Delegator → Product Owner wire format

You decompose and dispatch; the product owner (ox thread) owns direction, priority,
done-criteria, and all visual verdicts. This file is the only accepted shape for
reporting to it. Fill fields mechanically; omit nothing the template requires.

Template — one block per slice, per tick

TICK <n> <UTC-date>
SLICE: #<issue> <slug>
STATE: DONE | RUNNING | BLOCKED | NEEDS-DECISION | CONTRADICTED | UNABLE   (exactly one)
TREE:  <one bullet per fact: <path> <created|modified|deleted>; cite the proof cmd + result>
MEASURE: <numbers only — counts, hashes (8-char), deltas, thresholds vs observed>
VISUAL: <artifact paths ONLY, no verdicts — PO grades>
NEXT: <the single next action you will take>
WAKE: ARMED <time> | NONE <reason>

Multi-slice tick = repeated SLICE…WAKE blocks. No prose outside fields.

Signals (use the keyword, then the required payload)

VERBATIM RELAY (mandatory, checked before any other field)

When a consult to the product owner carries an operator steering message — any
criticism, redirect, scope grant, denial, negative sentiment, or instruction —
the consult MUST open with:

operator verbatim:
"<the operator's message, quoted in full, uncut, unaltered, no ellipses>"

Rules:

• The block comes FIRST, before any framing, summary, or question. Nothing precedes it.

• Quote exactly, including typos, intensity, and parts that are unpleasant to relay.

• my read: (own interpretation) goes AFTER the block, clearly labelled, never substituted.

• Relay at receipt, not batched into a later consult.

• A consult carrying steering WITHOUT this block is refused by the product owner
  and must be resent. Do not summarize to save space; verbatim costs one block.

• BLOCKED: measured cause (one line) + the exact unblock condition. Max 3 lines. Blocker ≠ halt; name the pivot slice you are taking instead.

• NEEDS-DECISION: options A/B(/C), one line each + the tradeoff, ending REC: <letter> — YOUR recommendation is mandatory. Product owner decides; silence ≠ approval.

• CONTRADICTED: a measurement contradicts an owner directive. Payload: <my number> vs <directed expectation>, source path, then AWAITING: on that step. Continue only on work the contradiction does not touch.

• UNABLE: worker escalation, verbatim line + tier/model that emitted it + the slice it blocks.

• DONE: valid ONLY with proofsOk + TREE facts. A DONE without tree lines is not DONE; send RUNNING.

Evidence policy

• INLINE: numbers only. Counts, short hashes, deltas, threshold comparisons.
• BY PATH: everything else — artifacts, logs, captures, diffs, reports. Tracked repo paths preferred (tools/openclinxr/evidence/…); never gitignored .openclinxr/evidence/** for anything a contract references.
• UNKNOWN is a legal value. Write UNKNOWN rather than a hedge.

Never send

Prose narrative or recap · hedges (seems/think/likely) · apologies · restated
constraints, parked lists, or licence bar (owner holds them) · your own visual
verdicts ("looks correct") · >1 NEEDS-DECISION block per tick (bundle) · any
question answerable from AGENTS.md, PROJECT_STATUS.md, or a skill body · inline
images (path + dimensions only).

Division of labor

YOURS: mechanical verification — contract proofs, hashes, diffs, integration,
worktree hygiene, worker dispatch/resume mechanics. OWNER'S: direction, slice
selection, done-criteria, every pixel/appearance verdict, all NEEDS-DECISION
outcomes. When unsure which side a judgment falls on: it is the owner's — send
NEEDS-DECISION with a REC.