diff --git a/docs/handoffs/chicorytv-issue-queue.md b/docs/handoffs/chicorytv-issue-queue.md
index beee2db1d..429eb1395 100644
--- a/docs/handoffs/chicorytv-issue-queue.md
+++ b/docs/handoffs/chicorytv-issue-queue.md
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@ enforcement is tracked in `timothy/server-management#592`; the wider Claude-hook
 
 **When the user has not named an issue, queue selection is mechanical fast/small work, never orchestrator
 work.** Dispatch exactly one selector on the cheapest suitable model at low or minimal effort. Give it only
-#237's body, last ~6 comments, live issue/milestone/label state, and the reviewer-repo candidate list; it
+#237's body, last ~6 comments, every OPEN milestone and its OPEN issues, OPEN `review`-labeled
+issues, and the reviewer-repo candidate list plus each candidate's claim/deliverable comments; it
 returns a ranked shortlist of at most three issue IDs with one-line rationales and live-state evidence. The
 orchestrator receives only that compact packet, then performs a focused live recheck of the winner before
 claiming. Do not load implementation docs or issue bodies into the selector. If the client cannot route a
@@ -100,17 +101,23 @@ Then work the queue:
    any inline marker or a prior comment's "next": the **current gate = the lowest-numbered OPEN arc
    item in #237's arc list**; its open children are the gate cluster (query them by the `review`
    label). Cross-check every arc / "recommended" item's real open/closed state (issue **and**
-   milestone) before trusting it — do NOT hardcode which issue is the frontier; read it. ALSO list
+   milestone) before trusting it — do NOT hardcode which issue is the frontier; read it. Candidate
+   discovery MUST enumerate every OPEN issue in every OPEN milestone plus OPEN `review`-labeled
+   issues; do not limit the pool to tracker prose or recent comments. Treat an umbrella/epic as a
+   container rather than a pickup when #237 names its eligible children. ALSO list
    open `ersatztv`-labeled issues in **timothy/adversarial-reviewer** — unclaimed audits there are
    pickup candidates too (read-only, parallel-safe; see the tracker's "Pending adversarial reviews"
-   section). If the Gitea MCP is down, hit the REST API directly (use credentials supplied by the
-   environment or your global client instructions; never print them):
+   section). Reviewer audits are claimed by comment: a claim remains active until a later comment
+   explicitly releases or abandons it, and a posted audit/review deliverable is completed work even
+   when its issue stays open for implementer replies. If the Gitea MCP is down, hit the REST API
+   directly (use credentials supplied by the environment or your global client instructions; never
+   print them):
    `curl -u <user>:<pass> http://192.168.1.95:3000/api/v1/repos/timothy/ersatztv/issues/237`.
    **The authoritative pickup + ranking protocol lives in #237's "Session protocol" section — this is a summary; if the two ever disagree, #237 wins.**
 2. The selector picks the highest-ranked OPEN, un-`in-progress` candidate and returns at most two
    fallbacks. **Rank by labels, not just arc position** (labels are live state; prose is not):
    (1) arc order in #237, then
-   (2) **gate vs backlog** — an item marked gate by the `review` label OR membership in an open gate
+   (2) **milestone/review tier vs backlog** — an item with the `review` label OR membership in an OPEN
    milestone outranks anything unmilestoned; then (3) **`priority:`** label — `high` > `medium` >
    `low` within a tier. Pick order across the three pools: the **arc frontier** (lowest-numbered open
    arc item) first; an unclaimed Blocker/High **priority-pickup** (`review` + `priority: high`, e.g.
@@ -120,9 +127,14 @@ Then work the queue:
    Do not reread the full tracker or comments for selection. If the prose says "recommended next / now
    unblocked" but the issue (or its milestone) is already CLOSED, it is done — skip it and fix the
    stale line in your session comment. Prose lags live state; live state wins; milestone + `priority:`
-   labels decide gate-vs-backlog, not the prose. (This mirrors #237's Session-protocol ranking — #237 is canonical.)
+   labels decide gate-vs-backlog, not the prose. For an equal milestone/review tier and equal priority,
+   preserve #237's explicit eligible order, then use lowest issue number as the deterministic fallback;
+   never invent a fix-size, recency, or perceived-relevance tiebreaker. (This mirrors #237's
+   Session-protocol ranking — #237 is canonical.)
 3. **Claim it**: add the `in-progress` label + a "claiming" comment on the issue(s);
-   reviewer-repo audits are claimed by comment only.
+   reviewer-repo audits are claimed by comment only. Treat that claim as live until a later comment
+   explicitly releases or abandons it, and exclude audits with a posted deliverable even while the
+   issue remains open for implementer replies.
 4. Read the issue bodies (they carry the task context/evidence) and work the item under the
    HARD CONSTRAINTS below.
 5. Finish by following the session-end protocol in #237: run the **H12 qualification audit**