# HANDOFF -- Phase 7 Orchestration -> Phase 8 Plugin Packaging

**Status:** PASS

**Produced By:** orchestration-engineering-max, Phase 7 (RAM Router branch).

**Produced At:** 2026-04-20.

**Scope:** Coordinator skill (RAM Router) plus runtime orchestration megaprompt, three slash commands, interface contracts, and parallel-dispatch rules for the 8-component RAM producer system plus two cross-cutting artifacts.

---

## 1. Input Files Consumed

- `build/phase-2a-ram-solution-architecture/SOLUTION_ARCHITECTURE_RAM.md` -- architecture + dependency order + keystone identification + cross-cutting ownership decisions.
- `build/phase-5-system-architecture/LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE.md` -- five-library placement map, RAM + Evaluator asset registry, topological build order, blast-radius table.
- `build/phase-5-system-architecture/CROSS_CUTTING_ARTIFACTS.md` -- schemas + write rules for Surprise Register, RAM Search Ledger, Frame Registry, Evaluator Search Ledger.
- `build/phase-6-skills/ram/claim-typing-engine/SKILL.md` (S5)
- `build/phase-6-skills/ram/multi-corpus-retrieval-router/SKILL.md` (S1)
- `build/phase-6-skills/ram/source-integrity-screen/SKILL.md` (S2)
- `build/phase-6-skills/ram/fitness-adjudicator/SKILL.md` (S7)
- `build/phase-6-skills/ram/multi-method-orchestrator/SKILL.md` (S3)
- `build/phase-6-skills/ram/adversarial-pass-engine/SKILL.md` (S8)
- `build/phase-6-skills/ram/warrant-saturation-governor/SKILL.md` (S6)
- `build/phase-6-skills/ram/epistemic-output-layer/SKILL.md` (S4)

---

## 2. Output Files Written

| Path | Contents |
|---|---|
| `build/phase-7-orchestration/ram-router/SKILL.md` | Coordinator skill definition; 8-property operating logic; NEVER / ALWAYS rules; run lifecycle high-level; reopen handling; governance-disagreement resolution |
| `build/phase-7-orchestration/ram-router/ORCHESTRATION_MEGAPROMPT.md` | Full runtime logic: command resolution, Phase 1-6 dispatch, capacity ceilings, reopen routing, error escalation, meta-rules |
| `build/phase-7-orchestration/ram-router/commands/ram-research.md` | Primary entry command; argument parser; rejected patterns; router behavior; example |
| `build/phase-7-orchestration/ram-router/commands/ram-charter.md` | Charter-only command; runs S5 in isolation; no S1-S8 dispatch; use-case notes |
| `build/phase-7-orchestration/ram-router/commands/ram-stop.md` | Operator halt request (NOT authoritative close); routes to S6; operator-reason special case for scope amendment |
| `build/phase-7-orchestration/ram-router/INTERFACE_CONTRACTS.md` | Per-edge input/output schemas; cross-cutting artifact write discipline; 11-item invariant summary |
| `build/phase-7-orchestration/ram-router/PARALLEL_DISPATCH_RULES.md` | K-parameters; per-phase parallelism; discipline-selection matrix structural contract; capacity-bound deferral protocol; S3/S8 overlap scheduling |
| `build/phase-7-orchestration/ram-router/HANDOFF.md` | This file |

---

## 3. Summary (2-5 sentences)

The RAM Router sequences S5 -> {S1, S7} -> S2 -> S3 -> S8 -> S6 -> S4 with parallel dispatch at every eligible phase and a structural two-phase overlap between S3 triangulation and S8 adversarial pass. All eight orchestration non-negotiables are enforced at phase-boundary invariant checks -- verb-inventory-equals-claim-count, multi-method default (closed-list single-method exception), parallel-discipline-invocation (no shared intermediate state), claim-level triangulation, fitness-based retrieval, mandatory adversarial pass per claim, Surprise-Register-expands-inquiry, and warrant-based stopping with three-gate CLOSED requirement. Cross-cutting artifact write discipline is defined per writer at the orchestrator level: router writes run-lifecycle events and meta-anomalies only; S3 / S7 / S8 write claim-bound anomalies through S5-published tokens; S4 owns the ledger render authority and drops the Evaluator-ready artifact to `bridge/ram-to-evaluator-handoff/`. Reopen authority is Evaluator-only; governance disagreements between S6 STOP and Evaluator REOPEN resolve in the Evaluator's favor with a meta-anomaly logged.

---

## 4. Key Decisions (load-bearing)

### 4.1 Conditional-parallel as default posture

The router defaults to conditional-parallel (K_disciplines = 6) rather than full 11-way parallel. Rationale: Phase 2 flagged 11-way true parallel as a runtime feasibility unknown; RAM never requires all 11 disciplines simultaneously on a single claim, only that the matrix-selected SET runs across as many dispatch cycles as needed. Capacity-bound deferrals are logged with CAPACITY_BOUND entries; S6 does NOT stop while any claim has PARTIAL_DISCIPLINE_COVERAGE. Upgrade to higher K_disciplines is a runtime parameter, not a re-architecture.

### 4.2 Governance-disagreement protocol

When S6 emits STOP and the Evaluator emits REOPEN, the router honors the Evaluator's verdict and writes a `governance_disagreement` meta-anomaly to the Surprise Register. This is the one case where the router itself writes to the Register (the meta-anomaly is about the orchestration, not about a claim). Preserves Evaluator reopen authority as a non-negotiable while keeping S6's warrant in run history for audit.

### 4.3 S3 / S8 two-phase overlap

S8 Phase A (skeptic frame identification) runs in parallel with S3 Phase 3-4, since skeptic frame needs only the claim text and type -- not S3's triangulation record. S8 Phase B onward (authentic inversion query generation) waits for S3's contradiction writes so adversarial queries focus on disturbed regions. Effective ~40-60% overlap window reclaims runtime without violating the independence-of-methods invariant.

---

## 5. Confidence: MODERATE-HIGH

**High-confidence decisions:**
- 8-property enforcement surface is fully covered (every invariant has at least one phase-boundary check).
- Cross-cutting write discipline is specified per writer; ownership invariants from Phase 5 are preserved.
- Closed-list SINGLE_METHOD_EXCEPTION trigger protocol, delegated to S3's reference file, prevents the intent-verb-routing regression at the orchestration layer.
- Stopping handoff to S6 is explicit and non-overridable at the router layer.
- Reopen intake routing covers all nine defect classes the Evaluator can emit.

**Moderate-confidence decisions:**
- K_disciplines default (6) is a runtime guess pending Phase 6 smoke data; the calibration note in `PARALLEL_DISPATCH_RULES.md` Section 11 flags this.
- The scope-amendment special case in `/ram-stop --reason` is a thin path that needs Phase 4 validation (does S6 actually classify operator reasons as drift inputs, or is that S5's job via charter-amendment-request?). Flagged for Phase 4 prototyping.
- Two-phase S3/S8 overlap window is runtime-dependent; prototype will tune it.

---

## 6. Gaps (open for Phase 8 / 9 to resolve)

- **K_disciplines calibration.** Default 6 needs runtime validation. Phase 6 smoke tests should record actual parallel degree achieved and flag silent degradation. Phase 9 eval harness should include a multi-method-triangulation-rate metric (target: >= 50% per Phase 2A Kill Criterion).
- **Scope-amendment trigger from operator reason.** Currently the router passes `operator_pressure = true` and `--reason` text to S6; S6 classifies. If S6 finds the reason should route through S5 instead (charter amendment grammar), the path works but is thin. Phase 4 prototype needs to exercise this path end-to-end.
- **Bridge reachability degraded mode.** If `bridge/ram-to-evaluator-handoff/` is unreachable on emit, the router halts and escalates. No cache-and-retry. Phase 8 plugin packaging needs to confirm bridge path is stable in the packaged artifact.
- **Follow-up dispatch scheduling.** Capacity-bound deferrals get a CAPACITY_BOUND ledger entry, but the follow-up dispatch cycle is scheduled by "whenever capacity recovers." Needs a concrete scheduler policy in Phase 8 or Phase 9 (time-delay, event-driven, or operator-triggered).

---

## 7. Next Phase (Phase 8 -- Plugin Packaging)

Phase 8 consumes this orchestration directory as one of the packaged assets. Phase 8 must:

1. Include the ram-router skill under the plugin's `ram/skills/` tree (the coordinator is itself a skill in the built plugin).
2. Preserve the commands directory as `commands/` at the plugin root (or per the target platform's command-registration convention).
3. Preserve the INTERFACE_CONTRACTS and PARALLEL_DISPATCH_RULES as reference files; decide whether they ship as public-ram references (yes -- they are consumed by the router itself, which is one of the RAM skills).
4. Validate the library-isolation invariants: every relative path in this orchestration resolves inside `ram/` or `bridge/` silos; no traversal into `evaluator/`.
5. Run orphan-file and phantom-reference checks per `LIBRARY_ARCHITECTURE.md` Section 6.

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## 8. Reopen Triggers (this skill's own)

- Phase 7 orchestration test detects single-method collapse on any test case -> reopen Phase 1A S3 decomposition.
- Phase 9 eval harness shows multi-method triangulation rate < 50% on stacked-intent test questions -> reopen Phase 1A S3.
- Phase 6 smoke test shows Surprise Register entries written by the router that violate Claim-Typing Engine ownership contract (other than the documented meta-anomaly exceptions) -> reopen this skill's Section 6 / Section 11 write discipline.
- Evaluator reopen rate > 30% on Phase 9 harness -> router design defect; reopen this skill's dispatch logic.
- CLAIM_TYPE_REVISION rate > 5% of runs -> S5 typing defect cascading through router; reopen S5.
- Operator attempts to close a run via /ram-stop at a rate indicating S6 is routinely returning CONTINUE against operator expectation -> examine S6 calibration or the operator-reason-to-scope-amendment path.

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## 9. Flags for downstream

- **For Phase 8 (plugin packaging):** confirm the bridge paths (`bridge/ram-to-evaluator-handoff/`, `bridge/evaluator-to-ram-reopen/`) resolve correctly in the packaged artifact. Either they ship as empty directory scaffolds inside the plugin, or the runtime harness mounts them; this decision is Phase 8's.
- **For Phase 9 (evaluator harness):** the multi-method-triangulation-rate metric and the single-method-collapse detector are the two Phase 2A Kill Criterion hooks this orchestration is most exposed to. Instrument both.
- **For the Evaluator architecture (Run 2B output):** the bridge contract is explicit (artifact-drop, read-only). Any Evaluator design that tries to read RAM state directly under `state/ram/` violates zero-overlap and forces a Phase 5 reopen.

---

## 10. Compliance posture

- **Zero overlap with Evaluator:** verified. Every path, every write, every read remains under `ram/` or `bridge/`. No Evaluator-side state is touched by any router logic.
- **Multi-method default:** structurally non-overridable at the router layer. SINGLE_METHOD_EXCEPTION trigger list is closed and delegated to S3.
- **Warrant-based stopping:** non-overridable at the router layer. S6 is the sole STOP emitter; /ram-stop is advisory.
- **Reopen authority:** Evaluator-only. Router routes, never declines or second-guesses.
- **Double hyphens:** used throughout; no em dashes.

End of HANDOFF.md.
