fix(autopilot): add --target to value-flag set so install targets survive positional translation

Review finding on #3103: --target is installDaemon's value flag
(macos | linux-systemd | ephemeral-container | linux-cron). The
translator only knew --repo/--interval, so `gbrain autopilot
--install --target linux-cron` misread the target value as an
unknown positional subcommand and exited 2 before installDaemon ran.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

src/cli.ts

@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import type { GBrainConfig } from './core/config.ts';
 import type { AIGatewayConfig } from './core/ai/types.ts';
 import type { BrainEngine } from './core/engine.ts';
 import { operations, OperationError } from './core/operations.ts';
-import { resolveSourceIdEngineFree } from './core/source-resolver.ts';
 import { formatVolunteeredPage } from './core/context/volunteer.ts';
 import type { Operation, OperationContext } from './core/operations.ts';
 import { shouldForceExitAfterMain, finishCliTeardown, flushThenExit, currentExitCode, setCliExitVerdict } from './core/cli-force-exit.ts';
@@ -383,15 +382,6 @@ async function main() {
     if (op.localOnly) {
       refuseThinClient(command, cfgPre!.remote_mcp!.mcp_url);
     }
-    // #2098: the local path resolves --source / GBRAIN_SOURCE / .gbrain-source
-    // inside makeContext (ctx.sourceId), which this route never reaches — so
-    // scope must be mapped onto the op's source_id wire param before the call.
-    try {
-      applyThinClientSourceScope(op, params);
-    } catch (e: unknown) {
-      console.error(e instanceof Error ? e.message : String(e));
-      process.exit(1);
-    }
     await runThinClientRouted(op, params, cfgPre!, cliOpts);
     return;
   }
@@ -812,60 +802,6 @@ export function parseOpArgs(op: Operation, args: string[]): Record<string, unkno
   return params;
 }
 
-/**
- * #2098: thin-client source scoping. Locally, --source / GBRAIN_SOURCE /
- * .gbrain-source resolve to ctx.sourceId in makeContext; the thin-client
- * route short-circuits before that, so `gbrain query --source X` against a
- * remote brain silently searched unscoped. This runs the engine-free tiers
- * (flag → env → dotfile; the DB-backed tiers can't run without an engine —
- * the server's grant scoping covers the rest) and maps the result onto the
- * op's `source_id` wire param.
- *
- * Ops that declare their OWN `source` param (facts add, etc.) are left
- * untouched — their --source is an op param, not scope. An explicit --source
- * on an op with no source_id wire param throws (loud beats silent drop);
- * ambient env/dotfile scope with nowhere to send it is ignored, matching the
- * pre-fix behavior for non-scopeable ops. Exported for tests.
- */
-// Ops whose `source_id` wire param is NOT read-scope semantics: get_skill's
-// source_id flips the lookup from host catalog to brain-resident-pack
-// (getResidentSkillDetail). Ambient env/dotfile scope must never leak into
-// these; an explicit --source-id still passes through untouched above.
-const NON_SCOPE_SOURCE_ID_OPS = new Set(['get_skill']);
-
-export function applyThinClientSourceScope(
-  op: Operation,
-  params: Record<string, unknown>,
-  cwd?: string,
-): void {
-  if ('source' in op.params) return; // the op owns --source; not a scope flag
-  const explicit = typeof params.source === 'string' && params.source.length > 0
-    ? (params.source as string)
-    : null;
-  delete params.source; // never a wire param on these ops — don't leak it
-  // Explicit per-call scope already on the wire wins over ambient tiers.
-  if (params.source_id !== undefined || params.all_sources === true) {
-    if (explicit) {
-      throw new Error('Pass either --source or --source-id/--all-sources, not both.');
-    }
-    return;
-  }
-  const resolved = resolveSourceIdEngineFree(explicit, cwd);
-  if (!resolved) return;
-  if (!('source_id' in op.params) || NON_SCOPE_SOURCE_ID_OPS.has(op.name)) {
-    if (explicit) {
-      const hint = NON_SCOPE_SOURCE_ID_OPS.has(op.name)
-        ? `(its source_id parameter is not a scope filter; pass --source-id explicitly if you mean it)`
-        : `(the remote op has no source_id parameter; the server scopes it to your grant)`;
-      throw new Error(
-        `gbrain ${op.cliHints?.name || op.name} does not accept --source on a thin-client install ${hint}.`,
-      );
-    }
-    return; // ambient env/dotfile scope with nowhere to send it
-  }
-  params.source_id = resolved;
-}
-
 async function makeContext(engine: BrainEngine, params: Record<string, unknown>): Promise<OperationContext> {
   // v0.31.8 (D11): resolve sourceId via the canonical 6-tier chain. Honors
   // --source / GBRAIN_SOURCE / .gbrain-source / path-match / brain default /

src/commands/autopilot.ts

@@ -151,6 +151,100 @@ export function shouldSpawnAutopilotWorker(args: string[]): boolean {
   return !args.includes('--no-worker');
 }
 
+/**
+ * #1525 — positional subcommand translation.
+ *
+ * Pre-fix, `gbrain autopilot status` silently fell through to "start daemon"
+ * because `runAutopilot()` only branched on flag forms (`--status`, etc.).
+ * `status` was treated as a stray positional and ignored.
+ *
+ * This translator maps known positional subcommands to their flag form so
+ * `autopilot status` is equivalent to `autopilot --status`, then rejects
+ * any unrecognized positional with a fail-loud error before any side
+ * effect (lockfile, daemon spawn, sync dispatch) runs.
+ *
+ * Scope decisions:
+ *   - Known aliases: `status` → `--status`, `install` → `--install`,
+ *     `uninstall` → `--uninstall`, `start` → (drop; default daemon launch).
+ *   - `stop` is intentionally NOT aliased here. Stopping a running daemon
+ *     is a new behavior (read PID from lock, SIGTERM, drain) that deserves
+ *     its own design and PR. Users typing `gbrain autopilot stop` today get
+ *     the unknown-positional error with the canonical alternatives.
+ *   - At most one positional allowed; multiple positionals fail loud.
+ */
+// Every flag that consumes the NEXT argv token. Missing one here makes the
+// translator misread the flag's value as a positional subcommand and exit 2
+// (e.g. `--install --target linux-cron`). Keep in sync with parseArg call sites.
+const AUTOPILOT_VALUE_FLAGS = new Set(['--repo', '--interval', '--target']);
+const AUTOPILOT_POSITIONAL_ALIASES: Record<string, string | null> = {
+  status: '--status',
+  install: '--install',
+  uninstall: '--uninstall',
+  start: null, // drop the positional; default behavior is daemon launch
+};
+
+export type PositionalTranslation =
+  | { ok: true; args: string[] }
+  | {
+      ok: false;
+      reason: 'unknown_subcommand' | 'multiple_subcommands';
+      message: string;
+    };
+
+export function translatePositionalSubcommands(args: string[]): PositionalTranslation {
+  const out: string[] = [];
+  let positionalSeen = false;
+  let i = 0;
+  while (i < args.length) {
+    const a = args[i];
+    if (AUTOPILOT_VALUE_FLAGS.has(a)) {
+      // Pass through the flag and its value untouched. If the value is
+      // missing at end-of-argv, fall through so the existing parseArg
+      // path can report the broken usage.
+      out.push(a);
+      if (i + 1 < args.length) {
+        out.push(args[i + 1]);
+        i += 2;
+      } else {
+        i += 1;
+      }
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (a.startsWith('-')) {
+      out.push(a);
+      i += 1;
+      continue;
+    }
+    // Positional subcommand.
+    if (positionalSeen) {
+      const known = Object.keys(AUTOPILOT_POSITIONAL_ALIASES).join(', ');
+      return {
+        ok: false,
+        reason: 'multiple_subcommands',
+        message: `Multiple subcommands given. Use only one of: ${known}.`,
+      };
+    }
+    positionalSeen = true;
+    if (a in AUTOPILOT_POSITIONAL_ALIASES) {
+      const alias = AUTOPILOT_POSITIONAL_ALIASES[a];
+      if (alias) out.push(alias);
+      i += 1;
+      continue;
+    }
+    const known = Object.keys(AUTOPILOT_POSITIONAL_ALIASES).join(', ');
+    return {
+      ok: false,
+      reason: 'unknown_subcommand',
+      message:
+        `Unknown subcommand: \`${a}\`.\n` +
+        `Allowed subcommands: ${known}.\n` +
+        `Or use the flag form: --status, --install, --uninstall.\n` +
+        `Run \`gbrain autopilot --help\` for full usage.`,
+    };
+  }
+  return { ok: true, args: out };
+}
+
 export function isPidAlive(pid: number): boolean {
   if (!Number.isFinite(pid) || pid <= 0) return false;
   try {
@@ -363,6 +457,11 @@ export async function runAutopilot(engine: BrainEngine, args: string[]) {
       '       gbrain autopilot --install [--repo <path>]\n' +
       '       gbrain autopilot --uninstall\n' +
       '       gbrain autopilot --status [--json]\n\n' +
+      'Subcommand aliases:\n' +
+      '       gbrain autopilot status     → --status\n' +
+      '       gbrain autopilot install    → --install\n' +
+      '       gbrain autopilot uninstall  → --uninstall\n' +
+      '       gbrain autopilot start      → (default daemon launch)\n\n' +
       'Self-maintaining brain daemon. Runs the full maintenance cycle\n' +
       '(lint + backlinks + sync + extract + embed + orphans) on an interval.\n\n' +
       'For a one-shot cron-triggered cycle, see `gbrain dream`.',
@@ -370,6 +469,16 @@ export async function runAutopilot(engine: BrainEngine, args: string[]) {
     return;
   }
 
+  // #1525: translate positional subcommands to their flag form BEFORE any
+  // side effect (lockfile, daemon spawn, sync dispatch). Unknown positionals
+  // fail loud here rather than silently starting the daemon.
+  const translated = translatePositionalSubcommands(args);
+  if (!translated.ok) {
+    console.error(translated.message);
+    process.exit(2);
+  }
+  args = translated.args;
+
   if (args.includes('--install')) {
     await installDaemon(engine, args);
     return;

src/core/source-resolver.ts

@@ -160,33 +160,6 @@ export async function resolveSourceId(
   return 'default';
 }
 
-/**
- * Engine-free tiers (1-3) of the resolution chain: explicit flag →
- * GBRAIN_SOURCE env → .gbrain-source dotfile walk. Used by the thin-client
- * CLI path (#2098), which has no local engine to run tiers 4-6 or
- * assertSourceExists against — the remote server enforces existence + grant.
- * Returns null when no engine-free tier fires.
- */
-export function resolveSourceIdEngineFree(
-  explicit: string | null | undefined,
-  cwd: string = process.cwd(),
-): string | null {
-  if (explicit) {
-    if (!SOURCE_ID_RE.test(explicit)) {
-      throw new Error(`Invalid --source value "${explicit}". Must match [a-z0-9-]{1,32}.`);
-    }
-    return explicit;
-  }
-  const env = process.env.GBRAIN_SOURCE;
-  if (env && env.length > 0) {
-    if (!SOURCE_ID_RE.test(env)) {
-      throw new Error(`Invalid GBRAIN_SOURCE value "${env}". Must match [a-z0-9-]{1,32}.`);
-    }
-    return env;
-  }
-  return readDotfileWalk(cwd);
-}
-
 /**
  * Returns the id of the SINGLE registered non-default source with a
  * local_path, when exactly one such row exists. Returns null when:

test/autopilot-positional-subcommands.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,197 @@
+/**
+ * Tests for translatePositionalSubcommands() — the v0.41.x #1525 fix that
+ * prevents `gbrain autopilot status` from silently starting the daemon.
+ *
+ * IRON RULE regression guard: the exact ticket repro (`gbrain autopilot
+ * status`) MUST translate to `--status`, not fall through to the default
+ * daemon launch. Verified by the "ticket-exact repro" case below.
+ */
+
+import { describe, test, expect } from 'bun:test';
+import { translatePositionalSubcommands } from '../src/commands/autopilot.ts';
+
+describe('translatePositionalSubcommands — known aliases', () => {
+  test('IRON RULE — `autopilot status` translates to `--status` (ticket #1525 repro)', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['status']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--status']);
+  });
+
+  test('`install` translates to `--install`', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['install']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--install']);
+  });
+
+  test('`uninstall` translates to `--uninstall`', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['uninstall']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--uninstall']);
+  });
+
+  test('`start` drops the positional (default daemon launch)', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['start']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  test('`start --json` drops only the positional, keeps the flag', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['start', '--json']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--json']);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('translatePositionalSubcommands — flag/positional interleaving', () => {
+  test('`status --json` preserves the trailing flag', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['status', '--json']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--status', '--json']);
+  });
+
+  test('`--json status` preserves the leading flag', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--json', 'status']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--json', '--status']);
+  });
+
+  test('`--repo /foo status` does not mis-classify the path as positional', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--repo', '/foo', 'status']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--repo', '/foo', '--status']);
+  });
+
+  test('`--interval 300 install` does not mis-classify the number as positional', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--interval', '300', 'install']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--interval', '300', '--install']);
+  });
+
+  test('`--install --target linux-cron` does not mis-classify the target as positional', () => {
+    // --target is installDaemon's value flag; its value must never be read
+    // as a positional subcommand (regression guard for the review fix).
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--install', '--target', 'linux-cron']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--install', '--target', 'linux-cron']);
+  });
+
+  test('`install --target macos` keeps the alias translation and the target value', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['install', '--target', 'macos']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--install', '--target', 'macos']);
+  });
+
+  test('value-flag at end of argv with missing value passes through (so parseArg can report it)', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--repo']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--repo']);
+  });
+
+  test('value-flag whose value looks like an alias is NOT translated', () => {
+    // `--repo status` means "use repo path 'status'", not "show status".
+    // Translator must not destructure the value of --repo.
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--repo', 'status']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--repo', 'status']);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('translatePositionalSubcommands — pass-through cases', () => {
+  test('empty args returns empty args', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands([]);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  test('flag-only invocation passes through unchanged', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['--status', '--json']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['--status', '--json']);
+  });
+
+  test('short flag `-h` passes through unchanged', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['-h']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(['-h']);
+  });
+
+  test('all known bare flags pass through unchanged', () => {
+    const flags = ['--help', '--install', '--uninstall', '--status', '--json', '--inline', '--no-worker'];
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(flags);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    if (r.ok) expect(r.args).toEqual(flags);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('translatePositionalSubcommands — rejection of unknown positionals', () => {
+  test('unknown positional `foo` fails with reason=unknown_subcommand + structured message', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['foo']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.reason).toBe('unknown_subcommand');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('Unknown subcommand: `foo`');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('status');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('install');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('uninstall');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('--help');
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('unknown positional `stop` fails with reason=unknown_subcommand (NOT silently aliased)', () => {
+    // Stop is mentioned in the ticket but deliberately NOT aliased in this
+    // PR — stopping a running daemon is a new behavior, not just an alias.
+    // Until that feature lands separately, `stop` must fail loud rather
+    // than starting the daemon (the bug we're fixing).
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['stop']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.reason).toBe('unknown_subcommand');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('Unknown subcommand: `stop`');
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('unknown positional `status-detail` (close-but-not-matching) fails', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['status-detail']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.reason).toBe('unknown_subcommand');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('Unknown subcommand: `status-detail`');
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('multiple positionals fail with reason=multiple_subcommands (`start install`)', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['start', 'install']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.reason).toBe('multiple_subcommands');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('Multiple subcommands');
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('multiple positionals fail even when both are known aliases (`status install`)', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['status', 'install']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.reason).toBe('multiple_subcommands');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('Multiple subcommands');
+    }
+  });
+
+  test('known-then-unknown rejects with multiple_subcommands (first-positional-wins)', () => {
+    // First positional is known, second is not. Rejection comes from the
+    // multiple-positional rule, which fires before the unknown check; the
+    // intent is "only one subcommand allowed."
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['status', 'garbage']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) expect(r.reason).toBe('multiple_subcommands');
+  });
+
+  test('unknown-then-known rejects on the unknown (unknown fires before second-positional check)', () => {
+    const r = translatePositionalSubcommands(['garbage', 'status']);
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+    if (!r.ok) {
+      expect(r.reason).toBe('unknown_subcommand');
+      expect(r.message).toContain('garbage');
+    }
+  });
+});

test/thin-client-source-scope.test.ts

@@ -1,142 +0,0 @@
-/**
- * #2098: thin-client routing dropped --source / GBRAIN_SOURCE / .gbrain-source.
- *
- * The local CLI path resolves source scope in makeContext (ctx.sourceId); the
- * thin-client route short-circuits before that and sent params verbatim, so
- * `gbrain query --source X` against a remote brain silently searched unscoped
- * (the server op ignores the unknown `source` key).
- *
- * applyThinClientSourceScope runs the engine-free tiers (flag → env → dotfile)
- * and maps the result onto the op's `source_id` wire param. These tests fail
- * without the fix (params.source_id stays undefined / params.source leaks).
- */
-
-import { describe, test, expect } from 'bun:test';
-import { mkdtempSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from 'fs';
-import { join } from 'path';
-import { tmpdir } from 'os';
-import { applyThinClientSourceScope, parseOpArgs } from '../src/cli.ts';
-import { operationsByName } from '../src/core/operations.ts';
-import { withEnv } from './helpers/with-env.ts';
-
-const queryOp = operationsByName.query;
-
-describe('applyThinClientSourceScope (#2098)', () => {
-  test('--source maps onto the query op wire param source_id', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: undefined }, () => {
-      const params = parseOpArgs(queryOp, ['find things', '--source', 'wiki']);
-      expect(params.source).toBe('wiki'); // pre-fix state: wrong key
-      applyThinClientSourceScope(queryOp, params, '/');
-      expect(params.source_id).toBe('wiki');
-      expect('source' in params).toBe(false); // never leaks the unknown key
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('GBRAIN_SOURCE env tier fires when no flag is passed', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: 'gstack' }, () => {
-      const params = parseOpArgs(queryOp, ['find things']);
-      applyThinClientSourceScope(queryOp, params, '/');
-      expect(params.source_id).toBe('gstack');
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('.gbrain-source dotfile tier fires when flag and env are absent', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: undefined }, () => {
-      const tmp = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'gbrain-thin-scope-'));
-      try {
-        writeFileSync(join(tmp, '.gbrain-source'), 'essays\n');
-        const params = parseOpArgs(queryOp, ['find things']);
-        applyThinClientSourceScope(queryOp, params, tmp);
-        expect(params.source_id).toBe('essays');
-      } finally {
-        rmSync(tmp, { recursive: true, force: true });
-      }
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('explicit --source-id on the wire wins over ambient env scope', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: 'gstack' }, () => {
-      const params = parseOpArgs(queryOp, ['find things', '--source-id', 'wiki']);
-      applyThinClientSourceScope(queryOp, params, '/');
-      expect(params.source_id).toBe('wiki');
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('--source together with --source-id is rejected loudly', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: undefined }, () => {
-      const params = parseOpArgs(queryOp, ['q', '--source', 'a', '--source-id', 'b']);
-      expect(() => applyThinClientSourceScope(queryOp, params, '/')).toThrow(/not both/);
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('invalid --source value is rejected loudly', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: undefined }, () => {
-      const params = parseOpArgs(queryOp, ['q', '--source', 'Bad_Value!']);
-      expect(() => applyThinClientSourceScope(queryOp, params, '/')).toThrow(/Invalid --source/);
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('--source on an op with no source_id wire param errors instead of silently dropping', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: undefined }, () => {
-      const op = operationsByName.add_tag;
-      expect('source_id' in op.params).toBe(false);
-      const params = { slug: 'x', tag: 'y', source: 'wiki' };
-      expect(() => applyThinClientSourceScope(op, params, '/')).toThrow(/--source/);
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('ambient env scope on an op with no source_id wire param is ignored (no throw)', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: 'wiki' }, () => {
-      const op = operationsByName.add_tag;
-      const params: Record<string, unknown> = { slug: 'x', tag: 'y' };
-      applyThinClientSourceScope(op, params, '/');
-      expect(params.source_id).toBeUndefined();
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('ops that declare their OWN source param are left untouched', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: undefined }, () => {
-      const op = operationsByName.put_raw_data;
-      expect('source' in op.params).toBe(true);
-      const params: Record<string, unknown> = { slug: 'x', source: 'crustdata', data: {} };
-      applyThinClientSourceScope(op, params, '/');
-      expect(params.source).toBe('crustdata');
-      expect(params.source_id).toBeUndefined();
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('get_skill: ambient scope never leaks into its non-scope source_id param', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: 'wiki' }, () => {
-      const op = operationsByName.get_skill;
-      expect('source_id' in op.params).toBe(true); // has the param, but it is a mode switch
-      const params: Record<string, unknown> = { name: 'ingest' };
-      applyThinClientSourceScope(op, params, '/');
-      expect(params.source_id).toBeUndefined(); // would flip host catalog → brain-pack lookup
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('get_skill: explicit --source errors instead of masquerading as --source-id', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: undefined }, () => {
-      const op = operationsByName.get_skill;
-      const params: Record<string, unknown> = { name: 'ingest', source: 'wiki' };
-      expect(() => applyThinClientSourceScope(op, params, '/')).toThrow(/--source-id/);
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('get_skill: explicit --source-id passes through untouched', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: 'gstack' }, () => {
-      const op = operationsByName.get_skill;
-      const params: Record<string, unknown> = { name: 'ingest', source_id: 'wiki' };
-      applyThinClientSourceScope(op, params, '/');
-      expect(params.source_id).toBe('wiki');
-    });
-  });
-
-  test('no scope from any tier leaves params unchanged', async () => {
-    await withEnv({ GBRAIN_SOURCE: undefined }, () => {
-      const params = parseOpArgs(queryOp, ['find things']);
-      applyThinClientSourceScope(queryOp, params, '/');
-      expect(params.source_id).toBeUndefined();
-    });
-  });
-});