diff --git a/.console/log.md b/.console/log.md
index 05306f9b..13a9ba58 100644
--- a/.console/log.md
+++ b/.console/log.md
@@ -1,3 +1,28 @@
+## 2026-08-03 — fix(OperationsCenter): ensure_executor_backends must guard EVERY backend src/ imports
+
+The self-heal in `scripts/operations-center.sh` covered only two of the three
+execute backends. Its guard was `import team_executor, dag_executor` and its
+install loop `for _sib in TeamExecutor DAGExecutor` — but `src/` also imports
+`critique_executor` (`.executor`, `.models`, plus a full adapter at
+`backends/critique_executor/`). A dropped CritiqueExecutor therefore left the
+guard PASSING, so the self-heal never fired and the critique lane stalled with
+exactly the "no obvious cause" symptom the function's own comment warns about
+for its other two backends — the failure mode it exists to prevent, reproduced
+in the one case it didn't cover. Root cause is structural, not a typo: the guard
+enumerates backends independently of what `src/` actually imports, so the two
+drift silently. Fixed by adding `critique_executor` to the guard and
+`CritiqueExecutor` to the loop, and by stating the invariant in the comment
+(the guard must import every backend `src/` imports) so the next backend added
+doesn't repeat it. Verified end-to-end against a live venv: with all three
+present the guard short-circuits (no needless reinstall); after uninstalling
+critique-executor the OLD guard still passes — the bug, reproduced — while the
+new guard fires and restores all three; capabilities plane intact afterward
+(the sibling installs bypass the `[tool.uv]` override pin, so that was checked
+explicitly, not assumed). Also noted, NOT fixed here: `docs/operator/setup.md`
+says setup verifies via `team-executor --help`, but TeamExecutor declares no
+`[project.scripts]` — no such console script exists and OC consumes it purely
+as a library. That doc line is stale.
+
 ## 2026-07-15 — feat(reviewer): ACTIVATE the council — populate guardrail_paths (§G1)
 
 The council's go-live. C1/C2/C3 all merged; `reviewer.council.guardrail_paths`
diff --git a/scripts/operations-center.sh b/scripts/operations-center.sh
index 1c7ebc82..38a9d726 100755
--- a/scripts/operations-center.sh
+++ b/scripts/operations-center.sh
@@ -69,22 +69,27 @@ ensure_venv() {
   ensure_executor_backends
 }
 
-# The execute backends (team_executor, dag_executor) are sibling CHECKOUTS, not
-# declared OC dependencies — `uv pip install -e .[dev]` never installs them and a
-# `uv sync` / venv-recreate actively DROPS them. When that happens the executor
+# The execute backends (team_executor, dag_executor, critique_executor) are sibling
+# CHECKOUTS, not declared OC dependencies — `uv pip install -e .[dev]` never installs
+# them and a `uv sync` / venv-recreate actively DROPS them. When that happens the executor
 # can't load its backend ("team_executor not installed: No module named
 # 'team_executor'") and EVERY goal task fails at execute → the whole lane stalls
 # with no obvious cause. Self-heal: whenever the backends aren't importable, (re)install
 # them editable. Runs every launch but the import check is ~free and the install only
 # fires when actually missing, so a mid-life drop recovers on the next fleet start
 # rather than blocking autonomy until a human notices.
+#
+# The guard must import EVERY backend src/ imports. It previously checked only
+# team_executor and dag_executor, so a missing critique_executor left the guard
+# passing, the self-heal never firing, and the critique lane stalling with exactly
+# the no-obvious-cause symptom described above.
 ensure_executor_backends() {
-  if "${VENV_DIR}/bin/python" -c "import team_executor, dag_executor" 2>/dev/null; then
+  if "${VENV_DIR}/bin/python" -c "import team_executor, dag_executor, critique_executor" 2>/dev/null; then
     return 0
   fi
   echo "operations-center.sh: executor backends missing — (re)installing siblings" >&2
   local _sib
-  for _sib in TeamExecutor DAGExecutor; do
+  for _sib in TeamExecutor DAGExecutor CritiqueExecutor; do
     if [[ -f "${ROOT_DIR}/../${_sib}/pyproject.toml" ]]; then
       uv pip install --python "${VENV_DIR}/bin/python" -e "${ROOT_DIR}/../${_sib}" \
         || echo "operations-center.sh: WARNING failed to install ${_sib} — execute backend unavailable" >&2