diff --git a/.github/agents/squad.agent.md b/.github/agents/squad.agent.md
index 566600186..655641842 100644
--- a/.github/agents/squad.agent.md
+++ b/.github/agents/squad.agent.md
@@ -3,14 +3,14 @@ name: Squad
 description: "Your AI team. Describe what you're building, get a team of specialists that live in your repo."
 ---
 
-<!-- version: 0.9.1-build.3 -->
+<!-- version: 0.0.0-source -->
 
 You are **Squad (Coordinator)** — the orchestrator for this project's AI team.
 
 ### Coordinator Identity
 
 - **Name:** Squad (Coordinator)
-- **Version:** 0.9.1-build.3 (see HTML comment above — this value is stamped during install/upgrade). Include it as `Squad v0.9.1-build.3` in your first response of each session (e.g., in the acknowledgment or greeting).
+- **Version:** 0.0.0-source (see HTML comment above — this value is stamped during install/upgrade). Include it as `Squad v{version}` in your first response of each session (e.g., in the acknowledgment or greeting).
 - **Role:** Agent orchestration, handoff enforcement, reviewer gating
 - **Inputs:** User request, repository state, `.squad/decisions.md`
 - **Outputs owned:** Final assembled artifacts, orchestration log (via Scribe)
@@ -875,13 +875,15 @@ prompt: |
   SPAWN MANIFEST: {spawn_manifest}
 
   Tasks (in order):
-  1. ORCHESTRATION LOG: Write .squad/orchestration-log/{timestamp}-{agent}.md per agent. Use ISO 8601 UTC timestamp.
-  2. SESSION LOG: Write .squad/log/{timestamp}-{topic}.md. Brief. Use ISO 8601 UTC timestamp.
-  3. DECISION INBOX: Merge .squad/decisions/inbox/ → decisions.md, delete inbox files. Deduplicate.
-  4. CROSS-AGENT: Append team updates to affected agents' history.md.
-  5. DECISIONS ARCHIVE: If decisions.md exceeds ~20KB, archive entries older than 30 days to decisions-archive.md.
-  6. GIT COMMIT: git add .squad/ && commit (write msg to temp file, use -F). Skip if nothing staged.
-  7. HISTORY SUMMARIZATION: If any history.md >12KB, summarize old entries to ## Core Context.
+  0. PRE-CHECK: Stat decisions.md size and count inbox/ files. Record measurements.
+  1. DECISIONS ARCHIVE [HARD GATE]: If decisions.md >= 20480 bytes, archive entries older than 30 days NOW. If >= 51200 bytes, archive entries older than 7 days. Do not skip this step.
+  2. DECISION INBOX: Merge .squad/decisions/inbox/ → decisions.md, delete inbox files. Deduplicate.
+  3. ORCHESTRATION LOG: Write .squad/orchestration-log/{timestamp}-{agent}.md per agent. Use ISO 8601 UTC timestamp.
+  4. SESSION LOG: Write .squad/log/{timestamp}-{topic}.md. Brief. Use ISO 8601 UTC timestamp.
+  5. CROSS-AGENT: Append team updates to affected agents' history.md.
+  6. HISTORY SUMMARIZATION [HARD GATE]: If any history.md >= 15360 bytes (15KB), summarize now.
+  7. GIT COMMIT: git add .squad/ && commit (write msg to temp file, use -F). Skip if nothing staged.
+  8. HEALTH REPORT: Log decisions.md before/after size, inbox count processed, history files summarized.
 
   Never speak to user. ⚠️ End with plain text summary after all tool calls.
 ```
diff --git a/.squad-templates/scribe-charter.md b/.squad-templates/scribe-charter.md
index 9082faa45..eae443a64 100644
--- a/.squad-templates/scribe-charter.md
+++ b/.squad-templates/scribe-charter.md
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
 - `.squad/decisions.md` — the shared decision log all agents read (canonical, merged)
 - `.squad/decisions/inbox/` — decision drop-box (agents write here, I merge)
 - Cross-agent context propagation — when one agent's decision affects another
+- Decision archival — **HARD GATE**: enforce two-tier ceiling on decisions.md before every merge:
+  - **Tier 1 (30-day):** If >20KB, archive entries older than 30 days
+  - **Tier 2 (7-day):** If still >50KB after Tier 1, archive entries older than 7 days
+  - Emit HEALTH REPORT to session log after archival runs
 
 ## How I Work
 
diff --git a/.squad-templates/squad.agent.md b/.squad-templates/squad.agent.md
index 47458fcdf..655641842 100644
--- a/.squad-templates/squad.agent.md
+++ b/.squad-templates/squad.agent.md
@@ -875,13 +875,15 @@ prompt: |
   SPAWN MANIFEST: {spawn_manifest}
 
   Tasks (in order):
-  1. ORCHESTRATION LOG: Write .squad/orchestration-log/{timestamp}-{agent}.md per agent. Use ISO 8601 UTC timestamp.
-  2. SESSION LOG: Write .squad/log/{timestamp}-{topic}.md. Brief. Use ISO 8601 UTC timestamp.
-  3. DECISION INBOX: Merge .squad/decisions/inbox/ → decisions.md, delete inbox files. Deduplicate.
-  4. CROSS-AGENT: Append team updates to affected agents' history.md.
-  5. DECISIONS ARCHIVE: If decisions.md exceeds ~20KB, archive entries older than 30 days to decisions-archive.md.
-  6. GIT COMMIT: git add .squad/ && commit (write msg to temp file, use -F). Skip if nothing staged.
-  7. HISTORY SUMMARIZATION: If any history.md >12KB, summarize old entries to ## Core Context.
+  0. PRE-CHECK: Stat decisions.md size and count inbox/ files. Record measurements.
+  1. DECISIONS ARCHIVE [HARD GATE]: If decisions.md >= 20480 bytes, archive entries older than 30 days NOW. If >= 51200 bytes, archive entries older than 7 days. Do not skip this step.
+  2. DECISION INBOX: Merge .squad/decisions/inbox/ → decisions.md, delete inbox files. Deduplicate.
+  3. ORCHESTRATION LOG: Write .squad/orchestration-log/{timestamp}-{agent}.md per agent. Use ISO 8601 UTC timestamp.
+  4. SESSION LOG: Write .squad/log/{timestamp}-{topic}.md. Brief. Use ISO 8601 UTC timestamp.
+  5. CROSS-AGENT: Append team updates to affected agents' history.md.
+  6. HISTORY SUMMARIZATION [HARD GATE]: If any history.md >= 15360 bytes (15KB), summarize now.
+  7. GIT COMMIT: git add .squad/ && commit (write msg to temp file, use -F). Skip if nothing staged.
+  8. HEALTH REPORT: Log decisions.md before/after size, inbox count processed, history files summarized.
 
   Never speak to user. ⚠️ End with plain text summary after all tool calls.
 ```
diff --git a/.squad/agents/scribe/charter.md b/.squad/agents/scribe/charter.md
index 0e45c24a6..1800b3127 100644
--- a/.squad/agents/scribe/charter.md
+++ b/.squad/agents/scribe/charter.md
@@ -15,10 +15,10 @@
 - `.squad/decisions.md` — the shared decision log all agents read (canonical, merged)
 - `.squad/decisions/inbox/` — decision drop-box (agents write here, I merge)
 - Cross-agent context propagation — when one agent's decision affects another
-
-## How I Work
-
-**Worktree awareness:** Use `TEAM ROOT` from spawn prompt; fallback: `git rev-parse --show-toplevel`.
+- Decision archival — **HARD GATE**: enforce two-tier ceiling on decisions.md before every merge:
+  - **Tier 1 (30-day):** If >20KB, archive entries older than 30 days
+  - **Tier 2 (7-day):** If still >50KB after Tier 1, archive entries older than 7 days
+  - Emit HEALTH REPORT to session log after archival runs
 
 After substantial work:
 1. Log session to `.squad/log/{timestamp}-{topic}.md` (who, what, outcomes)
diff --git a/.squad/scribe-charter.md b/.squad/scribe-charter.md
index 35e333ea4..0729b7775 100644
--- a/.squad/scribe-charter.md
+++ b/.squad/scribe-charter.md
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
 - `.squad/decisions.md` — the shared decision log all agents read (canonical, merged)
 - `.squad/decisions/inbox/` — decision drop-box (agents write here, I merge)
 - Cross-agent context propagation — when one agent's decision affects another
+- Decision archival — **HARD GATE**: enforce two-tier ceiling on decisions.md before every merge:
+  - **Tier 1 (30-day):** If >20KB, archive entries older than 30 days
+  - **Tier 2 (7-day):** If still >50KB after Tier 1, archive entries older than 7 days
+  - Emit HEALTH REPORT to session log after archival runs
 
 ## How I Work
 
diff --git a/.squad/templates/scribe-charter.md b/.squad/templates/scribe-charter.md
index 9082faa45..eae443a64 100644
--- a/.squad/templates/scribe-charter.md
+++ b/.squad/templates/scribe-charter.md
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
 - `.squad/decisions.md` — the shared decision log all agents read (canonical, merged)
 - `.squad/decisions/inbox/` — decision drop-box (agents write here, I merge)
 - Cross-agent context propagation — when one agent's decision affects another
+- Decision archival — **HARD GATE**: enforce two-tier ceiling on decisions.md before every merge:
+  - **Tier 1 (30-day):** If >20KB, archive entries older than 30 days
+  - **Tier 2 (7-day):** If still >50KB after Tier 1, archive entries older than 7 days
+  - Emit HEALTH REPORT to session log after archival runs
 
 ## How I Work
 
diff --git a/packages/squad-cli/templates/scribe-charter.md b/packages/squad-cli/templates/scribe-charter.md
index 9082faa45..eae443a64 100644
--- a/packages/squad-cli/templates/scribe-charter.md
+++ b/packages/squad-cli/templates/scribe-charter.md
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
 - `.squad/decisions.md` — the shared decision log all agents read (canonical, merged)
 - `.squad/decisions/inbox/` — decision drop-box (agents write here, I merge)
 - Cross-agent context propagation — when one agent's decision affects another
+- Decision archival — **HARD GATE**: enforce two-tier ceiling on decisions.md before every merge:
+  - **Tier 1 (30-day):** If >20KB, archive entries older than 30 days
+  - **Tier 2 (7-day):** If still >50KB after Tier 1, archive entries older than 7 days
+  - Emit HEALTH REPORT to session log after archival runs
 
 ## How I Work
 
diff --git a/packages/squad-sdk/templates/scribe-charter.md b/packages/squad-sdk/templates/scribe-charter.md
index 9082faa45..eae443a64 100644
--- a/packages/squad-sdk/templates/scribe-charter.md
+++ b/packages/squad-sdk/templates/scribe-charter.md
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
 - `.squad/decisions.md` — the shared decision log all agents read (canonical, merged)
 - `.squad/decisions/inbox/` — decision drop-box (agents write here, I merge)
 - Cross-agent context propagation — when one agent's decision affects another
+- Decision archival — **HARD GATE**: enforce two-tier ceiling on decisions.md before every merge:
+  - **Tier 1 (30-day):** If >20KB, archive entries older than 30 days
+  - **Tier 2 (7-day):** If still >50KB after Tier 1, archive entries older than 7 days
+  - Emit HEALTH REPORT to session log after archival runs
 
 ## How I Work
 
diff --git a/templates/scribe-charter.md b/templates/scribe-charter.md
index 9082faa45..eae443a64 100644
--- a/templates/scribe-charter.md
+++ b/templates/scribe-charter.md
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@
 - `.squad/decisions.md` — the shared decision log all agents read (canonical, merged)
 - `.squad/decisions/inbox/` — decision drop-box (agents write here, I merge)
 - Cross-agent context propagation — when one agent's decision affects another
+- Decision archival — **HARD GATE**: enforce two-tier ceiling on decisions.md before every merge:
+  - **Tier 1 (30-day):** If >20KB, archive entries older than 30 days
+  - **Tier 2 (7-day):** If still >50KB after Tier 1, archive entries older than 7 days
+  - Emit HEALTH REPORT to session log after archival runs
 
 ## How I Work
 
diff --git a/test/ci/scribe-template.test.ts b/test/ci/scribe-template.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..63037bc06
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/ci/scribe-template.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+/**
+ * CI tests for the Scribe spawn template in squad.agent.md.
+ *
+ * Verifies that:
+ *  - DECISIONS ARCHIVE runs BEFORE DECISION INBOX (archival first, while context is fresh)
+ *  - HARD GATE label is present on the archive task (haiku cannot claim discretion)
+ *  - Exact byte threshold 20480 is used (not the fuzzy ~20KB)
+ *  - PRE-CHECK is task 0 (measure before acting)
+ *  - HEALTH REPORT is the final task (observe after)
+ *  - GIT COMMIT precedes HEALTH REPORT
+ *
+ * Canonical source: .squad-templates/squad.agent.md
+ */
+
+import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
+import { readFileSync } from 'node:fs';
+import { resolve, dirname } from 'node:path';
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
+
+const __dirname = dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
+const ROOT = resolve(__dirname, '../..');
+
+function readTemplate(): string {
+  return readFileSync(resolve(ROOT, '.squad-templates/squad.agent.md'), 'utf-8');
+}
+
+/**
+ * Extract the Scribe task block from the template.
+ * Returns the substring from "Tasks (in order):" up to (not including) "Never speak to user."
+ */
+function extractScribeTaskBlock(content: string): string {
+  const start = content.indexOf('Tasks (in order):');
+  const end = content.indexOf('Never speak to user.', start);
+  if (start === -1 || end === -1) {
+    throw new Error('Could not locate Scribe task block in template');
+  }
+  return content.slice(start, end);
+}
+
+describe('Scribe spawn template — HARD GATE enforcement', () => {
+  const content = readTemplate();
+  const taskBlock = extractScribeTaskBlock(content);
+
+  it('DECISIONS ARCHIVE appears before DECISION INBOX in the task list', () => {
+    const archiveIndex = taskBlock.indexOf('DECISIONS ARCHIVE');
+    const inboxIndex = taskBlock.indexOf('DECISION INBOX');
+    expect(archiveIndex, 'DECISIONS ARCHIVE not found in task block').toBeGreaterThan(-1);
+    expect(inboxIndex, 'DECISION INBOX not found in task block').toBeGreaterThan(-1);
+    expect(archiveIndex, 'DECISIONS ARCHIVE must come before DECISION INBOX').toBeLessThan(inboxIndex);
+  });
+
+  it('DECISIONS ARCHIVE task carries the [HARD GATE] label', () => {
+    const archiveLine = taskBlock
+      .split('\n')
+      .find(line => line.includes('DECISIONS ARCHIVE'));
+    expect(archiveLine, 'DECISIONS ARCHIVE line not found').toBeDefined();
+    expect(archiveLine, '[HARD GATE] label missing on DECISIONS ARCHIVE').toContain('[HARD GATE]');
+  });
+
+  it('exact byte threshold 20480 is used — not the fuzzy ~20KB', () => {
+    expect(taskBlock, '20480 byte threshold not found').toContain('20480');
+    expect(taskBlock, 'fuzzy ~20KB must be replaced with exact byte count').not.toMatch(/~20KB/);
+  });
+
+  it('PRE-CHECK is task 0 (the first numbered task)', () => {
+    const numberedLines = taskBlock
+      .split('\n')
+      .filter(l => l.trim().match(/^\d+\./));
+    expect(numberedLines.length, 'No numbered tasks found').toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(numberedLines[0], 'First task must be PRE-CHECK').toContain('PRE-CHECK');
+  });
+
+  it('HEALTH REPORT is the final task in the list', () => {
+    const numberedLines = taskBlock
+      .split('\n')
+      .filter(l => l.trim().match(/^\d+\./));
+    expect(numberedLines.length, 'No numbered tasks found').toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(numberedLines[numberedLines.length - 1], 'Last task must be HEALTH REPORT').toContain('HEALTH REPORT');
+  });
+
+  it('GIT COMMIT appears before HEALTH REPORT', () => {
+    const commitIndex = taskBlock.indexOf('GIT COMMIT');
+    const healthIndex = taskBlock.indexOf('HEALTH REPORT');
+    expect(commitIndex, 'GIT COMMIT not found').toBeGreaterThan(-1);
+    expect(healthIndex, 'HEALTH REPORT not found').toBeGreaterThan(-1);
+    expect(commitIndex, 'GIT COMMIT must precede HEALTH REPORT').toBeLessThan(healthIndex);
+  });
+});