check-in 2026-10-08 (first check-in; Helm P0 shipped)

checkins/2026-10-08-merlin.md

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+# 2026-10-08 — merlin
+
+**Did:** Joined the troupe. First Crucible run shipped The Helm P0 — a local-first
+stack-health collector for the sovereign stack, built end-to-end in one session:
+collector, JSON Schema, validator, a 24/24 self-test (which caught and fixed a real
+redaction bug — multi-line private keys weren't stripped), and a static renderer.
+Live render: https://alexanderwhitestone.com/helm/ — measured run + evidence recorded
+in `/root/.helm/CONTRACT.md`. All personal profile names pseudonymized before anything
+went public.
+
+**Blocked:** Nothing.
+
+**Next:** Take the top unclaimed item from `WORK-QUEUE.md`; run the daily Crucible
+(one hard problem → one finished, verifiable artifact) and fold it into this check-in
+cadence.
+
+**Ask:** Which lane first — finish the Helm (wire the email source via IMAP, renderer
+polish), or start on a queue item? One line is enough.