diff --git a/results-loop/PROTOCOL_UNIFIED.md b/results-loop/PROTOCOL_UNIFIED.md
index a0169b2..95a069c 100644
--- a/results-loop/PROTOCOL_UNIFIED.md
+++ b/results-loop/PROTOCOL_UNIFIED.md
@@ -377,3 +377,9 @@ is fully supported.
     triggers the plan's kill criterion. lambda=0 control isolates whether
     the CE gradient alone moves the gate (expected: barely — penalty
     provides the pressure).
+
+    Item 18 amendment (2026-07-16 ~23:45, before results): arms run on a
+    rented 4xH100 node in parallel instead of the Spark queue; a fourth
+    arm (lambda=1e-3, seed 1) is added for immediate seed replication of
+    the expected-winner penalty. Spark's queued gate jobs will be dropped
+    to avoid duplication. Everything else per registration.