diff --git a/mcp-server/index.ts b/mcp-server/index.ts
index c9c940f..5964745 100644
--- a/mcp-server/index.ts
+++ b/mcp-server/index.ts
@@ -1240,6 +1240,107 @@ tr:hover{background:#111827}
           }
         }
 
+        // Intelligence: Chicago permits → assumed staffing contracts with
+        // Phase 19-ranked candidates and Path-2 discovered patterns. Each
+        // card pairs a REAL permit (live from data.cityofchicago.org) with
+        // a PROPOSED fill drawn from our 500K worker bench. Surfaces the
+        // meta-index dimension directly: "what past similar fills had in
+        // common" for this role + geo.
+        if (url.pathname === "/intelligence/permit_contracts" && req.method === "POST") {
+          const start = Date.now();
+          try {
+            const permitUrl = "https://data.cityofchicago.org/resource/ydr8-5enu.json";
+            // Recent + substantial permits only — skip tiny ones that
+            // don't imply real staffing demand.
+            const permits: any[] = await fetch(
+              `${permitUrl}?$select=permit_type,work_type,work_description,reported_cost,street_number,street_direction,street_name,community_area,issue_date&`
+              + `$where=reported_cost>250000 AND issue_date>'2025-06-01'`
+              + `&$order=issue_date DESC&$limit=6`
+            ).then(r => r.json()).catch(() => []);
+
+            const typeToRole: Record<string, string> = {
+              "Electrical Work": "Electrician",
+              "Masonry Work": "Production Worker",
+              "Mechanical Work": "Maintenance Tech",
+              "Reroofing": "Production Worker",
+              "Plumbing Work": "Maintenance Tech",
+            };
+
+            const contracts: any[] = [];
+            for (const p of permits) {
+              const cost = parseFloat(p.reported_cost || 0);
+              // Industry heuristic — one worker per $150K of permit value,
+              // capped at 8 per contract for staffing realism.
+              const count = Math.min(Math.max(Math.round(cost / 150000), 2), 8);
+              const role = typeToRole[p.work_type || ""] || "Production Worker";
+              const city = "Chicago";
+              const state = "IL";
+
+              // Phase 19 ranked candidates. Soft availability filter
+              // auto-applied by /search — this mirrors the real recruiter
+              // query path exactly.
+              const searchRes = await api("POST", "/vectors/hybrid", {
+                index_name: "workers_500k_v1",
+                filter_dataset: "workers_500k",
+                id_column: "worker_id",
+                sql_filter: `role = '${role}' AND state = '${state}' AND city = '${city}' AND CAST(availability AS DOUBLE) > 0.5`,
+                question: `${role} for ${p.work_type || "construction"} in ${city}`,
+                top_k: 5, generate: false,
+                use_playbook_memory: true, playbook_memory_k: 25,
+              }).catch(() => ({ sources: [] as any[] }));
+
+              // Path 2 — discovered patterns for this role in this city.
+              const patternRes = await api("POST", "/vectors/playbook_memory/patterns", {
+                query: `${role} in ${city}, ${state}`,
+                top_k_playbooks: 25,
+                min_trait_frequency: 0.3,
+              }).catch(() => ({} as any));
+
+              const sources = (searchRes.sources || []).slice(0, 5).map((s: any) => {
+                const name = String(s.chunk_text || "").split("—")[0]?.trim() || s.doc_id;
+                return {
+                  doc_id: s.doc_id,
+                  name,
+                  score: s.score,
+                  playbook_boost: s.playbook_boost || 0,
+                  playbook_citations: s.playbook_citations || [],
+                };
+              });
+
+              contracts.push({
+                permit: {
+                  cost,
+                  work_type: p.work_type || "General construction",
+                  description: (p.work_description || "").substring(0, 140),
+                  address: `${p.street_number || ""} ${p.street_direction || ""} ${p.street_name || ""}`.trim(),
+                  community_area: p.community_area,
+                  issue_date: (p.issue_date || "").substring(0, 10),
+                },
+                proposed: {
+                  role,
+                  count,
+                  city, state,
+                  pool_size: searchRes.sql_matches,
+                  candidates: sources,
+                },
+                discovered_pattern: patternRes.discovered_pattern,
+                pattern_matched: patternRes.matched_playbooks ?? 0,
+                pattern_workers_examined: patternRes.total_workers_examined ?? 0,
+              });
+            }
+
+            return ok({
+              generated_at: new Date().toISOString(),
+              count: contracts.length,
+              contracts,
+              duration_ms: Date.now() - start,
+              note: "Live Chicago permits paired with workers_500k-ranked candidates and playbook_memory discovered patterns. The permit is real public data; the proposed fill is derived per industry heuristic (~$150K → 1 worker).",
+            });
+          } catch (e: any) {
+            return err(`permit_contracts: ${e.message}`, 500);
+          }
+        }
+
         // Intelligence: Log a search → selection as a learned pattern
         if (url.pathname === "/intelligence/learn" && req.method === "POST") {
           const b = await json();
diff --git a/mcp-server/search.html b/mcp-server/search.html
index c502423..e91fefd 100644
--- a/mcp-server/search.html
+++ b/mcp-server/search.html
@@ -112,6 +112,14 @@ body{font-family:'Inter',-apple-system,system-ui,'Segoe UI',sans-serif;backgroun
 
 <div id="main"><div class="ld">Analyzing contracts and workers...</div></div>
 
+<div class="section" id="live-contracts-section">
+  <div class="section-header">
+    <span class="section-title">Live Contracts — Chicago Permits → Proposed Fills</span>
+    <span class="section-meta">Real public permit data + our 500K worker bench + past playbook patterns</span>
+  </div>
+  <div id="live-contracts"><div class="ld">Loading live contracts...</div></div>
+</div>
+
 <div class="section" id="market-section">
   <div class="section-header">
     <span class="section-title">Market Intelligence</span>
@@ -147,12 +155,84 @@ var P=location.pathname.indexOf('/lakehouse')>=0?'/lakehouse':'';
 var A=location.origin+P;
 var AC=['#1a2744','#1a3a2a','#2a1a3a','#3a2a1a','#1a3a3a','#2a2a1a'];
 var lastQuery='';
-window.addEventListener('load',function(){loadDay();loadMarket();loadLearning()});
+window.addEventListener('load',function(){loadDay();loadLiveContracts();loadMarket();loadLearning()});
 
 function api(path,body){
   return fetch(A+path,{method:'POST',headers:{'Content-Type':'application/json'},body:JSON.stringify(body)}).then(function(r){return r.json()})
 }
 
+function loadLiveContracts(){
+  // Pair live Chicago permits with our 500K worker bench and the
+  // meta-index discovered patterns for each role+geo. This is the
+  // "real external data meets synthetic playbook learning" card set.
+  api('/intelligence/permit_contracts',{}).then(function(r){
+    var el=document.getElementById('live-contracts');el.textContent='';
+    if(!r||!r.contracts||r.contracts.length===0){
+      el.textContent='No permits returned.';return;
+    }
+    r.contracts.forEach(function(c){
+      var p=c.permit||{}, prop=c.proposed||{};
+      var card=document.createElement('div');card.className='insight info';
+      card.style.cssText='background:#0d1117;border:1px solid #171d27;border-radius:10px;padding:16px;margin-bottom:10px;border-left:3px solid #388bfd';
+      // Header — permit
+      var hdr=document.createElement('div');hdr.style.cssText='display:flex;justify-content:space-between;margin-bottom:8px;gap:12px';
+      var left=document.createElement('div');
+      var title=document.createElement('div');title.style.cssText='font-weight:600;color:#e6edf3;font-size:14px';
+      title.textContent='$'+(p.cost||0).toLocaleString()+' · '+(p.work_type||'');
+      var addr=document.createElement('div');addr.style.cssText='color:#8b949e;font-size:12px;margin-top:2px';
+      addr.textContent=(p.address||'')+' · Chicago, IL · '+(p.issue_date||'');
+      left.appendChild(title);left.appendChild(addr);
+      var right=document.createElement('div');right.style.cssText='color:#58a6ff;font-size:12px;font-weight:600;text-align:right;white-space:nowrap';
+      right.textContent=prop.count+'× '+prop.role;
+      var sub=document.createElement('div');sub.style.cssText='color:#545d68;font-size:10px;text-align:right';
+      sub.textContent='pool: '+(prop.pool_size||'?').toLocaleString()+' available';
+      right.appendChild(sub);
+      hdr.appendChild(left);hdr.appendChild(right);card.appendChild(hdr);
+      // Description
+      if(p.description){
+        var desc=document.createElement('div');desc.style.cssText='color:#94a3b8;font-size:11px;margin-bottom:10px;line-height:1.5';
+        desc.textContent=p.description;card.appendChild(desc);
+      }
+      // Pattern (meta-index) chip
+      if(c.discovered_pattern){
+        var pat=document.createElement('div');pat.style.cssText='background:#0d2818;border:1px solid #2ea04360;border-radius:6px;padding:8px 12px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:11px;color:#86efac;line-height:1.5';
+        var plabel=document.createElement('span');plabel.style.cssText='color:#3fb950;font-weight:600;margin-right:6px';
+        plabel.textContent='MEMORY ('+c.pattern_matched+' playbooks):';
+        pat.appendChild(plabel);
+        pat.appendChild(document.createTextNode(' '+c.discovered_pattern));
+        card.appendChild(pat);
+      }
+      // Candidates
+      var cands=prop.candidates||[];
+      cands.slice(0,3).forEach(function(cand,i){
+        var row=document.createElement('div');row.style.cssText='display:flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;padding:6px 10px;background:#161b22;border-radius:6px;margin-bottom:4px;font-size:12px';
+        var av=document.createElement('div');av.style.cssText='width:28px;height:28px;border-radius:6px;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:center;font-weight:600;font-size:10px;color:#e6edf3;background:'+AC[i%AC.length];
+        av.textContent=(cand.name||'?').split(' ').map(function(n){return (n[0]||'').toUpperCase()}).join('').substring(0,2);
+        var info=document.createElement('div');info.style.cssText='flex:1;min-width:0';
+        var nm=document.createElement('div');nm.style.cssText='color:#e6edf3;font-weight:500';nm.textContent=cand.name||cand.doc_id;
+        if((cand.playbook_boost||0)>0){
+          var chip=document.createElement('span');chip.style.cssText='margin-left:8px;padding:2px 7px;border-radius:9px;font-size:9px;font-weight:600;background:#0d2818;border:1px solid #2ea043;color:#3fb950;vertical-align:middle';
+          chip.textContent='Endorsed · '+(cand.playbook_citations||[]).length+' playbook'+((cand.playbook_citations||[]).length===1?'':'s');
+          nm.appendChild(chip);
+        }
+        var sub2=document.createElement('div');sub2.style.cssText='color:#545d68;font-size:10px';
+        sub2.textContent=cand.doc_id+' · score '+(cand.score||0).toFixed(3);
+        info.appendChild(nm);info.appendChild(sub2);
+        row.appendChild(av);row.appendChild(info);
+        card.appendChild(row);
+      });
+      if(cands.length>3){
+        var more=document.createElement('div');more.style.cssText='font-size:10px;color:#58a6ff;padding:4px 10px;margin-top:2px';
+        more.textContent='+ '+(cands.length-3)+' more candidates available';
+        card.appendChild(more);
+      }
+      el.appendChild(card);
+    });
+  }).catch(function(e){
+    document.getElementById('live-contracts').textContent='Error loading: '+e.message;
+  });
+}
+
 function loadDay(){
   // Step 1: run simulation + get real worker count + populate dropdowns from actual data
   Promise.all([