claim: Firstmate is a repository-distributed agent orchestration system: one captain-facing first mate delegates project mutations to isolated crewmates rather than acting as a model, harness, MCP server, or single CLI.

kind: project-stated

source: README.md (product identity)

source: VISION.md (identity and non-goals)

kind: static-support

source: AGENTS.md (operating contract)

verdict: supported

confidence: high

open_questions: Static review establishes structure and intent, not runtime behavior.


claim: Fresh ship and scout work is designed to run in clean Git worktrees distinct from the primary checkout, with launch refusal when the base cannot be proven safe.

source: AGENTS.md (authority and worktree rules)

source: bin/fm-spawn.sh (worktree validation and spawn path)

kind: test-present

source: tests/fm-spawn-batch.test.sh (batch spawn regression coverage)


claim: Supervision is designed around durable task state and wake queues rather than relying only on an in-memory chat session.

source: docs/architecture.md (watcher and durable-state architecture)

source: bin/fm-watch.sh (watch loop and durable wake handling)

source: bin/fm-crew-state.sh (crew state materialization)


claim: Lifecycle control is an allowlisted control plane that refuses unsupported harnesses, incapable backends, ambiguous endpoint state, and unsafe relaunch preconditions.

source: bin/fm-control.sh (operator lifecycle control)

source: tests/fm-control-herdr-smoke.test.sh (Herdr control smoke definition)

open_questions: The Herdr smoke test exists but was not run in this review.


claim: Teardown is designed to refuse removal when work is dirty or cannot be proven landed; destructive discard requires an explicit force path.

source: bin/fm-teardown.sh (landed-work and force-discard controls)

source: VISION.md (explicit authority for irreversible actions)


claim: Normal use has a substantial external toolchain despite repository-style distribution: Git, an authenticated GitHub CLI for forge operations, a supported harness, a session backend, and a compatible shell.

source: README.md (requirements and setup)

source: bin/fm-bootstrap.sh (bootstrap and prerequisite surface)

source: bin/fm-harness.sh (harness adapter surface)

source: bin/fm-backend.sh (backend dispatch surface)

open_questions: Exact prerequisites vary by selected harness and backend.


claim: The pinned tree contains broad automated verification definitions across lint, portable tests, stateful serial tests, backend lanes, documentation contracts, security refusals, and ignored-configuration boundaries.

source: .github/workflows/ci.yml (CI topology)

source: tests/fm-gate-refuse.test.sh (security refusal regression)

source: tests/fm-documentation-audiences.test.sh (documentation contract regression)

source: tests/fm-gitignore-config.test.sh (privacy/config boundary regression)

open_questions: Test presence and CI definitions are not local execution evidence.


claim: GitHub metadata records a successful push CI run for the pinned default-branch commit.

kind: external-confirmed

source: evidence/raw/workflow-runs.json (run 33084431817, push, success)

open_questions: This is external historical CI metadata, not execution performed by this dossier.


claim: The bounded capture exposes no versioned release or tag adoption channel.

source: evidence/raw/releases.json (empty list)

source: evidence/raw/tags.json (empty list)

open_questions: A later release can change this mutable repository-health fact.


claim: Runtime behavior, performance, and cross-harness reliability are proven by this dossier.

kind: inference

source: Static-only boundary: no repository code, tests, build, import, or benchmark was executed.

verdict: unknown

confidence: unknown

open_questions: Requires a separately authorized execution review.


claim: Remote-secondmate operation has explicit documented SSH and credential boundaries, including public-key authentication, strict host-key verification, no agent forwarding, and host-local credentials.

source: docs/remote-secondmates.md (remote trust-boundary contract)

confidence: medium

open_questions: The remote entrypoint implementation and a live remote host were not executed in this review.


claim: Adoption is low-friction merely because Firstmate is not packaged as an application.

source: README.md (clone-oriented setup)

source: bin/fm-bootstrap.sh (system mutation and dependency surface)

source: A clone-oriented distribution avoids an application package, but prerequisite and integration burden remains substantial.

verdict: partially-supported

note: Simple repository acquisition coexists with a broad harness/backend/GitHub integration surface.

open_questions: A clean-room onboarding trial is needed to measure time-to-first-success.