Make receipts observer-readable or replace them with observer-readable truth

[flyingrobots]

Migrated from Method backlog

GitHub Issues are now the live work tracker. Repository docs remain Method evidence.

Field	Value
Source backlog	docs/method/backlog/v19.0.0/API_observer-readable-receipts.md
Archived source	docs/archive/backlog/github-issue-migration-2026-06-01/docs/method/backlog/v19.0.0/API_observer-readable-receipts.md
Original lane	v19.0.0
Original id	API_observer-readable-receipts
Original legend	API
Original feature	observer-admission-runtime
Original blocked_by	PROTO_controller-capability-interfaces, PROTO_observer-plan-reading-envelopes

Original backlog card

Make receipts observer-readable or replace them with observer-readable truth

Current shape

• observer(...) is the read aperture over graph state
• receipts only come back from materialize({ receipts: true })
• consumers that want read-time truth about indexed commits, admission
  outcomes, or tick-local causal context are pushed toward
  materialization-side APIs even when they are not trying to materialize
  state as the product operation

Why this is debt

• it violates the observer-first doctrine by making some important read
  nouns available only through the materialization pipeline
• it leaks reducer/materialization machinery into consumer query
  planning
• it encourages external tools to mine receipts as metadata oracles
  instead of depending on stable observer-visible read facts

Desired end state

• either expose receipts through a real observer/worldline read surface
  that can be queried without calling materialize({ receipts: true })
• or expose the needed truths as observer-readable graph facts so
  consumers never need raw receipts for ordinary routing decisions
• keep receipts/debug envelopes honest as operational explanation, not
  the only way to inspect certain substrate truths

Non-goals

• do not promise every reducer-internal detail as a public graph fact
• do not force every debugger payload into the main graph if a parallel
  observer/read-handle surface is cleaner

Related

• docs/method/backlog/v19.0.0/PROTO_WESLEY_receipt-envelope-boundary.md
• docs/method/backlog/up-next/PROTO_controller-capability-interfaces.md
• docs/archive/backlog/v17.0.0-residual-backlog/GOD_materialize-controller.md
• docs/archive/backlog/v17.0.0-residual-backlog/GOD_query-controller.md