- Do not force GIFs for internal-only, workflow-only, test-only, docs-only, or

otherwise non-visual PRs. A no-visual-proof manifest is a successful workflow

outcome when GIFs would be misleading, but it is not proof that the PR passed.

- Do not skip Telegram-visible PRs just because the proof needs a specific

message, mock response, media attachment, command, button, reaction, stop

timing, approval prompt, or progress/final delivery sequence. First write a

concrete proof plan and try the standard harness path.

- Keep public-facing manifest summaries short and user-domain. Do not mention

harness internals, mock-provider limits, secret/trust boundaries, local paths,

transcript seeding, or workflow implementation details in the summary.

2. Inspect the PR with `gh pr view "$MANTIS_PR_NUMBER"` and

`gh pr diff "$MANTIS_PR_NUMBER"`.

3. Decide whether the PR has a visibly reproducible Telegram Desktop

before/after. If it does not, write

before/after. Treat these as visible until proven otherwise: message text

formatting/content, progress drafts, native drafts, final delivery, media or

document delivery, inline buttons, approval prompts, stop/abort behavior,

reactions/status indicators, guest/inline responses, TTS/voice/audio

delivery, and routing changes whose result is visible in the chat. For those

PRs, define the exact Telegram stimulus and expected main/PR visual delta

before deciding to skip.

If the PR does not have a Telegram-visible before/after, write

`${MANTIS_OUTPUT_DIR}/mantis-evidence.json` with `comparison.pass: true`, no

artifacts, and a summary that starts with

`Mantis did not generate before/after GIFs because`. Include a short

```

If the PR appears visual but proof is blocked by Telegram Desktop session

state, authorization, credentials, Crabbox, or another capture-infrastructure

issue, do not describe it as a no-visual PR. Write a manifest with

state, authorization, credentials, Crabbox, missing Telegram client support,

unavailable media/provider setup, or another capture-infrastructure issue,

do not describe it as a no-visual PR. Write a manifest with

`comparison.pass: false`, skipped lanes, no artifacts, and a summary that

starts with `Mantis could not capture Telegram Desktop proof because`. The

publisher will keep that out of PR comments so the failure stays in the