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+# Backlog Wave Orchestrator: Cloud Task Integration Protocol
+
+## Purpose
+This protocol defines how parallel cloud-task branches are integrated into `feat/backlog-batch-1` in controlled merge waves.
+
+## Branch roles
+- **Target integration branch:** `feat/backlog-batch-1`
+- **Wave coordinator branch (this docs branch):** `agent/orchestrator-docs`
+- **Contributor branches:** task branches opened by cloud agents (infra/backend/frontend)
+
+## Merge wave order (required)
+Use this fixed order to minimize cross-domain conflicts and keep root-cause analysis simple:
+
+1. **Wave 1: Low-risk infrastructure changes first**
+   - Examples: CI tweaks, tooling updates, non-functional config/docs.
+   - Exclude backend behavior and UI-visible logic.
+2. **Wave 2: Backend changes second**
+   - API handlers, services, DB migrations, auth/business logic.
+3. **Wave 3: Frontend changes last**
+   - UI components, routes, state wiring, API consumption.
+
+Do not start the next wave until the current wave passes all required verification commands.
+
+## Conflict policy
+When conflicts occur while merging a wave branch into `feat/backlog-batch-1`:
+
+1. Stop and classify conflict type:
+   - **Ownership conflict:** two branches changed same lines in same area.
+   - **Contract conflict:** backend and frontend assumptions differ.
+   - **Behavior conflict:** tests pass locally but behavior deviates.
+2. Resolution priority:
+   1. Preserve previously merged wave guarantees.
+   2. Preserve explicit acceptance criteria from backlog task.
+   3. Prefer smaller, reversible changes over broad rewrites.
+3. Escalation rule:
+   - If resolution requires changing behavior outside wave scope, pause merge and open a follow-up task branch.
+4. Documentation rule:
+   - Record the conflict and decision in the merge checklist before continuing.
+
+## Rebase policy
+Before merging any branch in a wave:
+
+1. Rebase candidate branch onto latest `feat/backlog-batch-1`.
+2. Resolve conflicts on the candidate branch (not directly on target).
+3. Re-run the required verification commands.
+4. Force-push only the candidate branch when needed (`--force-with-lease`).
+5. Merge only after green checks.
+
+If a branch cannot be cleanly rebased within 30 minutes, defer it to a follow-up wave.
+
+## Required verification gate before each merge wave
+Run these commands from repo root before wave start and after each merged PR in that wave:
+
+```bash
+git fetch --all --prune
+git checkout feat/backlog-batch-1
+git pull --ff-only
+```
+
+Then run the checklist commands from `docs/dev/merge-checklist.md` and require all pass criteria to be met.
+
+## Operating cadence
+- Merge one PR at a time within a wave.
+- After each PR merge, rerun verification gate.
+- If a gate fails, freeze wave, revert or patch forward, and resume only after all checks pass.
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+# Merge Checklist for `feat/backlog-batch-1`
+
+Use this checklist for every merge wave (infra → backend → frontend).
+
+## 1) Pre-wave sync (required)
+
+```bash
+git fetch --all --prune
+git checkout feat/backlog-batch-1
+git pull --ff-only
+```
+
+**Pass criteria**
+- Local branch is up to date with remote.
+- Working tree is clean (`git status` shows no pending changes).
+
+**Fail criteria**
+- Pull/rebase conflicts.
+- Dirty working tree or detached HEAD.
+
+## 2) Candidate branch rebase (required per PR)
+
+```bash
+git checkout <candidate-branch>
+git rebase origin/feat/backlog-batch-1
+```
+
+**Pass criteria**
+- Rebase completes with no unresolved conflicts.
+- Branch pushed successfully if history changed (`git push --force-with-lease`).
+
+**Fail criteria**
+- Unresolved conflicts remain.
+- Rebase exceeds timebox (30 minutes) without safe resolution.
+
+## 3) Verification commands (required before merge and after each merged PR)
+
+```bash
+# Repository integrity
+git status --short --branch
+
+# Backend smoke checks (if backend touched)
+python -m py_compile $(rg --files server_api server_pytc | rg '\\.py$')
+
+# Frontend lint/build smoke checks (if frontend touched)
+cd client && npm run -s lint && npm run -s build && cd -
+```
+
+**Pass criteria**
+- `git status` shows expected branch and clean tree.
+- Python compile check exits 0.
+- Frontend lint and build exit 0 when frontend scope is part of wave.
+
+**Fail criteria**
+- Any command exits non-zero.
+- New warnings/errors indicate regression risk.
+
+## 4) Merge execution (one PR at a time)
+
+```bash
+git checkout feat/backlog-batch-1
+git merge --no-ff <candidate-branch>
+```
+
+**Pass criteria**
+- Merge commit created without unresolved conflicts.
+- Post-merge verification commands all pass.
+
+**Fail criteria**
+- Merge conflicts unresolved.
+- Post-merge checks fail.
+
+## 5) Conflict log (required when applicable)
+For each conflict, record:
+- PR/branch name
+- Files affected
+- Conflict type (ownership/contract/behavior)
+- Resolution chosen
+- Follow-up action (if deferred)
+
+## 6) Wave completion gate
+Wave is complete only when:
+- All PRs assigned to wave are merged or explicitly deferred.
+- Verification commands pass after final merge.
+- Conflict log is updated for any incidents.