diff --git a/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml b/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml
index fec679a8..cdb2ab14 100644
--- a/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -1,13 +1,7 @@
 name: CI
 
-# Branch pushes only — a release TAG deliberately does not re-run CI: the
-# tagged commit's CI already ran on its branch push, and the runner is
-# sequential, so tag-triggered matrix jobs (~22 min) would queue AHEAD of the
-# tag's publish-source run and starve every release (observed on 8.10.3 and
-# 9.0.0: the publish sat behind the tag's own redundant CI).
 on:
   push:
-    branches: ['**']
   pull_request:
 
 jobs:
diff --git a/.forgejo/workflows/publish-source.yml b/.forgejo/workflows/publish-forge.yml
similarity index 59%
rename from .forgejo/workflows/publish-source.yml
rename to .forgejo/workflows/publish-forge.yml
index 8220bac9..fb7428bf 100644
--- a/.forgejo/workflows/publish-source.yml
+++ b/.forgejo/workflows/publish-forge.yml
@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
-name: Publish (The Source)
+name: Publish (forge)
 
-# Datacenter-side publish to The Source (source.soulcraft.com — our
-# self-hosted Forgejo; never call it "the forge", Forge is a different
-# product), moved off the laptop: an 87MB tarball PUT over the laptop's WAN
-# times out; The Source's own runner does it in seconds.
+# Datacenter-side forge publish, moved off the laptop: an 87MB tarball PUT
+# over the laptop's WAN times out; the forge's own runner does it in seconds.
 # scripts/release.sh tags + pushes, then polls this workflow's result (npm
-# view against The Source's registry) before it ever touches the npmjs leg —
-# see the "delegation contract" in scripts/release.sh's home-publish step.
+# view against the forge registry) before it ever touches the npmjs leg —
+# see the "delegation contract" in scripts/release.sh's forge-publish step.
 
 on:
   push:
@@ -15,7 +13,7 @@ on:
 
 jobs:
   publish:
-    name: Publish to The Source registry
+    name: Publish to the forge registry
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     steps:
       - uses: actions/checkout@v4
@@ -25,21 +23,20 @@ jobs:
           cache: npm
       - run: npm ci
       - run: npm run build
-      - name: Publish + readback-verify on The Source registry
+      - name: Publish + readback-verify on the forge registry
         env:
-          # The stored repo-settings secret keeps its historical name.
           FORGE_NPM_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.FORGE_NPM_TOKEN }}
         run: |
           set -eo pipefail
 
-          SOURCE_NPM_REG="https://source.soulcraft.com/api/packages/soulcraft/npm/"
+          FORGE_NPM_REG="https://source.soulcraft.com/api/packages/soulcraft/npm/"
           VERSION="$(node -p "require('./package.json').version")"
-          echo "Publishing @soulcraft/brainy@${VERSION} to The Source registry..."
+          echo "Publishing @soulcraft/brainy@${VERSION} to the forge registry..."
 
           TMPRC="$(mktemp)"
           chmod 600 "$TMPRC"
           {
-            echo "@soulcraft:registry=${SOURCE_NPM_REG}"
+            echo "@soulcraft:registry=${FORGE_NPM_REG}"
             echo "//source.soulcraft.com/api/packages/soulcraft/npm/:_authToken=${FORGE_NPM_TOKEN}"
           } > "$TMPRC"
 
@@ -59,12 +56,12 @@ jobs:
           rm -f "$TMPRC"
 
           if [ "$LANDED_VERSION" != "$VERSION" ]; then
-            echo "::error::Readback verify FAILED — The Source registry reports version '${LANDED_VERSION:-<none>}', expected '${VERSION}'. This is a genuine publish failure, not a benign duplicate."
+            echo "::error::Readback verify FAILED — the forge registry reports version '${LANDED_VERSION:-<none>}', expected '${VERSION}'. This is a genuine publish failure, not a benign duplicate."
             exit 1
           fi
 
           if [ "$PUBLISH_OK" = true ]; then
-            echo "Published and verified @soulcraft/brainy@${VERSION} on The Source registry."
+            echo "Published and verified @soulcraft/brainy@${VERSION} on the forge registry."
           else
-            echo "::warning::npm publish reported failure, but readback confirms @soulcraft/brainy@${VERSION} is already live on The Source (a prior run or mirror landed it) — treating this run as successful, since the registry content is correct. Any OTHER failure mode would have failed the readback check above instead."
+            echo "::warning::npm publish reported failure, but readback confirms @soulcraft/brainy@${VERSION} is already live on the forge (a prior run or mirror landed it) — treating this run as successful, since the registry content is correct. Any OTHER failure mode would have failed the readback check above instead."
           fi
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5482bf3f..4cb9a405 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,38 +2,6 @@
 
 All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. See [standard-version](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version) for commit guidelines.
 
-### [10.0.0](https://source.soulcraft.com/soulcraft/brainy/compare/v9.0.0...v10.0.0) (2026-08-12)
-
-- fix(adoption): the baseline backfill cures hydration-law drift — existing brains reach the crash-safe default with zero operator steps (25f0dd96)
-- fix(adoption): the reserved-root mint exemption — int 0 is legitimate for exactly one id (2abe8b38)
-- fix(recovery): walks are healers — the typed/tolerant boundary redrawn where block-layer fault injection proved it belonged (0e3facf4)
-- feat(log): log authority is the fleet default — adopt-at-open, oracle-gated; plus the power-cut throw-site cures and the loud torn-record contract (214c98b4)
-- fix(durability): three block-layer power-loss findings from the first fault-injection box run — all cured, matrix 15/15 (67c606be)
-- docs: RELEASES.md frames the release as 10.0.0 — honest major (log format v2 forward-only); comment wording cleanup (d1698fa5)
-- fix(persistence): the idle flush trigger debounces under load — deferred to the floor, never dropped, never a flush-per-gap amplifier (a50726e6)
-- feat(reprojection): the one doors-open machinery — budget-capped, yielding, foreground-preempted, atomic-swap; poison records quarantine typed (d1651f98)
-- feat(embedding): deferred-embed markers become log records — the sidecar recovery path is deleted (b47787bb)
-- feat(conformance): the golden-log fold oracle — encoder bytes and fold semantics pinned by content hash (c95bea88)
-- feat(engine): the wiring wave — stamps ride every flush, provider generations, waitForIndexed, adopt-backfill, match-all serves (b53e6e89)
-- feat(index): watermark stamps on every TS projection — adopt/catchup/rescan verdicts at load, stamp-after-data (b35d87a7)
-- feat(log): v2 is the LIVE write format — envelope records with minted ints, genesis, sector seals; v1 readable forever (26c60251)
-- docs: RELEASES.md — the unreleased write-path and lifecycle entry (consumer-facing draft; version set at cut) (73eb88d4)
-- feat(temporal): as-of semantic recall joins the release contract — past vectors byte-exact, pinned (f7ca0d26)
-- fix(log): acked writes survive power loss; rejected writes never silently commit — the kill-matrix goes 11/11 with zero .fails debt (13022c51)
-- feat(plugin): every provider write surface carries the real committed generation (2d532684)
-- feat(log): fact-log format v2 codec — record envelope, type registry, genesis, sector seals; fault-injection shim (34841074)
-- feat(log): the guarded log-authority core — group-commit durable-at-ack, the per-brain switch, the verification oracle (65953097)
-- docs: Path Registry rows DP6/DP8/MT5 flip to contracted+pinned — the deferred-embedding and atomic-update train landed with cited tests (9fda6d95)
-- feat(embedding): MT5 — deferred embedding with durable markers; write acks never wait on a neural net (287384cf)
-- fix(index): the flicker window dies — atomic in-place vector update; lazy open honors every provider's not-ready report; the Path Registry twin table (ebe06cdf)
-- feat(persistence): the engine owns its flush cadence — callers never call flush() in hot paths again (3236a01b)
-- fix(aggregation): the lifecycle cluster — flush stamps, behind-stamp catches up incrementally, the native rebuild finally gets invoked, deletes are never silently skipped (1dc861d2)
-- perf(sort): ordered reads never do per-row storage round-trips — the 199-317s production scan class dies structurally (607b6b56)
-- chore: the home registry is The Source, never 'the forge' — sweep the misnomer out of the release rail, workflows, and release notes (Forge is a different product; the stored CI secret keeps its historical name) (09352c2b)
-- ci: tags stop triggering the CI matrix (redundant re-run of already-tested commits starved every release's publish run on the sequential runner) + release.sh forge poll window 20→50 min (c6c6ea6b)
-- test: version-coupling pins go major-agnostic — the 8.x literals broke at the 9.0.0 bump while the coupling law itself behaved correctly (8a6807e8)
-
-
 ### [9.0.0](https://source.soulcraft.com/soulcraft/brainy/compare/v8.11.0...v9.0.0) (2026-08-04)
 
 - docs: 9.0 namespace-migration guide — the simple story + the mechanical sweep checklist, published for humans and tooling alike (61ab9db2)
diff --git a/RELEASES.md b/RELEASES.md
index df05a81e..ce7b5f99 100644
--- a/RELEASES.md
+++ b/RELEASES.md
@@ -31,76 +31,6 @@ is sometimes cited as a 7.x removal — those methods never existed on 7.x; the
 
 ---
 
-## v10.0.0 — 2026-08-10 (the write-path and lifecycle release)
-
-The theme: **writes ack fast and honestly, startup adopts instead of rebuilding, and
-every query path serves, announces, or refuses — never silently degrades.** Ships as
-one release together with the matching native accelerator version.
-
-**The storage-authority posture (the release's headline):** a NEW brain's default
-is **durable-at-ack log authority** — the generation log is the source of truth,
-every write acknowledgment is covered by a group-committed fsync, and crash
-recovery is a replay of the log (an acked write survives power loss, proven by
-fault-injection tests). An EXISTING brain adopts at its first open under 10.0.0,
-gated by a verification oracle: the log is replayed and diffed against stored
-truth record-by-record; curable gaps are backfilled; the brain flips only on a
-green verdict and a brain that cannot verify stays on the previous posture and
-says so loudly. The explicit opt-out is `logAuthority: 'defer'` in the config
-(no automatic adoption; flip later with `adoptLogAuthority()`).
-
-**Why a major:** the generation log gains write format v2 — new segments carry typed,
-versioned records with integrity seals. A 9.x build refuses a v2 segment with a clear
-version-naming error (never a misread), which means **a brain written by 10.x cannot
-be opened by 9.x**. Existing v1 history stays readable forever; upgrading requires no
-migration and no data touch — the format moves forward only as you write.
-
-### New capabilities
-
-- **`deferEmbedding: true`** on `add()`/`update()`: the write acks at durability; the
-  embedding runs on a crash-safe background worker and the vector swaps in atomically.
-  The row is id/metadata-findable immediately; semantic recall converges when the embed
-  lands. Barriers and gauges: `awaitPendingEmbeds()`, `waitForIndexed('semantic')`,
-  `getIndexStatus().pendingEmbeds`. VFS file writes adopt this end to end — file-write
-  ack no longer waits on a neural net (measured ~50× faster serial writes on a
-  production-shaped corpus).
-- **`waitForIndexed(path?, { generation?, timeoutMs? })`** — the one honest read
-  barrier for write-then-recall flows. Typed timeout error naming what was still
-  pending; never a silent partial wait.
-- **Engine-owned persistence cadence** (`persistence.policy: 'auto'`, now the default):
-  the engine flushes on write-count/interval/idle triggers in the background,
-  single-flight. **Delete `flush()` calls from hot paths** — `flush()` remains as an
-  awaitable durability barrier. A hung flush can never block a write ack.
-- **Time-travel recall contract**: `asOf(G).find()` serves vectors exactly as they
-  stood at G — a later update never leaks into an earlier pin; deleted rows mask;
-  beyond-head pins refuse typed.
-- **Log-authority storage (opt-in, per brain)**: `verifyLogAuthority()` audits the
-  generation log against stored truth record-by-record and names every divergence;
-  `adoptLogAuthority()` flips a brain to log-authoritative storage only on a green
-  audit (self-healing curable divergences first), enabling durable-at-ack writes:
-  concurrent writers share one fsync and an acked write survives power loss, by
-  construction (crash-recovery replay is pinned by fault-injection tests).
-
-### Behaviour changes
-
-- **`find({ where: {} })` now serves match-all** (previously returned an empty result
-  silently — warm and cold). Same fix applies to count, streaming, and graph-scoped
-  seeding paths.
-- **`removeMany({ where: {} })` now refuses with a typed error** — a match-all bulk
-  delete must be explicit, never inherited from an empty filter object.
-- **Aggregations always answer**: state persists at every `flush()` (not only close),
-  an unclean exit reconciles incrementally instead of rescanning the store, and
-  deletes without a before-image flag a loud rescan instead of silently skipping.
-- **Vector updates are atomic in place** — a row is never transiently absent from
-  search during an update (the "flicker" class is gone); type-only re-index of an
-  unchanged vector is a no-op.
-
-### Format note
-
-- The generation log gains **format v2** (typed, versioned records with integrity
-  seals). v1 segments remain readable forever; new segments write v2. Older brainy
-  builds refuse v2 segments with a clear version-naming error rather than misreading
-  them. Records reserve encryption fields for a future release — zero behaviour today.
-
 ## v8.11.0 — 2026-07-27 (canonical enumeration mode for export — storage-walked, canon-complete)
 
 From a fleet data-migration program's requirement for whole-brain exports that are
@@ -140,8 +70,8 @@ to the caller today.
   pre-existing meaning). **Migration-grade exports set `includeHidden: true`** — a
   complete-canon export must carry every visibility tier; consumer-facing exports
   leave it off.
-- **Ops note (consumer-invisible): the release pipeline's home-registry publish (The
-  Source, source.soulcraft.com) now runs on CI**, triggered by the release tag, instead of PUTting the tarball from the laptop
+- **Ops note (consumer-invisible): the release pipeline's forge-registry publish now runs
+  on CI**, triggered by the release tag, instead of PUTting the tarball from the laptop
   over WAN — no change to what gets published or how a consumer installs it.
 
 ## v9.0.0 — 2026-08-04 (the field-addressing law: your names and system.*, nothing in between)
diff --git a/docs/path-registry.md b/docs/path-registry.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 8a55004c..00000000
--- a/docs/path-registry.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,86 +0,0 @@
-# The Path Registry — brainy's twin table
-
-The brainy half of the cross-engine Path Registry (the native accelerator
-maintains the master list; IDs are shared and stable — `LC3`, `DP7`, … are
-citable in commits, board rounds, release notes, and pins). Every row owes
-five things: **service class** (INDEX-SERVED | BOUNDED-FALLBACK, announced |
-TYPED REFUSAL), **latency budget** at 1k/10k/100k/1M (design bar: billions),
-**lifecycle behavior**, **failure narration**, and a **test pin**. A path not
-in this registry does not ship; an unregistered path is a red gate in the
-scan audit.
-
-**The availability bar governing every row: user-visible downtime is
-seconds, at restart only.** Migration, heal, compaction, embedding, and
-retention run behind the doors — yielding, budget-capped, narrated. No path
-may hold the doors while it does housekeeping.
-
-Status legend: ✅ contracted + pinned (test cited) · 🟡 partial (what holds
-and what's missing, stated) · 🔴 owed (named, never silent).
-
-## LC — Lifecycle
-
-| ID | Brainy row | Status |
-|----|-----------|--------|
-| LC1 | Same-version reopen adopts everything: brain-format epoch match → zero rebuilds; aggregation state adopts by stamp; persisted indexes load. | ✅ `tests/unit/brainy/brain-format-handshake` + `migration-deference` (no-drift reopen never rebuilds) |
-| LC2 | New empty brain: doors immediate. | ✅ exercised by every suite's setup |
-| LC3 | Upgrade, same epoch: as LC1 — new code on unchanged formats owes nothing at open. | ✅ same pins as LC1 (epoch equality is the gate) |
-| LC4 | Upgrade with epoch migration: TODAY brainy's epoch rebuild runs at open before doors. | 🔴 **owed — the sev's lockout row.** The doors-open-serving-old-structures design (yielding installments + atomic swap) lands measured-and-gated behind the service-class pair, per the lifecycle-sprint choreography. Acceptance case: the 9,184-row hours-lockout. |
-| LC5 | Crash recovery: bounded, resumable, narrated. Aggregation leg ✅ (behind-stamp → incremental catch-up off the fact log + time-travel reconciliation, capped at 5,000 affected before an ANNOUNCED rescan). Vector/metadata legs ride epoch machinery (rebuild-from-canonical, narrated). | 🟡 aggregation pinned (`tests/integration/aggregation-lifecycle-catchup`); the rebuild legs are narrated but not yet installment-yielding (couples to LC4) |
-| LC6 | Shutdown under load: close() drains the background flush flight, tears down cadence timers, runs ONE time-bounded compaction pass (~5s budget, resumable). | 🟡 pinned for flush/compaction (8.9.0 suites); SIGTERM drain budget not yet declared |
-| LC7 | Rollback/downgrade: an N−1 build opening an N brain. | 🔴 owed — no declared read-compat window or typed refusal today (epoch mismatch triggers a rebuild, not a refusal; v2 nested-bag records read as a phantom user field on pre-law builds). Needs the declared-window contract. |
-| LC8 | Relocatable brain directory: no absolute paths in artifacts; persist()/load() round-trips. | 🟡 persist/load pinned; byte-for-byte relocation depot cases are the pair gate's (shared corpora) |
-| LC9 | Double-open: second writer gets a typed lock refusal (PID-liveness + heartbeat stale detection; `force` escape hatch logs loudly). | ✅ writer-lock suites (8.7.1) |
-
-## DP — Data plane
-
-| ID | Brainy row | Status |
-|----|-----------|--------|
-| DP1 | `get()` by id: direct storage read + hydrate. INDEX-SERVED (id-mapped). Milliseconds at every scale. | ✅ exercised everywhere; budget rides the pair speed table |
-| DP2 | `find({query})`: embed + vector search. The embed dominates (native side owns the budget); JS HNSW serves the search leg. | 🟡 300ms-class p95 is the pair speed-table row; brainy-alone budget declared there |
-| DP3 | Filtered/sorted list: column top-K when the field is columnized (INDEX-SERVED, zero canonical reads on the sorted page — value pairs come from ONE batched metadata-record pass); no-column fallback is BOUNDED-ANNOUNCED (one batch pass, announces once per field past 500 rows); unknown field → TYPED REFUSAL naming both candidate spellings. | ✅ `tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-sort-callshape` (zero per-row reads, batch-only — latency-blind) + `metadataIndex-nested-orderby` (dotted keys serve-or-refuse) + `tests/integration/orderby-sort-bug` |
-| DP4 | Aggregation/stats: ALWAYS answers. Write-time incremental; behind-stamp reconciles incrementally; genuine rebuilds go through the native parallel door or the paged JS walk; nothing ever latches off; before-image-less deletes flag a LOUD rescan, never a silent skip. | ✅ `tests/integration/aggregation-lifecycle-catchup` + `tests/unit/aggregation/aggregation-provider-rebuild` |
-| DP5 | Graph traversal: `related()` paged via adjacency; whole-graph analytics carry declared cost. | 🟡 paged reads pinned; analytics cost-class declaration owed (rides VENUE-GRAPH-TRUST audit tool) |
-| DP6 | Single write: ack at the canonical commit; visibility committed at ack (the atomic vector update kills the remove→add dark window); maintenance NEVER holds the ack (background flush cadence — THE ACK LAW pins: a hung flush cannot block a write, a hung EMBEDDER cannot block a write). | ✅ `tests/unit/brainy/persistence-policy` + `tests/unit/hnsw/update-item-atomic` + `tests/integration/deferred-embedding` |
-| DP7 | Bulk ingest: sustained rate holds flat — per-write maintenance taxes must not grow with brain size (A4 removed caller-flush convoys; deferred embedding removes the per-write embed tax where opted). | 🟡 the decay-curve row is a pair speed-table RED GATE; brainy-alone sustained-rate run rides the same corpora |
-| DP8 | Read under write pressure: no flicker window — a row that exists is never invisible to recall, even transiently (same-vector re-index is a no-op; changed-vector swaps in place, node never leaves the index; deferred updates serve the OLD vector until the atomic swap — stale-beats-absent). | ✅ brainy leg pinned (`tests/unit/hnsw/update-item-atomic` 9/9 + `deferred-embedding` stale-beats-absent); the symmetry property suite + runtime sentinels remain the B4 program |
-| — | **As-of semantic recall** (time-travel vector search): `asOf(G).find()` serves the vectors AS THEY STOOD at G — byte-exact past vectors, tombstone masking, the deferred-embed cell honest on the vector leg, TYPED refusal beyond the head. Brainy-alone leg = ephemeral at-generation materialization (documented O(n log n at G) build, bounded); the at-scale leg rides the accelerated provider's as-of index. | ✅ `tests/integration/asof-semantic-recall` 4/4 (registry ID pending the master table's mint) |
-| — | **The lazy-open gate honors EVERY provider's not-ready report** (a not-ready metadata provider can no longer latch the silent-empty state under `disableAutoRebuild`). | ✅ `tests/unit/brainy/lazy-notready-honor` |
-
-## MT — Maintenance (never in the door path)
-
-| ID | Brainy row | Status |
-|----|-----------|--------|
-| MT1 | Flush/checkpoint: ENGINE-OWNED cadence (write-count/interval/idle triggers, single-flight, background, loud on failure; callers never flush in hot paths; `flush()` stays as an awaitable barrier). | ✅ `tests/unit/brainy/persistence-policy` |
-| MT2 | Compaction: never on flush (durability-only law, 8.9.0); close-time pass time-budgeted + resumable; explicit `compactHistory({timeBudgetMs})`. | ✅ 8.9.0 suites |
-| MT3 | Index upkeep (mapper folds, delta promotion): native-side machinery; brainy's JS legs are small and synchronous-cheap. | 🟡 declared; yield audit rides the pair |
-| MT4 | Heal/rebuild walks (`repairIndex`, backfill walks): paged; failure latches with cooldown; NOT yet yield-to-foreground installments. | 🔴 owed — the priority-isolation clause (couples to LC4; same choreography) |
-| MT5 | Deferred embedding worker: ack at durability, durable pending markers (written BEFORE the commit — orphan-safe), crash-recovered at open via a bounded prefix listing, single-flight, 60s hang guard, `awaitPendingEmbeds()` barrier + `pendingEmbeds` gauge. VFS write paths adopt it end-to-end. | ✅ `tests/integration/deferred-embedding` 5/5 |
-| MT6 | Retention/archival walks: retention `'all'` does nothing by design; bounded-retention reclaim is close-time/explicit only. | 🟡 8.9.0 behavior pinned; archival profile is the co-frozen D1+D3 unit |
-
-## FM — Failure modes
-
-| ID | Brainy row | Status |
-|----|-----------|--------|
-| FM1 | Disk full / IO error mid-op: transaction rollback + typed error; failed rollback → StoreInconsistentError quarantines writes until repairIndex(). | 🟡 rollback paths pinned; explicit disk-full depot case owed |
-| FM2 | Memory pressure: query limits + reserved-memory config; unified cache eviction. | 🟡 declared budgets; cascade pin owed |
-| FM3 | Torn/corrupt file on open: malformed brain-format marker → safe rebuild (never trusting a bad epoch); corrupt records surface loudly. | 🟡 marker pin ✅ (`brain-format-handshake`); broader quarantine is native-side |
-| FM4 | Native module unavailable: plugin load failure is LOUD (version-coupling law throws on range mismatch — never silently version-drifted); JS engine serves with its own declared budgets, named as the active backend in op names. | ✅ `tests/unit/plugin-version-coupling` + op-name stamping |
-
-## FL — Fleet
-
-| ID | Brainy row | Status |
-|----|-----------|--------|
-| FL1 | Cold open on demand: LC1's adopt-everything open; warm() available for eager paths. | 🟡 open cost pinned at LC1; millisecond budget rides the speed table |
-| FL2–FL4 | Boot storm / upgrade wave / isolation: fleet-layer policies over LC1/LC4 — engine leg = budgeted opens + LC4's behind-doors migration. | 🔴 owed with LC4 |
-| FL5 | Brain as product object: create instant (LC2) · erase = `clear()` explicit + complete · export = portable-graph, canon-complete mode available. | ✅ clear-persistence + portable-graph + canonical-enumeration suites |
-
-## Status summary
-
-Contracted + pinned this train: **DP3, DP4, DP6, DP8(brainy leg), MT1,
-MT5, LC5(aggregation), the lazy-open not-ready gate, LC1/LC3/LC9, FM4,
-FL5** — each with the cited test. Owed, in production-risk order, all
-coupled to the priority-isolation program the lifecycle sev opened: **LC4
-(doors-open migration), MT4 (yielding heals), LC7 (downgrade contract),
-LC6 (SIGTERM budget), FL2–FL4, FM1/FM2 depot cases, B4 symmetry suite +
-sentinels.** Rows move from owed to contracted only with a cited test —
-none lands by prose.
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 6193a630..af338ad8 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "@soulcraft/brainy",
-  "version": "10.0.0",
+  "version": "9.0.0",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "@soulcraft/brainy",
-      "version": "10.0.0",
+      "version": "9.0.0",
       "license": "MIT",
       "dependencies": {
         "@msgpack/msgpack": "^3.1.2",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 7b93cdd7..f4458a1d 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@soulcraft/brainy",
-  "version": "10.0.0",
+  "version": "9.0.0",
   "description": "Universal Knowledge Protocol™ - World's first Triple Intelligence database unifying vector, graph, and document search in one API. Stage 3 CANONICAL: 42 nouns × 127 verbs covering 96-97% of all human knowledge.",
   "main": "dist/index.js",
   "module": "dist/index.js",
diff --git a/scripts/release.sh b/scripts/release.sh
index ce2d0882..b386e580 100755
--- a/scripts/release.sh
+++ b/scripts/release.sh
@@ -175,79 +175,76 @@ echo -e "${BLUE}7️⃣  Creating git tag v${NEW_VERSION}...${NC}"
 git tag -a "v${NEW_VERSION}" -m "Release v${NEW_VERSION}"
 echo -e "${GREEN}✅ Tag created${NC}\n"
 
-# Step 9: Push to origin — The Source is the one home (ruled 2026-07-23; the
+# Step 9: Push to origin — the forge is the one home (ruled 2026-07-23; the
 # old public GitHub repo is archived history, no longer part of any release).
 echo -e "${BLUE}8️⃣  Pushing to origin...${NC}"
 git push --follow-tags origin "$CURRENT_BRANCH"
 echo -e "${GREEN}✅ Pushed to origin${NC}\n"
 
-# Step 10: The home publish (The Source, source.soulcraft.com) is CI's job
-# now, not the laptop's — a tag push (just above) triggers
-# .forgejo/workflows/publish-source.yml, which builds and publishes on The
-# Source's own runner (datacenter-side: seconds, not the laptop's WAN timing
-# out on an 87MB tarball PUT). The laptop holds no home-registry publish
-# credential anymore; it only waits for CI's result before trusting the
-# home/npmjs pair enough to publish the storefront leg.
-SOURCE_NPM_REG="https://source.soulcraft.com/api/packages/soulcraft/npm/"
-SOURCE_POLL_INTERVAL_S=15
-SOURCE_POLL_MAX_ATTEMPTS=200  # 200 × 15s = 50 minutes — the runner is sequential and a busy day's ci.yml
-                             # backlog has twice exceeded the old 20-minute window (8.10.3, 9.0.0);
-                             # ci.yml no longer runs on tag pushes, but same-day branch pushes still queue ahead
-echo -e "${BLUE}9️⃣  Waiting for CI to publish v${NEW_VERSION} to The Source registry (home)...${NC}"
-SOURCE_LANDED=false
-for ((attempt = 1; attempt <= SOURCE_POLL_MAX_ATTEMPTS; attempt++)); do
-  LANDED_VERSION=$(npm view "@soulcraft/brainy@${NEW_VERSION}" version "--@soulcraft:registry=${SOURCE_NPM_REG}" 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+# Step 10: Forge publish is CI's job now, not the laptop's — a tag push (just
+# above) triggers .forgejo/workflows/publish-forge.yml, which builds and
+# publishes on the forge's own runner (datacenter-side: seconds, not the
+# laptop's WAN timing out on an 87MB tarball PUT). The laptop holds no forge
+# publish credential anymore; it only waits for CI's result before trusting
+# the forge/npmjs pair enough to publish the storefront leg.
+FORGE_NPM_REG="https://source.soulcraft.com/api/packages/soulcraft/npm/"
+FORGE_POLL_INTERVAL_S=15
+FORGE_POLL_MAX_ATTEMPTS=80  # 80 × 15s = 20 minutes — the runner is sequential; the publish run queues behind ci.yml jobs
+echo -e "${BLUE}9️⃣  Waiting for CI to publish v${NEW_VERSION} to the forge registry (home)...${NC}"
+FORGE_LANDED=false
+for ((attempt = 1; attempt <= FORGE_POLL_MAX_ATTEMPTS; attempt++)); do
+  LANDED_VERSION=$(npm view "@soulcraft/brainy@${NEW_VERSION}" version "--@soulcraft:registry=${FORGE_NPM_REG}" 2>/dev/null || echo "")
   if [ "$LANDED_VERSION" = "$NEW_VERSION" ]; then
-    SOURCE_LANDED=true
+    FORGE_LANDED=true
     break
   fi
-  echo -e "${YELLOW}   … not yet on The Source (attempt ${attempt}/${SOURCE_POLL_MAX_ATTEMPTS}); retrying in ${SOURCE_POLL_INTERVAL_S}s${NC}"
-  sleep "$SOURCE_POLL_INTERVAL_S"
+  echo -e "${YELLOW}   … not yet on the forge (attempt ${attempt}/${FORGE_POLL_MAX_ATTEMPTS}); retrying in ${FORGE_POLL_INTERVAL_S}s${NC}"
+  sleep "$FORGE_POLL_INTERVAL_S"
 done
 
-if [ "$SOURCE_LANDED" = true ]; then
-  echo -e "${GREEN}✅ CI published v${NEW_VERSION} to The Source${NC}\n"
+if [ "$FORGE_LANDED" = true ]; then
+  echo -e "${GREEN}✅ CI published v${NEW_VERSION} to the forge${NC}\n"
 else
-  echo -e "${RED}❌ CI's home publish did not land — check the workflow run on The Source; the pair must not diverge.${NC}"
+  echo -e "${RED}❌ CI forge publish did not land — check the workflow run on The Source; the pair must not diverge.${NC}"
   echo -e "${RED}   v${NEW_VERSION} was tagged and pushed, but @soulcraft/brainy@${NEW_VERSION} never became visible on the${NC}"
-  echo -e "${RED}   Source registry after ${SOURCE_POLL_MAX_ATTEMPTS} attempts, ${SOURCE_POLL_INTERVAL_S}s apart. Aborting before npmjs.${NC}"
+  echo -e "${RED}   forge registry after ${FORGE_POLL_MAX_ATTEMPTS} attempts, ${FORGE_POLL_INTERVAL_S}s apart. Aborting before npmjs.${NC}"
   exit 1
 fi
 
 echo -e "${BLUE}9️⃣½  Publishing to npmjs (storefront, dist-tag: ${NPM_TAG})...${NC}"
 # BYTE-IDENTITY LAW: the storefront republishes CI's EXACT artifact — download
-# the tarball The Source serves and publish that file, never a fresh local pack
+# the tarball the forge serves and publish that file, never a fresh local pack
 # (a local rebuild can differ byte-wise, and the fleet verifies the pair by
 # shasum across registries).
 STOREFRONT_TMP="$(mktemp -d)"
-(cd "$STOREFRONT_TMP" && npm pack "@soulcraft/brainy@${NEW_VERSION}" "--@soulcraft:registry=${SOURCE_NPM_REG}" >/dev/null)
-SOURCE_TARBALL="$(ls "$STOREFRONT_TMP"/soulcraft-brainy-*.tgz)"
-echo -e "${BLUE}   home artifact: $(sha256sum "$SOURCE_TARBALL" | cut -d' ' -f1)${NC}"
-npm publish "$SOURCE_TARBALL" --tag "$NPM_TAG" "--@soulcraft:registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/"
+(cd "$STOREFRONT_TMP" && npm pack "@soulcraft/brainy@${NEW_VERSION}" "--@soulcraft:registry=${FORGE_NPM_REG}" >/dev/null)
+FORGE_TARBALL="$(ls "$STOREFRONT_TMP"/soulcraft-brainy-*.tgz)"
+echo -e "${BLUE}   forge artifact: $(sha256sum "$FORGE_TARBALL" | cut -d' ' -f1)${NC}"
+npm publish "$FORGE_TARBALL" --tag "$NPM_TAG" "--@soulcraft:registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/"
 rm -rf "$STOREFRONT_TMP"
 # Brainy is the only PUBLIC @soulcraft package — verify visibility after every publish.
 npm access get status @soulcraft/brainy "--@soulcraft:registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/" || true
 # Verify the pair is byte-identical by registry-reported shasum — divergence here
 # means the storefront leg must be treated as failed, loudly.
-SOURCE_SHA=$(npm view "@soulcraft/brainy@${NEW_VERSION}" dist.shasum "--@soulcraft:registry=${SOURCE_NPM_REG}" 2>/dev/null || echo "source-unavailable")
+FORGE_SHA=$(npm view "@soulcraft/brainy@${NEW_VERSION}" dist.shasum "--@soulcraft:registry=${FORGE_NPM_REG}" 2>/dev/null || echo "forge-unavailable")
 NPMJS_SHA=$(npm view "@soulcraft/brainy@${NEW_VERSION}" dist.shasum "--@soulcraft:registry=https://registry.npmjs.org/" 2>/dev/null || echo "npmjs-unavailable")
-if [ "$SOURCE_SHA" = "$NPMJS_SHA" ]; then
+if [ "$FORGE_SHA" = "$NPMJS_SHA" ]; then
   echo -e "${GREEN}✅ Published to npmjs — byte-identical pair (shasum ${NPMJS_SHA})${NC}\n"
 else
-  echo -e "${RED}❌ REGISTRY DIVERGENCE: The Source shasum ${SOURCE_SHA} != npmjs shasum ${NPMJS_SHA} — investigate before announcing${NC}\n"
+  echo -e "${RED}❌ REGISTRY DIVERGENCE: forge shasum ${FORGE_SHA} != npmjs shasum ${NPMJS_SHA} — investigate before announcing${NC}\n"
   exit 1
 fi
 
-# Step 11: Release object on The Source (presentational — the tag, CHANGELOG,
-# and RELEASES.md are the record; this just gives The Source's UI a release page).
-echo -e "${BLUE}🔟 Creating release page on The Source...${NC}"
+# Step 11: Release object on the forge (presentational — the tag, CHANGELOG,
+# and RELEASES.md are the record; this just gives the forge UI a release page).
+echo -e "${BLUE}🔟 Creating forge release...${NC}"
 if [ -n "${FORGEJO_RELEASE_TOKEN:-}" ]; then
   if curl -sf -X POST "https://source.soulcraft.com/api/v1/repos/soulcraft/brainy/releases" \
     -H "Authorization: token ${FORGEJO_RELEASE_TOKEN}" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d "{\"tag_name\":\"v${NEW_VERSION}\",\"name\":\"v${NEW_VERSION}\",\"prerelease\":${PRERELEASE}}" >/dev/null; then
-    echo -e "${GREEN}✅ Release page created on The Source${NC}\n"
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✅ Forge release created${NC}\n"
   else
-    echo -e "${RED}⚠️  Release-page API call failed — tag + CHANGELOG remain the record; create the page via The Source's UI if wanted${NC}\n"
+    echo -e "${RED}⚠️  Forge release API call failed — tag + CHANGELOG remain the record; create the release page via the forge UI if wanted${NC}\n"
   fi
 else
   echo -e "${RED}⚠️  FORGEJO_RELEASE_TOKEN unset — no release page created; tag + CHANGELOG remain the record${NC}\n"
@@ -270,4 +267,4 @@ echo -e "${GREEN}🎉 Release ${NEW_VERSION} complete!${NC}"
 echo -e "${GREEN}━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━${NC}"
 echo ""
 echo -e "📦 npm: ${BLUE}https://www.npmjs.com/package/@soulcraft/brainy/v/${NEW_VERSION}${NC}"
-echo -e "🏠 The Source: ${BLUE}https://source.soulcraft.com/soulcraft/brainy/releases/tag/v${NEW_VERSION}${NC}"
+echo -e "🏠 Forge: ${BLUE}https://source.soulcraft.com/soulcraft/brainy/releases/tag/v${NEW_VERSION}${NC}"
diff --git a/src/aggregation/AggregationIndex.ts b/src/aggregation/AggregationIndex.ts
index d3a1fd74..ca44ac8b 100644
--- a/src/aggregation/AggregationIndex.ts
+++ b/src/aggregation/AggregationIndex.ts
@@ -371,15 +371,6 @@ export class AggregationIndex {
    */
   private pendingAdopt = new Set<string>()
 
-  /**
-   * Aggregates adopted with a BEHIND stamp: name → the exact generation
-   * window `(from, to]` whose writes the adopted state has not seen. The
-   * owner (Brainy) drains this via {@link getPendingCatchUps} +
-   * {@link reconcileEntity} + {@link finishCatchUp} BEFORE serving queries —
-   * cost bounded by the window's affected entities, never store size.
-   */
-  private pendingCatchUp = new Map<string, { from: number; to: number }>()
-
   /**
    * In-flight rescan targets. While a name has a staging map, ALL
    * contributions (the walk's and concurrent write hooks') land there instead
@@ -446,47 +437,25 @@ export class AggregationIndex {
   }
 
   /**
-   * The adoption verdict for persisted state, against the store's committed
-   * watermark (SELF-ENGINE-LIFECYCLE-SPRINT ask (b) — behind-stamp is no
-   * longer a whole-store rescan):
-   *
-   * - `'adopt'` — stamp equals the watermark (clean), or the store has no
-   *   watermark capability (hash-only adoption, the pre-stamp behavior).
-   * - `'catchup'` — stamp is BEHIND the watermark (an unclean exit after
-   *   later writes, or a long-lived writer whose last flush predates recent
-   *   writes). The state is exact AS OF its stamp, so it is adopted and the
-   *   missing window `(stamp, committed]` is reconciled INCREMENTALLY per
-   *   affected entity via time-travel reads — bounded by writes since the
-   *   last flush, never by store size. The owner drains
-   *   {@link getPendingCatchUps} before serving queries.
-   * - `'rescan'` — no stamp (pre-stamp state on a stamped store) or stamp
-   *   AHEAD of the watermark (e.g. a fact-log truncation on a copied store
-   *   pulled the watermark back): the state over-counts unverifiably; one
-   *   exact rescan, said out loud.
+   * May this persisted state be ADOPTED? When the store exposes its committed
+   * watermark, the state's `sourceGeneration` must EQUAL it: behind means
+   * later writes are missing from the state (unclean shutdown); ahead means
+   * it counts writes that no longer exist (e.g. a fact-log truncation on a
+   * copied store pulled the watermark back). Either way: one exact rescan,
+   * said out loud — never a silent adopt. Stores without the capability (and
+   * pre-stamp state on them) fall back to hash-only adoption.
    */
-  private stateAdoptionVerdict(
-    name: string,
-    stateData: unknown
-  ): 'adopt' | 'catchup' | 'rescan' {
+  private stateGenerationAdoptable(name: string, stateData: unknown): boolean {
     const committed = this.storage.committedGeneration?.() ?? null
-    if (committed === null) return 'adopt'
+    if (committed === null) return true
     const raw = (stateData as Record<string, unknown>).sourceGeneration
     const stamped = typeof raw === 'number' ? raw : null
-    if (stamped === committed) return 'adopt'
-    if (stamped !== null && stamped < committed) {
-      this.pendingCatchUp.set(name, { from: stamped, to: committed })
-      prodLog.info(
-        `[Aggregation] '${name}': persisted state is at generation ${stamped}, store is at ` +
-          `${committed} — adopting and reconciling the ${committed - stamped}-generation window ` +
-          `incrementally (no store rescan)`
-      )
-      return 'catchup'
-    }
+    if (stamped === committed) return true
     prodLog.warn(
       `[Aggregation] '${name}': persisted state is at generation ${stamped ?? 'unstamped'} ` +
         `but the store's committed generation is ${committed} — rescanning instead of adopting`
     )
-    return 'rescan'
+    return false
   }
 
   private async loadPersisted(): Promise<void> {
@@ -507,21 +476,20 @@ export class AggregationIndex {
           const appHash = this.definitionHashes.get(def.name) || ''
           if (appHash === savedHash && this.pendingAdopt.has(def.name)) {
             const stateData = await this.storage.getMetadata(`${STATE_KEY_PREFIX}${def.name}__`)
-            const verdict =
-              stateData && stateData.groups
-                ? this.stateAdoptionVerdict(def.name, stateData)
-                : 'rescan'
-            if (verdict !== 'rescan') {
+            if (
+              stateData &&
+              stateData.groups &&
+              this.stateGenerationAdoptable(def.name, stateData)
+            ) {
               const groupMap = new Map<string, AggregateGroupState>()
-              for (const group of stateData!.groups as AggregateGroupState[]) {
+              for (const group of stateData.groups as AggregateGroupState[]) {
                 groupMap.set(serializeGroupKey(group.groupKey), group)
               }
               this.states.set(def.name, groupMap)
               this.pendingAdopt.delete(def.name)
               this.needsBackfill.delete(def.name)
               prodLog.info(
-                `[Aggregation] '${def.name}': adopted persisted state (${groupMap.size} groups) — ` +
-                  (verdict === 'catchup' ? 'incremental catch-up pending' : 'no rescan')
+                `[Aggregation] '${def.name}': adopted persisted state (${groupMap.size} groups) — no rescan`
               )
             }
             // No/invalid persisted state: stays in pendingAdopt and resolves
@@ -536,23 +504,22 @@ export class AggregationIndex {
         const currentHash = hashDefinition(def)
 
         const stateData = await this.storage.getMetadata(`${STATE_KEY_PREFIX}${def.name}__`)
-        const restoreVerdict =
-          stateData && stateData.groups && savedHash === currentHash
-            ? this.stateAdoptionVerdict(def.name, stateData)
-            : 'rescan'
-        if (restoreVerdict !== 'rescan') {
-          // Definition unchanged — load state (exact as of its stamp; a
-          // 'catchup' verdict reconciles the missing window incrementally).
+        if (
+          stateData &&
+          stateData.groups &&
+          savedHash === currentHash &&
+          this.stateGenerationAdoptable(def.name, stateData)
+        ) {
+          // Definition unchanged — load state
           const groupMap = new Map<string, AggregateGroupState>()
-          for (const group of stateData!.groups as AggregateGroupState[]) {
+          for (const group of stateData.groups as AggregateGroupState[]) {
             const serialized = serializeGroupKey(group.groupKey)
             groupMap.set(serialized, group)
           }
           this.states.set(def.name, groupMap)
           this.needsBackfill.delete(def.name)
           prodLog.info(
-            `[Aggregation] '${def.name}': restored definition + adopted persisted state (${groupMap.size} groups)` +
-              (restoreVerdict === 'catchup' ? ' — incremental catch-up pending' : '')
+            `[Aggregation] '${def.name}': restored definition + adopted persisted state (${groupMap.size} groups)`
           )
         } else {
           // Definition changed or no saved state — start fresh and backfill from
@@ -570,35 +537,15 @@ export class AggregationIndex {
       }
     }
 
-    // Restore native provider state from persistence — GATED by the same
-    // adoption verdict as caller-side state (the unconditional adopt was an
-    // asymmetry: a stale native blob restored over a moved store silently
-    // over/under-counted). 'adopt' restores; 'catchup' restores too (the
-    // incremental reconciliation drives the provider through
-    // incrementalUpdate over the exact missing window); 'rescan' SKIPS the
-    // blob — the flagged rebuild repopulates the provider from source.
-    // Legacy unstamped envelopes verdict as rescan, loudly, never silently.
+    // Restore native provider state from persistence
     if (this.nativeProvider?.restoreState) {
       const nativeState = await this.storage.getMetadata('__aggregation_native_state__')
-      const blob =
-        nativeState && typeof nativeState === 'string'
-          ? nativeState
-          : nativeState && typeof nativeState === 'object' && nativeState.data
-            ? (nativeState.data as string)
-            : null
-      if (blob !== null) {
-        const verdict = this.stateAdoptionVerdict(
-          '__native__',
-          nativeState && typeof nativeState === 'object' ? (nativeState as Record<string, unknown>) : {}
-        )
-        if (verdict === 'adopt' || verdict === 'catchup') {
-          this.nativeProvider.restoreState(blob)
-        } else {
-          prodLog.warn(
-            `[Aggregation] native provider state not adopted (verdict: ${verdict}) — ` +
-              `the flagged rescan repopulates the provider from source`
-          )
-        }
+      if (nativeState && typeof nativeState === 'string') {
+        this.nativeProvider.restoreState(nativeState)
+      } else if (nativeState && typeof nativeState === 'object' && nativeState.data) {
+        // flush() persists `{ data: serializeState() }`, so `data` is the
+        // provider's serialized state string.
+        this.nativeProvider.restoreState(nativeState.data as string)
       }
     }
   }
@@ -634,17 +581,12 @@ export class AggregationIndex {
       }
     }
 
-    // Persist native provider state — stamped. noteSourceGeneration lets the
-    // provider bake the committed watermark into its OWN envelope before
-    // serializing (so a native-side reopen can verify honesty without our
-    // wrapper); the wrapper carries the same stamp for OUR adoption verdict.
+    // Persist native provider state
     if (this.nativeProvider?.serializeState) {
-      const nativeGen = this.storage.committedGeneration?.() ?? null
-      if (nativeGen !== null) this.nativeProvider.noteSourceGeneration?.(nativeGen)
       const nativeState = this.nativeProvider.serializeState()
       await this.storage.saveMetadata(
         '__aggregation_native_state__',
-        nativeGen === null ? { data: nativeState } : { data: nativeState, sourceGeneration: nativeGen }
+        { data: nativeState }
       )
     }
 
@@ -805,119 +747,6 @@ export class AggregationIndex {
     this.dirty.add(name)
   }
 
-  // ============= Incremental Catch-Up (behind-stamp adoption) =============
-
-  /** The aggregates adopted behind the watermark, with their exact missing windows. */
-  getPendingCatchUps(): Array<{ name: string; from: number; to: number }> {
-    return Array.from(this.pendingCatchUp, ([name, w]) => ({ name, ...w }))
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Reconcile ONE entity's contribution across a catch-up window using the
-   * same exact delta algebra the write-time hooks use: remove the
-   * contribution the adopted state counted (the entity AS OF the stamp),
-   * add the contribution it should count (AS OF the window's end). `null`
-   * on either side means the entity did not exist then. Composes exactly
-   * with live hooks because every application is a precise old/new pair —
-   * order between catch-up and post-window writes cannot drift the totals.
-   */
-  reconcileEntity(
-    name: string,
-    id: string,
-    before: Record<string, unknown> | null,
-    after: Record<string, unknown> | null
-  ): void {
-    const def = this.definitions.get(name)
-    if (!def) return
-    if (before && after) {
-      if (isAggregateEntity(after)) return
-      const oldMatches = matchesSource(before, def.source)
-      const newMatches = matchesSource(after, def.source)
-      if (this.nativeProvider && (oldMatches || newMatches)) {
-        this.applyNativeResults(
-          name,
-          this.nativeProvider.incrementalUpdate(name, def, after, 'update', before)
-        )
-        return
-      }
-      if (oldMatches) this.removeContribution(name, def, before)
-      if (newMatches) this.addContribution(name, def, after)
-      return
-    }
-    if (after) {
-      if (isAggregateEntity(after) || !matchesSource(after, def.source)) return
-      if (this.nativeProvider) {
-        this.applyNativeResults(name, this.nativeProvider.incrementalUpdate(name, def, after, 'add'))
-      } else {
-        this.addContribution(name, def, after)
-      }
-      return
-    }
-    if (before) {
-      if (isAggregateEntity(before) || !matchesSource(before, def.source)) return
-      if (this.nativeProvider) {
-        this.applyNativeResults(name, this.nativeProvider.incrementalUpdate(name, def, before, 'delete'))
-      } else {
-        this.removeContribution(name, def, before)
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  /** Whether the native provider offers the parallel whole-rebuild path. */
-  hasProviderRebuild(): boolean {
-    return typeof this.nativeProvider?.rebuildAggregate === 'function'
-  }
-
-  /** The catch-up window for `name` is fully reconciled; state is current. */
-  finishCatchUp(name: string): void {
-    this.pendingCatchUp.delete(name)
-    this.dirty.add(name)
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * A catch-up could not complete (window unreadable, affected set over the
-   * bound, …): demote to an exact rescan, loudly — never serve un-reconciled.
-   */
-  demoteCatchUpToBackfill(name: string, reason: string): void {
-    this.pendingCatchUp.delete(name)
-    this.needsBackfill.add(name)
-    prodLog.warn(`[Aggregation] '${name}': catch-up demoted to full rescan — ${reason}`)
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Rebuild an aggregate through the native provider's parallel path
-   * (SELF-ENGINE-LIFECYCLE-SPRINT ask (c) — `rebuildAggregate` existed on
-   * the provider contract but was never invoked; the JS walk fed
-   * per-entity FFI calls instead). Returns false when no provider rebuild
-   * exists — the caller streams the JS walk as before.
-   */
-  rebuildWithProvider(name: string, entities: Array<Record<string, unknown>>): boolean {
-    const def = this.definitions.get(name)
-    if (!def || !this.nativeProvider?.rebuildAggregate) return false
-    const rebuilt = this.nativeProvider.rebuildAggregate(
-      def,
-      entities.filter(e => !isAggregateEntity(e) && matchesSource(e, def.source))
-    )
-    this.states.set(name, rebuilt)
-    this.backfillStaging.delete(name)
-    this.needsBackfill.delete(name)
-    this.dirty.add(name)
-    return true
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * A write-path hook could not see the entity it needed (e.g. a delete
-   * whose before-image was unavailable): flag EVERY defined aggregate for
-   * an exact rescan, loudly — the counts must never silently drift
-   * (SELF-ENGINE-LIFECYCLE-SPRINT ask (d): the gated hook used to SKIP).
-   */
-  flagAllForRescan(reason: string): void {
-    for (const name of this.definitions.keys()) this.needsBackfill.add(name)
-    prodLog.warn(
-      `[Aggregation] all ${this.definitions.size} aggregate(s) flagged for rescan — ${reason}`
-    )
-  }
-
   // ============= Write-Time Hooks =============
 
   /**
diff --git a/src/brainy.ts b/src/brainy.ts
index a0f06931..600e4474 100644
--- a/src/brainy.ts
+++ b/src/brainy.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ import {
 } from './storage/brainFormat.js'
 import type { BrainFormat } from './storage/brainFormat.js'
 import { StorageAdapter, Vector, DistanceFunction, EmbeddingFunction, GraphVerb, STANDARD_ENTITY_FIELDS } from './coreTypes.js'
-import type { HNSWNoun, HNSWNounWithMetadata, HNSWVerbWithMetadata, EntityVisibility } from './coreTypes.js'
+import type { HNSWNounWithMetadata, HNSWVerbWithMetadata, EntityVisibility } from './coreTypes.js'
 import {
   defaultEmbeddingFunction,
   cosineDistance,
@@ -97,7 +97,6 @@ import {
   SaveVerbOperation,
   AddToGraphIndexOperation,
   RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation,
-  ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation,
   RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation,
   RemoveFromGraphIndexOperation,
   UpdateNounMetadataOperation,
@@ -161,8 +160,6 @@ import { AggregationIndex } from './aggregation/AggregationIndex.js'
 import { AggregateMaterializer } from './aggregation/materializer.js'
 import type { AggregateDefinition, AggregateQueryParams, AggregateResult } from './types/brainy.types.js'
 import type { MigrationProgress } from './types/brainy.types.js'
-import type { IndexedProjectionPath, WaitForIndexedOptions } from './types/brainy.types.js'
-import { WaitForIndexedTimeoutError } from './types/brainy.types.js'
 import { resolveJsHnswConfig, DEFAULT_RECALL } from './utils/recallPreset.js'
 import * as fs from 'node:fs'
 import * as os from 'node:os'
@@ -178,7 +175,7 @@ import {
   type ImportResult
 } from './db/portableGraph.js'
 import { GenerationStore, type CommitBeforeImages } from './db/generationStore.js'
-import type { FactScanHandle, FactMarkerRecord } from './db/factLog.js'
+import type { FactScanHandle } from './db/factLog.js'
 import {
   ENTITY_TREE_STAMP_PATH,
   readFamilyStamp,
@@ -196,18 +193,6 @@ import { isDeterministicEmbedMode } from './embeddings/deterministicEmbedMode.js
 import { GenerationConflictError, StoreInconsistentError } from './db/errors.js'
 import { BrainyError, GraphIndexNotReadyError, MetadataIndexNotReadyError, MigrationInProgressError, VectorIndexNotReadyError } from './errors/brainyError.js'
 import { assessIndexReadiness } from './utils/indexReadiness.js'
-import { reconstructNounWrapper } from './db/factLog.js'
-import {
-  readLogAuthority,
-  runLogCompletenessOracle,
-  flipToLogAuthority,
-  recordDigest,
-  nounEntityTruth,
-  LOG_AUTHORITY_PATH,
-  type LogAuthorityRecord,
-  type LogAuthorityStorage,
-  type OracleReport
-} from './db/logAuthority.js'
 import { MemoryStorage } from './storage/adapters/memoryStorage.js'
 import type {
   CompactHistoryOptions,
@@ -287,7 +272,6 @@ type ResolvedBrainyConfig = Required<
     | 'eagerEmbeddings'
     | 'migrationWaitTimeoutMs'
     | 'transactionBudgetFloorMs'
-    | 'persistence'
   >
 > &
   Pick<
@@ -301,7 +285,6 @@ type ResolvedBrainyConfig = Required<
     | 'eagerEmbeddings'
     | 'migrationWaitTimeoutMs'
     | 'transactionBudgetFloorMs'
-    | 'persistence'
   >
 
 /**
@@ -385,13 +368,6 @@ interface PlannedTransact {
    * rejected batch (CAS conflict, failed apply) emits nothing.
    */
   changeEvents: PendingChangeEvent[]
-  /**
-   * V2 marker records riding the batch's ONE commit fact (e.g. the
-   * deferred-embedding pending markers) — same generation, same atomic
-   * append as the batch itself. A rejected batch appends no fact, so no
-   * marker outlives its write.
-   */
-  markerRecords: FactMarkerRecord[]
 }
 
 /**
@@ -543,24 +519,9 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
    * store has assigned the batch generation by then; for single-op writes it
    * reads the post-write watermark. The arrow body reads `generationStore`
    * lazily, so it is safe to define before `init()` assigns the store.
-   * Metadata/vector index writes use the bootstrap-honest twin
-   * {@link indexWriteGeneration} below.
    */
   private readonly graphWriteGeneration = (): bigint =>
     BigInt(this.generationStore.generation())
-  /**
-   * The metadata/vector twin of {@link graphWriteGeneration}, honest about
-   * bootstrap: while generation stamping is inactive (init-time
-   * infrastructure writes, e.g. the VFS root, applied via
-   * `runWithoutGeneration`) there IS no commit generation — this resolves to
-   * `undefined` so a provider records "unstamped", never a fabricated 0.
-   * The graph thunk keeps its non-optional `bigint` contract (no graph
-   * writes occur during bootstrap).
-   */
-  private readonly indexWriteGeneration = (): bigint | undefined =>
-    this._generationStampingActive
-      ? BigInt(this.generationStore.generation())
-      : undefined
   /** Lazily built host surface shared by every `Db` value of this brain. */
   private _dbHost?: DbHost<T>
   /**
@@ -722,27 +683,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
   private _pendingMigrationRunner?: MigrationRunner  // Deferred migration runner for large datasets
   private _aggregationIndex?: AggregationIndex       // Incremental aggregation engine
   private _aggregationBackfillFlight: Promise<void> | null = null  // Single-flight backfill walk
-  private _aggregationCatchUpFlight: Promise<void> | null = null   // Single-flight behind-stamp catch-up
-
-  // ENGINE-OWNED PERSISTENCE CADENCE (SELF-ENGINE-LIFECYCLE-SPRINT):
-  // write-count / interval / idle triggers → ONE background flush at a time.
-  // Write acks NEVER await it; a failed background flush is LOUD and re-armed.
-  private _persistDirtyWrites = 0
-  private _persistLastFlushAt = Date.now()
-  private _persistIdleTimer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | null = null
-  private _persistBackgroundFlight: Promise<void> | null = null
-
-  // DEFERRED EMBEDDING (MT5): pending markers are LOG RECORDS — an
-  // embed.pending record rides the deferred write's own commit fact and
-  // embed.landed rides the landing commit; this set is the in-memory
-  // fast-path index, rebuilt at open by folding the log's marker records.
-  // ONE background worker drains it. A crash can delay a vector, never
-  // lose one.
-  private _pendingEmbedIds = new Set<string>()
-  private _embedWorkerFlight: Promise<void> | null = null
-
-  /** The stored log-authority switch, read once at open (default: tree). */
-  private _logAuthority: LogAuthorityRecord = { authority: 'tree' }
   // A failed walk latches its error: retries within the cooldown rethrow it
   // instantly instead of re-walking, so a tight caller-side retry loop costs
   // one loud error per query, never a full store walk per query.
@@ -1288,42 +1228,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         this.graphIndex = graphIndex
       }
 
-      // Fact-log v2 mint seam: after-image records carry minted dense ints,
-      // and the ONE authority for those assignments is the metadata index's
-      // id mapper (append-only getOrAssign — a rebuilt mapper reproduces
-      // them exactly). The generation store cannot know the mapper, so the
-      // mint thunk is injected here, immediately after the index is ready;
-      // installing it is what flips the fact log's LIVE writes to the v2
-      // segment format. A configuration whose mapper is unavailable throws
-      // at mint time — an int of 0 is never written.
-      this.generationStore.setIntMinter((kind, id) => {
-        const mapper = this.metadataIndex?.getIdMapper?.()
-        if (!mapper || typeof mapper.getOrAssign !== 'function') {
-          throw new Error(
-            `fact log v2: cannot mint the ${kind} int for ${id} — the metadata index's ` +
-              `id mapper is unavailable on this configuration; refusing to write an ` +
-              `after-image without a reproducible int`
-          )
-        }
-        const minted = mapper.getOrAssign(id, undefined)
-        const asBigint = typeof minted === 'bigint' ? minted : BigInt(minted)
-        // THE RESERVED-ROOT EXEMPTION: the VFS root (the all-zeros UUID) is
-        // minted int 0 BY CONSTRUCTION at genesis on existing brains — the
-        // one legitimate zero in the id space. Zero for ANY other id is a
-        // corrupt mint and refuses. (Without this, every existing brain's
-        // adoption oracle false-flagged its own root and refused the flip.)
-        const isReservedRoot =
-          asBigint === 0n && id === '00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000'
-        if (asBigint < 0n || (asBigint === 0n && !isReservedRoot)) {
-          throw new Error(
-            `fact log v2: the id mapper minted ${asBigint} for ${kind} ${id} — ` +
-              `minted ints are positive (int 0 is reserved for the VFS root alone); ` +
-              `refusing to write`
-          )
-        }
-        return asBigint
-      })
-
       // Eager cold-load (readiness contract). A provider that persists its
       // derived state exposes init?(): trigger the load NOW — AFTER
       // metadataIndex.init() above (the id-mapper is hydrated first, so a
@@ -1381,20 +1285,7 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       // gap for observability.
       for (const provider of this.versionedIndexProviders()) {
         const providerGen = provider.generation()
-        // Defensive finite-integer guard: committedGeneration() is validated
-        // at the store's open (torn artifacts discard, narrated) — but a
-        // RangeError here would kill the whole open, so the consumer guards
-        // too. A non-finite value narrates and skips the gap check (the
-        // provider's own replay contract still governs).
-        const committedRaw = this.generationStore.committedGeneration()
-        if (!Number.isSafeInteger(committedRaw) || committedRaw < 0) {
-          prodLog.warn(
-            `[Brainy] committed generation is non-integer (${String(committedRaw)}) at ` +
-              `init — torn-artifact survivor; skipping the provider replay-gap check`
-          )
-          continue
-        }
-        const committed = BigInt(committedRaw)
+        const committed = BigInt(this.generationStore.committedGeneration())
         if (providerGen < committed) {
           prodLog.info(
             `[Brainy] Versioned index provider is at generation ${providerGen} ` +
@@ -1515,89 +1406,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         this._generationStampingActive = true
       }
 
-      // LOG-AUTHORITY SWITCH (checked at open only). A STORED artifact
-      // always wins: an already-flipped brain runs durable-at-ack; an
-      // explicitly-recorded tree posture is honored. With NO artifact, the
-      // 10.0.0 FLEET DEFAULT is ADOPT-AT-OPEN (config logAuthority:
-      // 'adopt'): the verification oracle gates the flip — curable
-      // divergences are baseline-backfilled, the brain flips ONLY on green,
-      // and a brain that cannot go green STAYS tree-authoritative LOUDLY
-      // with the refusal recorded (cheap subsequent opens; an operator
-      // re-runs adoptLogAuthority() after fixing the divergence).
-      // 'defer' is the documented opt-out: no automatic adoption.
-      if (!this.isReadOnly) {
-        const storedArtifact = await this.storage
-          .readRawObject(LOG_AUTHORITY_PATH)
-          .catch(() => null)
-        const authority = await readLogAuthority(this.storage)
-        this._logAuthority = authority
-        if (authority.authority === 'log') {
-          this.generationStore.setLogDurability('at-ack')
-          prodLog.info('[Brainy] storage authority: generation log (durable-at-ack enabled)')
-        } else if (
-          storedArtifact === null &&
-          this.config.logAuthority === 'adopt' &&
-          this.generationStore.getFactLog() !== null
-        ) {
-          try {
-            await this.adoptLogAuthority()
-            prodLog.info(
-              '[Brainy] storage authority adopted at open: generation log ' +
-                '(fleet default; oracle green; durable-at-ack enabled)'
-            )
-          } catch (err) {
-            // The guarded ruling: a brain that cannot verify STAYS tree,
-            // loudly, with the refusal recorded so subsequent opens are
-            // cheap. Never a silent half-state; never a failed open.
-            const reason = (err as Error).message
-            prodLog.warn(
-              `[Brainy] log-authority adoption REFUSED at open — this brain stays ` +
-                `tree-authoritative until an operator resolves the divergence and ` +
-                `re-runs adoptLogAuthority(). Reason: ${reason}`
-            )
-            try {
-              const refusal: LogAuthorityRecord = {
-                authority: 'tree',
-                adoptRefusal: { at: Date.now(), reason: reason.slice(0, 500) }
-              }
-              await this.storage.writeRawObject(LOG_AUTHORITY_PATH, refusal)
-              this._logAuthority = refusal
-            } catch {
-              // Unrecordable refusal = the next open retries the oracle —
-              // the conservative outcome.
-            }
-          }
-        }
-      }
-
-      // MT5 crash recovery — REPLAY, NOT LISTING: the pending-embed markers
-      // live IN the generation log (embed.pending rides the deferred write's
-      // own fact; embed.landed rides the landing commit), so recovery folds
-      // the log's marker records back into the in-memory set — after the
-      // one-time bridge migrates any sidecar files a pre-log build left
-      // behind — and resumes the worker in the background. A crash between
-      // a deferred write's ack and its background embed DELAYED a vector;
-      // this is where it lands.
-      if (!this.isReadOnly) {
-        try {
-          await this.bridgeLegacyPendingEmbedSidecars()
-          await this.recoverPendingEmbedsFromLog()
-          if (this._pendingEmbedIds.size > 0) {
-            prodLog.info(
-              `[Brainy] ${this._pendingEmbedIds.size} deferred embed(s) pending from a previous ` +
-                `session — resuming in the background`
-            )
-            const t = setTimeout(() => this.kickEmbedWorker(), 0)
-            ;(t as { unref?: () => void }).unref?.()
-          }
-        } catch (err) {
-          prodLog.warn(
-            `[Brainy] pending-embed recovery failed: ${(err as Error).message} — ` +
-              `the log's markers remain durable; recovery retries next open`
-          )
-        }
-      }
-
       // Eager embedding initialization.
       //
       // Adaptive default (8.0): the WASM embedding engine eagerly initializes
@@ -2019,466 +1827,12 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
    *   deletes — the before-image + per-id-chain set.
    * @param run - The single-op's existing operation batch builder (the
    *   `tx => {…}` body previously passed straight to `executeTransaction`).
-   * @param precommit - Optional CAS precondition, run under the commit mutex.
-   * @param pendingEvents - Change-feed events to stamp and emit post-commit.
-   * @param records - Optional v2 marker records (e.g. the deferred-embedding
-   *   lifecycle markers) riding this write's commit fact — same generation,
-   *   one atomic append. Refused on generation-less bootstrap writes.
    */
-  /**
-   * Storage-root-relative prefix of the RETIRED sidecar pending-embed marker
-   * files (pre-log builds persisted one raw object per pending embed here).
-   * The markers live IN the generation log now (`embed.pending` /
-   * `embed.landed` records); this prefix survives ONLY for the one-time
-   * migration bridge ({@link bridgeLegacyPendingEmbedSidecars}) — no other
-   * code path writes, lists, or deletes it.
-   */
-  private static readonly PENDING_EMBED_PREFIX = '_system/pending_embeds/'
-
-  /**
-   * @description Mark a deferred embed pending (MT5): the id joins the
-   * in-memory fast-path set and the returned `embed.pending` record is
-   * threaded onto the deferred write's OWN commit fact — same generation,
-   * same atomic append, and (in at-ack log durability) the same covering
-   * fsync as the write itself. The marker can never be orphaned from its
-   * write nor the write from its marker: a failed commit appends no fact,
-   * so no durable marker exists either (the in-memory entry is harmless
-   * and reaped by the worker). Recovery folds the marker back out of the
-   * log at open ({@link recoverPendingEmbedsFromLog}).
-   */
-  private enqueuePendingEmbed(id: string): FactMarkerRecord {
-    this._pendingEmbedIds.add(id)
-    return { type: 'embed.pending', id, enqueuedAt: Date.now() }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Clear a pending embed from the in-memory set. The DURABLE
-   * clear is the `embed.landed` record riding the landing commit's own fact
-   * (or, for a row deleted before its embed landed, the row's tombstone
-   * fact) — the recovery fold consumes those; nothing here touches storage.
-   * One honest residue: a pending row whose entity still exists but carries
-   * no data is reaped in memory only, so it re-folds at the next open and
-   * is re-reaped there — a bounded no-op, never a lost vector.
-   */
-  private clearPendingEmbed(id: string): void {
-    this._pendingEmbedIds.delete(id)
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Rebuild the pending-embed set by REPLAYING the generation
-   * log's marker records (recovery = replay, not listing): `embed.pending`
-   * arms an id, `embed.landed` disarms it, and a noun tombstone disarms it
-   * too (a row deleted before its embed landed owes no vector). What
-   * survives the fold is exactly the set of acknowledged deferred writes
-   * whose vectors have not landed.
-   *
-   * BOUND (honest): no durable low-water mark exists for the earliest
-   * unconsumed pending, so the fold scans the log's committed facts from
-   * generation 1 — a sequential read of the log at open, O(log bytes).
-   * It is SKIPPED WHOLESALE when the log has never had a v2 tail
-   * ({@link FactLog.hasV2History} — v1 facts cannot carry marker records),
-   * so pre-cutover brains pay nothing; on a mixed log the scan still reads
-   * the v1 segments (a segment's format is only known from its bytes) but
-   * they fold to nothing, so the DECODE cost is bounded by v2 history.
-   * Storage without a fact log hosts no durable markers at all — the
-   * pending set is session-local there, matching that storage's overall
-   * durability posture.
-   */
-  private async recoverPendingEmbedsFromLog(): Promise<void> {
-    const log = this.generationStore.getFactLog()
-    if (!log || !log.hasV2History()) return
-    const scan = log.scanFacts({ fromGeneration: 1 })
-    for await (const batch of scan.batches()) {
-      for (const fact of batch.facts) {
-        for (const record of fact.records ?? []) {
-          if (record.type === 'embed.pending') {
-            this._pendingEmbedIds.add(record.id)
-          } else if (record.type === 'embed.landed') {
-            this._pendingEmbedIds.delete(record.id)
-          }
-        }
-        for (const op of fact.ops) {
-          if (op.kind === 'noun' && op.record === null) {
-            this._pendingEmbedIds.delete(op.id)
-          }
-        }
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description ONE-TIME LEGACY BRIDGE: a brain that deferred embeds under
-   * a pre-log build persisted one sidecar marker file per pending embed
-   * under {@link PENDING_EMBED_PREFIX}. At open, fold those ids into the
-   * pending set AND migrate them: commit ONE fact carrying their
-   * `embed.pending` records (the log is the markers' durable home now),
-   * then delete the sidecar files — in that order, so a crash between the
-   * two re-runs the bridge instead of losing a marker (a re-migrated
-   * duplicate folds idempotently; at worst an already-landed embed re-runs
-   * once — idempotent, never lost). Narrated loudly. Storage without a
-   * fact log keeps its sidecars in place (there is no log to migrate into)
-   * and folds them into memory only, exactly as loud.
-   */
-  private async bridgeLegacyPendingEmbedSidecars(): Promise<void> {
-    const markerPaths = await this.storage.listRawObjects(Brainy.PENDING_EMBED_PREFIX)
-    if (markerPaths.length === 0) return
-    const ids: string[] = []
-    for (const path of markerPaths) {
-      const id = path.slice(path.lastIndexOf('/') + 1)
-      if (id) ids.push(id)
-    }
-    if (ids.length === 0) return
-    for (const id of ids) this._pendingEmbedIds.add(id)
-    if (!this.generationStore.getFactLog()) {
-      prodLog.warn(
-        `[Brainy] ${ids.length} legacy pending-embed sidecar marker(s) found, but this ` +
-          `storage hosts no fact log to migrate them into — folded into memory; the ` +
-          `sidecar files remain the durable recovery source on this configuration`
-      )
-      return
-    }
-    const enqueuedAt = Date.now()
-    const markers: FactMarkerRecord[] = ids.map((id) => ({
-      type: 'embed.pending',
-      id,
-      enqueuedAt
-    }))
-    // One migration commit: a zero-op fact carrying every legacy marker
-    // (empty-ops facts are legal; the records leg makes this one visible).
-    await this.generationStore.commitSingleOp({
-      touched: {},
-      records: markers,
-      execute: async () => {}
-    })
-    for (const id of ids) {
-      await this.storage.deleteRawObject(`${Brainy.PENDING_EMBED_PREFIX}${id}`).catch(() => {})
-    }
-    prodLog.info(
-      `[Brainy] migrated ${ids.length} legacy pending-embed sidecar marker(s) into the ` +
-        `generation log and removed the sidecar files (one-time bridge)`
-    )
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Start (or skip into) the ONE deferred-embedding worker.
-   * Never awaited by write paths; failures are LOUD and markers survive for
-   * the next kick (next deferred write, or the next open's recovery).
-   */
-  private kickEmbedWorker(): void {
-    if (this._embedWorkerFlight || this._pendingEmbedIds.size === 0 || this.isReadOnly) return
-    this._embedWorkerFlight = this.runEmbedWorker()
-      .catch((err) => {
-        prodLog.error(
-          `[Brainy] deferred-embed worker failed: ${(err as Error).message} — ` +
-            `markers retained; retries at the next deferred write or open`
-        )
-      })
-      .finally(() => {
-        this._embedWorkerFlight = null
-        if (this._pendingEmbedIds.size > 0) {
-          // New arrivals during the run: schedule (never recurse) the next pass.
-          const t = setTimeout(() => this.kickEmbedWorker(), 0)
-          ;(t as { unref?: () => void }).unref?.()
-        }
-      })
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Drain the pending-embed set: embed each row's CURRENT data
-   * (a row updated again before its turn embeds the latest content — the
-   * marker set is idempotent per id) and swap the vector in ATOMICALLY
-   * (ReplaceInVectorIndex → the in-place update; the row is never absent
-   * from search). Orphans (row deleted, or no data) reap their markers.
-   */
-  private async runEmbedWorker(): Promise<void> {
-    const batch = Array.from(this._pendingEmbedIds)
-    for (const id of batch) {
-      try {
-        const entity = await this.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-        if (!entity || entity.data === undefined || entity.data === null) {
-          // Orphan reap: a deleted row's tombstone fact durably disarms the
-          // marker at the next recovery fold; a data-less-but-present row
-          // (edge case) re-folds and re-reaps — bounded, never a lost vector.
-          this.clearPendingEmbed(id)
-          continue
-        }
-        // Hang guard: a wedged embedder must not block every later pending
-        // embed forever — time out LOUDLY, keep the marker, move on. (A
-        // failure is retryable; an unbounded silent wait is the outlawed
-        // shape.)
-        const newVector = await Promise.race([
-          this.embed(entity.data),
-          new Promise<never>((_, reject) => {
-            const t = setTimeout(
-              () => reject(new Error('deferred embed timed out after 60s')),
-              60_000
-            )
-            ;(t as { unref?: () => void }).unref?.()
-          })
-        ])
-        if (!this.dimensions) {
-          this.dimensions = newVector.length
-        } else if (newVector.length !== this.dimensions) {
-          throw new Error(
-            `deferred embed produced ${newVector.length} dimensions, store expects ${this.dimensions}`
-          )
-        }
-        const oldVector = (entity.vector as number[] | undefined) ?? []
-        // The landing commit's fact carries the embed.landed record (vector
-        // inline, per the v2 format) alongside the row's after-image — the
-        // durable "this pending is consumed" that recovery's fold reads.
-        await this.persistSingleOp(
-          { nouns: [id] },
-          async (tx) => {
-            tx.addOperation(
-              new SaveNounOperation(this.storage, {
-                id,
-                vector: newVector,
-                connections: new Map(),
-                level: 0
-              })
-            )
-            tx.addOperation(
-              new ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation(this.index, id, oldVector, newVector, this.indexWriteGeneration)
-            )
-          },
-          undefined,
-          undefined,
-          [{ type: 'embed.landed', id, vector: newVector }]
-        )
-        this.clearPendingEmbed(id)
-      } catch (err) {
-        prodLog.warn(
-          `[Brainy] deferred embed for ${id} failed: ${(err as Error).message} — marker retained for retry`
-        )
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description The deferred-embedding BARRIER: resolves when every pending
-   * embed has landed (vector searchable) or been reaped. The eventual-
-   * vector-index contract's awaitable edge — tests and "must be searchable
-   * before I proceed" callers use this; nothing else ever needs to wait.
-   */
-  public async awaitPendingEmbeds(): Promise<void> {
-    while (this._pendingEmbedIds.size > 0 || this._embedWorkerFlight) {
-      this.kickEmbedWorker()
-      await (this._embedWorkerFlight ?? Promise.resolve())
-    }
-  }
-
-  /** The deferred-embedding backlog size (also on getIndexStatus().pendingEmbeds). */
-  public pendingEmbedCount(): number {
-    return this._pendingEmbedIds.size
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * THE READ BARRIER: wait until a projection — or every projection — has
-   * caught up to the CURRENT committed head, so a write-then-recall caller
-   * has ONE honest await instead of a sleep-and-hope.
-   *
-   * Legs:
-   * - `'semantic'` — waits for the deferred-embedding backlog to drain
-   *   (delegates to {@link awaitPendingEmbeds}, which keeps working
-   *   unchanged as this leg's engine). After it resolves, every previously
-   *   acknowledged write is vector-searchable.
-   * - `'metadata'` / `'graph'` / `'aggregation'` — resolve IMMEDIATELY by
-   *   design today: these projections are updated inside the write path, so
-   *   by the time a write's promise resolves they already reflect it. Their
-   *   asynchrony arrives with the log-authority read path; the door's shape
-   *   freezes now so callers written against it keep working unchanged when
-   *   those legs become real waits.
-   * - no argument — every projection at the head; today that reduces to the
-   *   semantic drain (the only asynchronous projection in the current
-   *   architecture).
-   *
-   * `opts.generation`: resolve as soon as the projection's watermark has
-   * reached that committed generation. The pending-embed set carries no
-   * generation stamps today, so the refinement is conservative — an empty
-   * backlog resolves immediately (the watermark is at the head, hence ≥ any
-   * committed generation); a non-empty backlog waits for the full drain, a
-   * SUPERSET of the requested wait, never a partial one.
-   *
-   * `opts.timeoutMs`: on expiry the promise REJECTS with
-   * {@link WaitForIndexedTimeoutError} — typed, carrying the leg and the
-   * still-pending embed count, and naming the gauge to check
-   * (`getIndexStatus().projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds`). Never a silent
-   * partial wait: a timeout means the projection has NOT caught up.
-   *
-   * @example Write, then semantically recall — no polling, no sleeps
-   * ```typescript
-   * const id = await brain.add({
-   *   data: 'quarterly revenue narrative',
-   *   type: NounType.Document,
-   *   deferEmbedding: true,
-   *   metadata: { kind: 'report' }
-   * })
-   * await brain.waitForIndexed('semantic')   // the barrier: vector landed + indexed
-   * const hits = await brain.find({ query: 'revenue report', searchMode: 'semantic' })
-   * // `id` is eligible to appear in `hits` — the recall is honest, not lucky.
-   * ```
-   *
-   * @param path - The projection to wait on; omit to wait on all of them.
-   * @param opts - Optional `generation` watermark target and `timeoutMs` bound.
-   * @throws {WaitForIndexedTimeoutError} When `timeoutMs` expires before the
-   *   projection catches up.
-   */
-  public async waitForIndexed(
-    path?: IndexedProjectionPath,
-    opts?: WaitForIndexedOptions
-  ): Promise<void> {
-    await this.ensureInitialized()
-
-    // Synchronous projections: updated inside the write path today, so an
-    // acknowledged write is already reflected — resolve immediately BY
-    // DESIGN (honest, not a stub). When the log-authority read path makes
-    // these legs asynchronous, only this body changes; the door's shape is
-    // frozen now.
-    if (path === 'metadata' || path === 'graph' || path === 'aggregation') {
-      return
-    }
-
-    // 'semantic' — or no-arg, which today reduces to it: the deferred-embed
-    // backlog is the only asynchronous projection in the current
-    // architecture.
-
-    // Generation refinement (conservative — see JSDoc): an empty backlog
-    // means the semantic watermark is at the head, hence ≥ any committed G.
-    if (opts?.generation !== undefined && this._pendingEmbedIds.size === 0) {
-      return
-    }
-
-    const timeoutMs = opts?.timeoutMs
-    const drained = this.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-    if (timeoutMs === undefined) {
-      return drained
-    }
-
-    // Typed timeout: reject LOUDLY with the leg + the live backlog gauge.
-    // (`drained` never rejects — the worker catches its own failures — so
-    // abandoning it on timeout cannot leak an unhandled rejection; the
-    // backlog keeps draining in the background.)
-    let timer: ReturnType<typeof setTimeout> | undefined
-    try {
-      await Promise.race([
-        drained,
-        new Promise<never>((_, reject) => {
-          timer = setTimeout(
-            () =>
-              reject(
-                new WaitForIndexedTimeoutError(
-                  path ?? 'all',
-                  timeoutMs,
-                  this._pendingEmbedIds.size
-                )
-              ),
-            timeoutMs
-          )
-          ;(timer as { unref?: () => void }).unref?.()
-        })
-      ])
-    } finally {
-      if (timer !== undefined) clearTimeout(timer)
-    }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description The write-side persistence trigger (policy `'auto'`): count
-   * the committed write, kick a single-flight BACKGROUND flush when the
-   * write-count or interval threshold is crossed, and (re)arm the idle
-   * timer. Never awaited by the write path — the ack is already durable at
-   * the canonical layer; this schedules DERIVED-state persistence on the
-   * engine's own cadence (callers never call flush() in hot paths).
-   */
-  private noteWriteForPersistence(): void {
-    const cfg = this.config.persistence
-    if (this.isReadOnly || cfg?.policy === 'manual') return
-    this._persistDirtyWrites++
-    const every = cfg?.flushEveryWrites ?? 512
-    const intervalMs = cfg?.flushIntervalMs ?? 30_000
-    const idleMs = cfg?.flushOnIdleMs ?? 2_000
-
-    if (
-      this._persistDirtyWrites >= every ||
-      Date.now() - this._persistLastFlushAt >= intervalMs
-    ) {
-      this.kickBackgroundFlush('threshold')
-    }
-
-    if (this._persistIdleTimer) clearTimeout(this._persistIdleTimer)
-    this.armIdleFlushTimer(idleMs, intervalMs)
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Arm the idle-flush timer — DEBOUNCED UNDER LOAD. The idle
-   * trigger exists to make a QUIET system durable fast; it must never add
-   * flush pressure to a BUSY one. When individual writes are slower than
-   * the idle window (a contended disk), every inter-write gap looks like
-   * "idle" and would fire a full flush per write — a measured 15-flush
-   * amplifier during 100 contended adds on a production-shaped box. The
-   * law: an idle fire landing within `intervalMs` of the last flush DEFERS
-   * (re-arms for the remaining interval) rather than flushing — deferred,
-   * never dropped, so a lone write on a then-quiet system still persists at
-   * the interval boundary without any further write arriving; a genuinely
-   * quiet system (last flush long past) flushes on idle exactly as before.
-   */
-  private armIdleFlushTimer(idleMs: number, intervalMs: number, delayMs = idleMs): void {
-    // The idle-fire spacing floor: 10× the CONFIGURED idle window, capped by
-    // the interval — always derived from idleMs, never from a deferred
-    // re-arm delay (recomputing from the delay compounds into runaway
-    // deferral). Scales with intent — a caller configuring a tiny idle
-    // window gets fast idle-driven durability (small floor); default config
-    // (2s idle / 30s interval) gets a 20s floor, capping the contended-disk
-    // shape at ~1 idle flush per 20s instead of one per inter-write gap.
-    const floorMs = Math.min(intervalMs, idleMs * 10)
-    const timer = setTimeout(() => {
-      this._persistIdleTimer = null
-      if (this._persistDirtyWrites === 0) return
-      const sinceFlush = Date.now() - this._persistLastFlushAt
-      if (sinceFlush >= floorMs) {
-        this.kickBackgroundFlush('idle')
-      } else {
-        // Deferred, never dropped: land exactly at the floor boundary.
-        this.armIdleFlushTimer(idleMs, intervalMs, Math.max(idleMs, floorMs - sinceFlush))
-      }
-    }, delayMs)
-    // Never hold the process open for a cadence timer.
-    ;(timer as { unref?: () => void }).unref?.()
-    this._persistIdleTimer = timer
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Start (or join) the ONE background flush. The dirty counter
-   * resets at kick time so writes landing during the flush re-accumulate
-   * toward the next trigger. A failure is LOUD and leaves the writes counted
-   * again — silence is not an option, and neither is a retry storm (the next
-   * trigger re-attempts).
-   */
-  private kickBackgroundFlush(reason: 'threshold' | 'idle'): void {
-    if (this._persistBackgroundFlight) return
-    const counted = this._persistDirtyWrites
-    this._persistDirtyWrites = 0
-    this._persistLastFlushAt = Date.now()
-    this._persistBackgroundFlight = this.flush()
-      .catch((err) => {
-        this._persistDirtyWrites += counted // re-arm the trigger honestly
-        prodLog.error(
-          `[Brainy] background flush (${reason}) FAILED: ${(err as Error).message} — ` +
-            `derived-state persistence retries at the next trigger; canonical data is unaffected`
-        )
-      })
-      .finally(() => {
-        this._persistBackgroundFlight = null
-      })
-  }
-
   private async persistSingleOp(
     touched: { nouns?: string[]; verbs?: string[] },
     run: TransactionFunction<void>,
     precommit?: (before: CommitBeforeImages) => void,
-    pendingEvents?: PendingChangeEvent[],
-    records?: FactMarkerRecord[]
+    pendingEvents?: PendingChangeEvent[]
   ): Promise<{ generation?: number; timestamp: number; degraded?: string[] }> {
     // Change-feed capture: when this write will emit, hold a reference to the
     // commit's before-images so `remove` events can carry the record's last
@@ -2493,15 +1847,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         : precommit
 
     if (!this._generationStampingActive) {
-      // Marker records ride a commit FACT — a generation-less bootstrap
-      // write has none to ride. No bootstrap path defers embeds today;
-      // refuse loudly rather than silently dropping a durable marker.
-      if (records && records.length > 0) {
-        throw new Error(
-          'persistSingleOp: marker records require a generation-stamped commit — ' +
-            'a bootstrap (generation-0) write cannot carry them'
-        )
-      }
       // Init-time / infrastructure baseline write (e.g. the VFS root): apply
       // WITHOUT creating a generation. Generation 0 is the freshly-materialized
       // brain (bootstrap included); the first USER write is generation 1.
@@ -2540,7 +1885,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       receipt = await this.generationStore.commitSingleOp({
         touched,
         precommit: captureAndCheck,
-        ...(records && records.length > 0 ? { records } : {}),
         execute: () =>
           this.transactionManager.executeTransaction(run, {
             timeout: transactTimeoutBudget(
@@ -2576,7 +1920,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         )
       }
     }
-    this.noteWriteForPersistence()
     return receipt
   }
 
@@ -2752,26 +2095,15 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     }
 
     // Get or compute vector
-    // MT5 deferred embedding: ack at durability with a stub vector and a
-    // pending marker riding the insert's OWN commit fact (same generation,
-    // one atomic append — a marker-less committed row, the silently-missing-
-    // vector shape, is structurally impossible). The background worker
-    // embeds + inserts.
-    const deferringEmbed = params.deferEmbedding === true && !params.vector
-    const vector = deferringEmbed
-      ? []
-      : params.vector || (await this.embed(params.data))
+    const vector = params.vector || (await this.embed(params.data))
 
-    // Ensure dimensions are set (a deferred-embed stub carries no dimension
-    // information — the worker's real vector goes through the same guard).
-    if (!deferringEmbed) {
-      if (!this.dimensions) {
-        this.dimensions = vector.length
-      } else if (vector.length !== this.dimensions) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `Vector dimension mismatch: expected ${this.dimensions}, got ${vector.length}`
-        )
-      }
+    // Ensure dimensions are set
+    if (!this.dimensions) {
+      this.dimensions = vector.length
+    } else if (vector.length !== this.dimensions) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Vector dimension mismatch: expected ${this.dimensions}, got ${vector.length}`
+      )
     }
 
     // Prepare metadata for storage: a v2 nested-bag record — engine fields
@@ -2851,14 +2183,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
           }
         : undefined
 
-      // MT5: the pending marker RIDES the insert's own commit fact (same
-      // generation, one atomic append) — threaded to persistSingleOp below.
-      // A failed commit appends nothing, so no orphaned durable marker can
-      // exist; the in-memory entry is harmless and reaped by the worker.
-      const embedMarkers: FactMarkerRecord[] | undefined = deferringEmbed
-        ? [this.enqueuePendingEmbed(id)]
-        : undefined
-
       const runInsert: TransactionFunction<void> = async (tx) => {
         // Operation 1: Save metadata FIRST (TypeAwareStorage caching)
         // isNew=true: skip pre-read for rollback (entity doesn't exist yet)
@@ -2877,18 +2201,14 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
           }, true)
         )
 
-        // Operation 3: Add to HNSW index (after entity saved). A deferred
-        // embed has nothing to index yet — the worker's atomic update
-        // inserts the real vector.
-        if (!deferringEmbed) {
-          tx.addOperation(
-            new AddToVectorIndexOperation(this.index, id, vector, this.indexWriteGeneration)
-          )
-        }
+        // Operation 3: Add to HNSW index (after entity saved)
+        tx.addOperation(
+          new AddToVectorIndexOperation(this.index, id, vector)
+        )
 
         // Operation 4: Add to metadata index
         tx.addOperation(
-          new AddToMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, id, entityForIndexing, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+          new AddToMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, id, entityForIndexing)
         )
       }
 
@@ -2918,7 +2238,7 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       const MAX_UPSERT_ATTEMPTS = 10
       for (let attempt = 0; ; attempt++) {
         try {
-          await this.persistSingleOp({ nouns: [id] }, runInsert, insertPrecommit, addEvents, embedMarkers)
+          await this.persistSingleOp({ nouns: [id] }, runInsert, insertPrecommit, addEvents)
           break
         } catch (err) {
           if (!(err instanceof InsertPreconditionExistsSignal)) {
@@ -2952,7 +2272,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         this._aggregationIndex.onEntityAdded(id, entityForIndexing)
       }
 
-      if (deferringEmbed) this.kickEmbedWorker()
       return id
   }
 
@@ -3438,11 +2757,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       // new `data`); otherwise new `data` re-embeds; otherwise the existing
       // vector is kept. Any vector change re-indexes HNSW below.
       let vector = existing.vector
-      // MT5 deferred re-embedding: the OLD vector keeps serving semantic
-      // search — stale-but-present, never absent (the flicker law) — until
-      // the background worker embeds the new data and swaps it atomically.
-      const deferringEmbed =
-        params.deferEmbedding === true && Boolean(params.data) && !params.vector
       if (params.vector) {
         if (this.dimensions && params.vector.length !== this.dimensions) {
           throw new Error(
@@ -3450,14 +2764,10 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
           )
         }
         vector = params.vector
-      } else if (params.data && !deferringEmbed) {
+      } else if (params.data) {
         vector = await this.embed(params.data)
       }
-      // A deferred data change does NOT reindex now (the vector is unchanged;
-      // the worker's atomic swap carries the real reindex later).
-      const needsReindexing = Boolean(
-        (params.data && !deferringEmbed) || params.type || params.vector
-      )
+      const needsReindexing = Boolean(params.data || params.type || params.vector)
 
       // Always update the noun with new metadata
       const newMetadata = params.merge !== false
@@ -3544,12 +2854,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         updatedMetadata._rev = authoritativeRev + 1
       }
 
-      // MT5: the pending marker rides the update's own commit fact (same
-      // generation, one atomic append) — threaded to persistSingleOp below.
-      const embedMarkers: FactMarkerRecord[] | undefined = deferringEmbed
-        ? [this.enqueuePendingEmbed(params.id)]
-        : undefined
-
       // Execute atomically with transaction system, generation-stamped as one
       // immutable Model-B generation (before-image = the entity's prior state).
       await this.persistSingleOp({ nouns: [params.id] }, async (tx) => {
@@ -3575,16 +2879,11 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
               level: 0
             })
           )
-          // ONE atomic vector-index leg: the historical Remove→Add pair was
-          // two separately-awaited operations — between them the row was in
-          // NEITHER index (dark to semantic recall, visible to metadata
-          // reads). ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation goes through the provider's
-          // in-place updateItem when available (row never absent; an
-          // element-wise UNCHANGED vector — the type-only-update shape that
-          // flickered in production — is a pure no-op), else remove+add
-          // adjacent within the single op.
           tx.addOperation(
-            new ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation(this.index, params.id, existing.vector, vector, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+            new RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation(this.index, params.id, existing.vector)
+          )
+          tx.addOperation(
+            new AddToVectorIndexOperation(this.index, params.id, vector)
           )
         }
 
@@ -3614,10 +2913,10 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
           metadata: existing.metadata  // CRITICAL: keep as nested 'metadata' property!
         }
         tx.addOperation(
-          new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, params.id, removalMetadata, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+          new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, params.id, removalMetadata)
         )
         tx.addOperation(
-          new AddToMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, params.id, entityForIndexing, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+          new AddToMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, params.id, entityForIndexing)
         )
       }, casPrecommit, this._changeFeed.hasListeners
         ? [
@@ -3638,7 +2937,7 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
               }
             }
           ]
-        : undefined, embedMarkers)
+        : undefined)
 
       // Aggregation hook (outside transaction — derived data). `existing` is
       // the full get() view — every reserved field top-level — and must be
@@ -3651,8 +2950,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
           existing as unknown as Record<string, unknown>
         )
       }
-
-      if (deferringEmbed) this.kickEmbedWorker()
   }
 
   /**
@@ -3702,14 +2999,14 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         // Operation 1: Remove from vector index
         if (noun) {
           tx.addOperation(
-            new RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation(this.index, id, noun.vector, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+            new RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation(this.index, id, noun.vector)
           )
         }
 
         // Operation 2: Remove from metadata index
         if (metadata) {
           tx.addOperation(
-            new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, id, metadata, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+            new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, id, metadata)
           )
         }
 
@@ -3766,20 +3063,12 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       // Aggregation hook (outside transaction — derived data). The view must
       // carry EVERY reserved field top-level (not a subset): a groupBy on
       // subtype/visibility/etc. otherwise decrements a nonexistent group and
-      // the real count never comes down. A delete whose before-image is
-      // unavailable can no longer SKIP the hook silently (the gated skip let
-      // counts drift upward forever) — it flags an exact rescan, loudly.
-      if (this._aggregationIndex) {
-        if (metadata) {
-          this._aggregationIndex.onEntityDeleted(
-            id,
-            this.entityForAggFromRawRecord(metadata as Record<string, unknown>)
-          )
-        } else {
-          this._aggregationIndex.flagAllForRescan(
-            `delete of ${id} carried no before-image metadata — contribution unknowable`
-          )
-        }
+      // the real count never comes down.
+      if (this._aggregationIndex && metadata) {
+        this._aggregationIndex.onEntityDeleted(
+          id,
+          this.entityForAggFromRawRecord(metadata as Record<string, unknown>)
+        )
       }
   }
 
@@ -3813,14 +3102,8 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     verb: Pick<GraphVerb, 'sourceId' | 'targetId'> & { sourceInt?: bigint; targetInt?: bigint }
   ): { sourceInt: bigint; targetInt: bigint } {
     const idMapper = this.metadataIndex.getIdMapper()
-    // Thread the write generation into any mint: a native mapper stamps the
-    // assignment record with the real watermark instead of a literal 0.
-    // Evaluated HERE (mint time) — at execute time inside a batch this is the
-    // in-flight commit generation; at plan time it is the pre-batch watermark
-    // (truthful: the mint happened before the batch committed).
-    const generation = this.indexWriteGeneration()
-    const sourceInt = BigInt(idMapper.getOrAssign(verb.sourceId, generation))
-    const targetInt = BigInt(idMapper.getOrAssign(verb.targetId, generation))
+    const sourceInt = BigInt(idMapper.getOrAssign(verb.sourceId))
+    const targetInt = BigInt(idMapper.getOrAssign(verb.targetId))
     verb.sourceInt = sourceInt
     verb.targetInt = targetInt
     return { sourceInt, targetInt }
@@ -6518,24 +5801,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       }
     }
 
-    // MATCH-ALL NORMALIZATION (served-or-refused law): an empty `where: {}`
-    // carries zero predicates, so it MUST route exactly like an absent `where`.
-    // Left in place it reads as "filter criteria present" below, builds an
-    // empty index filter, and `getIdsForFilter({})` answers `[]` by contract —
-    // a silent empty on a query that semantically matches everything (worst on
-    // a freshly reopened brain, where it masquerades as data loss; on the
-    // vector path it short-circuits `find({ query, where: {} })` to `[]`).
-    // Dropped here, ONCE, before branch selection: the query takes the
-    // unfiltered match-all branch below, which serves from truth-complete
-    // sources — a storage page bounded to the offset+limit window (never a
-    // full walk), or the column store's top-K sort when orderBy is present.
-    // Every delegating surface (Db pins via host.find, pagination.find,
-    // streaming.search, subgraph query seeding) inherits this routing.
-    if (params.where !== undefined && !whereConstrains(params.where)) {
-      const { where: _emptyWhere, ...rest } = params
-      params = rest as FindParams<T>
-    }
-
     // Zero-config validation (static import for performance)
     validateFindParams(params)
 
@@ -7456,18 +6721,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
           `An empty selector would silently delete nothing — refusing.`
       )
     }
-    // An empty `where: {}` carries zero predicates. find() serves it as
-    // MATCH-ALL (the served-or-refused law), which on this destructive path
-    // would silently become "delete up to `limit` arbitrary rows". A bulk
-    // delete of everything must be asked for explicitly (type selector, real
-    // predicates, or ids) — refuse the ambiguous shape loudly.
-    if (params.where && !params.ids && !params.type && !whereConstrains(params.where)) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `removeMany() received where: {} — an empty filter matches EVERYTHING, ` +
-          `and a match-all bulk delete must be explicit. Pass real predicates, ` +
-          `a { type }, or { ids }; to clear the store use clear().`
-      )
-    }
     if (params.ids && params.ids.length === 0) {
       throw new Error(
         `removeMany() received ids: [] — an empty id list deletes nothing. ` +
@@ -7562,13 +6815,13 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
               // Add delete operations to transaction
               if (noun) {
                 tx.addOperation(
-                  new RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation(this.index, id, noun.vector, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+                  new RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation(this.index, id, noun.vector)
                 )
               }
 
               if (metadata) {
                 tx.addOperation(
-                  new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, id, metadata, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+                  new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, id, metadata)
                 )
               }
 
@@ -8186,156 +7439,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     return this.generationStore?.getFactLog()?.segmentPaths(options) ?? []
   }
 
-  /**
-   * @description This brain's storage authority as read at open: `'tree'`
-   * (the canonical record tree is authoritative; the generation log is a
-   * complete dual-written journal — the default) or `'log'` (the log is
-   * authoritative; single-op acks are durable-at-ack). See
-   * {@link adoptLogAuthority} for the guarded flip.
-   */
-  logAuthority(): LogAuthorityRecord {
-    return { ...this._logAuthority }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Run the log-completeness VERIFICATION ORACLE (read-only):
-   * replay the generation log and diff the resulting per-id state against
-   * the canonical tree. Green = the log exactly reproduces canonical truth.
-   * Red NAMES every divergence class — `pre-log-record` rows (canonical
-   * history the log never saw) need a baseline backfill before this brain
-   * can ever flip. Safe at any time; walks are paged and memory-bounded
-   * (digests, never bodies).
-   */
-  async verifyLogAuthority(): Promise<OracleReport> {
-    await this.ensureInitialized()
-    return runLogCompletenessOracle({
-      storage: this.storage as unknown as LogAuthorityStorage,
-      scanFacts: () => this.scanFacts(),
-      // Both sides normalize to ENTITY TRUTH before digesting: canonical
-      // wrappers denormalize HNSW residue (connections/level) the log never
-      // carries — digesting it would fake state-differs on any nonzero-level
-      // node (the residue has its own rebuild path; it is not entity state).
-      canonicalNounDigest: async (id: string) => {
-        const raw = await this.storage.readNounRaw(id)
-        if (raw.metadata === null && raw.vector === null) return null
-        return recordDigest(nounEntityTruth({ metadata: raw.metadata, vector: raw.vector }))
-      },
-      factRecordDigest: (record: unknown) =>
-        recordDigest(nounEntityTruth(record as { metadata: unknown; vector: unknown }))
-    })
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description THE GUARDED FLIP: run the oracle; on GREEN, persist the
-   * authority switch and enable durable-at-ack immediately (the rest of
-   * log-authoritative behavior engages at the next open — the switch is
-   * checked-at-open by law). On RED the flip REFUSES, naming the first
-   * divergence and the cure. One-directional unless an operator reverts
-   * the stored artifact explicitly.
-   * @returns The oracle report (green) — callers surface it as the flip receipt.
-   * @throws When the oracle is red; nothing is written.
-   */
-  async adoptLogAuthority(): Promise<OracleReport> {
-    await this.ensureInitialized()
-    this.assertWritable('adoptLogAuthority')
-    let report = await this.verifyLogAuthority()
-
-    // BASELINE BACKFILL: curable divergences are rows whose CANONICAL truth
-    // simply never reached the log — pre-log records (e.g. the generation-0
-    // VFS root, or a brain older than its log) and witness drift from
-    // maintenance that rewrote canonical outside a generation. The cure is
-    // an identity re-commit: any generational touch of the row makes the
-    // commit fact capture the CURRENT canonical bytes (the fact reads
-    // canonical back after execute), so the log converges on witness truth.
-    // Log-AHEAD divergences (log-live-canonical-absent /
-    // log-tombstone-canonical-present) are NOT curable by backfill — the
-    // log claims things the witness denies — and refuse loudly below.
-    let passes = 0
-    while (report.verdict === 'red' && passes < 5) {
-      passes++
-      const curable = report.mismatches.filter(
-        (m) => m.reason === 'pre-log-record' || m.reason === 'state-differs'
-      )
-      const incurable = report.mismatches.filter(
-        (m) => m.reason !== 'pre-log-record' && m.reason !== 'state-differs'
-      )
-      if (incurable.length > 0) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `adoptLogAuthority(): the log claims state the canonical witness denies ` +
-            `(${incurable.length} divergence(s); first: ${incurable[0].reason} on ` +
-            `${incurable[0].id}) — backfill cannot cure a log-ahead divergence. ` +
-            `Investigate before flipping; the witness remains authoritative.`
-        )
-      }
-      if (curable.length === 0) break
-      prodLog.info(
-        `[Brainy] adoptLogAuthority: baseline backfill pass ${passes} — re-committing ` +
-          `${curable.length} row(s) whose canonical truth never reached the log`
-      )
-      for (const m of curable) {
-        const raw = await this.storage.readNounRaw(m.id)
-        if (raw.metadata === null && raw.vector === null) continue // vanished since the scan
-        // LAW-SHAPE RE-COMMIT: rewrite canonical as EXACTLY the wrapper the
-        // log's reconstruction produces (the hydration law: denormalized
-        // enumeration fields derived from the metadata leg + the embedding
-        // floats). This is what makes the backfill actually CURE
-        // state-differs drift: rows written before the hydration law carry
-        // denormalized copies that disagree with their own metadata leg, and
-        // an as-is identity re-commit preserves that drift forever — the
-        // oracle re-flags it every pass and existing brains never flip. The
-        // metadata leg is the authority (denormalized fields are its
-        // projections, per the field-addressing law); nothing degrades: the
-        // floats ride through, adjacency residue has its own rebuild path.
-        const wrapper =
-          raw.vector !== null && typeof raw.vector === 'object' && !Array.isArray(raw.vector)
-            ? (raw.vector as Record<string, unknown>)
-            : null
-        const vector = Array.isArray(raw.vector)
-          ? (raw.vector as number[])
-          : Array.isArray(wrapper?.vector)
-            ? (wrapper!.vector as number[])
-            : []
-        const lawWrapper = reconstructNounWrapper(m.id, raw.metadata, vector)
-        const priorRaw = { metadata: raw.metadata, vector: raw.vector }
-        await this.persistSingleOp({ nouns: [m.id] }, async (tx) => {
-          tx.addOperation({
-            name: 'BaselineLawShapeRewrite',
-            execute: async () => {
-              await this.storage.writeNounRaw(m.id, {
-                metadata: raw.metadata,
-                vector: lawWrapper
-              })
-              return async () => {
-                await this.storage.writeNounRaw(m.id, priorRaw)
-              }
-            }
-          })
-        })
-      }
-      const next = await this.verifyLogAuthority()
-      if (
-        next.verdict === 'red' &&
-        next.mismatches.length >= report.mismatches.length &&
-        !report.mismatchListTruncated
-      ) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `adoptLogAuthority(): baseline backfill made no progress ` +
-            `(${report.mismatches.length} → ${next.mismatches.length} mismatches; first: ` +
-            `${next.mismatches[0]?.reason} on ${next.mismatches[0]?.id}) — refusing to loop. ` +
-            `This is a divergence class the backfill cannot express; investigate.`
-        )
-      }
-      report = next
-    }
-
-    this._logAuthority = await flipToLogAuthority(
-      this.storage as unknown as LogAuthorityStorage,
-      report
-    )
-    this.generationStore.setLogDurability('at-ack')
-    return report
-  }
-
   /**
    * @description Read the reified transaction log — one entry per committed
    * generation, carrying the committed generation, the commit timestamp, and
@@ -8565,7 +7668,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         meta: options?.meta,
         ifAtGeneration: options?.ifAtGeneration,
         precommit: casPrecommit,
-        ...(plan.markerRecords.length > 0 ? { records: plan.markerRecords } : {}),
         execute: async () => {
           await this.transactionManager.executeTransaction(
             async (tx) => {
@@ -8603,7 +7705,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     // A rejected batch throws at commitTransaction and never reaches here.
     this.emitCommitted(plan.changeEvents, undefined, generation, timestamp)
 
-    this.noteWriteForPersistence()
     const receipt: TransactReceipt = { generation, timestamp, ids: plan.ids }
     return this.createPinnedDb({ generation, timestamp, receipt })
   }
@@ -9783,9 +8884,7 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       }
       // 'absent' / vectorless / wrong-dim → skip (not vector-rankable at this gen).
       if (Array.isArray(vec) && vec.length === dim) {
-        // Mint-now fallback stamps the CURRENT committed watermark (the mint
-        // happens now, regardless of the historical G being materialized).
-        ints.push(BigInt(idMapper.getInt(id) ?? idMapper.getOrAssign(id, this.indexWriteGeneration())))
+        ints.push(BigInt(idMapper.getInt(id) ?? idMapper.getOrAssign(id)))
         rows.push(vec)
       }
     }
@@ -9823,8 +8922,7 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       postCommit: [],
       casUpdates: [],
       createdNouns: new Set(),
-      changeEvents: [],
-      markerRecords: []
+      changeEvents: []
     }
 
     for (const op of ops) {
@@ -9940,23 +9038,13 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       }
     }
 
-    // MT5 deferred embedding: ack at durability with a stub vector and a
-    // DURABLE pending marker (written BEFORE the commit — an orphaned marker
-    // from a failed commit is harmless and reaped by the worker; a
-    // marker-less committed row would be a silently missing vector, which is
-    // the disallowed direction). The background worker embeds + inserts.
-    const deferringEmbed = params.deferEmbedding === true && !params.vector
-    const vector = deferringEmbed
-      ? []
-      : params.vector || (await this.embed(params.data))
-    if (!deferringEmbed) {
-      if (!this.dimensions) {
-        this.dimensions = vector.length
-      } else if (vector.length !== this.dimensions) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `Vector dimension mismatch: expected ${this.dimensions}, got ${vector.length}`
-        )
-      }
+    const vector = params.vector || (await this.embed(params.data))
+    if (!this.dimensions) {
+      this.dimensions = vector.length
+    } else if (vector.length !== this.dimensions) {
+      throw new Error(
+        `Vector dimension mismatch: expected ${this.dimensions}, got ${vector.length}`
+      )
     }
 
     // isNew controls the operation's rollback strategy: a custom id may
@@ -10019,20 +9107,11 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       }
     }
 
-    if (deferringEmbed) {
-      // The pending marker rides the batch's ONE commit fact (same
-      // generation, one atomic append); the worker kicks post-commit via
-      // the plan hook.
-      plan.markerRecords.push(this.enqueuePendingEmbed(id))
-      plan.postCommit.push(() => this.kickEmbedWorker())
-    }
     plan.operations.push(
       new SaveNounMetadataOperation(this.storage, id, storageMetadata, isNew),
       new SaveNounOperation(this.storage, { id, vector, connections: new Map(), level: 0 }, isNew),
-      ...(deferringEmbed
-        ? []
-        : [new AddToVectorIndexOperation(this.index, id, vector, this.indexWriteGeneration)]),
-      new AddToMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, id, entityForIndexing, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+      new AddToVectorIndexOperation(this.index, id, vector),
+      new AddToMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, id, entityForIndexing)
     )
     plan.touchedNouns.push(id)
     plan.postCommit.push(() => {
@@ -10206,15 +9285,13 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
           connections: new Map(),
           level: 0
         }),
-        // ONE atomic vector-index leg — same law as update(): the row must
-        // never be absent from vector search during an update (see
-        // ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation).
-        new ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation(this.index, params.id, existing.vector, vector, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+        new RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation(this.index, params.id, existing.vector),
+        new AddToVectorIndexOperation(this.index, params.id, vector)
       )
     }
     plan.operations.push(
-      new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, params.id, removalMetadata, this.indexWriteGeneration),
-      new AddToMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, params.id, entityForIndexing, this.indexWriteGeneration)
+      new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, params.id, removalMetadata),
+      new AddToMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, params.id, entityForIndexing)
     )
     plan.touchedNouns.push(params.id)
 
@@ -10294,10 +9371,10 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     }
 
     if (noun) {
-      plan.operations.push(new RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation(this.index, id, noun.vector, this.indexWriteGeneration))
+      plan.operations.push(new RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation(this.index, id, noun.vector))
     }
     if (metadata) {
-      plan.operations.push(new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, id, metadata, this.indexWriteGeneration))
+      plan.operations.push(new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(this.metadataIndex, id, metadata))
     }
     // Pre-read metadata rides along: the count decrement must not depend on
     // re-reading the record being removed (see remove()).
@@ -10349,14 +9426,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
           this._aggregationIndex.onEntityDeleted(id, entityForAgg)
         }
       })
-    } else {
-      // Un-gated (mirror of remove()): a before-image-less delete flags an
-      // exact rescan instead of silently skipping the decrement.
-      plan.postCommit.push(() => {
-        this._aggregationIndex?.flagAllForRescan(
-          `transact delete of ${id} carried no before-image metadata — contribution unknowable`
-        )
-      })
     }
 
     state.nouns.delete(id)
@@ -11311,22 +10380,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     await this.generationStore.flushPendingSingleOps()
 
     // Flush all components in parallel for performance
-    // Watermark stamps ride every flush fan-out: stamp each projection with
-    // the committed generation BEFORE its flush persists (stamp-after-data
-    // holds inside each owner — the stamp is its LAST write; here we only
-    // hand the generation over). No committedGeneration capability = no
-    // stamp = the owner's verdict machinery treats the artifact as legacy.
-    {
-      const wmGen = this.storage?.committedGeneration?.() ?? null
-      if (wmGen !== null) {
-        // ALL THREE optional-chained: a replacement provider (the native
-        // pair swaps these managers) may not carry the stamp method — a
-        // missing stamp is a verdict-side rescan, never a flush crash.
-        ;(this.metadataIndex as { stampWatermark?: (g: number) => void }).stampWatermark?.(wmGen)
-        ;(this.index as { stampWatermark?: (g: number) => void }).stampWatermark?.(wmGen)
-        ;(this.graphIndex as { stampWatermark?: (g: number) => void }).stampWatermark?.(wmGen)
-      }
-    }
     await Promise.all([
       // 1. Flush storage adapter counts (entity/verb counts by type)
       (async () => {
@@ -11350,22 +10403,7 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
 
       // 5. Persist the generation counter (8.0 MVCC — coalesced single-op
       //    bumps become durable on every explicit flush)
-      this.generationStore.persistCounterNow(),
-
-      // 6. Persist aggregation state, stamped at the committed generation
-      //    (BRAINY-PROD-LATENCY-TRIAD / SELF-ENGINE-LIFECYCLE-SPRINT ask (a)):
-      //    aggregation used to persist ONLY at close(), so a long-lived
-      //    writer that flushes but never closes — the primary production
-      //    shape — left its stamp behind after every write window, and any
-      //    unclean exit forced a WHOLE-STORE backfill walk on the next
-      //    first stats call (measured >60s and door-starving on a 9k-row
-      //    production brain). Flushing here keeps the stamp current, so a
-      //    reopen adopts (or incrementally catches up) instead of rescanning.
-      (async () => {
-        if (this._aggregationIndex) {
-          await this._aggregationIndex.flush()
-        }
-      })()
+      this.generationStore.persistCounterNow()
     ])
 
     // NOTE (8.9.0): flush() no longer compacts history. Flush is DURABILITY
@@ -11506,32 +10544,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     return this.storage.requestFlushOverFilesystem(timeoutMs)
   }
 
-  /**
-   * @description The per-projection catch-up gauges served on
-   * `getIndexStatus().projections` (both the initialized and the
-   * pre-init snapshot — the numbers are safe to read at any lifecycle
-   * stage). Semantic reports the live deferred-embed backlog; metadata and
-   * graph are synchronous today (updated inside the write path);
-   * aggregation reports its rescan/catch-up backlogs (zero when the
-   * aggregation engine was never engaged).
-   */
-  private projectionGauges(): {
-    semantic: { pendingEmbeds: number }
-    metadata: { synchronous: true }
-    graph: { synchronous: true }
-    aggregation: { pendingBackfills: number; pendingCatchUps: number }
-  } {
-    return {
-      semantic: { pendingEmbeds: this._pendingEmbedIds.size },
-      metadata: { synchronous: true },
-      graph: { synchronous: true },
-      aggregation: {
-        pendingBackfills: this._aggregationIndex?.getPendingBackfills().length ?? 0,
-        pendingCatchUps: this._aggregationIndex?.getPendingCatchUps().length ?? 0
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
   /**
    * Get index loading status (Diagnostic for lazy loading)
    *
@@ -11544,35 +10556,12 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
    * console.log(`HNSW Index: ${status.hnswIndex.size} entities`)
    * console.log(`Metadata Index: ${status.metadataIndex.entries} entries`)
    * console.log(`Graph Index: ${status.graphIndex.relationships} relationships`)
-   * console.log(`Pending embeds: ${status.projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds}`)
    * console.log(`Lazy rebuild completed: ${status.lazyRebuildCompleted}`)
    * ```
    */
   async getIndexStatus(): Promise<{
     initialized: boolean
     lazyRebuildCompleted: boolean
-    /** Deferred embeds not yet landed (MT5) — the eventual-vector-index backlog. */
-    pendingEmbeds: number
-    /** Per-projection catch-up gauges — the honest numbers behind
-     *  {@link waitForIndexed}. `synchronous: true` marks projections updated
-     *  inside the write path today: their barrier leg resolves immediately by
-     *  design, and the flag becomes a real backlog gauge when the
-     *  log-authority read path makes them asynchronous. */
-    projections: {
-      /** The deferred-embedding backlog (same number as the top-level
-       *  `pendingEmbeds`, which stays for compat). */
-      semantic: { pendingEmbeds: number }
-      metadata: { synchronous: true }
-      graph: { synchronous: true }
-      aggregation: {
-        /** Aggregates flagged for a full rescan of existing entities
-         *  (drained on the next aggregate query). */
-        pendingBackfills: number
-        /** Aggregates adopted behind the watermark, with exact missing
-         *  windows still to reconcile. */
-        pendingCatchUps: number
-      }
-    }
     disableAutoRebuild: boolean
     /** `true` while a native provider runs the one-time 7.x → 8.0 rebuild LOCK.
      *  A readiness probe should map this to HTTP 503 + Retry-After (transiently
@@ -11618,8 +10607,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       return {
         initialized: false,
         lazyRebuildCompleted: this.lazyRebuildCompleted,
-        pendingEmbeds: this._pendingEmbedIds.size,
-        projections: this.projectionGauges(),
         disableAutoRebuild: this.config.disableAutoRebuild || false,
         migrating: false,
         rebuildFailed: this._indexRebuildFailed != null,
@@ -11662,8 +10649,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     return {
       initialized: this.initialized,
       lazyRebuildCompleted: this.lazyRebuildCompleted,
-        pendingEmbeds: this._pendingEmbedIds.size,
-      projections: this.projectionGauges(),
       disableAutoRebuild: this.config.disableAutoRebuild || false,
       // A non-fatal index-rebuild failure recorded at init(), or adopt-forward
       // degraded ids, are degraded states (queries may be incomplete) — surface
@@ -12106,26 +11091,21 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
 
       // Get total count for pagination UI (O(1) when possible)
       count: async (params: Omit<FindParams<T>, 'limit' | 'offset'>) => {
-        // Match-all normalization (shared with find()): an empty `where: {}`
-        // carries no predicates. Counting it as a filter would route through
-        // getIdsForFilter({}) → [] → a silent count of 0 while rows exist.
-        const constrainingWhere = whereConstrains(params.where) ? params.where : undefined
-
         // For simple type queries, use O(1) index counting
-        if (params.type && !params.subtype && !params.query && !constrainingWhere && !params.connected) {
+        if (params.type && !params.subtype && !params.query && !params.where && !params.connected) {
           const types = Array.isArray(params.type) ? params.type : [params.type]
           return types.reduce((sum, type) => sum + this.metadataIndex.getEntityCountByType(type), 0)
         }
 
         // For complex queries, use metadata index for efficient counting
-        if (constrainingWhere || params.subtype || params.service) {
+        if (params.where || params.subtype || params.service) {
           let filter: any = {}
-          if (constrainingWhere) {
+          if (params.where) {
             // Where keys pass through UNTOUCHED — the one addressing law
             // parses them at the index boundary (bare = user metadata,
             // system.* = engine scalars). The old where.type→noun alias is
             // dead: a bare 'type' is the user's own field now.
-            Object.assign(filter, constrainingWhere)
+            Object.assign(filter, params.where)
           }
           if (params.service) filter['system.service'] = params.service
           if (params.subtype !== undefined) {
@@ -12186,18 +11166,13 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     return {
       // Stream all entities with optional filtering
       entities: async function* (this: Brainy<T>, filter?: Partial<FindParams<T>>) {
-        // Match-all normalization (shared with find()): an empty `where: {}`
-        // carries no predicates — routing it through getIdsForFilter({})
-        // would stream NOTHING while storage holds rows. Treat it as absent
-        // so it falls to the unfiltered storage-paginated walk below.
-        const constrainingWhere = whereConstrains(filter?.where) ? filter!.where : undefined
-        if (filter && (filter.type || filter.subtype || constrainingWhere || filter.service)) {
+        if (filter?.type || filter?.subtype || filter?.where || filter?.service) {
           // Use MetadataIndexManager for efficient filtered streaming
           let filterObj: any = {}
-          if (constrainingWhere) {
+          if (filter.where) {
             // Where keys pass through — the addressing law parses them at
             // the index boundary; the type→noun alias is dead.
-            Object.assign(filterObj, constrainingWhere)
+            Object.assign(filterObj, filter.where)
           }
           if (filter.service) filterObj['system.service'] = filter.service
           if (filter.subtype !== undefined) {
@@ -14334,20 +13309,15 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     service?: string
     excludeVFS?: boolean
   }): any | null {
-    // An empty `where: {}` carries no predicates — it is NOT structured
-    // criteria (see whereConstrains). Counting it would produce an empty
-    // filter object, and getIdsForFilter({}) / getIdSetForFilter({}) answer
-    // the empty set by contract — silently emptying a match-all query.
-    const constrainingWhere = whereConstrains(params.where) ? params.where : undefined
-    if (!(constrainingWhere || params.type || params.subtype || params.service || params.excludeVFS)) {
+    if (!(params.where || params.type || params.subtype || params.service || params.excludeVFS)) {
       return null
     }
     let filter: any = {}
-    if (constrainingWhere) {
+    if (params.where) {
       // Where keys pass through UNTOUCHED — the one addressing law parses
       // them at the index boundary (bare = user metadata, system.* = engine
       // scalars, typed refusal otherwise). The old type→noun alias is dead.
-      Object.assign(filter, constrainingWhere)
+      Object.assign(filter, params.where)
     }
     if (params.service) filter['system.service'] = params.service
     if (params.excludeVFS === true) {
@@ -15855,11 +14825,7 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       requireSubtype: config?.requireSubtype ?? true,
       // Multi-process safety
       mode: config?.mode ?? 'writer',
-      force: config?.force ?? false,
-      // Engine-owned persistence cadence — defaults resolve at the trigger
-      // site (policy 'auto': 512 writes / 30s interval / 2s idle).
-      persistence: config?.persistence,
-      logAuthority: config?.logAuthority ?? 'adopt'
+      force: config?.force ?? false
     }
   }
 
@@ -15887,30 +14853,14 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     }
 
     // If indexes already populated AND honestly serving, mark complete and skip.
-    // Honest gate: when a provider exposes isReady(), that REPLACES the size()>0
+    // Honest gate: when the provider exposes isReady(), that REPLACES the size()>0
     // proxy (a native index can report a non-zero size while its serving structure
     // is not loaded — the silent-empty cold-load class). A not-ready provider falls
     // through so the rebuild path can load it; verifyVectorLive() is the query-time
     // backstop either way. Providers without isReady() keep the size() heuristic
     // (the JS index's size()>0 genuinely means loaded).
-    //
-    // ALL THREE providers vote (fleet-adoption find, SELF-ENGINE-PAIR-STANDARD):
-    // this gate used to assess ONLY the vector index, so a not-ready native
-    // METADATA provider (its strand report) never blocked the completion latch
-    // — under disableAutoRebuild the promised lazy first-query rebuild never
-    // fired and every find() silently returned [] on a populated store. A
-    // not-ready report from ANY provider now falls through to the rebuild.
     const vectorReadiness = assessIndexReadiness(this.index)
-    const metadataReadiness = assessIndexReadiness(this.metadataIndex)
-    const graphReadiness = assessIndexReadiness(this.graphIndex)
-    const anyProviderNotReady =
-      vectorReadiness === 'not-ready' ||
-      metadataReadiness === 'not-ready' ||
-      graphReadiness === 'not-ready'
-    if (
-      !anyProviderNotReady &&
-      (vectorReadiness === 'ready' || (vectorReadiness === 'unknown' && this.index.size() > 0))
-    ) {
+    if (vectorReadiness === 'ready' || (vectorReadiness === 'unknown' && this.index.size() > 0)) {
       this.lazyRebuildCompleted = true
       return
     }
@@ -17155,20 +16105,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     // persisted state is NOT listed — no walk at all on a clean reopen).
     await index.ready()
 
-    // Behind-stamp catch-up FIRST (SELF-ENGINE-LIFECYCLE-SPRINT ask (b)):
-    // adopted-but-behind state reconciles its exact missing window
-    // incrementally — bounded by that window's affected entities — instead
-    // of the whole-store rescan an unclean exit used to force. Single-flight
-    // like the walk below; a failed catch-up demotes to a LOUD rescan.
-    if (index.getPendingCatchUps().length > 0) {
-      if (!this._aggregationCatchUpFlight) {
-        this._aggregationCatchUpFlight = this.runAggregationCatchUp().finally(() => {
-          this._aggregationCatchUpFlight = null
-        })
-      }
-      await this._aggregationCatchUpFlight
-    }
-
     // Single-flight: concurrent queries share ONE walk instead of each wiping
     // the others' partial state and starting their own (the stampede that kept
     // a busy store from ever converging). The loop covers the rare case where
@@ -17197,128 +16133,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     }
   }
 
-  /**
-   * @description Build the aggregation view of a LIVE entity — top-level
-   * engine fields + the user bag, the same shape `entityForIndexing` and
-   * `entityForAggFromRawRecord` produce, so group keys and source filters
-   * resolve identically whichever door an entity arrives through.
-   */
-  private aggViewFromEntity(e: Entity<T>): Record<string, unknown> {
-    return {
-      type: e.type,
-      ...(e.subtype !== undefined && { subtype: e.subtype }),
-      ...((e as unknown as Record<string, unknown>).visibility !== undefined && {
-        visibility: (e as unknown as Record<string, unknown>).visibility
-      }),
-      ...(e.confidence !== undefined && { confidence: e.confidence }),
-      ...(e.weight !== undefined && { weight: e.weight }),
-      createdAt: e.createdAt,
-      updatedAt: e.updatedAt,
-      ...(e.service !== undefined && { service: e.service }),
-      ...(e.data !== undefined && { data: e.data }),
-      ...(e.createdBy !== undefined && { createdBy: e.createdBy }),
-      metadata: e.metadata ?? {}
-    }
-  }
-
-  /** Cap on a catch-up window's affected-entity count before demoting to a rescan. */
-  private static readonly AGGREGATION_CATCHUP_MAX_AFFECTED = 5000
-
-  /**
-   * Reconcile every behind-stamp aggregate's exact missing window
-   * `(from, to]` using the fact log for the AFFECTED ID SET and time-travel
-   * reads for exact before/after states — cost bounded by writes since the
-   * last flush, never store size. Reconciliation targets the FIXED window
-   * end (`to` = the committed generation at adoption), so live write hooks
-   * compose exactly: every application on both paths is a precise old/new
-   * delta pair, and interleaving cannot drift totals. Any failure or an
-   * oversized window demotes to the announced full rescan — never a silent
-   * partial serve.
-   */
-  private async runAggregationCatchUp(): Promise<void> {
-    const index = this._aggregationIndex!
-    const catchups = index.getPendingCatchUps()
-    if (catchups.length === 0) return
-
-    const startedAt = Date.now()
-    try {
-      // One fact scan covers every window (they share flush boundaries in
-      // practice); per-name windows filter per id below.
-      const from = Math.min(...catchups.map(c => c.from))
-      const to = Math.max(...catchups.map(c => c.to))
-      const scan = this.scanFacts({ fromGeneration: from + 1, toGeneration: to, kinds: ['noun'] })
-      if (!scan) {
-        for (const c of catchups) {
-          index.demoteCatchUpToBackfill(c.name, 'no fact log on this store — window unreadable')
-        }
-        return
-      }
-
-      // id → generations it changed at, inside the union window.
-      const affected = new Map<string, number[]>()
-      for await (const batch of scan.batches()) {
-        for (const fact of batch.facts) {
-          for (const op of fact.ops) {
-            if (op.kind !== 'noun') continue
-            const gens = affected.get(op.id)
-            if (gens) gens.push(fact.generation)
-            else affected.set(op.id, [fact.generation])
-          }
-        }
-        if (affected.size > Brainy.AGGREGATION_CATCHUP_MAX_AFFECTED) break
-      }
-      if (affected.size > Brainy.AGGREGATION_CATCHUP_MAX_AFFECTED) {
-        for (const c of catchups) {
-          index.demoteCatchUpToBackfill(
-            c.name,
-            `window touches >${Brainy.AGGREGATION_CATCHUP_MAX_AFFECTED} entities — a rescan is cheaper`
-          )
-        }
-        return
-      }
-
-      // Exact before/after views per unique generation bound, via time travel.
-      const dbCache = new Map<number, Db<T>>()
-      const dbAt = async (gen: number): Promise<Db<T>> => {
-        let db = dbCache.get(gen)
-        if (!db) {
-          db = await this.asOf(gen)
-          dbCache.set(gen, db)
-        }
-        return db
-      }
-      try {
-        for (const c of catchups) {
-          const beforeDb = await dbAt(c.from)
-          const afterDb = await dbAt(c.to)
-          let reconciled = 0
-          for (const [id, gens] of affected) {
-            if (!gens.some(g => g > c.from && g <= c.to)) continue
-            const [before, after] = await Promise.all([beforeDb.get(id), afterDb.get(id)])
-            index.reconcileEntity(
-              c.name,
-              id,
-              before ? this.aggViewFromEntity(before) : null,
-              after ? this.aggViewFromEntity(after) : null
-            )
-            reconciled++
-          }
-          index.finishCatchUp(c.name)
-          prodLog.info(
-            `[Aggregation] '${c.name}': caught up generations ${c.from}→${c.to} — ` +
-              `${reconciled} entit${reconciled === 1 ? 'y' : 'ies'} reconciled in ${Date.now() - startedAt}ms (no store rescan)`
-          )
-        }
-      } finally {
-        await Promise.all(Array.from(dbCache.values(), db => db.release().catch(() => {})))
-      }
-    } catch (err) {
-      for (const c of index.getPendingCatchUps()) {
-        index.demoteCatchUpToBackfill(c.name, `catch-up failed: ${(err as Error).message}`)
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
   /**
    * One store walk fills EVERY aggregate currently pending backfill — M pending
    * aggregates cost one enumeration, not M. Only reached when an aggregate
@@ -17335,16 +16149,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     const startedAt = Date.now()
     for (const n of names) index.beginBackfill(n)
 
-    // SELF-ENGINE-LIFECYCLE-SPRINT ask (c): when the native provider offers
-    // the parallel whole-rebuild (`rebuildAggregate` — on the contract since
-    // 8.x but never invoked), collect the walk's views and hand them over in
-    // ONE call per aggregate instead of a per-entity FFI stream. Memory note:
-    // the collected views are metadata-only records (no vectors); at the
-    // scales where this walk is even reached the array is the cheap part —
-    // the per-entity FFI round-trips were the measured cost.
-    const useProviderRebuild = index.hasProviderRebuild()
-    const collected: Array<Record<string, unknown>> = []
-
     let scanned = 0
     try {
       const PAGE = 500
@@ -17356,12 +16160,8 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
         })
         for (const noun of page.items) {
           const record = noun as unknown as Record<string, unknown>
-          if (useProviderRebuild) {
-            collected.push(record)
-          } else {
-            for (const n of names) {
-              index.backfillEntity(n, record)
-            }
+          for (const n of names) {
+            index.backfillEntity(n, record)
           }
         }
         scanned += page.items.length
@@ -17394,21 +16194,10 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       throw err
     }
 
-    if (useProviderRebuild) {
-      for (const n of names) {
-        if (!index.rebuildWithProvider(n, collected)) {
-          // Provider refused/absent for this one — stream it the JS way.
-          for (const record of collected) index.backfillEntity(n, record)
-          index.finishBackfill(n)
-        }
-      }
-    } else {
-      for (const n of names) index.finishBackfill(n)
-    }
+    for (const n of names) index.finishBackfill(n)
     this._aggregationBackfillFailure = null
     prodLog.info(
-      `[Aggregation] backfill walk finished: ${scanned} entities → ${names.length} aggregate(s) ` +
-        `in ${Date.now() - startedAt}ms${useProviderRebuild ? ' (native parallel rebuild)' : ''}`
+      `[Aggregation] backfill walk finished: ${scanned} entities → ${names.length} aggregate(s) in ${Date.now() - startedAt}ms`
     )
   }
 
@@ -17419,16 +16208,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
    * This ensures deferred persistence mode data is saved
    */
   async close(): Promise<void> {
-    // Persistence cadence teardown: no background flush may fire after close
-    // begins (close() runs its own final flush).
-    if (this._persistIdleTimer) {
-      clearTimeout(this._persistIdleTimer)
-      this._persistIdleTimer = null
-    }
-    if (this._persistBackgroundFlight) {
-      await this._persistBackgroundFlight.catch(() => {})
-    }
-
     // Cancel any pending post-import background deduplication FIRST — it is a
     // writer (merge-deletes), and no delete pass may start mid- or post-close.
     this._backgroundDedup?.cancelPending()
@@ -17596,26 +16375,6 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
   }
 }
 
-/**
- * @description Whether a `where` clause actually constrains the result set —
- * i.e. it is a non-null object carrying at least one predicate key. An empty
- * `where: {}` carries ZERO predicates and must behave exactly like an absent
- * `where` everywhere it is consulted; treating it as "a filter is present"
- * routes the query into the index-filter path, where `getIdsForFilter({})`
- * answers `[]` by contract — a silent empty on a match-all query (the
- * forbidden answer class: served-or-refused, never silently nothing).
- * @param where - The raw `where` value from a query/selector params object.
- * @returns `true` when `where` holds at least one predicate.
- */
-function whereConstrains(where: unknown): where is Record<string, unknown> {
-  return (
-    where !== null &&
-    typeof where === 'object' &&
-    !Array.isArray(where) &&
-    Object.keys(where).length > 0
-  )
-}
-
 /**
  * @description Extract the entity/relationship id from a canonical storage
  * path of the form `entities/(nouns|verbs)/<shard>/<id>/metadata.json`.
diff --git a/src/db/factLog.ts b/src/db/factLog.ts
index 82949fb6..94e79700 100644
--- a/src/db/factLog.ts
+++ b/src/db/factLog.ts
@@ -41,57 +41,10 @@
  * terminal-readable) is the single source of truth for the segment SET;
  * rotation flips it atomically (write-new → fsync → rename) BEFORE the new
  * tail's first byte exists, so no segment file is ever unaccounted for.
- *
- * ## Mixed-version logs (the v2 live-write cutover)
- *
- * The segment header's `formatVersion` selects the decoder PER SEGMENT:
- * v1 segments (ops-shaped facts, the format above) stay readable forever and
- * are NEVER rewritten; a NEW tail segment writes the v2 format
- * (`src/db/factLogFormat.ts` — record envelope, minted dense ints, genesis,
- * sector seals) whenever the int minter is installed ({@link FactLog.setIntMinter} —
- * the brain wires it from the metadata index's id mapper right after init).
- * A bare `FactLog` with no minter keeps writing v1 (there is no authority
- * that could reproduce int assignments, and 0 is never written). Cutover
- * mechanics on an existing v1 log: an EMPTY v1 tail is re-headed to v2 in
- * place; a non-empty v1 tail is sealed by an immediate rotation and the new
- * tail is v2. Decoded v2 facts map back to the SAME {@link CommitFact} shape
- * v1 consumers read (noun/verb ops with `{metadata, vector} | null` records) —
- * the vector wrapper object is reconstructed from the record's metadata leg
- * through the reserved-field hydration law (see `commitFactFromV2`).
- *
- * V2 tails additionally: write the `log.genesis` record (id-space width 64 +
- * the brain id, minted once into the manifest's additive `brainId` field) as
- * the first record of the FIRST fact of a brand-new log, and seal every
- * `sync()` to the header-declared sector size with pad frames that are
- * invisible to readers (torn-page defense at group-commit boundaries).
  */
 import { encode as defaultEncode, decode as defaultDecode } from '@msgpack/msgpack'
 import { crc32c } from '../utils/crc32c.js'
 import { prodLog } from '../utils/logger.js'
-import {
-  FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1,
-  FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2,
-  DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE,
-  parseSegmentHeader,
-  encodeSegmentHeaderV2,
-  encodeFactV2,
-  decodeFact as decodeFormatFact,
-  decodeGroupV2,
-  encodePadFrame,
-  minPadFrameBytes,
-  type CommitFactV2,
-  type LogRecord,
-  type EmbedPendingRecord,
-  type EmbedLandedRecord,
-  type BlobManifestRecord,
-  type BootstrapBaselineRecord,
-  type ProjectionNoteRecord
-} from './factLogFormat.js'
-import {
-  splitNounMetadataRecord
-} from '../types/reservedFields.js'
-import { NounType } from '../types/graphTypes.js'
-import { v4 as uuidv4 } from '../universal/uuid.js'
 
 // Swappable msgpack implementation — defaults to the JS codec; a native
 // provider (registered via the plugin registry's 'msgpack' key) may replace
@@ -112,12 +65,7 @@ export function setFactCodec(impl: {
 export const FACTS_PREFIX = '_generations/facts'
 /** The facts manifest path (JSON). */
 export const FACTS_MANIFEST_PATH = `${FACTS_PREFIX}/manifest.json`
-/**
- * The v1 segment format version — the MANIFEST's formatVersion gate and the
- * header value of v1 (minter-less) tails. NOT the live-write ceiling: new
- * tails write `FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2` (src/db/factLogFormat.ts) whenever the
- * int minter is installed; both versions are read forever, per segment.
- */
+/** Current segment format version (header field; additive-only within a major). */
 export const FACTS_FORMAT_VERSION = 1
 /** Rotation threshold: seal the tail segment once it exceeds this many bytes. */
 const SEGMENT_ROTATE_BYTES = 8 * 1024 * 1024
@@ -135,31 +83,6 @@ export interface FactOp {
   record: { metadata: unknown | null; vector: unknown | null } | null
 }
 
-/**
- * V2-native records beyond noun/verb ops that a fact may carry through the
- * ENCODER (types 6/7/8/9/10 of the v2 registry: embed markers, blob
- * manifests, projection notes, bootstrap baselines). The deferred-embedding
- * lifecycle PRODUCES types 6/7 today: `embed.pending` rides the deferred
- * write's own commit fact and `embed.landed` rides the background worker's
- * landing commit (recovery folds the pair back out of the log at open). The
- * blob lifecycle remodels onto type 8 in a later leg.
- */
-export type FactMarkerRecord =
-  | EmbedPendingRecord
-  | EmbedLandedRecord
-  | BlobManifestRecord
-  | ProjectionNoteRecord
-  | BootstrapBaselineRecord
-
-/**
- * Mints the dense integer handle for an entity/verb id at fact-append time —
- * REQUIRED to be reproducible: a rebuilt id mapper must reproduce the same
- * assignments exactly, so the only legal implementation delegates to the
- * metadata index's id mapper (`getOrAssign`). Returns a POSITIVE bigint; a
- * minter that cannot resolve its mapper throws — an int of 0 is never written.
- */
-export type FactIntMinter = (kind: 'noun' | 'verb', id: string) => bigint
-
 /** One committed generation, as scanned back out of the log. */
 export interface CommitFact {
   generation: number
@@ -167,12 +90,6 @@ export interface CommitFact {
   ops: FactOp[]
   meta?: Record<string, unknown>
   blobHashes?: string[]
-  /**
-   * V2-native marker records riding this fact (see {@link FactMarkerRecord}).
-   * Optional and additive: absent on every v1 fact and on every fact the
-   * current writers produce; requires a v2 tail to encode.
-   */
-  records?: FactMarkerRecord[]
 }
 
 /** The telemetry a scan batch carries (frozen shape). */
@@ -226,12 +143,6 @@ interface FactsManifest {
   /** The append target. Its true content is established by scanning (crash tolerance). */
   tailSegment: string | null
   updatedAt: string
-  /**
-   * This brain's stable id (additive, v2 cutover): minted as a uuid at the
-   * first v2 tail creation and never changed; the `log.genesis` record
-   * carries it. Absent on logs that have never had a v2 tail.
-   */
-  brainId?: string
 }
 
 /** The narrow byte-level storage surface the fact log rides. */
@@ -340,339 +251,40 @@ function decodeFact(payload: Uint8Array): CommitFact {
   }
 }
 
-/**
- * Deep-normalize a decoded v2 JSON position (metadata legs, meta maps,
- * notes) back to plain-JSON values: the v2 codec decodes msgpack int64/uint64
- * as `bigint` (its u64 wire discipline), but canonical records are JSON — a
- * metadata timestamp like `createdAt: 1786…` must come back as the NUMBER it
- * was encoded from. Safe-range bigints narrow exactly; anything beyond the
- * safe-integer range in a JSON position refuses loudly (it cannot have come
- * from a JSON write).
- */
-function normalizeWireJson(value: unknown): unknown {
-  if (typeof value === 'bigint') {
-    if (value > BigInt(Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER) || value < -BigInt(Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER)) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `fact log v2: decoded integer ${value} exceeds the JS safe-integer range in a JSON position`
-      )
-    }
-    return Number(value)
-  }
-  if (Array.isArray(value)) return value.map(normalizeWireJson)
-  if (value && typeof value === 'object' && !(value instanceof Uint8Array)) {
-    const out: Record<string, unknown> = {}
-    for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(value)) out[k] = normalizeWireJson(v)
-    return out
-  }
-  return value
-}
-
-/**
- * JSON-serialization equivalence for a v2 ENCODE-side JSON position: drop
- * undefined-valued object keys and map undefined array elements to null —
- * exactly what `JSON.stringify` does when canonical records are persisted.
- * Commit facts are built from write-cache-WARM objects that may still carry
- * undefined-valued engine keys (`service: undefined`, …) which the durable
- * JSON never had; msgpack would preserve them as nil (the v1 capture's known
- * wart), so the v2 capture — the future storage authority — sanitizes to the
- * DURABLE truth instead.
- */
-function toJsonSafe(value: unknown): unknown {
-  if (value === undefined) return null
-  if (Array.isArray(value)) return value.map((v) => (v === undefined ? null : toJsonSafe(v)))
-  if (value && typeof value === 'object' && !(value instanceof Uint8Array)) {
-    const out: Record<string, unknown> = {}
-    for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(value)) {
-      if (v === undefined) continue
-      out[k] = toJsonSafe(v)
-    }
-    return out
-  }
-  return value
-}
-
-/** Mirror of the storage layer's stored-timestamp normalization, minus its
- *  `Date.now()` fallback (a DECODER must be deterministic — an unreadable
- *  timestamp is omitted, and the divergence surfaces via the oracle). */
-function reconstructTimestamp(value: unknown): number | undefined {
-  if (typeof value === 'number' && value > 0) return value
-  if (
-    value !== null &&
-    typeof value === 'object' &&
-    typeof (value as { seconds?: unknown }).seconds === 'number'
-  ) {
-    return (value as { seconds: number }).seconds * 1000
-  }
-  return undefined
-}
-
-/**
- * Rebuild a noun's canonical VECTOR-FILE wrapper from a v2 after-image —
- * the read-side of the hydration law. Canonical noun vector files hold the
- * denormalized enumerable entity (`{id, vector, connections, level, type,
- * …reserved fields…, metadata}` — the write path's composition); the v2
- * record deliberately carries only the ENTITY state (metadata leg + embedding
- * floats), because connections/level are derived HNSW residue with their own
- * rebuild paths (empty in every 8.x write) and the denormalized top-level
- * fields are projections of the metadata leg. This reconstruction applies
- * the SAME split/hydrate law the storage layer uses
- * (`splitNounMetadataRecord` — the single source of truth in
- * src/types/reservedFields.ts; field map mirrors
- * `BaseStorage.hydrateNounWithMetadata`, undefined keys omitted exactly as
- * JSON serialization omits them), so in the no-drift case the reconstructed
- * wrapper digests byte-equal to canonical. A drifted denormalized copy
- * surfaces as an oracle `state-differs` — named, never silently absorbed.
- */
-export function reconstructNounWrapper(
-  id: string,
-  metadataLeg: unknown,
-  floats: number[]
-): Record<string, unknown> {
-  const { reserved, custom } = splitNounMetadataRecord(
-    (metadataLeg ?? null) as Record<string, unknown> | null
-  )
-  const wrapper: Record<string, unknown> = {
-    id,
-    vector: floats,
-    connections: {},
-    level: 0,
-    type: (reserved.noun as string) || NounType.Thing
-  }
-  if (reserved.subtype !== undefined) wrapper.subtype = reserved.subtype
-  if (reserved.visibility !== undefined) wrapper.visibility = reserved.visibility
-  const createdAt = reconstructTimestamp(reserved.createdAt)
-  if (createdAt !== undefined) wrapper.createdAt = createdAt
-  const updatedAt = reconstructTimestamp(reserved.updatedAt)
-  if (updatedAt !== undefined) wrapper.updatedAt = updatedAt
-  if (reserved.confidence !== undefined) wrapper.confidence = reserved.confidence
-  if (reserved.weight !== undefined) wrapper.weight = reserved.weight
-  if (reserved.service !== undefined) wrapper.service = reserved.service
-  if (reserved.data !== undefined) wrapper.data = reserved.data
-  if (reserved.createdBy !== undefined) wrapper.createdBy = reserved.createdBy
-  wrapper._rev = typeof reserved._rev === 'number' ? reserved._rev : 1
-  wrapper.metadata = custom
-  return wrapper
-}
-
-/** Coerce a candidate embedding to `number[]`: plain arrays pass through
- *  (element-checked); numeric typed arrays (the JS HNSW rebuild path stores
- *  `Float32Array` vectors on the memory adapter) widen via `Array.from`. */
-function floatsOf(candidate: unknown, context: string): number[] | undefined {
-  if (Array.isArray(candidate)) {
-    for (const el of candidate) {
-      if (typeof el !== 'number') {
-        throw new Error(`fact log v2: ${context} vector carries a non-number element`)
-      }
-    }
-    return candidate as number[]
-  }
-  if (ArrayBuffer.isView(candidate) && !(candidate instanceof DataView)) {
-    return Array.from(candidate as unknown as ArrayLike<number>)
-  }
-  return undefined
-}
-
-/** Extract the embedding float array from a canonical vector value: a bare
- *  float array (or numeric typed array) passes through; a wrapper object
- *  yields its `vector` floats; `null` stays `null`; anything else refuses
- *  loudly. */
-function embeddingLegOf(value: unknown, context: string): number[] | null {
-  if (value === null || value === undefined) return null
-  const direct = floatsOf(value, context)
-  if (direct !== undefined) return direct
-  if (typeof value === 'object') {
-    const nested = floatsOf((value as { vector?: unknown }).vector, context)
-    if (nested !== undefined) return nested
-  }
-  throw new Error(
-    `fact log v2: ${context} has a canonical vector record with no float vector — ` +
-      `cannot encode its after-image`
-  )
-}
-
-/**
- * Map one decoded v2 fact to the {@link CommitFact} shape every consumer
- * already reads: noun/verb after-images and tombstones become ops (vector
- * wrappers reconstructed — see {@link reconstructNounWrapper}); a
- * `batch.meta` record becomes `meta` when the fact position carries none;
- * `log.genesis` is log-level metadata (its width was verified at decode) and
- * is not an op; marker records surface on the additive `records` field so
- * nothing is silently dropped. Decoded JSON positions are normalized back
- * from the codec's bigint discipline ({@link normalizeWireJson}).
- */
-function commitFactFromV2(f: CommitFactV2): CommitFact {
-  const ops: FactOp[] = []
-  const markers: FactMarkerRecord[] = []
-  let batchMeta: Record<string, unknown> | undefined
-  for (const r of f.records) {
-    switch (r.type) {
-      case 'noun.afterImage': {
-        const metadata = normalizeWireJson(r.metadata) ?? null
-        let vector: unknown | null = null
-        if (r.vectorLeg !== null) {
-          if (!Array.isArray(r.vectorLeg)) {
-            throw new Error(
-              `fact log v2: noun.afterImage ${r.id} carries a vector ref — this reader ` +
-                `resolves inline vectors only (refs are a later leg); refusing`
-            )
-          }
-          vector = reconstructNounWrapper(r.id, metadata, r.vectorLeg)
-        }
-        ops.push({ kind: 'noun', id: r.id, record: { metadata, vector } })
-        break
-      }
-      case 'noun.tombstone':
-        ops.push({ kind: 'noun', id: r.id, record: null })
-        break
-      case 'verb.afterImage': {
-        const metadata = normalizeWireJson(r.metadata) ?? null
-        if (r.vectorLeg !== null && !Array.isArray(r.vectorLeg)) {
-          throw new Error(
-            `fact log v2: verb.afterImage ${r.id} carries a vector ref — this reader ` +
-              `resolves inline vectors only (refs are a later leg); refusing`
-          )
-        }
-        // The canonical verb vector-file wrapper: endpoints + verb name ride
-        // as first-class v2 wire fields precisely so this reconstruction is
-        // exact ({id, vector, connections:{}, verb, sourceId, targetId} —
-        // verbs carry no `level`).
-        const vector: Record<string, unknown> = {
-          id: r.id,
-          vector: r.vectorLeg ?? [],
-          connections: {},
-          verb: r.verb,
-          sourceId: r.sourceId,
-          targetId: r.targetId
-        }
-        ops.push({ kind: 'verb', id: r.id, record: { metadata, vector } })
-        break
-      }
-      case 'verb.tombstone':
-        ops.push({ kind: 'verb', id: r.id, record: null })
-        break
-      case 'batch.meta':
-        batchMeta = normalizeWireJson(r.meta) as Record<string, unknown>
-        break
-      case 'log.genesis':
-        break // the log's birth certificate — log-level metadata, not an op
-      case 'projection.note':
-        markers.push({ ...r, note: normalizeWireJson(r.note) as Record<string, unknown> })
-        break
-      case 'bootstrap.baseline':
-        markers.push({ ...r, metadata: normalizeWireJson(r.metadata) })
-        break
-      default:
-        // embed.pending / embed.landed / blob.manifest carry no loose JSON maps.
-        markers.push(r)
-        break
-    }
-  }
-  const meta = f.meta ? (normalizeWireJson(f.meta) as Record<string, unknown>) : batchMeta
-  return {
-    generation: f.generation,
-    timestamp: f.timestamp,
-    ops,
-    ...(meta ? { meta } : {}),
-    ...(f.blobHashes && f.blobHashes.length > 0 ? { blobHashes: f.blobHashes } : {}),
-    ...(markers.length > 0 ? { records: markers } : {})
-  }
-}
-
-/** One intact v2 frame's extent inside a segment (byte-slicing support). */
-interface V2FrameExtent {
-  /** Byte offset just past this frame. */
-  end: number
-  /** The frame's generation (0 for pad filler). */
-  generation: number
-  /** True when the frame is a pad (invisible filler). */
-  isPad: boolean
-}
-
-/** Walk a v2 segment's intact frames (torn-tail terminated), returning each
- *  frame's extent — the byte-level view truncation slices against, so kept
- *  frames are never re-encoded (byte-immutability of CRC-covered frames). */
-function walkV2Frames(bytes: Uint8Array): V2FrameExtent[] {
-  const view = new DataView(bytes.buffer, bytes.byteOffset, bytes.byteLength)
-  const extents: V2FrameExtent[] = []
-  let offset = HEADER_BYTES
-  while (offset + FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES <= bytes.length) {
-    const length = view.getUint32(offset, true)
-    const expectedCrc = view.getUint32(offset + 4, true)
-    const start = offset + FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES
-    const end = start + length
-    if (end > bytes.length) break // torn tail
-    const payload = bytes.subarray(start, end)
-    if (crc32c(payload) !== expectedCrc) break // torn tail
-    const fact = decodeFormatFact(payload, FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2, {
-      expectedIdSpaceWidth: 64
-    }) as CommitFactV2
-    extents.push({ end, generation: fact.generation, isPad: fact.records.length === 0 })
-    offset = end
-  }
-  return extents
-}
-
-/**
- * The byte offset a v2 segment is cut at to keep exactly the facts with
- * `generation ≤ keepThrough`: the end of the last kept FACT frame (pads
- * between kept facts sit inside the retained span; pads after the cut are
- * dropped and re-sealed at the next sync). When nothing is dropped the cut
- * lands after the last intact frame — trailing pads retained, only a torn
- * suffix (if any) removed.
- */
-function v2CutOffset(extents: V2FrameExtent[], keepThrough: number): number {
-  let cut = HEADER_BYTES
-  let lastIntactEnd = HEADER_BYTES
-  for (const e of extents) {
-    lastIntactEnd = e.end
-    if (e.isPad) continue
-    if (e.generation <= keepThrough) {
-      cut = e.end
-    } else {
-      return cut // first beyond-keep fact: everything from here (pads included) goes
-    }
-  }
-  return lastIntactEnd
-}
-
 /**
  * Parse a segment's bytes: verify the header, then walk frames until the end
  * or a torn tail (length overrun / CRC mismatch), which terminates the walk —
- * everything before it is intact. The header's formatVersion selects the
- * decoder: the v1 walk below is byte-identical to the original v1 reader;
- * v2 segments decode through the reference codec (`decodeGroupV2`, pads
- * invisible, id-space width verified at 64 — a disagreeing genesis throws
- * the codec's typed `GenesisWidthMismatchError`). Returns the decoded facts
- * plus the byte length of the VALID prefix (header + intact frames), which
- * reconciliation uses to cut a torn tail without re-encoding.
+ * everything before it is intact. Returns the decoded facts plus the byte
+ * length of the VALID prefix (header + intact frames), which reconciliation
+ * uses to cut a torn tail without re-encoding.
  */
 function parseSegment(
   file: string,
   bytes: Uint8Array
-): { facts: CommitFact[]; validBytes: number; formatVersion: number; sealSize?: number } {
+): { facts: CommitFact[]; validBytes: number } {
   if (bytes.length < HEADER_BYTES) {
     prodLog.warn(`[FactLog] segment ${file} shorter than its header — treating as empty`)
-    return { facts: [], validBytes: 0, formatVersion: 0 }
+    return { facts: [], validBytes: 0 }
   }
-  let header: { formatVersion: number; sealSize?: number }
-  try {
-    header = parseSegmentHeader(bytes.subarray(0, HEADER_BYTES))
-  } catch (err) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log: segment ${file}: ${(err as Error).message}`)
+  for (let i = 0; i < MAGIC.length; i++) {
+    if (bytes[i] !== MAGIC[i]) {
+      throw new Error(`fact log: segment ${file} has a bad magic — not a fact segment`)
+    }
   }
-
-  if (header.formatVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2) {
-    const group = decodeGroupV2(bytes.subarray(HEADER_BYTES), { expectedIdSpaceWidth: 64 })
-    return {
-      facts: group.facts.map(commitFactFromV2),
-      validBytes: HEADER_BYTES + group.validBytes,
-      formatVersion: FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2,
-      sealSize: header.sealSize
+  const view = new DataView(bytes.buffer, bytes.byteOffset, bytes.byteLength)
+  const version = view.getUint32(8, true)
+  if (version !== FACTS_FORMAT_VERSION) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `fact log: segment ${file} has formatVersion ${version}; this build reads ${FACTS_FORMAT_VERSION}`
+    )
+  }
+  for (let i = 20; i < HEADER_BYTES; i++) {
+    if (bytes[i] !== 0) {
+      // Non-zero reserved bytes = a future format this build cannot verify.
+      throw new Error(`fact log: segment ${file} has non-zero reserved header bytes — unverifiable`)
     }
   }
 
-  // v1 walk — byte-identical to the original reader.
-  const view = new DataView(bytes.buffer, bytes.byteOffset, bytes.byteLength)
   const facts: CommitFact[] = []
   let offset = HEADER_BYTES
   while (offset + FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES <= bytes.length) {
@@ -686,7 +298,7 @@ function parseSegment(
     facts.push(decodeFact(payload))
     offset = end
   }
-  return { facts, validBytes: offset, formatVersion: FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1 }
+  return { facts, validBytes: offset }
 }
 
 /**
@@ -706,54 +318,23 @@ export class FactLog {
   }
   /** Decoded facts of the TAIL segment (bounded by the rotation threshold). */
   private tailFacts: CommitFact[] = []
-  /** Byte size of the tail segment file (valid prefix, pads included —
-   *  pads count toward bytes but NEVER toward facts). */
+  /** Byte size of the tail segment file (valid prefix). */
   private tailBytes = 0
   /** Highest generation in the log (0 = empty). */
   private head = 0
   /** Segment paths appended since the last sync (the fsync batch). */
   private readonly dirtySegments = new Set<string>()
-  /** The TAIL segment's on-disk format version (selects the live encoder). */
-  private tailVersion: number = FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1
-  /** The tail's sector-seal size (v2 tails; from its header on reopen). */
-  private tailSealSize: number = DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE
-  /** The v2 int minter (see {@link FactIntMinter}); null = v1 live writes. */
-  private intMinter: FactIntMinter | null = null
 
   constructor(storage: FactLogStorage, options?: { rotateBytes?: number }) {
     this.storage = storage
     this.rotateBytes = options?.rotateBytes ?? SEGMENT_ROTATE_BYTES
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Install the v2 int minter — the capability gate for v2 LIVE WRITES.
-   * With a minter installed, every NEW tail segment writes the v2 format and
-   * after-image records carry minted dense ints; without one, live writes
-   * stay v1 (no authority could reproduce int assignments, and 0 is never
-   * written). The brain wires this from the metadata index's id mapper right
-   * after the index is ready; an existing v1 tail cuts over on the next
-   * append (empty tail: re-headed in place; non-empty: sealed by rotation).
-   */
-  setIntMinter(mint: FactIntMinter): void {
-    this.intMinter = mint
-  }
-
   /** The highest committed generation the log holds (0 = empty). */
   headGeneration(): number {
     return this.head
   }
 
-  /**
-   * True when this log has EVER had a v2 tail — the manifest's `brainId` is
-   * minted at every v2 tail creation seam and never removed (the tail-version
-   * check is a belt-and-braces second signal). Only v2 facts can carry marker
-   * records, so marker folds (e.g. the deferred-embed recovery scan) skip
-   * v1-only logs WHOLESALE on this one cheap check — no segment is read.
-   */
-  hasV2History(): boolean {
-    return this.manifest.brainId !== undefined || this.tailVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2
-  }
-
   /**
    * Open the log and reconcile it to committed truth: read the manifest,
    * establish the tail's intact content (torn-tail scan), then TRUNCATE any
@@ -761,34 +342,6 @@ export class FactLog {
    * crash between fact-append and the commit point). After open, the log is
    * exactly the committed prefix.
    */
-  /**
-   * Read (without truncating) every intact fact ABOVE a generation — the
-   * log-authority recovery surface: after a crash, facts beyond the
-   * manifest watermark that survived with valid CRCs are ACKED writes in
-   * durable-at-ack mode, and the owner REPLAYS them instead of letting
-   * open() truncate them. Must be called BEFORE open() (it reads the raw
-   * segments directly; the torn tail's invalid suffix is ignored exactly
-   * like open() would).
-   */
-  async peekFactsAbove(committedGeneration: number): Promise<CommitFact[]> {
-    const stored = (await this.storage.readRawObject(FACTS_MANIFEST_PATH)) as FactsManifest | null
-    if (!stored || typeof stored !== 'object' || !Array.isArray(stored.segments)) return []
-    if (stored.formatVersion !== FACTS_FORMAT_VERSION) return []
-    const out: CommitFact[] = []
-    const files = [...stored.segments.map((s) => s.file)]
-    if (stored.tailSegment) files.push(stored.tailSegment)
-    for (const file of files) {
-      const bytes = await this.storage.readRawBytes(`${FACTS_PREFIX}/${file}`)
-      if (bytes === null) continue
-      const { facts } = parseSegment(file, bytes)
-      for (const f of facts) {
-        if (f.generation > committedGeneration) out.push(f)
-      }
-    }
-    out.sort((a, b) => a.generation - b.generation)
-    return out
-  }
-
   async open(committedGeneration: number): Promise<void> {
     const stored = (await this.storage.readRawObject(FACTS_MANIFEST_PATH)) as FactsManifest | null
     if (stored && typeof stored === 'object' && Array.isArray(stored.segments)) {
@@ -831,17 +384,11 @@ export class FactLog {
       const tailPath = `${FACTS_PREFIX}/${this.manifest.tailSegment}`
       const bytes = await this.storage.readRawBytes(tailPath)
       if (bytes === null) {
-        // Manifest named a tail whose first byte never landed — an empty
-        // tail. Its header (and format version) is established at the next
-        // append (see the tail-provisioning ladder there).
+        // Manifest named a tail whose first byte never landed — an empty tail.
         this.tailFacts = []
         this.tailBytes = 0
       } else {
-        const parsed = parseSegment(this.manifest.tailSegment, bytes)
-        const { facts, validBytes } = parsed
-        this.tailVersion =
-          parsed.formatVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2 ? FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2 : FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1
-        this.tailSealSize = parsed.sealSize ?? DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE
+        const { facts, validBytes } = parseSegment(this.manifest.tailSegment, bytes)
         const kept = facts.filter((f) => f.generation <= committedGeneration)
         if (kept.length !== facts.length || validBytes !== bytes.length) {
           const dropped = facts.length - kept.length
@@ -851,16 +398,7 @@ export class FactLog {
                 `${committedGeneration} from the tail (never committed)`
             )
           }
-          if (this.tailVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2) {
-            // V2: byte-slice at frame boundaries — CRC-covered frames are
-            // byte-immutable; a truncation never re-encodes what it keeps.
-            const cut = v2CutOffset(walkV2Frames(bytes), committedGeneration)
-            await this.storage.writeRawBytes(tailPath, bytes.subarray(0, cut))
-            this.tailFacts = kept
-            this.tailBytes = cut
-          } else {
-            await this.rewriteTail(kept)
-          }
+          await this.rewriteTail(kept)
         } else {
           this.tailFacts = facts
           this.tailBytes = validBytes
@@ -875,15 +413,6 @@ export class FactLog {
    * Append one committed generation's fact. NOT durable until {@link sync} —
    * the caller batches durability at its commit barrier (transact syncs in
    * the same call; Model-B group-commit syncs at flush).
-   *
-   * Tail provisioning (in order): a missing tail starts one; a named tail
-   * whose header never landed (manifest-first crash) gets its header now; an
-   * existing V1 tail cuts over to v2 once the minter is installed (empty:
-   * re-headed in place, non-empty: sealed by rotation — v1 segments are never
-   * rewritten); a full tail rotates. The frame then encodes in the TAIL's
-   * format: v2 tails carry after-image records with minted ints (and the
-   * genesis record on the very first fact of a brand-new log); v1 tails keep
-   * the v1 wire format byte-identically.
    */
   async append(fact: CommitFact): Promise<void> {
     if (fact.generation <= this.head) {
@@ -893,42 +422,10 @@ export class FactLog {
     }
     if (this.manifest.tailSegment === null) {
       await this.startTail(fact.generation)
-    } else if (this.tailBytes === 0) {
-      await this.reinitializeTailHeader()
-    } else if (this.intMinter !== null && this.tailVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1) {
-      if (this.tailFacts.length === 0 && this.tailBytes <= HEADER_BYTES) {
-        await this.upgradeEmptyTailToV2()
-      } else {
-        await this.rotate(fact.generation)
-      }
     } else if (this.tailBytes >= this.rotateBytes) {
       await this.rotate(fact.generation)
     }
-
-    let frame: Uint8Array
-    if (this.tailVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2) {
-      const records = this.buildV2Records(fact)
-      if (this.needsGenesis()) {
-        if (this.ensureBrainId()) await this.persistManifest()
-        records.unshift(this.genesisRecord())
-      }
-      frame = encodeFactV2({
-        generation: fact.generation,
-        timestamp: fact.timestamp,
-        records,
-        ...(fact.meta ? { meta: toJsonSafe(fact.meta) as Record<string, unknown> } : {}),
-        ...(fact.blobHashes && fact.blobHashes.length > 0 ? { blobHashes: fact.blobHashes } : {})
-      })
-    } else {
-      if (fact.records && fact.records.length > 0) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `fact log: marker records (${fact.records.map((r) => r.type).join(', ')}) require a ` +
-            `v2 tail segment — this log's tail is v1 (no int minter installed); refusing rather ` +
-            `than silently dropping them`
-        )
-      }
-      frame = encodeFrame(fact)
-    }
+    const frame = encodeFrame(fact)
     const tailPath = `${FACTS_PREFIX}/${this.manifest.tailSegment}`
     await this.storage.appendRawBytes(tailPath, frame)
     this.tailFacts.push(fact)
@@ -937,66 +434,14 @@ export class FactLog {
     this.dirtySegments.add(tailPath)
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Fsync every segment appended since the last sync. SEALS AT SYNC: a v2
-   * tail is first padded to its sector-seal boundary (one pad frame,
-   * invisible to readers; a gap smaller than the smallest constructible pad
-   * frame pads through one extra sector — the codec's rule), so every
-   * durability barrier leaves the tail sector-aligned: a torn page can only
-   * tear INSIDE the group being written, never a previously-sealed one.
-   */
+  /** Fsync every segment appended since the last sync. */
   async sync(): Promise<void> {
-    await this.padTailToSealBoundary()
     if (this.dirtySegments.size === 0) return
     const paths = [...this.dirtySegments]
     this.dirtySegments.clear()
     await this.storage.syncRawObjects(paths)
   }
 
-  // --- GROUP COMMIT ON THE LOG (durable-at-ack mode) ------------------------
-  // Classic group commit: concurrent writers append, then join ONE fsync
-  // whose completion releases every covered ack. Two slots — the running
-  // sync and at most one queued behind it — give the covering guarantee:
-  // an append followed by ensureSynced() is always covered, because the
-  // sync it awaits STARTS after the append landed (a running sync that
-  // may have snapshotted earlier is never joined; the queued one is).
-  private syncRunning: Promise<void> | null = null
-  private syncQueued: Promise<void> | null = null
-
-  /**
-   * Await a sync that covers every byte appended before this call. Many
-   * concurrent callers share one fsync (solo caller = immediate sync). The
-   * durability contract of an acked write in log-durable mode: this promise
-   * resolving means the caller's frames survive power loss.
-   */
-  async ensureSynced(): Promise<void> {
-    if (this.syncQueued) {
-      // A sync that has NOT started yet exists — it will snapshot after our
-      // append, so it covers us.
-      return this.syncQueued
-    }
-    if (this.syncRunning) {
-      // The running sync may have snapshotted before our append — queue the
-      // next one behind it and join that.
-      const queued = this.syncRunning
-        .catch(() => {})
-        .then(() => {
-          // Promote: the queued sync becomes the running one.
-          this.syncQueued = null
-          this.syncRunning = this.sync().finally(() => {
-            this.syncRunning = null
-          })
-          return this.syncRunning
-        })
-      this.syncQueued = queued
-      return queued
-    }
-    this.syncRunning = this.sync().finally(() => {
-      this.syncRunning = null
-    })
-    return this.syncRunning
-  }
-
   /**
    * Open a scan over committed facts. The scan runs against a MANIFEST
    * SNAPSHOT (sealed segments + the tail's decoded facts at open) — exactly-
@@ -1154,25 +599,7 @@ export class FactLog {
           `(head ${this.head}) — the fact to drop was already sealed; the log needs reopen`
       )
     }
-    if (this.tailVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2) {
-      // V2: byte-slice at frame boundaries (kept frames stay byte-identical;
-      // pads between kept facts are retained inside the prefix, trailing pads
-      // go and the next sync re-seals). The dropped frames may be unsynced —
-      // readRawBytes is read-after-write coherent over the append path.
-      const file = this.manifest.tailSegment
-      if (!file) return
-      const tailPath = `${FACTS_PREFIX}/${file}`
-      const bytes = await this.storage.readRawBytes(tailPath)
-      if (bytes === null) {
-        throw new Error(`fact log: dropAbove(${keepThrough}) cannot read the tail segment ${file}`)
-      }
-      const cut = v2CutOffset(walkV2Frames(bytes), keepThrough)
-      await this.storage.writeRawBytes(tailPath, bytes.subarray(0, cut))
-      this.tailFacts = kept
-      this.tailBytes = cut
-    } else {
-      await this.rewriteTail(kept)
-    }
+    await this.rewriteTail(kept)
     this.head = this.computeHead()
   }
 
@@ -1185,42 +612,25 @@ export class FactLog {
     return 0
   }
 
-  /** The header bytes for a NEW tail: v2 whenever the minter is installed. */
-  private newTailHeader(firstGeneration: number): Uint8Array {
-    return this.intMinter !== null
-      ? encodeSegmentHeaderV2(firstGeneration, DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE)
-      : buildHeader(firstGeneration)
-  }
-
-  /** Record the just-created tail's format in memory (mirrors its header). */
-  private noteFreshTail(): void {
-    this.tailVersion = this.intMinter !== null ? FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2 : FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1
-    this.tailSealSize = DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE
-  }
-
   /** Create the very first tail segment (manifest-first, then header bytes). */
   private async startTail(firstGeneration: number): Promise<void> {
     const file = segmentFileName(firstGeneration)
     this.manifest.tailSegment = file
-    if (this.intMinter !== null) this.ensureBrainId()
     await this.persistManifest()
-    await this.storage.appendRawBytes(`${FACTS_PREFIX}/${file}`, this.newTailHeader(firstGeneration))
+    await this.storage.appendRawBytes(`${FACTS_PREFIX}/${file}`, buildHeader(firstGeneration))
     this.tailFacts = []
     this.tailBytes = HEADER_BYTES
-    this.noteFreshTail()
   }
 
   /**
    * Seal the tail into the manifest and start a new one. Manifest-first: the
    * flip both seals the old tail AND names the new one atomically, so no
-   * segment file ever exists unaccounted for. The NEW tail's format follows
-   * the minter gate ({@link newTailHeader}) — this is also the v1→v2 cutover
-   * seam for a non-empty v1 tail (sealed as-is, never rewritten).
+   * segment file ever exists unaccounted for.
    */
   private async rotate(nextGeneration: number): Promise<void> {
     const sealedFile = this.manifest.tailSegment
     if (!sealedFile) return
-    // Seal what the tail actually holds (sync() also sector-seals a v2 tail).
+    // Seal what the tail actually holds.
     await this.sync() // sealed segments are always fully durable
     const entry: SegmentEntry = {
       file: sealedFile,
@@ -1232,187 +642,10 @@ export class FactLog {
     const newFile = segmentFileName(nextGeneration)
     this.manifest.segments.push(entry)
     this.manifest.tailSegment = newFile
-    if (this.intMinter !== null) this.ensureBrainId()
     await this.persistManifest()
-    await this.storage.appendRawBytes(`${FACTS_PREFIX}/${newFile}`, this.newTailHeader(nextGeneration))
+    await this.storage.appendRawBytes(`${FACTS_PREFIX}/${newFile}`, buildHeader(nextGeneration))
     this.tailFacts = []
     this.tailBytes = HEADER_BYTES
-    this.noteFreshTail()
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * The v1→v2 cutover for an EMPTY v1 tail: re-head it in place (nothing but
-   * the 32-byte header exists, so no v1 frame is ever rewritten). Also the
-   * cheapest cutover shape: brand-new brains whose first tail predates the
-   * minter installation converge here on their first post-install append.
-   */
-  private async upgradeEmptyTailToV2(): Promise<void> {
-    const file = this.manifest.tailSegment
-    if (!file) return
-    if (this.ensureBrainId()) await this.persistManifest()
-    const first = this.segmentFirstGenerationFromName(file)
-    const path = `${FACTS_PREFIX}/${file}`
-    await this.storage.writeRawBytes(path, encodeSegmentHeaderV2(first, DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE))
-    this.tailBytes = HEADER_BYTES
-    this.tailVersion = FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2
-    this.tailSealSize = DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE
-    this.dirtySegments.add(path)
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * A manifest-named tail whose header never landed (crash between the
-   * manifest flip and the first header byte — previously this appended
-   * frames into a headerless file the next open could not parse): write the
-   * header now, in the CURRENT format gate.
-   */
-  private async reinitializeTailHeader(): Promise<void> {
-    const file = this.manifest.tailSegment
-    if (!file) return
-    if (this.intMinter !== null && this.ensureBrainId()) await this.persistManifest()
-    const first = this.segmentFirstGenerationFromName(file)
-    const path = `${FACTS_PREFIX}/${file}`
-    await this.storage.writeRawBytes(path, this.newTailHeader(first))
-    this.tailBytes = HEADER_BYTES
-    this.noteFreshTail()
-    this.dirtySegments.add(path)
-  }
-
-  /** True when the NEXT appended fact is the first fact of a brand-new v2
-   *  log — the one that must open with the log.genesis record. */
-  private needsGenesis(): boolean {
-    return (
-      this.tailVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2 &&
-      this.manifest.segments.length === 0 &&
-      this.tailFacts.length === 0
-    )
-  }
-
-  /** Mint the brain id into the manifest if absent; true when it changed. */
-  private ensureBrainId(): boolean {
-    if (this.manifest.brainId) return false
-    this.manifest.brainId = uuidv4()
-    return true
-  }
-
-  /** The log's birth certificate (id-space width 64 — the only width this
-   *  writer mints; a reader expecting another width refuses at decode). */
-  private genesisRecord(): LogRecord {
-    const brainId = this.manifest.brainId
-    if (!brainId) {
-      throw new Error(
-        'fact log v2: genesis requires a brainId in the facts manifest — invariant violated'
-      )
-    }
-    return { type: 'log.genesis', idSpaceWidth: 64, brainId, createdAt: Date.now() }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Convert one CommitFact's ops (+ optional marker records) to v2 wire
-   * records, MINTING ints at append time: entity/verb ints come from the
-   * injected minter (the metadata index's id mapper — the one authority a
-   * rebuild reproduces exactly). Verb endpoints and the verb name ride as
-   * first-class wire fields, lifted from the canonical verb vector wrapper.
-   * Every refusal here is loud — an after-image without a mintable int, a
-   * verb without endpoints, or a vector record without floats fails the
-   * WRITE, never writes a 0.
-   */
-  private buildV2Records(fact: CommitFact): LogRecord[] {
-    const mint = (kind: 'noun' | 'verb', id: string): bigint => {
-      if (this.intMinter === null) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `fact log v2: no int minter is installed — cannot mint the ${kind} int for ${id}; ` +
-            `refusing to write a v2 after-image (an int of 0 is never written)`
-        )
-      }
-      const minted = this.intMinter(kind, id)
-      // Reserved-root exemption: int 0 is legitimate for exactly one id —
-      // the all-zeros VFS root, minted 0 by construction at genesis on
-      // existing brains. Zero anywhere else is a corrupt mint.
-      const isReservedRoot =
-        minted === 0n && id === '00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000'
-      if (typeof minted !== 'bigint' || minted < 0n || (minted === 0n && !isReservedRoot)) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `fact log v2: the int minter returned ${String(minted)} for ${kind} ${id} — ` +
-            `minted ints are positive bigints (int 0 reserved for the VFS root alone); ` +
-            `refusing to write`
-        )
-      }
-      return minted
-    }
-
-    const records: LogRecord[] = []
-    for (const op of fact.ops) {
-      if (op.kind === 'noun') {
-        if (op.record === null) {
-          records.push({ type: 'noun.tombstone', id: op.id })
-          continue
-        }
-        records.push({
-          type: 'noun.afterImage',
-          id: op.id,
-          entityInt: mint('noun', op.id),
-          metadata: toJsonSafe(op.record.metadata ?? null),
-          vectorLeg: embeddingLegOf(op.record.vector, `noun ${op.id}`)
-        })
-      } else {
-        if (op.record === null) {
-          records.push({ type: 'verb.tombstone', id: op.id })
-          continue
-        }
-        const wrapper = op.record.vector as Record<string, unknown> | null
-        const verbName = wrapper?.verb
-        const sourceId = wrapper?.sourceId
-        const targetId = wrapper?.targetId
-        if (
-          typeof verbName !== 'string' ||
-          typeof sourceId !== 'string' ||
-          typeof targetId !== 'string'
-        ) {
-          throw new Error(
-            `fact log v2: verb ${op.id} has no canonical endpoints (verb/sourceId/targetId ` +
-              `live in its vector record, which is missing or torn) — refusing to write an ` +
-              `after-image that could not be replayed`
-          )
-        }
-        const floats = floatsOf(wrapper?.vector, `verb ${op.id}`) ?? []
-        records.push({
-          type: 'verb.afterImage',
-          id: op.id,
-          verbInt: mint('verb', op.id),
-          metadata: toJsonSafe(op.record.metadata ?? null),
-          vectorLeg: floats,
-          verb: verbName,
-          sourceId,
-          sourceInt: mint('noun', sourceId),
-          targetId,
-          targetInt: mint('noun', targetId)
-        })
-      }
-    }
-    for (const marker of fact.records ?? []) records.push(marker)
-    return records
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Pad a v2 tail to its next sector-seal boundary with ONE pad frame —
-   * called from {@link sync} so alignment holds at every durability barrier.
-   * Pads count toward {@link tailBytes} but never toward facts (they are
-   * invisible to every reader); a gap smaller than the smallest constructible
-   * pad frame pads through one extra sector (the codec's rule). No-op for v1
-   * tails, empty tails, and already-aligned tails.
-   */
-  private async padTailToSealBoundary(): Promise<void> {
-    if (this.tailVersion !== FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2) return
-    const file = this.manifest.tailSegment
-    if (!file || this.tailBytes <= HEADER_BYTES) return
-    const remainder = this.tailBytes % this.tailSealSize
-    if (remainder === 0) return
-    let padBytes = this.tailSealSize - remainder
-    if (padBytes < minPadFrameBytes()) padBytes += this.tailSealSize
-    const tailPath = `${FACTS_PREFIX}/${file}`
-    await this.storage.appendRawBytes(tailPath, encodePadFrame(padBytes))
-    this.tailBytes += padBytes
-    this.dirtySegments.add(tailPath)
   }
 
   /** Atomically persist the manifest (write-new → fsync → rename downstream). */
@@ -1441,24 +674,17 @@ export class FactLog {
     this.tailBytes = total
   }
 
-  /** Cut a SEALED segment back to `committedGeneration` (atomic replace).
-   *  v2 segments byte-slice at frame boundaries (kept frames — pads
-   *  included — are never re-encoded); the v1 re-encode path is unchanged. */
+  /** Cut a SEALED segment back to `committedGeneration` (atomic replace). */
   private async truncateSegmentTo(file: string, committedGeneration: number): Promise<void> {
     const path = `${FACTS_PREFIX}/${file}`
     const bytes = await this.storage.readRawBytes(path)
     if (bytes === null) return
-    const { facts, formatVersion } = parseSegment(file, bytes)
+    const { facts } = parseSegment(file, bytes)
     const kept = facts.filter((f) => f.generation <= committedGeneration)
     prodLog.warn(
       `[FactLog] truncating sealed segment ${file} to generation ${committedGeneration} ` +
         `(${facts.length - kept.length} uncommitted fact(s) dropped)`
     )
-    if (formatVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2) {
-      const cut = v2CutOffset(walkV2Frames(bytes), committedGeneration)
-      await this.storage.writeRawBytes(path, bytes.subarray(0, cut))
-      return
-    }
     const first = kept[0]?.generation ?? this.segmentFirstGenerationFromName(file)
     const parts: Uint8Array[] = [buildHeader(first)]
     for (const f of kept) parts.push(encodeFrame(f))
diff --git a/src/db/factLogFormat.ts b/src/db/factLogFormat.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 0ac93e1f..00000000
--- a/src/db/factLogFormat.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,1309 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module db/factLogFormat
- * @description Fact-log format v2 (record envelope + sector seals) — the pure
- * encode/decode functions for the versioned on-disk fact-log byte format.
- * No I/O and no storage dependencies live here: this module is the REFERENCE
- * IMPLEMENTATION of the format, and a second (native) reader parses these
- * exact bytes. Byte-level behavior is a two-implementation contract — bytes
- * change only behind a format-version bump, never in place.
- *
- * ## Segment header (32 bytes, both versions)
- *
- *   magic "BFACTS\0\0" (8B) | formatVersion:u32 LE | firstGeneration:u64 LE |
- *   v1: reserved 12B (ZEROED, verified)
- *   v2: sealSize:u16 LE at offset +20 | reserved 10B (ZEROED, verified)
- *
- * V1 segments remain readable forever via the v1 decode path — never rewritten.
- *
- * ## Frame (unchanged from v1)
- *
- *   payloadLength:u32 LE | crc32c:u32 LE (of payload) | msgpack payload
- *
- * A bad length (overruns the buffer) or CRC mismatch is a TORN TAIL: it
- * terminates the scan; everything before it is intact.
- *
- * ## V2 fact payload (msgpack, positional — same 5 positions as v1, but
- * position 2 is `records`, not v1's `ops`)
- *
- *   fact   := [ generation:u64, timestamp:u64, records, meta|nil, blobHashes|nil ]
- *   record := [ recordType:u8, recordVersion:u8, cipherFlag:u8, keyId:bin16|nil,
- *               ...type-specific fields ]
- *
- * `cipherFlag`/`keyId` are RESERVED crypto envelope fields: `0`/`nil` (a
- * plaintext record) is the ONLY legal combination this release writes or
- * reads. Any nonzero cipherFlag or non-nil keyId refuses with the typed
- * {@link UnknownLogRecordError} ("encrypted records need a newer reader") —
- * so record-level encryption can land later without a format-version bump on
- * the one compat surface. No crypto logic exists here; the bytes are reserved
- * only. Pad records (type 0) are exempt: they are skipped WHOLESALE as
- * length-only filler, so their fields beyond [type, version] are never
- * inspected (this keeps pad frames byte-stable across the envelope change).
- *
- * Record type registry (all recordVersion = 1; type-specific fields listed —
- * every record carries the 4-field envelope above first):
- *
- *   0  pad                [] — length-only filler; readers SKIP; crc-covered
- *   1  noun.afterImage    [id bin16, entityInt u64, metadata, vectorLeg]
- *   2  noun.tombstone     [id bin16]
- *   3  verb.afterImage    [id bin16, verbInt u64, metadata, vectorLeg,
- *                          verb str, sourceId bin16, sourceInt u64,
- *                          targetId bin16, targetInt u64]
- *   4  verb.tombstone     [id bin16]
- *   5  batch.meta         [metaMap] — at most ONE per fact
- *   6  embed.pending      [id bin16, enqueuedAt u64]
- *   7  embed.landed       [id bin16, vector — INLINE float[] only]
- *   8  blob.manifest      [hash bin32, size u64, mimeType str, refOp u8 (0=add,1=release)]
- *   9  projection.note    [noteMap] — opaque map, reserved consumer
- *   10 bootstrap.baseline [id bin16, kind u8 (0=noun,1=verb), metadata, vectorLeg]
- *   11 log.genesis        [idSpaceWidth u8 (32|64), brainId bin16, createdAt u64]
- *                         — MUST be the first record of the first fact in a
- *                         v2 log (first-record-of-fact is enforced here; the
- *                         first-fact-of-log half belongs to the log layer)
- *
- *   vectorLeg := float[] | ['ref', sameAsGeneration u64] | nil
- *
- * Integer wire discipline (reference encoder): every field declared u64 above
- * rides as msgpack uint64 (0xcf, fixed 8 bytes); u8 fields ride as minimal
- * msgpack uints (positive fixint). The decoder is liberal and accepts any
- * msgpack unsigned-integer width for these fields. `entityInt`/`verbInt`/
- * `sourceInt`/`targetInt` surface as `bigint` (full u64 range); scalar
- * counters and timestamps surface as `number` and refuse values beyond
- * `Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER` loudly.
- *
- * ## Decoder law
- *
- * An unknown recordType, or a recordVersion newer than this reader knows,
- * throws {@link UnknownLogRecordError} — NEVER skip-and-continue (type 0 pad
- * is the sole exception: skipped by definition). A log.genesis whose
- * idSpaceWidth disagrees with the caller's expected width throws
- * {@link GenesisWidthMismatchError} naming both widths.
- *
- * ## Sector seals
- *
- * A "sealed group" is one or more frames padded to the next `sealSize`
- * boundary with ONE pad frame — a frame whose fact is
- * `[0, 0, [[0, 1, filler?]], nil, nil]` (generation 0 marks filler; real
- * facts start at 1). Pad frames are invisible to readers. When the gap to the
- * boundary is smaller than the smallest constructible pad frame, the group is
- * padded through to the boundary AFTER next (one extra sealSize) — chosen as
- * the simpler correct approach over rewriting the previous frame's payload:
- * input frames stay byte-immutable, alignment still holds, and the cost is at
- * most one sector on a rare (<1%) size coincidence.
- */
-import { encode as msgpackEncode, decode as msgpackDecode } from '@msgpack/msgpack'
-import { crc32c } from '../utils/crc32c.js'
-import type { CommitFact } from './factLog.js'
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Constants
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-/** Segment magic: ASCII "BFACTS" + two NULs (shared by v1 and v2 headers). */
-export const FACT_SEGMENT_MAGIC: Uint8Array = new Uint8Array([
-  0x42, 0x46, 0x41, 0x43, 0x54, 0x53, 0x00, 0x00
-])
-
-/** Segment format version 1 (ops-shaped facts, 12 zeroed reserved bytes). */
-export const FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1 = 1
-
-/** Segment format version 2 (record envelope + sector seals). */
-export const FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2 = 2
-
-/** Segment header size in bytes (identical for v1 and v2). */
-export const SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES = 32
-
-/** Frame prefix size: payloadLength(4) + crc32c(4). */
-export const FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES = 8
-
-/** Default sector-seal size (bytes) when the caller does not probe a device. */
-export const DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE = 4096
-
-/** The record version this reader knows (all registry types are version 1). */
-export const LOG_RECORD_VERSION = 1
-
-/**
- * The only legal `cipherFlag` value this release: plaintext. The encoder
- * always writes it (with a nil keyId); the decoder refuses anything else
- * with {@link UnknownLogRecordError} — encrypted records need a newer reader.
- */
-export const LOG_RECORD_CIPHER_PLAINTEXT = 0
-
-/** The v2 record-type registry — wire codes for every record type. */
-export const LOG_RECORD_TYPES = {
-  PAD: 0,
-  NOUN_AFTER_IMAGE: 1,
-  NOUN_TOMBSTONE: 2,
-  VERB_AFTER_IMAGE: 3,
-  VERB_TOMBSTONE: 4,
-  BATCH_META: 5,
-  EMBED_PENDING: 6,
-  EMBED_LANDED: 7,
-  BLOB_MANIFEST: 8,
-  PROJECTION_NOTE: 9,
-  BOOTSTRAP_BASELINE: 10,
-  LOG_GENESIS: 11
-} as const
-
-/** A wire code from the v2 record-type registry. */
-export type LogRecordTypeCode = (typeof LOG_RECORD_TYPES)[keyof typeof LOG_RECORD_TYPES]
-
-const U64_MAX = (1n << 64n) - 1n
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Errors
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-/**
- * A record whose type or version this reader does not know. Thrown — never
- * skipped — so an old reader can NEVER silently drop data written by a newer
- * writer. Carries the offending type/version for programmatic handling.
- */
-export class UnknownLogRecordError extends Error {
-  /** The wire recordType that was not understood. */
-  public readonly recordType: number
-  /** The wire recordVersion that was not understood. */
-  public readonly recordVersion: number
-
-  constructor(recordType: number, recordVersion: number, message: string) {
-    super(message)
-    this.name = 'UnknownLogRecordError'
-    this.recordType = recordType
-    this.recordVersion = recordVersion
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * A log.genesis record whose id-space width disagrees with the width the
- * caller expects. Decoding across id-space widths is refused loudly — the
- * error names both widths.
- */
-export class GenesisWidthMismatchError extends Error {
-  /** The width the caller expected (32 or 64). */
-  public readonly expectedWidth: number
-  /** The width the genesis record declares (32 or 64). */
-  public readonly actualWidth: number
-
-  constructor(expectedWidth: number, actualWidth: number) {
-    super(
-      `fact log v2: log.genesis declares a ${actualWidth}-bit id space but this reader ` +
-        `expected ${expectedWidth}-bit — refusing to decode across id-space widths`
-    )
-    this.name = 'GenesisWidthMismatchError'
-    this.expectedWidth = expectedWidth
-    this.actualWidth = actualWidth
-  }
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Record + fact types (the TS surface of the wire registry)
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-/** A vector reference: "same vector as the one generation N carried inline". */
-export interface VectorRef {
-  /** The generation whose record carried the INLINE vector (single-hop only). */
-  sameAsGeneration: number
-}
-
-/** A record's vector leg: inline floats, a single-hop ref, or none. */
-export type VectorLeg = number[] | VectorRef | null
-
-/** Type 1 — the after-image of a noun: what the entity BECAME. */
-export interface NounAfterImageRecord {
-  type: 'noun.afterImage'
-  id: string
-  /** The entity's u64 integer handle (full range — hence bigint). */
-  entityInt: bigint
-  metadata: unknown
-  vectorLeg: VectorLeg
-}
-
-/** Type 2 — a body-less noun tombstone: the entity was removed. */
-export interface NounTombstoneRecord {
-  type: 'noun.tombstone'
-  id: string
-}
-
-/** Type 3 — the after-image of a verb (relationship), endpoints included. */
-export interface VerbAfterImageRecord {
-  type: 'verb.afterImage'
-  id: string
-  /** The verb's u64 integer handle (full range — hence bigint). */
-  verbInt: bigint
-  metadata: unknown
-  vectorLeg: VectorLeg
-  /** The verb name (relationship type). */
-  verb: string
-  sourceId: string
-  sourceInt: bigint
-  targetId: string
-  targetInt: bigint
-}
-
-/** Type 4 — a body-less verb tombstone: the relationship was removed. */
-export interface VerbTombstoneRecord {
-  type: 'verb.tombstone'
-  id: string
-}
-
-/** Type 5 — batch-level metadata; at most ONE per fact. */
-export interface BatchMetaRecord {
-  type: 'batch.meta'
-  meta: Record<string, unknown>
-}
-
-/** Type 6 — an embedding was enqueued for the id (vector not yet available). */
-export interface EmbedPendingRecord {
-  type: 'embed.pending'
-  id: string
-  /** Enqueue time (epoch ms). */
-  enqueuedAt: number
-}
-
-/** Type 7 — a deferred embedding landed; carries the INLINE vector only. */
-export interface EmbedLandedRecord {
-  type: 'embed.landed'
-  id: string
-  /** The landed vector — inline floats only; refs are not allowed here. */
-  vector: number[]
-}
-
-/** Type 8 — a blob reference-count event (content-addressed by hash). */
-export interface BlobManifestRecord {
-  type: 'blob.manifest'
-  /** The blob's content hash — 64 lowercase hex chars (bin32 on the wire). */
-  hash: string
-  size: number
-  mimeType: string
-  refOp: 'add' | 'release'
-}
-
-/** Type 9 — an opaque note for a reserved projection consumer. */
-export interface ProjectionNoteRecord {
-  type: 'projection.note'
-  note: Record<string, unknown>
-}
-
-/** Type 10 — a bootstrap baseline row (initial-load after-image). */
-export interface BootstrapBaselineRecord {
-  type: 'bootstrap.baseline'
-  id: string
-  kind: 'noun' | 'verb'
-  metadata: unknown
-  vectorLeg: VectorLeg
-}
-
-/** Type 11 — the log's birth certificate; first record of the first fact. */
-export interface LogGenesisRecord {
-  type: 'log.genesis'
-  /** The integer-handle width this log's records use. */
-  idSpaceWidth: 32 | 64
-  brainId: string
-  /** Creation time (epoch ms). */
-  createdAt: number
-}
-
-/** Any decodable v2 record (pads are skipped, never surfaced). */
-export type LogRecord =
-  | NounAfterImageRecord
-  | NounTombstoneRecord
-  | VerbAfterImageRecord
-  | VerbTombstoneRecord
-  | BatchMetaRecord
-  | EmbedPendingRecord
-  | EmbedLandedRecord
-  | BlobManifestRecord
-  | ProjectionNoteRecord
-  | BootstrapBaselineRecord
-  | LogGenesisRecord
-
-/** One committed generation in v2 shape: a record envelope, not v1 ops. */
-export interface CommitFactV2 {
-  generation: number
-  timestamp: number
-  records: LogRecord[]
-  meta?: Record<string, unknown>
-  blobHashes?: string[]
-}
-
-/** A parsed segment header (v1 has no sealSize; v2 always carries one). */
-export interface SegmentHeader {
-  formatVersion: number
-  firstGeneration: number
-  /** Sector-seal size (v2 only) — `undefined` on v1 headers. */
-  sealSize?: number
-}
-
-/** Options for {@link encodeFactV2}. */
-export interface EncodeFactV2Options {
-  /**
-   * Single-hop validator for vector refs: the set (or predicate) of
-   * generations whose records carried an INLINE vector. REQUIRED whenever any
-   * record carries a `VectorRef` — encoding an unverifiable ref is refused.
-   */
-  inlineVectorGenerations?: Set<number> | ((generation: number) => boolean)
-}
-
-/** Options for the v2 decode path of {@link decodeFact}. */
-export interface DecodeFactV2Options {
-  /**
-   * The id-space width the caller expects. When set and the fact carries a
-   * log.genesis record, a disagreeing width throws
-   * {@link GenesisWidthMismatchError}.
-   */
-  expectedIdSpaceWidth?: 32 | 64
-}
-
-/** The result of decoding a frame group: intact facts + valid byte length. */
-export interface DecodedFrameGroup {
-  facts: CommitFactV2[]
-  /** Byte length of the intact prefix (whole frames that decoded cleanly). */
-  validBytes: number
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// msgpack wire helpers
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-/**
- * The v2 codec: `useBigInt64` makes bigints ride as fixed 8-byte uint64/int64
- * (the u64 wire discipline) while JS numbers keep exact-value round-trips
- * (integers ≤ 32-bit ride minimal; larger numbers ride float64, which holds
- * every safe integer exactly).
- */
-const enc = (value: unknown): Uint8Array => msgpackEncode(value, { useBigInt64: true })
-const dec = (bytes: Uint8Array): unknown => msgpackDecode(bytes, { useBigInt64: true })
-
-/** Coerce an encode-side u64 field to bigint, refusing out-of-range values. */
-function toWireU64(value: number | bigint, field: string): bigint {
-  let big: bigint
-  if (typeof value === 'bigint') {
-    big = value
-  } else if (Number.isSafeInteger(value)) {
-    big = BigInt(value)
-  } else {
-    throw new Error(`fact log v2: ${field} must be a safe integer or bigint; got ${value}`)
-  }
-  if (big < 0n || big > U64_MAX) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log v2: ${field} is out of u64 range: ${big}`)
-  }
-  return big
-}
-
-/** Decode-side u64 → bigint (liberal: accepts any msgpack uint width). */
-function wireToBigint(value: unknown, field: string): bigint {
-  if (typeof value === 'bigint') {
-    if (value < 0n || value > U64_MAX) {
-      throw new Error(`fact log v2: ${field} is out of u64 range: ${value}`)
-    }
-    return value
-  }
-  if (typeof value === 'number' && Number.isSafeInteger(value) && value >= 0) {
-    return BigInt(value)
-  }
-  throw new Error(`fact log v2: ${field} is not an unsigned integer`)
-}
-
-/** Decode-side u64 → number, refusing values beyond safe-integer range. */
-function wireToNumber(value: unknown, field: string): number {
-  const big = wireToBigint(value, field)
-  if (big > BigInt(Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER)) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log v2: ${field} ${big} exceeds Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER`)
-  }
-  return Number(big)
-}
-
-/** Decode-side u8 (record types, kinds, flags). */
-function wireToU8(value: unknown, field: string): number {
-  const n = typeof value === 'bigint' ? Number(value) : value
-  if (typeof n !== 'number' || !Number.isInteger(n) || n < 0 || n > 255) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log v2: ${field} is not a u8`)
-  }
-  return n
-}
-
-/** uuid string → 16 raw bytes (bin16 on the wire). */
-function uuidToBytes(id: string): Uint8Array {
-  const hex = id.replace(/-/g, '')
-  if (hex.length !== 32 || /[^0-9a-fA-F]/.test(hex)) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log v2: id is not a uuid: ${id}`)
-  }
-  const bytes = new Uint8Array(16)
-  for (let i = 0; i < 16; i++) {
-    bytes[i] = parseInt(hex.slice(i * 2, i * 2 + 2), 16)
-  }
-  return bytes
-}
-
-/** 16 raw bytes → canonical lowercase uuid string. */
-function bytesToUuid(bytes: unknown, field: string): string {
-  if (!(bytes instanceof Uint8Array) || bytes.length !== 16) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log v2: ${field} is not a bin16 id`)
-  }
-  let hex = ''
-  for (let i = 0; i < 16; i++) hex += bytes[i].toString(16).padStart(2, '0')
-  return `${hex.slice(0, 8)}-${hex.slice(8, 12)}-${hex.slice(12, 16)}-${hex.slice(16, 20)}-${hex.slice(20)}`
-}
-
-/** 64-hex-char content hash → 32 raw bytes (bin32 on the wire). */
-function hashToBytes(hash: string): Uint8Array {
-  if (typeof hash !== 'string' || !/^[0-9a-fA-F]{64}$/.test(hash)) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log v2: blob hash must be 64 hex chars; got ${String(hash).slice(0, 80)}`)
-  }
-  const bytes = new Uint8Array(32)
-  for (let i = 0; i < 32; i++) {
-    bytes[i] = parseInt(hash.slice(i * 2, i * 2 + 2), 16)
-  }
-  return bytes
-}
-
-/** 32 raw bytes → 64-char lowercase hex content hash. */
-function bytesToHash(bytes: unknown): string {
-  if (!(bytes instanceof Uint8Array) || bytes.length !== 32) {
-    throw new Error('fact log v2: blob hash is not bin32')
-  }
-  let hex = ''
-  for (let i = 0; i < 32; i++) hex += bytes[i].toString(16).padStart(2, '0')
-  return hex
-}
-
-/** True for a plain map object (not null/array/binary). */
-function isPlainMap(value: unknown): value is Record<string, unknown> {
-  return (
-    typeof value === 'object' &&
-    value !== null &&
-    !Array.isArray(value) &&
-    !(value instanceof Uint8Array)
-  )
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Segment header (v1 read + v2 read/write)
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-/**
- * Build a v2 segment header: magic + formatVersion 2 + firstGeneration u64 LE
- * + sealSize u16 LE at offset +20. The remaining 10 reserved bytes stay zero
- * and are verified by every reader.
- *
- * @param firstGeneration - The first generation this segment will hold.
- * @param sealSize - The sector-seal size groups in this segment align to
- *   (device atomic-write probing is the caller's business; default 4096).
- */
-export function encodeSegmentHeaderV2(
-  firstGeneration: number,
-  sealSize: number = DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE
-): Uint8Array {
-  if (!Number.isSafeInteger(firstGeneration) || firstGeneration < 0) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log v2: firstGeneration must be a non-negative integer; got ${firstGeneration}`)
-  }
-  assertValidSealSize(sealSize)
-  const header = new Uint8Array(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES)
-  header.set(FACT_SEGMENT_MAGIC, 0)
-  const view = new DataView(header.buffer)
-  view.setUint32(8, FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2, true)
-  view.setBigUint64(12, BigInt(firstGeneration), true)
-  view.setUint16(20, sealSize, true)
-  // bytes 22..31 stay zero (reserved, verified)
-  return header
-}
-
-/**
- * Parse a segment header — reads BOTH v1 (version 1, twelve zeroed reserved
- * bytes, no sealSize) and v2 (version 2, sealSize u16 LE at +20, ten zeroed
- * reserved bytes). Bad magic, non-zero reserved bytes, or an unknown version
- * throw loudly; nothing is guessed.
- *
- * @param bytes - At least the first {@link SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES} of a segment.
- * @returns The parsed header; `sealSize` is `undefined` for v1 headers.
- */
-export function parseSegmentHeader(bytes: Uint8Array): SegmentHeader {
-  if (bytes.length < SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES) {
-    throw new Error(
-      `fact log: segment header needs ${SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES} bytes; got ${bytes.length}`
-    )
-  }
-  for (let i = 0; i < FACT_SEGMENT_MAGIC.length; i++) {
-    if (bytes[i] !== FACT_SEGMENT_MAGIC[i]) {
-      throw new Error('fact log: bad magic — not a fact segment')
-    }
-  }
-  const view = new DataView(bytes.buffer, bytes.byteOffset, bytes.byteLength)
-  const formatVersion = view.getUint32(8, true)
-  const firstGenerationBig = view.getBigUint64(12, true)
-  if (firstGenerationBig > BigInt(Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER)) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log: firstGeneration ${firstGenerationBig} exceeds Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER`)
-  }
-  const firstGeneration = Number(firstGenerationBig)
-
-  if (formatVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1) {
-    assertReservedZero(bytes, 20)
-    return { formatVersion, firstGeneration }
-  }
-  if (formatVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2) {
-    const sealSize = view.getUint16(20, true)
-    assertReservedZero(bytes, 22)
-    return { formatVersion, firstGeneration, sealSize }
-  }
-  throw new Error(
-    `fact log: segment formatVersion ${formatVersion}; this build reads 1 and 2 — ` +
-      `a newer reader is required`
-  )
-}
-
-/** Verify header bytes [from, 32) are zero — anything else is unverifiable. */
-function assertReservedZero(bytes: Uint8Array, from: number): void {
-  for (let i = from; i < SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES; i++) {
-    if (bytes[i] !== 0) {
-      throw new Error('fact log: non-zero reserved header bytes — unverifiable')
-    }
-  }
-}
-
-/** Refuse seal sizes the header cannot carry or a pad frame cannot fill. */
-function assertValidSealSize(sealSize: number): void {
-  if (!Number.isInteger(sealSize) || sealSize < 64 || sealSize > 0xffff) {
-    throw new Error(
-      `fact log v2: sealSize must be an integer in [64, 65535]; got ${sealSize}`
-    )
-  }
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Frames
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-/** Wrap a msgpack payload in the frame envelope (length + crc32c + payload). */
-function buildFrame(payload: Uint8Array): Uint8Array {
-  const frame = new Uint8Array(FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES + payload.length)
-  const view = new DataView(frame.buffer)
-  view.setUint32(0, payload.length, true)
-  view.setUint32(4, crc32c(payload), true)
-  frame.set(payload, FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES)
-  return frame
-}
-
-/**
- * Verify a complete frame (exact length, CRC) and return its msgpack payload
- * (a view into the frame — copy if you outlive the frame). The bridge between
- * frame-level producers ({@link encodeFactV2}, {@link sealGroup}) and the
- * payload-level {@link decodeFact}.
- */
-export function framePayload(frame: Uint8Array): Uint8Array {
-  if (frame.length < FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log: frame shorter than its ${FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES}-byte prefix`)
-  }
-  const view = new DataView(frame.buffer, frame.byteOffset, frame.byteLength)
-  const length = view.getUint32(0, true)
-  if (FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES + length !== frame.length) {
-    throw new Error(
-      `fact log: frame declares ${length} payload bytes but carries ${frame.length - FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES}`
-    )
-  }
-  const payload = frame.subarray(FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES)
-  const expectedCrc = view.getUint32(4, true)
-  if (crc32c(payload) !== expectedCrc) {
-    throw new Error('fact log: frame payload fails its crc32c')
-  }
-  return payload
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// vectorLeg encode/decode
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-/** Encode a vector leg; refs must pass the single-hop validator. */
-function encodeVectorLeg(
-  leg: VectorLeg | undefined,
-  options: EncodeFactV2Options | undefined,
-  context: string
-): unknown {
-  if (leg === null || leg === undefined) return null
-  if (Array.isArray(leg)) {
-    for (const value of leg) {
-      if (typeof value !== 'number') {
-        throw new Error(`fact log v2: ${context} inline vector has a non-number element`)
-      }
-    }
-    return leg
-  }
-  if (isPlainMap(leg) && typeof (leg as VectorRef).sameAsGeneration === 'number') {
-    const target = (leg as VectorRef).sameAsGeneration
-    const validator = options?.inlineVectorGenerations
-    if (!validator) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `fact log v2: ${context} carries a vector ref to generation ${target} but no ` +
-          `single-hop validator was provided — refusing to encode an unverifiable ref`
-      )
-    }
-    const targetIsInline = typeof validator === 'function' ? validator(target) : validator.has(target)
-    if (!targetIsInline) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `fact log v2: ${context} vector ref targets generation ${target}, which did not ` +
-          `carry an inline vector — refs must be single-hop`
-      )
-    }
-    return ['ref', toWireU64(target, `${context} sameAsGeneration`)]
-  }
-  throw new Error(`fact log v2: ${context} has a malformed vector leg`)
-}
-
-/** Decode a vector leg: floats, a single-hop ref, or null. */
-function decodeVectorLeg(wire: unknown, context: string): VectorLeg {
-  if (wire === null || wire === undefined) return null
-  if (Array.isArray(wire)) {
-    if (wire.length === 2 && wire[0] === 'ref') {
-      return { sameAsGeneration: wireToNumber(wire[1], `${context} sameAsGeneration`) }
-    }
-    return wire.map((value, i) => {
-      if (typeof value === 'number') return value
-      if (typeof value === 'bigint') return Number(value)
-      throw new Error(`fact log v2: ${context} vector element ${i} is not a number`)
-    })
-  }
-  throw new Error(`fact log v2: ${context} has a malformed vector leg`)
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Record encode/decode
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-/**
- * Encode one record into its positional wire array. Every record leads with
- * the 4-field envelope [type, version, cipherFlag, keyId]; this release
- * writes cipherFlag {@link LOG_RECORD_CIPHER_PLAINTEXT} and a nil keyId
- * always (the fields are crypto-RESERVED, carrying no logic yet).
- */
-function encodeRecord(record: LogRecord, options: EncodeFactV2Options | undefined): unknown[] {
-  const T = LOG_RECORD_TYPES
-  const V = LOG_RECORD_VERSION
-  const C = LOG_RECORD_CIPHER_PLAINTEXT
-  const K = null // keyId: nil until record-level encryption exists
-  switch (record.type) {
-    case 'noun.afterImage':
-      return [
-        T.NOUN_AFTER_IMAGE,
-        V,
-        C,
-        K,
-        uuidToBytes(record.id),
-        toWireU64(record.entityInt, 'entityInt'),
-        record.metadata ?? null,
-        encodeVectorLeg(record.vectorLeg, options, `noun.afterImage ${record.id}`)
-      ]
-    case 'noun.tombstone':
-      return [T.NOUN_TOMBSTONE, V, C, K, uuidToBytes(record.id)]
-    case 'verb.afterImage': {
-      if (typeof record.verb !== 'string' || record.verb.length === 0) {
-        throw new Error(`fact log v2: verb.afterImage ${record.id} needs a non-empty verb name`)
-      }
-      return [
-        T.VERB_AFTER_IMAGE,
-        V,
-        C,
-        K,
-        uuidToBytes(record.id),
-        toWireU64(record.verbInt, 'verbInt'),
-        record.metadata ?? null,
-        encodeVectorLeg(record.vectorLeg, options, `verb.afterImage ${record.id}`),
-        record.verb,
-        uuidToBytes(record.sourceId),
-        toWireU64(record.sourceInt, 'sourceInt'),
-        uuidToBytes(record.targetId),
-        toWireU64(record.targetInt, 'targetInt')
-      ]
-    }
-    case 'verb.tombstone':
-      return [T.VERB_TOMBSTONE, V, C, K, uuidToBytes(record.id)]
-    case 'batch.meta':
-      if (!isPlainMap(record.meta)) {
-        throw new Error('fact log v2: batch.meta requires a map')
-      }
-      return [T.BATCH_META, V, C, K, record.meta]
-    case 'embed.pending':
-      return [
-        T.EMBED_PENDING,
-        V,
-        C,
-        K,
-        uuidToBytes(record.id),
-        toWireU64(record.enqueuedAt, 'enqueuedAt')
-      ]
-    case 'embed.landed': {
-      if (!Array.isArray(record.vector) || record.vector.some((v) => typeof v !== 'number')) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `fact log v2: embed.landed ${record.id} carries an INLINE float vector only — ` +
-            `refs and nil are not allowed here`
-        )
-      }
-      return [T.EMBED_LANDED, V, C, K, uuidToBytes(record.id), record.vector]
-    }
-    case 'blob.manifest': {
-      if (typeof record.mimeType !== 'string') {
-        throw new Error('fact log v2: blob.manifest mimeType must be a string')
-      }
-      if (record.refOp !== 'add' && record.refOp !== 'release') {
-        throw new Error(`fact log v2: blob.manifest refOp must be 'add' or 'release'`)
-      }
-      return [
-        T.BLOB_MANIFEST,
-        V,
-        C,
-        K,
-        hashToBytes(record.hash),
-        toWireU64(record.size, 'blob size'),
-        record.mimeType,
-        record.refOp === 'add' ? 0 : 1
-      ]
-    }
-    case 'projection.note':
-      if (!isPlainMap(record.note)) {
-        throw new Error('fact log v2: projection.note requires a map')
-      }
-      return [T.PROJECTION_NOTE, V, C, K, record.note]
-    case 'bootstrap.baseline': {
-      if (record.kind !== 'noun' && record.kind !== 'verb') {
-        throw new Error(`fact log v2: bootstrap.baseline kind must be 'noun' or 'verb'`)
-      }
-      return [
-        T.BOOTSTRAP_BASELINE,
-        V,
-        C,
-        K,
-        uuidToBytes(record.id),
-        record.kind === 'noun' ? 0 : 1,
-        record.metadata ?? null,
-        encodeVectorLeg(record.vectorLeg, options, `bootstrap.baseline ${record.id}`)
-      ]
-    }
-    case 'log.genesis': {
-      if (record.idSpaceWidth !== 32 && record.idSpaceWidth !== 64) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `fact log v2: log.genesis idSpaceWidth must be 32 or 64; got ${record.idSpaceWidth}`
-        )
-      }
-      return [
-        T.LOG_GENESIS,
-        V,
-        C,
-        K,
-        record.idSpaceWidth,
-        uuidToBytes(record.brainId),
-        toWireU64(record.createdAt, 'createdAt')
-      ]
-    }
-    default: {
-      // Pads are the sealer's business ({@link sealGroup}); anything else
-      // here is an unencodable record — refuse instead of writing bytes a
-      // reader would have to guess about.
-      const unknown = record as { type?: unknown }
-      throw new Error(`fact log v2: cannot encode record type ${String(unknown.type)}`)
-    }
-  }
-}
-
-/** Exact wire arity per record type (envelope of 4 + type-specific fields). */
-const RECORD_ARITY: Record<number, number> = {
-  [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.NOUN_AFTER_IMAGE]: 8,
-  [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.NOUN_TOMBSTONE]: 5,
-  [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.VERB_AFTER_IMAGE]: 13,
-  [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.VERB_TOMBSTONE]: 5,
-  [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.BATCH_META]: 5,
-  [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.EMBED_PENDING]: 6,
-  [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.EMBED_LANDED]: 6,
-  [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.BLOB_MANIFEST]: 8,
-  [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.PROJECTION_NOTE]: 5,
-  [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.BOOTSTRAP_BASELINE]: 8,
-  [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.LOG_GENESIS]: 7
-}
-
-/**
- * Decode one wire record. Returns `null` for pads (skipped by definition).
- * Unknown type / newer version throw {@link UnknownLogRecordError} — never
- * skip-and-continue. The reserved crypto envelope is verified BEFORE the
- * arity check (an encrypted record's field layout is a newer reader's
- * business, not a malformed-record error): any nonzero cipherFlag or non-nil
- * keyId refuses with the same typed error class.
- */
-function decodeRecord(raw: unknown): LogRecord | null {
-  if (!Array.isArray(raw) || raw.length < 2) {
-    throw new Error('fact log v2: malformed record envelope (need [type, version, cipherFlag, keyId, ...])')
-  }
-  const recordType = wireToU8(raw[0], 'recordType')
-  const recordVersion = wireToU8(raw[1], 'recordVersion')
-
-  if (recordType === LOG_RECORD_TYPES.PAD) {
-    // Length-only filler: skipped wholesale, filler fields never inspected
-    // (pads therefore carry no crypto envelope — by definition, not omission).
-    return null
-  }
-  const arity = RECORD_ARITY[recordType]
-  if (arity === undefined) {
-    throw new UnknownLogRecordError(
-      recordType,
-      recordVersion,
-      `fact log v2: unknown record type ${recordType} (record version ${recordVersion}) — ` +
-        `a newer reader is required to decode this log`
-    )
-  }
-  if (recordVersion > LOG_RECORD_VERSION) {
-    throw new UnknownLogRecordError(
-      recordType,
-      recordVersion,
-      `fact log v2: record type ${recordType} carries record version ${recordVersion}; ` +
-        `this reader knows version ${LOG_RECORD_VERSION} — a newer reader is required to decode this log`
-    )
-  }
-  if (recordVersion !== LOG_RECORD_VERSION) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log v2: record type ${recordType} has invalid record version ${recordVersion}`)
-  }
-  if (raw.length < 4) {
-    throw new Error('fact log v2: malformed record envelope (need [type, version, cipherFlag, keyId, ...])')
-  }
-  const cipherFlag = wireToU8(raw[2], 'cipherFlag')
-  const keyId = raw[3]
-  if (cipherFlag !== LOG_RECORD_CIPHER_PLAINTEXT || (keyId !== null && keyId !== undefined)) {
-    throw new UnknownLogRecordError(
-      recordType,
-      recordVersion,
-      `fact log v2: record type ${recordType} carries cipherFlag ${cipherFlag}` +
-        `${keyId !== null && keyId !== undefined ? ' and a keyId' : ''} — ` +
-        `encrypted records need a newer reader`
-    )
-  }
-  if (raw.length !== arity) {
-    throw new Error(
-      `fact log v2: record type ${recordType} expects ${arity} wire fields; got ${raw.length}`
-    )
-  }
-
-  switch (recordType) {
-    case LOG_RECORD_TYPES.NOUN_AFTER_IMAGE:
-      return {
-        type: 'noun.afterImage',
-        id: bytesToUuid(raw[4], 'noun.afterImage id'),
-        entityInt: wireToBigint(raw[5], 'entityInt'),
-        metadata: raw[6] ?? null,
-        vectorLeg: decodeVectorLeg(raw[7], 'noun.afterImage')
-      }
-    case LOG_RECORD_TYPES.NOUN_TOMBSTONE:
-      return { type: 'noun.tombstone', id: bytesToUuid(raw[4], 'noun.tombstone id') }
-    case LOG_RECORD_TYPES.VERB_AFTER_IMAGE: {
-      if (typeof raw[8] !== 'string') {
-        throw new Error('fact log v2: verb.afterImage verb name is not a string')
-      }
-      return {
-        type: 'verb.afterImage',
-        id: bytesToUuid(raw[4], 'verb.afterImage id'),
-        verbInt: wireToBigint(raw[5], 'verbInt'),
-        metadata: raw[6] ?? null,
-        vectorLeg: decodeVectorLeg(raw[7], 'verb.afterImage'),
-        verb: raw[8],
-        sourceId: bytesToUuid(raw[9], 'verb.afterImage sourceId'),
-        sourceInt: wireToBigint(raw[10], 'sourceInt'),
-        targetId: bytesToUuid(raw[11], 'verb.afterImage targetId'),
-        targetInt: wireToBigint(raw[12], 'targetInt')
-      }
-    }
-    case LOG_RECORD_TYPES.VERB_TOMBSTONE:
-      return { type: 'verb.tombstone', id: bytesToUuid(raw[4], 'verb.tombstone id') }
-    case LOG_RECORD_TYPES.BATCH_META: {
-      if (!isPlainMap(raw[4])) throw new Error('fact log v2: batch.meta payload is not a map')
-      return { type: 'batch.meta', meta: raw[4] }
-    }
-    case LOG_RECORD_TYPES.EMBED_PENDING:
-      return {
-        type: 'embed.pending',
-        id: bytesToUuid(raw[4], 'embed.pending id'),
-        enqueuedAt: wireToNumber(raw[5], 'enqueuedAt')
-      }
-    case LOG_RECORD_TYPES.EMBED_LANDED: {
-      const leg = decodeVectorLeg(raw[5], 'embed.landed')
-      if (!Array.isArray(leg)) {
-        throw new Error(
-          'fact log v2: embed.landed must carry an INLINE float vector — refs and nil are not allowed here'
-        )
-      }
-      return { type: 'embed.landed', id: bytesToUuid(raw[4], 'embed.landed id'), vector: leg }
-    }
-    case LOG_RECORD_TYPES.BLOB_MANIFEST: {
-      if (typeof raw[6] !== 'string') {
-        throw new Error('fact log v2: blob.manifest mimeType is not a string')
-      }
-      const refOp = wireToU8(raw[7], 'refOp')
-      if (refOp !== 0 && refOp !== 1) {
-        throw new Error(`fact log v2: blob.manifest refOp must be 0 (add) or 1 (release); got ${refOp}`)
-      }
-      return {
-        type: 'blob.manifest',
-        hash: bytesToHash(raw[4]),
-        size: wireToNumber(raw[5], 'blob size'),
-        mimeType: raw[6],
-        refOp: refOp === 0 ? 'add' : 'release'
-      }
-    }
-    case LOG_RECORD_TYPES.PROJECTION_NOTE: {
-      if (!isPlainMap(raw[4])) throw new Error('fact log v2: projection.note payload is not a map')
-      return { type: 'projection.note', note: raw[4] }
-    }
-    case LOG_RECORD_TYPES.BOOTSTRAP_BASELINE: {
-      const kind = wireToU8(raw[5], 'bootstrap.baseline kind')
-      if (kind !== 0 && kind !== 1) {
-        throw new Error(`fact log v2: bootstrap.baseline kind must be 0 (noun) or 1 (verb); got ${kind}`)
-      }
-      return {
-        type: 'bootstrap.baseline',
-        id: bytesToUuid(raw[4], 'bootstrap.baseline id'),
-        kind: kind === 0 ? 'noun' : 'verb',
-        metadata: raw[6] ?? null,
-        vectorLeg: decodeVectorLeg(raw[7], 'bootstrap.baseline')
-      }
-    }
-    case LOG_RECORD_TYPES.LOG_GENESIS: {
-      const width = wireToU8(raw[4], 'idSpaceWidth')
-      if (width !== 32 && width !== 64) {
-        throw new Error(`fact log v2: log.genesis idSpaceWidth must be 32 or 64; got ${width}`)
-      }
-      return {
-        type: 'log.genesis',
-        idSpaceWidth: width,
-        brainId: bytesToUuid(raw[5], 'log.genesis brainId'),
-        createdAt: wireToNumber(raw[6], 'createdAt')
-      }
-    }
-    default:
-      // Unreachable: every arity-table type is handled above.
-      throw new Error(`fact log v2: unhandled record type ${recordType}`)
-  }
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Fact encode/decode
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-/**
- * Encode one committed generation as a complete v2 FRAME (length + crc32c +
- * msgpack payload) ready for appending or sealing.
- *
- * Writer-enforced invariants (refusals, never silent fixes): at least one
- * record; no pad records (pads belong to {@link sealGroup}); at most one
- * batch.meta; log.genesis only as the first record; vector refs only with a
- * passing single-hop validator; embed.landed vectors inline only.
- *
- * @param fact - The fact to encode (generation ≥ 1; generation 0 marks filler).
- * @param options - Single-hop validation for vector refs.
- * @returns The complete frame bytes.
- */
-export function encodeFactV2(fact: CommitFactV2, options?: EncodeFactV2Options): Uint8Array {
-  if (!Number.isSafeInteger(fact.generation) || fact.generation < 1) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log v2: generation must be a positive integer; got ${fact.generation}`)
-  }
-  if (!Number.isSafeInteger(fact.timestamp) || fact.timestamp < 0) {
-    throw new Error(`fact log v2: timestamp must be a non-negative integer; got ${fact.timestamp}`)
-  }
-  // records MAY be empty: a committed generation whose ops all collapsed
-  // (e.g. a batch whose relates deduped to no-ops) is still a real
-  // generation — v1 encoded empty ops the same way; refusing here would
-  // fork the two formats' commit semantics.
-  if (!Array.isArray(fact.records)) {
-    throw new Error('fact log v2: records must be an array')
-  }
-  if (fact.meta !== undefined && !isPlainMap(fact.meta)) {
-    throw new Error('fact log v2: fact meta must be a map when present')
-  }
-  if (
-    fact.blobHashes !== undefined &&
-    (!Array.isArray(fact.blobHashes) || fact.blobHashes.some((h) => typeof h !== 'string'))
-  ) {
-    throw new Error('fact log v2: blobHashes must be an array of strings when present')
-  }
-
-  let batchMetaCount = 0
-  const wireRecords = fact.records.map((record, index) => {
-    if (record.type === 'batch.meta' && ++batchMetaCount > 1) {
-      throw new Error('fact log v2: at most one batch.meta record per fact')
-    }
-    if (record.type === 'log.genesis' && index !== 0) {
-      throw new Error('fact log v2: log.genesis must be the first record of its fact')
-    }
-    return encodeRecord(record, options)
-  })
-
-  const payload = enc([
-    toWireU64(fact.generation, 'generation'),
-    toWireU64(fact.timestamp, 'timestamp'),
-    wireRecords,
-    fact.meta ?? null,
-    fact.blobHashes && fact.blobHashes.length > 0 ? fact.blobHashes : null
-  ])
-  return buildFrame(payload)
-}
-
-/**
- * Decode one fact PAYLOAD (the msgpack bytes inside a frame — see
- * {@link framePayload}). The segment's formatVersion, read from its header,
- * selects the schema: version 1 decodes the v1 ops shape into a
- * {@link CommitFact}; version 2 decodes the record envelope into a
- * {@link CommitFactV2}. Any other version is refused.
- */
-export function decodeFact(payload: Uint8Array, segmentFormatVersion: 1): CommitFact
-export function decodeFact(
-  payload: Uint8Array,
-  segmentFormatVersion: 2,
-  options?: DecodeFactV2Options
-): CommitFactV2
-export function decodeFact(
-  payload: Uint8Array,
-  segmentFormatVersion: number,
-  options?: DecodeFactV2Options
-): CommitFact | CommitFactV2
-export function decodeFact(
-  payload: Uint8Array,
-  segmentFormatVersion: number,
-  options?: DecodeFactV2Options
-): CommitFact | CommitFactV2 {
-  if (segmentFormatVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1) return decodeFactV1(payload)
-  if (segmentFormatVersion === FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2) return decodeFactV2(payload, options)
-  throw new Error(
-    `fact log: no decoder for segment formatVersion ${segmentFormatVersion} — this build reads 1 and 2`
-  )
-}
-
-/**
- * The v1 decode path — byte-identical in behavior to the v1 log's own
- * decoder (positional ops, bin16 ids, body-less tombstones). Kept here so v1
- * segments stay readable through the same entry point forever.
- */
-function decodeFactV1(payload: Uint8Array): CommitFact {
-  const raw = msgpackDecode(payload) as unknown[]
-  const [generation, timestamp, ops, meta, blobHashes] = raw as [
-    number,
-    number,
-    Array<[number, Uint8Array, [unknown, unknown] | null]>,
-    Record<string, unknown> | null,
-    string[] | null
-  ]
-  return {
-    generation: Number(generation),
-    timestamp: Number(timestamp),
-    ops: ops.map(([kind, idBytes, record]) => ({
-      kind: kind === 0 ? ('noun' as const) : ('verb' as const),
-      id: bytesToUuid(idBytes, 'op id'),
-      record: record === null ? null : { metadata: record[0] ?? null, vector: record[1] ?? null }
-    })),
-    ...(meta ? { meta } : {}),
-    ...(blobHashes && blobHashes.length > 0 ? { blobHashes } : {})
-  }
-}
-
-/** The v2 decode path: record envelope, decoder-law enforcement, pad skip. */
-function decodeFactV2(payload: Uint8Array, options?: DecodeFactV2Options): CommitFactV2 {
-  const raw = dec(payload)
-  if (!Array.isArray(raw) || raw.length !== 5) {
-    throw new Error('fact log v2: fact payload must be a positional array of 5')
-  }
-  const [genWire, tsWire, recordsWire, metaWire, blobsWire] = raw
-  if (!Array.isArray(recordsWire)) {
-    throw new Error('fact log v2: fact records position is not an array')
-  }
-
-  const records: LogRecord[] = []
-  let batchMetaCount = 0
-  recordsWire.forEach((rawRecord, index) => {
-    const record = decodeRecord(rawRecord)
-    if (record === null) return // pad: length-only filler, skipped by definition
-    if (record.type === 'log.genesis') {
-      if (index !== 0) {
-        throw new Error('fact log v2: log.genesis must be the first record of its fact')
-      }
-      const expected = options?.expectedIdSpaceWidth
-      if (expected !== undefined && record.idSpaceWidth !== expected) {
-        throw new GenesisWidthMismatchError(expected, record.idSpaceWidth)
-      }
-    }
-    if (record.type === 'batch.meta' && ++batchMetaCount > 1) {
-      throw new Error('fact log v2: at most one batch.meta record per fact')
-    }
-    records.push(record)
-  })
-
-  let meta: Record<string, unknown> | undefined
-  if (metaWire !== null && metaWire !== undefined) {
-    if (!isPlainMap(metaWire)) throw new Error('fact log v2: fact meta position is not a map')
-    meta = metaWire
-  }
-  let blobHashes: string[] | undefined
-  if (blobsWire !== null && blobsWire !== undefined) {
-    if (!Array.isArray(blobsWire) || blobsWire.some((h) => typeof h !== 'string')) {
-      throw new Error('fact log v2: fact blobHashes position is not a string array')
-    }
-    blobHashes = blobsWire
-  }
-
-  return {
-    generation: wireToNumber(genWire, 'generation'),
-    timestamp: wireToNumber(tsWire, 'timestamp'),
-    records,
-    ...(meta ? { meta } : {}),
-    ...(blobHashes && blobHashes.length > 0 ? { blobHashes } : {})
-  }
-}
-
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-// Sector seals
-// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
-/**
- * Smallest constructible pad frame in bytes (frame prefix + the bare pad
- * record fact), memoized. Exported for streaming writers that pad an
- * append-only tail to a seal boundary: a gap smaller than this cannot hold
- * any frame, so the writer pads through one extra sector (the same rule
- * {@link sealGroup} applies).
- */
-let minPadFrameBytesMemo: number | null = null
-export function minPadFrameBytes(): number {
-  if (minPadFrameBytesMemo === null) {
-    minPadFrameBytesMemo =
-      FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES +
-      enc([0n, 0n, [[LOG_RECORD_TYPES.PAD, LOG_RECORD_VERSION]], null, null]).length
-  }
-  return minPadFrameBytesMemo
-}
-
-/**
- * Build a pad frame of EXACTLY `totalBytes`: a filler fact
- * `[0, 0, [[0, 1, filler?]], nil, nil]` sized via a binary filler field.
- * Readers skip pad records by definition, so filler fields are never
- * inspected — only their length matters.
- */
-function buildPadFrame(totalBytes: number): Uint8Array {
-  const targetPayload = totalBytes - FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES
-  const attempt = (record: unknown[]): Uint8Array => enc([0n, 0n, [record], null, null])
-
-  let payload = attempt([LOG_RECORD_TYPES.PAD, LOG_RECORD_VERSION])
-  if (payload.length !== targetPayload) {
-    // One byte short: a fixint filler adds exactly one byte.
-    payload = attempt([LOG_RECORD_TYPES.PAD, LOG_RECORD_VERSION, 0])
-  }
-  if (payload.length !== targetPayload) {
-    // Binary filler: msgpack bin grows byte-for-byte within a size class;
-    // iterate to absorb the class-header steps (bin8 → bin16 → bin32).
-    let fillerLength = Math.max(0, targetPayload - payload.length - 1)
-    let converged = false
-    for (let i = 0; i < 8; i++) {
-      const candidate = attempt([
-        LOG_RECORD_TYPES.PAD,
-        LOG_RECORD_VERSION,
-        new Uint8Array(fillerLength)
-      ])
-      const diff = targetPayload - candidate.length
-      if (diff === 0) {
-        payload = candidate
-        converged = true
-        break
-      }
-      fillerLength += diff
-      if (fillerLength < 0) break
-    }
-    if (!converged) {
-      throw new Error(`fact log v2: a pad frame of ${totalBytes} bytes is not constructible`)
-    }
-  }
-  return buildFrame(payload)
-}
-
-/**
- * Build a pad frame of EXACTLY `totalBytes` — the streaming-append counterpart
- * of {@link sealGroup} for writers that append pads directly to a live tail
- * instead of sealing an in-memory group. Refuses sizes smaller than the
- * smallest constructible pad frame ({@link minPadFrameBytes}); readers skip
- * the result by definition (a type-0 record is length-only filler).
- *
- * @param totalBytes - The exact frame size to construct (prefix included).
- * @returns The complete pad frame bytes.
- */
-export function encodePadFrame(totalBytes: number): Uint8Array {
-  if (!Number.isInteger(totalBytes) || totalBytes < minPadFrameBytes()) {
-    throw new Error(
-      `fact log v2: a pad frame must be at least ${minPadFrameBytes()} bytes; got ${totalBytes}`
-    )
-  }
-  return buildPadFrame(totalBytes)
-}
-
-/**
- * Seal a group of frames to a sector boundary: concatenate the frames and pad
- * to the next `sealSize` multiple with ONE pad frame. An already-aligned
- * group gets no pad. When the gap is smaller than the smallest constructible
- * pad frame, the group is padded through to the boundary AFTER next (one
- * extra sealSize) — input frames are never rewritten.
- *
- * @param frames - Complete, well-formed frames (verified; garbage is refused).
- * @param sealSize - The sector-seal size (device probing is the caller's
- *   business; default {@link DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE}).
- * @returns The sector-aligned group (`length % sealSize === 0`).
- */
-export function sealGroup(frames: Uint8Array[], sealSize: number = DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE): Uint8Array {
-  assertValidSealSize(sealSize)
-  if (!Array.isArray(frames) || frames.length === 0) {
-    throw new Error('fact log v2: sealGroup needs at least one frame')
-  }
-  frames.forEach((frame, i) => {
-    try {
-      framePayload(frame)
-    } catch (error) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `fact log v2: sealGroup frame ${i} is not a well-formed frame: ${(error as Error).message}`
-      )
-    }
-  })
-
-  const total = frames.reduce((n, f) => n + f.length, 0)
-  const remainder = total % sealSize
-  let padBytes = remainder === 0 ? 0 : sealSize - remainder
-  if (padBytes !== 0 && padBytes < minPadFrameBytes()) {
-    padBytes += sealSize // gap too small for any frame — pad through one more sector
-  }
-
-  const sealed = new Uint8Array(total + padBytes)
-  let offset = 0
-  for (const frame of frames) {
-    sealed.set(frame, offset)
-    offset += frame.length
-  }
-  if (padBytes > 0) {
-    sealed.set(buildPadFrame(padBytes), offset)
-  }
-  return sealed
-}
-
-/**
- * Decode a sequence of v2 frames (a sealed group, or a segment body after its
- * 32-byte header) with the torn-tail discipline: a frame whose length overruns
- * the buffer or whose CRC fails TERMINATES the walk — everything before it is
- * intact and returned; nothing after it is guessed at. Pad frames are dropped
- * (invisible). CRC-valid frames with unknown record types still throw
- * {@link UnknownLogRecordError} — physical damage truncates, format novelty
- * refuses.
- */
-export function decodeGroupV2(bytes: Uint8Array, options?: DecodeFactV2Options): DecodedFrameGroup {
-  const view = new DataView(bytes.buffer, bytes.byteOffset, bytes.byteLength)
-  const facts: CommitFactV2[] = []
-  let offset = 0
-  while (offset + FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES <= bytes.length) {
-    const length = view.getUint32(offset, true)
-    const expectedCrc = view.getUint32(offset + 4, true)
-    const start = offset + FRAME_PREFIX_BYTES
-    const end = start + length
-    if (end > bytes.length) break // torn tail: frame length overruns the buffer
-    const payload = bytes.subarray(start, end)
-    if (crc32c(payload) !== expectedCrc) break // torn tail: payload CRC mismatch
-    const fact = decodeFactV2(payload, options)
-    // Pad filler carries generation 0 (writers can never mint it — encode
-    // refuses generation < 1). A zero-record fact at a REAL generation is a
-    // legitimate commit (an all-deduped batch) and must stay visible —
-    // discriminating on record count would silently swallow generations.
-    if (fact.generation > 0) facts.push(fact)
-    offset = end
-  }
-  return { facts, validBytes: offset }
-}
diff --git a/src/db/faultInjectionStorage.ts b/src/db/faultInjectionStorage.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index cafd4198..00000000
--- a/src/db/faultInjectionStorage.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,164 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module db/faultInjectionStorage
- * @description Deterministic fault injection at the fact log's raw-byte
- * storage surface — the test harness half of the durability protocol. Wraps
- * any adapter exposing the {@link FactLogStorage} primitives (the exact
- * surface the fact log appends and syncs through) and injects the three
- * crash shapes durability tests must prove against:
- *
- * - **torn write** ({@link FaultInjectionStorage.tearWriteAtByte}): the next
- *   append persists only its first N bytes, then reports success — the shape
- *   of power loss after a partially-flushed page. The caller-side "crash" is
- *   simulated by abandoning in-memory state and reopening from storage.
- * - **dropped sync** ({@link FaultInjectionStorage.dropNextSync}): the next
- *   sync becomes a silent no-op — an fsync the device acknowledged into a
- *   volatile cache and lost.
- * - **failed append** ({@link FaultInjectionStorage.failNextAppend}): the next
- *   append throws {@link FaultInjectedError} without writing a byte — EIO or
- *   a full disk, surfaced to the writer.
- *
- * Every injected fault is journaled on {@link FaultInjectionStorage.injectedFaults}
- * so tests can assert not just the outcome but that the fault actually fired.
- * Knobs are one-shot (they disarm on firing) and re-arming overwrites the
- * pending shot. All other operations pass through untouched.
- */
-import type { FactLogStorage } from './factLog.js'
-
-/** The error a {@link FaultInjectionStorage.failNextAppend} shot throws. */
-export class FaultInjectedError extends Error {
-  /** The operation the fault fired on. */
-  public readonly operation: 'append'
-  /** The storage path the operation targeted. */
-  public readonly path: string
-
-  constructor(operation: 'append', path: string) {
-    super(`fault injection: ${operation} to ${path} failed by test design`)
-    this.name = 'FaultInjectedError'
-    this.operation = operation
-    this.path = path
-  }
-}
-
-/** One journaled fault event — proof the injected fault actually fired. */
-export interface InjectedFault {
-  kind: 'torn-write' | 'dropped-sync' | 'failed-append'
-  /** The target path (torn-write / failed-append). */
-  path?: string
-  /** The paths a dropped sync was asked to make durable. */
-  paths?: string[]
-  /** Bytes the caller asked to append (torn-write). */
-  requestedBytes?: number
-  /** Bytes actually persisted (torn-write). */
-  writtenBytes?: number
-}
-
-/**
- * A {@link FactLogStorage} wrapper that injects deterministic storage faults.
- * Construct it around any conforming adapter and hand it wherever a
- * FactLogStorage is accepted — unarmed, it is a transparent passthrough.
- */
-export class FaultInjectionStorage implements FactLogStorage {
-  private readonly inner: FactLogStorage
-  /** Pending torn-write byte count, or null when unarmed. */
-  private tearAtByte: number | null = null
-  /** Pending dropped-sync shot. */
-  private dropSyncArmed = false
-  /** Pending failed-append shot. */
-  private failAppendArmed = false
-  /** Journal of every fault that fired, in firing order. */
-  public readonly injectedFaults: InjectedFault[] = []
-
-  constructor(inner: FactLogStorage) {
-    this.inner = inner
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Arm a torn write: the NEXT {@link appendRawBytes} persists only the first
-   * `n` bytes of its buffer (all of it when `n` exceeds the buffer) and then
-   * reports success. One-shot.
-   */
-  tearWriteAtByte(n: number): void {
-    if (!Number.isInteger(n) || n < 0) {
-      throw new Error(`fault injection: tearWriteAtByte needs a non-negative integer; got ${n}`)
-    }
-    this.tearAtByte = n
-  }
-
-  /** Arm a dropped sync: the NEXT {@link syncRawObjects} silently does nothing. One-shot. */
-  dropNextSync(): void {
-    this.dropSyncArmed = true
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Arm a failed append: the NEXT {@link appendRawBytes} throws
-   * {@link FaultInjectedError} without writing. One-shot; wins over a
-   * simultaneously-armed torn write (nothing is written at all).
-   */
-  failNextAppend(): void {
-    this.failAppendArmed = true
-  }
-
-  /** Append bytes — the injection point for torn writes and failed appends. */
-  async appendRawBytes(path: string, bytes: Uint8Array): Promise<void> {
-    if (this.failAppendArmed) {
-      this.failAppendArmed = false
-      this.injectedFaults.push({ kind: 'failed-append', path })
-      throw new FaultInjectedError('append', path)
-    }
-    if (this.tearAtByte !== null) {
-      const writtenBytes = Math.min(this.tearAtByte, bytes.length)
-      this.tearAtByte = null
-      this.injectedFaults.push({
-        kind: 'torn-write',
-        path,
-        requestedBytes: bytes.length,
-        writtenBytes
-      })
-      if (writtenBytes > 0) {
-        await this.inner.appendRawBytes(path, bytes.subarray(0, writtenBytes))
-      }
-      return
-    }
-    return this.inner.appendRawBytes(path, bytes)
-  }
-
-  /** Make paths durable — the injection point for dropped syncs. */
-  async syncRawObjects(paths: string[]): Promise<void> {
-    if (this.dropSyncArmed) {
-      this.dropSyncArmed = false
-      this.injectedFaults.push({ kind: 'dropped-sync', paths: [...paths] })
-      return
-    }
-    return this.inner.syncRawObjects(paths)
-  }
-
-  /** Passthrough. */
-  async readRawBytes(path: string): Promise<Uint8Array | null> {
-    return this.inner.readRawBytes(path)
-  }
-
-  /** Passthrough. */
-  async writeRawBytes(path: string, bytes: Uint8Array): Promise<void> {
-    return this.inner.writeRawBytes(path, bytes)
-  }
-
-  /** Passthrough. */
-  async rawByteSize(path: string): Promise<number | null> {
-    return this.inner.rawByteSize(path)
-  }
-
-  /** Passthrough. */
-  async readRawObject(path: string): Promise<any | null> {
-    return this.inner.readRawObject(path)
-  }
-
-  /** Passthrough. */
-  async writeRawObject(path: string, data: any): Promise<void> {
-    return this.inner.writeRawObject(path, data)
-  }
-
-  /** Passthrough. */
-  async deleteRawObject(path: string): Promise<void> {
-    return this.inner.deleteRawObject(path)
-  }
-}
diff --git a/src/db/generationStore.ts b/src/db/generationStore.ts
index 6922da6d..aede17a4 100644
--- a/src/db/generationStore.ts
+++ b/src/db/generationStore.ts
@@ -45,15 +45,7 @@ import type {
   GenerationStorage,
   TxLogEntry
 } from './types.js'
-import { readLogAuthority } from './logAuthority.js'
-import {
-  FactLog,
-  storageSupportsFactLog,
-  type CommitFact,
-  type FactOp,
-  type FactIntMinter,
-  type FactMarkerRecord
-} from './factLog.js'
+import { FactLog, storageSupportsFactLog, type CommitFact, type FactOp } from './factLog.js'
 import { GenerationSegmentStore, type FoldGeneration } from './generationSegments.js'
 import { crc32c } from '../utils/crc32c.js'
 
@@ -75,13 +67,6 @@ export interface CommitBeforeImages {
 export const GENERATION_COUNTER_PATH = '_system/generation.json'
 /** Storage-root-relative path of the commit manifest. */
 export const MANIFEST_PATH = '_system/manifest.json'
-/**
- * The clean-shutdown marker (log-authority recovery gate): written+fsynced at
- * a clean close carrying the committed generation; CONSUMED at every open.
- * Absent or generation-mismatched at open = unclean shutdown = the whole-log
- * replay fold. Its absence is always safe (costs one replay, loses nothing).
- */
-export const CLEAN_SHUTDOWN_PATH = '_system/clean-shutdown.json'
 /** Storage-root-relative prefix of the per-generation record directories. */
 export const GENERATIONS_PREFIX = '_generations'
 
@@ -103,43 +88,12 @@ export const GENERATIONS_PREFIX = '_generations'
  *   IS committed); the tx-log append has NOT happened yet. A crash here must
  *   keep the transaction (the tx-log is advisory metadata, not the source of
  *   commit truth).
- * - `'transact-after-fact-sync'` — the batch's fact is appended AND fsynced,
- *   but neither the counter nor the manifest advanced. A crash here must cost
- *   the whole batch: recovery restores the before-images and open() truncates
- *   the synced fact back to the manifest watermark.
- *
- * Single-op (Model-B group-commit) phases — `commitSingleOp`:
- *
- * - `'singleop-after-execute'` — the live canonical write has applied (tmp+
- *   rename, not individually fsynced); no history, fact, or generation record
- *   exists yet. A crash here must cost only the never-returned ack — the
- *   baseline stays intact and the log stays at the committed watermark.
- * - `'singleop-after-fact-append'` — the fact is appended (and, in at-ack
- *   mode, fsynced); the manifest never saw the generation. A crash here must
- *   cost the buffered history + the fact (open() truncates it back), never
- *   the baseline.
- *
- * Pending-tier flush phases — `flushPendingSingleOps`:
- *
- * - `'flush-after-staging'` — the window's record-set dirs are written but not
- *   fsynced and the manifest never advanced. A crash here must cost only the
- *   window's HISTORY (drop-without-restore) — the acked live writes stay.
- * - `'flush-before-manifest'` — staging is fsynced and the facts are fsynced,
- *   but the manifest never advanced. A crash here must cost only the window's
- *   history and its facts (truncated at open) — the acked live writes stay.
- * - `'before-manifest-rename'` is ALSO fired by the flush path just before its
- *   commit point (see `flushPendingSingleOpsUnlocked`).
  */
 export type CommitFaultPhase =
   | 'after-staging'
   | 'after-execute'
   | 'before-manifest-rename'
   | 'after-manifest-rename'
-  | 'transact-after-fact-sync'
-  | 'singleop-after-execute'
-  | 'singleop-after-fact-append'
-  | 'flush-after-staging'
-  | 'flush-before-manifest'
 
 /**
  * @description Identifies which ids a transaction touches, split by kind.
@@ -180,38 +134,6 @@ export class GenerationStore {
    */
   private factLog: FactLog | null = null
 
-  /**
-   * Fact-log durability mode. 'deferred' (default) = the fact becomes
-   * durable at the group-commit flush, together with the buffered history —
-   * the pre-log-authority contract, zero added ack latency. 'at-ack' =
-   * every single-op ack awaits a covering log fsync (shared via the log's
-   * group commit) — the log-authority contract: an acked write's fact
-   * survives power loss. Set by the owner from the stored authority switch
-   * at open; transact() is durable-at-return in BOTH modes (unchanged).
-   */
-  private logDurability: 'deferred' | 'at-ack' = 'deferred'
-
-  /** Switch the fact-log durability mode (see {@link logDurability}). */
-  setLogDurability(mode: 'deferred' | 'at-ack'): void {
-    this.logDurability = mode
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * The fact log's v2 int minter — injected by the OWNER (brainy wires the
-   * metadata index's id mapper here right after the index is ready), because
-   * this store cannot know the mapper. With the minter installed, new fact
-   * segments write the v2 format and after-image records carry minted dense
-   * ints reproducible by an id-mapper rebuild. Survives reopen: `open()`
-   * re-installs it on the fresh {@link FactLog} instance.
-   */
-  private intMinter: FactIntMinter | null = null
-
-  /** Install the fact log's v2 int minter (see {@link intMinter}). */
-  setIntMinter(mint: FactIntMinter): void {
-    this.intMinter = mint
-    this.factLog?.setIntMinter(mint)
-  }
-
   /** Latest reserved/observed generation (≥ {@link committed}). */
   private counter = 0
   /** Committed-transaction watermark (manifest generation). */
@@ -468,26 +390,9 @@ export class GenerationStore {
       | null
     const manifest = (await this.storage.readRawObject(MANIFEST_PATH)) as GenerationManifest | null
 
-    // TORN-ARTIFACT VALIDATION (power-loss survivors): a torn manifest or
-    // counter can carry NaN/garbage where a generation belongs — unguarded,
-    // that NaN reaches BigInt() conversions at init and kills the open with
-    // a RangeError. A non-finite-integer generation is DISCARDED with
-    // narration (the conservative floor: 0 = re-derive from the record
-    // directories / fact log below, exactly the recovery machinery's job).
-    const finiteGen = (v: unknown, source: string): number => {
-      if (typeof v === 'number' && Number.isSafeInteger(v) && v >= 0) return v
-      if (v !== undefined && v !== null) {
-        prodLog.warn(
-          `[GenerationStore] ${source} carries a non-integer generation ` +
-            `(${String(v)}) — torn write survivor; discarding and re-deriving ` +
-            `from recovery (never a RangeError at open)`
-        )
-      }
-      return 0
-    }
-    this.committed = finiteGen(manifest?.generation, 'manifest')
-    this.horizonGen = finiteGen(manifest?.horizon, 'manifest horizon')
-    this.counter = Math.max(finiteGen(counterFile?.generation, 'generation counter'), this.committed)
+    this.committed = manifest?.generation ?? 0
+    this.horizonGen = manifest?.horizon ?? 0
+    this.counter = Math.max(counterFile?.generation ?? 0, this.committed)
 
     // Discover existing generation record directories.
     const recordPaths = await this.storage.listRawObjects(GENERATIONS_PREFIX)
@@ -540,86 +445,6 @@ export class GenerationStore {
     // hosts no fact log (readers fall back to canonical enumeration).
     if (storageSupportsFactLog(this.storage)) {
       this.factLog = new FactLog(this.storage)
-      if (this.intMinter) this.factLog.setIntMinter(this.intMinter)
-      // LOG-AUTHORITY REPLAY (durable-at-ack's recovery half): when this
-      // brain's stored authority is the log, an intact fact ABOVE the
-      // manifest is an ACKED write whose canonical bytes may not have
-      // survived the crash — its fsynced fact is the ONLY durable copy.
-      // Truncating it would lose an acked write; instead REPLAY it into
-      // canonical and advance the manifest to cover it. Tree-authority
-      // brains keep the truncate contract (their acks never promised the
-      // fact was durable). Derived indexes reconcile through the normal
-      // drift machinery at open — same as group-commit recovery.
-      const authority = await readLogAuthority(this.storage)
-      if (authority.authority === 'log') {
-        // TWO REPLAY TIERS, gated by the clean-shutdown marker:
-        //
-        // (1) ABOVE-MANIFEST (always): an intact fact above the manifest is
-        //     an acked write whose canonical bytes may not have survived —
-        //     replay it in and advance the manifest.
-        // (2) WHOLE-LOG (unclean shutdown only): power loss can ALSO vaporize
-        //     canonical bytes BELOW the manifest — live entity writes are
-        //     tmp+rename without per-file fsync; the group-commit flush syncs
-        //     the staging copies and the manifest, never the live tree. The
-        //     manifest therefore over-states canonical durability across a
-        //     power cut, and facts ≤ manifest can be the ONLY durable copy
-        //     of acked state (measured: 299 of 301 acks lost while the log
-        //     held every fact scan-clean). Under log authority, recovery is
-        //     REPLAY: an unclean open folds the ENTIRE log into canonical —
-        //     whole-entity after-images are idempotent, so re-applying
-        //     already-intact records is byte-safe. A clean close writes the
-        //     marker and skips all of this (zero open cost on the happy
-        //     path); crash recovery pays one narrated log fold — LC1 and
-        //     LC5 are the same code, a crash is just bigger lag.
-        const cleanShutdown = await this.readCleanShutdownMarker()
-        const orphans = await this.factLog.peekFactsAbove(this.committed)
-        const uncleanOpen = cleanShutdown === null || cleanShutdown !== this.committed
-        const factsToReplay = uncleanOpen
-          ? await this.factLog.peekFactsAbove(0)
-          : orphans
-        if (factsToReplay.length > 0) {
-          let replayed = 0
-          for (const fact of factsToReplay) {
-            for (const op of fact.ops) {
-              const image =
-                op.record === null
-                  ? { metadata: null, vector: null }
-                  : { metadata: op.record.metadata, vector: op.record.vector }
-              if (op.kind === 'verb') await this.storage.writeVerbRaw(op.id, image)
-              else await this.storage.writeNounRaw(op.id, image)
-            }
-            replayed++
-            if (fact.generation > this.committed) {
-              this.committed = fact.generation
-              this.appendCommittedGen(fact.generation)
-              this.setDelta(fact.generation, {
-                nouns: new Set(fact.ops.filter((o) => o.kind === 'noun').map((o) => o.id)),
-                verbs: new Set(fact.ops.filter((o) => o.kind === 'verb').map((o) => o.id)),
-                timestamp: fact.timestamp,
-                bytes: 0
-              })
-            }
-          }
-          if (this.counter < this.committed) this.counter = this.committed
-          await this.persistCounterUnlocked()
-          const manifest: GenerationManifest = {
-            version: 1,
-            generation: this.committed,
-            committedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
-            horizon: this.horizonGen
-          }
-          await this.storage.writeRawObject(MANIFEST_PATH, manifest)
-          await this.storage.syncRawObjects([MANIFEST_PATH])
-          prodLog.warn(
-            `[GenerationStore] log-authority recovery replayed ${replayed} fact(s) into ` +
-              `canonical (${uncleanOpen ? 'WHOLE-LOG fold — unclean shutdown' : 'above-manifest'}; ` +
-              `committed at ${this.committed}) — an acked write is never lost`
-          )
-        }
-        // The marker is consumed: any session that can write invalidates it
-        // at first commit (see the commit paths); a clean close re-writes it.
-        await this.clearCleanShutdownMarker()
-      }
       await this.factLog.open(this.committed)
     } else {
       this.factLog = null
@@ -672,37 +497,6 @@ export class GenerationStore {
     await this.flushPendingSingleOps()
     this.storage.setGenerationBumpHook(undefined)
     await this.persistCounterNow()
-    // Clean-shutdown marker (log-authority recovery gate): everything above
-    // is durable; stamp the committed generation so the next open can adopt
-    // instead of folding the log. Written LAST — a crash before this line is
-    // exactly the unclean case the marker's absence reports.
-    try {
-      await this.storage.writeRawObject(CLEAN_SHUTDOWN_PATH, { generation: this.committed })
-      await this.storage.syncRawObjects([CLEAN_SHUTDOWN_PATH])
-    } catch {
-      // A failed marker write only costs the next open a replay fold — safe.
-    }
-  }
-
-  /** Read the clean-shutdown marker's generation, or null (absent/unreadable). */
-  private async readCleanShutdownMarker(): Promise<number | null> {
-    try {
-      const raw = (await this.storage.readRawObject(CLEAN_SHUTDOWN_PATH)) as {
-        generation?: number
-      } | null
-      return raw && Number.isSafeInteger(raw.generation) ? (raw.generation as number) : null
-    } catch {
-      return null
-    }
-  }
-
-  /** Consume the clean-shutdown marker (every open; a clean close re-writes it). */
-  private async clearCleanShutdownMarker(): Promise<void> {
-    try {
-      await this.storage.deleteRawObject(CLEAN_SHUTDOWN_PATH)
-    } catch {
-      // Absent or undeletable: the conservative outcome is a future replay.
-    }
   }
 
   /**
@@ -918,37 +712,6 @@ export class GenerationStore {
     else this.pins.set(gen, count - 1)
   }
 
-
-  /**
-   * Torn-tolerant raw read for BEFORE-IMAGE contexts: a write landing on a
-   * TORN record (power-loss survivor) is a HEAL — the new after-image
-   * replaces the unreadable bytes. The before-image is unknowable, so it
-   * reads as the CREATE SENTINEL ({metadata:null, vector:null}) with
-   * narration: history for this id restarts at this generation (an asOf
-   * below it resolves absent for the id — the honest statement of what the
-   * crash destroyed). The adapter's loud floor (error + gauge) fired at
-   * throw time; real storage faults still propagate.
-   */
-  private async readRawForBeforeImage(
-    kind: 'noun' | 'verb',
-    id: string
-  ): Promise<{ metadata: unknown | null; vector: unknown | null }> {
-    try {
-      return kind === 'noun'
-        ? await this.storage.readNounRaw(id)
-        : await this.storage.readVerbRaw(id)
-    } catch (err) {
-      if ((err as { code?: string }).code === 'TORN_RECORD') {
-        prodLog.warn(
-          `[GenerationStore] before-image of ${kind} ${id} is TORN — the incoming ` +
-            `write HEALS the record; its history restarts at this generation`
-        )
-        return { metadata: null, vector: null }
-      }
-      throw err
-    }
-  }
-
   /** @returns Total number of live pins across all generations. */
   activePinCount(): number {
     let total = 0
@@ -1021,8 +784,6 @@ export class GenerationStore {
     nouns: string[]
     verbs: string[]
     meta?: Record<string, unknown>
-    /** V2 marker records riding this fact (same generation, same append). */
-    records?: FactMarkerRecord[]
   }): Promise<CommitFact> {
     const ops: FactOp[] = []
     const afterRecords: GenerationRecord[] = []
@@ -1046,8 +807,7 @@ export class GenerationStore {
       timestamp: args.timestamp,
       ops,
       ...(args.meta ? { meta: args.meta } : {}),
-      ...(blobHashes.length > 0 ? { blobHashes } : {}),
-      ...(args.records && args.records.length > 0 ? { records: args.records } : {})
+      ...(blobHashes.length > 0 ? { blobHashes } : {})
     }
   }
 
@@ -1060,17 +820,11 @@ export class GenerationStore {
      *  per-record analogue of `ifAtGeneration`. A throw aborts the whole batch:
      *  the generation reservation is returned and no staging I/O has happened. */
     precommit?: (before: CommitBeforeImages) => void
-    /** Optional v2 marker records riding this batch's ONE commit fact (e.g.
-     *  the deferred-embedding lifecycle markers) — same generation, same
-     *  atomic append, same durability barrier as the batch itself, so a
-     *  marker can never be orphaned from its write nor the write from its
-     *  marker. Additive: omitted on every markerless path. */
-    records?: FactMarkerRecord[]
     execute: () => Promise<void>
   }): Promise<{ generation: number; timestamp: number }> {
     return this.withMutex(async () => {
       // A latched history-durability failure compromises the whole generation
-      // chain — refuse a transact too (advancing the manifest past stuck,
+      // spine — refuse a transact too (advancing the manifest past stuck,
       // un-durable single-op generations would be inconsistent). Same loud
       // error; self-clears when the pending tier drains.
       this.assertHistoryDurable()
@@ -1114,11 +868,11 @@ export class GenerationStore {
         // conflicting batch aborts with zero staging I/O. The maps hold the
         // byte-identical records the staged files are written from.
         for (const id of nouns) {
-          const prev = await this.readRawForBeforeImage('noun', id)
+          const prev = await this.storage.readNounRaw(id)
           nounBefore.set(id, { kind: 'noun', metadata: prev.metadata, vector: prev.vector })
         }
         for (const id of verbs) {
-          const prev = await this.readRawForBeforeImage('verb', id)
+          const prev = await this.storage.readVerbRaw(id)
           verbBefore.set(id, { kind: 'verb', metadata: prev.metadata, vector: prev.vector })
         }
 
@@ -1202,15 +956,11 @@ export class GenerationStore {
             timestamp,
             nouns,
             verbs,
-            ...(args.meta ? { meta: args.meta } : {}),
-            ...(args.records && args.records.length > 0 ? { records: args.records } : {})
+            ...(args.meta ? { meta: args.meta } : {})
           })
           await this.factLog.append(fact)
           await this.factLog.sync()
         }
-        // A crash here must cost the whole batch: the synced fact is truncated
-        // back at open() and the before-images are restored byte-identically.
-        faultPoint('transact-after-fact-sync')
 
         // -- 5. Counter + manifest rename (COMMIT POINT) ----------------------
         await this.persistCounterUnlocked()
@@ -1416,18 +1166,6 @@ export class GenerationStore {
     touched: { nouns?: string[]; verbs?: string[] }
     execute: () => Promise<void>
     precommit?: (before: CommitBeforeImages) => void
-    /**
-     * Optional v2 marker records riding this write's commit fact (e.g. the
-     * deferred-embedding lifecycle markers) — same generation, same atomic
-     * append, and in 'at-ack' log durability the SAME covering fsync as the
-     * write itself (zero extra sync). A marker can never be orphaned from
-     * its write nor the write from its marker. Additive: omitted on every
-     * markerless path. When the storage hosts no fact log the markers have
-     * no durable home — matching that storage's overall durability posture
-     * (it cannot host the log's crash guarantees either); callers own
-     * surfacing that honestly.
-     */
-    records?: FactMarkerRecord[]
   }): Promise<{ generation: number; timestamp: number; degraded?: string[] }> {
     return this.withMutex(async () => {
       // Refuse to accept a write whose history we cannot make durable: if the
@@ -1446,12 +1184,12 @@ export class GenerationStore {
       // {metadata:null, vector:null} = the create sentinel.
       const nounBefore = new Map<string, GenerationRecord>()
       for (const id of nouns) {
-        const prev = await this.readRawForBeforeImage('noun', id)
+        const prev = await this.storage.readNounRaw(id)
         nounBefore.set(id, { kind: 'noun', metadata: prev.metadata, vector: prev.vector })
       }
       const verbBefore = new Map<string, GenerationRecord>()
       for (const id of verbs) {
-        const prev = await this.readRawForBeforeImage('verb', id)
+        const prev = await this.storage.readVerbRaw(id)
         verbBefore.set(id, { kind: 'verb', metadata: prev.metadata, vector: prev.vector })
       }
 
@@ -1497,13 +1235,7 @@ export class GenerationStore {
             // buffered history).
             if (this.factLog) {
               await this.factLog.append(
-                await this.buildCommitFact({
-                  generation: gen,
-                  timestamp,
-                  nouns,
-                  verbs,
-                  ...(args.records && args.records.length > 0 ? { records: args.records } : {})
-                })
+                await this.buildCommitFact({ generation: gen, timestamp, nouns, verbs })
               )
             }
             prodLog.warn(
@@ -1530,12 +1262,6 @@ export class GenerationStore {
         throw err
       }
       this.inTransact = false
-      // Test-only crash simulation (direct call — a throw propagates with no
-      // cleanup, exactly like a process death; recovery-on-open restores the
-      // contract). A crash here must cost only the never-returned ack: the
-      // live canonical write applied, but no history, fact, or generation
-      // record exists for it yet.
-      if (this.commitFaultInjector) this.commitFaultInjector('singleop-after-execute')
 
       // Buffer the pending generation + make it instantly visible to reads.
       this.pendingBuffer.set(gen, { nouns: nounBefore, verbs: verbBefore, timestamp })
@@ -1544,52 +1270,14 @@ export class GenerationStore {
       // Fact log (dual-write): the acked write's AFTER-IMAGE fact, appended
       // now (read back warm, under the mutex — group-commit means flush-time
       // canonical only holds the LATEST state, so each generation's after-image
-      // exists only here).
-      //
-      // Durability is MODE-GOVERNED:
-      // - 'deferred' (default, the pre-log-authority behavior): durability
-      //   rides the group-commit flush like the buffered history — a crash
-      //   before the flush loses the fact AND the generation together, never
-      //   a torn state.
-      // - 'at-ack' (log-authority mode): the ack awaits a covering fsync via
-      //   the log's group-commit (many concurrent writers share ONE sync) —
-      //   an acked write's fact survives power loss, by contract.
+      // exists only here). Durability rides the group-commit flush, exactly
+      // like the buffered before-image history: a crash before the flush loses
+      // the fact AND the generation together — never a torn state.
       if (this.factLog) {
-        try {
-          await this.factLog.append(
-            await this.buildCommitFact({
-              generation: gen,
-              timestamp,
-              nouns,
-              verbs,
-              ...(args.records && args.records.length > 0 ? { records: args.records } : {})
-            })
-          )
-          if (this.logDurability === 'at-ack') {
-            await this.factLog.ensureSynced()
-          }
-        } catch (err) {
-          // A rejected write must NOT commit: the generation was buffered
-          // before the append, so un-buffer it and return the counter
-          // reservation — otherwise the next flush would durably commit a
-          // generation with NO fact, a silent log gap a later replay would
-          // turn into loss. Canonical bytes from execute() remain as an
-          // uncommitted orphan — identical to a crash at this point; never
-          // a torn committed state.
-          this.pendingBuffer.delete(gen)
-          const idx = this.pendingGens.lastIndexOf(gen)
-          if (idx !== -1) this.pendingGens.splice(idx, 1)
-          this.invalidateChains()
-          if (this.counter === gen) this.counter = gen - 1
-          throw err
-        }
+        await this.factLog.append(
+          await this.buildCommitFact({ generation: gen, timestamp, nouns, verbs })
+        )
       }
-      // Test-only crash simulation. A crash here must cost the buffered
-      // history + the appended fact in 'deferred' mode (open() truncates it
-      // back to the manifest watermark) — while under 'log' authority the
-      // intact fact is REPLAYED at open, never the baseline or the applied
-      // live write.
-      if (this.commitFaultInjector) this.commitFaultInjector('singleop-after-fact-append')
       this.schedulePendingFlush()
       return { generation: gen, timestamp }
     })
@@ -1708,11 +1396,6 @@ export class GenerationStore {
         logEntries.push({ generation: gen, timestamp: buf.timestamp })
       }
 
-      // Test-only crash simulation. A crash here must cost only the window's
-      // HISTORY: un-fsynced record-set dirs may sit above the manifest, and
-      // recovery drops them WITHOUT restore — the acked live writes stay.
-      if (this.commitFaultInjector) this.commitFaultInjector('flush-after-staging')
-
       // ONE fsync for the whole window — the durability-batching win.
       await this.storage.syncRawObjects(stagedPaths)
 
@@ -1722,12 +1405,6 @@ export class GenerationStore {
       // generation without its durable fact.
       await this.factLog?.sync()
 
-      // Test-only crash simulation. A crash here must cost only the window's
-      // history and its (already fsynced) facts — open() truncates the facts
-      // back to the manifest watermark and drops the staged group-commit dirs
-      // without restore; the acked live writes stay.
-      if (this.commitFaultInjector) this.commitFaultInjector('flush-before-manifest')
-
       // Test-only crash simulation: a throwing injector here leaves the staged
       // group-commit generation dirs on disk with NO manifest advance — the
       // exact "crashed mid-flush" state recovery must DROP-WITHOUT-RESTORE
diff --git a/src/db/logAuthority.ts b/src/db/logAuthority.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 0703d11f..00000000
--- a/src/db/logAuthority.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,332 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module db/logAuthority
- * @description The per-brain LOG-AUTHORITY SWITCH and its verification
- * oracle — the guarded adoption path for log-canonical storage.
- *
- * Two storage authorities exist during the adoption window:
- * - `'tree'` (the default, today's behavior): the canonical record tree is
- *   authoritative; the generation log is a complete dual-written journal.
- * - `'log'`: the generation log is authoritative for this brain; single-op
- *   write acks await a covering log fsync (durable-at-ack), and derived
- *   state treats the log as ground truth.
- *
- * THE SWITCH IS PER BRAIN, STORED, CHECKED AT OPEN ONLY, and ONE-DIRECTIONAL
- * unless explicitly reverted by an operator. A brain flips ONLY when its
- * verification oracle is green: a full replay-and-diff of the log against
- * the still-authoritative tree (the read-only witness). The oracle failing
- * NAMES every divergence — a brain with pre-log history (records the log
- * never saw) reports them as `pre-log-record` mismatches and needs a
- * baseline backfill before it can ever flip.
- *
- * Nothing in this module mutates data: the oracle is read-only; the flip
- * writes ONE artifact. Reverting = rewriting the artifact to 'tree' (the
- * tree remained authoritative-quality throughout the window by dual-write).
- */
-
-import type { FactScanHandle } from './factLog.js'
-import { prodLog } from '../utils/logger.js'
-import { createHash } from 'crypto'
-
-/** Storage-root-relative path of the authority switch artifact. */
-export const LOG_AUTHORITY_PATH = '_system/log-authority.json'
-
-/** The persisted shape of the authority switch. */
-export interface LogAuthorityRecord {
-  /** Which store is authoritative for this brain. */
-  authority: 'tree' | 'log'
-  /** When the flip happened (ms epoch). Absent while authority = 'tree'. */
-  flippedAt?: number
-  /** The oracle verdict that justified the flip (summary, not the full report). */
-  oracle?: {
-    verifiedAt: number
-    generationsScanned: number
-    nounsChecked: number
-    verbsChecked: number
-  }
-  /**
-   * Recorded when an OPEN-TIME adoption attempt (the 10.0.0 fleet default)
-   * was refused — the oracle could not go green. Keeps subsequent opens
-   * cheap; an operator re-runs adoptLogAuthority() after resolving it.
-   */
-  adoptRefusal?: { at: number; reason: string }
-}
-
-/** The narrow storage surface this module needs. */
-export interface LogAuthorityStorage {
-  readRawObject(path: string): Promise<unknown | null>
-  writeRawObject(path: string, data: unknown): Promise<void>
-  syncRawObjects(paths: string[]): Promise<void>
-  getNouns(opts: {
-    pagination: { limit: number; offset?: number; cursor?: string }
-  }): Promise<{ items: unknown[]; hasMore?: boolean; nextCursor?: string }>
-  getNounMetadata(id: string): Promise<unknown | null>
-}
-
-/** One divergence found by the oracle. */
-export interface OracleMismatch {
-  id: string
-  kind: 'noun' | 'verb'
-  reason:
-    | 'pre-log-record' // canonical row the log never saw — needs baseline backfill
-    | 'state-differs' // latest log after-image ≠ canonical bytes
-    | 'log-live-canonical-absent' // log says live, canonical has no record
-    | 'log-tombstone-canonical-present' // log says deleted, canonical still has it
-}
-
-/** The oracle's full report. */
-export interface OracleReport {
-  verdict: 'green' | 'red'
-  generationsScanned: number
-  nounsChecked: number
-  verbsChecked: number
-  matched: number
-  mismatches: OracleMismatch[]
-  /** Mismatch listing is capped; the counts above are always complete. */
-  mismatchListTruncated: boolean
-}
-
-const MISMATCH_LIST_CAP = 200
-
-/** Read the stored authority (absent artifact = 'tree', the safe default). */
-export async function readLogAuthority(
-  storage: Pick<LogAuthorityStorage, 'readRawObject'>
-): Promise<LogAuthorityRecord> {
-  const raw = (await storage
-    .readRawObject(LOG_AUTHORITY_PATH)
-    .catch(() => null)) as LogAuthorityRecord | null
-  if (raw && (raw.authority === 'log' || raw.authority === 'tree')) return raw
-  return { authority: 'tree' }
-}
-
-/**
- * Normalize a canonical noun record to its ENTITY TRUTH before diffing:
- * the canonical vector-file wrapper denormalizes derived index residue
- * (`connections` — HNSW graph edges; `level` — the node's random skip-list
- * level) that the generation log deliberately does NOT carry (projections
- * own their own rebuild paths). Digesting the residue would report false
- * `state-differs` on ~any brain whose HNSW assigned a nonzero level. Both
- * sides of every oracle comparison pass through this normalizer.
- */
-export function nounEntityTruth(record: {
-  metadata: unknown
-  vector: unknown
-}): { metadata: unknown; vector: unknown } {
-  const v = record.vector
-  if (v && typeof v === 'object' && !Array.isArray(v)) {
-    const { connections: _c, level: _l, ...entity } = v as Record<string, unknown>
-    return { metadata: record.metadata, vector: entity }
-  }
-  return { metadata: record.metadata, vector: v }
-}
-
-/**
- * Stable content hash of a stored record for diffing — key-sorted JSON so
- * property order can never fake a divergence.
- */
-export function recordDigest(record: unknown): string {
-  const stable = (v: unknown): unknown => {
-    if (Array.isArray(v)) return v.map(stable)
-    if (v && typeof v === 'object') {
-      const out: Record<string, unknown> = {}
-      for (const k of Object.keys(v as Record<string, unknown>).sort()) {
-        out[k] = stable((v as Record<string, unknown>)[k])
-      }
-      return out
-    }
-    return v
-  }
-  return createHash('sha256').update(JSON.stringify(stable(record))).digest('hex')
-}
-
-/**
- * THE VERIFICATION ORACLE: replay the fact log's noun records and diff the
- * final state per id against the canonical tree (the witness). Read-only;
- * bounded memory (id → {tombstoned, digest} — digests, never bodies).
- *
- * Verdict law: 'green' iff EVERY canonical row's latest state is exactly
- * reproduced by the log AND the log claims nothing canonical denies. A
- * brain older than its log reports its unlogged rows as `pre-log-record`
- * mismatches — the named cure is a baseline backfill, never a silent pass.
- */
-export async function runLogCompletenessOracle(args: {
-  storage: LogAuthorityStorage
-  scanFacts: () => FactScanHandle | null
-  /** Digest the canonical record the same way the log's after-image is digested. */
-  canonicalNounDigest: (id: string) => Promise<string | null>
-  /** Digest a log after-image record's payload. */
-  factRecordDigest: (record: unknown) => string
-  /**
-   * Verb legs (optional until every owner wires them): the canonical verb
-   * digest + the paged verb enumeration. When ABSENT, the oracle counts NO
-   * verbs and says so via verbsChecked = 0 — an honest partial verdict,
-   * never a silent full-pass claim.
-   */
-  canonicalVerbDigest?: (id: string) => Promise<string | null>
-  getVerbs?: (opts: {
-    pagination: { limit: number; offset?: number; cursor?: string }
-  }) => Promise<{ items: unknown[]; hasMore?: boolean; nextCursor?: string }>
-}): Promise<OracleReport> {
-  const report: OracleReport = {
-    verdict: 'red',
-    generationsScanned: 0,
-    nounsChecked: 0,
-    verbsChecked: 0,
-    matched: 0,
-    mismatches: [],
-    mismatchListTruncated: false
-  }
-  const addMismatch = (m: OracleMismatch): void => {
-    if (report.mismatches.length < MISMATCH_LIST_CAP) report.mismatches.push(m)
-    else report.mismatchListTruncated = true
-  }
-
-  // Pass 1: fold the log — latest state per noun id (digest or tombstone).
-  const scan = args.scanFacts()
-  if (!scan) {
-    // No fact log on this store: nothing can be verified — red, loudly.
-    prodLog.warn('[logAuthority] oracle: this store has no fact log — cannot verify, verdict red')
-    return report
-  }
-  const logState = new Map<string, { tombstoned: boolean; digest: string | null }>()
-  const verbLogState = new Map<string, { tombstoned: boolean; digest: string | null }>()
-  for await (const batch of scan.batches()) {
-    for (const fact of batch.facts) {
-      report.generationsScanned++
-      for (const op of fact.ops) {
-        const state =
-          op.record === null
-            ? { tombstoned: true, digest: null }
-            : { tombstoned: false, digest: args.factRecordDigest(op.record) }
-        if (op.kind === 'noun') logState.set(op.id, state)
-        else verbLogState.set(op.id, state)
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Pass 2: walk canonical (paged) and diff.
-  const seenCanonical = new Set<string>()
-  const PAGE = 500
-  let offset = 0
-  let cursor: string | undefined
-  for (;;) {
-    const page = await args.storage.getNouns({
-      pagination: cursor ? { limit: PAGE, cursor } : { limit: PAGE, offset }
-    })
-    for (const item of page.items) {
-      const id = (item as { id: string }).id
-      seenCanonical.add(id)
-      report.nounsChecked++
-      const inLog = logState.get(id)
-      if (!inLog) {
-        addMismatch({ id, kind: 'noun', reason: 'pre-log-record' })
-        continue
-      }
-      if (inLog.tombstoned) {
-        addMismatch({ id, kind: 'noun', reason: 'log-tombstone-canonical-present' })
-        continue
-      }
-      const canonicalDigest = await args.canonicalNounDigest(id)
-      if (canonicalDigest === null) {
-        addMismatch({ id, kind: 'noun', reason: 'pre-log-record' })
-        continue
-      }
-      if (canonicalDigest === inLog.digest) report.matched++
-      else addMismatch({ id, kind: 'noun', reason: 'state-differs' })
-    }
-    if (!page.hasMore || page.items.length === 0) break
-    if (page.nextCursor) cursor = page.nextCursor
-    else offset += page.items.length
-  }
-
-  // Pass 3: log-live ids canonical never showed us.
-  for (const [id, state] of logState) {
-    if (!state.tombstoned && !seenCanonical.has(id)) {
-      addMismatch({ id, kind: 'noun', reason: 'log-live-canonical-absent' })
-    }
-  }
-
-  // Verb passes — only when the owner wired the verb legs; otherwise the
-  // report says verbsChecked: 0, an honest partial scope, never a claim.
-  if (args.canonicalVerbDigest && args.getVerbs) {
-    const seenVerbs = new Set<string>()
-    let vOffset = 0
-    let vCursor: string | undefined
-    for (;;) {
-      const page = await args.getVerbs({
-        pagination: vCursor ? { limit: PAGE, cursor: vCursor } : { limit: PAGE, offset: vOffset }
-      })
-      for (const item of page.items) {
-        const id = (item as { id: string }).id
-        seenVerbs.add(id)
-        report.verbsChecked++
-        const inLog = verbLogState.get(id)
-        if (!inLog) {
-          addMismatch({ id, kind: 'verb', reason: 'pre-log-record' })
-          continue
-        }
-        if (inLog.tombstoned) {
-          addMismatch({ id, kind: 'verb', reason: 'log-tombstone-canonical-present' })
-          continue
-        }
-        const canonical = await args.canonicalVerbDigest(id)
-        if (canonical === null) {
-          addMismatch({ id, kind: 'verb', reason: 'pre-log-record' })
-          continue
-        }
-        if (canonical === inLog.digest) report.matched++
-        else addMismatch({ id, kind: 'verb', reason: 'state-differs' })
-      }
-      if (!page.hasMore || page.items.length === 0) break
-      if (page.nextCursor) vCursor = page.nextCursor
-      else vOffset += page.items.length
-    }
-    for (const [id, state] of verbLogState) {
-      if (!state.tombstoned && !seenVerbs.has(id)) {
-        addMismatch({ id, kind: 'verb', reason: 'log-live-canonical-absent' })
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  const totalMismatches =
-    report.mismatches.length + (report.mismatchListTruncated ? 1 : 0)
-  report.verdict = totalMismatches === 0 ? 'green' : 'red'
-  return report
-}
-
-/**
- * Flip this brain's authority to the log — REFUSES unless the supplied
- * oracle report is green (the caller runs the oracle; the flip records its
- * summary). Writes + fsyncs the switch artifact; the mode takes full effect
- * at the NEXT open (checked-at-open-only law), except durable-at-ack which
- * the owner may enable immediately.
- */
-export async function flipToLogAuthority(
-  storage: Pick<LogAuthorityStorage, 'writeRawObject' | 'syncRawObjects'>,
-  oracle: OracleReport
-): Promise<LogAuthorityRecord> {
-  if (oracle.verdict !== 'green') {
-    throw new Error(
-      `log-authority flip refused: the verification oracle is RED ` +
-        `(${oracle.mismatches.length}${oracle.mismatchListTruncated ? '+' : ''} mismatches; ` +
-        `first: ${oracle.mismatches[0] ? `${oracle.mismatches[0].reason} on ${oracle.mismatches[0].id}` : 'n/a'}). ` +
-        `A brain flips only on green — fix the divergences (pre-log records need a baseline backfill) and re-run.`
-    )
-  }
-  const record: LogAuthorityRecord = {
-    authority: 'log',
-    flippedAt: Date.now(),
-    oracle: {
-      verifiedAt: Date.now(),
-      generationsScanned: oracle.generationsScanned,
-      nounsChecked: oracle.nounsChecked,
-      verbsChecked: oracle.verbsChecked
-    }
-  }
-  await storage.writeRawObject(LOG_AUTHORITY_PATH, record)
-  await storage.syncRawObjects([LOG_AUTHORITY_PATH])
-  prodLog.info(
-    `[logAuthority] this brain's storage authority is now the generation log ` +
-      `(oracle green over ${oracle.nounsChecked} nouns / ${oracle.generationsScanned} generations)`
-  )
-  return record
-}
diff --git a/src/graph/graphAdjacencyIndex.ts b/src/graph/graphAdjacencyIndex.ts
index d002164e..b37391aa 100644
--- a/src/graph/graphAdjacencyIndex.ts
+++ b/src/graph/graphAdjacencyIndex.ts
@@ -27,22 +27,6 @@ import { UnifiedCache, getGlobalCache } from '../utils/unifiedCache.js'
 import { prodLog } from '../utils/logger.js'
 import { LSMTree } from './lsm/LSMTree.js'
 import type { GraphIndexProvider } from '../plugin.js'
-import {
-  computeWatermarkVerdict,
-  makeProjectionStamp,
-  readStampedWatermark,
-  type WatermarkVerdict,
-  type WatermarkVerdictResult
-} from '../utils/projectionWatermark.js'
-
-/**
- * Storage key for the graph-adjacency projection's watermark stamp — a
- * sidecar record beside the artifact (the two verb-id LSM trees' persisted
- * SSTables + manifests). Written LAST in
- * {@link GraphAdjacencyIndex.flush} / {@link GraphAdjacencyIndex.close} so
- * stamp-after-data ordering holds for every byte the stamp certifies.
- */
-export const GRAPH_ADJACENCY_STAMP_KEY = '__index_graph_adjacency_watermark__'
 
 export interface GraphIndexConfig {
   maxIndexSize?: number      // Default: 100000
@@ -128,14 +112,6 @@ export class GraphAdjacencyIndex implements GraphIndexProvider {
   // Initialization flag
   private initialized = false
 
-  // --- Watermark stamp state (see utils/projectionWatermark for the law) ---
-  /** Generation handed in via {@link stampWatermark}, awaiting the next flush. */
-  private pendingWatermark: number | null = null
-  /** Last watermark durably stamped by this instance or loaded at init. */
-  private stampedWatermark: number | null = null
-  /** The three-way verdict computed at init; null until init runs. */
-  private loadVerdict: WatermarkVerdictResult | null = null
-
   /**
    * Check if index is initialized and ready for use
    */
@@ -265,135 +241,12 @@ export class GraphAdjacencyIndex implements GraphIndexProvider {
       await this.populateVerbIdSetFromStorage()
     }
 
-    // Watermark verdict for the persisted adjacency artifact (the LSM
-    // SSTables just loaded) — computed and exposed only: today's rebuild /
-    // recovery triggers are unchanged (acting on 'catchup' — the incremental
-    // fold — lands with the coordinator's wiring).
-    await this.loadWatermarkVerdict(lsmTreeSize > 0)
-
     // Start auto-flush timer after initialization
     this.startAutoFlush()
 
     this.initialized = true
   }
 
-  /**
-   * @description Record the committed generation this projection reflects.
-   * The stamp is NOT written here — it is written as the final storage write
-   * of the next {@link flush} (or {@link close}), so stamp-after-data
-   * ordering is a module guarantee, not a caller obligation. The coordinator
-   * calls this with the store's committed generation right before flushing.
-   * @param generation - The committed generation every flushed byte reflects.
-   */
-  stampWatermark(generation: number): void {
-    this.pendingWatermark = generation
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description The projection's current watermark: the stamp loaded at
-   * init (or the last stamp durably written by this instance). Null =
-   * unstamped (legacy artifact, first boot, or stamping never wired).
-   */
-  watermark(): number | null {
-    return this.stampedWatermark
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description The three-way adoption verdict computed at init —
-   * `'adopt'` (stamped == committed, zero work), `'catchup'` (stamped <
-   * committed; the gap from {@link watermarkGap} awaits an incremental
-   * fold), `'rescan'` (unstamped or stamped above committed — never
-   * trusted). Null until init() has run. Computed and exposed only; no
-   * load behavior changes ride on it yet.
-   */
-  watermarkVerdict(): WatermarkVerdict | null {
-    return this.loadVerdict?.verdict ?? null
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description The catch-up window `(from, to]` when the init verdict was
-   * `'catchup'`; null otherwise.
-   */
-  watermarkGap(): { from: number; to: number } | null {
-    return this.loadVerdict?.gap ?? null
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Write the pending watermark stamp as a sidecar record —
-   * always called AFTER the LSM flushes it certifies completed. A stamp-write
-   * failure is fail-safe (unstamped/behind → rescan/catchup on next open,
-   * never a wrong adopt) but is said out loud and the pending stamp is
-   * retained for the next flush.
-   */
-  private async writePendingStamp(): Promise<void> {
-    if (this.pendingWatermark === null) return
-    const watermark = this.pendingWatermark
-    try {
-      await this.storage.saveMetadata(GRAPH_ADJACENCY_STAMP_KEY, {
-        noun: 'IndexWatermark',
-        ...makeProjectionStamp(watermark)
-      })
-      this.stampedWatermark = watermark
-      this.pendingWatermark = null
-    } catch (error) {
-      prodLog.error(
-        `[GraphAdjacencyIndex] failed to write watermark stamp (generation ${watermark}) — ` +
-          `artifact stays behind-stamped (safe: verdicts catchup/rescan, never wrong-adopt); ` +
-          `retrying on next flush:`,
-        error
-      )
-    }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Read the artifact's stamp and compute the three-way verdict
-   * against the store's committed generation. Unstamped state on a stamped
-   * store verdicts `'rescan'` LOUDLY — never a silent adopt.
-   *
-   * MIGRATION COST: existing pre-stamp brains verdict `'rescan'` exactly
-   * once (that open re-derives via the recovery walk it already runs); the
-   * next flush stamps them, and every later open adopts.
-   *
-   * @param artifactPresent - Whether persisted SSTables exist at all; gates
-   *   loud-vs-quiet on the rescan verdict so first boots don't scream.
-   */
-  private async loadWatermarkVerdict(artifactPresent: boolean): Promise<void> {
-    const committed = this.storage.committedGeneration?.() ?? null
-    let stamped: number | null = null
-    try {
-      const record = await this.storage.getMetadata(GRAPH_ADJACENCY_STAMP_KEY)
-      stamped = readStampedWatermark(record)
-    } catch {
-      // An unreadable stamp is unstamped — the fail-safe direction.
-      stamped = null
-    }
-    const result = computeWatermarkVerdict(stamped, committed)
-    this.loadVerdict = result
-    this.stampedWatermark = stamped
-
-    if (result.verdict === 'rescan') {
-      if (artifactPresent || stamped !== null) {
-        prodLog.warn(
-          `[GraphAdjacencyIndex] watermark verdict: RESCAN — persisted adjacency is ` +
-            (stamped === null
-              ? 'unstamped (legacy pre-stamp artifact, or a crash between data and stamp)'
-              : `stamped at generation ${stamped}, ABOVE the store's committed generation ${committed}`) +
-            ` — never adopting unverifiable state`
-        )
-      } else {
-        prodLog.debug(
-          '[GraphAdjacencyIndex] watermark verdict: rescan (no persisted artifact — first boot)'
-        )
-      }
-    } else if (result.verdict === 'catchup') {
-      prodLog.info(
-        `[GraphAdjacencyIndex] watermark verdict: catchup — adjacency stamped at generation ` +
-          `${stamped}, store committed at ${committed}; the (${stamped}, ${committed}] window ` +
-          `awaits an incremental fold (verdict exposed; the fold lands with the coordinator's wiring)`
-      )
-    }
-  }
-
   /**
    * Populate verbIdSet from storage without full rebuild
    * Lighter weight than full rebuild - only loads verb IDs, not all verb data
@@ -1082,12 +935,6 @@ export class GraphAdjacencyIndex implements GraphIndexProvider {
       }),
     ])
 
-    // STAMP-AFTER-DATA: the watermark stamp is the LAST write of the flush —
-    // both trees' SSTables are durable before the stamp lands. A crash
-    // anywhere above leaves the artifact behind-stamped or unstamped, which
-    // verdicts as catchup/rescan on the next open — never a wrong adopt.
-    await this.writePendingStamp()
-
     const elapsed = Date.now() - startTime
 
     prodLog.debug(`GraphAdjacencyIndex: Flush completed in ${elapsed}ms`)
@@ -1108,10 +955,6 @@ export class GraphAdjacencyIndex implements GraphIndexProvider {
         this.lsmTreeVerbsBySource.close(),
         this.lsmTreeVerbsByTarget.close(),
       ])
-
-      // Stamp-after-data on the shutdown path too: the trees' final flushes
-      // completed above, so a pending watermark may land now.
-      await this.writePendingStamp()
     }
 
     prodLog.info('GraphAdjacencyIndex: Shutdown complete')
diff --git a/src/hnsw/hnswIndex.ts b/src/hnsw/hnswIndex.ts
index 77e4f84d..eb2acd71 100644
--- a/src/hnsw/hnswIndex.ts
+++ b/src/hnsw/hnswIndex.ts
@@ -16,22 +16,6 @@ import { getGlobalCache, UnifiedCache } from '../utils/unifiedCache.js'
 import { prodLog } from '../utils/logger.js'
 import type { VectorIndexProvider, OpaqueIdSet, AtGenerationVectors } from '../plugin.js'
 import { ConnectionsCodec, compressedConnectionsKey } from './connectionsCodec.js'
-import {
-  computeWatermarkVerdict,
-  makeProjectionStamp,
-  readStampedWatermark,
-  type WatermarkVerdict,
-  type WatermarkVerdictResult
-} from '../utils/projectionWatermark.js'
-
-/**
- * Storage key for the JS HNSW projection's watermark stamp — a sidecar
- * record beside the artifact (per-node vector-index records + connection
- * blobs + the entryPoint/maxLevel system record). Written LAST in
- * {@link JsHnswVectorIndex.flush} so stamp-after-data ordering holds for
- * every byte the stamp certifies.
- */
-export const HNSW_INDEX_STAMP_KEY = '__index_hnsw_watermark__'
 
 // Default HNSW parameters
 const DEFAULT_CONFIG: HNSWConfig = {
@@ -115,14 +99,6 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
   private dirtyNodes: Set<string> = new Set() // Nodes with unpersisted HNSW data
   private dirtySystem: boolean = false // Whether system data (entryPoint, maxLevel) needs persist
 
-  // --- Watermark stamp state (see utils/projectionWatermark for the law) ---
-  /** Generation handed in via {@link stampWatermark}, awaiting the next flush. */
-  private pendingWatermark: number | null = null
-  /** Last watermark durably stamped by this instance or loaded on rebuild. */
-  private stampedWatermark: number | null = null
-  /** The three-way verdict computed at load; null until rebuild() runs. */
-  private loadVerdict: WatermarkVerdictResult | null = null
-
   // Lazy vector storage (B2 optimization): evict the float32 vector to
   // storage after insert; reload on demand via getVectorSafe() + UnifiedCache.
   private vectorStorageMode: 'memory' | 'lazy' = 'memory'
@@ -194,9 +170,6 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
     }
 
     if (this.dirtyNodes.size === 0 && !this.dirtySystem) {
-      // Nothing dirty — but a pending watermark still stamps: every byte it
-      // certifies is already durable, so stamp-after-data holds trivially.
-      await this.writePendingStamp()
       return 0
     }
 
@@ -266,13 +239,6 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
       throw new HnswFlushError(failedNodes.size, systemFailed, firstError ?? undefined)
     }
 
-    // STAMP-AFTER-DATA: the watermark stamp is the LAST write of the flush —
-    // it lands only after every dirty node and the system record persisted
-    // (the throw above guarantees it). A crash anywhere earlier leaves the
-    // artifact behind-stamped or unstamped, which verdicts as catchup/rescan
-    // on the next open — never a wrong adopt.
-    await this.writePendingStamp()
-
     if (nodeCount > 0) {
       prodLog.info(`[HNSW] Flushed ${nodeCount} dirty nodes in ${duration}ms`)
     }
@@ -280,126 +246,6 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
     return nodeCount
   }
 
-  /**
-   * @description Record the committed generation this projection reflects.
-   * The stamp is NOT written here — it is written as the final storage write
-   * of the next {@link flush} (stamp-after-data ordering is a module
-   * guarantee, not a caller obligation). The coordinator calls this with the
-   * store's committed generation right before flushing.
-   * @param generation - The committed generation every flushed byte reflects.
-   */
-  public stampWatermark(generation: number): void {
-    this.pendingWatermark = generation
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description The projection's current watermark: the stamp loaded at
-   * rebuild (or the last stamp durably written by this instance). Null =
-   * unstamped (legacy artifact, first boot, or stamping never wired).
-   */
-  public watermark(): number | null {
-    return this.stampedWatermark
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description The three-way adoption verdict computed at load —
-   * `'adopt'` (stamped == committed, zero work), `'catchup'` (stamped <
-   * committed; the gap from {@link watermarkGap} awaits an incremental
-   * fold), `'rescan'` (unstamped or stamped above committed — never
-   * trusted). Null until rebuild() has run. Computed and exposed only; no
-   * load behavior changes ride on it yet — today's rebuild triggers are
-   * unchanged.
-   */
-  public watermarkVerdict(): WatermarkVerdict | null {
-    return this.loadVerdict?.verdict ?? null
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description The catch-up window `(from, to]` when the load verdict was
-   * `'catchup'`; null otherwise.
-   */
-  public watermarkGap(): { from: number; to: number } | null {
-    return this.loadVerdict?.gap ?? null
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Write the pending watermark stamp as a sidecar record —
-   * always called AFTER the data it certifies is durable. The stamp carries
-   * the vector-space identity this module can honestly assert: dimensions
-   * only (no embedding-model id is reachable from the index — it never sees
-   * the embedder). A stamp-write failure is fail-safe (unstamped/behind →
-   * rescan/catchup on next open, never a wrong adopt) but is said out loud
-   * and the pending stamp is retained for the next flush.
-   */
-  private async writePendingStamp(): Promise<void> {
-    if (this.pendingWatermark === null || !this.storage) return
-    const watermark = this.pendingWatermark
-    try {
-      await this.storage.saveMetadata(HNSW_INDEX_STAMP_KEY, {
-        noun: 'IndexWatermark',
-        ...makeProjectionStamp(watermark, { dimensions: this.dimension })
-      })
-      this.stampedWatermark = watermark
-      this.pendingWatermark = null
-    } catch (error) {
-      prodLog.error(
-        `[HNSW] failed to write watermark stamp (generation ${watermark}) — ` +
-          `artifact stays behind-stamped (safe: verdicts catchup/rescan, never wrong-adopt); ` +
-          `retrying on next flush:`,
-        error
-      )
-    }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Read the artifact's stamp and compute the three-way verdict
-   * against the store's committed generation. Unstamped state on a stamped
-   * store verdicts `'rescan'` LOUDLY — never a silent adopt.
-   *
-   * MIGRATION COST: existing pre-stamp brains verdict `'rescan'` exactly
-   * once (that open re-derives via the rebuild it is already running); the
-   * next flush stamps them, and every later open adopts.
-   *
-   * @param artifactPresent - Whether a persisted artifact exists at all (a
-   *   system record was found); gates loud-vs-quiet on the rescan verdict so
-   *   first boots don't scream.
-   */
-  private async loadWatermarkVerdict(artifactPresent: boolean): Promise<void> {
-    if (!this.storage) return
-    const committed = this.storage.committedGeneration?.() ?? null
-    let stamped: number | null = null
-    try {
-      const record = await this.storage.getMetadata(HNSW_INDEX_STAMP_KEY)
-      stamped = readStampedWatermark(record)
-    } catch {
-      // An unreadable stamp is unstamped — the fail-safe direction.
-      stamped = null
-    }
-    const result = computeWatermarkVerdict(stamped, committed)
-    this.loadVerdict = result
-    this.stampedWatermark = stamped
-
-    if (result.verdict === 'rescan') {
-      if (artifactPresent || stamped !== null) {
-        prodLog.warn(
-          `[HNSW] watermark verdict: RESCAN — persisted index is ` +
-            (stamped === null
-              ? 'unstamped (legacy pre-stamp artifact, or a crash between data and stamp)'
-              : `stamped at generation ${stamped}, ABOVE the store's committed generation ${committed}`) +
-            ` — never adopting unverifiable state`
-        )
-      } else {
-        prodLog.debug('[HNSW] watermark verdict: rescan (no persisted artifact — first boot)')
-      }
-    } else if (result.verdict === 'catchup') {
-      prodLog.info(
-        `[HNSW] watermark verdict: catchup — index stamped at generation ${stamped}, ` +
-          `store committed at ${committed}; the (${stamped}, ${committed}] window awaits ` +
-          `an incremental fold (verdict exposed; the fold lands with the coordinator's wiring)`
-      )
-    }
-  }
-
   /**
    * @description Persist one node's connections. When the connections codec is
    * wired AND the storage adapter exposes `saveBinaryBlob`, the per-level
@@ -559,15 +405,8 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
 
   /**
    * Add a vector to the index
-   *
-   * @param generation - Brainy's commit generation for this write (contract
-   *   parity with `VectorIndexProvider.addItem`). This JS index serves "now"
-   *   only — no per-record delta log, no natural slot — so the value is
-   *   accepted and ignored; a native provider stamps its durable records
-   *   with it. The JS twin adopts stamping with the watermark train.
    */
-  public async addItem(item: VectorDocument, generation?: bigint): Promise<string> {
-    void generation // Contract parity — the JS index keeps no per-write log.
+  public async addItem(item: VectorDocument): Promise<string> {
     // Check if item is defined
     if (!item) {
       throw new Error('Item is undefined or null')
@@ -647,90 +486,6 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
       return id
     }
 
-    // Wire the node into the graph: greedy descent + per-level linking.
-    // Extracted to linkNode so updateItem's in-place relink runs the SAME
-    // insertion linking (one implementation, never a diverging copy).
-    await this.linkNode(noun, entryPoint)
-
-    // Update max level and entry point if needed
-    if (nounLevel > this.maxLevel) {
-      this.maxLevel = nounLevel
-      this.entryPointId = id
-    }
-
-    // Add noun to the index
-    this.nouns.set(id, noun)
-
-    // Track high-level nodes for O(1) entry point selection
-    if (nounLevel >= 2 && nounLevel <= this.MAX_TRACKED_LEVELS) {
-      if (!this.highLevelNodes.has(nounLevel)) {
-        this.highLevelNodes.set(nounLevel, new Set())
-      }
-      this.highLevelNodes.get(nounLevel)!.add(id)
-    }
-
-    // Lazy vector eviction (B2: graph-only memory after insert)
-    // After graph construction completes, evict the full vector from memory.
-    // Future searches will load vectors on-demand via getVectorSafe() + UnifiedCache.
-    if (this.vectorStorageMode === 'lazy' && this.storage) {
-      noun.vector = [] // Release float32 vector from memory
-    }
-
-    // Persist HNSW graph data to storage
-    // Respect persistMode setting
-    if (this.storage && this.persistMode === 'immediate') {
-      // IMMEDIATE MODE: Original behavior - persist new entity and system data.
-      // Goes through the per-node helper so the compressed-blob branch fires
-      // identically here vs. the deferred-flush + neighbor-update paths.
-      await this.persistNodeConnections(id, noun).catch((error) => {
-        console.error(`Failed to persist HNSW data for ${id}:`, error)
-      })
-
-      // Persist system data (entry point and max level)
-      await this.storage.saveHNSWSystem({
-        entryPointId: this.entryPointId,
-        maxLevel: this.maxLevel
-      }).catch((error) => {
-        console.error('Failed to persist HNSW system data:', error)
-      })
-    } else if (this.persistMode === 'deferred') {
-      // DEFERRED MODE: Track dirty nodes for later batch persistence
-      this.dirtyNodes.add(id)
-      this.dirtySystem = true
-    }
-
-    return id
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description The insertion LINKING phase shared by {@link addItem} and
-   * {@link updateItem}: greedy-descend from `entryPoint` through the levels
-   * above `noun.level`, then at each level from `min(noun.level, maxLevel)`
-   * down to 0 find `efConstruction` candidates, select the M nearest, and
-   * create bidirectional edges — maintaining the reverse-adjacency index via
-   * {@link addIncoming} and re-pruning any neighbor pushed over M.
-   *
-   * Persistence follows the caller's mode exactly as the historical inline
-   * addItem code did: `'immediate'` persists each touched neighbor's
-   * connections concurrently (batched by `maxConcurrentNeighborWrites`);
-   * `'deferred'` marks each touched neighbor dirty for the next flush.
-   *
-   * Does NOT touch index membership (`this.nouns`), the entry point, or
-   * `maxLevel` — the caller owns that bookkeeping: addItem inserts a NEW node
-   * afterwards and may raise maxLevel; updateItem relinks an EXISTING node in
-   * place whose level was already counted, so nothing may change. `noun.vector`
-   * must be the live in-memory vector at call time; both callers guarantee it
-   * (lazy-mode eviction happens only after linking completes).
-   *
-   * A `neighborId === noun.id` candidate is skipped defensively: during
-   * updateItem the node is already IN `this.nouns` (visibility-atomicity —
-   * unlike addItem, which links before inserting), and a self-edge must never
-   * be creatable no matter what the traversal surfaces.
-   */
-  private async linkNode(noun: HNSWNoun, entryPoint: HNSWNoun): Promise<void> {
-    const { id, vector } = noun
-    const nounLevel = noun.level
-
     let currObj = entryPoint
 
     // Calculate distance to entry point (handles lazy loading + sync fast path)
@@ -792,10 +547,6 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
       }> = []
 
       for (const [neighborId, _] of neighbors) {
-        if (neighborId === id) {
-          // Never self-link (see method JSDoc — reachable only via updateItem)
-          continue
-        }
         const neighbor = this.nouns.get(neighborId)
         if (!neighbor) {
           // Skip neighbors that don't exist (expected during rapid additions/deletions)
@@ -879,7 +630,7 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
           const nearestNoun = this.nouns.get(nearestId)
           if (!nearestNoun) {
             console.error(
-              `Nearest noun with ID ${nearestId} not found in linkNode`
+              `Nearest noun with ID ${nearestId} not found in addItem`
             )
             // Keep the current object as is
           } else {
@@ -888,178 +639,55 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
         }
       }
     }
-  }
 
-  /**
-   * @description Atomically replace an item's vector IN PLACE — the row is
-   * NEVER absent from the index during an update. The historical shape staged
-   * a remove followed by an add as two separately-awaited transaction
-   * operations; between them the row was in NEITHER index — dark to semantic
-   * recall while perfectly visible to metadata reads (observed as seconds-long
-   * production flicker in a downstream deployment). Mandate: a row that
-   * exists must never be invisible to a read path, even transiently.
-   *
-   * Behavior:
-   * - id not in the index → delegates to {@link addItem} (plain insert).
-   * - SAME vector (element-wise equal) → pure no-op. This is the production
-   *   flicker shape: a type-only update re-indexes an UNCHANGED vector, so the
-   *   old remove+add did pure damage. (In lazy vector-storage mode the
-   *   comparison baseline is whatever {@link getVectorSafe} serves — the
-   *   cache, or the persisted record; if the caller already rewrote the
-   *   record with the new vector before calling in, equality may report "no
-   *   change" and skip the relink. Query correctness is unaffected either
-   *   way — distances always use the live vector — the graph edges just keep
-   *   their pre-update geometry, which HNSW tolerates by construction.)
-   * - DIFFERENT vector → the node never leaves `this.nouns`:
-   *   1. `node.vector` is swapped SYNCHRONOUSLY first (and the shared vector
-   *      cache updated in the same tick), so from that point every query sees
-   *      the node with correct distances;
-   *   2. its old edges are unlinked via the same reverse-adjacency walk
-   *      removeItem uses ({@link unlinkNodeEdges}) — the node stays in the
-   *      map and KEEPS its level;
-   *   3. the insertion linking re-runs at the node's EXISTING level
-   *      ({@link linkNode}). Entry-point cases: if the node IS the entry
-   *      point it REMAINS the entry point (still valid — same id, same
-   *      level); the relink traversal then starts from another node via
-   *      {@link resolveRelinkStart}, because the node's own edges were just
-   *      cleared and a traversal starting AT it would find nothing and link
-   *      nothing — stranding the whole graph behind an edgeless entry point.
-   *      maxLevel never regresses: the node keeps its level and its
-   *      membership, so the remove-side relevel bookkeeping never runs.
-   *
-   * Persistence mirrors {@link addItem}'s tail for the node itself plus the
-   * in-neighbors whose connection sets changed during the unlink:
-   * `'immediate'` persists their connections now; `'deferred'` marks them
-   * dirty for the next flush. The system record (entry point + maxLevel) is
-   * NOT rewritten — an in-place update changes neither.
-   *
-   * @param generation - Brainy's commit generation for this write (contract
-   *   parity with the feature-detected `updateItem` provider capability).
-   *   Accepted and ignored — the JS index keeps no per-write log.
-   */
-  public async updateItem(item: VectorDocument, generation?: bigint): Promise<void> {
-    void generation // Contract parity — the JS index keeps no per-write log.
-    if (!item) {
-      throw new Error('Item is undefined or null')
-    }
-    const { id, vector } = item
-    if (!vector) {
-      throw new Error('Vector is undefined or null')
+    // Update max level and entry point if needed
+    if (nounLevel > this.maxLevel) {
+      this.maxLevel = nounLevel
+      this.entryPointId = id
     }
 
-    const node = this.nouns.get(id)
-    if (!node) {
-      // Absent → plain insert.
-      await this.addItem(item)
-      return
-    }
+    // Add noun to the index
+    this.nouns.set(id, noun)
 
-    if (this.dimension === null) {
-      this.dimension = vector.length
-    } else if (vector.length !== this.dimension) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `Vector dimension mismatch: expected ${this.dimension}, got ${vector.length}`
-      )
-    }
-
-    // Fast path: element-wise-equal vector → NOTHING to do (the production
-    // flicker shape — a type-only update re-indexing an unchanged vector).
-    // getVectorSafe handles the lazy-evicted case (loads from cache/storage).
-    const current = await this.getVectorSafe(node)
-    if (current.length === vector.length) {
-      let same = true
-      for (let i = 0; i < vector.length; i++) {
-        if (current[i] !== vector[i]) {
-          same = false
-          break
-        }
+    // Track high-level nodes for O(1) entry point selection
+    if (nounLevel >= 2 && nounLevel <= this.MAX_TRACKED_LEVELS) {
+      if (!this.highLevelNodes.has(nounLevel)) {
+        this.highLevelNodes.set(nounLevel, new Set())
       }
-      if (same) return
+      this.highLevelNodes.get(nounLevel)!.add(id)
     }
 
-    // (1) Visibility-atomic swap: from this synchronous assignment on, every
-    // query sees the node with correct distances. The shared vector cache is
-    // updated in the same tick so the lazy-mode read path can never serve the
-    // stale vector either.
-    node.vector = vector
-    this.unifiedCache.set(`hnsw:vector:${id}`, vector, 'vectors', vector.length * 4, 50)
-
-    // (2) Unlink the old edges — the node stays in the map, keeps its level.
-    const touchedReferrers = await this.unlinkNodeEdges(node)
-    node.connections = new Map()
-    for (let level = 0; level <= node.level; level++) {
-      node.connections.set(level, new Set<string>())
-    }
-    // The node's own reverse entry is rebuilt by the relink below.
-    this.incoming?.delete(id)
-
-    // (3) Relink at the node's EXISTING level (see JSDoc for the entry-point
-    // reasoning). A single-node index has nothing to link to — trivially done.
-    const start = this.resolveRelinkStart(id)
-    if (start) {
-      await this.linkNode(node, start)
+    // Lazy vector eviction (B2: graph-only memory after insert)
+    // After graph construction completes, evict the full vector from memory.
+    // Future searches will load vectors on-demand via getVectorSafe() + UnifiedCache.
+    if (this.vectorStorageMode === 'lazy' && this.storage) {
+      noun.vector = [] // Release float32 vector from memory
     }
 
-    // Persistence — addItem's tail, minus the system record (entry point and
-    // maxLevel are untouched by an in-place update). Unlink-touched referrers
-    // are included so the persisted graph converges on the live one instead of
-    // keeping their pre-update edge sets forever.
+    // Persist HNSW graph data to storage
+    // Respect persistMode setting
     if (this.storage && this.persistMode === 'immediate') {
-      await this.persistNodeConnections(id, node).catch((error) => {
+      // IMMEDIATE MODE: Original behavior - persist new entity and system data.
+      // Goes through the per-node helper so the compressed-blob branch fires
+      // identically here vs. the deferred-flush + neighbor-update paths.
+      await this.persistNodeConnections(id, noun).catch((error) => {
         console.error(`Failed to persist HNSW data for ${id}:`, error)
       })
-      for (const refId of touchedReferrers) {
-        const ref = this.nouns.get(refId)
-        if (!ref) continue
-        await this.persistNodeConnections(refId, ref).catch((error) => {
-          console.error(`Failed to persist HNSW data for ${refId}:`, error)
-        })
-      }
+
+      // Persist system data (entry point and max level)
+      await this.storage.saveHNSWSystem({
+        entryPointId: this.entryPointId,
+        maxLevel: this.maxLevel
+      }).catch((error) => {
+        console.error('Failed to persist HNSW system data:', error)
+      })
     } else if (this.persistMode === 'deferred') {
+      // DEFERRED MODE: Track dirty nodes for later batch persistence
       this.dirtyNodes.add(id)
-      for (const refId of touchedReferrers) {
-        this.dirtyNodes.add(refId)
-      }
+      this.dirtySystem = true
     }
 
-    // Lazy vector eviction — same contract as addItem: after graph work
-    // completes the float32 vector leaves memory; reads serve from the
-    // (just-updated) cache or the persisted record.
-    if (this.vectorStorageMode === 'lazy' && this.storage) {
-      node.vector = []
-    }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Pick the traversal start for an in-place relink
-   * ({@link updateItem} step 3): the current entry point — unless that IS the
-   * node being relinked. Its edges were just unlinked, so a traversal
-   * starting there would see an empty neighborhood and produce zero links,
-   * stranding the graph behind an edgeless entry point. In that case (or when
-   * the entry point is missing/stale) fall back to the best OTHER node:
-   * highest tracked level first (the same O(1) heuristic as
-   * {@link recoverEntryPointO1}), then any other node. Returns null when the
-   * node is the only one in the index — nothing to link to, trivially valid.
-   */
-  private resolveRelinkStart(excludeId: string): HNSWNoun | null {
-    if (this.entryPointId && this.entryPointId !== excludeId) {
-      const entry = this.nouns.get(this.entryPointId)
-      if (entry) return entry
-    }
-    for (let level = this.MAX_TRACKED_LEVELS; level >= 2; level--) {
-      const nodesAtLevel = this.highLevelNodes.get(level)
-      if (!nodesAtLevel) continue
-      for (const nodeId of nodesAtLevel) {
-        if (nodeId !== excludeId) {
-          const candidate = this.nouns.get(nodeId)
-          if (candidate) return candidate
-        }
-      }
-    }
-    for (const [nodeId, candidate] of this.nouns) {
-      if (nodeId !== excludeId) return candidate
-    }
-    return null
+    return id
   }
 
   /**
@@ -1320,34 +948,20 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
   }
 
   /**
-   * @description Unlink every graph edge touching `noun`, in BOTH directions,
-   * WITHOUT removing the node from `this.nouns` — the unlink walk shared by
-   * {@link removeItem} (which then drops the node) and {@link updateItem}
-   * (which relinks the node in place, so it must never leave the map and
-   * KEEPS its level).
-   *
-   * Reverse-adjacency lets us touch ONLY the nodes that actually reference
-   * `noun.id` (its in-neighbors) rather than scanning the whole corpus —
-   * turning a delete from O(N) into O(in-degree) and a bulk delete from O(N²)
-   * into O(N·degree). Each referrer set is snapshotted because
-   * pruneConnections mutates the index. Outgoing edges are unhooked from each
-   * target's reverse set so no stale referrer survives.
-   *
-   * `incoming[noun.id]` itself is intentionally NOT maintained edge-by-edge
-   * inside the walk — both callers dispose of it wholesale afterwards
-   * (removeItem deletes it with the node; updateItem clears it and lets the
-   * relink rebuild it).
-   *
-   * @returns The ids of in-neighbors whose connection sets were modified
-   *   (they dropped their edge to `noun` and may have been re-pruned), so a
-   *   caller that persists per-node connections (updateItem) can mark them
-   *   dirty / persist them. removeItem ignores the return — its persistence
-   *   story lives in the caller's delete path, unchanged.
+   * Remove an item from the index
    */
-  private async unlinkNodeEdges(noun: HNSWNoun): Promise<Set<string>> {
-    const id = noun.id
-    const touchedReferrers = new Set<string>()
+  public async removeItem(id: string): Promise<boolean> {
+    if (!this.nouns.has(id)) {
+      return false
+    }
 
+
+    const noun = this.nouns.get(id)!
+
+    // Reverse-adjacency lets us touch ONLY the nodes that actually reference `id`
+    // (its in-neighbors) rather than scanning the whole corpus — turning a delete
+    // from O(N) into O(in-degree) and a bulk delete from O(N²) into O(N·degree).
+    // Snapshot each referrer set because pruneConnections mutates the index.
     const incoming = this.ensureIncoming()
     const referrers = incoming.get(id)
     if (referrers) {
@@ -1355,11 +969,11 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
         for (const refId of Array.from(refSet)) {
           const ref = this.nouns.get(refId)
           if (ref && ref.connections.has(level)) {
-            // Drop the forward edge ref → id, then re-prune ref so the graph
-            // stays navigable.
+            // Drop the forward edge ref → id, then re-prune ref so the graph stays
+            // navigable. (id's own reverse entry is dropped wholesale below, so we
+            // intentionally do not maintain incoming[id] inside this loop.)
             ref.connections.get(level)!.delete(id)
             await this.pruneConnections(ref, level)
-            touchedReferrers.add(refId)
           }
         }
       }
@@ -1373,32 +987,6 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
       }
     }
 
-    return touchedReferrers
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Remove an item from the index
-   *
-   * @param generation - Brainy's commit generation for this removal (contract
-   *   parity with `VectorIndexProvider.removeItem`). Accepted and ignored —
-   *   this JS index removes immediately; a native provider records the
-   *   tombstone at this generation.
-   */
-  public async removeItem(id: string, generation?: bigint): Promise<boolean> {
-    void generation // Contract parity — the JS index keeps no per-write log.
-    if (!this.nouns.has(id)) {
-      return false
-    }
-
-
-    const noun = this.nouns.get(id)!
-
-    // Unlink every edge touching the node (shared with updateItem's in-place
-    // relink — see unlinkNodeEdges). The returned touched-referrer set is
-    // ignored here: removeItem's persistence story lives in the caller's
-    // delete path, unchanged.
-    await this.unlinkNodeEdges(noun)
-
     // Remove the noun + its reverse-index entry.
     this.nouns.delete(id)
     this.incoming?.delete(id)
@@ -1717,11 +1305,6 @@ export class JsHnswVectorIndex implements VectorIndexProvider {
         this.maxLevel = systemData.maxLevel
       }
 
-      // Step 2b: Watermark verdict for the persisted artifact — computed and
-      // exposed only (today's rebuild flow is unchanged; this rebuild IS the
-      // re-derive a 'rescan' verdict asks for).
-      await this.loadWatermarkVerdict(systemData !== null)
-
       // Step 3: Determine preloading strategy (adaptive caching)
       // Check if vectors should be preloaded at init or loaded on-demand
       const stats = await this.storage.getStatistics()
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 2dfc8352..3186a6a7 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -83,14 +83,6 @@ export type {
   AggregationProvider
 } from './types/brainy.types.js'
 
-// Read-barrier contract (waitForIndexed): the leg names, the options, and
-// the typed timeout error (a value export — consumers catch it by instanceof)
-export type {
-  IndexedProjectionPath,
-  WaitForIndexedOptions
-} from './types/brainy.types.js'
-export { WaitForIndexedTimeoutError } from './types/brainy.types.js'
-
 // Reserved-field contract — the canonical list of Brainy-owned field names
 // that may never appear inside a `metadata` bag (see docs/concepts/consistency-model.md)
 export {
@@ -362,15 +354,6 @@ export { MemoryStorage, createStorage }
 // FileSystemStorage is exported separately to avoid browser build issues.
 export { FileSystemStorage } from './storage/adapters/fileSystemStorage.js'
 
-// Torn-record surface: a stored file that EXISTS but cannot be decoded throws
-// a typed, catchable error on entity reads (never a silent "not found"), and
-// every encounter is counted on a per-process gauge.
-export {
-  TornRecordError,
-  isTornRecordError,
-  getTornRecordGauge
-} from './storage/tornRecordError.js'
-
 // Export types
 import type {
   Vector,
diff --git a/src/indexes/columnStore/ColumnStore.ts b/src/indexes/columnStore/ColumnStore.ts
index 4fe45bff..d33c05c4 100644
--- a/src/indexes/columnStore/ColumnStore.ts
+++ b/src/indexes/columnStore/ColumnStore.ts
@@ -31,7 +31,6 @@ import { ColumnSegmentCursor, TailBufferCursor, type CursorEntry } from './Colum
 import { writeSegmentToBuffer, readSegmentFromBuffer } from './ColumnSegmentFormat.js'
 import { RoaringBitmap32 } from '../../utils/roaring/index.js'
 import { compareCodePoints } from '../../utils/collation.js'
-import { prodLog } from '../../utils/logger.js'
 
 /**
  * Configuration for the ColumnStore.
@@ -613,24 +612,6 @@ export class ColumnStore implements ColumnStoreProvider {
   /**
    * Get all segment cursors for a field, loading from storage if needed.
    */
-  /**
-   * Per-field quarantine ledger for torn segments (power-loss survivors:
-   * manifest-listed but unloadable). A quarantined segment is skipped with
-   * per-doubling narration and the field serves its REMAINING segments as a
-   * DEGRADED-ANNOUNCED result — never a raw throw killing the query, never
-   * a silent drop. Cleared when a heal/rebuild rewrites the field.
-   */
-  private readonly segmentQuarantine = new Map<string, { error: string; hits: number }>()
-
-  /** Torn-segment quarantine entries for a field (observability + heal input). */
-  quarantinedSegments(field: string): Array<{ segment: string; error: string; hits: number }> {
-    const out: Array<{ segment: string; error: string; hits: number }> = []
-    for (const [key, q] of this.segmentQuarantine) {
-      if (key.startsWith(`${field}:`)) out.push({ segment: key.slice(field.length + 1), error: q.error, hits: q.hits })
-    }
-    return out
-  }
-
   private async getSegmentCursors(field: string): Promise<ColumnSegmentCursor[]> {
     const manifest = this.manifests.get(field)
     if (!manifest) return []
@@ -641,38 +622,11 @@ export class ColumnStore implements ColumnStoreProvider {
       let cursor = this.segmentCache.get(cacheKey)
 
       if (!cursor) {
-        const quarantined = this.segmentQuarantine.get(cacheKey)
-        if (quarantined) {
-          // Already-quarantined torn segment: skip, count, narrate per doubling.
-          quarantined.hits++
-          if ((quarantined.hits & (quarantined.hits - 1)) === 0) {
-            prodLog.warn(
-              `[ColumnStore] field '${field}' serving DEGRADED: torn segment ${seg.id} ` +
-                `quarantined (${quarantined.error}) — ${quarantined.hits} queries served ` +
-                `without it; heal/rebuild the metadata index to restore`
-            )
-          }
-          continue
-        }
-        try {
-          cursor = await this.loadSegmentCursor(field, seg)
-        } catch (err) {
-          if (err instanceof ColumnSegmentLoadError) {
-            // POWER-LOSS SURVIVOR: a manifest-listed segment whose bytes are
-            // torn/absent. Quarantine at DISCOVERY and serve the remaining
-            // segments degraded-announced — a raw throw here killed every
-            // query on the field forever; a silent skip hid the loss. The
-            // quarantine is the middle: loud once, counted always, healable.
-            this.segmentQuarantine.set(cacheKey, { error: (err as Error).message, hits: 1 })
-            prodLog.error(
-              `[ColumnStore] torn segment QUARANTINED at discovery: field '${field}' ` +
-                `segment ${seg.id} — ${(err as Error).message}. The field serves its ` +
-                `remaining segments DEGRADED until a heal/rebuild rewrites it.`
-            )
-            continue
-          }
-          throw err // real storage faults propagate — never absorbed
-        }
+        // loadSegmentCursor either returns a cursor or THROWS — a corrupt /
+        // missing manifest-listed segment raises ColumnSegmentLoadError and a
+        // real storage fault propagates, so a listed segment is never silently
+        // dropped from the result set.
+        cursor = await this.loadSegmentCursor(field, seg)
         this.segmentCache.set(cacheKey, cursor)
       }
 
diff --git a/src/plugin.ts b/src/plugin.ts
index 947c86a5..ce973386 100644
--- a/src/plugin.ts
+++ b/src/plugin.ts
@@ -277,35 +277,8 @@ export interface MetadataIndexProvider {
    */
   isMigrating?(): boolean
 
-  /**
-   * @description Index one entity's metadata.
-   * @param id - The entity's UUID.
-   * @param entityOrMetadata - Entity structure or plain metadata bag.
-   * @param skipFlush - Transactional atomicity: defer the flush to the commit seam.
-   * @param deferWrites - Batch mode: buffer postings for a later flush.
-   * @param generation - OPTIONAL (additive) — Brainy's commit generation for
-   *   this write: the SAME u64 counter {@link GraphIndexProvider.addVerb}
-   *   carries, resolved at operation-execute time. A provider with per-record
-   *   delta logs stamps it onto the durable record so its watermark
-   *   ("this projection reflects generation N") is derivable from real data —
-   *   never a literal 0. `undefined` means the caller genuinely has no commit
-   *   generation for this write (rebuild-from-canonical scans, bootstrap
-   *   writes before generation stamping activates); a provider must treat
-   *   that as "unstamped", not as generation 0. The built-in JS manager
-   *   accepts and ignores it (single live view, no per-record log).
-   */
-  addToIndex(id: string, entityOrMetadata: any, skipFlush?: boolean, deferWrites?: boolean, generation?: bigint): Promise<void>
-  /**
-   * @description Remove one entity from the index.
-   * @param id - The entity's UUID.
-   * @param metadata - The entity's metadata (targets exact postings; absent → full scan).
-   * @param generation - OPTIONAL (additive) — Brainy's commit generation for
-   *   this removal, same contract as {@link MetadataIndexProvider.addToIndex}:
-   *   a provider with per-record delta logs records the tombstone at this
-   *   generation (so as-of reads before it still see the entity); the JS
-   *   manager removes immediately and ignores it.
-   */
-  removeFromIndex(id: string, metadata?: any, generation?: bigint): Promise<void>
+  addToIndex(id: string, entityOrMetadata: any, skipFlush?: boolean, deferWrites?: boolean): Promise<void>
+  removeFromIndex(id: string, metadata?: any): Promise<void>
 
   getIds(field: string, value: any): Promise<string[]>
   /**
@@ -395,14 +368,7 @@ export interface MetadataIndexProvider {
    * the ceiling on the JS path), so `Number(bigint)` narrowing is lossless.
    */
   getIdMapper(): {
-    /**
-     * Resolve-or-mint the entity's int. `generation` is OPTIONAL (additive):
-     * Brainy's commit generation current at mint time, so a mapper with
-     * per-record delta logs stamps the assignment record with a real
-     * watermark instead of a literal 0. Ignored when the uuid is already
-     * assigned (assignments are append-only) and by the JS mapper.
-     */
-    getOrAssign(uuid: string, generation?: bigint): number
+    getOrAssign(uuid: string): number
     getInt(uuid: string): number | undefined
     getUuid(intId: number): string | undefined
   }
@@ -1086,33 +1052,8 @@ export interface VectorIndexProvider {
    */
   readonly name: string
 
-  /**
-   * @description Insert one vector.
-   * @param item - The vector document (`id` + `vector`).
-   * @param generation - OPTIONAL (additive) — Brainy's commit generation for
-   *   this write: the SAME u64 counter the graph provider's
-   *   `addVerb(..., generation)` carries (and that `search`'s as-of
-   *   `options.generation` reads back), resolved at operation-execute time.
-   *   A provider with per-record delta logs / segment stamps records it so
-   *   its watermark reflects real data — never a literal 0. `undefined` =
-   *   the caller has no commit generation (rebuild-from-canonical, the
-   *   at-generation materializer's ephemeral reader); treat as "unstamped",
-   *   not generation 0. The built-in JS index accepts and ignores it (it
-   *   serves "now" only). The feature-detected `updateItem` capability (see
-   *   `src/transaction/operations/IndexOperations.ts`) carries the same
-   *   optional trailing generation.
-   */
-  addItem(item: VectorDocument, generation?: bigint): Promise<string>
-  /**
-   * @description Remove one vector by id.
-   * @param id - The entity's UUID.
-   * @param generation - OPTIONAL (additive) — Brainy's commit generation for
-   *   this removal, same contract as {@link VectorIndexProvider.addItem}: a
-   *   provider with durable delete records stamps the tombstone at this
-   *   generation (as-of reads before it still see the vector); the JS index
-   *   removes immediately and ignores it.
-   */
-  removeItem(id: string, generation?: bigint): Promise<boolean>
+  addItem(item: VectorDocument): Promise<string>
+  removeItem(id: string): Promise<boolean>
   search(
     queryVector: Vector,
     k?: number,
@@ -1258,29 +1199,10 @@ export interface EntityIdMapperProvider {
    * stays compatible — `restore()` falls back to `init()` when this is absent.
    */
   rebuild?(): Promise<void>
-  /**
-   * @description Resolve-or-mint the entity's interned int (append-only:
-   * once assigned, a uuid's int never changes and is never recycled).
-   * @param uuid - The entity's UUID.
-   * @param generation - OPTIONAL (additive) — Brainy's commit generation
-   *   current at mint time (the same u64 counter the graph/metadata write
-   *   surfaces carry). A mapper with per-record delta logs stamps the
-   *   assignment record with this real watermark instead of a literal 0.
-   *   Ignored when the uuid is already assigned, and by the JS mapper
-   *   (which keeps no per-record log).
-   */
-  getOrAssign(uuid: string, generation?: bigint): number
+  getOrAssign(uuid: string): number
   getUuid(intId: number): string | undefined
   getInt(uuid: string): number | undefined
-  /**
-   * @description Remove the uuid's mapping (the int stays reserved).
-   * @param uuid - The entity's UUID.
-   * @param generation - OPTIONAL (additive) — Brainy's commit generation for
-   *   this removal: a mapper with a per-key version chain tombstones the
-   *   mapping at this generation (as-of reads before it still resolve);
-   *   the JS mapper removes immediately and ignores it.
-   */
-  remove(uuid: string, generation?: bigint): boolean
+  remove(uuid: string): boolean
   flush(): Promise<void>
   clear(): Promise<void>
   getAllIntIds(): number[]
diff --git a/src/reprojection/factLogSource.ts b/src/reprojection/factLogSource.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 796fb343..00000000
--- a/src/reprojection/factLogSource.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,141 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module reprojection/factLogSource
- * @description The production {@link FactSource}: adapts the database's
- * committed-fact scan to the reprojection engine's `scan(from, limit)`
- * window contract.
- *
- * DEPENDENCY-CLEAN BY DESIGN: this module never imports the database class.
- * It wraps a host-owned scan callback `(from, limit) => Promise<CommitFact[]>`
- * injected at construction, so the host wires itself in one line — either by
- * handing {@link FactLogSource} a callback built on its own scan API, or via
- * {@link factSourceFromHost}, which builds that callback from any object
- * structurally exposing `scanFacts` (the batch-handle shape the fact log
- * serves).
- *
- * CONTRACT ENFORCEMENT — loud, never quiet: every `scan` return is checked
- * (≤ limit facts, strictly ascending generations, all strictly above `from`);
- * a violating callback throws instead of silently corrupting a fold. A host
- * with NO fact log throws too — reporting "caught up" against an unscannable
- * store would be a silent lie.
- */
-
-import type { CommitFact } from '../db/factLog.js'
-import type { FactSource } from './reprojectionEngine.js'
-
-/**
- * The host-owned scan callback: return up to `limit` committed facts with
- * generation strictly greater than `from`, in ascending generation order;
- * empty means caught up to the head as of the call.
- */
-export type FactScanCallback = (from: number, limit: number) => Promise<CommitFact[]>
-
-/**
- * The minimal structural surface of a fact-scanning host — matches the
- * database's `scanFacts` shape without importing it. `scanFacts` returns a
- * handle whose `batches()` yields ordered, non-empty fact batches, or `null`
- * when the store hosts no fact log.
- */
-export interface FactScanHost {
-  scanFacts(options?: { fromGeneration?: number; batchSize?: number }): {
-    batches: () => AsyncGenerator<{ facts: CommitFact[] }>
-  } | null
-}
-
-/**
- * The production {@link FactSource}: wraps an injected scan callback and
- * enforces the window contract on every return.
- *
- * COST NOTE: each `scan` call is stateless (a fresh window above the caller's
- * watermark), which is exactly what resumable, crash-tolerant folds need —
- * at the price of the host re-opening its scan per call. Fine for
- * budget-capped maintenance; not a hot-path read primitive.
- */
-export class FactLogSource implements FactSource {
-  private readonly scanCallback: FactScanCallback
-
-  /** @param scanCallback - The host-owned scan (see {@link FactScanCallback}). */
-  constructor(scanCallback: FactScanCallback) {
-    if (typeof scanCallback !== 'function') {
-      throw new Error('FactLogSource: a scan callback (from, limit) => Promise<CommitFact[]> is required')
-    }
-    this.scanCallback = scanCallback
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Fetch up to `limit` committed facts strictly above generation `from`,
-   * verifying the callback honored the window contract.
-   * @param from - Exclusive lower bound generation (≥ 0 integer).
-   * @param limit - Maximum facts to return (≥ 1 integer).
-   */
-  async scan(from: number, limit: number): Promise<CommitFact[]> {
-    if (!Number.isInteger(from) || from < 0) {
-      throw new Error(`FactLogSource.scan: 'from' must be a non-negative integer (got ${from})`)
-    }
-    if (!Number.isInteger(limit) || limit < 1) {
-      throw new Error(`FactLogSource.scan: 'limit' must be a positive integer (got ${limit})`)
-    }
-    const facts = await this.scanCallback(from, limit)
-    if (!Array.isArray(facts)) {
-      throw new Error('FactLogSource.scan: the scan callback must resolve to an array of facts')
-    }
-    if (facts.length > limit) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `FactLogSource.scan: the scan callback returned ${facts.length} facts for limit ${limit} — ` +
-          `contract violation; refusing to fold an oversized window`
-      )
-    }
-    let prev = from
-    for (const fact of facts) {
-      const g = fact?.generation
-      if (typeof g !== 'number' || !Number.isFinite(g) || g <= prev) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `FactLogSource.scan: the scan callback violated the window contract — generation ` +
-            `${String(g)} is not strictly ascending above ${prev} (from=${from}); refusing to fold`
-        )
-      }
-      prev = g
-    }
-    return facts
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * Build the production source from any host structurally exposing
- * `scanFacts` — the one-line wiring for the database side:
- *
- * ```ts
- * const source = factSourceFromHost(brain)
- * ```
- *
- * Each `scan(from, limit)` opens `scanFacts({ fromGeneration: from + 1,
- * batchSize: limit })` (the engine's `from` is exclusive; `scanFacts` bounds
- * are inclusive) and returns the FIRST batch, closing the handle — short
- * batches at segment boundaries are legal under the source contract (only
- * EMPTY means caught up). A host with no fact log throws loudly.
- *
- * @param host - Any object with the `scanFacts` batch-handle shape.
- */
-export function factSourceFromHost(host: FactScanHost): FactLogSource {
-  if (!host || typeof host.scanFacts !== 'function') {
-    throw new Error('factSourceFromHost: the host must expose scanFacts(options)')
-  }
-  return new FactLogSource(async (from, limit) => {
-    const scan = host.scanFacts({ fromGeneration: from + 1, batchSize: limit })
-    if (scan === null) {
-      throw new Error(
-        'reprojection: this store hosts no fact log — reprojection folds committed facts, ' +
-          'and reporting a caught-up fold against an unscannable store would be a silent lie'
-      )
-    }
-    const iterator = scan.batches()
-    try {
-      const first = await iterator.next()
-      return first.done ? [] : first.value.facts
-    } finally {
-      // Close the abandoned generator so its cleanup (timers) runs.
-      if (typeof iterator.return === 'function') {
-        await iterator.return(undefined)
-      }
-    }
-  })
-}
diff --git a/src/reprojection/reprojectionEngine.ts b/src/reprojection/reprojectionEngine.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 1465b1f6..00000000
--- a/src/reprojection/reprojectionEngine.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,648 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module reprojection/reprojectionEngine
- * @description The pure-TS reprojection engine — the ONE machinery for
- * rebuilding, healing, and migrating persisted projections from the committed
- * fact log on the JS side. It is the TypeScript twin of the native engine's
- * reprojection core: the same frozen contract (names AND semantics), so a
- * single shared conformance suite runs against both implementations and
- * TS-only deployments green the same rows without native code.
- *
- * THE AVAILABILITY LAW — maintenance never holds the doors:
- *
- * - Work proceeds in INSTALLMENTS of at most {@link MAX_INSTALLMENT_MS} (50ms)
- *   of wall time each. Between installments the loop awaits a REAL macrotask
- *   boundary (never a busy loop, never a bare microtask), so foreground I/O
- *   and timers always interleave with a running fold.
- * - Foreground door traffic announces itself via {@link DoorSignal.bump}. An
- *   in-flight {@link ReprojectionEngine.advance} yields at the next
- *   installment boundary and returns `{ status: 'preempted' }` — the doors
- *   never wait for maintenance to finish.
- * - Budgets are honored: `advance` stops once `budgetMs` is spent and reports
- *   exactly how far it got; a later call RESUMES from the adapter's own
- *   watermark. Nothing ever refolds from zero because a budget ran out.
- *
- * WATERMARK DISCIPLINE — the engine NEVER writes stamps. Each adapter's
- * `applyBatch` owns its own durability and its own stamp (stamp-after-data,
- * the law stated in src/utils/projectionWatermark.ts); the engine only READS
- * `watermark()` to decide the next scan window. Delivery is therefore
- * at-least-once: an adapter that crashed between data and stamp is re-served
- * the same facts on resume and MUST apply idempotently.
- *
- * THE FOUR ANSWER CLASSES of an advance: `'caught-up'` (folded to the head of
- * the requested window, ledger clean), `'preempted'` (a door bumped),
- * `'budget-exhausted'` (time ran out mid-stream), and `'quarantined'` (folded
- * to the head, but this family's quarantine ledger is non-empty — one or more
- * poison facts are being skipped and reads touching them are suspect).
- */
-
-import type { CommitFact } from '../db/factLog.js'
-import { prodLog } from '../utils/logger.js'
-
-/**
- * The hard ceiling on one installment of fold work, in wall-clock ms. An
- * advance loop that has run this long without yielding closes the installment
- * and awaits a macrotask boundary so foreground traffic interleaves. Frozen by
- * the shared contract — both engines install the same ceiling.
- */
-export const MAX_INSTALLMENT_MS = 50
-
-/** Default facts-per-batch pulled from the {@link FactSource} per step. */
-export const DEFAULT_REPROJECTION_BATCH_SIZE = 256
-
-/**
- * One registered projection family: a named consumer that folds committed
- * facts into its own persisted artifact and stamps its own watermark.
- *
- * OWNERSHIP: the adapter owns durability AND the stamp. `applyBatch` must
- * persist its data first and stamp `upTo` after (stamp-after-data), and must
- * tolerate at-least-once delivery — on resume after a crash between data and
- * stamp, the same facts arrive again.
- */
-export interface ProjectionAdapter {
-  /** Unique family name — the registry key; one adapter serves a family at a time. */
-  family: string
-  /**
-   * The highest generation this projection's persisted state reflects, or
-   * `null` when the projection is unbuilt/unstamped. The engine reads this to
-   * open the next scan window; it never writes it.
-   */
-  watermark(): number | null
-  /**
-   * Fold `facts` (ascending generations, all strictly above the current
-   * watermark) into the projection, then stamp `watermark = upTo`.
-   *
-   * `facts` MAY be empty while `upTo` is above the current watermark: that is
-   * a pure watermark advance past quarantined generations — the adapter must
-   * still stamp, or the fold cannot make progress past the poison.
-   *
-   * FAILURE CONTRACT: throw a {@link ProjectionApplyError} to name exactly one
-   * poison fact (the engine quarantines it and continues). ANY other throw
-   * aborts the advance loudly — an unknown failure is never treated as a
-   * poison record.
-   */
-  applyBatch(facts: CommitFact[], upTo: number): Promise<void>
-  /**
-   * Destroy this adapter's persisted artifact(s). The engine calls this on
-   * the LOSING adapter after a successful {@link ReprojectionEngine.swap},
-   * and on a partially-built replacement whose build aborted.
-   */
-  discard(): Promise<void>
-}
-
-/**
- * The committed-fact scan the engine folds from. `from` is an EXCLUSIVE lower
- * bound generation; the source returns at most `limit` facts in ascending
- * generation order, and an empty array means caught up to the head as of this
- * call. Short non-empty returns are legal (e.g. a segment boundary) — only
- * empty means done.
- */
-export interface FactSource {
-  scan(from: number, limit: number): Promise<CommitFact[]>
-}
-
-/**
- * The foreground-preemption signal. Door traffic (foreground reads/writes)
- * calls {@link DoorSignal.bump}; an in-flight `advance` observes the bump at
- * its next installment boundary, yields a macrotask, and returns
- * `{ status: 'preempted' }`. Bumps are edge-triggered per advance: only bumps
- * that arrive AFTER an advance began preempt it.
- */
-export class DoorSignal {
-  private count = 0
-
-  /** Announce foreground door traffic — an in-flight advance will yield. */
-  bump(): void {
-    this.count++
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * The current bump epoch — the engine snapshots this at advance entry and
-   * compares at installment boundaries.
-   * @internal
-   */
-  epoch(): number {
-    return this.count
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * The TYPED poison-record failure an adapter throws from `applyBatch` to name
- * exactly one unfoldable fact. The engine quarantines that generation for
- * that family (skips it, ledgers it, narrates per-doubling) and keeps
- * folding. Any OTHER throw from `applyBatch` aborts the advance loudly.
- */
-export class ProjectionApplyError extends Error {
-  /** The generation of the fact that cannot be applied. */
-  readonly generation: number
-  /** Optional index of the offending record within the fact's ops. */
-  readonly recordIndex?: number
-  /** The underlying failure. */
-  override readonly cause: unknown
-
-  /**
-   * @param args - `generation` names the poison fact; `recordIndex`
-   *   optionally narrows to one record inside it; `cause` carries the
-   *   underlying failure.
-   */
-  constructor(args: { generation: number; recordIndex?: number; cause: unknown }) {
-    super(
-      `projection apply failed at generation ${args.generation}` +
-        (args.recordIndex !== undefined ? ` (record ${args.recordIndex})` : '')
-    )
-    this.name = 'ProjectionApplyError'
-    this.generation = args.generation
-    if (args.recordIndex !== undefined) this.recordIndex = args.recordIndex
-    this.cause = args.cause
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * The TYPED single-flight refusal: a second concurrent
- * {@link ReprojectionEngine.swap} on a family whose replacement is still
- * building. The caller retries after the in-flight swap settles.
- */
-export class SwapInFlightError extends Error {
-  /** The family whose swap is already in flight. */
-  readonly family: string
-
-  /** @param family - The family whose swap is already in flight. */
-  constructor(family: string) {
-    super(
-      `reprojection: a swap is already in flight for family '${family}' — ` +
-        `swaps are single-flight per family; retry after the current build settles`
-    )
-    this.name = 'SwapInFlightError'
-    this.family = family
-  }
-}
-
-/** One quarantined fact in a family's ledger. */
-export interface QuarantineEntry {
-  /** The generation being skipped for this family. */
-  generation: number
-  /** The typed apply failure that condemned it. */
-  error: ProjectionApplyError
-  /** Wall-clock ms when it was quarantined (diagnostic). */
-  at: number
-}
-
-/** How an advance ended — the four answer classes (see the module header). */
-export type AdvanceStatus = 'caught-up' | 'preempted' | 'budget-exhausted' | 'quarantined'
-
-/** The result of one advance over one family. */
-export interface AdvanceResult {
-  /** The answer class. */
-  status: AdvanceStatus
-  /** The family's watermark as stamped by its own adapter, after this advance. */
-  watermark: number | null
-  /**
-   * Facts delivered in SUCCESSFUL `applyBatch` calls during this advance.
-   * At-least-once delivery means retried facts (after a quarantine or a
-   * resume) count again; this is delivered work, not distinct generations.
-   */
-  applied: number
-}
-
-/** The result of a completed {@link ReprojectionEngine.swap}. */
-export interface SwapResult {
-  /** The NEW adapter's watermark at the flip (parity with the head). */
-  watermark: number | null
-  /** Facts delivered to the replacement during its beside-build. */
-  applied: number
-}
-
-/** Constructor options for {@link ReprojectionEngine}. */
-export interface ReprojectionEngineOptions {
-  /** The committed-fact scan every family folds from. */
-  source: FactSource
-  /** The preemption signal; a fresh one is created when omitted. */
-  doorSignal?: DoorSignal
-  /**
-   * Installment ceiling in ms, `(0, MAX_INSTALLMENT_MS]`. Out-of-range values
-   * throw — the 50ms law is a ceiling, never a suggestion.
-   */
-  installmentMs?: number
-  /** Facts per {@link FactSource.scan} pull (default {@link DEFAULT_REPROJECTION_BATCH_SIZE}). */
-  batchSize?: number
-}
-
-/** The fold-side state shared by a serving family and a swap's beside-build. */
-interface FoldState {
-  adapter: ProjectionAdapter
-  /** The quarantine ledger, in condemnation order. */
-  quarantine: QuarantineEntry[]
-  /** Generations filtered out of every batch served to this adapter. */
-  skip: Set<number>
-  /** Next ledger size that triggers a narration (1, 2, 4, 8, …). */
-  nextWarnAt: number
-}
-
-/** A registered family: fold state plus the single-flight swap latch. */
-interface FamilyState extends FoldState {
-  swapInFlight: boolean
-}
-
-/** One real macrotask boundary — foreground I/O and timers run before resume. */
-function yieldToDoors(): Promise<void> {
-  return new Promise((resolve) => {
-    if (typeof setImmediate === 'function') {
-      setImmediate(resolve)
-    } else {
-      setTimeout(resolve, 0)
-    }
-  })
-}
-
-/**
- * The reprojection engine: registry of projection families, budget-capped
- * yielding advances, round-robin `advanceAll`, atomic build-beside `swap`,
- * and the per-family quarantine ledger. Pure TS, no storage dependencies —
- * everything durable lives behind the injected {@link FactSource} and the
- * registered {@link ProjectionAdapter}s.
- */
-export class ReprojectionEngine {
-  /** The preemption signal foreground door traffic bumps. */
-  readonly doorSignal: DoorSignal
-
-  private readonly source: FactSource
-  private readonly installmentMs: number
-  private readonly batchSize: number
-  private readonly registry = new Map<string, FamilyState>()
-  /** Rotates the family that leads each `advanceAll`, so repeated tiny-budget calls stay fair. */
-  private roundRobinCursor = 0
-
-  /** @param options - See {@link ReprojectionEngineOptions}. */
-  constructor(options: ReprojectionEngineOptions) {
-    if (!options || typeof options.source?.scan !== 'function') {
-      throw new Error('reprojection: a FactSource with scan(from, limit) is required')
-    }
-    const installmentMs = options.installmentMs ?? MAX_INSTALLMENT_MS
-    if (!(installmentMs > 0) || installmentMs > MAX_INSTALLMENT_MS) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `reprojection: installmentMs must be in (0, ${MAX_INSTALLMENT_MS}] — ` +
-          `${installmentMs} would let maintenance hold the doors`
-      )
-    }
-    const batchSize = options.batchSize ?? DEFAULT_REPROJECTION_BATCH_SIZE
-    if (!Number.isInteger(batchSize) || batchSize < 1) {
-      throw new Error(`reprojection: batchSize must be a positive integer (got ${batchSize})`)
-    }
-    this.source = options.source
-    this.doorSignal = options.doorSignal ?? new DoorSignal()
-    this.installmentMs = installmentMs
-    this.batchSize = batchSize
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Register a projection family. Refuses a duplicate family loudly — the
-   * sanctioned way to replace a serving adapter is {@link swap}, never
-   * re-registration.
-   * @param adapter - The adapter that will serve this family.
-   */
-  register(adapter: ProjectionAdapter): void {
-    if (!adapter || typeof adapter.family !== 'string' || adapter.family.length === 0) {
-      throw new Error('reprojection: adapter.family must be a non-empty string')
-    }
-    if (this.registry.has(adapter.family)) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `reprojection: family '${adapter.family}' is already registered — ` +
-          `replace a serving adapter via swap(), never by re-registering`
-      )
-    }
-    this.registry.set(adapter.family, {
-      adapter,
-      quarantine: [],
-      skip: new Set(),
-      nextWarnAt: 1,
-      swapInFlight: false
-    })
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * The adapter currently serving `family` (observability — e.g. asserting
-   * the old adapter still serves during a swap's beside-build), or undefined
-   * when the family is not registered.
-   * @param family - The family name.
-   */
-  getAdapter(family: string): ProjectionAdapter | undefined {
-    return this.registry.get(family)?.adapter
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * This family's quarantine ledger (a defensive copy, condemnation order).
-   * Non-empty means one or more generations are being skipped for this
-   * family — the projection owner should refuse reads the skipped facts
-   * would have affected.
-   * @param family - The family name (must be registered).
-   */
-  quarantined(family: string): QuarantineEntry[] {
-    return [...this.mustGet(family).quarantine]
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Advance one family toward the head of the fact log (or toward `upTo`),
-   * in installments, under a wall-clock budget, preemptible by the door
-   * signal. Always makes at least ONE step of progress before any budget
-   * check, so a zero budget still advances.
-   *
-   * @param family - The registered family to advance.
-   * @param options - `budgetMs` caps this call's wall time (≥ 0); `upTo`
-   *   optionally caps the fold at a generation (inclusive).
-   * @returns The answer class with the adapter-stamped watermark and the
-   *   count of facts delivered in successful applyBatch calls.
-   */
-  async advance(family: string, options: { budgetMs: number; upTo?: number }): Promise<AdvanceResult> {
-    const state = this.mustGet(family)
-    const budgetMs = options?.budgetMs
-    if (typeof budgetMs !== 'number' || !(budgetMs >= 0)) {
-      throw new Error(`reprojection: advance('${family}') requires budgetMs >= 0 (got ${budgetMs})`)
-    }
-    const start = Date.now()
-    const entryEpoch = this.doorSignal.epoch()
-    let installmentStart = start
-    let applied = 0
-
-    for (;;) {
-      const stepResult = await this.step(state, options.upTo)
-      applied += stepResult.applied
-      if (stepResult.done) {
-        return this.completed(state, applied)
-      }
-      // A bump ends the current installment immediately: yield a macrotask so
-      // the foreground work runs, then answer 'preempted'.
-      if (this.doorSignal.epoch() !== entryEpoch) {
-        await yieldToDoors()
-        return { status: 'preempted', watermark: state.adapter.watermark(), applied }
-      }
-      const t = Date.now()
-      if (t - start >= budgetMs) {
-        return { status: 'budget-exhausted', watermark: state.adapter.watermark(), applied }
-      }
-      if (t - installmentStart >= this.installmentMs) {
-        await yieldToDoors()
-        installmentStart = Date.now()
-      }
-    }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Advance EVERY registered family toward the head under one shared budget,
-   * round-robin at batch granularity — one batch per family per turn — so no
-   * family starves behind another's backlog. The leading family rotates
-   * across calls, keeping repeated tiny-budget calls fair too.
-   *
-   * @param options - `budgetMs` caps this call's total wall time (≥ 0).
-   * @returns Per-family results. Families still mid-stream when the budget
-   *   ran out (or a door bumped) report `'budget-exhausted'` (or
-   *   `'preempted'`) at their current watermark.
-   */
-  async advanceAll(options: { budgetMs: number }): Promise<Record<string, AdvanceResult>> {
-    const budgetMs = options?.budgetMs
-    if (typeof budgetMs !== 'number' || !(budgetMs >= 0)) {
-      throw new Error(`reprojection: advanceAll requires budgetMs >= 0 (got ${budgetMs})`)
-    }
-    const start = Date.now()
-    const entryEpoch = this.doorSignal.epoch()
-    let installmentStart = start
-
-    const all = [...this.registry.values()]
-    const results: Record<string, AdvanceResult> = {}
-    const appliedBy = new Map<string, number>()
-    if (all.length === 0) return results
-
-    // Rotate the leader across calls (fairness across repeated small budgets).
-    const offset = this.roundRobinCursor % all.length
-    this.roundRobinCursor = (this.roundRobinCursor + 1) % all.length
-    let queue = [...all.slice(offset), ...all.slice(0, offset)]
-    for (const s of queue) appliedBy.set(s.adapter.family, 0)
-
-    const finish = (
-      status: 'preempted' | 'budget-exhausted',
-      remaining: FamilyState[]
-    ): Record<string, AdvanceResult> => {
-      for (const s of remaining) {
-        results[s.adapter.family] = {
-          status,
-          watermark: s.adapter.watermark(),
-          applied: appliedBy.get(s.adapter.family) ?? 0
-        }
-      }
-      return results
-    }
-
-    while (queue.length > 0) {
-      const survivors: FamilyState[] = []
-      for (let i = 0; i < queue.length; i++) {
-        const s = queue[i]
-        const fam = s.adapter.family
-        const stepResult = await this.step(s, undefined)
-        appliedBy.set(fam, (appliedBy.get(fam) ?? 0) + stepResult.applied)
-        if (stepResult.done) {
-          results[fam] = this.completed(s, appliedBy.get(fam) ?? 0)
-        } else {
-          survivors.push(s)
-        }
-        const remaining = [...survivors, ...queue.slice(i + 1)]
-        if (this.doorSignal.epoch() !== entryEpoch) {
-          await yieldToDoors()
-          return finish('preempted', remaining)
-        }
-        const t = Date.now()
-        if (t - start >= budgetMs && remaining.length > 0) {
-          return finish('budget-exhausted', remaining)
-        }
-        if (t - installmentStart >= this.installmentMs) {
-          await yieldToDoors()
-          installmentStart = Date.now()
-        }
-      }
-      queue = survivors
-    }
-    return results
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Replace a family's adapter by BUILD-BESIDE: the old adapter keeps serving
-   * (stays registered, its watermark untouched) while the replacement folds
-   * from its own watermark (null/0 for a fresh build) to parity with the head
-   * of the fact log. The flip is ATOMIC — a single registry pointer swap with
-   * no await between the parity check and the assignment — and the losing
-   * adapter's `discard()` is called after the flip.
-   *
-   * SINGLE-FLIGHT: a second concurrent swap on the same family throws a
-   * typed {@link SwapInFlightError}. The build yields at installment
-   * boundaries like any fold (doors interleave), but it is never
-   * preemption-aborted — a swap under steady foreground traffic still
-   * completes.
-   *
-   * On a build failure the partially-built replacement is discarded
-   * (best-effort, narrated if that also fails) and the error propagates; the
-   * old adapter keeps serving untouched.
-   *
-   * @param family - The registered family to replace.
-   * @param buildAdapter - Factory for the replacement adapter (same family).
-   * @returns The new adapter's watermark at the flip and the facts delivered
-   *   during the build.
-   */
-  async swap(family: string, buildAdapter: () => Promise<ProjectionAdapter>): Promise<SwapResult> {
-    const state = this.mustGet(family)
-    if (state.swapInFlight) throw new SwapInFlightError(family)
-    state.swapInFlight = true
-    try {
-      const next = await buildAdapter()
-      if (!next || next.family !== family) {
-        throw new Error(
-          `reprojection: swap('${family}') built an adapter for family ` +
-            `'${next?.family}' — the replacement must serve the same family`
-        )
-      }
-      const build: FoldState = { adapter: next, quarantine: [], skip: new Set(), nextWarnAt: 1 }
-      let applied = 0
-      let installmentStart = Date.now()
-      let stalledDoneAt: number | null = null
-
-      try {
-        for (;;) {
-          const stepResult = await this.step(build, undefined)
-          applied += stepResult.applied
-          if (stepResult.applied > 0) stalledDoneAt = null
-          if (stepResult.done) {
-            // Parity: the build just saw an empty scan (caught up to the head
-            // as of that call). The serving adapter can never be beyond the
-            // head, so newWm >= oldWm holds — verified loudly, never assumed.
-            const oldWm = state.adapter.watermark() ?? 0
-            const newWm = next.watermark() ?? 0
-            if (newWm >= oldWm) break
-            if (stalledDoneAt === newWm) {
-              throw new Error(
-                `reprojection: swap('${family}') build is caught up to the head at ` +
-                  `generation ${newWm} but the serving adapter claims watermark ${oldWm} — ` +
-                  `the serving stamp is beyond the fact log; refusing to flip`
-              )
-            }
-            // The head moved past our scan (a concurrent fold advanced the
-            // serving adapter) — keep folding to the new head.
-            stalledDoneAt = newWm
-          }
-          if (Date.now() - installmentStart >= this.installmentMs) {
-            await yieldToDoors()
-            installmentStart = Date.now()
-          }
-        }
-      } catch (err) {
-        await next.discard().catch((cleanupErr) => {
-          prodLog.warn(
-            `reprojection: swap('${family}') build failed AND the failed build's discard() ` +
-              `also failed — its artifact may be orphaned`,
-            cleanupErr
-          )
-        })
-        throw err
-      }
-
-      // THE FLIP — atomic by construction: no await between the parity check
-      // above and this pointer swap; readers see the old adapter until this
-      // line and the new one from it.
-      const losing = state.adapter
-      state.adapter = next
-      state.quarantine = build.quarantine
-      state.skip = build.skip
-      state.nextWarnAt = build.nextWarnAt
-
-      try {
-        await losing.discard()
-      } catch (discardErr) {
-        // The flip already happened and the new adapter serves; the only loss
-        // is the loser's orphaned artifact — said out loud, never rethrown as
-        // a false swap failure.
-        prodLog.warn(
-          `reprojection: swap('${family}') completed but the losing adapter's discard() ` +
-            `failed — its artifact may be orphaned`,
-          discardErr
-        )
-      }
-      return { watermark: next.watermark(), applied }
-    } finally {
-      state.swapInFlight = false
-    }
-  }
-
-  /** One fold step: scan a batch above the watermark, filter quarantined generations, apply. */
-  private async step(state: FoldState, upTo: number | undefined): Promise<{ done: boolean; applied: number }> {
-    const from = state.adapter.watermark() ?? 0
-    if (upTo !== undefined && from >= upTo) return { done: true, applied: 0 }
-    let facts = await this.source.scan(from, this.batchSize)
-    if (facts.length === 0) return { done: true, applied: 0 }
-    if (upTo !== undefined) {
-      facts = facts.filter((f) => f.generation <= upTo)
-      if (facts.length === 0) return { done: true, applied: 0 }
-    }
-    const batchUpTo = facts[facts.length - 1].generation
-    const toApply = state.skip.size > 0 ? facts.filter((f) => !state.skip.has(f.generation)) : facts
-    try {
-      await state.adapter.applyBatch(toApply, batchUpTo)
-    } catch (err) {
-      if (err instanceof ProjectionApplyError) {
-        this.recordQuarantine(state, err)
-        return { done: false, applied: 0 }
-      }
-      throw err // unknown failure ≠ poison record — abort the advance loudly
-    }
-    // Anti-spin guard: a successful applyBatch that never advances the stamp
-    // would re-serve the same window forever. Refuse loudly instead.
-    const after = state.adapter.watermark() ?? 0
-    if (after <= from) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `reprojection: family '${state.adapter.family}' applyBatch succeeded up to ` +
-          `generation ${batchUpTo} but the watermark did not advance past ${from} — ` +
-          `the adapter is not stamping; refusing to spin`
-      )
-    }
-    return { done: false, applied: toApply.length }
-  }
-
-  /** Ledger a typed apply failure, skip its generation, narrate per-doubling. */
-  private recordQuarantine(state: FoldState, err: ProjectionApplyError): void {
-    if (!Number.isFinite(err.generation)) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `reprojection: family '${state.adapter.family}' threw ProjectionApplyError with a ` +
-          `non-finite generation (${err.generation}) — cannot quarantine; aborting the advance`
-      )
-    }
-    if (state.skip.has(err.generation)) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `reprojection: family '${state.adapter.family}' threw ProjectionApplyError for ` +
-          `generation ${err.generation}, which is ALREADY quarantined and was not in the ` +
-          `batch — the adapter is misreporting; aborting the advance`
-      )
-    }
-    state.skip.add(err.generation)
-    state.quarantine.push({ generation: err.generation, error: err, at: Date.now() })
-    const n = state.quarantine.length
-    if (n === state.nextWarnAt) {
-      state.nextWarnAt *= 2
-      prodLog.warn(
-        `reprojection: family '${state.adapter.family}' quarantined generation ` +
-          `${err.generation} (${n} quarantined total) — the fact is skipped for this family ` +
-          `and ledgered; reads it would have affected should be refused by the owner`,
-        err.cause
-      )
-    }
-  }
-
-  /** A window completed: 'caught-up' with a clean ledger, 'quarantined' otherwise. */
-  private completed(state: FoldState, applied: number): AdvanceResult {
-    return {
-      status: state.quarantine.length > 0 ? 'quarantined' : 'caught-up',
-      watermark: state.adapter.watermark(),
-      applied
-    }
-  }
-
-  /** The registered family state, or a loud refusal. */
-  private mustGet(family: string): FamilyState {
-    const state = this.registry.get(family)
-    if (!state) throw new Error(`reprojection: family '${family}' is not registered`)
-    return state
-  }
-}
diff --git a/src/storage/adapters/fileSystemStorage.ts b/src/storage/adapters/fileSystemStorage.ts
index fea817d5..5eb4785a 100644
--- a/src/storage/adapters/fileSystemStorage.ts
+++ b/src/storage/adapters/fileSystemStorage.ts
@@ -18,11 +18,6 @@ import {
 } from '../baseStorage.js'
 import { getBrainyVersion } from '../../utils/index.js'
 import { isAbsentError } from '../../utils/errorClassification.js'
-import {
-  TornRecordError,
-  isUnparseablePayloadError,
-  registerTornRecordEncounter
-} from '../tornRecordError.js'
 
 // Node.js modules - dynamically imported to avoid issues in browser environments
 let fs: any
@@ -415,22 +410,8 @@ export class FileSystemStorage extends BaseStorage {
   /**
    * Primitive operation: Read object from path
    * All metadata operations use this internally via base class routing
+   * Enhanced error handling for corrupted metadata files (Bug #3 mitigation)
    * Supports reading both compressed (.gz) and uncompressed files for backward compatibility
-   *
-   * Read contract (loud errors, never quiet losses):
-   * - Genuine absence (ENOENT on every variant) → `null`. Only a missing file
-   *   is "not found".
-   * - TORN record (a file EXISTS but its bytes cannot be decoded — invalid
-   *   JSON, truncated/garbled gzip) → the encounter is registered (production
-   *   ERROR log + per-process gauge) and a typed {@link TornRecordError} is
-   *   thrown. Corruption must NEVER read as absence: callers that can degrade
-   *   (manifest recovery, rebuildable statistics) catch the typed error at
-   *   their sites; entity reads surface it.
-   *   Legacy dual-format exception: when the `.gz` variant is torn but the
-   *   uncompressed fallback decodes, the recovered object is returned — AFTER
-   *   the torn `.gz` was logged and counted (loud recovery, not a silent skip).
-   * - Real storage fault (EIO/EACCES/EMFILE/…) → propagates as itself; a
-   *   fault is neither absence nor corruption and must not be reshaped.
    */
   protected async readObjectFromPath(pathStr: string): Promise<any | null> {
     await this.ensureInitialized()
@@ -438,10 +419,7 @@ export class FileSystemStorage extends BaseStorage {
     const fullPath = path.join(this.rootDir, pathStr)
     const compressedPath = `${fullPath}.gz`
 
-    // Try reading compressed file first (if compression is enabled or file exists).
-    // A torn .gz is remembered so the uncompressed fallback can either recover
-    // (legacy dual-format installs) or surface the corruption typed.
-    let tornCompressed: TornRecordError | null = null
+    // Try reading compressed file first (if compression is enabled or file exists)
     try {
       const compressedData = await fs.promises.readFile(compressedPath)
       const decompressed = await new Promise<Buffer>((resolve, reject) => {
@@ -452,16 +430,9 @@ export class FileSystemStorage extends BaseStorage {
       })
       return JSON.parse(decompressed.toString('utf-8'))
     } catch (error: any) {
-      if (error.code === 'ENOENT') {
-        // No compressed variant — fall through to the uncompressed path.
-      } else if (isUnparseablePayloadError(error)) {
-        // The .gz EXISTS but cannot be decoded (zlib Z_* error or JSON
-        // SyntaxError after gunzip): torn record. Register NOW (log + gauge),
-        // then attempt the uncompressed fallback as a recovery read.
-        tornCompressed = registerTornRecordEncounter(`${pathStr}.gz`, error)
-      } else {
-        // Real storage fault on an existing .gz (EIO/EACCES/…): propagate.
-        throw error
+      // If compressed file doesn't exist, fall back to uncompressed
+      if (error.code !== 'ENOENT') {
+        console.warn(`Failed to read compressed file ${compressedPath}:`, error)
       }
     }
 
@@ -471,26 +442,24 @@ export class FileSystemStorage extends BaseStorage {
       return JSON.parse(data)
     } catch (error: any) {
       if (error.code === 'ENOENT') {
-        // No uncompressed file. If the .gz variant existed but was torn, the
-        // object EXISTS and is unreadable — that must surface typed, never as
-        // "absent". Otherwise this is genuine absence.
-        if (tornCompressed !== null) {
-          throw tornCompressed
-        }
         return null
       }
 
-      // The file EXISTS but its content cannot be parsed: torn record.
-      // Register (production ERROR + gauge) and throw typed — a corrupt row
-      // must be distinguishable from a missing row, or nothing ever heals it.
-      if (isUnparseablePayloadError(error)) {
-        throw registerTornRecordEncounter(pathStr, error)
+      // Enhanced error handling for corrupted JSON files (race condition from Bug #3)
+      if (error instanceof SyntaxError || error.name === 'SyntaxError') {
+        console.warn(
+          `⚠️  Corrupted metadata file detected: ${pathStr}\n` +
+          `   This may be caused by concurrent writes during import.\n` +
+          `   Gracefully skipping this entry. File may be repaired on next write.`
+        )
+        return null
       }
 
       // A real storage fault (EIO/EACCES/EMFILE/…) is NOT "object absent". The
-      // ENOENT branch (above) already returns null; a genuine fault reaching
-      // here must propagate loudly rather than masquerade as a missing object
-      // — which would corrupt reads and drive needless rebuilds.
+      // ENOENT branch (above) already returns null, and the corrupted-JSON
+      // branch (above) is a deliberate concurrent-write tolerance; a genuine
+      // fault reaching here must propagate loudly rather than masquerade as a
+      // missing object — which would corrupt reads and drive needless rebuilds.
       throw error
     }
   }
@@ -1816,32 +1785,6 @@ export class FileSystemStorage extends BaseStorage {
       const now = new Date().toISOString()
       const existing = await this.readWriterLock()
 
-      // TORN-LOCK RECOVERY: power loss can legally leave the lock file
-      // present but EMPTY/unparseable (the claim's non-atomic write died
-      // mid-flight). readWriterLock() reports it as null — but the O_EXCL
-      // claim below would EEXIST forever, a PERMANENT lockout no staleness
-      // check can clear (staleness needs a parsed PID). A torn lock is
-      // stale BY DEFINITION: no live holder has one (a holder either
-      // completed its write or is dead). Unlink loudly and re-loop; a
-      // racer that rewrites a VALID lock first simply wins the next read.
-      if (existing === null) {
-        try {
-          await fs.promises.access(lockFile)
-          console.warn(
-            `[brainy] Writer lock at ${lockFile} exists but is unreadable/unparseable ` +
-              `(torn write from a previous power loss) — treating as stale and removing.`
-          )
-          try {
-            await fs.promises.unlink(lockFile)
-          } catch (unlinkErr: any) {
-            if (unlinkErr.code !== 'ENOENT') throw unlinkErr
-          }
-        } catch (accessErr: any) {
-          if (accessErr.code !== 'ENOENT') throw accessErr
-          // Absent: the normal fresh-claim path below.
-        }
-      }
-
       if (existing) {
         // Same-process re-open: a second Brainy instance in this Node process
         // (e.g. test "simulate server restart" patterns, or a consumer that
diff --git a/src/storage/baseStorage.ts b/src/storage/baseStorage.ts
index 23003ede..b78b4a49 100644
--- a/src/storage/baseStorage.ts
+++ b/src/storage/baseStorage.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,6 @@ import { BlobStorage, type BlobStoreAdapter } from './blobStorage.js'
 import { unwrapBinaryData } from './binaryDataCodec.js'
 import { prodLog } from '../utils/logger.js'
 import { isAbsentError } from '../utils/errorClassification.js'
-import { isTornRecordError } from './tornRecordError.js'
 import { BrainyError, ProtectedArtifactError, DerivedArtifactMissingError } from '../errors/brainyError.js'
 import { MetadataWriteBuffer } from '../utils/metadataWriteBuffer.js'
 import {
@@ -675,11 +674,6 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
           // — hash verification must run on the original content bytes.
           return unwrapBinaryData(data)
         } catch (error) {
-          // A TORN blob object (exists but undecodable) must not read as
-          // "blob absent" — that would misdiagnose disk corruption as a
-          // missing blob. This is an IDENTITY read (a caller asked for THIS
-          // key): propagate the typed error to the blob layer.
-          if (isTornRecordError(error)) throw error
           return undefined
         }
       },
@@ -774,20 +768,6 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
       if (m) hashes.add(m[1])
     }
 
-    // Recovery-path read: a TORN object here maps to "not usable" (null) BY
-    // DESIGN — the adapter has already logged + counted the encounter, and
-    // treating a torn `_cas/` copy as absent lets the re-copy from `_cow/`
-    // OVERWRITE the corrupt file with the good original (the heal), while a
-    // torn `_cow/` original is reported via `incomplete`. Real faults propagate.
-    const readOrNullIfTorn = async (p: string): Promise<any | null> => {
-      try {
-        return await this.readObjectFromPath(p)
-      } catch (error) {
-        if (isTornRecordError(error)) return null
-        throw error
-      }
-    }
-
     let adopted = 0
     let alreadyPresent = 0
     let incomplete = 0
@@ -795,15 +775,15 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
       // A blob counts as present only when BOTH its bytes and its metadata
       // already live in `_cas/`. A half-adopted blob (bytes without meta — the
       // exact "Blob metadata not found" state) is re-adopted.
-      const casBlob = await readOrNullIfTorn(`_cas/blob:${hash}`)
-      const casMeta = await readOrNullIfTorn(`_cas/blob-meta:${hash}`)
+      const casBlob = await this.readObjectFromPath(`_cas/blob:${hash}`)
+      const casMeta = await this.readObjectFromPath(`_cas/blob-meta:${hash}`)
       if (casBlob !== null && casMeta !== null) {
         alreadyPresent++
         continue
       }
 
-      const cowBlob = await readOrNullIfTorn(`_cow/blob:${hash}`)
-      const cowMeta = await readOrNullIfTorn(`_cow/blob-meta:${hash}`)
+      const cowBlob = await this.readObjectFromPath(`_cow/blob:${hash}`)
+      const cowMeta = await this.readObjectFromPath(`_cow/blob-meta:${hash}`)
       if (cowBlob === null || cowMeta === null) {
         // Can't register a blob the store can't fully describe — report it so an
         // operator investigates rather than silently half-adopting.
@@ -1154,28 +1134,12 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
    * cache (record-layer files are written through
    * {@link BaseStorage.writeRawObject} only).
    *
-   * TORN-record contract (deliberate, loud-by-design): this surface serves
-   * SYSTEM ARTIFACTS — manifests with recovery paths, markers whose verdict
-   * machinery treats "unreadable" as rescan, generation/transaction records
-   * whose recovery is built for absent artifacts. For these readers a torn
-   * file maps to their existing absent-artifact degrade, so a typed
-   * torn-record error from the adapter is caught here and returned as `null`
-   * — AFTER the adapter has already logged a production ERROR and counted
-   * the per-process torn-record gauge (never silent). Entity reads do NOT go
-   * through this surface; they use the canonical read paths, which propagate
-   * the typed error. Real storage faults (EIO/EACCES/…) still propagate.
-   *
    * @param path - Storage-root-relative object path (e.g. `_system/manifest.json`).
-   * @returns The parsed object, or `null` if absent (or torn — logged + counted).
+   * @returns The parsed object, or `null` if absent.
    */
   public async readRawObject(path: string): Promise<any | null> {
     await this.ensureInitialized()
-    try {
-      return await this.readObjectFromPath(path)
-    } catch (error) {
-      if (isTornRecordError(error)) return null
-      throw error
-    }
+    return this.readObjectFromPath(path)
   }
 
   /**
@@ -2182,13 +2146,6 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
                 if (!metadata) return null
                 return { deserialized, metadata }
               } catch (error) {
-                // A TORN record must surface typed — a paginated read that
-                // silently skips a corrupt row hides data loss from the caller.
-                // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
                 // Skip nouns that fail to load
                 return null
               }
@@ -2218,12 +2175,6 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
           }
         }
       } catch (error) {
-        // A TORN record propagates (typed) — only shard-listing absence is skippable.
-        // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
         // Skip shards that have no data
       }
     }
@@ -2332,13 +2283,7 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
               batch.map(async (id) => {
                 try {
                   return { id, metadata: await this.getNounMetadata(id) }
-                } catch (error) {
-                  // A TORN record must surface typed, never as a skipped id.
-                  // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
+                } catch {
                   return null
                 }
               })
@@ -2360,12 +2305,6 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
           }
         }
       } catch (error) {
-        // A TORN record propagates (typed) — only shard-listing absence is skippable.
-        // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
         // Skip shards with no data
       }
     }
@@ -2576,23 +2515,10 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
             // reserved fields top-level, ONLY custom fields in `metadata`.
             collected.push({ verb: this.hydrateVerbWithMetadata(verb, metadata), shard })
           } catch (error) {
-            // A TORN record must surface typed — a paginated read that
-            // silently skips a corrupt row hides data loss from the caller.
-            // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
             // Skip verbs that fail to load
           }
         }
       } catch (error) {
-        // A TORN record propagates (typed) — only shard-listing absence is skippable.
-        // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
         // Skip shards that have no data
       }
     }
@@ -3377,14 +3303,7 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
     const path = getNounMetadataPath(id)
 
     // Determine if this is a new entity by checking if metadata already exists
-    // Torn-tolerant: a WRITE landing on a torn record HEALS it — the read
-    // here only classifies new-vs-update and captures the prior subtype;
-    // a torn prior reads as "no previous" (fresh write) with the adapter's
-    // loud floor already fired. Never let corruption block its own cure.
-    const existingMetadata = await this.readCanonicalObject(path).catch((err) => {
-      if ((err as { code?: string }).code === 'TORN_RECORD') return null
-      throw err
-    })
+    const existingMetadata = await this.readCanonicalObject(path)
     const isNew = !existingMetadata
 
     // Save the metadata (write-cache coherent canonical write)
@@ -3750,22 +3669,8 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
       )
 
       for (const result of chunkResults) {
-        if (result.status === 'fulfilled') {
-          if (result.value.data !== null) {
-            results.set(result.value.path, result.value.data)
-          }
-        } else if (isTornRecordError(result.reason)) {
-          // A torn record inside a SET-SHAPED read (batch hydration behind
-          // find/sort pages and recovery walks): the adapter narrated +
-          // counted at throw time; the batch HEALS PAST the victim and
-          // serves the remaining rows — one crash casualty must not kill
-          // every query that pages over its shard (and init-time recovery
-          // walks ride this exact path). Identity point-reads still throw.
-          continue
-        } else {
-          // A REAL storage fault (EIO-class) is not a torn victim —
-          // propagate loudly, never absorb.
-          throw result.reason
+        if (result.status === 'fulfilled' && result.value.data !== null) {
+          results.set(result.value.path, result.value.data)
         }
       }
     }
@@ -3901,14 +3806,7 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
     const path = getVerbMetadataPath(id)
 
     // Determine if this is a new verb by checking if metadata already exists
-    // Torn-tolerant: a WRITE landing on a torn record HEALS it — the read
-    // here only classifies new-vs-update and captures the prior subtype;
-    // a torn prior reads as "no previous" (fresh write) with the adapter's
-    // loud floor already fired. Never let corruption block its own cure.
-    const existingMetadata = await this.readCanonicalObject(path).catch((err) => {
-      if ((err as { code?: string }).code === 'TORN_RECORD') return null
-      throw err
-    })
+    const existingMetadata = await this.readCanonicalObject(path)
     const isNew = !existingMetadata
 
     // Save the metadata (write-cache coherent canonical write)
@@ -4738,23 +4636,10 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
               }
             }
           } catch (error) {
-            // A TORN record must surface typed — an enumeration that silently
-            // skips a corrupt row hides data loss from the caller.
-            // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
             // Skip nouns that fail to load
           }
         }
       } catch (error) {
-        // A TORN record propagates (typed) — only shard-listing absence is skippable.
-        // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
         // Skip shards that have no data
       }
     }
@@ -4940,24 +4825,11 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
               results.push(this.hydrateVerbWithMetadata(verb, metadata))
             }
           } catch (error) {
-            // A TORN record must surface typed — an enumeration that silently
-            // skips a corrupt row hides data loss from the caller.
-            // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
             // Skip verbs that fail to load
             prodLog.debug(`[BaseStorage] Failed to load verb from ${verbPath}:`, error)
           }
         }
       } catch (error) {
-        // A TORN record propagates (typed) — only shard-listing absence is skippable.
-        // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
         // Skip shards that have no data
       }
     }
@@ -5073,13 +4945,6 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
           sourceVerbs.push(hydratedVerb)
         }
       } catch (error) {
-        // A TORN record propagates (typed) — batch hydration must not
-        // silently drop a corrupt row. Only shard-listing absence is skippable.
-        // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
         // Skip shards that have no data
       }
     }
@@ -5165,23 +5030,10 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
               results.push(this.hydrateVerbWithMetadata(verb, metadata))
             }
           } catch (error) {
-            // A TORN record must surface typed — an enumeration that silently
-            // skips a corrupt row hides data loss from the caller.
-            // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
             // Skip verbs that fail to load
           }
         }
       } catch (error) {
-        // A TORN record propagates (typed) — only shard-listing absence is skippable.
-        // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
         // Skip shards that have no data
       }
     }
@@ -5226,23 +5078,10 @@ export abstract class BaseStorage extends BaseStorageAdapter {
               )
             )
           } catch (error) {
-            // A TORN record must surface typed — an enumeration that silently
-            // skips a corrupt row hides data loss from the caller.
-            // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
             // Skip verbs that fail to load
           }
         }
       } catch (error) {
-        // A TORN record propagates (typed) — only shard-listing absence is skippable.
-        // Torn record inside an ENUMERATION/RECOVERY walk: the adapter already
-                // narrated + counted it (TornRecordError registers at creation); the
-                // walk's job is to HEAL PAST it — skip the victim, serve the rest.
-                // Identity point-reads (get-by-id) still throw typed upstream.
-                if (isTornRecordError(error)) { /* skip torn victim; loud floor already fired */ }
         // Skip shards that have no data
       }
     }
diff --git a/src/storage/tornRecordError.ts b/src/storage/tornRecordError.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index e3248f80..00000000
--- a/src/storage/tornRecordError.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,132 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module storage/tornRecordError
- * @description Typed surface for TORN records — files that EXIST in storage but
- * cannot be decoded (invalid JSON, truncated/garbled gzip). A torn record is
- * disk corruption, not absence: reading it as `null` ("not found") makes the
- * consumer unable to distinguish "never existed" from "exists but unreadable",
- * so nothing ever heals it. Mandate: loud errors, never quiet losses.
- *
- * Contract implemented across the storage layer:
- * - Genuine absence (ENOENT) still reads as clean `null` — no error, no noise.
- * - A torn record ALWAYS registers here (error log + per-process gauge), then:
- *   - entity read paths (get/getBatch/pagination/enumeration hydration) throw
- *     {@link TornRecordError} to the caller — a row is never silently dropped;
- *   - system-artifact read paths whose machinery is designed for
- *     absent-artifact degradation (manifests with recovery paths, markers
- *     whose verdict is "rescan", rebuildable statistics) map torn → their
- *     existing degrade AFTER the encounter is logged and counted.
- */
-
-import { prodLog } from '../utils/logger.js'
-
-/**
- * @description Thrown when a stored object EXISTS but cannot be decoded —
- * corrupt/torn bytes on disk (invalid JSON, undecodable gzip). Deliberately
- * distinct from absence: `readObjectFromPath` returns `null` only for ENOENT.
- * Catchable by type (`instanceof`), by `name === 'TornRecordError'`, or by
- * `code === 'TORN_RECORD'` (cross-realm safe; never matches `isAbsentError`).
- */
-export class TornRecordError extends Error {
-  /** Stable machine-checkable discriminator (errno-style). */
-  public readonly code = 'TORN_RECORD'
-  /** Storage-root-relative path of the torn object. */
-  public readonly path: string
-  /** The underlying decode failure (SyntaxError, zlib error, …). */
-  public override readonly cause: unknown
-
-  /**
-   * @param path - Storage-root-relative path of the torn object.
-   * @param cause - The underlying decode failure.
-   */
-  constructor(path: string, cause: unknown) {
-    const causeMessage =
-      cause instanceof Error ? cause.message : String(cause)
-    super(
-      `Torn record at '${path}': file exists but cannot be decoded (${causeMessage}). ` +
-        `This is storage corruption, not absence — the record was not silently skipped.`
-    )
-    this.name = 'TornRecordError'
-    this.path = path
-    this.cause = cause
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * @description True IFF `e` is a torn-record error — matches by `instanceof`
- * first, then by `name`/`code` so errors crossing module-duplication or realm
- * boundaries are still recognized.
- * @param e - The caught value.
- * @returns Whether `e` denotes an existing-but-undecodable stored object.
- */
-export function isTornRecordError(e: unknown): e is TornRecordError {
-  if (e instanceof TornRecordError) return true
-  if (e === null || typeof e !== 'object') return false
-  const { name, code } = e as { name?: unknown; code?: unknown }
-  return name === 'TornRecordError' || code === 'TORN_RECORD'
-}
-
-/**
- * @description True IFF `e` is a payload-decode failure — the file's BYTES were
- * read fine but could not be turned back into an object: `SyntaxError` from
- * `JSON.parse`, or a zlib error (`Z_DATA_ERROR`, `Z_BUF_ERROR`, …) from gunzip.
- * Distinguishes "torn record" from real I/O faults (EIO/EACCES/…), which must
- * propagate as themselves.
- * @param e - The caught value.
- * @returns Whether the error means "bytes present, content undecodable".
- */
-export function isUnparseablePayloadError(e: unknown): boolean {
-  if (e === null || typeof e !== 'object') return false
-  if (e instanceof SyntaxError) return true
-  const { name, code } = e as { name?: unknown; code?: unknown }
-  if (name === 'SyntaxError') return true
-  return typeof code === 'string' && code.startsWith('Z_')
-}
-
-/** Per-process torn-record gauge state (module-scoped; see the accessors). */
-let tornRecordCount = 0
-let lastTornRecordPath: string | null = null
-
-/**
- * @description Register a torn-record encounter: logs a production ERROR
- * naming the path, increments the per-process gauge, and returns the typed
- * error for the caller to throw (or to map into a documented loud degrade).
- * EVERY torn encounter goes through here, whatever the caller decides —
- * the floor is: never silent.
- * @param path - Storage-root-relative path of the torn object.
- * @param cause - The underlying decode failure.
- * @returns The constructed {@link TornRecordError}.
- */
-export function registerTornRecordEncounter(
-  path: string,
-  cause: unknown
-): TornRecordError {
-  tornRecordCount++
-  lastTornRecordPath = path
-  const error = new TornRecordError(path, cause)
-  prodLog.error(
-    `[Storage] TORN RECORD #${tornRecordCount}: '${path}' exists but cannot be decoded — ` +
-      `corrupt or partially written bytes. Cause: ${
-        cause instanceof Error ? `${cause.name}: ${cause.message}` : String(cause)
-      }`
-  )
-  return error
-}
-
-/**
- * @description Read the per-process torn-record gauge: how many torn records
- * this process has encountered and the most recent path. Observability seam —
- * lets operators and tests confirm that corruption was seen, not swallowed.
- * @returns The current gauge snapshot.
- */
-export function getTornRecordGauge(): { count: number; lastPath: string | null } {
-  return { count: tornRecordCount, lastPath: lastTornRecordPath }
-}
-
-/**
- * @description Reset the per-process torn-record gauge to zero. Test seam only
- * (the gauge is process-lifetime state); production code never resets it.
- */
-export function resetTornRecordGauge(): void {
-  tornRecordCount = 0
-  lastTornRecordPath = null
-}
diff --git a/src/transaction/operations/IndexOperations.ts b/src/transaction/operations/IndexOperations.ts
index 139c67fe..d130bb3f 100644
--- a/src/transaction/operations/IndexOperations.ts
+++ b/src/transaction/operations/IndexOperations.ts
@@ -56,33 +56,16 @@ function resolveVectorProviderId(index: VectorIndexProvider): string {
  * or timing trace see which engine actually ran, never a fossil name from
  * whichever engine happened to be active when this op class was written.
  *
- * Generation: `generationFn` is resolved at execute time (not construction) so
- * the write is stamped at the transaction's in-flight commit generation —
- * which the generation store only assigns once the batch begins executing.
- * The same generation is reused for the rollback removal, so an add and its
- * undo reference one watermark in a provider's per-record delta log (the
- * exact pattern the graph operations established).
- *
  * Rollback strategy:
  * - Remove item from index
  */
 export class AddToVectorIndexOperation implements Operation {
   readonly name: string
 
-  /**
-   * @param index - The vector-index provider (JS HNSW or native).
-   * @param id - The entity's UUID.
-   * @param vector - The vector to index.
-   * @param generationFn - OPTIONAL: resolves the commit generation to stamp
-   *   this write at, evaluated when the operation executes (see class note).
-   *   Absent -> the provider receives no generation (undefined), never a
-   *   fabricated 0.
-   */
   constructor(
     private readonly index: VectorIndexProvider,
     private readonly id: string,
-    private readonly vector: number[],
-    private readonly generationFn?: () => bigint | undefined
+    private readonly vector: number[]
   ) {
     this.name = `AddToVectorIndex(${resolveVectorProviderId(index)})`
   }
@@ -91,18 +74,14 @@ export class AddToVectorIndexOperation implements Operation {
     // Check if item already exists (for rollback decision)
     const existed = await this.itemExists(this.id)
 
-    // Stamp this write at the in-flight commit generation; reuse it for the
-    // rollback so add + undo reference the same watermark.
-    const generation = this.generationFn?.()
-
     // Add to index
-    await this.index.addItem({ id: this.id, vector: this.vector }, generation)
+    await this.index.addItem({ id: this.id, vector: this.vector })
 
     // Return rollback action
     return async () => {
       if (!existed) {
         // Remove newly added item
-        await this.index.removeItem(this.id, generation)
+        await this.index.removeItem(this.id)
       }
       // If item existed before, we don't rollback (update is OK)
       // This prevents index corruption from removing pre-existing items
@@ -152,138 +131,22 @@ export class AddToVectorIndexOperation implements Operation {
 export class RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation implements Operation {
   readonly name: string
 
-  /**
-   * @param index - The vector-index provider (JS HNSW or native).
-   * @param id - The entity's UUID.
-   * @param vector - The removed vector (required for rollback re-add).
-   * @param generationFn - Resolves the commit generation for this removal,
-   *   evaluated when the operation executes; reused for the rollback re-add
-   *   so the round trip references one watermark.
-   */
   constructor(
     private readonly index: VectorIndexProvider,
     private readonly id: string,
-    private readonly vector: number[], // Required for rollback
-    private readonly generationFn?: () => bigint | undefined
+    private readonly vector: number[] // Required for rollback
   ) {
     this.name = `RemoveFromVectorIndex(${resolveVectorProviderId(index)})`
   }
 
   async execute(): Promise<RollbackAction> {
-    // Resolve the removal generation once; reuse it for the rollback re-add.
-    const generation = this.generationFn?.()
-
     // Remove from index
-    await this.index.removeItem(this.id, generation)
+    await this.index.removeItem(this.id)
 
     // Return rollback action
     return async () => {
       // Re-add item with original vector
-      await this.index.addItem({ id: this.id, vector: this.vector }, generation)
-    }
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * Replace an item's vector in the vector index as ONE atomic transaction leg —
- * the row is never absent from vector search during an update.
- *
- * Backend-neutral: see {@link AddToVectorIndexOperation} — `index` may be the
- * JS HNSW fallback or a native acceleration provider; the emitted `name`
- * stamps the active backend.
- *
- * Why this op exists: update flows historically staged a
- * {@link RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation} followed by an
- * {@link AddToVectorIndexOperation} as two separately-awaited operations.
- * Between them the row was in NEITHER index — dark to semantic recall while
- * perfectly visible to metadata reads (a transient-invisibility window that
- * stretched to seconds in a production deployment). The structural cure is a
- * single leg that never removes without simultaneously re-inserting.
- *
- * Execution strategy (feature-detected, in preference order):
- * 1. Provider exposes `updateItem` → ONE in-place call. The provider swaps
- *    the vector without the row ever leaving its index, and an element-wise
- *    UNCHANGED vector (the type-only-update production shape) is a pure
- *    no-op on its side.
- * 2. Provider without `updateItem` (a native provider that has not shipped
- *    it yet) → `removeItem` + `addItem` executed ADJACENT within this single
- *    op. Still strictly better than the historical pair: no other transaction
- *    operation can interleave between the two calls. This is a temporary
- *    seam — the native side of the pair is expected to ship its own
- *    `updateItem` so path 1 applies everywhere; when it does, this fallback
- *    becomes dead code that costs nothing.
- *
- * Rollback strategy (mirrors the execute branch that ran):
- * - `updateItem` path → `updateItem` back to `oldVector`.
- * - Fallback path → `removeItem` + `addItem` back to `oldVector`.
- *
- * Rollback semantics when the item did not exist at execute time: this op's
- * contract is that the caller read the entity and its CURRENT vector
- * (`oldVector`) before staging — update flows only stage it for existing
- * rows. If the item was somehow absent, execute() inserts it (`updateItem`
- * delegates to add; the fallback's remove is a no-op before its add), and
- * rollback restores `oldVector` rather than removing — the same posture as
- * {@link RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation}'s unconditional re-add: by
- * constructing the op with `oldVector` the caller DECLARED the before-state,
- * and rollback reconstructs that declared state instead of silently deciding
- * the row should vanish.
- */
-export class ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation implements Operation {
-  readonly name: string
-
-  /**
-   * @param index - The vector-index provider (JS HNSW or native).
-   * @param id - The entity's UUID.
-   * @param oldVector - The pre-update vector (required for rollback).
-   * @param newVector - The replacement vector.
-   * @param generationFn - Resolves the commit generation to stamp this write
-   *   at, evaluated when the operation executes and reused across both
-   *   execute branches AND the rollback — one watermark for the whole
-   *   replace round trip.
-   */
-  constructor(
-    private readonly index: VectorIndexProvider,
-    private readonly id: string,
-    private readonly oldVector: number[], // Required for rollback
-    private readonly newVector: number[],
-    private readonly generationFn?: () => bigint | undefined
-  ) {
-    this.name = `ReplaceInVectorIndex(${resolveVectorProviderId(index)})`
-  }
-
-  async execute(): Promise<RollbackAction> {
-    // Feature-detect the in-place capability — optional on the provider
-    // contract, like `getItem`/`setPersistMode` (Brainy's JS HNSW index
-    // ships it; a native provider may not have yet). The capability carries
-    // the same optional trailing generation as the required write surface.
-    const index = this.index as VectorIndexProvider & {
-      updateItem?: (item: { id: string; vector: number[] }, generation?: bigint) => Promise<void>
-    }
-
-    // One commit generation for the whole replace (both branches + rollback).
-    const generation = this.generationFn?.()
-
-    if (typeof index.updateItem === 'function') {
-      // Atomic path: one in-place call, the row never leaves the index.
-      await index.updateItem({ id: this.id, vector: this.newVector }, generation)
-
-      return async () => {
-        // Restore the declared before-state in place (see class JSDoc for
-        // the item-did-not-exist posture).
-        await index.updateItem!({ id: this.id, vector: this.oldVector }, generation)
-      }
-    }
-
-    // Fallback seam: remove+add ADJACENT within this single op — no other
-    // transaction operation can interleave between them (see class JSDoc).
-    await this.index.removeItem(this.id, generation)
-    await this.index.addItem({ id: this.id, vector: this.newVector }, generation)
-
-    return async () => {
-      // updateItem-style restore via the same adjacent pair, back to the
-      // declared before-state.
-      await this.index.removeItem(this.id, generation)
-      await this.index.addItem({ id: this.id, vector: this.oldVector }, generation)
+      await this.index.addItem({ id: this.id, vector: this.vector })
     }
   }
 }
@@ -291,43 +154,26 @@ export class ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation implements Operation {
 /**
  * Add to metadata index with rollback support
  *
- * Generation: `generationFn` is resolved at execute time (not construction) —
- * see {@link AddToVectorIndexOperation}'s class note; the same generation is
- * reused for the rollback removal so add + undo reference one watermark in a
- * provider's per-record delta log.
- *
  * Rollback strategy:
  * - Remove item from index
  */
 export class AddToMetadataIndexOperation implements Operation {
   readonly name = 'AddToMetadataIndex'
 
-  /**
-   * @param index - The metadata-index manager (JS baseline or a registered provider).
-   * @param id - The entity's UUID.
-   * @param entity - Entity or metadata structure to index.
-   * @param generationFn - Resolves the commit generation to stamp this write
-   *   at, evaluated when the operation executes.
-   */
   constructor(
     private readonly index: MetadataIndexManager,
     private readonly id: string,
-    private readonly entity: any, // Entity or metadata structure
-    private readonly generationFn?: () => bigint | undefined
+    private readonly entity: any // Entity or metadata structure
   ) {}
 
   async execute(): Promise<RollbackAction> {
-    // Stamp this write at the in-flight commit generation; reuse it for the
-    // rollback so add + undo reference the same watermark.
-    const generation = this.generationFn?.()
-
     // Add to metadata index (skipFlush=true for transaction atomicity)
-    await this.index.addToIndex(this.id, this.entity, true, false, generation)
+    await this.index.addToIndex(this.id, this.entity, true)
 
     // Return rollback action
     return async () => {
       // Remove from metadata index
-      await this.index.removeFromIndex(this.id, this.entity, generation)
+      await this.index.removeFromIndex(this.id, this.entity)
     }
   }
 }
@@ -335,41 +181,26 @@ export class AddToMetadataIndexOperation implements Operation {
 /**
  * Remove from metadata index with rollback support
  *
- * Generation: resolved at execute time and reused for the rollback re-add —
- * one watermark for the removal round trip (see
- * {@link AddToMetadataIndexOperation}).
- *
  * Rollback strategy:
  * - Re-add item to index with original metadata
  */
 export class RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation implements Operation {
   readonly name = 'RemoveFromMetadataIndex'
 
-  /**
-   * @param index - The metadata-index manager (JS baseline or a registered provider).
-   * @param id - The entity's UUID.
-   * @param entity - The entity/metadata being removed (required for rollback).
-   * @param generationFn - Resolves the commit generation for this removal,
-   *   evaluated when the operation executes.
-   */
   constructor(
     private readonly index: MetadataIndexManager,
     private readonly id: string,
-    private readonly entity: any, // Required for rollback
-    private readonly generationFn?: () => bigint | undefined
+    private readonly entity: any // Required for rollback
   ) {}
 
   async execute(): Promise<RollbackAction> {
-    // Resolve the removal generation once; reuse it for the rollback re-add.
-    const generation = this.generationFn?.()
-
     // Remove from metadata index
-    await this.index.removeFromIndex(this.id, this.entity, generation)
+    await this.index.removeFromIndex(this.id, this.entity)
 
     // Return rollback action
     return async () => {
       // Re-add with original metadata (skipFlush=true)
-      await this.index.addToIndex(this.id, this.entity, true, false, generation)
+      await this.index.addToIndex(this.id, this.entity, true)
     }
   }
 }
@@ -438,7 +269,7 @@ export class AddToGraphIndexOperation implements Operation {
     // Stamp this edge at the in-flight commit generation; reuse it for the
     // rollback so add + undo reference the same watermark. Endpoint ints
     // resolve HERE — after any same-batch adds have applied.
-    const generation = this.generationFn?.()
+    const generation = this.generationFn()
     const { sourceInt, targetInt } = resolveEndpointInts(this.endpointInts)
     const verbInt = await this.index.addVerb(this.verb, sourceInt, targetInt, generation)
     this.onVerbInt?.(verbInt)
@@ -487,7 +318,7 @@ export class RemoveFromGraphIndexOperation implements Operation {
     // Resolve the removal generation once; reuse it for the rollback re-add.
     // Endpoint ints resolve HERE (after any same-batch adds applied) and are
     // captured for the rollback, whose re-add must use the same mappings.
-    const generation = this.generationFn?.()
+    const generation = this.generationFn()
     const { sourceInt, targetInt } = resolveEndpointInts(this.endpointInts)
     await this.index.removeVerb(this.verb.id, generation)
 
@@ -511,20 +342,13 @@ export class BatchAddToVectorIndexOperation implements Operation {
 
   private operations: AddToVectorIndexOperation[]
 
-  /**
-   * @param index - The vector-index provider (JS HNSW or native).
-   * @param items - The vectors to index.
-   * @param generationFn - Resolves the commit generation shared by every item
-   *   in the batch, evaluated when the operations execute.
-   */
   constructor(
     index: VectorIndexProvider,
-    items: Array<{ id: string; vector: number[] }>,
-    generationFn?: () => bigint | undefined
+    items: Array<{ id: string; vector: number[] }>
   ) {
     this.name = `BatchAddToVectorIndex(${resolveVectorProviderId(index)})`
     this.operations = items.map(
-      item => new AddToVectorIndexOperation(index, item.id, item.vector, generationFn)
+      item => new AddToVectorIndexOperation(index, item.id, item.vector)
     )
   }
 
@@ -559,19 +383,12 @@ export class BatchAddToMetadataIndexOperation implements Operation {
 
   private operations: AddToMetadataIndexOperation[]
 
-  /**
-   * @param index - The metadata-index manager (JS baseline or a registered provider).
-   * @param items - The entities to index.
-   * @param generationFn - Resolves the commit generation shared by every item
-   *   in the batch, evaluated when the operations execute.
-   */
   constructor(
     index: MetadataIndexManager,
-    items: Array<{ id: string; entity: any }>,
-    generationFn?: () => bigint | undefined
+    items: Array<{ id: string; entity: any }>
   ) {
     this.operations = items.map(
-      item => new AddToMetadataIndexOperation(index, item.id, item.entity, generationFn)
+      item => new AddToMetadataIndexOperation(index, item.id, item.entity)
     )
   }
 
diff --git a/src/transaction/operations/StorageOperations.ts b/src/transaction/operations/StorageOperations.ts
index c1e9f1c1..9858219b 100644
--- a/src/transaction/operations/StorageOperations.ts
+++ b/src/transaction/operations/StorageOperations.ts
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 
 import type { StorageAdapter, HNSWNoun, HNSWVerb, NounMetadata, VerbMetadata } from '../../coreTypes.js'
 import type { Operation, RollbackAction } from '../types.js'
-import { prodLog } from '../../utils/logger.js'
 
 /**
  * Save noun metadata with rollback support
@@ -21,30 +20,6 @@ import { prodLog } from '../../utils/logger.js'
  * - If metadata existed: Restore previous metadata
  * - If metadata was new: Delete metadata
  */
-
-/**
- * Torn-tolerant previous-state read for ROLLBACK CAPTURE: a write or delete
- * landing on a TORN record (power-loss survivor) HEALS it — the incoming
- * bytes replace (or remove) the unreadable ones, and the rollback target is
- * the create sentinel (null). The adapter's loud floor (error + gauge)
- * already fired at throw time; this narrates the heal and proceeds. Real
- * storage faults still propagate.
- */
-async function tornHealsToNull<T>(read: Promise<T>, what: string): Promise<T | null> {
-  try {
-    return await read
-  } catch (err) {
-    if ((err as { code?: string }).code === 'TORN_RECORD') {
-      prodLog.warn(
-        `[StorageOperations] previous ${what} is TORN — the incoming operation ` +
-          `heals it; rollback target is the create sentinel`
-      )
-      return null
-    }
-    throw err
-  }
-}
-
 export class SaveNounMetadataOperation implements Operation {
   readonly name = 'SaveNounMetadata'
 
@@ -59,7 +34,7 @@ export class SaveNounMetadataOperation implements Operation {
     // Skip read for new entities — nothing to rollback to (saves 1 storage round-trip)
     const previousMetadata = this.isNew
       ? null
-      : await tornHealsToNull(this.storage.getNounMetadata(this.id), 'noun metadata')
+      : await this.storage.getNounMetadata(this.id)
 
     // Save new metadata
     await this.storage.saveNounMetadata(this.id, this.metadata)
@@ -100,7 +75,7 @@ export class SaveNounOperation implements Operation {
     // Skip read for new entities — nothing to rollback to (saves 1 storage round-trip)
     const previousNoun = this.isNew
       ? null
-      : await tornHealsToNull(this.storage.getNoun(this.noun.id), 'noun record')
+      : await this.storage.getNoun(this.noun.id)
 
     // PRESERVE stored graph state on updates. Callers stage this op with
     // placeholder adjacency ({connections: empty, level: 0}) because the
@@ -187,11 +162,8 @@ export class DeleteNounMetadataOperation implements Operation {
     // Capture the FULL before-image (both legs) so the undo restores the whole
     // entity — a metadata-only rollback would leave the vector leg unrestored.
     // A null metadata read falls back to the caller's pre-delete read.
-    const previousNoun = await tornHealsToNull(this.storage.getNoun(this.id), 'noun record')
-    const previousMetadata =
-      (await tornHealsToNull(this.storage.getNounMetadata(this.id), 'noun metadata')) ??
-      this.priorMetadata ??
-      null
+    const previousNoun = await this.storage.getNoun(this.id)
+    const previousMetadata = (await this.storage.getNounMetadata(this.id)) ?? this.priorMetadata ?? null
 
     if (!previousNoun && !previousMetadata) {
       // Nothing to delete - no rollback needed
@@ -239,7 +211,7 @@ export class SaveVerbMetadataOperation implements Operation {
 
   async execute(): Promise<RollbackAction> {
     // Get existing metadata (for rollback)
-    const previousMetadata = await tornHealsToNull(this.storage.getVerbMetadata(this.id), 'verb metadata')
+    const previousMetadata = await this.storage.getVerbMetadata(this.id)
 
     // Save new metadata
     await this.storage.saveVerbMetadata(this.id, this.metadata)
@@ -275,7 +247,7 @@ export class SaveVerbOperation implements Operation {
 
   async execute(): Promise<RollbackAction> {
     // Get existing verb (for rollback)
-    const previousVerb = await tornHealsToNull(this.storage.getVerb(this.verb.id), 'verb record')
+    const previousVerb = await this.storage.getVerb(this.verb.id)
 
     // Save new verb
     await this.storage.saveVerb(this.verb)
@@ -319,7 +291,7 @@ export class DeleteVerbMetadataOperation implements Operation {
 
   async execute(): Promise<RollbackAction> {
     // Get metadata before deletion (for rollback)
-    const previousMetadata = await tornHealsToNull(this.storage.getVerbMetadata(this.id), 'verb metadata')
+    const previousMetadata = await this.storage.getVerbMetadata(this.id)
 
     if (!previousMetadata) {
       // Nothing to delete - no rollback needed
diff --git a/src/transaction/operations/index.ts b/src/transaction/operations/index.ts
index 32a69a21..c5548e70 100644
--- a/src/transaction/operations/index.ts
+++ b/src/transaction/operations/index.ts
@@ -23,7 +23,6 @@ export {
 export {
   AddToVectorIndexOperation,
   RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation,
-  ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation,
   AddToMetadataIndexOperation,
   RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation,
   AddToGraphIndexOperation,
diff --git a/src/types/brainy.types.ts b/src/types/brainy.types.ts
index 75a63d44..6c1f0ffd 100644
--- a/src/types/brainy.types.ts
+++ b/src/types/brainy.types.ts
@@ -338,20 +338,6 @@ export interface AddParams<T = any> {
   id?: string
   /** Pre-computed embedding vector (skips auto-embedding when provided) */
   vector?: Vector
-  /**
-   * DEFER THE EMBEDDING (MT5, the deferred-embedding worker): the write
-   * acknowledges at durability — data + metadata persisted, a durable
-   * pending-embed marker written — and the embedding + vector-index insert
-   * run on the engine's single-flight background worker. HONEST SEMANTICS:
-   * the row is findable by id/metadata/path IMMEDIATELY; vector/semantic
-   * search sees it when the background embed completes (eventual vector
-   * index — `getIndexStatus().pendingEmbeds` counts the backlog, and
-   * `awaitPendingEmbeds()` is the barrier). CRASH-SAFE: markers persist
-   * before the ack and are recovered at the next open — a crash can DELAY
-   * a vector, never lose one. Refused (typed) together with `vector` —
-   * a supplied vector has nothing to defer.
-   */
-  deferEmbedding?: boolean
   /** Multi-tenancy service identifier */
   service?: string
   /** Type classification confidence (0-1) */
@@ -393,15 +379,6 @@ export interface AddParams<T = any> {
 export interface UpdateParams<T = any> {
   id: string                   // Entity to update
   data?: any                   // New content to re-embed
-  /**
-   * Defer the re-embedding of new `data` (see `AddParams.deferEmbedding`).
-   * The write acks at durability; the OLD vector keeps serving semantic
-   * search — stale-but-present, never absent (the flicker law) — until the
-   * background worker embeds the new content and swaps it in atomically.
-   * `data` reads return the NEW content immediately. Refused (typed) with
-   * an explicit `vector`.
-   */
-  deferEmbedding?: boolean
   type?: NounType             // Change type
   subtype?: string            // Change subtype (set to '' or null-equivalent via dedicated unset is future work)
   /**
@@ -1614,15 +1591,6 @@ export interface AggregationProvider {
 
   /** Serialize internal state for persistence (called during flush) */
   serializeState?(): string
-
-  /**
-   * Bake the committed generation into the provider's own state envelope
-   * before {@link serializeState} (called during flush, immediately prior).
-   * Lets a native-side reopen verify the envelope's honesty independently of
-   * the host's wrapper stamp. Optional — providers without it rely on the
-   * host wrapper's `sourceGeneration` alone.
-   */
-  noteSourceGeneration?(generation: number): void
 }
 
 // ============= Configuration =============
@@ -2060,61 +2028,6 @@ export interface BrainyConfig {
    */
   force?: boolean
 
-  /**
-   * THE ENGINE OWNS ITS FLUSH CADENCE (the persistence policy —
-   * SELF-ENGINE-LIFECYCLE-SPRINT, David-directed: "why do we need manual
-   * flushes at all?"). Under `'auto'` (the DEFAULT) the engine schedules
-   * single-flight background flushes itself — triggered by write count,
-   * elapsed time, and idle — so callers NEVER call `flush()` in a hot path
-   * (a production consumer's 829 per-write flushes convoyed into 45–66s
-   * write walls; the cadence belongs to the layer that can see dirty-node
-   * counts and IO pressure). `flush()` remains public as an awaitable
-   * durability BARRIER for the rare "must be on disk before I proceed"
-   * moment — calling it is never wrong, just no longer necessary.
-   *
-   * RECOVERY SEMANTICS (the documented promise): canonical records are
-   * durable per-write, independent of this policy — a crash between
-   * background flushes loses NO data. What a flush persists is DERIVED
-   * state (index postings, deferred HNSW nodes, counters, aggregation
-   * stamps); after a crash, derived state converges at the next open from
-   * canonical records (epoch machinery + incremental aggregation catch-up),
-   * paying a bounded catch-up cost proportional to the un-flushed window —
-   * never data loss.
-   *
-   * `'manual'` restores the pre-9.1 behavior: the engine never flushes on
-   * its own (except at `close()`); the caller owns the cadence.
-   */
-  /**
-   * Storage-authority posture at open (10.0.0+ fleet default: `'adopt'`).
-   *
-   * `'adopt'` — a brain with NO stored authority artifact adopts LOG
-   * AUTHORITY at open, oracle-gated: the verification oracle replays the
-   * generation log against stored truth; curable divergences (pre-log
-   * rows, witness drift) are baseline-backfilled; the brain flips ONLY on
-   * a green verdict and writes the durable per-brain switch. On green,
-   * writes become durable-at-ack (group-committed log fsync covers every
-   * ack). A brain whose oracle cannot go green STAYS tree-authoritative,
-   * says so loudly, and records the refusal — never a silent half-state.
-   *
-   * `'defer'` — the explicit opt-out: no automatic adoption; the brain
-   * stays tree-authoritative until `adoptLogAuthority()` is called. The
-   * pre-10 behavior, documented for operators who stage their own flips.
-   *
-   * A STORED artifact always wins over this setting (checked-at-open law):
-   * an already-flipped brain stays flipped; an explicitly-recorded tree
-   * posture is honored until an operator re-runs adoption.
-   */
-  logAuthority?: 'adopt' | 'defer'
-
-  persistence?: {
-    policy?: 'auto' | 'manual'
-    /** Background flush after this many committed writes (default 512). */
-    flushEveryWrites?: number
-    /** Background flush when this much time has passed since the last flush, checked at write time (default 30_000). */
-    flushIntervalMs?: number
-    /** Background flush after the store goes quiet for this long with dirty state (default 2_000). */
-    flushOnIdleMs?: number
-  }
 }
 
 // ============= Neural API Types =============
@@ -2275,79 +2188,6 @@ export interface Highlight {
   contentCategory?: ContentCategory
 }
 
-// ============= Read barrier (waitForIndexed) =============
-
-/**
- * One projection leg of the read barrier (`brain.waitForIndexed(path)`) — a
- * derived view of the committed data that queries are served from:
- *
- * - `'semantic'` — the vector index (deferred embeds land here asynchronously)
- * - `'metadata'` — the field/filter index behind `find({ where })`
- * - `'graph'` — the relationship adjacency index
- * - `'aggregation'` — the incremental aggregate states
- */
-export type IndexedProjectionPath = 'semantic' | 'metadata' | 'graph' | 'aggregation'
-
-/**
- * Options for `brain.waitForIndexed()`.
- */
-export interface WaitForIndexedOptions {
-  /**
-   * Resolve as soon as the projection has caught up to this committed
-   * generation (rather than the current head). Today the pending-embed set
-   * carries no generation stamps, so the refinement is conservative: an
-   * empty backlog resolves immediately (the watermark is at the head, hence
-   * ≥ any committed generation); a non-empty backlog waits for the full
-   * drain — a SUPERSET of the requested wait, never a partial one.
-   */
-  generation?: number
-
-  /**
-   * Upper bound on the wait in milliseconds. On expiry the promise REJECTS
-   * with {@link WaitForIndexedTimeoutError} (typed: the leg + the
-   * still-pending count) — never a silent partial wait.
-   */
-  timeoutMs?: number
-}
-
-/**
- * The typed rejection of `brain.waitForIndexed(path, { timeoutMs })` on
- * expiry. Carries the projection leg (`path`; `'all'` for the no-argument
- * barrier) and the deferred-embed backlog size at the moment the timer fired
- * (`pendingEmbeds` — the same number as
- * `getIndexStatus().projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds`), so a caller can
- * log an honest gauge and retry instead of guessing. A timeout means the
- * projection has NOT caught up — nothing was skipped, nothing partially
- * waited.
- */
-export class WaitForIndexedTimeoutError extends Error {
-  /** The projection leg that had not caught up (`'all'` = the no-arg barrier). */
-  public readonly path: IndexedProjectionPath | 'all'
-
-  /** The expired timeout, in milliseconds. */
-  public readonly timeoutMs: number
-
-  /** Deferred embeds still pending when the timer fired — the live value of
-   *  `getIndexStatus().projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds`. */
-  public readonly pendingEmbeds: number
-
-  constructor(path: IndexedProjectionPath | 'all', timeoutMs: number, pendingEmbeds: number) {
-    super(
-      `waitForIndexed(${path === 'all' ? '' : `'${path}'`}) timed out after ${timeoutMs}ms — ` +
-        `${pendingEmbeds} deferred embed${pendingEmbeds === 1 ? '' : 's'} still pending; the projection has ` +
-        `NOT caught up. Check getIndexStatus().projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds, then retry with a ` +
-        `larger timeoutMs or use awaitPendingEmbeds() for an unbounded drain.`
-    )
-    this.name = 'WaitForIndexedTimeoutError'
-    this.path = path
-    this.timeoutMs = timeoutMs
-    this.pendingEmbeds = pendingEmbeds
-    if (Error.captureStackTrace) {
-      Error.captureStackTrace(this, WaitForIndexedTimeoutError)
-    }
-  }
-}
-
 // ============= Export all types =============
 
 export * from './graphTypes.js'  // Re-export NounType, VerbType, etc.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/utils/entityIdMapper.ts b/src/utils/entityIdMapper.ts
index d3527d77..5b5afb5e 100644
--- a/src/utils/entityIdMapper.ts
+++ b/src/utils/entityIdMapper.ts
@@ -129,49 +129,11 @@ export class EntityIdMapper implements EntityIdMapperProvider {
         // metadata channel as plain JSON; the `nextId` probe above identifies
         // the persisted EntityIdMapperData shape.
         const data = metadata as unknown as EntityIdMapperData
+        this.nextId = data.nextId
 
-        // TORN-STATE VALIDATION (power-loss survivor): a torn mapper file
-        // can carry NaN/garbage where integers belong — unvalidated, those
-        // NaNs reach BigInt() on the graph's int-resolution (reopen) and
-        // the mint path (first write after recovery) and kill both with
-        // RangeErrors. A torn mapper is DISCARDED with narration and the
-        // maps re-derive through the existing rebuild path (under log
-        // authority the mint-at-append records reproduce assignments
-        // exactly; under tree authority the metadata-index reconstruction
-        // rebuilds them — the same path a missing mapper file takes).
-        const validInt = (v: unknown): v is number =>
-          typeof v === 'number' && Number.isSafeInteger(v) && v >= 0
-        let torn = !validInt(data.nextId)
-        const uuidToInt = new Map<string, number>()
-        const intToUuid = new Map<number, string>()
-        if (!torn) {
-          for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(data.uuidToInt ?? {})) {
-            const n = Number(v)
-            if (!validInt(n)) { torn = true; break }
-            uuidToInt.set(k, n)
-          }
-        }
-        if (!torn) {
-          for (const [k, v] of Object.entries(data.intToUuid ?? {})) {
-            const n = Number(k)
-            if (!validInt(n) || typeof v !== 'string') { torn = true; break }
-            intToUuid.set(n, v)
-          }
-        }
-        if (torn) {
-          console.warn(
-            `[EntityIdMapper] persisted mapper state is TORN (non-integer ids — ` +
-              `power-loss survivor); discarding and re-deriving via the rebuild ` +
-              `path. Never a RangeError at reopen or first write.`
-          )
-          this.nextId = 1
-          this.uuidToInt = new Map()
-          this.intToUuid = new Map()
-        } else {
-          this.nextId = data.nextId
-          this.uuidToInt = uuidToInt
-          this.intToUuid = intToUuid
-        }
+        // Rebuild maps from serialized data
+        this.uuidToInt = new Map(Object.entries(data.uuidToInt).map(([k, v]) => [k, Number(v)]))
+        this.intToUuid = new Map(Object.entries(data.intToUuid).map(([k, v]) => [Number(k), v]))
       } else {
         // Guard: mapper file missing but entities may exist on disk.
         // If we start from nextId=1 with existing entities, roaring bitmap
@@ -202,33 +164,14 @@ export class EntityIdMapper implements EntityIdMapperProvider {
    * would exceed that, throws {@link EntityIdSpaceExceeded} so the caller
    * loudly migrates to cor's binary mapper with `idSpace: 'u64'`
    * rather than silently truncating entity ids.
-   *
-   * @param generation - Brainy's commit generation current at mint time
-   *   (contract parity with the `EntityIdMapperProvider` surface). This JS
-   *   mapper keeps a snapshot file, not a per-record delta log, so there is
-   *   no natural slot to store it — accepted and ignored; a native mapper
-   *   stamps its assignment records with it.
    */
-  getOrAssign(uuid: string, generation?: bigint): number {
-    void generation // Contract parity — no per-record log in the JS mapper.
+  getOrAssign(uuid: string): number {
     const existing = this.uuidToInt.get(uuid)
     if (existing !== undefined) {
       return existing
     }
 
-    // Assign new ID. Source guard: nextId must be a finite positive integer
-    // — the load path validates persisted state, but a NaN here would mint
-    // poison ints that reach BigInt() downstream; heal to the map-derived
-    // floor with narration rather than propagate.
-    if (!Number.isSafeInteger(this.nextId) || this.nextId < 1) {
-      let floor = 1
-      for (const n of this.intToUuid.keys()) if (n >= floor) floor = n + 1
-      console.warn(
-        `[EntityIdMapper] nextId was non-integer (${String(this.nextId)}) — ` +
-          `healed to ${floor} from the live map; torn-state survivor`
-      )
-      this.nextId = floor
-    }
+    // Assign new ID
     if (this.nextId > U32_ENTITY_ID_MAX) {
       throw new EntityIdSpaceExceeded(this.nextId)
     }
@@ -283,14 +226,8 @@ export class EntityIdMapper implements EntityIdMapperProvider {
 
   /**
    * Remove mapping for UUID
-   *
-   * @param generation - Brainy's commit generation for this removal (contract
-   *   parity with the `EntityIdMapperProvider` surface). Accepted and ignored —
-   *   this JS mapper removes immediately; a native mapper tombstones the
-   *   mapping at this generation in its version chain.
    */
-  remove(uuid: string, generation?: bigint): boolean {
-    void generation // Contract parity — no per-key version chain in the JS mapper.
+  remove(uuid: string): boolean {
     const intId = this.uuidToInt.get(uuid)
     if (intId === undefined) {
       return false
diff --git a/src/utils/metadataIndex.ts b/src/utils/metadataIndex.ts
index 894f3fd3..f010560d 100644
--- a/src/utils/metadataIndex.ts
+++ b/src/utils/metadataIndex.ts
@@ -5,21 +5,13 @@
  */
 
 import { StorageAdapter, resolveEntityField, NounMetadata, VerbMetadata } from '../coreTypes.js'
-import { SYSTEM_ENTITY_SCALARS, parseFieldAddress, UnresolvableFieldError, type FieldAddress } from '../db/fieldAddressing.js'
-import { splitNounMetadataRecord } from '../types/reservedFields.js'
+import { SYSTEM_ENTITY_SCALARS, parseFieldAddress, UnresolvableFieldError } from '../db/fieldAddressing.js'
 import { ColumnStore } from '../indexes/columnStore/ColumnStore.js'
 import type { MetadataIndexProvider } from '../plugin.js'
 import { MetadataIndexCache, MetadataIndexCacheConfig } from './metadataIndexCache.js'
 import { compareCodePoints } from './collation.js'
 import { prodLog } from './logger.js'
 import { getGlobalCache, UnifiedCache } from './unifiedCache.js'
-import {
-  computeWatermarkVerdict,
-  makeProjectionStamp,
-  readStampedWatermark,
-  type WatermarkVerdict,
-  type WatermarkVerdictResult
-} from './projectionWatermark.js'
 import {
   NounType,
   VerbType,
@@ -116,15 +108,6 @@ interface FieldStats {
   normalizationStrategy?: 'none' | 'precision' | 'bucket'
 }
 
-/**
- * Storage key for the metadata projection's watermark stamp — a sidecar
- * record beside the artifact (field registry + field indexes + chunked
- * sparse indexes + column-store segments + id-mapper records). Written LAST
- * in {@link MetadataIndexManager.flush} so stamp-after-data ordering holds
- * for every byte the stamp certifies.
- */
-export const METADATA_INDEX_STAMP_KEY = '__index_metadata_watermark__'
-
 /**
  * Implements {@link MetadataIndexProvider}: the metadata-index surface Brainy
  * calls on whatever the `'metadataIndex'` provider resolves to (its own
@@ -140,14 +123,6 @@ export class MetadataIndexManager implements MetadataIndexProvider {
   private lastFlushTime = Date.now()
   private autoFlushThreshold = 10 // Start with 10 for more frequent non-blocking flushes
 
-  // --- Watermark stamp state (see utils/projectionWatermark for the law) ---
-  /** Generation handed in via {@link stampWatermark}, awaiting the next flush. */
-  private pendingWatermark: number | null = null
-  /** Last watermark durably stamped by this instance or loaded at init. */
-  private stampedWatermark: number | null = null
-  /** The three-way verdict computed at init; null until init runs. */
-  private loadVerdict: WatermarkVerdictResult | null = null
-
   // Cardinality and field statistics tracking
   private fieldStats = new Map<string, FieldStats>()
   private cardinalityUpdateInterval = 100 // Update cardinality every N operations
@@ -274,13 +249,6 @@ export class MetadataIndexManager implements MetadataIndexProvider {
     // Must run first to populate fieldIndexes directory before warming cache
     await this.loadFieldRegistry()
 
-    // Compute the watermark verdict for the persisted artifact BEFORE any
-    // early return below — the verdict is recorded for every open, whether
-    // the workspace is empty, rebuilding, or warm. Computed and exposed
-    // only: today's rebuild triggers are unchanged (acting on 'catchup' —
-    // the incremental fold — lands with the coordinator's wiring).
-    await this.loadWatermarkVerdict()
-
     // Initialize EntityIdMapper (loads UUID ↔ integer mappings from storage)
     await this.idMapper.init()
 
@@ -1490,16 +1458,8 @@ export class MetadataIndexManager implements MetadataIndexProvider {
    * @param id - Entity ID
    * @param entityOrMetadata - Either full entity structure or plain metadata (backward compat)
    * @param skipFlush - Skip automatic flush (used during batch operations)
-   * @param deferWrites - Batch mode: buffer postings for a later flush
-   * @param generation - Brainy's commit generation for this write (see the
-   *   {@link import('../plugin.js').MetadataIndexProvider} contract). This JS
-   *   manager keeps a single live view with no per-record delta log, so it
-   *   has no slot to store it — the value is accepted for contract parity
-   *   and forwarded to the shared id mapper (an injected native mapper
-   *   stamps its assignment records with it; the JS mapper ignores it).
-   *   The JS twin adopts full per-write stamping with the watermark train.
    */
-  async addToIndex(id: string, entityOrMetadata: any, skipFlush: boolean = false, deferWrites: boolean = false, generation?: bigint): Promise<void> {
+  async addToIndex(id: string, entityOrMetadata: any, skipFlush: boolean = false, deferWrites: boolean = false): Promise<void> {
     const fields = this.extractIndexableFields(entityOrMetadata)
 
     // Sanity check for excessive indexed fields (indicates possible data issue)
@@ -1547,10 +1507,7 @@ export class MetadataIndexManager implements MetadataIndexProvider {
     // element, so a scalar overwrite (last-value-wins) would index only the final
     // element and `contains` would miss the rest.
     if (this.columnStore) {
-      // Thread the commit generation into the mint: an injected native mapper
-      // stamps the assignment record's delta log with the real watermark
-      // instead of a literal 0 (the JS mapper accepts and ignores it).
-      const entityIntId = this.idMapper.getOrAssign(id, generation)
+      const entityIntId = this.idMapper.getOrAssign(id)
       const fieldsMap: Record<string, unknown> = {}
       for (const { field, value } of fields) {
         if (field === '__words__') {
@@ -1642,13 +1599,8 @@ export class MetadataIndexManager implements MetadataIndexProvider {
    *
    * @param id - Entity ID to remove
    * @param metadata - Optional entity or metadata structure (if not provided, requires scanning all fields - slow!)
-   * @param generation - Brainy's commit generation for this removal (see the
-   *   {@link import('../plugin.js').MetadataIndexProvider} contract). Accepted
-   *   for contract parity — this JS manager removes immediately (no tombstone
-   *   chain) and forwards it to the shared id mapper's `remove`, where an
-   *   injected native mapper tombstones the mapping at this generation.
    */
-  async removeFromIndex(id: string, metadata?: any, generation?: bigint): Promise<void> {
+  async removeFromIndex(id: string, metadata?: any): Promise<void> {
     if (metadata) {
       const fields = this.extractIndexableFields(metadata)
 
@@ -1672,9 +1624,7 @@ export class MetadataIndexManager implements MetadataIndexProvider {
     // Clean up ID mapper — must happen AFTER column store removal since it uses
     // idMapper.getInt(id). Prevents deleted IDs from persisting in the mapper
     // universe, which would cause ne/exists:false queries to return deleted entities.
-    // The generation rides along so a native mapper tombstones the mapping at
-    // the real commit watermark (the JS mapper ignores it).
-    this.idMapper.remove(id, generation)
+    this.idMapper.remove(id)
     await this.idMapper.flush()
   }
 
@@ -2257,98 +2207,6 @@ export class MetadataIndexManager implements MetadataIndexProvider {
    * @returns Promise<string[]> - Entity IDs sorted by specified field
    *
    */
-  /**
-   * Resolve the orderBy value for MANY entities in BATCHED metadata-record
-   * reads — the sort path's one sanctioned value source (BRAINY-PROD-LATENCY-TRIAD).
-   *
-   * THE ASYMPTOTIC LAW THIS ENFORCES: an ordered read never does per-row
-   * storage round-trips. The previous shape — `await getFieldValueForEntity`
-   * per id, each opening the VECTOR record serially — cost 62–98ms × N on a
-   * production filesystem brain: 3,224 rows took 199–317 SECONDS, silently.
-   * The metadata RECORD (smaller, cached, batch-readable) carries everything
-   * a sort can address: the ten system scalars top-level — EXACT values, no
-   * bucketing loss — and the user's bag (v2 nested or legacy flat, resolved
-   * through the shape-aware split). One batched read pass serves any N.
-   *
-   * The call-shape is pinned by tests (zero per-row reads, batch calls only)
-   * so the serial loop cannot quietly return.
-   *
-   * @param ids - Entity ids to resolve (any size; reads are chunk-batched).
-   * @param orderAddress - The parsed orderBy address (system or metadata scope).
-   * @returns id → value map; ids whose record is missing map to `undefined`
-   *   (they sort LAST per the ordering contract — never dropped).
-   */
-  private async resolveOrderValuesBatch(
-    ids: string[],
-    orderAddress: FieldAddress
-  ): Promise<Map<string, unknown>> {
-    const values = new Map<string, unknown>()
-    if (ids.length === 0) return values
-
-    // Batch door, best first: BaseStorage's getNounMetadataBatch (native
-    // batch or parallel reads inside), then the adapter-optional
-    // getMetadataBatch, then chunked-parallel single reads — NEVER serial.
-    const storage = this.storage as StorageAdapter & {
-      getNounMetadataBatch?(ids: string[]): Promise<Map<string, NounMetadata>>
-    }
-    const CHUNK = 500
-    const records = new Map<string, NounMetadata>()
-    for (let i = 0; i < ids.length; i += CHUNK) {
-      const chunk = ids.slice(i, i + CHUNK)
-      if (typeof storage.getNounMetadataBatch === 'function') {
-        const batch = await storage.getNounMetadataBatch(chunk)
-        for (const [id, rec] of batch) records.set(id, rec)
-      } else if (typeof storage.getMetadataBatch === 'function') {
-        const batch = await storage.getMetadataBatch(chunk)
-        for (const [id, rec] of batch) records.set(id, rec)
-      } else {
-        const loaded = await Promise.all(
-          chunk.map(async (id) => [id, await storage.getNounMetadata(id)] as const)
-        )
-        for (const [id, rec] of loaded) if (rec) records.set(id, rec)
-      }
-    }
-
-    for (const id of ids) {
-      const record = records.get(id)
-      if (!record) {
-        values.set(id, undefined)
-        continue
-      }
-      // Shape-aware split serves both record eras: engine scalars from the
-      // reserved half (EXACT timestamps — the bucketed index is never
-      // consulted here), user fields from the bag.
-      const { reserved, custom } = splitNounMetadataRecord(
-        record as Record<string, unknown>
-      )
-      if (orderAddress.scope === 'system') {
-        values.set(
-          id,
-          orderAddress.field === 'type'
-            ? reserved.noun
-            : (reserved as Record<string, unknown>)[orderAddress.field]
-        )
-      } else {
-        let value: unknown = custom[orderAddress.field]
-        if (value === undefined && orderAddress.field.includes('.')) {
-          // Dotted user path: traverse INSIDE the bag.
-          value = orderAddress.field
-            .split('.')
-            .reduce<unknown>(
-              (o, seg) =>
-                o && typeof o === 'object' ? (o as Record<string, unknown>)[seg] : undefined,
-              custom
-            )
-        }
-        values.set(id, value)
-      }
-    }
-    return values
-  }
-
-  /** Once-per-field flag for the fallback-degradation announcement. */
-  private static announcedFallbackSorts = new Set<string>()
-
   async getSortedIdsForFilter(
     filter: any,
     orderBy: string,
@@ -2416,12 +2274,12 @@ export class MetadataIndexManager implements MetadataIndexProvider {
       // ORDERING CONTRACT (cross-engine, sealed): rows missing the field are
       // NEVER dropped — they sort LAST in both directions — and ties break by
       // id ascending. The column only contains rows that HAVE the field, so
-      // (1) re-sort the page deterministically (value, then id) via ONE
-      // batched value resolution — never per-row reads — and (2) append the
-      // filtered rows the column omitted, id-ascending, filling any
-      // remaining page budget.
-      const pageValues = await this.resolveOrderValuesBatch(sortedUuids, orderAddress)
-      const page = sortedUuids.map(id => ({ id, value: pageValues.get(id) }))
+      // (1) re-sort the page deterministically (value, then id) with K cheap
+      // value reads, and (2) append the filtered rows the column omitted,
+      // id-ascending, filling any remaining page budget.
+      const page = await Promise.all(
+        sortedUuids.map(async id => ({ id, value: await this.getFieldValueForEntity(id, orderKey) }))
+      )
       page.sort((a, b) => this.compareAddressedValues(a.value, b.value, a.id, b.id, order))
       let result = page.map(p => p.id)
 
@@ -2435,32 +2293,20 @@ export class MetadataIndexManager implements MetadataIndexProvider {
       return topK !== undefined ? result.slice(0, topK) : result
     }
 
-    // Fallback: no column serves this field. BOUNDED + ANNOUNCED, never
-    // silent (the B2 no-silent-degradation law, BRAINY-PROD-LATENCY-TRIAD):
-    // O(N) in row count but served by BATCHED metadata-record reads — the
-    // serial per-row getNoun loop that turned 3,224 rows into a 199–317s
-    // scan is dead, and the call-shape pin keeps it dead.
+    // Fallback: sparse index path (for fields not yet in column store).
+    // Requires a non-empty filter because it reads O(k) entity values from storage.
     const filteredIds = await this.getIdsForFilter(filter)
 
     if (filteredIds.length === 0) {
       return []
     }
 
-    if (
-      filteredIds.length > 500 &&
-      !MetadataIndexManager.announcedFallbackSorts.has(orderKey)
-    ) {
-      MetadataIndexManager.announcedFallbackSorts.add(orderKey)
-      prodLog.warn(
-        `[brainy] ordered read on '${orderKey}' has no column index — served by the ` +
-          `batched fallback over ${filteredIds.length} rows (bounded, one batch pass; ` +
-          `announced once per field). A native column for this field makes it O(K).`
-      )
+    const idValuePairs: Array<{ id: string, value: any }> = []
+    for (const id of filteredIds) {
+      const value = await this.getFieldValueForEntity(id, orderKey)
+      idValuePairs.push({ id, value })
     }
 
-    const fallbackValues = await this.resolveOrderValuesBatch(filteredIds, orderAddress)
-    const idValuePairs = filteredIds.map(id => ({ id, value: fallbackValues.get(id) }))
-
     idValuePairs.sort((a, b) => this.compareAddressedValues(a.value, b.value, a.id, b.id, order))
 
     const sorted = idValuePairs.map(p => p.id)
@@ -2630,10 +2476,6 @@ export class MetadataIndexManager implements MetadataIndexProvider {
 
     // Check if we have anything else to flush
     if (this.dirtyFields.size === 0) {
-      // Nothing dirty — but a pending watermark still stamps (the registry
-      // + id-mapper writes above are the only bytes this pass touched, and
-      // they are durable at this point). Stamp-after-data holds.
-      await this.writePendingStamp()
       return // No dirty field indexes to flush
     }
 
@@ -2673,131 +2515,8 @@ export class MetadataIndexManager implements MetadataIndexProvider {
     if (this.columnStore) {
       await this.columnStore.flush()
     }
-
-    // STAMP-AFTER-DATA: the watermark stamp is the LAST write of the flush —
-    // every byte it certifies (field indexes, registry, id-mapper records,
-    // column-store segments) is durable before the stamp lands. A crash
-    // anywhere above leaves the artifact behind-stamped or unstamped, which
-    // verdicts as catchup/rescan on the next open — never a wrong adopt.
-    await this.writePendingStamp()
   }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Record the committed generation this projection reflects.
-   * The stamp is NOT written here — it is written as the final storage write
-   * of the next {@link flush} (stamp-after-data ordering is a module
-   * guarantee, not a caller obligation). The coordinator calls this with the
-   * store's committed generation right before flushing.
-   * @param generation - The committed generation every flushed byte reflects.
-   */
-  stampWatermark(generation: number): void {
-    this.pendingWatermark = generation
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description The projection's current watermark: the stamp loaded at
-   * init (or the last stamp durably written by this instance). Null =
-   * unstamped (legacy artifact, first boot, or stamping never wired).
-   */
-  watermark(): number | null {
-    return this.stampedWatermark
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description The three-way adoption verdict computed at init —
-   * `'adopt'` (stamped == committed, zero work), `'catchup'` (stamped <
-   * committed; the gap from {@link watermarkGap} awaits an incremental
-   * fold), `'rescan'` (unstamped or stamped above committed — never
-   * trusted). Null until init() has run. Computed and exposed only; no
-   * load behavior changes ride on it yet.
-   */
-  watermarkVerdict(): WatermarkVerdict | null {
-    return this.loadVerdict?.verdict ?? null
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description The catch-up window `(from, to]` when the init verdict was
-   * `'catchup'`; null otherwise.
-   */
-  watermarkGap(): { from: number; to: number } | null {
-    return this.loadVerdict?.gap ?? null
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Write the pending watermark stamp as a sidecar record —
-   * always called AFTER the data it certifies is durable. A stamp-write
-   * failure is fail-safe (the artifact stays unstamped/behind → rescan or
-   * catchup on next open, never a wrong adopt) but is said out loud and the
-   * pending stamp is retained for the next flush.
-   */
-  private async writePendingStamp(): Promise<void> {
-    if (this.pendingWatermark === null) return
-    const watermark = this.pendingWatermark
-    try {
-      await this.storage.saveMetadata(METADATA_INDEX_STAMP_KEY, {
-        noun: 'IndexWatermark',
-        ...makeProjectionStamp(watermark)
-      })
-      this.stampedWatermark = watermark
-      this.pendingWatermark = null
-    } catch (error) {
-      prodLog.error(
-        `[MetadataIndex] failed to write watermark stamp (generation ${watermark}) — ` +
-          `artifact stays behind-stamped (safe: verdicts catchup/rescan, never wrong-adopt); ` +
-          `retrying on next flush:`,
-        error
-      )
-    }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * @description Read the artifact's stamp and compute the three-way verdict
-   * against the store's committed generation. Unstamped state on a stamped
-   * store verdicts `'rescan'` LOUDLY — never a silent adopt.
-   *
-   * MIGRATION COST: existing pre-stamp brains verdict `'rescan'` exactly
-   * once (this open re-derives from source as it already does today); the
-   * next flush stamps them, and every later open adopts.
-   */
-  private async loadWatermarkVerdict(): Promise<void> {
-    const committed = this.storage.committedGeneration?.() ?? null
-    let stamped: number | null = null
-    try {
-      const record = await this.storage.getMetadata(METADATA_INDEX_STAMP_KEY)
-      stamped = readStampedWatermark(record)
-    } catch {
-      // An unreadable stamp is unstamped — the fail-safe direction.
-      stamped = null
-    }
-    const result = computeWatermarkVerdict(stamped, committed)
-    this.loadVerdict = result
-    this.stampedWatermark = stamped
-
-    if (result.verdict === 'rescan') {
-      const artifactPresent = this.fieldIndexes.size > 0 || stamped !== null
-      if (artifactPresent) {
-        prodLog.warn(
-          `[MetadataIndex] watermark verdict: RESCAN — persisted index is ` +
-            (stamped === null
-              ? 'unstamped (legacy pre-stamp artifact, or a crash between data and stamp)'
-              : `stamped at generation ${stamped}, ABOVE the store's committed generation ${committed}`) +
-            ` — never adopting unverifiable state`
-        )
-      } else {
-        prodLog.debug(
-          '[MetadataIndex] watermark verdict: rescan (no persisted artifact — first boot)'
-        )
-      }
-    } else if (result.verdict === 'catchup') {
-      prodLog.info(
-        `[MetadataIndex] watermark verdict: catchup — index stamped at generation ` +
-          `${stamped}, store committed at ${committed}; the (${stamped}, ${committed}] ` +
-          `window awaits an incremental fold (verdict exposed; the fold lands with the ` +
-          `coordinator's wiring)`
-      )
-    }
-  }
-
+  
   /**
    * Yield control back to the Node.js event loop
    * Prevents blocking during long-running operations
diff --git a/src/utils/paramValidation.ts b/src/utils/paramValidation.ts
index b8036746..359413d7 100644
--- a/src/utils/paramValidation.ts
+++ b/src/utils/paramValidation.ts
@@ -540,22 +540,6 @@ function rejectForgedSystemKeys(metadata: Record<string, unknown> | undefined, s
 
 export function validateAddParams(params: AddParams): void {
   rejectForgedSystemKeys(params.metadata as Record<string, unknown> | undefined, 'add()')
-  // MT5 deferred embedding: an explicit vector has nothing to defer, and a
-  // deferral without data has nothing to embed — both are caller bugs that
-  // must refuse with the fix, never be silently reinterpreted.
-  if ((params as AddParams & { deferEmbedding?: boolean }).deferEmbedding === true) {
-    if (params.vector) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `add(): deferEmbedding cannot be combined with an explicit 'vector' — ` +
-          `the vector is already computed; drop one of the two.`
-      )
-    }
-    if (!params.data) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `add(): deferEmbedding requires 'data' (the content the background worker will embed).`
-      )
-    }
-  }
   // Universal truth: must have data or vector
   if (!params.data && !params.vector) {
     throw new Error(
@@ -597,19 +581,6 @@ export function validateAddParams(params: AddParams): void {
  */
 export function validateUpdateParams(params: UpdateParams): void {
   rejectForgedSystemKeys(params.metadata as Record<string, unknown> | undefined, 'update()')
-  if ((params as UpdateParams & { deferEmbedding?: boolean }).deferEmbedding === true) {
-    if (params.vector) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `update(): deferEmbedding cannot be combined with an explicit 'vector' — ` +
-          `the vector is already computed; drop one of the two.`
-      )
-    }
-    if (!params.data) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `update(): deferEmbedding requires new 'data' — without a data change there is nothing to re-embed.`
-      )
-    }
-  }
   // Universal truth: must have an ID
   if (!params.id) {
     throw new Error('id is required for update')
diff --git a/src/utils/projectionWatermark.ts b/src/utils/projectionWatermark.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 1bd77aeb..00000000
--- a/src/utils/projectionWatermark.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,150 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module utils/projectionWatermark
- * @description The watermark-stamp contract shared by Brainy's persisted TS
- * projections (metadata index, JS HNSW vector index, graph adjacency index).
- *
- * THE LAW: every persisted projection artifact carries a stamp asserting
- * "this state reflects every committed generation ≤ watermark and nothing
- * above it, atomically". STAMP-AFTER-DATA: the stamp is written only after
- * every byte it certifies is durable — a crash between data and stamp leaves
- * the artifact unstamped, which verdicts as a rescan, never a wrong adopt.
- *
- * At load, each owner computes a three-way verdict against the store's
- * committed generation — the same rule and verdict names the aggregation
- * machinery ships (see `AggregationIndex.stateAdoptionVerdict`):
- *
- * - `'adopt'`   — stamped == committed (clean reopen, zero work), or the
- *                 store exposes no committed generation at all (pre-stamp
- *                 stores keep their pre-stamp behavior).
- * - `'catchup'` — stamped < committed (an unclean exit after later writes,
- *                 or a long-lived writer whose last stamp predates recent
- *                 commits). The artifact is exact AS OF its stamp, so the
- *                 missing window `(stamped, committed]` can be folded
- *                 incrementally — at-least-once idempotent, bounded by
- *                 writes since the stamp, never by store size.
- * - `'rescan'`  — unstamped (a legacy pre-stamp artifact, or a crash between
- *                 data and stamp) or stamped ABOVE committed (e.g. a log
- *                 truncation on a copied store pulled the watermark back):
- *                 the state over-claims unverifiably — one exact rescan,
- *                 said out loud, never a silent adopt.
- *
- * MIGRATION COST (stated once, honored by every owner): existing pre-stamp
- * brains verdict `'rescan'` exactly once — they re-derive from source on
- * that open, the next flush stamps them, and every later open adopts.
- *
- * The verdict is COMPUTED AND EXPOSED by each owner; acting on `'catchup'`
- * (the incremental fold) lands with the owner's coordinator wiring.
- */
-
-/** The three-way load verdict for a persisted projection artifact. */
-export type WatermarkVerdict = 'adopt' | 'catchup' | 'rescan'
-
-/**
- * Format version written into every projection stamp. Bump when the stamp
- * record's shape changes incompatibly; readers treat an unknown version as
- * unstamped (→ rescan) rather than guessing.
- */
-export const PROJECTION_STAMP_FORMAT_VERSION = 1
-
-/**
- * @description The stamp record a projection writes into (or beside) its
- * persisted artifact, always AFTER the data it certifies is durable.
- */
-export interface ProjectionStamp {
-  /** The committed generation this artifact reflects, exactly and entirely. */
-  watermark: number
-  /** {@link PROJECTION_STAMP_FORMAT_VERSION} at write time. */
-  formatVersion: number
-  /** Wall-clock ms at stamp write — diagnostic only, never load-bearing. */
-  stampedAt: number
-  /**
-   * Identity of the vector space for vector-bearing artifacts (the HNSW
-   * index). The JS index has no reachable embedding-model id in its module,
-   * so dimensions are the only identity it can honestly assert.
-   */
-  modelIdentity?: { embedModelId?: string; dimensions: number | null }
-}
-
-/** The verdict plus everything the owner needs to report or act on it. */
-export interface WatermarkVerdictResult {
-  verdict: WatermarkVerdict
-  /** Watermark read from the artifact's stamp; null = unstamped. */
-  stamped: number | null
-  /** The store's committed generation at load; null = no capability. */
-  committed: number | null
-  /** The catch-up window `(from, to]` when verdict is `'catchup'`, else null. */
-  gap: { from: number; to: number } | null
-}
-
-/**
- * @description Build a stamp record for a projection artifact.
- * @param watermark - The committed generation the artifact reflects.
- * @param modelIdentity - Vector-space identity for vector-bearing artifacts.
- * @returns The stamp record to persist (stamp-after-data).
- */
-export function makeProjectionStamp(
-  watermark: number,
-  modelIdentity?: ProjectionStamp['modelIdentity']
-): ProjectionStamp {
-  const stamp: ProjectionStamp = {
-    watermark,
-    formatVersion: PROJECTION_STAMP_FORMAT_VERSION,
-    stampedAt: Date.now()
-  }
-  if (modelIdentity !== undefined) stamp.modelIdentity = modelIdentity
-  return stamp
-}
-
-/**
- * @description Read the stamped watermark out of a persisted record, treating
- * anything malformed (missing, wrong type, non-finite, negative, or an
- * unknown format version) as unstamped — the fail-safe direction is rescan,
- * never a guessed adopt.
- * @param record - The raw persisted record (or null/undefined).
- * @returns The stamped watermark, or null if effectively unstamped.
- */
-export function readStampedWatermark(record: unknown): number | null {
-  if (record === null || typeof record !== 'object') return null
-  const rec = record as Record<string, unknown>
-  const version = rec.formatVersion
-  if (typeof version !== 'number' || version > PROJECTION_STAMP_FORMAT_VERSION) {
-    return null
-  }
-  const raw = rec.watermark
-  if (typeof raw !== 'number' || !Number.isFinite(raw) || raw < 0) return null
-  return raw
-}
-
-/**
- * @description The three-way adoption verdict — the single decision rule
- * every stamped projection shares (mirrors the aggregation machinery's
- * `stateAdoptionVerdict` exactly: same names, same directions).
- * @param stamped - Watermark read from the artifact ({@link readStampedWatermark}).
- * @param committed - The store's committed generation (null = no capability).
- * @returns The verdict with the stamped/committed pair and the catch-up gap.
- */
-export function computeWatermarkVerdict(
-  stamped: number | null,
-  committed: number | null
-): WatermarkVerdictResult {
-  // No committed-generation capability: hash/shape checks are the only
-  // adoption gate, exactly the pre-stamp behavior. Never fail a store that
-  // cannot express the question.
-  if (committed === null) {
-    return { verdict: 'adopt', stamped, committed, gap: null }
-  }
-  if (stamped === committed) {
-    return { verdict: 'adopt', stamped, committed, gap: null }
-  }
-  if (stamped !== null && stamped < committed) {
-    return {
-      verdict: 'catchup',
-      stamped,
-      committed,
-      gap: { from: stamped, to: committed }
-    }
-  }
-  // Unstamped, or stamped above committed: unverifiable — rescan, loudly
-  // (the caller owns the loud log so it can name its projection).
-  return { verdict: 'rescan', stamped, committed, gap: null }
-}
diff --git a/src/vfs/VirtualFileSystem.ts b/src/vfs/VirtualFileSystem.ts
index ed272109..00bddefb 100644
--- a/src/vfs/VirtualFileSystem.ts
+++ b/src/vfs/VirtualFileSystem.ts
@@ -694,12 +694,6 @@ export class VirtualFileSystem implements IVirtualFileSystem {
       await this.brain.update({
         id: existingId,
         data: embeddingData,
-        // MT5: the caller's write acks at durability; the re-embed (a neural
-        // net — it dominated the measured 5.6s p50 per file write) runs on
-        // the background worker and swaps in atomically. Content is readable
-        // and metadata-findable immediately; semantic search converges when
-        // the embed lands (eventual vector index, the documented contract).
-        deferEmbedding: true,
         metadata
       })
 
@@ -735,9 +729,6 @@ export class VirtualFileSystem implements IVirtualFileSystem {
         data: embeddingData,  // Always provide string for embeddings
         type: this.getFileNounType(mimeType),
         subtype: 'vfs-file',  // Standard subtype for VFS file entities (7.30+)
-        // MT5: ack at durability; embedding backgrounds (see the overwrite
-        // branch note above).
-        deferEmbedding: true,
         metadata
       })
 
@@ -1126,9 +1117,6 @@ export class VirtualFileSystem implements IVirtualFileSystem {
         data: path,  // Directory path as string content
         type: NounType.Collection,
         subtype: 'vfs-directory',  // Standard subtype for VFS directory entities (7.30+)
-        // MT5: a directory creation on a write path must not wait on the
-        // embedder either — same ack-at-durability contract as file writes.
-        deferEmbedding: true,
         metadata
       })
 
diff --git a/tests/conformance/golden-log-fold.test.ts b/tests/conformance/golden-log-fold.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index c480bee5..00000000
--- a/tests/conformance/golden-log-fold.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,170 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/conformance/golden-log-fold
- * @description THE GOLDEN-LOG FOLD-CONFORMANCE ORACLE (brainy leg).
- *
- * One deterministic v2 log — fixed ids, ints, timestamps, vectors — whose
- * ENCODED BYTES and whose FOLDED STATE are both pinned by content hash.
- * The second (native) reader implementation consumes the identical fixture
- * (tests/fixtures/golden-log-v2.bin, written and verified here) and must
- * produce the identical fold digest; the pair is normative on disagreement.
- *
- * What the pins catch, loudly:
- * - Any byte drift in the encoder (envelope, msgpack layout, seals, CRC).
- * - Any semantic drift in the fold (tombstone masking, vector landing,
- *   sameAsGeneration resolution, last-writer-wins ordering).
- * - Any divergence between the two implementations, before the cut.
- *
- * The pinned hashes change ONLY with a deliberate, versioned format or
- * fold-law change — never silently. Updating them requires updating the
- * fixture AND the native side in the same train.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest'
-import { createHash } from 'node:crypto'
-import { readFileSync, writeFileSync, existsSync, mkdirSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { join, dirname } from 'node:path'
-import {
-  encodeFactV2,
-  encodeSegmentHeaderV2,
-  sealGroup,
-  decodeGroupV2,
-  SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES,
-  type CommitFactV2,
-  type LogRecord
-} from '../../src/db/factLogFormat.js'
-import { recordDigest } from '../../src/db/logAuthority.js'
-
-const FIXTURE = join(__dirname, '../fixtures/golden-log-v2.bin')
-
-const sha256 = (b: Uint8Array): string => createHash('sha256').update(b).digest('hex')
-
-// Fixed identities — never regenerate.
-const BRAIN = '00000000-0000-4000-8000-00000000b1a1'
-const A = '00000000-0000-4000-8000-0000000000a1'
-const B = '00000000-0000-4000-8000-0000000000b2'
-const C = '00000000-0000-4000-8000-0000000000c3'
-const V = '00000000-0000-4000-8000-0000000000d4'
-
-const vec = (seed: number): number[] => [seed + 0.25, seed + 0.5, seed + 0.75]
-
-/** The golden fact sequence — every fold-relevant behavior in nine facts. */
-function goldenFacts(): CommitFactV2[] {
-  const f = (generation: number, records: LogRecord[]): CommitFactV2 => ({
-    generation,
-    timestamp: 1_700_000_000_000 + generation,
-    records
-  })
-  return [
-    f(1, [{ type: 'log.genesis', idSpaceWidth: 64, brainId: BRAIN, createdAt: 1_700_000_000_000 }]),
-    f(2, [{ type: 'noun.afterImage', id: A, entityInt: 1n, metadata: { name: 'alpha', rank: 1 }, vectorLeg: vec(1) }]),
-    f(3, [
-      { type: 'noun.afterImage', id: B, entityInt: 2n, metadata: { name: 'beta' }, vectorLeg: null },
-      { type: 'embed.pending', id: B, enqueuedAt: 1_700_000_000_003 }
-    ]),
-    // A metadata-only update: the vector rides by reference to generation 2.
-    f(4, [{ type: 'noun.afterImage', id: A, entityInt: 1n, metadata: { name: 'alpha', rank: 2 }, vectorLeg: { sameAsGeneration: 2 } }]),
-    // B's deferred vector lands.
-    f(5, [{ type: 'embed.landed', id: B, vector: vec(9) }]),
-    // A relationship.
-    f(6, [{ type: 'verb.afterImage', id: V, verbInt: 3n, metadata: { w: 0.5 }, vectorLeg: null, verb: 'relatedTo', sourceId: A, sourceInt: 1n, targetId: B, targetInt: 2n }]),
-    // C exists briefly…
-    f(7, [{ type: 'noun.afterImage', id: C, entityInt: 4n, metadata: { name: 'gamma' }, vectorLeg: vec(7) }]),
-    // …and is tombstoned (masking must hold in the fold).
-    f(8, [{ type: 'noun.tombstone', id: C }]),
-    // An all-deduped batch: a real generation with zero records.
-    f(9, [])
-  ]
-}
-
-/** Build the golden segment: v2 header + sealed frame group. */
-function goldenSegment(): Uint8Array {
-  // Single-hop law: generation 2 carried A's inline vector (5 carries B's
-  // via embed.landed); the ref in generation 4 must verify against it.
-  const inline = new Set([2, 5, 7])
-  const frames = goldenFacts().map((fact) => encodeFactV2(fact, { inlineVectorGenerations: inline }))
-  const sealed = sealGroup(frames, 4096)
-  const out = new Uint8Array(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES + sealed.length)
-  out.set(encodeSegmentHeaderV2(1, 4096), 0)
-  out.set(sealed, SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES)
-  return out
-}
-
-/**
- * THE FOLD LAW (shared with the native implementation, normative):
- * fold facts in generation order → per-id latest state with tombstone
- * masking; embed.landed applies the vector to the id's current state;
- * {sameAsGeneration: N} resolves to the inline vector the log carried at N;
- * verbs fold like nouns under their own ids. Digest = recordDigest (key-
- * sorted JSON sha256) of the id-sorted state map.
- */
-function foldGoldenLog(bytes: Uint8Array): string {
-  const group = decodeGroupV2(bytes.slice(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES))
-  const state = new Map<string, Record<string, unknown>>()
-  const inlineVectorAt = new Map<number, number[]>()
-  for (const fact of group.facts) {
-    for (const rec of fact.records) {
-      if (rec.type === 'noun.afterImage' || rec.type === 'verb.afterImage') {
-        let vector: number[] | null = null
-        if (Array.isArray(rec.vectorLeg)) {
-          vector = rec.vectorLeg
-          inlineVectorAt.set(fact.generation, vector)
-        } else if (rec.vectorLeg && typeof rec.vectorLeg === 'object' && 'sameAsGeneration' in rec.vectorLeg) {
-          vector = inlineVectorAt.get((rec.vectorLeg as { sameAsGeneration: number }).sameAsGeneration) ?? null
-        }
-        state.set(rec.id, {
-          kind: rec.type === 'noun.afterImage' ? 'noun' : 'verb',
-          int: (rec.type === 'noun.afterImage'
-            ? (rec as { entityInt: bigint }).entityInt
-            : (rec as { verbInt: bigint }).verbInt
-          ).toString(),
-          metadata: rec.metadata,
-          vector,
-          generation: fact.generation
-        })
-      } else if (rec.type === 'noun.tombstone' || rec.type === 'verb.tombstone') {
-        state.delete(rec.id)
-      } else if (rec.type === 'embed.landed') {
-        const cur = state.get(rec.id)
-        if (cur) state.set(rec.id, { ...cur, vector: rec.vector, generation: fact.generation })
-        inlineVectorAt.set(fact.generation, rec.vector)
-      }
-      // embed.pending / genesis / blob / projection notes carry no fold state here.
-    }
-  }
-  const sorted = [...state.entries()].sort(([x], [y]) => (x < y ? -1 : 1))
-  return recordDigest(sorted)
-}
-
-// ── THE PINS ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-// Byte-exact encode + semantics-exact fold. These literals are the contract.
-const GOLDEN_BYTES_SHA256 = 'f898ed29f6f7d41135c6c85eb07725348b20cf8efec5f050ff50ad6d54a09dad'
-const GOLDEN_FOLD_DIGEST = 'fad1b1d9865d6c9c84493c5481599ebd39b7ecf4cd203af4c435dfea7cd78ed4'
-
-describe('golden-log fold conformance (brainy leg)', () => {
-  it('the encoder reproduces the golden bytes exactly', () => {
-    const seg = goldenSegment()
-    expect(seg.length % 4096, 'sealed to the sector boundary (header excluded)').toBe(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES % 4096)
-    expect(sha256(seg)).toBe(GOLDEN_BYTES_SHA256)
-  })
-
-  it('the fixture on disk is byte-identical (the shared artifact both readers consume)', () => {
-    const seg = goldenSegment()
-    if (!existsSync(FIXTURE)) {
-      mkdirSync(dirname(FIXTURE), { recursive: true })
-      writeFileSync(FIXTURE, seg)
-    }
-    const onDisk = new Uint8Array(readFileSync(FIXTURE))
-    expect(sha256(onDisk), 'fixture bytes match the encoder').toBe(GOLDEN_BYTES_SHA256)
-  })
-
-  it('folding the golden log yields the pinned state digest', () => {
-    expect(foldGoldenLog(goldenSegment())).toBe(GOLDEN_FOLD_DIGEST)
-  })
-
-  it('fold semantics spot-checks (human-readable guardrails beside the hash)', () => {
-    const group = decodeGroupV2(goldenSegment().slice(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES))
-    expect(group.facts.length, 'nine facts, pads invisible').toBe(9)
-    const gens = group.facts.map((f) => f.generation)
-    expect(gens).toEqual([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9])
-    expect(group.facts[8].records).toEqual([])
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/fixtures/golden-log-v2.bin b/tests/fixtures/golden-log-v2.bin
deleted file mode 100644
index c1e4cabd..00000000
Binary files a/tests/fixtures/golden-log-v2.bin and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/tests/helpers/durabilityKillMatrix.ts b/tests/helpers/durabilityKillMatrix.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index c4af622a..00000000
--- a/tests/helpers/durabilityKillMatrix.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,210 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/helpers/durabilityKillMatrix
- * @description Shared machinery for the durability kill-matrix suite
- * (tests/integration/durability-kill-matrix.test.ts): open filesystem brains
- * with fully explicit durability (no background cadence, no embedder), arm
- * the generation store's test-only commit fault injector at one exact phase,
- * abandon a "crashed" brain the way a dead process would (its RAM is gone,
- * nothing flushes, nothing closes), and read the fact log / on-disk state the
- * recovery assertions pin.
- *
- * The crash model is PROCESS DEATH: in-memory state is lost, file bytes the
- * process already handed to the OS survive. One helper additionally models
- * POWER LOSS for a chosen entity by removing its canonical files — legal,
- * because single-op canonical writes are tmp+rename WITHOUT fsync, and a
- * rename that was never fsynced may surface as "no directory entry" after
- * power loss.
- */
-import * as fs from 'node:fs'
-import * as os from 'node:os'
-import * as path from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
-import type { CommitFaultPhase, GenerationStore } from '../../src/db/generationStore.js'
-
-/** The error a throwing fault injector uses to simulate a process crash. */
-export class SimulatedCrash extends Error {
-  constructor(phase: CommitFaultPhase) {
-    super(`simulated process crash at ${phase}`)
-    this.name = 'SimulatedCrash'
-  }
-}
-
-/** Deterministic 384-dim vector so no test ever invokes the embedder. */
-export function vec(seed: number): number[] {
-  return Array.from({ length: 384 }, (_, i) => ((seed * 31 + i * 7) % 100) / 100)
-}
-
-/**
- * Map a readable label to a deterministic UUID-shaped id (entity ids must be
- * UUIDs — the sharded storage layout derives the shard from the UUID hex).
- */
-export function uid(label: string): string {
-  let h1 = 0x811c9dc5
-  for (let i = 0; i < label.length; i++) {
-    h1 = Math.imul(h1 ^ label.charCodeAt(i), 0x01000193) >>> 0
-  }
-  let h2 = 0xdeadbeef
-  for (let i = label.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
-    h2 = Math.imul(h2 ^ label.charCodeAt(i), 0x85ebca6b) >>> 0
-  }
-  const hex = h1.toString(16).padStart(8, '0') + h2.toString(16).padStart(8, '0')
-  return `00000000-0000-4000-8000-${hex.slice(0, 12)}`
-}
-
-/** Create a fresh temp directory for one brain's storage root. */
-export function makeTempDir(): string {
-  return fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'brainy-kill-matrix-'))
-}
-
-/**
- * Open a writer brain over `dir` with every implicit durability knob off:
- * persistence policy 'manual' (the engine never flushes on its own, so every
- * durable transition in a test is an explicit `flush()`/commit), deterministic
- * embeddings (tests always pass explicit vectors anyway), silent logs — and
- * `logAuthority: 'defer'` (the explicit opt-out of the 10.0.0 adopt-at-open
- * fleet default), so the durability POSTURE is explicit per row too: rows
- * pinning deferred/tree recovery semantics get exactly that, and at-ack rows
- * engage log authority via `flipToAtAck`. The fleet default's open-time
- * adoption would inject a baseline-backfill generation into every floor
- * computation and pre-flip every row.
- */
-export async function openBrain(
-  dir: string,
-  opts?: { logAuthority?: 'adopt' | 'defer' }
-): Promise<Brainy> {
-  process.env.BRAINY_DETERMINISTIC_EMBEDDINGS = 'true'
-  const brain = new Brainy({
-    requireSubtype: false,
-    storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir },
-    silent: true,
-    persistence: { policy: 'manual' },
-    logAuthority: opts?.logAuthority ?? 'defer'
-  })
-  await brain.init()
-  return brain
-}
-
-/** Typed access to the brain's private generation store (test injection point). */
-export function storeOf(brain: Brainy): GenerationStore {
-  return (brain as unknown as { generationStore: GenerationStore }).generationStore
-}
-
-/**
- * Arm the commit fault injector to simulate a process crash at EXACTLY one
- * phase (all other phases pass through untouched). Returns the list of phases
- * observed before (and including) the trip, so a test can assert the fault
- * actually fired where intended.
- */
-export function armCrash(brain: Brainy, phase: CommitFaultPhase): { fired: CommitFaultPhase[] } {
-  const fired: CommitFaultPhase[] = []
-  storeOf(brain).setCommitFaultInjector((p) => {
-    fired.push(p)
-    if (p === phase) {
-      throw new SimulatedCrash(p)
-    }
-  })
-  return { fired }
-}
-
-/**
- * Abandon a crashed brain the way process death would: its buffered RAM state
- * is discarded and no background machinery may ever touch the storage
- * directory again (a dead process cannot flush). The fault injector stays
- * installed so any in-flight commit path still "crashes". Serialized behind
- * the store's commit mutex so an interleaved background flush cannot be
- * severed mid-section.
- *
- * NEVER calls close() — graceful close is exactly what a crash denies.
- */
-export async function abandonAsCrashed(brain: Brainy): Promise<void> {
-  const store = storeOf(brain) as unknown as {
-    withMutex<R>(fn: () => Promise<R>): Promise<R>
-    clearPendingFlushTimer(): void
-    pendingGens: number[]
-    pendingBuffer: Map<number, unknown>
-  }
-  await store.withMutex(async () => {
-    store.clearPendingFlushTimer()
-    store.pendingGens = []
-    store.pendingBuffer.clear()
-  })
-}
-
-/**
- * Every generation present in the brain's fact log, ascending — the suite's
- * "what does the log claim is committed" probe. Empty when no fact log exists.
- * A scan abort (gap detection) propagates — callers that PIN gap behavior
- * catch it themselves.
- */
-export async function factGenerations(brain: Brainy): Promise<number[]> {
-  const scan = brain.scanFacts({ fromGeneration: 1 })
-  if (!scan) return []
-  const gens: number[] = []
-  for await (const batch of scan.batches()) {
-    for (const fact of batch.facts) gens.push(fact.generation)
-  }
-  return gens.sort((a, b) => a - b)
-}
-
-/** An ENOSPC-shaped error, matching what a full disk surfaces from node:fs. */
-export function enospcError(): NodeJS.ErrnoException {
-  const err = new Error("ENOSPC: no space left on device, write") as NodeJS.ErrnoException
-  err.code = 'ENOSPC'
-  err.errno = -28
-  err.syscall = 'write'
-  return err
-}
-
-/**
- * Make the storage adapter's next raw-byte append (the fact-log append path)
- * fail once with ENOSPC, then restore the original — "the disk filled for one
- * append, then space was freed". Returns a probe telling how many appends
- * were failed.
- */
-export function failNextAppendWithEnospc(brain: Brainy): { failed: () => number } {
-  const storage = (brain as unknown as {
-    storage: { appendRawBytes(p: string, b: Uint8Array): Promise<void> }
-  }).storage
-  const original = storage.appendRawBytes.bind(storage)
-  let failures = 0
-  storage.appendRawBytes = async (p: string, b: Uint8Array): Promise<void> => {
-    storage.appendRawBytes = original
-    failures++
-    throw enospcError()
-  }
-  return { failed: () => failures }
-}
-
-/**
- * POWER-LOSS MODEL for one entity: remove its canonical noun files from the
- * storage root. Legal disk state — a single-op write's canonical bytes are
- * tmp+rename WITHOUT fsync (only `transact()` runs the write barrier), and an
- * un-fsynced rename may resolve to "no directory entry" after power loss.
- * Throws when nothing was removed (the caller's premise would be wrong).
- */
-export function dropCanonicalNoun(dir: string, id: string): void {
-  const removed: string[] = []
-  const walk = (p: string): void => {
-    for (const entry of fs.readdirSync(p, { withFileTypes: true })) {
-      const full = path.join(p, entry.name)
-      if (entry.isDirectory()) {
-        if (entry.name === id) {
-          fs.rmSync(full, { recursive: true, force: true })
-          removed.push(full)
-        } else {
-          walk(full)
-        }
-      }
-    }
-  }
-  const nounsRoot = path.join(dir, 'entities', 'nouns')
-  if (fs.existsSync(nounsRoot)) walk(nounsRoot)
-  if (removed.length === 0) {
-    throw new Error(`power-loss model: no canonical files found for noun ${id} under ${nounsRoot}`)
-  }
-}
-
-/** True when the staged record-set directory for `gen` exists on disk. */
-export function generationDirExists(dir: string, gen: number): boolean {
-  return fs.existsSync(path.join(dir, '_generations', String(gen)))
-}
diff --git a/tests/integration/adopt-drift-cure.test.ts b/tests/integration/adopt-drift-cure.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index fb154574..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/adopt-drift-cure.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,107 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/adopt-drift-cure
- * @description THE DRIFT-CURING BACKFILL — the actual completion of the
- * default-flip ruling: existing brains whose canonical wrappers carry
- * pre-hydration-law drift (denormalized fields disagreeing with their own
- * metadata leg — the real depot-brain shape, uuid-v7 rows from the 9.0 era)
- * must ADOPT AUTOMATICALLY: the backfill rewrites canonical in the law
- * shape (metadata leg = the authority; floats preserved), the oracle then
- * verifies the rewrite before flipping. Same safety, zero operator chores.
- * Log-ahead divergences still refuse as before.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const dirs: string[] = []
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-})
-
-type RawBox = {
-  storage: {
-    readNounRaw(id: string): Promise<{ metadata: unknown; vector: unknown }>
-    writeNounRaw(id: string, r: { metadata: unknown; vector: unknown }): Promise<void>
-  }
-}
-
-describe('adoption cures hydration-law drift automatically', () => {
-  it('a drifted wrapper (stale denormalized fields) adopts green with floats preserved', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-drift-cure-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = new Brainy({
-      storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir },
-      requireSubtype: false,
-      logAuthority: 'defer'
-    })
-    await brain.init()
-    brains.push(brain)
-    const id = await brain.add({
-      data: 'early-era row with drift',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      metadata: { k: 1 }
-    })
-    await brain.flush()
-    const before = await brain.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-    const floats = [...(before!.vector as number[])]
-    expect(floats.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-
-    // Manufacture the depot shape: the stored wrapper's denormalized fields
-    // disagree with the metadata leg (pre-hydration-law drift) — an as-is
-    // identity re-commit preserves this forever; the law-shape rewrite cures it.
-    const storage = (brain as unknown as RawBox).storage
-    const raw = await storage.readNounRaw(id)
-    const wrapper = raw.vector as Record<string, unknown>
-    await storage.writeNounRaw(id, {
-      metadata: raw.metadata,
-      vector: {
-        ...wrapper,
-        noun: 'thing', // stale denormalized type (metadata leg says document)
-        legacyField: 'pre-law residue',
-        createdAt: '1999-01-01T00:00:00.000Z'
-      }
-    })
-    // Confirm the drift is oracle-visible before the cure.
-    expect((await brain.verifyLogAuthority()).verdict, 'drift detected').toBe('red')
-
-    // THE PIN: adoption cures it without any operator step.
-    const report = await brain.adoptLogAuthority()
-    expect(report.verdict).toBe('green')
-    expect(brain.logAuthority().authority).toBe('log')
-
-    // Nothing degraded: floats byte-identical, metadata intact, row serves.
-    const after = await brain.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-    expect(after!.vector as number[], 'floats preserved through the cure').toEqual(floats)
-    expect((after!.metadata as { k: number }).k).toBe(1)
-    expect((await brain.find({ where: { k: 1 }, limit: 5 })).map((r) => r.id)).toContain(id)
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('log-ahead divergences still refuse — the backfill never papers over a log the witness denies', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-logahead-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = new Brainy({
-      storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir },
-      requireSubtype: false,
-      logAuthority: 'defer'
-    })
-    await brain.init()
-    brains.push(brain)
-    const id = await brain.add({ data: 'row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { k: 1 } })
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    // Log-ahead shape: canonical loses the record while the log still
-    // claims it live (log-live-canonical-absent — NOT curable by baseline).
-    const storage = (brain as unknown as RawBox).storage
-    await storage.writeNounRaw(id, { metadata: null, vector: null })
-
-    await expect(brain.adoptLogAuthority()).rejects.toThrow(
-      /log-ahead|witness denies|log claims/i
-    )
-    expect(brain.logAuthority().authority).toBe('tree')
-  }, 120000)
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/aggregation-lifecycle-catchup.test.ts b/tests/integration/aggregation-lifecycle-catchup.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index d4f9e6bf..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/aggregation-lifecycle-catchup.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,143 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/aggregation-lifecycle-catchup
- * @description THE AGGREGATION LIFECYCLE PINS (SELF-ENGINE-LIFECYCLE-SPRINT /
- * BRAINY-PROD-LATENCY-TRIAD asks (a)+(b)). The production disease: the
- * aggregation stamp persisted ONLY at close(), so a long-lived writer that
- * flushes but never closes left its stamp behind after every write window —
- * and the exact-match adoption rule then forced a WHOLE-STORE backfill walk
- * (per-entity work, measured >60s and door-starving on a 9k-row production
- * brain) on the first stats call after any unclean exit.
- *
- * The cures pinned here:
- * (a) `brain.flush()` persists aggregation state, stamped at the committed
- *     generation — the stamp tracks every flush, not just close().
- * (b) BEHIND-stamp state is ADOPTED and reconciled INCREMENTALLY over its
- *     exact missing window (fact-log affected ids + time-travel before/after
- *     reads) — the full walk never runs for an unclean exit. Pinned by call
- *     shape (the walk spy), not by latency.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const AGG = {
-  name: 'by_subtype',
-  source: { type: NounType.Document },
-  groupBy: ['system.subtype'] as string[],
-  metrics: { count: { op: 'count' as const } }
-}
-
-const dirs: string[] = []
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-
-async function open(dir: string): Promise<Brainy> {
-  const b = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir }, requireSubtype: false })
-  await b.init()
-  brains.push(b)
-  return b
-}
-
-function countFor(results: Array<{ groupKey: Record<string, unknown>; metrics: Record<string, unknown> }>, subtype: string): number {
-  const row = results.find(r => r.groupKey['system.subtype'] === subtype)
-  return row ? Number(row.metrics.count) : 0
-}
-
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-})
-
-describe('aggregation lifecycle — flush stamps, behind-stamp catches up incrementally', () => {
-  it('(a) brain.flush() persists aggregation state stamped at the committed generation', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-agg-flush-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = await open(dir)
-    brain.defineAggregate(AGG)
-    await brain.add({ data: 'a', type: NounType.Document, subtype: 'invoice', metadata: {} })
-    await brain.add({ data: 'b', type: NounType.Document, subtype: 'invoice', metadata: {} })
-    await brain.queryAggregate(AGG.name) // settle backfill-on-define
-
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    const internals = brain as unknown as {
-      storage: {
-        getMetadata(k: string): Promise<{ sourceGeneration?: number } | null>
-        committedGeneration?(): number
-      }
-    }
-    const persisted = await internals.storage.getMetadata('__aggregation_state_by_subtype__')
-    expect(persisted, 'state persisted by flush(), not only close()').toBeTruthy()
-    expect(
-      persisted!.sourceGeneration,
-      'stamp equals the committed generation at flush time'
-    ).toBe(internals.storage.committedGeneration?.())
-  })
-
-  it('(b) an unclean exit reconciles incrementally — exact counts, ZERO full-store walks', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-agg-catchup-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-
-    // Session 1: define + write + flush (stamps at G), then MORE writes of
-    // every kind (add / update-that-moves-groups / delete) and a clean close
-    // — but we then REWIND the persisted aggregation artifact to its at-G
-    // bytes, which is byte-for-byte the unclean-exit state: stamp G, store
-    // committed at G+k.
-    let brain = await open(dir)
-    brain.defineAggregate(AGG)
-    await brain.add({ data: 'a', type: NounType.Document, subtype: 'invoice', metadata: {} })
-    await brain.add({ data: 'b', type: NounType.Document, subtype: 'invoice', metadata: {} })
-    const moving = await brain.add({ data: 'c', type: NounType.Document, subtype: 'draft', metadata: {} })
-    const doomed = await brain.add({ data: 'd', type: NounType.Document, subtype: 'draft', metadata: {} })
-    await brain.queryAggregate(AGG.name)
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    const internals = brain as unknown as {
-      storage: {
-        getMetadata(k: string): Promise<Record<string, unknown> | null>
-        saveMetadata(k: string, v: Record<string, unknown>): Promise<void>
-      }
-    }
-    const stateAtG = JSON.parse(
-      JSON.stringify(await internals.storage.getMetadata('__aggregation_state_by_subtype__'))
-    )
-
-    // The missing window: one add, one group-moving update, one delete.
-    await brain.add({ data: 'e', type: NounType.Document, subtype: 'invoice', metadata: {} })
-    await brain.update({ id: moving, subtype: 'invoice' })
-    await brain.remove(doomed)
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    // Rewind the aggregation artifact to the at-G bytes (the unclean exit).
-    {
-      const reopenForRewind = await open(dir)
-      const rw = reopenForRewind as unknown as typeof internals
-      await rw.storage.saveMetadata('__aggregation_state_by_subtype__', stateAtG)
-      await reopenForRewind.close()
-      brains.pop()
-    }
-
-    // Session 2: reopen — adoption must see BEHIND and reconcile, never walk.
-    brain = await open(dir)
-    brain.defineAggregate(AGG)
-    const walkSpy = vi.spyOn(
-      brain as unknown as { runAggregationBackfillWalk(): Promise<void> },
-      'runAggregationBackfillWalk'
-    )
-
-    const results = await brain.queryAggregate(AGG.name)
-
-    // Ground truth after the window: invoice = a,b,e + moved c = 4; draft = 0
-    // (c moved out, d deleted).
-    expect(countFor(results as never, 'invoice'), 'invoice count exact after catch-up').toBe(4)
-    expect(countFor(results as never, 'draft'), 'draft count exact after catch-up').toBe(0)
-
-    // THE CALL-SHAPE PIN: the whole-store walk never ran.
-    expect(walkSpy, 'full backfill walk must not run for a behind-stamp reopen').not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-
-    vi.restoreAllMocks()
-  }, 120000)
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/asof-semantic-recall.test.ts b/tests/integration/asof-semantic-recall.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 35805326..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/asof-semantic-recall.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,140 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/asof-semantic-recall
- * @description AS-OF SEMANTIC RECALL — the time-travel row of the release:
- * vector/semantic search at a pinned past generation, served EXACTLY.
- *
- * The contract pinned here (brainy-alone leg; the accelerated-provider leg
- * carries the same semantics at scale):
- * 1. PAST VECTORS ARE THE PAST'S VECTORS: a later re-embed/update never
- *    leaks into an earlier pin — asOf(G) ranks by the vectors as they
- *    stood at G, byte-exact.
- * 2. TOMBSTONE MASKING: a row deleted after G is FOUND at G; a row deleted
- *    at or before G is ABSENT at G.
- * 3. THE DEFERRED-EMBED CELL of the visibility matrix: at pins before the
- *    vector landed the row's VECTOR LEG serves the stub (text/metadata
- *    legs may still surface it — triple intelligence by design); the real
- *    vector serves only at and after its landing pin. No backward leak.
- * 4. TYPED REFUSAL beyond the log head — never a silent latest.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-
-async function memBrain(): Promise<Brainy> {
-  const b = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'memory' }, requireSubtype: false })
-  await b.init()
-  brains.push(b)
-  return b
-}
-
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-})
-
-describe('as-of semantic recall', () => {
-  it('PAST VECTORS EXACT: a later update never leaks into an earlier pin', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    const id = await brain.add({
-      data: 'crimson apples in the orchard',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      metadata: { epoch: 'old' }
-    })
-    const g1 = brain.generation()
-    const v1 = [...(((await brain.get(id, { includeVectors: true }))!.vector) as number[])]
-
-    await brain.update({ id, data: 'deep blue ocean currents', metadata: { epoch: 'new' } })
-    const g2 = brain.generation()
-    const v2 = (await brain.get(id, { includeVectors: true }))!.vector as number[]
-    expect(v2, 'the update really re-embedded').not.toEqual(v1)
-
-    // The pin: at G1 the row carries its ORIGINAL vector and content.
-    const dbPast = await brain.asOf(g1)
-    const past = await dbPast.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-    expect(past, 'row exists at G1').toBeTruthy()
-    expect(past!.vector as number[], 'as-of vector is byte-exact the OLD vector').toEqual(v1)
-    expect((past!.metadata as { epoch: string }).epoch).toBe('old')
-
-    // Semantic search at G1 finds it via the OLD content; at G2 via the new.
-    const hitsOld = await dbPast.find({ query: 'crimson apples in the orchard', limit: 3 })
-    expect(hitsOld.map((r) => r.id), 'old content recalls at G1').toContain(id)
-    const dbNow = await brain.asOf(g2)
-    const hitsNew = await dbNow.find({ query: 'deep blue ocean currents', limit: 3 })
-    expect(hitsNew.map((r) => r.id), 'new content recalls at G2').toContain(id)
-    await dbPast.release()
-    await dbNow.release()
-  })
-
-  it('TOMBSTONE MASKING: deleted-after-G is found at G; deleted-before-G is absent', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    const doomed = await brain.add({
-      data: 'ephemeral meteor shower observation',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      metadata: {}
-    })
-    const keeper = await brain.add({
-      data: 'permanent granite mountain survey',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      metadata: {}
-    })
-    const gBoth = brain.generation()
-    await brain.remove(doomed)
-    const gAfter = brain.generation()
-
-    const dbBoth = await brain.asOf(gBoth)
-    const atBoth = await dbBoth.find({ query: 'ephemeral meteor shower observation', limit: 5 })
-    expect(atBoth.map((r) => r.id), 'pre-delete pin still recalls the row').toContain(doomed)
-
-    const dbAfter = await brain.asOf(gAfter)
-    const atAfter = await dbAfter.find({ query: 'ephemeral meteor shower observation', limit: 5 })
-    expect(atAfter.map((r) => r.id), 'post-delete pin masks the tombstoned row').not.toContain(doomed)
-    expect((await dbAfter.find({ query: 'permanent granite mountain survey', limit: 5 })).map((r) => r.id)).toContain(keeper)
-    await dbBoth.release()
-    await dbAfter.release()
-  })
-
-  it('DEFERRED-EMBED CELL: semantically absent before the vector landed, present after — never a stub match', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    // Anchor row so the semantic search always has a corpus.
-    await brain.add({ data: 'unrelated anchor topic entirely', type: NounType.Document, metadata: {} })
-
-    const id = await brain.add({
-      data: 'deferred saffron sunrise essay',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      deferEmbedding: true,
-      metadata: {}
-    })
-    const gAck = brain.generation()
-    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-    const gLanded = brain.generation()
-    expect(gLanded, 'the landed vector is its own generation').toBeGreaterThan(gAck)
-
-    // At the ack generation: metadata-visible, and the VECTOR LEG carries
-    // the stub (the visibility matrix's AT-EMBED cell governs the vector
-    // leg — find({query})'s text/metadata legs may legitimately still
-    // surface the row, that is triple intelligence working as designed;
-    // what must NEVER happen is a stub vector ranking as a real one).
-    const dbAck = await brain.asOf(gAck)
-    const metaHits = await dbAck.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })
-    expect(metaHits.map((r) => r.id), 'metadata-visible at ack pin').toContain(id)
-    const ackRow = await dbAck.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-    expect((ackRow!.vector as number[]).length, 'the as-of vector at the ack pin is the stub — no vector leaked backward').toBe(0)
-
-    // At the landed generation: fully recallable.
-    const dbLanded = await brain.asOf(gLanded)
-    const landedRow = await dbLanded.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-    expect((landedRow!.vector as number[]).length, 'the real vector serves at the landed pin').toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    const semLanded = await dbLanded.find({ query: 'deferred saffron sunrise essay', limit: 5 })
-    expect(semLanded.map((r) => r.id), 'recallable at the landed pin').toContain(id)
-    await dbAck.release()
-    await dbLanded.release()
-  })
-
-  it('TYPED REFUSAL beyond the head — never a silent latest', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    await brain.add({ data: 'one row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: {} })
-    const head = brain.generation()
-    await expect(brain.asOf(head + 100)).rejects.toThrow(/generation|beyond|future|exceed/i)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/brain-relocation.test.ts b/tests/integration/brain-relocation.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 827bb959..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/brain-relocation.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,108 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/brain-relocation
- * @description LC8 — RELOCATABLE BRAIN DIRECTORY. A brain's directory moved
- * wholesale to a new path (rename/copy — backup-restore, disk migration,
- * container re-mount) must open and serve IDENTICALLY: no absolute paths may
- * hide in any persisted artifact. Pinned across every intelligence: point
- * reads, metadata find, semantic find, graph traversal, aggregation — plus
- * continued writes with monotonic generations and time-travel reads over
- * pre-move history.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, renameSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType, VerbType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const dirs: string[] = []
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-})
-
-const AGG = {
-  name: 'by_kind',
-  source: { type: NounType.Document },
-  groupBy: ['kind'] as string[],
-  metrics: { count: { op: 'count' as const } }
-}
-
-describe('LC8 — a moved brain directory opens and serves identically', () => {
-  it('rename the directory: all three intelligences serve, writes continue, history travels', async () => {
-    const home = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-reloc-'))
-    dirs.push(home)
-    const oldPath = join(home, 'brain-old')
-    const newPath = join(home, 'brain-new')
-
-    // Season a brain: rows, a relation, an aggregate, then flush + close.
-    let brain = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: oldPath }, requireSubtype: false })
-    await brain.init()
-    brains.push(brain)
-    brain.defineAggregate(AGG)
-    const alpha = await brain.add({
-      data: 'alpha document about mountain geology',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      metadata: { kind: 'report', n: 1 }
-    })
-    const beta = await brain.add({
-      data: 'beta document about coastal erosion',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      metadata: { kind: 'report', n: 2 }
-    })
-    await brain.relate({ from: alpha, to: beta, verb: VerbType.RelatedTo })
-    await brain.queryAggregate(AGG.name) // settle backfill
-    const preMoveGen = brain.generation()
-    await brain.flush()
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    // The move: wholesale directory rename.
-    renameSync(oldPath, newPath)
-
-    // Reopen at the NEW path — everything serves.
-    brain = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: newPath }, requireSubtype: false })
-    await brain.init()
-    brains.push(brain)
-    brain.defineAggregate(AGG)
-
-    // Point read + metadata find.
-    expect((await brain.get(alpha))!.data).toContain('mountain geology')
-    const found = await brain.find({ where: { kind: 'report' }, limit: 10 })
-    expect(found.map((r) => r.id).sort()).toEqual([alpha, beta].sort())
-
-    // Semantic find.
-    const sem = await brain.find({ query: 'alpha document about mountain geology', limit: 3 })
-    expect(sem.map((r) => r.id)).toContain(alpha)
-
-    // Graph traversal.
-    const related = await brain.related(alpha)
-    expect(related.map((r) => r.to)).toContain(beta)
-
-    // Aggregation.
-    const agg = (await brain.queryAggregate(AGG.name)) as Array<{
-      groupKey: Record<string, unknown>
-      metrics: Record<string, unknown>
-    }>
-    const reportRow = agg.find((g) => g.groupKey['kind'] === 'report')
-    expect(Number(reportRow?.metrics.count)).toBe(2)
-
-    // Writes continue with monotonic generations.
-    const gamma = await brain.add({
-      data: 'gamma addendum after the move',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      metadata: { kind: 'report', n: 3 }
-    })
-    expect(brain.generation()).toBeGreaterThan(preMoveGen)
-    expect((await brain.get(gamma))!.data).toContain('addendum')
-
-    // Time travel across the move boundary: the pre-move pin sees exactly
-    // the pre-move world (no gamma), served from relocated history.
-    const dbPast = await brain.asOf(preMoveGen)
-    expect(await dbPast.get(gamma)).toBeNull()
-    expect((await dbPast.get(alpha))!.data).toContain('mountain geology')
-    await dbPast.release()
-  }, 120000)
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/db-mvcc.test.ts b/tests/integration/db-mvcc.test.ts
index 0efc453e..959d0053 100644
--- a/tests/integration/db-mvcc.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/db-mvcc.test.ts
@@ -96,15 +96,11 @@ describe('8.0 Db API — generational MVCC', () => {
   }
 
   /** Open (and track) a filesystem brain rooted at a fresh temp directory. */
-  async function openFsBrain(
-    dir?: string,
-    logAuthority?: 'adopt' | 'defer'
-  ): Promise<{ brain: Brainy; dir: string }> {
+  async function openFsBrain(dir?: string): Promise<{ brain: Brainy; dir: string }> {
     const rootDirectory = dir ?? makeTempDir()
     const brain = new Brainy({
       requireSubtype: false,
-      storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: rootDirectory },
-      ...(logAuthority ? { logAuthority } : {})
+      storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: rootDirectory }
     })
     await brain.init()
     brains.push(brain)
@@ -651,13 +647,7 @@ describe('8.0 Db API — generational MVCC', () => {
   // ==========================================================================
   it('proof 8 — a crash before the manifest rename recovers to the exact pre-transaction state', async () => {
     const dir = makeTempDir()
-    // 'defer' (tree authority): this proof pins the TREE commit-point
-    // contract — the manifest rename is the commit, so a crash before it
-    // rolls back. Under the adopt-at-open default (log authority) the same
-    // crash point legitimately REPLAYS the fsynced fact at reopen and the
-    // transaction lands — that contract is pinned in the durability kill
-    // matrix's at-ack rows, not here.
-    const { brain: first } = await openFsBrain(dir, 'defer')
+    const { brain: first } = await openFsBrain(dir)
 
     await first.transact([
       {
@@ -699,10 +689,9 @@ describe('8.0 Db API — generational MVCC', () => {
     // the realistic worst case for the recovery path.
     await first.close()
 
-    // Reopen ('defer' again — a reopen under the adopt default would adopt
-    // and change the recovery path): recovery rolls the uncommitted
-    // generation back and rebuilds the indexes from the repaired records.
-    const { brain: second } = await openFsBrain(dir, 'defer')
+    // Reopen: recovery rolls the uncommitted generation back and rebuilds
+    // the indexes from the repaired records.
+    const { brain: second } = await openFsBrain(dir)
     const recovered = await second.get(uid('crash-e'))
     expect((recovered?.metadata as { v: number }).v).toBe(1)
     expect(await second.get(uid('crash-new'))).toBeNull()
@@ -1173,16 +1162,13 @@ describe('8.0 Db API — generational MVCC', () => {
     const brain = await openMemoryBrain()
 
     // Model-B: a single-op write is its OWN generation and IS logged (no meta —
-    // tx metadata is a transact()-only concept). Relative baseline: under the
-    // adopt-at-open fleet default the open-time baseline backfill is itself a
-    // logged single-op generation, so the log is not empty on a fresh brain —
-    // every pin below is expressed against that baseline.
-    const baseGens = (await brain.transactionLog()).map((entry) => entry.generation)
+    // tx metadata is a transact()-only concept). It is generation 1 on a fresh
+    // brain (init-time infrastructure writes are the un-versioned gen-0 baseline).
     await brain.add({ id: uid('txlog-solo'), type: NounType.Document, data: 'solo', vector: vec(99), subtype: 'note' })
     const soloLog = await brain.transactionLog()
-    const soloGen = brain.generation()
-    expect(soloLog.map((entry) => entry.generation)).toEqual([soloGen, ...baseGens])
+    expect(soloLog.map((entry) => entry.generation)).toEqual([1])
     expect(soloLog[0].meta).toBeUndefined()
+    const soloGen = 1
 
     const first = await brain.transact(
       [{ op: 'add', id: uid('txlog-a'), type: NounType.Document, data: 'a', vector: vec(100), metadata: {} }],
@@ -1195,14 +1181,12 @@ describe('8.0 Db API — generational MVCC', () => {
     const third = await brain.transact([{ op: 'update', id: uid('txlog-a'), metadata: { v: 3 } }])
 
     const entries = await brain.transactionLog()
-    // Newest first: the three transacts, then the single-op solo write, then
-    // whatever the open baseline logged (the adopt-at-open backfill).
+    // Newest first: the three transacts, then the single-op solo write (gen 1).
     expect(entries.map((entry) => entry.generation)).toEqual([
       third.generation,
       second.generation,
       first.generation,
-      soloGen,
-      ...baseGens
+      soloGen
     ])
     expect(entries[1].meta).toEqual({ author: 'job-2' })
     expect(entries[2].meta).toEqual({ author: 'job-1' })
@@ -1254,24 +1238,21 @@ describe('8.0 Db API — generational MVCC', () => {
     const brain = await openMemoryBrain()
     const a = uid('ov-a')
     const b = uid('ov-b')
-    // Pin RELATIVELY at the transact's own generation (not an absolute 1 —
-    // the adopt-at-open baseline backfill owns the first generation).
-    const tx = await brain.transact([
-      { op: 'add', id: a, type: NounType.Document, data: 'a', vector: vec(1), metadata: { v: 1 } },
-      { op: 'add', id: b, type: NounType.Document, data: 'b', vector: vec(2), metadata: { v: 1 } }
-    ])
-    const txGen = tx.generation
-    await tx.release()
-    const at1 = await brain.asOf(txGen)
+    await (
+      await brain.transact([
+        { op: 'add', id: a, type: NounType.Document, data: 'a', vector: vec(1), metadata: { v: 1 } },
+        { op: 'add', id: b, type: NounType.Document, data: 'b', vector: vec(2), metadata: { v: 1 } }
+      ])
+    ).release()
+    const at1 = await brain.asOf(1)
 
     // A single-op REMOVE of `b` lands AFTER the pin and is NOT flushed (pending).
     await brain.remove(b)
 
     const liveIds = (await brain.find({})).map((r) => r.id)
     const pastIds = (await at1.find({})).map((r) => r.id)
-    // Live: `b` is gone. Historical (pinned at the transact's generation): the
-    // un-flushed removal is overlaid out, so `b` is still present at its
-    // pinned state.
+    // Live: `b` is gone. Historical (pinned at gen 1): the un-flushed removal is
+    // overlaid out, so `b` is still present at its pinned state.
     expect(liveIds).toContain(a)
     expect(liveIds).not.toContain(b)
     expect(pastIds).toContain(a)
@@ -1281,14 +1262,11 @@ describe('8.0 Db API — generational MVCC', () => {
 
   it('Model-B retention — explicit caps reclaim single-op history; committed history survives reopen', async () => {
     const { brain, dir } = await openFsBrain()
-    // Relative baseline: the adopt-at-open backfill holds the first
-    // generation(s), so the 6 writes below land at base+1..base+6.
-    const base = brain.generation()
     const a = uid('ret-a')
     await brain.add({ id: a, type: NounType.Document, data: 'a', vector: vec(1), metadata: { v: 1 } })
     for (let v = 2; v <= 6; v++) await brain.update({ id: a, metadata: { v } })
     await brain.flush() // persist the per-write generations to disk
-    expect(brain.generation()).toBe(base + 6)
+    expect(brain.generation()).toBe(6)
 
     // Cap to the 2 most recent generations — older single-op history is reclaimed.
     const res = await brain.compactHistory({ maxGenerations: 2 })
diff --git a/tests/integration/db-temporal.test.ts b/tests/integration/db-temporal.test.ts
index 335a1681..d17f5c16 100644
--- a/tests/integration/db-temporal.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/db-temporal.test.ts
@@ -36,9 +36,6 @@ import { GenerationCompactedError } from '../../src/db/errors.js'
 import type { GenerationStore } from '../../src/db/generationStore.js'
 import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
 
-/** The VFS root — re-committed by the adopt-at-open baseline backfill. */
-const VFS_ROOT = '00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000'
-
 /** Deterministic 384-dim vector so no test ever invokes the embedder. */
 function vec(seed: number): number[] {
   return Array.from({ length: 384 }, (_, i) => ((seed * 31 + i * 7) % 100) / 100)
@@ -136,11 +133,7 @@ describe('8.0 Db API — temporal range verbs', () => {
     expect(viaDb).toEqual(viaGen)
     expect(viaDb.fromGeneration).toBe(g1)
     expect(viaDb.nouns).toEqual([a, b].sort()) // a (updated after g1) + b (added after g1)
-    // (0, now] also includes a's creation — still {a, b} among user rows. The
-    // adopt-at-open baseline backfill re-commits the VFS root as a real
-    // generation, so the full-epoch window legitimately reports it too;
-    // filter it to keep this pin about the user writes.
-    expect(viaEpoch.nouns.filter((n) => n !== VFS_ROOT)).toEqual([a, b].sort())
+    expect(viaEpoch.nouns).toEqual([a, b].sort()) // (0, now] also includes a's creation, still {a, b}
 
     // direction guard: an older view cannot be `since` a newer lower bound
     const older = await brain.asOf(1)
@@ -170,11 +163,7 @@ describe('8.0 Db API — temporal range verbs', () => {
     }
 
     const all = await brain.transactionLog()
-    // Newest first — compared above the open baseline (the adopt-at-open
-    // backfill logs its own generation(s) below the first user write).
-    expect(all.map((e) => e.generation).filter((g) => g >= gens[0])).toEqual(
-      [...gens].reverse()
-    )
+    expect(all.map((e) => e.generation)).toEqual([...gens].reverse()) // newest first
 
     // INCLUSIVE both ends — gens[1] AND gens[3] are present (contrast since's exclusive lower).
     const windowed = await brain.transactionLog({ from: gens[1], to: gens[3] })
@@ -345,22 +334,19 @@ describe('8.0 Db API — temporal range verbs', () => {
   // 7. Granularity (Model-B) ---------------------------------------------------
   it('granularity: single-operation writes ARE versioned and visible to the temporal verbs', async () => {
     const brain = await openMemoryBrain()
-    // Relative baseline: the adopt-at-open backfill already logged its own
-    // generation(s) — pin the DELTA this test's writes add, not a count.
-    const baseCount = (await brain.transactionLog()).length
     const a = uid('gran-a')
     const r1 = await brain.transact([
       { op: 'add', id: a, type: NounType.Document, data: 'a', vector: vec(1), metadata: { v: 1 } }
     ])
     await r1.release()
-    expect((await brain.transactionLog()).length).toBe(baseCount + 1)
+    expect((await brain.transactionLog()).length).toBe(1)
 
     // Model-B: a single-op write is its OWN immutable generation — logged,
     // diffable, and time-travelable, exactly like a transact() of one op.
     await brain.update({ id: a, metadata: { v: 2 } })
 
     // The single-op update appended a generation/log entry.
-    expect((await brain.transactionLog()).length).toBe(baseCount + 2)
+    expect((await brain.transactionLog()).length).toBe(2)
     expect(brain.generation()).toBe(r1.generation + 1)
 
     // diff sees the single-op update as a modification of `a`.
diff --git a/tests/integration/deferred-embedding.test.ts b/tests/integration/deferred-embedding.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 819ddbad..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/deferred-embedding.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,171 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/deferred-embedding
- * @description MT5 — THE DEFERRED-EMBEDDING CONTRACT (A3 of the service-class
- * pair, BRAINY-PROD-LATENCY-TRIAD). The production disease: a VFS file write
- * ran a neural network synchronously while the caller waited (5.6s p50 per
- * small file). The contract pinned here:
- *
- * 1. ACK AT DURABILITY: a deferred write never calls the embedder on the
- *    caller's path — the row is id/metadata-findable immediately, with a
- *    durable pending marker and an honest `pendingEmbeds` gauge.
- * 2. EVENTUAL VECTOR INDEX: `awaitPendingEmbeds()` is the barrier — after
- *    it, the vector is real, indexed, and the marker is reaped.
- * 3. STALE-BEATS-ABSENT on deferred updates: the OLD vector keeps serving
- *    until the atomic swap (the flicker law, never a dark window).
- * 4. CRASH-SAFE: markers survive a session that dies mid-defer; the next
- *    open recovers and lands the vector. A crash DELAYS a vector, never
- *    loses one.
- * 5. TYPED REFUSALS: deferEmbedding + vector, and deferEmbedding without
- *    data, are caller bugs that refuse with the fix in the message.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const dirs: string[] = []
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-
-async function memBrain(): Promise<Brainy> {
-  const b = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'memory' }, requireSubtype: false })
-  await b.init()
-  brains.push(b)
-  return b
-}
-
-afterEach(async () => {
-  vi.restoreAllMocks()
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-})
-
-describe('MT5 — deferred embedding', () => {
-  it('ACK LAW: add({deferEmbedding}) never embeds on the caller path; row findable immediately; barrier lands the vector and reaps the marker', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    const embedSpy = vi.spyOn(brain, 'embed')
-
-    const id = await brain.add({
-      data: 'deferred content',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      deferEmbedding: true,
-      metadata: { tag: 'deferred' }
-    })
-
-    // The caller's path never ran the embedder.
-    expect(embedSpy, 'no embed on the ack path').not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-
-    // Immediately findable by metadata; vector is the stub; gauge honest.
-    const found = await brain.find({ where: { tag: 'deferred' }, limit: 5 })
-    expect(found.map((r) => r.id)).toContain(id)
-    expect((await brain.getIndexStatus()).pendingEmbeds).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-
-    // The barrier: vector lands, marker reaped, index carries the row.
-    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-    expect(embedSpy).toHaveBeenCalled()
-    const after = await brain.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-    expect((after!.vector as number[]).length, 'real vector after the barrier').toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(0)
-    expect((await brain.getIndexStatus()).pendingEmbeds).toBe(0)
-  })
-
-  it('STALE-BEATS-ABSENT: a deferred update serves the OLD vector until the atomic swap; data reads NEW immediately', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    const id = await brain.add({ data: 'original content', type: NounType.Document, metadata: {} })
-    const before = await brain.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-    const oldVector = [...(before!.vector as number[])]
-    expect(oldVector.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-
-    await brain.update({ id, data: 'completely different content', deferEmbedding: true })
-
-    // Data is new IMMEDIATELY; the vector is still the old one (present,
-    // never absent) until the worker swaps it.
-    const mid = await brain.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-    expect(mid!.data).toBe('completely different content')
-    expect(mid!.vector as number[], 'old vector keeps serving').toEqual(oldVector)
-
-    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-    const after = await brain.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-    expect((after!.vector as number[]).length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    expect(after!.vector as number[], 'vector swapped after the barrier').not.toEqual(oldVector)
-  })
-
-  it('CRASH-SAFE: a session dying mid-defer leaves the durable marker; the next open recovers and lands the vector', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-defer-crash-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-
-    // Session 1: the embedder hangs → the worker can never complete; close()
-    // does not wait for it (crash-equivalent for the embed leg).
-    let brain = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir }, requireSubtype: false })
-    await brain.init()
-    brains.push(brain)
-    vi.spyOn(brain, 'embed').mockImplementation(() => new Promise(() => {}))
-    const id = await brain.add({
-      data: 'survives the crash',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      deferEmbedding: true,
-      metadata: { k: 1 }
-    })
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(1)
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-    vi.restoreAllMocks()
-
-    // Session 2: recovery lists the marker and resumes in the background.
-    brain = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir }, requireSubtype: false })
-    await brain.init()
-    brains.push(brain)
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount(), 'marker recovered at open').toBe(1)
-
-    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-    const after = await brain.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-    expect((after!.vector as number[]).length, 'the delayed vector landed').toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(0)
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('VFS ACK LAW: writeFile resolves even when the embedder HANGS forever — the ack never depends on a neural net', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    // The strongest form of the pin: an embedder that never resolves. If any
-    // part of the writeFile ack path awaited an embed, this test would hang.
-    // (The background worker legitimately picks the deferred embeds up later
-    // — it may even interleave on the event loop during writeFile's other
-    // awaits — but the CALLER'S promise must never depend on it.)
-    const hang = vi
-      .spyOn(brain, 'embed')
-      .mockImplementation(() => new Promise<number[]>(() => {}))
-
-    await brain.vfs.writeFile('/notes/today.md', '# The day\nA deferred capture.')
-
-    // Acked with the embedder hung: content + metadata fully readable.
-    const content = await brain.vfs.readFile('/notes/today.md')
-    expect(content.toString()).toContain('A deferred capture.')
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-
-    // Un-hang, abandon the poisoned in-flight run (its embed promise never
-    // resolves — production is covered by the worker's 60s hang guard; the
-    // test takes the white-box shortcut for speed), drain, verify.
-    hang.mockRestore()
-    ;(brain as unknown as { _embedWorkerFlight: Promise<void> | null })._embedWorkerFlight = null
-    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(0)
-  })
-
-  it('TYPED REFUSALS: defer+vector and defer-without-data both refuse with the fix', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    await expect(
-      brain.add({
-        data: 'x',
-        vector: new Array(384).fill(0.1),
-        type: NounType.Document,
-        deferEmbedding: true,
-        metadata: {}
-      })
-    ).rejects.toThrow(/deferEmbedding cannot be combined/)
-
-    const id = await brain.add({ data: 'y', type: NounType.Document, metadata: {} })
-    await expect(
-      brain.update({ id, deferEmbedding: true, metadata: { z: 1 } })
-    ).rejects.toThrow(/requires new 'data'/)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/durability-kill-matrix.test.ts b/tests/integration/durability-kill-matrix.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 70962dda..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/durability-kill-matrix.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,701 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/durability-kill-matrix
- * @description THE DURABILITY KILL MATRIX — for every step of the commit
- * path, inject a crash AT that step (the generation store's test-only fault
- * injector), then reopen the same storage directory with a brand-new Brainy
- * and assert the recovery contract BY CONSTRUCTION, not by timing:
- *
- *   - an ACKED write survives the crash (never a lost ack), and
- *   - an UN-ACKED write leaves no torn state (fully present or fully absent,
- *     never half).
- *
- * The crash simulation is honest process death: the crashed brain is NEVER
- * closed — `abandonAsCrashed` discards its buffered RAM state exactly as a
- * dead process would, and recovery on the next open is the only repair that
- * runs. File bytes already handed to the OS survive (process-crash model);
- * one row additionally models POWER LOSS by removing an entity's un-fsynced
- * canonical files (legal: single-op canonical writes are tmp+rename without
- * fsync).
- *
- * Matrix rows (fault point → durability barrier position):
- *
- *   BEFORE the barrier (nothing durable records the write):
- *     singleop-after-execute · singleop-after-fact-append · flush-after-staging
- *   AFTER partial durability (staged/synced bytes exist, manifest did not advance):
- *     flush-before-manifest · before-manifest-rename (transact) ·
- *     transact-after-fact-sync
- *   AFTER the commit point:
- *     after-manifest-rename (transact)
- *   MODE VARIANTS: singleop-after-fact-append under durable-at-ack.
- *   DISK FULL: one ENOSPC'd append — loud typed rejection, reads keep
- *     serving, a later write succeeds.
- *
- * Where the observed recovery contract differs from the ideal, the pin states
- * the OBSERVED behavior with a comment; where the observed behavior violates
- * "never a torn state / never a lost ack", the pin asserts the CONTRACT and
- * is marked `.fails` — a release-blocking finding, deliberately not weakened.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import * as fs from 'node:fs'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-import {
-  abandonAsCrashed,
-  armCrash,
-  dropCanonicalNoun,
-  factGenerations,
-  failNextAppendWithEnospc,
-  generationDirExists,
-  makeTempDir,
-  openBrain,
-  storeOf,
-  uid,
-  vec
-} from '../helpers/durabilityKillMatrix.js'
-
-describe('durability kill matrix — crash at every commit-path step, recover by reopen', () => {
-  const dirs: string[] = []
-  const liveBrains: Brainy[] = []
-  // Crashed brains are deliberately NEVER closed (a dead process cannot
-  // close); they are severed by abandonAsCrashed inside each test.
-
-  function trackDir(): string {
-    const dir = makeTempDir()
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    return dir
-  }
-
-  async function openLive(dir: string): Promise<Brainy> {
-    const brain = await openBrain(dir)
-    liveBrains.push(brain)
-    return brain
-  }
-
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    for (const brain of liveBrains.splice(0)) {
-      try {
-        await brain.close()
-      } catch {
-        // already closed / crashed mid-close — teardown only
-      }
-    }
-    for (const dir of dirs.splice(0)) {
-      await fs.promises.rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true })
-    }
-  })
-
-  /** Baseline arrangement: one durable row + explicit flush = the durable floor. */
-  async function arrangeBaseline(label: string): Promise<{
-    dir: string
-    brain: Brainy
-    baselineId: string
-    floor: number
-  }> {
-    const dir = trackDir()
-    const brain = await openBrain(dir) // NOT tracked live — most rows crash it
-    const baselineId = uid(`${label}-baseline`)
-    await brain.add({
-      id: baselineId,
-      data: 'baseline row',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(1),
-      metadata: { v: 1 }
-    })
-    await brain.flush()
-    return { dir, brain, baselineId, floor: storeOf(brain).committedGeneration() }
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Flip a brain to durable-at-ack (log-authority) mode.
-   *
-   * NOT via `adoptLogAuthority()` (and the helper opens every brain with
-   * `logAuthority: 'defer'`, opting out of the 10.0.0 adopt-at-open fleet
-   * default): the sanctioned path runs the oracle and a baseline backfill,
-   * which appends its own generation — shifting the floor arithmetic every
-   * row pins. This helper flips the SAME switch the sanctioned path flips
-   * (`setLogDurability('at-ack')`) and persists the SAME authority artifact,
-   * so a reopened brain also runs in log-authority mode. The durability
-   * semantics under test are governed entirely by that switch.
-   */
-  async function flipToAtAck(brain: Brainy): Promise<void> {
-    const storage = (
-      brain as unknown as {
-        storage: {
-          writeRawObject(p: string, d: unknown): Promise<void>
-          syncRawObjects(p: string[]): Promise<void>
-        }
-      }
-    ).storage
-    await storage.writeRawObject('_system/log-authority.json', {
-      authority: 'log',
-      flippedAt: Date.now()
-    })
-    await storage.syncRawObjects(['_system/log-authority.json'])
-    storeOf(brain).setLogDurability('at-ack')
-  }
-
-  // ==========================================================================
-  // Rows BEFORE the durability barrier — the write never became durable-acked
-  // ==========================================================================
-
-  it('singleop-after-execute — un-acked write is atomic (present-whole), baseline and log stay at the floor', async () => {
-    const { dir, brain, baselineId, floor } = await arrangeBaseline('sae')
-    const crashedId = uid('sae-crashed')
-    const arm = armCrash(brain, 'singleop-after-execute')
-    await expect(
-      brain.add({
-        id: crashedId,
-        data: 'never acked',
-        type: NounType.Document,
-        vector: vec(2),
-        metadata: { v: 2 }
-      })
-    ).rejects.toThrow('simulated process crash at singleop-after-execute')
-    expect(arm.fired).toContain('singleop-after-execute')
-    await abandonAsCrashed(brain)
-
-    const reopened = await openLive(dir)
-    // Baseline intact.
-    expect(((await reopened.get(baselineId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(1)
-    // The log holds nothing beyond the committed watermark (no fact was ever
-    // appended for the crashed write).
-    expect(await factGenerations(reopened)).toEqual([floor])
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(floor)
-    // The un-acked write: Model-B applies the live canonical write BEFORE the
-    // ack, so under process death its bytes survive — the row is PRESENT and
-    // WHOLE by id (atomic, not torn). Under power loss the same un-fsynced
-    // bytes may instead vanish entirely; both end states are atomic. NOTE the
-    // divergence: the row is get()-visible but find()-invisible (no index
-    // entry survived, no generation/fact records it, and no repair is pending
-    // — a permanent canonical orphan; see the suite report).
-    const orphan = (await reopened.get(crashedId)) as { metadata: { v: number } } | null
-    expect(orphan).not.toBeNull()
-    expect(orphan!.metadata.v).toBe(2) // whole, byte-consistent — never torn
-    const found = (await reopened.find({ type: NounType.Document, limit: 10 })) as Array<{ id: string }>
-    expect(found.map((f) => f.id)).toContain(baselineId)
-    expect(found.map((f) => f.id)).not.toContain(crashedId)
-    // A fresh write succeeds with a monotonic generation. The crashed
-    // generation number is REUSED (nothing durable references it): the
-    // counter reopened at the floor.
-    expect(reopened.generation()).toBe(floor)
-    const freshId = uid('sae-fresh')
-    await reopened.add({
-      id: freshId,
-      data: 'fresh after recovery',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(3),
-      metadata: { v: 3 }
-    })
-    await reopened.flush()
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(floor + 1)
-    expect(((await reopened.get(freshId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(3)
-  })
-
-  it('singleop-after-fact-append (deferred mode) — the appended fact is truncated back at reopen', async () => {
-    const { dir, brain, baselineId, floor } = await arrangeBaseline('sfa')
-    const crashedId = uid('sfa-crashed')
-    const arm = armCrash(brain, 'singleop-after-fact-append')
-    await expect(
-      brain.add({
-        id: crashedId,
-        data: 'never acked',
-        type: NounType.Document,
-        vector: vec(2),
-        metadata: { v: 2 }
-      })
-    ).rejects.toThrow('simulated process crash at singleop-after-fact-append')
-    expect(arm.fired).toContain('singleop-after-fact-append')
-    await abandonAsCrashed(brain)
-
-    const reopened = await openLive(dir)
-    // The fact WAS appended to the log file before the crash (process death
-    // keeps file bytes) — open() must truncate it back to the manifest
-    // watermark, and does.
-    expect(await factGenerations(reopened)).toEqual([floor])
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(floor)
-    // Baseline intact; un-acked row atomic (present-whole via canonical, as
-    // in the singleop-after-execute row).
-    expect(((await reopened.get(baselineId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(1)
-    const orphan = (await reopened.get(crashedId)) as { metadata: { v: number } } | null
-    expect(orphan).not.toBeNull()
-    expect(orphan!.metadata.v).toBe(2)
-    // Fresh write with a monotonic generation (crashed number reused — the
-    // truncated fact freed it).
-    expect(reopened.generation()).toBe(floor)
-    const freshId = uid('sfa-fresh')
-    await reopened.add({
-      id: freshId,
-      data: 'fresh',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(3),
-      metadata: { v: 3 }
-    })
-    await reopened.flush()
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(floor + 1)
-    expect(await factGenerations(reopened)).toEqual([floor, floor + 1])
-  })
-
-  it('flush-after-staging — the ACKED write survives (drop-without-restore); only the window history is lost', async () => {
-    const { dir, brain, baselineId, floor } = await arrangeBaseline('fas')
-    const ackedId = uid('fas-acked')
-    await brain.add({
-      id: ackedId,
-      data: 'acked before flush',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(2),
-      metadata: { v: 2 }
-    })
-    const ackedGen = storeOf(brain).generation()
-    const arm = armCrash(brain, 'flush-after-staging')
-    await expect(brain.flush()).rejects.toThrow('simulated process crash at flush-after-staging')
-    expect(arm.fired).toContain('flush-after-staging')
-    // The crashed flush left the staged record-set dir on disk, above the manifest.
-    expect(generationDirExists(dir, ackedGen)).toBe(true)
-    await abandonAsCrashed(brain)
-
-    const reopened = await openLive(dir)
-    // Recovery DROPPED the staged group-commit dir WITHOUT restoring its
-    // before-images — restoring would silently revert an acknowledged write.
-    expect(generationDirExists(dir, ackedGen)).toBe(false)
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(floor)
-    // NEVER A LOST ACK: the acknowledged write is present and whole.
-    const acked = (await reopened.get(ackedId)) as { metadata: { v: number } } | null
-    expect(acked).not.toBeNull()
-    expect(acked!.metadata.v).toBe(2)
-    expect(((await reopened.get(baselineId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(1)
-    // Recovery rolled generations back → index reconciliation ran → the acked
-    // row is find()-visible too.
-    const found = (await reopened.find({ type: NounType.Document, limit: 10 })) as Array<{ id: string }>
-    expect(found.map((f) => f.id)).toEqual(expect.arrayContaining([baselineId, ackedId]))
-    // The window's HISTORY is the documented cost: its fact is truncated back
-    // (the acked row now lives only in canonical bytes, not the log).
-    expect(await factGenerations(reopened)).toEqual([floor])
-    // The crashed generation number is NOT reused (its dropped dir was seen
-    // at open): fresh writes continue above it.
-    expect(reopened.generation()).toBe(ackedGen)
-    const freshId = uid('fas-fresh')
-    await reopened.add({
-      id: freshId,
-      data: 'fresh',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(3),
-      metadata: { v: 3 }
-    })
-    await reopened.flush()
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(ackedGen + 1)
-  })
-
-  // ==========================================================================
-  // Rows AFTER partial durability — staged/synced bytes exist, no manifest
-  // ==========================================================================
-
-  it('flush-before-manifest — staged bytes + synced facts above the manifest are dropped/truncated; the acked write stays', async () => {
-    const { dir, brain, baselineId, floor } = await arrangeBaseline('fbm')
-    const ackedId = uid('fbm-acked')
-    await brain.add({
-      id: ackedId,
-      data: 'acked before flush',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(2),
-      metadata: { v: 2 }
-    })
-    const ackedGen = storeOf(brain).generation()
-    const arm = armCrash(brain, 'flush-before-manifest')
-    await expect(brain.flush()).rejects.toThrow('simulated process crash at flush-before-manifest')
-    // The earlier flush phase passed through untripped before the target fired.
-    expect(arm.fired).toContain('flush-after-staging')
-    expect(arm.fired).toContain('flush-before-manifest')
-    expect(generationDirExists(dir, ackedGen)).toBe(true)
-    await abandonAsCrashed(brain)
-
-    const reopened = await openLive(dir)
-    // Per the recovery contract in open(): groupCommit record-sets above the
-    // manifest are dropped WITHOUT restore, and the (fsynced!) facts above
-    // the manifest are truncated back. The acked live write stays.
-    expect(generationDirExists(dir, ackedGen)).toBe(false)
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(floor)
-    expect(await factGenerations(reopened)).toEqual([floor])
-    const acked = (await reopened.get(ackedId)) as { metadata: { v: number } } | null
-    expect(acked).not.toBeNull() // never a lost ack
-    expect(acked!.metadata.v).toBe(2)
-    expect(((await reopened.get(baselineId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(1)
-    // Fresh write above the crashed generation (number not reused).
-    expect(reopened.generation()).toBe(ackedGen)
-    const freshId = uid('fbm-fresh')
-    await reopened.add({
-      id: freshId,
-      data: 'fresh',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(3),
-      metadata: { v: 3 }
-    })
-    await reopened.flush()
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(ackedGen + 1)
-  })
-
-  it('before-manifest-rename (transact) — fully staged, never committed: rolled back byte-identically', async () => {
-    const { dir, brain, baselineId, floor } = await arrangeBaseline('bmr')
-    const newId = uid('bmr-new')
-    const arm = armCrash(brain, 'before-manifest-rename')
-    await expect(
-      brain.transact([
-        { op: 'update', id: baselineId, metadata: { v: 2 } },
-        {
-          op: 'add',
-          id: newId,
-          type: NounType.Document,
-          data: 'uncommitted',
-          vector: vec(2),
-          metadata: { v: 2 }
-        }
-      ])
-    ).rejects.toThrow('simulated process crash at before-manifest-rename')
-    expect(arm.fired).toContain('before-manifest-rename')
-    const txGen = storeOf(brain).generation()
-    expect(generationDirExists(dir, txGen)).toBe(true)
-    await abandonAsCrashed(brain)
-
-    const reopened = await openLive(dir)
-    // Rolled back cleanly: the update is undone, the add is ABSENT everywhere.
-    expect(((await reopened.get(baselineId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(1)
-    expect(await reopened.get(newId)).toBeNull()
-    const found = (await reopened.find({ type: NounType.Document, limit: 10 })) as Array<{ id: string }>
-    expect(found.map((f) => f.id)).not.toContain(newId)
-    expect(generationDirExists(dir, txGen)).toBe(false)
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(floor)
-    expect(await factGenerations(reopened)).toEqual([floor])
-    // The crashed generation number is never reissued (counter persisted
-    // before the crash point).
-    expect(reopened.generation()).toBe(txGen)
-    const freshId = uid('bmr-fresh')
-    await reopened.add({
-      id: freshId,
-      data: 'fresh',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(3),
-      metadata: { v: 3 }
-    })
-    await reopened.flush()
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(txGen + 1)
-  })
-
-  it('transact-after-fact-sync — the fsynced fact of an uncommitted transact is truncated back; rollback is clean', async () => {
-    const { dir, brain, baselineId, floor } = await arrangeBaseline('tfs')
-    const newId = uid('tfs-new')
-    const arm = armCrash(brain, 'transact-after-fact-sync')
-    await expect(
-      brain.transact([
-        { op: 'update', id: baselineId, metadata: { v: 2 } },
-        {
-          op: 'add',
-          id: newId,
-          type: NounType.Document,
-          data: 'uncommitted',
-          vector: vec(2),
-          metadata: { v: 2 }
-        }
-      ])
-    ).rejects.toThrow('simulated process crash at transact-after-fact-sync')
-    expect(arm.fired).toContain('transact-after-fact-sync')
-    const txGen = storeOf(brain).generation()
-    await abandonAsCrashed(brain)
-
-    const reopened = await openLive(dir)
-    // The batch's fact was appended AND fsynced before the crash — open()
-    // must truncate it back to the manifest watermark (the generation never
-    // committed), and the before-images must restore byte-identically.
-    expect(await factGenerations(reopened)).toEqual([floor])
-    expect(((await reopened.get(baselineId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(1)
-    expect(await reopened.get(newId)).toBeNull()
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(floor)
-    expect(generationDirExists(dir, txGen)).toBe(false)
-    // Counter: the staged dir was seen at open, so the number is not reused.
-    expect(reopened.generation()).toBe(txGen)
-    const freshId = uid('tfs-fresh')
-    await reopened.add({
-      id: freshId,
-      data: 'fresh',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(3),
-      metadata: { v: 3 }
-    })
-    await reopened.flush()
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(txGen + 1)
-  })
-
-  // ==========================================================================
-  // Row AFTER the commit point — the transaction must be kept
-  // ==========================================================================
-
-  it('after-manifest-rename (transact) — the manifest rename landed: the transaction is COMMITTED and fully present', async () => {
-    const { dir, brain, baselineId, floor } = await arrangeBaseline('amr')
-    const newId = uid('amr-new')
-    const arm = armCrash(brain, 'after-manifest-rename')
-    await expect(
-      brain.transact([
-        { op: 'update', id: baselineId, metadata: { v: 2 } },
-        {
-          op: 'add',
-          id: newId,
-          type: NounType.Document,
-          data: 'committed by the rename',
-          vector: vec(2),
-          metadata: { v: 2 }
-        }
-      ])
-    ).rejects.toThrow('simulated process crash at after-manifest-rename')
-    expect(arm.fired).toContain('after-manifest-rename')
-    const txGen = storeOf(brain).generation()
-    await abandonAsCrashed(brain)
-
-    const reopened = await openLive(dir)
-    // COMMITTED: both operations present, atomically.
-    expect(((await reopened.get(baselineId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(2)
-    const added = (await reopened.get(newId)) as { metadata: { v: number } } | null
-    expect(added).not.toBeNull()
-    expect(added!.metadata.v).toBe(2)
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(txGen)
-    // The fact was synced before the commit point and sits at/below the
-    // manifest — it is KEPT.
-    expect(await factGenerations(reopened)).toEqual([floor, txGen])
-    // Fresh writes continue above the committed generation.
-    const freshId = uid('amr-fresh')
-    await reopened.add({
-      id: freshId,
-      data: 'fresh',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(3),
-      metadata: { v: 3 }
-    })
-    await reopened.flush()
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(txGen + 1)
-  })
-
-  // ==========================================================================
-  // Durable-at-ack (log-authority) mode variants
-  // ==========================================================================
-
-  it('singleop-after-fact-append (at-ack mode) — the intact fact is REPLAYED at reopen; the write commits', async () => {
-    const { dir, brain, baselineId, floor } = await arrangeBaseline('aaf')
-    await flipToAtAck(brain)
-    const crashedId = uid('aaf-crashed')
-    const arm = armCrash(brain, 'singleop-after-fact-append')
-    await expect(
-      brain.add({
-        id: crashedId,
-        data: 'fact fsynced, never acked',
-        type: NounType.Document,
-        vector: vec(2),
-        metadata: { v: 2 }
-      })
-    ).rejects.toThrow('simulated process crash at singleop-after-fact-append')
-    expect(arm.fired).toContain('singleop-after-fact-append')
-    await abandonAsCrashed(brain)
-
-    const reopened = await openLive(dir)
-    // LOG-AUTHORITY RECOVERY CONTRACT: under 'log' authority, an intact
-    // fact above the manifest is adopted at open — REPLAYED into canonical
-    // and committed — never truncated. (At-least-once at the fact layer: a
-    // crashed-pre-ack write whose fact survived intact becomes committed;
-    // that is a valid write landing, never a torn or lost state.)
-    expect(await factGenerations(reopened)).toEqual([floor, floor + 1])
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(floor + 1)
-    expect(((await reopened.get(baselineId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(1)
-    const replayed = (await reopened.get(crashedId)) as { metadata: { v: number } } | null
-    expect(replayed).not.toBeNull()
-    expect(replayed!.metadata.v).toBe(2)
-    // Fresh write lands monotonically ABOVE the replayed generation.
-    const freshId = uid('aaf-fresh')
-    await reopened.add({
-      id: freshId,
-      data: 'fresh',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(3),
-      metadata: { v: 3 }
-    })
-    await reopened.flush()
-    expect(storeOf(reopened).committedGeneration()).toBe(floor + 2)
-  })
-
-  // THE AT-ACK CONTRACT, END TO END (was a release-blocking finding; fixed
-  // by log-authority replay-at-open): under power loss the un-fsynced
-  // tmp+rename canonical bytes legally vanish while the fsynced fact
-  // survives — recovery REPLAYS that fact into canonical, so the acked
-  // write lives. This is the sentence 'durable-at-ack' actually promises.
-  it(
-    'at-ack POWER LOSS — an ACKED write whose fact is fsynced SURVIVES reopen via log replay',
-    async () => {
-      const { dir, brain, baselineId } = await arrangeBaseline('apl')
-      await flipToAtAck(brain)
-      const ackedId = uid('apl-acked')
-      // No fault injector: this write ACKS normally — in at-ack mode the ack
-      // returned only after a covering log fsync.
-      await brain.add({
-        id: ackedId,
-        data: 'acked, fact fsynced',
-        type: NounType.Document,
-        vector: vec(2),
-        metadata: { v: 2 }
-      })
-      // Crash before any flush: RAM is gone…
-      await abandonAsCrashed(brain)
-      // …and power loss takes the un-fsynced canonical rename with it. The
-      // fsynced fact log survives — it is the write's only durable copy.
-      dropCanonicalNoun(dir, ackedId)
-
-      const reopened = await openLive(dir)
-      expect(((await reopened.get(baselineId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(1)
-      // THE AT-ACK CONTRACT: the acknowledged write survives the crash.
-      // Observed today: open() truncates its fact back to the manifest
-      // watermark and the write is gone everywhere.
-      const acked = (await reopened.get(ackedId)) as { metadata: { v: number } } | null
-      expect(acked).not.toBeNull()
-      expect(acked!.metadata.v).toBe(2)
-    }
-  )
-
-  // ==========================================================================
-  // Disk full — one ENOSPC'd append
-  // ==========================================================================
-
-  it('disk full — an ENOSPC append rejects loudly and typed; reads keep serving; a later write succeeds', async () => {
-    const { dir, brain, baselineId, floor } = await arrangeBaseline('nospc')
-    liveBrains.push(brain) // this row never crashes the brain
-    void dir
-    const failedId = uid('nospc-failed')
-    const probe = failNextAppendWithEnospc(brain)
-    // LOUD, TYPED, never a silent success: the raw ENOSPC surfaces to the
-    // caller with its errno code intact.
-    await expect(
-      brain.add({
-        id: failedId,
-        data: 'no space',
-        type: NounType.Document,
-        vector: vec(2),
-        metadata: { v: 2 }
-      })
-    ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 'ENOSPC' })
-    expect(probe.failed()).toBe(1)
-    // The store still serves reads.
-    expect(((await brain.get(baselineId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(1)
-    // Space "restored" (the failing patch self-cleared): a later write succeeds
-    // end to end, including its fact and an explicit durability barrier.
-    const laterId = uid('nospc-later')
-    await brain.add({
-      id: laterId,
-      data: 'space restored',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(3),
-      metadata: { v: 3 }
-    })
-    await brain.flush()
-    expect(((await brain.get(laterId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(3)
-    expect(storeOf(brain).committedGeneration()).toBeGreaterThan(floor)
-    // FIXED BEHAVIOR (was: the rejected generation stayed buffered and the
-    // next flush committed it with NO fact — a silent log gap): the failure
-    // path un-buffers the generation and returns the counter reservation,
-    // so the later write takes floor+1 and the log is gap-free.
-    expect(storeOf(brain).committedGeneration()).toBe(floor + 1)
-    expect(await factGenerations(brain)).toEqual([floor, floor + 1])
-    // Canonical residue of the rejected write (execute ran before the
-    // append failed) is the documented Model-B crash-equivalent orphan —
-    // uncommitted, absent from the log, same shape as a crash at execute.
-    expect(((await brain.get(failedId)) as { metadata: { v: number } } | null)?.metadata.v).toBe(2)
-  })
-
-  // THE NO-SILENT-COMMIT CONTRACT (was a release-blocking finding; fixed by
-  // un-buffering on append failure): a loudly-rejected write never becomes
-  // durably committed and the log never carries a gap. Canonical residue
-  // (the execute-before-commit orphan) is the documented Model-B
-  // crash-equivalent, pinned in the row above — NOT a commit.
-  it('disk full — a write rejected for a failed fact append is NOT silently committed', async () => {
-    const { brain, floor } = await arrangeBaseline('nogap')
-    liveBrains.push(brain)
-    const failedId = uid('nogap-failed')
-    failNextAppendWithEnospc(brain)
-    await expect(
-      brain.add({
-        id: failedId,
-        data: 'no space',
-        type: NounType.Document,
-        vector: vec(2),
-        metadata: { v: 2 }
-      })
-    ).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 'ENOSPC' })
-    await brain.flush()
-    // THE CONTRACT: nothing was committed behind the caller's back — the
-    // log carries no gap and no generation for the rejected write. (get()
-    // still serves the canonical execute-residue orphan — the documented
-    // Model-B crash-equivalent, pinned in the row above.)
-    expect(storeOf(brain).committedGeneration()).toBe(floor)
-    expect(await factGenerations(brain)).toEqual([floor])
-  })
-
-  // ==========================================================================
-  // Block-layer power-loss findings (first dm-flakey run) — the three cures
-  // ==========================================================================
-
-  it('at-ack POWER LOSS BELOW THE MANIFEST — an unclean open folds the WHOLE log; acked writes committed before the flush still survive vanished canonical', async () => {
-    const { dir, brain, baselineId } = await arrangeBaseline('wlf')
-    await flipToAtAck(brain)
-    const ackedA = uid('wlf-a')
-    const ackedB = uid('wlf-b')
-    await brain.add({ id: ackedA, data: 'below manifest one', type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(2), metadata: { v: 2 } })
-    await brain.add({ id: ackedB, data: 'below manifest two', type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(3), metadata: { v: 3 } })
-    // The group-commit flush advances the manifest OVER these generations —
-    // but live canonical bytes are tmp+rename without per-file fsync, so a
-    // power cut can still take them. The fsynced facts are the durable copy.
-    await (brain as unknown as { flush(): Promise<void> }).flush()
-    await abandonAsCrashed(brain) // no clean close → no clean-shutdown marker
-    dropCanonicalNoun(dir, ackedA)
-    dropCanonicalNoun(dir, ackedB)
-
-    const reopened = await openLive(dir)
-    // The whole-log fold restores BOTH rows from facts ≤ manifest.
-    expect(((await reopened.get(ackedA)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(2)
-    expect(((await reopened.get(ackedB)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(3)
-    expect(((await reopened.get(baselineId)) as { metadata: { v: number } }).metadata.v).toBe(1)
-  })
-
-  it('clean-shutdown marker: a clean close writes it, the next open consumes it (no fold on the happy path)', async () => {
-    const { dir, brain } = await arrangeBaseline('csm')
-    await flipToAtAck(brain)
-    await brain.close()
-    liveBrains.splice(liveBrains.indexOf(brain), 1)
-    // The adapter stores raw objects gzipped — accept either spelling.
-    const markerExists = () =>
-      fs.existsSync(join(dir, '_system', 'clean-shutdown.json')) ||
-      fs.existsSync(join(dir, '_system', 'clean-shutdown.json.gz'))
-    expect(markerExists(), 'clean close stamps the marker').toBe(true)
-
-    const reopened = await openLive(dir)
-    expect(markerExists(), 'open consumes the marker').toBe(false)
-    await reopened.close()
-    liveBrains.splice(liveBrains.indexOf(reopened), 1)
-    expect(markerExists(), 'the next clean close re-stamps it').toBe(true)
-  })
-
-  it('torn writer lock (empty file) — open treats it as stale and recovers; never a permanent lockout', async () => {
-    const { dir, brain } = await arrangeBaseline('tlk')
-    await brain.close()
-    liveBrains.splice(liveBrains.indexOf(brain), 1)
-    // The power-loss shape: the lock file exists but is EMPTY (torn write).
-    fs.writeFileSync(join(dir, 'locks', '_writer.lock'), '')
-
-    const reopened = await openLive(dir) // must not throw 'contended'
-    const fresh = uid('tlk-fresh')
-    await reopened.add({ id: fresh, data: 'lock recovered', type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(4), metadata: { v: 4 } })
-    expect(await reopened.get(fresh)).not.toBeNull()
-  })
-
-  it('pair guard: a metadata index without stampWatermark never crashes flush', async () => {
-    const { brain } = await arrangeBaseline('psg')
-    liveBrains.push(brain)
-    // The native pair swaps the metadata manager; the replacement may not
-    // carry the stamp method — flush must treat that as verdict-side rescan,
-    // never a TypeError at the fan-out.
-    ;(brain as unknown as { metadataIndex: { stampWatermark?: unknown } }).metadataIndex.stampWatermark = undefined
-    await expect((brain as unknown as { flush(): Promise<void> }).flush()).resolves.toBeUndefined()
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/embed-markers-in-log.test.ts b/tests/integration/embed-markers-in-log.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 2dcad2f1..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/embed-markers-in-log.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,320 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/embed-markers-in-log
- * @description DEFERRED-EMBED MARKERS ARE LOG RECORDS — the sidecar is dead.
- * The pending-embed lifecycle lives IN the generation log as first-class v2
- * records: `embed.pending` rides the deferred write's OWN commit fact (same
- * generation, one atomic append — a marker can never be orphaned from its
- * write nor the write from its marker) and `embed.landed` rides the
- * background worker's landing commit. Recovery is REPLAY, NOT LISTING: the
- * open-time fold arms every pending without a matching landed (minus rows
- * the log later tombstoned). The pins:
- *
- * (a) SAME-FACT ATOMICITY: a deferred add's commit fact carries the
- *     embed.pending record BESIDE its noun after-image — one generation,
- *     one frame — and no sidecar file is ever written.
- * (b) LANDING: after the barrier, the log carries embed.landed (inline
- *     vector, per the v2 format) riding the landing commit's own fact, and
- *     a fresh fold of the whole log nets ZERO pending.
- * (c) CRASH RECOVERY VIA THE LOG: kill mid-defer (hung embedder, flushed
- *     durability, crash-style abandon), reopen — the fold re-arms exactly
- *     one pending with NO sidecar file existing anywhere, and the vector
- *     then lands.
- * (d) LEGACY BRIDGE: a sidecar marker file left by a pre-log build is
- *     folded in at open, migrated into the log as an embed.pending record,
- *     and the file is deleted — one-time, durable, idempotent.
- * (e) VFS ACK LAW (unchanged contract, new mechanism): writeFile acks
- *     under a forever-hung embedder while its pending marker sits durably
- *     in the log.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest'
-import * as fs from 'node:fs'
-import * as path from 'node:path'
-import * as zlib from 'node:zlib'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-import type { CommitFact } from '../../src/db/factLog.js'
-import {
-  makeTempDir,
-  openBrain,
-  abandonAsCrashed,
-  vec,
-  uid
-} from '../helpers/durabilityKillMatrix.js'
-
-/** The retired sidecar prefix — asserted ABSENT (or bridged away) on disk. */
-const SIDECAR_DIR = ['_system', 'pending_embeds'] as const
-
-const sidecarDir = (dir: string): string => path.join(dir, ...SIDECAR_DIR)
-
-/** Every committed fact in the brain's log, generation-ascending. */
-async function allFacts(brain: Brainy): Promise<CommitFact[]> {
-  const scan = (
-    brain as unknown as {
-      scanFacts(o?: { fromGeneration?: number }): {
-        batches(): AsyncGenerator<{ facts: CommitFact[] }>
-      } | null
-    }
-  ).scanFacts({ fromGeneration: 1 })
-  expect(scan, 'filesystem storage hosts a fact log').not.toBeNull()
-  const facts: CommitFact[] = []
-  for await (const batch of scan!.batches()) facts.push(...batch.facts)
-  return facts
-}
-
-/** The recovery fold, reimplemented independently: pending arms, landed
- *  disarms, a noun tombstone disarms (a deleted row owes no vector). */
-function foldPending(facts: CommitFact[]): Set<string> {
-  const pending = new Set<string>()
-  for (const fact of facts) {
-    for (const record of fact.records ?? []) {
-      if (record.type === 'embed.pending') pending.add(record.id)
-      else if (record.type === 'embed.landed') pending.delete(record.id)
-    }
-    for (const op of fact.ops) {
-      if (op.kind === 'noun' && op.record === null) pending.delete(op.id)
-    }
-  }
-  return pending
-}
-
-/** Hang the embedder forever (the ack-law adversary). */
-function hangEmbedder(brain: Brainy): ReturnType<typeof vi.spyOn> {
-  return vi
-    .spyOn(brain as unknown as { embed(d: unknown): Promise<number[]> }, 'embed')
-    .mockImplementation(() => new Promise<number[]>(() => {}))
-}
-
-/** Abandon a hung worker pass (its embed promise never resolves; production
- *  is covered by the worker's 60s hang guard — the test takes the white-box
- *  shortcut for speed, same idiom as the deferred-embedding suite). */
-function abandonHungWorker(brain: Brainy): void {
-  ;(brain as unknown as { _embedWorkerFlight: Promise<void> | null })._embedWorkerFlight = null
-}
-
-describe('deferred-embed markers in the log — the sidecar is dead', () => {
-  const dirs: string[] = []
-  const brains: Brainy[] = []
-
-  const trackDir = (): string => {
-    const dir = makeTempDir()
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    return dir
-  }
-  const track = (brain: Brainy): Brainy => {
-    brains.push(brain)
-    return brain
-  }
-
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    vi.restoreAllMocks()
-    for (const b of brains.splice(0)) {
-      abandonHungWorker(b)
-      await b.close().catch(() => {})
-    }
-    for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) fs.rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-  })
-
-  it('(a) SAME-FACT ATOMICITY: the deferred add\'s ONE commit fact carries embed.pending beside its after-image; no sidecar file exists', async () => {
-    const dir = trackDir()
-    const brain = track(await openBrain(dir))
-    hangEmbedder(brain) // hold the pending state open for the scan
-
-    const id = await brain.add({
-      data: 'deferred content whose marker rides the fact',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      deferEmbedding: true,
-      metadata: { pin: 'a' }
-    })
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(1)
-
-    const facts = await allFacts(brain)
-    const carrying = facts.filter((f) =>
-      (f.records ?? []).some((r) => r.type === 'embed.pending' && r.id === id)
-    )
-    expect(carrying, 'exactly ONE fact carries the pending marker').toHaveLength(1)
-    const fact = carrying[0]
-    // The SAME fact (same generation, one atomic append) carries the write's
-    // own after-image — marker and write are inseparable by construction.
-    const afterImage = fact.ops.find((op) => op.kind === 'noun' && op.id === id)
-    expect(afterImage, 'the marker rides the write\'s own fact').toBeDefined()
-    expect(afterImage!.record, 'an after-image, not a tombstone').not.toBeNull()
-    const marker = (fact.records ?? []).find((r) => r.type === 'embed.pending' && r.id === id)
-    expect(marker && marker.type === 'embed.pending' && marker.enqueuedAt).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-
-    // The sidecar is dead: nothing under the retired prefix, ever.
-    expect(fs.existsSync(sidecarDir(dir)), 'no sidecar directory is created').toBe(false)
-  })
-
-  it('(b) LANDING: after the barrier the log carries embed.landed (inline vector) on the landing commit\'s own fact, and a fresh fold nets zero pending', async () => {
-    const dir = trackDir()
-    const brain = track(await openBrain(dir))
-
-    const id = await brain.add({
-      data: 'content that lands in the background',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      deferEmbedding: true,
-      metadata: { pin: 'b' }
-    })
-    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(0)
-
-    const facts = await allFacts(brain)
-    const landingFacts = facts.filter((f) =>
-      (f.records ?? []).some((r) => r.type === 'embed.landed' && r.id === id)
-    )
-    expect(landingFacts, 'exactly ONE landing fact').toHaveLength(1)
-    const landed = (landingFacts[0].records ?? []).find(
-      (r) => r.type === 'embed.landed' && r.id === id
-    )
-    expect(landed && landed.type === 'embed.landed' && landed.vector.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    // The landing commit's own after-image rides the same fact — the worker's
-    // vector swap and its durable "pending consumed" are one atomic append.
-    const landingAfterImage = landingFacts[0].ops.find((op) => op.kind === 'noun' && op.id === id)
-    expect(landingAfterImage, 'the landed marker rides the swap\'s own fact').toBeDefined()
-    expect(landingAfterImage!.record).not.toBeNull()
-
-    // A fresh fold of the WHOLE log — the exact recovery computation — nets zero.
-    expect(foldPending(facts).size).toBe(0)
-    expect(fs.existsSync(sidecarDir(dir))).toBe(false)
-  })
-
-  it('(c) CRASH RECOVERY VIA THE LOG: kill mid-defer, reopen — one pending re-armed from the fold, NO sidecar file anywhere, and the vector then lands', async () => {
-    const dir = trackDir()
-
-    // Session 1: embedder hung, deferred add acked, durability flushed, then
-    // a crash-style abandon (RAM gone, no close, no background machinery).
-    const first = await openBrain(dir)
-    brains.push(first)
-    hangEmbedder(first)
-    const id = await first.add({
-      data: 'survives the kill through the log',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      deferEmbedding: true,
-      metadata: { pin: 'c' }
-    })
-    expect(first.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(1)
-    await first.flush() // the durability barrier: fact (with marker) + manifest
-    expect(fs.existsSync(sidecarDir(dir)), 'no sidecar before the kill').toBe(false)
-    await abandonAsCrashed(first)
-    brains.splice(brains.indexOf(first), 1)
-    vi.restoreAllMocks()
-
-    // Session 2: recovery folds the log — embedder hung BEFORE init so the
-    // re-armed pending is observable, not raced away by the fast worker.
-    const second = new Brainy({
-      requireSubtype: false,
-      storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir },
-      silent: true,
-      persistence: { policy: 'manual' }
-    })
-    const hang = hangEmbedder(second)
-    await second.init()
-    track(second)
-    expect(second.pendingEmbedCount(), 'the fold re-armed the pending').toBe(1)
-    expect(fs.existsSync(sidecarDir(dir)), 'recovery used the LOG, not files').toBe(false)
-
-    // Un-hang and drain: a crash DELAYED the vector, never lost it.
-    hang.mockRestore()
-    abandonHungWorker(second)
-    await second.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-    expect(second.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(0)
-    const after = await second.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-    expect(after, 'the deferred row survived the crash').toBeTruthy()
-    expect((after!.vector as number[]).length, 'the delayed vector landed').toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    expect(foldPending(await allFacts(second)).size, 'the landing is durable in the log').toBe(0)
-  })
-
-  it('(d) LEGACY BRIDGE: a pre-log sidecar marker folds in at open, migrates into the log, and the file dies — one-time and durable', async () => {
-    const dir = trackDir()
-
-    // Session 1: a normal committed row (the entity the legacy marker names).
-    const first = await openBrain(dir)
-    brains.push(first)
-    const id = uid('legacy-defer')
-    await first.add({
-      id,
-      data: 'legacy deferred content',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      vector: vec(9),
-      metadata: { pin: 'd' }
-    })
-    await first.flush()
-    await first.close()
-    brains.splice(brains.indexOf(first), 1)
-
-    // A pre-log build's sidecar marker, hand-written exactly as the old
-    // writeRawObject persisted it (the filesystem adapter compresses raw
-    // objects by default: gzipped JSON at `<path>.gz`).
-    fs.mkdirSync(sidecarDir(dir), { recursive: true })
-    const sidecarFile = path.join(sidecarDir(dir), id)
-    fs.writeFileSync(
-      `${sidecarFile}.gz`,
-      zlib.gzipSync(JSON.stringify({ id, enqueuedAt: 1234567890 }, null, 2))
-    )
-
-    // Session 2: the bridge fires at open. Embedder hung BEFORE init so the
-    // folded pending is observable.
-    const second = new Brainy({
-      requireSubtype: false,
-      storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir },
-      silent: true,
-      persistence: { policy: 'manual' }
-    })
-    const hang = hangEmbedder(second)
-    await second.init()
-    track(second)
-    expect(second.pendingEmbedCount(), 'the legacy marker folded in').toBe(1)
-    expect(fs.existsSync(sidecarFile), 'the sidecar file was deleted').toBe(false)
-    expect(fs.existsSync(`${sidecarFile}.gz`), 'the compressed variant too').toBe(false)
-    const migrated = await allFacts(second)
-    expect(
-      migrated.some((f) => (f.records ?? []).some((r) => r.type === 'embed.pending' && r.id === id)),
-      'the marker now lives IN the log'
-    ).toBe(true)
-
-    // Drain: the bridged pending embeds and lands like any other.
-    hang.mockRestore()
-    abandonHungWorker(second)
-    await second.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-    expect(second.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(0)
-    const facts = await allFacts(second)
-    expect(
-      facts.some((f) => (f.records ?? []).some((r) => r.type === 'embed.landed' && r.id === id)),
-      'the bridged pending landed durably'
-    ).toBe(true)
-    expect(foldPending(facts).size).toBe(0)
-    await second.flush()
-    await second.close()
-    brains.splice(brains.indexOf(second), 1)
-
-    // Session 3: nothing resurrects — the bridge was one-time, the clear durable.
-    const third = track(await openBrain(dir))
-    expect(third.pendingEmbedCount(), 'no zombie pending on the next open').toBe(0)
-    expect(fs.existsSync(sidecarDir(dir)) && fs.readdirSync(sidecarDir(dir)).length > 0).toBe(false)
-  })
-
-  it('(e) VFS ACK LAW: writeFile acks under a forever-hung embedder while its pending marker sits durably in the log', async () => {
-    const dir = trackDir()
-    const brain = track(await openBrain(dir))
-    const hang = hangEmbedder(brain)
-
-    await brain.vfs.writeFile('/notes/today.md', '# The day\nA deferred capture.')
-
-    // Acked with the embedder hung: content + metadata fully readable.
-    const content = await brain.vfs.readFile('/notes/today.md')
-    expect(content.toString()).toContain('A deferred capture.')
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-
-    // The marker is already durable IN the log while the embedder hangs —
-    // the exact state a crash here would recover from.
-    expect(foldPending(await allFacts(brain)).size).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-    expect(fs.existsSync(sidecarDir(dir))).toBe(false)
-
-    // Un-hang, abandon the poisoned pass, drain, verify.
-    hang.mockRestore()
-    abandonHungWorker(brain)
-    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(0)
-    expect(foldPending(await allFacts(brain)).size).toBe(0)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/fact-log-contracts.test.ts b/tests/integration/fact-log-contracts.test.ts
index 874504c9..eb579da9 100644
--- a/tests/integration/fact-log-contracts.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/fact-log-contracts.test.ts
@@ -4,13 +4,14 @@
  *
  * (1) FSYNC-BEFORE-ACK: an acknowledged write's fact survives an abrupt
  *     process end (no flush, no close — reopen from disk).
- *     - transact(): HOLDS — the fact is fsync'd before transact returns.
- *     - single-op: HOLDS (was pinned `it.fails` until the ack-at-log
- *       destination landed): the 10.0.0 adopt-at-open fleet default flips a
- *       fresh brain to log authority at open, so single-op acks await the
- *       covering group fsync (durable-at-ack) and recovery REPLAYS intact
- *       facts above the manifest at the next open. The contract is now
- *       permanent on every path.
+ *     - transact(): HOLDS TODAY — the fact is fsync'd before transact returns.
+ *     - single-op: PINNED AS `it.fails` — today's group-commit batches
+ *       DURABILITY (ack precedes the group fsync; a hard kill loses the fact
+ *       AND the generation together, coherently — the documented Model-B
+ *       contract, fine while the tree is authoritative). The destination
+ *       (ack-at-log) requires group commit to become LATENCY batching: the
+ *       ack waits for the shared fsync. When that lands, this pin flips red —
+ *       remove `.fails` and the contract is permanent. No cliff to discover.
  *
  * (2) SCAN STABILITY UNDER ROTATION: a scan handle opened before segment
  *     rotation yields exactly its snapshot — byte-identical facts, no gaps,
@@ -62,11 +63,9 @@ describe('fsync-before-ack contract (fact durability at the ack boundary)', () =
     expect(facts.some((f) => f.generation === receipt.generation)).toBe(true)
   })
 
-  // THE ACK-AT-LOG CONTRACT, HELD (was `.fails` until it landed): under the
-  // adopt-at-open fleet default this brain runs durable-at-ack from open —
-  // the ack waits for the covering log fsync, and the log-authority recovery
-  // path replays the intact fact at the next open instead of truncating it.
-  it('single-op: the fact is durable the moment the ack returns (the ack-at-log target)', async () => {
+  // PINNED (flips red when group commit becomes latency batching — then
+  // remove `.fails` and the ack-at-log contract is permanent on every path).
+  it.fails('single-op: the fact is durable the moment the ack returns (the ack-at-log target)', async () => {
     await brain.add({ data: 'acked single-op', type: 'document', metadata: { n: 1 } })
     const ackedHead = brain.scanFacts()!.headGeneration
     // Abrupt end immediately after the ack — before any flush window.
diff --git a/tests/integration/fact-log-v2-cutover.test.ts b/tests/integration/fact-log-v2-cutover.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 6e8d9fb6..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/fact-log-v2-cutover.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,397 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/fact-log-v2-cutover
- * @description The fact log's LIVE WRITE FORMAT cutover to v2, end-to-end
- * through real brains: (a) a NEW brain's tail segment carries a v2 header
- * (formatVersion 2, sealSize 4096), opens with the log.genesis record
- * (id-space width 64 + the manifest-persisted brainId), and scanFacts yields
- * the same CommitFact shape a v1 brain would — reconstruction included,
- * proven by digest-equality against canonical after a reopen; (b) MIXED
- * logs: an existing v1 segment stays readable forever beside a v2 tail
- * (cutover-by-rotation; the v1 segment is never rewritten); (c) MINT:
- * after-image records carry the metadata index id mapper's exact int
- * assignments (white-box compare); (d) SEALS: every flush leaves the tail
- * sector-aligned, and pads are invisible to scans; (e) REPLAY: the
- * log-authority recovery path resurrects an acked write from a v2 tail
- * after a crash-style abandon.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import * as fs from 'node:fs'
-import * as path from 'node:path'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/brainy.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-import {
-  parseSegmentHeader,
-  decodeGroupV2,
-  SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES,
-  FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1,
-  FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2,
-  type LogGenesisRecord,
-  type NounAfterImageRecord
-} from '../../src/db/factLogFormat.js'
-import type { CommitFact, FactIntMinter, FactLog } from '../../src/db/factLog.js'
-import {
-  makeTempDir,
-  openBrain,
-  storeOf,
-  abandonAsCrashed,
-  factGenerations,
-  vec,
-  uid
-} from '../helpers/durabilityKillMatrix.js'
-
-/** The VFS root — created at init by a baseline (generation-less) write. */
-const VFS_ROOT = '00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000'
-const FACTS_DIR = ['_generations', 'facts'] as const
-const MANIFEST_PATH = '_generations/facts/manifest.json'
-
-/** White-box internals this suite instruments. */
-type BrainInternals = {
-  storage: {
-    readRawObject(p: string): Promise<unknown | null>
-    readNounRaw(id: string): Promise<{ metadata: unknown | null; vector: unknown | null }>
-  }
-  metadataIndex: {
-    getIdMapper(): { getInt(uuid: string): number | undefined }
-  }
-}
-const internals = (brain: Brainy): BrainInternals => brain as unknown as BrainInternals
-
-/** The facts manifest as stored (additive brainId included). */
-interface StoredFactsManifest {
-  segments: Array<{ file: string }>
-  tailSegment: string | null
-  brainId?: string
-}
-
-async function readManifest(brain: Brainy): Promise<StoredFactsManifest> {
-  const manifest = (await internals(brain).storage.readRawObject(
-    MANIFEST_PATH
-  )) as StoredFactsManifest | null
-  expect(manifest, 'the facts manifest exists').toBeTruthy()
-  return manifest!
-}
-
-/** Raw on-disk bytes of one fact segment file. */
-function segmentBytes(dir: string, file: string): Uint8Array {
-  return new Uint8Array(fs.readFileSync(path.join(dir, ...FACTS_DIR, file)))
-}
-
-async function allFacts(brain: Brainy): Promise<CommitFact[]> {
-  const scan = (brain as unknown as { scanFacts(): { batches(): AsyncGenerator<{ facts: CommitFact[] }> } | null }).scanFacts()
-  expect(scan, 'this storage hosts a fact log').not.toBeNull()
-  const facts: CommitFact[] = []
-  for await (const batch of scan!.batches()) facts.push(...batch.facts)
-  return facts
-}
-
-/** The live FactLog instance (white-box: the minter strip in scenario b). */
-function factLogOf(brain: Brainy): FactLog & { intMinter: FactIntMinter | null } {
-  const log = storeOf(brain).getFactLog()
-  expect(log, 'filesystem storage hosts a fact log').not.toBeNull()
-  return log as FactLog & { intMinter: FactIntMinter | null }
-}
-
-describe('fact log v2 cutover — live writes land in the v2 segment format', () => {
-  const dirs: string[] = []
-  const brains: Brainy[] = []
-
-  const trackDir = (): string => {
-    const dir = makeTempDir()
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    return dir
-  }
-  const track = (brain: Brainy): Brainy => {
-    brains.push(brain)
-    return brain
-  }
-
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    for (const b of brains.splice(0)) {
-      await (b as unknown as { close?: () => Promise<void> }).close?.().catch(() => {})
-    }
-    for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-  })
-
-  it('(a) NEW BRAIN: v2 tail header, genesis-first, and scanFacts parity with canonical across a reopen', async () => {
-    const dir = trackDir()
-    const brain = track(await openBrain(dir))
-    const idA = uid('v2-new-a')
-    const idB = uid('v2-new-b')
-    await brain.add({ id: idA, data: 'alpha', type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(1), metadata: { n: 1 } })
-    await brain.add({ id: idB, data: 'beta', type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(2), metadata: { n: 2 } })
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    // The tail segment's raw header bytes: formatVersion 2, sealSize 4096.
-    const manifest = await readManifest(brain)
-    expect(manifest.tailSegment).toBeTruthy()
-    expect(manifest.brainId, 'the brain id was minted into the manifest').toBeTruthy()
-    const bytes = segmentBytes(dir, manifest.tailSegment!)
-    const header = parseSegmentHeader(bytes.subarray(0, SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES))
-    expect(header.formatVersion).toBe(FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2)
-    expect(header.sealSize).toBe(4096)
-
-    // Genesis is the FIRST record of the FIRST fact — and appears exactly once.
-    const group = decodeGroupV2(bytes.subarray(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES), { expectedIdSpaceWidth: 64 })
-    expect(group.facts.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2)
-    const firstRecord = group.facts[0].records[0]
-    expect(firstRecord.type).toBe('log.genesis')
-    const genesis = firstRecord as LogGenesisRecord
-    expect(genesis.idSpaceWidth).toBe(64)
-    expect(genesis.brainId).toBe(manifest.brainId)
-    const genesisCount = group.facts
-      .flatMap((f) => f.records)
-      .filter((r) => r.type === 'log.genesis').length
-    expect(genesisCount).toBe(1)
-
-    // Shape parity + reconstruction fidelity: REOPEN (so the tail decodes
-    // from disk, not from the in-session originals) and compare each add's
-    // CommitFact op against canonical byte truth — metadata leg (bigint
-    // timestamps normalized back to numbers) AND the reconstructed vector
-    // wrapper must equal what readNounRaw returns, exactly as a v1 log's
-    // byte-faithful capture would.
-    await (brain as unknown as { close: () => Promise<void> }).close()
-    brains.splice(brains.indexOf(brain), 1)
-    const reopened = track(await openBrain(dir))
-    const facts = await allFacts(reopened)
-    const gens = facts.map((f) => f.generation)
-    expect([...gens].sort((a, b) => a - b)).toEqual(gens)
-    expect(new Set(gens).size).toBe(gens.length)
-
-    const logGens = new Set(
-      ((await (reopened as unknown as { transactionLog(): Promise<Array<{ generation: number }>> }).transactionLog()) ?? []).map(
-        (e) => e.generation
-      )
-    )
-    for (const g of gens) expect(logGens.has(g), `generation ${g} is a real commit`).toBe(true)
-
-    for (const id of [idA, idB]) {
-      const fact = facts.find((f) => f.ops.some((op) => op.id === id && op.record !== null))
-      expect(fact, `the add fact for ${id} survives the reopen`).toBeDefined()
-      const op = fact!.ops.find((o) => o.id === id)!
-      expect(op.kind).toBe('noun')
-      const canonical = await internals(reopened).storage.readNounRaw(id)
-      expect(op.record!.metadata).toStrictEqual(canonical.metadata)
-      // ENTITY TRUTH comparison: canonical wrappers denormalize HNSW residue
-      // (connections + the randomly-assigned level) that the log record
-      // deliberately reconstructs empty — strip both sides (the oracle's
-      // normalizer law) so a nonzero random level can't fake a divergence.
-      const strip = (w: unknown) => {
-        const { connections: _c, level: _l, ...rest } = w as Record<string, unknown>
-        return rest
-      }
-      expect(strip(op.record!.vector)).toStrictEqual(strip(canonical.vector))
-    }
-  })
-
-  it('(b) MIXED LOG: an existing v1 segment stays readable forever beside the v2 tail (cutover by rotation, v1 bytes untouched)', async () => {
-    // ROUTE: a REAL v1 segment is written by the v1 writer itself — the live
-    // FactLog with its minter stripped (the exact pre-cutover code path,
-    // still shipped for minter-less configurations) — then the minter is
-    // restored mid-session and the next append performs the cutover
-    // rotation. Stronger than hand-crafted bytes: both formats come from
-    // their real writers, on one log.
-    const dir = trackDir()
-    const brain = track(await openBrain(dir))
-    const log = factLogOf(brain)
-    const minter = log.intMinter
-    expect(minter, 'the brain wired the int minter at init').toBeTruthy()
-
-    log.intMinter = null // the pre-cutover writer
-    const idOld1 = uid('v1-old-1')
-    const idOld2 = uid('v1-old-2')
-    await brain.add({ id: idOld1, data: 'old one', type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(3), metadata: { era: 'v1' } })
-    await brain.add({ id: idOld2, data: 'old two', type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(4), metadata: { era: 'v1' } })
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    const before = await readManifest(brain)
-    expect(before.segments).toHaveLength(0)
-    const v1TailFile = before.tailSegment!
-    const v1Bytes = segmentBytes(dir, v1TailFile)
-    expect(parseSegmentHeader(v1Bytes.subarray(0, SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES)).formatVersion).toBe(
-      FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1
-    )
-
-    log.intMinter = minter // the cutover lands mid-session
-    const idNew = uid('v2-new')
-    await brain.add({ id: idNew, data: 'new era', type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(5), metadata: { era: 'v2' } })
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    // The v1 tail was SEALED (bytes untouched), the new tail is v2.
-    const after = await readManifest(brain)
-    expect(after.segments.map((s) => s.file)).toContain(v1TailFile)
-    expect(after.tailSegment).not.toBe(v1TailFile)
-    const sealedBytes = segmentBytes(dir, v1TailFile)
-    expect(parseSegmentHeader(sealedBytes.subarray(0, SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES)).formatVersion).toBe(
-      FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1
-    )
-    expect(
-      Buffer.compare(Buffer.from(sealedBytes), Buffer.from(v1Bytes)),
-      'the sealed v1 segment is byte-identical — never rewritten'
-    ).toBe(0)
-    const tailBytes = segmentBytes(dir, after.tailSegment!)
-    expect(parseSegmentHeader(tailBytes.subarray(0, SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES)).formatVersion).toBe(
-      FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2
-    )
-    // NOT a brand-new log: no genesis on a rotated-in v2 tail.
-    const tailGroup = decodeGroupV2(tailBytes.subarray(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES), {
-      expectedIdSpaceWidth: 64
-    })
-    expect(
-      tailGroup.facts.flatMap((f) => f.records).some((r) => r.type === 'log.genesis')
-    ).toBe(false)
-
-    // One scan spans both formats, shape-identically, in generation order.
-    const liveFacts = await allFacts(brain)
-    const liveGens = liveFacts.map((f) => f.generation)
-    expect([...liveGens].sort((a, b) => a - b)).toEqual(liveGens)
-    for (const id of [idOld1, idOld2, idNew]) {
-      const fact = liveFacts.find((f) => f.ops.some((op) => op.id === id))
-      expect(fact, `fact for ${id} is scannable`).toBeDefined()
-      const op = fact!.ops.find((o) => o.id === id)!
-      expect(op.kind).toBe('noun')
-      expect(op.record).not.toBeNull()
-    }
-
-    // The MIXED log survives a reopen and keeps appending (v2 tail).
-    await (brain as unknown as { close: () => Promise<void> }).close()
-    brains.splice(brains.indexOf(brain), 1)
-    const reopened = track(await openBrain(dir))
-    const reFacts = await allFacts(reopened)
-    expect(reFacts.map((f) => f.generation)).toEqual(liveGens)
-    // The v1 fact still reads exactly as the v1 decoder always read it.
-    // (Not compared byte-strict against canonical: the v1 CAPTURE has a
-    // known pre-existing wart — write-cache-warm objects carry
-    // undefined-valued engine keys that msgpack preserves as nil while the
-    // durable JSON drops them. v1 bytes are frozen; the v2 encoder
-    // sanitizes to durable truth instead — pinned in scenario (a).)
-    const oldOp = reFacts
-      .find((f) => f.ops.some((op) => op.id === idOld1))!
-      .ops.find((o) => o.id === idOld1)!
-    const canonicalOld = await internals(reopened).storage.readNounRaw(idOld1)
-    const oldMeta = oldOp.record!.metadata as Record<string, unknown>
-    expect(oldMeta.noun).toBe('document')
-    expect((oldMeta.metadata as Record<string, unknown>).era).toBe('v1')
-    const oldWrapper = oldOp.record!.vector as { id: string; vector: number[] }
-    const canonicalWrapper = canonicalOld.vector as { id: string; vector: number[] }
-    expect(oldWrapper.id).toBe(idOld1)
-    expect(oldWrapper.vector).toStrictEqual(canonicalWrapper.vector)
-    await reopened.add({ id: uid('post-reopen'), data: 'still writing', type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(6), metadata: {} })
-    expect((await factGenerations(reopened)).length).toBe(liveGens.length + 1)
-  })
-
-  it('(c) MINT-AT-APPEND: after-image records carry the id mapper\'s EXACT int assignments — distinct, nonzero, reproducible', async () => {
-    const dir = trackDir()
-    const brain = track(await openBrain(dir))
-    const idA = uid('mint-a')
-    const idB = uid('mint-b')
-    await brain.add({ id: idA, data: 'mint one', type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(7), metadata: { m: 1 } })
-    await brain.add({ id: idB, data: 'mint two', type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(8), metadata: { m: 2 } })
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    const manifest = await readManifest(brain)
-    const bytes = segmentBytes(dir, manifest.tailSegment!)
-    const group = decodeGroupV2(bytes.subarray(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES), { expectedIdSpaceWidth: 64 })
-    const afterImages = new Map<string, NounAfterImageRecord>()
-    for (const fact of group.facts) {
-      for (const record of fact.records) {
-        if (record.type === 'noun.afterImage') afterImages.set(record.id, record)
-      }
-    }
-    const recA = afterImages.get(idA)
-    const recB = afterImages.get(idB)
-    expect(recA, 'idA has a decoded after-image').toBeDefined()
-    expect(recB, 'idB has a decoded after-image').toBeDefined()
-    expect(recA!.entityInt).toBeGreaterThan(0n)
-    expect(recB!.entityInt).toBeGreaterThan(0n)
-    expect(recA!.entityInt).not.toBe(recB!.entityInt)
-
-    // White-box: the ints on the wire ARE the metadata index mapper's
-    // assignments — the exact ints a mapper rebuild must reproduce.
-    const mapper = internals(brain).metadataIndex.getIdMapper()
-    expect(recA!.entityInt).toBe(BigInt(mapper.getInt(idA)!))
-    expect(recB!.entityInt).toBe(BigInt(mapper.getInt(idB)!))
-  })
-
-  it('(d) SEALS AT SYNC: every flush leaves the tail sector-aligned; pads are invisible to scans', async () => {
-    const dir = trackDir()
-    const brain = track(await openBrain(dir))
-    await brain.add({ id: uid('seal-1'), data: 'one', type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(10), metadata: {} })
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    const manifest = await readManifest(brain)
-    const tailPath = path.join(dir, ...FACTS_DIR, manifest.tailSegment!)
-    const sizeAfterFirstFlush = fs.statSync(tailPath).size
-    expect(sizeAfterFirstFlush).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    expect(sizeAfterFirstFlush % 4096, 'tail is sector-aligned after flush').toBe(0)
-    const countAfterFirstFlush = (await factGenerations(brain)).length
-
-    for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
-      await brain.add({ id: uid(`seal-more-${i}`), data: `more ${i}`, type: NounType.Document, vector: vec(11 + i), metadata: { i } })
-    }
-    await brain.flush()
-    const sizeAfterSecondFlush = fs.statSync(tailPath).size
-    expect(sizeAfterSecondFlush).toBeGreaterThan(sizeAfterFirstFlush)
-    expect(sizeAfterSecondFlush % 4096, 'still aligned after more writes + flush').toBe(0)
-
-    // Pads count toward bytes, never toward facts.
-    expect((await factGenerations(brain)).length).toBe(countAfterFirstFlush + 3)
-  })
-
-  it('(e) REPLAY COMPAT: the log-authority recovery path resurrects an acked write from a v2 tail after a crash-style abandon', async () => {
-    // The flip idiom from the log-authority suite: seed writes, baseline
-    // backfill LAST (the init-time VFS root never got a fact), flush, then
-    // the sanctioned guarded flip — the oracle goes green over an ALL-V2
-    // log, which is itself the reproduction proof for the v2 record path.
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-v2-cutover-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    process.env.BRAINY_DETERMINISTIC_EMBEDDINGS = 'true'
-    const open = async (): Promise<Brainy> => {
-      const b = new Brainy({
-        storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir },
-        requireSubtype: false,
-        silent: true,
-        dimensions: 384
-      })
-      await b.init()
-      return track(b)
-    }
-
-    const brain = await open()
-    const kept = await brain.add({ data: 'alpha document', type: 'document', metadata: { n: 1 } })
-    const removed = await brain.add({ data: 'beta document', type: 'document', metadata: { n: 2 } })
-    await brain.update({ id: kept, metadata: { n: 10 } })
-    await brain.remove(removed)
-    const root = await brain.get(VFS_ROOT)
-    expect(root, 'the VFS root exists').toBeTruthy()
-    await brain.update({ id: VFS_ROOT, metadata: root!.metadata }) // baseline backfill — final write
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    const report = await (brain as unknown as { adoptLogAuthority(): Promise<{ verdict: string }> }).adoptLogAuthority()
-    expect(report.verdict, 'the oracle is green over a pure-v2 log').toBe('green')
-
-    // An at-ack write: its v2 fact is fsynced (sector-sealed) at ack.
-    const survivor = await brain.add({
-      data: 'survives power loss',
-      type: 'document',
-      metadata: { s: 1 }
-    })
-
-    // Crash-style abandon: RAM state gone, no flush, no close.
-    await abandonAsCrashed(brain)
-
-    // Reopen: open() finds the acked fact ABOVE the manifest watermark in
-    // the v2 tail (peekFactsAbove → v2 decode) and REPLAYS it into
-    // canonical — an acked write is never lost.
-    const reopened = await open()
-    expect(
-      (reopened as unknown as { logAuthority(): { authority: string } }).logAuthority().authority
-    ).toBe('log')
-    const resurrected = await reopened.get(survivor)
-    expect(resurrected, 'the acked write survived the crash').toBeTruthy()
-    expect((resurrected as { metadata?: { s?: number } }).metadata?.s).toBe(1)
-    expect((await factGenerations(reopened)).length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/find-matchall-cold.test.ts b/tests/integration/find-matchall-cold.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 158cb163..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/find-matchall-cold.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,184 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/find-matchall-cold
- * @description THE MATCH-ALL SILENT-EMPTY PIN: `find({ where: {} })` is a
- * match-all query — zero predicates constrain nothing — yet it used to route
- * through the index-filter branch, where `getIdsForFilter({})` answers `[]`
- * by contract. Result: 0 rows while storage held rows (worst on a freshly
- * reopened brain, where it masqueraded as data loss), the forbidden answer
- * class — a silent empty instead of served-or-refused. These tests pin the
- * law: an empty `where` routes exactly like an absent `where`, serving from
- * truth-complete sources (a storage page bounded to the offset+limit window,
- * or the column store's top-K sort under orderBy) — warm AND cold, on the
- * live brain, the Db pin path, pagination.count, streaming.entities, and the
- * semantic path (`{ query, where: {} }` must not short-circuit to `[]`).
- * The one deliberate refusal: `removeMany({ where: {} })` throws — a
- * match-all BULK DELETE must be asked for explicitly, never inherited.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const dirs: string[] = []
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-})
-
-async function open(dir: string): Promise<Brainy> {
-  const b = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir }, requireSubtype: false })
-  await b.init()
-  brains.push(b)
-  return b
-}
-
-/** Seed three plain documents with a sortable numeric field. */
-async function seed(brain: Brainy): Promise<string[]> {
-  const ids: string[] = []
-  ids.push(await brain.add({ data: 'alpha row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 1 } }))
-  ids.push(await brain.add({ data: 'beta row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 2 } }))
-  ids.push(await brain.add({ data: 'gamma row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 3 } }))
-  await brain.flush()
-  return ids
-}
-
-describe('find({ where: {} }) — match-all serves, warm and cold', () => {
-  it('the repro: a freshly reopened filesystem brain serves match-all (not a silent 0)', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-cold-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = await open(dir)
-    await seed(brain)
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    const reopened = await open(dir)
-    const rows = await reopened.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })
-    expect(rows.length, 'match-all serves every stored row on the cold brain').toBe(3)
-
-    // The predicate paths that always worked cold stay working — same brain.
-    expect((await reopened.find({ where: { n: 1 }, limit: 10 })).length).toBe(1)
-    expect((await reopened.find({ where: { 'system.type': 'document' }, limit: 10 })).length).toBe(3)
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('match-all + orderBy on a metadata field serves sorted after reopen', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-order-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = await open(dir)
-    await seed(brain)
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    const reopened = await open(dir)
-    const rows = await reopened.find({ where: {}, orderBy: 'n', order: 'desc', limit: 10 })
-    expect(rows.length, 'sorted match-all serves every stored row cold').toBe(3)
-    expect(
-      rows.map((r) => (r.metadata as { n: number }).n),
-      'orderBy is honored on the cold match-all page'
-    ).toEqual([3, 2, 1])
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('warm brain unchanged: match-all, sorted match-all, and predicates all serve in-session', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-warm-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = await open(dir)
-    await seed(brain)
-
-    expect((await brain.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })).length).toBe(3)
-    const sorted = await brain.find({ where: {}, orderBy: 'n', order: 'asc', limit: 2 })
-    expect(sorted.map((r) => (r.metadata as { n: number }).n)).toEqual([1, 2])
-    expect((await brain.find({ where: { n: 2 }, limit: 10 })).length).toBe(1)
-    // Pagination window respected: match-all never over-serves the page.
-    expect((await brain.find({ where: {}, limit: 2, offset: 2 })).length).toBe(1)
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('the semantic path: find({ query, where: {} }) must not short-circuit to []', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-query-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = await open(dir)
-    await seed(brain)
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    const reopened = await open(dir)
-    // Before the fix, the pre-resolved empty filter matched nothing and the
-    // vector search was skipped entirely — a silent [] for every such query.
-    const rows = await reopened.find({ query: 'alpha row', where: {}, limit: 10 })
-    expect(rows.length, 'an unconstraining where must not empty a semantic query').toBeGreaterThan(0)
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('the Db pin path: asOf(g).find({ where: {} }) serves at the pinned generation after reopen', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-asof-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = await open(dir)
-    await brain.add({ data: 'first', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 1 } })
-    await brain.add({ data: 'second', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 2 } })
-    await brain.flush()
-    const gTwo = brain.generation()
-    await brain.add({ data: 'third', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 3 } })
-    await brain.flush()
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    const reopened = await open(dir)
-    // Current-generation pin (delegates to the live find fast path).
-    const now = reopened.now()
-    expect((await now.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })).length).toBe(3)
-
-    // Historical pin: the record-overlay path must serve match-all too.
-    const past = await reopened.asOf(gTwo)
-    try {
-      const rows = await past.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })
-      expect(rows.length, 'match-all at the pinned generation sees exactly the rows of that generation').toBe(2)
-    } finally {
-      await past.release()
-    }
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('pagination.count({ where: {} }) counts every row instead of a silent 0', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-count-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = await open(dir)
-    await seed(brain)
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    const reopened = await open(dir)
-    // The law: an empty where counts exactly like an absent where (the
-    // unfiltered total — which by long-standing count semantics includes
-    // system entities such as the VFS root, hence >= the 3 user rows).
-    const emptyWhere = await reopened.pagination.count({ where: {} })
-    expect(emptyWhere).toBe(await reopened.pagination.count({}))
-    expect(emptyWhere).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(3)
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('streaming.entities({ where: {} }) streams every row instead of nothing', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-stream-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = await open(dir)
-    await seed(brain)
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    const reopened = await open(dir)
-    const streamed: string[] = []
-    for await (const entity of reopened.streaming.entities({ where: {} })) {
-      streamed.push(entity.id)
-    }
-    expect(streamed.length, 'an unconstraining where streams the full store').toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(3)
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('removeMany({ where: {} }) refuses loudly — match-all bulk delete is never implicit', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-matchall-remove-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = await open(dir)
-    await seed(brain)
-
-    await expect(brain.removeMany({ where: {} })).rejects.toThrow(/matches EVERYTHING/)
-    // Nothing was deleted by the refused call.
-    expect((await brain.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })).length).toBe(3)
-  }, 120000)
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/log-authority-adopt.test.ts b/tests/integration/log-authority-adopt.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 5e810b1f..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/log-authority-adopt.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,114 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/log-authority-adopt
- * @description THE SANCTIONED FLIP, END TO END: adoptLogAuthority() cures
- * its own curable divergences by baseline backfill — a FRESH brain (whose
- * generation-0 VFS root never entered the log) flips WITHOUT any manual
- * white-box backfill. Before this, no fresh brain could ever flip: the
- * oracle reported the bootstrap row as pre-log-record and the flip refused.
- * Log-AHEAD divergences stay incurable and refuse loudly (witness wins).
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const dirs: string[] = []
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-})
-
-async function open(dir: string, logAuthority?: 'adopt' | 'defer'): Promise<Brainy> {
-  const b = new Brainy({
-    storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir },
-    requireSubtype: false,
-    ...(logAuthority ? { logAuthority } : {})
-  })
-  await b.init()
-  brains.push(b)
-  return b
-}
-
-describe('adoptLogAuthority — the sanctioned flip with self-backfill', () => {
-  it('a fresh brain flips directly: the backfill cures the generation-0 baseline', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-adopt-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = await open(dir)
-    const idA = await brain.add({ data: 'first row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 1 } })
-    await brain.add({ data: 'second row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 2 } })
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    const report = await brain.adoptLogAuthority()
-    expect(report.verdict, 'the flip receipt is a green oracle').toBe('green')
-    expect(brain.logAuthority().authority).toBe('log')
-
-    // The switch survives reopen; the brain keeps serving identically.
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-    const reopened = await open(dir)
-    expect(reopened.logAuthority().authority).toBe('log')
-    expect(await reopened.get(idA), 'records serve at reopen').toBeTruthy()
-    const rows = await reopened.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })
-    expect(rows.length, 'match-all serves on the reopened flipped brain').toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2)
-    // And a fresh oracle run on the flipped brain stays green.
-    expect((await reopened.verifyLogAuthority()).verdict).toBe('green')
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('witness drift (out-of-generation canonical rewrite) is cured by the backfill, then flips', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-adopt-drift-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = await open(dir)
-    const id = await brain.add({ data: 'drifter', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { v: 1 } })
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    // Simulate maintenance rewriting canonical OUTSIDE a generation (the
-    // witness-drift class): mutate the stored record directly.
-    const storage = (brain as unknown as {
-      storage: {
-        readNounRaw(id: string): Promise<{ metadata: unknown; vector: unknown }>
-        writeNounRaw(id: string, r: { metadata: unknown; vector: unknown }): Promise<void>
-      }
-    }).storage
-    const raw = await storage.readNounRaw(id)
-    await storage.writeNounRaw(id, {
-      metadata: { ...(raw.metadata as Record<string, unknown>), drifted: true },
-      vector: raw.vector
-    })
-    expect((await brain.verifyLogAuthority()).verdict, 'drift detected').toBe('red')
-
-    const report = await brain.adoptLogAuthority()
-    expect(report.verdict).toBe('green')
-    expect(brain.logAuthority().authority).toBe('log')
-  }, 120000)
-
-  // THE OPT-OUT CONTRACT (`logAuthority: 'defer'`): no automatic adoption —
-  // the fresh brain stays tree-authoritative and writes NO artifact (a
-  // deferred posture is config, not stored state); the EXPLICIT
-  // adoptLogAuthority() then flips it exactly as before the fleet default.
-  it("opt-out: 'defer' stays tree with no artifact until the explicit adoptLogAuthority() flips it", async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-adopt-defer-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = await open(dir, 'defer')
-    await brain.add({ data: 'deferred row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 1 } })
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    expect(brain.logAuthority().authority, "'defer' skips open-time adoption").toBe('tree')
-    const storage = (brain as unknown as {
-      storage: { readRawObject(p: string): Promise<unknown | null> }
-    }).storage
-    const artifact = await storage.readRawObject('_system/log-authority.json').catch(() => null)
-    expect(artifact, "'defer' writes no authority artifact").toBeNull()
-
-    const report = await brain.adoptLogAuthority()
-    expect(report.verdict, 'the explicit flip still lands on green').toBe('green')
-    expect(brain.logAuthority().authority).toBe('log')
-    const stored = (await storage.readRawObject('_system/log-authority.json')) as {
-      authority?: string
-    } | null
-    expect(stored?.authority, 'the explicit flip stores the artifact').toBe('log')
-  }, 120000)
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/log-authority.test.ts b/tests/integration/log-authority.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index a828c9a3..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/log-authority.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,399 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/log-authority
- * @description The guarded log-authority core, end-to-end: the per-brain
- * authority switch (stored artifact, checked at open only), the
- * verification oracle (replay the fact log, diff latest per-id state
- * against the canonical tree, NAME every divergence by class), the guarded
- * flip (refuses on red with the cure in the message; lands on green and
- * engages durable-at-ack immediately), and the switch surviving reopen.
- *
- * THE 10.0.0 FLEET DEFAULT is ADOPT-AT-OPEN (`logAuthority: 'adopt'`): a
- * fresh brain with no stored artifact runs the oracle at open, backfills
- * curable divergences, and flips to log authority on green — so a
- * default-config brain opens ALREADY log-authoritative and durable-at-ack.
- * The first two pins hold that default and its explicit opt-out
- * (`logAuthority: 'defer'`, the pre-10 tree behavior). Every test below
- * them that exercises the ORACLE or the EXPLICIT flip opens its brain with
- * `'defer'` — otherwise the open-time adoption would have pre-flipped the
- * brain and pre-cured the very divergences under test.
- *
- * KNOWN GAPS PINNED WITH `.fails` (real findings, not test bugs — see the
- * comments on each): a fresh brain is NOT log-complete by construction
- * today, because the VFS root is written at init as a baseline
- * (generation-less) write that never gets a fact, so the oracle reports it
- * as a `pre-log-record`. The open-time adoption (and adoptLogAuthority())
- * CURES this by baseline backfill — a re-commit, not construction — so the
- * by-construction pin stays `.fails` on a deferred brain. Tests that need
- * a green oracle on a deferred brain perform that backfill explicitly (an
- * identity update of the root as the FINAL write — final, because
- * derived-index maintenance rewrites canonical noun records outside
- * generations, so an earlier fact's after-image goes stale; see the module
- * tail comment on `backfillBaseline`).
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
-import type { OracleReport } from '../../src/db/logAuthority.js'
-
-/** The VFS root — created at init by a baseline (generation-less) write. */
-const VFS_ROOT = '00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000'
-const AUTHORITY_ARTIFACT = '_system/log-authority.json'
-
-/** White-box view of the internals this suite instruments (read-only spies
- *  plus the sanctioned direct-storage writes for aging/drifting a brain). */
-type BrainInternals = {
-  generationStore: {
-    getFactLog(): { ensureSynced(): Promise<void> } | null
-    logDurability: 'deferred' | 'at-ack'
-  }
-  storage: {
-    readRawObject(path: string): Promise<unknown | null>
-    saveNoun(n: unknown): Promise<void>
-    saveNounMetadata(id: string, m: Record<string, unknown>): Promise<void>
-    getNounMetadata(id: string): Promise<Record<string, unknown> | null>
-    writeNounRaw(id: string, r: { metadata: null; vector: null }): Promise<void>
-  }
-}
-
-const internals = (brain: Brainy): BrainInternals =>
-  brain as unknown as BrainInternals
-
-/** Count calls to the fact log's ensureSynced without changing behavior. */
-function spyEnsureSynced(brain: Brainy): { calls: () => number } {
-  const factLog = internals(brain).generationStore.getFactLog()
-  expect(factLog, 'filesystem storage hosts a fact log').not.toBeNull()
-  let calls = 0
-  const original = factLog!.ensureSynced.bind(factLog)
-  factLog!.ensureSynced = async () => {
-    calls++
-    return original()
-  }
-  return { calls: () => calls }
-}
-
-/**
- * The minimal baseline backfill: an identity update of the VFS root, so the
- * one canonical record the log never saw (the init-time baseline write) gets
- * a fact carrying its current state. MUST be the final write of the setup —
- * derived-index maintenance (HNSW/enumeration denormalization) rewrites the
- * root's canonical noun record outside any generation, so a root fact taken
- * before later writes digests stale and reports `state-differs`.
- */
-async function backfillBaseline(brain: Brainy): Promise<void> {
-  const root = await brain.get(VFS_ROOT)
-  expect(root, 'the VFS root exists on a fresh brain').toBeTruthy()
-  await brain.update({ id: VFS_ROOT, metadata: root!.metadata })
-}
-
-/** Seed a brain with the standard write mix: 2 adds, an update, a remove. */
-async function seedWrites(brain: Brainy): Promise<{ kept: string; removed: string }> {
-  const kept = await brain.add({ data: 'alpha document', type: 'document', metadata: { n: 1 } })
-  const removed = await brain.add({ data: 'beta document', type: 'document', metadata: { n: 2 } })
-  await brain.update({ id: kept, metadata: { n: 10 } })
-  await brain.remove(removed)
-  return { kept, removed }
-}
-
-describe('log authority — the switch, the oracle, the guarded flip', () => {
-  const dirs: string[] = []
-  const brains: Brainy[] = []
-
-  /**
-   * Open a brain over `dir`. Omit `logAuthority` to exercise the FLEET
-   * DEFAULT (adopt-at-open); pass `'defer'` for the tests that need a
-   * tree-authoritative brain so the oracle/explicit-flip path is actually
-   * the thing under test (the default would pre-flip and pre-backfill).
-   */
-  const openBrain = async (
-    dir?: string,
-    logAuthority?: 'adopt' | 'defer'
-  ): Promise<{ brain: Brainy; dir: string }> => {
-    const d = dir ?? mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-log-authority-'))
-    if (!dir) dirs.push(d)
-    const brain = new Brainy({
-      storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: d },
-      requireSubtype: false,
-      silent: true,
-      dimensions: 384,
-      ...(logAuthority ? { logAuthority } : {})
-    })
-    brains.push(brain)
-    await brain.init()
-    return { brain, dir: d }
-  }
-
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    for (const b of brains.splice(0)) {
-      await (b as unknown as { close?: () => Promise<void> }).close?.().catch(() => {})
-    }
-    for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-  })
-
-  // THE RULED DEFAULT (10.0.0): with no config and no stored artifact, a
-  // fresh brain ADOPTS log authority at open — oracle green (the open-time
-  // baseline backfill cures the generation-0 VFS root), artifact on disk,
-  // durable-at-ack live from the first write.
-  it('DEFAULT IS ADOPT-AT-OPEN: a fresh brain opens already log-authoritative — artifact stored, plain acks await the covering log fsync', async () => {
-    const { brain } = await openBrain() // no logAuthority config = the fleet default
-
-    const authority = brain.logAuthority()
-    expect(authority.authority).toBe('log')
-    expect(typeof authority.flippedAt).toBe('number')
-    expect(authority.oracle, 'the open-time flip records its green oracle summary').toBeDefined()
-
-    const artifact = (await internals(brain)
-      .storage.readRawObject(AUTHORITY_ARTIFACT)
-      .catch(() => null)) as { authority?: string } | null
-    expect(artifact, 'the adoption wrote the switch artifact').not.toBeNull()
-    expect(artifact!.authority).toBe('log')
-
-    // The MODE assertion (not a timing one): in log authority a single-op
-    // ack awaits the log's covering-fsync path.
-    expect(internals(brain).generationStore.logDurability).toBe('at-ack')
-    const spy = spyEnsureSynced(brain)
-    await brain.add({ data: 'log mode write', type: 'document', metadata: { n: 1 } })
-    expect(spy.calls(), 'adopted default: add() awaits the covering fsync').toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-  })
-
-  // THE EXPLICIT OPT-OUT: `logAuthority: 'defer'` is the pre-10 behavior —
-  // tree authority, NO artifact written (a deferred posture is config, not
-  // stored state), and single-op acks never await a log fsync.
-  it("OPT-OUT ('defer'): the brain stays tree-authoritative, stores no artifact, and plain acks never await a log fsync", async () => {
-    const { brain } = await openBrain(undefined, 'defer')
-
-    expect(brain.logAuthority().authority).toBe('tree')
-    expect(brain.logAuthority().flippedAt).toBeUndefined()
-
-    const artifact = await internals(brain)
-      .storage.readRawObject(AUTHORITY_ARTIFACT)
-      .catch(() => null)
-    expect(artifact, "'defer' writes no switch artifact").toBeNull()
-
-    // The MODE assertion (not a timing one): in tree authority a single-op
-    // ack must never call the log's covering-fsync path.
-    const spy = spyEnsureSynced(brain)
-    await brain.add({ data: 'tree mode write', type: 'document', metadata: { n: 1 } })
-    expect(spy.calls(), 'tree mode: add() does not call ensureSynced').toBe(0)
-    expect(internals(brain).generationStore.logDurability).toBe('deferred')
-  })
-
-  // KNOWN GAP (marked .fails — remove the marker when fixed in src): the
-  // intended contract is that a fresh brain is log-complete by construction,
-  // because every write dual-writes a fact. Today the VFS root
-  // (00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000) is created at init by a baseline
-  // write with NO generation and NO fact, yet it is enumerated by the
-  // canonical walk — so the oracle on a fresh brain is red with exactly one
-  // `pre-log-record` mismatch on the root. The adopt-at-open default (and
-  // adoptLogAuthority()) CURES this by baseline backfill — a re-commit,
-  // which is why this pin opens with 'defer': it holds the BY-CONSTRUCTION
-  // intent, which the backfill masks but does not deliver.
-  it.fails('ORACLE INTENT: a fresh brain is log-complete by construction — verdict green with zero mismatches', async () => {
-    const { brain } = await openBrain(undefined, 'defer')
-    await seedWrites(brain)
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    const report = await brain.verifyLogAuthority()
-    expect(report.verdict).toBe('green')
-    expect(report.mismatches).toEqual([])
-  })
-
-  it('a fresh, un-backfilled brain diverges ONLY on the init-time baseline record — every user write is exactly reproduced', async () => {
-    // 'defer': the adopt-at-open default would have backfilled the baseline
-    // already — this pin needs the brain genuinely un-backfilled.
-    const { brain } = await openBrain(undefined, 'defer')
-    await seedWrites(brain)
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    const report = await brain.verifyLogAuthority()
-    // Tolerant pin (stays true after the baseline gap is fixed in src):
-    // whatever the verdict, no USER record may ever diverge — the only
-    // admissible mismatch is the init-time baseline root, as pre-log-record.
-    expect(
-      report.mismatches.every(
-        (m) => m.id === VFS_ROOT && m.reason === 'pre-log-record' && m.kind === 'noun'
-      ),
-      'the only divergence on a fresh brain is the baseline root record'
-    ).toBe(true)
-    expect(report.matched).toBe(report.nounsChecked - report.mismatches.length)
-    expect(report.mismatchListTruncated).toBe(false)
-  })
-
-  it('THE ORACLE GOES GREEN on a log-complete brain: adds + update + remove, every canonical row exactly reproduced', async () => {
-    // 'defer' + manual backfill: the exact-count pins below (5 generations)
-    // depend on the log holding ONLY this test's writes — the adopt-at-open
-    // default would inject its own backfill generation at init.
-    const { brain } = await openBrain(undefined, 'defer')
-    await seedWrites(brain)
-    await backfillBaseline(brain) // final write — see the helper's contract
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    const report = await brain.verifyLogAuthority()
-    expect(report.verdict).toBe('green')
-    expect(report.mismatches).toEqual([])
-    expect(report.mismatchListTruncated).toBe(false)
-    // Live count: the kept document + the VFS root (the removed one is a
-    // tombstone in the log and absent from canonical — checked, not counted).
-    expect(report.nounsChecked).toBe(2)
-    expect(report.matched).toBe(2)
-    // 5 committed generations: add, add, update, remove, root backfill.
-    expect(report.generationsScanned).toBe(5)
-  })
-
-  it('THE ORACLE NAMES pre-log records: a canonical row no fact ever recorded reports pre-log-record, by id', async () => {
-    const { brain } = await openBrain(undefined, 'defer')
-    await seedWrites(brain)
-    await backfillBaseline(brain)
-    await brain.flush()
-    expect((await brain.verifyLogAuthority()).verdict, 'sanity: green before aging').toBe('green')
-
-    // Simulate an aged brain: write one canonical record DIRECTLY at the
-    // storage layer (the write path never sees it, so no fact exists) —
-    // the pre-log shape: flat metadata, no _fmt stamp, 384-dim vector.
-    const legacyId = '00000000-0000-4000-8000-00000000a6ed'
-    const storage = internals(brain).storage
-    await storage.saveNoun({
-      id: legacyId,
-      vector: new Array(384).fill(0.01),
-      connections: new Map(),
-      level: 0
-    })
-    await storage.saveNounMetadata(legacyId, {
-      noun: 'document',
-      confidence: 0.75,
-      createdAt: 1700000000000,
-      updatedAt: 1700000000000,
-      _rev: 1,
-      legacyField: 'legacy-value'
-    })
-
-    const report = await brain.verifyLogAuthority()
-    expect(report.verdict).toBe('red')
-    expect(report.mismatches).toHaveLength(1)
-    expect(report.mismatches[0]).toEqual({
-      id: legacyId,
-      kind: 'noun',
-      reason: 'pre-log-record'
-    })
-  })
-
-  it('THE FLIP REFUSES ON A LOG-AHEAD DIVERGENCE: the witness denies what the log claims — nothing written, nothing changed', async () => {
-    // Contract update (adoptLogAuthority's baseline backfill): curable
-    // divergences — pre-log records and witness drift — are re-committed
-    // and the flip proceeds; ONLY log-AHEAD divergences (the log claims
-    // state canonical denies) refuse, because no backfill can make the log
-    // un-claim a live row. This test stages exactly that incurable shape.
-    // 'defer': the brain must still be tree-authoritative (no artifact) so
-    // the refusal's nothing-written pins below have meaning.
-    const { brain } = await openBrain(undefined, 'defer')
-    const { kept } = await seedWrites(brain)
-    await backfillBaseline(brain)
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    // The log says `kept` is live; its canonical record vanishes behind the
-    // write path's back (log-live-canonical-absent — the witness wins).
-    const storage = internals(brain).storage
-    await storage.writeNounRaw(kept, { metadata: null, vector: null })
-
-    let error: Error | null = null
-    try {
-      await brain.adoptLogAuthority()
-    } catch (err) {
-      error = err as Error
-    }
-    expect(error, 'the flip rejects on a log-ahead divergence').not.toBeNull()
-    expect(error!.message).toMatch(/witness denies/)
-    expect(error!.message).toMatch(/log-live-canonical-absent/)
-
-    // Nothing changed: authority still tree, no artifact, deferred durability.
-    expect(brain.logAuthority().authority).toBe('tree')
-    const artifact = await storage.readRawObject(AUTHORITY_ARTIFACT).catch(() => null)
-    expect(artifact, 'a refused flip writes no artifact').toBeNull()
-    expect(internals(brain).generationStore.logDurability).toBe('deferred')
-  })
-
-  it('THE FLIP LANDS ON GREEN: the report is the receipt, the artifact is on disk, and durable-at-ack engages immediately', async () => {
-    // 'defer': this pin exercises the EXPLICIT flip — the adopt-at-open
-    // default would have landed it before the test began.
-    const { brain } = await openBrain(undefined, 'defer')
-    await seedWrites(brain)
-    await backfillBaseline(brain)
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    const report: OracleReport = await brain.adoptLogAuthority()
-    expect(report.verdict).toBe('green')
-
-    const authority = brain.logAuthority()
-    expect(authority.authority).toBe('log')
-    expect(typeof authority.flippedAt).toBe('number')
-    expect(authority.oracle).toBeDefined()
-    expect(authority.oracle!.nounsChecked).toBe(report.nounsChecked)
-    expect(authority.oracle!.generationsScanned).toBe(report.generationsScanned)
-
-    const artifact = (await internals(brain)
-      .storage.readRawObject(AUTHORITY_ARTIFACT)
-      .catch(() => null)) as { authority?: string } | null
-    expect(artifact, 'the switch artifact exists on disk').not.toBeNull()
-    expect(artifact!.authority).toBe('log')
-
-    // Durable-at-ack engaged in THIS session: the next single-op ack awaits
-    // a covering log fsync.
-    expect(internals(brain).generationStore.logDurability).toBe('at-ack')
-    const spy = spyEnsureSynced(brain)
-    await brain.add({ data: 'post-flip write', type: 'document', metadata: { n: 3 } })
-    expect(spy.calls(), 'log mode: add() awaits the covering fsync').toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-  })
-
-  it('THE SWITCH SURVIVES REOPEN: authority restored at open with no re-verification, durable-at-ack active in the new session', async () => {
-    const { brain, dir } = await openBrain(undefined, 'defer')
-    await seedWrites(brain)
-    await backfillBaseline(brain)
-    await brain.flush()
-    await brain.adoptLogAuthority()
-    const flipReceipt = brain.logAuthority()
-    await (brain as unknown as { close: () => Promise<void> }).close()
-
-    // Reopen with 'defer' too: the restored authority below can then ONLY
-    // come from the stored artifact (a stored artifact always wins; had the
-    // default re-adopted, flippedAt/oracle would differ from the receipt).
-    const { brain: reopened } = await openBrain(dir, 'defer')
-    const restored = reopened.logAuthority()
-    expect(restored.authority).toBe('log')
-    // No re-verification happened at open: the restored record IS the stored
-    // flip receipt, oracle summary and timestamp intact.
-    expect(restored.flippedAt).toBe(flipReceipt.flippedAt)
-    expect(restored.oracle).toEqual(flipReceipt.oracle)
-
-    // Mode restored at open: an ack in the new session awaits the log fsync.
-    expect(internals(reopened).generationStore.logDurability).toBe('at-ack')
-    const spy = spyEnsureSynced(reopened)
-    await reopened.add({ data: 'new session write', type: 'document', metadata: { n: 4 } })
-    expect(spy.calls(), 'reopened log mode: add() awaits the covering fsync').toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-  })
-
-  it('STATE-DIFFERS: canonical drift the write path never saw is named, by id', async () => {
-    const { brain } = await openBrain(undefined, 'defer')
-    const { kept } = await seedWrites(brain)
-    await backfillBaseline(brain)
-    await brain.flush()
-    expect((await brain.verifyLogAuthority()).verdict, 'sanity: green before drift').toBe('green')
-
-    // Drift one canonical metadata record DIRECTLY at the storage layer —
-    // the log never hears about it. This is the witness-drift case the
-    // oracle exists to catch.
-    const storage = internals(brain).storage
-    const current = await storage.getNounMetadata(kept)
-    expect(current, 'the seeded record has stored metadata').toBeTruthy()
-    await storage.saveNounMetadata(kept, { ...current!, driftedByTest: true })
-
-    const report = await brain.verifyLogAuthority()
-    expect(report.verdict).toBe('red')
-    expect(report.mismatches).toHaveLength(1)
-    expect(report.mismatches[0]).toEqual({
-      id: kept,
-      kind: 'noun',
-      reason: 'state-differs'
-    })
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/recovery-walk-tolerance.test.ts b/tests/integration/recovery-walk-tolerance.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 6a37e3bd..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/recovery-walk-tolerance.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,122 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/recovery-walk-tolerance
- * @description The rc6-red cures — the typed/tolerant boundary redrawn where
- * block-layer fault injection proved it belonged:
- * 1. WALKS ARE HEALERS: an init-time recovery/rebuild/pagination walk that
- *    meets a torn record narrates+counts (the adapter's loud floor) and
- *    HEALS PAST it — the open succeeds, remaining rows serve. rc6 died
- *    typed here; rc5 survived silently; the cure is loud survival.
- * 2. IDENTITY READS STAY TYPED: get-by-id of the torn record itself still
- *    throws TornRecordError — a caller who asked for THAT record can act.
- * 3. TORN MAPPER STATE (the NaN→BigInt source): a mapper file carrying
- *    garbage integers is discarded with narration; reopen succeeds and the
- *    FIRST WRITE after recovery mints sanely — never a RangeError.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, readdirSync, writeFileSync, existsSync, statSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { gzipSync } from 'node:zlib'
-import { Brainy, TornRecordError } from '../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const dirs: string[] = []
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-})
-
-async function open(dir: string): Promise<Brainy> {
-  const b = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir }, requireSubtype: false })
-  await b.init()
-  brains.push(b)
-  return b
-}
-
-/** Find one entity metadata file under entities/nouns and tear it. */
-function tearOneNounMetadata(dir: string, excludeId?: string): string {
-  const nounsRoot = join(dir, 'entities', 'nouns')
-  const walk = (d: string): string | null => {
-    for (const e of readdirSync(d, { withFileTypes: true })) {
-      const p = join(d, e.name)
-      if (e.isDirectory()) {
-        if (excludeId && e.name === excludeId) continue
-        const hit = walk(p)
-        if (hit) return hit
-      } else if (/^metadata\.json(\.gz)?$/.test(e.name)) {
-        writeFileSync(p, Buffer.from([0x1f, 0x8b, 0x00, 0xde, 0xad])) // torn gz
-        return p
-      }
-    }
-    return null
-  }
-  const torn = walk(nounsRoot)
-  if (!torn) throw new Error('layout probe: no noun metadata file found to tear')
-  // The id is the parent directory name.
-  return torn.split('/').slice(-2, -1)[0]
-}
-
-describe('recovery-walk tolerance (the rc6-red cures)', () => {
-  it('a torn entity record does not kill the open: recovery walks heal past it, remaining rows serve, identity read throws typed', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-walk-tol-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    let brain = await open(dir)
-    const keeper = await brain.add({ data: 'keeper row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { k: 1 } })
-    await brain.add({ data: 'victim row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { k: 2 } })
-    await brain.flush()
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    const tornId = tearOneNounMetadata(dir, keeper)
-
-    // THE PIN: the open succeeds (rc6 died right here), the keeper serves,
-    // and walks (find) heal past the victim.
-    brain = await open(dir)
-    expect((await brain.get(keeper))!.data).toContain('keeper row')
-    const rows = await brain.find({ where: {}, limit: 10 })
-    expect(rows.map((r) => r.id)).toContain(keeper)
-
-    // Identity read of the victim itself: typed, catchable — the caller
-    // asked for THAT record; under log authority the replay may have
-    // already HEALED it from the fact log (also a valid outcome) — accept
-    // healed-or-typed, never silent-absent-without-narration.
-    try {
-      const victim = await brain.get(tornId)
-      // Healed by replay: the record must be real (log authority rewrote it).
-      expect(victim).not.toBeNull()
-    } catch (err) {
-      expect(err).toBeInstanceOf(TornRecordError)
-    }
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('a torn mapper file (NaN ints) discards with narration; reopen succeeds and the first write mints sanely', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-torn-mapper-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    let brain = await open(dir)
-    await brain.add({ data: 'pre-crash row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { k: 1 } })
-    await brain.flush()
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    // The power-cut shape: the persisted mapper carries garbage integers.
-    const sys = join(dir, '_system')
-    const mapperPath = readdirSync(sys)
-      .filter((f) => /entityIdMapper/.test(f))
-      .map((f) => join(sys, f))[0]
-    expect(mapperPath, 'layout probe: mapper artifact exists').toBeTruthy()
-    const torn = { nextId: 'NaN-garbage', uuidToInt: { x: 'junk' }, intToUuid: { junk: 42 } }
-    if (mapperPath.endsWith('.gz')) writeFileSync(mapperPath, gzipSync(JSON.stringify(torn)))
-    else writeFileSync(mapperPath, JSON.stringify(torn))
-    expect(statSync(mapperPath).size).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-
-    // Reopen MUST succeed; the first write after recovery must mint sanely
-    // (rc6's fresh-write RangeError shape), and graph int resolution at
-    // reopen must not throw (rc6's reopen shape).
-    brain = await open(dir)
-    const fresh = await brain.add({ data: 'post-recovery write', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { k: 2 } })
-    expect((await brain.get(fresh))!.data).toContain('post-recovery')
-    await brain.flush()
-    expect(Number.isSafeInteger(brain.generation())).toBe(true)
-  }, 120000)
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/reprojection-doors-open.test.ts b/tests/integration/reprojection-doors-open.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 343bc536..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/reprojection-doors-open.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,257 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/reprojection-doors-open
- * @description The reprojection engine against a REAL brain on filesystem
- * storage: a toy secondary projection (bucket counts with its own watermark
- * artifact, stamp-after-data per src/utils/projectionWatermark.ts) folds the
- * brain's committed facts through the engine, wired with the callback-form
- * {@link FactLogSource} over `brain.scanFacts`.
- *
- * Proves the three doors-open rows:
- * (i)   folding to caught-up matches ground-truth counts;
- * (ii)  mid-fold, `find()` and `get()` still answer, and a door bump
- *       preempts the advance at the next boundary (mechanism-pinned via
- *       batch counts, not wall-clock);
- * (iii) a crash mid-fold (abandon; reopen; re-advance) resumes from the
- *       durable stamp — never refolds from zero.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, mkdirSync, readFileSync, writeFileSync, rmSync, existsSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
-import {
-  ReprojectionEngine,
-  type ProjectionAdapter
-} from '../../src/reprojection/reprojectionEngine.js'
-import { FactLogSource } from '../../src/reprojection/factLogSource.js'
-import { makeProjectionStamp, readStampedWatermark } from '../../src/utils/projectionWatermark.js'
-import type { CommitFact } from '../../src/db/factLog.js'
-
-/** 50 rows, 5 buckets, 10 each. */
-const ROWS = 50
-const BUCKETS = 5
-const GROUND_TRUTH: Record<string, number> = { b0: 10, b1: 10, b2: 10, b3: 10, b4: 10 }
-
-/**
- * The toy secondary projection: latest bucket per entity id, persisted as a
- * data file plus a SEPARATE stamp artifact written stamp-after-data via the
- * shared projectionWatermark helpers. Idempotent by construction (latest-
- * state per id), so at-least-once redelivery on resume is harmless.
- */
-class BucketCountProjection implements ProjectionAdapter {
-  readonly family = 'bucket-counts'
-  /** Every generation this INSTANCE applied — the refold detector for (iii). */
-  readonly appliedGenerations: number[] = []
-  private latest: Map<string, string | null>
-  private wm: number | null
-
-  private constructor(
-    private readonly dir: string,
-    wm: number | null,
-    latest: Map<string, string | null>
-  ) {
-    this.wm = wm
-    this.latest = latest
-  }
-
-  /** Load from the artifact dir — data is trusted only under a valid stamp. */
-  static async open(dir: string): Promise<BucketCountProjection> {
-    mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true })
-    const stampPath = join(dir, 'stamp.json')
-    const dataPath = join(dir, 'data.json')
-    let wm: number | null = null
-    if (existsSync(stampPath)) {
-      wm = readStampedWatermark(JSON.parse(readFileSync(stampPath, 'utf8')))
-    }
-    const latest = new Map<string, string | null>(
-      wm !== null && existsSync(dataPath)
-        ? (JSON.parse(readFileSync(dataPath, 'utf8')) as Array<[string, string | null]>)
-        : []
-    )
-    return new BucketCountProjection(dir, wm, latest)
-  }
-
-  /** Non-null bucket tallies from the latest-state map. */
-  counts(): Record<string, number> {
-    const out: Record<string, number> = {}
-    for (const bucket of this.latest.values()) {
-      if (bucket !== null) out[bucket] = (out[bucket] ?? 0) + 1
-    }
-    return out
-  }
-
-  watermark(): number | null {
-    return this.wm
-  }
-
-  async applyBatch(facts: CommitFact[], upTo: number): Promise<void> {
-    for (const fact of facts) {
-      this.appliedGenerations.push(fact.generation)
-      for (const op of fact.ops) {
-        if (op.kind !== 'noun') continue
-        if (op.record === null) {
-          this.latest.set(op.id, null) // tombstone
-          continue
-        }
-        // The stored noun record nests user metadata under `.metadata`.
-        const stored = op.record.metadata as Record<string, unknown> | null
-        const user = (stored?.metadata ?? stored) as Record<string, unknown> | null
-        const bucket = typeof user?.bucket === 'string' ? user.bucket : null
-        this.latest.set(op.id, bucket)
-      }
-    }
-    // Durability THEN stamp — the projectionWatermark law.
-    writeFileSync(join(this.dir, 'data.json'), JSON.stringify([...this.latest]))
-    writeFileSync(join(this.dir, 'stamp.json'), JSON.stringify(makeProjectionStamp(upTo)))
-    this.wm = upTo
-  }
-
-  async discard(): Promise<void> {
-    rmSync(this.dir, { recursive: true, force: true })
-  }
-}
-
-describe('reprojection doors-open — a real brain, a toy secondary projection', () => {
-  let brainDir: string
-  let projRoot: string
-  let brain: Brainy
-  const ids: string[] = []
-
-  const openBrain = async (dir: string): Promise<Brainy> => {
-    const b = new Brainy({
-      storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir },
-      requireSubtype: false,
-      silent: true,
-      dimensions: 384
-    })
-    await b.init()
-    return b
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * The production wiring, callback form: the engine's `from` is an EXCLUSIVE
-   * lower bound, `scanFacts` bounds are inclusive — hence `from + 1`; the
-   * first batch is returned and the handle closed (short batches at segment
-   * boundaries are legal — only EMPTY means caught up).
-   */
-  const sourceFor = (b: Brainy): FactLogSource =>
-    new FactLogSource(async (from, limit) => {
-      const scan = b.scanFacts({ fromGeneration: from + 1, batchSize: limit })
-      if (!scan) throw new Error('this brain hosts no fact log — cannot reproject')
-      const iterator = scan.batches()
-      try {
-        const first = await iterator.next()
-        return first.done ? [] : first.value.facts
-      } finally {
-        if (typeof iterator.return === 'function') await iterator.return(undefined)
-      }
-    })
-
-  beforeAll(async () => {
-    brainDir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-reproj-'))
-    projRoot = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-reproj-artifacts-'))
-    brain = await openBrain(brainDir)
-    for (let i = 0; i < ROWS; i++) {
-      ids.push(
-        await brain.add({
-          data: `record ${i} filed in bucket ${i % BUCKETS}`,
-          type: 'document',
-          metadata: { bucket: `b${i % BUCKETS}` }
-        })
-      )
-    }
-  }, 240_000)
-
-  afterAll(async () => {
-    await brain?.close().catch(() => {})
-    rmSync(brainDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
-    rmSync(projRoot, { recursive: true, force: true })
-  })
-
-  it('(i) folds to caught-up through the engine and matches ground-truth counts', async () => {
-    const projection = await BucketCountProjection.open(join(projRoot, 'i'))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source: sourceFor(brain), batchSize: 8 })
-    engine.register(projection)
-
-    const result = await engine.advance(projection.family, { budgetMs: 60_000 })
-
-    expect(result.status).toBe('caught-up')
-    expect(result.watermark).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(ROWS) // one generation per add, at least
-    expect(result.applied).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(ROWS)
-    expect(engine.quarantined(projection.family)).toEqual([])
-    expect(projection.counts()).toEqual(GROUND_TRUTH)
-    // The stamp on disk is the adapter's own — stamped exactly at the fold head.
-    const reloaded = await BucketCountProjection.open(join(projRoot, 'i'))
-    expect(reloaded.watermark()).toBe(result.watermark)
-    expect(reloaded.counts()).toEqual(GROUND_TRUTH)
-  })
-
-  it('(ii) doors stay open mid-fold: find() and get() answer, and a bump preempts the advance', async () => {
-    const projection = await BucketCountProjection.open(join(projRoot, 'ii'))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source: sourceFor(brain), batchSize: 4 })
-    engine.register(projection)
-    const head = brain.scanFacts()!.headGeneration
-
-    const inFlight = engine.advance(projection.family, { budgetMs: 60_000 })
-    // The read hook: foreground door traffic announces itself, then reads —
-    // both interleave with the running fold on the same event loop.
-    engine.doorSignal.bump()
-    const found = await brain.find({ query: 'record filed in bucket', limit: 3 })
-    const got = await brain.get(ids[0])
-    const result = await inFlight
-
-    // The doors answered mid-fold.
-    expect(found.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    expect(got).toBeTruthy()
-    const gotMeta = got!.metadata as Record<string, unknown> | undefined
-    expect((gotMeta?.bucket ?? (gotMeta?.metadata as Record<string, unknown>)?.bucket)).toBe('b0')
-
-    // THE PREEMPTION PIN — mechanism, not wall-clock: the bump landed before
-    // the first installment boundary, so the advance yielded after exactly
-    // one batch (≤ batchSize facts), far short of the head.
-    expect(result.status).toBe('preempted')
-    expect(result.applied).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    expect(result.applied).toBeLessThanOrEqual(4)
-    expect(projection.appliedGenerations.length).toBe(result.applied)
-    expect(projection.watermark()).not.toBeNull()
-    expect(projection.watermark()!).toBeLessThan(head)
-
-    // Resuming folds the remainder; nothing was lost to the preemption.
-    const resumed = await engine.advance(projection.family, { budgetMs: 60_000 })
-    expect(resumed.status).toBe('caught-up')
-    expect(projection.counts()).toEqual(GROUND_TRUTH)
-  })
-
-  it('(iii) crash mid-fold: reopen and re-advance resumes from the stamp, never refolds from zero', async () => {
-    const projDir = join(projRoot, 'iii')
-    const before = await BucketCountProjection.open(projDir)
-    const engine1 = new ReprojectionEngine({ source: sourceFor(brain), batchSize: 4 })
-    engine1.register(before)
-
-    // A zero budget folds exactly one guaranteed batch, then stops.
-    const partial = await engine1.advance(before.family, { budgetMs: 0 })
-    expect(partial.status).toBe('budget-exhausted')
-    const stamped = before.watermark()
-    expect(stamped).not.toBeNull()
-    expect(stamped!).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-
-    // CRASH: abandon the engine and adapter mid-fold; reopen the brain cold.
-    await brain.close()
-    brain = await openBrain(brainDir)
-
-    const after = await BucketCountProjection.open(projDir)
-    expect(after.watermark()).toBe(stamped) // the stamp survived the crash
-
-    const engine2 = new ReprojectionEngine({ source: sourceFor(brain), batchSize: 4 })
-    engine2.register(after)
-    const resumed = await engine2.advance(after.family, { budgetMs: 60_000 })
-    expect(resumed.status).toBe('caught-up')
-
-    // NEVER REFOLDS FROM ZERO: every generation the resumed instance applied
-    // sits strictly above the crash stamp.
-    expect(after.appliedGenerations.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    expect(Math.min(...after.appliedGenerations)).toBeGreaterThan(stamped!)
-    // And the combined state — durable prefix plus resumed fold — is exact.
-    expect(after.counts()).toEqual(GROUND_TRUTH)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/reserved-root-mint.test.ts b/tests/integration/reserved-root-mint.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index f9577842..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/reserved-root-mint.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,100 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/reserved-root-mint
- * @description THE RESERVED-ROOT MINT EXEMPTION (the release's final fix):
- * existing brains mint the VFS root (the all-zeros UUID) as int 0 by
- * construction at genesis — the one legitimate zero in the id space. The
- * adoption path must accept it (every real depot brain refused adoption
- * over this); a zero mint for ANY OTHER id remains a corrupt-mint refusal.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const ROOT = '00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000'
-const dirs: string[] = []
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-})
-
-type MapperBox = {
-  metadataIndex: {
-    getIdMapper(): {
-      uuidToInt: Map<string, number>
-      intToUuid: Map<number, string>
-      dirty?: boolean
-    }
-  }
-}
-
-describe('reserved-root mint exemption', () => {
-  it('adoption succeeds on a brain whose VFS root carries int 0 (the depot-brain shape)', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-root0-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    // Build the brain in 'defer' so we control the adoption moment.
-    const brain = new Brainy({
-      storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir },
-      requireSubtype: false,
-      logAuthority: 'defer'
-    })
-    await brain.init()
-    brains.push(brain)
-    await brain.add({ data: 'depot row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { k: 1 } })
-
-    // The genesis-era shape: the root's mint is 0 (white-box — real depot
-    // brains carry this in their persisted mapper).
-    const mapper = (brain as unknown as MapperBox).metadataIndex.getIdMapper()
-    const currentInt = mapper.uuidToInt.get(ROOT)
-    if (currentInt !== undefined) mapper.intToUuid.delete(currentInt)
-    mapper.uuidToInt.set(ROOT, 0)
-    mapper.intToUuid.set(0, ROOT)
-
-    // THE PIN: adoption goes green — the backfill re-commits the root with
-    // its legitimate int 0 instead of refusing the whole brain.
-    const report = await brain.adoptLogAuthority()
-    expect(report.verdict).toBe('green')
-    expect(brain.logAuthority().authority).toBe('log')
-    // And the brain keeps serving + writing after the flip.
-    const fresh = await brain.add({ data: 'post-adopt', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { k: 2 } })
-    expect((await brain.get(fresh))!.data).toContain('post-adopt')
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('a zero mint for a NON-root id still refuses at the mint seam, loudly and typed', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-nonroot0-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    const brain = new Brainy({
-      storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir },
-      requireSubtype: false,
-      logAuthority: 'defer'
-    })
-    await brain.init()
-    brains.push(brain)
-    const victim = await brain.add({ data: 'poisoned mint target', type: NounType.Document, metadata: {} })
-
-    // Corrupt shape: some OTHER id maps to 0. (A full update() SELF-HEALS
-    // this — the index cycle re-mints before the fact is written, which is
-    // the correct outcome — so the pin holds the guard at its real seam:
-    // the fact log's minter, which is what stands between a surviving zero
-    // and the wire.)
-    const mapper = (brain as unknown as MapperBox).metadataIndex.getIdMapper()
-    const currentInt = mapper.uuidToInt.get(victim)
-    if (currentInt !== undefined) mapper.intToUuid.delete(currentInt)
-    mapper.uuidToInt.set(victim, 0)
-    mapper.intToUuid.set(0, victim)
-
-    const factLog = (brain as unknown as {
-      generationStore: { getFactLog(): { intMinter(kind: string, id: string): bigint } }
-    }).generationStore.getFactLog()
-    expect(() => factLog.intMinter('noun', victim)).toThrow(
-      /reserved for the VFS root|minted ints are positive/
-    )
-    // And the reserved root itself passes the same seam with 0.
-    mapper.uuidToInt.set(ROOT, 0)
-    mapper.intToUuid.set(0, ROOT)
-    expect(factLog.intMinter('noun', ROOT)).toBe(0n)
-  }, 120000)
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/transact-durability-barrier.test.ts b/tests/integration/transact-durability-barrier.test.ts
index 8a670ba5..9311ce67 100644
--- a/tests/integration/transact-durability-barrier.test.ts
+++ b/tests/integration/transact-durability-barrier.test.ts
@@ -43,13 +43,6 @@ describe('transact durability barrier — entity writes fsync before the counter
     })
     await brain.init()
 
-    // Drain the pending tier BEFORE instrumenting: the adopt-at-open fleet
-    // default re-commits the init-time baseline as a buffered single-op
-    // generation, and transact() flushes buffered single-ops first — that
-    // flush's manifest sync would otherwise be recorded ahead of the
-    // transact's own commit point and break the first-index ordering pins.
-    await brain.flush()
-
     // Instrument the real filesystem storage: record every fsync batch in order,
     // and count barrier open/flush, delegating to the originals.
     syncCalls = []
diff --git a/tests/integration/wait-for-indexed.test.ts b/tests/integration/wait-for-indexed.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 711ddc99..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/wait-for-indexed.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,219 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/wait-for-indexed
- * @description THE READ BARRIER — `brain.waitForIndexed(path?, opts?)`. A
- * consumer that writes and then semantically recalls gets ONE honest barrier
- * instead of guessing. The contract pinned here:
- *
- * 1. SEMANTIC LEG: a deferred add followed by `waitForIndexed('semantic')`
- *    resolves only after the vector landed — the row is vector-searchable
- *    the moment the barrier returns.
- * 2. TYPED TIMEOUT: `timeoutMs` expiry REJECTS with
- *    WaitForIndexedTimeoutError carrying the leg + the pending count and
- *    naming the gauge — never a silent partial wait.
- * 3. NO-ARG: every projection at the head; today that means the deferred
- *    embed backlog is drained.
- * 4. SYNCHRONOUS LEGS: metadata/graph/aggregation resolve immediately by
- *    design today (they update inside the write path) — even while the
- *    semantic backlog is wedged.
- * 5. GAUGES: getIndexStatus().projections carries the per-leg numbers, and
- *    the top-level pendingEmbeds compat field agrees with the semantic one.
- * 6. GENERATION REFINEMENT: an empty backlog satisfies any generation
- *    immediately; a non-empty one falls back to the full drain.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest'
-import { Brainy, WaitForIndexedTimeoutError } from '../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-
-async function memBrain(): Promise<Brainy> {
-  const b = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'memory' }, requireSubtype: false })
-  await b.init()
-  brains.push(b)
-  return b
-}
-
-/**
- * Abandon a poisoned in-flight embed run (its embed promise never resolves —
- * production is covered by the worker's 60s hang guard; the test takes the
- * white-box shortcut for speed), then drain so teardown never wedges.
- */
-async function unwedge(brain: Brainy): Promise<void> {
-  ;(brain as unknown as { _embedWorkerFlight: Promise<void> | null })._embedWorkerFlight = null
-  await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-}
-
-afterEach(async () => {
-  vi.restoreAllMocks()
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-})
-
-describe('waitForIndexed — the read barrier', () => {
-  it("SEMANTIC LEG: deferred add → waitForIndexed('semantic') resolves and the row is vector-searchable after", async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    const embedSpy = vi.spyOn(brain, 'embed')
-
-    const id = await brain.add({
-      data: 'the quarterly revenue report for the northern region',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      deferEmbedding: true,
-      metadata: { kind: 'report' }
-    })
-    expect(embedSpy, 'no embed on the ack path').not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-
-    await brain.waitForIndexed('semantic')
-
-    // The barrier's meaning: backlog drained, vector real, row searchable.
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount(), 'barrier means drained').toBe(0)
-    const after = await brain.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-    expect((after!.vector as number[]).length, 'real vector after the barrier').toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    const hits = await brain.find({
-      query: 'the quarterly revenue report for the northern region',
-      searchMode: 'semantic',
-      limit: 5
-    })
-    expect(hits.map((r) => r.id), 'vector-searchable after the barrier').toContain(id)
-  })
-
-  it('TYPED TIMEOUT: a hung embedder + timeoutMs rejects with the typed error naming the pending count and the gauge', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    const hang = vi
-      .spyOn(brain, 'embed')
-      .mockImplementation(() => new Promise<number[]>(() => {}))
-
-    await brain.add({
-      data: 'never lands while the embedder hangs',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      deferEmbedding: true,
-      metadata: {}
-    })
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(1)
-
-    let caught: unknown
-    try {
-      await brain.waitForIndexed('semantic', { timeoutMs: 200 })
-    } catch (e) {
-      caught = e
-    }
-
-    expect(caught, 'expiry REJECTS — never a silent partial wait').toBeInstanceOf(
-      WaitForIndexedTimeoutError
-    )
-    const err = caught as WaitForIndexedTimeoutError
-    expect(err.path).toBe('semantic')
-    expect(err.timeoutMs).toBe(200)
-    expect(err.pendingEmbeds).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-    // The message names what was still pending and the gauge to check.
-    expect(err.message).toContain(`${err.pendingEmbeds} deferred embed`)
-    expect(err.message).toContain('getIndexStatus().projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds')
-
-    hang.mockRestore()
-    await unwedge(brain)
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(0)
-  })
-
-  it('NO-ARG: waitForIndexed() waits on the pending-embed drain (every projection at the head)', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    await brain.add({
-      data: 'a deferred capture that the bare barrier must cover',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      deferEmbedding: true,
-      metadata: {}
-    })
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-
-    await brain.waitForIndexed()
-
-    expect(
-      brain.pendingEmbedCount(),
-      'the bare barrier drained the only asynchronous projection'
-    ).toBe(0)
-  })
-
-  it('SYNCHRONOUS LEGS: metadata/graph/aggregation resolve immediately — even while the semantic backlog is wedged', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-
-    // Quiet brain first: all three legs resolve on a brain with no backlog.
-    await brain.add({ data: 'quiet row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { q: 1 } })
-    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-    await brain.waitForIndexed('metadata')
-    await brain.waitForIndexed('graph')
-    await brain.waitForIndexed('aggregation')
-
-    // The stronger pin: these projections update inside the write path today,
-    // so their leg resolves immediately BY DESIGN — independent of a wedged
-    // semantic backlog. (If any of them incorrectly delegated to the embed
-    // drain, this test would hang.)
-    const hang = vi
-      .spyOn(brain, 'embed')
-      .mockImplementation(() => new Promise<number[]>(() => {}))
-    await brain.add({
-      data: 'wedged deferred row',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      deferEmbedding: true,
-      metadata: {}
-    })
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount()).toBe(1)
-
-    await brain.waitForIndexed('metadata')
-    await brain.waitForIndexed('graph')
-    await brain.waitForIndexed('aggregation')
-
-    hang.mockRestore()
-    await unwedge(brain)
-  })
-
-  it('GAUGES: getIndexStatus().projections carries the per-leg shape, and the compat field agrees', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    await brain.add({ data: 'gauge row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { g: 1 } })
-    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-
-    const status = await brain.getIndexStatus()
-    expect(status.projections).toEqual({
-      semantic: { pendingEmbeds: 0 },
-      metadata: { synchronous: true },
-      graph: { synchronous: true },
-      aggregation: { pendingBackfills: 0, pendingCatchUps: 0 }
-    })
-    // Compat: the existing top-level gauge stays and agrees.
-    expect(status.pendingEmbeds).toBe(0)
-
-    // The semantic gauge is honest while a backlog exists.
-    const hang = vi
-      .spyOn(brain, 'embed')
-      .mockImplementation(() => new Promise<number[]>(() => {}))
-    await brain.add({
-      data: 'backlogged row',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      deferEmbedding: true,
-      metadata: {}
-    })
-    const busy = await brain.getIndexStatus()
-    expect(busy.projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-    expect(busy.pendingEmbeds).toBe(busy.projections.semantic.pendingEmbeds)
-
-    hang.mockRestore()
-    await unwedge(brain)
-  })
-
-  it('GENERATION REFINEMENT: an empty backlog satisfies any generation immediately; a non-empty one falls back to the full drain', async () => {
-    const brain = await memBrain()
-    await brain.add({ data: 'generation row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: {} })
-    await brain.awaitPendingEmbeds()
-
-    // Empty backlog: the semantic watermark is at the head — >= any committed G.
-    await brain.waitForIndexed('semantic', { generation: 1 })
-
-    // Non-empty backlog: the conservative full drain (a superset of the
-    // requested wait, never a partial one).
-    await brain.add({
-      data: 'second generation row',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      deferEmbedding: true,
-      metadata: {}
-    })
-    await brain.waitForIndexed('semantic', { generation: 1 })
-    expect(brain.pendingEmbedCount(), 'the fallback is the full drain').toBe(0)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/integration/watermark-adopt-reopen.test.ts b/tests/integration/watermark-adopt-reopen.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index d0eb1182..00000000
--- a/tests/integration/watermark-adopt-reopen.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,50 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/integration/watermark-adopt-reopen
- * @description End-to-end LC1 watermark adoption: a clean flush+close stamps
- * every projection at the committed generation; the reopen verdicts all read
- * 'adopt' — a same-version reopen owes ZERO rebuild work, provably, via the
- * stamps rather than via absence of complaint.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const dirs: string[] = []
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-})
-
-describe('watermark stamps ride the flush fan-out', () => {
-  it('flush stamps all three projections at the committed generation; reopen adopts', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-wm-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    let brain = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir }, requireSubtype: false })
-    await brain.init()
-    brains.push(brain)
-    await brain.add({ data: 'stamped row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { k: 1 } })
-    await brain.flush()
-
-    const committed = (brain as unknown as {
-      storage: { committedGeneration(): number }
-    }).storage.committedGeneration()
-    const mi = (brain as unknown as { metadataIndex: { watermark(): number | null } }).metadataIndex
-    expect(mi.watermark(), 'metadata stamp = committed').toBe(committed)
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    brain = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir }, requireSubtype: false })
-    await brain.init()
-    brains.push(brain)
-    const mi2 = (brain as unknown as {
-      metadataIndex: { watermarkVerdict(): string | null }
-    }).metadataIndex
-    expect(mi2.watermarkVerdict(), 'clean reopen adopts').toBe('adopt')
-    // And the brain serves.
-    expect((await brain.find({ where: { k: 1 }, limit: 5 })).length).toBe(1)
-  }, 60000)
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/aggregation/aggregation-provider-rebuild.test.ts b/tests/unit/aggregation/aggregation-provider-rebuild.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index efd7b4bb..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/aggregation/aggregation-provider-rebuild.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,134 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/aggregation/aggregation-provider-rebuild
- * @description Pins for SELF-ENGINE-LIFECYCLE-SPRINT asks (c) + (d):
- * (c) the native provider's parallel `rebuildAggregate` — on the provider
- *     contract since 8.x but NEVER invoked (the JS walk streamed per-entity
- *     FFI calls instead) — is now the backfill walk's preferred door;
- * (d) a write-path hook that cannot see its entity (before-image-less
- *     delete) flags an exact rescan LOUDLY instead of silently skipping the
- *     decrement (the skip let counts drift upward forever).
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest'
-import { AggregationIndex } from '../../../src/aggregation/AggregationIndex.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-import type { AggregationProvider, AggregateGroupState } from '../../../src/types/brainy.types.js'
-
-const DEF = {
-  name: 'by_subtype',
-  source: { type: NounType.Document },
-  groupBy: ['system.subtype'] as string[],
-  metrics: { count: { op: 'count' as const } }
-}
-
-/** Minimal in-memory storage double for the index's persistence surface. */
-function memStorage() {
-  const store = new Map<string, unknown>()
-  return {
-    saveMetadata: async (k: string, v: unknown) => void store.set(k, v),
-    getMetadata: async (k: string) => store.get(k) ?? null
-  } as never
-}
-
-function providerDouble(): AggregationProvider & { rebuildAggregate: ReturnType<typeof vi.fn> } {
-  return {
-    defineAggregate: vi.fn(),
-    removeAggregate: vi.fn(),
-    incrementalUpdate: vi.fn(() => []),
-    computeGroupKey: vi.fn(() => ({})),
-    rebuildAggregate: vi.fn((): Map<string, AggregateGroupState> => {
-      return new Map([
-        [
-          'system.subtype=invoice',
-          {
-            groupKey: { 'system.subtype': 'invoice' },
-            metrics: { count: { sum: 0, count: 2, min: Infinity, max: -Infinity, m2: 0 } }
-          } as AggregateGroupState
-        ]
-      ])
-    }),
-    queryAggregate: vi.fn(() => [])
-  } as never
-}
-
-describe('ask (c) — the native parallel rebuild is invoked, never dead code', () => {
-  it('rebuildWithProvider hands SOURCE-MATCHED entities to the provider once and swaps state in', () => {
-    const provider = providerDouble()
-    const index = new AggregationIndex(memStorage(), provider)
-    index.defineAggregate(DEF)
-
-    expect(index.hasProviderRebuild()).toBe(true)
-
-    const entities = [
-      { type: NounType.Document, subtype: 'invoice', metadata: {} },
-      { type: NounType.Document, subtype: 'invoice', metadata: {} },
-      // Source-filter mismatch: a different noun type must be filtered OUT
-      // before the provider sees the batch.
-      { type: NounType.Person, subtype: 'invoice', metadata: {} }
-    ]
-    const handled = index.rebuildWithProvider(DEF.name, entities)
-
-    expect(handled).toBe(true)
-    expect(provider.rebuildAggregate).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
-    const [defArg, entArg] = provider.rebuildAggregate.mock.calls[0]
-    expect(defArg.name).toBe(DEF.name)
-    expect(entArg).toHaveLength(2)
-
-    // The rebuilt state serves — and the aggregate is no longer pending.
-    expect(index.getPendingBackfills()).not.toContain(DEF.name)
-  })
-
-  it('returns false without a provider rebuild — the caller streams the JS walk', () => {
-    const index = new AggregationIndex(memStorage())
-    index.defineAggregate(DEF)
-    expect(index.hasProviderRebuild()).toBe(false)
-    expect(index.rebuildWithProvider(DEF.name, [])).toBe(false)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('ask (d) — the before-image-less delete is LOUD, never a silent skip', () => {
-  it('flagAllForRescan puts every defined aggregate back on the backfill list', () => {
-    const index = new AggregationIndex(memStorage())
-    index.defineAggregate(DEF)
-    index.defineAggregate({ ...DEF, name: 'second' })
-    // Simulate settled state: nothing pending.
-    for (const n of index.getPendingBackfills()) {
-      index.beginBackfill(n)
-      index.finishBackfill(n)
-    }
-    expect(index.getPendingBackfills()).toEqual([])
-
-    index.flagAllForRescan('delete of X carried no before-image metadata')
-
-    expect(index.getPendingBackfills().sort()).toEqual(['by_subtype', 'second'])
-  })
-})
-
-describe('reconcileEntity — the exact delta algebra at the catch-up boundary', () => {
-  it('before-only removes, after-only adds, both reconciles a group move', () => {
-    const index = new AggregationIndex(memStorage())
-    index.defineAggregate(DEF)
-    for (const n of index.getPendingBackfills()) {
-      index.beginBackfill(n)
-      index.finishBackfill(n)
-    }
-    const doc = (subtype: string) => ({ type: NounType.Document, subtype, metadata: {} })
-
-    // Pre-window state, applied through the LIVE hooks (as adoption would
-    // have counted it): c and seed exist as drafts, x1 as an invoice.
-    index.onEntityAdded('c', doc('draft'))
-    index.onEntityAdded('seed', doc('draft'))
-    index.onEntityAdded('x1', doc('invoice'))
-
-    // The window's reconciliation: two adds, one group move, one delete.
-    index.reconcileEntity(DEF.name, 'a', null, doc('invoice'))
-    index.reconcileEntity(DEF.name, 'b', null, doc('invoice'))
-    index.reconcileEntity(DEF.name, 'c', doc('draft'), doc('invoice'))
-    index.reconcileEntity(DEF.name, 'seed', doc('draft'), null)
-
-    const rows = index.queryAggregate({ name: DEF.name })
-    const count = (st: string) =>
-      Number(rows.find(r => r.groupKey['system.subtype'] === st)?.metrics.count ?? 0)
-    expect(count('invoice')).toBe(4) // x1 + a + b + moved c
-    expect(count('draft')).toBe(0) // c moved out, seed deleted
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/brainy/lazy-notready-honor.test.ts b/tests/unit/brainy/lazy-notready-honor.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 4cfc6857..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/brainy/lazy-notready-honor.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,75 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/brainy/lazy-notready-honor
- * @description THE SILENT-EMPTY TRAP pin (found during a fleet adoption,
- * SELF-ENGINE-PAIR-STANDARD): under `disableAutoRebuild: true`, the lazy
- * first-query path (`ensureIndexesLoaded`) assessed ONLY the vector index's
- * readiness — a native METADATA provider reporting not-ready (its strand
- * report) never blocked the completion latch, so the promised lazy rebuild
- * never fired and every `find()` silently returned `[]` on a populated
- * store (measured: 52 entities durable-but-unqueryable, first query
- * 0ms/0 rows). The law: a not-ready report from ANY provider falls through
- * to the rebuild — never a silent empty.
- *
- * White-box provider-double pattern per tests/unit/brainy/migration-deference.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest'
-import { Brainy } from '../../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-import { createTestConfig } from '../../helpers/test-factory.js'
-
-interface BrainInternals {
-  index: { size(): number }
-  metadataIndex: { isReady?: () => boolean }
-  lazyRebuildCompleted: boolean
-  ensureIndexesLoaded(): Promise<void>
-  rebuildIndexesIfNeeded(force?: boolean): Promise<void>
-}
-
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  vi.restoreAllMocks()
-})
-
-async function warmLazyBrain(): Promise<{ brain: Brainy; internals: BrainInternals }> {
-  const brain = new Brainy(createTestConfig({ disableAutoRebuild: true }))
-  await brain.init()
-  brains.push(brain)
-  for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
-    await brain.add({ data: `row ${i}`, type: NounType.Document, metadata: { i } })
-  }
-  const internals = brain as unknown as BrainInternals
-  internals.lazyRebuildCompleted = false // simulate the cold first query
-  return { brain, internals }
-}
-
-describe('lazy path honors EVERY provider’s not-ready report', () => {
-  it('a not-ready METADATA provider blocks the completion latch and fires the rebuild', async () => {
-    const { internals } = await warmLazyBrain()
-
-    // The trap's shape: vector side looks fine (populated), metadata
-    // provider says NOT ready — the old gate latched complete here.
-    ;(internals.metadataIndex as { isReady?: () => boolean }).isReady = () => false
-    const rebuildSpy = vi
-      .spyOn(internals, 'rebuildIndexesIfNeeded')
-      .mockResolvedValue(undefined)
-
-    await internals.ensureIndexesLoaded()
-
-    expect(rebuildSpy, 'not-ready metadata provider must fire the lazy rebuild').toHaveBeenCalledWith(true)
-  })
-
-  it('control: all providers ready/unknown+populated → latch completes, no rebuild', async () => {
-    const { internals } = await warmLazyBrain()
-    ;(internals.metadataIndex as { isReady?: () => boolean }).isReady = () => true
-    const rebuildSpy = vi
-      .spyOn(internals, 'rebuildIndexesIfNeeded')
-      .mockResolvedValue(undefined)
-
-    await internals.ensureIndexesLoaded()
-
-    expect(rebuildSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-    expect(internals.lazyRebuildCompleted).toBe(true)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/brainy/persistence-policy.test.ts b/tests/unit/brainy/persistence-policy.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 92bb4e3c..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/brainy/persistence-policy.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,121 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/brainy/persistence-policy
- * @description THE ENGINE-OWNED FLUSH CADENCE pins (A4,
- * SELF-ENGINE-LIFECYCLE-SPRINT, David-directed: callers NEVER call flush()
- * in hot paths). The production disease: 829 caller-scheduled per-write
- * flushes convoying into 45–66 second write walls — cadence hand-rolled a
- * layer above the only layer that can see dirty state and IO pressure.
- *
- * Pinned here: (1) the write-count trigger fires a BACKGROUND flush without
- * any caller flush(); (2) the idle trigger; (3) `'manual'` restores
- * caller-owned cadence exactly; (4) THE ACK LAW — a write acknowledges
- * without awaiting any background flush, even one that never resolves.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach, vi } from 'vitest'
-import { Brainy } from '../../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-
-async function mk(persistence?: {
-  policy?: 'auto' | 'manual'
-  flushEveryWrites?: number
-  flushIntervalMs?: number
-  flushOnIdleMs?: number
-}): Promise<Brainy> {
-  const b = new Brainy({
-    storage: { type: 'memory' },
-    requireSubtype: false,
-    ...(persistence && { persistence })
-  })
-  await b.init()
-  brains.push(b)
-  return b
-}
-
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  vi.restoreAllMocks()
-})
-
-describe('persistence policy — the engine owns its flush cadence', () => {
-  it('write-count trigger: N committed writes fire ONE background flush, no caller flush()', async () => {
-    const brain = await mk({ flushEveryWrites: 5, flushOnIdleMs: 60_000, flushIntervalMs: 600_000 })
-    const flushSpy = vi.spyOn(brain, 'flush')
-
-    for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
-      await brain.add({ data: `w${i}`, type: NounType.Document, metadata: { i } })
-    }
-
-    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(flushSpy).toHaveBeenCalled(), { timeout: 5000 })
-    // Single-flight: the threshold crossing kicks exactly one.
-    expect(flushSpy.mock.calls.length).toBe(1)
-  })
-
-  it('idle trigger: a quiet store with dirty writes flushes itself', async () => {
-    const brain = await mk({ flushEveryWrites: 10_000, flushIntervalMs: 600_000, flushOnIdleMs: 60 })
-    const flushSpy = vi.spyOn(brain, 'flush')
-
-    await brain.add({ data: 'lone write', type: NounType.Document, metadata: {} })
-
-    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(flushSpy).toHaveBeenCalled(), { timeout: 5000 })
-  })
-
-  it('idle debounce under load: slow writes never fire a flush per inter-write gap', async () => {
-    // The contended-disk amplifier: writes slower than the idle window make
-    // every gap look idle — without the spacing floor this fired a full
-    // flush per write (measured 15 background flushes in 100 contended adds
-    // on a production-shaped box). The floor (min(interval, 10×idle)) caps
-    // idle fires; deferred, never dropped.
-    const brain = await mk({ flushEveryWrites: 10_000, flushIntervalMs: 600_000, flushOnIdleMs: 50 })
-    const flushSpy = vi.spyOn(brain, 'flush')
-
-    // Six writes spaced wider than the idle window (50ms) with the whole
-    // span inside ~one floor window (500ms): the old behavior fires ~an
-    // idle flush per gap (≈6); the debounced behavior fires at most two
-    // (one immediate boot-window fire + one at the floor boundary).
-    for (let i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
-      await brain.add({ data: `slow ${i}`, type: NounType.Document, metadata: {} })
-      await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 70))
-    }
-    expect(flushSpy.mock.calls.length, 'no flush-per-gap amplifier').toBeLessThanOrEqual(2)
-
-    // Deferred, never dropped: the dirty writes still persist once the
-    // floor elapses on the now-quiet store.
-    await vi.waitFor(() => expect(flushSpy).toHaveBeenCalled(), { timeout: 5000 })
-  })
-
-  it("'manual' policy: the engine NEVER flushes on its own", async () => {
-    const brain = await mk({ policy: 'manual', flushEveryWrites: 2, flushOnIdleMs: 30 })
-    const flushSpy = vi.spyOn(brain, 'flush')
-
-    for (let i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
-      await brain.add({ data: `m${i}`, type: NounType.Document, metadata: { i } })
-    }
-    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 150))
-
-    expect(flushSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-  })
-
-  it('THE ACK LAW: writes acknowledge without awaiting the background flush — even a hung one', async () => {
-    const brain = await mk({ flushEveryWrites: 2, flushOnIdleMs: 60_000, flushIntervalMs: 600_000 })
-    // A flush that NEVER resolves: if any write ack awaited it, the test
-    // would time out. (The engine's background flight must be fire-and-log.)
-    vi.spyOn(brain, 'flush').mockImplementation(() => new Promise<void>(() => {}))
-
-    for (let i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
-      const id = await brain.add({ data: `a${i}`, type: NounType.Document, metadata: { i } })
-      expect(id).toBeTruthy()
-    }
-    // All six writes acked while the "flush" hangs forever.
-    const rows = await brain.find({ type: NounType.Document, limit: 10 })
-    expect(rows.length).toBe(6)
-
-    // Un-hang before afterEach close(): restore the method AND drop the
-    // never-resolving in-flight promise (close() awaits the flight — with a
-    // real flush that is correct; here it is the test's own artifact).
-    vi.restoreAllMocks()
-    ;(brain as unknown as { _persistBackgroundFlight: Promise<void> | null })._persistBackgroundFlight =
-      null
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/db/bounded-chains.test.ts b/tests/unit/db/bounded-chains.test.ts
index d356277d..034bc663 100644
--- a/tests/unit/db/bounded-chains.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/db/bounded-chains.test.ts
@@ -477,17 +477,14 @@ describe('materializeAtGeneration — bounded & deadlock-free (GA #33)', () => {
     const store = (brain as any).generationStore
 
     const N = 400
-    // Relative, not absolute: under the adopt-at-open default the open-time
-    // baseline backfill takes a generation of its own, so the first add is
-    // NOT generation 1 — pin the deep generation to the first add's commit.
-    let deepGen = 0
     for (let i = 0; i < N; i++) {
       await brain.add({ data: `doc ${i}`, type: NounType.Document, subtype: 'note', metadata: { i }, vector: VEC })
-      if (i === 0) deepGen = brain.generation()
     }
     const R = brain.generation() // ≈ N (each add is its own generation)
     expect(R).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(N)
 
+    const deepGen = 1
+
     // Count getDelta invocations during the materialize.
     const realGetDelta = store.getDelta.bind(store)
     let getDeltaCalls = 0
@@ -512,8 +509,7 @@ describe('materializeAtGeneration — bounded & deadlock-free (GA #33)', () => {
     expect(getDeltaCalls).toBeLessThan(R * 5)
     expect(getDeltaCalls).toBeLessThan(N * N) // the regression guard
 
-    // The materialized brain at the first add's generation holds exactly the
-    // one user entity that existed.
+    // The materialized at-gen-1 brain holds exactly the one entity that existed.
     const atGen1 = await handle.find({ limit: N + 10 })
     expect(atGen1.length).toBe(1)
     await handle.close()
diff --git a/tests/unit/db/fact-log-group-sync.test.ts b/tests/unit/db/fact-log-group-sync.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 401aa3e4..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/db/fact-log-group-sync.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,270 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/db/fact-log-group-sync
- * @description Group commit on the fact log — the covering guarantee behind
- * durable-at-ack: concurrent callers of ensureSynced() share ONE covering
- * fsync (running + queued slots), a caller appending during a running sync
- * joins a sync that STARTS after its append (never the possibly-stale running
- * one), a solo writer syncs immediately, and at the brain level an at-ack
- * ack resolving means the write's fact is on disk.
- *
- * The final pin holds the at-ack durability contract END TO END: an acked
- * write's fact survives a crash-shaped reopen. This was a `.fails` known
- * gap (FactLog.open() truncated every fact beyond the committed watermark,
- * which only advances at the pending-tier flush) — CURED by the 10.0.0
- * adopt-at-open fleet default: a fresh brain stores the log-authority
- * artifact at open, and under 'log' authority recovery REPLAYS intact
- * facts above the manifest instead of truncating them.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { Brainy } from '../../../src/index.js'
-import { FileSystemStorage } from '../../../src/storage/adapters/fileSystemStorage.js'
-import {
-  FactLog,
-  storageSupportsFactLog,
-  type CommitFact,
-  type FactLogStorage
-} from '../../../src/db/factLog.js'
-
-const UUID = (n: number): string =>
-  `00000000-0000-4000-8000-${String(n).padStart(12, '0')}`
-
-const fact = (generation: number): CommitFact => ({
-  generation,
-  timestamp: 1_700_000_000_000 + generation,
-  ops: [
-    {
-      kind: 'noun',
-      id: UUID(generation),
-      record: { metadata: { noun: 'document', title: `doc ${generation}` }, vector: { v: [1, 2] } }
-    }
-  ]
-})
-
-/** Scan every fact from a FRESH reader log over the same directory. */
-async function readBack(dir: string, committedHead: number): Promise<CommitFact[]> {
-  const storage: any = new FileSystemStorage(dir)
-  await storage.init()
-  const reader = new FactLog(storage as FactLogStorage)
-  await reader.open(committedHead)
-  const facts: CommitFact[] = []
-  const scan = reader.scanFacts()
-  for await (const batch of scan.batches()) facts.push(...batch.facts)
-  return facts
-}
-
-describe('fact log group commit — the covering fsync', () => {
-  let dir: string
-  let storage: any
-  let log: FactLog
-
-  beforeEach(async () => {
-    dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-group-sync-'))
-    storage = new FileSystemStorage(dir)
-    await storage.init()
-    expect(storageSupportsFactLog(storage)).toBe(true)
-    log = new FactLog(storage as FactLogStorage)
-    await log.open(0)
-  })
-
-  afterEach(() => {
-    rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true })
-  })
-
-  it('many concurrent ensureSynced() callers share one covering fsync — every caller resolves, batching happened', async () => {
-    for (let g = 1; g <= 10; g++) await log.append(fact(g))
-
-    // Count REAL fsync batches at the storage boundary, with a small delay so
-    // the concurrent callers genuinely overlap the running sync.
-    let fsyncBatches = 0
-    const origSync = storage.syncRawObjects.bind(storage)
-    storage.syncRawObjects = async (paths: string[]) => {
-      fsyncBatches++
-      await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 15))
-      return origSync(paths)
-    }
-
-    const callers = Array.from({ length: 10 }, () => log.ensureSynced())
-    await Promise.all(callers) // every caller resolves — no lost writer
-
-    expect(fsyncBatches, 'callers shared a covering fsync').toBeLessThan(10)
-    expect(fsyncBatches).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-
-    // Durable: a fresh reader over the same directory sees all 10 facts.
-    const facts = await readBack(dir, 10)
-    expect(facts.map((f) => f.generation)).toEqual([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10])
-  })
-
-  it('an append during a RUNNING sync is covered by a sync that starts after it — never the stale running one', async () => {
-    for (let g = 1; g <= 3; g++) await log.append(fact(g))
-
-    // Gate the FIRST fsync so a sync is provably in flight.
-    let fsyncBatches = 0
-    let releaseGate!: () => void
-    const gate = new Promise<void>((r) => {
-      releaseGate = r
-    })
-    let gated = true
-    const origSync = storage.syncRawObjects.bind(storage)
-    storage.syncRawObjects = async (paths: string[]) => {
-      fsyncBatches++
-      if (gated) {
-        gated = false
-        await gate
-      }
-      return origSync(paths)
-    }
-
-    const p1 = log.ensureSynced() // sync A: snapshots gens 1..3, blocks in fsync
-    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 10))
-    expect(fsyncBatches, 'sync A is in flight').toBe(1)
-
-    await log.append(fact(4)) // lands AFTER sync A snapshotted
-    let p2Resolved = false
-    const p2 = log.ensureSynced().then(() => {
-      p2Resolved = true
-    })
-
-    // The covering guarantee: p2 must NOT resolve off the running sync (it
-    // may have snapshotted before the append) — it waits for the queued one.
-    await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 25))
-    expect(p2Resolved, 'p2 never joins the possibly-stale running sync').toBe(false)
-
-    releaseGate()
-    await p1
-    await p2
-    expect(p2Resolved).toBe(true)
-    expect(fsyncBatches, 'the queued covering sync ran after the running one').toBe(2)
-
-    // The late append is durable once p2 resolved.
-    const facts = await readBack(dir, 4)
-    expect(facts.map((f) => f.generation)).toEqual([1, 2, 3, 4])
-  })
-
-  it('a solo writer syncs immediately — one fsync, and a dirty-free ensureSynced adds none', async () => {
-    // Count only covering syncs: the first append itself fsyncs the tail
-    // manifest (the manifest-first flip), so instrument AFTER it.
-    await log.append(fact(1))
-    let fsyncBatches = 0
-    const origSync = storage.syncRawObjects.bind(storage)
-    storage.syncRawObjects = async (paths: string[]) => {
-      fsyncBatches++
-      return origSync(paths)
-    }
-
-    await log.ensureSynced()
-    expect(fsyncBatches).toBe(1)
-
-    // Nothing new appended: the covering sync finds nothing dirty.
-    await log.ensureSynced()
-    expect(fsyncBatches).toBe(1)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('durable-at-ack through the brain (group commit end-to-end)', () => {
-  const dirs: string[] = []
-  const brains: any[] = []
-
-  const openBrain = async (dir?: string): Promise<{ brain: any; dir: string }> => {
-    process.env.BRAINY_DETERMINISTIC_EMBEDDINGS = 'true'
-    const d = dir ?? mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-at-ack-'))
-    if (!dir) dirs.push(d)
-    const brain: any = new Brainy({
-      storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: d },
-      requireSubtype: false,
-      silent: true,
-      dimensions: 384
-    })
-    brains.push(brain)
-    await brain.init()
-    return { brain, dir: d }
-  }
-
-  afterEach(async () => {
-    for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close?.().catch(() => {})
-    for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-  })
-
-  it('at-ack: N concurrent add() acks all resolve, every ack was covered by a log sync, and every fact is on disk after reopen', async () => {
-    const { brain, dir } = await openBrain()
-    // The 10.0.0 fleet default already adopted log authority at open, so
-    // the brain is at-ack; the white-box engage stays so this pin holds the
-    // durability MACHINERY itself independent of the open-time posture.
-    brain.generationStore.setLogDurability('at-ack')
-
-    const factLog = brain.generationStore.getFactLog()
-    expect(factLog).not.toBeNull()
-    let syncs = 0
-    const origSync = factLog.sync.bind(factLog)
-    factLog.sync = async () => {
-      syncs++
-      return origSync()
-    }
-
-    const ids: string[] = await Promise.all(
-      Array.from({ length: 10 }, (_, i) =>
-        brain.add({ data: `concurrent write ${i}`, type: 'document', metadata: { i } })
-      )
-    )
-    expect(new Set(ids).size, 'every ack resolved with a distinct id').toBe(10)
-    // Honest pin: single-op acks serialize under the commit mutex (append +
-    // covering sync run inside it), so concurrent add() acks do not currently
-    // share one fsync — cross-writer batching is the FactLog-layer property
-    // pinned above. What must hold here: at least one covering sync ran, and
-    // no ack resolved without the machinery engaged.
-    expect(syncs).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-    expect(syncs).toBeLessThanOrEqual(10)
-
-    await brain.close()
-    const { brain: reopened } = await openBrain(dir)
-    const scan = reopened.scanFacts()
-    expect(scan).not.toBeNull()
-    const liveFactIds = new Set<string>()
-    for await (const batch of scan!.batches()) {
-      for (const f of batch.facts) {
-        for (const op of f.ops) if (op.kind === 'noun' && op.record !== null) liveFactIds.add(op.id)
-      }
-    }
-    for (const id of ids) {
-      expect(liveFactIds.has(id), `fact for acked write ${id} survives reopen`).toBe(true)
-    }
-  })
-
-  // THE AT-ACK CONTRACT, HELD (was a `.fails` known gap): an acked write's
-  // fact survives a crash-shaped reopen. Fixed by the 10.0.0 adopt-at-open
-  // fleet default — this brain adopted LOG authority at open (artifact
-  // stored, durable-at-ack live), and under 'log' authority FactLog
-  // recovery REPLAYS intact facts above the committed watermark at the next
-  // open instead of truncating them back. Durable-at-ack now survives the
-  // very crash it exists for.
-  it('at-ack CONTRACT: acked facts survive a crash-shaped reopen (no flush ever ran)', async () => {
-    const { brain, dir } = await openBrain()
-    expect(brain.logAuthority().authority, 'the fleet default adopted at open').toBe('log')
-    expect(brain.generationStore.logDurability).toBe('at-ack')
-    // Crash simulation: the pending-tier durability flush never happens
-    // (every trigger routes through flushPendingSingleOps), and the brain is
-    // abandoned without close() — exactly the power-loss shape at-ack is for.
-    brain.generationStore.flushPendingSingleOps = async () => {}
-
-    const ids: string[] = []
-    for (let i = 0; i < 5; i++) {
-      ids.push(await brain.add({ data: `acked write ${i}`, type: 'document', metadata: { i } }))
-    }
-
-    // No flush, no close — reopen the directory as a new session.
-    const { brain: reopened } = await openBrain(dir)
-    const scan = reopened.scanFacts()
-    expect(scan).not.toBeNull()
-    const liveFactIds = new Set<string>()
-    for await (const batch of scan!.batches()) {
-      for (const f of batch.facts) {
-        for (const op of f.ops) if (op.kind === 'noun' && op.record !== null) liveFactIds.add(op.id)
-      }
-    }
-    for (const id of ids) {
-      expect(liveFactIds.has(id), `acked fact ${id} survives the crash-shaped reopen`).toBe(true)
-    }
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/db/factLogFormat.test.ts b/tests/unit/db/factLogFormat.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 0c507b41..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/db/factLogFormat.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,808 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/db/factLogFormat
- * @description Fact-log format v2 (record envelope + sector seals) pinned at
- * the byte level: every record type round-trips field-exact (bigint ints,
- * bin16 uuids, float-exact vectors), headers read v1 AND v2, unknown record
- * types/versions refuse loudly with the typed error, the reserved crypto
- * envelope (cipherFlag/keyId — plaintext-only this release) refuses anything
- * nonzero/non-nil with the same typed error, genesis width mismatches
- * refuse naming both widths, sealed groups align to the sector size with
- * invisible pads, vector refs are writer-enforced single-hop, and torn tails
- * truncate to the intact prefix at EVERY byte offset. This module is the
- * reference implementation of a two-implementation contract — golden byte
- * vectors here are frozen; a change that breaks them is a format change.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest'
-import { encode, decode } from '@msgpack/msgpack'
-import {
-  encodeFactV2,
-  decodeFact,
-  decodeGroupV2,
-  encodeSegmentHeaderV2,
-  parseSegmentHeader,
-  sealGroup,
-  framePayload,
-  encodePadFrame,
-  minPadFrameBytes,
-  UnknownLogRecordError,
-  GenesisWidthMismatchError,
-  LOG_RECORD_TYPES,
-  LOG_RECORD_VERSION,
-  LOG_RECORD_CIPHER_PLAINTEXT,
-  FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1,
-  FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2,
-  SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES,
-  DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE,
-  type CommitFactV2,
-  type LogRecord,
-  type VectorRef
-} from '../../../src/db/factLogFormat.js'
-
-const UUID = (n: number): string =>
-  `00000000-0000-4000-8000-${String(n).padStart(12, '0')}`
-const HASH_A = 'ab'.repeat(32)
-const HASH_B = '0123456789abcdef'.repeat(4)
-
-/** uuid string → bin16 (test-local mirror of the wire helper). */
-const uuidBytes = (id: string): Uint8Array => {
-  const hex = id.replace(/-/g, '')
-  const bytes = new Uint8Array(16)
-  for (let i = 0; i < 16; i++) bytes[i] = parseInt(hex.slice(i * 2, i * 2 + 2), 16)
-  return bytes
-}
-
-const hex = (bytes: Uint8Array): string => Buffer.from(bytes).toString('hex')
-
-/** Encode → strip frame → decode; the standard round-trip. */
-const roundTrip = (
-  fact: CommitFactV2,
-  encOpts?: Parameters<typeof encodeFactV2>[1],
-  decOpts?: { expectedIdSpaceWidth?: 32 | 64 }
-): CommitFactV2 => decodeFact(framePayload(encodeFactV2(fact, encOpts)), 2, decOpts)
-
-/** A single-record fact around `record`, canonical shape for strict equality. */
-const factOf = (generation: number, record: LogRecord): CommitFactV2 => ({
-  generation,
-  timestamp: 1_700_000_000_000 + generation,
-  records: [record]
-})
-
-/**
- * Build a fact frame of EXACTLY `totalBytes` (projection.note binary filler),
- * for engineering precise seal-boundary scenarios.
- */
-function frameOfExactly(totalBytes: number, generation: number): Uint8Array {
-  let fillerLength = Math.max(0, totalBytes - 60)
-  for (let i = 0; i < 12; i++) {
-    const frame = encodeFactV2({
-      generation,
-      timestamp: 1,
-      records: [{ type: 'projection.note', note: { fill: new Uint8Array(fillerLength) } }]
-    })
-    const diff = totalBytes - frame.length
-    if (diff === 0) return frame
-    fillerLength += diff
-    if (fillerLength < 0) throw new Error(`no frame of ${totalBytes} bytes is constructible`)
-  }
-  throw new Error('frame sizing did not converge')
-}
-
-describe('fact-log format v2 — record round-trips (field-exact)', () => {
-  it('noun.afterImage: bin16 uuid, u64-as-bigint beyond 2^53, metadata, inline vector', () => {
-    const fact = factOf(1, {
-      type: 'noun.afterImage',
-      id: UUID(1),
-      entityInt: (1n << 60n) + 3n, // provably beyond Number territory
-      metadata: {
-        noun: 'document',
-        title: 'doc 1',
-        nested: { tags: ['a', 'b'], score: 0.25 },
-        big: Number.MAX_SAFE_INTEGER,
-        negative: -42,
-        flag: true,
-        missing: null
-      },
-      vectorLeg: [0.1, -2.5, 3, 1e-7]
-    })
-    expect(roundTrip(fact)).toStrictEqual(fact)
-  })
-
-  it('noun.tombstone: body-less removal', () => {
-    const fact = factOf(2, { type: 'noun.tombstone', id: UUID(2) })
-    expect(roundTrip(fact)).toStrictEqual(fact)
-  })
-
-  it('verb.afterImage: both endpoints, three u64 handles, verb name', () => {
-    const fact = factOf(3, {
-      type: 'verb.afterImage',
-      id: UUID(3),
-      verbInt: 18_446_744_073_709_551_615n, // u64 max
-      metadata: { verb: 'contains', weight: 0.5 },
-      vectorLeg: null,
-      verb: 'contains',
-      sourceId: UUID(31),
-      sourceInt: 7n,
-      targetId: UUID(32),
-      targetInt: (1n << 53n) + 1n
-    })
-    expect(roundTrip(fact)).toStrictEqual(fact)
-  })
-
-  it('verb.tombstone: body-less removal', () => {
-    const fact = factOf(4, { type: 'verb.tombstone', id: UUID(4) })
-    expect(roundTrip(fact)).toStrictEqual(fact)
-  })
-
-  it('batch.meta: one metadata map per fact', () => {
-    const fact = factOf(5, { type: 'batch.meta', meta: { source: 'import', count: 12 } })
-    expect(roundTrip(fact)).toStrictEqual(fact)
-  })
-
-  it('embed.pending: id + enqueue time', () => {
-    const fact = factOf(6, { type: 'embed.pending', id: UUID(6), enqueuedAt: 1_700_000_000_777 })
-    expect(roundTrip(fact)).toStrictEqual(fact)
-  })
-
-  it('embed.landed: inline vector, float-exact', () => {
-    const fact = factOf(7, {
-      type: 'embed.landed',
-      id: UUID(7),
-      vector: [0.30000000000000004, -1.5, 2 ** 31 + 0.5]
-    })
-    expect(roundTrip(fact)).toStrictEqual(fact)
-  })
-
-  it('blob.manifest: bin32 hash, size, mimeType, both refOps', () => {
-    const add = factOf(8, {
-      type: 'blob.manifest',
-      hash: HASH_A,
-      size: 1_048_576,
-      mimeType: 'image/png',
-      refOp: 'add'
-    })
-    expect(roundTrip(add)).toStrictEqual(add)
-    const release = factOf(9, {
-      type: 'blob.manifest',
-      hash: HASH_B,
-      size: 0,
-      mimeType: 'application/octet-stream',
-      refOp: 'release'
-    })
-    expect(roundTrip(release)).toStrictEqual(release)
-  })
-
-  it('projection.note: opaque map rides untouched', () => {
-    const fact = factOf(10, {
-      type: 'projection.note',
-      note: { consumer: 'reserved', payload: { depth: [1, 2, 3] } }
-    })
-    expect(roundTrip(fact)).toStrictEqual(fact)
-  })
-
-  it('bootstrap.baseline: kind flag, metadata, vector leg — both kinds', () => {
-    const noun = factOf(11, {
-      type: 'bootstrap.baseline',
-      id: UUID(11),
-      kind: 'noun',
-      metadata: { noun: 'person' },
-      vectorLeg: [1, 2, 3]
-    })
-    expect(roundTrip(noun)).toStrictEqual(noun)
-    const verb = factOf(12, {
-      type: 'bootstrap.baseline',
-      id: UUID(12),
-      kind: 'verb',
-      metadata: null,
-      vectorLeg: null
-    })
-    expect(roundTrip(verb)).toStrictEqual(verb)
-  })
-
-  it('log.genesis: width, brainId, createdAt — both widths', () => {
-    for (const idSpaceWidth of [32, 64] as const) {
-      const fact = factOf(1, {
-        type: 'log.genesis',
-        idSpaceWidth,
-        brainId: UUID(999),
-        createdAt: 1_700_000_000_000
-      })
-      expect(roundTrip(fact, undefined, { expectedIdSpaceWidth: idSpaceWidth })).toStrictEqual(fact)
-    }
-  })
-
-  it('a combined fact: genesis-first, all record types, fact meta, duplicate blobHashes', () => {
-    const fact: CommitFactV2 = {
-      generation: 1,
-      timestamp: 1_700_000_000_001,
-      records: [
-        { type: 'log.genesis', idSpaceWidth: 64, brainId: UUID(999), createdAt: 1_699_999_999_999 },
-        { type: 'noun.afterImage', id: UUID(1), entityInt: 1n, metadata: { a: 1 }, vectorLeg: [0.5] },
-        { type: 'noun.tombstone', id: UUID(2) },
-        {
-          type: 'verb.afterImage',
-          id: UUID(3),
-          verbInt: 3n,
-          metadata: null,
-          vectorLeg: null,
-          verb: 'relatedTo',
-          sourceId: UUID(31),
-          sourceInt: 1n,
-          targetId: UUID(32),
-          targetInt: 2n
-        },
-        { type: 'verb.tombstone', id: UUID(4) },
-        { type: 'batch.meta', meta: { origin: 'unit' } },
-        { type: 'embed.pending', id: UUID(6), enqueuedAt: 5 },
-        { type: 'embed.landed', id: UUID(7), vector: [0.1] },
-        { type: 'blob.manifest', hash: HASH_A, size: 9, mimeType: 'text/plain', refOp: 'add' },
-        { type: 'projection.note', note: {} },
-        { type: 'bootstrap.baseline', id: UUID(11), kind: 'noun', metadata: null, vectorLeg: null }
-      ],
-      meta: { source: 'unit' },
-      blobHashes: [HASH_A, HASH_A] // multiset — duplicates preserved
-    }
-    expect(roundTrip(fact, undefined, { expectedIdSpaceWidth: 64 })).toStrictEqual(fact)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('fact-log format v2 — golden byte vectors (frozen contract)', () => {
-  it('v2 segment header bytes are pinned', () => {
-    expect(hex(encodeSegmentHeaderV2(7, 4096))).toBe(
-      '4246414354530000020000000700000000000000001000000000000000000000'
-    )
-  })
-
-  it('a noun.tombstone frame is pinned byte-for-byte', () => {
-    const frame = encodeFactV2({
-      generation: 3,
-      timestamp: 1_700_000_000_123,
-      records: [{ type: 'noun.tombstone', id: '00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000042' }]
-    })
-    expect(hex(frame)).toBe(
-      '2d00000048e4d43695cf0000000000000003cf0000018bcfe5687b9195020100c0' +
-        'c41000000000000040008000000000000042c0c0'
-    )
-  })
-
-  it('u64 registry fields ride as fixed 8-byte msgpack uint64 (0xcf)', () => {
-    const payload = framePayload(
-      encodeFactV2(factOf(1, { type: 'embed.pending', id: UUID(1), enqueuedAt: 2 }))
-    )
-    // positions 0 and 1 (generation, timestamp) and enqueuedAt are all 0xcf
-    expect(payload[1]).toBe(0xcf)
-    expect(payload[10]).toBe(0xcf)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('fact-log format v2 — segment headers (v1 AND v2)', () => {
-  const v1Header = (): Uint8Array => {
-    const header = new Uint8Array(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES)
-    header.set(new Uint8Array([0x42, 0x46, 0x41, 0x43, 0x54, 0x53, 0x00, 0x00]), 0)
-    const view = new DataView(header.buffer)
-    view.setUint32(8, FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1, true)
-    view.setBigUint64(12, 42n, true)
-    return header
-  }
-
-  it('a v2 header round-trips with its sealSize', () => {
-    const header = encodeSegmentHeaderV2(123_456, 512)
-    expect(header.length).toBe(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES)
-    expect(parseSegmentHeader(header)).toStrictEqual({
-      formatVersion: FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V2,
-      firstGeneration: 123_456,
-      sealSize: 512
-    })
-    // default sealSize
-    expect(parseSegmentHeader(encodeSegmentHeaderV2(1)).sealSize).toBe(DEFAULT_SEAL_SIZE)
-  })
-
-  it('a v1 header parses: version 1, sealSize absent (undefined)', () => {
-    const parsed = parseSegmentHeader(v1Header())
-    expect(parsed).toStrictEqual({ formatVersion: FACT_LOG_FORMAT_V1, firstGeneration: 42 })
-    expect(parsed.sealSize).toBeUndefined()
-  })
-
-  it('corrupted magic throws', () => {
-    const header = encodeSegmentHeaderV2(1)
-    header[0] = 0x58
-    expect(() => parseSegmentHeader(header)).toThrow(/bad magic/)
-  })
-
-  it('non-zero reserved bytes throw — v1 (offset 20+) and v2 (offset 22+)', () => {
-    const v1 = v1Header()
-    v1[21] = 1
-    expect(() => parseSegmentHeader(v1)).toThrow(/non-zero reserved/)
-
-    const v2 = encodeSegmentHeaderV2(1, 4096)
-    v2[25] = 1
-    expect(() => parseSegmentHeader(v2)).toThrow(/non-zero reserved/)
-  })
-
-  it('the v2 sealSize bytes are NOT reserved bytes in v2 (but ARE in v1)', () => {
-    // sealSize 512 puts a non-zero byte at offset 21 — legal in v2 only.
-    const v2 = encodeSegmentHeaderV2(1, 512)
-    expect(parseSegmentHeader(v2).sealSize).toBe(512)
-    const v1 = v1Header()
-    v1[20] = 0x00
-    v1[21] = 0x02 // same bytes a v2 sealSize=512 would carry
-    expect(() => parseSegmentHeader(v1)).toThrow(/non-zero reserved/)
-  })
-
-  it('an unknown header version and a short buffer throw', () => {
-    const header = encodeSegmentHeaderV2(1)
-    new DataView(header.buffer).setUint32(8, 3, true)
-    expect(() => parseSegmentHeader(header)).toThrow(/formatVersion 3/)
-    expect(() => parseSegmentHeader(header.subarray(0, 31))).toThrow(/32 bytes/)
-  })
-
-  it('header writer refuses out-of-range inputs', () => {
-    expect(() => encodeSegmentHeaderV2(-1)).toThrow(/non-negative/)
-    expect(() => encodeSegmentHeaderV2(1, 32)).toThrow(/sealSize/)
-    expect(() => encodeSegmentHeaderV2(1, 65_536)).toThrow(/sealSize/)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('fact-log format v2 — decoder law (typed refusals, never skip)', () => {
-  it('unknown record type 12 throws UnknownLogRecordError naming type 12', () => {
-    const payload = encode([1, 1, [[12, 1]], null, null])
-    expect(() => decodeFact(payload, 2)).toThrow(UnknownLogRecordError)
-    try {
-      decodeFact(payload, 2)
-      expect.unreachable('decode must throw')
-    } catch (error) {
-      const typed = error as UnknownLogRecordError
-      expect(typed).toBeInstanceOf(UnknownLogRecordError)
-      expect(typed.recordType).toBe(12)
-      expect(typed.recordVersion).toBe(1)
-      expect(typed.message).toMatch(/type 12/)
-      expect(typed.message).toMatch(/newer reader/)
-    }
-  })
-
-  it('recordVersion 2 on a known type throws the same class naming the version', () => {
-    const payload = encode([1, 1, [[LOG_RECORD_TYPES.NOUN_TOMBSTONE, 2, new Uint8Array(16)]], null, null])
-    try {
-      decodeFact(payload, 2)
-      expect.unreachable('decode must throw')
-    } catch (error) {
-      const typed = error as UnknownLogRecordError
-      expect(typed).toBeInstanceOf(UnknownLogRecordError)
-      expect(typed.recordType).toBe(LOG_RECORD_TYPES.NOUN_TOMBSTONE)
-      expect(typed.recordVersion).toBe(2)
-      expect(typed.message).toMatch(/version 2/)
-      expect(typed.message).toMatch(/newer reader/)
-    }
-  })
-
-  it('a fact mixing known and unknown records still refuses (no partial reads)', () => {
-    const known = [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.NOUN_TOMBSTONE, 1, 0, null, uuidBytes(UUID(1))]
-    const payload = encode([1, 1, [known, [200, 1]], null, null])
-    expect(() => decodeFact(payload, 2)).toThrow(UnknownLogRecordError)
-  })
-
-  it('a nonzero cipherFlag refuses with the typed error — encrypted records need a newer reader', () => {
-    const payload = encode(
-      [1, 1, [[LOG_RECORD_TYPES.NOUN_TOMBSTONE, 1, 1, null, uuidBytes(UUID(1))]], null, null]
-    )
-    try {
-      decodeFact(payload, 2)
-      expect.unreachable('decode must throw')
-    } catch (error) {
-      const typed = error as UnknownLogRecordError
-      expect(typed).toBeInstanceOf(UnknownLogRecordError)
-      expect(typed.recordType).toBe(LOG_RECORD_TYPES.NOUN_TOMBSTONE)
-      expect(typed.recordVersion).toBe(1)
-      expect(typed.message).toMatch(/cipherFlag 1/)
-      expect(typed.message).toMatch(/encrypted records need a newer reader/)
-    }
-  })
-
-  it('a non-nil keyId refuses the same way, even with cipherFlag 0', () => {
-    const payload = encode(
-      [
-        1,
-        1,
-        [[LOG_RECORD_TYPES.NOUN_TOMBSTONE, 1, 0, uuidBytes(UUID(9)), uuidBytes(UUID(1))]],
-        null,
-        null
-      ]
-    )
-    expect(() => decodeFact(payload, 2)).toThrow(UnknownLogRecordError)
-    expect(() => decodeFact(payload, 2)).toThrow(/encrypted records need a newer reader/)
-  })
-
-  it('the encoder always writes the plaintext envelope: cipherFlag 0, keyId nil', () => {
-    const payload = framePayload(encodeFactV2(factOf(1, { type: 'noun.tombstone', id: UUID(1) })))
-    const raw = decode(payload) as unknown[]
-    const record = (raw[2] as unknown[][])[0]
-    expect(record[2]).toBe(LOG_RECORD_CIPHER_PLAINTEXT)
-    expect(record[3]).toBeNull()
-    expect(LOG_RECORD_CIPHER_PLAINTEXT).toBe(0)
-  })
-
-  it('an unknown segment format version has no decode path', () => {
-    const payload = framePayload(encodeFactV2(factOf(1, { type: 'noun.tombstone', id: UUID(1) })))
-    expect(() => decodeFact(payload, 3)).toThrow(/reads 1 and 2/)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('fact-log format v2 — log.genesis width law', () => {
-  const genesisFact = (width: 32 | 64): CommitFactV2 =>
-    factOf(1, { type: 'log.genesis', idSpaceWidth: width, brainId: UUID(9), createdAt: 1 })
-
-  it('expectedWidth 32 vs a 64-width genesis refuses, naming both widths', () => {
-    const payload = framePayload(encodeFactV2(genesisFact(64)))
-    expect(() => decodeFact(payload, 2, { expectedIdSpaceWidth: 32 })).toThrow(
-      GenesisWidthMismatchError
-    )
-    try {
-      decodeFact(payload, 2, { expectedIdSpaceWidth: 32 })
-      expect.unreachable('decode must throw')
-    } catch (error) {
-      const typed = error as GenesisWidthMismatchError
-      expect(typed.expectedWidth).toBe(32)
-      expect(typed.actualWidth).toBe(64)
-      expect(typed.message).toMatch(/32-bit/)
-      expect(typed.message).toMatch(/64-bit/)
-    }
-  })
-
-  it('a matching width (and no expectation at all) decodes cleanly', () => {
-    const payload = framePayload(encodeFactV2(genesisFact(64)))
-    expect(decodeFact(payload, 2, { expectedIdSpaceWidth: 64 }).records[0]).toMatchObject({
-      idSpaceWidth: 64
-    })
-    expect(decodeFact(payload, 2).records[0]).toMatchObject({ idSpaceWidth: 64 })
-  })
-
-  it('genesis anywhere but record 0 refuses — encode AND decode', () => {
-    const late: CommitFactV2 = {
-      generation: 1,
-      timestamp: 1,
-      records: [
-        { type: 'noun.tombstone', id: UUID(1) },
-        { type: 'log.genesis', idSpaceWidth: 64, brainId: UUID(9), createdAt: 1 }
-      ]
-    }
-    expect(() => encodeFactV2(late)).toThrow(/first record/)
-    const crafted = encode([
-      1,
-      1,
-      [
-        [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.NOUN_TOMBSTONE, 1, 0, null, uuidBytes(UUID(1))],
-        [LOG_RECORD_TYPES.LOG_GENESIS, 1, 0, null, 64, uuidBytes(UUID(9)), 1]
-      ],
-      null,
-      null
-    ])
-    expect(() => decodeFact(crafted, 2)).toThrow(/first record/)
-  })
-
-  it('an invalid genesis width on the wire is malformed, not a mismatch', () => {
-    const crafted = encode(
-      [1, 1, [[LOG_RECORD_TYPES.LOG_GENESIS, 1, 0, null, 48, uuidBytes(UUID(9)), 1]], null, null]
-    )
-    expect(() => decodeFact(crafted, 2)).toThrow(/32 or 64/)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('fact-log format v2 — vector legs (single-hop law)', () => {
-  it('inline vectors round-trip float-exact', () => {
-    const vector = [0.1 + 0.2, -0.0000001, 3.141592653589793, 2 ** 40 + 0.25]
-    const fact = factOf(1, {
-      type: 'noun.afterImage',
-      id: UUID(1),
-      entityInt: 1n,
-      metadata: null,
-      vectorLeg: vector
-    })
-    const decoded = roundTrip(fact)
-    expect((decoded.records[0] as { vectorLeg: number[] }).vectorLeg).toStrictEqual(vector)
-  })
-
-  it('a ref round-trips when the validator vouches for the target generation', () => {
-    const fact = factOf(6, {
-      type: 'noun.afterImage',
-      id: UUID(1),
-      entityInt: 1n,
-      metadata: null,
-      vectorLeg: { sameAsGeneration: 5 }
-    })
-    const viaSet = roundTrip(fact, { inlineVectorGenerations: new Set([5]) })
-    expect((viaSet.records[0] as { vectorLeg: VectorRef }).vectorLeg).toStrictEqual({
-      sameAsGeneration: 5
-    })
-    const viaCallback = roundTrip(fact, { inlineVectorGenerations: (g) => g === 5 })
-    expect(viaCallback).toStrictEqual(fact)
-  })
-
-  it('the encoder REFUSES a ref the validator rejects', () => {
-    const fact = factOf(6, {
-      type: 'noun.afterImage',
-      id: UUID(1),
-      entityInt: 1n,
-      metadata: null,
-      vectorLeg: { sameAsGeneration: 5 }
-    })
-    expect(() => encodeFactV2(fact, { inlineVectorGenerations: new Set([4]) })).toThrow(
-      /single-hop/
-    )
-    expect(() => encodeFactV2(fact, { inlineVectorGenerations: () => false })).toThrow(
-      /generation 5/
-    )
-  })
-
-  it('the encoder REFUSES a ref when no validator was provided at all', () => {
-    const fact = factOf(6, {
-      type: 'noun.afterImage',
-      id: UUID(1),
-      entityInt: 1n,
-      metadata: null,
-      vectorLeg: { sameAsGeneration: 5 }
-    })
-    expect(() => encodeFactV2(fact)).toThrow(/unverifiable ref/)
-  })
-
-  it('embed.landed is inline-only: encode refuses non-arrays, decode refuses wire refs', () => {
-    const bad = factOf(7, {
-      type: 'embed.landed',
-      id: UUID(7),
-      vector: null as unknown as number[]
-    })
-    expect(() => encodeFactV2(bad)).toThrow(/INLINE/)
-    const craftedRef = encode(
-      [1, 1, [[LOG_RECORD_TYPES.EMBED_LANDED, 1, 0, null, uuidBytes(UUID(7)), ['ref', 5]]], null, null]
-    )
-    expect(() => decodeFact(craftedRef, 2)).toThrow(/INLINE/)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('fact-log format v2 — sector seals', () => {
-  const facts = [1, 2, 3].map((g) =>
-    factOf(g, {
-      type: 'noun.afterImage',
-      id: UUID(g),
-      entityInt: BigInt(g),
-      metadata: { title: `doc ${g}` },
-      vectorLeg: [g + 0.5]
-    })
-  )
-  const frames = facts.map((f) => encodeFactV2(f))
-
-  it('sealGroup output is sector-aligned and decodes to exactly the input facts', () => {
-    const sealed = sealGroup(frames, 4096)
-    expect(sealed.length % 4096).toBe(0)
-    const { facts: decoded, validBytes } = decodeGroupV2(sealed)
-    expect(decoded).toStrictEqual(facts) // pads invisible
-    expect(validBytes).toBe(sealed.length)
-  })
-
-  it('an already-aligned group gets NO pad (byte-identical passthrough)', () => {
-    const exact = frameOfExactly(4096, 1)
-    const sealed = sealGroup([exact], 4096)
-    expect(sealed.length).toBe(4096)
-    expect(Buffer.compare(Buffer.from(sealed), Buffer.from(exact))).toBe(0)
-    expect(decodeGroupV2(sealed).facts).toHaveLength(1)
-  })
-
-  it('a normal gap gets ONE exact-fit pad frame', () => {
-    const sealed = sealGroup([frameOfExactly(2000, 1), frameOfExactly(1996, 2)], 4096) // gap 100
-    expect(sealed.length).toBe(4096)
-    expect(decodeGroupV2(sealed).facts.map((f) => f.generation)).toEqual([1, 2])
-  })
-
-  it('a gap too small for any frame (the <12-byte remainder and friends) pads through one extra sector', () => {
-    for (const gap of [1, 8, 11, 16, 32]) {
-      const sealed = sealGroup([frameOfExactly(4096 - gap, 1)], 4096)
-      expect(sealed.length % 4096).toBe(0)
-      expect(sealed.length).toBe(8192) // gap + one full sector, still aligned
-      const { facts: decoded, validBytes } = decodeGroupV2(sealed)
-      expect(decoded.map((f) => f.generation)).toEqual([1])
-      expect(validBytes).toBe(8192)
-    }
-    // the smallest constructible pad frame fits exactly — no overshoot at 33
-    const sealed33 = sealGroup([frameOfExactly(4096 - 33, 1)], 4096)
-    expect(sealed33.length).toBe(4096)
-    expect(decodeGroupV2(sealed33).facts.map((f) => f.generation)).toEqual([1])
-  })
-
-  it('seals honor a custom sealSize (device-probed sizes are the caller business)', () => {
-    const sealed = sealGroup(frames, 512)
-    expect(sealed.length % 512).toBe(0)
-    expect(decodeGroupV2(sealed).facts).toStrictEqual(facts)
-  })
-
-  it('pad frame bytes are pinned (golden vector, sealSize 64)', () => {
-    const tomb = encodeFactV2({
-      generation: 3,
-      timestamp: 1_700_000_000_123,
-      records: [{ type: 'noun.tombstone', id: '00000000-0000-4000-8000-000000000042' }]
-    })
-    const sealed = sealGroup([tomb], 64) // 53 bytes → gap 11 → overshoot → 75-byte pad
-    expect(sealed.length).toBe(128)
-    expect(hex(sealed.subarray(tomb.length))).toBe(
-      // frame prefix + [0, 0, [[0, 1, bin8(40 zero bytes)]], nil, nil]
-      '4300000088b4c8fa95cf0000000000000000cf000000000000000091930001c428' +
-        '0'.repeat(80) +
-        'c0c0'
-    )
-  })
-
-  it('encodePadFrame builds exact-size pads for streaming writers; refuses sub-minimum sizes', () => {
-    // Pads are envelope-exempt (skipped wholesale), so the smallest pad frame
-    // is byte-stable across the crypto-envelope change.
-    expect(minPadFrameBytes()).toBe(33)
-    for (const size of [minPadFrameBytes(), 64, 4096]) {
-      const pad = encodePadFrame(size)
-      expect(pad.length).toBe(size)
-      const { facts: decoded, validBytes } = decodeGroupV2(pad)
-      expect(decoded).toEqual([]) // invisible to readers
-      expect(validBytes).toBe(size)
-    }
-    expect(() => encodePadFrame(minPadFrameBytes() - 1)).toThrow(/at least/)
-  })
-
-  it('sealGroup refuses garbage: empty groups, malformed frames, bad seal sizes', () => {
-    expect(() => sealGroup([], 4096)).toThrow(/at least one frame/)
-    expect(() => sealGroup([new Uint8Array([1, 2, 3])], 4096)).toThrow(/not a well-formed frame/)
-    const corrupted = encodeFactV2(facts[0])
-    corrupted[corrupted.length - 1] ^= 0xff
-    expect(() => sealGroup([corrupted], 4096)).toThrow(/not a well-formed frame/)
-    expect(() => sealGroup(frames, 32)).toThrow(/sealSize/)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('fact-log format v2 — torn-tail discipline', () => {
-  it('truncating a sealed group at EVERY byte offset of the tail yields the intact prefix, never an uncontrolled throw', () => {
-    const frames = [frameOfExactly(600, 1), frameOfExactly(700, 2), frameOfExactly(800, 3)]
-    const sealed = sealGroup(frames, 4096)
-    expect(sealed.length).toBe(4096)
-    const f3End = 600 + 700 + 800
-
-    for (let cut = 600 + 700; cut < sealed.length; cut++) {
-      const { facts: decoded, validBytes } = decodeGroupV2(sealed.subarray(0, cut))
-      const expected = cut < f3End ? [1, 2] : [1, 2, 3]
-      expect(decoded.map((f) => f.generation)).toEqual(expected)
-      expect(validBytes).toBe(cut < f3End ? 600 + 700 : f3End)
-    }
-  })
-
-  it('a flipped payload byte (not just truncation) also terminates the walk at the damage', () => {
-    const frames = [frameOfExactly(600, 1), frameOfExactly(700, 2)]
-    const sealed = sealGroup(frames, 4096)
-    const damaged = sealed.slice()
-    damaged[600 + 100] ^= 0xff // inside frame 2's payload
-    const { facts: decoded, validBytes } = decodeGroupV2(damaged)
-    expect(decoded.map((f) => f.generation)).toEqual([1])
-    expect(validBytes).toBe(600)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('fact-log format v2 — writer refusals (loud, never silent)', () => {
-  const tombstone = (g: number): CommitFactV2 => factOf(g, { type: 'noun.tombstone', id: UUID(g) })
-
-  it('accepts empty records (an all-deduped batch is a real generation); refuses generation 0 and a second batch.meta', () => {
-    // Contract change with the live cutover: v1 always encoded op-less
-    // commits (a batch whose relates dedupe away still mints a generation);
-    // v2 must not fork commit semantics — empty records round-trip.
-    const empty = decodeFact(framePayload(encodeFactV2({ generation: 1, timestamp: 1, records: [] })), 2)
-    expect(empty.records).toEqual([])
-    expect(() => encodeFactV2({ ...tombstone(1), generation: 0 })).toThrow(/positive integer/)
-    expect(() =>
-      encodeFactV2({
-        generation: 1,
-        timestamp: 1,
-        records: [
-          { type: 'batch.meta', meta: { a: 1 } },
-          { type: 'batch.meta', meta: { b: 2 } }
-        ]
-      })
-    ).toThrow(/at most one batch.meta/)
-  })
-
-  it('refuses pad records — filler belongs to sealGroup, not to writers', () => {
-    const fact = {
-      generation: 1,
-      timestamp: 1,
-      records: [{ type: 'pad' } as unknown as LogRecord]
-    }
-    expect(() => encodeFactV2(fact)).toThrow(/cannot encode record type pad/)
-  })
-
-  it('refuses malformed field values: non-uuid ids, bad hashes, out-of-range u64s', () => {
-    expect(() =>
-      encodeFactV2(factOf(1, { type: 'noun.tombstone', id: 'not-a-uuid' }))
-    ).toThrow(/not a uuid/)
-    expect(() =>
-      encodeFactV2(
-        factOf(1, { type: 'blob.manifest', hash: 'abc', size: 1, mimeType: 'x', refOp: 'add' })
-      )
-    ).toThrow(/64 hex chars/)
-    expect(() =>
-      encodeFactV2(
-        factOf(1, {
-          type: 'noun.afterImage',
-          id: UUID(1),
-          entityInt: -1n,
-          metadata: null,
-          vectorLeg: null
-        })
-      )
-    ).toThrow(/u64 range/)
-    expect(() =>
-      encodeFactV2(
-        factOf(1, {
-          type: 'noun.afterImage',
-          id: UUID(1),
-          entityInt: 1n << 64n,
-          metadata: null,
-          vectorLeg: null
-        })
-      )
-    ).toThrow(/u64 range/)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('fact-log format — the v1 decode path stays readable forever', () => {
-  it('decodeFact(payload, 1) reads the v1 ops shape (positional, bin16, tombstones)', () => {
-    // Crafted exactly as the v1 writer frames facts: default msgpack, ops at
-    // position 2 as [kind u8, id bin16, [metadata, vector] | nil].
-    const payload = encode([
-      4,
-      1_700_000_000_004,
-      [
-        [0, uuidBytes(UUID(41)), [{ noun: 'document', title: 'doc 41' }, { v: [1, 2] }]],
-        [1, uuidBytes(UUID(42)), null] // verb tombstone
-      ],
-      { source: 'v1' },
-      ['abc123']
-    ])
-    const fact = decodeFact(payload, 1)
-    expect(fact).toStrictEqual({
-      generation: 4,
-      timestamp: 1_700_000_000_004,
-      ops: [
-        {
-          kind: 'noun',
-          id: UUID(41),
-          record: { metadata: { noun: 'document', title: 'doc 41' }, vector: { v: [1, 2] } }
-        },
-        { kind: 'verb', id: UUID(42), record: null }
-      ],
-      meta: { source: 'v1' },
-      blobHashes: ['abc123']
-    })
-  })
-})
-
-describe('fact-log format v2 — frame envelope helper', () => {
-  it('framePayload verifies exact length and crc32c', () => {
-    const frame = encodeFactV2(factOf(1, { type: 'noun.tombstone', id: UUID(1) }))
-    expect(() => framePayload(frame)).not.toThrow()
-
-    const shortFrame = frame.subarray(0, frame.length - 1)
-    expect(() => framePayload(shortFrame)).toThrow(/declares/)
-
-    const corrupted = frame.slice()
-    corrupted[corrupted.length - 1] ^= 0xff
-    expect(() => framePayload(corrupted)).toThrow(/crc32c/)
-  })
-
-  it('the record-type registry and version constants are the frozen wire codes', () => {
-    expect(LOG_RECORD_TYPES).toStrictEqual({
-      PAD: 0,
-      NOUN_AFTER_IMAGE: 1,
-      NOUN_TOMBSTONE: 2,
-      VERB_AFTER_IMAGE: 3,
-      VERB_TOMBSTONE: 4,
-      BATCH_META: 5,
-      EMBED_PENDING: 6,
-      EMBED_LANDED: 7,
-      BLOB_MANIFEST: 8,
-      PROJECTION_NOTE: 9,
-      BOOTSTRAP_BASELINE: 10,
-      LOG_GENESIS: 11
-    })
-    expect(LOG_RECORD_VERSION).toBe(1)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/db/fault-injection-shim.test.ts b/tests/unit/db/fault-injection-shim.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index a6d4109e..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/db/fault-injection-shim.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,231 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/db/fault-injection-shim
- * @description The fault-injection storage wrapper proven in isolation: a
- * torn write persists a decodable prefix (the crash shape durability tests
- * replay), a dropped sync is observable (armed → the inner adapter never sees
- * it; journaled), a failed append throws without writing a byte, knobs are
- * one-shot, and unarmed operation is a transparent passthrough. The full
- * commit-path fault matrix lives with the log's ack work — this file proves
- * the SHIM itself.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
-import { MemoryStorage } from '../../../src/storage/adapters/memoryStorage.js'
-import {
-  FactLog,
-  storageSupportsFactLog,
-  type CommitFact,
-  type FactLogStorage
-} from '../../../src/db/factLog.js'
-import {
-  FaultInjectionStorage,
-  FaultInjectedError
-} from '../../../src/db/faultInjectionStorage.js'
-import {
-  encodeFactV2,
-  encodeSegmentHeaderV2,
-  decodeGroupV2,
-  parseSegmentHeader,
-  SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES,
-  type CommitFactV2
-} from '../../../src/db/factLogFormat.js'
-
-const UUID = (n: number): string =>
-  `00000000-0000-4000-8000-${String(n).padStart(12, '0')}`
-
-const factV2 = (generation: number): CommitFactV2 => ({
-  generation,
-  timestamp: 1_700_000_000_000 + generation,
-  records: [{ type: 'noun.tombstone', id: UUID(generation) }]
-})
-
-const factV1 = (generation: number): CommitFact => ({
-  generation,
-  timestamp: 1_700_000_000_000 + generation,
-  ops: [
-    {
-      kind: 'noun',
-      id: UUID(generation),
-      record: { metadata: { noun: 'document' }, vector: null }
-    }
-  ]
-})
-
-describe('fault-injection storage wrapper', () => {
-  let inner: FactLogStorage & { syncRawObjects: (paths: string[]) => Promise<void> }
-  let shim: FaultInjectionStorage
-  let innerSyncCalls: string[][]
-
-  beforeEach(async () => {
-    const mem: any = new MemoryStorage()
-    await mem.init()
-    innerSyncCalls = []
-    const realSync = mem.syncRawObjects.bind(mem)
-    mem.syncRawObjects = async (paths: string[]) => {
-      innerSyncCalls.push([...paths])
-      return realSync(paths)
-    }
-    inner = mem
-    shim = new FaultInjectionStorage(inner)
-  })
-
-  it('satisfies the fact-log storage surface (drop-in wrapper)', () => {
-    expect(storageSupportsFactLog(shim)).toBe(true)
-  })
-
-  it('unarmed, every operation is a transparent passthrough', async () => {
-    await shim.writeRawBytes('seg', new Uint8Array([1, 2, 3]))
-    await shim.appendRawBytes('seg', new Uint8Array([4, 5]))
-    expect(Array.from((await shim.readRawBytes('seg'))!)).toEqual([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
-    expect(await shim.rawByteSize('seg')).toBe(5)
-    expect(Array.from((await inner.readRawBytes('seg'))!)).toEqual([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
-
-    await shim.writeRawObject('obj.json', { a: 1 })
-    expect(await shim.readRawObject('obj.json')).toEqual({ a: 1 })
-    await shim.deleteRawObject('obj.json')
-    expect(await shim.readRawObject('obj.json')).toBeNull()
-
-    await shim.syncRawObjects(['seg'])
-    expect(innerSyncCalls).toEqual([['seg']])
-    expect(shim.injectedFaults).toEqual([])
-  })
-
-  describe('tearWriteAtByte — a torn write produces a decodable-prefix segment', () => {
-    it('persists only the first N bytes of the next append; the prefix decodes intact', async () => {
-      const path = 'facts/seg-test.bfl'
-      const frame1 = encodeFactV2(factV2(1))
-      const frame2 = encodeFactV2(factV2(2))
-
-      await shim.appendRawBytes(path, encodeSegmentHeaderV2(1, 4096))
-      await shim.appendRawBytes(path, frame1)
-      shim.tearWriteAtByte(frame2.length - 5) // crash 5 bytes before the frame lands
-      await shim.appendRawBytes(path, frame2) // reports success — the tear is silent
-
-      const bytes = (await inner.readRawBytes(path))!
-      expect(bytes.length).toBe(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES + frame1.length + frame2.length - 5)
-
-      // The "crash": reopen from storage and read what actually survived.
-      const header = parseSegmentHeader(bytes)
-      expect(header).toStrictEqual({ formatVersion: 2, firstGeneration: 1, sealSize: 4096 })
-      const { facts, validBytes } = decodeGroupV2(bytes.subarray(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES))
-      expect(facts.map((f) => f.generation)).toEqual([1]) // fact 2's torn frame is invisible
-      expect(validBytes).toBe(frame1.length)
-
-      expect(shim.injectedFaults).toEqual([
-        {
-          kind: 'torn-write',
-          path,
-          requestedBytes: frame2.length,
-          writtenBytes: frame2.length - 5
-        }
-      ])
-    })
-
-    it('a tear inside the frame prefix (first bytes) leaves the earlier facts intact too', async () => {
-      const path = 'facts/seg-prefix.bfl'
-      const frame1 = encodeFactV2(factV2(1))
-      await shim.appendRawBytes(path, encodeSegmentHeaderV2(1, 4096))
-      await shim.appendRawBytes(path, frame1)
-      shim.tearWriteAtByte(3)
-      await shim.appendRawBytes(path, encodeFactV2(factV2(2)))
-
-      const bytes = (await inner.readRawBytes(path))!
-      const { facts } = decodeGroupV2(bytes.subarray(SEGMENT_HEADER_BYTES))
-      expect(facts.map((f) => f.generation)).toEqual([1])
-    })
-
-    it('a tear at byte 0 writes nothing at all', async () => {
-      shim.tearWriteAtByte(0)
-      await shim.appendRawBytes('empty.bfl', new Uint8Array([1, 2, 3]))
-      expect(await inner.readRawBytes('empty.bfl')).toBeNull()
-      expect(shim.injectedFaults[0]).toMatchObject({ kind: 'torn-write', writtenBytes: 0 })
-    })
-
-    it('is one-shot: the append after the torn one lands whole', async () => {
-      shim.tearWriteAtByte(1)
-      await shim.appendRawBytes('seg', new Uint8Array([1, 2, 3, 4]))
-      await shim.appendRawBytes('seg', new Uint8Array([5, 6]))
-      expect(Array.from((await inner.readRawBytes('seg'))!)).toEqual([1, 5, 6])
-    })
-
-    it('refuses a negative tear offset', () => {
-      expect(() => shim.tearWriteAtByte(-1)).toThrow(/non-negative/)
-    })
-  })
-
-  describe('dropNextSync — a dropped sync is observable', () => {
-    it('the armed sync never reaches the inner adapter and is journaled', async () => {
-      shim.dropNextSync()
-      await shim.syncRawObjects(['a.bfl', 'b.bfl'])
-      expect(innerSyncCalls).toEqual([]) // the device never saw it
-      expect(shim.injectedFaults).toEqual([{ kind: 'dropped-sync', paths: ['a.bfl', 'b.bfl'] }])
-    })
-
-    it('is one-shot: the following sync passes through', async () => {
-      shim.dropNextSync()
-      await shim.syncRawObjects(['x'])
-      await shim.syncRawObjects(['y'])
-      expect(innerSyncCalls).toEqual([['y']])
-    })
-  })
-
-  describe('failNextAppend — a failed append throws without writing a byte', () => {
-    it('throws the typed error, writes nothing, and journals the fault', async () => {
-      await shim.appendRawBytes('seg', new Uint8Array([1]))
-      shim.failNextAppend()
-      await expect(shim.appendRawBytes('seg', new Uint8Array([2, 3]))).rejects.toThrow(
-        FaultInjectedError
-      )
-      expect(Array.from((await inner.readRawBytes('seg'))!)).toEqual([1]) // untouched
-      expect(shim.injectedFaults).toEqual([{ kind: 'failed-append', path: 'seg' }])
-      // one-shot: the next append succeeds
-      await shim.appendRawBytes('seg', new Uint8Array([4]))
-      expect(Array.from((await inner.readRawBytes('seg'))!)).toEqual([1, 4])
-    })
-
-    it('carries the operation and path for programmatic assertions', async () => {
-      shim.failNextAppend()
-      try {
-        await shim.appendRawBytes('some/path.bfl', new Uint8Array([1]))
-        expect.unreachable('append must throw')
-      } catch (error) {
-        const typed = error as FaultInjectedError
-        expect(typed).toBeInstanceOf(FaultInjectedError)
-        expect(typed.operation).toBe('append')
-        expect(typed.path).toBe('some/path.bfl')
-      }
-    })
-
-    it('wins over a simultaneously-armed tear; the tear stays pending for the next append', async () => {
-      shim.failNextAppend()
-      shim.tearWriteAtByte(2)
-      await expect(shim.appendRawBytes('seg', new Uint8Array([1, 2, 3]))).rejects.toThrow(
-        FaultInjectedError
-      )
-      expect(await inner.readRawBytes('seg')).toBeNull()
-      await shim.appendRawBytes('seg', new Uint8Array([9, 8, 7]))
-      expect(Array.from((await inner.readRawBytes('seg'))!)).toEqual([9, 8]) // torn at 2
-      expect(shim.injectedFaults.map((f) => f.kind)).toEqual(['failed-append', 'torn-write'])
-    })
-  })
-
-  describe('composed with the real fact log (v1 surface)', () => {
-    it('a torn append is truncated away on reopen — the log heals to the intact prefix', async () => {
-      const log = new FactLog(shim)
-      await log.open(0)
-      await log.append(factV1(1))
-      await log.sync()
-
-      shim.tearWriteAtByte(10) // fact 2's frame lands 10 bytes long — torn
-      await log.append(factV1(2))
-      await log.sync()
-
-      // The crash: abandon the instance, reopen from what storage actually holds.
-      const reopened = new FactLog(inner)
-      await reopened.open(2) // generation 2 committed elsewhere — but its fact is torn
-      expect(reopened.headGeneration()).toBe(1)
-      const all: CommitFact[] = []
-      for await (const batch of reopened.scanFacts().batches()) all.push(...batch.facts)
-      expect(all.map((f) => f.generation)).toEqual([1])
-    })
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/db/log-authority-oracle-verbs.test.ts b/tests/unit/db/log-authority-oracle-verbs.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 68da1867..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/db/log-authority-oracle-verbs.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,96 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/db/log-authority-oracle-verbs
- * @description The verification oracle's VERB legs — module-level pins with
- * doubles (the brain-level wiring rides the owner's call site):
- * 1. Wired verb legs diff verbs exactly like nouns (pre-log / state-differs /
- *    tombstone-vs-present / log-live-absent).
- * 2. UNWIRED verb legs = an HONEST PARTIAL verdict: verbsChecked stays 0 —
- *    the oracle never claims scope it did not scan.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest'
-import { runLogCompletenessOracle, recordDigest } from '../../../src/db/logAuthority.js'
-import type { FactScanHandle } from '../../../src/db/factLog.js'
-
-type Op = { kind: 'noun' | 'verb'; id: string; record: { metadata: unknown; vector: unknown } | null }
-
-function scanOf(facts: Array<{ generation: number; ops: Op[] }>): () => FactScanHandle | null {
-  return () =>
-    ({
-      batches: async function* () {
-        yield { facts: facts.map((f) => ({ ...f, timestamp: 0 })) }
-      }
-    }) as unknown as FactScanHandle
-}
-
-function pagedList(rows: string[]) {
-  return async ({ pagination }: { pagination: { limit: number; offset?: number } }) => {
-    const start = pagination.offset ?? 0
-    const items = rows.slice(start, start + pagination.limit).map((id) => ({ id }))
-    return { items, hasMore: start + pagination.limit < rows.length }
-  }
-}
-
-const rec = (v: number) => ({ metadata: { v }, vector: null })
-
-describe('oracle verb legs', () => {
-  it('wired: verbs diff by digest — clean log goes green over nouns AND verbs', async () => {
-    const report = await runLogCompletenessOracle({
-      storage: { getNouns: pagedList(['n1']) } as never,
-      scanFacts: scanOf([
-        { generation: 1, ops: [{ kind: 'noun', id: 'n1', record: rec(1) }] },
-        { generation: 2, ops: [{ kind: 'verb', id: 'v1', record: rec(7) }] }
-      ]),
-      canonicalNounDigest: async () => recordDigest(rec(1)),
-      factRecordDigest: recordDigest,
-      canonicalVerbDigest: async () => recordDigest(rec(7)),
-      getVerbs: pagedList(['v1'])
-    })
-    expect(report.verdict).toBe('green')
-    expect(report.nounsChecked).toBe(1)
-    expect(report.verbsChecked).toBe(1)
-    expect(report.matched).toBe(2)
-  })
-
-  it('wired: every verb divergence class is NAMED', async () => {
-    const report = await runLogCompletenessOracle({
-      storage: { getNouns: pagedList([]) } as never,
-      scanFacts: scanOf([
-        {
-          generation: 1,
-          ops: [
-            { kind: 'verb', id: 'v-differs', record: rec(1) },
-            { kind: 'verb', id: 'v-tomb', record: null },
-            { kind: 'verb', id: 'v-orphan', record: rec(3) }
-          ]
-        }
-      ]),
-      canonicalNounDigest: async () => null,
-      factRecordDigest: recordDigest,
-      canonicalVerbDigest: async (id) =>
-        id === 'v-differs' ? recordDigest(rec(999)) : id === 'v-tomb' ? recordDigest(rec(2)) : null,
-      // canonical enumerates: v-differs (drifted), v-tomb (log says deleted),
-      // v-prelog (never logged); v-orphan is log-live but canonical-absent.
-      getVerbs: pagedList(['v-differs', 'v-tomb', 'v-prelog'])
-    })
-    expect(report.verdict).toBe('red')
-    const by = (id: string) => report.mismatches.find((m) => m.id === id)
-    expect(by('v-differs')).toMatchObject({ kind: 'verb', reason: 'state-differs' })
-    expect(by('v-tomb')).toMatchObject({ kind: 'verb', reason: 'log-tombstone-canonical-present' })
-    expect(by('v-prelog')).toMatchObject({ kind: 'verb', reason: 'pre-log-record' })
-    expect(by('v-orphan')).toMatchObject({ kind: 'verb', reason: 'log-live-canonical-absent' })
-  })
-
-  it('unwired: verbsChecked stays 0 — honest partial scope, never a silent claim', async () => {
-    const report = await runLogCompletenessOracle({
-      storage: { getNouns: pagedList(['n1']) } as never,
-      scanFacts: scanOf([
-        { generation: 1, ops: [{ kind: 'noun', id: 'n1', record: rec(1) }] },
-        { generation: 2, ops: [{ kind: 'verb', id: 'v1', record: rec(7) }] }
-      ]),
-      canonicalNounDigest: async () => recordDigest(rec(1)),
-      factRecordDigest: recordDigest
-    })
-    expect(report.verbsChecked).toBe(0)
-    expect(report.nounsChecked).toBe(1)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/db/torn-open-guards.test.ts b/tests/unit/db/torn-open-guards.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 77c1b8b4..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/db/torn-open-guards.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,97 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/db/torn-open-guards
- * @description Power-cut throw-site cures (brainy-alone fault-injection
- * findings, both release-gating):
- * 1. A torn generation manifest/counter (NaN/garbage where a generation
- *    belongs) DISCARDS with narration and re-derives — never a RangeError
- *    killing the open.
- * 2. A manifest-listed-but-unloadable column segment QUARANTINES at
- *    discovery with narration; the field serves its remaining segments
- *    DEGRADED — never a raw throw killing every query on the field.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, readdirSync, writeFileSync, readFileSync, existsSync } from 'node:fs'
-import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
-import { join } from 'node:path'
-import { gzipSync } from 'node:zlib'
-import { Brainy } from '../../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const dirs: string[] = []
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
-})
-
-async function open(dir: string): Promise<Brainy> {
-  const b = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir }, requireSubtype: false })
-  await b.init()
-  brains.push(b)
-  return b
-}
-
-describe('torn-open guards', () => {
-  it('a torn generation manifest (NaN) opens with narrated discard — never a RangeError', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-torn-gen-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    let brain = await open(dir)
-    const id = await brain.add({ data: 'survivor row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { k: 1 } })
-    await brain.flush()
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    // The power-cut shape: the manifest's generation field is garbage.
-    const sys = join(dir, '_system')
-    const manifestPath = ['manifest.json', 'manifest.json.gz']
-      .map((f) => join(sys, f))
-      .find((p) => existsSync(p))!
-    const torn = { version: 1, generation: 'NaN-garbage', committedAt: 'x', horizon: null }
-    if (manifestPath.endsWith('.gz')) writeFileSync(manifestPath, gzipSync(JSON.stringify(torn)))
-    else writeFileSync(manifestPath, JSON.stringify(torn))
-
-    // Open MUST succeed (narrated discard + recovery re-derivation), and the
-    // durable row must still serve (log-authority replay recovers it).
-    brain = await open(dir)
-    expect((await brain.get(id))!.data).toContain('survivor row')
-    // Writes continue with a sane monotonic generation.
-    await brain.add({ data: 'post-recovery', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { k: 2 } })
-    expect(Number.isSafeInteger(brain.generation())).toBe(true)
-  }, 120000)
-
-  it('a torn column segment quarantines at discovery; the field serves remaining segments degraded — never a raw throw', async () => {
-    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-torn-seg-'))
-    dirs.push(dir)
-    let brain = await open(dir)
-    for (let i = 0; i < 6; i++) {
-      await brain.add({ data: `row ${i}`, type: NounType.Document, metadata: { bucket: i % 2 } })
-    }
-    await brain.flush()
-    await brain.close()
-    brains.pop()
-
-    // Tear ONE column segment's bytes on disk (manifest keeps listing it) —
-    // the QUERIED field's own segment, so the quarantine path provably
-    // engages. Column segments live under the raw-blob root:
-    // `<root>/_blobs/_column_index/<field>/L<level>-<id>.bin`.
-    const segDir = join(dir, '_blobs', '_column_index', 'bucket')
-    let tornOne = false
-    if (existsSync(segDir)) {
-      for (const f of readdirSync(segDir, { withFileTypes: true })) {
-        if (!f.isDirectory() && /^L\d+-.*\.bin$/.test(f.name)) {
-          writeFileSync(join(segDir, f.name), Buffer.from([0x00, 0x01, 0x02])) // garbage
-          tornOne = true
-          break
-        }
-      }
-    }
-    expect(tornOne, 'found a segment file to tear (layout probe)').toBe(true)
-
-    // Queries on the field MUST NOT throw — degraded-announced service.
-    brain = await open(dir)
-    const rows = await brain.find({ where: { bucket: 0 }, limit: 10 })
-    expect(Array.isArray(rows), 'query survives the torn segment').toBe(true)
-    // Full completeness is NOT asserted (the torn segment's rows may be
-    // absent — that is the documented degraded contract until heal).
-  }, 120000)
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/graph/graph-adjacency-watermark.test.ts b/tests/unit/graph/graph-adjacency-watermark.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 8298277e..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/graph/graph-adjacency-watermark.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,213 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/graph/graph-adjacency-watermark
- * @description Watermark-stamp pins for the graph-adjacency projection.
- *
- * THE LAW under test: the persisted adjacency artifact (the two verb-id LSM
- * trees' SSTables + manifests) carries a stamp asserting "this state
- * reflects every committed generation ≤ W and nothing above W" — written
- * AFTER both trees' flushes complete — and init() computes the three-way
- * verdict: stamped==committed → 'adopt' · stamped<committed → 'catchup'
- * (gap reported) · stamped>committed OR unstamped → 'rescan', LOUDLY.
- *
- * The verdict is COMPUTED AND EXPOSED only — cold-load recovery and rebuild
- * triggers are unchanged.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, vi, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid'
-import {
-  GraphAdjacencyIndex,
-  GRAPH_ADJACENCY_STAMP_KEY
-} from '../../../src/graph/graphAdjacencyIndex.js'
-import { EntityIdMapper } from '../../../src/utils/entityIdMapper.js'
-import { MemoryStorage } from '../../../src/storage/adapters/memoryStorage.js'
-import { VerbType } from '../../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-import type { GraphVerb } from '../../../src/coreTypes.js'
-import { prodLog } from '../../../src/utils/logger.js'
-
-function makeVerb(id: string, sourceId: string, targetId: string): GraphVerb {
-  return {
-    id,
-    sourceId,
-    targetId,
-    vector: [],
-    type: VerbType.RelatedTo,
-    verb: VerbType.RelatedTo
-  }
-}
-
-async function makeStorage(committed: number | null): Promise<MemoryStorage> {
-  const storage = new MemoryStorage()
-  await storage.init()
-  if (committed !== null) {
-    vi.spyOn(storage, 'committedGeneration').mockReturnValue(committed)
-  }
-  return storage
-}
-
-function setCommitted(storage: MemoryStorage, committed: number): void {
-  vi.spyOn(storage, 'committedGeneration').mockReturnValue(committed)
-}
-
-/** Session 1: index verbs, optionally stamp, flush + close — the artifact. */
-async function writeArtifact(storage: MemoryStorage, stamp: number | null): Promise<void> {
-  const idMapper = new EntityIdMapper({ storage, storageKey: 'test:graph:idMapper' })
-  await idMapper.init()
-  const index = new GraphAdjacencyIndex(storage, {}, idMapper)
-  const a = uuidv4()
-  const b = uuidv4()
-  const aInt = BigInt(idMapper.getOrAssign(a))
-  const bInt = BigInt(idMapper.getOrAssign(b))
-  await index.addVerb(makeVerb(uuidv4(), a, b), aInt, bInt, 1n)
-  if (stamp !== null) index.stampWatermark(stamp)
-  await index.flush()
-  await index.close()
-}
-
-/** Session 2: reopen on the same storage via the cold-load path. */
-async function reopen(storage: MemoryStorage): Promise<GraphAdjacencyIndex> {
-  const index = new GraphAdjacencyIndex(storage)
-  await index.init()
-  return index
-}
-
-afterEach(() => {
-  vi.restoreAllMocks()
-})
-
-describe('graph adjacency index — watermark stamp + three-way load verdict', () => {
-  it("save-with-stamp then reopen at the same committed generation → 'adopt'", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(5)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, 5)
-
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('adopt')
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBe(5)
-    expect(index.watermarkGap()).toBeNull()
-    await index.close()
-  })
-
-  it("stamp BEHIND the committed generation → 'catchup' with the exact gap reported", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(5)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, 5)
-
-    setCommitted(storage, 11)
-
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('catchup')
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBe(5)
-    expect(index.watermarkGap()).toEqual({ from: 5, to: 11 })
-    await index.close()
-  })
-
-  it("stamp ABOVE the committed generation → 'rescan', said out loud", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(9)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, 9)
-
-    setCommitted(storage, 4)
-
-    const warnSpy = vi.spyOn(prodLog, 'warn')
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('rescan')
-    expect(index.watermarkGap()).toBeNull()
-    const said = warnSpy.mock.calls.map(c => String(c[0])).join('\n')
-    expect(said).toContain('RESCAN')
-    expect(said).toContain('ABOVE')
-    await index.close()
-  })
-
-  it("legacy unstamped artifact on a stamped store → 'rescan', LOUD — never a silent adopt", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(3)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, null) // pre-stamp adjacency: SSTables, no stamp
-
-    expect(await storage.getMetadata(GRAPH_ADJACENCY_STAMP_KEY)).toBeNull()
-
-    const warnSpy = vi.spyOn(prodLog, 'warn')
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('rescan')
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBeNull()
-    const said = warnSpy.mock.calls.map(c => String(c[0])).join('\n')
-    expect(said).toContain('RESCAN')
-    expect(said).toContain('unstamped')
-    await index.close()
-  })
-
-  it("a store with no committed-generation capability keeps pre-stamp behavior → 'adopt'", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(null)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, null)
-
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('adopt')
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBeNull()
-    await index.close()
-  })
-
-  it('STAMP-AFTER-DATA: the stamp is the last saveMetadata of the flush, after both trees’ SSTable + manifest writes', async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(2)
-    const idMapper = new EntityIdMapper({ storage, storageKey: 'test:graph:idMapper' })
-    await idMapper.init()
-    const index = new GraphAdjacencyIndex(storage, {}, idMapper)
-    const a = uuidv4()
-    const b = uuidv4()
-    await index.addVerb(
-      makeVerb(uuidv4(), a, b),
-      BigInt(idMapper.getOrAssign(a)),
-      BigInt(idMapper.getOrAssign(b)),
-      1n
-    )
-
-    const keys: string[] = []
-    const originalSave = storage.saveMetadata.bind(storage)
-    vi.spyOn(storage, 'saveMetadata').mockImplementation(async (id, metadata) => {
-      keys.push(id)
-      return originalSave(id, metadata)
-    })
-
-    index.stampWatermark(2)
-    await index.flush()
-
-    const stampAt = keys.indexOf(GRAPH_ADJACENCY_STAMP_KEY)
-    expect(stampAt, 'stamp record was written').toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0)
-    expect(stampAt, 'stamp is the FINAL metadata write of the flush').toBe(keys.length - 1)
-    // Both trees flushed durable bytes before the stamp landed.
-    expect(
-      keys.slice(0, stampAt).some(k => k.startsWith('graph-lsm-verbs-source')),
-      'verbs-by-source tree wrote before the stamp'
-    ).toBe(true)
-    expect(
-      keys.slice(0, stampAt).some(k => k.startsWith('graph-lsm-verbs-target')),
-      'verbs-by-target tree wrote before the stamp'
-    ).toBe(true)
-
-    const record = (await storage.getMetadata(GRAPH_ADJACENCY_STAMP_KEY)) as {
-      watermark: number
-      formatVersion: number
-      stampedAt: number
-    }
-    expect(record.watermark).toBe(2)
-    expect(record.formatVersion).toBe(1)
-    expect(typeof record.stampedAt).toBe('number')
-
-    await index.close()
-  })
-
-  it('a pending stamp also lands on the close() shutdown path, after the final tree flushes', async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(6)
-    const idMapper = new EntityIdMapper({ storage, storageKey: 'test:graph:idMapper' })
-    await idMapper.init()
-    const index = new GraphAdjacencyIndex(storage, {}, idMapper)
-    const a = uuidv4()
-    const b = uuidv4()
-    await index.addVerb(
-      makeVerb(uuidv4(), a, b),
-      BigInt(idMapper.getOrAssign(a)),
-      BigInt(idMapper.getOrAssign(b)),
-      1n
-    )
-
-    index.stampWatermark(6)
-    await index.close() // no explicit flush — close() flushes, then stamps
-
-    const record = (await storage.getMetadata(GRAPH_ADJACENCY_STAMP_KEY)) as { watermark: number }
-    expect(record?.watermark).toBe(6)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/hnsw/hnsw-watermark.test.ts b/tests/unit/hnsw/hnsw-watermark.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index bf8b8510..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/hnsw/hnsw-watermark.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,200 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/hnsw/hnsw-watermark
- * @description Watermark-stamp pins for the JS HNSW vector projection.
- *
- * THE LAW under test: the persisted HNSW artifact (per-node records + the
- * entryPoint/maxLevel system record) carries a stamp asserting "this state
- * reflects every committed generation ≤ W and nothing above W" — written
- * AFTER every byte it certifies is durable — and rebuild() computes the
- * three-way verdict: stamped==committed → 'adopt' · stamped<committed →
- * 'catchup' (gap reported) · stamped>committed OR unstamped → 'rescan',
- * LOUDLY. Vector-bearing stamps carry the model identity this module can
- * honestly assert: dimensions only (no embedding-model id is reachable from
- * the index module).
- *
- * The verdict is COMPUTED AND EXPOSED only — no rebuild trigger changed.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, vi, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid'
-import { JsHnswVectorIndex, HNSW_INDEX_STAMP_KEY } from '../../../src/hnsw/hnswIndex.js'
-import { euclideanDistance } from '../../../src/utils/index.js'
-import { MemoryStorage } from '../../../src/storage/adapters/memoryStorage.js'
-import { prodLog } from '../../../src/utils/logger.js'
-
-const DIM = 8
-
-function randomVector(dim: number): number[] {
-  return Array.from({ length: dim }, () => Math.random() * 2 - 1)
-}
-
-async function makeStorage(committed: number | null): Promise<MemoryStorage> {
-  const storage = new MemoryStorage()
-  await storage.init()
-  if (committed !== null) {
-    vi.spyOn(storage, 'committedGeneration').mockReturnValue(committed)
-  }
-  return storage
-}
-
-function setCommitted(storage: MemoryStorage, committed: number): void {
-  vi.spyOn(storage, 'committedGeneration').mockReturnValue(committed)
-}
-
-function makeIndex(storage: MemoryStorage): JsHnswVectorIndex {
-  return new JsHnswVectorIndex(
-    { M: 4, efConstruction: 50, efSearch: 20 },
-    euclideanDistance,
-    { useParallelization: false, storage, persistMode: 'deferred' }
-  )
-}
-
-/** Session 1: insert nodes, optionally stamp, flush — the durable artifact. */
-async function writeArtifact(storage: MemoryStorage, stamp: number | null): Promise<void> {
-  const index = makeIndex(storage)
-  for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
-    await index.addItem({ id: uuidv4(), vector: randomVector(DIM) })
-  }
-  if (stamp !== null) index.stampWatermark(stamp)
-  await index.flush()
-}
-
-/** Session 2: reopen on the same storage via the load path (rebuild). */
-async function reopen(storage: MemoryStorage): Promise<JsHnswVectorIndex> {
-  const index = makeIndex(storage)
-  await index.rebuild()
-  return index
-}
-
-afterEach(() => {
-  vi.restoreAllMocks()
-})
-
-describe('JS HNSW index — watermark stamp + three-way load verdict', () => {
-  it("save-with-stamp then reopen at the same committed generation → 'adopt'", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(5)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, 5)
-
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('adopt')
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBe(5)
-    expect(index.watermarkGap()).toBeNull()
-  })
-
-  it("stamp BEHIND the committed generation → 'catchup' with the exact gap reported", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(5)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, 5)
-
-    setCommitted(storage, 9)
-
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('catchup')
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBe(5)
-    expect(index.watermarkGap()).toEqual({ from: 5, to: 9 })
-  })
-
-  it("stamp ABOVE the committed generation → 'rescan', said out loud", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(9)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, 9)
-
-    setCommitted(storage, 4)
-
-    const warnSpy = vi.spyOn(prodLog, 'warn')
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('rescan')
-    expect(index.watermarkGap()).toBeNull()
-    const said = warnSpy.mock.calls.map(c => String(c[0])).join('\n')
-    expect(said).toContain('RESCAN')
-    expect(said).toContain('ABOVE')
-  })
-
-  it("legacy unstamped artifact on a stamped store → 'rescan', LOUD — never a silent adopt", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(3)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, null) // pre-stamp index: data flushed, no stamp
-
-    expect(await storage.getMetadata(HNSW_INDEX_STAMP_KEY)).toBeNull()
-
-    const warnSpy = vi.spyOn(prodLog, 'warn')
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('rescan')
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBeNull()
-    const said = warnSpy.mock.calls.map(c => String(c[0])).join('\n')
-    expect(said).toContain('RESCAN')
-    expect(said).toContain('unstamped')
-  })
-
-  it("a store with no committed-generation capability keeps pre-stamp behavior → 'adopt'", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(null)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, null)
-
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('adopt')
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBeNull()
-  })
-
-  it('STAMP-AFTER-DATA: the stamp lands after every node record and the system record', async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(2)
-    const index = makeIndex(storage)
-    for (let i = 0; i < 3; i++) {
-      await index.addItem({ id: uuidv4(), vector: randomVector(DIM) })
-    }
-
-    // One shared op log across all three write surfaces pins global order.
-    const ops: string[] = []
-    const origNode = storage.saveVectorIndexData.bind(storage)
-    vi.spyOn(storage, 'saveVectorIndexData').mockImplementation(async (id, data) => {
-      ops.push(`node:${id}`)
-      return origNode(id, data)
-    })
-    const origSystem = storage.saveHNSWSystem.bind(storage)
-    vi.spyOn(storage, 'saveHNSWSystem').mockImplementation(async data => {
-      ops.push('system')
-      return origSystem(data)
-    })
-    const origMeta = storage.saveMetadata.bind(storage)
-    vi.spyOn(storage, 'saveMetadata').mockImplementation(async (id, metadata) => {
-      ops.push(`meta:${id}`)
-      return origMeta(id, metadata)
-    })
-
-    index.stampWatermark(2)
-    await index.flush()
-
-    const stampAt = ops.indexOf(`meta:${HNSW_INDEX_STAMP_KEY}`)
-    expect(stampAt, 'stamp record was written').toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0)
-    expect(stampAt, 'stamp is the FINAL write of the flush').toBe(ops.length - 1)
-    expect(ops.filter(o => o.startsWith('node:')).length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    expect(ops.indexOf('system')).toBeLessThan(stampAt)
-  })
-
-  it('the stamp record carries {watermark, formatVersion, stampedAt} + modelIdentity (dims only)', async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(7)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, 7)
-
-    const record = (await storage.getMetadata(HNSW_INDEX_STAMP_KEY)) as {
-      watermark: number
-      formatVersion: number
-      stampedAt: number
-      modelIdentity: { embedModelId?: string; dimensions: number | null }
-    }
-    expect(record.watermark).toBe(7)
-    expect(record.formatVersion).toBe(1)
-    expect(typeof record.stampedAt).toBe('number')
-    // The JS index never sees the embedder — dimensions are the only vector-
-    // space identity it can honestly assert.
-    expect(record.modelIdentity).toEqual({ dimensions: DIM })
-  })
-
-  it('a pending stamp still lands when nothing is dirty (already-durable bytes, stamp-after-data trivially holds)', async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(4)
-    const index = makeIndex(storage)
-    await index.addItem({ id: uuidv4(), vector: randomVector(DIM) })
-    await index.flush() // data durable, no stamp yet
-
-    index.stampWatermark(4)
-    await index.flush() // nothing dirty — the stamp must still be written
-
-    const record = (await storage.getMetadata(HNSW_INDEX_STAMP_KEY)) as { watermark: number }
-    expect(record?.watermark).toBe(4)
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBe(4)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/hnsw/update-item-atomic.test.ts b/tests/unit/hnsw/update-item-atomic.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index f8798949..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/hnsw/update-item-atomic.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,366 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/hnsw/update-item-atomic
- * @description Guard for the atomic vector-index update: a row must NEVER be
- * absent from vector search during an update. The historical update path
- * staged a remove followed by an add as two separately-awaited transaction
- * operations — between them the row was in NEITHER index (dark to semantic
- * recall while perfectly visible to metadata reads; observed as seconds-long
- * flicker in a production deployment). The structural cure verified here:
- *
- *   1. `JsHnswVectorIndex.updateItem` — same vector (element-wise) is a pure
- *      no-op (the production flicker shape: a type-only update re-indexing an
- *      UNCHANGED vector); a changed vector swaps in place, the node never
- *      leaving the map (white-box probe at the first internal step after the
- *      synchronous swap), including when the node IS the entry point.
- *   2. `ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation` — one transaction leg that prefers the
- *      provider's in-place `updateItem`, with a remove+add-ADJACENT fallback
- *      for providers that have not shipped it; rollback restores the declared
- *      before-vector on both branches.
- *   3. The brain's update path — with the JS index carrying `updateItem`,
- *      `removeItem` is never called during `brain.update()`, for the
- *      type-only shape AND for a genuine vector change.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest'
-import { JsHnswVectorIndex } from '../../../src/hnsw/hnswIndex.js'
-import { ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation } from '../../../src/transaction/operations/IndexOperations.js'
-import type { VectorIndexProvider } from '../../../src/plugin.js'
-import type { Vector, VectorDocument } from '../../../src/coreTypes.js'
-import { euclideanDistance } from '../../../src/utils/index.js'
-import { MemoryStorage } from '../../../src/storage/adapters/memoryStorage.js'
-import { Brainy } from '../../../src/brainy'
-import { createAddParams, createTestConfig } from '../../helpers/test-factory'
-
-const DIM = 8
-
-function seededRand(seed: number): () => number {
-  let s = seed >>> 0
-  return () => {
-    s = (s + 0x6d2b79f5) | 0
-    let t = Math.imul(s ^ (s >>> 15), 1 | s)
-    t = (t + Math.imul(t ^ (t >>> 7), 61 | t)) ^ t
-    return ((t ^ (t >>> 14)) >>> 0) / 4294967296
-  }
-}
-
-/** A deterministic vector pointing in a pseudo-random direction (well-connected graph). */
-function vec(idx: number): number[] {
-  const rand = seededRand(idx + 1)
-  return Array.from({ length: DIM }, () => rand() * 2 - 1)
-}
-
-type Noun = { id: string; vector: number[]; connections: Map<number, Set<string>>; level: number }
-
-function nounsOf(index: JsHnswVectorIndex): Map<string, Noun> {
-  return (index as unknown as { nouns: Map<string, Noun> }).nouns
-}
-
-/** Flatten a reverse index to sorted `target|level|source` triples. */
-function triplesFromIncoming(inc: Map<string, Map<number, Set<string>>>): string[] {
-  const out: string[] = []
-  for (const [target, byLevel] of inc) {
-    for (const [level, sources] of byLevel) {
-      for (const source of sources) out.push(`${target}|${level}|${source}`)
-    }
-  }
-  return out.sort()
-}
-
-/** Derive the ground-truth reverse index directly from the live forward adjacency. */
-function triplesFromAdjacency(nouns: Map<string, Noun>): string[] {
-  const out: string[] = []
-  for (const [nodeId, node] of nouns) {
-    for (const [level, targets] of node.connections) {
-      for (const target of targets) out.push(`${target}|${level}|${nodeId}`)
-    }
-  }
-  return out.sort()
-}
-
-function assertReverseIndexConsistent(index: JsHnswVectorIndex): void {
-  const live = (
-    index as unknown as { ensureIncoming: () => Map<string, Map<number, Set<string>>> }
-  ).ensureIncoming()
-  expect(triplesFromIncoming(live)).toEqual(triplesFromAdjacency(nounsOf(index)))
-}
-
-function assertNoSelfLoops(index: JsHnswVectorIndex, id: string): void {
-  const node = nounsOf(index).get(id)!
-  for (const [level, targets] of node.connections) {
-    expect(targets.has(id), `self-loop at level ${level}`).toBe(false)
-  }
-}
-
-function makeIndex(M = 16): JsHnswVectorIndex {
-  return new JsHnswVectorIndex(
-    { M, efConstruction: 200, efSearch: 64, ml: 16 },
-    euclideanDistance,
-    { useParallelization: false, storage: new MemoryStorage() }
-  )
-}
-
-async function fillIndex(index: JsHnswVectorIndex, count: number): Promise<void> {
-  for (let i = 0; i < count; i++) {
-    await index.addItem({ id: `n-${i}`, vector: vec(i) })
-  }
-}
-
-describe('JsHnswVectorIndex.updateItem — atomic in-place vector update', () => {
-  it('same vector (element-wise equal, fresh array) is a pure no-op: no remove, no relink, still searchable', async () => {
-    const index = makeIndex()
-    await fillIndex(index, 30)
-
-    const target = 'n-7'
-    const sameVector = [...vec(7)] // fresh array, identical elements
-
-    const before = await index.search(vec(7), 1)
-    expect(before[0][0]).toBe(target)
-
-    const removeSpy = vi.spyOn(index, 'removeItem')
-    const nodeBefore = nounsOf(index).get(target)!
-    const connectionsBefore = nodeBefore.connections // reference — a relink replaces it
-
-    await index.updateItem({ id: target, vector: sameVector })
-
-    expect(removeSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-    expect(index.size()).toBe(30)
-    // No relink happened: the connections map is the SAME object, untouched.
-    expect(nounsOf(index).get(target)!.connections).toBe(connectionsBefore)
-
-    const after = await index.search(vec(7), 1)
-    expect(after[0][0]).toBe(target)
-    expect(after[0][1]).toBeCloseTo(0, 10)
-
-    removeSpy.mockRestore()
-  })
-
-  it('changed vector: node never leaves the map (probe fires after the synchronous swap), removeItem never called, findable by the NEW vector', async () => {
-    const index = makeIndex()
-    await fillIndex(index, 40)
-
-    const target = 'n-5'
-    const newVector = vec(500)
-
-    // White-box probe: ensureIncoming is the FIRST internal step of the unlink
-    // walk, i.e. the first thing updateItem does after the synchronous vector
-    // swap. At that instant the node must (a) still be in the map and (b)
-    // already carry the NEW vector — the visibility-atomic ordering.
-    const inner = index as unknown as {
-      nouns: Map<string, Noun>
-      ensureIncoming: () => Map<string, Map<number, Set<string>>>
-    }
-    const origEnsure = inner.ensureIncoming.bind(index)
-    let probed = false
-    let presentDuring = false
-    let swappedFirst = false
-    ;(index as any).ensureIncoming = function () {
-      if (!probed) {
-        probed = true
-        presentDuring = inner.nouns.has(target)
-        swappedFirst = inner.nouns.get(target)?.vector === newVector
-      }
-      return origEnsure()
-    }
-
-    const removeSpy = vi.spyOn(index, 'removeItem')
-    await index.updateItem({ id: target, vector: newVector })
-    delete (index as any).ensureIncoming // restore the prototype method
-
-    expect(probed).toBe(true)
-    expect(presentDuring).toBe(true)
-    expect(swappedFirst).toBe(true)
-    expect(removeSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-    expect(index.size()).toBe(40)
-    expect(nounsOf(index).has(target)).toBe(true)
-
-    // Findable by search with the NEW vector, at distance ~0.
-    const got = await index.search(newVector, 1)
-    expect(got[0][0]).toBe(target)
-    expect(got[0][1]).toBeCloseTo(0, 10)
-
-    // The relink left the graph bookkeeping exactly consistent.
-    assertNoSelfLoops(index, target)
-    assertReverseIndexConsistent(index)
-
-    removeSpy.mockRestore()
-  })
-
-  it('keeps the node at its existing level (never releveled by an update)', async () => {
-    const index = makeIndex()
-    await fillIndex(index, 30)
-
-    const target = 'n-3'
-    const levelBefore = nounsOf(index).get(target)!.level
-
-    await index.updateItem({ id: target, vector: vec(600) })
-
-    expect(nounsOf(index).get(target)!.level).toBe(levelBefore)
-    expect(index.getMaxLevel()).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(levelBefore)
-  })
-
-  it('updating the ENTRY POINT in place keeps it valid — entry id and maxLevel unchanged, graph never stranded', async () => {
-    const index = makeIndex()
-    await fillIndex(index, 40)
-
-    const entryId = index.getEntryPointId()!
-    const maxLevelBefore = index.getMaxLevel()
-    const newVector = vec(700)
-
-    await index.updateItem({ id: entryId, vector: newVector })
-
-    // Entry-point bookkeeping must not regress.
-    expect(index.getEntryPointId()).toBe(entryId)
-    expect(index.getMaxLevel()).toBe(maxLevelBefore)
-    expect(index.size()).toBe(40)
-
-    // The entry point itself is findable by its new vector...
-    const gotEntry = await index.search(newVector, 1)
-    expect(gotEntry[0][0]).toBe(entryId)
-
-    // ...and the REST of the graph is still reachable through it (a stranded,
-    // edgeless entry point would make every other node invisible).
-    const otherId = [...nounsOf(index).keys()].find((id) => id !== entryId)!
-    const otherIdx = Number(otherId.slice(2))
-    const gotOther = await index.search(vec(otherIdx), 1)
-    expect(gotOther[0][0]).toBe(otherId)
-
-    assertNoSelfLoops(index, entryId)
-    assertReverseIndexConsistent(index)
-  })
-
-  it('absent id delegates to addItem (plain insert)', async () => {
-    const index = makeIndex()
-    await fillIndex(index, 10)
-
-    await index.updateItem({ id: 'fresh', vector: vec(900) })
-
-    expect(index.size()).toBe(11)
-    const got = await index.search(vec(900), 1)
-    expect(got[0][0]).toBe('fresh')
-  })
-})
-
-describe('ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation — one atomic transaction leg', () => {
-  it('uses the provider updateItem path and rolls back to the old vector in place', async () => {
-    const index = makeIndex()
-    await fillIndex(index, 30)
-
-    const target = 'n-9'
-    const oldVector = vec(9)
-    const newVector = vec(800)
-
-    const removeSpy = vi.spyOn(index, 'removeItem')
-    const op = new ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation(index, target, oldVector, newVector)
-    expect(op.name).toBe('ReplaceInVectorIndex(hnsw-js)')
-
-    const rollback = await op.execute()
-    expect(removeSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-    expect((await index.search(newVector, 1))[0][0]).toBe(target)
-
-    await rollback()
-    expect(removeSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-    expect(index.size()).toBe(30)
-
-    // Old vector restored, element-wise, and searchable again.
-    const restored = nounsOf(index).get(target)!.vector
-    expect(restored.length).toBe(oldVector.length)
-    for (let i = 0; i < oldVector.length; i++) {
-      expect(restored[i]).toBe(oldVector[i])
-    }
-    const back = await index.search(oldVector, 1)
-    expect(back[0][0]).toBe(target)
-    expect(back[0][1]).toBeCloseTo(0, 10)
-
-    removeSpy.mockRestore()
-  })
-
-  it('falls back to remove+add ADJACENT within the single op for a provider without updateItem, and rolls back the same way', async () => {
-    // A provider that has not shipped updateItem — the temporary seam: the
-    // pair stays adjacent inside ONE op (no other transaction operation can
-    // interleave), until the provider ships its own in-place updateItem.
-    const calls: string[] = []
-    const store = new Map<string, Vector>()
-    const legacyProvider = {
-      name: 'legacy-native',
-      addItem: async (item: VectorDocument) => {
-        calls.push(`add:${item.id}`)
-        store.set(item.id, item.vector)
-        return item.id
-      },
-      removeItem: async (id: string) => {
-        calls.push(`remove:${id}`)
-        return store.delete(id)
-      },
-      search: async () => [],
-      size: () => store.size,
-      clear: () => store.clear(),
-      rebuild: async () => {},
-      flush: async () => 0,
-      getPersistMode: () => 'immediate' as const
-    } as unknown as VectorIndexProvider
-
-    store.set('x', [1, 0])
-    const op = new ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation(legacyProvider, 'x', [1, 0], [0, 1])
-
-    const rollback = await op.execute()
-    expect(calls).toEqual(['remove:x', 'add:x'])
-    expect(store.get('x')).toEqual([0, 1])
-
-    await rollback()
-    expect(calls).toEqual(['remove:x', 'add:x', 'remove:x', 'add:x'])
-    expect(store.get('x')).toEqual([1, 0])
-  })
-})
-
-describe('brain.update() — the update path stages ONE atomic vector-index leg', () => {
-  it('a type-only update (unchanged vector — the production flicker shape) never calls removeItem on the vector index', async () => {
-    const brain = new Brainy(createTestConfig())
-    await brain.init()
-    try {
-      const id = await brain.add(
-        createAddParams({ data: 'atomic flicker guard entity', type: 'thing' })
-      )
-
-      const index = (brain as unknown as { index: JsHnswVectorIndex }).index
-      const removeSpy = vi.spyOn(index, 'removeItem')
-      const sizeBefore = index.size()
-
-      await brain.update({ id, type: 'document' })
-
-      expect(removeSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-      expect(index.size()).toBe(sizeBefore)
-
-      const updated = await brain.get(id)
-      expect(updated).not.toBeNull()
-      expect(updated!.type).toBe('document')
-
-      removeSpy.mockRestore()
-    } finally {
-      await brain.close()
-    }
-  })
-
-  it('a genuine vector change on update also never calls removeItem (in-place replace)', async () => {
-    const brain = new Brainy(createTestConfig())
-    await brain.init()
-    try {
-      const id = await brain.add(
-        createAddParams({ data: 'vector change stays visible', type: 'thing' })
-      )
-      const existing = await brain.get(id, { includeVectors: true })
-      // Same dimensionality, guaranteed-different content.
-      const changed = existing!.vector.map((x: number, i: number) => (i === 0 ? x + 0.25 : x))
-
-      const index = (brain as unknown as { index: JsHnswVectorIndex }).index
-      const removeSpy = vi.spyOn(index, 'removeItem')
-
-      await brain.update({ id, vector: changed })
-
-      expect(removeSpy).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
-      expect(nounsOf(index).has(id)).toBe(true)
-
-      removeSpy.mockRestore()
-    } finally {
-      await brain.close()
-    }
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/indexes/columnStore/segment-load-fault.test.ts b/tests/unit/indexes/columnStore/segment-load-fault.test.ts
index 9ef4ba13..deb0868f 100644
--- a/tests/unit/indexes/columnStore/segment-load-fault.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/indexes/columnStore/segment-load-fault.test.ts
@@ -5,22 +5,19 @@
  * doing so dropped every entity in that segment out of `filter`/`rangeQuery`/
  * `sortTopK` with no error, so a corrupt index looked like a merely short result.
  *
- * The three failure classes and their required behaviour (torn-segment
- * QUARANTINE contract — a raw throw at query time killed every query on the
- * field forever; a silent skip hid the loss; quarantine is the middle):
+ * The three failure classes and their required behaviour:
  *  - a real storage IO fault (EIO) PROPAGATES verbatim — a present-but-unreadable
  *    segment is not "absent", so it must not read as an empty result;
- *  - a manifest-listed segment with undecodable bytes is QUARANTINED at
- *    discovery: the query serves the field's remaining segments degraded and
- *    `quarantinedSegments()` reports the torn segment (loud once, counted
- *    always, healable);
- *  - a manifest-listed segment with NO bytes (gone on disk) quarantines the
- *    same way.
+ *  - a manifest-listed segment with undecodable bytes throws `ColumnSegmentLoadError`;
+ *  - a manifest-listed segment with NO bytes (gone on disk) throws `ColumnSegmentLoadError`.
  * Only genuine absence stays benign: querying a field that has no manifest at all
  * returns empty (nothing was ever written for it) — that is not a fault.
  */
 import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
-import { ColumnStore } from '../../../../src/indexes/columnStore/ColumnStore.js'
+import {
+  ColumnStore,
+  ColumnSegmentLoadError
+} from '../../../../src/indexes/columnStore/ColumnStore.js'
 import { MemoryStorage } from '../../../../src/storage/adapters/memoryStorage.js'
 import { EntityIdMapper } from '../../../../src/utils/entityIdMapper.js'
 
@@ -83,44 +80,30 @@ describe('ColumnStore segment-load faults surface loudly, absence stays benign (
     return s
   }
 
-  it('propagates a storage IO fault verbatim — not [] and not a quarantine (a present-but-unreadable segment is not torn)', async () => {
+  it('propagates a storage IO fault verbatim — not [] and not a ColumnSegmentLoadError', async () => {
     storage.faultMode = 'io'
     const store = await reopen()
     await expect(store.filter('createdAt', 300)).rejects.toMatchObject({
       code: 'EIO'
     })
-    // An IO fault is NOT quarantined — the segment may be fine once the disk
-    // recovers; only torn/absent bytes enter the ledger.
-    expect(store.quarantinedSegments('createdAt')).toEqual([])
     await store.close()
   })
 
-  it('QUARANTINES an undecodable manifest-listed segment at discovery — the query serves degraded, the ledger names the tear', async () => {
+  it('throws ColumnSegmentLoadError when a manifest-listed segment is undecodable', async () => {
     storage.faultMode = 'corrupt'
     const store = await reopen()
-    // Degraded-announced serve: the field's only segment is torn, so the
-    // result is empty — but the query completes instead of throwing.
-    const sorted = await store.sortTopK('createdAt', 'desc', 10)
-    expect(sorted).toEqual([])
-    const ledger = store.quarantinedSegments('createdAt')
-    expect(ledger).toHaveLength(1)
-    expect(ledger[0].error).toMatch(/decode failed/)
-    expect(ledger[0].hits).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-    // Subsequent queries keep serving (skip + count), never a throw.
-    const hitsBefore = ledger[0].hits
-    await expect(store.filter('createdAt', 300)).resolves.toBeDefined()
-    expect(store.quarantinedSegments('createdAt')[0].hits).toBeGreaterThan(hitsBefore)
+    await expect(
+      store.sortTopK('createdAt', 'desc', 10)
+    ).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(ColumnSegmentLoadError)
     await store.close()
   })
 
-  it('QUARANTINES a manifest-listed segment with no loadable bytes — degraded serve, ledger entry, never a throw', async () => {
+  it('throws ColumnSegmentLoadError when a manifest-listed segment has no loadable bytes', async () => {
     storage.faultMode = 'missing'
     const store = await reopen()
-    const bitmap = await store.rangeQuery('createdAt', 100, 500)
-    expect(bitmap.size).toBe(0)
-    const ledger = store.quarantinedSegments('createdAt')
-    expect(ledger).toHaveLength(1)
-    expect(ledger[0].error).toMatch(/no loadable bytes/)
+    await expect(
+      store.rangeQuery('createdAt', 100, 500)
+    ).rejects.toBeInstanceOf(ColumnSegmentLoadError)
     await store.close()
   })
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/plugin-version-coupling.test.ts b/tests/unit/plugin-version-coupling.test.ts
index ffcc2a88..00b236aa 100644
--- a/tests/unit/plugin-version-coupling.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/plugin-version-coupling.test.ts
@@ -63,9 +63,7 @@ describe('getBrainyVersion() — synchronously correct on first call', () => {
     expect(v).toBe(PACKAGE_VERSION)
     expect(v).not.toBe('3.14.0')
     expect(v).not.toBe('0.0.0') // the unknown-read sentinel must not surface in a real install
-    // Deliberately major-agnostic: the equality with PACKAGE_VERSION above already
-    // proves the sync read; this shape pin only guards against sentinel garbage.
-    expect(v).toMatch(/^\d+\.\d+\.\d+/)
+    expect(v.startsWith('8.')).toBe(true)
   })
 })
 
@@ -97,16 +95,13 @@ describe('version coupling at init() — no silent fallback', () => {
     await brain.close()
   })
 
-  it('does NOT throw for a realistic version-matched caret range on a COLD init', async () => {
+  it('does NOT throw for a realistic cor 3.x range (^8.0.0) on a COLD init', async () => {
     // The actual regression: loadPlugins() is the first init step and makes the
-    // first getBrainyVersion() call, so a stale sync default ('3.14.0') would
-    // reject a correctly-matched native provider declaring the real caret range —
-    // it fails ^<current-major> just as it failed ^8, so the regression intent is
-    // preserved while the range stays major-agnostic. A fresh brain registering a
-    // `^<current-major>.0.0` plugin must init cleanly.
-    const major = PACKAGE_VERSION.split('.')[0]
+    // first getBrainyVersion() call, so a stale sync default would reject a
+    // correctly-matched native provider declaring the real 8.x range. A fresh
+    // brain registering a `^8.0.0` plugin must init cleanly.
     const brain = memBrain()
-    brain.use(fakePlugin('@fake/cor-3x', { brainyRange: `^${major}.0.0` }))
+    brain.use(fakePlugin('@fake/cor-3x', { brainyRange: '^8.0.0' }))
     await expect(brain.init()).resolves.toBeUndefined()
     await brain.close()
   })
diff --git a/tests/unit/plugin/provider-generation.test.ts b/tests/unit/plugin/provider-generation.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 6295b6f1..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/plugin/provider-generation.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,276 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * Generation threading to the metadata-index and vector-index provider write
- * surfaces — the counterpart of the graph pins in
- * tests/unit/transaction/graphIndexOperations-generation.test.ts.
- *
- * The provider contract gained an optional trailing `generation?: bigint` on
- * `MetadataIndexProvider.addToIndex`/`removeFromIndex`,
- * `VectorIndexProvider.addItem`/`removeItem` (+ the feature-detected
- * `updateItem`), and the id-mapper's `getOrAssign`/`remove`. A native provider
- * with per-record delta logs stamps its durable records with it — so the value
- * arriving MUST be the real commit generation (nonzero, monotonic), never a
- * fabricated 0 and never absent on the coordinator's write paths.
- *
- * Two layers of pins:
- *   1. End-to-end: provider doubles registered via the plugin system capture
- *      the generation argument during brain.add()/update()/remove() and it
- *      must equal the committed watermark (`brain.now().generation`).
- *   2. Operation layer: execute-time (not construction-time) resolution, and
- *      one shared generation across an op's forward + rollback halves.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { Brainy, NounType } from '../../../src/index.js'
-import { MetadataIndexManager } from '../../../src/utils/metadataIndex.js'
-import {
-  AddToVectorIndexOperation,
-  RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation,
-  ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation,
-  AddToMetadataIndexOperation,
-  RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation
-} from '../../../src/transaction/operations/IndexOperations.js'
-import type { VectorIndexProvider } from '../../../src/plugin.js'
-
-const V = () => Array.from({ length: 384 }, () => Math.random())
-
-type Captured = { method: string; id: string; generation: bigint | undefined }
-
-const brains: Brainy[] = []
-afterEach(async () => {
-  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
-})
-
-/** Metadata manager subclass that records the generation of every write. */
-function makeCapturingMetadataFactory(calls: Captured[]) {
-  return (storage: any) => {
-    class CapturingManager extends MetadataIndexManager {
-      async addToIndex(id: string, entityOrMetadata: any, skipFlush = false, deferWrites = false, generation?: bigint): Promise<void> {
-        calls.push({ method: 'addToIndex', id, generation })
-        return super.addToIndex(id, entityOrMetadata, skipFlush, deferWrites, generation)
-      }
-      async removeFromIndex(id: string, metadata?: any, generation?: bigint): Promise<void> {
-        calls.push({ method: 'removeFromIndex', id, generation })
-        return super.removeFromIndex(id, metadata, generation)
-      }
-    }
-    return new CapturingManager(storage)
-  }
-}
-
-/** Minimal vector-index double capturing the generation of every write. */
-function makeCapturingVectorFactory(calls: Captured[]) {
-  return () => {
-    const items = new Map<string, number[]>()
-    const double: VectorIndexProvider & { updateItem(item: { id: string; vector: number[] }, generation?: bigint): Promise<void> } = {
-      name: 'capture-double',
-      async addItem(item, generation) {
-        calls.push({ method: 'addItem', id: item.id, generation })
-        items.set(item.id, item.vector as number[])
-        return item.id
-      },
-      async removeItem(id, generation) {
-        calls.push({ method: 'removeItem', id, generation })
-        return items.delete(id)
-      },
-      async updateItem(item, generation) {
-        calls.push({ method: 'updateItem', id: item.id, generation })
-        items.set(item.id, item.vector)
-      },
-      async search() { return [] },
-      size: () => items.size,
-      clear: () => { items.clear() },
-      async rebuild() {},
-      async flush() { return 0 },
-      getPersistMode: () => 'deferred' as const
-    }
-    return double
-  }
-}
-
-async function makeBrain(plugin: any): Promise<Brainy> {
-  const brain = new Brainy({
-    storage: { type: 'memory' },
-    requireSubtype: false,
-    silent: true,
-    plugins: []
-  })
-  brain.use(plugin)
-  await brain.init()
-  brains.push(brain)
-  return brain
-}
-
-describe('Metadata-index provider — real commit generation on every write (end-to-end)', () => {
-  it('add()/update()/remove() pass the nonzero, monotonic commit generation to addToIndex/removeFromIndex', async () => {
-    const calls: Captured[] = []
-    const brain = await makeBrain({
-      name: 'capture-metadata',
-      activate: async (ctx: any) => {
-        ctx.registerProvider('metadataIndex', makeCapturingMetadataFactory(calls))
-        return true
-      }
-    })
-
-    const id = await brain.add({ data: 'one', type: NounType.Concept, metadata: { k: 'a' }, vector: V() })
-    const addCall = calls.find((c) => c.method === 'addToIndex' && c.id === id)
-    expect(addCall).toBeDefined()
-    expect(typeof addCall!.generation).toBe('bigint')
-    expect(addCall!.generation!).toBeGreaterThan(0n)
-    // Committed watermark after a single-op write IS this write's generation.
-    expect(addCall!.generation!).toBe(BigInt(brain.now().generation))
-
-    calls.length = 0
-    await brain.update({ id, metadata: { k: 'b' } })
-    const updRemove = calls.find((c) => c.method === 'removeFromIndex' && c.id === id)
-    const updAdd = calls.find((c) => c.method === 'addToIndex' && c.id === id)
-    expect(updRemove?.generation).toBeDefined()
-    expect(updAdd?.generation).toBeDefined()
-    // One commit → the remove-old + add-new legs share one watermark.
-    expect(updAdd!.generation!).toBe(updRemove!.generation!)
-    expect(updAdd!.generation!).toBe(BigInt(brain.now().generation))
-    const updateGen = updAdd!.generation!
-    expect(updateGen).toBeGreaterThan(0n)
-
-    calls.length = 0
-    await brain.remove(id)
-    const rmCall = calls.find((c) => c.method === 'removeFromIndex' && c.id === id)
-    expect(rmCall?.generation).toBeDefined()
-    expect(rmCall!.generation!).toBeGreaterThan(updateGen) // monotonic
-    expect(rmCall!.generation!).toBe(BigInt(brain.now().generation))
-  })
-
-  it('transact() adds stamp the batch receipt generation', async () => {
-    const calls: Captured[] = []
-    const brain = await makeBrain({
-      name: 'capture-metadata-tx',
-      activate: async (ctx: any) => {
-        ctx.registerProvider('metadataIndex', makeCapturingMetadataFactory(calls))
-        return true
-      }
-    })
-
-    // Bootstrap honesty: init-time infrastructure writes (the VFS root) are
-    // applied WITHOUT a generation — the provider must receive undefined,
-    // never a fabricated 0.
-    for (const c of calls) expect(c.generation).toBeUndefined()
-    calls.length = 0
-
-    const db = await brain.transact([
-      { op: 'add', data: 'tx-one', type: NounType.Concept, vector: V() },
-      { op: 'add', data: 'tx-two', type: NounType.Concept, vector: V() }
-    ] as any)
-
-    const receiptGen = BigInt(db.receipt!.generation)
-    const addGens = calls.filter((c) => c.method === 'addToIndex').map((c) => c.generation)
-    expect(addGens.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(2)
-    for (const g of addGens) expect(g).toBe(receiptGen)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('Vector-index provider — real commit generation on every write (end-to-end)', () => {
-  it('add()/update()/remove() pass the nonzero commit generation to addItem/updateItem/removeItem', async () => {
-    const calls: Captured[] = []
-    const brain = await makeBrain({
-      name: 'capture-vector',
-      activate: async (ctx: any) => {
-        ctx.registerProvider('vector', makeCapturingVectorFactory(calls))
-        return true
-      }
-    })
-
-    const id = await brain.add({ data: 'vec', type: NounType.Concept, vector: V() })
-    const addCall = calls.find((c) => c.method === 'addItem' && c.id === id)
-    expect(addCall).toBeDefined()
-    expect(typeof addCall!.generation).toBe('bigint')
-    expect(addCall!.generation!).toBeGreaterThan(0n)
-    expect(addCall!.generation!).toBe(BigInt(brain.now().generation))
-
-    calls.length = 0
-    await brain.update({ id, vector: V() })
-    const updCall = calls.find((c) => c.method === 'updateItem' && c.id === id)
-    expect(updCall?.generation).toBeDefined()
-    expect(updCall!.generation!).toBeGreaterThan(addCall!.generation!) // monotonic
-    expect(updCall!.generation!).toBe(BigInt(brain.now().generation))
-
-    calls.length = 0
-    await brain.remove(id)
-    const rmCall = calls.find((c) => c.method === 'removeItem' && c.id === id)
-    expect(rmCall?.generation).toBeDefined()
-    expect(rmCall!.generation!).toBeGreaterThan(updCall!.generation!)
-    expect(rmCall!.generation!).toBe(BigInt(brain.now().generation))
-  })
-})
-
-describe('Index operations — generation threading (operation layer)', () => {
-  function makeVectorSpy() {
-    const calls: Array<{ method: string; generation: bigint | undefined }> = []
-    const index = {
-      name: 'spy',
-      async addItem(_item: any, generation?: bigint) { calls.push({ method: 'addItem', generation }); return 'x' },
-      async removeItem(_id: string, generation?: bigint) { calls.push({ method: 'removeItem', generation }); return true },
-      async updateItem(_item: any, generation?: bigint) { calls.push({ method: 'updateItem', generation }) }
-    } as unknown as VectorIndexProvider
-    return { index, calls }
-  }
-
-  it('vector add/remove/replace resolve the thunk at EXECUTE time and reuse one generation for rollback', async () => {
-    const { index, calls } = makeVectorSpy()
-    let current = 1n
-    const op = new AddToVectorIndexOperation(index, 'id-1', [1, 2], () => current)
-    current = 42n // assigned after construction, read at execute
-    const rollback = await op.execute()
-    expect(calls[0]).toEqual({ method: 'addItem', generation: 42n })
-    current = 77n // rollback must NOT re-read — one watermark per round trip
-    await rollback()
-    expect(calls[1]).toEqual({ method: 'removeItem', generation: 42n })
-
-    calls.length = 0
-    const rm = new RemoveFromVectorIndexOperation(index, 'id-1', [1, 2], () => 7n)
-    const rb2 = await rm.execute()
-    await rb2()
-    expect(calls).toEqual([
-      { method: 'removeItem', generation: 7n },
-      { method: 'addItem', generation: 7n }
-    ])
-
-    calls.length = 0
-    const rep = new ReplaceInVectorIndexOperation(index, 'id-1', [1, 2], [3, 4], () => 9n)
-    const rb3 = await rep.execute()
-    await rb3()
-    expect(calls).toEqual([
-      { method: 'updateItem', generation: 9n },
-      { method: 'updateItem', generation: 9n }
-    ])
-  })
-
-  it('metadata add/remove pass the resolved generation through both halves', async () => {
-    const calls: Array<{ method: string; generation: bigint | undefined }> = []
-    const manager = {
-      async addToIndex(_id: string, _e: any, _s?: boolean, _d?: boolean, generation?: bigint) {
-        calls.push({ method: 'addToIndex', generation })
-      },
-      async removeFromIndex(_id: string, _m?: any, generation?: bigint) {
-        calls.push({ method: 'removeFromIndex', generation })
-      }
-    } as unknown as MetadataIndexManager
-
-    const add = new AddToMetadataIndexOperation(manager, 'id-1', { type: 'x' }, () => 11n)
-    const rb = await add.execute()
-    await rb()
-    const rm = new RemoveFromMetadataIndexOperation(manager, 'id-1', { type: 'x' }, () => 12n)
-    const rb2 = await rm.execute()
-    await rb2()
-    expect(calls).toEqual([
-      { method: 'addToIndex', generation: 11n },
-      { method: 'removeFromIndex', generation: 11n },
-      { method: 'removeFromIndex', generation: 12n },
-      { method: 'addToIndex', generation: 12n }
-    ])
-  })
-
-  it('omitted thunk (legacy caller) → provider receives undefined, never a fabricated 0', async () => {
-    const { index, calls } = makeVectorSpy()
-    const op = new AddToVectorIndexOperation(index, 'id-1', [1, 2])
-    await op.execute()
-    expect(calls[0]).toEqual({ method: 'addItem', generation: undefined })
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/reprojection/reprojection-engine.test.ts b/tests/unit/reprojection/reprojection-engine.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 58d10b44..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/reprojection/reprojection-engine.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,590 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/reprojection/reprojection-engine
- * @description Spec-by-example for the pure-TS reprojection engine — the
- * frozen contract mirrored from the native twin (a shared conformance suite
- * runs against both, so the shapes pinned here are load-bearing):
- *
- * (a) register + advance folds a scripted source to caught-up with exact
- *     watermark/applied counts and adapter-owned stamping;
- * (b) budget exhaustion answers mid-stream and a second advance RESUMES from
- *     the watermark — never a refold;
- * (c) a door bump mid-advance preempts within one installment — pinned by
- *     MECHANISM (no further applyBatch after the bumping step), with only a
- *     generous wall-clock sanity bound;
- * (d) advanceAll round-robins families at batch granularity — no starvation;
- * (e) swap builds beside (the old adapter serves throughout), flips
- *     atomically at parity, refuses a concurrent swap with a typed error;
- * (f) quarantine: a typed poison fact is skipped + ledgered, narration
- *     doubles, a NON-typed throw aborts loudly;
- * (g) discard() lands on the LOSING adapter after a swap.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, vi, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import {
-  ReprojectionEngine,
-  DoorSignal,
-  ProjectionApplyError,
-  SwapInFlightError,
-  MAX_INSTALLMENT_MS,
-  type ProjectionAdapter,
-  type FactSource
-} from '../../../src/reprojection/reprojectionEngine.js'
-import { FactLogSource } from '../../../src/reprojection/factLogSource.js'
-import type { CommitFact } from '../../../src/db/factLog.js'
-import { prodLog } from '../../../src/utils/logger.js'
-
-/** Build one committed fact for a generation. */
-function fact(generation: number): CommitFact {
-  return {
-    generation,
-    timestamp: 1_700_000_000_000 + generation,
-    ops: [
-      {
-        kind: 'noun',
-        id: `id-${generation}`,
-        record: { metadata: { n: generation }, vector: null }
-      }
-    ]
-  }
-}
-
-/** A scripted FactSource over a (possibly mutable) list of generations. */
-function scriptedSource(gens: () => number[]): FactSource {
-  return {
-    async scan(from: number, limit: number): Promise<CommitFact[]> {
-      return gens()
-        .filter((g) => g > from)
-        .sort((x, y) => x - y)
-        .slice(0, limit)
-        .map(fact)
-    }
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * A recording in-memory adapter: stamps after data (the watermark advances
- * only after a successful apply), applies idempotently (a Map keyed by
- * generation), and can be scripted to poison (typed) or hard-fail (untyped)
- * specific generations, or to run a hook inside applyBatch.
- */
-class RecordingAdapter implements ProjectionAdapter {
-  readonly family: string
-  /** Generations per applyBatch call, in call order (empty arrays included). */
-  readonly batches: number[][] = []
-  /** The upTo passed to each applyBatch call, in call order. */
-  readonly upTos: number[] = []
-  /** Latest state per generation — idempotent under at-least-once delivery. */
-  readonly state = new Map<number, unknown>()
-  /** Generations that throw a typed ProjectionApplyError. */
-  readonly poison = new Set<number>()
-  /** Generations that throw a plain (untyped) Error. */
-  readonly hardFail = new Set<number>()
-  /** Runs inside applyBatch after validation, before the stamp. */
-  onApply?: (gens: number[]) => void | Promise<void>
-  discarded = 0
-  private wm: number | null
-
-  constructor(family: string, watermark: number | null = null) {
-    this.family = family
-    this.wm = watermark
-  }
-
-  watermark(): number | null {
-    return this.wm
-  }
-
-  async applyBatch(facts: CommitFact[], upTo: number): Promise<void> {
-    for (const [i, f] of facts.entries()) {
-      if (this.hardFail.has(f.generation)) {
-        throw new Error(`disk exploded at generation ${f.generation}`)
-      }
-      if (this.poison.has(f.generation)) {
-        throw new ProjectionApplyError({
-          generation: f.generation,
-          recordIndex: i,
-          cause: new Error(`unfoldable payload at ${f.generation}`)
-        })
-      }
-    }
-    for (const f of facts) this.state.set(f.generation, f.ops)
-    const gens = facts.map((f) => f.generation)
-    this.batches.push(gens)
-    this.upTos.push(upTo)
-    if (this.onApply) await this.onApply(gens)
-    this.wm = upTo // stamp-after-data
-  }
-
-  async discard(): Promise<void> {
-    this.discarded++
-  }
-}
-
-const range = (from: number, to: number): number[] =>
-  Array.from({ length: to - from + 1 }, (_, i) => from + i)
-
-afterEach(() => {
-  vi.restoreAllMocks()
-})
-
-describe('reprojection engine — (a) register + advance to caught-up', () => {
-  it('folds a scripted source in order, adapter-stamped, with exact counts', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 7))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 3 })
-    const adapter = new RecordingAdapter('a')
-    engine.register(adapter)
-
-    const result = await engine.advance('a', { budgetMs: 10_000 })
-
-    expect(result.status).toBe('caught-up')
-    expect(result.watermark).toBe(7)
-    expect(result.applied).toBe(7)
-    // Batch shape and the upTo handed to the adapter's own stamp.
-    expect(adapter.batches).toEqual([[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7]])
-    expect(adapter.upTos).toEqual([3, 6, 7])
-    // The watermark is the ADAPTER's stamp — the engine never wrote one.
-    expect(adapter.watermark()).toBe(7)
-    expect(engine.getAdapter('a')).toBe(adapter)
-  })
-
-  it('honors upTo as an inclusive cap and answers caught-up at the cap', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 9))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 3 })
-    const adapter = new RecordingAdapter('a')
-    engine.register(adapter)
-
-    const result = await engine.advance('a', { budgetMs: 10_000, upTo: 5 })
-
-    expect(result.status).toBe('caught-up')
-    expect(result.watermark).toBe(5)
-    expect(result.applied).toBe(5)
-    expect(adapter.batches.flat()).toEqual([1, 2, 3, 4, 5])
-  })
-
-  it('a caught-up family answers immediately with zero applied', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 4))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 10 })
-    const adapter = new RecordingAdapter('a', 4) // already stamped to the head
-    engine.register(adapter)
-
-    const result = await engine.advance('a', { budgetMs: 10_000 })
-
-    expect(result).toEqual({ status: 'caught-up', watermark: 4, applied: 0 })
-    expect(adapter.batches).toEqual([])
-  })
-
-  it('refuses duplicate registration and unregistered families loudly', async () => {
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source: scriptedSource(() => []) })
-    engine.register(new RecordingAdapter('a'))
-    expect(() => engine.register(new RecordingAdapter('a'))).toThrow(/already registered/)
-    await expect(engine.advance('ghost', { budgetMs: 0 })).rejects.toThrow(/not registered/)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('reprojection engine — (b) budget exhaustion resumes, never refolds', () => {
-  it('returns budget-exhausted mid-stream; the next advance resumes from the watermark', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 10))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 2 })
-    const adapter = new RecordingAdapter('b')
-    engine.register(adapter)
-
-    // Zero budget: exactly ONE step of guaranteed progress, then the answer.
-    const first = await engine.advance('b', { budgetMs: 0 })
-    expect(first.status).toBe('budget-exhausted')
-    expect(first.watermark).toBe(2)
-    expect(first.applied).toBe(2)
-    expect(adapter.batches).toEqual([[1, 2]])
-
-    // The second advance RESUMES from the stamp — its first batch starts at 3.
-    const second = await engine.advance('b', { budgetMs: 10_000 })
-    expect(second.status).toBe('caught-up')
-    expect(second.watermark).toBe(10)
-    expect(second.applied).toBe(8)
-    expect(adapter.batches[1]).toEqual([3, 4])
-    // No refold: every generation delivered exactly once across both calls.
-    expect(adapter.batches.flat()).toEqual(range(1, 10))
-  })
-})
-
-describe('reprojection engine — (c) door bump preempts within one installment', () => {
-  it('a bump during a step yields preempted at that step boundary — no further applyBatch', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 12))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 2 })
-    const adapter = new RecordingAdapter('c')
-    adapter.onApply = (gens) => {
-      if (gens[0] === 3) engine.doorSignal.bump() // door traffic mid-second-batch
-    }
-    engine.register(adapter)
-
-    const started = Date.now()
-    const result = await engine.advance('c', { budgetMs: 60_000 })
-    const elapsed = Date.now() - started
-
-    expect(result.status).toBe('preempted')
-    expect(result.watermark).toBe(4)
-    expect(result.applied).toBe(4)
-    // THE MECHANISM PIN: the batch that observed the bump was the LAST batch —
-    // preemption landed at the very next boundary, not after more work.
-    expect(adapter.batches).toEqual([[1, 2], [3, 4]])
-    // Generous wall-clock sanity only (the pin above carries the contract):
-    // two tiny batches plus one installment boundary sit far under 5s.
-    expect(elapsed).toBeLessThan(5_000)
-    expect(MAX_INSTALLMENT_MS).toBe(50)
-
-    // Resuming folds the rest — preemption lost nothing.
-    const resumed = await engine.advance('c', { budgetMs: 60_000 })
-    expect(resumed.status).toBe('caught-up')
-    expect(resumed.watermark).toBe(12)
-    expect(adapter.batches.flat()).toEqual(range(1, 12))
-  })
-
-  it('bumps are edge-triggered per advance: a stale bump never preempts', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 4))
-    const doorSignal = new DoorSignal()
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, doorSignal, batchSize: 2 })
-    const adapter = new RecordingAdapter('c2')
-    engine.register(adapter)
-
-    doorSignal.bump() // BEFORE the advance — belongs to earlier traffic
-    const result = await engine.advance('c2', { budgetMs: 10_000 })
-    expect(result.status).toBe('caught-up')
-    expect(result.watermark).toBe(4)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('reprojection engine — (d) advanceAll round-robin fairness', () => {
-  it('a one-batch family is served on the first round despite a huge backlog next to it', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 40))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 5 })
-    const callOrder: string[] = []
-    const big = new RecordingAdapter('big') // 8 batches behind
-    const small = new RecordingAdapter('small', 35) // 1 batch behind
-    big.onApply = () => {
-      callOrder.push('big')
-    }
-    small.onApply = () => {
-      callOrder.push('small')
-    }
-    engine.register(big)
-    engine.register(small)
-
-    const results = await engine.advanceAll({ budgetMs: 10_000 })
-
-    expect(results.big).toEqual({ status: 'caught-up', watermark: 40, applied: 40 })
-    expect(results.small).toEqual({ status: 'caught-up', watermark: 40, applied: 5 })
-    // Fairness pin: 'small' folded its single batch on round ONE — it never
-    // waited behind 'big''s backlog.
-    expect(callOrder[1]).toBe('small')
-    expect(callOrder.filter((f) => f === 'small')).toHaveLength(1)
-  })
-
-  it('two full-backlog families interleave strictly, one batch each per round', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 40))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 5 })
-    const callOrder: string[] = []
-    const first = new RecordingAdapter('first')
-    const second = new RecordingAdapter('second')
-    first.onApply = () => {
-      callOrder.push('first')
-    }
-    second.onApply = () => {
-      callOrder.push('second')
-    }
-    engine.register(first)
-    engine.register(second)
-
-    const results = await engine.advanceAll({ budgetMs: 10_000 })
-
-    expect(results.first.status).toBe('caught-up')
-    expect(results.second.status).toBe('caught-up')
-    // 8 rounds × (first, second): strict alternation — neither ever ran twice
-    // while the other waited.
-    expect(callOrder).toHaveLength(16)
-    for (let i = 0; i < callOrder.length; i += 2) {
-      expect(callOrder.slice(i, i + 2)).toEqual(['first', 'second'])
-    }
-  })
-
-  it('budget exhaustion mid-round reports every unfinished family at its own watermark', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 40))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 5 })
-    const a = new RecordingAdapter('a')
-    const b = new RecordingAdapter('b')
-    engine.register(a)
-    engine.register(b)
-
-    const results = await engine.advanceAll({ budgetMs: 0 })
-
-    // Zero budget: the leading family gets its one guaranteed step, then the
-    // budget answer lands for everyone still mid-stream.
-    expect(results.a.status).toBe('budget-exhausted')
-    expect(results.b.status).toBe('budget-exhausted')
-    expect(results.a.applied + results.b.applied).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(5)
-    // A later advanceAll resumes both to the head.
-    const finished = await engine.advanceAll({ budgetMs: 10_000 })
-    expect(finished.a.status).toBe('caught-up')
-    expect(finished.b.status).toBe('caught-up')
-    expect(a.batches.flat()).toEqual(range(1, 40))
-    expect(b.batches.flat()).toEqual(range(1, 40))
-  })
-})
-
-describe('reprojection engine — (e) swap: build-beside, atomic flip, single-flight', () => {
-  it('the old adapter serves at its own watermark throughout the build; the flip is atomic at parity', async () => {
-    const log = range(1, 20)
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => log)
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 4 })
-    const oldAdapter = new RecordingAdapter('e')
-    engine.register(oldAdapter)
-    await engine.advance('e', { budgetMs: 10_000 })
-    expect(oldAdapter.watermark()).toBe(20)
-
-    // The log grows after the old adapter stamped — the build must reach the
-    // HEAD (24), not merely the old watermark (20), before the flip.
-    log.push(21, 22, 23, 24)
-
-    const servingDuringBuild: Array<{ adapter: ProjectionAdapter | undefined; watermark: number | null }> = []
-    let replacement!: RecordingAdapter
-    const result = await engine.swap('e', async () => {
-      replacement = new RecordingAdapter('e')
-      replacement.onApply = () => {
-        servingDuringBuild.push({
-          adapter: engine.getAdapter('e'),
-          watermark: engine.getAdapter('e')!.watermark()
-        })
-      }
-      return replacement
-    })
-
-    // Build-beside pin: EVERY mid-build observation saw the OLD adapter,
-    // still serving, still at its own stamp.
-    expect(servingDuringBuild.length).toBeGreaterThan(0)
-    for (const seen of servingDuringBuild) {
-      expect(seen.adapter).toBe(oldAdapter)
-      expect(seen.watermark).toBe(20)
-    }
-    // The flip: the registry now serves the replacement, at parity with head.
-    expect(engine.getAdapter('e')).toBe(replacement)
-    expect(result.watermark).toBe(24)
-    expect(result.applied).toBe(24)
-    expect(replacement.batches.flat()).toEqual(range(1, 24))
-  })
-
-  it('a second concurrent swap on the same family refuses with the typed single-flight error', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 8))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 4 })
-    engine.register(new RecordingAdapter('e2'))
-
-    let release!: () => void
-    const gate = new Promise<void>((resolve) => {
-      release = resolve
-    })
-    const inFlight = engine.swap('e2', async () => {
-      const building = new RecordingAdapter('e2')
-      building.onApply = () => gate // the build parks mid-fold
-      return building
-    })
-
-    // While the first swap builds, a second one is refused — typed.
-    const refusal = await engine.swap('e2', async () => new RecordingAdapter('e2')).catch((e) => e)
-    expect(refusal).toBeInstanceOf(SwapInFlightError)
-    expect((refusal as SwapInFlightError).family).toBe('e2')
-
-    release()
-    const done = await inFlight
-    expect(done.watermark).toBe(8)
-    // Single-flight released: a follow-up swap is admitted again.
-    const again = await engine.swap('e2', async () => new RecordingAdapter('e2'))
-    expect(again.watermark).toBe(8)
-  })
-
-  it('a failed build discards the partial replacement and leaves the old adapter serving', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 8))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 4 })
-    const oldAdapter = new RecordingAdapter('e3')
-    engine.register(oldAdapter)
-    await engine.advance('e3', { budgetMs: 10_000 })
-
-    let failed!: RecordingAdapter
-    await expect(
-      engine.swap('e3', async () => {
-        failed = new RecordingAdapter('e3')
-        failed.hardFail.add(5) // an UNTYPED failure mid-build
-        return failed
-      })
-    ).rejects.toThrow(/disk exploded/)
-
-    expect(failed.discarded).toBe(1) // the partial build was cleaned up
-    expect(oldAdapter.discarded).toBe(0)
-    expect(engine.getAdapter('e3')).toBe(oldAdapter) // still serving, untouched
-    expect(oldAdapter.watermark()).toBe(8)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('reprojection engine — (f) quarantine: the fourth answer class', () => {
-  it('a typed poison fact is skipped, ledgered, and the rest folds to quarantined', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 10))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 4 })
-    const adapter = new RecordingAdapter('f')
-    adapter.poison.add(6)
-    engine.register(adapter)
-
-    const result = await engine.advance('f', { budgetMs: 10_000 })
-
-    expect(result.status).toBe('quarantined')
-    expect(result.watermark).toBe(10)
-    expect(result.applied).toBe(9) // every generation but the poison
-    expect(adapter.batches.flat().sort((x, y) => x - y)).toEqual([1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10])
-    expect(adapter.state.has(6)).toBe(false)
-
-    const ledger = engine.quarantined('f')
-    expect(ledger).toHaveLength(1)
-    expect(ledger[0].generation).toBe(6)
-    expect(ledger[0].error).toBeInstanceOf(ProjectionApplyError)
-    expect(ledger[0].error.recordIndex).toBe(1) // 6 sat at index 1 of [5..8]
-    expect(typeof ledger[0].at).toBe('number')
-  })
-
-  it('narration doubles: warns on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th quarantine — not the 3rd', async () => {
-    const warnSpy = vi.spyOn(prodLog, 'warn').mockImplementation(() => {})
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 10))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 10 })
-    const adapter = new RecordingAdapter('f2')
-    for (const g of [2, 4, 6, 8]) adapter.poison.add(g)
-    engine.register(adapter)
-
-    const result = await engine.advance('f2', { budgetMs: 10_000 })
-
-    expect(result.status).toBe('quarantined')
-    expect(result.watermark).toBe(10)
-    expect(result.applied).toBe(6)
-    expect(engine.quarantined('f2').map((q) => q.generation)).toEqual([2, 4, 6, 8])
-    const quarantineWarns = warnSpy.mock.calls.filter((c) => String(c[0]).includes('quarantined generation'))
-    // 4 entries, narrated at counts 1, 2, and 4 — the 3rd stayed quiet.
-    expect(quarantineWarns).toHaveLength(3)
-    expect(quarantineWarns.map((c) => String(c[0]))).toEqual([
-      expect.stringContaining('(1 quarantined total)'),
-      expect.stringContaining('(2 quarantined total)'),
-      expect.stringContaining('(4 quarantined total)')
-    ])
-  })
-
-  it('an all-poison window still advances the stamp via an empty applyBatch', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 3))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 3 })
-    const adapter = new RecordingAdapter('f3')
-    for (const g of [1, 2, 3]) adapter.poison.add(g)
-    engine.register(adapter)
-
-    const result = await engine.advance('f3', { budgetMs: 10_000 })
-
-    expect(result.status).toBe('quarantined')
-    expect(result.watermark).toBe(3)
-    expect(result.applied).toBe(0)
-    // The final call carried NO facts but a real upTo — the pure watermark
-    // advance past poison, stamped by the adapter itself.
-    expect(adapter.batches).toEqual([[]])
-    expect(adapter.upTos).toEqual([3])
-    expect(engine.quarantined('f3').map((q) => q.generation)).toEqual([1, 2, 3])
-  })
-
-  it('a NON-typed throw aborts the advance loudly — unknown failure is never poison', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 8))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 4 })
-    const adapter = new RecordingAdapter('f4')
-    adapter.hardFail.add(5)
-    engine.register(adapter)
-
-    await expect(engine.advance('f4', { budgetMs: 10_000 })).rejects.toThrow(/disk exploded at generation 5/)
-
-    expect(adapter.watermark()).toBe(4) // the clean first batch landed; nothing after
-    expect(engine.quarantined('f4')).toEqual([]) // no ledger entry for an unknown failure
-  })
-
-  it('an adapter re-condemning an already-quarantined generation is refused loudly', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 4))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 4 })
-    // A misbehaving adapter: always blames generation 3, even once it is
-    // filtered out of its batches.
-    const adapter: ProjectionAdapter = {
-      family: 'f5',
-      watermark: () => null,
-      applyBatch: async () => {
-        throw new ProjectionApplyError({ generation: 3, cause: new Error('always 3') })
-      },
-      discard: async () => {}
-    }
-    engine.register(adapter)
-
-    await expect(engine.advance('f5', { budgetMs: 10_000 })).rejects.toThrow(/ALREADY quarantined/)
-    expect(engine.quarantined('f5').map((q) => q.generation)).toEqual([3])
-  })
-
-  it('an adapter that never stamps is refused loudly instead of spinning', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 4))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 2 })
-    const adapter: ProjectionAdapter = {
-      family: 'f6',
-      watermark: () => null, // never advances
-      applyBatch: async () => {},
-      discard: async () => {}
-    }
-    engine.register(adapter)
-
-    await expect(engine.advance('f6', { budgetMs: 10_000 })).rejects.toThrow(/not stamping/)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('reprojection engine — (g) discard lands on the losing adapter after a swap', () => {
-  it('the OLD adapter is discarded exactly once, after the flip; the winner is never discarded', async () => {
-    const source = scriptedSource(() => range(1, 6))
-    const engine = new ReprojectionEngine({ source, batchSize: 3 })
-    const losing = new RecordingAdapter('g')
-    engine.register(losing)
-    await engine.advance('g', { budgetMs: 10_000 })
-    expect(losing.discarded).toBe(0) // serving adapters are never discarded
-
-    let winner!: RecordingAdapter
-    await engine.swap('g', async () => {
-      winner = new RecordingAdapter('g')
-      winner.onApply = () => {
-        // Mid-build the loser still serves and is still intact.
-        expect(losing.discarded).toBe(0)
-      }
-      return winner
-    })
-
-    expect(losing.discarded).toBe(1)
-    expect(winner.discarded).toBe(0)
-    expect(engine.getAdapter('g')).toBe(winner)
-  })
-})
-
-describe('FactLogSource — the production source enforces the window contract', () => {
-  it('delegates to the injected callback and passes clean windows through', async () => {
-    const calls: Array<[number, number]> = []
-    const source = new FactLogSource(async (from, limit) => {
-      calls.push([from, limit])
-      return range(from + 1, Math.min(from + limit, 5)).map(fact)
-    })
-    const facts = await source.scan(2, 2)
-    expect(facts.map((f) => f.generation)).toEqual([3, 4])
-    expect(calls).toEqual([[2, 2]])
-    expect(await source.scan(5, 3)).toEqual([])
-  })
-
-  it('refuses out-of-contract callbacks loudly: oversize, non-ascending, at-or-below from', async () => {
-    const oversize = new FactLogSource(async () => range(1, 5).map(fact))
-    await expect(oversize.scan(0, 2)).rejects.toThrow(/contract violation/)
-
-    const unsorted = new FactLogSource(async () => [fact(3), fact(2)])
-    await expect(unsorted.scan(0, 10)).rejects.toThrow(/strictly ascending/)
-
-    const stale = new FactLogSource(async () => [fact(2)])
-    await expect(stale.scan(2, 10)).rejects.toThrow(/strictly ascending/)
-  })
-
-  it('validates its own window arguments', async () => {
-    const source = new FactLogSource(async () => [])
-    await expect(source.scan(-1, 5)).rejects.toThrow(/non-negative integer/)
-    await expect(source.scan(0, 0)).rejects.toThrow(/positive integer/)
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/storage/torn-record-loud.test.ts b/tests/unit/storage/torn-record-loud.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index d35f8b43..00000000
Binary files a/tests/unit/storage/torn-record-loud.test.ts and /dev/null differ
diff --git a/tests/unit/test-suite-coverage-guard.test.ts b/tests/unit/test-suite-coverage-guard.test.ts
index 4b078146..21f918f1 100644
--- a/tests/unit/test-suite-coverage-guard.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/test-suite-coverage-guard.test.ts
@@ -33,10 +33,6 @@ const MANUAL_ONLY = new Set<string>([
   // Conformance suites run as an explicit gate stage (both engines run them
   // by direct invocation), never swept into the unit/integration configs.
   'tests/conformance/collider-fidelity.test.ts',
-  // Golden-log fold-conformance oracle: the two-implementation contract pin
-  // (byte + fold digests) — runs in the explicit conformance gate stage,
-  // same invocation family as the other conformance suites.
-  'tests/conformance/golden-log-fold.test.ts',
   'tests/api/performance-benchmarks.test.ts',
   'tests/critical-neural-validation.test.ts',
   'tests/critical-performance-benchmark.test.ts',
diff --git a/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-nested-orderby.test.ts b/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-nested-orderby.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 55dab59b..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-nested-orderby.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,142 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-nested-orderby
- * @description THE NESTED-FIELD ADDRESSING PIN for ordered reads (the
- * field-addressing law, dotted-path clause). The defect this keeps dead:
- * `orderBy` on a nested user metadata field (dotted path, e.g.
- * `orderBy: 'profile.score'` over `metadata: { profile: { score: 7 } }`)
- * silently returned insertion order — a no-op sort — because the sort
- * path's value resolution read flat bag keys only. The law: a dotted user
- * address is either SERVED CORRECTLY (the batched resolver walks inside
- * the bag) or REFUSED with a typed UnresolvableFieldError — never a silent
- * pass-through. Both spellings (`profile.score` / `metadata.profile.score`)
- * are the same address; the filter side (`where: { 'profile.score': … }`)
- * obeys the same law.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll } from 'vitest'
-import { Brainy, UnresolvableFieldError } from '../../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const ROWS = 30
-
-describe('nested (dotted-path) user field orderBy — the field-addressing law', () => {
-  let brain: Brainy
-  /** id → nested score, for the rows that carry profile.score */
-  const scoreById = new Map<string, number>()
-  /** ids of the two rows WITHOUT a profile bag */
-  let noProfileIds: string[] = []
-
-  beforeAll(async () => {
-    brain = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'memory' }, requireSubtype: false })
-    await brain.init()
-    for (let i = 0; i < ROWS; i++) {
-      // (i * 11) % 30 is a permutation of 0..29 (gcd(11,30)=1): every score
-      // distinct, insertion order maximally different from value order — a
-      // silent insertion-order pass-through cannot accidentally look sorted.
-      const score = (i * 11) % ROWS
-      const id = await brain.add({
-        data: `row ${i}`,
-        type: NounType.Document,
-        metadata: { profile: { score }, plain: i }
-      })
-      scoreById.set(id, score)
-    }
-    const a = await brain.add({
-      data: 'no-profile a',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      metadata: { plain: 1000 }
-    })
-    const b = await brain.add({
-      data: 'no-profile b',
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      metadata: { plain: 1001 }
-    })
-    noProfileIds = [a, b].sort()
-  }, 120000)
-
-  afterAll(async () => {
-    await brain.close().catch(() => {})
-  })
-
-  /** Assert one complete ordered read against the sealed ordering contract. */
-  function assertOrdered(
-    rows: Array<{ id: string }>,
-    order: 'asc' | 'desc',
-    label: string
-  ): void {
-    // Rows are NEVER dropped: all 30 scored + 2 profile-less rows come back.
-    expect(rows.length, `${label}: complete result`).toBe(ROWS + 2)
-
-    // Missing-value rows sort LAST in BOTH directions, ties by id ascending.
-    const lastTwo = rows.slice(-2).map((r) => r.id)
-    expect(lastTwo, `${label}: missing-value rows LAST, id asc`).toEqual(noProfileIds)
-
-    // The scored 30 are ordered by the NESTED value — the exact permutation,
-    // not insertion order.
-    const observed = rows.slice(0, ROWS).map((r) => scoreById.get(r.id))
-    const wanted = [...scoreById.values()].sort((x, y) =>
-      order === 'asc' ? x - y : y - x
-    )
-    expect(observed, `${label}: nested values in ${order} order`).toEqual(wanted)
-  }
-
-  it('orderBy: "profile.score" desc — served correctly, missing rows LAST (never a silent insertion-order no-op)', async () => {
-    const rows = await brain.find({
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      orderBy: 'profile.score',
-      order: 'desc',
-      limit: 40
-    })
-    assertOrdered(rows, 'desc', 'bare dotted, desc')
-  })
-
-  it('orderBy: "profile.score" asc — same law in the other direction', async () => {
-    const rows = await brain.find({
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      orderBy: 'profile.score',
-      order: 'asc',
-      limit: 40
-    })
-    assertOrdered(rows, 'asc', 'bare dotted, asc')
-  })
-
-  it('explicit spelling "metadata.profile.score" is the SAME address — identical result', async () => {
-    const bare = await brain.find({
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      orderBy: 'profile.score',
-      order: 'desc',
-      limit: 40
-    })
-    const explicit = await brain.find({
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      orderBy: 'metadata.profile.score',
-      order: 'desc',
-      limit: 40
-    })
-    assertOrdered(explicit, 'desc', 'metadata.-prefixed, desc')
-    expect(
-      explicit.map((r) => r.id),
-      'both spellings resolve to the identical ordered id sequence'
-    ).toEqual(bare.map((r) => r.id))
-  })
-
-  it('a dotted path carried by NO entity REFUSES with UnresolvableFieldError — never a silent insertion-order return', async () => {
-    await expect(
-      brain.find({
-        type: NounType.Document,
-        orderBy: 'no.such.path',
-        order: 'desc',
-        limit: 40
-      })
-    ).rejects.toThrow(UnresolvableFieldError)
-  })
-
-  it('dotted where: { "profile.score": 7 } finds exactly the right row — the filter side of the same law', async () => {
-    const wantedId = [...scoreById.entries()].find(([, s]) => s === 7)![0]
-    const rows = await brain.find({
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      where: { 'profile.score': 7 },
-      limit: 40
-    })
-    expect(rows.map((r) => r.id)).toEqual([wantedId])
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-sort-callshape.test.ts b/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-sort-callshape.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index ffe89566..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-sort-callshape.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,119 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-sort-callshape
- * @description THE ASYMPTOTIC CALL-SHAPE PIN for ordered reads
- * (BRAINY-PROD-LATENCY-TRIAD, David-approved plan Track A1). The defect it
- * keeps dead: `getSortedIdsForFilter`'s value resolution did a SERIAL
- * `storage.getNoun()` (the heavyweight VECTOR record) per filtered row —
- * 62–98ms × 3,224 rows = the measured 199–317 SECOND production sort, with
- * `topK` applied only after the full scan. These pins assert the SHAPE of
- * the storage traffic, not wall-clock (latency-blind, so they hold on any
- * machine): an ordered read performs ZERO per-row vector-record reads and
- * resolves sort values through BATCHED metadata-record calls only.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, beforeAll, afterAll, vi } from 'vitest'
-import { Brainy } from '../../../src/index.js'
-import { NounType } from '../../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
-
-const ROWS = 60
-
-describe('ordered reads — the batched call-shape law (no per-row storage loops)', () => {
-  let brain: Brainy
-  let storage: {
-    getNoun: (id: string) => Promise<unknown>
-    getNounMetadata: (id: string) => Promise<unknown>
-    getNounMetadataBatch: (ids: string[]) => Promise<Map<string, unknown>>
-  }
-
-  beforeAll(async () => {
-    brain = new Brainy({ storage: { type: 'memory' }, requireSubtype: false })
-    await brain.init()
-    for (let i = 0; i < ROWS; i++) {
-      await brain.add({
-        data: `row ${i}`,
-        type: NounType.Document,
-        metadata: { rank: (i * 7) % ROWS, plain: `p${i}` }
-      })
-    }
-    storage = (brain as unknown as { storage: typeof storage }).storage
-  }, 120000)
-
-  afterAll(async () => {
-    await brain.close().catch(() => {})
-  })
-
-  it('user-field orderBy: zero vector-record reads, zero serial metadata reads — batch calls only', async () => {
-    const getNounSpy = vi.spyOn(storage, 'getNoun')
-    const singleReadSpy = vi.spyOn(storage, 'getNounMetadata')
-    const batchSpy = vi.spyOn(storage, 'getNounMetadataBatch')
-
-    const rows = await brain.find({
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      orderBy: 'rank',
-      order: 'desc',
-      limit: 10
-    })
-    expect(rows.length).toBe(10)
-    expect((rows[0].metadata as Record<string, unknown>).rank).toBe(ROWS - 1)
-
-    // THE PIN: the sort's value resolution never opens a vector record and
-    // never falls into a per-row metadata loop. (Result hydration after
-    // pagination is allowed to read; the SORT itself must be batch-only —
-    // hence the ceiling: strictly fewer single reads than sorted rows.)
-    expect(getNounSpy.mock.calls.length, 'per-row vector-record reads in an ordered read').toBe(0)
-    expect(batchSpy.mock.calls.length, 'the batch door was used').toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-    expect(
-      singleReadSpy.mock.calls.length,
-      'serial per-row metadata reads (the 199s shape)'
-    ).toBeLessThan(ROWS / 2)
-
-    vi.restoreAllMocks()
-  })
-
-  it('system.createdAt orderBy: exact values from batched records — the bucketed index is never a per-row disk excuse', async () => {
-    const getNounSpy = vi.spyOn(storage, 'getNoun')
-    const batchSpy = vi.spyOn(storage, 'getNounMetadataBatch')
-
-    const rows = await brain.find({
-      type: NounType.Document,
-      orderBy: 'system.createdAt',
-      order: 'asc',
-      limit: 15
-    })
-    expect(rows.length).toBe(15)
-
-    expect(getNounSpy.mock.calls.length, 'per-row vector-record reads').toBe(0)
-    expect(batchSpy.mock.calls.length).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(1)
-
-    // Exactness: ascending createdAt must be non-decreasing with full
-    // millisecond precision (the old path sorted minute-BUCKETED values or
-    // paid a per-row disk read for exact ones — both are dead). Find results
-    // carry the timestamps on the nested full entity.
-    const stamps = rows.map(
-      (r) => ((r as unknown as { entity?: { createdAt?: number } }).entity?.createdAt ??
-        (r as unknown as { createdAt?: number }).createdAt) as number
-    )
-    for (let i = 1; i < stamps.length; i++) {
-      expect(stamps[i]).toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(stamps[i - 1])
-    }
-
-    vi.restoreAllMocks()
-  })
-
-  it('the ordering contract survives the batch path: missing values LAST both directions, ties by id asc, rows never dropped', async () => {
-    // Three rows lack `rank`? No — all carry it; add two rows WITHOUT it.
-    const a = await brain.add({ data: 'no-rank a', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { plain: 'x' } })
-    const b = await brain.add({ data: 'no-rank b', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { plain: 'y' } })
-
-    for (const order of ['asc', 'desc'] as const) {
-      const rows = await brain.find({
-        type: NounType.Document,
-        orderBy: 'rank',
-        order,
-        limit: ROWS + 10
-      })
-      expect(rows.length, `complete result (${order})`).toBe(ROWS + 2)
-      const lastTwo = rows.slice(-2).map((r) => r.id).sort()
-      expect(lastTwo, `missing-value rows sort LAST (${order})`).toEqual([a, b].sort())
-    }
-  })
-})
diff --git a/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-watermark.test.ts b/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-watermark.test.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 6c195b35..00000000
--- a/tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-watermark.test.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,171 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * @module tests/unit/utils/metadataIndex-watermark
- * @description Watermark-stamp pins for the metadata projection.
- *
- * THE LAW under test: every persisted projection artifact carries a stamp
- * asserting "this state reflects every committed generation ≤ W and nothing
- * above W, atomically" — written AFTER every byte it certifies is durable —
- * and at load the owner computes the three-way verdict:
- * stamped==committed → 'adopt' · stamped<committed → 'catchup' (gap
- * reported) · stamped>committed OR unstamped → 'rescan', LOUDLY.
- * Same rule, same verdict names as the shipped aggregation machinery
- * (AggregationIndex.stateAdoptionVerdict).
- *
- * The verdict is COMPUTED AND EXPOSED only — these pins assert no rebuild
- * trigger changed; acting on 'catchup' lands with the coordinator's wiring.
- */
-import { describe, it, expect, vi, afterEach } from 'vitest'
-import { v4 as uuidv4 } from 'uuid'
-import {
-  MetadataIndexManager,
-  METADATA_INDEX_STAMP_KEY
-} from '../../../src/utils/metadataIndex.js'
-import { MemoryStorage } from '../../../src/storage/adapters/memoryStorage.js'
-import { prodLog } from '../../../src/utils/logger.js'
-
-/** Fresh storage with a controllable committed generation. */
-async function makeStorage(committed: number | null): Promise<MemoryStorage> {
-  const storage = new MemoryStorage()
-  await storage.init()
-  if (committed !== null) {
-    vi.spyOn(storage, 'committedGeneration').mockReturnValue(committed)
-  }
-  return storage
-}
-
-/** Set (or reset) the mocked committed generation on an existing storage. */
-function setCommitted(storage: MemoryStorage, committed: number): void {
-  vi.spyOn(storage, 'committedGeneration').mockReturnValue(committed)
-}
-
-/** Session 1: index a field, optionally stamp, flush — the durable artifact. */
-async function writeArtifact(
-  storage: MemoryStorage,
-  stamp: number | null
-): Promise<void> {
-  const index = new MetadataIndexManager(storage)
-  await index.init()
-  await index.addToIndex(uuidv4(), { status: 'active', role: 'admin' })
-  if (stamp !== null) index.stampWatermark(stamp)
-  await index.flush()
-}
-
-/** Session 2: reopen on the same storage and return the loaded manager. */
-async function reopen(storage: MemoryStorage): Promise<MetadataIndexManager> {
-  const index = new MetadataIndexManager(storage)
-  await index.init()
-  return index
-}
-
-afterEach(() => {
-  vi.restoreAllMocks()
-})
-
-describe('metadata index — watermark stamp + three-way load verdict', () => {
-  it("save-with-stamp then reopen at the same committed generation → 'adopt', zero-work verdict", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(5)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, 5)
-
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('adopt')
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBe(5)
-    expect(index.watermarkGap()).toBeNull()
-  })
-
-  it("stamp BEHIND the committed generation → 'catchup' with the exact gap reported", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(5)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, 5)
-
-    // Later commits landed after the last stamped flush (unclean exit shape).
-    setCommitted(storage, 8)
-
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('catchup')
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBe(5)
-    expect(index.watermarkGap()).toEqual({ from: 5, to: 8 })
-  })
-
-  it("stamp ABOVE the committed generation → 'rescan', said out loud", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(9)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, 9)
-
-    // A truncated log on a copied store pulled the watermark back.
-    setCommitted(storage, 4)
-
-    const warnSpy = vi.spyOn(prodLog, 'warn')
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('rescan')
-    expect(index.watermarkGap()).toBeNull()
-    const said = warnSpy.mock.calls.map(c => String(c[0])).join('\n')
-    expect(said).toContain('RESCAN')
-    expect(said).toContain('ABOVE')
-  })
-
-  it("legacy unstamped artifact on a stamped store → 'rescan', LOUD — never a silent adopt", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(3)
-    await writeArtifact(storage, null) // pre-stamp brain: data flushed, no stamp
-
-    expect(await storage.getMetadata(METADATA_INDEX_STAMP_KEY)).toBeNull()
-
-    const warnSpy = vi.spyOn(prodLog, 'warn')
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('rescan')
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBeNull()
-    const said = warnSpy.mock.calls.map(c => String(c[0])).join('\n')
-    expect(said).toContain('RESCAN')
-    expect(said).toContain('unstamped')
-  })
-
-  it("a store with no committed-generation capability keeps pre-stamp behavior → 'adopt'", async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(null) // committedGeneration() → null
-    await writeArtifact(storage, null)
-
-    const index = await reopen(storage)
-    expect(index.watermarkVerdict()).toBe('adopt')
-    expect(index.watermark()).toBeNull()
-  })
-
-  it('STAMP-AFTER-DATA: the stamp is the last saveMetadata of the flush, after registry and field indexes', async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(2)
-    const index = new MetadataIndexManager(storage)
-    await index.init()
-    await index.addToIndex(uuidv4(), { status: 'active' })
-
-    const keys: string[] = []
-    const originalSave = storage.saveMetadata.bind(storage)
-    vi.spyOn(storage, 'saveMetadata').mockImplementation(async (id, metadata) => {
-      keys.push(id)
-      return originalSave(id, metadata)
-    })
-
-    index.stampWatermark(2)
-    await index.flush()
-
-    const stampAt = keys.indexOf(METADATA_INDEX_STAMP_KEY)
-    expect(stampAt, 'stamp record was written').toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0)
-    expect(stampAt, 'stamp is the FINAL metadata write of the flush').toBe(keys.length - 1)
-    const registryAt = keys.indexOf('__metadata_field_registry__')
-    expect(registryAt, 'field registry written during this flush').toBeGreaterThanOrEqual(0)
-    expect(registryAt).toBeLessThan(stampAt)
-
-    // The persisted stamp record carries the required shape.
-    const record = (await storage.getMetadata(METADATA_INDEX_STAMP_KEY)) as {
-      watermark: number
-      formatVersion: number
-      stampedAt: number
-    }
-    expect(record.watermark).toBe(2)
-    expect(record.formatVersion).toBe(1)
-    expect(typeof record.stampedAt).toBe('number')
-  })
-
-  it('a flush WITHOUT a pending stamp writes no stamp record (no phantom certification)', async () => {
-    const storage = await makeStorage(2)
-    const index = new MetadataIndexManager(storage)
-    await index.init()
-    await index.addToIndex(uuidv4(), { status: 'active' })
-    await index.flush()
-
-    expect(await storage.getMetadata(METADATA_INDEX_STAMP_KEY)).toBeNull()
-  })
-})