Saturation audit — 5 Sep 2026 01:55 Europe/London

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This file is the working saturation audit (directory/*.md).
Do NOT copy this dump onto founder-view-saturation-audit-*.md.
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# Saturation audit — 5 Sep 2026 01:55 Europe/London

Not a P move. No path named. No customer named. No new thin primary scrape.
Did not re-read Companies House company 16892858.
Did not unpark/install customer cut 63e813ea. Did not write kpis/p-evidence.md.
Did not print G0–G3 or a numbered gate catalogue. Did not emit a file:// link.
Did not invent a buyer or a market path. Did not claim a layer or rewrite Current slot.
Did not hire. Did not publish to here.now.

Previous filed hour 00:55 EXISTS (`directory/compile-gap-card-2026-09-05-0055.md`) — not FAIL.
14:55 / 08:55 already skipped (4 Sep) — not re-asked.
17:15 close is a separate routine — not stolen.
Not a decision point (01:55 overnight).

Standing contract 26e4abb6. Frontier UUID 1a16c508 (+ cuts-forward b7e2d19a).
This hour is **frontier required output #3**: Saturation audit — consecutive thin-without-candidate-strengthen per recon category; N≥3 → rotate-off this week.
Hour label **2026-09-05 01:55** Europe/London (automation fired ~01:56).

## Why this hour
Named frontier is the **Saturation audit** (1a16c508 queue item 3, after Compile-gap card done at 00:55) on the live gate where path candidates still cannot be compiled and the blocker is still reach toward $2.5–5bn **now**; destination delta = **no material change**.

## How counted
- Source: `directory/recon-map.md` dated category filings (newest first within each category), cross-checked against `activity/hour-log.md` Sep 3–5 and recent `directory/market-path-research-*.md` headers.
- Count = consecutive category filings (most recent first) that stayed thin **as a path candidate** without strengthening a compile candidate.
- Excluded from streaks: decision-only hours, close hours, frontier deliverables (reach brief 23:55, compile-gap 00:55). Those break volume-as-default but do not reset category streaks by themselves.
- Risk reduction: filings that “got stronger as a constraint” but stayed thin as a path still count as thin-without-**candidate**-strengthen. Constraint capability stays available when a frontier hour needs a constraint cite — do not delete it.

## Saturation table

| Category | Consecutive thin-without-candidate-strengthen (N) | Rotate-off this week? | Latest filing (date · slot · one-line) | Note |
|---|---:|---|---|---|
| Companies in the space | 54 | **Yes** | 4 Sep · 21:55 · Molten Ventures — how-founders-meet-institutional-capital UK listed Series A+ European tech VC | Entire dated streak thin as path; VC/debt/angel host flood. |
| Competitor mapping | 47 | **Yes** | 4 Sep · 22:55 · Galop — LGBT+ anti-abuse national charity reach channel | Entire dated streak thin as path; charity/advice routing flood. |
| Market scenarios | 41 | **Yes** | 4 Sep · 20:55 · Business Gateway — Scotland local business-advice network | Entire dated streak thin as path; accelerator/programme host flood. |
| Market discovery | 25 | **Yes** | 4 Sep · 17:55 · ONS UK business activity, size and location 2025 — VAT/PAYE stock size | Fewer recent *hours* than VC/charity lanes, but every dated filing in-category is still thin; N≥3. |
| Risk reduction | 21 | **Yes** (path-hunting) | 4 Sep · 19:55 · BPMR 2008 S.I. 2008/1276 — B2B misleading-marketing constraint | Stronger as **constraint**, thin as **path**. Rotate-off thin path-hunting in this category; constraint filings remain available for cite when needed. |
| Founder / self | 2 | **No** | 27 Aug · 01:55 · Oxford event page + LinkedIn 999 + me.sh mirror — public self-context | Sparse; only two dated filings; below N≥3 floor. |

## Rotate-off this week (path-hunting)
1. **Companies in the space** — N=54
2. **Competitor mapping** — N=47
3. **Market scenarios** — N=41
4. **Market discovery** — N=25
5. **Risk reduction** — N=21 for thin path-hunting (constraint cite capability retained)

## Not rotate-off
- **Founder / self** — N=2 (sparse; do not invent volume here either)

## What next hour should prefer
Queue item **4: One deepen-or-discard** — pick the single strongest existing thin cluster (if any real); strengthen toward compile criteria or discard with reason; do **not** open a new thin source for volume.
Cut-prep **C1** (thin-recon-volume-as-default) / **C2** (recurring parked-cut narration) only if leverage — do **not** produce deepen or cut-prep this hour.

## Gate honesty
Compile still **0**. Blocker still **reach**. P empty. No path named. Destination delta = **no material change**.

## Confirmation
Contract UUID 26e4abb6-3b66-4a66-a4f7-d4c065ad9233 is live.
No path named. P unchanged.
e834b2f2 compile still 0; blocker still reach.
Previous 00:55 EXISTS — not FAIL.
14:55 / 08:55 already skipped — not re-asked.
17:15 separate routine — not stolen.
Frontier 1a16c508 item 3 (Saturation audit) produced this hour.