MVP: commit-boundary recorder with contracts

Shipped 2026-09-04 in prototype/panout.py (stdlib only, Python 3.10+). Tests: 21 passing.

What it does

Hooks. panout init installs prepare-commit-msg and post-commit shims, chains any existing hook via <hook>.panout-chained, honours core.hooksPath, and never blocks a commit.
Contracts. Four defaults proposed from the repo: tests-touch, no-secrets, size-guard (400 added lines), agent-attribution. Results are written into the commit as Panout-Contracts: trailers alongside a Panout-Work: id.
Override record. When a human commits past a failing contract the post-commit hook appends a work.evaluated event with override=true to a hash-chained JSONL ledger. Metadata only: no prompts, transcripts, file contents, or diff bodies.
status. Exposure, overrides per contract, evaluations for commits no longer on HEAD.
audit. Agent-attributed commits with harness, override flag, 30-day rework proxy (git blame --reverse), and contract results.
inject. Replays accepted commits on a scratch worktree, injects four agent-characteristic faults, and credits a catch only when the contract passed the unfaulted diff.

Criterion	Status
Tests pass	Met (21/21)
Installed in three founder repos	Met (panout, dotfiles, jones)
Exposure at least 30% of commits	Met (100% by construction; noted as a departure)
Fault injection n at least 10 per contract	Met on dotfiles
Hook latency	Met (about 100 ms median over 20 commits)
Ledger contains no content	Met (grep for prompt/diff text: 0 hits)
Five captured commits per repo with at least one override	Not met. Requires real commits by the founder in dotfiles and jones; cannot be fabricated.
Ten operators, eleven maintainer messages, external-repo injection	User-only. Outstanding since 2026-08-22.

Panout defensibility and MVP review · built 2026-09-04 from /code/research/panout · private review copy, not indexed.