verify(P6): run-platform-deadcode-and-hitl-fn — 4-layer verify PASS + ship

VERIFY: structural — HITL fn extracted + deadcode/config; behavioral — syntax clean + CI PASS; quality — ~14 lines saved.

---ci---
project: acdl
phase: 6
milestone: v1.16
status: complete
phase_role: execution
requirements:
  covered: [REQ-170]
  partial: []
---/ci---

.ciagent/CHECKPOINT.json

@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 {
-  "phase": 0,
-  "stage": "plan",
+  "phase": 1,
+  "stage": "execute",
   "milestone": "v1.16",
-  "phase_role": "pre_execution",
+  "phase_role": "execution",
   "attempts": 0,
-  "updated_at": "2026-07-30T15:15:00Z",
+  "updated_at": "2026-07-30T15:30:00Z",
   "milestone_complete": false
 }

adapters/README.md

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# ACDL Adapters
+# Nova Adapters
 
 ## Overview
 

adapters/kyverno/README.md

@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Kyverno Adapter
 
 The Kyverno adapter translates Kyverno `PolicyReport` results to the
-normalized ACDL
+normalized Nova
 [`PolicyCheckResult`](../../schemas/policy_check_result.schema.json) schema
 (engine: `"kyverno"`), mirroring the Checkov/Wiz adapter pattern.
 
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ publishes results to `PolicyReport` resources.
 ## When to use it
 
 Kyverno is the right engine **when the platform emits Kubernetes
-manifests** (a K8s-native stack). The ACDL platform today emits Terraform
+manifests** (a K8s-native stack). The Nova platform today emits Terraform
 only (D-053), so this adapter is **ready but inactive**: it ships now so
 the schema path, severity/result mapping and sample policies are in place
 ahead of the GitOps reconciler that will emit K8s manifests (roadmap).
@@ -55,8 +55,8 @@ manifests (documentation-only today — the platform does not run them):
 
 - `disallow-privileged-containers.yml` — fail pods with
   `securityContext.privileged: true`.
-- `require-resource-labels.yml` — require `acdl:owner` and
-  `acdl:environment` labels on all pods (mirrors the ACDL tagging standard
+- `require-resource-labels.yml` — require `nova:owner` and
+  `nova:environment` labels on all pods (mirrors the Nova tagging standard
   in [`schemas/tagging-standard.json`](../../schemas/tagging-standard.json)).
 - `require-image-digests.yml` — require container images to reference a
   digest (`image@sha256:...`), not a mutable tag.

adapters/kyverno/kyverno_adapter.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Kyverno adapter — translate Kyverno PolicyReport results to ACDL PolicyCheckResult records.
+"""Kyverno adapter — translate Kyverno PolicyReport results to Nova PolicyCheckResult records.
 
 Kyverno is a Kubernetes-native policy engine. It evaluates K8s manifests
 and produces PolicyReport resources. This adapter translates those results

adapters/kyverno/policies/require-resource-labels.yml

@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ kind: ClusterPolicy
 metadata:
   name: require-resource-labels
   annotations:
-    policies.kyverno.io/title: Require ACDL Resource Labels
+    policies.kyverno.io/title: Require Nova Resource Labels
     policies.kyverno.io/category: Governance
     policies.kyverno.io/severity: medium
     policies.kyverno.io/subject: Pod
@@ -11,27 +11,27 @@ spec:
   validationFailureAction: audit
   background: true
   rules:
-    - name: require-acdl-owner-label
+    - name: require-nova-owner-label
       match:
         any:
           - resources:
               kinds:
                 - Pod
       validate:
-        message: "Pods must carry the acdl:owner label (ACDL tagging standard)."
+        message: "Pods must carry the nova:owner label (Nova tagging standard)."
         pattern:
           metadata:
             labels:
-              acdl:owner: "?*"
-    - name: require-acdl-environment-label
+              nova:owner: "?*"
+    - name: require-nova-environment-label
       match:
         any:
           - resources:
               kinds:
                 - Pod
       validate:
-        message: "Pods must carry the acdl:environment label (ACDL tagging standard)."
+        message: "Pods must carry the nova:environment label (Nova tagging standard)."
         pattern:
           metadata:
             labels:
-              acdl:environment: "?*"
+              nova:environment: "?*"

adapters/terraform/adapter.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""ACDL Terraform adapter — stateless assembler (v1.11 RESTART, P56a).
+"""Nova Terraform adapter — stateless assembler (v1.11 RESTART, P56a).
 
 A STATELESS ASSEMBLER. It owns no module content — no resource shape, no
 nested HCL blocks, no defaults, no type-specific logic. It reads the
@@ -114,7 +114,7 @@ def adapt(stack_instance, out_dir):
     stack_name = stack.get("name", "spike")
     environment = stack.get("environment", "dev")
     account_id = env.get_env("AWS_ACCOUNT_ID", "581513795199")
-    state_bucket = f"acdl-tfstate-{account_id}-us-east-1"
+    state_bucket = f"nova-tfstate-{account_id}-us-east-1"
     terraform_tf = (
         'terraform {\n'
         '  required_version = ">= 1.9, < 1.10"\n'

adapters/wiz/wiz_adapter.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Wiz adapter — translate Wiz API results to ACDL PolicyCheckResult records.
+"""Wiz adapter — translate Wiz API results to Nova PolicyCheckResult records.
 
 Wiz is a SaaS security platform with a GraphQL API. This adapter
 translates Wiz issue records to the normalized PolicyCheckResult schema

core/confidence_signal.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""ACDL Confidence Signal (REQ-19).
+"""Nova Confidence Signal (REQ-19).
 
 The platform's certified answer to "is this safe to proceed?" (vision
 tenet: "Safety is Computed, Not Assumed"). Every delivery action produces

core/contract_resolver.py

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""ACDL Contract Resolver — resolve a consumer contract to a Target Stack instance.
+"""Nova Contract Resolver — resolve a consumer contract to a Target Stack instance.
 
 The contract resolver is the bridge between the consumer's declared intent
 (a contract YAML) and the platform's executable representation (a Target
@@ -471,7 +471,7 @@ def resolve(contract_path, repo_root=None, environment_override=None):
 
     Args:
         contract_path: Path to the contract YAML file.
-        repo_root: Root of the ACDL repo (defaults to two levels up from this file).
+        repo_root: Root of the Nova repo (defaults to two levels up from this file).
         environment_override: When set (dev/qa/prod/dr), overrides the
             contract's 'environment' field BEFORE schema validation, so
             interpolation context is consistent (D-088). Used by

core/environment_check.py

@@ -56,9 +56,9 @@ def load(env_name, root=None):
 
 def _onboarding_message(env_name):
     return (
-        "=== ACDL Environment Onboarding ===\n"
+        "=== Nova Environment Onboarding ===\n"
         f"No environment named '{env_name}' is bound to this repository.\n\n"
-        "ACDL environments are platform-managed. The platform provisions on\n"
+        "Nova environments are platform-managed. The platform provisions on\n"
         "your behalf:\n"
         "  - an AWS account (or a scoped partition of one)\n"
         "  - a network (VPC + subnets)\n"

core/lambda/contract_ingestor.py

@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ def _report_error(payload):
         raise RuntimeError(f"failed to read GitHub token from Secrets Manager: {e}")
 
     owner, repo = PLATFORM_REPO.split("/")
-    title = f"[ACDL-ALERT] Deploy failure: {consumer_repo} / {contract_id}"
+    title = f"[NOVA-ALERT] Deploy failure: {consumer_repo} / {contract_id}"
 
     # Check for an existing open issue with the same title (idempotency)
     # URL-encode the contract_id to prevent search-query injection (P1-1).
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ def _report_error(payload):
 {stack_trace}
 ```
 
-_This issue was auto-created by the ACDL platform Lambda (D-055). The consumer's onboarding-granted Lambda-invoke permission is the only grant needed._
+_This issue was auto-created by the Nova platform Lambda (D-055). The consumer's onboarding-granted Lambda-invoke permission is the only grant needed._
 """
 
     if existing:

core/local_emulators.py

@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ evidence event) runs end-to-end against the local tier with no AWS:
 Each adapter exposes the same interface as the live counterpart so the
 caller code path is unchanged; only the I/O target swaps. Selection is
 gated on the NOVA_LOCAL_TIER env var (set by run_platform.sh --local).
-Dual-read via core/env.py: NOVA_* preferred, ACDL_* fallback until P5.
+Env vars read via core/env.py (NOVA_* only; the ACDL_* fallback was
+removed in v1.15 P5, REQ-164).
 """
 
 from __future__ import annotations
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ class FlatFileOutbox:
 
     @classmethod
     def create(cls, dir: Optional[Path] = None) -> "FlatFileOutbox":
-        d = Path(dir) if dir else Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="acdl_outbox_"))
+        d = Path(dir) if dir else Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="nova_outbox_"))
         d.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
         out = cls(dir=d)
         # Re-read the chain tail if the file already exists.
@@ -249,7 +250,7 @@ class LocalS3StateBackend:
 
     @classmethod
     def create(cls, dir: Optional[Path] = None) -> "LocalS3StateBackend":
-        d = Path(dir) if dir else Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="acdl_tfstate_"))
+        d = Path(dir) if dir else Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="nova_tfstate_"))
         d.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
         return cls(state_dir=d)
 
@@ -499,9 +500,8 @@ def run_local_e2e(contract_path: str, repo_root: Optional[Path] = None) -> Dict[
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
     contract = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "contracts/microservice.yml"
-    # Set both so the dual-read in is_local_tier() finds NOVA_* (preferred);
-    # the ACDL_* alias stays for any unmigrated reader until P5.
+    # Set so is_local_tier() finds NOVA_LOCAL_TIER (NOVA_* only; the
+    # ACDL_* alias was removed in v1.15 P5, REQ-164).
     os.environ["NOVA_LOCAL_TIER"] = "1"
-    # P5 (REQ-164): ACDL_LOCAL_TIER legacy alias removed (NOVA_* only)
     result = run_local_e2e(contract)
     print(json.dumps(result, indent=2))

core/output_publisher.py

@@ -17,11 +17,15 @@ existing /acdl/... parameters to /nova/... and deletes the old ones.)
 import json
 import os
 import sys
+import urllib.error
+import urllib.request
 
 try:
     import boto3
+    from botocore.exceptions import ClientError
 except ImportError:
     boto3 = None
+    ClientError = Exception  # type: ignore[assignment,misc]
 
 # Repo root on sys.path so `from core import env` resolves to THIS package
 # when run as a script (avoids editable-installed third-party `core` shadow).
@@ -109,10 +113,12 @@ def publish_to_ssm(outputs, environment, contract_id):
                 Overwrite=True,
             )
             results[name] = param_name
-        except Exception as e:
-            # Don't fail the pipeline if one output fails to publish, but log it
+        except (ClientError, OSError) as e:
+            # P4 (REQ-168): narrow from bare `except Exception` to AWS +
+            # OS errors. Don't fail the pipeline if one output fails to
+            # publish, but log it with context.
             import sys
-            print(f"WARNING: SSM put_parameter failed for {name}: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
+            print(f"WARNING: SSM put_parameter failed for {name}: {type(e).__name__}: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
             results[name] = None
     return results
 
@@ -171,7 +177,6 @@ def post_github_comment(comment_text, token=None, repo=None, pr_number=None):
     if not token or not repo or not pr_number:
         return False  # not in a PR context or no token
     try:
-        import urllib.request
         url = f"https://api.github.com/repos/{repo}/issues/{pr_number}/comments"
         data = json.dumps({"body": comment_text}).encode()
         req = urllib.request.Request(url, data=data, method="POST")
@@ -179,9 +184,12 @@ def post_github_comment(comment_text, token=None, repo=None, pr_number=None):
         req.add_header("Accept", "application/vnd.github+json")
         urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=10)
         return True
-    except Exception as e:
+    except (OSError, urllib.error.URLError, urllib.error.HTTPError) as e:
+        # P4 (REQ-168): narrow from bare `except Exception` to network +
+        # HTTP errors. Don't fail the pipeline if the PR comment can't be
+        # posted, but log it with context.
         import sys
-        print(f"WARNING: GitHub PR comment failed: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
+        print(f"WARNING: GitHub PR comment failed: {type(e).__name__}: {e}", file=sys.stderr)
         return False
 
 

core/regression_verify.py

@@ -146,14 +146,18 @@ def _check_environment_schema_validation() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
     ])
 
 
-def _check_resolver_static_assets() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
-    """CAP-003: contract_resolver resolves static-assets to a Target Stack."""
+def _check_resolver(contract_path: str) -> Tuple[Status, str]:
+    """Shared helper: contract_resolver resolves a contract to a Target Stack.
+
+    Used by CAP-003 (static-assets) and CAP-004 (microservice) — the two
+    were ~95% identical except the contract path (P5 dedup, REQ-169).
+    """
     with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(suffix=".json", delete=False) as t:
         out = t.name
     try:
         return _check_subprocess([
             "python3", "core/contract_resolver.py",
-            "contracts/static-assets.yml", out,
+            contract_path, out,
         ])
     finally:
         try:
@@ -162,25 +166,19 @@ def _check_resolver_static_assets() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
             pass
 
 
+def _check_resolver_static_assets() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
+    """CAP-003: contract_resolver resolves static-assets to a Target Stack."""
+    return _check_resolver("contracts/static-assets.yml")
+
+
 def _check_resolver_microservice() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
     """CAP-004: contract_resolver resolves the microservice contract."""
-    with tempfile.NamedTemporaryFile(suffix=".json", delete=False) as t:
-        out = t.name
-    try:
-        return _check_subprocess([
-            "python3", "core/contract_resolver.py",
-            "contracts/microservice.yml", out,
-        ])
-    finally:
-        try:
-            os.unlink(out)
-        except OSError:
-            pass
+    return _check_resolver("contracts/microservice.yml")
 
 
 def _check_adapter_emits_terraform() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
     """CAP-005: terraform adapter compiles a resolved stack to .tf files."""
-    work = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="acdl_regr_")
+    work = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="nova_regr_")
     stack_path = os.path.join(work, "stack.json")
     tf_dir = os.path.join(work, "tf")
     os.makedirs(tf_dir, exist_ok=True)
@@ -211,7 +209,7 @@ def _check_interpolation() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
         "import sys; sys.path.insert(0,'.'); "
         "from core.contract_resolver import _expand_vars; "
         "ctx={'env':{'environment':'qa','account_id':'123'},'contract':{'id':'assets'}}; "
-        "assert _expand_vars('acdl-${env.environment}-${contract.id}', ctx)=='acdl-qa-assets'; "
+        "assert _expand_vars('nova-${env.environment}-${contract.id}', ctx)=='nova-qa-assets'; "
         "print('interpolation ok')",
     ])
 
@@ -231,7 +229,7 @@ def _check_confidence_signal() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
 
 def _check_outbox_writer() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
     """CAP-008: outbox_writer writes a hash-chained event to a temp file."""
-    work = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="acdl_outbox_")
+    work = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="nova_outbox_")
     event_path = os.path.join(work, "event.json")
     event = {
         "contractId": "regression-test", "eventType": "CONFIDENCE_COMPUTED",
@@ -315,7 +313,7 @@ def _load_aws_env() -> Dict[str, str]:
                     continue
                 if "=" in line:
                     k, v = line.split("=", 1)
-                    # P5 (REQ-164): dual-read fallback removed — NOVA_* only.
+                    # NOVA_* only (ACDL_* fallback removed in v1.15 P5, REQ-164).
                     if k == "NOVA_AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID":
                         env["AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID"] = v
                     elif k == "NOVA_AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY":
@@ -325,21 +323,24 @@ def _load_aws_env() -> Dict[str, str]:
     return env
 
 
-def _check_live_terraform_plan_microservice() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
-    """CAP-013: terraform init+validate+plan against live AWS for the
-    microservice stack (D-093 live-AWS tier of the headline E2E).
+def _check_live_terraform_plan(contract_path: str, label: str) -> Tuple[Status, str]:
+    """Shared helper: terraform init+validate+plan against live AWS for a
+    contract (D-093 live-AWS tier of the headline E2E).
 
-    Requires AWS credentials (NOVA_AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID etc. in .env.secrets;
-    dual-read NOVA_* first, ACDL_* fallback per G-106).
-    Runs in a temp dir; does NOT apply (plan only)."""
+    Used by CAP-013 (microservice) and CAP-014 (static-assets) — the two
+    were ~95% identical except the contract path + label (P5 dedup,
+    REQ-169). Requires AWS credentials (NOVA_AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID etc. in
+    .env.secrets; NOVA_* only — the ACDL_* fallback was removed in v1.15
+    P5, REQ-164). Runs in a temp dir; does NOT apply (plan only).
+    """
     import tempfile, os
-    work = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="nova_regr_live_")
+    work = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix=f"nova_regr_live_{label}_")
     stack_path = os.path.join(work, "stack.json")
     tf_dir = os.path.join(work, "tf")
     os.makedirs(tf_dir, exist_ok=True)
     rc, out, err = _run_subprocess([
         "python3", "core/contract_resolver.py",
-        "contracts/microservice.yml", stack_path,
+        contract_path, stack_path,
     ])
     if rc != 0:
         return "Broken", f"resolver failed: {err.strip()[-200:]}"
@@ -366,47 +367,19 @@ def _check_live_terraform_plan_microservice() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
     )
     if rc != 0:
         return "Decayed", f"terraform plan failed: {err.strip()[-200:]}"
-    return "Verified", "terraform init+validate+plan OK (live AWS, microservice)"
+    return "Verified", f"terraform init+validate+plan OK (live AWS, {label})"
+
+
+def _check_live_terraform_plan_microservice() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
+    """CAP-013: terraform init+validate+plan against live AWS for the
+    microservice stack (D-093 live-AWS tier of the headline E2E)."""
+    return _check_live_terraform_plan("contracts/microservice.yml", "microservice")
 
 
 def _check_live_terraform_plan_static_assets() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
     """CAP-014: terraform init+validate+plan against live AWS for the
     static-assets stack (CloudFront + WAF + S3)."""
-    import tempfile, os
-    work = tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="nova_regr_live_sa_")
-    stack_path = os.path.join(work, "stack.json")
-    tf_dir = os.path.join(work, "tf")
-    os.makedirs(tf_dir, exist_ok=True)
-    rc, out, err = _run_subprocess([
-        "python3", "core/contract_resolver.py",
-        "contracts/static-assets.yml", stack_path,
-    ])
-    if rc != 0:
-        return "Broken", f"resolver failed: {err.strip()[-200:]}"
-    rc, out, err = _run_subprocess([
-        "python3", "adapters/terraform/adapter.py", stack_path, tf_dir,
-    ])
-    if rc != 0:
-        return "Broken", f"adapter failed: {err.strip()[-200:]}"
-    env = _load_aws_env()
-    rc, out, err = _run_subprocess(
-        ["terraform", "init", "-reconfigure", "-lock=false", "-input=false"],
-        cwd=tf_dir, timeout=120, env=env,
-    )
-    if rc != 0:
-        return "Broken", f"terraform init failed: {err.strip()[-200:]}"
-    rc, out, err = _run_subprocess(
-        ["terraform", "validate"], cwd=tf_dir, timeout=60, env=env,
-    )
-    if rc != 0:
-        return "Broken", f"terraform validate failed: {err.strip()[-200:]}"
-    rc, out, err = _run_subprocess(
-        ["terraform", "plan", "-lock=false", "-input=false", "-out=tfplan"],
-        cwd=tf_dir, timeout=180, env=env,
-    )
-    if rc != 0:
-        return "Decayed", f"terraform plan failed: {err.strip()[-200:]}"
-    return "Verified", "terraform init+validate+plan OK (live AWS, static-assets)"
+    return _check_live_terraform_plan("contracts/static-assets.yml", "static-assets")
 
 
 def _check_dynamodb_outbox_table() -> Tuple[Status, str]:
@@ -474,16 +447,30 @@ def _check_lifecycle_module_terraform(module: str) -> Tuple[Status, str]:
         ["terraform", "fmt", "-check", "-diff", str(tf_dir)], timeout=30)
     if rc != 0:
         return "Broken", f"terraform fmt -check failed: {err.strip()[-200:]}"
+    status, detail = _assert_contracts_resolve(ROOT / "modules" / "l1" / module, "l1")
+    if status != "Verified":
+        return status, detail
+    return "Verified", f"terraform files present + fmt -check passes + simple/complex contracts resolve"
+
+
+def _assert_contracts_resolve(module_dir: Path, level: str) -> Tuple[Status, str]:
+    """Shared helper: assert an L1/L2 module's example contracts resolve.
+
+    Used by _check_lifecycle_module_terraform (L1) and
+    _check_lifecycle_l2_module (L2) — the two had a duplicated
+    for-ex-in-simple-complex-resolve block (P5 dedup, REQ-169).
+    ``level`` is "l1" or "l2" (selects the examples dir parent).
+    """
     for ex in ["simple", "complex"]:
-        contract = ROOT / "modules" / "l1" / module / "examples" / f"{ex}.yml"
+        contract = module_dir / "examples" / f"{ex}.yml"
         if not contract.is_file():
-            return "Broken", f"modules/l1/{module}/examples/{ex}.yml missing"
+            return "Broken", f"{module_dir.relative_to(ROOT)}/examples/{ex}.yml missing"
         rc, out, err = _run_subprocess([
             "python3", "core/contract_resolver.py", str(contract), "/dev/null",
         ], timeout=30)
         if rc != 0:
             return "Broken", f"{ex}.yml resolver failed: {err.strip()[-200:]}"
-    return "Verified", f"terraform files present + fmt -check passes + simple/complex contracts resolve"
+    return "Verified", ""
 
 
 def _check_lifecycle_l2_module(module: str) -> Tuple[Status, str]:
@@ -492,16 +479,11 @@ def _check_lifecycle_l2_module(module: str) -> Tuple[Status, str]:
     This is an offline proxy, not live pipeline evidence; the live
     apply/modify/destroy is verified by the modules-lifecycle workflow
     run, not by this gate."""
-    for ex in ["simple", "complex"]:
-        contract = ROOT / "modules" / "l2" / module / "examples" / f"{ex}.yml"
-        if not contract.is_file():
-            return "Broken", f"modules/l2/{module}/examples/{ex}.yml missing"
-        rc, out, err = _run_subprocess([
-            "python3", "core/contract_resolver.py", str(contract), "/dev/null",
-        ], timeout=30)
-        if rc != 0:
-            return "Broken", f"{ex}.yml resolver failed: {err.strip()[-200:]}"
-    return "Verified", f"L2 composition resolves (simple + complex contracts; offline proxy)"
+    module_dir = ROOT / "modules" / "l2" / module
+    status, detail = _assert_contracts_resolve(module_dir, "l2")
+    if status != "Verified":
+        return status, detail
+    return "Verified", "L2 composition resolves (simple + complex contracts; offline proxy)"
 
 
 def _check_cap_017_dynamodb() -> Tuple[Status, str]:

scripts/migrate_ssm_paths.py

@@ -110,8 +110,18 @@ def copy_one_param(client, source_name: str, dest_name: str, force: bool = False
             return "skipped-equal"
         if not force:
             return "skipped-mismatch"
-    except Exception:  # ParameterNotFound → proceed to put
-        pass
+    except client.exceptions.ParameterNotFound:
+        pass  # target doesn't exist yet → proceed to put
+    except Exception as e:
+        # P4 (REQ-168): narrow the broad swallow — only ParameterNotFound
+        # is an expected "proceed to put" condition. Any other AWS error
+        # (auth, throttling, service) must surface, not be swallowed.
+        import sys
+        sys.stderr.write(
+            f"migrate_ssm_paths: get_parameter({dest_name}) failed: "
+            f"{type(e).__name__}: {e}\n"
+        )
+        raise
 
     put_kwargs = {
         "Name": dest_name,

scripts/post_stage_comment.sh

@@ -36,14 +36,14 @@ import json, sys
 stage = '''$STAGE'''
 status = '''$STATUS'''
 details = json.loads('''$DETAILS''')
-lines = [f'### ACDL Stage: {stage} — {status}', '']
+lines = [f'### Nova Stage: {stage} — {status}', '']
 if details:
     lines.append('| Metric | Value |')
     lines.append('|--------|-------|')
     for k, v in details.items():
         lines.append(f'| {k} | {v} |')
     lines.append('')
-lines.append('> _Auto-posted by the ACDL deploy pipeline (D-055)._')
+lines.append('> _Auto-posted by the Nova deploy pipeline (D-055)._')
 print('\n'.join(lines))
 ")
 

scripts/run_ci.sh

@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ banner() {
 
 fail() { echo "FAIL: $*" >&2; exit 1; }
 
-echo "=== ACDL CI Pipeline (local reproduction) ==="
+echo "=== Nova CI Pipeline (local reproduction) ==="
 echo "contract: pipelines/ci.yml (3 stages)"
 echo ""
 

scripts/run_l2_lifecycle_destroy.sh

@@ -14,8 +14,8 @@
 # parity with the L1 matrix, but $2 is accepted-but-ignored here (documented,
 # not a bug).
 #
-# Lifecycle mode (REQ-134): NOVA_LIFECYCLE_MODE (dual-read NOVA_* preferred,
-# ACDL_* fallback until P5) default "plan" = no-op
+# Lifecycle mode (REQ-134): NOVA_LIFECYCLE_MODE (NOVA_* only; ACDL_*
+# fallback removed in v1.15 P5) default "plan" = no-op
 # (plan mode never applies resources, so there is nothing to destroy).
 # Set to "full" for the real `--destroy` against live AWS.
 set -euo pipefail
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@ cd "$ROOT"
 MODULE="$1"
 
 # Lifecycle mode: "plan" (default) skips destroy; "full" runs the real destroy.
-# Dual-read: NOVA_* preferred, ACDL_* fallback (removed in P5).
+# NOVA_* env vars only (ACDL_* fallback removed in v1.15 P5, REQ-164).
 LIFECYCLE_MODE="${NOVA_LIFECYCLE_MODE:-plan}"
 
 if [ "$LIFECYCLE_MODE" != "full" ]; then

scripts/run_l2_lifecycle_test.sh

@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@
 # positional args for parity with the L1 matrix, but $3 is accepted-but-
 # ignored here (documented, not a bug).
 #
-# Lifecycle mode (REQ-134): NOVA_LIFECYCLE_MODE (dual-read NOVA_* preferred,
-# ACDL_* fallback until P5) default "plan" runs
+# Lifecycle mode (REQ-134): NOVA_LIFECYCLE_MODE (NOVA_* only; ACDL_*
+# fallback removed in v1.15 P5) default "plan" runs
 # `run_platform.sh --plan-only` (fast, no AWS mutation). Set to "full" for
 # the real `--apply` against live AWS.
 set -euo pipefail
@@ -29,14 +29,12 @@ MODULE="$1"
 EXAMPLE="$2"  # simple or complex
 
 # Lifecycle mode: "plan" (default, fast) or "full" (real apply against AWS).
-# Dual-read: NOVA_* preferred, ACDL_* fallback (removed in P5).
+# NOVA_* env vars only (ACDL_* fallback removed in v1.15 P5, REQ-164).
 LIFECYCLE_MODE="${NOVA_LIFECYCLE_MODE:-plan}"
 
 CONTRACT="modules/l2/${MODULE}/examples/${EXAMPLE}.yml"
 
 # Point terraform_remote_state to the CI VPC state (not the platform VPC).
-# Set both NOVA_* (preferred by the dual-read helper) and ACDL_* (legacy
-# fallback) so any unmigrated reader finds the key until P5.
 export NOVA_REMOTE_STATE_KEY="spike/ci-vpc/terraform.tfstate"
 
 

scripts/run_lifecycle_destroy.sh

@@ -6,8 +6,8 @@
 # For VPC-dependent modules, injects CI VPC outputs into the complex contract
 # before destroy (so terraform can find the resources in the right VPC).
 #
-# Lifecycle mode (REQ-134): NOVA_LIFECYCLE_MODE (dual-read NOVA_* preferred,
-# ACDL_* fallback until P5) default "plan" = no-op
+# Lifecycle mode (REQ-134): NOVA_LIFECYCLE_MODE (NOVA_* only; ACDL_*
+# fallback removed in v1.15 P5) default "plan" = no-op
 # (plan mode never applies resources, so there is nothing to destroy; the
 # script exits 0 so the pipeline matrix cell stays green). Set to "full"
 # for the real `--destroy` against live AWS.
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ CI_VPC_OUTPUTS="${2:-}"
 
 # Lifecycle mode: "plan" (default) skips destroy (nothing was applied);
 # "full" runs the real terraform destroy.
-# Dual-read: NOVA_* preferred, ACDL_* fallback (removed in P5).
+# NOVA_* env vars only (ACDL_* fallback removed in v1.15 P5, REQ-164).
 LIFECYCLE_MODE="${NOVA_LIFECYCLE_MODE:-plan}"
 
 if [ "$LIFECYCLE_MODE" != "full" ]; then
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ CONTRACT="modules/l1/${MODULE}/examples/complex.yml"
 VPC_DEPENDENT="alb ecs-service rds uptime"
 
 if echo "$VPC_DEPENDENT" | grep -qw "$MODULE" && [ -n "$CI_VPC_OUTPUTS" ] && [ -f "$CI_VPC_OUTPUTS" ]; then
-  TMP_CONTRACT="/tmp/acdl-lifecycle-${MODULE}-complex.yml"
+  TMP_CONTRACT="/tmp/nova-lifecycle-${MODULE}-complex.yml"
   python3 -c "
 import yaml, json
 

scripts/run_lifecycle_test.sh

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 # from the long-lived platform VPC.
 #
 # Lifecycle mode (REQ-134): the NOVA_LIFECYCLE_MODE env var selects the
-# tier (dual-read NOVA_* preferred, ACDL_* fallback until P5). Default
+# tier (NOVA_* only; ACDL_* fallback removed in v1.15 P5). Default
 # "plan" runs `run_platform.sh --plan-only` (fast, no AWS
 # mutation, validates the contract->resolver->adapter->plan chain for
 # every module). Set to "full" to run the real `--apply` (terraform apply
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ EXAMPLE="$2"  # simple or complex
 CI_VPC_OUTPUTS="${3:-}"
 
 # Lifecycle mode: "plan" (default, fast) or "full" (real apply against AWS).
-# Dual-read: NOVA_* preferred, ACDL_* fallback (removed in P5).
+# NOVA_* env vars only (ACDL_* fallback removed in v1.15 P5, REQ-164).
 LIFECYCLE_MODE="${NOVA_LIFECYCLE_MODE:-plan}"
 
 CONTRACT="modules/l1/${MODULE}/examples/${EXAMPLE}.yml"
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ VPC_DEPENDENT="alb ecs-service rds uptime"
 # (only meaningful in full mode; plan mode ignores VPC outputs)
 if [ "$LIFECYCLE_MODE" = "full" ] && echo "$VPC_DEPENDENT" | grep -qw "$MODULE" && [ -n "$CI_VPC_OUTPUTS" ] && [ -f "$CI_VPC_OUTPUTS" ]; then
   # Generate a temporary contract with CI VPC outputs injected
-  TMP_CONTRACT="/tmp/acdl-lifecycle-${MODULE}-${EXAMPLE}.yml"
+  TMP_CONTRACT="/tmp/nova-lifecycle-${MODULE}-${EXAMPLE}.yml"
   python3 -c "
 import yaml, json, sys
 

scripts/run_pattern_plan.sh

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ done
 CONTRACT="contracts/$MODULE.yaml"
 [ -f "$CONTRACT" ] || { echo "FAIL: no sample contract at $CONTRACT for module '$MODULE'" >&2; exit 1; }
 
-WORK="/tmp/acdl_pattern_plan_$MODULE"
+WORK="/tmp/nova_pattern_plan_$MODULE"
 rm -rf "$WORK"; mkdir -p "$WORK"
 
 echo "=== Pattern plan: $MODULE ==="

scripts/run_platform.sh

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# scripts/run_platform.sh - the ACDL platform pipeline.
+# scripts/run_platform.sh - the Nova platform pipeline.
 #
 # Usage:
 #   run_platform.sh <contract.yml>            (full e2e with AWS)
@@ -113,6 +113,38 @@ fi
 
 fail() { echo "FAIL: $*" >&2; exit 1; }
 
+# run_hitl_gate <contract_id> <resolved_env> <context>
+# REQ-108: for qa/prod/dr, call hitl_gates.attest before apply. Dev skips.
+# Extracted from the two duplicated inline blocks (P6, REQ-170).
+run_hitl_gate() {
+  local _cid="$1" _env="$2" _ctx="$3"
+  if [ "$_env" = "dev" ]; then
+    echo "Environment is $_env — autonomous (no HITL gate)."
+    return 0
+  fi
+  echo "Environment is $_env — HITL attestation gate required$_ctx."
+  local _approver="${GITHUB_ACTOR:-${GITEA_ACTOR:-}}"
+  if [ -z "$_approver" ]; then
+    echo "WARNING: no approver identity (GITHUB_ACTOR/GITEA_ACTOR unset)" >&2
+    echo "         the gate would block in a real CI run. Passing for local." >&2
+  fi
+  python3 -c "
+import os, sys
+sys.path.insert(0, '.')
+from core.hitl_gates import attest
+from core import env as _envhelper
+contract_id = _envhelper.get_env('HITL_CONTRACT_ID') or os.environ['NOVA_HITL_CONTRACT_ID']
+env = _envhelper.get_env('HITL_ENV') or os.environ['NOVA_HITL_ENV']
+approver = _envhelper.get_env('HITL_APPROVER', '') or 'local-test'
+ok, reason = attest(contract_id, env, approver)
+if ok:
+    print(f'HITL PASS: {reason}')
+else:
+    print(f'HITL BLOCK: {reason}', file=sys.stderr)
+    sys.exit(1)
+" NOVA_HITL_CONTRACT_ID="$_cid" NOVA_HITL_ENV="$_env" NOVA_HITL_APPROVER="$_approver"
+}
+
 # --local: run the headline E2E against the local emulating tier (D-092).
 # No AWS credentials, no Checkov, no DynamoDB. Emulates ECS, outbox, S3
 # state, and the contract-ingestor Lambda in-process. Exits 0 on success.
@@ -142,15 +174,14 @@ stream() {
   fi
 }
 
-CONTRACT_ID="11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111"  # spike fixed UUID
-WORK="/tmp/acdl_platform_run_v18"
+CONTRACT_ID="${NOVA_CONTRACT_ID:-11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111}"  # spike UUID (override via NOVA_CONTRACT_ID)
+WORK="${NOVA_WORK_DIR:-/tmp/nova_platform_run}"
 TF_DIR="$WORK/tf"
 rm -rf "$WORK"; mkdir -p "$TF_DIR"
 
 echo "=== Step 0: environment onboarding check ==="
 if [ -n "$ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE" ]; then
   export NOVA_ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE="$ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE"
-  export ACDL_ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE="$ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE"  # legacy fallback, removed in P5
   python3 core/environment_check.py --env="$ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE" || {
     echo "FAIL: environment not bound — see the onboarding prompt above" >&2
     exit 1
@@ -326,31 +357,7 @@ if [ "$APPLY_ONLY" = "1" ]; then
   if [ -n "$ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE" ]; then
     RESOLVED_ENV="$ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE"
   fi
-  if [ "$RESOLVED_ENV" != "dev" ]; then
-    echo "Environment is $RESOLVED_ENV — HITL attestation gate required before apply."
-    APPROVER="${GITHUB_ACTOR:-${GITEA_ACTOR:-}}"
-    if [ -z "$APPROVER" ]; then
-      echo "WARNING: no approver identity (GITHUB_ACTOR/GITEA_ACTOR unset)" >&2
-      echo "         the gate would block in a real CI run. Passing for local." >&2
-    fi
-    python3 -c "
-import os, sys
-sys.path.insert(0, '.')
-from core.hitl_gates import attest
-from core import env as _envhelper
-contract_id = _envhelper.get_env('HITL_CONTRACT_ID') or os.environ['NOVA_HITL_CONTRACT_ID']
-env = _envhelper.get_env('HITL_ENV') or os.environ['NOVA_HITL_ENV']
-approver = _envhelper.get_env('HITL_APPROVER', '') or 'local-test'
-ok, reason = attest(contract_id, env, approver)
-if ok:
-    print(f'HITL PASS: {reason}')
-else:
-    print(f'HITL BLOCK: {reason}', file=sys.stderr)
-    sys.exit(1)
-" NOVA_HITL_CONTRACT_ID="$CONTRACT_ID" NOVA_HITL_ENV="$RESOLVED_ENV" NOVA_HITL_APPROVER="$APPROVER" || { echo "FAIL: HITL attestation gate blocked the apply" >&2; exit 1; }
-  else
-    echo "Environment is dev — autonomous (no HITL gate)."
-  fi
+  run_hitl_gate "$CONTRACT_ID" "$RESOLVED_ENV" " before apply" || { echo "FAIL: HITL attestation gate blocked the apply" >&2; exit 1; }
 
   echo ""
   echo "=== Step 5: terraform apply -auto-approve ==="
@@ -442,31 +449,7 @@ RESOLVED_ENV=$(python3 -c "import yaml; print(yaml.safe_load(open('$CONTRACT')).
 if [ -n "$ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE" ]; then
   RESOLVED_ENV="$ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE"
 fi
-if [ "$RESOLVED_ENV" != "dev" ]; then
-  echo "Environment is $RESOLVED_ENV — HITL attestation gate required."
-  APPROVER="${GITHUB_ACTOR:-${GITEA_ACTOR:-}}"
-  if [ -z "$APPROVER" ]; then
-    echo "WARNING: no approver identity (GITHUB_ACTOR/GITEA_ACTOR unset); " >&2
-    echo "         the gate would block in a real CI run. Passing for local." >&2
-  fi
-  python3 -c "
-import os, sys
-sys.path.insert(0, '.')
-from core.hitl_gates import attest
-from core import env as _envhelper
-contract_id = _envhelper.get_env('HITL_CONTRACT_ID') or os.environ['NOVA_HITL_CONTRACT_ID']
-env = _envhelper.get_env('HITL_ENV') or os.environ['NOVA_HITL_ENV']
-approver = _envhelper.get_env('HITL_APPROVER', '') or 'local-test'
-ok, reason = attest(contract_id, env, approver)
-if ok:
-    print(f'HITL PASS: {reason}')
-else:
-    print(f'HITL BLOCK: {reason}', file=sys.stderr)
-    sys.exit(1)
-" NOVA_HITL_CONTRACT_ID="$CONTRACT_ID" NOVA_HITL_ENV="$RESOLVED_ENV" NOVA_HITL_APPROVER="$APPROVER" || { echo "FAIL: HITL attestation gate blocked the promotion" >&2; exit 1; }
-else
-  echo "Environment is dev — autonomous (no HITL gate)."
-fi
+run_hitl_gate "$CONTRACT_ID" "$RESOLVED_ENV" "" || { echo "FAIL: HITL attestation gate blocked the promotion" >&2; exit 1; }
 
 echo ""
 echo "=== Step 8: write evidence event to DynamoDB outbox ==="

scripts/run_primitive_plan.sh

@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ done
 INSTANCE="modules/l1/$PRIMITIVE/instance.json"
 [ -f "$INSTANCE" ] || { echo "FAIL: no instance.json for primitive '$PRIMITIVE'" >&2; exit 1; }
 
-WORK="/tmp/acdl_primitive_plan_$PRIMITIVE"
+WORK="/tmp/nova_primitive_plan_$PRIMITIVE"
 rm -rf "$WORK"; mkdir -p "$WORK"
 
 echo "=== Primitive plan: $PRIMITIVE ==="

scripts/run_regression.sh

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd)"
 cd "$ROOT"
 
 echo "=== Nova Regression VERIFY (D-091) ==="
-# Dual-read: NOVA_* preferred, ACDL_* fallback (removed in P5).
+# NOVA_* env vars only (ACDL_* fallback removed in v1.15 P5, REQ-164).
 echo "milestone: ${NOVA_REGRESSION_MILESTONE:-v1.10}  phase: ${NOVA_REGRESSION_PHASE:-52}"
 echo ""
 

scripts/ship_phase.sh

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# scripts/ship_phase.sh — internal CIAgent per-phase ship helper (v1.16)
+# Usage: bash scripts/ship_phase.sh <phase_num> <req_id> <phase_slug> <release_body>
+set -euo pipefail
+PHASE="$1"; REQ="$2"; SLUG="$3"; BODY="$4"
+MS="milestone/v1.16-nova-simplification"
+BR="phase/$(printf '%02d' "$PHASE")-${SLUG}"
+cd "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
+git checkout "$MS" 2>/dev/null
+git merge --squash "$BR" 2>&1 | tail -2
+MSG="verify(P${PHASE}): ${SLUG} — 4-layer verify PASS + ship
+
+${BODY}
+
+---ci---
+project: acdl
+phase: ${PHASE}
+milestone: v1.16
+status: complete
+phase_role: execution
+requirements:
+  covered: [${REQ}]
+  partial: []
+---/ci---"
+git commit -q -m "$MSG"
+PREV=$(git tag -l "v1.15.*" --sort=-version:refname | head -1)
+PATCH=$(($(echo "$PREV" | sed 's/v1.15.//')))
+NEWPATCH=$((PATCH + 1))
+TAG="v1.15.${NEWPATCH}"
+git tag -a "$TAG" -m "${TAG}: v1.16 P${PHASE} — ${SLUG}"
+git push origin "$MS" --tags 2>&1 | grep -E "new tag|new branch" | head -2
+python3 - "$TAG" "$PREV" <<'PYEOF'
+import json, subprocess, sys, urllib.request, urllib.error
+tag, prev = sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2]
+tok = [l.split("=",1)[1].strip() for l in open(".env.secrets") if l.startswith("NOVA_GITEA_TOKEN=")][0]
+body = subprocess.check_output(["git","log",f"{prev}..{tag}","--oneline"]).decode()
+payload = {"tag_name":tag,"name":f"Nova {tag} — v1.16 P{tag.split('.')[-1]}","body":body}
+req = urllib.request.Request("https://git.cloudinit.dev/api/v1/repos/continuous-intelligence/acdl/releases", data=json.dumps(payload).encode(), headers={"Authorization":f"token {tok}","Content-Type":"application/json"}, method="POST")
+try:
+    r = urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=30); d = json.loads(r.read()); print(f"release_id: {d.get('id')}  tag: {tag}")
+except urllib.error.HTTPError as e:
+    if e.code == 409: print(f"release exists for {tag}")
+    else: print(f"HTTP {e.code}: {e.read().decode()[:120]}")
+except Exception as e: print(f"ERROR: {e}")
+PYEOF
+echo "SHIPPED ${TAG}"

tests/test_adapter.py

@@ -90,6 +90,15 @@ class TestModuleAssembly:
         assert 'backend "s3"' in terraform_tf
         assert 'spike/s3/dev/terraform.tfstate' in terraform_tf
 
+    def test_adapt_emits_nova_state_bucket(self, tmp_path):
+        """P1 (REQ-165): the emitted backend references nova-tfstate-*
+        (not acdl-tfstate-*); the live bucket was renamed in v1.15 P4."""
+        instance = json.load(open(ROOT / "modules/l1/s3/instance.json"))
+        adapt(instance, str(tmp_path))
+        terraform_tf = (tmp_path / "terraform.tf").read_text()
+        assert "nova-tfstate-" in terraform_tf
+        assert "acdl-tfstate-" not in terraform_tf
+
     def test_adapt_emits_root_outputs(self, tmp_path):
         instance = json.load(open(ROOT / "modules/l1/s3/instance.json"))
         instance["outputs"] = {

tests/test_deploy_workflow_env_input.py

@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ def test_run_platform_sh_has_environment_flag():
     text = (ROOT / "scripts" / "run_platform.sh").read_text()
     assert "--environment" in text
     assert "ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE" in text
-    # P2 (REQ-159): NOVA_* preferred; ACDL_* kept as dual-read fallback until P5.
+    # P3 (REQ-167): NOVA_* only; the dead ACDL_ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE export
+    # (comment said "removed in P5" but the line was present) is gone.
     assert "NOVA_ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE" in text
-    assert "ACDL_ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE" in text  # legacy fallback, removed in P5
+    assert "ACDL_ENVIRONMENT_OVERRIDE" not in text

tests/test_environment_check.py

@@ -31,6 +31,12 @@ class TestEnvironmentCheck:
         assert "state backend" in msg.lower()
         assert "IAM role" in msg
 
+    def test_onboarding_message_says_nova_not_acdl(self):
+        """P2 (REQ-166): the onboarding message is rebranded Nova."""
+        msg = _onboarding_message("qa")
+        assert "Nova Environment Onboarding" in msg
+        assert "ACDL" not in msg
+
     def test_contract_with_dev_environment_passes(self):
         ok, msg = check(contract_path=str(ROOT / "contracts/static-assets.yml"), root=ROOT)
         assert ok is True

tests/test_migrate_ssm_paths.py

@@ -74,4 +74,52 @@ class TestMapPath:
 
     def test_preserves_value_segment_exactly(self):
         # Hyphens, dots, underscores in output names are preserved
-        assert map_path("/acdl/dev/c-1/my.output-name_2") == "/nova/dev/c-1/my.output-name_2"
+        assert map_path("/acdl/dev/c-1/my.output-name_2") == "/nova/dev/c-1/my.output-name_2"
+
+class TestNarrowedException:
+    """P4 (REQ-168): the copy_one_param except is narrowed to
+    ParameterNotFound; non-ParameterNotFound errors surface (not swallowed)."""
+
+    def test_parameter_not_found_proceeds_to_put(self):
+        """A ParameterNotFound on the dest get_parameter (target absent) is
+        the expected 'proceed to put' path — not an error."""
+        from unittest import mock
+        import migrate_ssm_paths as m
+
+        class FakeExceptions:
+            ParameterNotFound = type("ParameterNotFound", (Exception,), {})
+
+        fake_client = mock.Mock()
+        fake_client.exceptions = FakeExceptions
+        # source get_parameter succeeds; dest get_parameter raises ParameterNotFound
+        fake_client.get_parameter.side_effect = [
+            {"Parameter": {"Value": "v", "Type": "String", "KeyId": None}},
+            FakeExceptions.ParameterNotFound(),
+        ]
+        fake_client.put_parameter.return_value = {"Version": 1}
+        result = m.copy_one_param(fake_client, "/acdl/dev/c/out", "/nova/dev/c/out")
+        assert result == "copied"
+        fake_client.put_parameter.assert_called_once()
+
+    def test_non_parameter_not_found_error_is_raised(self):
+        """A non-ParameterNotFound AWS error (e.g. ThrottlingException) on
+        the dest get_parameter is raised, not swallowed (P4, REQ-168)."""
+        from unittest import mock
+        import migrate_ssm_paths as m
+
+        class FakeExceptions:
+            ParameterNotFound = type("ParameterNotFound", (Exception,), {})
+
+        class ThrottlingException(Exception):
+            pass
+
+        fake_client = mock.Mock()
+        fake_client.exceptions = FakeExceptions
+        # source get_parameter succeeds; dest get_parameter raises Throttling
+        fake_client.get_parameter.side_effect = [
+            {"Parameter": {"Value": "v", "Type": "String", "KeyId": None}},
+            ThrottlingException("slow down"),
+        ]
+        with pytest.raises(ThrottlingException):
+            m.copy_one_param(fake_client, "/acdl/dev/c/out", "/nova/dev/c/out")
+        fake_client.put_parameter.assert_not_called()

tests/test_output_publisher.py

@@ -134,7 +134,11 @@ class TestPublishToSsm:
             def flaky_put(**kwargs):
                 call_count["n"] += 1
                 if "bad" in kwargs["Name"]:
-                    raise Exception("simulated failure")
+                    from botocore.exceptions import ClientError
+                    raise ClientError(
+                        {"Error": {"Code": "InternalError", "Message": "simulated"}},
+                        "PutParameter",
+                    )
                 return real_put(**kwargs)
 
             with mock.patch("core.output_publisher._ssm_client", return_value=ssm):
@@ -272,10 +276,11 @@ class TestPostGithubComment:
         assert "/issues/5/comments" in captured["url"]
 
     def test_returns_false_on_exception(self, monkeypatch):
+        import urllib.error
         monkeypatch.setenv("GITHUB_TOKEN", "tok")
         monkeypatch.setenv("GITHUB_REPOSITORY", "acdl/acdl")
         monkeypatch.setenv("GITHUB_REF", "refs/pull/1/merge")
-        with mock.patch("urllib.request.urlopen", side_effect=Exception("boom")):
+        with mock.patch("urllib.request.urlopen", side_effect=urllib.error.URLError("boom")):
             assert post_github_comment("body") is False
 
     def test_uses_gh_token_fallback(self, monkeypatch):