Merge pull request 'Close a research effort with the knowledge base's close verb (issue 1966)' (#534) from fix/1966-close-verb into main

.claude/skills/hq-graduate/SKILL.md

@@ -27,8 +27,9 @@ written into this repository.
    status, reviews and the operator's ask.
 4. **Write the design** under `03-DESIGN/01-to-be/` with `layer: to-be`, `status: designed`,
    empty `code:`, today's `updated:`, and `decisions:` listing `"ADR NNNN"`.
-5. **Close the effort** — `knowledge-base.propose` the effort again, whole, with `status: graduated` and
+5. **Close the effort** — `knowledge-base.close` with `to: graduated`, `became` links to the record (`"NNNN"`)
-   `became` links to the record (`"NNNN"`) and the design (its path).
+   and the design (its path), and a two- or three-sentence note; never by proposing the effort again whole
+   (playbook 02 step 5).
 
 ## Amending an existing design
 

00-META/process/02-graduation.md

@@ -69,9 +69,13 @@ about an hour, and said to the operator if it runs past.
 
 4. **Hand it to the work breakdown.** The design goes on through playbook [04](04-build-handoff.md):
    milestones, issues, and each milestone built as one feature step (playbook [07](07-feature-branches.md)).
-5. **Close the effort.** `knowledge-base.propose` the effort again, whole, with `status: graduated` and a
+5. **Close the effort.** `knowledge-base.close` the effort with `to: graduated`, a `became` link to each
-   `became` link to the decision record (`"NNNN"`) and to the design document (its path). An effort that
+   decision record (`"NNNN"`) and the design document (its path), and a note of two or three sentences (what it
-   stops without a decision is proposed with `status: abandoned` and a `cites` link to what replaced it: the
+   became, what carries it). The verb keeps the served text unchanged and adds a section *Graduated* with the note;
+   the knowledge base's review judges only the closing. Never close by proposing the effort again whole:
+   that is judged as a fresh proposal, so the approved reasoning is re-judged against the decisions that replace it
+   (on 2026-11-10 an effort closed that way met 5, then 11 findings on unchanged text; `close` was approved at once).
+   An effort that stops without a decision is closed `to: abandoned` with a `cites` link to what replaced it: the
    knowledge base refuses `became` from a research effort to another research effort (its link-fits rule, design
    55 § 2), so a replacing effort is cited, and `became` stays for the decision and the design an effort turned
    into.