diff --git a/.planning/phases/18-campaign-grouping-phishing-analysis-api/18-CONTEXT.md b/.planning/phases/18-campaign-grouping-phishing-analysis-api/18-CONTEXT.md
index 6cf91e8..79a5d1e 100644
--- a/.planning/phases/18-campaign-grouping-phishing-analysis-api/18-CONTEXT.md
+++ b/.planning/phases/18-campaign-grouping-phishing-analysis-api/18-CONTEXT.md
@@ -84,6 +84,36 @@ phishing endpoint (Phases 19-21) must also follow.
   browsing — it wires the fine-grained check through now rather than
   retrofitting it later.
 
+### Automatic-Path EML Parsing Scope
+- **D-07 (added post-research):** Research found that `parseAndStoreMessage()`
+  (Phase 16's `.eml` parser — the only writer of `messages`/`indicators` rows,
+  i.e. the only source of Message-ID and attachment-hash/URL data) has zero
+  callers anywhere in the codebase; Phase 16's own plan doc explicitly
+  earmarked this phase's `/analyze` endpoint as its first real caller.
+  Decision: do **NOT** wire `parseAndStoreMessage()` into the automatic
+  webhook/cron path in this phase. The automatic path (webhook `ticket.created`
+  + cron sweep) calls `groupReportIntoCampaign()` using only whatever
+  `reports`/`contacts` data already exists — which means Tier 1 (Message-ID)
+  and Tier 2 (attachment-hash/URL-domain) can only ever match for a ticket
+  that has already been through an explicit `POST /analyze` call at least
+  once; the automatic path effectively only reaches **Tier 3**
+  (sender+normalized-subject+client+time-window) until then. This must be
+  documented explicitly in code comments (not silently built around) since it
+  changes what "grouped automatically" means in practice versus D-01's
+  original framing. Rationale: matches Phase 16's explicit design intent and
+  keeps the automatic webhook/cron path cheap — no extra Autotask
+  attachment-content fetch + optional B2 upload firing on every single
+  `ticket.created` event, most of which aren't reviewed by anyone.
+- **D-08 (added post-research):** `groupReportIntoCampaign()` short-circuits
+  immediately (does nothing) if `reports.campaign_id IS NOT NULL` when called
+  from the automatic webhook/cron path — avoids redundant tier-query work on
+  every 7-day cron sweep pass for reports already grouped. The `/analyze`
+  route calls the function WITHOUT this short-circuit (always re-runs full
+  tiered matching) — an explicit operator request may follow a fresh
+  `/analyze` call that just populated `messages`/`indicators` for the first
+  time, and deserves the chance to upgrade an existing Tier-3-only grouping
+  to a Tier-1 match if a shared Message-ID is now available.
+
 ### Claude's Discretion (explicitly deferred to research + planner)
 - **Exact SQL/query shape for `GET /api/phishing/campaigns/{id}`'s nested
   response** (linked reports, messages, indicators, classification history)
diff --git a/.planning/phases/18-campaign-grouping-phishing-analysis-api/18-RESEARCH.md b/.planning/phases/18-campaign-grouping-phishing-analysis-api/18-RESEARCH.md
index 5e9f36a..65cafb4 100644
--- a/.planning/phases/18-campaign-grouping-phishing-analysis-api/18-RESEARCH.md
+++ b/.planning/phases/18-campaign-grouping-phishing-analysis-api/18-RESEARCH.md
@@ -538,7 +538,7 @@ assumptions about how this codebase "probably" works.
 
 ## Open Questions
 
-1. **Should this phase also wire `parseAndStoreMessage()` into the automatic
+1. **(RESOLVED: see CONTEXT.md D-07 — do NOT auto-wire, document Tier-3-only automatic-path limitation)** Should this phase also wire `parseAndStoreMessage()` into the automatic
    webhook/cron path, or leave it reachable only via the on-demand `/analyze` endpoint?**
    - What we know: `parseAndStoreMessage` has zero callers today outside its test file.
      Phase 16's own plan doc explicitly earmarked "the live on-demand trigger" (this
@@ -560,7 +560,7 @@ assumptions about how this codebase "probably" works.
      around it — it changes what "automatically grouped" means in practice for success
      criterion #1.
 
-2. **Does `groupReportIntoCampaign` re-run for a report already linked to a campaign?**
+2. **(RESOLVED: see CONTEXT.md D-08 — short-circuit on automatic path, always re-run on /analyze)** Does `groupReportIntoCampaign` re-run for a report already linked to a campaign?**
    - What we know: `detectPhishingTicket`'s idempotency guard (content-hash unchanged)
      still refreshes the `evidence` JSONB on every call — so it's called repeatedly over
      a ticket's lifetime (every webhook re-fire, every cron sweep pass within the 7-day