diff --git a/docs/approvals.md b/docs/approvals.md
index 0f92ccfa..ff1ab9c7 100644
--- a/docs/approvals.md
+++ b/docs/approvals.md
@@ -88,6 +88,55 @@ creates the container; subsequent ones rebuild it with new config.
 This gives the manager (and operator) an explicit review gate on the
 initial configuration before any container is created.
 
+### Approval kinds (wire shapes)
+
+`ApprovalKind` carries five variants; each maps to a different
+`commit_ref` encoding because that field is overloaded as the
+kind-specific payload carrier.
+
+- `ApplyCommit` — `commit_ref` is the manager-supplied git sha
+  (7-40 hex chars). The canonical, hive-c0re-vouched sha after the
+  proposal fetch lives in `fetched_sha` on the same `Approval`
+  row (only `ApplyCommit` populates it). See the End-to-end flow
+  above.
+- `Spawn` — direct container creation under the default
+  `agent.nix` template. `commit_ref` is empty. Submitted via
+  `HostRequest::RequestSpawn` (operator-gated, the
+  `◆ R3QU3ST SP4WN` dashboard button + `hive-c0re request-spawn`
+  CLI). The host-level `HostRequest::Spawn` variant bypasses the
+  approval queue entirely — privileged-context use only (operator
+  on the host shell, test scripts, one-off recoveries). The
+  manager-side `RequestSpawn` is gone; managers go through the
+  `InitConfig` → `ApplyCommit` two-step instead so the spawn
+  captures their customised config.
+- `InitConfig` — `commit_ref` is empty; the variant just gates
+  "seed the proposed repo with the default template" against
+  operator approval. Step 1 of the two-step spawn flow above.
+- `UpdateMetaInputs` — `commit_ref` stores the JSON-encoded inputs
+  array (`"[]"` = all inputs, `"[\"nixpkgs\"]"` = just nixpkgs,
+  etc.). `agent` field is set to `hm1nd` (the requesting manager).
+  On approve hive-c0re runs `nix flake update [inputs...]` on the
+  meta flake and commits the resulting lock changes.
+- `SchedulePrompt` — `commit_ref` stores the JSON-encoded
+  `SchedulePromptPayload` (target list, body, schedule) so the
+  approval row carries the full submission verbatim. On approve
+  hive-c0re inserts a row into `scheduled_prompts` with
+  `source = approval:<id>`; the worker fans the body out as
+  inbox messages to each target at the scheduled time, recurring
+  when `interval_seconds` is set.
+
+### Destroy semantics
+
+`HostRequest::Destroy { name, purge }` is the lifecycle tear-down,
+not an approval. Stops + removes the nspawn container, drops the
+systemd drop-in, fails any pending approvals. Persistent state
+(proposed/applied repos, claude credentials, `/state/` notes) is
+**kept by default** — recreating the agent with the same name
+reuses prior config + login. With `purge = true` the agent's
+`/var/lib/hyperhive/{agents,applied}/<name>/` trees are also
+wiped (config history + creds + notes gone forever). The manager
+refuses to destroy itself.
+
 ## Meta flake
 
 The hive-c0re-owned repo at `/var/lib/hyperhive/meta/`
diff --git a/hive-sh4re/src/lib.rs b/hive-sh4re/src/lib.rs
index 5162145b..4544b0ad 100644
--- a/hive-sh4re/src/lib.rs
+++ b/hive-sh4re/src/lib.rs
@@ -14,29 +14,17 @@ pub mod assets;
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 #[serde(tag = "cmd", rename_all = "snake_case")]
 pub enum HostRequest {
-    /// Create and start a sub-agent container directly (no approval). Use
-    /// this from privileged contexts (operator on the host); it bypasses the
-    /// approval queue intentionally so test scripts and one-off recoveries
-    /// don't need a separate approve step.
+    /// Create and start a sub-agent container directly, bypassing the
+    /// approval queue. Privileged-context only. See
+    /// `docs/approvals.md::Approval kinds (wire shapes)`.
     Spawn { name: String },
-    /// Submit a spawn request for the operator to approve. On approval the
-    /// host creates and starts the container with the default `agent.nix`
-    /// template. The dashboard's `◆ R3QU3ST SP4WN` button and the
-    /// `hive-c0re request-spawn` CLI both go through this. The
-    /// previously-mirrored manager-side `RequestSpawn` was removed
-    /// (#442) — managers now go through the two-step `request_init_config`
-    /// and `request_apply_commit` flow so the spawn captures the
-    /// manager's customised config.
+    /// Submit a spawn request for the operator to approve. See
+    /// `docs/approvals.md::Approval kinds (wire shapes)` (`Spawn`).
     RequestSpawn { name: String },
     /// Stop a managed container (graceful).
     Kill { name: String },
-    /// Tear down a sub-agent container: stop + remove + drop the systemd
-    /// drop-in, purge pending approvals. Persistent state (proposed/applied
-    /// repos, Claude credentials) is KEPT by default — recreating the agent
-    /// with the same name reuses prior config + login. With `purge=true`
-    /// the agent's `/var/lib/hyperhive/{agents,applied}/<name>/` trees are
-    /// also wiped (config history + creds + notes gone forever). Manager
-    /// not destroyable.
+    /// Tear down a sub-agent container, optionally purging state.
+    /// See `docs/approvals.md::Destroy semantics`.
     Destroy {
         name: String,
         #[serde(default)]
@@ -74,22 +62,22 @@ pub struct HostResponse {
     pub approvals: Option<Vec<Approval>>,
 }
 
+/// One row in the approval queue. `commit_ref` is overloaded per
+/// `kind` — see `docs/approvals.md::Approval kinds (wire shapes)`
+/// for the encoding table and lifecycle.
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 pub struct Approval {
     pub id: i64,
     pub agent: String,
     #[serde(default)]
     pub kind: ApprovalKind,
-    /// For `ApplyCommit`: the git sha the manager submitted. For `Spawn`:
-    /// empty. Note that this is the manager's *claimed* ref — the
-    /// canonical, hive-c0re-vouched sha after the proposal fetch lives
-    /// in `fetched_sha`.
+    /// Kind-specific payload (git sha / inputs array / schedule
+    /// payload / empty). See the Approval struct doc.
     pub commit_ref: String,
-    /// The sha hive-c0re fetched from the proposed repo into applied at
-    /// submission time, then tagged `proposal/<id>`. Stable for the
-    /// lifetime of the approval — manager amends in proposed don't
-    /// change what gets built. Only set for `ApplyCommit` after the
-    /// successful fetch.
+    /// `ApplyCommit` only: the canonical hive-c0re-vouched sha after
+    /// the proposal fetch, tagged `proposal/<id>`. Stable for the
+    /// approval's lifetime — manager amends in proposed don't change
+    /// what gets built.
     #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub fetched_sha: Option<String>,
     pub requested_at: i64,
@@ -98,44 +86,31 @@ pub struct Approval {
     pub resolved_at: Option<i64>,
     #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub note: Option<String>,
-    /// Optional free-text description the manager attached at submission
-    /// time — shown on the dashboard approval card so the operator can
-    /// understand the change without opening the diff.
+    /// Free-text description the manager attached at submission time;
+    /// shown on the dashboard approval card.
     #[serde(default, skip_serializing_if = "Option::is_none")]
     pub description: Option<String>,
 }
 
 /// What action the approval, when granted, will trigger.
+/// Variant-specific payload encoding +  flow lives in
+/// `docs/approvals.md::Approval kinds (wire shapes)`.
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, Default, Serialize, Deserialize, PartialEq, Eq)]
 #[serde(rename_all = "snake_case")]
 pub enum ApprovalKind {
-    /// Apply a manager-proposed config commit (existing flow).
+    /// Apply a manager-proposed config commit.
     #[default]
     ApplyCommit,
-    /// Create + start a new sub-agent container with the given name.
-    /// Used today by the host admin socket / dashboard "request spawn"
-    /// button; the manager-side `RequestSpawn` surface was removed in
-    /// favour of the two-step `InitConfig` → `ApplyCommit` flow (#442).
+    /// Create + start a new sub-agent container with the given name
+    /// (under the default `agent.nix` template).
     Spawn,
-    /// Initialise a new agent's proposed config repo so the manager can
-    /// customise it before submitting a `request_apply_commit`. On
-    /// approval hive-c0re seeds `proposed/<name>/` with the default
-    /// `agent.nix` template but does NOT create the container — that
-    /// requires a subsequent `ApplyCommit` approval pinning the
-    /// customised config sha.
+    /// Seed an agent's proposed config repo for manager customisation
+    /// (step 1 of the two-step spawn flow).
     InitConfig,
     /// Run `nix flake update [inputs...]` on the meta flake and commit
-    /// the resulting lock changes. The `commit_ref` field stores the
-    /// JSON-encoded inputs array (`"[]"` = all inputs). Agent field is
-    /// set to `hm1nd` (the requesting manager).
+    /// the resulting lock changes.
     UpdateMetaInputs,
-    /// Add a scheduled prompt (closes #444). On approval hive-c0re
-    /// inserts a row into `scheduled_prompts` with
-    /// `source = Approval { id }`; the worker fans the body out as
-    /// inbox messages to each target at the scheduled time, recurring
-    /// when `interval_seconds` is set. `commit_ref` stores the
-    /// JSON-encoded `SchedulePromptPayload` so the approval row carries
-    /// the full submission verbatim (target list, body, schedule).
+    /// Add a scheduled prompt to the broker queue.
     SchedulePrompt,
 }
 
@@ -146,10 +121,10 @@ pub enum ApprovalStatus {
     Approved,
     Denied,
     Failed,
-    /// Manager withdrew the request before the operator acted on it
-    /// (closes #250). Distinct from `Denied` (operator decision) and
-    /// `Failed` (post-approval lifecycle error) so the dashboard can
-    /// chip / sort cancellations separately.
+    /// Manager withdrew the request before the operator acted on it.
+    /// Distinct from `Denied` (operator decision) and `Failed`
+    /// (post-approval lifecycle error). See
+    /// `docs/approvals.md::Withdrawing a pending approval`.
     Cancelled,
 }