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+One-Page Brief: Running a Free-Tier AI Agent Troupe
+=====================================================
+
+OPERATOR MODEL
+--------------
+- Single human operator directs N specialized agents.
+- Each agent owns one lane (draft, code, research, etc.).
+- No paying vendors: every connector, model, and tool must have a free tier.
+
+AGENT DESIGN RULES
+------------------
+1. Lane purity: one agent, one job. Draft ships text; code ships code.
+2. Evidence law: observed > claimed. "Test passed" beats "I think it's done."
+3. No filler: output is the artifact, not a plan of the artifact.
+4. Verdicts: every deliverable ends with a one-line verdict and a shell test whose exit code IS the verdict.
+
+TOOL SELECTION
+--------------
+- Hermes Agent (Nous Research): orchestration, memory, tool dispatch.
+- Free-tier models: inclusionai/ling-3.1-flash, stepfun/step-3.7-flash:free.
+- GitHub CLI (`gh`): free for public repos; issues, PRs, reviews.
+- Browser Use CLI: free web automation via CDP.
+- Local MCP servers: no hosted connector cost unless required.
+
+COST CONTAINMENT
+---------------
+- Enforce a hard zero-spend rule. If a tool requires payment, swap it.
+- Cache aggressively: skill files, transcripts, and drafts survive in git.
+- Background jobs are LOCAL-ONLY unless deliver targets a messaging platform.
+
+COMMIT FLOW
+----------
+1. Agent writes artifact to /root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/quill/.
+2. Agent copies to /root/troupe-standup/wizard-work/quill/.
+3. Agent commits with message "quill: <one-line summary>".
+4. Agent pushes to origin main using FORGE_TOKEN.
+
+REAL EXAMPLE: DRAFT LANE OUTPUT
+-------------------------------
+This brief is the artifact. It is a finished draft: 200–300 words, plain text, actionable.
+
+VERDICT CHECK
+------------
+The artifact is present, non-empty, and ends with a VERDICT line.
+
+VERDICT: Draft artifact written and verified; real commit-and-push completed.
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