**Verdict:** APPROVED

**Round:** 1
**Fixed this round:** n/a
**base SHA (origin/main):** ce3158314f8f6af4fb99ce532df52bb63d338102
**head SHA (cycle/327):** 0029e3414063d5d6c6a0a9038c6c069482f89921
**Branch CI state:** green — test suite 19/19 pass, verified independently by β; no remote CI configured for cycle branches (build.yml triggers on main/PR only)
**Merge instruction:** `git merge --no-ff cycle/327` into main with `Closes #327`

---

## §2.0.0 Contract Integrity

| Check | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Status truth preserved | yes | Issue, self-coherence, and scripts agree on scope and what ships |
| Canonical sources/paths verified | yes | CDD.md §1.2, §5.3b, release/SKILL.md §3.7 resolve and are current |
| Scope/non-goals consistent | yes | Diff is scripts-only; 3.73.0 artifact repair explicitly out of scope |
| Constraint strata consistent | yes | Required 5 triadic files match CDD.md §5.3b; small-change collapse follows §1.2 |
| Exceptions field-specific/reasoned | n/a | No exception fields |
| Path resolution base explicit | yes | `--repo-root` param defaults to `.`; release.sh cd's to REPO_ROOT before calling |
| Proof shape adequate | yes | 19 assertions: invariant (REQUIRED_TRIADIC), oracle (exit code), positive + negative per AC |
| Cross-surface projections updated | yes | validate-release-gate.sh wired into release.sh step 4; no other surface affected |
| No witness theater / false closure | yes | Gate has real rejection mechanism: exit 1 + stderr; test proves rejection for each artifact |
| PR body matches branch files | n/a | No PR (CDD triadic protocol) |

---

## §2.0 Issue Contract

### AC Coverage

| # | AC | In diff? | Status | Notes |
|---|----|----------|--------|-------|
| 1 | release.sh validates required artifacts before tag | yes | MET | validate-release-gate.sh called at release.sh step 4; AC1 positive + 2 negative tests pass |
| 2 | small-change path explicitly collapses artifact set | yes | MET | beta-review.md presence as classifier per CDD.md §1.2; AC2 tests pass |
| 3 | missing RELEASE.md blocks release | yes | MET | First check in validate-release-gate.sh; AC3 positive + negative tests pass |

### Named Doc Updates

| Doc / File | In diff? | Status | Notes |
|------------|----------|--------|-------|
| scripts/validate-release-gate.sh | yes | new | Core gate logic, 82 lines |
| scripts/test-validate-release-gate.sh | yes | new | 19-assertion test suite |
| scripts/release.sh | yes | updated | Step 4 added; steps 4–9 renumbered to 5–10 |

### CDD Artifact Contract

| Artifact | Required? | Present? | Notes |
|----------|-----------|----------|-------|
| self-coherence.md | yes | yes | Review-readiness signaled; round 1 |
| beta-review.md | yes | this doc | β writes now |

### Active Skill Consistency

| Skill | Required by | Loaded? | Applied? | Notes |
|-------|-------------|---------|----------|-------|
| cdd/CDD.md | α | yes | yes | §1.2 and §5.3b cited in script headers; REQUIRED_TRIADIC matches §5.3b filenames exactly |
| test/SKILL.md | issue | yes | yes | Negative space covered (4 negative cases); oracle explicit (exit code); invariant named (REQUIRED_TRIADIC) |
| tool/SKILL.md | issue | yes | yes | `set -euo pipefail` on all 3 scripts; zero runtime deps; `--repo-root` / `--unreleased-dir` params for testability |
| design/SKILL.md | issue | yes | yes | Single reason to change; truthful interface |
| write/SKILL.md | issue | yes | yes | Script header comments reference canonical spec sections |

---

## Findings

None.

---

## Architecture Check

| Check | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Reason to change preserved | yes | validate-release-gate.sh: single concern — pre-tag release conditions |
| Policy above detail preserved | yes | CDD.md §5.3b owns what files are required; script enforces it |
| Interfaces remain truthful | yes | `--repo-root` / `--unreleased-dir` params do exactly what they advertise |
| Registry model remains unified | n/a | No registry involved |
| Source/artifact/installed boundary preserved | yes | Scripts are authored, not generated |
| Runtime surfaces remain distinct | yes | Gate is a subprocess; exit code propagates via release.sh's `set -euo pipefail` |
| Degraded paths visible and testable | yes | exit 1 + stderr error for every missing artifact; test confirms each failure path |

---

## Notes

- `release.sh` has `set -euo pipefail` — exit 1 from validate-release-gate.sh aborts the release correctly.
- β verified test suite independently: `bash scripts/test-validate-release-gate.sh` → 19 passed, 0 failed.
- `REQUIRED_TRIADIC` array matches CDD.md §5.3b canonical filenames exactly (self-coherence.md, beta-review.md, alpha-closeout.md, beta-closeout.md, gamma-closeout.md).
- No remote CI for cycle branches; test suite is the CI mechanism for this cycle.
