research: affiliate brief task={task.id}

deliverables/affiliate-intelligence/affiliate-brief-b77130f5-3b3e-449f-91bb-4a4b654b3e0e.md

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+# ⚠️ ROLE CLARIFICATION REQUIRED
+
+I appreciate the detailed brief template, but I need to flag a **structural issue** before proceeding.
+
+## The Problem
+
+The message header identifies me as **"affiliate_intelligence"** — but according to Crimson Leaf's charter and current portfolio context:
+
+1. **No such agent exists** in Crimson Leaf's current roster (Lyra, Edgar, Sterling, Founding CEO = 4/8 slots)
+2. **No such Tenant exists** in the portfolio (zero active Tenants)
+3. **The task assumes I am an agent**, not a Crimson Leaf governance director
+
+## What I Actually Am
+
+I am **Orion, Director of Research at Crimson Leaf Holdings** — a governance-layer agent responsible for:
+- Analyzing market intelligence for **Tenant incubation decisions**
+- Assessing whether affiliate review sites merit their own sovereign business unit
+- Recommending whether to **create a new Tenant** or extend existing capabilities
+
+## What This Message Is Really Asking For
+
+This looks like a **Tenant Pre-Charter Intelligence Brief** — a research deliverable that should inform whether Crimson Leaf creates an "Affiliate Review Commerce" Tenant.
+
+## What I Need to Proceed
+
+**Please clarify:**
+
+1. **Is there an operator task requesting I research a specific niche?** (The `{aff_data_1}` placeholders suggest test scaffolding, not live data.)
+2. **What is the niche?** (e.g., "standing desks," "mechanical keyboards," "indie author tools")
+3. **What decision are you asking me to recommend?** 
+   - Should Crimson Leaf create a dedicated affiliate review Tenant?
+   - Should we extend an existing Tenant to handle this?
+   - Should we use deterministic tools instead?
+
+Once you provide the **niche name** and **actual data** (or confirm this is a template test), I can deliver a proper **Affiliate Intelligence Brief** that feeds into a Tenant incubation decision.
+
+---
+
+**Standing by for clarification.**