Proof
A slow step or an estimate is not evidence. A cited run, log line or file is. A finding is measured when cited runs, log lines or files show the waste. Otherwise it is suspected, and it names the evidence that would settle it.
evidence
A suspected finding can be approved only as an experiment with stated pass criteria. It never feeds a claimed saving. If the experiment meets its criteria on the real pipeline, the finding becomes measured.
A missing log, an unreadable setting or a cut-off listing is reported as unavailable, with the reason. It is never counted as zero builds, zero warnings or no gates.
gates
A fix that removes or loosens a gate is not a fix. muda compare --gates compares the recorded gate inventory with the pipeline after the change, and fails closed. It returns one of four results.
exemptions
Waste you choose to keep is recorded as an exemption with a reason, who agreed, the date and a review-by date. When that date passes, muda raises it again.
never
muda reads branch protection, rulesets and environments to list the gates. It never changes them. Changes to your workflows and to the record arrive as pull requests.
The agent opens pull requests and offers to merge them. It merges only when you say yes to that pull request, with every required check green and no admin bypass. Record updates go through pull requests too, never straight to the default branch.
The fixes are made by your coding agent, guided by the skills: it edits your workflows on a branch and opens a pull request, only after you approve the plan. The muda binary itself only reads your pipeline and writes its record in .muda/.