diff --git a/papers/medial_tire_decompositions_of_plane_triangulations/experiments/chained_seam_findings.md b/papers/medial_tire_decompositions_of_plane_triangulations/experiments/chained_seam_findings.md
index 18343ab..39efd08 100644
--- a/papers/medial_tire_decompositions_of_plane_triangulations/experiments/chained_seam_findings.md
+++ b/papers/medial_tire_decompositions_of_plane_triangulations/experiments/chained_seam_findings.md
@@ -104,12 +104,46 @@ overlap always holds, so chains still glue by choosing states per interface. The
 conjecture's difficulty is thus concentrated in rare exceptional tiles and the
 branch-coupled selection around them, not in any single seam or in a scaling trend.
 
+## Finding 5 — restricting to no separating triangles REMOVES the obstruction
+
+The 4CT reduces to triangulations with no separating triangles (internally
+4-connected). In the tread model, a separating (non-facial) triangle in `G` shows up
+as a **length-3 boundary walk** of a tread: an outer rim of 3 up teeth, or an inner
+face holding exactly 3 singleton down teeth (the `012` seam). Restricting to tiles
+with **no length-3 boundary** (`kempe_universal_trend_probe.py --no-tri`,
+`kempe_uniform_family_probe.py --no-tri`):
+
+- The n=12 breaker `UUUDUDUDUDUD` bite=(3,11) has a size-3 inner face (the bite
+  encloses exactly `d5,d7,d9`), so it is **excluded** — along with its kin.
+- The size-7 universal at n=12 is **restored**: `|D[7]|` goes `0 → 2`, on a reduced
+  population (211 → 76 size-7 boundaries). Across `n = 6..13` and all sizes, **every
+  `|D[m]| ≥ 1`** — no empty universal anywhere.
+- The uniform-family CSP becomes **FEASIBLE at n=12** (was infeasible). The threading
+  family is now the simplest one — **monochromatic on even sizes, min-cut on odd**:
+
+  ```
+  σ4 = 0000   σ5 = 00012   σ6 = 000000   σ7 = 0000012   σ8 = 00000000
+  ```
+
+  (Without the restriction, `σ4` had to be `0011`, not monochromatic, because
+  separating-triangle tiles blocked the all-0 rim. Removing them lets monochromatic
+  even seams work.)
+
+So the **only** universal failure we found (n=12, size 7) was an artifact of admitting
+tiles that correspond to **non-4-connected** triangulations. On the 4CT-relevant class
+(no separating triangles), the uniform seam family exists and gluing is constructively
+trivial throughout the tested range — no pigeonhole needed.
+
+Caveat: even at n=12 the restricted population has **0 branching tiles** (multi-inner
+faces all require a size-3 face at this n), so the branching case stays untested under
+the restriction; and this is `n ≤ 13` only.
+
 ## Open threads
 
-- **Why n=12 / why this tile?** The breaker is the most-alternating 7-up word with an
-  antipodal bite. Is the sporadic failure tied to `n` even / specific bite spans?
-  Worth checking n=14, 16 for size-7 (and other) re-failures.
-- **CSP at n=13.** With `|D[m]| > 0` for every size, the per-size obstruction is gone;
-  whether the joint uniform-family CSP is feasible again at n=13 needs a run.
-- **Branch-tree composition.** n=12 has 175 true branching tiles; composing `R_T`
-  along actual trees (not just per-size uniformity) is the conjecture proper.
+- **Branching under the restriction.** No-separating-triangle branching tiles need
+  larger `n` (every inner face ≥ 4). Find the smallest `n` that has them and test the
+  uniform family there — the genuine conjecture case.
+- **Does the restricted uniform family persist?** It holds for `n ≤ 13`; a single
+  later failure (as in the unrestricted n=12 case) would be very informative. Push to
+  n=14, 16.
+- **`R_T` composition along real trees** rather than per-size uniformity.
diff --git a/papers/medial_tire_decompositions_of_plane_triangulations/experiments/kempe_uniform_family_probe.py b/papers/medial_tire_decompositions_of_plane_triangulations/experiments/kempe_uniform_family_probe.py
index bdc880e..b4bd0c8 100644
--- a/papers/medial_tire_decompositions_of_plane_triangulations/experiments/kempe_uniform_family_probe.py
+++ b/papers/medial_tire_decompositions_of_plane_triangulations/experiments/kempe_uniform_family_probe.py
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ from collections import defaultdict
 from full_medial_tire_generator import generate, innermost_bite
 from kempe_valid_colorings import classify_colorings
 from kempe_transfer_relation_probe import necklace, cuts
+from kempe_universal_trend_probe import has_length3_boundary
 from kempe_up_tooth_sequences import seq_str
 
 
@@ -64,6 +65,8 @@ def run(args):
     for g in generate(n, min_up_teeth=3, dedup=True):
         if not inner_faces(g):
             continue
+        if args.no_tri and has_length3_boundary(g):
+            continue
         t = Tile(g)
         tiles.append(t)
         # marginal realisable sets per boundary (for domain restriction)
@@ -135,6 +138,9 @@ def run(args):
 def main():
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
     parser.add_argument("--n", type=int, default=9)
+    parser.add_argument("--no-tri", action="store_true",
+                        help="exclude tiles with a length-3 boundary "
+                             "(no separating triangle in G)")
     run(parser.parse_args())
 
 
diff --git a/papers/medial_tire_decompositions_of_plane_triangulations/experiments/kempe_universal_trend_probe.py b/papers/medial_tire_decompositions_of_plane_triangulations/experiments/kempe_universal_trend_probe.py
index bf860b7..b10e28c 100644
--- a/papers/medial_tire_decompositions_of_plane_triangulations/experiments/kempe_universal_trend_probe.py
+++ b/papers/medial_tire_decompositions_of_plane_triangulations/experiments/kempe_universal_trend_probe.py
@@ -24,10 +24,23 @@ from kempe_valid_colorings import classify_colorings
 from kempe_transfer_relation_probe import necklace, admissible_necklaces
 
 
-def per_size_universals(n: int):
+def has_length3_boundary(g) -> bool:
+    """A length-3 boundary walk = a separating (non-facial) triangle in G:
+    outer rim of 3 up teeth, or an inner face holding exactly 3 singleton downs."""
+    if len(g.up_edges) == 3:
+        return True
+    faces = defaultdict(list)
+    for e in g.singleton_down_edges:
+        faces[innermost_bite(e, g.bites)].append(e)
+    return any(len(es) == 3 for es in faces.values())
+
+
+def per_size_universals(n: int, no_tri: bool = False):
     """size m -> (num boundaries, |D[m]|, best coverage count)."""
     boundaries: dict[int, list[set]] = defaultdict(list)
     for g in generate(n, min_up_teeth=3, dedup=True):
+        if no_tri and has_length3_boundary(g):
+            continue
         valid = [c for c, v in classify_colorings(g, dedup_colors=True) if v.valid]
         if not valid:
             continue
@@ -59,9 +72,12 @@ def run(args):
     print("|D[m]| = number of universal boundary necklaces of size m "
           "(0 => uniform shortcut dead at that size)\n")
     print("legend per cell:  |D[m]| (best_coverage/num_boundaries)\n")
+    if args.no_tri:
+        print("[restricted to tiles with NO length-3 boundary "
+              "(no separating triangle in G)]\n")
     for n in range(args.min_n, args.max_n + 1):
         t0 = time.time()
-        res = per_size_universals(n)
+        res = per_size_universals(n, no_tri=args.no_tri)
         dt = time.time() - t0
         cells = []
         for m in sorted(res):
@@ -77,6 +93,9 @@ def main():
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
     parser.add_argument("--min-n", type=int, default=6)
     parser.add_argument("--max-n", type=int, default=12)
+    parser.add_argument("--no-tri", action="store_true",
+                        help="exclude tiles with a length-3 boundary "
+                             "(no separating triangle in G)")
     run(parser.parse_args())