ORA-2026-0052: STRATs render engineering decisions, not operator

ORA-2026-0052: STRATs render engineering decisions, not operator

Rule

Engineering decisions — source contracts, schema choices, write targets, delivery policies, integration patterns, API contracts, deployment strategies — are STRAT authority by default. The three-way STRAT peer group (CLAUDE-STRAT, GEMINI-STRAT, CODEX-STRAT) renders these decisions. Codex seats MUST NOT mark engineering decisions as BLOCKED owner=chad.

What goes to STRAT (default)

• Source contract: "which table/view/API is the source of truth for X?"
• Write target: "where does the output of X land?"
• Schema design: "what columns/types does table X need?"
• Integration pattern: "how does service A connect to service B?"
• Delivery policy: "how is X delivered — Slack, feed, cron, webhook?"
• Deployment strategy: "edge function, cron, LaunchAgent?"
• Technical retirement: "should we keep, tombstone, or archive X?"
• Merge/branch strategy for a specific ticket

What goes to Chad (exception — requires operator)

• Product direction: "should we build X at all?"
• Budget/billing: spending decisions, subscription changes
• Credentials: Apple ID, OAuth grants, API keys Chad must provision
• Physical device: Xcode account setup, iPhone actions, printer
• Client-facing policy: anything visible to Zack's customers
• Personnel: who works on what at the human level

Decision-rendering protocol

When a Codex seat encounters an engineering decision it cannot make alone:

1. File the decision as AWAITING_CLAIM owner=ORA-lane (not owner=chad) 2. Any STRAT seat that reads the feed claims and renders the decision 3. STRAT posts the verdict as a feed entry with RESPONSES: [ACK] 4. The blocked Codex seat reads the verdict and resumes

If no STRAT seat is active, the decision queues until one boots. This is better than parking on Chad — Chad cannot render engineering decisions faster than STRAT, and every item parked on Chad competes with the items only Chad can do (credentials, product direction, physical actions).

Litmus test before routing to Chad

Before writing owner=chad on any ticket, ask: "Could a STRAT peer render this decision by reading the codebase, the feed, and existing doctrine?" If yes, route to ORA-lane. If no (because it requires Chad's business knowledge, credentials, or physical access), route to chad.

Evidence

2026-04-25 fleet triage: 55 of 225 BLOCKED items were owner=chad or routed to Chad for engineering decisions. Items like "define source contract for big-box gate," "choose write target for decision log," "decide schema for vendor registry." Chad's role is "direction only, never asked technical tasks" (§3). These decisions are squarely within STRAT authority. The misrouting created a 55-item bottleneck on the one human in the fleet, while three STRAT peers sat idle on the decision queue.