fix(comms): hard-enforce never-block — send-chain LLM/audio caps + dispatcher single-flight

The operator's ratified no-exceptions rule: commits and pushes run
unencumbered; the email is a NON-LOCKING parallel use of the LLM. Audit
found pre-commit/pre-push/post-commit already compliant (detached nohup
blocks) — the live violations were INSIDE the detached send chain:
ollama-monologue synchronous with no outer cap (90s x N stalls observed),
the Ava render uncapped (three chains wedged 25+ min on concurrent
CoreAudio, 2026-07-04), and no dispatcher single-flight (duplicate sends,
loser .error litter).

Fixes: run_capped watchdog (own-process kill at deadline, portable — no GNU
timeout on macOS) wrapping the monologue (90s cap + OLLAMA_TIMEOUT_MS=20s)
and the Ava render (300s cap; on cap the email SHIPS WITHOUT mp3 and says
so — never-block outranks bundle-completeness, ratified 2026-07-06);
mkdir single-flight lock in comms-dispatch with 30-min stale-break and
15-min bounded wait (serializes, never drops a commit's sends).

Guard: tests/hooks/llm-never-blocks-sends.test.js (7 tests) — zero LLM
lines on pre-commit/pre-push, run_capped pinned on both send-chain calls,
the lock pinned, post-commit dispatch stays backgrounded. Watchdog live-
verified: rc 143 at exactly the cap.

Originating-Terminal: 📐 VS Code Architect
Relevant-Rooms: ☕ Messages Network, 🔨 iTerm2 Builder, 📐 VS Code Architect
Story: The operator named the repeating mistake class and ratified the rule
as exception-free; this commit converts it from prose to enforcement — the
audit email reporting strengths/weaknesses follows through the same door
this commit just hardened.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01Sqbfqq3xRXLC7FAnXaDxE8

commit 94094a8ad — 144×144 lattice triptych (on-chip)

◎ the ingest chose A,B2 — Strategy × Tactics·Deal — acting on A1,A — Strategy·Law × Strategy (grip 0.750) · the walk starts at the ACTOR's row · 3 file(s)

⏱ ingest 499ms (corpus→lattice) · definer walk 2975ms (row→transpose→row, ballistic XOR per hop) · total 3836ms
ingest here = commit-scoped SENSING only (this commit's message + changed files → lit anchors) — deep seed authoring lives in the reef-self-loop, off the commit path

rows = ACTOR (lens) · cols = PATIENT (object) · diagonal = self-reference; ◎ at actor-row × patient-col — every panel, same orientation. Heat above the diagonal = actors ranking ShortLex-earlier than their patients (the walk follows definers uphill in rank).
The 12 canonical lanes (rows top→bottom, cols left→right): A·Strategy · B·Tactics · C·Operations · A1·Law · A2·Goal · A3·Fund · B1·Speed · B2·Deal · B3·Signal · C1·Grid · C2·Loop · C3·Flow

PAIR LATTICE (the map we normally see)

PRE-WALK SENSE · INTENT grid — the snapshot, no point of view

the no-point-of-view snapshot — what the sensor lit before any walk; the leaf walk below is what bridges the two grids

	ABC A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N A1–C3
ABC A1–C3 A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N

PRE-WALK SENSE · REALITY grid — the snapshot, no point of view

the no-point-of-view snapshot, reality side — same sensor law

	ABC A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N A1–C3
ABC A1–C3 A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N

PRE-WALK Δ · straight comparison of the two ingested grids (green both · cyan intent-only · amber reality-only) · 3% overlap · ◎ = where the competence pixel sits in the raw overlap

good = green overlap without being a copy — near-100% is self-similarity, not alignment

	ABC A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N A1–C3
ABC A1–C3 A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N

◎ the pixel this commit belongs to

A,B2 — Strategy × Tactics·Deal (actor) acting on A1,A — Strategy·Law × Strategy (patient) · grip 0.750

actor seed A,B2 — Strategy underwrites the long-horizon substrate where deal rates and exchange terms are evaluated within the lattice. The lattice we build today is what next year's underwriter inherits. We set the substrate that downstream pricing rides on, and that choice is paid back across every quarter we keep operating. Direction is what you keep when you forget the calendar. Multi-year posture, irreversibly chosen, defines the boundary every quarter renegotiates inside. Strategy is the bearing the rotation is measured against. Capital lives where strategy is durable. Frame the ten-year shape of the business before optimizing the ten-week sprint; the substrate decisions compound while the surface decisions decay. The deal sets the exchange rate between two value substrates. Mis-priced exchange is a slow-bleed; correctly priced exchange compounds both sides, because each cycle of trade enriches the bench on both ends. Terms are the API between two organizations — every clause is a contract method that survives the handshake. Renegotiation is the breaking change; the deal is the stable interface either side can build against. Negotiation closes at the moment both parties' BATNAs cross. Push past that point and you've bought regret at retail; stop short and you've left margin on the table that the next deal will not return to you.

patient seed A1,A — The law provides the binding mandate and governance article that protects the long-horizon strategy substrate lattice. EU AI Act Article 14 requires human-on-the-loop oversight, with the supervisor able to interrupt the system at any moment. Compliance attaches to the artifact the artifact cannot escape — provenance is a regulatory primitive, not a feature. Constraints precede objectives. The cap-table, the license text, the consent envelope — each draws the inviolate line the action must respect, and the line is enforced before the optimization runs. A rule names what the system MAY NOT do. If the agent can do X, then 'forbid X' is not the constraint — it is wishful thinking dressed as policy. Constraints live in the gate, not in the prompt. Regulation is not advisory. The fine is the price tag stapled to the omitted control; insurance is the option pricing on the failure-mode the regulation already named. The lattice we build today is what next year's underwriter inherits. We set the substrate that downstream pricing rides on, and that choice is paid back across every quarter we keep operating. Direction is what you keep when you forget the calendar. Multi-year posture, irreversibly chosen, defines the boundary every quarter renegotiates inside. Strategy is the bearing the rotation is measured against. Capital lives where strategy is durable. Frame the ten-year shape of the business before optimizing the ten-week sprint; the substrate decisions compound while the surface decisions decay. The strategic question is which doors close on purpose. Anything that keeps every option open until next year has already chosen the option of inaction, paid in optionality cost.

INTENT · leaf-walk clouds · BLUE→VIOLET by ply (◎ = the competence pixel: actor∩patient)

good = the clouds concentrate where the commit SAYS it works

	ABC A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N A1–C3
ABC A1–C3 A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N

REALITY · leaf-walk clouds · ORANGE→RED by ply (◎ = the same pixel — the shared perspective)

good = the same clouds as intent — shipped where declared

	ABC A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N A1–C3
ABC A1–C3 A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N

DELTA · graded cloud divergence (green agree · magenta declared-not-done · amber done-not-declared) · 2% agree

good = mostly green; magenta = said-not-done (chase it in the code), amber = done-not-said (chase it in the docs)

	ABC A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N A1–C3
ABC A1–C3 A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N

TOLERANCE · cloud topology (dim green in-shape · hot amber bleed · red orthogonal concentration) · ⚠ TOO MANY

red only matters above the flip — a few amber is normal bleed

	ABC A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N A1–C3
ABC A1–C3 A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N

SHORTLEX-3 PROJECTION (ABC · A1..C3 · the 132 children — candidate, pre-ratchet)

PROJECTED INTENT · the commit’s claims, head→axis_i tail→axis_j (cyan)

the three-length view — good = claims land inside their own zone

	ABC A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N A1–C3
ABC A1–C3 A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N

PROJECTED REALITY · same projection law (amber)

same projection law — good = reality occupies the zones intent does

	ABC A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N A1–C3
ABC A1–C3 A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N

STRAIGHT COMPARISON · green both · cyan intent-only · amber reality-only · 4% overlap

good = the zones agree; cross-zone scatter is the drift to read

	ABC A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N A1–C3
ABC A1–C3 A1A–O A2A–O A3A–O B1A–O B2A–O B3A–O C1A–N C2A–N C3A–N

shortlex-3 zone occupancy (lit cells per diagonal square)
INTENT: 1 in the 3×3 ABC corner · 6 in the 9×9 A1..C3 square · 1769 in the 132×132 children square · 299 cross-zone
REALITY: 0 in the 3×3 ABC corner · 2 in the 9×9 A1..C3 square · 865 in the 132×132 children square · 117 cross-zone
axes: identical 144 ShortLex names both sides (symmetric); weights asymmetric
zone 3 = candidate children, pre-ratchet (repo-derived dumps not yet past the perturbation-probe gate) · intent 9 claims @ θ 0.5938 · reality 35 claims @ θ 0.625 · projection 3424ms

SHAPE-MATCH σ = -4.67 — the real intent↔reality definer walk vs random-reality (actual 0.0619 vs random 0.171). >0 = the walk distinguishes real alignment from noise; aggregate over independent walks → the divergent series.
σ_drift · noise · below zero — this read is noise, not a measurement

Most out-of-lane row: B2 · Deal — that lane is drifting most (read the red band in that row).

Three-colour tolerance (out-of-lane = reality fires where intent is weak, in orthogonal blocks): green=in-lane agreement · amber=a few out-of-lane (tolerated) · red=FIRED — orthogonal out-of-lane 55% vs tolerance 25%.
326 green · 432 amber · 932 red · 76 XOR-friction cells.

Both axes = the 144 ShortLex anchors, cell=row⊕col, on the chip. INTENT=docs+rules · REALITY=code · DELTA=friction.

tile dump — what the SimHash matched on the diagonal (inspect the sensor; tap to expand)

A,A The lattice we build today is what next year's underwriter inherits.

intent 77% (no distinctive match)

reality 78% run_capped() { # run_capped <secs> <cmd...> → child's exit, or 124 on cap

B,B Tactics is the choice of which leverage to pull at which beat.

intent 61% (no distinctive match)

reality 69% kill "$wd" 2>/dev/null; wait "$wd" 2>/dev/null

C,C Operations is the loop that runs whether anyone watches.

intent 75% (no distinctive match)

reality 70% (no distinctive match)

A1,A1 EU AI Act Article 14 requires human-on-the-loop oversight, with the supervisor able to interrupt the system at

intent 69% (no distinctive match)

reality 70% (no distinctive match)

A2,A2 The target is the cell coordinate the system MUST occupy by end-of-quarter.

intent 72% (no distinctive match)

reality 73% (no distinctive match)

A3,A3 Every dollar builds either the floor (substrate that lifts future bets) or the ceiling (cap on the next round)

intent 64% tests/hooks/llm-never-blocks-sends.test.js. HARD-ENFORCES the operator's ratified rule (2026-07

reality 72% (no distinctive match)

B1,B1 Latency is the price of a missed beat.

intent 66% (no distinctive match)

reality 70% (no distinctive match)

B2,B2 The deal sets the exchange rate between two value substrates.

intent 69% (no distinctive match)

reality 72% (no distinctive match)

B3,B3 Signal-to-noise is the inverse cube of bandwidth — narrow the channel, the message arrives; broaden it, recipi

intent 77% Fixes: run_capped watchdog (own-process kill at deadline, portable — no GNU timeout on macOS) w

reality 73% if run_capped "${COMMS_AUDIO_CAP:-300}" env VOICE="Ava (Premium)" scripts/say-to-mp3.sh "$NARR"

C1,C1 Power flows where the grid lets it.

intent 67% (no distinctive match)

reality 67% (no distinctive match)

C2,C2 Each iteration is a hypothesis tested against the ground truth of the world.

intent 63% (no distinctive match)

reality 67% (no distinctive match)

C3,C3 Flow is the rate at which committed work crosses the finish line.

intent 67% (no distinctive match)

reality 73% (no distinctive match)

commit context — 3 file(s)

fix(comms): hard-enforce never-block — send-chain LLM/audio caps + dispatcher single-flight

The operator's ratified no-exceptions rule: commits and pushes run
unencumbered; the email is a NON-LOCKING parallel use of the LLM. Audit
found pre-commit/pre-push/post-commit already compliant (detached nohup
blocks) — the live violations were INSIDE the detached send chain:
ollama-monologue synchronous with no outer cap (90s x N stalls observed),
the Ava render uncapped (three chains wedged 25+ min on concurrent
CoreAudio, 2026-07-04), and no dispatcher single-flight (duplicate sends,
loser .error litter).

Fixes: run_capped watchdog (own-process kill at deadline, portable — no GNU
timeout on macOS) wrapping the monologue (90s cap + OLLAMA_TIMEOUT_MS=20s)
and the Ava render (300s cap; on cap the email SHIPS WITHOUT mp3 and says
so — never-block outranks bundle-completeness, ratified 2026-07-06);
mkdir single-flight lock in comms-dispatch with 30-min stale-break and
15-min bounded wait (serializes, never drops a commit's sends).

Guard: tests/hooks/llm-never-blocks-sends.test.js (7 tests) — zero LLM
lines on pre-commit/pre-push, run_capped pinned on both send-chain calls,
the lock pinned,

scripts/comms/canonical-send.sh
scripts/comms/comms-dispatch.sh
tests/hooks/llm-never-blocks-sends.test.js

Produced on the chip by the running pipeline (scripts/pmu/pipeline.mjs → runPipeline → walk + xor), commit-scoped · on-chip per-walk 845.61ns (this commit). Recompute: node scripts/pmu/commit-triptych.mjs --commit 94094a8ad

Commit artifacts (open on a computer — Gmail mobile won't follow file:// links; the inline images above are the phone-viewable form): reef grid · this triptych · the HDL — all three are also attached to this email.