Why: the three cards whose PRs are merged (Backend #212, #226, #237) were still sitting at .task/ top level, which keeps the main checkout reporting card debt. Only the status line and the merge fact were added; the historical record inside each card is untouched. Evidence: Gitea API for PRs 212/226/237 all report state=closed merged=true (merge commits56a7f9f440,508288fbed,f084d10aa5); triage receipt /tmp/be-triage-cardclose-20261021.json (verdict NEW). Impact: .task bookkeeping only; no code change, no submodule pin change. Refs: fix/close-merged-task-cards