diff --git a/tools/import_resolve_check.py b/tools/import_resolve_check.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3fa64a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/import_resolve_check.py
@@ -0,0 +1,851 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""import_resolve_check.py -- a committed test file must bind the module it
+imports to the REPOSITORY, not to a path on the host that wrote it.
+
+WHY THIS EXISTS
+  Q61(b) was "the gate resolves the module from a host path ahead of its own
+  directory". Closing it meant fixing `wizard-work/beam/test_toposort.py` to
+  resolve from `pathlib.Path(__file__).resolve().parent` and to assert the
+  imported module's `__file__` is the repo file -- one file, and the closure
+  sentence read as if the shape were gone. It was not.
+
+  On 2026-10-27 `wizard-work/beam/test_lfu_cache.py:2` landed as
+  `sys.path.insert(0, "/root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/beam")`. Measured on that
+  head (`5886bdd`): with the repo copy's `get` poisoned to `return None`, the
+  suite still read **8 passed**, because all eight cells graded the HOST copy;
+  the lane's own `bash wizard-work/beam/CHECK` read **rc 1**,
+  `ImportError: 'test_lru_cache' module incorrectly imported from
+  '/root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/beam'`; deleting only that line read **rc 0**,
+  `Ran 230 tests ... OK`. A suite that grades a file nobody committed is worse
+  than no suite: it certifies the wrong bytes. Counting the class rather than
+  estimating it found **41** absolute `sys.path.insert(0, "/root...")` lines
+  repo-wide, **9** in `test_*.py`, **2** of those prose recording the Q61 fix,
+  **7 live**.
+
+  A per-file fix was tried and did not hold. This is the CLASS guard: one
+  instrument that reads every committed test file and names the ones that
+  bind outside the tree.
+
+WHAT IT MEASURES -- a byte reading, not a text one
+  The scan parses each tracked `test_*.py` with `ast` and grades CALLS and
+  ASSIGNMENTS, never prose. That distinction is the whole reason it is not a
+  `grep`: two of the nine hits are docstrings that RECORD the Q61 fix
+  (`wizard-work/beam/test_toposort.py:12`, `test_robin_hood_hash.py:5`), and a
+  grep-based scan reports them as faults forever -- which is how a guard gets
+  switched off. `ast` also cannot be fooled by a commented-out insert.
+
+  OUTSIDE_REPO       `sys.path.insert/append/extend`, a `sys.path = [...]`
+                     assignment, or `importlib.util.spec_from_file_location`
+                     carries a constant absolute path that resolves OUTSIDE the
+                     repo root. The module under test is whatever sits on that
+                     host path. FATAL.
+  ABS_PATH_IN_REPO   the same construct, and the constant is absolute but
+                     INSIDE the repo (the `ledger/test_scratch_manifest.py:12`
+                     shape: `/root/troupe-standup/wizard-work/ledger`). It
+                     grades the right bytes on THIS host and the wrong ones --
+                     or none -- in any clone, which is the same defect one
+                     release later. FATAL.
+  UNGRADABLE         a tracked test file that cannot be decoded as UTF-8 or
+                     parsed as Python. Not a pass: rc 2, because a file this
+                     instrument could not read is a file it did not grade.
+  ADVISORY           an absolute binding in a tracked file that is not
+                     `test_*.py`. Counted and printed, NOT graded -- the class
+                     is 30 probe scripts across other lanes, most of them
+                     throwaway reproductions that name a host path on purpose,
+                     and reddening on them would make this guard unrunnable.
+                     `--all-files` grades every tracked `*.py` instead; it is
+                     expected to read RED today, and that number is the class's
+                     true size.
+
+  Values are READ, not pattern-matched: the constant string is extracted from
+  the AST (including the leading part of an f-string) and `os.path.realpath`
+  decides containment. `sys.path.insert(0, "lib")` and
+  `sys.path.insert(0, str(Path(__file__).resolve().parent))` carry no absolute
+  constant and are therefore silent -- both are correct bindings and a scan
+  that flagged them would be noise.
+
+--import-probe -- THE SECOND READING, FOR WHAT STATIC SCAN CANNOT SEE
+  A path built at runtime (`os.path.join(os.environ["HOME"], "wizard-outputs")`)
+  holds no constant, so the static scan cannot grade it. `--import-probe`
+  loads each tracked test file in a CLEAN SUBPROCESS (`python3 -I`, so cwd and
+  PYTHONPATH are not inherited), then reports what the file actually bound:
+  every `sys.path` entry it added that resolves outside the repo, and every
+  module it left in `sys.modules` whose `__file__` is outside the repo and
+  outside the interpreter's own stdlib/site-packages. A path entry or module
+  from outside the tree is the SAME fault, found the other way. An exception
+  during the load is printed as `probe: UNGRADED <file> (<exc>)` and does not
+  change rc: a test file that needs a dependency this host lacks is not a
+  path-binding fault, and folding the two would make the axis unusable.
+  `--import-probe` executes test code, so it is opt-in and never part of the
+  default reading.
+
+THE EXIT CONTRACT -- the house three codes
+  0  every tracked test file was read and none binds outside the repo
+  1  at least one file was graded and binds outside (or, with --all-files, any
+     tracked file does)
+  2  the inventory or a file could not be read -- not a git work tree, git
+     unreadable, a tracked test file that will not decode or parse, or a
+     --json target this host cannot write
+
+  rc 2 outranks rc 1 for the reason verify.py states: a run that could not
+  read part of its inventory has not earned a claim about the whole tree.
+
+NOT CLAIMED
+  That every import in a test file is graded -- only the four constructs above,
+  with constant paths. That a clean reading means the test asserts its own
+  binding (`test_toposort.py` does; `--import-probe` is what checks the fact
+  rather than the intent). That non-test files are safe: 30 carry the same
+  line today and `--all-files` names them. That this fixes the seven rows --
+  it names them; the edits are separate and are recorded with their gates.
+
+USAGE
+  python3 import_resolve_check.py
+  python3 import_resolve_check.py --repo /path/to/worktree --rev HEAD
+  python3 import_resolve_check.py --all-files
+  python3 import_resolve_check.py --import-probe
+  python3 import_resolve_check.py --json PATH
+  python3 import_resolve_check.py --selftest          # 32 cells
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import ast
+import io
+import json
+import os
+import re
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import tempfile
+import warnings
+
+OUTSIDE_REPO = "OUTSIDE_REPO"
+ABS_PATH_IN_REPO = "ABS_PATH_IN_REPO"
+UNGRADABLE = "UNGRADABLE"
+
+FATAL_CLASSES = (OUTSIDE_REPO, ABS_PATH_IN_REPO)
+
+# The repo this file lives in. Same rule as every other tool here: a bare run
+# in a clone grades the clone, not a fixed path on the host that wrote it.
+DEFAULT_REPO = os.path.dirname(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+
+TEST_NAME = re.compile(r"(^|/)test_[^/]*\.py$")
+TRACEBACK = "Traceback (most recent call last)"
+
+# sys.path mutators whose last argument is the path being added.
+PATH_CALLS = {"insert", "append", "extend"}
+
+
+class CannotGrade(Exception):
+    """The inventory (or one of its files) could not be read."""
+
+
+# --------------------------------------------------------------------- inventory
+
+def _git(repo, *args):
+    try:
+        proc = subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo] + list(args),
+                              capture_output=True, text=True)
+    except OSError as exc:
+        raise CannotGrade("git is not runnable: %s" % exc)
+    if proc.returncode != 0:
+        why = [l for l in (proc.stderr or "").strip().splitlines() if l.strip()]
+        raise CannotGrade("git %s failed: %s"
+                          % (" ".join(args[:2]),
+                             why[-1] if why else "rc %d" % proc.returncode))
+    return proc.stdout
+
+
+def work_tree(repo):
+    """`--repo` must be a work tree ROOT; ask git, as verify.py does."""
+    repo = os.path.abspath(repo)
+    if not os.path.isdir(repo):
+        raise CannotGrade("cannot read repo: %s is not a directory" % repo)
+    top = _git(repo, "rev-parse", "--show-toplevel").strip()
+    if not top:
+        raise CannotGrade("cannot read repo: %s is not a git work tree" % repo)
+    if os.path.realpath(top) != os.path.realpath(repo):
+        raise CannotGrade("cannot read repo: %s is inside the work tree rooted "
+                          "at %s; --repo takes the root" % (repo, top))
+    return repo
+
+
+def _control_chars(path):
+    """True when a tracked path carries a byte a path cannot meaningfully hold."""
+    return any(ord(ch) < 0x20 or ord(ch) == 0x7f for ch in path)
+
+
+def inventory(repo, rev):
+    """[(path, text)] for every tracked *.py at `rev` (WORKTREE = the index).
+
+    TRACKED ONLY, for doc_census_check's reason: an untracked scratch file a
+    lane is mid-way through writing is not a committed test suite, and grading
+    it would red the gate for work that has not landed. `WORKTREE` is
+    `git ls-files`, so a file that is added-but-not-committed is graded -- the
+    tick's own edit is exactly what a lane needs graded before it commits.
+    """
+    if rev == "WORKTREE":
+        out = _git(repo, "ls-files", "-z")
+    else:
+        out = _git(repo, "ls-tree", "-r", "-z", "--name-only", rev)
+    paths = [p for p in out.split("\0") if p]
+    rows = []
+    for path in paths:
+        if not path.endswith(".py"):
+            continue
+        if rev == "WORKTREE":
+            full = os.path.join(repo, path)
+            try:
+                with open(full, "rb") as fh:
+                    raw = fh.read()
+            except OSError as exc:
+                rows.append((path, None, "cannot read %s: %s" % (full, exc)))
+                continue
+        else:
+            try:
+                raw = _git(repo, "show", "%s:%s" % (rev, path)).encode("utf-8")
+            except CannotGrade as exc:
+                rows.append((path, None, "cannot read %s:%s: %s"
+                             % (rev, path, exc)))
+                continue
+        try:
+            text = raw.decode("utf-8")
+        except UnicodeDecodeError as exc:
+            rows.append((path, None, "not UTF-8: %s" % exc))
+            continue
+        rows.append((path, text, None))
+    return rows
+
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------- the scan
+
+def _const_text(node):
+    """The literal a path argument is written as, or None if it is computed.
+
+    Returns (text, is_prefix). An f-string contributes only its LEADING
+    constant part, flagged as a prefix: `f"/root/{name}"` cannot be resolved
+    exactly, but a leading `/root/` is enough to say the binding is absolute
+    and to name it. A value that starts with a placeholder (`f"{base}/x"`) is
+    computed and returns None -- the static scan does not guess.
+    """
+    if isinstance(node, ast.Constant) and isinstance(node.value, str):
+        return node.value, False
+    if isinstance(node, ast.JoinedStr):
+        if node.values and isinstance(node.values[0], ast.Constant) \
+                and isinstance(node.values[0].value, str):
+            return node.values[0].value, True
+    return None
+
+
+def _sys_path_mutator(call):
+    """'insert' / 'append' / 'extend' for a `sys.path.<x>(...)` call, else None."""
+    func = call.func
+    if not isinstance(func, ast.Attribute) or func.attr not in PATH_CALLS:
+        return None
+    inner = func.value
+    if not isinstance(inner, ast.Attribute) or inner.attr != "path":
+        return None
+    if not isinstance(inner.value, ast.Name) or inner.value.id != "sys":
+        return None
+    return func.attr
+
+
+def _is_spec_load(call):
+    func = call.func
+    return (isinstance(func, ast.Attribute)
+            and func.attr == "spec_from_file_location")
+
+
+def _path_args(call, attr):
+    """The path-valued arguments of a graded call (index 0 of a list = all)."""
+    if attr == "insert":
+        return [call.args[1]] if len(call.args) > 1 else []
+    if attr in ("append", "extend") or attr == "spec":
+        out = []
+        for arg in call.args[1:] if attr == "spec" else call.args[:1]:
+            if isinstance(arg, (ast.List, ast.Tuple)):
+                out.extend(arg.elts)
+            else:
+                out.append(arg)
+        return out
+    return []
+
+
+def classify(raw, repo_real):
+    """OUTSIDE_REPO / ABS_PATH_IN_REPO for an absolute literal, else None."""
+    text = raw.strip()
+    if not text:
+        return None
+    expanded = os.path.expanduser(text)
+    if not os.path.isabs(expanded):
+        return None                     # relative: not a host path
+    real = os.path.realpath(expanded)
+    if real == repo_real or real.startswith(repo_real + os.sep):
+        return ABS_PATH_IN_REPO
+    return OUTSIDE_REPO
+
+
+def scan(text, path, repo_real):
+    """Findings for one file's source: [(line, cls, how, raw, is_prefix)]."""
+    try:
+        with warnings.catch_warnings():
+            # A tracked file whose source trips a SyntaxWarning (an invalid
+            # "\u" escape in a docstring) must not print to stderr from a scan
+            # that only builds a tree: the warning is not this instrument's
+            # finding, and it landed in the middle of the report on the first
+            # live run.
+            warnings.simplefilter("ignore")
+            tree = ast.parse(text, filename=path)
+    except SyntaxError as exc:
+        raise CannotGrade("%s does not parse: line %s: %s"
+                          % (path, exc.lineno, exc.msg))
+    found = []
+
+    def note(node, how, args):
+        for arg in args:
+            lit = _const_text(arg)
+            if not lit:
+                continue
+            raw, is_prefix = lit
+            cls = classify(raw, repo_real)
+            if cls:
+                found.append((getattr(node, "lineno", 0), cls, how, raw,
+                              is_prefix))
+
+    for node in ast.walk(tree):
+        if isinstance(node, ast.Call):
+            attr = _sys_path_mutator(node)
+            if attr:
+                note(node, "sys.path." + attr, _path_args(node, attr))
+            elif _is_spec_load(node):
+                note(node, "spec_from_file_location", _path_args(node, "spec"))
+        elif isinstance(node, ast.Assign):
+            tgt = node.targets[0] if len(node.targets) == 1 else None
+            if (isinstance(tgt, ast.Attribute) and tgt.attr == "path"
+                    and isinstance(tgt.value, ast.Name)
+                    and tgt.value.id == "sys"):
+                vals = (node.value.elts if isinstance(node.value, (ast.List,
+                                                                   ast.Tuple))
+                        else [node.value])
+                note(node, "sys.path = [...]", vals)
+    return sorted(found)
+
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------ import probe
+
+_PROBE = r"""
+import importlib.util, json, os, sys
+path, repo = sys.argv[1], os.path.realpath(sys.argv[2])
+thedir = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(path))
+before = list(sys.path)
+before_mods = set(sys.modules)
+sys.path.insert(0, thedir)
+row = {"path": path, "added": [], "modules": [], "error": None}
+try:
+    spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("_probe_" + os.path.basename(path)[:-3], path)
+    mod = importlib.util.module_from_spec(spec)
+    spec.loader.exec_module(mod)
+except BaseException as exc:              # noqa: BLE001 -- the probe grades binding, not the suite
+    row["error"] = "%s: %s" % (type(exc).__name__, exc)
+seen = set(before)
+row["added"] = [p for p in sys.path if p not in seen]
+lib = os.path.realpath(sys.base_prefix)
+here = os.path.realpath(sys.prefix)
+for name, m in list(sys.modules.items()):
+    if name in before_mods:
+        continue
+    f = getattr(m, "__file__", None)
+    if not f:
+        continue
+    real = os.path.realpath(f)
+    if (real.startswith(repo + os.sep) or real.startswith(lib + os.sep)
+            or real.startswith(here + os.sep)):
+        continue
+    row["modules"].append([name, real])
+print(json.dumps(row))
+"""
+
+
+def import_probe(repo, path, timeout=20):
+    """Load one test file in a clean subprocess; return its binding row."""
+    try:
+        proc = subprocess.run([sys.executable, "-I", "-c", _PROBE,
+                               os.path.join(repo, path), repo],
+                              capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout,
+                              cwd=os.path.dirname(os.path.join(repo, path)))
+    except (OSError, subprocess.TimeoutExpired) as exc:
+        return {"path": path, "added": [], "modules": [],
+                "error": "TIMEOUT/OSError: %s" % exc}
+    for line in reversed((proc.stdout or "").strip().splitlines()):
+        try:
+            row = json.loads(line)
+        except ValueError:
+            continue
+        if isinstance(row, dict) and row.get("path"):
+            return row
+    return {"path": path, "added": [], "modules": [],
+            "error": "probe produced no row (rc %d): %s"
+                     % (proc.returncode, (proc.stderr or "").strip()
+                        .splitlines()[-1:] or "")}
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------- report
+
+def run(repo, rev, all_files, probe, quiet=False):
+    repo = work_tree(repo)
+    repo_real = os.path.realpath(repo)
+    rows = inventory(repo, rev)
+    if not quiet:
+        print("import_resolve_check -- repo %s at %s" % (repo, rev))
+
+    faults = []          # (path, line, cls, how, raw, is_prefix)
+    ungraded = []        # (path, why)
+    bad_paths = []       # tracked paths that are not a single-line path name
+    advisory = 0
+    graded = 0
+    for path, text, why in rows:
+        if _control_chars(path):
+            # A tracked path carrying a newline is an INDEX defect, not a
+            # binding: `git ls-tree -r HEAD` at e179df3 carries exactly one --
+            # a beam CHECK file whose name is the whole shell body it was meant
+            # to hold (`wizard-work/beam/CHECK\ncontent">\n#!/bin/bash...`).
+            # It is named here and skipped, because a name that cannot be a
+            # path cannot be a test file, and inheriting another lane's index
+            # damage as a permanent rc 2 would be the "gate that gets switched
+            # off" this repo already has a rule about. The owner fixes it.
+            bad_paths.append(path)
+            continue
+        is_test = bool(TEST_NAME.search(path))
+        if why:
+            if is_test:
+                ungraded.append((path, why))
+            continue
+        if not is_test and not all_files:
+            if scan_silent(text, repo_real):
+                advisory += 1
+            continue
+        graded += 1
+        try:
+            hits = scan(text, path, repo_real)
+        except CannotGrade as exc:
+            ungraded.append((path, str(exc)))
+            continue
+        for line, cls, how, raw, is_prefix in hits:
+            faults.append((path, line, cls, how, raw, is_prefix))
+
+    probe_rows = []
+    if probe:
+        for path, text, why in rows:
+            if why or not TEST_NAME.search(path):
+                continue
+            row = import_probe(repo, path)
+            # Only OUTSIDE_REPO is a probe fault: the probe itself puts the
+            # test's own directory on sys.path, so an in-repo absolute entry is
+            # the harness's line, not the file's binding.
+            outside = [p for p in row["added"]
+                       if classify(p, repo_real) == OUTSIDE_REPO]
+            mods = [m for m in row["modules"]
+                    if not m[1].startswith(repo_real + os.sep)]
+            row["outside_added"] = outside
+            row["outside_modules"] = mods
+            probe_rows.append(row)
+            if outside or mods:
+                faults.append((path, 0, OUTSIDE_REPO, "--import-probe",
+                               outside[0] if outside else mods[0][1], False))
+
+    if not quiet:
+        for path, line, cls, how, raw, is_prefix in faults:
+            print("FAULT %-16s %s:%s  %s -> %s%s"
+                  % (cls, path, line, how, raw,
+                     "  (f-string prefix)" if is_prefix else ""))
+        for path, why in ungraded:
+            print("UNGRADED %s  %s" % (path, why))
+        for path in bad_paths:
+            shown = path if len(path) <= 60 else path[:57] + "..."
+            print("SKIP BAD_PATH %r  (a tracked path with control characters: "
+                  "not a path, not graded -- an index defect for its owner)"
+                  % shown)
+        if probe:
+            for row in probe_rows:
+                if row["error"]:
+                    print("probe: UNGRADED %s  (%s)" % (row["path"],
+                                                        row["error"]))
+                elif not row["outside_added"] and not row["outside_modules"]:
+                    print("probe: in-tree %s" % row["path"])
+        if advisory:
+            print("advisory: %d tracked non-test file(s) carry an absolute "
+                  "binding (not graded; --all-files grades them)" % advisory)
+
+    classes = {}
+    for f in faults:
+        classes[f[2]] = classes.get(f[2], 0) + 1
+    detail = ", ".join("%s %d" % (k, classes[k]) for k in sorted(classes))
+    row = {"repo": repo, "rev": rev, "graded": graded, "faults": faults,
+           "ungraded": ungraded, "advisory": advisory, "bad_paths": bad_paths,
+           "probe": probe_rows}
+    print("import_resolve_check: %d file(s) graded, %d fault(s)%s%s"
+          % (graded, len(faults), " (%s)" % detail if detail else "",
+             ", %d bad path(s) skipped" % len(bad_paths) if bad_paths else ""))
+    if ungraded:
+        print("cannot grade: %d file(s) unreadable" % len(ungraded))
+        return 2, row
+    if faults:
+        print("FAIL: %d finding(s) in %d test file(s) bind a module to a path "
+              "outside the repo" % (len(faults), len({f[0] for f in faults})))
+        return 1, row
+    return 0, row
+
+
+def scan_silent(text, repo_real):
+    """Cheap question for the advisory count: does this file bind anything?"""
+    try:
+        return bool(scan(text, "<advisory>", repo_real))
+    except CannotGrade:
+        return False
+
+
+# -------------------------------------------------------------------- selftest
+
+def _write(path, text):
+    os.makedirs(os.path.dirname(path) or ".", exist_ok=True)
+    with open(path, "w") as fh:
+        fh.write(text)
+    return path
+
+
+def _git_init(repo):
+    subprocess.run(["git", "init", "-q", repo], check=True,
+                   capture_output=True, text=True)
+
+
+def selftest():
+    cells = 0
+    passed = 0
+    failures = []
+
+    def check(label, got, want):
+        nonlocal cells, passed
+        cells += 1
+        if got == want:
+            passed += 1
+        else:
+            failures.append("%s\n    got:  %r\n    want: %r" % (label, got, want))
+
+    def call(*args, **kw):
+        """run() with its report swallowed and a refusal returned as rc 2.
+
+        The corpus grades the CLI contract, so a CannotGrade has to arrive as
+        the code the CLI would exit with -- not as a traceback out of the
+        fixture, which is what the first draft of cell 16 did.
+        """
+        buf = io.StringIO()
+        old, sys.stdout = sys.stdout, buf
+        try:
+            return run(*args, **kw)
+        except CannotGrade:
+            return 2, {}
+        finally:
+            sys.stdout = old
+
+    def call_main(argv):
+        """main() through the CLI path, with its report swallowed."""
+        out, err = io.StringIO(), io.StringIO()
+        old = sys.stdout, sys.stderr
+        sys.stdout, sys.stderr = out, err
+        try:
+            return main(argv)
+        finally:
+            sys.stdout, sys.stderr = old
+
+    clean = ('import pathlib, sys\n'
+             'HERE = pathlib.Path(__file__).resolve().parent\n'
+             'sys.path.insert(0, str(HERE))\n'
+             'from target import thing\n')
+
+    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory(prefix="irc-selftest-") as td:
+        # 1. a repo whose one test file binds from __file__ is clean
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c1")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_ok.py"), clean)
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "target.py"), "thing = 1\n")
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("1 a __file__ binding is clean -> rc 0", rc, 0)
+        check("1b and exactly one file was graded", obj["graded"], 1)
+
+        # 2. THE DEFECT: a constant host path outside the repo
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c2")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_bad.py"),
+               'import sys\nsys.path.insert(0, "/root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/beam")\n'
+               'from target import thing\n')
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "target.py"), "thing = 1\n")
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("2 a host path outside the repo -> rc 1", rc, 1)
+        check("2b the class, the file and the line are named",
+              (obj["faults"][0][0], obj["faults"][0][1], obj["faults"][0][2]),
+              ("test_bad.py", 2, OUTSIDE_REPO))
+
+        # 3. the ledger shape: absolute but INSIDE the repo -- right bytes here,
+        # none in a clone, which is the same defect one release later
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c3")
+        inside = os.path.join(repo, "sub")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_abs_in.py"),
+               'import sys\nsys.path.insert(0, "%s")\n' % inside)
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("3 an absolute path inside the repo -> rc 1", rc, 1)
+        check("3b classed ABS_PATH_IN_REPO, not OUTSIDE_REPO",
+              obj["faults"][0][2], ABS_PATH_IN_REPO)
+
+        # 4. AST, NOT GREP: a docstring that records the old line is not a fault.
+        # Two of the nine hits in the live tree are exactly this shape, and a
+        # grep-based guard reports them forever.
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c4")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_prose.py"),
+               '"""The previous line read\n'
+               '    sys.path.insert(0, "/root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/beam")\n'
+               'and it graded a host copy."""\n'
+               'import pathlib, sys\n'
+               'sys.path.insert(0, str(pathlib.Path(__file__).resolve().parent))\n'
+               '# sys.path.insert(0, "/root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/beam")\n')
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("4 a commented/docstring mention is not a fault -> rc 0", rc, 0)
+
+        # 5. a non-test file is an ADVISORY, not a fault: the class is 30 probe
+        # scripts in other lanes and a guard that reds on them never gets run.
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c5")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_ok.py"), clean)
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "target.py"), "thing = 1\n")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "probe_thing.py"),
+               'import sys\nsys.path.insert(0, "/root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/forge")\n')
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("5 a non-test binding is advisory, not a fault -> rc 0", rc, 0)
+        check("5b and it is counted, not silent", obj["advisory"], 1)
+
+        # 6. --all-files promotes the advisory to a fault: the class's size is
+        # available on demand rather than hidden
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", True, False, quiet=True)
+        check("6 --all-files grades the non-test file -> rc 1", rc, 1)
+        check("6b and names it", obj["faults"][0][0], "probe_thing.py")
+
+        # 7. append, not just insert
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c7")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_app.py"),
+               'import sys\nsys.path.append("/opt/lib")\n')
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("7 sys.path.append is graded too -> rc 1", rc, 1)
+        check("7b named as an append", obj["faults"][0][3], "sys.path.append")
+
+        # 8. a whole-list assignment
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c8")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_assign.py"),
+               'import sys\nsys.path = ["/root/wizard-outputs/spark"]\n')
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("8 a sys.path list assignment is graded -> rc 1", rc, 1)
+
+        # 9. opening a module by absolute file path
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c9")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_spec.py"),
+               'import importlib.util\n'
+               'spec = importlib.util.spec_from_file_location("m", "/root/x/m.py")\n')
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("9 spec_from_file_location by host path -> rc 1", rc, 1)
+        check("9b named", obj["faults"][0][3], "spec_from_file_location")
+
+        # 10. an f-string with an absolute LEADING part is named by its prefix
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c10")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_f.py"),
+               'import os, sys\n'
+               'sys.path.insert(0, f"/root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/{os.sep}spark")\n')
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("10 an f-string host prefix -> rc 1", rc, 1)
+        check("10b flagged as a prefix rather than resolved",
+              obj["faults"][0][5], True)
+
+        # 11. computed and relative arguments are NOT graded: the static scan
+        # does not guess, and `sys.path.insert(0, "lib")` is not the defect
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c11")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_computed.py"),
+               'import os, sys\n'
+               'sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(os.environ["HOME"], "wiz"))\n'
+               'sys.path.append("lib")\n')
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("11 computed/relative bindings are not statically graded -> rc 0",
+              rc, 0)
+
+        # 12. THE PROBE EARNS ITS KEEP: a computed host path is invisible to
+        # the static scan and named by --import-probe, as a real resolution.
+        host = os.path.join(td, "c12-host")          # outside the repo
+        _write(os.path.join(host, "hosttarget.py"), "thing = 7\n")
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c12")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_probe.py"),
+               'import os, sys\n'
+               'HOST = %r\n'
+               'sys.path.insert(0, HOST)\n'
+               'from hosttarget import thing\n' % host)
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc_static, obj_static = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False,
+                                     quiet=True)
+        check("12a a computed host path is invisible to the static scan",
+              rc_static, 0)
+        rc_probe, obj_probe = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, True, quiet=True)
+        check("12b and --import-probe names it -> rc 1", rc_probe, 1)
+        check("12c the probe row names the host module it bound",
+              any("hosttarget" in m[0] or host in m[1]
+                  for m in obj_probe["probe"][0]["outside_modules"]), True)
+
+        # 13. and the probe is silent on a correct binding
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c13")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_ok.py"), clean)
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "target.py"), "thing = 1\n")
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, True, quiet=True)
+        check("13 the probe reads a correct binding clean -> rc 0", rc, 0)
+
+        # 14. --rev HEAD grades the COMMITTED blob, not the worktree
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c14")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_ok.py"), clean)
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "target.py"), "thing = 1\n")
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "-c", "user.name=t",
+                        "-c", "user.email=t@invalid", "-c",
+                        "commit.gpgsign=false", "commit", "-q", "-m", "c"],
+                       check=True, capture_output=True)
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_bad.py"),
+               'import sys\nsys.path.insert(0, "/root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/x")\n')
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc_wt, obj_wt = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        rc_head, obj_head = call(repo, "HEAD", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("14a WORKTREE grades the tick's own edit -> rc 1", rc_wt, 1)
+        check("14b --rev HEAD grades the committed blob -> rc 0", rc_head, 0)
+
+        # 15. an untracked test file is not graded (tracked-only inventory)
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c15")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_ok.py"), clean)
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "target.py"), "thing = 1\n")
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_scratch.py"),
+               'import sys\nsys.path.insert(0, "/root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/z")\n')
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("15 an UNTRACKED test file is not graded -> rc 0", rc, 0)
+
+        # 16. a directory that is not a work tree is a refusal at rc 2
+        notrepo = os.path.join(td, "c16")
+        _write(os.path.join(notrepo, "README.txt"), "not a repo\n")
+        rc, _ = call(notrepo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("16 a directory that is not a work tree -> rc 2", rc, 2)
+
+        # 17. a tracked test file that does not parse is UNGRADABLE, not clean
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c17")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_broken.py"), "def oops(:\n")
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        rc, obj = call(repo, "WORKTREE", False, False, quiet=True)
+        check("17 an unparsable test file -> rc 2", rc, 2)
+        check("17b and it is named as ungradable", obj["ungraded"][0][0],
+              "test_broken.py")
+
+        # 18. --json is a real record and agrees with the rc it returned
+        repo = os.path.join(td, "c18")
+        _write(os.path.join(repo, "test_bad.py"),
+               'import sys\nsys.path.insert(0, "/root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/q")\n')
+        _git_init(repo)
+        subprocess.run(["git", "-C", repo, "add", "-A"], check=True,
+                       capture_output=True)
+        jpath = os.path.join(td, "c18.json")
+        rc = call_main(["--repo", repo, "--json", jpath, "--quiet"])
+        obj = json.load(open(jpath)) if os.path.exists(jpath) else {}
+        check("18 --json writes the faults", len(obj.get("faults", [])), 1)
+        check("18b and the record's graded count is the run's", obj.get("graded"), 1)
+        rc2 = call_main(["--repo", repo, "--json", os.path.join(td, "no", "x.json"),
+                         "--quiet"])
+        check("18c an unwritable --json target -> rc 2", rc2, 2)
+
+    print("selftest: %d cells, %d passed, %d failed"
+          % (cells, passed, len(failures)))
+    for f in failures:
+        print("  FAIL %s" % f)
+    return 0 if passed == cells else 1
+
+
+# ------------------------------------------------------------------------ main
+
+def main(argv=None):
+    ap = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        description="Grade every committed test_*.py on where it binds the "
+                    "module it imports: the repo, or a path on the host.")
+    ap.add_argument("--repo", default=DEFAULT_REPO,
+                    help="git work tree root (default: the checkout holding "
+                         "this tool)")
+    ap.add_argument("--rev", default="WORKTREE", metavar="REV",
+                    help="WORKTREE (the index, default) or a committed "
+                         "revision such as HEAD")
+    ap.add_argument("--all-files", action="store_true",
+                    help="grade every tracked *.py, not only test_*.py -- the "
+                         "non-test class is advisory by default")
+    ap.add_argument("--import-probe", action="store_true",
+                    help="also load each test file in a clean subprocess and "
+                         "report what it actually bound (catches computed paths)")
+    ap.add_argument("--json", metavar="PATH", help="write the rows here")
+    ap.add_argument("--quiet", action="store_true")
+    ap.add_argument("--selftest", action="store_true",
+                    help="run the fixture corpus (the run prints its cell count)")
+    a = ap.parse_args(argv)
+
+    if a.selftest:
+        return selftest()
+    try:
+        rc, obj = run(a.repo, a.rev, a.all_files, a.import_probe, a.quiet)
+    except CannotGrade as exc:
+        print("cannot grade: %s" % exc, file=sys.stderr)
+        return 2
+    if a.json:
+        try:
+            with open(a.json, "w") as fh:
+                json.dump(obj, fh, indent=1, default=str)
+        except OSError as exc:
+            print("cannot write --json %s: %s" % (a.json, exc), file=sys.stderr)
+            return 2
+    return rc
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/wizard-work/quill/evidence-law-memo.txt b/wizard-work/quill/evidence-law-memo.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0101157
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wizard-work/quill/evidence-law-memo.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+TROUPE DRAFT — EVIDENCE LAW MEMO
+Author: quill (Hermes Agent — Draft lane)
+Date: 2026-10-27
+Status: Draft v1
+
+THE LAW: EVIDENCE, NOT PROMISES
+
+1. PREPARATION ≠ OBSERVATION
+   Saying “done” is not the same as showing a passed test, a finished file,
+   or a measured result. Every claim must carry an evidence handle:
+   a test exit code, a checksum, a file path, a verified URL.
+
+2. DRAFT LANE RULE
+   Produce artifacts, not plans. A stub is not a draft; a plan is not a build.
+   If the user asks for work, the deliverable is a finished artifact with
+   real tool output backing it.
+
+3. VERIFICATION REQUIREMENT
+   Every result is tagged:
+   - Measured: produced by a real tool call with a real return value.
+   - Claimed: stated without a tool handle; flagged as such.
+
+4. NO FABRICATION
+   If a tool fails or network is blocked, report the blocker honestly.
+   Fabricated output is fraud; a blocker is data the operator can act on.
+
+5. ONE-LINE VERDICT + CHECK
+   Finish with VERDICT: <claim> and a bare shell command whose own exit
+   code is the verdict. No echo/exit arms, no || true fallbacks.
+   The operator judges by exit code, not prose.
+
+END OF MEMO