diff --git a/.github/workflows/node-compat.yml b/.github/workflows/node-compat.yml
index 13c5732cd..f6d598c39 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/node-compat.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/node-compat.yml
@@ -98,6 +98,14 @@ jobs:
           node --version
           npm --version
 
+      - name: Upgrade npm before fresh resolution
+        # npm <=10.9.x's arborist crashes re-resolving the harnesses
+        # package's peer set with no lockfile present (npm/cli#8261) — an
+        # npm-version bug, not a Node-version one. See relay#1652. Applied
+        # here too so this job passes independent of merge order with that
+        # PR.
+        run: npm install -g npm@11.19.1
+
       - name: Clean install
         run: |
           rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
diff --git a/.github/workflows/package-validation.yml b/.github/workflows/package-validation.yml
index 38da4d3a8..b3a8b82ea 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/package-validation.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/package-validation.yml
@@ -214,6 +214,13 @@ jobs:
         with:
           node-version: '22.14.0'
 
+      - name: Upgrade npm before fresh resolution
+        # See node-compat.yml's identical step: npm <=10.9.x's arborist
+        # crashes re-resolving the harnesses package's peer set with no
+        # lockfile present (npm/cli#8261). See relay#1652. Applied here too
+        # so this job passes independent of merge order with that PR.
+        run: npm install -g npm@11.19.1
+
       # The publish workflow bumps versions, removes package-lock.json, then
       # runs npm install. This catches range-resolved dependency breaks before merge.
       - name: Install dependencies with publish resolution
diff --git a/.prettierignore b/.prettierignore
index 7c88e95fd..2085ab091 100644
--- a/.prettierignore
+++ b/.prettierignore
@@ -8,3 +8,4 @@ web/content/docs/
 packages/config/src/cli-registry.generated.ts
 tests/benchmarks/head-to-head.ts
 .agentworkforce/trajectories/
+.trajectories/
diff --git a/scripts/pr-proof/contract.mjs b/scripts/pr-proof/contract.mjs
index 6179f67a5..cf021a148 100644
--- a/scripts/pr-proof/contract.mjs
+++ b/scripts/pr-proof/contract.mjs
@@ -123,6 +123,14 @@ const NON_RUNTIME_PATH_PATTERNS = Object.freeze([
   // is the same CI scope already exempted via workflows/ and .github/.
   /^\.gitignore$/,
   /^\.editorconfig$/,
+  // Session/trajectory compaction logs (chief-brain journaling for coding
+  // agent sessions). Never imported by the CLI or broker at runtime — pure
+  // record-keeping. Nested, so the top-level `*.md` pattern above doesn't
+  // already cover `.trajectories/compacted/*.md`.
+  /^\.trajectories\//,
+  // Formatter config only — cannot change what ships. Same class as
+  // .editorconfig above.
+  /^\.prettierignore$/,
 ]);
 
 /**