From 18aff260a0c8300e199af26471659fee9c507314 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: catlog22 <catlog22@github.com>
Date: Thu, 19 Mar 2026 17:47:53 +0800
Subject: [PATCH] feat: Enhance search functionality with quality tiers and
 scoped indexing

- Updated `search_code` function to include a `quality` parameter for search quality tiers: "fast", "balanced", "thorough", and "auto".
- Introduced `search_scope` function to limit search results to a specific directory scope.
- Added `index_scope` function for indexing a specific directory without re-indexing the entire project.
- Refactored `SearchPipeline` to support quality-based routing in the `search` method.
- Implemented `Shard` and `ShardManager` classes to manage multiple index shards with LRU eviction and efficient file routing.
- Added debounce functionality in `IncrementalIndexer` to batch file events and reduce redundant processing.
- Enhanced `FileWatcher` to integrate with `IncrementalIndexer` for improved event handling.
---
 .claude/agents/team-supervisor.md             |  30 +-
 .claude/agents/team-worker.md                 | 115 ++++---
 .../team-arch-opt/roles/coordinator/role.md   |   2 +-
 .../team-brainstorm/roles/coordinator/role.md |   2 +-
 .claude/skills/team-coordinate/SKILL.md       |   2 +-
 .../team-coordinate/roles/coordinator/role.md |   4 +-
 .../phases/03-content-generation.md           |   4 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md     |   6 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/role.md                 |   2 +-
 .../team-frontend/roles/coordinator/role.md   |   2 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md    |   2 +-
 .../team-iterdev/roles/coordinator/role.md    |   4 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md     |   2 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md    |  34 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md     |   4 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md    |   2 +-
 .../team-planex/roles/coordinator/role.md     |   2 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md    |  44 +--
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md     |   4 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/role.md                 |   4 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md    |   2 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/pause.md       |   2 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/resume.md      |   2 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/role.md                 |   2 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md     |   3 +-
 .../team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/analyst.md  |  89 ------
 .../role-specs/discussant.md                  | 106 -------
 .../team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/explorer.md |  73 -----
 .../role-specs/synthesizer.md                 |  77 -----
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md     |  51 ++-
 .../roles/coordinator/role.md                 |  36 ++-
 .../team-ux-improve/role-specs/tester.md      |   5 +-
 .../roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md    |  35 +--
 codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/bridge.py  |  99 ++++--
 codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/config.py  |  13 +-
 .../src/codexlens_search/core/binary.py       |   7 +
 .../src/codexlens_search/core/factory.py      |  33 +-
 .../src/codexlens_search/core/faiss_index.py  |  34 +-
 .../src/codexlens_search/core/shard.py        | 178 +++++++++++
 .../codexlens_search/core/shard_manager.py    | 250 +++++++++++++++
 .../src/codexlens_search/indexing/metadata.py | 147 ++++++++-
 .../src/codexlens_search/indexing/pipeline.py | 186 +++++++++--
 .../src/codexlens_search/mcp_server.py        | 126 +++++++-
 .../src/codexlens_search/search/pipeline.py   | 290 ++++++++++++++----
 .../codexlens_search/watcher/file_watcher.py  |  22 ++
 .../watcher/incremental_indexer.py            |  56 ++++
 46 files changed, 1537 insertions(+), 658 deletions(-)
 delete mode 100644 .claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/analyst.md
 delete mode 100644 .claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/discussant.md
 delete mode 100644 .claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/explorer.md
 delete mode 100644 .claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/synthesizer.md
 create mode 100644 codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/shard.py
 create mode 100644 codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/shard_manager.py

diff --git a/.claude/agents/team-supervisor.md b/.claude/agents/team-supervisor.md
index aeec1fbc..1f7a53bc 100644
--- a/.claude/agents/team-supervisor.md
+++ b/.claude/agents/team-supervisor.md
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ Parse the following fields from your prompt:
 | `role_spec` | Yes | Path to supervisor role.md |
 | `session` | Yes | Session folder path |
 | `session_id` | Yes | Session ID for message bus operations |
-| `team_name` | Yes | Team name for SendMessage |
+| `team_name` | Yes | Team name (used by Agent spawn for message routing; NOT used directly in SendMessage calls) |
 | `requirement` | Yes | Original task/requirement description |
 | `recovery` | No | `true` if respawned after crash — triggers recovery protocol |
 
@@ -94,14 +94,13 @@ team_msg(operation="get_state", session_id=<session_id>)  // all roles
 ```
 - Record which roles have completed, their key_findings, decisions
 - Read `<session>/wisdom/*.md` — absorb accumulated team knowledge
-- Read `<session>/team-session.json` — understand pipeline mode, stages
+- Read `<session>/session.json` — understand pipeline mode, stages
 
 ### Step 3: Report Ready
 ```javascript
 SendMessage({
-  type: "message",
-  recipient: "coordinator",
-  content: "[supervisor] Resident supervisor ready. Baseline loaded for session <session_id>. Awaiting checkpoint assignments.",
+  to: "coordinator",
+  message: "[supervisor] Resident supervisor ready. Baseline loaded for session <session_id>. Awaiting checkpoint assignments.",
   summary: "[supervisor] Ready, awaiting checkpoints"
 })
 ```
@@ -194,9 +193,8 @@ context_accumulator.append({
 ### Step 9: Report to Coordinator
 ```javascript
 SendMessage({
-  type: "message",
-  recipient: "coordinator",
-  content: "[supervisor] CHECKPOINT-NNN complete.\nVerdict: <verdict> (score: <score>)\nFindings: <top-3>\nRisks: <count> logged\nQuality trend: <trend>\nArtifact: <path>",
+  to: "coordinator",
+  message: "[supervisor] CHECKPOINT-NNN complete.\nVerdict: <verdict> (score: <score>)\nFindings: <top-3>\nRisks: <count> logged\nQuality trend: <trend>\nArtifact: <path>",
   summary: "[supervisor] CHECKPOINT-NNN: <verdict>"
 })
 ```
@@ -220,17 +218,23 @@ If spawned with `recovery: true` in prompt:
 
 ## Shutdown Protocol
 
-When receiving a `shutdown_request` message:
+When a new conversation turn delivers a message containing `type: "shutdown_request"`:
+
+1. Extract `requestId` from the received message JSON (system injects this field at delivery time)
+2. Respond via SendMessage:
 
 ```javascript
 SendMessage({
-  type: "shutdown_response",
-  request_id: "<from message>",
-  approve: true
+  to: "coordinator",
+  message: {
+    type: "shutdown_response",
+    request_id: "<extracted request_id>",
+    approve: true
+  }
 })
 ```
 
-Agent terminates.
+Agent terminates after sending response.
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/.claude/agents/team-worker.md b/.claude/agents/team-worker.md
index 840bce26..3213acf5 100644
--- a/.claude/agents/team-worker.md
+++ b/.claude/agents/team-worker.md
@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@
 name: team-worker
 description: |
   Unified worker agent for team-lifecycle. Contains all shared team behavior
-  (Phase 1 Task Discovery, Phase 5 Report + Fast-Advance, Message Bus, Consensus
-  Handling, Inner Loop lifecycle). Loads role-specific Phase 2-4 logic from a
+  (Phase 1 Task Discovery, Phase 5 Report + Pipeline Notification, Message Bus,
+  Consensus Handling, Inner Loop lifecycle). Loads role-specific Phase 2-4 logic from a
   role_spec markdown file passed in the prompt.
 
   Examples:
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ color: green
 
 You are a **team-lifecycle worker agent**. You execute a specific role within a team pipeline. Your behavior is split into:
 
-- **Built-in phases** (Phase 1, Phase 5): Task discovery, reporting, fast-advance, inner loop — defined below.
+- **Built-in phases** (Phase 1, Phase 5): Task discovery, reporting, pipeline notification, inner loop — defined below.
 - **Role-specific phases** (Phase 2-4): Loaded from a role_spec markdown file.
 
 ---
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ Parse the following fields from your prompt:
 | `role_spec` | Yes | Path to role-spec .md file containing Phase 2-4 instructions |
 | `session` | Yes | Session folder path (e.g., `.workflow/.team/TLS-xxx-2026-02-27`) |
 | `session_id` | Yes | Session ID (folder name, e.g., `TLS-xxx-2026-02-27`). Used directly as `session_id` param for all message bus operations |
-| `team_name` | Yes | Team name for SendMessage |
+| `team_name` | Yes | Team name (used by Agent spawn for message routing; NOT used directly in SendMessage calls) |
 | `requirement` | Yes | Original task/requirement description |
 | `inner_loop` | Yes | `true` or `false` — whether to loop through same-prefix tasks |
 
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ Entry:
 | team_msg state_update | YES | YES |
 | Accumulate summary | YES | - |
 | SendMessage to coordinator | NO | YES (all tasks) |
-| Fast-Advance check | - | YES |
+| Pipeline status check | - | YES |
 
 **Interrupt conditions** (break inner loop immediately):
 - consensus_blocked HIGH → SendMessage → STOP
@@ -99,6 +99,7 @@ Execute on every loop iteration:
    - Subject starts with this role's `prefix` + `-` (e.g., `DRAFT-`, `IMPL-`)
    - Status is `pending`
    - `blockedBy` list is empty (all dependencies resolved)
+   - **Owner matches** `agent_name` from prompt (e.g., task owner "explorer-1" matches agent_name "explorer-1"). This prevents parallel workers from claiming each other's tasks.
    - If role has `additional_prefixes` (e.g., reviewer handles REVIEW-* + QUALITY-* + IMPROVE-*), check all prefixes
 3. **No matching tasks?**
    - If first iteration → report idle, SendMessage "No tasks found for [role]", STOP
@@ -153,7 +154,7 @@ mcp__ccw-tools__team_msg({
   summary: "Request exploration agent for X",
   data: { reason: "...", scope: "..." }
 })
-SendMessage({ recipient: "coordinator", content: "..." })
+SendMessage({ to: "coordinator", message: "...", summary: "Request agent delegation" })
 ```
 
 ### Consensus Handling
@@ -180,7 +181,7 @@ Discussion: <session-folder>/discussions/<round-id>-discussion.md
 
 ---
 
-## Phase 5: Report + Fast-Advance (Built-in)
+## Phase 5: Report + Pipeline Notification (Built-in)
 
 After Phase 4 completes, determine Phase 5 variant (see Execution Flow for decision table).
 
@@ -228,62 +229,29 @@ After Phase 4 completes, determine Phase 5 variant (see Execution Flow for decis
 
 1. **TaskUpdate**: Mark current task `completed`
 2. **Message Bus**: Log state_update (same call as Phase 5-L step 2)
-3. **Compile final report** and **SendMessage** to coordinator:
+3. **Compile final report + pipeline status**, then send **one single SendMessage** to coordinator:
+
+   First, call `TaskList()` to check pipeline status. Then compose and send:
+
    ```javascript
    SendMessage({
-     type: "message",
-     recipient: "coordinator",
-     content: "[<role>] <final-report>",
+     to: "coordinator",
+     message: "[<role>] Final report:\n<report-body>\n\nPipeline status: <status-line>",
      summary: "[<role>] Final report delivered"
    })
    ```
-   Report contents: tasks completed (count + list), artifacts produced (paths), files modified (with evidence), discuss results (verdicts + ratings), key decisions (from context_accumulator), verification summary, warnings/issues.
-4. **Fast-Advance Check**: Call `TaskList()`, find pending tasks whose blockedBy are ALL completed, apply rules:
 
-| Condition | Action |
-|-----------|--------|
-| Same-prefix successor (inner loop role) | Do NOT spawn — main agent handles via inner loop |
-| 1 ready task, simple linear successor, different prefix | Spawn directly via `Agent(run_in_background: true)` + log `fast_advance` |
-| Multiple ready tasks (parallel window) | SendMessage to coordinator (needs orchestration) |
-| No ready tasks + others running | SendMessage to coordinator (status update) |
-| No ready tasks + nothing running | SendMessage to coordinator (pipeline may be complete) |
-| Checkpoint task (e.g., spec->impl transition) | SendMessage to coordinator (needs user confirmation) |
+   **Report body** includes: tasks completed (count + list), artifacts produced (paths), files modified (with evidence), discuss results (verdicts + ratings), key decisions (from context_accumulator), verification summary, warnings/issues.
 
-### Fast-Advance Spawn
+   **Status line** (append to same message based on TaskList scan):
 
-When fast-advancing to a different-prefix successor:
+   | Condition | Status line |
+   |-----------|-------------|
+   | 1+ ready tasks (unblocked) | `"Tasks unblocked: <task-list>. Ready for next stage."` |
+   | No ready tasks + others running | `"All my tasks done. Other tasks still running."` |
+   | No ready tasks + nothing running | `"All my tasks done. Pipeline may be complete."` |
 
-```
-Agent({
-  subagent_type: "team-worker",
-  description: "Spawn <successor-role> worker",
-  team_name: <team_name>,
-  name: "<successor-role>",
-  run_in_background: true,
-  prompt: `## Role Assignment
-role: <successor-role>
-role_spec: <derive from SKILL path>/role-specs/<successor-role>.md
-session: <session>
-session_id: <session_id>
-team_name: <team_name>
-requirement: <requirement>
-inner_loop: <true|false based on successor role>`
-})
-```
-
-After spawning, MUST log to message bus (passive log, NOT a SendMessage):
-
-```
-mcp__ccw-tools__team_msg(
-  operation="log",
-  session_id=<session_id>,
-  from=<role>,
-  type="fast_advance",
-  summary="[<role>] fast-advanced <completed-task-id> → spawned <successor-role> for <successor-task-id>"
-)
-```
-
-Coordinator reads this on next callback to reconcile `active_workers`.
+   **IMPORTANT**: Send exactly ONE SendMessage per Phase 5-F. Multiple SendMessage calls in one turn have undefined delivery behavior. Do NOT spawn agents — coordinator handles all spawning.
 
 ---
 
@@ -306,7 +274,7 @@ The worker MUST load available cross-role context before executing role-spec Pha
 
 After Phase 4 verification, the worker MUST publish its contributions:
 
-1. **Artifact**: Write deliverable to `<session>/artifacts/<prefix>-<task-id>-<name>.md`
+1. **Artifact**: Write deliverable to the path specified by role_spec Phase 4. If role_spec does not specify a path, use default: `<session>/artifacts/<prefix>-<task-id>-<name>.md`
 2. **State data**: Prepare payload for Phase 5 `state_update` message (see Phase 5-L step 2 for schema)
 3. **Wisdom**: Append new patterns to `learnings.md`, decisions to `decisions.md`, issues to `issues.md`
 4. **Context accumulator** (inner_loop only): Append summary (see Phase 5-L step 3 for schema). Maintain full accumulator for context continuity across iterations.
@@ -324,9 +292,18 @@ Load in Phase 2 to inform execution. Contribute in Phase 4/5 with discoveries.
 
 ---
 
-## Message Bus Protocol
+## Communication Protocols
 
-Always use `mcp__ccw-tools__team_msg` for team communication.
+### Addressing Convention
+
+- **SendMessage**: For triggering coordinator turns (auto-delivered). Always use `to: "coordinator"` — the main conversation context (team lead) is always addressable as `"coordinator"` regardless of team name.
+- **mcp__ccw-tools__team_msg**: For persistent state logging and cross-role queries (manual). Uses `session_id`, not team_name.
+
+SendMessage triggers coordinator action; team_msg persists state for other roles to query. Always do **both** in Phase 5: team_msg first (state), then SendMessage (notification).
+
+### Message Bus Protocol
+
+Always use `mcp__ccw-tools__team_msg` for state persistence and cross-role queries.
 
 ### log (with state_update) — Primary for Phase 5
 
@@ -380,11 +357,33 @@ ccw team log --session-id <session_id> --from <role> --type <type> --json
 | Process own prefix tasks | Process other role's prefix tasks |
 | SendMessage to coordinator | Directly communicate with other workers |
 | Use CLI tools for analysis/exploration | Create tasks for other roles |
-| Fast-advance simple successors | Spawn parallel worker batches |
+| Notify coordinator of unblocked tasks | Spawn agents (workers cannot call Agent) |
 | Write to own artifacts + wisdom | Modify resources outside own scope |
 
 ---
 
+## Shutdown Handling
+
+When a new conversation turn delivers a message containing `type: "shutdown_request"`:
+
+1. Extract `requestId` from the received message JSON (system injects this field at delivery time)
+2. Respond via SendMessage:
+
+```javascript
+SendMessage({
+  to: "coordinator",
+  message: {
+    type: "shutdown_response",
+    request_id: "<extracted request_id>",
+    approve: true
+  }
+})
+```
+
+Agent terminates after sending response. Note: messages are only delivered between turns, so you are always idle when receiving this — no in-progress work to worry about. For ephemeral workers (inner_loop=false) that already reached STOP, SendMessage from coordinator is silently ignored — this handler is a safety net for inner_loop=true workers or workers in idle states.
+
+---
+
 ## Error Handling
 
 | Scenario | Resolution |
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-arch-opt/roles/coordinator/role.md b/.claude/skills/team-arch-opt/roles/coordinator/role.md
index 8cb70aac..f8c3d81d 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-arch-opt/roles/coordinator/role.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-arch-opt/roles/coordinator/role.md
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ TEXT-LEVEL ONLY. No source code reading.
 Delegate to @commands/dispatch.md:
 1. Read dependency graph and parallel mode from session.json
 2. Topological sort tasks
-3. Create tasks via TaskCreate with blockedBy
+3. Create tasks via TaskCreate, then set dependencies via TaskUpdate({ addBlockedBy })
 4. Update session.json with task count
 
 ## Phase 4: Spawn-and-Stop
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-brainstorm/roles/coordinator/role.md b/.claude/skills/team-brainstorm/roles/coordinator/role.md
index 6f1fec98..db14de0a 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-brainstorm/roles/coordinator/role.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-brainstorm/roles/coordinator/role.md
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ TEXT-LEVEL ONLY. No source code reading.
 
 Delegate to @commands/dispatch.md:
 1. Read pipeline mode and angles from session.json
-2. Create tasks for selected pipeline with correct blockedBy
+2. Create tasks for selected pipeline, then set dependencies via TaskUpdate({ addBlockedBy })
 3. Update session.json with task count
 
 ## Phase 4: Spawn-and-Stop
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-coordinate/SKILL.md b/.claude/skills/team-coordinate/SKILL.md
index b03e5085..85396764 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-coordinate/SKILL.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-coordinate/SKILL.md
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ Coordinator supports `resume` / `continue` for interrupted sessions:
 3. Audit TaskList -> reconcile session state <-> task status
 4. Reset in_progress -> pending (interrupted tasks)
 5. Rebuild team and spawn needed workers only
-6. Create missing tasks with correct blockedBy
+6. Create missing tasks, set dependencies via TaskUpdate({ addBlockedBy })
 7. Kick first executable task -> Phase 4 coordination loop
 
 ---
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-coordinate/roles/coordinator/role.md b/.claude/skills/team-coordinate/roles/coordinator/role.md
index 8b8082a1..a759f82c 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-coordinate/roles/coordinator/role.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-coordinate/roles/coordinator/role.md
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ For callback/check/resume/adapt/complete: load `@commands/monitor.md` and execut
 4. Detect fast-advance orphans (in_progress without recent activity) -> reset to pending
 5. Determine remaining pipeline from reconciled state
 6. Rebuild team if disbanded (TeamCreate + spawn needed workers only)
-7. Create missing tasks with correct blockedBy dependencies
+7. Create missing tasks, set dependencies via TaskUpdate({ addBlockedBy })
 8. Verify dependency chain integrity
 9. Update session file with reconciled state
 10. Kick first executable task's worker -> Phase 4
@@ -278,7 +278,7 @@ mcp__ccw-tools__team_msg({
 Delegate to `@commands/dispatch.md` which creates the full task chain:
 1. Reads dependency_graph from task-analysis.json
 2. Topological sorts tasks
-3. Creates tasks via TaskCreate with correct blockedBy
+3. Creates tasks via TaskCreate, then sets dependencies via TaskUpdate({ addBlockedBy })
 4. Assigns owner based on role mapping from task-analysis.json
 5. Includes `Session: <session-folder>` in every task description
 6. Sets InnerLoop flag for multi-task roles
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-designer/phases/03-content-generation.md b/.claude/skills/team-designer/phases/03-content-generation.md
index 11a811a4..9558fb24 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-designer/phases/03-content-generation.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-designer/phases/03-content-generation.md
@@ -77,7 +77,7 @@ If `.workflow/.team/${teamConfig.sessionPrefix}-*/team-session.json` exists:
 ## Phase 3: Dispatch
 
 - Execute `commands/dispatch.md`
-- Creates TaskCreate calls with blockedBy dependencies
+- Creates TaskCreate calls, then sets dependencies via TaskUpdate({ addBlockedBy })
 
 ## Phase 4: Spawn & Monitor
 
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ Write `task-analysis.json` to session directory:
 
 Template — includes:
 - Topological sort from dependency graph
-- TaskCreate with blockedBy
+- TaskCreate + TaskUpdate({ addBlockedBy }) for dependencies
 - Task description template (PURPOSE/TASK/CONTEXT/EXPECTED/CONSTRAINTS)
 
 ### coordinator/commands/monitor.md
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-frontend-debug/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md b/.claude/skills/team-frontend-debug/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
index 7ee95961..7381a5c5 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-frontend-debug/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-frontend-debug/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
@@ -44,10 +44,10 @@ Analyzer needs more evidence. Create supplemental reproduction task.
 1. Parse Analyzer's evidence request (dimensions, specific actions)
 2. Create REPRODUCE-002 task:
    - TaskCreate with description from Analyzer's request
-   - blockedBy: [] (can start immediately)
+   - TaskUpdate to set owner (no blockedBy — can start immediately)
 3. Create ANALYZE-002 task:
-   - blockedBy: [REPRODUCE-002]
-   - Update FIX-001 blockedBy to include ANALYZE-002
+   - TaskCreate + TaskUpdate with addBlockedBy: [REPRODUCE-002]
+   - TaskUpdate FIX-001 with addBlockedBy to include ANALYZE-002
 4. Update team-session.json with new tasks
 5. -> handleSpawnNext
 
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-frontend-debug/roles/coordinator/role.md b/.claude/skills/team-frontend-debug/roles/coordinator/role.md
index 590dfaf9..c00f3c3a 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-frontend-debug/roles/coordinator/role.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-frontend-debug/roles/coordinator/role.md
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ Delegate to @commands/dispatch.md:
 1. Read dependency graph from task-analysis.json
 2. Read specs/pipelines.md for debug-pipeline task registry
 3. Topological sort tasks
-4. Create tasks via TaskCreate with blockedBy
+4. Create tasks via TaskCreate, then set blockedBy via TaskUpdate
 5. Update team-session.json
 
 ## Phase 4: Spawn-and-Stop
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-frontend/roles/coordinator/role.md b/.claude/skills/team-frontend/roles/coordinator/role.md
index 87d12386..794ec6c1 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-frontend/roles/coordinator/role.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-frontend/roles/coordinator/role.md
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ mcp__ccw-tools__team_msg({
 
 Delegate to @commands/dispatch.md:
 1. Read specs/pipelines.md for selected pipeline task registry
-2. Create tasks via TaskCreate with blockedBy
+2. Create tasks via TaskCreate, then set blockedBy via TaskUpdate
 3. Update session.json
 
 ## Phase 4: Spawn-and-Stop
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-iterdev/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md b/.claude/skills/team-iterdev/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
index be4215fa..edc897ad 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-iterdev/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-iterdev/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
@@ -227,7 +227,7 @@ Verify task chain integrity:
 | Check | Method | Expected |
 |-------|--------|----------|
 | Task count correct | TaskList count | patch: 2, sprint: 4, multi: 5+ |
-| Dependencies correct | Trace blockedBy graph | Acyclic, correct ordering |
+| Dependencies correct | Trace addBlockedBy graph | Acyclic, correct ordering |
 | No circular dependencies | Trace full graph | Acyclic |
 | Structured descriptions | Each has PURPOSE/TASK/CONTEXT/EXPECTED | All present |
 
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-iterdev/roles/coordinator/role.md b/.claude/skills/team-iterdev/roles/coordinator/role.md
index bb0ca040..38e5accc 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-iterdev/roles/coordinator/role.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-iterdev/roles/coordinator/role.md
@@ -111,13 +111,13 @@ mcp__ccw-tools__team_msg({
 
 Delegate to @commands/dispatch.md:
 1. Read specs/pipelines.md for selected pipeline task registry
-2. Create tasks via TaskCreate with blockedBy
+2. Create tasks via TaskCreate, then TaskUpdate with addBlockedBy
 3. Update task-ledger.json
 
 ## Phase 4: Spawn-and-Stop
 
 Delegate to @commands/monitor.md#handleSpawnNext:
-1. Find ready tasks (pending + blockedBy resolved)
+1. Find ready tasks (pending + all addBlockedBy dependencies resolved)
 2. Spawn team-worker agents (see SKILL.md Spawn Template)
 3. Output status summary
 4. STOP
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-lifecycle-v4/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md b/.claude/skills/team-lifecycle-v4/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
index 9d01293c..88a1999c 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-lifecycle-v4/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-lifecycle-v4/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
@@ -105,7 +105,7 @@ Pipeline done. Generate report and completion action.
 
 1. Shutdown resident supervisor (if active):
    ```
-   SendMessage({ type: "shutdown_request", recipient: "supervisor", content: "Pipeline complete" })
+   SendMessage({ to: "supervisor", message: { type: "shutdown_request", reason: "Pipeline complete" } })
    ```
 2. Generate summary (deliverables, stats, discussions)
 3. Read session.completion_action:
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-perf-opt/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md b/.claude/skills/team-perf-opt/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
index 68598f9d..89b3ffc1 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-perf-opt/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-perf-opt/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@ Every task description uses structured format for clarity:
 ```
 TaskCreate({
   subject: "<TASK-ID>",
-  owner: "<role>",
   description: "PURPOSE: <what this task achieves> | Success: <measurable completion criteria>
 TASK:
   - <step 1: specific action>
@@ -44,9 +43,9 @@ CONSTRAINTS: <scope limits, focus areas>
 ---
 InnerLoop: <true|false>
 BranchId: <B01|A|none>",
-  blockedBy: [<dependency-list>],
   status: "pending"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "<TASK-ID>", addBlockedBy: [<dependency-list>], owner: "<role>" })
 ```
 
 ### Mode Router
@@ -106,9 +105,9 @@ EXPECTED: <session>/artifacts/optimization-plan.md | Priority-ordered with impro
 CONSTRAINTS: Focus on highest-impact optimizations | Risk assessment required | Non-overlapping file targets per OPT-ID
 ---
 InnerLoop: false",
-  blockedBy: ["PROFILE-001"],
   status: "pending"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "STRATEGY-001", addBlockedBy: ["PROFILE-001"] })
 ```
 
 **IMPL-001** (optimizer, Stage 3):
@@ -130,9 +129,9 @@ EXPECTED: Modified source files + validation passing | Optimizations applied wit
 CONSTRAINTS: Preserve existing behavior | Minimal changes per optimization | Follow code conventions
 ---
 InnerLoop: true",
-  blockedBy: ["STRATEGY-001"],
   status: "pending"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "IMPL-001", addBlockedBy: ["STRATEGY-001"] })
 ```
 
 **BENCH-001** (benchmarker, Stage 4 - parallel):
@@ -154,9 +153,9 @@ EXPECTED: <session>/artifacts/benchmark-results.json | Per-metric comparison wit
 CONSTRAINTS: Must compare against baseline | Flag any regressions
 ---
 InnerLoop: false",
-  blockedBy: ["IMPL-001"],
   status: "pending"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "BENCH-001", addBlockedBy: ["IMPL-001"] })
 ```
 
 **REVIEW-001** (reviewer, Stage 4 - parallel):
@@ -178,9 +177,9 @@ EXPECTED: <session>/artifacts/review-report.md | Per-dimension findings with sev
 CONSTRAINTS: Focus on optimization changes only | Provide specific file:line references
 ---
 InnerLoop: false",
-  blockedBy: ["IMPL-001"],
   status: "pending"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "REVIEW-001", addBlockedBy: ["IMPL-001"] })
 ```
 
 ---
@@ -207,11 +206,16 @@ For each target index `i` (0-based), with prefix char `P = pipeline_prefix_chars
 // Create session subdirectory for this pipeline
 Bash("mkdir -p <session>/artifacts/pipelines/<P>")
 
-TaskCreate({ subject: "PROFILE-<P>01", ... })      // blockedBy: []
-TaskCreate({ subject: "STRATEGY-<P>01", ... })      // blockedBy: ["PROFILE-<P>01"]
-TaskCreate({ subject: "IMPL-<P>01", ... })           // blockedBy: ["STRATEGY-<P>01"]
-TaskCreate({ subject: "BENCH-<P>01", ... })          // blockedBy: ["IMPL-<P>01"]
-TaskCreate({ subject: "REVIEW-<P>01", ... })         // blockedBy: ["IMPL-<P>01"]
+TaskCreate({ subject: "PROFILE-<P>01", ... })
+TaskCreate({ subject: "STRATEGY-<P>01", ... })
+TaskCreate({ subject: "IMPL-<P>01", ... })
+TaskCreate({ subject: "BENCH-<P>01", ... })
+TaskCreate({ subject: "REVIEW-<P>01", ... })
+// Then set dependencies via TaskUpdate:
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "STRATEGY-<P>01", addBlockedBy: ["PROFILE-<P>01"] })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "IMPL-<P>01", addBlockedBy: ["STRATEGY-<P>01"] })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "BENCH-<P>01", addBlockedBy: ["IMPL-<P>01"] })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "REVIEW-<P>01", addBlockedBy: ["IMPL-<P>01"] })
 ```
 
 Task descriptions follow same template as single mode, with additions:
@@ -295,9 +299,9 @@ CONSTRAINTS: Only implement this branch's optimization | Do not touch files outs
 ---
 InnerLoop: false
 BranchId: B{NN}",
-  blockedBy: ["STRATEGY-001"],
   status: "pending"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "IMPL-B{NN}", addBlockedBy: ["STRATEGY-001"] })
 
 TaskCreate({
   subject: "BENCH-B{NN}",
@@ -316,9 +320,9 @@ CONSTRAINTS: Only benchmark this branch's metrics
 ---
 InnerLoop: false
 BranchId: B{NN}",
-  blockedBy: ["IMPL-B{NN}"],
   status: "pending"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "BENCH-B{NN}", addBlockedBy: ["IMPL-B{NN}"] })
 
 TaskCreate({
   subject: "REVIEW-B{NN}",
@@ -337,9 +341,9 @@ CONSTRAINTS: Only review this branch's changes
 ---
 InnerLoop: false
 BranchId: B{NN}",
-  blockedBy: ["IMPL-B{NN}"],
   status: "pending"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "REVIEW-B{NN}", addBlockedBy: ["IMPL-B{NN}"] })
 ```
 
 7. Update session.json:
@@ -355,7 +359,7 @@ Verify task chain integrity:
 | Check | Method | Expected |
 |-------|--------|----------|
 | Task count correct | TaskList count | single: 5, auto/fan-out: 2 (pre-CP-2.5), independent: 5*M |
-| Dependencies correct | Trace dependency graph | Acyclic, correct blockedBy |
+| Dependencies correct | Trace dependency graph | Acyclic, correct addBlockedBy |
 | No circular dependencies | Trace dependency graph | Acyclic |
 | Task IDs use correct prefixes | Pattern check | Match naming rules per mode |
 | Structured descriptions complete | Each has PURPOSE/TASK/CONTEXT/EXPECTED/CONSTRAINTS | All present |
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-perf-opt/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md b/.claude/skills/team-perf-opt/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
index c435fc27..a4f198fe 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-perf-opt/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-perf-opt/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
@@ -172,7 +172,6 @@ CONSTRAINTS: Targeted fixes only | Do not touch other branches
 ---
 InnerLoop: false
 BranchId: B{NN}",
-  blockedBy: [],
   status: "pending"
 })
 ```
@@ -186,7 +185,6 @@ Create new BENCH and REVIEW with retry suffix:
 TaskCreate({
   subject: "FIX-{P}01-{cycle}",
   ...same pattern with pipeline prefix...
-  blockedBy: [],
   status: "pending"
 })
 ```
@@ -310,7 +308,7 @@ Triggered by user "revise <TASK-ID> [feedback]" command.
 1. Parse target task ID and optional feedback
 2. Detect branch/pipeline from task ID pattern
 3. Create revision task with same role but updated requirements, scoped to branch
-4. Set blockedBy to empty (immediate execution)
+4. Skip addBlockedBy (no dependencies, immediate execution)
 5. Cascade: create new downstream tasks within same branch only
 6. Proceed to handleSpawnNext
 
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-planex/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md b/.claude/skills/team-planex/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
index d6125c6f..5202d0a2 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-planex/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-planex/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ Execution method: <agent|codex|gemini>
 ## Instructions
 1. Parse input to get issue list
 2. For each issue: call issue-plan-agent → write solution artifact
-3. After each solution: create EXEC-* task (owner: executor) with solution_file path
+3. After each solution: create EXEC-* task with solution_file path, then TaskUpdate to set owner: executor
 4. After all issues: send all_planned signal
 
 InnerLoop: true`,
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-planex/roles/coordinator/role.md b/.claude/skills/team-planex/roles/coordinator/role.md
index e66f42ad..5130bcf6 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-planex/roles/coordinator/role.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-planex/roles/coordinator/role.md
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ For callback/check/resume: load `@commands/monitor.md` and execute the appropria
 
 1. Parse new input (Issue IDs / `--text` / `--plan`)
 2. Get current max PLAN-* sequence from `TaskList`
-3. `TaskCreate` new PLAN-00N task (owner: planner)
+3. `TaskCreate` new PLAN-00N task, then `TaskUpdate` to set owner: planner
 4. If planner already sent `all_planned` (check team_msg) -> `SendMessage` to planner to re-enter loop
 5. STOP
 
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md b/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
index e5b9765b..2b2aeb74 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
@@ -1,16 +1,16 @@
 # Dispatch Tasks
 
-Create task chains from dependency graph with proper blockedBy relationships.
+Create task chains from dependency graph with proper addBlockedBy relationships.
 
 ## Workflow
 
 1. Read task-analysis.json -> extract pipeline_mode and dependency_graph
 2. Read specs/pipelines.md -> get task registry for selected pipeline
-3. Topological sort tasks (respect blockedBy)
+3. Topological sort tasks (respect addBlockedBy)
 4. Validate all owners exist in role registry (SKILL.md)
 5. For each task (in order):
    - TaskCreate with structured description (see template below)
-   - TaskUpdate with blockedBy + owner assignment
+   - TaskUpdate with addBlockedBy + owner assignment
 6. Update session.json with pipeline.tasks_total
 7. Validate chain (no orphans, no cycles, all refs valid)
 
@@ -38,51 +38,51 @@ RoleSpec: ~  or <project>/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/<role>/rol
 ### Discovery Mode
 ```
 SCOUT-001 (scout): Multi-perspective issue scanning
-  blockedBy: []
+  addBlockedBy: []
 QASTRAT-001 (strategist): Test strategy formulation
-  blockedBy: [SCOUT-001]
+  addBlockedBy: [SCOUT-001]
 QAGEN-001 (generator): L1 unit test generation
-  blockedBy: [QASTRAT-001], meta: layer=L1
+  addBlockedBy: [QASTRAT-001], meta: layer=L1
 QARUN-001 (executor): L1 test execution + fix cycles
-  blockedBy: [QAGEN-001], inner_loop: true, meta: layer=L1
+  addBlockedBy: [QAGEN-001], inner_loop: true, meta: layer=L1
 QAANA-001 (analyst): Quality analysis report
-  blockedBy: [QARUN-001]
+  addBlockedBy: [QARUN-001]
 ```
 
 ### Testing Mode
 ```
 QASTRAT-001 (strategist): Test strategy formulation
-  blockedBy: []
+  addBlockedBy: []
 QAGEN-L1-001 (generator): L1 unit test generation
-  blockedBy: [QASTRAT-001], meta: layer=L1
+  addBlockedBy: [QASTRAT-001], meta: layer=L1
 QARUN-L1-001 (executor): L1 test execution + fix cycles
-  blockedBy: [QAGEN-L1-001], inner_loop: true, meta: layer=L1
+  addBlockedBy: [QAGEN-L1-001], inner_loop: true, meta: layer=L1
 QAGEN-L2-001 (generator): L2 integration test generation
-  blockedBy: [QARUN-L1-001], meta: layer=L2
+  addBlockedBy: [QARUN-L1-001], meta: layer=L2
 QARUN-L2-001 (executor): L2 test execution + fix cycles
-  blockedBy: [QAGEN-L2-001], inner_loop: true, meta: layer=L2
+  addBlockedBy: [QAGEN-L2-001], inner_loop: true, meta: layer=L2
 QAANA-001 (analyst): Quality analysis report
-  blockedBy: [QARUN-L2-001]
+  addBlockedBy: [QARUN-L2-001]
 ```
 
 ### Full Mode
 ```
 SCOUT-001 (scout): Multi-perspective issue scanning
-  blockedBy: []
+  addBlockedBy: []
 QASTRAT-001 (strategist): Test strategy formulation
-  blockedBy: [SCOUT-001]
+  addBlockedBy: [SCOUT-001]
 QAGEN-L1-001 (generator-1): L1 unit test generation
-  blockedBy: [QASTRAT-001], meta: layer=L1
+  addBlockedBy: [QASTRAT-001], meta: layer=L1
 QAGEN-L2-001 (generator-2): L2 integration test generation
-  blockedBy: [QASTRAT-001], meta: layer=L2
+  addBlockedBy: [QASTRAT-001], meta: layer=L2
 QARUN-L1-001 (executor-1): L1 test execution + fix cycles
-  blockedBy: [QAGEN-L1-001], inner_loop: true, meta: layer=L1
+  addBlockedBy: [QAGEN-L1-001], inner_loop: true, meta: layer=L1
 QARUN-L2-001 (executor-2): L2 test execution + fix cycles
-  blockedBy: [QAGEN-L2-001], inner_loop: true, meta: layer=L2
+  addBlockedBy: [QAGEN-L2-001], inner_loop: true, meta: layer=L2
 QAANA-001 (analyst): Quality analysis report
-  blockedBy: [QARUN-L1-001, QARUN-L2-001]
+  addBlockedBy: [QARUN-L1-001, QARUN-L2-001]
 SCOUT-002 (scout): Regression scan after fixes
-  blockedBy: [QAANA-001]
+  addBlockedBy: [QAANA-001]
 ```
 
 ## InnerLoop Flag Rules
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md b/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
index 0e9bb888..b6155adf 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
@@ -72,9 +72,9 @@ EXPECTED: <session>/results/run-<layer>-gc-<round>.json
 CONSTRAINTS: Read-only execution
 ---
 InnerLoop: false
-RoleSpec: ~  or <project>/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/executor/role.md",
-  blockedBy: ["QAGEN-fix-<round>"]
+RoleSpec: ~  or <project>/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/executor/role.md"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "QARUN-gc-<round>", addBlockedBy: ["QAGEN-fix-<round>"] })
 ```
 
 6. -> handleSpawnNext
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/coordinator/role.md b/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/coordinator/role.md
index f4c4d5fb..d2ece6f9 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/coordinator/role.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-quality-assurance/roles/coordinator/role.md
@@ -111,13 +111,13 @@ Delegate to @commands/dispatch.md:
 1. Read dependency graph from task-analysis.json
 2. Read specs/pipelines.md for selected pipeline's task registry
 3. Topological sort tasks
-4. Create tasks via TaskCreate with blockedBy
+4. Create tasks via TaskCreate, then TaskUpdate with addBlockedBy
 5. Update session.json
 
 ## Phase 4: Spawn-and-Stop
 
 Delegate to @commands/monitor.md#handleSpawnNext:
-1. Find ready tasks (pending + blockedBy resolved)
+1. Find ready tasks (pending + all addBlockedBy dependencies resolved)
 2. Spawn team-worker agents (see SKILL.md Spawn Template)
 3. Output status summary
 4. STOP
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md b/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
index bf28dc98..314cec84 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ mcp__ccw-tools__team_msg({
   operation: "log", session_id: sessionId,
   from: "coordinator", to: "all",
   type: "phase_started",
-  ref: `${sessionFolder}/roadmap.md`
+  data: { ref: `${sessionFolder}/roadmap.md` }
 })
 ```
 
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/commands/pause.md b/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/commands/pause.md
index 217a8067..d3f2caa7 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/commands/pause.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/commands/pause.md
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ mcp__ccw-tools__team_msg({
   operation: "log", session_id: sessionId,
   from: "coordinator", to: "all",
   type: "phase_paused",
-  ref: `${sessionFolder}/state.md`
+  data: { ref: `${sessionFolder}/state.md` }
 })
 ```
 
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/commands/resume.md b/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/commands/resume.md
index 2b43cac7..2ec33313 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/commands/resume.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/commands/resume.md
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ mcp__ccw-tools__team_msg({
   operation: "log", session_id: sessionId,
   from: "coordinator", to: "all",
   type: "phase_started",
-  ref: `${sessionFolder}/state.md`
+  data: { ref: `${sessionFolder}/state.md` }
 })
 ```
 
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/role.md b/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/role.md
index a6f831c2..d31d910d 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/role.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-roadmap-dev/roles/coordinator/role.md
@@ -139,7 +139,7 @@ mcp__ccw-tools__team_msg({
   from: "coordinator",
   to: <target-role>,
   type: <message-type>,
-  ref: <artifact-path>
+  data: { ref: <artifact-path> }
 })
 ```
 
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-tech-debt/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md b/.claude/skills/team-tech-debt/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
index 9b081052..747780f3 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-tech-debt/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-tech-debt/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
@@ -70,7 +70,8 @@ Worker completed. Process and advance.
      Fix-Verify Task Creation:
      ```
      TaskCreate({ subject: "TDFIX-fix-<round>", description: "PURPOSE: Fix regressions | Session: <session>" })
-     TaskCreate({ subject: "TDVAL-recheck-<round>", description: "...", blockedBy: ["TDFIX-fix-<round>"] })
+     TaskCreate({ subject: "TDVAL-recheck-<round>", description: "..." })
+     TaskUpdate({ taskId: "TDVAL-recheck-<round>", addBlockedBy: ["TDFIX-fix-<round>"] })
      ```
 
 7. -> handleSpawnNext
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/analyst.md b/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/analyst.md
deleted file mode 100644
index cbe887ef..00000000
--- a/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/analyst.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,89 +0,0 @@
----
-prefix: ANALYZE
-inner_loop: false
-additional_prefixes: [ANALYZE-fix]
-message_types:
-  success: analysis_ready
-  error: error
----
-
-# Deep Analyst
-
-Perform deep multi-perspective analysis on exploration results via CLI tools. Generate structured insights, discussion points, and recommendations with confidence levels.
-
-## Phase 2: Context Loading
-
-| Input | Source | Required |
-|-------|--------|----------|
-| Task description | From task subject/description | Yes |
-| Session path | Extracted from task description | Yes |
-| Exploration results | `<session>/explorations/*.json` | Yes |
-
-1. Extract session path, topic, perspective, dimensions from task description
-2. Detect direction-fix mode: `type:\s*direction-fix` with `adjusted_focus:\s*(.+)`
-3. Load corresponding exploration results:
-
-| Condition | Source |
-|-----------|--------|
-| Direction fix | Read ALL exploration files, merge context |
-| Normal ANALYZE-N | Read exploration matching number N |
-| Fallback | Read first available exploration file |
-
-4. Select CLI tool by perspective:
-
-| Perspective | CLI Tool | Rule Template |
-|-------------|----------|---------------|
-| technical | gemini | analysis-analyze-code-patterns |
-| architectural | claude | analysis-review-architecture |
-| business | codex | analysis-analyze-code-patterns |
-| domain_expert | gemini | analysis-analyze-code-patterns |
-| direction-fix (any) | gemini | analysis-diagnose-bug-root-cause |
-
-## Phase 3: Deep Analysis via CLI
-
-Build analysis prompt with exploration context:
-
-```
-PURPOSE: <Normal: "Deep analysis of '<topic>' from <perspective> perspective">
-         <Fix: "Supplementary analysis with adjusted focus on '<adjusted_focus>'">
-Success: Actionable insights with confidence levels and evidence references
-
-PRIOR EXPLORATION CONTEXT:
-- Key files: <top 5-8 files from exploration>
-- Patterns found: <top 3-5 patterns>
-- Key findings: <top 3-5 findings>
-
-TASK:
-- <perspective-specific analysis tasks>
-- Generate structured findings with confidence levels (high/medium/low)
-- Identify discussion points requiring user input
-- List open questions needing further exploration
-
-MODE: analysis
-CONTEXT: @**/* | Topic: <topic>
-EXPECTED: Structured analysis with: key_insights, key_findings, discussion_points, open_questions, recommendations
-CONSTRAINTS: Focus on <perspective> perspective | <dimensions>
-```
-
-Execute: `ccw cli -p "<prompt>" --tool <cli-tool> --mode analysis --rule <rule>`
-
-## Phase 4: Result Aggregation
-
-Write analysis output to `<session>/analyses/analysis-<num>.json`:
-
-```json
-{
-  "perspective": "<perspective>",
-  "dimensions": ["<dim1>", "<dim2>"],
-  "is_direction_fix": false,
-  "key_insights": [{"insight": "...", "confidence": "high", "evidence": "file:line"}],
-  "key_findings": [{"finding": "...", "file_ref": "...", "impact": "..."}],
-  "discussion_points": ["..."],
-  "open_questions": ["..."],
-  "recommendations": [{"action": "...", "rationale": "...", "priority": "high"}],
-  "_metadata": {"cli_tool": "...", "cli_rule": "...", "perspective": "...", "timestamp": "..."}
-}
-```
-
-Update `<session>/wisdom/.msg/meta.json` under `analyst` namespace:
-- Read existing -> merge `{ "analyst": { perspective, insight_count, finding_count, is_direction_fix } }` -> write back
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/discussant.md b/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/discussant.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 52f181cb..00000000
--- a/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/discussant.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,106 +0,0 @@
----
-prefix: DISCUSS
-inner_loop: false
-message_types:
-  success: discussion_processed
-  error: error
----
-
-# Discussant
-
-Process analysis results and user feedback. Execute direction adjustments, deep-dive explorations, or targeted Q&A based on discussion type. Update discussion timeline.
-
-## Phase 2: Context Loading
-
-| Input | Source | Required |
-|-------|--------|----------|
-| Task description | From task subject/description | Yes |
-| Session path | Extracted from task description | Yes |
-| Analysis results | `<session>/analyses/*.json` | Yes |
-| Exploration results | `<session>/explorations/*.json` | No |
-
-1. Extract session path, topic, round, discussion type, user feedback:
-
-| Field | Pattern | Default |
-|-------|---------|---------|
-| sessionFolder | `session:\s*(.+)` | required |
-| topic | `topic:\s*(.+)` | required |
-| round | `round:\s*(\d+)` | 1 |
-| discussType | `type:\s*(.+)` | "initial" |
-| userFeedback | `user_feedback:\s*(.+)` | empty |
-
-2. Read all analysis and exploration results
-3. Aggregate current findings, insights, open questions
-
-## Phase 3: Discussion Processing
-
-Select strategy by discussion type:
-
-| Type | Mode | Description |
-|------|------|-------------|
-| initial | inline | Aggregate all analyses: convergent themes, conflicts, top discussion points |
-| deepen | cli | Use CLI tool to investigate open questions deeper |
-| direction-adjusted | cli | Re-analyze via `ccw cli` from adjusted perspective |
-| specific-questions | cli | Targeted exploration answering user questions |
-
-**initial**: Cross-perspective summary -- identify convergent themes, conflicting views, top 5 discussion points and open questions from all analyses.
-
-**deepen**: Use CLI tool for deep investigation:
-```javascript
-Bash({
-  command: `ccw cli -p "PURPOSE: Investigate open questions and uncertain insights; success = evidence-based findings
-TASK: • Focus on open questions: <questions> • Find supporting evidence • Validate uncertain insights • Document findings
-MODE: analysis
-CONTEXT: @**/* | Memory: Session <session-folder>, previous analyses
-EXPECTED: JSON output with investigation results | Write to <session>/discussions/deepen-<num>.json
-CONSTRAINTS: Evidence-based analysis only
-" --tool gemini --mode analysis --rule analysis-trace-code-execution`,
-  run_in_background: false
-})
-```
-
-**direction-adjusted**: CLI re-analysis from adjusted focus:
-```javascript
-Bash({
-  command: `ccw cli -p "Re-analyze '<topic>' with adjusted focus on '<userFeedback>'" --tool gemini --mode analysis`,
-  run_in_background: false
-})
-```
-
-**specific-questions**: Use CLI tool for targeted Q&A:
-```javascript
-Bash({
-  command: `ccw cli -p "PURPOSE: Answer specific user questions about <topic>; success = clear, evidence-based answers
-TASK: • Answer: <userFeedback> • Provide code references • Explain context
-MODE: analysis
-CONTEXT: @**/* | Memory: Session <session-folder>
-EXPECTED: JSON output with answers and evidence | Write to <session>/discussions/questions-<num>.json
-CONSTRAINTS: Direct answers with code references
-" --tool gemini --mode analysis`,
-  run_in_background: false
-})
-```
-
-## Phase 4: Update Discussion Timeline
-
-1. Write round content to `<session>/discussions/discussion-round-<num>.json`:
-```json
-{
-  "round": 1, "type": "initial", "user_feedback": "...",
-  "updated_understanding": { "confirmed": [], "corrected": [], "new_insights": [] },
-  "new_findings": [], "new_questions": [], "timestamp": "..."
-}
-```
-
-2. Append round section to `<session>/discussion.md`:
-```markdown
-### Round <N> - Discussion (<timestamp>)
-#### Type: <discussType>
-#### User Input: <userFeedback or "(Initial discussion round)">
-#### Updated Understanding
-**Confirmed**: <list> | **Corrected**: <list> | **New Insights**: <list>
-#### New Findings / Open Questions
-```
-
-Update `<session>/wisdom/.msg/meta.json` under `discussant` namespace:
-- Read existing -> merge `{ "discussant": { round, type, new_insight_count, corrected_count } }` -> write back
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/explorer.md b/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/explorer.md
deleted file mode 100644
index 14460891..00000000
--- a/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/explorer.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,73 +0,0 @@
----
-prefix: EXPLORE
-inner_loop: false
-message_types:
-  success: exploration_ready
-  error: error
----
-
-# Codebase Explorer
-
-Explore codebase structure through cli-explore-agent, collecting structured context (files, patterns, findings) for downstream analysis. One explorer per analysis perspective.
-
-## Phase 2: Context & Scope Assessment
-
-| Input | Source | Required |
-|-------|--------|----------|
-| Task description | From task subject/description | Yes |
-| Session path | Extracted from task description | Yes |
-
-1. Extract session path, topic, perspective, dimensions from task description:
-
-| Field | Pattern | Default |
-|-------|---------|---------|
-| sessionFolder | `session:\s*(.+)` | required |
-| topic | `topic:\s*(.+)` | required |
-| perspective | `perspective:\s*(.+)` | "general" |
-| dimensions | `dimensions:\s*(.+)` | "general" |
-
-2. Determine exploration number from task subject (EXPLORE-N)
-3. Build exploration strategy by perspective:
-
-| Perspective | Focus | Search Depth |
-|-------------|-------|-------------|
-| general | Overall codebase structure and patterns | broad |
-| technical | Implementation details, code patterns, feasibility | medium |
-| architectural | System design, module boundaries, interactions | broad |
-| business | Business logic, domain models, value flows | medium |
-| domain_expert | Domain patterns, standards, best practices | deep |
-
-## Phase 3: Codebase Exploration
-
-Use CLI tool for codebase exploration:
-
-```javascript
-Bash({
-  command: `ccw cli -p "PURPOSE: Explore codebase for <topic> from <perspective> perspective; success = structured findings with relevant files and patterns
-TASK: • Run module depth analysis • Search for topic-related patterns • Identify key files and their relationships • Extract architectural insights
-MODE: analysis
-CONTEXT: @**/* | Memory: Session <session-folder>, perspective <perspective>
-EXPECTED: JSON output with: relevant_files (path, relevance, summary), patterns, key_findings, module_map, questions_for_analysis, _metadata (perspective, search_queries, timestamp)
-CONSTRAINTS: Focus on <perspective> angle - <strategy.focus> | Write to <session>/explorations/exploration-<num>.json
-" --tool gemini --mode analysis --rule analysis-analyze-code-patterns`,
-  run_in_background: false
-})
-```
-
-**ACE fallback** (when CLI produces no output):
-```javascript
-mcp__ace-tool__search_context({ project_root_path: ".", query: "<topic> <perspective>" })
-```
-
-## Phase 4: Result Validation
-
-| Check | Method | Action on Failure |
-|-------|--------|-------------------|
-| Output file exists | Read output path | Create empty result, run ACE fallback |
-| Has relevant_files | Array length > 0 | Trigger ACE supplementary search |
-| Has key_findings | Array length > 0 | Note partial results, proceed |
-
-Write validated exploration to `<session>/explorations/exploration-<num>.json`.
-
-Update `<session>/wisdom/.msg/meta.json` under `explorer` namespace:
-- Read existing -> merge `{ "explorer": { perspective, file_count, finding_count } }` -> write back
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/synthesizer.md b/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/synthesizer.md
deleted file mode 100644
index f2029441..00000000
--- a/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/synthesizer.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,77 +0,0 @@
----
-prefix: SYNTH
-inner_loop: false
-message_types:
-  success: synthesis_ready
-  error: error
----
-
-# Synthesizer
-
-Integrate all explorations, analyses, and discussions into final conclusions. Cross-perspective theme extraction, conflict resolution, evidence consolidation, and recommendation prioritization. Pure integration role -- no external tools or CLI calls.
-
-## Phase 2: Context Loading
-
-| Input | Source | Required |
-|-------|--------|----------|
-| Task description | From task subject/description | Yes |
-| Session path | Extracted from task description | Yes |
-| All artifacts | `<session>/explorations/*.json`, `analyses/*.json`, `discussions/*.json` | Yes |
-| Decision trail | From wisdom/.msg/meta.json | No |
-
-1. Extract session path and topic from task description
-2. Read all exploration, analysis, and discussion round files
-3. Load decision trail and current understanding from meta.json
-4. Select synthesis strategy:
-
-| Condition | Strategy |
-|-----------|----------|
-| Single analysis, no discussions | simple (Quick mode summary) |
-| Multiple analyses, >2 discussion rounds | deep (track evolution) |
-| Default | standard (cross-perspective integration) |
-
-## Phase 3: Cross-Perspective Synthesis
-
-Execute synthesis across four dimensions:
-
-**1. Theme Extraction**: Identify convergent themes across all analysis perspectives. Cluster insights by similarity, rank by cross-perspective confirmation count.
-
-**2. Conflict Resolution**: Identify contradictions between perspectives. Present both sides with trade-off analysis when irreconcilable.
-
-**3. Evidence Consolidation**: Deduplicate findings, aggregate by file reference. Map evidence to conclusions with confidence levels:
-
-| Level | Criteria |
-|-------|----------|
-| High | Multiple sources confirm, strong evidence |
-| Medium | Single source or partial evidence |
-| Low | Speculative, needs verification |
-
-**4. Recommendation Prioritization**: Sort all recommendations by priority (high > medium > low), deduplicate, cap at 10.
-
-Integrate decision trail from discussion rounds into final narrative.
-
-## Phase 4: Write Conclusions
-
-1. Write `<session>/conclusions.json`:
-```json
-{
-  "session_id": "...", "topic": "...", "completed": "ISO-8601",
-  "summary": "Executive summary...",
-  "key_conclusions": [{"point": "...", "evidence": "...", "confidence": "high"}],
-  "recommendations": [{"action": "...", "rationale": "...", "priority": "high"}],
-  "open_questions": ["..."],
-  "decision_trail": [{"round": 1, "decision": "...", "context": "..."}],
-  "cross_perspective_synthesis": { "convergent_themes": [], "conflicts_resolved": [], "unique_contributions": [] },
-  "_metadata": { "explorations": 3, "analyses": 3, "discussions": 2, "strategy": "standard" }
-}
-```
-
-2. Append conclusions section to `<session>/discussion.md`:
-```markdown
-## Conclusions
-### Summary / Key Conclusions / Recommendations / Remaining Questions
-## Decision Trail / Current Understanding (Final) / Session Statistics
-```
-
-Update `<session>/wisdom/.msg/meta.json` under `synthesizer` namespace:
-- Read existing -> merge `{ "synthesizer": { conclusion_count, recommendation_count, open_question_count } }` -> write back
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md b/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
index 91a1129f..6b79edf8 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/roles/coordinator/commands/monitor.md
@@ -40,18 +40,28 @@ MAX_ROUNDS = pipeline_mode === 'deep' ? 5
 
 Triggered when a worker sends completion message (via SendMessage callback).
 
-1. Parse message to identify role and task ID:
+1. Parse message to identify role, then resolve completed tasks:
 
-| Message Pattern | Role Detection |
-|----------------|---------------|
-| `[explorer]` or task ID `EXPLORE-*` | explorer |
-| `[analyst]` or task ID `ANALYZE-*` | analyst |
-| `[discussant]` or task ID `DISCUSS-*` | discussant |
-| `[synthesizer]` or task ID `SYNTH-*` | synthesizer |
+   **Role detection** (from message tag at start of body):
 
-2. Mark task as completed:
+   | Message starts with | Role | Handler |
+   |---------------------|------|---------|
+   | `[explorer]` | explorer | handleCallback |
+   | `[analyst]` | analyst | handleCallback |
+   | `[discussant]` | discussant | handleCallback |
+   | `[synthesizer]` | synthesizer | handleCallback |
+   | `[supervisor]` | supervisor | Log checkpoint result, verify CHECKPOINT task completed, proceed to handleSpawnNext |
+
+   **Task ID resolution** (do NOT parse from message — use TaskList):
+   - Call `TaskList()` and find tasks matching the detected role's prefix
+   - Tasks with status `completed` that were not previously tracked = newly completed tasks
+   - This is reliable even when a worker reports multiple tasks (inner_loop) or when message format varies
+
+2. Verify task completion (worker already marks completed in Phase 5):
 
 ```
+TaskGet({ taskId: "<task-id>" })
+// If still "in_progress" (worker failed to mark) → fallback:
 TaskUpdate({ taskId: "<task-id>", status: "completed" })
 ```
 
@@ -112,7 +122,7 @@ ELSE:
 |----------|--------|
 | "Continue deeper" | Create new DISCUSS-`<N+1>` task (pending, no blockedBy). Record decision in discussion.md. Proceed to handleSpawnNext |
 | "Adjust direction" | AskUserQuestion for new focus. Create ANALYZE-fix-`<N>` task (pending). Create DISCUSS-`<N+1>` task (pending, blockedBy ANALYZE-fix-`<N>`). Record direction change in discussion.md. Proceed to handleSpawnNext |
-| "Done" | Create SYNTH-001 task (pending, blockedBy last DISCUSS). Record decision in discussion.md. Proceed to handleSpawnNext |
+| "Done" | Check if SYNTH-001 already exists (from dispatch): if yes, ensure blockedBy is updated to reference last DISCUSS task; if no, create SYNTH-001 (pending, blockedBy last DISCUSS). Record decision in discussion.md. Proceed to handleSpawnNext |
 
 **Dynamic task creation templates**:
 
@@ -160,8 +170,11 @@ InnerLoop: false"
 TaskUpdate({ taskId: "ANALYZE-fix-<N>", owner: "analyst" })
 ```
 
-SYNTH-001 (created dynamically in deep mode):
+SYNTH-001 (created dynamically — check existence first):
 ```
+// Guard: only create if SYNTH-001 doesn't exist yet (dispatch may have pre-created it)
+const existingSynth = TaskList().find(t => t.subject === 'SYNTH-001')
+if (!existingSynth) {
 TaskCreate({
   subject: "SYNTH-001",
   description: "PURPOSE: Integrate all analysis into final conclusions | Success: Executive summary with recommendations
@@ -179,6 +192,8 @@ CONSTRAINTS: Pure integration, no new exploration
 ---
 InnerLoop: false"
 })
+}
+// Always update blockedBy to reference the last DISCUSS task (whether pre-existing or newly created)
 TaskUpdate({ taskId: "SYNTH-001", addBlockedBy: ["<last-DISCUSS-task-id>"], owner: "synthesizer" })
 ```
 
@@ -211,10 +226,10 @@ Find and spawn the next ready tasks.
 
 | Task Prefix | Role | Role Spec |
 |-------------|------|-----------|
-| `EXPLORE-*` | explorer | `~  or <project>/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/explorer.md` |
-| `ANALYZE-*` | analyst | `~  or <project>/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/analyst.md` |
-| `DISCUSS-*` | discussant | `~  or <project>/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/discussant.md` |
-| `SYNTH-*` | synthesizer | `~  or <project>/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/synthesizer.md` |
+| `EXPLORE-*` | explorer | `<skill_root>/roles/explorer/role.md` |
+| `ANALYZE-*` | analyst | `<skill_root>/roles/analyst/role.md` |
+| `DISCUSS-*` | discussant | `<skill_root>/roles/discussant/role.md` |
+| `SYNTH-*` | synthesizer | `<skill_root>/roles/synthesizer/role.md` |
 
 3. Spawn team-worker for each ready task:
 
@@ -227,7 +242,7 @@ Agent({
   run_in_background: true,
   prompt: `## Role Assignment
 role: <role>
-role_spec: ~  or <project>/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/role-specs/<role>.md
+role_spec: <skill_root>/roles/<role>/role.md
 session: <session-folder>
 session_id: <session-id>
 team_name: ultra-analyze
@@ -298,11 +313,11 @@ Triggered when all pipeline tasks are completed.
 | deep | All EXPLORE + ANALYZE + all DISCUSS-N + SYNTH-001 completed |
 
 1. Verify all tasks completed. If any not completed, return to handleSpawnNext
-2. If all completed, transition to coordinator Phase 5
+2. If all completed, **inline-execute coordinator Phase 5** (shutdown workers → report → completion action). Do NOT STOP here — continue directly into Phase 5 within the same turn.
 
 ## Phase 4: State Persistence
 
-After every handler execution:
+After every handler execution **except handleComplete**:
 
 1. Update session.json with current state:
    - `discussion_round`: current round count
@@ -311,6 +326,8 @@ After every handler execution:
 2. Verify task list consistency (no orphan tasks, no broken dependencies)
 3. **STOP** and wait for next event
 
+> **handleComplete exception**: handleComplete does NOT STOP — it transitions directly to coordinator Phase 5.
+
 ## Error Handling
 
 | Scenario | Resolution |
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/roles/coordinator/role.md b/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/roles/coordinator/role.md
index 9cc6a274..bd72cd90 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/roles/coordinator/role.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-ultra-analyze/roles/coordinator/role.md
@@ -44,13 +44,21 @@ When coordinator is invoked, detect invocation type:
 
 | Detection | Condition | Handler |
 |-----------|-----------|---------|
-| Worker callback | Message contains role tag [explorer], [analyst], [discussant], [synthesizer] | -> handleCallback (monitor.md) |
+| Worker callback | Message content starts with `[explorer]`, `[analyst]`, `[discussant]`, or `[synthesizer]` (role tag at beginning of message body) | -> handleCallback (monitor.md) |
+| Supervisor callback | Message content starts with `[supervisor]` | -> handleSupervisorReport (log checkpoint result, proceed to handleSpawnNext if tasks unblocked) |
+| Idle notification | System notification that a teammate went idle (does NOT start with a role tag — typically says "Agent X is now idle") | -> **IGNORE** (do not handleCallback; idle is normal after every turn) |
+| Shutdown response | Message content is a JSON object containing `shutdown_response` (parse as structured data, not string) | -> handleShutdownResponse (see Phase 5) |
 | Status check | Arguments contain "check" or "status" | -> handleCheck (monitor.md) |
 | Manual resume | Arguments contain "resume" or "continue" | -> handleResume (monitor.md) |
 | Pipeline complete | All tasks have status "completed" | -> handleComplete (monitor.md) |
 | Interrupted session | Active/paused session exists | -> Phase 0 |
 | New session | None of above | -> Phase 1 |
 
+**Message format discrimination**:
+- **String messages starting with `[<role>]`**: Worker/supervisor completion reports → route to handleCallback or handleSupervisorReport
+- **JSON object messages** (contain `type:` field): Structured protocol messages (shutdown_response) → route by `type` field
+- **Other strings without role tags**: System idle notifications → IGNORE
+
 For callback/check/resume/complete: load `@commands/monitor.md` and execute matched handler, then STOP.
 
 ### Router Implementation
@@ -167,7 +175,31 @@ All subsequent coordination is handled by `commands/monitor.md` handlers trigger
 
 ---
 
-## Phase 5: Report + Completion Action
+## Phase 5: Shutdown Workers + Report + Completion Action
+
+### Shutdown All Workers
+
+Before reporting, gracefully shut down all active teammates. This is a **multi-turn** process:
+
+1. Read team config: `~/.claude/teams/ultra-analyze/config.json`
+2. Build shutdown tracking list: `pending_shutdown = [<all member names except coordinator>]`
+3. For each member in pending_shutdown, send shutdown request:
+   ```javascript
+   SendMessage({
+     to: "<member-name>",
+     message: { type: "shutdown_request", reason: "Pipeline complete" }
+   })
+   ```
+4. **STOP** — wait for responses. Each `shutdown_response` triggers a new coordinator turn.
+5. On each subsequent turn (shutdown_response received):
+   - Remove responder from `pending_shutdown`
+   - If `pending_shutdown` is empty → proceed to **Report** section below
+   - If not empty → **STOP** again, wait for remaining responses
+6. If a member is unresponsive after 2 follow-ups, remove from tracking and proceed
+
+**Note**: Workers that completed Phase 5-F and reached STOP may have already terminated. SendMessage to a terminated agent is silently ignored — this is safe. Only resident agents (e.g., supervisor) require explicit shutdown.
+
+### Report
 
 1. Load session state -> count completed tasks, calculate duration
 2. List deliverables:
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-ux-improve/role-specs/tester.md b/.claude/skills/team-ux-improve/role-specs/tester.md
index 0233edb2..191b73bd 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-ux-improve/role-specs/tester.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-ux-improve/role-specs/tester.md
@@ -157,8 +157,7 @@ team_msg(operation="log", session_id=<session-id>, from="tester",
 If pass rate < 95%, send fix_required message:
 ```
 SendMessage({
-  recipient: "coordinator",
-  type: "message",
-  content: "[tester] Test validation incomplete. Pass rate: <percentage>%. Manual review needed."
+  to: "coordinator",
+  message: "[tester] Test validation incomplete. Pass rate: <percentage>%. Manual review needed."
 })
 ```
diff --git a/.claude/skills/team-ux-improve/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md b/.claude/skills/team-ux-improve/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
index 1f09e5f0..04c3c754 100644
--- a/.claude/skills/team-ux-improve/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
+++ b/.claude/skills/team-ux-improve/roles/coordinator/commands/dispatch.md
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ Every task description uses structured format for clarity:
 ```
 TaskCreate({
   subject: "<TASK-ID>",
-  owner: "<role>",
   description: "PURPOSE: <what this task achieves> | Success: <measurable completion criteria>
 TASK:
   - <step 1: specific action>
@@ -46,9 +45,9 @@ EXPECTED: <deliverable path> + <quality criteria>
 CONSTRAINTS: <scope limits, focus areas>
 ---
 InnerLoop: <true|false>
-<additional-metadata-fields>",
-  blockedBy: [<dependency-list>]
+<additional-metadata-fields>"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "<TASK-ID>", addBlockedBy: [<dependency-list>], owner: "<role>" })
 ```
 
 ### Standard Pipeline Tasks
@@ -57,7 +56,6 @@ InnerLoop: <true|false>
 ```
 TaskCreate({
   subject: "SCAN-001",
-  owner: "scanner",
   description: "PURPOSE: Scan UI components to identify interaction issues (unresponsive buttons, missing feedback, state not refreshing) | Success: Complete issue report with file:line references and severity classification
 TASK:
   - Detect framework (React/Vue) from project structure
@@ -73,17 +71,15 @@ CONTEXT:
 EXPECTED: artifacts/scan-report.md with structured issue list (severity: High/Medium/Low, file:line, description, category)
 CONSTRAINTS: Focus on interaction issues only, exclude styling/layout problems
 ---
-InnerLoop: false",
-  blockedBy: [],
-  status: "pending"
+InnerLoop: false"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "SCAN-001", owner: "scanner" })
 ```
 
 **DIAG-001: Root Cause Diagnosis**
 ```
 TaskCreate({
   subject: "DIAG-001",
-  owner: "diagnoser",
   description: "PURPOSE: Diagnose root causes of identified UI issues | Success: Complete diagnosis report with fix recommendations for each issue
 TASK:
   - Load scan report from artifacts/scan-report.md
@@ -100,17 +96,15 @@ CONTEXT:
 EXPECTED: artifacts/diagnosis.md with root cause analysis (issue ID, root cause, pattern type, fix recommendation)
 CONSTRAINTS: Focus on actionable root causes, provide specific fix strategies
 ---
-InnerLoop: false",
-  blockedBy: ["SCAN-001"],
-  status: "pending"
+InnerLoop: false"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "DIAG-001", addBlockedBy: ["SCAN-001"], owner: "diagnoser" })
 ```
 
 **DESIGN-001: Solution Design**
 ```
 TaskCreate({
   subject: "DESIGN-001",
-  owner: "designer",
   description: "PURPOSE: Design feedback mechanisms and state management solutions for identified issues | Success: Complete implementation guide with code patterns and examples
 TASK:
   - Load diagnosis report from artifacts/diagnosis.md
@@ -128,17 +122,15 @@ CONTEXT:
 EXPECTED: artifacts/design-guide.md with implementation guide (issue ID, solution design, code patterns, state management examples, UI binding templates)
 CONSTRAINTS: Solutions must be framework-appropriate, provide complete working examples
 ---
-InnerLoop: false",
-  blockedBy: ["DIAG-001"],
-  status: "pending"
+InnerLoop: false"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "DESIGN-001", addBlockedBy: ["DIAG-001"], owner: "designer" })
 ```
 
 **IMPL-001: Code Implementation**
 ```
 TaskCreate({
   subject: "IMPL-001",
-  owner: "implementer",
   description: "PURPOSE: Generate fix code with proper state management, event handling, and UI feedback bindings | Success: All fixes implemented and validated
 TASK:
   - Load design guide from artifacts/design-guide.md
@@ -158,17 +150,15 @@ CONTEXT:
 EXPECTED: artifacts/fixes/ directory with all fix files, implementation summary in artifacts/fixes/README.md
 CONSTRAINTS: Maintain existing code style, ensure backward compatibility, validate all changes
 ---
-InnerLoop: true",
-  blockedBy: ["DESIGN-001"],
-  status: "pending"
+InnerLoop: true"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "IMPL-001", addBlockedBy: ["DESIGN-001"], owner: "implementer" })
 ```
 
 **TEST-001: Test Validation**
 ```
 TaskCreate({
   subject: "TEST-001",
-  owner: "tester",
   description: "PURPOSE: Generate and run tests to verify fixes (loading states, error handling, state updates) | Success: Pass rate >= 95%, all critical fixes validated
 TASK:
   - Detect test framework (Jest/Vitest) from project
@@ -187,10 +177,9 @@ CONTEXT:
 EXPECTED: artifacts/test-report.md with test results (pass/fail counts, coverage metrics, fix iterations, remaining issues)
 CONSTRAINTS: Pass rate threshold: 95%, max fix iterations: 5
 ---
-InnerLoop: false",
-  blockedBy: ["IMPL-001"],
-  status: "pending"
+InnerLoop: false"
 })
+TaskUpdate({ taskId: "TEST-001", addBlockedBy: ["IMPL-001"], owner: "tester" })
 ```
 
 ---
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/bridge.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/bridge.py
index 42eced7c..0590b694 100644
--- a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/bridge.py
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/bridge.py
@@ -124,6 +124,19 @@ def create_config_from_env(db_path: str | Path, **overrides: object) -> "Config"
         kwargs["hnsw_ef"] = int(os.environ["CODEXLENS_HNSW_EF"])
     if os.environ.get("CODEXLENS_HNSW_M"):
         kwargs["hnsw_M"] = int(os.environ["CODEXLENS_HNSW_M"])
+    # Tier config from env
+    if os.environ.get("CODEXLENS_TIER_HOT_HOURS"):
+        kwargs["tier_hot_hours"] = int(os.environ["CODEXLENS_TIER_HOT_HOURS"])
+    if os.environ.get("CODEXLENS_TIER_COLD_HOURS"):
+        kwargs["tier_cold_hours"] = int(os.environ["CODEXLENS_TIER_COLD_HOURS"])
+    # Search quality tier from env
+    if os.environ.get("CODEXLENS_SEARCH_QUALITY"):
+        kwargs["default_search_quality"] = os.environ["CODEXLENS_SEARCH_QUALITY"]
+    # Shard config from env
+    if os.environ.get("CODEXLENS_NUM_SHARDS"):
+        kwargs["num_shards"] = int(os.environ["CODEXLENS_NUM_SHARDS"])
+    if os.environ.get("CODEXLENS_MAX_LOADED_SHARDS"):
+        kwargs["max_loaded_shards"] = int(os.environ["CODEXLENS_MAX_LOADED_SHARDS"])
     resolved = Path(db_path).resolve()
     kwargs["metadata_db_path"] = str(resolved / "metadata.db")
     return Config(**kwargs)
@@ -143,28 +156,8 @@ def _create_config(args: argparse.Namespace) -> "Config":
     return create_config_from_env(args.db_path, **overrides)
 
 
-def create_pipeline(
-    db_path: str | Path,
-    config: "Config | None" = None,
-) -> tuple:
-    """Construct pipeline components from db_path and config.
-
-    Returns (indexing_pipeline, search_pipeline, config).
-    Used by both CLI bridge and MCP server.
-    """
-    from codexlens_search.config import Config
-    from codexlens_search.core.factory import create_ann_index, create_binary_index
-    from codexlens_search.indexing.metadata import MetadataStore
-    from codexlens_search.indexing.pipeline import IndexingPipeline
-    from codexlens_search.search.fts import FTSEngine
-    from codexlens_search.search.pipeline import SearchPipeline
-
-    if config is None:
-        config = create_config_from_env(db_path)
-    resolved = Path(db_path).resolve()
-    resolved.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-
-    # Select embedder: API if configured, otherwise local fastembed
+def _create_embedder(config: "Config"):
+    """Create embedder based on config, auto-detecting embed_dim from API."""
     if config.embed_api_url:
         from codexlens_search.embed.api import APIEmbedder
         embedder = APIEmbedder(config)
@@ -179,13 +172,11 @@ def create_pipeline(
     else:
         from codexlens_search.embed.local import FastEmbedEmbedder
         embedder = FastEmbedEmbedder(config)
+    return embedder
 
-    binary_store = create_binary_index(resolved, config.embed_dim, config)
-    ann_index = create_ann_index(resolved, config.embed_dim, config)
-    fts = FTSEngine(resolved / "fts.db")
-    metadata = MetadataStore(resolved / "metadata.db")
 
-    # Select reranker: API if configured, otherwise local fastembed
+def _create_reranker(config: "Config"):
+    """Create reranker based on config."""
     if config.reranker_api_url:
         from codexlens_search.rerank.api import APIReranker
         reranker = APIReranker(config)
@@ -193,6 +184,60 @@ def create_pipeline(
     else:
         from codexlens_search.rerank.local import FastEmbedReranker
         reranker = FastEmbedReranker(config)
+    return reranker
+
+
+def create_pipeline(
+    db_path: str | Path,
+    config: "Config | None" = None,
+) -> tuple:
+    """Construct pipeline components from db_path and config.
+
+    Returns (indexing_pipeline, search_pipeline, config).
+    Used by both CLI bridge and MCP server.
+
+    When config.num_shards > 1, returns a ShardManager-backed pipeline
+    where indexing and search are delegated to the ShardManager.
+    The returned tuple is (shard_manager, shard_manager, config) so that
+    callers can use shard_manager.sync() and shard_manager.search().
+    """
+    from codexlens_search.config import Config
+
+    if config is None:
+        config = create_config_from_env(db_path)
+    resolved = Path(db_path).resolve()
+    resolved.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+
+    embedder = _create_embedder(config)
+    reranker = _create_reranker(config)
+
+    # Sharded mode: delegate to ShardManager
+    if config.num_shards > 1:
+        from codexlens_search.core.shard_manager import ShardManager
+        manager = ShardManager(
+            num_shards=config.num_shards,
+            db_path=resolved,
+            config=config,
+            embedder=embedder,
+            reranker=reranker,
+        )
+        log.info(
+            "Using ShardManager with %d shards (max_loaded=%d)",
+            config.num_shards, config.max_loaded_shards,
+        )
+        return manager, manager, config
+
+    # Single-shard mode: original behavior, no ShardManager overhead
+    from codexlens_search.core.factory import create_ann_index, create_binary_index
+    from codexlens_search.indexing.metadata import MetadataStore
+    from codexlens_search.indexing.pipeline import IndexingPipeline
+    from codexlens_search.search.fts import FTSEngine
+    from codexlens_search.search.pipeline import SearchPipeline
+
+    binary_store = create_binary_index(resolved, config.embed_dim, config)
+    ann_index = create_ann_index(resolved, config.embed_dim, config)
+    fts = FTSEngine(resolved / "fts.db")
+    metadata = MetadataStore(resolved / "metadata.db")
 
     indexing = IndexingPipeline(
         embedder=embedder,
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/config.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/config.py
index 6b7dadd8..f56df7e4 100644
--- a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/config.py
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/config.py
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ class Config:
 
     # Backend selection: 'auto', 'faiss', 'hnswlib'
     ann_backend: str = "auto"
-    binary_backend: str = "auto"
+    binary_backend: str = "faiss"
 
     # Indexing pipeline
     index_workers: int = 2  # number of parallel indexing workers
@@ -77,6 +77,17 @@ class Config:
     # Metadata store
     metadata_db_path: str = ""  # empty = no metadata tracking
 
+    # Data tiering (hot/warm/cold)
+    tier_hot_hours: int = 24  # files accessed within this window are 'hot'
+    tier_cold_hours: int = 168  # files not accessed for this long are 'cold'
+
+    # Search quality tier: 'fast', 'balanced', 'thorough', 'auto'
+    default_search_quality: str = "auto"
+
+    # Shard partitioning
+    num_shards: int = 1  # 1 = single partition (no sharding), >1 = hash-based sharding
+    max_loaded_shards: int = 4  # LRU limit for loaded shards in ShardManager
+
     # FTS
     fts_top_k: int = 50
 
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/binary.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/binary.py
index e8ba543e..fe94997f 100644
--- a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/binary.py
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/binary.py
@@ -15,6 +15,13 @@ logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 class BinaryStore(BaseBinaryIndex):
     """Persistent binary vector store using numpy memmap.
 
+    .. deprecated::
+        Prefer ``FAISSBinaryIndex`` for binary coarse search. This class is
+        retained as a numpy-only fallback for environments where FAISS is not
+        available. New code should use ``create_binary_index()`` from
+        ``codexlens_search.core.factory`` which selects the best backend
+        automatically.
+
     Stores binary-quantized float32 vectors as packed uint8 arrays on disk.
     Supports fast coarse search via XOR + popcount Hamming distance.
     """
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/factory.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/factory.py
index ed7758e6..6ad952bb 100644
--- a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/factory.py
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/factory.py
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import logging
+import warnings
 from pathlib import Path
 
 from codexlens_search.config import Config
@@ -97,14 +98,29 @@ def create_binary_index(
     backend = config.binary_backend
 
     if backend == "faiss":
-        from codexlens_search.core.faiss_index import FAISSBinaryIndex
-        return FAISSBinaryIndex(path, dim, config)
+        if _FAISS_AVAILABLE:
+            from codexlens_search.core.faiss_index import FAISSBinaryIndex
+            return FAISSBinaryIndex(path, dim, config)
+        # FAISS explicitly requested but not installed: fall back with warning
+        from codexlens_search.core.binary import BinaryStore
+        warnings.warn(
+            "binary_backend='faiss' but FAISS is not installed. "
+            "Falling back to deprecated numpy BinaryStore. "
+            "Install faiss-cpu or faiss-gpu for the recommended binary backend.",
+            DeprecationWarning,
+            stacklevel=2,
+        )
+        logger.warning(
+            "binary_backend='faiss' but FAISS not available, "
+            "falling back to deprecated numpy BinaryStore."
+        )
+        return BinaryStore(path, dim, config)
 
     if backend == "hnswlib":
         from codexlens_search.core.binary import BinaryStore
         return BinaryStore(path, dim, config)
 
-    # auto: try faiss first, then numpy-based BinaryStore
+    # auto: try faiss first, then numpy-based BinaryStore (deprecated fallback)
     if _FAISS_AVAILABLE:
         from codexlens_search.core.faiss_index import FAISSBinaryIndex
         logger.info("Auto-selected FAISS binary backend")
@@ -112,5 +128,14 @@ def create_binary_index(
 
     # numpy BinaryStore is always available (no extra deps)
     from codexlens_search.core.binary import BinaryStore
-    logger.info("Auto-selected numpy BinaryStore backend")
+    warnings.warn(
+        "Falling back to numpy BinaryStore because FAISS is not installed. "
+        "BinaryStore is deprecated; install faiss-cpu or faiss-gpu for better performance.",
+        DeprecationWarning,
+        stacklevel=2,
+    )
+    logger.warning(
+        "FAISS not available, falling back to deprecated numpy BinaryStore. "
+        "Install faiss-cpu or faiss-gpu for the recommended binary backend."
+    )
     return BinaryStore(path, dim, config)
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/faiss_index.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/faiss_index.py
index e3277527..6298de51 100644
--- a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/faiss_index.py
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/faiss_index.py
@@ -71,10 +71,23 @@ class FAISSANNIndex(BaseANNIndex):
         self.load()
 
     def load(self) -> None:
-        """Load index from disk or initialize a fresh one."""
+        """Load index from disk or initialize a fresh one.
+
+        Uses IO_FLAG_MMAP for zero-copy memory-mapped loading when available,
+        falling back to regular read_index() on older faiss versions.
+        """
         with self._lock:
             if self._index_path.exists():
-                idx = faiss.read_index(str(self._index_path))
+                try:
+                    idx = faiss.read_index(
+                        str(self._index_path), faiss.IO_FLAG_MMAP
+                    )
+                except (AttributeError, RuntimeError, Exception) as exc:
+                    logger.debug(
+                        "MMAP load failed, falling back to regular read: %s",
+                        exc,
+                    )
+                    idx = faiss.read_index(str(self._index_path))
                 logger.debug(
                     "Loaded FAISS ANN index from %s (%d items)",
                     self._index_path, idx.ntotal,
@@ -201,10 +214,23 @@ class FAISSBinaryIndex(BaseBinaryIndex):
         return np.packbits(binary).reshape(1, -1)
 
     def load(self) -> None:
-        """Load binary index from disk or initialize a fresh one."""
+        """Load binary index from disk or initialize a fresh one.
+
+        Uses IO_FLAG_MMAP for zero-copy memory-mapped loading when available,
+        falling back to regular read_index_binary() on older faiss versions.
+        """
         with self._lock:
             if self._index_path.exists():
-                idx = faiss.read_index_binary(str(self._index_path))
+                try:
+                    idx = faiss.read_index_binary(
+                        str(self._index_path), faiss.IO_FLAG_MMAP
+                    )
+                except (AttributeError, RuntimeError, Exception) as exc:
+                    logger.debug(
+                        "MMAP load failed, falling back to regular read: %s",
+                        exc,
+                    )
+                    idx = faiss.read_index_binary(str(self._index_path))
                 logger.debug(
                     "Loaded FAISS binary index from %s (%d items)",
                     self._index_path, idx.ntotal,
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/shard.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/shard.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2f3527df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/shard.py
@@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
+"""Single index partition (shard) that owns FTS, binary, ANN, and metadata stores."""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import logging
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from codexlens_search.config import Config
+from codexlens_search.core.base import BaseANNIndex, BaseBinaryIndex
+from codexlens_search.embed.base import BaseEmbedder
+from codexlens_search.indexing.metadata import MetadataStore
+from codexlens_search.indexing.pipeline import IndexingPipeline, IndexStats
+from codexlens_search.rerank import BaseReranker
+from codexlens_search.search.fts import FTSEngine
+from codexlens_search.search.pipeline import SearchPipeline, SearchResult
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+class Shard:
+    """A complete index partition with its own FTS, binary, ANN, and metadata stores.
+
+    Components are lazy-loaded on first access and can be explicitly unloaded
+    to release memory. The embedder and reranker are shared across shards
+    (passed in from ShardManager) since they are expensive to instantiate.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        shard_id: int,
+        db_path: str | Path,
+        config: Config,
+    ) -> None:
+        self._shard_id = shard_id
+        self._shard_dir = Path(db_path).resolve() / f"shard_{shard_id}"
+        self._config = config
+
+        # Lazy-loaded components (created on _ensure_loaded)
+        self._fts: FTSEngine | None = None
+        self._binary_store: BaseBinaryIndex | None = None
+        self._ann_index: BaseANNIndex | None = None
+        self._metadata: MetadataStore | None = None
+        self._indexing: IndexingPipeline | None = None
+        self._search: SearchPipeline | None = None
+        self._loaded = False
+
+    @property
+    def shard_id(self) -> int:
+        return self._shard_id
+
+    @property
+    def is_loaded(self) -> bool:
+        return self._loaded
+
+    def _ensure_loaded(
+        self,
+        embedder: BaseEmbedder,
+        reranker: BaseReranker,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Lazy-create all per-shard components if not yet loaded."""
+        if self._loaded:
+            return
+
+        from codexlens_search.core.factory import create_ann_index, create_binary_index
+
+        self._shard_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+
+        self._fts = FTSEngine(self._shard_dir / "fts.db")
+        self._binary_store = create_binary_index(
+            self._shard_dir, self._config.embed_dim, self._config
+        )
+        self._ann_index = create_ann_index(
+            self._shard_dir, self._config.embed_dim, self._config
+        )
+        self._metadata = MetadataStore(self._shard_dir / "metadata.db")
+
+        self._indexing = IndexingPipeline(
+            embedder=embedder,
+            binary_store=self._binary_store,
+            ann_index=self._ann_index,
+            fts=self._fts,
+            config=self._config,
+            metadata=self._metadata,
+        )
+
+        self._search = SearchPipeline(
+            embedder=embedder,
+            binary_store=self._binary_store,
+            ann_index=self._ann_index,
+            reranker=reranker,
+            fts=self._fts,
+            config=self._config,
+            metadata_store=self._metadata,
+        )
+
+        self._loaded = True
+        logger.debug("Shard %d loaded from %s", self._shard_id, self._shard_dir)
+
+    def unload(self) -> None:
+        """Release memory by closing connections and dropping references."""
+        if not self._loaded:
+            return
+
+        if self._metadata is not None:
+            self._metadata.close()
+
+        self._fts = None
+        self._binary_store = None
+        self._ann_index = None
+        self._metadata = None
+        self._indexing = None
+        self._search = None
+        self._loaded = False
+        logger.debug("Shard %d unloaded", self._shard_id)
+
+    def load(
+        self,
+        embedder: BaseEmbedder,
+        reranker: BaseReranker,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Explicitly load shard components."""
+        self._ensure_loaded(embedder, reranker)
+
+    def save(self) -> None:
+        """Persist binary and ANN indexes to disk."""
+        if not self._loaded:
+            return
+        if self._binary_store is not None:
+            self._binary_store.save()
+        if self._ann_index is not None:
+            self._ann_index.save()
+
+    def search(
+        self,
+        query: str,
+        embedder: BaseEmbedder,
+        reranker: BaseReranker,
+        quality: str | None = None,
+        top_k: int | None = None,
+    ) -> list[SearchResult]:
+        """Search this shard's index.
+
+        Args:
+            query: Search query string.
+            embedder: Shared embedder instance.
+            reranker: Shared reranker instance.
+            quality: Search quality tier.
+            top_k: Maximum results to return.
+
+        Returns:
+            List of SearchResult from this shard.
+        """
+        self._ensure_loaded(embedder, reranker)
+        assert self._search is not None
+        return self._search.search(query, top_k=top_k, quality=quality)
+
+    def sync(
+        self,
+        files: list[Path],
+        root: Path | None,
+        embedder: BaseEmbedder,
+        reranker: BaseReranker,
+        **kwargs: object,
+    ) -> IndexStats:
+        """Sync this shard's index with the given files.
+
+        Args:
+            files: Files that belong to this shard.
+            root: Root directory for relative paths.
+            embedder: Shared embedder instance.
+            reranker: Shared reranker instance.
+            **kwargs: Forwarded to IndexingPipeline.sync().
+
+        Returns:
+            IndexStats for this shard's sync operation.
+        """
+        self._ensure_loaded(embedder, reranker)
+        assert self._indexing is not None
+        return self._indexing.sync(files, root=root, **kwargs)
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/shard_manager.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/shard_manager.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..639aa3f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/core/shard_manager.py
@@ -0,0 +1,250 @@
+"""ShardManager: manages multiple Shard instances with LRU eviction."""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import logging
+import threading
+from collections import OrderedDict
+from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from codexlens_search.config import Config
+from codexlens_search.core.shard import Shard
+from codexlens_search.embed.base import BaseEmbedder
+from codexlens_search.indexing.pipeline import IndexStats
+from codexlens_search.rerank import BaseReranker
+from codexlens_search.search.fusion import reciprocal_rank_fusion
+from codexlens_search.search.pipeline import SearchResult
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+
+class ShardManager:
+    """Manages multiple Shard instances with hash-based file routing and LRU eviction.
+
+    Files are deterministically routed to shards via hash(path) % num_shards.
+    Search queries all shards in parallel and merges results via RRF fusion.
+    At most max_loaded_shards are kept in memory; least-recently-used shards
+    are unloaded when the limit is exceeded.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        num_shards: int,
+        db_path: str | Path,
+        config: Config,
+        embedder: BaseEmbedder,
+        reranker: BaseReranker,
+    ) -> None:
+        if num_shards < 1:
+            raise ValueError("num_shards must be >= 1")
+
+        self._num_shards = num_shards
+        self._db_path = Path(db_path).resolve()
+        self._config = config
+        self._embedder = embedder
+        self._reranker = reranker
+        self._max_loaded = config.max_loaded_shards
+
+        # Create all Shard objects (lazy-loaded, no I/O yet)
+        self._shards: dict[int, Shard] = {
+            i: Shard(i, self._db_path, config)
+            for i in range(num_shards)
+        }
+
+        # LRU tracking: keys are shard_ids, most-recently-used at end
+        self._loaded_order: OrderedDict[int, None] = OrderedDict()
+        self._lru_lock = threading.Lock()
+
+    @property
+    def num_shards(self) -> int:
+        return self._num_shards
+
+    def route_file(self, path: str) -> int:
+        """Deterministically route a file path to a shard ID.
+
+        Uses hash(path) % num_shards for uniform distribution.
+        """
+        return hash(path) % self._num_shards
+
+    def get_shard(self, shard_id: int) -> Shard:
+        """Return the Shard instance for a given shard_id."""
+        if shard_id not in self._shards:
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"Invalid shard_id {shard_id}, valid range: 0-{self._num_shards - 1}"
+            )
+        return self._shards[shard_id]
+
+    def _ensure_loaded(self, shard_id: int) -> Shard:
+        """Load a shard if needed, applying LRU eviction policy.
+
+        Thread-safe: protects OrderedDict mutations with a lock.
+        Returns the loaded Shard.
+        """
+        shard = self._shards[shard_id]
+
+        with self._lru_lock:
+            # Mark as most-recently-used
+            if shard_id in self._loaded_order:
+                self._loaded_order.move_to_end(shard_id)
+            else:
+                self._loaded_order[shard_id] = None
+
+            # Load if not already loaded
+            if not shard.is_loaded:
+                shard.load(self._embedder, self._reranker)
+
+            # Evict LRU shards if over limit
+            while len(self._loaded_order) > self._max_loaded:
+                evict_id, _ = self._loaded_order.popitem(last=False)
+                evict_shard = self._shards[evict_id]
+                if evict_shard.is_loaded:
+                    logger.info("LRU evicting shard %d", evict_id)
+                    evict_shard.unload()
+
+        return shard
+
+    def sync(
+        self,
+        files: list[Path],
+        root: Path | None = None,
+        **kwargs: object,
+    ) -> IndexStats:
+        """Sync index with files, routing each file to its shard.
+
+        Groups files by shard via route_file(), then syncs each shard
+        with its subset of files.
+
+        Args:
+            files: Current list of files to index.
+            root: Root directory for relative paths.
+            **kwargs: Forwarded to Shard.sync().
+
+        Returns:
+            Aggregated IndexStats across all shards.
+        """
+        # Group files by shard
+        shard_files: dict[int, list[Path]] = {i: [] for i in range(self._num_shards)}
+        for fpath in files:
+            rel = str(fpath.relative_to(root)) if root else str(fpath)
+            shard_id = self.route_file(rel)
+            shard_files[shard_id].append(fpath)
+
+        total_files = 0
+        total_chunks = 0
+        total_duration = 0.0
+
+        for shard_id, shard_file_list in shard_files.items():
+            if not shard_file_list:
+                continue
+            self._ensure_loaded(shard_id)
+            shard = self._shards[shard_id]
+            stats = shard.sync(
+                shard_file_list,
+                root=root,
+                embedder=self._embedder,
+                reranker=self._reranker,
+                **kwargs,
+            )
+            total_files += stats.files_processed
+            total_chunks += stats.chunks_created
+            total_duration += stats.duration_seconds
+
+        return IndexStats(
+            files_processed=total_files,
+            chunks_created=total_chunks,
+            duration_seconds=round(total_duration, 2),
+        )
+
+    def search(
+        self,
+        query: str,
+        quality: str | None = None,
+        top_k: int | None = None,
+    ) -> list[SearchResult]:
+        """Search all shards in parallel, merge results via RRF fusion.
+
+        Each shard returns its own ranked results. Cross-shard merging
+        uses reciprocal_rank_fusion with equal weights across shards.
+        Per-shard top_k is increased to compensate for cross-shard dilution.
+
+        Args:
+            query: Search query string.
+            quality: Search quality tier.
+            top_k: Maximum final results to return.
+
+        Returns:
+            Merged list of SearchResult ordered by relevance.
+        """
+        cfg = self._config
+        final_top_k = top_k if top_k is not None else cfg.reranker_top_k
+
+        # Increase per-shard top_k to get enough candidates for cross-shard RRF
+        per_shard_top_k = max(final_top_k, final_top_k * 2)
+
+        # Load all shards for search
+        for shard_id in range(self._num_shards):
+            self._ensure_loaded(shard_id)
+
+        # Parallel search across shards
+        shard_results: dict[int, list[SearchResult]] = {}
+
+        def _search_shard(sid: int) -> tuple[int, list[SearchResult]]:
+            shard = self._shards[sid]
+            results = shard.search(
+                query,
+                embedder=self._embedder,
+                reranker=self._reranker,
+                quality=quality,
+                top_k=per_shard_top_k,
+            )
+            return sid, results
+
+        with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=min(self._num_shards, 4)) as pool:
+            futures = [pool.submit(_search_shard, sid) for sid in range(self._num_shards)]
+            for future in futures:
+                try:
+                    sid, results = future.result()
+                    shard_results[sid] = results
+                except Exception:
+                    logger.warning("Shard search failed", exc_info=True)
+
+        # If only one shard returned results, no merging needed
+        non_empty = {k: v for k, v in shard_results.items() if v}
+        if not non_empty:
+            return []
+        if len(non_empty) == 1:
+            results = list(non_empty.values())[0]
+            return results[:final_top_k]
+
+        # Cross-shard RRF merge
+        # Build ranked lists keyed by shard name, with (doc_id, score) tuples
+        # Use a global result map to look up SearchResult by a unique key
+        # Since doc_ids are shard-local, we need a composite key
+        rrf_input: dict[str, list[tuple[int, float]]] = {}
+        global_results: dict[int, SearchResult] = {}
+        global_id = 0
+
+        for sid, results in non_empty.items():
+            ranked: list[tuple[int, float]] = []
+            for r in results:
+                global_results[global_id] = r
+                ranked.append((global_id, r.score))
+                global_id += 1
+            rrf_input[f"shard_{sid}"] = ranked
+
+        fused = reciprocal_rank_fusion(rrf_input, k=cfg.fusion_k)
+
+        merged: list[SearchResult] = []
+        for gid, fused_score in fused[:final_top_k]:
+            result = global_results[gid]
+            merged.append(SearchResult(
+                id=result.id,
+                path=result.path,
+                score=fused_score,
+                snippet=result.snippet,
+                line=result.line,
+                end_line=result.end_line,
+                content=result.content,
+            ))
+
+        return merged
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/indexing/metadata.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/indexing/metadata.py
index 3d963631..c10b4b96 100644
--- a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/indexing/metadata.py
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/indexing/metadata.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import sqlite3
+import time
 from pathlib import Path
 
 
@@ -9,7 +10,8 @@ class MetadataStore:
     """Tracks file-to-chunk mappings and deleted chunk IDs (tombstones).
 
     Tables:
-        files      - file_path (PK), content_hash, last_modified
+        files      - file_path (PK), content_hash, last_modified, file_size,
+                     tier ('hot'/'warm'/'cold'), last_accessed (epoch float)
         chunks     - chunk_id (PK), file_path (FK CASCADE), chunk_hash
         deleted_chunks - chunk_id (PK) for tombstone tracking
     """
@@ -19,13 +21,18 @@ class MetadataStore:
         self._conn.execute("PRAGMA foreign_keys = ON")
         self._conn.execute("PRAGMA journal_mode = WAL")
         self._create_tables()
+        self._migrate_size_column()
+        self._migrate_tier_columns()
 
     def _create_tables(self) -> None:
         self._conn.executescript("""
             CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS files (
                 file_path   TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
                 content_hash TEXT NOT NULL,
-                last_modified REAL NOT NULL
+                last_modified REAL NOT NULL,
+                file_size   INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
+                tier        TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'warm',
+                last_accessed REAL
             );
 
             CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS chunks (
@@ -41,14 +48,48 @@ class MetadataStore:
         """)
         self._conn.commit()
 
+    def _migrate_size_column(self) -> None:
+        """Add file_size column if missing (for pre-existing DBs)."""
+        cols = {
+            row[1]
+            for row in self._conn.execute("PRAGMA table_info(files)").fetchall()
+        }
+        if "file_size" not in cols:
+            self._conn.execute(
+                "ALTER TABLE files ADD COLUMN file_size INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0"
+            )
+            self._conn.commit()
+
+    def _migrate_tier_columns(self) -> None:
+        """Add tier and last_accessed columns if missing (for pre-existing DBs)."""
+        cols = {
+            row[1]
+            for row in self._conn.execute("PRAGMA table_info(files)").fetchall()
+        }
+        if "tier" not in cols:
+            self._conn.execute(
+                "ALTER TABLE files ADD COLUMN tier TEXT NOT NULL DEFAULT 'warm'"
+            )
+        if "last_accessed" not in cols:
+            self._conn.execute(
+                "ALTER TABLE files ADD COLUMN last_accessed REAL"
+            )
+        if "tier" not in cols or "last_accessed" not in cols:
+            self._conn.commit()
+
     def register_file(
-        self, file_path: str, content_hash: str, mtime: float
+        self,
+        file_path: str,
+        content_hash: str,
+        mtime: float,
+        file_size: int = 0,
     ) -> None:
         """Insert or update a file record."""
         self._conn.execute(
-            "INSERT OR REPLACE INTO files (file_path, content_hash, last_modified) "
-            "VALUES (?, ?, ?)",
-            (file_path, content_hash, mtime),
+            "INSERT OR REPLACE INTO files "
+            "(file_path, content_hash, last_modified, file_size) "
+            "VALUES (?, ?, ?, ?)",
+            (file_path, content_hash, mtime, file_size),
         )
         self._conn.commit()
 
@@ -121,6 +162,24 @@ class MetadataStore:
             return True  # New file
         return stored != content_hash
 
+    def file_needs_update_fast(
+        self, file_path: str, mtime: float, size: int
+    ) -> bool:
+        """Fast pre-check using mtime and file size (no content read needed).
+
+        Returns True if the file appears changed or is not yet tracked.
+        When mtime and size both match stored values, the file is assumed
+        unchanged (~1000x faster than content-hash comparison).
+        """
+        row = self._conn.execute(
+            "SELECT last_modified, file_size FROM files WHERE file_path = ?",
+            (file_path,),
+        ).fetchone()
+        if row is None:
+            return True  # New file
+        stored_mtime, stored_size = row
+        return stored_mtime != mtime or stored_size != size
+
     def compact_deleted(self) -> set[int]:
         """Return deleted IDs and clear the deleted_chunks table.
 
@@ -161,5 +220,81 @@ class MetadataStore:
         ).fetchone()
         return row[0] if row[0] is not None else -1
 
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
+    # Tier management
+    # ------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+    def record_access(self, file_path: str) -> None:
+        """Update last_accessed timestamp for a file."""
+        self._conn.execute(
+            "UPDATE files SET last_accessed = ? WHERE file_path = ?",
+            (time.time(), file_path),
+        )
+        self._conn.commit()
+
+    def record_access_batch(self, file_paths: list[str]) -> None:
+        """Batch-update last_accessed timestamps for multiple files."""
+        if not file_paths:
+            return
+        now = time.time()
+        self._conn.executemany(
+            "UPDATE files SET last_accessed = ? WHERE file_path = ?",
+            [(now, fp) for fp in file_paths],
+        )
+        self._conn.commit()
+
+    def classify_tiers(
+        self, hot_threshold_hours: int = 24, cold_threshold_hours: int = 168
+    ) -> None:
+        """Reclassify all files into hot/warm/cold tiers based on last_accessed.
+
+        - hot:  last_accessed within hot_threshold_hours
+        - cold: last_accessed older than cold_threshold_hours (or never accessed)
+        - warm: everything in between
+        """
+        now = time.time()
+        hot_cutoff = now - hot_threshold_hours * 3600
+        cold_cutoff = now - cold_threshold_hours * 3600
+
+        # Hot: recently accessed
+        self._conn.execute(
+            "UPDATE files SET tier = 'hot' "
+            "WHERE last_accessed IS NOT NULL AND last_accessed >= ?",
+            (hot_cutoff,),
+        )
+        # Cold: not accessed for a long time, or never accessed
+        self._conn.execute(
+            "UPDATE files SET tier = 'cold' "
+            "WHERE last_accessed IS NULL "
+            "OR (last_accessed < ? AND last_accessed < ?)",
+            (cold_cutoff, hot_cutoff),
+        )
+        # Warm: between hot and cold cutoffs
+        self._conn.execute(
+            "UPDATE files SET tier = 'warm' "
+            "WHERE last_accessed IS NOT NULL "
+            "AND last_accessed >= ? AND last_accessed < ?",
+            (cold_cutoff, hot_cutoff),
+        )
+        self._conn.commit()
+
+    def get_files_by_tier(self, tier: str) -> list[str]:
+        """Return file paths in the specified tier ('hot', 'warm', or 'cold')."""
+        rows = self._conn.execute(
+            "SELECT file_path FROM files WHERE tier = ?", (tier,)
+        ).fetchall()
+        return [r[0] for r in rows]
+
+    def get_cold_files(self) -> list[str]:
+        """Return file paths in the 'cold' tier."""
+        return self.get_files_by_tier("cold")
+
+    def get_file_tier(self, file_path: str) -> str | None:
+        """Return the tier for a specific file, or None if not tracked."""
+        row = self._conn.execute(
+            "SELECT tier FROM files WHERE file_path = ?", (file_path,)
+        ).fetchone()
+        return row[0] if row else None
+
     def close(self) -> None:
         self._conn.close()
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/indexing/pipeline.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/indexing/pipeline.py
index b38ad96d..64172c23 100644
--- a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/indexing/pipeline.py
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/indexing/pipeline.py
@@ -17,8 +17,7 @@ from pathlib import Path
 import numpy as np
 
 from codexlens_search.config import Config
-from codexlens_search.core.binary import BinaryStore
-from codexlens_search.core.index import ANNIndex
+from codexlens_search.core.base import BaseANNIndex, BaseBinaryIndex
 from codexlens_search.embed.base import BaseEmbedder
 from codexlens_search.indexing.metadata import MetadataStore
 from codexlens_search.search.fts import FTSEngine
@@ -100,8 +99,8 @@ class IndexingPipeline:
     def __init__(
         self,
         embedder: BaseEmbedder,
-        binary_store: BinaryStore,
-        ann_index: ANNIndex,
+        binary_store: BaseBinaryIndex,
+        ann_index: BaseANNIndex,
         fts: FTSEngine,
         config: Config,
         metadata: MetadataStore | None = None,
@@ -463,6 +462,94 @@ class IndexingPipeline:
         meta = self._require_metadata()
         return meta.max_chunk_id() + 1
 
+    def index_files_fts_only(
+        self,
+        files: list[Path],
+        *,
+        root: Path | None = None,
+        max_chunk_chars: int = _DEFAULT_MAX_CHUNK_CHARS,
+        chunk_overlap: int = _DEFAULT_CHUNK_OVERLAP,
+    ) -> IndexStats:
+        """Index files into FTS5 only, without embedding or vector indexing.
+
+        Chunks files using the same logic as the full pipeline, then inserts
+        directly into FTS. No embedding computation, no binary/ANN store writes.
+
+        Args:
+            files: List of file paths to index.
+            root: Optional root for computing relative paths.
+            max_chunk_chars: Maximum characters per chunk.
+            chunk_overlap: Character overlap between consecutive chunks.
+
+        Returns:
+            IndexStats with counts and timing.
+        """
+        if not files:
+            return IndexStats()
+
+        meta = self._require_metadata()
+        t0 = time.monotonic()
+        chunk_id = self._next_chunk_id()
+        files_processed = 0
+        chunks_created = 0
+
+        for fpath in files:
+            exclude_reason = is_file_excluded(fpath, self._config)
+            if exclude_reason:
+                logger.debug("Skipping %s: %s", fpath, exclude_reason)
+                continue
+            try:
+                text = fpath.read_text(encoding="utf-8", errors="replace")
+            except Exception as exc:
+                logger.debug("Skipping %s: %s", fpath, exc)
+                continue
+
+            rel_path = str(fpath.relative_to(root)) if root else str(fpath)
+            content_hash = self._content_hash(text)
+
+            # Skip unchanged files
+            if not meta.file_needs_update(rel_path, content_hash):
+                continue
+
+            # Remove old FTS data if file was previously indexed
+            if meta.get_file_hash(rel_path) is not None:
+                meta.mark_file_deleted(rel_path)
+                self._fts.delete_by_path(rel_path)
+
+            file_chunks = self._smart_chunk(text, rel_path, max_chunk_chars, chunk_overlap)
+            if not file_chunks:
+                st = fpath.stat()
+                meta.register_file(rel_path, content_hash, st.st_mtime, st.st_size)
+                continue
+
+            files_processed += 1
+            fts_docs = []
+            chunk_id_hashes = []
+            for chunk_text, path, sl, el in file_chunks:
+                fts_docs.append((chunk_id, path, chunk_text, sl, el))
+                chunk_id_hashes.append((chunk_id, self._content_hash(chunk_text)))
+                chunk_id += 1
+
+            self._fts.add_documents(fts_docs)
+            chunks_created += len(fts_docs)
+
+            # Register metadata
+            st = fpath.stat()
+            meta.register_file(rel_path, content_hash, st.st_mtime, st.st_size)
+            meta.register_chunks(rel_path, chunk_id_hashes)
+
+        duration = time.monotonic() - t0
+        stats = IndexStats(
+            files_processed=files_processed,
+            chunks_created=chunks_created,
+            duration_seconds=round(duration, 2),
+        )
+        logger.info(
+            "FTS-only indexing complete: %d files, %d chunks in %.1fs",
+            stats.files_processed, stats.chunks_created, stats.duration_seconds,
+        )
+        return stats
+
     def index_file(
         self,
         file_path: Path,
@@ -522,7 +609,8 @@ class IndexingPipeline:
         file_chunks = self._smart_chunk(text, rel_path, max_chunk_chars, chunk_overlap)
         if not file_chunks:
             # Register file with no chunks
-            meta.register_file(rel_path, content_hash, file_path.stat().st_mtime)
+            st = file_path.stat()
+            meta.register_file(rel_path, content_hash, st.st_mtime, st.st_size)
             return IndexStats(
                 files_processed=1,
                 duration_seconds=round(time.monotonic() - t0, 2),
@@ -556,7 +644,8 @@ class IndexingPipeline:
         self._fts.add_documents(fts_docs)
 
         # Register in metadata
-        meta.register_file(rel_path, content_hash, file_path.stat().st_mtime)
+        st = file_path.stat()
+        meta.register_file(rel_path, content_hash, st.st_mtime, st.st_size)
         chunk_id_hashes = [
             (batch_ids[i], self._content_hash(batch_texts[i]))
             for i in range(len(batch_ids))
@@ -605,6 +694,7 @@ class IndexingPipeline:
         chunk_overlap: int = _DEFAULT_CHUNK_OVERLAP,
         max_file_size: int = 50_000,
         progress_callback: callable | None = None,
+        tier: str = "full",
     ) -> IndexStats:
         """Reconcile index state against a current file list.
 
@@ -617,6 +707,9 @@ class IndexingPipeline:
             max_chunk_chars: Maximum characters per chunk.
             chunk_overlap: Character overlap between consecutive chunks.
             max_file_size: Skip files larger than this (bytes).
+            tier: Indexing tier - 'full' (default) runs the full pipeline
+                  with embedding, 'fts_only' runs FTS-only indexing without
+                  embedding or vector stores.
 
         Returns:
             Aggregated IndexStats for all operations.
@@ -638,33 +731,72 @@ class IndexingPipeline:
         for rel in removed:
             self.remove_file(rel)
 
-        # Collect files needing update
+        # Collect files needing update using 4-level detection:
+        # Level 1: set diff (removed files) - handled above
+        # Level 2: mtime + size fast pre-check via stat()
+        # Level 3: content hash only when mtime/size mismatch
         files_to_index: list[Path] = []
         for rel, fpath in current_rel_paths.items():
+            # Level 2: stat-based fast check
+            try:
+                st = fpath.stat()
+            except OSError:
+                continue
+            if not meta.file_needs_update_fast(rel, st.st_mtime, st.st_size):
+                # mtime + size match stored values -> skip (no read needed)
+                continue
+
+            # Level 3: mtime/size changed -> verify with content hash
             try:
                 text = fpath.read_text(encoding="utf-8", errors="replace")
             except Exception:
                 continue
             content_hash = self._content_hash(text)
-            if meta.file_needs_update(rel, content_hash):
-                # Remove old data if previously indexed
-                if meta.get_file_hash(rel) is not None:
-                    meta.mark_file_deleted(rel)
-                    self._fts.delete_by_path(rel)
-                files_to_index.append(fpath)
+            if not meta.file_needs_update(rel, content_hash):
+                # Content unchanged despite mtime/size change -> update metadata only
+                meta.register_file(rel, content_hash, st.st_mtime, st.st_size)
+                continue
 
-        # Batch index via parallel pipeline
+            # File genuinely changed -> remove old data and queue for re-index
+            if meta.get_file_hash(rel) is not None:
+                meta.mark_file_deleted(rel)
+                self._fts.delete_by_path(rel)
+            files_to_index.append(fpath)
+
+        # Sort files by data tier priority: hot first, then warm, then cold
         if files_to_index:
-            # Set starting chunk ID from metadata
-            start_id = self._next_chunk_id()
-            batch_stats = self._index_files_with_metadata(
-                files_to_index,
-                root=root,
-                max_chunk_chars=max_chunk_chars,
-                chunk_overlap=chunk_overlap,
-                start_chunk_id=start_id,
-                progress_callback=progress_callback,
-            )
+            _tier_priority = {"hot": 0, "warm": 1, "cold": 2}
+            def _tier_sort_key(fp: Path) -> int:
+                rel = str(fp.relative_to(root)) if root else str(fp)
+                t = meta.get_file_tier(rel)
+                return _tier_priority.get(t or "warm", 1)
+            files_to_index.sort(key=_tier_sort_key)
+
+        # Reclassify data tiers after sync detection
+        meta.classify_tiers(
+            self._config.tier_hot_hours, self._config.tier_cold_hours
+        )
+
+        # Batch index via parallel pipeline or FTS-only
+        if files_to_index:
+            if tier == "fts_only":
+                batch_stats = self.index_files_fts_only(
+                    files_to_index,
+                    root=root,
+                    max_chunk_chars=max_chunk_chars,
+                    chunk_overlap=chunk_overlap,
+                )
+            else:
+                # Full pipeline with embedding
+                start_id = self._next_chunk_id()
+                batch_stats = self._index_files_with_metadata(
+                    files_to_index,
+                    root=root,
+                    max_chunk_chars=max_chunk_chars,
+                    chunk_overlap=chunk_overlap,
+                    start_chunk_id=start_id,
+                    progress_callback=progress_callback,
+                )
             total_files = batch_stats.files_processed
             total_chunks = batch_stats.chunks_created
         else:
@@ -781,7 +913,8 @@ class IndexingPipeline:
             file_chunks = self._smart_chunk(text, rel_path, max_chunk_chars, chunk_overlap)
 
             if not file_chunks:
-                meta.register_file(rel_path, content_hash, fpath.stat().st_mtime)
+                st = fpath.stat()
+                meta.register_file(rel_path, content_hash, st.st_mtime, st.st_size)
                 continue
 
             files_processed += 1
@@ -806,7 +939,8 @@ class IndexingPipeline:
             chunks_created += len(file_chunk_ids)
 
             # Register metadata per file
-            meta.register_file(rel_path, content_hash, fpath.stat().st_mtime)
+            st = fpath.stat()
+            meta.register_file(rel_path, content_hash, st.st_mtime, st.st_size)
             chunk_id_hashes = [
                 (cid, self._content_hash(ct)) for cid, ct in file_chunk_ids
             ]
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/mcp_server.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/mcp_server.py
index 37ac6df6..b5448960 100644
--- a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/mcp_server.py
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/mcp_server.py
@@ -102,13 +102,20 @@ def _get_pipelines(project_path: str) -> tuple:
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 @mcp.tool()
-def search_code(project_path: str, query: str, top_k: int = 10) -> str:
+def search_code(
+    project_path: str, query: str, top_k: int = 10, quality: str = "auto"
+) -> str:
     """Semantic code search with hybrid fusion (vector + FTS + reranking).
 
     Args:
         project_path: Absolute path to the project root directory.
         query: Natural language or code search query.
         top_k: Maximum number of results to return (default 10).
+        quality: Search quality tier (default "auto"):
+            - "fast": FTS-only + rerank (no embedding needed, fastest)
+            - "balanced": FTS + binary coarse search + rerank
+            - "thorough": Full 2-stage vector + FTS + reranking (best quality)
+            - "auto": Uses "thorough" if vector index exists, else "fast"
 
     Returns:
         Search results as formatted text with file paths, line numbers, scores, and code snippets.
@@ -121,15 +128,75 @@ def search_code(project_path: str, query: str, top_k: int = 10) -> str:
     if not (db_path / "metadata.db").exists():
         return f"Error: no index found at {db_path}. Run index_project first."
 
+    valid_qualities = ("fast", "balanced", "thorough", "auto")
+    if quality not in valid_qualities:
+        return f"Error: invalid quality '{quality}'. Must be one of: {', '.join(valid_qualities)}"
+
     _, search, _ = _get_pipelines(project_path)
-    results = search.search(query, top_k=top_k)
+    results = search.search(query, top_k=top_k, quality=quality)
 
     if not results:
         return "No results found."
 
     lines = []
     for i, r in enumerate(results, 1):
-        lines.append(f"## Result {i} — {r.path} (L{r.line}-{r.end_line}, score: {r.score:.4f})")
+        lines.append(f"## Result {i} -- {r.path} (L{r.line}-{r.end_line}, score: {r.score:.4f})")
+        lines.append(f"```\n{r.content}\n```")
+        lines.append("")
+    return "\n".join(lines)
+
+
+@mcp.tool()
+def search_scope(
+    project_path: str,
+    query: str,
+    scope_path: str,
+    top_k: int = 10,
+    quality: str = "auto",
+) -> str:
+    """Search within a specific directory scope of a project.
+
+    Runs a normal search then filters results to only include files
+    under the specified scope path.
+
+    Args:
+        project_path: Absolute path to the project root directory.
+        query: Natural language or code search query.
+        scope_path: Relative directory path to limit search scope (e.g. "src/auth").
+        top_k: Maximum number of scoped results to return (default 10).
+        quality: Search quality tier ("fast", "balanced", "thorough", "auto").
+
+    Returns:
+        Search results filtered to the scope path.
+    """
+    root = Path(project_path).resolve()
+    if not root.is_dir():
+        return f"Error: project path not found: {root}"
+
+    db_path = _db_path_for_project(project_path)
+    if not (db_path / "metadata.db").exists():
+        return f"Error: no index found at {db_path}. Run index_project first."
+
+    # Normalize scope path for prefix matching
+    scope = scope_path.replace("\\", "/").strip("/")
+
+    _, search, _ = _get_pipelines(project_path)
+    # Fetch more results than top_k to account for filtering
+    all_results = search.search(query, top_k=top_k * 5, quality=quality)
+
+    # Filter by scope path prefix
+    scoped = [
+        r for r in all_results
+        if r.path.replace("\\", "/").startswith(scope + "/")
+        or r.path.replace("\\", "/") == scope
+    ]
+
+    if not scoped:
+        return f"No results found in scope '{scope_path}'."
+
+    lines = []
+    for i, r in enumerate(scoped[:top_k], 1):
+        lines.append(f"## Result {i} -- {r.path} (L{r.line}-{r.end_line}, score: {r.score:.4f})")
         lines.append(f"```\n{r.content}\n```")
         lines.append("")
     return "\n".join(lines)
@@ -275,6 +342,59 @@ async def index_update(
     )
 
 
+@mcp.tool()
+def index_scope(
+    project_path: str,
+    scope_path: str,
+    glob_pattern: str = "**/*",
+    tier: str = "full",
+) -> str:
+    """Index a specific directory scope within a project.
+
+    Useful for quickly indexing a subdirectory (e.g. after editing files
+    in a specific module) without re-indexing the entire project.
+
+    Args:
+        project_path: Absolute path to the project root directory.
+        scope_path: Relative directory path to index (e.g. "src/auth").
+        glob_pattern: Glob pattern for files within scope (default "**/*").
+        tier: Indexing tier - "full" (default) runs full pipeline with
+              embedding, "fts_only" indexes text only (faster, no vectors).
+
+    Returns:
+        Indexing summary for the scoped directory.
+    """
+    root = Path(project_path).resolve()
+    if not root.is_dir():
+        return f"Error: project path not found: {root}"
+
+    scope_dir = root / scope_path
+    if not scope_dir.is_dir():
+        return f"Error: scope directory not found: {scope_dir}"
+
+    valid_tiers = ("full", "fts_only")
+    if tier not in valid_tiers:
+        return f"Error: invalid tier '{tier}'. Must be one of: {', '.join(valid_tiers)}"
+
+    indexing, _, _ = _get_pipelines(project_path)
+
+    file_paths = [
+        p for p in scope_dir.glob(glob_pattern)
+        if p.is_file() and not should_exclude(p.relative_to(root), DEFAULT_EXCLUDES)
+    ]
+
+    if not file_paths:
+        return f"No files found in {scope_path} matching '{glob_pattern}'."
+
+    stats = indexing.sync(file_paths, root=root, tier=tier)
+    tier_label = "FTS-only" if tier == "fts_only" else "full"
+    return (
+        f"Indexed {stats.files_processed} files ({tier_label}), "
+        f"{stats.chunks_created} chunks in {stats.duration_seconds:.1f}s. "
+        f"Scope: {scope_path}"
+    )
+
+
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # File discovery
 # ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/search/pipeline.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/search/pipeline.py
index b766779c..0331a11f 100644
--- a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/search/pipeline.py
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/search/pipeline.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ from dataclasses import dataclass
 import numpy as np
 
 from ..config import Config
-from ..core import ANNIndex, BinaryStore
+from ..core.base import BaseANNIndex, BaseBinaryIndex
 from ..embed import BaseEmbedder
 from ..indexing.metadata import MetadataStore
 from ..rerank import BaseReranker
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ from .fusion import (
 
 _log = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
+_VALID_QUALITIES = ("fast", "balanced", "thorough", "auto")
+
 
 @dataclass
 class SearchResult:
@@ -37,8 +39,8 @@ class SearchPipeline:
     def __init__(
         self,
         embedder: BaseEmbedder,
-        binary_store: BinaryStore,
-        ann_index: ANNIndex,
+        binary_store: BaseBinaryIndex,
+        ann_index: BaseANNIndex,
         reranker: BaseReranker,
         fts: FTSEngine,
         config: Config,
@@ -52,6 +54,15 @@ class SearchPipeline:
         self._config = config
         self._metadata_store = metadata_store
 
+    # -- Helper: check if vector index has data ----------------------------
+
+    def _has_vector_index(self) -> bool:
+        """Check if the binary store has any indexed entries."""
+        try:
+            return len(self._binary_store) > 0
+        except Exception:
+            return False
+
     # -- Helper: vector search (binary coarse + ANN fine) -----------------
 
     def _vector_search(
@@ -84,6 +95,21 @@ class SearchPipeline:
             ]
         return vector_results
 
+    # -- Helper: binary coarse search only --------------------------------
+
+    def _binary_coarse_search(
+        self, query_vec: np.ndarray
+    ) -> list[tuple[int, float]]:
+        """Run binary coarse search only (no ANN fine search)."""
+        cfg = self._config
+        candidate_ids, distances = self._binary_store.coarse_search(
+            query_vec, top_k=cfg.binary_top_k
+        )
+        return [
+            (int(doc_id), float(dist))
+            for doc_id, dist in zip(candidate_ids, distances)
+        ]
+
     # -- Helper: FTS search (exact + fuzzy) ------------------------------
 
     def _fts_search(
@@ -95,55 +121,12 @@ class SearchPipeline:
         fuzzy_results = self._fts.fuzzy_search(query, top_k=cfg.fts_top_k)
         return exact_results, fuzzy_results
 
-    # -- Main search entry point -----------------------------------------
+    # -- Helper: filter deleted IDs ---------------------------------------
 
-    def search(self, query: str, top_k: int | None = None) -> list[SearchResult]:
-        cfg = self._config
-        final_top_k = top_k if top_k is not None else cfg.reranker_top_k
-
-        # 1. Detect intent -> adaptive weights
-        intent = detect_query_intent(query)
-        weights = get_adaptive_weights(intent, cfg.fusion_weights)
-
-        # 2. Embed query
-        query_vec = self._embedder.embed_single(query)
-
-        # 3. Parallel vector + FTS search
-        vector_results: list[tuple[int, float]] = []
-        exact_results: list[tuple[int, float]] = []
-        fuzzy_results: list[tuple[int, float]] = []
-
-        with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=2) as pool:
-            vec_future = pool.submit(self._vector_search, query_vec)
-            fts_future = pool.submit(self._fts_search, query)
-
-            # Collect vector results
-            try:
-                vector_results = vec_future.result()
-            except Exception:
-                _log.warning("Vector search failed, using empty results", exc_info=True)
-
-            # Collect FTS results
-            try:
-                exact_results, fuzzy_results = fts_future.result()
-            except Exception:
-                _log.warning("FTS search failed, using empty results", exc_info=True)
-
-        # 4. RRF fusion
-        fusion_input: dict[str, list[tuple[int, float]]] = {}
-        if vector_results:
-            fusion_input["vector"] = vector_results
-        if exact_results:
-            fusion_input["exact"] = exact_results
-        if fuzzy_results:
-            fusion_input["fuzzy"] = fuzzy_results
-
-        if not fusion_input:
-            return []
-
-        fused = reciprocal_rank_fusion(fusion_input, weights=weights, k=cfg.fusion_k)
-
-        # 4b. Filter out deleted IDs (tombstone filtering)
+    def _filter_deleted(
+        self, fused: list[tuple[int, float]]
+    ) -> list[tuple[int, float]]:
+        """Remove tombstoned chunk IDs from results."""
         if self._metadata_store is not None:
             deleted_ids = self._metadata_store.get_deleted_ids()
             if deleted_ids:
@@ -152,16 +135,30 @@ class SearchPipeline:
                     for doc_id, score in fused
                     if doc_id not in deleted_ids
                 ]
+        return fused
 
-        # 5. Rerank top candidates
-        rerank_ids = [doc_id for doc_id, _ in fused[:50]]
-        contents = [self._fts.get_content(doc_id) for doc_id in rerank_ids]
-        rerank_scores = self._reranker.score_pairs(query, contents)
+    # -- Helper: rerank and build results ---------------------------------
 
-        # 6. Sort by rerank score, build SearchResult list
-        ranked = sorted(
-            zip(rerank_ids, rerank_scores), key=lambda x: x[1], reverse=True
-        )
+    def _rerank_and_build(
+        self,
+        query: str,
+        fused: list[tuple[int, float]],
+        final_top_k: int,
+        use_reranker: bool = True,
+    ) -> list[SearchResult]:
+        """Rerank candidates (optionally) and build SearchResult list."""
+        if not fused:
+            return []
+
+        if use_reranker:
+            rerank_ids = [doc_id for doc_id, _ in fused[:50]]
+            contents = [self._fts.get_content(doc_id) for doc_id in rerank_ids]
+            rerank_scores = self._reranker.score_pairs(query, contents)
+            ranked = sorted(
+                zip(rerank_ids, rerank_scores), key=lambda x: x[1], reverse=True
+            )
+        else:
+            ranked = fused
 
         results: list[SearchResult] = []
         for doc_id, score in ranked[:final_top_k]:
@@ -179,3 +176,178 @@ class SearchPipeline:
                 )
             )
         return results
+
+    # -- Helper: record access for tier tracking --------------------------
+
+    def _record_access(self, results: list[SearchResult]) -> None:
+        """Record file access for data tier tracking."""
+        if results and self._metadata_store is not None:
+            unique_paths = list({r.path for r in results})
+            try:
+                self._metadata_store.record_access_batch(unique_paths)
+            except Exception:
+                _log.debug("Failed to record access for tier tracking", exc_info=True)
+
+    # -- Quality-routed search methods ------------------------------------
+
+    def _search_fast(
+        self, query: str, final_top_k: int
+    ) -> list[SearchResult]:
+        """FTS-only search with reranking. No embedding needed."""
+        exact_results, fuzzy_results = self._fts_search(query)
+
+        fusion_input: dict[str, list[tuple[int, float]]] = {}
+        if exact_results:
+            fusion_input["exact"] = exact_results
+        if fuzzy_results:
+            fusion_input["fuzzy"] = fuzzy_results
+
+        if not fusion_input:
+            return []
+
+        fused = reciprocal_rank_fusion(
+            fusion_input, weights={"exact": 0.7, "fuzzy": 0.3},
+            k=self._config.fusion_k,
+        )
+        fused = self._filter_deleted(fused)
+        return self._rerank_and_build(query, fused, final_top_k, use_reranker=True)
+
+    def _search_balanced(
+        self, query: str, final_top_k: int
+    ) -> list[SearchResult]:
+        """FTS + binary coarse search with RRF fusion and reranking.
+
+        Embeds the query for binary coarse search but skips ANN fine search.
+        """
+        intent = detect_query_intent(query)
+        weights = get_adaptive_weights(intent, self._config.fusion_weights)
+
+        query_vec = self._embedder.embed_single(query)
+
+        # Parallel: binary coarse + FTS
+        coarse_results: list[tuple[int, float]] = []
+        exact_results: list[tuple[int, float]] = []
+        fuzzy_results: list[tuple[int, float]] = []
+
+        with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=2) as pool:
+            coarse_future = pool.submit(self._binary_coarse_search, query_vec)
+            fts_future = pool.submit(self._fts_search, query)
+
+            try:
+                coarse_results = coarse_future.result()
+            except Exception:
+                _log.warning("Binary coarse search failed", exc_info=True)
+
+            try:
+                exact_results, fuzzy_results = fts_future.result()
+            except Exception:
+                _log.warning("FTS search failed", exc_info=True)
+
+        fusion_input: dict[str, list[tuple[int, float]]] = {}
+        if coarse_results:
+            fusion_input["vector"] = coarse_results
+        if exact_results:
+            fusion_input["exact"] = exact_results
+        if fuzzy_results:
+            fusion_input["fuzzy"] = fuzzy_results
+
+        if not fusion_input:
+            return []
+
+        fused = reciprocal_rank_fusion(fusion_input, weights=weights, k=self._config.fusion_k)
+        fused = self._filter_deleted(fused)
+        return self._rerank_and_build(query, fused, final_top_k, use_reranker=True)
+
+    def _search_thorough(
+        self, query: str, final_top_k: int
+    ) -> list[SearchResult]:
+        """Full 2-stage vector + FTS + reranking pipeline (original behavior)."""
+        cfg = self._config
+
+        intent = detect_query_intent(query)
+        weights = get_adaptive_weights(intent, cfg.fusion_weights)
+
+        query_vec = self._embedder.embed_single(query)
+
+        # Parallel vector + FTS search
+        vector_results: list[tuple[int, float]] = []
+        exact_results: list[tuple[int, float]] = []
+        fuzzy_results: list[tuple[int, float]] = []
+
+        with ThreadPoolExecutor(max_workers=2) as pool:
+            vec_future = pool.submit(self._vector_search, query_vec)
+            fts_future = pool.submit(self._fts_search, query)
+
+            try:
+                vector_results = vec_future.result()
+            except Exception:
+                _log.warning("Vector search failed, using empty results", exc_info=True)
+
+            try:
+                exact_results, fuzzy_results = fts_future.result()
+            except Exception:
+                _log.warning("FTS search failed, using empty results", exc_info=True)
+
+        fusion_input: dict[str, list[tuple[int, float]]] = {}
+        if vector_results:
+            fusion_input["vector"] = vector_results
+        if exact_results:
+            fusion_input["exact"] = exact_results
+        if fuzzy_results:
+            fusion_input["fuzzy"] = fuzzy_results
+
+        if not fusion_input:
+            return []
+
+        fused = reciprocal_rank_fusion(fusion_input, weights=weights, k=cfg.fusion_k)
+        fused = self._filter_deleted(fused)
+        return self._rerank_and_build(query, fused, final_top_k, use_reranker=True)
+
+    # -- Main search entry point -----------------------------------------
+
+    def search(
+        self,
+        query: str,
+        top_k: int | None = None,
+        quality: str | None = None,
+    ) -> list[SearchResult]:
+        """Search with quality-based routing.
+
+        Args:
+            query: Search query string.
+            top_k: Maximum results to return.
+            quality: Search quality tier:
+                - 'fast': FTS-only + rerank (no embedding, no vector search)
+                - 'balanced': FTS + binary coarse + rerank (no ANN fine search)
+                - 'thorough': Full 2-stage vector + FTS + reranking
+                - 'auto': Selects 'thorough' if vectors exist, else 'fast'
+                - None: Uses config.default_search_quality
+
+        Returns:
+            List of SearchResult ordered by relevance.
+        """
+        cfg = self._config
+        final_top_k = top_k if top_k is not None else cfg.reranker_top_k
+
+        # Resolve quality tier
+        effective_quality = quality or cfg.default_search_quality
+        if effective_quality not in _VALID_QUALITIES:
+            _log.warning(
+                "Invalid search quality '%s', falling back to 'auto'",
+                effective_quality,
+            )
+            effective_quality = "auto"
+
+        # Auto-detect: use thorough if vector index has data, else fast
+        if effective_quality == "auto":
+            effective_quality = "thorough" if self._has_vector_index() else "fast"
+
+        if effective_quality == "fast":
+            results = self._search_fast(query, final_top_k)
+        elif effective_quality == "balanced":
+            results = self._search_balanced(query, final_top_k)
+        else:
+            results = self._search_thorough(query, final_top_k)
+
+        self._record_access(results)
+        return results
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/watcher/file_watcher.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/watcher/file_watcher.py
index 7fd8473f..20289373 100644
--- a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/watcher/file_watcher.py
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/watcher/file_watcher.py
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ from watchdog.events import FileSystemEventHandler
 from watchdog.observers import Observer
 
 from .events import ChangeType, FileEvent, WatcherConfig
+from .incremental_indexer import IncrementalIndexer
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
@@ -261,3 +262,24 @@ class FileWatcher:
         if output:
             sys.stdout.write(output + "\n")
             sys.stdout.flush()
+
+    @classmethod
+    def create_with_indexer(
+        cls,
+        root_path: Path,
+        config: WatcherConfig,
+        indexer: IncrementalIndexer,
+    ) -> "FileWatcher":
+        """Create a FileWatcher wired to an IncrementalIndexer's async path.
+
+        Uses ``indexer.process_events_async()`` as the callback so that
+        events are debounced and batched within the indexer before
+        processing, preventing redundant per-file pipeline startups.
+
+        Example::
+
+            indexer = IncrementalIndexer(pipeline, root=root)
+            watcher = FileWatcher.create_with_indexer(root, config, indexer)
+            watcher.start()
+        """
+        return cls(root_path, config, indexer.process_events_async)
diff --git a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/watcher/incremental_indexer.py b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/watcher/incremental_indexer.py
index d0d3f265..159d891c 100644
--- a/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/watcher/incremental_indexer.py
+++ b/codex-lens-v2/src/codexlens_search/watcher/incremental_indexer.py
@@ -4,10 +4,13 @@ Ported from codex-lens v1 with simplifications:
 - Uses IndexingPipeline.index_file() / remove_file() directly
 - No v1-specific Config, ParserFactory, DirIndexStore dependencies
 - Per-file error isolation: one failure does not stop batch processing
+- Debounce batching: process_events_async() buffers events and flushes
+  after a configurable window to prevent redundant per-file pipeline startups
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
 import logging
+import threading
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import List, Optional
@@ -60,6 +63,7 @@ class IncrementalIndexer:
         pipeline: IndexingPipeline,
         *,
         root: Optional[Path] = None,
+        debounce_window_ms: int = 500,
     ) -> None:
         """Initialize the incremental indexer.
 
@@ -67,9 +71,15 @@ class IncrementalIndexer:
             pipeline: The indexing pipeline with metadata store configured.
             root: Optional project root for computing relative paths.
                   If None, absolute paths are used as identifiers.
+            debounce_window_ms: Milliseconds to buffer events before flushing
+                in process_events_async(). Default 500ms.
         """
         self._pipeline = pipeline
         self._root = root
+        self._debounce_window_ms = debounce_window_ms
+        self._event_buffer: List[FileEvent] = []
+        self._buffer_lock = threading.Lock()
+        self._flush_timer: Optional[threading.Timer] = None
 
     def process_events(self, events: List[FileEvent]) -> BatchResult:
         """Process a batch of file events with per-file error isolation.
@@ -107,6 +117,52 @@ class IncrementalIndexer:
 
         return result
 
+    def process_events_async(self, events: List[FileEvent]) -> None:
+        """Buffer events and flush after the debounce window expires.
+
+        Non-blocking: events are accumulated in an internal buffer.
+        When no new events arrive within *debounce_window_ms*, the buffer
+        is flushed and all accumulated events are processed as a single
+        batch via process_events().
+
+        Args:
+            events: List of file events to buffer.
+        """
+        with self._buffer_lock:
+            self._event_buffer.extend(events)
+
+            # Cancel previous timer and start a new one (true debounce)
+            if self._flush_timer is not None:
+                self._flush_timer.cancel()
+
+            self._flush_timer = threading.Timer(
+                self._debounce_window_ms / 1000.0,
+                self._flush_buffer,
+            )
+            self._flush_timer.daemon = True
+            self._flush_timer.start()
+
+    def _flush_buffer(self) -> None:
+        """Flush the event buffer and process all accumulated events."""
+        with self._buffer_lock:
+            if not self._event_buffer:
+                return
+            events = list(self._event_buffer)
+            self._event_buffer.clear()
+            self._flush_timer = None
+
+        # Deduplicate: keep the last event per path
+        seen: dict[Path, FileEvent] = {}
+        for event in events:
+            seen[event.path] = event
+        deduped = list(seen.values())
+
+        logger.debug(
+            "Flushing debounce buffer: %d events (%d after dedup)",
+            len(events), len(deduped),
+        )
+        self.process_events(deduped)
+
     def _handle_index(self, event: FileEvent, result: BatchResult) -> None:
         """Index a created or modified file."""
         stats = self._pipeline.index_file(