diff --git a/GEMINI.md b/GEMINI.md
index 8b76278d..0f417b24 100644
--- a/GEMINI.md
+++ b/GEMINI.md
@@ -245,11 +245,14 @@ To maintain the integrity of the archive and ensure the AI agents operate correc
 
 1.  **Branch Hierarchy**:
     *   `master`: Read-only for contributors/bots. Restricted to repository owner only.
-    *   `develop`: The only valid target for Pull Requests.
-2.  **Pull Request Policy**:
-    *   AI agents MUST always target `develop`.
-    *   Manual contributions (human PRs) targeting `master` must be automatically or manually redirected to `develop`.
-3.  **Owner-Only Merges**: Only the repository owner has the authority to merge `develop` into `master` after verifying the visual health dashboard and metrics.
+    *   `develop`: The only valid target for direct AI commits and Pull Requests.
+2.  **Strict Pull Request Policy (No Manual Merges)**:
+    *   AI agents MUST always target `develop` for their work.
+    *   AI agents MUST NEVER perform manual CLI merges (e.g., `git merge develop`) into `master` or `main`.
+    *   To promote changes to `master`, AI agents MUST open a formal Pull Request from `develop` to `master` (e.g., using `gh pr create`) and **STOP**, waiting for the repository owner to review and merge via the GitHub UI. This ensures CI/CD workflows run correctly.
+3.  **Owner-Only Merges & Tagging**:
+    *   Only the repository owner has the authority to merge `develop` into `master` after verifying the visual health dashboard and metrics.
+    *   Creation of version tags (`git tag`) MUST only occur AFTER the PR has been successfully merged into `master` by the owner.
 
 ## 📝 README Synchronization & Maintenance Protocols
 
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index fbc318a2..6648d138 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ Additionally, as of May 2026, Nubenetes has reached the **Platinum Operational T
 | :--- | :--- |
 | **Total Technical Resources (Links)** | **17986+** |
 | **Specialized MD Pages** | **161** |
-| **Total Commits** | **5440+** |
+| **Total Commits** | **5453+** |
 | **Primary AI Engine** | **Google Gemini (Agentic)** |
 <!-- HEART_STATS_END -->
 
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ The growth of Nubenetes reflects the acceleration of the Cloud Native ecosystem.
 | 6 | 2023 | 30 | 123 | Maintenance & Refinement |
 | 7 | 2024 | 53 | 218 | Curation Strategy Pivot |
 | 8 | 2025 | 5 | 20 | Stability & Research Phase |
-| 9 | 2026 | 1881 | 7,768 | **Agentic AI Surge** (May 2026 Inception) |
+| 9 | 2026 | 1894 | 7,822 | **Agentic AI Surge** (May 2026 Inception) |
 <!-- ANNUAL_GROWTH_END -->
 
 <!-- ANNUAL_CHART_START -->
@@ -194,8 +194,8 @@ xychart-beta
     title "Nubenetes Annual Growth Metrics (2018–2026)"
     x-axis ["2018", "2019", "2020", "2021", "2022", "2023", "2024", "2025", "2026"]
     y-axis "Volume (Commits / Estimated New Refs)" 0 --> 9000
-    bar [1445, 586, 8449, 2193, 1660, 123, 218, 20, 7768]
-    bar [350, 142, 2046, 531, 402, 30, 53, 5, 1881]
+    bar [1445, 586, 8449, 2193, 1660, 123, 218, 20, 7822]
+    bar [350, 142, 2046, 531, 402, 30, 53, 5, 1894]
 ```
 <!-- ANNUAL_CHART_END -->
 
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ xychart-beta
 | Month | Commits | Est. New Refs | Status |
 | :--- | :---: | :---: | :--- |
 | 2026-04 | 25 | 103 | Active Curation |
-| 2026-05 | 1856 | 7,665 | **Agentic Inception (Gemini Era)** |
+| 2026-05 | 1869 | 7,718 | **Agentic Inception (Gemini Era)** |
 <!-- MONTHLY_SURGE_END -->
 
 ### 2.4. Content Distribution and Semantic Clustering