RC19 Release Board (v0.4.0rc19)

1. Goal

Ship rc19 as a quality-convergence release:

• close architecture/protocol drift
• close docs/implementation drift
• harden quality gates for reproducible releases
• prepare clean inputs for 0.4.0 GA decision

No large new feature bets in this cycle.

2. Scope Rules

In Scope

• P0/P1 bug fixes
• protocol/contract consistency fixes
• release-critical UX consistency fixes
• docs truth sync and release assets
• CI/release gate hardening

Out of Scope

• major net-new product surfaces
• speculative refactors without release risk reduction
• broad compatibility migration projects

3. Full-System Audit Policy

Every tracked file is reviewed through the matrix (docs/release/rc19_file_matrix.csv), with tiered depth:

• Tier A (deep): per-file + per-public-function audit, design rationale required
• Tier B (standard): per-file behavior and interface consistency audit
• Tier C (light): misguidance/staleness/risk-only audit

No file is skipped. Unowned findings are not allowed.

4. Phases and Exit Criteria

R0 Scope Freeze (Day 1)

• Freeze new feature intake.
• Create owner map and communication channel.

Exit:

• scope freeze announced
• owner map complete

R1 Full Inventory (Day 1)

• Generate matrix from tracked files.
• Assign tier, domain, owner, status.

Exit:

• matrix coverage = 100%
• all Tier A files have explicit owner

R2 Architecture & Contract Audit (Day 2-3)

• Audit CCCS, daemon IPC, context ops contracts vs implementation.
• Audit versioned examples and wire formats.

Exit:

• contract mismatch list complete
• all protocol P0/P1 gaps triaged

R3 Runtime Core Audit (Day 3-5)

• Audit kernel, daemon, delivery, automation, inbox, permission boundaries.
• Verify state-machine legality and invariants.

Exit:

• P0 = 0
• P1 all have owner + fix plan

R4 Port & UX Audit (Day 5-6)

• Audit CLI/MCP/Web/IM consistency (naming, defaults, behavior).
• Audit cross-surface terminology consistency.

Exit:

• no unresolved critical API/UX mismatch

R5 Quality Gate Upgrade (Day 6)

• Ensure CI/release gate includes test execution (not build-only).
• Lock release rehearsal checklist.

Exit:

• gate policy documented
• CI and release gates green on dry run

R6 Fix Sprint (Day 7-9)

• Land fixes from R2-R5 by severity.

Exit:

• P0 = 0
• P1 reduced to explicit accepted risks only

R7 Docs & Messaging Sync (Day 9-10)

• Sync README/docs/standards/reference to code truth.
• Add release assets (CHANGELOG, notes, support/security policy).

Exit:

• sampled docs have 0 factual mismatch
• release assets ready

R8 Release Rehearsal (Day 10)

• End-to-end rehearsal: build, install, smoke, mcp handshake, core workflows.

Exit:

• rehearsal report complete
• go/no-go decision recorded

R9 Tag and Publish RC19 (Day 11)

• bump version
• tag + publish TestPyPI
• publish release notes

Exit:

• install/upgrade path verified
• rollback path documented

5. Required Artifacts

• docs/release/RC19_OWNER_MAP.md
• docs/release/rc19_file_matrix.csv
• docs/release/RC19_FINDINGS_REGISTER.md (instantiated per real findings)
• docs/release/RC19_GATES.md
• docs/release/RC19_EXECUTION_CHECKLIST.md
• docs/release/rc19_contract_gap.md
• docs/release/rc19_core_findings.md
• docs/release/rc19_port_parity.md
• docs/release/rc19_strategic_review.md
• docs/release/rc19_rehearsal_report.md

6. Severity Policy

• P0: correctness/data-loss/security or release blocker
• P1: major behavior drift or operational risk
• P2: polish/maintainability

Release rule:

• rc19: requires P0=0
• GA: requires P0=0 and no unowned P1

7. GA Readiness Gate (post-rc19)

0.4.0 is allowed only when:

• rc19 soak passes
• protocol/docs/CLI/MCP/Web terminology converged
• release pipeline and rollback are reproducible