refactor: remove unused cross-agent-comms subsystem

Nothing used the cross-agent message system (send/recv/watch/status/discover/halt/resume over the inbox/from-agents/ file-IPC protocol). Every cross-project handoff goes through inbox-send instead. I removed the scripts, READMEs, workflow, tests, INDEX entry, the three startup.org wirings, and the legacy bin symlinks, then repointed helper-mode's escalation to inbox-send and noted the removal in the generic-agent-runtime spec.

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diff --git a/.ai/sessions/2026-06-16-23-37-cross-agent-comms-removal-and-batch-specs.org b/.ai/sessions/2026-06-16-23-37-cross-agent-comms-removal-and-batch-specs.org
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+#+TITLE: Session Context
+#+DATE: 2026-06-15
+
+* Summary
+
+** Active Goal
+
+A long overnight session: process inbound, then run an autonomous 30-min work loop, ending with two directed tasks — write specs from Craig's cj instructions, and remove the unused cross-agent-comms subsystem.
+
+** Decisions
+
+- Reconciled the Phase E (inbox-zero) and "fix speedrun" proposals into ONE autonomous-batch-execution spec: a dedicated =work-the-backlog.org= holds the loop, inbox-zero stays routing-only, "fix speedrun" is a thin preset. (Craig's "your call".)
+- Demoted create-documentation + research-writer to [#D] (designed, unbuilt, awaiting a trigger).
+- Shared-asset change proposals park as [#B] VERIFYs in no-approvals mode, never self-apply (Phase E, dotfiles-discovery, archsetup ai-launcher).
+- cross-agent-comms is removable: an unused parallel system; inbox-send is the live handoff mechanism (kept). Removed it; repointed helper-mode escalation to inbox-send.
+- Wrap-up-routing implementation deferred: it moves tasks across projects' todo.org files (data-loss-adjacent), needs a focused /start-work, not a tail-end rush.
+
+** Data Collected / Findings
+
+- The 30-min loop ran ~28 idle cycles (cycles 1-30); most inbound was =emacs:=-prefixed roam items (foreign, left for .emacs.d). No rulesets task was ever tagged :next: / :solo:+:quick:, so the loop never had eligible work.
+- Candidate quick-wins surfaced: shellcheck warnings across 6 scripts (2 latent-bug suspects in bin/ai — SC2088 tilde-in-quotes, SC1083 literal brace), the parked dotfiles one-liner, token-rotation helper.
+- cross-agent-comms footprint removed: 7 scripts + 7 READMEs (canonical + mirror), cross-agent-comms.org workflow, INDEX entry, 6 test files, 3 startup.org wirings + 2 summary mentions, helper-mode escalation ref, 7 legacy ~/.local/bin symlinks. Verified: no residual refs, sync-check clean, make test green.
+
+** Files Modified
+
+- Removed: claude-templates/.ai/scripts/cross-agent-comms/ + mirror, the 6 test_cross_agent_*.py, cross-agent-comms.org (+ mirror).
+- Edited (canonical + sync'd mirror): startup.org (3 wirings + 2 summary lines, renumbered Phase A), INDEX.org (dropped entry), helper-mode.org (escalation → inbox-send).
+- docs/design/: 2026-06-16-autonomous-batch-execution-spec.org (new), 2026-06-16-encourage-kb-contribution-spec.org (new), generic-agent-runtime-spec.org (removal status note), 2026-06-15-fix-speedrun-workflow-proposal.org (filed source).
+- todo.org: many task-state edits (specs filed with review VERIFYs, audit reconciliation, demotions, parked VERIFYs, Craig's reorder).
+- working/: inbox-zero-phase-e/, ai-dotfiles-discovery/ (staged parked changes).
+- ~/.dotfiles: bootstrapped .ai/ in gitignore mode (install-ai).
+
+** Next Steps
+
+- Three parked VERIFYs await Craig: dotfiles-discovery (one line), autonomous-batch spec (6 decisions), KB-contribution spec (5 decisions).
+- Wrap-up-routing implementation — the next focused /start-work build (data-loss checkpoint).
+- Quick-win backlog to tag :solo:+:quick: when wanted: the shellcheck cleanup (with the 2 bin/ai latent-bug suspects flagged for eyes).
+
+KB: promoted 0 / consulted no
+
+* Session Log
+
+** Startup + inbox pass (2026-06-15 23:29 CDT)
+
+Ran startup clean: no crashed anchor, templates synced, no reminders/pending decisions, roam inbox 0, no cross-agent messages. Staleness nudge: 1 top-level task unreviewed >7 days. Two DOING items remain open (wrap-up routing spec ready for spec-review; helper-instance Phase 1.5 awaiting go to build).
+
+Processed 3 inbox items:
+- .emacs.d "fix speedrun" reusable-workflow proposal — ran the Skeptical Review with the cross-project battery. Passes the value gate but carries 4 unresolved design questions (new-workflow-vs-preset, page firing point + mechanism amid the page-signal removal, auto-pull vs explicit list, guardrails against design/data-loss work). Craig chose option 1: file as a task, build via spec-create later. Preserved the proposal at docs/design/2026-06-15-fix-speedrun-workflow-proposal.org and filed a [#C] :feature:spec: task carrying the skeptical-review open questions.
+- Two pearl FYIs (gitignore-tooling applied; memory sweep Phase 1.5 done) — acks of handoffs we sent, nothing asked. Deleted.
+
+Updated :LAST_INBOX_PROCESS: marker to 2026-06-15. Inbox empty.
+
+** Autonomous 30-min loop started (2026-06-15 23:44 CDT)
+
+Craig set up an autonomous loop: every 30 min, inbox-zero (project inbox + roam global), then find a task tagged :next: OR both :solo: and :quick:, evaluate it, write a spec if useful, implement it in no-approvals mode until the commit is pushed, then inbox-zero again. Runs until told to stop.
+
+Committed + pushed the inbox pass (4fe184e → e7be0de..4fe184e on origin/main).
+
+Cycle 1 (23:44): both inboxes already at zero. No eligible task — nothing tagged :next:, nothing tagged both :solo:+:quick: (no open task carries :solo: at all). One task has :quick: alone (Token-rotation helper, line 1031) but not :solo:, so it doesn't qualify. No-op cycle. Scheduled next wake in 30 min.
+
+Guardrails honored each cycle: shared-asset/convention change proposals never self-apply even in no-approvals (defer-and-stage as [#B] VERIFY per process-inbox Skeptical Review); refuse to speedrun tasks needing design decisions or carrying data-loss risk without a checkpoint (the fix-speedrun guardrail).
+
+** Full task audit (2026-06-15, Craig-requested, interrupts the loop)
+
+Ran task-audit.org over all 11 open tasks. Fanned out 3 read-only Explore subagents over batches; reconciled against session summaries + git + repo state; applied edits serially.
+
+STALE → updated autonomously:
+- Helper-instance (line 46): bumped LAST_REVIEWED 2026-06-12 → 2026-06-15 (this morning's session shipped agent-roster f8bdf30 + helper-mode.org 0b681dc; the 2026-06-15 progress note already captures the shipped-vs-wiring split accurately, so only the stamp lagged).
+- Memories-sync (line 87): rewrote the stale preamble (it claimed phases + validation both "remaining"; Phases 0-4 are all shipped) and bumped LAST_REVIEWED → 2026-06-15. Implementation complete; manual-testing child + other-machine roam.git clone (archsetup handoff) remain before DONE.
+
+CURRENT (left as-is): wrap-up routing (line 37, still awaiting spec-review), morning-ops (182), c4-rename (885), token-rotation (1031, :solo: deliberately withheld), spec-storage (1084) + fix-speedrun (1104) both filed today.
+
+NEEDS-USER (flagged, awaiting Craig): create-documentation [#C] vs [#D]; research-writer [#C] vs [#D]; generic-agent-runtime (1058) overlap/dependency with helper-instance (46).
+
+Phase E: stamped :LAST_AUDIT: 2026-06-15 in notes.org. Phase F (task-review chain) pending the NEEDS-USER adjudication.
+
+Craig adjudicated the 3 NEEDS-USER flags (chose accept-all): demoted create-documentation (line 191) and research-writer (line 828) [#C]→[#D]; kept generic-agent-runtime separate from helper-instance (open dependency question stays the recorded blocker). Phase F completed: re-reviewed all remaining open tasks (reconciled CURRENT in the audit) and bumped their LAST_REVIEWED to 2026-06-15. No kills. Committed + pushed the audit (ab9f79a → 4fe184e..ab9f79a on origin/main).
+
+** install-ai on ~/.dotfiles (2026-06-16, Craig-requested, cross-project)
+
+Craig asked to install-ai ~/.dotfiles in gitignore mode and page him. Ran scripts/install-ai.sh --gitignore $HOME/.dotfiles: created .ai/ (protocols, workflows, scripts, notes.org seeded project=.dotfiles) + inbox/, and appended .ai/ .claude/ CLAUDE.md AGENTS.md to ~/.dotfiles/.gitignore. Verified .ai/ is git-ignored (git check-ignore IGNORED; absent from git status). (.claude shows not-ignored via check-ignore only because the dir doesn't exist yet — directory-scoped pattern; will ignore once created.) Left the .gitignore change uncommitted — ~/.dotfiles had 11 unrelated modified WIP files, so the commit decision is Craig's. Paged him via notify success --persist (exit 0).
+
+** Loop cycle 2 (2026-06-16 00:15 CDT)
+
+Inbox had real work this time: 2 .emacs.d handoffs + 1 roam item. No eligible task (no :next:, no :solo:+:quick:).
+
+- .emacs.d inbox-zero Phase E proposal (adds autonomous task execution to the synced inbox-zero.org): shared-asset change in a no-approvals session → defer-and-stage per the Skeptical Review gate. Staged the proposed file + diff + sender note under working/inbox-zero-phase-e/, filed a [#B] VERIFY (recommend spec it, not apply: assumes .emacs.d's commit waiver, hardcodes eligibility tags, undefined do-not-implement set + kill-switch, unresolved seam question; overlaps the fix-speedrun task — reconcile into one spec). Replied to .emacs.d that it's parked.
+- Roam item "rulesets: encourage building a knowledge base..." (:next:, rulesets-prefixed): claimed and filed as [#C] :feature: "Encourage org-roam KB contribution across workflows." Dropped the :next: tag — it touches 4 synced workflows and needs a best-practices curation decision, so it's a design task, not a loop auto-implement (guardrail). Removed from roam inbox, committed + pushed roam (af1e09f).
+- Rulesets commit 26bcae6 (todo.org VERIFY + task, working/ staged). Both inboxes verified empty. Rescheduled next wake +30 min.
+
+** /respond-to-cj-comments on todo.org (2026-06-16, Craig-invoked)
+
+cj-scan found 4 cj comments. Craig had also flipped Helper-instance and memories-sync to VERIFY in his buffer (his edits, folded into the same commit).
+
+- cj on Phase E VERIFY ("write a spec, file a verify subtask") + cj on fix-speedrun ("your call" on workflow-vs-preset + effectiveness measurement): reconciled into ONE autonomous-batch execution spec (docs/design/2026-06-16-autonomous-batch-execution-spec.org). Design call (mine, per "your call"): a dedicated work-the-backlog.org holds the loop; "fix speedrun" is a thin preset; inbox-zero stays routing-only. Spec also designs the effectiveness-measurement trial (per-task JSONL + org-roam synthesis articles). Phase E VERIFY folded to a dated entry; fix-speedrun got a dated answer + a *** VERIFY "Review the autonomous-batch execution spec".
+- cj on KB-encouragement ("write a spec, file a verify subtask"): docs/design/2026-06-16-encourage-kb-contribution-spec.org (4 light workflow prompts + curated best-practices node, sources cited). Filed *** VERIFY "Review the KB-contribution spec".
+- cj on Wrap-up routing ("approved, take through spec-response → implementation"): LEFT IN PLACE / deferred. The build moves tasks between projects' todo.org files = data-loss-adjacent cross-project mutation; per the guardrail it needs a focused /start-work session with a checkpoint, not a tail-end rush after two specs. Craig's approval edit to wrapup-routing-spec.org is unstaged (belongs with that build).
+
+Two spec drafts came from parallel general-purpose subagents (held the design decisions myself; they drafted the docs). Commit 7467d1f pushed. Both review VERIFYs await Craig.
+
+Pending at task boundary: a new inbox handoff arrived mid-task — inbox/2026-06-16-0054-from-archsetup-ai-launcher-dotfiles-discovery.org — not yet processed (next loop cycle or a follow-up).
+
+** Loop cycle 3 (2026-06-16 00:59 CDT)
+
+Processed the archsetup handoff (add =~/.dotfiles= to bin/ai's build_candidates() discovery, completing the dotfiles bootstrap). Synced asset + no-approvals → defer-and-stage. Skeptical review confirmed correct (verified build_candidates only scans .emacs.d/code/projects; maybe_add_candidate guards on .ai/protocols.org; no bin/ai discovery test to also update). Staged the one-line diff under working/ai-dotfiles-discovery/, filed a [#B] VERIFY "Parked: add ~/.dotfiles to the ai launcher's project discovery", replied to archsetup (parked). Commit 4e2db8f pushed. No eligible task (no :next:, no :solo:+:quick:). Both inboxes verified empty. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 4 (2026-06-16 01:32 CDT)
+
+No-op cycle. Both inboxes empty, no eligible task. Craig reordered todo.org in his Emacs buffer (moved the Phase E / wrap-up-routing / KB-contribution blocks down below the memories-sync task) — a pure reorder, byte-identical content, no new cj/approval/tag. That edit plus his earlier wrapup-routing-spec.org approval annotation are uncommitted; left untouched (his in-progress WIP, not the loop's to commit). No commit this cycle. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 5 (2026-06-16 02:04 CDT)
+
+No-op (3rd idle cycle). Inboxes empty, no eligible task, no new cj comments (the wrap-up-routing one is still the only one, still deferred). Craig's todo.org reorder + wrapup-routing-spec.org approval still uncommitted, still left alone. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 6 (2026-06-16 02:35 CDT)
+
+No-op (4th idle cycle). State unchanged from cycle 5: inboxes empty, no eligible task, one deferred cj (wrap-up routing), Craig's WIP still uncommitted. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 7 (2026-06-16 03:06 CDT)
+
+No-op (5th idle cycle). State frozen since cycle 4: inboxes empty, no eligible task, wrap-up-routing cj still deferred, Craig's reorder + spec approval still uncommitted. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 8 (2026-06-16 03:37 CDT)
+No-op (6th idle cycle). State unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 9 (2026-06-16 04:08 CDT)
+No-op (7th idle cycle). State unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 10 (2026-06-16 04:39 CDT)
+No-op (8th idle cycle). State unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 11 (2026-06-16 05:10 CDT)
+No-op for rulesets (9th idle cycle). A new roam inbox item appeared but it's =emacs:=-prefixed (difftastic "d" diff option for the buffer-differs prompt, :next:) — foreign to rulesets, left untouched for .emacs.d's session to claim per the ownership rule. No rulesets-owned roam items, no project inbox, no eligible todo.org task. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 12 (2026-06-16 05:41 CDT)
+No-op (10th idle cycle). The foreign =emacs:= roam item from cycle 11 is gone (claimed by .emacs.d). Roam + project inboxes empty, no eligible task. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 13 (2026-06-16 06:12 CDT)
+No-op for rulesets (11th idle cycle). Another =emacs:=-prefixed roam item appeared (studio view-assignment dropdown next/prev buttons, :next:) — foreign, left for .emacs.d. No rulesets-owned items, no project inbox, no eligible task. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 14 (2026-06-16 06:43 CDT)
+No-op (12th idle cycle). Cycle 13's foreign =emacs:= roam item cleared (.emacs.d claimed it). All inboxes empty, no eligible task. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 15 (2026-06-16 07:14 CDT)
+No-op (13th idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 16 (2026-06-16 07:45 CDT)
+No-op (14th idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 17 (2026-06-16 08:16 CDT)
+No-op (15th idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 18 (2026-06-16 08:47 CDT)
+No-op for rulesets (16th idle cycle). Two new =emacs:=-prefixed roam items (theme-studio palette-closed default, assignment-view dropdown improvements, both :next:) — foreign, left for .emacs.d. No rulesets-owned items, no project inbox, no eligible task. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 19 (2026-06-16 09:18 CDT)
+No-op (17th idle cycle). Cycle 18's foreign =emacs:= roam items cleared (.emacs.d claimed them). All inboxes empty, no eligible task. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 20 (2026-06-16 09:49 CDT)
+No-op (18th idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 21 (2026-06-16 10:20 CDT)
+No-op (19th idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 22 (2026-06-16 10:51 CDT)
+No-op (20th idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 23 (2026-06-16 11:22 CDT)
+No-op (21st idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 24 (2026-06-16 11:53 CDT)
+No-op (22nd idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 25 (2026-06-16 12:24 CDT)
+No-op (23rd idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 26 (2026-06-16 12:55 CDT)
+No-op (24th idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task. Craig edited .claude/settings.json (removed the pinned =model: opus= line) — his config WIP, left uncommitted with his other edits. No commit. Earlier this turn surfaced candidate work for Craig (shellcheck warnings across 6 scripts incl. 2 latent-bug-suspect ones in bin/ai; the parked dotfiles one-liner; token-rotation helper; spec-storage decision) — awaiting his pick on what to tag/fix. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 27 (2026-06-16 13:27 CDT)
+No-op (25th idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged (Craig's settings.json + reorder WIP still uncommitted). No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 28 (2026-06-16 13:58 CDT)
+No-op (26th idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 29 (2026-06-16 14:29 CDT)
+No-op (27th idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop cycle 30 (2026-06-16 14:59 CDT)
+No-op (28th idle cycle). All inboxes empty, no eligible task, state unchanged. No commit. Rescheduled +30 min.
+
+** Loop STOPPED + remove cross-agent-comms (2026-06-16 ~15:05 CDT)
+
+Craig stopped the 30-min loop (the queued 15:31 wakeup fired once after; not continued). Then directed removing the unused cross-agent-comms subsystem (option 2: remove now, repoint helper-mode/spec refs to inbox-send). Distinct from inbox-send (the live handoff mechanism, kept). Removing: 7 scripts + 7 READMEs, cross-agent-comms.org workflow, INDEX entry, 5 test files, 3 startup.org wirings (Phase A step 6, Phase B step 4, Phase C bullet) + 2 summary mentions, helper-mode.org escalation ref (repoint to inbox-send / report-to-Craig), 7 legacy ~/.local/bin/cross-agent-* symlinks. Editing canonical (claude-templates/.ai/) then sync-check --fix to mirror. generic-agent-runtime-spec.org gets a removal note (not a full rewrite of its 9 historical refs).