diff --git a/.github/workflows/sync-branches.lock.yml b/.github/workflows/sync-branches.lock.yml
deleted file mode 100644
index f54a563d..00000000
--- a/.github/workflows/sync-branches.lock.yml
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,603 +0,0 @@
-# gh-aw-metadata: {"schema_version":"v3","frontmatter_hash":"8b9d284edcb83136299b318aedfec158b099b4eaa63876df7144a894a4b07dd3","compiler_version":"v0.68.3","strict":true,"agent_id":"copilot"}
-# gh-aw-manifest: {"version":1,"secrets":["GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN","GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN","GITHUB_TOKEN"],"actions":[{"repo":"actions/checkout","sha":"de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd","version":"v6.0.2"},{"repo":"actions/download-artifact","sha":"3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c","version":"v8.0.1"},{"repo":"actions/github-script","sha":"373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553","version":"v9"},{"repo":"actions/upload-artifact","sha":"043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a","version":"v7.0.1"},{"repo":"github/gh-aw-actions/setup","sha":"v0.68.3","version":"v0.68.3"}],"containers":[{"image":"ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-firewall/agent:0.25.20"},{"image":"ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-firewall/api-proxy:0.25.20"},{"image":"ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-firewall/squid:0.25.20"},{"image":"ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-mcpg:v0.2.19"},{"image":"ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:v0.32.0"}]}
-#    ___                   _   _      
-#   / _ \                 | | (_)     
-#  | |_| | __ _  ___ _ __ | |_ _  ___ 
-#  |  _  |/ _` |/ _ \ '_ \| __| |/ __|
-#  | | | | (_| |  __/ | | | |_| | (__ 
-#  \_| |_/\__, |\___|_| |_|\__|_|\___|
-#          __/ |
-#  _    _ |___/ 
-# | |  | |                / _| |
-# | |  | | ___ _ __ _  __| |_| | _____      ____
-# | |/\| |/ _ \ '__| |/ /|  _| |/ _ \ \ /\ / / ___|
-# \  /\  / (_) | | | | ( | | | | (_) \ V  V /\__ \
-#  \/  \/ \___/|_| |_|\_\|_| |_|\___/ \_/\_/ |___/
-#
-# This file was automatically generated by gh-aw (v0.68.3). DO NOT EDIT.
-#
-# To update this file, edit the corresponding .md file and run:
-#   gh aw compile
-# Not all edits will cause changes to this file.
-#
-# For more information: https://github.github.com/gh-aw/introduction/overview/
-#
-# Keeps Autoloop program branches up to date with the default branch.
-# Runs whenever the default branch changes and merges it into all active
-# autoloop/* branches so that program iterations always build on the latest code.
-#
-# Secrets used:
-#   - GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN
-#   - GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN
-#   - GITHUB_TOKEN
-#
-# Custom actions used:
-#   - actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-#   - actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8.0.1
-#   - actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-#   - actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
-#   - github/gh-aw-actions/setup@v0.68.3
-#
-# Container images used:
-#   - ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-firewall/agent:0.25.20
-#   - ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-firewall/api-proxy:0.25.20
-#   - ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-firewall/squid:0.25.20
-#   - ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-mcpg:v0.2.19
-#   - ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:v0.32.0
-
-name: "Sync Branches"
-"on":
-  push:
-    branches:
-    - main
-  workflow_dispatch:
-    inputs:
-      aw_context:
-        default: ""
-        description: Agent caller context (used internally by Agentic Workflows).
-        required: false
-        type: string
-
-permissions: {}
-
-concurrency:
-  group: "gh-aw-${{ github.workflow }}-${{ github.ref || github.run_id }}"
-
-run-name: "Sync Branches"
-
-jobs:
-  activation:
-    needs: pre_activation
-    if: needs.pre_activation.outputs.activated == 'true'
-    runs-on: ubuntu-slim
-    permissions:
-      actions: read
-      contents: read
-    outputs:
-      comment_id: ""
-      comment_repo: ""
-      lockdown_check_failed: ${{ steps.generate_aw_info.outputs.lockdown_check_failed == 'true' }}
-      model: ${{ steps.generate_aw_info.outputs.model }}
-      setup-trace-id: ${{ steps.setup.outputs.trace-id }}
-      stale_lock_file_failed: ${{ steps.check-lock-file.outputs.stale_lock_file_failed == 'true' }}
-    steps:
-      - name: Setup Scripts
-        id: setup
-        uses: github/gh-aw-actions/setup@v0.68.3
-        with:
-          destination: ${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions
-          job-name: ${{ github.job }}
-          trace-id: ${{ needs.pre_activation.outputs.setup-trace-id }}
-      - name: Generate agentic run info
-        id: generate_aw_info
-        env:
-          GH_AW_INFO_ENGINE_ID: "copilot"
-          GH_AW_INFO_ENGINE_NAME: "GitHub Copilot CLI"
-          GH_AW_INFO_MODEL: ${{ vars.GH_AW_MODEL_AGENT_COPILOT || 'auto' }}
-          GH_AW_INFO_VERSION: "1.0.21"
-          GH_AW_INFO_AGENT_VERSION: "1.0.21"
-          GH_AW_INFO_CLI_VERSION: "v0.68.3"
-          GH_AW_INFO_WORKFLOW_NAME: "Sync Branches"
-          GH_AW_INFO_EXPERIMENTAL: "false"
-          GH_AW_INFO_SUPPORTS_TOOLS_ALLOWLIST: "true"
-          GH_AW_INFO_STAGED: "false"
-          GH_AW_INFO_ALLOWED_DOMAINS: '["defaults"]'
-          GH_AW_INFO_FIREWALL_ENABLED: "true"
-          GH_AW_INFO_AWF_VERSION: "v0.25.20"
-          GH_AW_INFO_AWMG_VERSION: ""
-          GH_AW_INFO_FIREWALL_TYPE: "squid"
-          GH_AW_COMPILED_STRICT: "true"
-        uses: actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const { setupGlobals } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/setup_globals.cjs');
-            setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io, getOctokit);
-            const { main } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/generate_aw_info.cjs');
-            await main(core, context);
-      - name: Checkout .github and .agents folders
-        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-        with:
-          persist-credentials: false
-          sparse-checkout: |
-            .github
-            .agents
-          sparse-checkout-cone-mode: true
-          fetch-depth: 1
-      - name: Check workflow lock file
-        id: check-lock-file
-        uses: actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-        env:
-          GH_AW_WORKFLOW_FILE: "sync-branches.lock.yml"
-          GH_AW_CONTEXT_WORKFLOW_REF: "${{ github.workflow_ref }}"
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const { setupGlobals } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/setup_globals.cjs');
-            setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io, getOctokit);
-            const { main } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/check_workflow_timestamp_api.cjs');
-            await main();
-      - name: Check compile-agentic version
-        uses: actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-        env:
-          GH_AW_COMPILED_VERSION: "v0.68.3"
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const { setupGlobals } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/setup_globals.cjs');
-            setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io, getOctokit);
-            const { main } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/check_version_updates.cjs');
-            await main();
-      - name: Create prompt with built-in context
-        env:
-          GH_AW_PROMPT: /tmp/gh-aw/aw-prompts/prompt.txt
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_ACTOR: ${{ github.actor }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_COMMENT_ID: ${{ github.event.comment.id }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_DISCUSSION_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.discussion.number }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_ISSUE_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_REPOSITORY: ${{ github.repository }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_RUN_ID: ${{ github.run_id }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_WORKSPACE: ${{ github.workspace }}
-        # poutine:ignore untrusted_checkout_exec
-        run: |
-          bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/create_prompt_first.sh"
-          {
-          cat << 'GH_AW_PROMPT_70a926a4714eba03_EOF'
-          <system>
-          GH_AW_PROMPT_70a926a4714eba03_EOF
-          cat "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/prompts/xpia.md"
-          cat "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/prompts/temp_folder_prompt.md"
-          cat "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/prompts/markdown.md"
-          cat << 'GH_AW_PROMPT_70a926a4714eba03_EOF'
-          <github-context>
-          The following GitHub context information is available for this workflow:
-          {{#if __GH_AW_GITHUB_ACTOR__ }}
-          - **actor**: __GH_AW_GITHUB_ACTOR__
-          {{/if}}
-          {{#if __GH_AW_GITHUB_REPOSITORY__ }}
-          - **repository**: __GH_AW_GITHUB_REPOSITORY__
-          {{/if}}
-          {{#if __GH_AW_GITHUB_WORKSPACE__ }}
-          - **workspace**: __GH_AW_GITHUB_WORKSPACE__
-          {{/if}}
-          {{#if __GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_ISSUE_NUMBER__ }}
-          - **issue-number**: #__GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_ISSUE_NUMBER__
-          {{/if}}
-          {{#if __GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_DISCUSSION_NUMBER__ }}
-          - **discussion-number**: #__GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_DISCUSSION_NUMBER__
-          {{/if}}
-          {{#if __GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER__ }}
-          - **pull-request-number**: #__GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER__
-          {{/if}}
-          {{#if __GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_COMMENT_ID__ }}
-          - **comment-id**: __GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_COMMENT_ID__
-          {{/if}}
-          {{#if __GH_AW_GITHUB_RUN_ID__ }}
-          - **workflow-run-id**: __GH_AW_GITHUB_RUN_ID__
-          {{/if}}
-          </github-context>
-          
-          GH_AW_PROMPT_70a926a4714eba03_EOF
-          cat "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/prompts/github_mcp_tools_prompt.md"
-          cat << 'GH_AW_PROMPT_70a926a4714eba03_EOF'
-          </system>
-          {{#runtime-import .github/workflows/sync-branches.md}}
-          GH_AW_PROMPT_70a926a4714eba03_EOF
-          } > "$GH_AW_PROMPT"
-      - name: Interpolate variables and render templates
-        uses: actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-        env:
-          GH_AW_PROMPT: /tmp/gh-aw/aw-prompts/prompt.txt
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const { setupGlobals } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/setup_globals.cjs');
-            setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io, getOctokit);
-            const { main } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/interpolate_prompt.cjs');
-            await main();
-      - name: Substitute placeholders
-        uses: actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-        env:
-          GH_AW_PROMPT: /tmp/gh-aw/aw-prompts/prompt.txt
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_ACTOR: ${{ github.actor }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_COMMENT_ID: ${{ github.event.comment.id }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_DISCUSSION_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.discussion.number }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_ISSUE_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER: ${{ github.event.pull_request.number }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_REPOSITORY: ${{ github.repository }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_RUN_ID: ${{ github.run_id }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_WORKSPACE: ${{ github.workspace }}
-          GH_AW_NEEDS_PRE_ACTIVATION_OUTPUTS_ACTIVATED: ${{ needs.pre_activation.outputs.activated }}
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const { setupGlobals } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/setup_globals.cjs');
-            setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io, getOctokit);
-            
-            const substitutePlaceholders = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/substitute_placeholders.cjs');
-            
-            // Call the substitution function
-            return await substitutePlaceholders({
-              file: process.env.GH_AW_PROMPT,
-              substitutions: {
-                GH_AW_GITHUB_ACTOR: process.env.GH_AW_GITHUB_ACTOR,
-                GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_COMMENT_ID: process.env.GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_COMMENT_ID,
-                GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_DISCUSSION_NUMBER: process.env.GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_DISCUSSION_NUMBER,
-                GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_ISSUE_NUMBER: process.env.GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_ISSUE_NUMBER,
-                GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER: process.env.GH_AW_GITHUB_EVENT_PULL_REQUEST_NUMBER,
-                GH_AW_GITHUB_REPOSITORY: process.env.GH_AW_GITHUB_REPOSITORY,
-                GH_AW_GITHUB_RUN_ID: process.env.GH_AW_GITHUB_RUN_ID,
-                GH_AW_GITHUB_WORKSPACE: process.env.GH_AW_GITHUB_WORKSPACE,
-                GH_AW_NEEDS_PRE_ACTIVATION_OUTPUTS_ACTIVATED: process.env.GH_AW_NEEDS_PRE_ACTIVATION_OUTPUTS_ACTIVATED
-              }
-            });
-      - name: Validate prompt placeholders
-        env:
-          GH_AW_PROMPT: /tmp/gh-aw/aw-prompts/prompt.txt
-        # poutine:ignore untrusted_checkout_exec
-        run: bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/validate_prompt_placeholders.sh"
-      - name: Print prompt
-        env:
-          GH_AW_PROMPT: /tmp/gh-aw/aw-prompts/prompt.txt
-        # poutine:ignore untrusted_checkout_exec
-        run: bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/print_prompt_summary.sh"
-      - name: Upload activation artifact
-        if: success()
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
-        with:
-          name: activation
-          path: |
-            /tmp/gh-aw/aw_info.json
-            /tmp/gh-aw/aw-prompts/prompt.txt
-            /tmp/gh-aw/github_rate_limits.jsonl
-          if-no-files-found: ignore
-          retention-days: 1
-
-  agent:
-    needs: activation
-    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
-    permissions:
-      actions: read
-      attestations: read
-      checks: read
-      contents: read
-      copilot-requests: write
-      deployments: read
-      discussions: read
-      issues: read
-      models: read
-      packages: read
-      pages: read
-      pull-requests: read
-      repository-projects: read
-      security-events: read
-      statuses: read
-    env:
-      GH_AW_WORKFLOW_ID_SANITIZED: syncbranches
-    outputs:
-      agentic_engine_timeout: ${{ steps.detect-copilot-errors.outputs.agentic_engine_timeout || 'false' }}
-      checkout_pr_success: ${{ steps.checkout-pr.outputs.checkout_pr_success || 'true' }}
-      effective_tokens: ${{ steps.parse-mcp-gateway.outputs.effective_tokens }}
-      inference_access_error: ${{ steps.detect-copilot-errors.outputs.inference_access_error || 'false' }}
-      mcp_policy_error: ${{ steps.detect-copilot-errors.outputs.mcp_policy_error || 'false' }}
-      model: ${{ needs.activation.outputs.model }}
-      model_not_supported_error: ${{ steps.detect-copilot-errors.outputs.model_not_supported_error || 'false' }}
-      setup-trace-id: ${{ steps.setup.outputs.trace-id }}
-    steps:
-      - name: Setup Scripts
-        id: setup
-        uses: github/gh-aw-actions/setup@v0.68.3
-        with:
-          destination: ${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions
-          job-name: ${{ github.job }}
-          trace-id: ${{ needs.activation.outputs.setup-trace-id }}
-      - name: Checkout repository
-        uses: actions/checkout@de0fac2e4500dabe0009e67214ff5f5447ce83dd # v6.0.2
-        with:
-          persist-credentials: false
-      - name: Create gh-aw temp directory
-        run: bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/create_gh_aw_tmp_dir.sh"
-      - name: Configure gh CLI for GitHub Enterprise
-        run: bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/configure_gh_for_ghe.sh"
-        env:
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
-      - env:
-          DEFAULT_BRANCH: ${{ github.event.repository.default_branch }}
-          GITHUB_REPOSITORY: ${{ github.repository }}
-        name: Merge default branch into all autoloop program branches
-        run: "python3 - << 'PYEOF'\nimport os, re, subprocess, sys\n\ntoken = os.environ.get(\"GITHUB_TOKEN\", \"\")\nrepo = os.environ.get(\"GITHUB_REPOSITORY\", \"\")\ndefault_branch = os.environ.get(\"DEFAULT_BRANCH\", \"main\")\n\n# List all remote branches matching the autoloop/* pattern\nresult = subprocess.run(\n    [\"git\", \"branch\", \"-r\", \"--list\", \"origin/autoloop/*\"],\n    capture_output=True, text=True\n)\nif result.returncode != 0:\n    print(f\"Failed to list remote branches: {result.stderr}\")\n    sys.exit(0)\n\nall_branches = [b.strip().replace(\"origin/\", \"\") for b in result.stdout.strip().split(\"\\n\") if b.strip()]\n\n# Filter to canonical branches only: autoloop/{name} without hash suffixes.\n# Stale branches created by the framework (e.g. autoloop/name-a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8)\n# are skipped — they are not the long-running program branches.\n_hash_suffix = re.compile(r'-[0-9a-f]{16}$')\nbranches = [b for b in all_branches if not _hash_suffix.search(b)]\nskipped_branches = [b for b in all_branches if _hash_suffix.search(b)]\n\nif skipped_branches:\n    print(f\"Skipping {len(skipped_branches)} stale branch(es) with hash suffixes: {skipped_branches}\")\n\nif not branches:\n    print(\"No canonical autoloop/* branches found. Nothing to sync.\")\n    sys.exit(0)\n\nprint(f\"Found {len(branches)} canonical autoloop branch(es) to sync: {branches}\")\n\nfailed = []\nfor branch in branches:\n    print(f\"\\n--- Syncing {branch} with {default_branch} ---\")\n\n    # Fetch both branches\n    subprocess.run([\"git\", \"fetch\", \"origin\", branch], capture_output=True)\n    subprocess.run([\"git\", \"fetch\", \"origin\", default_branch], capture_output=True)\n\n    # Check out the program branch\n    checkout = subprocess.run(\n        [\"git\", \"checkout\", branch],\n        capture_output=True, text=True\n    )\n    if checkout.returncode != 0:\n        # Try creating a local tracking branch\n        checkout = subprocess.run(\n            [\"git\", \"checkout\", \"-b\", branch, f\"origin/{branch}\"],\n            capture_output=True, text=True\n        )\n    if checkout.returncode != 0:\n        print(f\"  Failed to checkout {branch}: {checkout.stderr}\")\n        failed.append(branch)\n        continue\n\n    # Determine whether the branch can be fast-forwarded to the default\n    # branch (ahead=0) or has truly diverged and needs a merge.\n    ahead_proc = subprocess.run(\n        [\"git\", \"rev-list\", \"--count\", f\"origin/{default_branch}..origin/{branch}\"],\n        capture_output=True, text=True,\n    )\n    behind_proc = subprocess.run(\n        [\"git\", \"rev-list\", \"--count\", f\"origin/{branch}..origin/{default_branch}\"],\n        capture_output=True, text=True,\n    )\n    if ahead_proc.returncode != 0 or behind_proc.returncode != 0:\n        # Don't guess — a failed rev-list with empty stdout would\n        # otherwise be parsed as 0 below and could trigger an\n        # incorrect fast-forward that loses commits.\n        print(f\"  Failed to compute ahead/behind for {branch}: \"\n              f\"ahead.rc={ahead_proc.returncode} stderr={ahead_proc.stderr.strip()!r} \"\n              f\"behind.rc={behind_proc.returncode} stderr={behind_proc.stderr.strip()!r}\")\n        failed.append(branch)\n        continue\n    try:\n        ahead = int(ahead_proc.stdout.strip())\n        behind = int(behind_proc.stdout.strip())\n    except ValueError:\n        print(f\"  Failed to parse ahead/behind counts for {branch}: \"\n              f\"ahead={ahead_proc.stdout!r} behind={behind_proc.stdout!r}\")\n        failed.append(branch)\n        continue\n\n    if behind == 0:\n        # Branch already contains every commit on the default branch.\n        print(f\"  {branch} is already up to date with {default_branch} (ahead={ahead}, behind=0)\")\n        continue\n\n    if ahead == 0:\n        # Lossless fast-forward: every commit on the branch is already\n        # reachable from the default branch (typical case once the\n        # previous iteration's PR has been merged). A real merge here\n        # would create a \"Merge default into branch\" commit that re-\n        # exposes every historical file as a patch touch — the noise\n        # that trips gh-aw's MAX_FILES limit when the next iteration\n        # opens a new PR. Reset the branch to the default branch's HEAD\n        # and force-push (with lease) instead.\n        reset = subprocess.run(\n            [\"git\", \"reset\", \"--hard\", f\"origin/{default_branch}\"],\n            capture_output=True, text=True,\n        )\n        if reset.returncode != 0:\n            print(f\"  Failed to fast-forward {branch}: {reset.stderr}\")\n            failed.append(branch)\n            continue\n        push = subprocess.run(\n            [\"git\", \"push\", \"--force-with-lease\", \"origin\", branch],\n            capture_output=True, text=True,\n        )\n        if push.returncode != 0:\n            print(f\"  Failed to push fast-forward of {branch}: {push.stderr}\")\n            failed.append(branch)\n            continue\n        print(f\"  Fast-forwarded {branch} to {default_branch} (was behind by {behind})\")\n        continue\n\n    # True divergence (ahead>0 and behind>0): merge the default branch in.\n    merge = subprocess.run(\n        [\"git\", \"merge\", f\"origin/{default_branch}\", \"--no-edit\",\n         \"-m\", f\"Merge {default_branch} into {branch}\"],\n        capture_output=True, text=True\n    )\n    if merge.returncode != 0:\n        print(f\"  Merge conflict or failure for {branch}: {merge.stderr}\")\n        # Abort the merge to leave a clean state\n        subprocess.run([\"git\", \"merge\", \"--abort\"], capture_output=True)\n        failed.append(branch)\n        continue\n\n    # Push the updated branch\n    push = subprocess.run(\n        [\"git\", \"push\", \"origin\", branch],\n        capture_output=True, text=True\n    )\n    if push.returncode != 0:\n        print(f\"  Failed to push {branch}: {push.stderr}\")\n        failed.append(branch)\n        continue\n\n    print(f\"  Successfully synced {branch}\")\n\n# Return to default branch\nsubprocess.run([\"git\", \"checkout\", default_branch], capture_output=True)\n\nif failed:\n    print(f\"\\n⚠️ Failed to sync {len(failed)} branch(es): {failed}\")\n    print(\"These branches may need manual conflict resolution.\")\n    # Don't fail the workflow — log the issue but continue\nelse:\n    print(f\"\\n✅ All {len(branches)} branch(es) synced successfully.\")\nPYEOF\n"
-
-      - name: Configure Git credentials
-        env:
-          REPO_NAME: ${{ github.repository }}
-          SERVER_URL: ${{ github.server_url }}
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
-        run: |
-          git config --global user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
-          git config --global user.name "github-actions[bot]"
-          git config --global am.keepcr true
-          # Re-authenticate git with GitHub token
-          SERVER_URL_STRIPPED="${SERVER_URL#https://}"
-          git remote set-url origin "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@${SERVER_URL_STRIPPED}/${REPO_NAME}.git"
-          echo "Git configured with standard GitHub Actions identity"
-      - name: Checkout PR branch
-        id: checkout-pr
-        if: |
-          github.event.pull_request || github.event.issue.pull_request
-        uses: actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-        env:
-          GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN || secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-        with:
-          github-token: ${{ secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN || secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          script: |
-            const { setupGlobals } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/setup_globals.cjs');
-            setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io, getOctokit);
-            const { main } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/checkout_pr_branch.cjs');
-            await main();
-      - name: Install GitHub Copilot CLI
-        run: bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/install_copilot_cli.sh" 1.0.21
-        env:
-          GH_HOST: github.com
-      - name: Install AWF binary
-        run: bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/install_awf_binary.sh" v0.25.20
-      - name: Determine automatic lockdown mode for GitHub MCP Server
-        id: determine-automatic-lockdown
-        uses: actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-        env:
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN }}
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const determineAutomaticLockdown = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/determine_automatic_lockdown.cjs');
-            await determineAutomaticLockdown(github, context, core);
-      - name: Download container images
-        run: bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/download_docker_images.sh" ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-firewall/agent:0.25.20 ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-firewall/api-proxy:0.25.20 ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-firewall/squid:0.25.20 ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-mcpg:v0.2.19 ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:v0.32.0
-      - name: Start MCP Gateway
-        id: start-mcp-gateway
-        env:
-          GITHUB_MCP_GUARD_MIN_INTEGRITY: ${{ steps.determine-automatic-lockdown.outputs.min_integrity }}
-          GITHUB_MCP_GUARD_REPOS: ${{ steps.determine-automatic-lockdown.outputs.repos }}
-          GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN || secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-        run: |
-          set -eo pipefail
-          mkdir -p /tmp/gh-aw/mcp-config
-          
-          # Export gateway environment variables for MCP config and gateway script
-          export MCP_GATEWAY_PORT="80"
-          export MCP_GATEWAY_DOMAIN="host.docker.internal"
-          MCP_GATEWAY_API_KEY=$(openssl rand -base64 45 | tr -d '/+=')
-          echo "::add-mask::${MCP_GATEWAY_API_KEY}"
-          export MCP_GATEWAY_API_KEY
-          export MCP_GATEWAY_PAYLOAD_DIR="/tmp/gh-aw/mcp-payloads"
-          mkdir -p "${MCP_GATEWAY_PAYLOAD_DIR}"
-          export MCP_GATEWAY_PAYLOAD_SIZE_THRESHOLD="524288"
-          export DEBUG="*"
-          
-          export GH_AW_ENGINE="copilot"
-          export MCP_GATEWAY_DOCKER_COMMAND='docker run -i --rm --network host -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -e MCP_GATEWAY_PORT -e MCP_GATEWAY_DOMAIN -e MCP_GATEWAY_API_KEY -e MCP_GATEWAY_PAYLOAD_DIR -e MCP_GATEWAY_PAYLOAD_SIZE_THRESHOLD -e DEBUG -e MCP_GATEWAY_LOG_DIR -e GH_AW_MCP_LOG_DIR -e GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS -e GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_CONFIG_PATH -e GH_AW_SAFE_OUTPUTS_TOOLS_PATH -e GH_AW_ASSETS_BRANCH -e GH_AW_ASSETS_MAX_SIZE_KB -e GH_AW_ASSETS_ALLOWED_EXTS -e DEFAULT_BRANCH -e GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN -e GITHUB_MCP_GUARD_MIN_INTEGRITY -e GITHUB_MCP_GUARD_REPOS -e GITHUB_REPOSITORY -e GITHUB_SERVER_URL -e GITHUB_SHA -e GITHUB_WORKSPACE -e GITHUB_TOKEN -e GITHUB_RUN_ID -e GITHUB_RUN_NUMBER -e GITHUB_RUN_ATTEMPT -e GITHUB_JOB -e GITHUB_ACTION -e GITHUB_EVENT_NAME -e GITHUB_EVENT_PATH -e GITHUB_ACTOR -e GITHUB_ACTOR_ID -e GITHUB_TRIGGERING_ACTOR -e GITHUB_WORKFLOW -e GITHUB_WORKFLOW_REF -e GITHUB_WORKFLOW_SHA -e GITHUB_REF -e GITHUB_REF_NAME -e GITHUB_REF_TYPE -e GITHUB_HEAD_REF -e GITHUB_BASE_REF -v /tmp/gh-aw/mcp-payloads:/tmp/gh-aw/mcp-payloads:rw -v /opt:/opt:ro -v /tmp:/tmp:rw -v '"${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}"':'"${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}"':rw ghcr.io/github/gh-aw-mcpg:v0.2.19'
-          
-          mkdir -p /home/runner/.copilot
-          cat << GH_AW_MCP_CONFIG_fef32e9acbc3f2e7_EOF | bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/start_mcp_gateway.sh"
-          {
-            "mcpServers": {
-              "github": {
-                "type": "stdio",
-                "container": "ghcr.io/github/github-mcp-server:v0.32.0",
-                "env": {
-                  "GITHUB_HOST": "\${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}",
-                  "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "\${GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN}",
-                  "GITHUB_READ_ONLY": "1",
-                  "GITHUB_TOOLSETS": "repos"
-                },
-                "guard-policies": {
-                  "allow-only": {
-                    "min-integrity": "$GITHUB_MCP_GUARD_MIN_INTEGRITY",
-                    "repos": "$GITHUB_MCP_GUARD_REPOS"
-                  }
-                }
-              }
-            },
-            "gateway": {
-              "port": $MCP_GATEWAY_PORT,
-              "domain": "${MCP_GATEWAY_DOMAIN}",
-              "apiKey": "${MCP_GATEWAY_API_KEY}",
-              "payloadDir": "${MCP_GATEWAY_PAYLOAD_DIR}"
-            }
-          }
-          GH_AW_MCP_CONFIG_fef32e9acbc3f2e7_EOF
-      - name: Download activation artifact
-        uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8.0.1
-        with:
-          name: activation
-          path: /tmp/gh-aw
-      - name: Clean git credentials
-        continue-on-error: true
-        run: bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/clean_git_credentials.sh"
-      - name: Execute GitHub Copilot CLI
-        id: agentic_execution
-        # Copilot CLI tool arguments (sorted):
-        timeout-minutes: 10
-        run: |
-          set -o pipefail
-          touch /tmp/gh-aw/agent-step-summary.md
-          (umask 177 && touch /tmp/gh-aw/agent-stdio.log)
-          # shellcheck disable=SC1003
-          sudo -E awf --container-workdir "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" --mount "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw:${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw:ro" --mount "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw:/host${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw:ro" --env-all --exclude-env COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN --exclude-env GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN --exclude-env MCP_GATEWAY_API_KEY --allow-domains api.business.githubcopilot.com,api.enterprise.githubcopilot.com,api.github.com,api.githubcopilot.com,api.individual.githubcopilot.com,api.snapcraft.io,archive.ubuntu.com,azure.archive.ubuntu.com,crl.geotrust.com,crl.globalsign.com,crl.identrust.com,crl.sectigo.com,crl.thawte.com,crl.usertrust.com,crl.verisign.com,crl3.digicert.com,crl4.digicert.com,crls.ssl.com,github.com,host.docker.internal,json-schema.org,json.schemastore.org,keyserver.ubuntu.com,ocsp.digicert.com,ocsp.geotrust.com,ocsp.globalsign.com,ocsp.identrust.com,ocsp.sectigo.com,ocsp.ssl.com,ocsp.thawte.com,ocsp.usertrust.com,ocsp.verisign.com,packagecloud.io,packages.cloud.google.com,packages.microsoft.com,ppa.launchpad.net,raw.githubusercontent.com,registry.npmjs.org,s.symcb.com,s.symcd.com,security.ubuntu.com,telemetry.enterprise.githubcopilot.com,ts-crl.ws.symantec.com,ts-ocsp.ws.symantec.com,www.googleapis.com --log-level info --proxy-logs-dir /tmp/gh-aw/sandbox/firewall/logs --audit-dir /tmp/gh-aw/sandbox/firewall/audit --enable-host-access --image-tag 0.25.20 --skip-pull --enable-api-proxy \
-            -- /bin/bash -c 'node ${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/copilot_driver.cjs /usr/local/bin/copilot --add-dir /tmp/gh-aw/ --log-level all --log-dir /tmp/gh-aw/sandbox/agent/logs/ --disable-builtin-mcps --no-ask-user --allow-all-tools --allow-all-paths --add-dir "${GITHUB_WORKSPACE}" --prompt "$(cat /tmp/gh-aw/aw-prompts/prompt.txt)"' 2>&1 | tee -a /tmp/gh-aw/agent-stdio.log
-        env:
-          COPILOT_AGENT_RUNNER_TYPE: STANDALONE
-          COPILOT_GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
-          COPILOT_MODEL: ${{ vars.GH_AW_MODEL_DETECTION_COPILOT || '' }}
-          GH_AW_MCP_CONFIG: /home/runner/.copilot/mcp-config.json
-          GH_AW_PHASE: agent
-          GH_AW_PROMPT: /tmp/gh-aw/aw-prompts/prompt.txt
-          GH_AW_VERSION: v0.68.3
-          GITHUB_API_URL: ${{ github.api_url }}
-          GITHUB_AW: true
-          GITHUB_HEAD_REF: ${{ github.head_ref }}
-          GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN || secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          GITHUB_REF_NAME: ${{ github.ref_name }}
-          GITHUB_SERVER_URL: ${{ github.server_url }}
-          GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY: /tmp/gh-aw/agent-step-summary.md
-          GITHUB_WORKSPACE: ${{ github.workspace }}
-          GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL: github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com
-          GIT_AUTHOR_NAME: github-actions[bot]
-          GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL: github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com
-          GIT_COMMITTER_NAME: github-actions[bot]
-          S2STOKENS: true
-          XDG_CONFIG_HOME: /home/runner
-      - name: Detect Copilot errors
-        id: detect-copilot-errors
-        if: always()
-        continue-on-error: true
-        run: node "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/detect_copilot_errors.cjs"
-      - name: Configure Git credentials
-        env:
-          REPO_NAME: ${{ github.repository }}
-          SERVER_URL: ${{ github.server_url }}
-          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ github.token }}
-        run: |
-          git config --global user.email "github-actions[bot]@users.noreply.github.com"
-          git config --global user.name "github-actions[bot]"
-          git config --global am.keepcr true
-          # Re-authenticate git with GitHub token
-          SERVER_URL_STRIPPED="${SERVER_URL#https://}"
-          git remote set-url origin "https://x-access-token:${GITHUB_TOKEN}@${SERVER_URL_STRIPPED}/${REPO_NAME}.git"
-          echo "Git configured with standard GitHub Actions identity"
-      - name: Copy Copilot session state files to logs
-        if: always()
-        continue-on-error: true
-        run: bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/copy_copilot_session_state.sh"
-      - name: Stop MCP Gateway
-        if: always()
-        continue-on-error: true
-        env:
-          MCP_GATEWAY_PORT: ${{ steps.start-mcp-gateway.outputs.gateway-port }}
-          MCP_GATEWAY_API_KEY: ${{ steps.start-mcp-gateway.outputs.gateway-api-key }}
-          GATEWAY_PID: ${{ steps.start-mcp-gateway.outputs.gateway-pid }}
-        run: |
-          bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/stop_mcp_gateway.sh" "$GATEWAY_PID"
-      - name: Redact secrets in logs
-        if: always()
-        uses: actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const { setupGlobals } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/setup_globals.cjs');
-            setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io, getOctokit);
-            const { main } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/redact_secrets.cjs');
-            await main();
-        env:
-          GH_AW_SECRET_NAMES: 'GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN,GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN,GITHUB_TOKEN'
-          SECRET_GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_MCP_SERVER_TOKEN }}
-          SECRET_GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GH_AW_GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          SECRET_GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-      - name: Append agent step summary
-        if: always()
-        run: bash "${RUNNER_TEMP}/gh-aw/actions/append_agent_step_summary.sh"
-      - name: Parse agent logs for step summary
-        if: always()
-        uses: actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-        env:
-          GH_AW_AGENT_OUTPUT: /tmp/gh-aw/sandbox/agent/logs/
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const { setupGlobals } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/setup_globals.cjs');
-            setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io, getOctokit);
-            const { main } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/parse_copilot_log.cjs');
-            await main();
-      - name: Parse MCP Gateway logs for step summary
-        if: always()
-        id: parse-mcp-gateway
-        uses: actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const { setupGlobals } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/setup_globals.cjs');
-            setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io, getOctokit);
-            const { main } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/parse_mcp_gateway_log.cjs');
-            await main();
-      - name: Print firewall logs
-        if: always()
-        continue-on-error: true
-        env:
-          AWF_LOGS_DIR: /tmp/gh-aw/sandbox/firewall/logs
-        run: |
-          # Fix permissions on firewall logs so they can be uploaded as artifacts
-          # AWF runs with sudo, creating files owned by root
-          sudo chmod -R a+r /tmp/gh-aw/sandbox/firewall/logs 2>/dev/null || true
-          # Only run awf logs summary if awf command exists (it may not be installed if workflow failed before install step)
-          if command -v awf &> /dev/null; then
-            awf logs summary | tee -a "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
-          else
-            echo 'AWF binary not installed, skipping firewall log summary'
-          fi
-      - name: Parse token usage for step summary
-        if: always()
-        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-        with:
-          script: |
-            const { setupGlobals } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/setup_globals.cjs');
-            setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io, getOctokit);
-            const { main } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/parse_token_usage.cjs');
-            await main();
-      - name: Upload agent artifacts
-        if: always()
-        continue-on-error: true
-        uses: actions/upload-artifact@043fb46d1a93c77aae656e7c1c64a875d1fc6a0a # v7.0.1
-        with:
-          name: agent
-          path: |
-            /tmp/gh-aw/aw-prompts/prompt.txt
-            /tmp/gh-aw/sandbox/agent/logs/
-            /tmp/gh-aw/redacted-urls.log
-            /tmp/gh-aw/mcp-logs/
-            /tmp/gh-aw/agent_usage.json
-            /tmp/gh-aw/agent-stdio.log
-            /tmp/gh-aw/agent/
-            /tmp/gh-aw/github_rate_limits.jsonl
-            /tmp/gh-aw/sandbox/firewall/logs/
-            /tmp/gh-aw/sandbox/firewall/audit/
-          if-no-files-found: ignore
-
-  pre_activation:
-    runs-on: ubuntu-slim
-    outputs:
-      activated: ${{ steps.check_membership.outputs.is_team_member == 'true' }}
-      matched_command: ''
-      setup-trace-id: ${{ steps.setup.outputs.trace-id }}
-    steps:
-      - name: Setup Scripts
-        id: setup
-        uses: github/gh-aw-actions/setup@v0.68.3
-        with:
-          destination: ${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions
-          job-name: ${{ github.job }}
-      - name: Check team membership for workflow
-        id: check_membership
-        uses: actions/github-script@373c709c69115d41ff229c7e5df9f8788daa9553 # v9
-        env:
-          GH_AW_REQUIRED_ROLES: "admin,maintainer,write"
-        with:
-          github-token: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
-          script: |
-            const { setupGlobals } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/setup_globals.cjs');
-            setupGlobals(core, github, context, exec, io, getOctokit);
-            const { main } = require('${{ runner.temp }}/gh-aw/actions/check_membership.cjs');
-            await main();
-
diff --git a/.github/workflows/sync-branches.md b/.github/workflows/sync-branches.md
deleted file mode 100644
index a32905ac..00000000
--- a/.github/workflows/sync-branches.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,186 +0,0 @@
----
-description: |
-  Keeps Autoloop program branches up to date with the default branch.
-  Runs whenever the default branch changes and merges it into all active
-  autoloop/* branches so that program iterations always build on the latest code.
-
-on:
-  push:
-    branches: [main]  # ← update this if your default branch is not 'main'
-  workflow_dispatch:
-
-permissions: read-all
-
-timeout-minutes: 10
-
-tools:
-  github:
-    toolsets: [repos]
-  bash: true
-
-steps:
-  - name: Merge default branch into all autoloop program branches
-    env:
-      GITHUB_REPOSITORY: ${{ github.repository }}
-      DEFAULT_BRANCH: ${{ github.event.repository.default_branch }}
-    run: |
-      python3 - << 'PYEOF'
-      import os, re, subprocess, sys
-
-      token = os.environ.get("GITHUB_TOKEN", "")
-      repo = os.environ.get("GITHUB_REPOSITORY", "")
-      default_branch = os.environ.get("DEFAULT_BRANCH", "main")
-
-      # List all remote branches matching the autoloop/* pattern
-      result = subprocess.run(
-          ["git", "branch", "-r", "--list", "origin/autoloop/*"],
-          capture_output=True, text=True
-      )
-      if result.returncode != 0:
-          print(f"Failed to list remote branches: {result.stderr}")
-          sys.exit(0)
-
-      all_branches = [b.strip().replace("origin/", "") for b in result.stdout.strip().split("\n") if b.strip()]
-
-      # Filter to canonical branches only: autoloop/{name} without hash suffixes.
-      # Stale branches created by the framework (e.g. autoloop/name-a1b2c3d4e5f6g7h8)
-      # are skipped — they are not the long-running program branches.
-      _hash_suffix = re.compile(r'-[0-9a-f]{16}$')
-      branches = [b for b in all_branches if not _hash_suffix.search(b)]
-      skipped_branches = [b for b in all_branches if _hash_suffix.search(b)]
-
-      if skipped_branches:
-          print(f"Skipping {len(skipped_branches)} stale branch(es) with hash suffixes: {skipped_branches}")
-
-      if not branches:
-          print("No canonical autoloop/* branches found. Nothing to sync.")
-          sys.exit(0)
-
-      print(f"Found {len(branches)} canonical autoloop branch(es) to sync: {branches}")
-
-      failed = []
-      for branch in branches:
-          print(f"\n--- Syncing {branch} with {default_branch} ---")
-
-          # Fetch both branches
-          subprocess.run(["git", "fetch", "origin", branch], capture_output=True)
-          subprocess.run(["git", "fetch", "origin", default_branch], capture_output=True)
-
-          # Check out the program branch
-          checkout = subprocess.run(
-              ["git", "checkout", branch],
-              capture_output=True, text=True
-          )
-          if checkout.returncode != 0:
-              # Try creating a local tracking branch
-              checkout = subprocess.run(
-                  ["git", "checkout", "-b", branch, f"origin/{branch}"],
-                  capture_output=True, text=True
-              )
-          if checkout.returncode != 0:
-              print(f"  Failed to checkout {branch}: {checkout.stderr}")
-              failed.append(branch)
-              continue
-
-          # Determine whether the branch can be fast-forwarded to the default
-          # branch (ahead=0) or has truly diverged and needs a merge.
-          ahead_proc = subprocess.run(
-              ["git", "rev-list", "--count", f"origin/{default_branch}..origin/{branch}"],
-              capture_output=True, text=True,
-          )
-          behind_proc = subprocess.run(
-              ["git", "rev-list", "--count", f"origin/{branch}..origin/{default_branch}"],
-              capture_output=True, text=True,
-          )
-          if ahead_proc.returncode != 0 or behind_proc.returncode != 0:
-              # Don't guess — a failed rev-list with empty stdout would
-              # otherwise be parsed as 0 below and could trigger an
-              # incorrect fast-forward that loses commits.
-              print(f"  Failed to compute ahead/behind for {branch}: "
-                    f"ahead.rc={ahead_proc.returncode} stderr={ahead_proc.stderr.strip()!r} "
-                    f"behind.rc={behind_proc.returncode} stderr={behind_proc.stderr.strip()!r}")
-              failed.append(branch)
-              continue
-          try:
-              ahead = int(ahead_proc.stdout.strip())
-              behind = int(behind_proc.stdout.strip())
-          except ValueError:
-              print(f"  Failed to parse ahead/behind counts for {branch}: "
-                    f"ahead={ahead_proc.stdout!r} behind={behind_proc.stdout!r}")
-              failed.append(branch)
-              continue
-
-          if behind == 0:
-              # Branch already contains every commit on the default branch.
-              print(f"  {branch} is already up to date with {default_branch} (ahead={ahead}, behind=0)")
-              continue
-
-          if ahead == 0:
-              # Lossless fast-forward: every commit on the branch is already
-              # reachable from the default branch (typical case once the
-              # previous iteration's PR has been merged). A real merge here
-              # would create a "Merge default into branch" commit that re-
-              # exposes every historical file as a patch touch — the noise
-              # that trips gh-aw's MAX_FILES limit when the next iteration
-              # opens a new PR. Reset the branch to the default branch's HEAD
-              # and force-push (with lease) instead.
-              reset = subprocess.run(
-                  ["git", "reset", "--hard", f"origin/{default_branch}"],
-                  capture_output=True, text=True,
-              )
-              if reset.returncode != 0:
-                  print(f"  Failed to fast-forward {branch}: {reset.stderr}")
-                  failed.append(branch)
-                  continue
-              push = subprocess.run(
-                  ["git", "push", "--force-with-lease", "origin", branch],
-                  capture_output=True, text=True,
-              )
-              if push.returncode != 0:
-                  print(f"  Failed to push fast-forward of {branch}: {push.stderr}")
-                  failed.append(branch)
-                  continue
-              print(f"  Fast-forwarded {branch} to {default_branch} (was behind by {behind})")
-              continue
-
-          # True divergence (ahead>0 and behind>0): merge the default branch in.
-          merge = subprocess.run(
-              ["git", "merge", f"origin/{default_branch}", "--no-edit",
-               "-m", f"Merge {default_branch} into {branch}"],
-              capture_output=True, text=True
-          )
-          if merge.returncode != 0:
-              print(f"  Merge conflict or failure for {branch}: {merge.stderr}")
-              # Abort the merge to leave a clean state
-              subprocess.run(["git", "merge", "--abort"], capture_output=True)
-              failed.append(branch)
-              continue
-
-          # Push the updated branch
-          push = subprocess.run(
-              ["git", "push", "origin", branch],
-              capture_output=True, text=True
-          )
-          if push.returncode != 0:
-              print(f"  Failed to push {branch}: {push.stderr}")
-              failed.append(branch)
-              continue
-
-          print(f"  Successfully synced {branch}")
-
-      # Return to default branch
-      subprocess.run(["git", "checkout", default_branch], capture_output=True)
-
-      if failed:
-          print(f"\n⚠️ Failed to sync {len(failed)} branch(es): {failed}")
-          print("These branches may need manual conflict resolution.")
-          # Don't fail the workflow — log the issue but continue
-      else:
-          print(f"\n✅ All {len(branches)} branch(es) synced successfully.")
-      PYEOF
-
-features:
-  copilot-requests: true
----
-
-Sync all autoloop/* branches with the default branch.