@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@ export type { RefFrameEffect } from '../ref-frame-effect.ts';
 export { REPLAY_TARGET_GUARD_MISMATCH_REASON, WAIT_LANDMARK_MISMATCH_REASON } from '../replay.ts';
 export type {
   ReplayCommandResult,
+  ReplayObservationAuthority,
+  ReplayObservationAuthorityBinder,
+  ReplayObservationCapture,
+  ReplayObservationEvidence,
   ReplayScriptSourceBundle,
   ReplaySuiteAttemptFailure,
   ReplaySuiteResult,
@@ -10,6 +14,8 @@ export type {
   ReplaySuiteTestResult,
   ReplaySuiteTestSkipReason,
   ReplaySuiteTestSkipped,
+  ReplayRefPublicationProjection,
+  ReplayRefPublicationResult,
   ReplayTargetGuardDenotation,
   WaitLandmarkMismatchEvidence,
 } from '../replay.ts';
 
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import type { DaemonError } from '@agent-device/kernel/errors';
+import type { SnapshotState } from '@agent-device/kernel/snapshot';
 import type { SnapshotDiagnosticsSummary } from './snapshot-diagnostics.ts';
 import type {
   LocalIdentity,
@@ -174,3 +175,49 @@ export type ReplayScriptSourceBundle = Readonly<{
   entry: string;
   files: Readonly<Record<string, string>>;
 }>;
+
+declare const REPLAY_OBSERVATION_EVIDENCE: unique symbol;
+
+/**
+ * Opaque capture lineage a replay engine may carry as data but cannot use to publish refs.
+ * Only the daemon-owned finalizer behind {@link ReplayObservationAuthority} can resolve it.
+ */
+export type ReplayObservationEvidence = {
+  readonly [REPLAY_OBSERVATION_EVIDENCE]: true;
+};
+
+export type ReplayObservationCapture = Readonly<{
+  evidence: ReplayObservationEvidence;
+  refsGeneration: number;
+}>;
+
+export type ReplayRefPublicationProjection = Readonly<{
+  refsGeneration: number | undefined;
+  refs: readonly string[];
+}>;
+
+export type ReplayRefPublicationResult =
+  | Readonly<{ published: true; refsGeneration: number; refCount: number }>
+  | Readonly<{
+      published: false;
+      reason: 'empty' | 'cancelled' | 'stale-capture' | 'invalid-projection';
+    }>;
+
+/**
+ * The daemon-owned authority a replay run uses to record an operational capture and, once its
+ * own projection is exact, to activate exactly the refs that projection exposed. The capability is
+ * already bound to one admitted session: a holder cannot name or reacquire another one.
+ */
+export type ReplayObservationAuthority = Readonly<{
+  store(snapshot: SnapshotState): ReplayObservationCapture;
+  finalize(
+    evidence: ReplayObservationEvidence,
+    projection: ReplayRefPublicationProjection,
+  ): ReplayRefPublicationResult;
+}>;
+
+/**
+ * Binds that authority for one request scope. A replay run receives the binder, never the
+ * session-store pair the binding is drawn from.
+ */
+export type ReplayObservationAuthorityBinder = (signal?: AbortSignal) => ReplayObservationAuthority;
@@ -171,6 +171,41 @@ export type DaemonResponse =
       error: DaemonError;
     };
 
+export type DaemonFailureResponse = Extract<DaemonResponse, { ok: false }>;
+
+/**
+ * The one `DaemonResponse` failure constructor. Declared beside the response type so a
+ * command-side port that returns — rather than throws — a dispatch failure builds the same
+ * wire shape as a daemon handler without importing the daemon.
+ */
+export function errorResponse(
+  code: string,
+  message: string,
+  details?: Record<string, unknown>,
+  options?: { hint?: string; retriable?: boolean },
+): DaemonFailureResponse {
+  return {
+    ok: false,
+    error: {
+      code,
+      message,
+      ...(options?.hint ? { hint: options.hint } : {}),
+      ...(options?.retriable === undefined ? {} : { retriable: options.retriable }),
+      ...(details ? { details } : {}),
+    },
+  };
+}
+
+export const NO_ACTIVE_SESSION_MESSAGE = 'No active session. Run open first.';
+
+/**
+ * Shared "No active session. Run open first." failure used by handlers that require
+ * an open session before dispatching.
+ */
+export function noActiveSessionError(): DaemonFailureResponse {
+  return errorResponse('SESSION_NOT_FOUND', NO_ACTIVE_SESSION_MESSAGE);
+}
+
 export type JsonRpcId = string | number | null;
 
 export type JsonRpcRequestEnvelope<TParams = unknown> = {
 
@@ -23,11 +23,11 @@ import type {
   InspectDeviceRuntimeFacts,
   RuntimeAdmissionBindings,
 } from '../request-runtime-binding.ts';
-import type { DaemonFailureResponse } from '../response.ts';
 import { dispatchSnapshotDiffViaRuntime } from '../snapshot-diff-runtime.ts';
 import { resolveBoundTvRemoteRuntime } from '../tv-remote-runtime.ts';
 import { resolveBoundTypeTextRuntime } from '../type-text-runtime.ts';
 import { resolveBoundViewportRuntime } from '../viewport-runtime.ts';
+import type { DaemonFailureResponse } from '@agent-device/kernel/contracts';
 
 type RuntimeOperation = RuntimeOperationKey<PlatformRuntimeOperations>;
 
 
@@ -7,8 +7,8 @@ import { successText } from '@agent-device/kernel/success-text';
 import type { DaemonCommandContext } from './context.ts';
 import { admitRuntimeUse, type RuntimeAdmissionBindings } from './runtime-admission.ts';
 import { runtimeExecutionFromContext } from './snapshot-runtime-capture-input.ts';
-import type { DaemonFailureResponse } from './response.ts';
 import type { DeviceReadyOptions } from './device-ready.ts';
+import type { DaemonFailureResponse } from '@agent-device/kernel/contracts';
 
 /**
  * What the admit-then-bind step reports: either the refusal an unadmitted cell produced, or the
 
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import {
   type InspectedDeviceClaim,
 } from './device-claim-inspection.ts';
 import type { DaemonResponse } from './daemon-request.ts';
-import { errorResponse } from './response.ts';
+import { errorResponse } from '@agent-device/kernel/contracts';
 
 export type DeviceClaimConflictReason =
   | 'DEVICE_CLAIM_LIVE_OWNER'
 
@@ -1,5 +1,4 @@
 import type { ResolvedGenericExecution } from './request-generic-dispatch.ts';
-import { errorResponse } from './response.ts';
 import { resolveBoundFocusRuntime } from './focus-runtime.ts';
 import { resolveScreenshotGenericExecution } from './screenshot-runtime.ts';
 import { resolveBoundScrollRuntime } from './scroll-runtime.ts';
@@ -13,6 +12,7 @@ import { resolveBoundHomeRuntime } from './home-runtime.ts';
 import { resolveBoundAppSwitcherRuntime } from './app-switcher-runtime.ts';
 import { resolveBoundOrientationRuntime } from './orientation-runtime.ts';
 import { resolveBoundTvRemoteRuntime } from './tv-remote-runtime.ts';
+import { errorResponse } from '@agent-device/kernel/contracts';
 
 /**
  * The generic route's runtime-owned leaves (ADR 0019). Each one admits its own exact owner facts
 
@@ -17,13 +17,13 @@ import type { DeviceInfo } from '@agent-device/kernel/device';
 import { AppError, normalizeError } from '@agent-device/kernel/errors';
 import type { Rect } from '@agent-device/kernel/snapshot';
 import type { DaemonCommandContext } from './context.ts';
-import type { DaemonFailureResponse } from './response.ts';
 import {
   admitRuntimeOperations,
   admitRuntimeUse,
   type RuntimeAdmissionBindings,
 } from './runtime-admission.ts';
 import { runtimeExecutionFromContext } from './snapshot-runtime-capture-input.ts';
+import type { DaemonFailureResponse } from '@agent-device/kernel/contracts';
 
 /**
  * One request's bound gesture authority. `gesture` and `swipe` both build their plans inside the
 
@@ -16,14 +16,14 @@ import type { SnapshotQualityVerdict, SnapshotState } from '@agent-device/kernel
 import { isSparseSnapshotQualityVerdict } from '@agent-device/capture-kit/snapshot-quality-verdict';
 import type { DaemonResponse } from '../daemon-request.ts';
 import type { SessionState } from '../session-state.ts';
-import { errorResponse, noActiveSessionError } from '../response.ts';
 import {
   captureSnapshotForSession,
   finalizeTouchInteraction,
   type InteractionRouteInput,
 } from '../interaction/index.ts';
 import { expireRefFrame } from '../ref-frame.ts';
 import { readSnapshotNodesReferenceFrame } from '@agent-device/capture-kit/touch-reference-frame';
+import { errorResponse, noActiveSessionError } from '@agent-device/kernel/contracts';
 
 export async function handleReactNativeCommands(
   params: InteractionRouteInput,
 
@@ -16,7 +16,6 @@ import { resolvePayloadInput } from '../payload-input.ts';
 import { resolveDeployResultTarget } from '../../core/deploy-result-target.ts';
 import { withSuccessText } from '@agent-device/kernel/success-text';
 import { recordSessionAction } from '../session-action-recorder.ts';
-import { errorResponse } from '../response.ts';
 import {
   requireSessionOrExplicitSelector,
   resolveCommandDevice,
@@ -27,6 +26,7 @@ import {
   type RuntimeCommandHandlerParams,
   unavailableRuntimeOperationResponse,
 } from '../session-runtime-admission.ts';
+import { errorResponse } from '@agent-device/kernel/contracts';
 
 type DeployCommand = 'install' | 'reinstall';