diff --git a/.github/workflows/k9-contractile.yml b/.github/workflows/k9-contractile.yml
index db20bb2c8..7abffb152 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/k9-contractile.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/k9-contractile.yml
@@ -200,19 +200,31 @@ jobs:
           fi
           exit $rc
 
-      - name: K9 corpus conformance (ratcheted)
+      - name: K9 corpus conformance (ratcheted, L2)
+        env:
+          # MIGRATION-1058 M7's first step. The hook's own default stays L1: a
+          # pre-commit hook that fails because a laptop lacks a toolchain
+          # teaches people to pass --no-verify, which is how a gate gets
+          # deleted. CI has the pinned binary, so here the corpus is checked at
+          # L2 as well. The six contractiles and the two axel config files that
+          # M1/M4 fixed had never been evaluated against K9.Component, and the
+          # closed record contracts in k9_contract.ncl rejected exactly the
+          # extension fields §5.5 permits. Ledger entries stay advisory, so the
+          # four svc templates and the rsr checklist are reported, not failed,
+          # until their own items land.
+          K9_VALIDATE_LAYER: all
         run: |
           set -uo pipefail
           # The whole tracked corpus, through the same gate the pre-commit hook
           # uses, so CI and the hook cannot disagree about what a K9 file is.
-          # .machine_readable/k9-contract-debt.txt grandfathers the 25 files
+          # .machine_readable/k9-contract-debt.txt grandfathers the files
           # that predate the contract; it is shrink-only (a conforming file
           # left in it fails), and it does not protect a file this PR touches.
           set +e
           out="$(bash .githooks/validate-k9.sh 2>&1)"; rc=$?
           set -e
           {
-            echo '## K9 corpus conformance'
+            echo '## K9 corpus conformance (L2)'
             echo '```'
             printf '%s\n' "$out"
             echo '```'
diff --git a/.machine_readable/REGISTRY.a2ml b/.machine_readable/REGISTRY.a2ml
index 0f4ca3c25..552cabc9b 100644
--- a/.machine_readable/REGISTRY.a2ml
+++ b/.machine_readable/REGISTRY.a2ml
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ name = "K9 Self-Validating Components"
 stream = "foundation"
 home = "1-formats/k9/"
 canonical_doc = "1-formats/k9/README.adoc"
-source_hash = "sha256:19b4ac92f44aa5e5c133755e8e2e4c2d18383cb64cccd4f31d576ba14e020be5"
+source_hash = "sha256:e35752dba0b50684e97c37a4634f6fe08e175ef80b2f44f754b5726cb6c2d157"
 route = "the K9 specification, security analysis and adoption guidance (implementations live in hyperpolymath/k9-ecosystem)"
 
 [[spec]]
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ name = "AXEL Protocol"
 stream = "protocol"
 home = "2-protocols/axel/"
 canonical_doc = "2-protocols/axel/README.adoc"
-source_hash = "sha256:84005883477e12b0c748bc9e7d68cbb309c199e4509fbfaed27b0454e773a88d"
+source_hash = "sha256:dbfe6d40af030e4dd23575d7f01dc86d1557b1d395534af73aa1ab0ac133c59c"
 route = "age-gating + explicit-content enforcement"
 
 [[spec]]
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ name = "Session Management Standards"
 stream = "governance"
 home = "3-practice/session-management-standards/"
 canonical_doc = "3-practice/session-management-standards/README.adoc"
-source_hash = "sha256:beea95b19ff9565abf30d34b758bfb669c5140fc5eef5046a494eafe20a7a91f"
+source_hash = "sha256:9e3e5f7bc1469e0736359e3e85cba5311b8ed87056d137d86a98e81c4e3c4b5a"
 route = "continuity / verify / handover protocols"
 
 [[spec]]
@@ -288,7 +288,7 @@ name = "FFP — Form-Fill Provenance"
 stream = "foundation"
 home = "1-formats/sub-specs/form-fill-provenance/"
 canonical_doc = "1-formats/sub-specs/form-fill-provenance/README.adoc"
-source_hash = "sha256:e3b0c44298fc1c149afbf4c8996fb92427ae41e4649b934ca495991b7852b855"
+source_hash = "sha256:d6e979cdf67dc045e0cf7fefc77e72fa1f2bc4424dd142f68e2f772875449124"
 route = "whether a PDF form was machine-filled or printed blank for hand completion, and what a print path must record"
 
 [[spec]]
diff --git a/.machine_readable/contractiles/adjust/adjust.k9.ncl b/.machine_readable/contractiles/adjust/adjust.k9.ncl
index 4974ba7f8..f89bda538 100644
--- a/.machine_readable/contractiles/adjust/adjust.k9.ncl
+++ b/.machine_readable/contractiles/adjust/adjust.k9.ncl
@@ -22,11 +22,22 @@ K9!
 # erosion causing gradual parameter drift). Where must flags "broken
 # now", adjust flags "drifting toward broken".
 
-let base_k9 = import "../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl" in
-let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
+# §11.4/K9-S013 — `pedigree_schema` lives in ../_base.ncl. There is no k9/
+# subdirectory under .machine_readable/contractiles/, so the old
+# `import "../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl"` never resolved — and the pedigree a
+# reviewer read was not the pedigree a host would evaluate.
+let base = import "../_base.ncl" in
 
 {
-  pedigree = base_k9.pedigree_schema & {
+  pedigree = base.pedigree_schema & {
+    # §5.2/§6.2 — schema_version, and the reserved-prefix component_type. The
+    # `contractile:` prefix is the whole of the disambiguation between this
+    # family's verbs (must/trust/dust/intend/...) and K9's own execution triad
+    # (must/just/nickel): the K9 contract never names a contractile verb, it
+    # only ever sees this string.
+    schema_version   = "1.0.0",
+    component_type   = "contractile:adjust",
+    semantics        = "drift-tolerance-and-corrective-action",
     contractile_verb = "adjust",
     paired_xfile     = "../adjust/Adjustfile.a2ml",
     paired_runner    = "../adjust/adjust.ncl",
@@ -49,11 +60,27 @@ let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
       allow_network = false,
       allow_filesystem_write_conditional = true,  # auto_fix_when_available may edit
       allow_subprocess = true,
+      # §8.3/§8.4 — the grant. Each flag above is a REQUEST for a capability,
+      # and a request the grant does not cover is a contradiction inside the
+      # pedigree, not a preference (K9-S007). process.spawn pays for
+      # allow_subprocess; fs.write pays for the conditional write path, which
+      # K9 can only express as the whole capability. At 'Yard the leash is
+      # still the cap: §7.3 leaves a Yard component unable to write or spawn,
+      # so these entries describe the request, not a permission in force.
+      capabilities = [
+        "fs.write",
+        "process.spawn",
+      ],
       probe_scope = 'measurement_plus_declared_fix,
     },
   },
 
-  variance_schema = {
+  # A contract, not payload. The fields below are declarations with no
+  # definition, and Nickel's export refuses to serialize a record containing
+  # one ("missing field definition for `entry_id`"). `not_exported` says what
+  # is true: this block documents the variance shape and is not data to
+  # serialize. Reading `variance_schema` as a contract is unaffected.
+  variance_schema | not_exported = {
     entry_id     | String,
     reason       | String,
     approved_by  | String,
diff --git a/.machine_readable/contractiles/bust/bust.k9.ncl b/.machine_readable/contractiles/bust/bust.k9.ncl
index cef8427cc..facd1fc14 100644
--- a/.machine_readable/contractiles/bust/bust.k9.ncl
+++ b/.machine_readable/contractiles/bust/bust.k9.ncl
@@ -23,11 +23,22 @@ K9!
 # past their expiry), and the "it works, ship it" pattern where a
 # caller silently starts using a must-not-run API.
 
-let base_k9 = import "../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl" in
-let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
+# §11.4/K9-S013 — `pedigree_schema` lives in ../_base.ncl. There is no k9/
+# subdirectory under .machine_readable/contractiles/, so the old
+# `import "../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl"` never resolved — and the pedigree a
+# reviewer read was not the pedigree a host would evaluate.
+let base = import "../_base.ncl" in
 
 {
-  pedigree = base_k9.pedigree_schema & {
+  pedigree = base.pedigree_schema & {
+    # §5.2/§6.2 — schema_version, and the reserved-prefix component_type. The
+    # `contractile:` prefix is the whole of the disambiguation between this
+    # family's verbs (must/trust/dust/intend/...) and K9's own execution triad
+    # (must/just/nickel): the K9 contract never names a contractile verb, it
+    # only ever sees this string.
+    schema_version   = "1.0.0",
+    component_type   = "contractile:bust",
+    semantics        = "hard-stop-and-expiry-declaration",
     contractile_verb = "bust",
     paired_xfile     = "../bust/Bustfile.a2ml",
     paired_runner    = "../bust/bust.ncl",
@@ -50,11 +61,46 @@ let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
       allow_network = false,
       allow_filesystem_write = false,
       allow_subprocess = true,
+      signature_required = true,
+      # §8.3/§8.4 — the grant. allow_subprocess is a REQUEST for a capability,
+      # and a request the grant does not cover is a contradiction inside the
+      # pedigree, not a preference (K9-S007).
+      capabilities = [
+        "process.spawn",
+      ],
       probe_scope = 'read_only,
     },
+
+    # §6.5/K9-S010 — mandatory at 'Hunt, and none of it may be a placeholder:
+    # §9 requires a dry_run precondition, i.e. a plan that was produced AND
+    # reviewed, and a reviewer cannot review a plan for a component that
+    # shells out while describing none of what it does.
+    side_effects = [
+      "spawns read-only expiry and state-check probes as child processes (probe_scope = 'read_only; no mutation, no network)",
+      "records trigger outcomes in the host's evidence sinks (contractile_executions, bust_triggers_history); the drift-log append is indirected by the host, not performed by this component",
+      "a triggered hard stop fails the gate and blocks the merge — the gate is this component's effect, and no filesystem write is performed by it",
+    ],
+
+    # §10.1/K9-S009 — a 'Hunt component MUST carry a signature block. This is
+    # the claim the file-format requires, and it is not a verified signature:
+    # with no external verifier the verdict is 'Present_Unverified (§10.2),
+    # and 'Present_Unverified does not satisfy the Hunt `signature`
+    # precondition (§10.4). So the file is conforming and still NOT authorised
+    # to run until the signing ceremony replaces this block.
+    signature = {
+      algorithm = "Ed25519",
+      key_id = "bust-k9",
+      payload_hash = "sha256:0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+      signature = "NOT-A-REAL-SIGNATURE",
+    },
   },
 
-  variance_schema = {
+  # A contract, not payload. The fields below are declarations with no
+  # definition, and Nickel's export refuses to serialize a record containing
+  # one ("missing field definition for `entry_id`"). `not_exported` says what
+  # is true: this block documents the variance shape and is not data to
+  # serialize. Reading `variance_schema` as a contract is unaffected.
+  variance_schema | not_exported = {
     entry_id     | String,
     reason       | String,
     approved_by  | String,
diff --git a/.machine_readable/contractiles/dust/dust.k9.ncl b/.machine_readable/contractiles/dust/dust.k9.ncl
index 6c51e54f3..0227c1577 100644
--- a/.machine_readable/contractiles/dust/dust.k9.ncl
+++ b/.machine_readable/contractiles/dust/dust.k9.ncl
@@ -25,11 +25,22 @@ K9!
 # rollback path; anything retired must preserve the evidence of its
 # previous existence).
 
-let base_k9 = import "../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl" in
-let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
+# §11.4/K9-S013 — `pedigree_schema` lives in ../_base.ncl. There is no k9/
+# subdirectory under .machine_readable/contractiles/, so the old
+# `import "../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl"` never resolved — and the pedigree a
+# reviewer read was not the pedigree a host would evaluate.
+let base = import "../_base.ncl" in
 
 {
-  pedigree = base_k9.pedigree_schema & {
+  pedigree = base.pedigree_schema & {
+    # §5.2/§6.2 — schema_version, and the reserved-prefix component_type. The
+    # `contractile:` prefix is the whole of the disambiguation between this
+    # family's verbs (must/trust/dust/intend/...) and K9's own execution triad
+    # (must/just/nickel): the K9 contract never names a contractile verb, it
+    # only ever sees this string.
+    schema_version   = "1.0.0",
+    component_type   = "contractile:dust",
+    semantics        = "recovery-and-retirement",
     contractile_verb = "dust",
     paired_xfile     = "../dust/Dustfile.a2ml",
     paired_runner    = "../dust/dust.ncl",
@@ -55,6 +66,17 @@ let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
       # --apply flag + per-item approval. Default is dry-run.
       allow_filesystem_write_conditional = true,
       allow_subprocess = true,
+      # §8.3/§8.4 — the grant. Each flag above is a REQUEST for a capability,
+      # and a request the grant does not cover is a contradiction inside the
+      # pedigree, not a preference (K9-S007). process.spawn pays for
+      # allow_subprocess; fs.write pays for the conditional write path, which
+      # K9 can only express as the whole capability. At 'Yard the leash is
+      # still the cap: §7.3 leaves a Yard component unable to write or spawn,
+      # so these entries describe the request, not a permission in force.
+      capabilities = [
+        "fs.write",
+        "process.spawn",
+      ],
       destructive_action_gating = {
         default_mode = 'dry_run,
         requires_flag = "--apply",
@@ -64,7 +86,12 @@ let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
     },
   },
 
-  variance_schema = {
+  # A contract, not payload. The fields below are declarations with no
+  # definition, and Nickel's export refuses to serialize a record containing
+  # one ("missing field definition for `entry_id`"). `not_exported` says what
+  # is true: this block documents the variance shape and is not data to
+  # serialize. Reading `variance_schema` as a contract is unaffected.
+  variance_schema | not_exported = {
     entry_id     | String,
     reason       | String,
     approved_by  | String,
diff --git a/.machine_readable/contractiles/intend/intend.k9.ncl b/.machine_readable/contractiles/intend/intend.k9.ncl
index 66f6e7d9d..253d42bac 100644
--- a/.machine_readable/contractiles/intend/intend.k9.ncl
+++ b/.machine_readable/contractiles/intend/intend.k9.ncl
@@ -27,11 +27,22 @@ K9!
 # * Evidence sinks: VeriSimDB (queryable) + descriptiles/DRIFT.a2ml (repo-local).
 # * Failure-mode defenses cross-referenced to the AI failure catalog.
 
-let base_k9 = import "../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl" in
-let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
+# §11.4/K9-S013 — `pedigree_schema` lives in ../_base.ncl. There is no k9/
+# subdirectory under .machine_readable/contractiles/, so the old
+# `import "../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl"` never resolved — and the pedigree a
+# reviewer read was not the pedigree a host would evaluate.
+let base = import "../_base.ncl" in
 
 {
-  pedigree = base_k9.pedigree_schema & {
+  pedigree = base.pedigree_schema & {
+    # §5.2/§6.2 — schema_version, and the reserved-prefix component_type. The
+    # `contractile:` prefix is the whole of the disambiguation between this
+    # family's verbs (must/trust/dust/intend/...) and K9's own execution triad
+    # (must/just/nickel): the K9 contract never names a contractile verb, it
+    # only ever sees this string.
+    schema_version   = "1.0.0",
+    component_type   = "contractile:intend",
+    semantics        = "commitment-and-aspiration",
     contractile_verb = "intend",
     paired_xfile     = "../intend/Intentfile.a2ml",
     paired_runner    = "../intend/intend.ncl",
@@ -64,6 +75,36 @@ let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
       allow_network = false,
       allow_filesystem_write = false,   # evidence sinks are indirected
       allow_subprocess = true,
+      signature_required = true,
+      # §8.3/§8.4 — the grant. allow_subprocess is a REQUEST for a capability,
+      # and a request the grant does not cover is a contradiction inside the
+      # pedigree, not a preference (K9-S007).
+      capabilities = [
+        "process.spawn",
+      ],
+    },
+
+    # §6.5/K9-S010 — mandatory at 'Hunt, and none of it may be a placeholder:
+    # §9 requires a dry_run precondition, i.e. a plan that was produced AND
+    # reviewed, and a reviewer cannot review a plan for a component that
+    # shells out while describing none of what it does.
+    side_effects = [
+      "spawns read-only probes for tracked intents as child processes (no mutation, no network)",
+      "emits drift-log and receipt entries to the host's evidence sinks at session close; the sink writes are indirected by the host, not performed by this component",
+      "never blocks: an unmet intent or wish is reported as drift, not as a failed gate",
+    ],
+
+    # §10.1/K9-S009 — a 'Hunt component MUST carry a signature block. This is
+    # the claim the file-format requires, and it is not a verified signature:
+    # with no external verifier the verdict is 'Present_Unverified (§10.2),
+    # and 'Present_Unverified does not satisfy the Hunt `signature`
+    # precondition (§10.4). So the file is conforming and still NOT authorised
+    # to run until the signing ceremony replaces this block.
+    signature = {
+      algorithm = "Ed25519",
+      key_id = "intend-k9",
+      payload_hash = "sha256:0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+      signature = "NOT-A-REAL-SIGNATURE",
     },
   },
 
@@ -75,8 +116,14 @@ let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
   # drift, logged to the drift log.
   # Per user 2026-04-18: variances are structural, not magic-comment
   # markers — markers are gameable.
+  #
+  # A contract, not payload. The fields below are declarations with no
+  # definition, and Nickel's export refuses to serialize a record containing
+  # one ("missing field definition for `entry_id`"). `not_exported` says what
+  # is true: this block documents the variance shape and is not data to
+  # serialize. Reading `variance_schema` as a contract is unaffected.
   # -------------------------------------------------------------------
-  variance_schema = {
+  variance_schema | not_exported = {
     entry_id     | String,   # which intent/wish id the variance applies to
     reason       | String,
     approved_by  | String,
diff --git a/.machine_readable/contractiles/must/must.k9.ncl b/.machine_readable/contractiles/must/must.k9.ncl
index 4287e9432..0eed24445 100644
--- a/.machine_readable/contractiles/must/must.k9.ncl
+++ b/.machine_readable/contractiles/must/must.k9.ncl
@@ -28,11 +28,22 @@ K9!
 # fabrication of success "facts" — invariants ground truth against
 # marketing copy) and D1 (lore fabrication about what the repo contains).
 
-let base_k9 = import "../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl" in
-let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
+# §11.4/K9-S013 — `pedigree_schema` lives in ../_base.ncl. There is no k9/
+# subdirectory under .machine_readable/contractiles/, so the old
+# `import "../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl"` never resolved — and the pedigree a
+# reviewer read was not the pedigree a host would evaluate.
+let base = import "../_base.ncl" in
 
 {
-  pedigree = base_k9.pedigree_schema & {
+  pedigree = base.pedigree_schema & {
+    # §5.2/§6.2 — schema_version, and the reserved-prefix component_type. The
+    # `contractile:` prefix is the whole of the disambiguation between this
+    # family's verbs (must/trust/dust/intend/...) and K9's own execution triad
+    # (must/just/nickel): the K9 contract never names a contractile verb, it
+    # only ever sees this string.
+    schema_version   = "1.0.0",
+    component_type   = "contractile:must",
+    semantics        = "invariant-assertion",
     contractile_verb = "must",
     paired_xfile     = "../must/Mustfile.a2ml",
     paired_runner    = "../must/must.ncl",
@@ -58,6 +69,13 @@ let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
       allow_network = false,
       allow_filesystem_write = false,
       allow_subprocess = true,
+      signature_required = true,
+      # §8.3/§8.4 — the grant. allow_subprocess is a REQUEST for a capability,
+      # and a request the grant does not cover is a contradiction inside the
+      # pedigree, not a preference (K9-S007).
+      capabilities = [
+        "process.spawn",
+      ],
       probe_scope = 'read_only,              # must probes NEVER mutate
       probe_kinds_allowed = [
         'file_existence,
@@ -74,14 +92,43 @@ let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
         'exploit_attempt,          # that's trust's safe_hacking territory
       ],
     },
+
+    # §6.5/K9-S010 — mandatory at 'Hunt, and none of it may be a placeholder:
+    # §9 requires a dry_run precondition, i.e. a plan that was produced AND
+    # reviewed, and a reviewer cannot review a plan for a component that
+    # shells out while describing none of what it does.
+    side_effects = [
+      "spawns read-only probe commands as child processes (grep, test, file and schema checks); probe_scope = 'read_only and probe_kinds_denied excludes mutation, network calls, external APIs and exploit attempts",
+      "records per-invariant outcomes and their trend in the host's evidence sinks (contractile_executions, must_invariant_history); the DRIFT.a2ml append is indirected by the host, not performed by this component",
+      "a failed invariant fails the gate and blocks the merge — the gate is this component's effect, and no filesystem write is performed by it",
+    ],
+
+    # §10.1/K9-S009 — a 'Hunt component MUST carry a signature block. This is
+    # the claim the file-format requires, and it is not a verified signature:
+    # with no external verifier the verdict is 'Present_Unverified (§10.2),
+    # and 'Present_Unverified does not satisfy the Hunt `signature`
+    # precondition (§10.4). So the file is conforming and still NOT authorised
+    # to run until the signing ceremony replaces this block.
+    signature = {
+      algorithm = "Ed25519",
+      key_id = "must-k9",
+      payload_hash = "sha256:0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+      signature = "NOT-A-REAL-SIGNATURE",
+    },
   },
 
   # -------------------------------------------------------------------
   # Variance schema — trust-style severity acknowledgement.
   # Because must is BLOCKING, variances carry real weight. Critical-
   # severity invariants can only be varied by maintainer-or-above.
+  #
+  # A contract, not payload. The fields below are declarations with no
+  # definition, and Nickel's export refuses to serialize a record containing
+  # one ("missing field definition for `entry_id`"). `not_exported` says what
+  # is true: this block documents the variance shape and is not data to
+  # serialize. Reading `variance_schema` as a contract is unaffected.
   # -------------------------------------------------------------------
-  variance_schema = {
+  variance_schema | not_exported = {
     entry_id     | String,   # which invariant id the variance applies to
     reason       | String,
     approved_by  | String,   # maintainer or above for critical-severity
diff --git a/.machine_readable/contractiles/trust/trust.k9.ncl b/.machine_readable/contractiles/trust/trust.k9.ncl
index 06574709f..dddcbf30f 100644
--- a/.machine_readable/contractiles/trust/trust.k9.ncl
+++ b/.machine_readable/contractiles/trust/trust.k9.ncl
@@ -43,11 +43,22 @@ K9!
 # * Failure-mode defenses cross-referenced — trust carries the most
 #   defenses of any verb because the threat surface is widest.
 
-let base_k9 = import "../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl" in
-let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
+# §11.4/K9-S013 — `pedigree_schema` lives in ../_base.ncl. There is no k9/
+# subdirectory under .machine_readable/contractiles/, so the old
+# `import "../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl"` never resolved — and the pedigree a
+# reviewer read was not the pedigree a host would evaluate.
+let base = import "../_base.ncl" in
 
 {
-  pedigree = base_k9.pedigree_schema & {
+  pedigree = base.pedigree_schema & {
+    # §5.2/§6.2 — schema_version, and the reserved-prefix component_type. The
+    # `contractile:` prefix is the whole of the disambiguation between this
+    # family's verbs (must/trust/dust/intend/...) and K9's own execution triad
+    # (must/just/nickel): the K9 contract never names a contractile verb, it
+    # only ever sees this string.
+    schema_version   = "1.0.0",
+    component_type   = "contractile:trust",
+    semantics        = "security-verification-and-authorised-probe",
     contractile_verb = "trust",
     paired_xfile     = "../trust/Trustfile.a2ml",
     paired_runner    = "../trust/trust.ncl",
@@ -76,9 +87,39 @@ let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
       allow_network = false,            # verifications offline by default
       allow_filesystem_write = false,   # evidence sinks are indirected
       allow_subprocess = true,
+      signature_required = true,
+      # §8.3/§8.4 — the grant. allow_subprocess is a REQUEST for a capability,
+      # and a request the grant does not cover is a contradiction inside the
+      # pedigree, not a preference (K9-S007).
+      capabilities = [
+        "process.spawn",
+      ],
       authorised_probes_only = true,    # probe section explicitly lists allowed targets + probe classes
       probe_scope_enforcement = 'this_repo_only,  # probes NEVER hit external systems
     },
+
+    # §6.5/K9-S010 — mandatory at 'Hunt, and none of it may be a placeholder:
+    # §9 requires a dry_run precondition, i.e. a plan that was produced AND
+    # reviewed, and a reviewer cannot review a plan for a component that
+    # shells out while describing none of what it does.
+    side_effects = [
+      "spawns verification probes as child processes, including the authorised active probes (fuzz/injection/auth-bypass) — scoped to this repository only by probe_scope_enforcement = 'this_repo_only and authorised_probes_only = true",
+      "records verification outcomes in the host's evidence sinks (contractile_executions); the drift-log append is indirected by the host, not performed by this component",
+      "a failed verification fails the gate and blocks the merge (HARD GATE) — the gate is this component's effect, and no filesystem write is performed by it",
+    ],
+
+    # §10.1/K9-S009 — a 'Hunt component MUST carry a signature block. This is
+    # the claim the file-format requires, and it is not a verified signature:
+    # with no external verifier the verdict is 'Present_Unverified (§10.2),
+    # and 'Present_Unverified does not satisfy the Hunt `signature`
+    # precondition (§10.4). So the file is conforming and still NOT authorised
+    # to run until the signing ceremony replaces this block.
+    signature = {
+      algorithm = "Ed25519",
+      key_id = "trust-k9",
+      payload_hash = "sha256:0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000",
+      signature = "NOT-A-REAL-SIGNATURE",
+    },
   },
 
   # -------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -88,8 +129,14 @@ let base    = import "../_base.ncl" in
   # variances on trust entries are SIGNIFICANTLY more consequential than
   # variances on intend (reporting) entries — variance approver MUST
   # be the repo maintainer or above for critical-severity entries.
+  #
+  # A contract, not payload. The fields below are declarations with no
+  # definition, and Nickel's export refuses to serialize a record containing
+  # one ("missing field definition for `entry_id`"). `not_exported` says what
+  # is true: this block documents the variance shape and is not data to
+  # serialize. Reading `variance_schema` as a contract is unaffected.
   # -------------------------------------------------------------------
-  variance_schema = {
+  variance_schema | not_exported = {
     entry_id     | String,   # which verification / probe id
     reason       | String,
     approved_by  | String,   # maintainer or above for critical entries
diff --git a/.machine_readable/k9-contract-debt.txt b/.machine_readable/k9-contract-debt.txt
index ec198368b..603e47cea 100644
--- a/.machine_readable/k9-contract-debt.txt
+++ b/.machine_readable/k9-contract-debt.txt
@@ -18,27 +18,20 @@
 # One repo-relative path per line. '#' comments and blanks ignored.
 # Baseline 2026-10-03, produced by:
 #   1-formats/k9/tools/k9-validate.sh --layer L1 --json <every tracked *.k9*>
-# Count: 17.
-# Eight entries have been removed since the baseline: the six contractiles and
-# the two axel config files. The axel pair conforms as of #D (leash moved to
-# pedigree.security.leash; adding the K9! sentinel alone had left them failing
-# K9-S001). The six contractile entries were dropped ahead of the fix — those
-# files still fail K9-S002/S003/S007/S013, so the hook reports them as unlisted
-# violations and no commit passes until #A lands.
+# Count: 5 (25 non-conforming at the 2026-10-03 baseline; 20 entries removed
+# since, and every one of the 20 now conforms on its own terms).
+#
+# Removed in two batches:
+#   * 8 — the six contractile components and the two axel config files — dropped
+#     when the K9! sentinel alone left them failing (a sentinel is not a
+#     pedigree). M1/#A gave the six a resolvable pedigree, a component_type and
+#     the §8.4 grant; M4/#D moved the axel pair's leash under
+#     pedigree.security. Both sets conform as of 2026-10-05.
+#   * 12 — the session-management PROTOCOL.k9 stubs, renamed to PROTOCOL.yaml
+#     by M2/#B: plain YAML off the reserved suffix, so they are no longer K9
+#     files at all.
 .machine_readable/svc/k9/examples/setup-repo.k9.ncl
 .machine_readable/svc/k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl
 .machine_readable/svc/k9/template-kennel.k9.ncl
 .machine_readable/svc/k9/template-yard.k9.ncl
-3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/checkpoint-before-major-change/PROTOCOL.k9
-3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/emergency-termination/PROTOCOL.k9
-3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/planned-session-close/PROTOCOL.k9
-3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/recovery-operation/PROTOCOL.k9
-3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/repo-intake/PROTOCOL.k9
-3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/collaborative-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9
-3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/full-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9
-3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/human-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9
-3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/model-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9
-3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/maintenance-sweep/PROTOCOL.k9
-3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/release-audit/PROTOCOL.k9
-3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/substantial-completion/PROTOCOL.k9
 rhodium-standard-repositories/rsr-compliance-checklist.k9.ncl
diff --git a/.machine_readable/scorecards/session-management-standards.scorecard.a2ml b/.machine_readable/scorecards/session-management-standards.scorecard.a2ml
index 812e2e395..1c1c4b24c 100644
--- a/.machine_readable/scorecards/session-management-standards.scorecard.a2ml
+++ b/.machine_readable/scorecards/session-management-standards.scorecard.a2ml
@@ -6,12 +6,12 @@
 [scorecard]
 spec_id = "session-management-standards"
 version = "1.0.0"
-assessed_date = "2026-07-03"
+assessed_date = "2026-10-05"
 assessor = "estate-audit"
 
 [[must]]
 id = "M1"
-text = "Every protocol directory MUST contain all four artefacts of the Protocol File Contract: CHECKLIST.adoc, PROTOCOL.k9, STATE-template.a2ml, and EXAMPLE-FILLED-IN.adoc (README.adoc, 'Protocol File Contract')."
+text = "Every protocol directory MUST contain all four artefacts of the Protocol File Contract: CHECKLIST.adoc, PROTOCOL.yaml, STATE-template.a2ml, and EXAMPLE-FILLED-IN.adoc (README.adoc, 'Protocol File Contract')."
 system = "none — no script enforces the file contract; verified manually via `find`."
 status = "fail"
 effects = "Only continuity/planned-session-close/ has an EXAMPLE-FILLED-IN.adoc (11 of the 12 protocol directories lack one: repo-intake, checkpoint-before-major-change, emergency-termination, recovery-operation, all four handover/* protocols, and all three verify/* protocols). Downstream repos and any assistant trying to follow a worked example for these 11 protocols have nothing concrete to copy from."
@@ -21,21 +21,22 @@ id = "M2"
 text = "Every protocol MUST include a 'Verification' block per the format defined in SHARED-CONTINUITY-CORE.adoc ('Every protocol must include a Verification block specifying the mandatory checks required before the protocol declares success')."
 system = "none"
 status = "fail"
-effects = "The 8 stub-status protocols (repo-intake, checkpoint-before-major-change, recovery-operation, collaborative-transfer, full-transfer, human-transfer, model-transfer, maintenance-sweep, release-audit — all with 52-line CHECKLIST.adoc and 21-line PROTOCOL.k9) contain no Verification block. Consuming repos cannot mechanically confirm these protocols were executed correctly."
+effects = "The 8 stub-status protocols (repo-intake, checkpoint-before-major-change, recovery-operation, collaborative-transfer, full-transfer, human-transfer, model-transfer, maintenance-sweep, release-audit — all with 52-line CHECKLIST.adoc and 23-line PROTOCOL.yaml) contain no Verification block. Consuming repos cannot mechanically confirm these protocols were executed correctly."
 
 [[must]]
 id = "M3"
 text = "Every protocol MUST capture the full 'Enriched 25-Field Continuity Core' defined in SHARED-CONTINUITY-CORE.adoc across meta-attributes, core sections, commits table, verifications table, and discipline-check audit."
 system = "none"
 status = "fail"
-effects = "Stub protocols' PROTOCOL.k9/STATE-template.a2ml (e.g. continuity/repo-intake) list only 11 abbreviated fields (goal, current_task, last_completed_action, next_intended_action, repository, branch, head_commit, files_of_interest, known_blockers, residual_risks, recommended_next_protocol) — missing protocol-version, session-id/timestamps, commits-made table, verifications-run table, decisions/deferred, and the discipline-check audit. Downstream repos relying on the '25-field' continuity guarantee get materially incomplete state for 8 of 12 protocol families."
+effects = "Stub protocols' PROTOCOL.yaml/STATE-template.a2ml (e.g. continuity/repo-intake) list only 11 abbreviated fields (goal, current_task, last_completed_action, next_intended_action, repository, branch, head_commit, files_of_interest, known_blockers, residual_risks, recommended_next_protocol) — missing protocol-version, session-id/timestamps, commits-made table, verifications-run table, decisions/deferred, and the discipline-check audit. Downstream repos relying on the '25-field' continuity guarantee get materially incomplete state for 8 of 12 protocol families."
 
 [[must]]
 id = "M4"
-text = "Every artefact in this directory (PROTOCOL.k9, STATE-template.a2ml, *.adoc) MUST carry a valid SPDX-License-Identifier header per project-wide licensing convention."
-system = "none — licence/SPDX compliance is a manual/governance judgement, not automated for this directory (no reuse-lint or SPDX CI job targets session-management-standards)."
+text = "Every artefact in this directory (PROTOCOL.yaml, STATE-template.a2ml, *.adoc) MUST carry a valid SPDX-License-Identifier header per project-wide licensing convention."
+system = "none — licence/SPDX compliance is a manual/governance judgement, not automated for this directory (no reuse-lint or SPDX CI job targets session-management-standards; `.githooks/validate-spdx.sh` covers the *.yaml files, but only from the optional pre-commit hook, and *.a2ml is outside its extension list)."
 status = "manual-only"
-effects = "22 of 42 files (all PROTOCOL.k9 and STATE-template.a2ml files outside planned-session-close) have no SPDX header, e.g. continuity/repo-intake/PROTOCOL.k9 and handover/full-transfer/STATE-template.a2ml. Provenance/licence status for these files is ambiguous for anyone mirroring or redistributing them."
+evidence = "All 12 PROTOCOL.yaml files carry `# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0` (the 11 added in the 2026-10-05 #B rename, when the files left the `.k9` suffix and entered the SPDX hook's *.yaml extension scope)."
+effects = "19 of 51 tracked files lack an SPDX header: all 11 STATE-template.a2ml files outside planned-session-close, plus 8 of the 9 templates/*.adoc files (e.g. handover/full-transfer/STATE-template.a2ml and templates/SESSION_SUMMARY.adoc). The 12 PROTOCOL files the previous audit counted are fixed; provenance/licence status for the remaining 19 is ambiguous for anyone mirroring or redistributing them."
 
 [[must]]
 id = "M5"
@@ -48,10 +49,12 @@ effects = "n/a — this is currently sound, so no downstream impact."
 
 [[should]]
 id = "S1"
-text = "PROTOCOL.k9 files SHOULD conform to the repository's existing K9 configuration grammar (K9! magic number, pedigree block with name/version, security-level field) since a generic validator for that grammar exists in this monorepo."
-system = "1-formats/k9/actions/validate/validate-k9.sh — checks .k9 files for 'K9!' magic-number line 1, pedigree block, valid security level (kennel/yard/hunt), and SPDX header. Exists but is not wired to 3-practice/session-management-standards/."
-status = "fail"
-effects = "All 12 PROTOCOL.k9 files here begin with a plain '# ...' comment, not the 'K9!' magic number, and have no pedigree/security-level fields, so they would fail validate-k9.sh if it were ever run repo-wide. This is a naming collision risk: '.k9' files that don't follow the actual K9 grammar could confuse tooling or reviewers who expect the k9-svc schema."
+text = "Machine protocol contracts under this standard SHOULD stay off the reserved `.k9`/`.k9.ncl` suffixes unless they conform to a registered K9 dialect (K9-CONTRACT-SPEC.adoc §4.2, 'Extension reservation'); plain YAML contracts use `.yaml`."
+system = "1-formats/k9/tools/k9-validate.sh — the canonical K9 validator; `.githooks/validate-k9.sh` scans every tracked `*.k9`/`*.k9.ncl` through it. 3-practice/session-management-standards/ contains none."
+status = "pass"
+evidence = "All 12 PROTOCOL.k9 stubs were renamed to PROTOCOL.yaml by migration item M2 / issue #B (ruled 2026-10-05) and left `.machine_readable/k9-contract-debt.txt` (17 entries → 5); the S1 check below grounds the pass."
+check = "test -z \"$(git ls-files '3-practice/session-management-standards/*.k9' '3-practice/session-management-standards/*.k9.ncl')\""
+effects = "n/a — resolved. Before the rename the 12 files produced an unclaimed-dialect error (K9-E005 ×12) and 11 missing-SPDX errors (K9-E004 ×11) against a suffix their bodies did not honour; renaming removes the false format promise for every reviewer, `file(1)` and future validator."
 
 [[should]]
 id = "S2"
@@ -71,10 +74,10 @@ effects = "GUIDE.adoc only describes the binding pattern in prose ('Justfile ali
 
 [[should]]
 id = "S4"
-text = "Protocols whose CHECKLIST.adoc has been substantially expanded (emergency-termination at 523 lines, substantial-completion at 300 lines) SHOULD have correspondingly expanded PROTOCOL.k9/STATE-template.a2ml machine artefacts, not stub-level ones."
+text = "Protocols whose CHECKLIST.adoc has been substantially expanded (emergency-termination at 523 lines, substantial-completion at 300 lines) SHOULD have correspondingly expanded PROTOCOL.yaml/STATE-template.a2ml machine artefacts, not stub-level ones."
 system = "none"
 status = "fail"
-effects = "continuity/emergency-termination/PROTOCOL.k9 is only 21 lines and its STATE-template.a2ml only 20 lines despite the checklist being fully written out; same pattern for verify/substantial-completion (21/20 lines). Any tooling meant to machine-drive these two protocols from PROTOCOL.k9/STATE-template.a2ml would be working from stub-level data despite the checklists implying full protocol maturity — a documentation/implementation mismatch."
+effects = "continuity/emergency-termination/PROTOCOL.yaml is only 23 lines and its STATE-template.a2ml only 20 lines despite the checklist being fully written out; same pattern for verify/substantial-completion (23/20 lines). Any tooling meant to machine-drive these two protocols from PROTOCOL.yaml/STATE-template.a2ml would be working from stub-level data despite the checklists implying full protocol maturity — a documentation/implementation mismatch."
 
 [[could]]
 id = "C1"
diff --git a/0-canon/COMPLIANCE-DASHBOARD.adoc b/0-canon/COMPLIANCE-DASHBOARD.adoc
index 8ec4d1f28..5aed164be 100644
--- a/0-canon/COMPLIANCE-DASHBOARD.adoc
+++ b/0-canon/COMPLIANCE-DASHBOARD.adoc
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ ____
 | `+component-readiness-grades+` | ❌ gap | 2/5 | 2/4 | 0/3 | 66% | 4/4 | 2026-07-03
 | `+toolchain-readiness-grades+` | ❌ gap | 1/5 | 2/4 | 0/3 | 83% | 3/3 | 2026-07-03
 | `+rhodium-standard-repositories+` | ❌ gap | 1/3 | 1/2 | 0/1 | 50% | 2/2 | 2026-07-03
-| `+session-management-standards+` | ❌ gap | 1/5 | 1/4 | 0/3 | 41% | 2/2 | 2026-07-03
+| `+session-management-standards+` | ❌ gap | 1/5 | 2/4 | 0/3 | 41% | 3/3 | 2026-10-05
 | `+did-you-actually-do-that+` | ✅ met | 5/5 | 2/3 | 0/2 | 90% | 7/7 | 2026-07-03
 | `+ensaid-config+` | ❌ gap | 0/5 | 0/3 | 0/3 | 90% | – | 2026-07-03
 | `+accessibility+` | ❌ gap | 2/5 | 0/5 | 0/3 | 100% | 2/2 | 2026-07-03
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ ____
 * *Specs with a scorecard:* 29 / 29
 * *MUST requirements:* 38 passing / 141 total (73 failing)
 * *Estate systems coverage:* 67% of 324 graded requirements have a mechanical check
-* *Grounded passes:* 69 / 69 (100%) pass rows carry an executable `+check+` run by `+--verify+`
+* *Grounded passes:* 70 / 70 (100%) pass rows carry an executable `+check+` run by `+--verify+`
 
 == How this dashboard stays honest
 
diff --git a/1-formats/k9/SPEC.adoc b/1-formats/k9/SPEC.adoc
index 1cd39cefb..538a43652 100644
--- a/1-formats/k9/SPEC.adoc
+++ b/1-formats/k9/SPEC.adoc
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ Specification v1.0.0] — *this document is the format overview; conformance is
 specified there*
 |Contract file |link:spec/contract/k9_contract.ncl[`spec/contract/k9_contract.ncl`]
 |Canonical validator |link:tools/k9-validate.sh[`tools/k9-validate.sh`]
-|Conformance suite |link:tools/fixtures/[`tools/fixtures/`] (5 positive, 21 negative)
+|Conformance suite |link:tools/fixtures/[`tools/fixtures/`] (6 positive, 21 negative)
 |===
 
 [IMPORTANT]
diff --git a/1-formats/k9/spec/K9-CONTRACT-SPEC.adoc b/1-formats/k9/spec/K9-CONTRACT-SPEC.adoc
index 0486e8479..489c71ebf 100644
--- a/1-formats/k9/spec/K9-CONTRACT-SPEC.adoc
+++ b/1-formats/k9/spec/K9-CONTRACT-SPEC.adoc
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ that file disagree, *this prose wins and the file is a bug*.
 |Schema major |`1`
 |Contract file |link:{contract-file}[`spec/contract/k9_contract.ncl`]
 |Canonical validator |link:../tools/k9-validate.sh[`tools/k9-validate.sh`]
-|Conformance suite |link:../tools/fixtures/[`tools/fixtures/`] (5 positive, 21 negative)
+|Conformance suite |link:../tools/fixtures/[`tools/fixtures/`] (6 positive, 21 negative)
 |Ruling |D173 (standards#1058, 2026-09-30)
 |Supersedes |the prose-only contract description in link:../SPEC.adoc[`SPEC.adoc`] §L2 and §The Active Pedigree
 |===
@@ -240,12 +240,13 @@ file that carries one of them and belongs to none of them is *unclaimed*
 (K9-E005) and MUST be reported, not skipped.
 
 This is not pedantry. Twelve files under
-`3-practice/session-management-standards/` are named `PROTOCOL.k9` and contain
+`3-practice/session-management-standards/` were named `PROTOCOL.k9` and held
 YAML stubs for a session-management protocol that is neither K9 SVC nor
 k9-coordination. A reviewer, `file(1)`, an editor mode and every future
 validator all read the suffix as a format promise. Reserving the suffix is
-what makes that promise mean something; renaming those files is migration item
-M4.
+what makes that promise mean something; those files are now `PROTOCOL.yaml`
+(migration item M2 of link:MIGRATION-1058.adoc[`MIGRATION-1058.adoc`], applied
+2026-10-05).
 
 === K9-E005 — the discriminator
 
@@ -343,6 +344,17 @@ fields — the estate's contractiles use `probe_scope` and
 *weaken* a rule in this document. An unknown field that grants access is not
 an extension, it is a vulnerability.
 
+The machine-readable form carries that row as a `, ..` tail on `Component`,
+`Pedigree`, `Metadata`, `Security` and `Signature` in
+link:contract/k9_contract.ncl[`k9_contract.ncl`] — and it has to be written
+down there, because a Nickel record contract is *closed* by default. Without
+the tail, a component carrying a legitimate extension field is blamed with
+"extra field" by a file whose own first rule is that this prose wins. The
+positive control link:../tools/fixtures/valid/extension-fields.k9.ncl[
+`fixtures/valid/extension-fields.k9.ncl`] fails at L2 if any of those tails is
+removed. (The host-side `HuntEvidence` record stays closed on purpose: its
+fields are evidence the host supplies, not a component's own business.)
+
 == The component pedigree
 
 === K9-S001 — the pedigree block
@@ -716,9 +728,13 @@ MIME handler, not a reader's classifier — can tell the file is a component at
 all. A licence in such a file is *unenforceable*, which is worse than no
 licence, because a reviewer reading the file sees one and believes it.
 
-This is the live state of all six
-`.machine_readable/contractiles/*/*.k9.ncl` files, which carry `pedigree`
-blocks (several at `'Hunt`) and no envelope. Migration item M2.
+*Resolved 2026-10-05 (MIGRATION-1058 M1, #A).* The `K9!` envelope already
+carried line 1 of all six `.machine_readable/contractiles/*/*.k9.ncl` files
+when this was checked against the tree, so K9-S012 had no live instance; the
+paragraph above describes the revision before the envelope was added. What the
+six were still missing — `component_type`, the §8.4 grant for their `allow_*`
+flags, and the §6.5/§9 material for the four `'Hunt` verbs — is recorded in
+MIGRATION-1058 M1.
 
 === K9-S014 — no stray leash claims
 
@@ -742,11 +758,12 @@ so an unresolvable import means the pedigree a reviewer read is not the
 pedigree a host would evaluate — and the reviewer's reading is the one that
 decides whether the component is trusted.
 
-All six contractile `.k9.ncl` files import `"../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl"`, a
-path that does not exist (`.machine_readable/contractiles/` has no `k9/`
-subdirectory), and then reference `base_k9.pedigree_schema`, a field the real
-template does not define — it is `_base.ncl` that defines `pedigree_schema`.
-Migration item M2.
+*Fixed 2026-10-05 (MIGRATION-1058 M1, #A).* All six contractile `.k9.ncl`
+files imported `"../k9/template-hunt.k9.ncl"`, a path that does not exist
+(`.machine_readable/contractiles/` has no `k9/` subdirectory), and referenced
+`base_k9.pedigree_schema`, a field the real template did not define. They now
+merge `base.pedigree_schema` from `../_base.ncl`, the file that defines it, and
+the validator reports all six conforming at L1.
 
 === Library leash
 
@@ -902,7 +919,7 @@ hidden; review is the control, as it is for `.machine_readable/inline-python-all
 [source]
 ----
 1-formats/k9/tools/fixtures/
-├── valid/     5 positive controls
+├── valid/     6 positive controls
 └── invalid/   21 negative controls
                (19 assertable without a toolchain, 2 needing Nickel)
 ----
@@ -933,7 +950,7 @@ while the rule under test does nothing.
 # built-in assertions: the mirrors, the arithmetic, the extractor, the strip
 1-formats/k9/tools/k9-validate.sh --self-test
 
-# the corpus: 5 positive + 21 negative
+# the corpus: 6 positive + 21 negative
 1-formats/k9/tools/k9-validate.sh --fixtures 1-formats/k9/tools/fixtures
 
 # with Nickel on PATH, every format layer must actually run
diff --git a/1-formats/k9/spec/MIGRATION-1058.adoc b/1-formats/k9/spec/MIGRATION-1058.adoc
index f065661cf..393a8c13f 100644
--- a/1-formats/k9/spec/MIGRATION-1058.adoc
+++ b/1-formats/k9/spec/MIGRATION-1058.adoc
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ contract for `application/vnd.k9`, with
 link:contract/k9_contract.ncl[`contract/k9_contract.ncl`] as its
 machine-readable form, link:../tools/k9-validate.sh[`tools/k9-validate.sh`] as
 the canonical validator, and link:../tools/fixtures/[`tools/fixtures/`] as the
-conformance suite (5 positive controls, 21 negative).
+conformance suite (6 positive controls, 21 negative).
 
 Landed with it:
 
@@ -154,6 +154,64 @@ a dangling import a conformance failure rather than a style note.
 files, twelve rule instances, and it closes the only place in the repo where a
 `'Hunt` pedigree is invisible to every tool.
 
+==== M1 — resolved (2026-10-05)
+
+All six `.machine_readable/contractiles/*/*.k9.ncl` files pass the canonical
+validator at L1 with 0 findings, so K9-S013 has no instance here. Three
+corrections to the paragraph above, from reading the tree rather than the
+report:
+
+* The `K9!` envelope was already line 1 of all six, so "add `K9!` as line 1"
+  was already done and **K9-S012 does not fire**. What was missing was
+  everything the envelope makes enforceable: `component_type`, the §8.4 grant
+  for each `allow_*` flag, and — for the four `'Hunt` verbs — a signature
+  block, `signature_required`, and non-empty `side_effects`.
+* The import now merges `base.pedigree_schema` from `../_base.ncl`, which is
+  where `pedigree_schema` actually lives; no contractile-specific base was
+  created, because `_base.ncl` is already the shared base for the
+  `<verb>.ncl` runners. `variance_schema` is marked `not_exported`: its fields
+  are declarations with no definitions, and Nickel's export refuses a record
+  containing one.
+* The ledger had already lost its six contractile entries (the header's
+  "6 contractiles" removal), which is why the hook reported all six as hard
+  FAILs until they conformed. This change removes nothing from the ledger and
+  re-lists nothing; it makes the earlier removal true.
+
+*Naming resolution, stated rather than implied* (the issue's second ask): the
+K9 contract never names a contractile verb. A contractile component is an
+ordinary K9 component whose `component_type` begins `contractile:` — that
+prefix is the entire tie between the contractiles family
+(must/trust/dust/intend) and K9's execution triad (must/just/nickel), and it is
+the only name K9 machinery ever sees. DEED translation renames nothing this
+specification depends on, and the contractile family keeps its verbs.
+
+*Leash and grant:* adjust and dust are `'Yard` and request `fs.write` and
+`process.spawn`; at `'Yard` the leash is the cap (§7.3 — pure evaluation), so
+those entries record the *request*, not a permission in force. Recording them
+is still mandatory: §8.4/K9-S007 makes a flag whose capability the grant does
+not cover a contradiction inside the pedigree, not a preference. bust, intend,
+must and trust are `'Hunt`; their signature blocks are claims, so the §10.2
+verdict stays `'Present_Unverified` and §10.4 leaves all four unauthorised to
+run until the signing ceremony replaces the placeholder key.
+
+*Verification* (branch `arena/01a10a3b-standards`, run `37262876162`):
+`--self-test` all assertions passed; `--strict --fixtures` 5 positive, 21
+negative, 0 needing nickel, 0 failures; L1 over the six: `pass`, 0 findings;
+the corpus report falls 8 → 2 violations (the remainder are the Axel files of
+M4/#D, untouched here) with 0 stale ledger entries.
+
+*Contract-side follow-up, done in M7's first step (below):* the corpus step ran
+at L1, so the six were never evaluated against `K9.Component`. §5.5 permits the
+extension fields they carry — `pedigree.semantics`, `pedigree.contractile_verb`,
+`pedigree.tier`, `pedigree.authority`, `pedigree.variance_schema`,
+`pedigree.execution`, `pedigree.failure_mode_defenses`, `security.probe_scope`,
+`security.probe_kinds_*`, `security.allow_filesystem_write_conditional` — but
+`Component`, `Pedigree`, `Metadata`, `Security` and `Signature` in
+`k9_contract.ncl` were closed record contracts, so L2 would have blamed every
+one of them ("extra field"). Those five records now take a `, ..` tail, and the
+new positive control `fixtures/valid/extension-fields.k9.ncl` fails at L2 if any
+of them closes again.
+
 === M2 — Twelve `PROTOCOL.k9` stubs claim a reserved suffix
 
 *Files:* `3-practice/session-management-standards/*/*/PROTOCOL.k9`
@@ -175,10 +233,21 @@ are ordinary structured data.
 machine-consumed as K9, give it the `K9!` envelope and either the Nickel
 component shape or a registered dialect of its own.
 
-*Note:* the same scorecard references
+*Ruling — outcome (a), applied 2026-10-05 (issue #B).* These are ordinary
+structured data: plain YAML contracts for session-management protocols that no
+K9 host loads. Option (b) would mean inventing a dialect so the naming
+collision could keep its name — the suffix exists to promise a format, and the
+honest move is to stop promising one. All 12 files are now `PROTOCOL.yaml`;
+their 12 ledger entries are gone (17 → 5); the 11 files that lacked an SPDX
+header gained `MPL-2.0` headers as they entered the `*.yaml` extension scope of
+`.githooks/validate-spdx.sh`; and the scorecard's S1 is re-graded against
+`1-formats/k9/tools/k9-validate.sh`, with the reservation rule as the
+requirement.
+
+*Note (fixed):* the scorecard used to reference
 `1-formats/k9/actions/validate/validate-k9.sh`, a path that does not exist
-(`ls` confirms no `1-formats/k9/actions/`). Whatever is chosen, that reference
-should be repointed at `1-formats/k9/tools/k9-validate.sh`.
+(`ls` confirms no `1-formats/k9/actions/`). Its S1 entry now points at
+`1-formats/k9/tools/k9-validate.sh`.
 
 === M3 — Three templates ship placeholders and one example is unsigned
 
@@ -257,16 +326,15 @@ the report:
   leash without deleting that envelope yields K9-S001, and deleting both
   demotes them to libraries and discards the declared level entirely.
 
-Not fixed here, and recorded for M7/#F instead: §6.4 permits unknown top-level
-fields, but `Component` in `contract/k9_contract.ncl` is a record contract with
-no `, ..`, and Nickel forbids additional fields in record contracts by default
-(1.18.0 manual, "Open record contracts"); the manual defines `optional` as "not
-mandatory" and nothing more, so it does not open a record — `, ..` alone does
-(1.18.0 `doc/manual/syntax.md`, field metadata). If that reading holds, K9-N001 will
-report `extra field` for every component that keeps its payload at top level —
-`burble-metadata.k9.ncl` (`rsr`) and both `examples/` files as much as these
-two. That is an estate-wide L2 reconciliation, not an S014 question, and no
-`nickel` binary was available to run it here.
+Resolved in M7's first step (below): §6.4/§5.5 permit unknown top-level
+fields, but `Component` in `contract/k9_contract.ncl` was a record contract
+with no `, ..`, and Nickel forbids additional fields in record contracts by
+default (1.18.0 manual, "Open record contracts"); the manual defines `optional`
+as "not mandatory" and nothing more, so it does not open a record — `, ..`
+alone does (1.18.0 `doc/manual/syntax.md`, field metadata). Against a closed
+`Component`, K9-N001 would have reported `extra field` for every component that
+keeps its payload at top level — `burble-metadata.k9.ncl` and both `examples/`
+files as much as these two. The record now takes a `, ..` tail.
 
 === M5 — `rsr-compliance-checklist.k9.ncl` is not a single Nickel term
 
@@ -334,6 +402,32 @@ M7 is therefore: raise the corpus step to L2 for the five conforming files,
 then work the ledger down. Expect each removal to need a real fix, not a
 relabel.
 
+==== M7 — started (2026-10-05)
+
+The corpus step in `.github/workflows/k9-contractile.yml` now runs the hook with
+`K9_VALIDATE_LAYER=all`, so CI checks the whole corpus at L2 while the
+pre-commit hook keeps its L1 default — a hook that fails on a laptop without a
+toolchain is a hook people bypass. Two things had to be true first, and both now
+are:
+
+* `k9_contract.ncl`'s record contracts were CLOSED, so the extension fields
+  §5.5 permits were blamed; M1's and M4's notes above both measured that
+  against live files. `Component`, `Pedigree`, `Metadata`, `Security` and
+  `Signature` now carry `, ..`, and the host-side `HuntEvidence` stays closed on
+  purpose. By this file's own precedence rule — the prose wins, the file is the
+  bug — that is a conformance fix, not a contract revision, so
+  `contract_version` stays 1.0.0.
+* Nothing tested it. `tools/fixtures/valid/extension-fields.k9.ncl` is a new
+  positive control shaped like a contractile: extension fields at pedigree,
+  security, metadata and top level, plus a declaration-only `variance_schema`
+  marked `not_exported`, so it exercises the *export* path rather than only the
+  typecheck. The suite is now 6 positive / 21 negative.
+
+What remains of M7's sentence: the five ledger entries — the four `svc/k9`
+files and `rsr-compliance-checklist.k9.ncl` — are *reported* as grandfathered
+debt by the L2 run rather than failed (they are unchanged), and working them
+down still needs a real fix each: M3 for the four, M5 for the checklist.
+
 Still never run anywhere: `nickel format --check` on a `.k9.ncl` body.
 `ci-pipeline.yml` excludes that pathspec, and formatting is not reproducible
 without the binary — so any M1–M6 change that adds a body will be the first
diff --git a/1-formats/k9/spec/contract/k9_contract.ncl b/1-formats/k9/spec/contract/k9_contract.ncl
index be8736428..252cfdc64 100644
--- a/1-formats/k9/spec/contract/k9_contract.ncl
+++ b/1-formats/k9/spec/contract/k9_contract.ncl
@@ -72,18 +72,18 @@ let ExtensionPrefix = "x-" in
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 # §5.2 / §8.1 — name shapes, using nothing beyond length and substring
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
-
 let is_digit = fun c =>
   c == "0"
-    || c == "1"
-    || c == "2"
-    || c == "3"
-    || c == "4"
-    || c == "5"
-    || c == "6"
-    || c == "7"
-    || c == "8"
-    || c == "9" in
+  || c == "1"
+  || c == "2"
+  || c == "3"
+  || c == "4"
+  || c == "5"
+  || c == "6"
+  || c == "7"
+  || c == "8"
+  || c == "9"
+in
 
 # A numeric dot-triple whose MAJOR segment equals `major`. Walks the string
 # once. Rejects: non-digits, a leading or trailing dot, an empty segment, a
@@ -109,14 +109,15 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
         seg_len > 0 && go (i + 1) (dots + 1) 0 false s
       else if is_digit c then
         (first_zero == false || seg_len == 0)
-          && go (i + 1) dots (seg_len + 1) (c == "0") s
+        && go (i + 1) dots (seg_len + 1) (c == "0") s
       else
         false
   in
   # A dot-triple is at least `want` plus "N.N": three more characters.
   std.string.length v >= (std.string.length want + 3)
-    && std.string.substring 0 (std.string.length want) v == want
-    && go 0 0 0 false v in
+  && std.string.substring 0 (std.string.length want) v == want
+  && go 0 0 0 false v
+in
 
 # ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 # The contract record. Nickel records are recursive, so fields below refer to
@@ -177,8 +178,7 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
   # pedigree cannot crash on it.
   leash_of = fun pedigree =>
     if std.record.has_field "security" pedigree
-      && std.record.has_field "leash" pedigree.security
-    then
+    && std.record.has_field "leash" pedigree.security then
       pedigree.security.leash
     else
       'Kennel,
@@ -208,13 +208,13 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
   # after the vendor segment, i.e. "x-vendor.something", never bare "x-vendor".
   is_extension = fun name =>
     std.string.length name > std.string.length ExtensionPrefix
-      && std.string.substring 0 (std.string.length ExtensionPrefix) name
-        == ExtensionPrefix
-      && std.array.length (std.string.split "." name) >= 2,
+    && std.string.substring 0 (std.string.length ExtensionPrefix) name == ExtensionPrefix
+    && std.array.length (std.string.split "." name) >= 2,
 
-  Capability = std.contract.from_predicate (fun name =>
-    is_core name || is_extension name
-  ),
+  Capability =
+    std.contract.from_predicate (fun name =>
+      is_core name || is_extension name
+    ),
 
   # An explicit allow-list. DEFAULT-DENY is expressed by the empty grant: it
   # permits nothing, and "nothing" is the correct answer for an absent grant.
@@ -241,28 +241,25 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
   required_capabilities = fun security =>
     (
       if std.record.has_field "allow_network" security
-        && security.allow_network
-      then
+      && security.allow_network then
         ["net.fetch"]
       else
         []
     )
-      @ (
-        if std.record.has_field "allow_filesystem_write" security
-          && security.allow_filesystem_write
-        then
-          ["fs.write"]
-        else
-          []
-      )
-      @ (
-        if std.record.has_field "allow_subprocess" security
-          && security.allow_subprocess
-        then
-          ["process.spawn"]
-        else
-          []
-      ),
+    @ (
+      if std.record.has_field "allow_filesystem_write" security
+      && security.allow_filesystem_write then
+        ["fs.write"]
+      else
+        []
+    )
+    @ (
+      if std.record.has_field "allow_subprocess" security
+      && security.allow_subprocess then
+        ["process.spawn"]
+      else
+        []
+    ),
 
   # What the grant fails to cover. Empty iff the pedigree is self-consistent.
   grant_deficit = fun grant security =>
@@ -285,6 +282,11 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
   # The host supplies one Bool of EVIDENCE per precondition. Evidence is
   # runtime fact, not a static component field — which is why `check_level`
   # in leash.ncl can never authorise Hunt on its own.
+  # Host-side, and deliberately CLOSED unlike the component-facing records
+  # above: §9.2 says the host supplies one Boolean of evidence per
+  # precondition, so a misspelt evidence field must be an error rather than a
+  # silently ignored precondition. §5.5's openness is about a *component's*
+  # fields.
   HuntEvidence = {
     signature | Bool,
     policy | Bool,
@@ -299,10 +301,10 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
   authorize_hunt = fun evidence =>
     let unmet =
       (if evidence.signature then [] else ["signature"])
-        @ (if evidence.policy then [] else ["policy"])
-        @ (if evidence.sandbox then [] else ["sandbox"])
-        @ (if evidence.dry_run then [] else ["dry_run"])
-        @ (if evidence.capability_grant then [] else ["capability_grant"])
+      @ (if evidence.policy then [] else ["policy"])
+      @ (if evidence.sandbox then [] else ["sandbox"])
+      @ (if evidence.dry_run then [] else ["dry_run"])
+      @ (if evidence.capability_grant then [] else ["capability_grant"])
     in
     if std.array.length unmet == 0 then
       {
@@ -316,7 +318,7 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
         enforced_level = 'Yard,
         reason =
           "Hunt requires all five preconditions; unmet: "
-            ++ std.string.join ", " unmet,
+          ++ std.string.join ", " unmet,
         unmet_preconditions = unmet,
       },
 
@@ -365,6 +367,10 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
     payload_hash | String | optional,
     signed_at | String | optional,
     key_id | String | default = "primary",
+    # §5.5 — unknown fields are PERMITTED; see the `..` block above `Metadata`.
+    # A host that reads `signature.public_key` MUST NOT be the reason a future
+    # `counter_signature` field is rejected.
+    ..
   },
 
   # ── §6 The component pedigree, v1 ────────────────────────────────────
@@ -373,16 +379,50 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
   # actually carry (`.machine_readable/svc/k9/template-*.k9.ncl`), with two
   # normative tightenings: `component_type` is REQUIRED (§6.2), and the
   # security flags must be paid for in the capability grant (§8.4).
+  #
+  # ── THE `..` TAIL, AND WHY EVERY COMPONENT-FACING RECORD HERE HAS ONE ──
+  #
+  # §5.5's table ends with "Unknown fields anywhere | PERMITTED. A reader SHOULD
+  # report them and MUST NOT consult them to relax any requirement of §8 or §9."
+  # That is normative prose, and by this file's own first rule the prose wins:
+  # where the two disagree, this file is the bug.
+  #
+  # They disagreed until 2026-10-05. A Nickel record contract is CLOSED by
+  # default — the sharp edge is recorded in Nickel's own integration suite,
+  # core/tests/integration/inputs/contracts/record_contract_extra_field.ncl,
+  # which asserts `EvalError::BlameError` with the message "extra field" and
+  # advises appending `, ..`. So a component carrying a legitimate extension
+  # field was blamed by this file while §5.5 permitted the field. The six
+  # `.machine_readable/contractiles/*/*.k9.ncl` components are the live case
+  # (they keep `semantics`, `contractile_verb`, `tier`, `authority`,
+  # `variance_schema`, `execution`, `failure_mode_defenses` in the pedigree;
+  # `probe_scope`, `probe_kinds_*`, `allow_filesystem_write_conditional` in
+  # security; `paired_xfile`, `paired_runner` in metadata), and
+  # `2-protocols/axel/config/*.k9.ncl` keep their payload at top level.
+  #
+  # Opening these five records is a CONFORMANCE fix, not a contract revision:
+  # the specified contract (the prose) never changed, so `contract_version`
+  # stays 1.0.0. It does not weaken §8 or §9 either — §5.5's own last clause
+  # forbids that, and the validator enforces the capability arithmetic over the
+  # extracted facts whatever an extension field claims (K9-S007, K9-S008).
+  #
+  # The positive control `tools/fixtures/valid/extension-fields.k9.ncl` exists
+  # so this cannot silently regress: it fails at L2 the moment any of these
+  # records closes again.
 
   Metadata = {
     name | String,
     version | String | default = "0.0.0",
     description | String | optional,
     author | String | optional,
+    # §5.5 — see the block comment above. The estate's contractiles add
+    # `paired_xfile` / `paired_runner` here.
+    ..
   },
 
   Security = {
-    # §7 — closed set. An unknown tag is a contract violation, not a warning.
+    # §7 — closed set. An unknown LEASH TAG is a contract violation, not a
+    # warning; an unknown FIELD in this block is §5.5's business.
     leash | SecurityLevel,
     trust_level | String | default = "unset",
     allow_network | Bool | default = false,
@@ -393,6 +433,11 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
     signature_required | Bool | default = false,
     # §8.3 — the explicit grant. Default-deny: absent means empty.
     capabilities | CapabilityGrant | default = [],
+    # §5.5 — unknown fields are PERMITTED, and the prose names this block's own
+    # examples: "the estate's contractiles use `probe_scope` and
+    # `authorised_probes_only`". No conforming reader may let one of them
+    # weaken §8 or §9 — the grant above is what a host enforces.
+    ..
   },
 
   Pedigree = {
@@ -412,6 +457,12 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
     side_effects | Array String | default = [],
     # §10.1 — the signature claim. Presence is per-leash; see Signature above.
     signature | Signature | optional,
+    # §5.5 — unknown fields are PERMITTED. This is the line MIGRATION-1058 M1
+    # turned on: the contractile family keeps its own vocabulary in the pedigree
+    # (`semantics`, `contractile_verb`, `tier`, `authority`, `variance_schema`,
+    # `execution`, `failure_mode_defenses`), and nothing in this file may force
+    # those names out of it.
+    ..
   },
 
   # The whole component: the pedigree plus the optional Nickel payload.
@@ -436,6 +487,12 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
     config | { _ : Dyn } | optional,
     recipes | { _ : Dyn } | optional,
     validation | { _ : Dyn } | optional,
+    # §5.5 — unknown fields are PERMITTED at top level too, which is the case
+    # MIGRATION-1058 M4 recorded for whoever first ran the corpus at L2:
+    # `2-protocols/axel/config/*.k9.ncl` keep their payload (`ci`, `local_dev`,
+    # `quality`; `metadata.k9.ncl`: `project`, `tech_stack`, `deployment`,
+    # `features`, `status`) beside `pedigree`.
+    ..
   },
 
   # ── §11 Library dialect ──────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -445,5 +502,5 @@ let is_semver_of = fun major v =>
   # no pedigree, no leash claim, no execution licence of any kind.
   is_library = fun lib =>
     !(std.record.has_field "pedigree" lib)
-      && !(std.record.has_field "leash" lib),
+    && !(std.record.has_field "leash" lib),
 }
diff --git a/1-formats/k9/tools/README.adoc b/1-formats/k9/tools/README.adoc
index f9402be88..d20b7631b 100644
--- a/1-formats/k9/tools/README.adoc
+++ b/1-formats/k9/tools/README.adoc
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ Prose: link:../spec/K9-CONTRACT-SPEC.adoc[`spec/K9-CONTRACT-SPEC.adoc`]
 |===
 |`k9-validate.sh` |The canonical validator. The only place K9 rules are
 *executed*; the contract file is where they are *stated*.
-|`fixtures/valid/` |5 positive controls.
+|`fixtures/valid/` |6 positive controls.
 |`fixtures/invalid/` |21 negative controls. The load-bearing half.
 |===
 
@@ -19,6 +19,10 @@ The local gate (`.githooks/validate-k9.sh`) and the CI gate
 (`.github/workflows/k9-contractile.yml`) both call `k9-validate.sh`. Neither
 owns a rule.
 
+The hook's default layer is L1 (it must run on a machine with no toolchain);
+the CI corpus step raises it with `K9_VALIDATE_LAYER=all`, because CI installs
+the pinned `nickel` binary. Ledger entries stay advisory at either layer.
+
 == Running it
 
 [source,bash]
diff --git a/1-formats/k9/tools/fixtures/invalid/L0-K9-E005-unclaimed-body.k9.ncl b/1-formats/k9/tools/fixtures/invalid/L0-K9-E005-unclaimed-body.k9.ncl
index 44478d97e..a23b566cc 100644
--- a/1-formats/k9/tools/fixtures/invalid/L0-K9-E005-unclaimed-body.k9.ncl
+++ b/1-formats/k9/tools/fixtures/invalid/L0-K9-E005-unclaimed-body.k9.ncl
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
 # Negative control §4.4: a `.k9.ncl` suffix with neither a Nickel body nor the
 # coordination dialect's YAML body. This is the shape of the estate's twelve
-# session-management PROTOCOL.k9 stubs, which claim a K9 suffix and belong to
-# no K9 dialect. Reserving the suffix is what stops a reviewer (or `file`)
+# session-management stubs, which claimed a K9 suffix and belonged to no K9
+# dialect (renamed to PROTOCOL.yaml by migration item M2, 2026-10-05; kept as
+# the regression control for this rule). Reserving the suffix is what stops a reviewer (or `file`)
 # from believing a format promise the body does not keep.
 protocol:
   family: "handover"
diff --git a/1-formats/k9/tools/fixtures/valid/extension-fields.k9.ncl b/1-formats/k9/tools/fixtures/valid/extension-fields.k9.ncl
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4cd168dd4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/1-formats/k9/tools/fixtures/valid/extension-fields.k9.ncl
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+K9!
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# extension-fields.k9.ncl — positive control: §5.5's "Unknown fields anywhere
+# | PERMITTED".
+#
+# WHY THIS CONTROL EXISTS
+#   Until it did, not one positive control left the contract's declared field
+#   set, so a whole clause of §5.5 was untested. Nickel's record contracts are
+#   CLOSED by default — `core/tests/integration/inputs/contracts/
+#   record_contract_extra_field.ncl` is the blame control, `EvalError::
+#   BlameError` with "extra field" — so `Component`/`Pedigree`/`Security`/
+#   `Metadata`/`Signature` in spec/contract/k9_contract.ncl each rejected the
+#   extension fields the prose permitted, and nothing in CI noticed. The six
+#   `.machine_readable/contractiles/*/*.k9.ncl` components are the live case of
+#   that disagreement (MIGRATION-1058 M1), and the contract's own §5.5 note
+#   explains the fix. This control fails at L2 the moment any of those records
+#   closes again.
+#
+# WHAT IT DELIBERATELY KEEPS DOING
+#   An extension field is DATA, never a grant: `allow_filesystem_write` stays
+#   false and `capabilities` stays empty, even though
+#   `allow_filesystem_write_conditional` (a contractile extension field, §5.5)
+#   says a write path exists. §5.5's last clause is that no reader may consult
+#   an unknown field to relax §8 or §9 — so nothing here is derivable from it,
+#   and §7.3 caps 'Yard at evaluation in any case.
+{
+  pedigree = {
+    schema_version = "1.0.0",
+    component_type = "contractile:fixture",
+    semantics = "extension-field-tolerance",
+    contractile_verb = "fixture",
+    tier = 'Yard,
+    authority = 'advisory,
+    security = {
+      leash = 'Yard,
+      trust_level = "contract-eval-only",
+      allow_network = false,
+      allow_filesystem_write = false,
+      allow_subprocess = false,
+      capabilities = [],
+      probe_scope = 'read_only,
+      probe_kinds_allowed = ['file_existence, 'pattern_presence],
+      probe_kinds_denied = ['network_call, 'filesystem_mutation],
+      allow_filesystem_write_conditional = false,
+    },
+    metadata = {
+      name = "extension-fields",
+      version = "1.0.0",
+      description = "Positive control: extension fields at pedigree, security and metadata level.",
+      paired_xfile = "Examplefile.a2ml",
+      paired_runner = "example.ncl",
+    },
+    warnings = [
+      "Extension fields are permitted and are not consulted for permissions.",
+    ],
+    side_effects = [],
+    # Declaration-only fields, no definitions: `not_exported` says what is true
+    # (`nickel export` would otherwise abort with "missing field definition").
+    # §5.5 permits the block; this asserts the export path too, which is why
+    # the control must be exported and not merely typechecked.
+    variance_schema | not_exported = {
+      entry_id | String,
+      reason | String,
+    },
+  },
+
+  # Top level too: §5.5's clause is "anywhere", and these are the names the
+  # axel config files and the contractiles actually carry.
+  execution = {
+    triggers = ['session_close, 'on_demand],
+  },
+
+  failure_mode_defenses = [
+    "example entry, present only to occupy an undeclared top-level field",
+  ],
+}
diff --git a/1-formats/k9/tools/k9-validate.sh b/1-formats/k9/tools/k9-validate.sh
index b5875c683..92b97a32e 100755
--- a/1-formats/k9/tools/k9-validate.sh
+++ b/1-formats/k9/tools/k9-validate.sh
@@ -310,9 +310,10 @@ check_l0() {
     # and belongs at L1/L2, not to a dialect mismatch.
     if [ "$HAS_MAGIC" -eq 1 ]; then DIALECT="component"; else DIALECT="library"; fi
   elif printf '%s' "$body_start" | grep -qE '^[A-Za-z_][A-Za-z0-9_.-]*:'; then
-    # A `key:` line: the coordination dialect permits one, and so do the
-    # unclaimed session-management PROTOCOL.k9 stubs. Only the magic line
-    # separates the two, so with no magic this file claims nothing.
+    # A `key:` line: the coordination dialect permits one, and so did the
+    # unclaimed session-management PROTOCOL.k9 stubs (renamed to PROTOCOL.yaml
+    # by migration item M2). Only the magic line separates the two, so with no
+    # magic this file claims nothing.
     if [ "$HAS_MAGIC" -eq 1 ]; then DIALECT="coordination"; else DIALECT="unclaimed"; fi
   else
     DIALECT="unclaimed"
@@ -870,7 +871,7 @@ EOF
       fi
     done
   done
-  t "the contract and all 26 fixtures avoid Nickel's reserved words" 0 "$kw_hits"
+  t "the contract and all 27 fixtures avoid Nickel's reserved words" 0 "$kw_hits"
 
   echo
   if [ $SELFTEST_FAILS -eq 0 ]; then
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/README.adoc b/3-practice/session-management-standards/README.adoc
index 56cab7fdf..f18fc904e 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/README.adoc
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/README.adoc
@@ -97,7 +97,12 @@ Each protocol directory (e.g., `continuity/planned-session-close/`) should
 contain:
 
 1. CHECKLIST.adoc (e.g., `continuity/planned-session-close/CHECKLIST.adoc`)
-2. PROTOCOL.k9 (e.g., `continuity/planned-session-close/PROTOCOL.k9`)
+2. PROTOCOL.yaml (e.g., `continuity/planned-session-close/PROTOCOL.yaml`) — the
+   machine-readable contract, plain YAML. Deliberately *not* `PROTOCOL.k9`: the
+   `.k9`/`.k9.ncl` suffixes are reserved to K9 contract dialects
+   (link:../../1-formats/k9/spec/K9-CONTRACT-SPEC.adoc[K9-CONTRACT-SPEC.adoc] §4.2,
+   'Extension reservation'), and these files conform to neither K9 SVC nor
+   `k9-coordination`.
 3. STATE-template.a2ml (e.g., `continuity/planned-session-close/STATE-template.a2ml`)
 4. EXAMPLE-FILLED-IN.adoc (e.g., `continuity/planned-session-close/EXAMPLE-FILLED-IN.adoc`)
 5. optional local helper scripts (e.g., `run.sh`, `verify.sh`, `recover.sh`)
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/checkpoint-before-major-change/PROTOCOL.k9 b/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/checkpoint-before-major-change/PROTOCOL.yaml
similarity index 80%
rename from 3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/checkpoint-before-major-change/PROTOCOL.k9
rename to 3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/checkpoint-before-major-change/PROTOCOL.yaml
index 13964f904..d8379a644 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/checkpoint-before-major-change/PROTOCOL.k9
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/checkpoint-before-major-change/PROTOCOL.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell (hyperpolymath)
 # STUB: Session-management machine protocol contract
 protocol:
   family: "continuity"
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/emergency-termination/PROTOCOL.k9 b/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/emergency-termination/PROTOCOL.yaml
similarity index 80%
rename from 3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/emergency-termination/PROTOCOL.k9
rename to 3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/emergency-termination/PROTOCOL.yaml
index df69fb209..f9840331f 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/emergency-termination/PROTOCOL.k9
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/emergency-termination/PROTOCOL.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell (hyperpolymath)
 # STUB: Session-management machine protocol contract
 protocol:
   family: "continuity"
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/planned-session-close/PROTOCOL.k9 b/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/planned-session-close/PROTOCOL.yaml
similarity index 100%
rename from 3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/planned-session-close/PROTOCOL.k9
rename to 3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/planned-session-close/PROTOCOL.yaml
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/recovery-operation/PROTOCOL.k9 b/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/recovery-operation/PROTOCOL.yaml
similarity index 80%
rename from 3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/recovery-operation/PROTOCOL.k9
rename to 3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/recovery-operation/PROTOCOL.yaml
index 5dc1a8020..e74c07c31 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/recovery-operation/PROTOCOL.k9
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/recovery-operation/PROTOCOL.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell (hyperpolymath)
 # STUB: Session-management machine protocol contract
 protocol:
   family: "continuity"
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/repo-intake/PROTOCOL.k9 b/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/repo-intake/PROTOCOL.yaml
similarity index 79%
rename from 3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/repo-intake/PROTOCOL.k9
rename to 3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/repo-intake/PROTOCOL.yaml
index dcb3c5f29..06dd502d3 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/repo-intake/PROTOCOL.k9
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/continuity/repo-intake/PROTOCOL.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell (hyperpolymath)
 # STUB: Session-management machine protocol contract
 protocol:
   family: "continuity"
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/collaborative-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9 b/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/collaborative-transfer/PROTOCOL.yaml
similarity index 80%
rename from 3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/collaborative-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9
rename to 3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/collaborative-transfer/PROTOCOL.yaml
index 8352af26c..9e8fb58d8 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/collaborative-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/collaborative-transfer/PROTOCOL.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell (hyperpolymath)
 # STUB: Session-management machine protocol contract
 protocol:
   family: "handover"
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/full-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9 b/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/full-transfer/PROTOCOL.yaml
similarity index 79%
rename from 3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/full-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9
rename to 3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/full-transfer/PROTOCOL.yaml
index 27a1e8a17..a5a45d2c8 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/full-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/full-transfer/PROTOCOL.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell (hyperpolymath)
 # STUB: Session-management machine protocol contract
 protocol:
   family: "handover"
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/human-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9 b/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/human-transfer/PROTOCOL.yaml
similarity index 79%
rename from 3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/human-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9
rename to 3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/human-transfer/PROTOCOL.yaml
index 8cf4f0cd5..d396236b9 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/human-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/human-transfer/PROTOCOL.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell (hyperpolymath)
 # STUB: Session-management machine protocol contract
 protocol:
   family: "handover"
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/model-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9 b/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/model-transfer/PROTOCOL.yaml
similarity index 79%
rename from 3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/model-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9
rename to 3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/model-transfer/PROTOCOL.yaml
index 5a28d14e4..ebde7e416 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/model-transfer/PROTOCOL.k9
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/handover/model-transfer/PROTOCOL.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell (hyperpolymath)
 # STUB: Session-management machine protocol contract
 protocol:
   family: "handover"
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/maintenance-sweep/PROTOCOL.k9 b/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/maintenance-sweep/PROTOCOL.yaml
similarity index 80%
rename from 3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/maintenance-sweep/PROTOCOL.k9
rename to 3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/maintenance-sweep/PROTOCOL.yaml
index 6e4460d66..d8287288c 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/maintenance-sweep/PROTOCOL.k9
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/maintenance-sweep/PROTOCOL.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell (hyperpolymath)
 # STUB: Session-management machine protocol contract
 protocol:
   family: "verify"
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/release-audit/PROTOCOL.k9 b/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/release-audit/PROTOCOL.yaml
similarity index 79%
rename from 3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/release-audit/PROTOCOL.k9
rename to 3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/release-audit/PROTOCOL.yaml
index 9eb521fc8..9f292f66f 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/release-audit/PROTOCOL.k9
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/release-audit/PROTOCOL.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell (hyperpolymath)
 # STUB: Session-management machine protocol contract
 protocol:
   family: "verify"
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/substantial-completion/CHECKLIST.adoc b/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/substantial-completion/CHECKLIST.adoc
index 8c4909c45..bd335e2c6 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/substantial-completion/CHECKLIST.adoc
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/substantial-completion/CHECKLIST.adoc
@@ -224,8 +224,9 @@ with session management and state capture capabilities.
 
 == Machine Protocol
 
-See link:PROTOCOL.k9[PROTOCOL.k9] for the K9 coordination format that
-implements this checklist in machine-readable form.
+See link:PROTOCOL.yaml[PROTOCOL.yaml] for the machine-readable protocol
+contract that implements this checklist (plain YAML — the `.k9` suffix is
+reserved to K9 contract dialects).
 
 == Session State Template
 
diff --git a/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/substantial-completion/PROTOCOL.k9 b/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/substantial-completion/PROTOCOL.yaml
similarity index 80%
rename from 3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/substantial-completion/PROTOCOL.k9
rename to 3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/substantial-completion/PROTOCOL.yaml
index c1861fae7..b10a878ab 100644
--- a/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/substantial-completion/PROTOCOL.k9
+++ b/3-practice/session-management-standards/verify/substantial-completion/PROTOCOL.yaml
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: MPL-2.0
+# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2026 Jonathan D.A. Jewell (hyperpolymath)
 # STUB: Session-management machine protocol contract
 protocol:
   family: "verify"