because both have changed quite a bit, and the right answer may be a hybrid rather than simply replacing Pyanodon.

Yes, I think you have diagnosed the architecture problem fairly well.

I would not simply loosen the QDRAT matching threshold dramatically as the force to fix.

One match in 30 is far too conservative, but if you just lower the threshold,

you may turn mostly unidentified into the much worse failure mode of completely attributing things to the wrong person.

There are really three stages in Briar that should be treated separately.