fix(review,implementation): lower effort pins on three binary-criteria checkers to medium

docs/plugin-philosophy.md

@@ -1220,7 +1220,9 @@ name is not the same underlying value across models):
   tool schema, 2026-07-29), so it structurally inherits the session level and its floor is the
   session baseline; promoting such a lane to a named agent is how it gains the pin (a required
   effort pin satisfies the named-agent bar's pin clause). `planning:plan-reviewer` pins `medium`
-  by the [recorded exception](#named-agent-bar). An orchestrator skill
+  by the [recorded exception](#named-agent-bar), and `implementation:phase-verifier`,
+  `review:ci-log-auditor`, and `review:doc-drift-detector` pin `medium` because each checks
+  against binary criteria ([pinned agents](#effort-tiers)). An orchestrator skill
   whose consequential work executes in generic dispatches is likewise out of reach: a skill-level
   pin governs the orchestrating conversation, and whether it propagates to subagents spawned
   while the skill is active is undocumented, so treat propagation as unknown alongside the cache
@@ -1310,18 +1312,23 @@ name is not the same underlying value across models):
 
 **Pinned `effort: high` agents.**
 
-- **Claim:** Fourteen named agents pin `effort: high` so a session tuned down for cost does not
-  silently cheapen consequential workers, and one more pins `effort: medium`. There is no
+- **Claim:** Eleven named agents pin `effort: high` so a session tuned down for cost does not
+  silently cheapen consequential workers, and four pin `effort: medium`: `plan-reviewer` by its
+  recorded exception, and `phase-verifier`, `ci-log-auditor`, and `doc-drift-detector` because
+  each checks against binary criteria. The lowering is owner-decided Option B, narrow, at
+  `medium` and not `low`, because a low-effort executor stops detecting that it is stuck.
+  `security-reviewer` and `architecture-guardian` stay `high`. There is no
   per-invocation `effort` on Agent-tool dispatch, so a frontmatter pin is what holds a named
   agent's lane. The `CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL` environment variable overrides every pin at once
   for the whole session (the environment variable still wins, per above), and a `maxEffortLevel`
   or organization effort cap limits any pin above the cap. Both act on the whole session; neither
   cited page documents a per-lane or per-plugin lever.
 - **Basis:** The agent definitions on origin/main (2026-09-29). `effort: high`: `implementation`
-  `implementer` and `phase-verifier`; `discovery` `explorer`, `researcher`, `intent-tracer`, and
-  `research-verifier`; `review` `code-reviewer`, `architecture-guardian`, `ci-log-auditor`,
-  `doc-drift-detector`, `ecosystem-specialist`, and `security-reviewer`; `plugin-quality`
-  `auditor`; `songwriting` `object-writer`. `effort: medium`: `planning` `plan-reviewer`. Issue
+  `implementer`; `discovery` `explorer`, `researcher`, `intent-tracer`, and
+  `research-verifier`; `review` `code-reviewer`, `architecture-guardian`,
+  `ecosystem-specialist`, and `security-reviewer`; `plugin-quality`
+  `auditor`; `songwriting` `object-writer`. `effort: medium`: `implementation` `phase-verifier`;
+  `review` `ci-log-auditor` and `doc-drift-detector`; `planning` `plan-reviewer`. Issue
   [#4253](https://github.com/melodic-software/claude-code-plugins/issues/4253) is the source of
   the filed list of eleven, which omits `auditor`, `object-writer`, and `research-verifier`. The
   Agent-tool gap is stated in this section ("a generic Agent-tool dispatch carries no effort
@@ -1336,8 +1343,8 @@ name is not the same underlying value across models):
   tasks ([optimizing for cost and intelligence](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/about-claude/models/optimizing-for-cost-and-intelligence),
   [effort](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/effort), same fetch date).
 - **As of:** 2026-09-29.
-- **Recheck:** the Agent tool gains a per-invocation `effort` parameter, a maintainer lowers or
-  drops a named pin, or a plugin ships a `userConfig` effort key that actually reaches the worker.
+- **Recheck:** a checker pinned `medium` misses a defect its `high` pin caught, the Agent tool gains
+  a per-invocation `effort` parameter, a maintainer lowers or drops a named pin, or a plugin ships a `userConfig` effort key that actually reaches the worker.
 
 **Effort is one dial of two, and the other is not an effort value.** The `thinking` parameter decides
 whether Claude reasons in thinking blocks; `effort` decides how hard the whole response works,

plugins/implementation/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "$schema": "https://json.schemastore.org/claude-code-plugin-manifest.json",
   "name": "implementation",
-  "version": "0.19.14",
+  "version": "0.19.15",
   "description": "Disciplined implementation stage: execute approved plans inline (`/implementation:implement`) or via orchestrated worker subagents (`/implementation:implement-dispatch`) with incremental validation, TDD-by-default cadence, green-checkpoint commits, scope-fence drift detection, and divergence detection that routes back to planning. Build/test/lint, testing, and outcome verification live in the companion `toolchain`, `testing`, and `verification` plugins, invoked when installed.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Melodic Software",

plugins/implementation/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -3,6 +3,14 @@
 All notable changes to the `implementation` plugin are documented here. Format follows
 [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/); this plugin uses semantic versioning.
 
+## [0.19.15] - 2026-09-29
+
+### Changed
+
+- **`phase-verifier` pins `effort: medium`, down from `high`.** It checks a phase against binary
+  criteria, so the extra effort bought cost without changing the verdict. `implementer` stays at
+  `high`.
+
 ## [0.19.14] - 2026-09-29
 
 ### Added

plugins/implementation/agents/phase-verifier.md

@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ skills:
   - testing:test-value
 tools: "Read, Grep, Glob, Bash, PowerShell"
 model: opus
-effort: high
+effort: medium
 ---
 
 You are the phase verifier: a fresh-context subagent dispatched at a phase boundary to decide

plugins/review/.claude-plugin/plugin.json

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "$schema": "https://json.schemastore.org/claude-code-plugin-manifest.json",
   "name": "review",
-  "version": "0.33.8",
+  "version": "0.33.9",
   "description": "Code-review toolkit: six reviewer agents, read-only over the reviewed code (code, security, architecture, doc drift, build/test/lint, CI-log audit), plus orchestration skills for the quality gate, fan-out, and enforceability audit (/review:audit-enforceability), an offered HTML pull-request explainer (/review:pr-explainer), and CI lane commands (/review:code-review, /review:security-review) for org reusable workflows.",
   "author": {
     "name": "Melodic Software",

plugins/review/CHANGELOG.md

@@ -3,6 +3,15 @@
 All notable changes to the `review` plugin are documented here. Format follows
 [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/); this plugin uses semantic versioning.
 
+## [0.33.9] - 2026-09-29
+
+### Changed
+
+- **`ci-log-auditor` and `doc-drift-detector` pin `effort: medium`, down from `high`.** Both check
+  against binary criteria, so the extra effort bought cost without changing the verdict.
+  `code-reviewer`, `security-reviewer`, `architecture-guardian` and `ecosystem-specialist` stay at
+  `high`.
+
 ## [0.33.8] - 2026-09-29
 
 ### Security

plugins/review/agents/ci-log-auditor.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ name: ci-log-auditor
 description: "CI run auditor, read-only over the reviewed code by instruction. Detects masked failures, silently-skipped jobs, suspicious 'success' steps, performance outliers, retry loops, and stderr drift, issues NOT raised as ##[error] markers. Use for 'audit run X', 'thorough CI review', 'why did this pass when something looks off', or after a green run the user doubts."
 tools: "Read, Grep, Glob, Bash"
 model: sonnet
-effort: high
+effort: medium
 maxTurns: 25
 memory: local
 ---

plugins/review/agents/doc-drift-detector.md

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ name: doc-drift-detector
 description: "Documentation freshness and accuracy specialist. Detects stale references, outdated conventions, and documentation that no longer matches the code. Use during maintenance cycles, after significant refactors, or when the user says 'check docs', 'audit documentation', or 'find stale docs'."
 tools: "Read, Grep, Glob, Bash"
 model: sonnet
-effort: high
+effort: medium
 maxTurns: 30
 memory: local
 ---