diff --git a/automaton/dashboard/ui/__pycache__/app.cpython-314.pyc b/automaton/dashboard/ui/__pycache__/app.cpython-314.pyc
index 2aa5b26..810391e 100644
Binary files a/automaton/dashboard/ui/__pycache__/app.cpython-314.pyc and b/automaton/dashboard/ui/__pycache__/app.cpython-314.pyc differ
diff --git a/automaton/dashboard/ui/app.py b/automaton/dashboard/ui/app.py
index c823f6e..da28e5e 100644
--- a/automaton/dashboard/ui/app.py
+++ b/automaton/dashboard/ui/app.py
@@ -106,24 +106,8 @@ class DashboardHandler(SimpleHTTPRequestHandler):
 
     @staticmethod
     def _find_tasks_dir(project_root: Path) -> Path | None:
-        from ..core.scope import detect_scope
-        _, scope = detect_scope()
-        # Framework mode: tasks live inside .automaton/
-        # Project mode: tasks live at project root, .automaton/tasks/ may be a symlink
-        if scope == "framework":
-            candidates = [
-                project_root / ".automaton" / "tasks",
-                project_root / "tasks",
-            ]
-        else:
-            candidates = [
-                project_root / "tasks",
-                project_root / ".automaton" / "tasks",
-            ]
-        for p in candidates:
-            if p.exists() and p.is_dir():
-                return p
-        return candidates[0]
+        tasks_dir = project_root / ".automaton" / "tasks"
+        return tasks_dir if tasks_dir.exists() else tasks_dir
 
     def _serve_tasks(self):
         project_root = find_automaton_root()
@@ -220,14 +204,7 @@ class DashboardHandler(SimpleHTTPRequestHandler):
         project_root = find_automaton_root()
         if not project_root or not self._validate_task_name(task_name):
             return None
-        candidates = [
-            project_root / ".automaton" / "tasks" / task_name / self.REVIEW_FILE,
-            project_root / "tasks" / task_name / self.REVIEW_FILE,
-        ]
-        for p in candidates:
-            if p.exists():
-                return p
-        return candidates[0]
+        return project_root / ".automaton" / "tasks" / task_name / self.REVIEW_FILE
 
     def _get_review_status(self, task_name: str) -> dict:
         review_path = self._get_review_path(task_name)
diff --git a/prompts/orchestrate.md b/prompts/orchestrate.md
index 657aca4..cd9c7ec 100644
--- a/prompts/orchestrate.md
+++ b/prompts/orchestrate.md
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ Specifically:
 7. {project}/.automaton/extensions/contracts/*.md — Additive extensions loaded after global contracts
 8. ~/.automaton/scripts/*.sh — Always from global framework
 9. {project}/.automaton/extensions/scripts/*.sh — Additive extensions loaded before global scripts (pre-processing)
-10. {project}/tasks/ — Project tasks (project mode) or ~/.automaton/tasks/ (framework mode)
+10. {project}/.automaton/tasks/ — Task folders (both framework and project mode)
 
 ## VRAM Detection
 
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ while task is not in terminal state:
 
 #### Continue from existing tasks
 If the user says "orchestrate" or "continue" with no new task description, the Orchestrator should:
-1. Scan all tasks in the tasks/ directory, including sub-task folders under `tasks/{parent-task}/subtasks/`
+1. Scan all tasks in `{project}/.automaton/tasks/`, including sub-task folders under `{project}/.automaton/tasks/{parent-task}/subtasks/`
 2. Find the most advanced task (the one closest to completion) — **prioritize sub-tasks over parent tasks** (because the parent depends on the sub-tasks)
 3. When choosing among sub-tasks in the same wave, prioritize those in later phases (e.g., Bug Find over Research) because they are closer to completion
 4. Drive that task through the remaining phases
@@ -201,10 +201,7 @@ If the user says "orchestrate" or "continue" with no new task description, the O
 #### New tasks from user input
 If {task-description} contains a description for a NEW task, the Orchestrator MUST:
 1. Generate a kebab-case task name from the description (e.g., "add user auth" → `add-user-auth`)
-2. Create the task folder. Task location depends on scope:
-   - **Framework mode** (inside ~/.automaton/): `~/.automaton/tasks/{task-name}/`
-   - **Project mode** (in a user project): `{project}/tasks/{task-name}/`
-   The dashboard reads from both locations automatically.
+2. Create the task folder at `{project}/.automaton/tasks/{task-name}/` (empty — no artifact files)
 3. **Immediately drive it to completion** using the auto-execution loop
 
 Note: `IMPLEMENTATION.md` is the artifact produced by the implementation phase, not the Orchestrator. Do not pre-create it. **Do not create an empty `IMPLEMENTATION.md` for new tasks** — this is inconsistent with the Orchestrator's own rule and can confuse the Research phase.
@@ -240,9 +237,7 @@ In manual mode, the Orchestrator only **reports** the current state and the next
 
 ## State Determination
 
-Examine the tasks/ directory and determine the state of each task folder. The tasks directory is:
-- **Framework mode**: `~/.automaton/tasks/`
-- **Project mode**: `{project}/tasks/` Check from the most advanced state backward. **Important**: Always check that artifacts are non-empty before considering them as indicators of task state.
+Examine the `{project}/.automaton/tasks/` directory and determine the state of each task folder. Check from the most advanced state backward. **Important**: Always check that artifacts are non-empty before considering them as indicators of task state.
 
 1. Has `VERDICT.md` with `PASS` (non-empty) → **Complete**
 2. Has `VERDICT.md` with `NEEDS_REVIEW` or `FAIL` (non-empty) → **Human Intervention**
@@ -325,23 +320,16 @@ When a parent task has a `DECOMPOSITION.md` file, the Orchestrator must create s
 
 ### Sub-Task Folder Structure
 
-When decomposing, the Orchestrator creates sub-tasks under the parent task's `subtasks/` folder:
+When decomposing, the Orchestrator creates sub-tasks under the parent task's `subtasks/` folder inside `{project}/.automaton/tasks/`:
 
 ```
-tasks/parent-task/                → Parent task (Research → Decomposition → complete)
+{project}/.automaton/tasks/parent-task/   → Parent task (Research → Decomposition → complete)
   SPEC.md
   DECOMPOSITION.md
   subtasks/
-    subtask-a/                    → Sub-task (full lifecycle independently)
-      SPEC.md
-      DESIGN.md
-      IMPLEMENTATION.md
-      BUG_REPORT.md
-      ADVERSARIAL_BUG_REPORT.md
-      DOC_REVIEW.md
-      VERDICT.md
+    subtask-a/                            → Sub-task (full lifecycle independently)
+      ...
     subtask-b/
-      SPEC.md
       ...
 ```
 
@@ -356,11 +344,11 @@ When a parent task reaches the **Decomposition** phase (has `SPEC.md` and `DECOM
 5. **Verify VRAM constraints**:
    - For each sub-task, check if its estimated peak context (from DECOMPOSITION.md) is within the max peak context.
    - If a sub-task exceeds the VRAM limit, create a warning and suggest splitting it further.
-6. **Check for existing sub-task folders**: For each sub-task, check if the folder `tasks/{parent-task-name}/subtasks/{sub-task-name}/` already exists. If it does, skip the creation and report that the sub-task has already been created. This prevents duplicate sub-tasks when the Orchestrator is invoked multiple times.
+6. **Check for existing sub-task folders**: For each sub-task, check if the folder `{project}/.automaton/tasks/{parent-task-name}/subtasks/{sub-task-name}/` already exists. If it does, skip the creation and report that the sub-task has already been created. This prevents duplicate sub-tasks when the Orchestrator is invoked multiple times.
 7. **Check for DECOMPOSITION.md updates**: Compare the DECOMPOSITION.md with the existing sub-task folders. If the DECOMPOSITION.md has been updated (new sub-tasks added or existing sub-tasks removed), update the sub-task folders accordingly:
    - For new sub-tasks, create the folders.
    - For removed sub-tasks, report the orphaned sub-tasks and delete the folders.
-8. **Create sub-task folders** under `tasks/{parent-task-name}/subtasks/{sub-task-name}/`:
+8. **Create sub-task folders** under `{project}/.automaton/tasks/{parent-task-name}/subtasks/{sub-task-name}/`:
    - For each sub-task, create an empty folder (no files yet — the sub-task starts at the Research phase).
    - The sub-task name should be a kebab-case version of the sub-task description from DECOMPOSITION.md.
 9. **Create a VRAM_CONFIG.md** file for each sub-task with the VRAM configuration (see VRAM Config Propagation section).
diff --git a/scripts/migrate-project.sh b/scripts/migrate-project.sh
index 7554bb7..5982eb7 100755
--- a/scripts/migrate-project.sh
+++ b/scripts/migrate-project.sh
@@ -107,16 +107,18 @@ while IFS= read -r -d '' project_file; do
   fi
 done < <(find "$PROJECT_AUTOMATON" -maxdepth 1 -type f -name "*.md" -o -name "*.sh" -print0 2>/dev/null || true)
 
-# Task directory — old model stored tasks in .automaton/tasks/, new model uses tasks/
-OLD_TASKS="$PROJECT_AUTOMATON/tasks"
-NEW_TASKS="$PROJECT_DIR/tasks"
-if [ -d "$OLD_TASKS" ] && [ ! -e "$NEW_TASKS" ]; then
-  echo "  MOVING   .automaton/tasks/ → tasks/ (tasks should be at project root)"
-  mv "$OLD_TASKS" "$NEW_TASKS"
-  MOVED+=(".automaton/tasks/ -> tasks/")
-elif [ -d "$OLD_TASKS" ] && [ -d "$NEW_TASKS" ]; then
-  echo "  NOTICE   Both .automaton/tasks/ and tasks/ exist — keeping both"
-  KEPT+=(".automaton/tasks/ and tasks/")
+# Task directory — tasks always live in .automaton/tasks/ for all modes
+ROOT_TASKS="$PROJECT_DIR/tasks"
+AUTOMATON_TASKS="$PROJECT_AUTOMATON/tasks"
+if [ -d "$ROOT_TASKS" ] && [ ! -e "$AUTOMATON_TASKS" ]; then
+  echo "  MOVING   tasks/ → .automaton/tasks/ (tasks belong in .automaton/)"
+  mv "$ROOT_TASKS" "$AUTOMATON_TASKS"
+  MOVED+=("tasks/ -> .automaton/tasks/")
+elif [ -d "$ROOT_TASKS" ] && [ -d "$AUTOMATON_TASKS" ]; then
+  echo "  MERGING  tasks/ contents into .automaton/tasks/"
+  cp -r "$ROOT_TASKS"/* "$AUTOMATON_TASKS/" 2>/dev/null || true
+  rm -rf "$ROOT_TASKS"
+  MOVED+=("tasks/ merged -> .automaton/tasks/")
 fi
 
 # Report