diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 9251476c..0559d948 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -104,3 +104,16 @@ The project uses ESLint with `@typescript-eslint` strict rules. Common gotchas:
 - `camelcase` — `nitroX` is valid camelCase (capital X starts the next word)
 
 CI runs lint as part of `sf-prepack` — do not skip with `--no-verify` on the final merge commit.
+
+---
+
+## Script naming convention
+
+Files anywhere under `scripts/` (including nested subdirectories) must be named for what they **do**, not for the ticket that prompted them. Ticket-prefixed names (e.g. `pdx-482-validate.cjs`) leak internal Jira plumbing into the file tree, age poorly once the ticket closes, and surface in customer-visible artifacts (CI logs, PR diffs, repo browsing).
+
+- **Allowed:** `authoring-flow-trace.cjs`, `construction-contract-validate.cjs`, `mcp-smoke.cjs`, `fetch-nitrox-packages.cjs`
+- **Rejected:** `pdx-482-validate.cjs`, `PDX_481_trace.cjs`, `scripts/tmp/pdx-999.cjs`, anything whose basename matches `^pdx[-_]?\d+` (case-insensitive)
+
+Enforced by `scripts/lint-script-names.cjs`, which walks `scripts/` recursively and runs as a dependency of `yarn lint` (wireit `lint:script-names`). The check fails the lint step if any ticket-prefixed filename appears at any depth.
+
+Ticket IDs and rationale belong in commit messages and PR descriptions, not in filenames or in user-facing docs (`docs/mcp.md`, `docs/mcp-pilot-guide.md`).
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 09157474..38248d87 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -180,6 +180,9 @@
     },
     "lint": {
       "command": "eslint src test --color --cache --cache-location .eslintcache",
+      "dependencies": [
+        "lint:script-names"
+      ],
       "files": [
         "src/**/*.ts",
         "test/**/*.ts",
@@ -189,6 +192,14 @@
       ],
       "output": []
     },
+    "lint:script-names": {
+      "command": "node scripts/lint-script-names.cjs",
+      "files": [
+        "scripts/lint-script-names.cjs",
+        "scripts/**/*"
+      ],
+      "output": []
+    },
     "test:compile": {
       "command": "tsc -p \"./test\" --pretty",
       "files": [
diff --git a/scripts/pdx-481-trace.cjs b/scripts/authoring-flow-trace.cjs
similarity index 96%
rename from scripts/pdx-481-trace.cjs
rename to scripts/authoring-flow-trace.cjs
index 8e5296aa..06d65311 100644
--- a/scripts/pdx-481-trace.cjs
+++ b/scripts/authoring-flow-trace.cjs
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
-// PDX-481 prompt-flow trace.
+// Authoring-flow trace.
 //
-// Drives the patched MCP server over JSON-RPC stdio and captures the EXACT
-// bytes that an MCP client (Claude Desktop / Cursor / etc.) would surface to
-// its LLM at every decision point in the test-authoring flow:
+// Drives the MCP server over JSON-RPC stdio and captures the EXACT bytes that
+// an MCP client (Claude Desktop / Cursor / etc.) would surface to its LLM at
+// every decision point in the test-authoring flow:
 //
 //   1. The orchestration prompt the LLM reads when planning ("I want to author a new test case")
 //   2. The tool-guide resource the LLM reads when picking the right tool
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 //   5. The actual XML the tool emits when given a real multi-scenario payload
 //
 // Run from the worktree root after `yarn compile`:
-//   node scripts/pdx-481-trace.cjs
+//   node scripts/authoring-flow-trace.cjs
 
 'use strict';
 
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ function extractSection(text, headerRegex, nextHeaderRegex) {
   await rpc('initialize', {
     protocolVersion: '2024-11-05',
     capabilities: {},
-    clientInfo: { name: 'pdx-481-trace', version: '1.0.0' },
+    clientInfo: { name: 'authoring-flow-trace', version: '1.0.0' },
   });
 
   // ── 1. The orchestration prompt's author-test flow ────────────────────────
diff --git a/scripts/pdx-481-validate.cjs b/scripts/authoring-guidance-validate.cjs
similarity index 85%
rename from scripts/pdx-481-validate.cjs
rename to scripts/authoring-guidance-validate.cjs
index 98aa6f61..bbe6aa44 100644
--- a/scripts/pdx-481-validate.cjs
+++ b/scripts/authoring-guidance-validate.cjs
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
-// PDX-481: server-side validation that the rewritten author-test guidance is
-// reachable and contains the canonical single-call construction copy. Runs
-// without requiring sf CLI to be linked to the local plugin.
+// Authoring-guidance validation: confirm the author-test guidance (prompt +
+// step-reference resource) is reachable and contains the canonical single-call
+// construction copy. Runs without requiring sf CLI to be linked to the local
+// plugin.
 //
 //   yarn compile
-//   node scripts/pdx-481-validate.cjs
+//   node scripts/authoring-guidance-validate.cjs
 
 'use strict';
 
@@ -66,11 +67,11 @@ function record(label, ok, detail) {
   await rpc('initialize', {
     protocolVersion: '2024-11-05',
     capabilities: {},
-    clientInfo: { name: 'pdx-481-validate', version: '1.0.0' },
+    clientInfo: { name: 'authoring-guidance-validate', version: '1.0.0' },
   });
 
-  // The orchestration prompt should still be registered (PDX-481 keeps it,
-  // unlike PDX-480 which disabled it).
+  // The orchestration prompt must remain registered; the author-test flow
+  // depends on it as the LLM's entry point.
   const orch = await rpc('prompts/get', {
     name: 'provar.guide.orchestration',
     arguments: { task: 'author-test' },
@@ -94,7 +95,7 @@ function record(label, ok, detail) {
     );
   }
 
-  // PDX-479 anti-patterns
+  // Multi-call construction anti-patterns
   const mustExclude = ['repeat per step'];
   for (const phrase of mustExclude) {
     const present = text.includes(phrase);
@@ -115,7 +116,7 @@ function record(label, ok, detail) {
       : `split confirmed`
   );
 
-  // Tool-guide resource should still serve content (PDX-481 keeps it).
+  // Tool-guide resource must serve content; LLMs read it when picking a tool.
   const guide = await rpc('resources/read', { uri: 'provar://docs/tool-guide' });
   const gcontent = guide.result?.contents?.[0]?.text ?? '';
   record(
@@ -146,7 +147,7 @@ function record(label, ok, detail) {
       fail++;
     }
   }
-  console.log(`\nPDX-481 validation: ${pass} passed, ${fail} failed`);
+  console.log(`\nAuthoring-guidance validation: ${pass} passed, ${fail} failed`);
 
   server.stdin.end();
   process.exit(fail > 0 ? 1 : 0);
diff --git a/scripts/pdx-482-validate.cjs b/scripts/construction-contract-validate.cjs
similarity index 82%
rename from scripts/pdx-482-validate.cjs
rename to scripts/construction-contract-validate.cjs
index 01537deb..ee2f89cd 100644
--- a/scripts/pdx-482-validate.cjs
+++ b/scripts/construction-contract-validate.cjs
@@ -1,27 +1,28 @@
-// PDX-482 / PDX-483 / PDX-484 validation: confirm the construct/amend contract
-// is reachable at every MCP protocol surface the LLM sees, and that the runtime
+// Construction-contract validation: confirm the construct/amend contract is
+// reachable at every MCP protocol surface the LLM sees, and that the runtime
 // guard rejects the multi-call construction shape.
 //
-// PDX-482 — description contract (standard + compact schema modes): assertions
-// on tools/list description bodies. Compact mode coverage is critical because
-// the adversarial review identified that PROVAR_MCP_SCHEMA_MODE=compact silently
-// swapped the description for a contract-free one-liner.
+// Description-contract pass (standard + compact schema modes): assertions on
+// tools/list description bodies — every byte the LLM literally sees at the
+// call site. Compact mode coverage is critical because
+// PROVAR_MCP_SCHEMA_MODE=compact swaps the description for a short one-liner;
+// if the contract isn't in that form, compact mode becomes a regression vector.
 //
-// PDX-483 — runtime guard: drives a real tools/call with the rejected shape
-// (steps:[]+dry_run:false+output_path) and asserts the response is a structured
-// STEPS_REQUIRED error with a non-empty details.suggestion. This catches a
-// regression class that the tools/list assertions cannot reach: the passive
-// contract surviving in the description while the active guard silently
+// Runtime-guard pass: drives a real tools/call with the rejected shape
+// (steps:[] + dry_run:false + output_path) and asserts the response is a
+// structured STEPS_REQUIRED error with a non-empty details.suggestion. This
+// catches a regression that the description-pass assertions cannot reach: the
+// passive contract surviving in the description while the active guard silently
 // regresses (e.g. a refactor reorders the handler so writes happen before the
 // check).
 //
-// PDX-484 — title contract: assertions on the `title:` field that some clients
+// Title-contract pass: assertions on the `title:` field that some clients
 // render exclusively (Claude Desktop chips, Cursor audit pane, inline tool-call
 // refs). Titles are schema-mode-independent but we assert in both passes to
 // surface drift early either way.
 //
 //   yarn compile
-//   node scripts/pdx-482-validate.cjs
+//   node scripts/construction-contract-validate.cjs
 
 'use strict';
 
@@ -96,7 +97,7 @@ function runValidation(mode, extraEnv, runAssertions) {
       await rpc('initialize', {
         protocolVersion: '2024-11-05',
         capabilities: {},
-        clientInfo: { name: 'pdx-482-validate', version: '1.0.0' },
+        clientInfo: { name: 'construction-contract-validate', version: '1.0.0' },
       });
       const tools = await rpc('tools/list', {});
       const toolList = tools.result?.tools ?? [];
@@ -110,9 +111,11 @@ function runValidation(mode, extraEnv, runAssertions) {
   });
 }
 
-// ── PDX-484: title-level construct-vs-amend contract ───────────────────────
-// Title field is independent of schema mode, but we assert it in both passes
-// to catch drift early regardless of which mode a future refactor breaks.
+// ── Title-level construct-vs-amend contract ────────────────────────────────
+// The `title:` field is independent of schema mode, but we assert it in both
+// passes to catch drift early regardless of which mode a future refactor breaks.
+// Many MCP clients render only the title field in tool-picker chips, so the
+// contract must survive at that surface too.
 function titleAssertions(toolList, record) {
   const gen = toolList.find((t) => t.name === 'provar_testcase_generate');
   if (!gen) {
@@ -120,12 +123,12 @@ function titleAssertions(toolList, record) {
   } else {
     const t = gen.title ?? '';
     record(
-      'generate.title carries "one call" or "single call" (PDX-484)',
+      'generate.title carries "one call" or "single call"',
       t.includes('one call') || t.includes('single call'),
       `title: ${JSON.stringify(t)}`
     );
-    record('generate.title mentions steps (PDX-484)', /step/i.test(t), 'chip-level payload shape must be visible');
-    record('generate.title length ≤ 50 chars (PDX-484)', t.length <= 50, `length: ${t.length}`);
+    record('generate.title mentions steps', /step/i.test(t), 'chip-level payload shape must be visible');
+    record('generate.title length ≤ 50 chars', t.length <= 50, `length: ${t.length}`);
   }
 
   const edit = toolList.find((t) => t.name === 'provar_testcase_step_edit');
@@ -133,17 +136,13 @@ function titleAssertions(toolList, record) {
     record('provar_testcase_step_edit has a title', false, 'tool not found');
   } else {
     const t = edit.title ?? '';
+    record('step_edit.title contains "Amend" or "amendment"', /amend/i.test(t), `title: ${JSON.stringify(t)}`);
     record(
-      'step_edit.title contains "Amend" or "amendment" (PDX-484)',
-      /amend/i.test(t),
-      `title: ${JSON.stringify(t)}`
-    );
-    record(
-      'step_edit.title signals "existing" test case only (PDX-484)',
+      'step_edit.title signals "existing" test case only',
       /exist/i.test(t),
       'chip-level signal that this tool does not construct new cases'
     );
-    record('step_edit.title length ≤ 50 chars (PDX-484)', t.length <= 50, `length: ${t.length}`);
+    record('step_edit.title length ≤ 50 chars', t.length <= 50, `length: ${t.length}`);
   }
 }
 
@@ -162,7 +161,7 @@ function standardAssertions(toolList, record) {
     record(
       'generate.description contains "single call"',
       d.includes('single call'),
-      'protects against PDX-479 regression at call site'
+      'protects against the multi-call construction regression at call site'
     );
     record(
       'generate.description contains "FULL step tree"',
@@ -176,8 +175,8 @@ function standardAssertions(toolList, record) {
     );
     record(
       'generate.description rejects CONSTRUCTING via step_edit',
-      // PDX-482 hardening: literal substring (not regex) — the previous regex
-      // would false-positive on hostile rewordings like "constructing...not via generate".
+      // Literal substring (not regex) — a regex match would false-positive on
+      // hostile rewordings like "constructing...not via generate".
       d.includes('not for CONSTRUCTING one from scratch'),
       'literal canonical phrase: "not for CONSTRUCTING one from scratch"'
     );
@@ -240,13 +239,13 @@ function standardAssertions(toolList, record) {
     );
   }
 
-  // PDX-484: title-level contract — runs in both modes to surface drift.
+  // Title-level contract — runs in both modes to surface drift.
   titleAssertions(toolList, record);
 }
 
 // ── Assertions for compact mode (short one-liner) ───────────────────────────
-// Adversarial review (Critical #1): the compact form must STILL carry the
-// contract or PROVAR_MCP_SCHEMA_MODE=compact becomes a regression highway.
+// The compact form must STILL carry the contract or PROVAR_MCP_SCHEMA_MODE=compact
+// becomes a regression highway (the standard description is swapped out entirely).
 function compactAssertions(toolList, record) {
   const gen = toolList.find((t) => t.name === 'provar_testcase_generate');
   if (!gen) {
@@ -269,7 +268,7 @@ function compactAssertions(toolList, record) {
       'must split AMENDING (step_edit) vs CONSTRUCTING (generate) in the compact form'
     );
     record(
-      'compact generate.description does NOT regress to the pre-PDX-482 contract-free form',
+      'compact generate.description does NOT regress to a contract-free one-liner',
       !/^Generate a Provar XML test case skeleton with UUID guids and steps structure\.?$/.test(d),
       'old compact form must be replaced'
     );
@@ -292,11 +291,11 @@ function compactAssertions(toolList, record) {
     );
   }
 
-  // PDX-484: title-level contract — runs in both modes to surface drift.
+  // Title-level contract — runs in both modes to surface drift.
   titleAssertions(toolList, record);
 }
 
-// ── PDX-483 runtime guard: tools/call assertion ─────────────────────────────
+// ── Runtime guard: tools/call assertion ─────────────────────────────────────
 // Drives a real tools/call(provar_testcase_generate, ...) with the rejected
 // shape (steps:[] + dry_run:false + output_path) and asserts the response is
 // a structured STEPS_REQUIRED error. This is the only check that catches a
@@ -357,11 +356,11 @@ function runRuntimeGuardValidation() {
       await rpc('initialize', {
         protocolVersion: '2024-11-05',
         capabilities: {},
-        clientInfo: { name: 'pdx-483-validate', version: '1.0.0' },
+        clientInfo: { name: 'construction-contract-validate-runtime', version: '1.0.0' },
       });
 
       // Use a unique tmp path so a leftover file from a prior run can't mask the assertion.
-      const outPath = path.join(TMP, `pdx483-validate-${Date.now()}.testcase`);
+      const outPath = path.join(TMP, `construction-contract-validate-${Date.now()}.testcase`);
       try {
         if (fs.existsSync(outPath)) fs.unlinkSync(outPath);
       } catch {
@@ -371,7 +370,7 @@ function runRuntimeGuardValidation() {
       const callRes = await rpc('tools/call', {
         name: 'provar_testcase_generate',
         arguments: {
-          test_case_name: 'PDX-483 validate',
+          test_case_name: 'construction-contract validate',
           steps: [],
           dry_run: false,
           output_path: outPath,
@@ -457,7 +456,7 @@ function runRuntimeGuardValidation() {
       fail++;
     }
   }
-  console.log(`\nPDX-482/PDX-483 validation: ${pass} passed, ${fail} failed`);
+  console.log(`\nConstruction-contract validation: ${pass} passed, ${fail} failed`);
   process.exit(fail > 0 ? 1 : 0);
 })().catch((err) => {
   console.error('Validation script error:', err);
diff --git a/scripts/lint-script-names.cjs b/scripts/lint-script-names.cjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..68a83442
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/lint-script-names.cjs
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+// Script-name lint: enforces the convention that files under scripts/ are
+// named by what they DO, not by which ticket prompted them.
+//
+// Why: ticket-prefixed filenames anchor the codebase to internal Jira IDs,
+// confuse future readers when the original ticket is closed/archived, and
+// leak internal process language into customer-visible artifacts (CI logs,
+// PR diffs, file trees that pilots may receive). Behaviour-named scripts
+// stay readable as the codebase evolves.
+//
+// Rule: no file ANYWHERE under scripts/ (including nested subdirectories)
+// may have a basename matching /^pdx[-_]?\d+/i. The walk is recursive so a
+// nested `scripts/tmp/pdx-123.cjs` does not bypass the gate.
+//
+// Run:
+//   node scripts/lint-script-names.cjs
+// Or via the lint chain:
+//   yarn lint            # wireit runs lint:script-names as a dependency
+
+'use strict';
+
+const fs = require('node:fs');
+const path = require('node:path');
+
+const SCRIPTS_DIR = path.resolve(__dirname);
+const TICKET_PREFIX_RE = /^pdx[-_]?\d+/i;
+
+function walk(dir) {
+  const out = [];
+  for (const entry of fs.readdirSync(dir, { withFileTypes: true })) {
+    const full = path.join(dir, entry.name);
+    if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+      out.push(...walk(full));
+    } else if (entry.isFile()) {
+      out.push(full);
+    }
+  }
+  return out;
+}
+
+const offenders = walk(SCRIPTS_DIR)
+  .filter((full) => TICKET_PREFIX_RE.test(path.basename(full)))
+  .map((full) => path.relative(path.dirname(SCRIPTS_DIR), full).replace(/\\/g, '/'))
+  .sort();
+
+if (offenders.length === 0) {
+  console.log('lint-script-names: OK (no ticket-prefixed script filenames under scripts/)');
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
+console.error('lint-script-names: FAIL — scripts/ contains ticket-prefixed filenames:');
+for (const rel of offenders) console.error(`  - ${rel}`);
+console.error(
+  '\nRename each file to describe what it DOES, not which ticket added it (e.g. `authoring-flow-trace.cjs` instead of `pdx-481-trace.cjs`).'
+);
+process.exit(1);
diff --git a/scripts/mcp-smoke.cjs b/scripts/mcp-smoke.cjs
index 50cf628d..6cea444b 100644
--- a/scripts/mcp-smoke.cjs
+++ b/scripts/mcp-smoke.cjs
@@ -177,17 +177,18 @@ async function runTests() {
       dry_run: true,
     });
 
-  // ── 6b. provar_testcase_generate STEPS_REQUIRED runtime guard (PDX-483) ───
+  // ── 6b. provar_testcase_generate STEPS_REQUIRED runtime guard ────────────
   // Drives the rejected shape (steps:[] + dry_run:false + output_path) so the
-  // PDX-479 regression-class shape is exercised on every smoke run. The smoke
+  // multi-call construction shape is exercised on every smoke run. The smoke
   // framework counts any JSON-RPC response as PASS; the assertion that the
-  // body carries error_code='STEPS_REQUIRED' lives in scripts/pdx-482-validate.cjs.
+  // body carries error_code='STEPS_REQUIRED' lives in
+  // scripts/construction-contract-validate.cjs.
   if (inGroup('authoring'))
     await callTool('provar_testcase_generate', {
-      test_case_name: 'PDX-483 Guard Smoke',
+      test_case_name: 'STEPS_REQUIRED Guard Smoke',
       steps: [],
       dry_run: false,
-      output_path: path.join(TMP, 'pdx483-smoke-rejected.testcase'),
+      output_path: path.join(TMP, 'steps-required-smoke-rejected.testcase'),
     });
 
   // ── 7. provar_testcase_validate ───────────────────────────────────────────
diff --git a/src/mcp/tools/testCaseGenerate.ts b/src/mcp/tools/testCaseGenerate.ts
index 21ee6a70..6e97b736 100644
--- a/src/mcp/tools/testCaseGenerate.ts
+++ b/src/mcp/tools/testCaseGenerate.ts
@@ -262,15 +262,16 @@ export function registerTestCaseGenerate(server: McpServer, config: ServerConfig
         target_uri: input.target_uri,
       });
 
-      // PDX-483: active runtime guard for the PDX-479 regression pattern.
-      // Rejects the exact shape that produces a contract-violating skeleton on
-      // disk: empty steps[] + non-dry-run + persistence target. Other empty-
-      // steps shapes (dry_run preview, no output_path) remain allowed.
+      // Runtime guard for the multi-call construction pattern: rejects the exact
+      // shape that produces a contract-violating skeleton on disk — empty steps[]
+      // + non-dry-run + persistence target. Other empty-steps shapes (dry-run
+      // preview, no output_path) remain allowed.
       if (input.steps.length === 0 && !input.dry_run && input.output_path) {
         const err = makeError(
           'STEPS_REQUIRED',
           'provar_testcase_generate was called with an empty steps[] array and a target output_path. ' +
-            'This produces a contract-violating skeleton (the PDX-479 regression pattern) and is rejected.',
+            'Constructing a test case requires the full step tree in a single call; ' +
+            'an empty payload on the write path would produce a skeleton-only file.',
           requestId,
           false,
           {