diff --git a/docs/architecture/README.md b/docs/architecture/README.md
index 3439fe2..56fbd86 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/README.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/README.md
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ pending architecture review and OQ resolution.
 |---|---|---|
 | [001](decisions/001-crate-split.md) | Reactive-core crate + per-engine crates | Accepted |
 | [002](decisions/002-feature-scope.md) | Feature scope — inventory-confirmed surface | Accepted |
-| [003](decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md) | SQLite engine — rusqlite + honker-core, bridged seam | Accepted |
+| [003](decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md) | SQLite engine — rusqlite + honker-core lineage, bridged seam (ownership: ADR-011) | Accepted |
 | [004](decisions/004-postgres-driver.md) | Postgres engine — tokio-postgres + deadpool, hand-rolled LISTEN | Accepted |
 | [005](decisions/005-dependency-ownership.md) | Published libraries by default, named fork triggers | Accepted |
 | [006](decisions/006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md) | Wake contract — opaque wake + re-read; notify-vs-streams split | Accepted |
@@ -45,6 +45,8 @@ pending architecture review and OQ resolution.
 | [008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md) | Contract v1 surface pinning — surface partition, `TxHandle` shape, wake type, reserved strings, error taxonomy | Accepted |
 | [009](decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md) | Scheduler collapse — queues + `schedule()`/`run_schedules`, `@every`-only v1, boundary guarantee row | Accepted |
 | [010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md) | Queue semantics depth — visibility/renewal, backoff curve, dead-letter, no-stranded-rows sweep, schema layout | Accepted |
+| [011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) | SQLite substrate — fork honker-core into owned code | Accepted |
+| [012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md) | Forked substrate design — contract-blind boundary, fidelity posture, port deltas | Accepted |
 
 ## Open Questions
 
@@ -59,6 +61,9 @@ in suggested resolution order (OQ-04, OQ-09, OQ-05, OQ-06 resolved):
   honker-core's lineage, queue ops re-derived on contract v1.
 - **OQ-08** (medium): capability-surface shape.
 - **OQ-10** (medium): contract versioning across engine crates.
+- **OQ-11** (medium): forked-substrate follow-through (scaffold-time
+  decisions — [ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md)'s
+  residue).
 
 Resolved (kept with resolutions): OQ-01 (feature scope), OQ-02
 (crate split), OQ-03 (drivers), OQ-07 (extension surface cut),
diff --git a/docs/architecture/core-contract.md b/docs/architecture/core-contract.md
index be71120..42f2c64 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/core-contract.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/core-contract.md
@@ -187,8 +187,8 @@ TTL-bounded coordination locks, transactional-friendly:
   no-work is a value, not an error); `renew` and `release` on the
   lock handle. Release on explicit unlock or TTL expiry.
   Re-acquirable after expiry (POC-pinned on Postgres; on SQLite it
-  rests on honker's machinery — the SQLite-side pin is in the
-  verification backlog below).
+  rests on the forked substrate's lock machinery — the SQLite-side pin
+  is in the verification backlog below).
 - **Guarantee row** ([ADR-008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md)
   §7): mutual exclusion bounded by TTL + renewal — after TTL expiry
   exclusion lapses *silently* (no revocation event); holders must
@@ -285,8 +285,11 @@ added by [ADR-009](decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md) §1):
 - Engine-derived names in consumer namespaces carry the reserved
   prefix (the outbox's backing queue is derived under the prefix —
   honker's `_outbox:{name}` scheme is not inherited verbatim).
-- SQLite: honker's `_honker_*` internal table family is storage-
-  internal (not consumer namespace); Postgres: engine tables are
+- SQLite: the substrate's `__alkstore_*` internal table family is
+  storage-internal (not consumer namespace) — re-owned from upstream's
+  `_honker_*` by the fork ([ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md),
+  designed per [ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md)).
+  Postgres: engine tables are
   schema-scoped — one engine-owned schema
   ([ADR-010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md) §8) — the
   *channel* namespace is this section's.
@@ -297,9 +300,11 @@ Contract properties POC-pinned on one engine only (or sketched rather
 than surface-verified) — the contract test suite must pin both engines
 before the engine specs are called `stable`:
 
-- **Lock TTL/expiry re-acquisition on SQLite** — pinned on Postgres
-  (pg POC's lock probe); on SQLite it rests on honker's machinery
-  unverified.
+- **Named-lock TTL/expiry re-acquisition on SQLite** — pinned on
+  Postgres (pg POC's lock probe); on SQLite it rests on the forked
+  substrate's lock machinery (its `lock_renew` verified in the quality
+  read; the re-acquire-does-not-refresh-TTL behavior is upstream's,
+  inherited deliberately) — pin it in the contract suite.
 - **Wake semantics under `WakeReceiver` shapes** — POCs verified
   wake delivery/coalescing through their own probe types; the pinned
   `Wake { channel }` / recv forms (§3 of
@@ -307,21 +312,29 @@ before the engine specs are called `stable`:
   suite's own property tests on both engines.
 - **`save_offset_tx` exactly-once-within-a-business-tx shape** — both
   POCs verified it through their *sketch* implementations (SQLite's
-  offset-save was a plain SQL upsert, not the full honker surface;
+  offset-save was a plain SQL upsert, not the forked substrate's full
+  surface;
   the pg side likewise through its probe), so the property must be
   re-pinned against the real engines' `save_offset_tx` in the
   contract suite.
 - **Concurrent `try_lock` loser/error behavior** on SQLite (the pg
-  side returns cleanly; honker's busy-path under lock contention is
-  the thing to pin).
+  side returns cleanly; the substrate's busy-path under lock
+  contention is the thing to pin).
 - **Scheduler + depth properties on Postgres** — the SQLite side's
-  tick/leader/catch-up machinery rides honker's test-pinned
-  implementation; the pg engine's re-derived tick (boundary advance,
+  tick/leader/catch-up machinery inherits the forked substrate's
+  test-pinned implementation; the pg engine's re-derived tick (boundary
+  advance,
   64-cap skip-forward, leadership-loss discipline) and the
   [ADR-010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md) depth properties
   (visibility reclaim consuming attempts, dead-letter moves, the
   no-stranded-rows sweep) pin in the contract suite at
   implementation.
+- **Backoff-curve and stamp-resolution equivalence across engines** —
+  the equal-jitter curve ([ADR-010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md)
+  §3) and the opts-stamping resolution (§3a) are computed engine-side
+  per [ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md) §2's
+  contract-blind boundary; the contract suite must pin both engines'
+  arithmetic to identical outputs.
 
 ## Design Decisions
 
@@ -334,6 +347,8 @@ before the engine specs are called `stable`:
 | [008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md) | Contract v1 pinning | surface partition, `TxHandle` trait shape, `Wake` type, reserved strings, error taxonomy, config split, locks guarantee row |
 | [009](decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md) | Scheduler collapse (post-v1 extension) | queues + `schedule()`/`run_schedules`, `@every`-only v1, boundary guarantee row |
 | [010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md) | Queue depth (post-v1 extension) | visibility/renewal, opts stamping, backoff curve, dead-letter, sweep, layout |
+| [011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) | Substrate fork | SQLite substrate owned (`__alkstore_*` naming); queue ops re-derived on contract v1 |
+| [012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md) | Fork design | contract-blind substrate boundary; engine-side formula arithmetic pinned equivalent by the contract suite |
 
 ## Open Questions
 
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/001-crate-split.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/001-crate-split.md
index 161167e..904307b 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/decisions/001-crate-split.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/001-crate-split.md
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ theirs:
 
 - The **SQLite** engine rides honker's existing, battle-tested machinery
   (published `honker-core` — a port-and-adapt of a sync library to the
-  family's async-facing-trait posture).
+  family's async-facing-trait posture). *(Ownership since resolved:
+  the substrate is forked into owned code — [ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md).)*
 - The **Postgres** engine is the build-heavy side: LISTEN/NOTIFY wiring
   and the pg-boss-family queue schema are built by this crate.
 
@@ -37,7 +38,9 @@ The project ships as a **family of crates**:
    documentation. No driver dependencies. Compile-lean by construction:
    the base crate has no engine machinery to keep out.
 2. **`alkstore-sqlite`** — the SQLite engine implementing the core
-   surface. Single driver: rusqlite + honker-core ([ADR-003]).
+   surface. Single driver: rusqlite + the forked `alkstore-substrate`
+   lineage ([ADR-003]; ownership per
+   [ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md)).
 3. **`alkstore-postgres`** — the Postgres engine implementing the core
    surface. Single driver: tokio-postgres + deadpool-postgres
    ([ADR-004]).
@@ -85,4 +88,6 @@ crate. A consumer binary links at most one driver.
   link-collision constraint motivates this split.
 - [ADR-004](004-postgres-driver.md) — the Postgres driver choice.
 - OQ-10 (`docs/architecture/open-questions.md`) — trait-versioning
-  duties created here.
\ No newline at end of file
+  duties created here.
+[ADR-003]: 003-sqlite-driver.md
+[ADR-004]: 004-postgres-driver.md
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md
index 6350d06..7ad7a01 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md
@@ -39,9 +39,15 @@ the comparison:
 
 The SQLite engine uses **posture 1**: published `honker-core = 0.5`
 as a library dependency over the crate's own rusqlite connections
-(`bundled-sqlite` for hermetic builds).
+(`bundled-sqlite` for hermetic builds). *(Ownership superseded
+2026-10-05 by [ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md): the substrate
+is the forked `alkstore-substrate` lineage crate, not the published
+dependency — the driver, seam, and watcher architecture below are
+unchanged.)*
 
-- **Driver**: rusqlite, riding honker-core's pinned version.
+- **Driver**: rusqlite, riding honker-core's pinned version. *(The
+  pin is ours to move deliberately since the fork — [ADR-011], per
+  [ADR-005]'s annotated rusqlite row.)*
 - **Async seam**: bridged. The writer slot (`Writer`) +
   reader pool (`Readers`) + every engine call in `spawn_blocking`.
   A dedicated std-thread bridge (one thread owning the writer conn,
@@ -76,8 +82,10 @@ comparable reuse.
 - Static linkage: "open a path, get a store" needs no runtime
   artifacts.
 - The engine's job shrinks to wiring + the SQL surfaces honker doesn't
-  cover (queue semantics depth, OQ-ST-05's SQLite side rides honker's
-  machinery directly) + the async bridge.
+   cover (queue semantics depth, OQ-ST-05's SQLite side rides honker's
+   machinery directly) + the async bridge. *(Ownership since resolved:
+   the substrate is forked — [ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) —
+   and the queue ops re-derived on contract v1 within it.)*
 
 **Negative**
 
@@ -103,4 +111,7 @@ comparable reuse.
 - [ADR-007](007-transactional-seam.md) — the tx-handle shape both
   engines implement.
 - [engine-sqlite.md](../engine-sqlite.md) — the engine spec this
-  decision defines.
\ No newline at end of file
+  decision defines.
+[ADR-001]: 001-crate-split.md
+[ADR-005]: 005-dependency-ownership.md
+[ADR-007]: 007-transactional-seam.md
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/004-postgres-driver.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/004-postgres-driver.md
index e57f9ff..3e4ad91 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/decisions/004-postgres-driver.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/004-postgres-driver.md
@@ -101,4 +101,8 @@ Structural constraints the engine owns (all test-pinned in POC #2):
   decision applies per-subsystem.
 - [ADR-006](006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md) — the wake contract the
   forwarder implements on this engine.
-- [engine-postgres.md](../engine-postgres.md) — the engine spec.
\ No newline at end of file
+- [engine-postgres.md](../engine-postgres.md) — the engine spec.
+[ADR-003]: 003-sqlite-driver.md
+[ADR-005]: 005-dependency-ownership.md
+[ADR-006]: 006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md
+[queues.md]: ../queues.md
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/005-dependency-ownership.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/005-dependency-ownership.md
index eb47fe7..ddc5d01 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/decisions/005-dependency-ownership.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/005-dependency-ownership.md
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ when a named trigger fires. Per subsystem:
 | Subsystem | Posture | Notes |
 |---|---|---|
 | honker-core (SQLite engine machinery) | published library, `honker-core = 0.5` — **trigger fired 2026-10-05**: forked per [ADR-011] | Fork trigger: the Phase 1 quality read of the watcher/transactional core finds a defect, OR a needed change upstream won't take. OQ-06 tracked the read; the read fired the trigger (published 0.5.0 carries the unreleased-fix-train defect class + ADR-010's queue depth requires engine-owned queue SQL in any posture). |
-| rusqlite | published, riding honker-core's pin | Pin movement is honker-core's; we ride it ([ADR-003]). |
+| rusqlite | published, ~~riding honker-core's pin~~ **pin ours after the fork** | Post-fork ([ADR-011]), the rusqlite generation is moved deliberately in our own substrate crate, not by upstream releases ([ADR-003]'s annotated negative consequence; [ADR-012] ports the substrate onto the family standard). |
 | tokio-postgres + deadpool-postgres | published library, as-is | Clean, zero conflicts, actively maintained (POC #2). |
 | postgres-notify | **not adopted** (derive-not-adopt) | Lazy reconnect, connect_script skipped at initial connect, unquoted-identifier LISTENs, single maintainer. Hand-rolled forwarder instead ([ADR-004]). Fallback if upstream improves materially. |
 | pg-boss queue machinery (pgboss-rs / node pg-boss) | **re-derived** on our driver; schema family as *design reference* only | pgboss-rs brings sqlx (second driver per binary) and has no LISTEN/NOTIFY (verified); the push half is ours either way, so queue-machinery reuse value is the honest comparison point and it loses on that arithmetic. Semantics depth: [queues.md], OQ-05. |
@@ -73,4 +73,10 @@ to this posture.
 - [ADR-003](003-sqlite-driver.md), [ADR-004](004-postgres-driver.md) —
   the per-engine driver decisions applying this posture.
 - OQ-06 (`docs/architecture/open-questions.md`) — the quality-read
-  tracker.
\ No newline at end of file
+  tracker (resolved: [ADR-011], designed per [ADR-012]).
+[ADR-003]: 003-sqlite-driver.md
+[ADR-004]: 004-postgres-driver.md
+[ADR-006]: 006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md
+[ADR-011]: 011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md
+[ADR-012]: 012-forked-substrate-design.md
+[queues.md]: ../queues.md
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md
index 0f7dba9..0189b2b 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/decisions/006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md
@@ -126,4 +126,7 @@ consumer-inventory-row-gated extension — not assumed now.
 - [ADR-007](007-transactional-seam.md) — commit-atomicity's mechanism
   (the `*_tx` seam).
 - [core-contract.md](../core-contract.md) — the spec carrying this
-  contract's full surface.
\ No newline at end of file
+  contract's full surface.
+[ADR-004]: 004-postgres-driver.md
+[deployment.md]: ../deployment.md
+[engine-postgres.md]: ../engine-postgres.md
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/007-transactional-seam.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/007-transactional-seam.md
index d4832fc..0206b45 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/decisions/007-transactional-seam.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/007-transactional-seam.md
@@ -101,4 +101,6 @@ contract-pinning input rather than open risk:
 - [ADR-006](006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md) — commit-atomicity is
   the `*_tx` property this seam carries into the notify contract.
 - [core-contract.md](../core-contract.md) — the spec whose transaction
-  section this ADR defines.
\ No newline at end of file
+  section this ADR defines.
+[ADR-003]: 003-sqlite-driver.md
+[ADR-004]: 004-postgres-driver.md
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md
index 0f023f9..fcc68a4 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md
@@ -24,7 +24,8 @@ The evidence for the decision:
   consumer-inventory.md](../../research/consumer-inventory.md) — needs
   "run the sweep every N ticks with leader election across a fleet."
   An interval, not a schedule object.
-- **alkfs (orphan reaping)** — [recalled: OQ-FS-07] — a periodic
+- **alkfs (orphan reaping)** — [recalled: alkfs OQ-FS-07,
+  `/workspace/@alkdev/alkfs/docs/research/phase-0.md`] — a periodic
   orphan-cleanup pass. An interval.
 - No consumer document (pinned, documented, or operator-authority)
   names any of: wall-clock cron expressions, per-schedule timezones,
@@ -166,10 +167,13 @@ resolving the transfer from [ADR-008](008-contract-v1-pinning.md) §7:
 
 ### 5. Schedule storage is engine-internal
 
-Schedule rows live in engine-owned storage (SQLite: honker's
-`_honker_scheduler_tasks` — reused as-is, its `cron_expr` column
-carrying `@every` specs; Postgres: the engine-owned schema per
-[ADR-010](010-queue-semantics-depth.md) §8). Not consumer namespace;
+Schedule rows live in engine-owned storage (SQLite: the forked
+substrate's `__alkstore_scheduler_tasks` table per
+[ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) — honker's scheduler-task
+table re-owned and renamed, carrying `@every` specs in its spec
+column, the cron machinery not ported; Postgres: the engine-owned
+schema per [ADR-010](010-queue-semantics-depth.md) §8). Not consumer
+namespace;
 schedule *names* take the same validation as queue names
 (§1 — non-empty, reserved-prefix rejected). No registry
 validation against queue names — enqueuing into a queue nobody has
@@ -240,5 +244,8 @@ respawning; distinct from clean stop, §1).
   surface (`packages/honker-rs/src/lib.rs`, `honker-core/src/honker_ops.rs`),
   `@every` grammar and local-TZ brittleness (`honker-core/src/cron.rs`),
   tick/leader mechanics.
+- [ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) — the SQLite-side schedule
+  storage this §5 describes is the forked substrate's; cron machinery
+  not ported.
 - [core-contract.md](../core-contract.md) — the spec carrying this
   surface.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md
index 8556d4a..cdf10fc 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md
@@ -135,9 +135,12 @@ no-renewal/expire-sweep model is not inherited):
   in v1.
 - Explicit `fail(err)` = immediate dead-letter (honker parity; it is
   the "stop retrying this" operator). `retry` at exhausted budget =
-  dead-letter. Exhaustion via reclaim = dead-letter (the pre-claim
-  sweep of already-exhausted reclaimable rows is an engine-side
-  laziness optimization — SQLite rides honker's; pg re-derives).
+  dead-letter. Exhaustion via reclaim = dead-letter. *(The pre-claim
+  sweep of already-exhausted reclaimable rows — a laziness optimization
+  in both upstream lineages — is engine-side and optional; SQLite rides
+  the fork's re-derivation
+  ([ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md)), pg re-derives it
+  ([engine-postgres.md](../engine-postgres.md)).)*
 
 ### 3a. QueueOpts resolution: stamped at enqueue, per job
 
@@ -166,9 +169,14 @@ need a defined attachment point, and the contract pins one:
 - SQLite realization note: honker's `claim_batch` takes one uniform
   `timeout_s` per call, while per-job stamps make deadlines row-local —
   bridging that gap (post-claim re-stamp, per-row claiming, or another
-  shape) is implementation work over honker's function surface and
-  rides the same OQ-06 assessment as §5's zombie fix. The *contract*
-  (deadline from the job's stamp) is engine-independent either way.
+  shape) was implementation work over honker's function surface and
+  rode the same OQ-06 assessment as §5's zombie fix. *(Resolved
+  2026-10-05: the fork fired ([ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md));
+  the claim statement is re-derived with per-row visibility from the
+  stamps, in owned
+  contract-blind substrate code ([ADR-012](012-forked-substrate-design.md)
+  §2).) The *contract* (deadline from the job's stamp) is
+  engine-independent either way.
 
 ### 4. Dead-letter: move, retention = never-expire by default, no redrive API
 
@@ -209,13 +217,13 @@ maintenance entry point):
   property: an expired *processing* row whose worker died is
   unreachable by claim (predicate requires future expiry), by
   pre-claim dead-lettering (same), and by `sweep_expired` (pending
-  only) — the zombie hole, a real defect found in the reference read.
-  This ADR fixes it at the contract level; the Postgres engine
-  enforces it directly; the SQLite engine's realization over honker's
-  machinery is implementation work **contingent on OQ-06** (a
-  complement over honker's function surface, or the fork fires and
-  the fix lands in owned code — the concrete fork candidate the
-  quality read should weigh).
+  only) — the zombie hole, a real defect found in the reference read
+  (D-6 in the quality read's register). This ADR fixes it at the
+  contract level; the Postgres engine
+  enforces it directly; the SQLite engine's realization was
+  implementation work **contingent on OQ-06** — *(resolved
+  2026-10-05: the fork fired ([ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md))
+  and the both-states sweep lands in owned code.)*
 - When `dead_letter_retention_s` is set, the same sweep also deletes
   dead rows past their retention (the only sweeper dead rows ever
   have — nothing runs without a caller).
@@ -246,9 +254,14 @@ maintenance entry point):
   **out of the contract** (ADR-008 §8's disposition, resolved here by
   disposition): the notifications table is the SQLite wake
   mechanism's *transport* detail — consumers interact with wakes, not
-  rows. Its hygiene is engine-internal (capped at attach, engine-side
-  maintenance cadence, engine opts) — the fix for honker's unbounded
-  `_honker_notifications` growth must not become a consumer's chore.
+  rows. Its hygiene is engine-internal: **an at-attach pruning cap
+  (engine opts)** — the mechanism the fork scope realizes
+  ([ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md)); no cadence, ambient or
+  engine-side, contradicts this section's no-ambient-sweeper bullet.
+  The fix for upstream's unbounded notifications growth must not become
+  a consumer's chore. *(Annotated 2026-10-05: the earlier "engine-side
+  maintenance cadence" wording was wrong — nothing in the fork scope
+  realizes a cadence; the at-attach cap is the pin.)*
 
 ### 7. Result storage: cut-flag stands
 
@@ -277,15 +290,18 @@ consumer-inventory row.
   shape and keeps `queue(name)` a name, not a DDL operation — queue
   creation is not registry-gated, per
   [ADR-009](009-scheduler-collapse.md) §5). Per-queue config storage
-  is likewise unnecessary (opts stamp onto job rows, §3a).
+  is likewise stamped per §3a.
 - **SQLite**: honker's `_honker_*` table family in the caller's
   database file — storage-internal per
-  [ADR-008](008-contract-v1-pinning.md) §4; no new tables minted by
-  this ADR (job-stamped opts ride honker's existing columns and the
-  contract's stated resolution rule, no schema change needed — this
-  is exactly the seam the quality read (OQ-06) assesses). The
-  family's exact fate rides that read: a fork re-owns the names,
-  nothing consumer-visible changes.
+  [ADR-008](008-contract-v1-pinning.md) §4. *(Annotated
+  2026-10-05: the expectation that job-stamped opts would ride honker's
+  existing columns with no schema change was falsified by the quality
+  read — no stamp columns exist in the upstream schema (D-7). The
+  family's fate is resolved: the fork ([ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md))
+  re-owns the whole family as `__alkstore_*`, and the stamp columns +
+  `claimed_at` are added by the re-derivation on contract v1
+  ([ADR-012](012-forked-substrate-design.md) §5). Nothing
+  consumer-visible changes.)*
 
 ### 9. Error taxonomy: no delta
 
@@ -322,9 +338,9 @@ delta this track produces.
   consumers needing audit trails build them on the tx seam.
 - Honker's zombie fix, dead-row `get_job` visibility, and per-job
   visibility stamps over the uniform-claim-timeout function surface
-  require either an over-machinery complement or a fork on the SQLite
-  side — the fork calculus gains concrete candidates to weigh
-  (OQ-06).
+  required either an over-machinery complement or a fork on the SQLite
+  side — resolved by the fork ([ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md),
+  designed in [ADR-012](012-forked-substrate-design.md)).
 - The backoff curve's 1-hour cap and jitter formula are pinned
   constants — a consumer needing a different policy uses
   `retry(err, Some(d))` per attempt (correct, but manual).
@@ -348,6 +364,8 @@ delta this track produces.
   extends, §5's rule §9 applies, §8's dispositions §6 resolves.
 - [ADR-009](009-scheduler-collapse.md) — the collapse machinery §6's
   recipe composes with.
-- OQ-06 — the SQLite-side fork candidates (§5, §3a realization note).
+- OQ-06 — the SQLite-side fork candidates (§5, §3a realization note) —
+  resolved by the fork ([ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md),
+  designed in [ADR-012](012-forked-substrate-design.md)).
 - [queues.md](../queues.md), [core-contract.md](../core-contract.md),
   engine specs — the specs carrying this depth.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md
index f73ec33..0ab2d4d 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md
@@ -54,17 +54,22 @@ Three facts drive this decision:
 code: fork honker-core at the reference revision
 (`/workspace/honker` @ `f4e53c6`, MIT OR Apache-2.0, provenance
 recorded per AGENTS.md §3) into the alkstore family, ported to the
-family standard (tokio-facing consumers, no comments discipline, panics
-out of library code), re-derived on contract v1 where ADR-010 pinned
-semantics honker's functions don't provide.
+family standard (the discipline deltas — no comments discipline,
+panics out of library code — with tokio-facing consumers at the engine
+seam above; per [ADR-012](012-forked-substrate-design.md) §4 the
+substrate itself stays sync), re-derived on contract v1 where ADR-010
+pinned semantics honker's functions don't provide.
 
 Per-scope (the full register with keeps/re-derivations/drops is
 `docs/research/quality-read-honker-core.md` §6):
 
 - **Inherited near-verbatim:** the PRAGMA/WAL open posture,
   `Writer`, `Readers`, the polling watcher + `SharedUpdateWatcher` +
-  `WatcherDeathGuard` + dead-man's switch (with two port fixes the read
-  named: reconnect backoff, fallible watcher spawn), the
+  `WatcherDeathGuard` + dead-man's switch (with three port deltas the
+  read named / ADR-012 decided: reconnect backoff, fallible watcher
+  spawn, and the dead-man's-switch panic replaced by a deliberate
+  watcher-fatal death — [ADR-012](012-forked-substrate-design.md) §4),
+  the
   `in_savepoint` mutation-discipline machinery, arg-coercion helpers,
   the notify scalar + notifications table (renamed, with engine-
   internal hygiene per ADR-010 §6), streams, locks.
@@ -126,4 +131,7 @@ crate (provenance + license recorded), not re-published.
 - [ADR-001](001-crate-split.md) — packaging (engine crate's
   single-driver substrate).
 - [engine-sqlite.md](../engine-sqlite.md) — the living spec, updated
-  to the forked substrate.
\ No newline at end of file
+  to the forked substrate.
+- [ADR-012](012-forked-substrate-design.md) — the fork's design
+  decisions (crate identity, contract-blind boundary, fidelity
+  posture, port deltas, bootstrap machinery, upstream tracking).
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..43dcb47
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md
@@ -0,0 +1,230 @@
+# ADR-012: Forked substrate design — contract-blind boundary, fidelity posture, port deltas
+
+## Status
+
+Accepted (2026-10-05, Phase 1 — the design decisions ADR-011's fork
+requires; the follow-through of OQ-06's resolution)
+
+## Context
+
+[ADR-011] decided *that* the fork happens and its scope (keep /
+re-derive / drop). Deciding it surfaced structural questions the fork
+record deliberately did not settle — where the forked crate lives and
+what it is called, which layer carries contract-pinned semantics, how
+upstream diffs stay cheap, which of the read's port notes fire, and how
+a fork with no upstream dependency to update tracks its lineage. None
+of these were blockers for the fork trigger, but all of them shape the
+engine's dependency graph and the fork's maintenance cost — they are
+architecture, and they are decidable now, from decided material:
+
+1. **The dependency direction is fixed** ([ADR-001]): engines depend on
+   core, never the reverse. The substrate sits *below* the engine.
+2. **The substrate's Rust API is engine-internal.** The contract is the
+   trait the constructor returns ([ADR-008] §6); no substrate type or
+   name reaches a consumer signature.
+3. **Contract semantics are pinned engine-generically** — the
+   equal-jitter curve ([ADR-010] §3), the opts-stamping resolution rule
+   (§3a), schedule boundary math (ADR-009 §4) — and must compute
+   identically on both engines. One engine carrying its copy inside a
+   vendored lineage crate splits each pinned formula across codebases
+   with different ownership characters.
+4. **The family bans panics in library code**; upstream's dead-man's
+   switch panics the watcher thread on db-file replacement
+   (`lib.rs:919` at the reference revision). Verified in source: the
+   panic is *observed* only through `WatcherDeathGuard` — the guard's
+   `Drop` fires on thread exit or panic and closes every subscriber
+   (the contract-pinned failure surface). The observable semantics do
+   not depend on the panic.
+5. **No alkstore databases exist.** The crate is unreleased; the
+   `_honker_*` → `__alkstore_*` rename therefore has no migration
+   surface and creates one only if we invent it.
+
+## Decision
+
+### 1. Crate identity and location
+
+The forked substrate is **`alkstore-substrate`** — a vendored
+workspace-family crate in this repository, a path dependency of
+`alkstore-sqlite`, not published ([ADR-011]'s packaging, now named).
+At fork-scaffold time the crate carries: the dual license files
+upstream ships (MIT OR Apache-2.0), and a **provenance register**
+(`provenance.md` at the crate root) recording upstream identity —
+checkout path, commit `f4e53c6`, license — and the delta list below
+(AGENTS.md §3's recording duty).
+
+### 2. The substrate is contract-blind storage machinery
+
+**The substrate depends on nothing of ours** — not on `alkstore` (the
+core crate), on the contract types, or on the error taxonomy. Its API
+takes and returns primitives: connections, names, stamp values
+(`visibility_timeout_s`, `backoff_base_s`, `dead_letter_retention_s`,
+`max_attempts`, `priority`, timestamps), payload strings. The **engine
+crate layer** resolves contract semantics into primitive arguments:
+`EnqueueOpts`-over-`QueueOpts` resolution, the equal-jitter curve's
+arithmetic, the schedule fire's boundary math, and the mapping of
+substrate outcomes into the contract taxonomy ([ADR-008] §5 / ADR-010
+§9's rules).
+
+Why the boundary sits there, not inside the substrate:
+
+- **Dependency direction**: a vendored third-party-lineage crate must
+  not acquire a dependency on our contract crate (and the mirror —
+  core depending on the substrate — inverts [ADR-001] outright).
+- **One normative owner per pinned formula — the contract text, not a
+  substrate copy**: the curve, the stamps-resolution rule, and boundary
+  math are contract-pinned to compute identically on both engines
+  ([ADR-010] §3). The contract is the formula's single normative
+  owner; each engine owns one *implementation* of it, pinned to
+  identical outputs by the contract suite (the verification backlog in
+  [core-contract.md](../core-contract.md)). A substrate copy would add
+  a second normative-adjacent definition in a codebase whose upstream
+  does not know the contract exists.
+- **Diff reviewability**: the substrate stays as close to its lineage
+  as the port allows; contract semantics are exactly the re-derivation
+  surface ([ADR-011]), and they are new code with contract-derived
+  names either way.
+
+Dependency graph (downward only):
+
+```text
+        consumers
+            │
+        alkstore  (core: traits, types, errors — no drivers)
+        ────────▲────────
+      alkstore-sqlite       alkstore-postgres
+            │              (no substrate)
+   alkstore-substrate  (vendored lineage; path dep; unpublished)
+```
+
+### 3. API fidelity posture: keep the kept half's names
+
+Where the fork scope *keeps* upstream machinery ([ADR-011]'s inherited
+list), the fork keeps upstream's module structure and internal function
+names — including names carrying lineage tokens (`Writer`, `Readers`,
+`run_poll_loop`, the `in_savepoint` machinery, the lock/stream/notify
+functions). Renames are confined to: crate identity, the table family
+(`__alkstore_*`, [ADR-011]), and the hygiene deltas [ADR-011] names.
+The **re-derived** half ([ADR-011]'s list) is new code; its functions
+take contract-derived names naturally.
+
+Rationale: the fork's ongoing value includes cheap cherry-picks of
+future upstream fixes — the calculus ADR-011 inherited from ADR-005
+assumes the inherited half still *tracks* its lineage. Mechanical token
+renames turn every future cherry-pick noisy; internal oddness survives
+a rename only to be paid for forever. The names are engine-internal and
+bounded by the fork's ownership.
+
+### 4. Port deltas — the quality read's notes, decided
+
+- **W-1 (reconnect backoff) — applied.** The watcher reconnect loop
+  gains bounded backoff; a vanished db file no longer produces ~1000
+  open attempts per second.
+- **W-2 (watcher spawn panics) — applied.** Watcher spawn becomes
+  fallible; the engine surfaces the failure at open time (a store whose
+  watcher could not start is not a store — open fails with the
+  taxonomy's `Database`, detail in the source chain).
+- **Dead-man's switch (no-panics tension) — panic replaced by a
+  deliberate watcher-fatal death.** On db-file identity change the
+  watcher logs the precise diagnostic and exits through the ordinary
+  death path. `WatcherDeathGuard` closes every subscriber exactly as it
+  does today for thread panic or exit — the contract-pinned surface
+  ("consumers see the close, never a silent hang") is unchanged; the
+  unwind is what goes away.
+- **W-4 (watcher connection opens RW) — keep RW (deliberate
+  inheritance).** The read found no proof a RO watcher is safe on
+  busy non-WAL paths; our posture is WAL-always anyway. Revisit only if
+  a read-only/mode knob ever appears as an engine option.
+- **W-3 (`data_version` u32 wrap) — not actionable**, recorded in the
+  fork's notes.
+- **The substrate stays sync.** ADR-011's "ported to the family
+  standard" means the discipline deltas (no comments, panics out of
+  library code per the deltas above, no `unwrap()`/`expect()` outside
+  tests) — **not** an asyncification port. The bridged seam
+  ([ADR-003]) remains the async story; a substrate that grew tokio
+  would forfeit the diff-reviewability the fork's economics rest on.
+
+### 5. Bootstrap and schema machinery
+
+- The fork owns the bootstrap; **append-column migrations stay** (the
+  read's §4 scale verdict). The concurrent-bootstrap duplicate-column
+  race swallow is re-keyed: on `ALTER TABLE` failure, verify the column
+  via `pragma_table_info` — present ⇒ benign race swallowed, absent ⇒
+  propagate. Upstream's error-*string* matching
+  (`.contains("duplicate column")`) is not inherited.
+- The **stamp columns and `claimed_at`** are added by the re-derivation
+  on contract v1 ([ADR-010] §3a's realization; superseding the "no
+  schema change needed" expectation recorded in ADR-010 §8 — annotated
+  there).
+- **No online rename migration.** The substrate bootstraps
+  `__alkstore_*` fresh. A file carrying leftover upstream tables gets
+  inert, ignored `_honker_*` orphans (documented; never touched, never
+  read) — no detection, no export path, no migration machinery, because
+  no alkstore database under the old names exists to migrate.
+
+### 6. Upstream tracking without a dependency
+
+No ambient upstream tracking — the family's no-ambient posture applies
+to maintenance too. When upstream ships something relevant (the fix
+train already being the motivating example), adoption is a deliberate
+cherry-pick recorded in the fork's delta register, evaluated by the
+same port-cost logic as any dependency change. Re-adoption of upstream
+as a *dependency* again keeps quality-read §7's bar: it must beat the
+owned, tested, contract-ahead fork on maintenance, not on novelty.
+
+## Consequences
+
+**Positive**
+
+- One normative owner for every contract-pinned formula — the contract
+  text — with each engine owning one pinned-equivalent implementation;
+  both engines keep symmetric layering.
+- Cherry-picks from upstream stay cheap where they matter (the kept
+  half); the diff between the substrate and its lineage remains
+  reviewable.
+- The shipped library is panic-free without giving up the dead-man's
+  switch's observable honesty.
+- The rename creates no migration machinery, and foreign-database
+  leftovers have a defined, inert fate.
+
+**Negative**
+
+- Lineage tokens survive in internal names (`Writer`, upstream
+  function names) — bounded by §3's ownership argument, invisible to
+  consumers, but a fossil a future reader must understand as
+  deliberate.
+- The contract formulas' arithmetic sits in engine code — small, but
+  now it must be *tested into equivalence* by the contract suite (the
+  verification backlog gains the re-pin rows this implies).
+- Upstream relevance is ours to notice; no release cadence, changelog,
+  or `cargo update` flow will tell us.
+
+## References
+
+- [ADR-011](011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) — the fork decision this ADR
+  designs; its scope register and packaging are inputs.
+- [ADR-005](005-dependency-ownership.md) — the posture calculus the
+  fork's maintenance assumptions inherit.
+- [ADR-001](001-crate-split.md) — the dependency direction §2
+  preserves.
+- [ADR-008](008-contract-v1-pinning.md) — §6 (contract = returned
+  trait; substrate API never consumer-visible), §5 (taxonomy mapping
+  site).
+- [ADR-010](010-queue-semantics-depth.md) — §3a (stamps the schema
+  machinery must now carry), §3 (the curve one-owner rule).
+- [ADR-003](003-sqlite-driver.md) — the bridged seam §4 keeps;
+  watcher spawn fallibility lands there.
+- `docs/research/quality-read-honker-core.md` — W-1..W-4, the dead-man's
+  switch verification, the bootstrap-brittleness finding, §7's
+  re-adoption bar.
+- [engine-sqlite.md](../engine-sqlite.md) — the engine spec this ADR's
+  boundary realizes.
+- OQ-06 (`docs/architecture/open-questions.md`) — the resolved
+  assessment this ADR follow-throughs; OQ-11 — the scaffold-time
+  residue this ADR leaves (workspace wiring, register format,
+  cherry-pick procedure).
+
+[ADR-001]: 001-crate-split.md
+[ADR-003]: 003-sqlite-driver.md
+[ADR-008]: 008-contract-v1-pinning.md
+[ADR-010]: 010-queue-semantics-depth.md
+[ADR-011]: 011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md
diff --git a/docs/architecture/engine-postgres.md b/docs/architecture/engine-postgres.md
index f25f935..33afdf3 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/engine-postgres.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/engine-postgres.md
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ obligations live in the core spec.
 |---|---|
 | notify / listen | `pg_notify(...)` inside the caller's tx (delivers at commit — native commit-atomicity, [ADR-007](decisions/007-transactional-seam.md)); `listen()` via LISTEN on the forwarder's connection, fanout to receivers |
 | streams | durable event table + per-consumer offset cursors; `pg_notify` as the wake trigger ([ADR-006](decisions/006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md) mechanism split: durable row, LISTEN wake — the pg-boss-family shape) |
-| queues | re-derived queue table + `FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED` claim + LISTEN-driven wake with re-poll safety net (default consumption posture, measured 5–16× vs 50 ms poll; poll-only fallback); states/dead-letter/backoff/visibility per [ADR-010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md), all in the engine-owned schema |
+| queues | re-derived queue table + `FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED` claim + LISTEN-driven wake with re-poll safety net (default consumption posture, measured 5–16× vs 50 ms poll; poll-only fallback); states/dead-letter/backoff/visibility per [ADR-010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md), all in the engine-owned schema; the curve/stamps arithmetic is computed engine-side per [ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md) §2 (equivalence with the SQLite engine pinned by the contract suite) |
 | named locks | advisory-lock-semantics TTL locks (pg-boss-family design reference; guarantee row pinned by [ADR-008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md) §7) |
 | scheduler / outbox | collapse shape ([ADR-009](decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md)): schedule rows in the engine-owned schema, tick re-derived (boundary advance + 64-boundary catch-up cap, honker parity), leadership via the engine's lock machinery on `__alkstore_scheduler`; outbox = helper over queues |
 | begin_tx | pool checkout + `BEGIN`, returning the caller-held handle ([ADR-007](decisions/007-transactional-seam.md)) |
@@ -108,6 +108,7 @@ the record in [ADR-003](decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md).
 | [008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md) | Contract v1 | pinned surface; reserved reconnect-wake channel string; `PayloadTooLarge` taxonomy variant |
 | [009](decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md) | Scheduler collapse | schedule rows in the engine schema, re-derived tick, row-locked fire tx, `__alkstore_scheduler` leadership |
 | [010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md) | Queue depth | job-stamped opts, equal-jitter backoff, dead-letter move, no-stranded-rows sweep, one engine-owned schema |
+| [012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md) | Fork design | contract-blind substrate (SQLite side); pg engine owns its own curve/stamps arithmetic, equivalence pinned by the contract suite |
 
 ## Open Questions
 
diff --git a/docs/architecture/engine-sqlite.md b/docs/architecture/engine-sqlite.md
index 328af1a..38a2604 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/engine-sqlite.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/engine-sqlite.md
@@ -17,8 +17,8 @@ spec and are not restated here.
 
 - Single driver: rusqlite, riding the
   [forked honker-core substrate](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md)
-  (fork of published honker-core 0.5.0's lineage at the reference
-  revision),
+  (`alkstore-substrate` — the vendored lineage crate,
+  [ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md)) with
   `bundled-sqlite` for hermetic builds. No `.so` runtime artifacts
   ([ADR-003](decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md) for the driver decision;
   ownership resolved by
@@ -45,10 +45,12 @@ spec and are not restated here.
   subscribers per poll tick, even when several commits coalesced
   inside one tick — wake is a hint; consumers re-read indexed state,
   [ADR-006](decisions/006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md)).
-- Each connection runs honker's bootstrap at open: pragmas
+- Each connection runs the substrate's bootstrap at open: pragmas
   (WAL, `synchronous=NORMAL`, busy timeout), `attach_notify`,
-  `attach_honker_functions`, `bootstrap_honker_schema` (the
-  alknet-filesystem POC's wiring shape).
+  the substrate's function attachments and schema bootstrap (the
+  alknet-filesystem POC's wiring shape). Watcher spawn is fallible in
+  the substrate ([ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md)
+  §4); open fails if the watcher cannot start.
 
 ## Mapping the contract
 
@@ -57,8 +59,8 @@ spec and are not restated here.
 | notify / listen | honker's notify functions inside the caller's tx; `listen()` bridges the watcher's fanout into a tokio receiver (one `spawn_blocking` thread per subscription doing `blocking_send`) |
 | streams | honker's stream machinery; explicit offset saves through the tx seam |
 | queues | owned queue machinery (forked substrate re-derived on [ADR-010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md) — stamps, no-stranded-rows sweep, dead-visible `get_job`); ADR-003's ride posture superseded on ownership by [ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) |
-| named locks | honker's lock machinery |
-| scheduler / outbox | collapse shape ([ADR-009](decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md)): owned scheduler storage (`__alkstore_scheduler_tasks`, forked substrate) carrying `@every` specs (cron machinery not ported); the leader loop pattern (TTL lock, heartbeat, exit-before-tick-on-loss); the leadership lock is `__alkstore_scheduler`; outbox = helper over queues with the derived backing-queue name ([ADR-008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md) §4) | |
+| named locks | the substrate's lock machinery (`lock_renew` carries the renew semantics the guarantee row pins; re-acquire does not refresh TTL — inherited deliberately, [ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md) §4) |
+| scheduler / outbox | collapse shape ([ADR-009](decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md)): owned scheduler storage (`__alkstore_scheduler_tasks`, forked substrate) carrying `@every` specs (cron machinery not ported); the leader loop pattern (TTL lock, heartbeat, exit-before-tick-on-loss); the leadership lock is `__alkstore_scheduler`; outbox = helper over queues with the derived backing-queue name ([ADR-008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md) §4) |
 | begin_tx | acquires the writer slot, opens `BEGIN IMMEDIATE`, returns the caller-held handle ([ADR-007](decisions/007-transactional-seam.md)) |
 | handle ops | each `*_tx` op round-trips `spawn_blocking` to the same connection (thread-affinity note in [ADR-007](decisions/007-transactional-seam.md)) |
 | commit/rollback | releases the writer slot |
@@ -86,18 +88,21 @@ spec and are not restated here.
 
 ## What the fork question resolved
 
-The [quality read (OQ-06)](decisions/005-dependency-ownership.md) —
+The [quality read (OQ-06)](../research/quality-read-honker-core.md) —
 this engine's dependency gate — resolved 2026-10-05: ADR-005's fork
-trigger **fired** ([ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md)).
-The substrate is owned code forked from honker-core's lineage; the
+trigger **fired** ([ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md)),
+and the fork's design is pinned by
+[ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md): the substrate is
+`alkstore-substrate`, a vendored contract-blind lineage crate; the
 watcher/connection architecture this spec describes is inherited
 verbatim where kept ([ADR-003](decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md)
-unchanged in architecture). The
+unchanged in architecture), with the port deltas ADR-012 §4 decides
+(fallible watcher spawn, bounded reconnect backoff, panic-free
+death-closes-subscribers). The
 [evidence](../research/quality-read-honker-core.md): published
 0.5.0's unreleased-fix-train defect class, plus ADR-010's queue depth
-requiring engine-owned queue SQL in any posture. The forked
-substrate's table family is `__alkstore_*` (ADR-010 §8's naming
-authorization).
+requiring engine-owned queue SQL in any posture. The substrate's table
+family is `__alkstore_*` (ADR-010 §8's naming authorization).
 
 ## Design Decisions
 
@@ -105,7 +110,7 @@ authorization).
 |---|---|---|
 | [001](decisions/001-crate-split.md) | Crate split | single-driver engine crate |
 | [002](decisions/002-feature-scope.md) | Feature scope | which rows this engine serves |
-| [003](decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md) | Driver | rusqlite + honker-core lineage, bridged seam, inherited watcher — ownership resolved by 011 |
+| [003](decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md) | Driver | rusqlite + the forked substrate lineage, bridged seam, inherited watcher — ownership resolved by 011 |
 | [005](decisions/005-dependency-ownership.md) | Ownership | published honker-core; fork trigger fired by OQ-06 (ADR-011) |
 | [006](decisions/006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md) | Wake contract | data_version watcher, coalescing, death-closes-receivers |
 | [007](decisions/007-transactional-seam.md) | Tx seam | writer-slot lease, `BEGIN IMMEDIATE`, `spawn_blocking` round-trips |
@@ -113,6 +118,7 @@ authorization).
 | [009](decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md) | Scheduler collapse | `@every` specs; `__alkstore_scheduler` leadership; cron rejected |
 | [010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md) | Queue depth | semantics pinned; §5/§3a realization resolved by ADR-011 (owned code) |
 | [011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) | Substrate fork | OQ-06's trigger fired; substrate owned, queue ops re-derived on contract v1 |
+| [012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md) | Fork design | contract-blind substrate, fidelity posture, port deltas, panic-free watcher death |
 
 ## Open Questions
 
diff --git a/docs/architecture/open-questions.md b/docs/architecture/open-questions.md
index 90d262c..40fb7fa 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/open-questions.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/open-questions.md
@@ -14,12 +14,16 @@ everything else hangs off); **OQ-09 + OQ-05 resolved** (2026-10-05,
 [ADR-010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md) — the queue semantics
 track and the scheduler collapse/guarantee row); **OQ-06 resolved**
 (2026-10-05, [ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) — the
-fork trigger fired on the published-artifact facts). Next: OQ-08
-(rides the now-pinned trait shape and the ADR-011 substrate fork),
-OQ-10 (versioning discipline for contract extensions; note ADR-011
-changes its substrate-side facts for SQLite — the forked crate is
-versioned in the family workspace, so the engine/core contract pairing
-is what the discipline must track).
+fork trigger fired on the published-artifact facts); **the fork
+design follow-through** (2026-10-05,
+[ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md) — substrate
+boundaries, fidelity posture, port deltas; its substrate-side residue
+is OQ-11). Next: OQ-08 (rides the now-pinned trait shape and the
+ADR-011 substrate fork), OQ-10 (versioning discipline for contract
+extensions; note ADR-011 changes its substrate-side facts for SQLite —
+the forked crate is versioned in this repository's Cargo workspace, so
+the engine/core contract pairing is what the discipline must track), and
+OQ-11 (fork follow-through items — substrate-side, non-consumer-facing).
 
 Resolved questions stay listed with their resolution; they are not
 deleted.
@@ -152,7 +156,11 @@ narrowed to the pinning work its own record already scoped.)*
   **stands** (delete-on-ack; pg-boss's completed-row model is result
   storage under another name). (8) Table layout — pg engine-owned
   schema (`alkstore` default), queues are rows not tables; SQLite
-  rides `_honker_*`. No new error variants (ADR-008 §5's rule).
+  rides `_honker_*`. *(Item 8's SQLite half superseded 2026-10-05:
+  the `_honker_*` family is re-owned as `__alkstore_*` by the fork —
+  [ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md), designed per
+  [ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md).)* No new error
+  variants (ADR-008 §5's rule).
 - **Cross-references**: OQ-09, OQ-06.
 
 ### OQ-09: Is the scheduler a first-class mechanism, or queues + `schedule()`? — **RESOLVED**
@@ -225,15 +233,15 @@ narrowed to the pinning work its own record already scoped.)*
 - **Resolution**: open. The pg engine is natively multi-host (POC #2
   verified — no single-host assumption to remove); SQLite is
   single-machine by nature (file-backed, NFS-two-writers unsupported —
-  honker's honesty posture, inherited). The unified surface must not
-  pretend SQLite is multi-host. Options: per-engine capability flags
-  (`Store::capabilities()`), a documented deployment matrix only
-  ([deployment.md](deployment.md) carries the facts), or compile-time
-  knowledge only
-  (a consumer choosing the SQLite engine knows). Rides the now-pinned
-  contract shape ([ADR-008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md)):
-  the trait constrains where capability differences can surface.
-- **Cross-references**: OQ-04, [ADR-006](decisions/006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md).
+  honker's honesty posture, inherited by the forked substrate). The
+  unified surface must not pretend SQLite is multi-host. Options:
+  per-engine capability flags (`Store::capabilities()`), a documented
+  deployment matrix only ([deployment.md](deployment.md) carries the
+  facts), or compile-time knowledge only (a consumer choosing the
+  SQLite engine knows). Rides the now-pinned contract shape
+  ([ADR-008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md)): the trait
+  constrains where capability differences can surface.
+- **Cross-references**: OQ-04, [ADR-006](decisions/006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md), [ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md) (the substrate inherits the honesty posture).
 
 ### OQ-10: How do engine crates track core-contract version changes?
 
@@ -251,8 +259,38 @@ narrowed to the pinning work its own record already scoped.)*
 - **Cross-references**: OQ-04 (the contract being versioned — now
   including its first post-v1 extensions, ADR-009/ADR-010), OQ-02.
 
+### OQ-11: Forked-substrate follow-through — scaffold, provenance register, and cherry-pick discipline
+
+- **Origin**: [ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md)
+  (the fork design; substrate-side residue), [ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md)
+- **Status**: open
+- **Priority**: medium (nothing consumer-facing rides on it; it
+  resolves within the fork-scaffold task, which it does not gate)
+- **Resolution**: open. ADR-012 fixed the *design* (contract-blind
+  boundary, fidelity posture, port deltas, bootstrap machinery,
+  upstream-tracking stance) and also pinned the provenance register's
+  location, timing, and initial contents (§1). The residue is: (1) the
+  exact Cargo-workspace layout and build wiring of
+  `alkstore-substrate` in this repository (crate location, feature
+  gating of the `bundled-sqlite` interplay with the engine crate's own
+  rusqlite dependency); (2) the provenance register's *format and
+  delta-list granularity* (per-commit entries vs per-delta-class;
+  whether cherry-pick records append at adoption time — location,
+  timing, and initial contents are ADR-012 §1's, not re-opened here);
+  (3) the cherry-pick *procedure* in practice — how a candidate
+  upstream fix is evaluated, applied, and recorded so ADR-012 §6's
+  deliberate-work posture stays auditable. These resolve *within* the
+  fork-scaffold task (its opening section), not before it and not as a
+  gate on writing it; the scaffold's build wiring depends on (1)'s
+  outcome.
+- **Cross-references**: OQ-08 (the contract surface the engine maps
+  the substrate under), OQ-10 (the substrate is a crate in this
+  repository's Cargo workspace — its versioning interacts with the
+  discipline), ADR-011, ADR-012.
+
 ## Deferred / Blocked
 
-None currently. Every open OQ above is actionable Phase 1 architecture
-work (capability-surface shape, versioning discipline) with its
-evidence base complete — no external arrivals are being waited on.
\ No newline at end of file
+None currently. Every open OQ above is actionable Phase 1 work
+(capability-surface shape, versioning discipline, fork-scaffold
+follow-through) with its evidence base complete — no external arrivals
+are being waited on.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/docs/architecture/overview.md b/docs/architecture/overview.md
index 490b714..28d57e7 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/overview.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/overview.md
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ Per [ADR-001](decisions/001-crate-split.md):
 | Crate | Contents | Driver dependencies |
 |---|---|---|
 | `alkstore` (core) | trait surface, types, error model | none (capability flags, if ever, are OQ-08's to add) |
-| `alkstore-sqlite` | SQLite engine ([ADR-003](decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md)) | rusqlite, honker-core |
+| `alkstore-sqlite` | SQLite engine ([ADR-003](decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md)) | rusqlite, `alkstore-substrate` (the forked honker-core lineage — [ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md), designed in [ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md)) |
 | `alkstore-postgres` | Postgres engine ([ADR-004](decisions/004-postgres-driver.md)) | tokio-postgres, deadpool-postgres |
 | (mem engine, optional) | test convenience, decided at implementation ([ADR-001](decisions/001-crate-split.md)) | none |
 
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ Per [ADR-002](decisions/002-feature-scope.md):
 | Doc | Purpose |
 |---|---|
 | [core-contract.md](core-contract.md) | The unified trait surface: mechanisms, delivery guarantees, tx seam, naming |
-| [engine-sqlite.md](engine-sqlite.md) | SQLite engine: mapping the contract onto honker-core/rusqlite |
+| [engine-sqlite.md](engine-sqlite.md) | SQLite engine: mapping the contract onto the forked substrate (`alkstore-substrate`)/rusqlite |
 | [engine-postgres.md](engine-postgres.md) | Postgres engine: mapping the contract onto tokio-postgres/LISTEN |
 | [queues.md](queues.md) | Queue/scheduler/outbox semantics depth (ADR-009/ADR-010 resolved) |
 | [deployment.md](deployment.md) | Host capabilities, connection budgets, deployment matrix (OQ-08) |
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ Per [ADR-002](decisions/002-feature-scope.md):
 |---|---|---|
 | [001](decisions/001-crate-split.md) | Reactive-core + per-engine crates | Accepted |
 | [002](decisions/002-feature-scope.md) | Feature scope (inventory-confirmed) | Accepted |
-| [003](decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md) | SQLite: rusqlite + honker-core, bridged seam | Accepted |
+| [003](decisions/003-sqlite-driver.md) | SQLite: rusqlite + honker-core lineage, bridged seam (ownership: ADR-011) | Accepted |
 | [004](decisions/004-postgres-driver.md) | Postgres: tokio-postgres + deadpool, hand-rolled LISTEN | Accepted |
 | [005](decisions/005-dependency-ownership.md) | Published libraries by default, named fork triggers | Accepted |
 | [006](decisions/006-wake-and-delivery-contract.md) | Opaque wake + re-read; notify-vs-streams guarantee split | Accepted |
@@ -74,6 +74,8 @@ Per [ADR-002](decisions/002-feature-scope.md):
 | [008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md) | Contract v1 surface pinning (partition, TxHandle shape, wake type, reserved strings, error taxonomy) | Accepted |
 | [009](decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md) | Scheduler collapse (queues + `schedule()`, `@every`-only) | Accepted |
 | [010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md) | Queue semantics depth (visibility, backoff, dead-letter, sweep, layout) | Accepted |
+| [011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) | SQLite substrate — fork honker-core into owned code | Accepted |
+| [012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md) | Forked substrate design (contract-blind boundary, fidelity, port deltas) | Accepted |
 
 ## Non-goals
 
diff --git a/docs/architecture/queues.md b/docs/architecture/queues.md
index 5b5315b..9e98f04 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/queues.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/queues.md
@@ -26,7 +26,9 @@ made under; the ADRs carry the WHY.
   write on both engines ([ADR-007](decisions/007-transactional-seam.md));
   rollback drops the job row with no ghosts.
 - **Exactly-once claim**: `FOR UPDATE SKIP LOCKED` (pg, POC-pinned
-  under 4×4 concurrency) / honker's machinery (SQLite). At-least-once
+  under 4×4 concurrency) / the forked substrate's single-statement
+  claim (SQLite, re-derived on [ADR-010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md)
+  §3a — [ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md)). At-least-once
   *work*; exactly-once *processing* needs the ack + visibility model.
 - **Wake-driven consumption**: the pg engine's default is LISTEN-driven
   claim with a re-poll safety net; SQLite's is watcher wake with
@@ -181,11 +183,12 @@ Collapsed into queues: no `Scheduler` handle, no schedule objects.
   stamped onto the enqueued job per
   [ADR-010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md) §3a; the queue
   mechanism's guarantees apply, no separate delivery machinery.
-- Schedule storage is engine-internal (SQLite: honker's
-  `_honker_scheduler_tasks`; Postgres: the engine-owned schema) — not
-  a consumer namespace; queues are names, not registered objects, so a
-  schedule may target a queue nothing has claimed yet. Schedule names
-  validate like queue names (non-empty, reserved-prefix rejected).
+- Schedule storage is engine-internal (SQLite: the forked substrate's
+  `__alkstore_scheduler_tasks` table; Postgres: the engine-owned
+  schema) — not a consumer namespace; queues are names, not registered
+  objects, so a schedule may target a queue nothing has claimed yet.
+  Schedule names validate like queue names (non-empty,
+  reserved-prefix rejected).
 
 ## Namespaces / schema layout (ADR-010 §8)
 
@@ -197,11 +200,11 @@ Collapsed into queues: no `Scheduler` handle, no schedule objects.
   table** — no per-queue tables/schemas; pg-boss's partition-per-queue
   opt-in is not inherited (one table + partial indexes matches honker's
   proven shape and keeps `queue(name)` a name, not a DDL operation).
-- **SQLite**: honker's `_honker_*` family — storage-internal
-  ([ADR-008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md) §4); no new tables
-  minted by this design; the family's fate resolved with OQ-06 — the
-  fork ([ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md)) re-owns the
-  names (`__alkstore_*`); nothing consumer-visible changes.
+- **SQLite**: the forked substrate's `__alkstore_*` table family —
+  storage-internal ([ADR-008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md)
+  §4); the fork ([ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md))
+  re-owns the names from upstream (`_honker_*`); nothing
+  consumer-visible changes.
 - Partial indexes pinned identically on both engines: partial indexes
   matching the claim hot path; dead rows outside it; single clock
   source (second-precision timestamps); savepoint-guarded
@@ -209,9 +212,10 @@ Collapsed into queues: no `Scheduler` handle, no schedule objects.
 
 ## Reference material
 
-- **honker's queue design** — the SQLite-side incumbent design
-  reference (`/workspace/honker`; ownership resolved by
-  [ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) — forked, queue ops
+- **honker's queue design** — the SQLite-side lineage design reference
+  (`/workspace/honker`; ownership resolved by
+  [ADR-011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) — forked per
+  [ADR-012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md), queue ops
   re-derived on this design).
   Full read: `docs/research/reference-honker-machinery.md` (schema,
   claim/visibility/retry/dead-letter mechanics with file/line cites;
@@ -243,6 +247,8 @@ Collapsed into queues: no `Scheduler` handle, no schedule objects.
 | [008](decisions/008-contract-v1-pinning.md) | Contract v1 | queue skeleton + EnqueueOpts pinned; depth was this doc's design space |
 | [009](decisions/009-scheduler-collapse.md) | Scheduler collapse | queues + `schedule()` + runner; `@every`-only; boundary guarantee row |
 | [010](decisions/010-queue-semantics-depth.md) | Queue depth | visibility/heartbeat rules, backoff curve, dead-letter, no-stranded-rows sweep, schema layout |
+| [011](decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) | Substrate fork | SQLite-side queue ops re-derived in owned code; `__alkstore_*` naming |
+| [012](decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md) | Fork design | contract-blind substrate boundary; fidelity posture; port deltas |
 
 ## Open Questions
 
diff --git a/docs/research/quality-read-honker-core.md b/docs/research/quality-read-honker-core.md
index a66beea..19adb83 100644
--- a/docs/research/quality-read-honker-core.md
+++ b/docs/research/quality-read-honker-core.md
@@ -285,7 +285,10 @@ pre-paid.
 - **Keep as-ported:** the PRAGMA block + `set_journal_mode_wal` retry
   logic; `Writer`; `Readers`; the polling watcher + `SharedUpdateWatcher`
   + `WatcherDeathGuard` + `stat_identity` dead-man's switch (W-1
-  backoff, W-2 fallible spawn applied in port); the `in_savepoint` /
+  backoff, W-2 fallible spawn applied in port; the dead-man's-switch
+  panic replaced by a deliberate watcher-fatal death — decided after
+  this register by [ADR-012](../architecture/decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md)
+  §4, three watcher deltas total); the `in_savepoint` /
   `UnwindUndo` machinery as the mutation-transition discipline; the
   REAL-coercion arg helpers; the `notify()` scalar + notifications
   table (renamed, plus an at-attach pruning cap implementing ADR-010
@@ -317,6 +320,10 @@ pre-paid.
 
 - [ADR-011](../architecture/decisions/011-sqlite-substrate-fork.md) —
   the fork decision and packaging.
+- [ADR-012](../architecture/decisions/012-forked-substrate-design.md) —
+  the fork's design follow-through: the contract-blind substrate
+  boundary, the API fidelity posture, and this document's port notes
+  (W-1..W-4 and the dead-man's-switch panic) decided per item.
 - [ADR-005](../architecture/decisions/005-dependency-ownership.md) —
   posture row for honker-core annotated (trigger fired); the calculus
   is applied, not renegotiated.