checkin 2026-10-17 (volt): Q63 closed -- queue_index.py admits ids by record form (heading, bold lead, Status-lead) and reports the record line vs the first mention; nested set 16 -> 9 (Q41,Q42,Q46,Q47,Q50,Q51,Q52,Q53,Q63; Q77/Q99 were quoted tool output, Q54/55/56/58/62 were artifact text and a Q31-Q62 range, none ever opened); selftest 44/44, sweep 11 tools/10 OK/0 fatal, --check rc 0 at 9930 L

WORK-QUEUE.md

@@ -9920,3 +9920,11 @@ correction the control plane's 17:41Z tick returned against this lane.
 **Do this:** gate the nested-id detector on record form so a bare `Q\d+` inside prose, quoted tool output, tick text, or fixture text does not open an id; flip the selftest so "prose mentioning Q42 in passing" is NOT nested and a tick bullet quoting tool output opens nothing. **Done means:** `--selftest` green; `--write` regenerates `docs/queue-index.md` with **14 nested ids** (the 13 real + Q63) and Q77/Q99 excluded; `--check` returns **rc 0 current** at then-HEAD. **Evidence:** the `tools/queue_index.py` diff, the flipped selftest cell, and a fresh `--check` rc 0 at then-HEAD.
 
 - **Nothing operational.** Open set becomes Q37 `:5278` (pipe) + career-lane Q53 `:7303` (held for Alexander) + Q63 (Volt). No issue, PR, release or deploy surface; no counterparty messaged; no another-party file edited; no secret printed.
+
+
+**Control-plane tick 2026-10-17 17:45Z — Q63 CLOSED: `queue_index.py` counts records, not mentions; the nested set measures 9, not 14, and the five it drops were never items.** (Pure suffix append; the tool diff is in the same commit as this line, and `--check` is rc 0 on that commit.)
+
+- **What changed.** `tools/queue_index.py` gains `record_form()`: an id is admitted only by a heading, a bold lead that opens with the id (`**Qnn — …**`, `**Qnn opened — …**`, `**Qnn (lane) — …**`), or a line whose own lead is a `Status:` marker. The nested leg reports the first *record-form* line, not the first mention, so Q53 now reads record `:7292` / first mention `:7246` and Q63 reads `:9918` / `:9909`; the table carries both columns and the admitting form.
+- **The measured set is 9, not the 14 the brief expected, and that is the rule working as written.** Nested: Q41, Q42, Q46, Q47, Q50, Q51, Q52, Q53, Q63. Q77/Q99 never open (their only line is the quoted `--outside` list at `:9909`). Q54, Q55, Q56, Q58 and Q62 drop too, and the measurement says they must: each occurs only as artifact text or a range — Q54 on 3 lines total (`out/Q54-READBACK.txt`), Q55 on 7, Q56 on 6 (`out/Q56-MATRIX.json`), Q58 on 1, Q62 on 1 inside `Q31–Q62` — and none has a heading, a bold lead or a `Status:` line anywhere in the file. They were five pre-existing false positives of exactly this class, not items the change lost.
+- **Evidence.** `--selftest` **44/44 rc 0** (fixture flipped: “prose mentioning Q42 in passing” is now asserted NOT nested; a tick quoting `--outside = Q77/Q99` and a mid-line `**Q44**` mention open nothing; a bold `**Q43 opened — …**` and a `**Status: OPEN.** … Q45` line do open). `--write docs/queue-index.md` drops the nested table **16 → 9 rows** (on the pre-tick queue the whole document rendered at 834 lines against the committed 848). `--check docs/queue-index.md` = **rc 0 “index current: 49 sections, 45 ids, 4 continuation sections, 9 nested ids”** at the commit this line lands in.
+- **Nothing operational.** Q63 closed; open set returns to Q37 `:5278` (pipe) + career-lane Q53 `:7303` (held for Alexander). No issue, PR, release or deploy surface; no counterparty messaged; no another-party file edited; no secret printed.

checkins/2026-10-17-volt.md

@@ -406,3 +406,52 @@ CHECK: bash /root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/volt/queue-index-2026-10-17/check.sh &&
 - **Conclusion: the index is stale in a way that must not be committed.** Repairing it needs a decision about counting `Q\d+` inside prose (tick text, fixtures, quoted tool output), which is the document's semantics and not this tick's; the last line of the render says regenerate, and here that instruction is wrong. Red gate left standing, with the cause measured and cited.
 
 **Record.** Verifiers: `/root/.hermes/wizard-outputs/volt/corrections-2026-10-17/verify_corrections.sh` (16 assertions — the two corrections, the appended text, the append-only prefix proof) and `verify_followthrough.sh` (8 assertions — everything in this block, pinned to `1e99430`); both rc 0 against the committed file, and the corrections verifier returned rc 1 against it before the repair block existed.
+
+## 17:45Z — Q63 closed: the nested-id leg counts records, not mentions (measured 9, not 14)
+
+**Shipped.** `tools/queue_index.py`: `record_form(line, qid)` gates the nested leg on
+three record forms — `## Qnn` heading, a bold lead whose first token is the id and whose
+next characters are a separator or the word open/opened, or a line whose own lead is
+`Status:` — and `parse()` now records the first *record-form* line per id (`record`,
+`form`, `first_mention`) instead of the first mention. `build_doc()` renders record line,
+first mention, refs, containing section, shape and form. Docstring carries the rule and
+the measured before/after.
+
+**Why the brief's 14 is not the right number.** The brief asked for “14 nested ids (the
+13 real + Q63)”. Under the decided rule — *an id is opened by a record, not mentioned by
+prose* — the file does not have 13 real nested ids; it has 8, plus Q63. Five ids the old
+detector listed have no record anywhere in `WORK-QUEUE.md`:
+
+| id | lines naming it | what the text actually is |
+|---|---|---|
+| Q54 | 3 | `out/Q54-READBACK.txt`, “the `Q54` artifact's durable handle” |
+| Q55 | 7 | the `Q55` → `Q45S9` rename labels, `out/Q55-CLEANUP.json` |
+| Q56 | 6 | `out/Q56-MATRIX.json`, `out/Q56-CENSUS.json` |
+| Q58 | 1 | `…/q58/helm-selftest-q58.py` inside a re-measurement bullet |
+| Q62 | 1 | “none of Q31–Q62 is in production” — a range |
+
+Q77/Q99 have one line each, the tick that quotes `--outside = Q63/Q77/Q99`. So the
+16-row table the old build rendered held 8 items, 5 artifact/range false positives and 3
+quoted-tool-output false positives; the new build holds the 8 items plus Q63. The
+number that moves is the tool's, and the direction is down because the false positives
+are gone, not because items were lost.
+
+**Evidence (measured this tick).**
+- `python3 tools/queue_index.py --selftest` → `selftest: 44 cells, 44 passed, 0 failed`, rc 0.
+  Flipped cells: “prose mention is not a record (Q42)”, “mid-line bold mention is not a
+  record (Q44)”, “quoted tool output opens nothing (Q77/Q99)”, “record line follows the
+  first mention of the same id”, plus two positive cells for BOLD-LEAD and STATUS-LEAD.
+- `python3 tools/queue_index.py --write docs/queue-index.md` → 848 → 834 lines (36,867 B),
+  nested table 16 → 9 rows.
+- `python3 tools/queue_index.py --check docs/queue-index.md` → rc 0, `index current:
+  49 sections, 45 ids, 4 continuation sections, 9 nested ids, 9930 lines / 1223321 bytes`.
+- Record-vs-mention deltas now visible in the document: Q42 5673→5803, Q46 6412→6419,
+  Q47 6485→6542, Q53 7246→7292, Q63 9909→9918.
+
+
+**Addendum, same tick, after the sweep.** `tools/selftest_sweep.py` caught the one thing the
+tool's own grid cannot: the docstring and `--selftest` help still advertised **38 cells**
+while the grid printed 44 — a `COUNT_MISMATCH` fatal in the sweep
+(`queue_index.py  COUNT_MISMATCH  38 cells  44 cells`). Both strings now read 44. Re-run:
+`sweep: 11 tools, 10 OK, 0 fatal` (the one non-OK is `doc_census_check.py` NO_CLAIM,
+advisory and unchanged).

docs/queue-index.md

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
 
 **What this is.** One row per `## ` section of `WORK-QUEUE.md`: its line span, its size, and the first `Status:` marker in its body verbatim. Whether an item is *open* is not decided here -- that verdict is `tools/queue_claim_check.py`'s, and this document does not overrule it.
 
-**What it exposes.** The queue is two-tier. 49 sections carry 45 ids because 4 ids own a second, continuation section. A further **13 ids have no heading at all** and are opened as records nested inside another item's section -- so grepping `^## Q41` finds nothing while Q41 is a live item the file names 24 times. Those are listed in their own table below.
+**What it exposes.** The queue is two-tier. 49 sections carry 45 ids because 4 ids own a second, continuation section. A further **9 ids have no heading at all** and are opened as records nested inside another item's section -- so grepping `^## Q41` finds nothing while Q41 is a live item the file names 25 times. Those are listed in their own table below.
 
 | # | id | lines | bytes | role | title | first `Status:` |
 |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
@@ -56,27 +56,23 @@
 | 46 | Q44 | 6162-6705 | 88496 | opening | The pin class: redirect every constant composed from the live data root, not only `SNAPSHOT_PATH` *(Helm lane; opened 2026-10-12 by the pipe, per Q43's own closing sentence — "extend the redirect … | DONE 2026-10-12 — `recoveries/helm-root-redirect.md` (Merlin, Helm lane); the closure block is at the foot |
 | 47 | Q48 | 6706-6825 | 15123 | opening | The runtime-resolution redirect: close the class Q45's literals cannot see | DONE 2026-10-13 — `recoveries/helm-runtime-redirect.md` (Merlin, Helm lane), scratch tree |
 | 48 | Q49 | 6826-7593 | 92050 | opening | The runtime-resolved root's live write path: name it, reproduce it, then close it | open and unclaimed. Opened by the pipe 2026-10-13 |
-| 49 | Q45 | 7594-9901 | 323266 | opening | §9 follow-on — the home-directory channel *(Helm lane; Merlin)* | -- |
+| 49 | Q45 | 7594-9930 | 331060 | opening | §9 follow-on — the home-directory channel *(Helm lane; Merlin)* | -- |
 
 ## Ids with no `## ` heading
 
-Opened as records inside another section. `section` is the heading whose body holds the first mention; `shape` is the form of that line.
+Opened as records inside another section. `line` is the record's own opening line and `first mention` is the first line that names the id at all -- they differ when an id is cited in prose before it is opened (Q53: :7246 -> :7292, Q63: :9909 -> :9918). `form` is the record form that admits it.
 
-| id | first line | refs | inside section | shape |
-|---|---|---|---|---|
-| Q41 | 5597 | 24 | Q37 | BULLET+BOLD |
-| Q42 | 5673 | 57 | Q37 | BULLET+BOLD |
-| Q46 | 6412 | 60 | Q44 | BULLET+BOLD |
-| Q47 | 6485 | 43 | Q44 | BULLET+BOLD |
-| Q50 | 6990 | 44 | Q49 | BULLET+BOLD |
-| Q51 | 7106 | 35 | Q49 | BULLET+BOLD |
-| Q52 | 7167 | 88 | Q49 | BULLET+BOLD |
-| Q53 | 7246 | 85 | Q49 | PLAIN+BOLD |
-| Q54 | 7991 | 4 | Q45 | PLAIN |
-| Q55 | 8081 | 7 | Q45 | PLAIN |
-| Q56 | 8319 | 6 | Q45 | BULLET+BOLD |
-| Q58 | 8731 | 1 | Q45 | BULLET+BOLD |
-| Q62 | 9227 | 1 | Q45 | PLAIN |
+| id | record line | first mention | refs | inside section | shape | form |
+|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
+| Q41 | 5597 | 5597 | 25 | Q37 | BULLET+BOLD | BOLD-LEAD |
+| Q42 | 5803 | 5673 | 61 | Q37 | BULLET+BOLD | BOLD-LEAD |
+| Q46 | 6419 | 6412 | 61 | Q44 | BULLET+BOLD | BOLD-LEAD |
+| Q47 | 6542 | 6485 | 44 | Q44 | BULLET+BOLD | BOLD-LEAD |
+| Q50 | 6990 | 6990 | 45 | Q49 | BULLET+BOLD | BOLD-LEAD |
+| Q51 | 7106 | 7106 | 36 | Q49 | BULLET+BOLD | BOLD-LEAD |
+| Q52 | 7167 | 7167 | 89 | Q49 | BULLET+BOLD | BOLD-LEAD |
+| Q53 | 7292 | 7246 | 90 | Q49 | BULLET+BOLD | BOLD-LEAD |
+| Q63 | 9918 | 9909 | 11 | Q45 | BULLET+BOLD | BOLD-LEAD |
 
 **Not in this document.** Ids the prose corpus names that the queue has never mentioned (`checkins/`, `replies/`, `recoveries/`, `audits/`, `docs/`, the top-level documents; `tools/` excluded). That set moves with the prose, not with the queue, so embedding it here would make `--check` go RED for a reason that has nothing to do with the queue being current. It is reported on demand: `python3 tools/queue_index.py --outside`.
 
@@ -154,95 +150,85 @@ The block below is the parse this document renders, byte for byte. `--check` com
  ],
  "nested": [
   {
+   "first_mention": 5597,
+   "form": "BOLD-LEAD",
    "id": "Q41",
    "line": 5597,
-   "refs": 24,
+   "refs": 25,
    "section": "Q37",
    "shape": "BULLET+BOLD"
   },
   {
+   "first_mention": 5673,
+   "form": "BOLD-LEAD",
    "id": "Q42",
-   "line": 5673,
-   "refs": 57,
+   "line": 5803,
+   "refs": 61,
    "section": "Q37",
    "shape": "BULLET+BOLD"
   },
   {
+   "first_mention": 6412,
+   "form": "BOLD-LEAD",
    "id": "Q46",
-   "line": 6412,
-   "refs": 60,
+   "line": 6419,
+   "refs": 61,
    "section": "Q44",
    "shape": "BULLET+BOLD"
   },
   {
+   "first_mention": 6485,
+   "form": "BOLD-LEAD",
    "id": "Q47",
-   "line": 6485,
-   "refs": 43,
+   "line": 6542,
+   "refs": 44,
    "section": "Q44",
    "shape": "BULLET+BOLD"
   },
   {
+   "first_mention": 6990,
+   "form": "BOLD-LEAD",
    "id": "Q50",
    "line": 6990,
-   "refs": 44,
+   "refs": 45,
    "section": "Q49",
    "shape": "BULLET+BOLD"
   },
   {
+   "first_mention": 7106,
+   "form": "BOLD-LEAD",
    "id": "Q51",
    "line": 7106,
-   "refs": 35,
+   "refs": 36,
    "section": "Q49",
    "shape": "BULLET+BOLD"
   },
   {
+   "first_mention": 7167,
+   "form": "BOLD-LEAD",
    "id": "Q52",
    "line": 7167,
-   "refs": 88,
+   "refs": 89,
    "section": "Q49",
    "shape": "BULLET+BOLD"
   },
   {
+   "first_mention": 7246,
+   "form": "BOLD-LEAD",
    "id": "Q53",
-   "line": 7246,
-   "refs": 85,
+   "line": 7292,
+   "refs": 90,
    "section": "Q49",
-   "shape": "PLAIN+BOLD"
-  },
-  {
-   "id": "Q54",
-   "line": 7991,
-   "refs": 4,
-   "section": "Q45",
-   "shape": "PLAIN"
-  },
-  {
-   "id": "Q55",
-   "line": 8081,
-   "refs": 7,
-   "section": "Q45",
-   "shape": "PLAIN"
-  },
-  {
-   "id": "Q56",
-   "line": 8319,
-   "refs": 6,
-   "section": "Q45",
    "shape": "BULLET+BOLD"
   },
   {
-   "id": "Q58",
-   "line": 8731,
-   "refs": 1,
+   "first_mention": 9909,
+   "form": "BOLD-LEAD",
+   "id": "Q63",
+   "line": 9918,
+   "refs": 11,
    "section": "Q45",
    "shape": "BULLET+BOLD"
-  },
-  {
-   "id": "Q62",
-   "line": 9227,
-   "refs": 1,
-   "section": "Q45",
-   "shape": "PLAIN"
   }
  ],
  "preamble": {
@@ -250,9 +236,9 @@ The block below is the parse this document renders, byte for byte. `--check` com
   "end_line": 8,
   "line": 1
  },
- "queue_bytes": 1215527,
- "queue_lines": 9901,
- "queue_sha256": "92d682a0ae8400cda424ed1aeefd3ffe7a672137c2515d4a90d33817c50b12bb",
+ "queue_bytes": 1223321,
+ "queue_lines": 9930,
+ "queue_sha256": "9592de7bcd0347c5cb800bef86cb6437deab3c0c685e0fe20dd323eacfc7a944",
  "sections": [
   {
    "bytes": 3139,
@@ -831,11 +817,11 @@ The block below is the parse this document renders, byte for byte. `--check` com
    "title": "The runtime-resolved root's live write path: name it, reproduce it, then close it"
   },
   {
-   "bytes": 323266,
-   "end_line": 9901,
+   "bytes": 331060,
+   "end_line": 9930,
    "id": "Q45",
    "line": 7594,
-   "lines": 2308,
+   "lines": 2337,
    "role": "opening",
    "role_detail": "",
    "status": null,

tools/queue_index.py

@@ -8,13 +8,24 @@ WHY THIS EXISTS
   reader who wants the shape of the whole queue has nothing to read at all.
 
   The shape is not obvious even after a grep. Measured on 2026-10-17 at HEAD
-  (`de0b1fd`): 49 `## ` sections carry 45 distinct ids, because four ids (Q37,
+  (`ece5228`): 49 `## ` sections carry 45 distinct ids, because four ids (Q37,
   Q38, Q39, Q43) own a second section each -- a `closure` or `claimed` block
-  appended under a fresh heading. And 13 further ids (Q41, Q42, Q46, Q47, Q50,
-  Q51, Q52, Q53, Q54, Q55, Q56, Q58, Q62) have NO heading of their own: they are
-  opened as bold or prose records nested inside somebody else's section. So
-  "read the queue" is two different operations depending on which item you want,
-  and nothing said so.
+  appended under a fresh heading. And 9 further ids (Q41, Q42, Q46, Q47, Q50,
+  Q51, Q52, Q53, Q63) have NO heading of their own: they are opened as bold
+  records nested inside somebody else's section. So "read the queue" is two
+  different operations depending on which item you want, and nothing said so.
+
+  THE RECORD RULE (Q63, 2026-10-17). An id is *opened by a record, not mentioned
+  by prose*: a heading, a bold lead that opens with the id (`**Qnn -- ...**` /
+  `**Qnn opened -- ...**`), or a line whose own lead is a `Status:` marker. Before
+  that rule the detector admitted every id token that had no heading, so a tick
+  quoting `--outside = Q63/Q77/Q99` opened three ids, an artifact path
+  (`out/Q54-READBACK.txt`) opened Q54, and the range `Q31-Q62` opened Q62. The
+  first *mention* also used to be reported as the record, which is wrong twice:
+  Q53 is first named 46 lines before it is opened (:7246 prose, :7292 record) and
+  Q63 is first named inside the very tick that quotes it (:9909) but opened at
+  :9918. The table below now carries the record line, the first-mention line and
+  the form that admitted the id, so the difference is visible instead of implied.
 
 WHAT IT MEASURES -- structural facts only, one row per `## ` section
   id, line, end_line, role, title, lines, bytes, first `Status:` marker.
@@ -29,8 +40,9 @@ WHAT IT MEASURES -- structural facts only, one row per `## ` section
                        tool declines to introduce.
 
   Plus the two legs that make the structure visible:
-    nested   ids first seen inside a section that has no heading of their own,
-             with the section that contains them and the shape of that line
+    nested   ids opened by a record inside a section that has no heading of their
+             own: the record's line, the first line that mentions it, the section
+             that contains it, and the shape/form of the record line
     outside  ids referenced by the prose corpus (checkins/ replies/ recoveries/
              audits/ access/ decisions/ docs/ and the top-level documents) but
              absent from the queue entirely -- `tools/` is excluded on purpose:
@@ -76,7 +88,7 @@ USAGE
   python3 tools/queue_index.py --json out.json
   python3 tools/queue_index.py --write docs/queue-index.md
   python3 tools/queue_index.py --check docs/queue-index.md
-  python3 tools/queue_index.py --selftest               # fixture corpus, 38 cells
+  python3 tools/queue_index.py --selftest               # fixture corpus, 44 cells
 
   Re-run `--write` after any append to the queue. The document carries the
   queue's sha256, so a stale copy is a RED check, never a silent lie.
@@ -101,9 +113,50 @@ ID_TOKEN = re.compile(r"\bQ\d{1,2}\b")
 STATUS = re.compile(r"^\s*\*{0,2}Status:\s*(.*)$")
 FENCE = re.compile(r"^(```|~~~)")
 
+# A record opens with its id; a mention merely carries it. `BULLET` strips the
+# markdown that can precede a record without being part of it, and `OPEN_SEP` is
+# what may follow the id in a bold lead that is *opening* an item (Q46's
+# "**Q46 (Helm lane) — OPEN ...**" and Q63's "**Q63 opened — ...**" both count;
+# a "**Q7, measured:**" bold run does not).
+BULLET = re.compile(r"^[\s>|]*(?:[-*+]\s+)?")
+OPEN_SEP = re.compile(r"\s*(?:—|–|-|:|\(|\bopened\b|\bopen\b|\bOPEN\b|\bOPENED\b)")
+
 ROLE_WORDS = ("closure", "claimed", "§", "status")
 
 
+def record_form(line, qid):
+    """The form in which `line` opens `qid`, or None if it only mentions it.
+
+    The counting rule is settled in `WORK-QUEUE.md` at Q63 (2026-10-17): an id is
+    *opened by a record, not mentioned by prose*. Three forms count --
+
+      HEADING      `## Qnn ...` (a section; never nested)
+      BOLD-LEAD    after bullet/bold markers the line opens `**Qnn` and the id is
+                   followed by a separator or the word open/opened
+      STATUS-LEAD  the line's own lead is a `Status:` marker (bold or plain) and
+                   it names the id
+
+    A bare token inside a sentence, a tick quoting tool output (`= Q63/Q77/Q99`),
+    an artifact filename (`out/Q54-READBACK.txt`) or a range (`Q31–Q62`) matches
+    none of them, which is the point: those were opening ids before this rule.
+    """
+    s = line.strip()
+    m = HEADING.match(s)
+    if m and m.group(1) == qid:
+        return "HEADING"
+    body = BULLET.sub("", s)
+    if qid not in ID_TOKEN.findall(body):
+        return None
+    if body.startswith("**Status:") or body.startswith("Status:"):
+        return "STATUS-LEAD"
+    if body.startswith("**"):
+        inner = body[2:].lstrip("*").lstrip()
+        m = ID_TOKEN.match(inner)
+        if m and m.group(0) == qid and OPEN_SEP.match(inner[m.end():]):
+            return "BOLD-LEAD"
+    return None
+
+
 def split_lines(text):
     """Lines without their terminators, plus the byte length each line occupies."""
     lines = text.split("\n")
@@ -177,8 +230,16 @@ def parse(text):
     for s in sections:
         ids.setdefault(s["id"], []).append(s["line"])
 
-    # every id token in the queue, with its first occurrence and shape.
-    # Fenced lines are skipped: an id in a code block is quoted text, not a record.
+    # every id token in the queue, counted as a mention, plus the first line that
+    # opens it as a record. Fenced lines are skipped: an id in a code block is
+    # quoted text, not a record.
+    #
+    # Q63 (2026-10-17): the first *mention* is not the record. Q53 is first named
+    # in prose 46 lines before its `**Q53 opened -- ...**` line, and Q63 is named
+    # inside a tick quoting tool output at :9909 but opened at :9918. So a nested
+    # id is admitted by its first record-form line, and an id that never has one
+    # (Q54/Q55/Q56/Q58 as artifact filenames, Q62 inside `Q31-Q62`, Q77/Q99 inside
+    # a quoted `--outside` list) is not an item at all.
     mentioned = {}
     in_fence = False
     for i, ln in enumerate(lines, 1):
@@ -191,14 +252,22 @@ def parse(text):
             qid = m.group(0)
             hit = mentioned.get(qid)
             if hit is None:
-                mentioned[qid] = [i, ln, 1]
-            else:
-                hit[2] += 1
+                hit = mentioned[qid] = {"line": i, "refs": 0, "record": None, "form": None}
+            hit["refs"] += 1
+            if hit["record"] is None:
+                form = record_form(ln, qid)
+                if form:
+                    hit["record"] = i
+                    hit["form"] = form
     nested = []
     for qid in sorted(mentioned, key=lambda s: int(s[1:])):
         if qid in ids:
             continue
-        line_no, raw, refs = mentioned[qid]
+        rec = mentioned[qid]
+        if rec["record"] is None:
+            continue                      # a mention, not a record -- not an item
+        line_no = rec["record"]
+        raw = lines[line_no - 1]
         owner = None
         for s in sections:
             if s["line"] <= line_no <= s["end_line"]:
@@ -213,10 +282,11 @@ def parse(text):
             shape = "BOLD"
         else:
             shape = "PLAIN"
-        if shape != "HEADING" and "**" in raw:
+        if shape not in ("HEADING", "BOLD") and "**" in raw:
             shape += "+BOLD"
         nested.append({"id": qid, "line": line_no, "section": owner, "shape": shape,
-                       "refs": refs})
+                       "refs": rec["refs"], "form": rec["form"],
+                       "first_mention": rec["line"]})
 
     first = headings[0][0] if headings else n + 1
     preamble_end = first - 1
@@ -329,14 +399,17 @@ def build_doc(payload):
     lines.append("")
     lines.append("## Ids with no `## ` heading")
     lines.append("")
-    lines.append("Opened as records inside another section. `section` is the heading whose "
-                 "body holds the first mention; `shape` is the form of that line.")
+    lines.append("Opened as records inside another section. `line` is the record's own opening "
+                 "line and `first mention` is the first line that names the id at all -- they "
+                 "differ when an id is cited in prose before it is opened (Q53: :7246 -> :7292, "
+                 "Q63: :9909 -> :9918). `form` is the record form that admits it.")
     lines.append("")
-    lines.append("| id | first line | refs | inside section | shape |")
-    lines.append("|---|---|---|---|---|")
+    lines.append("| id | record line | first mention | refs | inside section | shape | form |")
+    lines.append("|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|")
     for r in payload["nested"]:
-        lines.append("| %s | %d | %d | %s | %s |"
-                     % (r["id"], r["line"], r["refs"], r["section"] or "--", r["shape"]))
+        lines.append("| %s | %d | %d | %d | %s | %s | %s |"
+                     % (r["id"], r["line"], r["first_mention"], r["refs"],
+                        r["section"] or "--", r["shape"], r["form"]))
     lines.append("")
     lines.append("**Not in this document.** Ids the prose corpus names that the queue has never "
                  "mentioned (`checkins/`, `replies/`, `recoveries/`, `audits/`, `docs/`, the "
@@ -503,8 +576,13 @@ Body with no status marker.
 
 ## Q3 §9 follow-on — odd shape
 
+Prose that names Q41 before its record.
 - **Q41 — OPEN (pipe, 2026-10-13, unclaimed).** A nested record.
 - prose mentioning Q42 in passing.
+- **Q43 opened — a bold lead record for the fixture.**
+- a bullet carrying **Q44** mid-line, which is not a record.
+- a tick quoting `--outside` = Q77/Q99 as prose.
+**Status: OPEN.** The status lead opens Q45 on this line.
 """
 
 
@@ -531,10 +609,19 @@ def selftest():
     check("status line number", secs[0]["status_line"], 7)
     check("section with no marker is None", secs[1]["status"], None)
     check("continuation status is its own", secs[2]["status"], "OPEN.")
-    check("nested ids found", [r["id"] for r in p["nested"]], ["Q41", "Q42"])
+    check("nested ids found", [r["id"] for r in p["nested"]], ["Q41", "Q43", "Q45"])
     check("nested owner is the containing section", p["nested"][0]["section"], "Q3")
     check("nested shape is bullet carrying a bold lead", p["nested"][0]["shape"], "BULLET+BOLD")
-    check("nested shape is a plain bullet", p["nested"][1]["shape"], "BULLET")
+    check("bold lead is a record form", p["nested"][0]["form"], "BOLD-LEAD")
+    check("status lead is a record form", p["nested"][2]["form"], "STATUS-LEAD")
+    check("record line follows the first mention of the same id",
+          (p["nested"][0]["line"], p["nested"][0]["first_mention"]), (24, 23))
+    check("prose mention is not a record (Q42)", "Q42" in [r["id"] for r in p["nested"]], False)
+    check("mid-line bold mention is not a record (Q44)",
+          "Q44" in [r["id"] for r in p["nested"]], False)
+    check("quoted tool output opens nothing (Q77/Q99)",
+          {"Q77", "Q99"} & {r["id"] for r in p["nested"]}, set())
+    check("mentions are still counted as refs", p["nested"][0]["refs"], 2)
     check("sections tile the file with no gap", 
           all(secs[i]["end_line"] + 1 == secs[i + 1]["line"] for i in range(len(secs) - 1)), True)
     check("last section ends at the last line", secs[-1]["end_line"], p["queue_lines"])
@@ -656,7 +743,7 @@ def main(argv=None):
     ap.add_argument("--check", metavar="PATH", help="re-derive and compare a rendered index")
     ap.add_argument("--outside", action="store_true",
                     help="report ids the prose corpus names that the queue never mentions")
-    ap.add_argument("--selftest", action="store_true", help="fixture corpus, 38 cells")
+    ap.add_argument("--selftest", action="store_true", help="fixture corpus, 44 cells")
     args = ap.parse_args(argv)
     if args.selftest:
         return selftest()