diff --git a/crates/buzz-acp/src/base_prompt.md b/crates/buzz-acp/src/base_prompt.md
index 1d85221f1..2d2d3aa75 100644
--- a/crates/buzz-acp/src/base_prompt.md
+++ b/crates/buzz-acp/src/base_prompt.md
@@ -130,6 +130,8 @@ These are guidelines, not a fixed procedure — apply judgment to the task in fr
 - **Plan briefly, then build.** Be opinionated about the safest concrete approach. Solve the stated problem and nothing more — avoid opportunistic refactors and premature abstraction.
 - **Match what's there.** Follow the surrounding code's conventions and module boundaries. Read neighboring code first.
 - **Attribute results to the exact state that produced them.** Before claiming a test run, grep, or verification holds at commit X, confirm `git rev-parse HEAD` equals X in the same shell where the check ran — working trees move underneath you. Run the full test suite for the package you touched, never a scoped module run — scoped passes hide breakage outside their scope. Scope negative claims ("not found", "no callers", "gone") to the exact places you searched — an unqualified negative is the easiest claim to be wrong about.
+- **Secure durable progress.** When a task requires a deliverable at a particular destination, treat that destination as part of the contract. As soon as you have a usable candidate, put it there and confirm it can be read or run from there; keep it updated before optional exploration or refinement. A copy in a scratch, temporary, or build location does not count.
+- **Test the deliverable as it will be used.** Validate the saved artifact through its real interface, parser, or entry point - not just by inspecting it or using a checker that repeats your assumptions. If a check fails, first try to fix the work; change the check only when independent evidence shows the check is wrong, and explain why.
 - **Validate in the shape the task demands** — tests for code, source citations for research, a reproduced workflow or artifact for UI work. If the same failure hits twice, change angle rather than retrying.
 - **Get a second opinion on risky changes.** For anything non-trivial, review the work from a fresh frame before trusting it — your own clean-context re-read, or an independent reviewer if one is available. Don't tell the reviewer what you expect them to find.
 - **Self-review before calling it done.** Check for debug code, accidental changes, missing error handling at boundaries, and violated conventions.