Run 4: memory discipline verified (1833 KB flat, no OOM) but 0 hits
with the small maps demonstrably retained — window-repetition theory
refuted, sub-second bar failed (splice 2.83 s cold / ~2 s steady).
Decision: wire the splice in anyway (~9-10 s cold real-repo :sync vs
611 s/OOM for every alternative). Run 5: cache removal confirmed
free; the ~1.85 MB "resident" was mwindow's live window set, which
makes the mwindow opts in shipping git_sync.rs load-bearing.
The real jcalixte/notes clone (570 MB pack, 1179 files) proved both index
strategies are O(N_tree) and unshippable: index.write re-hashes the tree
(611 s), and the index-free read_tree is 77 s cold and OOMs the mmap cache
(zlib crash). Record the run in the tradeoff curve, revise the verdict to an
O(depth) TreeBuilder walk, and add a handoff note with the design, firmware
call sites, and bench steps for the next session.