diff --git a/notes/pr8_update_summary.md b/notes/pr8_update_summary.md
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+# PR #8 Update Summary
+
+## What this PR adds
+
+- a trusted-remote handoff resume gate after TPI-008 recovery
+- a stricter intake rule for concrete provider-supplied handoff data
+- an unchanged execution-resume contract for TPI-004 once landing is verified
+- a decision surface that prevents reopening Git auth work without fresh evidence
+
+## What still remains
+
+- a concrete provider-supplied attach or SSH route
+- verified landing in `/workspace/parameter-golf`
+- actual resume of the unchanged TPI-004 baseline/candidate evidence pass
+
+## First required external handoff
+
+The next turn should begin from the exact provider-supplied attach route or SSH tuple and immediately verify landing in `/workspace/parameter-golf`.
+
+## Boundary carried forward
+
+- remote review surfaces are now treated as trustworthy again
+- Git auth recovery is not reopened unless a new concrete regression appears
+- monkey model framing remains the only public-facing concept
+
+## Current turn result
+
+- the trusted remote handoff gate remains valid
+- no concrete provider-supplied handoff package is present in this turn
+- the branch therefore stays in an absent-state wait
+- current label remains `continue_sharpening`
diff --git a/notes/tpi_009_resume_contract.md b/notes/tpi_009_resume_contract.md
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+# TPI-009 Resume Contract
+
+## Objective
+
+Define the first commands to run once a concrete provider-supplied handoff package is accepted on top of the restored remote review surfaces.
+
+## Preconditions
+
+- PR #6 is trusted as the latest TPI-007 absent-handoff surface
+- PR #7 is trusted as the TPI-008 recovery surface
+- PR #8 is trusted as the current TPI-009 handoff gate
+- the next turn contains a concrete attach route or exact SSH tuple
+
+## First verification commands
+
+```bash
+pwd
+ls /workspace
+cd /workspace/parameter-golf
+git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD
+python3 -c "import torch, datasets, sentencepiece; print('deps-ok')"
+nvidia-smi
+```
+
+## Resume commands after landing verification
+
+### Baseline
+```bash
+RUN_ID=tpi004_baseline_stride1024 \
+DATA_PATH=/workspace/parameter-golf/data/datasets/fineweb10B_sp1024/ \
+TOKENIZER_PATH=/workspace/parameter-golf/data/tokenizers/fineweb_1024_bpe.model \
+VOCAB_SIZE=1024 \
+TRAIN_SEQ_LEN=1024 \
+EVAL_STRIDE=1024 \
+MAX_WALLCLOCK_SECONDS=600 \
+TRAIN_LOG_EVERY=50 \
+VAL_LOSS_EVERY=200 \
+torchrun --standalone --nproc_per_node=1 train_gpt.py
+```
+
+### Candidate
+```bash
+RUN_ID=tpi004_candidate_stride128 \
+DATA_PATH=/workspace/parameter-golf/data/datasets/fineweb10B_sp1024/ \
+TOKENIZER_PATH=/workspace/parameter-golf/data/tokenizers/fineweb_1024_bpe.model \
+VOCAB_SIZE=1024 \
+TRAIN_SEQ_LEN=1024 \
+EVAL_STRIDE=128 \
+MAX_WALLCLOCK_SECONDS=600 \
+TRAIN_LOG_EVERY=50 \
+VAL_LOSS_EVERY=200 \
+torchrun --standalone --nproc_per_node=1 train_gpt.py
+```
+
+## Gate
+
+Do not reopen Git auth or provider rediscovery after a valid handoff package is supplied. Attach and verify landing immediately.
+
+Do not run the baseline or candidate command before:
+
+- `pwd` and `ls /workspace` succeed
+- `/workspace/parameter-golf` is reachable
+- branch identity is confirmed
+- dependency check succeeds
+- `nvidia-smi` confirms the expected runtime
diff --git a/notes/tpi_009_resume_decision.md b/notes/tpi_009_resume_decision.md
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+# TPI-009 Resume Decision
+
+## Status
+
+waiting_external_handoff
+
+## Objective
+
+Record whether the trusted remote review surfaces can now be used to resume the unchanged TPI-004 evidence pass.
+
+## Required decision fields
+
+- remote review surface trusted or not: yes
+- concrete provider handoff package received or not: not yet
+- landing path verified or not: not yet
+- TPI-004 resume ready or not: not yet
+
+## Classification
+
+- `promote_to_execution_resume`
+- `continue_sharpening`
+- `move_to_failure_ledger`
+
+## Accepted branch states
+
+- `accepted`
+  - concrete provider handoff package is present
+  - landing is verified
+  - promote immediately to `promote_to_execution_resume`
+- `absent`
+  - no concrete provider handoff package is present
+  - stop cleanly
+  - do not reopen rediscovery
+  - do not start execution
+- `failure-after-attach`
+  - a concrete provider handoff package is present
+  - attach or landing is actually attempted and fails
+  - move to `move_to_failure_ledger`
+
+## Current reading
+
+- TPI-008 removed the push/auth blocker.
+- The current blocker is now external provider handoff only.
+- No new attach route is included in this PR itself.
+
+## Classification result for the branch state
+
+- `continue_sharpening`
+
+## Absent-state handling
+
+- stop cleanly at the trusted remote handoff gate
+- no Git auth reopening
+- no environment reselection
+- no model-side changes
+- no unchanged TPI-004 execution until landing is verified
+
+## Promotion condition
+
+Promote to `promote_to_execution_resume` immediately once the handoff package is concrete enough to attach and verify `/workspace/parameter-golf`.
+
+## Failure condition
+
+Move to `move_to_failure_ledger` only if a newly attempted concrete handoff route fails after trust in the remote review surface has already been restored.
diff --git a/notes/tpi_009_trusted_remote_handoff_gate.md b/notes/tpi_009_trusted_remote_handoff_gate.md
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+# TPI-009 Trusted Remote Handoff Gate
+
+## Objective
+
+Resume the suspended TPI-004 evidence pass only from a trusted remote review surface and a concrete provider-supplied handoff package.
+
+## Public-facing name
+
+`MonkeyModel_TrustedRemoteHandoff`
+
+## Starting assumptions
+
+- TPI-008 restored remote reflection and Git auth for normal HTTPS push
+- PR #6 is again a trustworthy surface for the latest TPI-007 absent-handoff state
+- no model-side or tokenizer-side change is needed before attach and landing verification
+
+## Accepted handoff package
+
+Any acceptable handoff in this loop must include at least one of the following:
+
+1. exact provider-supplied attach command, or
+2. exact SSH tuple with host, username, and port
+
+and must also include:
+
+- pod identifier or display name
+- expected landing path or explicit confirmation that `/workspace/parameter-golf` is the target workspace
+
+This minimum package is mandatory. Partial metadata does not advance the loop.
+
+## Rejection rule
+
+Reject all of the following as insufficient for progress in this loop:
+
+- repeating that local SSH keys exist
+- generic Runpod instructions without the concrete current pod route
+- generic provider dashboard advice without the concrete current pod route
+- reopening Git auth inspection without a fresh concrete regression
+- reopening old endpoint rediscovery without new concrete provider data
+- reopening environment selection or model changes before landing verification
+
+## Immediate next action after acceptance
+
+1. run `pwd`
+2. run `ls /workspace`
+3. `cd /workspace/parameter-golf`
+4. run `git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD`
+5. run `python3 -c "import torch, datasets, sentencepiece; print('deps-ok')"`
+6. run `nvidia-smi`
+7. only after landing and dependency verification, resume the unchanged TPI-004 baseline/candidate evidence pass
+
+## Current branch reading
+
+- trusted remote surfaces are restored
+- no concrete provider-supplied handoff package is present in this turn
+- current label remains `continue_sharpening`