fix: publish/sync merge generated files mechanically and carry non-overlapping uncommitted work through a rebase (#180)

Overlap only in kb/index.md, kb/log.md, kb/provenance.md and kb/**/INDEX.md no longer
fails a reconcile or reaches the rebase-review gate: the log keeps both sides' entries,
the catalog and provenance are regenerated. Uncommitted work no incoming commit touches
rides through the rebase via --autostash; the working tree is backed up under
refs/wikitool/reconcile-backup first. is_generated is narrowed to kb/.

Files changed:
- CHANGES.md
- VERSION
- instructions/gates.md
- instructions/session-setup.md
- tools/CONTRACT.md
- tools/chemenu/commands/git_publish.py
- tools/chemenu/commands/index_build.py
- tools/chemenu/commands/provenance_cmd.py
- tools/chemenu/tests/test_git_publish.py

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01SnAJ7Z3CpVD3PRbN73QtU2

tools/CONTRACT.md

@@ -1888,7 +1888,7 @@ Fetch `<remote>/<branch>` and bring the local branch up to date with it.
 
 - effect: write
 - idempotent: yes
-- atomic: No - fetch, then at most one merge/rebase attempt, aborted cleanly on failure
+- atomic: No - fetch, then at most one merge/rebase attempt, aborted cleanly on failure with the working tree restored; a success that merged generated files then rewrites the catalog
 - budget: counted
 - network: yes
 - gates: rebase-review
@@ -1903,13 +1903,15 @@ Fetch `<remote>/<branch>` and bring the local branch up to date with it.
 - 0    success
 - 0    No remote configured - reported and skipped, not a failure
 - 0    The remote cannot be reached - reported and skipped, not a failure
-- 1    The automatic rebase hit a real conflict (git failed); it is aborted cleanly
-- 42   Rebase-review gate: `<remote>/<branch>` moved and both sides changed the same file; the output lists the upstream commits, the overlapping files and their diff
+- 1    The automatic rebase hit a real conflict outside the generated files (git failed), or `kb/log.md` was edited rather than appended to; it is aborted cleanly and the working tree restored
+- 1    An uncommitted change - or an untracked file - sits on a path the incoming commits also change; nothing was changed
+- 42   Rebase-review gate: `<remote>/<branch>` moved and both sides changed the same file, generated files aside; the output lists the upstream commits, the overlapping files and their diff
 
 **ON FAILURE**
 
-- The automatic rebase hit a real conflict (git failed); it is aborted cleanly -> Do not retry and do not force - resolve the conflict manually, then re-run
-- Rebase-review gate: `<remote>/<branch>` moved and both sides changed the same file; the output lists the upstream commits, the overlapping files and their diff -> Show the user the command's full output verbatim and stop. Once they have approved it, run the re-run line the output prints, which carries `--confirm-rebase <token>`. Without that token, or with a wrong, invented or superseded one, it exits 42 again with the current state
+- The automatic rebase hit a real conflict outside the generated files (git failed), or `kb/log.md` was edited rather than appended to; it is aborted cleanly and the working tree restored -> Do not retry and do not force - resolve the conflict manually, then re-run
+- An uncommitted change - or an untracked file - sits on a path the incoming commits also change; nothing was changed -> Show the user the file it names. Once that change is committed or moved out of the way, re-run once
+- Rebase-review gate: `<remote>/<branch>` moved and both sides changed the same file, generated files aside; the output lists the upstream commits, the overlapping files and their diff -> Show the user the command's full output verbatim and stop. Once they have approved it, run the re-run line the output prints, which carries `--confirm-rebase <token>`. Without that token, or with a wrong, invented or superseded one, it exits 42 again with the current state
 
 **NEVER**
 
@@ -1919,8 +1921,11 @@ Fetch `<remote>/<branch>` and bring the local branch up to date with it.
 **NOTES**
 
 - Fetches `<remote>/<branch>`, then: fast-forwards when only the remote moved; rebases the local commits on top when both sides moved but touched disjoint files; exits 42 (rebase-review gate) when both sides touched the same file.
+- Files `wikitool` generates (`kb/index.md`, `kb/log.md`, `kb/provenance.md`, every `kb/**/INDEX.md`) never count as an overlap and never reach the gate. Where they are what stops git - uncommitted ones in the way of a fast-forward or rebase, or a rebase conflict in them - they are merged mechanically: `kb/log.md` becomes the incoming log plus the entries only this side appended, and the catalog and `kb/provenance.md` are regenerated from the merged pages and left as an uncommitted change. A reconcile git can do on its own is unchanged and regenerates nothing.
+- Uncommitted changes that no incoming commit touches no longer stop a rebase: they are carried through it (`git rebase --autostash`) and come back unchanged.
+- Before anything is set aside, the working tree is stored as a commit under `refs/wikitool/reconcile-backup`. A successful reconcile drops it; a failed one restores the working tree and names the ref.
 - A refused call performs no rebase attempt and leaves the branch where it was.
-- The `--confirm-rebase` token covers the exact upstream state and the set of files touched on both sides; either one moving makes it stale.
+- The `--confirm-rebase` token covers the exact upstream state and the set of files touched on both sides, generated files excluded; either one moving makes it stale.
 - Makes no commit, no push, and no forced operation of any kind.
 - Three messages for a fetch that fails: no remote of that name, a remote that answers but has no such branch yet (a new, empty repository), and a remote that cannot be reached. All three exit 0 here; `publish` stops on the first and the last.
 - Run it once at the start of a writing session.
@@ -1957,7 +1962,7 @@ Reconcile with `<remote>/<branch>`, then stage all changes, commit, and push.
 **EXIT STATUS**
 
 - 0    success
-- 1    git failed - `git add`, `git commit`, `git push`, or the reconcile's automatic rebase
+- 1    git failed - `git add`, `git commit`, `git push`, or the reconcile's automatic rebase (a conflict outside the generated files, an edited `kb/log.md`, or an uncommitted change on a path the incoming commits change)
 - 1    The push target (`--branch`) is not the checked-out branch, or HEAD is detached; the unborn branch of a fresh `git init` is not this case
 - 1    No `--no-push`, and the remote is not configured or cannot be reached; nothing was committed
 - 1    `--yes`/`-y` was passed - the flag does not exist and fails with an explicit error
@@ -1968,7 +1973,7 @@ Reconcile with `<remote>/<branch>`, then stage all changes, commit, and push.
 
 **ON FAILURE**
 
-- git failed - `git add`, `git commit`, `git push`, or the reconcile's automatic rebase -> Do not retry and do not force - report and ask the user. `publish` has already made its one retry of a rejected push itself, where a reconcile resolved the rejection
+- git failed - `git add`, `git commit`, `git push`, or the reconcile's automatic rebase (a conflict outside the generated files, an edited `kb/log.md`, or an uncommitted change on a path the incoming commits change) -> Do not retry and do not force - report and ask the user. `publish` has already made its one retry of a rejected push itself, where a reconcile resolved the rejection
 - The push target (`--branch`) is not the checked-out branch, or HEAD is detached; the unborn branch of a fresh `git init` is not this case -> Check out the branch you mean to publish, or pass `--branch <checked-out branch>`, then retry once
 - No `--no-push`, and the remote is not configured or cannot be reached; nothing was committed -> Show the message to the user and ask whether to commit locally with `--no-push`. Never push by hand - the next `publish` that reaches the remote sends that commit
 - `--yes`/`-y` was passed - the flag does not exist and fails with an explicit error -> Drop it. The Mass-Update Gate is cleared only with `--confirm <token>` from the gate's own refusal output
@@ -1988,12 +1993,13 @@ Reconcile with `<remote>/<branch>`, then stage all changes, commit, and push.
 - Order: branch check and Publish-Remote Gate, then the reconcile with `<remote>/<branch>`, then the Mass-Update Gate, then `git add -A`, commit and push. `--no-push` skips all but the Mass-Update Gate and the commit.
 - Without `--no-push`, a remote that is not configured or cannot be reached ends the call with exit 1 at the reconcile - before the gate, `git add` and the commit, and also on a clean tree. Nothing is committed, the index and the working tree are unchanged, and the message names `--no-push` as the way to a local commit. The next `publish` that reaches the remote pushes that commit along with whatever is new. A remote that answers but has no `<branch>` yet (a new, empty repository) is not this case: the first publish of an instance commits and pushes as before.
 - Reconcile: fetches `<remote>/<branch>`, fast-forwards when only the remote moved, rebases the local commits on top when both sides moved but touched disjoint files, and exits 42 (rebase-review gate) when both sides touched the same file. A refused reconcile performs no rebase attempt. The `--confirm-rebase` token covers the exact upstream state and the set of files touched on both sides.
+- Generated files are never an overlap: where they are all that stops the reconcile, it merges them as `sync` does (both sides' log entries kept, the catalog and `kb/provenance.md` regenerated) and carries uncommitted changes no incoming commit touches through the rebase. The proactive reconcile runs before staging, so this publish commits the regenerated files; on the retry after a rejected push they get a commit of their own before the second push.
 - The push target must be the checked-out branch; this is checked before anything is staged. The unborn branch of a fresh `git init -b main` counts as checked out, so the first publish of a new instance works; a real detached HEAD is refused.
 - With nothing new to stage, a local commit the remote lacks is still pushed: one left behind by an earlier publish whose push failed, or every commit when the remote answers but does not have the branch yet (a new, empty remote repository).
 - A rejected push that finds the remote unreachable on its one retry reports the original push error.
 - A rejected push gets exactly one more reconcile-and-push; never more than one.
 - Mass-Update Gate: counts the files that would be committed, refuses with exit 42 at `--threshold` (default 10) or more, and prints a review report - a scale line (file count, total lines added/removed, status breakdown), attention notes where they apply (deletions by name, control-plane and harness-config touches, published pages, the largest single change, binaries), and every counted path grouped by area with its status and churn. The list is what the commit will hold: it is computed from a scratch copy of the index after `git add -A`, so a path that is staged as deleted and back in the working tree is not counted twice, and a rename counts as its old path deleted plus its new path added. The real index and the working tree are not touched, so a refused publish leaves both byte-identical.
-- Never counted and never shown for approval, but committed like everything else: anything under `work/`, and the files `wikitool` generates itself (`kb/index.md`, `kb/log.md`, `kb/provenance.md`, every `INDEX.md`). The refusal line accounts for both, by reason.
+- Never counted and never shown for approval, but committed like everything else: anything under `work/`, and the files `wikitool` generates itself (`kb/index.md`, `kb/log.md`, `kb/provenance.md`, every `INDEX.md` under `kb/`). The refusal line accounts for both, by reason.
 - The `--confirm` token covers each counted path, the blob id of its contents and the publish target: a different file list or edited contents need a new clearance.
 - Publish-Remote Gate: when the checkout carries `.wikitool-remotes.json` and the push URL of `--remote` is not listed in it, exits 42 before the reconcile fetches anything. The URL is read with `git remote get-url --push`, so a repointed remote does not pass on its name. An absent file means unrestricted; a malformed one is an error, not permission.
 - `--path` (repeatable) scopes the whole operation - gate count, staging and commit - to that subtree.

tools/chemenu/commands/git_publish.py

@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ same exit-42 idiom as the gate below - when it might. This is what keeps a
 rejected push from stranding the commit that made it: a previous `publish`
 whose push failed leaves a real, unpushed commit sitting on the branch, and
 the next `publish` now pushes it instead of reporting "Nothing to commit"
-forever.
+forever. Files `wikitool` generates never count as a collision: where they
+are what stops git, the reconcile merges them mechanically and regenerates
+the catalog (see "Reconciling around generated files" below).
 
 Also implements the Mass-Update Gate (kb/concepts/workflows/Mass-Update Gate.md):
 a push to origin/main is the one action in this system with a real,
@@ -80,12 +82,14 @@ DEFAULT_MASS_UPDATE_THRESHOLD = 10
 GATE_EXEMPT_PREFIXES = ("work/",)
 
 
-def _run(args: list[str], input: Optional[str] = None) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess:
-    """Run a `git ...` argument list, starting git from its recorded path."""
+def _run(args: list[str], input: Optional[str] = None,
+         env: Optional[dict[str, str]] = None) -> subprocess.CompletedProcess:
+    """Run a `git ...` argument list, starting git from its recorded path. `env` is laid over
+    the inherited environment, not substituted for it."""
     if args and args[0] == "git":
         args = [toolpaths.git(), *args[1:]]
     return subprocess.run(args, cwd=config.ROOT, capture_output=True, text=True, encoding="utf-8",
-                          input=input)
+                          input=input, env={**os.environ, **env} if env else None)
 
 
 # --- Publish-Remote Gate -----------------------------------------------------
@@ -352,12 +356,17 @@ def branch_mismatch_message(checked_out: Optional[str], branch: str) -> str:
 # them pushed ordinary single-source ingests over a threshold meant for mass
 # updates. Three consecutive ingests on 2026-08-31 each stopped at the gate with
 # 5-7 of their files generated; none of them was a mass update.
+#
+# Only under `kb/`, which is also what AGENTS.md invariant 1 names (`kb/**/INDEX.md`). An
+# `INDEX.md` in a captured repository under `raw/` is source material that happens to share the
+# name - and `reconcile` discards and regenerates what this predicate calls generated.
 GENERATED_SUFFIXES = ("/INDEX.md",)
 GENERATED_PATHS = ("kb/index.md", "kb/log.md", "kb/provenance.md")
+GENERATED_LOG = "kb/log.md"
 
 
 def is_generated(path: str) -> bool:
-    return path in GENERATED_PATHS or path.endswith(GENERATED_SUFFIXES)
+    return path in GENERATED_PATHS or (path.startswith("kb/") and path.endswith(GENERATED_SUFFIXES))
 
 
 def is_exempt(path: str, prefixes: tuple[str, ...] = GATE_EXEMPT_PREFIXES) -> bool:
@@ -767,12 +776,276 @@ def rebase_review_token(remote: str, branch: str, local_before: str, remote_tip:
     return hashlib.sha256(payload.encode("utf-8")).hexdigest()[:12]
 
 
+# --- Reconciling around generated files ---------------------------------------
+#
+# Every ingest touches kb/index.md and kb/log.md, so two ingests on two checkouts always
+# "overlap" - in files that carry no decision and can be recomputed from the result. Left to
+# git, that overlap stopped every such reconcile: a fast-forward refused over the uncommitted
+# catalog, a rebase went to review and then failed on the two appends at the end of the log,
+# and `git rebase` refused outright over any uncommitted file at all.
+#
+# The path below takes the generated files out of git's way and puts the result back
+# together mechanically: the log is the incoming version plus what only this side appended,
+# and the catalog and kb/provenance.md are regenerated from the merged pages. It runs only
+# where git would otherwise have failed, so a reconcile that succeeds today is unchanged -
+# in particular it does not rebuild, because `index rebuild` stamps today's date into
+# kb/index.md and every `sync` would then end with a modified file.
+#
+# Uncommitted work that is not generated is never discarded: it rides through a rebase in
+# `--autostash` and comes back unchanged, which needs only that no incoming commit touches it.
+# Before the first write, the whole working tree is stored under BACKUP_REF.
+
+BACKUP_REF = "refs/wikitool/reconcile-backup"
+
+# The identity of the backup commit, so taking one never depends on - or fails for want of -
+# a configured user.
+_BACKUP_IDENTITY = {
+    "GIT_AUTHOR_NAME": "wikitool", "GIT_AUTHOR_EMAIL": "wikitool@localhost",
+    "GIT_COMMITTER_NAME": "wikitool", "GIT_COMMITTER_EMAIL": "wikitool@localhost",
+}
+
+# A rebase that stops on a conflict this module resolves is continued without an editor.
+# GIT_EDITOR and not `-c core.editor`, which an exported GIT_EDITOR would override.
+_NO_EDITOR = {"GIT_EDITOR": "true"}
+
+
+def _git_bytes(*args: str) -> Optional[bytes]:
+    """stdout of `git <args>` as raw bytes, or None when git fails. Bytes, because a file's
+    content goes back to disk exactly as git holds it - text mode would fold line endings."""
+    result = subprocess.run([toolpaths.git(), *args], cwd=config.ROOT, capture_output=True)
+    return result.stdout if result.returncode == 0 else None
+
+
+def _dirty_paths() -> tuple[list[str], list[str]]:
+    """(tracked paths whose index or working copy differs from HEAD, untracked paths). Ignored
+    files are neither - nothing here ever touches one."""
+    result = _run(["git", "status", "--porcelain=v1", "-z", "--untracked-files=all", "--no-renames"])
+    tracked: list[str] = []
+    untracked: list[str] = []
+    for record in result.stdout.split("\0"):
+        if len(record) < 4:
+            continue
+        (untracked if record[:2] == "??" else tracked).append(record[3:])
+    return tracked, untracked
+
+
+def _read(path: str) -> Optional[bytes]:
+    target = config.ROOT / path
+    return target.read_bytes() if target.is_file() else None
+
+
+def _log_suffix() -> Optional[bytes]:
+    """The bytes the working copy of kb/log.md has beyond its HEAD version - b"" when it has
+    none - or None when the working copy is not the HEAD version with something appended.
+    `log append` only ever appends, so None means a hand edit, and the log is then left to
+    git as before."""
+    work = _read(GENERATED_LOG)
+    head = _git_bytes("show", f"HEAD:{GENERATED_LOG}")
+    if work is None:
+        return b"" if head is None else None
+    head = head or b""
+    return work[len(head):] if work.startswith(head) else None
+
+
+def _in_head(path: str) -> bool:
+    return _run(["git", "cat-file", "-e", f"HEAD:{path}"]).returncode == 0
+
+
+def _rebase_in_progress() -> bool:
+    return any((config.ROOT / _git_path(name)).exists() for name in ("rebase-merge", "rebase-apply"))
+
+
+def _back_up_working_tree() -> Optional[str]:
+    """Store the working tree as it stands - tracked and untracked files, not ignored ones -
+    as a commit on top of HEAD under BACKUP_REF, and return its id; None if that failed.
+    Staged through a scratch copy of the index, the same way `collect_changes` stages, so the
+    real index is not touched."""
+    index_path = config.ROOT / _git_path("index")
+    scratch = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="wikitool-backup-"))
+    try:
+        temp_index = scratch / "index"
+        if index_path.is_file():
+            shutil.copyfile(index_path, temp_index)
+        env = {"GIT_INDEX_FILE": str(temp_index)}
+        if _run(["git", "add", "-A"], env=env).returncode != 0:
+            return None
+        tree = _run(["git", "write-tree"], env=env)
+    finally:
+        shutil.rmtree(scratch, ignore_errors=True)
+    if tree.returncode != 0:
+        return None
+    commit = _run(
+        ["git", "commit-tree", tree.stdout.strip(), "-p", "HEAD",
+         "-m", "wikitool reconcile: the working tree before generated files were set aside"],
+        env=_BACKUP_IDENTITY,
+    )
+    if commit.returncode != 0:
+        return None
+    commit_id = commit.stdout.strip()
+    if _run(["git", "update-ref", BACKUP_REF, commit_id]).returncode != 0:
+        return None
+    return commit_id
+
+
+@dataclass
+class _SetAside:
+    """The generated files taken out of git's way: each one's working-copy bytes before
+    (None where it did not exist), and the bytes only this side appended to kb/log.md."""
+    originals: dict[str, Optional[bytes]]
+    log_suffix: bytes
+
+
+def _set_aside(paths: list[str]) -> _SetAside:
+    """Return each generated path in `paths` to its HEAD state - or remove it, where HEAD
+    has none - after recording what was there."""
+    aside = _SetAside(
+        originals={path: _read(path) for path in paths},
+        log_suffix=(_log_suffix() or b"") if GENERATED_LOG in paths else b"",
+    )
+    in_head = [path for path in paths if _in_head(path)]
+    if in_head:
+        _run(["git", "checkout", "HEAD", "--", *in_head])
+    for path in paths:
+        if path not in in_head:
+            _run(["git", "rm", "-q", "--cached", "--ignore-unmatch", "--", path])
+            (config.ROOT / path).unlink(missing_ok=True)
+    return aside
+
+
+def _put_back(aside: _SetAside) -> None:
+    """Undo `_set_aside` byte for byte in the working tree."""
+    for path, data in aside.originals.items():
+        target = config.ROOT / path
+        if data is None:
+            target.unlink(missing_ok=True)
+        else:
+            target.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+            target.write_bytes(data)
+
+
+def _generated_to_set_aside(incoming: set[str]) -> tuple[Optional[list[str]], str]:
+    """The dirty generated paths, or (None, why) when uncommitted work stands in the way of
+    reconciling with `incoming` at all - a non-generated file both sides change, or a
+    kb/log.md that was edited rather than appended to. Reads only."""
+    tracked, untracked = _dirty_paths()
+    for path in tracked:
+        if not is_generated(path) and path in incoming:
+            return None, f"{path} has uncommitted changes and the incoming commits change it too"
+    for path in untracked:
+        if not is_generated(path) and path in incoming:
+            return None, f"the untracked {path} would be overwritten by an incoming commit"
+    generated = sorted(path for path in tracked + untracked if is_generated(path))
+    if GENERATED_LOG in generated and _log_suffix() is None:
+        return None, f"{GENERATED_LOG} has uncommitted changes that are not only appended entries"
+    return generated, ""
+
+
+def _resolve_generated_conflicts() -> Optional[str]:
+    """Resolve the conflicts of a stopped rebase step when every one of them is in a generated
+    file; None on success, else why not. Stage 2 is the side being rebased onto, stage 3 the
+    commit being replayed: the catalog and provenance take stage 2 (they are regenerated
+    afterwards anyway), the log takes stage 2 plus what stage 3 appended to stage 1."""
+    listed = _run(["git", "diff", "--name-only", "--diff-filter=U", "-z"]).stdout
+    unmerged = [path for path in listed.split("\0") if path]
+    if not unmerged:
+        return "the rebase stopped without a file conflict"
+    foreign = [path for path in unmerged if not is_generated(path)]
+    if foreign:
+        return f"conflict in {', '.join(foreign)}"
+    for path in unmerged:
+        ours = _git_bytes("show", f":2:{path}")
+        target = config.ROOT / path
+        if path == GENERATED_LOG:
+            base = _git_bytes("show", f":1:{path}") or b""
+            theirs = _git_bytes("show", f":3:{path}")
+            if ours is None or theirs is None or not theirs.startswith(base):
+                return f"{path} was changed on one side by more than appended entries"
+            target.write_bytes(ours + theirs[len(base):])
+        elif ours is None:
+            _run(["git", "rm", "-q", "--cached", "--", path])
+            target.unlink(missing_ok=True)
+            continue
+        else:
+            target.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+            target.write_bytes(ours)
+        if _run(["git", "add", "--", path]).returncode != 0:
+            return f"git add {path} failed"
+    return None
+
+
+def _rebase_resolving_generated(remote_ref: str) -> tuple[bool, str, bool]:
+    """`git rebase --autostash <remote_ref>`, resolving each step whose conflicts are all in
+    generated files. Returns (succeeded, detail, resolved anything). Any other stop is aborted,
+    which also hands the autostash back."""
+    result = _run(["git", "rebase", "--autostash", remote_ref], env=_NO_EDITOR)
+    resolved = False
+    while result.returncode != 0:
+        if not _rebase_in_progress():
+            return False, result.stderr, resolved
+        reason = _resolve_generated_conflicts()
+        if reason:
+            _run(["git", "rebase", "--abort"])
+            return False, f"{reason}\n{result.stderr}", resolved
+        resolved = True
+        result = _run(["git", "rebase", "--continue"], env=_NO_EDITOR)
+    return True, "", resolved
+
+
+def regenerate_generated(log_suffix: bytes = b"") -> None:
+    """Append `log_suffix` to kb/log.md, then rewrite the catalog and kb/provenance.md from the
+    pages in the working tree - what `index rebuild` and `sources rebuild-index` write. The log
+    goes first: it is the one part that cannot be recomputed."""
+    from chemenu.commands.index_build import write_index
+    from chemenu.commands.provenance_cmd import write_provenance_index
+
+    if log_suffix:
+        with (config.ROOT / GENERATED_LOG).open("ab") as log:
+            log.write(log_suffix)
+    write_index(config.KB_DIR)
+    write_provenance_index(config.KB_DIR, config.RAW_DIR)
+
+
+def _around_generated(generated: list[str], operation, regenerate: bool) -> tuple[bool, str, bool]:
+    """Back up the working tree, set `generated` aside, run `operation` - which returns
+    (succeeded, detail, resolved generated conflicts) - and then either regenerate or put
+    everything back. Returns (succeeded, detail, regenerated).
+
+    Regenerates when something generated was set aside or resolved, or when `regenerate` says
+    both sides' commits touched a generated file - a textual merge of two catalogs can succeed
+    and still be wrong. The backup ref is dropped on success and kept, and named, on any
+    failure."""
+    backup = _back_up_working_tree()
+    if backup is None:
+        return False, "could not back up the working tree first, so nothing was changed", False
+    aside = _set_aside(generated)
+    try:
+        succeeded, detail, resolved = operation()
+    except BaseException:
+        if _rebase_in_progress():
+            _run(["git", "rebase", "--abort"])
+        _put_back(aside)
+        raise
+    if not succeeded:
+        _put_back(aside)
+        return False, (
+            f"{detail.rstrip()}\nThe working tree was restored; as it stood before, it is also "
+            f"kept at {BACKUP_REF} ({backup[:12]})."
+        ), False
+    regenerated = bool(generated) or resolved or regenerate
+    if regenerated:
+        regenerate_generated(aside.log_suffix)
+    _run(["git", "update-ref", "-d", BACKUP_REF])
+    return True, "", regenerated
+
+
 @dataclass
 class ReconcileOutcome:
     """What happened when the local branch was brought up to date with the remote before a
     publish/sync. `status` is one of: "no-remote", "remote-lacks-branch", "unreachable",
     "up-to-date", "fast-forwarded", "local-ahead", "rebased", "needs-review", "conflict".
-    The first three are the ways the fetch can fail; `detail` then carries the remote's URL."""
+    The first three are the ways the fetch can fail; `detail` then carries the remote's URL.
+    `regenerated` says the catalog and kb/provenance.md were rewritten afterwards and are an
+    uncommitted change now."""
     status: str
     pulled_commits: list[str] = field(default_factory=list)
     overlap_files: list[str] = field(default_factory=list)
@@ -780,6 +1053,7 @@ class ReconcileOutcome:
     token: str = ""
     was_reviewed: bool = False
     detail: str = ""
+    regenerated: bool = False
 
 
 def reconcile(remote: str, branch: str, confirm_rebase: Optional[str] = None) -> ReconcileOutcome:
@@ -791,6 +1065,11 @@ def reconcile(remote: str, branch: str, confirm_rebase: Optional[str] = None) ->
     actually rewrites history: an overlap that has not been cleared performs no rebase attempt
     at all, so a refused call leaves the branch exactly where it was found.
 
+    Generated files (`is_generated`) are left out of the overlap: where they - or uncommitted
+    work that no incoming commit touches - are all that stops git, the reconcile goes ahead
+    around them (see "Reconciling around generated files" above) and leaves the regenerated
+    catalog as an uncommitted change.
+
     Never commits, never pushes, never force-anything. Callers are `sync` (this is its whole
     job) and `publish` (proactively before staging, and once more if the eventual push is
     rejected - the real, narrow race this whole module exists to close)."""
@@ -812,12 +1091,24 @@ def reconcile(remote: str, branch: str, confirm_rebase: Optional[str] = None) ->
     if state == "ff-possible":
         pulled = oneline_log(branch, remote_ref)
         result = _run(["git", "merge", "--ff-only", remote_ref])
-        if result.returncode != 0:
-            # Only reachable if uncommitted local changes would be overwritten by the merge -
-            # git itself refuses and touches nothing, so this is a safe abort, not a half-done
-            # state.
+        if result.returncode == 0:
+            return ReconcileOutcome(status="fast-forwarded", pulled_commits=pulled)
+        # Only reachable if uncommitted local changes would be overwritten by the merge -
+        # git itself refuses and touches nothing, so this is a safe abort, not a half-done
+        # state. When the only such changes are generated files, they are set aside instead.
+        incoming = touched_files("HEAD", remote_ref)
+        generated, _why = _generated_to_set_aside(incoming)
+        if not generated or not incoming.intersection(generated):
             return ReconcileOutcome(status="conflict", detail=result.stderr)
-        return ReconcileOutcome(status="fast-forwarded", pulled_commits=pulled)
+
+        def fast_forward() -> tuple[bool, str, bool]:
+            retry = _run(["git", "merge", "--ff-only", remote_ref])
+            return retry.returncode == 0, retry.stderr, False
+
+        succeeded, detail, regenerated = _around_generated(generated, fast_forward, False)
+        if not succeeded:
+            return ReconcileOutcome(status="conflict", detail=detail)
+        return ReconcileOutcome(status="fast-forwarded", pulled_commits=pulled, regenerated=regenerated)
 
     if state == "local-ahead":
         return ReconcileOutcome(status="local-ahead")
@@ -830,7 +1121,10 @@ def reconcile(remote: str, branch: str, confirm_rebase: Optional[str] = None) ->
         return ReconcileOutcome(status="conflict", detail="no common history with remote")
 
     upstream_commits = oneline_log(base, remote_tip)
-    overlap = sorted(touched_files(base, local_before) & touched_files(base, remote_tip))
+    incoming = touched_files(base, remote_tip)
+    both_sides = touched_files(base, local_before) & incoming
+    overlap = sorted(path for path in both_sides if not is_generated(path))
+    generated_overlap = any(is_generated(path) for path in both_sides)
     was_reviewed = False
     token = ""
 
@@ -844,13 +1138,34 @@ def reconcile(remote: str, branch: str, confirm_rebase: Optional[str] = None) ->
             )
         was_reviewed = True
 
-    rebase_result = _run(["git", "rebase", remote_ref])
-    if rebase_result.returncode != 0:
-        _run(["git", "rebase", "--abort"])
-        return ReconcileOutcome(status="conflict", detail=rebase_result.stderr)
+    tracked, untracked = _dirty_paths()
+    in_the_way = tracked + [path for path in untracked if is_generated(path)]
+    if not in_the_way and not generated_overlap:
+        # Nothing generated on both sides and nothing uncommitted that `git rebase` refuses
+        # over: the plain rebase, exactly as it always ran.
+        rebase_result = _run(["git", "rebase", remote_ref])
+        if rebase_result.returncode != 0:
+            _run(["git", "rebase", "--abort"])
+            return ReconcileOutcome(status="conflict", detail=rebase_result.stderr)
+        return ReconcileOutcome(
+            status="rebased", pulled_commits=upstream_commits,
+            overlap_files=overlap, was_reviewed=was_reviewed, token=token,
+        )
+
+    generated, why = _generated_to_set_aside(incoming)
+    if generated is None:
+        return ReconcileOutcome(
+            status="conflict",
+            detail=f"Nothing was changed: {why}. Commit or set aside that change, then re-run.",
+        )
+    succeeded, detail, regenerated = _around_generated(
+        generated, lambda: _rebase_resolving_generated(remote_ref), generated_overlap,
+    )
+    if not succeeded:
+        return ReconcileOutcome(status="conflict", detail=detail)
     return ReconcileOutcome(
         status="rebased", pulled_commits=upstream_commits,
-        overlap_files=overlap, was_reviewed=was_reviewed, token=token,
+        overlap_files=overlap, was_reviewed=was_reviewed, token=token, regenerated=regenerated,
     )
 
 
@@ -920,13 +1235,26 @@ def rebase_review_message(outcome: ReconcileOutcome, remote: str, branch: str, c
 def _reconcile_summary(outcome: ReconcileOutcome, remote: str, branch: str) -> str:
     """One line for the outcomes that do not fail or gate - what to tell the caller, or "" for
     `conflict` and `needs-review`, which `apply_reconcile` raises on instead."""
+    regenerated = (
+        " Generated files were merged mechanically: kb/log.md keeps both sides' entries, and the "
+        "catalog and kb/provenance.md were regenerated - an uncommitted change now."
+        if outcome.regenerated else ""
+    )
     if outcome.status == "fast-forwarded":
-        return f"Pulled {len(outcome.pulled_commits)} commit(s) from {remote}/{branch}."
+        return f"Pulled {len(outcome.pulled_commits)} commit(s) from {remote}/{branch}.{regenerated}"
     if outcome.status == "local-ahead":
         return f"Local branch is ahead of {remote}/{branch}; nothing to pull."
     if outcome.status == "rebased":
-        reviewed = " after review" if outcome.was_reviewed else " (no file overlap, automatic)"
-        return f"Rebased onto {len(outcome.pulled_commits)} new commit(s) from {remote}/{branch}{reviewed}."
+        if outcome.was_reviewed:
+            how = " after review"
+        elif outcome.regenerated:
+            how = " (no overlap outside generated files, automatic)"
+        else:
+            how = " (no file overlap, automatic)"
+        return (
+            f"Rebased onto {len(outcome.pulled_commits)} new commit(s) from "
+            f"{remote}/{branch}{how}.{regenerated}"
+        )
     if outcome.status == "up-to-date":
         return f"Already up to date with {remote}/{branch}."
     if outcome.status == "no-remote":
@@ -1003,7 +1331,9 @@ def apply_reconcile(outcome: ReconcileOutcome, remote: str, branch: str, command
     properties=cli_contract.Properties(
         effect=cli_contract.Effect.WRITE,
         idempotent=cli_contract.Idempotent.YES,
-        atomic="No - fetch, then at most one merge/rebase attempt, aborted cleanly on failure",
+        atomic="No - fetch, then at most one merge/rebase attempt, aborted cleanly on failure "
+        "with the working tree restored; a success that merged generated files then rewrites "
+        "the catalog",
         budget=cli_contract.Budget.COUNTED,
         network=cli_contract.Network.YES,
         gates=("rebase-review",),
@@ -1012,9 +1342,21 @@ def apply_reconcile(outcome: ReconcileOutcome, remote: str, branch: str, command
         "Fetches `<remote>/<branch>`, then: fast-forwards when only the remote moved; rebases "
         "the local commits on top when both sides moved but touched disjoint files; exits 42 "
         "(rebase-review gate) when both sides touched the same file.",
+        "Files `wikitool` generates (`kb/index.md`, `kb/log.md`, `kb/provenance.md`, every "
+        "`kb/**/INDEX.md`) never count as an overlap and never reach the gate. Where they are "
+        "what stops git - uncommitted ones in the way of a fast-forward or rebase, or a rebase "
+        "conflict in them - they are merged mechanically: `kb/log.md` becomes the incoming log "
+        "plus the entries only this side appended, and the catalog and `kb/provenance.md` are "
+        "regenerated from the merged pages and left as an uncommitted change. A reconcile git "
+        "can do on its own is unchanged and regenerates nothing.",
+        "Uncommitted changes that no incoming commit touches no longer stop a rebase: they are "
+        "carried through it (`git rebase --autostash`) and come back unchanged.",
+        "Before anything is set aside, the working tree is stored as a commit under "
+        "`refs/wikitool/reconcile-backup`. A successful reconcile drops it; a failed one "
+        "restores the working tree and names the ref.",
         "A refused call performs no rebase attempt and leaves the branch where it was.",
         "The `--confirm-rebase` token covers the exact upstream state and the set of files "
-        "touched on both sides; either one moving makes it stale.",
+        "touched on both sides, generated files excluded; either one moving makes it stale.",
         "Makes no commit, no push, and no forced operation of any kind.",
         "Three messages for a fetch that fails: no remote of that name, a remote that answers "
         "but has no such branch yet (a new, empty repository), and a remote that cannot be "
@@ -1033,13 +1375,21 @@ def apply_reconcile(outcome: ReconcileOutcome, remote: str, branch: str, command
             code=0,
         ),
         cli_contract.Failure(
-            cause="The automatic rebase hit a real conflict (git failed); it is aborted cleanly",
+            cause="The automatic rebase hit a real conflict outside the generated files (git "
+            "failed), or `kb/log.md` was edited rather than appended to; it is aborted cleanly "
+            "and the working tree restored",
             reaction="Do not retry and do not force - resolve the conflict manually, then re-run",
         ),
+        cli_contract.Failure(
+            cause="An uncommitted change - or an untracked file - sits on a path the incoming "
+            "commits also change; nothing was changed",
+            reaction="Show the user the file it names. Once that change is committed or moved "
+            "out of the way, re-run once",
+        ),
         cli_contract.Failure(
             cause="Rebase-review gate: `<remote>/<branch>` moved and both sides changed the "
-            "same file; the output lists the upstream commits, the overlapping files and their "
-            "diff",
+            "same file, generated files aside; the output lists the upstream commits, the "
+            "overlapping files and their diff",
             reaction=cli_contract.token_gate_reaction("--confirm-rebase"),
             code=42,
         ),
@@ -1116,6 +1466,24 @@ def commit_message(message: str, changed_files: list[str]) -> str:
     return candidate if _trailers(candidate) == trailers else plain
 
 
+def commit_regenerated(remote: str, branch: str) -> None:
+    """Commit the generated files a reconcile just rewrote - and only those, whatever else is
+    staged - with a message of their own."""
+    tracked, untracked = _dirty_paths()
+    paths = sorted(path for path in tracked + untracked if is_generated(path))
+    if not paths:
+        return
+    add_result = _run(["git", "add", "-A", "--", *paths])
+    if add_result.returncode != 0:
+        fail(f"git add failed:\n{add_result.stderr}")
+    message = commit_message(
+        f"chore: regenerate the catalog after reconciling with {remote}/{branch}", paths,
+    )
+    commit_result = _run(["git", "commit", "-m", message, "--", *paths])
+    if commit_result.returncode != 0:
+        fail(f"git commit failed:\n{commit_result.stderr}")
+
+
 @cli_contract.record(cli_contract.CommandRecord(
     path="publish",
     summary="Reconcile with `<remote>/<branch>`, then stage all changes, commit, and push.",
@@ -1150,6 +1518,12 @@ def commit_message(message: str, changed_files: list[str]) -> str:
         "and exits 42 (rebase-review gate) when both sides touched the same file. A refused "
         "reconcile performs no rebase attempt. The `--confirm-rebase` token covers the exact "
         "upstream state and the set of files touched on both sides.",
+        "Generated files are never an overlap: where they are all that stops the reconcile, it "
+        "merges them as `sync` does (both sides' log entries kept, the catalog and "
+        "`kb/provenance.md` regenerated) and carries uncommitted changes no incoming commit "
+        "touches through the rebase. The proactive reconcile runs before staging, so this "
+        "publish commits the regenerated files; on the retry after a rejected push they get a "
+        "commit of their own before the second push.",
         "The push target must be the checked-out branch; this is checked before anything is "
         "staged. The unborn branch of a fresh `git init -b main` counts as checked out, so the "
         "first publish of a new instance works; a real detached HEAD is refused.",
@@ -1171,8 +1545,8 @@ def commit_message(message: str, changed_files: list[str]) -> str:
         "refused publish leaves both byte-identical.",
         "Never counted and never shown for approval, but committed like everything else: "
         "anything under `work/`, and the files `wikitool` generates itself (`kb/index.md`, "
-        "`kb/log.md`, `kb/provenance.md`, every `INDEX.md`). The refusal line accounts for "
-        "both, by reason.",
+        "`kb/log.md`, `kb/provenance.md`, every `INDEX.md` under `kb/`). The refusal line "
+        "accounts for both, by reason.",
         "The `--confirm` token covers each counted path, the blob id of its contents and the "
         "publish target: a different file list or edited contents need a new clearance.",
         "Publish-Remote Gate: when the checkout carries `.wikitool-remotes.json` and the push "
@@ -1199,7 +1573,8 @@ def commit_message(message: str, changed_files: list[str]) -> str:
     failures=(
         cli_contract.Failure(
             cause="git failed - `git add`, `git commit`, `git push`, or the reconcile's "
-            "automatic rebase",
+            "automatic rebase (a conflict outside the generated files, an edited `kb/log.md`, "
+            "or an uncommitted change on a path the incoming commits change)",
             reaction="Do not retry and do not force - report and ask the user. `publish` has "
             "already made its one retry of a rejected push itself, where a reconcile resolved "
             "the rejection",
@@ -1443,6 +1818,10 @@ def publish_command(
                 retry_summary = apply_reconcile(retry_outcome, remote, branch, "publish")
                 if retry_summary:
                     typer.echo(retry_summary)
+                if retry_outcome.regenerated:
+                    # Staging is long past here, so the regenerated catalog would otherwise
+                    # stay behind and the push would carry the stale one it was merged from.
+                    commit_regenerated(remote, branch)
                 push_result = _run(["git", "push", remote, branch])
             elif retry_outcome.status in ("conflict", "needs-review"):
                 apply_reconcile(retry_outcome, remote, branch, "publish")  # raises

tools/chemenu/commands/index_build.py

@@ -210,6 +210,21 @@ def stale_shards(kb_dir: Path, plan: dict[Path, str]) -> list[Path]:
     return sorted(p for p in kb_dir.rglob(GENERATED_INDEX) if p not in plan)
 
 
+def write_index(kb_dir: Path) -> tuple[dict[Path, str], list[Path]]:
+    """Write every catalog file and remove every stale shard; returns (plan, removed).
+
+    The writing half of `index rebuild`, as a function so `reconcile` can regenerate the
+    catalog in-process after it has merged two sides' generated files."""
+    plan = plan_index(kb_dir)
+    stale = stale_shards(kb_dir, plan)
+    for path, content in plan.items():
+        path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+        path.write_text(content, encoding="utf-8", newline="\n")
+    for path in stale:
+        path.unlink()
+    return plan, stale
+
+
 def build_index(kb_dir: Path) -> str:
     """The root map. Kept as a named function because callers (and tests) ask
     for "the index" meaning the entry point, not the whole plan."""
@@ -276,24 +291,17 @@ def index_rebuild(
             "See `wikitool lint`'s Nested Pages finding."
         )
 
-    plan = plan_index(config.KB_DIR)
-    stale = stale_shards(config.KB_DIR, plan)
-
     if dry_run:
+        plan = plan_index(config.KB_DIR)
         for path in sorted(plan):
             typer.echo(f"--- {rel_path(path)}")
             # nl=False: the content already ends in a newline.
             typer.echo(plan[path], nl=False)
-        for path in stale:
+        for path in stale_shards(config.KB_DIR, plan):
             typer.echo(f"--- would remove stale shard: {rel_path(path)}")
         return
 
-    for path, content in plan.items():
-        path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
-        path.write_text(content, encoding="utf-8", newline="\n")
-    for path in stale:
-        path.unlink()
-
+    plan, stale = write_index(config.KB_DIR)
     shards = len(plan) - 1
     removed = f", removed {len(stale)} stale" if stale else ""
     success(f"Rebuilt {rel_path(config.INDEX_FILE)} and {shards} shard(s){removed}")

tools/chemenu/commands/provenance_cmd.py

@@ -231,6 +231,14 @@ def build_provenance_index(kb_dir: Path, raw_dir: Path) -> str:
     return "\n".join(lines) + "\n"
 
 
+def write_provenance_index(kb_dir: Path, raw_dir: Path) -> Path:
+    """Write `kb/provenance.md` from scratch and return its path - the writing half of
+    `sources rebuild-index`, callable in-process by `reconcile`."""
+    provenance_file = kb_dir / "provenance.md"
+    provenance_file.write_text(build_provenance_index(kb_dir, raw_dir), encoding="utf-8", newline="\n")
+    return provenance_file
+
+
 @app.command("rebuild-index")
 @cli_contract.record(cli_contract.CommandRecord(
     path="sources rebuild-index",
@@ -267,12 +275,10 @@ def rebuild_index(
     dry_run: bool = typer.Option(False, "--dry-run", help="Print the result instead of writing kb/provenance.md"),
 ):
     """Regenerate the `kb/provenance.md` reverse index."""
-    content = build_provenance_index(config.KB_DIR, config.RAW_DIR)
-    provenance_file = config.KB_DIR / "provenance.md"
     if dry_run:
         # nl=False so the preview is byte-identical to the file that would be
         # written; see the same note in index_build.py.
-        typer.echo(content, nl=False)
+        typer.echo(build_provenance_index(config.KB_DIR, config.RAW_DIR), nl=False)
         return
-    provenance_file.write_text(content, encoding="utf-8", newline="\n")
+    provenance_file = write_provenance_index(config.KB_DIR, config.RAW_DIR)
     success(f"Rebuilt {rel_path(provenance_file)}")

tools/chemenu/tests/test_git_publish.py

@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import json
+import shutil
 import subprocess
 
 import pytest
@@ -367,8 +368,8 @@ def _publish(**overrides):
     """Call `publish_command` directly. Every parameter must be given a real
     value: bypassing Typer's CLI parsing means an omitted argument keeps its
     `typer.Option(...)` sentinel instead of the value it wraps."""
-    kwargs = dict(message="change", push=True, confirm=None, yes=False, threshold=10,
-                  remote="origin", branch="main", path=None)
+    kwargs = dict(message="change", push=True, confirm=None, confirm_rebase=None, yes=False,
+                  threshold=10, remote="origin", branch="main", path=None)
     kwargs.update(overrides)
     publish_command(**kwargs)
 
@@ -515,6 +516,14 @@ def test_generated_files_are_recognised_wherever_they_sit():
     assert not is_generated("kb/concepts/protocols/Modbus.md")
 
 
+def test_an_index_md_outside_kb_is_not_generated():
+    """A captured repository under raw/ may carry its own INDEX.md. It is source material, and
+    `reconcile` discards and regenerates whatever this predicate calls generated."""
+    assert not is_generated("raw/repos/project/INDEX.md")
+    assert not is_generated("docs/INDEX.md")
+    assert counted_files(["raw/repos/project/INDEX.md"]) == ["raw/repos/project/INDEX.md"]
+
+
 def test_paths_land_in_the_group_a_reviewer_expects():
     assert group_of("kb/concepts/X.md")[0] == "Published knowledge"
     assert group_of("AGENTS.md")[0] == "Agent control plane"
@@ -1497,3 +1506,395 @@ def test_a_mass_update_token_does_not_depend_on_the_message(repo):
     assert _git(
         repo, "log", "-1", "--format=%(trailers:key=Co-Authored-By,valueonly)"
     ).stdout.strip() == "A <a@x>"
+
+
+# --- Reconciling around generated files: two ingests on two checkouts -----------------------
+#
+# Every ingest touches kb/index.md and kb/log.md. These tests build a real catalog with the
+# shipped rebuild functions, so "the catalog is current" is checked against what `index
+# rebuild`/`sources rebuild-index` actually write, not against a hand-made stand-in.
+
+from contextlib import contextmanager
+
+from chemenu.commands.log_append import format_log_entry, parse_log_entries
+from chemenu.frontmatter_io import write_page
+from chemenu.tests.conftest import use_shipped_type_specs
+
+GENERATED_FILES = ("kb/index.md", "kb/log.md", "kb/provenance.md", "kb/concepts/INDEX.md")
+
+
+@contextmanager
+def _at(root):
+    """Point `config.ROOT` at another checkout for the duration - the writer clone builds its
+    catalog with the same functions, against its own tree."""
+    previous = config.ROOT
+    config.ROOT = root
+    try:
+        yield
+    finally:
+        config.ROOT = previous
+
+
+def _write_concept(root, title, text="A concept.\n"):
+    write_page(
+        root / f"kb/concepts/protocols/{title}.md",
+        {"type": "types/concept.md", "concept_type": "protocol", "tags": [],
+         "created": "2026-10-06", "modified": "2026-10-06", "related": [], "sources": []},
+        f"\n# {title}\n\n## Definition\n\n{text}",
+    )
+
+
+def _ingest(root, title, text="A concept.\n"):
+    """What an ingest leaves in the working tree: a page, the regenerated catalog and
+    provenance, and one appended log entry."""
+    _write_concept(root, title, text)
+    with _at(root):
+        git_publish.regenerate_generated()
+    with (root / "kb/log.md").open("a", encoding="utf-8", newline="\n") as log:
+        log.write("\n" + format_log_entry("ingest", title, today="2026-10-06"))
+
+
+def _commit_all(root, message):
+    _git(root, "add", "-A")
+    _git(root, "commit", "-m", message)
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def wiki_repo(repo, monkeypatch):
+    """`repo` with a real, pushed kb/: one collection, one page, its catalog and provenance
+    built by the shipped functions, and a log."""
+    use_shipped_type_specs(monkeypatch)
+    (repo / "kb/concepts").mkdir(parents=True)
+    (repo / "kb/concepts/COLLECTION.md").write_text(
+        "---\nprofile: concepts\nrequired_by_stack: false\noutbound:\n  any: [see-also]\n---\n\n"
+        "# kb/concepts/ - Collection Contract\n",
+        encoding="utf-8",
+    )
+    (repo / "raw/notes").mkdir(parents=True)
+    (repo / "raw/notes/a.md").write_text("raw\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    (repo / "kb/log.md").write_text("# Wiki Log\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    _ingest(repo, "Base")
+    _commit_all(repo, "wiki")
+    _git(repo, "push", "origin", "main")
+    return repo
+
+
+def _writer_ingest(writer, title):
+    _ingest(writer, title)
+    _commit_all(writer, f"writer ingest: {title}")
+    _git(writer, "push", "origin", "main")
+
+
+def _tree(root):
+    """Every file of the working tree outside .git, as bytes."""
+    return {
+        path.relative_to(root).as_posix(): path.read_bytes()
+        for path in root.rglob("*")
+        if path.is_file() and ".git" not in path.relative_to(root).parts
+    }
+
+
+def _non_generated(tree):
+    return {path: data for path, data in tree.items() if not is_generated(path)}
+
+
+def _assert_kept(before, root):
+    """Every non-generated file `before` holds is still there, byte for byte. Files the
+    incoming commits add are new, not changed."""
+    after = _tree(root)
+    assert {path: after.get(path) for path in _non_generated(before)} == _non_generated(before)
+
+
+def _check_tree(root):
+    """A fresh clone of the remote tip, as a place to compare its generated files against a
+    rebuild of that same tip."""
+    check = root.parent / "check"
+    shutil.rmtree(check, ignore_errors=True)
+    subprocess.run(["git", "clone", str(_remote_for(root)), str(check)], check=True,
+                   capture_output=True)
+    return check
+
+
+def _assert_generated_current(root):
+    """The generated files at `root` are byte for byte what a rebuild of `root` writes today."""
+    before = {path: (root / path).read_bytes() for path in GENERATED_FILES if path != "kb/log.md"}
+    with _at(root):
+        git_publish.regenerate_generated()
+    after = {path: (root / path).read_bytes() for path in before}
+    assert before == after
+
+
+def _logged_titles(root):
+    return [title for _date, _op, title in parse_log_entries(
+        (root / "kb/log.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8"))]
+
+
+def test_case_1_an_uncommitted_ingest_publishes_over_an_ingest_that_landed_meanwhile(wiki_repo):
+    writer = _clone_writer(wiki_repo)
+    _writer_ingest(writer, "Writer")
+    _ingest(wiki_repo, "Local")
+
+    _publish(message="ingest: Local")  # must not raise - no gate, no failure
+
+    check = _check_tree(wiki_repo)
+    assert (check / "kb/concepts/protocols/Writer.md").is_file()
+    assert (check / "kb/concepts/protocols/Local.md").is_file()
+    assert _logged_titles(check) == ["Base", "Writer", "Local"]
+    _assert_generated_current(check)
+    assert _status(wiki_repo) == ""
+
+
+def test_case_1_on_sync_leaves_the_regenerated_catalog_uncommitted(wiki_repo):
+    writer = _clone_writer(wiki_repo)
+    _writer_ingest(writer, "Writer")
+    _ingest(wiki_repo, "Local")
+    page = (wiki_repo / "kb/concepts/protocols/Local.md").read_bytes()
+
+    outcome = reconcile("origin", "main", None)
+
+    assert (outcome.status, outcome.regenerated) == ("fast-forwarded", True)
+    assert (wiki_repo / "kb/concepts/protocols/Local.md").read_bytes() == page
+    assert _logged_titles(wiki_repo) == ["Base", "Writer", "Local"]
+    _assert_generated_current(wiki_repo)
+    assert "kb/index.md" in _status(wiki_repo)
+    assert subprocess.run(["git", "show-ref", "--verify", "-q", git_publish.BACKUP_REF],
+                          cwd=wiki_repo).returncode != 0  # dropped on success
+
+
+def test_case_2_two_committed_ingests_rebase_without_the_review_gate(wiki_repo):
+    writer = _clone_writer(wiki_repo)
+    _writer_ingest(writer, "Writer")
+    _ingest(wiki_repo, "Local")
+    _commit_all(wiki_repo, "local ingest, push failed")  # the stranded commit
+
+    _publish(message="retry")  # must not raise
+
+    check = _check_tree(wiki_repo)
+    assert _logged_titles(check) == ["Base", "Writer", "Local"]
+    _assert_generated_current(check)
+    assert _status(wiki_repo) == ""
+
+
+def test_case_2_on_sync_ends_with_exit_0_and_both_sides_in_the_log(wiki_repo):
+    writer = _clone_writer(wiki_repo)
+    _writer_ingest(writer, "Writer")
+    _ingest(wiki_repo, "Local")
+    _commit_all(wiki_repo, "local ingest")
+
+    _sync()  # must not raise
+
+    assert _logged_titles(wiki_repo) == ["Base", "Writer", "Local"]
+    _assert_generated_current(wiki_repo)
+    assert "writer ingest: Writer" in _git(wiki_repo, "log", "--oneline").stdout
+
+
+def test_case_2_still_gates_on_an_overlapping_page_and_names_no_generated_file(wiki_repo):
+    writer = _clone_writer(wiki_repo)
+    _ingest(writer, "Base", text="Writer's definition.\n")
+    _commit_all(writer, "writer edits Base")
+    _git(writer, "push", "origin", "main")
+    _ingest(wiki_repo, "Base", text="Local definition.\n")
+    _commit_all(wiki_repo, "local edits Base")
+
+    outcome = reconcile("origin", "main", None)
+
+    assert outcome.status == "needs-review"
+    assert outcome.overlap_files == ["kb/concepts/protocols/Base.md"]
+    assert "kb/log.md" not in outcome.overlap_diff and "kb/index.md" not in outcome.overlap_diff
+
+
+def test_case_2_in_the_retry_path_commits_the_regenerated_catalog_before_the_push(
+    wiki_repo, monkeypatch
+):
+    writer = _clone_writer(wiki_repo)
+    raced = {"done": False}
+    real_run = git_publish._run
+
+    def racy_run(args, **kwargs):
+        if args[:2] == ["git", "push"] and not raced["done"]:
+            raced["done"] = True
+            _writer_ingest(writer, "Writer")
+        return real_run(args, **kwargs)
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(git_publish, "_run", racy_run)
+    _ingest(wiki_repo, "Local")
+
+    _publish(message="ingest: Local")  # must not raise
+
+    assert raced["done"]
+    check = _check_tree(wiki_repo)
+    assert _logged_titles(check) == ["Base", "Writer", "Local"]
+    _assert_generated_current(check)
+    assert "chore: regenerate the catalog" in _git(check, "log", "-1", "--format=%s").stdout
+    assert _status(wiki_repo) == ""
+
+
+def _stranded_ingest_plus_uncommitted_ingest(wiki_repo):
+    writer = _clone_writer(wiki_repo)
+    _writer_ingest(writer, "Writer")
+    _ingest(wiki_repo, "Stranded")
+    _commit_all(wiki_repo, "stranded ingest")
+    _ingest(wiki_repo, "Uncommitted")
+    (wiki_repo / "README.md").write_text("init\nedited, not committed\n", encoding="utf-8")
+
+
+def test_case_3_publish_carries_uncommitted_work_over_a_stranded_commit(wiki_repo):
+    _stranded_ingest_plus_uncommitted_ingest(wiki_repo)
+
+    _publish(message="ingest: Uncommitted")  # must not raise
+
+    check = _check_tree(wiki_repo)
+    assert (check / "kb/concepts/protocols/Uncommitted.md").is_file()
+    assert (check / "README.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "init\nedited, not committed\n"
+    assert _logged_titles(check) == ["Base", "Writer", "Stranded", "Uncommitted"]
+    _assert_generated_current(check)
+
+
+def test_case_3_sync_leaves_the_uncommitted_pages_exactly_as_they_were(wiki_repo):
+    _stranded_ingest_plus_uncommitted_ingest(wiki_repo)
+    before = _tree(wiki_repo)
+
+    _sync()  # must not raise
+
+    _assert_kept(before, wiki_repo)
+    status = _status(wiki_repo)
+    assert "README.md" in status and "Uncommitted.md" in status  # still uncommitted
+    assert _logged_titles(wiki_repo) == ["Base", "Writer", "Stranded", "Uncommitted"]
+    _assert_generated_current(wiki_repo)
+
+
+def test_case_3_without_generated_files_rebases_and_rebuilds_nothing(repo, monkeypatch):
+    """A stranded commit and an unrelated uncommitted edit: `git rebase` used to refuse over
+    the edit. Nothing generated is involved, so nothing is regenerated."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(git_publish, "regenerate_generated",
+                        lambda *a, **k: pytest.fail("nothing generated was involved"))
+    writer = _clone_writer(repo)
+    _push_from_writer(writer, "from-writer.md", "writer\n")
+    (repo / "local.md").write_text("local\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    _commit_all(repo, "stranded")
+    (repo / "README.md").write_text("uncommitted\n", encoding="utf-8")
+
+    outcome = reconcile("origin", "main", None)
+
+    assert (outcome.status, outcome.regenerated) == ("rebased", False)
+    assert (repo / "README.md").read_text(encoding="utf-8") == "uncommitted\n"
+    assert (repo / "from-writer.md").is_file()
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("how", ["raises", "fails"])
+def test_uncommitted_work_survives_an_abort_in_the_middle_of_the_rebase(wiki_repo, monkeypatch, how):
+    """The invariant: whatever happens mid-rebase, every non-generated file in the working tree
+    is byte-identical afterwards, and the branch has not moved. A failure also restores the
+    generated files and names the backup ref."""
+    _stranded_ingest_plus_uncommitted_ingest(wiki_repo)
+    before_tree = _tree(wiki_repo)
+    before_head = _git(wiki_repo, "rev-parse", "HEAD").stdout
+
+    def forced(*_args):
+        if how == "raises":
+            raise RuntimeError("forced abort mid-rebase")
+        return "forced failure"
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(git_publish, "_resolve_generated_conflicts", forced)
+
+    if how == "raises":
+        with pytest.raises(RuntimeError):
+            reconcile("origin", "main", None)
+    else:
+        outcome = reconcile("origin", "main", None)
+        assert outcome.status == "conflict"
+        assert git_publish.BACKUP_REF in outcome.detail
+        assert _tree(wiki_repo) == before_tree
+
+    assert _non_generated(_tree(wiki_repo)) == _non_generated(before_tree)
+    assert _git(wiki_repo, "rev-parse", "HEAD").stdout == before_head
+    assert not git_publish._rebase_in_progress()
+    assert _git(wiki_repo, "stash", "list").stdout == ""
+    # The backup holds the working tree as it stood, uncommitted page included.
+    assert "Uncommitted" in _git(
+        wiki_repo, "show", f"{git_publish.BACKUP_REF}:kb/concepts/protocols/Uncommitted.md"
+    ).stdout
+
+
+def _assert_untouched(repo, run):
+    tree, head = _tree(repo), _git(repo, "rev-parse", "HEAD").stdout
+    with pytest.raises(typer.Exit) as excinfo:
+        run()
+    assert excinfo.value.exit_code == 1
+    assert _tree(repo) == tree
+    assert _git(repo, "rev-parse", "HEAD").stdout == head
+
+
+def test_a_hand_edited_log_is_left_to_git_as_before(wiki_repo):
+    writer = _clone_writer(wiki_repo)
+    _writer_ingest(writer, "Writer")
+    _ingest(wiki_repo, "Local")
+    log = wiki_repo / "kb/log.md"
+    log.write_text(log.read_text(encoding="utf-8").replace("# Wiki Log", "# Edited Log"),
+                   encoding="utf-8")
+
+    _assert_untouched(wiki_repo, _sync)
+
+
+def test_a_log_rewritten_in_a_local_commit_aborts_the_rebase_as_before(wiki_repo):
+    writer = _clone_writer(wiki_repo)
+    _writer_ingest(writer, "Writer")
+    _ingest(wiki_repo, "Local")
+    log = wiki_repo / "kb/log.md"
+    log.write_text(log.read_text(encoding="utf-8").replace("# Wiki Log", "# Edited Log"),
+                   encoding="utf-8")
+    _commit_all(wiki_repo, "local ingest with a rewritten log")
+
+    _assert_untouched(wiki_repo, _sync)
+
+
+def test_an_uncommitted_change_to_a_file_the_incoming_commits_change_stops_as_before(wiki_repo):
+    writer = _clone_writer(wiki_repo)
+    _ingest(writer, "Base", text="Writer's definition.\n")
+    _commit_all(writer, "writer edits Base")
+    _git(writer, "push", "origin", "main")
+    _ingest(wiki_repo, "Stranded")
+    _commit_all(wiki_repo, "stranded")
+    _write_concept(wiki_repo, "Base", "Uncommitted local definition.\n")
+
+    _assert_untouched(wiki_repo, _sync)
+
+
+def test_an_untracked_file_on_an_incoming_path_stops_as_before(wiki_repo):
+    writer = _clone_writer(wiki_repo)
+    _writer_ingest(writer, "Writer")
+    _ingest(wiki_repo, "Stranded")
+    _commit_all(wiki_repo, "stranded")
+    _write_concept(wiki_repo, "Writer", "Same title, written here and never committed.\n")
+
+    _assert_untouched(wiki_repo, _sync)
+
+
+def test_a_plain_fast_forward_regenerates_nothing(wiki_repo, monkeypatch):
+    """None of the three cases: the result is what it always was, and in particular no rebuild
+    runs - it would stamp today's date into kb/index.md and leave every sync dirty."""
+    writer = _clone_writer(wiki_repo)
+    _writer_ingest(writer, "Writer")
+    monkeypatch.setattr(git_publish, "regenerate_generated",
+                        lambda *a, **k: pytest.fail("no rebuild without a collision"))
+
+    outcome = reconcile("origin", "main", None)
+
+    assert (outcome.status, outcome.regenerated) == ("fast-forwarded", False)
+    assert _status(wiki_repo) == ""
+
+
+def test_an_index_md_under_raw_still_goes_to_review_when_both_sides_change_it(repo):
+    (repo / "raw/repos/project").mkdir(parents=True)
+    (repo / "raw/repos/project/INDEX.md").write_text("original\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    _commit_all(repo, "capture")
+    _git(repo, "push", "origin", "main")
+    writer = _clone_writer(repo)
+    _push_from_writer(writer, "raw/repos/project/INDEX.md", "writer\n")
+    (repo / "raw/repos/project/INDEX.md").write_text("local\n", encoding="utf-8")
+    _commit_all(repo, "local")
+
+    outcome = reconcile("origin", "main", None)
+
+    assert outcome.status == "needs-review"
+    assert outcome.overlap_files == ["raw/repos/project/INDEX.md"]