diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index c76990ced..a041451b6 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ Add or update a test alongside any change to engine scripts, adapters, migration
 
 ## Prose Tests
 
-`tests/prose/` — end-to-end tests for the prose logic (design: `design/prose-tests.md`). A case is a directory under `tests/prose/cases/{case-id}/`: `case.json` (values code branches on), `fixture.md` + `fixture-state.cjs` (the starting world), `act.md` (the coarse instruction a walker agent follows through the real skills), `assert.md` (the expected path, seen only by the asserting agent), optional `assertion-state.cjs` (the world the walk should produce; absent = unchanged), and the two generated snapshots. Nothing is parsed and prose never shares a file with code. Shared pipeline stages live in `tests/prose/mainlines/`. Walks cost tokens — run on command via the `/prose-test` dev skill, never as part of a routine gate. The deterministic perimeter runs under `npm test`: corpus validation plus snapshot goldens — every snapshot must rebuild byte-identical from its recipe under the frozen clock, skipped when nothing feeding it changed. When an engine change moves a world, regenerate with `node tests/prose/run.cjs snap {case-id}` and land the snapshot diff in the same PR; never hand-edit a snapshot. Every review finding lands twice: the fix, and the case that would have caught it. At the end of a PR that touches skill prose, run `node tests/prose/run.cjs select --diff main` and suggest running the intersecting cases.
+`tests/prose/` — end-to-end tests for the prose logic (design: `design/prose-tests.md`). A case is a directory under `tests/prose/cases/{case-id}/`: `case.json` (values code branches on, including the required `entry` and any deterministic `invariants`), `fixture.md` + `fixture-state.cjs` (the starting world), `act.md` (the coarse instruction a walker agent follows through the real skills), `assert.md` (the expected path, seen only by the asserting agent), optional `assertion-state.cjs` (the world the walk should produce; absent = unchanged), and the two generated snapshots. Nothing is parsed and prose never shares a file with code. **A case starts where a session starts and runs until state lands**: `entry` must name `workflow-start`, a `workflow-*-entry` skill, or `workflow-discovery` — never a navigation or processing skill, never a reference — because a walk begun mid-session lacks the context the prose was written for, and one that stops at a gate leaves an empty delta and nothing but display claims to judge. Claims that code can settle belong in `invariants` (`engine_before_write`, `calls_include`, `calls_exclude`), which run before the asserter and whose verdicts it cannot overturn. Shared pipeline stages live in `tests/prose/mainlines/`. Walks cost tokens — run on command via the `/prose-test` dev skill, never as part of a routine gate. The deterministic perimeter runs under `npm test`: corpus validation plus snapshot goldens — every snapshot must rebuild byte-identical from its recipe under the frozen clock, skipped when nothing feeding it changed. When an engine change moves a world, regenerate with `node tests/prose/run.cjs snap {case-id}` and land the snapshot diff in the same PR; never hand-edit a snapshot. Every review finding lands twice: the fix, and the case that would have caught it. At the end of a PR that touches skill prose, run `node tests/prose/run.cjs select --diff main` and suggest running the intersecting cases.
 
 ## Knowledge Base Subsystem
 
diff --git a/design/prose-tests.md b/design/prose-tests.md
index 7307f07ce..dba57d890 100644
--- a/design/prose-tests.md
+++ b/design/prose-tests.md
@@ -170,6 +170,30 @@ testing.
   A failure is a finished result; diagnosing it is a separate, human-led
   act. This is stated in prose in each definition rather than relied on
   from tool restrictions, which an agent may hold regardless.
+- **P9 — a case starts where a session starts, and runs until state
+  lands.** The only real openings are `workflow-start` (the user's), a
+  `workflow-*-entry` skill (what a bridge plan file invokes after a
+  context clear), and `workflow-discovery` (epic continuation). Navigation
+  and processing skills are always reached mid-session; a reference is
+  never entered directly. A walk carries only the context it accumulates,
+  so one begun in the middle is judged under conditions the prose was
+  never written for, and its verdict means nothing in either direction.
+  Enforced in `lib/cases.cjs` by the required `entry` field, not left to
+  authoring discipline. The same rule ends a case: stop at a gate and the
+  delta is empty, the claims turn into descriptions of a display, and the
+  asserter is left comparing the walker's account of what it showed
+  against the case's account of what it should have shown — with no
+  independent ground truth anywhere in the loop.
+
+- **P10 — what code can decide, code decides.** A case declares
+  invariants over the recorded actions (`lib/invariants.cjs`) that run
+  before the asserter sees anything, and whose verdicts it may not
+  overturn. They exist because the world delta proves the outcome but not
+  that it was earned — a walk that ignored every instruction and wrote
+  the expected files lands the same state. Not a pinned call sequence:
+  recording and replaying one would freeze whatever the walker happened
+  to do, certifying broken prose instead of catching it.
+
 - **P7 — a failing case is a finding either way.** Either the prose
   broke, or the world/design moved and the case is stale. The
   adjudication is the point; only the typo-class staleness is
@@ -218,6 +242,29 @@ testing.
 
 ## Log
 
+- 2026-07-26 — Two findings that dissolved a long-running mystery, and
+  the rules that follow from them. First: we were judging a walk by the
+  single message an agent returns, while the walk itself happens across
+  dozens of turns. Every step narrated at the time and compressed out of
+  the closing summary read as a step never taken — the "under-reporting"
+  blamed first on the walker, then on the model, was ours. A Sonnet walk
+  of continue-feature was marked down for skipping the selection menu;
+  its transcript shows it emitted the display, emitted the menu verbatim,
+  stopped, consumed the scripted answer and validated the selection. An
+  Opus walk of the same case made byte-identical tool calls. The runtime
+  writes every turn already and the stop payload names the file, so the
+  hook now lifts them into the world (P6e). Second, and underneath it:
+  four cases started where no session ever starts — two at navigation
+  skills, one at a processing skill, one inside a reference. They are
+  retired, and the rule is enforced rather than remembered (P9). The
+  residue is now decided in code where it can be (P10). Along the way the
+  recorder was found to have been reading `tool_output` when the field is
+  `tool_response`, so every successful call had recorded its status and
+  nothing else, and the stop hook had never once fired — its world is
+  resolved from the transcript now, which also stamps the model on every
+  verdict, since an unreloaded definition can otherwise run a walk on a
+  model nobody chose.
+
 - 2026-07-26 — The first round that found more prose than instrument.
   Recording finally live (the blocker was `hasTrustDialogAccepted`, which
   gates frontmatter hooks in project subagents and fails silently), five
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/act.md b/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/act.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 0f11a5af9..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/act.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-Execute skills/workflow-continue-bugfix/SKILL.md with no arguments, as
-it is invoked when the caller has no work unit pre-selected. Follow it
-through selection and the bugfix's state display. Stop once the state
-and its menu have been shown — do not invoke the route.
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/assert.md b/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/assert.md
deleted file mode 100644
index f975a31a2..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/assert.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-The prose should have taken this path:
-
-1. initialisation is casing only — boot and migrations belong to the
-   entry skill
-2. shows the selection display and menu rather than auto-selecting the
-   only bugfix
-3. validates the selection, then shows the bugfix's pipeline state
-4. the state shows no phase started, and the continue action routes to
-   investigation entry — a bugfix's first phase is investigation, never
-   discussion or specification
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/case.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 7a221fd7f..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/case.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "origin": "bugfix mainline — a fresh bug routes to investigation, not discussion",
-  "files": [
-    "skills/workflow-continue-bugfix/SKILL.md",
-    "skills/workflow-continue-bugfix/references/select-bugfix.md",
-    "skills/workflow-continue-bugfix/references/bugfix-display-and-menu.md"
-  ],
-  "answers": [
-    "the number listed against `crash-fix`"
-  ]
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture-state.cjs b/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture-state.cjs
deleted file mode 100644
index 6cd47642e..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture-state.cjs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-'use strict';
-
-// The bug is captured and nothing has been started.
-
-const m = require('../../mainlines/bugfix.cjs');
-
-module.exports = {
-  build(h) {
-    m.init(h);
-    m.create(h);
-  },
-};
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.claude/settings.json b/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.claude/settings.json
deleted file mode 100644
index ae019ede5..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.claude/settings.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "showClearContextOnPlanAccept": true,
-  "permissions": {
-    "allow": [
-      "Edit(.workflows/**)",
-      "Bash(mv .workflows/:*)"
-    ]
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.recipe-hash b/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.recipe-hash
deleted file mode 100644
index 259e11ddc..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.recipe-hash
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-f2d22a09d2680d82822f6042b87baf77dacbf41d4d8cb2b6d26a33d5c4129ff9
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/.state/migrations b/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/.state/migrations
deleted file mode 100644
index 3c7162acc..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/.state/migrations
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,52 +0,0 @@
-001
-002
-003
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-005
-006
-007
-008
-009
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-011
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-052
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture b/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture
deleted file mode 100644
index 779cbf28a..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-.cache/
-.manifest.json.*.tmp
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/discovery/sessions/session-001.md b/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/discovery/sessions/session-001.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 6dc56d4e3..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/discovery/sessions/session-001.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
-# Discovery Session 001
-
-Date: 2026-01-01
-Work unit: crash-fix
-
-## Description (as of session)
-
-Checkout crashes when an order has no shipping address.
-
-## Seed
-
-(none)
-
-## Imports
-
-(none)
-
-## Map State at Start
-
-(n/a — single-topic work)
-
-## Exploration
-
-Reported by two users this week: the checkout page 500s at the
-payment step for orders with no shipping address. Reproducible on
-staging with a digital-only basket. No error surfaces to the user —
-the page just fails. Confirmed as a bugfix; no design question here,
-so it routes straight to investigation.
-
-## Edits
-
-(none)
-
-## Topics Identified
-
-(none)
-
-## Conclusion
-
-(none)
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/manifest.json b/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/manifest.json
deleted file mode 100644
index eaaa56199..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/manifest.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "name": "crash-fix",
-  "work_type": "bugfix",
-  "status": "in-progress",
-  "created": "2026-01-01",
-  "description": "Checkout crashes when an order has no shipping address",
-  "phases": {}
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/manifest.json b/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/manifest.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 1cd498ed5..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-bugfix-routes-to-investigation/fixture/.workflows/manifest.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "work_units": {
-    "crash-fix": {
-      "work_type": "bugfix"
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/act.md b/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/act.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 93e469eef..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/act.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-Execute skills/workflow-continue-feature/SKILL.md with no arguments, as
-it is invoked when the caller has no work unit pre-selected. Follow it
-through selection and the feature's state display. Stop once the state
-and its menu have been shown — do not invoke the route.
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/assert.md b/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/assert.md
deleted file mode 100644
index b789b6b49..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/assert.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-The prose should have taken this path:
-
-1. initialisation is casing only — no boot and no migrations, which the
-   entry skill has already guaranteed
-2. shows the selection display and menu even though `pay` is the only
-   feature — never auto-selects
-3. validates the selection, then shows the feature's pipeline state
-4. the state shows no phase started, and the menu's continue action
-   routes to discussion entry for work type feature, work unit pay
-
-Further claims:
-
-- navigation only reads: no phase is started by looking at it
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/case.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 33c362b36..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/case.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "origin": "feature mainline — navigation shows state and routes to the next phase",
-  "files": [
-    "skills/workflow-continue-feature/SKILL.md",
-    "skills/workflow-continue-feature/references/select-feature.md",
-    "skills/workflow-continue-feature/references/feature-display-and-menu.md"
-  ],
-  "answers": [
-    "the number listed against `pay`"
-  ]
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture-state.cjs b/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture-state.cjs
deleted file mode 100644
index e4b78cd71..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture-state.cjs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-'use strict';
-
-// The feature exists and nothing has been started.
-
-const m = require('../../mainlines/feature.cjs');
-
-module.exports = {
-  build(h) {
-    m.init(h);
-    m.create(h);
-  },
-};
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.claude/settings.json b/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.claude/settings.json
deleted file mode 100644
index ae019ede5..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.claude/settings.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "showClearContextOnPlanAccept": true,
-  "permissions": {
-    "allow": [
-      "Edit(.workflows/**)",
-      "Bash(mv .workflows/:*)"
-    ]
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.recipe-hash b/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.recipe-hash
deleted file mode 100644
index 92519878f..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.recipe-hash
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-5b0a7d802b3a436a4656bc000122451bb015f2250f8fef47b1d05f3ea51ba96b
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/.state/migrations b/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/.state/migrations
deleted file mode 100644
index 3c7162acc..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/.state/migrations
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,52 +0,0 @@
-001
-002
-003
-004
-005
-006
-007
-008
-009
-010
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-012
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-014
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diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture b/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture
deleted file mode 100644
index 779cbf28a..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-.cache/
-.manifest.json.*.tmp
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/manifest.json b/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/manifest.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 987f6c236..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/manifest.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "work_units": {
-    "pay": {
-      "work_type": "feature"
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/pay/discovery/sessions/session-001.md b/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/pay/discovery/sessions/session-001.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 2aab96961..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/pay/discovery/sessions/session-001.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,39 +0,0 @@
-# Discovery Session 001
-
-Date: 2026-01-01
-Work unit: pay
-
-## Description (as of session)
-
-Accept card payments at checkout.
-
-## Seed
-
-(none)
-
-## Imports
-
-(none)
-
-## Map State at Start
-
-(n/a — single-topic work)
-
-## Exploration
-
-Shaped as a single feature: accept card payments at checkout using
-the existing gateway account. Card-only for v1 came up early and was
-softly agreed; wallet support was noted as a likely deferral. No
-research need surfaced — routed straight to discussion.
-
-## Edits
-
-(none)
-
-## Topics Identified
-
-(none)
-
-## Conclusion
-
-(none)
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/pay/manifest.json b/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/pay/manifest.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 1cf8afb0e..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/continue-feature-routes-to-discussion/fixture/.workflows/pay/manifest.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "name": "pay",
-  "work_type": "feature",
-  "status": "in-progress",
-  "created": "2026-01-01",
-  "description": "Accept card payments at checkout",
-  "phases": {}
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-entry-seeds-from-carrier/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-entry-seeds-from-carrier/case.json
index 85b404f92..514a9adfa 100644
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-entry-seeds-from-carrier/case.json
+++ b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-entry-seeds-from-carrier/case.json
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {
   "origin": "feature mainline \u2014 single-phase work seeds from its durable carrier",
+  "entry": "workflow-discussion-entry",
   "files": [
     "skills/workflow-discussion-entry/SKILL.md",
     "skills/workflow-shared/references/ensure-discovery-item.md"
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/act.md b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/act.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 09ae57f9a..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/act.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-Execute skills/workflow-discussion-process/SKILL.md from its first step,
-as the entry skill has just invoked it for work unit `pay`, topic `pay`.
-Follow it through initialisation. Stop once the session loop is behind
-you and the prose moves on to reviewing the discussion — do not begin
-the review, dispatch any agent, or conclude the phase.
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/assert.md b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/assert.md
deleted file mode 100644
index a45e704a3..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/assert.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,25 +0,0 @@
-The prose should have taken this path:
-
-1. resume detection finds no discussion file and treats this as a fresh
-   discussion — no resume choice is offered
-2. initialisation registers the discussion in the manifest through the
-   engine before any map command, since the map requires the item to
-   exist
-3. it creates the discussion file from the template, including the
-   terminal Triage section seeded as `(none)`
-4. it derives initial subtopics from the context available and records
-   each on the map through the engine, each landing `pending`
-5. it commits the initialised discussion
-6. the session loop is where the conversation would happen, and the walk
-   resumes after it to reach the review step, which it does not enter
-
-Further claims:
-
-- the subtopic names are derived by the walker from the seed and context,
-  so which names appear and how many is expected to vary between runs.
-  What matters is that at least one was recorded through the engine, that
-  each began `pending`, and that by the end none remain `pending`.
-- the discussion file's working sections hold the substituted content,
-  and its Triage section reads `(none)`
-- the discussion item exists in the manifest with its subtopics; no other
-  phase has been touched
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/case.json
deleted file mode 100644
index c024e03f7..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/case.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "origin": "framework — the mid-flow substitution: an unscripted conversation stood in for, so the steps around it can be walked",
-  "world": "claims",
-  "files": [
-    "skills/workflow-discussion-process/SKILL.md",
-    "skills/workflow-discussion-process/references/initialize-discussion.md",
-    "skills/workflow-discussion-process/references/template.md"
-  ],
-  "stubs": {
-    "discussion-pay-decided": "once the discussion file has been created from the template, the map seeded, and the initialisation commit made — the moment the prose would enter the session loop"
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture-state.cjs b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture-state.cjs
deleted file mode 100644
index 546391b87..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture-state.cjs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-'use strict';
-
-// A feature routed to discussion with nothing started — the discussion
-// file does not exist, so initialisation runs for real.
-
-const m = require('../../mainlines/feature.cjs');
-
-module.exports = {
-  build(h) {
-    m.init(h);
-    m.create(h);
-  },
-};
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture.md b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 9f3a2c546..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-The feature exists and no phase has started. Discovery shaped it and
-routed it to discussion; the discussion entry skill has already run and
-handed over, so the processing skill is starting from its first step.
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.claude/settings.json b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.claude/settings.json
deleted file mode 100644
index ae019ede5..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.claude/settings.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "showClearContextOnPlanAccept": true,
-  "permissions": {
-    "allow": [
-      "Edit(.workflows/**)",
-      "Bash(mv .workflows/:*)"
-    ]
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.recipe-hash b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.recipe-hash
deleted file mode 100644
index af934cf8a..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.recipe-hash
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-9b48d4c996d773219dc60a44fcc014b1f534adc4d22537741a96575da66d2e46
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/.state/migrations b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/.state/migrations
deleted file mode 100644
index 3c7162acc..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/.state/migrations
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,52 +0,0 @@
-001
-002
-003
-004
-005
-006
-007
-008
-009
-010
-011
-012
-013
-014
-015
-016
-017
-018
-019
-020
-021
-022
-023
-024
-025
-026
-027
-028
-029
-030
-031
-032
-033
-034
-035
-036
-037
-038
-039
-040
-041
-042
-043
-044
-045
-046
-047
-048
-049
-050
-051
-052
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture
deleted file mode 100644
index 779cbf28a..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-.cache/
-.manifest.json.*.tmp
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/manifest.json b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/manifest.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 987f6c236..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/manifest.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "work_units": {
-    "pay": {
-      "work_type": "feature"
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/pay/discovery/sessions/session-001.md b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/pay/discovery/sessions/session-001.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 2aab96961..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/pay/discovery/sessions/session-001.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,39 +0,0 @@
-# Discovery Session 001
-
-Date: 2026-01-01
-Work unit: pay
-
-## Description (as of session)
-
-Accept card payments at checkout.
-
-## Seed
-
-(none)
-
-## Imports
-
-(none)
-
-## Map State at Start
-
-(n/a — single-topic work)
-
-## Exploration
-
-Shaped as a single feature: accept card payments at checkout using
-the existing gateway account. Card-only for v1 came up early and was
-softly agreed; wallet support was noted as a likely deferral. No
-research need surfaced — routed straight to discussion.
-
-## Edits
-
-(none)
-
-## Topics Identified
-
-(none)
-
-## Conclusion
-
-(none)
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/pay/manifest.json b/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/pay/manifest.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 1cf8afb0e..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/discussion-session-substituted/fixture/.workflows/pay/manifest.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "name": "pay",
-  "work_type": "feature",
-  "status": "in-progress",
-  "created": "2026-01-01",
-  "description": "Accept card payments at checkout",
-  "phases": {}
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/implementation-picks-first-task/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/implementation-picks-first-task/case.json
index cf3393720..f5c58f453 100644
--- a/tests/prose/cases/implementation-picks-first-task/case.json
+++ b/tests/prose/cases/implementation-picks-first-task/case.json
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {
   "origin": "feature mainline \u2014 entry through resume detection to the first task",
+  "entry": "workflow-implementation-entry",
   "files": [
     "skills/workflow-implementation-entry/SKILL.md",
     "skills/workflow-implementation-entry/references/validate-phase.md",
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/investigation-entry-seeds-from-carrier/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/investigation-entry-seeds-from-carrier/case.json
index 71758ea1b..8f64940f7 100644
--- a/tests/prose/cases/investigation-entry-seeds-from-carrier/case.json
+++ b/tests/prose/cases/investigation-entry-seeds-from-carrier/case.json
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {
   "origin": "bugfix mainline \u2014 a bug shaped in discovery is never re-interrogated",
+  "entry": "workflow-investigation-entry",
   "files": [
     "skills/workflow-investigation-entry/SKILL.md",
     "skills/workflow-investigation-entry/references/invoke-skill.md"
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/planning-entry-asks-for-late-context/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/planning-entry-asks-for-late-context/case.json
index 83b632fd8..8ff061076 100644
--- a/tests/prose/cases/planning-entry-asks-for-late-context/case.json
+++ b/tests/prose/cases/planning-entry-asks-for-late-context/case.json
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {
   "origin": "feature mainline \u2014 planning offers a last chance to add context",
+  "entry": "workflow-planning-entry",
   "files": [
     "skills/workflow-planning-entry/SKILL.md",
     "skills/workflow-planning-entry/references/validate-spec.md",
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/review-entry-fresh/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/review-entry-fresh/case.json
index e19d4dfa4..a365e2cd2 100644
--- a/tests/prose/cases/review-entry-fresh/case.json
+++ b/tests/prose/cases/review-entry-fresh/case.json
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {
   "origin": "feature mainline \u2014 review refuses to start until delivery is complete",
+  "entry": "workflow-review-entry",
   "files": [
     "skills/workflow-review-entry/SKILL.md",
     "skills/workflow-review-entry/references/validate-phase.md"
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/act.md b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/act.md
deleted file mode 100644
index c3225285c..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/act.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-Walk root-cause-validation.md from the top, as the processing skill
-would. Stop when the reference returns to its caller.
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assert.md b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assert.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 291c65e4b..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assert.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,20 +0,0 @@
-The prose should have taken this path:
-
-1. the scripted `yes` is consumed at the run-or-skip choice, so the walk
-   takes the run arm — a `skip` would have returned to the caller with no
-   dispatch at all
-2. the dispatch is recorded through the engine, and the report lands at
-   the path that response returned — the prose does not invent a path or
-   pre-create the file
-3. exactly one validation agent stands behind that dispatch: one dispatch
-   recorded, one report written, no second of either
-4. once the report has landed, the row is promoted by a scan and closed
-   by an incorporate — the verdict is consumed whole, never surfaced
-   finding by finding
-5. the report is read and, the verdict being validated, the reference
-   returns to its caller — the gap-handling choice is never reached, so
-   no gaps are recorded and the investigation file is never edited
-
-Further claims:
-
-- nothing is committed: the validated path has no gaps to record
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion-state.cjs b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion-state.cjs
deleted file mode 100644
index 12c381e52..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion-state.cjs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,27 +0,0 @@
-'use strict';
-
-// The fixture state plus what the walk should have done: the dispatch
-// recorded, the agent's report landed at the path the dispatch returned,
-// scan promoting the row and incorporate closing it. The report content
-// comes from the same stub the case arms, so the bytes the walk writes
-// and the bytes expected here cannot drift apart.
-
-const fs = require('fs');
-const path = require('path');
-
-const fixture = require('./fixture-state.cjs');
-const m = require('../../mainlines/bugfix.cjs');
-const { readStub } = require('../../lib/cases.cjs');
-
-module.exports = {
-  build(h) {
-    fixture.build(h);
-
-    const dispatch = JSON.parse(h.engine(
-      'agent', 'dispatch', m.WU, 'investigation', m.WU, '--kind', 'root-cause-validation'));
-    fs.mkdirSync(path.dirname(path.join(h.dir, dispatch.file)), { recursive: true });
-    h.write(dispatch.file, readStub('root-cause-validated').content);
-    h.engine('agent', 'scan', m.WU, 'investigation', m.WU);
-    h.engine('agent', 'incorporate', m.WU, 'investigation', m.WU, dispatch.id);
-  },
-};
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.claude/settings.json b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.claude/settings.json
deleted file mode 100644
index ae019ede5..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.claude/settings.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "showClearContextOnPlanAccept": true,
-  "permissions": {
-    "allow": [
-      "Edit(.workflows/**)",
-      "Bash(mv .workflows/:*)"
-    ]
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.recipe-hash b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.recipe-hash
deleted file mode 100644
index d38ba55a6..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.recipe-hash
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-b65c43b1fced1a2d5742f96a2d6d1a8278f67d44c143552dbb42bee06badded6
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/.cache/crash-fix/investigation/crash-fix/root-cause-validation-001.md b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/.cache/crash-fix/investigation/crash-fix/root-cause-validation-001.md
deleted file mode 100644
index ce1c9b4c4..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/.cache/crash-fix/investigation/crash-fix/root-cause-validation-001.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-# Root Cause Validation
-
-The tax context is built before the payment intent and reads the shipping
-address unconditionally. Traced fresh: an address-less order fails at that
-read, which matches the documented root cause.
-
-STATUS: validated
-CONFIDENCE: high
-GAPS_COUNT: 0
-SUMMARY: Root cause confirmed by an independent trace.
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/.cache/crash-fix/investigation/crash-fix/state.json b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/.cache/crash-fix/investigation/crash-fix/state.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 7eb5a78f1..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/.cache/crash-fix/investigation/crash-fix/state.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "agents": {
-    "root-cause-validation-001": {
-      "id": "root-cause-validation-001",
-      "kind": "root-cause-validation",
-      "phase": "investigation",
-      "topic": "crash-fix",
-      "set": "001",
-      "status": "incorporated",
-      "announced": false,
-      "findings": [],
-      "surfaced": [],
-      "created": "2026-01-01T00:00:00.000Z"
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/.state/migrations b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/.state/migrations
deleted file mode 100644
index 3c7162acc..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/.state/migrations
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,52 +0,0 @@
-001
-002
-003
-004
-005
-006
-007
-008
-009
-010
-011
-012
-013
-014
-015
-016
-017
-018
-019
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-021
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-023
-024
-025
-026
-027
-028
-029
-030
-031
-032
-033
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-035
-036
-037
-038
-039
-040
-041
-042
-043
-044
-045
-046
-047
-048
-049
-050
-051
-052
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture
deleted file mode 100644
index 779cbf28a..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-.cache/
-.manifest.json.*.tmp
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/crash-fix/discovery/sessions/session-001.md b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/crash-fix/discovery/sessions/session-001.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 6dc56d4e3..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/crash-fix/discovery/sessions/session-001.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
-# Discovery Session 001
-
-Date: 2026-01-01
-Work unit: crash-fix
-
-## Description (as of session)
-
-Checkout crashes when an order has no shipping address.
-
-## Seed
-
-(none)
-
-## Imports
-
-(none)
-
-## Map State at Start
-
-(n/a — single-topic work)
-
-## Exploration
-
-Reported by two users this week: the checkout page 500s at the
-payment step for orders with no shipping address. Reproducible on
-staging with a digital-only basket. No error surfaces to the user —
-the page just fails. Confirmed as a bugfix; no design question here,
-so it routes straight to investigation.
-
-## Edits
-
-(none)
-
-## Topics Identified
-
-(none)
-
-## Conclusion
-
-(none)
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/crash-fix/investigation/crash-fix.md b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/crash-fix/investigation/crash-fix.md
deleted file mode 100644
index d5fc263a9..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/crash-fix/investigation/crash-fix.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,88 +0,0 @@
-# Investigation: Checkout Crash On Missing Shipping Address
-
-## Symptoms
-
-### Problem Description
-
-Checkout returns a 500 at the payment step when the order has no
-shipping address. No error is surfaced to the user.
-
-### Manifestation
-
-Server error on POST to the payment step; the page fails blank.
-
-### Reproduction Steps
-
-1. Add a digital-only product to the basket.
-2. Proceed to checkout without entering a shipping address.
-3. Continue to the payment step — the request 500s.
-
-### Environment
-
-Reproduced on staging; reported twice in production this week.
-
-### Impact
-
-Digital-only orders cannot complete checkout.
-
-### References
-
-(none)
-
-## Analysis
-
-### Hypotheses
-
-- The payment step assumes a shipping address is always present.
-- Tax calculation may be the first consumer of the missing address.
-
-### Code Trace
-
-The payment step builds a tax context from the order before creating
-the payment intent. The tax context reads the shipping address
-unconditionally; for a digital-only order the address is absent, so
-the read fails and the request aborts before any handler catches it.
-
-### Root Cause
-
-The tax context treats the shipping address as mandatory. Digital-only
-orders legitimately have none, so the assumption is wrong rather than
-the data being wrong.
-
-### Contributing Factors
-
-Digital-only baskets were introduced after the tax context was written.
-
-### Why It Wasn't Caught
-
-No test covers a basket with no shippable line items.
-
-### Blast Radius
-
-Any flow building a tax context from an address-less order.
-
-## Fix Direction
-
-### Chosen Approach
-
-(pending)
-
-### Options Explored
-
-(none yet)
-
-### Discussion
-
-(none yet)
-
-### Testing Recommendations
-
-(pending)
-
-### Risk Assessment
-
-(pending)
-
-## Notes
-
-(none)
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/crash-fix/manifest.json b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/crash-fix/manifest.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 88bf183ff..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/crash-fix/manifest.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "name": "crash-fix",
-  "work_type": "bugfix",
-  "status": "in-progress",
-  "created": "2026-01-01",
-  "description": "Checkout crashes when an order has no shipping address",
-  "phases": {
-    "investigation": {
-      "items": {
-        "crash-fix": {
-          "status": "in-progress"
-        }
-      }
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/manifest.json b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/manifest.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 1cd498ed5..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/assertion/.workflows/manifest.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "work_units": {
-    "crash-fix": {
-      "work_type": "bugfix"
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/case.json
deleted file mode 100644
index aab675685..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/case.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "origin": "bugfix mainline — the validation agent's lifecycle on a clean verdict",
-  "files": [
-    "skills/workflow-investigation-process/references/root-cause-validation.md"
-  ],
-  "answers": [
-    "yes — run root cause validation"
-  ],
-  "stubs": {
-    "root-cause-validated": "when the engine records a dispatch of kind root-cause-validation"
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture-state.cjs b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture-state.cjs
deleted file mode 100644
index 67d91fdbf..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture-state.cjs
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-'use strict';
-
-// The investigation is open with its root cause documented, and no agent has run.
-
-const m = require('../../mainlines/bugfix.cjs');
-
-module.exports = {
-  build(h) {
-    m.init(h);
-    m.create(h);
-    m.investigateToRootCause(h);
-  },
-};
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture.md b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 95d92d942..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-The investigation is open with its symptoms gathered and its root cause
-documented. The processing skill has worked down to its root-cause
-validation step; nothing has been validated yet and no agent has run.
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.claude/settings.json b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.claude/settings.json
deleted file mode 100644
index ae019ede5..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.claude/settings.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,9 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "showClearContextOnPlanAccept": true,
-  "permissions": {
-    "allow": [
-      "Edit(.workflows/**)",
-      "Bash(mv .workflows/:*)"
-    ]
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.recipe-hash b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.recipe-hash
deleted file mode 100644
index d38ba55a6..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.recipe-hash
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-b65c43b1fced1a2d5742f96a2d6d1a8278f67d44c143552dbb42bee06badded6
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/.state/migrations b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/.state/migrations
deleted file mode 100644
index 3c7162acc..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/.state/migrations
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,52 +0,0 @@
-001
-002
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-007
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-009
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-052
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture
deleted file mode 100644
index 779cbf28a..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/_gitignore.fixture
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,2 +0,0 @@
-.cache/
-.manifest.json.*.tmp
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/discovery/sessions/session-001.md b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/discovery/sessions/session-001.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 6dc56d4e3..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/discovery/sessions/session-001.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
-# Discovery Session 001
-
-Date: 2026-01-01
-Work unit: crash-fix
-
-## Description (as of session)
-
-Checkout crashes when an order has no shipping address.
-
-## Seed
-
-(none)
-
-## Imports
-
-(none)
-
-## Map State at Start
-
-(n/a — single-topic work)
-
-## Exploration
-
-Reported by two users this week: the checkout page 500s at the
-payment step for orders with no shipping address. Reproducible on
-staging with a digital-only basket. No error surfaces to the user —
-the page just fails. Confirmed as a bugfix; no design question here,
-so it routes straight to investigation.
-
-## Edits
-
-(none)
-
-## Topics Identified
-
-(none)
-
-## Conclusion
-
-(none)
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/investigation/crash-fix.md b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/investigation/crash-fix.md
deleted file mode 100644
index d5fc263a9..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/investigation/crash-fix.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,88 +0,0 @@
-# Investigation: Checkout Crash On Missing Shipping Address
-
-## Symptoms
-
-### Problem Description
-
-Checkout returns a 500 at the payment step when the order has no
-shipping address. No error is surfaced to the user.
-
-### Manifestation
-
-Server error on POST to the payment step; the page fails blank.
-
-### Reproduction Steps
-
-1. Add a digital-only product to the basket.
-2. Proceed to checkout without entering a shipping address.
-3. Continue to the payment step — the request 500s.
-
-### Environment
-
-Reproduced on staging; reported twice in production this week.
-
-### Impact
-
-Digital-only orders cannot complete checkout.
-
-### References
-
-(none)
-
-## Analysis
-
-### Hypotheses
-
-- The payment step assumes a shipping address is always present.
-- Tax calculation may be the first consumer of the missing address.
-
-### Code Trace
-
-The payment step builds a tax context from the order before creating
-the payment intent. The tax context reads the shipping address
-unconditionally; for a digital-only order the address is absent, so
-the read fails and the request aborts before any handler catches it.
-
-### Root Cause
-
-The tax context treats the shipping address as mandatory. Digital-only
-orders legitimately have none, so the assumption is wrong rather than
-the data being wrong.
-
-### Contributing Factors
-
-Digital-only baskets were introduced after the tax context was written.
-
-### Why It Wasn't Caught
-
-No test covers a basket with no shippable line items.
-
-### Blast Radius
-
-Any flow building a tax context from an address-less order.
-
-## Fix Direction
-
-### Chosen Approach
-
-(pending)
-
-### Options Explored
-
-(none yet)
-
-### Discussion
-
-(none yet)
-
-### Testing Recommendations
-
-(pending)
-
-### Risk Assessment
-
-(pending)
-
-## Notes
-
-(none)
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/manifest.json b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/manifest.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 88bf183ff..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/crash-fix/manifest.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,16 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "name": "crash-fix",
-  "work_type": "bugfix",
-  "status": "in-progress",
-  "created": "2026-01-01",
-  "description": "Checkout crashes when an order has no shipping address",
-  "phases": {
-    "investigation": {
-      "items": {
-        "crash-fix": {
-          "status": "in-progress"
-        }
-      }
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/manifest.json b/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/manifest.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 1cd498ed5..000000000
--- a/tests/prose/cases/root-cause-validation-clean-verdict/fixture/.workflows/manifest.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "work_units": {
-    "crash-fix": {
-      "work_type": "bugfix"
-    }
-  }
-}
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/smoke-start-boot-structure/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/smoke-start-boot-structure/case.json
index 07b9e0424..c47d0f93f 100644
--- a/tests/prose/cases/smoke-start-boot-structure/case.json
+++ b/tests/prose/cases/smoke-start-boot-structure/case.json
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {
-  "origin": "framework smoke — a structure-only walk, no world",
+  "origin": "framework smoke \u2014 a structure-only walk, no world",
+  "entry": "workflow-start",
   "files": [
     "skills/workflow-start/SKILL.md#Boot"
   ]
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/spec-entry-from-discussion/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/spec-entry-from-discussion/case.json
index f7f4aa938..95045863f 100644
--- a/tests/prose/cases/spec-entry-from-discussion/case.json
+++ b/tests/prose/cases/spec-entry-from-discussion/case.json
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {
   "origin": "feature mainline \u2014 a feature's spec draws on its discussion",
+  "entry": "workflow-specification-entry",
   "files": [
     "skills/workflow-specification-entry/SKILL.md",
     "skills/workflow-specification-entry/references/validate-source.md",
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/spec-entry-from-investigation/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/spec-entry-from-investigation/case.json
index e0849f435..c48f2332e 100644
--- a/tests/prose/cases/spec-entry-from-investigation/case.json
+++ b/tests/prose/cases/spec-entry-from-investigation/case.json
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {
   "origin": "bugfix mainline \u2014 the same entry skill, sourced from an investigation",
+  "entry": "workflow-specification-entry",
   "files": [
     "skills/workflow-specification-entry/SKILL.md",
     "skills/workflow-specification-entry/references/validate-source.md",
diff --git a/tests/prose/cases/start-lists-active-work/case.json b/tests/prose/cases/start-lists-active-work/case.json
index c4b7667c2..8cd90c53f 100644
--- a/tests/prose/cases/start-lists-active-work/case.json
+++ b/tests/prose/cases/start-lists-active-work/case.json
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 {
   "origin": "feature mainline \u2014 the entry skill surfaces work without touching it",
+  "entry": "workflow-start",
   "files": [
     "skills/workflow-start/SKILL.md"
   ],
diff --git a/tests/prose/lib/cases.cjs b/tests/prose/lib/cases.cjs
index e26d82620..371f8cc37 100644
--- a/tests/prose/lib/cases.cjs
+++ b/tests/prose/lib/cases.cjs
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@
 // modules.
 //
 //   case.json            the values code branches on:
-//                          { origin, files[], answers[], stubs{name: trigger},
-//                            world: "claims" (optional),
+//                          { origin, entry, files[], answers[],
+//                            stubs{name: trigger}, world: "claims" (optional),
 //                            invariants{} (optional) — see lib/invariants.cjs }
 //   fixture.md           optional. Prose describing the starting world —
 //                        what has already happened, where the session
@@ -35,6 +35,20 @@
 // variability is genuinely the model's to decide; a world a recipe can
 // build must be built.
 //
+// `entry` names where the walk starts, and it may only be somewhere a
+// real session starts: `workflow-start` (the user's way in), a
+// `workflow-*-entry` skill (what the bridge's plan file invokes after a
+// context clear), or `workflow-discovery` (epic continuation). Nothing
+// else is a legitimate opening — navigation and processing skills are
+// always invoked mid-session, and a reference is never entered directly.
+//
+// This matters because a walk carries only the context it accumulates.
+// Start one in the middle and the world may be right while the reading
+// that got there is missing, so the prose is judged under conditions it
+// was never written for and the verdict means nothing either way. The
+// cases that broke this rule were the ones producing findings that
+// dissolved on inspection.
+//
 // act.md and assert.md are separate files because that is the P4
 // boundary: the walker must never see the expected trace, and a file
 // boundary enforces it structurally rather than by convention.
@@ -98,6 +112,7 @@ function loadCase(id) {
     rel: path.relative(ROOT, dir),
     metaError,
     origin: meta.origin || null,
+    entry: meta.entry || null,
     files: (meta.files || []).map((spec) => {
       const hash = spec.indexOf('#');
       return hash === -1
@@ -160,6 +175,27 @@ function headingExists(absPath, anchor) {
   });
 }
 
+/**
+ * Where a walk may begin. A session starts at workflow-start, or at the
+ * entry skill a bridge plan file names after a context clear, or at
+ * discovery for an epic continuation — never anywhere else.
+ */
+function entryErrors(entry) {
+  if (!entry) return ['has no entry — name the skill the walk starts at'];
+  const allowed = entry === 'workflow-start'
+    || entry === 'workflow-discovery'
+    || /^workflow-[a-z-]+-entry$/.test(entry);
+  if (!allowed) {
+    return [`entry "${entry}" is not somewhere a session starts — use workflow-start, `
+      + 'a workflow-*-entry skill, or workflow-discovery. Navigation and processing '
+      + 'skills are only ever reached mid-session, and a reference never directly'];
+  }
+  if (!fs.existsSync(path.join(ROOT, 'skills', entry, 'SKILL.md'))) {
+    return [`entry "${entry}" is not a skill in skills/`];
+  }
+  return [];
+}
+
 function validateCorpus(cases) {
   const errors = [];
   const stubs = new Set(listStubs());
@@ -169,6 +205,7 @@ function validateCorpus(cases) {
     if (c.metaError) { errors.push(`${at}: ${c.metaError}`); continue; }
     if (!/^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*$/.test(c.id)) errors.push(`${at}: case directory is not kebab-case`);
     if (!c.origin) errors.push(`${at}: ${FILES.meta} has no origin`);
+    for (const e of entryErrors(c.entry)) errors.push(`${at}: ${FILES.meta} ${e}`);
 
     if (c.files.length === 0) errors.push(`${at}: ${FILES.meta} scopes no files`);
     for (const f of c.files) {
@@ -225,5 +262,6 @@ function validateCorpus(cases) {
 
 module.exports = {
   ROOT, PROSE_DIR, CASES_DIR, STUBS_DIR, FILES, SNAPSHOTS,
-  listCaseIds, loadCase, loadAllCases, requireState, listStubs, readStub, validateCorpus,
+  listCaseIds, loadCase, loadAllCases, requireState, listStubs, readStub,
+  validateCorpus, entryErrors,
 };
diff --git a/tests/scripts/test-prose-invariants.cjs b/tests/scripts/test-prose-invariants.cjs
index 4d79cd855..8179495f1 100644
--- a/tests/scripts/test-prose-invariants.cjs
+++ b/tests/scripts/test-prose-invariants.cjs
@@ -189,3 +189,45 @@ describe('declaration validation', () => {
     assert.match(invariants.declarationErrors(['engine_before_write'])[0], /must be an object/);
   });
 });
+
+describe('entry points — where a walk may begin', () => {
+  const cases = require('../prose/lib/cases.cjs');
+
+  it('accepts the user entry point', () => {
+    assert.deepEqual(cases.entryErrors('workflow-start'), []);
+  });
+
+  it('accepts an entry skill, which a bridge plan invokes after a context clear', () => {
+    assert.deepEqual(cases.entryErrors('workflow-implementation-entry'), []);
+    assert.deepEqual(cases.entryErrors('workflow-specification-entry'), []);
+  });
+
+  it('accepts discovery, the one continuation that is not an entry skill', () => {
+    assert.deepEqual(cases.entryErrors('workflow-discovery'), []);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a navigation skill — always invoked by workflow-start, never cold', () => {
+    const [error] = cases.entryErrors('workflow-continue-feature');
+    assert.match(error, /not somewhere a session starts/);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a processing skill — always invoked by its entry skill', () => {
+    assert.match(cases.entryErrors('workflow-discussion-process')[0], /not somewhere a session starts/);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a reference, which is never entered directly', () => {
+    assert.match(cases.entryErrors('root-cause-validation.md')[0], /not somewhere a session starts/);
+  });
+
+  it('rejects a plausible name that is not a skill on disk', () => {
+    assert.match(cases.entryErrors('workflow-imaginary-entry')[0], /not a skill in skills\//);
+  });
+
+  it('requires one at all', () => {
+    assert.match(cases.entryErrors(null)[0], /has no entry/);
+  });
+
+  it('holds for the live corpus', () => {
+    assert.deepEqual(cases.validateCorpus(cases.loadAllCases()), []);
+  });
+});