diff --git a/.agents/pm/chores/pm-graph-at6i.toon b/.agents/pm/chores/pm-graph-at6i.toon
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cd0c152
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/pm/chores/pm-graph-at6i.toon
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+id: pm-graph-at6i
+title: Certify pm CLI 2026.9.23 and adopt the guarded pm-ops merge-driver launcher
+description: "Fleet wave 2026-09-25 (companion epic pm-cli-website-5s6z, launcher rollout pm-cli-website-xy19). Pins the toolchain to 2026.9.23 and replaces the prepare hook with the launcher template pm-ops ships: it imports nothing from pm-ops, so a production install of a clone (npm ci --omit=dev) skips with one notice instead of failing, while a stale or broken pm-ops still fails the install. A test keeps the copy byte-identical to the pinned template, whose branches pm-ops covers with real fixtures."
+type: Chore
+status: closed
+priority: 1
+tags[4]: certify,merge-driver,multi-agent,pm-cli-2026.9.23
+created_at: "2026-09-25T08:15:39.057Z"
+updated_at: "2026-09-25T09:51:35.809Z"
+closed_at: "2026-09-25T09:36:22.305Z"
+completed_at: "2026-09-25T09:36:22.305Z"
+author: fleet-wave-script
+acceptance_criteria: "package.json and package-lock.json pin pm-cli 2026.9.23 and pm-ops 2026.9.23 (pm-changelog 2026.9.23 where used); scripts/prepare-merge-driver.ts is byte-identical to the pinned pm-ops template, enforced by a test; CI runs pm health --strict-exit --require-merge-drivers and release:check exits 0"
+resolution: Pinned the toolchain to 2026.9.23 and adopted the guarded pm-ops launcher
+expected_result: "release:check and the CI health gate pass on 2026.9.23 with the launcher byte-identical to the template"
+actual_result: "release:check exits 0; the launcher test and the CI health block pass"
+comments[1]{created_at,author,text}:
+  "2026-09-25T09:51:35.809Z",fleet-wave-script,"Review round 1 (Greptile, pm-graph#114): the launcher is back in coverageGate.sources where it was on main; npm run coverage reports it at 100/100/100 through the fixture suite's child processes."
+files[5]{path,scope}:
+  package-lock.json,project
+  package.json,project
+  README.md,project
+  scripts/prepare-merge-driver.ts,project
+  test/prepare-merge-driver.test.ts,project
+tests[1]{command,scope,provenance{author,created_at,source_kind,source_ref}}:
+  "npm run release:check",project,fleet-wave-script,"2026-09-25T08:15:57.266Z",local_mutation,certify-pm-cli-2026-9-23-and-roll-out-guarded-merge-driver-launcher
+close_reason: "Pins: @unbrained/pm-cli 2026.9.21 -> 2026.9.23, pm-changelog 2026.9.18 -> 2026.9.23, pm-ops 2026.9.18 -> 2026.9.23 (package.json and package-lock.json). Launcher: pm-ops template copied unchanged; test/prepare-merge-driver.test.ts proves byte identity and exercises every launcher branch in isolated checkouts. The wave's first gate run was cut off by its 40-minute timeout on a saturated 4-core host; this run finished it. The CI health block runs green with --require-merge-drivers; release:check exits 0."
+body: ""
diff --git a/.agents/pm/history/pm-graph-1k7d.jsonl b/.agents/pm/history/pm-graph-1k7d.jsonl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..74160f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/pm/history/pm-graph-1k7d.jsonl
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
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diff --git a/.agents/pm/history/pm-graph-at6i.jsonl b/.agents/pm/history/pm-graph-at6i.jsonl
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c52e948
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/pm/history/pm-graph-at6i.jsonl
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
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+{"hash_algorithm":"sha256","ts":"2026-09-25T09:36:22.319Z","author":"fleet-wave-script","author_source":"asserted","agent_harness":"claude-code","agent_model":"claude-opus-5-5","agent_model_source":"probe","agent_instance":"e0d15f3cda6eb998be619306","agent_provenance":{"model":{"value":"claude-opus-5-5","source":"probe"},"effort":{"value":"xhigh","source":"environment"},"role":{"value":"implementer","source":"argv"},"topic":null,"version":{"value":"2.1.282","source":"probe"}},"op":"close","patch":[{"op":"remove","path":"/metadata/assignee"},{"op":"replace","path":"/metadata/updated_at","value":"2026-09-25T09:36:22.319Z"},{"op":"replace","path":"/metadata/status","value":"closed"},{"op":"add","path":"/metadata/closed_at","value":"2026-09-25T09:36:22.305Z"},{"op":"add","path":"/metadata/completed_at","value":"2026-09-25T09:36:22.305Z"},{"op":"add","path":"/metadata/resolution","value":"Pinned the toolchain to 2026.9.23 and adopted the guarded pm-ops launcher"},{"op":"add","path":"/metadata/expected_result","value":"release:check and the CI health gate pass on 2026.9.23 with the launcher byte-identical to the template"},{"op":"add","path":"/metadata/actual_result","value":"release:check exits 0; the launcher test and the CI health block pass"},{"op":"add","path":"/metadata/close_reason","value":"Pins: @unbrained/pm-cli 2026.9.21 -> 2026.9.23, pm-changelog 2026.9.18 -> 2026.9.23, pm-ops 2026.9.18 -> 2026.9.23 (package.json and package-lock.json). Launcher: pm-ops template copied unchanged; test/prepare-merge-driver.test.ts proves byte identity and exercises every launcher branch in isolated checkouts. The wave's first gate run was cut off by its 40-minute timeout on a saturated 4-core host; this run finished it. The CI health block runs green with --require-merge-drivers; release:check exits 0."}],"before_hash":"f681f26163a390edfce9835479fc6fdf0d41030940919ddd7ac414df98b42adf","after_hash":"47c48be5d0233b6e246d6585e2cb01e582ce9b0160047d3d095b8ad301b56ad4","item_hash_version":3,"context":{"agent_provenance_outcomes":{"model":{"status":"resolved","resolver":"claude_session_file","rule_version":"v1"},"version":{"status":"resolved","resolver":"claude_session_file","rule_version":"v1"}}},"event_class":"substantive","record_hash_version":1,"record_hash":"96dbb1f6f3b6f13f4d3b3294e27c32c349fe2ce761b3e8646bab1bf6b0debfe4"}
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+{"hash_algorithm":"sha256","ts":"2026-09-25T09:51:35.809Z","author":"fleet-wave-script","author_source":"asserted","agent_harness":"claude-code","agent_model":"claude-opus-5-5","agent_model_source":"probe","agent_instance":"e0d15f3cda6eb998be619306","agent_provenance":{"model":{"value":"claude-opus-5-5","source":"probe"},"effort":{"value":"xhigh","source":"environment"},"role":null,"topic":null,"version":{"value":"2.1.282","source":"probe"}},"op":"comment_add","patch":[{"op":"replace","path":"/metadata/updated_at","value":"2026-09-25T09:51:35.809Z"},{"op":"add","path":"/metadata/comments","value":[{"created_at":"2026-09-25T09:51:35.809Z","author":"fleet-wave-script","text":"Review round 1 (Greptile, pm-graph#114): the launcher is back in coverageGate.sources where it was on main; npm run coverage reports it at 100/100/100 through the fixture suite's child processes."}]}],"before_hash":"0d57ccfac16c6cdb9124f364764359457368a367ee6196692d55152de21c04b1","after_hash":"157cb79a92339b2b449f9192007a68d3d8014f0c54ecad980bdf7d9f20dc5617","item_hash_version":3,"context":{"agent_provenance_outcomes":{"model":{"status":"resolved","resolver":"claude_session_file","rule_version":"v1"},"version":{"status":"resolved","resolver":"claude_session_file","rule_version":"v1"}}},"event_class":"substantive","record_hash_version":1,"record_hash":"cb128699156479812df7ee87ad80497001cb4b4457f268819f0d3a9c17e17ec1"}
diff --git a/.agents/pm/history/pm-graph-yuzr.jsonl b/.agents/pm/history/pm-graph-yuzr.jsonl
index 8548f59..9562a0c 100644
--- a/.agents/pm/history/pm-graph-yuzr.jsonl
+++ b/.agents/pm/history/pm-graph-yuzr.jsonl
@@ -7,3 +7,5 @@
 {"hash_algorithm":"sha256","ts":"2026-09-23T00:03:40.281Z","author":"pi-glm-pm-graph","author_source":"asserted","agent_harness":"pi","agent_model":"glm-5.2:cloud","agent_model_source":"environment","agent_instance":"bbe3833f6765fc35cafe0956","agent_provenance":{"model":{"value":"glm-5.2:cloud","source":"environment"},"effort":null,"role":null,"topic":null},"op":"files_add","patch":[{"op":"replace","path":"/metadata/files/0/path","value":"src/index.ts"},{"op":"add","path":"/metadata/files/1","value":{"path":"test/helpers.ts","scope":"project"}},{"op":"replace","path":"/metadata/updated_at","value":"2026-09-23T00:03:40.281Z"}],"before_hash":"6661ef592892fe85aab5d25500076964c9f4d778fa77aee95d6863001ace25ab","after_hash":"c99589e85bc84860c4d0a60336ed9ffdfbd089809e2b63abab00f397e8f6c6a9","item_hash_version":3,"event_class":"maintenance","record_hash_version":1,"record_hash":"c2be4e53758a79302454cb0f73c1d93c80a4b11d9a69bf25c606fce34dd7b15f"}
 {"hash_algorithm":"sha256","ts":"2026-09-23T00:03:40.850Z","author":"pi-glm-pm-graph","author_source":"asserted","agent_harness":"pi","agent_model":"glm-5.2:cloud","agent_model_source":"environment","agent_instance":"bbe3833f6765fc35cafe0956","agent_provenance":{"model":{"value":"glm-5.2:cloud","source":"environment"},"effort":null,"role":null,"topic":null},"op":"files_add","patch":[{"op":"replace","path":"/metadata/files/1/path","value":"test/command-surface.test.ts"},{"op":"add","path":"/metadata/files/2","value":{"path":"test/helpers.ts","scope":"project"}},{"op":"replace","path":"/metadata/updated_at","value":"2026-09-23T00:03:40.850Z"}],"before_hash":"c99589e85bc84860c4d0a60336ed9ffdfbd089809e2b63abab00f397e8f6c6a9","after_hash":"3651dfd3dd8fba35585afc263a502521dfece40a852d6498556021ef4fd1a250","item_hash_version":3,"event_class":"maintenance","record_hash_version":1,"record_hash":"8761eeda51670806fe0d215aff53c42a51fb374807153f7e11feb10eb047148a"}
 {"hash_algorithm":"sha256","ts":"2026-09-23T00:03:44.244Z","author":"pi-glm-pm-graph","author_source":"asserted","agent_harness":"pi","agent_model":"glm-5.2:cloud","agent_model_source":"environment","agent_instance":"bbe3833f6765fc35cafe0956","agent_provenance":{"model":{"value":"glm-5.2:cloud","source":"environment"},"effort":null,"role":null,"topic":null},"op":"tests_add","patch":[{"op":"replace","path":"/metadata/updated_at","value":"2026-09-23T00:03:44.244Z"},{"op":"add","path":"/metadata/tests","value":[{"command":"npm run release:check","scope":"project","provenance":{"author":"pi-glm-pm-graph","created_at":"2026-09-23T00:03:44.219Z","source_kind":"local_mutation","source_ref":"pm-cli-2026-9-21-canonical-pm-ops-gates"}}]}],"before_hash":"3651dfd3dd8fba35585afc263a502521dfece40a852d6498556021ef4fd1a250","after_hash":"f081632a526100b2a8e7c5034bec9a7cd00e2c0d260174a68b5132d079cecf43","item_hash_version":3,"event_class":"maintenance","record_hash_version":1,"record_hash":"61ff3342399198dee7cffb24dbf07f6e42920a7f4670e6a8153b608be980d731"}
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+{"hash_algorithm":"sha256","ts":"2026-09-25T08:15:39.944Z","author":"fleet-wave-script","author_source":"asserted","agent_harness":"claude-code","agent_model":"claude-opus-5-5","agent_model_source":"probe","agent_instance":"e0d15f3cda6eb998be619306","agent_provenance":{"model":{"value":"claude-opus-5-5","source":"probe"},"effort":{"value":"xhigh","source":"environment"},"role":null,"topic":null,"version":{"value":"2.1.282","source":"probe"}},"op":"comment_add","patch":[{"op":"add","path":"/metadata/comments/2","value":{"created_at":"2026-09-25T08:15:39.944Z","author":"fleet-wave-script","text":"Superseded by pm-graph-at6i (2026.9.23 certify)"}},{"op":"replace","path":"/metadata/updated_at","value":"2026-09-25T08:15:39.944Z"}],"before_hash":"d1a80b692dd5de2fd00f4965846c0d2a9c92c1c4beb0c67e019cdb6cfb7df433","after_hash":"42a8330b888b08e71e286561b7c7239f6703f88f5838bb3863b5e304ec4f28c3","item_hash_version":3,"context":{"agent_provenance_outcomes":{"model":{"status":"resolved","resolver":"claude_session_file","rule_version":"v1"},"version":{"status":"resolved","resolver":"claude_session_file","rule_version":"v1"}}},"event_class":"substantive","record_hash_version":1,"record_hash":"416dd98f1fcfefd8f69bdfe389295eeefabe2efc47c30309ce4fd7cc49b00f4d"}
diff --git a/.agents/pm/issues/pm-graph-1k7d.toon b/.agents/pm/issues/pm-graph-1k7d.toon
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4006f7d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.agents/pm/issues/pm-graph-1k7d.toon
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+id: pm-graph-1k7d
+title: A publish that npm accepts late is reported as failed and the GitHub Release is skipped on bun mirror lag
+description: "Companion item pm-cli-website-3y5d. pm-csv 2026.9.23 is the live case: npm accepted the publish with provenance and the tag was pushed, but bun still answered No version matching after 4 minutes, so the job failed before creating the GitHub Release. This repository's own release.yml gets a 10-minute npm visibility window with --prefer-online reads and an honest never-visible message, a ~10-minute bun window, and a GitHub Release that depends only on the publish and tag-push outcomes, with a gate step that fails the job visibly when bun verification failed."
+type: Issue
+status: closed
+priority: 1
+tags[2]: release,reliability
+created_at: "2026-09-25T08:15:41.019Z"
+updated_at: "2026-09-25T09:36:24.722Z"
+closed_at: "2026-09-25T09:36:23.464Z"
+completed_at: "2026-09-25T09:36:23.464Z"
+author: fleet-wave-script
+repro_steps: 1. A Daily Release publishes to npm and pushes the tag. 2. bun still answers No version matching after 8 attempts (pm-csv 2026.9.23). 3. The job fails before Create GitHub release.
+resolution: Release-window fix applied
+expected_result: A late-visible publish is reconciled and bun lag no longer skips the Release
+actual_result: "release:check exits 0"
+files[1]{path,scope}:
+  .github/workflows/release.yml,project
+tests[1]{command,scope,provenance{author,created_at,source_kind,source_ref}}:
+  "npm run release:check",project,fleet-wave-script,"2026-09-25T08:15:58.727Z",local_mutation,certify-pm-cli-2026-9-23-and-roll-out-guarded-merge-driver-launcher
+close_reason: "Applied to this repository's own release.yml by anchored replacements; release:check exits 0."
+body: ""
diff --git a/.agents/pm/tasks/pm-graph-yuzr.toon b/.agents/pm/tasks/pm-graph-yuzr.toon
index 2d437cc..42ac0df 100644
--- a/.agents/pm/tasks/pm-graph-yuzr.toon
+++ b/.agents/pm/tasks/pm-graph-yuzr.toon
@@ -2,18 +2,18 @@ id: pm-graph-yuzr
 title: "Certify pm CLI 2026.9.21 and move onto the canonical pm-ops merge-driver, lint and duplication gates"
 description: "Adopt pm CLI 2026.9.21, pin @unbrained/pm-cli 2026.9.21 / pm-changelog / pm-ops exactly, absorb open Dependabot PRs, replace the vendored merge-driver prepare hook with the thin pm-ops/merge-driver launcher, add the canonical lint (pm-ops/eslint) and duplication (pm-ops/jscpd) gates with zero findings, fix the ~81 'any' type sites against real neo4j-driver types, and wire CI to require merge drivers. Companion epic pm-cli-website-5s6z."
 type: Task
-status: in_progress
+status: canceled
 priority: 1
 tags[4]: certify,multi-agent,pm-cli-2026.9.21,quality
 created_at: "2026-09-22T05:08:23.357Z"
-updated_at: "2026-09-23T00:03:44.244Z"
-assignee: pi-agent
+updated_at: "2026-09-25T08:15:39.944Z"
 claim_principal: pi-agent
 author: pi-agent
 acceptance_criteria: "All three devDependency pins exact and verified in package.json + package-lock.json; npm run lint and npm run duplication exit 0 with 0 findings; pm health --strict-exit --require-merge-drivers exits 0; npm run release:check exits 0"
-comments[2]{created_at,author,text}:
+comments[3]{created_at,author,text}:
   "2026-09-22T05:09:44.627Z",pi-agent,"Baseline measured with canonical pm-ops 2026.9.18 gates run directly (launchers not yet created): lint 86 errors (83 no-restricted-syntax explicit-any, 1 no-duplicate-imports in test/impact-command.test.ts:16 area, 2 require-atomic-updates in src/index.ts); duplication 6.22% duplicated lines (789/12675), 44 sources, 80 clone pairs, threshold 0. Findings concentrated in test/*.test.ts and src/index.ts. Pins verified: @unbrained/pm-cli 2026.9.21, pm-changelog 2026.9.18, pm-ops 2026.9.18 in package.json + package-lock.json; @types/node lockfile 26.6.1 (Dependabot #107 landed exactly, range ^26.2.0 restored); codeql-action SHAs bumped per #111."
   "2026-09-23T00:03:36.230Z",pi-glm-pm-graph,"Duplication gate reduced from 5.6% to 0% (74 to 0 clone pairs) by extracting shared helpers into test/helpers.ts (withNeo4jQueryTest, withCommandWorkspace, setupChainWorkspace, setupCycleWorkspace, setupBareWorkspace, activateWithRecording, captureStdoutThrow, expectCommandError, expectCommandErrorMulti, expectExporterReject, runExportRaw, createChain, synthNode/synthRel/synthGraph, NEO4J_FAIL_ENV, setNeo4jTestEnv, applyEnv, CmdResult/CommandError types). src/index.ts: extracted unwrapNeo4jInteger (toNumber+readNumberProperty), nodeLabelParts (renderDot+renderPlantuml), orderedNodeSet+collectBidirectionalEdges (impactSubgraph+impactSubgraphFromNodeSet), loadShapedAnalytics (cycles+critical-path+topo-sort), wrapCommandError (export catch blocks). Added docstrings to 8 type aliases and 3 functions. Lint exit 0, duplication 0%, release:check exit 0 (287 tests, coverage 100/100/100), pm health --strict-exit exit 0."
+  "2026-09-25T08:15:39.944Z",fleet-wave-script,Superseded by pm-graph-at6i (2026.9.23 certify)
 files[3]{path,scope}:
   src/index.ts,project
   test/command-surface.test.ts,project
diff --git a/.github/workflows/release.yml b/.github/workflows/release.yml
index c8312ce..b170f70 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/release.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/release.yml
@@ -600,6 +600,7 @@ jobs:
       # publishing must be configured for this package on npmjs.com against
       # unbraind/pm-graph and this workflow filename, or publish fails closed.
       - name: Publish npm package
+        id: publish
         if: steps.decide.outputs.should_release == 'true'
         shell: bash
         env:
@@ -665,11 +666,11 @@ jobs:
           # coordinate" and is refused rather than reconciled.
           registry_version_is_attested() {
             local attestations
-            attestations="$(npm view "${pkg_name}@${NPM_VERSION}" dist.attestations --json 2>/dev/null || true)"
+            attestations="$(npm view "${pkg_name}@${NPM_VERSION}" dist.attestations --prefer-online --json 2>/dev/null || true)"
             [[ -n "${attestations}" && "${attestations}" != "null" && "${attestations}" != "{}" && "${attestations}" != "[]" ]]
           }
           registry_has_version() {
-            npm view "${pkg_name}@${NPM_VERSION}" version --json >/dev/null 2>&1
+            npm view "${pkg_name}@${NPM_VERSION}" version --prefer-online --json >/dev/null 2>&1
           }
           # Answers one question and nothing else: is an attested copy of this
           # exact version visible right now? It must never terminate the step
@@ -688,11 +689,16 @@ jobs:
           # forbids overwriting a published version. It needs a human, and saying
           # so is more useful than a green run over an artifact the release notes
           # will misdescribe.
+          # Declared before any function that expands it: bindings are established
+          # before use so visibility never depends on call-time reasoning.
+          max_attempts=3
           refuse_unattested_or_fail() {
             if registry_has_version; then
               echo "::error::${pkg_name}@${NPM_VERSION} exists on the registry WITHOUT a visible provenance attestation. This workflow only ever publishes with --provenance, so either that artifact did not come from this job, or its attestation never became visible. Refusing to tag and release around it; investigate before re-running."
             else
-              echo "::error::Publish with provenance failed after ${max_attempts} attempts. Refusing to downgrade supply-chain attestations; retry the release transaction."
+              # Never claim the publish failed when only visibility was not
+              # confirmed: say exactly what this run knows (pm-cli-website-3y5d).
+              echo "::error::npm did not confirm ${pkg_name}@${NPM_VERSION} is published after ${max_attempts} publish attempts and a 10-minute visibility window. The registry shows nothing at that coordinate right now: either the publish genuinely failed, or propagation outlasted the window. Refusing to downgrade supply-chain attestations; retry the release transaction."
             fi
             exit 1
           }
@@ -710,7 +716,6 @@ jobs:
             npm publish --access public --provenance --ignore-scripts
           }
           attempt=0
-          max_attempts=3
           while (( attempt < max_attempts )); do
             attempt=$(( attempt + 1 ))
             if publish_with_provenance; then
@@ -735,24 +740,32 @@ jobs:
           # version that is on the registry, which is the "npm ahead of git"
           # split the release ordering exists to prevent. Poll instead.
           #
-          # 5 attempts, 30s apart. The bun verification step further down this
-          # file already retries the same registry on the same 30s schedule,
-          # because a version the registry has just accepted is not immediately
-          # visible; the npm read here needs the same grace for the same reason.
-          # A shorter window would fail a release that the very next step would
-          # then find. The cost is paid only on the path where npm has already
-          # reported an error, never on a successful publish.
-          reconcile_attempts=5
+          # 20 reads, 30 s apart: a 10-minute visibility window. The old
+          # 5 x 30 s window closed 2.5 minutes in while npm had already
+          # ACCEPTED the publish, printed the false "failed after 3 attempts",
+          # and skipped the tag and the GitHub release for a version the
+          # registry then served moments later (pm-slack/pm-web 2026-09-18:
+          # visible 35 s after the window closed). Ten minutes absorbs the
+          # observed propagation; --prefer-online on the registry reads keeps
+          # a stale cache answer from faking or hiding visibility. The cost is
+          # paid only on the path where npm has already reported an error,
+          # never on a successful publish.
+          reconcile_attempts=20
           for reconcile_attempt in $(seq 1 "${reconcile_attempts}"); do
             if reconciled_attested; then
               echo "::notice::Version landed attested after the final reported error; treating as success."
               exit 0
             fi
-            if (( reconcile_attempt < reconcile_attempts )); then
-              echo "Not yet visible on the registry; re-reading in 30s (${reconcile_attempt}/${reconcile_attempts})..."
-              sleep 30
-            fi
+            echo "Not yet visible on the registry; re-reading in 30s (${reconcile_attempt}/${reconcile_attempts})..."
+            sleep 30
           done
+          # The 20th sleep completes the 10-minute window; read once more so a
+          # version that became visible during that final 30 s is caught too,
+          # not failed on an arithmetic edge.
+          if reconciled_attested; then
+            echo "::notice::Version landed attested at the end of the 10-minute visibility window; treating as success."
+            exit 0
+          fi
           refuse_unattested_or_fail
 
       # Tag the exact merged/verified main commit AFTER a successful publish.
@@ -763,6 +776,7 @@ jobs:
       # retains the prepared metadata and the next run resumes the same version
       # instead of inventing another release.
       - name: Push release tag
+        id: push_tag
         if: steps.decide.outputs.should_release == 'true'
         shell: bash
         env:
@@ -801,6 +815,7 @@ jobs:
           git push origin "refs/tags/${release_tag}"
 
       - name: Verify bun install of published package
+        id: verify_bun
         if: steps.decide.outputs.should_release == 'true'
         env:
           NPM_VERSION: ${{ steps.decide.outputs.npm_version }}
@@ -815,31 +830,61 @@ jobs:
           bun init -y > /dev/null
           # Smoke-test that the just-published version installs via bun.
           # Retry to absorb npm registry propagation (~60s typical).
-          for attempt in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8; do
+          # 21 attempts with a 30 s pause BETWEEN them: the same 10-minute
+          # window the npm reconcile uses. The last attempt runs after the
+          # final pause, so a version that becomes installable at the very end
+          # of the window still passes instead of failing on a trailing sleep.
+          bun_attempts=21
+          for attempt in $(seq 1 "${bun_attempts}"); do
             if bun add "${pkg_name}@${pkg_version}"; then
               echo "bun add succeeded on attempt $attempt"
               exit 0
             fi
-            echo "bun add failed on attempt $attempt, sleeping 30s..."
-            sleep 30
+            if (( attempt < bun_attempts )); then
+              echo "bun add failed on attempt $attempt, sleeping 30s..."
+              sleep 30
+            fi
           done
-          # bun's registry mirror can lag well past npm's own propagation,
-          # especially for prerelease (-N) versions. The npm registry is
-          # authoritative for what we just published: if it confirms the
-          # version, the release genuinely succeeded and the bun failure is
-          # mirror lag, not a publish failure. Do not let it block the
-          # GitHub release / post-publish steps that follow.
-          echo "bun could not resolve ${pkg_name}@${pkg_version}; checking npm registry authoritatively..."
-          if npm view "${pkg_name}@${pkg_version}" version --registry="https://registry.npmjs.org" > /dev/null 2>&1; then
-            echo "::warning::bun has not mirrored ${pkg_name}@${pkg_version} yet, but npm confirms it is published (registry mirror lag). Treating verification as successful."
-            exit 0
-          fi
-          echo "npm registry does not show ${pkg_name}@${pkg_version} - real publish failure."
+          # The GitHub release below is now created whenever the publish and
+          # the tag push succeeded, regardless of this step, so a bun failure
+          # must NOT be papered over as success. The old fallback here (treat
+          # mirror lag as a passing verification once `npm view` confirmed the
+          # version) still let a total failure skip the Release: pm-linear run
+          # 35323736826 (2026-09-18) failed this step, the Release was skipped,
+          # and tag v2026.09.18 has had no Release since. npm acceptance is
+          # already proven by the publish step above; this step verifies bun
+          # alone, so a failure here is reported as a failure and the gate
+          # step below fails the job visibly.
+          echo "::error::bun could not resolve ${pkg_name}@${pkg_version} after ${bun_attempts} attempts across a 10-minute window. npm accepted the publish and the GitHub release is created regardless of this step; this failure keeps the bun mirror problem visible instead of silent."
           exit 1
       - name: Create GitHub release
-        if: steps.decide.outputs.should_release == 'true'
+        # Created even when bun verification failed: this Release used to be
+        # skipped behind that step, which is how pm-linear v2026.09.18 ended
+        # up tagged with no Release. It depends only on the publish and the
+        # tag push; a bun failure is surfaced by the gate step below so
+        # nothing goes silent. !cancelled() is required: with the default
+        # success() condition any earlier failure would skip this step.
+        if: >-
+          !cancelled() &&
+          steps.publish.outcome == 'success' &&
+          steps.push_tag.outcome == 'success'
         env:
           REPO_NAME: ${{ github.event.repository.name }}
           RELEASE_TAG: ${{ steps.decide.outputs.tag }}
           GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
         run: gh release create "${RELEASE_TAG}" --title "${REPO_NAME} ${RELEASE_TAG}" --notes-file RELEASE_NOTES.md --verify-tag
+
+      # The visible half of the bun decoupling: the Release above is created
+      # regardless of bun verification, so without this gate a bun failure
+      # would end in a green run and mirror lag would be invisible. Only a
+      # bun FAILURE trips it - a skipped bun step means the publish or the
+      # tag push already failed the job on its own.
+      - name: Fail the job on bun verification failure
+        if: >-
+          !cancelled() &&
+          steps.verify_bun.outcome == 'failure'
+        shell: bash
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          echo "::error::bun install verification failed (see the step log above); the npm publish, the tag push and the GitHub release were not affected. Failing the job so the bun mirror problem is not silent."
+          exit 1
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 039e193..7782a7c 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,15 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## Unreleased
+
+### Fixed
+
+- A publish that npm accepts late is reported as failed and the GitHub Release is skipped on bun mirror lag ([pm-graph-1k7d](https://github.com/unbraind/pm-graph/blob/main/.agents/pm/issues/pm-graph-1k7d.toon))
+
+### Other
+
+- Certify pm CLI 2026.9.23 and adopt the guarded pm-ops merge-driver launcher ([pm-graph-at6i](https://github.com/unbraind/pm-graph/blob/main/.agents/pm/chores/pm-graph-at6i.toon))
+
 ## 2026.9.18 - 2026-09-18
 
 ### Other
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index c5e9bcf..965f9ce 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -491,13 +491,7 @@ This package supports GitHub, npm, and Bun-compatible installs. Publication rema
 This repo tracks its project management in `.agents/pm/` and ships a committed `.gitattributes`
 that maps those tracker artifacts to pm-cli's field-aware Git merge drivers, so concurrent-branch
 tracker edits merge cleanly instead of hard-conflicting. The driver definitions live in per-clone
-Git config; `npm install` / `npm ci` wires them automatically via the `prepare` script (a thin TypeScript
-launcher, `scripts/prepare-merge-driver.ts`, over the canonical `pm-ops/merge-driver` export: it runs
-`pm merge install` only when the `pm` CLI is on `PATH`, and no-ops cleanly when `pm` is absent.
-Registry installs of this package never run `prepare`; a production install of a clone
-(`npm ci --omit=dev`) omits `pm-ops` too, so it must pass `--ignore-scripts` (the guarded launcher is
-tracked as companion item pm-cli-website-xy19); being Node-based it behaves identically
-on POSIX shells and Windows `cmd.exe`). To (re)run manually: `npm run merge:install`.
+Git config; `npm install` / `npm ci` wires them automatically via the `prepare` script, `scripts/prepare-merge-driver.ts`: the launcher template pm-ops ships, copied unchanged, which a test compares byte for byte with the pinned template. It runs pm-ops's installer, which calls `pm merge install` when the `pm` CLI is on `PATH` and skips with a notice when it is not. A production install of a clone (`npm ci --omit=dev`) has no `pm-ops`, so the launcher skips with one notice, while a stale or broken `pm-ops` fails the install. Registry installs of this package never run `prepare`. Being Node-based, it behaves identically on POSIX shells and Windows `cmd.exe`. To (re)run manually: `npm run merge:install`.
 
 After merging a branch that touched `.agents/pm/`, reconcile any residual history-hash drift with
 **`pm merge reconcile`** (pm-cli ≥ 2026.7.22): preview with `pm merge reconcile --dry-run`, apply with
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index a318519..a084cd9 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -15,12 +15,12 @@
         "@babel/eslint-parser": "^8.0.5",
         "@babel/plugin-syntax-typescript": "^8.0.3",
         "@types/node": "^26.2.0",
-        "@unbrained/pm-cli": "2026.9.21",
+        "@unbrained/pm-cli": "2026.9.23",
         "eslint": "^10.10.0",
         "fast-glob": "^3.3.3",
         "jscpd": "^4.3.0",
-        "pm-changelog": "2026.9.18",
-        "pm-ops": "2026.9.18",
+        "pm-changelog": "2026.9.23",
+        "pm-ops": "2026.9.23",
         "typescript": "^7.0.2"
       },
       "engines": {
@@ -1331,9 +1331,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/@unbrained/pm-cli": {
-      "version": "2026.9.21",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@unbrained/pm-cli/-/pm-cli-2026.9.21.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-HPgGm/pU81Avtty9lVYqYh0jxKzNyQjHnvwQrRjSYNHaVQeJ3xNM/VV9i0CCPL0zLxRjdriYj/PnNDIMC2Ur2Q==",
+      "version": "2026.9.23",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/@unbrained/pm-cli/-/pm-cli-2026.9.23.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-tL1u+NDa6UkJyJaJR3j7noqi6byFlQdgWSZsFDG/k6k31LTBCQJNfX42EhgBE8kR100O61DleJSaMCtPq+LT9g==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
@@ -3242,9 +3242,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/pm-changelog": {
-      "version": "2026.9.18",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/pm-changelog/-/pm-changelog-2026.9.18.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-UJekN8TZUk/Q9Ri7pMl+EEtPqaGG5ePs/3/hS5JCx7w78dZAamfH7lUA+wUjJtoyKzLMX3XxTkCWpe61CquXdg==",
+      "version": "2026.9.23",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/pm-changelog/-/pm-changelog-2026.9.23.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-hrHFbRgz/LyiCBN9ic0I1C//SRL/zjU5fxcyCeCAnM2qTrz14A7f9ayMXeiu/ChDkVFMxfz8Ps2j3TuUG6K1QA==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "bin": {
@@ -3258,9 +3258,9 @@
       }
     },
     "node_modules/pm-ops": {
-      "version": "2026.9.18",
-      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/pm-ops/-/pm-ops-2026.9.18.tgz",
-      "integrity": "sha512-x4KWL0Y9y6Sz2Hw9LDJmZPoZmbruKJ1x9Z9QCq2/W/yAG5Lujl5HiyrE9Er6Ne7gKFWJp3kxywYqUWDnLHEyMQ==",
+      "version": "2026.9.23",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/pm-ops/-/pm-ops-2026.9.23.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-FglZHOXjsuG8WWf9Ca90/IX1u4ZCxVTvHpwMaiA0TAWBx/lLalM2Ic12gtWZvm3OAJsMMuXvfRBHWxwYLzESsg==",
       "dev": true,
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
@@ -3276,7 +3276,7 @@
         "@unbrained/pm-cli": ">=2026.8.20",
         "eslint": "^10.10.0",
         "fast-glob": "^3.3.3",
-        "jscpd": "^4.3.0"
+        "jscpd": ">=4.3.0 <6.0.0"
       },
       "peerDependenciesMeta": {
         "@babel/eslint-parser": {
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 874c3a3..42696c7 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -34,12 +34,12 @@
     "@babel/eslint-parser": "^8.0.5",
     "@babel/plugin-syntax-typescript": "^8.0.3",
     "@types/node": "^26.2.0",
-    "@unbrained/pm-cli": "2026.9.21",
+    "@unbrained/pm-cli": "2026.9.23",
     "eslint": "^10.10.0",
     "fast-glob": "^3.3.3",
     "jscpd": "^4.3.0",
-    "pm-changelog": "2026.9.18",
-    "pm-ops": "2026.9.18",
+    "pm-changelog": "2026.9.23",
+    "pm-ops": "2026.9.23",
     "typescript": "^7.0.2"
   },
   "files": [
diff --git a/scripts/prepare-merge-driver.ts b/scripts/prepare-merge-driver.ts
index 5ac0834..66e512e 100644
--- a/scripts/prepare-merge-driver.ts
+++ b/scripts/prepare-merge-driver.ts
@@ -1,10 +1,42 @@
 /**
- * npm `prepare` hook that installs pm's field-aware Git merge drivers.
+ * npm `prepare` hook that registers pm's field-aware Git merge drivers.
  *
- * Git never clones `.git/config`, so every clone must register the drivers that
- * `.gitattributes` declares. The canonical implementation lives in
- * `pm-ops/merge-driver`; this file stays a thin launcher over it.
+ * Git never clones `.git/config`, so every clone must register the drivers
+ * `.gitattributes` declares. The installer lives in the devDependency pm-ops,
+ * which an `npm install --omit=dev` checkout does not have. This launcher
+ * therefore imports nothing from pm-ops: it resolves the installer entry from
+ * the package root and runs it in a child process. Only a missing pm-ops package skips, with one
+ * notice; any other resolution failure (for example a pm-ops too old to export
+ * the entry) and any installer failure fail the install.
+ *
+ * Canonical copy: `pm-ops/templates/prepare-merge-driver.ts`. Copy it
+ * unchanged to `scripts/prepare-merge-driver.ts`.
  */
-import { runPrepareMergeDriver } from "pm-ops/merge-driver";
 
-process.exitCode = runPrepareMergeDriver();
\ No newline at end of file
+import { spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import { createRequire } from "node:module";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+
+// npm runs `prepare` from the package root, so pm-ops is resolved from there.
+const resolver = createRequire(join(process.cwd(), "package.json"));
+let installer: string | undefined;
+try {
+  installer = resolver.resolve("pm-ops/merge-driver/prepare");
+} catch (error) {
+  // Only an absent pm-ops package may skip. Probing its package.json tells that
+  // apart from an installed pm-ops that cannot serve the entry (exports without
+  // it, no exports map, a missing file): those resolve or fail differently, and
+  // the original error is rethrown.
+  let packagePresent = true;
+  try {
+    resolver.resolve("pm-ops/package.json");
+  } catch (probe) {
+    packagePresent = !(probe instanceof Error && "code" in probe && probe.code === "MODULE_NOT_FOUND");
+  }
+  if (packagePresent) throw error;
+}
+if (installer === undefined) {
+  console.error("pm-ops is not installed (omit-dev install); skipping merge-driver install");
+} else {
+  process.exitCode = spawnSync(process.execPath, [installer], { stdio: "inherit" }).status ?? 1;
+}
diff --git a/test/prepare-merge-driver.test.ts b/test/prepare-merge-driver.test.ts
index bcb1230..c3bb230 100644
--- a/test/prepare-merge-driver.test.ts
+++ b/test/prepare-merge-driver.test.ts
@@ -1,11 +1,121 @@
-/** Tests the thin `prepare` launcher over the canonical `pm-ops/merge-driver`. */
+/**
+ * Tests for the npm `prepare` hook `scripts/prepare-merge-driver.ts`.
+ *
+ * The hook must stay the canonical pm-ops launcher byte for byte, and it is
+ * exercised the way npm runs it: as the entry point of a child process whose
+ * working directory is a consumer checkout. Every checkout is a fresh
+ * `git init` with its own local config, so the drivers this repository's own
+ * `npm ci` registered cannot mask a launcher that registers none.
+ */
 import assert from "node:assert/strict";
-import test from "node:test";
+import { spawnSync, type SpawnSyncReturns } from "node:child_process";
+import { chmodSync, copyFileSync, mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, readFileSync, rmSync, symlinkSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
+import { delimiter, join } from "node:path";
+import test, { after } from "node:test";
 
-// Importing the launcher executes it (it is the prepare hook). Absent `pm` is a supported
-// 0-exit state and a clean `pm merge install` is 0, so only a broken CLI fails this.
-import "../scripts/prepare-merge-driver.ts";
+// npm runs tests from the package root, which is also where it runs `prepare`.
+const root = process.cwd();
+const launcher = join(root, "scripts", "prepare-merge-driver.ts");
+const hostPath = `${join(root, "node_modules", ".bin")}${delimiter}${process.env.PATH ?? ""}`;
+const scratch = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "prepare-merge-driver-"));
+after(() => rmSync(scratch, { recursive: true, force: true }));
 
-test("the prepare launcher delegates to the canonical pm-ops merge-driver export", () => {
-  assert.strictEqual(process.exitCode, 0);
-});
\ No newline at end of file
+// The fixtures use POSIX stub executables and directory symlinks, like pm-ops's own launcher suite.
+const posixOnly = { skip: process.platform === "win32" };
+
+/** Every merge driver `.gitattributes` asks Git to use, e.g. `pm-history` from `merge=pm-history`. */
+const declaredDrivers = [
+  ...new Set([...readFileSync(join(root, ".gitattributes"), "utf8").matchAll(/\bmerge=([\w-]+)/g)].map((match) => match[1])),
+].sort();
+
+/**
+ * Create a consumer checkout: a fresh Git repository carrying this
+ * repository's `.gitattributes` and tracker settings. `pmOps` selects what
+ * `node_modules/pm-ops` is: absent (an omit-dev install), the pinned package,
+ * or a stale pm-ops whose exports predate the launcher entry.
+ */
+function checkout(name: string, pmOps: "absent" | "pinned" | "stale"): string {
+  const directory = join(scratch, name);
+  mkdirSync(join(directory, ".agents", "pm"), { recursive: true });
+  assert.equal(spawnSync("git", ["init", "-q"], { cwd: directory }).status, 0);
+  writeFileSync(join(directory, "package.json"), JSON.stringify({ name, type: "module" }));
+  copyFileSync(join(root, ".gitattributes"), join(directory, ".gitattributes"));
+  copyFileSync(join(root, ".agents", "pm", "settings.json"), join(directory, ".agents", "pm", "settings.json"));
+  if (pmOps === "pinned") {
+    mkdirSync(join(directory, "node_modules"));
+    symlinkSync(join(root, "node_modules", "pm-ops"), join(directory, "node_modules", "pm-ops"), "dir");
+  }
+  if (pmOps === "stale") {
+    mkdirSync(join(directory, "node_modules", "pm-ops"), { recursive: true });
+    writeFileSync(
+      join(directory, "node_modules", "pm-ops", "package.json"),
+      JSON.stringify({ name: "pm-ops", type: "module", exports: { "./merge-driver": "./merge-driver.js" } }),
+    );
+  }
+  return directory;
+}
+
+/** Put a stub `pm` that runs `body` then exits with `status` alone on a fresh PATH directory. */
+function stubPm(name: string, status: number, body = ""): string {
+  const bin = join(scratch, `${name}-bin`);
+  mkdirSync(bin);
+  writeFileSync(join(bin, "pm"), `#!/bin/sh\n${body}\nexit ${status}\n`);
+  chmodSync(join(bin, "pm"), 0o755);
+  return bin;
+}
+
+/** Run the launcher as npm's `prepare` hook would: as the entry point, from `cwd`, with `path` as PATH. */
+function prepare(cwd: string, path: string): SpawnSyncReturns<string> {
+  return spawnSync(process.execPath, [launcher], { cwd, encoding: "utf8", env: { ...process.env, PATH: path } });
+}
+
+/** The merge drivers registered in a checkout's LOCAL Git config, by name. */
+function registeredDrivers(cwd: string): string[] {
+  const config = spawnSync("git", ["config", "--local", "--name-only", "--get-regexp", "^merge\\..*\\.driver$"], {
+    cwd,
+    encoding: "utf8",
+  });
+  // git exits 1 when no key matches, which is a genuine "none registered".
+  assert.ok(config.status === 0 || config.status === 1, config.stderr);
+  return config.stdout.split("\n").filter(Boolean).map((key) => key.split(".")[1]).sort();
+}
+
+test("the prepare launcher is the unmodified pm-ops template", () => {
+  const canonical = readFileSync(join(root, "node_modules", "pm-ops", "templates", "prepare-merge-driver.ts"), "utf8");
+  assert.equal(readFileSync(launcher, "utf8"), canonical);
+});
+
+test("a full install registers every merge driver .gitattributes declares", posixOnly, () => {
+  const directory = checkout("full", "pinned");
+  assert.deepEqual(registeredDrivers(directory), []);
+  const result = prepare(directory, hostPath);
+  assert.equal(result.status, 0, result.stderr);
+  assert.ok(declaredDrivers.length > 0, ".gitattributes declares no pm merge drivers");
+  assert.deepEqual(registeredDrivers(directory), declaredDrivers);
+});
+
+test("an omit-dev checkout without pm-ops skips with one notice and registers nothing", posixOnly, () => {
+  const directory = checkout("omit-dev", "absent");
+  const result = prepare(directory, hostPath);
+  assert.equal(result.status, 0, result.stderr);
+  assert.equal(result.stderr, "pm-ops is not installed (omit-dev install); skipping merge-driver install\n");
+  assert.deepEqual(registeredDrivers(directory), []);
+});
+
+test("a pm-ops too old to export the launcher entry fails the install", posixOnly, () => {
+  const result = prepare(checkout("stale", "stale"), hostPath);
+  assert.notEqual(result.status, 0);
+  assert.match(result.stderr, /ERR_PACKAGE_PATH_NOT_EXPORTED/);
+});
+
+test("a failing pm merge install fails the install with the same status", posixOnly, () => {
+  const result = prepare(checkout("failing-pm", "pinned"), stubPm("failing-pm", 7));
+  assert.equal(result.status, 7, result.stderr);
+});
+
+test("an installer killed by a signal fails the install instead of reporting success", posixOnly, () => {
+  // The stub's parent is the pm-ops installer process the launcher spawned.
+  const result = prepare(checkout("killed", "pinned"), stubPm("killed", 0, "kill -9 $PPID"));
+  assert.equal(result.status, 1, result.stderr);
+});