diff --git a/docs/dal-skeleton.md b/docs/dal-skeleton.md
index 9e5baf5..1077e45 100644
--- a/docs/dal-skeleton.md
+++ b/docs/dal-skeleton.md
@@ -17,3 +17,9 @@
 - Add libpq (or pqxx) and parameterized statements.
 - Add RLS/session GUCs & retries.
 
+## Implementation Checklist (2025-10-15)
+- Detect `libpq` + `pqxx` in CMake, define `HAVE_PG`, and link `kom_dal` against `PostgreSQL::PostgreSQL` and `pqxx::pqxx`.
+- During `PgDal::connect`, prepare statements for namespace ensure/upsert, chunk/embedding insert, text/vector search, and hybrid search.
+- Guard runtime selection: `stub://` DSN keeps the current in-memory store; non-stub DSNs require a live Postgres connection.
+- Expose environment variables in docs: `PG_DSN` (full libpq connection string) and optional `PGSSLMODE`.
+- Surface informative `std::runtime_error` messages when pqxx operations fail so MCP handlers can emit actionable errors.
diff --git a/docs/mcp-memory-api.md b/docs/mcp-memory-api.md
index bf5a598..31b65ed 100644
--- a/docs/mcp-memory-api.md
+++ b/docs/mcp-memory-api.md
@@ -36,6 +36,12 @@ Precompute embeddings for recent items.
 - input: `{ namespace: string, since?: string }`
 - output: `{ queued: number }`
 
+### `sync_semantic`
+Promote episodic rows into semantic (chunks + embeddings) storage.
+- input: `{ namespace: string, max_batch?: number }`
+- output: `{ processed: number, pending: number }`
+- Notes: skips items with `sensitivity="secret"` or expired TTL; requires DAL job support.
+
 ## Auth & Versioning
 - toolNamespace: `kom.memory.v1`
 - auth: bearer token via MCP session metadata (optional local mode).
diff --git a/docs/memory-architecture.md b/docs/memory-architecture.md
index e69de29..5338ff0 100644
--- a/docs/memory-architecture.md
+++ b/docs/memory-architecture.md
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+# Memory Architecture Roadmap (2025-10-15)
+
+## Current Snapshot
+- `PgDal` remains an in-memory stub; `libpq`/`pqxx` are not linked and there is no `HAVE_PG` compile guard.
+- `contract_memory` now builds via `tests/contract_memory.cpp` as a dedicated CTest executable (stub DAL still backing it).
+- MCP handlers directly invoke the stub DAL and perform ad-hoc JSON parsing.
+- No `resources/` descriptors exist for episodic memory APIs or the semantic sync workflow.
+
+## 1. CTest Target: `contract_memory`
+1. Keep `contract_memory.cpp` focused on exercising `PgDal` write/read surfaces; expand as DAL features land.
+2. Ensure the executable runs without Postgres by defaulting to `stub://memory` when `PG_DSN` is absent.
+3. Layer follow-up assertions once pqxx-backed code exists (e.g., detect `HAVE_PG` and connect to real DB in CI).
+
+## 2. DAL Prepared Statements (`HAVE_PG`)
+**Dependencies**
+- System packages: `libpq` headers and `libpqxx` (>= 7.8).
+- CMake: `find_package(PostgreSQL REQUIRED)` and `find_package(pqxx REQUIRED)`; link `PostgreSQL::PostgreSQL` and `pqxx::pqxx`.
+
+**Implementation Steps**
+1. Extend `src/dal/CMakeLists.txt` to define `HAVE_PG` and link the libraries when detection succeeds.
+2. Enhance `PgDal` to manage both modes:
+   - `stub://` DSN → in-memory containers (status quo).
+   - Other DSNs → establish `pqxx::connection`, store it via `std::unique_ptr`, and call `conn->prepare(...)` during `connect`.
+3. Prepare statements for: `ensure_namespace`, `upsert_item`, `insert_chunk`, `insert_embedding`, `search_text`, `search_vector`, `hybrid_search`.
+4. Implement transactional helpers using `pqxx::work`, with RAII to guarantee `commit()`/`abort()` pairing.
+5. Translate `pqxx` exceptions into `std::runtime_error` with context so MCP handlers can emit useful error JSON.
+6. Document required environment variables (`PG_DSN`, optional `PGSSLMODE`) plus migration expectations in `docs/dal-skeleton.md`.
+
+## 3. MCP `resources/*` & Episodic→Semantic Sync
+**Directory Layout**
+- Create `resources/memory/kom.memory.v1/` for tool descriptors and schema fragments:
+  - `episodic.json` – raw conversation timeline.
+  - `semantic.json` – chunked embeddings metadata.
+  - `jobs/semantic_sync.json` – background job contract.
+
+**Design Highlights**
+1. Episodic resource fields: `namespace`, `thread_id`, `speaker`, `content`, `sensitivity`, `tags`, `created_at`.
+2. Semantic resource references episodic items (`episodic_id`, `chunk_id`, `model`, `dim`, `vector_ref`).
+3. DAL sync job flow:
+   - Locate episodic rows with `embedding_status='pending'` (and `sensitivity!='secret'`).
+   - Batch call embedder(s); write `memory_chunks` + `embeddings`.
+   - Mark episodic rows as `embedding_status='done'`, capture audit entries (e.g., ledger append).
+4. Expose a placeholder MCP tool `kom.memory.v1.sync_semantic` that enqueues or executes the job.
+5. Note TTL and privacy requirements; skip items with `expires_at` in the past or flagged secret.
+
+## 4. `hybrid_search_v1` with `pgvector`
+**SQL Components**
+1. Update migrations (`sql/pg/001_init.sql`) to include:
+   - `tsvector` generated column or expression for lexical search.
+   - `GIN` index on the lexical field (either `to_tsvector` or `pg_trgm`).
+   - Per-model `ivfflat` index on `embeddings.vector`.
+2. Prepared statements:
+   - Text: `SELECT id, ts_rank_cd(...) AS score FROM memory_items ... WHERE namespace_id=$1 AND text_query=$2 LIMIT $3`.
+   - Vector: `SELECT item_id, 1 - (vector <=> $2::vector) AS score FROM embeddings ... WHERE namespace_id=$1 ORDER BY vector <-> $2 LIMIT $3`.
+3. Merge results in C++ with Reciprocal Rank Fusion or weighted sum, ensuring deterministic ordering on ties.
+
+**Handler Integration**
+1. Extend `PgDal::hybridSearch` to dispatch to the prepared statements when `HAVE_PG` is defined; reuse in-memory fallback otherwise.
+2. Return richer matches (id, score, optional chunk text) to satisfy MCP response schema.
+3. Update `HandlersMemory::search_memory` to surface the new scores and annotate whether lexical/vector contributed (optional metadata).
+4. Add a contract test scenario once pqxx-backed execution is available (requires live Postgres fixture later).
+
+## Next-Step Checklist
+- [ ] Detect pqxx via CMake and plumb `HAVE_PG`.
+- [x] Normalize contract_memory CTest target and remove stale library target.
+- [ ] Author `resources/memory/` descriptors and sync job outline.
+- [ ] Extend DAL header to carry prepared-statement aware APIs (may introduce new structs).
+- [x] Update `docs/mcp-memory-api.md` to mention episodic sync + hybrid search fields.
+- [ ] Create follow-up acf subtasks when concrete implementation begins (pgvector migration, scheduler hook, runtime wiring).
diff --git a/tests/CMakeLists.txt b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
index eb11e0e..1320449 100644
--- a/tests/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/tests/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -6,8 +6,10 @@ target_link_libraries(test_mcp_tools PRIVATE kom_dal)
 
 add_test(NAME contract_mcp_tools COMMAND test_mcp_tools)
 
-add_library(contract_memory STATIC
+add_executable(contract_memory
   contract_memory.cpp
 )
 target_include_directories(contract_memory PRIVATE ${PROJECT_SOURCE_DIR}/src)
 target_link_libraries(contract_memory PRIVATE kom_dal)
+
+add_test(NAME contract_memory COMMAND contract_memory)
diff --git a/tests/contract_memory.cpp b/tests/contract_memory.cpp
index 65a4025..213abb6 100644
--- a/tests/contract_memory.cpp
+++ b/tests/contract_memory.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 #include "dal/PgDal.hpp"
 
+#include <iostream>
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
 
@@ -36,7 +37,16 @@ static void contract_pgdal_basic() {
   static_cast<void>(dal.hybridSearch(embedding.vector, "stub-model", "tests", "chunk", 5));
 }
 
-static const bool contract_pgdal_compiles = [] {
-  contract_pgdal_basic();
-  return true;
-}();
+int main() {
+  try {
+    contract_pgdal_basic();
+    std::cout << "contract_ok\n";
+    return 0;
+  } catch (const std::exception& ex) {
+    std::cerr << "contract_memory failure: " << ex.what() << "\n";
+    return 1;
+  } catch (...) {
+    std::cerr << "contract_memory failure: unknown error\n";
+    return 1;
+  }
+}
