loop-toward-acceptance

Summary

The design record for itd-50 as re-scoped on 2026-09-21: the audit-driven fix round as the last stage of abcd build, bounded by the pace rule, handing an unachievable intent back to drafts.

Scope

1. The stage in the implement loop's state file: after intent audit ingest, a not-met criterion sets the lane to fix-round with the criteria named; the loop renders the fix brief from them and starts a fresh implementer through the same runner path as any lane agent (criterion 1).
2. The bound: the pace configuration's fix-round count (itd-2609201925079472) read per lane; the state file counts rounds; exhaustion, or an auditor verdict of unmeetable-as-written, sets unachievable (criterion 2).
3. The hand-back: the intent is moved planned/ → drafts/ under the intent store's lock with replan_reason: <text> written and the audit notes kept; the spec stays open; the run record and the summary list it (criterion 3).
4. The hand verification: when every checkable criterion reads met, the loop's step interface returns a verify step naming the intent; the host asks the product thinker one question; the answer is written with intent ready --grounds "<pursued|declined>: <their words>"; declined reopens as in 3 (criterion 4).
5. Inconclusive: no fix round, no count, one line in the summary (criterion 5).

Out of scope

• A per-intent audit_mode; the loop applies to every lane.
• A verification receipt schema; the grounds entry is the record.

Footprint

• packages: internal/core/implement/loop, internal/core/intent, internal/surface/cli, commands/build.md, commands/implement.md, agents/intent-auditor.md, .abcd/development/brief/04-surfaces/34-build.md
• tests: internal/core/implement/loop, internal/core/intent

Approach

Three additions to the implement spec's state machine (fix-round, unachievable, verify), the fix brief renderer beside the lane brief renderer, and the hand-back write in internal/core/intent (a bucket move the reclassify verb of itd-34 can also make). The auditor's request gains an "unmeetable as written" verdict value the ingest validates.

How the criteria are satisfied

Progress

The spec stays open until every criterion has landed.

• Landed: criterion 1. The validate stage of abcd build (internal/core/implement/loop/validate.go, spc-2609202134338445 piece 8) hands a round that did not pass to a fresh implementer briefed on the findings, and the next round re-runs every validator, the audit included. Under ruling DQ1a (decision 5) an undecided criterion fails the round as a not-met one does, and the fix brief names it as undecided.
• Landed in part: criterion 2. The bound: the run's fix-round cap (--fix-rounds, pace.fix_rounds, bundled 3; decision 6) is resolved with the pace and kept in the run's state, and a round that does not pass once the lane has taken the cap stops the lane at the handed-back stage with the verdict unachievable and the last round's findings; the run starts nothing further for it (internal/core/implement/loop/handback.go). Not built: the auditor's "unmeetable as written" verdict value.
• Not built: criterion 3. The hand-back leaves the intent in planned/: the move to drafts/ with replan_reason and the run summary's replan list wait on the landing (spc-2609202134338445 piece 9).
• Not built: criterion 4, the hand verification.
• Landed in part: criterion 5. An audit return the loop cannot read as a verdict is refused, records nothing, starts no fix round and counts against nothing; the run summary that names it waits on the run record's rendering (spc-2609202134338445 piece 10).