diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 894216583..5524c18ca 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,30 @@
 
 All notable changes to GBrain will be documented in this file.
 
+## [0.22.10] - 2026-04-30
+
+**`gbrain jobs submit autopilot-cycle --params '{"phases":["lint","backlinks"]}'` now actually runs only those phases.**
+
+If you ever submitted an `autopilot-cycle` job with a `phases:` array hoping to skip embed for a fast cycle, you got the full 6-phase cycle anyway. The handler in `src/commands/jobs.ts` was calling `runCycle(...)` without forwarding `job.data.phases`, so per-cycle phase selection was silently ignored.
+
+This release wires the array through. The handler imports `ALL_PHASES` from `src/core/cycle.ts`, builds a `Set` for O(1) validation, and filters the caller's `phases` array against it before forwarding to `runCycle`. Invalid phase names get dropped (no injection surface — `ALL_PHASES` is the authoritative list). Empty arrays and non-array values fall back to the default (run all phases), preserving the prior behavior for callers who didn't ask for selective phases.
+
+### What this means for you
+
+If you've been using `gbrain jobs submit autopilot-cycle --params '{"phases":[...]}'` for triage cycles (e.g. `["lint","backlinks"]` for a fast structural sweep, skipping the slow embed phase), you'll now see those cycles take seconds instead of minutes. The CLI surface didn't change — only the worker's handler now respects the `phases` it was already accepting.
+
+### Itemized changes
+
+#### Fixed
+
+- `autopilot-cycle` minion handler in `src/commands/jobs.ts` now forwards `job.data.phases` to `runCycle()`. Previously the handler accepted the array via `MinionJobInput.params` but discarded it before dispatch.
+- Phase names validated against `ALL_PHASES` from `src/core/cycle.ts`. Filter is exhaustive: array → filtered, non-array → undefined (default), filtered-to-empty → no `phases` key in opts (also default).
+
+#### Tests
+
+- 4 new test cases in `test/handlers.test.ts` under `autopilot-cycle handler — phase passthrough`: valid phases forwarded, invalid names filtered, empty array falls back to all-phases, non-array `phases` value ignored. Pin both the contract and the fallback semantics.
+- `test/cycle-abort.test.ts` regression-guard window widened from 500 → 2000 chars so the source-level `signal: job.signal` check finds the line after the new validation block was added between `worker.register('autopilot-cycle', ...)` and the `runCycle(...)` call. Pure test fix; the handler still propagates the abort signal correctly.
+
 ## [0.22.9] - 2026-04-29
 
 **Sync failures now tell you why, not just how many.**
diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 736fb0c2b..a17e7cbba 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ strict behavior when unset.
 - `src/core/minions/attachments.ts` — Attachment validation (path traversal, null byte, oversize, base64, duplicate detection)
 - `src/commands/agent.ts` (v0.16) — `gbrain agent run <prompt> [flags]` CLI. Submits `subagent` (or N children + 1 aggregator) under `{allowProtectedSubmit: true}`. Single-entry `--fanout-manifest` short-circuits. Children get `on_child_fail: 'continue'` + `max_stalled: 3`. `--follow` is the default on TTY; streams logs + polls `waitForCompletion` in parallel. Ctrl-C detaches, does not cancel.
 - `src/commands/agent-logs.ts` (v0.16) — `gbrain agent logs <job> [--follow] [--since]`. Merges JSONL heartbeat audit + `subagent_messages` into a chronological timeline. `parseSince` accepts ISO-8601 or relative (`5m`, `1h`, `2d`). Transcript tail renders only for terminal jobs.
-- `src/commands/jobs.ts` — `gbrain jobs` CLI subcommands + `gbrain jobs work` daemon. v0.13.1 surfaces the full `MinionJobInput` retry/backoff/timeout/idempotency surface as first-class CLI flags on `jobs submit`: `--max-stalled`, `--backoff-type fixed|exponential`, `--backoff-delay`, `--backoff-jitter`, `--timeout-ms`, `--idempotency-key`. `jobs smoke --sigkill-rescue` is the opt-in regression guard for #219. v0.16 wires `registerBuiltinHandlers` to always register `subagent` + `subagent_aggregator` (no env flag — `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` is the natural cost gate, trust is via `PROTECTED_JOB_NAMES`) and loads `GBRAIN_PLUGIN_PATH` plugins at worker startup with a loud startup-line per plugin. `shell` handler still gated by `GBRAIN_ALLOW_SHELL_JOBS=1` (RCE surface, separate concern).
+- `src/commands/jobs.ts` — `gbrain jobs` CLI subcommands + `gbrain jobs work` daemon. v0.13.1 surfaces the full `MinionJobInput` retry/backoff/timeout/idempotency surface as first-class CLI flags on `jobs submit`: `--max-stalled`, `--backoff-type fixed|exponential`, `--backoff-delay`, `--backoff-jitter`, `--timeout-ms`, `--idempotency-key`. `jobs smoke --sigkill-rescue` is the opt-in regression guard for #219. v0.16 wires `registerBuiltinHandlers` to always register `subagent` + `subagent_aggregator` (no env flag — `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` is the natural cost gate, trust is via `PROTECTED_JOB_NAMES`) and loads `GBRAIN_PLUGIN_PATH` plugins at worker startup with a loud startup-line per plugin. `shell` handler still gated by `GBRAIN_ALLOW_SHELL_JOBS=1` (RCE surface, separate concern). v0.22.10 (#521): the `autopilot-cycle` handler now forwards `job.data.phases` to `runCycle` (was previously discarded — caller-supplied phase selection silently became a full cycle). Phases are validated against `ALL_PHASES` from `src/core/cycle.ts`; invalid names are filtered out and an empty/missing array falls back to the default 6-phase cycle.
 - `src/commands/features.ts` — `gbrain features --json --auto-fix`: usage scan + feature adoption salesman
 - `src/commands/autopilot.ts` — `gbrain autopilot --install`: self-maintaining brain daemon (sync+extract+embed)
 - `src/mcp/server.ts` — MCP stdio server (generated from operations). v0.22.7: tool-call handler delegates to `dispatchToolCall` from `src/mcp/dispatch.ts` so stdio + HTTP transports share one validation, context-build, and error-format path.
diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 6b9f278d0..0eda0deba 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-0.22.9
+0.22.10
diff --git a/llms-full.txt b/llms-full.txt
index fd54666ff..e524f8c78 100644
--- a/llms-full.txt
+++ b/llms-full.txt
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ strict behavior when unset.
 - `src/core/minions/attachments.ts` — Attachment validation (path traversal, null byte, oversize, base64, duplicate detection)
 - `src/commands/agent.ts` (v0.16) — `gbrain agent run <prompt> [flags]` CLI. Submits `subagent` (or N children + 1 aggregator) under `{allowProtectedSubmit: true}`. Single-entry `--fanout-manifest` short-circuits. Children get `on_child_fail: 'continue'` + `max_stalled: 3`. `--follow` is the default on TTY; streams logs + polls `waitForCompletion` in parallel. Ctrl-C detaches, does not cancel.
 - `src/commands/agent-logs.ts` (v0.16) — `gbrain agent logs <job> [--follow] [--since]`. Merges JSONL heartbeat audit + `subagent_messages` into a chronological timeline. `parseSince` accepts ISO-8601 or relative (`5m`, `1h`, `2d`). Transcript tail renders only for terminal jobs.
-- `src/commands/jobs.ts` — `gbrain jobs` CLI subcommands + `gbrain jobs work` daemon. v0.13.1 surfaces the full `MinionJobInput` retry/backoff/timeout/idempotency surface as first-class CLI flags on `jobs submit`: `--max-stalled`, `--backoff-type fixed|exponential`, `--backoff-delay`, `--backoff-jitter`, `--timeout-ms`, `--idempotency-key`. `jobs smoke --sigkill-rescue` is the opt-in regression guard for #219. v0.16 wires `registerBuiltinHandlers` to always register `subagent` + `subagent_aggregator` (no env flag — `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` is the natural cost gate, trust is via `PROTECTED_JOB_NAMES`) and loads `GBRAIN_PLUGIN_PATH` plugins at worker startup with a loud startup-line per plugin. `shell` handler still gated by `GBRAIN_ALLOW_SHELL_JOBS=1` (RCE surface, separate concern).
+- `src/commands/jobs.ts` — `gbrain jobs` CLI subcommands + `gbrain jobs work` daemon. v0.13.1 surfaces the full `MinionJobInput` retry/backoff/timeout/idempotency surface as first-class CLI flags on `jobs submit`: `--max-stalled`, `--backoff-type fixed|exponential`, `--backoff-delay`, `--backoff-jitter`, `--timeout-ms`, `--idempotency-key`. `jobs smoke --sigkill-rescue` is the opt-in regression guard for #219. v0.16 wires `registerBuiltinHandlers` to always register `subagent` + `subagent_aggregator` (no env flag — `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` is the natural cost gate, trust is via `PROTECTED_JOB_NAMES`) and loads `GBRAIN_PLUGIN_PATH` plugins at worker startup with a loud startup-line per plugin. `shell` handler still gated by `GBRAIN_ALLOW_SHELL_JOBS=1` (RCE surface, separate concern). v0.22.10 (#521): the `autopilot-cycle` handler now forwards `job.data.phases` to `runCycle` (was previously discarded — caller-supplied phase selection silently became a full cycle). Phases are validated against `ALL_PHASES` from `src/core/cycle.ts`; invalid names are filtered out and an empty/missing array falls back to the default 6-phase cycle.
 - `src/commands/features.ts` — `gbrain features --json --auto-fix`: usage scan + feature adoption salesman
 - `src/commands/autopilot.ts` — `gbrain autopilot --install`: self-maintaining brain daemon (sync+extract+embed)
 - `src/mcp/server.ts` — MCP stdio server (generated from operations). v0.22.7: tool-call handler delegates to `dispatchToolCall` from `src/mcp/dispatch.ts` so stdio + HTTP transports share one validation, context-build, and error-format path.
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 71692b75d..bef6bd2c2 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "gbrain",
-  "version": "0.22.9",
+  "version": "0.22.10",
   "description": "Postgres-native personal knowledge brain with hybrid RAG search",
   "type": "module",
   "main": "src/core/index.ts",
diff --git a/src/commands/jobs.ts b/src/commands/jobs.ts
index 7e8d97479..07f3746d2 100644
--- a/src/commands/jobs.ts
+++ b/src/commands/jobs.ts
@@ -948,10 +948,19 @@ export async function registerBuiltinHandlers(worker: MinionWorker, engine: Brai
       ? job.data.repoPath
       : (await engine.getConfig('sync.repo_path')) ?? '.';
 
+    // Allow callers to select phases via job data (e.g. skip embed for
+    // fast cycles). Validates against ALL_PHASES to prevent injection.
+    const { ALL_PHASES } = await import('../core/cycle.ts');
+    const validPhases = new Set(ALL_PHASES);
+    const requestedPhases = Array.isArray(job.data.phases)
+      ? (job.data.phases as string[]).filter(p => validPhases.has(p as any))
+      : undefined;
+
     const report = await runCycle(engine, {
       brainDir: repoPath,
       pull: true, // autopilot daemon opts into git pull
       signal: job.signal, // propagate abort so cycle bails on timeout/cancel
+      ...(requestedPhases && requestedPhases.length > 0 ? { phases: requestedPhases as any } : {}),
       yieldBetweenPhases: async () => {
         // Yield to the event loop so worker lock-renewal can fire.
         await new Promise<void>(r => setImmediate(r));
diff --git a/test/cycle-abort.test.ts b/test/cycle-abort.test.ts
index f58de5ceb..65c7dcbdc 100644
--- a/test/cycle-abort.test.ts
+++ b/test/cycle-abort.test.ts
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ describe('autopilot-cycle handler contract (v0.20.5)', () => {
     // This is a source-level regression guard
     const handlerBlock = jobsSource.slice(
       jobsSource.indexOf("worker.register('autopilot-cycle'"),
-      jobsSource.indexOf("worker.register('autopilot-cycle'") + 500,
+      jobsSource.indexOf("worker.register('autopilot-cycle'") + 2000,
     );
 
     expect(handlerBlock).toContain('signal: job.signal');
diff --git a/test/handlers.test.ts b/test/handlers.test.ts
index cc7eedc59..487e2a3eb 100644
--- a/test/handlers.test.ts
+++ b/test/handlers.test.ts
@@ -120,3 +120,105 @@ describe('autopilot-cycle handler — partial failure does NOT throw', () => {
     }
   }, 30_000);
 });
+
+describe('autopilot-cycle handler — phase passthrough', () => {
+  test('job.data.phases restricts which phases run', async () => {
+    const fs = await import('fs');
+    const { execSync } = await import('child_process');
+    const { tmpdir } = await import('os');
+    const { join } = await import('path');
+    const dir = fs.mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'gbrain-phase-pass-'));
+    try {
+      execSync('git init', { cwd: dir, stdio: 'pipe' });
+      execSync('git config user.email test@example.com', { cwd: dir, stdio: 'pipe' });
+      execSync('git config user.name Test', { cwd: dir, stdio: 'pipe' });
+      execSync('git commit --allow-empty -m init', { cwd: dir, stdio: 'pipe' });
+
+      const handler = (worker as any).handlers.get('autopilot-cycle');
+      // Request only lint and sync — embed should NOT appear
+      const result = await handler({
+        data: { repoPath: dir, phases: ['lint', 'sync'] },
+        signal: { aborted: false } as any,
+        job: { id: 10, name: 'autopilot-cycle' } as any,
+      });
+
+      expect(result).toBeDefined();
+      const report = (result as any).report;
+      expect(report).toBeDefined();
+      const phaseNames = report.phases.map((p: any) => p.phase);
+      expect(phaseNames).toContain('lint');
+      expect(phaseNames).toContain('sync');
+      // Phases NOT requested must be absent
+      expect(phaseNames).not.toContain('embed');
+      expect(phaseNames).not.toContain('extract');
+      expect(phaseNames).not.toContain('backlinks');
+      expect(phaseNames).not.toContain('orphans');
+    } finally {
+      fs.rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  }, 30_000);
+
+  test('invalid phase names in job.data.phases are filtered out', async () => {
+    const fs = await import('fs');
+    const { execSync } = await import('child_process');
+    const { tmpdir } = await import('os');
+    const { join } = await import('path');
+    const dir = fs.mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'gbrain-phase-invalid-'));
+    try {
+      execSync('git init', { cwd: dir, stdio: 'pipe' });
+      execSync('git config user.email test@example.com', { cwd: dir, stdio: 'pipe' });
+      execSync('git config user.name Test', { cwd: dir, stdio: 'pipe' });
+      execSync('git commit --allow-empty -m init', { cwd: dir, stdio: 'pipe' });
+
+      const handler = (worker as any).handlers.get('autopilot-cycle');
+      // Mix valid and bogus names — only 'lint' should survive filtering
+      const result = await handler({
+        data: { repoPath: dir, phases: ['lint', 'BOGUS', 'rm -rf /'] },
+        signal: { aborted: false } as any,
+        job: { id: 11, name: 'autopilot-cycle' } as any,
+      });
+
+      const report = (result as any).report;
+      const phaseNames = report.phases.map((p: any) => p.phase);
+      expect(phaseNames).toContain('lint');
+      expect(phaseNames).not.toContain('BOGUS');
+      expect(phaseNames.length).toBe(1);
+    } finally {
+      fs.rmSync(dir, { recursive: true, force: true });
+    }
+  }, 30_000);
+
+  test('empty phases array falls back to all phases (same as no phases)', async () => {
+    const handler = (worker as any).handlers.get('autopilot-cycle');
+    // Empty array should fall through to ALL_PHASES (same as omitting phases)
+    const result = await handler({
+      data: { repoPath: '/definitely-does-not-exist-for-phase-test', phases: [] },
+      signal: { aborted: false } as any,
+      job: { id: 12, name: 'autopilot-cycle' } as any,
+    });
+
+    const report = (result as any).report;
+    // With all phases, filesystem phases fail on missing dir
+    const phaseNames = report.phases.map((p: any) => p.phase);
+    expect(phaseNames).toContain('lint');
+    expect(phaseNames).toContain('backlinks');
+    expect(phaseNames).toContain('sync');
+  }, 30_000);
+
+  test('non-array phases value is ignored (falls back to all)', async () => {
+    const handler = (worker as any).handlers.get('autopilot-cycle');
+    // String instead of array — should be ignored
+    const result = await handler({
+      data: { repoPath: '/definitely-does-not-exist-for-phase-test', phases: 'lint' },
+      signal: { aborted: false } as any,
+      job: { id: 13, name: 'autopilot-cycle' } as any,
+    });
+
+    const report = (result as any).report;
+    const phaseNames = report.phases.map((p: any) => p.phase);
+    // Should have all phases since the string was ignored
+    expect(phaseNames).toContain('lint');
+    expect(phaseNames).toContain('sync');
+    expect(phaseNames).toContain('embed');
+  }, 30_000);
+});