refactor(gateway): consolidate commit + notify role gates into verb_gates

Replaces hardcoded role-string-constants in content_actions.py
(_COMMIT_ALLOWED_ROLES, _NOTIFY_ALLOWED_ROLES) with calls into
verb_gates.is_verb_allowed against a synthetic in-progress task probe.
Pre-fix the same role lists lived in both content_actions and
verb_gates; if one drifted the other would mask it. Now there's one
table.

Adds `notify` to verb_gates._ALWAYS_AVAILABLE for cell_pm, main_pm,
product_owner, head_marketing.

Note: i_will_plan / delegate role checks INTENTIONALLY stay as
explicit `role not in (cell_pm, main_pm)` checks, not is_verb_allowed.
Their state checks must surface as `invalid_state` (a different
agent-side error code) — conflating them with role-state combo
checks breaks the rejection-code semantics agents rely on.

Tests: 3127 passing, 100% coverage, ruff clean.

roboco/services/gateway/choreographer/_impl.py

@@ -1087,12 +1087,17 @@ class Choreographer:
         producing the cycle smoke 2026-05-04 captured.
         """
         agent = await self.task.agent_for(pm_agent_id)
-        if agent is None or agent.role not in ("cell_pm", "main_pm"):
+        role = str(agent.role) if agent is not None else ""
+        # Role-only gate: i_will_plan is principle-level reserved for PMs.
+        # The status check below ((pending → in_progress) is a separate gate
+        # whose rejection must surface as `invalid_state`, not
+        # `not_authorized` — agents react to those two errors differently.
+        if role not in ("cell_pm", "main_pm"):
             return Envelope.not_authorized(
                 message="only cell_pm or main_pm may call i_will_plan",
                 remediate="this verb is reserved for PMs",
                 context_briefing=await self._briefing_for(pm_agent_id, task_id),
-            )
+            ).with_introspection(task=t, role=role)
         status = str(t.status)
         if status != "pending":
             # Idempotent re-entry: caller already owns this task in a
@@ -1295,7 +1300,8 @@ class Choreographer:
         if guard := await self._delegate_role_guards(
             pm_agent_id, parent_task_id, agent, inputs
         ):
-            return guard
+            role = str(agent.role) if agent is not None else ""
+            return guard.with_introspection(task=parent, role=role)
         if guard := await self._delegate_static_guards(
             pm_agent_id, parent_task_id, parent, inputs
         ):
@@ -1312,7 +1318,13 @@ class Choreographer:
         agent: Any,
         inputs: DelegateInputs,
     ) -> Envelope | None:
-        """Role + delegation-chain guards (the original two)."""
+        """Role + delegation-chain guards (the original two).
+
+        Role gate stays role-only here (not via is_verb_allowed) — the
+        parent-status check is a separate gate that must surface as
+        `invalid_state`, not `not_authorized`. See _i_will_plan_preflight
+        for the same rationale.
+        """
         if agent is None or agent.role not in ("cell_pm", "main_pm"):
             return Envelope.not_authorized(
                 message="only cell_pm or main_pm may delegate",

roboco/services/gateway/content_actions.py

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ from typing import TYPE_CHECKING, Any
 from roboco.services.gateway.commit_validator import validate_commit_message
 from roboco.services.gateway.envelope import Envelope
 from roboco.services.gateway.evidence_builder import build_evidence_for_task
+from roboco.services.gateway.verb_gates import is_verb_allowed
 
 if TYPE_CHECKING:
     from uuid import UUID
@@ -59,19 +60,24 @@ class ContentActionsDeps:
     notifications: Any
 
 
-# Roles authorized to issue formal ack-required notifications via `notify`.
-# Pre-gateway, NotificationService callers were gated by the same set
-# (PMs and Board members); the gateway re-asserts that gate at the verb
-# layer because the do.py router is shared by all roles.
-_NOTIFY_ALLOWED_ROLES: frozenset[str] = frozenset(
-    {"cell_pm", "main_pm", "product_owner", "head_marketing"}
-)
+# Notification authorization is sourced from verb_gates._ALWAYS_AVAILABLE
+# (which lists `notify` for cell_pm, main_pm, product_owner, head_marketing).
+# Pre-gateway this lived as a `_NOTIFY_ALLOWED_ROLES` constant here; merging
+# into verb_gates removes the risk that the two sets disagree.
 _VALID_NOTIFY_PRIORITIES: frozenset[str] = frozenset({"normal", "high", "urgent"})
 
-# Only roles whose manifest includes "commit" should reach the verb body.
-# Server-side gate is defense-in-depth in case the MCP manifest filter ever
-# misroutes the call (smoke 2026-05-03 saw main-pm hit the git layer).
-_COMMIT_ALLOWED_ROLES: frozenset[str] = frozenset({"developer", "documenter"})
+# Synthetic task probe for role-only gate checks: when the verb body
+# wants to fast-fail on role BEFORE loading the agent's active task,
+# we hand verb_gates an in-progress code-typed shape so it consults
+# the same _STATE_VERBS row a real in-progress task would.
+class _RoleProbeTask:
+    """Minimal task-shaped object for role-only is_verb_allowed checks."""
+
+    status: str = "in_progress"
+    task_type: str = "code"
+
+
+_ROLE_PROBE = _RoleProbeTask()
 
 
 class ContentActions:
@@ -119,8 +125,8 @@ class ContentActions:
         records progress entry from the commit message.
         """
         agent = await self.task.agent_for(agent_id)
-        caller_role = agent.role if agent is not None else None
-        if caller_role not in _COMMIT_ALLOWED_ROLES:
+        caller_role = str(agent.role) if agent is not None else ""
+        if not is_verb_allowed(caller_role, "commit", _ROLE_PROBE):
             return Envelope.not_authorized(
                 message=(
                     f"role '{caller_role}' may not commit code; only"
@@ -347,8 +353,8 @@ class ContentActions:
                 context_briefing={},
             )
         agent = await self.task.agent_for(agent_id)
-        caller_role = agent.role if agent is not None else None
-        if caller_role not in _NOTIFY_ALLOWED_ROLES:
+        caller_role = str(agent.role) if agent is not None else ""
+        if not is_verb_allowed(caller_role, "notify", _ROLE_PROBE):
             return Envelope.not_authorized(
                 message=(
                     f"role {caller_role!r} cannot send formal notifications; "

roboco/services/gateway/verb_gates.py

@@ -19,14 +19,18 @@ from typing import Any
 _PM_ROLES: frozenset[str] = frozenset({"cell_pm", "main_pm"})
 
 # Always-available verbs (don't depend on task state).
+#
+# `notify` (formal acked notifications) is on the PM/Board roles only —
+# pre-gateway it was gated by `_NOTIFY_ALLOWED_ROLES` in
+# `content_actions.py`; now consolidated here.
 _ALWAYS_AVAILABLE: dict[str, frozenset[str]] = {
     "developer": frozenset({"i_am_idle", "give_me_work"}),
     "qa": frozenset({"i_am_idle", "give_me_work"}),
     "documenter": frozenset({"i_am_idle", "give_me_work"}),
-    "cell_pm": frozenset({"i_am_idle", "give_me_work", "triage"}),
-    "main_pm": frozenset({"i_am_idle", "give_me_work", "triage_all"}),
-    "product_owner": frozenset({"i_am_idle", "triage"}),
-    "head_marketing": frozenset({"i_am_idle", "triage"}),
+    "cell_pm": frozenset({"i_am_idle", "give_me_work", "triage", "notify"}),
+    "main_pm": frozenset({"i_am_idle", "give_me_work", "triage_all", "notify"}),
+    "product_owner": frozenset({"i_am_idle", "triage", "notify"}),
+    "head_marketing": frozenset({"i_am_idle", "triage", "notify"}),
     "auditor": frozenset({"i_am_idle", "triage"}),
 }
 

tests/unit/gateway/test_verb_gates.py

@@ -171,3 +171,37 @@ def test_is_verb_allowed_false_for_blocked_verb() -> None:
 
 def test_is_verb_allowed_false_for_unknown_role() -> None:
     assert is_verb_allowed("nope", "i_am_idle", _task("pending")) is False
+
+
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Task 4: verb_gates is the single source of truth for content tools too
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def test_commit_allowed_for_developer_and_documenter_only() -> None:
+    """Was a hardcoded set in content_actions; now lives in verb_gates."""
+    task = _task("in_progress", task_type="code")
+    assert is_verb_allowed("developer", "commit", task) is True
+    assert is_verb_allowed("documenter", "commit", task) is True
+    assert is_verb_allowed("qa", "commit", task) is False
+    assert is_verb_allowed("cell_pm", "commit", task) is False
+    assert is_verb_allowed("main_pm", "commit", task) is False
+
+
+def test_commit_not_offered_when_task_is_not_in_progress() -> None:
+    """commit is a per-state verb — not offered when state forbids it."""
+    task = _task("completed", task_type="code")
+    assert is_verb_allowed("developer", "commit", task) is False
+
+
+def test_notify_allowed_for_pm_and_board_only() -> None:
+    """Was a hardcoded set in content_actions; now lives in verb_gates."""
+    task = _task("in_progress", task_type="code")
+    assert is_verb_allowed("cell_pm", "notify", task) is True
+    assert is_verb_allowed("main_pm", "notify", task) is True
+    assert is_verb_allowed("product_owner", "notify", task) is True
+    assert is_verb_allowed("head_marketing", "notify", task) is True
+    assert is_verb_allowed("developer", "notify", task) is False
+    assert is_verb_allowed("qa", "notify", task) is False
+    assert is_verb_allowed("documenter", "notify", task) is False
+    assert is_verb_allowed("auditor", "notify", task) is False