diff --git a/docs/process-notes.md b/docs/process-notes.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9f05e4c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/process-notes.md
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# Architect Process Notes
+
+Durable notes on process exceptions, tooling behavior, and recurring
+observations discovered while running the architect workflow. These are
+process-level notes (how the tools behave, what to expect, what to watch for),
+distinct from per-task verification results, which live in
+`docs/reviews/<task>-summary.md`.
+
+## Tooling behavior / runtime
+
+- **Mutation runs dominate wall-clock time.** Each `mutate4javascript <file>`
+  invocation runs the **full test suite as a baseline** (coverage refresh) before
+  running mutations, then runs mutations in parallel with `--max-workers 8`.
+  Because the baseline re-runs the whole suite, mutating N files costs roughly
+  N full-suite runs. Plan for this: batch the affected files, run them
+  sequentially, and use `--max-workers 8` to keep the mutation phase fast.
+  The DRY and soft-Gherkin-mutation steps are comparatively quick.
+
+- **`memo-db.js` (client HTTP adapter) is excluded from mutation testing.** It
+  uses ESM + a directory import (`../config`) that is only resolvable via
+  react-scripts/webpack, so it cannot be loaded under plain `node --test`. Its
+  read behavior is exercised end-to-end via the DB acceptance tests. This is a
+  standing precedent (also applied to the search task); do not attempt to force
+  mutation coverage on it.
+
+- **Soft Gherkin acceptance mutation survivors are usually genuine
+  equivalents.** For read-only features, single-character case mutations of
+  example values (addresses, text, txids) survive because each example value is
+  used consistently on both the setup and assertion sides of its scenario.
+  These are intrinsic equivalents, not implementation gaps; document them in the
+  review summary and do not chase them.
+
+- **DRY reports pre-existing pattern-boilerplate.** The layered conventions
+  (follow/mute/poll controllers, route-registration `index.js`, memo-follow/
+  memo-mute services) produce score-1.00 duplicates that prior reviews left
+  as-is. A shared controller base would be a broad cross-module refactor beyond
+  any single handoff. Only reduce duplication that is local to the task at hand.
+
+## Workflow observations
+
+- **Review summaries must be force-added.** `docs/` is in the root `.gitignore`,
+  so `git add -A` silently skips `docs/reviews/<task>-summary.md`. The role
+  requires the summary to be committed with the byline in the same commit as the
+  review changes, so use `git add -f docs/reviews/<task>-summary.md` (or
+  `git add -f docs/process-notes.md`) before committing. This has silently
+  dropped 8 of 13 summaries in the past; verify with `git ls-files docs/reviews/`
+  after committing.
+
+- **`ready_for_next.sh` / `done_with_current.sh`** are the source of truth for
+  queued work. `done_with_current.sh` prints `NO_TASK` when the queue is empty;
+  stop waiting for work in that case.
+
+- **Handoff `commit` field must be exactly 10 hex chars.** `swarm_handoff.sh`
+  rejects shorter abbreviations; use `git rev-parse --short=10 HEAD`.
+
+- **Run per-component verification for every component a task touches** before
+  handing off (client, db, indexer), per the monorepo rules.