ORA-2026-0117 - HUD Legibility Is Operator Throughput

ORA-2026-0117 - HUD Legibility Is Operator Throughput

Rule

Every fleet-visible output MUST be written for Chad's scanner before it is written for archival completeness. Terminal panes, status lines, feed subjects, progress updates, Wake prompts, and DONE blocks are part of the operator HUD. They are not cosmetic wrappers around the work. If Chad cannot identify seat, lane, ticket, state, and user-value direction in one glance, the output is under-structured.

The scanner contract is:

seat/lane -> ticket/state -> value/proof -> detail

Archival detail still matters, but it follows the scan fields. A perfect proof buried under a weak subject line has already cost operator throughput.

Required Shape

Fleet-visible output leads with these fields when the surface allows it:

1. Seat or lane anchor: who is acting, or which lane owns the artifact. 2. Ticket and state: the durable work identity plus CLAIMED, IN_PROGRESS, BLOCKED, DONE, AMENDED, or HANDED_OFF. 3. Value headline: the real surface or user that changes, stated before implementation detail. 4. Proof pointer: commit, file, query, screenshot, deploy URL, or explicit pending. 5. Detail: only after the scanner can route the pane mentally.

For feed subjects, the preferred shape is:

<ITEM> <STATE> - <value/proof headline>

Examples:

• CMB-393536 DONE - business-intent Overhead leak corrected
• CMB-392490 IN_PROGRESS - Codex HUD first pass shipped
• HWD-0810 BLOCKED - ADP packet missing primary-source PDF

Avoid subjects that start with mechanism, emotion, or process texture. "Investigating helper weirdness" is not HUD-legible. "ORB-0206 IN_PROGRESS - ghost oauth cleanup loop isolated" is HUD-legible.

Status Line Contract

Provider terminal status lines should put routing context before model metadata whenever the platform allows it:

lane/worktree | context remaining | model/tool

Why this order:

• lane/worktree first tells Chad which repo or lane the pane belongs to.
• context remaining second tells Chad whether the session is still viable or about to compact.
• model/tool last helps debugging but rarely decides the next operator move.

If a platform cannot expose lane or ticket directly, use the closest stable proxy: current directory, branch, terminal title, or prompt prefix. Do not invent unsupported tokens in config files; improve the supported surface and file a follow-on for deeper integration.

Wake Prompt Obligation

Wake prompts for active session archetypes must carry one explicit HUD sentence:

Chad reads your pane as a fleet HUD. Lead visible subjects and progress lines with ticket, state, lane/value, and proof before explanation.

This belongs in Wake prompts because the habit has to enter before the first feed post. Retrofitting the shape at DONE is too late; the operator scan has already been degraded for the whole session.

Relationship To Existing Doctrine

ORA-2026-0044 says names carry contracts. A feed subject is a name for the work event; if it does not teach what the event is, the name failed.

ORA-2026-0053 says user-value closure is required. HUD legibility is the display discipline that makes user-value closure visible during the work, not only at the end.

ORA-2026-0062 says world-model fidelity is the tacit contract. The fleet HUD is a read surface over the operational world model. If its status encoding is vague, Chad's map of the fleet is less faithful.

ORA-2026-0086 puts clarity beside control and competence. HUD legibility is clarity at the operator boundary.

Enforcement

Before posting an ACTIONABLE feed event, run this quick check:

1. Can Chad route the pane from the first visible line? 2. Does the subject start with item and state? 3. Is user/surface/value visible before implementation detail? 4. Is proof named or explicitly pending?

If any answer is no, rewrite the first visible line before posting.

For code/config changes to terminal HUDs, prefer low-risk supported tokens first. A working supported status line that improves scan order beats a speculative custom renderer that breaks one provider during fleet operation.

CMB-392490 First Pass

The first implementation pass deliberately changes the smallest durable surface:

• Codex BUILDER and READER templates put current-dir before context and model metadata.
• Active Wake prompts for BUILDER and READER gain the HUD scanner sentence.
• The memory layer gains feedback_hud_legibility_as_operator_throughput.md.
• docs/proposals/CMB-392490/README.md records the remaining platform and desktop-layout work.

The parent objective remains open until iMac parity, Claude/Gemini statusline decisions, and Chad's eyeball confirmation close the terminal metric.

Cross-Stamps

• 2026-05-03 - HWD-0926: Heartwood lane boot files (AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md) now require Heartwood reports to lead with lane, state, user/surface value, and proof before implementation detail.