the-pipeline-scannerlisted

> **Separate stuck from never-started.** A deal that reached a stage and stalled needs unblocking; a > record that entered the pipeline and never had a real buyer conversation needs removing. Both show a > high days-in-stage figure and the actions are opposite. Test for it directly: has there ever been a > two-way exchange with a named person on this deal? If not, it is not a stuck deal, it is a lead in the > forecast, and it should be reported under **Remove from pipeline** rather than under Stuck. > **When an input is missing, choose a response - never fill the hole silently.** Read > `references/missing-input-protocol.md`. Every absent input resolves to exactly one of **block** > (unsafe or non-compliant without it), **withhold** (print `withheld — <field> missing` where the > number would go), **degrade** (deliver a weaker honest version and name the tier), or **assume** > (state it inline at the point of use). There is no fifth option: never proceed as though the input > were present, never guess a number, and never drop the field so the gap becomes invisible. > > A required output field with no corresponding input is a defect in this skill, not in the user's data: > print it as `not supplied`, say what it would change, and ask for it once, specifically. > **A cliff hides the cases worth catching.** A single hard multiple or fixed percentage, applied to a > population whose own spread it ignores, fires constantly on naturally volatile units and stays silent > on the