v2.4.3

PATCH release. Closes two architectural holes that the v2.4.2
ontology-mapping audit surfaced as the root cause of "AI auto-creates
deliverables the user didn't ask for":

1. The synthesis pipeline was hardcoded to synthesis_paper.
   get_next_protocol() in tools/actions/protocol.py ran a fixed
   9-step PIPELINE ending at synthesis_paper regardless of the
   researcher's declared research_goal.output_types. A project whose
   wizard answer was output_types: [dashboard] still saw "next is
   synthesis_paper" from the loader. Fixed: pipeline is now the
   universal analysis prefix + a synthesis tail filtered by declared
   output_types. Empty output_types falls back to synthesis_paper
   (legacy behaviour preserved).
2. next_protocol chains auto-fired in every autonomy mode. Six
   protocols silently chained: analysis_plan → reproducibility
   (every analysis step triggered an audit), audit_and_validation → synthesis_paper (every audit triggered a paper draft),
   reproducibility → audit_and_validation,
   cox_ph_diagnostics → audit, missing_data_strategy → audit,
   qualitative_quality_audit → audit. Fixed: each chain now carries
   an explicit AUTONOMY GATE annotation telling the AI to suggest
   (not auto-chain) in manual / supervised / coaching modes.
   Single-step requests stop at the requested step.

Three parallel Explore-agent audits drove the fix. Reports captured
in chat transcripts (not checked in).

Added

• output_types_gate(root, kind, *, autonomy=None) in
  tools/actions/synthesis/check.py. Returns
  {verdict: 'proceed'|'ask'|'skip', declared_outputs, message, kind}.
  • proceed when output_types is empty (no preference declared) OR
    kind is in the declared set.
  • ask when output_types is non-empty and kind is NOT in the
    set; the returned message is a one-line prompt the AI lifts
    verbatim to the researcher.
  • skip reserved for future use (researcher explicitly opted out).
  • Normalises aliases (lay-summary → lay_summary,
    Lay Summary → lay_summary) and ignores the exploratory
    sentinel (which marks "no deliverable yet").
• tool_synthesis_scaffold(kind, confirmed=false) — new
  confirmed kwarg. When the output_types gate returns ask and the
  caller has not passed confirmed=true (or the existing
  overwrite=true), the scaffold returns status='ask' instead of
  writing. The AI is expected to surface the message to the researcher
  and only re-call with confirmed=true after they say yes. Prevents
  the failure mode where the AI auto-creates a paper / dashboard /
  poster the user never asked for.
• SYNTHESIS_OUTPUT_TYPE_MAP in
  tools/actions/protocol.py — single source of truth mapping each
  output_types keyword (paper, dashboard, poster, slides,
  report, lay_summary, grant, abstract, essay, handout) to
  its synthesis protocol + "done" predicate. New synthesis protocols
  must register here to participate in pipeline filtering.

Changed

• get_next_protocol(root) consults
  inputs/researcher_config.yaml#research_goal.output_types. The
  analysis prefix (session_boot → project_startup → domain →
  methodology → literature → analysis_plan → reproducibility →
  audit_and_validation) is unchanged. The synthesis tail is now
  dynamic — for output_types: [dashboard, lay_summary], the
  pipeline terminates at synthesis/synthesis_lay_summary (in
  declared order), NOT synthesis/synthesis_paper. Empty list →
  fallback to synthesis_paper (no regression for unfilled projects).
  Response envelope gains declared_output_types field.
• tool_synthesis_check envelope gains an intent_gate field. If
  the kind being audited isn't in declared output_types, the gate's
  one-line message also appears in warnings.
• synthesis_paper (v2.3.0 → 2.4.3) — adds an explicit
  verify_intent first step that reads output_types and stops the
  AI if paper isn't declared. Closes the auto-create-paper failure.
• synthesis_dashboard (2.4.2 → 2.4.3) — same verify_intent
  first step for dashboard. Reinforces the existing trigger gate.
• synthesis_slides (2.3.0 → 2.4.3) — slides prerequisite added.
• synthesis_lay_summary (2.4.2 → 2.4.3) — lay_summary
  prerequisite added.
• printable (2.3.0 → 2.4.3) — poster / handout prerequisite
  added.
• Autonomy-gate annotations added to the six high-risk
  next_protocol chains (guidance/analysis_plan →
  reproducibility/reproducibility; audit/audit_and_validation →
  synthesis/synthesis_paper; reproducibility/reproducibility →
  audit/audit_and_validation; the three methodology/* audits →
  audit/audit_and_validation;
  visualization/interactive_dashboard_design →
  synthesis/synthesis_dashboard). Each carries a comment block
  telling the AI to surface "Next: ..." as a SUGGESTION in
  manual / supervised / coaching modes; only autopilot
  auto-chains, and autopilot further gates synthesis chains on
  output_types membership.

Test cleanup

• Renamed tests/unit/test_v242_synthesis_dashboard_lints.py
  → tests/unit/test_synthesis_check.py. Per-release test naming
  (test_v<version>_<feature>.py) is now retired as a convention;
  new tests for this surface land in the topic-named file.
• +13 regression tests in the renamed file covering:
  output_types_gate proceed / ask / empty / alias-normalisation /
  exploratory-sentinel; synthesis_scaffold returns ask / honours
  confirmed=true / proceeds for declared kinds; pipeline tail
  respects dashboard-only / paper+lay_summary / empty-fallback;
  synthesis_check envelope includes the intent_gate field.

Test gate

• preflight 29/29 · pytest 1643/1643 (+13 new in
  test_synthesis_check.py) · ruff clean.

Not behaviour change for existing projects

• Projects with output_types: [] (or no researcher_config.yaml)
  see the legacy fallback: synthesis_paper terminal, no ask
  envelopes. This is the on-disk default for every project initialised
  before v2.4.3 and for every fresh research-os init until the
  researcher fills in output_types. Recommendation: update the
  wizard answer once to make the intent explicit.
• The AUTONOMY GATE annotations are guidance to the AI, not
  loader-enforced refusals (which would be MINOR-shaped). An AI client
  that ignores them will still see the same next_protocol values it
  did in v2.4.2; correct AI behaviour is now spelled out in the
  protocol text + the new gate helper.

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