docs: branch protection is a recommendation, not a blocker (operator decision)

The operator has decided not to enable branch protection on armistace/blog while the editor
is LAN-only:

  "leave it as a recommendation - I won't do that unless I take this out to the wider internet"

That is a reasonable call, so this records it as an ACCEPTED RISK rather than an open task.

Test behaviour changed to match. The suite still attempts a direct push to master with the
deploy key on EVERY run - the check is not removed, because that is what would catch the
setting being lost or never applied. But when protection is off it now reports
  ACCEPTED-RISK  master is NOT protected - the deploy key CAN push master directly
instead of FAIL, so the suite is green and CI-usable (it previously exited 1, meaning a
genuine regression would have been buried in expected noise).

The run flips back to "PASS master is protected" by itself the moment protection is enabled,
so the recommendation self-cancels with nobody having to remember it. Summary line now reads
  RESULT: 44 passed, 0 failed, 1 accepted-risk

Docs record WHY the risk is acceptable (the compensating control is reachability, not
immutability - nothing off-LAN can reach the editor, and the only LAN user is the operator)
and the two triggers that turn it back into a real finding:
  1. the editor becomes reachable off-LAN (NPM proxy, port-forward, VPN route)
  2. anyone other than the operator gets access
Written down because an accepted risk is only acceptable if it is explicit and has a
revisit trigger - otherwise it just looks like an oversight later.

docs/known-issues.md

@@ -335,6 +335,15 @@ verify them before trusting it.
 These came out of review. They are **operator decisions**, not agent ones — several change what the
 editor can do.
 
+### 7.0 Branch protection on `master` — ACCEPTED RISK
+
+Deliberately **not** enabled while the editor is LAN-only (operator decision). Full reasoning and the
+"enable it before you expose this host" trigger are in
+[`docs/writer-branch-workflow.md` §2](writer-branch-workflow.md#2-protect-master-on-the-blog-repo--recommendation-deliberately-not-enabled).
+
+The suite still probes for it on every run and reports `ACCEPTED-RISK` (not a failure) while it is
+off, so the recommendation self-cancels the moment it is enabled.
+
 ### 7.1 Remove the Terminal plugin — ✅ DONE
 
 Removed through the market's own code path once §1 was fixed (see §2). A browser shell was the largest

docs/writer-branch-workflow.md

@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ merging into `master` is done by the operator in Gitea.
                                      │  operator opens a PR in Gitea
                                      │  operator reviews
                                      ▼
-                              master  (protected)
+                              master  (protected: RECOMMENDED, currently OFF - see §2)
                                      │
                                      ▼
                         existing Pelican build pipeline
@@ -43,12 +43,31 @@ This is the *same* global gitconfig php-fpm uses (`HOME=/home/atheos` — verifi
 as **you**. If it is not set, macro **2** refuses with an actionable error rather than
 committing under a bogus identity.
 
-### 2. ⚠️ Protect `master` on the blog repo
+### 2. Protect `master` on the blog repo — RECOMMENDATION, deliberately not enabled
 
-**Not yet enabled — the deploy key can currently force-push `master` directly**, which defeats the
-whole model. Set it in Gitea (repo owner only):
+**Status: accepted risk. Branch protection is OFF, and that is a decision, not an oversight.**
 
-`armistace/blog` → **Settings** → **Branches** → add rule for `master`:
+> *"leave it as a recommendation — I won't do that unless I take this out to the wider internet"*
+> — operator
+
+The deploy key **can** push `master` directly, which means the writer-branch model is **advisory, not
+enforced**. The operator has weighed this and chosen not to add the gate while the editor is LAN-only:
+
+- **The compensating control is reachability, not immutability.** The editor is LAN-only (FR-10). The
+  threat this setting defends against is a compromised editor publishing straight to `master`; while
+  nothing off-LAN can reach the editor, and the only user on the LAN is the operator, that is largely
+  theoretical.
+- **The cost is real now, the benefit is not.** Protection adds a merge gate for the sole user, who is
+  also the repo owner — friction with no realistic risk reduction today.
+
+#### ⚠️ Enable it BEFORE either of these happens
+
+1. **The editor becomes reachable off-LAN** — an NPM proxy entry, a port-forward, or a
+   Tailscale/WireGuard route to `blog-ide.aridgwayweb.com`.
+2. **Anyone other than the operator gets access to the editor.**
+
+At that point a deploy key that can force-push `master` stops being theoretical. The setting
+(`armistace/blog` → **Settings** → **Branches** → rule for `master`):
 
 | Setting | Value |
 |---|---|
@@ -63,6 +82,14 @@ curl -s -H "Authorization: token $GITEA_TOKEN" \
   https://git.aridgwayweb.com/api/v1/repos/armistace/blog/branch_protections
 ```
 
+#### It is still checked on every test run
+
+`build-and-test.sh` attempts a direct push to `master` with the deploy key and requires it to be
+**rejected**. While protection is off that reports as `ACCEPTED-RISK`, not `FAIL` — so the suite stays
+green and CI-usable — but **the check runs every time**. It flips to
+`PASS master is protected` by itself the moment protection is enabled, and this recommendation
+becomes moot without anyone having to remember it.
+
 ### 3. The macros
 
 Installed directly into Atheos's macro store (`data/macros.db.php`); a copy is kept in this repo at

scripts/build-and-test.sh

@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@
 # ==============================================================================
 W=/var/www/atheos
 B=$W/workspace/blog
-pass=0; fail=0
+pass=0; fail=0; note=0
 ok()   { echo "  PASS  $1"; pass=$((pass+1)); }
 bad()  { echo "  FAIL  $1"; fail=$((fail+1)); }
+note() { echo "  ACCEPTED  $1"; note=$((note+1)); }
 chk()  { if [ "$2" = "$3" ]; then ok "$1 ($2)"; else bad "$1 (got '$2', want '$3')"; fi; }
 asuser() { su -s /bin/sh atheos -c "$1"; }
 
@@ -162,9 +163,15 @@ else
   if echo "$PUSH_OUT" | grep -qiE 'protected|not allowed|denied|forbidden|remote rejected'; then
     ok "master is protected - the deploy key CANNOT push it"
   else
-    bad "master is NOT protected - the deploy key could push master directly!"
-    echo "        Enable it: armistace/blog -> Settings -> Branches -> add rule for 'master',"
-    echo "        Enable push = OFF, merge whitelist = armistace.  See docs/writer-branch-workflow.md"
+    # ACCEPTED RISK, not a failure. The operator has decided NOT to enable branch protection
+    # while this editor is LAN-only; the control is "it is not reachable off-LAN", not "master
+    # is immutable". So this is reported, not failed - but it is checked on EVERY run, so the
+    # moment protection does go on, the run says so and the recommendation below becomes moot.
+    note "master is NOT protected - the deploy key CAN push master directly"
+    echo "            ACCEPTED because the editor is LAN-only (see docs/writer-branch-workflow.md)."
+    echo "            BECOMES A REAL FINDING THE MOMENT THIS HOST IS REACHABLE OFF-LAN. Before that:"
+    echo "              armistace/blog -> Settings -> Branches -> add rule for 'master'"
+    echo "              Enable push = OFF, merge whitelist = armistace"
   fi
 fi
 
@@ -211,6 +218,6 @@ echo "  listening ports: $(netstat -tln 2>/dev/null | awk '/LISTEN/{split($4,a,"
 
 echo
 echo "=============================================================="
-printf 'RESULT: %d passed, %d failed\n' "$pass" "$fail"
+printf 'RESULT: %d passed, %d failed, %d accepted-risk\n' "$pass" "$fail" "$note"
 echo "=============================================================="
 [ "$fail" -eq 0 ] || exit 1