feat(startup): add the spec-sort nudge; notify .emacs.d the convention is live

The Phase A batch gains a read-only probe that prints one line when a project has an unsorted docs pile (a docs/design/ or stray docs/*-spec.org files) and no :LAST_SPEC_SORT: marker. Phase C surfaces the "run spec-sort" offer when the probe fired and stays silent otherwise.

The stray-root check uses find instead of the spec's compgen sketch: compgen is bash-only and zsh aborts on an unmatched glob, so the original snippet false-negatived on stray root specs under zsh. The spec's snippet is updated with a note, and the probe is fixture-verified in both shells across the four project shapes.

I also fixed startup.org's reference to the encourage-kb-contribution spec's pre-pilot path and sent .emacs.d the convention-live note with the id-index ask.

4 files changed, 30 insertions, 6 deletions

diff --git a/.ai/workflows/startup.org b/.ai/workflows/startup.org
index 5e8f61e..9488dd0 100644
--- a/.ai/workflows/startup.org
+++ b/.ai/workflows/startup.org
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ These calls have no dependencies on each other. Issue them all together in one m
 8. =[ -f todo.org ] && .ai/scripts/task-review-staleness.sh todo.org 7 || true= — count top-level tasks overdue for review (the daily task-review habit's startup nudge). The =[ -f todo.org ]= guard skips projects without a root todo.org; =|| true= keeps Phase A from failing if the script isn't synced yet. Threshold 7 days is one review cycle of slack — softer than the wrap-up health check's 30-day alarm.
 9. =bash ~/code/rulesets/scripts/sync-language-bundle.sh "$PWD" 2>/dev/null || true= — language-bundle freshness for the current project. Fingerprint-detects which bundle (if any) the project has, auto-fixes drifted rulesets-owned files (=.claude/rules/*.md=, =.claude/hooks/*=, =githooks/*=), and surfaces drift in =settings.json= without writing it (a project may have customized it). =CLAUDE.md= is deliberately left untracked — it's seed-only in =install-lang= and project-owned afterward, mirroring how =diff-lang= skips it. Quiet when there's no bundle or everything's clean. Hardcodes the rulesets path because =languages/= is the canonical source and lives only there — the same absolute-path dependency the rsyncs already carry. =|| true= keeps Phase A from failing on older checkouts where the script isn't present yet. The =.ai/= rsyncs and this call write to disjoint paths (=.ai/= vs =.claude/=/=githooks/=), so the batch stays parallel-safe.
 10. =[ -f "$HOME/org/roam/inbox.org" ] && grep -cE '^\*\* ' "$HOME/org/roam/inbox.org" || true= — count items in the roam global inbox (=~/org/roam/inbox.org=), the roam-mode startup nudge. Silent if the roam clone isn't on this machine. Phase C reads the file when the count is non-zero, splits total vs items related to this project, and surfaces the offer (see =inbox.org= roam mode). Read-only; never files at startup.
-11. KB surface prep (the read + contribute startup nudges; see =docs/design/2026-06-16-encourage-kb-contribution-spec.org=). Gated on the agent KB clone. Counts =:agent:= nodes, lists up to 5 whose content matches the current project basename (titles only; a few most-recent nodes as a fallback when nothing matches), and resolves the best-practices node path. Read-only; silent when the clone is absent. Phase C surfaces the relevant titles (consult) and the best-practices link (contribute).
+11. KB surface prep (the read + contribute startup nudges; see =docs/specs/2026-06-16-encourage-kb-contribution-spec.org=). Gated on the agent KB clone. Counts =:agent:= nodes, lists up to 5 whose content matches the current project basename (titles only; a few most-recent nodes as a fallback when nothing matches), and resolves the best-practices node path. Read-only; silent when the clone is absent. Phase C surfaces the relevant titles (consult) and the best-practices link (contribute).
 
     #+begin_src bash
     ra="$HOME/org/roam/agents"
@@ -166,6 +166,16 @@ These calls have no dependencies on each other. Issue them all together in one m
     fi
     #+end_src
 
+12. Spec-sort probe (the docs-lifecycle retrofit nudge; see the docs-lifecycle spec in =docs/specs/=). Read-only; prints one line when the project has an unsorted docs pile — a =docs/design/= directory or stray =docs/*-spec.org= root files — and no =:LAST_SPEC_SORT:= marker in =.ai/notes.org=. Silent for projects with nothing to sort or an already-stamped marker (the marker permanently clears it).
+
+    #+begin_src bash
+    { [ -d docs/design ] || [ -n "$(find docs -maxdepth 1 -name '*-spec.org' -print -quit 2>/dev/null)" ]; } \
+        && ! grep -qs ':LAST_SPEC_SORT:' .ai/notes.org \
+        && echo "spec-sort: unsorted docs present" || true
+    #+end_src
+
+    The stray-root check uses =find= rather than a glob so the probe behaves identically under bash and zsh (=compgen= is bash-only, and zsh aborts on an unmatched glob).
+
 Notes on the rsync commands:
 - Trailing slashes on both source and destination matter — they tell rsync to sync /contents/ rather than nest a directory inside.
 - =--delete= on the directory syncs lets retired template files actually disappear from each project on next startup.
@@ -199,6 +209,7 @@ This phase touches the user and runs sequentially:
    - *Roam inbox nudge.* If the Phase A roam-inbox count is greater than zero, read =~/org/roam/inbox.org=, split total vs items related to this project (claimed by the =<project>:= prefix, plus any unprefixed item whose topic plainly concerns this project), and surface one line: "Roam inbox: =<N>= total, =<M>= appear related to this project — say 'inbox zero' to file them." Offer it as a priority option; never auto-file. If the count is zero or the file is absent, say nothing. See =inbox.org= roam mode.
    - *KB consult nudge (read side).* If the Phase A KB-surface prep returned any =kb-relevant-titles=, surface one line listing them (capped 5): "KB lessons that may be relevant: =<title>=; =<title>=… — open the node before related work." The titles are declarative, so the list alone tells you whether to open one. Gated on the roam clone; silent when the clone is absent or nothing relevant surfaced. See the best-practices node and =knowledge-base.md=.
    - *KB contribute nudge (write side).* Once per session, surface one line pointing at the best-practices node (the =kb-bestpractices= path from Phase A): "Learned something durable? See =<path>= for how to write a KB node — contributing cross-project facts is welcome (personal projects only; work/unknown projects never write per =knowledge-base.md=)." Light encouragement, never a gate. Gated on the roam clone; silent when absent.
+   - *Spec-sort nudge.* If the Phase A spec-sort probe printed =spec-sort: unsorted docs present=, surface one line: "this project's docs pile has never been spec-sorted — say 'run spec-sort' to sort it." If the probe was silent, say nothing. A project with nothing to sort never sees the line; a stamped =:LAST_SPEC_SORT:= marker permanently clears it. See the docs-lifecycle rule and the spec in =docs/specs/=.
    - *Language-bundle sync.* If the Phase A step-12 call (=sync-language-bundle.sh=) printed anything, surface it. =fixed= lines are informational — the drift was already repaired (note that =.claude/= is now dirty if the project commits it). A =drift= line on =settings.json= is surface-only and needs the printed =make install-<lang> PROJECT=.= to reconcile; flag it so the user can decide. If the call was silent, say nothing.
    - *Newly-installed symlinks.* If the Phase A.0 =make install= step printed any =link= / =relink= / =WARN= line, surface it. A =link= line means a skill, rule, hook, or script added to rulesets is now linked into =~/.claude= for the first time on this machine. For a newly-linked *skill*, check the agent's available-skills list: if the harness already registered it mid-session, note it's available and move on; if it's absent, stop and tell Craig to restart the agent so it loads (whether a mid-session reload works is harness-version-dependent). For a newly-linked *hook*, note that the harness reads hooks at session start — it fires from the next session (or after Craig opens =/hooks= once); its settings.json wiring travels with the tracked file, so the link is usually the only missing piece. A =WARN ... not a symlink= line is a real collision at the target path — surface it; it needs a human. If the step printed only "nothing new to link", say nothing.
    - *Template-sync churn (safety net).* Check whether Phase A's rsync left uncommitted churn in the synced =.ai/= paths — accumulated from a prior session that crashed before wrap-up, or freshly added this session when rulesets advanced. Without surfacing, it builds up silently until it blocks Phase A.0's auto-ff (git won't ff a dirty tree). Skip in the rulesets repo itself (there =.ai/= is a committed mirror, kept honest by the pre-commit hook). The check is sequential here, after the rsync has finished — not a Phase A step, to keep that batch race-free.
diff --git a/claude-templates/.ai/workflows/startup.org b/claude-templates/.ai/workflows/startup.org
index 5e8f61e..9488dd0 100644
--- a/claude-templates/.ai/workflows/startup.org
+++ b/claude-templates/.ai/workflows/startup.org
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ These calls have no dependencies on each other. Issue them all together in one m
 8. =[ -f todo.org ] && .ai/scripts/task-review-staleness.sh todo.org 7 || true= — count top-level tasks overdue for review (the daily task-review habit's startup nudge). The =[ -f todo.org ]= guard skips projects without a root todo.org; =|| true= keeps Phase A from failing if the script isn't synced yet. Threshold 7 days is one review cycle of slack — softer than the wrap-up health check's 30-day alarm.
 9. =bash ~/code/rulesets/scripts/sync-language-bundle.sh "$PWD" 2>/dev/null || true= — language-bundle freshness for the current project. Fingerprint-detects which bundle (if any) the project has, auto-fixes drifted rulesets-owned files (=.claude/rules/*.md=, =.claude/hooks/*=, =githooks/*=), and surfaces drift in =settings.json= without writing it (a project may have customized it). =CLAUDE.md= is deliberately left untracked — it's seed-only in =install-lang= and project-owned afterward, mirroring how =diff-lang= skips it. Quiet when there's no bundle or everything's clean. Hardcodes the rulesets path because =languages/= is the canonical source and lives only there — the same absolute-path dependency the rsyncs already carry. =|| true= keeps Phase A from failing on older checkouts where the script isn't present yet. The =.ai/= rsyncs and this call write to disjoint paths (=.ai/= vs =.claude/=/=githooks/=), so the batch stays parallel-safe.
 10. =[ -f "$HOME/org/roam/inbox.org" ] && grep -cE '^\*\* ' "$HOME/org/roam/inbox.org" || true= — count items in the roam global inbox (=~/org/roam/inbox.org=), the roam-mode startup nudge. Silent if the roam clone isn't on this machine. Phase C reads the file when the count is non-zero, splits total vs items related to this project, and surfaces the offer (see =inbox.org= roam mode). Read-only; never files at startup.
-11. KB surface prep (the read + contribute startup nudges; see =docs/design/2026-06-16-encourage-kb-contribution-spec.org=). Gated on the agent KB clone. Counts =:agent:= nodes, lists up to 5 whose content matches the current project basename (titles only; a few most-recent nodes as a fallback when nothing matches), and resolves the best-practices node path. Read-only; silent when the clone is absent. Phase C surfaces the relevant titles (consult) and the best-practices link (contribute).
+11. KB surface prep (the read + contribute startup nudges; see =docs/specs/2026-06-16-encourage-kb-contribution-spec.org=). Gated on the agent KB clone. Counts =:agent:= nodes, lists up to 5 whose content matches the current project basename (titles only; a few most-recent nodes as a fallback when nothing matches), and resolves the best-practices node path. Read-only; silent when the clone is absent. Phase C surfaces the relevant titles (consult) and the best-practices link (contribute).
 
     #+begin_src bash
     ra="$HOME/org/roam/agents"
@@ -166,6 +166,16 @@ These calls have no dependencies on each other. Issue them all together in one m
     fi
     #+end_src
 
+12. Spec-sort probe (the docs-lifecycle retrofit nudge; see the docs-lifecycle spec in =docs/specs/=). Read-only; prints one line when the project has an unsorted docs pile — a =docs/design/= directory or stray =docs/*-spec.org= root files — and no =:LAST_SPEC_SORT:= marker in =.ai/notes.org=. Silent for projects with nothing to sort or an already-stamped marker (the marker permanently clears it).
+
+    #+begin_src bash
+    { [ -d docs/design ] || [ -n "$(find docs -maxdepth 1 -name '*-spec.org' -print -quit 2>/dev/null)" ]; } \
+        && ! grep -qs ':LAST_SPEC_SORT:' .ai/notes.org \
+        && echo "spec-sort: unsorted docs present" || true
+    #+end_src
+
+    The stray-root check uses =find= rather than a glob so the probe behaves identically under bash and zsh (=compgen= is bash-only, and zsh aborts on an unmatched glob).
+
 Notes on the rsync commands:
 - Trailing slashes on both source and destination matter — they tell rsync to sync /contents/ rather than nest a directory inside.
 - =--delete= on the directory syncs lets retired template files actually disappear from each project on next startup.
@@ -199,6 +209,7 @@ This phase touches the user and runs sequentially:
    - *Roam inbox nudge.* If the Phase A roam-inbox count is greater than zero, read =~/org/roam/inbox.org=, split total vs items related to this project (claimed by the =<project>:= prefix, plus any unprefixed item whose topic plainly concerns this project), and surface one line: "Roam inbox: =<N>= total, =<M>= appear related to this project — say 'inbox zero' to file them." Offer it as a priority option; never auto-file. If the count is zero or the file is absent, say nothing. See =inbox.org= roam mode.
    - *KB consult nudge (read side).* If the Phase A KB-surface prep returned any =kb-relevant-titles=, surface one line listing them (capped 5): "KB lessons that may be relevant: =<title>=; =<title>=… — open the node before related work." The titles are declarative, so the list alone tells you whether to open one. Gated on the roam clone; silent when the clone is absent or nothing relevant surfaced. See the best-practices node and =knowledge-base.md=.
    - *KB contribute nudge (write side).* Once per session, surface one line pointing at the best-practices node (the =kb-bestpractices= path from Phase A): "Learned something durable? See =<path>= for how to write a KB node — contributing cross-project facts is welcome (personal projects only; work/unknown projects never write per =knowledge-base.md=)." Light encouragement, never a gate. Gated on the roam clone; silent when absent.
+   - *Spec-sort nudge.* If the Phase A spec-sort probe printed =spec-sort: unsorted docs present=, surface one line: "this project's docs pile has never been spec-sorted — say 'run spec-sort' to sort it." If the probe was silent, say nothing. A project with nothing to sort never sees the line; a stamped =:LAST_SPEC_SORT:= marker permanently clears it. See the docs-lifecycle rule and the spec in =docs/specs/=.
    - *Language-bundle sync.* If the Phase A step-12 call (=sync-language-bundle.sh=) printed anything, surface it. =fixed= lines are informational — the drift was already repaired (note that =.claude/= is now dirty if the project commits it). A =drift= line on =settings.json= is surface-only and needs the printed =make install-<lang> PROJECT=.= to reconcile; flag it so the user can decide. If the call was silent, say nothing.
    - *Newly-installed symlinks.* If the Phase A.0 =make install= step printed any =link= / =relink= / =WARN= line, surface it. A =link= line means a skill, rule, hook, or script added to rulesets is now linked into =~/.claude= for the first time on this machine. For a newly-linked *skill*, check the agent's available-skills list: if the harness already registered it mid-session, note it's available and move on; if it's absent, stop and tell Craig to restart the agent so it loads (whether a mid-session reload works is harness-version-dependent). For a newly-linked *hook*, note that the harness reads hooks at session start — it fires from the next session (or after Craig opens =/hooks= once); its settings.json wiring travels with the tracked file, so the link is usually the only missing piece. A =WARN ... not a symlink= line is a real collision at the target path — surface it; it needs a human. If the step printed only "nothing new to link", say nothing.
    - *Template-sync churn (safety net).* Check whether Phase A's rsync left uncommitted churn in the synced =.ai/= paths — accumulated from a prior session that crashed before wrap-up, or freshly added this session when rulesets advanced. Without surfacing, it builds up silently until it blocks Phase A.0's auto-ff (git won't ff a dirty tree). Skip in the rulesets repo itself (there =.ai/= is a committed mirror, kept honest by the pre-commit hook). The check is sequential here, after the rsync has finished — not a Phase A step, to keep that batch race-free.
diff --git a/docs/specs/2026-07-01-docs-lifecycle-spec.org b/docs/specs/2026-07-01-docs-lifecycle-spec.org
index 656df7f..16e1132 100644
--- a/docs/specs/2026-07-01-docs-lifecycle-spec.org
+++ b/docs/specs/2026-07-01-docs-lifecycle-spec.org
@@ -141,11 +141,13 @@ A synced helper, =spec-sort=, run once per project. *Canonical placement:* like
 *The startup nudge — concrete contract.* Phase A's parallel batch gains one read-only probe:
 
 #+begin_src bash
-{ [ -d docs/design ] || compgen -G 'docs/*-spec.org' >/dev/null; } \
+{ [ -d docs/design ] || [ -n "$(find docs -maxdepth 1 -name '*-spec.org' -print -quit 2>/dev/null)" ]; } \
     && ! grep -qs ':LAST_SPEC_SORT:' .ai/notes.org \
-    && echo "spec-sort: unsorted docs present"
+    && echo "spec-sort: unsorted docs present" || true
 #+end_src
 
+(Phase 4 refined the stray-root check from =compgen= to =find=: =compgen= is bash-only and zsh aborts on an unmatched glob, so the original snippet false-negatived on stray root specs under zsh.)
+
 (The probe also fires on stray =docs/*-spec.org= root files, so a project whose only misfiled specs sit at the =docs/= root still gets nudged.)
 
 Phase C surfaces one line when the probe printed ("this project's docs pile has never been spec-sorted — say 'run spec-sort' to sort it") and stays silent otherwise. Projects with nothing to sort — no =docs/design/= and no stray root specs — never see it; a stamped marker permanently clears it.
diff --git a/todo.org b/todo.org
index 7c0bdf1..1882a89 100644
--- a/todo.org
+++ b/todo.org
@@ -411,8 +411,8 @@ Built claude-templates/.ai/scripts/spec-sort (Python, TDD — the 30-test bats s
 *** 2026-07-02 Thu @ 00:18:28 -0400 Phase 3 pilot ran — rulesets' pile sorted, board live
 Craig confirmed all five proposed keywords as-is plus the IMPLEMENTED reason; spec-sort --apply moved the five specs to docs/specs/ (agent-knowledge-base IMPLEMENTED, inbox-workflow-consolidation READY, autonomous-batch-execution READY, encourage-kb-contribution READY, wrapup-routing DOING — joining the docs-lifecycle spec's DOING on the board), rewrote 12 todo.org links plus the moved specs' own outbound links, and stamped :LAST_SPEC_SORT: 2026-07-02. Acceptance verified: status board matches reality, all re-homed specs carry -spec.org, residue zero in the rewritten roots (one acknowledged self bare mention rode along inside inbox-workflow-consolidation-spec), no id: links emitted, make test green. Surfaced and left in place: the four -spec.org-named files in docs/design without a spec spine (generic-agent-runtime, pattern-catalog, daily-prep-template, auto-triage-intake) — notes by predicate, misleading names; rename or leave is a Craig call. Report-only references: 9 frozen session archives + the synced startup.org (canonical edit lands with Phase 4's nudge work).
 
-*** TODO Phase 4 — startup nudge + .emacs.d broadcast :solo:
-Add the Phase A probe + Phase C nudge line to startup.org (canonical). Send .emacs.d the note: convention live, ~28-doc pile ready to sort, and the id-index ask (enumerate docs/specs/*.org into org-id-extra-files under org-id-track-globally, or feed org-id-update-id-locations; verify by clicking a known id link). Verify: probe fires in a fixture project without the marker, silent with it.
+*** 2026-07-02 Thu @ 00:23:32 -0400 Phase 4 landed — startup nudge live, .emacs.d notified
+Added the spec-sort probe to startup.org Phase A (item 12) and the one-line nudge to Phase C's findings list, canonical-side, mirror synced. One refinement over the spec's sketch: the stray-root check uses find instead of compgen, because compgen is bash-only and zsh aborts on an unmatched glob — the original snippet false-negatived on stray root specs under zsh (spec snippet updated with a note). Fixture-verified in both shells: fires on an unsorted docs/design and on a stray docs/*-spec.org, silent with the marker stamped, silent with no docs at all. Also fixed startup.org's own stale reference to the moved encourage-kb-contribution spec (the pilot's report-only finding). Sent .emacs.d the convention-live note with its ~28-doc pile nudge and the id-index ask (org-id-extra-files enumeration or periodic org-id-update-id-locations, verify by clicking the docs-lifecycle spec's :ID:), asking it to tag the owning task :blocker: since rulesets' id-conversion task waits on it.
 
 *** TODO id-link conversion pass — gated on .emacs.d id-index
 After .emacs.d lands the id-index mechanism (Phase 4's ask) and a clicked id link verifiably resolves, run the conversion pass: rewrite spec-target file: links in the rewritten roots to id: form, per project. Not part of any sort run. Becomes :blocked: with the reciprocal handoff if picked up before .emacs.d delivers.