# Nova — v1.27 Research Findings

> Phase: research (pre-execution). Milestone: v1.27 (PO State Catalog &
> Ciagent Compression). Status: research. Researcher: ci-researcher.
> Autonomy: full.

v1.27 is an NFR milestone (docs/chore only, no code, no schema). There
is no new domain to research. The research is a codebase-grounded
inventory of (a) the files to archive + their staleness evidence, and
(b) the sources backing the STATE.md capability backfill. This file
records the inventory for the v1.27 record; the active authoring used
these sources directly.

---

## 1. Files to archive (staleness inventory)

### 1.1 Pre-execution artifacts (v1.26 — shipped, decisions folded)

| File | Lines | Staleness evidence | Decisions folded into |
|---|---|---|---|
| `CLARIFY.md` | 225 | v1.26 milestone shipped (`v1.25.5`); decisions D-200..D-213 | `PROJECT.md` load-bearing decisions |
| `GRILL.md` | 225 | v1.26 grill verdict PROCEED 0.84; binding revisions applied | `PLAN.md` revisions (G-Q4 REQ-322→P2 W0; G-Q6 enforcement deferred; G-Q9 key-split future) |
| `IDEATE.md` | 193 | all 7 accepted ideas → REQ-315..322 (shipped) | `REQUIREMENTS.md` v1.26 traceability |
| `RESEARCH.md` | 250 | v1.26 domain research (blockchain, deploy, modules, metrics) | `ARCHITECTURE.md` §12.8; shipped REQs |

All four are pre-execution artifacts for a shipped milestone. The next
P0 writes fresh versions. Per D-219 (user-confirmed) + D-222: archive
all four with `-v1.26` suffixes.

### 1.2 Phase verifications + review (v1.26 — shipped, PASS)

| File | Lines | Staleness evidence |
|---|---|---|
| `VERIFY-P03.md` | 39 | v1.26 P3 verification — PASS; shipped `v1.25.3` |
| `VERIFY-P04.md` | 31 | v1.26 P4 verification — PASS; shipped `v1.25.4` |
| `REVIEW-AUDIT-P05.md` | 218 | v1.26 P5 final review + audit — PROCEED; shipped `v1.25.5`; 0 P0 remain; audit CLEAN |
| `P4-PILOT-RUN-EVIDENCE.md` | 46 | v1.26 live apply evidence (`blkex-pilot-apply-v0.2`); summarized in `nova-blockchain-exchange/README.md` §5 + REVIEW-AUDIT-P05 §2.2 |

### 1.3 Durable references (superseded or stale)

| File | Lines | Staleness evidence | Superseded by |
|---|---|---|---|
| `CAPABILITY_INVENTORY.md` | 120 | dated 2026-07-27; framed as "v1.1→v1.8 re-verification sweep"; predates v1.26 pilot (CAP-025 absent; blockchain capabilities absent) | `STATE.md` (this milestone) |
| `AUTONOMY_THESIS.md` | 65 | "Last refined: v1.21"; thesis fully folded into `NORTH_STAR.md` Vision (lines 17–22) + Anti-Goals #2 | `NORTH_STAR.md` |
| `COST.md` | 106 | dated 2026-07-29; framed "v1.0 → v1.14"; predates v1.26 live pilot (ECS + ALB + DynamoDB + S3 costs not reflected) | A future cost milestone writes a fresh report; `STATE.md` Domain 7 notes cost tracking as a capability |

### 1.4 Consumer-side (nova-blockchain-exchange)

| File | Lines | Staleness evidence |
|---|---|---|
| `nova-blockchain-exchange/ROADMAP.md` | 57 | marks P3/P4/P5 as "planned" but v1.26 shipped (`v1.25.5`); phase narrative preserved in platform `ROADMAP.md` v1.26 section |

Per D-221: consumer archives land in
`.ciagent/nova-blockchain-exchange/archive/ROADMAP-v1.26.md`.

---

## 2. Files to keep active (no-edit or fix-only)

### 2.1 No-edit (live code paths or durable)

| File | Why keep active |
|---|---|
| `CHECKPOINT.json` | Authoritative resume state — never archive |
| `config.json` | Operational config — never archive |
| `REGRESSION_REPORT.json` | Written by `core/regression_verify.py:705`; read by `core/metrics/collector.py:27` + `trust_snapshot.py:21` + metrics views (D-224: regenerates on next `run_regression.sh`) |
| `REGRESSION_REPORT.md` | Written by `core/regression_verify.py:704`; read by `scripts/run_regression.sh` (D-224) |
| `PERSONAS.md` | Regenerated at each milestone P0 by the lead-developer; not stale until then |
| `IAM_POLICY.md` | Live baseline, test-enforced (`tests/test_iam_policy_baseline.py`); D-207 future key-split pending (D-223) |
| `PLAN.md` | Active phase plan; reset to next milestone at next P0 |
| `ARCHITECTURE.md` | Durable target architecture (§1–§12 + §12.7 + §12.8 + §12.9) |
| `NORTH_STAR.md` | PO strategy; loaded every ci-run via `config.strategic_direction_file` |
| `nova-blockchain-exchange/PROJECT.md` | Consumer project charter; D-200..D-205 load-bearing |
| `nova-blockchain-exchange/REQUIREMENTS.md` | REQ-310..322 spec intent (shipped but spec stays for reference) |
| `nova-blockchain-exchange/README.md` | Consumer onboarding guide; still accurate (deploy workflow, secrets, contract shape, verification) |

### 2.2 Fix-only (corrections to stale-but-kept files)

| File | Fix |
|---|---|
| `PROJECT.md` | v1.26 phase-status block (lines 424–431): P3/P4/P5 "pending" → "complete" with shipped tags `v1.25.3/4/5`; add STATE.md pointer (D-225: P2 phase) |
| `ROADMAP.md` | v1.26 P3/P4/P5 sections (lines 238, 261, 272) "planned" → "complete" with shipped tags; v1.26 Overview line "active" → "complete"; add STATE.md to P5 ship-update list (D-225: P2 phase) |
| `archive/README.md` | Add the 11 new archived files to the contents tables (P2 phase) |

---

## 3. STATE.md capability backfill sources

The STATE.md backfill (36 capabilities across 10 domains) was sourced
from:

| Source | Used for |
|---|---|
| `core/regression_verify.py` (lines 129–768) | CAP-001..CAP-025 IDs, names, tiers, evidence pointers |
| `.ciagent/CAPABILITY_INVENTORY.md` (pre-archive) | CAP-001..022 descriptions, defect notes, evidence |
| `modules/registry.json` | L1/L2 module catalog (13 L1 + 2 L2 entries) |
| `.ciagent/REQUIREMENTS.md` v1.25 traceability | REQ-291..309 → policy-engine capabilities |
| `.ciagent/nova-blockchain-exchange/REQUIREMENTS.md` + `.ciagent/REQUIREMENTS.md` v1.26 traceability | REQ-310..322 → pilot capabilities |
| `.ciagent/CHECKPOINT.json` | shipped tags `v1.25.0..v1.25.5` |
| `git log --all --oneline` | file paths for v1.26 shipped features |
| `.ciagent/PROJECT.md` load-bearing decisions | INV-1..INV-11 invariants |
| `docs/submission-readiness.md` + `schemas/contract.schema.json` | INV-1 contract surface |

---

## 4. Persona assessment

v1.27 is a docs/chore milestone. The active roster:

- **lead-developer** (active): owns the milestone narrative (STATE.md
  authoring, PROJECT/ROADMAP fixes, archive README, PLAN/NORTH_STAR
  wiring, this RESEARCH, CLARIFY, PLAN, final review + audit). Territory:
  `.ciagent/`, `docs/`.
- **backend-engineer** (active, limited): no code changes in v1.27.
  Consulted on the `core/confidence_signal.py` LSP diagnostic (pre-
  existing, not touched by v1.27). No territory writes.
- **data-engineer** (inactive): no schema/migration/ORM changes.
- **policy-engineer** (inactive): no policy authoring.
- **frontend-engineer** (inactive): no UI.
- **blockchain-engineer** (inactive): no chain code.

Territory enforcement: warn. The milestone is `.ciagent/`-only; the
lead-developer owns all writes.

---

## 5. Risk analysis

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archive move breaks a relative path reference in an active file | Low | Medium | `grep` for the archived filenames across `.ciagent/` + `docs/` before commit; fix any dangling references in P2 |
| STATE.md capability row is inaccurate (wrong shipped tag / wrong file path) | Medium | Low | The backfill sources are the authoritative registries (regression_verify.py, registry.json, CHECKPOINT.json, git log); citations are direct |
| PROJECT.md phase-status fix conflicts with a future v1.26-era commit | Low | Low | v1.26 is shipped (main has the milestone merge); no v1.26-era commits will arrive |
| REGRESSION_REPORT stale state is mistaken for v1.27 scope | Low | Low | D-224 records the decision; STATE.md Domain 7 notes the current CAP range |

---

## 6. Verdict

v1.27 is feasible, scoped, and the sources are grounded. No new domain,
no new code, no schema breaks. The archive moves are lossless (git
history + archive directory both preserve bytes). The STATE.md
backfill is sourced from authoritative registries. Proceed to PLAN.