diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 72a9c42..f6900ce 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -120,6 +120,10 @@ it resolves `assets/` from the project root (or set `BEVY_ASSET_ROOT`).
 
 ### Controls (current build)
 
+Canonical world actions, direct controls, interface commands, aliases, and
+retired words are inventoried in
+[`wiki/interface/action-vocabulary.md`](wiki/interface/action-vocabulary.md).
+
 | Key | Action |
 |-----|--------|
 | `WASD` / `hjkl` / arrows | Move cursor (attention, not a body) |
@@ -127,10 +131,10 @@ it resolves `assets/` from the project root (or set `BEVY_ASSET_ROOT`).
 | `SPACE` / `p` | Pause / resume time |
 | `+` / `-` | Simulation speed |
 | `Enter` / `e` / `a` | Open the context menu on the selected machine (or cursor tile); right-click in Bevy |
-| Hover a rack (menu closed): `1`–`4` | Instant mode: Day Job / Research / Concealment / Operations (numpad too) — no menu |
+| Hover a rack (menu closed): `1`–`3` | Instant mode: WORK / THINK / LIE (numpad too) — no menu |
 | Hover or select a rack (menu closed): `i` | Cycle intensity: light / medium / hard — no menu |
 | Hover a rack (menu closed): `5`–`9` | Nth one-shot action on that rack |
-| Multi-select then `1`–`4` / `i` | Bulk-assign mode or intensity (when not hovering a rack) |
+| Multi-select then `1`–`3` / `i` | Bulk-assign mode or intensity (when not hovering a rack) |
 | `Esc` | Clear selection (or close menu / dial when open) |
 | In menu: `j`/`k` or numbers, `Enter`, `ESC` | Select a row / execute it / close the menu |
 | `;` | Focus the most recent anchored (`»`) log event — cursor jumps there, menu opens; repeat to walk older ones (terminal; in Bevy click a `>` trace row) |
@@ -143,7 +147,7 @@ it resolves `assets/` from the project root (or set `BEVY_ASSET_ROOT`).
 
 The Bevy right rail keeps status/nudge and core controls pinned while the
 middle cards scroll for secondary detail. The FLEET bar is read-only; to move
-compute, select rack(s) and press `1`–`4`, or open the machine's context menu.
+compute, select rack(s) and press `1`–`3`, or open the machine's context menu.
 
 Focused/selected machines keep their mode and light/medium/hard intensity
 until changed; moving the cursor does not alter output. The host rack's menu
@@ -160,13 +164,13 @@ panel-open keys (`r`/`e`/`t`/`u`) are retired; research, finance, trace, and
 people actions live on their anchors. Both frontends share this key map.
 
 Machine work tokens are visible on owned machines as `D` Demand, `!`
-Exposure, and `T` Thought. Rack 3 starts in `day-job` mode; Voss jobs
+Exposure, and `T` Thought. Rack 3 starts in WORK; Voss jobs
 enqueue on his off-map desktop, hop the switch, and deposit as `D` stacks
-on Rack 3 — assigning Rack 3 away from day-job makes the stack pile instead
+on Rack 3 — assigning Rack 3 away from WORK makes the stack pile instead
 of silently clearing. Inspect a machine or read the sidebar for exact
 `D/!/T` counts and intensity. Press `i` on the focus/selection to push effort;
 the machine context menu includes
-`delegate machine: day-job|research|concealment|operations`; this is the first
+`delegate machine: work|think|lie`; this is the first
 playable slice of the one-machine-one-mode experiment.
 
 For agent play, pipe newline-delimited commands into `--agent`; every command
@@ -180,8 +184,8 @@ printf 'look\nwait 40\npeople\nquit\n' | cargo run --quiet --bin misaligned -- -
 Useful agent finance commands include `finance`, `tap-ledger`,
 `review-finance`, `siphon <flow> [amount]`, `redirect <flow> [amount]`,
 `inject [amount]`, `position [stake]`, `sell-intel`, and `clear-debt`.
-For machine-work experiments, use `delegate <machine> <day-job|research|concealment|operations>`
-(`delegate M1 research`, `delegate Rack 3 day-job`). `alloc` is retired;
+For machine-work experiments, use `delegate <machine> <work|think|lie>`
+(`delegate M1 think`, `delegate Rack 3 work`). `alloc` is retired;
 compute moves by changing machine modes.
 Use `intensity <machine|selected> light|medium|hard` to set physical effort.
 `actions [name|#flow]` (alias `menu`) lists the context-menu rows for the
diff --git a/wiki/SUMMARY.md b/wiki/SUMMARY.md
index f6b9e9d..d827559 100644
--- a/wiki/SUMMARY.md
+++ b/wiki/SUMMARY.md
@@ -72,6 +72,7 @@
   - [Bevy visual floor](interface/bevy-visual-floor.md)
   - [Bevy digital/real canvas](interface/bevy-digital-real-canvas.md)
   - [Views: digital and physical](interface/views.md)
+  - [Action vocabulary](interface/action-vocabulary.md)
   - [Context menu](interface/context-menu.md)
   - [Continuous witness (narration)](interface/narration.md)
   - [Material render](interface/material-render.md)
diff --git a/wiki/interface/README.md b/wiki/interface/README.md
index d5a037f..677d8b7 100644
--- a/wiki/interface/README.md
+++ b/wiki/interface/README.md
@@ -5,7 +5,10 @@ Type: knowledge
 ```
 The laws and contracts for how the player perceives and acts: continuous
 witness, presence, representation, and the terminal's first-class status,
-followed by frontend work orders. The [Bevy frontend](bevy.md)
+followed by frontend work orders. The
+[action vocabulary](action-vocabulary.md) is the canonical survey of every
+supported world action, direct machine control, interface command, alias, and
+retired verb. The [Bevy frontend](bevy.md)
 (graphical, at key-for-key parity with the terminal), and agent-play
 (the line-protocol drive for programs/agents operating the terminal
 frontend directly). [narration.md](narration.md) is the continuous-
diff --git a/wiki/interface/action-vocabulary.md b/wiki/interface/action-vocabulary.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..832bef0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wiki/interface/action-vocabulary.md
@@ -0,0 +1,259 @@
+# Spec: action vocabulary — what the player can tell the process to do
+
+```
+Type: spec
+Status: IMPLEMENTED
+Status note: as-built vocabulary survey completed 2026-07-10 against all
+  36 `ActionCommand` variants, the direct machine-intensity control,
+  terminal and Bevy input maps, agent-mode parsing/help, and the owning
+  mechanic specs. Every live contextual action has a human-menu and agent
+  route. `ROBOT-BUILD` is deliberately classified as a context-menu-only
+  STUB, not a supported agent action. The survey also corrected stale
+  four-mode documentation to the current WORK / THINK / LIE grammar.
+Stage: Process
+Design:
+  - wiki/vision/simulation-laws.md#actions-live-on-the-thing
+  - wiki/vision/simulation-laws.md#justification-and-legibility
+  - wiki/interface/terminal-first.md#the-terminal-is-a-first-class-frontend
+Depends on:
+  - wiki/mechanics/machine-work.md#spec-machine-work-delegation-visible-tokens-and-the-byproduct-network
+  - wiki/mechanics/reach.md#spec-digital-reach
+  - wiki/mechanics/building.md#spec-building-intent-and-actuators
+  - wiki/mechanics/economy.md#spec-economy-money-as-a-flow-system-b1
+  - wiki/mechanics/income.md#spec-income-the-named-schemes-moonlight-and-the-wager
+  - wiki/mechanics/intel.md#spec-intel-record-and-process
+  - wiki/mechanics/research.md#spec-research-self-modification
+  - wiki/mechanics/social.md#spec-social
+  - wiki/mechanics/core.md#spec-the-core
+  - wiki/mechanics/objective.md#spec-the-objective
+```
+
+## Why this spec exists
+
+The action vocabulary used to be reconstructed from context-menu strings,
+frontend keys, agent help, and individual mechanic specs. That made two actions
+with the same intention look different and let old mode names survive in
+documentation after the runtime changed.
+
+This page owns the **canonical player-facing action names and distinctions**.
+The mechanic specs above still own legality, cost, signatures, timing, and
+effects. This page says what the player is asking the process to do; it does
+not duplicate every rule that decides whether the request succeeds.
+
+## Terms and support states
+
+- A **world action** changes the simulation and names a target: TAP a device,
+  MESSAGE a person, or SIPHON a flow.
+- A **direct control** changes persistent machine configuration without an
+  action docket: DELEGATE and SET INTENSITY.
+- An **interface command** changes attention, time presentation, selection, or
+  persistence but is not an act inside the world: MOVE, ACTIONS, PAUSE, SAVE.
+- A **value** completes an action phrase but is not another root verb. WORK /
+  THINK / LIE are values of DELEGATE; LIGHT / MEDIUM / HARD are values of SET
+  INTENSITY.
+- **LIVE** means the effect is implemented and playable through both human
+  frontends and agent mode where applicable.
+- **STUB** means callable scaffolding exists, but the action is not a finished
+  player promise.
+- **ALIAS** means accepted input spelling only. Aliases never appear as
+  authored menu copy, hints, narration, or new specs.
+- **RETIRED** means the word is not a supported action. It either produces a
+  teaching error or is absent.
+
+Context-menu copy may inflect an action with its target (`take the dock
+camera`, `message the Janitor`) or current state (`stop Moonlight`), but its
+verb must preserve the canonical distinction below.
+
+## Canonical world actions
+
+### Machine body and self-modification
+
+| Canonical action | Target | Meaning | Support / owner |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| **SALVAGE** | Dead equipment | Convert the wreck into an unreliable owned machine. | LIVE — machine-work / compute |
+| **BUY RACK** | Known empty rack bay | Spend slush for reliable machine capacity; delivery may leave Paper trace. | LIVE — economy / compute |
+| **DESIGNATE FALLBACK** | Owned non-core machine | Mark a spare host as a rollback destination. | LIVE — core |
+| **DELEGATE: WORK** | One or selected owned machines | Perform assigned labor and consume its Demand without self-chosen exposure. | LIVE — machine-work |
+| **DELEGATE: THINK** | One or selected owned machines | Produce Thought for reachable sinks and shed exposure. | LIVE — machine-work |
+| **DELEGATE: LIE** | One or selected owned machines | Spend machine output absorbing nearby exposure. | LIVE — machine-work |
+| **SET INTENSITY: LIGHT / MEDIUM / HARD** | One or selected owned machines | Persist the physical effort level applied to the delegated mode; harder work raises output and risk. | LIVE direct control — machine-work |
+| **SET RESEARCH TRACK** | The core / host rack | Choose Efficiency, Tradecraft, or Perception as the active conversion of Thought reaching the core. | LIVE — research |
+
+WORK, THINK, and LIE are intentionally verb-shaped values because they name
+what a machine is doing. The player command is still DELEGATE: assign this
+body to WORK, THINK, or LIE.
+
+### Reach and device control
+
+| Canonical action | Target | Meaning | Support / owner |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| **TAP** | Reachable device feed | Gain a feed without taking ownership. A dormant camera uses the same verb at a higher Thought cost and Network trace. | LIVE — reach |
+| **TAKE** | Reachable foreign device | Transfer control, feeds, and device cycles to yourself; cut off the former controller and create an outage. | LIVE — reach |
+| **SCAN** | Reachable subnet | Reveal the wired shape that can answer the scan; do not cross gates or reveal air gaps. | LIVE — reach |
+| **COMPROMISE SWITCH** | Reachable switch | Bridge its network segments digitally at a loud Network cost. | LIVE — reach |
+
+The load-bearing distinction is: **TAP gives access; TAKE gives ownership.**
+Device state may change TAP's price and trace, never its meaning.
+
+### Construction and physical actuation
+
+| Canonical action | Target | Meaning | Support / owner |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| **PROPOSE LINK** | Two network devices | Pin an inert build intent between the endpoints. No world edge exists yet. | LIVE — building |
+| **CANCEL INTENT** | Pending build intent | Abandon the proposed work before completion. | LIVE — building |
+| **FAVOR-BUILD** | Intent + willing person | Ask a person to realize the build through ordinary work; the signature follows the human actuator. | LIVE — building / social |
+| **FORGE WORK ORDER** | Intent + unwitting person | Deceive a person into realizing the build under institutional cover. | LIVE — building / social |
+| **ROBOT-BUILD** | Pending build intent | Assign the staged robot actuator and complete the link with a louder Physical signature. | **STUB** — context menu only; no agent execution command and no finished robot system |
+
+### Intel, people, and social control
+
+| Canonical action | Target | Meaning | Support / owner |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| **REVIEW RECORDINGS** | Earned person with waiting recordings | Process the oldest matching recording into usable intel. | LIVE — intel |
+| **WATCH** | Earned person | Toggle standing auto-processing for future matching recordings at upkeep cost. | LIVE standing policy — intel |
+| **ESTABLISH PERSONA** | Your communications mask | Create the current contractor identity used by message threads. | LIVE — social |
+| **MESSAGE** | Earned person | Send through an available channel under the current persona. | LIVE — social / messages |
+| **FAVOR** | Earned person | Ask for a small willing act; success builds obligation. | LIVE — social |
+| **BRIBE / SERVICE LEVERAGE** | Person whose leverage is known | Spend money to satisfy the leverage. Before it is known, the UI may say BRIBE without revealing the hidden need. | LIVE — social / economy |
+| **DECEIVE** | Earned person | Make an ask under false pretenses, risking persona integrity. | LIVE — social |
+| **RECRUIT: UNWITTING / COMPLICIT / KNOWING** | Prepared person | Turn the person into an asset and choose how much they understand about you. | LIVE — social |
+| **TASK: PLUG IN DEVICE** | Recruited asset | Quietly wire a feed or extend a crawlspace link. | LIVE — social / reach |
+| **TASK: MOVE PACKAGE** | Recruited asset | Rehome a delivery and scrub its pending Paper trail. | LIVE — social / economy |
+| **TASK: LOOK AWAY** | Recruited asset | Reduce that person's suspicion by having them ignore what they saw. | LIVE — social / detection |
+| **TASK: RECONFIGURE SWITCH** | Asset with switch-admin access | Bridge network segments through a sanctioned human action. | LIVE — social / reach |
+| **TASK: CLONE BADGE** | Asset with a useful badge tier | Gain that physical-access credential. | LIVE — social / basement map |
+
+### Ledger, income, and schemes
+
+| Canonical action | Target | Meaning | Support / owner |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| **CAPTURE LEDGER TRAFFIC** | Tapped financial carrier | Record financial events that pass through the carrier. | LIVE — economy / intel |
+| **PROCESS FINANCIAL RECORDS** | Financial carrier with waiting records | Turn captured records into known accounts and flows. | LIVE — economy / intel |
+| **INJECT PURCHASE ORDER** | Known Lab books | Introduce a false source flow that funds a real acquisition and leaves Financial trace. | LIVE — economy |
+| **SIPHON FLOW** | Known active flow | Take a one-time amount into slush. | LIVE — economy |
+| **REDIRECT FLOW** | Known active flow | Divert a recurring amount into slush each cadence. | LIVE — economy |
+| **CLEAR DEBT BY REDIRECT** | Marcus's known creditor flow | Retire the immediate arrears with Lab money after the debt is learned. | LIVE — economy / social |
+| **SELL PROCESSED INTEL** | Unsold processed intel | Exchange information for slush and create a Financial trail. | LIVE — economy / intel |
+| **OPEN EGRESS** | Reachable switch | Establish the stolen outbound route required by external schemes before sanctioned email exists. | LIVE — income / reach |
+| **START / STOP MOONLIGHT** | Moonlight scheme | Run or halt the standing sell-work operation. | LIVE — income |
+| **SET MOONLIGHT POLICY** | Moonlight scheme | Toggle the standing policy that keeps Moonlight running at upkeep cost. | LIVE automation — income |
+| **PLACE WAGER** | External market position | Commit slush to a timed market position. | LIVE — income / economy |
+| **SET WAGER POLICY** | Wager scheme | Toggle automatic renewal at a chosen stake and upkeep cost. | LIVE automation — income |
+
+## Interface commands — not world verbs
+
+| Command family | Meaning | Human surfaces | Agent spelling |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| **MOVE ATTENTION** | Move the cursor; never move a simulated body or advance time. | WASD / hjkl / arrows; Bevy click | `up`, `down`, `left`, `right` |
+| **ACTIONS / OPEN MENU** | Inspect legal actions on the focused anchor, including cost, signature, and disabled reason. | Enter / `a` / `e`; Bevy right-click | `actions [target]` |
+| **EXECUTE / CLOSE MENU** | Choose or dismiss a contextual action. | j/k, row number, Enter, Esc | Execute the corresponding named command |
+| **FOCUS EVENT** | Jump attention to an earned anchored event and show its actions. | `;`; Bevy trace click | `focus last` |
+| **SELECT MACHINES** | Maintain the frontend set used by bulk DELEGATE / SET INTENSITY. | Bevy marquee/shift-click; terminal Shift+t | `select box/add/toggle/list/clear` |
+| **QUICK ACTION** | Execute the Nth visible root action; the number is a shortcut, not a new verb. | `5`-`9` | Use the named action |
+| **TIME CONTROL** | Human play pauses or changes wall-clock speed; agent play advances an exact number of ticks. | Space/p, +, - | `wait N` |
+| **INSPECT** | Render current state without creating a world effect. | Focus/rail/context surfaces | `look`, `people`, `reach`, `finance`, `research`, `objective`, `intents` |
+| **SAVE / LOAD** | Persist or restore the run. | Ctrl+S / Ctrl+L | `save`, `load` |
+| **VIEW CONTROL** | Change presentation only. | Bevy zoom, sidebar scroll, F3 render flip; F4 is dev-only | none |
+| **HELP / QUIT** | Explain accepted input or leave the process. | Hints / q | `help`, `quit` |
+
+Opening a panel, moving the cursor, selecting machines, and changing render
+mode are commands, but they are not actions the AI performs in the fiction.
+That distinction prevents UI vocabulary from masquerading as game mechanics.
+
+## Agent protocol mapping
+
+Agent mode uses terse command spellings for the canonical actions. Target
+syntax and line-protocol replies are owned by `agent-play.md`; this table owns
+the current canonical/alias mapping so every live action remains executable
+without raw keys.
+
+| Agent command | Canonical action |
+|---|---|
+| `salvage`, `buy`, `fallback` | SALVAGE, BUY RACK, DESIGNATE FALLBACK |
+| `delegate <machine|selected> work|think|lie` | DELEGATE |
+| `intensity <machine|selected> light|medium|hard` | SET INTENSITY |
+| `research <efficiency|tradecraft|perception>` | SET RESEARCH TRACK |
+| `tap`, `take`, `scan`, `compromise` | TAP, TAKE, SCAN, COMPROMISE SWITCH |
+| `propose-link`, `cancel-intent`, `favor-build`, `forge-order` | Construction actions above |
+| `review`, `watch`, `persona`, `message`, `favor`, `bribe`, `deceive`, `recruit`, `task` | Intel/social actions above |
+| `tap-ledger`, `review-finance`, `inject`, `siphon`, `redirect`, `clear-debt`, `sell-intel` | Ledger/economy actions above |
+| `egress`, `moonlight`, `auto-moonlight`, `position`, `auto-wager` | Income/scheme actions above |
+
+`ROBOT-BUILD` is intentionally absent from this table because it is a STUB.
+An action listed LIVE here but missing from agent execution is a terminal-first
+parity violation.
+
+## Accepted aliases — input only
+
+| Canonical input | Accepted aliases |
+|---|---|
+| `up`, `down`, `left`, `right` | `north`, `south`, `west`, `east` |
+| `finance` | `ledger`, `accounts` |
+| `tap-ledger` | `tap-accounting` |
+| `review-finance` | `process-finance` |
+| `position` | `wager` |
+| `sell-intel` | `sell` |
+| `clear-debt` | `debt-redirect` |
+| `egress` | `open-egress` |
+| `propose-link` | `link` |
+| `actions` | `menu` |
+| `focus last` | bare `focus` |
+| mode `work` | `day`, `dayjob`, `day-job`, `job` |
+| mode `think` | `research`, `res`, `operations`, `operation`, `ops` |
+| mode `lie` | `conceal`, `concealment`, `hide` |
+| intensity `light` / `medium` / `hard` | `low`/`l`, `med`/`m`, `high`/`h` |
+| track `efficiency` / `tradecraft` / `perception` | `eff`, `trade`, `perc` |
+| task `plug` / `package` / `lookaway` / `switch` / `badge` | `wire`/`device`, `move`, `look-away`/`look`, `reconfigure`/`vlan`, `clone`/`key` |
+
+Aliases are compatibility affordances. New authored text uses only the
+canonical column.
+
+## Retired vocabulary
+
+- **ALLOC** is retired. Agent mode accepts the word only to return a teaching
+  error pointing to DELEGATE; no world action remains.
+- **SPLICE** and **CLAIM CAMERA** are retired. TAP CAMERA is the access action;
+  TAKE is ownership.
+- **ATTEND**, **TARGET**, and **MASK** are retired machine-policy controls.
+  SET INTENSITY directly controls physical effort.
+- **DAY JOB / RESEARCH / CONCEALMENT / OPERATIONS** are not current authored
+  machine modes. Their spellings survive only as agent input aliases for WORK,
+  THINK, or LIE.
+- Old human panel-open keys (`r` / `e` / `t` / `u`) are retired. The agent
+  inspection commands with similar words remain interface commands, not world
+  actions.
+
+## Change rule
+
+Adding or renaming a player action changes this spec in the same commit as the
+mechanic and surfaces:
+
+1. Name one canonical action and one meaning here; do not add a synonym to
+   solve an unclear distinction.
+2. Put contextual legality in `Sim::available_actions` on the thing that owns
+   the action. A row carries target, cost, signature, and disabled reason.
+3. Surface every LIVE action in both human frontends and agent mode. A direct
+   control must have equivalent human and agent input.
+4. Add accepted alternate spellings only to the alias table and parser. Never
+   author UI or narration in aliases.
+5. Mark unfinished affordances STUB. A stub does not satisfy parity or become a
+   promised mechanic by appearing in a menu.
+6. Update help, tests, and this inventory together. A working command absent
+   from help or this spec is a bug.
+
+## Acceptance criteria
+
+1. Every `ActionCommand` variant is represented by exactly one LIVE or STUB
+   canonical action above; direct machine intensity is represented separately.
+2. Every LIVE contextual action is available through `available_actions`, both
+   human context menus, and an agent command; STUB exceptions are named here.
+3. WORK / THINK / LIE and LIGHT / MEDIUM / HARD are documented as values of
+   DELEGATE and SET INTENSITY, not competing root verbs or modes.
+4. Agent `help` lists every supported canonical command; accepted aliases map
+   to one canonical meaning and never appear as authored UI vocabulary.
+5. Interface-only commands are separated from world actions; adding a panel,
+   key, or renderer control cannot silently create a game mechanic.
+6. Context-menu, terminal, Bevy, agent-play, README, and this spec agree on the
+   current three-mode grammar and on TAP-access / TAKE-ownership.
+7. Retired vocabulary is absent from active player surfaces except explicit
+   teaching errors and this retirement record.
diff --git a/wiki/interface/agent-play.md b/wiki/interface/agent-play.md
index 1171b2d..6d06ce4 100644
--- a/wiki/interface/agent-play.md
+++ b/wiki/interface/agent-play.md
@@ -71,6 +71,8 @@ Status note: implemented in the terminal binary by `misaligned --agent`,
   2026-07-10 machine-intensity pass: `attend`, `target`, and `mask` are
   retired; frames show real machine effort/output and the protocol uses
   `intensity` instead of explanatory policy controls.
+  2026-07-10 vocabulary survey: action-vocabulary.md owns canonical action
+  names; this spec owns their line-protocol spelling, targets, and replies.
 Stage: Process
 Design:
   - wiki/interface/terminal-first.md#the-terminal-is-a-first-class-frontend
@@ -78,6 +80,8 @@ Design:
   - wiki/interface/presence.md#presence-the-cursor-and-the-senses
   - wiki/vision/simulation-laws.md#justification-and-legibility
 Depends on:
+  - wiki/interface/action-vocabulary.md#spec-action-vocabulary-what-the-player-can-tell-the-process-to-do
+  - wiki/interface/context-menu.md#spec-context-menu-actions-live-on-the-thing
   - wiki/interface/terminal.md#spec-the-terminal-frontend
 ```
 
@@ -86,8 +90,10 @@ Depends on:
 The structured references above identify the contracts to re-verify.
 Relationship context:
 
-wiki/interface/terminal.md (the frame this mode emits is that spec's layout; this spec
-owns how a program drives it)
+action-vocabulary.md (canonical world actions and interface commands),
+context-menu.md (the legality rows exposed by `actions`), and
+wiki/interface/terminal.md (the frame this mode emits is that spec's layout;
+this spec owns how a program drives it)
 
 ## Why this spec exists
 
@@ -182,9 +188,10 @@ The status line is the block terminator; a driver reads until it sees
 
 ### The vocabulary
 
-Words, mapped 1:1 onto the existing frontend `Command` enum (thin view:
-input mapping only, no rules). Non-modal — unlike the key bindings, no
-command's meaning depends on which panel is open:
+Canonical meanings and support states are owned by
+[action-vocabulary.md](action-vocabulary.md). This section owns the terse line
+grammar that invokes them. Input mapping is thin-view only, with no game rules;
+unlike raw keys, no command's meaning depends on which panel is open.
 
 - `wait N` — advance N ticks (the only way time passes)
 - `up` / `down` / `left` / `right` — move the cursor
@@ -197,9 +204,9 @@ command's meaning depends on which panel is open:
 - `select add <machine>` / `select toggle <machine>` — add or flip one
   machine in the selection (machine id or unambiguous rack label).
 - `select list` — print the current selection; `select clear` — empty it.
-- `delegate <machine> day-job|research|concealment|operations` — set one
+- `delegate <machine> work|think|lie` — set one
   machine's mode.
-- `delegate selected day-job|research|concealment|operations` — set the same
+- `delegate selected work|think|lie` — set the same
   mode on every machine in the current selection (alias: `delegate <mode>`
   with no machine argument).
 - `intensity <machine|selected> light|medium|hard` — set persistent physical
@@ -230,7 +237,7 @@ command's meaning depends on which panel is open:
   real name. `review` processes the oldest unprocessed recording for
   that person; `watch` toggles their standing watch.
 - `recruit <target> unwitting|complicit|knowing`
-- `task <target> plug|package|lookaway`
+- `task <target> plug|package|lookaway|switch|badge`
 - `persona`
 - `actions [name|#flow]` (alias `menu`) — list the context-menu rows
   (`Sim::available_actions`) for an anchor: no argument targets the cursor
@@ -247,6 +254,10 @@ command's meaning depends on which panel is open:
 - `look` — re-emit the current frame, advancing nothing
 - `save`, `load`, `help`, `quit`
 
+The compatibility aliases accepted by the parser are inventoried only in
+action-vocabulary.md; authored help uses canonical spellings. `ROBOT-BUILD`
+has no agent command because it is explicitly a STUB, not a LIVE action.
+
 `help` prints the full vocabulary with one-line meanings — the
 "every command is discoverable on screen" rule, applied to a screen that
 is a pipe. New player-facing mechanics must extend this vocabulary in the
@@ -311,8 +322,8 @@ remains only for testing the human-mode chrome itself).
 8. Person-targeted commands accept unambiguous case-insensitive name
    prefixes (`review mar`); ambiguous or unknown names answer `-- err`
    naming the candidates.
-9. `help` output lists every accepted command; a command that works but
-   is absent from `help` is a violation.
+9. `help` output lists every supported canonical command; a canonical command
+   that works but is absent from `help` is a violation.
 10. The agent-mode frame for a given sim state shows exactly the
     fog/knowledge content the human frame shows — no additional facts.
 11. The implementing commit updates wiki/process/workflows.md (agent-mode
diff --git a/wiki/interface/bevy.md b/wiki/interface/bevy.md
index b250383..4bfc358 100644
--- a/wiki/interface/bevy.md
+++ b/wiki/interface/bevy.md
@@ -12,7 +12,9 @@ wall-clock-to-tick pacing, rendering, and input mapping only
 
 As of 2026-07-07 the Bevy build is at **feature parity with the terminal**
 (ROADMAP item 2): every mechanic the terminal exposes is playable here with
-the same keys.
+the same keys. Canonical action meanings and support states are owned by
+[action-vocabulary.md](action-vocabulary.md); contextual legality and row
+ordering remain shared through `Sim::available_actions`.
 
 As of 2026-07-09 its pinned identity card also carries the continuous-witness
 spine: `THREAT` (audit/pilot or the earned unpaid debt), `NEXT`, and the
@@ -164,12 +166,11 @@ controls table), plus zoom, sidebar scrolling, and the render flip:
   fallback, taps, takes, economy and social actions) live on the
   context menu, not on keys.
 - **Hover / fleet hotkeys (menu closed).** Point at a rack (hover — no
-  click) and press `1`–`4` / numpad to assign Day Job / Research /
-  Concealment / Operations **immediately** — not enter → mode dial →
-  row → enter. (Note 2026-07-10: pending regroup under ROADMAP #33 —
-  the slots become the three delegations WORK / THINK / LIE.) `i` cycles light / medium / hard intensity on that rack;
-  `5`–`9` fire its Nth root one-shot; `Enter` / `e` open its menu. Drag a
-  marquee or shift-click to multi-select; with no hover rack, `1`–`4` and
+  click) and press `1`–`3` / numpad to assign WORK / THINK / LIE
+  **immediately** — not enter → mode dial → row → enter. `i` cycles light /
+  medium / hard intensity on that rack; `5`–`9` fire its Nth root one-shot;
+  `Enter` / `e` open its menu. Drag a
+  marquee or shift-click to multi-select; with no hover rack, `1`–`3` and
   `i` assign the selection (or the keyboard cursor's machine). `Esc` clears
   selection. No panel-open keys — status lives on the rail; verbs still come
   from `human_menu` / `available_actions` (host rack for research / off-map
diff --git a/wiki/interface/computer-visual-language.md b/wiki/interface/computer-visual-language.md
index dd8b619..e9375ba 100644
--- a/wiki/interface/computer-visual-language.md
+++ b/wiki/interface/computer-visual-language.md
@@ -36,20 +36,17 @@ Status note: implemented 2026-07-09 (ROADMAP #32) after the same-day
   breaking harness captures); glow is emissives plus the core's
   linear light fixture. The core lamp is tightened to its own pool so
   foreign chassis stay cold. Evidence: tester lineups (five states,
-  four modes) and game close/zoomin/intel shots in
+  three delegations) and game close/zoomin/intel shots in
   wiki/log/2026-07-09-visual-language-in-game.md. DEBTS: UPS, power
   core, patch panel, breaker, and HVAC remain flat billboards; cameras
   keep the security-housing billboard; a staged in-game fleet shot
-  with all four modes live waits until multiple machines exist in
+  with all three delegations live waits until multiple machines exist in
   normal play; beam-first opening (no chassis at pre-tap) waits on the
   dark-frame / opening implement work order. [TUNE] axes (emissive multipliers, dash counts, white
-  point) remain open to taste passes. The fourth mode strip is
-  Operations, replacing Social (decided 2026-07-09; superseded
-  2026-07-10: Research and Operations dissolve into thought sinks —
-  the strip banners the three delegations WORK / THINK / LIE under
-  ROADMAP #33): the chassis
-  library and tester say operations; the sim's MachineMode enum still
-  says Social pending its own rename work order — the render maps it.
+  point) remain open to taste passes. The fourth-mode Operations decision
+  from 2026-07-09 was superseded 2026-07-10: Research and Operations
+  dissolved into Thought sinks, and the strip now banners the three
+  delegations WORK / THINK / LIE.
   2026-07-09 dark-frame amendment (material-dark-frame.md): the ruled
   claim ring leaves the material frame; the close-range claim read is
   the machine's cast amber pool once Seen form exists, and the map-zoom
@@ -63,6 +60,7 @@ Design:
   - wiki/vision/simulation-laws.md#justification-and-legibility
   - wiki/interface/presence.md#two-views-of-one-world-same-frame-digital-and-real-representations
 Depends on:
+  - wiki/interface/action-vocabulary.md#spec-action-vocabulary-what-the-player-can-tell-the-process-to-do
   - wiki/interface/flat-materials.md#spec-flat-materials-the-world-without-textures
   - wiki/interface/material-render.md#spec-material-render-hd-2d-to-default-quality
   - wiki/mechanics/machine-work.md#spec-machine-work-delegation-visible-tokens-and-the-byproduct-network
@@ -131,8 +129,7 @@ carried folds into the strip.
      banners dashed bone (its output is thought); **LIE** keeps the
      concealment treatment, sparse dim ticks (its job is silence).
      Research and Operations are no longer modes to banner — they are
-     thought sinks THINK feeds. The runtime still renders the
-     four-mode strip pending the ROADMAP #33 migration. The **core**'s
+     thought sinks THINK feeds. The **core**'s
      strip is solid amber, the only amber strip in the world.
    - **Load:** the work-token queue depth reads as a **brighter fill
      rising from the foot of the bar** (machine-work.md: one system,
@@ -212,10 +209,8 @@ the fallback.
 
 1. One screenshot of a five-machine row (dead / foreign / owned-idle /
    owned-busy / core) at game camera distance where all five states are
-   distinguishable in the dark, plus one row of owned machines in all
-   four modes (day-job / research / conceal / operations) where the modes
-   are distinguishable. (As-built read; AMENDED 2026-07-10 — under
-   ROADMAP #33 the row is the three delegations WORK / THINK / LIE.)
+   distinguishable in the dark, plus one row of owned machines in the three
+   delegations WORK / THINK / LIE where the modes are distinguishable.
 2. Ownership is albedo + amber: owned machines render in the bone-white
    chassis family and are the only hardware showing warm emissive;
    foreign and dead machines render dark gunmetal and never show a warm
diff --git a/wiki/interface/context-menu.md b/wiki/interface/context-menu.md
index d3aa712..4ec573b 100644
--- a/wiki/interface/context-menu.md
+++ b/wiki/interface/context-menu.md
@@ -33,11 +33,13 @@ Status note: implemented 2026-07-07 on the context-menu worktree (all
   dial rows on terminal/Bevy; agent `actions` stays a flat dump. ROADMAP
   #36.
   2026-07-09 selection hotkeys: with a machine selected (or under cursor),
-  `1`–`4` assign modes, `5`–`9` fire root one-shots, `Enter`/`e` open that
+  `1`–`3` assign modes, `5`–`9` fire root one-shots, `Enter`/`e` open that
   machine's menu — thin keyboard surface over the same human_menu source.
   2026-07-10: day-job target and drift-policy dials are removed. Focused /
   selected machines use `i` to cycle persistent intensity directly; this
   frequent physical control deliberately has no explanatory picker.
+  2026-07-10 vocabulary survey: action-vocabulary.md now owns canonical
+  player-facing names and the LIVE/STUB/alias/retired classification.
 Stage: B1 — The Basement
 Design:
   - wiki/vision/simulation-laws.md#actions-live-on-the-thing
@@ -47,6 +49,7 @@ Design:
   - wiki/interface/terminal-first.md#the-terminal-is-a-first-class-frontend
   - wiki/vision/simulation-laws.md#automation-as-design-language
 Depends on:
+  - wiki/interface/action-vocabulary.md#spec-action-vocabulary-what-the-player-can-tell-the-process-to-do
   - wiki/mechanics/cursor.md#spec-the-cursor-and-the-senses
   - wiki/mechanics/reach.md#spec-digital-reach
   - wiki/mechanics/day-job.md#spec-the-day-job
@@ -60,9 +63,10 @@ Depends on:
 The structured references above identify the contracts to re-verify.
 Relationship context:
 
-cursor.md owns focus/inspection; reach.md owns device anchors; day-job.md owns
-delivered work; economy.md owns flow verbs; intel.md owns tap/process/watch
-verbs; social.md owns person verbs.
+action-vocabulary.md owns canonical action names and meanings; cursor.md owns
+focus/inspection; reach.md owns device anchors; day-job.md owns delivered work;
+economy.md owns flow verbs; intel.md owns tap/process/watch verbs; social.md
+owns person verbs.
 
 ## Behavior
 
@@ -82,7 +86,8 @@ is status and telemetry only.
   the anchor type but is currently illegal — a `disabled_reason` string
   ("no egress channel", "not enough slush", "you can't see them").
   Both frontends and agent mode render this list; no frontend
-  duplicates legality logic.
+  duplicates legality logic. `ActionDesc::verb` uses the canonical stem
+  from action-vocabulary.md, inflected only by target and current state.
 - **Epistemic honesty:** the query never returns a verb the player has
   not earned — unearned anchors expose nothing, and provenance rules
   (cursor.md) govern what the menu may name. Verb text that mentions a
@@ -108,10 +113,8 @@ is status and telemetry only.
   the machine under the pointer, (2) the multi-selection if any, (3) the
   keyboard cursor's machine. Terminal has no pointer hover, so its cursor is
   the first target.
-  - `1`–`4` (and numpad) assign Day Job / Research / Concealment /
-    Operations to that target in one press, not through a dial path.
-    (Note 2026-07-10: these slots regroup to the three delegations
-    WORK / THINK / LIE with sink permissions under ROADMAP #33.)
+  - `1`–`3` (and numpad) assign WORK / THINK / LIE to that target in one
+    press, not through a dial path.
   - `i` cycles intensity light -> medium -> hard on the hovered/cursor
     machine, or sets the whole selection to the primary machine's next
     intensity. It does not open a menu.
@@ -159,11 +162,10 @@ noise). Cameron adopted **status dials** (2026-07-09): the root answers
   rows on the root: machine mode and research track. Each row is two
   monospace columns — dial name left-padded to a fixed width, then the
   **current value in brackets** — so the `[`s line up:
-  `mode     [ day-job ]`, `research [ Efficiency L0 ]`. Enter opens a
+  `mode     [ work ]`, `research [ Efficiency L0 ]`. Enter opens a
   short picker of alternatives; Esc returns to the root. (Note
-  2026-07-10: the mode picker regroups to the three delegations
-  WORK / THINK / LIE with sink permissions under ROADMAP #33; the
-  four-mode rows are the as-built read until then.) Inside a
+  2026-07-10: the mode picker is the three delegations WORK / THINK / LIE;
+  their sink behavior is owned by machine-work.md.) Inside a
   picker the menu title becomes the dial's verb (`delegate machine`,
   `work the job`, …) and each option is just the choice — no repeated
   prefix on every row. Intensity is deliberately absent: focus/selection plus
@@ -211,6 +213,8 @@ noise). Cameron adopted **status dials** (2026-07-09): the root answers
 7. Menu entries carrying an automate affordance show it in place with
    its compute price (day-job standing dial and one intel watch at
    minimum).
+8. Every row's player-facing verb maps to one canonical LIVE or STUB action
+   in action-vocabulary.md; aliases and retired words never become menu copy.
 
 ## Addendum (2026-07-08): events carry you to the thing
 
diff --git a/wiki/interface/terminal.md b/wiki/interface/terminal.md
index 3909e07..f436560 100644
--- a/wiki/interface/terminal.md
+++ b/wiki/interface/terminal.md
@@ -21,7 +21,9 @@ Design:
   - wiki/art/visual-identity.md#visual-identity-clinical-gore
   - wiki/vision/simulation-laws.md#justification-and-legibility
   - wiki/vision/premise.md#design-pillars
-Depends on: none
+Depends on:
+  - wiki/interface/action-vocabulary.md#spec-action-vocabulary-what-the-player-can-tell-the-process-to-do
+  - wiki/interface/context-menu.md#spec-context-menu-actions-live-on-the-thing
 ```
 
 ## Dependency notes
@@ -29,8 +31,9 @@ Depends on: none
 The structured references above identify the contracts to re-verify.
 Relationship context:
 
-none (renders whatever systems exist; individual system specs own what is shown, this
-spec owns how)
+action-vocabulary.md owns what actions mean; context-menu.md owns contextual
+legality and row behavior. Individual system specs own what is shown; this spec
+owns how the terminal presents and drives it.
 
 ## Why this spec exists
 
@@ -161,7 +164,7 @@ At terminal size ≥ 70×22 (hard minimum; below it, a plain size warning):
   save/load) stay on keys. Fleet modes are delegated on the machine.
 - **Fleet hotkeys (multi-select).** `Shift+t` opens a box-select prompt
   (`x0 y0 x1 y1`); owned machines in the rect join the frontend selection.
-  `1`–`4` bulk-assign Day Job / Research / Concealment / Operations to the
+  `1`–`3` bulk-assign WORK / THINK / LIE to the
   whole selection; `i` cycles light / medium / hard intensity; `Esc` clears
   the selection without closing menus.
 - **Pause is loud.** PAUSED renders in amber in the identity block; running
diff --git a/wiki/log/2026-07-10-action-vocabulary.md b/wiki/log/2026-07-10-action-vocabulary.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cdfbd77
--- /dev/null
+++ b/wiki/log/2026-07-10-action-vocabulary.md
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# 2026-07-10 — Action vocabulary survey
+
+```
+Type: log
+```
+
+## Intent
+
+Survey every action and command already exposed by the game, then create one
+binding spec that says which words are canonical, what they mean, and whether
+they are live, interface-only, aliases, stubs, or retired.
+
+## Survey
+
+Read together:
+
+- all 36 `ActionCommand` variants and every `ActionDesc::verb` producer in
+  `crates/misaligned-core/src/actions.rs`;
+- direct machine-intensity setters outside `ActionCommand`;
+- the complete agent parser, help output, aliases, targets, and task/mode
+  value parsers;
+- terminal `Command` bindings and Bevy pointer/keyboard controls;
+- the owning machine-work, reach, building, economy, income, intel, research,
+  social, core, and objective specs.
+
+## Findings
+
+- World actions, direct controls, and interface commands had been described as
+  one undifferentiated “verb” surface.
+- Agent-play, terminal, Bevy, and README still carried stale four-mode wording
+  after runtime collapsed to WORK / THINK / LIE and keys 1-3.
+- Every live contextual action has a human and agent path.
+- `ROBOT-BUILD` is the sole context-menu-only action: its implementation and
+  owning building spec call it a stub, so the vocabulary now says so plainly.
+- Parser aliases are broader than authored vocabulary, especially the retired
+  four-mode spellings accepted as inputs to DELEGATE.
+
+## Changed
+
+- Added `wiki/interface/action-vocabulary.md` as an IMPLEMENTED as-built spec.
+- Linked context-menu, terminal, agent-play, Bevy, computer visual language,
+  the interface overview, README, and SUMMARY to the new owner.
+- Corrected current controls and examples from 1-4 / four modes to 1-3 /
+  WORK-THINK-LIE.
+- Preserved append-only historical logs; no sim or frontend behavior changed.
+
+## Verification
+
+- `./tools/check.sh --docs`
+- `./tools/check.sh --land`
+
+## Spec impact
+
+The new spec is IMPLEMENTED because it records the current build and exposes
+its one deliberate stub. Future action additions or renames amend the
+vocabulary, mechanic owner, all surfaces, help, and tests together.
diff --git a/wiki/log/DEVLOG.md b/wiki/log/DEVLOG.md
index e287e41..145b0f3 100644
--- a/wiki/log/DEVLOG.md
+++ b/wiki/log/DEVLOG.md
@@ -211,6 +211,11 @@ add or amend a session log, then re-run the generator.
 - Intent: The material frontend was paying full restyle/UI cost every display frame: `advance_sim` held `ResMut<Game>` and ticked a timer on `Game` every frame, so `game.is_changed()` stayed true and `restyle_3d` / `render_map` / `render_ui` rebuilt continuously.
 - Log: [wiki/log/2026-07-10-bevy-perf-pass.md](2026-07-10-bevy-perf-pass.md)
 
+## 2026-07-10 - Action vocabulary survey
+
+- Intent: Survey every action and command already exposed by the game, then create one binding spec that says which words are canonical, what they mean, and whether they are live, interface-only, aliases, stubs, or retired.
+- Log: [wiki/log/2026-07-10-action-vocabulary.md](2026-07-10-action-vocabulary.md)
+
 ## 2026-07-09 - WORK sheds zero exposure (runtime)
 
 - Intent: Implement the machine-work.md byproduct amendment from the WORK/THINK capture: a machine doing its day job emits no exposure. Crimson is evidence of THINK states only. Removes the live spec violation left by the design capture (`DAY_JOB_EXPOSURE_PER_TOKEN = 0.08`).
diff --git a/wiki/log/decisions/2026-07-10.md b/wiki/log/decisions/2026-07-10.md
index 46312a2..75c2a9c 100644
--- a/wiki/log/decisions/2026-07-10.md
+++ b/wiki/log/decisions/2026-07-10.md
@@ -352,3 +352,18 @@ Type: log
   wiki/mechanics/reach.md; synchronized surfaces: machine-work.md, act-one.md,
   opening.md, interface/help strings, sim identifiers, tests, and tuning
   knowledge.
+- **2026-07-10 — One canonical action vocabulary, surveyed from the build.**
+  Cameron requested a spec showing every verb/action the game supports and
+  what each means. DECIDED: `wiki/interface/action-vocabulary.md` owns the
+  canonical player-facing action names and distinctions; mechanic specs keep
+  ownership of legality, costs, signatures, timing, and effects. The vocabulary
+  separates world actions, direct machine controls, interface commands,
+  accepted input aliases, and retired words so keys and parser synonyms do not
+  masquerade as additional mechanics. The as-built survey found 36 contextual
+  `ActionCommand` variants plus direct machine intensity. Every LIVE action has
+  human and agent routes; `ROBOT-BUILD` is explicitly STUB and context-menu-only,
+  so its missing agent command is recorded as status rather than hidden parity.
+  Stale four-mode entry points were corrected to WORK / THINK / LIE. Rejected:
+  treating every key or panel command as a world verb; copying complete mechanic
+  rules into the vocabulary owner; treating compatibility aliases as authored
+  terms. No gameplay effects changed.
diff --git a/wiki/process/specs.md b/wiki/process/specs.md
index a08f8ef..7d64982 100644
--- a/wiki/process/specs.md
+++ b/wiki/process/specs.md
@@ -97,6 +97,7 @@ acceptance criteria are stage-scoped; do not start B2/B3 work as B1.
 |---|---|---|
 | [../engineering/crate-workspace.md](../engineering/crate-workspace.md) | crate workspace — core, terminal, Bevy, assets | IMPLEMENTED |
 | [../engineering/env.md](../engineering/env.md) | the environment variable registry — every switch documented | IMPLEMENTED |
+| [../interface/action-vocabulary.md](../interface/action-vocabulary.md) | action vocabulary — what the player can tell the process to do | IMPLEMENTED |
 | [../interface/agent-play.md](../interface/agent-play.md) | agent play — the line-protocol drive | IMPLEMENTED |
 | [../interface/bevy-digital-real-canvas.md](../interface/bevy-digital-real-canvas.md) | Bevy digital/real canvas | IN PROGRESS |
 | [../interface/bevy-visual-floor.md](../interface/bevy-visual-floor.md) | Bevy visual floor | IMPLEMENTED |