sahil87 · sahil-noon · Jun 13, 2026 · Jun 13, 2026 · Jun 13, 2026 · Jun 13, 2026
diff --git a/docs/memory/_shared/context-loading.md b/docs/memory/_shared/context-loading.md
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 ---
-description: "Smart context loading convention — descriptive 7-file always-load layer (skill file wins; exception set rule-derived from skill files, never enumerated in the preamble — d9rs), opt-in skill helpers (6-value allowlist incl. `_srad`/`_pipeline`) + stage-conditional loading, standard subagent context (orchestrators incl. `/fab-proceed`), per-stage model resolution at the dispatch seam (`fab resolve-agent <stage>`, provider-neutral, Claude-Code adapter named, review-resolves-once — l3ja; applies on every post-intake stage since the single-dispatch collapse, advisory only for a genuinely no-dispatch run — fgxx; the two halves dispatch through two seams — model via the Agent `model` param (short alias opus/sonnet/haiku/fable, id→alias mapped at the seam), effort via an imperative subagent-prompt instruction (no Agent effort param; omit when empty), plus a compliance-visibility expectation that each site surface the resolved `model=/effort=` — m3d4; residual = a per-sub-agent effort param on the Agent tool, a harness ask), selective domain loading, SRAD protocol pointer, scoped Next Steps Convention, generic fab-command failure rule (unconditional non-zero exit → STOP; `fab log command` exits 0 by contract)"
+description: "Smart context loading convention — descriptive 7-file always-load layer (skill file wins; exception set rule-derived from skill files, never enumerated in the preamble — d9rs), opt-in skill helpers (7-value allowlist incl. `_srad`/`_pipeline`/`_intake`) + stage-conditional loading, standard subagent context (orchestrators incl. `/fab-proceed`), per-stage model resolution at the dispatch seam (`fab resolve-agent <stage>`, provider-neutral, Claude-Code adapter named, review-resolves-once — l3ja; applies on every post-intake stage since the single-dispatch collapse, advisory only for a genuinely no-dispatch run — fgxx; the two halves dispatch through two seams — model via the Agent `model` param (short alias opus/sonnet/haiku/fable, id→alias mapped at the seam), effort via an imperative subagent-prompt instruction (no Agent effort param; omit when empty), plus a compliance-visibility expectation that each site surface the resolved `model=/effort=` — m3d4; residual = a per-sub-agent effort param on the Agent tool, a harness ask), selective domain loading, SRAD protocol pointer, scoped Next Steps Convention, generic fab-command failure rule (unconditional non-zero exit → STOP; `fab log command` exits 0 by contract)"
 ---
 # Context Loading
 
@@ -33,22 +33,33 @@ The only universal helper beyond the 7 project files is `_preamble.md`. Addition
 
 ### Skill Helper Declaration (Opt-In)
 
-Skills declare additional helper files via the `helpers:` frontmatter list. Allowed values (six since 260611-szxd, which added `_pipeline`): `_generation`, `_review`, `_cli-fab`, `_cli-external`, `_srad`, `_pipeline`. The agent MUST read `.claude/skills/{helper}/SKILL.md` for each declared helper after reading `_preamble` and before executing the skill body.
+Skills declare additional helper files via the `helpers:` frontmatter list. Allowed values (seven since 260613-3xaj, which added `_intake`; six since 260611-szxd, which added `_pipeline`): `_generation`, `_review`, `_cli-fab`, `_cli-external`, `_srad`, `_pipeline`, `_intake`. The agent MUST read `.claude/skills/{helper}/SKILL.md` for each declared helper after reading `_preamble` and before executing the skill body.
 
 **Stage-conditional loading** (260611-zc9m): a skill MAY instead load a helper at its point of use via an explicit in-body read instruction (e.g., "read `.claude/skills/_review/SKILL.md` before entering Review Behavior"). Frontmatter `helpers:` declares unconditional pre-body loads; in-body read instructions declare conditional ones — a helper loaded this way is intentionally absent from the frontmatter list, so the frontmatter contract stays honest. `/fab-continue` is the sole current user: `_generation` at apply entry / intake-`active` regeneration, `_review` at Review Behavior entry (see [pipeline/execution-skills.md](../pipeline/execution-skills.md)).
 
-Current mapping (post-260611-szxd):
+Current mapping (post-260613-3xaj):
 
 | Skill(s) | `helpers:` |
 |----------|------------|
-| `fab-new`, `fab-draft` | `[_generation, _srad]` |
+| `fab-new`, `fab-draft` | `[_generation, _srad, _intake]` (3xaj added `_intake`; both keep `_generation`/`_srad` declared directly — the `_pipeline` precedent, consumers declare underlying helpers rather than inheriting transitively) |
 | `fab-continue` | `[_srad]` (+ point-of-use in-body reads of `_generation`/`_review`) |
 | `fab-ff`, `fab-fff` | `[_generation, _review, _srad, _pipeline]` (orchestrator-level rework edits `plan.md` sections directly, so `_generation` stays unconditional — finding f074 refuted; `_pipeline` is the shared ff/fff pipeline bracket and constitutes the wrappers' entire body, so its load is unconditional by construction — szxd) |
 | `fab-clarify` | `[_srad]` |
 | `fab-operator` | `[_cli-fab, _cli-external]` |
-| All others (17 skills) | omitted / `[]` (load only `_preamble`) |
+| All others (16 skills) | omitted / `[]` (load only `_preamble`) |
 
-`_naming` and `_cli-rk` are NOT allowed values — their content is inlined into `_preamble`. `_preamble` itself is implicit and never listed.
+`_naming` and `_cli-rk` are NOT allowed values — their content is inlined into `_preamble`. `_preamble` itself is implicit and never listed. `/fab-proceed` declares **no** `helpers:` (it dispatches `_intake` as a subagent prompt — the subagent reads the helper — exactly as it dispatched `/fab-new` before 3xaj). The internal helpers `_generation`, `_review`, `_pipeline`, and `_intake` themselves carry no `helpers:` frontmatter — they reference what they need in-body and rely on the consumer (or dispatched subagent) having loaded it.
+
+**One shared helper per pipeline phase (completed by 3xaj).** The four internal orchestration/mechanics helpers decompose the workflow symmetrically — each is a shared body parameterized by call-site-specific knobs, with call-site tails staying in the consumer files:
+
+| Phase | Helper | Knob(s) | Consumers |
+|-------|--------|---------|-----------|
+| artifact mechanics | `_generation` | — | `fab-new`, `fab-draft`, `fab-continue`, `fab-ff`, `fab-fff` |
+| review mechanics | `_review` | — | `fab-continue`, `fab-ff`, `fab-fff` |
+| **pre-intake orchestration** | **`_intake`** | `{questioning-mode}` | `fab-new`, `fab-draft`, `fab-proceed` |
+| post-intake orchestration | `_pipeline` | `{driver}`, `{terminal}` | `fab-ff`, `fab-fff` |
+
+`_intake` (3xaj) is the **pre-boundary** counterpart to the **post-boundary** `_pipeline` (szxd): intake is the single context-bearing boundary in the pipeline; everything up to and including intake creation runs in the main session context (pre-boundary: `_intake`), everything after runs as dispatched subagents over the intake artifact (post-boundary: `_pipeline`). Both extractions mirror the same shape (shared body + one-or-two knobs + call-site tails). See [pipeline/planning-skills.md](../pipeline/planning-skills.md) § The `_intake` Shared Create-Intake Procedure for the full pre-boundary decomposition.
 
 ### Preflight Script for Change Context
 
@@ -83,7 +94,7 @@ This applies to all skills operating on an active change, not just spec-writing
 
 ### Standard Subagent Context
 
-When orchestrator skills (`/fab-ff`, `/fab-fff`, and the prefix-step orchestrator `/fab-proceed` — added to the preamble's § Subagent Dispatch orchestrator list in d9rs; it dispatches `/fab-new`, `/fab-switch`, and `/git-branch` as prefix steps before delegating) or middle agents (`/fab-continue`) dispatch subagents via the Agent tool, the subagent prompt MUST instruct the subagent to read a standard set of project files **before** executing its task. This is defined in `_preamble.md` § Standard Subagent Context and is distinct from the Always Load layer (which is for the parent agent itself).
+When orchestrator skills (`/fab-ff`, `/fab-fff`, and the prefix-step orchestrator `/fab-proceed` — added to the preamble's § Subagent Dispatch orchestrator list in d9rs; it dispatches the `_intake` Create-Intake Procedure (3xaj — was the full `/fab-new` skill), `/fab-switch`, and `/git-branch` as prefix steps before delegating) or middle agents (`/fab-continue`) dispatch subagents via the Agent tool, the subagent prompt MUST instruct the subagent to read a standard set of project files **before** executing its task. This is defined in `_preamble.md` § Standard Subagent Context and is distinct from the Always Load layer (which is for the parent agent itself).
 
 The standard subagent context includes:
 
@@ -218,6 +229,7 @@ The exception set is **declared by the skill files themselves** (the preamble ne
 
 | Change | Date | Summary |
 |--------|------|---------|
+| 260613-3xaj-extract-intake-helper | 2026-06-13 | **Helper allowlist grows to seven values**: `_intake` added to the `_preamble.md` § Skill Helper Declaration allowed values (`_generation`, `_review`, `_cli-fab`, `_cli-external`, `_srad`, `_pipeline`, `_intake`). The new `_intake.md` internal helper holds the shared pre-boundary Create-Intake Procedure (fab-new Steps 0–9, parameterized by `{questioning-mode}`); `fab-new`/`fab-draft` declare `helpers: [_generation, _srad, _intake]` (keep declaring `_generation`/`_srad` directly per the `_pipeline` precedent), `_intake` itself carries no `helpers:`, and `/fab-proceed` keeps none (dispatches `_intake` as a subagent prompt). Helper mapping table updated (fab-new/fab-draft row; "all others" 17→16). Added the **one-shared-helper-per-pipeline-phase symmetry table** (`_generation`/`_review`/`_intake`/`_pipeline`) — `_intake` is the pre-boundary counterpart to the post-boundary `_pipeline`, both mirroring the shared-body + knob + call-site-tail shape. Standard Subagent Context prefix-step list updated (`/fab-proceed` dispatches `_intake`, not full `/fab-new`). See [pipeline/planning-skills.md](../pipeline/planning-skills.md) § The `_intake` Shared Create-Intake Procedure. |
 | 260613-m3d4-uniform-stage-model-tier | 2026-06-13 | **Per-Stage Model Resolution gains the two-seam dispatch contract + compliance visibility** (Change C — skills/docs prose only, no Go; gated on `260613-fgxx`). The resolved tier's **two halves now dispatch through two seams**: the **model** rides the Agent tool's `model` param (unchanged), the **effort** is injected as an imperative instruction in the subagent prompt (``Operate at `<effort>` reasoning effort for this task.``, omitted when empty) — closing Gap 2's effort half, which fgxx had left as a deferred follow-up (the Agent tool has no `effort` param). Added a **compliance-visibility** expectation (Gap 1b): every dispatch site surfaces the resolved `model=/effort=` (into the dispatch prompt and/or step output) so a skipped/mis-resolved `fab resolve-agent` call is visible rather than silent, plus a prose all-empty-resolution surface/assert note (no Go guard — dispatch is harness-internal). Harness-adapter boundary now records the **id→alias** detail (the `model` param takes `opus`/`sonnet`/`haiku`/`fable`, not the full `claude-*` id the resolver emits — the orchestrator maps at the seam) and names the prompt as the effort adapter. The lone residual is the **harness ask** — a first-class per-sub-agent `effort` param on the Agent tool, out of fab's control, not built. Mirrors `_preamble.md` § Per-Stage Model Resolution; the `_pipeline.md`/`fab-ff`/`fab-fff`/`fab-continue` dispatch sites and their SPEC mirrors carry the same two-seam phrasing (see [pipeline/execution-skills.md](../pipeline/execution-skills.md)); `docs/findings/per-stage-model-tier-application.md` and `docs/specs/stage-models.md` reconciled to this reality. |
 | 260613-fgxx-collapse-post-intake-dual-mode | 2026-06-13 | **Per-Stage Model Resolution reconciled to the single post-intake dispatch mode** (minimal reconcile — full uniform-tier closure deferred to a follow-up). The "Foreground is advisory-only" paragraph (and its `description:` frontmatter mention) is rewritten: since fgxx collapsed the post-intake dual execution mode, **every** post-intake stage dispatches a sub-agent — including plain `/fab-continue`, now a one-stage sequencer that resolves `fab resolve-agent <stage>` and dispatches its stage's block — so per-stage selection applies uniformly across apply/review/hydrate regardless of caller, and the residual advisory case narrows to a stage skill genuinely run with no dispatch at all. Intake stays pre-boundary (not tiered). Does NOT write the full uniform-tiering / per-sub-agent-effort-knob story. Mirrors `_preamble.md` § Per-Stage Model Resolution (see [pipeline/execution-skills.md](../pipeline/execution-skills.md) for the fab-continue rewrite). |
 | 260613-l3ja-per-stage-model-tiers | 2026-06-13 | New **Per-Stage Model Resolution** requirements section documenting the sub-agent dispatch-seam wiring (`_preamble.md` § Subagent Dispatch → Per-Stage Model Resolution): the orchestrators (`/fab-ff`, `/fab-fff`, `/fab-proceed`) and `/fab-continue`'s dispatch run `fab resolve-agent <stage>` immediately before each stage's sub-agent and pass the resolved `model=`/`effort=` (empty model ⇒ omit/inherit; empty effort ⇒ omit). The resolution is **provider-neutral**; the Claude Code adapter (Agent tool `model` param) is named as harness-specific, not universal — and the coupling is not new (fab's dispatch is already Claude-Code-shaped). `review` resolves **once** for both reviewers + merge; foreground runs are advisory-only (MAY note mismatch, MUST NOT switch). The config schema + rationale live in [configuration.md](configuration.md). |

diff --git a/docs/memory/_shared/index.md b/docs/memory/_shared/index.md
@@ -8,4 +8,4 @@ description: "Cross-cutting concerns spanning all domains — config.yaml/consti
 | File | Description | Last Updated |
 |------|-------------|-------------|
 | [configuration](configuration.md) | `config.yaml` schema (incl. `fab_version`, `review_tools`, `true_impact_exclude`, `test_paths`, `stage_hooks`, `agent.tiers` per-stage-model override — sole surface, per-field merge over fab-kit defaults, NO validation/provider-neutral, fixed non-overridable stage→tier mapping, l3ja; `stage_directives` + `model_tiers` removed in c5tr via migration 2.1.6-to-2.2.0), single fab-module parser `internal/config` + nil-safe accessors incl. the coupled-Unmarshal fallback caveat (ye8r), companion files (`context.md`, `code-quality.md`, `code-review.md` incl. `## Parsimony Pass` toggle and the wired `## Rework Budget` Max-cycles knob), `constitution.md` governance, 5 Cs of Quality, lifecycle management | 2026-06-13 |
-| [context-loading](context-loading.md) | Smart context loading convention — descriptive 7-file always-load layer (skill file wins; exception set rule-derived from skill files, never enumerated in the preamble — d9rs), opt-in skill helpers (6-value allowlist incl. `_srad`/`_pipeline`) + stage-conditional loading, standard subagent context (orchestrators incl. `/fab-proceed`), per-stage model resolution at the dispatch seam (`fab resolve-agent <stage>`, provider-neutral, Claude-Code adapter named, review-resolves-once — l3ja; applies on every post-intake stage since the single-dispatch collapse, advisory only for a genuinely no-dispatch run — fgxx; the two halves dispatch through two seams — model via the Agent `model` param (short alias opus/sonnet/haiku/fable, id→alias mapped at the seam), effort via an imperative subagent-prompt instruction (no Agent effort param; omit when empty), plus a compliance-visibility expectation that each site surface the resolved `model=/effort=` — m3d4; residual = a per-sub-agent effort param on the Agent tool, a harness ask), selective domain loading, SRAD protocol pointer, scoped Next Steps Convention, generic fab-command failure rule (unconditional non-zero exit → STOP; `fab log command` exits 0 by contract) | 2026-06-13 |
+| [context-loading](context-loading.md) | Smart context loading convention — descriptive 7-file always-load layer (skill file wins; exception set rule-derived from skill files, never enumerated in the preamble — d9rs), opt-in skill helpers (7-value allowlist incl. `_srad`/`_pipeline`/`_intake`) + stage-conditional loading, standard subagent context (orchestrators incl. `/fab-proceed`), per-stage model resolution at the dispatch seam (`fab resolve-agent <stage>`, provider-neutral, Claude-Code adapter named, review-resolves-once — l3ja; applies on every post-intake stage since the single-dispatch collapse, advisory only for a genuinely no-dispatch run — fgxx; the two halves dispatch through two seams — model via the Agent `model` param (short alias opus/sonnet/haiku/fable, id→alias mapped at the seam), effort via an imperative subagent-prompt instruction (no Agent effort param; omit when empty), plus a compliance-visibility expectation that each site surface the resolved `model=/effort=` — m3d4; residual = a per-sub-agent effort param on the Agent tool, a harness ask), selective domain loading, SRAD protocol pointer, scoped Next Steps Convention, generic fab-command failure rule (unconditional non-zero exit → STOP; `fab log command` exits 0 by contract) | 2026-06-13 |
diff --git a/docs/memory/memory-docs/index.md b/docs/memory/memory-docs/index.md
@@ -11,4 +11,4 @@ description: "Authoring docs/memory & docs/specs — the hydrate skills (ingest
 | [hydrate-generate](hydrate-generate.md) | `/docs-hydrate-memory` generate mode — codebase scanning, gap detection, interactive scoping, memory file generation + placement rules (target path, domain/sub-domain index stubs, shape bounds — d9rs) | 2026-06-12 |
 | [hydrate-specs](hydrate-specs.md) | `/docs-hydrate-specs` skill — structural gap detection between memory and specs, interactive propose-then-apply (incl. the no-target new-spec-file branch and aligned prompt/handler tokens — d9rs) | 2026-06-12 |
 | [specs-index](specs-index.md) | `docs/specs/` directory — pre-implementation specs, distinction from memory, bootstrap and context integration, per-skill SPEC mirror coverage + naming policy (`SPEC-{source-filename}.md`; `_cli-fab`/`_cli-external` excluded — uliv); mirrors are reserved paths for `docs-reorg-specs` (d9rs) | 2026-06-12 |
-| [templates](templates.md) | Artifact templates (intake, plan), skill frontmatter, and memory file format (incl. `description:` frontmatter + generated domains-only index, tciy). `plan.md` (`## Requirements` + `## Tasks` + `## Acceptance` + optional review-owned `## Deletion Candidates`) absorbs the former `spec.md` (j6cs) and the prior `tasks.md` + `checklist.md` pair; acceptance R# mandate scoped to requirement-derived categories, plan Assumptions = three grades, no Status header lines (uliv) | 2026-06-12 |
+| [templates](templates.md) | Artifact templates (intake, plan), skill frontmatter (incl. `helpers:` + the one-shared-helper-per-phase decomposition `_generation`/`_review`/`_intake`/`_pipeline`, symmetry completed by 3xaj), and memory file format (incl. `description:` frontmatter + generated domains-only index, tciy). `plan.md` (`## Requirements` + `## Tasks` + `## Acceptance` + optional review-owned `## Deletion Candidates`) absorbs the former `spec.md` (j6cs) and the prior `tasks.md` + `checklist.md` pair; acceptance R# mandate scoped to requirement-derived categories, plan Assumptions = three grades, no Status header lines (uliv) | 2026-06-12 |