git-stunts · flyingrobots · May 25, 2026 · May 25, 2026 · May 25, 2026 · May 25, 2026
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [18.0.0] — 2026-05-25
+
 ### Added
 
 - V18 release-candidate evidence now records guarded CLI finalization,

diff --git a/TECHNICAL_TEARDOWN.md b/TECHNICAL_TEARDOWN.md
diff --git a/docs/BEARING.md b/docs/BEARING.md
@@ -39,18 +39,19 @@ of handwritten adapter folklore.
 
 Current branch state at this boundary:
 
-- Current branch: `v18-continuum-slices-66-75`
+- Current branch: `v18-release-prep-slices-97-102`
 - Base branch: `main`
-- Current `origin/main`: `d379eb81`
-- Latest merged PR: #105, v18 release runway planning
+- Current `origin/main`: `023c7d75`
+- Latest merged PR: #106, v18 release-candidate evidence and review cleanup
 - Latest released package line: `17.0.1`
+- Release-prep package metadata: `18.0.0`, not tagged or published yet
 - Latest completed implementation cycle:
-  `0244-v18-backlog-reconciliation`
-- Current work: backlog reconciliation after the v18 release-candidate
-  evidence packet, with the next goalpost narrowed to public release-prep
-  gates and residual-risk decisions.
-- Cleanup checkpoint: this branch is ahead of `origin/main` with the v18
-  release-candidate evidence and backlog-reconciliation work.
+  `0250-v18-final-release-prep-replan`
+- Current work: release-prep PR review for `v18.0.0`; local release preflight
+  is green for `18.0.0` metadata, and the remaining public-release gates are
+  PR review, GitHub CI, merge to `main`, tag, and publish.
+- Cleanup checkpoint: PR #106 is merged to `main`; this branch starts from that
+  merge and must not widen the v18 promise while preparing the public tag.
 
 The current v18 graph-model posture is:
 
@@ -154,13 +155,15 @@ The current v18 graph-model posture is:
   command-owned readings, emits the command report, and permits live-ref
   finalization only through a reviewed JSON request that matches observed
   runtime evidence.
-- V18 release-candidate blockers are now explicit: full release-prep gates,
-  GitHub CI, package/versioning work, and residual raw content/property risk.
+- V18 release-candidate blockers are now explicit: GitHub CI, PR review,
+  post-merge tag/publish work, and the accepted residual raw content/property
+  risk.
 
 That is useful progress, not a finish line. The repo now has migration safety,
 wet-run proof, guarded finalization, generated Continuum contract tie-back,
-and a release-candidate packet. Public v18 still needs full release-prep
-gates, CI, package/tag work, and explicit residual-risk review.
+release-candidate docs, `18.0.0` package metadata, and a green local release
+preflight. Public v18 still needs PR review, GitHub CI, merge to `main`, tag,
+and publish.
 
 ## What Just Shipped
 
@@ -215,6 +218,18 @@ PR #102 landed v18 slices 36 through 40:
 - ordered migration history input;
 - migration manifest serialization.
 
+PR #106 landed v18 slices 66 through 96:
+
+- production-runtime scratch replay and public-read wet-run proof;
+- guarded CLI finalization behind reviewed JSON confirmation;
+- generated Continuum runtime-boundary contract conformance and `warp-ttd`
+  smoke evidence;
+- raw content/property retired-boundary ratchet;
+- release-candidate evidence packet;
+- backlog reconciliation after the release-candidate evidence;
+- review follow-up that tightened runtime replay validation, finalization JSON
+  evidence binding, fixture coverage, and migration script structure.
+
 Slice 36 is complete on this branch. The migration manifest root now exists
 as a frozen domain noun, with runtime-backed basis, mapping, warning, and
 fatal-error entries. It does not serialize, read Git, or write graph history.
@@ -406,6 +421,21 @@ goalpost is a release-prep branch that runs the full gate set, freezes package
 and release notes, and decides whether remaining raw content/property storage
 retirement blocks the public tag or ships as explicit residual risk.
 
+### Release-Prep Checklist
+
+- [x] 97. Establish the v18 release-prep baseline:
+  [0245](design/0245-v18-release-prep-baseline/v18-release-prep-baseline.md).
+- [x] 98. Run the release-prep gate baseline and record the evidence:
+  [0246](design/0246-v18-release-gate-baseline/v18-release-gate-baseline.md).
+- [x] 99. Decide residual raw content/property storage risk:
+  [0247](design/0247-v18-residual-raw-storage-risk-decision/v18-residual-raw-storage-risk-decision.md).
+- [x] 100. Freeze public operator release notes and non-goals:
+  [0248](design/0248-v18-public-operator-release-notes/v18-public-operator-release-notes.md).
+- [x] 101. Align package, JSR, lockfile, and changelog metadata for `v18.0.0`:
+  [0249](design/0249-v18-version-tag-readiness/v18-version-tag-readiness.md).
+- [x] 102. Replan from final release-prep evidence before PR review:
+  [0250](design/0250-v18-final-release-prep-replan/v18-final-release-prep-replan.md).
+
 ### Next Thirty-Slice Checklist
 
 - [x] 66. Design production-runtime scratch replay conformance:
@@ -757,3 +787,15 @@ and concrete checks live in `docs/invariants/`.
 - [x] 95. Cut v18 release-candidate docs, changelog, and go/no-go evidence.
 - [x] 96. Reconcile the v18 backlog after release-candidate evidence:
   [0244](design/0244-v18-backlog-reconciliation/v18-backlog-reconciliation.md).
+- [x] 97. Establish the v18 release-prep baseline:
+  [0245](design/0245-v18-release-prep-baseline/v18-release-prep-baseline.md).
+- [x] 98. Run the release-prep gate baseline and record the evidence:
+  [0246](design/0246-v18-release-gate-baseline/v18-release-gate-baseline.md).
+- [x] 99. Decide residual raw content/property storage risk:
+  [0247](design/0247-v18-residual-raw-storage-risk-decision/v18-residual-raw-storage-risk-decision.md).
+- [x] 100. Freeze public operator release notes and non-goals:
+  [0248](design/0248-v18-public-operator-release-notes/v18-public-operator-release-notes.md).
+- [x] 101. Align package, JSR, lockfile, and changelog metadata for `v18.0.0`:
+  [0249](design/0249-v18-version-tag-readiness/v18-version-tag-readiness.md).
+- [x] 102. Replan from final release-prep evidence before PR review:
+  [0250](design/0250-v18-final-release-prep-replan/v18-final-release-prep-replan.md).
diff --git a/docs/design/0245-v18-release-prep-baseline/v18-release-prep-baseline.md b/docs/design/0245-v18-release-prep-baseline/v18-release-prep-baseline.md
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+---
+cycle: 0245
+task_id: V18_release_prep_baseline
+status: Complete
+sponsors:
+  human: James
+  agent: Codex
+started_at: 2026-05-25
+completed_at: 2026-05-25
+release_home: v18.0.0
+bearing_task: 97
+---
+
+# V18 Release-Prep Baseline
+
+## Hill
+
+Reset the public-release branch from the merged v18 release-candidate evidence
+and make the next release-prep work explicit.
+
+## Context
+
+PR #106 merged the v18 release-candidate evidence packet through slice 96. The
+next work is not another feature tranche. It is release hygiene: prove the
+gate set, decide residual raw content/property risk, freeze operator release
+notes, align package metadata, and replan from evidence before tagging.
+
+## Design
+
+This slice updates `docs/BEARING.md` so it names the current branch and merged
+PR accurately. It also adds a short release-prep checklist for slices 97
+through 102.
+
+The checklist deliberately keeps residual raw content/property storage as a
+decision point. The executable closeout audit still names many compatibility
+boundaries, so this branch must either retire more storage with evidence or
+ship the remaining boundary as an explicit release risk.
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+
+- `BEARING` no longer says the current branch is the merged slice-66-through-75
+  feature branch.
+- `BEARING` names PR #106 as the latest merged PR.
+- Slices 97 through 102 have named release-prep scope.
+- The release-prep direction does not widen v18 into v19 or v20 claims.
+
+## Test Plan
+
+- Run Markdown lint for edited docs.
+- Run `git diff --check`.
+- Inspect the diff before committing.
diff --git a/docs/design/0246-v18-release-gate-baseline/v18-release-gate-baseline.md b/docs/design/0246-v18-release-gate-baseline/v18-release-gate-baseline.md
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+---
+cycle: 0246
+task_id: V18_release_gate_baseline
+status: Complete
+sponsors:
+  human: James
+  agent: Codex
+started_at: 2026-05-25
+completed_at: 2026-05-25
+release_home: v18.0.0
+bearing_task: 98
+---
+
+# V18 Release Gate Baseline
+
+## Hill
+
+Run the release-prep gate set before changing package metadata so the branch
+starts from known-good evidence.
+
+## Evidence
+
+The following gates passed on branch `v18-release-prep-slices-97-102`:
+
+| Gate | Result |
+|------|--------|
+| `npm run lint` | Pass |
+| tracked Markdown lint via `git ls-files '*.md' \| xargs npx markdownlint` | Pass |
+| `npm run typecheck:src` | Pass |
+| `npm run typecheck:test` | Pass |
+| `npm run test:local` | Pass, 521 files and 7126 tests |
+| `npm run release:preflight` | Pass for current `17.0.1` metadata |
+
+`release:preflight` produced the expected branch warning because release-prep
+work runs before merge to `main`. It also reported one moderate npm audit item
+and no high or critical runtime vulnerabilities.
+
+## Local Workspace Note
+
+`npm run lint:md` failed locally only because the untracked side-project file
+`TECHNICAL_TEARDOWN.md` contains unlabeled fenced code blocks. That file is not
+tracked and is not part of the release branch. Tracked Markdown passed.
+
+## Interpretation
+
+The branch has a clean pre-version baseline. The public v18 release still
+requires a second preflight after `package.json`, `jsr.json`,
+`package-lock.json`, and `CHANGELOG.md` move to `18.0.0`.
+
+## Test Plan
+
+- Preserve this evidence in `BEARING`.
+- Re-run release preflight after slice 101 version metadata changes.
diff --git a/...18-residual-raw-storage-risk-decision/v18-residual-raw-storage-risk-decision.md b/...18-residual-raw-storage-risk-decision/v18-residual-raw-storage-risk-decision.md
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+---
+cycle: 0247
+task_id: V18_residual_raw_storage_risk_decision
+status: Complete
+sponsors:
+  human: James
+  agent: Codex
+started_at: 2026-05-25
+completed_at: 2026-05-25
+release_home: v18.0.0
+bearing_task: 99
+---
+
+# V18 Residual Raw Storage Risk Decision
+
+## Hill
+
+Decide whether the remaining raw content/property compatibility boundaries
+block the public v18 tag.
+
+## Evidence
+
+The executable closeout audit still names 25 `src/domain` files that mention
+raw compatibility content or property storage:
+
+- legacy `_content*` compatibility key ownership;
+- runtime mutation and compatibility operation execution;
+- reducer, replay, serialization, snapshot, scope, and index boundaries;
+- operation helper classes that still carry the legacy property-map shape.
+
+The audit also has a retired-boundary ratchet: `CoordinateFactExport.ts` must
+not regain raw content/property spelling.
+
+## Decision
+
+The remaining raw content/property boundaries do **not** block `v18.0.0`.
+
+They ship as explicit residual compatibility risk because:
+
+- v18's public promise is graph-model convergence plus migration evidence, not
+  total storage-plane retirement;
+- the canonical v17 fixture proves zero public-read mismatches through the
+  migration wet-run path;
+- production-runtime scratch replay and guarded finalization now exist for the
+  canonical path;
+- a broad last-minute storage retirement would be riskier than shipping the
+  named compatibility boundary with an executable ratchet.
+
+## Release Condition
+
+The v18 public notes must say:
+
+- legacy `_content*` and raw property-map compatibility storage still exists;
+- the remaining compatibility files are audited by
+  `test/unit/scripts/v18-content-property-closeout-audit.test.ts`;
+- any future boundary retirement must reduce the audited file set or add a new
+  explicit release note;
+- end-to-end graph streaming reads and writes are not part of v18.
+
+## Non-Goals
+
+- Do not retire the remaining storage plane in this slice.
+- Do not claim v18 has native Continuum witnesshood.
+- Do not claim v18 has end-to-end graph streaming.
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+
+- `RELEASE_v18-public-release-blockers.md` records the residual risk decision.
+- `PROTO_content-attachment-plane-cutover.md` records that remaining storage
+  dependency is accepted for v18 and remains future work.
+- `BEARING` marks slice 99 complete.
+
+## Test Plan
+
+- Run Markdown lint for edited docs.
+- Run `git diff --check`.
diff --git a/...ign/0248-v18-public-operator-release-notes/v18-public-operator-release-notes.md b/...ign/0248-v18-public-operator-release-notes/v18-public-operator-release-notes.md
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+---
+cycle: 0248
+task_id: V18_public_operator_release_notes
+status: Complete
+sponsors:
+  human: James
+  agent: Codex
+started_at: 2026-05-25
+completed_at: 2026-05-25
+release_home: v18.0.0
+bearing_task: 100
+---
+
+# V18 Public Operator Release Notes
+
+## Hill
+
+Freeze public operator notes for `v18.0.0` so the release says exactly what is
+proved and exactly what is not.
+
+## Design
+
+The release notes live at `docs/releases/v18.0.0/README.md`. They translate the
+release-candidate evidence into operator-facing instructions:
+
+- what v18 adds;
+- how to run dry-run, scratch, equivalence, and guarded finalization paths;
+- how archive refs preserve rollback evidence;
+- which risks are accepted;
+- which claims are explicitly out of scope.
+
+## Acceptance Criteria
+
+- Public notes describe dry-run, scratch writing, equivalence gating,
+  production-runtime replay, guarded finalization, archive refs, and rollback
+  posture.
+- Public notes state that remaining raw content/property compatibility storage
+  is accepted residual risk.
+- Public notes state that end-to-end graph streaming reads and writes are a
+  v20 goal, not a v18 claim.
+- Public notes keep Continuum language sibling-participant accurate.
+
+## Test Plan
+
+- Run Markdown lint for the release notes and this design doc.
+- Run `git diff --check`.