Phase B: mechanical plugin sync (structure source-of-truth + coherence check + version discipline)

[crowcreation]

Fast-follow to Phase A (#9). Leaves behind machinery so the plugin cannot silently drift from its own source again, on two axes. Not launch-blocking.

Axis A — plugin ↔ repo (prevent recurrence)

• nexus.structure.json — single machine-readable source of structural truth (failure-log path, session-state dir, universe path, PARA folders, frontmatter fields, command set, optional drift vocabulary). Nothing imports it; it is canonical because the check makes deviation fail. Narrated by a thin STRUCTURE.md.
• scripts/check_plugin_coherence.py — zero-dependency stdlib check (13 assertions) against the verified consumer allowlist: no stale .nexus state paths anywhere, one failure-log path across all consumers, command set matches the JSON + README, drift vocabulary consistent where it appears, the seed log stays category-free; advisory PARA-folder scan on the scaffolders. Exits non-zero with a precise diff.
• Wired as a pre-commit hook (.pre-commit-config.yaml) and a GitHub Action (.github/workflows/coherence.yml).
• /nexus-init and the setup-prompt are documented as two thin emitters of the one structure, kept honest by the check; /field-report stays the human drift backstop.

Axis B — plugin ↔ users (keep installs current)

• CHANGELOG.md (Keep-a-Changelog): 0.6.0 reconciliation + this 0.7.0 entry. CONTRIBUTING.md rule: every command/hook/structure change bumps the version and adds a changelog entry. Version 0.6.0 → 0.7.0.
• Offline staleness surface: session_preflight.py prints the installed plugin version, read from the manifest. No network call.
• docs/updating.md: CLI (/plugin marketplace update + reinstall) vs desktop Customize panel (remove + re-add when greyed); /plugin is CLI-only; nexus: namespacing. Linked from README.
• STRUCTURE.md documents the two-layer trade-off: discipline in the paste layer (never stale on the user), enforcement automation in the plugin (accepted update cost).

Category decision (resolved)

Drift categories are an optional, emergent vocabulary, never imposed on a day-one log. The seed template is now category-free, so /nexus-init and the setup-prompt agree; the seven codes remain only as an opt-in reference in the failure-logging skill, CLAUDE-lite, and /failure. The check asserts the vocabulary is consistent where it appears, not that any log is categorised.

Verification

• Coherence check exits 0 against the reconciled main (this also validated Phase A's completeness).
• Deliberate break (re-point a command's failure-log path to .nexus/) → check fails with a precise file:line diff. Reverted.
• pre-commit and the Action both run the check; both YAMLs parse valid.

Also folded in

• GETTING-STARTED.md + a README pointer — a greenfield terminal onboarding doc that landed in the working tree alongside the Phase B README edits. Additive onboarding, not part of the sync machinery; separate commit (c96b76e). KB-root consistent; check stays green.

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Project	Deployment	Actions	Updated (UTC)
nexus-deploy	Ready	Preview, Comment	Jun 20, 2026 1:40pm