chore(todo): file spec storage + lifecycle-status proposal as a task

File the .emacs.d spec-storage/lifecycle proposal as a [#C] :spec: task with the recommendation captured in the body, so the design thinking survives until the task is worked in priority order. Move the proposal out of the inbox into docs/design/ as the linked source.

The recommendation leans org-TODO keyword + Status field over a filename suffix for lifecycle status (renames break cross-doc links across a synced doc set), and org-id links either way. Flagged that the keyword lean diverges from the filename-suffix idea, so the mechanism stays an open decision.

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diff --git a/todo.org b/todo.org
index 0cd0ebe..3ab2430 100644
--- a/todo.org
+++ b/todo.org
@@ -1079,6 +1079,26 @@ Codex ran the spec-review workflow. Outcome: the combined spec is =Not ready= be
 *** 2026-06-12 Fri @ 02:39:38 -0500 Second review after response pass
 Codex re-ran spec-review after the dispositions were folded in. Outcome by arc: Phase 1.5 helper instances =Ready with caveats=; phases 2-5 remain =Not ready= behind the explicit decisions/reverification gate. No new blocking findings for the helper slice. Review file updated in place: [[file:docs/design/2026-05-28-generic-agent-runtime-spec-review.org]].
 
+** TODO [#C] Spec storage location + lifecycle-status convention :spec:
+:PROPERTIES:
+:CREATED: [2026-06-15 Mon]
+:END:
+Two coupled documentation conventions for rulesets to adopt, surfaced by .emacs.d while triaging ~28 design docs. Both land in =spec-create= ([[file:.ai/workflows/spec-create.org]]) and likely a new =docs-lifecycle= rule under =claude-rules/=. Source proposal: [[file:docs/design/2026-06-15-spec-storage-lifecycle-proposal.org]] (.emacs.d handoff 2026-06-15).
+
+The two conventions:
+- *Location split* — formal specs live in =docs/specs/=; =docs/design/= keeps working notes, brainstorms, inventories, reviews. A spec is a doc proposing a buildable change with a Decisions section and phases; everything else is a note.
+- *Glanceable lifecycle status* — a spec's state (draft / doing / implemented / superseded / cancelled) is visible without opening the file, plus an authoritative in-file record.
+
+Recommendation captured now so the thinking isn't lost; it migrates into the spec when this is worked. We handle the task in priority order.
+
+*** Recommendation (draft — decide when worked, migrate into the spec)
+1. *Location split — adopt.* Low controversy, clear payoff. =docs/specs/= for formal specs, =docs/design/= for notes. Document in spec-create and the docs-lifecycle rule.
+2. *Status mechanism — the real fork.* Two options: filename suffix (=-spec-doing.org=, Craig's idea, ls-visible but every transition is a rename that breaks =[[file:...]]= links) vs the org-TODO keyword on the spec's top heading (specs already carry =#+TODO: TODO | DONE SUPERSEDED CANCELLED=; link-stable, zero-rename, org-agenda-scannable, but not visible in =ls=). My lean is the org-keyword as authoritative + a Status field in the Metadata table, dropping the filename suffix — the suffix is redundant with the Status field and adds rename churn across a heavily cross-linked, template-synced doc set. This diverges from Craig's stated filename-suffix preference, so it's teed up as a decision, not settled. Decide deliberately before building.
+3. *Link safety — adopt =org-id= ([[id:...]]) for cross-doc spec links* regardless of which status mechanism wins. It decouples link stability from the status decision. Mandatory if the filename suffix wins; good hygiene either way. The alternative — a move/rename/relink/stamp helper run on each transition — is only needed if the suffix wins and org-id is rejected.
+4. *Generalize after the mechanism settles.* The shape (lifecycle state in name-or-location, authoritative in-artifact status, rename-safe links, formal-vs-notes split) is reusable beyond specs. Capture it as a general =docs-lifecycle= convention in =claude-rules/= with spec-create as the first instance — but don't generalize an unsettled convention.
+
+Follow-up once decided: update spec-create to emit into =docs/specs/= with the chosen status mechanism; retrofit existing specs; optionally add the relink helper as a =.ai/scripts/= addition (downstream projects get it via template sync); send a note back if .emacs.d should pilot before generalizing.
+
 * Rulesets Resolved
 ** DONE [#C] Fix =cj-scan= false positives on cj fences nested inside other =#+begin_*= blocks :bug:
 CLOSED: [2026-05-15 Fri]