diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 6098d6b..a54155d 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -49,6 +49,8 @@ Ranker's continuation job is narrow:
 
 Candidate items may include optional 1–10 `rankerHints` (`value`, `effort`, `confidence`, `urgency`, `revenue`, `novelty`, `risk`). Ranker blends those explicit Scattermind hints with text heuristics; `effort` is inverted into feasibility. Hints improve the defended order, but `recommendedLane: "defer"` or `"park"` remains a safety rail so dashboard-swamp items do not get promoted by flashy wording. For clean bridge handoff, Scattermind should send `sourceSection` and `evidenceNeeded` on each active next move. Scattermind can also send `targetAudience`, `constraints`, `assumptions`, and `nonGoals` / `avoid` at the top level, in `featureSet`, inside `conceptMap.context`, or as a structured top-level `context` object with `summary`, `targetAudience`, `constraints`, `nonGoals` / `avoid`, and `assumptions`; Ranker merges these sources rather than letting a shallow wrapper context shadow deeper Concept Map guardrails. Lens-only Concept Maps may additionally send audience / constraints / assumptions / risk lens content, and Ranker will split sentence-style lens notes into readable decision context instead of leaking `[object Object]`. If Scattermind only has a flat context string, Ranker now extracts simple guardrails such as `Solo builder`, `Manual proof`, `Avoid ...`, `No ...`, and `Do not ...` into `input.decisionContext` / `handoff.decisionContext` so early bridge exports still protect against dashboard/auth/billing drift. Ranker returns that decision context in `input.decisionContext` and `handoff.decisionContext`, and penalizes candidates that conflict with source non-goals (for example saved workspaces/auth/billing before the continuation proof). If Scattermind sends duplicate candidate IDs, Ranker keeps the first ID, suffixes later duplicates (`preview-2`), and reports the normalization in `handoff.warnings` / `handoff.itemTrace` so downstream build-order references remain addressable. Ranker also accepts Scattermind's paid Concept Map object directly when it arrives with top-level `reference_code`, `working_name`, `ideaText`, and string-valued `lenses.channel` / `lenses.risk` fields; the reference code becomes source provenance, the working name becomes the source title, and labelled Build Order text is turned into rank-ready candidates without requiring Scattermind to wrap it first.
 
+Candidate trace note: candidate-level `sourceItemId` / `traceId`, `sourceTitle` / `lensTitle`, and `sourceExcerpt` / `sourceQuote` are preserved in ranked items, `buildOrderDetails`, and `handoff.itemTrace`. Scattermind should use these when a next move came from a specific Concept Map lens sentence, so Ranker can defend not just what wins but where the judgement came from.
+
 Lane safety note: explicit Scattermind `defer` / `park` hints are hard rails, not mild suggestions. Source `nonGoals` / `avoid` guardrails are also hard enough to keep conflicting candidates out of Do first / Validate next even when their local scoring hints look attractive; the result will mark the lane source as `source-non-goal` so the handoff can explain that the candidate needs guardrail resolution before active work. Handoff `source.requiresSourceTrace` is true only when a real source artifact/title is present; plain idea-only ranking still warns about a missing artifact ID when it carries prompt provenance, but it does not spam source-section/evidence warnings meant for Scattermind artifacts. For low-friction handoff, `/api/rank-feedback` also detects a raw Scattermind/Concept Map JSON object pasted into `idea`, `ideaText`, `optionsText`, or wrapper keys such as `payload`; it expands that object before ranking and reports `input.embeddedPayloadSource` so the public form can accept copy/paste exports without a custom import screen.
 
 Recommended payload shape:
diff --git a/scripts/check-rank-feedback.mjs b/scripts/check-rank-feedback.mjs
index 19edd25..6a8ea4a 100644
--- a/scripts/check-rank-feedback.mjs
+++ b/scripts/check-rank-feedback.mjs
@@ -638,7 +638,37 @@ try {
   assert.ok(fencedJson.input.decisionContext.nonGoals.includes('Avoid saved workspaces and account dashboard before the first manual proof'));
   assert.deepEqual(fencedJson.handoff.warnings, []);
 
-  console.log(JSON.stringify({ ok: true, top: data.ranked[0].id, hintedTop: hinted.ranked[0].id, actionTop: actions.ranked[0].id, nestedConceptTop: nestedConcept.ranked[0].id, nonGoalTop: nonGoal.ranked[0].id, structuredContextTop: structuredContext.ranked[0].id, lensOnlyTop: lensOnly.ranked[0].id, scattermindPaidShapeTop: scattermindPaidShape.ranked[0].id, mergedContextTop: mergedContext.ranked[0].id, embeddedJsonTop: embeddedJson.ranked[0].id, fencedJsonTop: fencedJson.ranked[0].id, duplicateIds: duplicateIds.ranked.map(item => item.id), provenance: data.input.provenance, buildOrder: data.buildOrder }, null, 2));
+  const sourceExcerptResponse = await fetch(`${base}/api/rank-feedback`, {
+    method: 'POST',
+    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+    body: JSON.stringify({
+      sourceName: 'Scattermind',
+      artifactId: 'concept_map_source_excerpts',
+      originalPrompt: 'Scattermind exported source excerpts for each recommended move.',
+      idea: 'Ranker should preserve source excerpts so the defended build order can point back to the exact Concept Map note.',
+      mode: 'mvp',
+      conceptMap: {
+        nextActions: [
+          { id: 'manual-proof', action: 'Manual proof preview', why: 'Show one defended next move before adding machinery.', evidence: 'Can one tired user act on it?', sourceItemId: 'lens-channel-1', sourceTitle: 'Build Order', sourceExcerpt: 'Build first: show one defended next move before adding machinery.', suggestedLane: 'do-first', rankerHints: { value: 9, effort: 2, confidence: 8, urgency: 8, risk: 2 } },
+          { id: 'copyable-brief', action: 'Copyable brief', why: 'Let the user paste the defended order into notes.', evidence: 'Does the pasted brief preserve the first move?', sourceItemId: 'lens-channel-2', lensTitle: 'Build Order', quote: 'Test manually: copy the ranked brief into notes.', suggestedLane: 'validate-next' },
+          { id: 'saved-workspace', action: 'Saved workspace', why: 'Accounts and saved projects for every idea.', evidence: 'No bridge proof yet.', sourceItemId: 'lens-risk-1', sourceHeading: 'What can mislead you', sourceQuote: 'Probably noise: saved workspace with accounts before proof.', suggestedLane: 'park' },
+        ],
+      },
+    }),
+  });
+  assert.equal(sourceExcerptResponse.status, 200);
+  const sourceExcerpt = await sourceExcerptResponse.json();
+  assert.equal(sourceExcerpt.ranked[0].id, 'manual-proof');
+  assert.equal(sourceExcerpt.ranked[0].provenance.sourceId, 'lens-channel-1');
+  assert.equal(sourceExcerpt.ranked[0].provenance.sourceTitle, 'Build Order');
+  assert.match(sourceExcerpt.ranked[0].provenance.sourceQuote, /Build first/);
+  assert.equal(sourceExcerpt.buildOrderDetails.doFirst[0].sourceId, 'lens-channel-1');
+  assert.match(sourceExcerpt.buildOrderDetails.doFirst[0].sourceQuote, /defended next move/);
+  assert.equal(sourceExcerpt.handoff.itemTrace.find(item => item.id === 'copyable-brief').sourceTitle, 'Build Order');
+  assert.match(sourceExcerpt.handoff.itemTrace.find(item => item.id === 'saved-workspace').sourceQuote, /Probably noise/);
+  assert.deepEqual(sourceExcerpt.handoff.warnings, []);
+
+  console.log(JSON.stringify({ ok: true, top: data.ranked[0].id, hintedTop: hinted.ranked[0].id, actionTop: actions.ranked[0].id, nestedConceptTop: nestedConcept.ranked[0].id, nonGoalTop: nonGoal.ranked[0].id, structuredContextTop: structuredContext.ranked[0].id, lensOnlyTop: lensOnly.ranked[0].id, scattermindPaidShapeTop: scattermindPaidShape.ranked[0].id, mergedContextTop: mergedContext.ranked[0].id, embeddedJsonTop: embeddedJson.ranked[0].id, fencedJsonTop: fencedJson.ranked[0].id, sourceExcerptTop: sourceExcerpt.ranked[0].id, duplicateIds: duplicateIds.ranked.map(item => item.id), provenance: data.input.provenance, buildOrder: data.buildOrder }, null, 2));
 } finally {
   server.kill('SIGTERM');
 }
diff --git a/server.js b/server.js
index 3dcb8fe..ddc8cb1 100644
--- a/server.js
+++ b/server.js
@@ -687,6 +687,9 @@ function normalizeFeatureOption(item, index, fallbackId = 'feature', defaultSour
   const rawLane = cleanText(raw.lane || '', 40);
   const laneLooksLikeHint = Boolean(normalizeLaneHint(rawLane));
   const sourceSection = cleanText(raw.sourceSection || raw.section || raw.origin || (!laneLooksLikeHint ? rawLane : '') || defaultSourceSection, 80);
+  const sourceId = cleanText(raw.sourceId || raw.sourceArtifactId || raw.sourceItemId || raw.traceId || raw.id || '', 120);
+  const sourceTitle = cleanText(raw.sourceTitle || raw.sourceHeading || raw.lensTitle || raw.heading || '', 140);
+  const sourceQuote = cleanMultiline(raw.sourceQuote || raw.sourceExcerpt || raw.evidenceQuote || raw.quote || raw.originalText || raw.rawText || '', 420);
   const recommendedLane = cleanText(raw.recommendedLane || raw.laneHint || raw.suggestedLane || (laneLooksLikeHint ? rawLane : '') || defaultRecommendedLane || '', 40).toLowerCase();
   const descriptionParts = [
     raw.description || raw.brief || '',
@@ -705,8 +708,10 @@ function normalizeFeatureOption(item, index, fallbackId = 'feature', defaultSour
     description: cleanText(descriptionParts.join(' '), 760),
     factors: { userValue, evidenceNeeded, risk, nextStep, successSignal, killSignal, proofSteps, dependencies, recommendedLane, metricHints: cleanMetricHints(raw) },
     provenance: {
-      sourceId: cleanText(raw.sourceId || raw.sourceArtifactId || raw.id || '', 120),
+      sourceId,
       sourceSection,
+      sourceTitle,
+      sourceQuote,
     },
   };
 }
@@ -1110,6 +1115,8 @@ function compactBuildItems(items = []) {
     concern: item.concern,
     sourceSection: item.provenance?.sourceSection || '',
     sourceId: item.provenance?.sourceId || '',
+    sourceTitle: item.provenance?.sourceTitle || '',
+    sourceQuote: item.provenance?.sourceQuote || '',
     laneSource: item.lane?.source || 'ranked',
     score: item.metrics?.score ?? null,
     confidence: item.metrics?.confidence ?? null,
@@ -1133,6 +1140,8 @@ function createHandoffContract({ ranked, provenance, decisionContext }) {
       lane: item.lane?.id || 'defer',
       sourceSection: item.provenance?.sourceSection || '',
       sourceId: item.provenance?.sourceId || '',
+      sourceTitle: item.provenance?.sourceTitle || '',
+      sourceQuote: item.provenance?.sourceQuote || '',
       originalId: item.provenance?.originalId || '',
       idNormalized: Boolean(item.provenance?.idNormalized),
       evidenceNeeded: item.factors?.evidenceNeeded || '',