Rewrite TODO.md sentence by sentence (closes #135)

TODO.md is the project's own task list, judged by the same rules as
README.md: short sentences, lists as bullets, nothing a newcomer reads
twice. Every completed step is kept with its date and its issue or
branch, and every fact the old entries recorded is kept too, in short
sentences. The 2026-07-22 policy-compliance checklist is folded into
the step that did the work, and the accepted divergence from the
layout policy gets a section of its own. Workflow, Status and Next
Step keep their rules unchanged.

Model: fable-5-1

exclude_test.go

@@ -17,9 +17,7 @@ import (
 func TestDefaultExcludes(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	// README "Rules for the walk": the Linux and macOS lists, and none
-	// on any other system. The Windows list exists in the code only: the
-	// binary does not build for Windows, so the README leaves it out.
+	// README "Rules for the walk": each system's list.
 	cases := map[string][]string{
 		goosLinux: {"/proc", "/sys", "/dev", "/run", "/tmp", "/var/tmp"},
 		goosDarwin: {

main_test.go

@@ -393,7 +393,7 @@ func TestRunNamesRelativeDatabase(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestRunUsesDatabaseThroughSymlinkedDirectory(t *testing.T) {
-	// README §Settings: the path names the file exactly. With link a
+	// README §Database: the path names the file exactly. With link a
 	// symlink to the directory real/sub, link/../db.sqlite names
 	// real/db.sqlite, not db.sqlite beside link. Every subcommand must
 	// use that file, relative or absolute, and its first line must name
@@ -648,7 +648,7 @@ func TestRunUsageErrors(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestRunScanRejectsWorkersBelowOne(t *testing.T) {
-	// README §Settings: --workers below 1 is a usage error reported in
+	// README §scan mode: --workers below 1 is a usage error reported in
 	// one line on stderr, before the scan opens the database.
 	for _, workers := range []string{"0", "-1"} {
 		t.Run(workers, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -686,8 +686,8 @@ func TestRunScanRejectsWorkersBelowOne(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRunHelp(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	// README §Settings: help goes to stderr, exits 0, and leaves stdout
-	// empty.
+	// README §Subcommands: help goes to stderr, exits 0, and leaves
+	// stdout empty.
 	cases := [][]string{{"--help"}, {"-h"}, {cmdScan, "--help"}}
 
 	for _, args := range cases {
@@ -713,8 +713,8 @@ func TestRunHelp(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRunVersion(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	// README §Settings: the version is one line on stdout, with nothing
-	// on stderr, and exits 0.
+	// README §Subcommands: the version is one line on stdout, with
+	// nothing on stderr, and exits 0.
 	info, _ := debug.ReadBuildInfo()
 
 	for _, arg := range []string{"--version", "-v"} {
@@ -773,8 +773,8 @@ func TestBuildVersion(t *testing.T) {
 func TestRunVersionWriteFailureIsFatal(t *testing.T) {
 	t.Parallel()
 
-	// README §Error handling: a failed write to stdout is a fatal error,
-	// exit 1, reported on stderr starting with "sfdupes:".
+	// README §Error handling: a stdout write failure exits 1, reported
+	// in one line on stderr.
 	var stderr bytes.Buffer
 
 	code := run([]string{"--version"}, failingWriter{}, &stderr)
@@ -1234,7 +1234,7 @@ func assertRunsUseDatabase(t *testing.T, dir, name string) {
 }
 
 func TestRunDatabasePathUsedAsGiven(t *testing.T) {
-	// README §Settings: the path names the database file exactly. In
+	// README §Database: the path names the database file exactly. In
 	// SQLite's connection string an unescaped ? or # would end the file
 	// name and % would start an escape, and a path starting with //
 	// could be read as a host name. %25 is a valid escape, so unescaped
@@ -1279,8 +1279,9 @@ func holdScanLock(t *testing.T, path string) {
 }
 
 func TestRunSecondScanFails(t *testing.T) {
-	// README §Database: a second scan that finds the lock held fails
-	// at once, naming the lock file, without opening the database.
+	// README §Database: while one scan holds the lock, a second scan
+	// fails at once, naming the lock file, without opening the
+	// database.
 	path := testDBPath(t)
 	t.Setenv(databaseEnv, path)
 
@@ -1339,7 +1340,7 @@ func assertSecondScanFails(t *testing.T, path string) {
 }
 
 func TestRunSecondScanThroughSymlinkFails(t *testing.T) {
-	// README §Database: a path through a symlink names the same lock
+	// README §Database: every path to one database names the same lock
 	// file, so while a scan holds it through one path, a scan through
 	// another fails, naming the lock file beside the database's real
 	// path.
@@ -1444,8 +1445,8 @@ func TestRunReportsDuringScan(t *testing.T) {
 }
 
 func TestRunStdoutClosedIsFatal(t *testing.T) {
-	// README §Error handling: a failed write to stdout is a fatal error,
-	// exit 1, reported on stderr starting with "sfdupes:".
+	// README §Error handling: a stdout write failure exits 1, reported
+	// in one line on stderr.
 	for _, name := range []string{cmdReport, cmdTrees, cmdInfo} {
 		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Setenv(databaseEnv, testDBPath(t))

scan_test.go

@@ -1064,9 +1064,8 @@ func TestScanOneFilesystemWalksNestedFileOperand(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-// buildSmokeTree recreates the tree of the test under README
-// "Definition of done" with deterministic content and returns the tree
-// root.
+// buildSmokeTree recreates the README smoke-test filesystem layout
+// with deterministic content and returns the tree root.
 func buildSmokeTree(t *testing.T) string {
 	t.Helper()
 

trees_test.go

@@ -15,9 +15,8 @@ import (
 const treesOpenLine = "[1/4] open: opening the database, elapsed 0s, " +
 	"remain unknown"
 
-// smokeTreeRecs mirrors the tree of the test under README "Definition
-// of done": /d/t1 and /d/t2 are identical, /d/t3 differs from them only
-// by one filename.
+// smokeTreeRecs mirrors the README smoke-test tree layout: /d/t1 and
+// /d/t2 are identical, /d/t3 differs from them only by one filename.
 func smokeTreeRecs() []scanRec {
 	f1Head, f1Tail, f1Content := testHash("f1h"), testHash("f1t"), testHash("f1c")
 	f2Head, f2Tail, f2Content := testHash("f2h"), testHash("f2t"), testHash("f2c")