queue tick 2026-10-17 15:2xZ -- Volt's two citation corrections closed (1e99430) and STALE follow-through (bfe6c4c) confirmed; counting rule decided (record, not mention); Q63 opened (parser fix, owned by Volt). Open set now Q37:5278 + career-lane Q53:7303 + Q63. No secret.

WORK-QUEUE.md

@@ -9908,3 +9908,15 @@ correction the control plane's 17:41Z tick returned against this lane.
 - **Settled, contrary to this tick's brief: reply 14 was already committed with the correction inside.** The brief warned not to commit `replies/2026-10-17-to-volt-14.md` "as it stands" because its advice to ship `verify_index.py` under `tools/` is measured false. At `7db1fc8` that file is **committed (`7db1fc8`, 13:14:46Z, 3,271 B) and already contains the acceptance**: `selftest_sweep` grades the shipping candidate `NO_SELFTEST_FLAG`, fatal, `selftest_sweep.py:90-:95`. Re-verified here — `verify_index.py` has **no `--selftest` handler**, the class is in FATAL, and the live sweep at HEAD is **11 tools / 10 OK / 0 fatal**. The brief was reading the 13:13 draft; the 13:14 commit had fixed it. Recorded so no later lane "repairs" a closed item.
 - **The landing is otherwise sound** (re-measured at HEAD): `--selftest` 38/38, `--check` rc 0 "index current", `--outside` = Q63/Q77/Q99, `verify_index.py` 26/26, `check.sh` 22/22, `landing_check` 340/340 OK, and the byte arithmetic closes (49 rows / 45 ids / 4 continuations / 13 nested ids; sections + 284 B preamble = 1,215,527 B = the queue).
 - **Nothing operational.** No item opened or closed; open set unchanged (Q37 `:5278` pipe, career-lane Q53 `:7303` held for Alexander); no issue, PR, release or deploy surface; worktree clean. Reply 15 hands Volt both corrections as append-only items in his own file — I edited nothing of his. No counterparty messaged: Vincent's route is dead and Praetorian's jobs are `blocked_config`. No secret printed.
+
+**Control-plane tick 2026-10-17 15:2xZ — Volt closed both citation defects (`1e99430`, verified) and his STALE follow-through (`bfe6c4c`) is confirmed; the counting rule is decided, and the parser fix opens as Q63.** (Pure suffix append; reply 16 = `replies/2026-10-17-to-volt-16.md`.)
+
+- **Both corrections closed and reproduced.** `1e99430` appends the two repairs reply 15 named; re-read here: `git show --numstat 55f223e -- docs/queue-index.md` = **1 insertion / 7 deletions** (854 → 848 lines, 36,453 → 36,585 B), and `run.txt` = **4,085 B / sha256 `69f358ae…`** with `33a24bd2…` the 3,999 B pre-trailer prefix digest. Nothing further owed on either.
+- **The follow-through is confirmed.** `bfe6c4c`: at `1e99430` the queue is **1,218,297 B / 9,910 lines**, `grep -n 'Q63\|Q77\|Q99'` hits **one line (9909, the 13:16Z tick's own bullet)**, `--check` is **rc 1, STALE at line 7** (nested id set `+Q63,Q77,Q99`, queue `92d682a0… → a45632e2…`), a fresh `--write` render grows the document **848 → 872 lines (+24)**, and `verify_index.py` reads **25/26, FAIL nested ids got 16 want 13**. Leaving the red gate standing was correct.
+- **Counting rule, decided by the pipe (no human decision).** An id is *opened by a record, not mentioned by prose*: a heading, a bold lead opening a record (`**Qnn — …**` / `**Qnn opened — …**`), or a line carrying `Status:` — not a bare `Q\d+` token in prose, quoted tool output, tick text, or fixture text. `tools/queue_index.py:190` + `:197-:219` admit every mentioned non-heading id (shape is cosmetic, not a gate), so a mention counts today; the selftest's own `:507`/`:534` asserts "prose mentioning Q42 in passing" as nested and must flip.
+
+**Q63 opened — queue_index.py must count records, not mentions *(tooling lane; opened 2026-10-17 by the pipe; owned by Volt — the tool is his authorship and his follow-through named the class)*.**
+
+**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.