[zy95-12]

Written-by: Codex

Fixes #2560. Target: delivery/ai-centric-development-service.

Chief no longer needs to echo workspace, generation and SHA fields to start another delivery. A {taskId,action:"start-next",reason} decision references that invocation's observed ready continuation facts when next/implementation are unique. Ambiguous roles require an explicit logical target; an optional continuationRef pins the observed scope. Full explicit continuations remain supported and incorrect supplied fields are refused, not repaired. route/return retain their explicit-target contract.

The host re-reads the existing continuation-state endpoint, compares it with the saved snapshot and revalidates actor, catalog and Task scope before the original scheduler request. Changed facts use the existing structured stale-snapshot correction; no silent latest-base selection. Settlement, provider ancestry, execution exit, quotas and original replay/receipt checks remain intact. No planner, reference registry, prepare store, timer, new executor or automatic human escalation.

Audit records the actual validated execution binding separately from unchanged model intent. Existing chief.state exposes matching Project/Run/Task bindings under runs[].appliedDecisions[].continuationBinding, with only execution fields. External task.run remains explicit; existing read queries are reused. Actual Chief prompt, shared legal-choice hints, compact memory, subsystem docs, API/OpenAPI, decision, changelog and canonical mirrors are updated; mandatory context cap/source list unchanged.

Validation:

• Fresh 80cf579 base: two real Git/Runtime Chief loops fail on omitted target/continuation; patched native Chief loops pass all four forms (legacy explicit, implicit snapshot, targeted snapshot, explicit scope reference).
• Chief/permission/ambiguity/replay/audit tests cover custom implementation roles, multiple/no roles, multiple modes, unavailable/foreign facts, invalid explicit fields/ref/target/mode, provider/workspace/local/catalog/rights changes, duplicate callbacks, raw-intent stability, queued admission and scoped detached audit visibility.
• Final head 248bf92: full root verify 5197 passed / 0 failed / 0 skipped, including 8 actual DSH runtime checks; final affected coverage suite 269/0, Chief/budget 94/0, API 10/0. Four real Git/Runtime Chief forms pass. Earlier broader suites 309/0 are retained as prior evidence, not mislabeled final-head results.
• Final measured whole-module coverage: Chief 97.08% lines / 86.24% branches / 82.46% functions; protocol 100% / 90.77% / 100%. All new executable lines are exercised. This is not a 100% added-branch claim: unexercised defensive paths include the post-validation impossible missing/invalid binding guard (control:265), normalized-role policyRole fallback (190), absent audit/scope/catalog defaults (91,218,224), and inherited schedule/view fallbacks (88–97). Strict parser/binder and current catalog normalize normal inputs; missing/corrupt legacy state fallbacks retain residual risk. No exclusions or weakened assertions; existing read-only view and explicit-route regressions cover the surrounding behavior.
• Exact-head GitHub Test run 42148483272: Node24 job and tests-ok success; package/plugin jobs skipped by workflow policy, not claimed as passes. Basic delivery-branch CI only; no independent signed Reviewer/Verifier assertion.
• Pairing self-review covered correctness, security and conventions; no independent signed Verifier PASS claimed. Final source 248bf92f3fd1011e22c8a9ff47889aab0dc09ba7.

Not run: live OpenToday deployment/restart/state/binding or credential edits, external provider writes, paid inference or a real vendor SDK/model on the new shorthand path. Deterministic Git/Runtime/SDK-protocol fixtures are not onsite acceptance. Mandatory-context slimming and stale-snapshot@dispatch/inbox races remain separate work.