When the legacy per-topic TELOS files are archived per the 2026-05-01 migration, TELOS.md becomes authoritative — and the shipped sample text ("(sample) The one-sentence reason you do what you do") parses cleanly into PRINCIPAL_TELOS.md, which is @-imported into every session. Sandbox-confirmed on v7.x: sample missions rendered as the principal's real missions.
Two related defects in the same path:
readTelosFile() checks the legacy per-topic path first and returns immediately — while those files exist, TELOS.md is never read at all, yet the output stamps derived_from: TELOS.md.
- Consolidation is lossy.
parseGoals() buckets on ## Active/## Deferred/## Completed H2 headings, but loadTelosSections() also splits TELOS.md on H2, so the buckets can't survive nesting under a ## Goals section. Sandbox: deferred and completed goals vanished entirely.
Suggested fix: refuse to parse entries containing the (sample) marker; extend the existing zero-item guard (~line 525) to also trip on sample-only content; document that per-topic files win while present.
When the legacy per-topic TELOS files are archived per the 2026-05-01 migration,
TELOS.mdbecomes authoritative — and the shipped sample text ("(sample) The one-sentence reason you do what you do") parses cleanly intoPRINCIPAL_TELOS.md, which is@-imported into every session. Sandbox-confirmed on v7.x: sample missions rendered as the principal's real missions.Two related defects in the same path:
readTelosFile()checks the legacy per-topic path first and returns immediately — while those files exist,TELOS.mdis never read at all, yet the output stampsderived_from: TELOS.md.parseGoals()buckets on## Active/## Deferred/## CompletedH2 headings, butloadTelosSections()also splitsTELOS.mdon H2, so the buckets can't survive nesting under a## Goalssection. Sandbox: deferred and completed goals vanished entirely.Suggested fix: refuse to parse entries containing the
(sample)marker; extend the existing zero-item guard (~line 525) to also trip on sample-only content; document that per-topic files win while present.