fix: redesign adaptation rules per Guardian review — resolve race conditions

Guardian review (Sprint 1) found critical issues in adaptation rules:
- A2 couldn't skip already-spawned parallel reviewers (race condition)
- A1 escalated then A2 skipped the escalated reviewers (self-defeating)
- A3 "Pause" conflicted with parallel agent execution
- A1's "thorough" override was unreachable dead code

Fixes:
- Reorder rules: A3 (after Plan) → A2 (after Guardian) → A1 (after Check)
- Guardian now runs first in Check phase, A2 evaluated before spawning others
- A2 doesn't apply to escalated workflows or first cycle of thorough
- A3 task-understanding pause runs before Do phase (no cancellation needed)
- Added explicit evaluation order diagram

skills/orchestration/SKILL.md

@@ -21,35 +21,46 @@ Otherwise, assess the task and pick:
 
 ## Workflow Adaptation Rules
 
-The initial workflow choice is a starting point, not a commitment. These rules adapt the workflow at runtime based on signals from Creator and Guardian. Evaluate in order after each relevant phase.
+The initial workflow choice is a starting point, not a commitment. These rules adapt the workflow at runtime. Each rule specifies when it evaluates (which phase boundary).
 
-### A1: Conditional Escalation (fast → standard)
-
-**When:** Guardian rejects with 2+ CRITICAL findings in a `fast` workflow.
-**Action:** Escalate to `standard` for the next cycle — add Skeptic + Sage to the reviewer roster.
-**Why:** If Guardian found serious issues, more perspectives help find root causes.
-**Override:** If A3 already escalated to `thorough`, do nothing (already higher).
-
-### A2: Guardian Fast-Path (skip remaining reviewers)
-
-**When:** Guardian finds 0 CRITICAL and 0 WARNING in a `standard` or `thorough` workflow.
-**Action:** Skip Skeptic, Sage, and Trickster. Proceed directly to Act phase (merge).
-**Why:** Guardian's security review is the strictest gate. Clean pass = safe to merge without additional review cost.
-**Override:** Suppressed if A1 just triggered in the same cycle. Do not fast-path an escalated workflow.
-**Log:** Note "Guardian fast-path taken — remaining reviewers skipped" in orchestration report.
-
-### A3: Confidence-Triggered Escalation
+### A3: Confidence Gate (evaluates: after Plan, before Do)
 
 **When:** Creator's confidence table has any axis below 0.5.
 **Action by axis:**
 
 | Axis | Score < 0.5 Action |
 |------|-------------------|
-| Task understanding | **Pause.** Ask user to clarify. Do not proceed until >0.5 or user overrides. |
-| Solution completeness | **Upgrade to standard.** Add Explorer before proceeding. |
-| Risk coverage | **Spawn mini-Explorer** for the specific risky area (parallel, 5 min max). Don't block other phases. |
+| Task understanding | **Pause.** Ask user to clarify before proceeding. Do not spawn Maker. |
+| Solution completeness | **Upgrade to standard.** Add Explorer before Maker starts. |
+| Risk coverage | **Spawn mini-Explorer** for the specific risky area (parallel, 5 min max). Maker can proceed. |
 
-Multiple axes can trigger simultaneously — handle in parallel.
+A3 runs before any Do/Check agents spawn, so there are no cancellation issues.
+
+### A1: Conditional Escalation (evaluates: after Check, before next cycle)
+
+**When:** Guardian rejects with 2+ CRITICAL findings in a `fast` workflow.
+**Action:** Escalate to `standard` for the **next cycle** — add Skeptic + Sage to the reviewer roster.
+**Why:** If Guardian found serious issues, more perspectives help find root causes.
+**Sticky:** Once escalated, the workflow stays escalated for all remaining cycles. A2 does not apply to escalated workflows.
+
+### A2: Guardian Fast-Path (evaluates: after Guardian, before spawning other reviewers)
+
+**When:** Guardian finds 0 CRITICAL and 0 WARNING in a non-escalated `standard` or `thorough` workflow.
+**Action:** Do not spawn Skeptic, Sage, or Trickster. Proceed directly to Act phase.
+**Why:** Guardian's security review is the strictest gate. Clean pass = safe to skip additional reviewers.
+**Critical:** Evaluate A2 **after Guardian completes but before other reviewers are spawned.** Do not spawn reviewers in parallel with Guardian — spawn Guardian first, check A2, then spawn remaining reviewers only if A2 doesn't trigger.
+**Does not apply to:** Escalated workflows (A1 triggered), or first cycle of `thorough` workflows (Trickster is mandatory on first pass).
+**Log:** Note "Guardian fast-path taken" in orchestration report.
+
+### Evaluation Order
+
+```
+Plan phase completes → A3 (confidence gate)
+                     ↓
+Guardian completes  → A2 (fast-path check) → if clean, skip other reviewers
+                     ↓                       if not, spawn other reviewers
+Check phase done    → A1 (escalation check) → if 2+ CRITICALs in fast, next cycle is standard
+```
 
 ## Step 1: Plan Phase
 
@@ -148,9 +159,9 @@ Agent(
 
 ## Step 3: Check Phase
 
-Spawn reviewers **in parallel** — they read the Maker's changes independently.
+Spawn Guardian **first**. After Guardian completes, check adaptation rule A2 (fast-path). If A2 triggers (0 CRITICAL, 0 WARNING, non-escalated workflow), skip remaining reviewers and proceed to Act. Otherwise, spawn remaining reviewers **in parallel**.
 
-### Guardian
+### Guardian (always runs first)
 
 **Context to include:** Maker's git diff, proposal risk section only.
 **Context to exclude:** Explorer's research, full proposal, other reviewer outputs.