3dl-dev · baron-3dl · Aug 14, 2026 · Aug 14, 2026
diff --git a/docs/audit-message-idents-vms-916.md b/docs/audit-message-idents-vms-916.md
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+# Message-ident authenticity audit (vms-916)
+
+**Item:** vms-916 — "real VMS message idents, no invented ones" (authenticity Tier-0).
+**Requires:** operator sign-off (D3) to close.
+**Method (clean-room Rule 8):** every ident is marked `VERIFIED` (grounded to public
+VSI/HP OpenVMS documentation, cited) or `OVMX-design` (labelled as OVMX's own, under
+facility `OVMX`, because OpenVMS has no authentic equivalent for the exact condition).
+No ident is presented as VMS-authentic without a citation.
+
+The clearly-invented idents lived in the DCL queue/submit command handlers
+(`src/vmsdcl/dcl_cmd_process.c`, `src/vmsdcl/dcl_cmd_file.c`) as inline
+`dcl_error(facility, sev, ident, text)` string literals — NOT in the
+`known_codes[]` / `msg_db[]` catalogs, so `sys$getmsg`/`sys$putmsg` never emitted them.
+
+---
+
+## 1. Replacement table — invented → real VMS (VERIFIED)
+
+| Site(s) | Invented (before) | Real VMS (after) | Provenance |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| SUBMIT / PRINT / SHOW QUEUE / SHOW ENTRY / SET ENTRY / SET QUEUE / DELETE-ENTRY queue-manager-unavailable path | `%<CMD>-E-QMANERR, queue manager initialization failed` | `%JBC-E-JOBQUEDIS, system job queue manager is not running` | JBC facility. VSI/HP OpenVMS *System Messages and Recovery Procedures Reference Manual* (JBC); corroborated by the queue-manager troubleshooting entries in the *OpenVMS System Manager's Manual* (Ch. "Managing the Queue Manager"), and field transcripts on comp.os.vms / HPE OpenVMS forum showing `%JBC-E-JOBQUEDIS, system job queue manager is not running`. This is the message a real system returns when a queue operation is attempted and the queue manager is not running — the exact user-visible condition OVMX's `ensure_queue_init()` failure stands for. |
+| SUBMIT failure (`vmsq_submit` → `SS$_ITEMNOTFOUND`) | `%SUBMIT-E-SUBMITERR, failed to submit job to queue <q>` | `%JBC-E-NOSUCHQUE, no such queue - <q>` | JBC facility. Dominant failure of `vmsq_submit` is "target queue does not exist" (`find_queue_slot() < 0`). `%JBC-E-NOSUCHQUE, no such queue` is documented in the *OpenVMS System Manager's Manual* queue chapter and DCL Dictionary examples. |
+| PRINT failure (same path) | `%PRINT-E-PRINTERR, failed to queue file to <q>` | `%JBC-E-NOSUCHQUE, no such queue - <q>` | As above. |
+| SHOW QUEUE / SET QUEUE nonexistent-queue check | `%SHOW-E-NOSUCHQUE` / `%SET-E-NOSUCHQUE, no such queue - <q>` | facility corrected → `%JBC-E-NOSUCHQUE, no such queue - <q>` | The ident/text were already real; only the FACILITY was wrong. On VMS this condition is raised by the queue service and rendered under JBC, not the DCL command verb. |
+| SET ENTRY / SHOW ENTRY entry-not-found | `%<CMD>-E-ENTNOTFND, entry <n> not found` | `%JBC-E-NOSUCHENT, no such entry` | JBC facility. See DELETE/ENTRY citation below. Emitted as a standalone primary line here; on VMS `JBC$_NOSUCHENT` renders identically (`F$MESSAGE`), the `%`-vs-`-` prefix being a primary/continuation positional detail, not part of the ident text. |
+| DELETE/ENTRY entry-not-found | `%DELETE-E-ENTNOTFND, entry <n> not found` | two-line faithful chain: `%DELETE-W-SEARCHFAIL, error searching for <n>` + `-JBC-E-NOSUCHENT, no such entry` | Verbatim from the VSI/HP *OpenVMS DCL Dictionary*, DELETE/ENTRY entry (digiater.nl / HPE `9996pro_53.html`; VSI OpenVMS wiki DELETE/ENTRY): a DELETE/ENTRY of a completed/absent entry prints `%DELETE-W-SEARCHFAIL, error searching for 203` chained with `-JBC-E-NOSUCHENT, no such entry`. Severity of SEARCHFAIL is `W`. |
+| DELETE/ENTRY & SET ENTRY & SET QUEUE missing required value | `%DCL-E-NOENTRY, missing entry number...` / `%SET-E-NOQUNAM, missing queue name` | `%DCL-W-INSFPRM, missing command parameters - supply all required parameters` | Real DCL parser message for an absent required parameter. VSI/HP *OpenVMS System Messages* (DCL facility): `%DCL-W-INSFPRM, missing command parameters - supply all required parameters`. Severity `W`. (On a real terminal DCL would prompt for the value; OVMX does not reach the CLD prompt on these paths, so it emits the batch-mode message.) |
+
+**Facility note:** `JBC` (Job Controller) is the OpenVMS facility that owns queue/batch/print
+condition values (`$JBCMSGDEF`). Routing these through `JBC` — rather than the DCL command
+verb — is what a real system does: the verb's handler calls `$SNDJBC`/`$GETQUI`, which return
+JBC condition values, and the handler `PUTMSG`s them.
+
+## 2. OVMX-design idents (LABELLED — never presented as VMS)
+
+These conditions have no VMS-authentic ident for the exact OVMX code path, so they are
+emitted under facility `OVMX` (OVMX's customer-facility convention — see
+`src/libvms/include/ovmx_status.h` and `sys_msg.c` `facility_name()`), so no reader can
+mistake them for a SYSTEM/JBC condition.
+
+| Site | Ident (after) | Why OVMX-design |
+|---|---|---|
+| SET ENTRY / SHOW ENTRY / DELETE-ENTRY, non-numeric entry value | `%OVMX-E-IVENTNUM, invalid entry number - <s>` | On real VMS a non-numeric `/ENTRY=` value is rejected by the CLD command parser (a `%CLI-`/`%DCL-` parse-time diagnostic), a path OVMX's hand-rolled handler does not reproduce. Rather than borrow a real ident whose exact wording/facility for this case is not documented, the OVMX validation error is labelled as OVMX's own. |
+| SET QUEUE /STOP,/START,/PAUSE state-change write fault | `%OVMX-E-QUESETERR, failed to <op> queue <q>` | Reached only after the queue is confirmed to exist, i.e. an internal queue-database write/lock fault with no VMS-authentic analogue (VMS's queue state is held by the JOB_CONTROL process, not a flat file). Labelled OVMX-design. |
+
+## 3. Success-message idents — FLAGGED for a follow-up (out of scope here)
+
+The queue commands' SUCCESS lines use `%<CMD>-S-<ident>` idents that diverge from real
+VMS, which prints plain, unprefixed text (e.g. `Job MYJOB (queue SYS$BATCH, entry 4)
+started on SYS$BATCH` — VSI/HP OpenVMS DCL Dictionary, SUBMIT). Affected:
+`%SUBMIT-S-SUBMITTED`, `%PRINT-S-QUEUED`, `%SET-S-MODIFIED`, `%SET-S-QUEMOD`,
+`%DELETE-S-DELETED`.
+
+These were **not changed in this PR** because (a) the item's Tier-0 target and anchors are
+the ERROR idents, and (b) two currently-green gated tests key on this success FORMAT
+(`tests/dcl/test_queue.sh`, `tests/dcl/test_print_submit_coverage.sh`), so changing the
+success-line shape is a coordinated UX change that must update those tests in the same
+commit. **Recommendation:** file a follow-up item to render queue success lines in the
+plain VMS form and migrate the two tests together. This is a divergence in success-line
+FORMAT, not a wrong error ident — a lower-severity, separable concern.
+
+## 4. Broader catalog — already provenance-complete (no change needed)
+
+- `src/libvms/status.c` `known_codes[]` (read by `sys$getmsg`/`sys$putmsg`): every row is
+  a real SS$_/RMS$_ condition; several carry `ORACLE-PINNED` provenance comments
+  (`vms-6a7`, `vms-68c`, `vms-9fc`, `vms-2a8`, DUPLNAM, ILLIOFUNC, …). The only non-VMS
+  rows are the four `OVMX$_` conditions, already carrying the customer-defined bit and
+  rendered under facility `OVMX`.
+- `src/vmsdcl/dcl_messages.c` `msg_db[]`: DCL/COPY/DELETE/DIRECT/RMS/SYSTEM/SET/… idents
+  matching documented VMS message idents.
+No invented ident presented as VMS-authentic remains in these catalogs.
+
+## 5. Declaration repointing & citation apparatus (task item #3)
+
+- **`sys_msg.c` OVMX-USERSPACE declarations already cite the live owner `vms-916`**
+  (`sys$getmsg (vms-916)`, `sys$putmsg (vms-916)`) — not the closed `vms-5b4`. The
+  `rd vms-5b4` text in the file header is the shared *register-header* line present in
+  every `src/libvms/syssvc/sys_*.c` and `src/vmsrms/rms_*.c` file; it names the item that
+  BUILT the register/gate, not a per-service citation. No repointing was required.
+- **`tracking/rd-citations.tsv` + `tools/gen_rd_citations.py` no longer exist** — the
+  citation-ledger apparatus was torn down by operator ruling `vms-dc7` (2026-08-06; see
+  the note in top-level `CMakeLists.txt` where `rd_citations_fresh`/`gen_rd_citations.py`
+  are recorded as removed). There is nothing to regenerate; recreating it would revert an
+  operator ruling.
+
+## 6. Test evidence
+
+`tests/dcl/test_queue_messages.sh` (added) drives the three real failure paths and asserts
+the REAL VMS text is emitted and the invented idents are GONE:
+- queue manager unavailable → `%JBC-E-JOBQUEDIS`
+- SUBMIT/PRINT to a nonexistent queue → `%JBC-E-NOSUCHQUE`
+- DELETE/ENTRY of a nonexistent entry → `%DELETE-W-SEARCHFAIL` + `-JBC-E-NOSUCHENT`
+- `EXPECT_NOT` guards for `QMANERR`, `SUBMITERR`, `PRINTERR`, `ENTNOTFND`.
+
+## Sources (public OpenVMS documentation)
+
+- VSI OpenVMS *System Messages and Recovery Procedures Reference Manual* (M–Z), docs.vmssoftware.com.
+- VSI/HP OpenVMS *DCL Dictionary* — DELETE/ENTRY and SUBMIT entries (digiater.nl mirror `9996pro_53.html`; VSI OpenVMS wiki DELETE/ENTRY).
+- *OpenVMS System Manager's Manual* — Managing the Queue Manager (sysworks/mi.infn.it mirrors).
+- Field transcripts confirming `%JBC-E-JOBQUEDIS, system job queue manager is not running` (HPE OpenVMS community; comp.os.vms).
diff --git a/src/vmsdcl/dcl_cmd_file.c b/src/vmsdcl/dcl_cmd_file.c
@@ -1490,24 +1490,35 @@ int cmd_delete(struct dcl_command *cmd)
     if (dcl_has_qualifier(cmd, "ENTRY")) {
         const char *entry_str = dcl_qualifier_value(cmd, "ENTRY");
         if (!entry_str || !entry_str[0]) {
-            dcl_error("DCL", 2, "NOENTRY", "missing entry number with /ENTRY");
+            dcl_error("DCL", 0, "INSFPRM",
+                      "missing command parameters - supply all required parameters");
             return SS$_BADPARAM;
         }
         char *endptr;
         long entry_val = strtol(entry_str, &endptr, 10);
         if (endptr == entry_str || *endptr != '\0' || entry_val <= 0) {
-            dcl_error("DCL", 2, "BADENTRY", "invalid entry number - %s", entry_str);
+            dcl_error("OVMX", 2, "IVENTNUM", "invalid entry number - %s", entry_str);
             return SS$_BADPARAM;
         }
         uint32_t entry_id = (uint32_t)entry_val;
         int qsts = ensure_queue_init();
         if (!(qsts & 1)) {
-            dcl_error("DELETE", 2, "QMANERR", "queue manager initialization failed");
+            dcl_error("JBC", 2, "JOBQUEDIS", "system job queue manager is not running");
             return qsts;
         }
         qsts = vmsq_delete_entry(entry_id);
         if (!(qsts & 1)) {
-            dcl_error("DELETE", 2, "ENTNOTFND", "entry %u not found", entry_id);
+            /* Faithful two-line VMS rendering: a DELETE/ENTRY of a nonexistent
+             * entry prints the command-facility primary chained with the JBC
+             * secondary, exactly as the VSI OpenVMS DCL Dictionary DELETE/ENTRY
+             * example shows (see docs/audit-message-idents-vms-916.md):
+             *   %DELETE-W-SEARCHFAIL, error searching for <n>
+             *   -JBC-E-NOSUCHENT, no such entry
+             * The '-' continuation prefix is VMS's, not '%', so it is emitted
+             * directly rather than through dcl_error() (which always writes a
+             * primary '%' line). */
+            dcl_error("DELETE", 0, "SEARCHFAIL", "error searching for %u", entry_id);
+            fprintf(stderr, "-JBC-E-NOSUCHENT, no such entry\n");
             return qsts;
         }
         printf("%%DELETE-S-DELETED, entry %u deleted\n", entry_id);

diff --git a/src/vmsdcl/dcl_cmd_process.c b/src/vmsdcl/dcl_cmd_process.c
@@ -105,6 +105,23 @@ int cmd_wait(struct dcl_command *cmd)
     return SS$_NORMAL;
 }
 /*
+ * Queue message idents (vms-916, authenticity Tier-0). The queue/submit
+ * commands below emit REAL VSI OpenVMS message idents from the JBC (Job
+ * Controller / queue) facility, NOT the invented QMANERR/SUBMITERR/PRINTERR/
+ * ENTNOTFND idents that used to sit here. Grounded to public VSI OpenVMS
+ * documentation (clean-room Rule 8); the ident-by-ident table with citations
+ * is docs/audit-message-idents-vms-916.md. Summary:
+ *   queue manager unavailable  -> %JBC-E-JOBQUEDIS, system job queue manager
+ *                                 is not running
+ *   no such queue              -> %JBC-E-NOSUCHQUE, no such queue
+ *   no such queue entry        -> %JBC-E-NOSUCHENT, no such entry
+ *                                 (DELETE/ENTRY chains %DELETE-W-SEARCHFAIL)
+ *   missing required parameter -> %DCL-W-INSFPRM, missing command parameters
+ * Two idents have no VMS-authentic equivalent and are LABELLED OVMX-design so
+ * no reader mistakes them for VMS: %OVMX-E-IVENTNUM (a non-numeric entry value,
+ * which real VMS rejects in the CLD parser OVMX does not reach here) and
+ * %OVMX-E-QUESETERR (an internal queue-state write fault).
+ *
  * Queue initialization helper — ensures QMAN$MASTER.DAT exists and
  * default queues (SYS$BATCH, SYS$PRINT) are created.
  * Called lazily on first queue command.
@@ -156,7 +173,7 @@ int cmd_submit(struct dcl_command *cmd)
 
     int sts = ensure_queue_init();
     if (!(sts & 1)) {
-        dcl_error("SUBMIT", 2, "QMANERR", "queue manager initialization failed");
+        dcl_error("JBC", 2, "JOBQUEDIS", "system job queue manager is not running");
         return sts;
     }
 
@@ -212,8 +229,7 @@ int cmd_submit(struct dcl_command *cmd)
     uint32_t entry_id = 0;
     sts = vmsq_submit(queue_name, upper_name, user, &entry_id);
     if (!(sts & 1)) {
-        dcl_error("SUBMIT", 2, "SUBMITERR", "failed to submit job to queue %s",
-                  queue_name);
+        dcl_error("JBC", 2, "NOSUCHQUE", "no such queue - %s", queue_name);
         return sts;
     }
 
@@ -259,7 +275,7 @@ int cmd_print(struct dcl_command *cmd)
 
     int sts = ensure_queue_init();
     if (!(sts & 1)) {
-        dcl_error("PRINT", 2, "QMANERR", "queue manager initialization failed");
+        dcl_error("JBC", 2, "JOBQUEDIS", "system job queue manager is not running");
         return sts;
     }
 
@@ -305,8 +321,7 @@ int cmd_print(struct dcl_command *cmd)
     uint32_t entry_id = 0;
     sts = vmsq_submit(queue_name, upper_name, user, &entry_id);
     if (!(sts & 1)) {
-        dcl_error("PRINT", 2, "PRINTERR", "failed to queue file to %s",
-                  queue_name);
+        dcl_error("JBC", 2, "NOSUCHQUE", "no such queue - %s", queue_name);
         return sts;
     }
 
@@ -333,7 +348,7 @@ int cmd_show_queue(struct dcl_command *cmd)
 {
     int sts = ensure_queue_init();
     if (!(sts & 1)) {
-        dcl_error("SHOW", 2, "QMANERR", "queue manager initialization failed");
+        dcl_error("JBC", 2, "JOBQUEDIS", "system job queue manager is not running");
         return sts;
     }
 
@@ -350,7 +365,7 @@ int cmd_show_queue(struct dcl_command *cmd)
         struct vms_queue qinfo;
         sts = vmsq_show_queue(queue_name, &qinfo);
         if (!(sts & 1)) {
-            dcl_error("SHOW", 2, "NOSUCHQUE", "no such queue - %s", queue_name);
+            dcl_error("JBC", 2, "NOSUCHQUE", "no such queue - %s", queue_name);
             return sts;
         }
 
@@ -423,35 +438,36 @@ int cmd_set_entry(struct dcl_command *cmd)
 {
     int sts = ensure_queue_init();
     if (!(sts & 1)) {
-        dcl_error("SET", 2, "QMANERR", "queue manager initialization failed");
+        dcl_error("JBC", 2, "JOBQUEDIS", "system job queue manager is not running");
         return sts;
     }
 
     /* Entry number is params[1] (params[0] is "ENTRY") */
     if (cmd->param_count < 2 || cmd->params[1][0] == '\0') {
-        dcl_error("SET", 2, "NOENTRY", "missing entry number");
+        dcl_error("DCL", 0, "INSFPRM",
+                  "missing command parameters - supply all required parameters");
         return SS$_BADPARAM;
     }
 
     char *endptr;
     long entry_val = strtol(cmd->params[1], &endptr, 10);
     if (endptr == cmd->params[1] || *endptr != '\0' || entry_val <= 0) {
-        dcl_error("SET", 2, "BADENTRY", "invalid entry number - %s", cmd->params[1]);
+        dcl_error("OVMX", 2, "IVENTNUM", "invalid entry number - %s", cmd->params[1]);
         return SS$_BADPARAM;
     }
     uint32_t entry_id = (uint32_t)entry_val;
 
     if (dcl_has_qualifier(cmd, "HOLD")) {
         sts = vmsq_hold_entry(entry_id);
         if (!(sts & 1)) {
-            dcl_error("SET", 2, "ENTNOTFND", "entry %u not found", entry_id);
+            dcl_error("JBC", 2, "NOSUCHENT", "no such entry");
             return sts;
         }
         printf("%%SET-S-MODIFIED, entry %u set to HOLD\n", entry_id);
     } else if (dcl_has_qualifier(cmd, "RELEASE")) {
         sts = vmsq_release_entry(entry_id);
         if (!(sts & 1)) {
-            dcl_error("SET", 2, "ENTNOTFND", "entry %u not found", entry_id);
+            dcl_error("JBC", 2, "NOSUCHENT", "no such entry");
             return sts;
         }
         printf("%%SET-S-MODIFIED, entry %u released\n", entry_id);
@@ -473,7 +489,7 @@ int cmd_show_entry(struct dcl_command *cmd)
 {
     int sts = ensure_queue_init();
     if (!(sts & 1)) {
-        dcl_error("SHOW", 2, "QMANERR", "queue manager initialization failed");
+        dcl_error("JBC", 2, "JOBQUEDIS", "system job queue manager is not running");
         return sts;
     }
 
@@ -486,7 +502,7 @@ int cmd_show_entry(struct dcl_command *cmd)
         char *endptr;
         long entry_val = strtol(cmd->params[1], &endptr, 10);
         if (endptr == cmd->params[1] || *endptr != '\0' || entry_val <= 0) {
-            dcl_error("SHOW", 2, "BADENTRY", "invalid entry number - %s",
+            dcl_error("OVMX", 2, "IVENTNUM", "invalid entry number - %s",
                       cmd->params[1]);
             return SS$_BADPARAM;
         }
@@ -495,7 +511,7 @@ int cmd_show_entry(struct dcl_command *cmd)
         struct vms_queue_entry entry;
         sts = vmsq_show_entry(entry_id, &entry);
         if (!(sts & 1)) {
-            dcl_error("SHOW", 2, "ENTNOTFND", "entry %u not found", entry_id);
+            dcl_error("JBC", 2, "NOSUCHENT", "no such entry");
             return sts;
         }
 
@@ -579,13 +595,14 @@ int cmd_set_queue(struct dcl_command *cmd)
 {
     int sts = ensure_queue_init();
     if (!(sts & 1)) {
-        dcl_error("SET", 2, "QMANERR", "queue manager initialization failed");
+        dcl_error("JBC", 2, "JOBQUEDIS", "system job queue manager is not running");
         return sts;
     }
 
     /* Queue name is params[1] (params[0] is "QUEUE") */
     if (cmd->param_count < 2 || cmd->params[1][0] == '\0') {
-        dcl_error("SET", 2, "NOQUNAM", "missing queue name");
+        dcl_error("DCL", 0, "INSFPRM",
+                  "missing command parameters - supply all required parameters");
         return SS$_BADPARAM;
     }
 
@@ -595,28 +612,28 @@ int cmd_set_queue(struct dcl_command *cmd)
     struct vms_queue qinfo;
     sts = vmsq_show_queue(queue_name, &qinfo);
     if (!(sts & 1)) {
-        dcl_error("SET", 2, "NOSUCHQUE", "no such queue - %s", queue_name);
+        dcl_error("JBC", 2, "NOSUCHQUE", "no such queue - %s", queue_name);
         return sts;
     }
 
     if (dcl_has_qualifier(cmd, "STOP")) {
         sts = vmsq_set_queue_status(queue_name, VMSQ_STATUS_STOPPED);
         if (!(sts & 1)) {
-            dcl_error("SET", 2, "QMANERR", "failed to stop queue %s", queue_name);
+            dcl_error("OVMX", 2, "QUESETERR", "failed to stop queue %s", queue_name);
             return sts;
         }
         printf("%%SET-S-QUEMOD, queue %s stopped\n", queue_name);
     } else if (dcl_has_qualifier(cmd, "START")) {
         sts = vmsq_set_queue_status(queue_name, VMSQ_STATUS_STARTED);
         if (!(sts & 1)) {
-            dcl_error("SET", 2, "QMANERR", "failed to start queue %s", queue_name);
+            dcl_error("OVMX", 2, "QUESETERR", "failed to start queue %s", queue_name);
             return sts;
         }
         printf("%%SET-S-QUEMOD, queue %s started\n", queue_name);
     } else if (dcl_has_qualifier(cmd, "PAUSE")) {
         sts = vmsq_set_queue_status(queue_name, VMSQ_STATUS_PAUSED);
         if (!(sts & 1)) {
-            dcl_error("SET", 2, "QMANERR", "failed to pause queue %s", queue_name);
+            dcl_error("OVMX", 2, "QUESETERR", "failed to pause queue %s", queue_name);
             return sts;
         }
         printf("%%SET-S-QUEMOD, queue %s paused\n", queue_name);