Resolve configuration discovery order and import support

docs/roadmap/configkit.md

@@ -24,6 +24,34 @@ and [configuration contract](https://forge.maximumdirect.net/base-layer/configki
 
 ## Agreed Direction and Migration Work
 
+### Discovery Locations and Import Selection — Resolved
+
+An explicit `--config` selects exactly that file. A missing, inaccessible, or
+invalid explicit file is an error; do not fall back to discovery.
+
+Without an explicit file, search in this order using ConfigKit's native presets
+and filename rules with application name `audita`:
+
+1. `WorkingDirectory` for project-local configuration.
+2. `UserConfigDirectory` for personal configuration.
+3. `UnixSystemDirectories` for system configuration.
+
+Select the first matching file. Do not merge every discovered file or continue
+searching after a selected file fails to load. Additional composition is explicit
+through native imports and overlays. Recommend explicit configuration paths for
+automation so its selection does not depend on the working directory.
+
+Enable native imports for operator configuration sources, retaining upstream
+defaults and declaration-level controls. Imports compose peer documents, not
+higher-priority override layers. Missing optional imports may be absent;
+operators use `required: true` for essential inputs. Invalid declarations,
+unreadable selected files, and composition conflicts retain native errors.
+
+Behavior when automatic discovery finds no file remains a separate open decision
+below. This does not reopen the selected search order or import support.
+
+### Migration Work
+
 1. Move imports to `go.maximumdirect.net/configkit` with the coordinated
    PromptKit cutover. Raise the toolchain as specified by the master roadmap.
    Replace `Resolution.Record` uses with the appropriate dedicated recording
@@ -51,8 +79,8 @@ and [configuration contract](https://forge.maximumdirect.net/base-layer/configki
 6. Apply the resolved [PromptKit ownership decision](promptkit.md#backend-and-credential-ownership--resolved):
    remove Audita's separate backend mapping and LLM credential references from
    its application schema. Native PromptKit resources own those settings and
-   their resolution. Coordinate the hard cutover and examples here; file discovery
-   and import selection remain open, without reopening semantic ownership.
+   their resolution. Coordinate the hard cutover and examples here, using the
+   resolved discovery and import policy above.
 
 ## Documentation and Acceptance
 
@@ -69,6 +97,11 @@ coverage for generic grammar rather than copying its test matrix. Verify the
 standard ckconfig surface through the assembled CLI and run the full application
 suite at the coordinated migration boundary.
 
+Check explicit-file selection without fallback, native working/user/system
+search precedence, and terminal errors for a selected invalid file. Verify
+optional and required imports and peer-composition errors through Audita's
+integration. Cover discovery exhaustion after its behavior is selected below.
+
 The earlier passing configuration suite is useful baseline evidence, not proof
 that operators see unchanged semantics. Native semantics and clear migration are
 the target; preserving incidental old output or validation order is not.
@@ -81,22 +114,25 @@ requirement and the smallest integration boundary that satisfies it.
 
 ## Open Decisions
 
-### Discovery Locations and Import Selection
+### No Configuration File Found
 
-**Recommendation:** replace custom discovery with ConfigKit's supported search
-API, then select documented paths and import options based on suite conventions.
-Evaluate the current system-only search and disabled imports rather than carrying
-them forward automatically. Native API adoption is agreed; the exact search
-locations and import defaults still need selection before changing operator
-behavior. Preserve explicit-path error evidence and distinguish optional from
-required imports using native semantics.
+**Recommendation:** use ConfigKit's optional-search behavior: continue with
+embedded defaults, underlays, and explicit CLI settings, then validate what the
+requested command needs. A missing main file alone should not prevent resource
+inspection or execution whose required inputs are otherwise supplied. Do not
+invent an implicit model/profile choice to make incomplete execution settings
+pass validation. Define filesystem context explicitly where overlays or relative
+resource inputs need it; do not infer a base from unsuccessful search candidates.
 
-**Alternative:** configure the native API with two system locations and imports
-disabled if deployment requirements justify that source-selection policy. This
-limits discovery flexibility and must stand on its own merits; compatibility with
-today's installations carries no weight. Conversely, enabling all
-possible searches/imports without a selected convention can load unintended
-sources and is not required for full API adoption.
+This follows the native absent-main lifecycle and supports lightweight command
+invocations. It requires clear errors for missing command-specific inputs and
+inspection that accurately shows that no main file was selected.
+
+**Alternative:** require a discovered configuration file for configuration-dependent
+commands, while keeping help/version independent. This gives deployments a
+mandatory configuration anchor, but rejects otherwise sufficient defaults and
+CLI settings and adds a requirement without an identified domain need. Explicit
+file errors remain terminal under either choice.
 
 ### Application Schema Version
 

docs/roadmap/promptkit.md

@@ -81,8 +81,8 @@ checks whose purpose was enforcing the removed application backend registry.
 
 Remove superseded fields, code, and tests in the major-release cutover and update
 the affected policies and current contracts with implementation. The ConfigKit
-outline still owns decisions about file locations, discovery, and imports; those
-choose how native resources are supplied, not who owns their semantics.
+outline owns file discovery and import policy; those choices govern how native
+resources are supplied, not who owns their semantics.
 
 ### Bundled Prompts and Operator Replacements — Resolved
 
@@ -111,8 +111,8 @@ mechanism supports production customization. Standard inspection, provenance,
 and request preview must make effective prompts and their origins understandable.
 Audita's response schemas and domain validation continue to apply.
 
-External source selection remains part of the ConfigKit discovery/import
-decision. This workflow is required PromptKit adoption scope and should use
+External source selection follows the [ConfigKit discovery/import plan](configkit.md).
+This workflow is required PromptKit adoption scope and should use
 native composition rather than a separate prompt loader or override system.
 
 ### Profile Inspection and Summary — Resolved