Core Operating Path Friction Test

Goal

Validate whether docs/core-operating-path.md is sufficient for a reader to reconstruct and operate one AletheIA Work Slice with minimal repository reading.

Test boundary

The test intentionally started from the minimum path requested for P0.5:

docs/getting-started.md
docs/core-operating-path.md

The anchor slice was Issue #100 — Hermes Agent + Agentic Stack controlled sandbox readiness.

Documents opened

Minimum path

docs/getting-started.md
docs/core-operating-path.md

Additional repository document required

docs/aletheia/closeouts/2026-04-25-hermes-agentic-stack-sandbox-readiness.md

Justification: docs/core-operating-path.md is sufficient to reconstruct the operating shape of the slice, but the closeout is the single evidence artifact needed to verify exact Issue #100 details such as command checks, harness absence, upstream references, blocked contract test, and final no-go wording.

Additional repository document count: 1.

Supporting GitHub artifacts checked outside the repo-document count

Issue #100 comments
PR #118 metadata and diff summary

These were used to confirm the task history and P0 context, not as additional repository documents required by a first reader.

Reconstruction result

Path step	Reconstructed from minimum path?	Notes
Signal / intent	Yes	The core path gives the exact anchor intent: determine controlled Hermes + Agentic Stack sandbox readiness without treating Codex simulation as Hermes telemetry.
Work Slice	Yes	Goal, scope, out of scope, risk posture, expected evidence, and stop line are present.
Minimum context	Partially	The core path lists Issue `#100`, Hermes policy/pre-pilot artifacts, upstream repos, local command checks, and clean worktree harness check. Exact evidence still requires the closeout.
Decision	Yes	The decision path and outcome are explicit: controlled no-go for real Hermes runtime execution; next boundary is a separate sandbox-install diagnostics slice if approved.
Execution	Yes	The guide states what happened and what did not happen: checks and documentation only, no install, no productive Hermes task, no memory/skill promotion, no automation.
Validation	Partially	The validation categories are present, but the closeout is needed to verify exact evidence and blocked local contract-test state.
Closeout / restart	Partially	The operating conclusion is present; the closeout is needed as the restart/evidence artifact.

Friction points

docs/getting-started.md does not currently point directly to docs/core-operating-path.md as the next step for a reader who wants to run one Work Slice.
- Impact: the README has the fastest understanding path, but a reader who starts inside getting-started.md can miss the new operating path.
- Actionable follow-up: add docs/core-operating-path.md to the suggested next steps in docs/getting-started.md.
docs/core-operating-path.md compresses the anchor slice well, but it does not clearly label the closeout as the one acceptable extra evidence artifact for the friction test.
- Impact: a reader may over-open Hermes policy, readiness gates, restart docs, or templates to verify the anchor slice, even though the closeout is enough.
- Actionable follow-up: add one sentence near the anchor slice or friction-test section: for exact reconstruction, the closeout is the only expected extra repository document.
The Suggested next reading section in docs/core-operating-path.md lists multiple documents immediately after the friction-test section.
- Impact: for first-use validation, this can blur the difference between required path and optional deeper reading.
- Actionable follow-up: split the section into Optional deeper reading or explicitly state that these are not required to run the first Work Slice.

Verdict

The success criterion is met with a caveat.

Issue #100 can be reconstructed with one additional repository document: the completed closeout. The operating path is sufficient for the slice shape and decision path, but the navigation and optional-reading labels should be tightened so the minimum path remains obvious.

Recommendation for next issue

Recommended next issue: small correction to core-operating-path.md, paired with a tiny navigation update in docs/getting-started.md if allowed in the same documentation-validation slice.

Do not create slice-record-template.md yet. The friction found does not prove a missing template; it proves that the existing compressed guide needs clearer evidence/navigation boundaries.

Do not create kanban-decision-protocol.md yet. The friction was not about board state or Kanban decision semantics; it was about first-reader navigation and evidence scope.

Validation

Repository documents required beyond the minimum path: 1.
Required extra document explicitly justified: yes.
Gaps recorded as actionable follow-ups: yes.
Next issue recommendation explicit: yes.