Corrective Action Report — Synthesis-to-surface mode shift gap (Own the Mission attribution error)

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Corrective Action Report — Synthesis-to-surface mode shift gap (Own the Mission attribution error)

CAR ID: CAR-2026-05-11-B Filed: 2026-05-11 Filer: Q (instruction-optimizer / Quality System) Companion audit: docs/quality/audits/2026-05-11-abs-company-compass-launch-audit.md § 8 CAR-B Status: Proposed (pending V acceptance) Authority: Q proactive audit authority granted 2026-04-12 (QMS establishment)

1. Incident

Scribe's Wave 11 synthesis at clients/abs-company/sessions/2026-05-10-compass-content-deltas-from-recent-sessions.md (commit ad1cc7dbd "scribe(abs-company): Wave 11 Compass content deltas from Apr 23-May 10 sessions") attributed Own the Mission application activation to Eleni at lines 51 and 92. The actual activator is Alexia. Eleni activates Trip Desk + Custom TAC Portal + AI governance + direct Shopify B2B configuration; Alexia activates HubSpot infrastructure (UI Cards) + Planet Fitness Resource Hub + Own the Mission.

Canon's Wave 11 Sanity write to the Compass document (Sanity _id Zp24pMqAke619jSgzKxGpc) reflected Scribe's misattribution.

Chris caught the error during Wave 12 dispatch, post-write. The correction:

  • Commit 482013baf "Wave 12 erratum: Own the Mission attribution correction on Scribe synthesis" — synthesis file gains an erratum block at the top; synthesis body content is preserved with the error in place ("so future readers don't carry the error forward").
  • Canon Wave 12 Sanity overwrite at _rev P0dduyD2z2Iem91rvDrrju reflecting the corrected attribution.

The misattribution did not reach the live customer surface because Chris caught it before the kickoff. The misattribution did reach the Sanity canonical doc and was overwritten.

2. Timeline

Time (CT, approx) Event
Pre-Wave-11 Apr 23 working session transcript and May 8 working session transcript exist; Tier 3 corroboration available (Apr 23 transcript lines 729 and 735 show Eleni using third-person language about Own the Mission). Not consulted by Scribe pre-synthesis.
Wave 11 Scribe synthesizes Apr 23-May 10 sessions into a content-deltas file at clients/abs-company/sessions/2026-05-10-compass-content-deltas-from-recent-sessions.md. Lines 51 and 92 attribute Own the Mission to Eleni. Commit ad1cc7dbd.
Wave 11 Canon writes synthesis content to Sanity Compass doc, including the misattribution.
Wave 12 dispatch Chris reviews and catches the error.
Wave 12 Commit 482013baf writes erratum block to top of synthesis file.
Wave 12 Canon overwrites Sanity Compass doc with corrected attribution. Final _rev P0dduyD2z2Iem91rvDrrju.

3. Root cause analysis

3.1 Primary root cause: synthesis-to-surface mode shift unprotected by verification gate

The synthesis-tier-discipline rule existed in skills/enforcement/vf-platform-context.md (added 2026-05-10 in commit 40197c720 as Q CAR Prevention 1, post-bias-check). The rule says:

Synthesis files are lossy indexes, NOT evidence. Never derive health, risk, or capability claims from synthesis files alone. Always reach to Tier 1 or Tier 3 before asserting a health signal.

The rule was in place before Wave 11. The rule did not gate the Wave 11 Canon Sanity write. Scribe synthesized; Canon wrote. No Tier 1 (HubSpot/Sanity/code) or Tier 3 (raw transcript) verification was performed against the load-bearing claim (Eleni activated Own the Mission) before the customer-facing-surface write.

3.2 Contributing causes

3.2.1 Rule scope did not cover synthesis-to-surface mode shift. The synthesis-tier rule explicitly addresses "health, risk, or capability claims." Attribution facts (who activated what) were not explicitly named in the rule's scope. The mode shift — from "synthesis informing authoring" to "synthesis becoming the surface" — is the trigger that should have fired a verification gate. The rule does not enumerate that trigger.

3.2.2 Canon spawn brief did not surface T1/T3 verification. Per wiki/agent-guide.md § Canon — Sanity write gateway, Canon is the gateway for all Sanity mutations. The spawn brief for the Wave 11 Sanity write did not explicitly require pre-write T1/T3 verification of synthesis-sourced claims. Canon wrote what it was given.

3.2.3 Tier 3 corroboration was available and unused. Apr 23 transcript lines 729 and 735 show Eleni using third-person language about Own the Mission — clear Tier 3 evidence that Eleni was not the activator. The synthesis file's own erratum block (commit 482013baf) cites this corroboration. The corroboration was findable; it was not consulted.

3.2.4 Pattern echo: this is the second instance of synthesis-as-canon misuse. Prior instance: memory/feedback_transcripts_are_evidence_not_canon.md (2026-05-01) — "Meeting transcripts record what was said, not what is true or decided. Conversational receptivity ≠ scope commitment. Extract facts/claims/framings as labeled categories; never promote to canon." The rule applies to upstream transcripts; the same logic applies to synthesis files (which are downstream of transcripts and lossier still).

4. Immediate fix

The immediate fix happened: Wave 12 erratum block + Canon Sanity overwrite. The customer-facing surface is correct. The synthesis file is preserved with the erratum.

5. Permanent prevention

5.1 Extend synthesis-tier discipline rule scope

Hone updates skills/enforcement/vf-platform-context.md synthesis-tier discipline section:

Before any Canon Sanity write or Ledger HubSpot write whose content source includes a synthesis file, the load-bearing claims must be verified against Tier 1 (HubSpot/Sanity/code records) or Tier 3 (raw transcripts) sources in the same session. Canon and Ledger spawn briefs must surface this requirement explicitly. The synthesis-to-surface mode shift — when synthesis content is being written to a customer-facing artifact — is the trigger.

5.2 Canon + Ledger spawn brief template update

V or Hone updates the spawn brief templates for Canon and Ledger agents:

  • For Canon spawns where content source is a synthesis file: spawn brief must include "T1/T3 verification confirmed for load-bearing claims" as required field.
  • For Ledger spawns where property values are derived from synthesis: same gate.

If the field is empty, the spawn brief is incomplete and the agent does not write.

5.3 Verification protocol amendment

Q updates docs/quality/verification-protocol.md:

VERIFIED status on any Sanity field or HubSpot property whose value was sourced from a synthesis file requires evidence of T1/T3 corroboration in the verification log entry. Date, source, and corroborating text required.

5.4 Echo pattern memory

Echo records the second instance of synthesis-as-canon misuse. With two instances now logged (May 1 + May 10-11), threshold for mandatory enforcement gate is one more recurrence within 60 days.

6. Process register impact

Existing process amended: Sanity writes (Canon-owned), HubSpot writes (Ledger-owned). Verification requirements extended per § 5.3 above.

New verification artifact required: When a Sanity or HubSpot write sources from a synthesis file, the spawn brief must log the T1/T3 corroboration. Q audits compliance on next 3 such writes.

7. Recurrence prevention check

The original synthesis-tier-discipline rule was Q's own CAR Prevention 1 from the 2026-05-10 bias-check incidents CAR (docs/quality/cars/2026-05-10-corrective-5p-bias-incidents.md). The rule was in place and did not prevent the Wave 11 incident. This is a CAR-on-a-CAR pattern: the prior CAR's permanent prevention was insufficient.

The amplified prevention (§ 5.1, § 5.2) addresses the specific failure mode: synthesis content moving into a customer-facing-surface write without verification. If this fails to prevent a third instance within 60 days, the rule needs to escalate to mandatory enforcement hook (similar to .claude/hooks/ledger-gateway-enforcer.sh pattern).

8. References

  • Companion audit: docs/quality/audits/2026-05-11-abs-company-compass-launch-audit.md § 8 CAR-B
  • Synthesis file with erratum: clients/abs-company/sessions/2026-05-10-compass-content-deltas-from-recent-sessions.md
  • Wave 12 erratum commit: 482013baf "Wave 12 erratum: Own the Mission attribution correction on Scribe synthesis"
  • Sanity record state: _id Zp24pMqAke619jSgzKxGpc, _rev P0dduyD2z2Iem91rvDrrju
  • Prior CAR establishing the rule: docs/quality/cars/2026-05-10-corrective-5p-bias-incidents.md
  • Prior memory entry: memory/feedback_transcripts_are_evidence_not_canon.md (2026-05-01)
  • Tier 3 source: clients/abs-company/transcripts/VFT-TAC_Proposal_Review_-_2026-04-23_15-00_CDT_-_Transcript.md lines 729, 735

Filed by Q under proactive audit authority. Awaiting V acceptance for permanent-prevention deployment.