kixelated · Nov 8, 2026 · Nov 7, 2026 · Nov 7, 2026 · Nov 7, 2026 · Nov 7, 2026
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -286,7 +286,7 @@ quest rm -r quest/m1/drain
 under a moved epic. `rm` drops each `Required`, `Related`, or `Closes` entry
 that links to what it deleted, and the heading if that was the last entry.
 It also drops every `Required` link to a finished milestone, including one it
-just finished, but keeps the root's listing of the milestone.
+just finished, and every epic's `Required` link to a quest in its own folder.
 Both stage the change, print one line per file (`R from -> to`, `D path`, or
 `M path`), and report on stderr any other mention of the path, such as prose
 or files outside `quest/`, without editing it. They run `quest check` on the
@@ -333,12 +333,15 @@ A clean merge can still leave this branch's list links to quests the base
 finished, which `quest check` then flags. `quest check --fix` drops every
 `Required`, `Related`, or `Closes` entry linking to a quest deleted in the
 history of `HEAD`, and of `MERGE_HEAD` during a merge, that the working tree
-lacks, and prints `M path` for each edited document. It then promotes a section
-heading written below `##` to `##` where nothing but its own content follows it
-before the next `##` heading, and no `##` section of that name exists. It leaves
-the edits unstaged and refuses while a quest file has unresolved conflicts. A
-quest moved rather than deleted, a link that never named a quest, a link in
-prose, and any other misleveled heading stay for `quest check` to report.
+lacks, and every epic's `Required` entry naming a quest in its own folder,
+which the epic already waits for, and prints `M path` for each edited
+document. That part also migrates a tree from before epics stopped listing
+their children. It then promotes a section heading written below `##` to `##`
+where nothing but its own content follows it before the next `##` heading, and
+no `##` section of that name exists. It leaves the edits unstaged and refuses
+while a quest file has unresolved conflicts. A quest moved rather than deleted,
+a link that never named a quest, a link in prose, and any other misleveled
+heading stay for `quest check` to report.
 
 ## Wait for pull request activity
 

diff --git a/quest/README.md b/quest/README.md
@@ -10,9 +10,3 @@ versioned Markdown, with a standalone CLI and a reversible adoption path.
 `m0` is adoption on moq-dev's own repositories, `m1` the public release,
 and `m2` later work. Add later horizons when concrete work warrants them,
 keeping milestone numbers stable as earlier milestones complete.
-
-## Required
-
-- [M0: moq-dev adoption](/quest/m0/README.md) - kix at quest.moq.dev, used daily on moq-dev/moq, moq-dev/quest, and moq-dev/moq.pro, beside the standalone CLI
-- [M1: Public release](/quest/m1/README.md) - kix.quest open to any maintainer, with onboarding, contributor sandboxing, the themed site, and launch material
-- [M2: Later work](/quest/m2/README.md) - cloud runners, a native mobile app, shared runners, and donated reviews and CI
diff --git a/quest/m0/README.md b/quest/m0/README.md
@@ -91,17 +91,3 @@ ownership-manifest design:
   limits). Prefer offline, deterministic commands, and keep GitHub calls in
   the CLI rather than skill prose.
 - Repository-specific rules stay in the repository's own root instructions.
-
-## Required
-
-- [Land through a serial merge queue with an async fixer](/quest/m0/queue-watcher/README.md) - GitHub's merge queue, or the watcher's own where GitHub has none, lands one PR at a time, and a host watcher fixes and re-enqueues each PR it drops
-- [Kix decision UI](/quest/m0/kix/README.md) - planning and implementation through prompts and summaries, run on the maintainer's own runners
-- [Route quests to models by size](/quest/m0/model-routing/README.md) - `/quest-spawn` starts each quest on the first model of its size's ranked list that can run, reviews rank the same way, and PRs record size, implementer, and reviewer
-- [Repositories and hosts follow quest's main](/quest/m0/pin-sync.md) - every push to main reaches each enrolled repository and host through a bot-queued pin bump
-- [Cut agent token waste](/quest/m0/token-waste/README.md) - sessions stop paying for loading rules, a second review pass, polling, oversized coordinators, and merge churn
-- [Model check](/quest/m0/model-check.md) - recurring: the first audit of the routed PRs retunes the built-in size lists
-- [Codex cloud off](/quest/m0/codex-cloud-off.md) - automatic Codex cloud reviews stop once no open PR relies on them
-- [Codex project-config skip](/quest/m0/codex-project-config.md) - once Codex keeps a supported way to skip a project's `.codex/` layer, reviews keep the user's config
-- [Agents get the dev shell from user settings](/quest/m0/user-dev-shell/README.md) - maintainers' own Claude and Codex settings load the dev shell; repositories drop dev-shell hooks, Quest worktree hooks, and `nix develop` instructions, and `quest init` writes no hooks
-- [claude rm upstream report](/quest/m0/claude-rm-upstream.md) - posting approved: ask Claude Code to run `WorktreeRemove` instead of advising an unlock
-- [Three generic rules in the shared context](/quest/m0/context-rules.md) - `quest context` adds matching conventions, never loosening a flaky test, and short names under a namespace
diff --git a/quest/m0/kix/README.md b/quest/m0/kix/README.md
@@ -136,10 +136,3 @@ fixes what it finds:
   [moq-dev/quest#209](https://github.com/moq-dev/quest/pull/209) assumes
   is the comparison GitHub makes. Try it with a real PR that edits a
   workflow (decided 2026-10-24, user).
-
-## Required
-
-- [Operator setup](/quest/m0/kix/operator-setup.md) - pilot installations and a verified test PR on moq-dev/moq and moq-dev/quest
-- [Private repositories](/quest/m0/kix/private.md) - moq-dev/moq.pro enrolls, visible only to signed-in users who can read it
-- [Runner account pool](/quest/m0/kix/cliproxy.md) - the runner routes every Claude and Codex job and review through its own CLIProxyAPI pool
-- [Web execution](/quest/m0/kix/execution.md) - spawn and iterate through the UI, ending in contribution PRs
diff --git a/quest/m0/queue-watcher/README.md b/quest/m0/queue-watcher/README.md
@@ -144,11 +144,3 @@ Shared shape, for the children to follow:
   class (`QUEST_GATE_PRIORITY=1`, which waits for memory but never for load)
   lets them admit ahead of agent load, set from moq's workflow or the
   runner's environment.
-
-## Required
-
-- [The other repositories follow](/quest/m0/queue-watcher/follow.md) - quest, rind and rust2 are cut over and landing; waits for a fork PR to land through one of their queues
-- [Harden the queue runners](/quest/m0/queue-watcher/runners.md) - each queue runner runs only its repository's queue workflow, and every outside fork PR needs approval
-- [moq.pro lands main through the own queue](/quest/m0/queue-watcher/pro-cutover.md) - moq.pro's `main` leaves the batching gate for the watcher's own queue
-- [Retire the batching gate](/quest/m0/queue-watcher/retire.md) - once no repository lands through `quest land serve`, its batching code and host units go
-- [kix.quest shows each repository's landing queue](/quest/m0/queue-watcher/queue-page.md) - one page per repository with its queue order, current build, and recent drops, in both modes
diff --git a/quest/m0/token-waste/README.md b/quest/m0/token-waste/README.md
@@ -66,13 +66,6 @@ Decision prompts, chosen options marked ✅:
   semver-breaking features) is moq-dev/moq's own plan: ✅ re-plan moq
   separately (rejected: make it quest's convention; not now).
 
-## Required
-
-- [Epics list no children](/quest/m0/token-waste/child-lists.md) - an epic's children are its directory, so finishing a quest edits no README
-- [Mechanical rules become checks](/quest/m0/token-waste/rule-checks.md) - hooks enforce em dashes, push refspecs, no rebase or force-push, the footer, and `.tmp/`, and their prose leaves the always-loaded rules
-- [quest usage](/quest/m0/token-waste/usage.md) - per quest and PR: which models and efforts worked on it, their tokens and API-equal cost, and how the work went; the epic's re-measure runs it
-- [Point to token-max](/quest/m0/token-waste/token-max.md) - `SETUP.md` recommends the standalone settings doctor, and the re-measure runs it
-
 ## Related
 
 - [Model check](/quest/m0/model-check.md) - audits the size tables the review quest changes
diff --git a/quest/m0/token-waste/child-lists.md b/quest/m0/token-waste/child-lists.md
diff --git a/quest/m0/user-dev-shell/README.md b/quest/m0/user-dev-shell/README.md
@@ -70,7 +70,3 @@ The user-level hooks live in [kixelated/dotfiles](https://github.com/kixelated/d
 installed into each Claude profile's `settings.json` and Codex's user
 config, and generalize this repository's `.claude/hooks/direnv.sh` and
 moq-dev/moq's `.codex/hooks/direnv.sh`.
-
-## Required
-
-- [moq.pro drops its Codex dev-shell config](/quest/m0/user-dev-shell/repo-config.md) - once a fresh Codex session there loads the dev shell without the repo hooks
diff --git a/quest/m1/README.md b/quest/m1/README.md
@@ -19,16 +19,3 @@ earlier "Later work" milestone became m2.
   - ✅ Move to kix.quest in m1
   - Stay on quest.moq.dev
   - Decide later
-
-## Required
-
-- [User state in their RunnerHub](/quest/m1/user-state.md) - each user's runners, jobs, inbox, and push subscriptions live in their Durable Object, and D1 keeps repository data and other cross-user state
-- [Open kix.quest](/quest/m1/open.md) - the Worker moves to kix.quest and any owner may enroll
-- [Release with worktree hooks](/quest/m1/release.md) - tag a release that has `quest worktree hook`, so SETUP.md's release routes work
-- [Kix for any repository](/quest/m1/kix/README.md) - onboarding, read-only CI checks, contributor sandboxing, and the maintainer guide
-- [Quest log theme](/quest/m1/theme/README.md) - an MMO-style identity, copy, board, landing page, and CLI output for the demo and launch
-- [Launch material](/quest/m1/launch.md) - README, quickstart, demo, comparison, and launch-post drafts
-- [Gate CPU weight](/quest/m1/gate-cpu-weight.md) - gated commands run at a lower CPU weight than the interactive session, so concurrent gates no longer starve the desktop
-- [Retire Decisions needed](/quest/m1/decisions-needed.md) - only `## Waiting` hands a draft back, once no open draft uses the old heading
-- [Bun EFAULT report](/quest/m1/bun-efault.md) - report concurrent `rmSync` `EFAULT` on Windows, and drop the workaround once Bun fixes it
-- [Model check](/quest/m1/model-check.md) - recurring each milestone: the built-in implementation and review tables use the newest models at efforts retuned from outcomes, and the live sandbox test passes
diff --git a/quest/m1/kix/README.md b/quest/m1/kix/README.md
@@ -12,8 +12,3 @@ unconfined on their own machines.
 Moved from m0 on 2026-10-30 (user, /quest-plan): moq-dev's own repositories
 already carry Quest, are enrolled by the operator, and are worked on by their
 maintainers, so they need none of this first.
-
-## Required
-
-- [Contributor sandboxing](/quest/m1/kix/sandbox/README.md) - contributors' PR heads build in a VM, on stock Ubuntu and verified on macOS
-- [Onboarding guide](/quest/m1/kix/guide.md) - a complete maintainer path, from runner setup through a reviewed PR
diff --git a/quest/m1/kix/sandbox/README.md b/quest/m1/kix/sandbox/README.md
@@ -92,8 +92,3 @@ Shipped in [moq-dev/quest#212](https://github.com/moq-dev/quest/pull/212)
 - Sources:
   [Claude Code sandboxing](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/sandboxing)
   and [sandbox-runtime](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@anthropic-ai/sandbox-runtime).
-
-## Required
-
-- [macOS sandbox](/quest/m1/kix/sandbox/macos.md) - the boundary verified under Seatbelt, then the answer-approval gate removed
-- [Untrusted devShells](/quest/m1/kix/sandbox/vm.md) - untrusted PR heads build their devShell in a per-job VM
diff --git a/quest/m1/theme/README.md b/quest/m1/theme/README.md
@@ -110,10 +110,6 @@ Decided while planning on 2026-10-05, amended 2026-10-14 where noted:
   uses these terms. A blocked waypoint's tooltip lists what it needs under
   "Required:".
 
-## Required
-
-- [Landing page](/quest/m1/theme/landing.md) - the home page's calls to action lead to sign-in, onboarding, and the setup paste
-
 ## Related
 
 - [Launch material](/quest/m1/launch.md) - posts, quickstart, demo, and comparison written in the same voice
diff --git a/quest/m2/README.md b/quest/m2/README.md
@@ -5,15 +5,3 @@
 Extend kix.quest with cloud runners, a native mobile app, runners shared
 with other projects, donated reviews and CI, stronger isolation, and
 additional login providers. This milestone does not gate the public release.
-
-## Required
-
-- [Cloud runners](/quest/m2/cloud/README.md) - one-click free cloud runners, API-key and donor funding, then paid compute
-- [Native mobile app](/quest/m2/mobile-app.md) - push notifications with quick replies to decisions
-- [Shared runners](/quest/m2/donor-runner.md) - offer your runner and accounts to other projects
-- [Review and check automation](/quest/m2/automation/README.md) - donated reviews, CI, and a shared Nix cache
-- [opencode reviewers](/quest/m2/review-harnesses.md) - `quest review` runs opencode read-only, for the council's DeepSeek member
-- [Review council](/quest/m2/council.md) - `/quest-council` reviews a PR with one blind model per maker and merges their findings with agreement counts
-- [Donor isolation](/quest/m2/donor-isolation.md) - stronger boundaries for untrusted shared jobs
-- [ChatGPT hosted runs](/quest/m2/chatgpt-hosted.md) - conditional on provider approval and current terms
-- [ChatGPT approval](/quest/m2/chatgpt-waitlist.md) - resolve hosted-use approval before implementation
diff --git a/quest/m2/automation/README.md b/quest/m2/automation/README.md
@@ -10,9 +10,3 @@ authorized agent reviews and CI capacity using ordinary GitHub interfaces.
 Decided 2026-10-13: C1 first, then C2. Existing repository checks remain part
 of implementation; this epic adds independent donated review and CI jobs.
 No custom review database or git-note approval protocol is introduced.
-
-## Required
-
-- [Agent reviews](/quest/m2/automation/review.md) - attributed, advisory GitHub reviews
-- [Donated checks](/quest/m2/automation/checks.md) - repository-defined check execution with explicit trust
-- [Nix cache](/quest/m2/automation/cache.md) - optional main-only signed build cache
diff --git a/quest/m2/cloud/README.md b/quest/m2/cloud/README.md
@@ -26,10 +26,3 @@ Decided 2026-10-15 in the decisions-not-implementations interview:
   for the cloud runners that depend on it.
 - Funding setup and operating guidance stay in existing service
   documentation; each implementation updates the docs it changes.
-
-## Required
-
-- [API funding](/quest/m2/cloud/funding.md) - maintainer API keys, the credential proxy, and durable usage accounting
-- [Hosted runners](/quest/m2/cloud/runners.md) - free, capped cloud runners enabled with one click
-- [Donor allocations](/quest/m2/cloud/donors.md) - shared API budgets after maintainer-funded cloud runners work
-- [Paid compute](/quest/m2/cloud/billing.md) - charge for cloud runner compute once free capacity is not enough
diff --git a/src/cli/main.ts b/src/cli/main.ts
@@ -170,7 +170,8 @@ export function main(argv: string[], out: Output): number | Promise<number> {
 				"first: a stale base can predate the quest and skip it.\n\n" +
 				"With --fix, first drop every Required, Related, or Closes entry that links to a quest deleted in " +
 				"the history of HEAD, and of MERGE_HEAD during a merge, that the working tree lacks, as quest rm " +
-				"does, such as the quests a merged base finished, with any heading left empty. It then promotes a " +
+				"does, such as the quests a merged base finished, and every epic's Required entry naming a quest in " +
+				"its own directory, which the epic already waits for, with any heading left empty. It then promotes a " +
 				"section heading written below ## to ## where nothing but its own content follows it before the next " +
 				"## heading, and no ## section of that name exists. It prints M for each edited document and leaves " +
 				"the edits unstaged. A quest moved rather than deleted, a link that never " +
@@ -179,13 +180,18 @@ export function main(argv: string[], out: Output): number | Promise<number> {
 		)
 		.option("--base <ref>", "Also check the quest branch's diff from its merge base with this ref")
 		.option("--branch <name>", "The PR's head branch, when it differs from the current branch (needs --base)")
-		.option("--fix", "First drop list links to quests the history deleted, and promote misleveled section headings")
+		.option(
+			"--fix",
+			"First drop list links to quests the history deleted and epics' links to their own quests, and promote misleveled section headings",
+		)
 		.action((options: { base?: string; branch?: string; fix?: boolean }) => {
 			if (options.branch !== undefined && options.base === undefined) {
 				throw new UsageError("--branch requires --base");
 			}
 			if (options.fix) {
-				const edited = new Set([...fixLinks(root()), ...fixHeadings(root())]);
+				// fixLinks checks the repair preconditions before anything is written; it runs again
+				// after promotion, since a promoted `Required` can hold links it then drops.
+				const edited = new Set([...fixLinks(root()), ...fixHeadings(root()), ...fixLinks(root())]);
 				for (const line of [...edited].sort()) print(line);
 			}
 			const tree = checkout(root(), warn);
@@ -1315,7 +1321,7 @@ export function main(argv: string[], out: Output): number | Promise<number> {
 			"Delete a quest, or an epic and the quests under it, with git rm, and drop every Required, Related, " +
 				"or Closes entry that links to it, with any heading left empty. It also drops every Required link to a " +
 				"finished milestone, one whose directory holds no other quest and whose README has no Required left, " +
-				"except the root's own listing. The change is staged.\n\n" +
+				"and every epic's Required entry naming a quest in its own directory. The change is staged.\n\n" +
 				"Refuses outside a git work tree. An epic is its directory or README; removing one that holds other " +
 				"quests requires -r. The root epic and milestones are permanent.\n\n" +
 				"Prints D for each deleted quest and M for each edited document. Mentions that are not list entries, " +