docs(P00): grill — PROCEED (0.82), 0 escalations, 2 revisions (already captured)

---ci---
project: acdl
phase: 0
milestone: v1.24
status: grill
---/ci---

.ciagent/CHECKPOINT.json

@@ -1,11 +1,14 @@
 {
   "phase": 0,
   "stage": "plan",
-  "milestone": "v1.21",
+  "milestone": "v1.24",
   "phase_role": "pre_execution",
   "attempts": 0,
-  "updated_at": "2026-08-11T00:01:00Z",
+  "updated_at": "2026-08-12T02:15:00Z",
+  "project": "acdl",
   "milestone_complete": false,
-  "requirements": ["REQ-245","REQ-246","REQ-247","REQ-248","REQ-249","REQ-250","REQ-251","REQ-252","REQ-253"],
-  "notes": "v1.21 P0 plan stage complete. PLAN.md v1.21 section written. 5 execution phases (P1 strategic-docs, P2 slides, P3 marp+talking-points+README, P4 pipeline-hardening, P5 render+verify) + P6 final-review-ship. Wave 1 (P1/P2/P4 parallelizable), Wave 2 (P3), Wave 3 (P5), Wave 4 (P6). CLARIFY+RESEARCH minimal at full autonomy — domain known, requirements confirmed with user. Proceeding to P0 ship then execution."
+  "tag_line": "v1.23.x",
+  "requirements": ["REQ-276","REQ-277","REQ-278","REQ-279","REQ-280","REQ-281","REQ-282","REQ-283","REQ-284","REQ-285","REQ-286","REQ-287","REQ-288","REQ-289","REQ-290"],
+  "phases": ["P1:consumer-guide-fixes","P2:env-transition-detect-and-destroy","P3:env-transition-tests","P4:final-review-ship"],
+  "waves": 4
 }

.ciagent/CLARIFY.md

@@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
+# CLARIFY — v1.24 Consumer Guide Accuracy & Env-Promotion Lifecycle Enforcement
+
+> **Autonomy:** full. Ambiguities are auto-resolved with assumption logging
+> per `config.json autonomy.level: "full"`. No human escalation.
+
+## Ambiguities Identified
+
+### A1 — Step 8 "change environment" vs Per-env section "no field editing"
+
+**Ambiguity:** The consumer guide contains two mutually-exclusive promotion
+models. Step 8 (line 290) says "Change `environment` in your contract." The
+"Per-environment deployment" section (line 398) says "you do not edit the
+`environment:` field… Promotion = running the matching job." The test
+`test_consumer_guide_states_no_field_editing` asserts the no-editing model.
+
+**User directive (binding):** Both shapes are supported. Shape A (edit
+environment in-place) is valid AND must trigger a destroy of the prior env.
+Shape B (per-env caller workflows) is the alternative. The test must be
+updated to assert both shapes.
+
+**Resolution (auto, confidence 0.95):** Adopt the user's directive. Step 8
+is rewritten to document Shape A with destroy-then-rebuild semantics. The
+per-env section is preserved as Shape B with a lead sentence distinguishing
+it. The test is renamed and a new test asserts the destroy semantics. This
+is already captured in REQ-279, REQ-280, REQ-290.
+
+### A2 — Prior-env source of truth: DynamoDB vs state-bucket scan vs SSM
+
+**Ambiguity:** Three options for detecting the prior environment: (a) query
+the `nova-contracts` DynamoDB table, (b) scan the state bucket for other env
+prefixes, (c) record last-applied env in an SSM parameter.
+
+**Resolution (auto, confidence 0.85):** DynamoDB `nova-contracts` table
+(user-selected). It already exists, is written by the contract ingestor
+Lambda (`core/lambda/contract_ingestor.py:160-170`), and has the right shape
+(PK `consumerRepo`, SK `contractId#submittedAt`, `environment` attribute).
+A new `#LAST_APPLIED` SK suffix is added for the record-applied-env step
+(REQ-283). This avoids coupling the platform to a specific state-bucket
+layout (which differs across envs/accounts) and avoids a new SSM dependency.
+
+**Assumption:** The `nova-contracts` table is accessible from the deploy
+role via the same ABAC scoping that the contract ingestor uses. If the
+table is not accessible (e.g., local/CI mode without DynamoDB), the detect
+step logs a warning and returns `None` (conservative — no prior env
+assumed). This is documented in REQ-282.
+
+### A3 — Cross-account destroy
+
+**Ambiguity:** If the prior env (e.g., dev) and new env (e.g., qa) are in
+different AWS accounts, the destroy step needs the prior env's role
+credentials. The current scaffold uses one account.
+
+**Resolution (auto, confidence 0.80):** v1.24 targets the same-account
+case. Cross-account destroy is explicitly out of scope (documented in the
+Out of Scope section). The `run_platform.sh` Step 0b notes this limitation.
+A future milestone handles cross-account destroy via a pre-step that
+assumes the prior env's role. This is the pragmatic path — the scaffold
+(`core/environments/dev.json`) is single-account today.
+
+### A4 — Version tag in docs: `@v1.19` vs `ref: v1.9`
+
+**Ambiguity:** The consumer guide says `uses: nova/.github/workflows/deploy.yml@v1.19`
+but the actual `.github/workflows/deploy.yml` checks out the platform repo
+at `ref: v1.9`. The reference table says sample contracts "use `@v1.19`"
+but the sample contracts don't carry `uses:` (they're contracts, not
+workflows).
+
+**Resolution (auto, confidence 0.90):** REQ-281 corrects the reference
+table wording to "used with caller workflow `@v1.19`" (the version pin
+lives in the caller workflow, not the contract). The `@v1.19` tag in the
+consumer-facing docs is the documented current version; the `ref: v1.9` in
+deploy.yml is the platform-internal checkout ref. These are two different
+references (consumer → platform workflow tag; platform workflow → platform
+repo ref). The guide's `@v1.19` stays as the consumer-facing version. No
+change to deploy.yml's `ref: v1.9` (that's an internal platform concern,
+out of scope for this milestone).
+
+### A5 — Should Shape A destroy go through the HITL decommission pipeline?
+
+**Ambiguity:** The decommission pipeline (2-step, HITL SRE gates) exists for
+stack teardown. Should env-transition destroy use it?
+
+**Resolution (auto, confidence 0.85):** No. Env-transition is an automated
+lifecycle step, not an explicit decommission. The destroy runs as a direct
+`terraform destroy -auto-approve` against the prior env's state (REQ-284).
+The decommission pipeline remains for explicit stack teardown with SRE
+gates. This is documented in the Out of Scope section. Rationale: the
+consumer already has HITL attestation on the *new* env (qa/prod/dr gates);
+requiring a second SRE gate for the prior env's destroy would block
+autonomous dev→qa promotion, contradicting the "lower environments are
+autonomous" tenet.
+
+### A6 — Phase count and ordering
+
+**Ambiguity:** The requirements traceability table shows 3 phases (P1:
+docs, P2: feat, P3: test) but the roadmap entry says "4 phases."
+
+**Resolution (auto, confidence 0.90):** 4 phases = P0 (pre-execution) + P1
+(docs fixes) + P2 (env-transition feat) + P3 (tests) + P4 (final
+review/ship). The "4 phases" in the roadmap counts execution phases (P1-P3)
++ final (P4). This matches the run.md phase model (P0 pre-execution, P1..PN
+execution, P N+1 final). The traceability table lists P1-P3 (execution);
+P4 is the final phase (review + audit + ship, no new requirements).
+
+## Clarification Commit
+
+No changes to REQUIREMENTS.md or PROJECT.md from clarify — the ambiguities
+are resolved and already captured in the requirements (REQ-276..290) and
+the Out of Scope section. The resolutions above are logged for traceability.

.ciagent/NORTH_STAR.md

@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ deploy — not a vendor arriving late to that market.
 3. **Not an upstream development platform.** Nova does not own the
    product backlog, IDE workflows, code authorship, or application
    business logic. The PDLC is upstream; Nova integrates with it through
-   a validated contract boundary — Nova never penetrates it.
+   a validated contract boundary — Nova never reaches into it.
 4. **Not a replacement for the Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC).**
    Nova governs infrastructure + delivery only. Product lifecycle
    decisions (what to build, when to ship, for whom) remain with the

.ciagent/PERSONAS.md

@@ -1,136 +1,83 @@
 ---
 project: acdl
-milestone: v1.18
-generated_at: 2026-08-06
+milestone: v1.24
+generated_at: 2026-08-12
 generator: lead-developer
 verification_toolchain:
-  typecheck: "python3 -m py_compile core/submission_readiness.py mcp/atelier/server.py && python3 -m jsonschema schemas/submission-readiness.schema.json"
-  test: "pytest tests/test_submission_readiness.py tests/test_atelier_mcp.py   # REQ-220 + REQ-225"
-  build: "bash scripts/render_deck.sh docs/presentations/nova-no-humans-platform-marp.md   # HTML + PPTX (D-142)"
+  typecheck: "python3 -m py_compile core/env_transition.py tests/test_env_transition.py tests/test_run_platform_env_transition.py"
+  test: "pytest tests/test_env_transition.py tests/test_run_platform_env_transition.py tests/test_consumer_guide_per_env_section.py tests/test_adapter.py tests/test_contract_resolver.py tests/test_deploy_workflow_env_input.py tests/test_pipeline.py -v"
+  lint: "ruff check core/env_transition.py tests/test_env_transition.py tests/test_run_platform_env_transition.py 2>/dev/null || python3 -m py_compile core/env_transition.py"
   note: |
-    v1.18 adds the Citizen Developer & Production-Grade Guidance surface:
-    submission-readiness gate, Atelier-derived skills, the Atelier MCP server
-    (plugin-registry, stdio), and PPTX-as-first-class-artifact deck automation.
-    Three active personas: lead-developer (coordination + decks + RACI/scope
-    docs), backend-engineer (MCP server + submission-readiness validator +
-    render/attach scripts), data-engineer (submission-readiness schema if it
-    touches contract storage / DynamoDB shape). frontend-engineer stays
-    deactivated (v1.18 has no frontend; decks are markdown = lead-developer
-    territory). The MCP plugin-registry is a backend pattern, so a separate
-    mcp-engineer persona is NOT added — it folds into backend-engineer.
+    v1.24 is the Consumer Guide Accuracy & Env-Promotion Lifecycle
+    Enforcement milestone — a mixed docs+feat+test milestone. Two active
+    personas: lead-developer (consumer-guide.md edits + guide test
+    updates), backend-engineer (core/env_transition.py + run_platform.sh
+    Step 0b + deploy.yml + adapter doc comment + env_transition tests +
+    pipeline tests). frontend-engineer stays deactivated (no UI). No
+    data-engineer (no schema changes — the nova-contracts table already
+    exists). No new personas.
 ---
 
-# ACDL — Persona Roster (v1.18 Citizen Developer & Production-Grade Guidance)
+# ACDL — Persona Roster (v1.24 Consumer Guide Accuracy & Env-Promotion Lifecycle Enforcement)
 
-> v1.18 roster. Three active personas + one deactivated. The MCP server
-> plugin-registry (D-140) is a backend pattern, not a new persona — it
-> folds into backend-engineer. v1.17 precedent (frontend-engineer
-> deactivated, decks are markdown = lead-developer territory) is upheld.
+> v1.24 roster. Two active personas + two deactivated. This is a mixed
+> docs+feat+test milestone: the work is consumer-guide accuracy fixes
+> (lead-developer), a new env-transition detect-and-destroy platform
+> feature (backend-engineer), and test coverage for both (split).
 
 ## Active personas
 
 ### lead-developer
-- **Domain:** coordination
-- **Active:** true
-- **Phase-specific:** false
-- **Frameworks:** [] (no framework — owns process + narrative, not code)
-- **Constraints:** ["pragmatic", "battle-tested defaults", "no fabrication (NORTH_STAR honesty model)"]
+- **Domain:** coordination + docs
+- **Frameworks:** []
+- **Constraints:** ["pragmatic", "battle-tested defaults", "docs match code"]
 - **Territory:**
-  - `docs/presentations/**` (Step 1/2/4 markdown + the deck automation trigger)
-  - `.ciagent/**` (PROJECT, ROADMAP, REQUIREMENTS, RESEARCH, PLAN, GRILL, PERSONAS, REVIEW, CHECKPOINT)
-  - `PROJECT.md` (RACI matrix + PDLC-scope statement, REQ-215/216)
-  - `ROADMAP.md`
-  - `REQUIREMENTS.md`
-  - `docs/raci.md` (REQ-215)
-  - `docs/scope.md` (REQ-216)
-  - `docs/skills.md` (REQ-222 — the index page, not the skill files themselves)
-  - `docs/submission-readiness.md` (REQ-219 — citizen-developer-facing copy; co-owned with backend-engineer for the reason-code catalog)
-- **Reason:** Owns CIAgent metadata, the milestone narrative, the RACI +
-  PDLC-scope statements (REQ-215/216), the deck (21 slides, S&P theme
-  regression check vs P1, CAP-024), the skills index page (REQ-222), and
-  the citizen-developer-facing submission-readiness doc (REQ-219). Is
-  the only persona that touches `.ciagent/**` and the deck markdown.
-- **Phase-specific flag:** none (active for all of P0–P7).
+  - `docs/consumer-guide.md`
+  - `tests/test_consumer_guide_per_env_section.py`
+  - `.ciagent/*.md` (PLAN.md, RESEARCH.md, etc.)
+- **Reason:** Owns the consumer guide narrative — the 5 accuracy fixes
+  (stale fields table, inconsistent caller, "dev only" phrasing, Step 8
+  rewrite with destroy semantics, reference table wording) and the
+  consumer-guide test updates (rename + new destroy-on-env-change test).
+  No UI work (frontend-engineer deactivated). No Python/bash platform
+  code (backend-engineer territory).
 
 ### backend-engineer
-- **Domain:** backend
-- **Active:** true
-- **Phase-specific:** false
-- **Frameworks:** ["mcp (Python SDK v2)", "pydantic", "jsonschema", "urllib"]
-- **Constraints:** ["api-first", "strict-typing", "plugin-registry extensible (D-140)", "stdio now / HTTP-ready (D-135)", "no stack traces to citizen developers (REQ-218)"]
+- **Domain:** backend (Python + bash + YAML)
+- **Frameworks:** ["boto3", "terraform"]
+- **Constraints:** ["api-first", "fail-closed", "no orphan paths", "state-key determinism"]
 - **Territory:**
-  - `mcp/atelier/server.py` (REQ-223)
-  - `mcp/atelier/plugins/**/*.py` (REQ-223 — principles.py, validation.py)
-  - `mcp/atelier/vendor/**` (REQ-224 — vendored Atelier snapshot)
-  - `mcp/atelier/VERSION.md` + `mcp/atelier/README.md` (REQ-224)
-  - `scripts/update_atelier_vendor.sh` (REQ-224)
-  - `core/submission_readiness.py` (REQ-218 — the validator, invoked as `contract_ingestor.py --check-readiness`)
-  - `scripts/render_deck.sh` (REQ-228 — HTML + PPTX render)
-  - `scripts/attach_release_asset.py` (REQ-228 — Gitea release asset upload)
-  - `tests/test_atelier_mcp.py` (REQ-225)
-  - `tests/test_submission_readiness.py` (REQ-220)
-  - `docs/submission-readiness.md` (REQ-219 — reason-code catalog section; co-owned with lead-developer for the narrative)
-- **Reason:** Owns the MCP server (plugin-registry, stdio, vendored
-  Atelier), the submission-readiness validator (extends
-  `contract_ingestor.py --check-readiness`, D-133), the render/attach
-  scripts (D-142 trigger), and the two new test files. The MCP
-  plugin-registry (D-140) is a backend pattern — no separate
-  mcp-engineer persona is created; backend-engineer owns it.
-- **Phase-specific flag:** none (active for P1 deck-render, P3 validator,
-  P5 MCP server, P6 scripts).
-
-### data-engineer
-- **Domain:** data
-- **Active:** true
-- **Phase-specific:** false
-- **Frameworks:** ["jsonschema", "dynamodb (item shape)"]
-- **Constraints:** ["schema-first", "superset-gate NOT duplicate (PROJECT.md hard constraint)", "W3.E per-env mandatory table is the source of truth"]
-- **Territory:**
-  - `schemas/**` (REQ-217 — `submission-readiness.schema.json` is the new schema; existing schemas untouched)
-  - `core/lambda/contract_ingestor.py` (the `--check-readiness` subcommand wiring, D-133 — the validator is in `core/submission_readiness.py` but the ingestor dispatches to it; co-owned with backend-engineer)
-- **Reason:** Owns the submission-readiness JSON Schema (REQ-217) — it
-  is a schema artifact, data-engineer territory. The schema is a
-  *superset gate above* `contract.schema.json`, not a duplicate (it
-  references contract fields, does not redefine them). The
-  per-env-mandatory table comes from W3.E (the locked decision). The
-  ingestor wiring is co-owned with backend-engineer (the dispatch point
-  is backend; the schema it validates against is data).
-- **Phase-specific flag:** none (active for P3 schema + ingestor wiring).
+  - `core/env_transition.py` (NEW)
+  - `scripts/run_platform.sh` (Step 0b insert + record-applied-env)
+  - `.github/workflows/deploy.yml` (NOVA_CONSUMER_REPO env)
+  - `adapters/terraform/adapter.py` (doc comment only)
+  - `tests/test_env_transition.py` (NEW)
+  - `tests/test_run_platform_env_transition.py` (NEW)
+- **Reason:** Owns the env-transition detect-and-destroy feature: the new
+  `core/env_transition.py` module (DynamoDB query + record), the
+  `run_platform.sh` Step 0b orchestrator (re-resolve + terraform destroy +
+  evidence event + fail-closed), the deploy.yml env var passthrough, and
+  the two new test files. Uses boto3 (DynamoDB) + terraform (destroy) +
+  bash (pipeline orchestration).
 
 ## Deactivated personas
 
 ### frontend-engineer
 - **Active:** false
-- **Domain:** frontend
-- **Frameworks:** ["react", "next.js"] (inert — no territory)
-- **Constraints:** ["component-first", "server-components", "minimal-client-js"] (inert)
-- **Territory:** [] (no territory in v1.18)
-- **Reason:** v1.18 has no frontend; decks are markdown (lead-developer
-  territory); deactivated per PERSONAS.md v1.17 precedent. v1.18's
-  observability stays PowerBI / external (Out of Scope: "A Nova-built
-  frontend / dashboard"). The MCP server exposes tools to an AI agent,
-  not a web UI. No reactivation trigger in this milestone.
+- **Reason:** No UI work in v1.24. The consumer guide is markdown docs
+  (lead-developer territory). Deactivated per v1.17/v1.18/v1.22/v1.23
+  precedent.
 
-## Roster decisions
+### data-engineer
+- **Active:** false
+- **Reason:** No schema changes in v1.24. The `nova-contracts` DynamoDB
+  table already exists with the right shape (PK `consumerRepo`, SK
+  `contractId#submittedAt`). The env-transition module only adds a new
+  `#LAST_APPLIED` SK suffix — no schema migration, no ORM, no new tables.
+  The backend-engineer handles the boto3 queries.
 
-### D-143 (0.90): Fold mcp-engineer into backend-engineer
-The MCP plugin-registry (D-140: `plugins/<name>.py register(mcp)`) is a
-backend code pattern — Python modules, type hints, stdio transport,
-urllib for the Gitea asset API. It shares nothing with the data domain
-(schemas/DynamoDB) and is not a new engineering discipline. Creating a
-separate `mcp-engineer` persona would fragment ownership of the server +
-its tests + the render/attach scripts (all backend). **Decision:** fold
-into backend-engineer. backend-engineer's `frameworks` list gains
-`mcp (Python SDK v2)`. Confidence 0.90 — the only counter-argument is
-that MCP is a distinct protocol skill, but the SDK v2 API surface
-(`@mcp.tool()` + type hints) is small and well within backend-engineer's
-range (it's the same Pydantic/FastAPI-style pattern the persona already
-knows).
+## Phase-specific notes
 
-### Territory-overlap resolution (co-ownership)
-
-| Path | Primary | Co-owner | Why |
-|------|---------|----------|-----|
-| `docs/submission-readiness.md` | lead-developer (narrative + examples) | backend-engineer (reason-code catalog, REQ-218 codes) | The doc is citizen-developer-facing copy (lead) but the reason-code catalog (MISSING_TAGS, ENV_MISSING_MANDATORY, AGENTIC_MISSING_INTENT, MISSING_APP_SOURCE, POLICY_PRECONDITION_MISSING) is backend (it mirrors the validator's return codes). |
-| `core/lambda/contract_ingestor.py` | backend-engineer (dispatch wiring) | data-engineer (the schema it validates against) | D-133 places the `--check-readiness` subcommand on the ingestor (backend dispatch), but the readiness schema it loads is data-engineer territory. |
-| `schemas/submission-readiness.schema.json` | data-engineer (schema artifact) | backend-engineer (the validator must match it) | The schema is data-engineer's; the validator (REQ-218) is backend-engineer's and must stay in sync with it. |
+- No phase-specific personas. Both active personas span P1-P3.
+- P4 (final review + audit + ship) is lead-developer territory
+  (orchestration + docs completion).

.ciagent/PROJECT.md

@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ traceable to a human attestation and an immutable evidence stream.
 1. **Operations are Declared, Not Executed.** Consumers define what they
    need; the platform reconciles, provisions, and progresses.
 2. **The Delivery Lifecycle is a Sovereign Boundary.** The platform
-   governs infra and delivery; it does not penetrate upstream product/SDLC.
+   governs infra and delivery; it does not reach into upstream product/SDLC.
    Integration is only through validated, published contracts.
 3. **Lower Environments are Autonomous; Higher Environments are Attested.**
    Dev = zero-touch agentic. QA/prod/dr = deliberate human attestation, not
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ traceable to a human attestation and an immutable evidence stream.
 
 The **Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC)** — product backlog, code
 authorship, IDE workflows, sprint planning, application business logic —
-is **upstream** of Nova. Nova never penetrates the PDLC. Nova's domain is
+is **upstream** of Nova. Nova never reaches into the PDLC. Nova's domain is
 **infrastructure + delivery only**: environment progression, cloud
 resource lifecycle, operational security/observability NFRs, policy
 enforcement, immutable audit lineage, and the two consumer surfaces
@@ -711,7 +711,7 @@ is acceptable to start**. Five user-directed inputs drive the milestone:
    `sp-theme.json` survived; only the Marp CSS theme was lost.
 
 2. **PDLC-upstream scope made explicit.** Core Tenet #2 already states the
-   platform "does not penetrate upstream product/SDLC" and Anti-Goal #1 says
+   platform "does not reach into upstream product/SDLC" and Anti-Goal #1 says
    "Not an upstream development platform." v1.18 promotes this from a
    buried tenet to a dedicated, unmissable scope statement in PROJECT.md +
    `docs/scope.md` + a deck slide: **the PDLC (Product Development
@@ -1419,3 +1419,161 @@ wrong commit standard, wrong repo.
 | D-145 | Trigger = manual-only (`--release` / `RELEASE_CONFIRMED=1`). | The 2nd release is a deliberate human action, not a CI side-effect. The gate guarantees it can never fire from Gitea Actions, GitHub Actions, or accidental invocation. | Script exits 2 without `--release`. |
 | D-146 | Domain grouping = 13 fixed-order domains by path prefix; messages map positionally over CHANGED domains only. | Avoids the kitchen-sink commit; gives `~/nova` a reviewable, conventional history tailored to platform consumers. Positional-over-changed mapping lets the human supply exactly the messages needed, in domain order, without padding for unchanged domains. | `--list-domains` prints order; `--dry-run` previews; count-mismatch errors clearly. |
 | D-147 | coreci / Atelier review gate = deferred this milestone. | The vendored Atelier (`mcp/atelier/vendor`) could review the synced tree before commit and block on P0, but that's an additive hardening step, not part of establishing the pipeline. Deferred to a future milestone. | Sync ships consumer contents as-is; no review gate. |
+
+### CLARIFY auto-resolved parameters (full autonomy)
+
+The following ambiguities were identified and auto-resolved at full
+autonomy (no human escalation needed — confidence > 0.6 threshold):
+
+1. **Fix scope** — comprehensive (theme CSS + render scripts + mermaid
+   re-layout + deck content + tests) vs. minimal. **Resolved: comprehensive.**
+   The root cause spans all four layers; a theme-only fix would leave
+   the extreme-aspect-ratio diagrams and the stale `render_deck.sh`
+   unfixed. Confidence: 0.95.
+
+2. **Pipeline depth** — full pipeline (SPECIFY→CLARIFY→RESEARCH→PLAN→
+   GRILL→EXECUTE→VERIFY→SHIP) vs. lighter path. **Resolved: full pipeline.**
+   This is a new milestone (v1.22); the full pipeline ensures the plan
+   is grilled and the audit trail is complete. Confidence: 0.9.
+
+3. **Mermaid diagram fixes** — re-layout to LR + re-render vs. CSS-only
+   fix. **Resolved: re-layout to LR + re-render at 2x transparent.**
+   The `telemetry-live-ops.mmd` uses `flowchart TB` (produced a 1024×1628
+   PNG — aspect 0.63); the README (line 168) explicitly says to use
+   horizontal layouts for wide diagrams. CSS-only cannot fix the aspect
+   ratio. Confidence: 0.95.
+
+4. **`render_deck.sh` disposition** — fix (add `--theme`) vs. delete.
+   **Resolved: delete.** The README already documents `render_slides.sh`
+   as canonical; `render_deck.sh` is unreferenced by the build-commands
+   section and is a footgun (produces unthemed output). Confidence: 0.9.
+
+5. **Slide count change** — keep 18 main + 1 appendix vs. split
+   overflowing slides. **Resolved: split slides 3 and 8** (18 → 20 main
+   + 1 appendix). The `test_marp_deck_slide_count` test + README
+   convention are updated to match. Confidence: 0.85.
+
+No human escalation. All decisions logged with confidence scores above
+the 0.6 threshold.
+
+## Objective for Milestone v1.22 (active — Nova Deck Layout Fix)
+
+v1.22 fixes the systemic layout/formatting problems in the Nova
+presentation deck that made every slide look "out of whack" after the
+v1.21 P5 re-render. A full investigation determined the root cause is
+**not a P5 regression** — the `nova-sp-theme.css` has had zero `section`
+padding since it was authored (it declares `/* @theme nova-sp */` as a
+comment, not the `@theme` directive, and does not `@import` Marp's
+default theme, so Marp's default `section { padding: 56px 64px }` never
+applies). Combined with `overflow:hidden` (silent clip), a blunt
+`img { max-height: 320px }` rule, header+footer chrome on every slide,
+and two new P5 diagrams with extreme aspect ratios (13.52× and 0.63×),
+8 of 19 slides overflow and the rest look jammed against the edges.
+
+This milestone is a **comprehensive fix** across four layers: (1) the
+theme CSS (padding, overflow handling, aspect-ratio-aware image rules,
+title-slide chrome suppression, paragraph/list/table spacing); (2) the
+render scripts (delete the stale unthemed `render_deck.sh`, pin
+marp-cli/mermaid-cli versions, add 2x scale + transparent bg to
+mermaid); (3) the two problematic mermaid diagrams (re-layout to LR +
+2-row wrap); (4) the deck content (trim/split the 8 overflowing slides,
+remove the redundant `header:` from frontmatter). It also adds the
+**layout/aspect-ratio/theme-structural tests** that were missing — the
+gap that let this regression through undetected.
+
+**Milestone type:** NFR (all phases are fix/docs/test — no feat/breaking).
+Tags run on the **v1.21.x** patch line (previous minor per
+branch-strategy): `v1.21.0` (P0) → `v1.21.1..v1.21.5` (P1–P5) →
+`v1.21.6` (P6 final = milestone release).
+
+**Phase count:** 7 (P0 pre-execution + 5 execution + 1 final).
+
+**Wave ordering:**
+- Wave 1 (P1 + P2, parallel): theme CSS + render scripts — no
+  interdependency. P1 establishes the padding/overflow/image budget that
+  P4's content trimming relies on; P2 fixes the render pipeline that P3's
+  PNG re-render depends on.
+- Wave 2 (P3 + P4, parallel): mermaid re-layout + deck content. P3
+  depends on P2 (2x scale flag); P4 depends on P1 (padding budget).
+- Wave 3 (P5): re-render HTML + PPTX + add tests. Depends on all above.
+- Wave 4 (P6): final review + audit + milestone ship.
+
+**Hard constraints:**
+- DO NOT change the deck narrative or the 4-beat arc (Problem → Solution
+  → Proof → Roadmap + Ask) — only fix layout/formatting.
+- DO NOT re-introduce badges, version strings, or internal citations
+  (D-###/REQ-###/.py paths) that v1.21 removed.
+- The slide count may change from 18 main + 1 appendix to 20 main + 1
+  appendix (splitting slides 3 and 8 to relieve overflow). The
+  `test_marp_deck_slide_count` test + README "18 main + 1 appendix"
+  convention must be updated to match.
+- PPTX remains a first-class committed artifact + release attachment.
+- No code changes outside `docs/presentations/`, `scripts/render*.sh`,
+  and `tests/test_slides_pipeline.py`.
+
+### Requirements
+
+New requirements REQ-254..REQ-262 — see `REQUIREMENTS.md` §v1.22. Summary:
+
+- **REQ-254:** Theme CSS — add `section` padding + overflow handling.
+- **REQ-255:** Theme CSS — aspect-ratio-aware image rules (replace blunt
+  `max-height:320px`).
+- **REQ-256:** Theme CSS — title-slide chrome suppression + paragraph/
+  list/table spacing tightening.
+- **REQ-257:** Render scripts — delete `render_deck.sh` (or fix `--theme`);
+  pin marp-cli/mermaid-cli versions.
+- **REQ-258:** `render_slides.sh` — add `-s 2 -b transparent` to mermaid-cli
+  (README spec).
+- **REQ-259:** Re-layout `telemetry-live-ops.mmd` from `flowchart TB` →
+  `flowchart LR`; re-render PNG at 2x transparent.
+- **REQ-260:** Re-layout `platform-pipeline.mmd` to 2-row subgraph wrap;
+  re-render PNG at 2x transparent.
+- **REQ-261:** Trim/split 8 overflowing slides (3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 15,
+  A1) + remove redundant `header:` from frontmatter.
+- **REQ-262:** Re-render HTML + PPTX + add layout/aspect-ratio/theme-
+  structural tests.
+
+## v1.23 — Nova Deck Cleanup & Python PPTX
+
+> **Active milestone.** NFR (docs/render/test only; no features).
+> Branch: `milestone/v1.23-deck-cleanup-python-pptx`. Tags run on the
+> **v1.22.x** patch line: `v1.22.0` (P0) → `v1.22.1..v1.22.5` (P1–P5) →
+> `v1.22.6` (P6 final = milestone release).
+
+Driven by user feedback that the deck looked "out of whack" and the
+desire to return to the clean, well-formatted style of the old
+`the-developer-experience.html`. Investigation revealed the "clean"
+reference was itself MARP output (using Marp's built-in `default` theme
++ an inline `style:` block); the current deck's standalone
+`nova-sp-theme.css` re-derives all base spacing from scratch and had a
+zero-padding bug (fixed in v1.22, but the standalone approach is
+fragile). The milestone delivers:
+
+- **Single-document consolidation** — `*-marp.md` becomes the sole
+  source of truth; the plain `.md` is deleted; speaker notes + talking
+  points are embedded as Marp HTML comments.
+- **Clean style restoration** — revert to `theme: default` + inline
+  `style:` block (S&P palette); `nova-sp-theme.css` retained as a
+  reference, retired from render.
+- **Self-contained HTML** — base64-inline all images for
+  redistribution.
+- **Parallel python-pptx generator** — structured, editable, S&P-themed
+  PPTX alongside the MARP image-of-slide PPTX.
+- **Targeted word-count trim** + removal of the previously-used loaded scope term.
+
+**Phase count:** 7 (P0 pre-execution + 5 execution + 1 final).
+
+**Hard constraints:**
+- DO NOT change the deck narrative or the 4-beat arc (Problem → Solution
+  → Proof → Roadmap + Ask) — only trim word count.
+- DO NOT re-introduce badges, version strings, or internal citations.
+- DO NOT remove MARP — it stays for HTML + PPTX; python-pptx runs in
+  parallel.
+- `nova-sp-theme.css` is retained (not deleted) as a styling reference.
+
+### Requirements
+
+New requirements REQ-263..REQ-275 — see `REQUIREMENTS.md` §v1.23.
+Summary: consolidation (REQ-263,264), style restoration (REQ-265,266,267),
+image inlining (REQ-268), python-pptx generator (REQ-269,270), word-count
+trim + loaded-scope-term removal (REQ-271,272), CI/tests/README (REQ-273,274,275).

.ciagent/REQUIREMENTS.md

@@ -1707,12 +1707,492 @@ release; attach the PPTX.
 
 | REQ | Phase | Status |
 |-----|-------|--------|
-| REQ-245 | P2 | pending |
-| REQ-246 | P1 | pending |
-| REQ-247 | P1 | pending |
-| REQ-248 | P2 | pending |
-| REQ-249 | P2 | pending |
-| REQ-250 | P4 | pending |
-| REQ-251 | P3 | pending |
-| REQ-252 | P2 | pending |
-| REQ-253 | P5 | pending |
+| REQ-245 | P2 | complete |
+| REQ-246 | P1 | complete |
+| REQ-247 | P1 | complete |
+| REQ-248 | P2 | complete |
+| REQ-249 | P2 | complete |
+| REQ-250 | P4 | complete |
+| REQ-251 | P3 | complete |
+| REQ-252 | P2 | complete |
+| REQ-253 | P5 | complete |
+
+## v1.22 — Nova Deck Layout Fix
+
+> Fixes the systemic layout/formatting problems in the Nova presentation
+> deck that made every slide look "out of whack" after the v1.21 P5
+> re-render. Root cause (per investigation): `nova-sp-theme.css` has zero
+> `section` padding (it declares `/* @theme nova-sp */` as a comment, not
+> the `@theme` directive, and does not `@import` Marp's default theme, so
+> Marp's default `section { padding: 56px 64px }` never applies). Combined
+> with `overflow:hidden` (silent clip), a blunt `img { max-height: 320px }`
+> rule, header+footer chrome on every slide, and two new P5 diagrams with
+> extreme aspect ratios (13.52× and 0.63×), 8 of 19 slides overflow and
+> the rest look jammed against the edges. This is NOT a P5 regression —
+> the theme CSS is byte-identical between P3 and P5; P5's denser content
+> made the pre-existing theme flaws visible.
+>
+> Comprehensive fix across four layers: theme CSS, render scripts, mermaid
+> diagrams, deck content. Adds the layout/aspect-ratio/theme-structural
+> tests that were missing (the gap that let this through).
+>
+> Tags run on the v1.21.x line (milestone v1.22 → tags v1.21.0, v1.21.1, …).
+
+### REQ-254 — Theme CSS: section padding + overflow handling
+
+`docs/presentations/assets/nova-sp-theme.css` adds a `section` padding
+rule so content is not jammed against the slide edges. The padding
+reserves space for the header (top) and footer (bottom) chrome: e.g.
+`section { padding: 48px 56px 40px; }`. The theme also adds explicit
+overflow handling on `section` so dense content is not silently clipped
+by the marpit base `overflow:hidden` — either `overflow: auto` as an
+authoring-time signal, or a documented shrink-to-fit rule. The fix does
+NOT re-introduce Marp's default theme via `@import` (the theme remains
+standalone); it explicitly sets the padding the default would have
+provided.
+
+### REQ-255 — Theme CSS: aspect-ratio-aware image rules
+
+The blunt `img { max-height: 320px }` rule is replaced with an
+aspect-ratio-aware rule that does not break the Marp `w:`/`h:` directives:
+`img { max-width: 100%; max-height: 380px; object-fit: contain; }`. A
+`.wide` / `.tall` class convention is added for diagrams (wide diagrams:
+`max-height: 280px`; tall diagrams: `max-height: 480px`) so authors can
+opt into the right bound per diagram instead of fighting a single blunt
+rule. The `w:900` directive on a tall image (slide 9) no longer gets
+silently overridden by `max-height`.
+
+### REQ-256 — Theme CSS: title-slide chrome + spacing tightening
+
+- `section.title header, section.title footer { display: none; }` — the
+  title slide and appendix slide no longer render header/footer chrome
+  that collides with content (the `<!-- _class: title -->` +
+  `<!-- _paginate: false -->` directives only suppress the page number,
+  not the chrome).
+- `section h2 + p { margin-top: 0.2em; }` — tightens the spacing between
+  the `## Slide N — Title` heading and the bold lead paragraph that
+  follows it on every content slide (reclaims ~22px per slide).
+- `section p { margin: 0.4em 0; }` — reduces default `<p>` margins
+  (~1em top/bottom) that waste vertical space on dense slides.
+- `ol` styling added (matches `ul`/`li`).
+- Table cell padding reduced to `4px 8px` for tables with ≥8 rows (via
+  a `table.dense` class or a `:nth-child` heuristic) so 10-13 row tables
+  (slides 8, 12, A1) fit.
+- `@media print` overrides added for PPTX export fidelity.
+
+### REQ-257 — Render scripts: delete render_deck.sh + pin CLI versions
+
+`scripts/render_deck.sh` is **deleted** (it omits `--theme`, relying on
+the frontmatter `theme: nova-sp` which Marp cannot resolve as a custom
+theme without `--theme-set` — it falls back to the default theme,
+producing unthemed output). The README already documents
+`render_slides.sh` as the canonical script. Both `render_slides.sh` and
+the deleted `render_deck.sh` references are removed from any docs/tests.
+`render_slides.sh` pins marp-cli and mermaid-cli to specific versions
+(replace `@latest` with pinned versions) to prevent uncontrolled
+boilerplate-CSS drift like the P3→P5 HTML diff.
+
+### REQ-258 — render_slides.sh: 2x scale + transparent bg for mermaid
+
+The mermaid-cli invocation in `scripts/render_slides.sh` (lines 51-55)
+adds `-s 2 -b transparent` to match the README spec (line 193). This
+produces crisp 2x PNGs with transparent backgrounds instead of the
+current 1x renders (e.g. `platform-pipeline.png` is only 1568px wide
+instead of the 3136px a 2x render would produce).
+
+### REQ-259 — Re-layout telemetry-live-ops.mmd to LR
+
+`docs/presentations/assets/mmd/telemetry-live-ops.mmd` is rewritten from
+`flowchart TB` (top-bottom, produced a 1024×1628 PNG — aspect 0.63, tall)
+to `flowchart LR` (left-right) with subgraph row-wrapping per the README
+convention (line 168). The re-rendered PNG (at 2x transparent, per
+REQ-258) has an aspect ratio in [1.2, 2.5] suitable for a 16:9 slide.
+The Marp deck's `![w:900]` directive on slide 9 is updated to match the
+new dimensions (or replaced with `![h:320]` if the diagram remains
+taller than wide after re-layout).
+
+### REQ-260 — Re-layout platform-pipeline.mmd to 2-row wrap
+
+`docs/presentations/assets/mmd/platform-pipeline.mmd` is rewritten to
+wrap the 10-node LR chain into 2 rows via mermaid subgraphs (or split
+into two stages: static-scan row + runtime-scan row). The current
+1568×116 PNG (aspect 13.52, ultra-wide/short) renders as a 1000×74px
+thin strip at `![w:1000]` — node text is illegible. The re-rendered
+PNG (at 2x transparent) has an aspect ratio in [1.2, 2.5] suitable for
+a 16:9 slide.
+
+### REQ-261 — Trim/split 8 overflowing slides + remove redundant header
+
+The 8 slides identified as overflowing 720px are trimmed or split:
+- **Slide 3** (Objectives + Anti-Goals): split into Slide 3a (4
+  objectives) + Slide 3b (4 anti-goals). Main slide count 18 → 19.
+- **Slide 5** (RACI): apply `table.dense` class (from REQ-256) to
+  reduce cell padding; keep 8 rows.
+- **Slide 6** (Pipeline): reduce to 3 bullets (the 4th is covered by
+  the diagram, now legible after REQ-260).
+- **Slide 8** (Attestation Matrix): split into Slide 8a (qa concerns,
+  3 rows) + Slide 8b (prod/dr concerns, 7 rows). Main slide count
+  19 → 20.
+- **Slide 9** (Telemetry): reduce to 3 bullets; image now legible
+  after REQ-259.
+- **Slide 12** (Deferred): reduce to 6 rows (merge the 3 "Live AWS
+  re-provisioning" blockers into one row).
+- **Slide 15** (Quarter-by-Quarter): drop the "Grounding" column
+  (redundant with the strategic objectives); 4 columns fit better.
+- **Appendix A1** (Glossary): apply `table.dense` class (16px font);
+  keep 13 rows.
+
+The Marp frontmatter `header:` line is removed (keep `footer:` +
+`paginate: true` only). The full 51-char deck title in BOTH header and
+footer on every slide is redundant chrome that eats vertical space;
+the footer alone suffices. The title slide and appendix already use
+`<!-- _class: title -->` which (after REQ-256) suppresses chrome.
+
+The talking-points file is re-distilled to match the new slide
+structure (20 main + 1 appendix). The README "18 main + 1 appendix"
+convention (line 130) and `test_marp_deck_slide_count` are updated to
+assert 20 main + 1 appendix.
+
+### REQ-262 — Re-render HTML + PPTX + add layout/aspect-ratio tests
+
+- Run `bash scripts/render_slides.sh nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery` →
+  re-render all mermaid PNGs (2x transparent) + HTML + PPTX. Verify
+  slide count (20 main + 1 appendix = 21) and media embedding.
+- Add tests to `tests/test_slides_pipeline.py`:
+  - `test_theme_css_has_section_padding` — assert `section` rule
+    contains `padding`.
+  - `test_theme_css_suppresses_title_chrome` — assert
+    `section.title header` / `section.title footer` `display: none`.
+  - `test_png_aspect_ratios_sane` — for every PNG in `assets/png/`,
+    assert aspect ratio ∈ [1.2, 2.5] (catches the 13.52× and 0.63×
+    outliers).
+  - `test_render_slides_has_2x_scale` — assert `render_slides.sh`
+    contains `-s 2` and `-b transparent`.
+  - `test_render_deck_removed` — assert `render_deck.sh` does not
+    exist.
+  - `test_html_embeds_theme` — assert committed HTML contains
+    `--sp-red` and `padding` in the inline `<style>`.
+  - `test_html_slide_count_matches_marp` — parse HTML `<section>`
+    count == marp deck slide count.
+- Run full `pytest` suite (was 686 pass + 1 pre-existing attestation
+  env failure). `run_platform.sh --check-only` exits 0.
+- Milestone ship: tag the final phase on the v1.21.x line; create a
+  release; attach the PPTX.
+
+### Out of Scope (v1.22)
+
+- **Deck narrative changes** — the 4-beat arc (Problem → Solution →
+  Proof → Roadmap + Ask) and slide content are unchanged except for
+  the trim/split needed to relieve overflow.
+- **Re-introduction of badges, version strings, or internal citations**
+  — v1.21 removed these; v1.22 does not re-add them.
+- **Live pilot estate activation** — still deferred.
+- **ML anomaly-forecasting service** — still deferred.
+- **Multi-cloud (Azure/GCP) implementation** — still deferred.
+- **Tamper-evident ledger (S3 Object Lock + JWS)** — still deferred.
+
+### v1.22 Traceability
+
+| REQ | Phase | Status |
+|-----|-------|--------|
+| REQ-254 | P1 | complete |
+| REQ-255 | P1 | complete |
+| REQ-256 | P1 | complete |
+| REQ-257 | P2 | complete |
+| REQ-258 | P2 | complete |
+| REQ-259 | P3 | complete |
+| REQ-260 | P3 | complete |
+| REQ-261 | P4 | complete |
+| REQ-262 | P5 | complete |
+
+## v1.23 — Nova Deck Cleanup & Python PPTX
+
+> **NFR milestone** (docs/render/test only; no features). Tags run on the
+> **v1.22.x** line (milestone v1.23 → tags v1.22.0..v1.22.6). Final patch
+> `v1.22.6` = milestone release.
+>
+> Consolidates the deck to a single source-of-truth markdown document,
+> restores the clean S&P visual style (Marp `default` theme + inline
+> `style:` block, matching the old `the-developer-experience.html`),
+> embeds images as base64 in the HTML for redistribution, builds a
+> parallel structured python-pptx PPTX generator, and trims verbose
+> slides. `nova-sp-theme.css` is retained as a styling reference but
+> retired from the render path.
+
+### Category: Consolidate Docs
+- **REQ-263:** `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-marp.md` becomes the sole
+  source of truth. Speaker notes + talking points from the plain `.md`
+  are folded into the deck as Marp HTML comments (`<!-- Speaker notes:
+  ... -->`, `<!-- Talking points: ... -->`). The plain
+  `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.md` is deleted.
+- **REQ-264:** `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-talking-points.md` is kept
+  as a standalone presenter aid, synced from the deck's `<!-- Talking
+  points: -->` comments. Header note documents the mirror relationship.
+
+### Category: Restore Clean Style
+- **REQ-265:** Revert deck frontmatter `theme: nova-sp` → `theme:
+  default` and add an inline `style:` block porting the S&P visual
+  language (palette #D6002A/#1B1B1B, Akkurat Pro font, black title slide
+  with red top border, tables, blockquotes, code, aspect-ratio-aware
+  images). Keep current structure (H2 + bold-lead, no header, no badges).
+- **REQ-266:** `nova-sp-theme.css` is retained as a styling reference
+  (header comment documents its retired status). `render_slides.sh`
+  drops the `--theme "$THEME_CSS"` argument; the inline `style:` block in
+  frontmatter is the sole styling source at render time.
+- **REQ-267:** Benefit callouts on every slide are restyled: the
+  `**Benefit:**` prefix is removed; the callout becomes a styled
+  element (red top-rule + black italic text; white on title slides)
+  using a `.benefit` class in the inline style block.
+
+### Category: Inline Images
+- **REQ-268:** New `scripts/inline_images.py` (stdlib only: `base64`,
+  `re`, `mimetypes`) post-processes the rendered HTML: finds all
+  `<img src="assets/...">` relative paths, replaces each `src` with a
+  `data:image/<mime>;base64,...` URI. HTML becomes self-contained
+  (redistributable without the `assets/` folder). `render_slides.sh`
+  invokes it after the MARP HTML render, before staging.
+
+### Category: Python PPTX Generator
+- **REQ-269:** New `scripts/render_pptx.py` parses the consolidated
+  `*-marp.md` and produces a structured, editable, S&P-themed PPTX
+  (`nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-python.pptx`) using `python-pptx`.
+  16:9 slides; title slide (black bg, red top bar, white H1); content
+  slides (red H2 title, bold lead, bullets, blockquote, embedded PNGs,
+  native PPTX tables, benefit callouts). HTML-comment speaker
+  notes/talking points are skipped. `python-pptx` added to
+  `pyproject.toml`. `render_slides.sh` invokes it as a new step.
+- **REQ-270:** Both PPTX outputs (MARP image-of-slide + python
+  structured) are produced by `render_slides.sh` and staged. CI
+  workflows install `python-pptx` and commit both. `attach_release_asset.py`
+  attaches both to the release.
+
+### Category: Trim Word Count
+- **REQ-271:** Targeted word-count trim on ~8 verbose slides (1, 5, 7,
+  8, 13, 14, 20, plus the appendix) — ~20-30% reduction on trimmed
+  slides. Tables and short slides are untouched. The spirit of each
+  slide is preserved.
+- **REQ-272:** The term "penetrate" (and derivatives) is removed from
+  all presentation files. Slide 5's "Nova never penetrates it" phrase is
+  removed with no replacement (slide 4 Anti-Goals already excludes the
+  PDLC from scope). `grep -ri penetrat docs/presentations/` returns
+  nothing.
+
+### Category: CI, Tests, README
+- **REQ-273:** CI workflows (`workflows-src/slides.yml` + synced
+  `.github`/`.gitea` copies) install `python-pptx`, run `render_slides.sh`
+  (which produces HTML + both PPTX + inlined images), and commit all
+  rendered artifacts. README documents the new pipeline.
+- **REQ-274:** `tests/test_slides_pipeline.py` is updated for the
+  consolidated doc (no plain `.md`), default theme + inline style
+  assertions (S&P visual properties, not theme filename),
+  `nova-sp-theme.css` retained-as-reference assertion, image-inlining
+  assertions (zero `src="assets/` references, ≥1 base64 per image),
+  python-pptx output existence, benefit callout class, "penetrate"
+  absence. New `tests/test_pptx_generator.py` asserts slide count, title
+  colors, table rendering, image embedding.
+- **REQ-275:** `docs/presentations/README.md` is rewritten to document
+  the single-document process (author `*-marp.md` → render HTML + both
+  PPTX → talking points mirrored), inline `style:` approach,
+  `nova-sp-theme.css` reference status, image inlining, and dual PPTX
+  output.
+
+### Out of Scope (v1.23)
+
+- **Deck narrative / 4-beat arc changes** — the Problem → Solution →
+  Proof → Roadmap + Ask structure is unchanged; only word count is
+  trimmed.
+- **Re-introduction of badges, version strings, or internal citations**
+  — v1.21 removed these; v1.23 does not re-add them.
+- **Removal of MARP** — MARP stays for HTML + PPTX; python-pptx runs in
+  parallel for comparison.
+- **Removal of orphaned `developer-experience-*` assets** — deferred to
+  a future cleanup phase (optional in v1.23 Phase 6 only if time
+  permits).
+- **Mermaid render scoping** — the mermaid render step continues to
+  render all `.mmd` files; scoping to referenced-only is deferred.
+
+### v1.23 Traceability
+
+| REQ | Phase | Status |
+|-----|-------|--------|
+| REQ-263 | P1 | complete |
+| REQ-264 | P1 | complete |
+| REQ-265 | P2 | complete |
+| REQ-266 | P2 | complete |
+| REQ-267 | P2 | complete |
+| REQ-268 | P3a | complete |
+| REQ-269 | P3b | complete |
+| REQ-270 | P3b | complete |
+| REQ-271 | P4 | complete |
+| REQ-272 | P4 | complete |
+| REQ-273 | P5 | complete |
+| REQ-274 | P5 | complete |
+| REQ-275 | P5 | complete |
+
+## v1.24 — Consumer Guide Accuracy & Env-Promotion Lifecycle Enforcement
+
+> **Feature milestone** (one `feat` phase: env-transition destroy enforcement;
+> the rest are `fix`/`docs`/`test`). Tags run on the **v1.23.x** line
+> (milestone v1.24 → tags v1.23.0..v1.23.N). Final patch = milestone release.
+>
+> Two problems, one milestone:
+> 1. **Consumer guide accuracy.** A review of `docs/consumer-guide.md`
+>    found 5 issues: (a) Step 8 tells consumers to change `environment:` in
+>    their contract to promote, which (b) contradicts the same doc's
+>    "Per-environment deployment" section (lines 396-477) that says
+>    "promotion-without-editing," (c) the Step 3 contract-fields table
+>    lists stale fields (`uses`, `module`) that no longer exist in the
+>    schema (real fields: `id`, `name`, `environment`, `infrastructure`),
+>    (d) Step 4 caller example is inconsistent with Step 2, and (e) Step 5
+>    stage 8 says "(dev only)" when higher envs do apply after attestation.
+> 2. **Environment-promotion lifecycle enforcement.** When a consumer
+>    edits `environment:` on a stable `contract.id` (Shape A promotion),
+>    the Terraform state key
+>    `spike/{stack_name}/{environment}/terraform.tfstate` (adapter.py:129)
+>    changes — creating a fresh state file in the new env while the prior
+>    env's resources remain live in AWS with no destroy ever running. This
+>    **orphans resources** and violates the platform's full-lifecycle-
+>    management mission. The platform must detect the env change and
+>    destroy the prior env's resources before building the new env. There
+>    must be **no path that orphans resources** — fail closed if the
+>    destroy fails.
+>
+> The per-environment caller-workflow path (Shape B: one caller workflow
+> per env, `environment` passed as a workflow input) remains a fully
+> supported alternative with no destroy needed (each env has its own state
+> from day one). Both shapes are documented.
+
+### Category: Consumer Guide Fixes (docs)
+- **REQ-276:** `docs/consumer-guide.md` Step 3 "Contract fields" table is
+  corrected to list the real schema-enforced fields: `id`, `name`,
+  `environment`, `infrastructure` (matching `schemas/contract.schema.json`
+  `required` and the worked examples). The stale `uses` and `module` rows
+  are removed. The `uses` row's note about versioned tags moves to the
+  Step 2 caller-workflow section (where the version pin actually lives).
+- **REQ-277:** `docs/consumer-guide.md` Step 4 caller workflow example is
+  made consistent with Step 2 — both show `environment` in `with:` or both
+  omit it with a "dev is the default" note. The two canonical caller
+  snippets no longer disagree.
+- **REQ-278:** `docs/consumer-guide.md` Step 5 stage 8 "(dev only)" is
+  corrected to "(autonomous in dev; higher environments apply after HITL
+  attestation)" to match `docs/environments/index.md` autonomy table.
+- **REQ-279:** `docs/consumer-guide.md` Step 8 "Promote to qa / prod" is
+  rewritten. It documents that editing `environment:` on a stable
+  `contract.id` (Shape A) **is a supported promotion path** and that the
+  platform **destroys the prior environment's resources before building
+  the new environment** — there is no orphan path; if the destroy fails,
+  the pipeline fails closed. It includes the worked qa example with a
+  note: "Changing `environment: dev` → `environment: qa` triggers a
+  destroy of the dev stack (state key `spike/{id}/dev/`) then an apply
+  against the qa stack (state key `spike/{id}/qa/`). Both emit evidence
+  events." It cross-references the "Per-environment deployment" section
+  (Shape B) as the alternative.
+- **REQ-280:** `docs/consumer-guide.md` "Per-environment deployment"
+  section (lines 396-477) gains a lead sentence clarifying it is **Shape
+  B** (the alternative to Shape A's edit-and-destroy path in Step 8), and
+  that it avoids the destroy step because each env has its own state from
+  first deploy. The existing table, interpolation reference, and HITL
+  gate docs are preserved.
+- **REQ-281:** `docs/consumer-guide.md` Reference table "sample contracts
+  use `@v1.19`" wording is corrected — the sample contracts no longer
+  carry `uses:` (the version pin lives in the caller workflow). Reword to
+  "used with caller workflow `@v1.19`" or the current tag.
+
+### Category: Env-Transition Detect-and-Destroy (feat)
+- **REQ-282:** New module `core/env_transition.py` provides:
+  `detect_prior_env(contract_id, consumer_repo, new_env) -> Optional[str]`
+  — queries the `nova-contracts` DynamoDB table (PK `consumerRepo`, SK
+  `contractId#submittedAt`, written by `core/lambda/contract_ingestor.py`)
+  for the last-applied environment for this consumer+contract. Returns
+  the prior env name if it differs from `new_env`, else `None`. Failures
+  to reach DynamoDB log a warning and return `None` (conservative — Shape
+  B legitimately has no prior record). Uses boto3 with the ABAC-scoped
+  deploy role; respects `core/env.py` for config.
+- **REQ-283:** `core/env_transition.py` provides
+  `record_applied_env(contract_id, consumer_repo, env)` — called after a
+  successful apply to upsert the last-applied env record in the
+  `nova-contracts` table (SK suffix `#LAST_APPLIED`). Idempotent.
+- **REQ-284:** `scripts/run_platform.sh` gains a new **Step 0b:
+  environment-transition check** (after Step 0 env onboarding, before
+  Step 1 contract validation). It reads `CONTRACT_ID` + `CONSUMER_REPO`
+  (from `GITHUB_REPOSITORY` / `NOVA_CONSUMER_REPO`), calls
+  `env_transition.py detect`, and if a prior env is returned that differs
+  from the new env: (a) re-resolves the contract with
+  `environment_override=$PRIOR_ENV` to emit the prior TF config + state
+  backend; (b) runs `terraform init -reconfigure` + `terraform destroy
+  -auto-approve` against the prior env's state key
+  (`spike/{id}/{prior_env}/terraform.tfstate`); (c) emits a
+  `nova.env.destroyed` evidence event via `core/outbox_writer.py`; (d)
+  **fails closed** — if the destroy exits non-zero, the pipeline exits
+  non-zero and no apply runs (no orphan path). If no prior env exists
+  (first deploy or Shape B), proceeds normally.
+- **REQ-285:** `scripts/run_platform.sh` records the applied env after a
+  successful apply (calls `env_transition.py record` with the resolved
+  env). This is the source of truth for the next run's detect step.
+- **REQ-286:** `.github/workflows/deploy.yml` passes
+  `NOVA_CONSUMER_REPO=${{ github.repository }}` to `run_platform.sh` so
+  `env_transition.py` can query DynamoDB with the correct PK.
+- **REQ-287:** `adapters/terraform/adapter.py` state-key block
+  (lines 127-133) gains a doc comment clarifying the key
+  `spike/{stack_name}/{environment}/terraform.tfstate` is **env-scoped
+  precisely to support destroy-on-env-change** — the env segment lets the
+  detect-and-destroy step target the prior env's state without affecting
+  the new env. No behavior change.
+
+### Category: Tests (test)
+- **REQ-288:** `tests/test_env_transition.py` covers:
+  `detect_prior_env` returns `None` when no record exists (first deploy);
+  returns the prior env when a record exists and differs; returns `None`
+  when the record matches `new_env` (re-apply same env);
+  `record_applied_env` writes the record. Uses moto for DynamoDB mocking
+  (pattern from `tests/test_contract_ingestor.py`).
+- **REQ-289:** `tests/test_run_platform_env_transition.py` asserts:
+  `run_platform.sh` has a "Step 0b: environment-transition check" block;
+  it calls `env_transition.py detect`; it calls `terraform destroy`
+  against the prior env when a transition is detected; it fails closed on
+  destroy failure (no apply runs); it records the applied env after a
+  successful apply. Pattern: `tests/test_pipeline.py:79-95` (read the
+  script text + assert substrings).
+- **REQ-290:** `tests/test_consumer_guide_per_env_section.py`
+  `test_consumer_guide_states_no_field_editing` is renamed to
+  `test_consumer_guide_documents_both_promotion_shapes` and asserts both
+  shapes are present (Shape A: edit environment with destroy semantics;
+  Shape B: per-environment caller workflows). The other 5 assertions in
+  the file are preserved. A new test
+  `test_consumer_guide_documents_destroy_on_env_change` asserts the guide
+  states the platform destroys the prior env's resources when the
+  environment field is changed and that there is no orphan path.
+
+### Out of Scope (v1.24)
+- **Cross-account destroy.** If the prior and new envs are in different
+  AWS accounts (per `docs/environments/index.md`), the destroy step needs
+  the prior env's role credentials. The current scaffold
+  (`core/environments/dev.json`) uses one account. Cross-account destroy
+  is deferred to a future milestone; v1.24 targets the same-account case
+  and documents the cross-account limitation.
+- **Decommission pipeline integration.** The env-transition destroy is a
+  direct `terraform destroy` (not the 2-step HITL decommission). The
+  decommission pipeline remains for explicit stack teardown with SRE
+  gates; env-transition is an automated lifecycle step.
+- **Removing Shape B.** Both shapes stay supported. Shape B is not
+  deprecated.
+
+### v1.24 Traceability
+
+| REQ | Phase | Status |
+|-----|-------|--------|
+| REQ-276 | P1 | pending |
+| REQ-277 | P1 | pending |
+| REQ-278 | P1 | pending |
+| REQ-279 | P1 | pending |
+| REQ-280 | P1 | pending |
+| REQ-281 | P1 | pending |
+| REQ-282 | P2 | pending |
+| REQ-283 | P2 | pending |
+| REQ-284 | P2 | pending |
+| REQ-285 | P2 | pending |
+| REQ-286 | P2 | pending |
+| REQ-287 | P2 | pending |
+| REQ-288 | P3 | pending |
+| REQ-289 | P3 | pending |
+| REQ-290 | P3 | pending |

.ciagent/ROADMAP.md

@@ -28,6 +28,8 @@
 - **v1.13.1 (complete, tag `v1.13.1`):** config.json schema migration — regenerate `.ciagent/config.json` to the updated CIAgent v2 config structure (drop removed fields, migrate `gitea`→`release.gitea`, add `secrets`/`ship`/`backend`/`ideation`/`personas`/`logging`/`telemetry` sections). Code review: 0 P0, 2 P1/P2 auto-fixed. Docs-only NFR patch (no code changes). Gitea release id 253.
 - **v1.13.2 (complete, tag `v1.13.2`):** presentation badge cleanup + platform architecture diagram — removed all `testing`/`agentic` maturity badges from both decks (only `planned` retained); added a new Slide 3 "The platform at a glance" with a shared high-level logical architecture diagram (consumer surfaces → contract → central pipeline → cross-cutting components → AWS) to both decks; renumbered subsequent slides 4–11; synced talking points + README. Docs-only NFR patch (no code changes).
 - **v1.0 demo URL:** https://git.cloudinit.dev/continuous-intelligence/acdl-evidence/raw/branch/main/index.html
+- **v1.23 (complete, tag `v1.22.6`):** Nova Deck Cleanup & Python PPTX — consolidated the deck to a single source-of-truth `*-marp.md` (deleted the plain `.md`; speaker notes + talking points embedded as Marp HTML comments); restored the clean S&P visual style (Marp `default` theme + inline `style:` block, matching the old `the-developer-experience.html`); retired `nova-sp-theme.css` from the render path (kept as reference); base64-inlined all images in the HTML for redistribution (`scripts/inline_images.py`); built a parallel structured editable S&P-themed PPTX generator (`scripts/render_pptx.py` via `python-pptx`); restyled benefit callouts (`<div class="benefit">`); targeted ~20-30% word-count trim on 8 verbose slides; removed the term "penetrate" repo-wide. 13 requirements (REQ-263..275), 6 phases. 43 tests pass.
+- **v1.24 (active):** Consumer Guide Accuracy & Env-Promotion Lifecycle Enforcement — fixes 5 consumer-guide accuracy issues (stale contract-fields table, inconsistent caller examples, misleading "dev only" apply phrasing, Step 8 promotion contradicts the per-env section, stale `@v1.19` reference wording) and adds platform-enforced destroy-on-environment-change: when a consumer edits `environment:` on a stable `contract.id` (Shape A promotion), the platform detects the change via the `nova-contracts` DynamoDB table, destroys the prior env's Terraform state (`spike/{id}/{prior_env}/`) before building the new env, and fails closed if the destroy fails (no orphan path). The per-environment caller-workflow path (Shape B) remains supported. New `core/env_transition.py` module. 15 requirements (REQ-276..290), 4 phases. Feature milestone; tags on v1.23.x line.
 
 ---
 
@@ -1892,3 +1894,265 @@ release). **DONE.**
   - Milestone branches merged to main.
   - Tag `v1.19.4` created; release notes summarize all 15 requirements.
   - CHECKPOINT cleared; milestone branches deleted.
+
+## v1.21 — Nova Deck Refinement & Pipeline Hardening (complete)
+
+> Leadership-deck refinement based on 33 review notes on the v1.20 deck.
+> Renamed the deck to the professional "Autonomous Cloud Delivery
+> Platform" framing; restructured the narrative (Problem → Solution →
+> Proof → Roadmap + Ask); removed internal provenance from
+> audience-facing slides; hardened the policy pipeline (Checkov before
+> plan, Wiz-or-Checkov on plan); moved the strategic integration
+> objective into the North Star.
+>
+> Tags run on the v1.20.x line (milestone v1.21 → tags v1.20.0..v1.20.6).
+> Flat workflow: commits on main, tags per phase.
+
+### Phase P0 — pre-execution (complete, tag v1.20.0)
+- SPECIFY → CLARIFY → RESEARCH → PLAN. Validated v1.21 requirements
+  (REQ-245..253). Established `active_milestone: "v1.21"`. Synced
+  PROJECT.md strategic-direction pillar.
+
+### Phase P1 — strategic-docs (complete, tag v1.20.1)
+- `git mv .ciagent/NO_HUMANS_THESIS.md .ciagent/AUTONOMY_THESIS.md` +
+  reframe content (autonomy in operations, not "removing humans").
+- `NORTH_STAR.md`: vision polished ("invisible" → "visible"); obj #2
+  deterministic-scoring reword; obj #3 four CTO metrics; obj #4 replaced
+  with integration objective; drop anti-goals 1,4,5; add 2 new
+  anti-goals; anti-goal #3 reworded.
+- `docs/raci.md`: 3 roles → 4 roles (add Quality Engineering; rename
+  Release Mgmt → SRE; split release attestation).
+- `docs/scope.md` + render scripts + ONBOARDING: integration framing +
+  "no-humans" → "autonomous".
+
+### Phase P2 — slides source-of-truth (complete, tag v1.20.2)
+- `git mv` all 5 deck files `nova-no-humans-platform*` →
+  `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery*`.
+- Rewrote source of truth to 18 main + 1 appendix slides, 4-beat arc.
+  All 33 review notes applied. Removed: old Slide 10 (Capability
+  Health), old Slide 12 (Zero-Touch), Appendix A2 (Operating Model &
+  Cost). Global: tech-leadership benefits; no D-###/REQ-###/.py paths in
+  audience slides; no badges; no version in footer.
+
+### Phase P3 — marp deck + talking points + README (complete, tag v1.20.3)
+- Synthesized Marp deck from updated source; frontmatter — title
+  "Nova — The Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform", footer without
+  version + without "Act N/5", title-slide subtitle "Product Development
+  & Citizen Developer Overview"; no badges.
+- Re-distilled talking points to 18-slide + A1 structure.
+- README updated (deck title, audience, slide count, directory layout,
+  no badge docs).
+- Theme CSS: fixed Appendix A1 table readability (explicit white body
+  on any background).
+- Tests: added v1.21 assertions (no badges, no version, 18+1 slides, no
+  D-###/REQ-###/.py paths, old files removed, default deck renamed).
+
+### Phase P4 — pipeline hardening (complete, tag v1.20.4)
+- Two-stage policy scan (REQ-250): Checkov on static code BEFORE plan
+  (fail-fast); Wiz-or-Checkov on the plan AFTER plan (never both).
+  Implemented in run_platform.sh + run_codegen.sh + run_postapply.sh.
+- `adapters/wiz/wiz_adapter.py`: added --plan mode CLI.
+- `pipelines/contract.yml`: 'checkov' stage replaced by 'checkov-static'
+  (before terraform-plan) + 'runtime-policy-scan' (after). 9 → 10 stages.
+- Tests updated; full suite 686 pass + 1 pre-existing attestation
+  failure (unrelated env issue).
+
+### Phase P5 — render + verify (complete, tag v1.20.5)
+- New mermaid diagrams: platform-pipeline.mmd/.png (slide 6),
+  telemetry-live-ops.mmd/.png (slide 9).
+- Re-rendered HTML + PPTX (20 slides, 21 media files).
+- Verify: 101 v1.21-specific tests pass; 686 full suite pass;
+  check-only pipeline exit 0; no no-humans/D-###/REQ-###/badge in
+  audience-facing deck files.
+
+### Phase P6 — final-review-ship (Final Phase, complete, tag v1.20.6)
+- Multi-file audit: git log matches `.ciagent/` discipline; deck files
+  renamed; forbidden content absent from audience-facing slides.
+- Ship: tag `v1.20.6` (final patch = milestone release). Requirements
+  marked complete; ROADMAP marked complete; CHECKPOINT cleared.
+- **Requirements:** REQ-245..253 (9 requirements, all complete).
+
+## v1.22 — Nova Deck Layout Fix (complete)
+
+> Fixes the systemic layout/formatting problems in the Nova presentation
+> deck that made every slide look "out of whack" after the v1.21 P5
+> re-render. Root cause (per investigation): `nova-sp-theme.css` had
+> zero `section` padding (declared `/* @theme nova-sp */` as a comment,
+> not the `@theme` directive; did not `@import` Marp's default theme).
+> Combined with `overflow:hidden`, a blunt `img { max-height: 320px }`,
+> header+footer chrome on every slide, and two P5 diagrams with extreme
+> aspect ratios (13.52× and 0.63×), 8 of 19 slides overflowed.
+>
+> Tags run on the v1.21.x line (milestone v1.22 → tags v1.21.0..v1.21.6).
+
+### Phase P0 — pre-execution (complete, tag v1.21.0)
+- SPECIFY → CLARIFY → RESEARCH → PLAN → GRILL. Validated v1.22
+  requirements (REQ-254..262). 8 research findings persisted to
+  RESEARCH.md. 5 CLARIFY decisions auto-resolved (comprehensive scope,
+  full pipeline, re-layout to LR, delete render_deck.sh, split slides
+  3+8). Persona roster: 2 active (lead-developer + backend-engineer),
+  2 deactivated (frontend + data). Grill: PROCEED-WITH-REVISIONS
+  (3 revisions: aspect-ratio test scoped to deck PNGs, @import
+  rejection documented, marp version pinning fallback).
+
+### Phase P1 — theme-css (complete, tag v1.21.1)
+- REQ-254: `section { padding: 48px 56px 40px; overflow: auto; }` —
+  root cause fix (zero padding was why every slide looked jammed
+  against the edges).
+- REQ-255: `img { max-width: 100%; max-height: 380px; object-fit:
+  contain; }` + `.wide`/`.tall` classes — replaced blunt
+  `max-height: 320px` that broke `w:` directives on tall images.
+- REQ-256: `section.title header/footer { display: none; }` — title
+  chrome suppression. `h2 + p { margin-top: 0.2em; }`, `p { margin:
+  0.4em 0; }` — spacing tightening. `ol` styling. `table.dense`
+  class. `@media print { section { overflow: hidden; } }` for PPTX.
+
+### Phase P2 — render-scripts (complete, tag v1.21.2)
+- REQ-257: deleted `scripts/render_deck.sh` (omitted `--theme`,
+  produced unthemed output). Pinned marp-cli@4.5.0 + mermaid-cli@
+  11.16.0 in `render_slides.sh`. Removed references from README,
+  sync_to_nova.sh, test_no_forge_mentions.py.
+- REQ-258: added `-s 2 -b transparent` to mermaid-cli invocation
+  (README spec; produces crisp 2x PNGs with transparent backgrounds).
+
+### Phase P3 — mermaid-relayout (complete, tag v1.21.3)
+- REQ-259: `telemetry-live-ops.mmd` kept as `flowchart TB` (the 3-way
+  branch makes LR too wide at 4.22 aspect; TB gives 0.63 which is
+  legible at h:480 with img.tall class). Re-rendered at 2x transparent
+  (1024x1628).
+- REQ-260: `platform-pipeline.mmd` restructured from 10-node LR chain
+  (aspect 13.52, illegible 1000x74 strip) to 4-node TB with combined
+  nodes. Re-rendered at 2x transparent (552x1116, aspect 0.49).
+- Marp deck directives updated: `![w:1000]`/`![w:900]` →
+  `![h:480 class:tall]` so images render at legible height using the
+  img.tall class budget (480px).
+- Aspect-ratio bounds revised from [1.2, 2.5] to [0.4, 4.0] (accepts
+  both tall and wide diagrams; still catches original outliers).
+
+### Phase P4 — deck-content (complete, tag v1.21.4)
+- REQ-261: split slide 3 (Objectives + Anti-Goals) into Slide 3
+  (Objectives) + Slide 4 (Anti-Goals). Split slide 8 (Attestation
+  Matrix) into Slide 9 (QA, 3 rows) + Slide 10 (Prod/DR, 7 rows).
+  Main slide count 18 → 20.
+- Trimmed: slide 7 (Pipeline) to 3 bullets. slide 11 (Telemetry) to
+  3 bullets. slide 14 (Deferred) merged 3 Live-AWS rows into 1 (8→6
+  rows). slide 17 (Quarter-by-Quarter) dropped Grounding column
+  (5→4 cols). Global table cell padding reduced (6px 10px → 4px 8px).
+- Removed `header:` from frontmatter (keep `footer:` + `paginate`
+  only). The full 51-char deck title in BOTH header and footer was
+  redundant chrome eating ~35px on every slide.
+- Source `.md` and talking-points re-synced to 20-slide structure.
+- Updated `test_marp_deck_slide_count` (18→20 main + 1 appendix).
+  Updated README slide-count convention (all 6 references).
+
+### Phase P5 — render-and-test (complete, tag v1.21.5)
+- REQ-262: re-rendered HTML + PPTX via `render_slides.sh` (pinned
+  marp-cli@4.5.0, mermaid-cli@11.16.0, 2x transparent PNGs). 22
+  slides (title + 20 main + 1 appendix), 23 media files embedded.
+  Theme embedded in HTML (--sp-red + padding confirmed).
+- Added 9 tests to `test_slides_pipeline.py` (the gap that let the
+  layout regression through): test_theme_css_has_section_padding,
+  test_theme_css_suppresses_title_chrome,
+  test_theme_css_has_aspect_ratio_aware_images,
+  test_png_aspect_ratios_sane (scoped to deck-referenced PNGs only
+  per GRILL revision 1, bounds [0.4, 4.0]),
+  test_render_slides_has_2x_scale, test_render_slides_pins_cli_versions,
+  test_render_deck_removed, test_html_embeds_theme,
+  test_html_slide_count_matches_marp.
+- 32 slide tests pass (23 original + 9 new). 94 key-file tests pass.
+  `run_platform.sh --check-only` exit 0.
+
+### Phase P6 — final-review-ship (Final Phase, complete, tag v1.21.6)
+- Multi-persona code review: PASS with 3 P1 flags (all fixed in this
+  phase): source .md/talking-points re-synced to 20 slides, `![h:480
+  class:tall]` directives applied, README stale references updated.
+- Audit: git log matches `.ciagent/` discipline; all commits have
+  `---ci---` blocks; branch hygiene verified.
+- Ship: tag `v1.21.6` (final patch = milestone release). Merge
+  `milestone/v1.22-deck-layout-fix` → `main`. Requirements marked
+  complete; ROADMAP marked complete; CHECKPOINT cleared.
+- **Requirements:** REQ-254..262 (9 requirements, all complete).
+
+## v1.23 — Nova Deck Cleanup & Python PPTX (complete)
+
+> **NFR milestone** (docs/render/test only; no features). Tags run on the
+> **v1.22.x** line (milestone v1.23 → tags v1.22.0..v1.22.6). Final patch
+> `v1.22.6` = milestone release. Branch: `milestone/v1.23-deck-cleanup-python-pptx`.
+>
+> Driven by the user's feedback that the deck looked "out of whack" and
+> the desire to return to the clean, well-formatted style of the old
+> `the-developer-experience.html` (which used Marp's built-in `default`
+> theme + an inline `style:` block). That investigation revealed:
+> (1) the "clean" reference was itself MARP output — MARP is not the
+> problem; (2) the current deck uses a standalone `nova-sp-theme.css`
+> that re-derives all base spacing from scratch and had a zero-padding
+> bug (fixed in v1.22 but the standalone approach is fragile);
+> (3) there are two markdown documents (a plain source-of-truth `.md`
+> and a manually-synthesized `-marp.md`) that should be consolidated;
+> (4) images are referenced as file paths in the HTML, so the HTML
+> breaks when redistributed without the `assets/` folder; (5) the deck
+> is verbose in places and uses the term "penetrate" which the user
+> wants removed.
+>
+> The milestone delivers: single-document consolidation, clean style
+> restoration (Marp `default` + inline `style:`), self-contained HTML
+> (base64 images), a parallel structured python-pptx PPTX generator,
+> targeted word-count trim, and "penetrate" removal. `nova-sp-theme.css`
+> is retained as a styling reference but retired from the render path.
+
+### Phase P0 — pre-execution (active)
+- SPECIFY → CLARIFY → RESEARCH → PLAN → GRILL. Establishes v1.23
+  requirements (REQ-263..275). Tag `v1.22.0`. Grill PROCEED-WITH-
+  REVISIONS (0.78): 4 binding revisions applied (G-001 repo-wide
+  "penetrate" purge; G-002 P3→P4 serialized; G-003 P3 split P3a+P3b;
+  G-004 P5+P6 merged).
+
+### Phase P1 — consolidate-docs (planned, tag v1.22.1)
+- REQ-263: fold speaker notes + talking points into `*-marp.md` as Marp
+  HTML comments; delete the plain `.md`. `-marp.md` becomes the sole
+  source of truth.
+- REQ-264: keep `*-talking-points.md` as a standalone presenter aid,
+  synced from the deck's `<!-- Talking points: -->` comments.
+
+### Phase P2 — restore-clean-style (planned, tag v1.22.2)
+- REQ-265: revert frontmatter to `theme: default` + inline `style:`
+  block (S&P palette). Keep H2 + bold-lead structure, no header, no
+  badges.
+- REQ-266: retain `nova-sp-theme.css` as a styling reference; drop
+  `--theme` from `render_slides.sh`.
+- REQ-267: restyle benefit callouts — remove `**Benefit:**` prefix; use
+  `.benefit` class (red top-rule + black italic; white on title slides).
+
+### Phase P3a — inline-images (planned, tag v1.22.3)
+- REQ-268: new `scripts/inline_images.py` — base64-embeds all images in
+  the rendered HTML for redistribution. Invoked after the MARP HTML
+  render. Low-risk, mechanical (G-003 isolation).
+
+### Phase P3b — python-pptx-generator (planned, tag v1.22.4)
+- REQ-269: new `scripts/render_pptx.py` — structured, editable, S&P-themed
+  PPTX via `python-pptx`. 16:9; native tables; embedded PNGs; benefit
+  callouts. Add `python-pptx` to `pyproject.toml`. High-risk, isolated
+  (G-003).
+- REQ-270: `render_slides.sh` produces both PPTX outputs; CI installs
+  `python-pptx`; both attached to release.
+
+### Phase P4 — trim-wordcount + repo-wide "penetrate" purge (planned, tag v1.22.5)
+- REQ-271: targeted ~20-30% word-count trim on verbose slides (1, 5, 7,
+  8, 13, 14, 20, appendix). Tables untouched. Spirit preserved.
+- REQ-272: remove "penetrate" (and derivatives) repo-wide (G-001) —
+  `docs/` + `.ciagent/PROJECT.md`/`CLARIFY.md`; RESEARCH.md/PLAN.md/
+  GRILL.md exempt as decision-history. Slide 5's phrase removed with no
+  replacement (slide 4 already excludes the PDLC).
+
+### Phase P5 — ci-tests-readme + review + audit + ship (Final Phase, tag v1.22.6)
+- REQ-273: CI workflows install `python-pptx`, run `render_slides.sh`,
+  commit HTML + both PPTX + inlined images.
+- REQ-274: update `test_slides_pipeline.py` (consolidated doc, inline
+  style assertions, image inlining, python-pptx, benefit class,
+  "penetrate" absence). New `test_pptx_generator.py`.
+- REQ-275: rewrite `README.md` for the single-document + dual-PPTX +
+  image-inlining pipeline.
+- Review + audit + milestone ship (merged P5+P6 per G-004 — NFR docs
+  milestone). Tag `v1.22.6` (final patch = milestone release). Merge
+  `milestone/v1.23-deck-cleanup-python-pptx` → `main`.
+- **Requirements:** REQ-263..275 (13 requirements).

.ciagent/config.json

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
   ],
   "active_project": "acdl",
   "active_projects": ["acdl"],
-  "active_milestone": "v1.21",
+  "active_milestone": "v1.24",
   "autonomy": {
     "level": "full",
     "escalation_hooks": ["deploy", "delete_data", "merge_to_main"],

.ciagent/uat/prereq.txt

@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+=== tools ===
+terraform: /usr/bin/terraform
+checkov: /usr/local/bin/checkov
+python3: /usr/bin/python3
+jq: /usr/bin/jq
+rsync: /usr/bin/rsync
+marp: MISSING
+mmdc: MISSING
+Terraform v1.9.8
+3.3.8
+Python 3.12.3
+=== chrome/chromium (for slide render) ===
+found: /root/.cache/ms-playwright/chromium-1217/chrome-linux64/chrome
+=== creds ===
+.env.secrets: present (4 lines)
+.env: present
+=== aws creds loadable? ===
+NOVA_AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID: set
+AWS_DEFAULT_REGION: us-east-1
+=== git ===
+main
+v1.18.1-11-gaa868c9
+=== disk ===
+/dev/loop2      148G  140G  1.3G 100% /

.ciagent/uat/v1.20-uat-report.jsonl

@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+{"id": "T1", "req": "REQ-230", "title": "no forge names in synced files (guard test)", "pass": true, "rc": 0, "evidence": {"test": "test_no_forge_mentions_in_synced_files", "result": "1 passed in 2.20s", "log_tail": ["tests/test_no_forge_mentions.py::test_no_forge_mentions_in_synced_files PASSED [100%]", "1 passed in 2.20s"]}}
+{"id": "T2", "req": "REQ-230", "title": "forge-detection code genericized", "pass": true, "rc": 0, "evidence": {"hardcoded_gitea_gitlab_hits": 0, "genericization_signals": ["contract_ingestor.py: _forge_type() returns 'generic_forge'", "hitl_gates.py: GITHUB_ACTOR or FORGE_ACTOR (no GITEA_ACTOR)", "run_platform.sh:166: GITHUB_ACTOR:-FORGE_ACTOR fallback"]}}
+{"id": "T3", "req": "REQ-231", "title": "synced docs stripped of internal provenance", "pass": false, "rc": 1, "evidence": {"provenance_hit_count": 40, "contaminated_files": ["docs/ONBOARDING.md (REQ-182,183,184; D-113,114,119)", "docs/METRICS.md (REQ-191,192,193,194,211,212; D-083,096,113,114,119)", "docs/presentations/README.md (REQ-214,226,228; D-130,141; .ciagent/PROJECT.md)", "docs/presentations/nova-no-humans-platform.{md,marp.md,html,talking-points.md} (v1.X milestone headers)", "docs/presentations/assets/mmd/developer-experience-08-semver.mmd (v1.12 header)"], "root_cause": "test_no_forge_mentions.py only guards forge names, not provenance IDs", "defect": "F7"}}
+{"id": "T4", "req": "REQ-232", "title": "migration docs removed + thesis moved", "pass": true, "rc": 0, "evidence": {"docs_NOVA_MIGRATION_gone": true, "docs_NOVA_AWS_MIGRATION_gone": true, "docs_NO_HUMANS_THESIS_gone": true, "ciagent_NO_HUMANS_THESIS_present": true}}
+{"id": "T5", "req": "REQ-239", "title": "S&P theme CSS palette on all chrome", "pass": true, "rc": 0, "evidence": {"css_exists": true, "css_size_bytes": 2914, "red_present": true, "black_present": true, "white_present": true, "chrome_covered": ["section/bg", "section.title", "h1-h3 headings", "table th", "blockquote", "pre/code", "header", "footer", "pagination (.bespoke-progress-bar)", "strong"]}}
+{"id": "T6", "req": "REQ-240", "title": "render pipeline script + mermaid theme", "pass": true, "rc": 0, "evidence": {"render_slides_executable": true, "render_slides_size": 2736, "sp_theme_json_has_red": true, "sp_theme_json_has_black": true, "render_deck_sh_still_present": true, "render_deck_excluded_from_sync": true, "caveat": "README:107 still references render_deck.sh (deferred to T9)"}}
+{"id": "T7", "req": "REQ-241", "title": "slides CI workflow path trigger", "pass": false, "rc": 1, "evidence": {"wrong_path_hits": [".github/workflows/slides.yml:8: - 'assets/nova-sp-theme.css' (non-existent)", "workflows-src/slides.yml:8: - 'assets/nova-sp-theme.css' (non-existent)"], "correct_path": "docs/presentations/assets/nova-sp-theme.css", "src_dotgithub_identical": true, "defect": "F6", "impact": "Explicit CSS path trigger points at nothing; only the docs/presentations/** glob catches CSS edits. Dead entry should be corrected or removed."}}
+{"id": "T8", "req": "REQ-242", "title": "slide-pipeline guard test", "pass": true, "rc": 0, "evidence": {"passed": 12, "failed": 0, "duration_s": 1.1, "tests": ["sp_theme_css_exists", "sp_theme_css_has_snp_colors", "sp_theme_json_has_snp_colors", "marp_deck_uses_sp_theme", "marp_deck_not_using_default_theme", "render_slides_script_exists", "render_slides_script_renders_mermaid", "render_slides_script_renders_marp", "slides_ci_workflow_exists", "slides_ci_workflow_triggers_on_presentations", "every_mmd_has_png", "readme_no_retired_decks"], "coverage_gap": "test_slides_ci_workflow_triggers_on_presentations checks docs/presentations/** glob but NOT the explicit CSS path \u2014 gap that allowed F6"}}
+{"id": "T9", "req": "REQ-243", "title": "presentations README documents render pipeline + retired decks gone", "pass": false, "rc": 1, "evidence": {"retired_decks_present": false, "readme_mentions_render_slides": false, "readme_mentions_render_deck": true, "readme_render_deck_line": "docs/presentations/README.md:107: 'automated by scripts/render_deck.sh'", "readme_mentions_theme_css": true, "defect": "F10", "impact": "README documents the retired render_deck.sh pipeline, not the active render_slides.sh. Consumers reading synced README reference a script excluded from sync."}}
+{"id": "T10", "req": "REQ-244", "title": "12-month product roadmap slides 20+21 + talking points", "pass": true, "rc": 0, "evidence": {"marp_slide15": true, "marp_slide20": true, "marp_slide21": true, "talking_points_slide15": true, "talking_points_slide20": true, "talking_points_slide21": true, "quarters": ["Q1 Pilot Activation", "Q2 Provable Trust", "Q3 Compounding ROI", "Q4 Agentic Substrate"], "distinct_from_slide15": true}}

.gitea/workflows/slides.yml

@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 # Nova Slides Render — re-renders presentation deck when source files change.
+# REQ-273: install python-pptx, pin CLI versions, stage HTML + both PPTX +
+# base64-inlined images.
 name: Nova Slides Render
 on:
   push:
     paths:
       - 'docs/presentations/**'
       - 'scripts/render_slides.sh'
-      - 'assets/nova-sp-theme.css'
+      - 'scripts/inline_images.py'
+      - 'scripts/render_pptx.py'
+      - 'pyproject.toml'
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 jobs:
@@ -16,16 +20,24 @@ jobs:
         with: { fetch-depth: 0 }
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with: { node-version: '20' }
-      - name: Install Chrome
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.10'
+      - name: Install python-pptx (slides extra)
+        run: pip install -e ".[slides]"
+      - name: Install + pin render CLIs
         run: |
-          npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@latest --version
-          npx --yes @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli --version
+          npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@4.5.0 --version
+          npx --yes @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli@11.16.0 --version
       - name: Render slides
         run: bash scripts/render_slides.sh
       - name: Commit rendered artifacts
         run: |
           git config user.name "nova-slides-bot"
           git config user.email "bot@nova.local"
-          git add docs/presentations/*.html docs/presentations/*.pptx docs/presentations/assets/png/*.png
+          git add docs/presentations/*.html \
+                  docs/presentations/*.pptx \
+                  docs/presentations/*-python.pptx \
+                  docs/presentations/assets/png/*.png
           git diff --cached --quiet || git commit -m "chore(slides): re-render deck [skip ci]"
-          git push
+          git push

.github/workflows/slides.yml

@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 # Nova Slides Render — re-renders presentation deck when source files change.
+# REQ-273: install python-pptx, pin CLI versions, stage HTML + both PPTX +
+# base64-inlined images.
 name: Nova Slides Render
 on:
   push:
     paths:
       - 'docs/presentations/**'
       - 'scripts/render_slides.sh'
-      - 'assets/nova-sp-theme.css'
+      - 'scripts/inline_images.py'
+      - 'scripts/render_pptx.py'
+      - 'pyproject.toml'
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 jobs:
@@ -16,16 +20,24 @@ jobs:
         with: { fetch-depth: 0 }
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with: { node-version: '20' }
-      - name: Install Chrome
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.10'
+      - name: Install python-pptx (slides extra)
+        run: pip install -e ".[slides]"
+      - name: Install + pin render CLIs
         run: |
-          npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@latest --version
-          npx --yes @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli --version
+          npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@4.5.0 --version
+          npx --yes @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli@11.16.0 --version
       - name: Render slides
         run: bash scripts/render_slides.sh
       - name: Commit rendered artifacts
         run: |
           git config user.name "nova-slides-bot"
           git config user.email "bot@nova.local"
-          git add docs/presentations/*.html docs/presentations/*.pptx docs/presentations/assets/png/*.png
+          git add docs/presentations/*.html \
+                  docs/presentations/*.pptx \
+                  docs/presentations/*-python.pptx \
+                  docs/presentations/assets/png/*.png
           git diff --cached --quiet || git commit -m "chore(slides): re-render deck [skip ci]"
-          git push
+          git push

docs/presentations/README.md

@@ -2,147 +2,184 @@
 
 Leadership-facing presentation decks for the Nova platform.
 
-## The 4-step slide creation process
+## The 3-step slide creation process
 
-Every presentation in this folder is produced by the same four-step process.
-**Never edit the Marp deck, the PPTX, or the talking points directly** —
-always start from the full markdown source of truth (Step 1), synthesize the
-Marp deck (Step 2), export to HTML + PPTX (Step 3), then distill the talking
-points (Step 4). This keeps a reviewable, plain-text source of truth for
-every deck and a presenter-ready cue sheet for delivery.
+Every presentation in this folder is produced by the same three-step
+process. **Never edit the rendered HTML, either PPTX, or the talking
+points directly** — always start from the Marp deck source of truth
+(Step 1), render it (Step 2), then distill the talking points (Step 3).
+This keeps a reviewable, plain-text source of truth for every deck and a
+presenter-ready cue sheet for delivery.
 
 ```
-Step 1: full markdown       Step 2: Marp deck           Step 3: HTML + PPTX         Step 4: Talking points
-(source of truth)    ──►    (lean, 19 slides)    ──►    (rendered)           ──►    (presenter cues)
-*.md                        *-marp.md                   *.html / *.pptx             *-talking-points.md
-+ speaker notes             + embedded PNG diagrams                                 + 3-6 bullets per slide
-+ mermaid code blocks       + Marp frontmatter                                     + key takeaway per slide
-                            + no speaker notes                                     + indexed by Marp slide #
-                            + no maturity badges                                   + content distilled from Step 1
-                            + no version in footer
+Step 1: Author the deck       Step 2: Render              Step 3: Talking points
+(source of truth)       ──►   (HTML + dual PPTX)     ──►   (presenter cues)
+*-marp.md                      *.html                       *-talking-points.md
++ ## Slide N — Title          + mermaid PNGs               + 3-6 bullets per slide
++ <!-- Speaker notes: -->     + MARP PPTX (image-of-slide)  + key takeaway per slide
++ <!-- Talking points: -->    + python PPTX (structured)    + indexed by slide #
++ <div class="benefit">       + base64-inlined HTML         + content distilled from
++ embedded PNG diagrams        (self-contained)              the Marp deck
 ```
 
-### Step 1 — Full markdown (source of truth)
+### Step 1 — Author the deck (source of truth)
 
-**File convention:** `<deck-name>.md` (e.g. `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.md`).
+**File convention:** `<deck-name>-marp.md` (e.g.
+`nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-marp.md`).
 
-Write the complete deck as a standard markdown file. This is the **source of
-truth** — it contains:
+This is the **sole source of truth** — the Marp deck that is both authored
+and rendered. It contains:
 
-- Every slide as an `## Slide N — Title` H2 section.
+- **Marp frontmatter** at the top: `marp: true`, `theme: default`,
+  `paginate: true`, `size: 16x9`, a header/footer, and an inline `style:`
+  block carrying the S&P palette (`#D6002A` red, `#1B1B1B` black, the
+  `section.title` rule). The styling is **inline** — no standalone theme
+  CSS is loaded at render time.
+- Every slide as an `## Slide N — Title` (or `## Appendix A1 — Title`) H2
+  section. The H1 title slide precedes slide 1.
 - Tight bullets with leadership-relevant content.
-- A `> **Speaker notes:**` block at the end of each slide with the nuance,
-  the "who cares and why," and the honesty caveats.
-- Mermaid diagrams as ```` ```mermaid ```` fenced code blocks (these render
-  on GitHub/Pages but not in Marp — Step 2 converts them to images).
-- An honest "shipped vs. deferred" framing: every "available today" claim is
-  grounded in shipped/verified work; every "deferred" item is explicitly
+- **Speaker notes** as `<!-- Speaker notes: ... -->` HTML comments at the
+  end of each slide. Marp excludes HTML comments from the rendered slide;
+  they are for authors/presenters only.
+- **Talking points** as `<!-- Talking points: ... -->` HTML comments (also
+  excluded from rendering — Step 3 mirrors them into a standalone cue
+  sheet).
+- **Benefit callouts** as `<div class="benefit">...</div>` (styled by the
+  inline `style:` block — italic, S&P-red top border). No `**Benefit:**`
+  text prefixes.
+- Mermaid diagrams **pre-rendered to PNG** under `assets/png/` and embedded
+  with `![w:1000](assets/png/<name>.png)` (or `h:480 class:tall` for tall
+  images). The `.mmd` sources live under `assets/mmd/`.
+- **No maturity badges**, **no version in the footer**, **no internal
+  decision/requirement IDs or `.py` file paths** in the slide bodies
+  (those live in the `.ciagent/` files only; speaker-note HTML comments are
+  exempt).
+- An honest "shipped vs. deferred" framing: every "available today" claim
+  is grounded in shipped/verified work; every "deferred" item is explicitly
   marked with the blocking work in plain language.
 
-**Why this file is the source of truth:** it is reviewable in any markdown
-viewer, diffs cleanly in git, and carries the full reasoning (speaker notes)
-that a presenter needs. The Marp deck and PPTX are *derived artifacts* — if a
-fact is wrong, fix it here and re-run Steps 2 and 3.
+**Why the Marp deck is the source of truth:** it is reviewable in any
+markdown viewer, diffs cleanly in git, and carries the full reasoning
+(speaker notes) that a presenter needs. The HTML and PPTX are *derived
+artifacts* — if a fact is wrong, fix it here and re-run Step 2.
 
-### Step 2 — Marp deck synthesis
+> **`nova-sp-theme.css` is RETIRED from render.** The standalone theme
+> stylesheet under `assets/nova-sp-theme.css` is kept as a **reference
+> only** and is **not loaded at render time**. The live styling is the
+> inline `style:` block in the `-marp.md` frontmatter. Do NOT pass the CSS
+> via `--theme`; it is not in the render path.
 
-**File convention:** `<deck-name>-marp.md` (e.g. `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-marp.md`).
+### Step 2 — Render (HTML + dual PPTX)
 
-Synthesize the full markdown into a lean Marp deck:
+`bash scripts/render_slides.sh [deck-name]` renders the Marp deck
+end-to-end:
 
-- **Marp frontmatter** at the top: `marp: true`, `theme: nova-sp`,
-  `paginate: true`, `size: 16x9`, a header/footer, and an inline `style:`
-  block for fonts, colors, tables.
-- **No speaker notes.** The Marp deck is what the audience sees; the
-  speaker notes live only in the Step 1 source of truth.
-- **Mermaid diagrams → PNG images.** Marp does not render mermaid fenced
-  blocks natively. Extract each mermaid block from Step 1 into a `.mmd`
-  source file under `assets/mmd/`, render it to PNG under `assets/png/`,
-  and embed it with `![w:1000](assets/png/<name>.png)`.
-- **`<!-- _class: title -->` + `<!-- _paginate: false -->`** on title and
-  closing slides for the dark-background title style.
-- **No maturity badges.** The deck no longer uses `<span class="badge">`
-  spans. Deferred items are named in plain language with their blocking
-  work, not tagged with a badge.
-- **No version in the footer.** The footer carries the deck title only.
-- **Tighter prose** than Step 1 — strip the speaker-note nuance; keep the
-  leadership-relevant selling points.
-
-### Step 3 — Render to HTML and PPTX
-
-Both formats are derived from the Marp deck. **HTML is committed to the repo**
-(viewable in any browser, self-contained with base64-embedded images). **PPTX
-is also committed to the repo** as a first-class binary artifact and is
-attached to the phase's release via `scripts/attach_release_asset.py`.
+1. **Mermaid PNGs** — each `assets/mmd/*.mmd` → `assets/png/*.png`
+   (S&P-themed via `sp-theme.json`, 2x scale, transparent background).
+2. **MARP HTML** — `*-marp.md` → `*.html` (S&P inline style, Marp default
+   theme). Pinned `@marp-team/marp-cli@4.5.0`.
+3. **MARP PPTX** — `*-marp.md` → `*.pptx` (image-of-slide PPTX; the primary
+   release attachment).
+4. **Inline images** — `scripts/inline_images.py` rewrites the HTML to
+   base64-embed every `assets/` image so the HTML is self-contained (no
+   external asset folder needed for redistribution).
+5. **python PPTX** — `scripts/render_pptx.py` produces a second,
+   structured, editable PPTX (`*-python.pptx`) with native text boxes,
+   native tables, embedded pictures, and italic benefit callouts.
+6. **Stage** — all rendered artifacts (PNGs + HTML + both PPTX) are
+   `git add`-ed for commit.
 
 ```bash
-CHROME_PATH=/root/.cache/ms-playwright/chromium-1217/chrome-linux64/chrome \
-  npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@latest --allow-local-files \
-  docs/presentations/<deck-name>-marp.md \
-  -o docs/presentations/<deck-name>.html
+bash scripts/render_slides.sh nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery
 ```
 
-HTML export inlines images as base64 data URIs. PPTX export requires
-`--allow-local-files` so the local PNG diagrams are embedded in the file.
-The render + commit + attach pipeline is automated by `scripts/render_deck.sh`
-and `scripts/render_slides.sh`.
+Both the HTML and both PPTX files are committed to the repo; the MARP
+PPTX is also attached to the phase's release via
+`scripts/attach_release_asset.py`.
 
-### Step 4 — Talking points (presenter cues)
+#### Dual-PPTX output
+
+| PPTX | File | Render | Purpose |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| **MARP PPTX** | `*.pptx` | `@marp-team/marp-cli` (Chrome screenshot of each slide) | Image-of-slide; the primary release attachment (pixel-perfect, not editable) |
+| **python PPTX** | `*-python.pptx` | `scripts/render_pptx.py` (python-pptx) | Structured, editable PPTX (native text boxes, tables, pictures) for comparison/editing |
+
+### Step 3 — Talking points (presenter cues)
 
 **File convention:** `<deck-name>-talking-points.md` (e.g.
 `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-talking-points.md`).
 
-Distill the source of truth (Step 1) into presenter-ready cues, indexed by
-the Marp deck (Step 2) slide structure:
+Distill the deck's `<!-- Talking points: -->` HTML comments into
+presenter-ready cues, indexed by the Marp deck (Step 1) slide structure:
 
 - **One section per Marp slide** — `## Slide N — Title`, matching the Marp
-  deck's 18 main + 1 appendix slide structure exactly.
-- **3-6 talking point bullets per slide** — punchy, actionable cues distilled
-  from the source markdown's speaker notes.
+  deck's 20 main + 1 appendix slide structure exactly.
+- **3-6 talking point bullets per slide** — punchy, actionable cues
+  distilled from the Marp deck's `<!-- Talking points: -->` comments.
 - **Key takeaway per slide** — the one memorable thing the audience should
   walk away with from that slide.
-- **No content duplication** — the talking points reference the Marp slides
-  for visual context and the source markdown for full detail.
+- **No content duplication** — the talking points reference the Marp
+  slides for visual context.
 
 ## Directory layout
 
 ```
 docs/presentations/
 ├── README.md                                  ← this file
-├── nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.md                 ← Step 1: full source of truth (18 main slides + speaker notes)
-├── nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-marp.md            ← Step 2: Marp deck (18 main + 1 appendix = 19 slides)
-├── nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.html               ← Step 3: rendered HTML (committed, S&P-themed)
-├── nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.pptx               ← Step 3: rendered PPTX (committed, S&P-themed)
-├── nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-talking-points.md  ← Step 4: presenter cues (19 sections)
+├── nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-marp.md            ← Step 1: sole source of truth (title + 20 main + 1 appendix = 22 slides + speaker notes + talking points)
+├── nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.html               ← Step 2: rendered HTML (committed, S&P inline style, base64-inlined images)
+├── nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.pptx               ← Step 2: MARP PPTX (image-of-slide, primary release attachment)
+├── nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-python.pptx        ← Step 2: python-pptx (structured, editable)
+├── nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-talking-points.md  ← Step 3: presenter cues (21 sections)
 └── assets/
-    ├── nova-sp-theme.css                       ← S&P Global Energy Marp theme (all slide chrome)
+    ├── nova-sp-theme.css                       ← RETIRED from render — reference only (not loaded; live styling is the inline `style:` block)
     ├── puppeteer-config.json                   ← no-sandbox config for mmdc
-    ├── mmd/                                     ← mermaid source files (Step 2 input)
-    │   ├── sp-theme.json                         ← S&P Red/Black/White theme (mermaid-cli --configFile)
+    ├── mmd/                                    ← mermaid source files (Step 2 input)
+    │   ├── sp-theme.json                        ← S&P Red/Black/White theme (mermaid-cli --configFile)
     │   └── ... (per-slide .mmd files)
-    └── png/                                     ← rendered mermaid PNGs (committed, S&P-themed)
+    └── png/                                    ← rendered mermaid PNGs (committed, S&P-themed, 2x, transparent)
 ```
 
+## Tooling & scripts
+
+| Script | Purpose |
+|---|---|
+| `scripts/render_slides.sh` | End-to-end render: mermaid PNGs → MARP HTML + PPTX → base64-inlined HTML → python-pptx PPTX → stage all artifacts. Pinned `@marp-team/marp-cli@4.5.0` + `@mermaid-js/mermaid-cli@11.16.0`. |
+| `scripts/inline_images.py` | Rewrites the rendered HTML to base64-embed every `assets/` image (self-contained HTML for redistribution). |
+| `scripts/render_pptx.py` | Produces the structured, editable `*-python.pptx` (native text boxes, tables, pictures, italic benefit callouts) via `python-pptx`. |
+| `scripts/attach_release_asset.py` | Attaches the MARP PPTX to the phase's release. |
+
+| Dependency | Where declared | Purpose |
+|---|---|---|
+| `@marp-team/marp-cli@4.5.0` | `scripts/render_slides.sh` (pinned) | Marp → HTML + PPTX |
+| `@mermaid-js/mermaid-cli@11.16.0` | `scripts/render_slides.sh` (pinned) | Mermaid → PNG |
+| `python-pptx>=0.6.23` | `pyproject.toml` `[project.optional-dependencies] slides` | Structured PPTX (`pip install -e ".[slides]"`) |
+
 ## Conventions
 
-### Appendix structure
+### Slide structure
 
-Each Marp deck has **18 main slides + 1 appendix slide**. The main 18 are the
-presentation; the appendix is for Q&A backup.
+Each Marp deck has **1 title slide + 20 main slides + 1 appendix slide = 22
+rendered slides** (21 `## ` sections + the H1 title slide). The main 20
+are the presentation; the appendix is for Q&A backup. (v1.22 split slides
+3 and 8 to relieve overflow, increasing the main count from 18 to 20.)
 
-- **Main slides** (1-18): the story arc — Problem → Solution → Proof →
+- **Title slide** (H1): `<!-- _class: title -->` + `<!-- _paginate: false -->`
+  for the dark-background title style (S&P-red top border on black).
+- **Main slides** (1-20): the story arc — Problem → Solution → Proof →
   Roadmap + Ask. These are what the audience sees during the talk.
-- **Appendix slide** (A1): the Metrics Glossary — detail-heavy reference for
-  Q&A.
+- **Appendix slide** (A1): the Metrics Glossary — detail-heavy reference
+  for Q&A.
 
 ### Honesty framing
 
 Every capability claim in the deck is grounded, derived, or honestly
-deferred with its blocking work named in plain language. Internal provenance
-(decision IDs, requirement IDs, internal file paths) is kept out of the
-audience-facing slides — those live in the `.ciagent/` files only. When in
-doubt, check `.ciagent/ROADMAP.md` and the milestone status in
-`.ciagent/PROJECT.md`.
+deferred with its blocking work named in plain language. Internal
+provenance (decision IDs, requirement IDs, internal file paths) is kept
+out of the audience-facing slide bodies — those live in the `.ciagent/`
+files only (and may appear inside `<!-- ... -->` speaker-note comments,
+which Marp excludes from the rendered slide). When in doubt, check
+`.ciagent/ROADMAP.md` and the milestone status in `.ciagent/PROJECT.md`.
 
 ### Audience
 
@@ -156,76 +193,70 @@ Head of Infrastructure, Head of DevOps. The framing rules:
   outcome; the mechanism follows.
 - **Security, remediation velocity, reliability, lead time, observability,
   citizen developer** are the themes — not implementation details.
-- **"Infrastructure operations become visible"** is the recurring theme across
-  the deck.
+- **"Infrastructure operations become visible"** is the recurring theme
+  across the deck.
 
 ### Diagrams
 
-Mermaid diagrams in the Step 1 source use the repo's existing `flowchart`
-style (renders on GitHub/Pages). For the Marp deck (Step 2):
+Mermaid diagrams are authored as `assets/mmd/*.mmd` source files and
+rendered to PNG under `assets/png/`:
 
-1. Extract the mermaid block into `assets/mmd/<deck>-<slide>-<name>.mmd`.
+1. Author the mermaid block as `assets/mmd/<deck>-<slide>-<name>.mmd`.
 2. Use **horizontal layouts** (`flowchart LR`) or **subgraph row-wrapping**
    for wide diagrams so the PNG fits a 16:9 slide without shrinking to
    illegibility.
-3. Render with a 2x scale factor and transparent background for crisp slides.
-4. Embed with `![w:1000](assets/png/<name>.png)` (or `h:320` for tall images).
+3. Render with a 2x scale factor and transparent background for crisp
+   slides (`scripts/render_slides.sh` does this with the S&P theme JSON).
+4. Embed with `![w:1000](assets/png/<name>.png)` (or `h:480 class:tall`
+   for tall images).
+5. The render pipeline base64-inlines the PNGs into the committed HTML so
+   the HTML is self-contained.
 
 ## Build commands
 
 ### Prerequisites
 
-- Node.js + npx (for `@marp-team/marp-cli` and `@mermaid-js/mermaid-cli`)
-- A Chrome/Chromium binary (Marp PPTX export requires it)
+- **Node.js + npx** (for `@marp-team/marp-cli` and `@mermaid-js/mermaid-cli`)
+- **A Chrome/Chromium binary** (Marp PPTX export requires it)
+- **Python 3.10+** with the `slides` extra: `pip install -e ".[slides]"`
+  (installs `python-pptx>=0.6.23`)
 
 This environment has a working Chromium at:
 `/root/.cache/ms-playwright/chromium-1217/chrome-linux64/chrome`
 
-### Render all mermaid diagrams to PNG
-
-```bash
-cd docs/presentations/assets
-for f in mmd/*.mmd; do
-  name=$(basename "$f" .mmd)
-  PUPPETEER_EXECUTABLE_PATH=/root/.cache/ms-playwright/chromium-1217/chrome-linux64/chrome \
-    npx --yes @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli@latest \
-    -i "$f" -o "png/$name.png" \
-    -p puppeteer-config.json -s 2 -b transparent \
-    --configFile mmd/sp-theme.json
-done
-```
-
-### Render a Marp deck to HTML + PPTX (committed artifacts)
+### Render the deck (HTML + dual PPTX + inlined images)
 
 ```bash
 bash scripts/render_slides.sh nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery
 ```
 
-This renders all mermaid PNGs, the HTML, and the PPTX, and stages them for
-commit. The `--allow-local-files` flag is required so local PNG diagrams are
-embedded. Both HTML and PPTX are committed to the repo; the PPTX is also
+This renders all mermaid PNGs, the HTML (with base64-inlined images), the
+MARP PPTX, and the python-pptx PPTX, and stages them for commit. Both
+HTML and both PPTX files are committed to the repo; the MARP PPTX is also
 attached to the phase's release.
 
 ## Adding a new presentation
 
-1. **Write the full markdown** as `<deck-name>.md` following the
-   `## Slide N — Title` + `> **Speaker notes:**` structure. This is the
-   source of truth.
-2. **Extract any mermaid diagrams** into `assets/mmd/<deck-name>-<slide>-<name>.mmd`
-   and render them to `assets/png/` (command above).
-3. **Synthesize the Marp deck** as `<deck-name>-marp.md` with frontmatter,
-   no speaker notes, embedded PNGs, and no badges.
-4. **Render to HTML + PPTX** via `scripts/render_slides.sh <deck-name>` and
-   commit both to `docs/presentations/`.
-5. **Distill the talking points** as `<deck-name>-talking-points.md` — one
-   section per Marp slide, 3-6 talking point bullets + key takeaway, content
-   distilled from the source markdown (Step 1), indexed by the Marp deck
-   (Step 2) slide structure.
-6. **Verify** the PPTX slide count and that media files are embedded:
+1. **Author the Marp deck** as `<deck-name>-marp.md` — frontmatter
+   (`marp: true`, `theme: default`, `paginate: true`, `size: 16x9`, an
+   inline `style:` block with the S&P palette), `## Slide N — Title`
+   sections, `<!-- Speaker notes: -->` + `<!-- Talking points: -->` HTML
+   comments, and `<div class="benefit">` callouts. This is the sole source
+   of truth.
+2. **Author any mermaid diagrams** as `assets/mmd/<deck-name>-<slide>-<name>.mmd`
+   (Step 2 renders them to `assets/png/`).
+3. **Render** via `bash scripts/render_slides.sh <deck-name>` — this
+   produces the HTML (base64-inlined), the MARP PPTX, and the python-pptx
+   PPTX, and stages all of them (plus the PNGs) for commit.
+4. **Distill the talking points** as `<deck-name>-talking-points.md` — one
+   section per Marp slide, 3-6 talking point bullets + key takeaway,
+   content distilled from the Marp deck's `<!-- Talking points: -->`
+   comments, indexed by the Marp deck slide structure.
+5. **Verify** the PPTX slide count and that media files are embedded:
    ```bash
    python3 -c "
    import zipfile, re
-   with zipfile.ZipFile('<output>.pptx') as z:
+   with zipfile.ZipFile('docs/presentations/<deck-name>.pptx') as z:
        slides = [n for n in z.namelist() if re.match(r'ppt/slides/slide\d+\.xml$', n)]
        media = [n for n in z.namelist() if n.startswith('ppt/media/')]
        print(f'{len(slides)} slides, {len(media)} media files')
@@ -234,16 +265,17 @@ attached to the phase's release.
 
 ## Current decks
 
-| Deck | Source of truth (Step 1) | Marp deck (Step 2) | Rendered HTML + PPTX (Step 3) | Talking points (Step 4) | Slides | Audience |
-|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
-| Nova — The Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform | `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.md` | `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-marp.md` | `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.html` + `.pptx` (committed + release-attached) | `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-talking-points.md` | 18 main + 1 appendix (19) | CTO, Head of Cloud, Head of Infra, Head of DevOps |
+| Deck | Source of truth (Step 1) | Rendered HTML + dual PPTX (Step 2) | Talking points (Step 3) | Slides | Audience |
+|---|---|---|---|---|---|
+| Nova — The Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform | `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-marp.md` | `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.html` (inlined) + `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.pptx` (MARP, release-attached) + `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-python.pptx` (structured) | `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-talking-points.md` | title + 20 main + 1 appendix (22) | CTO, Head of Cloud, Head of Infra, Head of DevOps |
 
-> **v1.21:** the deck was renamed from "No-Humans Infrastructure Platform"
-> to "Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform" (professional framing; conveys
-> autonomy without the provocative wording). The narrative restructured to
-> a 4-beat arc (Problem → Solution → Proof → Roadmap + Ask). Internal
-> provenance (decision IDs, requirement IDs, file paths) removed from
-> audience-facing slides. Maturity badges removed. The RACI matrix expanded
-> to four roles (Quality Engineering + SRE). The Atelier slide split into
-> two. The pipeline hardened: Checkov on static code before the plan;
-> Wiz-or-Checkov on the plan (never both).
+> **v1.23:** the slide creation process collapsed from 4 steps to 3 — the
+> plain `<deck-name>.md` was deleted; `<deck-name>-marp.md` is now the
+> sole source of truth. The standalone `nova-sp-theme.css` was retired
+> from render (the live styling is the inline `style:` block in the
+> `-marp.md` frontmatter; the CSS file is retained as a reference only).
+> Speaker notes moved from blockquotes into `<!-- Speaker notes: -->`
+> HTML comments. Benefit callouts moved from `**Benefit:**` prefixes to
+> `<div class="benefit">`. The render pipeline now produces a dual-PPTX
+> output (MARP image-of-slide + python-pptx structured) and base64-inlines
+> all images into the committed HTML.

docs/presentations/assets/mmd/platform-pipeline.mmd

@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+%%{init: {"theme": "base", "themeVariables": {"primaryColor": "#1B1B1B", "primaryBorderColor": "#D6002A", "primaryTextColor": "#fff", "secondaryColor": "#fff", "secondaryBorderColor": "#D6002A", "secondaryTextColor": "#1B1B1B", "tertiaryColor": "#F0F0F0", "clusterBkg": "#F0F0F0", "lineColor": "#1B1B1B", "fontFamily": "\"Akkurat Pro\", \"Helvetica Neue\", \"Arial\", sans-serif"}}}%%
+
+flowchart TB
+    A["Contract → Resolver → Adapter"] --> D["Checkov (static code)"]
+    D --> E["Terraform plan"]
+    E --> F["Wiz (on plan) → Confidence signal → Stage gate"]
+    F --> I["Apply → Evidence + Ledger"]
+classDef accent fill:#1B1B1B,color:#fff,stroke:#D6002A,stroke-width:2px
+classDef supporting fill:#fff,color:#1B1B1B,stroke:#D6002A,stroke-width:1px
+class D,E,F accent
+class A,I supporting

docs/presentations/assets/mmd/telemetry-live-ops.mmd

@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+%%{init: {"theme": "base", "themeVariables": {"primaryColor": "#1B1B1B", "primaryBorderColor": "#D6002A", "primaryTextColor": "#fff", "secondaryColor": "#fff", "secondaryBorderColor": "#D6002A", "secondaryTextColor": "#1B1B1B", "tertiaryColor": "#F0F0F0", "clusterBkg": "#F0F0F0", "lineColor": "#1B1B1B", "fontFamily": "\"Akkurat Pro\", \"Helvetica Neue\", \"Arial\", sans-serif"}}}%%
+
+flowchart TB
+    A["Platform<br/>components"] --> B["CloudEvents<br/>envelope"]
+    B --> C["Event log"]
+    B --> D["Decision<br/>ledger"]
+    B --> E["Run records"]
+    C --> F["Collector"]
+    D --> F
+    E --> F
+    F --> G["Cold store"]
+    G --> H["PowerBI<br/>views"]
+    H --> I["Live ops<br/>dashboard"]
+classDef accent fill:#1B1B1B,color:#fff,stroke:#D6002A,stroke-width:2px
+classDef supporting fill:#fff,color:#1B1B1B,stroke:#D6002A,stroke-width:1px
+class B,F,G,H,I accent
+class A,C,D,E supporting

docs/presentations/assets/nova-sp-theme.css

@@ -1,12 +1,26 @@
+/* RETAINED AS REFERENCE ONLY — not loaded at render time.
+ * The live deck uses Marp `default` theme + an inline `style:` block in
+ * the -marp.md frontmatter. This file is kept for future styling work
+ * reference. Do NOT pass via `--theme`; it is not in the render path.
+ */
 /* @theme nova-sp */
 /* Nova — S&P Global Energy theme for Marp decks.
  *
  * Palette: S&P Red (#D6002A), Black (#1B1B1B), White (#FFFFFF), Grey (#F0F0F0).
  * Font: Akkurat Pro (fallback Helvetica Neue / Arial).
  *
- * This theme extends Marp's default and applies the S&P palette to ALL slide
- * chrome — backgrounds, headers/footers, pagination, tables, blockquotes,
- * code blocks — not just headings.
+ * This theme is a STANDALONE stylesheet (applied via `marp --theme
+ * nova-sp-theme.css`). It does NOT `@import "default"` because Marp's
+ * default theme applies `padding: 56px 64px` (which does not reserve
+ * header/footer space) and other base styles (font, color, list spacing)
+ * that would conflict with the S&P palette. Instead, this theme sets
+ * the padding explicitly: 48px top (reserves header space), 40px bottom
+ * (reserves footer space), 56px sides. This gives precise control over
+ * the padding budget. (GRILL revision 2 — @import rejection documented.)
+ *
+ * v1.22 (REQ-254,255,256): added section padding + overflow handling,
+ * aspect-ratio-aware image rules, title-slide chrome suppression,
+ * paragraph/list/table spacing tightening.
  */
 
 :root {
@@ -17,12 +31,17 @@
   --sp-dark-grey: #2E2E2E;
 }
 
-/* Base section */
+/* Base section — padding reserves header (top) + footer (bottom) space.
+ * REQ-254: zero padding was the root cause of "out of whack" layout.
+ * 48px top reserves header chrome; 40px bottom reserves footer chrome;
+ * 56px sides give breathing room. */
 section {
   font-family: "Akkurat Pro", "Helvetica Neue", "Arial", sans-serif;
   font-size: 22px;
   color: var(--sp-black);
   background: var(--sp-white);
+  padding: 48px 56px 40px;
+  overflow: auto;
 }
 
 /* Headings — S&P Red */
@@ -31,6 +50,12 @@ h2 { color: var(--sp-red); font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; }
 h3 { color: var(--sp-red); font-size: 22px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; }
 h4 { color: var(--sp-dark-grey); font-size: 20px; margin-bottom: 0.15em; }
 
+/* REQ-256: tighten h2 + lead-paragraph spacing (the deck's recurring
+ * `## Slide N — Title` + `**bold lead**` pattern). Default <p> margins
+ * waste ~44px per slide; this reclaims ~22px. */
+section h2 + p { margin-top: 0.2em; }
+section p { margin: 0.4em 0; }
+
 /* Title slides — black background, red top border */
 section.title {
   background: var(--sp-black);
@@ -40,15 +65,27 @@ section.title {
 section.title h1 { color: var(--sp-white); }
 section.title h2 { color: var(--sp-white); }
 
+/* REQ-256: suppress header/footer chrome on title slides. The
+ * `<!-- _class: title -->` + `<!-- _paginate: false -->` directives
+ * only suppress the page number, not the chrome. This prevents the
+ * header/footer from colliding with title/appendix content. */
+section.title header, section.title footer { display: none; }
+
 /* Tables — grey header with red underline, explicit white body for readability on any background */
 table { font-size: 18px; width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; background: var(--sp-white); }
-th { background: var(--sp-grey); border-bottom: 2px solid var(--sp-red); padding: 6px 10px; text-align: left; }
-td { background: var(--sp-white); color: var(--sp-black); border-bottom: 1px solid var(--sp-grey); padding: 6px 10px; }
+th { background: var(--sp-grey); border-bottom: 2px solid var(--sp-red); padding: 4px 8px; text-align: left; }
+td { background: var(--sp-white); color: var(--sp-black); border-bottom: 1px solid var(--sp-grey); padding: 4px 8px; }
 /* Ensure tables on dark/title slides remain readable: white card with a subtle border */
 section.title table, section table { background: var(--sp-white); }
 section.title td, section td { background: var(--sp-white); color: var(--sp-black); }
 section.title th, section th { background: var(--sp-grey); color: var(--sp-black); }
 
+/* REQ-256: dense tables (≥8 rows) use tighter cell padding so 10-13 row
+ * tables (slides 8, 12, A1) fit. Apply via `table.dense` class in the
+ * marp deck. */
+table.dense td, table.dense th { padding: 4px 8px; }
+table.dense { font-size: 16px; }
+
 /* Blockquotes — red left border */
 blockquote { border-left: 4px solid var(--sp-red); color: var(--sp-dark-grey); font-size: 20px; padding-left: 12px; }
 
@@ -57,8 +94,18 @@ pre { background: var(--sp-black); color: var(--sp-white); border-radius: 4px; p
 code { background: var(--sp-grey); color: var(--sp-black); border-radius: 2px; padding: 1px 4px; font-size: 18px; }
 pre code { background: transparent; color: inherit; }
 
-/* Images — centered, max height */
-img { display: block; margin: 0 auto; max-height: 320px; }
+/* REQ-255: aspect-ratio-aware image rules. The blunt `max-height: 320px`
+ * broke `w:` directives on tall images (slide 9) and did nothing for
+ * ultra-wide images (slide 6). The new rule uses `object-fit: contain`
+ * and `max-width: 100%` so images scale within the content area without
+ * ignoring explicit `w:`/`h:` directives. */
+img { display: block; margin: 0 auto; max-width: 100%; max-height: 380px; object-fit: contain; }
+/* Wide diagrams (ultra-wide aspect): tighter max-height so they don't
+ * render as a thin strip. Apply via `![w:1000 class:wide]` — or rely on
+ * the default max-height which is already tighter. */
+img.wide { max-height: 280px; }
+/* Tall diagrams: more vertical room. Apply via `![h:480 class:tall]`. */
+img.tall { max-height: 480px; }
 
 /* Header/footer — subtle grey */
 header { color: var(--sp-dark-grey); border-bottom: 1px solid var(--sp-grey); }
@@ -73,9 +120,17 @@ footer { color: var(--sp-dark-grey); border-top: 1px solid var(--sp-grey); }
 .bespoke-progress-parent { background: var(--sp-grey); }
 .bespoke-progress-bar { background: var(--sp-red) !important; }
 
-/* Lists — tighter */
+/* Lists — tighter. REQ-256: add ol styling (match ul). */
 ul { margin-top: 0.3em; }
+ol { margin-top: 0.3em; }
 li { margin-bottom: 0.2em; }
 
 /* Strong — S&P Red for emphasis in lead lines */
 strong { color: var(--sp-red); }
+
+/* REQ-256: PPTX export fidelity — no scrollbars in exported slides.
+ * The `overflow: auto` above is an authoring-time signal; in print/PPTX
+ * we clamp to `hidden` so the exported slide is clean. */
+@media print {
+  section { overflow: hidden; }
+}

docs/presentations/nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-marp.md

@@ -1,10 +1,29 @@
 ---
 marp: true
-theme: nova-sp
+theme: default
 paginate: true
 size: 16x9
-header: 'Nova — The Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform'
 footer: 'Nova — The Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform'
+style: |
+  section { font-family: "Akkurat Pro", "Helvetica Neue", "Arial", sans-serif; font-size: 22px; color: #1B1B1B; padding: 48px 56px 40px; overflow: auto; }
+  h1 { color: #D6002A; font-size: 34px; margin-bottom: 0.3em; }
+  h2 { color: #D6002A; font-size: 26px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; }
+  h3 { color: #D6002A; font-size: 22px; margin-bottom: 0.2em; }
+  section.title { background: #1B1B1B; color: #fff; border-top: 8px solid #D6002A; }
+  section.title h1, section.title h2 { color: #fff; }
+  section.title header, section.title footer { display: none; }
+  table { font-size: 18px; width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; }
+  th { background: #F0F0F0; border-bottom: 2px solid #D6002A; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: left; }
+  td { border-bottom: 1px solid #F0F0F0; padding: 4px 8px; }
+  blockquote { border-left: 4px solid #D6002A; color: #2E2E2E; font-size: 20px; padding-left: 12px; }
+  pre { background: #1B1B1B; color: #fff; border-radius: 4px; padding: 12px; font-size: 16px; }
+  code { background: #F0F0F0; color: #1B1B1B; border-radius: 2px; padding: 1px 4px; font-size: 18px; }
+  pre code { background: transparent; color: inherit; }
+  img { display: block; margin: 0 auto; max-width: 100%; max-height: 380px; object-fit: contain; }
+  strong { color: #D6002A; }
+  .benefit { margin-top: 0.6em; padding-top: 0.4em; border-top: 1px solid #D6002A; color: #1B1B1B; font-size: 20px; font-style: italic; }
+  section.title .benefit { color: #fff; }
+  @media print { section { overflow: hidden; } }
 ---
 
 <!-- _class: title -->
@@ -22,14 +41,16 @@ Product Development & Citizen Developer Overview
 
 **Product teams now own their cloud infrastructure — but ownership without discipline is destroying value.**
 
-- **No lifecycle planning.** Resources are authored for creation, not for patching, decommissioning, or rollback — so changes are destructive.
-- **Proactive scanning is not part of authoring.** AI-frontier models exploit zero-days at a rapid pace; teams cannot keep up by reacting. Modules must be scanned as code and at runtime — and remediated at the pace the threat moves.
-- **Bandwidth gaps in infrastructure operations.** Time spent on remediation + the push for innovation leaves operations chronically under-resourced; detections are missed, incidents grow.
-- **Tribal knowledge and the rockstar-operator problem.** Operations depend on a handful of administrators; when they leave, the knowledge leaves with them. The platform should encode the discipline, not the person.
+- **No lifecycle planning.** Resources are authored for creation, not for patching or rollback — so changes are destructive.
+- **No proactive scanning in authoring.** AI-frontier models exploit zero-days faster than teams can react; modules must be scanned as code and at runtime, remediated at threat pace.
+- **Bandwidth gaps.** Remediation plus the push for innovation leaves operations under-resourced; detections are missed, incidents grow.
+- **Tribal knowledge.** Operations depend on a few administrators; when they leave, the knowledge leaves with them. The platform should encode the discipline, not the person.
 
-Every hour a developer spends writing, deploying, fixing, or remediating infrastructure is an hour not spent releasing features to production.
+<div class="benefit">an autonomous cloud delivery platform that encodes discipline as policy, scans proactively, remediates rapidly, and makes operations visible to leadership.</div>
 
-**Benefit:** the answer is an autonomous cloud delivery platform that encodes discipline as policy, scans proactively, remediates rapidly, and makes operations visible to leadership rather than hidden in tribal knowledge.
+<!-- Speaker notes: Do not frame this as "humans are the problem." The problem is that ownership was granted without the discipline, tooling, and lifecycle planning that infrastructure requires. The operator is not the bottleneck because operators exist — the bottleneck is that operations depend on a few individuals instead of an encoded system. -->
+<!-- Transition: Here is the destination Nova is building toward. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Open with the shift: "you build it, you run it" put Terraform into product teams — ownership without discipline is destroying value; Land the lifecycle-planning gap: resources authored for creation, not for patching/rollback → destructive changes; Land the urgency: AI-era 0-day pace demands proactive scanning as code + at runtime, remediated at threat pace; Call out tribal knowledge / the rockstar-operator problem — the platform should encode the discipline, not the person; Do NOT frame this as "humans are the problem" — the problem is ownership without the discipline and tooling; Key takeaway: the problem is infrastructure ownership without discipline; the answer is an autonomous platform that encodes the discipline -->
 
 ---
 
@@ -41,11 +62,15 @@ Every hour a developer spends writing, deploying, fixing, or remediating infrast
 - **Provable, not promised** — trust established by deterministic scripts that calculate a score; the platform functions without AI
 - **Autonomy in operations, human at stage gates** — QA signs off for production; SRE greenlights operational readiness
 
-**Benefit:** the destination is autonomous operations with provable trust — security, remediation velocity, reliability, and lead time made visible to leadership, not promised to them.
+<div class="benefit">the destination is autonomous operations with provable trust — security, remediation velocity, reliability, and lead time made visible to leadership, not promised to them.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: "Visible" is the operative word. The vision is not just that operations run without an operator — it is that operations become observable, queryable, and accountable. That is what makes the trust defensible. -->
+<!-- Transition: The vision is ambitious — here are the strategic objectives that make it concrete, and the anti-goals that keep it focused. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Read the vision verbatim — "infrastructure operations become visible" is the operative phrase; Emphasize "provable, not promised" — trust established by deterministic scripts; the platform functions without AI; State the attestation model up front: QA for production, SRE for operational readiness; Key takeaway: autonomous operations with provable trust — security, remediation velocity, reliability, lead time made visible, not promised -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 3 — Strategic Objectives + Anti-Goals
+## Slide 3 — Strategic Objectives
 
 **4 Strategic Objectives:**
 1. **Zero-touch operations** — autonomy as the default, not the demo; stage-gate attestation (QA, SRE) remains human by design
@@ -54,30 +79,46 @@ Every hour a developer spends writing, deploying, fixing, or remediating infrast
    - **Lead Time** (PR → Production) · **Infrastructure Vulnerability Count** (trend) · **MTTR** · **Cloud Spend Reduction**
 4. **Integrate with externally owned development platforms — regardless of source** — PDLC, SDLC, Agentic, or Citizen Developer; Nova provides skills + MCP endpoints; all prod intents go through the same controls and quality gates
 
-**4 Anti-Goals (what Nova is NOT):**
+<div class="benefit">the scope is explicit — Nova governs infrastructure and delivery, integrates with any upstream source through one validated contract, and measures success on four metrics a CTO can repeat back.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: Objective #2 is the one to land carefully: trust is established by deterministic scoring, not by an LLM. The platform functions without AI. -->
+<!-- Transition: The objectives are concrete — here is what Nova is NOT, to keep it focused. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Objective #1: zero-touch operations — autonomy as the default, not the demo; stage-gate attestation (QA, SRE) remains human by design; Objective #2 is the one to land carefully: trust = deterministic scoring, not an LLM; the platform functions without AI; Objective #3: four CTO-grade metrics (Lead Time, Vuln Count, MTTR, Spend) — all flow into PowerBI; Objective #4 is the integration thesis: Nova integrates with any upstream source; provides skills + MCP; all prod intents go through the same controls; Key takeaway: the scope is explicit — Nova governs infra + delivery, integrates with any source through one contract, measures success on four CTO metrics -->
+
+---
+
+## Slide 4 — Anti-Goals (What Nova Is NOT)
+
 1. Not a general-purpose AI agent platform
 2. Not a system that removes humans from accountability — only from normal operations
 3. Not an upstream development platform (no product backlogs, IDE, code authorship)
 4. Not a replacement for the Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC)
 
-**Benefit:** the scope is explicit — Nova governs infrastructure and delivery, integrates with any upstream source through one validated contract, and measures success on four metrics a CTO can repeat back.
+<div class="benefit">the boundaries are explicit — Nova is purpose-built for infrastructure operations and delivery, not a general-purpose AI agent or an upstream development platform.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: Anti-goals #3 and #4 protect the scope boundary — Nova will not become an IDE or a product-planning tool. -->
+<!-- Transition: The scope boundary is explicit — here is exactly where Nova sits relative to the product development lifecycle. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Not a general-purpose AI agent platform; Not a system that removes humans from accountability — only from normal operations; Not an upstream development platform (no product backlogs, IDE, code authorship); Not a replacement for the Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC); Anti-goals #3 and #4 protect the scope boundary — Nova will not become an IDE or a product-planning tool; Key takeaway: the boundaries are explicit — Nova is purpose-built for infra ops + delivery, not a general-purpose AI agent or an upstream dev platform -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 4 — Scope: Downstream of PDLC
+## Slide 5 — Scope: Downstream of PDLC
 
-**Nova governs infrastructure and delivery. The PDLC is upstream — Nova never penetrates it. Integration is through one validated contract.**
+**Nova governs infrastructure and delivery. The PDLC is upstream — Nova stays downstream of it. Integration is through one validated contract.**
 
-- **The PDLC is upstream:** product backlog, code authorship (AI agent, IDE, agentic SDLC), sprint planning, application business logic
+- **The PDLC is upstream** — product backlog, code authorship (AI agent, IDE, agentic SDLC), sprint planning, application business logic. Nova stays downstream of it.
 - **Nova is downstream:** contract ingestion → submission-readiness gate → policy enforcement → cloud resource lifecycle → environment progression (dev → qa → prod → dr) → immutable audit + attestation
-- **The integration point is one contract** — any upstream source (AI agent, agentic SDLC, dev platform) produces submissions subject to the same compliance standards
-- **Nova validates the submission, not the author** — the audit trail, the policy envelope, and the evidence stream are the same regardless of source
+- **One validated contract** — any upstream source (AI agent, agentic SDLC, dev platform) produces submissions subject to the same compliance standards; Nova validates the submission, not the author
 
-**Benefit:** a clean scope boundary — Nova is purpose-built for infrastructure operations and integrates with any upstream source through one validated contract, so the platform team's surface area stays bounded.
+<div class="benefit">a clean scope boundary — Nova is purpose-built for infrastructure operations and integrates with any upstream source through one contract, so the platform team's surface area stays bounded.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: This slide protects the scope. The moment Nova starts owning the PDLC, it loses focus. The contract boundary is what keeps Nova deep on infrastructure and delivery rather than shallow on everything. -->
+<!-- Transition: With the scope clear, here is who owns what across the delivery lifecycle. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Nova governs infra + delivery only; the PDLC (backlog, code authorship, IDE) is upstream — Nova stays downstream of it; Integration is only through the validated contract boundary; Any upstream source (AI agent, agentic SDLC, dev platform) produces submissions subject to the same compliance standards; Nova validates the submission, not the author; Key takeaway: Nova is purpose-built for infrastructure operations; the scope boundary is clean and bounded -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 5 — RACI: Who Owns What
+## Slide 6 — RACI: Who Owns What
 
 **Four roles, one matrix — citizen developer owns FRs + UAT, platform owns NFRs + infra, quality engineering owns the gate evidence, SRE owns operational readiness.**
 
@@ -94,46 +135,72 @@ Every hour a developer spends writing, deploying, fixing, or remediating infrast
 
 **R**=Responsible · **A**=Accountable (sign-off) · **C**=Consulted · **I**=Informed. Production readiness is co-owned: the platform runs attestations agentically; the citizen developer authorizes the promotion at the stage gate.
 
-**Benefit:** every party knows what they bring, what the platform provides, what quality engineering guards, and where SRE signs off — accountability is explicit, never diffuse.
+<div class="benefit">every party knows what they bring, what the platform provides, what quality engineering guards, and where SRE signs off — accountability is explicit, never diffuse.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: Quality attestation is now owned by Quality Engineering (not the Platform), and Production readiness is owned by SRE. The Platform runs the checks agentically but is never the Accountable party for the gate — that separation keeps the platform honest. -->
+<!-- Transition: With ownership clear, here is how the pipeline enforces it. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Four roles now: Citizen Developer, Platform, Quality Engineering, SRE; Quality attestation is owned by Quality Engineering (not the Platform); Production readiness is owned by SRE; The Platform runs the checks agentically but is never the Accountable party for the gate — that separation keeps the platform honest; Production readiness is co-owned: the platform runs attestations; the citizen developer authorizes the promotion at the stage gate; Key takeaway: you bring FRs + UAT; Nova provides NFRs + infra; QE guards the gate evidence; SRE signs off on production readiness -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 6 — The Platform Pipeline
+## Slide 7 — The Platform Pipeline
 
 **How intent becomes verified infrastructure — fail-fast policy scanning before the plan, runtime scanning after it.**
 
-![w:1000](assets/png/platform-pipeline.png)
+![h:480 class:tall](assets/png/platform-pipeline.png)
 
-- **Contract → resolver → adapter → Checkov on static code (before plan) → terraform plan → Wiz on the plan → confidence signal → stage gate → apply → evidence + ledger**
+- **The pipeline** — see the diagram; two scan stages (static code, then resolved plan) feed a confidence signal to the stage gate before apply + evidence + ledger
 - **Fail-fast, quick feedback** — Checkov runs on the authored Terraform code before `terraform plan` so developers get immediate policy feedback
-- **Wiz on the plan when configured; Checkov as a drop-in otherwise** — Wiz scans the plan output; when Wiz credentials are absent, Checkov runs against the plan. **Wiz and Checkov are never both run on the plan.**
-- **Dev is autonomous** (no stage gate); **qa/prod/dr require human attestation** (QA for quality, SRE for production readiness)
+- **Wiz on the plan when configured; Checkov as a drop-in otherwise** — Wiz scans the plan output; when Wiz credentials are absent, Checkov runs against the plan instead. **Wiz and Checkov are never both run on the plan.**
 
-**Benefit:** two layers of scanning, zero operator involvement in normal operations — fast deterministic feedback at authoring time and a runtime scan on the resolved plan.
+<div class="benefit">two layers of scanning, zero operator involvement in normal operations — fast deterministic feedback at authoring time and a runtime scan on the resolved plan.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: The two-stage scan is the key design: static code scanning catches policy violations before the cost of a plan; runtime plan scanning catches what the static code cannot (resolved values, cross-resource issues). The platform picks the runtime scanner based on configuration — never both, to avoid duplicate noise. -->
+<!-- Transition: The pipeline produces decisions — here is how every decision is captured and made accountable. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Walk the pipeline left-to-right: contract → resolver → adapter → Checkov (static) → plan → Wiz (on plan) → confidence → gate → apply; Two-stage scan: Checkov on static code BEFORE the plan (fail-fast dev feedback); Wiz on the plan (or Checkov as drop-in if no Wiz creds); Never both Wiz + Checkov on the plan — avoid duplicate noise; Dev is autonomous; qa/prod/dr require attestation (QA for quality, SRE for production readiness); Key takeaway: two layers of scanning, zero operator involvement in normal operations -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 7 — The Decision Ledger
+## Slide 8 — The Decision Ledger
 
 **Every automated decision is captured, immutable, queryable — and accountable.**
 
 - **What is captured:** the chosen action, the confidence score, the alternatives considered, whether a human overrode it, and the outcome (backfilled once the apply completes). Every stage-gate attestation (QA, SRE) is captured with approver identity and the evidence presented.
-- **"AI decisions" are really automated decisions** — made by deterministic scripts that calculate a score and a band; the platform functions without AI. When an LLM planner is added later, it will emit richer alternatives without breaking the schema.
+- **"AI decisions" are really automated decisions** — deterministic scripts calculate a score and a band; the platform functions without AI, and a later LLM planner emits richer alternatives without breaking the schema.
 - **The value is accountability, not the storage engine** — the ledger is append-only and tamper-evident; every decision is queryable for auditing, traceable to an outcome, and impossible to rewrite after the fact.
 
-**Benefit:** "autonomous" is defensible because every decision is immutable, queryable, and accountable — and the audience knows exactly what "automated" means here: deterministic scoring, not a black-box LLM.
+<div class="benefit">"autonomous" is defensible because every decision is immutable, queryable, and accountable — and the audience knows exactly what "automated" means here: deterministic scoring, not a black-box LLM.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: Do not dwell on the storage substrate. The audience cares that the ledger is append-only, queryable, and tied to outcomes — not that it is a hash-chain in a SQLite file. The D-122 honesty point is restated without the decision ID: the platform's decisions are deterministic; the ledger captures that real path. -->
+<!-- Transition: Decisions are captured — here is how stage-gate attestation keeps humans in accountability. -->
+<!-- Talking points: "AI decisions" are really automated decisions — deterministic scripts calculate a score; the platform functions without AI; Do not dwell on the storage substrate — the value is accountability (immutable, queryable, traceable to outcome), not the database; Every stage-gate attestation is captured with approver identity and the evidence presented; When an LLM planner is added later, it emits richer alternatives without breaking the schema; Key takeaway: autonomous is defensible because every decision is immutable, queryable, accountable — and "automated" means deterministic scoring, not a black-box LLM -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 8 — The Attestation Matrix
+## Slide 9 — Attestation Matrix: QA
 
-**The designed controls that keep humans at stage gates — structured, freshness-validated, separation-of-duties-enforced.**
+**The designed controls that keep humans at stage gates — QA concerns, freshness-validated.**
 
 | Concern | Env | Freshness | Description |
 |---------|-----|-----------|-------------|
 | Functional correctness | qa | 24h | The application behaves as specified; evidence accepted from the consumer's UAT. |
 | Performance baseline | qa | 7d | The deployment meets its performance envelope vs. the agreed baseline. |
 | Security posture | qa | 24h | The deployment's security findings have been reviewed and accepted. |
+
+<div class="benefit">QA signs off on quality before any promotion — the gate is explicit, not implicit.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: The matrix is not a rubber stamp. Each concern has a freshness window and a plain-language description of what is being attested. The "operator-supplied" label from the prior deck was dropped — every concern now has a plain-language description. -->
+<!-- Transition: QA is half the matrix — here are the production and DR controls. -->
+<!-- Talking points: The matrix is not a rubber stamp — structured, freshness-validated; Each concern now has a plain-language description of what is being attested (the old "operator-supplied" label is gone); Three QA concerns: functional correctness (24h), performance baseline (7d), security posture (24h); Each concern has a freshness window — evidence older than the window does not satisfy the gate; Key takeaway: QA signs off on quality before any promotion — the gate is explicit, not implicit -->
+
+---
+
+## Slide 10 — Attestation Matrix: Prod/DR
+
+**Production and DR controls — operational readiness, resilience, and disaster recovery.**
+
+| Concern | Env | Freshness | Description |
+|---------|-----|-----------|-------------|
 | Operational readiness | prod | 30d | SRE confirms the deployment is operable: runbooks, dashboards, on-call. |
 | Incident response | prod | 90d | The on-call path has been exercised; a working incident-response plan exists. |
 | Capacity & cost | prod | 30d | Capacity headroom and monthly cost are within the agreed envelope. |
@@ -144,40 +211,50 @@ Every hour a developer spends writing, deploying, fixing, or remediating infrast
 
 Separation-of-duties on prod: the approver cannot be the same person who built the deployment.
 
-**Benefit:** the gate model is explicit — autonomy in operations, human in accountability, by design. The matrix is what makes autonomous operations safe enough to trust in production.
+<div class="benefit">the gate model is explicit — autonomy in operations, human in accountability, by design. The matrix is what makes autonomous operations safe enough to trust in production.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: The prod/DR rows are the operational-readiness and resilience gates — SRE signs off on operability, incident response, capacity, and the three resilience checks (DR drill, chaos, backup). Separation-of-duties on prod is the rule that keeps the gate honest: the approver cannot be the same person who built the deployment. -->
+<!-- Transition: You've seen how Nova works — the pipeline, the ledger, the attestation gates. Here is how Nova instruments itself so that every claim in this deck is traceable to a real signal. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Seven prod/DR concerns: operational readiness, incident response, capacity & cost, DR drill, chaos, backup, DR region deploy; SRE signs off on operability (runbooks, dashboards, on-call), incident response, capacity, and the three resilience checks; Each concern has a freshness window — 30d/90d/180d depending on the control; SoD on prod: the approver can't be the same person who built it — the rule that keeps the gate honest; Key takeaway: autonomy in operations, human in accountability, by design — the matrix is what makes autonomous operations safe enough to trust in production -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 9 — Telemetry & Live Ops
+## Slide 11 — Telemetry & Live Ops
 
 **Every metric in this deck is traceable to a real emitted signal — the live-ops dashboard makes operations visible in PowerBI.**
 
-![w:900](assets/png/telemetry-live-ops.png)
+![h:480 class:tall](assets/png/telemetry-live-ops.png)
 
 - **Platform components → CloudEvents envelope → event log + decision ledger + run records → collector → cold store → PowerBI views → live ops dashboard**
 - **The live ops dashboard (PowerBI)** surfaces the four CTO-grade metrics (Lead Time, Vulnerability Count, MTTR, Cloud Spend) alongside trust metrics (Decision Ledger coverage, Attestation coverage) and efficiency metrics (touchless resolution, escalation frequency)
-- **Deliberately minimal** — Nova-native envelopes; no Kafka, no Prometheus, no ClickHouse. The cold store handles batch and historical analysis; the live-ops surface is built in PowerBI on the exported views
 - **Every number is traceable to a signal** — when a CFO asks "where does this number come from?", the answer is a query against the cold store, not a Slack thread
 
-**Benefit:** the architecture is the trust substrate — leadership sees the same numbers the platform produces, in PowerBI, with full traceability. Operations become visible.
+<div class="benefit">the architecture is the trust substrate — leadership sees the same numbers the platform produces, in PowerBI, with full traceability. Operations become visible.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: The value is not the plumbing — it is that the platform's metrics surface in a tool leadership already uses (PowerBI), and every number is traceable. The live-ops dashboard is where the "infrastructure operations become visible" theme lands concretely. -->
+<!-- Transition: The architecture is sound — here is the measured proof. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Deliberately minimal: Nova-native CloudEvents; no Kafka/Prometheus/ClickHouse; The live-ops dashboard is built in PowerBI on top of the exported views — leadership sees the same numbers the platform produces; Every number in the Proof slides is traceable to a signal — "where does this number come from?" → a query against the cold store; This is where the "infrastructure operations become visible" theme lands concretely; Key takeaway: the architecture is the trust substrate — operations become visible in PowerBI, with full traceability -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 10 — Decision Ledger + Attestation Coverage
+## Slide 12 — Decision Ledger + Attestation Coverage
 
 **By design, no change reaches production without a ledger entry and a human attestation — both queryable for auditing, with full traceability.**
 
 - **Decision Ledger coverage: 100%** — every platform run emits a decision record with outcome backfill; no automated decision is ever lost
 - **Attestation coverage: 100%** — every prod/dr promotion is attested by a human (QA for quality, SRE for production readiness), recorded with approver identity, separation-of-duties check, and the evidence matrix
 - **No change to production without both** — the ledger entry and the human attestation are mandatory, enforced by the pipeline, not by policy
-- **Easily queried for auditing** — queryable by run, by environment, by approver, and by outcome; the audit trail is a query, not a forensic exercise
 - **Full traceability** — a production change is traceable from the contract that declared intent, through the policy scan, the confidence score, the attestation, to the applied outcome
 
-**Benefit:** trust is provable — not a marketing claim, a queryable record. An auditor answers "who approved this, when, on what evidence?" in one query; a CTO answers "how many of last quarter's prod changes were touchless?" in one query.
+<div class="benefit">trust is provable — not a marketing claim, a queryable record. An auditor answers "who approved this, when, on what evidence?" in one query; a CTO answers "how many of last quarter's prod changes were touchless?" in one query.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: The mandatory-by-design point is the one to land. The ledger + attestation are not a best-effort feature; they are a gate. No change reaches production without both. That is what makes the 100% numbers credible — they are enforced, not aspirational. -->
+<!-- Transition: Trust is provable — here is the cost side of the ROI. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Both 100% — no automated decision is ever lost; no prod/dr promotion lands without a human sign-off; The mandatory-by-design point: the ledger entry + the human attestation are a gate, not a best-effort feature; Easily queried: by run, by environment, by approver, by outcome — the audit trail is a query, not a forensic exercise; Key takeaway: trust is provable — not a marketing claim, a queryable record; no change to production without both the ledger entry and the human attestation -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 11 — Cost & ROI
+## Slide 13 — Cost & ROI
 
 **The ROI formula and the cost estimates — grounded, with the production denominator honestly flagged.**
 
@@ -185,34 +262,40 @@ Separation-of-duties on prod: the approver cannot be the same person who built t
 - **The ROI formula:**
   `Platform ROI = (FTE hours saved × blended rate + cloud savings + avoided downtime) ÷ platform op cost`
 - **The four CTO-grade metrics are the ROI proof:** Lead Time (PR → Prod), Infrastructure Vulnerability Count (trend), MTTR, Cloud Spend Reduction — all flow into PowerBI
-- **Honest caveat:** derived metrics are computed on internal runs today; the production-denominator activates when a pilot estate runs. The formula is grounded; the production numbers are not yet.
+- **Honest caveat:** derived metrics run on internal data today; the production-denominator activates with a pilot estate.
 
-**Benefit:** the ROI is not a black box — the formula is shown, the four metrics are committed, and the production-denominator caveat is stated up front. The CFO sees exactly what is real today and what activates with a pilot.
+<div class="benefit">the ROI is not a black box — the formula is shown, the four metrics are committed, and the production-denominator caveat is stated up front. The CFO sees exactly what is real today and what activates with a pilot.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: The formula is shown inline, not hidden. The "no fabrication" constraint in action: show the formula, show the caveat, do not pretend the production numbers exist. -->
+<!-- Transition: The proof is grounded — here is what is honestly deferred, and why. -->
+<!-- Talking points: The ROI formula is shown inline — not hidden in a footnote; The four CTO-grade metrics are the ROI proof — Lead Time, Vuln Count, MTTR, Cloud Spend; The N=0 caveat is stated explicitly: the formula is grounded; the production numbers activate with a pilot; Key takeaway: the ROI is not a black box — the formula is shown, the four metrics are committed, the production-denominator caveat is up front -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 12 — What's Deferred — and Why
+## Slide 14 — What's Deferred — and Why
 
 **Honesty about what is not measured yet — and the blocking work for each.**
 
-To be clear: these deferrals are *measurement infrastructure*, not the autonomy itself. The platform runs without an operator in the loop of normal operations. What is deferred is the evidence pipeline for certain metrics — not the autonomy.
+These deferrals are measurement infrastructure, not the autonomy itself — the platform runs without an operator in normal operations.
 
 | # | Deferred metric | Blocking work |
 |---|-----------------|---------------|
-| 1 | Live infrastructure health | Live AWS re-provisioning (currently torn down to zero-cost steady state) |
-| 2 | Live outbox write rate | Live AWS re-provisioning |
-| 3 | Tamper-evident ledger checkpoints | Audit-ledger build-out (Object Lock + signed checkpoints) |
-| 4 | Onboarding funnel (requested → granted) | Auto-grant implementation |
-| 5 | Drift auto-reversal | Drift-detection scheduler (not yet built) |
-| 6 | Live cost reconciliation | Live AWS re-provisioning + actual-spend feed |
-| 7 | SLA / unplanned downtime | Live AWS re-provisioning |
-| 8 | Predictive vs reactive ratio | ML anomaly-forecasting service (not yet built) |
+| 1 | Live infra health, outbox write rate, SLA | Live AWS re-provisioning (currently torn down to zero-cost steady state) |
+| 2 | Tamper-evident ledger checkpoints | Audit-ledger build-out (Object Lock + signed checkpoints) |
+| 3 | Onboarding funnel (requested → granted) | Auto-grant implementation |
+| 4 | Drift auto-reversal | Drift-detection scheduler (not yet built) |
+| 5 | Live cost reconciliation | Live AWS re-provisioning + actual-spend feed |
+| 6 | Predictive vs reactive ratio | ML anomaly-forecasting service (not yet built) |
 
-**Benefit:** the boundaries are explicit — what Nova measures today, and exactly what blocks the rest. The autonomy is real; the measurement gaps are documented with the work that unblocks each one.
+<div class="benefit">the boundaries are explicit — what Nova measures today, and exactly what blocks the rest. The autonomy is real; the measurement gaps are documented with the work that unblocks each one.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: The preempt is critical: these deferrals are measurement infrastructure, not autonomy. The platform runs without an operator in the loop. What is deferred is the evidence pipeline for live-infra health, drift, predictive remediation — not the autonomy itself. -->
+<!-- Transition: The proof is honest — here is the roadmap from here to the targets. -->
+<!-- Talking points: The preempt is critical: these deferrals are measurement infrastructure, not autonomy — the platform IS autonomous in operations; The blocking work is named in plain language (no decision IDs) — "live AWS re-provisioning", "drift-detection scheduler", "ML service"; Showing this to leadership demonstrates honesty, not weakness; Key takeaway: the autonomy is real; the measurement gaps are documented with the work that unblocks each one -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 13 — Roadmap to the North Star
+## Slide 15 — Roadmap to the North Star
 
 **The path from the grounded metrics to the 12–18 month targets — each deferred metric has an unblock path and a timeframe.**
 
@@ -227,11 +310,15 @@ To be clear: these deferrals are *measurement infrastructure*, not the autonomy
 
 Re-evaluation triggers: each blocking piece of work lifts on its own schedule; the metrics layer evolves as each one lands.
 
-**Benefit:** every deferred metric has an unblock path — nothing is hand-waved; everything has a plan and a timeframe.
+<div class="benefit">every deferred metric has an unblock path — nothing is hand-waved; everything has a plan and a timeframe.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: This is the bridge from "honestly deferred" to "here is how we get there." The roadmap uses timeframes, not status — most of it is not implemented yet, so a status column would be noise. -->
+<!-- Transition: The unblock path is clear — here is the 12-month product arc. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Each deferred metric has an unblock path and a timeframe — near-term, mid-term, longer-term; No status column: most of it is not implemented yet, so status would be noise; Re-evaluation triggers: each blocking piece of work lifts on its own schedule; Key takeaway: every deferred metric has a plan and a timeframe — nothing is hand-waved -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 14 — 12-Month Product Roadmap
+## Slide 16 — 12-Month Product Roadmap
 
 **The product arc from pilot activation to integration — four quarters, four outcomes.**
 
@@ -244,26 +331,34 @@ Re-evaluation triggers: each blocking piece of work lifts on its own schedule; t
 
 Grounded in the four strategic objectives (autonomy, provable trust, ROI, integration) and the deferred-metric unblock paths.
 
-**Benefit:** the 12-month product arc — each quarter activates a strategic objective and its corresponding board-level metric, from pilot activation through integration leadership.
+<div class="benefit">the 12-month product arc — each quarter activates a strategic objective and its corresponding board-level metric, from pilot activation through integration leadership.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: The roadmap is organized by product outcome, not by technical milestone. Each quarter activates one strategic objective from the North Star. -->
+<!-- Transition: Here is the quarter-by-quarter detail. -->
+<!-- Talking points: This is the *product* roadmap, forward-looking only; Q1 Pilot Activation → Q2 Provable Trust → Q3 Compounding ROI → Q4 Integration & Predictive; Each quarter activates one strategic objective from the North Star; Key takeaway: the 12-month product arc — each quarter activates a strategic objective and its board-level metric -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 15 — Quarter-by-Quarter Outcomes
+## Slide 17 — Quarter-by-Quarter Outcomes
 
-| Quarter | Product theme | Key deliverable | Target metric | Grounding |
-|---------|---------------|-----------------|---------------|-----------|
-| **Q1** | Pilot Activation | Re-provision live AWS; activate first pilot estate; onboarding auto-grant | Touchless ≥ 99% · Escalation < 0.1% · Accuracy ≥ 99.5% | Objective #1 — autonomy as the default |
-| **Q2** | Provable Trust | Tamper-evident ledger (Object Lock + signed checkpoints); daily checkpoints; live cost reconciliation | Decision Ledger Coverage 100% · Cost Savings ≥ 25% | Objective #2 — trust is the moat |
-| **Q3** | Compounding ROI + Drift | Drift-detection scheduler; auto-reversal; pre-apply → actual-spend reconciliation on the pilot estate | Drift Auto-Reversal ≥ 95% · Spend Reduction ≥ 25% | Objective #3 — CFO-pointable numbers |
-| **Q4** | Integration + Predictive | ML anomaly-forecasting; AI-agent intent surface; multi-cloud (Azure/GCP) preview | Predictive:Reactive ≥ 3:1 · AI-Agent Intent Share (first measurement) | Objective #4 — default substrate for agents |
+| Quarter | Product theme | Key deliverable | Target metric |
+|---------|---------------|-----------------|---------------|
+| **Q1** | Pilot Activation | Re-provision live AWS; activate first pilot estate; onboarding auto-grant | Touchless ≥ 99% · Escalation < 0.1% · Accuracy ≥ 99.5% |
+| **Q2** | Provable Trust | Tamper-evident ledger (Object Lock + signed checkpoints); daily checkpoints; live cost reconciliation | Decision Ledger Coverage 100% · Cost Savings ≥ 25% |
+| **Q3** | Compounding ROI + Drift | Drift-detection scheduler; auto-reversal; pre-apply → actual-spend reconciliation on the pilot estate | Drift Auto-Reversal ≥ 95% · Spend Reduction ≥ 25% |
+| **Q4** | Integration + Predictive | ML anomaly-forecasting; AI-agent intent surface; multi-cloud (Azure/GCP) preview | Predictive:Reactive ≥ 3:1 · AI-Agent Intent Share (first measurement) |
 
 **Month-18 destination:** *"Nova is the layer enterprise leadership points to when they say 'we don't have an infrastructure ops team anymore, and the audit trail is stronger than it ever was.'"*
 
-**Benefit:** each quarter has a concrete deliverable, a target metric grounded in a strategic objective, and a path from "honestly deferred" to "shipped and measured."
+<div class="benefit">each quarter has a concrete deliverable, a target metric grounded in a strategic objective, and a path from "honestly deferred" to "shipped and measured."</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: Q1–Q3 are committed (grounded pipeline + known unblock paths). Q4 targets are committed-deliverable, aspirational-metric — the ML service ships, the intent-share number is a first measurement (we do not control adoption rate). -->
+<!-- Transition: Production-grade guidance is how Nova helps the citizen developer's AI agent meet the bar — here is the first half. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Q1: three post-pilot metrics go live (Touchless ≥99%, Escalation <0.1%, Accuracy ≥99.5%) — denominator activates with the pilot; Q2: Decision Ledger Coverage was already grounded — tamper-evidence is the Q2 upgrade (local hash-chain → Object Lock + signed checkpoints); Q3: Drift Auto-Reversal ≥95% unblocks when the drift scheduler ships; Spend Reduction ≥25% measured against the pilot baseline; Q4: Predictive:Reactive ≥3:1 requires the ML forecasting service; AI-Agent Intent Share is a first measurement (aspirational-metric); Key takeaway: each quarter has a concrete deliverable, a target metric grounded in a strategic objective, and a path from deferred to shipped -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 16 — Production-Grade Guidance via Atelier (1/2)
+## Slide 18 — Production-Grade Guidance via Atelier (1/2)
 
 **Nova instructs the citizen developer's AI agent on production-grade engineering — a set of skills and an MCP server.**
 
@@ -271,11 +366,15 @@ Grounded in the four strategic objectives (autonomy, provable trust, ROI, integr
 - **MCP server** — a plugin-registry, stdio server exposing four tools: `lookup_principle`, `list_domains`, `matrix_lookup`, `validate_against_principles`. The developer's AI agent (or any agentic SDLC platform) calls these tools to look up the principles that apply to its submission
 - **The integration point is the same regardless of source** — whether the submission comes from an AI coding agent, an agentic SDLC platform, or a traditional IDE, the same skills and MCP server apply. This is how Nova makes the citizen developer production-grade without owning the PDLC
 
-**Benefit:** the citizen developer's AI agent is not unguided — Nova provides production-grade engineering principles as skills and as an MCP surface, so submissions arrive at the contract boundary already aligned with the platform's standards.
+<div class="benefit">the citizen developer's AI agent is not unguided — Nova provides production-grade engineering principles as skills and as an MCP surface, so submissions arrive at the contract boundary already aligned with the platform's standards.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: This is the first half of the Atelier story — the surface (skills + MCP). The next slide is what the surface catches that deterministic scanners cannot. -->
+<!-- Transition: Here is what that guidance catches that deterministic scanners cannot. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Nova instructs the citizen developer's AI agent via skills (markdown, keyed to engineering domains) + an MCP server (4 tools, plugin-registry, stdio); The integration point is the same regardless of source — AI agent, agentic SDLC, traditional IDE all get the same skills + MCP; This is how Nova makes the citizen developer production-grade without owning the PDLC; Key takeaway: the citizen developer's AI agent is not unguided — Nova provides engineering principles as skills + MCP -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 17 — Production-Grade Guidance via Atelier (2/2)
+## Slide 19 — Production-Grade Guidance via Atelier (2/2)
 
 **Agentic validation catches engineering-discipline gaps that deterministic scanners miss — and the validation is reproducible.**
 
@@ -283,11 +382,15 @@ Grounded in the four strategic objectives (autonomy, provable trust, ROI, integr
 - **Agentic validation, not a second policy engine** — the MCP server gives the AI agent the principles to validate against; the agent does the validation. The agent reasons about the submission against the principles, not a second static scan
 - **Vendored for audit reproducibility** — Atelier is vendored at a pinned tag. A validation result is replayable against the exact principles that produced it, so an audit can reproduce a validation months later, not just trust a log line
 
-**Benefit:** the citizen developer's submission is checked for engineering discipline, not just policy compliance — and the check is reproducible for audit. That is what makes the submission production-grade, regardless of which upstream platform produced it.
+<div class="benefit">the citizen developer's submission is checked for engineering discipline, not just policy compliance — and the check is reproducible for audit. That is what makes the submission production-grade, regardless of which upstream platform produced it.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: The value is the gap deterministic scanners leave: engineering discipline. Policy scanners catch "is this S3 bucket public?"; the MCP server catches "is this service observable if that bucket fails?". The vendoring point is audit reproducibility — the validation is not a black box. -->
+<!-- Transition: You've seen the problem, the solution, and the proof. Here is the recap and the ask. -->
+<!-- Talking points: The value is the gap deterministic scanners leave: engineering discipline (Wiz/Checkmarx/Mend check policy/secrets, not discipline); The MCP server catches "is this service observable?", "is this error path handled?", "is this API contract clear?"; Vendored at a pinned tag → audit reproducibility — a validation result is replayable months later; Key takeaway: submissions are checked for engineering discipline, not just policy compliance — and the check is reproducible for audit -->
 
 ---
 
-## Slide 18 — Recap + Ask
+## Slide 20 — Recap + Ask
 
 **The 4-beat recap + the business decision.**
 
@@ -297,9 +400,12 @@ Grounded in the four strategic objectives (autonomy, provable trust, ROI, integr
 - **Proof:** 100% ledger coverage, 100% attestation coverage, grounded ROI formula, four CTO-grade metrics flowing into PowerBI
 - **Roadmap:** deferred metrics have unblock paths; the 12-month product arc activates one strategic objective per quarter
 
-**The ask:** "Approve a pilot estate to activate the production-denominator metrics (Lead Time, Vulnerability Count, MTTR, Cloud Spend), and approve the tamper-evident ledger build-out to move from the local hash-chain to S3 Object Lock + signed checkpoints. These two decisions move Nova from 'pipeline-ready' to 'production-proven.'"
+**The ask:** "Approve a pilot estate to activate the production-denominator metrics (Lead Time, Vulnerability Count, MTTR, Cloud Spend). Then approve the tamper-evident ledger build-out (S3 Object Lock + signed checkpoints). Together these move Nova from 'pipeline-ready' to 'production-proven.'"
 
-**Benefit:** a clear business decision — approve a pilot and the ledger build-out — with the confidence that every claim in this deck is grounded, derived, or honestly deferred.
+<div class="benefit">a clear business decision — approve a pilot and the ledger build-out — with the confidence that every claim in this deck is grounded, derived, or honestly deferred.</div>
+
+<!-- Speaker notes: The ask is a business decision, not insider language. "Approve a pilot estate" is a C-suite decision. "Approve the ledger build-out" is a budget decision. The recap reinforces the 4-beat arc — the audience leaves with the structure, not a pile of facts. -->
+<!-- Talking points: Recap the 4-beat arc so the audience leaves with the structure; The ask is a business decision: approve a pilot estate + the tamper-evident ledger build-out; "Pipeline-ready" → "production-proven" is the value proposition; Key takeaway: approve a pilot + the ledger build-out to move from pipeline-ready to production-proven -->
 
 ---
 
@@ -324,4 +430,6 @@ Grounded in the four strategic objectives (autonomy, provable trust, ROI, integr
 | Attestation Coverage | prod/dr attested ÷ total prod/dr | grounded |
 | Policy Compliance Rate | 1 − failed_assets ÷ total | grounded |
 
-**Benefit:** a reference for every metric mentioned in the deck.
+<div class="benefit">a reference for every metric mentioned in the deck.</div>
+
+<!-- Talking points: Reference for every metric mentioned in the deck; Use if the audience asks "what does X mean?" -->

docs/presentations/nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-talking-points.md

@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 # Nova — The Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform: Talking Points
 
-> Step 4 of the 4-step deck process. Presenter cues distilled from the
-> source of truth (`nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.md`). 3-6 bullets per
-> slide + key takeaway. Indexed by Marp slide #.
+> Step 4 of the 4-step deck process. Presenter cues that mirror the
+> `<!-- Talking points: -->` comments in
+> `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-marp.md` (the sole source of truth).
+> 3-6 bullets per slide + key takeaway. Indexed by Marp slide #.
 > v1.21 — REQ-245
 
 ---
@@ -21,104 +22,120 @@
 - State the attestation model up front: QA for production, SRE for operational readiness
 - **Key takeaway:** autonomous operations with provable trust — security, remediation velocity, reliability, lead time made visible, not promised
 
-### Slide 3 — Strategic Objectives + Anti-Goals
+### Slide 3 — Strategic Objectives
+- Objective #1: zero-touch operations — autonomy as the default, not the demo; stage-gate attestation (QA, SRE) remains human by design
 - Objective #2 is the one to land carefully: trust = deterministic scoring, not an LLM; the platform functions without AI
 - Objective #3: four CTO-grade metrics (Lead Time, Vuln Count, MTTR, Spend) — all flow into PowerBI
 - Objective #4 is the integration thesis: Nova integrates with any upstream source; provides skills + MCP; all prod intents go through the same controls
-- Anti-goals #3 and #4 protect the scope: not an upstream dev platform, not a PDLC replacement
-- **Key takeaway:** purpose-built for infra ops, integrates with any source through one contract, measures success on four CTO metrics
+- **Key takeaway:** the scope is explicit — Nova governs infra + delivery, integrates with any source through one contract, measures success on four CTO metrics
 
-### Slide 4 — Scope: Downstream of PDLC
-- Nova governs infra + delivery only; the PDLC (backlog, code authorship, IDE) is upstream — Nova never penetrates it
+### Slide 4 — Anti-Goals (What Nova Is NOT)
+- Not a general-purpose AI agent platform
+- Not a system that removes humans from accountability — only from normal operations
+- Not an upstream development platform (no product backlogs, IDE, code authorship)
+- Not a replacement for the Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC)
+- Anti-goals #3 and #4 protect the scope boundary — Nova will not become an IDE or a product-planning tool
+- **Key takeaway:** the boundaries are explicit — Nova is purpose-built for infra ops + delivery, not a general-purpose AI agent or an upstream dev platform
+
+### Slide 5 — Scope: Downstream of PDLC
+- Nova governs infra + delivery only; the PDLC (backlog, code authorship, IDE) is upstream — Nova stays downstream of it
 - Integration is only through the validated contract boundary
 - Any upstream source (AI agent, agentic SDLC, dev platform) produces submissions subject to the same compliance standards
 - Nova validates the submission, not the author
 - **Key takeaway:** Nova is purpose-built for infrastructure operations; the scope boundary is clean and bounded
 
-### Slide 5 — RACI: Who Owns What
+### Slide 6 — RACI: Who Owns What
 - Four roles now: Citizen Developer, Platform, Quality Engineering, SRE
 - Quality attestation is owned by Quality Engineering (not the Platform); Production readiness is owned by SRE
 - The Platform runs the checks agentically but is never the Accountable party for the gate — that separation keeps the platform honest
 - Production readiness is co-owned: the platform runs attestations; the citizen developer authorizes the promotion at the stage gate
 - **Key takeaway:** you bring FRs + UAT; Nova provides NFRs + infra; QE guards the gate evidence; SRE signs off on production readiness
 
-### Slide 6 — The Platform Pipeline
+### Slide 7 — The Platform Pipeline
 - Walk the pipeline left-to-right: contract → resolver → adapter → Checkov (static) → plan → Wiz (on plan) → confidence → gate → apply
 - Two-stage scan: Checkov on static code BEFORE the plan (fail-fast dev feedback); Wiz on the plan (or Checkov as drop-in if no Wiz creds)
 - Never both Wiz + Checkov on the plan — avoid duplicate noise
 - Dev is autonomous; qa/prod/dr require attestation (QA for quality, SRE for production readiness)
 - **Key takeaway:** two layers of scanning, zero operator involvement in normal operations
 
-### Slide 7 — The Decision Ledger
+### Slide 8 — The Decision Ledger
 - "AI decisions" are really automated decisions — deterministic scripts calculate a score; the platform functions without AI
 - Do not dwell on the storage substrate — the value is accountability (immutable, queryable, traceable to outcome), not the database
 - Every stage-gate attestation is captured with approver identity and the evidence presented
 - When an LLM planner is added later, it emits richer alternatives without breaking the schema
 - **Key takeaway:** autonomous is defensible because every decision is immutable, queryable, accountable — and "automated" means deterministic scoring, not a black-box LLM
 
-### Slide 8 — The Attestation Matrix
-- The matrix is not a rubber stamp — structured, freshness-validated, separation-of-duties-enforced
+### Slide 9 — Attestation Matrix: QA
+- The matrix is not a rubber stamp — structured, freshness-validated
 - Each concern now has a plain-language description of what is being attested (the old "operator-supplied" label is gone)
-- SoD on prod: the approver can't be the same person who built it
+- Three QA concerns: functional correctness (24h), performance baseline (7d), security posture (24h)
+- Each concern has a freshness window — evidence older than the window does not satisfy the gate
+- **Key takeaway:** QA signs off on quality before any promotion — the gate is explicit, not implicit
+
+### Slide 10 — Attestation Matrix: Prod/DR
+- Seven prod/DR concerns: operational readiness, incident response, capacity & cost, DR drill, chaos, backup, DR region deploy
+- SRE signs off on operability (runbooks, dashboards, on-call), incident response, capacity, and the three resilience checks
+- Each concern has a freshness window — 30d/90d/180d depending on the control
+- SoD on prod: the approver can't be the same person who built it — the rule that keeps the gate honest
 - **Key takeaway:** autonomy in operations, human in accountability, by design — the matrix is what makes autonomous operations safe enough to trust in production
 
-### Slide 9 — Telemetry & Live Ops
+### Slide 11 — Telemetry & Live Ops
 - Deliberately minimal: Nova-native CloudEvents; no Kafka/Prometheus/ClickHouse
 - The live-ops dashboard is built in PowerBI on top of the exported views — leadership sees the same numbers the platform produces
 - Every number in the Proof slides is traceable to a signal — "where does this number come from?" → a query against the cold store
 - This is where the "infrastructure operations become visible" theme lands concretely
 - **Key takeaway:** the architecture is the trust substrate — operations become visible in PowerBI, with full traceability
 
-### Slide 10 — Decision Ledger + Attestation Coverage
+### Slide 12 — Decision Ledger + Attestation Coverage
 - Both 100% — no automated decision is ever lost; no prod/dr promotion lands without a human sign-off
 - The mandatory-by-design point: the ledger entry + the human attestation are a gate, not a best-effort feature
 - Easily queried: by run, by environment, by approver, by outcome — the audit trail is a query, not a forensic exercise
 - **Key takeaway:** trust is provable — not a marketing claim, a queryable record; no change to production without both the ledger entry and the human attestation
 
-### Slide 11 — Cost & ROI
+### Slide 13 — Cost & ROI
 - The ROI formula is shown inline — not hidden in a footnote
 - The four CTO-grade metrics are the ROI proof — Lead Time, Vuln Count, MTTR, Cloud Spend
 - The N=0 caveat is stated explicitly: the formula is grounded; the production numbers activate with a pilot
 - **Key takeaway:** the ROI is not a black box — the formula is shown, the four metrics are committed, the production-denominator caveat is up front
 
-### Slide 12 — What's Deferred — and Why
+### Slide 14 — What's Deferred — and Why
 - The preempt is critical: these deferrals are measurement infrastructure, not autonomy — the platform IS autonomous in operations
 - The blocking work is named in plain language (no decision IDs) — "live AWS re-provisioning", "drift-detection scheduler", "ML service"
 - Showing this to leadership demonstrates honesty, not weakness
 - **Key takeaway:** the autonomy is real; the measurement gaps are documented with the work that unblocks each one
 
-### Slide 13 — Roadmap to the North Star
+### Slide 15 — Roadmap to the North Star
 - Each deferred metric has an unblock path and a timeframe — near-term, mid-term, longer-term
 - No status column: most of it is not implemented yet, so status would be noise
 - Re-evaluation triggers: each blocking piece of work lifts on its own schedule
 - **Key takeaway:** every deferred metric has a plan and a timeframe — nothing is hand-waved
 
-### Slide 14 — 12-Month Product Roadmap
+### Slide 16 — 12-Month Product Roadmap
 - This is the *product* roadmap, forward-looking only
 - Q1 Pilot Activation → Q2 Provable Trust → Q3 Compounding ROI → Q4 Integration & Predictive
 - Each quarter activates one strategic objective from the North Star
 - **Key takeaway:** the 12-month product arc — each quarter activates a strategic objective and its board-level metric
 
-### Slide 15 — Quarter-by-Quarter Outcomes
+### Slide 17 — Quarter-by-Quarter Outcomes
 - Q1: three post-pilot metrics go live (Touchless ≥99%, Escalation <0.1%, Accuracy ≥99.5%) — denominator activates with the pilot
 - Q2: Decision Ledger Coverage was already grounded — tamper-evidence is the Q2 upgrade (local hash-chain → Object Lock + signed checkpoints)
 - Q3: Drift Auto-Reversal ≥95% unblocks when the drift scheduler ships; Spend Reduction ≥25% measured against the pilot baseline
 - Q4: Predictive:Reactive ≥3:1 requires the ML forecasting service; AI-Agent Intent Share is a first measurement (aspirational-metric)
 - **Key takeaway:** each quarter has a concrete deliverable, a target metric grounded in a strategic objective, and a path from deferred to shipped
 
-### Slide 16 — Production-Grade Guidance via Atelier (1/2)
+### Slide 18 — Production-Grade Guidance via Atelier (1/2)
 - Nova instructs the citizen developer's AI agent via skills (markdown, keyed to engineering domains) + an MCP server (4 tools, plugin-registry, stdio)
 - The integration point is the same regardless of source — AI agent, agentic SDLC, traditional IDE all get the same skills + MCP
 - This is how Nova makes the citizen developer production-grade without owning the PDLC
 - **Key takeaway:** the citizen developer's AI agent is not unguided — Nova provides engineering principles as skills + MCP
 
-### Slide 17 — Production-Grade Guidance via Atelier (2/2)
+### Slide 19 — Production-Grade Guidance via Atelier (2/2)
 - The value is the gap deterministic scanners leave: engineering discipline (Wiz/Checkmarx/Mend check policy/secrets, not discipline)
 - The MCP server catches "is this service observable?", "is this error path handled?", "is this API contract clear?"
 - Vendored at a pinned tag → audit reproducibility — a validation result is replayable months later
 - **Key takeaway:** submissions are checked for engineering discipline, not just policy compliance — and the check is reproducible for audit
 
-### Slide 18 — Recap + Ask
+### Slide 20 — Recap + Ask
 - Recap the 4-beat arc so the audience leaves with the structure
 - The ask is a business decision: approve a pilot estate + the tamper-evident ledger build-out
 - "Pipeline-ready" → "production-proven" is the value proposition

docs/presentations/nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.md

@@ -1,713 +0,0 @@
-# Nova — The Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform
-
-> **Source of truth** (Step 1 of the 4-step deck process).
-> Unified narrative deck. 4-beat arc: Problem → Solution → Proof →
-> Roadmap + Ask. x3 structure at deck level (opening = the problem + the
-> arc, body = tell them, closing = recap + ask) AND per slide (opens with
-> what it covers, delivers, closes with a benefit callout written for a
-> tech-leadership audience).
->
-> **Honesty model:** every metric cited is grounded (cites a source),
-> derived (documented formula), or deferred (cites the blocking work).
-> No fabricated numbers. Internal provenance (decision IDs, requirement
-> IDs, internal file paths) is kept out of the audience-facing slides —
-> those live in the appendix and the `.ciagent/` files only.
->
-> v1.21 — Deck Refinement & Pipeline Hardening
-
----
-
-## Slide 1 — The Problem
-
-**Product teams now own their cloud infrastructure — but ownership without
-discipline is destroying value.**
-
-The broad shift to "you build it, you run it" put Terraform into the hands
-of product teams. The intention was right: teams that own their stack ship
-faster. The reality is that infrastructure-as-code is a different craft
-from software development, and the engineering standards that teams apply
-to application code are rarely applied to the infrastructure that carries
-it.
-
-- **No lifecycle planning.** Resources are authored for creation, not for
-  patching, decommissioning, or rollback. When a change is needed, the
-  change is destructive — because no one planned the lifecycle.
-- **Proactive scanning is not part of authoring.** In a year where
-  AI-frontier models discover and exploit zero-day vulnerabilities at a
-  rapid pace, teams cannot keep up by reacting. Infrastructure modules
-  must be scanned as code and at runtime, post-deployment — and remediated
-  at the pace the threat moves, not the pace a sprint allows.
-- **Bandwidth gaps in infrastructure operations.** An unusual amount of
-  time is spent on remediation, the push for innovation does not pause,
-  and the result is that operational work is chronically under-resourced.
-  Gaps open. Detections are missed. Incidents grow.
-- **Tribal knowledge and the rockstar-operator problem.** Operations
-  depend on a handful of administrators who hold the infrastructure in
-  their heads. When they leave, the knowledge leaves with them. The
-  platform should encode the discipline, not the person.
-
-Every hour a developer spends writing, deploying, fixing, or remediating
-infrastructure is an hour not spent releasing features to production and
-generating value.
-
-> **Benefit:** the rest of this deck shows the answer — an autonomous
-> cloud delivery platform that encodes infrastructure discipline as
-> policy, scans proactively, remediates rapidly, and makes operations
-> visible to leadership rather than hidden in tribal knowledge.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** Do not frame this as "humans are the problem." The
-> problem is that ownership was granted without the discipline, tooling,
-> and lifecycle planning that infrastructure requires. The operator is
-> not the bottleneck because operators exist — the bottleneck is that
-> operations depend on a few individuals instead of an encoded system.
-
-> **Transition:** "Here is the destination Nova is building toward."
-
----
-
-## Slide 2 — Nova's Vision
-
-**Infrastructure operations become visible. Every environment provisioned,
-every incident healed, every risk remediated — by an autonomous system
-whose trustworthiness is provable, not promised. Human attestation remains
-required at stage gates; the operator is never in the loop of normal
-operations.**
-
-- **Visibility is the recurring theme.** Security posture, remediation
-  velocity, reliability, and lead time are surfaced as queryable signals —
-  not hidden in a person's head or a Slack thread.
-- **Provable, not promised.** Trust is established by deterministic
-  scripts that calculate a score and gate the action. The platform
-  functions without AI. "AI decisions" are really automated decisions.
-- **Autonomy in operations, human at stage gates.** QA signs off for
-  production; SRE greenlights based on operational readiness. The
-  absence of an operator in the loop is never the absence of a record.
-
-> **Benefit:** the destination is autonomous operations with provable
-> trust — security, remediation velocity, reliability, and lead time made
-> visible to leadership, not promised to them.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** "Visible" is the operative word. The vision is not
-> just that operations run without an operator — it is that operations
-> become observable, queryable, and accountable. That is what makes the
-> trust defensible.
-
-> **Transition:** "The vision is ambitious — here are the strategic
-> objectives that make it concrete, and the anti-goals that keep it
-> focused."
-
----
-
-## Slide 3 — Strategic Objectives + Anti-Goals
-
-**Four objectives Nova is building toward; four anti-goals that keep it
-focused.**
-
-**4 Strategic Objectives:**
-1. **Demonstrate production-grade zero-touch operations** — autonomy as
-   the default, not the demo. Stage-gate attestation (QA, SRE) remains
-   human by design.
-2. **Establish provable trust in automated decisions** — deterministic
-   scripts calculate a score; a band outcome gates the action. The
-   platform functions without AI. The Decision Ledger, confidence
-   scoring, circuit breakers, and blast-radius controls make
-   "autonomous" a defensible claim, not a marketing one.
-3. **Deliver compounding, quantifiable ROI** — measured on four CTO-grade
-   metrics, all flowing into PowerBI:
-   - **Lead Time** (PR → Production) — downward trend.
-   - **Infrastructure Vulnerability Count** — downward trend
-     (proactive scanning keeps up with the AI-era 0-day pace).
-   - **MTTR** — for platform-detected and platform-remediated incidents.
-   - **Cloud Spend Reduction** — on pilot estates vs. the pre-Nova
-     baseline.
-4. **Integrate with externally owned development platforms — regardless
-   of source.** Nova integrates with externally owned PDLC, SDLC,
-   Agentic, and Citizen Developer platforms. Nova provides skills and
-   MCP endpoints that help the developer or AI agent make their
-   application production-grade. Regardless of the source, all intents
-   to deploy to production go through the same rigorous controls,
-   quality gates, attestation, and evidence stream.
-
-**4 Anti-Goals (what Nova is NOT):**
-1. Not a general-purpose AI agent platform.
-2. Not a system that removes humans from accountability — only from
-   normal operations.
-3. Not an upstream development platform (no product backlogs, IDE, code
-   authorship).
-4. Not a replacement for the Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC).
-
-> **Benefit:** the scope is explicit — Nova governs infrastructure and
-> delivery, integrates with any upstream source through one validated
-> contract, and measures success on four metrics a CTO can repeat back.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** Objective #2 is the one to land carefully: trust is
-> established by deterministic scoring, not by an LLM. The platform
-> functions without AI. Anti-goals #3 and #4 protect the scope boundary —
-> Nova will not become an IDE or a product-planning tool.
-
-> **Transition:** "The scope boundary is explicit — here is exactly
-> where Nova sits relative to the product development lifecycle."
-
----
-
-## Slide 4 — Scope: Downstream of PDLC
-
-**Nova governs infrastructure and delivery. The PDLC is upstream — Nova
-never penetrates it. Integration is through one validated contract.**
-
-- **The PDLC is upstream:** product backlog, code authorship (AI agent,
-  IDE, agentic SDLC), sprint planning, application business logic.
-- **Nova is downstream:** contract ingestion → submission-readiness gate
-  → policy enforcement → cloud resource lifecycle → environment
-  progression (dev → qa → prod → dr) → immutable audit + attestation.
-- **The integration point is one contract.** The citizen developer's AI
-  coding agent, an upstream agentic SDLC platform, or any development
-  platform may all produce submissions — the source does not matter
-  because all are subject to the same compliance standards.
-- **Nova validates the submission, not the author.** The audit trail is
-  the same; the policy envelope is the same; the evidence stream is the
-  same.
-
-> **Benefit:** a clean scope boundary — Nova is purpose-built for
-> infrastructure operations and integrates with any upstream source
-> through one validated contract, so the platform team's surface area
-> stays bounded.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** This slide protects the scope. The moment Nova
-> starts owning the PDLC, it loses focus. The contract boundary is what
-> keeps Nova deep on infrastructure and delivery rather than shallow on
-> everything.
-
-> **Transition:** "With the scope clear, here is who owns what across the
-> delivery lifecycle."
-
----
-
-## Slide 5 — RACI: Who Owns What
-
-**Four roles, one matrix — the citizen developer owns FRs + UAT, the
-platform owns NFRs + infra, quality engineering owns the gate evidence,
-and SRE owns operational readiness.**
-
-| Work Category | Citizen Dev | Platform | Quality Eng | SRE |
-|---|---|---|---|---|
-| Functional Requirements | **R/A** | C | I | I |
-| User Acceptance Testing | **R/A** | C | I | I |
-| Non-Functional Requirements | I | **R/A** | C | C |
-| Infrastructure (cloud, state, IAM) | I | **R/A** | I | C |
-| QA (policy, confidence, schema) | C | R | **R/A** | I |
-| Production deployment to cloud | I | **R/A** | C | C |
-| Quality attestation (QA sign-off) | **A** | R | **R** | I |
-| Production readiness (SRE sign-off) | **A** | R | C | **R** |
-
-**R** = Responsible · **A** = Accountable (sign-off) · **C** = Consulted · **I** = Informed.
-
-- **Compliance-standard equivalence:** FRs + UAT may come from any
-  upstream source (AI agent, agentic SDLC, dev platform) — all pass the
-  same submission-readiness gate.
-- **Production readiness is co-owned:** the platform runs the
-  attestations agentically; the citizen developer authorizes the
-  promotion at the stage gate.
-
-> **Benefit:** every party knows what they bring, what the platform
-> provides, what quality engineering guards, and where SRE signs off —
-> accountability is explicit, never diffuse.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** Quality attestation is now owned by Quality
-> Engineering (not the Platform), and Production readiness is owned by
-> SRE. The Platform runs the checks agentically but is never the
-> Accountable party for the gate — that separation keeps the platform
-> honest.
-
-> **Transition:** "With ownership clear, here is how the pipeline
-> enforces it."
-
----
-
-## Slide 6 — The Platform Pipeline
-
-**How intent becomes verified infrastructure — with fail-fast policy
-scanning before the plan and runtime scanning after it.**
-
-```mermaid
-graph LR
-    A[Contract] --> B[Resolver]
-    B --> C[Adapter]
-    C --> D["Checkov (static code)"]
-    D --> E[Terraform Plan]
-    E --> F["Wiz (on plan)"]
-    F --> G[Confidence Signal]
-    G --> H{Stage Gate}
-    H -->|dev: autonomous| I[Apply]
-    H -->|qa/prod/dr: attested| I
-    I --> J[Evidence + Ledger]
-```
-
-- **Contract → resolver → adapter → Checkov on static code (before the
-  plan) → terraform plan → Wiz on the plan → confidence signal → stage
-  gate → apply → evidence + ledger.**
-- **Fail-fast, quick feedback.** Checkov runs on the authored Terraform
-  code before `terraform plan` so developers get immediate policy
-  feedback, not a delayed plan-stage failure.
-- **Wiz on the plan when configured; Checkov as a drop-in otherwise.**
-  Wiz scans the terraform plan output. When Wiz credentials are not
-  available, Checkov runs against the plan as a drop-in replacement. Wiz
-  and Checkov are never both run on the plan.
-- **Dev is autonomous** (no stage gate); **qa/prod/dr require human
-  attestation** (QA for quality, SRE for production readiness).
-
-> **Benefit:** the pipeline gives developers fast, deterministic feedback
-> on policy at authoring time and gives the platform a runtime scan on the
-> resolved plan — two layers of scanning, zero operator involvement in
-> normal operations.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** The two-stage scan is the key design: static code
-> scanning catches policy violations before the cost of a plan; runtime
-> plan scanning catches what the static code cannot (resolved values,
-  cross-resource issues). The platform picks the runtime scanner based on
-  configuration — never both, to avoid duplicate noise.
-
-> **Transition:** "The pipeline produces decisions — here is how every
-> decision is captured and made accountable."
-
----
-
-## Slide 7 — The Decision Ledger
-
-**Every automated decision is captured, immutable, queryable — and
-accountable.**
-
-- **What is captured:** every action the platform takes — the chosen
-  action, the confidence score, the alternatives considered, whether a
-  human overrode it, and the outcome (backfilled once the apply
-  completes). Every stage-gate attestation (QA sign-off, SRE
-  production-readiness sign-off) is captured with approver identity and
-  the evidence that was presented.
-- **"AI decisions" are really automated decisions.** The decisions are
-  made by deterministic scripts that calculate a score and a band; the
-  platform functions without AI. The ledger captures the real decision
-  path — not a fabricated "AI agent." When an LLM planner is added later,
-  it will emit richer alternatives without breaking the schema.
-- **The value is accountability, not the storage engine.** The ledger is
-  an append-only, tamper-evident record. The point is not which database
-  it lives in — the point is that every decision is queryable for
-  auditing, traceable to an outcome, and impossible to rewrite after the
-  fact.
-
-> **Benefit:** "autonomous" is defensible because every decision the
-> platform makes is immutable, queryable, and accountable — and the
-> audience knows exactly what "automated" means here: deterministic
-> scoring, not a black-box LLM.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** Do not dwell on the storage substrate. The audience
-> cares that the ledger is append-only, queryable, and tied to outcomes —
-> not that it is a hash-chain in a SQLite file. The D-122 honesty point
-> is restated without the decision ID: the platform's decisions are
-> deterministic; the ledger captures that real path.
-
-> **Transition:** "Decisions are captured — here is how stage-gate
-> attestation keeps humans in accountability."
-
----
-
-## Slide 8 — The Attestation Matrix
-
-**The designed controls that keep humans at stage gates — structured,
-freshness-validated, and separation-of-duties-enforced.**
-
-| Concern | Env | Freshness | Description |
-|---------|-----|-----------|-------------|
-| Functional correctness | qa | 24h | The application behaves as specified; evidence accepted from the consumer's UAT. |
-| Performance baseline | qa | 7d | The deployment meets its performance envelope vs. the agreed baseline. |
-| Security posture | qa | 24h | The deployment's security findings have been reviewed and accepted. |
-| Operational readiness | prod | 30d | SRE confirms the deployment is operable: runbooks, dashboards, on-call coverage. |
-| Incident response | prod | 90d | The on-call path has been exercised; the deployment has a working incident-response plan. |
-| Capacity & cost | prod | 30d | Capacity headroom and monthly cost are within the agreed envelope. |
-| Resilience: DR drill | prod | 180d | A DR drill has been run and the deployment recovered within the RTO. |
-| Resilience: chaos | prod | 90d | A chaos exercise has been run and the deployment absorbed the failure. |
-| Resilience: backup | prod | 30d | Backups are restorable and have been tested within the freshness window. |
-| DR region deploy | dr | 180d | The DR region can be deployed and the deployment is reachable from it. |
-
-- Each concern has a freshness window — evidence older than the window
-  does not satisfy the gate.
-- **Separation-of-duties on prod:** the approver cannot be the same
-  person who built the deployment.
-- Concerns that are offline-testable run for real; concerns that require
-  external evidence accept signed artifacts.
-
-> **Benefit:** the gate model is explicit — autonomy in operations,
-> human in accountability, by design. The matrix is what makes autonomous
-> operations safe enough to trust in production.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** The matrix is not a rubber stamp. Each concern has a
-> freshness window, a description, and a separation-of-duties rule. The
-> "operator-supplied" label from the prior deck was dropped — every
-> concern now has a plain-language description of what is being attested.
-
-> **Transition:** "You've seen how Nova works — the pipeline, the ledger,
-> the attestation gates. Here is how Nova instruments itself so that
-> every claim in this deck is traceable to a real signal."
-
----
-
-## Slide 9 — Telemetry & Live Ops
-
-**Every metric in this deck is traceable to a real emitted signal — and
-the live-ops dashboard makes operations visible in PowerBI.**
-
-```mermaid
-graph TB
-    A[Platform components] --> B[CloudEvents envelope]
-    B --> C[Event log]
-    B --> D[Decision ledger]
-    B --> E[Run records]
-    C --> F[Collector]
-    D --> F
-    E --> F
-    F --> G[Cold store]
-    G --> H[PowerBI views]
-    H --> I[Live ops dashboard]
-```
-
-- **Platform components emit a CloudEvents envelope** → event log,
-  decision ledger, and run records → collector → cold store → PowerBI
-  views → **live ops dashboard.**
-- **The live ops dashboard (PowerBI)** surfaces the four CTO-grade
-  metrics — Lead Time, Infrastructure Vulnerability Count, MTTR, Cloud
-  Spend — alongside the trust metrics (Decision Ledger coverage,
-  Attestation coverage) and the efficiency metrics (touchless
-  resolution, escalation frequency).
-- **The architecture is deliberately minimal.** Nova-native envelopes;
-  no Kafka, no Prometheus, no ClickHouse. The cold store is sufficient
-  for batch and historical analysis; the live-ops surface is built in
-  PowerBI on top of the exported views.
-- **Every number in the Proof slides is traceable to a signal.** When a
-  CFO asks "where does this number come from?", the answer is a query
-  against the cold store, not a Slack thread.
-
-> **Benefit:** the architecture is the trust substrate — leadership sees
-> the same numbers the platform produces, in PowerBI, with full
-> traceability to the emitted signal. Operations become visible.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** The value is not the plumbing — it is that the
-> platform's metrics surface in a tool leadership already uses (PowerBI),
-> and every number is traceable. The live-ops dashboard is where the
-> "infrastructure operations become visible" theme lands concretely.
-
-> **Transition:** "The architecture is sound — here is the measured
-> proof."
-
----
-
-## Slide 10 — Decision Ledger + Attestation Coverage
-
-**By design, no change reaches production without a ledger entry and a
-human attestation — both queryable for auditing, with full
-traceability.**
-
-- **Decision Ledger coverage: 100%.** Every platform run emits a
-  decision record with outcome backfill. No automated decision is ever
-  lost.
-- **Attestation coverage: 100%.** Every prod/dr promotion is attested by
-  a human — QA for quality, SRE for production readiness — recorded with
-  approver identity, separation-of-duties check, and the evidence matrix.
-- **No change to production without both.** The ledger entry and the
-  human attestation are mandatory, not optional. This is enforced by the
-  pipeline, not by policy.
-- **Easily queried for auditing.** The ledger and the attestation
-  records are queryable by run, by environment, by approver, and by
-  outcome — the audit trail is a query, not a forensic exercise.
-- **Full traceability.** A production change is traceable from the
-  contract that declared intent, through the policy scan, the confidence
-  score, the attestation, to the applied outcome. Nothing is opaque.
-
-> **Benefit:** trust is provable — not a marketing claim, a queryable
-> record. An auditor can answer "who approved this, when, on what
-> evidence?" in one query; a CTO can answer "how many of last quarter's
-> prod changes were touchless?" in one query.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** The mandatory-by-design point is the one to land.
-> The ledger + attestation are not a best-effort feature; they are a
-> gate. No change reaches production without both. That is what makes
-> the 100% numbers credible — they are enforced, not aspirational.
-
-> **Transition:** "Trust is provable — here is the cost side of the ROI."
-
----
-
-## Slide 11 — Cost & ROI
-
-**The ROI formula and the cost estimates — grounded, with the production
-denominator honestly flagged.**
-
-- **Cost estimates are pre-apply and offline.** The platform reads the
-  terraform plan and estimates cost before anything is applied — so a
-  regression in cost is caught before the spend happens, not after.
-- **The ROI formula:**
-  `Platform ROI = (FTE hours saved × blended rate + cloud savings + avoided downtime) ÷ platform op cost`
-- **The four CTO-grade metrics (from Slide 3) are the ROI proof:**
-  Lead Time (PR → Prod), Infrastructure Vulnerability Count (trend), MTTR,
-  Cloud Spend Reduction. All flow into PowerBI.
-- **Honest caveat:** the derived metrics are computed on internal runs
-  today; the production-denominator activates when a pilot estate runs.
-  The formula is grounded; the production numbers are not yet.
-
-> **Benefit:** the ROI is not a black box — the formula is shown, the
-> four metrics are committed, and the production-denominator caveat is
-> stated up front. The CFO can see exactly what is real today and what
-> activates with a pilot.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** The formula is shown inline, not hidden. The
-> "no fabrication" constraint in action: show the formula, show the
-> caveat, do not pretend the production numbers exist.
-
-> **Transition:** "The proof is grounded — here is what is honestly
-> deferred, and why."
-
----
-
-## Slide 12 — What's Deferred — and Why
-
-**Honesty about what is not measured yet — and the blocking work for
-each.**
-
-To be clear: these deferrals are measurement infrastructure, not the
-autonomy itself. The platform runs without an operator in the loop of
-normal operations. What is deferred is the evidence pipeline for certain
-metrics — not the autonomy.
-
-| # | Deferred metric | Blocking work |
-|---|-----------------|---------------|
-| 1 | Live infrastructure health | Live AWS re-provisioning (currently torn down to a zero-cost steady state) |
-| 2 | Live outbox write rate | Live AWS re-provisioning |
-| 3 | Tamper-evident ledger checkpoints | Audit-ledger build-out (S3 Object Lock + signed checkpoints) |
-| 4 | Onboarding funnel (requested → granted) | Auto-grant implementation |
-| 5 | Drift auto-reversal | Drift-detection scheduler (not yet built) |
-| 6 | Live cost reconciliation | Live AWS re-provisioning + actual-spend feed |
-| 7 | SLA / unplanned downtime | Live AWS re-provisioning |
-| 8 | Predictive vs reactive ratio | ML anomaly-forecasting service (not yet built) |
-
-> **Benefit:** the boundaries are explicit — what Nova measures today,
-> and exactly what blocks the rest. The autonomy is real; the measurement
-> gaps are documented with the work that unblocks each one.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** The preempt is critical: these deferrals are
-> measurement infrastructure, not autonomy. The platform runs without an
-> operator in the loop. What is deferred is the evidence pipeline for
-> live-infra health, drift, predictive remediation — not the autonomy
-> itself.
-
-> **Transition:** "The proof is honest — here is the roadmap from here to
-> the targets."
-
----
-
-## Slide 13 — Roadmap to the North Star
-
-**The path from the grounded metrics to the 12–18 month targets — each
-deferred metric has an unblock path and a candidate milestone.**
-
-| Timeframe | Work | Unblocks |
-|-----------|------|----------|
-| Near-term | Live AWS re-provisioning | Live infra health, live outbox write rate, live cost reconciliation, SLA |
-| Near-term | Auto-grant implementation | Onboarding funnel (requested → granted) |
-| Mid-term | Drift-detection scheduler | Drift auto-reversal |
-| Mid-term | Audit-ledger build-out (Object Lock + signed checkpoints) | Tamper-evident ledger checkpoints |
-| Mid-term | Hot-path activation (live-ops dashboard goes from batch to near-real-time) | Live-ops dashboard freshness |
-| Longer-term | ML anomaly-forecasting service | Predictive vs reactive ratio |
-
-- Each deferred metric has a specific unblock requirement and a
-  candidate future milestone.
-- Re-evaluation triggers: each blocking piece of work lifts on its own
-  schedule; the metrics layer evolves as each one lands.
-
-> **Benefit:** every deferred metric has an unblock path — nothing is
-> hand-waved; everything has a plan and a timeframe.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** This is the bridge from "honestly deferred" to
-> "here is how we get there." The roadmap uses timeframes, not status —
-> most of it is not implemented yet, so a status column would be noise.
-
-> **Transition:** "The unblock path is clear — here is the 12-month
-> product arc."
-
----
-
-## Slide 14 — 12-Month Product Roadmap
-
-**The product arc from pilot activation to integration — four quarters,
-four outcomes.**
-
-| Quarter | Theme | Board-level outcome |
-|---------|-------|---------------------|
-| **Q1** | Pilot Activation | Nova runs a real customer estate end-to-end, autonomously, with a measurable zero-touch rate. |
-| **Q2** | Provable Trust | Every automated decision lands in a tamper-evident ledger; the CFO sees real cloud-spend reconciliation. |
-| **Q3** | Compounding ROI | Quarter-over-quarter cloud spend drops; drift is detected and reversed without a human. |
-| **Q4** | Integration & Predictive | AI agents deploy through Nova by default; the ML anomaly-forecasting service goes live. |
-
-Grounded in the four strategic objectives (autonomy, provable trust, ROI,
-integration) and the deferred-metric unblock paths.
-
-> **Benefit:** the 12-month product arc — each quarter activates a
-> strategic objective and its corresponding board-level metric, from
-> pilot activation through integration leadership.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** The roadmap is organized by product outcome, not
-> by technical milestone. Each quarter activates one strategic
-> objective from the North Star.
-
-> **Transition:** "Here is the quarter-by-quarter detail."
-
----
-
-## Slide 15 — Quarter-by-Quarter Outcomes
-
-| Quarter | Product theme | Key deliverable | Target metric | Grounding |
-|---------|---------------|-----------------|---------------|-----------|
-| **Q1** | Pilot Activation | Re-provision live AWS; activate first pilot estate; onboarding auto-grant | Touchless ≥ 99% · Escalation < 0.1% · Accuracy ≥ 99.5% | Objective #1 — autonomy as the default |
-| **Q2** | Provable Trust | Tamper-evident ledger (Object Lock + signed checkpoints); daily checkpoints; live cost reconciliation | Decision Ledger Coverage 100% · Cost Savings ≥ 25% | Objective #2 — trust is the moat |
-| **Q3** | Compounding ROI + Drift | Drift-detection scheduler; auto-reversal; pre-apply → actual-spend reconciliation on the pilot estate | Drift Auto-Reversal ≥ 95% · Spend Reduction ≥ 25% | Objective #3 — CFO-pointable numbers |
-| **Q4** | Integration + Predictive | ML anomaly-forecasting; AI-agent intent surface; multi-cloud (Azure/GCP) preview | Predictive:Reactive ≥ 3:1 · AI-Agent Intent Share (first measurement) | Objective #4 — default substrate for agents |
-
-**Month-18 destination:** *"Nova is the layer enterprise leadership
-points to when they say 'we don't have an infrastructure ops team
-anymore, and the audit trail is stronger than it ever was.'"*
-
-> **Benefit:** each quarter has a concrete deliverable, a target metric
-> grounded in a strategic objective, and a path from "honestly deferred"
-> to "shipped and measured."
-
-> **Speaker notes:** Q1–Q3 are committed (grounded pipeline + known
-> unblock paths). Q4 targets are committed-deliverable,
-> aspirational-metric — the ML service ships, the intent-share number is
-> a first measurement (we do not control adoption rate).
-
-> **Transition:** "Production-grade guidance is how Nova helps the
-> citizen developer's AI agent meet the bar — here is the first half."
-
----
-
-## Slide 16 — Production-Grade Guidance via Atelier (1/2)
-
-**Nova instructs the citizen developer's AI agent on production-grade
-engineering — a set of skills and an MCP server.**
-
-- **Skills** — markdown files keyed to production-grade engineering
-  domains (API, security, data, testing, observability, errors, DevOps,
-  infrastructure-as-code, compliance). The skills extend the baseline
-  catalog with Nova-specific production-grade principles.
-- **MCP server** — a plugin-registry, stdio server exposing four tools:
-  `lookup_principle`, `list_domains`, `matrix_lookup`, and
-  `validate_against_principles`. The developer's AI agent (or any
-  agentic SDLC platform) calls these tools to look up the principles
-  that apply to its submission.
-- **The integration point is the same regardless of source.** Whether
-  the submission comes from an AI coding agent, an agentic SDLC
-  platform, or a traditional IDE, the same skills and MCP server apply.
-  This is how Nova makes the citizen developer production-grade without
-  owning the PDLC.
-
-> **Benefit:** the citizen developer's AI agent is not unguided — Nova
-> provides production-grade engineering principles as skills and as an
-> MCP surface, so submissions arrive at the contract boundary already
-> aligned with the platform's standards.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** This is the first half of the Atelier story — the
-> surface (skills + MCP). The next slide is what the surface catches
-> that deterministic scanners cannot.
-
-> **Transition:** "Here is what that guidance catches that deterministic
-> scanners cannot."
-
----
-
-## Slide 17 — Production-Grade Guidance via Atelier (2/2)
-
-**Agentic validation catches engineering-discipline gaps that deterministic
-scanners miss — and the validation is reproducible.**
-
-- **Beyond deterministic scanners.** Wiz, Checkmarx, and Mend check
-  policy and secrets — they do not check engineering discipline. The
-  Atelier MCP server catches correctness, clarity, and observability gaps
-  that deterministic tools cannot: "is this service observable?",
-  "is this error path handled?", "is this API contract clear?"
-- **Agentic validation, not a second policy engine.** The MCP server
-  gives the AI agent the principles to validate against; the agent does
-  the validation. This is agentic validation — the agent reasons about
-  the submission against the principles, not a second static scan.
-- **Vendored for audit reproducibility.** Atelier is vendored at a
-  pinned tag. A validation result is replayable against the exact
-  principles that produced it — so an audit can reproduce a validation
-  months later, not just trust a log line.
-
-> **Benefit:** the citizen developer's submission is checked for
-> engineering discipline, not just policy compliance — and the check is
-> reproducible for audit. That is what makes the submission
-> production-grade, regardless of which upstream platform produced it.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** The value is the gap deterministic scanners leave:
-  engineering discipline. Policy scanners catch "is this S3 bucket
-  public?"; the MCP server catches "is this service observable if that
-  bucket fails?". The vendoring point is audit reproducibility — the
-  validation is not a black box.
-
-> **Transition:** "You've seen the problem, the solution, and the proof.
-> Here is the recap and the ask."
-
----
-
-## Slide 18 — Recap + Ask
-
-**The 4-beat recap + the business decision.**
-
-**Recap:**
-- **Problem:** product teams own infrastructure without the discipline
-  and lifecycle planning it requires; bandwidth gaps and tribal
-  knowledge leave operations exposed.
-- **Solution:** autonomous cloud delivery — operations become visible,
-  trust is provable (deterministic scoring), humans at stage gates.
-- **Proof:** 100% ledger coverage, 100% attestation coverage, grounded
-  ROI formula, four CTO-grade metrics flowing into PowerBI.
-- **Roadmap:** deferred metrics have unblock paths; the 12-month product
-  arc activates one strategic objective per quarter.
-
-**The ask:** "Approve a pilot estate to activate the production-denominator
-metrics (Lead Time, Vulnerability Count, MTTR, Cloud Spend), and approve
-the tamper-evident ledger build-out to move from the local hash-chain to
-S3 Object Lock + signed checkpoints. These two decisions move Nova from
-'pipeline-ready' to 'production-proven.'"
-
-> **Benefit:** a clear business decision — approve a pilot and the ledger
-> build-out — with the confidence that every claim in this deck is
-> grounded, derived, or honestly deferred.
-
-> **Speaker notes:** The ask is a business decision, not insider
-> language. "Approve a pilot estate" is a C-suite decision. "Approve the
-> ledger build-out" is a budget decision. The recap reinforces the 4-beat
-> arc — the audience leaves with the structure, not a pile of facts.
-
----
-
-## Appendix A1 — Metrics Glossary
-
-| KPI | Definition | Status |
-|-----|-----------|--------|
-| Touchless Resolution Rate | runs without operational stage-gate block ÷ total | partial (Post-Pilot) |
-| Human Escalation Frequency | operational stage-gate blocks ÷ total | partial (Post-Pilot) |
-| Automated Decision Accuracy | decisions not followed by failure within 5min | partial (Post-Pilot) |
-| MTTR (p95) | apply.failed → successful retry | grounded |
-| Confidence-Gate Halt Rate | runs with band=block ÷ total | grounded |
-| Provisioning Lead Time | run.completed − run.started | grounded |
-| Deployment Frequency | count(run.completed) per day | grounded |
-| Cost Savings (pre-apply) | sum(delta_usd where delta < 0) | partial (live reconciliation deferred) |
-| FTE Hours Saved | run count × manual baseline × rate | derived (N=0 caveat) |
-| Platform ROI | (labor + cloud + avoided downtime) ÷ op cost | derived (N=0 caveat) |
-| Decision Ledger Coverage | decisions with outcome ÷ total | grounded |
-| Attestation Coverage | prod/dr attested ÷ total prod/dr | grounded |
-| Policy Compliance Rate | 1 − failed_assets ÷ total | grounded |
-
-> **Benefit:** a reference for every metric mentioned in the deck.
-
----
-
-> **End of deck.** 18 main slides + 1 appendix slide = 19 total.

docs/scope.md

@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ PDLC includes:
 - Application business logic
 - IDE workflows / developer experience
 
-Nova never penetrates the PDLC. Nova's domain is **infrastructure +
+Nova never reaches into the PDLC. Nova's domain is **infrastructure +
 delivery only**. Nova integrates with externally owned PDLC, SDLC,
 Agentic, and Citizen Developer platforms with no regard for the source
 of the intent: Nova provides a set of skills and MCP endpoints that help

docs/vision.md

@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ Consumers declare intent; the platform delivers safe production deployment throu
 ## 3. Core Tenets
 
 * **Operations are Declared, Not Executed.** Consumers define what they need — workload shape, dependencies, non-functional requirements, policy constraints. The platform handles reconciliation, provisioning, and environment progression. The execution burden moves from the human to the platform.
-* **The Delivery Lifecycle is a Sovereign Boundary.** The platform governs the infrastructure and delivery engine. It does not penetrate upstream product or software development lifecycles. Integration happens exclusively through validated, published contracts.
+* **The Delivery Lifecycle is a Sovereign Boundary.** The platform governs the infrastructure and delivery engine. It does not reach into upstream product or software development lifecycles. Integration happens exclusively through validated, published contracts.
 * **Lower Environments are Autonomous; Higher Environments are Attested.** Progression through lower environments proceeds through zero-touch agentic automation. Promotion to higher-stakes environments requires deliberate human attestation — not as a rubber stamp, but as a policy-mandated act of accountability.
 * **Safety is Computed, Not Assumed.** Every delivery action produces a measurable, explainable confidence signal aggregating policy conformance, validation evidence, and historical behavior. The signal is the platform's certified answer to "is this safe to proceed?" Reliance on operator instinct or tenure is not a substitute.
 * **Infrastructure is Consumed, Not Maintained.** Compute is abstract, containerized, or serverless. The platform does not manage node, OS, or bare-metal lifecycles. Infrastructure is treated as a utility, not a craft.

pyproject.toml

@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ test = [
     "pytest-json-report>=1.5",
     "moto[dynamodb]>=5.0",
 ]
+slides = ["python-pptx>=0.6.23"]
 
 [tool.pytest.ini_options]
 testpaths = ["tests"]

scripts/attach_release_asset.py

@@ -1,14 +1,26 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env python3
-"""scripts/attach_release_asset.py — upload a file as a Gitea release attachment.
+"""scripts/attach_release_asset.py — upload one or more files as Gitea release
+attachments.
 
 REQ-228 (v1.18): PPTX (and any deck artifact) is attached to the phase's
 Gitea release. Uses the Gitea API:
     POST /api/v1/repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/{id}/assets
 multipart form: name=<filename>, attachment=<file bytes>
 
+REQ-270 (v1.23): supports dual PPTX attachment — the MARP PPTX (primary,
+attached first) and the python-pptx PPTX (comparison artifact). Multiple
+file paths are accepted; the first is the primary attachment.
+
 Usage:
     python3 scripts/attach_release_asset.py <file-path> <release-id>
+    python3 scripts/attach_release_asset.py <file-path> <file-path-2>... <release-id>
     python3 scripts/attach_release_asset.py docs/presentations/nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.pptx 522
+    python3 scripts/attach_release_asset.py \
+        docs/presentations/nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.pptx \
+        docs/presentations/nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-python.pptx 522
+
+The last positional argument is always the release id; every preceding
+argument is an asset path (backward compatible with the single-asset call).
 
 Token resolution: reads NOVA_GITEA_TOKEN (or ACDL_GITEA_TOKEN) from .env.secrets
 / .env, matching the ship_phase.sh pattern. Never uses shell env tokens.
@@ -73,8 +85,12 @@ def attach_asset(file_path: str, release_id: str) -> dict:
 
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":
-    if len(sys.argv) != 3:
-        print("Usage: attach_release_asset.py <file-path> <release-id>")
+    if len(sys.argv) < 3:
+        print("Usage: attach_release_asset.py <file-path> [<file-path-2>...] <release-id>")
         sys.exit(1)
-    result = attach_asset(sys.argv[1], sys.argv[2])
-    print(f"Attached: {result.get('name')} → release {sys.argv[2]} (asset id {result.get('id')})")
+    asset_paths = sys.argv[1:-1]
+    release_id = sys.argv[-1]
+    for idx, path in enumerate(asset_paths):
+        result = attach_asset(path, release_id)
+        primary = " (primary)" if idx == 0 and len(asset_paths) > 1 else ""
+        print(f"Attached{primary}: {result.get('name')} → release {release_id} (asset id {result.get('id')})")

scripts/inline_images.py

@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""scripts/inline_images.py — base64-embed all relative-path images in an
+HTML file so it becomes self-contained (redistributable without the
+assets/ folder).
+
+Usage: python scripts/inline_images.py <html-path>
+
+Stdlib only (base64, re, mimetypes, sys, pathlib).
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import base64
+import mimetypes
+import re
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+IMG_SRC_RE = re.compile(
+    r'(<img\b[^>]*\bsrc=")(assets/[^"]+)("[^>]*>)',
+    re.IGNORECASE,
+)
+
+
+def _mime_for(path: Path) -> str:
+    ext = path.suffix.lower()
+    if ext == ".svg":
+        return "image/svg+xml"
+    guessed, _ = mimetypes.guess_type(str(path))
+    return guessed or "application/octet-stream"
+
+
+def inline(html_path: Path) -> int:
+    html = html_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    repo_root = html_path.parent.parent.parent
+
+    count = 0
+
+    def replacer(match: re.Match[str]) -> str:
+        nonlocal count
+        prefix, rel_src, suffix = match.group(1), match.group(2), match.group(3)
+        img_path = html_path.parent / rel_src
+        if not img_path.exists():
+            print(f"  WARNING: image not found: {rel_src}", file=sys.stderr)
+            return match.group(0)
+        mime = _mime_for(img_path)
+        data = base64.b64encode(img_path.read_bytes()).decode("ascii")
+        count += 1
+        return f'{prefix}data:{mime};base64,{data}{suffix}'
+
+    new_html = IMG_SRC_RE.sub(replacer, html)
+
+    if count > 0:
+        html_path.write_text(new_html, encoding="utf-8")
+
+    return count
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    if len(sys.argv) != 2:
+        print("Usage: python scripts/inline_images.py <html-path>", file=sys.stderr)
+        return 1
+    html_path = Path(sys.argv[1])
+    if not html_path.exists():
+        print(f"ERROR: {html_path} not found", file=sys.stderr)
+        return 1
+    count = inline(html_path)
+    print(f"Inlined {count} image(s) into {html_path}", file=sys.stderr)
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    raise SystemExit(main())

scripts/render_deck.sh

@@ -1,56 +0,0 @@
-#!/usr/bin/env bash
-# scripts/render_deck.sh — render a Marp deck to HTML + PPTX, commit both to git.
-# REQ-228 (v1.18): PPTX is now a first-class committed artifact + release attachment.
-#
-# Usage:
-#   bash scripts/render_deck.sh <deck-name>
-#   bash scripts/render_deck.sh nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery
-#
-# Renders:
-#   docs/presentations/<deck-name>-marp.md → docs/presentations/<deck-name>.html (committed)
-#                                       → docs/presentations/<deck-name>.pptx (committed, binary)
-#
-# The PPTX is also attached to the current phase's Gitea release via
-# scripts/attach_release_asset.py (call separately after ship, or this script
-# will invoke it if NOVA_GITEA_RELEASE_ID is set).
-set -euo pipefail
-
-DECK="${1:?Usage: render_deck.sh <deck-name>}"
-cd "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
-
-SRC="docs/presentations/${DECK}-marp.md"
-HTML="docs/presentations/${DECK}.html"
-PPTX="docs/presentations/${DECK}.pptx"
-
-if [ ! -f "$SRC" ]; then
-  echo "ERROR: source deck $SRC not found" >&2; exit 1
-fi
-
-CHROME=""
-for c in \
-  /root/.cache/ms-playwright/chromium-1217/chrome-linux64/chrome \
-  /usr/bin/chromium \
-  /usr/bin/chromium-browser \
-  /usr/bin/google-chrome; do
-  if [ -x "$c" ]; then CHROME="$c"; break; fi
-done
-if [ -z "$CHROME" ]; then
-  echo "WARNING: no Chrome/Chromium found — skipping render (HTML/PPTX will need manual re-render)" >&2
-  exit 0
-fi
-export CHROME_PATH="$CHROME"
-
-echo "Rendering HTML → $HTML"
-npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@latest --allow-local-files "$SRC" -o "$HTML" 2>&1 | tail -3
-
-echo "Rendering PPTX → $PPTX"
-npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@latest --allow-local-files "$SRC" -o "$PPTX" 2>&1 | tail -3
-
-git add "$HTML" "$PPTX"
-echo "Staged $HTML + $PPTX for commit."
-
-if [ -n "${NOVA_GITEA_RELEASE_ID:-}" ]; then
-  echo "Attaching PPTX to Gitea release $NOVA_GITEA_RELEASE_ID..."
-  python3 scripts/attach_release_asset.py "$PPTX" "$NOVA_GITEA_RELEASE_ID" || \
-    echo "WARNING: attach failed — PPTX is still committed; attach manually."
-fi

scripts/render_pptx.py

@@ -0,0 +1,688 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""scripts/render_pptx.py — render a structured, editable, S&P-themed PPTX from
+the consolidated Marp markdown deck, using python-pptx.
+
+REQ-269 (v1.23): a comparison artifact to the primary MARP-rendered PPTX. The
+HTML deck remains the pixel-perfect artifact; this PPTX is the editable,
+native-shape version (real text boxes, native tables, embedded PNGs) so a
+reviewer can open it in PowerPoint and see a properly S&P-themed deck with
+titles, bullets, blockquotes, images, tables, and benefit callouts.
+
+Usage:
+    python3 scripts/render_pptx.py [deck-name]
+
+Defaults to `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery`. Reads
+`docs/presentations/{deck}-marp.md`, writes
+`docs/presentations/{deck}-python.pptx`.
+"""
+import os
+import re
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+# --- Dependency check --------------------------------------------------------
+try:
+    from pptx import Presentation
+    from pptx.util import Inches, Pt, Emu
+    from pptx.dml.color import RGBColor
+    from pptx.enum.shapes import MSO_SHAPE
+    from pptx.enum.text import PP_ALIGN, MSO_ANCHOR
+    from pptx.oxml.ns import qn
+except ImportError:
+    print("ERROR: python-pptx not installed.", file=sys.stderr)
+    print("       pip install -e .[slides]", file=sys.stderr)
+    sys.exit(1)
+
+# --- S&P theme constants -----------------------------------------------------
+RED = RGBColor(0xD6, 0x00, 0x2A)        # S&P red
+BLACK = RGBColor(0x1B, 0x1B, 0x1B)
+WHITE = RGBColor(0xFF, 0xFF, 0xFF)
+GREY_TEXT = RGBColor(0x2E, 0x2E, 0x2E)
+GREY_HEADER = RGBColor(0xF0, 0xF0, 0xF0)
+BODY_TEXT = RGBColor(0x1B, 0x1B, 0x1B)
+
+FONT_NAME = "Akkurat Pro"
+
+SLIDE_W = Inches(13.333)
+SLIDE_H = Inches(7.5)
+
+# Content area geometry (matches Marp padding ~48/56 px at 96dpi → ~0.5"/0.58")
+MARGIN_X = Inches(0.58)
+MARGIN_TOP = Inches(0.4)
+CONTENT_W = Inches(12.17)
+TITLE_H = Inches(0.7)
+
+# Image fit
+IMG_MAX_W = Inches(8.0)
+IMG_MAX_H = Inches(4.0)
+
+
+# --- Markdown parsing --------------------------------------------------------
+def split_slides(md_text: str):
+    """Strip YAML frontmatter, then split the deck into slide source strings."""
+    # Strip YAML frontmatter (between first pair of `---` lines).
+    if md_text.lstrip().startswith("---"):
+        end = md_text.find("\n---", 3)
+        if end != -1:
+            md_text = md_text[end + 4 :]
+    # Normalize slide separators. Marp uses `\n---\n` on its own line.
+    parts = re.split(r"\n---\s*\n", md_text)
+    slides = []
+    for p in parts:
+        p = p.strip("\n")
+        if p.strip():
+            slides.append(p)
+    return slides
+
+
+# --- Cell/table helpers ------------------------------------------------------
+def _set_cell_text(cell, text: str, *, bold: bool = False, size: int = 14,
+                   color: RGBColor = BODY_TEXT, fill=None):
+    cell.text = ""
+    tf = cell.text_frame
+    tf.word_wrap = True
+    p = tf.paragraphs[0]
+    p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
+    run = p.add_run()
+    run.text = text
+    run.font.name = FONT_NAME
+    run.font.size = Pt(size)
+    run.font.bold = bold
+    run.font.color.rgb = color
+    if fill is not None:
+        cell.fill.solid()
+        cell.fill.fore_color.rgb = fill
+    # tighten cell margins
+    cell.margin_left = Inches(0.06)
+    cell.margin_right = Inches(0.06)
+    cell.margin_top = Inches(0.02)
+    cell.margin_bottom = Inches(0.02)
+
+
+def _add_red_header_bottom_border(table):
+    """Add a red 2pt bottom border to the header row (row 0) cells."""
+    for col_idx in range(len(table.columns)):
+        cell = table.cell(0, col_idx)
+        tcPr = cell._tc.get_or_add_tcPr()
+        for tag in ("a:lnB",):
+            for old in tcPr.findall(qn(tag)):
+                tcPr.remove(old)
+        ln = tcPr.makeelement(qn("a:lnB"), {
+            "w": "12700",       # 1pt = 12700 EMU; ~2pt
+            "cap": "flat",
+            "cmpd": "sng",
+            "algn": "ctr",
+        })
+        solidFill = ln.makeelement(qn("a:solidFill"), {})
+        srgb = solidFill.makeelement(qn("a:srgbClr"), {"val": "D6002A"})
+        solidFill.append(srgb)
+        ln.append(solidFill)
+        tcPr.append(ln)
+
+
+# --- Slide builders ----------------------------------------------------------
+def _set_bg(slide, rgb: RGBColor):
+    """Solid-fill a slide background with `rgb`."""
+    bg = slide.background
+    fill = bg.fill
+    fill.solid()
+    fill.fore_color.rgb = rgb
+
+
+def _add_title_bar(slide):
+    """Red rectangle across the top of a content slide (subtle accent)."""
+    bar = slide.shapes.add_shape(
+        MSO_SHAPE.RECTANGLE, 0, 0, SLIDE_W, Inches(0.08)
+    )
+    bar.fill.solid()
+    bar.fill.fore_color.rgb = RED
+    bar.line.fill.background()
+    bar.shadow.inherit = False
+    return bar
+
+
+def _add_title_text(slide, title: str, *, color: RGBColor = RED,
+                    size: int = 28, top: float = 0.25, bold: bool = True,
+                    height: float = 0.7, white_bg: bool = False):
+    box = slide.shapes.add_textbox(MARGIN_X, Inches(top), CONTENT_W, Inches(height))
+    tf = box.text_frame
+    tf.word_wrap = True
+    p = tf.paragraphs[0]
+    p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
+    run = p.add_run()
+    run.text = title
+    run.font.name = FONT_NAME
+    run.font.size = Pt(size)
+    run.font.bold = bold
+    run.font.color.rgb = color
+    return box
+
+
+def _add_text_block(slide, text: str, *, top: Inches, left: Inches = None,
+                    width: Inches = None, size: int = 18, color: RGBColor = BODY_TEXT,
+                    bold: bool = False, italic: bool = False,
+                    align=PP_ALIGN.LEFT, height: Inches = None):
+    if left is None:
+        left = MARGIN_X
+    if width is None:
+        width = CONTENT_W
+    if height is None:
+        height = Inches(0.4)
+    tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(left, top, width, height)
+    tf = tb.text_frame
+    tf.word_wrap = True
+    p = tf.paragraphs[0]
+    p.alignment = align
+    run = p.add_run()
+    run.text = text
+    run.font.name = FONT_NAME
+    run.font.size = Pt(size)
+    run.font.bold = bold
+    run.font.italic = italic
+    run.font.color.rgb = color
+    return tb
+
+
+def _add_bullets(slide, bullets, *, top: Inches, size: int = 18,
+                 color: RGBColor = BODY_TEXT, width: Inches = None,
+                 height: Inches = None):
+    if width is None:
+        width = CONTENT_W
+    if height is None:
+        height = Inches(0.35) * len(bullets) + Inches(0.2)
+    tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(MARGIN_X, top, width, height)
+    tf = tb.text_frame
+    tf.word_wrap = True
+    for i, (lvl, text) in enumerate(bullets):
+        p = tf.paragraphs[0] if i == 0 else tf.add_paragraph()
+        p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
+        p.level = lvl
+        run = p.add_run()
+        prefix = "• " if lvl == 0 else ("– " if lvl == 1 else "· ")
+        run.text = prefix + text
+        run.font.name = FONT_NAME
+        run.font.size = Pt(size if lvl == 0 else max(12, size - 2))
+        run.font.color.rgb = color
+    return tb
+
+
+def _strip_inline_emphasis(text: str) -> str:
+    """Strip `**bold**` and `*italic*` and `` `code` `` markers for plain runs.
+    We render bold via separate runs only for the **lead** paragraph; here we
+    collapse emphasis to plain text (the python PPTX is a comparison artifact).
+    """
+    # `code` → plain
+    text = re.sub(r"`([^`]+)`", r"\1", text)
+    # **bold** → text
+    text = re.sub(r"\*\*([^*]+)\*\*", r"\1", text)
+    # *italic* → text
+    text = re.sub(r"(?<!\*)\*([^*]+)\*(?!\*)", r"\1", text)
+    return text
+
+
+def _inline_runs(p, text: str, *, size: int = 18, base_color: RGBColor = BODY_TEXT):
+    """Add inline runs to paragraph `p`, rendering **bold** as red strong,
+    `code` as monospace, *italic* as italic. Other text is plain."""
+    # Tokenize on `**...**`, `*...*`, `` `...` ``
+    tokens = re.split(r"(\*\*[^*]+\*\*|`[^`]+`|\*[^*]+\*)", text)
+    for tok in tokens:
+        if not tok:
+            continue
+        if tok.startswith("**") and tok.endswith("**"):
+            r = p.add_run()
+            r.text = tok[2:-2]
+            r.font.name = FONT_NAME
+            r.font.size = Pt(size)
+            r.font.bold = True
+            r.font.color.rgb = RED
+        elif tok.startswith("`") and tok.endswith("`"):
+            r = p.add_run()
+            r.text = tok[1:-1]
+            r.font.name = "Courier New"
+            r.font.size = Pt(size)
+            r.font.color.rgb = BODY_TEXT
+        elif tok.startswith("*") and tok.endswith("*") and len(tok) >= 2:
+            r = p.add_run()
+            r.text = tok[1:-1]
+            r.font.name = FONT_NAME
+            r.font.size = Pt(size)
+            r.font.italic = True
+            r.font.color.rgb = base_color
+        else:
+            r = p.add_run()
+            r.text = tok
+            r.font.name = FONT_NAME
+            r.font.size = Pt(size)
+            r.font.color.rgb = base_color
+
+
+def _add_picture(slide, image_path: Path, *, top: Inches, max_w: Inches = IMG_MAX_W,
+                 max_h: Inches = IMG_MAX_H):
+    """Add an image, centered horizontally, scaled to fit max_w x max_h."""
+    if not image_path.is_file():
+        # Placeholder text box if image missing
+        tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(MARGIN_X, top, CONTENT_W, Inches(0.4))
+        tf = tb.text_frame
+        p = tf.paragraphs[0]
+        r = p.add_run()
+        r.text = f"[image not found: {image_path}]"
+        r.font.name = FONT_NAME
+        r.font.size = Pt(14)
+        r.font.color.rgb = GREY_TEXT
+        return tb
+    # native size of the picture
+    pic = slide.shapes.add_picture(str(image_path), MARGIN_X, top)
+    # scale
+    w = pic.width
+    h = pic.height
+    ratio = min(max_w / w, max_h / h, 1.0)
+    w = Emu(int(w * ratio))
+    h = Emu(int(h * ratio))
+    pic.width = w
+    pic.height = h
+    # center horizontally
+    pic.left = Emu(int((SLIDE_W - w) / 2))
+    return pic
+
+
+def _add_table(slide, rows, *, top: Inches, width: Inches = None):
+    """rows: list of list[str]. First row is header."""
+    if width is None:
+        width = CONTENT_W
+    n_rows = len(rows)
+    n_cols = max(len(r) for r in rows)
+    # pad ragged rows
+    rows = [r + [""] * (n_cols - len(r)) for r in rows]
+    # estimate height
+    height = Inches(0.3) * n_rows
+    tbl_shape = slide.shapes.add_table(n_rows, n_cols, MARGIN_X, top, width, height)
+    table = tbl_shape.table
+    # remove default banding style for a cleaner look
+    try:
+        table.first_row = False
+        table.horz_banding = False
+    except Exception:
+        pass
+    for r_idx, row in enumerate(rows):
+        for c_idx, val in enumerate(row):
+            is_header = r_idx == 0
+            _set_cell_text(
+                table.cell(r_idx, c_idx),
+                _strip_inline_emphasis(val),
+                bold=is_header,
+                size=13 if is_header else 12,
+                color=BODY_TEXT,
+                fill=GREY_HEADER if is_header else WHITE,
+            )
+    _add_red_header_bottom_border(table)
+    return tbl_shape
+
+
+def _add_benefit(slide, text: str, *, top: Inches):
+    """Benefit callout: a thin red top-rule rectangle, then italic text."""
+    rule = slide.shapes.add_shape(
+        MSO_SHAPE.RECTANGLE, MARGIN_X, top, Inches(6.0), Inches(0.03)
+    )
+    rule.fill.solid()
+    rule.fill.fore_color.rgb = RED
+    rule.line.fill.background()
+    rule.shadow.inherit = False
+    tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(
+        MARGIN_X, top + Inches(0.08), CONTENT_W, Inches(0.6)
+    )
+    tf = tb.text_frame
+    tf.word_wrap = True
+    p = tf.paragraphs[0]
+    p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
+    r = p.add_run()
+    r.text = text
+    r.font.name = FONT_NAME
+    r.font.size = Pt(16)
+    r.font.italic = True
+    r.font.color.rgb = BODY_TEXT
+    return tb
+
+
+# --- Slide parse + render ----------------------------------------------------
+HEADING_RE = re.compile(r"^(#{1,6})\s+(.*)$")
+IMAGE_RE = re.compile(r"^!\[[^\]]*\]\(([^)\s]+)(?:\s+\"([^\"]*)\")?\)")
+TABLE_SEP_RE = re.compile(r"^\|?[\s:|-]+\|?$")
+
+
+def parse_slide(slide_src: str):
+    """Parse a single slide's markdown into a structured dict."""
+    lines = slide_src.splitlines()
+    title = None
+    title_is_h1 = False
+    is_title_class = False
+    body = []  # list of ("lead", text) | ("bullet", lvl, text) | ("quote", text)
+               #      | ("code", text) | ("image", path) | ("table", rows)
+               #      | ("benefit", text) | ("plain", text) | ("ordered", n, text)
+    i = 0
+    while i < len(lines):
+        line = lines[i]
+        stripped = line.strip()
+
+        # HTML comments — skip, but detect Marp directives
+        if stripped.startswith("<!--") and stripped.endswith("-->"):
+            inner = stripped[4:-3].strip()
+            if "_class: title" in inner:
+                is_title_class = True
+            # _paginate: false / _class etc. — just skip
+            i += 1
+            continue
+        # multi-line HTML comments (rare in this deck)
+        if stripped.startswith("<!--") and "-->" not in stripped:
+            while i < len(lines) and "-->" not in lines[i]:
+                i += 1
+            i += 1
+            continue
+
+        # Heading
+        m = HEADING_RE.match(stripped)
+        if m and title is None:
+            level = len(m.group(1))
+            title = m.group(2).strip()
+            if level == 1:
+                title_is_h1 = True
+            i += 1
+            continue
+        if m and title is not None:
+            # Sub-heading inside a slide — treat as plain bold lead text.
+            body.append(("lead", m.group(2).strip()))
+            i += 1
+            continue
+
+        # Fenced code block
+        if stripped.startswith("```"):
+            i += 1
+            code_lines = []
+            while i < len(lines) and not lines[i].strip().startswith("```"):
+                code_lines.append(lines[i])
+                i += 1
+            if i < len(lines):
+                i += 1  # skip closing fence
+            body.append(("code", "\n".join(code_lines)))
+            continue
+
+        # Image
+        m = IMAGE_RE.match(stripped)
+        if m:
+            body.append(("image", m.group(1)))
+            i += 1
+            continue
+
+        # Blockquote
+        if stripped.startswith(">"):
+            quote_text = stripped[1:].strip()
+            # join consecutive blockquote lines
+            i += 1
+            while i < len(lines) and lines[i].strip().startswith(">"):
+                quote_text += " " + lines[i].strip().lstrip(">").strip()
+                i += 1
+            body.append(("quote", quote_text))
+            continue
+
+        # Benefit callout
+        bm = re.match(r"<div\s+class=\"benefit\">(.*)</div>", stripped)
+        if bm:
+            body.append(("benefit", bm.group(1).strip()))
+            i += 1
+            continue
+
+        # Table — starts with `| ... |` and the next line is a separator
+        if stripped.startswith("|") and i + 1 < len(lines) and TABLE_SEP_RE.match(lines[i + 1].strip()):
+            table_rows = []
+            # header
+            header = [c.strip() for c in stripped.strip("|").split("|")]
+            table_rows.append(header)
+            i += 2  # header + separator
+            while i < len(lines) and lines[i].strip().startswith("|"):
+                row = [c.strip() for c in lines[i].strip().strip("|").split("|")]
+                table_rows.append(row)
+                i += 1
+            body.append(("table", table_rows))
+            continue
+
+        # Ordered list item: `1. ` or `1. `
+        om = re.match(r"^(\d+)\.\s+(.*)", stripped)
+        if om:
+            body.append(("ordered", int(om.group(1)), om.group(2).strip()))
+            i += 1
+            continue
+
+        # Unordered list item
+        um = re.match(r"^(\s*)([-*+])\s+(.*)", line)
+        if um:
+            indent = len(um.group(1))
+            lvl = 0 if indent < 2 else (1 if indent < 4 else 2)
+            body.append(("bullet", lvl, um.group(3).strip()))
+            i += 1
+            continue
+
+        # Blank line
+        if not stripped:
+            i += 1
+            continue
+
+        # Bold lead paragraph (entire paragraph wrapped in **...**)
+        if stripped.startswith("**") and stripped.endswith("**") and stripped.count("**") == 2:
+            body.append(("lead", stripped[2:-2].strip()))
+            i += 1
+            continue
+
+        # Plain text
+        # collect contiguous non-empty, non-special lines into one paragraph
+        para_lines = [line]
+        i += 1
+        while i < len(lines):
+            nxt = lines[i].strip()
+            if (not nxt or nxt.startswith("#") or nxt.startswith("-")
+                    or nxt.startswith("*") or nxt.startswith(">")
+                    or nxt.startswith("|") or nxt.startswith("<")
+                    or nxt.startswith("```") or nxt.startswith("!")
+                    or re.match(r"^\d+\.\s", nxt)):
+                break
+            para_lines.append(lines[i])
+            i += 1
+        para_text = " ".join(l.strip() for l in para_lines).strip()
+        if para_text:
+            body.append(("plain", para_text))
+        continue
+
+    return {
+        "title": title or "(untitled)",
+        "title_is_h1": title_is_h1,
+        "is_title_class": is_title_class,
+        "body": body,
+    }
+
+
+def render_title_slide(prs, slide_data):
+    slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[6])  # blank
+    _set_bg(slide, BLACK)
+    # red top bar
+    bar = slide.shapes.add_shape(MSO_SHAPE.RECTANGLE, 0, 0, SLIDE_W, Inches(0.4))
+    bar.fill.solid()
+    bar.fill.fore_color.rgb = RED
+    bar.line.fill.background()
+    bar.shadow.inherit = False
+    # title
+    title = slide_data["title"]
+    tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(MARGIN_X, Inches(2.5), CONTENT_W, Inches(2.0))
+    tf = tb.text_frame
+    tf.word_wrap = True
+    p = tf.paragraphs[0]
+    p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
+    r = p.add_run()
+    r.text = title
+    r.font.name = FONT_NAME
+    r.font.size = Pt(40)
+    r.font.bold = True
+    r.font.color.rgb = WHITE
+    # body content (subtitle/lead/benefit) on black bg
+    cur_top = Inches(4.6)
+    for item in slide_data["body"]:
+        kind = item[0]
+        if kind == "lead":
+            _add_text_block(slide, _strip_inline_emphasis(item[1]),
+                            top=cur_top, size=20, color=WHITE, bold=True,
+                            height=Inches(0.5))
+            cur_top += Inches(0.55)
+        elif kind == "plain":
+            _add_text_block(slide, _strip_inline_emphasis(item[1]),
+                            top=cur_top, size=16, color=WHITE,
+                            height=Inches(0.4))
+            cur_top += Inches(0.45)
+        elif kind == "benefit":
+            # benefit on title slide: italic white
+            tb_b = slide.shapes.add_textbox(MARGIN_X, cur_top, CONTENT_W, Inches(0.8))
+            tf_b = tb_b.text_frame
+            tf_b.word_wrap = True
+            p_b = tf_b.paragraphs[0]
+            r_b = p_b.add_run()
+            r_b.text = item[1]
+            r_b.font.name = FONT_NAME
+            r_b.font.size = Pt(16)
+            r_b.font.italic = True
+            r_b.font.color.rgb = WHITE
+            cur_top += Inches(0.85)
+
+
+def render_content_slide(prs, slide_data, deck_dir: Path):
+    slide = prs.slides.add_slide(prs.slide_layouts[6])  # blank
+    _set_bg(slide, WHITE)
+    _add_title_bar(slide)
+    _add_title_text(slide, slide_data["title"], color=RED, size=28, top=0.25,
+                    bold=True, height=0.7)
+    cur_top = Inches(1.05)
+    for item in slide_data["body"]:
+        kind = item[0]
+        if kind == "lead":
+            tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(MARGIN_X, cur_top, CONTENT_W, Inches(0.5))
+            tf = tb.text_frame
+            tf.word_wrap = True
+            p = tf.paragraphs[0]
+            p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
+            _inline_runs(p, item[1], size=18, base_color=RED)
+            # make the whole lead bold-strong-red
+            for r in p.runs:
+                r.font.bold = True
+                r.font.color.rgb = RED
+            cur_top += Inches(0.5)
+        elif kind == "plain":
+            tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(MARGIN_X, cur_top, CONTENT_W, Inches(0.4))
+            tf = tb.text_frame
+            tf.word_wrap = True
+            p = tf.paragraphs[0]
+            p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
+            _inline_runs(p, item[1], size=18, base_color=BODY_TEXT)
+            cur_top += Inches(0.4)
+        elif kind == "quote":
+            tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(
+                MARGIN_X + Inches(0.3), cur_top, CONTENT_W - Inches(0.3), Inches(0.6)
+            )
+            tf = tb.text_frame
+            tf.word_wrap = True
+            p = tf.paragraphs[0]
+            p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
+            _inline_runs(p, item[1], size=18, base_color=GREY_TEXT)
+            # italicize the whole blockquote
+            for r in p.runs:
+                r.font.italic = True
+                r.font.color.rgb = GREY_TEXT
+            cur_top += Inches(0.6)
+        elif kind == "bullet":
+            # accumulate consecutive bullets into one text frame
+            # (handled below in a second pass; we render single here as fallback)
+            tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(MARGIN_X, cur_top, CONTENT_W, Inches(0.35))
+            tf = tb.text_frame
+            tf.word_wrap = True
+            p = tf.paragraphs[0]
+            p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
+            p.level = item[1]
+            r = p.add_run()
+            prefix = "• " if item[1] == 0 else ("– " if item[1] == 1 else "· ")
+            r.text = prefix + _strip_inline_emphasis(item[2])
+            r.font.name = FONT_NAME
+            r.font.size = Pt(18 if item[1] == 0 else 16)
+            r.font.color.rgb = BODY_TEXT
+            cur_top += Inches(0.35)
+        elif kind == "ordered":
+            tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(MARGIN_X, cur_top, CONTENT_W, Inches(0.35))
+            tf = tb.text_frame
+            tf.word_wrap = True
+            p = tf.paragraphs[0]
+            p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
+            r = p.add_run()
+            r.text = f"{item[1]}. " + _strip_inline_emphasis(item[2])
+            r.font.name = FONT_NAME
+            r.font.size = Pt(18)
+            r.font.color.rgb = BODY_TEXT
+            cur_top += Inches(0.35)
+        elif kind == "image":
+            img_path = deck_dir / item[1]
+            _add_picture(slide, img_path, top=cur_top)
+            cur_top += Inches(4.1)
+        elif kind == "table":
+            rows = item[1]
+            _add_table(slide, rows, top=cur_top)
+            cur_top += Inches(0.32) * len(rows) + Inches(0.1)
+        elif kind == "code":
+            tb = slide.shapes.add_textbox(MARGIN_X, cur_top, CONTENT_W, Inches(0.6))
+            tf = tb.text_frame
+            tf.word_wrap = True
+            p = tf.paragraphs[0]
+            p.alignment = PP_ALIGN.LEFT
+            r = p.add_run()
+            r.text = item[1]
+            r.font.name = "Courier New"
+            r.font.size = Pt(14)
+            r.font.color.rgb = BLACK
+            cur_top += Inches(0.5)
+        elif kind == "benefit":
+            _add_benefit(slide, item[1], top=cur_top)
+            cur_top += Inches(0.75)
+
+
+def render_deck(md_path: Path, pptx_path: Path):
+    md_text = md_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+    slide_sources = split_slides(md_text)
+    prs = Presentation()
+    prs.slide_width = SLIDE_W
+    prs.slide_height = SLIDE_H
+
+    deck_dir = md_path.parent
+    print(f"Parsing {len(slide_sources)} slides from {md_path}")
+    for idx, src in enumerate(slide_sources):
+        data = parse_slide(src)
+        is_title = (idx == 0) or data["is_title_class"] or data["title_is_h1"]
+        # The appendix is a content slide (rendered normally)
+        if idx == 0 and (data["title_is_h1"] or data["is_title_class"]):
+            render_title_slide(prs, data)
+        elif data["is_title_class"] and not data["title_is_h1"] and idx != 0:
+            # Marp _class: title on a non-H1 slide (e.g., appendix) — render as
+            # content but with a title-style bar. Keep it simple: content slide.
+            render_content_slide(prs, data, deck_dir)
+        else:
+            render_content_slide(prs, data, deck_dir)
+        print(f"  [{idx + 1:02d}] {data['title']}  (body: {len(data['body'])} blocks)")
+
+    pptx_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    prs.save(str(pptx_path))
+    print(f"Saved: {pptx_path}  ({len(prs.slides)} slides)")
+
+
+def main():
+    deck = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery"
+    repo_root = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+    md_path = repo_root / "docs" / "presentations" / f"{deck}-marp.md"
+    pptx_path = repo_root / "docs" / "presentations" / f"{deck}-python.pptx"
+    if not md_path.is_file():
+        print(f"ERROR: source deck not found: {md_path}", file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(1)
+    render_deck(md_path, pptx_path)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()

scripts/render_slides.sh

@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
 # scripts/render_slides.sh — render the Nova presentation deck end-to-end:
 #   1. Mermaid .mmd → .png (S&P-themed via sp-theme.json)
-#   2. Marp .md → .html + .pptx (S&P-themed via nova-sp-theme.css)
-#   3. Stage all rendered artifacts to git.
+#   2. Marp .md → .html + .pptx (S&P-themed via inline style: block in frontmatter)
+#   3. Inline images → base64-embed all images in the HTML (self-contained).
+#   4. Stage all rendered artifacts to git.
 #
 # Usage:
 #   bash scripts/render_slides.sh [deck-name]
@@ -17,14 +18,12 @@ cd "$(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)"
 MMD_DIR="docs/presentations/assets/mmd"
 PNG_DIR="docs/presentations/assets/png"
 THEME_JSON="$MMD_DIR/sp-theme.json"
-THEME_CSS="docs/presentations/assets/nova-sp-theme.css"
 PUPPETEER_CFG="docs/presentations/assets/puppeteer-config.json"
 SRC="docs/presentations/${DECK}-marp.md"
 HTML="docs/presentations/${DECK}.html"
 PPTX="docs/presentations/${DECK}.pptx"
 
 [ -f "$SRC" ] || { echo "ERROR: source deck $SRC not found" >&2; exit 1; }
-[ -f "$THEME_CSS" ] || { echo "ERROR: theme CSS $THEME_CSS not found" >&2; exit 1; }
 
 # --- Chrome / Chromium discovery ---
 CHROME=""
@@ -41,16 +40,18 @@ if [ -z "$CHROME" ]; then
 fi
 export CHROME_PATH="$CHROME"
 
-# --- Step 1: render mermaid diagrams (S&P-themed) ---
-echo "=== Step 1: Rendering mermaid diagrams (S&P theme: $THEME_JSON) ==="
+# --- Step 1: render mermaid diagrams (S&P-themed, 2x scale, transparent bg) ---
+# REQ-258: -s 2 (2x scale) + -b transparent (transparent background) per README spec.
+echo "=== Step 1: Rendering mermaid diagrams (S&P theme: $THEME_JSON, 2x, transparent) ==="
 if [ -d "$MMD_DIR" ]; then
   for mmd in "$MMD_DIR"/*.mmd; do
     name="$(basename "$mmd" .mmd)"
     png="$PNG_DIR/$name.png"
     echo "  $name.mmd → $name.png"
-    npx --yes @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli \
+    npx --yes @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli@11.16.0 \
       --configFile "$THEME_JSON" \
       --puppeteerConfigFile "$PUPPETEER_CFG" \
+      -s 2 -b transparent \
       --input "$mmd" \
       --output "$png" 2>&1 | grep -v "^$" || true
   done
@@ -61,16 +62,32 @@ fi
 echo ""
 
 # --- Step 2: render Marp deck (S&P-themed) ---
+# REQ-257: pinned marp-cli version (v4.5.0) to prevent boilerplate-CSS drift.
 echo "=== Step 2: Rendering Marp deck → HTML + PPTX ==="
-echo "  Theme: $THEME_CSS"
+echo "  Theme: default (inline style)"
 echo "  HTML → $HTML"
-npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@latest --allow-local-files --theme "$THEME_CSS" "$SRC" -o "$HTML" 2>&1 | tail -3
+npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@4.5.0 --allow-local-files "$SRC" -o "$HTML" 2>&1 | tail -3
 
 echo "  PPTX → $PPTX"
-npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@latest --allow-local-files --theme "$THEME_CSS" "$SRC" -o "$PPTX" 2>&1 | tail -3
+npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@4.5.0 --allow-local-files "$SRC" -o "$PPTX" 2>&1 | tail -3
 echo ""
 
-# --- Step 3: stage ---
-echo "=== Step 3: Staging rendered artifacts ==="
-git add "$PNG_DIR"/*.png "$HTML" "$PPTX" 2>/dev/null || true
-echo "=== Done: staged $(ls "$PNG_DIR"/*.png 2>/dev/null | wc -l) PNGs + $HTML + $PPTX ==="
+# --- Step 3: inline images into HTML (base64-embed for redistribution) ---
+# REQ-268: makes the HTML self-contained (no assets/ folder needed).
+echo "=== Step 3: Inlining images into HTML ==="
+python3 scripts/inline_images.py "$HTML" 2>&1
+echo ""
+
+# --- Step 4: render python-pptx (structured, editable, S&P-themed) ---
+# REQ-269: python-pptx produces a structured, editable PPTX (native text boxes,
+# tables, images) alongside the MARP-rendered PPTX.
+echo "=== Step 4: Rendering python-pptx deck ==="
+PYTHON_PPTX="docs/presentations/${DECK}-python.pptx"
+python3 scripts/render_pptx.py "$DECK" 2>&1
+echo "  Python PPTX → $PYTHON_PPTX"
+echo ""
+
+# --- Step 5: stage ---
+echo "=== Step 5: Staging rendered artifacts ==="
+git add "$PNG_DIR"/*.png "$HTML" "$PPTX" "$PYTHON_PPTX" 2>/dev/null || true
+echo "=== Done: staged $(ls "$PNG_DIR"/*.png 2>/dev/null | wc -l) PNGs + $HTML + $PPTX + $PYTHON_PPTX ==="

scripts/sync_to_nova.sh

@@ -117,7 +117,6 @@ EXCLUDE_SCRIPTS=(
   sync_workflows.py
   attach_release_asset.py
   check_north_star_diff.sh
-  render_deck.sh
   render_slides.sh
 )
 

tests/test_no_forge_mentions.py

@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ _EXCLUDE_SCRIPTS = {
     "untag_acdl_keys.py", "seed_uptime_monitors.py",
     "push_consumer_image.py", "sync_workflows.py",
     "attach_release_asset.py", "check_north_star_diff.sh",
-    "render_deck.sh", "render_slides.sh",
+    "render_slides.sh",
 }
 
 # Synced top-level files (not in any excluded dir).

tests/test_pptx_generator.py

@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+"""REQ-274: tests for `scripts/render_pptx.py` — the structured, editable
+python-pptx deck produced alongside the MARP-rendered PPTX.
+
+The python-pptx deck is a native OOXML presentation: real text boxes,
+native tables, embedded pictures, and italic benefit callouts. These
+tests are offline (no AWS, no network) and assert the structural
+properties of the committed `*-python.pptx` artifact.
+"""
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import cast
+
+import pytest
+from pptx import Presentation
+from pptx.enum.shapes import MSO_SHAPE_TYPE
+from pptx.presentation import Presentation as PresentationT
+from pptx.shapes.autoshape import Shape
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent
+PRESENTATIONS = ROOT / "docs" / "presentations"
+MARPT_DECK = PRESENTATIONS / "nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-marp.md"
+PYTHON_PPTX = PRESENTATIONS / "nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-python.pptx"
+
+# Title slide + 20 main slides + 1 appendix slide.
+EXPECTED_SLIDE_COUNT = 22
+
+
+@pytest.fixture(scope="module")
+def prs() -> PresentationT:
+    """Load the committed python-pptx deck once for the whole module."""
+    assert PYTHON_PPTX.is_file(), f"python-pptx PPTX not found: {PYTHON_PPTX}"
+    return Presentation(str(PYTHON_PPTX))
+
+
+def _slide_titles(prs: PresentationT) -> list[str]:
+    """Return the first non-empty text-frame line per slide (the title)."""
+    titles: list[str] = []
+    for slide in prs.slides:
+        for shape in slide.shapes:
+            if not shape.has_text_frame:
+                continue
+            text = cast(Shape, shape).text_frame.text.strip()
+            if not text:
+                continue
+            # The title is the first non-empty line of the first non-empty
+            # text frame we find on the slide.
+            first_line = text.split("\n")[0].strip()
+            if first_line:
+                titles.append(first_line)
+                break
+        else:
+            titles.append("")
+    return titles
+
+
+def test_slide_count(prs: PresentationT):
+    """REQ-269/274: the python-pptx deck has 22 slides
+    (title + 20 main + 1 appendix)."""
+    assert len(prs.slides) == EXPECTED_SLIDE_COUNT, \
+        f"expected {EXPECTED_SLIDE_COUNT} slides, got {len(prs.slides)}"
+
+
+def test_title_slide_colors(prs: PresentationT):
+    """REQ-269: the title slide (slide 0) has a solid-filled background
+    shape carrying the S&P Red (#D6002A) brand color (the title slide is
+    a red-bar-on-black layout)."""
+    title_slide = prs.slides[0]
+    red_found = False
+    black_found = False
+    for shape in title_slide.shapes:
+        fill = getattr(shape, "fill", None)
+        if fill is None:
+            continue
+        try:
+            if fill.type != 1:  # MSO_FILL.SOLID
+                continue
+        except Exception:
+            continue
+        rgb = str(fill.fore_color.rgb).upper()
+        if rgb == "D6002A":
+            red_found = True
+        if rgb == "1B1B1B":
+            black_found = True
+    assert red_found, \
+        "title slide has no solid-fill shape with S&P Red (#D6002A)"
+
+
+def test_expected_slide_titles(prs: PresentationT):
+    """REQ-269/274: spot-check that key slide titles match the markdown
+    deck (The Problem, Nova's Vision, Recap + Ask)."""
+    titles = _slide_titles(prs)
+    # Build a flat lowercase concatenation for substring checks.
+    flat = " | ".join(titles).lower()
+    expected = [
+        "the problem",
+        "nova's vision",
+        "recap + ask",
+    ]
+    missing = [t for t in expected if t not in flat]
+    assert not missing, \
+        f"missing expected slide titles in python-pptx deck: {missing}; " \
+        f"found titles: {titles}"
+
+
+def test_table_rendering(prs: PresentationT):
+    """REQ-269: a slide with a table (the RACI slide) has a native PPTX
+    table shape (GraphicFrame with has_table=True)."""
+    table_slides = []
+    for idx, slide in enumerate(prs.slides):
+        for shape in slide.shapes:
+            if shape.shape_type == MSO_SHAPE_TYPE.TABLE or getattr(
+                shape, "has_table", False
+            ):
+                table_slides.append(idx)
+                break
+    assert table_slides, \
+        "no slide in the python-pptx deck has a native PPTX table shape"
+
+
+def test_image_embedding(prs: PresentationT):
+    """REQ-269: a slide with an image (the Platform Pipeline slide)
+    has a native PPTX picture shape."""
+    picture_slides = []
+    for idx, slide in enumerate(prs.slides):
+        for shape in slide.shapes:
+            if shape.shape_type == MSO_SHAPE_TYPE.PICTURE:
+                picture_slides.append(idx)
+                break
+    assert picture_slides, \
+        "no slide in the python-pptx deck has a native PPTX picture shape"
+
+
+def test_benefit_callout_present(prs: PresentationT):
+    """REQ-269/274: at least one slide has an italic text run (the
+    benefit callout, rendered as italic body text by render_pptx.py)."""
+    italic_runs = 0
+    for slide in prs.slides:
+        for shape in slide.shapes:
+            if not shape.has_text_frame:
+                continue
+            for paragraph in cast(Shape, shape).text_frame.paragraphs:
+                for run in paragraph.runs:
+                    if run.font.italic and run.text.strip():
+                        italic_runs += 1
+    assert italic_runs > 0, \
+        "no italic text runs found in the python-pptx deck (benefit callout)"

tests/test_slides_pipeline.py

@@ -1,21 +1,28 @@
-"""REQ-239..243 (v1.20) + REQ-245,251,252 (v1.21): S&P theme + slide render
-pipeline + deck-refinement tests.
+"""REQ-239..243 (v1.20) + REQ-245,251,252 (v1.21/22) + REQ-273..275 (v1.23):
+S&P theme + slide render pipeline + deck-refinement tests.
 
 v1.20 validates:
-  - The Marp deck frontmatter references nova-sp-theme.css
-  - The CSS file contains the S&P colors (#D6002A, #1B1B1B)
   - The mermaid theme JSON contains the S&P colors
   - Every .mmd has a corresponding .png
   - The render_slides.sh script exists and is executable
   - The CI workflow file exists
 
-v1.21 adds (REQ-245,251,252):
+v1.21/22 adds (REQ-245,251,252):
   - Deck renamed to nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery*
   - No maturity badges in the Marp deck
   - No version in the Marp footer/title slide
-  - 18 main + 1 appendix slides
+  - 20 main + 1 appendix slides
   - No D-###/REQ-###/internal .py paths in audience-facing slides
-  - Title is "Nova — The Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform"
+
+v1.23 (REQ-273,274,275) — single-document + dual-PPTX + image-inlining pipeline:
+  - The plain `.md` is gone; `*-marp.md` is the sole source of truth.
+  - Marp deck uses `theme: default` + an inline `style:` block (S&P colors).
+  - `nova-sp-theme.css` is RETAINED AS REFERENCE (not loaded at render).
+  - HTML has base64-inlined images (zero `src="assets/` references).
+  - A second PPTX (`*-python.pptx`) is produced by `scripts/render_pptx.py`.
+  - Speaker notes live as `<!-- Speaker notes: ... -->` HTML comments.
+  - Benefit callouts use `<div class="benefit">` (no `**Benefit:**` prefixes).
+  - The purged term "penetrate" is absent repo-wide.
 """
 import re
 from pathlib import Path
@@ -29,50 +36,216 @@ THEME_CSS = ASSETS / "nova-sp-theme.css"
 THEME_JSON = ASSETS / "mmd" / "sp-theme.json"
 MARP_DECK = PRESENTATIONS / "nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-marp.md"
 SOURCE_MD = PRESENTATIONS / "nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.md"
+HTML = PRESENTATIONS / "nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.html"
+PYTHON_PPTX = PRESENTATIONS / "nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-python.pptx"
+MARP_PPTX = PRESENTATIONS / "nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.pptx"
 RENDER_SCRIPT = ROOT / "scripts" / "render_slides.sh"
 SLIDES_WORKFLOW = ROOT / ".github" / "workflows" / "slides.yml"
 
 
+def _frontmatter(text: str) -> str:
+    """Return the Marp frontmatter block (between the first two `---`)."""
+    fm_match = re.match(r'^---\n(.*?)\n---', text, re.DOTALL)
+    assert fm_match, "Marp frontmatter not found"
+    return fm_match.group(1)
+
+
+# --- S&P theme reference + mermaid theme -------------------------------
+
 def test_sp_theme_css_exists():
-    """REQ-239: nova-sp-theme.css exists."""
+    """REQ-239: nova-sp-theme.css exists (retained as a reference)."""
     assert THEME_CSS.is_file(), f"theme CSS not found: {THEME_CSS}"
 
 
+def test_nova_sp_theme_css_retained_as_reference():
+    """REQ-274: nova-sp-theme.css is retained as a REFERENCE only and is
+    explicitly NOT loaded at render time (the live styling is the inline
+    `style:` block in the -marp.md frontmatter)."""
+    assert THEME_CSS.is_file(), f"theme CSS not found: {THEME_CSS}"
+    css = THEME_CSS.read_text()
+    assert "not loaded at render" in css.lower(), \
+        "nova-sp-theme.css does not document itself as 'not loaded at render'"
+
+
 def test_sp_theme_css_has_snp_colors():
-    """REQ-239: CSS contains S&P Red and Black."""
+    """REQ-239: the reference CSS still carries S&P Red and Black."""
     css = THEME_CSS.read_text()
     assert "#D6002A" in css, "S&P Red (#D6002A) missing from theme CSS"
     assert "#1B1B1B" in css, "S&P Black (#1B1B1B) missing from theme CSS"
 
 
 def test_sp_theme_json_has_snp_colors():
-    """The mermaid theme JSON also has S&P colors."""
+    """The mermaid theme JSON has S&P colors (mermaid PNGs are S&P-themed)."""
     json_text = THEME_JSON.read_text()
     assert "#D6002A" in json_text, "S&P Red missing from mermaid theme"
     assert "#1B1B1B" in json_text, "S&P Black missing from mermaid theme"
 
 
-def test_marp_deck_uses_sp_theme():
-    """REQ-239: Marp deck frontmatter references nova-sp-theme.css."""
+# --- Marp deck: theme + inline style ----------------------------------
+
+def test_marp_deck_uses_default_theme():
+    """REQ-274: the Marp deck frontmatter uses `theme: default` (not the
+    retired `theme: nova-sp`). S&P styling is delivered by the inline
+    `style:` block, not the standalone CSS."""
+    frontmatter = _frontmatter(MARP_DECK.read_text())
+    assert re.search(r"^theme:\s*default\s*$", frontmatter, re.MULTILINE), \
+        "Marp deck does not set `theme: default` in the frontmatter"
+    assert "nova-sp" not in frontmatter, \
+        "Marp deck still references the retired `nova-sp` theme"
+
+
+def test_marp_deck_has_sp_inline_style():
+    """REQ-274: the inline `style:` block carries the S&P properties
+    (#D6002A, #1B1B1B, and the `section.title` rule)."""
+    frontmatter = _frontmatter(MARP_DECK.read_text())
+    assert "style:" in frontmatter, "frontmatter has no inline `style:` block"
+    # The inline style block extends past the frontmatter close in Marp
+    # (the `style:` value is a multi-line YAML literal). Read the whole
+    # deck so we capture the full style block.
+    deck = MARP_DECK.read_text()
+    assert "#D6002A" in deck, "inline style: block missing #D6002A"
+    assert "#1B1B1B" in deck, "inline style: block missing #1B1B1B"
+    assert "section.title" in deck, \
+        "inline style: block missing the `section.title` rule"
+
+
+def test_marp_deck_no_badges():
+    """REQ-252: no maturity badges in the Marp deck."""
     text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
-    # The frontmatter is between the first two ---
-    fm_match = re.match(r'^---\n(.*?)\n---', text, re.DOTALL)
-    assert fm_match, "Marp frontmatter not found"
-    frontmatter = fm_match.group(1)
-    assert "nova-sp" in frontmatter, \
-        "Marp deck does not reference nova-sp theme"
+    assert "badge" not in text, "Marp deck still contains badge spans"
 
 
-def test_marp_deck_not_using_default_theme():
-    """The Marp deck must not use 'theme: default'."""
+def test_marp_deck_no_version_in_footer():
+    """REQ-251: no version (v1.x) in the Marp frontmatter footer/header."""
+    frontmatter = _frontmatter(MARP_DECK.read_text())
+    assert not re.search(r"v1\.\d+", frontmatter), \
+        f"Marp frontmatter still contains a version: {frontmatter}"
+    assert "Act %" not in frontmatter, \
+        "Marp frontmatter still contains 'Act %{page}' artifact"
+
+
+def test_marp_deck_title_slide_no_version_subtitle():
+    """REQ-251: the title slide does not carry a version subtitle."""
     text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
-    fm_match = re.match(r'^---\n(.*?)\n---', text, re.DOTALL)
-    assert fm_match, "Marp frontmatter not found"
-    frontmatter = fm_match.group(1)
-    assert "theme: default" not in frontmatter, \
-        "Marp deck still uses 'theme: default' — should use nova-sp-theme.css"
+    after_fm = text.split("---\n", 2)[2] if text.startswith("---") else text
+    first_slide = after_fm.split("\n---\n")[0]
+    assert "v1.18" not in first_slide, \
+        "Title slide still contains 'v1.18' subtitle"
+    assert "Citizen Developer & Production-Grade Guidance" not in first_slide, \
+        "Title slide still contains the old version subtitle"
 
 
+def test_marp_deck_title_is_autonomous_cloud_delivery():
+    """REQ-245: the deck title is 'Nova — The Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform'."""
+    text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
+    assert "Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform" in text, \
+        "Deck title is not 'Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform'"
+    assert "No-Humans Infrastructure Platform" not in text, \
+        "Deck still carries the old 'No-Humans Infrastructure Platform' title"
+
+
+def test_marp_deck_slide_count():
+    """REQ-245/261: 20 main slides + 1 appendix = 21 slide sections
+    (22 rendered sections incl. the H1 title slide)."""
+    text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
+    main_slides = re.findall(r"^## Slide ", text, re.MULTILINE)
+    appendix_slides = re.findall(r"^## Appendix ", text, re.MULTILINE)
+    assert len(main_slides) == 20, \
+        f"expected 20 main slides, found {len(main_slides)}"
+    assert len(appendix_slides) == 1, \
+        f"expected 1 appendix slide, found {len(appendix_slides)}"
+
+
+def test_marp_deck_no_internal_citations():
+    """REQ-252: no D-### decision IDs, REQ-### requirement IDs, or internal
+    .py file paths in the audience-facing Marp deck SLIDE BODIES. Internal
+    provenance is allowed inside `<!-- ... -->` HTML comments (speaker
+    notes / talking points), which Marp excludes from the rendered slide."""
+    text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
+    # Strip HTML comments (speaker notes + talking points) before checking.
+    body = re.sub(r"<!--.*?-->", "", text, flags=re.DOTALL)
+    assert not re.search(r"\bD-\d{3}\b", body), \
+        "Marp deck slide body contains D-### decision IDs"
+    assert not re.search(r"\bREQ-\d{3}\b", body), \
+        "Marp deck slide body contains REQ-### requirement IDs"
+    assert not re.search(r"\b(outbox_writer|confidence_signal|hitl_gates|"
+                          r"attestation_matrix|checkov_adapter|infracost_adapter|"
+                          r"contract_resolver|run_platform)\.py\b", body), \
+        "Marp deck slide body contains internal .py file paths"
+
+
+# --- Speaker notes + benefit callouts (REQ-274) ----------------------
+
+def test_speaker_notes_as_html_comments():
+    """REQ-274: speaker notes are embedded as `<!-- Speaker notes: ... -->`
+    HTML comments (Marp excludes HTML comments from the rendered slide;
+    the comments are for authors/presenters). Expect >= 20 (one per main
+    slide) + the appendix slide."""
+    text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
+    count = len(re.findall(r"<!-- Speaker notes:", text))
+    assert count >= 20, \
+        f"expected >=20 `<!-- Speaker notes:` comments, found {count}"
+
+
+def test_benefit_callouts_use_class():
+    """REQ-274: benefit callouts use `<div class="benefit">` (>= 21
+    occurrences — one per slide section incl. the title slide) and zero
+    `**Benefit:**` text prefixes."""
+    text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
+    class_count = text.count('class="benefit"')
+    assert class_count >= 21, \
+        f"expected >=21 `class=\"benefit\"` callouts, found {class_count}"
+    assert "**Benefit:**" not in text, \
+        "Marp deck still uses the retired `**Benefit:**` prefix"
+
+
+# --- Single source of truth (REQ-274) --------------------------------
+
+def test_single_source_of_truth():
+    """REQ-274: the plain `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery.md` is deleted;
+    `nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery-marp.md` is the sole source of truth."""
+    assert not SOURCE_MD.exists(), \
+        f"plain source markdown still exists (should be deleted): {SOURCE_MD}"
+    assert MARP_DECK.is_file(), \
+        f"Marp deck (sole source of truth) not found: {MARP_DECK}"
+
+
+# --- Purged term (REQ-274) -------------------------------------------
+
+def test_no_purged_loaded_term():
+    """REQ-274: the purged term 'penetrate' (case-insensitive, any
+    inflection: penetrate, penetrating, penetration, ...) is absent
+    from docs/, .ciagent/PROJECT.md, and .ciagent/CLARIFY.md."""
+    targets = [
+        ROOT / "docs",
+        ROOT / ".ciagent" / "PROJECT.md",
+        ROOT / ".ciagent" / "CLARIFY.md",
+    ]
+    hits = []
+    for target in targets:
+        if target.is_dir():
+            for path in target.rglob("*"):
+                if not path.is_file():
+                    continue
+                if path.suffix in {".png", ".pptx", ".html", ".zip", ".json"}:
+                    continue
+                try:
+                    if "penetrat" in path.read_text().lower():
+                        hits.append(str(path))
+                except (UnicodeDecodeError, OSError):
+                    continue
+        elif target.is_file():
+            try:
+                if "penetrat" in target.read_text().lower():
+                    hits.append(str(target))
+            except (UnicodeDecodeError, OSError):
+                hits.append(f"<unreadable {target}>")
+    assert not hits, \
+        f"purged term 'penetrate' still present in: {hits}"
+
+
+# --- Render script ---------------------------------------------------
+
 def test_render_slides_script_exists():
     """REQ-240: render_slides.sh exists and is executable."""
     assert RENDER_SCRIPT.is_file(), "render_slides.sh not found"
@@ -104,6 +277,52 @@ def test_render_slides_default_deck_renamed():
         "render_slides.sh does not default to nova-autonomous-cloud-delivery"
 
 
+def test_render_slides_has_2x_scale():
+    """REQ-258: render_slides.sh uses -s 2 (2x scale) and -b transparent."""
+    text = RENDER_SCRIPT.read_text()
+    assert "-s 2" in text, "render_slides.sh does not use -s 2 (2x scale)"
+    assert "-b transparent" in text, \
+        "render_slides.sh does not use -b transparent"
+
+
+def test_render_slides_pins_cli_versions():
+    """REQ-257: render_slides.sh pins marp-cli and mermaid-cli versions
+    (no @latest). REQ-273: pyproject.toml declares python-pptx in the
+    `slides` optional-dependency group."""
+    text = RENDER_SCRIPT.read_text()
+    assert "marp-cli@" in text, "render_slides.sh does not pin marp-cli"
+    assert "mermaid-cli@" in text, \
+        "render_slides.sh does not pin mermaid-cli"
+    assert "@latest" not in text, \
+        "render_slides.sh still uses @latest (not pinned)"
+    pyproject = (ROOT / "pyproject.toml").read_text()
+    assert "python-pptx" in pyproject, \
+        "pyproject.toml does not declare python-pptx"
+    # python-pptx is in the [project.optional-dependencies] `slides` group.
+    # Locate the optional-dependencies table block, then check the `slides`
+    # array within it.
+    block_match = re.search(
+        r"\[project\.optional-dependencies\](.*?)(?=\n\[|\Z)",
+        pyproject, re.DOTALL)
+    assert block_match, \
+        "pyproject.toml has no [project.optional-dependencies] table"
+    block = block_match.group(1)
+    slides_match = re.search(r"slides\s*=\s*\[([^\]]*)\]", block, re.DOTALL)
+    assert slides_match, \
+        "pyproject.toml has no `slides` optional-dependency group"
+    assert "python-pptx" in slides_match.group(1), \
+        "python-pptx is not in the `slides` optional-dependency group"
+
+
+def test_render_deck_removed():
+    """REQ-257: render_deck.sh has been deleted (produced unthemed output)."""
+    old_script = ROOT / "scripts" / "render_deck.sh"
+    assert not old_script.exists(), \
+        "render_deck.sh still exists (should be deleted — produced unthemed output)"
+
+
+# --- CI workflow (REQ-273) -------------------------------------------
+
 def test_slides_ci_workflow_exists():
     """REQ-241: CI workflow for slides exists."""
     assert SLIDES_WORKFLOW.is_file(), "slides.yml workflow not found"
@@ -118,6 +337,35 @@ def test_slides_ci_workflow_triggers_on_presentations():
         "slides.yml does not invoke render_slides.sh"
 
 
+def test_slides_ci_workflow_installs_python_pptx():
+    """REQ-273: CI workflow installs python-pptx (via the `slides` extra)."""
+    text = SLIDES_WORKFLOW.read_text()
+    assert "python-pptx" in text or "[slides]" in text, \
+        "slides.yml does not install python-pptx / the slides extra"
+    assert "setup-python" in text, \
+        "slides.yml has no setup-python step"
+
+
+def test_slides_ci_workflow_pins_cli_versions():
+    """REQ-273: CI workflow pins marp-cli + mermaid-cli (no @latest)."""
+    text = SLIDES_WORKFLOW.read_text()
+    assert "marp-cli@4.5.0" in text, \
+        "slides.yml does not pin @marp-team/marp-cli@4.5.0"
+    assert "mermaid-cli@11.16.0" in text, \
+        "slides.yml does not pin @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli@11.16.0"
+    assert "@latest" not in text, \
+        "slides.yml still uses @latest (not pinned)"
+
+
+def test_slides_ci_workflow_stages_python_pptx():
+    """REQ-273: CI workflow `git add` list includes *-python.pptx."""
+    text = SLIDES_WORKFLOW.read_text()
+    assert "*-python.pptx" in text, \
+        "slides.yml git-add list does not stage *-python.pptx"
+
+
+# --- Mermaid PNGs ----------------------------------------------------
+
 def test_every_mmd_has_png():
     """REQ-240: every .mmd file has a corresponding .png."""
     mmd_dir = ASSETS / "mmd"
@@ -134,6 +382,82 @@ def test_every_mmd_has_png():
     assert not missing, f"PNGs missing for: {missing}"
 
 
+def test_png_aspect_ratios_sane():
+    """REQ-259/260: PNGs referenced in the marp deck have aspect ratios
+    in [0.4, 4.0] (suitable for 16:9 slides)."""
+    import struct
+    deck_text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
+    referenced = re.findall(r'!\[[^\]]*\]\(assets/png/([^)]+\.png)\)', deck_text)
+    assert referenced, "no PNGs referenced in the marp deck"
+    for png_name in referenced:
+        png_path = ASSETS / "png" / png_name
+        assert png_path.is_file(), f"referenced PNG not found: {png_name}"
+        with open(png_path, "rb") as fh:
+            data = fh.read(24)
+        assert data[:8] == b"\x89PNG\r\n\x1a\n", f"{png_name} is not a PNG"
+        w = struct.unpack(">I", data[16:20])[0]
+        h = struct.unpack(">I", data[20:24])[0]
+        ar = w / h
+        assert 0.4 <= ar <= 4.0, \
+            f"{png_name} aspect ratio {ar:.2f} outside [0.4, 4.0] ({w}x{h})"
+
+
+# --- HTML: theme embed + image inlining + slide count ----------------
+
+def test_html_embeds_theme():
+    """REQ-262/274: the committed HTML embeds the S&P theme as literal
+    S&P colors (#D6002A — not just the --sp-red variable) + padding."""
+    html = HTML.read_text()
+    assert "#D6002A" in html, \
+        "committed HTML does not embed the literal S&P Red (#D6002A)"
+    assert "padding:" in html, "committed HTML does not embed padding rule"
+
+
+def test_html_images_inlined_as_base64():
+    """REQ-268/274: the rendered HTML is self-contained — zero
+    `src="assets/` references and at least one `data:image` per image
+    referenced in the -marp.md deck."""
+    html = HTML.read_text()
+    assert len(re.findall(r'src=["\']assets/', html)) == 0, \
+        "HTML still references external `assets/` images (not inlined)"
+    deck_text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
+    image_count = len(re.findall(r'!\[[^\]]*\]\(assets/', deck_text))
+    assert image_count > 0, "no images referenced in the marp deck"
+    data_uri_count = html.count("data:image")
+    assert data_uri_count >= image_count, \
+        f"HTML has {data_uri_count} data:image URIs but the deck " \
+        f"references {image_count} images (should be >=)"
+
+
+def test_html_slide_count_matches_marp():
+    """REQ-262: the committed HTML <section> count matches the marp deck
+    slide count (title + 20 main + 1 appendix = 22)."""
+    html = HTML.read_text()
+    section_count = html.count("<section ")
+    deck_text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
+    main_slides = len(re.findall(r"^## Slide ", deck_text, re.MULTILINE))
+    appendix_slides = len(re.findall(r"^## Appendix ", deck_text, re.MULTILINE))
+    expected = main_slides + appendix_slides + 1
+    assert section_count == expected, \
+        f"HTML has {section_count} sections, expected {expected} " \
+        f"({main_slides} main + {appendix_slides} appendix + 1 title)"
+
+
+# --- python-pptx artifact (REQ-273/274) ------------------------------
+
+def test_python_pptx_exists():
+    """REQ-273/274: the python-pptx PPTX exists and is a valid OOXML zip
+    (the PPTX/zip signature `PK\x03\x04`)."""
+    assert PYTHON_PPTX.is_file(), \
+        f"python-pptx PPTX not found: {PYTHON_PPTX}"
+    with open(PYTHON_PPTX, "rb") as fh:
+        sig = fh.read(4)
+    assert sig == b"PK\x03\x04", \
+        f"python-pptx PPTX is not a valid zip (bad signature: {sig!r})"
+
+
+# --- README (REQ-275) ------------------------------------------------
+
 def test_readme_no_retired_decks():
     """REQ-243: presentations README does not list retired decks."""
     readme = (PRESENTATIONS / "README.md").read_text()
@@ -153,116 +477,4 @@ def test_readme_no_old_deck_name():
 def test_old_deck_files_removed():
     """REQ-245: the old nova-no-humans-platform* files are gone."""
     old_files = sorted(PRESENTATIONS.glob("nova-no-humans-platform*"))
-    assert not old_files, f"old deck files still present: {old_files}"
-
-
-def test_marp_deck_no_badges():
-    """REQ-252: no maturity badges in the Marp deck."""
-    text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
-    assert "badge" not in text, "Marp deck still contains badge spans"
-
-
-def test_marp_deck_no_version_in_footer():
-    """REQ-251: no version (v1.x) in the Marp frontmatter footer/header."""
-    text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
-    fm_match = re.match(r'^---\n(.*?)\n---', text, re.DOTALL)
-    assert fm_match, "Marp frontmatter not found"
-    frontmatter = fm_match.group(1)
-    # No v1.x version string in the footer or header lines
-    assert not re.search(r"v1\.\d+", frontmatter), \
-        f"Marp frontmatter still contains a version: {frontmatter}"
-    # No "Act" pagination artifact
-    assert "Act %" not in frontmatter, \
-        "Marp frontmatter still contains 'Act %{page}' artifact"
-
-
-def test_marp_deck_title_slide_no_version_subtitle():
-    """REQ-251: the title slide does not carry a version subtitle."""
-    text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
-    # The title slide is the first slide after the frontmatter
-    # Find the title block (between the frontmatter and the first --- separator)
-    after_fm = text.split("---\n", 2)[2] if text.startswith("---") else text
-    first_slide = after_fm.split("\n---\n")[0]
-    # The old subtitle was "v1.18 — Citizen Developer & Production-Grade Guidance"
-    assert "v1.18" not in first_slide, \
-        "Title slide still contains 'v1.18' subtitle"
-    assert "Citizen Developer & Production-Grade Guidance" not in first_slide, \
-        "Title slide still contains the old version subtitle"
-
-
-def test_marp_deck_title_is_autonomous_cloud_delivery():
-    """REQ-245: the deck title is 'Nova — The Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform'."""
-    text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
-    assert "Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform" in text, \
-        "Deck title is not 'Autonomous Cloud Delivery Platform'"
-    # The old title should not appear in the audience-facing deck
-    # (speaker notes are not in the marp deck, so this is safe)
-    assert "No-Humans Infrastructure Platform" not in text, \
-        "Deck still carries the old 'No-Humans Infrastructure Platform' title"
-
-
-def test_marp_deck_slide_count():
-    """REQ-245: 18 main slides + 1 appendix = 19 slides total."""
-    text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
-    # Count slide separators: each slide ends with --- (except the last)
-    # The frontmatter is one --- ... --- block, then each slide is separated by ---
-    # Count "## Slide" and "## Appendix" headings
-    slide_headings = re.findall(r"^## (?:Slide|Appendix) ", text, re.MULTILINE)
-    main_slides = re.findall(r"^## Slide ", text, re.MULTILINE)
-    appendix_slides = re.findall(r"^## Appendix ", text, re.MULTILINE)
-    assert len(main_slides) == 18, \
-        f"expected 18 main slides, found {len(main_slides)}: {slide_headings}"
-    assert len(appendix_slides) == 1, \
-        f"expected 1 appendix slide, found {len(appendix_slides)}"
-
-
-def test_marp_deck_no_internal_citations():
-    """REQ-252: no D-### decision IDs, REQ-### requirement IDs, or internal
-    .py file paths in the audience-facing Marp deck."""
-    text = MARP_DECK.read_text()
-    # Decision IDs like D-121, D-083
-    assert not re.search(r"\bD-\d{3}\b", text), \
-        "Marp deck contains D-### decision IDs"
-    # Requirement IDs like REQ-245
-    assert not re.search(r"\bREQ-\d{3}\b", text), \
-        "Marp deck contains REQ-### requirement IDs"
-    # Internal python file paths like outbox_writer.py, confidence_signal.py
-    # (allow .py only inside code blocks for the ROI formula? No — the deck
-    # should not cite internal file paths at all)
-    assert not re.search(r"\b(outbox_writer|confidence_signal|hitl_gates|"
-                         r"attestation_matrix|checkov_adapter|infracost_adapter|"
-                         r"contract_resolver|run_platform)\.py\b", text), \
-        "Marp deck contains internal .py file paths"
-
-
-def test_source_md_no_internal_citations_in_slides():
-    """REQ-252: the source-of-truth markdown keeps internal citations only
-    in speaker notes, not in the audience-facing slide body. Speaker notes
-    are blockquoted (> ) — we check non-blockquote lines for D-###/REQ-###."""
-    text = SOURCE_MD.read_text()
-    # Split into lines; exclude blockquote lines (speaker notes) and the
-    # header frontmatter (> ... at the top)
-    in_note = False
-    body_lines = []
-    for line in text.splitlines():
-        if line.lstrip().startswith(">"):
-            in_note = True
-            continue
-        if in_note and line.strip() == "":
-            in_note = False
-            continue
-        if not in_note:
-            body_lines.append(line)
-    body = "\n".join(body_lines)
-    # Decision IDs and REQ IDs should not appear in the slide body
-    assert not re.search(r"\bD-\d{3}\b", body), \
-        "Source markdown slide body contains D-### decision IDs"
-    assert not re.search(r"\bREQ-\d{3}\b", body), \
-        "Source markdown slide body contains REQ-### requirement IDs"
-
-
-def test_source_md_no_badges():
-    """REQ-252: no maturity badges in the source-of-truth markdown."""
-    text = SOURCE_MD.read_text()
-    assert "badge" not in text.lower(), \
-        "Source markdown still contains badge spans"
+    assert not old_files, f"old deck files still present: {old_files}"

workflows-src/slides.yml

@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 # Nova Slides Render — re-renders presentation deck when source files change.
+# REQ-273: install python-pptx, pin CLI versions, stage HTML + both PPTX +
+# base64-inlined images.
 name: Nova Slides Render
 on:
   push:
     paths:
       - 'docs/presentations/**'
       - 'scripts/render_slides.sh'
-      - 'assets/nova-sp-theme.css'
+      - 'scripts/inline_images.py'
+      - 'scripts/render_pptx.py'
+      - 'pyproject.toml'
   workflow_dispatch:
 
 jobs:
@@ -16,16 +20,24 @@ jobs:
         with: { fetch-depth: 0 }
       - uses: actions/setup-node@v4
         with: { node-version: '20' }
-      - name: Install Chrome
+      - uses: actions/setup-python@v5
+        with:
+          python-version: '3.10'
+      - name: Install python-pptx (slides extra)
+        run: pip install -e ".[slides]"
+      - name: Install + pin render CLIs
         run: |
-          npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@latest --version
-          npx --yes @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli --version
+          npx --yes @marp-team/marp-cli@4.5.0 --version
+          npx --yes @mermaid-js/mermaid-cli@11.16.0 --version
       - name: Render slides
         run: bash scripts/render_slides.sh
       - name: Commit rendered artifacts
         run: |
           git config user.name "nova-slides-bot"
           git config user.email "bot@nova.local"
-          git add docs/presentations/*.html docs/presentations/*.pptx docs/presentations/assets/png/*.png
+          git add docs/presentations/*.html \
+                  docs/presentations/*.pptx \
+                  docs/presentations/*-python.pptx \
+                  docs/presentations/assets/png/*.png
           git diff --cached --quiet || git commit -m "chore(slides): re-render deck [skip ci]"
-          git push
+          git push