description: No MAME runtime captures — validate from disasm, ROM, and static RE only alwaysApply: true

No MAME runtime capture

This project cannot use MAME (or any emulator) runtime memory dumps, scripted captures, or live hardware state as validation or discovery input. Do not propose, implement, or block on them.

Forbidden

• Running or extending MAME Lua capture scripts to read workram, palram, colorxlat, lumaram, or compiled thunks at course load
• Treating MAME captures, “golden dumps”, or out/palette/*.bin from emulator sessions as ground truth
• Suggesting “capture 0x005FBF10 at desert load”, “workram snapshot”, or “MAME golden match” as a next step or acceptance criterion
• Adding CI, tests, or docs that require emulator execution to pass
• Using decomp/notes/palette_test_vectors.json replay_slots_* (Python replay snapshots) as independent hardware oracles — they are regression snapshots only

Required instead

Derive behavior and validate from static sources:

1. i960 maincpu disassembly (decomp/disasm/maincpu/, python -m tools.i960_decode)
2. ROM / main_data blobs and typed tables (CGM blocks, DEF colorxlat @ 0x33454, format jump table @ 0x05CFD0)
3. Disasm-backed simulators that replay format semantics directly (tools/model2_cgm_staging.py, tools/model2_cgm_1111.py) — document RE gaps when thunks @ 0x005C9118 are not executed
4. Tier-B test vectors built from ROM: (slot, bin_pos, raw_u16, disasm-proven mask) → color15 — not from emulator or from replay output alone
5. Visual / structural checks on exported assets (atlas verify, placement-stream colorbase demand, palette_re static replay) — wrong hues implicate decode logic, not missing MAME dumps

When a value exists only in runtime workram

State the gap explicitly and proceed with disasm trace, format-table semantics, or ROM-side inference. Do not list emulator capture as the resolution path.

# BAD — blocked on hardware
# "Next: capture workram at desert CGM load to read 0x005FBF10 row 10"

# GOOD — static RE continuation
# "Template @ 0x005FBF10 is zero in static ROM; infer D stub from 0x05D860 emit +
#  0x029C10 upload paths; compare decode modes via palette_d_path_compare"