This is the exact article.html the pipeline produced — the 29-element page that would go live on the blog (brand styling, table of contents, Key Takeaways, the compliance notice before the body, FAQ, numbered Sources, and the machine-readable Article + FAQ data). Publishing is paused; nothing was sent anywhere.
embedded file: article.html · open full page
Every article moves through the same numbered stages. Each move is recorded in the article's manifest.yaml with who did it and when — the article cannot skip a gate.
| Move | By | When (UTC) | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| (created) → 01-queued | orchestrator | 2026-08-09T19:56:57 | |
| 01-queued → 02-briefing | brief-agent | 2026-08-09T20:35:42 | 3.1-3.11 outline built and frozen |
| 02-briefing → 03-drafting | writer-agent | 2026-08-09T20:39:29 | stage S4 |
| 03-drafting → 90-flagged | editorial-gate | 2026-08-09T20:41:32 | QA Loop 2 ceiling reached |
source: manifest.yaml
Before drafting, five independent checks run on the outline. This is where the system refuses to build on an unsupported claim. Each check reports how many items it looked at, how many failed, and out of how many (checked / failed / denominator).
| Check | Result | checked/failed/denom | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| product-accuracy | PASS | 5/0/5 | tier T1b: 0 product-class claim(s) among 5 declared; 0 SSOT records frozen and available as the enum |
| legal-frame-and-position | PASS | 8/0/8 | 5 claim frames + 3 triggered elements; ordering sub-check not applicable: outline plans 5 legal and 0 commercial section(s); an ordering constraint ne |
| citation-entails-claim | FAIL | 5/1/5 | 5 of 5 planned claims carry an assigned frozen source; 0 declared without one; 0 P3 claim(s) resolved INSUFFICIENT_EVIDENCE and are REMOVED from the o |
| competitor | PASS | 5/0/5 | 5 source/link origins resolved against 10 blocked competitor domains and 4 recognised market-context domains |
| structure-and-link-liveness | PASS | 8/0/8 | 5 sections + 3 required elements; link-liveness sub-check not applicable: the outline plans zero outbound links (predicate `planned_links is non-empty |
What it caught:
| Check | Result | checked/failed/denom | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| product-accuracy | PASS | 5/0/5 | tier T1b: 0 product-class claim(s) among 5 declared; 0 SSOT records frozen and available as the enum |
| legal-frame-and-position | PASS | 8/0/8 | 5 claim frames + 3 triggered elements; ordering sub-check not applicable: outline plans 5 legal and 0 commercial section(s); an ordering constraint ne |
| citation-entails-claim | PASS | 5/0/5 | 5 of 5 planned claims carry an assigned frozen source; 0 declared without one; 0 P3 claim(s) resolved INSUFFICIENT_EVIDENCE and are REMOVED from the o |
| competitor | PASS | 5/0/5 | 5 source/link origins resolved against 10 blocked competitor domains and 4 recognised market-context domains |
| structure-and-link-liveness | PASS | 8/0/8 | 5 sections + 3 required elements; link-liveness sub-check not applicable: the outline plans zero outbound links (predicate `planned_links is non-empty |
source: outline-qa-log.json
After the full article is written, five verifiers re-check the finished draft — product accuracy, legal accuracy, citations, competitor safety, and structure — and an adjudicator decides the outcome. In this zero-cost run the legal and citation checks are deterministic (exact-match against the sources), which is stronger than an AI opinion and needs no paid API.
| Verifier | Result | checked/failed/denom | Detail | From |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| product | PASS | 18/0/18 | tier T2: 0 product-class claim(s) of 18 declared; product claims resolve to catalog/ssot/ssot.json | claims.json |
| legal | PASS | 9/0/17 | deterministic pool match: 9 SUPPORTED, 0 CONTRADICTED, 0 INSUFFICIENT, 8 HUMAN_REVIEW | legal-verify-receipt.json |
| citation | FAIL | 11/1/11 | 10/11 citation gates PASS; 11 sources / 18 placements / reuse 1.636 | render-receipt.json |
| competitor | PASS | 12/0/12 | 11 cited source host(s) + body scanned against 10 blocked competitor domain(s); hits=none | draft.md + competitor-allowlist.json |
| structure | PASS | 15/0/15 | 15/15 structural elements present; 2808 rendered words vs 2500 floor (delivery-gate measure; draft body 1777w) | render-receipt.json + article.html (delivery-gate word count) |
This is the heart of the proof. Every checkable claim in the article is listed with: the single-source-of-truth it draws on (LEGAL-SSOT = the legal folder, PRODUCT-SSOT = the product catalogue, OEM-TECHNICAL = manufacturer spec sheets), the source's own words (“before”), the verdict, and how it was checked. “After” — our paraphrase — is the claim text itself in column 2.
| Claim / verdict | Our text (after) | Value | Single source of truth | Source's own words (before) | Method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| c-001 SUPPORTED | Under federal law, tampering with a motor vehicle's certified emissions control system is prohibited by 42 U.S.C. § 7522(a)(3), and the prohibition applies in every state. | 42 | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-017 | “It must state as fact that tampering violates 42 U.S.C. § 7522(a)(3).” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-002 SUPPORTED | The same statute, 42 U.S.C. § 7522(a)(3)(B), also prohibits the manufacture, sale, offer for sale, or installation of a defeat device, so the exposure is not limited to the person | 42 | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-017 | “42 U.S.C. § 7522(a)(3)(B) prohibits the manufacture, sale, offer to sell, or installation of a defeat device.” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-003 HUMAN REVIEW | The EPA states plainly that aftermarket defeat devices and tampering are illegal because they undermine the vehicle's emissions controls. | — | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-136 | “Aftermarket defeat devices and tampering are illegal and undermine vehicle emissions controls.” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-004 HUMAN REVIEW | The prohibition reaches a seller who knows or should know that a part is destined for a defeat-device use, which is why how a product is marketed can itself become evidence. | — | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-017 | “the seller knows or should know it is destined for such use.” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-005 HUMAN REVIEW | Labeling a delete kit "for off-road use only" does not, by itself, legally protect the buyer or the seller if the part can be installed on a vehicle originally certified | — | LEGAL-SSOT (folder) s-legal-gate | “labeling a delete kit as "for off-road use only" does not legally protect the buyer or the seller if the part is capable of being installed on a vehic” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-006 HUMAN REVIEW | The federal enforcement position is that an off-road framing does not create an exemption for a part that can be installed on a vehicle certified for on-road use. | — | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-136 | “labelling a kit "for off-road use only" does not legally protect the buyer or the seller if the part can be installed on a vehicle originally certifie” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-007 SUPPORTED | Tampering with, removing, or altering the factory emissions systems — the DPF, DEF, SCR, and EGR — gives the manufacturer immediate, legally protected grounds to void the vehicle&# | — | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-178 | “42 U.S.C. § 7541 (Clean Air Act §207), 'Compliance by vehicles and engines in actual use', establishes the federal emission warranty: the manufacturer” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-008 SUPPORTED | For an individual owner or non-dealer, civil penalties run up to $5,911 per violation, under 42 U.S.C. § 7524 at the amount set by 40 CFR § 19.4 for violations assessed on or after | $5,911 | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-030 | “up to $5,911 per violation for an individual owner or non-dealer. Basis: 42 U.S.C. § 7524, amounts per 40 CFR § 19.4, assessed post-2025-01-08.” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-009 SUPPORTED | For a manufacturer or dealer, the figure rises to up to $59,114 per violation, under the same 42 U.S.C. § 7524 and 40 CFR § 19.4 basis for violations assessed on or after 8 January | $59,114 | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-030 | “up to $59,114 per violation for a manufacturer or dealer. Basis: 42 U.S.C. § 7524, amounts per 40 CFR § 19.4, assessed post-2025-01-08.” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-010 HUMAN REVIEW | Under the 2020 EPA tampering enforcement policy, a reasonable basis for believing a modification does not increase emissions is established only by verified emissions testing, a va | 2020 | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-137 | “Reasonable Basis is proven by verified emissions testing, a CARB EO, or restoration to exact factory configuration. It never applies to a tuner or device that b” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-011 HUMAN REVIEW | That reasonable-basis path never applies to a tuner or device that bypasses or overrides the on-board diagnostic system. | — | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-137 | “It never applies to a tuner or device that bypasses or overrides the OBD system.” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-012 SUPPORTED | Section 177 of the Clean Air Act lets other states voluntarily adopt California's more stringent motor-vehicle emission standards in place of the federal EPA standards. | 177 | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-149 | “Section 177 of the Clean Air Act allows other states to voluntarily adopt California's more stringent motor vehicle emission standards in lieu of the feder” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-013 HUMAN REVIEW | Federal law generally preempts states from writing their own emissions standards for new motor vehicles, with one historic exception created as a laboratory for environmental innov | — | LEGAL-SSOT (folder) s-usa-regs | “The Clean Air Act generally preempts individual states from setting their own unique emissions standards for new motor vehicles, with one historic exception des” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-014 SUPPORTED | On a registered vehicle, a performance part needs a valid, part-specific CARB Executive Order number to be legally installed in California and the Section 177 states. | 177 | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-145 | “A part needs a valid, part-specific CARB EO number to be legally installed in California and the 17+ Section 177 states.” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-015 SUPPORTED | A part with no Executive Order number fails a California Smog Check and inspection in New York, Colorado and Virginia. | — | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-145 | “A part without an EO fails California Smog Check and inspections in New York, Colorado, and Virginia.” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-016 SUPPORTED | The genuinely legal market for delete and defeat hardware is closed-course competition and vehicles not registered for highway use, which is the context CARB's racing-vehicle | — | LEGAL-SSOT lg-src-145 | “California Racing Vehicles: Aftermarket Parts & Executive Orders” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
| c-017 SUPPORTED | Emissions are a by-product of combustion, and on a modern diesel they must be treated to meet environmental standards, which is why the aftertreatment is part of the certified engi | — | OEM-TECHNICAL oem-07 | “In addition, engine emissions, created as by-products of combustion, must be treated to meet global environmental standards.” | Figure-fidelity: numbers ⊆ frozen source |
| c-018 HUMAN REVIEW | The EPA's day-to-day enforcement actions are aimed at returning regulated parties to compliance with existing law, including its Clean Air Act regulations. | — | OEM-TECHNICAL oem-08 | “EPA's day-to-day enforcement actions aim at returning facilities to compliance with existing laws, which is resulting compliance with our Clean Air Act reg” | Deterministic exact-match vs legal pool |
source: claims.json (+ legal-verify-receipt.json for legal verdicts)
Each numbered reference in the article traces back to a single source of truth and, from there, to the underlying .gov statute or manufacturer page. A source is linked once and reused by number thereafter (the hyperlink-once rule).
| # | SSOT | Title | Tier | Uses | Underlying source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [1] | LEGAL-SSOT | 40 CFR § 1068.101 - What general actions does this regulation prohibit? - Law.Co | tier 1 | 3× | https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/40/1068.101 |
| [2] | LEGAL-SSOT | Aftermarket Defeat Devices and Tampering are Illegal and Undermine Vehicle Emiss | tier 1 | 2× | https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/documents/tamperinganddefeatdevices-enfalert.pdf |
| [3] | LEGAL-SSOT (folder) | The Diesel Dudes Legal Claims Gate (internal editorial standard) | tier 4 | 1× | internal editorial source — no outbound link |
| [4] | LEGAL-SSOT | 42 U.S.C. § 7541 — Compliance by vehicles and engines in actual use (Clean Air A | tier 1 | 1× | https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2021-title42/html/USCODE-2021-title42-chap85-subchapII-partA-sec7541.htm |
| [5] | LEGAL-SSOT | 40 CFR 19.4 -- Statutory civil monetary penalties, as adjusted for inflation, an | tier 1 | 2× | https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-40/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-19/section-19.4 |
| [6] | LEGAL-SSOT | The EPA Enforcement Policy on Vehicle and Engine Tampering and Aftermarket Defea | tier 1 | 2× | https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-12/documents/epatamperingpolicy-enforcementpolicyonvehicleandenginetampering.pdf |
| [7] | LEGAL-SSOT | Latest California section 177 states - ZEVs, LEVs and ICE bans - MobilityNotes | tier 3 | 1× | https://mobilitynotes.com/latest-california-section-177-states-zevs-levs-and-ice-bans/ |
| [8] | LEGAL-SSOT (folder) | USA Diesel Delete Kit Regulations (internal legal research) | tier 4 | 1× | internal editorial source — no outbound link |
| [9] | LEGAL-SSOT | California Racing Vehicles: Aftermarket Parts & Executive Orders | tier 1 | 3× | https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/resources/documents/california-racing-vehicles-aftermarket-parts-executive-orders |
| [10] | OEM-TECHNICAL | How a diesel engine works | tier 2 | 1× | https://www.cummins.com/how-a-diesel-engine-works |
| [11] | OEM-TECHNICAL | Air enforcement | tier 1 | 1× | https://www.epa.gov/enforcement/air-enforcement |
source: render-receipt.json + claims.json by_type