diff --git a/docs/LANES/ROUND20_INSTRUCTIONS.md b/docs/LANES/ROUND20_INSTRUCTIONS.md
index 7ba5b89..fc2f420 100644
--- a/docs/LANES/ROUND20_INSTRUCTIONS.md
+++ b/docs/LANES/ROUND20_INSTRUCTIONS.md
@@ -88,12 +88,14 @@ pinned"; B→F tram verdict + selector; C/D→F density verdicts.
 
 ## Standing
 
-- **John — one ruling to veto (kickoff):** the density widening (ledger #2) — real towns will
-  gain their real cafes, bakeries, chemists etc. as enterable shops wearing existing interior
-  archetypes. It changes the texture of real towns from "secondhand crawl" toward "real main
-  street" (the charter's vision). Veto or trim the class list before C/E start if you want the
-  towns to stay pure-secondhand. FYI: tram routes by shop adjacency (B may fence per-town); the
-  selector ships from an index; poster density gets capped.
+- **John — the density widening is APPROVED (kickoff, 2026-07-16), with one directive: SUBTLE.**
+  John: "subtle changes are great." Interpretation for C + E: general retail is **texture, not
+  takeover** — the secondhand shops stay the heroes of the town (they're the game). Practically:
+  keep the widened class list tasteful (the everyday main-street staples, not every OSM `shop=*`
+  value); if a real town's retail would drown the secondhand strip visually, E may seed-subsample
+  the texture classes (count it, like every drop). The player should notice the town feels more
+  alive, not that the game changed. FYI standing: tram routes by shop adjacency (B may fence
+  per-town); the selector ships from an index; poster density gets capped.
 - **v4.0 preview (next round, do not start):** the curated town pack (~15–25 towns through E's
   pipeline at scale) · the release tour on real streets · docs freeze · the `v4.0` tag.
 - **Backlog:** instrument LOD · tram tri diet · audioEmitter · flag retirement · awning ripple ·