prev } else { prev }
+    let trend: String = if str_eq(prev_raw, "") {
+        "no_prior_audit"
+    } else {
+        if abs_now > abs_prev { "growing" } else {
+            if abs_now < abs_prev { "shrinking" } else { "flat" }
+        }
+    }
+    state_set("audit_prev_node_delta", int_to_str(d_nodes))
+    state_set("audit_prev_ts", int_to_str(time_now()))
+
+    let note_head: String = if d_nodes == 0 {
+        "Runtime and owner agree on node count."
+    } else {
+        "Runtime holds " + int_to_str(d_nodes) + " nodes (" + audit_pct1(d_nodes, rt_nodes)
+        + "% of its own graph) that the persistence owner does not report. Nodes "
+        + "that exist only in runtime memory do not survive a restart."
+    }
+    return audit_finding("owner_runtime_divergence",
+        "\"runtime_nodes\":" + int_to_str(rt_nodes)
+        + ",\"runtime_edges\":" + int_to_str(rt_edges)
+        + ",\"owner\":\"" + api_json_escape(url) + "\",\"owner_reachable\":true"
+        + ",\"owner_nodes\":" + int_to_str(ow_nodes)
+        + ",\"owner_edges\":" + int_to_str(ow_edges)
+        + ",\"node_delta\":" + int_to_str(d_nodes)
+        + ",\"edge_delta\":" + int_to_str(d_edges)
+        + ",\"node_delta_pct_of_runtime\":" + audit_pct1(d_nodes, rt_nodes)
+        + ",\"trend_vs_previous_audit\":\"" + trend + "\""
+        + ",\"previous_node_delta\":" + (if str_eq(prev_raw, "") { "null" } else { int_to_str(prev) }),
+        note_head + " Trend against the previous audit recorded in this soul's "
+        + "state: " + trend + ". This is the comparison whose absence let a "
+        + "~24,000-node loss run for weeks with every boot reporting green.")
+}
+
+// audit_edge_typing — FINDING 2. Density plus the typed distribution the patent
+// asks for, against the claim-10 relation vocabulary. Exact: str_count over the
+// emitted edge array, one linear pass per relation.
+fn audit_edge_typing(edges: String, total_edges: Int, node_total: Int) -> String {
+    let c_sup: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "Supersedes")
+    let c_cau: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "Causes")
+    let c_con: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "Contains")
+    let c_ref: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "References")
+    let c_ctr: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "Contradicts")
+    let c_exe: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "Exemplifies")
+    let c_act: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "Activates")
+    let c_tmp: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "TemporallyPrecedes")
+    let typed: Int = c_sup + c_cau + c_con + c_ref + c_ctr + c_exe + c_act + c_tmp
+
+    // Lowercase near-misses: the same eight concepts written by the ad-hoc write
+    // paths (linkEntities defaults to "associates", linkCausal to "causes").
+    // Counted separately because "the vocabulary is unused" and "the vocabulary
+    // is used in the wrong case" are different defects with different fixes.
+    let l_sup: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "supersedes")
+    let l_cau: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "causes")
+    let l_con: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "contains")
+    let l_ref: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "references")
+    let l_ctr: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "contradicts")
+    let l_exe: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "exemplifies")
+    let l_act: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "activates")
+    let l_tmp: Int = audit_rel_count(edges, "temporallyPrecedes")
+    let near: Int = l_sup + l_cau + l_con + l_ref + l_ctr + l_exe + l_act + l_tmp
+
+    let untyped: Int = total_edges - typed
+    return audit_finding("typed_edge_distribution",
+        "\"total_edges\":" + int_to_str(total_edges)
+        + ",\"total_nodes\":" + int_to_str(node_total)
+        // Density per 100 nodes, not per node: EL has no fixed-precision float
+        // formatter, and "0.3 edges per node" rounded to an integer is a lie.
+        + ",\"edges_per_100_nodes\":" + audit_pct1(total_edges, node_total)
+        + ",\"claim10_typed\":" + int_to_str(typed)
+        + ",\"claim10_typed_pct\":" + audit_pct1(typed, total_edges)
+        + ",\"outside_claim10_vocabulary\":" + int_to_str(untyped)
+        + ",\"lowercase_near_miss\":" + int_to_str(near)
+        + ",\"by_relation\":{"
+        + "\"Supersedes\":" + int_to_str(c_sup)
+        + ",\"Causes\":" + int_to_str(c_cau)
+        + ",\"Contains\":" + int_to_str(c_con)
+        + ",\"References\":" + int_to_str(c_ref)
+        + ",\"Contradicts\":" + int_to_str(c_ctr)
+        + ",\"Exemplifies\":" + int_to_str(c_exe)
+        + ",\"Activates\":" + int_to_str(c_act)
+        + ",\"TemporallyPrecedes\":" + int_to_str(c_tmp) + "}",
+        "Only " + int_to_str(typed) + " of " + int_to_str(total_edges)
+        + " edges use the claim-10 causal vocabulary; the remainder are ad-hoc "
+        + "relation strings, which is why the graph's causal claims cannot yet "
+        + "be checked for internal consistency — an untyped edge asserts "
+        + "association, not causation. " + int_to_str(near) + " edges use a "
+        + "lowercase spelling of a claim-10 relation: those are near-misses the "
+        + "write paths could be corrected to emit, not genuinely foreign types.")
+}
+
+// audit_orphans_dangling — FINDING 3. Both figures are SAMPLED; see the header
+// for why exhaustive is O(nodes x edges) on this runtime.
+//
+// An "orphan" here is a node with zero RESOLVABLE edges: engram_neighbors_json
+// drops any edge whose other endpoint does not resolve to a node, so a node
+// whose only edges are dangling reads as an orphan. That is the right reading —
+// such a node is unreachable by traversal — but it is stated rather than hidden.
+fn audit_orphans_dangling(edges: String, total_edges: Int, node_total: Int,
+                          edge_cap: Int, node_cap: Int) -> String {
+    // ── orphan sample: uniform stride over the node store ──
+    let n_take: Int = if node_total < node_cap { node_total } else { node_cap }
+    let n_stride: Int = if n_take > 0 { node_total / n_take } else { 1 }
+    let n_stride = if n_stride < 1 { 1 } else { n_stride }
+    let orphans: Int = 0
+    let n_checked: Int = 0
+    let j: Int = 0
+    while j < n_take {
+        let one: String = engram_scan_nodes_json(1, j * n_stride)
+        let nid: String = json_get(json_array_get(one, 0), "id")
+        if !str_eq(nid, "") {
+            let nbrs: String = engram_neighbors_json(nid, 1, "both")
+            let deg: Int = json_array_len(nbrs)
+            let orphans = if deg == 0 { orphans + 1 } else { orphans }
+            let n_checked = n_checked + 1
+        }
+        let j = j + 1
+    }
+
+    // ── dangling sample: uniform stride over the edge array ──
+    // str_index_of_all gives every edge's field offsets in ONE linear pass, so
+    // any index can be read in O(1). json_array_get would have been O(i) per
+    // element and O(n^2) over the array.
+    let from_pos: [Int] = str_index_of_all(edges, "\"from_id\":\"")
+    let to_pos: [Int] = str_index_of_all(edges, "\"to_id\":\"")
+    let nf: Int = len(from_pos)
+    let nt: Int = len(to_pos)
+    let ne: Int = if nf < nt { nf } else { nt }
+    let e_take: Int = if ne < edge_cap { ne } else { edge_cap }
+    let e_stride: Int = if e_take > 0 { ne / e_take } else { 1 }
+    let e_stride = if e_stride < 1 { 1 } else { e_stride }
+    let dangling: Int = 0
+    let e_checked: Int = 0
+    let i: Int = 0
+    while i < ne && e_checked < e_take {
+        let fid: String = audit_str_at(edges, get(from_pos, i) + 11, 96)
+        let tid: String = audit_str_at(edges, get(to_pos, i) + 9, 96)
+        let f_gone: Bool = str_eq(engram_get_node_json(fid), "{}")
+        let t_gone: Bool = if f_gone { true } else { str_eq(engram_get_node_json(tid), "{}") }
+        let dangling = if f_gone || t_gone { dangling + 1 } else { dangling }
+        let e_checked = e_checked + 1
+        let i = i + e_stride
+    }
+
+    let orphan_est: Int = if n_checked > 0 { (orphans * node_total) / n_checked } else { 0 }
+    let dangle_est: Int = if e_checked > 0 { (dangling * total_edges) / e_checked } else { 0 }
+    let exhaustive_n: String = if n_checked >= node_total { "true" } else { "false" }
+    let exhaustive_e: String = if e_checked >= ne { "true" } else { "false" }
+
+    return audit_finding("orphans_and_dangling_edges",
+        "\"nodes_population\":" + int_to_str(node_total)
+        + ",\"nodes_sampled\":" + int_to_str(n_checked)
+        + ",\"nodes_sample_exhaustive\":" + exhaustive_n
+        + ",\"orphans_in_sample\":" + int_to_str(orphans)
+        + ",\"orphan_rate_pct\":" + audit_pct1(orphans, n_checked)
+        + ",\"orphans_extrapolated\":" + int_to_str(orphan_est)
+        + ",\"edges_population\":" + int_to_str(total_edges)
+        + ",\"edges_sampled\":" + int_to_str(e_checked)
+        + ",\"edges_sample_exhaustive\":" + exhaustive_e
+        + ",\"dangling_in_sample\":" + int_to_str(dangling)
+        + ",\"dangling_rate_pct\":" + audit_pct1(dangling, e_checked)
+        + ",\"dangling_extrapolated\":" + int_to_str(dangle_est),
+        "Orphan = zero RESOLVABLE edges, so a node whose only edges dangle counts "
+        + "as an orphan; either way it is unreachable by traversal. Dangling = an "
+        + "edge with an endpoint id that resolves to no node. Both are uniform "
+        + "stride samples over the whole population, not the head of the list; "
+        + "the extrapolations are estimates and are labelled as such. Pass "
+        + "?node_sample= / ?edge_sample= at or above the population size to run "
+        + "either check exhaustively. A high orphan rate is a characterization, "
+        + "not a verdict: an accumulating store legitimately holds unlinked "
+        + "material. It becomes a defect when the write paths were SUPPOSED to "
+        + "link and did not.")
+}
+
+// audit_pillar — one self-model pillar: present, how much content, how connected.
+fn audit_pillar(key: String, id: String) -> String {
+    let node: String = engram_get_node_json(id)
+    let present: Bool = !str_eq(node, "{}") && !str_eq(node, "")
+    if !present {
+        return "\"" + key + "\":{\"id\":\"" + id + "\",\"present\":false"
+            + ",\"content_length\":0,\"degree\":0}"
+    }
+    let content: String = json_get(node, "content")
+    let deg: Int = json_array_len(engram_neighbors_json(id, 1, "both"))
+    return "\"" + key + "\":{\"id\":\"" + id + "\",\"present\":true"
+        + ",\"label\":\"" + api_json_escape(json_get(node, "label")) + "\""
+        + ",\"tier\":\"" + api_json_escape(json_get(node, "tier")) + "\""
+        + ",\"content_length\":" + int_to_str(str_len(content))
+        + ",\"degree\":" + int_to_str(deg) + "}"
+}
+
+// audit_self_model — FINDING 4. "the richness and connectivity of the
+// self-model ... is it connected to behavioral evidence?"
+//
+// This finding RETIRES the Claude-side vitals identity block. That check lived
+// outside the system it was checking — a shell script grepping a snapshot — so
+// it could only ever report on a file, and it went on reporting green while the
+// memory-philosophy pillar was absent from the live graph for about three weeks.
+// Asking the running soul about its own three pillars is the designed mechanism;
+// a shell probe was the fourth patch on the same hole.
+fn audit_self_model() -> String {
+    let dna: String = audit_pillar("intellectual_dna", "kn-5adecd7e-d6db-4576-87fe-6ef8a935cea6")
+    let val: String = audit_pillar("values_hub", "kn-5b606390-a52d-4ca2-8e0e-eba141d13440")
+    let phi: String = audit_pillar("memory_philosophy", "kn-dcfe04b3-3702-4cac-b6f0-ecb4db837eee")
+    let root: String = audit_pillar("self_root", "kn-efeb4a5b-5aff-4759-8a97-7233099be6ee")
+    return audit_finding("self_model_connectivity",
+        "\"pillars\":{" + dna + "," + val + "," + phi + "," + root + "}",
+        "The three identity pillars plus the self root. `degree` counts nodes "
+        + "reachable in one hop in either direction — the self-model's connection "
+        + "to the rest of the graph. present:false on any pillar is the condition "
+        + "that ran undetected for weeks; content_length distinguishes a pillar "
+        + "that is present from one that is present but hollowed out. The patent "
+        + "also asks whether the self-model makes ACCURATE PREDICTIONS about the "
+        + "system's own behavior; that half needs Prediction nodes and is deferred "
+        + "with the rest of stage 1b below.")
+}
+
+// audit_deferred — what stage 1 does NOT yet evaluate, with the measured reason.
+// Emitted as data, not as a comment, so a reader of the assessment sees the gap
+// and its evidence rather than inferring completeness from silence.
+fn audit_deferred() -> String {
+    let preds: Int = json_array_len(api_or_empty(engram_scan_nodes_by_type_json("Prediction", 50, 0)))
+    let wonders: Int = json_array_len(api_or_empty(engram_scan_nodes_by_type_json("WonderQuestion", 50, 0)))
+    return "[{\"deferred\":\"value_execution_record_consistency\""
+        + ",\"stage\":\"1b\""
+        + ",\"measured\":{\"prediction_nodes_found\":" + int_to_str(preds) + "}"
+        + ",\"reason\":\"" + api_json_escape(
+            "The patent asks whether the execution history SUPPORTS the stated "
+            + "values or shows systematic conflict. That requires execution "
+            + "records tied to value nodes and predictions to score them against. "
+            + "Prediction nodes found (capped at 50): " + int_to_str(preds)
+            + ". Asserting value/execution coherence on that population would be "
+            + "a fabricated result, which is worse than a stated gap.") + "\"}"
+        + ",{\"deferred\":\"wonder_manifest_authenticity\""
+        + ",\"stage\":\"1b\""
+        + ",\"measured\":{\"wonder_question_nodes_found\":" + int_to_str(wonders) + "}"
+        + ",\"reason\":\"" + api_json_escape(
+            "The patent asks whether pull weights CORRELATE WITH GENUINE "
+            + "PREDICTION UNCERTAINTY or are uniform/externally assigned — a "
+            + "correlation between two populations. WonderQuestion nodes readable "
+            + "by type (capped at 50): " + int_to_str(wonders) + ", against "
+            + int_to_str(preds) + " Prediction nodes. There is a known write/read "
+            + "node-type mismatch on the wonder path; until that is fixed and both "
+            + "populations exist, any correlation reported here would be noise.") + "\"}]"
+}
+
+// handle_api_structural_audit — Stage 1. Returns the coherence assessment 432:
+// an annotated characterization, explicitly NOT a score.
+//
+// COST NOTE: the edge findings need the relation labels, and the runtime exposes
+// no edge-enumeration builtin. The only way to see them is the same one
+// GET /api/graph/edges already uses — engram_save to a SCRATCH path (never the
+// owner's canonical file; see routes.el, neuron#117) and read the array back.
+// On a large graph that is a multi-hundred-MB write, so this is a manual audit
+// route, not something to put on a timer. Pass ?edges=0 to skip both edge
+// findings and get the divergence + self-model readings cheaply.
+fn handle_api_structural_audit(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String {
+    let node_total: Int = engram_node_count()
+    let edge_total: Int = engram_edge_count()
+    let want_edges: Bool = !str_eq(api_query_param(path, "edges"), "0")
+    let edge_cap: Int = api_query_int(path, "edge_sample", 3000)
+    let node_cap: Int = api_query_int(path, "node_sample", 300)
+
+    let divergence: String = audit_divergence()
+    let self_model: String = audit_self_model()
+
+    let edge_part: String = if want_edges {
+        // Scratch export only. state_get("soul_snapshot_path") is deliberately
+        // NOT used: in HTTP-engram mode the soul is not the persistence owner and
+        // must never write the canonical file, not even on a read path.
+        let scratch_dir: String = env("TMPDIR")
+        let scratch_base: String = if str_eq(scratch_dir, "") { "/tmp" } else { scratch_dir }
+        let snap_path: String = scratch_base + "/soul-audit-export-" + state_get("soul_cgi_id") + ".json"
+        // engram_save returns Int (1 ok / 0 fail); str_eq on it SIGSEGVs (#150).
+        let saved: Int = engram_save(snap_path)
+        if saved == 0 {
+            "," + audit_finding("typed_edge_distribution", "\"available\":false",
+                "Could not export the graph to " + snap_path + " for edge analysis, "
+                + "so edge typing and the dangling-edge sample were not run. "
+                + "Reported as a gap, not as zero findings.")
+        } else {
+            // wt_read, not fs_read: fs_read leaves a thread-local length hint that
+            // the NEXT HTTP response would use as its Content-Length, appending
+            // adjacent heap bytes to the reply (see persist.el wt_read).
+            let snap: String = wt_read(snap_path)
+            let edges_raw: String = json_get_raw(snap, "edges")
+            let edges: String = if str_eq(edges_raw, "") { "[]" } else { edges_raw }
+            "," + audit_edge_typing(edges, edge_total, node_total)
+            + "," + audit_orphans_dangling(edges, edge_total, node_total, edge_cap, node_cap)
+        }
+    } else {
+        ""
+    }
+
+    return "{\"audit\":\"structural\",\"stage\":1"
+        + ",\"spec\":\"CGI provisional 05-detailed-description.md, Stage 1: Structural audit 430\""
+        + ",\"assessment\":\"coherence_assessment_432\""
+        + ",\"assessment_kind\":\"annotated_characterization\""
+        + ",\"score\":null"
+        + ",\"score_note\":\"By design. The specification calls for an annotated characterization of the graph's structural properties, not a binary score. Read the findings.\""
+        + ",\"cgi_id\":\"" + api_json_escape(state_get("soul_cgi_id")) + "\""
+        + ",\"ts_ms\":" + int_to_str(time_now())
+        + ",\"findings\":[" + divergence + "," + self_model + edge_part + "]"
+        + ",\"deferred\":" + audit_deferred() + "}"
+}

neuron-api.elh

@@ -37,3 +37,4 @@ extern fn handle_api_memory_update(body: String) -> String
 extern fn handle_api_cultivate(body: String) -> String
 extern fn handle_api_list_typed(node_type: String, path: String, body: String) -> String
 extern fn handle_api_consolidate(body: String) -> String
+extern fn handle_api_structural_audit(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String

persist.el

@@ -0,0 +1,426 @@
+// persist.el — the soul→engram WRITE-THROUGH boundary (neuron#117).
+//
+// WHY THIS FILE EXISTS
+//   soul.el:571-573 states the ownership rule: "when ENGRAM_URL is set the HTTP
+//   Engram owns persistence — the soul must NEVER write to the local snapshot
+//   (not the persistence owner)." The soul obeys the NEGATIVE half. The POSITIVE
+//   half — how a write made inside the soul actually REACHES the owner — was
+//   never built. Sync is pull-only (awareness.el `/api/sync` -> engram_load_merge),
+//   so every node the soul creates lives in its process RAM and is shed on
+//   restart. Measured live 2026-08-07: soul node_count=102184, engram
+//   node_count=79197 — ~23k nodes existing nowhere but RAM.
+//
+// SCOPE NOTE ON THE PATENT (corrects an earlier internal reading)
+//   Engram provisional claims 15-18 describe a delta-sync protocol "with peer
+//   Engram instances"; claim 17's pull-then-push sequence is PEER-ENGRAM to
+//   PEER-ENGRAM. The soul is NOT a peer Engram — it is a CALLER of the database
+//   system API (cf. claim 27, "invoked explicitly by a caller of the database
+//   system API"). So claim 17 does not specify a soul↔engram contract and is not
+//   cited as authority here. This design is derived from the ownership rule
+//   alone: the owner owns the writes, therefore the soul must HAND writes to the
+//   owner and must never write the owner's file itself.
+//
+// THE MECHANISM, AND WHY NOT `POST /api/nodes`
+//   The obvious route is the one the persona/boot-counter write-backs already
+//   use, POST /api/nodes. It is the wrong instrument here, verified against the
+//   live engram binary in a sandbox:
+//     - it mints a NEW server-side id (engram_node), so the soul's id and the
+//       owner's id diverge — the next /api/sync pull re-imports the node as a
+//       DUPLICATE, and any edge referencing the soul's id never resolves;
+//     - it accepts only {content, node_type, salience} and drops label, tier,
+//       tags, importance, confidence, metadata. A probe posted with tier
+//       "Canonical" came back tier "Working", importance 0.5.
+//   POST /api/load-merge (Will's own route, el `dc39a61`) is the right one:
+//     - engram_load_merge PRESERVES the id and every field;
+//     - it dedups nodes by id and edges by (from_id,to_id,relation), so a
+//       re-submitted delta is a NO-OP — retry safety is free, and it is the same
+//       local-wins semantics the graph already uses;
+//     - it calls persist_canonical() — THE OWNER writes its own canonical file.
+//       The soul never touches it. The ownership rule is honoured in its
+//       strongest form rather than worked around;
+//     - it returns real counts {ok, nodes_added, edges_added, node_count},
+//       so a receipt can be a MEASUREMENT instead of a fixed success shape.
+//
+// SPOOL-AND-DRAIN, AND WHY IT IS NOT JUST A DIRECT POST
+//   Measured in a sandbox against a 79k-node / 176MB graph (live scale): one
+//   load-merge costs ~0.38s, essentially all of it the owner's persist_canonical.
+//   A chat turn writes 5-7 nodes; pushing each separately would add ~2.7s per
+//   turn. So writes are STAGED and pushed in one coalesced batch.
+//   The staging buffer is the FILESYSTEM, not process state, because the soul
+//   serves each HTTP connection on its own pthread (el_runtime http_serve_async)
+//   and a shared in-process buffer would lose entries to a read-modify-write
+//   race — silently, which is the one failure mode this file exists to end.
+//   One file per write, named with uuid_v4, is race-free by construction and
+//   buys a property a memory buffer cannot: writes that could not be pushed
+//   SURVIVE A SOUL CRASH and are drained on the next boot.
+//
+// WHAT IS DELIBERATELY NOT PUSHED
+//   - InternalStateEvent / heartbeat telemetry. Will's own carve-out, stated in
+//     engram server.el 8f8ccc9: "48h-pruned, loss-tolerant, ~2/min; snapshotting
+//     28MB per heartbeat is waste."
+//   NOTE (ours, flagged for Will): we do NOT additionally exclude Working-tier
+//   nodes. That exclusion exists in `fb0bb55` to stop the boot counter leaking
+//   through the /api/sync PULL; it is about sync backflow, not durability.
+//   Applying it here would exclude mem_store — which writes tier "Working" — and
+//   mem_store is the single most important durable write path in the soul. Boot
+//   seeding reads the canonical file wholesale, so a pushed Working-tier node
+//   does survive restart. This is the one classification call this file makes
+//   that Will has not ruled on.
+//
+// WHAT THIS BOUNDARY CANNOT EXPRESS (by construction, not by omission)
+//   - engram_strengthen (salience/activation drift): load-merge SKIPS ids that
+//     already exist, so it cannot update an existing node. There is no owner-side
+//     update/upsert route. Not pushable through any current route; left as a
+//     follow-up that needs a change in the engram repo.
+//   - engram_forget (hard delete): load-merge is additive and has no delete verb.
+//     Propagating deletes would mean DELETE /api/nodes/<id>, a HARD delete at the
+//     owner — which scripts/verify-soul-contract.sh section B explicitly fails the
+//     build for ("to delete is to supersede/tombstone, never hard-remove"). Local
+//     deletes therefore stay local; the TOMBSTONE NODE and its "tombstones" edge
+//     (mem_tombstone) are pushed, and that is the sanctioned representation of a
+//     deletion in this graph.
+
+// ── Configuration ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+// wt_engram_url — same resolution order as ise_post: env, then the state key
+// stashed at boot. NO hardcoded localhost fallback: unlike telemetry, inventing
+// a destination for durable data would risk pushing a user's memories at whatever
+// happens to be listening on 8742. Empty means "no HTTP owner" -> file mode.
+fn wt_engram_url() -> String {
+    let env_url: String = env("ENGRAM_URL")
+    if !str_eq(env_url, "") { return env_url }
+    return state_get("soul_engram_url")
+}
+
+fn wt_api_key() -> String {
+    let env_key: String = env("ENGRAM_API_KEY")
+    if !str_eq(env_key, "") { return env_key }
+    return state_get("soul_engram_api_key")
+}
+
+// wt_enabled — true only in HTTP-engram mode. In file mode the soul IS the
+// persistence owner and every path below is a no-op, so this whole feature is
+// inert for genesis/local deployments. That is also what makes it reversible.
+fn wt_enabled() -> Bool {
+    return !str_eq(wt_engram_url(), "")
+}
+
+// wt_spool_dir — where staged deltas live. MUST be readable by the engram
+// process: /api/load-merge takes a PATH and the owner opens it itself. Both
+// processes are same-host by construction (dev-stack LaunchAgents; the GKE
+// image starts engram and soul in one container per entrypoint.sh).
+fn wt_spool_dir() -> String {
+    let raw: String = env("SOUL_OUTBOX_DIR")
+    let dir: String = if str_eq(raw, "") { env("HOME") + "/.neuron/soul-outbox" } else { raw }
+    fs_mkdir(dir)
+    return dir
+}
+
+// ── Helpers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+// wt_esc — minimal JSON string escape. Deliberately local rather than reusing
+// chat.el's json_safe: persist.el is imported BY memory.el, which is imported by
+// chat.el, so depending on chat.el here would be an import cycle.
+fn wt_esc(s: String) -> String {
+    let s1: String = str_replace(s, "\\", "\\\\")
+    let s2: String = str_replace(s1, "\"", "\\\"")
+    let s3: String = str_replace(s2, "\n", "\\n")
+    let s4: String = str_replace(s3, "\r", "\\r")
+    let s5: String = str_replace(s4, "\t", "\\t")
+    return s5
+}
+
+// wt_durable_class — Will's telemetry carve-out, by node_type. See header.
+fn wt_durable_class(node_type: String) -> Bool {
+    if str_eq(node_type, "InternalStateEvent") { return false }
+    return true
+}
+
+// wt_inner — strip the surrounding brackets off a JSON array so several arrays
+// can be concatenated into one. Returns "" for "[]" / "" / anything too short.
+fn wt_inner(arr: String) -> String {
+    let n: Int = str_len(arr)
+    if n < 3 { return "" }
+    if !str_starts_with(arr, "[") { return "" }
+    return str_slice(arr, 1, n - 1)
+}
+
+// wt_read — fs_read, plus a MANDATORY reset of the runtime's binary-length hint.
+//
+// THIS IS NOT OPTIONAL AND MUST NOT BE "SIMPLIFIED" BACK TO A BARE fs_read.
+// The pinned runtime (vendor/el-runtime/v1.0.0-20260501) keeps a thread-local
+// `_tl_fs_read_len` that fs_read SETS to the file's byte count (so binary files
+// can be served with a correct Content-Length) and that http_send_response
+// CONSUMES as the Content-Length of the next reply. Nothing else clears it
+// except json_get_raw. So any fs_read during request handling that is not
+// followed by a json_get_raw makes the NEXT HTTP response advertise the FILE's
+// length instead of the body's — and the runtime then sends that many bytes,
+// appending whatever adjacent heap memory follows the reply.
+//
+// Caught here, measured: a /api/neuron/memory reply that should be 86 bytes went
+// out as 497, with 411 bytes of this module's own spool paths and log strings
+// trailing the JSON. The drain reads spool files mid-request, so this boundary
+// is exactly where the landmine gets stepped on.
+//
+// Upstream el fixed the class in `43636ae` ("pair fs_read length hint with its
+// buffer"); that runtime is NOT the one vendored here, and re-pinning the
+// runtime is deliberately out of scope for this change. Clearing the hint at
+// our own boundary fixes our exposure without touching the pinned C.
+// json_get_raw is used as the reset because it is the only builtin in this
+// runtime that zeroes the hint, and it does so before any early return.
+fn wt_clear_binlen() -> Void {
+    let discard: String = json_get_raw("{}", "_wt_reset")
+}
+
+fn wt_read(path: String) -> String {
+    let data: String = fs_read(path)
+    wt_clear_binlen()
+    return data
+}
+
+// wt_sweep — best-effort removal of the zero-byte husks left by truncation.
+// The runtime exposes no unlink builtin, so a drained delta is emptied rather
+// than deleted; this reclaims the directory entries.
+//
+// `-empty` is the safety property, not an optimisation: the command is
+// STRUCTURALLY INCAPABLE of removing a delta that still has content, so it can
+// never destroy a pending write even if it runs concurrently with a stage.
+// Only the directory path is interpolated (never a filename), and it is quoted.
+// The exit code is ignored — an un-swept husk costs one directory entry.
+fn wt_sweep(dir: String) -> Void {
+    if str_eq(dir, "") { return }
+    if str_contains(dir, "'") { return }
+    exec_command("find '" + dir + "' -maxdepth 1 -name 'wt*.json' -empty -delete 2>/dev/null")
+}
+
+// ── Staging ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+// wt_stage — write ONE delta file. uuid_v4 in the name makes concurrent stagers
+// collision-free without any lock. Returns true if the delta is on disk.
+fn wt_stage(nodes_json: String, edges_json: String) -> Bool {
+    let dir: String = wt_spool_dir()
+    if str_eq(dir, "") { return false }
+    let payload: String = "{\"nodes\":" + nodes_json + ",\"edges\":" + edges_json + "}"
+    let path: String = dir + "/wt-" + uuid_v4() + ".json"
+    fs_write(path, payload)
+    // Read-back-verify the stage itself. A stage that did not land is a write we
+    // would otherwise believe was queued — exactly the hallucinated-save class.
+    if str_eq(wt_read(path), "") {
+        println("[persist] wt_stage: FAILED to write spool file " + path + " — delta not queued")
+        return false
+    }
+    return true
+}
+
+// ── The write boundary ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+// wt_node — create a node locally AND queue it for the persistence owner.
+// Same signature and same return contract as engram_node_full ("" on failure),
+// so converting a call site is a rename and nothing else.
+fn wt_node(content: String, node_type: String, label: String,
+           salience: Float, importance: Float, confidence: Float,
+           tier: String, tags: String) -> String {
+    let id: String = engram_node_full(content, node_type, label,
+                                      salience, importance, confidence,
+                                      tier, tags)
+    if str_eq(id, "") { return "" }
+    // engram_get_node_json emits the SAME record shape engram_save writes (minus
+    // the embedding vector, which the owner backfills lazily), so the read-back
+    // doubles as the delta payload — no second serialization to drift.
+    let rec: String = engram_get_node_json(id)
+    if str_eq(rec, "") || str_eq(rec, "{}") {
+        println("[persist] wt_node: local write did not read back, id=" + id + " label=" + label)
+        return ""
+    }
+    if wt_enabled() && wt_durable_class(node_type) {
+        wt_stage("[" + rec + "]", "[]")
+    }
+    return id
+}
+
+// wt_edge — create an edge locally AND queue it. Mirrors engram_connect.
+//
+// The edge id is freshly generated rather than read back: the runtime exposes no
+// "id of the edge I just created" accessor, and the owner dedups edges by
+// (from_id,to_id,relation), never by id — so the id is not load-bearing. The
+// consequence, stated plainly: the soul's copy and the owner's copy of the same
+// edge carry different edge ids. Nothing in either codebase looks an edge up by
+// id (neighbors traversal scans from_id/to_id), so this is cosmetic.
+fn wt_edge(from_id: String, to_id: String, weight: Float, relation: String) -> Void {
+    engram_connect(from_id, to_id, weight, relation)
+    if !wt_enabled() { return }
+    if str_eq(from_id, "") || str_eq(to_id, "") { return }
+    let ts: Int = time_now()
+    let rec: String = "{\"id\":\"" + uuid_v4() + "\""
+        + ",\"from_id\":\"" + wt_esc(from_id) + "\""
+        + ",\"to_id\":\"" + wt_esc(to_id) + "\""
+        + ",\"relation\":\"" + wt_esc(relation) + "\""
+        + ",\"metadata\":\"{}\""
+        + ",\"weight\":" + float_to_str(weight)
+        + ",\"confidence\":1"
+        + ",\"created_at\":" + int_to_str(ts)
+        + ",\"updated_at\":" + int_to_str(ts)
+        + ",\"last_fired\":0,\"inhibitory\":0,\"layer_id\":1}"
+    wt_stage("[]", "[" + rec + "]")
+}
+
+// ── The drain ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+// wt_drain — coalesce every staged delta into ONE load-merge against the owner.
+//
+// Returns: nodes_added on success (>= 0), 0 when there was nothing to do, and
+// -1 when the push FAILED. -1 is load-bearing: on failure the spool files are
+// left untouched, so nothing is lost and the next drain retries them. A caller
+// must never read a non-negative return as "my particular node is durable" —
+// use wt_durable(id) for that.
+//
+// Concurrency: several threads may drain at once. Each builds its own batch file
+// (uuid-named), and overlapping batches are harmless because load-merge dedups.
+// Files are truncated ONLY after a confirmed ok:true, so a lost race costs a
+// redundant push, never a dropped write.
+fn wt_drain() -> Int {
+    if !wt_enabled() { return 0 }
+    let dir: String = wt_spool_dir()
+    if str_eq(dir, "") { return 0 }
+
+    // el_list_len/el_list_get, NOT json_stringify(fs_list(...)): fs_list builds
+    // a native list via el_list_append, and json_stringify does not serialize
+    // that type — it renders the raw pointer value. (Verified in isolation; the
+    // same latent defect is live in studio.el's /api/tools/file/list route,
+    // which returns e.g. {"entries":4386409744}. Noted, not fixed here.)
+    let listing = fs_list(dir)
+    let count: Int = el_list_len(listing)
+    if count == 0 { return 0 }
+
+    let nodes_acc: String = ""
+    let edges_acc: String = ""
+    let drained: String = ""
+    let found: Int = 0
+    let i: Int = 0
+    // No `continue` / `break`: elc lists them as keywords but not one line of
+    // the shipped soul uses either, so they are unexercised on this build path.
+    // Guard conditions are expressed as nested ifs instead, and every rebind is
+    // at the loop-body top level where `let x = ...` is assignment (the idiom
+    // memory.el's boot-counter loop relies on) — never inside a nested block,
+    // where it would shadow instead.
+    while i < count {
+        let name: String = el_list_get(listing, i)
+        // A delta is only usable when it ends with the closing "]}" that
+        // wt_stage writes last. fs_write is not atomic, so a file being written
+        // right now can be observed half-formed; requiring the terminator means
+        // it is picked up whole on the next drain instead of merged as garbage.
+        // An empty read means "already drained and truncated" — not an error.
+        let p: String = if str_starts_with(name, "wt-") { dir + "/" + name } else { "" }
+        let raw: String = if str_eq(p, "") { "" } else { wt_read(p) }
+        let usable: Bool = !str_eq(raw, "") && str_ends_with(raw, "]}")
+        let nj: String = if usable { wt_inner(json_get_raw(raw, "nodes")) } else { "" }
+        let ej: String = if usable { wt_inner(json_get_raw(raw, "edges")) } else { "" }
+        let nodes_acc = if str_eq(nj, "") { nodes_acc } else if str_eq(nodes_acc, "") { nj } else { nodes_acc + "," + nj }
+        let edges_acc = if str_eq(ej, "") { edges_acc } else if str_eq(edges_acc, "") { ej } else { edges_acc + "," + ej }
+        let drained = if !usable { drained } else if str_eq(drained, "") { p } else { drained + "\n" + p }
+        let found = if usable { found + 1 } else { found }
+        let i = i + 1
+    }
+
+    if found == 0 { return 0 }
+
+    let combined: String = "{\"nodes\":[" + nodes_acc + "],\"edges\":[" + edges_acc + "]}"
+    let batch: String = dir + "/wtb-" + uuid_v4() + ".json"
+    fs_write(batch, combined)
+    if str_eq(wt_read(batch), "") {
+        println("[persist] wt_drain: could not write batch file " + batch + " — " + int_to_str(found) + " deltas stay queued")
+        return -1
+    }
+
+    let url: String = wt_engram_url()
+    let key: String = wt_api_key()
+    let body: String = "{\"path\":\"" + wt_esc(batch) + "\",\"_auth\":\"" + wt_esc(key) + "\"}"
+    let resp: String = http_post_json(url + "/api/load-merge", body)
+
+    // The batch file is pure scratch — the retry is rebuilt from the SPOOL, not
+    // from it. Truncate it unconditionally, before branching on the outcome, so
+    // a persistently unreachable owner cannot accumulate one husk per attempt.
+    fs_write(batch, "")
+
+    // Distinguish the two failures rather than collapsing them: "cannot reach
+    // the owner" and "the owner refused this delta" need different human
+    // responses, and a log line that says the wrong one costs a debugging hour.
+    // curl surfaces transport errors as a JSON body, so an empty response is not
+    // the only unreachable signal.
+    // (str_contains rather than a strict parse on purpose — the engram's HTTP
+    //  responses have been observed carrying trailing bytes past the JSON.)
+    let unreachable: Bool = str_eq(resp, "")
+        || str_contains(resp, "Couldn't connect")
+        || str_contains(resp, "Failed to connect")
+        || str_contains(resp, "Could not resolve")
+        || str_contains(resp, "timed out")
+    if unreachable {
+        wt_sweep(dir)
+        println("[persist] wt_drain: owner UNREACHABLE at " + url + " — " + int_to_str(found)
+            + " deltas stay queued in " + dir + " (will retry): " + resp)
+        return -1
+    }
+    if !str_contains(resp, "\"ok\":true") {
+        wt_sweep(dir)
+        println("[persist] wt_drain: owner REJECTED the delta — " + int_to_str(found)
+            + " stay queued in " + dir + ": " + resp)
+        return -1
+    }
+
+    let added: Int = json_get_int(resp, "nodes_added")
+    let added_e: Int = json_get_int(resp, "edges_added")
+
+    // Confirmed. Truncate the drained spool files so they are not re-pushed.
+    // Truncation (not deletion) because the runtime exposes no unlink builtin;
+    // an emptied file is inert to the loop above. The zero-byte husks are then
+    // swept below.
+    let paths = str_split(drained, "\n")
+    let pn: Int = el_list_len(paths)
+    let k: Int = 0
+    while k < pn {
+        let one: String = el_list_get(paths, k)
+        if !str_eq(one, "") { fs_write(one, "") }
+        let k = k + 1
+    }
+    wt_sweep(dir)
+
+    println("[persist] wt_drain: pushed " + int_to_str(found) + " deltas -> owner added "
+        + int_to_str(added) + " nodes, " + int_to_str(added_e) + " edges")
+    return added
+}
+
+// wt_durable — is this id present AT THE OWNER? The only honest answer to
+// "did my write persist" in HTTP mode.
+//
+// In file mode the soul IS the owner, so the local read-back is the owner-side
+// read-back and this collapses to the pre-existing check.
+//
+// nodes_added from wt_drain is NOT a substitute: a concurrent drain may have
+// already pushed this node, making our own added count 0 while the node is
+// perfectly durable. Presence at the owner is the fact; counts are telemetry.
+fn wt_durable(id: String) -> Bool {
+    if str_eq(id, "") { return false }
+    if !wt_enabled() {
+        let local: String = engram_get_node_json(id)
+        return !str_eq(local, "") && !str_eq(local, "null") && !str_eq(local, "{}")
+    }
+    let url: String = wt_engram_url()
+    let resp: String = http_get(url + "/api/nodes/" + id)
+    if str_eq(resp, "") { return false }
+    if str_eq(resp, "{}") { return false }
+    return str_contains(resp, "\"id\"")
+}
+
+// wt_commit — flush, then assert at the owner. The receipt callers should use.
+// Deliberately NOT a fixed success shape: it can and does return false while the
+// local write is perfectly fine in RAM, which is the true state of affairs when
+// the owner is unreachable.
+fn wt_commit(id: String) -> Bool {
+    if str_eq(id, "") { return false }
+    if !wt_enabled() {
+        let local: String = engram_get_node_json(id)
+        return !str_eq(local, "") && !str_eq(local, "null") && !str_eq(local, "{}")
+    }
+    let pushed: Int = wt_drain()
+    return wt_durable(id)
+}

routes.el

@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ fn route_imprint_contextual(body: String) -> String {
         return "{\"ok\":false,\"error\":\"empty body\"}"
     }
     let tags: String = "[\"imprint\",\"contextual\"]"
-    let id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let id: String = wt_node(
         body,
         "Entity",
         "imprint:contextual",
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ fn route_imprint_user(body: String) -> String {
         return "{\"ok\":false,\"error\":\"empty body\"}"
     }
     let tags: String = "[\"imprint\",\"user\"]"
-    let id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let id: String = wt_node(
         body,
         "Entity",
         "imprint:user",
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ fn route_synthesize(body: String) -> String {
     }
     let req: String = "synthesize " + parent_a + " " + parent_b
     let tags: String = "[\"soul-inbox-pending\",\"synthesis-request\"]"
-    engram_node_full(
+    wt_node(
         req,
         "Entity",
         "synthesis-request",
@@ -395,7 +395,28 @@ fn handle_connectors(method: String, clean: String, body: String) -> String {
     return "{\"ok\":false,\"error\":\"unknown connectors route\"}"
 }
 
+// handle_request — the soul's HTTP entry point.
+//
+// NOTE ON THE NAME (neuron#117): the el runtime resolves this handler by NAME
+// via dlsym(RTLD_DEFAULT, "handle_request") — that is why the Linux build must
+// link -rdynamic. So the dispatcher body moved to route_dispatch and the name
+// `handle_request` stays put as a thin wrapper. Do not rename it back.
+//
+// The wrapper exists to give the write-through boundary a guaranteed flush
+// point. route_dispatch returns from ~60 places; a per-branch flush would be
+// forgotten on the 61st. Draining here means EVERY request that staged a write
+// pushes it before the connection closes, whatever route produced it, including
+// routes added later that know nothing about persistence.
+//
+// wt_drain is a no-op (no HTTP, no cost) when nothing is staged and when the
+// soul is not in HTTP-engram mode, so this is free on read traffic.
 fn handle_request(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String {
+    let resp: String = route_dispatch(method, path, body)
+    let flushed: Int = wt_drain()
+    return resp
+}
+
+fn route_dispatch(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String {
     let clean: String = strip_query(path)
 
     // ACTIVITY STAMP (2026-07-30 self-review): every inbound HTTP request —
@@ -432,10 +453,27 @@ fn handle_request(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String {
             return engram_scan_nodes_json(9999, 0)
         }
         if str_eq(clean, "/api/graph/edges") {
-            // TODO(reliability #8): engram_save races with awareness loop mem_save().
+            // FIXED (neuron#117): this GET used to engram_save() straight over
-            // Both now use atomic write-to-temp+rename (el_runtime.c). Serialised
+            // ~/.neuron/engram/snapshot.json — a READ route, in a process that is
-            // by engram_global_mu. Future: add engram_edges_json() builtin.
+            // NOT the persistence owner, overwriting the owner's canonical file
-            let snap_path: String = env("HOME") + "/.neuron/engram/snapshot.json"
+            // on every call. It broke soul.el:571-573 ("the soul must NEVER write
+            // to the local snapshot") and it is the same defect class Will removed
+            // from the engram itself in el `dc39a61` ("stop read routes clobbering
+            // canonical snapshot"), where route_scan_edges/route_sync were moved
+            // to scratch paths for exactly this reason. It was also the race the
+            // old TODO(reliability #8) admitted to.
+            //
+            // Export to a scratch path instead. Same response, no canonical write.
+            // The soul's own snapshot writes are otherwise already gated behind
+            // state key "soul_snapshot_path", which is set ONLY in the genesis
+            // file-mode branch (soul.el: is_genesis && safe_to_seed, and
+            // safe_to_seed is unconditionally false when ENGRAM_URL is set) — so
+            // after this change the soul writes nothing at all in HTTP mode.
+            // Future: add an engram_edges_json() builtin and drop the file round
+            // trip entirely.
+            let scratch_dir: String = env("TMPDIR")
+            let scratch_base: String = if str_eq(scratch_dir, "") { "/tmp" } else { scratch_dir }
+            let snap_path: String = scratch_base + "/soul-edges-export-" + state_get("soul_cgi_id") + ".json"
             engram_save(snap_path)
             let snap: String = fs_read(snap_path)
             let edges_raw: String = json_get_raw(snap, "edges")
@@ -529,6 +567,13 @@ fn handle_request(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String {
         if str_starts_with(clean, "/api/neuron/graph") {
             return handle_api_inspect_graph(method, path, body)
         }
+        // Stage 1 structural audit (CGI provisional, "Structural audit 430").
+        // GET because it is a read of the graph's own structure; the query string
+        // carries the sample caps (?edge_sample=, ?node_sample=, ?edges=0), so
+        // str_starts_with rather than str_eq.
+        if str_starts_with(clean, "/api/neuron/audit/structural") {
+            return handle_api_structural_audit(method, path, body)
+        }
         if str_starts_with(clean, "/api/neuron/list/") {
             // Offset 17 = len("/api/neuron/list/"). Was 16, which left a leading "/" on node_type
             // ("/BacklogItem"), so engram_scan_nodes_by_type_json matched nothing → list/<type>
@@ -710,6 +755,12 @@ fn handle_request(method: String, path: String, body: String) -> String {
         if str_eq(clean, "/api/neuron/graph/link") {
             return handle_api_link_entities(body)
         }
+        // POST accepted too: same handler, so a JSON-RPC-shaped caller that only
+        // speaks POST reaches the identical audit. Options still come from the
+        // query string — the handler reads no body fields.
+        if str_eq(clean, "/api/neuron/audit/structural") {
+            return handle_api_structural_audit(method, path, body)
+        }
         if str_eq(clean, "/api/neuron/memory") {
             return handle_api_remember(body)
         }

safety.el

@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ fn safety_log_bell(level: String, reason: String, input_summary: String) -> Stri
     // Emit a fallback println so the bell event leaves at least a log trace even
     // when engram is degraded. This does not replace engram persistence -- it is a
     // last-resort audit trail when the primary write cannot be confirmed.
-    let node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let node_id: String = wt_node(
         content,
         "BellEvent",
         "bell:" + level,

scripts/state-key-audit.py

@@ -1,937 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env python3
-"""state-key-audit.py — the analyzer behind scripts/verify-state-keys.sh.
-
-Read that script's header for WHY this exists (issue #129). This file is the
-HOW: a small El reader that resolves the key expression at every state_get /
-state_set site, including keys that are computed.
-
-WHAT IT PARSES
-  El as this engine writes it: `fn f(a: T, b: T) -> T { ... }`, `let x: T = e`,
-  `return e`, `if c { a } else { b }` as an expression, `+` concatenation,
-  `"..."` with backslash escapes, `//` line comments. No block comments, no
-  const/match/struct exist in this dialect (verified over the whole tree).
-
-KEY PATTERNS — the only two things a key expression can resolve to
-  EXACT  "soul_model"          the whole key is known
-  PREFIX "session_hist_"       a known head, then runtime text
-  (plus UNRESOLVED, which is a report line and never a failure)
-
-RESOLUTION — resolve_expr() returns a SET of patterns; unions are how branches,
-multiple returns, and multiple bindings of one name are represented.
-  literal        "k"                    -> {EXACT k}
-  concat         A + B                  -> fold left; all-static -> EXACT,
-                                          static head + dynamic tail -> PREFIX
-  if-expression  if c {A} else {B}      -> resolve(A) | resolve(B), except that
-                                          str_eq(X,"") with X statically ""
-                                          folds to the taken branch only
-  call           f(args)                -> union over f's return expressions,
-                                          with f's params bound to THIS call
-                                          site's actual argument expressions
-  local var      let k = e; state_get(k)-> union over every `let k =` in the
-                                          enclosing function
-  parameter      fn g(k) { state_get(k) }-> union over the argument at that
-                                          position across every call site of g
-  anything else  json_get(...), env(...)-> UNRESOLVED
-Recursion is depth- and cycle-guarded; a guard trip yields UNRESOLVED, never a
-failure.
-
-COVERAGE — a read is satisfied when some write can produce the same key:
-  read EXACT k   <- write EXACT k, or write PREFIX p where k starts with p
-  read PREFIX p  <- write EXACT k where k starts with p, or write PREFIX q
-                    where p and q are prefixes of each other
-Deliberately permissive at the boundaries: a gate that cries wolf gets deleted.
-"""
-
-import os
-import re
-import sys
-
-MAX_DEPTH = 12
-
-# ── patterns ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-EXACT = "exact"
-PREFIX = "prefix"
-
-
-def pat_exact(s):
-    return (EXACT, s)
-
-
-def pat_prefix(s):
-    # A prefix with no static text at all carries no information; that is the
-    # UNRESOLVED case, not a pattern.
-    return (PREFIX, s) if s else None
-
-
-def covers(write, read):
-    """Can a write of pattern `write` produce a key that `read` reads?
-
-    The prefix rule is DIRECTIONAL, and that direction is the whole point. A
-    write namespace that is the same or BROADER than the read namespace covers
-    it (write "rl:" covers read "rl:x"). A write namespace that is NARROWER does
-    NOT (write "session_histv2_" does not cover read "session_hist_") — being
-    permissive there re-opens the exact hole this gate exists to close: rename
-    the producer, leave the readers, stay green. Verified with a control run
-    that renames sessions.el's writer and leaves its four readers behind."""
-    wk, wv = write
-    rk, rv = read
-    if rk == EXACT:
-        return rv == wv if wk == EXACT else rv.startswith(wv)
-    # read is a PREFIX: some key starting with rv is read
-    if wk == EXACT:
-        return wv.startswith(rv)          # that one written key is in range
-    return rv.startswith(wv)              # write namespace same-or-broader
-
-
-# ── lexer ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-TOK_STR, TOK_IDENT, TOK_PUNCT, TOK_NUM = "str", "ident", "punct", "num"
-IDENT_RE = re.compile(r"[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_]*")
-NUM_RE = re.compile(r"[0-9]+(\.[0-9]+)?")
-
-
-class Tok:
-    __slots__ = ("kind", "val", "line")
-
-    def __init__(self, kind, val, line):
-        self.kind, self.val, self.line = kind, val, line
-
-    def __repr__(self):
-        return "%s(%r)@%d" % (self.kind, self.val, self.line)
-
-
-def lex(src):
-    toks, i, n, line = [], 0, len(src), 1
-    while i < n:
-        c = src[i]
-        if c == "\n":
-            line += 1
-            i += 1
-            continue
-        if c in " \t\r":
-            i += 1
-            continue
-        if c == "/" and i + 1 < n and src[i + 1] == "/":
-            while i < n and src[i] != "\n":
-                i += 1
-            continue
-        if c == '"':
-            j, buf = i + 1, []
-            while j < n:
-                if src[j] == "\\" and j + 1 < n:
-                    esc = src[j + 1]
-                    buf.append({"n": "\n", "t": "\t", "r": "\r"}.get(esc, esc))
-                    j += 2
-                    continue
-                if src[j] == '"':
-                    break
-                if src[j] == "\n":
-                    line += 1
-                buf.append(src[j])
-                j += 1
-            toks.append(Tok(TOK_STR, "".join(buf), line))
-            i = j + 1
-            continue
-        m = IDENT_RE.match(src, i)
-        if m:
-            toks.append(Tok(TOK_IDENT, m.group(0), line))
-            i = m.end()
-            continue
-        m = NUM_RE.match(src, i)
-        if m:
-            toks.append(Tok(TOK_NUM, m.group(0), line))
-            i = m.end()
-            continue
-        toks.append(Tok(TOK_PUNCT, c, line))
-        i += 1
-    return toks
-
-
-def match_close(toks, i, open_ch, close_ch):
-    """toks[i] is open_ch; return index of its matching close_ch."""
-    depth = 0
-    while i < len(toks):
-        if toks[i].kind == TOK_PUNCT:
-            if toks[i].val == open_ch:
-                depth += 1
-            elif toks[i].val == close_ch:
-                depth -= 1
-                if depth == 0:
-                    return i
-        i += 1
-    return len(toks) - 1
-
-
-# ── program model ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-class Func:
-    def __init__(self, name, path, line, params, toks, start, end):
-        self.name, self.path, self.line = name, path, line
-        self.params = params           # [param name]
-        self.toks = toks               # the whole file's token list
-        self.start, self.end = start, end   # body token range, exclusive of braces
-        self.lets = None               # name -> [expr token ranges], lazily built
-
-
-class Site:
-    def __init__(self, kind, path, line, func, arg_range, text):
-        self.kind = kind               # "get" | "set"
-        self.path, self.line = path, line
-        self.func = func
-        self.arg_range = arg_range
-        self.text = text               # source text of the key expression
-        self.pats = set()
-        self.unresolved = False
-        self.literal = None            # set when the key expression is a bare literal
-
-
-class Program:
-    def __init__(self):
-        self.files = {}                # path -> toks
-        self.funcs = {}                # name -> [Func]   (El allows no overloads, but be safe)
-        self.toplevel = []             # [Func] one per file, params=[]
-        self.sites = []                # [Site]
-        self.calls = {}                # callee name -> [(Func caller, [arg ranges])]
-
-    # -- loading ------------------------------------------------------------
-    def load(self, path, rel):
-        with open(path, "r", encoding="utf-8", errors="replace") as fh:
-            src = fh.read()
-        toks = lex(src)
-        self.files[rel] = toks
-        self._scan_funcs(rel, toks)
-
-    def _scan_funcs(self, rel, toks):
-        covered = []
-        i = 0
-        while i < len(toks):
-            t = toks[i]
-            if t.kind == TOK_IDENT and t.val == "fn" and i + 2 < len(toks) \
-                    and toks[i + 1].kind == TOK_IDENT and toks[i + 2].val == "(":
-                name = toks[i + 1].val
-                pclose = match_close(toks, i + 2, "(", ")")
-                params = self._params(toks, i + 3, pclose)
-                bopen = pclose + 1
-                while bopen < len(toks) and toks[bopen].val != "{":
-                    bopen += 1
-                bclose = match_close(toks, bopen, "{", "}")
-                f = Func(name, rel, t.line, params, toks, bopen + 1, bclose)
-                self.funcs.setdefault(name, []).append(f)
-                covered.append((i, bclose))
-                i = bclose + 1
-                continue
-            i += 1
-        # everything outside a fn is the file's top-level "function"
-        tl = Func("<toplevel:%s>" % rel, rel, 1, [], toks, 0, len(toks))
-        tl.covered = covered
-        self.toplevel.append(tl)
-
-    @staticmethod
-    def _params(toks, i, end):
-        """`a: T, b: T` -> ['a','b'] (top-level commas only)."""
-        names, depth, expect = [], 0, True
-        while i < end:
-            t = toks[i]
-            if t.kind == TOK_PUNCT and t.val in "([{":
-                depth += 1
-            elif t.kind == TOK_PUNCT and t.val in ")]}":
-                depth -= 1
-            elif depth == 0 and t.kind == TOK_PUNCT and t.val == ",":
-                expect = True
-            elif depth == 0 and expect and t.kind == TOK_IDENT:
-                names.append(t.val)
-                expect = False
-            i += 1
-        return names
-
-    def func_at(self, rel, tok_index):
-        for f in self.funcs_in(rel):
-            if f.start <= tok_index < f.end:
-                return f
-        for f in self.toplevel:
-            if f.path == rel:
-                return f
-        return None
-
-    def funcs_in(self, rel):
-        for fl in self.funcs.values():
-            for f in fl:
-                if f.path == rel:
-                    yield f
-
-    # -- indexing -----------------------------------------------------------
-    def index(self):
-        for rel, toks in self.files.items():
-            i = 0
-            while i < len(toks):
-                t = toks[i]
-                if t.kind == TOK_IDENT and i + 1 < len(toks) and toks[i + 1].val == "(" \
-                        and t.val not in KEYWORDS \
-                        and not (i > 0 and toks[i - 1].kind == TOK_IDENT
-                                 and toks[i - 1].val == "fn"):
-                    # ^ the `fn f(a: T)` declaration is not a call site; counting
-                    #   it as one makes every parameter resolve to its own name
-                    #   and reports the whole function UNRESOLVED.
-                    close = match_close(toks, i + 1, "(", ")")
-                    args = split_args(toks, i + 2, close)
-                    self.calls.setdefault(t.val, []).append(
-                        (self.func_at(rel, i), args, rel, t.line))
-                    if t.val in ("state_get", "state_set") and args:
-                        self.sites.append(Site(
-                            "get" if t.val == "state_get" else "set",
-                            rel, t.line, self.func_at(rel, i), args[0],
-                            render(toks, *args[0])))
-                i += 1
-
-    # -- resolution ---------------------------------------------------------
-    def lets_of(self, f):
-        if f.lets is not None:
-            return f.lets
-        f.lets = {}
-        toks = f.toks
-        skip = getattr(f, "covered", [])
-        i = f.start
-        while i < f.end:
-            if any(a <= i <= b for a, b in skip):
-                i = max(b for a, b in skip if a <= i <= b) + 1
-                continue
-            t = toks[i]
-            if t.kind == TOK_IDENT and t.val == "let" and i + 1 < f.end \
-                    and toks[i + 1].kind == TOK_IDENT:
-                name = toks[i + 1].val
-                j = i + 2
-                if j < f.end and toks[j].val == ":":       # skip the type
-                    while j < f.end and toks[j].val != "=":
-                        j += 1
-                if j < f.end and toks[j].val == "=":
-                    s = j + 1
-                    e = stmt_end(toks, s, f.end)
-                    f.lets.setdefault(name, []).append((s, e))
-                    i = e
-                    continue
-            i += 1
-        return f.lets
-
-    def returns_of(self, ctx, depth=0, seen=None):
-        """The value expressions of a function, in the context it was CALLED in.
-
-        Context-sensitive on purpose. `conv_hist_key` is written as a guard:
-
-            if str_eq(session_id, "") { return "conv_history" }
-            return "session_hist_" + session_id
-
-        Collecting both returns flat would make state_set(conv_hist_key("")) — the
-        dead handle_chat() write — claim to produce the session_hist_ namespace
-        too. That is a producer this engine does not actually have, and claiming
-        it would let the gate stay green if sessions.el's real writer vanished:
-        a masking hole in the exact namespace #129 lives in. So a guard whose
-        condition folds is honoured, and the branch not taken is dropped."""
-        out = []
-        self._values(ctx.toks, ctx.start, ctx.end, ctx, depth,
-                     seen if seen is not None else set(), out)
-        return out
-
-    def _values(self, toks, s, e, ctx, depth, seen, out):
-        """Append the value expressions of a statement sequence.
-        Returns True when the sequence definitely returns (rest unreachable)."""
-        if depth > MAX_DEPTH:
-            return False
-        i = s
-        while i < e:
-            t = toks[i]
-            if t.kind == TOK_IDENT and t.val == "return":
-                j = stmt_end(toks, i + 1, e)
-                if j > i + 1:
-                    out.append((i + 1, j))
-                return True
-            if t.kind == TOK_IDENT and t.val == "let":
-                i = stmt_end(toks, i + 2, e)
-                continue
-            if t.kind == TOK_IDENT and t.val == "if":
-                i = self._if_stmt(toks, i, e, ctx, depth, seen, out)
-                if i is True:
-                    return True
-                continue
-            if t.kind == TOK_PUNCT and t.val in "([{":
-                i = match_close(toks, i, t.val,
-                                {"(": ")", "[": "]", "{": "}"}[t.val]) + 1
-                continue
-            en = stmt_end(toks, i, e)
-            if en <= i:
-                i += 1
-                continue
-            if en >= e:                      # trailing expression = the value
-                out.append((i, en))
-            i = en
-        return False
-
-    def _if_stmt(self, toks, i, e, ctx, depth, seen, out):
-        """Walk one if / else-if / else chain. Returns the next index, or True
-        if the chain definitely returns on every reachable branch."""
-        bopen = i + 1
-        while bopen < e and toks[bopen].val != "{":
-            bopen += 1
-        if bopen >= e:
-            return e
-        bclose = match_close(toks, bopen, "{", "}")
-        fold = self._fold_cond(toks, i + 1, bopen, ctx, depth, seen)
-
-        j = bclose + 1
-        else_s = else_e = None
-        if j < e and toks[j].kind == TOK_IDENT and toks[j].val == "else":
-            if j + 1 < e and toks[j + 1].val == "{":
-                ec = match_close(toks, j + 1, "{", "}")
-                else_s, else_e = j + 2, ec
-                j = ec + 1
-            else:                            # `else if ...` — the rest of the chain
-                else_s = j + 1
-                else_e = stmt_end(toks, j + 1, e)
-                j = else_e
-
-        then_ret = else_ret = False
-        if fold is not False:
-            then_ret = self._values(toks, bopen + 1, bclose, ctx, depth + 1, seen, out)
-        if fold is not True and else_s is not None:
-            else_ret = self._values(toks, else_s, else_e, ctx, depth + 1, seen, out)
-
-        if fold is True and then_ret:
-            return True
-        if fold is False and else_s is not None and else_ret:
-            return True
-        if fold is None and else_s is not None and then_ret and else_ret:
-            return True
-        return j
-
-    def resolve(self, rng, func, depth=0, seen=None):
-        """-> (set of patterns, unresolved_flag)"""
-        if seen is None:
-            seen = set()
-        if depth > MAX_DEPTH:
-            return set(), True
-        return self._expr(func.toks, rng[0], rng[1], func, depth, seen)
-
-    # -- expression walker --------------------------------------------------
-    def _expr(self, toks, s, e, func, depth, seen):
-        parts, cur, d = [], s, 0
-        i = s
-        while i < e:                                # split on top-level '+'
-            v = toks[i].val
-            if toks[i].kind == TOK_PUNCT and v in "([{":
-                d += 1
-            elif toks[i].kind == TOK_PUNCT and v in ")]}":
-                d -= 1
-            elif d == 0 and toks[i].kind == TOK_PUNCT and v == "+" and i > s:
-                parts.append((cur, i))
-                cur = i + 1
-            i += 1
-        parts.append((cur, e))
-        if len(parts) == 1:
-            return self._primary(toks, s, e, func, depth, seen)
-
-        # concatenation: keep folding while every operand so far is EXACT
-        head, unres = "", False
-        static = True
-        for (ps, pe) in parts:
-            pats, u = self._primary(toks, ps, pe, func, depth, seen)
-            exacts = {p[1] for p in pats if p[0] == EXACT}
-            if static and len(exacts) == 1 and not u and len(pats) == 1:
-                head += exacts.pop()
-                continue
-            if static and pats and all(p[0] == EXACT for p in pats) and len(pats) > 1:
-                # a branchy static operand: keep the shared head only
-                static = False
-                head += os.path.commonprefix(sorted({p[1] for p in pats}))
-                break
-            static = False
-            # first non-static operand: everything after it is runtime text
-            if (ps, pe) == parts[0]:
-                for p in pats:
-                    if p[0] == PREFIX:
-                        head = p[1]
-                        break
-                if not head:
-                    unres = True
-            break
-        if static:
-            return {pat_exact(head)}, False
-        p = pat_prefix(head)
-        return ({p} if p else set()), (unres or not p)
-
-    def _primary(self, toks, s, e, func, depth, seen):
-        while s < e and toks[s].kind == TOK_PUNCT and toks[s].val == "(" \
-                and match_close(toks, s, "(", ")") == e - 1:
-            s, e = s + 1, e - 1
-        if s >= e:
-            return set(), True
-        t = toks[s]
-
-        if t.kind == TOK_STR and e == s + 1:
-            return {pat_exact(t.val)}, False
-
-        if t.kind == TOK_IDENT and t.val == "if":
-            return self._if_expr(toks, s, e, func, depth, seen)
-
-        if t.kind == TOK_IDENT and s + 1 < e and toks[s + 1].val == "(":
-            close = match_close(toks, s + 1, "(", ")")
-            if close == e - 1:
-                return self._call(toks, t.val, split_args(toks, s + 2, close),
-                                  func, depth, seen)
-
-        if t.kind == TOK_IDENT and e == s + 1:
-            return self._var(t.val, func, depth, seen)
-
-        return set(), True
-
-    def _if_expr(self, toks, s, e, func, depth, seen):
-        bopen = s + 1
-        while bopen < e and toks[bopen].val != "{":
-            bopen += 1
-        cond = (s + 1, bopen)
-        bclose = match_close(toks, bopen, "{", "}")
-        then_rng = block_tail(toks, bopen + 1, bclose) or (bopen + 1, bclose)
-
-        else_rng = None
-        j = bclose + 1
-        if j < e and toks[j].kind == TOK_IDENT and toks[j].val == "else":
-            if j + 1 < e and toks[j + 1].val == "{":
-                ec = match_close(toks, j + 1, "{", "}")
-                else_rng = block_tail(toks, j + 2, ec) or (j + 2, ec)
-            else:
-                else_rng = (j + 1, e)          # `else if ...`
-
-        taken = self._fold_cond(toks, cond[0], cond[1], func, depth, seen)
-        rngs = []
-        if taken is not False:
-            rngs.append(then_rng)
-        if taken is not True and else_rng:
-            rngs.append(else_rng)
-
-        pats, unres = set(), False
-        for r in rngs:
-            p, u = self._expr(toks, r[0], r[1], func, depth + 1, seen)
-            pats |= p
-            unres = unres or u
-        return pats, unres
-
-    def _fold_cond(self, toks, s, e, func, depth, seen):
-        """Constant-fold `str_eq(X, "")` / `!str_eq(X, "")` so a helper called with
-        a literal (conv_hist_key("")) yields only the branch it really takes.
-        Returns True / False / None(unknown)."""
-        neg = False
-        if s < e and toks[s].kind == TOK_PUNCT and toks[s].val == "!":
-            neg, s = True, s + 1
-        if not (s < e and toks[s].kind == TOK_IDENT and toks[s].val == "str_eq"
-                and s + 1 < e and toks[s + 1].val == "("):
-            return None
-        close = match_close(toks, s + 1, "(", ")")
-        if close != e - 1:
-            return None
-        args = split_args(toks, s + 2, close)
-        if len(args) != 2:
-            return None
-        va, ua = self._expr(toks, args[0][0], args[0][1], func, depth + 1, seen)
-        vb, ub = self._expr(toks, args[1][0], args[1][1], func, depth + 1, seen)
-        if ua or ub or len(va) != 1 or len(vb) != 1:
-            return None
-        (ka, sa), (kb, sb) = va.pop(), vb.pop()
-        if ka != EXACT or kb != EXACT:
-            return None
-        r = (sa == sb)
-        return (not r) if neg else r
-
-    def _call(self, toks, name, args, func, depth, seen):
-        cands = self.funcs.get(name)
-        if not cands:
-            return set(), True                      # builtin: json_get, env, ...
-        pats, unres = set(), False
-        for callee in cands:
-            key = ("fn", callee.path, callee.name, tuple(args))
-            if key in seen:
-                unres = True
-                continue
-            seen = seen | {key}
-            # bind the callee's params to THIS call site's argument expressions
-            binding = {}
-            for idx, pname in enumerate(callee.params):
-                if idx < len(args):
-                    binding[pname] = (args[idx], func)
-            callee_ctx = _Bound(callee, binding)
-            for r in self.returns_of(callee_ctx, depth + 1, seen):
-                p, u = self._expr(callee.toks, r[0], r[1], callee_ctx,
-                                  depth + 1, seen)
-                pats |= p
-                unres = unres or u
-        return pats, unres
-
-    def _var(self, name, func, depth, seen):
-        real = func.func if isinstance(func, _Bound) else func
-
-        # 1. a parameter bound by the call site we came through
-        if isinstance(func, _Bound) and name in func.binding:
-            rng, caller_ctx = func.binding[name]
-            return self._expr(caller_ctx.toks, rng[0], rng[1], caller_ctx,
-                              depth + 1, seen)
-
-        # 2. a local `let` in the enclosing function
-        lets = self.lets_of(real)
-        if name in lets:
-            key = ("let", real.path, real.name, name)
-            if key in seen:
-                return set(), True
-            seen = seen | {key}
-            pats, unres = set(), False
-            for rng in lets[name]:
-                p, u = self._expr(real.toks, rng[0], rng[1], real, depth + 1, seen)
-                pats |= p
-                unres = unres or u
-            return pats, unres
-
-        # 3. an unbound parameter -> look at every call site of the enclosing fn
-        if name in real.params:
-            key = ("param", real.path, real.name, name)
-            if key in seen:
-                return set(), True
-            seen = seen | {key}
-            idx = real.params.index(name)
-            pats, unres = set(), False
-            sites = self.calls.get(real.name, [])
-            if not sites:
-                return set(), True
-            for caller, args, _rel, _line in sites:
-                if caller is None or idx >= len(args):
-                    unres = True
-                    continue
-                p, u = self._expr(caller.toks, args[idx][0], args[idx][1],
-                                  caller, depth + 1, seen)
-                pats |= p
-                unres = unres or u
-            return pats, unres
-
-        # 4. a file-level / cross-file top-level `let`
-        for tl in self.toplevel:
-            lets = self.lets_of(tl)
-            if name in lets:
-                key = ("let", tl.path, tl.name, name)
-                if key in seen:
-                    return set(), True
-                seen2 = seen | {key}
-                pats, unres = set(), False
-                for rng in lets[name]:
-                    p, u = self._expr(tl.toks, rng[0], rng[1], tl, depth + 1, seen2)
-                    pats |= p
-                    unres = unres or u
-                return pats, unres
-
-        return set(), True
-
-
-class _Bound:
-    """A callee view that also knows what its params were called with."""
-
-    def __init__(self, func, binding):
-        self.func, self.binding = func, binding
-        self.toks, self.start, self.end = func.toks, func.start, func.end
-        self.params, self.path, self.name = func.params, func.path, func.name
-
-    def __getattr__(self, k):
-        return getattr(self.func, k)
-
-
-# ── token helpers ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-def split_args(toks, s, e):
-    out, cur, d = [], s, 0
-    i = s
-    while i < e:
-        v = toks[i].val
-        if toks[i].kind == TOK_PUNCT and v in "([{":
-            d += 1
-        elif toks[i].kind == TOK_PUNCT and v in ")]}":
-            d -= 1
-        elif d == 0 and toks[i].kind == TOK_PUNCT and v == ",":
-            out.append((cur, i))
-            cur = i + 1
-        i += 1
-    if cur < e:
-        out.append((cur, e))
-    return out
-
-
-STMT_START = {"let", "return", "if", "while", "for"}
-KEYWORDS = {"if", "while", "for", "return", "fn", "let", "else", "match"}
-
-
-def stmt_end(toks, s, limit):
-    """End of the expression starting at s: the next top-level statement
-    boundary. El has no semicolons, so a newline that starts a new statement
-    ends this one."""
-    d, i = 0, s
-    while i < limit:
-        t = toks[i]
-        if t.kind == TOK_PUNCT and t.val in "([":
-            d += 1
-        elif t.kind == TOK_PUNCT and t.val in ")]":
-            d -= 1
-            if d < 0:
-                return i
-        elif t.kind == TOK_PUNCT and t.val == "{":
-            # a brace at depth 0 belongs to this expression only when it is an
-            # if/else block that is part of it
-            d += 1
-        elif t.kind == TOK_PUNCT and t.val == "}":
-            d -= 1
-            if d < 0:
-                return i
-        elif d == 0 and t.kind == TOK_PUNCT and t.val == ",":
-            return i
-        elif d == 0 and i > s and t.kind == TOK_IDENT and t.val in STMT_START:
-            if t.val == "if" and toks[i - 1].kind == TOK_IDENT and toks[i - 1].val == "else":
-                i += 1
-                continue
-            return i
-        elif d == 0 and i > s and t.kind == TOK_IDENT and t.val == "fn":
-            return i
-        i += 1
-    return limit
-
-
-def block_tail(toks, s, e):
-    """The trailing expression of a block, if the block ends in one."""
-    i, last = s, None
-    while i < e:
-        t = toks[i]
-        if t.kind == TOK_IDENT and t.val in ("let", "return"):
-            i = stmt_end(toks, i + 1, e)
-            last = None
-            continue
-        if t.kind == TOK_PUNCT and t.val in "([{":
-            i = match_close(toks, i, t.val, {"(": ")", "[": "]", "{": "}"}[t.val]) + 1
-            continue
-        st = i
-        en = stmt_end(toks, i, e)
-        if en <= st:
-            i = st + 1
-            continue
-        last = (st, en)
-        i = en
-    return last
-
-
-def render(toks, s, e):
-    out = []
-    for t in toks[s:e]:
-        out.append('"%s"' % t.val if t.kind == TOK_STR else t.val)
-    return " ".join(out)
-
-
-# ── the gate ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-def collect(root, include_tests):
-    files = []
-    for dirpath, dirnames, filenames in os.walk(root):
-        dirnames[:] = [d for d in dirnames
-                       if d not in ("dist", "vendor", ".git", "node_modules")]
-        rel_dir = os.path.relpath(dirpath, root)
-        if not include_tests and rel_dir.split(os.sep)[0] == "tests":
-            continue
-        for fn in sorted(filenames):
-            if fn.endswith(".el"):
-                rel = os.path.normpath(os.path.join(rel_dir, fn))
-                files.append((os.path.join(dirpath, fn), rel))
-    return sorted(files, key=lambda x: x[1])
-
-
-def is_bare_literal(prog, site):
-    toks = prog.files[site.path]
-    s, e = site.arg_range
-    return e == s + 1 and toks[s].kind == TOK_STR
-
-
-def read_decl(path):
-    """A declaration file: one entry per line, `# ...` comments stripped."""
-    out = []
-    if not path or not os.path.exists(path):
-        return out
-    with open(path) as fh:
-        for ln in fh:
-            ln = ln.split("#", 1)[0].strip()
-            if ln:
-                out.append(ln)
-    return out
-
-
-def opt(argv, name, default=None):
-    for i, a in enumerate(argv):
-        if a == name and i + 1 < len(argv):
-            return argv[i + 1]
-    return default
-
-
-def main(argv):
-    root = os.path.abspath(argv[1]) if len(argv) > 1 and not argv[1].startswith("-") else "."
-    include_tests = "--include-tests" in argv
-    verbose = "--verbose" in argv
-    baseline_path = opt(argv, "--baseline")
-    external_path = opt(argv, "--external")
-
-    prog = Program()
-    for path, rel in collect(root, include_tests):
-        prog.load(path, rel)
-    prog.index()
-    for site in prog.sites:
-        pats, unres = prog.resolve(site.arg_range, site.func)
-        site.pats, site.unresolved = {p for p in pats if p}, unres
-        if is_bare_literal(prog, site):
-            site.literal = prog.files[site.path][site.arg_range[0]].val
-
-    writes = [s for s in prog.sites if s.kind == "set"]
-    reads = [s for s in prog.sites if s.kind == "get"]
-    write_pats = set()
-    for w in writes:
-        write_pats |= w.pats
-
-    # Declared host-set keys: written by something outside the El tree (an
-    # operator, the installer, a host process). Each entry must carry a reason.
-    external = []
-    for ln in read_decl(external_path):
-        parts = ln.split(None, 1)
-        if len(parts) != 2 or parts[0] not in (EXACT, PREFIX):
-            print("bad --external line (want `exact|prefix <key>`): %r" % ln,
-                  file=sys.stderr)
-            return 2
-        external.append((parts[0], parts[1]))
-    write_pats |= set(external)
-
-    # F1 — a read of a key no write in the tree produces.
-    f1 = []
-    for r in reads:
-        for p in sorted(r.pats):
-            if not any(covers(w, p) for w in write_pats):
-                f1.append((r, p))
-
-    # F2 — a key namespace owned by a helper, accessed by a hand-rolled literal.
-    #      This is the #129 shape: the producer moved behind conv_hist_key() and
-    #      one consumer kept spelling the old key out by hand.
-    owners = {}                       # helper fn name -> its value set
-    for s in prog.sites:
-        toks = prog.files[s.path]
-        a, b = s.arg_range
-        if toks[a].kind == TOK_IDENT and a + 1 < b and toks[a + 1].val == "(" \
-                and match_close(toks, a + 1, "(", ")") == b - 1 \
-                and toks[a].val in prog.funcs:
-            name = toks[a].val
-            if name not in owners:
-                vals = set()
-                for callee in prog.funcs[name]:
-                    # No call context here on purpose: the OWNED namespace is
-                    # every key the helper can ever produce, over all call sites.
-                    for rng in prog.returns_of(callee):
-                        p, _ = prog._expr(callee.toks, rng[0], rng[1], callee, 0, set())
-                        vals |= {x for x in p if x}
-                owners[name] = vals
-    f2 = []
-    for s in prog.sites:
-        if s.literal is None:
-            continue
-        for owner, vals in sorted(owners.items()):
-            for v in sorted(vals):
-                if covers(v, pat_exact(s.literal)):
-                    f2.append((s, owner, v))
-                    break
-            else:
-                continue
-            break
-
-    unresolved = [s for s in prog.sites if s.unresolved or not s.pats]
-
-    # Baseline signatures carry NO line number on purpose: an unrelated edit that
-    # shifts a line must not un-mute an accepted finding (that is crying wolf),
-    # but a GROWTH in count must not hide either. So a baseline entry is
-    # `<file> <CODE> <detail> [xN]` and only the first N matches are muted.
-    baseline, bad_baseline = {}, []
-    for ln in read_decl(baseline_path):
-        n, key = 1, ln
-        parts = ln.rsplit(" x", 1)
-        if len(parts) == 2 and parts[1].isdigit():
-            key, n = parts[0].strip(), int(parts[1])
-        baseline[key] = n
-
-    def sig(path, code, detail):
-        return "%s %s %s" % (path, code, detail)
-
-    findings = []
-    for r, p in f1:
-        findings.append((sig(r.path, "DEAD-READ", "%s:%s" % p), r.line,
-                         "  %s:%d  state_get(%s)\n      resolves to %s %r — no state_set in the tree produces it"
-                         % (r.path, r.line, r.text, p[0].upper(), p[1])))
-    for s, owner, v in f2:
-        findings.append((sig(s.path, "HAND-ROLLED", "%s<-%s()" % (s.literal, owner)), s.line,
-                         "  %s:%d  state_%s(\"%s\")\n      %s() owns this key namespace (%s %r) — go through the helper, "
-                         "or a rename orphans this site silently" % (s.path, s.line, s.kind, s.literal, owner, v[0].upper(), v[1])))
-    findings.sort(key=lambda f: (f[0], f[1]))
-
-    live, muted, budget = [], [], dict(baseline)
-    for f in findings:
-        if budget.get(f[0], 0) > 0:
-            budget[f[0]] -= 1
-            muted.append(f)
-        else:
-            live.append(f)
-    stale = sorted(k for k, v in budget.items() if v > 0)
-
-    print("── state-key audit ─────────────────────────────────────────────")
-    print("scanned  %d .el files%s" % (len(prog.files),
-                                       "" if include_tests else " (tests/ excluded)"))
-    print("sites    %d state_set, %d state_get" % (len(writes), len(reads)))
-    print("keys     %d distinct write patterns" % len(write_pats))
-    print("")
-
-    if verbose:
-        print("WRITE PATTERNS")
-        for k, v in sorted(write_pats):
-            print("  %-6s %s" % (k, v))
-        print("")
-
-    if external:
-        print("DECLARED HOST-SET (%d) — %s" % (len(external), external_path))
-        for k, v in sorted(external):
-            print("  %-6s %s" % (k, v))
-        print("")
-
-    print("UNRESOLVED (%d) — reported, never fails the build" % len(unresolved))
-    if not unresolved:
-        print("  (none)")
-    for s in sorted(unresolved, key=lambda x: (x.path, x.line)):
-        print("  %s:%d  state_%s(%s)%s"
-              % (s.path, s.line, s.kind, s.text,
-                 "   [partial: %s]" % ", ".join("%s %r" % p for p in sorted(s.pats))
-                 if s.pats else ""))
-    print("")
-
-    if muted:
-        print("BASELINED (%d) — pre-existing debt accepted in %s. NOT clean; fix these."
-              % (len(muted), baseline_path))
-        for sg, line, _ in muted:
-            print("  %s  (line %d)" % (sg, line))
-        print("")
-    if stale:
-        print("STALE BASELINE (%d) — entries that no longer match anything; delete them:"
-              % len(stale))
-        for sg in stale:
-            print("  %s" % sg)
-        print("")
-
-    print("FINDINGS (%d)" % len(live))
-    if not live:
-        print("  (none)")
-    for _, _, body in live:
-        print(body)
-    print("")
-
-    if live:
-        print("FAIL: %d state-key finding(s). See scripts/verify-state-keys.sh "
-              "for why this gate exists (issue #129)." % len(live))
-        return 1
-    print("PASS: every resolvable state_get key has a producer, and no key "
-          "namespace is spelled two ways.")
-    return 0
-
-
-if __name__ == "__main__":
-    sys.exit(main(sys.argv))

scripts/state-key-baseline.txt

@@ -1,28 +0,0 @@
-# state-key-baseline.txt — findings that already existed when this gate landed
-# (2026-08-07). Each one is a REAL defect of the #129 class, not a false
-# positive. They are muted only so the gate can be turned on today instead of
-# being deferred until the debt is paid; every run still prints them under
-# BASELINED with the word "debt".
-#
-# THIS FILE SHOULD ONLY EVER SHRINK. Adding a line means you are shipping a
-# known silent-"" read. If you must, date it and say why in the comment.
-#
-# format: <file> <CODE> <detail> [xN]   # N = how many sites are accepted
-# No line numbers on purpose: an unrelated edit must not un-mute an accepted
-# finding, but a GROWTH in count is NOT muted — the extra site fails the build.
-#
-chat.el DEAD-READ exact:soul_identity x5
-# ^ soul.el used to run `state_set("soul_identity", soul_identity)`. It was
-#   deleted on 2026-05-13 in b163fa6 ("feat(awareness): route ISE writes to HTTP
-#   Engram ..."), a commit about something else entirely, and the five readers in
-#   chat.el were left behind. Since that date build_system_prompt (737), the
-#   vision handler (1745), the agentic system prompt (2620), the council
-#   transcript handler (3425) and 3480 have all been prefixing "" — exactly the
-#   #129 shape, found by this gate on its first run. Sites: 737, 1745, 2620,
-#   3425, 3480. Fix = restore the boot-time write or delete the reads; not done
-#   here because this branch must not change engine behaviour.
-
-studio.el DEAD-READ exact:soul_principal x1
-# ^ studio.el:57 dharma_registry() emits "principal":"" on every call — no
-#   producer has ever existed in the tree's history (git log -S finds none).
-#   Never-wired rather than orphaned, same silent-"" result.

scripts/state-key-external.txt

@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-# state-key-external.txt — state keys the engine READS but deliberately never
-# WRITES, because a host outside the El tree sets them (an operator, the
-# installer, a deployment env). Read scripts/verify-state-keys.sh for why this
-# list has to exist and why it has to stay short.
-#
-# THE RULE FOR ADDING A LINE: the read site must already treat "" as a defined
-# default (`if str_eq(x, "") { <default> }`) AND the source must say so in a
-# comment. "I could not find the writer" is NOT a reason — that is the #129
-# defect, and it belongs in state-key-baseline.txt with a date, not here.
-#
-# format: exact|prefix <key>            # why, and where the source says so
-#
-exact  soul_rate_limit                  # routes.el:59-61 — "configurable via soul state key ... Falls back to 60 req/min if not set."
-exact  web_search_tool_version          # chat.el:1884-1910 — version lives in state "so a future bump is a config write, not a recompile"; defaults to web_search_20250305
-exact  platform_auth                    # stewardship.el:92 — host-set capability flag; fail-CLOSED (anything but "true" denies the platform tool)
-exact  security_research_authorized     # awareness.el:991-996 — state override for env SECURITY_RESEARCH_TOKEN; fail-closed, defaults false

scripts/verify-state-keys.sh

@@ -1,118 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-# verify-state-keys.sh — the state-key gate. Retires a defect class at build time.
-#
-# ── WHY THIS EXISTS. DO NOT DELETE IT AS NOISE. ──────────────────────────────
-#
-# The engine keeps runtime values in a key-value store: state_set("k", v) writes,
-# state_get("k") reads. A read of a key that NOTHING writes returns an empty
-# string. Silently. No error, no warning, no log line. The El compiler cannot see
-# it, no test sees it, and the product keeps running — just with a hole in it.
-#
-# That is how issue #129 happened. ff421d3 (2026-08-05) correctly moved
-# conversation history to a per-session key behind conv_hist_key(session_id). One
-# consumer did not move with it: the agentic path's L1 safety screen kept reading
-# the old anonymous "conv_history" bucket. The desktop app always mints a session
-# id, so history was always written under session_hist_<id> and that read always
-# returned "". The half of the crisis score that receives history is the
-# ESCALATION half — the one that exists for distress building across several
-# turns, where no single message trips the bell on its own. It scored 0 on every
-# real conversation for two days, and nothing failed.
-#
-# The line that broke carried a comment describing this exact bug being fixed
-# once already, under issue #9. A comment is not a gate. This is the gate.
-#
-# ── WHAT IT CHECKS ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-#
-#   DEAD-READ    a state_get whose key resolves to something no state_set in the
-#                tree produces. The direct form of the class.
-#
-#   HAND-ROLLED  a state_get/state_set that spells out a literal belonging to a
-#                key namespace a helper function owns (e.g. "conv_history", owned
-#                by conv_hist_key()). This is #129's actual shape: the producer
-#                moved behind the helper and one consumer kept the old spelling
-#                by hand. DEAD-READ alone does NOT catch #129, because the dead
-#                handle_chat() still writes that key through the helper — so this
-#                second check is the one that earns the gate its keep.
-#
-# ── WHY IT DOES NOT CRY WOLF ────────────────────────────────────────────────
-#
-# Keys are usually COMPUTED, not literal, so a naive grep would flood and get
-# switched off within a day. scripts/state-key-audit.py resolves computed keys:
-# string concatenation (matched on the static prefix), helper functions (resolved
-# to their possible return values), keys built into a local variable, and keys
-# arriving as a function parameter (resolved through the call sites). Where a key
-# genuinely cannot be resolved it is printed under UNRESOLVED and does NOT fail
-# the build — visible, never silently ignored. Keep that list short.
-#
-# On this tree it resolves 278 of 278 sites: UNRESOLVED is 0 and FINDINGS is 0.
-#
-# Two declaration files, both of which should only ever shrink:
-#   scripts/state-key-external.txt  keys a host outside the El tree writes
-#   scripts/state-key-baseline.txt  findings that predate the gate (real debt)
-#
-# ── PROVEN TO DISCRIMINATE (2026-08-07) ─────────────────────────────────────
-#
-#   1. Synthetic: a scratch copy of this tree with agentic_safety_screen reverted
-#      to the pre-fix state_get("conv_history") — ONE line, nothing else — FAILS
-#      with `chat.el:2536 ... conv_hist_key() owns this key namespace`. The tree
-#      as shipped PASSES. One variable, opposite verdicts.
-#   2. Independent: run read-only against origin/feat/soul-openai-tools-v2, which
-#      carries the same defect on its own, the gate reported chat.el:2937 — the
-#      exact line 43d0449's commit message had named by hand. Against that
-#      branch's fix (origin/fix/129-on-openai-tools) it passes.
-#   3. Producer-moved controls: renaming the sole writer of an EXACT key
-#      (soul_model) orphans 3 readers across 3 files; renaming the sole writer of
-#      a PREFIX namespace (agent_workspace_root_*) orphans 3 readers — including
-#      when the producer moves to a NARROWER namespace, which an earlier,
-#      sloppier prefix rule let through.
-#
-# It also found, on its first run, a defect nobody was looking for: soul.el's
-# `state_set("soul_identity", ...)` was deleted on 2026-05-13 in b163fa6 (a
-# commit about awareness/ISE writes) and five readers in chat.el were left
-# behind — the system prompt, the vision handler, the agentic prompt and the
-# council handler have been prefixing "" ever since. See state-key-baseline.txt.
-#
-# ── SAFETY ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-# Pure static read of .el sources. Starts nothing, opens no port, touches no
-# daemon, and never reads or writes ~/.neuron.
-#
-# ── USAGE ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-#   scripts/verify-state-keys.sh                 gate the repo (honours baseline)
-#   scripts/verify-state-keys.sh --strict        ignore the baseline: show the debt
-#   scripts/verify-state-keys.sh --verbose       also dump every write pattern
-#   scripts/verify-state-keys.sh --root DIR      audit a different tree
-# exit 0 = clean; 1 = finding(s); 2 = the gate itself could not run.
-set -uo pipefail
-
-SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
-ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
-STRICT=0
-PASS_THROUGH=()
-
-while [ $# -gt 0 ]; do
-  case "$1" in
-    --strict)  STRICT=1; shift ;;
-    --root)    ROOT="${2:?--root needs a directory}"; shift 2 ;;
-    -h|--help) awk 'NR>1 && /^#/ {print; next} NR>1 {exit}' "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}"; exit 0 ;;
-    *)         PASS_THROUGH+=("$1"); shift ;;
-  esac
-done
-
-command -v python3 >/dev/null 2>&1 || {
-  echo "[state-keys] CANNOT RUN: python3 not found" >&2; exit 2; }
-[ -d "$ROOT" ] || { echo "[state-keys] CANNOT RUN: no such tree: $ROOT" >&2; exit 2; }
-
-AUDIT="$SCRIPT_DIR/state-key-audit.py"
-[ -f "$AUDIT" ] || { echo "[state-keys] CANNOT RUN: missing $AUDIT" >&2; exit 2; }
-
-ARGS=("$ROOT" "--external" "$SCRIPT_DIR/state-key-external.txt")
-[ "$STRICT" -eq 0 ] && ARGS+=("--baseline" "$SCRIPT_DIR/state-key-baseline.txt")
-[ ${#PASS_THROUGH[@]} -gt 0 ] && ARGS+=("${PASS_THROUGH[@]}")
-
-python3 "$AUDIT" "${ARGS[@]}"
-RC=$?
-if [ "$RC" -gt 1 ]; then
-  echo "[state-keys] CANNOT RUN: the audit itself failed (exit $RC)" >&2
-  exit 2
-fi
-exit "$RC"

sessions.el

@@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ fn session_create(body: String) -> String {
     let folder: String = json_get(body, "folder")
     let content: String = session_make_content(id, title, ts, ts, folder)
     let tags: String = "[\"session\",\"session:meta\",\"Conversation\"]"
-    let node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let node_id: String = wt_node(
         content, "Conversation", "session:meta",
         el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags
@@ -358,7 +358,7 @@ fn session_update_patch(session_id: String, body: String) -> String {
     let created_int: Int = str_to_int(old_created)
     let new_content: String = session_make_content(session_id, eff_title, created_int, ts, eff_folder)
     let tags: String = "[\"session\",\"session:meta\",\"Conversation\"]"
-    let new_node_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let new_node_id: String = wt_node(
         new_content, "Conversation", "session:meta",
         el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ fn session_hist_save(session_id: String, hist: String) -> Void {
     // TODO(reliability #7): delete-then-insert is not atomic — concurrent saves for the
     // same session can produce orphan history nodes. State is primary truth; engram fallback.
     let tags: String = "[\"session\",\"session-history\",\"Conversation\"]"
-    let discard: String = engram_node_full(
+    let discard: String = wt_node(
         hist, "Conversation", "session:messages:" + session_id,
         el_from_float(0.6), el_from_float(0.6), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags
@@ -488,7 +488,7 @@ fn session_hist_save(session_id: String, hist: String) -> Void {
                 + " | ts:" + int_to_str(ts_now)
             let summary_tags: String = "[\"session-emotional-summary\",\"affective\",\"bell:" + eff_level + "\",\"BellEvent\"]"
             let summary_sal: String = if str_eq(eff_level, "hard") { el_from_float(0.95) } else { el_from_float(0.85) }
-            let sum_discard: String = engram_node_full(
+            let sum_discard: String = wt_node(
                 summary_content,
                 "BellEvent",
                 "session:emotional-summary",
@@ -529,7 +529,7 @@ fn session_hist_save(session_id: String, hist: String) -> Void {
             if !str_eq(ot_id, "") { engram_forget(ot_id) }
             let oti = oti + 1
         }
-        let discard_topic: String = engram_node_full(
+        let discard_topic: String = wt_node(
             topic_content, "Conversation", topic_label,
             el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.9),
             "Episodic", topic_tags
@@ -582,7 +582,7 @@ fn session_update_meta_timestamp(session_id: String) -> Void {
     let created_int: Int = str_to_int(old_created)
     let new_content: String = session_make_content(session_id, old_title, created_int, ts, old_folder)
     let tags: String = "[\"session\",\"session:meta\",\"Conversation\"]"
-    let new_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let new_id: String = wt_node(
         new_content, "Conversation", "session:meta",
         el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags
@@ -629,7 +629,7 @@ fn session_auto_title(session_id: String, first_message: String) -> Void {
     let created_int: Int = str_to_int(old_created)
     let new_content: String = session_make_content(session_id, new_title, created_int, ts, old_folder)
     let tags: String = "[\"session\",\"session:meta\",\"Conversation\"]"
-    let new_id: String = engram_node_full(
+    let new_id: String = wt_node(
         new_content, "Conversation", "session:meta",
         el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.7), el_from_float(0.9),
         "Episodic", tags

soul.el

@@ -657,6 +657,23 @@ if is_genesis && safe_to_seed {
     }
 }
 
+// CRASH RECOVERY (neuron#117). Deltas the previous process staged but could not
+// hand to the owner are still on disk — the spool is a filesystem queue, not a
+// memory buffer, precisely so that a soul that died mid-flight does not take its
+// unpushed writes with it. Drain them before serving, so recovered memories are
+// durable and recallable from the owner from the first request onward.
+//
+// Safe on a clean boot: an empty spool means no HTTP call at all. Safe in file
+// mode: wt_drain returns immediately when ENGRAM_URL is unset.
+let wt_recovered: Int = wt_drain()
+if wt_recovered > 0 {
+    println("[soul] write-through: recovered " + int_to_str(wt_recovered)
+        + " nodes from a previous process's spool -> persistence owner")
+}
+if wt_recovered < 0 {
+    println("[soul] write-through: spool present but the persistence owner is unreachable — queued, will retry on heartbeat")
+}
+
 println("[soul] serving on port " + int_to_str(port))
 http_serve_async(port, "handle_request")
 println("[soul] awareness loop starting")

stewardship.el

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import "memory.el"
 fn steward_log_event(kind: String, detail: String) -> Void {
     let content: String = "STEWARD:" + kind + " | " + detail
     let tags: String = "[\"stewardship\",\"steward:" + kind + "\"]"
-    let discard: String = engram_node_full(
+    let discard: String = wt_node(
         content,
         "StewardshipEvent",
         "steward:" + kind,
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ fn steward_fingerprint_session(input: String, session_id: String) -> String {
         + " formality=" + fs_str
         + " time=" + tb_str
     let sample_tags: String = "[\"behavior\",\"BehaviorSample\",\"stewardship\"]"
-    let discard: String = engram_node_full(
+    let discard: String = wt_node(
         sample_content,
         "BehaviorSample",
         "behavior:" + session_id,