leeovery · leeovery · May 9, 2026
diff --git a/discovery-map/INDEX.md b/discovery-map/INDEX.md
@@ -8,47 +8,53 @@ A multi-phase initiative to add an **inception phase** at the start of every epi
 
 ## Phases
 
-Each phase is its own PR off main, planned individually via plan mode.
-
-1. **[Manifest Foundations](phase-01-manifest-foundations.md)** — `inception` phase + `imports` field validation in manifest CLI. **Status:** Not started
-2. **[Inception MVP](phase-02-inception-mvp.md)** — entry/process skills, bridge continuation, start-epic wiring. **Status:** Not started
-3. **[Discovery Map Render](phase-03-discovery-map-render.md)** — continue-epic display + menu collapse + auto-routing. **Status:** Not started
-4. **[Refinement Session](phase-04-refinement-session.md)** — re-entry path, map editing operations, safety-by-destructiveness. **Status:** Not started
-5. **[Self-Healing Re-point](phase-05-self-healing.md)** — research-analysis and gap-analysis re-point to map at continue-epic boot-up. **Status:** Not started
-6. **[Imports](phase-06-imports.md)** — `imports/` directory, manifest tracking, KB indexing, behaviour change for features. **Status:** Not started
-7. **[Topic Splitting and Elevation](phase-07-topic-splitting-elevation.md)** — write inception items alongside; name collision validation. **Status:** Not started
-8. **[Direct-Entry Auto-Add](phase-08-direct-entry-auto-add.md)** — `d`/`discuss` and `r`/`research` for unmapped topics auto-create map items. **Status:** Not started
-9. **[Migration](phase-09-migration.md)** — seed inception items for existing in-progress epics. **Status:** Not started
-10. **[Drop Explore Mode](phase-10-drop-explore-mode.md)** — remove research's `e`/`explore`; collapse start-epic's `route-first-phase`. **Status:** Not started
-11. **[Documentation Cleanup](phase-11-documentation.md)** — CLAUDE.md, README, phase tables, compliance checks. **Status:** Not started
+Each phase is its own PR off the previous phase's branch (stacked PRs — see *Branching Strategy* below). Each phase is planned individually via plan mode when implementation begins.
+
+1. **[Manifest Foundations](phase-01-manifest-foundations.md)** — `inception` phase + `imports` field validation in manifest CLI. **Status:** Done (PR #264)
+2. **[Inception Entry Skill + Bridge Plumbing](phase-02-inception-entry-bridge.md)** — entry skill scaffold + bridge continuation + discovery.cjs awareness. **Status:** In progress
+3. **[Inception Process Skill](phase-03-inception-process.md)** — the conversational inception session itself (initial-session flow). **Status:** Not started
+4. **[Wire start-epic to Inception](phase-04-wire-start-epic.md)** — collapses the research/discussion menu; user-visible flip. **Status:** Not started
+5. **[Discovery Map Render](phase-05-discovery-map-render.md)** — continue-epic display + menu collapse + auto-routing. **Status:** Not started
+6. **[Refinement Session](phase-06-refinement-session.md)** — re-entry path, map editing operations, safety-by-destructiveness. **Status:** Not started
+7. **[Self-Healing Re-point](phase-07-self-healing.md)** — research-analysis and gap-analysis re-point to map at continue-epic boot-up. **Status:** Not started
+8. **[Imports](phase-08-imports.md)** — `imports/` directory, manifest tracking, KB indexing, behaviour change for features. **Status:** Not started
+9. **[Topic Splitting and Elevation](phase-09-topic-splitting-elevation.md)** — write inception items alongside; name collision validation. **Status:** Not started
+10. **[Direct-Entry Auto-Add](phase-10-direct-entry-auto-add.md)** — `d`/`discuss` and `r`/`research` for unmapped topics auto-create map items. **Status:** Not started
+11. **[Migration](phase-11-migration.md)** — seed inception items for existing in-progress epics. **Status:** Not started
+12. **[Drop Explore Mode](phase-12-drop-explore-mode.md)** — remove research's `e`/`explore`; collapse start-epic's `route-first-phase`. **Status:** Not started
+13. **[Documentation Cleanup](phase-13-documentation.md)** — CLAUDE.md, README, phase tables, compliance checks. **Status:** Not started
 
 ## Dependencies
 
 ```
 Phase 1 (manifest foundations)
    │
-   └──▶ Phase 2 (inception MVP)
+   └──▶ Phase 2 (inception entry skill + bridge plumbing)
         │
-        └──▶ Phase 3 (map render)
+        └──▶ Phase 3 (inception process skill)
              │
-             ├──▶ Phase 4 (refinement)
-             │    │
-             │    └──▶ Phase 5 (self-healing)
-             │         │
-             │         ├──▶ Phase 6 (imports — also depends on Phase 2)
-             │         │
-             │         ├──▶ Phase 7 (split/elevation)
-             │         │
-             │         └──▶ Phase 8 (direct-entry)
-             │
-             └──▶ Phase 9 (migration)
+             └──▶ Phase 4 (wire start-epic to inception)
                   │
-                  └──▶ Phase 10 (drop explore mode)
+                  └──▶ Phase 5 (map render)
+                       │
+                       ├──▶ Phase 6 (refinement)
+                       │    │
+                       │    └──▶ Phase 7 (self-healing)
+                       │         │
+                       │         ├──▶ Phase 8 (imports — also depends on Phase 4)
+                       │         │
+                       │         ├──▶ Phase 9 (split/elevation)
+                       │         │
+                       │         └──▶ Phase 10 (direct-entry)
                        │
-                       └──▶ Phase 11 (docs)
+                       └──▶ Phase 11 (migration)
+                            │
+                            └──▶ Phase 12 (drop explore mode)
+                                 │
+                                 └──▶ Phase 13 (docs)
 ```
 
-Phases 6, 7, 8 can be parallelised after Phase 5. Phases 9-11 sequence after the rest.
+Phases 8, 9, 10 can be parallelised after Phase 7. Phases 11-13 sequence after the rest.
 
 ## Branching Strategy — Stacked PRs
 
@@ -58,7 +64,7 @@ To keep `main` clean of incomplete-feature work until the whole initiative is re
 - **Phase 1** branches off `main` (after the planning branch has merged).
 - **Phase 2** branches off Phase 1's branch (not main).
 - **Phase 3** branches off Phase 2's branch.
-- And so on through Phase 11.
+- And so on through Phase 13.
 
 Each phase's PR has its own scope and review. When the implementer is happy with all phases, the PRs merge in turn — Phase 1 first, then Phase 2 (rebased onto main if needed), then Phase 3, etc. — until the whole initiative lands.
 

diff --git a/discovery-map/phase-01-manifest-foundations.md b/discovery-map/phase-01-manifest-foundations.md
@@ -39,8 +39,8 @@ Foundation for everything that follows. Adds `inception` as a recognised phase a
 
 ## Out of scope
 
-- Inception-related skills (Phase 2).
-- Display of inception items in `continue-epic` (Phase 3).
+- Inception-related skills (Phases 2-4).
+- Display of inception items in `continue-epic` (Phase 5).
 - Anything user-visible.
 
 ## Verification

diff --git a/discovery-map/phase-02-inception-entry-bridge.md b/discovery-map/phase-02-inception-entry-bridge.md
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+# Phase 2 — Inception Entry Skill + Bridge Plumbing
+
+**Status:** Not started · **Depends on:** Phase 1
+
+## Purpose
+
+First slice of the original "Inception MVP" (split into Phases 2-4 for reviewable size).
+
+Establishes the **inception door**: the entry-point skill that routes incoming work into inception, plus the bridge continuation that routes back out, plus minimal awareness in `continue-epic`'s discovery script. The room behind the door (the actual conversation) lands in Phase 3; wiring `start-epic` to walk through the door lands in Phase 4.
+
+After this phase: `/workflow-inception-entry epic {wu}` is a registered, compliant skill that gathers context and would invoke a processing skill — but the processing skill doesn't exist yet, so end-to-end use isn't possible. **No user-visible behaviour change** — `/start-epic` still routes to research/discussion as it does today.
+
+## Reference
+
+- [Design](design.md) — *Inception Phase — Behaviour* → *Initial session* (lines 184-195) for the entry shape; *Files on disk* (lines 302-318).
+- `CONVENTIONS.md` — **MANDATORY** before authoring any skill file. Display rules, Step 0 structure, load directive format, zero-output rule, reference-file structure.
+- `skills/workflow-research-entry/SKILL.md` and references — closest precedent. Model the inception-entry skill on this shape.
+- `skills/workflow-bridge/SKILL.md` and `references/epic-continuation.md` — pattern for the continuation reference. Inception's continuation is simpler — always re-invokes `/continue-epic {wu}` with no phase-routing computation.
+- `skills/continue-epic/scripts/discovery.cjs` — line 5 (`EPIC_PHASES`) needs `inception` added so the iterators don't skip the new phase.
+
+## What ships
+
+- New skill `workflow-inception-entry/` (SKILL.md + 3 references). Models on `workflow-research-entry`.
+- New `workflow-bridge/references/inception-continuation.md` — plan-mode handoff that re-invokes `/continue-epic {work_unit}`.
+- `workflow-bridge/SKILL.md` — register the new continuation reference (`completed_phase = inception` route).
+- `continue-epic/scripts/discovery.cjs` — add `'inception'` to `EPIC_PHASES`. **No display change** — Phase 5 owns the discovery-map render.
+
+## Files
+
+**New — `skills/workflow-inception-entry/`:**
+
+- `SKILL.md` — backbone with Step 0 (initialisation), Step 1 (parse args — `$0`=work_type, `$1`=work_unit, `$2` unused since inception is per-work-unit), Step 2 (check phase entry), Step 3 (validate — first-session vs re-entry), Step 4 (gather context), Step 5 (invoke skill).
+- `references/validate-phase.md` — **first-session vs re-entry detection.** Phase 2 only wires the first-session branch. Re-entry emits a "refinement coming in Phase 6" stub and returns. Phase 6 replaces the body.
+- `references/gather-context.md` — minimal. Reads work-unit description from manifest. If `imports[]` is non-empty, lists filenames as additional context (Phase 8 broadens this — KB indexing on import).
+- `references/invoke-skill.md` — handoff to `workflow-inception-process`. **Note:** the processing skill doesn't exist until Phase 3. For Phase 2, the handoff text is authored against the future skill name; invoking it will error until Phase 3 lands. This is fine — Phase 2's PR is reviewable in isolation, and the entry skill becomes useful when stacked atop Phase 3.
+
+**New — `skills/workflow-bridge/references/inception-continuation.md`:**
+
+- Plan-mode handoff that always re-invokes `/continue-epic {work_unit}`. No phase-routing computation needed (single deterministic outcome).
+
+**Modified:**
+
+- `skills/workflow-bridge/SKILL.md` — Step 2 routing table gains an `inception` branch. Place above the existing epic branch.
+- `skills/continue-epic/scripts/discovery.cjs` — line 5: add `'inception'` to `EPIC_PHASES`. Verify `buildEpicDetail` doesn't error on `phases.inception.items.{topic}` shape (status only, no `sources`/`format`).
+
+## Out of scope
+
+- Inception process skill itself (Phase 3).
+- Wiring `start-epic` to invoke inception (Phase 4).
+- Discovery-map render in `continue-epic` (Phase 5).
+- Refinement / re-entry implementation (Phase 6).
+- Imports machinery beyond awareness in `gather-context.md` (Phase 8).
+
+## Verification
+
+1. Compliance self-check passes on `workflow-inception-entry/SKILL.md` and each reference file.
+2. Direct invocation smoke test:
+   ```bash
+   cd "$(mktemp -d)" && mkdir -p .workflows
+   # Manually init an epic for testing
+   node /path/to/skills/workflow-manifest/scripts/manifest.cjs init test-epic --work-type epic --description "Test"
+   # Invoke the entry skill (will error at Step 5 because process skill doesn't exist yet — expected for Phase 2)
+   /workflow-inception-entry epic test-epic
+   ```
+   Expected: skill loads, runs Step 0 → Step 4 cleanly, then errors at Step 5 invoking the missing process skill. The error confirms wiring is in place.
+3. `continue-epic` does not error on existing epics (which have no `inception` phase):
+   ```bash
+   node skills/continue-epic/scripts/discovery.cjs
+   ```
+4. Run existing manifest tests to confirm Phase 1's foundations still pass.
+
+## Notes for the implementer
+
+- **CONVENTIONS.md is mandatory.** Re-read it before authoring `SKILL.md` and references — the conventions are dense and have produced silently non-compliant skills when relied on by memory.
+- **Phase 2 is intentionally unreachable end-to-end.** The entry skill exists but invoking it will fail at Step 5 because Phase 3 hasn't shipped yet. This is by design — small, reviewable PRs build on each other.
+- **Re-entry is stubbed, not skipped.** `validate-phase.md` has both branches structurally; the re-entry branch points to a Phase-6 placeholder. Phase 6 replaces the body with the real refinement flow. No throwaway code.
+- **No background agents.** Inception is curatorial; Phase 3's process skill won't dispatch review/perspective agents either.
diff --git a/discovery-map/phase-02-inception-mvp.md b/discovery-map/phase-02-inception-mvp.md