diff --git a/alkstore-contract-suite/src/properties.rs b/alkstore-contract-suite/src/properties.rs
index 076664b..8bea08f 100644
--- a/alkstore-contract-suite/src/properties.rs
+++ b/alkstore-contract-suite/src/properties.rs
@@ -1324,7 +1324,10 @@ pub async fn backoff_curve_equivalence(factory: &dyn StoreFactory) {
 /// Contract stamp: ADR-021 §5 (receiver error/close arms —
 /// `Database`-only `Err`, terminal `None` close, SQLite closes on
 /// watcher death); ADR-019 §6 (save composition — monotone, forms
-/// interleave); ADR-008 §8 (explicit saves only).
+/// interleave); ADR-008 §8 (explicit saves only); ADR-023 §2
+/// (annotated 2026-10-11 — the boundary/offset row's totality covers
+/// `save_offset`: a negative seed is stored as the checkpoint, this
+/// row's negative-leg pins).
 pub async fn receiver_close_and_save_arms(factory: &dyn StoreFactory) {
     let store = factory.open().await.expect("factory opens a store");
 
@@ -1416,6 +1419,38 @@ pub async fn receiver_close_and_save_arms(factory: &dyn StoreFactory) {
         "the receiver form never regresses the direct form's save"
     );
 
+    // Boundary-total save (ADR-023 §2, annotated 2026-10-11): a
+    // negative offset is stored as the checkpoint — the argument is
+    // total, no clamping, no rejection — and reads anchored there
+    // resume forward identically (every event offset lies above the
+    // negative anchor, so the anchored read yields the log from the
+    // start). Fresh consumer, so this leg also pins the *seed* case —
+    // the only arm where a clamping realization would diverge.
+    stream.save_offset("c2", -5).await.unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(
+        store
+            .stream("events")
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
+            .get_offset("c2")
+            .await
+            .unwrap(),
+        -5,
+        "a negative seed is stored as the checkpoint (totality, no clamp)"
+    );
+    let resumed = store
+        .stream("events")
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+        .read_from_consumer("c2", 10)
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(
+        resumed.iter().map(|e| e.offset).collect::<Vec<_>>(),
+        vec![o1, o2],
+        "reads anchored at the negative checkpoint resume forward: the log from the start"
+    );
+
     // Terminal close on disposal (this engine's documented close
     // cause: the watcher's death guard clears the feed — ADR-021 §5's
     // SQLite arm; the store handle dropping is the disposal).
@@ -1770,7 +1805,10 @@ async fn past_stamp_sleep(millis: u64) {
 /// (delete-on-ack; `ack_batch`'s per-id predicate, partial success
 /// ordinary); ADR-010 §4 (the engine-default strings); ADR-019 §3
 /// (the claim handle's op surface — one-shot consumables, repeatable
-/// heartbeat); ADR-008 §5 (refusals are `false`, never errors).
+/// heartbeat); ADR-008 §5 (refusals are `false`, never errors);
+/// ADR-023 §2 (annotated 2026-10-11 — the boundary/offset row's
+/// totality covers `heartbeat(extend)`: a negative extension is the
+/// relative-instant void this row's negative-extend leg pins).
 pub async fn job_handle_validity_predicate(factory: &dyn StoreFactory) {
     let store = factory.open().await.expect("factory opens a store");
 
@@ -1818,6 +1856,50 @@ pub async fn job_handle_validity_predicate(factory: &dyn StoreFactory) {
         "delete-on-ack completed work leaves no row"
     );
 
+    // Boundary-total heartbeat (ADR-023 §2, annotated 2026-10-11): a
+    // negative extension is a relative instant — the renewed deadline
+    // `now + extend` sits in the past, voiding the claim through the
+    // validity predicate on the *next* op, never an error. The
+    // heartbeat itself reports the successful renewal (`true`) while
+    // the row was processing and unexpired at call time; the voided
+    // claim then refuses all handle ops (ack here) and the row
+    // survives as processing. Six-hundred-second margin: fully past,
+    // deterministic without a sleep. Own queue: the voided row is
+    // expired-processing (re-claimable), and this row's later legs
+    // assert claim FIFO on their queues.
+    let voidq = store
+        .queue("voided", alkstore::QueueOpts::default())
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let voided_id = voidq
+        .enqueue(json!({"leg": "negative-extend"}), EnqueueOpts::default())
+        .await
+        .unwrap();
+    let voided = voidq
+        .claim_one("w1")
+        .await
+        .unwrap()
+        .expect("the ready row claims");
+    assert_eq!(voided.job().id, voided_id);
+    assert!(
+        voided.heartbeat(-600).await.unwrap(),
+        "a negative extension lands while the claim is unexpired (totality)"
+    );
+    assert!(
+        !voided.ack().await.unwrap(),
+        "the negative extension voided the claim: ack refuses through the validity predicate"
+    );
+    assert_eq!(
+        voidq
+            .get_job(voided_id)
+            .await
+            .unwrap()
+            .expect("the voided row was not deleted or dead-lettered")
+            .state,
+        JobState::Processing,
+        "the voided claim's row survives as processing (re-claimable by the queue)"
+    );
+
     // Lapse legs: one claim per refusal op, all stamped with the 1 s
     // visibility, one tolerance sleep past every deadline at once.
     let ack_refused = fast
diff --git a/alkstore-postgres/src/schema.rs b/alkstore-postgres/src/schema.rs
index 6e52d6b..39ed2ad 100644
--- a/alkstore-postgres/src/schema.rs
+++ b/alkstore-postgres/src/schema.rs
@@ -298,12 +298,13 @@ CREATE INDEX IF NOT EXISTS {events_read_idx} ON {events} (stream, id);
 
 -- Offsets table: (stream, consumer) → offset, the monotone
 -- checkpoint upsert target (the streams task's SQL owns the
--- monotonicity rule, GREATEST-guarded upsert, one owner). The
--- non-negative CHECK bounds the domain (cursors start at 0).
+-- monotonicity rule, WHERE-guarded upsert, one owner). The boundary
+-- argument is total (ADR-023 §2): no domain CHECK — a negative seed
+-- is stored raw, reads anchor at it and resume forward identically.
 CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS {offsets} (
   stream TEXT NOT NULL,
   consumer TEXT NOT NULL,
-  \"offset\" BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0 CHECK (\"offset\" >= 0),
+  \"offset\" BIGINT NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
   PRIMARY KEY (stream, consumer)
 );
 
diff --git a/alkstore-postgres/src/stream.rs b/alkstore-postgres/src/stream.rs
index 50700df..7bdda25 100644
--- a/alkstore-postgres/src/stream.rs
+++ b/alkstore-postgres/src/stream.rs
@@ -28,9 +28,13 @@
 //!   stored checkpoint (absent consumer = 0, ADR-019 §1).
 //! - `save_offset` / `get_offset` — the monotone upsert (a save below
 //!   the stored checkpoint is a silent no-op — one owner of the
-//!   monotonicity rule, the `GREATEST`-clamped + `WHERE`-guarded
-//!   upsert `save_offset_tx` also rides) and the checkpoint read.
-//!   Both save forms' `Err` arm carries `Database` only (ADR-021 §5).
+//!   monotonicity rule, the `WHERE`-guarded upsert `save_offset_tx`
+//!   also rides) and the checkpoint read. The boundary argument is
+//!   total per ADR-023 §2's 2026-10-11 annotation: any `i64` is
+//!   well-defined, a negative seed is stored raw as the checkpoint
+//!   (no clamping — the offsets column's `DEFAULT 0` is not a domain
+//!   bound; reads anchored there resume forward identically), and
+//!   both save forms' `Err` arm carries `Database` only (ADR-021 §5).
 //! - `trim_to(horizon)` — `DELETE … WHERE id <= horizon` on a pool
 //!   connection (wakes nothing — ADR-015 §5's posture; the boundary
 //!   argument is total per ADR-023 §2: a negative horizon deletes
@@ -371,13 +375,14 @@ async fn stream_get_offset(pool: &Pool, schema: &str, stream: &str, consumer: &s
 }
 
 /// The monotone checkpoint save (one owner of the monotonicity rule —
-/// the same GREATEST-clamped, WHERE-guarded upsert `save_offset_tx`
-/// rides; a save at-or-below the stored checkpoint updates nothing,
-/// ADR-019 §6). First save seeds the checkpoint, clamped at 0 (the
-/// offsets table's non-negative domain CHECK would abort a negative
-/// seed; the clamp preserves both the domain and the monotone rule —
-/// a negative save at-or-below the stored checkpoint is the same
-/// silent no-op a 0-save is).
+/// the same `WHERE`-guarded upsert `save_offset_tx` rides; a save
+/// at-or-below the stored checkpoint updates nothing, ADR-019 §6).
+/// The boundary argument is total per ADR-023 §2's 2026-10-11
+/// annotation: any `i64` is well-defined — a negative first save
+/// seeds the checkpoint raw (the monotone guard `EXCLUDED > o`
+/// treats every pre-existing row as the below-checkpoint no-op arm;
+/// reads anchored at a negative checkpoint resume forward
+/// identically).
 async fn stream_save_offset(
     pool: &Pool,
     schema: &str,
@@ -390,7 +395,7 @@ async fn stream_save_offset(
     conn.execute(
         &format!(
             "INSERT INTO {offsets} AS o (stream, consumer, \"offset\")
-             VALUES ($1, $2, GREATEST($3::bigint, 0))
+             VALUES ($1, $2, $3::bigint)
              ON CONFLICT (stream, consumer) DO UPDATE
                SET \"offset\" = EXCLUDED.\"offset\"
              WHERE EXCLUDED.\"offset\" > o.\"offset\""
diff --git a/docs/architecture/README.md b/docs/architecture/README.md
index e45db88..f9a8d84 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/README.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/README.md
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
 ---
-status: draft
-last_updated: "2026-10-10 (ADR-024: the mem engine adopted as a third
-engine — engine-mem.md added, ADR table row, index updated for the
-implementation phase)"
+status: stable
+last_updated: "2026-10-11 (the wave-8 review gate passed — pre-release
+freeze: the release-facing spec set flipped stable, Current State
+refreshed through wave 8; the class-1 window's dispositions complete,
+the window terminates at first publish)"
 ---
 
 # alkstore — Architecture
@@ -14,29 +15,38 @@ engine native underneath (see [overview.md](overview.md)).
 
 ## Current State
 
-**Phase 1 (Implementation) — waves 1–5 implemented and reviewed.**
+**Phase 1 (Implementation) — waves 1–8 implemented and reviewed; the
+pre-release gate passed (2026-10-11).**
 Phase 0 is complete (`docs/research/phase-0.md`): both POCs ran and
 passed, the scope inventory is confirmed, and the crate split,
 drivers, and ownership postures are decided. All open questions are
 resolved (through ADR-023), and the engine specs flipped `stable` at
-the wave-5 review gate. Waves 1–5 (core, substrate fork, SQLite
-engine, Postgres engine, contract suite) are implemented and reviewed
-per `docs/plans/implementation.md`. The mem engine was adopted as a
-third engine by [ADR-024](decisions/024-mem-engine.md) (2026-10-10,
-wave 6 — release readiness renumbered to wave 7).
+the wave-5 review gate, the mem spec at wave 6. Waves 1–7 (core,
+substrate fork, SQLite engine, Postgres engine, contract suite, mem
+engine, fuzzing) are implemented and reviewed; wave 8 (release
+readiness: crate docs, the deployment matrix's final pass, the
+README, publish prep — with N-1's growth-posture acceptance, review
+003 Findings 2–3, the flake investigation, and the class-1 window's
+last dispositions riding it) passed its review gate on 2026-10-11.
+ADR-024 adopted the mem engine as a third engine (2026-10-10,
+[ADR-024](decisions/024-mem-engine.md)). The class-1 amend-in-place
+window ([ADR-017](decisions/017-contract-versioning.md) §2)
+dispositions are complete; the window terminates permanently at the
+first `cargo publish` of `alkstore` — the gate's blessing covers
+publishing.
 
 ## Architecture Documents
 
 | Doc | Status | Purpose | Key OQs |
 |---|---|---|---|
-| [overview.md](overview.md) | draft | Crate family, feature surface, non-goals, evidence base | — |
-| [core-contract.md](core-contract.md) | draft | The unified trait surface, delivery guarantees, tx seam | OQ-10 (resolved) |
+| [overview.md](overview.md) | stable | Crate family, feature surface, non-goals, evidence base | — |
+| [core-contract.md](core-contract.md) | stable | The unified trait surface, delivery guarantees, tx seam | OQ-10 (resolved) |
 | [engine-sqlite.md](engine-sqlite.md) | stable | SQLite engine: forked-substrate/rusqlite mapping | OQ-06 (resolved), OQ-12 (resolved), OQ-13 (resolved) |
 | [engine-postgres.md](engine-postgres.md) | stable | Postgres engine: tokio-postgres/LISTEN mapping | OQ-08 (resolved), OQ-12 (resolved), OQ-13 (resolved) |
-| [engine-mem.md](engine-mem.md) | draft | Mem engine: in-process ephemeral mapping of the contract ([ADR-024](decisions/024-mem-engine.md)) | — |
-| [queues.md](queues.md) | draft | Queue/scheduler/outbox semantics depth (resolved: ADR-009/ADR-010) | OQ-05 (resolved), OQ-09 (resolved), OQ-06 (resolved) |
-| [deployment.md](deployment.md) | draft | Host semantics, connection budgets, knobs, matrix | OQ-08 (resolved) |
-| [open-questions.md](open-questions.md) | draft | OQ tracker (promoted from OQ-ST register) | — |
+| [engine-mem.md](engine-mem.md) | stable | Mem engine: in-process ephemeral mapping of the contract ([ADR-024](decisions/024-mem-engine.md)) | — |
+| [queues.md](queues.md) | stable | Queue/scheduler/outbox semantics depth (resolved: ADR-009/ADR-010) | OQ-05 (resolved), OQ-09 (resolved), OQ-06 (resolved) |
+| [deployment.md](deployment.md) | stable | Host semantics, connection budgets, knobs, matrix | OQ-08 (resolved) |
+| [open-questions.md](open-questions.md) | draft | OQ tracker (promoted from OQ-ST register) — the register's own lifecycle; the question set is closed | — |
 
 ## Architecture Decision Records
 
diff --git a/docs/architecture/core-contract.md b/docs/architecture/core-contract.md
index 9417fbf..c0f30cf 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/core-contract.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/core-contract.md
@@ -1,6 +1,11 @@
 ---
-status: draft
-last_updated: "2026-10-11 (the pre-release class-1 close-out pass — the publish→wake ordering tolerance recorded; ADR-023 §2's `heartbeat(extend)`/`save_offset` classifications; `EventReceiver::try_recv`'s closed shape; `get_job`'s id-global prose)"
+status: stable
+last_updated: "2026-10-11 (the pre-release class-1 close-out pass — the
+publish→wake ordering tolerance recorded; ADR-023 §2's
+`heartbeat(extend)`/`save_offset` classifications;
+`EventReceiver::try_recv`'s closed shape; `get_job`'s id-global prose —
+then wave-8 gate: flipped stable with the close-out pass's suite legs
+landed; the contract text freezes at the gate, ADR-017 §2)"
 ---
 
 # Core contract
@@ -792,8 +797,10 @@ before the engine specs are called `stable`:
    totality over non-positive values covers `heartbeat(extend)`'s
    relative-deadline argument and `save_offset`'s offset — both
    classified 2026-10-11 by the close-out pass, the ADR-023 §2
-   annotation; their suite rows are the follow-up that
-   classification implies).
+   annotation; their suite legs landed at the wave-8 gate in
+   `job_handle_validity_predicate` and
+   `receiver_close_and_save_arms`, uniformly green on all three
+   engines).
 - **`encode_payload` typed failure**
   ([ADR-023](decisions/023-fourth-review-round.md) §1) — the helper
   returns `Result<Vec<u8>, Error::Codec>`; enqueue/publish store and
diff --git a/docs/architecture/decisions/017-contract-versioning.md b/docs/architecture/decisions/017-contract-versioning.md
index dd538e4..bec215b 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/decisions/017-contract-versioning.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/decisions/017-contract-versioning.md
@@ -128,7 +128,16 @@ duty — that is what makes them non-events).
    extensions*, fall in this class in fact — nothing was released
    when they were made, so their additions ship inside the initial
    contract v1 text (the initial release carries ADR-008 through
-   ADR-017 whole).
+   ADR-017 whole). *(Termination of record, 2026-10-11 — the wave-8
+   review gate: the pre-release class-1 close-out pass landed every
+   recorded disposition (the publish→wake ordering tolerance; the
+   ADR-023 §2 `heartbeat(extend)`/`save_offset` classifications; the
+   `EventReceiver::try_recv` closed shape; the `get_job` prose; the
+   mem-arithmetic no-action) and the gate audited that **no
+   undisposed class-1 candidate remains**. The class terminates
+   permanently at the core crate's first `cargo publish` — the 0.1.0
+   release this gate blesses, per §1's amendment; from that publish
+   on, contract changes are classes 2–4 only.)*
 2. **Additive extension** (the ADR-009/010 *shape*, applied
    post-release) — a new trait method, a new type, a new error
    variant, a new field on a consumer-read value type (§3's
diff --git a/docs/architecture/overview.md b/docs/architecture/overview.md
index da6769e..ac1b0e5 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/overview.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/overview.md
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 ---
-status: draft
-last_updated: "2026-10-10 (ADR-024 — the mem engine joins the crate
-family as `alkstore-mem`; family/ADR tables updated)"
+status: stable
+last_updated: "2026-10-11 (wave-8 gate: flipped stable — the family
+picture frozen with the shipped thing; no further surface under
+development)"
 ---
 
 # alkstore — Overview
diff --git a/docs/architecture/queues.md b/docs/architecture/queues.md
index 021efd6..c05de67 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/queues.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/queues.md
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 ---
-status: draft
-last_updated: "2026-10-11 (close-out pass: the reads sentence now says the uniform shapes — get_job id-global on the handle, get_job_tx queue-filtered)"
+status: stable
+last_updated: "2026-10-11 (the reads sentence now says the uniform
+shapes — get_job id-global on the handle, get_job_tx queue-filtered;
+wave-8 gate: flipped stable, the release-facing semantic depth frozen
+with the contract)"
 ---
 
 # Queues, scheduler, outbox — semantics depth
diff --git a/docs/plans/implementation.md b/docs/plans/implementation.md
index c3f2bfa..67e1899 100644
--- a/docs/plans/implementation.md
+++ b/docs/plans/implementation.md
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
 ---
 status: draft
-last_updated: "2026-10-10 (wave 8 decomposed — the release-readiness
-task set: seven independent entry tasks incl. the frontmatter cleanup
-and the renumber sweep, then matrix → README → publish prep → gate.
-Waves 1–7 implemented + reviewed; Findings 2–3, the fired flake-watch
-trigger, and the class-1 window's last dispositions ride wave 8.)"
+last_updated: "2026-10-11 (wave 8 implemented + reviewed — the release
+gate passed: the class-1 window's dispositions complete, the suite's
+registered boundary-legs follow-up landed, all gates re-run green;
+implementation complete pending the user's manual `cargo publish`.)"
 ---
 
 # alkstore — Implementation plan
@@ -50,7 +49,7 @@ readiness is wave 8.
 | 5 | [Contract suite](#wave-5--contract-suite): the cross-engine equivalence properties (core-contract.md §Verification backlog), version-stamped per ADR-017 | waves 3 + 4 | implemented + reviewed (2026-10-10) |
 | 6 | [Mem engine](#wave-6--mem-engine): separate `alkstore-mem` crate, full contract v1 over in-memory mechanisms (tx overlay, queue/scheduler/streams/locks/wakes), the suite's third factory column (born pinned), wasm32 compile-clean acceptance | waves 1 + 5 | implemented + reviewed (2026-10-10) |
 | [7](#wave-7--fuzzing) | [Fuzzing](#wave-7--fuzzing): the `fuzz/` sidecar workspace (cargo-fuzz targets over the payload codec, the three `@every` parsers, name validation), committed seed corpora + the corpus-replay gate, detached campaigns | wave 6 | implemented + reviewed (2026-10-10) |
-| [8](#wave-8--release-readiness) | [Release readiness](#wave-8--release-readiness): crate docs, deployment matrix final pass, README (written last, honestly), publish prep | wave 7 | decomposed (2026-10-10) |
+| [8](#wave-8--release-readiness) | [Release readiness](#wave-8--release-readiness): crate docs, deployment matrix final pass, README (written last, honestly), publish prep | wave 7 | implemented + reviewed (2026-10-11) |
 
 ## Wave 1 — Foundations
 
@@ -757,4 +756,34 @@ decomposes. Specific gates:
   recommendation: **wave 5 decomposes after the two HIGH fixes land**
   (the suite's wake-driven rows would otherwise inherit a hang-shaped
   false failure); 3–7 may trail into wave 5's window if the
-  fix-batch gate judges them wake-independent.
\ No newline at end of file
+  fix-batch gate judges them wake-independent.- **Wave-8 review gate** (`review-wave-8`, 2026-10-11) — the
+  pre-release gate passed: the docs honesty audit clean (README trace
+  list spot-read true, the deployment matrix's rows read true as
+  implemented, crate-doc posture claims consistent with the matrix,
+  the env-boundary grep re-run current); the contract-window closure
+  audited — all five wave-6 dispositions verified landed with dated
+  citations, **the class-1 termination of record landed in ADR-017
+  §2** (the window closes permanently at the first `cargo publish` of
+  `alkstore`; no undisposed class-1 candidate remains); the
+  close-out's registered suite-duty follow-up audited and **landed at
+  the gate** — one divergence found: pg's negative-seed clamp
+  (`GREATEST(offset, 0)` + the offsets-table `CHECK`) contradicted
+  ADR-023 §2's "a negative is stored as the checkpoint" annotation on
+  `get_offset`, fixed engine-side (raw seed, no CHECK), with the
+  negative-`heartbeat(extend)` and negative-`save_offset` suite legs
+  landed in `job_handle_validity_predicate` /
+  `receiver_close_and_save_arms` (stamped, uniform, green on all
+  three columns); N-1's conscious acceptance and Findings 2–3's
+  landed/parked dispositions audited as decisions of record; the
+  flake outcome audited (lock row root-caused harness-model,
+  test-side fixed, watch retired; the trim row and the new
+  stream-ordering observation stay watch-flagged — no live engine
+  bug, not blocking); publish-prep evidence re-verified this gate
+  session (fresh package listing + exclusion re-run, no leakage); the
+  frontmatter sweep + renumber spot-checks re-run green; all gates
+  re-run green including the fuzz replay, wasm32, and the doc gate;
+  the release-facing spec set (core-contract.md, overview.md,
+  queues.md, deployment.md, the architecture README) flipped
+  `stable`. Implementation complete pending the user's manual
+  `cargo publish` (the checklist of record is in
+  `tasks/release-publish-prep.md`).
diff --git a/tasks/release-contract-window-close.md b/tasks/release-contract-window-close.md
index 2e17aec..5875db7 100644
--- a/tasks/release-contract-window-close.md
+++ b/tasks/release-contract-window-close.md
@@ -62,16 +62,16 @@ accumulation.
 
 ## Acceptance Criteria
 
-- [ ] Item 1 decided with the user (documented-tolerance vs ADR
+- [x] Item 1 decided with the user (documented-tolerance vs ADR
       amendment), landed in the chosen home, decision recorded
-- [ ] ADR-023 §2 table carries the `heartbeat(extend)` and
+- [x] ADR-023 §2 table carries the `heartbeat(extend)` and
       `save_offset` classifications (or the task records why a
       different home was chosen)
-- [ ] `EventReceiver::try_recv`'s closed shape pinned in contract text
-- [ ] core-contract.md's `get_job` prose matches the uniform
+- [x] `EventReceiver::try_recv`'s closed shape pinned in contract text
+- [x] core-contract.md's `get_job` prose matches the uniform
       id-global/`get_job_tx`-filtered behavior
-- [ ] The mem-arithmetic observation's disposition recorded
-- [ ] Every landed amendment dated + cited; affected suite stamps
+- [x] The mem-arithmetic observation's disposition recorded
+- [x] Every landed amendment dated + cited; affected suite stamps
       checked for accumulation; `taskgraph validate` + workspace gates
       green (docs-only changes expected — code changes only if the
       user opts to amend wake-ordering into an enforced guarantee,
diff --git a/tasks/release-readme.md b/tasks/release-readme.md
index 240634c..5f750d1 100644
--- a/tasks/release-readme.md
+++ b/tasks/release-readme.md
@@ -49,15 +49,15 @@ are the wave's other doc-shaped tasks for exactly that reason.
 
 ## Acceptance Criteria
 
-- [ ] Root `README.md` exists: family table, per-engine honest
+- [x] Root `README.md` exists: family table, per-engine honest
       postures, compile-checked usage sketch, suite pointer, license
       note; no aspirational/unshipped claims
-- [ ] `LICENSE-MIT` + `LICENSE-APACHE` at the root (MIT + Apache-2.0
+- [x] `LICENSE-MIT` + `LICENSE-APACHE` at the root (MIT + Apache-2.0
       canonical texts); ADR-018's in-tree substrate notice untouched
-- [ ] `CHANGELOG.md` seeded with the 0.1.0 entry
-- [ ] The per-crate readme wiring decided + landed
-- [ ] Every README claim traceable to a spec (the trace list in Notes)
-- [ ] Workspace gates green (docs-only expected)
+- [x] `CHANGELOG.md` seeded with the 0.1.0 entry
+- [x] The per-crate readme wiring decided + landed
+- [x] Every README claim traceable to a spec (the trace list in Notes)
+- [x] Workspace gates green (docs-only expected)
 
 ## References
 
diff --git a/tasks/review-wave-8.md b/tasks/review-wave-8.md
index 0ec0702..c40caf5 100644
--- a/tasks/review-wave-8.md
+++ b/tasks/review-wave-8.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 id: review-wave-8
 name: Review gate — wave 8 (release readiness)
-status: pending
+status: completed
 depends_on: [docs-frontmatter-cleanup, release-renumber-sweep, release-crate-docs, release-contract-window-close, release-n1-growth-posture, release-findings-2-3-disposition, release-flake-investigation, release-deployment-matrix, release-readme, release-publish-prep]
 scope: broad
 risk: low
@@ -59,19 +59,19 @@ pre-release gate). Audit the release-readiness pass as landed:
 
 ## Acceptance Criteria
 
-- [ ] Docs honesty audit recorded (README traces, matrix rows, crate
+- [x] Docs honesty audit recorded (README traces, matrix rows, crate
       docs, env boundary)
-- [ ] Contract-window closure audited; the class-1 termination record
+- [x] Contract-window closure audited; the class-1 termination record
       landed; no undisposed class-1 candidate remains
-- [ ] N-1 + Findings 2–3 dispositions audited as decisions of record
-- [ ] Flake-watch outcome audited; any follow-up task's blocking
+- [x] N-1 + Findings 2–3 dispositions audited as decisions of record
+- [x] Flake-watch outcome audited; any follow-up task's blocking
       status stated explicitly
-- [ ] Publish-prep audit recorded (package evidence + exclusion
+- [x] Publish-prep audit recorded (package evidence + exclusion
       re-run + checklist complete)
-- [ ] Frontmatter parse sweep + renumber-sweep spot-check green
-- [ ] All gates re-run green this session (incl. fuzz replay + wasm +
+- [x] Frontmatter parse sweep + renumber-sweep spot-check green
+- [x] All gates re-run green this session (incl. fuzz replay + wasm +
       doc gates)
-- [ ] Spec flips + records landed; `implementation.md` updated; task
+- [x] Spec flips + records landed; `implementation.md` updated; task
       files audited
 
 ## References
@@ -87,8 +87,268 @@ pre-release gate). Audit the release-readiness pass as landed:
 
 ## Notes
 
-> To be filled by implementation agent
+Gate verdict: **passed**. One finding found and fixed at the gate (a
+pg engine divergence from the close-out pass's ADR-023 §2
+annotation); no blocker, no major live defect. Every audit item was
+re-verified by this session's own runs/reads, not by trusting the
+implementing tasks' self-reports.
+
+### 1. Docs honesty audit — recorded
+
+- **README**: the trace list (`release-readme` §Notes) spot-read —
+  the seven-mechanism list against core-contract.md §Mechanism
+  contracts, the engine posture lines against deployment.md §Host
+  semantics + §TLS posture, mem's wasm/ephemeral lines against
+  ADR-024 §2/§5, the license note against the workspace `license`
+  field + ADR-018. Every claim has a spec source; the usage sketch
+  was compile-checked and executed from a scratch crate with path
+  deps (the mem round-trip mirrors the lib-doc doctest `cargo test`
+  re-verifies — green in this session's run). No aspirational or
+  unshipped claims found.
+- **Deployment matrix**: rows read true as implemented across the
+  three engines (the full text of
+  `release-deployment-matrix`'s five corrections — the consumer-side
+  FULL claim false-as-implemented, the three-guard list, the NFS
+  re-citation, the unsourced mem latency number replaced — present
+  in the final text; the env-boundary §Configuration boundary
+  sentence present; no internal task/wave pointers remain in the
+  release-facing text — re-read this session). Spot-checks against
+  code: `synchronous = NORMAL` at bootstrap, `poll_interval` 1 ms
+  default, `NoTls` on every pg path, `max_size` 0 rejected — all
+  match the text.
+- **Crate docs**: the four published crates' lib-doc posture claims
+  read against deployment.md/the engine specs — the sqlite
+  single-host/one-host-cross-process, pg's `max_size + 1` budget +
+  NoTls v1, mem's honest-ephemeral/wasm identity all consistent with
+  the matrix. Doc gate green (`RUSTDOCFLAGS="-D warnings" cargo doc
+  --no-deps`, zero warnings this session).
+- **Env boundary**: the grep re-run this session — 40 `env::var`
+  reads, all inside the pg test modules' DSN plumbing; production
+  paths env-free. The matrix's "grep re-verified across the
+  workspace at release" sentence is current.
+
+### 2. Contract-window closure audit — recorded
+
+- All five wave-6 recorded observations verified disposed with dated
+  in-place citations: the publish→wake ordering tolerance
+  (core-contract.md streams tolerance paragraph + the
+  delivery-guarantee obligations bullet + ADR-015 §4's companion
+  annotation; the user declined the enforced-guarantee amendment —
+  the documented-tolerance posture was the user's call, recorded in
+  the task's Notes); the ADR-023 §2 `heartbeat(extend)`/`save_offset`
+  classifications (boundary/offset row annotated, core-contract
+  numeric-domain paragraph mirrored); the `EventReceiver::try_recv`
+  closed shape (ADR-021 §5 dated annotation); the `get_job` prose
+  (core-contract + queues.md now say the uniform id-global /
+  tx-filtered split); the mem-arithmetic no-action disposition (task
+  Notes, explicit).
+- **The registered suite-duty follow-up — audited, and landed at the
+  gate** (the close-out pass deferred it to "the review-wave-8 gate
+  owns the audit"): no suite leg pinned the two new classifications.
+  In the audit read of pg's implementation, a real divergence
+  surfaced: **pg's negative-seed clamp contradicted the ADR-023 §2
+  annotation** — pg's offsets-table `CHECK ("offset" >= 0)` + the
+  `GREATEST($3, 0)` upsert clamped a fresh consumer's negative
+  `save_offset` to 0, where SQLite and mem store the raw negative
+  and the annotation pins "a negative is stored as the checkpoint"
+  (`get_offset` observable: −5 vs 0, the only read that
+  distinguishes; below-checkpoint saves, monotone no-ops, and
+  reads-resume-forward were uniform). Per AGENTS.md's ADR-wins
+  discipline, **the pg code was fixed**: raw seed, CHECK dropped,
+  doc comments updated (the window is open until first publish —
+  legal; no published consumer exists). Suite legs then landed:
+  the negative-`heartbeat(extend)` leg in
+  `job_handle_validity_predicate` (heartbeat lands `true` while
+  unexpired; the voided claim refuses ack through the validity
+  predicate; the row survives as processing) and the
+  negative-`save_offset` seed leg in `receiver_close_and_save_arms`
+  (fresh-consumer seed stored raw; `read_from_consumer` resumes
+  forward from the anchor) — both stamped with the ADR-023 §2
+  (annotated 2026-10-11) accumulation per `version_stamp.rs`
+  convention; green on all three columns against the live pg server
+  (and core-contract.md's numeric-domain backlog row updated to
+  name the landed legs). The close-out task's "code read verified
+  the uniform shapes" claim was right on acceptance/monotonicity
+  and wrong on the stored seed value through pg's clamp — corrected
+  here.
+- **The class-1 termination record landed**: ADR-017 §2's class-1
+  bullet now carries the dated termination-of-record annotation
+  (2026-10-11, the wave-8 gate): the close-out pass landed every
+  recorded disposition, the gate audited no undisposed class-1
+  candidate remains (grep across docs/tasks for parked window
+  candidates — none; the surviving "class-1 window open/open at
+  time of writing" phrases are historical ADR texts), and the
+  class terminates permanently at the core crate's first
+  `cargo publish` — the 0.1.0 release this gate blesses (§1's
+  2026-10-11 amendment; contract changes thereafter are classes
+  2–4 only).
+
+### 3. N-1 + Findings 2–3 dispositions — audited as decisions of record
+
+- **N-1**: the conscious acceptance is a decision of record with a
+  per-engine, per-path rationale table (`deployment.md` §Growth
+  postures), made against the implemented engines' code (the task's
+  re-read verified each path: sweep-on-call-only retention, the
+  at-attach-only prune, consumer-invoked `trim_to`; mem's
+  process-lifetime-bounded postures recorded structurally). The
+  notify prune-cadence note landed in engine-sqlite.md
+  §Notifications-table hygiene, anchored and linked from the
+  matrix. Not a shrug; recorded and folded.
+- **Findings 2–3**: 2(a) and 3 landed as seam tests (the pg
+  generation-top LISTEN-pause arm with the exactly-one-wake
+  differentiator, replay-proofed both ways; the SQLite
+  rollback-fault two-drop-arm test via the `rollback_fault` seam),
+  and 2(b) + the defensive arms' parked dispositions are recorded
+  with current line refs, reach reasons, and the tested-elsewhere
+  coverage each overlaps — the inventory reads closed, not
+  re-derivable. Gates green per the task's record; both engines'
+  suites green this session.
+
+### 4. Flake-watch outcome — audited
+
+- The fired lock-row trigger was investigated per the ledger's
+  prescription (instrumentation first — the tee-before-filter
+  capture procedure demonstrated on a deliberately-failing probe;
+  the conditions matrix run, 48+ rounds; the second-precision
+  arithmetic read against `lock.rs`/`resolution.rs` with the
+  delay-only argument confirmed for the lapse legs and corrected
+  for the contention leg; mechanism probes + natural repro captured,
+  2/30 loaded solo runs, exact message at the exact site).
+  Disposition: **reproduced; root cause harness-model** — the row's
+  contention leg wrote `ttl = 1` into a live-TTL assertion
+  second-precision stamps collapse below a second; the engine acted
+  per ADR-008 §7 at every step. Fixed test-side in-session (the
+  two-leg row: long-TTL exclusion leg, short-TTL lapse leg);
+  30/30 loaded verification green; the three columns green.
+  **No live engine bug — nothing blocks the release blessing.**
+- Post-investigation watch posture: the lock row's flag **retires**;
+  the trim row stays watch-flagged (no repro in this session's
+  rounds) and one new single-occurrence observation
+  (`row_stream_ordering_equivalence` under 8-CPU-burner synthetic
+  load — a drain-window scheduling lottery, message captured,
+  no ordering violation) is recorded in the ledger dated
+  2026-10-11. Their stated status: watch continues, no ride-along
+  fix, instrumentation first; neither reproduces under dev/gate
+  conditions. Recorded; not blocking.
+
+### 5. Publish-prep audit — recorded
+
+- **Package evidence, fresh this session**: `cargo package -p
+  alkstore` — packaged 30 files + verification build green; the
+  `.crate` inspection shows LICENSE-MIT/LICENSE-APACHE at the
+  tarball root, README, normalized manifest, no stray paths. The
+  engines' registry-side verification remains correctly blocked
+  pre-core-publish (re-captured this session with `--allow-dirty`:
+  `no matching package named 'alkstore' found … searched: crates.io
+  index`); their evidence stands on the reconstructed exact-list
+  trees of record (all green, the publish-shaped manifests).
+- **Exclusion verification re-run this session**: fresh
+  `cargo package --list` for all four crates — alkstore 30 files,
+  sqlite 36, postgres 31, mem 23; zero `fuzz/`/sidecar/corpora paths
+  or `alkstore-fuzz-shared` references in any list; the engine
+  packages' `src/fuzz_surface_tests.rs` + `tests/contract_suite.rs`
+  riders are the documented crate-internal probe tests and dev-dep
+  suite target, not sidecar leakage; the suite appears in no
+  `[dependencies]`; the workspace `exclude = ["fuzz"]` holds.
+- **Substrate packaging**: `src/substrate/PROVENANCE.md` +
+  `src/substrate/LICENSE` confirmed in the alkstore-sqlite list;
+  the crate README documents the carriers.
+- **Path-dep bounds + metadata**: `alkstore = { version = "0.1",
+  path = … }` verified on all three engines + the suite dep;
+  descriptions/readmes wired per crate; keywords/categories landed;
+  homepage/documentation omitted per family precedent; ADR-017 §1's
+  0.1.0 amendment dated + cited. **The manual publish checklist of
+  record is complete** (`release-publish-prep` §Notes — core first,
+  then engines, gates → package → eyeball → publish, tag v0.1.0);
+  publishing is the user's post-gate action. The one mechanical
+  note: run the checklist from the committed, clean tree (cargo
+  package refuses dirty trees).
+
+### 6. Frontmatter + records hygiene — re-run green
+
+- The PyYAML parse sweep re-run exactly as recorded
+  (`docs-frontmatter-cleanup`'s command, both globs): **0 failures**
+  across `docs/**/*.md` + `tasks/*.md`.
+- The renumber sweep spot-check: re-grepped `wave 7|wave-7` across
+  `docs/reviews/` + `tasks/` — every non-fuzz hit carries its
+  wave-8 annotation (001 header, 002 security bullet, 003 echo +
+  trail, review-wave-5's three sites, review-wave-6's three,
+  review-wave-4's gate record, pg-fix-scheduler-fire-wake's ledger
+  note); genuine fuzz-wave/review-7 references intact;
+  `taskgraph validate` green (79 tasks).
+
+### 7. All gates re-run green this session
+
+- `cargo build` — clean.
+- `cargo test --workspace` — all green server-less (core 25 + 1
+  lib-test target, suite harness 3, mem 102 lib + 25 suite + 1
+  doctest, sqlite 193 + 25, pg 127 lib (SKIP posture) + 25 + 9).
+- Live pg column against the harness server (`pglo-poc`): **127 +
+  25 + 9, all green** (this session, post-fix — the run that verified
+  the pg seed-divergence fix and the new suite legs).
+- `cargo clippy --all-targets -- -D warnings` — clean.
+- `cargo fmt --check` — clean.
+- Fuzz corpus replay (`cargo test --manifest-path
+  fuzz/shared/Cargo.toml`) — 6/6 green.
+- `cargo check --target wasm32-unknown-unknown -p alkstore-mem` —
+  clean.
+- Doc gate (`RUSTDOCFLAGS="-D warnings" cargo doc --no-deps`) — zero
+  warnings.
+
+### 8. Spec flips + records — landed this gate
+
+- Flipped `stable` with dated gate annotations: **core-contract.md,
+  overview.md, queues.md, deployment.md** (already `stable` from the
+  matrix pass — annotation current), **the architecture README**.
+  The engine specs' engine-mem.md row in the README's doc table
+  corrected (it still read `draft`; the wave-6 gate flipped the
+  spec). `open-questions.md` stays `draft` deliberately — it is the
+  OQ *tracker*, whose lifecycle is separate from the spec set
+  (noted in the README table's row); the doc set this gate freezes
+  is the release-facing spec set.
+- `docs/architecture/README.md`: Current State refreshed (waves 1–8,
+  the pre-release gate passed, the window's termination stated).
+- `implementation.md`: wave-8 row → implemented + reviewed
+  (2026-10-11); frontmatter annotation updated; the review-rounds
+  entry appended.
+- Task files audited: all ten wave-8 dependencies `completed` with
+  Notes/Summary filled; two of their AC checklists
+  (`release-contract-window-close`, `release-readme`) were left
+  unticked despite the work + records being complete — ticked at
+  this gate; no placeholder residue remains in the wave-8 task set.
+
+### Findings summary
+
+| # | Severity | Finding | Disposition |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| 1 | LOW (contract-observable) | pg's negative-seed clamp (`GREATEST(offset, 0)` + the offsets CHECK) diverged from ADR-023 §2's 2026-10-11 "a negative is stored as the checkpoint" annotation on `get_offset` | Fixed engine-side at the gate (raw seed, CHECK dropped; window open until first publish); suite legs landed uniformly (three columns green); backlog row updated |
+| 2 | INFO | The close-out pass's "uniform shapes" verification missed the clamp (acceptance was verified; the stored seed value was not) | Corrected by the fix above; recorded here for the record's honesty |
+| 3 | INFO | The 2026-10-11 `row_stream_ordering_equivalence` load observation (from `release-flake-investigation` §F6) | Watch-flagged in the ledger, carries post-release; no ride-along fix, instrumentation first; single occurrence under synthetic load beyond dev/gate conditions — not blocking |
 
 ## Summary
 
-> To be filled on completion
\ No newline at end of file
+Gate passed 2026-10-11. The pre-release pass audited clean on every
+axis and one contract-observable divergence surfaced and was fixed:
+pg's negative-seed clamp contradicted the ADR-023 §2 close-out
+annotation, resolved engine-side (raw seed, no CHECK), with the
+registered suite-duty follow-up discharged — the
+negative-`heartbeat(extend)` and negative-`save_offset` legs landed,
+stamped, and green on all three columns (pg verified against the
+live harness server). The class-1 termination of record landed in
+ADR-017 §2: every recorded disposition is dated + cited, no
+undisposed candidate remains, and the window terminates permanently
+at the core crate's first `cargo publish` — the 0.1.0 this gate
+blesses. N-1's acceptance and Findings 2–3's dispositions are
+decisions of record; the flake investigation's outcome is a
+harness-model root cause, test-side fixed, watch retired, with the
+remaining watch items recorded and non-blocking. Publish prep
+verified fresh (package evidence, exclusion re-run clean, the
+manual checklist of record standing); the frontmatter and renumber
+hygiene sweeps re-ran green; all gates re-run green this session
+(build, workspace tests, live-pg suite, clippy, fmt, fuzz replay,
+wasm32, doc gate). The release-facing spec set — core-contract.md,
+overview.md, queues.md, deployment.md, the architecture README — is
+flipped `stable`; `engine-mem.md`'s README-table row corrected to
+match its wave-6 flip; `implementation.md`'s records updated;
+`open-questions.md` stays the draft tracker by intent. Implementation
+is complete; the release itself is the user's manual publish session.
\ No newline at end of file