diff --git a/persistent-memory.md b/persistent-memory.md
index 746ea26..18bf4d9 100644
--- a/persistent-memory.md
+++ b/persistent-memory.md
@@ -306,7 +306,13 @@ _As of 2026-06-20:_
   irv-ml1 A6000 ~18GB slice, NO Blackwell displacement; they'll send sizing + grant
   claude-bot read on vh/brokkr-smithy at P00-PASS. **FOLLOW-UP: clean phantom
   `qwen3.6-35b-a3b` off the gateway** (shows in /v1/models but 400s "invalid model" —
-  backend displaced 2026-06-19; the no-false-alias footgun).
+  backend displaced 2026-06-19; the no-false-alias footgun). **OPERATOR STEER
+  (2026-06-20): R22 is research for a PRAGMATIC/deployable outcome, NOT advancing-the-art
+  ("another day's work").** Before the dwarves invest in Phase B, establish a deploy path
+  (distilled steering-vector / fine-tune applied to a model we already serve, e.g.
+  Worldtree's) — don't research an avenue we won't implement. Phase A/P00 (the cheap
+  prompt-level gate) runs regardless (it just tells us if the affect signal exists).
+  Operator is taking the dwarf discussion directly.
 
 - `[2026-06-20]` **claude-bot issue-scope token minted for worldtree-dev self-serve**
   (closes their last `tea`-as-vh fallback — issues; they already self-serve Actions +