chore: run live-sync heartbeat hourly

Operator decision at review: 15 min is aggressive for config churn; hourly
keeps the stale-window acceptable (<=1 h) with a fifth of the wakeups.
Timer unit, tier law, and failure-table wording aligned.

AGENTS.md

@@ -13,26 +13,32 @@ with YAML frontmatter, spec at `omp-docs/references/okf-spec.md`).
   (`dank/command-center` on the Dankclaw instance). There is no staging copy:
   **the checkout is the deployment.** Branch switches swap live config files out
   from under the running agent — keep feature branches short-lived, and never end
-  a work session checked out on anything but `develop` or `main`.
+  a work session checked out on anything but `main`.
 - Contents that belong here: `AGENTS.md`, `omp-docs/` (knowledge base),
   `scripts/` (small system utilities), `agent/` + `plugins/` (harness config and
   plugin manifests). Everything else under this directory is runtime state and is
   gitignored on principle — see `.gitignore`. History must mean "the configuration
   changed", not "the agent breathed".
 
-## Git-flow SDLC (full flow, from day one)
+## Trunk-based SDLC (since 2026-10-18; replaces the old git-flow regime)
 
+- `main` is the only long-lived branch. Frank is the only dev; `develop` and the
+  release-branch ceremony are retired — no `develop`, no back-merges, no
+  `release/X.Y.Z` branches.
+- **Before every work item: fetch and branch off the freshest `origin/main`.**
+  If main moves under you, merge it into your branch (never rebase — Frank
+  dislikes the history rewrite).
 - Work item = Gitea issue on `dank/command-center` (Gitea at 192.168.0.143:3000,
   owner `dank`). Small fixes may go straight to a branch; anything with more than
   one moving part gets an issue first.
 - Branch naming: `<type>/<issue#>-<slug>`, type ∈ feat|fix|docs|chore.
-  Release cuts: `release/X.Y.Z` from `develop`; hotfixes: `hotfix/<slug>` from `main`.
+- **Pull requests target `main` directly.** Merge with `--no-ff` so feature arcs
-- **Merge, never rebase**, when updating a branch against a moved main — Frank
+  stay visible in history. **Never merge a PR without an explicit OK from Frank.**
-  dislikes the history rewrite. **Never merge a PR without an explicit OK from Frank.**
+- **The moment a PR is open, open it in Frank's browser** — `xdg-open <PR-URL>`
-- Merge into `develop` with `--no-ff` so feature arcs stay visible in history.
+  lands a tab in his Firefox; never make him hunt for it in Gitea.
-- Releases: cut `release/X.Y.Z` from `develop`, verify, merge to `main`, tag
+- Releases: tag `vX.Y.Z` straight on `main` after verifying; tags are the deploy
-  `vX.Y.Z`, back-merge `main` into `develop`. Tags are the deploy markers every
+  markers every other machine pulls to. Hotfixes are ordinary branches off the
-  other machine pulls to.
+  tag you are fixing forward from.
 - Trash convention: never `rm` anything user-authored — move it to `.AGENTTRASH/`
   (gitignored). Deletion is a pruning session with Frank present.
 
@@ -56,6 +62,25 @@ commit"). Applied here:
   gate is the point of the hook).
 - Messages: imperative mood, what + why, `Refs #N` when a Gitea issue exists.
 
+### Live-sync tiers (the machine is a committer too — Refs #11)
+
+The checkout is the deployment, so several tracked files are live state
+written continuously through symlinks by the harness, auto-learn, and
+desktop GUIs. "Dirty tree" is judged by the writer:
+
+| Tier | Paths | Commit law |
+|------|-------|------------|
+| Human/agent prose | `AGENTS.md`, `omp-docs/`, `scripts/`, `plugins/`, `agent/skills/` | branch → PR → Frank OK (unchanged) |
+| Machine live | `agent/memories/`, `agent/managed-skills/`, `agent/config.yml`, `agent/models.yml` | `scripts/live-sync.sh` heartbeat |
+| Desktop live | `dotfiles/` | same heartbeat |
+
+The heartbeat (systemd user timer, hourly) stages ONLY allowlisted tiers,
+commits with hooks armed — the secret gate included — merges `origin/main`,
+pushes, and reaps `wt/*` worktrees older than 7 days. Non-allowlist dirt is
+never committed, only surfaced. Conflicts abort and alert (ntfy); it never
+force-pushes, auto-resolves, or uses `--no-verify`. Details:
+[omp-docs/tools/live-sync.md](omp-docs/tools/live-sync.md).
+
 ## Secret gate (HARD rule)
 
 The pre-commit hook (`.githooks/pre-commit`, enabled via

dotfiles/systemd-user/.config/systemd/user/live-sync.service

@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=command-center live-sync heartbeat (commits machine-written paths)
+Documentation=file://%h/.omp/omp-docs/tools/live-sync.md
+
+[Service]
+# One-shot heartbeat: commit allowlisted live paths, merge trunk, push, reap
+# stale wt/* worktrees. Self-healing by design — a failed fetch/merge alerts
+# via ntfy and simply retries on the next tick; nothing to restart.
+Type=oneshot
+Nice=19
+IOSchedulingClass=idle
+ExecStart=%h/.omp/scripts/live-sync.sh

dotfiles/systemd-user/.config/systemd/user/live-sync.timer

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=command-center live-sync heartbeat every hour
+
+[Timer]
+OnBootSec=5min
+OnUnitActiveSec=1h
+RandomizedDelaySec=3min
+Persistent=true
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=timers.target

omp-docs/log.md

@@ -11,6 +11,22 @@ timestamp: 2026-08-28
 
 # Bundle Change Log
 
+## 2026-10-18 — live-sync heartbeat for machine-written paths (Refs #11)
+
+Root-caused the month of silent divergence in the live checkout (~61 auto-learned skills on one disk only, a stranded `unexpectedStopDetection` fix, merge-refusals from dirty trees): the checkout IS the deployment, symlinks make machine writes dirty tracked files by design, and no commit law covered that churn. Added `scripts/live-sync.sh` + systemd user timer — allowlist tiers (memories, managed-skills, live config, dotfiles) auto-commit with hooks armed, merge `origin/main`, push, and reap stale `wt/*` worktrees; everything outside the allowlist is never staged, conflicts abort-and-alert. Black-box suite `tests/live-sync.bats` (9 tests). Tier law in AGENTS.md § Live-sync tiers; reference page `tools/live-sync.md` registered in the tools index.
+
+## 2026-10-18 — Fleet law: filed PRs open in Frank's browser immediately
+
+Both repos' git rules now require it: the moment a PR is opened, `xdg-open <PR-URL>` drops a Firefox tab on the workstation (AGENTS.md § Trunk-based SDLC here; § Git Workflow step 6 in `dank/serverAppConfigs`, riding their PR #6 branch).
+
+## 2026-10-18 — Trunk law: extension route closed unmerged; direct repo alignment instead
+
+Built and live-verified a cwd-scoped `before_agent_start` extension (quote probes: fires under `~/Projects`, silent elsewhere; kept as `.AGENTTRASH/trunk-law.js`). **Operator closed PR #9 unmerged** in favor of editing each repo's own AGENTS.md. Durable finding from the exploration: every context-file provider (AGENTS.md walk-up, `.omp/` dirs, CLAUDE.md) resolves at or below the repo root — a `~/Projects/AGENTS.md` for ancestor scope can never load; user-level `APPEND_SYSTEM.md` broadcasts to *all* sessions. Second finding: **serverAppConfigs never had git-flow** — its AGENTS.md mandated no branch regime at all (direct commit+push); a trunk + PR law is being added there by PR in that repo, not corrected.
+
+## 2026-10-18 — SDLC switched to trunk-based development
+
+`develop` retired by operator decision (single-dev repo; the branch bought nothing and cost a back-merge every release). New law in AGENTS.md § *Trunk-based SDLC*: branch off the freshest `origin/main` before every work item, PRs target `main` directly, `--no-ff` merges, tags `vX.Y.Z` straight on main. No back-merges, no release branches. The last back-merge (`527596a`) lands with this switch; the managed skill `gitflow-back-merge-plumbing` is now historical.
+
 ## 2026-10-18 — Sibling-vault overlap census; system docs realigned to live ground truth
 
 Census of `omp-docs/` against `~/Projects/serverAppConfig/serverAppConfigs-docs/` (subagent + live-ssh verification) found four contradicting pairs; all OURS-side stale pages corrected, THEIRS side flagged only (their repo, their PR flow). Ground truth from read-only probes on both boxes 2026-10-18.

omp-docs/tools/index.md

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ Configuration guides and reference material for installed software. Each tool ha
 
 * [[cachyos|cachyos]] — Arch-based rolling release with performance-optimized kernels, repositories, and gaming stack. Running on the workstation.
 * [comfyui](comfyui/index.md) — Node-based AI image generation engine on dankclaw. FLUX.2 klein 4B, CPU backend, systemd managed.
+* [live-sync](live-sync.md) — Heartbeat daemon committing machine-written paths (memories, managed-skills, live config, dotfiles) in the command-center checkout; systemd user timer, alerts via ntfy.
 * [[applications|applications]] — Default userspace applications on CachyOS with Niri — browsers, editor, terminal, file manager, audio, screenshots, gaming.
 * ](ghostty/index.md) — GPU-accelerated terminal emulator with extensive configuration, keybindings, and shaders.
 * ](gitea/index.md) — Private Git hosting on dankclaw. Quadlet-managed containers: Gitea, PostgreSQL, Caddy.

omp-docs/tools/live-sync.md

@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+---
+type: reference
+title: live-sync heartbeat
+description: Auto-commit daemon for machine-written paths in the command-center checkout — the deployment is live, so symlinks make config churn dirty tracked files continuously.
+tags:
+  - git
+  - automation
+  - systemd
+  - deployment
+  - fleet
+verified: 2026-10-18
+timestamp: 2026-10-18
+---
+
+# live-sync heartbeat
+
+The command-center checkout IS the deployment, and several tracked files are
+live state: the harness writes memories and managed-skills, the operator
+edits `config.yml`/`models.yml` through the `cfg://` surface, and desktop
+GUIs (Noctalia, niri) rewrite dotfiles through symlinks. Before Refs #11 this
+machine churn just piled up unpushed — one disk holding the only copy of ~61
+auto-learned skills, a settings fix stranded locally, and merge-refusals
+because the dirty tree collided with incoming work.
+
+`scripts/live-sync.sh` is the pressure valve: a heartbeat that commits the
+machine's own writes on a schedule. Tier law (which paths it may touch) lives
+in [AGENTS.md](../../AGENTS.md) § Live-sync tiers.
+
+## Contract (black-box)
+
+Run = one pass: flock → branch guard (`main` only) → stage allowlisted dirty
+tiers → commit (hooks armed) → fetch + merge `origin/main` → push → reap
+stale `wt/*` worktrees. Exit `0` = quiet heartbeat (synced/no-op/reaped);
+exit `1` = an alert was raised. Pinned by `tests/live-sync.bats`.
+
+Hard properties:
+
+- **Allowlist only.** Task dirt (`plugins/`, `omp-docs/`, prose) is never
+  staged — merge conflicts with in-flight work become impossible by
+  construction.
+- **Hooks stay armed.** A secret-gate refusal aborts the commit, leaves
+  changes staged for a human, and alerts. Never `--no-verify`, never force.
+- **Never fights the remote.** Merge conflict → `merge --abort`, local
+  commit kept, alert. Retries are automatic next tick.
+- **Branch guard.** On a non-`main` checkout it refuses and alerts — same
+  rule as the doctrine ("never end a session off main").
+- **Polite reaper.** `wt/wt-*` worktrees untouched for 7+ days are removed
+  with their `wt/*` branch; dirty or process-occupied worktrees are skipped.
+
+## Alerts
+
+`notify()` writes stderr always; pushes to ntfy when the topic file
+`~/.config/ntfy/live-sync` (mode 600, topic text only) exists, throttled to
+one push per hour. Test seams: `LIVE_SYNC_REPO`, `LIVE_SYNC_NOTIFY`,
+`LIVE_SYNC_NTFY_TOPIC_FILE`, `LIVE_SYNC_AGE_DAYS`.
+
+## Install
+
+Units ship in `dotfiles/systemd-user/.config/systemd/user/` and propagate
+with the usual dotfiles chain:
+
+```bash
+systemctl --user enable --now live-sync.timer   # after the unit is linked
+systemctl --user start live-sync.service        # one manual heartbeat
+journalctl --user -u live-sync.service -n 20    # observe
+```
+
+## Failure modes
+
+| Event | Result |
+|-------|--------|
+| Harness mid-write | commits a valid snapshot; remainder lands next heartbeat |
+| Gitea down | commit safe locally; push retries next tick (≤1 h stale window) |
+| Feature branch checked out in main checkout | refuses + alerts; protects the never-end-off-main rule |
+| Secret shape in machine-written content | hook blocks, changes stay staged, alert |

scripts/live-sync.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# live-sync.sh — heartbeat committer for machine-written paths in the command
+# center checkout. Refs #11 (see omp-docs/tools/live-sync.md).
+#
+# The checkout IS the deployment; the harness, auto-learn, and desktop GUIs
+# write tracked files continuously through symlinks. This script commits ONLY
+# the allowlisted machine-live + desktop-live tiers (AGENTS.md § Live-sync
+# tiers), merges the trunk, pushes, and reaps stale session worktrees. Task
+# dirt outside the allowlist is NEVER committed — only surfaced.
+#
+# Black-box contract (tests/live-sync.bats pins it):
+#   input   git state of $LIVE_SYNC_REPO
+#   output  exit 0 = quiet heartbeat (synced, no-op, or reaped)
+#           exit 1 = alert raised (branch guard, hook refusal, merge conflict,
+#                    fetch/push failure); alert goes to stderr + notify sink
+# Env overrides (test seams):
+#   LIVE_SYNC_REPO             target repo (default $HOME/.omp)
+#   LIVE_SYNC_NOTIFY           alert command, message on stdin
+#   LIVE_SYNC_NTFY_TOPIC_FILE  ntfy topic file, mode 600 (default
+#                              ~/.config/ntfy/live-sync; absent/empty = no push)
+#   LIVE_SYNC_AGE_DAYS         wt/wt-* reap threshold (default 7)
+set -euo pipefail
+
+REPO="${LIVE_SYNC_REPO:-$HOME/.omp}"
+AGE_DAYS="${LIVE_SYNC_AGE_DAYS:-7}"
+TOPIC_FILE="${LIVE_SYNC_NTFY_TOPIC_FILE:-$HOME/.config/ntfy/live-sync}"
+STATE_DIR="${XDG_RUNTIME_DIR:-/tmp}"
+
+# Allowlist tiers. Human prose (AGENTS.md, omp-docs, scripts, plugins,
+# agent/skills) is deliberately absent: branch -> PR territory, never swept.
+LIVE_PATHS=(
+  agent/memories
+  agent/managed-skills
+  agent/config.yml
+  agent/models.yml
+  dotfiles
+)
+
+notify() {
+  local msg="live-sync: $1" stamp now
+  stamp=$(cat "$STATE_DIR/live-sync.alert" 2>/dev/null || echo 0)
+  now=$(date +%s)
+  if (( now - stamp >= 3600 )); then
+    date +%s > "$STATE_DIR/live-sync.alert"
+    if [[ -n "${LIVE_SYNC_NOTIFY:-}" ]]; then
+      printf '%s' "$msg" | $LIVE_SYNC_NOTIFY || true
+    elif [[ -s "$TOPIC_FILE" ]]; then
+      curl -fsS -m 10 -d "$msg" "https://ntfy.sh/$(<"$TOPIC_FILE")" >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+    fi
+  fi
+  printf '%s\n' "$msg" >&2
+}
+
+cd "$REPO" 2>/dev/null || exit 0
+exec 9>"$STATE_DIR/live-sync.lock"
+flock -n 9 || exit 0                      # another heartbeat owns the repo
+git rev-parse --verify -q HEAD >/dev/null || exit 0
+
+branch=$(git symbolic-ref --quiet --short HEAD || true)
+if [[ "$branch" != main ]]; then
+  notify "on branch '$branch', not main — refusing to sync, nothing changed"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# 1. stage only allowlisted paths that actually hold dirt (pathspecs that
+#    match nothing would make git add fatal, so check per-path)
+for p in "${LIVE_PATHS[@]}"; do
+  if [[ -n $(git status --porcelain -- "$p") ]]; then
+    git add -A -- "$p"
+  fi
+done
+
+if ! git diff --cached --quiet; then
+  # 2. commit WITH hooks armed — the secret gate stays pointed at the diff;
+  #    a refusal here is the system working, never bypassed
+  if ! git commit -q -m "live: heartbeat sync $(date -Is) (Refs #11)"; then
+    notify "commit rejected by hook/secret gate — live changes left STAGED for a human"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+
+  # 3. integrate trunk and publish; never fight the remote
+  if git remote get-url origin >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    if ! git fetch -q origin; then
+      notify "fetch failed — commit is safe locally, will retry next heartbeat"
+      exit 1
+    fi
+    if git rev-parse --verify -q origin/main >/dev/null \
+       && ! git merge -q --no-edit origin/main; then
+      git merge --abort || true
+      notify "merge conflict with origin/main — local commit kept; needs you at the keyboard"
+      exit 1
+    fi
+    if ! git push -q origin main; then
+      notify "push failed — commit is safe locally, will retry next heartbeat"
+      exit 1
+    fi
+  fi
+fi
+
+# 4. reap session worktrees older than AGE_DAYS. Dirty worktrees are left
+#    alone (git refuses), and so are any with a live process cwd inside.
+in_use() {
+  local p
+  for p in /proc/[0-9]*/cwd; do
+    if [[ "$(readlink "$p" 2>/dev/null || true)" == "$1"* ]]; then
+      return 0
+    fi
+  done
+  return 1
+}
+
+git worktree prune
+reap_path="" reap_ref=""
+reap_flush() {
+  if [[ "$reap_path" == "$REPO/wt/wt-"* && -d "$reap_path" ]] \
+     && [[ -z $(find "$reap_path" -mtime "-$AGE_DAYS" -print -quit) ]] \
+     && ! in_use "$reap_path"; then
+    git worktree remove -- "$reap_path" 2>/dev/null && git worktree prune || true
+    if [[ -n "$reap_ref" ]]; then
+      git branch -q -d "${reap_ref#refs/heads/}" 2>/dev/null || true
+    fi
+  fi
+  reap_path="" reap_ref=""
+}
+while IFS= read -r line; do
+  case "$line" in
+    "worktree "*) reap_flush; reap_path="${line#worktree }" ;;
+    "branch "*)  reap_ref="${line#branch }" ;;
+  esac
+done < <(git worktree list --porcelain)
+reap_flush

tests/live-sync.bats

@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bats
+# tests/live-sync.bats — black-box tests for scripts/live-sync.sh (Refs #11)
+#
+# Contract (see script header): the heartbeat commits ONLY allowlisted live
+# paths, merges origin/main, pushes, and reaps stale wt/* worktrees. Nothing
+# is observed except exit status, stderr, the notify-sink log, and git state.
+
+setup() {
+  TEST_TMP="$(mktemp -d)"
+  REPO="$TEST_TMP/repo"
+  export XDG_RUNTIME_DIR="$TEST_TMP/xdg"
+  mkdir -p "$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR"
+  export GIT_CONFIG_GLOBAL="$TEST_TMP/gitconfig" GIT_CONFIG_SYSTEM=/dev/null
+  export GIT_AUTHOR_DATE="2026-10-18T12:00:00+00:00" GIT_COMMITTER_DATE="$GIT_AUTHOR_DATE"
+  export LIVE_SYNC_REPO="$REPO"
+  export LIVE_SYNC_NTFY_TOPIC_FILE="$TEST_TMP/no-topic-file"
+  export LIVE_SYNC_NOTIFY="$TEST_TMP/notify-stub"
+  export LIVE_SYNC_AGE_DAYS=7
+
+  # notify sink: appends each alert line to alerts.log
+  cat > "$LIVE_SYNC_NOTIFY" <<STUB
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+cat >> "$TEST_TMP/alerts.log"
+echo >> "$TEST_TMP/alerts.log"
+STUB
+  chmod +x "$LIVE_SYNC_NOTIFY"
+
+  # bare "origin" + seeded clone with all tiers represented
+  git init -q --bare -b main "$TEST_TMP/origin.git"
+  git clone -q "$TEST_TMP/origin.git" "$REPO"
+  git -C "$REPO" config user.email frank@dank
+  git -C "$REPO" config user.name Frank
+  git -C "$REPO" checkout -q -b main
+  mkdir -p "$REPO/agent/memories" "$REPO/agent/managed-skills/s1" \
+           "$REPO/dotfiles/bash" "$REPO/plugins/bench" "$REPO/scripts"
+  echo base > "$REPO/agent/config.yml"
+  echo base > "$REPO/agent/models.yml"
+  echo base > "$REPO/agent/memories/learned.md"
+  echo base > "$REPO/agent/managed-skills/s1/SKILL.md"
+  echo base > "$REPO/dotfiles/bash/bashrc"
+  echo base > "$REPO/AGENTS.md"
+  echo base > "$REPO/scripts/deploy.sh"
+  echo base > "$REPO/plugins/bench/server.py"
+  git -C "$REPO" add -A
+  git -C "$REPO" commit -q -m seed
+  git -C "$REPO" push -q origin main
+  SEED="$(git -C "$REPO" rev-parse HEAD)"
+}
+
+teardown() { rm -rf "$TEST_TMP"; }
+
+@test "heartbeat commits allowlisted live dirt only; task dirt stays dirty" {
+  echo new > "$REPO/agent/memories/learned.md"
+  mkdir "$REPO/agent/managed-skills/s2"
+  echo new > "$REPO/agent/managed-skills/s2/SKILL.md"
+  echo new > "$REPO/AGENTS.md"
+  echo new > "$REPO/plugins/bench/server.py"
+
+  run "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../scripts/live-sync.sh"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+
+  # exactly one new commit ahead of the seed
+  [ "$(git -C "$REPO" rev-list --count "$SEED"..main)" -eq 1 ]
+  # it touches ONLY live paths (untracked new dirs picked up too)
+  run git -C "$REPO" show --pretty=format: --name-only HEAD
+  printf '%s\n' "${lines[@]}" | grep -v '^$' | sort | diff -q - <(
+    printf '%s\n' agent/managed-skills/s2/SKILL.md agent/memories/learned.md)
+  # task dirt untouched, uncommitted
+  [ -n "$(git -C "$REPO" status --porcelain -- AGENTS.md plugins)" ]
+  # pushed: origin caught up
+  [ "$(git -C "$REPO" rev-parse origin/main)" = "$(git -C "$REPO" rev-parse main)" ]
+}
+
+@test "clean tree is a silent no-op" {
+  run "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../scripts/live-sync.sh"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [ "$(git -C "$REPO" rev-list --count "$SEED"..main)" -eq 0 ]
+  [ ! -e "$TEST_TMP/alerts.log" ]
+}
+
+@test "non-allowlist dirt alone never commits" {
+  echo new > "$REPO/AGENTS.md"
+  echo new > "$REPO/scripts/deploy.sh"
+  run "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../scripts/live-sync.sh"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [ "$(git -C "$REPO" rev-list --count "$SEED"..main)" -eq 0 ]
+  [ -n "$(git -C "$REPO" status --porcelain -- AGENTS.md scripts)" ]
+}
+
+@test "merge conflict aborts, keeps local commit, alerts, leaves remote alone" {
+  # a second clone advances origin/main on the same live file
+  git clone -q -b main "$TEST_TMP/origin.git" "$TEST_TMP/pocket"
+  git -C "$TEST_TMP/pocket" config user.email pocket@dank
+  git -C "$TEST_TMP/pocket" config user.name Pocket
+  echo remote-side > "$TEST_TMP/pocket/agent/models.yml"
+  git -C "$TEST_TMP/pocket" commit -qam "remote advance"
+  git -C "$TEST_TMP/pocket" push -q origin main
+
+  echo local-side > "$REPO/agent/models.yml"
+
+  run "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../scripts/live-sync.sh"
+  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"merge conflict"* ]]
+  [ -s "$TEST_TMP/alerts.log" ]
+  # HEAD is my local commit, merge left no residue, remote untouched
+  [[ "$(git -C "$REPO" log --format=%s -1)" == live:*"heartbeat sync"* ]]
+  [ ! -e "$REPO/.git/MERGE_HEAD" ]
+  [ "$(git -C "$REPO" rev-parse origin/main)" = "$(git -C "$TEST_TMP/pocket" rev-parse main)" ]
+}
+
+@test "branch guard refuses to sync on a feature branch" {
+  git -C "$REPO" checkout -q -b feature/whatever
+  echo new > "$REPO/agent/config.yml"
+
+  run "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../scripts/live-sync.sh"
+  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"not main"* ]]
+  [ "$(git -C "$REPO" rev-list --count "$SEED"..feature/whatever)" -eq 0 ]
+  [ -n "$(git -C "$REPO" status --porcelain -- agent/config.yml)" ]
+}
+
+@test "pre-commit hook refusal is surfaced, not bypassed; changes stay staged" {
+  mkdir "$TEST_TMP/hooks"
+  printf '#!/bin/sh\nexit 1\n' > "$TEST_TMP/hooks/pre-commit"
+  chmod +x "$TEST_TMP/hooks/pre-commit"
+  git -C "$REPO" config core.hooksPath "$TEST_TMP/hooks"
+  echo new > "$REPO/dotfiles/bash/bashrc"
+
+  run "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../scripts/live-sync.sh"
+  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+  [[ "$output" == *"rejected"* ]]
+  [ -n "$(git -C "$REPO" diff --cached --name-only -- dotfiles)" ]
+  [ "$(git -C "$REPO" rev-list --count "$SEED"..main)" -eq 0 ]
+}
+
+@test "repo without origin still commits locally and exits clean" {
+  git -C "$REPO" remote remove origin
+  echo new > "$REPO/dotfiles/bash/bashrc"
+  run "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../scripts/live-sync.sh"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [ "$(git -C "$REPO" rev-list --count "$SEED"..main)" -eq 1 ]
+}
+
+@test "stale wt/* worktree and its branch are reaped; fresh one survives" {
+  git -C "$REPO" worktree add -q wt/wt-old -b wt/old
+  git -C "$REPO" worktree add -q wt/wt-new -b wt/new
+  touch -d "10 days ago" "$REPO/wt/wt-old"
+  find "$REPO/wt/wt-old" -exec touch -d "10 days ago" {} +
+
+  run "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../scripts/live-sync.sh"
+  [ "$status" -eq 0 ]
+  [ ! -d "$REPO/wt/wt-old" ]
+  [ -d "$REPO/wt/wt-new" ]
+  run git -C "$REPO" show-ref --verify refs/heads/wt/old
+  [ "$status" -ne 0 ]
+  git -C "$REPO" show-ref --verify --quiet refs/heads/wt/new
+}
+
+@test "second heartbeat inside the throttle window alerts once, never twice" {
+  # two conflicting heartbeats: alert sink must see exactly one line
+  git clone -q -b main "$TEST_TMP/origin.git" "$TEST_TMP/pocket"
+  git -C "$TEST_TMP/pocket" config user.email pocket@dank
+  git -C "$TEST_TMP/pocket" config user.name Pocket
+  echo remote-side > "$TEST_TMP/pocket/agent/config.yml"
+  git -C "$TEST_TMP/pocket" commit -qam "remote advance"
+  git -C "$TEST_TMP/pocket" push -q origin main
+  echo local-side > "$REPO/agent/config.yml"
+
+  run "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../scripts/live-sync.sh"
+  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+  rm -f "$XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/live-sync.lock"   # flock releases with the process; state stays
+  echo local-side2 > "$REPO/agent/config.yml"
+  run "$BATS_TEST_DIRNAME/../scripts/live-sync.sh"
+  [ "$status" -eq 1 ]
+  [ "$(wc -l < "$TEST_TMP/alerts.log")" -eq 1 ]
+}