Remove completed documentation alignment roadmaps

README.md

@@ -1,22 +1,41 @@
 # narratio
 
-Narratio is a stage-driven Go orchestrator for turning D&D session audio into polished transcripts and generated artifacts.
+Narratio is a stage-driven Go orchestrator for turning D&D session audio into
+polished transcripts and generated artifacts.
 
-It runs a deterministic workflow across `prepare`, `transcribe`, `merge`, `polish`, `normalize`, `trim`, `analyze`, and `publish`, with manifest-driven continuation and restore support.
+It runs a deterministic workflow with manifest-driven continuation, remote
+publish, and restore support.
 
-```bash
+```sh
 narratio run 2026-04-04
 ```
 
-This requires resolvable `pipeline.yml`, `campaign.yml`, and concrete `session.yml` (or explicit config flags).
+This requires resolvable `pipeline.yml`, `campaign.yml`, and concrete
+`session.yml` files or their explicit command-line alternatives.
 
 ## Documentation
 
-- [CLI Reference](docs/cli.md)
-- [Configuration](docs/config.md)
-- [Operations](docs/operations.md)
-- [Troubleshooting](docs/troubleshooting.md)
-- [Internal Component Contracts](docs/internal/README.md)
-- [Development Guide](docs/policy/development.md)
-- [Architecture Principles](docs/policy/architecture.md)
-- [Maintained Examples](examples/)
+- [CLI reference](docs/cli.md) — commands, arguments, flags, and invocation
+  behavior.
+- [Configuration](docs/config.md) — discovery, fields, defaults, and
+  validation.
+- [Operations](docs/operations.md) — runtime workflow, state, publishing,
+  recovery, and cleanup.
+- [Troubleshooting](docs/troubleshooting.md) — symptom-driven diagnosis and
+  safe remedies.
+- [Integration contracts](docs/integrations/) — external tools, formats, and
+  compatibility expectations.
+- [Maintained examples](examples/README.md) — complete copyable configuration
+  and input files.
+
+## Maintainer Documentation
+
+- [Development guide](docs/development.md) — first-read orientation and
+  task-specific reading routes.
+- [Internal overview](docs/internal/overview.md) — implemented component map.
+- [Architecture](docs/policy/architecture.md) — normative boundaries and
+  invariants.
+- [Documentation policy](docs/policy/documentation.md) — canonical ownership
+  and maintenance rules.
+- [Testing policy](docs/policy/testing.md) — test value, boundaries, and
+  sufficiency.

docs/cli.md

@@ -93,6 +93,7 @@ Valid stage names:
 - `polish`
 - `normalize`
 - `trim`
+- `render`
 - `analyze`
 - `publish`
 - `notify`
@@ -134,14 +135,13 @@ narratio clean --all [--dry-run] [--clear-cache] [--config <pipeline.yml>]
 
 Behavior:
 
-- session mode removes:
-  - `{workspace.root}/work/{campaign}/{session_id}`
-  - `{spool.root}/{campaign}/{session_id}`
-- `--all` removes:
-  - `{workspace.root}/work/*`
-  - direct children under `{spool.root}`
+- session mode removes the selected session's local work and spool state;
+- `--all` removes all local session work and spool state;
 - cache remains unless `--clear-cache` is provided.
 
+See [Operations: Cleanup](./operations.md#cleanup) for deletion scope and
+post-publish cleanup behavior.
+
 ### `session plan`
 
 ```bash
@@ -206,17 +206,11 @@ Behavior:
 
 - discovers committed remote current state;
 - plans local restores;
-- writes `reports/restore-latest.json` on execution;
+- writes an execution report;
 - blocks conflicting overwrites unless `--force` is set.
 
-Default restore scope:
-
-- `manifest.json`
-- `transcripts/**`
-- `artifacts/**`
-- `previous/**` when required by configured previous-session inputs
-
-`audio/**` is included only with `--include-audio`.
+See [Operations: Restore Workflow](./operations.md#restore-workflow) for the
+default restore scope, report location, and conflict-handling workflow.
 
 ### `session artifacts`
 
@@ -236,10 +230,13 @@ narratio session locks remove <session_id> <source> [...common config flags]
 
 Behavior:
 
-- list mode merges static `pipeline.publish.locks` with remote `{session_prefix}/locks.yml`;
+- list mode reports the effective merge of static and remote locks;
 - add/remove mutate only remote locks;
 - static locks from pipeline config cannot be removed by CLI commands.
 
+See [Operations: Publish Locks](./operations.md#publish-locks) for lock storage
+and precedence.
+
 ## `--artifacts` Selection Rules
 
 - accepted on `run`, `run-stage`, `analyze`, and `publish`;
@@ -278,3 +275,18 @@ Force publish only:
 ```bash
 narratio publish 2026-04-04
 ```
+
+## Output And Exit Behavior
+
+- Successful commands write their result or summary to standard output and
+  exit with status `0`.
+- Command failures and invalid invocations write an error to standard error and
+  exit with status `1`.
+- An unknown top-level command also prints the top-level usage summary to
+  standard error.
+- `session restore --help` prints its command-specific usage and exits with
+  status `0`.
+
+Output is intended for operator inspection. Narratio does not currently offer
+a machine-readable CLI output mode; durable machine-readable state is recorded
+in manifests and reports described in [Operations](./operations.md).

docs/config.md

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ using configured object storage.
 - Session files must be concrete; unresolved `{{ ... }}` placeholders fail load.
 - Pipeline defaults are applied before validation.
 - Campaign and session identities must agree.
-- Stable files (`speakers_file`, `autocorrect_file`, `glossary_file`) resolve from session overrides when provided, otherwise from campaign defaults.
+- Stable files (`speakers_file`, `autocorrect_file`, `glossary_file`, `players_file`, `party_file`) resolve from session overrides when provided, otherwise from campaign defaults.
 - Exactly one audio mode must be configured in session input:
   - local (`audio_dir` or `audio_files`), or
   - S3 (`audio_s3.prefix`).
@@ -69,6 +69,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 ```
 
 `session.yml` (local audio)
@@ -98,6 +100,12 @@ publish:
     - source: narratio.transcript.final_trimmed
       dest: transcripts/final.trimmed.json
       required: true
+    - source: narratio.transcript.final_markdown
+      dest: transcripts/final.md
+      required: true
+    - source: narratio.transcript.final_trimmed_markdown
+      dest: transcripts/final.trimmed.md
+      required: true
     - source: narratio.artifact.session_recap
       dest: artifacts/session_recap.md
       required: true
@@ -138,7 +146,7 @@ Rules:
 | `pipeline.cache.s3_audio` | bool | No | `true` |
 | `pipeline.publish.enabled` | bool | No | `true` |
 | `pipeline.publish.upload_run` | bool | No | `true` |
-| `pipeline.publish.outputs[]` | list | No | defaults to final trimmed transcript output |
+| `pipeline.publish.outputs[]` | list | No | defaults to final trimmed JSON plus final and final-trimmed Markdown outputs |
 | `pipeline.publish.outputs[].source` | string | Yes (per rule) | must reference built-in or configured artifact source |
 | `pipeline.publish.outputs[].dest` | string | Conditional | derived if omitted and source supports derivation |
 | `pipeline.publish.outputs[].required` | bool | No | `true` |
@@ -178,16 +186,22 @@ Rules:
 | `pipeline.normalize.output_path` | string | No | `transcripts/final.json` |
 | `pipeline.normalize.output_schema` | string | No | `seriatim-intermediate` |
 | `pipeline.normalize.report` | bool | No | `true` |
-| `pipeline.trim.enabled` | bool | No | `false` |
-| `pipeline.trim.output_path` | string | Conditional | required when trim enabled |
-| `pipeline.trim.bounds.prompt_id` | string | Conditional | required when trim enabled |
+| `pipeline.trim.enabled` | bool | No | `true` |
+| `pipeline.trim.output_path` | string | No | `transcripts/final.trimmed.json` |
+| `pipeline.trim.bounds.prompt_id` | string | No | `dnd.session_bounds` |
 | `pipeline.trim.bounds.profile_id` | string | No | empty |
-| `pipeline.trim.bounds.transcript_input_name` | string | Conditional | required when trim enabled |
-| `pipeline.trim.bounds.output_path` | string | Conditional | required when trim enabled |
+| `pipeline.trim.bounds.transcript_input_name` | string | No | `transcript` |
+| `pipeline.trim.bounds.output_path` | string | No | `artifacts/session_bounds.json` |
 | `pipeline.trim.bounds.timeout` | duration | No | `10m` |
 | `pipeline.trim.bounds.render_debug` | bool | No | `false` |
 | `pipeline.trim.bounds.render_output_path` | string | Conditional | required when `render_debug` is true |
 | `pipeline.trim.seriatim.report` | bool | No | `false` |
+| `pipeline.render.enabled` | bool | No | `true` |
+| `pipeline.render.format` | string | No | `markdown` (only supported value) |
+| `pipeline.render.title` | string | No | empty (falls back to `session.title` when set) |
+| `pipeline.render.include_timestamps` | bool | No | `true` |
+| `pipeline.render.include_segment_ids` | bool | No | `true` |
+| `pipeline.render.include_metadata` | bool | No | `false` |
 | `pipeline.scriptorium.binary` | string | No | `scriptorium` |
 | `pipeline.scriptorium.config_path` | string | No | empty |
 | `pipeline.scriptorium.timeout` | duration | No | `10m` |
@@ -195,7 +209,7 @@ Rules:
 | `pipeline.scriptorium.artifacts` | map | No | empty |
 | `pipeline.notification.backend` | string | No | empty |
 | `pipeline.notification.recipient` | string | No | empty |
-| `pipeline.notification.timeout` | duration | No | `30s` |
+| `pipeline.notification.timeout` | duration | No | empty |
 
 ### Scriptorium Artifact Entries
 
@@ -211,13 +225,15 @@ For each `pipeline.scriptorium.artifacts.<name>`:
 | `output_path` | string | Conditional | required when enabled; also required when referenced by publish/output/input rules |
 | `timeout` | duration | No | artifact override |
 | `inputs` | map | No | input key names must be non-empty |
-| `vars` | map | No | values must be string or bool |
+| `vars` | map | No | values must be string or bool; `session_id` is reserved and overwritten by Narratio |
+
+Narratio adds `session_id=narratio-session-<session_id>` to every Scriptorium request for sticky upstream LLM routing. If an artifact config sets `vars.session_id`, Narratio replaces that value before invoking Scriptorium. Use a different variable name if a prompt needs the raw Narratio session ID as content.
 
 For each artifact input `pipeline.scriptorium.artifacts.<name>.inputs.<input_name>`:
 
 | Field | Type | Required | Rule |
 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
-| `source` | string | Yes | built-in runtime source, `narratio.artifact.<name>`, or `narratio.previous_session.artifact.<name>` |
+| `source` | string | Yes | built-in runtime source, prepared input source, `narratio.artifact.<name>`, or `narratio.previous_session.artifact.<name>` |
 | `artifact` | string | No | optional passthrough adapter field |
 | `path` | string | No | optional passthrough adapter field |
 | `required` | bool | No | optional input requirement |
@@ -231,6 +247,8 @@ For each artifact input `pipeline.scriptorium.artifacts.<name>.inputs.<input_nam
 | `inputs.speakers_file` | string | Yes | stable input default |
 | `inputs.autocorrect_file` | string | Yes | stable input default |
 | `inputs.glossary_file` | string | Yes | stable input default |
+| `inputs.players_file` | string | Yes | stable input default |
+| `inputs.party_file` | string | Yes | stable input default |
 
 ### Session
 
@@ -244,6 +262,8 @@ For each artifact input `pipeline.scriptorium.artifacts.<name>.inputs.<input_nam
 | `inputs.speakers_file` | string | No | overrides campaign stable input |
 | `inputs.autocorrect_file` | string | No | overrides campaign stable input |
 | `inputs.glossary_file` | string | No | overrides campaign stable input |
+| `inputs.players_file` | string | No | overrides campaign stable input |
+| `inputs.party_file` | string | No | overrides campaign stable input |
 | `inputs.audio_dir` | string | Conditional | local audio mode |
 | `inputs.audio_files[]` | list[string] | Conditional | local audio mode |
 | `inputs.audio_s3.prefix` | string | Conditional | S3 audio mode |
@@ -254,10 +274,6 @@ Audio rules:
 
 ## Maintained Examples
 
-- `examples/pipeline.minimal.yml`
-- `examples/pipeline.production.yml`
-- `examples/pipeline.full.annotated.yml`
-- `examples/campaigns/sample-campaign/campaign.yml`
-- `examples/session.local-audio.yml`
-- `examples/session.s3-audio.yml`
-- `examples/session.template.yml`
+See the [maintained examples index](../examples/README.md) for complete pipeline,
+campaign, session, template, and input fixtures. Keep complete copyable files
+there rather than duplicating them in this reference.

docs/development.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# Development
+
+This is the first-read landing page for people and LLM coding agents working on
+Narratio. It provides a concise repository orientation and routes each kind of
+change to its canonical documentation.
+
+Narratio is a stage-driven Go orchestrator for turning D&D session audio into
+polished transcripts and generated artifacts. Start with the
+[README](../README.md) for product context,
+[Architecture](policy/architecture.md) for normative system boundaries, and the
+[Internal Overview](internal/overview.md) for implemented component ownership.
+
+## What To Read
+
+| When working on | Read | Why |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| Finding the package or component that owns current behavior | [Internal Overview](internal/overview.md) | It is the implemented component inventory and routes to focused internal documents. |
+| Application shape, boundaries, dependency direction, runtime invariants, safety properties, or dependencies | [Architecture](policy/architecture.md) | It defines the intended system shape, ownership, and non-goals. |
+| Any documentation addition or revision | [Documentation Policy](policy/documentation.md) | It defines canonical owners, audiences, current-behavior rules, and maintenance requirements. |
+| Adding, changing, reviewing, rewriting, or deleting tests | [Testing Policy](policy/testing.md) | It defines risk-based sufficiency, durable test boundaries, test-double guidance, and test lifecycle decisions. |
+| CLI composition or command behavior | [Internal Overview](internal/overview.md) and [CLI Reference](cli.md) | The overview routes to command ownership; the reference owns public syntax and invocation behavior. |
+| Configuration loading, resolution, or user-visible configuration | [Internal Overview](internal/overview.md) and [Configuration](config.md) | The overview routes to implementation ownership; the reference owns fields, defaults, discovery, and validation. |
+| Session workflow, status, restore, cleanup, or object storage | [Restore Internals](internal/command-restore.md), [Workspace Internals](internal/workspace.md), [Storage Internals](internal/storage.md), [Operations](operations.md), and [Troubleshooting](troubleshooting.md) | These separate implementation mechanics, operator procedures, and symptom-driven recovery. |
+| Pipeline sequencing or the behavior of a stage | [Internal Overview](internal/overview.md) and its focused stage documents | The overview owns the implemented stage inventory and routes to each stage contract. |
+| Adapters or external tool contracts | [Adapter Internals](internal/adapters.md) and [Integration Contracts](integrations/README.md) | The internal guide owns adapter composition and mechanics; integration documents own external formats and protocols. |
+| Manifests, artifacts, workspace paths, or publish behavior | [Manifest Internals](internal/manifest.md), [Artifact Internals](internal/artifacts.md), [Workspace Internals](internal/workspace.md), [Publish Internals](internal/stage-publish.md), and [Operations](operations.md) | These separate implementation state and resolution from operator-visible layout and lifecycle. |
+| Maintained configuration or input examples | [Configuration](config.md) and [Examples](../examples/README.md) | The reference owns field meanings; the examples directory owns complete copyable files. |
+| Proposed or unimplemented behavior | [Roadmap](roadmap/) | Future work belongs only in roadmap documentation until implemented. |
+
+For an existing subsystem, also inspect its focused tests and package-level
+contracts before changing behavior.
+
+## Validation
+
+Use focused package tests while iterating. Run the repository-wide checks when a
+change affects shared contracts, application behavior, or maintained
+documentation examples:
+
+```sh
+go test ./...
+go vet ./...
+go build ./cmd/narratio
+```

docs/integrations/README.md

@@ -1,19 +1,33 @@
 # Integrations Index
 
 ## Audience
-Developers and coding agents changing Narratio's external integration boundaries.
+
+Operators, developers, and coding agents who need to understand Narratio's
+externally observable integration boundaries.
 
 ## Scope
-`docs/integrations/` is the implementation-level reference for downstream tool adapter contracts.
 
-These docs cover what Narratio expects from external tools and what each adapter guarantees back to stage code.
+`docs/integrations/` is the canonical reference for protocols, invocation and
+data contracts, logical outputs, and compatibility behavior at external tool
+boundaries.
+
+These documents describe what Narratio sends or invokes, what it accepts in
+return, and how failures are surfaced. Internal composition and stage mechanics
+belong in [the adapter implementation guide](../internal/adapters.md) and the
+focused stage documents.
 
 ## Integration Contracts
-- `audita.md`: transcript polishing adapter (`audita process`).
-- `seriatim.md`: merge/normalize/trim adapter (`seriatim`).
-- `scriptorium.md`: artifact run/render adapter (`scriptorium run|render`).
+
+- [Audita](./audita.md): transcript polishing (`audita process`).
+- [Seriatim](./seriatim.md): merge, normalize, trim, and render operations.
+- [Scriptorium](./scriptorium.md): artifact generation and debug rendering
+  (`scriptorium run|render`).
+- [WhisperX](./whisperx.md): speaker-audio transcription over HTTP.
 
 ## Related Canonical Docs
-- `docs/config.md`: operator-facing configuration reference.
-- `docs/internal/adapters.md`: shared adapter boundary and runner wiring.
-- `docs/internal/stage-*.md`: stage-specific integration usage.
+
+- [Configuration](../config.md): operator-facing configuration reference.
+- [Adapter implementation](../internal/adapters.md): shared adapter boundary and
+  runner wiring.
+- [Internal documentation](../internal/overview.md): stage-specific integration
+  usage and component ownership.

docs/integrations/audita.md

@@ -3,16 +3,12 @@
 ## Purpose
 Define the Audita adapter contract used by the `polish` stage.
 
-## Adapter Boundary
-Interface:
-- `audita.Runner`
-- method: `Run(ctx, PolishRequest) (PolishResult, error)`
+## External Boundary
 
-Primary implementation:
-- `internal/adapters/audita/SubprocessRunner`
-
-Execution mode:
-- subprocess invocation of `audita process`
+Narratio invokes `audita process` as a subprocess for each polish operation.
+The configured timeout and parent cancellation bound the invocation. Internal
+runner composition is documented in
+[the adapter implementation guide](../internal/adapters.md).
 
 ## Request Contract
 `PolishRequest` carries:
@@ -52,9 +48,12 @@ Failure results still include output/log/config/exit metadata for diagnostics.
 - Generated invocation YAML (`audita.generated.v1`) is emitted when requested.
 - Manifest writes are stage-owned; adapter itself is stateless.
 
-## Config Mapping
-Config fields consumed through runner/stage wiring are under `pipeline.audita.*`.
+## Configuration
+
+Operator-selected values are defined under `pipeline.audita.*` in the
+[configuration reference](../config.md#pipeline).
 
 Maintained example with Audita config:
-- `examples/pipeline.full.annotated.yml`
-- `examples/pipeline.production.yml`
+
+- [Full annotated pipeline](../../examples/pipeline.full.annotated.yml)
+- [Production-shaped pipeline](../../examples/pipeline.production.yml)

docs/integrations/scriptorium.md

@@ -3,20 +3,17 @@
 ## Purpose
 Define the Scriptorium adapter contract used by `analyze` and trim-bounds generation in `trim`.
 
-## Adapter Boundary
-Interface:
-- `scriptorium.Runner`
-- methods:
-  - `RunArtifact(ctx, RunArtifactRequest)`
-  - `RenderArtifact(ctx, RenderArtifactRequest)`
+## External Boundary
 
-Primary implementation:
-- `internal/adapters/scriptorium/SubprocessRunner`
+Narratio invokes Scriptorium as a subprocess in these modes:
 
-Execution modes:
 - `scriptorium run`
 - `scriptorium render`
 
+The request timeout and parent cancellation bound each invocation. Internal
+runner composition is documented in
+[the adapter implementation guide](../internal/adapters.md).
+
 ## Request Contract
 Both request types carry:
 - binary/config/prompt/profile IDs;
@@ -55,12 +52,17 @@ Render behavior:
 
 ## Deterministic Behavior
 - input and var maps are sorted into deterministic `--input` and `--var` CLI args.
+- stage wiring adds `session_id=narratio-session-<session_id>` to every Scriptorium request for sticky upstream routing, overriding any configured `vars.session_id`.
 - generated invocation YAML (`scriptorium.generated.v1`) is emitted when requested.
 - adapter is stateless and does not own artifact-selection policy.
 
-## Config Mapping
-Config fields consumed through runner/stage wiring are under `pipeline.scriptorium.*` plus per-artifact settings under `pipeline.scriptorium.artifacts.*`.
+## Configuration
+
+Operator-selected values are defined under `pipeline.scriptorium.*`, including
+per-artifact settings under `pipeline.scriptorium.artifacts.*`, in the
+[configuration reference](../config.md#pipeline).
 
 Maintained examples with Scriptorium config:
-- `examples/pipeline.full.annotated.yml`
-- `examples/pipeline.production.yml`
+
+- [Full annotated pipeline](../../examples/pipeline.full.annotated.yml)
+- [Production-shaped pipeline](../../examples/pipeline.production.yml)

docs/integrations/seriatim.md

@@ -1,28 +1,26 @@
 # Integration: Seriatim
 
 ## Purpose
-Define the Seriatim adapter contract used by `merge`, `normalize`, and `trim`.
+Define the Seriatim adapter contract used by `merge`, `normalize`, `trim`, and `render`.
 
-## Adapter Boundary
-Interface:
-- `seriatim.Runner`
-- methods:
-  - `Run(ctx, MergeRequest)`
-  - `Normalize(ctx, NormalizeRequest)`
-  - `Trim(ctx, TrimRequest)`
+## External Boundary
 
-Primary implementation:
-- `internal/adapters/seriatim/SubprocessRunner`
+Narratio invokes Seriatim as a subprocess in these modes:
 
-Execution modes:
 - `seriatim merge`
 - `seriatim normalize`
 - `seriatim trim`
+- `seriatim render`
+
+The configured timeout and parent cancellation bound each invocation. Internal
+runner composition is documented in
+[the adapter implementation guide](../internal/adapters.md).
 
 ## Request/Result Contracts
 - `MergeRequest`/`MergeResult`: multi-input merge to base transcript, optional report.
 - `NormalizeRequest`/`NormalizeResult`: transcript normalization with explicit schema.
 - `TrimRequest`/`TrimResult`: transcript trimming with required keep selector.
+- `RenderRequest`/`RenderResult`: transcript-to-markdown rendering with explicit format and render booleans.
 
 Results include output/log/config paths, timing, exit code, and metadata.
 
@@ -36,9 +34,11 @@ Runner construction validates:
 Invocation fails on:
 - missing required request paths/inputs;
 - invalid normalize schema override;
+- unsupported render format;
 - subprocess failure;
-- invalid JSON outputs;
-- missing `segments` array for normalize/trim transcript outputs.
+- invalid JSON outputs for merge/normalize/trim;
+- missing `segments` array for normalize/trim transcript outputs;
+- empty render output files.
 
 When report paths are provided/enabled, report files must parse as JSON.
 
@@ -48,9 +48,13 @@ When report paths are provided/enabled, report files must parse as JSON.
 - generated invocation YAML (`seriatim.generated.v1`) is emitted when requested.
 - adapter does not write manifests or choose stage inputs.
 
-## Config Mapping
-Config fields consumed through runner/stage wiring are under `pipeline.seriatim.*`.
+## Configuration
+
+Operator-selected values are defined under `pipeline.seriatim.*` and
+`pipeline.render.*` in the
+[configuration reference](../config.md#pipeline).
 
 Maintained examples with Seriatim config:
-- `examples/pipeline.full.annotated.yml`
-- `examples/pipeline.production.yml`
+
+- [Full annotated pipeline](../../examples/pipeline.full.annotated.yml)
+- [Production-shaped pipeline](../../examples/pipeline.production.yml)

docs/integrations/whisperx.md

@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+# Integration: WhisperX
+
+## Purpose
+
+WhisperX transcribes each prepared speaker audio file for Narratio's
+`transcribe` stage. Narratio uses an HTTP boundary and installs each successful
+response as that speaker's raw transcript JSON.
+
+## HTTP Boundary
+
+Narratio sends an HTTP `POST` to the configured transcription URL using
+`multipart/form-data` with:
+
+- `file`: the audio file, retaining its base filename; and
+- `language`: the configured language string.
+
+The server must return a `2xx` response whose body is valid JSON. Narratio does
+not currently require a more specific response schema at this boundary.
+
+## Request And Result Contract
+
+Each adapter request identifies a speaker, a readable audio file, and the
+destination for the raw transcript. The HTTP request carries the audio and
+language; the speaker identifier remains Narratio orchestration metadata.
+
+On success, Narratio atomically writes the response body to the requested
+destination. The adapter result reports that logical output together with the
+attempt count, final HTTP status when available, elapsed duration, and adapter
+identity metadata. A failed or invalid response is not installed as the
+transcript output.
+
+## Retry, Timeout, And Cancellation
+
+- The configured timeout applies independently to each HTTP attempt.
+- `retries` means additional attempts after the first.
+- HTTP `429`, HTTP `5xx`, attempt timeouts, and network errors are retryable.
+- Other HTTP `4xx` responses and explicit cancellation are not retryable.
+- Narratio waits the configured retry delay between attempts and aborts that
+  wait when the parent context is canceled.
+
+## Validation And Failure Semantics
+
+Client construction rejects a missing or invalid absolute transcription URL,
+a missing language, a non-positive timeout, negative retries, or a negative
+retry delay. A request fails before transmission when its audio or output path
+is missing.
+
+Non-`2xx` status, transport failure, response-size overflow, invalid JSON, or
+failure to install the output causes the transcription to fail. Errors include
+attempt context, and the result retains attempts, final status when available,
+and elapsed duration for diagnostics.
+
+## Determinism And Concurrency
+
+Each audio request has stable multipart field names, and successful bytes are
+installed atomically. The transcribe stage may process speaker files in
+parallel, bounded by the configured concurrency. It records results in stable
+speaker order after all work completes; any speaker failure fails the stage.
+
+## Related Canonical Docs
+
+- [Configuration](../config.md#pipeline) defines the operator-selected
+  WhisperX URL, language, timeouts, retry policy, and concurrency.
+- [Adapter implementation](../internal/adapters.md) describes internal wiring.
+- [Transcribe stage](../internal/stage-transcribe.md) describes stage mechanics,
+  durable artifacts, and manifests.

docs/internal/README.md

@@ -1,43 +0,0 @@
-# Internal Documentation Index
-
-## Audience
-Developers and coding agents changing Narratio internals.
-
-## Scope
-`docs/internal/` documents implemented internal contracts: stage boundaries, manifest/state behavior, artifact resolution, restore behavior, storage boundaries, and workspace invariants.
-
-User and operator behavior belongs in:
-- `docs/cli.md`
-- `docs/config.md`
-- `docs/operations.md`
-- `docs/troubleshooting.md`
-
-## Pipeline Stage Set
-Canonical stage order from `internal/stage.All()`:
-1. `prepare`
-2. `transcribe`
-3. `merge`
-4. `polish`
-5. `normalize`
-6. `trim`
-7. `analyze`
-8. `publish`
-9. `notify` (placeholder)
-
-`notify` is currently a placeholder stage with optional notifier call behavior; it has no persisted pipeline outputs.
-
-## Internal Component Docs
-- `adapters.md`: external adapter boundaries and default runtime wiring.
-- `artifacts.md`: canonical source IDs, runtime catalog behavior, and resolution rules.
-- `manifest.md`: session and run manifest contracts.
-- `storage.md`: object-store interface and S3 implementation behavior.
-- `workspace.md`: local session layout, run-local layout, and cleanup guardrails.
-- `command-restore.md`: restore discovery, planning, execution, and reporting.
-- `stage-prepare.md`
-- `stage-transcribe.md`
-- `stage-merge.md`
-- `stage-polish.md`
-- `stage-normalize.md`
-- `stage-trim.md`
-- `stage-analyze.md`
-- `stage-publish.md`

docs/internal/adapters.md

@@ -1,12 +1,17 @@
 # Internal: Adapters
 
 ## Purpose
-Define external integration boundaries and default adapter wiring used by app/stage orchestration.
+
+Explain the adapter interfaces and production composition used by application
+and stage orchestration. Externally observable protocols and formats belong in
+the [integration contracts](../integrations/).
 
 ## Adapter Boundaries
+
 Narratio stage logic depends on adapter interfaces, not transport-specific details.
 
 Primary adapters:
+
 - `whisperx.Client`
 - `seriatim.Runner`
 - `audita.Runner`
@@ -15,17 +20,22 @@ Primary adapters:
 - `notify.Sender`
 
 ## Ownership
+
 Adapters own:
+
 - HTTP/subprocess/SDK argument and transport details.
 - Backend-specific request/response mapping.
 
 Adapters do not own:
+
 - stage ordering/skip/force logic;
 - manifest transitions;
 - canonical path policy.
 
 ## Default Wiring
+
 `internal/app/runner.go` initializes default adapters when not injected:
+
 - WhisperX HTTP client from pipeline config.
 - Seriatim subprocess runner.
 - Audita subprocess runner.
@@ -33,17 +43,29 @@ Adapters do not own:
 - Noop notifier (`notify.NoopSender`).
 - Object store only when required by selected stages/config.
 
-Object-store construction goes through `newCommandObjectStore`, which loads configured filesystem secrets before adapter initialization.
+Object-store construction goes through `newCommandObjectStore`, which loads
+configured filesystem secrets before adapter initialization.
 
 ## Failure Semantics
+
 - Constructor errors fail stage execution setup early.
 - Runtime adapter errors propagate to stage code and then manifest failure handling.
 - Subprocess adapters persist stage logs/generated configs through stage-managed paths.
 
-## Test Surfaces
+## Implementation And Tests
+
+- Composition: `internal/app/runner.go`, `internal/app/object_store.go`
+- Shared subprocess mechanics: `internal/adapters/subprocess`
+- Focused adapters: `internal/adapters/{whisperx,seriatim,audita,scriptorium,storage,notify}`
 - `internal/adapters/whisperx/http_test.go`
 - `internal/adapters/seriatim/subprocess_test.go`
 - `internal/adapters/audita/subprocess_test.go`
 - `internal/adapters/scriptorium/subprocess_test.go`
 - `internal/adapters/storage/*_test.go`
 - `internal/app/runner_test.go`
+
+See the [WhisperX](../integrations/whisperx.md),
+[Seriatim](../integrations/seriatim.md), [Audita](../integrations/audita.md),
+and [Scriptorium](../integrations/scriptorium.md) contracts before changing an
+externally visible boundary. Operator-selected values belong in
+[Configuration](../config.md).

docs/internal/artifacts.md

@@ -1,15 +1,28 @@
 # Internal: Artifacts
 
 ## Purpose
-Define canonical artifact IDs, runtime catalog behavior, source resolution rules, and shared current-state mechanics used by app and previous-cache code.
+
+Explain the artifact registry, runtime catalog, resolver, previous-input
+requirements, and shared remote current-state mechanics implemented by
+`internal/artifacts`. Configuration fields that accept source IDs belong in
+[Configuration](../config.md); physical placement belongs in
+[Operations](../operations.md).
 
 ## Built-in Source IDs
 
-- `narratio.transcript.base` -> `transcripts/base.json` (`merge`)
-- `narratio.transcript.polished` -> `transcripts/polished.json` (`polish`)
-- `narratio.transcript.final` -> `transcripts/final.json` (`normalize`)
-- `narratio.transcript.final_trimmed` -> `transcripts/final.trimmed.json` (`trim`)
-- `narratio.bounds.session` -> `artifacts/session_bounds.json` (`trim`)
+The internal registry recognizes these stable built-in source IDs:
+
+- `narratio.transcript.base`
+- `narratio.transcript.polished`
+- `narratio.transcript.final`
+- `narratio.transcript.final_trimmed`
+- `narratio.transcript.final_markdown`
+- `narratio.transcript.final_trimmed_markdown`
+- `narratio.bounds.session`
+
+Registry entries bind each ID to its producer, output kind, canonical fallback,
+and content validator. The focused stage documents own their input/output flow;
+[Configuration](../config.md) owns where operators may select these IDs.
 
 ## Configured and Previous-Session Sources
 
@@ -53,7 +66,8 @@ Previous-session sources (`narratio.previous_session.artifact.*`):
 
 Validation by content type:
 
-- transcript built-ins: JSON with top-level `segments` array;
+- transcript JSON built-ins: JSON with top-level `segments` array;
+- transcript Markdown built-ins: non-empty text file;
 - bounds built-in: valid JSON;
 - configured/previous-session artifact files: non-empty text file.
 
@@ -69,7 +83,8 @@ Validation by content type:
 
 ## Current-State Helpers
 
-Artifacts package owns shared remote current-state loading mechanics used by restore, status/validate checks, and previous-cache planning.
+Artifacts package owns shared remote current-state loading mechanics used by
+restore, status and validation checks, and previous-cache planning.
 
 Core helpers:
 
@@ -104,9 +119,27 @@ Caller policy is intentionally outside artifacts helpers:
 - spool/cache paths;
 - S3 session/run/current-state key layout.
 
+See [Workspace Internals](workspace.md) for how callers consume local helpers
+and [Operations](../operations.md#local-state-layout) for the authoritative
+physical layout.
+
 ## Invariants
 
 - source ID formats are stable contracts;
 - artifact resolution is deterministic and manifest-aware;
 - previous-session source resolution in `analyze` is local-only;
 - remote current-state key construction remains centralized in artifacts helpers.
+
+## Implementation And Tests
+
+- Registry and resolution: `internal/artifacts/artifact_resolver.go`,
+  `internal/artifacts/catalog.go`, `internal/artifacts/transcripts.go`
+- Current state: `internal/artifacts/current_state.go`
+- Paths and keys: `internal/artifacts/paths.go`,
+  `internal/artifacts/s3_keys.go`
+- Previous requirements: `internal/artifacts/previous_requirements.go`
+- Tests: `internal/artifacts/artifact_resolver_test.go`,
+  `internal/artifacts/catalog_test.go`,
+  `internal/artifacts/current_state_test.go`,
+  `internal/artifacts/paths_model_test.go`,
+  `internal/artifacts/previous_requirements_test.go`

docs/internal/command-restore.md

@@ -1,21 +1,20 @@
 # Internal: Command Restore
 
 ## Purpose
-Define the implemented `narratio session restore` command contract:
 
-- committed remote current-state discovery;
-- deterministic restore planning;
-- safe local install semantics;
-- durable restore reporting.
+Explain the implemented restore discovery, planning, installation, and
+reporting flow in `internal/app`. User invocation belongs in
+[CLI](../cli.md#session-restore), and the operator recovery procedure and
+physical restore scope belong in
+[Operations](../operations.md#restore-workflow).
+
+Restore is split into explicit phases so remote authority, local conflict
+policy, and filesystem mutation can be tested independently.
 
 ## Discovery Contract
 
-Restore resolves remote committed state from the session publish current pointers:
-
-- `current/run_id.txt` (required, non-empty);
-- `current/manifest.json` (required, decodable).
-
-Current-state discovery uses shared artifacts-level mechanics and validates identity against the resolved request config:
+Discovery delegates current-state pointer and manifest loading to
+`internal/artifacts`, then validates the result against the resolved request:
 
 - campaign must match;
 - session ID must match.
@@ -34,26 +33,11 @@ Planner behavior:
 
 - remote list scope is the resolved session prefix;
 - remote-to-local mapping is traversal-safe;
-- actions are sorted deterministically by local relative path.
+- actions are sorted by local relative path and then remote key;
+- force converts differing local targets from conflicts to downloads.
 
-Restore scope from current remote state:
-
-- include `manifest.json`;
-- include `transcripts/**`;
-- include `artifacts/**`;
-- include `audio/**` only with `--include-audio`.
-
-Explicit exclusions from current remote state mapping:
-
-- `current/**`;
-- `runs/**`;
-- `logs/**`;
-- `reports/**`;
-- `config/**`;
-- `inputs/**`;
-- `previous/**`.
-
-Previous-cache files are planned separately through `previouscache.BuildPlan` when configured previous-session requirements exist.
+Previous-cache files are planned separately through `previouscache.BuildPlan`
+when configured previous-session requirements exist.
 
 ## Execution Contract
 
@@ -73,8 +57,9 @@ Audio restore path:
 
 ## Reporting Contract
 
-- `--dry-run`: prints summary only; no local writes.
-- non-dry-run: writes `reports/restore-latest.json`.
+- dry-run mode prints a summary and performs no local writes;
+- execution mode persists the canonical restore report described in
+  [Operations](../operations.md#restore-workflow);
 - report includes plan counts, per-action status, and execution failures.
 
 ## Invariants
@@ -82,3 +67,15 @@ Audio restore path:
 - restore uses committed remote current state as authority;
 - `current/run_id.txt` is the remote publish commit marker;
 - restore does not execute pipeline stages.
+
+## Implementation And Tests
+
+- Discovery: `internal/app/restore_discovery.go`
+- Planning: `internal/app/restore_plan.go`, `internal/previouscache`
+- Execution: `internal/app/restore_execute.go`
+- Reporting and command coordination: `internal/app/restore_report.go`,
+  `internal/app/restore.go`
+- Tests: `internal/app/restore_discovery_test.go`,
+  `internal/app/restore_plan_test.go`,
+  `internal/app/restore_execution_test.go`,
+  `internal/app/restore_workflow_test.go`

docs/internal/manifest.md

@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
 # Internal: Manifest
 
 ## Purpose
-Define durable session state (`manifest.json`) and invocation state (`runs/{run_id}/manifest.json`) contracts.
+
+Explain the session-progress and invocation-audit models implemented by
+`internal/manifest`. Physical manifest placement belongs in
+[Operations](../operations.md#local-state-layout).
 
 ## Session Manifest
-Path:
-- `{workspace.root}/work/{campaign}/{session_id}/manifest.json`
 
-Primary model (`manifest.Manifest`):
+`manifest.Manifest` records:
+
 - identity (`session_id`, `campaign`, `run_id`)
 - local path metadata (`local_workdir`, `local_spool_dir`)
 - remote identity metadata (`s3_bucket`, `s3_session_prefix`, `s3_run_prefix`)
@@ -15,7 +17,8 @@ Primary model (`manifest.Manifest`):
 - durable `artifacts` records
 - per-stage `stages` map
 
-Stage status enum:
+The model admits these stage states:
+
 - `pending`
 - `running`
 - `succeeded`
@@ -25,10 +28,9 @@ Stage status enum:
 - `interrupted`
 
 ## Run Manifest
-Path:
-- `{workspace.root}/work/{campaign}/{session_id}/runs/{run_id}/manifest.json`
 
-Run model (`manifest.RunManifest`):
+`manifest.RunManifest` is created for each invocation and records:
+
 - invocation identity and `force` flag
 - requested stages
 - per-stage action (`run` or `skip`)
@@ -36,22 +38,40 @@ Run model (`manifest.RunManifest`):
 - overall run status (`running`, `succeeded`, `failed`)
 
 ## Persistence Semantics
+
 `manifest.LocalStore`:
+
 - validates loaded documents;
 - normalizes missing maps/stage records;
 - writes atomically via temp file + rename;
 - updates `updated_at` on save.
 
 ## Execution Semantics
-Runner updates both manifests per stage transition:
-- mark running
-- mark succeeded/failed/skipped
-- persist logs/generated config refs and metadata
+
+The application runner marks an executing stage running and then succeeded or
+failed in both manifests, persisting each transition. On success it records
+outputs, logs, generated configuration references, and metadata. A successful
+forced rerun marks only succeeded downstream session-stage records stale.
+
+When an already-succeeded stage is skipped, the invocation run manifest records
+the `skip` action and reason. The session manifest deliberately retains its
+existing succeeded record because it remains the cross-invocation progress
+authority.
 
 Session manifest is the authoritative stage-progress ledger across invocations.
 Run manifest is invocation-scoped audit state.
 
 ## Invariants
+
 - stage resume/skip decisions are session-manifest driven.
 - force reruns stale downstream succeeded stages.
 - run manifest does not replace session manifest as progress authority.
+
+## Implementation And Tests
+
+- Models and transitions: `internal/manifest/manifest.go`,
+  `internal/manifest/run_manifest.go`
+- Persistence and validation: `internal/manifest/store.go`
+- Package tests: `internal/manifest/*_test.go`
+- Assembled execution behavior: `internal/app/runner_test.go`,
+  `internal/app/run_stage_test.go`

docs/internal/overview.md

@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+# Internal Overview
+
+This document is the implemented component map for Narratio. Normative system
+boundaries and dependency direction belong in
+[Architecture](../policy/architecture.md). User and operator contracts belong
+in the [CLI](../cli.md), [Configuration](../config.md),
+[Operations](../operations.md), and [Troubleshooting](../troubleshooting.md).
+Externally observable tool and format contracts belong under
+[Integrations](../integrations/).
+
+## Execution Path
+
+```text
+cmd/narratio -> internal/app -> configuration and production composition
+             -> internal/stage -> adapters and external systems
+             -> manifests and artifact resolution -> durable local/remote output
+```
+
+The executable delegates process behavior to the application boundary. The
+application resolves configuration, composes concrete collaborators, acquires
+session safety controls, and runs commands. Pipeline commands execute the
+canonical stage sequence through adapter interfaces, while manifests record
+progress and artifact services resolve durable inputs and outputs.
+
+## Components
+
+| Area | Implemented owners | Responsibility |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| Executable | `cmd/narratio` | Process entry, standard stream wiring, argument handoff, and exit status. |
+| Application orchestration | `internal/app` | Command dispatch, configuration selection, secret-file environment loading, production composition, session locking, planning, execution, restore, cleanup gates, and user-facing reporting. |
+| Configuration | `internal/config` | Strict YAML loading, discovery, defaults, normalization, session templating, and validation. |
+| Pipeline stages | `internal/stage` | Canonical stage registry, shared stage contract, execution dependencies, and implemented stage behavior. |
+| External boundaries | `internal/adapters`, `internal/audio` | WhisperX HTTP, downstream subprocesses, notification, object storage, and S3 audio materialization behind Narratio contracts. |
+| Manifests | `internal/manifest` | Durable session progress, invocation audit state, stage transitions, validation, and atomic persistence. |
+| Artifacts and paths | `internal/artifacts`, `internal/pathsafe` | Artifact identities and resolution, local and remote path/key models, current-state discovery, and confined relative destinations. |
+| Previous-session cache | `internal/previouscache` | Deterministic planning and materialization requirements for configured previous-session inputs. |
+| Artifact policy | `internal/artifactpolicy` | Source and destination policy, configured artifact identity validation, and publish destination safety. |
+| Shared models and file operations | `internal/artifactmodel`, `internal/contracts`, `internal/fileops` | Transcript and artifact data contracts plus narrow atomic filesystem helpers. |
+| Logging | `internal/logging` | Application logger construction and shared structured logging behavior. |
+
+The application boundary composes concrete implementations. Stages depend on
+Narratio-level contracts; external transport and SDK details remain in
+adapters. The normative rules for these relationships remain in
+[Architecture](../policy/architecture.md).
+
+## Pipeline Stage Set
+
+The implemented canonical order is:
+
+1. [`prepare`](stage-prepare.md)
+2. [`transcribe`](stage-transcribe.md)
+3. [`merge`](stage-merge.md)
+4. [`polish`](stage-polish.md)
+5. [`normalize`](stage-normalize.md)
+6. [`trim`](stage-trim.md)
+7. [`render`](stage-render.md)
+8. [`analyze`](stage-analyze.md)
+9. [`publish`](stage-publish.md)
+10. `notify` (placeholder)
+
+`notify` currently has optional notifier call behavior and no persisted pipeline
+outputs; its default collaborator is a no-op sender. The focused stage
+documents own implementation mechanics. The
+[CLI](../cli.md) and [Operations](../operations.md) own user-visible invocation
+and execution semantics.
+
+## Focused Documentation
+
+- [Adapter Internals](adapters.md): external adapter boundaries, composition,
+  failure behavior, and test surfaces.
+- [Artifact Internals](artifacts.md): source identities, runtime catalog,
+  resolution, previous requirements, and current-state helpers.
+- [Manifest Internals](manifest.md): session and run records, persistence, and
+  execution transitions.
+- [Storage Internals](storage.md): object-store interface and S3 behavior.
+- [Workspace Internals](workspace.md): local layout, locking, and cleanup
+  guardrails.
+- [Restore Internals](command-restore.md): discovery, planning, execution, and
+  reporting.
+- [`prepare`](stage-prepare.md)
+- [`transcribe`](stage-transcribe.md)
+- [`merge`](stage-merge.md)
+- [`polish`](stage-polish.md)
+- [`normalize`](stage-normalize.md)
+- [`trim`](stage-trim.md)
+- [`render`](stage-render.md)
+- [`analyze`](stage-analyze.md)
+- [`publish`](stage-publish.md)
+
+Use this map to find an owner, then read its focused documentation and tests
+before changing behavior.
+
+The stage registry is implemented in `internal/stage/placeholders.go` and its
+ordering is protected by `internal/app/planner_test.go`. Cross-invocation skip,
+force, failure, and invalidation behavior is exercised in
+`internal/app/runner_test.go` and `internal/app/run_stage_test.go`.

docs/internal/stage-analyze.md

@@ -1,38 +1,60 @@
 # Stage: analyze
 
 ## Purpose
+
 Execute selected configured Scriptorium artifacts in dependency order and materialize outputs.
 
 ## Inputs
+
 - configured artifacts from `pipeline.scriptorium.artifacts`
-- optional selected artifact filter (`--artifacts`)
+- optional selected artifact keys supplied through the stage environment
 - built-in/configured/previous-session source references in artifact inputs
 
 Supported source families:
 - built-ins: `narratio.transcript.*`, `narratio.bounds.session`
+- prepared stable inputs: `narratio.input.players`, `narratio.input.party`,
+  `narratio.input.glossary`
 - configured artifacts: `narratio.artifact.<key>`
 - previous-session cache: `narratio.previous_session.artifact.<key>`
 
 ## Outputs
+
 - one materialized output per executed configured artifact (`output_path`)
 - stage metadata describing selected/generated/reused artifacts
 
 ## Key Behavior
+
 - skips with metadata when Scriptorium config is missing or no executable artifacts remain.
 - builds runtime artifact catalog (built-ins + configured artifacts).
 - marks non-executable configured artifacts as reusable when output files already exist.
 - validates selected artifact dependency order (cycle-safe topo ordering).
 - resolves required/optional inputs per artifact source definition.
+- resolves prepared stable input sources from `inputs/*.yml` materialized by `prepare`.
 - resolves previous-session sources from local `previous/` cache only.
 - runs optional render-debug, then artifact execution.
 - validates non-empty output files and materializes canonical outputs.
 
 ## Failure Semantics
+
 - required missing configured/previous-session inputs fail.
+- missing required prepared stable input source includes prepare rerun guidance.
 - missing required previous-session source includes prepare rerun guidance.
+- missing required `narratio.transcript.final_markdown` or
+  `narratio.transcript.final_trimmed_markdown` inputs includes render rerun
+  guidance.
 - dependency cycles or unavailable required dependencies fail.
 - adapter validation failures fail stage.
 
 ## Invariants
+
 - `analyze` performs no remote storage calls for previous-session source resolution.
 - output provenance and metadata are deterministic per execution.
+
+## Related Contracts And Tests
+
+- [Configuration](../config.md#scriptorium-artifact-entries) owns artifact
+  fields and source-selection rules.
+- [CLI](../cli.md) owns user-visible artifact selection.
+- [Scriptorium](../integrations/scriptorium.md) owns the subprocess contract.
+- Implementation and tests: `internal/stage/analyze.go`,
+  `internal/stage/analyze_test.go`

docs/internal/stage-merge.md

@@ -1,18 +1,22 @@
 # Stage: merge
 
 ## Purpose
+
 Normalize raw transcript inputs and merge into base transcript via Seriatim.
 
 ## Inputs
+
 - `transcripts/raw/*.json`
 - `inputs/speakers.yml`
 - `inputs/autocorrect.yml`
 
 ## Outputs
+
 - `transcripts/base.json`
 - optional `artifacts/seriatim.report.json`
 
 ## Key Behavior
+
 - discovers and validates raw transcript inputs.
 - normalizes each raw transcript (`seriatim.Normalize`) into run-local scratch output.
 - merges normalized inputs (`seriatim.Run`) into base transcript.
@@ -20,6 +24,14 @@ Normalize raw transcript inputs and merge into base transcript via Seriatim.
 - materializes canonical outputs and records stage logs/generated configs.
 
 ## Invariants
+
 - merge always consumes normalized forms of raw inputs.
 - base transcript must validate before stage success.
 - report output is config-gated.
+
+## Related Contracts And Tests
+
+- [Seriatim](../integrations/seriatim.md) owns subprocess and output semantics.
+- [Configuration](../config.md#pipeline) owns operator-selected Seriatim values.
+- Implementation and tests: `internal/stage/merge.go`,
+  `internal/stage/merge_test.go`

docs/internal/stage-normalize.md

@@ -1,16 +1,20 @@
 # Stage: normalize
 
 ## Purpose
+
 Normalize polished transcript into final transcript using Seriatim.
 
 ## Inputs
+
 - `transcripts/polished.json`
 
 ## Outputs
+
 - `transcripts/final.json` (or configured normalize output path)
 - optional `artifacts/seriatim.normalize.report.json`
 
 ## Key Behavior
+
 - resolves polished transcript from manifest outputs/canonical fallback.
 - applies `pipeline.normalize` config or default normalize config.
 - runs Seriatim normalize with configured timeout/binary.
@@ -18,5 +22,13 @@ Normalize polished transcript into final transcript using Seriatim.
 - materializes canonical outputs and records logs/generated configs.
 
 ## Invariants
+
 - final transcript must validate as processed transcript JSON (`segments` array).
 - normalize defaults are applied when `pipeline.normalize` is unset.
+
+## Related Contracts And Tests
+
+- [Seriatim](../integrations/seriatim.md) owns subprocess and output semantics.
+- [Configuration](../config.md#pipeline) owns normalize fields and defaults.
+- Implementation and tests: `internal/stage/normalize.go`,
+  `internal/stage/normalize_test.go`

docs/internal/stage-polish.md

@@ -1,17 +1,21 @@
 # Stage: polish
 
 ## Purpose
+
 Run Audita polishing on base transcript and produce polished transcript.
 
 ## Inputs
+
 - `transcripts/base.json`
 - `inputs/glossary.yml`
 
 ## Outputs
+
 - `transcripts/polished.json`
 - optional `artifacts/audita.report.json`
 
 ## Key Behavior
+
 - resolves base transcript from merge outputs/canonical fallback.
 - invokes Audita with configured model/module/runtime options.
 - validates processed transcript structure (`segments` array required).
@@ -19,5 +23,14 @@ Run Audita polishing on base transcript and produce polished transcript.
 - materializes canonical outputs; records logs/generated config and adapter metadata.
 
 ## Invariants
+
 - polished transcript schema validation is mandatory.
 - report output is config-gated.
+
+## Related Contracts And Tests
+
+- [Audita](../integrations/audita.md) owns subprocess, validation, and failure
+  semantics.
+- [Configuration](../config.md#pipeline) owns operator-selected Audita values.
+- Implementation and tests: `internal/stage/polish.go`,
+  `internal/stage/polish_test.go`

docs/internal/stage-prepare.md

@@ -1,29 +1,33 @@
 # Stage: prepare
 
 ## Purpose
+
 Materialize canonical current-session inputs before processing stages.
 
 ## Inputs
-- resolved `campaign.yml`, `session.yml`, and pipeline config
-- stable input files (`speakers`, `autocorrect`, `glossary`)
-- audio source:
-  - local `audio_dir`/`audio_files`, or
-  - S3 `audio_s3.prefix`
+
+- resolved campaign, session, and pipeline configuration
+- stable input files (`speakers`, `autocorrect`, `glossary`, `players`, `party`)
+- one resolved local or S3 audio source
 - enabled configured artifact input requirements for previous-session sources
 
 ## Outputs
+
 - `inputs/campaign.yml`
 - `inputs/session.yml`
 - `inputs/pipeline.resolved.yml`
 - `inputs/speakers.yml`
 - `inputs/autocorrect.yml`
 - `inputs/glossary.yml`
+- `inputs/players.yml`
+- `inputs/party.yml`
 - `audio/*.flac`
 - optional `previous/manifest.json`
 - optional `previous/artifacts/**`
 - deterministic `manifest.inputs` entries (checksums + provenance)
 
 ## Key Behavior
+
 - validates required config/store state.
 - enforces local audio vs S3 audio mutual exclusivity.
 - materializes S3 audio through spool/cache-aware logic.
@@ -37,6 +41,20 @@ Materialize canonical current-session inputs before processing stages.
 Required previous-session inputs fail when unavailable; optional missing inputs are skipped.
 
 ## Invariants
+
 - only `prepare` hydrates canonical `previous/` cache state.
-- managed previous artifacts are stored under `previous/artifacts/**` without duplicate `artifacts/artifacts/` nesting.
+- managed previous artifacts are stored under `previous/artifacts/**` without
+  duplicate `artifacts/artifacts/` nesting.
 - `manifest.inputs` ordering is deterministic (`kind`, `path`).
+
+## Related Contracts And Tests
+
+- [Configuration](../config.md) owns audio selection, stable input fields, and
+  previous-session settings.
+- [Operations](../operations.md) owns physical input, audio, spool, cache, and
+  previous-state layout.
+- [Storage Internals](storage.md) and [Artifact Internals](artifacts.md) explain
+  the internal collaborators.
+- Implementation and tests: `internal/stage/prepare.go`,
+  `internal/stage/prepare_test.go`, `internal/audio/s3_audio_test.go`,
+  `internal/previouscache/*_test.go`

docs/internal/stage-publish.md

@@ -1,23 +1,29 @@
 # Stage: publish
 
 ## Purpose
+
 Upload run/session outputs to object storage and atomically advance remote current state.
 
 ## Inputs
-- successful prerequisite stages: `prepare`, `transcribe`, `merge`, `polish`, `normalize`, `trim`, `analyze`
-- run root `runs/{run_id}/**`
-- publish output rules (`pipeline.publish.outputs`)
+
+- successful preceding stages from the [canonical stage set](overview.md#pipeline-stage-set)
+- invocation-scoped run files
+- resolved publish output rules
 - effective publish locks (static + remote merged lock set)
-- local `previous/**` files when present
+- durable previous-session cache files when present
 
 ## Outputs
-- uploaded run files under remote `runs/{run_id}/...` (excluding `audio/**`)
-- uploaded selected publish outputs under session prefix
-- uploaded `previous/**` files under session prefix when present
-- uploaded `current/manifest.json`
-- uploaded `current/run_id.txt` written last
+
+- uploaded invocation record and selected publish outputs;
+- uploaded durable previous-session cache files when present;
+- updated remote current manifest; and
+- remote current-run commit marker, written last.
+
+Exact remote placement and the operator workflow belong in
+[Operations](../operations.md#publish-workflow).
 
 ## Key Behavior
+
 - stage can self-skip when publish disabled or run upload disabled.
 - validates prerequisite stage success and object-store availability.
 - collects deterministic run file list plus run `manifest.json`.
@@ -28,6 +34,7 @@ Upload run/session outputs to object storage and atomically advance remote curre
 - writes remote current manifest before current run pointer.
 
 ## Metadata Signals
+
 Includes counts/lists for:
 - run uploads
 - published output uploads
@@ -39,6 +46,22 @@ Includes counts/lists for:
 - `current_pointer_written`
 
 ## Invariants
+
 - `current/run_id.txt` is the remote commit marker and is written last.
 - run upload excludes `audio/**`.
 - publish locks are not overridden by `--force`.
+
+The commit boundary and cleanup gate are normative architecture invariants; see
+[Architecture](../policy/architecture.md#publish-commit-boundary).
+
+## Related Contracts And Tests
+
+- [Configuration](../config.md#publish-configuration-summary) owns output and
+  static-lock fields.
+- [Operations](../operations.md#publish-locks) owns remote lock lifecycle and
+  physical remote state.
+- [Artifact Internals](artifacts.md) explains source resolution and current-state
+  helpers.
+- Implementation and tests: `internal/stage/publish.go`,
+  `internal/stage/publish_test.go`, `internal/app/operator_helpers_test.go`,
+  `internal/app/post_publish_cleanup_test.go`

docs/internal/stage-render.md

@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+# Stage: render
+
+## Purpose
+
+Render Markdown transcript artifacts from normalized JSON transcripts via Seriatim.
+
+## Inputs
+
+- `narratio.transcript.final` (`transcripts/final.json`)
+- `narratio.transcript.final_trimmed` (`transcripts/final.trimmed.json`)
+
+## Outputs
+
+- `narratio.transcript.final_markdown` -> `transcripts/final.md`
+- `narratio.transcript.final_trimmed_markdown` -> `transcripts/final.trimmed.md`
+
+## Key Behavior
+
+- uses `pipeline.render` settings (enabled/format/title/booleans).
+- resolves inputs manifest-first, then canonical fallback.
+- writes run-local outputs first, then materializes canonical session outputs.
+- records input provenance, output paths, adapter metadata, logs, and generated config refs.
+- skips with stage metadata when `pipeline.render.enabled=false`.
+
+## Failure Semantics
+
+- missing normalized input fails with normalize rerun guidance.
+- missing trimmed input fails with trim rerun guidance.
+- adapter/subprocess failure fails stage.
+- empty render output files fail validation.
+
+## Invariants
+
+- only `format: markdown` is supported.
+- render stage owns production of built-in Markdown transcript sources.
+
+## Related Contracts And Tests
+
+- [Seriatim](../integrations/seriatim.md) owns render subprocess behavior.
+- [Configuration](../config.md#pipeline) owns render fields and defaults.
+- Implementation and tests: `internal/stage/render.go`,
+  `internal/stage/render_test.go`

docs/internal/stage-transcribe.md

@@ -1,22 +1,36 @@
 # Stage: transcribe
 
 ## Purpose
+
 Generate raw per-speaker transcripts from prepared audio using WhisperX.
 
 ## Inputs
+
 - `audio/*.flac` from `prepare`
 
 ## Outputs
+
 - `transcripts/raw/<speaker>.json`
 
 ## Key Behavior
+
 - discovers prepared audio from manifest inputs or canonical audio directory.
 - derives speaker ID from `.flac` basename.
-- runs WhisperX with configured concurrency/retry settings.
+- dispatches WhisperX requests through a bounded worker pool.
 - validates each output as JSON.
 - writes run-local outputs then materializes canonical transcript outputs.
 
 ## Invariants
+
 - speaker basenames must be unique.
 - output path returned by adapter must match requested output path.
 - each successful output is validated before stage success.
+
+## Related Contracts And Tests
+
+- [WhisperX](../integrations/whisperx.md) owns HTTP, retry, timeout, and
+  cancellation semantics.
+- [Configuration](../config.md#pipeline) owns concurrency and other
+  operator-selected values.
+- Implementation and tests: `internal/stage/transcribe.go`,
+  `internal/stage/transcribe_test.go`

docs/internal/stage-trim.md

@@ -1,18 +1,20 @@
 # Stage: trim
 
 ## Purpose
-Produce a final-trimmed transcript; optionally generate bounds-driven trim.
+
+Produce a final-trimmed transcript. By default, the stage generates bounds and
+applies a bounds-driven trim.
 
 ## Inputs
+
 - `transcripts/final.json`
 
 ## Outputs
+
 - `transcripts/final.trimmed.json` (or configured trim output path)
 - when trim enabled: `artifacts/session_bounds.json`
 
 ## Key Behavior
-When `trim.enabled=false`:
-- copies normalized transcript to trimmed output.
 
 When `trim.enabled=true`:
 - runs Scriptorium bounds artifact generation;
@@ -22,7 +24,20 @@ When `trim.enabled=true`:
 - either copies unchanged transcript or runs Seriatim trim;
 - validates trimmed transcript and materializes bounds output.
 
+When `trim.enabled=false`:
+- copies normalized transcript to trimmed output.
+
 ## Invariants
+
 - normalized transcript is required input.
 - bounds output exists only in enabled trim path.
 - render-debug output is diagnostic and not a declared stage output.
+
+## Related Contracts And Tests
+
+- [Scriptorium](../integrations/scriptorium.md) owns bounds generation and
+  debug-render subprocess behavior.
+- [Seriatim](../integrations/seriatim.md) owns transcript trimming behavior.
+- [Configuration](../config.md#pipeline) owns trim fields and defaults.
+- Implementation and tests: `internal/stage/trim.go`,
+  `internal/stage/trim_test.go`

docs/internal/storage.md

@@ -1,10 +1,16 @@
 # Internal: Storage
 
 ## Purpose
-Document remote object-store contracts and S3 implementation behavior.
+
+Explain the object-store interface and S3 implementation used by Narratio.
+Remote key layout and lifecycle belong in [Operations](../operations.md), while
+operator-selected storage fields and credential mechanisms belong in
+[Configuration](../config.md).
 
 ## Primary Contract
+
 `storage.ObjectStore` interface:
+
 - `List(ctx, prefix)`
 - `Download(ctx, key, localPath)`
 - `Upload(ctx, localPath, key, opts)`
@@ -14,15 +20,15 @@ Key invariant:
 - callers pass full bucket-relative keys;
 - storage implementations do not infer campaign/session/run prefixes.
 
-## Configuration
-`NewObjectStoreFromConfig` currently supports S3-backed stores from `pipeline.storage.*` config.
+## Composition
 
-S3 constructor behavior:
-- requires configured bucket;
-- uses region/endpoint/path-style options when set;
-- resolves credentials from configured env var names (with defaults).
+`NewObjectStoreFromConfig` constructs the S3-backed implementation from
+resolved configuration. The application loads configured filesystem secrets
+before calling it. The storage adapter consumes already-resolved values; it does
+not own discovery, defaults, or configuration validation.
 
 ## S3 Backend Behavior
+
 - normalizes object keys.
 - `List` paginates and returns normalized `ObjectInfo`.
 - `Download` writes local files with parent directory creation.
@@ -30,5 +36,13 @@ S3 constructor behavior:
 - `Exists` maps not-found responses to `false`.
 
 ## Invariants
+
 - storage layer is stateless regarding manifest/stage progression.
 - publish ordering semantics are owned by stage/app code, not storage adapters.
+
+## Implementation And Tests
+
+- Contract and S3 adapter: `internal/adapters/storage`
+- Composition: `internal/app/object_store.go`
+- Tests: `internal/adapters/storage/*_test.go`,
+  `internal/app/object_store_test.go`

docs/internal/workspace.md

@@ -1,57 +1,62 @@
 # Internal: Workspace
 
 ## Purpose
-Define local session layout, run-local stage layout, and cleanup guardrails.
 
-## Canonical Session Layout
-Session root:
-- `{workspace.root}/work/{campaign}/{session_id}`
+Explain the helpers that construct local session and run paths, coordinate
+single-writer access, and confine cleanup. The authoritative physical layout and
+retention workflow belong in [Operations](../operations.md#local-state-layout).
 
-Core directories/files:
-- `inputs/`
-- `audio/`
-- `transcripts/`
-- `artifacts/`
-- `reports/`
-- `logs/`
-- `config/`
-- `current/`
-- `runs/`
-- `previous/`
-- `manifest.json`
-- `.lock`
+## Path Ownership
 
-`previous/` reserved files:
-- `previous/manifest.json`
-- `previous/artifacts/**`
+`internal/artifacts` owns canonical session, run, spool, cache, and
+previous-cache path construction. `SessionPathsFor` provides the session-scoped
+path model, and layout creation goes through `EnsureLayoutFor`. Callers should
+consume those helpers instead of rebuilding relative paths.
+
+`internal/pathsafe` and application cleanup helpers enforce confinement for
+relative destinations and deletion targets.
 
 ## Run-Local Stage Layout
-When run context is available, stages use:
-- `runs/{run_id}/{stage}/outputs/`
-- `runs/{run_id}/{stage}/logs/`
-- `runs/{run_id}/{stage}/reports/`
-- `runs/{run_id}/{stage}/config/`
-- `runs/{run_id}/{stage}/scratch/`
 
-Run-local outputs are materialized back into canonical session paths before stage success.
-`previous/**` writes are never redirected to run-local output paths.
+`internal/stage/run_local.go` maps stage outputs and diagnostics into an
+invocation-scoped layout. Successful outputs are validated and atomically
+materialized into canonical session paths before stage success. Managed
+previous-session cache paths remain session-durable and are never redirected
+into run-local output space.
 
 ## Locking
-`artifacts.LocalStore` enforces single-writer session lock via `.lock` file (`ErrLockConflict` on contention).
+
+`artifacts.LocalStore` enforces the single-writer session lock via `.lock`
+(`ErrLockConflict` on contention).
 
 ## Cleanup Semantics
+
 Automatic post-publish cleanup:
+
 - only runs when publish actually executed and succeeded;
 - requires `uploaded=true` and `current_pointer_written=true` metadata;
-- respects `pipeline.spool.delete_audio_after_publish` and `pipeline.workspace.cleanup_after_publish`;
+- consumes the resolved cleanup policy described in
+  [Configuration](../config.md);
 - refuses unsafe deletes (root delete, out-of-root delete, symlink paths).
 
-Manual clean command:
-- `clean <session_id>` removes session work and spool subtree.
-- `clean --all` removes all workspace work and spool children.
-- durable cache is preserved unless `--clear-cache` is requested.
+Manual cleanup uses the same scoped-target checks. Invocation syntax and exact
+deletion scope belong in [CLI](../cli.md#clean) and
+[Operations](../operations.md#cleanup).
 
 ## Invariants
+
 - campaign-aware session root is mandatory.
 - manifest-driven stage state is durable across runs.
 - cleanup guardrails prevent destructive root/out-of-scope deletion.
+
+## Implementation And Tests
+
+- Path model and local store: `internal/artifacts/paths.go`,
+  `internal/artifacts/local.go`
+- Run-local materialization: `internal/stage/run_local.go`
+- Cleanup confinement: `internal/app/cleanup_targets.go`,
+  `internal/app/post_publish_cleanup.go`
+- Tests: `internal/artifacts/paths_model_test.go`,
+  `internal/artifacts/local_test.go`, `internal/stage/run_local_test.go`,
+  `internal/app/cleanup_targets_test.go`,
+  `internal/app/post_publish_cleanup_test.go`

docs/operations.md

@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ narratio session init 2026-04-04 --remote --force
 
 If `campaign.yml` sets `session_template_file`, `session init` renders it. Template variables must resolve to concrete values.
 
+Campaigns must provide stable input files for speakers, autocorrect, glossary, players, and party. Session files may override those paths for one session. The `prepare` stage materializes them under `inputs/`; configured Scriptorium artifacts can reference prepared `players`, `party`, and `glossary` files with `narratio.input.players`, `narratio.input.party`, and `narratio.input.glossary`.
+
 ## Standard Session Workflow
 
 1. Select pipeline/campaign/session config.
@@ -73,9 +75,10 @@ Canonical stage order:
 4. `polish`
 5. `normalize`
 6. `trim`
-7. `analyze`
-8. `publish`
-9. `notify`
+7. `render`
+8. `analyze`
+9. `publish`
+10. `notify`
 
 Execution rules:
 
@@ -244,6 +247,7 @@ Rules:
 ## Operational Caveats
 
 - Local and S3 audio modes are mutually exclusive.
-- Publish requires prerequisite stages through analyze to be succeeded.
+- Publish requires prerequisite stages through `render` and `analyze` to be succeeded.
+- Markdown publish defaults require render outputs (`transcripts/final.md` and `transcripts/final.trimmed.md`).
 - Restore requires configured object storage and committed remote current state.
 - Storage-backed commands load filesystem secrets before object-store initialization.

docs/policy/architecture.md

@@ -1,202 +1,230 @@
-# Narratio Architecture
+# Architecture
 
-## Purpose
+This document defines Narratio's intended high-level architecture and the
+invariants that changes must preserve. Implemented component details belong in
+the [Internal Overview](../internal/overview.md) and its linked documents.
+Significant architectural decision history belongs under `docs/adr/` when such
+records exist.
 
-`narratio` is a Go orchestration application for processing D&D session audio into polished transcripts and generated session artifacts.
+## System Shape
 
-This document defines the development principles for the project. It is inward-facing: its audience is developers and LLM coding agents. It should guide future changes, not serve as a complete implementation reference.
+Narratio is a small Go application that turns D&D session audio into polished
+transcripts and generated session artifacts. It is an explicit, stage-driven
+orchestrator, not a general workflow engine.
 
-Implemented component details belong under `docs/internal/`.
+Narratio coordinates specialized external systems rather than reimplementing
+their domains:
 
-## Project Shape
+- WhisperX performs transcription;
+- Seriatim performs deterministic transcript processing and rendering;
+- Audita performs transcript correction and polishing; and
+- Scriptorium executes prompts and produces configured artifacts.
 
-Narratio is a modular, stage-driven orchestrator.
+Narratio owns orchestration, configuration resolution, session and run state,
+artifact and path modeling, manifest persistence, stage sequencing, resume,
+restore, cleanup gates, and publish semantics. External contracts are defined
+in the [integration documentation](../integrations/).
 
-It coordinates specialized downstream systems rather than reimplementing their domains:
+The pipeline has one canonical ordered stage set. Configuration may enable,
+disable, or parameterize supported behavior, but it must not turn that sequence
+into an arbitrary DAG or hide orchestration in generic workflow abstractions.
+The implemented stage inventory belongs in the
+[Internal Overview](../internal/overview.md).
 
-- WhisperX handles transcription.
-- Seriatim handles deterministic transcript merge/normalization/trim behavior.
-- Audita handles transcript correction and polishing.
-- Scriptorium handles prompt execution and generated artifacts.
+Narratio is contract-first without being abstraction-heavy. Interfaces and
+extension points should protect demonstrated boundaries. New abstraction is not
+itself an architectural goal.
 
-Narratio owns orchestration, configuration loading, session/run state, local and remote path modeling, manifest persistence, stage sequencing, resume behavior, and publish semantics.
+## Ownership And Dependency Direction
 
-Narratio should remain explicit and comprehensible. It is not intended to become a generic workflow engine.
+The application boundary owns command dispatch, configuration selection,
+production composition, session locking, and top-level lifecycle. It may depend
+on concrete implementations to assemble a run.
 
-## Core Principles
+Stage orchestration expresses intent in Narratio-level data and interfaces.
+Stages may depend on configuration, manifest, artifact, path, and adapter
+contracts, but they must not depend on transport-specific request types,
+subprocess argument construction, cloud SDK types, or downstream tool internals.
 
-### Modular and composable
+Adapters translate between Narratio contracts and external systems. They own
+HTTP, subprocess, notification, and object-storage mechanics, including command
+construction, transport behavior, provider response handling, and external
+error adaptation. External dependency types must remain inside the adapter that
+owns them unless that dependency is the adapter's explicit public contract.
+WhisperX HTTP behavior, Seriatim, Audita, and Scriptorium command construction,
+notification transport, and object-storage SDK details remain behind these
+boundaries.
 
-Code should be organized around clear responsibilities. Stages, adapters, config loading, manifest persistence, path construction, and storage behavior should remain separable and independently testable.
+State and path services must not infer stage policy. Storage implementations
+receive explicit bucket-relative keys and do not infer campaign, session, run,
+or root-prefix semantics. Manifest persistence records transitions but does not
+choose orchestration policy. Artifact resolution identifies and validates
+artifacts but does not execute producers.
 
-### Hexagonal boundaries
+Dependencies should remain narrow and point toward Narratio-owned contracts.
+Prefer the Go standard library. Add an external dependency only when it provides
+a clear correctness, security, interoperability, or complexity benefit, and
+confine it to the boundary that needs it.
 
-External systems should be isolated behind narrow adapters. Stage logic should depend on Narratio-level interfaces and data structures, not on external SDK types, subprocess argument construction, or transport-specific details.
+## Stage Boundaries
 
-### Standard library preference
+Each stage has one explicit responsibility and declares:
 
-Prefer the Go standard library. Add dependencies only when they provide substantial value, are necessary for an external integration, or are a widely used de facto standard.
-
-Accepted examples include a YAML library for configuration and the AWS SDK for S3-compatible storage.
-
-### Explicit orchestration
-
-The pipeline should remain stage-driven and explicit. New behavior should be added through clear stage, adapter, config, or manifest contracts rather than implicit side effects or generic workflow abstraction.
-
-## Stage Design
-
-Each stage should have a clear scope of responsibility.
-
-A stage should define:
-
-- its purpose;
 - required input state;
 - produced output state;
-- config fields it consumes;
+- configuration it consumes;
 - external adapters it uses;
-- manifest refs it reads or writes;
-- skip, force, and resume behavior;
-- failure behavior;
-- tests that protect its contract.
+- manifest references and metadata it reads or writes;
+- skip, force, invalidation, and resume behavior; and
+- failure behavior.
 
-Stages should avoid reaching across boundaries. If shared behavior is needed, prefer a helper or service with a narrow interface over duplicating ad hoc logic between stages.
+Stages write and validate run-local results before materializing canonical
+outputs where that distinction applies. A stage is complete only after its
+required outputs have been written, validated, and recorded in durable manifest
+state. Later stages depend on recorded success and artifact resolution, not
+merely on incidental files existing on disk.
 
-## Transactionality and Resume
+A failed or interrupted stage must not be presented as successful. Failure
+should preserve enough local state and diagnostics for inspection, recovery,
+and resume. Forcing an upstream stage invalidates succeeded downstream work
+according to the canonical stage order.
 
-A stage should behave transactionally.
+Shared behavior should live behind a narrow service or helper with one clear
+owner. Stages must not reach across boundaries or reproduce adapter, manifest,
+artifact, or path policy ad hoc.
 
-A stage is complete only when its outputs have been written, validated, and recorded in the manifest. If a stage fails, Narratio should preserve enough local state for inspection, recovery, and resume.
+## Manifest, Resume, And Restore
 
-A failed or incomplete run must not be treated as successful. Later stages should depend on manifest-recorded success, not merely on incidental files existing on disk.
+The session manifest is the durable ledger for progress across invocations. It
+records session and run identity, stage state, input and output references,
+diagnostic references, checksums or provenance where useful, and non-secret
+adapter and publish metadata.
 
-## Manifest Model
+Resume and skip decisions are manifest-driven. Filesystem state may be
+inspected and validated, but file presence alone does not replace recorded
+stage state. Invocation-scoped run records provide an audit of one execution;
+they do not replace the session manifest as progress authority.
 
-The manifest is the durable local ledger for a run.
+Restore treats committed remote current state as its authority. It must plan
+deterministically, confine remote-to-local paths, protect local conflicts, and
+install the validated session manifest after other restored durable files. The
+physical workflow and recovery procedures belong in
+[Operations](../operations.md).
 
-It should record:
+## Configuration
 
-- run identity;
-- stage status;
-- input and output refs;
-- logs and generated config refs;
-- checksums or provenance where useful;
-- non-secret adapter and publish metadata.
+Configuration is strict, explicit, centralized, and operator-oriented.
 
-Resume behavior should be manifest-driven. Filesystem state may be inspected and validated, but it should not replace manifest stage state as the source of run progress.
+- YAML decoding rejects unknown fields.
+- Defaults are centralized and testable.
+- Empty configured values do not silently replace meaningful defaults.
+- Validation rejects invalid composition before stage execution where
+  practical.
+- Session templating remains narrow and deterministic rather than becoming a
+  general configuration language.
+- Secret values are supplied indirectly and are not persisted in ordinary
+  configuration.
 
-## Adapter Boundaries
+Narratio must not become a second configuration system for downstream tools.
+External systems own their runtime defaults wherever practical; Narratio passes
+the paths required by its stage contracts and explicit operator overrides. The
+field-level contract and credential-supply mechanisms belong in
+[Configuration](../config.md).
 
-Adapters own external integration details.
+## Artifacts, Paths, And Storage
 
-Expected boundaries:
+Artifact identities and local and remote paths are application contracts.
+Canonical helpers own workspace, spool, cache, session, run, input, transcript,
+artifact, log, report, configuration, and publish-current paths. Callers must
+not reconstruct canonical paths through scattered string concatenation.
 
-- WhisperX HTTP details stay in the WhisperX adapter.
-- Seriatim CLI construction stays in the Seriatim adapter.
-- Audita CLI construction stays in the Audita adapter.
-- Scriptorium CLI construction stays in the Scriptorium adapter.
-- Object-storage details stay behind the storage adapter interface.
-- AWS SDK types stay inside the S3 storage implementation.
+Artifact resolution is deterministic and manifest-aware. Producers materialize
+canonical outputs before reporting success, and consumers resolve declared
+artifact identities rather than infer files from unrelated directory contents.
 
-Stage code should express intent in Narratio terms and call adapters through narrow contracts.
+Writes, moves, replacements, and deletions must use narrow, explicit,
+root-confined destinations. Symlinks, traversal, broad roots, and ambiguous
+relative destinations must not expand the scope of an operation. Cleanup is
+permitted only through explicit operator action or configured post-publish
+gates, and it must preserve durable cache unless cache removal is explicitly
+requested.
 
-## Configuration Philosophy
+Physical layout, retention, and operational lifecycle belong in
+[Operations](../operations.md). Logical external formats and durable integration
+contracts belong under [Integrations](../integrations/).
 
-Configuration should be strict, explicit, and operator-friendly.
+## Publish Commit Boundary
 
-Principles:
+Publish has one explicit remote commit boundary. A remote run becomes current
+only after Narratio has successfully uploaded the run record, required published
+outputs, `current/manifest.json`, and finally `current/run_id.txt`.
 
-- YAML decoding should reject unknown fields.
-- Defaults should be centralized and testable.
-- Empty configured values should not silently override meaningful defaults.
-- Session templating should remain narrow and deterministic.
-- Template support should serve operator convenience, not become a general configuration language.
+`current/run_id.txt` is the commit marker and must be written last. Failed,
+incomplete, skipped, or uncommitted publish attempts must not be presented as
+current remote state. Publish locks remain authoritative and are not bypassed by
+a forced run.
 
-Narratio should not become a secondary configuration system for downstream tools. Seriatim, Audita, and Scriptorium should own their runtime defaults wherever practical. Narratio should pass required stage-contract paths and explicit operator overrides.
+Automatic local cleanup is permitted only after a successful publish commit,
+only when explicitly configured, and only through the path-safety guardrails.
 
-## Path and Storage Discipline
+## Security, Privacy, And Diagnostics
 
-Local and remote paths are part of Narratio’s application contract.
+Narratio handles private campaign material. Transcripts, prompts, generated
+artifacts, reports, logs, manifests, and diagnostic files are potentially
+sensitive.
 
-Code should use centralized path helpers for workspace, spool, session, run, artifact, log, config, and publish/current paths. Stages should avoid reconstructing canonical paths through scattered string concatenation.
+Raw secrets must not be stored in pipeline, campaign, or session YAML or written
+to manifests, logs, generated configuration, reports, publish metadata,
+documentation, or examples. Secrets enter through configured environment
+variable names or secret-file references. Diagnostics should avoid transcript
+and prompt content unless a deliberate, bounded inspection mechanism requires
+it.
 
-Storage backends should receive explicit bucket-relative keys. Storage implementations should not infer campaign, session, run, or root-prefix semantics.
+Logs, reports, generated invocation files, generated configuration, and render
+debug files are diagnostics, not canonical pipeline products. They should be
+durable and discoverable where configured, and manifest references must preserve
+the distinction between diagnostics and artifacts.
 
-## Publish Invariants
+Documentation security rules belong in the
+[Documentation Policy](documentation.md). Credential supply belongs in
+[Configuration](../config.md), while permissions, sensitive runtime-artifact
+handling, and recovery belong in [Operations](../operations.md).
 
-Publish behavior must preserve a clear commit boundary.
+## Determinism And Testability
 
-A remote run is current only after the publish stage has successfully uploaded the run record, required published outputs, `current/manifest.json`, and finally `current/run_id.txt`.
+Narratio prefers deterministic behavior where practical, including stable local
+and remote layouts, sorted operation order, predictable generated
+configuration, repeatable command construction, deterministic artifact
+resolution, and reproducible planning.
 
-`current/run_id.txt` is the final remote commit marker and must be written last.
+Run IDs and timestamps may be intentionally variable, but surrounding behavior
+must remain controllable in tests. Core behavior should be testable without live
+external services; expensive, nondeterministic, destructive, or external
+boundaries should be replaceable with focused test doubles. General testing
+philosophy and sufficiency rules belong in the [Testing Policy](testing.md).
 
-Failed, incomplete, skipped, or uncommitted publish attempts must not be presented as current remote state. Local cleanup is permitted only after successful publish commit and only when explicitly configured.
+## Documentation And Decision Records
 
-## Security and Privacy
+Documentation follows the [Documentation Policy](documentation.md). Current
+behavior belongs in its canonical user, operator, integration, architecture, or
+internal owner. Proposed behavior and implementation status belong under
+`docs/roadmap/`.
 
-Narratio handles private campaign material.
+Significant architectural decisions may be recorded under `docs/adr/` using the
+format and lifecycle defined by the documentation policy. ADR acceptance does
+not establish that a decision has been implemented.
 
-Rules:
+## Architectural Non-Goals
 
-- Do not store raw secrets in pipeline or session YAML.
-- Use environment variable names or secret-file references for secret handling.
-- Do not write raw secret values to manifests, logs, generated configs, or publish metadata.
-- Treat transcripts, generated artifacts, prompts, reports, and logs as potentially sensitive.
-- Avoid logging transcript or prompt content unless there is a deliberate diagnostic reason.
-
-## Diagnostics
-
-Diagnostics should be durable and discoverable, but distinct from canonical outputs.
-
-Logs, reports, generated invocation/config files, and render-debug files support debugging. Transcript tiers and configured artifacts are pipeline products.
-
-Manifest refs should preserve that distinction.
-
-## Determinism
-
-Where practical, Narratio should prefer deterministic behavior:
-
-- stable local path layout;
-- stable remote key layout;
-- sorted upload order;
-- predictable generated config files;
-- repeatable command construction;
-- tests that do not depend on live external services.
-
-Run IDs and timestamps may be intentionally variable, but surrounding behavior should remain testable.
-
-## Testing Expectations
-
-Core behavior should be testable without live external services.
-
-Tests should cover:
-
-- config loading, defaults, and validation;
-- CLI parsing and command construction;
-- path helpers;
-- manifest transitions;
-- stage success, failure, skip, and resume behavior;
-- adapter command construction;
-- fake storage behavior;
-- publish commit ordering;
-- example config validity where practical.
-
-Live S3, WhisperX, LLM, or subprocess integration tests should be explicit integration tests, not required for ordinary unit test runs.
-
-## Documentation Expectations
-
-Documentation must follow `docs/documentation/policy.md`.
-
-Current behavior belongs in user-facing docs and `docs/internal/`. Future, planned, aspirational, experimental, or unimplemented work belongs only under `docs/roadmap/`.
-
-`docs/architecture.md` should remain concise and principle-focused. It should not duplicate the full config reference, CLI reference, operations guide, or internal stage documentation.
-
-## Non-Goals
-
-Narratio is not:
+Narratio does not aim to provide:
 
 - a generic DAG or workflow engine;
-- a replacement configuration layer for Seriatim, Audita, or Scriptorium;
-- a storage backend abstraction beyond the needs of this pipeline;
-- a place to embed raw secrets;
-- a place for stage logic to depend directly on AWS SDK types or downstream tool internals;
+- a replacement configuration layer for WhisperX, Seriatim, Audita,
+  Scriptorium, or other downstream tools;
+- a storage abstraction broader than the needs of this pipeline;
+- stage logic coupled directly to cloud SDKs, transports, subprocess details,
+  or downstream implementation internals;
+- raw-secret persistence;
+- implicit cross-stage behavior that bypasses manifest and artifact contracts;
+  or
 - a prompt-authoring system.

docs/policy/development.md

@@ -1,94 +0,0 @@
-# Development Guide
-
-## Purpose
-Canonical contributor workflow and engineering conventions for implemented Narratio behavior.
-
-## Repository layout
-
-- `cmd/narratio/`: CLI entrypoint.
-- `internal/app/`: command handlers, run/stage orchestration, cleanup gates, secrets loading.
-- `internal/config/`: strict YAML loading, defaults, and validation.
-- `internal/stage/`: stage implementations and stage registry/order.
-- `internal/adapters/`: external boundary adapters (WhisperX, Seriatim, Audita, Scriptorium, storage, notify).
-- `internal/manifest/`: session/run manifest types and persistence.
-- `internal/artifacts/`: canonical local/remote path helpers and local artifact store.
-- `docs/`: canonical documentation set.
-- `examples/`: maintained config examples used by tests.
-
-## Build and test commands
-
-- Run focused CLI behavior checks:
-
-```bash
-go test ./internal/app -run TestExecute -v
-```
-
-- Run config example load/validate checks:
-
-```bash
-go test ./internal/config -run TestExamplesLoadAndValidate -v
-```
-
-- Run full test suite:
-
-```bash
-go test ./...
-```
-
-## Coding conventions
-
-- Keep orchestration explicit and stage-driven; do not introduce generic workflow/DAG abstractions.
-- Keep external-system details inside adapter packages; stages should consume Narratio-level contracts only.
-- Use centralized path helpers from `internal/artifacts` rather than ad hoc path concatenation.
-- Preserve manifest-driven state transitions (`running`, `succeeded`, `failed`, `skipped`, `stale`) as the source of run progress.
-- Keep user/operator docs implementation-accurate; planned work belongs only under `docs/roadmap/`.
-
-For design principles and invariants, see [docs/architecture.md](./architecture.md). For stage/adapter contracts, see [docs/internal/README.md](./internal/README.md).
-
-## Dependency policy
-
-- Prefer Go standard library where practical.
-- Add third-party dependencies only when they provide clear value for required behavior.
-- Keep dependency additions narrow to the boundary package that needs them.
-
-## Change playbooks
-
-### Add config fields
-
-1. Add fields to config structs in `internal/config`.
-2. Set defaults in `internal/config/defaults.go` when appropriate.
-3. Add validation rules in `internal/config/validate.go`.
-4. Add or update load/validate tests in `internal/config/*_test.go`.
-5. Update canonical config docs and examples:
-   - [docs/config.md](./config.md)
-   - relevant files under `examples/`
-
-### Add CLI flags or commands
-
-1. Update command parsing and behavior in `internal/app`.
-2. Add or update command tests (`TestExecute` and command-specific tests).
-3. Update [docs/cli.md](./cli.md) and, if operator workflow changes, [docs/operations.md](./operations.md).
-
-Remote-storage commands must obtain object storage through the app-level command object-store helper. Do not call `storage.NewObjectStoreFromConfig` directly from command handlers; the helper loads configured filesystem secrets before constructing the storage adapter.
-
-### Add or modify stages/adapters
-
-1. Implement stage behavior in `internal/stage` with clear input/output boundaries.
-2. Keep external transport/subprocess details in `internal/adapters`.
-3. Preserve manifest and publish-output semantics expected by runner and publish logic.
-4. Add/update stage and adapter tests.
-5. Update internal component contracts in `docs/internal/`.
-
-### Update examples
-
-1. Keep canonical examples only in `examples/`.
-2. Ensure examples load and validate through runtime config paths.
-3. Update `internal/config/load_validate_test.go` as needed.
-4. Update links in `docs/config.md` if example filenames change.
-
-### Update docs and roadmap
-
-1. Keep implemented behavior in canonical docs (`README`, `docs/*.md`, `docs/internal/`).
-2. Keep planned/unimplemented behavior only in `docs/roadmap/`.
-3. After completing roadmap items, remove or mark them complete in `docs/roadmap/documentation.md`.
-4. Run a link/path sweep before finalizing changes.

docs/policy/documentation.md

@@ -1,356 +1,148 @@
-# Go Project Documentation Policy
+# Documentation Policy
 
 ## Purpose
 
-Project documentation must help four audiences:
-
-1. users who need to run the application;
-2. administrators/operators who need to configure and operate it;
-3. developers who need to understand and change it safely;
-4. LLM coding agents that need clear scope, boundaries, and invariants.
-
-Docs should be accurate, concise, task-oriented, and organized by audience. Prefer links to canonical docs over repetition.
+This policy assigns each documentation topic to one canonical owner. Its goal is
+to keep Narratio documentation accurate, concise, discoverable, and resistant
+to drift for users, operators, developers, integrators, and LLM coding agents.
 
 ## Core Rules
 
-### 1. Keep docs concise
+### One Canonical Owner
+
+Each authoritative fact belongs in one document. A non-owning document may give
+a short, stable summary for orientation, but it must link to the canonical owner
+instead of repeating volatile details.
+
+Volatile details include commands, flags, configuration fields and defaults,
+stage or integration keys, schemas, file names, paths, status codes, retry
+behavior, and runtime guarantees. If readers could reasonably treat a statement
+as a contract, maintain it only in the owning document.
 
-Each document should cover a defined scope and only the essentials for that scope.
+### Current And Future Behavior
+
+Outside `docs/roadmap/`, documentation describes implemented behavior only.
+Partial features may be described only to their implemented boundary.
+
+ADRs are the narrow exception: an ADR may record an accepted architectural
+decision before implementation, but acceptance must not be presented as proof
+that the behavior exists. The roadmap owns implementation status and sequencing
+until the decision is implemented. Current architecture, user, operator,
+integration, and internal documentation are updated when the behavior lands.
+
+### Audience And Detail
+
+Write for the document's stated audience and include only the detail needed for
+its owned topic. User and operator docs should not expose implementation detail.
+Developer docs should link to user-facing and external contracts rather than
+restate them.
+
+### Examples
 
-Avoid:
-- long background explanations;
-- repeated reference material;
-- implementation detail in user-facing docs;
-- aspirational language outside roadmap docs;
-- verbose examples where one minimal example is clearer.
-
-### 2. Document only implemented behavior outside roadmap files
-
-Unimplemented, planned, aspirational, experimental, or future work may be described only under:
-
-- `docs/roadmap/`
-
-No other documentation file, including `README.md`, should describe code, features, modules, stages, commands, config fields, or behaviors that do not currently exist.
-
-If a feature is partial, non-roadmap docs may describe only the implemented portion and its current boundary.
-
-### 3. Use canonical homes
-
-Each type of information should have one canonical location.
-
-Canonical homes:
-
-- project purpose and quickstart: `README.md`
-- development principles: `docs/architecture.md`
-- configuration reference: `docs/config.md`
-- CLI reference: `docs/cli.md`
-- operations and recovery: `docs/operations.md`
-- troubleshooting: `docs/troubleshooting.md`
-- implemented internals: `docs/internal/`
-- future work: `docs/roadmap/`
-- contributor workflow: `docs/development.md`
-- copyable examples: `examples/`
-
-Other files should summarize briefly and link to the canonical source.
-
-### 4. Keep examples real
-
-Examples should be valid, maintained, and free of secrets.
-
-Where practical:
-- example configs should load successfully;
-- example commands should match real CLI syntax;
-- important examples should be covered by tests.
-
-## Documentation Profiles
-
-All projects require:
-
-- `README.md`
-- `docs/architecture.md`
-
-Additional docs depend on the project.
-
-### Small library
-
-Recommended:
-- `docs/development.md`, if contributor conventions are non-obvious
-
-### Simple CLI
-
-Required:
-- `docs/cli.md`
-
-Recommended:
-- `docs/development.md`
-
-### Config-driven CLI
-
-Required:
-- `docs/cli.md`
-- `docs/config.md`
-
-Recommended:
-- `examples/`
-- `docs/development.md`
-
-### Stateful or operator-facing application
-
-Required:
-- `docs/cli.md`, if CLI-based
-- `docs/config.md`, if config-driven
-- `docs/operations.md`
-
-Recommended:
-- `docs/troubleshooting.md`
-- `examples/`
-- `docs/development.md`
-
-### Modular, staged, service-oriented, or orchestration application
-
-Required:
-- `docs/cli.md`, if CLI-based
-- `docs/config.md`, if config-driven
-- `docs/operations.md`
-- `docs/internal/`
-- `docs/development.md`
-
-Recommended:
-- `docs/troubleshooting.md`
-- validated examples under `examples/`
-
-## Required Documents
-
-### README.md
-
-**Audience:** users, administrators, operators
-
-The README is the outward-facing project orientation page.
-
-It should include, in order:
-
-1. concise description;
-2. elevator pitch;
-3. shortest useful command or usage example;
-4. links to targeted docs.
-
-The README should be short. It is not a manual.
-
-The “shortest useful command” means the simplest command that performs the project’s core use case. (It does not mean `app --help`.)
-
-### docs/architecture.md
-
-**Audience:** developers, LLM coding agents
-
-`docs/architecture.md` is required for every project.
-
-It is an inward-facing development policy document. It should describe how the project is intended to be built and changed.
-
-It should include:
-
-- project shape;
-- core design principles;
-- package and boundary philosophy;
-- state/persistence philosophy, if applicable;
-- external integration philosophy, if applicable;
-- error-handling and logging principles;
-- testing expectations;
-- documentation expectations;
-- architectural invariants;
-- explicit non-goals, if useful.
-
-For small projects, this file may be brief. It may simply state that the project is intentionally narrow, monolithic, and dependency-light.
-
-### docs/config.md
-
-**Audience:** administrators, operators, advanced users
-
-Required for applications with configuration files.
-
-It should include, in order:
-
-1. config file locations and discovery precedence;
-2. minimal working config;
-3. production-oriented config;
-4. full configuration reference;
-5. secrets handling, if applicable;
-6. links to maintained examples.
-
-The full configuration reference should be canonical.
-
-### docs/cli.md
-
-**Audience:** users, administrators, operators
-
-Required for CLI applications.
-
-It should include, in order:
-
-1. shortest useful command;
-2. command overview;
-3. complete flag reference;
-4. common workflows;
-5. diagnostic or recovery commands, if applicable.
-
-Explain when commands are useful, not just their syntax.
-
-### docs/operations.md
-
-**Audience:** administrators, operators
-
-Required for applications that maintain state, support resume behavior, run multiple stages, write durable artifacts, use remote storage, or require recovery procedures.
-
-It should cover:
-
-- normal workflow;
-- filesystem layout;
-- remote storage layout, if applicable;
-- logs and manifests;
-- resume/retry behavior;
-- cleanup behavior;
-- archive/backup behavior;
-- safe recovery procedures;
-- operational caveats.
-
-### docs/troubleshooting.md
-
-**Audience:** administrators, operators
-
-Recommended once recurring failure modes exist.
-
-Each entry should include:
-
-- symptom;
-- likely cause;
-- diagnostic command or inspection step;
-- safe fix;
-- relevant links.
-
-### docs/development.md
-
-**Audience:** developers, LLM coding agents
-
-Required for projects maintained by humans and LLM coding agents.
-
-It should include:
-
-- repository layout;
-- build/test commands;
-- coding conventions;
-- dependency policy;
-- how to add config fields;
-- how to add CLI flags;
-- how to add stages/modules/adapters, if applicable;
-- how to update examples;
-- documentation update expectations.
-
-### docs/internal/
-
-**Audience:** developers, LLM coding agents
-
-Required for modular, staged, service-oriented, or orchestration projects.
-
-This directory describes implemented internal components. It is not the roadmap.
-
-Use one file per major component where useful.
-
-Each component doc should include:
-
-1. purpose;
-2. inputs and outputs;
-3. boundaries;
-4. config fields used;
-5. external adapters used;
-6. state or manifest behavior, if applicable;
-7. skip/resume behavior, if applicable;
-8. failure behavior;
-9. tests to inspect before changing;
-10. architectural invariants.
-
-### docs/roadmap/
-
-**Audience:** maintainers, developers, LLM coding agents
-
-This is the only place for planned, future, aspirational, experimental, or unimplemented work.
-
-Roadmap docs should clearly distinguish:
-
-- proposed work;
-- accepted plans;
-- deferred ideas;
-- rejected ideas;
-- implementation prompts or task breakdowns, if useful.
-
-Roadmap docs should not be confused with current behavior.
-
-### docs/integrations/
-
-**Audience:** developers, LLM coding agents
-
-Required for projects that depend on external CLIs, APIs, services, protocols, or file formats where the integration contract is important to maintain.
-
-This directory contains concise, versioned reference notes for external integration contracts. It should document only the parts of the external system that this project actually uses.
-
-Use one file per integration where useful.
-
-## Examples Directory
-
-Projects with non-trivial configuration or workflows should include `examples/`.
-
-Useful examples include:
-
-- minimal working config;
-- production-oriented config;
-- full annotated config;
-- local development config;
-- remote/object-storage config;
-- minimal session/input file.
-
-Examples should be valid, maintained, tested when practical, and linked from relevant docs.
-
-## Security and Privacy
-
-Docs and examples must not include:
-
-- real API keys;
-- tokens;
-- passwords;
-- private keys;
-- private environment dumps;
-- sensitive user data;
-- raw private transcripts;
-- private infrastructure details unless intentionally public.
-
-Document secret-handling mechanisms, not actual secret values.
-
-## Maintenance Rules
-
-When docs change, verify the affected behavior.
-
-Where practical:
-
-- load example config files in tests;
-- test CLI examples or command parser behavior;
-- validate documented flags against real flags;
-- remove stale references;
-- update links after renames;
-- keep roadmap content out of non-roadmap docs.
-
-If documentation and code disagree, fix the documentation and/or open a roadmap item; do not leave aspirational behavior in current-behavior docs.
-
-Documentation is complete only when it matches the current code.
-
-## Documentation Change Checklist
-
-Before merging documentation changes, verify:
-
-- README is concise and orientation-focused.
-- `docs/architecture.md` describes development principles.
-- Future work appears only under `docs/roadmap/`.
-- User-facing docs avoid unnecessary internals.
-- Developer-facing docs preserve boundaries and invariants.
-- Config examples match the schema.
-- CLI examples match real commands and flags.
-- Defaults appear in the canonical config reference.
-- No secrets or private data are included.
-- Links are accurate.
+Complete copyable files belong in `examples/`. Documentation may use the
+smallest illustrative snippet needed to explain its owned topic, but should link
+to maintained examples instead of embedding a second complete copy.
+
+Examples must be valid, secret-free, and tested where practical. Commands and
+configuration used in documentation should match the application.
+
+### Security And Privacy
+
+Documentation and examples must not contain real credentials, private keys,
+private environment dumps, sensitive source material, or private infrastructure
+details unless intentionally public. Document secret-handling mechanisms, not
+secret values.
+
+## Canonical Ownership
+
+| Topic | Canonical owner | Owned content | Content owned elsewhere |
+| --- | --- | --- | --- |
+| Product orientation and minimal end-to-end quickstart | `README.md` | What Narratio is, why it is useful, one shortest successful invocation, and links onward. | Complete command reference, configuration reference, operational procedures, implementation detail. |
+| Contributor entry point | `docs/development.md` | Task-oriented reading guide, minimal contributor orientation, baseline validation commands, and links to canonical docs. | Package inventory, architecture rules, subsystem behavior, detailed change recipes. |
+| Current application architecture | `docs/policy/architecture.md` | System shape, normative ownership, dependency direction, architectural boundaries, invariants, safety properties, and non-goals. | Concrete package inventory, implementation mechanics, contributor procedures, decision history, future work. |
+| Documentation organization | `docs/policy/documentation.md` | Documentation ownership, audience boundaries, maintenance rules, and ADR/document lifecycle. | Application architecture or product behavior. |
+| Testing policy | `docs/policy/testing.md` | Test philosophy, risk-based sufficiency, test boundaries, doubles, coverage guidance, regression-test policy, and criteria for adding, rewriting, or deleting tests. | Subsystem behavior, application contracts, subsystem-specific test inventories, and implementation plans. |
+| CLI contract | `docs/cli.md` | Commands, arguments, flags, invocation semantics, output conventions, and exit behavior. | End-to-end operating procedures, configuration field definitions, runtime filesystem layout, stage implementation details. |
+| Configuration contract | `docs/config.md` | Discovery and precedence, file schemas, fields, defaults, environment overrides, validation rules, and user-selectable stage or integration settings. | Complete example files, CLI syntax, runtime state lifecycle, implementation details. |
+| Operations | `docs/operations.md` | Runtime workflows, physical filesystem and remote-state layout, output and diagnostic handling, resume, cleanup, permissions, recovery, and operational limits. | CLI flag syntax, configuration field definitions, logical artifact schemas, implementation mechanics. |
+| Troubleshooting | `docs/troubleshooting.md` | Symptom-driven diagnosis, likely causes, safe inspection steps and remedies, and links to relevant contracts. | CLI syntax, configuration definitions, operational procedures, integration contracts, implementation mechanics. |
+| Public HTTP contract, if introduced | `docs/api.md` | Routes, authentication, media types, request and response schemas, status codes, pagination, caching, idempotency, rate limits, and HTTP retry semantics. | Client walkthroughs, upstream or downstream integration internals, implementation detail. |
+| Consumer guidance, if a public package or API is introduced | `docs/consumers/` | Task-oriented use of the public interface, minimal client examples, and consumer responsibilities. | HTTP wire semantics, external protocol contracts, internal implementation detail. |
+| External and durable integration contracts | `docs/integrations/` | External file formats and protocols, upstream and downstream contracts, logical artifact paths and schemas, media types, and compatibility behavior. | Physical runtime placement and lifecycle, internal transformations, CLI syntax, configuration defaults. |
+| Implemented component inventory | `docs/internal/overview.md` | Current packages and components, their implemented responsibilities, and links to focused internal docs. | Normative architecture, contributor reading policy, external contracts. |
+| Internal component behavior | Other files under `docs/internal/` | Implementation flow, internal collaborators and state transitions, package-local guarantees and failures, and relevant tests. | Global architecture invariants, configuration definitions and defaults, external schemas, operator procedures. |
+| Architectural decision history | `docs/adr/` | Significant decisions, context, alternatives, rationale, consequences, and supersession history. | Current behavior reference, implementation status, task sequencing. |
+| Future work and implementation status | `docs/roadmap/` | Proposed, accepted, deferred, or rejected work; implementation status; sequencing; and task breakdowns. | Implemented behavior reference and architectural decision rationale. |
+| Complete copyable artifacts | `examples/` | Maintained configuration, inputs, and other files intended to be copied or run. | Field-by-field reference, command reference, prose explanation. |
+
+Documents that do not exist are required only when the corresponding interface
+or responsibility exists. Do not create placeholder API, consumer, integration,
+or operations documents for behavior the application does not have.
+
+## Boundary Rules
+
+### Orientation
+
+The README owns product orientation. The developer guide routes contributors.
+Architecture owns normative structure. Internal overview owns the current
+concrete component map. These documents may link to one another but should not
+maintain parallel package or behavior descriptions.
+
+### Commands, Configuration, Operations, And Troubleshooting
+
+CLI documentation answers how to invoke the application. Configuration
+documentation answers what settings mean. Operations answers what happens to
+runtime state and how to operate or recover the application. Troubleshooting
+starts from observable symptoms and links readers to the owning command,
+configuration, operational, or integration contract. When a workflow crosses
+these topics, choose the document that owns the task and link to the other
+contracts.
+
+### Contracts And Implementation
+
+Integration and API documents define externally observable shapes and
+semantics. Internal documents explain how Narratio implements or consumes those
+contracts. Internal docs may name a field, file, or protocol to identify a
+dependency, but must link to its canonical contract for the definition.
+
+### Security Topics
+
+This policy owns what documentation and examples may contain. Architecture owns
+application security invariants. Configuration owns credential-supply
+mechanisms. Operations owns permissions and handling of sensitive runtime
+artifacts. Troubleshooting owns safe diagnostic and remediation guidance.
+Internal docs own implementation mechanisms only.
+
+## Architecture Decision Records
+
+Use sequentially numbered ADR filenames such as
+`0001-record-architecture-decisions.md`. Follow the lightweight Nygard format:
+
+1. title;
+2. status;
+3. date;
+4. context;
+5. decision;
+6. alternatives considered;
+7. consequences.
+
+Treat the decision content of an accepted ADR as immutable. When a decision
+changes, create a new ADR and update the earlier ADR's status to superseded.
+Rejected architectural alternatives belong in the ADR; rejected product ideas
+belong in the roadmap.
+
+## Maintenance
+
+When behavior changes, update its canonical owner in the same change. If
+ownership moves, remove the old definition and replace it with a link where
+navigation remains useful.
+
+Before completing documentation work:
+
+- verify affected behavior and examples;
+- check commands, flags, fields, defaults, schemas, and paths against their
+  implementation;
+- keep unimplemented behavior in the roadmap, subject to the ADR exception;
+- remove stale references and validate links;
+- confirm that non-owning documents summarize and link rather than redefine;
+- confirm that no secrets or sensitive private data were added.

docs/policy/testing.md

@@ -0,0 +1,296 @@
+# Testing Policy
+
+## Purpose
+
+Our tests exist to make **incorrect changes expensive and correct changes cheap**.
+
+We do not optimize for test count, line coverage, exhaustive isolation, or the fewest possible tests. We optimize for sufficient confidence in important behavior while imposing as little unnecessary friction as possible on future development.
+
+## Every test has a cost
+
+Testing is not an unqualified good. Every test imposes both an immediate cost and a continuing lifetime cost.
+
+A test must be:
+
+- written and reviewed;
+- understood by future maintainers and coding agents;
+- executed in local and CI workflows;
+- diagnosed when it fails;
+- updated when legitimate behavior changes;
+- maintained as fixtures, APIs, and dependencies evolve; and
+- removed or rewritten when it becomes redundant, brittle, misleading, or obsolete.
+
+Tests also create cognitive and architectural friction. They can constrain refactoring, duplicate policy, slow feedback loops, add noise to failures, and cause harmless implementation changes to require unrelated edits across the suite.
+
+A test is warranted only when the confidence it provides justifies these costs.
+
+Apply this cost-benefit analysis at two levels:
+
+1. **Per test:** What realistic defect does this test detect, how consequential would that defect be, and is that protection worth the test's lifetime cost?
+2. **Across the suite:** Does this collection provide materially more confidence than a smaller, simpler suite would?
+
+The preferred test suite is a **lean suite that provides sufficient confidence in the risks that matter, without redundant or low-value tests**. We seek sufficient confidence with the least unnecessary testing friction, not the fewest possible tests.
+
+Some friction is intentional. Tests should make dangerous changes—such as breaking compatibility, corrupting data, violating security boundaries, or reintroducing subtle bugs—require deliberate review. They should not make ordinary internal changes needlessly expensive.
+
+The cost of a test is not a reason to omit testing by default. Do not cite maintenance cost abstractly. When omitting a plausible test, be able to state why the protected failure is low-risk, already covered, obvious, reversible, or cheaper to detect elsewhere. For consequential, subtle, or difficult-to-observe behavior, the presumption should favor testing.
+
+## Default testing style
+
+Use a **classical/Detroit-style** approach:
+
+- Test observable behavior, resulting state, contracts, and invariants.
+- Use real internal collaborators when they are fast and deterministic.
+- Use fakes, stubs, or mocks primarily at expensive, nondeterministic, destructive, or external boundaries.
+- Prefer package-level behavioral tests over tests coupled to private helpers or internal call sequences.
+- Treat exact collaborator interactions as testable behavior only when the interaction itself is a requirement.
+
+Examples of appropriate seams include clocks, randomness, subprocesses, remote APIs, object storage, email, and paid LLM calls.
+
+## Test execution requirements
+
+Tests in the default suite must be deterministic, offline, and independent of real credentials. They must not invoke paid APIs or depend on mutable external services. Tests that require live infrastructure must be explicitly opt-in and clearly separated from the default suite.
+
+Control clocks, randomness, environment variables, and other process-global or machine-specific state when they affect behavior. Tests should be safe to run repeatedly and alongside other tests without depending on execution order or state left by an earlier test.
+
+## What deserves tests
+
+Prioritize tests for:
+
+1. Public and package-level contracts.
+2. Domain rules and important invariants.
+3. Boundary conditions and malformed input.
+4. Failure handling, cancellation, retries, recovery, and partial success.
+5. Serialization, schemas, compatibility, and round trips.
+6. Previously observed or plausible regressions.
+7. Representative integration and end-to-end workflows.
+
+A package-level contract is behavior relied upon by another package or major collaborator, not every observable detail of a package implementation.
+
+For behavior involving **data integrity, destructive operations, compatibility, security, concurrency, idempotency, or recovery**, presume that durable tests are required unless the behavior is already credibly protected at another layer.
+
+Do not add tests merely because a function, branch, or line exists. Do not add a test when the same meaningful risk is already adequately protected elsewhere.
+
+## Choose the right test boundary
+
+Test through the narrowest stable boundary that expresses the behavior clearly.
+
+This is often the package API, but it may instead be:
+
+- a smaller pure function when dense domain logic is most clearly isolated there;
+- a package-level operation when several internal collaborators jointly produce the behavior; or
+- a larger integration boundary when correctness emerges from interaction with a real dependency.
+
+Do not force all behavior through oversized end-to-end tests. Do not test every private helper merely because it exists. Choose the boundary that gives durable confidence with the least incidental coupling.
+
+## Test behavior, not implementation
+
+A test should protect a decision, contract, or invariant—not memorialize the current implementation.
+
+Before adding or retaining a test, ask:
+
+> What realistic defect would this test catch?
+
+A test is suspect when its main purpose is to detect that someone:
+
+- changed an internal constant;
+- renamed or split a private helper;
+- reordered equivalent internal operations;
+- changed incidental formatting;
+- replaced one correct algorithm with another; or
+- refactored internal object structure without changing behavior.
+
+Refactoring should normally require no test edits unless the refactored structure is itself part of the contract.
+
+A test can be factually correct and still have negative value. Accurately describing current behavior is not enough; the protected behavior must be important enough to justify the future friction.
+
+## Expected effects of different changes
+
+Use the following expectations when evaluating test failures and test maintenance:
+
+| Change | Expected effect on tests |
+|---|---|
+| Internal refactor that preserves behavior | Existing tests should normally remain unchanged and continue to pass. |
+| Change to an internal default with no contractual significance | Behavioral tests should normally remain unchanged; tests should derive expectations from configuration or relationships rather than duplicate the old value. |
+| Intentional change to public behavior, policy, schema, or compatibility guarantees | The relevant tests should be reviewed and changed deliberately. |
+| Accidental violation of a contract or invariant | Tests should fail; fix the production code rather than rewriting the tests to accept the defect. |
+
+A test failing is not the same as a test needing to be edited. Many tests may correctly fail because of one production defect. The maintenance smell is a correct internal change that requires unrelated expectation updates throughout the suite.
+
+## Separate mechanism from policy
+
+Configurable thresholds and defaults must not be duplicated throughout the test suite.
+
+For example, do not encode an internal concurrency limit indirectly:
+
+```go
+// Production policy:
+const maxConcurrency = 4
+
+// Brittle test:
+err := startProcesses(5)
+require.Error(t, err)
+```
+
+Instead, test the mechanism relationally:
+
+```go
+const limit = 2
+runner := NewRunner(limit)
+
+require.NoError(t, runner.Start(limit))
+require.ErrorIs(t, runner.Start(limit+1), ErrTooMuchConcurrency)
+```
+
+The test should prove:
+
+- the configured limit is accepted; and
+- one beyond the configured limit is rejected.
+
+The production default should be tested exactly only when its literal value is itself a public, operational, safety, protocol, or compatibility requirement.
+
+Apply the same rule to limits, timeouts, capacities, retry counts, and ranges: test relationships and behavior, not duplicated literals.
+
+For concurrency limits, test both kinds of behavior when relevant:
+
+1. **Configuration enforcement:** invalid or excessive requested values are handled correctly.
+2. **Runtime enforcement:** observed peak concurrency never exceeds the configured limit.
+
+Use a test-controlled limit and measure the behavior relative to that limit. Do not merely assert today's default value.
+
+## Avoid semantic duplication across layers
+
+Each behavior should have a clear test owner.
+
+- Parser tests own parsing cases.
+- Validator tests own validation rules.
+- Domain tests own transformations and invariants.
+- Adapter tests own external integration behavior.
+- Orchestrator tests own coordination and failure propagation.
+- CLI tests own argument and configuration mapping.
+- End-to-end tests prove that representative assembled workflows work.
+
+Higher-level tests should not repeat every lower-level case. A single intentional policy change should not require unrelated edits across many test files.
+
+Tests that are individually reasonable may still be collectively redundant. Evaluate the marginal value of each additional test in light of the protection already provided by the rest of the suite.
+
+## Use test doubles deliberately
+
+Choose the least elaborate test double that provides the required control or observation.
+
+As a default:
+
+1. Prefer real collaborators when they are fast and deterministic.
+2. Use small in-memory fakes when realistic stateful behavior is helpful.
+3. Use stubs when a dependency only needs to provide controlled responses.
+4. Use mocks when the interaction itself is contractual.
+
+Mocks are appropriate when the contract includes facts such as:
+
+- a notification is sent exactly once;
+- a transaction is committed only after successful writes;
+- cancellation reaches a subprocess;
+- an expensive API is called no more than once; or
+- a security audit event is emitted.
+
+Do not use mocks merely to isolate every object or reproduce the implementation's call graph.
+
+## Go-specific guidance
+
+Use:
+
+- table-driven tests for meaningful behavioral categories and boundaries;
+- `t.TempDir()` for real filesystem behavior;
+- `httptest.Server` for realistic HTTP interactions;
+- fuzz tests for parsers, normalization, path handling, and broad input spaces;
+- golden files only when the complete output is intentionally stable;
+- integration tests where correctness depends on component interaction; and
+- a small number of representative end-to-end tests.
+
+Avoid exact error-string assertions unless the wording is itself contractual. Prefer `errors.Is`, `errors.As`, typed errors, or structured error fields.
+
+At CLI boundaries, prefer exit classifications, structured output, and the smallest stable semantic fragment needed to identify the error. Do not snapshot complete diagnostic wording unless it is contractual.
+
+Golden-file updates must require an explicit local flag. CI must not update golden files automatically, and reviewers must inspect the semantic diff before accepting an update.
+
+Keep tests readable and direct. Test helpers and fixture frameworks must earn their own maintenance cost; do not build elaborate test infrastructure for small or isolated needs.
+
+## Coverage
+
+Coverage is a diagnostic, not a target.
+
+Use it to find untested critical branches and unexpectedly weak packages. Do not write low-value tests solely to increase a percentage, and do not infer test quality from coverage alone.
+
+Pure domain logic will often warrant higher coverage than CLI wiring or external adapters. Uneven coverage is acceptable when it reflects risk.
+
+Increasing coverage is valuable only when the newly covered behavior protects a meaningful risk at an acceptable cost.
+
+## Regression tests
+
+A bug fix should normally include a regression test that fails before the fix and passes afterward.
+
+Retain the test when the defect could realistically recur and its consequences justify the ongoing cost. Prefer the narrowest durable test of the violated contract or invariant; do not preserve accidental implementation details from the original bug.
+
+Not every historical bug requires a permanent test. If the underlying design has made recurrence impossible, the test has become redundant, or a stronger invariant test now subsumes it, remove or consolidate it.
+
+## Deleting or rewriting tests
+
+Tests are maintained code, not permanent historical artifacts.
+
+Delete or rewrite a test when its maintenance cost exceeds the confidence it provides.
+
+Strong candidates include tests that:
+
+- require updates after harmless internal changes;
+- directly assert private constants without protecting a real contract;
+- duplicate the same policy across several layers;
+- verify mock choreography rather than outcomes;
+- snapshot large amounts of incidental output;
+- test trivial private helpers already exercised through stable package behavior;
+- protect risks already covered more effectively elsewhere;
+- are flaky, misleading, obsolete, or disproportionately expensive to diagnose; or
+- no longer correspond to a plausible failure mode.
+
+Several brittle tests may encode one genuine requirement. Replace them with one durable behavior-level or invariant test rather than preserving all of them.
+
+Deleting a low-value test can improve the quality of the suite by reducing noise, maintenance burden, and friction around legitimate change.
+
+## Reviewing a proposed test
+
+Use the following questions when the value, boundary, or durability of a proposed test is not self-evident. Significant test additions should be reviewable against them, but written answers are not required for every routine test.
+
+1. What realistic defect would it catch?
+2. How likely is that defect?
+3. How consequential would it be?
+4. Is the behavior already protected elsewhere?
+5. At which layer should this behavior be owned?
+6. Does the test assert a durable contract or an incidental implementation detail?
+7. Could the implementation be refactored without changing the behavior and without editing this test?
+8. What should cause this test to fail?
+9. What legitimate changes should not cause this test to fail?
+10. What ongoing maintenance, execution, and diagnostic cost will the test impose?
+11. Is there a smaller or more direct test that protects the same risk?
+
+Do not add the test when its expected lifetime cost exceeds its expected protective value.
+
+When deciding not to test plausible behavior, record or be able to explain why the risk is low, already protected, obvious, reversible, or cheaper to detect elsewhere.
+
+## Definition of sufficient
+
+A test suite is sufficient when:
+
+- important contracts and invariants are protected;
+- meaningful boundaries and failure modes are exercised;
+- realistic and consequential regressions are credibly protected against silent recurrence;
+- behavior involving data integrity, destructive operations, compatibility, security, concurrency, idempotency, and recovery is credibly protected;
+- important external boundaries have realistic integration coverage;
+- representative complete workflows are tested;
+- failures provide useful signal rather than redundant noise;
+- legitimate internal changes usually do not require test edits; and
+- additional tests would mostly repeat existing protection or preserve inconsequential implementation details.
+
+Sufficiency is a risk judgment, not a coverage percentage or test count. Reassess it as the application, its users, and the consequences of failure evolve.
+
+The governing rule is:
+
+> Test heavily where failure is consequential, subtle, or difficult to detect after the fact. Test lightly where failure is obvious, reversible, and inexpensive—and retain no test whose lifetime cost exceeds the confidence it provides.

docs/roadmap/notarius-extract-stage.md

@@ -0,0 +1,379 @@
+# Notarius Extraction Stage
+
+## Status
+
+Proposed.
+
+## Purpose
+
+Add a first-class Narratio `extract` stage that runs Notarius against the
+session's final trimmed transcript, validates and collects the resulting
+structured D&D artifacts, and registers those artifacts for later use by the
+`analyze` and `publish` stages.
+
+This feature should integrate Notarius through Narratio's existing stage,
+adapter, manifest, workspace, and artifact-catalog boundaries. It must not turn
+Narratio into a generic workflow engine or a second configuration language for
+Notarius pipelines.
+
+## User Outcome
+
+An operator can enable one configured Notarius pipeline for a Narratio
+campaign. During a normal run, Narratio will:
+
+1. finish producing the session transcript tiers;
+2. invoke Notarius once with the final trimmed Seriatim JSON transcript;
+3. collect and validate the configured structured artifact lanes;
+4. record their exact files and provenance in the Narratio manifest; and
+5. make those artifacts selectable as inputs to Scriptorium artifacts in the
+   later `analyze` stage.
+
+The maintained D&D example should demonstrate all ten lanes emitted by
+Notarius's complete `dnd-session` pipeline.
+
+## Target Stage Architecture
+
+### Canonical Order
+
+The canonical stage order becomes:
+
+```text
+prepare -> transcribe -> merge -> polish -> normalize -> trim -> render
+        -> extract -> analyze -> publish -> notify
+```
+
+`extract` is deliberately after all transcript-producing stages and before
+analysis. Its source document is the manifest-resolved
+`narratio.transcript.final_trimmed` artifact, normally
+`transcripts/final.trimmed.json`. It does not consume rendered Markdown.
+
+Adding the stage must update full-plan construction, explicit stage selection,
+downstream invalidation, prerequisite checks, resume behavior, run manifests,
+CLI stage validation and help, and every canonical-stage inventory. Forcing an
+upstream transcript stage must stale a previously successful `extract` stage
+and its downstream stages. Forcing `extract` must stale `analyze`, `publish`,
+and `notify` according to existing rules.
+
+### Stage Boundary
+
+The stage owns Narratio policy and state transitions:
+
+- resolve the final trimmed transcript through the runtime artifact catalog;
+- build a Narratio-level Notarius request from validated configuration and
+  run-local paths;
+- call a narrow Notarius adapter;
+- apply the configured required-output policy;
+- materialize the validated bundle into its canonical session location;
+- return manifest-ready artifact references and bounded metadata; and
+- fail without marking the stage successful when any required contract or
+  materialization step fails.
+
+The stage must not construct subprocess arguments, infer Notarius output
+filenames, parse provider logs, or decode individual D&D payload bodies.
+
+### Adapter Boundary
+
+Add a dedicated Notarius adapter package with a small interface, production
+subprocess implementation, and test fake. Its request should contain only the
+resolved Notarius binary, configuration path, pipeline ID, transcript path,
+output root, working directory, timeout, and process-log destinations needed
+for one run.
+
+The adapter owns:
+
+- optional `notarius config validate` preflight for the configured pipeline;
+- exact `notarius run ... --json` argument construction;
+- stdout and stderr separation;
+- context cancellation and timeout propagation through Narratio's shared
+  subprocess boundary;
+- exit-status handling;
+- decoding the `notarius.run-result.v1` success receipt;
+- receipt and index path-confinement checks;
+- decoding `index.json` and resolving descriptor paths safely beneath the
+  reported output directory; and
+- returning a transport-neutral result containing the bundle location,
+  receipt summary, lane descriptors, pipeline-wide descriptors, warnings and
+  rejection locations, and diagnostic log paths.
+
+Only exit status zero permits receipt decoding. Receipt, index, or descriptor
+paths that are absolute where a logical relative path is required, or that
+escape their owning root, are integration failures. Unknown fields in a
+supported receipt or index schema should be tolerated. Unsupported schema
+versions and incompatible descriptor metadata should fail clearly.
+
+The adapter must not write Narratio manifests, choose required lanes, decide
+analysis inputs, or contain D&D domain logic.
+
+## Configuration Contract
+
+Add a strict optional `pipeline.notarius` configuration section. Omission or
+`enabled: false` keeps the current workflow usable and causes `extract` to
+self-skip without outputs.
+
+The section should provide:
+
+- `enabled`: explicit opt-in;
+- `binary`: Notarius executable, defaulting to `notarius`;
+- `config_path`: required when enabled;
+- `pipeline_id`: required when enabled;
+- `timeout`: a positive stage timeout with a documented default;
+- `working_directory`: optional explicit subprocess working directory,
+  defaulting to the directory containing `config_path`; and
+- an `outputs` map defining the Notarius lane artifacts Narratio promises to
+  collect.
+
+Each output-map key is a stable Narratio extraction key. Each value must define:
+
+- the exact Notarius `lane_id`;
+- the expected `media_type`;
+- the expected `schema_id`;
+- the expected `schema_version`; and
+- optionally an expected `module_key` when the operator needs to constrain the
+  producing module as part of compatibility.
+
+Narratio derives the downstream source ID
+`narratio.extraction.<output-key>` from the map key. Keys and lane IDs must be
+non-empty, unique after normalization, path-safe under the existing artifact
+policy, and collision-free with built-in and configured artifact identities.
+Every configured output is required: a successful Notarius process that omits
+one, rejects it, or reports incompatible descriptor metadata fails the
+`extract` stage.
+
+This explicit map keeps Narratio's consumer contract stable when a Notarius
+lane ID or schema changes and avoids hard-coding the current D&D family into a
+generic adapter. It also replaces a separate `required_lanes` list, which would
+duplicate configuration.
+
+Narratio should not reproduce Notarius lane selection, references, LLM
+profiles, model settings, retries, concurrency, or prompt configuration. Those
+remain in the referenced Notarius configuration. Narratio should not expose a
+runtime lane-selection flag for `extract`; one stage invocation runs the
+configured Notarius pipeline as a unit.
+
+All configured paths should become absolute during Narratio configuration
+resolution. The deterministic default working directory allows a Notarius
+profile path relative to that directory, but operator documentation should
+still recommend absolute deployment paths where practical. Notarius reference
+paths continue to follow Notarius's own configuration-relative rules.
+
+## Output And Artifact Model
+
+### Canonical Bundle
+
+Run Notarius against a run-local output root. After all configured descriptors
+are validated, materialize the contents of the exact run-specific Notarius
+bundle into a fixed canonical session directory:
+
+```text
+artifacts/notarius/
+```
+
+Preserve its relative layout, including `index.json`, `manifest.json`,
+`rejected.json`, `warnings.json`, `lanes/`, and any indexed `chunk-map.json` or
+`evidence-context.json`. Materialize the complete directory as one narrow,
+transactional replacement so a failed or interrupted rerun cannot mix files
+from different Notarius runs.
+
+The raw subprocess receipt and stderr log belong in the run-local `extract`
+report and log directories. The raw receipt identifies the original run-local
+Notarius bundle and must not be rewritten to pretend that the canonical copy
+was its original `output_directory`. Narratio's manifest is the durable ledger
+for the canonical materialized paths.
+
+### Registered Artifact Sources
+
+For each configured output, locate the lane through the canonical copy of
+`index.json` and record a manifest artifact with:
+
+- source ID `narratio.extraction.<output-key>`;
+- canonical lane-file path discovered from the index;
+- producer stage and Narratio run ID;
+- checksum;
+- Notarius lane ID; and
+- descriptor media type, schema identity/version, and module key when present.
+
+If the current manifest model cannot carry descriptor compatibility metadata,
+extend its artifact metadata in a backward-tolerant way rather than encoding
+that information in filenames or source IDs.
+
+Also record the canonical Notarius index as a stage output or stage metadata so
+operators can discover the complete bundle, including non-lane artifacts. The
+configured lane sources are the stable interface for analysis; the index and
+bundle remain the provenance and inspection interface.
+
+## Analysis And Publish Integration
+
+Extend the runtime artifact catalog and configured Scriptorium input validation
+so an enabled analysis artifact can declare, for example:
+
+```yaml
+inputs:
+  npc_registry:
+    source: narratio.extraction.npc_registry
+```
+
+Resolution must remain manifest-first and verify that the recorded artifact
+was produced by a successful current `extract` stage. A required extraction
+source that is unavailable must fail analysis with guidance to configure or
+rerun `extract`; an optional source may be omitted according to the existing
+Scriptorium input contract.
+
+Publish source resolution should accept configured
+`narratio.extraction.<output-key>` sources through the same artifact catalog so
+operators may publish selected structured artifacts without manually copying
+paths. The existing `--artifacts` flag remains scoped to Scriptorium artifact
+selection and must not partially execute the Notarius pipeline.
+
+No current-session analysis artifact should consume an incidental file from a
+failed, stale, skipped, or superseded extraction run.
+
+## Failure, Skip, Resume, And Diagnostics
+
+- Missing or invalid enabled Notarius configuration fails configuration
+  validation before stage execution where statically discoverable.
+- A disabled or absent Notarius configuration makes `extract` skip with clear
+  stage metadata and no new outputs.
+- A missing or invalid final trimmed transcript fails `extract` before starting
+  Notarius.
+- Preflight failure, nonzero Notarius exit, cancellation, timeout, malformed or
+  unsupported receipt/index data, unsafe paths, incompatible descriptors,
+  rejected required outputs, or missing configured lanes fails the entire
+  stage.
+- Process success does not override Narratio's required-output policy.
+- A failed run retains bounded run-local receipt bytes, stderr, and the
+  unpublished Notarius bundle for diagnosis, subject to Narratio's existing
+  sensitive-data and cleanup policies.
+- The canonical bundle and manifest artifacts are updated only after complete
+  validation and materialization.
+- Resume skips a succeeded, non-stale `extract` stage only when its
+  manifest-recorded canonical index and configured lane outputs still validate.
+- Force and staleness behavior follows the ordinary stage contract; it must not
+  depend on merely finding `artifacts/notarius/` on disk.
+
+Transcripts, Notarius outputs, evidence context, manifests, receipts, and logs
+are private campaign material. Subprocess arguments and manifest metadata must
+not contain secrets. Credentials remain in the environment or in mechanisms
+owned by Notarius and PromptKit.
+
+## Maintained D&D Example
+
+Add or update a Narratio example that enables Notarius's complete
+`dnd-session` pipeline and maps these ten required lanes to stable extraction
+keys:
+
+| Output key | Notarius lane ID |
+| --- | --- |
+| `item_registry` | `item-registry` |
+| `npc_registry` | `npc-registry` |
+| `location_registry` | `location-registry` |
+| `scene_descriptions` | `scene-descriptions` |
+| `item_occurrences` | `item-occurrences` |
+| `spells` | `spells` |
+| `combat_turns` | `combat-turns` |
+| `npc_occurrences` | `npc-occurrences` |
+| `location_occurrences` | `location-occurrences` |
+| `enemy_events` | `enemy-events` |
+
+The example must include each lane's current media type and schema identity
+from Notarius's published contracts. It should also demonstrate at least one
+Scriptorium analysis artifact consuming one or more
+`narratio.extraction.*` sources. The example must use placeholders and relative
+paths suitable for the example tree, contain no credentials, and pass the
+repository's configuration validation tests.
+
+## Compatibility Policy
+
+The initial integration baseline is the public subprocess contract available
+in Notarius v0.3.0:
+
+- successful JSON receipt schema `notarius.run-result.v1`;
+- production JSON bundle discovery through `index.json`; and
+- the schema IDs and versions explicitly configured for required lanes.
+
+Runtime compatibility should be decided from those published contracts, not
+from textual parsing of `notarius --version`. New optional receipt or index
+fields must not break Narratio. An unsupported receipt version or lane schema
+must fail before the artifact is registered for analysis.
+
+## Documentation Deliverables When Implemented
+
+Update current-behavior documentation in the same change that implements the
+feature:
+
+- add `docs/integrations/notarius.md` for the external CLI, receipt, bundle,
+  and adapter contract, linking to Notarius's canonical documentation;
+- add `docs/internal/stage-extract.md` for stage inputs, outputs, collaborators,
+  state transitions, failures, and focused tests;
+- update `docs/internal/adapters.md`, `docs/internal/artifacts.md`,
+  `docs/internal/manifest.md`, and the internal stage inventory;
+- update `docs/policy/architecture.md` to list Notarius among isolated external
+  systems and preserve the adapter/stage boundary;
+- update `docs/config.md`, `docs/cli.md`, `docs/operations.md`,
+  `docs/troubleshooting.md`, `README.md`, and maintained examples only to the
+  extent their canonical scopes require; and
+- update `docs/development.md` only to the extent its canonical contributor
+  routing scope requires.
+
+Outside this roadmap, do not describe `extract`, Notarius configuration, or
+`narratio.extraction.*` sources as implemented until the code exists.
+
+## Testing And Validation Expectations
+
+Implementation should provide focused tests for:
+
+- strict configuration decoding, defaults, required fields, path resolution,
+  output-map validation, normalized-key collisions, and example loading;
+- exact stage order, selection, downstream staleness, resume, force, and
+  prerequisite behavior;
+- adapter command construction, deterministic working directory, environment
+  inheritance, stdout/stderr separation, cancellation, timeout, and nonzero
+  exits;
+- supported and unsupported receipt versions, unknown optional fields,
+  malformed receipts, index decoding, and path escapes at every boundary;
+- descriptor lookup by lane ID rather than filename, expected metadata checks,
+  missing/rejected configured lanes, and tolerated unconfigured lanes;
+- run-local execution, transactional canonical-bundle replacement, checksums,
+  failed-run preservation, and manifest recording;
+- artifact-catalog resolution from `narratio.extraction.*` into analysis and
+  publish, including required, optional, missing, stale, and skipped cases; and
+- end-to-end stage execution with a fake Notarius adapter, without live LLM or
+  external subprocess requirements in the ordinary test suite.
+
+Run the repository-wide Go tests, vet, build, and maintained example validation
+after focused tests pass.
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+
+- `extract` is a first-class transactional stage between `render` and
+  `analyze` everywhere Narratio models stage order or state.
+- Narratio invokes Notarius only through a narrow, tested adapter.
+- The stage consumes the manifest-resolved final trimmed Seriatim transcript.
+- The Notarius configuration remains owned by Notarius; Narratio configures
+  only invocation and its downstream consumer contract.
+- Every configured output is discovered through the receipt and `index.json`,
+  contract-checked, materialized transactionally, and recorded with a stable
+  `narratio.extraction.*` source ID.
+- The complete D&D example maps all ten current lanes and passes strict config
+  validation.
+- Analysis can consume extraction sources through the existing artifact input
+  model, and publish can select them through the artifact catalog.
+- Failed, partial, rejected, unsafe, stale, or incompatible output never becomes
+  a current analysis input.
+- Resume and force behavior remains manifest-driven.
+- Documentation accurately describes the implemented stage, adapter,
+  configuration, operations, and compatibility boundary without duplicating
+  Notarius's canonical schemas.
+
+## Non-Goals
+
+- Reimplementing Notarius extraction, prompts, schemas, references, retries,
+  profiles, or lane orchestration in Narratio.
+- Allowing one Narratio run to invoke arbitrary extractor programs or multiple
+  Notarius pipelines.
+- Making `extract` a configurable DAG or folding it into the Scriptorium
+  `analyze` stage.
+- Partially selecting Notarius lanes through Narratio's `--artifacts` flag.
+- Decoding D&D payload bodies in the generic Notarius adapter.
+- Supporting previous-session extraction artifacts in the initial feature.
+- Requiring live Notarius, PromptKit, an LLM provider, or external services in
+  the ordinary unit test suite.

docs/troubleshooting.md

@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ Safe fix:
 
 - pass explicit `--config`, `--campaign` or `--campaign-file`, and `--session`.
 
+Relevant reference: [Configuration discovery](./config.md#discovery-and-selection).
+
 ## Session template placeholders rejected
 
 Symptom:
@@ -44,6 +46,8 @@ Safe fix:
 
 - generate concrete session YAML with `narratio session init`.
 
+Relevant reference: [Operations: Session Initialization](./operations.md#session-initialization).
+
 ## Strict decode or schema validation failure
 
 Symptom:
@@ -62,7 +66,10 @@ narratio session plan 2026-04-04 --config /path/pipeline.yml --campaign-file /pa
 
 Safe fix:
 
-- align config with [docs/config.md](./config.md) and maintained files under `examples/`.
+- align config with [Configuration](./config.md) and the
+  [maintained examples](../examples/README.md).
+
+Relevant reference: [Configuration](./config.md).
 
 ## Audio mode conflict
 
@@ -74,10 +81,18 @@ Likely cause:
 
 - configured both local and S3 session audio inputs.
 
+Diagnostics:
+
+```bash
+narratio session validate 2026-04-04
+```
+
 Safe fix:
 
 - use local mode (`audio_dir` or `audio_files`) or S3 mode (`audio_s3.prefix`), not both.
 
+Relevant reference: [Session configuration](./config.md#session).
+
 ## `--artifacts` selection error
 
 Symptom:
@@ -90,10 +105,18 @@ Likely causes:
 - empty list entry (for example trailing comma);
 - `run-stage` used with non-`analyze`/`publish` target.
 
+Diagnostics:
+
+```bash
+narratio session artifacts 2026-04-04
+```
+
 Safe fix:
 
 - provide only configured keys and use `--artifacts` with supported commands/stages.
 
+Relevant reference: [CLI artifact selection](./cli.md).
+
 ## Previous-session artifact input missing
 
 Symptom:
@@ -124,6 +147,8 @@ or rerun prepare after correcting session config:
 narratio run-stage prepare 2026-04-04 --force
 ```
 
+Relevant reference: [Operations: Restore Workflow](./operations.md#restore-workflow).
+
 ## Session lock conflict (`.lock`)
 
 Symptom:
@@ -147,6 +172,8 @@ Safe fix:
 - wait for active process completion;
 - remove stale lock only after confirming no live process owns it.
 
+Relevant reference: [Operations: Local State Layout](./operations.md#local-state-layout).
+
 ## Restore conflict without `--force`
 
 Symptom:
@@ -168,6 +195,8 @@ Safe fix:
 - review conflicts;
 - rerun with `--force` only when remote state should overwrite local.
 
+Relevant reference: [Operations: Restore Workflow](./operations.md#restore-workflow).
+
 ## Restore current-state discovery failure
 
 Symptom:
@@ -191,6 +220,8 @@ Safe fix:
 - resolve storage/auth issue;
 - republish from healthy local state if current pointer is missing.
 
+Relevant reference: [Operations: Publish Workflow](./operations.md#publish-workflow).
+
 ## Publish output failure
 
 Symptom:
@@ -217,6 +248,36 @@ Safe fix:
 - correct publish source/destination rules;
 - retry after storage failure is resolved.
 
+Relevant reference: [Publish configuration](./config.md#publish-configuration-summary).
+
+## Render markdown source missing
+
+Symptom:
+
+- analyze or publish fails because `narratio.transcript.final_markdown` or `narratio.transcript.final_trimmed_markdown` is unavailable.
+
+Likely causes:
+
+- render stage was not executed after transcript changes;
+- render stage failed before producing canonical markdown outputs.
+
+Diagnostics:
+
+```bash
+narratio session status 2026-04-04
+```
+
+Safe fix:
+
+- rerun render and then retry downstream stage(s):
+
+```bash
+narratio run-stage render 2026-04-04 --force
+narratio run-stage analyze 2026-04-04 --force
+```
+
+Relevant reference: [Operations: Stage Execution](./operations.md#stage-execution-and-continuation-behavior).
+
 ## Secrets or storage credential failure
 
 Symptom:
@@ -242,6 +303,8 @@ Safe fix:
 - provide required env vars;
 - keep secret values out of YAML.
 
+Relevant reference: [Secrets](./config.md#secrets-handling).
+
 ## S3 audio prepare failure
 
 Symptom:
@@ -257,7 +320,7 @@ Likely causes:
 Diagnostics:
 
 ```bash
-narratio run-stage prepare 2026-04-04 --force
+narratio session validate 2026-04-04
 ```
 
 Safe fix:
@@ -265,6 +328,8 @@ Safe fix:
 - verify prefix contents and storage access;
 - keep session audio mode consistent.
 
+Relevant reference: [Operations](./operations.md).
+
 ## References
 
 - [docs/cli.md](./cli.md)

examples/README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+# Maintained Examples
+
+These files are safe, copyable starting points for Narratio configuration and
+input structure. Replace placeholder identifiers, storage names, integration
+URLs, and paths for the target environment. Field meanings and defaults belong
+in the [configuration reference](../docs/config.md).
+
+## Pipeline Configuration
+
+- [Minimal pipeline](pipeline.minimal.yml): campaign discovery plus the required
+  WhisperX URL.
+- [Production-shaped pipeline](pipeline.production.yml): S3 storage, publish,
+  external tools, and configured Scriptorium artifacts.
+- [Full annotated pipeline](pipeline.full.annotated.yml): every implemented
+  pipeline section with explanatory comments.
+
+The existing `internal/config` example test loads and validates each pipeline
+with the sample campaign and a compatible local- or S3-audio session.
+
+## Campaign And Session Configuration
+
+- [Sample campaign](campaigns/sample-campaign/campaign.yml), its
+  [session template](campaigns/sample-campaign/session.template.yml), and its
+  adjacent stable inputs provide a complete campaign directory shape.
+- [Local-audio session](session.local-audio.yml) and
+  [S3-audio session](session.s3-audio.yml) are concrete session files.
+- [Session template](session.template.yml) and the campaign-local equivalent
+  demonstrate the narrow placeholder syntax consumed by `session init`; they
+  are templates, not runtime session files.
+
+## Input Fixtures
+
+- [Speakers](speakers.yml), [autocorrect](autocorrect.yml), and
+  [glossary](glossary.yml) show the standalone input shapes.
+- The sample campaign references its local
+  [speakers](campaigns/sample-campaign/speakers.yml),
+  [autocorrect](campaigns/sample-campaign/autocorrect.yml),
+  [glossary](campaigns/sample-campaign/glossary.yml),
+  [players](campaigns/sample-campaign/players.yml), and
+  [party](campaigns/sample-campaign/party.yml) fixtures.
+- [Sample speaker audio](audio/sample-speaker.flac) is a text placeholder that
+  reserves the expected filename and directory shape. Replace it with a real
+  FLAC file before running transcription.
+
+The examples contain environment-variable names but no credential values. They
+use fictional campaign content and reserved example domains.

examples/campaigns/sample-campaign/campaign.yml

@@ -4,3 +4,5 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml

examples/campaigns/sample-campaign/party.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+- name: Example Hero
+  type: pc

examples/campaigns/sample-campaign/players.yml

@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+- name: Example Player
+  role: player

examples/campaigns/sample-campaign/speakers.yml

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 match:
-  - speaker: "Eric Rakestraw"
+  - speaker: "Example Speaker"
     match:
-      - "Eric_Rakestraw"
-      - "Eric"
+      - "Example_Speaker"
+      - "Example"

examples/pipeline.full.annotated.yml

@@ -48,6 +48,12 @@ publish:
     - source: narratio.transcript.final_trimmed
       dest: transcripts/final.trimmed.json
       required: true
+    - source: narratio.transcript.final_markdown
+      dest: transcripts/final.md
+      required: true
+    - source: narratio.transcript.final_trimmed_markdown
+      dest: transcripts/final.trimmed.md
+      required: true
     - source: narratio.artifact.session_recap
       dest: artifacts/session_recap.md
       required: true
@@ -104,17 +110,16 @@ normalize:
   report: true
 
 trim:
-  # Keep disabled unless bounds prompt integration is configured.
-  enabled: false
+  # Optional; defaults shown explicitly.
+  enabled: true
   output_path: transcripts/final.trimmed.json
   bounds:
     prompt_id: dnd.session_bounds
-    profile_id: local-fast
+    profile_id: ""
     transcript_input_name: transcript
-    output_path: reports/session_bounds.json
+    output_path: artifacts/session_bounds.json
     timeout: 10m
     render_debug: false
-    render_output_path: reports/session_bounds.render.json
   seriatim:
     report: false
 
@@ -138,6 +143,15 @@ scriptorium:
         previous_recap:
           source: narratio.previous_session.artifact.session_recap
           required: false
+        players:
+          source: narratio.input.players
+          required: true
+        party:
+          source: narratio.input.party
+          required: true
+        glossary:
+          source: narratio.input.glossary
+          required: false
       vars:
         session_id: true
         session_date: true

examples/pipeline.production.yml

@@ -26,6 +26,12 @@ publish:
     - source: narratio.transcript.final_trimmed
       dest: transcripts/final.trimmed.json
       required: true
+    - source: narratio.transcript.final_markdown
+      dest: transcripts/final.md
+      required: true
+    - source: narratio.transcript.final_trimmed_markdown
+      dest: transcripts/final.trimmed.md
+      required: true
     - source: narratio.artifact.session_recap
       dest: artifacts/session_recap.md
       required: true
@@ -65,9 +71,6 @@ normalize:
   output_schema: seriatim-intermediate
   report: true
 
-trim:
-  enabled: false
-
 scriptorium:
   binary: scriptorium
   config_path: /usr/local/etc/scriptorium/config.yml
@@ -87,6 +90,15 @@ scriptorium:
         previous_recap:
           source: narratio.previous_session.artifact.session_recap
           required: false
+        players:
+          source: narratio.input.players
+          required: true
+        party:
+          source: narratio.input.party
+          required: true
+        glossary:
+          source: narratio.input.glossary
+          required: false
       vars:
         session_id: true
         session_date: true

examples/speakers.yml

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 match:
-  - speaker: "Eric Rakestraw"
+  - speaker: "Example Speaker"
     match:
-      - "Eric_Rakestraw"
-      - "Eric"
+      - "Example_Speaker"
+      - "Example"

internal/adapters/seriatim/fake.go

@@ -68,6 +68,26 @@ func (n *NoopRunner) Normalize(ctx context.Context, req NormalizeRequest) (Norma
 	}, nil
 }
 
+// Render returns the requested output path with placeholder metadata.
+func (n *NoopRunner) Render(ctx context.Context, req RenderRequest) (RenderResult, error) {
+	if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
+		return RenderResult{}, err
+	}
+	if err := materializeRenderPlaceholders(req); err != nil {
+		return RenderResult{}, err
+	}
+	return RenderResult{
+		OutputRenderedPath:  req.OutputRenderedPath,
+		StdoutLogPath:       req.StdoutLogPath,
+		StderrLogPath:       req.StderrLogPath,
+		GeneratedConfigPath: req.GeneratedConfigPath,
+		InvokedBinary:       "noop",
+		Format:              req.Format,
+		Title:               req.Title,
+		Metadata:            map[string]any{"placeholder": true},
+	}, nil
+}
+
 // FakeRunner captures merge requests and returns deterministic responses.
 type FakeRunner struct {
 	Requests          []MergeRequest
@@ -79,6 +99,9 @@ type FakeRunner struct {
 	TrimRequests      []TrimRequest
 	TrimErr           error
 	TrimResult        TrimResult
+	RenderRequests    []RenderRequest
+	RenderErr         error
+	RenderResult      RenderResult
 }
 
 // Run records request and returns configured response.
@@ -195,6 +218,46 @@ func (f *FakeRunner) Normalize(ctx context.Context, req NormalizeRequest) (Norma
 	return res, nil
 }
 
+// Render records request and returns configured response.
+func (f *FakeRunner) Render(ctx context.Context, req RenderRequest) (RenderResult, error) {
+	if err := ctx.Err(); err != nil {
+		return RenderResult{}, err
+	}
+	f.RenderRequests = append(f.RenderRequests, req)
+	if f.RenderErr != nil {
+		return RenderResult{}, f.RenderErr
+	}
+	if err := materializeRenderPlaceholders(req); err != nil {
+		return RenderResult{}, err
+	}
+	res := f.RenderResult
+	if res.OutputRenderedPath == "" {
+		res.OutputRenderedPath = req.OutputRenderedPath
+	}
+	if res.StdoutLogPath == "" {
+		res.StdoutLogPath = req.StdoutLogPath
+	}
+	if res.StderrLogPath == "" {
+		res.StderrLogPath = req.StderrLogPath
+	}
+	if res.GeneratedConfigPath == "" {
+		res.GeneratedConfigPath = req.GeneratedConfigPath
+	}
+	if res.InvokedBinary == "" {
+		res.InvokedBinary = "fake"
+	}
+	if res.Format == "" {
+		res.Format = req.Format
+	}
+	if res.Title == "" {
+		res.Title = req.Title
+	}
+	if res.Metadata == nil {
+		res.Metadata = map[string]any{"fake": true}
+	}
+	return res, nil
+}
+
 func materializePlaceholders(req MergeRequest) error {
 	if req.OutputMergedTranscriptPath != "" {
 		if err := subprocess.WriteFileAtomic(req.OutputMergedTranscriptPath, []byte(`{"schema":"seriatim.intermediate.v1","segments":[]}`), 0o644); err != nil {
@@ -301,3 +364,39 @@ func materializeNormalizePlaceholders(req NormalizeRequest) error {
 	}
 	return nil
 }
+
+func materializeRenderPlaceholders(req RenderRequest) error {
+	if req.OutputRenderedPath != "" {
+		if err := subprocess.WriteFileAtomic(req.OutputRenderedPath, []byte("# Transcript\n\nRendered markdown placeholder.\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("write rendered transcript %q: %w", req.OutputRenderedPath, err)
+		}
+	}
+	if req.GeneratedConfigPath != "" {
+		payload := map[string]any{
+			"schema":              "seriatim.generated.v1",
+			"placeholder":         true,
+			"command":             "render",
+			"input_path":          req.InputTranscriptPath,
+			"output_path":         req.OutputRenderedPath,
+			"format":              req.Format,
+			"title":               req.Title,
+			"include_timestamps":  req.IncludeTimestamps,
+			"include_segment_ids": req.IncludeSegmentIDs,
+			"include_metadata":    req.IncludeMetadata,
+		}
+		if err := subprocess.WriteYAMLAtomic(req.GeneratedConfigPath, payload, 0o644); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("write generated config %q: %w", req.GeneratedConfigPath, err)
+		}
+	}
+	if req.StdoutLogPath != "" {
+		if err := subprocess.WriteFileAtomic(req.StdoutLogPath, []byte("seriatim noop/fake render stdout placeholder\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("write stdout log %q: %w", req.StdoutLogPath, err)
+		}
+	}
+	if req.StderrLogPath != "" {
+		if err := subprocess.WriteFileAtomic(req.StderrLogPath, []byte("seriatim noop/fake render stderr placeholder\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("write stderr log %q: %w", req.StderrLogPath, err)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}

internal/adapters/seriatim/fake_test.go

@@ -148,3 +148,58 @@ func TestFakeRunnerNormalizeError(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("expected error, got nil")
 	}
 }
+
+func TestFakeRunnerRenderCapturesRequestAndReturnsPath(t *testing.T) {
+	fake := &FakeRunner{}
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	req := RenderRequest{
+		GeneratedConfigPath: filepath.Join(dir, "config", "seriatim.render.yml"),
+		InputTranscriptPath: filepath.Join(dir, "transcripts", "final.trimmed.json"),
+		OutputRenderedPath:  filepath.Join(dir, "transcripts", "final.trimmed.md"),
+		Format:              "markdown",
+		Title:               "Session render",
+		IncludeTimestamps:   true,
+		IncludeSegmentIDs:   false,
+		IncludeMetadata:     true,
+		StdoutLogPath:       filepath.Join(dir, "logs", "seriatim.render.stdout.log"),
+		StderrLogPath:       filepath.Join(dir, "logs", "seriatim.render.stderr.log"),
+	}
+
+	res, err := fake.Render(context.Background(), req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Render() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(fake.RenderRequests) != 1 || fake.RenderRequests[0].GeneratedConfigPath == "" {
+		t.Fatalf("render requests = %#v, want captured request", fake.RenderRequests)
+	}
+	if res.OutputRenderedPath != req.OutputRenderedPath {
+		t.Fatalf("rendered path = %q, want %q", res.OutputRenderedPath, req.OutputRenderedPath)
+	}
+	if res.Format != req.Format {
+		t.Fatalf("format = %q, want %q", res.Format, req.Format)
+	}
+	if res.Title != req.Title {
+		t.Fatalf("title = %q, want %q", res.Title, req.Title)
+	}
+
+	cfgData, err := os.ReadFile(req.GeneratedConfigPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read generated config: %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(string(cfgData), "command: render") {
+		t.Fatalf("generated config = %q, want render command marker", string(cfgData))
+	}
+	for _, path := range []string{req.StdoutLogPath, req.StderrLogPath, req.OutputRenderedPath} {
+		if _, err := os.Stat(path); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("expected file %q to exist: %v", path, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFakeRunnerRenderError(t *testing.T) {
+	fake := &FakeRunner{RenderErr: errors.New("boom")}
+	_, err := fake.Render(context.Background(), RenderRequest{})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error, got nil")
+	}
+}

internal/adapters/seriatim/runner.go

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-// Package seriatim declares the adapter contract for transcript merge/normalize/trim execution.
+// Package seriatim declares the adapter contract for transcript merge/normalize/trim/render execution.
 package seriatim
 
 import (
@@ -6,11 +6,12 @@ import (
 	"time"
 )
 
-// Runner is the adapter boundary for seriatim merge/normalize/trim invocations.
+// Runner is the adapter boundary for seriatim merge/normalize/trim/render invocations.
 type Runner interface {
 	Run(ctx context.Context, req MergeRequest) (MergeResult, error)
 	Normalize(ctx context.Context, req NormalizeRequest) (NormalizeResult, error)
 	Trim(ctx context.Context, req TrimRequest) (TrimResult, error)
+	Render(ctx context.Context, req RenderRequest) (RenderResult, error)
 }
 
 // MergeRequest describes a seriatim merge invocation.
@@ -90,3 +91,33 @@ type TrimResult struct {
 	KeepSelector        string
 	Metadata            map[string]any
 }
+
+// RenderRequest describes a seriatim render invocation.
+type RenderRequest struct {
+	Binary              string
+	InputTranscriptPath string
+	OutputRenderedPath  string
+	Format              string
+	Title               string
+	IncludeTimestamps   bool
+	IncludeSegmentIDs   bool
+	IncludeMetadata     bool
+	StdoutLogPath       string
+	StderrLogPath       string
+	GeneratedConfigPath string
+	Timeout             time.Duration
+}
+
+// RenderResult describes a render output.
+type RenderResult struct {
+	OutputRenderedPath  string
+	StdoutLogPath       string
+	StderrLogPath       string
+	GeneratedConfigPath string
+	ExitCode            int
+	Duration            time.Duration
+	InvokedBinary       string
+	Format              string
+	Title               string
+	Metadata            map[string]any
+}

internal/adapters/seriatim/subprocess.go

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import (
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
+	"unicode/utf8"
 
 	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/adapters/subprocess"
 )
@@ -384,6 +385,96 @@ func (r *SubprocessRunner) Normalize(ctx context.Context, req NormalizeRequest)
 	}, nil
 }
 
+// Render executes Seriatim render with deterministic flags and validates non-empty text output.
+func (r *SubprocessRunner) Render(ctx context.Context, req RenderRequest) (RenderResult, error) {
+	if r == nil {
+		return RenderResult{}, fmt.Errorf("seriatim subprocess runner is nil")
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(req.InputTranscriptPath) == "" {
+		return RenderResult{}, fmt.Errorf("seriatim render input path is required")
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(req.OutputRenderedPath) == "" {
+		return RenderResult{}, fmt.Errorf("seriatim render output path is required")
+	}
+	format := strings.TrimSpace(req.Format)
+	if format == "" {
+		format = "markdown"
+	}
+	if format != "markdown" {
+		return RenderResult{}, fmt.Errorf("seriatim render format %q is unsupported", req.Format)
+	}
+
+	binary := r.binary
+	if strings.TrimSpace(req.Binary) != "" {
+		binary = strings.TrimSpace(req.Binary)
+	}
+
+	timeout := r.timeout
+	if req.Timeout < 0 {
+		return RenderResult{}, fmt.Errorf("seriatim render timeout must be >= 0")
+	}
+	if req.Timeout > 0 {
+		timeout = req.Timeout
+	}
+
+	args := buildRenderArgs(req, format)
+	if req.GeneratedConfigPath != "" {
+		if err := writeRenderInvocationConfig(req, args, binary, timeout, format); err != nil {
+			return RenderResult{}, fmt.Errorf("write seriatim render invocation config %q: %w", req.GeneratedConfigPath, err)
+		}
+	}
+
+	runRes, err := subprocess.Run(ctx, subprocess.RunRequest{
+		Executable:    binary,
+		Args:          args,
+		Timeout:       timeout,
+		StdoutLogPath: req.StdoutLogPath,
+		StderrLogPath: req.StderrLogPath,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return RenderResult{
+			OutputRenderedPath:  req.OutputRenderedPath,
+			StdoutLogPath:       req.StdoutLogPath,
+			StderrLogPath:       req.StderrLogPath,
+			GeneratedConfigPath: req.GeneratedConfigPath,
+			ExitCode:            runRes.ExitCode,
+			Duration:            runRes.Duration,
+			InvokedBinary:       binary,
+			Format:              format,
+			Title:               req.Title,
+		}, fmt.Errorf("run seriatim render (binary=%q): %w", binary, err)
+	}
+
+	if err := validateNonEmptyTextFile(req.OutputRenderedPath); err != nil {
+		return RenderResult{
+			OutputRenderedPath:  req.OutputRenderedPath,
+			StdoutLogPath:       req.StdoutLogPath,
+			StderrLogPath:       req.StderrLogPath,
+			GeneratedConfigPath: req.GeneratedConfigPath,
+			ExitCode:            runRes.ExitCode,
+			Duration:            runRes.Duration,
+			InvokedBinary:       binary,
+			Format:              format,
+			Title:               req.Title,
+		}, fmt.Errorf("validate seriatim rendered output %q: %w", req.OutputRenderedPath, err)
+	}
+
+	return RenderResult{
+		OutputRenderedPath:  req.OutputRenderedPath,
+		StdoutLogPath:       req.StdoutLogPath,
+		StderrLogPath:       req.StderrLogPath,
+		GeneratedConfigPath: req.GeneratedConfigPath,
+		ExitCode:            runRes.ExitCode,
+		Duration:            runRes.Duration,
+		InvokedBinary:       binary,
+		Format:              format,
+		Title:               req.Title,
+		Metadata: map[string]any{
+			"adapter": "seriatim_subprocess",
+		},
+	}, nil
+}
+
 func (r *SubprocessRunner) buildMergeArgs(req MergeRequest) []string {
 	args := []string{"merge"}
 
@@ -480,6 +571,22 @@ func buildNormalizeArgs(req NormalizeRequest, outputSchema string) []string {
 	return args
 }
 
+func buildRenderArgs(req RenderRequest, format string) []string {
+	args := []string{
+		"render",
+		"--input-file", req.InputTranscriptPath,
+		"--output-file", req.OutputRenderedPath,
+		"--format", format,
+		"--include-timestamps=" + strconv.FormatBool(req.IncludeTimestamps),
+		"--include-segment-ids=" + strconv.FormatBool(req.IncludeSegmentIDs),
+		"--include-metadata=" + strconv.FormatBool(req.IncludeMetadata),
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(req.Title) != "" {
+		args = append(args, "--title", req.Title)
+	}
+	return args
+}
+
 func writeTrimInvocationConfig(req TrimRequest, args []string, binary string, timeout time.Duration) error {
 	payload := map[string]any{
 		"schema":        "seriatim.generated.v1",
@@ -509,6 +616,24 @@ func writeNormalizeInvocationConfig(req NormalizeRequest, args []string, binary
 	return subprocess.WriteYAMLAtomic(req.GeneratedConfigPath, payload, 0o644)
 }
 
+func writeRenderInvocationConfig(req RenderRequest, args []string, binary string, timeout time.Duration, format string) error {
+	payload := map[string]any{
+		"schema":              "seriatim.generated.v1",
+		"command":             "render",
+		"binary":              binary,
+		"args":                args,
+		"timeout":             timeout.String(),
+		"input_path":          req.InputTranscriptPath,
+		"output_path":         req.OutputRenderedPath,
+		"format":              format,
+		"title":               req.Title,
+		"include_timestamps":  req.IncludeTimestamps,
+		"include_segment_ids": req.IncludeSegmentIDs,
+		"include_metadata":    req.IncludeMetadata,
+	}
+	return subprocess.WriteYAMLAtomic(req.GeneratedConfigPath, payload, 0o644)
+}
+
 func validateJSONFile(path string) error {
 	data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -541,3 +666,20 @@ func validateJSONFileWithSegments(path string) error {
 	}
 	return nil
 }
+
+func validateNonEmptyTextFile(path string) error {
+	data, err := os.ReadFile(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("read file: %w", err)
+	}
+	if len(data) == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("file is empty")
+	}
+	if !utf8.Valid(data) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("file is not valid utf-8 text")
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(string(data)) == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("file has no non-whitespace content")
+	}
+	return nil
+}

internal/adapters/seriatim/subprocess_test.go

@@ -569,6 +569,156 @@ func TestSubprocessRunnerNormalizeInvalidReportJSONFails(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestSubprocessRunnerRenderSuccessInvocationAndProvenance(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("helper wrapper script uses /bin/sh")
+	}
+
+	t.Setenv("GO_WANT_SERIATIM_HELPER", "1")
+	t.Setenv("SERIATIM_HELPER_MODE", "render_success")
+	recordPath := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "record.json")
+	t.Setenv("SERIATIM_HELPER_RECORD_PATH", recordPath)
+
+	wrapper := writeHelperWrapper(t)
+	runner := mustRunner(t, wrapper, false)
+	req := renderReqForTest(t)
+
+	res, err := runner.Render(context.Background(), req)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Render() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if res.OutputRenderedPath != req.OutputRenderedPath {
+		t.Fatalf("OutputRenderedPath = %q, want %q", res.OutputRenderedPath, req.OutputRenderedPath)
+	}
+	if res.Format != req.Format {
+		t.Fatalf("Format = %q, want %q", res.Format, req.Format)
+	}
+	if res.Title != req.Title {
+		t.Fatalf("Title = %q, want %q", res.Title, req.Title)
+	}
+	if res.InvokedBinary != wrapper {
+		t.Fatalf("InvokedBinary = %q, want %q", res.InvokedBinary, wrapper)
+	}
+	if res.ExitCode != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("ExitCode = %d, want 0", res.ExitCode)
+	}
+	if res.Duration <= 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("Duration = %s, want >0", res.Duration)
+	}
+	if res.Metadata == nil || res.Metadata["adapter"] != "seriatim_subprocess" {
+		t.Fatalf("Metadata = %#v, want adapter marker", res.Metadata)
+	}
+
+	if _, err := os.Stat(req.OutputRenderedPath); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("rendered output missing: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(req.StdoutLogPath); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("stdout log missing: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(req.StderrLogPath); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("stderr log missing: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(req.GeneratedConfigPath); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("generated config missing: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	rec := readHelperRecord(t, recordPath)
+	wantArgs := []string{
+		"render",
+		"--input-file", req.InputTranscriptPath,
+		"--output-file", req.OutputRenderedPath,
+		"--format", req.Format,
+		"--include-timestamps=true",
+		"--include-segment-ids=true",
+		"--include-metadata=false",
+		"--title", req.Title,
+	}
+	if strings.Join(rec.Args, "\n") != strings.Join(wantArgs, "\n") {
+		t.Fatalf("args = %#v, want %#v", rec.Args, wantArgs)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSubprocessRunnerRenderWithoutTitleOmitsTitleArg(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("helper wrapper script uses /bin/sh")
+	}
+	t.Setenv("GO_WANT_SERIATIM_HELPER", "1")
+	t.Setenv("SERIATIM_HELPER_MODE", "render_success")
+	recordPath := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "record.json")
+	t.Setenv("SERIATIM_HELPER_RECORD_PATH", recordPath)
+
+	runner := mustRunner(t, writeHelperWrapper(t), false)
+	req := renderReqForTest(t)
+	req.Title = ""
+	if _, err := runner.Render(context.Background(), req); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Render() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	rec := readHelperRecord(t, recordPath)
+	for i := 0; i < len(rec.Args); i++ {
+		if rec.Args[i] == "--title" {
+			t.Fatalf("args = %#v, did not expect --title", rec.Args)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSubprocessRunnerRenderSubprocessFailure(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("helper wrapper script uses /bin/sh")
+	}
+	t.Setenv("GO_WANT_SERIATIM_HELPER", "1")
+	t.Setenv("SERIATIM_HELPER_MODE", "fail")
+	t.Setenv("SERIATIM_HELPER_RECORD_PATH", filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "record.json"))
+
+	runner := mustRunner(t, writeHelperWrapper(t), false)
+	req := renderReqForTest(t)
+	_, err := runner.Render(context.Background(), req)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("Render() error = nil, want non-nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "run seriatim render") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want subprocess context", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSubprocessRunnerRenderMissingOutputFails(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("helper wrapper script uses /bin/sh")
+	}
+	t.Setenv("GO_WANT_SERIATIM_HELPER", "1")
+	t.Setenv("SERIATIM_HELPER_MODE", "missing_output")
+	t.Setenv("SERIATIM_HELPER_RECORD_PATH", filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "record.json"))
+
+	runner := mustRunner(t, writeHelperWrapper(t), false)
+	req := renderReqForTest(t)
+	_, err := runner.Render(context.Background(), req)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("Render() error = nil, want non-nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "validate seriatim rendered output") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want output validation context", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestSubprocessRunnerRenderEmptyOutputFails(t *testing.T) {
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("helper wrapper script uses /bin/sh")
+	}
+	t.Setenv("GO_WANT_SERIATIM_HELPER", "1")
+	t.Setenv("SERIATIM_HELPER_MODE", "render_empty_output")
+	t.Setenv("SERIATIM_HELPER_RECORD_PATH", filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "record.json"))
+
+	runner := mustRunner(t, writeHelperWrapper(t), false)
+	req := renderReqForTest(t)
+	_, err := runner.Render(context.Background(), req)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("Render() error = nil, want non-nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "file is empty") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want empty-file validation", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
 func TestSubprocessRunnerConstructorValidation(t *testing.T) {
 	_, err := NewSubprocessRunnerFromConfigValues("", "10m", "seriatim-intermediate", nil, true, EnvConfig{})
 	if err == nil {
@@ -702,6 +852,14 @@ func TestSeriatimSubprocessHelper(t *testing.T) {
 	case "normalize_report_missing":
 		writeSeriatimHelperFile(outputPath, `{"schema":"seriatim.intermediate.v1","segments":[]}`)
 		os.Exit(0)
+	case "render_success":
+		writeSeriatimHelperFile(outputPath, "# Rendered transcript\n\nHello.\n")
+		_, _ = os.Stdout.WriteString("seriatim helper render stdout\n")
+		_, _ = os.Stderr.WriteString("seriatim helper render stderr\n")
+		os.Exit(0)
+	case "render_empty_output":
+		writeSeriatimHelperFile(outputPath, "")
+		os.Exit(0)
 	default:
 		_, _ = os.Stderr.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("unknown helper mode %q\n", mode))
 		os.Exit(2)
@@ -777,6 +935,25 @@ func normalizeReqForTest(t *testing.T, withReport bool) NormalizeRequest {
 	return req
 }
 
+func renderReqForTest(t *testing.T) RenderRequest {
+	t.Helper()
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	input := filepath.Join(dir, "final.trimmed.json")
+	writeSeriatimFile(t, input, `{"schema":"seriatim.intermediate.v1","segments":[]}`)
+	return RenderRequest{
+		InputTranscriptPath: input,
+		OutputRenderedPath:  filepath.Join(dir, "final.trimmed.md"),
+		Format:              "markdown",
+		Title:               "Session 42",
+		IncludeTimestamps:   true,
+		IncludeSegmentIDs:   true,
+		IncludeMetadata:     false,
+		GeneratedConfigPath: filepath.Join(dir, "seriatim.render.generated.yml"),
+		StdoutLogPath:       filepath.Join(dir, "seriatim.render.stdout.log"),
+		StderrLogPath:       filepath.Join(dir, "seriatim.render.stderr.log"),
+	}
+}
+
 func mustRunner(t *testing.T, binary string, report bool) *SubprocessRunner {
 	t.Helper()
 	coalesce := 3.0

internal/app/analyze_artifacts_commands_test.go

@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ func TestRunArtifactsWithSucceededAnalyzeSkipsUnlessForced(t *testing.T) {
 
 	store := &manifest.LocalStore{}
 	seed := manifest.New("2026-05-03", time.Date(2026, 5, 3, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC))
-	for _, stageName := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
+	for _, stageName := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
 		seed.MarkStageSucceeded(stageName, time.Date(2026, 5, 3, 10, 1, 0, 0, time.UTC), nil)
 	}
 	if err := store.Save(context.Background(), manifestPath, seed); err != nil {
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ func TestRunArtifactsWithSucceededAnalyzeSkipsUnlessForced(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Run() error = %v", err)
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "executed=0 skipped=9") {
+	if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "executed=0 skipped=10") {
 		t.Fatalf("output = %q, want all stages skipped", out.String())
 	}
 }

internal/app/commands.go

@@ -51,8 +51,3 @@ func Execute(args []string, stdout, stderr io.Writer) int {
 func printUsage(w io.Writer) {
 	fmt.Fprintf(w, "Usage: narratio <%s>\n", strings.Join(supportedCommands, "|"))
 }
-
-func placeholder(out io.Writer, command string) error {
-	_, err := fmt.Fprintf(out, "narratio %s: not yet implemented\n", command)
-	return err
-}

internal/app/commands_test.go

@@ -31,8 +31,8 @@ func TestExecuteValidCommands(t *testing.T) {
 		args    []string
 		wantOut string
 	}{
-		{name: "run", args: []string{"run", "2026-05-03", "--config", pipelinePath, "--campaign-file", campaignPath, "--session", sessionPath}, wantOut: "narratio run: session 2026-05-03; executed=9 skipped=0; manifest="},
-		{name: "session plan", args: []string{"session", "plan", "2026-05-03", "--config", pipelinePath, "--campaign-file", campaignPath, "--session", sessionPath}, wantOut: "prepare: skip\ntranscribe: skip\nmerge: skip\npolish: skip\nnormalize: skip\ntrim: skip\nanalyze: skip\npublish: skip\nnotify: skip"},
+		{name: "run", args: []string{"run", "2026-05-03", "--config", pipelinePath, "--campaign-file", campaignPath, "--session", sessionPath}, wantOut: "narratio run: session 2026-05-03; executed=10 skipped=0; manifest="},
+		{name: "session plan", args: []string{"session", "plan", "2026-05-03", "--config", pipelinePath, "--campaign-file", campaignPath, "--session", sessionPath}, wantOut: "prepare: skip\ntranscribe: skip\nmerge: skip\npolish: skip\nnormalize: skip\ntrim: skip\nrender: skip\nanalyze: skip\npublish: skip\nnotify: skip"},
 		{name: "session status", args: []string{"session", "status", "2026-05-03", "--config", pipelinePath, "--campaign-file", campaignPath, "--session", sessionPath}, wantOut: "Session: 2026-05-03"},
 		{name: "run-stage", args: []string{"run-stage", "polish", "2026-05-03", "--config", pipelinePath, "--campaign-file", campaignPath, "--session", sessionPath}, wantOut: "narratio run-stage: stage=polish executed=0 skipped=1 force=false; manifest="},
 	}
@@ -227,6 +227,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(pipelinePath, []byte(pipelineYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write pipeline.yml: %v", err)
@@ -290,6 +292,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(pipelinePath, []byte(pipelineYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write pipeline.yml: %v", err)
@@ -331,7 +335,7 @@ func TestExecuteUsesDefaultPipelineConfigPathWhenConfigFlagOmitted(t *testing.T)
 	if code != 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("exit code = %d, want 0; stderr=%q", code, stderr.String())
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(stdout.String(), "narratio run: session 2026-05-03; executed=9 skipped=0; manifest=") {
+	if !strings.Contains(stdout.String(), "narratio run: session 2026-05-03; executed=10 skipped=0; manifest=") {
 		t.Fatalf("stdout = %q, want successful run output", stdout.String())
 	}
 }
@@ -385,10 +389,14 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `)
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(otherDir, "speakers.yml"), "match:\n  - speaker: Alice\n    match: [\"alice\"]\n")
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(otherDir, "autocorrect.yml"), "[]\n")
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(otherDir, "glossary.yml"), "[]\n")
+	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(otherDir, "players.yml"), "[]\n")
+	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(otherDir, "party.yml"), "[]\n")
 
 	var stdout bytes.Buffer
 	var stderr bytes.Buffer
@@ -466,10 +474,13 @@ func writeValidConfigFiles(t *testing.T, workspaceRoot string, transcribeURL ...
 		url = transcribeURL[0]
 	}
 	seriatimBinary := writeSeriatimAppTestWrapper(t)
+	scriptoriumBinary := writeScriptoriumAppTestWrapper(t)
 	auditaBinary := writeAuditaAppTestWrapper(t)
 	t.Setenv("GO_WANT_APP_SERIATIM_HELPER", "1")
+	t.Setenv("GO_WANT_APP_SCRIPTORIUM_HELPER", "1")
 	t.Setenv("GO_WANT_APP_AUDITA_HELPER", "1")
 	t.Setenv("AUDITA_LLM_API_KEY", "test-audita-key")
+	t.Setenv("PATH", filepath.Dir(scriptoriumBinary)+string(os.PathListSeparator)+os.Getenv("PATH"))
 
 	pipelineYAML := `workspace:
   root: ` + workspaceRoot + `
@@ -514,6 +525,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 
 	if err := os.WriteFile(pipelinePath, []byte(pipelineYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
@@ -532,6 +545,8 @@ inputs:
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(campaignDir, "speakers.yml"), "match:\n  - speaker: Alice\n    match: [\"alice\"]\n")
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(campaignDir, "autocorrect.yml"), "[]\n")
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(campaignDir, "glossary.yml"), "[]\n")
+	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(campaignDir, "players.yml"), "[]\n")
+	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(campaignDir, "party.yml"), "[]\n")
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(dir, "audio", "alice.flac"), "audio-bytes")
 
 	return pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath
@@ -545,6 +560,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(campaignPath, []byte(campaignYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write campaign.yml: %v", err)
@@ -591,6 +608,60 @@ func writeSeriatimAppTestWrapper(t *testing.T) string {
 	return path
 }
 
+func writeScriptoriumAppTestWrapper(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	exe, err := os.Executable()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("os.Executable() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "scriptorium")
+	content := "#!/bin/sh\nexec \"" + exe + "\" -test.run=TestScriptoriumAppHelper -- \"$@\"\n"
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(content), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("WriteFile(%q): %v", path, err)
+	}
+	return path
+}
+
+func TestScriptoriumAppHelper(t *testing.T) {
+	if os.Getenv("GO_WANT_APP_SCRIPTORIUM_HELPER") != "1" {
+		return
+	}
+
+	args := os.Args
+	start := -1
+	for i := range args {
+		if args[i] == "--" {
+			start = i + 1
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	if start < 0 || start >= len(args) {
+		_, _ = os.Stderr.WriteString("missing -- args separator\n")
+		os.Exit(2)
+	}
+	runArgs := args[start:]
+
+	outputPath := appSeriatimFlagValue(runArgs, "--out")
+	if strings.TrimSpace(outputPath) == "" {
+		outputPath = appSeriatimFlagValue(runArgs, "--output")
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(outputPath) == "" {
+		_, _ = os.Stderr.WriteString("missing output flag\n")
+		os.Exit(2)
+	}
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(outputPath), 0o755); err != nil {
+		_, _ = os.Stderr.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("mkdir output dir: %v\n", err))
+		os.Exit(2)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(outputPath, []byte(`{"trim_action":"copy","warnings":[]}`), 0o644); err != nil {
+		_, _ = os.Stderr.WriteString(fmt.Sprintf("write output: %v\n", err))
+		os.Exit(2)
+	}
+	_, _ = os.Stdout.WriteString("scriptorium helper stdout\n")
+	_, _ = os.Stderr.WriteString("scriptorium helper stderr\n")
+	os.Exit(0)
+}
+
 func TestSeriatimAppHelper(t *testing.T) {
 	if os.Getenv("GO_WANT_APP_SERIATIM_HELPER") != "1" {
 		return

internal/app/operator_artifact_rendering.go

@@ -32,15 +32,10 @@ func buildHelperArtifactCatalog(cfg *config.Config) (*artifacts.ArtifactCatalog,
 func writeArtifactList(out io.Writer, cfg *config.Config, catalog *artifacts.ArtifactCatalog, locks *effectiveLocks, publishedRemoteState map[string]string) {
 	lockSet := lockSourceSet(locks.All)
 	fmt.Fprintln(out, "Built-in:")
-	for _, id := range []string{
-		artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptBase,
-		artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptPolished,
-		artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptFinal,
-		artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmed,
-		artifacts.ArtifactBoundsSession,
-	} {
-		writeArtifactLine(out, id, lockSet)
+	for _, transcript := range artifacts.RuntimeTranscriptArtifacts() {
+		writeArtifactLine(out, transcript.SourceID, lockSet)
 	}
+	writeArtifactLine(out, artifacts.ArtifactBoundsSession, lockSet)
 	fmt.Fprintln(out, "Configured:")
 	for _, entry := range catalog.ListConfigured() {
 		writeArtifactLine(out, entry.SourceID, lockSet)

internal/app/operator_helpers_test.go

@@ -109,12 +109,16 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write explicit campaign: %v", err)
 	}
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(explicitDir, "speakers.yml"), "match:\n  - speaker: Alice\n    match: [\"alice\"]\n")
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(explicitDir, "autocorrect.yml"), "[]\n")
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(explicitDir, "glossary.yml"), "[]\n")
+	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(explicitDir, "players.yml"), "[]\n")
+	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(explicitDir, "party.yml"), "[]\n")
 
 	fake := &storage.FakeBackend{}
 	var storeInitCalls int
@@ -445,6 +449,9 @@ inputs:
 	if !strings.Contains(stdout.String(), "OK    audio") {
 		t.Fatalf("stdout = %q, want OK audio", stdout.String())
 	}
+	if !strings.Contains(stdout.String(), "OK    inputs     players:") || !strings.Contains(stdout.String(), "OK    inputs     party:") {
+		t.Fatalf("stdout = %q, want players and party input findings", stdout.String())
+	}
 }
 
 func TestExecuteLocksAddListAndRemoveUseRemoteLockStore(t *testing.T) {
@@ -862,6 +869,8 @@ func TestExecuteStatusReportsRemoteArtifactCatalog(t *testing.T) {
 		"narratio.transcript.final_trimmed locked",
 		"narratio.transcript.final_trimmed locked remote=published",
 		"narratio.transcript.final dest=transcripts/full.json remote=published",
+		"Stable input players:",
+		"Stable input party:",
 	} {
 		if !strings.Contains(out, want) {
 			t.Fatalf("stdout = %q, want %q", out, want)
@@ -997,11 +1006,13 @@ func TestExecutePublishLoadsRemoteLocks(t *testing.T) {
 	restoreAppConfigTestGlobals(t, fake, &storeInitCalls, []string{sessionPath})
 
 	workRoot := filepath.Join(workspaceRoot, "work", "sample-campaign", "2026-05-03")
-	for _, stageName := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "analyze"} {
+	for _, stageName := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze"} {
 		// The publish stage only checks the manifest statuses and source files.
 		_ = stageName
 	}
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(workRoot, "transcripts", "final.trimmed.json"), `{"segments":[]}`)
+	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(workRoot, "transcripts", "final.md"), "# final\n")
+	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(workRoot, "transcripts", "final.trimmed.md"), "# final trimmed\n")
 
 	var stdout bytes.Buffer
 	var stderr bytes.Buffer
@@ -1065,7 +1076,7 @@ func writeValidPublishRunConfigFiles(t *testing.T, workspaceRoot string) (string
 	m := manifest.New("2026-05-03", nowUTC())
 	m.Campaign = "sample-campaign"
 	m.RunID = "20260521T160000Z-test"
-	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "analyze"} {
+	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze"} {
 		m.MarkStageSucceeded(name, nowUTC(), nil)
 	}
 	path := artifacts.SessionManifestPathForCampaign(cfg.Pipeline.Workspace.Root, cfg.Session.Campaign, cfg.Session.SessionID)

internal/app/operator_inspection.go

@@ -57,6 +57,8 @@ func inspectStableInputs(cfg *config.Config) []stableInputCheck {
 		{name: "speakers", in: cfg.StableInputs.SpeakersFile},
 		{name: "autocorrect", in: cfg.StableInputs.AutocorrectFile},
 		{name: "glossary", in: cfg.StableInputs.GlossaryFile},
+		{name: "players", in: cfg.StableInputs.PlayersFile},
+		{name: "party", in: cfg.StableInputs.PartyFile},
 	}
 	out := make([]stableInputCheck, 0, len(items))
 	for _, item := range items {

internal/app/plan_test.go

@@ -27,12 +27,12 @@ func TestPlanCreatesAndReusesWorkdir(t *testing.T) {
 	if !strings.Contains(got, "narratio session plan: workdir prepared at") {
 		t.Fatalf("first output = %q, want workdir prepared", got)
 	}
-	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
+	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
 		if !strings.Contains(got, name+": run") {
 			t.Fatalf("first output = %q, missing stage %q", got, name)
 		}
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(got, "totals: run=9 skip=0") {
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "totals: run=10 skip=0") {
 		t.Fatalf("first output = %q, want totals", got)
 	}
 
@@ -84,8 +84,8 @@ func TestPlanShowsRunAndSkipFromManifest(t *testing.T) {
 	if !strings.Contains(got, "trim: run") {
 		t.Fatalf("output = %q, want trim run", got)
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(got, "totals: run=7 skip=2") {
-		t.Fatalf("output = %q, want totals run=7 skip=2", got)
+	if !strings.Contains(got, "totals: run=8 skip=2") {
+		t.Fatalf("output = %q, want totals run=8 skip=2", got)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -118,6 +118,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(pipelinePath, []byte(pipelineYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write pipeline.yml: %v", err)

internal/app/planner_test.go

@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import "testing"
 
 func TestBuildFullPlanOrder(t *testing.T) {
 	got := BuildFullPlan()
-	want := []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "analyze", "publish", "notify"}
+	want := []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze", "publish", "notify"}
 	if len(got) != len(want) {
 		t.Fatalf("len(plan) = %d, want %d", len(got), len(want))
 	}

internal/app/post_publish_cleanup_test.go

@@ -355,7 +355,7 @@ func publishStageCleanupFixture(t *testing.T) (*config.Config, cleanupSeed, stri
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Load() error = %v", err)
 	}
-	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "analyze"} {
+	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze"} {
 		seedManifest.MarkStageSucceeded(name, time.Now().UTC(), nil)
 	}
 	seedManifest.S3SessionPrefix = artifacts.S3SessionPrefix("dnd", cfg.Session.Campaign, cfg.Session.SessionID)

internal/app/restore_test.go

@@ -397,6 +397,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(pipelinePath, []byte(pipelineYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write pipeline config: %v", err)
@@ -407,6 +409,8 @@ inputs:
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(dir, "speakers.yml"), "alice: alice.flac\n")
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(dir, "autocorrect.yml"), "[]\n")
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(dir, "glossary.yml"), "[]\n")
+	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(dir, "players.yml"), "[]\n")
+	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(dir, "party.yml"), "[]\n")
 	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(dir, "audio", "alice.flac"), "audio-bytes")
 
 	return pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath

internal/app/run_control_test.go

@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ func TestDecideStageActions(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestDownstreamStageNames(t *testing.T) {
 	got := downstreamStageNames("polish")
-	want := []string{"normalize", "trim", "analyze", "publish", "notify"}
+	want := []string{"normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze", "publish", "notify"}
 	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
 		t.Fatalf("downstreamStageNames(polish) = %#v, want %#v", got, want)
 	}
@@ -52,12 +52,13 @@ func TestInvalidateDownstreamSucceededStages(t *testing.T) {
 	m.MarkStageSucceeded("polish", now, nil)
 	m.MarkStageSucceeded("normalize", now, nil)
 	m.MarkStageSucceeded("trim", now, nil)
+	m.MarkStageSucceeded("render", now, nil)
 	m.MarkStageFailed("analyze", now, "analysis failed")
 	m.MarkStageSucceeded("publish", now, nil)
 	m.MarkStageSucceeded("notify", now, nil)
 
 	got := invalidateDownstreamSucceededStages(m, "polish", now.Add(1*time.Second))
-	want := []string{"normalize", "trim", "publish", "notify"}
+	want := []string{"normalize", "trim", "render", "publish", "notify"}
 	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
 		t.Fatalf("invalidateDownstreamSucceededStages() = %#v, want %#v", got, want)
 	}

internal/app/run_stage_test.go

@@ -36,8 +36,8 @@ func TestRunContinuesAfterCompletedStages(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Run() error = %v", err)
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "executed=7 skipped=2") {
-		t.Fatalf("output = %q, want executed=7 skipped=2", out.String())
+	if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "executed=8 skipped=2") {
+		t.Fatalf("output = %q, want executed=8 skipped=2", out.String())
 	}
 
 	loaded, err := store.Load(context.Background(), manifestPath)
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ func TestRunNoRemainingStagesRecordsSkippedStages(t *testing.T) {
 
 	store := &manifest.LocalStore{}
 	m := manifest.New("2026-05-03", time.Date(2026, 5, 3, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC))
-	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
+	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
 		m.MarkStageSucceeded(name, time.Date(2026, 5, 3, 10, 1, 0, 0, time.UTC), nil)
 	}
 	if err := store.Save(context.Background(), manifestPath, m); err != nil {
@@ -68,8 +68,8 @@ func TestRunNoRemainingStagesRecordsSkippedStages(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Run() error = %v", err)
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "executed=0 skipped=9") {
-		t.Fatalf("output = %q, want executed=0 skipped=9", out.String())
+	if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "executed=0 skipped=10") {
+		t.Fatalf("output = %q, want executed=0 skipped=10", out.String())
 	}
 }
 
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ func TestRunForceRerunsSucceeded(t *testing.T) {
 
 	store := &manifest.LocalStore{}
 	m := manifest.New("2026-05-03", time.Date(2026, 5, 3, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC))
-	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
+	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
 		m.MarkStageSucceeded(name, time.Date(2026, 5, 3, 10, 1, 0, 0, time.UTC), nil)
 	}
 	if err := store.Save(context.Background(), manifestPath, m); err != nil {
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ func TestRunForceRerunsSucceeded(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Run() error = %v", err)
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "executed=9 skipped=0") {
+	if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "executed=10 skipped=0") {
 		t.Fatalf("output = %q, want forced full rerun", out.String())
 	}
 }
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ func TestRunStageForceMarksDownstreamStaleAndRunContinuesFromStale(t *testing.T)
 
 	store := &manifest.LocalStore{}
 	seed := manifest.New("2026-05-03", time.Date(2026, 5, 3, 10, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC))
-	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
+	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
 		seed.MarkStageSucceeded(name, time.Date(2026, 5, 3, 10, 1, 0, 0, time.UTC), nil)
 	}
 	if err := store.Save(context.Background(), manifestPath, seed); err != nil {
@@ -196,7 +196,7 @@ func TestRunStageForceMarksDownstreamStaleAndRunContinuesFromStale(t *testing.T)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("load manifest after force: %v", err)
 	}
-	for _, name := range []string{"normalize", "trim", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
+	for _, name := range []string{"normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
 		if afterForce.Stages[name] == nil || afterForce.Stages[name].Status != manifest.StatusStale {
 			t.Fatalf("stage %q = %#v, want stale", name, afterForce.Stages[name])
 		}
@@ -207,7 +207,7 @@ func TestRunStageForceMarksDownstreamStaleAndRunContinuesFromStale(t *testing.T)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Run() error = %v", err)
 	}
-	if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "executed=5 skipped=4") {
+	if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "executed=6 skipped=4") {
 		t.Fatalf("output = %q, want run to execute stale downstream stages", out.String())
 	}
 }
@@ -236,8 +236,8 @@ func TestRunStageTrimExecutes(t *testing.T) {
 	if m.Stages["trim"] == nil || m.Stages["trim"].Status != manifest.StatusSucceeded {
 		t.Fatalf("trim stage = %#v, want succeeded", m.Stages["trim"])
 	}
-	if m.Stages["trim"].Metadata == nil || m.Stages["trim"].Metadata["trim_action"] != "copy_disabled" {
-		t.Fatalf("trim stage metadata = %#v, want trim_action=copy_disabled", m.Stages["trim"].Metadata)
+	if m.Stages["trim"].Metadata == nil || m.Stages["trim"].Metadata["trim_action"] != "copy" {
+		t.Fatalf("trim stage metadata = %#v, want trim_action=copy", m.Stages["trim"].Metadata)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -266,3 +266,30 @@ func TestRunStageNormalizeExecutes(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("normalize stage = %#v, want succeeded", m.Stages["normalize"])
 	}
 }
+
+func TestRunStageRenderExecutes(t *testing.T) {
+	workspaceRoot := t.TempDir()
+	pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath := writeValidConfigFiles(t, workspaceRoot)
+	manifestPath := filepath.Join(workspaceRoot, "work", "sample-campaign", "2026-05-03", "manifest.json")
+	workRoot := filepath.Join(workspaceRoot, "work", "sample-campaign", "2026-05-03")
+	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(workRoot, "transcripts", "final.json"), `{"segments":[{"id":1}]}`)
+	mustWriteTestFile(t, filepath.Join(workRoot, "transcripts", "final.trimmed.json"), `{"segments":[{"id":2}]}`)
+
+	var out bytes.Buffer
+	err := RunStage(context.Background(), []string{"render", "2026-05-03", "--config", pipelinePath, "--campaign-file", campaignPath, "--session", sessionPath}, &out)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("RunStage(render) error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(out.String(), "stage=render executed=1 skipped=0") {
+		t.Fatalf("output = %q, want stage=render executed", out.String())
+	}
+
+	store := &manifest.LocalStore{}
+	m, err := store.Load(context.Background(), manifestPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("load manifest: %v", err)
+	}
+	if m.Stages["render"] == nil || m.Stages["render"].Status != manifest.StatusSucceeded {
+		t.Fatalf("render stage = %#v, want succeeded", m.Stages["render"])
+	}
+}

internal/app/runner.go

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import (
 	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/adapters/scriptorium"
 	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/adapters/seriatim"
 	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/adapters/whisperx"
+	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/artifactmodel"
 	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/artifacts"
 	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/config"
 	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/logging"
@@ -410,6 +411,8 @@ func mapResultOutputs(stageName string, result *stage.StageResult, runID string)
 		if stageName == "analyze" {
 			sourceID = artifacts.ConfiguredArtifactSourceID(ref.Kind)
 			kind = "scriptorium_artifact"
+		} else {
+			sourceID = sourceIDForOutputKind(kind)
 		}
 		out = append(out, manifest.ArtifactRecord{
 			Kind:          kind,
@@ -424,6 +427,22 @@ func mapResultOutputs(stageName string, result *stage.StageResult, runID string)
 	return out
 }
 
+func sourceIDForOutputKind(kind string) string {
+	trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(kind)
+	if trimmed == "" {
+		return ""
+	}
+	if trimmed == "session_bounds" {
+		return artifacts.ArtifactBoundsSession
+	}
+	for _, spec := range artifactmodel.RuntimeTranscriptArtifacts() {
+		if spec.OutputKind == trimmed {
+			return spec.SourceID
+		}
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
 func applyStageResultToManifest(m *manifest.Manifest, stageName string, result *stage.StageResult) {
 	if m == nil || result == nil {
 		return

internal/app/runner_test.go

@@ -273,7 +273,7 @@ func TestExecuteStagesPublishSkipsRequiredUnselectedConfiguredOutput(t *testing.
 	manifestPath := manifestPathFor(cfg)
 	seed := manifest.New(cfg.Session.SessionID, time.Now().UTC())
 	seed.Campaign = cfg.Session.Campaign
-	for _, stageName := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim"} {
+	for _, stageName := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render"} {
 		seed.MarkStageSucceeded(stageName, time.Now().UTC(), nil)
 	}
 	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(manifestPath), 0o755); err != nil {
@@ -332,8 +332,8 @@ func TestExecuteStagesPlaceholderSuccessUpdatesManifest(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("executeStages() error = %v", err)
 	}
-	if len(summary.StageNames) != 9 || len(summary.Executed) != 9 || len(summary.Skipped) != 0 {
-		t.Fatalf("summary = %#v, want all 9 executed", summary)
+	if len(summary.StageNames) != 10 || len(summary.Executed) != 10 || len(summary.Skipped) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("summary = %#v, want all 10 executed", summary)
 	}
 
 	store := &manifest.LocalStore{}
@@ -342,7 +342,7 @@ func TestExecuteStagesPlaceholderSuccessUpdatesManifest(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("Load manifest error = %v", err)
 	}
 
-	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
+	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze", "publish", "notify"} {
 		sr := m.Stages[name]
 		if sr == nil {
 			t.Fatalf("missing stage record %q", name)
@@ -425,6 +425,15 @@ func TestExecuteStagesPlaceholderSuccessUpdatesManifest(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 			continue
 		}
+		if name == "render" {
+			if sr.Metadata == nil || sr.Metadata["stage"] != "render" {
+				t.Fatalf("render metadata missing stage=render: %#v", sr.Metadata)
+			}
+			if len(sr.Outputs) == 0 {
+				t.Fatalf("render outputs missing")
+			}
+			continue
+		}
 		if name == "publish" {
 			if sr.Metadata == nil || sr.Metadata["stage"] != "publish" {
 				t.Fatalf("publish metadata missing stage=publish: %#v", sr.Metadata)
@@ -522,7 +531,7 @@ func TestExecuteStagesForceSuccessInvalidatesDownstreamSucceededStages(t *testin
 	store := &manifest.LocalStore{}
 
 	existing := manifest.New(cfg.Session.SessionID, time.Date(2026, 5, 3, 1, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC))
-	for _, stageName := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "publish", "notify"} {
+	for _, stageName := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "publish", "notify"} {
 		existing.MarkStageSucceeded(stageName, time.Date(2026, 5, 3, 1, 1, 0, 0, time.UTC), nil)
 	}
 	existing.MarkStageFailed("analyze", time.Date(2026, 5, 3, 1, 1, 0, 0, time.UTC), "previous analyze failure")
@@ -553,7 +562,7 @@ func TestExecuteStagesForceSuccessInvalidatesDownstreamSucceededStages(t *testin
 	if loaded.Stages["polish"] == nil || loaded.Stages["polish"].Status != manifest.StatusSucceeded {
 		t.Fatalf("polish status = %#v, want succeeded", loaded.Stages["polish"])
 	}
-	for _, stageName := range []string{"normalize", "trim", "publish", "notify"} {
+	for _, stageName := range []string{"normalize", "trim", "render", "publish", "notify"} {
 		if loaded.Stages[stageName] == nil || loaded.Stages[stageName].Status != manifest.StatusStale {
 			t.Fatalf("%s status = %#v, want stale", stageName, loaded.Stages[stageName])
 		}
@@ -977,7 +986,7 @@ func TestAdapterBackedStageFailureMarksManifestFailed(t *testing.T) {
 				seed.S3Bucket = "my-dnd-archive"
 				seed.S3SessionPrefix = "dnd/campaigns/" + cfg.Session.Campaign + "/sessions/" + cfg.Session.SessionID + "/"
 				seed.S3RunPrefix = seed.S3SessionPrefix + "runs/" + runID + "/"
-				for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "analyze"} {
+				for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze"} {
 					seed.MarkStageSucceeded(name, time.Now().UTC(), nil)
 				}
 				if err := tc.env.ManifestStore.Save(context.Background(), manifestPathFor(cfg), seed); err != nil {
@@ -1015,11 +1024,13 @@ func testConfig(t *testing.T) *config.Config {
 	pipelinePath := filepath.Join(cfgDir, "pipeline.yml")
 
 	mustWriteFile(t, pipelinePath, "workspace:\n  root: "+workspace+"\n")
-	mustWriteFile(t, campaignPath, "campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n")
+	mustWriteFile(t, campaignPath, "campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n  players_file: ./players.yml\n  party_file: ./party.yml\n")
 	mustWriteFile(t, sessionPath, "session_id: 2026-05-03\ncampaign: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  audio_dir: ./audio\n")
 	mustWriteFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "speakers.yml"), "alice: alice.flac\n")
 	mustWriteFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "autocorrect.yml"), "[]\n")
 	mustWriteFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "glossary.yml"), "[]\n")
+	mustWriteFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "players.yml"), "[]\n")
+	mustWriteFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "party.yml"), "[]\n")
 	mustWriteFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "audio", "alice.flac"), "audio")
 
 	return &config.Config{
@@ -1044,6 +1055,16 @@ func testConfig(t *testing.T) *config.Config {
 				ConfigPath: campaignPath,
 				Source:     "campaign_config",
 			},
+			PlayersFile: config.ResolvedInputFile{
+				Path:       "./players.yml",
+				ConfigPath: campaignPath,
+				Source:     "campaign_config",
+			},
+			PartyFile: config.ResolvedInputFile{
+				Path:       "./party.yml",
+				ConfigPath: campaignPath,
+				Source:     "campaign_config",
+			},
 		},
 		Session: &config.SessionConfig{
 			SessionID: "2026-05-03",
@@ -1053,6 +1074,8 @@ func testConfig(t *testing.T) *config.Config {
 				SpeakersFile:    "./speakers.yml",
 				AutocorrectFile: "./autocorrect.yml",
 				GlossaryFile:    "./glossary.yml",
+				PlayersFile:     "./players.yml",
+				PartyFile:       "./party.yml",
 			},
 		},
 	}
@@ -1075,6 +1098,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	sessionYAML := `session_id: 2026-05-03
 campaign: sample-campaign
@@ -1083,6 +1108,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	mustWriteFile(t, pipelinePath, pipelineYAML)
 	mustWriteFile(t, campaignPath, campaignYAML)

internal/app/session_cli_test.go

@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(sessionPath, []byte(sessionTemplate), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write session template: %v", err)
@@ -75,6 +77,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(sessionPath, []byte(sessionYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write session.yml: %v", err)

internal/artifactmodel/transcripts.go

@@ -3,24 +3,30 @@ package artifactmodel
 import "strings"
 
 const (
-	SourceTranscriptBase         = "narratio.transcript.base"
-	SourceTranscriptPolished     = "narratio.transcript.polished"
-	SourceTranscriptFinal        = "narratio.transcript.final"
-	SourceTranscriptFinalTrimmed = "narratio.transcript.final_trimmed"
+	SourceTranscriptBase                 = "narratio.transcript.base"
+	SourceTranscriptPolished             = "narratio.transcript.polished"
+	SourceTranscriptFinal                = "narratio.transcript.final"
+	SourceTranscriptFinalTrimmed         = "narratio.transcript.final_trimmed"
+	SourceTranscriptFinalMarkdown        = "narratio.transcript.final_markdown"
+	SourceTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown = "narratio.transcript.final_trimmed_markdown"
 )
 
 const (
-	TranscriptPathBase         = "transcripts/base.json"
-	TranscriptPathPolished     = "transcripts/polished.json"
-	TranscriptPathFinal        = "transcripts/final.json"
-	TranscriptPathFinalTrimmed = "transcripts/final.trimmed.json"
+	TranscriptPathBase                 = "transcripts/base.json"
+	TranscriptPathPolished             = "transcripts/polished.json"
+	TranscriptPathFinal                = "transcripts/final.json"
+	TranscriptPathFinalTrimmed         = "transcripts/final.trimmed.json"
+	TranscriptPathFinalMarkdown        = "transcripts/final.md"
+	TranscriptPathFinalTrimmedMarkdown = "transcripts/final.trimmed.md"
 )
 
 const (
-	TranscriptOutputKindBase         = "transcript_base"
-	TranscriptOutputKindPolished     = "transcript_polished"
-	TranscriptOutputKindFinal        = "transcript_final"
-	TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmed = "transcript_final_trimmed"
+	TranscriptOutputKindBase                 = "transcript_base"
+	TranscriptOutputKindPolished             = "transcript_polished"
+	TranscriptOutputKindFinal                = "transcript_final"
+	TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmed         = "transcript_final_trimmed"
+	TranscriptOutputKindFinalMarkdown        = "transcript_final_markdown"
+	TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmedMarkdown = "transcript_final_trimmed_markdown"
 )
 
 // TranscriptArtifactSpec describes one built-in transcript artifact mapping.
@@ -56,6 +62,18 @@ var runtimeTranscriptArtifacts = []TranscriptArtifactSpec{
 		ProducerStage:    "trim",
 		OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmed,
 	},
+	{
+		SourceID:         SourceTranscriptFinalMarkdown,
+		CanonicalRelPath: TranscriptPathFinalMarkdown,
+		ProducerStage:    "render",
+		OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinalMarkdown,
+	},
+	{
+		SourceID:         SourceTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+		CanonicalRelPath: TranscriptPathFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+		ProducerStage:    "render",
+		OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+	},
 }
 
 // RuntimeTranscriptArtifacts returns transcript mappings in pipeline order.

internal/artifactmodel/transcripts_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+package artifactmodel
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestRuntimeTranscriptArtifactsIncludesMarkdownOutputs(t *testing.T) {
+	want := []TranscriptArtifactSpec{
+		{
+			SourceID:         SourceTranscriptBase,
+			CanonicalRelPath: TranscriptPathBase,
+			ProducerStage:    "merge",
+			OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindBase,
+		},
+		{
+			SourceID:         SourceTranscriptPolished,
+			CanonicalRelPath: TranscriptPathPolished,
+			ProducerStage:    "polish",
+			OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindPolished,
+		},
+		{
+			SourceID:         SourceTranscriptFinal,
+			CanonicalRelPath: TranscriptPathFinal,
+			ProducerStage:    "normalize",
+			OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinal,
+		},
+		{
+			SourceID:         SourceTranscriptFinalTrimmed,
+			CanonicalRelPath: TranscriptPathFinalTrimmed,
+			ProducerStage:    "trim",
+			OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmed,
+		},
+		{
+			SourceID:         SourceTranscriptFinalMarkdown,
+			CanonicalRelPath: TranscriptPathFinalMarkdown,
+			ProducerStage:    "render",
+			OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinalMarkdown,
+		},
+		{
+			SourceID:         SourceTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+			CanonicalRelPath: TranscriptPathFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+			ProducerStage:    "render",
+			OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+		},
+	}
+
+	got := RuntimeTranscriptArtifacts()
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
+		t.Fatalf("RuntimeTranscriptArtifacts() = %#v, want %#v", got, want)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestLookupRuntimeTranscriptArtifactFindsMarkdownOutputs(t *testing.T) {
+	for _, source := range []string{SourceTranscriptFinalMarkdown, SourceTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown} {
+		if _, ok := LookupRuntimeTranscriptArtifact(source); !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("LookupRuntimeTranscriptArtifact(%q) ok=false, want true", source)
+		}
+	}
+}

internal/artifactpolicy/policy.go

@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ import (
 const (
 	SourceBoundsSession = "narratio.bounds.session"
 
+	SourceInputPlayers  = "narratio.input.players"
+	SourceInputParty    = "narratio.input.party"
+	SourceInputGlossary = "narratio.input.glossary"
+
 	configuredSourcePrefix      = "narratio.artifact."
 	previousConfiguredSrcPrefix = "narratio.previous_session.artifact."
 )
@@ -31,6 +35,7 @@ const (
 	SourceKindBuiltIn            SourceKind = "built_in"
 	SourceKindConfiguredArtifact SourceKind = "configured_artifact"
 	SourceKindPreviousArtifact   SourceKind = "previous_session_configured_artifact"
+	SourceKindStableInput        SourceKind = "stable_input"
 )
 
 // Source describes one normalized artifact source identifier.
@@ -118,6 +123,11 @@ func DescribeScriptoriumInputSource(source string) (ScriptoriumInputSourceDescri
 	if trimmed == "" {
 		return ScriptoriumInputSourceDescriptor{}, ErrUnsupportedScriptoriumInputSource
 	}
+	if IsStableInputSource(trimmed) {
+		return ScriptoriumInputSourceDescriptor{
+			Source: Source{ID: trimmed, Kind: SourceKindStableInput},
+		}, nil
+	}
 	if strings.HasPrefix(trimmed, "narratio.previous_session.artifact") {
 		descriptor, err := DescribePreviousSessionSource(trimmed)
 		if err != nil {
@@ -140,6 +150,17 @@ func DescribeScriptoriumInputSource(source string) (ScriptoriumInputSourceDescri
 	return ScriptoriumInputSourceDescriptor{Source: classified}, nil
 }
 
+// IsStableInputSource reports whether source is a prepared stable input source
+// available only to Scriptorium input resolution.
+func IsStableInputSource(source string) bool {
+	switch strings.TrimSpace(source) {
+	case SourceInputPlayers, SourceInputParty, SourceInputGlossary:
+		return true
+	default:
+		return false
+	}
+}
+
 // DescribePreviousSessionSource validates a canonical previous-session source id
 // and returns both previous and configured-source vocabulary descriptors.
 func DescribePreviousSessionSource(source string) (PreviousSessionSourceDescriptor, error) {

internal/artifactpolicy/policy_test.go

@@ -67,6 +67,14 @@ func TestResolvePublishedDestination(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("built-in destination = %q, want transcripts/final.trimmed.json", got)
 	}
 
+	got, err = ResolvePublishedDestination("narratio.transcript.final_markdown", "", configured)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ResolvePublishedDestination(markdown built-in) error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if got != "transcripts/final.md" {
+		t.Fatalf("markdown built-in destination = %q, want transcripts/final.md", got)
+	}
+
 	got, err = ResolvePublishedDestination("narratio.artifact.session_recap", "", configured)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("ResolvePublishedDestination(configured) error = %v", err)
@@ -103,6 +111,10 @@ func TestDescribeScriptoriumInputSource(t *testing.T) {
 		wantErrLike string
 	}{
 		{name: "built in", source: "narratio.transcript.final_trimmed", wantKind: SourceKindBuiltIn},
+		{name: "built in markdown", source: "narratio.transcript.final_markdown", wantKind: SourceKindBuiltIn},
+		{name: "prepared players input", source: "narratio.input.players", wantKind: SourceKindStableInput},
+		{name: "prepared party input", source: "narratio.input.party", wantKind: SourceKindStableInput},
+		{name: "prepared glossary input", source: "narratio.input.glossary", wantKind: SourceKindStableInput},
 		{name: "configured", source: "narratio.artifact.session_recap", wantKind: SourceKindConfiguredArtifact, wantKey: "session_recap"},
 		{name: "previous", source: "narratio.previous_session.artifact.session_recap", wantKind: SourceKindPreviousArtifact, wantKey: "session_recap", wantPrev: true},
 		{name: "invalid previous", source: "narratio.previous_session.artifact.", wantErr: ErrInvalidPreviousSessionSource},

internal/artifacts/artifact_resolver.go

@@ -14,28 +14,34 @@ import (
 )
 
 const (
-	ArtifactTranscriptBase         = artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptBase
-	ArtifactTranscriptPolished     = artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptPolished
-	ArtifactTranscriptFinal        = artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptFinal
-	ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmed = artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptFinalTrimmed
-	ArtifactBoundsSession          = "narratio.bounds.session"
+	ArtifactTranscriptBase                 = artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptBase
+	ArtifactTranscriptPolished             = artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptPolished
+	ArtifactTranscriptFinal                = artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptFinal
+	ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmed         = artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptFinalTrimmed
+	ArtifactTranscriptFinalMarkdown        = artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptFinalMarkdown
+	ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown = artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown
+	ArtifactBoundsSession                  = "narratio.bounds.session"
 
 	ArtifactProvenancePreviousCacheManifestInput = "manifest.inputs.previous_cache"
 	ArtifactProvenancePreviousCacheFilesystem    = "current_session.previous_cache"
 )
 
 const (
-	TranscriptPathBase         = artifactmodel.TranscriptPathBase
-	TranscriptPathPolished     = artifactmodel.TranscriptPathPolished
-	TranscriptPathFinal        = artifactmodel.TranscriptPathFinal
-	TranscriptPathFinalTrimmed = artifactmodel.TranscriptPathFinalTrimmed
+	TranscriptPathBase                 = artifactmodel.TranscriptPathBase
+	TranscriptPathPolished             = artifactmodel.TranscriptPathPolished
+	TranscriptPathFinal                = artifactmodel.TranscriptPathFinal
+	TranscriptPathFinalTrimmed         = artifactmodel.TranscriptPathFinalTrimmed
+	TranscriptPathFinalMarkdown        = artifactmodel.TranscriptPathFinalMarkdown
+	TranscriptPathFinalTrimmedMarkdown = artifactmodel.TranscriptPathFinalTrimmedMarkdown
 )
 
 const (
-	TranscriptOutputKindBase         = artifactmodel.TranscriptOutputKindBase
-	TranscriptOutputKindPolished     = artifactmodel.TranscriptOutputKindPolished
-	TranscriptOutputKindFinal        = artifactmodel.TranscriptOutputKindFinal
-	TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmed = artifactmodel.TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmed
+	TranscriptOutputKindBase                 = artifactmodel.TranscriptOutputKindBase
+	TranscriptOutputKindPolished             = artifactmodel.TranscriptOutputKindPolished
+	TranscriptOutputKindFinal                = artifactmodel.TranscriptOutputKindFinal
+	TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmed         = artifactmodel.TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmed
+	TranscriptOutputKindFinalMarkdown        = artifactmodel.TranscriptOutputKindFinalMarkdown
+	TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmedMarkdown = artifactmodel.TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmedMarkdown
 )
 
 // ErrSessionArtifactNotFound is returned when no readable artifact exists for a known ID.
@@ -67,7 +73,7 @@ func buildArtifactRegistry() map[string]artifactSpec {
 			CanonicalRelPath: transcript.CanonicalRelPath,
 			ProducerStage:    transcript.ProducerStage,
 			OutputKind:       transcript.OutputKind,
-			ContentKind:      contentTranscriptJSON,
+			ContentKind:      transcriptContentKind(transcript),
 		}
 	}
 	registry[ArtifactBoundsSession] = artifactSpec{
@@ -80,6 +86,15 @@ func buildArtifactRegistry() map[string]artifactSpec {
 	return registry
 }
 
+func transcriptContentKind(transcript TranscriptArtifactSpec) artifactContentKind {
+	switch transcript.SourceID {
+	case ArtifactTranscriptFinalMarkdown, ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown:
+		return contentText
+	default:
+		return contentTranscriptJSON
+	}
+}
+
 // ResolvedSessionArtifact describes one session-level artifact lookup result.
 type ResolvedSessionArtifact struct {
 	ID            string

internal/artifacts/artifact_resolver_test.go

@@ -211,6 +211,29 @@ func TestResolveSessionArtifactFallsBackToCanonicalPath(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestResolveSessionArtifactFallsBackToCanonicalMarkdownPath(t *testing.T) {
+	workspace := t.TempDir()
+	paths := buildSessionPaths(workspace, "campaign", "session")
+	canonicalPath := filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.md")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(canonicalPath), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("MkdirAll() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(canonicalPath, []byte("# Final transcript\n"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("WriteFile() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	resolved, err := ResolveSessionArtifact(paths, nil, ArtifactTranscriptFinalMarkdown)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ResolveSessionArtifact() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if resolved.Path != canonicalPath {
+		t.Fatalf("resolved path = %q, want %q", resolved.Path, canonicalPath)
+	}
+	if resolved.Provenance != "fallback.canonical_path" {
+		t.Fatalf("provenance = %q, want fallback.canonical_path", resolved.Provenance)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestResolveSessionArtifactMissingReturnsTypedError(t *testing.T) {
 	workspace := t.TempDir()
 	paths := buildSessionPaths(workspace, "campaign", "session")
@@ -244,6 +267,26 @@ func TestResolveSessionArtifactValidatesTranscriptShape(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestResolveSessionArtifactRejectsEmptyMarkdownContent(t *testing.T) {
+	workspace := t.TempDir()
+	paths := buildSessionPaths(workspace, "campaign", "session")
+	canonicalPath := filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.trimmed.md")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(canonicalPath), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("MkdirAll() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(canonicalPath, []byte{}, 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("WriteFile() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	_, err := ResolveSessionArtifact(paths, nil, ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "file is empty") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want empty file validation", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
 func TestResolveSessionArtifactWithCatalogBuiltInBehaviorUnchanged(t *testing.T) {
 	workspace := t.TempDir()
 	paths := buildSessionPaths(workspace, "campaign", "session")

internal/artifacts/catalog.go

@@ -216,11 +216,10 @@ func (c *ArtifactCatalog) addEntry(entry CatalogEntry) error {
 }
 
 func runtimeBuiltInArtifactIDs() []string {
-	return []string{
-		ArtifactTranscriptBase,
-		ArtifactTranscriptPolished,
-		ArtifactTranscriptFinal,
-		ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmed,
-		ArtifactBoundsSession,
+	ids := make([]string, 0, len(RuntimeTranscriptArtifacts())+1)
+	for _, transcript := range RuntimeTranscriptArtifacts() {
+		ids = append(ids, transcript.SourceID)
 	}
+	ids = append(ids, ArtifactBoundsSession)
+	return ids
 }

internal/artifacts/catalog_test.go

@@ -23,6 +23,26 @@ func TestArtifactCatalogRegisterBuiltInsAndLookup(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestArtifactCatalogRegisterBuiltInsIncludesMarkdownSources(t *testing.T) {
+	catalog := NewArtifactCatalog()
+	if err := catalog.RegisterBuiltIns(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("RegisterBuiltIns() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	for _, sourceID := range []string{
+		ArtifactTranscriptFinalMarkdown,
+		ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+	} {
+		entry, ok := catalog.Lookup(sourceID)
+		if !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("Lookup(%q) ok=false, want true", sourceID)
+		}
+		if !entry.Planned {
+			t.Fatalf("%s planned=false, want true", sourceID)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestArtifactCatalogRegisterConfiguredArtifactsDefaultsToEnabled(t *testing.T) {
 	catalog := NewArtifactCatalog()
 	if err := catalog.RegisterConfiguredArtifacts(map[string]ConfiguredArtifactDefinition{

internal/artifacts/s3.go

@@ -1,57 +0,0 @@
-package artifacts
-
-import (
-	"fmt"
-	"os"
-)
-
-// S3Store is a placeholder for future remote artifact persistence support.
-type S3Store struct {
-	Bucket string
-	Prefix string
-}
-
-// SessionPathsFor is not implemented for S3-backed storage.
-func (s *S3Store) SessionPathsFor(_, _ string) SessionPaths {
-	return SessionPaths{}
-}
-
-// EnsureLayoutFor returns a not-yet-implemented error in the scaffold.
-func (s *S3Store) EnsureLayoutFor(_, _ string) (SessionPaths, error) {
-	return SessionPaths{}, fmt.Errorf("artifacts s3 ensure layout for campaign/session: not yet implemented")
-}
-
-// CopyInputFor returns a not-yet-implemented error in the scaffold.
-func (s *S3Store) CopyInputFor(_, _, _, _ string) (Ref, error) {
-	return Ref{}, fmt.Errorf("artifacts s3 copy input for campaign/session: not yet implemented")
-}
-
-// Exists returns a not-yet-implemented error in the scaffold.
-func (s *S3Store) Exists(_ string) (bool, error) {
-	return false, fmt.Errorf("artifacts s3 exists: not yet implemented")
-}
-
-// ExistsRef returns a not-yet-implemented error in the scaffold.
-func (s *S3Store) ExistsRef(_ Ref) (bool, error) {
-	return false, fmt.Errorf("artifacts s3 exists ref: not yet implemented")
-}
-
-// WriteFileAtomic returns a not-yet-implemented error in the scaffold.
-func (s *S3Store) WriteFileAtomic(_ string, _ []byte, _ os.FileMode) error {
-	return fmt.Errorf("artifacts s3 write file atomic: not yet implemented")
-}
-
-// Checksum returns a not-yet-implemented error in the scaffold.
-func (s *S3Store) Checksum(_ string) (string, error) {
-	return "", fmt.Errorf("artifacts s3 checksum: not yet implemented")
-}
-
-// AcquireSessionLockFor returns a not-yet-implemented error in the scaffold.
-func (s *S3Store) AcquireSessionLockFor(_, _ string) (*LockHandle, error) {
-	return nil, fmt.Errorf("artifacts s3 acquire lock for campaign/session: not yet implemented")
-}
-
-// ReleaseSessionLock returns a not-yet-implemented error in the scaffold.
-func (s *S3Store) ReleaseSessionLock(_ *LockHandle) error {
-	return fmt.Errorf("artifacts s3 release lock: not yet implemented")
-}

internal/artifacts/transcripts_test.go

@@ -31,6 +31,18 @@ func TestRuntimeTranscriptArtifacts(t *testing.T) {
 			ProducerStage:    "trim",
 			OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmed,
 		},
+		{
+			SourceID:         ArtifactTranscriptFinalMarkdown,
+			CanonicalRelPath: TranscriptPathFinalMarkdown,
+			ProducerStage:    "render",
+			OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinalMarkdown,
+		},
+		{
+			SourceID:         ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+			CanonicalRelPath: TranscriptPathFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+			ProducerStage:    "render",
+			OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+		},
 	}
 
 	got := RuntimeTranscriptArtifacts()
@@ -75,6 +87,18 @@ func TestPlannedTranscriptArtifacts(t *testing.T) {
 			ProducerStage:    "trim",
 			OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmed,
 		},
+		{
+			SourceID:         ArtifactTranscriptFinalMarkdown,
+			CanonicalRelPath: TranscriptPathFinalMarkdown,
+			ProducerStage:    "render",
+			OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinalMarkdown,
+		},
+		{
+			SourceID:         ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+			CanonicalRelPath: TranscriptPathFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+			ProducerStage:    "render",
+			OutputKind:       TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+		},
 	}
 
 	got := PlannedTranscriptArtifacts()
@@ -113,10 +137,14 @@ func TestRuntimeArtifactRegistryUsesTranscriptSpecs(t *testing.T) {
 		if !ok {
 			t.Fatalf("artifactRegistry missing %q", transcript.SourceID)
 		}
+		wantContentKind := contentTranscriptJSON
+		if transcript.SourceID == ArtifactTranscriptFinalMarkdown || transcript.SourceID == ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown {
+			wantContentKind = contentText
+		}
 		if spec.CanonicalRelPath != transcript.CanonicalRelPath ||
 			spec.ProducerStage != transcript.ProducerStage ||
 			spec.OutputKind != transcript.OutputKind ||
-			spec.ContentKind != contentTranscriptJSON {
+			spec.ContentKind != wantContentKind {
 			t.Fatalf("artifactRegistry[%q] = %#v, want transcript spec %#v", transcript.SourceID, spec, transcript)
 		}
 	}

internal/config/campaign_config_test.go

@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ notification:
 
 func TestCampaignStrictDecodeAcceptsCampaignID(t *testing.T) {
 	pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath := writeCampaignConfigTestFiles(t,
-		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n",
+		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n  players_file: ./players.yml\n  party_file: ./party.yml\n",
 		"session_id: 2026-05-03\ninputs:\n  audio_dir: ./audio\n",
 	)
 
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func TestCampaignStrictDecodeAcceptsCampaignID(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestCampaignStrictDecodeRejectsLegacyCampaignField(t *testing.T) {
 	pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath := writeCampaignConfigTestFiles(t,
-		"campaign: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n",
+		"campaign: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n  players_file: ./players.yml\n  party_file: ./party.yml\n",
 		"session_id: 2026-05-03\ninputs:\n  audio_dir: ./audio\n",
 	)
 
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ func TestCampaignStrictDecodeRejectsLegacyCampaignField(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestCampaignStrictDecodeRejectsUnknownFields(t *testing.T) {
 	pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath := writeCampaignConfigTestFiles(t,
-		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\nunknown: true\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n",
+		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\nunknown: true\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n  players_file: ./players.yml\n  party_file: ./party.yml\n",
 		"session_id: 2026-05-03\ninputs:\n  audio_dir: ./audio\n",
 	)
 
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ func TestCampaignStrictDecodeRejectsUnknownFields(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestCampaignStrictDecodeAcceptsSessionTemplateFile(t *testing.T) {
 	pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath := writeCampaignConfigTestFiles(t,
-		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\nsession_template_file: ./session.template.yml\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n",
+		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\nsession_template_file: ./session.template.yml\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n  players_file: ./players.yml\n  party_file: ./party.yml\n",
 		"session_id: 2026-05-03\ninputs:\n  audio_dir: ./audio\n",
 	)
 
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ func TestCampaignStrictDecodeAcceptsSessionTemplateFile(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestCampaignSessionMergeFillsStableInputs(t *testing.T) {
 	pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath := writeCampaignConfigTestFiles(t,
-		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./campaign-speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./campaign-autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./campaign-glossary.yml\n",
+		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./campaign-speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./campaign-autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./campaign-glossary.yml\n  players_file: ./campaign-players.yml\n  party_file: ./campaign-party.yml\n",
 		"session_id: 2026-05-03\ninputs:\n  audio_dir: ./audio\n",
 	)
 
@@ -114,12 +114,14 @@ func TestCampaignSessionMergeFillsStableInputs(t *testing.T) {
 	assertResolvedStableInput(t, cfg.StableInputs.SpeakersFile, "./campaign-speakers.yml", campaignPath, "campaign_config")
 	assertResolvedStableInput(t, cfg.StableInputs.AutocorrectFile, "./campaign-autocorrect.yml", campaignPath, "campaign_config")
 	assertResolvedStableInput(t, cfg.StableInputs.GlossaryFile, "./campaign-glossary.yml", campaignPath, "campaign_config")
+	assertResolvedStableInput(t, cfg.StableInputs.PlayersFile, "./campaign-players.yml", campaignPath, "campaign_config")
+	assertResolvedStableInput(t, cfg.StableInputs.PartyFile, "./campaign-party.yml", campaignPath, "campaign_config")
 }
 
 func TestCampaignSessionMergeSessionOverridesStableInputs(t *testing.T) {
 	pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath := writeCampaignConfigTestFiles(t,
-		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./campaign-speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./campaign-autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./campaign-glossary.yml\n",
-		"session_id: 2026-05-03\ncampaign: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  audio_dir: ./audio\n  speakers_file: ./session-speakers.yml\n",
+		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./campaign-speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./campaign-autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./campaign-glossary.yml\n  players_file: ./campaign-players.yml\n  party_file: ./campaign-party.yml\n",
+		"session_id: 2026-05-03\ncampaign: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  audio_dir: ./audio\n  speakers_file: ./session-speakers.yml\n  players_file: ./session-players.yml\n  party_file: ./session-party.yml\n",
 	)
 
 	cfg, err := LoadWithSessionOptions(pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath, SessionLoadOptions{})
@@ -132,11 +134,32 @@ func TestCampaignSessionMergeSessionOverridesStableInputs(t *testing.T) {
 	assertResolvedStableInput(t, cfg.StableInputs.SpeakersFile, "./session-speakers.yml", sessionPath, "session_config")
 	assertResolvedStableInput(t, cfg.StableInputs.AutocorrectFile, "./campaign-autocorrect.yml", campaignPath, "campaign_config")
 	assertResolvedStableInput(t, cfg.StableInputs.GlossaryFile, "./campaign-glossary.yml", campaignPath, "campaign_config")
+	assertResolvedStableInput(t, cfg.StableInputs.PlayersFile, "./session-players.yml", sessionPath, "session_config")
+	assertResolvedStableInput(t, cfg.StableInputs.PartyFile, "./session-party.yml", sessionPath, "session_config")
+}
+
+func TestCampaignRequiresPlayersAndPartyInputs(t *testing.T) {
+	pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath := writeCampaignConfigTestFiles(t,
+		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n",
+		"session_id: 2026-05-03\ninputs:\n  audio_dir: ./audio\n",
+	)
+
+	cfg, err := LoadWithSessionOptions(pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath, SessionLoadOptions{})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("LoadWithSessionOptions() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	err = Validate(cfg)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected validation error, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "campaign.inputs.players_file is required") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want players_file required", err.Error())
+	}
 }
 
 func TestCampaignSessionMismatchFails(t *testing.T) {
 	pipelinePath, campaignPath, sessionPath := writeCampaignConfigTestFiles(t,
-		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n",
+		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n  players_file: ./players.yml\n  party_file: ./party.yml\n",
 		"session_id: 2026-05-03\ncampaign: other-campaign\ninputs:\n  audio_dir: ./audio\n",
 	)
 
@@ -151,7 +174,7 @@ func TestCampaignSessionMismatchFails(t *testing.T) {
 
 func TestLoadMissingCampaignFileFails(t *testing.T) {
 	pipelinePath, _, sessionPath := writeCampaignConfigTestFiles(t,
-		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n",
+		"campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n  players_file: ./players.yml\n  party_file: ./party.yml\n",
 		"session_id: 2026-05-03\ninputs:\n  audio_dir: ./audio\n",
 	)
 	missingCampaignPath := filepath.Join(filepath.Dir(sessionPath), "missing-campaign.yml")

internal/config/config.go

@@ -28,6 +28,7 @@ type PipelineConfig struct {
 	Audita       AuditaConfig       `yaml:"audita"`
 	Normalize    *NormalizeConfig   `yaml:"normalize"`
 	Trim         *TrimConfig        `yaml:"trim"`
+	Render       *RenderConfig      `yaml:"render"`
 	Scriptorium  *ScriptoriumConfig `yaml:"scriptorium"`
 	Notification NotificationConfig `yaml:"notification"`
 }
@@ -50,6 +51,8 @@ type CampaignInputsConfig struct {
 	SpeakersFile    string `yaml:"speakers_file"`
 	AutocorrectFile string `yaml:"autocorrect_file"`
 	GlossaryFile    string `yaml:"glossary_file"`
+	PlayersFile     string `yaml:"players_file"`
+	PartyFile       string `yaml:"party_file"`
 }
 
 // SessionConfig contains per-session inputs and metadata.
@@ -187,7 +190,7 @@ type NormalizeConfig struct {
 
 // TrimConfig configures trim-stage transcript boundary behavior.
 type TrimConfig struct {
-	Enabled    bool               `yaml:"enabled"`
+	Enabled    *bool              `yaml:"enabled"`
 	OutputPath string             `yaml:"output_path"`
 	Bounds     TrimBoundsConfig   `yaml:"bounds"`
 	Seriatim   TrimSeriatimConfig `yaml:"seriatim"`
@@ -209,6 +212,16 @@ type TrimSeriatimConfig struct {
 	Report *bool `yaml:"report"`
 }
 
+// RenderConfig configures render-stage output formatting behavior.
+type RenderConfig struct {
+	Enabled           *bool  `yaml:"enabled"`
+	Format            string `yaml:"format"`
+	Title             string `yaml:"title"`
+	IncludeTimestamps *bool  `yaml:"include_timestamps"`
+	IncludeSegmentIDs *bool  `yaml:"include_segment_ids"`
+	IncludeMetadata   bool   `yaml:"include_metadata"`
+}
+
 // ScriptoriumConfig configures Scriptorium-backed artifact generation.
 type ScriptoriumConfig struct {
 	Binary      string                               `yaml:"binary"`
@@ -254,6 +267,8 @@ type SessionInputsConfig struct {
 	SpeakersFile    string               `yaml:"speakers_file"`
 	AutocorrectFile string               `yaml:"autocorrect_file"`
 	GlossaryFile    string               `yaml:"glossary_file"`
+	PlayersFile     string               `yaml:"players_file"`
+	PartyFile       string               `yaml:"party_file"`
 }
 
 // SessionAudioS3Input configures S3 session-audio input discovery.
@@ -267,6 +282,8 @@ type ResolvedStableInputs struct {
 	SpeakersFile    ResolvedInputFile
 	AutocorrectFile ResolvedInputFile
 	GlossaryFile    ResolvedInputFile
+	PlayersFile     ResolvedInputFile
+	PartyFile       ResolvedInputFile
 }
 
 // ResolvedInputFile records one merged config path and its source config file.

internal/config/defaults.go

@@ -34,12 +34,25 @@ const (
 	DefaultAuditaTimeout = "3h"
 	DefaultAuditaReport  = true
 
-	DefaultScriptoriumBinary             = "scriptorium"
-	DefaultScriptoriumTimeout            = "10m"
-	DefaultScriptoriumArtifactOutputRoot = "artifacts"
+	DefaultScriptoriumBinary                 = "scriptorium"
+	DefaultScriptoriumTimeout                = "10m"
+	DefaultScriptoriumArtifactOutputRoot     = "artifacts"
+	DefaultScriptoriumStickySessionVarName   = "session_id"
+	DefaultScriptoriumStickySessionVarPrefix = "narratio-session-"
 
-	DefaultTrimBoundsTimeout  = "10m"
-	DefaultTrimSeriatimReport = false
+	DefaultTrimEnabled                   = true
+	DefaultTrimOutputPath                = artifactmodel.TranscriptPathFinalTrimmed
+	DefaultTrimBoundsPromptID            = "dnd.session_bounds"
+	DefaultTrimBoundsTranscriptInputName = "transcript"
+	DefaultTrimBoundsOutputPath          = "artifacts/session_bounds.json"
+	DefaultTrimBoundsTimeout             = "10m"
+	DefaultTrimSeriatimReport            = false
+	DefaultRenderEnabled                 = true
+	DefaultRenderFormat                  = "markdown"
+	DefaultRenderTitle                   = ""
+	DefaultRenderTimestamps              = true
+	DefaultRenderSegmentIDs              = true
+	DefaultRenderMetadata                = false
 
 	DefaultNormalizeOutputPath   = artifactmodel.TranscriptPathFinal
 	DefaultNormalizeOutputSchema = "seriatim-intermediate"
@@ -80,6 +93,8 @@ const (
 // Callers should copy this slice before mutating.
 var DefaultPublishOutputs = []PublishOutputRule{
 	{Source: artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptFinalTrimmed, Dest: PathTranscriptFinalTrimmed},
+	{Source: artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptFinalMarkdown, Dest: artifactmodel.TranscriptPathFinalMarkdown},
+	{Source: artifactmodel.SourceTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown, Dest: artifactmodel.TranscriptPathFinalTrimmedMarkdown},
 }
 
 // DefaultPipelineConfigSearchPaths defines the default search order for

internal/config/load.go

@@ -226,11 +226,25 @@ func mergeCampaignSession(campaignCfg *CampaignConfig, sessionCfg *SessionConfig
 			campaignPath,
 			sessionPath,
 		),
+		PlayersFile: selectStableInput(
+			campaignCfg.Inputs.PlayersFile,
+			sessionCfg.Inputs.PlayersFile,
+			campaignPath,
+			sessionPath,
+		),
+		PartyFile: selectStableInput(
+			campaignCfg.Inputs.PartyFile,
+			sessionCfg.Inputs.PartyFile,
+			campaignPath,
+			sessionPath,
+		),
 	}
 
 	sessionCfg.Inputs.SpeakersFile = stable.SpeakersFile.Path
 	sessionCfg.Inputs.AutocorrectFile = stable.AutocorrectFile.Path
 	sessionCfg.Inputs.GlossaryFile = stable.GlossaryFile.Path
+	sessionCfg.Inputs.PlayersFile = stable.PlayersFile.Path
+	sessionCfg.Inputs.PartyFile = stable.PartyFile.Path
 	return stable, nil
 }
 
@@ -336,7 +350,14 @@ func applyPipelineDefaults(cfg *PipelineConfig) {
 		cfg.Normalize = &NormalizeConfig{}
 	}
 	applyNormalizeDefaults(cfg.Normalize)
+	if cfg.Trim == nil {
+		cfg.Trim = &TrimConfig{}
+	}
 	applyTrimDefaults(cfg.Trim)
+	if trimEnabled(cfg.Trim) && cfg.Scriptorium == nil {
+		cfg.Scriptorium = &ScriptoriumConfig{}
+	}
+	applyRenderDefaults(&cfg.Render)
 	applyScriptoriumDefaults(cfg.Scriptorium)
 }
 
@@ -499,6 +520,21 @@ func applyTrimDefaults(cfg *TrimConfig) {
 	if cfg == nil {
 		return
 	}
+	if cfg.Enabled == nil {
+		cfg.Enabled = boolPtr(DefaultTrimEnabled)
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.OutputPath) == "" {
+		cfg.OutputPath = DefaultTrimOutputPath
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Bounds.PromptID) == "" {
+		cfg.Bounds.PromptID = DefaultTrimBoundsPromptID
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Bounds.TranscriptInputName) == "" {
+		cfg.Bounds.TranscriptInputName = DefaultTrimBoundsTranscriptInputName
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Bounds.OutputPath) == "" {
+		cfg.Bounds.OutputPath = DefaultTrimBoundsOutputPath
+	}
 	if cfg.Bounds.Timeout == "" {
 		cfg.Bounds.Timeout = DefaultTrimBoundsTimeout
 	}
@@ -507,6 +543,34 @@ func applyTrimDefaults(cfg *TrimConfig) {
 	}
 }
 
+func trimEnabled(cfg *TrimConfig) bool {
+	return cfg != nil && cfg.Enabled != nil && *cfg.Enabled
+}
+
+func applyRenderDefaults(cfg **RenderConfig) {
+	if cfg == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	if *cfg == nil {
+		*cfg = &RenderConfig{}
+	}
+	if (*cfg).Enabled == nil {
+		(*cfg).Enabled = boolPtr(DefaultRenderEnabled)
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace((*cfg).Format) == "" {
+		(*cfg).Format = DefaultRenderFormat
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace((*cfg).Title) == "" {
+		(*cfg).Title = DefaultRenderTitle
+	}
+	if (*cfg).IncludeTimestamps == nil {
+		(*cfg).IncludeTimestamps = boolPtr(DefaultRenderTimestamps)
+	}
+	if (*cfg).IncludeSegmentIDs == nil {
+		(*cfg).IncludeSegmentIDs = boolPtr(DefaultRenderSegmentIDs)
+	}
+}
+
 func applyNormalizeDefaults(cfg *NormalizeConfig) {
 	if cfg == nil {
 		return

internal/config/load_validate_test.go

@@ -36,6 +36,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			checkDefault: true,
 			wantRoot:     "/tmp/narratio",
@@ -55,6 +57,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			checkDefault: true,
 			wantRoot:     "/tmp/narratio",
@@ -72,6 +76,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			checkDefault: true,
 			wantRoot:     DefaultWorkspaceRoot,
@@ -88,6 +94,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantLoadErr: "pipeline file",
 		},
@@ -106,6 +114,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantLoadErr: "strict decode failed",
 		},
@@ -123,6 +133,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantLoadErr: "strict decode failed",
 		},
@@ -143,6 +155,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantLoadErr: "strict decode failed",
 		},
@@ -163,6 +177,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.secrets.env_dir must be non-empty when pipeline.secrets is configured",
 		},
@@ -177,6 +193,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 unknown_field: true
 `,
 			wantLoadErr: "session file",
@@ -196,6 +214,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "session config \"session.yml\" invalid: session.session_id is required",
 		},
@@ -215,6 +235,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 		},
 		{
@@ -233,6 +255,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "session config \"session.yml\" invalid: session.previous_session_id must not equal session.session_id",
 		},
@@ -250,6 +274,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.whisperx.transcribe_url is required",
 		},
@@ -268,6 +294,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.whisperx.transcribe_url must be a valid URL",
 		},
@@ -287,6 +315,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.whisperx.timeout must be a valid duration",
 		},
@@ -306,6 +336,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.whisperx.retry_delay must be a valid duration",
 		},
@@ -325,6 +357,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.whisperx.retries must be >= 0",
 		},
@@ -344,6 +378,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.whisperx.concurrency must be > 0",
 		},
@@ -363,6 +399,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantLoadErr: "strict decode failed",
 		},
@@ -383,6 +421,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantLoadErr: "strict decode failed",
 		},
@@ -401,6 +441,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 		},
 		{
@@ -419,6 +461,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.seriatim.timeout must be a valid duration",
 		},
@@ -438,6 +482,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.seriatim.output_schema must be one of: seriatim-minimal, seriatim-intermediate, seriatim-full",
 		},
@@ -457,6 +503,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.seriatim.coalesce_gap must be >= 0",
 		},
@@ -477,6 +525,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.seriatim.env.overlap_word_run_gap must be > 0 when provided",
 		},
@@ -498,6 +548,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantLoadErr: "strict decode failed",
 		},
@@ -518,6 +570,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 		},
 		{
@@ -538,6 +592,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.audita.timeout must be a valid duration",
 		},
@@ -559,6 +615,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 		},
 		{
@@ -581,6 +639,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.audita.modules[1] must be non-empty",
 		},
@@ -604,6 +664,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.audita.modules[1] must be one of: glossary, homophones, spoken_word, grammar",
 		},
@@ -625,6 +687,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.audita.base_url must be a valid URL",
 		},
@@ -646,6 +710,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantLoadErr: "strict decode failed",
 		},
@@ -667,6 +733,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.audita.total_llm_concurrency must be > 0",
 		},
@@ -688,6 +756,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.audita.proposal_llm_concurrency must be > 0",
 		},
@@ -709,6 +779,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.audita.validation_llm_concurrency must be > 0",
 		},
@@ -730,6 +802,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.audita.output_schema must be one of: bare-segments, audita-v1",
 		},
@@ -751,6 +825,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantValidate: "pipeline config \"pipeline.yml\" invalid: pipeline.audita.work_dir_retention must be one of: always, auto, never",
 		},
@@ -916,7 +992,16 @@ func TestValidateMissingAudioSource(t *testing.T) {
 				Report:                   boolPtr(true),
 			},
 		},
-		Campaign: &CampaignConfig{CampaignID: "sample-campaign"},
+		Campaign: &CampaignConfig{
+			CampaignID: "sample-campaign",
+			Inputs: CampaignInputsConfig{
+				SpeakersFile:    "speakers.yml",
+				AutocorrectFile: "autocorrect.yml",
+				GlossaryFile:    "glossary.yml",
+				PlayersFile:     "players.yml",
+				PartyFile:       "party.yml",
+			},
+		},
 		Session: &SessionConfig{
 			SessionID: "2026-05-03",
 			Campaign:  "sample-campaign",
@@ -924,6 +1009,8 @@ func TestValidateMissingAudioSource(t *testing.T) {
 				SpeakersFile:    "speakers.yml",
 				AutocorrectFile: "autocorrect.yml",
 				GlossaryFile:    "glossary.yml",
+				PlayersFile:     "players.yml",
+				PartyFile:       "party.yml",
 			},
 		},
 	}
@@ -1009,6 +1096,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(campaignPath, []byte(campaignYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write campaign.yml: %v", err)

internal/config/render_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
+package config
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestRenderLoadAndValidate(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name            string
+		renderYAML      string
+		wantLoadErr     string
+		wantValidateErr string
+		assert          func(t *testing.T, cfg *Config)
+	}{
+		{
+			name:       "render defaults when omitted",
+			renderYAML: "",
+			assert: func(t *testing.T, cfg *Config) {
+				t.Helper()
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Render == nil {
+					t.Fatal("render config should be present via defaults")
+				}
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Render.Enabled == nil || !*cfg.Pipeline.Render.Enabled {
+					t.Fatalf("render.enabled = %#v, want true", cfg.Pipeline.Render.Enabled)
+				}
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Render.Format != "markdown" {
+					t.Fatalf("render.format = %q, want markdown", cfg.Pipeline.Render.Format)
+				}
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeTimestamps == nil || !*cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeTimestamps {
+					t.Fatalf("render.include_timestamps = %#v, want true", cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeTimestamps)
+				}
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeSegmentIDs == nil || !*cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeSegmentIDs {
+					t.Fatalf("render.include_segment_ids = %#v, want true", cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeSegmentIDs)
+				}
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeMetadata {
+					t.Fatalf("render.include_metadata = true, want false")
+				}
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "valid explicit render config",
+			renderYAML: `render:
+  enabled: false
+  format: markdown
+  title: Session Render
+  include_timestamps: false
+  include_segment_ids: true
+  include_metadata: true
+`,
+			assert: func(t *testing.T, cfg *Config) {
+				t.Helper()
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Render == nil {
+					t.Fatal("render config should be present")
+				}
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Render.Enabled == nil || *cfg.Pipeline.Render.Enabled {
+					t.Fatalf("render.enabled = %#v, want false", cfg.Pipeline.Render.Enabled)
+				}
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeTimestamps == nil || *cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeTimestamps {
+					t.Fatalf("render.include_timestamps = %#v, want false", cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeTimestamps)
+				}
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeSegmentIDs == nil || !*cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeSegmentIDs {
+					t.Fatalf("render.include_segment_ids = %#v, want true", cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeSegmentIDs)
+				}
+				if !cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeMetadata {
+					t.Fatalf("render.include_metadata = false, want true")
+				}
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "explicit segment ids false overrides default",
+			renderYAML: `render:
+  include_segment_ids: false
+`,
+			assert: func(t *testing.T, cfg *Config) {
+				t.Helper()
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeSegmentIDs == nil || *cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeSegmentIDs {
+					t.Fatalf("render.include_segment_ids = %#v, want false", cfg.Pipeline.Render.IncludeSegmentIDs)
+				}
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name: "invalid render format fails",
+			renderYAML: `render:
+  format: html
+`,
+			wantValidateErr: "pipeline.render.format must be markdown",
+		},
+		{
+			name: "unknown render field fails strict decoding",
+			renderYAML: `render:
+  format: markdown
+  unknown: true
+`,
+			wantLoadErr: "strict decode failed",
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			pipelineYAML := testPipelineBaseYAML
+			if tt.renderYAML != "" {
+				pipelineYAML += "\n" + tt.renderYAML
+			}
+			pipelinePath, sessionPath := writeConfigFiles(t, pipelineYAML, testSessionBaseYAML)
+
+			cfg, err := Load(pipelinePath, sessionPath)
+			if tt.wantLoadErr != "" {
+				if err == nil {
+					t.Fatalf("expected load error containing %q, got nil", tt.wantLoadErr)
+				}
+				if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), tt.wantLoadErr) {
+					t.Fatalf("load error = %q, want to contain %q", err.Error(), tt.wantLoadErr)
+				}
+				return
+			}
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("Load() error = %v", err)
+			}
+
+			if tt.assert != nil {
+				tt.assert(t, cfg)
+			}
+
+			err = Validate(cfg)
+			if tt.wantValidateErr != "" {
+				if err == nil {
+					t.Fatalf("expected validation error containing %q, got nil", tt.wantValidateErr)
+				}
+				if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), tt.wantValidateErr) {
+					t.Fatalf("validation error = %q, want to contain %q", err.Error(), tt.wantValidateErr)
+				}
+				return
+			}
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("Validate() error = %v", err)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}

internal/config/scriptorium_test.go

@@ -200,6 +200,42 @@ func TestScriptoriumLoadAndValidate(t *testing.T) {
         transcript:
           source: narratio.transcript.final_trimmed
           required: true
+`,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "markdown built in artifact source is accepted",
+			scriptoriumYAML: `scriptorium:
+  binary: scriptorium
+  artifacts:
+    session_recap:
+      enabled: true
+      prompt_id: dnd.session_recap
+      output_path: artifacts/session_recap.md
+      inputs:
+        transcript_markdown:
+          source: narratio.transcript.final_markdown
+          required: true
+`,
+		},
+		{
+			name: "prepared stable input sources are accepted",
+			scriptoriumYAML: `scriptorium:
+  binary: scriptorium
+  artifacts:
+    session_recap:
+      enabled: true
+      prompt_id: dnd.session_recap
+      output_path: artifacts/session_recap.md
+      inputs:
+        players:
+          source: narratio.input.players
+          required: true
+        party:
+          source: narratio.input.party
+          required: true
+        glossary:
+          source: narratio.input.glossary
+          required: false
 `,
 		},
 		{
@@ -560,4 +596,6 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `

internal/config/session_template_test.go

@@ -17,6 +17,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(sessionPath, []byte(sessionYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write session.yml: %v", err)
@@ -40,6 +42,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(sessionPath, []byte(sessionYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write session.yml: %v", err)
@@ -65,6 +69,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(sessionPath, []byte(sessionYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write session.yml: %v", err)
@@ -93,6 +99,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(sessionPath, []byte(sessionYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write session.yml: %v", err)
@@ -124,6 +132,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(sessionPath, []byte(sessionYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write session.yml: %v", err)
@@ -148,6 +158,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	if err := os.WriteFile(sessionPath, []byte(sessionYAML), 0o644); err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("write session.yml: %v", err)

internal/config/storage_publish_test.go

@@ -179,18 +179,29 @@ func TestSpoolAndPublishDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 	if cfg.Pipeline.Publish.UploadRun == nil || !*cfg.Pipeline.Publish.UploadRun {
 		t.Fatalf("publish.upload_run = %#v, want true", cfg.Pipeline.Publish.UploadRun)
 	}
-	if len(cfg.Pipeline.Publish.Outputs) != 1 {
-		t.Fatalf("publish.outputs len = %d, want 1 default", len(cfg.Pipeline.Publish.Outputs))
+	if len(cfg.Pipeline.Publish.Outputs) != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("publish.outputs len = %d, want 3 defaults", len(cfg.Pipeline.Publish.Outputs))
 	}
-	item := cfg.Pipeline.Publish.Outputs[0]
-	if item.Required == nil || !*item.Required {
-		t.Fatalf("publish.outputs[0].required = %#v, want true", item.Required)
+	wantBySource := map[string]string{
+		"narratio.transcript.final_trimmed":          "transcripts/final.trimmed.json",
+		"narratio.transcript.final_markdown":         "transcripts/final.md",
+		"narratio.transcript.final_trimmed_markdown": "transcripts/final.trimmed.md",
 	}
-	if item.Source != "narratio.transcript.final_trimmed" {
-		t.Fatalf("publish.outputs[0].source = %q, want narratio.transcript.final_trimmed", item.Source)
+	for i, item := range cfg.Pipeline.Publish.Outputs {
+		if item.Required == nil || !*item.Required {
+			t.Fatalf("publish.outputs[%d].required = %#v, want true", i, item.Required)
+		}
+		wantDest, ok := wantBySource[item.Source]
+		if !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("publish.outputs[%d].source = %q, want known default source", i, item.Source)
+		}
+		if item.Dest != wantDest {
+			t.Fatalf("publish.outputs[%d].dest = %q, want %q", i, item.Dest, wantDest)
+		}
+		delete(wantBySource, item.Source)
 	}
-	if item.Dest != "transcripts/final.trimmed.json" {
-		t.Fatalf("publish.outputs[0].dest = %q, want transcripts/final.trimmed.json", item.Dest)
+	if len(wantBySource) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("missing default publish outputs for sources: %#v", wantBySource)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -227,6 +238,15 @@ func TestPublishOutputValidation(t *testing.T) {
 `,
 			wantErr: "source \"narratio.unknown\" is unsupported",
 		},
+		{
+			name: "prepared input source rejected",
+			ruleYML: `publish:
+  outputs:
+    - source: "narratio.input.players"
+      dest: "inputs/players.yml"
+`,
+			wantErr: "source \"narratio.input.players\" is unsupported",
+		},
 		{
 			name: "duplicate destination rejected",
 			ruleYML: `publish:
@@ -337,6 +357,15 @@ publish:
 `,
 			wantDest: "artifacts/session_recap.md",
 		},
+		{
+			name: "markdown built in derives canonical destination",
+			pipelineYML: testPipelineBaseYAML + `
+publish:
+  outputs:
+    - source: narratio.transcript.final_markdown
+`,
+			wantDest: "transcripts/final.md",
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, tt := range tests {
@@ -406,6 +435,15 @@ publish:
 `,
 			wantErr: "pipeline.publish.locks[0].source \"narratio.unknown\" is unsupported",
 		},
+		{
+			name: "prepared input source rejected",
+			pipelineYML: testPipelineBaseYAML + `
+publish:
+  locks:
+    - source: narratio.input.players
+`,
+			wantErr: "pipeline.publish.locks[0].source \"narratio.input.players\" is unsupported",
+		},
 		{
 			name: "duplicate source rejected",
 			pipelineYML: testPipelineBaseYAML + `
@@ -559,6 +597,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 		},
 		{
@@ -571,6 +611,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantErr: "session.inputs.audio_s3.prefix must be a relative path",
 		},
@@ -584,6 +626,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantErr: "session.inputs.audio_s3.prefix must not contain path traversal",
 		},
@@ -598,6 +642,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `,
 			wantErr: "mutually exclusive",
 		},
@@ -644,6 +690,8 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `
 	pipelinePath, sessionPath := writeConfigFiles(t, pipelineYAML, sessionYAML)
 	cfg, err := Load(pipelinePath, sessionPath)

internal/config/trim_test.go

@@ -13,6 +13,20 @@ func TestTrimLoadAndValidate(t *testing.T) {
 		wantValidateErr string
 		assert          func(t *testing.T, cfg *Config)
 	}{
+		{
+			name:     "trim defaults when omitted",
+			trimYAML: "",
+			assert: func(t *testing.T, cfg *Config) {
+				t.Helper()
+				assertDefaultTrimConfig(t, cfg)
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Scriptorium == nil {
+					t.Fatal("scriptorium config should be defaulted when trim is enabled by default")
+				}
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Binary != DefaultScriptoriumBinary {
+					t.Fatalf("scriptorium.binary = %q, want %q", cfg.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Binary, DefaultScriptoriumBinary)
+				}
+			},
+		},
 		{
 			name: "valid trim config",
 			trimYAML: `trim:
@@ -34,8 +48,8 @@ func TestTrimLoadAndValidate(t *testing.T) {
 				if cfg.Pipeline.Trim == nil {
 					t.Fatal("trim config should be present")
 				}
-				if cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Enabled != true {
-					t.Fatalf("trim.enabled = %t, want true", cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Enabled)
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Enabled == nil || !*cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Enabled {
+					t.Fatalf("trim.enabled = %#v, want true", cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Enabled)
 				}
 				if cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Bounds.ProfileID != "" {
 					t.Fatalf("trim.bounds.profile_id = %q, want empty", cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Bounds.ProfileID)
@@ -43,67 +57,25 @@ func TestTrimLoadAndValidate(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			name: "enabled omitted defaults disabled",
+			name: "enabled omitted defaults enabled",
 			trimYAML: `trim:
-  output_path: transcripts/final.trimmed.json
-  bounds:
-    prompt_id: dnd_session.bounds
-    transcript_input_name: transcript
-    output_path: artifacts/session_bounds.json
 `,
 			assert: func(t *testing.T, cfg *Config) {
 				t.Helper()
-				if cfg.Pipeline.Trim == nil {
-					t.Fatal("trim config should be present")
-				}
-				if cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Enabled {
-					t.Fatal("trim.enabled should default to false when omitted")
-				}
+				assertDefaultTrimConfig(t, cfg)
 			},
 		},
 		{
-			name: "missing prompt id fails when enabled",
+			name: "explicit disabled remains disabled",
 			trimYAML: `trim:
-  enabled: true
-  output_path: transcripts/final.trimmed.json
-  bounds:
-    transcript_input_name: transcript
-    output_path: artifacts/session_bounds.json
+  enabled: false
 `,
-			wantValidateErr: "pipeline.trim.bounds.prompt_id is required when pipeline.trim.enabled is true",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "missing transcript input name fails when enabled",
-			trimYAML: `trim:
-  enabled: true
-  output_path: transcripts/final.trimmed.json
-  bounds:
-    prompt_id: dnd_session.bounds
-    output_path: artifacts/session_bounds.json
-`,
-			wantValidateErr: "pipeline.trim.bounds.transcript_input_name is required when pipeline.trim.enabled is true",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "missing bounds output path fails when enabled",
-			trimYAML: `trim:
-  enabled: true
-  output_path: transcripts/final.trimmed.json
-  bounds:
-    prompt_id: dnd_session.bounds
-    transcript_input_name: transcript
-`,
-			wantValidateErr: "pipeline.trim.bounds.output_path is required when pipeline.trim.enabled is true",
-		},
-		{
-			name: "missing trimmed output path fails when enabled",
-			trimYAML: `trim:
-  enabled: true
-  bounds:
-    prompt_id: dnd_session.bounds
-    transcript_input_name: transcript
-    output_path: artifacts/session_bounds.json
-`,
-			wantValidateErr: "pipeline.trim.output_path is required when pipeline.trim.enabled is true",
+			assert: func(t *testing.T, cfg *Config) {
+				t.Helper()
+				if cfg.Pipeline.Trim == nil || cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Enabled == nil || *cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Enabled {
+					t.Fatalf("trim.enabled = %#v, want false", cfg.Pipeline.Trim)
+				}
+			},
 		},
 		{
 			name: "invalid timeout fails",
@@ -185,3 +157,31 @@ func TestTrimLoadAndValidate(t *testing.T) {
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+func assertDefaultTrimConfig(t *testing.T, cfg *Config) {
+	t.Helper()
+	if cfg.Pipeline.Trim == nil {
+		t.Fatal("trim config should be present")
+	}
+	if cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Enabled == nil || !*cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Enabled {
+		t.Fatalf("trim.enabled = %#v, want true", cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Enabled)
+	}
+	if cfg.Pipeline.Trim.OutputPath != DefaultTrimOutputPath {
+		t.Fatalf("trim.output_path = %q, want %q", cfg.Pipeline.Trim.OutputPath, DefaultTrimOutputPath)
+	}
+	if cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Bounds.PromptID != DefaultTrimBoundsPromptID {
+		t.Fatalf("trim.bounds.prompt_id = %q, want %q", cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Bounds.PromptID, DefaultTrimBoundsPromptID)
+	}
+	if cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Bounds.TranscriptInputName != DefaultTrimBoundsTranscriptInputName {
+		t.Fatalf("trim.bounds.transcript_input_name = %q, want %q", cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Bounds.TranscriptInputName, DefaultTrimBoundsTranscriptInputName)
+	}
+	if cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Bounds.OutputPath != DefaultTrimBoundsOutputPath {
+		t.Fatalf("trim.bounds.output_path = %q, want %q", cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Bounds.OutputPath, DefaultTrimBoundsOutputPath)
+	}
+	if cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Bounds.Timeout != DefaultTrimBoundsTimeout {
+		t.Fatalf("trim.bounds.timeout = %q, want %q", cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Bounds.Timeout, DefaultTrimBoundsTimeout)
+	}
+	if cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Seriatim.Report == nil || *cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Seriatim.Report != DefaultTrimSeriatimReport {
+		t.Fatalf("trim.seriatim.report = %#v, want %t", cfg.Pipeline.Trim.Seriatim.Report, DefaultTrimSeriatimReport)
+	}
+}

internal/config/validate.go

@@ -51,6 +51,21 @@ func validateCampaign(cfg *CampaignConfig) error {
 	if CampaignID(cfg) == "" {
 		return fmt.Errorf("campaign.campaign_id is required")
 	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Inputs.SpeakersFile) == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("campaign.inputs.speakers_file is required")
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Inputs.AutocorrectFile) == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("campaign.inputs.autocorrect_file is required")
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Inputs.GlossaryFile) == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("campaign.inputs.glossary_file is required")
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Inputs.PlayersFile) == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("campaign.inputs.players_file is required")
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Inputs.PartyFile) == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("campaign.inputs.party_file is required")
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
@@ -88,6 +103,9 @@ func validatePipeline(cfg *PipelineConfig) error {
 	if err := validateTrim(cfg.Trim); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
+	if err := validateRender(cfg.Render); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 	if err := validateScriptorium(cfg.Scriptorium); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -273,7 +291,10 @@ func validateTrim(cfg *TrimConfig) error {
 	if cfg == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
-	if !cfg.Enabled {
+	if cfg.Enabled == nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("pipeline.trim.enabled must be set (defaults should populate this)")
+	}
+	if !*cfg.Enabled {
 		return nil
 	}
 
@@ -299,6 +320,29 @@ func validateTrim(cfg *TrimConfig) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+func validateRender(cfg *RenderConfig) error {
+	if cfg == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if cfg.Enabled == nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("pipeline.render.enabled must be set (defaults should populate this)")
+	}
+	if cfg.IncludeTimestamps == nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("pipeline.render.include_timestamps must be set (defaults should populate this)")
+	}
+	if cfg.IncludeSegmentIDs == nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("pipeline.render.include_segment_ids must be set (defaults should populate this)")
+	}
+	format := strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Format)
+	if format != "markdown" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("pipeline.render.format must be markdown")
+	}
+	if cfg.Title != "" && strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Title) == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("pipeline.render.title must be non-empty when provided")
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
 func validateWhisperX(cfg WhisperXConfig) error {
 	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.TranscribeURL) == "" {
 		return fmt.Errorf("pipeline.whisperx.transcribe_url is required")
@@ -566,6 +610,12 @@ func validateSession(cfg *SessionConfig) error {
 	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Inputs.GlossaryFile) == "" {
 		return fmt.Errorf("session.inputs.glossary_file is required")
 	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Inputs.PlayersFile) == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("session.inputs.players_file is required")
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Inputs.PartyFile) == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("session.inputs.party_file is required")
+	}
 
 	hasAudioDir := strings.TrimSpace(cfg.Inputs.AudioDir) != ""
 	hasAudioFiles := len(cfg.Inputs.AudioFiles) > 0

internal/contracts/artifact.go

@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-package contracts
-
-// ArtifactResult is a placeholder generated artifact contract.
-type ArtifactResult struct {
-	Schema string `json:"schema"`
-	Path   string `json:"path"`
-}

internal/contracts/session.go

@@ -1,7 +0,0 @@
-package contracts
-
-// SessionManifest is a placeholder durable session-run contract.
-type SessionManifest struct {
-	Schema    string `json:"schema"`
-	SessionID string `json:"session_id"`
-}

internal/contracts/transcript.go

@@ -1,19 +0,0 @@
-package contracts
-
-// SpeakerTranscript is a placeholder transcription artifact contract.
-type SpeakerTranscript struct {
-	Schema    string `json:"schema"`
-	SessionID string `json:"session_id"`
-}
-
-// CanonicalTranscript is a placeholder merged transcript contract.
-type CanonicalTranscript struct {
-	Schema    string `json:"schema"`
-	SessionID string `json:"session_id"`
-}
-
-// ProcessedTranscript is a placeholder polished transcript contract.
-type ProcessedTranscript struct {
-	Schema    string `json:"schema"`
-	SessionID string `json:"session_id"`
-}

internal/stage/analyze.go

@@ -347,6 +347,7 @@ func executeAnalyzeArtifact(
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("analyze: resolve vars for artifact %q: %w", artifactName, err)
 	}
+	vars = withScriptoriumStickySessionVar(vars, sessionID)
 
 	canonicalOutputPath, err := resolveScriptoriumOutputPath(paths, artifactCfg.OutputPath)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -632,6 +633,16 @@ func resolveScriptoriumInput(
 	if describeErr != nil {
 		return "", false, nil, describeErr
 	}
+	if descriptor.Source.Kind == artifactpolicy.SourceKindStableInput {
+		resolvedPath, ok, err := resolvePreparedStableInput(descriptor.Source.ID, paths)
+		if err != nil {
+			if inputCfg.Required {
+				return "", false, nil, err
+			}
+			return "", false, nil, nil
+		}
+		return resolvedPath, ok, nil, nil
+	}
 	if descriptor.Source.Kind == artifactpolicy.SourceKindPreviousArtifact {
 		resolved, err := artifacts.ResolvePreviousSessionArtifactWithCatalog(paths, m, source, runtimeCatalog)
 		if err == nil {
@@ -670,6 +681,12 @@ func resolveScriptoriumInput(
 				return "", false, nil, fmt.Errorf("normalized transcript input is unavailable; run normalize stage first")
 			case artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmed:
 				return "", false, nil, fmt.Errorf("trimmed transcript input is unavailable; run trim stage first")
+			case artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptFinalMarkdown, artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmedMarkdown:
+				return "", false, nil, fmt.Errorf(
+					"rendered markdown transcript input is unavailable for source %q; run narratio run-stage render %s --force",
+					descriptor.Source.ID,
+					paths.SessionID,
+				)
 			default:
 				return "", false, nil, nil
 			}
@@ -678,6 +695,36 @@ func resolveScriptoriumInput(
 	}
 }
 
+func resolvePreparedStableInput(sourceID string, paths artifacts.SessionPaths) (string, bool, error) {
+	filename, ok := preparedStableInputFilename(sourceID)
+	if !ok {
+		return "", false, fmt.Errorf("unsupported prepared input source %q", sourceID)
+	}
+	path := filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, filename)
+	if err := requireNonEmptyFile(path, "prepared input "+sourceID); err != nil {
+		return "", false, fmt.Errorf(
+			"prepared input source %q is unavailable; run narratio run-stage prepare %s --force: %w",
+			sourceID,
+			paths.SessionID,
+			err,
+		)
+	}
+	return path, true, nil
+}
+
+func preparedStableInputFilename(sourceID string) (string, bool) {
+	switch strings.TrimSpace(sourceID) {
+	case artifactpolicy.SourceInputPlayers:
+		return "players.yml", true
+	case artifactpolicy.SourceInputParty:
+		return "party.yml", true
+	case artifactpolicy.SourceInputGlossary:
+		return "glossary.yml", true
+	default:
+		return "", false
+	}
+}
+
 func buildAnalyzeRuntimeArtifactCatalog(
 	paths artifacts.SessionPaths,
 	scriptoriumCfg *config.ScriptoriumConfig,

internal/stage/analyze_test.go

@@ -54,6 +54,9 @@ func TestAnalyzeGeneratesSessionRecapFromTrimmedTranscript(t *testing.T) {
 	if req.Timeout != 2*time.Minute {
 		t.Fatalf("timeout = %s, want 2m", req.Timeout)
 	}
+	if req.Vars["session_id"] != "narratio-session-2026-05-03" {
+		t.Fatalf("session_id var = %q, want sticky narratio session id", req.Vars["session_id"])
+	}
 
 	if len(result.Outputs) != 1 || result.Outputs[0].Kind != "session_recap" {
 		t.Fatalf("outputs = %#v, want one session_recap output", result.Outputs)
@@ -69,6 +72,34 @@ func TestAnalyzeGeneratesSessionRecapFromTrimmedTranscript(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAnalyzeStickySessionVarOverridesConfiguredAndPreservesArbitraryVars(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, fake := setupAnalyzeEnv(t)
+	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, m.SessionID)
+	writeAnalyzeFile(t, filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.trimmed.json"), `{"segments":[]}`)
+
+	artifact := env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"]
+	artifact.Vars = map[string]any{
+		"session_id":      "configured-session",
+		"character_name":  "Hrank",
+		"character_class": "Fighter",
+	}
+	env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"] = artifact
+
+	if _, err := (analyzeStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Run() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	req := fake.RunRequests[0]
+	if req.Vars["session_id"] != "narratio-session-2026-05-03" {
+		t.Fatalf("session_id var = %q, want sticky value", req.Vars["session_id"])
+	}
+	if req.Vars["character_name"] != "Hrank" {
+		t.Fatalf("character_name var = %q, want Hrank", req.Vars["character_name"])
+	}
+	if req.Vars["character_class"] != "Fighter" {
+		t.Fatalf("character_class var = %q, want Fighter", req.Vars["character_class"])
+	}
+}
+
 func TestAnalyzeRenderDebugFalseDoesNotCallRenderArtifact(t *testing.T) {
 	env, m, fake := setupAnalyzeEnv(t)
 	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, m.SessionID)
@@ -142,6 +173,12 @@ func TestAnalyzeRenderOutputPathIsRecorded(t *testing.T) {
 	if len(fake.RenderRequests) != 1 {
 		t.Fatalf("render requests = %d, want 1", len(fake.RenderRequests))
 	}
+	if fake.RenderRequests[0].Vars["session_id"] != "narratio-session-2026-05-03" {
+		t.Fatalf("render session_id var = %q, want sticky narratio session id", fake.RenderRequests[0].Vars["session_id"])
+	}
+	if fake.RunRequests[0].Vars["session_id"] != "narratio-session-2026-05-03" {
+		t.Fatalf("run session_id var = %q, want sticky narratio session id", fake.RunRequests[0].Vars["session_id"])
+	}
 	if result.Metadata["render_output_path"] != filepath.Join(paths.ArtifactsDir, "session_recap.render.json") {
 		t.Fatalf("render_output_path = %#v, want session_recap.render.json path", result.Metadata["render_output_path"])
 	}
@@ -961,6 +998,121 @@ func TestAnalyzeSupportsNormalizedTranscriptSourceWhenConfigured(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAnalyzeSupportsRenderedMarkdownTranscriptSourceWhenConfigured(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, fake := setupAnalyzeEnv(t)
+	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, m.SessionID)
+	markdownPath := filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.md")
+	writeAnalyzeFile(t, markdownPath, "# Session Transcript\n")
+
+	artifact := env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"]
+	artifact.Inputs["transcript"] = config.ScriptoriumInputConfig{
+		Source:   "narratio.transcript.final_markdown",
+		Required: true,
+	}
+	env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"] = artifact
+
+	_, err := (analyzeStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Run() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(fake.RunRequests) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("run requests = %d, want 1", len(fake.RunRequests))
+	}
+	if fake.RunRequests[0].InputPaths["transcript"] != markdownPath {
+		t.Fatalf("transcript input = %q, want markdown transcript path", fake.RunRequests[0].InputPaths["transcript"])
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAnalyzeResolvesPreparedStableInputSources(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, fake := setupAnalyzeEnv(t)
+	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, m.SessionID)
+	writeAnalyzeFile(t, filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.trimmed.json"), `{"segments":[]}`)
+	playersPath := filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "players.yml")
+	partyPath := filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "party.yml")
+	glossaryPath := filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "glossary.yml")
+	writeAnalyzeFile(t, playersPath, "- Eric\n")
+	writeAnalyzeFile(t, partyPath, "- Arannis\n")
+	writeAnalyzeFile(t, glossaryPath, "- term: Ten Towns\n")
+
+	artifact := env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"]
+	artifact.Inputs["players"] = config.ScriptoriumInputConfig{
+		Source:   "narratio.input.players",
+		Required: true,
+	}
+	artifact.Inputs["party"] = config.ScriptoriumInputConfig{
+		Source:   "narratio.input.party",
+		Required: true,
+	}
+	artifact.Inputs["glossary"] = config.ScriptoriumInputConfig{
+		Source:   "narratio.input.glossary",
+		Required: true,
+	}
+	env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"] = artifact
+
+	_, err := (analyzeStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Run() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(fake.RunRequests) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("run requests = %d, want 1", len(fake.RunRequests))
+	}
+	if fake.RunRequests[0].InputPaths["players"] != playersPath {
+		t.Fatalf("players input = %q, want %q", fake.RunRequests[0].InputPaths["players"], playersPath)
+	}
+	if fake.RunRequests[0].InputPaths["party"] != partyPath {
+		t.Fatalf("party input = %q, want %q", fake.RunRequests[0].InputPaths["party"], partyPath)
+	}
+	if fake.RunRequests[0].InputPaths["glossary"] != glossaryPath {
+		t.Fatalf("glossary input = %q, want %q", fake.RunRequests[0].InputPaths["glossary"], glossaryPath)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAnalyzeMissingRequiredPreparedStableInputFailsWithPrepareGuidance(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, _ := setupAnalyzeEnv(t)
+	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, m.SessionID)
+	writeAnalyzeFile(t, filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.trimmed.json"), `{"segments":[]}`)
+
+	artifact := env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"]
+	artifact.Inputs["players"] = config.ScriptoriumInputConfig{
+		Source:   "narratio.input.players",
+		Required: true,
+	}
+	env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"] = artifact
+
+	_, err := (analyzeStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "prepared input source \"narratio.input.players\" is unavailable") ||
+		!strings.Contains(err.Error(), "run narratio run-stage prepare 2026-05-03 --force") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want prepared input guidance", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAnalyzeMissingOptionalPreparedStableInputIsOmitted(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, fake := setupAnalyzeEnv(t)
+	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, m.SessionID)
+	writeAnalyzeFile(t, filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.trimmed.json"), `{"segments":[]}`)
+
+	artifact := env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"]
+	artifact.Inputs["players"] = config.ScriptoriumInputConfig{
+		Source:   "narratio.input.players",
+		Required: false,
+	}
+	env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"] = artifact
+
+	_, err := (analyzeStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Run() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(fake.RunRequests) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("run requests = %d, want 1", len(fake.RunRequests))
+	}
+	if _, ok := fake.RunRequests[0].InputPaths["players"]; ok {
+		t.Fatalf("players input should be omitted: %#v", fake.RunRequests[0].InputPaths)
+	}
+}
+
 func TestAnalyzeSupportsCanonicalNormalizedTranscriptSourceFromManifestOutput(t *testing.T) {
 	env, m, fake := setupAnalyzeEnv(t)
 	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, m.SessionID)
@@ -1045,6 +1197,42 @@ func TestAnalyzeFailsWhenNormalizedTranscriptMissing(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestAnalyzeFailsWhenRenderedMarkdownTranscriptMissing(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, _ := setupAnalyzeEnv(t)
+	artifact := env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"]
+	artifact.Inputs["transcript"] = config.ScriptoriumInputConfig{
+		Source:   "narratio.transcript.final_markdown",
+		Required: true,
+	}
+	env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"] = artifact
+
+	_, err := (analyzeStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "run narratio run-stage render") || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "--force") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want render guidance", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAnalyzeFailsWhenRenderedTrimmedMarkdownTranscriptMissing(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, _ := setupAnalyzeEnv(t)
+	artifact := env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"]
+	artifact.Inputs["transcript"] = config.ScriptoriumInputConfig{
+		Source:   "narratio.transcript.final_trimmed_markdown",
+		Required: true,
+	}
+	env.Config.Pipeline.Scriptorium.Artifacts["session_recap"] = artifact
+
+	_, err := (analyzeStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "run narratio run-stage render") || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "--force") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want render guidance", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
 func TestAnalyzeFailsWhenProcessedTranscriptInvalidJSON(t *testing.T) {
 	env, m, _ := setupAnalyzeEnv(t)
 	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, m.SessionID)

internal/stage/normalize.go

@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ func (normalizeStage) Run(ctx context.Context, env *Env, m *manifest.Manifest) (
 		stderrPath = filepath.Join(runLayout.LogsDir, "seriatim.normalize.stderr.log")
 		generatedConfigPath = filepath.Join(runLayout.ConfigDir, "seriatim.normalize.generated.yml")
 	}
-	timeout, err := resolveTrimSeriatimTimeout(env.Config.Pipeline.Seriatim.Timeout)
+	timeout, err := resolveSeriatimStageTimeout(env.Config.Pipeline.Seriatim.Timeout)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("normalize: resolve seriatim timeout: %w", err)
 	}

internal/stage/placeholders.go

@@ -74,6 +74,7 @@ func All() []Stage {
 		polishStage{},
 		normalizeStage{},
 		trimStage{},
+		renderStage{},
 		analyzeStage{},
 		publishStage{},
 		placeholderStage{name: "notify"},

internal/stage/placeholders_test.go

@@ -33,11 +33,13 @@ func TestStagesReturnExpectedMetadata(t *testing.T) {
 	campaignPath := filepath.Join(cfgDir, "campaign.yml")
 	pipelinePath := filepath.Join(cfgDir, "pipeline.yml")
 	writeStageTestFile(t, sessionPath, "session_id: 2026-05-03\n")
-	writeStageTestFile(t, campaignPath, "campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n")
+	writeStageTestFile(t, campaignPath, "campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n  players_file: ./players.yml\n  party_file: ./party.yml\n")
 	writeStageTestFile(t, pipelinePath, "workspace:\n  root: "+root+"\n")
 	writeStageTestFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "speakers.yml"), "alice: alice.flac\n")
 	writeStageTestFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "autocorrect.yml"), "[]\n")
 	writeStageTestFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "glossary.yml"), "[]\n")
+	writeStageTestFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "players.yml"), "[]\n")
+	writeStageTestFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "party.yml"), "[]\n")
 	writeStageTestFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "audio", "alice.flac"), "a")
 
 	wf := &whisperx.FakeClient{}
@@ -82,6 +84,16 @@ func TestStagesReturnExpectedMetadata(t *testing.T) {
 					ConfigPath: campaignPath,
 					Source:     "campaign_config",
 				},
+				PlayersFile: config.ResolvedInputFile{
+					Path:       "./players.yml",
+					ConfigPath: campaignPath,
+					Source:     "campaign_config",
+				},
+				PartyFile: config.ResolvedInputFile{
+					Path:       "./party.yml",
+					ConfigPath: campaignPath,
+					Source:     "campaign_config",
+				},
 			},
 			Session: &config.SessionConfig{
 				SessionID: "2026-05-03",
@@ -101,7 +113,7 @@ func TestStagesReturnExpectedMetadata(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	m := manifest.New("2026-05-03", time.Now().UTC())
-	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "analyze"} {
+	for _, name := range []string{"prepare", "transcribe", "merge", "polish", "normalize", "trim", "render", "analyze"} {
 		m.MarkStageSucceeded(name, time.Now().UTC(), nil)
 	}
 	m.RunID = "20260516T000000Z-abcdef12"
@@ -194,6 +206,15 @@ func TestStagesReturnExpectedMetadata(t *testing.T) {
 			}
 			continue
 		}
+		if s.Name() == "render" {
+			if result.Metadata["stage"] != "render" {
+				t.Fatalf("render metadata = %#v, want stage=render", result.Metadata)
+			}
+			if len(result.Outputs) != 2 {
+				t.Fatalf("render outputs = %#v, want 2 markdown outputs", result.Outputs)
+			}
+			continue
+		}
 		if s.Name() == "publish" {
 			if result.Metadata["stage"] != "publish" {
 				t.Fatalf("publish metadata = %#v, want stage=publish", result.Metadata)

internal/stage/prepare.go

@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ func (prepareStage) Declares() IODecl {
 			{Kind: "config", Category: "inputs", RelativePath: "speakers.yml"},
 			{Kind: "config", Category: "inputs", RelativePath: "autocorrect.yml"},
 			{Kind: "config", Category: "inputs", RelativePath: "glossary.yml"},
+			{Kind: "config", Category: "inputs", RelativePath: "players.yml"},
+			{Kind: "config", Category: "inputs", RelativePath: "party.yml"},
 			{Kind: "audio", Category: "audio", RelativePath: "*.flac"},
 		},
 	}
@@ -75,6 +77,8 @@ func (prepareStage) Run(ctx context.Context, env *Env, m *manifest.Manifest) (*S
 	speakersInput := stableInputSource(env.Config.StableInputs.SpeakersFile, env.Config.Session.Inputs.SpeakersFile, sessionSrc)
 	autocorrectInput := stableInputSource(env.Config.StableInputs.AutocorrectFile, env.Config.Session.Inputs.AutocorrectFile, sessionSrc)
 	glossaryInput := stableInputSource(env.Config.StableInputs.GlossaryFile, env.Config.Session.Inputs.GlossaryFile, sessionSrc)
+	playersInput := stableInputSource(env.Config.StableInputs.PlayersFile, env.Config.Session.Inputs.PlayersFile, sessionSrc)
+	partyInput := stableInputSource(env.Config.StableInputs.PartyFile, env.Config.Session.Inputs.PartyFile, sessionSrc)
 
 	speakersSrc, err := resolveConfigRelativePath(speakersInput)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -88,6 +92,14 @@ func (prepareStage) Run(ctx context.Context, env *Env, m *manifest.Manifest) (*S
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("prepare: glossary path: %w", err)
 	}
+	playersSrc, err := resolveConfigRelativePath(playersInput)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("prepare: players path: %w", err)
+	}
+	partySrc, err := resolveConfigRelativePath(partyInput)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("prepare: party path: %w", err)
+	}
 
 	for _, required := range []struct {
 		path string
@@ -96,6 +108,8 @@ func (prepareStage) Run(ctx context.Context, env *Env, m *manifest.Manifest) (*S
 		{path: speakersSrc, name: "speakers.yml"},
 		{path: autocorrectSrc, name: "autocorrect.yml"},
 		{path: glossarySrc, name: "glossary.yml"},
+		{path: playersSrc, name: "players.yml"},
+		{path: partySrc, name: "party.yml"},
 	} {
 		if err := requireFile(required.path, required.name); err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("prepare: %w", err)
@@ -107,7 +121,7 @@ func (prepareStage) Run(ctx context.Context, env *Env, m *manifest.Manifest) (*S
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("prepare: resolve audio inputs: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	inputs := make([]manifest.InputRecord, 0, 6+len(resolvedLocalAudio))
+	inputs := make([]manifest.InputRecord, 0, 8+len(resolvedLocalAudio))
 	registerInput := func(kind, path, checksum string) {
 		inputs = append(inputs, manifest.InputRecord{Kind: kind, Path: path, Checksum: checksum})
 	}
@@ -166,6 +180,8 @@ func (prepareStage) Run(ctx context.Context, env *Env, m *manifest.Manifest) (*S
 		{kind: "speakers", src: speakersSrc, dst: filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "speakers.yml"), source: speakersInput.Source},
 		{kind: "autocorrect", src: autocorrectSrc, dst: filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "autocorrect.yml"), source: autocorrectInput.Source},
 		{kind: "glossary", src: glossarySrc, dst: filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "glossary.yml"), source: glossaryInput.Source},
+		{kind: "players", src: playersSrc, dst: filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "players.yml"), source: playersInput.Source},
+		{kind: "party", src: partySrc, dst: filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "party.yml"), source: partyInput.Source},
 	} {
 		checksum, err := copyFileIfChanged(env.ArtifactStore, cfgFile.src, cfgFile.dst)
 		if err != nil {

internal/stage/prepare_test.go

@@ -41,6 +41,8 @@ func TestPrepareStageExplicitAudioFiles(t *testing.T) {
 		filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "speakers.yml"),
 		filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "autocorrect.yml"),
 		filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "glossary.yml"),
+		filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "players.yml"),
+		filepath.Join(paths.InputsDir, "party.yml"),
 		filepath.Join(paths.AudioDir, "alice.flac"),
 		filepath.Join(paths.AudioDir, "bob.flac"),
 	} {
@@ -49,8 +51,8 @@ func TestPrepareStageExplicitAudioFiles(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 
-	if len(m.Inputs) != 8 {
-		t.Fatalf("manifest inputs len = %d, want 8", len(m.Inputs))
+	if len(m.Inputs) != 10 {
+		t.Fatalf("manifest inputs len = %d, want 10", len(m.Inputs))
 	}
 	for _, in := range m.Inputs {
 		if in.Checksum == "" {
@@ -613,11 +615,15 @@ inputs:
   speakers_file: ./speakers.yml
   autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml
   glossary_file: ./glossary.yml
+  players_file: ./players.yml
+  party_file: ./party.yml
 `)
 	writeFile(t, sessionPath, "session_id: 2026-05-03\n")
 	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "speakers.yml"), "alice: alice.flac\n")
 	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "autocorrect.yml"), "[]\n")
 	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "glossary.yml"), "[]\n")
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "players.yml"), "[]\n")
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "party.yml"), "[]\n")
 
 	cfg := &config.Config{
 		Pipeline: &config.PipelineConfig{
@@ -651,6 +657,16 @@ inputs:
 				ConfigPath: campaignPath,
 				Source:     "campaign_config",
 			},
+			PlayersFile: config.ResolvedInputFile{
+				Path:       "./players.yml",
+				ConfigPath: campaignPath,
+				Source:     "campaign_config",
+			},
+			PartyFile: config.ResolvedInputFile{
+				Path:       "./party.yml",
+				ConfigPath: campaignPath,
+				Source:     "campaign_config",
+			},
 		},
 	}
 

internal/stage/publish.go

@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ var publishPrerequisiteStages = []string{
 	"polish",
 	"normalize",
 	"trim",
+	"render",
 	"analyze",
 }
 

internal/stage/render.go

@@ -0,0 +1,292 @@
+package stage
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+
+	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/adapters/seriatim"
+	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/artifacts"
+	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/config"
+	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/manifest"
+)
+
+type renderStage struct{}
+
+func (renderStage) Name() string { return "render" }
+
+func (renderStage) Declares() IODecl {
+	return IODecl{
+		Inputs: []artifacts.Ref{
+			{Kind: "transcript_final", Category: "transcripts", RelativePath: "transcripts/final.json"},
+			{Kind: "transcript_final_trimmed", Category: "transcripts", RelativePath: "transcripts/final.trimmed.json"},
+		},
+		Outputs: []artifacts.Ref{
+			{Kind: artifacts.TranscriptOutputKindFinalMarkdown, Category: "transcripts", RelativePath: artifacts.TranscriptPathFinalMarkdown},
+			{Kind: artifacts.TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmedMarkdown, Category: "transcripts", RelativePath: artifacts.TranscriptPathFinalTrimmedMarkdown},
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+func (renderStage) Run(ctx context.Context, env *Env, m *manifest.Manifest) (*StageResult, error) {
+	if env == nil || env.Config == nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: stage environment config is required")
+	}
+	if env.ArtifactStore == nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: artifact store is required")
+	}
+	if env.Config.Pipeline == nil || env.Config.Session == nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: resolved config must include pipeline and session")
+	}
+	if env.Seriatim == nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: seriatim adapter is required")
+	}
+
+	var sessionID string
+	if m != nil {
+		sessionID = strings.TrimSpace(m.SessionID)
+	}
+	if sessionID == "" {
+		sessionID = strings.TrimSpace(env.Config.Session.SessionID)
+	}
+	if sessionID == "" {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: session id is required")
+	}
+
+	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, sessionID)
+	runLayout, err := resolveRunStageLayout(env, m, paths, sessionID, "render")
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: resolve run-stage layout: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	renderCfg := renderConfigOrDefault(env.Config.Pipeline.Render)
+	enabled := renderCfg.Enabled == nil || *renderCfg.Enabled
+	format := strings.TrimSpace(renderCfg.Format)
+	if format == "" {
+		format = config.DefaultRenderFormat
+	}
+	title := resolveRenderTitle(renderCfg, env.Config.Session)
+	includeTimestamps := renderCfg.IncludeTimestamps == nil || *renderCfg.IncludeTimestamps
+	includeSegmentIDs := config.DefaultRenderSegmentIDs
+	if renderCfg.IncludeSegmentIDs != nil {
+		includeSegmentIDs = *renderCfg.IncludeSegmentIDs
+	}
+	includeMetadata := renderCfg.IncludeMetadata
+
+	meta := map[string]any{
+		"stage":               "render",
+		"render_enabled":      enabled,
+		"format":              format,
+		"title":               title,
+		"include_timestamps":  includeTimestamps,
+		"include_segment_ids": includeSegmentIDs,
+		"include_metadata":    includeMetadata,
+		"binary":              env.Config.Pipeline.Seriatim.Binary,
+		"timeout":             env.Config.Pipeline.Seriatim.Timeout,
+	}
+	if !enabled {
+		meta["skipped"] = true
+		meta["reason"] = "pipeline.render.enabled is false"
+		return &StageResult{Metadata: meta}, nil
+	}
+
+	finalInput, err := artifacts.ResolveSessionArtifact(paths, m, artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptFinal)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, wrapRenderInputResolveError(err, sessionID, artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptFinal, "normalize")
+	}
+	finalTrimmedInput, err := artifacts.ResolveSessionArtifact(paths, m, artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmed)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, wrapRenderInputResolveError(err, sessionID, artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmed, "trim")
+	}
+
+	canonicalFinalMarkdownPath, err := resolveScriptoriumOutputPath(paths, artifacts.TranscriptPathFinalMarkdown)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: resolve canonical final markdown output path: %w", err)
+	}
+	canonicalFinalTrimmedMarkdownPath, err := resolveScriptoriumOutputPath(paths, artifacts.TranscriptPathFinalTrimmedMarkdown)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: resolve canonical final trimmed markdown output path: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	runFinalMarkdownPath, err := runLocalPathForCanonical(runLayout, paths, canonicalFinalMarkdownPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: resolve run-local final markdown output path: %w", err)
+	}
+	runFinalTrimmedMarkdownPath, err := runLocalPathForCanonical(runLayout, paths, canonicalFinalTrimmedMarkdownPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: resolve run-local final trimmed markdown output path: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	finalStdoutLogPath := filepath.Join(paths.LogsDir, "seriatim.render.final.stdout.log")
+	finalStderrLogPath := filepath.Join(paths.LogsDir, "seriatim.render.final.stderr.log")
+	finalGeneratedConfigPath := filepath.Join(paths.ConfigDir, "seriatim.render.final.generated.yml")
+	finalTrimmedStdoutLogPath := filepath.Join(paths.LogsDir, "seriatim.render.final_trimmed.stdout.log")
+	finalTrimmedStderrLogPath := filepath.Join(paths.LogsDir, "seriatim.render.final_trimmed.stderr.log")
+	finalTrimmedGeneratedConfigPath := filepath.Join(paths.ConfigDir, "seriatim.render.final_trimmed.generated.yml")
+	if runLayout.Enabled {
+		finalStdoutLogPath = filepath.Join(runLayout.LogsDir, "seriatim.render.final.stdout.log")
+		finalStderrLogPath = filepath.Join(runLayout.LogsDir, "seriatim.render.final.stderr.log")
+		finalGeneratedConfigPath = filepath.Join(runLayout.ConfigDir, "seriatim.render.final.generated.yml")
+		finalTrimmedStdoutLogPath = filepath.Join(runLayout.LogsDir, "seriatim.render.final_trimmed.stdout.log")
+		finalTrimmedStderrLogPath = filepath.Join(runLayout.LogsDir, "seriatim.render.final_trimmed.stderr.log")
+		finalTrimmedGeneratedConfigPath = filepath.Join(runLayout.ConfigDir, "seriatim.render.final_trimmed.generated.yml")
+	}
+
+	timeout, err := resolveSeriatimStageTimeout(env.Config.Pipeline.Seriatim.Timeout)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: resolve seriatim timeout: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	finalReq := seriatim.RenderRequest{
+		Binary:              env.Config.Pipeline.Seriatim.Binary,
+		InputTranscriptPath: finalInput.Path,
+		OutputRenderedPath:  runFinalMarkdownPath,
+		Format:              format,
+		Title:               title,
+		IncludeTimestamps:   includeTimestamps,
+		IncludeSegmentIDs:   includeSegmentIDs,
+		IncludeMetadata:     includeMetadata,
+		StdoutLogPath:       finalStdoutLogPath,
+		StderrLogPath:       finalStderrLogPath,
+		GeneratedConfigPath: finalGeneratedConfigPath,
+		Timeout:             timeout,
+	}
+	finalRes, err := env.Seriatim.Render(ctx, finalReq)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: seriatim render failed for %q: %w", artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptFinal, err)
+	}
+	finalRenderedPath := coalesceString(finalRes.OutputRenderedPath, finalReq.OutputRenderedPath)
+	if err := requireNonEmptyFile(finalRenderedPath, "final transcript markdown output"); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	finalTrimmedReq := seriatim.RenderRequest{
+		Binary:              env.Config.Pipeline.Seriatim.Binary,
+		InputTranscriptPath: finalTrimmedInput.Path,
+		OutputRenderedPath:  runFinalTrimmedMarkdownPath,
+		Format:              format,
+		Title:               title,
+		IncludeTimestamps:   includeTimestamps,
+		IncludeSegmentIDs:   includeSegmentIDs,
+		IncludeMetadata:     includeMetadata,
+		StdoutLogPath:       finalTrimmedStdoutLogPath,
+		StderrLogPath:       finalTrimmedStderrLogPath,
+		GeneratedConfigPath: finalTrimmedGeneratedConfigPath,
+		Timeout:             timeout,
+	}
+	finalTrimmedRes, err := env.Seriatim.Render(ctx, finalTrimmedReq)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: seriatim render failed for %q: %w", artifacts.ArtifactTranscriptFinalTrimmed, err)
+	}
+	finalTrimmedRenderedPath := coalesceString(finalTrimmedRes.OutputRenderedPath, finalTrimmedReq.OutputRenderedPath)
+	if err := requireNonEmptyFile(finalTrimmedRenderedPath, "final trimmed transcript markdown output"); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	materializedFinalMarkdown, err := materializeRunLocalOutput(env.ArtifactStore, finalRenderedPath, canonicalFinalMarkdownPath, artifacts.Ref{
+		Kind:      artifacts.TranscriptOutputKindFinalMarkdown,
+		Category:  "transcripts",
+		SessionID: sessionID,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: materialize canonical final markdown output: %w", err)
+	}
+	materializedFinalTrimmedMarkdown, err := materializeRunLocalOutput(env.ArtifactStore, finalTrimmedRenderedPath, canonicalFinalTrimmedMarkdownPath, artifacts.Ref{
+		Kind:      artifacts.TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+		Category:  "transcripts",
+		SessionID: sessionID,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("render: materialize canonical final trimmed markdown output: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	meta["final_input_path"] = finalInput.Path
+	meta["final_input_provenance"] = finalInput.Provenance
+	meta["final_input_run_id"] = finalInput.ProducerRunID
+	meta["final_trimmed_input_path"] = finalTrimmedInput.Path
+	meta["final_trimmed_input_provenance"] = finalTrimmedInput.Provenance
+	meta["final_trimmed_input_run_id"] = finalTrimmedInput.ProducerRunID
+	meta["run_final_markdown_path"] = finalRenderedPath
+	meta["final_markdown_path"] = canonicalFinalMarkdownPath
+	meta["run_final_trimmed_markdown_path"] = finalTrimmedRenderedPath
+	meta["final_trimmed_markdown_path"] = canonicalFinalTrimmedMarkdownPath
+	populateRenderAdapterMetadata(meta, "final_adapter_", finalRes)
+	populateRenderAdapterMetadata(meta, "final_trimmed_adapter_", finalTrimmedRes)
+
+	return &StageResult{
+		Outputs: []artifacts.Ref{
+			materializedFinalMarkdown,
+			materializedFinalTrimmedMarkdown,
+		},
+		Logs: dedupeAndSortPaths([]string{
+			finalStdoutLogPath,
+			finalStderrLogPath,
+			finalTrimmedStdoutLogPath,
+			finalTrimmedStderrLogPath,
+		}),
+		GeneratedConfigs: dedupeAndSortPaths([]string{
+			finalGeneratedConfigPath,
+			finalTrimmedGeneratedConfigPath,
+		}),
+		Metadata: meta,
+	}, nil
+}
+
+func renderConfigOrDefault(cfg *config.RenderConfig) *config.RenderConfig {
+	if cfg != nil {
+		return cfg
+	}
+	enabled := true
+	includeTimestamps := true
+	includeSegmentIDs := config.DefaultRenderSegmentIDs
+	return &config.RenderConfig{
+		Enabled:           &enabled,
+		Format:            config.DefaultRenderFormat,
+		IncludeTimestamps: &includeTimestamps,
+		IncludeSegmentIDs: &includeSegmentIDs,
+		IncludeMetadata:   config.DefaultRenderMetadata,
+	}
+}
+
+func resolveRenderTitle(renderCfg *config.RenderConfig, sessionCfg *config.SessionConfig) string {
+	if renderCfg != nil && strings.TrimSpace(renderCfg.Title) != "" {
+		return strings.TrimSpace(renderCfg.Title)
+	}
+	if sessionCfg != nil && strings.TrimSpace(sessionCfg.Title) != "" {
+		return strings.TrimSpace(sessionCfg.Title)
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+func wrapRenderInputResolveError(err error, sessionID, sourceID, guidanceStage string) error {
+	var notFound *artifacts.SessionArtifactNotFoundError
+	if errors.As(err, &notFound) {
+		return fmt.Errorf(
+			"render: required input %q is unavailable; run narratio run-stage %s %s --force",
+			sourceID,
+			guidanceStage,
+			sessionID,
+		)
+	}
+	return fmt.Errorf("render: resolve %q input: %w", sourceID, err)
+}
+
+func populateRenderAdapterMetadata(meta map[string]any, prefix string, result seriatim.RenderResult) {
+	if meta == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	meta[prefix+"duration_ms"] = result.Duration.Milliseconds()
+	meta[prefix+"exit_code"] = result.ExitCode
+	meta[prefix+"invoked_binary"] = result.InvokedBinary
+	meta[prefix+"format"] = result.Format
+	meta[prefix+"title"] = result.Title
+	meta[prefix+"output_path"] = result.OutputRenderedPath
+	meta[prefix+"generated_config"] = result.GeneratedConfigPath
+	meta[prefix+"stdout_log_path"] = result.StdoutLogPath
+	meta[prefix+"stderr_log_path"] = result.StderrLogPath
+	if result.Metadata != nil {
+		meta[prefix+"metadata"] = result.Metadata
+	}
+}

internal/stage/render_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,208 @@
+package stage
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/adapters/seriatim"
+	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/artifacts"
+	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/config"
+	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/manifest"
+)
+
+func TestRenderStageDisabledSucceedsWithoutOutputs(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, ser := setupRenderEnv(t)
+	enabled := false
+	env.Config.Pipeline.Render.Enabled = &enabled
+
+	result, err := (renderStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("render.Run() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(result.Outputs) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("outputs = %#v, want empty when disabled", result.Outputs)
+	}
+	if len(ser.RenderRequests) != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("render requests = %d, want 0 when disabled", len(ser.RenderRequests))
+	}
+	if result.Metadata["render_enabled"] != false {
+		t.Fatalf("metadata render_enabled = %#v, want false", result.Metadata["render_enabled"])
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRenderStageResolvesManifestInputsFirst(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, ser := setupRenderEnv(t)
+	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, m.SessionID)
+
+	manifestFinal := filepath.Join(paths.ArtifactsDir, "final.from-manifest.json")
+	manifestTrimmed := filepath.Join(paths.ArtifactsDir, "final.trimmed.from-manifest.json")
+	writeFile(t, manifestFinal, `{"segments":[{"id":101}]}`)
+	writeFile(t, manifestTrimmed, `{"segments":[{"id":202}]}`)
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.json"), `{"segments":[{"id":1}]}`)
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.trimmed.json"), `{"segments":[{"id":2}]}`)
+
+	m.MarkStageSucceeded("normalize", time.Now().UTC(), []manifest.ArtifactRecord{{Kind: "transcript_final", LocalPath: manifestFinal}})
+	m.MarkStageSucceeded("trim", time.Now().UTC(), []manifest.ArtifactRecord{{Kind: "transcript_final_trimmed", LocalPath: manifestTrimmed}})
+
+	result, err := (renderStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("render.Run() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(ser.RenderRequests) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("render requests = %d, want 2", len(ser.RenderRequests))
+	}
+	if ser.RenderRequests[0].InputTranscriptPath != manifestFinal {
+		t.Fatalf("first input path = %q, want %q", ser.RenderRequests[0].InputTranscriptPath, manifestFinal)
+	}
+	if ser.RenderRequests[1].InputTranscriptPath != manifestTrimmed {
+		t.Fatalf("second input path = %q, want %q", ser.RenderRequests[1].InputTranscriptPath, manifestTrimmed)
+	}
+	if result.Metadata["final_input_provenance"] != "manifest.normalize.outputs" {
+		t.Fatalf("final_input_provenance = %#v, want manifest.normalize.outputs", result.Metadata["final_input_provenance"])
+	}
+	if result.Metadata["final_trimmed_input_provenance"] != "manifest.trim.outputs" {
+		t.Fatalf("final_trimmed_input_provenance = %#v, want manifest.trim.outputs", result.Metadata["final_trimmed_input_provenance"])
+	}
+	if len(result.Outputs) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("outputs = %#v, want 2", result.Outputs)
+	}
+	if result.Outputs[0].Kind != artifacts.TranscriptOutputKindFinalMarkdown {
+		t.Fatalf("outputs[0].kind = %q, want %q", result.Outputs[0].Kind, artifacts.TranscriptOutputKindFinalMarkdown)
+	}
+	if result.Outputs[1].Kind != artifacts.TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmedMarkdown {
+		t.Fatalf("outputs[1].kind = %q, want %q", result.Outputs[1].Kind, artifacts.TranscriptOutputKindFinalTrimmedMarkdown)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRenderStageTitleFallsBackToSessionTitle(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, ser := setupRenderEnv(t)
+	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, m.SessionID)
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.json"), `{"segments":[{"id":1}]}`)
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.trimmed.json"), `{"segments":[{"id":2}]}`)
+	env.Config.Pipeline.Render.Title = ""
+	env.Config.Session.Title = "Session Title"
+
+	_, err := (renderStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("render.Run() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(ser.RenderRequests) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("render requests = %d, want 2", len(ser.RenderRequests))
+	}
+	if ser.RenderRequests[0].Title != "Session Title" || ser.RenderRequests[1].Title != "Session Title" {
+		t.Fatalf("render titles = %q/%q, want Session Title", ser.RenderRequests[0].Title, ser.RenderRequests[1].Title)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRenderStageFailsWhenFinalInputMissing(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, _ := setupRenderEnv(t)
+	_, err := (renderStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "run narratio run-stage normalize") || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "--force") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want normalize guidance", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRenderStageFailsWhenFinalTrimmedInputMissing(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, _ := setupRenderEnv(t)
+	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, m.SessionID)
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.json"), `{"segments":[{"id":1}]}`)
+
+	_, err := (renderStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error, got nil")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "run narratio run-stage trim") || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "--force") {
+		t.Fatalf("error = %q, want trim guidance", err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRenderStageUsesRunLocalOutputsAndMaterializesCanonical(t *testing.T) {
+	env, m, ser := setupRenderEnv(t)
+	env.Config.Session.Campaign = "sample-campaign"
+	m.Campaign = "sample-campaign"
+	m.RunID = "20260518T010203Z-abcdef12"
+	paths := sessionPathsForEnv(env, m.SessionID)
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.json"), `{"segments":[{"id":1}]}`)
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(paths.TranscriptsDir, "final.trimmed.json"), `{"segments":[{"id":2}]}`)
+
+	result, err := (renderStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("render.Run() error = %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(ser.RenderRequests) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("render requests = %d, want 2", len(ser.RenderRequests))
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(ser.RenderRequests[0].OutputRenderedPath, filepath.Join("runs", m.RunID, "render", "outputs")) {
+		t.Fatalf("run output path = %q, want run-local output path", ser.RenderRequests[0].OutputRenderedPath)
+	}
+	for _, out := range result.Outputs {
+		if strings.Contains(out.AbsolutePath, string(filepath.Separator)+"runs"+string(filepath.Separator)) {
+			t.Fatalf("materialized output path = %q, want canonical session path", out.AbsolutePath)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(result.GeneratedConfigs) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("generated configs = %#v, want two generated config paths", result.GeneratedConfigs)
+	}
+	if len(result.Logs) != 4 {
+		t.Fatalf("logs = %#v, want four log paths", result.Logs)
+	}
+}
+
+func setupRenderEnv(t *testing.T) (*Env, *manifest.Manifest, *seriatim.FakeRunner) {
+	t.Helper()
+	workspace := t.TempDir()
+	cfgDir := t.TempDir()
+	sessionPath := filepath.Join(cfgDir, "session.yml")
+	pipelinePath := filepath.Join(cfgDir, "pipeline.yml")
+	writeFile(t, sessionPath, "session_id: 2026-05-03\n")
+	writeFile(t, pipelinePath, "workspace:\n  root: "+workspace+"\n")
+
+	enabled := true
+	includeTimestamps := true
+	includeSegmentIDs := false
+	seriatimReport := false
+	cfg := &config.Config{
+		PipelinePath: pipelinePath,
+		SessionPath:  sessionPath,
+		Pipeline: &config.PipelineConfig{
+			Workspace: config.WorkspaceConfig{Root: workspace},
+			Seriatim: config.SeriatimConfig{
+				Binary:       "seriatim",
+				Timeout:      "10m",
+				OutputSchema: "seriatim-intermediate",
+				CoalesceGap:  func() *float64 { v := 3.0; return &v }(),
+				Report:       &seriatimReport,
+			},
+			Render: &config.RenderConfig{
+				Enabled:           &enabled,
+				Format:            "markdown",
+				Title:             "Pipeline Title",
+				IncludeTimestamps: &includeTimestamps,
+				IncludeSegmentIDs: &includeSegmentIDs,
+				IncludeMetadata:   false,
+			},
+		},
+		Session: &config.SessionConfig{
+			SessionID: "2026-05-03",
+			Campaign:  "sample-campaign",
+		},
+	}
+
+	store := artifacts.NewLocalStore(workspace)
+	if _, err := store.EnsureLayoutFor("sample-campaign", "2026-05-03"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("EnsureLayout() error = %v", err)
+	}
+
+	ser := &seriatim.FakeRunner{}
+	return &Env{
+		Config:        cfg,
+		ArtifactStore: store,
+		Seriatim:      ser,
+	}, manifest.New("2026-05-03", time.Now().UTC()), ser
+}

internal/stage/scriptorium_vars.go

@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+package stage
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+
+	"gitea.maximumdirect.net/eric/narratio/internal/config"
+)
+
+func withScriptoriumStickySessionVar(vars map[string]string, sessionID string) map[string]string {
+	out := make(map[string]string, len(vars)+1)
+	for k, v := range vars {
+		out[k] = v
+	}
+	if trimmedSessionID := strings.TrimSpace(sessionID); trimmedSessionID != "" {
+		out[config.DefaultScriptoriumStickySessionVarName] = config.DefaultScriptoriumStickySessionVarPrefix + trimmedSessionID
+	}
+	if len(out) == 0 {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return out
+}

internal/stage/transcribe_test.go

@@ -236,10 +236,12 @@ func setupTranscribeEnv(t *testing.T, audioFiles []string) (*Env, *manifest.Mani
 	campaignPath := filepath.Join(cfgDir, "campaign.yml")
 	writeFile(t, sessionPath, "session_id: 2026-05-03\ncampaign: sample-campaign\n")
 	writeFile(t, pipelinePath, "workspace:\n  root: "+workspace+"\n")
-	writeFile(t, campaignPath, "campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n")
+	writeFile(t, campaignPath, "campaign_id: sample-campaign\ninputs:\n  speakers_file: ./speakers.yml\n  autocorrect_file: ./autocorrect.yml\n  glossary_file: ./glossary.yml\n  players_file: ./players.yml\n  party_file: ./party.yml\n")
 	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "speakers.yml"), "alice: alice.flac\n")
 	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "autocorrect.yml"), "[]\n")
 	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "glossary.yml"), "[]\n")
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "players.yml"), "[]\n")
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(cfgDir, "party.yml"), "[]\n")
 
 	retries := 3
 	concurrency := 2
@@ -267,12 +269,16 @@ func setupTranscribeEnv(t *testing.T, audioFiles []string) (*Env, *manifest.Mani
 				SpeakersFile:    "./speakers.yml",
 				AutocorrectFile: "./autocorrect.yml",
 				GlossaryFile:    "./glossary.yml",
+				PlayersFile:     "./players.yml",
+				PartyFile:       "./party.yml",
 			},
 		},
 		StableInputs: config.ResolvedStableInputs{
 			SpeakersFile:    config.ResolvedInputFile{Path: "./speakers.yml", ConfigPath: campaignPath, Source: "campaign_config"},
 			AutocorrectFile: config.ResolvedInputFile{Path: "./autocorrect.yml", ConfigPath: campaignPath, Source: "campaign_config"},
 			GlossaryFile:    config.ResolvedInputFile{Path: "./glossary.yml", ConfigPath: campaignPath, Source: "campaign_config"},
+			PlayersFile:     config.ResolvedInputFile{Path: "./players.yml", ConfigPath: campaignPath, Source: "campaign_config"},
+			PartyFile:       config.ResolvedInputFile{Path: "./party.yml", ConfigPath: campaignPath, Source: "campaign_config"},
 		},
 	}
 

internal/stage/trim.go

@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ func (trimStage) Run(ctx context.Context, env *Env, m *manifest.Manifest) (*Stag
 	}
 
 	trimCfg := env.Config.Pipeline.Trim
-	enabled := trimCfg != nil && trimCfg.Enabled
+	enabled := trimCfg != nil && trimCfg.Enabled != nil && *trimCfg.Enabled
 
 	canonicalTrimmedPath, err := resolveTrimmedOutputPath(paths, trimCfg)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ func (trimStage) Run(ctx context.Context, env *Env, m *manifest.Manifest) (*Stag
 	inputPaths := map[string]string{
 		boundsCfg.TranscriptInputName: normalizedPath,
 	}
-	vars := map[string]string{}
+	vars := withScriptoriumStickySessionVar(nil, sessionID)
 
 	metadata["bounds_prompt_id"] = boundsCfg.PromptID
 	metadata["bounds_profile_id"] = boundsCfg.ProfileID
@@ -315,7 +315,7 @@ func (trimStage) Run(ctx context.Context, env *Env, m *manifest.Manifest) (*Stag
 			trimStderrLogPath = filepath.Join(runLayout.LogsDir, "seriatim.trim.stderr.log")
 			trimGeneratedConfigPath = filepath.Join(runLayout.ConfigDir, "seriatim.trim.generated.yml")
 		}
-		trimTimeout, err := resolveTrimSeriatimTimeout(env.Config.Pipeline.Seriatim.Timeout)
+		trimTimeout, err := resolveSeriatimStageTimeout(env.Config.Pipeline.Seriatim.Timeout)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("trim: resolve seriatim timeout: %w", err)
 		}
@@ -398,7 +398,7 @@ func copyTranscript(store artifacts.Store, src, dst string) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func resolveTrimSeriatimTimeout(raw string) (time.Duration, error) {
+func resolveSeriatimStageTimeout(raw string) (time.Duration, error) {
 	trimmed := strings.TrimSpace(raw)
 	if trimmed == "" {
 		return 0, nil

internal/stage/trim_test.go

@@ -34,6 +34,9 @@ func TestTrimStageConsumesNormalizedAndProducesTrimmedTranscript(t *testing.T) {
 	if len(scr.RunRequests) != 1 {
 		t.Fatalf("scriptorium run requests = %d, want 1", len(scr.RunRequests))
 	}
+	if scr.RunRequests[0].Vars["session_id"] != "narratio-session-2026-05-03" {
+		t.Fatalf("session_id var = %q, want sticky narratio session id", scr.RunRequests[0].Vars["session_id"])
+	}
 	if len(ser.TrimRequests) != 1 {
 		t.Fatalf("seriatim trim requests = %d, want 1", len(ser.TrimRequests))
 	}
@@ -129,6 +132,12 @@ func TestTrimStageRenderDebugDiagnosticsAreNotStageOutputs(t *testing.T) {
 	if len(scr.RenderRequests) != 1 {
 		t.Fatalf("scriptorium render requests = %d, want 1", len(scr.RenderRequests))
 	}
+	if scr.RenderRequests[0].Vars["session_id"] != "narratio-session-2026-05-03" {
+		t.Fatalf("render session_id var = %q, want sticky narratio session id", scr.RenderRequests[0].Vars["session_id"])
+	}
+	if scr.RunRequests[0].Vars["session_id"] != "narratio-session-2026-05-03" {
+		t.Fatalf("run session_id var = %q, want sticky narratio session id", scr.RunRequests[0].Vars["session_id"])
+	}
 	for _, out := range result.Outputs {
 		if out.Kind == "session_bounds_render" {
 			t.Fatalf("render diagnostics should not be stage outputs: %#v", result.Outputs)
@@ -275,7 +284,8 @@ func TestTrimStageDisabledCopiesNormalizedTranscript(t *testing.T) {
 	writeFile(t, normalized, normalizedBody)
 
 	disabled := *env.Config.Pipeline.Trim
-	disabled.Enabled = false
+	enabled := false
+	disabled.Enabled = &enabled
 	env.Config.Pipeline.Trim = &disabled
 
 	result, err := (trimStage{}).Run(context.Background(), env, m)
@@ -424,6 +434,7 @@ func setupTrimEnv(t *testing.T) (*Env, *manifest.Manifest, *boundsScriptoriumRun
 	writeFile(t, pipelinePath, "workspace:\n  root: "+workspace+"\n")
 
 	seriatimReport := false
+	trimEnabled := true
 	cfg := &config.Config{
 		PipelinePath: pipelinePath,
 		SessionPath:  sessionPath,
@@ -437,7 +448,7 @@ func setupTrimEnv(t *testing.T) (*Env, *manifest.Manifest, *boundsScriptoriumRun
 				Report:       &seriatimReport,
 			},
 			Trim: &config.TrimConfig{
-				Enabled:    true,
+				Enabled:    &trimEnabled,
 				OutputPath: "transcripts/final.trimmed.json",
 				Bounds: config.TrimBoundsConfig{
 					PromptID:            "dnd_session.bounds",