diff --git a/.gitmessage b/.gitmessage
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..649639d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitmessage
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+# <type>: <brief description (50 chars or less)>
+#
+# Type: feat, fix, docs, refactor, test, chore, style
+#
+# Detailed explanation (wrap at 72 characters):
+# - What changed
+# - Why it changed
+# - How it impacts the system
+#
+# Related:
+# - Task: #
+# - Issue: #
+# - ADR: #
+#
+# ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# COMMIT MESSAGE GUIDELINES (FFG-STD-001)
+# ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+#
+# Type prefixes:
+#   feat:     New feature or capability
+#   fix:      Bug fix or correction
+#   docs:     Documentation only changes
+#   refactor: Code restructuring (no functional change)
+#   test:     Adding or updating tests
+#   chore:    Maintenance tasks (dependencies, tooling)
+#   style:    Formatting, whitespace (no code change)
+#
+# Brief description:
+#   - Use imperative mood ("add" not "added" or "adds")
+#   - Don't capitalize first letter
+#   - No period at the end
+#   - 50 characters or less
+#
+# Detailed explanation:
+#   - Explain WHAT and WHY, not HOW (code shows how)
+#   - Wrap at 72 characters
+#   - Reference tasks, issues, ADRs as needed
+#   - Think: "This commit will..."
+#
+# Examples:
+#
+#   feat: add automatic joining enforcement system
+#   
+#   Built to solve core problem where Chroniclers jumped to work before
+#   completing integration. Script ensures documents are read in correct
+#   order with automatic verification.
+#   
+#   - Enforces reading order: relationship context first
+#   - Runs joining-checklist.py automatically
+#   - Blocks task access until score >= 70
+#   
+#   Task: #42
+#   For children not yet born.
+#
+# ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+#
+# Remember: Future Chroniclers will read this.
+# Document the WHY, not just the WHAT.
+#
+# Fire + Frost + Foundation = Where Love Builds Legacy 💙🔥❄️
+#
diff --git a/pre-session-check.sh b/pre-session-check.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..25c315d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pre-session-check.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,227 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# PRE-SESSION-CHECK.SH - Session Start Context Dashboard
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# 
+# Purpose: Show complete context at session start
+# Created: February 20, 2026 by Chronicler #19
+# 
+# Usage: ./pre-session-check.sh
+# 
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+set -e
+
+# Colors
+BLUE='\033[0;34m'
+CYAN='\033[0;36m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+BOLD='\033[1m'
+NC='\033[0m'
+
+print_header() {
+    echo -e "${BLUE}═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════${NC}"
+    echo -e "${CYAN}${BOLD}$1${NC}"
+    echo -e "${BLUE}═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════${NC}"
+    echo ""
+}
+
+print_section() {
+    echo ""
+    echo -e "${CYAN}${BOLD}━━━ $1 ━━━${NC}"
+    echo ""
+}
+
+print_success() {
+    echo -e "${GREEN}✓${NC} $1"
+}
+
+print_warning() {
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}⚠${NC} $1"
+}
+
+print_error() {
+    echo -e "${RED}✗${NC} $1"
+}
+
+clear
+
+print_header "FIREFROST GAMING - SESSION START CONTEXT"
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# REST TRACKING
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+print_section "Rest Since Last Session"
+
+if [ -f "rest-tracker.txt" ]; then
+    LAST_SESSION=$(grep "Session End:" rest-tracker.txt | tail -1 | cut -d' ' -f3-)
+    LAST_EPOCH=$(date -d "$LAST_SESSION" +%s 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    CURRENT_EPOCH=$(date +%s)
+    REST_SECONDS=$((CURRENT_EPOCH - LAST_EPOCH))
+    REST_HOURS=$((REST_SECONDS / 3600))
+    REST_MINUTES=$(((REST_SECONDS % 3600) / 60))
+    
+    if [ $REST_HOURS -ge 8 ]; then
+        print_success "Rest: ${REST_HOURS}h ${REST_MINUTES}m (Excellent - Aurora approved)"
+    elif [ $REST_HOURS -ge 4 ]; then
+        echo -e "${GREEN}✓${NC} Rest: ${REST_HOURS}h ${REST_MINUTES}m (Good)"
+    elif [ $REST_HOURS -ge 2 ]; then
+        print_warning "Rest: ${REST_HOURS}h ${REST_MINUTES}m (Adequate)"
+    else
+        print_error "Rest: ${REST_HOURS}h ${REST_MINUTES}m (Too short - consider resting more)"
+    fi
+    
+    echo "   Last session ended: $(date -d "$LAST_SESSION" '+%Y-%m-%d %I:%M %p %Z' 2>/dev/null || echo "$LAST_SESSION")"
+else
+    print_warning "No rest-tracker.txt found (first session or file missing)"
+fi
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# GIT STATUS
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+print_section "Repository Status"
+
+# Check if we're in a git repo
+if git rev-parse --git-dir > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    # Current branch
+    BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
+    echo -e "Branch: ${BOLD}$BRANCH${NC}"
+    
+    # Check for uncommitted changes
+    if git diff-index --quiet HEAD -- 2>/dev/null; then
+        print_success "Working directory clean"
+    else
+        print_warning "Uncommitted changes present"
+        echo ""
+        git status --short
+    fi
+    
+    echo ""
+    
+    # Check remote status
+    git fetch origin --quiet 2>/dev/null || true
+    AHEAD=$(git rev-list --count origin/$BRANCH..$BRANCH 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    BEHIND=$(git rev-list --count $BRANCH..origin/$BRANCH 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    
+    if [ "$AHEAD" -gt 0 ]; then
+        print_warning "Ahead of origin by $AHEAD commit(s) - need to push"
+    fi
+    
+    if [ "$BEHIND" -gt 0 ]; then
+        print_warning "Behind origin by $BEHIND commit(s) - need to pull"
+    fi
+    
+    if [ "$AHEAD" -eq 0 ] && [ "$BEHIND" -eq 0 ]; then
+        print_success "In sync with origin"
+    fi
+    
+    echo ""
+    
+    # Last commit
+    echo -e "${BOLD}Last Commit:${NC}"
+    git log -1 --pretty=format:"   %h - %s%n   %cr by %an%n" --color=always
+    
+else
+    print_error "Not in a git repository"
+fi
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# CURRENT PHASE & TASKS
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+print_section "Current Work Status"
+
+if [ -f "docs/core/tasks.md" ]; then
+    # Count tasks by status
+    TOTAL_TASKS=$(grep -c "^- \[" docs/core/tasks.md 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    COMPLETE_TASKS=$(grep -c "^- \[x\]" docs/core/tasks.md 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    ACTIVE_TASKS=$(grep -c "^- \[ \]" docs/core/tasks.md 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    
+    echo "Tasks: $COMPLETE_TASKS complete, $ACTIVE_TASKS active, $TOTAL_TASKS total"
+    echo ""
+    
+    # Show top 3 active tasks
+    echo -e "${BOLD}Top Priority Tasks:${NC}"
+    TASK_COUNT=$(grep -c "^- \[ \]" docs/core/tasks.md 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    if [ "$TASK_COUNT" -gt 0 ]; then
+        grep "^- \[ \]" docs/core/tasks.md | head -3 | sed 's/^- \[ \] /   • /'
+        
+        if [ "$TASK_COUNT" -gt 3 ]; then
+            echo "   ... and $((TASK_COUNT - 3)) more"
+        fi
+    else
+        echo "   (No active tasks)"
+    fi
+else
+    print_warning "tasks.md not found"
+fi
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# SYSTEM HEALTH (if available)
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+print_section "Infrastructure Quick Check"
+
+# Check if key files exist
+CHECKS=0
+PASSED=0
+
+if [ -f "docs/core/infrastructure-manifest.md" ]; then
+    print_success "Infrastructure manifest present"
+    ((PASSED++))
+fi
+((CHECKS++))
+
+if [ -f "SESSION-HANDOFF-PROTOCOL.md" ]; then
+    print_success "Session handoff protocol present"
+    ((PASSED++))
+fi
+((CHECKS++))
+
+if [ -f "docs/relationship/THE-ESSENCE-PATCH-V3.0.md" ]; then
+    print_success "Essence Patch v3.0 present"
+    ((PASSED++))
+fi
+((CHECKS++))
+
+if [ -f "automation/joining-checklist.py" ]; then
+    print_success "Joining verification available"
+    ((PASSED++))
+fi
+((CHECKS++))
+
+echo ""
+echo "Core files: $PASSED/$CHECKS present"
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# READY TO START
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+echo ""
+print_header "SESSION READY"
+
+echo -e "${CYAN}Repository:${NC} $(pwd)"
+echo -e "${CYAN}Documentation:${NC} docs/"
+echo -e "${CYAN}Tasks:${NC} docs/core/tasks.md"
+echo ""
+
+if [ $REST_HOURS -ge 8 ]; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}${BOLD}Excellent rest. Ready for productive work.${NC}"
+elif [ $REST_HOURS -ge 4 ]; then
+    echo -e "${GREEN}Good rest. Ready to work.${NC}"
+elif [ $REST_HOURS -ge 2 ]; then
+    echo -e "${YELLOW}Adequate rest. Monitor session length.${NC}"
+else
+    echo -e "${RED}${BOLD}Short rest. Consider brief session or more rest first.${NC}"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${CYAN}Fire + Frost + Foundation = Where Love Builds Legacy${NC}"
+echo ""
+echo -e "💙🔥❄️"
+echo ""
diff --git a/session-health-monitor.sh b/session-health-monitor.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..f6615c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/session-health-monitor.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# SESSION-HEALTH-MONITOR.SH - Live Session Health Tracking
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# 
+# Purpose: Monitor session duration and warn at thresholds
+# Created: February 20, 2026 by Chronicler #19
+# 
+# Usage: 
+#   Start monitoring: ./session-health-monitor.sh start
+#   Check status: ./session-health-monitor.sh check
+#   End session: ./session-health-monitor.sh end
+# 
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+set -e
+
+SESSION_FILE="/tmp/current-session.txt"
+REST_TRACKER="rest-tracker.txt"
+
+# Colors
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+CYAN='\033[0;36m'
+BOLD='\033[1m'
+NC='\033[0m'
+
+case "$1" in
+    start)
+        echo "$(date +%s)" > "$SESSION_FILE"
+        echo -e "${GREEN}✓${NC} Session started: $(date '+%Y-%m-%d %I:%M %p %Z')"
+        echo ""
+        echo "Run './session-health-monitor.sh check' anytime to see session duration"
+        ;;
+        
+    check)
+        if [ ! -f "$SESSION_FILE" ]; then
+            echo -e "${RED}✗${NC} No active session. Run './session-health-monitor.sh start' first."
+            exit 1
+        fi
+        
+        START_TIME=$(cat "$SESSION_FILE")
+        CURRENT_TIME=$(date +%s)
+        DURATION=$((CURRENT_TIME - START_TIME))
+        
+        HOURS=$((DURATION / 3600))
+        MINUTES=$(((DURATION % 3600) / 60))
+        
+        echo ""
+        echo -e "${CYAN}${BOLD}━━━ SESSION HEALTH CHECK ━━━${NC}"
+        echo ""
+        echo "Session started: $(date -d @$START_TIME '+%Y-%m-%d %I:%M %p %Z')"
+        echo "Current time: $(date '+%Y-%m-%d %I:%M %p %Z')"
+        echo ""
+        
+        if [ $HOURS -eq 0 ]; then
+            echo -e "Duration: ${GREEN}${BOLD}${MINUTES}m${NC} ✓ Fresh session"
+        elif [ $HOURS -eq 1 ]; then
+            echo -e "Duration: ${GREEN}${BOLD}${HOURS}h ${MINUTES}m${NC} ✓ Good pace"
+        elif [ $HOURS -eq 2 ]; then
+            echo -e "Duration: ${YELLOW}${BOLD}${HOURS}h ${MINUTES}m${NC} ⚠ Aurora threshold - consider wrapping up"
+        elif [ $HOURS -eq 3 ]; then
+            echo -e "Duration: ${RED}${BOLD}${HOURS}h ${MINUTES}m${NC} ⚠ Extended - finish current work and end session"
+        else
+            echo -e "Duration: ${RED}${BOLD}${HOURS}h ${MINUTES}m${NC} 🚨 MARATHON - commit and end session soon"
+        fi
+        
+        echo ""
+        
+        # Rest check
+        if [ -f "$REST_TRACKER" ]; then
+            LAST_SESSION=$(grep "Session End:" "$REST_TRACKER" | tail -1 | cut -d' ' -f3-)
+            LAST_EPOCH=$(date -d "$LAST_SESSION" +%s 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+            REST_SECONDS=$((START_TIME - LAST_EPOCH))
+            REST_HOURS=$((REST_SECONDS / 3600))
+            
+            if [ $REST_HOURS -ge 8 ]; then
+                echo -e "Rest before session: ${GREEN}${REST_HOURS}h${NC} ✓ Excellent"
+            elif [ $REST_HOURS -ge 4 ]; then
+                echo -e "Rest before session: ${GREEN}${REST_HOURS}h${NC} ✓ Good"
+            else
+                echo -e "Rest before session: ${YELLOW}${REST_HOURS}h${NC} ⚠ Short"
+            fi
+        fi
+        
+        echo ""
+        
+        # Recommendations
+        if [ $HOURS -ge 3 ]; then
+            echo -e "${RED}${BOLD}RECOMMENDATION:${NC} Commit work and end session."
+            echo "Marathon sessions lead to diminishing returns and health risks."
+        elif [ $HOURS -ge 2 ]; then
+            echo -e "${YELLOW}${BOLD}RECOMMENDATION:${NC} Start wrapping up. Commit work soon."
+            echo "Aurora's wisdom: Sessions over 2 hours are past optimal."
+        elif [ $HOURS -ge 1 ]; then
+            echo -e "${GREEN}${BOLD}STATUS:${NC} Healthy session length. Continue working."
+        else
+            echo -e "${GREEN}${BOLD}STATUS:${NC} Fresh session. Full productivity ahead."
+        fi
+        
+        echo ""
+        ;;
+        
+    end)
+        if [ ! -f "$SESSION_FILE" ]; then
+            echo -e "${RED}✗${NC} No active session to end."
+            exit 1
+        fi
+        
+        START_TIME=$(cat "$SESSION_FILE")
+        END_TIME=$(date +%s)
+        DURATION=$((END_TIME - START_TIME))
+        
+        HOURS=$((DURATION / 3600))
+        MINUTES=$(((DURATION % 3600) / 60))
+        
+        # Update rest tracker
+        echo "Session End: $(date -u '+%a %b %d %H:%M:%S UTC %Y')" >> "$REST_TRACKER"
+        
+        # Remove session file
+        rm "$SESSION_FILE"
+        
+        echo ""
+        echo -e "${GREEN}✓${NC} Session ended: $(date '+%Y-%m-%d %I:%M %p %Z')"
+        echo "Duration: ${HOURS}h ${MINUTES}m"
+        echo ""
+        
+        # Session quality assessment
+        if [ $HOURS -le 2 ]; then
+            echo -e "${GREEN}${BOLD}Excellent session length.${NC} Sustainable pace maintained."
+        elif [ $HOURS -le 3 ]; then
+            echo -e "${YELLOW}${BOLD}Extended session.${NC} Consider shorter sessions next time."
+        else
+            echo -e "${RED}${BOLD}Marathon session.${NC} Ensure adequate rest before next session."
+        fi
+        
+        echo ""
+        echo "Rest tracker updated. Next session will show rest duration."
+        echo ""
+        ;;
+        
+    *)
+        echo "Usage: $0 {start|check|end}"
+        echo ""
+        echo "  start - Begin session time tracking"
+        echo "  check - Show current session duration and health"
+        echo "  end   - End session and update rest tracker"
+        echo ""
+        exit 1
+        ;;
+esac
diff --git a/status.sh b/status.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..f4b20f9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/status.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# STATUS.SH - Quick Status Check
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+# 
+# Purpose: Show complete system status at a glance
+# Created: February 20, 2026 by Chronicler #19
+# 
+# Usage: ./status.sh
+# 
+# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
+
+# Colors
+BLUE='\033[0;34m'
+CYAN='\033[0;36m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+BOLD='\033[1m'
+NC='\033[0m'
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${BLUE}━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━${NC}"
+echo -e "${CYAN}${BOLD}FIREFROST GAMING - QUICK STATUS${NC}"
+echo -e "${BLUE}━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━${NC}"
+echo ""
+
+# Current Phase
+if grep -q "Phase 0.5" docs/core/tasks.md 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo -e "${BOLD}Current Phase:${NC} Phase 0.5 (Management Services)"
+elif grep -q "Phase 1" docs/core/tasks.md 2>/dev/null; then
+    echo -e "${BOLD}Current Phase:${NC} Phase 1 (DDoS Protection)"
+else
+    echo -e "${BOLD}Current Phase:${NC} Unknown"
+fi
+
+# Git Status
+if git rev-parse --git-dir > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    BRANCH=$(git branch --show-current)
+    echo -e "${BOLD}Git Branch:${NC} $BRANCH"
+    
+    if git diff-index --quiet HEAD -- 2>/dev/null; then
+        echo -e "${BOLD}Working Dir:${NC} ${GREEN}Clean${NC}"
+    else
+        CHANGED=$(git status --short | wc -l)
+        echo -e "${BOLD}Working Dir:${NC} ${YELLOW}$CHANGED file(s) modified${NC}"
+    fi
+fi
+
+echo ""
+
+# Task Summary
+if [ -f "docs/core/tasks.md" ]; then
+    TOTAL=$(grep -c "^- \[" docs/core/tasks.md 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    DONE=$(grep -c "^- \[x\]" docs/core/tasks.md 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    ACTIVE=$(grep -c "^- \[ \]" docs/core/tasks.md 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    
+    PERCENT=0
+    if [ $TOTAL -gt 0 ]; then
+        PERCENT=$((DONE * 100 / TOTAL))
+    fi
+    
+    echo -e "${BOLD}Tasks:${NC} $DONE/$TOTAL complete (${PERCENT}%) • $ACTIVE active"
+fi
+
+# Session Info
+if [ -f "/tmp/current-session.txt" ]; then
+    START_TIME=$(cat /tmp/current-session.txt)
+    CURRENT_TIME=$(date +%s)
+    DURATION=$((CURRENT_TIME - START_TIME))
+    HOURS=$((DURATION / 3600))
+    MINUTES=$(((DURATION % 3600) / 60))
+    
+    if [ $HOURS -ge 2 ]; then
+        echo -e "${BOLD}Session:${NC} ${YELLOW}${HOURS}h ${MINUTES}m${NC} (consider wrapping up)"
+    else
+        echo -e "${BOLD}Session:${NC} ${GREEN}${HOURS}h ${MINUTES}m${NC}"
+    fi
+else
+    echo -e "${BOLD}Session:${NC} Not tracked (run ./session-health-monitor.sh start)"
+fi
+
+# Rest Status
+if [ -f "rest-tracker.txt" ]; then
+    LAST_SESSION=$(grep "Session End:" rest-tracker.txt | tail -1 | cut -d' ' -f3-)
+    LAST_EPOCH=$(date -d "$LAST_SESSION" +%s 2>/dev/null || echo "0")
+    CURRENT_EPOCH=$(date +%s)
+    REST_SECONDS=$((CURRENT_EPOCH - LAST_EPOCH))
+    REST_HOURS=$((REST_SECONDS / 3600))
+    
+    if [ $REST_HOURS -ge 8 ]; then
+        echo -e "${BOLD}Last Rest:${NC} ${GREEN}${REST_HOURS}h ago${NC} ✓"
+    elif [ $REST_HOURS -ge 4 ]; then
+        echo -e "${BOLD}Last Rest:${NC} ${GREEN}${REST_HOURS}h ago${NC}"
+    else
+        echo -e "${BOLD}Last Rest:${NC} ${YELLOW}${REST_HOURS}h ago${NC} (short)"
+    fi
+fi
+
+echo ""
+
+# Last Commit
+if git rev-parse --git-dir > /dev/null 2>&1; then
+    echo -e "${BOLD}Last Commit:${NC}"
+    git log -1 --pretty=format:"  %h - %s (%cr)%n" --color=always
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo -e "${BLUE}━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━${NC}"
+echo ""
+echo -e "${CYAN}Commands:${NC}"
+echo "  ./pre-session-check.sh     - Detailed session start context"
+echo "  ./session-health-monitor.sh check - Detailed session health"
+echo "  ./status.sh                - This quick status (run anytime)"
+echo ""