v1.48.0.0 feat: AskUserQuestion split rule + runtime AUTO_DECIDE carve-out (#1740)

* feat(preamble): add "Handling 5+ options — split, never drop" rule

Agents repeatedly hit Conductor's 4-option AskUserQuestion cap and
silently drop one option to fit, shrinking the user's decision space.
This rule names the bug and gives two compliant shapes: batch into
≤4-groups (for coherent alternatives) or split into N sequential
per-option calls (for independent scope items, default).

Inline preamble subsection is ~15 lines (rule + buckets + pointer).
Full reference with worked examples, Hold/dependency semantics, and
final-summary validation lives in docs/askuserquestion-split.md.
The agent loads the docs file on demand when N>4.

Per-option call shape: D<N>.k header, ELI10, Recommendation, kind-note
(no completeness score — decision actions, not coverage), Include /
Defer / Cut / Hold buckets. Hold stops the chain immediately; the
final D<N>.final call validates dependencies and confirms the
assembled scope.

question_ids: <skill>-split-<option-slug> (kebab-case ASCII, ≤64
chars). Also fixes orphan "12. " prefix on the existing CJK rule.

Tier-2+ skills inherit via the existing resolver. SKILL.md regenerated
for all 41 affected skills + 3 golden fixtures. Net diff per SKILL.md:
~34 lines (vs ~110 for the full inline version).

6 tests pin the inline contract (4-option cap, buckets, D-numbering,
docs pointer, runtime AUTO_DECIDE gate reference, orphan 12 regression).

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* feat(question-pref): runtime AUTO_DECIDE carve-out for *-split-* ids

Split chains (per-option AskUserQuestion calls emitted by the new
"Handling 5+ options" rule) must never be silently auto-approved
via /plan-tune preferences. The user's option set is sacred.

Layer 1 (mechanism): unique <skill>-split-<option-slug> ids prevent
cross-option preference leakage. Layer 2 (this commit): the runtime
checker `gstack-question-preference --check` detects any id matching
*-split-* and forces ASK_NORMALLY even when never-ask or
ask-only-for-one-way preferences exist for that exact id. An
explanatory note tells the user their preference was bypassed and why.

7 tests pin the carve-out: no-pref baseline, never-ask override,
explanatory note text, ask-only-for-one-way override, always-ask
(no note), non-split id containing "split" word (negative case for
regex specificity), multi-skill split id formats.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* test(e2e): split-overflow regression for /plan-ceo-review

Periodic-tier E2E test that catches the original failure mode the
user complained about: 5+ options for ONE decision must split into
N sequential AskUserQuestion calls, not drop one to fit Conductor's
4-option cap.

Fixture: 5 independent chat-platform integration candidates
(Slack/Discord/Teams/Telegram/Mattermost), each carrying its own
include/defer/cut decision. Floor = 4 review-phase AUQs (standard
[N-1] tolerance band). Pre-fix "drop to 4 + 1 dropped" fails this
floor.

Wired into test/helpers/touchfiles.ts: tier periodic, depends on
plan-ceo-review/**, the new preamble subsection, the question-pref
binary (for the carve-out), and the runner helper. touchfiles.test.ts
expected count bumped 21 → 22 to account for the new entry.

Cost: ~$0.30/run when EVALS_TIER=periodic. Skips silently otherwise.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* chore: post-merge regen + rebase size-budget baseline to v1.47.0.0

After merging origin/main (v1.45 → v1.47), three things needed cleanup:

1. spec/SKILL.md (main's new skill) regenerated to include our split-vs-drop
   preamble subsection — same mechanical regen as the other 41 tier-2+ skills.
2. Three golden ship fixtures refreshed to capture main's GSTACK_PLAN_MODE
   block + /spec routing entry + jargon-list.json refactor.
3. docs/skills.md — added /spec table row that main's PR (#1698/#1733) shipped
   without. Pre-existing failure on main; this PR catches and fixes.

Also rebased test/skill-size-budget.test.ts from v1.44.1 → v1.47.0.0 baseline.
Main's v1.46 (catalog tokens trim) + v1.47 (/spec skill) pushed the v1.44.1
anchor past the 5% ratchet to ×1.059 — pre-existing failure on main. This
PR captures a fresh parity-baseline-v1.47.0.0.json and re-anchors the test
there. Historical v1.44.1.json and v1.46.0.0.json retained in test/fixtures/
for reference. Our subsection contributes ~0.1% of the post-rebase corpus.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

* chore: bump version and changelog (v1.48.0.0)

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

---------

Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,59 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [1.48.0.0] - 2026-05-26
+
+## **Agents stop dropping AskUserQuestion options when there are 5+.** A new canonical preamble rule + runtime gate makes Conductor's 4-option cap a split-or-batch decision, not a silent trim.
+
+The failure mode looked like this in real transcripts:
+
+> "I'm hitting Conductor's limit of 4 options in the AUQ, so I need to cut one. E4 is the biggest lift and probably beyond scope for v0.42 anyway. Trimming: E4. Moving to TODOs without asking. Re-firing with 4."
+
+The agent unilaterally cut an option from the user's decision set. This release names that as a bug and gives the agent two compliant shapes for any 5+ option scenario: batch into ≤4-groups when the options are coherent alternatives (version bumps, layout variants), or split into N sequential per-option calls when the options are independent scope items (which platforms to ship, which TODOs to land). Default-to-split when unsure. The inline preamble subsection is intentionally compressed; full reference with worked examples, Hold/dependency semantics, and final-summary validation lives in `docs/askuserquestion-split.md` — loaded on demand when N>4.
+
+A two-layer defense protects the option set from being silently auto-approved: per-option `question_id`s of shape `<skill>-split-<option-slug>` are unique per option (preferences can't leak across the chain), and the runtime checker `bin/gstack-question-preference --check` refuses `never-ask` on any `*-split-*` id with an explanatory note. The user's option set is sacred — the whole point of splitting is restoring user sovereignty over the decision space.
+
+### The numbers that matter
+
+Source: this branch's 4 commits + the post-merge regen against `main` at v1.47.0.0. Net diff: 57 files, ~2800 lines (most of it mechanical SKILL.md regen across all 41 tier-2+ skills, ~34 lines added per skill from the inline subsection injection).
+
+| Capability | Before this PR | After this PR |
+|---|---|---|
+| 5+ options for ONE decision | drop one to fit cap, hope user doesn't notice | split into N per-option calls OR batch into ≤4-groups, name the rule in the preamble |
+| Per-option call shape | n/a (couldn't reliably produce one) | `D<N>.k` header, Include / Defer / Cut / Hold buckets, kind-note (no completeness score), recommendation per option |
+| Hold semantics | undefined (chain might queue, might stop, agent-dependent) | stop chain immediately, resume on user "continue" |
+| Final summary | n/a | `D<N>.final` validates dependencies, reprompts conflicts, confirms assembled scope |
+| `D<N>.0` meta-question (N>6) | n/a | tool-call meta-question first: proceed / narrow / batch |
+| AUTO_DECIDE on split per-option calls | possible if user tuned the pattern via /plan-tune | runtime checker forces `ASK_NORMALLY` on any `*-split-*` id, with explanatory note |
+| Regression coverage | n/a | 6 inline-contract tests + 7 runtime-gate tests + 1 periodic-tier E2E behavior test (5-option scope fixture) |
+| Inline preamble bytes per SKILL.md | n/a | ~1.6 KB (vs ~4 KB if the full rule were inlined; deeper reference loaded on demand) |
+
+### What this means for builders
+
+Next time you give an agent a scope question with 5+ candidates, you'll see one of three shapes: a single batched AskUserQuestion with ≤4 buckets (if the options are coherent alternatives), N sequential per-option calls each with Include/Defer/Cut/Hold (if they're independent), or a `D<N>.0` meta-question first asking whether to proceed/narrow/batch (if N>6). You'll never see a silent trim. If you've ever wired up a /plan-tune `never-ask` preference, it now refuses to apply to split chains — the runtime check forces ASK_NORMALLY with a note explaining why.
+
+### Itemized changes
+
+#### Added
+- New canonical preamble subsection in `scripts/resolvers/preamble/generate-ask-user-format.ts`: "Handling 5+ options — split, never drop". Inline-compressed (~1.6 KB per tier-2+ skill); full reference at `docs/askuserquestion-split.md`.
+- `docs/askuserquestion-split.md`: ~200-line deep reference covering both compliant shapes (batched / split), per-option call mechanics with `D<N>.k` numbering, Hold-means-stop semantics, final-summary dependency validation with conflict reprompt, `D<N>.0` meta-question for N>6, `<skill>-split-<option-slug>` question_id format, and the two-layer AUTO_DECIDE defense.
+- Runtime AUTO_DECIDE gate in `bin/gstack-question-preference --check`: detects any `question_id` matching `*-split-*` and forces `ASK_NORMALLY` regardless of stored `never-ask` or `ask-only-for-one-way` preferences. Emits an explanatory note so the user knows their preference was bypassed and why.
+- `test/skill-e2e-plan-ceo-split-overflow.test.ts`: periodic-tier regression test using a 5-option chat-platform integration fixture. Floor 4 review-phase AUQs (N-1 tolerance). Catches the original drop-to-fit-4 failure mode.
+
+#### Changed
+- Test baseline anchor rebased v1.44.1 → v1.47.0.0 in `test/skill-size-budget.test.ts`. Main's v1.46 (catalog tokens) + v1.47 (/spec) growth pushed the v1.44.1 anchor past the 5% ratchet; rebasing absorbs that growth at HEAD. Historical `parity-baseline-v1.44.1.json` and `parity-baseline-v1.46.0.0.json` retained in `test/fixtures/` for reference.
+- 3 self-check items added to the AskUserQuestion preamble checklist (split-not-drop, dependency-check-before-chain, Hold-stops-immediately).
+- 41 tier-2+ skills regenerated to inherit the new subsection (~34 lines each via the preamble resolver).
+- 3 golden ship fixtures refreshed for the new preamble.
+
+#### Fixed
+- Orphan `12.` numbered-list prefix on the existing CJK rule in `generate-ask-user-format.ts` — refactoring artifact, no items 1-11 above it. Removed.
+- `docs/skills.md` missing `/spec` table row (pre-existing miss from PR #1698/#1733 that landed `/spec` to main without updating the doc inventory). Added.
+
+#### For contributors
+- 6 resolver tests pin the inline-subsection contract (4-option cap text, Include/Defer/Cut/Hold buckets, D-numbering shape, AUTO_DECIDE runtime gate reference, docs pointer, orphan-12 regression).
+- 7 runtime-gate tests in `test/gstack-question-preference.test.ts` cover the carve-out: no-pref baseline, never-ask override, explanatory note text, ask-only-for-one-way override, always-ask (no note), non-split id containing "split" word (negative regex specificity), multi-skill split id formats.
+- `parity-baseline-v1.47.0.0.json` captured via `bun run scripts/capture-baseline.ts --tag v1.47.0.0`.
+
 ## [1.47.0.0] - 2026-05-26
 
 ## **`/spec` ships: turn vague intent into a precise, executable spec in five phases.** Pipe the spec into a spawned Claude Code agent, dedupe against existing issues, archive locally for the team corpus, and let `/ship` close the source issue on merge.