This initial adapter runs prepared implementation and independent-verification assignments while the foreman handles other decisions. It retains the normal role, native identity, report, correction, supervision and release contracts. It supplies no unattended Stop continuation, automatic acceptance, release adapter or risk-profile activation. Keep the real execution handle and existing fleet-supervision obligations. The prototype and rollout remain tracked in herdr-policy issues #8–#12 and #18; planning issues grant no runtime authority. This prototype currently requires a source or Tessl policy installation. Native ACR skill/hook conformance does not prove the new progression admission and startup path; its installation-aware policy identity adapter remains open.

Admit one task

Run skills/herdr-foreman/foreman.sh through the selected installation's resolved skill root with explicit Bash. Only the actual bound native foreman or verified remote owner may hand off a registered, open and settled task. Admission refuses pending sends, active enrollments, another service grant and operator holds. It never changes an existing binding, resumes a hold or starts a worker.

progression-admit --state OWNER --record FILE takes an object with task, expected_generation, authorization, service_id, absolute lease_path and absolute contract. Authorization carries source and quote. Read the actual generation from the task owner; an unadmitted legacy task starts at zero. Use a dedicated lease distinct from state files and transaction locks. The result names the new generation; admission alone authorizes no dispatch.

Prepare current inputs

The immutable contract contains schema_version: 1, its exact task and steps. Each step contains schema_version: 1, unique id, argv, after, gate and inputs. argv is one prepared apply invocation with that task, an explicit config, assignment plan, common/role briefs and fresh reports. inputs contains the owner's {path,sha256} receipts for every config, plan, common, role brief and correction-work input. Keep source inputs available for replay. No report or GitHub-history copy belongs in this contract.

after names earlier steps. gate is delivered or assessed; delivery uses the canonical native checkpoint and exact enrolled identity. Assessment also requires the existing enrollment's accepted resolution. A closed enrollment uses its captured ledger prefix, current canonical accepted assessment, report contract and native final source; it does not require the removed pane. Missing, changed or contradictory evidence wakes the foreman. Neither gate supplies acceptance of the task. Supported responsibilities, budgets, refusal predicates and parser contracts live in skills/herdr-foreman/foreman/progression_service.py. Closed dependencies require clear classifier gates. The actual owner apply rechecks these gates under their existing lock and keeps that lock through dispatch. Evidence failures return a bounded refusal naming the failed stage and the required recovery action. The admitted CLI clones the native transport with a supervision-owner boundary. Each invocation checks the live binding and unresumed holds under the same lock used by hold/rebind writers and keeps that lock through transport. Enrollment transactions run outside that short boundary. A hold or rebind that wins the lock prevents transport; an in-progress invocation prevents their commit.

The owner captures verified config/plan/work bytes for apply and checks the frozen brief bytes before worker effects. A mutable replacement cannot change the admitted assignment. This adapter refuses arbitrary commands and release roles; use the existing verified release owner for that boundary.

Run and observe

progression-run --state OWNER --task TASK --generation N --service-id ID claims the existing grant and dedicated kernel lease. --once performs one tick. The native adapter uses the actual inherited Herdr connection; never construct HERDR_ENV, a pane or a session identity from saved records. Remote delivery progression is not enabled by this initial adapter.

The loop sleeps without a model relay, checks dependencies outside the shared transaction lock and writes only a current intent or cursor transition. Unchanged waiting polls write nothing. Results contain wake_agent and a bounded data packet. Waiting stays observational. Exceptions wake the foreman with the task, generation, current intent and refusal; no count or timeout permits self-approval. Current evidence retrieval follows skills/herdr-foreman/references/working-memory.md.

Recover and return

An applied operation lost before cursor commit replays the same owner receipt without another send. Missing, partial or uncertain readback preserves the pending intent and stops progression. A dead process or free lease proves no effect outcome. Reconcile through the existing dispatch/native owners; the initial adapter does not automatically clear an ambiguous service intent.

After the dispatch owners prove every expected member of a pending step not_sent and settle its enrollments, the verified bound foreman may run progression-reconcile --state OWNER --record FILE. The record contains task, actual expected_generation, exact intent and explicit authorization. The service lease must be free. This clears only that pending intent, leaves the cursor unchanged and records one owner reconciliation receipt. It does not dispatch, resume a hold or accept work. Missing, uncertain or partly applied sets remain pending. The same completed reconciliation replays without a write. Associated transport-retry identities also refuse this initial reconciliation adapter. The original no-send row never proves a later attempt had no effect. Pre-reservation refusals without durable dispatch proof remain pending for owner recovery; process exit or a refusal message alone does not clear them.

The bound foreman may record current exception assessments through the normal owners without taking the service's dispatch lease. Returning a task requires settled dispatches/enrollments, no pending service intent and a free lease. progression-return --state OWNER --record FILE takes task, actual expected_generation and explicit authorization; it increments generation and clears service capabilities. Do not edit owner files, reset a cursor, delete a lease, duplicate dispatch or infer a successful outcome to recover.