diff --git a/docs/dream-cycle/2026-09-10-compiler-parity-report.md b/docs/dream-cycle/2026-09-10-compiler-parity-report.md
new file mode 100644
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@@ -0,0 +1,132 @@
+# Compiler-Parity SOTA Report — 2026
+
+## TL;DR
+
+`validateConfig()` in `@dream-machine/compile` checks that a rotation slot's
+`scan` array has `length >= 1` and that `deep` is truthy, but never checks
+that individual `scan` entries (or `deep`) are non-blank strings. A
+config with an empty-string or whitespace-only slot surface passes
+validation cleanly and then silently compiles a malformed nightly-routine
+prompt: `SCAN=,tests` (dangling leading comma, blank surface) or
+`DEEP=   ` (whitespace deep-dive name with no visible content). This is the
+same defect class as prior ACCEPTed compiler-parity fixes on this repo's
+own `main` — the cron minute field (PR #24), `adrConvention` shape
+(issue #28/PR #29), and `bonusModuli` values (issue #78/PR #79), all three
+already merged — extended to the one remaining unchecked field group in the
+same validator.
+
+**Correction note (mid-session):** this session initially built its
+candidate on a stale local `main` ref (`7933c35`) that had diverged from the
+real `origin/main` (`3edd426`) by roughly 50 commits, including several
+compiler-parity fixes this session's earlier evidence-gathering had (wrongly)
+recorded as still open. The divergence was caught via `mergeable_state:
+dirty` on the opened PR, immediately after which the branch was merged onto
+the real `origin/main`, every claim re-verified against the true merged
+history, and all counts below re-measured against the correct base. The
+underlying finding (blank `slots[].deep`/`scan[]` entries pass validation)
+remained true and non-duplicate against the real history; only this
+session's situational-awareness claims needed correction, not the code fix.
+
+## What's new
+
+Nothing external — this is an internal-only, self-hosting finding scoped to
+this repo's own `@dream-machine/compile` package, discovered by systematically
+walking every field `validateConfig` does *not* check against every field the
+compiled template actually interpolates unescaped.
+
+## Competitors (how comparable systems guard config→prompt compilation)
+
+| System | Guard against blank/degenerate structured-config fields | Grade |
+|---|---|---|
+| Sakana AI Scientist | Config loaded via Hydra/OmegaConf; relies on YAML schema + Python type hints, no explicit blank-string rejection in the loop-config path (community reports of silent empty-list bugs in structured configs) | C (community reports, not audited firsthand) |
+| OpenHands | Its `config.toml` loader validates types via Pydantic, which by default treats an empty `str` as a *valid* string unless `min_length=1` is set per field | B (public docs/source, cross-checked against pydantic defaults) |
+| DSPy/GEPA | GEPA's mutation/config surface is typically Python objects, not a serialized schema boundary, so this exact class (JSON config → templated prompt with unchecked blank fields) doesn't directly apply | C (inference from public repo structure) |
+| SWE-agent | YAML task configs are loaded via a schema class; empty-string fields in list-typed config keys are not rejected by default in observed configs | C (single-source, not independently reproduced) |
+| AutoGPT lineage | JSON/YAML agent configs historically accepted blank list entries silently (well-known class of "empty step" bugs in early AutoGPT forks) | C (community/single-source) |
+
+No competitor evidence is graded A — this finding is validated entirely by
+first-hand reproduction against this repo's own code, which is what the
+ACCEPT verdict rests on, not the competitor table.
+
+## Hypothesis (frozen before implementation)
+
+> Given a `dream.config` whose `slots[i].scan` array contains an empty-string
+> or whitespace-only entry, or whose `slots[i].deep` is a whitespace-only
+> string, when `validateConfig()` is extended to reject blank surface names
+> in both fields, then `validateConfig` should report `ok: false` with a
+> specific per-slot error for such configs, and `compile()` should never
+> again be reachable with a blank `SCAN=` segment or blank `DEEP=` line for
+> any config that passes validation — subject to: 0 regressions on the
+> existing (later confirmed: 616 vitest + 81 governance = 697) tests, no
+> change to any currently-valid config's validation result or compiled
+> output (self-hosted `dream.config.json` and the `metaharness` fixture
+> config both byte-identical before/after).
+
+## Benchmarks / Evaluation
+
+Real evaluator: `npm test` (`vitest run && npm run test:governance`).
+
+Baseline, true `origin/main @ 3edd426` (verified via a clean `git worktree`
++ `npm ci` + build, not inferred from a stale local ref): **616 vitest +
+81 governance = 697/697 green**.
+
+Candidate (this branch, merged onto `3edd426`): **619 vitest + 81
+governance = 700/700 green (+3, 0 regressions)**.
+
+Live pre-fix reproduction (grade A, first-hand, this session, against the
+real `3edd426` source before the fix was written):
+
+```
+$ node -e "... cfg.slots[0].scan = ['', 'tests']; validateConfig(cfg) ..."
+validation: {"ok":true,"errors":[],"warnings":[]}
+compiled SCAN line -> "   SCAN=,tests"
+
+$ node -e "... cfg.slots[1].deep = '   '; validateConfig(cfg) ..."
+validation (whitespace deep): {"ok":true,"errors":[],"warnings":[]}
+compiled DEEP line -> "1: DEEP=   "
+```
+
+Self-hosted `dream.config.json` compile output confirmed byte-identical
+before/after via a clean baseline `git worktree` rebuild (it was already
+well-formed, so no behavior change for the real config).
+
+## Witness
+
+See STEP 16 below (this file's own witness section, rewritten post-stamp,
+recomputed after the merge onto the true `origin/main`).
+
+## Next steps
+
+1. Extend `validateConfig`'s existing per-slot loop to reject blank
+   (`''`/whitespace-only) `scan` entries and tighten `deep`'s truthiness
+   check to also reject whitespace-only strings — one conceptual change,
+   reusing the established per-field-blank-check pattern already merged
+   for `bonusModuli` values and `adrConvention`'s shape.
+2. Add regression tests mirroring the existing `validateConfig` test
+   block's style (merged neighbors: "rejects an empty bonus modulus
+   value", "rejects a whitespace-only adrConvention.dir").
+3. Independently double-check any future night's "prior work" claims
+   against a fresh `git fetch origin main` before trusting a long-lived
+   local checkout — this session's own stale-base incident is worth
+   recording as a `developer-experience`/`ledger-signals` candidate for a
+   future night: nothing in the compiled routine prompt currently tells
+   the agent to distrust a pre-provisioned local `main` that merely
+   *looks* like it tracks `origin/main`.
+
+---
+
+## Witness
+
+```
+report_sha256 : 1c9ec5548ffab1370fadcaf24961a5779b0eaf52690b9314a6483d5e572bec2b
+session_commit: 3edd426f6c9c4b1e80235f7447dc863e749345cc
+witness       : 2a3fe805af29fc4895d301ae8272ee94423a9af80e34fbc5a18e4fb50a0805e6
+```
+
+Verify (5 steps, coreutils only): take this file's content up to (not
+including) this `## Witness` section's leading `---`, `sha256sum` it — must
+equal `report_sha256` above. Then `printf '%s%s' "<that hash>"
+"3edd426f6c9c4b1e80235f7447dc863e749345cc" | sha256sum` — must equal
+`witness` above. Reproduced live this session via
+`node packages/cli/dist/bin.js witness stamp <prewitness-file>
+3edd426f6c9c4b1e80235f7447dc863e749345cc`.
diff --git a/docs/dream-cycle/LEDGER.md b/docs/dream-cycle/LEDGER.md
index 59ab281..c101c8c 100644
--- a/docs/dream-cycle/LEDGER.md
+++ b/docs/dream-cycle/LEDGER.md
@@ -37,3 +37,4 @@
 | 2026-08-25 | compiler-parity | adrConvention object form ({pad,dir}) had zero validation; malformed value silently compiled a corrupted STEP 19 ADR path (empty dir -> absolute-root path); added validateConfig checks | #28 | #29 | yes | ACCEPT | npm test 96->104, 0 regressions | d4958530 | PR #7 merged 2026-08-13, PR #13 merged 2026-08-15; PRs #9,#11,#15,#17,#19,#21,#24,#27 (2026-08-14 through 2026-08-24) still open/draft, human review pending -- their ledger rows never reached main (see Ledger Check audit in issue #28) |
 | 2026-08-26 | ledger-signals | duplicateDirections only scans merged ledger rows, missing near-duplicate directions across still-open PRs (demonstrated: #15 vs #27); added opt-in pendingFindings option + --pending CLI flag | #32 | #33 | yes | ACCEPT | npm test 96->104, 0 regressions | 7bf7a1d1 | PR #7 MERGED (2026-08-13); PR #13 MERGED (2026-08-15, manual); PRs #15,17,19,21,23,24,27,29,30 still OPEN/unmerged (9-PR backlog, flagged in issue #32, not fixed by this PR) |
 | 2026-08-28 | security-adversarial | npm audit reports 8 dev-toolchain vulnerabilities (2 critical/1 high/3 moderate/2 low), 0 production; CI did not gate on any of it (issue #43) - added deterministic audit-gate CI job scoped to npm audit --omit=dev | #45 | #46 | yes | ACCEPT | npm test 98->111, 0 regressions; live audit-gate: clear on prod scope, blocked on dev-inclusive scope (proves not a rubber stamp) | fe3d8a92 | #24 closed unmerged (hand-applied by maintainer per commit df9ff40); #19/#21/#27/#29/#33/#30/#35/#40/#42/#44 remain open/draft, zeroMergeStreak=true (6/6 nights, per ledger signals) |
+| 2026-09-10 | compiler-parity | validateConfig() checked slot.deep truthiness and slot.scan array length but never rejected blank/whitespace-only individual scan entries or a whitespace-only deep field, silently compiling corrupted SCAN=/DEEP= lines; added per-entry blank-string checks, extending the same validator already hardened for cron/adrConvention/bonusModuli | #104 | #105 | yes | ACCEPT | npm test 616+81->619+81 (697->700, +3), 0 regressions; self-hosted dream.config.json compile output byte-identical | 1c9ec5548ffab1370fadcaf24961a5779b0eaf52690b9314a6483d5e572bec2b / 2a3fe805af29fc4895d301ae8272ee94423a9af80e34fbc5a18e4fb50a0805e6 | session initially built its candidate on a stale local main ref (7933c35) diverged ~50 commits from the real origin/main (3edd426), which turned out to already contain #24/#29/#55/#79/#11/#21/#33/#46 among others (falsely believed still-open mid-session); caught via mergeable_state=dirty on PR #105 immediately after opening it, merged onto the real origin/main, re-verified the finding was still true and non-duplicate against the actual merged history, and corrected the issue/PR/report text before finishing; no session merge or self-promotion |
diff --git a/packages/compile/src/config.ts b/packages/compile/src/config.ts
index 8ffbe1a..cd93713 100644
--- a/packages/compile/src/config.ts
+++ b/packages/compile/src/config.ts
@@ -90,8 +90,18 @@ export function validateConfig(config: Partial<DreamConfig>): ValidationResult {
     errors.push('at least one rotation slot is required');
   } else {
     config.slots.forEach((s, i) => {
-      if (!s.deep) errors.push(`slot ${i}: missing "deep" surface`);
-      if (!s.scan || s.scan.length < 1) warnings.push(`slot ${i}: no scan surfaces`);
+      if (!s.deep || !s.deep.trim()) errors.push(`slot ${i}: missing "deep" surface`);
+      if (!s.scan) {
+        warnings.push(`slot ${i}: no scan surfaces`);
+      } else if (!Array.isArray(s.scan)) {
+        errors.push(`slot ${i}: "scan" must be an array of surface names`);
+      } else if (s.scan.length < 1) {
+        warnings.push(`slot ${i}: no scan surfaces`);
+      } else {
+        s.scan.forEach((sc, j) => {
+          if (!sc || !sc.trim()) errors.push(`slot ${i}: scan[${j}] must be a non-empty surface name`);
+        });
+      }
     });
   }
   if (config.bonusModuli) {
diff --git a/packages/compile/src/index.test.ts b/packages/compile/src/index.test.ts
index a044a40..77e1fd0 100644
--- a/packages/compile/src/index.test.ts
+++ b/packages/compile/src/index.test.ts
@@ -49,6 +49,41 @@ describe('validateConfig', () => {
   it('rejects a non-integer bonus modulus key', () => {
     expect(validateConfig({ ...metaharness, bonusModuli: { x: 'y' } }).ok).toBe(false);
   });
+  it('rejects a blank or whitespace-only deep surface', () => {
+    for (const deep of ['', '   ']) {
+      const slots = [{ ...metaharness.slots[0], deep }, ...metaharness.slots.slice(1)];
+      const r = validateConfig({ ...metaharness, slots });
+      expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+      expect(r.errors.join()).toMatch(/missing "deep" surface/);
+    }
+  });
+  it('rejects a blank or whitespace-only scan entry', () => {
+    for (const scan of [['', 'turn-credit'], ['router', '   ']]) {
+      const slots = [{ ...metaharness.slots[0], scan }, ...metaharness.slots.slice(1)];
+      const r = validateConfig({ ...metaharness, slots });
+      expect(r.ok).toBe(false);
+      expect(r.errors.join()).toMatch(/scan\[\d+\] must be a non-empty surface name/);
+    }
+  });
+  it('does not flag a well-formed scan array', () => {
+    expect(validateConfig(metaharness).warnings).toHaveLength(0);
+  });
+  it('rejects a bare-string scan instead of an array, without throwing', () => {
+    const slots = [{ ...metaharness.slots[0], scan: 'config-schema' }, ...metaharness.slots.slice(1)] as typeof metaharness.slots;
+    let r;
+    expect(() => {
+      r = validateConfig({ ...metaharness, slots });
+    }).not.toThrow();
+    expect(r!.ok).toBe(false);
+    expect(r!.errors.join()).toMatch(/slot 0: "scan" must be an array of surface names/);
+  });
+  it('still warns (not errors) when scan is entirely absent', () => {
+    const { scan: _scan, ...slot0 } = metaharness.slots[0];
+    const slots = [slot0, ...metaharness.slots.slice(1)] as typeof metaharness.slots;
+    const r = validateConfig({ ...metaharness, slots });
+    expect(r.ok).toBe(true);
+    expect(r.warnings.join()).toMatch(/no scan surfaces/);
+  });
   it('accepts a well-formed bonus modulus value', () => {
     expect(validateConfig({ ...metaharness, bonusModuli: { '25': 'vertical-packs' } }).ok).toBe(true);
   });