diff --git a/docs/architecture.md b/docs/architecture.md
index 5d877c4..ef8a907 100644
--- a/docs/architecture.md
+++ b/docs/architecture.md
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ This architecture keeps authored content human-friendly while preserving machine
 The architecture is designed to satisfy three long-term requirements:
 
 1. Methodology must be editable as markdown by humans.
-2. Agents must consume stable, discoverable resource contracts.
+2. Agents must consume stable, discoverable resource contracts, with a minimal read-only catalog tool fallback for constrained clients.
 3. Public documentation must be pre-built static output served from the application runtime without a separate docs service.
 
 ## System Model
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ The document resource returns canonical Markdown, while clients can perform any
 
 ### Catalog Module
 
-The catalog is the canonical discovery layer and publishes normalized records for all modules.
+The catalog is the canonical discovery layer and publishes normalized records for all modules. It may also expose a minimal set of read-only discovery tools that resolve back to the same canonical markdown content when a client chat surface does not expose MCP resource attachment.
 
 Typical catalog resources:
 
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ Markdown remains easy to review, while contracts remain stable for clients.
 
 ### Client Independence
 
-Clients can use Ask, Edit, or Agent modes without requiring server-owned prompt orchestration.
+Clients can use Ask, Edit, or Agent modes without requiring server-owned prompt orchestration. However, MCP affordances are still chat-surface-dependent: some clients or sessions expose resource attachment directly, while others make tool invocation the more reliable retrieval path.
 
 ## Authoring and Publishing Lifecycle
 
@@ -148,9 +148,13 @@ In-scope:
 Out-of-scope:
 
 1. Prompt-first orchestration as the primary interface
-2. Large tool inventories duplicating static guidance
+2. Large tool inventories duplicating static guidance across skill modules
 3. Separate dynamic docs service at runtime
 
+Allowed exception:
+
+1. A small catalog-level tool layer is acceptable when it improves client interoperability without creating a second source of truth for skill content.
+
 ## Example Content Inputs
 
 Existing markdown reference sets are valid examples of authored source material for this architecture:
diff --git a/docs/mcp_layout.md b/docs/mcp_layout.md
index 7290aba..dffbffb 100644
--- a/docs/mcp_layout.md
+++ b/docs/mcp_layout.md
@@ -108,6 +108,8 @@ Example mapping model:
 
 Catalog resources provide discovery metadata and stable identifiers.
 
+When clients cannot attach MCP resources directly, catalog-level tools may retrieve the same underlying skill documents indirectly. This does not create a second content source; it is only an alternate access path to the same markdown-backed contract.
+
 ## Why This Pattern
 
 ### Operational Simplicity