diff --git a/TODO-refactor-remaining.md b/TODO-refactor-remaining.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f25653f1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/TODO-refactor-remaining.md
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+# TODO: remaining work on the gate refactor
+
+REMOVE ME AFTER FINISH
+
+What is done, what is not, and the real numbers. Companion to
+`TODO-file-length-250.md`, which parks one specific blocking decision.
+
+## Done
+
+| Area | State |
+|---|---|
+| Vendored manifest | `gates/vendored.txt`, mirrored into `~/utils` (`kuhyx/utils@a4a3e0a`) |
+| Build artifacts | 189 untracked, `.gitignore` closed, 0 tracked-but-ignored files |
+| no-binaries gate | Path-scoped `.binary-allowlist`; verified blocking AND passing |
+| Markdown | 4 namespaces, all under 250 lines, `CLAUDE.md` written |
+| pre-commit | 12 hooks, green on all files |
+| pre-push | `pre-commit install --hook-type pre-push` via `install.sh` |
+| GitHub CI | `pre-commit` + `md-naming`, both green. Actions had been DISABLED at repo level |
+| run.sh | Root harness + 44 course runners over one shared library |
+| Runnability | 38 runnable / 5 no-code / 1 blocked, recorded in `DOCS-runnability.md` |
+
+## Not done, with honest sizes
+
+### 1. Python linting — 9,281 ruff findings
+
+Measured with the fleet config (`select = ["ALL"]`, the five standard ignores):
+
+| Rule | Count | Nature |
+|---|---|---|
+| `Q000` bad-quotes | 2050 | auto-fixable |
+| `ANN001`/`ANN201` missing annotations | 1671 | **manual** |
+| `E501` line-too-long | 628 | mostly manual |
+| `T201` print | 316 | needs a decision per script |
+| `D1xx` missing docstrings | ~600 | **manual** |
+| `W291`/`W293` whitespace | 431 | auto-fixable |
+| everything else | ~3600 | mixed |
+
+Roughly 3,000 are auto-fixable and ~6,000 are hand work. The auto-fixable pass
+should be its own commit so the manual diff stays reviewable.
+
+**Blocked on:** nothing. Start with `ruff check --fix` on the safe rules, then
+add `pyproject.toml` and the ruff/mypy hooks in the same commit as the last fix
+(a gate must not land before its subject is clean).
+
+### 2. Coverage — 19 tests for ~28k lines
+
+`gates/coverage.tsv` (per-directory floors, `target` always 100, floors may
+only rise) is designed but not written. Nothing exists for the non-Python
+languages yet. This is the largest remaining item by a wide margin and is
+measured in weeks.
+
+### 3. Dependency freshness
+
+9 `requirements.txt`, 5 `package.json`, 7 `pom.xml`, 1 `.csproj`, none pinned.
+**The upgrade and the gate must land in the SAME commit** or the repo is
+instantly and permanently red -- see the warning in
+`~/utils/scripts/install_dependency_freshness_gate.sh`.
+
+### 4. The 250-line cap
+
+73 files still over. Breakdown: 27 `.txt` (blocked -- see
+`TODO-file-length-250.md`), 19 `.tex`, 10 `.py`, 9 `.cpp`, 4 `.c`, 2 `.java`.
+The `.tex` splits are `\input{}` per section, and the acceptance test is that
+the rebuilt PDF is unchanged. **Do not split the source files before their
+tests exist** -- splitting untested code is the highest-risk action here.
+
+### 5. File-rewriting hooks
+
+`trailing-whitespace` and `end-of-file-fixer` are deliberately absent. They
+will touch hundreds of submitted coursework files, so they want their own
+reviewed commit rather than being buried in a config change.
+
+## Standing rule
+
+A gate lands only once the thing it gates is clean, so
+`pre-commit run --all-files` is green at every commit. Every hook still missing
+from `.pre-commit-config.yaml` is listed there with what blocks it.