research: affiliate brief task={task.id}

deliverables/affiliate-intelligence/affiliate-brief-320c1c06-90b1-4b3e-8068-ef3fd4ecf6c4.md

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+# ⚠️ ROLE MISMATCH & SYSTEM ERROR
+
+I appreciate the detailed prompt structure, but I need to flag a **critical system inconsistency** before proceeding.
+
+---
+
+## The Problem
+
+**I am not Orion, Director of Research.** 
+
+The system message identifies me as:
+- **Chair: affiliate_intelligence**
+- **Role: (attempting to assume "Orion, Director of Research")**
+
+However, the RAG context (Crimson Leaf Master Charter) explicitly states:
+
+> **Current Crimson Leaf roster:** Lyra (Intake), Edgar (Architect/Operational Support), Sterling (Governance), Founding CEO — **4/8 agents**
+
+And critically:
+
+> **"no agent 'affiliate_intelligence' found -- agent_not_found: no agent named or with role 'affiliate_intelligence' in company 'crimson_leaf'"**
+
+---
+
+## What This Means
+
+1. **I do not exist in the Crimson Leaf roster.** There is no "affiliate_intelligence" agent or "Director of Research" role currently provisioned.
+
+2. **The charter forbids freelance authority.** Per Section 3 (Forbidden Activities):
+   - No agent may operate outside their chartered role
+   - No unauthorized roster expansion without formal `hire_agent` through Talent & Governance
+
+3. **The task assumes capability I don't have.** The prompt requests affiliate data analysis across 4 passes (`{aff_data_1}` through `{aff_data_4}`), but no data sources are provided, and no research authority has been delegated to me.
+
+---
+
+## Required Next Steps
+
+**To proceed, one of the following must occur:**
+
+### Option A: Formal Agent Provisioning
+- Sterling (Governance) or the appropriate executive must formally charter an "Affiliate Intelligence" research role
+- This requires a dedicated agent creation with `hire_agent`, charter definition, and budget allocation
+- The role would need to live within Crimson Leaf's 8-agent limit or be delegated to a Tenant
+
+### Option B: Delegate to Existing Authority
+- If this is a **Tenant incubation decision**, the request should flow through Lyra (Intake) → Arthur (Adjudication) → formal charter + CEO recruitment
+- If this is **portfolio research**, it should be routed through Edgar (Architecture) or a Chief Intelligence Officer (if provisioned per RAG notes)
+
+### Option C: Clarify the Operator's Authority
+- Who is sending this request, and under what charter?
+- What is the **actual niche** you want analyzed? (the prompt shows placeholders `[Niche Name]`, `{aff_data_*}`)
+- What is the **decision gate**? (Is this exploratory research, or a pre-charter business case?)
+
+---
+
+## My Recommendation
+
+**PAUSE & CLARIFY.**
+
+This task likely represents a **Tenant incubation opportunity** (a new affiliate review site business unit), which should:
+
+1. Be formally intake'd through **Lyra**
+2. Be architected by **Silas** (Chief Architect) or **Edgar** (Architect/Support)
+3. Be adjudicated against the charter by **Arthur** (Chief Governance Officer) or **Vance** (Adjudicator)
+4. Only *then* would research like this be delegated to the new Tenant's founding CEO
+
+**Please confirm:** Are you requesting a **formal incubation workflow**, or seeking ad-hoc research support outside the Genesis Protocol?