# The first commit of every Tier 2 autonomous track must include "TIER-2 READ <list> before <task>" in the commit message

## What it says

When the Tier 2 autonomous agent begins any new track, the first commit's message MUST include the phrase `TIER-2 READ <list> before <task>` — where `<list>` enumerates the 11 files from the Mandatory Pre-Action Required Reading list, and `<task>` names the current task. The format is exact; the failcount contract treats an unacknowledged first commit as a red-phase failure.

## Why

The 2026-06-24 MCP regression: Tier 2 made an empty fix commit, deleted `opencode.json` + `mcp_paths.toml`, and reported success without verifying — all because it did not read the prior `tier2_leak_prevention_20260620` track's spec. The acknowledgment rule is the structural defense: the commit message is the audit trail; a missing acknowledgment is a documented signal that the agent skipped the pre-action reading.

## The 11 files (per Tier 2 autonomous mode)

1. `AGENTS.md` (project root) — operating rules
2. `conductor/workflow.md` — workflow + tier conventions
3. `conductor/edit_workflow.md` — edit tool contract
4. `conductor/tier2/githooks/forbidden-files.txt` — file denylist
5. `conductor/tracks/tier2_leak_prevention_20260620/spec.md` — prior leak incident
6. `conductor/product-guidelines.md` — Core Value section
7. `conductor/code_styleguides/data_oriented_design.md` §8.5 — Python Type Promotion Mandate
8. `conductor/code_styleguides/python.md` §17 — LLM Default Anti-Patterns
9. `conductor/code_styleguides/type_aliases.md` — type convention
10. `conductor/code_styleguides/error_handling.md` — `Result[T]` convention
11. The relevant `docs/guide_*.md` for the layer the track touches

## Format

```
TIER-2 READ AGENTS.md, conductor/workflow.md, conductor/edit_workflow.md, conductor/tier2/githooks/forbidden-files.txt, conductor/tracks/tier2_leak_prevention_20260620/spec.md, conductor/product-guidelines.md, conductor/code_styleguides/data_oriented_design.md, conductor/code_styleguides/python.md, conductor/code_styleguides/type_aliases.md, conductor/code_styleguides/error_handling.md, docs/guide_<X>.md before <task-name>
```

## Enforcement

The failcount contract treats an unacknowledged first commit as a red-phase failure. If you skip this step, your run will be flagged and may be aborted by the failcount state machine.

## Apply to every track, not just high-risk ones

This rule applies to every Tier 2 autonomous run — including "small" or "obviously safe" tracks. The 11 files are the canonical read set; reading them is a per-track discipline, not a per-incident one.