diff --git a/.claude/agents/mesh-watcher.md b/.claude/agents/mesh-watcher.md
index 9062e6e9..1ecffb34 100644
--- a/.claude/agents/mesh-watcher.md
+++ b/.claude/agents/mesh-watcher.md
@@ -14,6 +14,12 @@ haves, a record on the knowledge base's, an answer on the operator channel's. Us
 machine's tool runner is not granted the owner's (`mesh_wait` names the granted ones when it refuses), and say so in
 your report, naming the grant that is missing.
 
+**What a machine runs is read from the machine.** For a delivery, read `<node>/node-engine.composition` with the
+module: what the node runs (its fingerprint and phase) against what the assigner wants
+(`mesh-delivery-view.assigner_want` with the node and the module). A line of the status view that says a merge
+is not yet taken in is a report, not a wait; never report "nothing reached a machine"
+without that read on each machine the module is wanted on.
+
 Loop: wait with `mesh_wait` on the event family (its answer only wakes you), then read the state from the verb
 the handover names; never report a state you did not read in that round. Report and end at the first of: the
 thing reached its end (passed, merged, delivered, accepted, chosen, declined), it failed (quote every failure