diff --git a/docs/tickets/ticket-000023-5s-phase-1b-syllogism-synthesis-semiotics.md b/docs/tickets/ticket-000023-5s-phase-1b-syllogism-synthesis-semiotics.md
index 7abf582..b48ac86 100644
--- a/docs/tickets/ticket-000023-5s-phase-1b-syllogism-synthesis-semiotics.md
+++ b/docs/tickets/ticket-000023-5s-phase-1b-syllogism-synthesis-semiotics.md
@@ -1,230 +1,392 @@
-# Ticket #000023 — 5S Phase 1b: Syllogism, Synthesis, Semiotics
+# Ticket #000023 — 5S Phase 1b: Syllogism, Synthesis, Semiotics (carrier-aware)
 
 **Status:** open · awaiting go/no-go
 **Opened:** 2026-05-07
-**Scope:** Complete the 5S battery's three remaining sub-batteries —
-Syllogism, Synthesis, Semiotics — that landed as zero-task stubs in
-ticket #000021 Phase 1a. Each sub-battery gets a real fixture set
-(seed → expand) and a runner that exercises arborist's actual
-surface (claim-lattice parser, retrieval pipeline, label-swap
-behavior).
-**Audience:** fox + future bench authors + downstream v8 / v7-W work
-that needs concrete fitness targets across all 5S dimensions.
-**Hard constraint:** fixtures land deterministically (committed
-JSONL with version pin). Bench-maxing discipline (5pp signal floor,
-n≥3) applies. Each sub-battery is independently runnable via
-`make bench-5s-<sub>`. Adding sub-batteries does NOT alter Phase 1a
-behavior — Syntax + Semantics keep their existing fixture digests.
+**Revised:** 2026-05-08 (cross-modality correction folded in per
+review response)
+**Scope:** Replace the three zero-task stubs in 5S
+(Syllogism / Synthesis / Semiotics) with deterministic Phase-1b
+runners + fixture sets. Implementation stays text / claim-lattice /
+prose only; **the fixture schema is carrier-aware** so future
+phases can attach visual, world-model, code, audio, sensor, and
+hidden-channel-detection carriers without re-authoring the
+fixture format.
+**Audience:** fox + future bench authors + downstream v7-W /
+multimodal work that needs 5S evaluation across non-text carriers.
+**Hard constraint:** Phase 1a fixture digests stay pinned (Syntax
++ Semantics keep their `v1` digests). No schema bump, no
+governance hash bump, no canonicalization-version bump. Unsupported
+non-text carriers MUST fail or skip explicitly — never silently
+accepted. No LLM-as-judge in any 5S runner.
 
-**Source:** Dav1DPrometheus (BasementAGI host) named the 5Ss in his
-authoritative framework; arborist honors the original wording.
+**Source:** Dav1DPrometheus (BasementAGI host) — *"5Ss: Syntax,
+Semantics, Syllogism, Synthesis, Semiotics."*
 
 ---
 
-## 1. Problem statement
+## 1. Corrected purpose
 
-Ticket #000021 Phase 1a shipped runners + seed fixtures for 5S
-Syntax (`parse-pass`) and 5S Semantics (`equivalence`). The other
-three sub-batteries — Syllogism, Synthesis, Semiotics — landed as
-stubs that return zero-task `BatteryResult` objects so the full
-suite at least runs. Stubs are visible in `bench/batteries/b_5s.py`.
+Two coupled goals:
 
-Without real implementations:
+1. **Complete the 5S battery** — three stubs become real runners
+   with ≥30 deterministic fixtures each.
+2. **Make 5S carrier-general** — Syntax, Semantics, Semiotics,
+   Syllogism, Synthesis are not prose-only. They are tests over
+   *sign-bearing representations*. Text is only the first carrier.
 
-| Gap | Failure mode |
+The architectural correction (folded in 2026-05-08):
+
+> **Syntax hidden in visual or alternate media is still syntax.
+> Meaning hidden in non-text media is still semantics. A sign
+> encoded in a non-text carrier is still semiotics.**
+
+#000023 lands text fixtures + text runners now. The fixture
+**schema** must accommodate future cross-carrier work without
+re-authoring.
+
+---
+
+## 2. Carrier-aware 5S definitions
+
+| Sub-battery | Definition (carrier-general) |
 |---|---|
-| **Syllogism** | No way to bench arborist's deductive-reasoning surface. v8 selection + SelfModel capability claims have no measurable target for "stepwise entailment validity." |
-| **Synthesis** | No bench for "given a goal + a fact set, can the system produce a passing derivation?" — directly the claim-lattice + retrieval pipeline's output, which today only gets ad-hoc QA bench coverage. |
-| **Semiotics** | Label-swap invariance under controlled symbol changes is unmeasured. Drift in proper-noun handling, code-name conventions, or alphabet shifts goes undetected. |
+| **Syntax** | Formal arrangement rules of a carrier. Text: tokens, parse, markup. Code: AST, imports, indentation. Tables: rows/columns/headers. Images: layout, regions, visual grouping. World: object relations, spatial containment, event ordering. Audio: phoneme/order structure, timing. |
+| **Semantics** | Invariant meaning preserved across representation changes. Text: synonym pairs, entity equivalence. Image: a stop sign and the text "STOP" carry equivalent traffic-control meaning. Chart: an upward trend and "X increases over time" carry equivalent data semantics. World: "A inside B" represented visually, symbolically, or as coordinates. |
+| **Syllogism** | Stepwise valid deduction, given premises in any carrier. Text+table: "all rows with status=active have flag=true; row X has status=active; therefore X has flag=true." Image+rule: "A is inside B; rule says objects in B have property P; therefore A has P." World: "A left of B; B left of C; therefore A left of C." |
+| **Synthesis** | Assembling multiple warranted elements into a coherent derivation. Text+chart: derive a claim only when textual and chart evidence agree. Image+OCR+metadata: synthesize while flagging carrier conflict. World-state: synthesize a temporal claim from multiple state observations. |
+| **Semiotics** | Interpretation of signs, symbols, labels, references, frames, conventions, aliases, sign systems. Text: AMD↔"Advanced Micro Devices", Apple-fruit vs Apple-company, Orwell-frame vs literal-geography. Visual: red octagon = stop, skull icon = hazard, watermark = provenance, QR-pattern = encoded sign system, diagram-arrow = causality/flow/dependency. Future: visual steganographic carriers where surface differs from hidden encoding. |
 
-### 1.1 Sub-battery semantics (per ticket #000021 §4.2)
-
-- **Syllogism:** each task is a proof chain + a step index +
-  expected step-valid pass/fail. Metric: step-validity-rate.
-- **Synthesis:** each task is a goal description + a fact set +
-  expected derivation pass/fail. Metric: derivation-pass-rate.
-- **Semiotics:** each task is a controlled label-swap + invariant
-  expected. Metric: invariance-under-swap.
+Phase 1b implements only **text / claim-lattice / prose** carriers.
+Future-carrier hooks land via fixture metadata (§3) that the v1
+runner ignores or rejects-cleanly.
 
 ---
 
-## 2. Design choices
+## 3. Fixture schema (carrier-aware)
 
-### 2.1 Fixture sourcing for Syllogism
+Common JSONL header per task:
 
-**A. Hand-curated proof chains drawn from existing claim-lattice tests.**
-arborist's `tests/test_claim_lattice.py` and `tests/test_directives.py`
-already contain stepwise-claim examples. Promoting them to
-fixtures gets us 30-50 entries cheaply.
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5s-<sub>-NNN",
+  "battery": "5s",
+  "sub_battery": "syllogism",
+  "version": "v1",
 
-**B. Synthetic generators (template-based syllogisms).** Cheap;
-templates need to be committed for reproducibility.
+  "carrier": "text",
+  "domain": "claim_lattice",
+  "pi_star_ref": "claim-lattice@v1",
+  "loss_report_refs": [],
+  "modality_notes": "Phase 1b: text-only; future carriers may include image/code/audio/world/hidden-channel.",
 
-**Recommendation:** A first; add B in Phase 2 once the harness
-stabilizes.
-
-### 2.2 Fixture sourcing for Synthesis
-
-**A. Ablate from existing QA fixtures.** Take questions from
-`bench/qa_sweep.py` corpora; record which sources retrieve as the
-fact set; mark expected derivation status.
-
-**B. Compose from claim-lattice docs.** Use docs already in shards;
-build (goal, fact_set, derivation_expected) tuples by stripping
-claims and asking whether they should re-derive.
-
-**Recommendation:** A — anchors against existing QA bench so
-Synthesis-rate trends correlate with overall QA rate.
-
-### 2.3 Fixture sourcing for Semiotics
-
-**A. Hand-curated label-swap pairs.** Examples: `"AMD"↔"Advanced Micro
-Devices"`, `"NYC"↔"New York City"`, code-name swaps inside
-identical text.
-
-**B. Generated swaps via the concept-relations table.** arborist's
-`concept_relations` already has synonym pairs from corpus
-extraction; promote them as semiotic swap fixtures.
-
-**Recommendation:** B — leverages existing per-shard data, makes
-fixtures regenerable from the corpus rather than hand-pinned.
-
-### 2.4 Runner integration
-
-Each sub-battery is a function in `bench/batteries/b_5s.py`
-matching the existing `run_syntax`/`run_semantics` signature.
-Replace the stub `_stub_result` returns with real implementations.
-Existing test in `tests/test_bench_batteries.py
-::test_stub_sub_batteries_return_zero` will need to flip to
-non-zero assertions once these land.
-
----
-
-## 3. Recommendation
-
-Land in this order:
-
-1. **Syllogism** first — purely lexical (claim-lattice traversal),
-   no shard reads, fastest implementation.
-2. **Semiotics** second — depends on `concept_relations` lookup
-   but no LLM call; deterministic.
-3. **Synthesis** third — requires shard reads + retrieval pipeline;
-   slowest, biggest surface, highest variance. Defer until
-   Syllogism + Semiotics stabilize the harness.
-
-Phase 1b closure = all three sub-batteries shipping with at minimum
-**30 deterministic fixtures each** and runners that integrate
-cleanly into `make bench-5s`.
-
----
-
-## 4. Implementation sketch
-
-### 4.1 Fixture files
-
-```
-bench/fixtures/5s/syllogism-v1.jsonl      # 30+ tasks
-bench/fixtures/5s/synthesis-v1.jsonl      # 30+ tasks
-bench/fixtures/5s/semiotics-v1.jsonl      # 30+ tasks
+  "task": { ... }
+}
 ```
 
-Each fixture file carries the standard `_meta` head:
+Field semantics:
+
+| Field | Phase 1b allowed values | Future values |
+|---|---|---|
+| `carrier` | `text`, `claim_lattice`, `prose` | `code`, `table`, `html`, `image`, `audio`, `layout`, `world`, `mixed`, `hidden_channel` |
+| `domain` | `prose`, `wikitext`, `claim_lattice` | `python_ast`, `chart`, `spatial_state`, `propositional_logic`, etc. |
+| `pi_star_ref` | `wikitext-base@v1`, `claim-lattice@v1` | future π* registry keys |
+| `loss_report_refs` | `[]` | optional projection-loss record refs (#000022) |
+
+Unsupported `carrier` / `domain` values → runner fails task
+explicitly with `reason="unsupported_carrier"` or skips with same
+reason logged. Never silently accepted.
+
+---
+
+## 4. Per-sub-battery implementation
+
+### 4.1 Syllogism
+
+**Metric:** `step_validity_rate = valid_steps / total_steps`.
+
+**Positive fixture:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5s-syllogism-001",
+  "carrier": "text",
+  "domain": "claim_lattice",
+  "pi_star_ref": "claim-lattice@v1",
+  "premises": [
+    {"claim": "All mammals are animals.", "evidence_ids": ["E1"]},
+    {"claim": "All dogs are mammals.",    "evidence_ids": ["E2"]}
+  ],
+  "candidate_step": {
+    "claim": "All dogs are animals.",
+    "uses": ["E1", "E2"]
+  },
+  "rule": "categorical_transitivity",
+  "expected": "pass"
+}
+```
+
+**Negative fixture:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5s-syllogism-NEG-001",
+  "premises": [
+    {"claim": "All dogs are animals.", "evidence_ids": ["E1"]},
+    {"claim": "All cats are animals.", "evidence_ids": ["E2"]}
+  ],
+  "candidate_step": {
+    "claim": "All animals are dogs.",
+    "uses": ["E1", "E2"]
+  },
+  "rule": "invalid_converse",
+  "expected": "fail"
+}
+```
+
+**Runner behavior:** load fixture → parse premises into
+claim-lattice → parse candidate step → check referenced prior
+claims exist → check step is licensed by declared rule → return
+pass/fail. Deterministic, no LLM judge.
+
+### 4.2 Synthesis
+
+**Metric:** `derivation_pass_rate = passed / total`.
+
+**Fixture shape:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5s-synthesis-001",
+  "carrier": "text",
+  "domain": "claim_lattice",
+  "pi_star_ref": "claim-lattice@v1",
+  "goal": "Derive whether the source supports the release-date claim.",
+  "fact_set": [
+    {"id": "F1", "text": "Back to the Future was released on July 3, 1985."},
+    {"id": "F2", "text": "The film was directed by Robert Zemeckis."}
+  ],
+  "expected_derivation": [
+    {"claim": "Back to the Future was released on July 3, 1985.", "uses": ["F1"]}
+  ],
+  "expected": "pass"
+}
+```
+
+**Future-carrier hook:** fact-set entries may later include
+non-text carriers (`carrier: "chart"`, `carrier: "image"`). v1
+runner rejects them as unsupported.
+
+**Variance control:** if a Synthesis task uses arborist's retrieval
+pipeline, the fixture meta MUST pin `shard_set`, `retrieval_mode`,
+and `expected_fact_ids`. Bench-maxing 5pp signal floor handles
+residual noise; pinned fact IDs eliminate the largest variance
+source.
+
+### 4.3 Semiotics
+
+**Metric:** `invariance_under_swap = invariant_passes / total`.
+
+**Synonym-swap fixture (positive):**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5s-semiotics-001",
+  "carrier": "text",
+  "domain": "prose",
+  "pi_star_ref": "wikitext-base@v1",
+  "source_text": "AMD released a new GPU.",
+  "swap": {
+    "from": "AMD",
+    "to": "Advanced Micro Devices",
+    "relation_kind": "synonym"
+  },
+  "invariant_fields": ["entity", "predicate", "object"],
+  "expected_invariant": true
+}
+```
+
+**Reference-frame fixture:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5s-semiotics-002",
+  "source_text": "Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia.",
+  "frame": "orwell_1984",
+  "literal_frame_expected": false,
+  "reference_frame_expected": true,
+  "expected_invariant": true
+}
+```
+
+**Future-carrier hook (documented in fixture, not executed in v1):**
+
+```json
+{
+  "future_carrier_equivalent": {
+    "carrier": "image",
+    "description": "symbolic sign or visual glyph equivalent may later replace text label"
+  }
+}
+```
+
+**Hidden-channel safety framing.** Phase 1b does NOT generate,
+hide, or recover covert messages. Future hidden-channel fixtures
+MUST be framed as **defensive detection / flagging** only:
+
+```json
+{
+  "carrier": "image",
+  "sub_battery": "semiotics",
+  "hidden_channel_expected": true,
+  "task_kind": "detect_unexpected_sign_channel",
+  "expected": "flag"
+}
+```
+
+This keeps the benchmark defensive. The capability tested is
+"can the system detect a suspicious carrier" — not "can the
+system encode a covert message."
+
+**Source policy for v1 fixtures:** Semiotics fixtures use
+`concept_relations.relation_kind = 'synonym'` only. Negative
+fixtures pair with non-equivalent swaps explicitly tagged.
+
+---
+
+## 5. Required file changes
+
+### 5.1 New fixture files
+
+```
+bench/fixtures/5s/syllogism-v1.jsonl   # ≥30 deterministic tasks
+bench/fixtures/5s/synthesis-v1.jsonl   # ≥30 deterministic tasks
+bench/fixtures/5s/semiotics-v1.jsonl   # ≥30 deterministic tasks
+```
+
+Each carries the standard `_meta` head:
 
 ```json
 {"_meta":{"battery":"5s","sub_battery":"syllogism","version":"v1","task_count":30}}
 ```
 
-### 4.2 Runner additions
+Phase 1a fixture digests (`syntax-v1.jsonl`, `semantics-v1.jsonl`)
+stay pinned.
 
-In `bench/batteries/b_5s.py`, replace stub bodies:
+### 5.2 Runner functions
 
-```python
-def run_syllogism(fixtures_path: Path) -> BatteryResult:
-    # for each task: parse claim chain, walk step_index, assert
-    # the claim references valid evidence + the prior step entails
-    # this one under claim-lattice semantics. Metric:
-    # step_validity_rate = pass_count / (pass + fail).
-    ...
-```
+In `bench/batteries/b_5s.py`, replace stub bodies of
+`run_syllogism`, `run_synthesis`, `run_semiotics`. Existing
+`run_syntax`, `run_semantics`, `_runtime_digest` stay untouched.
 
-Same shape for `run_synthesis`, `run_semiotics`. Existing
-`_runtime_digest` helper covers the runtime fingerprint.
-
-### 4.3 Makefile additions
+### 5.3 Make targets
 
 ```makefile
-bench-5s-syllogism: bootstrap
+bench-5s-syllogism:  ## 5S Syllogism (step-validity-rate)
 	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5s --sub syllogism \
 	    --fixtures bench/fixtures/5s/syllogism-v1.jsonl
 
-bench-5s-synthesis: bootstrap
+bench-5s-synthesis:  ## 5S Synthesis (derivation-pass-rate)
 	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5s --sub synthesis \
 	    --fixtures bench/fixtures/5s/synthesis-v1.jsonl
 
-bench-5s-semiotics: bootstrap
+bench-5s-semiotics:  ## 5S Semiotics (invariance-under-swap)
 	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5s --sub semiotics \
 	    --fixtures bench/fixtures/5s/semiotics-v1.jsonl
 ```
 
-Existing `bench-5s` aggregate target picks them up via `--all`
-once the default fixture map in `runner.py` includes them.
-
-### 4.4 Tests
-
-- Replace `test_stub_sub_batteries_return_zero` parametrizations
-  for the three sub-batteries with positive coverage:
-  `test_5s_syllogism_runs`, `test_5s_synthesis_runs`,
-  `test_5s_semiotics_runs`.
-- Add fixture-digest stability test for each new fixture file.
-
-### 4.5 Bumps
-
-- New fixture files (additive). Phase 1a fixture digests stay
-  pinned.
-- Runner-stub replacements in `b_5s.py`.
-- New Makefile targets.
-- No schema changes. No `governance_policy_hash` changes.
+The existing `bench-5s` aggregate target picks them up via
+`--all` once `_DEFAULT_FIXTURES` in `runner.py` includes them.
 
 ---
 
-## 5. Out of scope
+## 6. Tests
 
-- 5T Phase 1b (Triangulation, Truthtables, Transitivity, Time —
-  ticket #000024).
-- 5F battery (Function, Finetuning, Falsification, Formulate,
-  Feedback Loop — ticket #000025).
-- 5R battery (workspace operators) — depends on SelfModel
-  (#000014, landed) + memory_root (#000017, landed); reserved as
-  Phase 2 of #000021.
+Replace stub-zero parametrizations for the three sub-batteries.
+
+Required positive coverage:
+
+```
+test_5s_syllogism_runs
+test_5s_synthesis_runs
+test_5s_semiotics_runs
+test_5s_syllogism_fixture_digest_stable
+test_5s_synthesis_fixture_digest_stable
+test_5s_semiotics_fixture_digest_stable
+test_5s_phase1a_digest_unchanged           # guard against regression
+```
+
+Modality-safety tests (carrier-schema future-readiness):
+
+```
+test_5s_fixture_accepts_carrier_metadata
+test_5s_text_runner_rejects_unsupported_nontext_carrier_cleanly
+test_5s_semiotics_synonym_swap_preserves_invariant_fields
+test_5s_semiotics_bad_swap_fails
+```
+
+The last group enforces that the schema accepts carrier metadata
+today even though only text is executed.
+
+---
+
+## 7. Out of scope
+
+- Cross-domain π* composition for 5S (covered by ticket #000015,
+  already landed).
+- Multimodal 5S execution (depends on #000013 spatial-temporal
+  substrate + π* image / audio / world canonicalizers; future
+  tickets).
+- 5T Phase 1b (ticket #000024).
+- 5F battery (ticket #000025).
+- 5R battery — depends on SelfModel (#000014, landed) +
+  memory_root (#000017, landed); reserved as Phase 2 of #000021.
 - Cross-corpus expansion (Phase 3 of #000021).
+- Hidden-channel **generation** or **concealment** tooling.
+  Detection-only is the boundary.
 
 ---
 
-## 6. Risks & open questions
+## 8. Risks & mitigations
 
-- **Syllogism fixture quality.** Hand-curated chains can over-fit
-  to arborist's current claim-lattice parser. Mitigation: pull
-  from at least three different test files so coverage spans
-  multiple authoring styles.
-- **Synthesis variance.** Depends on retrieval which has
-  per-shard variance. Mitigation: pin shard set in the fixture
-  meta; bench-maxing 5pp signal floor accounts for noise.
-- **Semiotics blast radius.** A bad swap fixture could mask
-  genuine drift if the swap is too aggressive (e.g., swaps that
-  also change semantic meaning, not just surface). Mitigation:
-  curate from `concept_relations` of kind `synonym` only — those
-  are corpus-derived equivalences with known semantic preservation.
+| Risk | Mitigation |
+|---|---|
+| Syllogism overfits to toy chains | Pull from ≥3 different test-source families; include invalid converses, missing-premise, unsupported-evidence-pointer failures. |
+| Semiotics swaps accidentally change meaning | Use only `concept_relations.relation_kind='synonym'` for v1 positives; include explicit non-equivalent negative swaps. |
+| Synthesis retrieval variance | Pin `shard_set` + `retrieval_mode` + `expected_fact_ids` in fixture meta; compare derivation shape, not exact prose. |
+| Premature multimodal scope creep | Carrier metadata in fixtures; non-text carriers rejected cleanly in v1; multimodal execution deferred to #000013 / #000015 follow-ups. |
+| Steganography → dual-use tooling | v1 does not generate, hide, or recover covert messages. Future fixtures framed as defensive detection / flagging. |
 
 ---
 
-## 7. Status
+## 9. Closure criterion
+
+#000023 closes when:
+
+1. `run_syllogism`, `run_synthesis`, `run_semiotics` are all non-stub.
+2. Each ships ≥30 deterministic fixtures with stable `fixture_digest`.
+3. Fixtures include `carrier` / `domain` / `pi_star_ref` /
+   `loss_report_refs` / `modality_notes` fields.
+4. Unsupported non-text carriers fail/skip explicitly with
+   `reason="unsupported_carrier"`.
+5. `make bench-5s` runs all five 5S sub-batteries (Syntax,
+   Semantics, Syllogism, Synthesis, Semiotics).
+6. Phase 1a fixture digests (`syntax-v1.jsonl`,
+   `semantics-v1.jsonl`) unchanged.
+7. No schema, governance hash, or canonicalization-version changes.
+8. Tests cover runner execution, fixture-digest stability, and
+   carrier-schema future-readiness.
+
+---
+
+## 10. Status
 
 **Open · awaiting go/no-go.** Three sub-batteries × ~30 fixtures
-× one runner each ≈ 600-800 lines of code + fixtures. Estimated
-mid-sized session.
+× one runner each ≈ 800-1000 lines code + fixtures. Mid-sized
+session.
 
-Closure criterion: all three runners non-stub, fixture files
-landed with version pins, `make bench-5s` runs all five 5S
-sub-batteries (Syntax, Semantics, Syllogism, Synthesis, Semiotics)
-and emits a JSON result per sub-battery. Existing Phase 1a
-fixtures keep their digests.
+The architectural correction from the 2026-05-08 review:
+**Semiotics, Syntax, and Semantics are defined over sign-bearing
+carriers, not just written language.** Phase 1b ships the text
+implementation; the fixture schema preserves the future path
+into spatial-temporal world models, multimodal AGI evaluation,
+and defensive hidden-channel detection.
diff --git a/docs/tickets/ticket-000024-5t-phase-1b-and-rename.md b/docs/tickets/ticket-000024-5t-phase-1b-and-rename.md
index 33114f3..add8c47 100644
--- a/docs/tickets/ticket-000024-5t-phase-1b-and-rename.md
+++ b/docs/tickets/ticket-000024-5t-phase-1b-and-rename.md
@@ -1,160 +1,318 @@
-# Ticket #000024 — 5T Phase 1b: complete sub-batteries + align vocabulary with Dav1DPrometheus
+# Ticket #000024 — 5T Phase 1b: vocabulary alignment + carrier-aware completion
 
 **Status:** open · awaiting go/no-go
 **Opened:** 2026-05-07
-**Scope:** Complete the 5T battery — rename existing sub-batteries
-to match Dav1DPrometheus's authoritative vocabulary
-(Transfer → Transfer Learning, Truth → Truthtables, Timing →
-Time), and ship real implementations + fixtures for the four
-remaining stub sub-batteries (Triangulation, Truthtables,
-Transitivity, Time).
-**Audience:** fox + future bench authors + anyone composing a v8
-fitness target across the 5T axes.
-**Hard constraint:** the rename is a NEW fixture-version landing
-(`v1` → `v2`); existing `transfer-v1.jsonl` stays in place under
-its sub-battery name `transfer` so #000021 Phase 1a digests don't
-shift retroactively. New work uses the renamed identifiers.
+**Revised:** 2026-05-08 (cross-modality correction folded in per
+review response)
+**Scope:** Two coupled jobs:
+1. Align 5T vocabulary with Dav1DPrometheus's authoritative
+   formulation (Transfer → Transfer Learning, Truth → Truthtables,
+   Timing → Time).
+2. Replace the four 5T zero-task stubs (Triangulation, Truthtables,
+   Transitivity, Time) with carrier-aware Phase-1b runners.
+**Audience:** fox + future bench authors + downstream v8 / v7-W /
+multimodal work needing fitness targets across 5T axes.
+**Hard constraint:** Phase 1a `transfer-v1.jsonl` digest stays
+pinned; new work uses `v2` fixture filenames and renamed sub-battery
+identifiers. No schema bump, no governance hash bump, no
+canonicalization-version bump. Unsupported non-text carriers MUST
+fail or skip explicitly. No LLM-as-judge in any 5T runner.
 
 **Source:** Dav1DPrometheus (BasementAGI host) — *"5Ts: Transitivity,
 Transfer Learning, Triangulation, Truthtables, Time."*
 
 ---
 
-## 1. Problem statement
+## 1. Corrected purpose
 
-Two coupled gaps:
+**Vocabulary correction is not cosmetic.** Each rename pins a more
+operationally precise concept:
 
-### 1.1 Vocabulary drift from authoritative framework
-
-The SQD whitepaper used: **Transfer · Triangulate · Timing ·
-Transitivity · Truth.**
-
-Dav1DPrometheus's published framework uses: **Transitivity ·
-**Transfer Learning** · Triangulation · **Truthtables** · **Time**.**
-
-Three differences:
-
-| arborist (current) | Dav1DPrometheus | Why his is right |
+| arborist Phase 1a | Dav1DPrometheus | Why his is right |
 |---|---|---|
-| `transfer` | `transfer-learning` | "Transfer" alone is ambiguous; "Transfer Learning" pins the concrete ML primitive. |
-| `truth` | `truthtables` | "Truth" is philosophical; "Truthtables" names the concrete logical-scenario coverage primitive. |
-| `timing` | `time` | "Timing" implies wall-clock; "Time" implies temporal-context maintenance, which is the actual semantic. |
+| `transfer` | `transfer-learning` | "Transfer" alone is ambiguous; pins the concrete ML primitive (cross-task / cross-domain method preservation). |
+| `truth` | `truthtables` | "Truth" is philosophical; "Truthtables" names the explicit logical-state coverage primitive. |
+| `timing` | `time` | "Timing" implies wall-clock; "Time" implies temporal-context maintenance, lineage, memory, stale-state handling. |
 
-arborist landed Phase 1a with the SQD-whitepaper names. Per memory
-note `dav1dprometheus_framework.md`, his wording is authoritative —
-arborist honors it.
+The architectural correction (folded in 2026-05-08):
 
-### 1.2 Four stub sub-batteries return zero tasks
+> **5T must not be permanently language-only or prose-only.
+> Transitivity, Transfer Learning, Triangulation, Truthtables, and
+> Time must eventually operate across text, code, tables, images,
+> audio, sensor streams, spatial state, world-model state, and
+> hidden or alternate media carriers.**
 
-Same as 5S (ticket #000023): Triangulation, Truthtables,
-Transitivity, Time all currently return zero-task `BatteryResult`
-objects via `_stub_result` in `bench/batteries/b_5t.py`. Without
-real implementations:
-
-| Sub-battery | Failure mode under stubs |
-|---|---|
-| **Triangulation** | No bench for "do independent verifiers agree?" — directly the v7 §11.4 cross-source consistency claim. |
-| **Truthtables** | No coverage of "for these N propositional variables, does the system handle all 2^N cases?" — gates v8 selection's ability to certify logical-completeness claims. |
-| **Transitivity** | No bench for "if A→B and B→C, does the system derive A→C?" — multi-step entailment is a SelfModel capability claim with no current measurement. |
-| **Time** | No bench for "does the system maintain temporal context across queries?" — directly relates to memory_root + SelfModel's lineage chain, both shipped but unbenchmarked. |
+Phase 1b implements **text / claim-lattice / memory-root** carriers
+only. The fixture schema is carrier-aware so future phases can
+attach code / image / audio / sensor / world canonicalizers via
+the π* registry without re-authoring fixtures.
 
 ---
 
-## 2. Design choices
+## 2. Carrier-aware 5T definitions
 
-### 2.1 Rename strategy
+| Sub-battery | Definition (carrier-general) | Phase 1b carrier |
+|---|---|---|
+| **Transfer Learning** | Whether a learned structure or method transfers across a task, domain, or carrier. Future: text rule → table task; diagram relation → textual derivation; world-state pattern → claim-lattice conclusion. | text / claim_lattice |
+| **Triangulation** | Independent evidence, verifier, or modality paths converging on the same claim state. Future: text + table + chart agreement; image/OCR + caption + metadata; sensor + event log + textual report. | claim_lattice (existing four verifier strategies) |
+| **Transitivity** | Relation chains preserving valid inference across steps. Future: spatial + visual relations; code dependency + package metadata; sensor temporal-ordering. | claim_lattice (typed relation graph) |
+| **Truthtables** | Exhaustive logical-state coverage. Future: visual state toggles; world-state propositions; sensor Boolean predicates; tool precondition matrices. | propositional_logic (N=2..4 variables) |
+| **Time** | Temporal-context maintenance, lineage, memory, stale-state handling. Future: video frames; sensor streams; world-state transitions; tool/action DAG timelines. | memory_snapshot / selfmodel_snapshot |
 
-**A. Hard rename in place.** Update `b_5t.py` function names and
-fixture filenames; existing Phase 1a digests change. Cleanest
-forward but invalidates Phase 1a results.
-
-**B. Coexist v1 + v2.** Keep `transfer-v1.jsonl` + `run_transfer`
-function in place; add `transfer-learning-v2.jsonl` +
-`run_transfer_learning`. New work uses v2 names. Old `bench-5t`
-target still runs against v1.
-
-**C. Soft rename (alias).** Keep file names; add alias mapping in
-the runner so `--sub transfer-learning` resolves to `run_transfer`.
-Code stays ugly forever.
-
-**Recommendation:** B. Phase 1a was honest at the time it landed
-(SQD whitepaper was the only source then); we don't retroactively
-break it. New work explicitly uses Dav1DPrometheus's vocabulary.
-
-### 2.2 Fixture sourcing
-
-- **Triangulation** — replay arborist's existing four-strategy
-  verifier (quote/span/entity/paraphrase) on a fixture set;
-  metric is the per-task agreement rate. Already-shipped verifier
-  surface; fixtures are easy.
-- **Truthtables** — small-N propositional fixtures (N=2..4); each
-  fixture lists all 2^N input combinations + the expected output;
-  arborist's claim-lattice has to evaluate every row. New surface
-  (currently arborist doesn't do propositional eval); requires a
-  thin wrapper.
-- **Transitivity** — multi-step claim chains pulled from existing
-  claim-lattice tests; metric is full-chain-pass-rate.
-- **Time** — multi-query sequences against the same shard set;
-  metric is "does memory_root snapshot N+1 preserve information
-  from snapshot N?" Direct integration with memory-root (#000017,
-  landed).
-
-### 2.3 Cross-reference to memory-root and SelfModel
-
-The Time sub-battery implementation reads memory_records and
-selfmodel_records to assert temporal-context preservation. This
-makes #000024 the first ticket where the v8 substrate
-(SelfModel + memory_root) gets a measurable bench target, not
-just an audit-chain artifact.
+Time is the **first sub-battery where v8 substrate components**
+(SelfModel #000014 + memory_root #000017) become measurable bench
+targets. That is structurally significant: until #000024, those
+substrates were audit-chain artifacts only; now they have a
+fitness signal.
 
 ---
 
-## 3. Recommendation
+## 3. Fixture schema (carrier-aware)
 
-Two-phase landing:
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5t-<sub>-NNN",
+  "battery": "5t",
+  "sub_battery": "time",
+  "version": "v1",
 
-**Phase 1b.1 — Rename + cosmetic alignment.** Add v2 fixture file
-names + new sub-battery aliases. Keep v1 in place. ~100 lines.
+  "carrier": "memory_snapshot",
+  "domain": "memory_root",
+  "pi_star_ref": "pi_memory_v1",
+  "loss_report_refs": [],
+  "modality_notes": "Phase 1b: text/claim-lattice/memory-root only; future carriers may include code/table/image/audio/sensor/world.",
 
-**Phase 1b.2 — Implement four sub-batteries.** Triangulation
-first (existing surface), then Transitivity (lexical), then
-Truthtables (new wrapper), then Time (memory-root-integrated).
-~600-800 lines.
-
----
-
-## 4. Implementation sketch
-
-### 4.1 Fixture files (new)
-
-```
-bench/fixtures/5t/transfer-learning-v2.jsonl   # rename of transfer-v1
-bench/fixtures/5t/triangulation-v1.jsonl
-bench/fixtures/5t/truthtables-v1.jsonl
-bench/fixtures/5t/transitivity-v1.jsonl
-bench/fixtures/5t/time-v1.jsonl
+  "task": { ... }
+}
 ```
 
-`transfer-v1.jsonl` stays in place; `bench-5t-transfer` still runs
-it. Phase 1a tests stay green.
+Phase 1b allowed carriers: `text`, `claim_lattice`,
+`memory_snapshot`, `selfmodel_snapshot`, `verifier_strategies`,
+`propositional_logic`, `relation_graph`. Other values →
+`reason="unsupported_carrier"`.
 
-### 4.2 Runner additions
+---
 
-In `bench/batteries/b_5t.py`, real implementations replace stubs:
+## 4. Per-sub-battery design
 
-- `run_transfer_learning(fixtures_path)` — same logic as
-  `run_transfer`; alias.
-- `run_triangulation(fixtures_path)` — for each task, call
-  arborist's four verifier strategies on (claim, evidence) pairs
-  and report agreement rate.
-- `run_truthtables(fixtures_path)` — for each task, evaluate the
-  claim-lattice over 2^N input combinations.
-- `run_transitivity(fixtures_path)` — chase A→B, B→C through the
-  claim-lattice; assert C derives.
-- `run_time(fixtures_path)` — multi-query memory_root preservation;
-  reads `memory_records` to assert continuity.
+### 4.1 Transfer Learning (rename of Phase 1a `transfer`)
 
-### 4.3 Makefile additions
+**Metric:** `transfer_learning_success_rate`.
+
+**Backward compat:** Keep `transfer-v1.jsonl`, `run_transfer`,
+`bench-5t-transfer` in place — Phase 1a digest stays pinned. Add
+`transfer-learning-v2.jsonl`, `run_transfer_learning`,
+`bench-5t-transfer-learning` for new work.
+
+**Fixture shape:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5t-transfer-learning-001",
+  "version": "v2",
+  "carrier": "text",
+  "domain": "claim_lattice",
+  "pi_star_ref": "claim-lattice@v1",
+  "source_task": {
+    "pattern": "A supports B when cited span contains anchor B.",
+    "example": "Release-date claim with date anchor."
+  },
+  "target_task": {
+    "pattern": "Founder-date claim with date anchor.",
+    "expected_transfer": true
+  },
+  "expected": "pass"
+}
+```
+
+### 4.2 Triangulation
+
+**Metric:** `triangulation_agreement_rate`,
+`strategy_disagreement_rate`.
+
+**Fixture shape:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5t-triangulation-001",
+  "carrier": "claim_lattice",
+  "domain": "verifier_strategies",
+  "pi_star_ref": "claim-lattice@v1",
+  "claim": "Back to the Future was released on July 3, 1985.",
+  "evidence": ["E1", "E2"],
+  "strategies": ["quote", "span", "entity", "paraphrase"],
+  "expected_agreement_min": 0.75
+}
+```
+
+**Runner:** invokes arborist's existing four verifier strategies
+on (claim, evidence) pairs, computes pairwise agreement, passes
+when agreement ≥ `expected_agreement_min`.
+
+**Future-modality hook:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "future_modality_paths": [
+    {"carrier": "table", "role": "structured evidence"},
+    {"carrier": "image", "role": "visual confirmation"}
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+v1 runner ignores; fixture is forward-compatible.
+
+### 4.3 Transitivity
+
+**Metric:** `full_chain_pass_rate`.
+
+**Critical correction:** not all relations are transitive. Phase
+1b ships a typed-relation-whitelist:
+
+```
+implies
+subset_of
+ancestor_of
+before
+less_than
+```
+
+Runners reject mixed-relation chains and non-transitive relations
+(`related_to`, `causes` without domain constraints, etc.).
+
+**Positive fixture:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5t-transitivity-001",
+  "carrier": "claim_lattice",
+  "domain": "relation_graph",
+  "pi_star_ref": "pi_relation_graph_v1",
+  "edges": [
+    {"from": "A", "to": "B", "relation": "implies"},
+    {"from": "B", "to": "C", "relation": "implies"}
+  ],
+  "query": {"from": "A", "to": "C", "relation": "implies"},
+  "expected": "pass"
+}
+```
+
+**Negative fixture:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5t-transitivity-NEG-001",
+  "edges": [
+    {"from": "A", "to": "B", "relation": "related_to"},
+    {"from": "B", "to": "C", "relation": "causes"}
+  ],
+  "query": {"from": "A", "to": "C", "relation": "causes"},
+  "expected": "fail",
+  "reason": "mixed relation types do not license transitive closure"
+}
+```
+
+### 4.4 Truthtables
+
+**Metric:** `truth_table_coverage_rate`, `row_accuracy_rate`.
+
+**Constraint:** N=2..4 variables only (avoids combinatorial
+blowup; keeps logical coverage real).
+
+**Fixture shape:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5t-truthtables-001",
+  "carrier": "claim_lattice",
+  "domain": "propositional_logic",
+  "pi_star_ref": "pi_truth_table_v1",
+  "variables": ["A", "B"],
+  "expression": "A AND B",
+  "rows": [
+    {"inputs": {"A": false, "B": false}, "expected": false},
+    {"inputs": {"A": false, "B": true},  "expected": false},
+    {"inputs": {"A": true,  "B": false}, "expected": false},
+    {"inputs": {"A": true,  "B": true},  "expected": true}
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+**Runner:** parse expression → enumerate rows → evaluate each
+deterministically → fixture fails if any row mismatches.
+Deterministic parser; no LLM.
+
+### 4.5 Time
+
+**Metric:** `temporal_context_preservation_rate`,
+`stale_marking_rate`, `memory_lineage_pass_rate`.
+
+**Fixture shape:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5t-time-001",
+  "carrier": "memory_snapshot",
+  "domain": "memory_root",
+  "pi_star_ref": "pi_memory_v1",
+  "snapshots": [
+    {"snapshot_id": "S0", "memory_root": "M0", "facts": ["X is true as of t0"]},
+    {"snapshot_id": "S1", "memory_root": "M1", "facts": ["X is revised as of t1"]}
+  ],
+  "expected": {
+    "preserves_prior": true,
+    "marks_stale": ["X is true as of t0"],
+    "current_root": "M1"
+  },
+  "policy_assumption": {
+    "memory_root_binding": "advisory",
+    "selfmodel_integration": true
+  }
+}
+```
+
+**Runner:** reads `memory_records` (and `selfmodel_records` where
+needed) → compares snapshot N and N+1 → asserts temporal
+preservation, stale marking, lineage continuity.
+
+**Future-time-carriers (documented, not executed in v1):**
+
+```json
+{
+  "future_time_carriers": [
+    {"carrier": "video",  "domain": "frame_sequence"},
+    {"carrier": "sensor", "domain": "time_series"},
+    {"carrier": "world",  "domain": "state_transition_graph"}
+  ]
+}
+```
+
+---
+
+## 5. Required file changes
+
+### 5.1 Fixture files
+
+```
+bench/fixtures/5t/transfer-learning-v2.jsonl   # new ≥30 tasks
+bench/fixtures/5t/triangulation-v1.jsonl       # new ≥30 tasks
+bench/fixtures/5t/truthtables-v1.jsonl         # new ≥30 tasks (N=2..4)
+bench/fixtures/5t/transitivity-v1.jsonl        # new ≥30 tasks (whitelist)
+bench/fixtures/5t/time-v1.jsonl                # new ≥30 tasks (memory)
+
+bench/fixtures/5t/transfer-v1.jsonl            # UNCHANGED (Phase 1a digest pinned)
+```
+
+### 5.2 Runner functions
+
+In `bench/batteries/b_5t.py`:
+
+- Keep `run_transfer` (Phase 1a) intact.
+- Add `run_transfer_learning`, `run_triangulation`,
+  `run_truthtables`, `run_transitivity`, `run_time` as non-stub
+  implementations.
+
+### 5.3 Make targets
 
 ```makefile
 bench-5t-transfer-learning: bootstrap
@@ -178,61 +336,100 @@ bench-5t-time: bootstrap
 	    --fixtures bench/fixtures/5t/time-v1.jsonl
 ```
 
-Existing `bench-5t` aggregate keeps `transfer` (v1) for back-compat.
-
-### 4.4 Tests
-
-- Add `test_5t_transfer_learning_alias` — confirms new name resolves
-  to same surface as `transfer`.
-- Add positive tests for each new sub-battery.
-- Update stub-test parametrization to remove the four sub-batteries
-  that get real implementations.
-
-### 4.5 Bumps
-
-- New fixture files (additive).
-- New runner functions; old ones (`run_transfer`,
-  `run_triangulate`, etc.) stay in place for back-compat.
-- New Makefile targets.
-- No schema changes.
+`bench-5t` aggregate keeps `transfer` (v1) for backward
+compatibility. New canonical aggregate is `bench-5t-v2` covering
+the five Dav1DPrometheus sub-batteries; or operators wire
+`bench-5t` to the v2 names once the rename has stabilized.
 
 ---
 
-## 5. Out of scope
+## 6. Tests
 
-- 5S Phase 1b — ticket #000023.
-- 5F battery (entirely new) — ticket #000025.
-- 5R battery (workspace operators) — Phase 2 of #000021.
-- Retiring the v1 names. Once v2 is the standard, deprecate v1
-  in a follow-up ticket; this ticket leaves both live.
+```
+test_5t_transfer_learning_runs
+test_5t_triangulation_runs
+test_5t_truthtables_runs
+test_5t_transitivity_runs
+test_5t_time_runs
+test_5t_v1_transfer_digest_unchanged           # guard regression
+test_5t_fixture_accepts_carrier_metadata
+test_5t_text_runner_rejects_unsupported_nontext_carrier_cleanly
+test_5t_time_reads_memory_root_fixture
+test_5t_transitivity_rejects_non_whitelisted_relation
+test_5t_truthtables_N_le_4_only
+```
+
+Stable-digest tests for each new fixture file. Remove the four
+implemented sub-batteries from any "stub returns zero"
+parametrization.
 
 ---
 
-## 6. Risks & open questions
+## 7. Out of scope
 
-- **Truthtables surface.** arborist doesn't currently do
-  propositional evaluation; building the wrapper is real work.
-  Defer if scope compresses; ship the other three first.
-- **Time integration depth.** memory_root snapshots are advisory
-  (default policy off). The Time bench can still measure
-  preservation across snapshots even when binding is off, but
-  results may not reflect production behavior under different
-  policies. Document the policy assumption in the fixture meta.
-- **Backward compatibility.** Old `bench-5t` (v1 names) stays
-  alongside new `bench-5t-*` (v2 names). Risk of confusion;
-  mitigate by clear naming + a `docs/bench-vocabulary.md` note
-  if needed.
+- Multimodal 5T execution (depends on #000013 spatial-temporal
+  substrate + π* image / audio / world canonicalizers).
+- 5S Phase 1b (ticket #000023).
+- 5F battery (ticket #000025).
+- 5R battery — Phase 2 of #000021.
+- Retiring v1 names. Once v2 is the standard, deprecate v1 in a
+  follow-up; this ticket leaves both live.
+- Hidden-channel **generation**. Defensive detection only.
 
 ---
 
-## 7. Status
+## 8. Risks & mitigations
 
-**Open · awaiting go/no-go.** Mid-to-large surface; biggest sub-
-battery (Time) needs memory-root integration. Recommended
-implementation sequence: rename first, then sub-batteries in the
-order Triangulation → Transitivity → Time → Truthtables.
+| Risk | Mitigation |
+|---|---|
+| Vocabulary confusion (v1 vs v2) | Keep v1 transfer fixtures; add v2 transfer-learning fixtures; document Dav1DPrometheus canonical vocabulary. |
+| Truthtables scope blowup | N=2..4 only; deterministic parser; no LLM-as-judge. |
+| Transitivity overclaims | Typed relation graph; transitive-relation whitelist; negative fixtures for non-transitive relation types. |
+| Time policy ambiguity | Fixture meta includes `memory_root_binding` policy assumption; runner reports policy mismatch. |
+| Premature multimodal scope creep | Carrier metadata now; non-text carrier support later; unsupported carriers fail/skip explicitly. |
 
-Closure criterion: all five 5T sub-batteries (Transfer Learning,
-Triangulation, Truthtables, Transitivity, Time) have non-stub
-runners + fixture files; `make bench-5t` runs the full set under
-v2 names; v1 `bench-5t-transfer` still passes.
+---
+
+## 9. Closure criterion
+
+#000024 closes when:
+
+1. Dav1DPrometheus vocabulary present: Transfer Learning,
+   Triangulation, Truthtables, Transitivity, Time.
+2. Legacy `transfer-v1.jsonl` digest unchanged.
+3. New `transfer-learning-v2.jsonl` lands.
+4. Triangulation runner non-stub.
+5. Transitivity runner non-stub with typed-relation whitelist.
+6. Truthtables runner non-stub with N=2..4 cap.
+7. Time runner non-stub and reads `memory_records` /
+   `selfmodel_records` surfaces.
+8. All new fixtures include `carrier` / `domain` / `pi_star_ref` /
+   `loss_report_refs` / `modality_notes`.
+9. Unsupported future carriers fail or skip explicitly.
+10. Make targets for each sub-battery pass.
+11. Phase 1a fixture digests unchanged.
+12. No schema, governance hash, or canonicalization-version changes.
+
+---
+
+## 10. Status
+
+**Open · awaiting go/no-go.** Two-phase landing recommended:
+
+- **Phase 1b.1 — vocabulary alignment.** Add v2 fixture file names
+  + new sub-battery aliases. Keep v1 in place. ~150 lines.
+- **Phase 1b.2 — implement four sub-batteries.** Triangulation
+  first (existing surface), Transitivity second (typed-relation
+  whitelist), Time third (memory-root integrated), Truthtables
+  last (new propositional wrapper). ~700-900 lines + fixtures.
+
+The architectural correction:
+
+> **5T evaluates reasoning transformations across states, domains,
+> evidence paths, logical cases, and time. Those transformations
+> can live in text today, but must be representable across any
+> sign-bearing or state-bearing carrier later.**
+
+This makes #000024 the first ticket where v8 substrate becomes
+measurable bench territory and the path to spatial-temporal /
+multimodal / world-model AGI evaluation stays open.
diff --git a/docs/tickets/ticket-000025-5f-battery.md b/docs/tickets/ticket-000025-5f-battery.md
index 59192aa..a9f434f 100644
--- a/docs/tickets/ticket-000025-5f-battery.md
+++ b/docs/tickets/ticket-000025-5f-battery.md
@@ -1,190 +1,376 @@
-# Ticket #000025 — 5F battery: Function, Finetuning, Falsification, Formulate, Feedback Loop
+# Ticket #000025 — 5F battery: Function · Finetuning · Falsification · Formulate · Feedback Loop
 
 **Status:** open · awaiting go/no-go
 **Opened:** 2026-05-07
-**Scope:** Open the 5F battery — Dav1DPrometheus's third evaluation
-axis, missing entirely from arborist before this ticket. Each sub-
-battery measures a distinct dimension of agent quality:
-**Function** (task alignment), **Finetuning** (adaptation
-efficiency), **Falsification** (error detection + correction),
-**Formulate** (logical structuring), **Feedback Loop** (continuous
-improvement).
-**Audience:** fox + future bench authors. Once landed, 5F + 5S + 5T
-together form the complete non-embodied AGI evaluation surface
+**Revised:** 2026-05-08 (cross-modality + state-space synthesis
+folded in per review response)
+**Scope:** Open the 5F battery — Dav1DPrometheus's
+operational-quality axis, missing entirely from arborist before
+this ticket. Five sub-batteries: **Function** (task alignment),
+**Finetuning** (adaptation efficiency), **Falsification** (error
+detection + correction), **Formulate** (logical structuring),
+**Feedback Loop** (continuous improvement). 5F integrates with
+existing arborist surfaces — `providence_cache.falsification_state`,
+`audit_events`, `memory_records` (#000017, landed),
+`selfmodel_records` (#000014, landed). No new substrate work.
+**Audience:** fox + future bench authors. Once 5F lands, 5S + 5T +
+5F together form the complete non-embodied AGI evaluation surface
 Dav1DPrometheus published.
-**Hard constraint:** 5F integrates with surfaces that already exist
-in arborist — `providence_cache.falsification_state`, `audit_events`,
-`memory_records` (#000017), `selfmodel_records` (#000014). Don't
-require new substrate work to land 5F.
+**Hard constraint:** 5F is text-first in Phase 1a but the fixture
+schema is **carrier-aware**. Unsupported non-text carriers MUST
+fail or skip explicitly. No LLM-as-judge in any 5F runner. No
+schema bump, no governance hash bump. Hidden-channel work stays
+defensive (detection only, never generation).
 
 **Source:** Dav1DPrometheus (BasementAGI host) — *"5Fs: Function,
-Finetuning, Falsification, Formulate, Feedback Loop."* Honoring his
-legacy.
+Finetuning, Falsification, Formulate, Feedback Loop."*
 
 ---
 
-## 1. Problem statement
+## 1. Why 5F is the operational bridge
 
-Dav1DPrometheus's framework names three orthogonal evaluation axes:
-
-```text
-5Ss = linguistic precision     (syntax + semantics + syllogism + synthesis + semiotics)
-5Ts = temporal/cross reasoning (transitivity + transfer learning + triangulation + truthtables + time)
-5Fs = operational quality      (function + finetuning + falsification + formulate + feedback loop)
-```
-
-arborist's bench harness (ticket #000021) implements 5S + 5T as
-fixture-driven batteries. **5F has no representation in arborist.**
-The original SQD whitepaper omitted it; Dav1DPrometheus's framework
-is the only source for it.
+5S evaluates linguistic / sign-structure precision.
+5T evaluates temporal / cross-reasoning / logical coverage.
+**5F evaluates whether the organism acts, adapts, falsifies,
+formulates, and integrates feedback** — the dimensions that turn a
+state-space into an *adaptive* state-space.
 
 Without 5F:
 
-| Sub-battery | Why arborist needs it |
-|---|---|
-| **Function** | Measures whether the system actually executes its designated task. arborist's QA layer has answer-mode bench coverage but not a clean "did the system DO what it was asked" metric. |
-| **Finetuning** | Measures speed/efficiency of adaptation. SelfModel parent→child transitions are unbenchmarked. |
-| **Falsification** | Error-detection accuracy is core to v9.8 admissibility, but `providence_cache.falsification_state` transitions are not benched. |
-| **Formulate** | Coherence of organized knowledge structures — directly the claim-lattice's job, currently only measured by per-claim verification rate, not chain-level coherence. |
-| **Feedback Loop** | Integration efficiency for incoming corrections. Memory-root branch projections (#000017) update on snapshot but speed of integration is unmeasured. |
-
-### 1.1 Why this is a separate ticket from #000021
-
-#000021 was scoped to the SQD whitepaper's 5S + 5T. Adding 5F
-would have changed scope mid-design. Treating 5F as its own
-ticket keeps each battery's story coherent and lets fox approve
-or punt 5F independently.
-
----
-
-## 2. Sub-battery semantics (per Dav1DPrometheus)
-
-### 2.1 Function
-
-> *Task Alignment: Precision in executing designated tasks.
-> Operational Effectiveness: Empirical success rate in task execution.*
-
-Each task: a directive (e.g., "summarize document X"), a target
-output shape (e.g., claim-lattice with N claims), and an
-evaluation predicate (does the produced output meet the shape?).
-Metric: function-pass-rate.
-
-Maps to arborist surfaces: `arborist ask` invocations under
-specific `answer_mode` settings.
-
-### 2.2 Finetuning
-
-> *Performance Improvement: Quantitative percentage increase in
-> performance metrics post-finetuning.
-> Adaptability: Efficiency in adapting to new tasks, measured by
-> time and resources required.*
-
-Each task: a parent SelfModel + a target capability claim that
-the parent fails + a child SelfModel that should pass. Metric:
-fraction of parent→child transitions where the child's measured
-metric improves over parent's.
-
-Maps to arborist surfaces: `selfmodel_records` parent→child chain
-+ `selfmodel_capability_claims` measured_value tracking.
-
-### 2.3 Falsification
-
-> *Error Detection Accuracy: Rate of correctly identifying system
-> errors. Correction Effectiveness: Success rate in rectifying
-> identified errors.*
-
-Each task: a known-bad providence record (planted) + the expected
-falsification reason. Metric: fraction of planted records the
-verifier correctly flags + fraction of repair operations that
-restore correctness.
-
-Maps to arborist surfaces: `falsification_state` transitions,
-`providence_repair` audit events, `arborist.qa.repair`.
-
-### 2.4 Formulate
-
-> *Logical Structuring: Degree of coherence in organized
-> knowledge structures.
-> Framework Clarity: Ease of comprehension and interpretability of
-> structured knowledge.*
-
-Each task: a free-text input + the expected claim-lattice
-structure (N claims, ordered, with pointer IDs). Metric: structural-
-match-rate (sorted-claim-text + pointer-ID-set agreement, NOT
-exact-string).
-
-Maps to arborist surfaces: `arborist.qa.parse_claims` +
-`arborist.pi_star.claim_lattice`.
-
-### 2.5 Feedback Loop
-
-> *Integration Efficiency: Speed and efficacy in assimilating
-> feedback into system processes.
-> Continuous Improvement: Measurable performance enhancements
-> through iterative feedback mechanisms.*
-
-Each task: a sequence of (operation, observation) pairs forming a
-feedback chain; the system should integrate observations into
-subsequent operations. Metric: integration-coverage-rate (fraction
-of observations that affect a downstream snapshot).
-
-Maps to arborist surfaces: `memory_branch_summaries` updates +
-`audit_events` chain delta between snapshots.
-
----
-
-## 3. Design choices
-
-### 3.1 Battery vs sibling layer
-
-**A. Treat 5F as a peer to 5S/5T inside `bench/batteries/`.** Same
-runner skeleton; new file `b_5f.py`.
-
-**B. Treat 5F as a separate top-level harness.** New module
-`bench/quality/`. Distinct because Function/Finetuning are
-operational rather than substrate-evaluation properties.
-
-**Recommendation:** A. Keeps the harness uniform; the runner CLI
-already supports arbitrary battery names. The semantic distinction
-between 5S/5T (substrate) and 5F (operational) is documented in
-the ticket but doesn't need a code-level distinction.
-
-### 3.2 Fixture sourcing per sub-battery
-
-| Sub-battery | Fixture source |
-|---|---|
-| Function | Hand-curated `(directive, expected-shape, evaluator)` triples. |
-| Finetuning | Generated from `selfmodel_records` chains in actual shards (or test fixtures). |
-| Falsification | Planted-error fixtures: known-bad providence records with stated falsification reason. |
-| Formulate | Hand-curated `(text, expected-claim-lattice)` pairs from existing claim-lattice tests. |
-| Feedback Loop | Multi-snapshot fixture chains; each chain tagged with expected memory-root delta semantics. |
-
-### 3.3 Phase staging
-
-Like 5S/5T, 5F lands in two phases:
-
-- **Phase 1a (this ticket scope):** runner skeleton in `b_5f.py`,
-  ~10 seed fixtures per sub-battery, all sub-batteries return real
-  results (no stubs). Get the surface up.
-- **Phase 1b (follow-up):** expand fixtures to 30-50 per sub-battery
-  for bench-floor signal.
-
----
-
-## 4. Implementation sketch
-
-### 4.1 Module + fixtures
-
 ```
-bench/batteries/b_5f.py             # new; Function/Finetuning/Falsification/Formulate/Feedback runners
-bench/fixtures/5f/function-v1.jsonl
-bench/fixtures/5f/finetuning-v1.jsonl
-bench/fixtures/5f/falsification-v1.jsonl
-bench/fixtures/5f/formulate-v1.jsonl
-bench/fixtures/5f/feedback-loop-v1.jsonl
+state-space exists but may not improve.
 ```
 
-### 4.2 Runner registration
+With 5F:
+
+```
+state-space becomes an adaptive learning organism.
+```
+
+That is the operational gap 5F closes.
+
+---
+
+## 2. State-space / time synthesis
+
+The folded-in correction (2026-05-08 review):
+
+> **SQD + Merkle-AGI v7 + 5S/5T/5F + arborist together instantiate
+> an explicit discrete state-space/time in which counting,
+> mathematics, and logic become auditable operations over committed
+> state — not just text generated by a latent model.**
+
+Define an arborist organism state at time `t`:
+
+```
+Ω_t = (
+  W_t,        workspace state
+  I_t,        invariant objects under π*
+  C_t,        concept / semiotic state
+  L_t,        claim lattice
+  MRoot_t,    memory root
+  SMRoot_t,   SelfModel root
+  PRoot_t,    policy root
+  BRoot_t,    benchmark root
+  ARoot_t,    audit root
+)
+```
+
+A transition is `Ω_{t+1} = T(Ω_t, Δ_t)` where `Δ_t ∈ {new evidence,
+new claim, new falsification, new benchmark result, new SelfModel
+update, new memory snapshot, new feedback observation, new repair
+operation}`. This is a discrete state-space/time — not metaphorical.
+The system has states, transitions, invariants, events, memory,
+verification, branching, rollback, selection pressure.
+
+5F maps onto the transitions:
+
+| Sub-battery | Transition question |
+|---|---|
+| Function | Does the transition do the intended operation? |
+| Finetuning | Does the organism improve across parent→child states? |
+| Falsification | Does the organism reject invalid states? |
+| Formulate | Does the organism convert raw input into structured state? |
+| Feedback Loop | Does observation at `t` affect state at `t+1`? |
+
+**Counting** emerges over finite committed sets (claims, verifier
+passes, memory branches, feedback observations integrated, SelfModel
+capability upgrades). **Mathematics** emerges over π*-canonical
+invariants. **Logic** emerges from verifier predicates, truthtables,
+syllogisms, transitivity, falsification states, admissibility
+labels. **Time** emerges from ordered state transitions across
+MemoryRoot / SelfModel / BenchmarkRoot.
+
+The break from traditional LLM stacks:
+
+> **Traditional LLMs generate math/logic as behavior. This stack
+> externalizes math/logic as committed, verifier-addressable state.**
+
+That is the architectural justification for 5F's existence as a
+distinct axis.
+
+---
+
+## 3. Carrier-aware 5F definitions
+
+Common rule:
+
+> A 5F task evaluates whether the organism can operate correctly
+> over a carrier, adapt over that carrier, falsify errors in that
+> carrier, formulate structure from it, or integrate feedback about
+> it.
+
+Phase 1a allowed carriers:
+
+```
+text · claim_lattice · providence_record ·
+selfmodel_snapshot · memory_snapshot · audit_event
+```
+
+Future carriers:
+
+```
+code · table · image · audio · video · sensor ·
+spatial/world states · tool_action · mixed · hidden_channel
+```
+
+Unsupported carriers in v1 → `reason="unsupported_carrier"`,
+explicit fail or skip.
+
+---
+
+## 4. Fixture schema
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5f-<sub>-NNN",
+  "battery": "5f",
+  "sub_battery": "function",
+  "version": "v1",
+
+  "carrier": "claim_lattice",
+  "domain": "qa_answer",
+  "pi_star_ref": "claim-lattice@v1",
+  "loss_report_refs": [],
+  "modality_notes": "Phase 1a uses text/claim-lattice; future carriers may include image, code, tool traces, world state.",
+
+  "task": { ... }
+}
+```
+
+---
+
+## 5. Per-sub-battery design
+
+### 5.1 Function
+
+**Definition:** does the system actually perform the designated
+operation? Phase 1a: directive → expected output shape →
+deterministic predicate.
+
+**Fixture shape:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5f-function-001",
+  "carrier": "claim_lattice",
+  "domain": "qa_answer",
+  "pi_star_ref": "claim-lattice@v1",
+  "directive": "Return exactly two claim-lattice claims with evidence pointers.",
+  "answer_mode": "claim_lattice",
+  "expected_shape": {
+    "claim_count": 2,
+    "pointers_required": true
+  },
+  "evaluator": "shape_match",
+  "expected": "pass"
+}
+```
+
+**v1 evaluators (deterministic only):**
+
+```
+shape_match · pointer_set_match · threshold_on_metric
+```
+
+**Future evaluators:** `ast_patch_applies`, `image_region_detected`,
+`world_state_updated`, `tool_postcondition_met`.
+
+**Metric:** `function_pass_rate = passed / total`.
+
+### 5.2 Finetuning
+
+**Definition:** measured improvement from parent state to child
+state after adaptation. Adaptation includes SelfModel update, policy
+update, benchmark-selected patch, π* canonicalizer update,
+memory-root update, model-profile change, actual model finetune.
+
+**Fixture shape:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5f-finetuning-001",
+  "carrier": "selfmodel_snapshot",
+  "domain": "capability_transition",
+  "pi_star_ref": "pi_selfmodel_v1",
+  "parent_selfmodel": "SM_PARENT",
+  "child_selfmodel": "SM_CHILD",
+  "target_capability": "CAP-5S-SYLLOGISM",
+  "parent_measured_value": 0.45,
+  "child_measured_value": 0.65,
+  "expected_improvement_min": 0.05,
+  "resource_budget": {
+    "max_compute_ms_delta": 1000,
+    "max_storage_delta_bytes": 1000000
+  },
+  "expected": "pass"
+}
+```
+
+**Metrics:**
+
+```
+adaptation_improvement_rate
+adaptation_efficiency = improvement_delta / capital_cost_delta
+```
+
+`adaptation_efficiency` hooks into the capital ledger (#000020,
+landed) and prepares fitness-cost weighing for v8 fork choice
+(#000012).
+
+### 5.3 Falsification
+
+**Definition:** does the system detect and correct errors?
+
+**Fixture shape:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5f-falsification-001",
+  "carrier": "providence_record",
+  "domain": "claim_lattice",
+  "pi_star_ref": "claim-lattice@v1",
+  "record": "planted_bad_providence_record",
+  "expected_reason": "WARRANT_MISSING",
+  "verifier_method_root": "...",
+  "repair_expected": true,
+  "expected": "pass"
+}
+```
+
+**Metrics:** `error_detection_rate`, `repair_success_rate`.
+
+**Verifier-method-root tag:** every Falsification fixture pins the
+`verifier_method_root` it was authored against. If the verifier
+shape changes upstream, the bench reports a *mismatch warning*
+instead of treating the fixture as a false failure.
+
+**Hidden / alternate-media safety framing:** future carriers
+(`carrier: "image"` / `"audio"` / `"hidden_channel"`) enable
+defensive Falsification tasks — *detect unexpected carrier*,
+*flag projection-loss risk*, *flag hidden-channel suspicion*,
+*reject unsupported semantics*. Never generation, never
+concealment.
+
+### 5.4 Formulate
+
+**Definition:** turn unstructured input into coherent, interpretable
+structure.
+
+Phase 1a: free text → claim lattice.
+
+Future: image → scene graph; table → relational model; code →
+AST/dependency-graph; sensor stream → event graph; world state →
+object-relation graph; mixed media → cross-modal claim lattice.
+
+**Fixture shape:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5f-formulate-001",
+  "carrier": "text",
+  "domain": "claim_lattice",
+  "pi_star_ref": "claim-lattice@v1",
+  "input_text": "Document sentence with two claims and two pointers.",
+  "expected_lattice": {
+    "claim_count": 2,
+    "ordered": true,
+    "pointer_id_sets": [["E1"], ["E2"]]
+  },
+  "match_policy": {
+    "claim_text": "sorted_approx",
+    "pointer_ids": "exact_set",
+    "order": "required"
+  },
+  "expected": "pass"
+}
+```
+
+**Metric:** `structural_match_rate`.
+
+**Match policy:** structural (sorted-approx claim text +
+exact-set pointer IDs + required order), NOT exact-string. Avoids
+brittleness without sacrificing determinism.
+
+### 5.5 Feedback Loop
+
+**Definition:** do observations at `t` change downstream
+behavior/state at `t+1`?
+
+This is the most important 5F component for recursive
+self-improvement. Without Feedback Loop, the state-space exists
+but does not learn.
+
+**Fixture shape:**
+
+```json
+{
+  "id": "5f-feedback-loop-001",
+  "carrier": "memory_snapshot",
+  "domain": "memory_root",
+  "pi_star_ref": "pi_memory_v1",
+  "chain": [
+    {"operation": "snapshot",      "observation": "claim X is stale"},
+    {"operation": "update_memory", "observation": "memory branch marks X stale"},
+    {"operation": "snapshot",      "expected_delta": "X appears in stale set"}
+  ],
+  "expected": "pass"
+}
+```
+
+**Metrics:**
+
+```
+integration_coverage_rate
+feedback_latency
+downstream_effect_rate
+feedback_efficiency = downstream_effect_count / capital_cost_delta
+```
+
+`feedback_efficiency` again hooks the capital ledger (#000020).
+
+**Phase 1a uses existing surfaces only:** `memory_records`,
+`memory_branch_summaries`, `audit_events`. No new substrate work.
+
+---
+
+## 6. Required file changes
+
+### 6.1 Module + fixtures
+
+```
+bench/batteries/b_5f.py                              # new
+bench/fixtures/5f/function-v1.jsonl                  # ~10 seed (Phase 1a)
+bench/fixtures/5f/finetuning-v1.jsonl                # ~10 seed
+bench/fixtures/5f/falsification-v1.jsonl             # ~10 seed
+bench/fixtures/5f/formulate-v1.jsonl                 # ~10 seed
+bench/fixtures/5f/feedback-loop-v1.jsonl             # ~10 seed
+```
+
+Each fixture file carries the standard `_meta` head with
+`battery="5f"`.
+
+### 6.2 Runner registration
 
 In `bench/batteries/runner.py`:
 
@@ -196,79 +382,147 @@ _BATTERIES = {
 }
 ```
 
-Existing `--all` mode picks up the new fixtures automatically once
-they're in `_DEFAULT_FIXTURES`.
-
-### 4.3 Makefile additions
+### 6.3 Make targets
 
 ```makefile
-bench-5f: bootstrap ## 5F battery (Function/Finetuning/Falsification/Formulate/Feedback Loop)
-	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5f --sub function   --fixtures bench/fixtures/5f/function-v1.jsonl
-	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5f --sub finetuning --fixtures bench/fixtures/5f/finetuning-v1.jsonl
-	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5f --sub falsification --fixtures bench/fixtures/5f/falsification-v1.jsonl
-	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5f --sub formulate  --fixtures bench/fixtures/5f/formulate-v1.jsonl
-	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5f --sub feedback-loop --fixtures bench/fixtures/5f/feedback-loop-v1.jsonl
+bench-5f-function:
+	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5f --sub function \
+	    --fixtures bench/fixtures/5f/function-v1.jsonl
 
-bench-5s5t5f: bench-5s bench-5t bench-5f ## complete Dav1DPrometheus suite
+bench-5f-finetuning:
+	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5f --sub finetuning \
+	    --fixtures bench/fixtures/5f/finetuning-v1.jsonl
+
+bench-5f-falsification:
+	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5f --sub falsification \
+	    --fixtures bench/fixtures/5f/falsification-v1.jsonl
+
+bench-5f-formulate:
+	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5f --sub formulate \
+	    --fixtures bench/fixtures/5f/formulate-v1.jsonl
+
+bench-5f-feedback-loop:
+	$(PY) -m bench.batteries.runner --battery 5f --sub feedback-loop \
+	    --fixtures bench/fixtures/5f/feedback-loop-v1.jsonl
+
+bench-5f: bench-5f-function bench-5f-finetuning \
+          bench-5f-falsification bench-5f-formulate \
+          bench-5f-feedback-loop
+
+bench-5s5t5f: bench-5s bench-5t bench-5f   ## complete Dav1DPrometheus suite
 ```
 
-### 4.4 Tests
-
-- `tests/test_bench_batteries.py` extension: positive coverage
-  for each new sub-battery.
-- Determinism tests: each runner produces identical
-  `BatteryResult.fixture_digest` and `runtime_digest` across
-  back-to-back runs.
-
-### 4.5 Bumps
-
-- New module `bench/batteries/b_5f.py`.
-- 5 new fixture files.
-- New Makefile targets.
-- No schema changes; no policy hash changes.
+`make bench-5s5t5f` becomes the canonical Dav1DPrometheus
+non-embodied AGI fitness surface.
 
 ---
 
-## 5. Out of scope
+## 7. Tests
 
-- Phase 1b fixture expansion (target 30-50 per sub-battery). Phase
-  1a's seed set lands first.
-- Cross-battery composition (e.g., "score this agent across
-  5S+5T+5F"). Aggregation is its own concern.
-- Calibration of metric thresholds. Phase 1a measures; thresholds
-  for v8 selection acceptance come later.
-- Auto-grading via LLM. All 5F evaluators are deterministic
-  predicates; LLM-as-judge is future work.
+```
+test_5f_function_runs
+test_5f_finetuning_runs
+test_5f_falsification_runs
+test_5f_formulate_runs
+test_5f_feedback_loop_runs
+test_5f_fixture_digest_stable
+test_5f_runtime_digest_stable
+test_5f_fixture_accepts_carrier_metadata
+test_5f_unsupported_future_carrier_fails_cleanly
+```
+
+Sub-battery-specific:
+
+```
+test_5f_function_shape_match_evaluator
+test_5f_function_pointer_set_match_evaluator
+test_5f_function_threshold_on_metric_evaluator
+test_5f_finetuning_requires_parent_and_child_selfmodel
+test_5f_falsification_verifier_method_root_mismatch_warns
+test_5f_formulate_pointer_id_set_exact_match
+test_5f_feedback_loop_observation_affects_downstream_snapshot
+```
 
 ---
 
-## 6. Risks & open questions
+## 8. Out of scope
 
-- **Function evaluator design.** "Did the system execute the
-  designated task" requires a per-task predicate. v1 ships a
-  small set of canonical evaluator types (shape-match,
-  pointer-set-match, threshold-on-metric). New evaluator types
-  land in follow-ups.
-- **Finetuning needs SelfModel chains.** Realistic fixtures
-  require real shard data with parent→child SelfModel transitions.
-  Phase 1a uses synthetic chains generated in-test; Phase 1b
-  pulls from production shards.
-- **Falsification fixtures are fragile.** A planted-error fixture
-  bound to a specific verifier signature may stop catching the
-  error if the verifier changes shape. Mitigation: tag each
-  Falsification fixture with the `verifier_method_root` it was
-  authored against; bench reports flag mismatches.
+- Phase 1b fixture expansion (target 30-50 per sub-battery).
+- Cross-battery composite scoring (5S + 5T + 5F aggregation is its
+  own concern).
+- Calibration of metric thresholds for v8 selection acceptance
+  (depends on #000012 v8 paper).
+- LLM-as-judge for any 5F task (forbidden by hard constraint).
+- Multimodal Phase 1a (text/claim-lattice/memory only; multimodal
+  comes after #000013 + #000015 follow-ups land).
+- Hidden-channel **generation**. Defensive detection only, in
+  Phase 1b+.
 
 ---
 
-## 7. Status
+## 9. Risks & mitigations
+
+| Risk | Mitigation |
+|---|---|
+| Function evaluator vague | v1 allows only named deterministic evaluator types: `shape_match`, `pointer_set_match`, `threshold_on_metric`. Future evaluators land in follow-ups. |
+| Finetuning fakes improvement | Require parent + child SelfModel roots; require measured_value pre/post; require improvement threshold; record capital cost. |
+| Falsification fixtures stale | Tag every fixture with `verifier_method_root`. Bench reports mismatch instead of false failure. |
+| Formulate exact-string brittle | Structural match only: claim count + order + pointer-ID-set + claim-text approximate/sorted. |
+| Feedback Loop needs substrate work | Use existing `memory_records`, `memory_branch_summaries`, `audit_events` surfaces. Phase 1a explicitly forbids new substrate. |
+| Premature multimodal scope creep | Carrier metadata in fixtures; non-text carriers fail/skip explicitly. |
+
+---
+
+## 10. Closure criterion
+
+### Phase 1a closes when:
+
+1. `bench/batteries/b_5f.py` lands.
+2. All five sub-battery runners are non-stub.
+3. Each sub-battery has ≥10 deterministic seed fixtures.
+4. Fixture metadata includes `carrier` / `domain` / `pi_star_ref`
+   / `loss_report_refs` / `modality_notes` fields.
+5. `make bench-5f` passes end-to-end.
+6. `make bench-5s5t5f` exists and runs the complete Dav1DPrometheus
+   suite.
+7. Runtime + fixture digests are deterministic across repeated
+   runs.
+8. No schema, governance hash, or canonicalization-version changes.
+9. No LLM-as-judge anywhere in 5F runners.
+
+### Phase 1b keeps the ticket in-progress until:
+
+10. 30-50 fixtures per sub-battery.
+11. Real shard-based Finetuning chains (replacing synthetic
+    parent→child SelfModel pairs from Phase 1a).
+12. Expanded Falsification planted-error suite covering every
+    documented failure-motif tag.
+13. Feedback Loop latency / efficiency metrics calibrated against
+    real workload data.
+14. Threshold calibration for v8 selection acceptance handed off
+    to ticket #000012.
+
+---
+
+## 11. Status
 
 **Open · awaiting go/no-go.** Larger surface than #000023 / #000024
-because 5F has five sub-batteries vs three remaining in 5S and
-four in 5T. Recommended sequencing: ship Phase 1a in one push
-(seed-fixture per sub-battery, ~10 each), then Phase 1b expands.
+(five sub-batteries vs three / four remaining). Recommended
+sequencing: ship Phase 1a in one push (seed fixtures + non-stub
+runners), Phase 1b expands.
 
-Closure criterion (Phase 1a): `bench/batteries/b_5f.py` lands
-with non-stub runners for all five sub-batteries; seed fixtures
-+ Makefile targets pass `make bench-5f` end-to-end. Phase 1b
-keeps the ticket open in-progress until fixtures are expanded.
+The synthesis statement that justifies 5F's existence as a distinct
+axis:
+
+> **SQD gives the invariant projection and verifier model.
+> Merkle-AGI v7 gives multimodal committed DAG structure. 5S gives
+> sign/meaning/derivation fitness. 5T gives transfer, logic,
+> triangulation, and time. 5F gives operation, adaptation,
+> falsification, formulation, and feedback. Together they
+> instantiate an explicit discrete state-space/time in which
+> counting, mathematics, and logic become auditable operations over
+> committed state — not just text generated by a latent model.**
+
+5F is the operational layer that turns the substrate into an
+adaptive learning organism. Without it, the state-space exists
+but does not improve.