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## The Contradiction Two rules in v0.5.9 directly conflict: ### Rule 1: Effort Level Table (OBSERVE phase) > **Instant** | <10s | "right now", trivial lookup, greeting | **No phases — minimal format only** > **Fast** | <1min | "quickly", simple fix | OBSERVE 10s, BUILD 20s, EXECUTE 20s, VERIFY 10s ### Rule 2: Discrete Phase Enforcement > Every phase is independent. **NEVER combine, merge, or skip phases.** > A Fast effort level still has 7 discrete phases — they're just quick. > Skipping or combining phases defeats the entire purpose of systematic progression ### The Problems 1. **Instant says "No phases"** but Discrete Phase Enforcement says phases are NEVER skipped. Which takes precedence? 2. **Fast only budgets 4 of 7 phases** (OBSERVE, BUILD, EXECUTE, VERIFY = 60s) but the same section says "Fast still has 7 discrete phases." Where do THINK, PLAN, and LEARN fit in the <1min budget? ### Suggested Resolution Options **Option A:** Instant is the ONE exception to discrete phases. Fast gets all 7 phases with time budgets (e.g., THINK 5s, PLAN 5s, LEARN 5s to fill the remaining time). **Option B:** Reword Instant to use "implicit single-pass phases" instead of "No phases." Reword Fast to include all 7 phase budgets. **Option C:** Relax Discrete Phase Enforcement to say "phases may be skipped at Instant/Fast but never merged at Standard+." ### Location - Effort level table: line ~36 in `versions/TheAlgorithm_Latest.md` - Discrete Phase Enforcement: lines ~758-771