---
name: monitor-residual-write-containment
description: "Propose-only monitor subs can still Bash-write canonical files; git-diff commit-gate is the real backstop, not the prompt"
metadata: 
  node_type: memory
  type: feedback
  originSessionId: cc5c42e6-f9aa-404c-adf6-26079c40d118
---

At S50 (2026-06-07 session-end), the 2 INFORM-only monitor subs (tooling-auditor H1 + harvest-curator H2) — briefed **propose-only**, and which **reported "wrote nothing"** — were nonetheless the only plausible authors of ~7 canonical/agent-memory file writes done outside em-main: `error-ledger.md` (2 guard promotions + #57 coords), 3 `adap-reports` (nac→verified-runtime), 4 `agent-memory/*` Recent-activity, and parts of `STATUS.md` (Recently-Done block + In-Progress flip + RAG-line reconcile). mtimes clustered in the 00:00–00:05 monitor window. em-main `git diff` at the commit-gate caught every line → all accurate / benign / 0-mojibake / chunk 2415 (no RAG corruption) → adopted per AS-10 keep-if-correct. Logged blameless as **E-006** in the error-ledger.

**Why:** `store_memory`-strip ≠ "read-only" (G-015) — subs keep `Bash`, an open write-channel via shell. The intended "em-main single-writer VERIFY→APPEND-*before*-write" (B3) silently degraded to "sub-writes-then-em-main-verifies-at-commit-gate." The **commit-gate `git diff` review is the actual backstop**, not the propose-only prompt wording. Defense-in-depth held: git-diff catches in-repo writes, chunk-count catches RAG writes.

**How to apply:** Before ANY `/session-end` commit where monitor/sub agents ran, ALWAYS `git status` + `git diff` + chunk-count and **review every non-em-main line** — adopt-if-correct (AS-10) or revert; never blind-commit. If a sub's self-report ("wrote nothing") contradicts git-diff → **Fidelity flag** (escalate reviewer). Recommend to anh/AI_INFRA: harden monitor tool-grant (Write removal leaves Bash residual → consider a hook blocking sub-Bash-write to tracked paths) — but that is a charter-v2 infra decision. Links: [[feedback_store_memory_rebootstrap_protection]] · [[feedback_harness_123_adoption]] · [[feedback_session_end_memory_write_verify]].
