[lostlight530]

Confirmed current defect

Base main: 04acde76af9f1058ed8abdd5c1c3e791423767dc

core/communication_transfer.py accepts a source-profile-correct figure-evidence sidecar whose claim_communication.bindings is not a list of JSON objects, then silently reports binding_count: 0 and copies bindings: [] rather than explicitly failing
This loses caller-declared visual-to-claim relationships and contradicts the bounded transfer contract's preservation semantics

Minimal correction

• core/communication_transfer.py — reject supplied non-null malformed binding collections before counting or copying
• tests/test_tool_cli.py — exercise malformed dict/list/scalar/mixed binding inputs, one real CLI JSON + exit-code path, and a valid explicit binding preservation case
• metadata/communication_transfer.contract.yaml — declare accepted binding collection shape and fail-closed policy
• docs/02-examples-and-contracts/COMMUNICATION_TRANSFER_CONTRACT.md — align the current handoff contract with implemented input validation
• No historical materials, broad refactoring, date-only edits, unrelated adapters, or default-branch writes

Evidence grades

• REMOTE_STATE_VERIFIED: GitHub current tree/main/PR/branch facts checked
• STATIC_SOURCE_REVIEW: current producer, consumer, machine contract and relevant test paths examined
• ISOLATED_REPRO_EXECUTED: source-equivalent minimal Python reproducer observed malformed dict bindings silently becoming [] and coverage 0
• Native pre-fix repository tests: NOT_EXECUTED (no reachable checkout)
• GitHub Actions exact-head run: TEST_EXECUTED / SUCCESS — run 40036383261, head b9eb4ad78d080989db4462ab9b72225c6232bc95
• python -m unittest tests.test_tool_cli -v: 11 tests OK, including both newly added malformed-binding and valid-binding regressions
• make test: success — core 10 tests, accessibility 13, Tool/Agent 16, offline UI 3; all actual job steps completed successfully
• Python compilation and JSON/HTML catalog generation: success
• Original maintenance scanner: NOT_EXECUTED
• No scientific truth, publisher acceptance, statistical certification or independent-reproduction claim

Freshness

Original base: 04acde76af9f1058ed8abdd5c1c3e791423767dc
Proposed head: b9eb4ad78d080989db4462ab9b72225c6232bc95
main...head at PR preparation: ahead 1 / behind 0, exactly four current files changed

READY_FOR_MAINTAINER_REVIEW after exact-head CI success — retain Draft; separate independent review and fresh base/head check are required before any authorized merge
No author self-merge, no auto-merge, no force push