diff --git a/.claude/launch.json b/.claude/launch.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3bf8db6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.claude/launch.json
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{
+  "version": "0.0.1",
+  "configurations": [
+    {
+      "name": "scenegod",
+      "runtimeExecutable": "/Users/johnking/Documents/SCENEGOD/.venv/bin/uvicorn",
+      "runtimeArgs": ["scenegod.server:app", "--port", "8020", "--app-dir", "/Users/johnking/Documents/SCENEGOD"],
+      "port": 8020
+    }
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/lanes/A-stage.md b/lanes/A-stage.md
index f8bcb68..13c8ba9 100644
--- a/lanes/A-stage.md
+++ b/lanes/A-stage.md
@@ -97,4 +97,26 @@ disposeRoot). Port rules:
 - Page loads clean with timeline.js absent AND with server absent (mock=1).
 
 ## ORCHESTRATOR UPDATES
-(none yet — check back each session)
+
+### 2026-07-18 — M1 ACCEPTED, SYNC 1 done. **M2 is UNLOCKED.**
+M1 verified end-to-end in-browser by the orchestrator (character + backdrop +
+retargeted clip + timeline scrub, all through the real Stage). Answers + M2 order:
+
+1. **/assets/tree item shape confirmed** (from Lane C's server):
+   `{name, path, formats: ["fbx", ...], thumb: relpath|null}` — rigroom-style,
+   no `files` array. Drop your bare-string fallback. `/web/*` absolute imports
+   are confirmed correct as served.
+2. **Priority 1 — eventize clip drops.** `stage.setMixerAuto(false)` is now
+   active whenever the timeline mounts, so your drop-clip-to-preview path is
+   dead in the integrated page. Replace it: on clip-drop onto a character,
+   dispatch `window CustomEvent 'scenegod:clipdrop'` with
+   `{detail: {id, path, clipIndex}}` (Lane B adds the block at the playhead).
+   Keep bake-and-preview ONLY when no timeline is present.
+3. **Priority 2 — make sure `onChange` fires for every entity added via
+   `applyState`** (SYNC finding: tlui's names column stayed empty after a
+   programmatic scene load — fix on both sides; B is doing theirs).
+4. Then per plan: multiple cameras + PiP overlay (`renderActiveCamera` needs
+   to work as the M3 final-render target — treat that contract as hard),
+   backdrop rebuild-on-param-change, drag-from-dock onto viewport.
+Test assets now live in `assets/{characters,animations,backdrops}/test/`
+(man.fbx, hiphop.fbx, carrying.fbx, street.jpg — gitignored, on ultra).
diff --git a/lanes/B-timeline.md b/lanes/B-timeline.md
index 28a1092..db612ac 100644
--- a/lanes/B-timeline.md
+++ b/lanes/B-timeline.md
@@ -78,4 +78,30 @@ Clip crossfades polish, params lanes UI, camera-cut lane UI, snapping
 config, undo wiring, box-select + multi-drag of keys.
 
 ## ORCHESTRATOR UPDATES
-(none yet — check back each session)
+
+### 2026-07-18 — M1 ACCEPTED, SYNC 1 done. **M2 is UNLOCKED.**
+Your model survived integration with the real Stage; transform interp and
+clip retarget playback verified frame-exact via `step()`. Notes:
+
+1. **Fix applied by orchestrator** (in your file, keep it): `_evalClips` now
+   early-returns when the entity has no clip blocks or no mixer — the real
+   Stage returns `null` from `entityMixer` for backdrops/props/cameras; your
+   stub always returned an object, which hid the crash. Lesson for the stub:
+   mirror the contract's nullable returns.
+2. **stagestub.js was NOT deleted** — `timeline_test.mjs` imports it. It's
+   now a permanent test fixture, not dev scaffolding. tldev.html is gone.
+3. **SYNC findings, fix first in M2:** (a) after `load()` + `applyState`,
+   your track-name rows never appeared (only "Cameras") — rebuild rows on
+   `load()` and on `stage.onChange`; (b) the scene-bar name/duration fields
+   don't refresh after `load()` — bind them. Verified repro: load a 2-entity
+   scene programmatically, rows stay empty.
+4. **New event:** Lane A will dispatch `scenegod:clipdrop`
+   `{detail:{id, path, clipIndex}}` when a clip is dropped on a character —
+   add a clip block on that entity at the playhead (default out = clip
+   duration after preload, fade 0.25 when it abuts a neighbor).
+5. rAF note: in the embedded preview the tab can be `document.hidden` →
+   rAF fully suspended → `play()` appears frozen. Not a bug in your clock
+   (verified); don't "fix" it. `step()` is the deterministic path and works.
+6. Injected `<style id=laneB-tl-css>` is fine permanently — keep it.
+Then per plan: crossfade fade-IN polish, params + camera-cut lane UI,
+snapping config, box-select multi-drag (undo already wired).
diff --git a/lanes/C-server.md b/lanes/C-server.md
index 5bbd636..63053f8 100644
--- a/lanes/C-server.md
+++ b/lanes/C-server.md
@@ -86,4 +86,23 @@ green = M1 code-done. Run with `| lm -l 2`.
 - test_server.py green; paste the summary line in your log.
 
 ## ORCHESTRATOR UPDATES
-(none yet — check back each session)
+
+### 2026-07-18 — M1 ACCEPTED. **M2 unlocked AND M3 render pipeline green-lit early.**
+test_server.py green, tree/file/scenes verified live through the browser page
+(scene save 200 + lossless reload). You're ahead of the other lanes, so skip
+the wait: after the small M2 items (thumbnails endpoint; validation already
+solid), go straight into §C5 — implement `/render/begin|frame|end|status|out`
++ ffmpeg encode, and `web/render.js`. Notes:
+1. `timeline.step(frame)` is verified deterministic against the real Stage
+   (orchestrator stepped 0/30/60/90/120 and got exact eased positions) — your
+   final-render loop can rely on it today. `stage.renderActiveCamera` as a
+   render target is Lane A M2 work; until it lands, test `finalRender` with
+   the director view canvas, and test the ffmpeg path with synthetic PNGs
+   from a script (extend test_server.py: begin → POST 30 generated frames →
+   end → poll → assert mp4 exists + ffprobe duration ≈ 1s).
+2. ffmpeg on ultra: check `shutil.which` at boot as designed; it's installed
+   via homebrew here.
+3. Test assets for the tree now exist under `assets/*/test/` (gitignored).
+4. uvicorn for local dev: `.venv/bin/uvicorn scenegod.server:app --port 8020`
+   — there's also a launch entry in MESHGOD/.claude/launch.json ("scenegod")
+   used by the orchestrator's browser preview.
diff --git a/scenegod/web/index.html b/scenegod/web/index.html
index f56f3f7..72759c6 100644
--- a/scenegod/web/index.html
+++ b/scenegod/web/index.html
@@ -48,8 +48,11 @@ const dock = new Dock({
 // Timeline is optional — the page must never break when Lane B's file is absent
 try {
   const { Timeline } = await import('/web/timeline.js');
+  const { TimelineUI } = await import('/web/tlui.js');
   window.timeline = new Timeline(stage);
-} catch(e){ /* timeline.js not present yet */ }
+  window.tlui = new TimelineUI(window.timeline, document.getElementById('timeline'));
+  stage.setMixerAuto(false);   // timeline owns mixer stepping from here on
+} catch(e){ console.warn('timeline not mounted:', e); }
 
 window.stage = stage; window.dock = dock;
 </script>
diff --git a/scenegod/web/timeline.js b/scenegod/web/timeline.js
index 9a505bf..f603a7f 100644
--- a/scenegod/web/timeline.js
+++ b/scenegod/web/timeline.js
@@ -218,7 +218,9 @@ export class Timeline {
 
   _evalClips(e, t) {
     const blocks = e.tracks.clips;
+    if (!blocks || !blocks.length) return;
     const mixer = this.stage.entityMixer(e.id);
+    if (!mixer) return;   // SYNC1: real Stage returns null for non-characters (stub always had one)
     for (let i = 0; i < blocks.length; i++) {
       const b = blocks[i];
       const rec = this._clipActions.get(b);
diff --git a/scenegod/web/tldev.html b/scenegod/web/tldev.html
deleted file mode 100644
index 4f44291..0000000
--- a/scenegod/web/tldev.html
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,59 +0,0 @@
-<!doctype html>
-<!-- tldev.html — Lane B DEV-ONLY harness to exercise the timeline UI against
-     the stub before Lane A's index.html exists. Deleted at SYNC 1. -->
-<meta charset="utf-8">
-<title>SCENEGOD · timeline dev harness</title>
-<style>
-  html,body{margin:0;height:100%;background:#0d1117;color:#c9d1d9;font:13px ui-monospace,monospace}
-  #top{padding:8px 12px;border-bottom:1px solid #2b323c}
-  #log{height:120px;overflow:auto;padding:6px 12px;color:#565f6b;font-size:11px;white-space:pre-wrap;border-bottom:1px solid #2b323c}
-  #timeline{position:fixed;left:0;right:0;bottom:0}
-</style>
-<div id="top">Lane B dev harness — stub stage. Double-click a lane to add a key,
-  drag keys, ▶ to play, drag the ruler to scrub. setTransform/param calls log below.</div>
-<div id="log"></div>
-<div id="timeline"></div>
-
-<script type="module">
-  import { StageStub } from './stagestub.js';
-  import { Timeline } from './timeline.js';
-  import { TimelineUI } from './tlui.js';
-
-  // mirror stub effects into the on-page log
-  const logEl = document.getElementById('log');
-  const stage = new StageStub();
-  const _st = stage.setTransform.bind(stage), _sp = stage.setParam.bind(stage), _sc = stage.setActiveCamera.bind(stage);
-  const line = (s) => { logEl.textContent = s + '\n' + logEl.textContent.slice(0, 4000); };
-  stage.setTransform = (id, t) => { _st(id, t); line(`setTransform ${id} pos=[${t.pos.map(n=>n.toFixed(2))}]`); };
-  stage.setParam = (id, k, v) => { _sp(id, k, v); line(`setParam ${id} ${k}=${v}`); };
-  stage.setActiveCamera = (id) => { _sc(id); line(`activeCamera ${id}`); };
-
-  const scene = {
-    version: 1, name: 'dev', fps: 30, duration: 6,
-    entities: [
-      { id: 'lady', kind: 'character', label: 'lady',
-        source: { type: 'assets', path: 'characters/lady.glb' },
-        transform: { pos: [0,0,0], rot: [0,0,0], scale: 1 },
-        tracks: { transform: [
-            { t: 0, pos: [-3,0,0], rot: [0,0,0], scale: 1, ease: 'linear' },
-            { t: 4, pos: [3,0,0], rot: [0,1.57,0], scale: 1, ease: 'inout' } ],
-          clips: [ { path: 'animations/walk.fbx', clipIndex: 0, start: 0.5, in: 0, out: 2.4, loop: 1, fade: 0 } ] } },
-      { id: 'sun', kind: 'light', label: 'sun',
-        params: { type: 'key', color: '#ffcc88', intensity: 1 },
-        transform: { pos: [2,5,2], rot: [0,0,0], scale: 1 },
-        tracks: { params: [ { t: 0, key: 'intensity', value: 0.2, ease: 'inout' }, { t: 5, key: 'intensity', value: 3, ease: 'inout' } ] } },
-      { id: 'camA', kind: 'camera', label: 'wide', params: { fov: 40 }, transform: { pos: [0,1.5,6], rot: [0,0,0], scale: 1 }, tracks: {} },
-      { id: 'camB', kind: 'camera', label: 'close', params: { fov: 60 }, transform: { pos: [2,1.6,2], rot: [0,0,0], scale: 1 }, tracks: {} },
-    ],
-    cameraCuts: [ { t: 0, camera: 'camA' }, { t: 3, camera: 'camB' } ],
-    audio: [],
-  };
-
-  await stage.applyState(scene);
-  const tl = new Timeline(stage);
-  tl.load(scene);
-  await tl.preload();
-  const ui = new TimelineUI(tl, '#timeline');
-  window._tl = tl; window._ui = ui; window._stage = stage;   // console poking
-  line('ready — scene loaded');
-</script>