diff --git a/docs/decision-log.md b/docs/decision-log.md
index 20211b00b..a3d31b18a 100644
--- a/docs/decision-log.md
+++ b/docs/decision-log.md
@@ -387,3 +387,26 @@ verification). **Better path (hindsight):** the Fable5 crack prompt should have
 (or an rtu_match variant that includes the jtbl rodata) as the bar, not plain rtu_match — for jr-functions the
 two diverge. LESSON: an indicator that MASKS a byte-region (rtu_match masks relocs + excludes neutralized
 INCLUDE_ASM rodata) cannot arbitrate a match whose difference lives in that region.
+
+## 2026-07-12 · Phase 26 — §8 unblocked the HEAVIEST byte-weight lever (switch functions), reframing the endgame priority
+- **Context / belief:** built the §8 overlay jtbl-rodata tooling + the ×134 automation (jr-functions can
+  now bank as C, proven func_8012ACE0 ×133), then recommended continuing with "the 45 small jr families"
+  as the next mechanical lever.
+- **Dead-end (the off-plan recommendation, Drew caught it):** that rec optimized for *mechanically easy*
+  (small families template cleanly) instead of the endgame's actual objective — **heaviest byte-weight
+  first**. Measured: the 45 small jr families = **129,028 templatable ins** (trivial).
+- **Pivot:** re-target the heavy tier. The frontier byte-weight (the instr-weighted metric lever):
+  **jr (switch) substantial families = 191 fams / 5,534,884 ins**; non-jr substantial = 1,168 / 7,328,348;
+  all substantial = 12.86M. And decisively — **9 of the 10 heaviest unmatched family cores are switch
+  (jr) functions** (func_80178D40 890×134 = 477K ins alone; func_8017BEBC 952×113; func_8015AE2C 562×134…).
+- **Why:** switch functions were UNBANKABLE before §8 (the jtbl-rodata duplicate). §8 didn't just enable a
+  small mop-up — it **unlocked the single heaviest chunk of the remaining game** (the byte-weight is
+  dominated by big switch cores). The endgame plan (heaviest-byte-weight-first via crack-core → template
+  ×134) is intact; §8 was its key enabler, and the correct follow-through is the HEAVY jr cores, not the
+  light tail. This needs Task 7 (Fable5) un-paused: Fable5 cracks the giant switch core → §8 + the ×134
+  automation bank it fleet-wide → the now-10×-faster R22 verifies.
+- **Hindsight / for the wiki:** when a build-mechanism unblocks a whole *class*, re-rank the endgame by
+  the class's byte-weight, not by which member is easiest to bank next. "Easy and on-metric" ≠ "easy";
+  the plan's objective (heaviest byte-weight) must gate the next-target choice, or you grind the light tail
+  of a newly-opened heavy vein. (Drew's steer: "the endgame plan is 1st smartest play to unlock the
+  heaviest byte-weighted remainder — does your recommendation follow it?" — it did not; this corrects it.)
diff --git a/phase-ends/CURRENT_PHASE.md b/phase-ends/CURRENT_PHASE.md
index 1eceb1e84..b1cad6f61 100644
--- a/phase-ends/CURRENT_PHASE.md
+++ b/phase-ends/CURRENT_PHASE.md
@@ -24,7 +24,26 @@ The Phase-25 h_seq reframe: the "unique tail" is really per-location families 
 - [ ] **Task 11 — Step-D residue map** `[xHigh]` — true singletons (~0.27M ins) + 5 behemoths → Phase-27 input doc. NO execution.
 - [ ] **Task 12 — PhaseEnd** `[Max — Tier 1; R27 prompt]` — P7 walk, milestone demo, gate 2, `PhaseEnd_Phase26.md`, worklog → `logs/Phase26.md` (R19), in-file recap (R25), decision-log current (R31).
 
-## ▶ SESSION-2 CHECKPOINT (2026-07-12) — RESUME FROM HERE (fresh session)
+## ▶ SESSION-3 CHECKPOINT (2026-07-12 late) — RESUME FROM HERE (fresh session)
+
+**Committed baseline = `commit:0534`, R22 136/136 (now ~50s, parallel).** Session-3 commits: `commit:0531` (tiny-band), `commit:0532` (§8 PoC), `commit:0533` (§8 ×134 automation), `commit:0534` (R22 parallelization). Phase-26 total: **distinct-code 30.3→39.1%, instr-weighted 58.2→63.0%.**
+
+### What session 3 delivered (all committed, R22 136/136)
+1. **Tiny-band harvest** — 17,975 member-matches; distinct 35.2→39.1%.
+2. **§8 jtbl-rodata tooling (the strategic unlock)** — overlay switch (jr) functions can now bank as C for the first time. `tools/jtbl_carve.py` (per-overlay jtbl-rodata carve) + `ld_interleave.py --section` + `<bin>_JTBL_INTERLEAVE` Makefile hook; cookbook **§8a** + SETUP. Reconcile-per-sibling + `extract_unit` now carries single-line typedefs. `tools/jtbl_family_bank.py` = the sibling sweep driver. **func_8012ACE0 banked ×133/133, 0 fail.**
+3. **R22 parallelized** — `make clean && make extract-all && make check-all` = ~50s (was ~9m), 136/136 byte-identical. `JOBS ?= 16`.
+
+### ⚠ THE STRATEGIC REFRAME (decision-log 2026-07-12, Drew's steer) — READ BEFORE PICKING THE NEXT TARGET
+§8 did NOT just unblock a small mop-up — it unblocked the **single heaviest byte-weight chunk of the game**. Measured (`.run/family_hseq.json`): **9 of the 10 heaviest unmatched family cores are switch (jr) functions** (`func_80178D40` 890×134 = 477K ins, `func_8017BEBC` 952×113, `func_8015AE2C` 562×134, `func_8017A4AC` 536, `func_8015A3C8` 493 …); **jr substantial = 191 fams / 5.53M templatable ins**; the 45 small jr families I first eyed = only 129K ins (a light-tail trap Drew caught). **The endgame plan = heaviest-byte-weight-first via crack-core → template ×134; §8 is its key enabler.**
+
+### ▶ THE CORRECTED NEXT PLAY (fresh session)
+**Crack the heaviest jr family cores (Fable5) → bank ×134 via §8.** This **needs Task 7 (Fable5) UN-PAUSED** — that's the point: §8 makes re-approving Fable5 worth it now (a jtbl core crack now banks fleet-wide instead of being unbankable fuel). Pipeline per core: Fable5 crack (whole-binary-gate-verified, NOT plain rtu_match — jr false-match risk, §8a) → `jtbl_carve` + `jtbl_family_bank.py` templates it ×134 → parallel R22 verifies. **First target: `func_80178D40` (890 ins ×134 = 477K ins, the heaviest single lever in the game).** Cheap-Opus applies banked §31/§45 idioms between Fable5 cracks; the 45 small jr families are cheap mop-up ONLY (not the lever). Non-jr substantial families (7.3M ins) — heavy too; mechanical ones via `family_sweep`, hard cores via Fable5.
+
+### Effort/model (fresh session): plan-mode Max for the Phase-Start re-plan; then **prompt Drew to re-approve + `/effort` for Fable5** (Agent model:fable, parallel-isolated, whole-binary gate) on the heavy cores; Ultracode for the mechanical ×134 template waves; Max for synthesis. Ghidra MCP NOT needed (matching uses cached asm).
+
+---
+
+## SESSION-2 CHECKPOINT (2026-07-12) — superseded by SESSION-3 above
 
 **Phase 26 status:** Tasks 0–6 DONE + committed (the h_seq engine + triage). Task 7 (Fable5) + Task 8 (mechanical harvest) IN PROGRESS. **Committed baseline = `commit:0528`, R22 136/136 confirmed.** Commits this phase: `commit:0518`→`commit:0528`.