Merge origin/main (v1.91.7.0) into test-audit-reduction

Keep both intents: v1.91.7.0's functional QA, docsync and exploratory
paid cases and their free owners stay; this branch's deletions stay
deleted. main's new paid keys follow the derived-closure touchfile rule
(free *.test.ts paths dropped, static helper/fixture closure added), its
new helper-only tests join the ratchet baseline, and its free selection
examples that named free test files now assert the derived selection.

Periodic CI keeps seven slices without the retired Autoplan slice; the
gate census keeps seven single-worker slices with --skip-judges. Wall
and census literals are recomputed from the merged planner, durations
are re-recorded on Ubicloud, and VERSION stays 1.91.8.0 above 1.91.7.0.

test/skill-validation.test.ts

@@ -1165,16 +1165,14 @@ describe('gstack-slug', () => {
 // --- Test Bootstrap validation ---
 
 describe('Test Bootstrap ({{TEST_BOOTSTRAP}}) integration', () => {
-  // qa carve: the rendered TEST_BOOTSTRAP body lives in
-  // qa/sections/test-bootstrap.md — read the skeleton+sections union.
   test('TEST_BOOTSTRAP resolver produces valid content', () => {
-    const qaContent = readSkillUnion('qa');
-    expect(qaContent).toContain('Test Framework Bootstrap');
-    expect(qaContent).toContain('RUNTIME:ruby');
-    expect(qaContent).toContain('RUNTIME:node');
-    expect(qaContent).toContain('RUNTIME:python');
-    expect(qaContent).toContain('no-test-bootstrap');
-    expect(qaContent).toContain('BOOTSTRAP_DECLINED');
+    const content = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'ship/sections/tests.md'), 'utf8');
+    expect(content).toContain('Test Framework Bootstrap');
+    expect(content).toContain('RUNTIME:ruby');
+    expect(content).toContain('RUNTIME:node');
+    expect(content).toContain('RUNTIME:python');
+    expect(content).toContain('no-test-bootstrap');
+    expect(content).toContain('BOOTSTRAP_DECLINED');
   });
 
   test('TEST_BOOTSTRAP appears in qa/SKILL.md', () => {
@@ -1254,7 +1252,15 @@ describe('Phase 8e.5 regression test generation', () => {
 
   test('qa/SKILL.md Rule 13 is amended for regression tests', () => {
     const content = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'qa', 'SKILL.md'), 'utf-8');
-    expect(content).toContain('Only modify tests when generating regression tests in Phase 8e.5');
+    expect(content).toContain('Only create tests through authorized codification in Phase 8a.5');
+    expect(content).toContain('Never modify CI configuration or weaken existing tests');
+    expect(content.indexOf('### 8a.5. Regression test before repair')).toBeLessThan(content.indexOf('### 8b. Fix'));
+    expect(content).toContain('Run its detected command before repair');
+    expect(content).toContain('Re-run the regression, original failing probe and adjacent happy path');
+    const exploratory = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'qa', 'sections', 'exploratory.md'), 'utf-8').replace(/\s+/g, ' ');
+    expect(exploratory).toContain('Phase 8 regression gates before verified repair');
+    expect(exploratory).toContain('Replay the exact failing command/request from the same initial fixture state via steps 2–3 (same native command, fresh capture ID) before repair');
+    expect(exploratory).toContain('Another input or a regression test is not that replay');
     expect(content).not.toContain('Never modify tests or CI configuration');
   });
 
@@ -1356,7 +1362,7 @@ describe('ship step numbering', () => {
   // Drift), 9.1 (Review Army), 9.2 (Findings Merge), 9.3 (Cross-review dedup),
   // 9.4 (Fix-First and persistence), 15.0 (WIP context), 15.1 (Bisectable commits),
   // 15.2 (safe optional WIP consolidation).
-  const ALLOWED_SUBSTEPS = new Set(['0.9', '8.1', '8.2', '9.1', '9.2', '9.3', '9.4', '15.0', '15.1', '15.2']);
+  const ALLOWED_SUBSTEPS = new Set(['0.9', '8.1', '8.2', '9.1', '9.2', '9.3', '9.4', '11.5', '14.5', '15.0', '15.1', '15.2']);
 
   test('ship/SKILL.md.tmpl contains no unexpected fractional step numbers', () => {
     const tmpl = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'ship', 'SKILL.md.tmpl'), 'utf-8');
@@ -1385,18 +1391,19 @@ describe('ship step numbering', () => {
     const fractional = headings.filter((n) => n.includes('.'));
     const unexpected = fractional.filter((n) => !ALLOWED_SUBSTEPS.has(n));
     expect(unexpected).toEqual([]);
+    expect(headings.filter((n) => n === '11.5')).toHaveLength(1);
   });
 
   test('review/SKILL.md step numbers unchanged (regression guard for resolver conditionals)', () => {
-    // Carved skill: Step 4.5 lives in sections/review-army.md and Step 5.7 in
+    // Carved skill: Step 4.5 lives in sections/review-army.md and Step 4.8 in
     // sections/adversarial.md — read the skeleton+sections union.
     const skill = readSkillUnion('review');
-    // /review uses its own fractional numbering: 1.5, 2.5, 4.5, 5.5, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8
+    // /review uses its own fractional numbering: 1.5, 2.5, 4.5, 4.8, 5.8
     // If the ship-side renumber accidentally touched the review-side of resolver conditionals,
     // these would vanish. This test catches that.
     expect(skill).toContain('## Step 1.5: Scope Drift Detection');
     expect(skill).toContain('## Step 4.5: Review Army');
-    expect(skill).toContain('## Step 5.7: Adversarial review');
+    expect(skill).toContain('## Step 4.8: Adversarial review');
   });
 });
 
@@ -1566,7 +1573,7 @@ describe('Codex skill', () => {
   });
 
   test('adversarial review in /review always runs both passes', () => {
-    // Carved skill: the Step 5.7 adversarial body lives in sections/adversarial.md.
+    // Carved skill: the Step 4.8 adversarial body lives in sections/adversarial.md.
     const content = readSkillUnion('review');
     expect(content).toContain('Adversarial review (always-on)');
     // Always-on: both Claude and Codex adversarial
@@ -1600,7 +1607,7 @@ describe('Codex skill', () => {
   });
 
   test('scope drift detection in /review and /ship', () => {
-    const reviewContent = fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, 'review', 'SKILL.md'), 'utf-8');
+    const reviewContent = readSkillUnion('review');
     const shipContent = readShipUnion();
     // Both should contain scope drift from the shared resolver
     for (const content of [reviewContent, shipContent]) {
@@ -2016,7 +2023,7 @@ describe('Test failure triage in ship skill', () => {
 
   test('ship/SKILL.md uses in-branch language for stop condition', () => {
     const content = readShipUnion();
-    expect(content).toContain('In-branch test failures');
+    expect(content).toContain('If any in-branch failures remain unfixed, **STOP**. Do not proceed');
   });
 });