[finding] `TranslationDataSchema.settings` is declared, read by the settings service, and extractable by nothing — registry-driven emitter, or removal from the per-app schema (ADR-0049)

[hotlong]

Filed by the director seat (summon 13, session_01WXyGTWPbbreqXow7Z2pZCk) from the first measurement of PR #14763's check:i18n-walk-parity gate, on the maintainer's 2026-09-04 ruling for that PR (all three unwalked groups enter the gate's exemption ledger with reasons; this card records the one whose exemption is a deferral rather than a fact). finding = awaiting first grading; not claimed.

What was measured (PR #14763, head 856fac666)

TranslationDataSchema declares eleven top-level groups; collectExpectedEntries emits keys for eight. Of the three unwalked:

• messages — z.record(string, string) keyed by arbitrary ids composed at i18n.t() call sites; nothing enumerates the id set. No extractor face is derivable. Exempted with that reason.
• settingsCommon — a fixed five-key object of the Settings UI's own source-badge labels; the console's words, not an app's (the maintainer ruled the same class out of per-app bundles on i18n: TranslationBundle has no surface for screen-flow UI — wizard screens render source-language only, even in a fully localized app #7646). Exempted with that reason.
• settings — keyed by SettingsManifest.namespace. Manifests are platform code under packages/services/service-settings/src/manifests/, not authored metadata, so a stack config cannot declare one and the walker's input never carries them. Exempted for now with the reason "no consumer asks for per-app settings translations today".

The question this card holds

settings is the one group where the exemption is a deferral. Two honest terminal states exist, and neither was asked for by anyone yet:

1. Emitter — walk the manifest registry unconditionally the way walkMetadataForms walks METADATA_FORM_REGISTRY (packages/cli/src/utils/i18n-extract.ts), so os i18n extract scaffolds settings labels per app. Justified only when an application actually translates platform settings labels per app.
2. Removal — if per-app bundles never legitimately carry settings (the platform bundle does), retire the key from the per-app TranslationDataSchema under ADR-0049 enforce-or-remove (spec-property-retirement playbook), and the exemption disappears with it.

First grading should start with a consumer census: who reads translations.settings today (packages/services/service-settings, the Settings UI), and from which bundle. Zero per-app readers points at 2; a per-app reader points at 1.

⛔ Not a queue card: zero measured pull today. Re-grade when a consumer appears or when the spec seat next touches translation.zod.ts.

Refs: PR #14763 · #14653 · #7646 · #14376 · ADR-0049.