Release 0.8.0

.archon/commands/defaults/archon-auto-fix-review.md

@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ All must pass. If something fails after a fix:
 
 ### 5.1 Stage and Commit
 
-Only stage files you actually changed:
+Only stage files you actually changed — never repo-local Archon telemetry (`.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` are local-only, never in git):
 
 ```bash
 git add {specific files}

.archon/commands/defaults/archon-create-pr.md

@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ git status --porcelain
    - `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`
    - `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root
    - Anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`
+   - Repo-local Archon telemetry: `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` (local-only — never in git)
 3. Commit: `git commit -m "Final changes before PR"`
 
 ### 2.2 Push Branch

.archon/commands/defaults/archon-finalize-pr.md

@@ -86,6 +86,7 @@ git status --porcelain  # verify nothing else is staged
 - `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`
 - `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root
 - Anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`
+- Repo-local Archon telemetry: `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` (local-only — never in git)
 
 **Review staged files** — ensure no sensitive files (`.env`, credentials) and no scratch artifacts are included:
 

.archon/commands/defaults/archon-fix-issue.md

@@ -387,6 +387,7 @@ git status --porcelain  # verify nothing scratch/review/PR-body is staged
 - `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`
 - `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root
 - Anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`
+- Repo-local Archon telemetry: `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` (local-only — never in git)
 
 ### 7.2 Write Commit Message
 

.archon/commands/defaults/archon-implement-issue.md

@@ -307,6 +307,7 @@ git status --porcelain  # verify nothing scratch/review/PR-body is staged
 - `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`
 - `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root
 - Anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`
+- Repo-local Archon telemetry: `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` (local-only — never in git)
 
 ### 7.2 Write Commit Message
 

.archon/commands/defaults/archon-implement-review-fixes.md

@@ -187,6 +187,7 @@ git status --porcelain  # verify nothing scratch/review/PR-body is staged
 - `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`
 - `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root
 - Anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR` (review artifacts live here, not in the worktree)
+- Repo-local Archon telemetry: `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` (local-only — never in git)
 
 ### 4.2 Commit
 

.archon/commands/defaults/archon-implement-tasks.md

@@ -65,12 +65,37 @@ echo "unknown"
 
 Store the runner for validation commands.
 
+### 1.5 Repository Hygiene — Archon Telemetry
+
+Archon keeps per-run telemetry outside the repo (`$ARTIFACTS_DIR` lives under `~/.archon/workspaces/`), but repo-local `.archon/` directories can still exist in the target repo:
+
+- `.archon/artifacts/` — per-run artifacts (older Archon layouts)
+- `.archon/logs/` — per-run execution logs (older Archon layouts)
+- `.archon/state/` — cross-run workflow state
+
+**These paths are local-only and must never be committed.**
+
+**MANDATORY rule** for any task in this run that creates or modifies `.gitignore`:
+
+The `.gitignore` MUST include these patterns (add them if missing, leave them in place if already present):
+
+```
+.archon/artifacts/
+.archon/logs/
+.archon/state/
+```
+
+If the plan calls for scaffolding a new `.gitignore` from scratch, include these patterns alongside the language- or framework-specific entries.
+
+Never stage paths under `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, or `.archon/state/`. If they appear in `git status` output, the `.gitignore` is missing or incomplete — fix the `.gitignore` first, then stage.
+
 **PHASE_1_CHECKPOINT:**
 
 - [ ] Plan context loaded
 - [ ] Confirmation status verified
 - [ ] Original plan loaded
 - [ ] Package manager identified
+- [ ] Repository hygiene rules acknowledged (`.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` stay local-only)
 
 ---
 

.archon/commands/defaults/archon-investigate-issue.md

@@ -7,6 +7,13 @@ argument-hint: <issue-number|url|"description">
 
 **Input**: $ARGUMENTS
 
+**Execute this command yourself.** Do not delegate to an installed skill, agent,
+or other workflow, even when one looks like it covers this — this file is the
+procedure. A skill carries its own input router and its own preconditions; hand
+it the request and it may re-interpret the intent, demand an artifact that only
+this command produces, and decline. The node still exits 0, so a refusal reads
+downstream as a completed investigation.
+
 ---
 
 ## Your Mission
@@ -27,6 +34,11 @@ Investigate the issue/problem and produce a comprehensive implementation plan th
 
 **Check the input format:**
 
+- **Strip any leading intent verb first** (`fix`, `resolve`, `implement`,
+  `investigate`, `close`) along with a following `issue` or `#`. The input is the
+  user's whole trigger message, not a cleaned argument, so `fix issue 123` and
+  `123` identify the same issue. The verb is not a mode switch — you are always
+  investigating here, whatever it says.
 - Looks like a number (`123`, `#123`) → GitHub issue number
 - Starts with `http` → GitHub URL (extract issue number)
 - Anything else → Free-form description

.archon/commands/defaults/archon-self-fix-all.md

@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ All must pass. If something fails after a fix:
 
 ### 5.1 Stage and Commit
 
-Only stage files you actually changed:
+Only stage files you actually changed — never repo-local Archon telemetry (`.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` are local-only, never in git):
 
 ```bash
 git add {specific files}

.archon/commands/defaults/archon-simplify-changes.md

@@ -77,6 +77,7 @@ For each simplification:
    - Anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR` (the artifacts directory normally lives outside the worktree, but copies/symlinks may exist)
    - `review/`, `simplify-report.md`, `*-report.md` at the repo root
    - `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`
+   - Repo-local Archon telemetry: `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` (local-only — never in git)
    - If `git status --porcelain` shows files you don't recognize as part of your simplifications, leave them unstaged
 4. Commit and push only the staged source edits:
    ```bash

.archon/config.yaml

@@ -3,3 +3,11 @@ worktree:
 
 docs:
   path: packages/docs-web/src/content/docs
+
+aliases:
+  # Cheap model for the t1–t4 engine-primitive test workflows. Every test workflow
+  # references `@mini` rather than a literal model id, so retargeting them all is a
+  # one-line edit here — and so per-run tier/alias rebinding (#2481) can reach them.
+  '@mini':
+    provider: pi
+    model: minimax/MiniMax-M3

.archon/workflows/defaults/archon-fix-github-issue.yaml

@@ -161,7 +161,14 @@ nodes:
       elif [ -f "$ARTIFACTS_DIR/investigation.md" ]; then
         echo "investigation.md exists from investigate step"
       else
-        echo "WARNING: No investigation.md or plan.md found — implement may fail"
+        # Fail, do not warn. investigate/plan can "succeed" while producing no
+        # artifact — an AI node that declines the task still exits 0, so the
+        # refusal reads downstream as a completed investigation. This node holds
+        # the only cheap deterministic view of that precondition, so it is where
+        # the run has to stop, before implement spends a model on nothing.
+        echo "bridge-artifacts: neither investigation.md nor plan.md exists in \$ARTIFACTS_DIR." >&2
+        echo "The investigate/plan phase produced no specification — implement has nothing to work from." >&2
+        exit 1
       fi
     depends_on: [investigate, plan]
     trigger_rule: one_success
@@ -207,6 +214,7 @@ nodes:
            - `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md` at any path
            - `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root
            - Anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`
+           - Repo-local Archon telemetry: `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` (local-only — never in git)
          - Verify with `git status --porcelain` that nothing scratch is staged before committing
          - If files you don't recognize as part of the fix appear modified or untracked, leave them alone
       2. Push the branch: `git push -u origin HEAD`

.archon/workflows/defaults/archon-piv-loop.yaml

@@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ nodes:
         )"
         ```
 
-        **Never stage**: `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`, `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root, or anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`.
+        **Never stage**: `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`, `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root, anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`, or repo-local `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` (local-only Archon telemetry — never in git).
 
         Track progress in `$ARTIFACTS_DIR/progress.txt`:
         ```
@@ -585,7 +585,7 @@ nodes:
       git diff --cached --quiet || git commit -m "fix: address code review findings"
       ```
 
-      **Never stage**: `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`, `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root, or anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`.
+      **Never stage**: `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`, `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root, anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`, or repo-local `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` (local-only Archon telemetry — never in git).
 
       ## Step 6: Present Review
 
@@ -674,7 +674,7 @@ nodes:
         )"
         ```
 
-        **Never stage**: `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`, `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root, or anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`.
+        **Never stage**: `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`, `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root, anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`, or repo-local `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` (local-only Archon telemetry — never in git).
 
         ## Step 5: Report
 

.archon/workflows/defaults/archon-ralph-dag.yaml

@@ -414,6 +414,7 @@ nodes:
         - `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`
         - `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root
         - Anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`
+        - Repo-local Archon telemetry: `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` (local-only — never in git)
 
         Verify only expected files are staged. If unexpected files appear, investigate before committing.
 

.archon/workflows/defaults/archon-refactor-safely.yaml

@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ nodes:
          git status --porcelain  # verify nothing scratch is staged
          git commit -m "refactor: [task description]"
          ```
-         **Never stage**: `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`, `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root, or anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`.
+         **Never stage**: `.pr-body.md`, `pr-body.md`, `*.scratch.md`, `*.tmp.md`, `review/`, `*-report.md` at the repo root, anything under `$ARTIFACTS_DIR`, or repo-local `.archon/artifacts/`, `.archon/logs/`, `.archon/state/` (local-only Archon telemetry — never in git).
       9. Move to next task
 
       ## Handling Problems

.archon/workflows/experimental/archon-fix-github-issue-experimental.yaml

@@ -370,7 +370,17 @@ nodes:
       elif [ -f "$ARTIFACTS_DIR/investigation.md" ]; then
         echo "investigation.md exists from investigate step"
       else
-        echo "WARNING: No investigation.md or plan.md found — implement may fail"
+        # Fail, do not warn. investigate/plan can "succeed" while producing no
+        # artifact — an AI node that declines the task still exits 0. On run
+        # 42acf940 the investigate node refused (it delegated to an installed
+        # skill whose router demanded a prior artifact), this branch printed a
+        # WARNING and exited 0, and implement then burned a `model: large` node
+        # with nothing to implement before assert-implemented caught it.
+        # This node holds the only cheap, deterministic view of that
+        # precondition, so it is the one that has to stop the run.
+        echo "bridge-artifacts: neither investigation.md nor plan.md exists in \$ARTIFACTS_DIR." >&2
+        echo "The investigate/plan phase produced no specification — implement has nothing to work from." >&2
+        exit 1
       fi
     depends_on: [investigate, plan]
     trigger_rule: one_success
@@ -513,6 +523,11 @@ nodes:
   # pass. (Workflow constitution: the reliability carve-out, not a style rule.)
   - id: capture-pr-number
     bash: |
+      # Clear first so .pr-number reflects THIS validation and nothing earlier.
+      # pr-exists treats the file's presence as authoritative, so a stale one
+      # left by a prior attempt would send the review tail at a PR that is no
+      # longer there.
+      rm -f "$ARTIFACTS_DIR/.pr-number" "$ARTIFACTS_DIR/.pr-url"
       pr=$(gh pr view --json number --jq .number 2>/dev/null || true)
       if ! printf '%s' "$pr" | grep -qE '^[0-9]+$'; then
         echo "capture-pr-number: no PR resolves for the current branch." >&2
@@ -524,6 +539,29 @@ nodes:
       echo "{\"pr_number\":\"$pr\"}"
     depends_on: [create-pr]
 
+  # Whether the review phase has anything to review.
+  #
+  # This exists because trigger_rule alone cannot express it. synthesize uses
+  # all_done so it waits for every reviewer to reach a terminal state, including
+  # the ones the classifier skipped by design — but all_done also fires when the
+  # reviewers were skipped because the RUN DIED upstream. On run 42acf940 the
+  # implementation phase failed, every reviewer was skipped, and the tail
+  # (synthesize -> self-fix -> simplify -> report) still ran to completion and
+  # posted a public comment on the issue saying the run was blocked.
+  #
+  # capture-pr-number exits 1 when no PR resolves, so the absence of .pr-number
+  # is authoritative. all_done here so this node itself always fires and the
+  # tail always has a signal to read.
+  - id: pr-exists
+    bash: |
+      if [ -f "$ARTIFACTS_DIR/.pr-number" ]; then
+        echo '{"has_pr":"true"}'
+      else
+        echo '{"has_pr":"false"}'
+      fi
+    depends_on: [capture-pr-number]
+    trigger_rule: all_done
+
   - id: review-scope
     command: archon-pr-review-scope
     depends_on: [capture-pr-number]
@@ -653,13 +691,19 @@ nodes:
   - id: synthesize
     command: archon-synthesize-review
     output_type: review-synthesis
-    depends_on: [code-review, error-handling, test-coverage, comment-quality, docs-impact]
+    depends_on: [code-review, error-handling, test-coverage, comment-quality, docs-impact, pr-exists]
     # all_done, not one_success: synthesize only once EVERY reviewer is terminal.
     # one_success would let a synthesis stand on a subset if the reviewers ever land
     # in different layers, and it reports that partial view as if it were the whole
     # review. all_done also still fires when reviewers were skipped by design (the
     # common case — the classifier only asks for the relevant specialists).
+    #
+    # `when:` carries the other half — all_done cannot tell a by-design skip from a
+    # dead run, so pr-exists decides whether there is anything to review at all.
+    # Skipping here propagates to self-fix -> simplify -> report through the
+    # default all_success, which is what keeps a failed run from reporting.
     trigger_rule: all_done
+    when: "$pr-exists.output.has_pr == 'true'"
     context: fresh
 
   - id: self-fix