From c7989636b7d1694876d5faebdbe65bf94eca273a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Brandon Schneider <ceo@sovereign-stack.local>
Date: Mon, 11 May 2026 15:11:18 -0500
Subject: [PATCH] Document legacy recovery trigger

---
 6-Documentation/docs/AGENTS.md | 30 +++++++++++++
 AGENTS.md                      | 79 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 109 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 AGENTS.md

diff --git a/6-Documentation/docs/AGENTS.md b/6-Documentation/docs/AGENTS.md
index 9f2c6aea..75f77fc2 100644
--- a/6-Documentation/docs/AGENTS.md
+++ b/6-Documentation/docs/AGENTS.md
@@ -21,6 +21,36 @@ If you are asked to implement, fix, or refactor anything, the correct output is
 
 ## 1. What You Must Never Do
 
+### 1.0 Legacy Recovery Requires Explicit Trigger
+
+Archived, quarantined, or cornfielded branches are cold storage. Do not search
+or revive them casually during normal implementation work.
+
+The explicit trigger is:
+
+```text
+RECOVER LEGACY INFORMATION
+```
+
+Accepted aliases:
+
+```text
+Recover Legacy Information
+recover from cornfield
+```
+
+When the user invokes that trigger, recover only the named path, concept,
+commit slice, or receipt. Use read-only inspection first (`git show`, `git log`,
+targeted file reads), then port the requested material onto the current clean
+branch. Never merge a legacy branch wholesale, never reset to it, and never use
+it as a new base unless the user explicitly asks for that branch operation.
+
+Known cornfield ref:
+
+```text
+backup/distilled-with-vcd-history-2026-05-11
+```
+
 ### 1.1 Never Add Dependencies
 Do not add new crates, pip packages, lake packages, or system libraries without explicit human approval. The stack is intentionally minimal. If you think you need a library, you are wrong — write the primitive in Lean.
 
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fa5e0e4a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+# AGENTS.md - Research Stack Operating Contract
+
+This file is the first stop for coding agents working in this repository.
+
+## Ground Rules
+
+- Use `/home/allaun/Documents/Research Stack` as the active checkout unless a task explicitly points elsewhere.
+- Read the nearest nested `AGENTS.md` before editing a subtree.
+- Preserve user work. The working tree is often intentionally dirty; do not revert, delete, or stage unrelated files.
+- Prefer repo-native tools and receipt generators over ad hoc summaries.
+- Treat Lean as the source of truth for formal or hardware-adjacent claims.
+- Keep claims bounded: a receipt proves only the gate it actually checks.
+
+## Core Surfaces
+
+- Lean/Semantics: `0-Core-Formalism/lean/Semantics/`
+- Infrastructure shims and probes: `4-Infrastructure/shim/`
+- Hardware bring-up: `4-Infrastructure/hardware/`
+- Documentation and wiki surfaces: `6-Documentation/`
+- Stack receipts: `shared-data/data/stack_solidification/`
+- Current scoped staging map: `6-Documentation/docs/stack_solidification_staging_manifest_2026-05-09.md`
+
+## Verification Expectations
+
+- For Lean changes, run the narrow target first, then the broader `lake build` when feasible.
+- For Python shims, run `python3 -m py_compile` on touched files.
+- For JSON receipts, run `python3 -m json.tool` or a repo-native receipt parser.
+- For hardware claims, distinguish software witness, bitstream presence, SRAM load, flash persistence, UART beacon, and live hardware receipt.
+
+## Do Not Sweep
+
+Avoid broad cleanup or staging commands such as:
+
+```bash
+git add .
+git add 0-Core-Formalism 4-Infrastructure 6-Documentation shared-data
+git checkout -- .
+git clean -fdx
+```
+
+Use explicit file lists from the relevant staging manifest.
+
+## Legacy Recovery Trigger
+
+The phrase **`RECOVER LEGACY INFORMATION`** is the explicit retrieval trigger
+for archived or quarantined concepts. Treat this as a user-controlled cold
+archive request, not permission to revive an old branch wholesale.
+
+Accepted trigger forms:
+
+```text
+RECOVER LEGACY INFORMATION: <path, commit, concept, or artifact>
+Recover Legacy Information: <path, commit, concept, or artifact>
+recover from cornfield: <path, commit, concept, or artifact>
+```
+
+When this trigger appears:
+
+- Inspect the requested legacy source first with read-only commands such as
+  `git show`, `git log`, or targeted file reads.
+- Recover only the named file, concept, commit slice, or receipt requested.
+- Modernize the recovered material onto the current clean branch before
+  committing it.
+- Never merge, reset to, or base new work on a legacy/cornfield branch unless
+  the user explicitly asks for that exact branch operation.
+- Preserve the legacy branch as retrievable archive state.
+
+Current cornfield ref:
+
+```text
+backup/distilled-with-vcd-history-2026-05-11
+```
+
+## Nested Contracts
+
+- Strict Lean/docs contract: `6-Documentation/docs/AGENTS.md`
+- Lean module-local contract: `0-Core-Formalism/lean/Semantics/AGENTS.md`
+- Infrastructure contract: `4-Infrastructure/AGENTS.md`
+- CAD harness contract: `5-Applications/text-to-cad/AGENTS.md`