diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 6195ee4..43fc12c 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -31,7 +31,26 @@ Management (IAM) fabric and WebAuthn Passkey authority.
    consume raw SDK modules via
    `https://git.atyg.org/tylerg/auth-yes/raw/branch/main/sdk/mod.ts`.
 
-## 3. History & Context Link
+## 3. Strict Operating Protocol: Methodical Deliberation & Approval Gate
+
+1. **Read-Only First & Deep Context Preservation:**
+   - When asked to investigate, audit, analyze, critique, or report, NEVER make
+     assumptions or jump directly into modifying files or pushing commits.
+   - Spontaneous changes without team alignment break architecture and lose
+     context. Always deliberate methodically across at least two levels of
+     reasoning before proposing changes.
+2. **Mandatory Reporting & Options Presentation:**
+   - Inspect files and architecture using read-only tools.
+   - Synthesize and present a structured markdown report detailing:
+     - Exact state vs. master specification
+     - Root causes of discrepancies or missing features
+     - Proposed remediation options with trade-offs
+3. **Strict Gate on Code Modification:**
+   - Offer potential code changes clearly, but NEVER execute edits
+     (`write_to_file`, `replace_file_content`) or git commits until the user
+     explicitly reviews the proposal and commands execution.
+
+## 4. History & Context Link
 
 This repository was cleanly extracted from `ed-droid`.