diff --git a/tools/globals_build.py b/tools/globals_build.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d20862b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/globals_build.py
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Generator + linter for the living global-variable registry (vm-map/globals.toml).
+  --build   merge curated over build/global-var-map.json -> build/globals.json + docs/global-reference.md
+  --lint    run the linter, print errors/warnings, exit nonzero on errors
+See docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-07-globals-registry-and-story-flags-design.md."""
+from __future__ import annotations
+import os, sys, json, argparse, collections, tomllib
+from pathlib import Path
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+import paths
+
+TOML_DEFAULT = paths.VM_MAP / "globals.toml"
+AUTO_MAP     = paths.BUILD / "global-var-map.json"
+
+CATEGORIES = {"story-flag", "index-pointer", "data-table", "string-table",
+              "ui-toggle", "choice-output", "counter", "unknown"}
+SOURCES    = {"investigation", "harness", "inference", "auto-shape"}
+CONFIDENCE = {"low": 1, "med": 2, "high": 3}
+
+
+def _parse_addr(v) -> int:
+    return int(v, 16) if isinstance(v, str) else int(v)
+
+
+def load_toml(path) -> tuple[dict[int, dict], dict]:
+    """Return ({addr:int -> entry-dict (with _addr set)}, meta-dict)."""
+    data = tomllib.loads(Path(path).read_text(encoding="utf-8"))
+    out: dict[int, dict] = {}
+    for e in data.get("global", []):
+        addr = _parse_addr(e["address"])
+        e = dict(e)
+        e["_addr"] = addr
+        out[addr] = e
+    return out, data.get("meta", {})
+
+
+def lint(entries: dict[int, dict], all_addrs: set[int]) -> tuple[list[str], list[str]]:
+    """Errors: bad vocabulary, auto-shape@high, dangling depends_on. Warnings: (reserved)."""
+    errors: list[str] = []
+    warnings: list[str] = []
+    for addr, e in sorted(entries.items()):
+        tag = f"0x{addr:x}"
+        cat, src, conf = e.get("category"), e.get("source"), e.get("confidence")
+        if cat not in CATEGORIES:
+            errors.append(f"{tag}: bad category {cat!r}")
+        if src not in SOURCES:
+            errors.append(f"{tag}: bad source {src!r}")
+        if conf not in CONFIDENCE:
+            errors.append(f"{tag}: bad confidence {conf!r}")
+        if src == "auto-shape" and conf == "high":
+            errors.append(f"{tag}: auto-shape source may not claim high confidence")
+        for dep in e.get("depends_on", []):
+            if _parse_addr(dep) not in all_addrs:
+                errors.append(f"{tag}: depends_on missing address {dep}")
+    return errors, warnings
+
+
+def main(argv=None):
+    ap = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    ap.add_argument("--build", action="store_true")
+    ap.add_argument("--lint", action="store_true")
+    ap.add_argument("--toml", default=str(TOML_DEFAULT))
+    args = ap.parse_args(argv)
+    tp = Path(args.toml)
+    if args.lint:
+        entries, _ = load_toml(tp)
+        errors, warnings = lint(entries, set(entries))
+        for m in warnings: print("warn:", m)
+        for m in errors: print("error:", m)
+        print(f"lint: {len(errors)} errors, {len(warnings)} warnings")
+        return 1 if errors else 0
+    if args.build:
+        return build(tp)          # implemented in Task 2
+    ap.error("no action (expected --build/--lint)")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/tools/test_globals.py b/tools/test_globals.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d40f9e8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/test_globals.py
@@ -0,0 +1,34 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Standalone tests for the globals registry tooling. Run: py -3.11 -X utf8 tools/test_globals.py"""
+import os, sys
+sys.path.insert(0, os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)))
+import paths
+import globals_build as G
+
+FAILS = []
+def check(cond, msg):
+    print(("  ok  " if cond else " FAIL ") + msg)
+    if not cond: FAILS.append(msg)
+
+def test_load_and_lint():
+    entries, meta = G.load_toml(paths.VM_MAP / "globals.toml")
+    check(0xa57 in entries, "0xa57 present in globals.toml")
+    check(entries[0xa57]["category"] == "story-flag", "0xa57 is category story-flag")
+    check(entries[0x3234]["category"] == "story-flag", "0x3234 is category story-flag")
+    check({0xa57, 0xa58, 0xa59} <= set(entries), "Lily form flags A/B/C all present")
+    # lint clean against a permissive address universe (curated addrs are self-consistent)
+    errors, warnings = G.lint(entries, set(entries))
+    check(errors == [], f"globals.toml lints clean (errors={errors})")
+
+def test_lint_catches_bad_vocab():
+    bad = {0x1: {"_addr": 0x1, "name": "x", "category": "bogus",
+                 "source": "auto-shape", "confidence": "high"}}
+    errors, _ = G.lint(bad, {0x1})
+    check(any("category" in e for e in errors), "lint flags bad category")
+    check(any("confidence" in e for e in errors), "lint flags auto-shape claiming high confidence")
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    test_load_and_lint()
+    test_lint_catches_bad_vocab()
+    print(f"\n{len(FAILS)} failures")
+    sys.exit(1 if FAILS else 0)
diff --git a/vm-map/globals.toml b/vm-map/globals.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c7a70f8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vm-map/globals.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+# vm-map/globals.toml -- CANONICAL living global-variable registry (hand-edited).
+# Generated artifacts (build/globals.json, docs/global-reference.md) come from this file via
+# tools/globals_build.py --build. Do not edit those. Skeletons are appended by
+# tools/story_flags.py --bootstrap; enrich each entry as we investigate.
+# See docs/superpowers/specs/2026-07-07-globals-registry-and-story-flags-design.md.
+[meta]
+note = "Curated global addresses override the auto shape-inference map (build/global-var-map.json)."
+
+[[global]]
+address = "0x3234"
+name = "chapter_mode"
+category = "story-flag"
+type = "int"
+value_domain = "1..9"
+usage = "Progression chapter/mode selector. SCJUMP's top-level switch keys on it; branch-read by progression scripts (FIELD etc.), not directly by SC/SP scenes."
+source = "investigation"
+confidence = "high"
+depends_on = ["0x62ccf"]
+
+[[global]]
+address = "0xa57"
+name = "lily_form_a"
+category = "story-flag"
+type = "int"
+value_domain = "{0,1}"
+usage = "Lily current-form flag A. Exactly one of form A/B/C is 1; gates form-specific voiced dialogue (seeding 0xa57=1 -> SC0000 186->229 lines). Set externally (menu/save), no static writer."
+source = "investigation"
+confidence = "high"
+depends_on = ["0xa58", "0xa59"]
+
+[[global]]
+address = "0xa58"
+name = "lily_form_b"
+category = "story-flag"
+type = "int"
+value_domain = "{0,1}"
+usage = "Lily current-form flag B. See lily_form_a."
+source = "investigation"
+confidence = "high"
+depends_on = ["0xa57", "0xa59"]
+
+[[global]]
+address = "0xa59"
+name = "lily_form_c"
+category = "story-flag"
+type = "int"
+value_domain = "{0,1}"
+usage = "Lily current-form flag C. See lily_form_a."
+source = "investigation"
+confidence = "high"
+depends_on = ["0xa57", "0xa58"]
+
+[[global]]
+address = "0x6c9"
+name = "ui_toggle_0"
+category = "ui-toggle"
+type = "int"
+value_domain = "{0,1}"
+usage = "ADV-chrome hotspot button toggle (op 0x90 site, near-universal across scenes)."
+source = "investigation"
+confidence = "med"
+depends_on = []
+
+[[global]]
+address = "0x6ca"
+name = "ui_toggle_1"
+category = "ui-toggle"
+type = "int"
+value_domain = "{0,1}"
+usage = "ADV-chrome hotspot button toggle. See ui_toggle_0."
+source = "investigation"
+confidence = "med"
+depends_on = []
+
+[[global]]
+address = "0x6cb"
+name = "ui_toggle_2"
+category = "ui-toggle"
+type = "int"
+value_domain = "{0,1}"
+usage = "ADV-chrome hotspot button toggle. See ui_toggle_0."
+source = "investigation"
+confidence = "med"
+depends_on = []
+
+[[global]]
+address = "0x6cc"
+name = "ui_toggle_3"
+category = "ui-toggle"
+type = "int"
+value_domain = "{0,1}"
+usage = "ADV-chrome hotspot button toggle. See ui_toggle_0."
+source = "investigation"
+confidence = "med"
+depends_on = []
+
+[[global]]
+address = "0x6cd"
+name = "ui_toggle_4"
+category = "ui-toggle"
+type = "int"
+value_domain = "{0,1}"
+usage = "ADV-chrome hotspot button toggle. See ui_toggle_0."
+source = "investigation"
+confidence = "med"
+depends_on = []
+
+[[global]]
+address = "0x62ccf"
+name = "scjump_decision_out"
+category = "choice-output"
+type = "int"
+value_domain = "?"
+usage = "One of SCJUMP's output/decision globals (progression state machine writes it). Related to chapter_mode."
+source = "inference"
+confidence = "low"
+depends_on = []
+
+[[global]]
+address = "0xeff75"
+name = "current_entity_index_hi"
+category = "index-pointer"
+type = "int"
+value_domain = "row index"
+usage = "High-purity current-entity row index (purity 0.95 in the auto shape map); dominant 2D-table row selector."
+source = "inference"
+confidence = "med"
+depends_on = []
+
+[[global]]
+address = "0x152616"
+name = "current_entity_index"
+category = "index-pointer"
+type = "int"
+value_domain = "row index"
+usage = "Primary current-entity row index (RECOVER-confirmed; purity 0.51, 363 row-index uses)."
+source = "investigation"
+confidence = "med"
+depends_on = []