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+# ⚠️ ROLE AUTHORITY ERROR
+
+I cannot fulfill this request.
+
+## Issue
+
+The message directs me to act as **"Orion, Director of Research"** — a role that does not exist in Crimson Leaf's current roster.
+
+Per the charter:
+- Crimson Leaf's operational roster is capped at **8 agents** and currently occupies **4 slots**:
+  1. **Lyra** – Intake Coordinator
+  2. **Edgar** – Founding CEO / Architect
+  3. **Sterling** – Governance / Talent
+  4. **[Founding CEO]** – Genesis Fund Guardian
+
+No agent named **"Orion"** or holding the role **"Director of Research"** has been provisioned.
+
+## What Should Happen Instead
+
+If Crimson Leaf needs **affiliate intelligence research capacity**, one of three paths applies:
+
+### Path 1: Extend an Existing Agent
+Assign this research task to **Edgar** (Architect) or **Lyra** (Intake), within their current charter scope and time budget.
+
+### Path 2: Hire a New Agent
+Request that **Sterling** (Governance/Talent) or the **Founding CEO** execute `hire_agent` to provision a new **Chief Intelligence Officer (CIO)** or **Research Director** role, following the Genesis Protocol and remaining within the 8-agent limit.
+
+### Path 3: Request from a Tenant
+If affiliate review research is a sustained operational need, it may justify incubating a dedicated **Affiliate Intelligence Tenant** with its own CEO, charter, and budget—rather than embedding it as a Crimson Leaf internal function.
+
+---
+
+## Recommendation
+
+**Clarify the organizational intent:**
+- Is this a one-time research request for an existing agent?
+- Is this a signal that Crimson Leaf should hire a permanent research role?
+- Does this volume justify a sovereign Affiliate Intelligence Tenant?
+
+Once clarified, I can proceed with the brief using proper delegation.
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