Research: Charter Authority Flip (M1) — brownfield seam synthesis

Consolidated from a pre-plan brownfield research squad (3 profile-loaded scouts, opus). All findings cited file:line.

Seam 1 — Glossary quartet parity (slice 4)

  • Four authorities: .kittify/glossaries/spec_kitty_core.yaml (18 hits), packs/built-in/glossary_packs/spec-kitty-core.glossary-pack.yaml (24 hits; regen script gone → hand-edit + byte-parity), docs/context/doctrine.md→charter.md (Markdown tables), Charter Bundle referrers.
  • Term ID = surface string; schema extra="forbid" + lowercase-trim (src/glossary/seed_schema.py:20,34,73) → Canon disambiguation goes in Markdown.
  • Parity test: extend tests/architectural/test_glossary_pack_parity.py (seed-driven every-key join, anti-vacuity) to auth 3; do NOT delete it.
  • Canon shape: copy ### PRIMARY partition table at docs/context/orchestration.md:538-546.
  • Link-closure gate: tests/doctrine/test_glossary_link_integrity.py (double-hyphen anchors literal).
  • Polysemy: keep src/doctrine/ paths + drg/doctrine reference graph/doctrine pack domain terms; only governing-term sense retires.

Seam 2 — CR-01 key + migration (slice 6)

  • Load seam: load_governance_config src/charter/sync.py:262-263 — dict-level warn-and-map before model_validate (silent alias fails SC-002).
  • Field: GovernanceConfig.doctrine→.charter src/charter/schemas.py:209 (keep value class DoctrineSelectionConfig).
  • 3 readers: resolver.py:845, org_pack_discovery.py:201, _status_collectors.py:175.
  • Warn precedent: src/charter/_catalog_miss.py:327-365; legacy-key structural precedent compiler.py:648-680; warn-once via lru_cache, not filter.
  • Migration script new: scripts/migrate_charter_interview_answers.py; writer to harden src/charter/interview.py:400-404; answers .kittify/charter/interview/answers.yaml (_common.py:101). Token-literal-free (numeric bytes); scope to governing-term bytes (slug doctrine-catfooding-2196 is a proper noun — do not touch); prefer targeted substitution over ruamel round-trip; preimage restore.
  • charter generate: compiler.py:515-516 section-update (safe), never :725 (clobbers governance).
  • Compat registry: spec-artifact + guard-test, no runtime object; CR-01 budget 3 + control; data-model.md:82-101, methodology.md:145-159.

Seam 3 — Referrers + transition guard (slice 5/6)

  • 43 referrers (72 raw − 4 roots): 18 docs/api/agent_profiles/.md related: = authored remainders (hand-edit; derive_related at frontmatter_backfill.py:244 won't re-emit); 2 docs/development/3-2-.yaml lockfiles = generated (regen scripts/docs/inventory_lockfile.py:213; INVENTORY-LOCKFILE-DRIFT gate); ~23 source hand-edit. Close with scripts/docs/related_validator.py.
  • Guard: reuse tests/architectural/test_bare_prose_corpus_ratchet.py (per-path signature, shrink-or-equal, self-mutation teeth). Precedent mission doctrine-controlled-transition-gates is a red herring (runtime lane gate).
  • Baseline store UNTRACKED, never under kitty-specs/ (methodology.md:273 is stale; :144/spec.md:61 authoritative). Baseline = M1 own opening four-root fingerprint (d8a09ef1…, not stale single-root 3631531b…). M6 owns scripts/audit_retired_term_zero.py — do NOT pre-create.
  • Cross-ownership: 43 referrers disjoint from 302 rows; re-point path token only.