From b3a108fb8b0ce870db4f80bb6096d5477105f4bf Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sergio Velderrain <svelderrainruiz2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:41:10 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 01/16] fix: restore queue health recovery progression (#2054)

Co-authored-by: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
---
 .../__tests__/queue-supervisor.test.mjs       | 49 +++++++++++++++++++
 tools/priority/queue-supervisor.mjs           | 43 +++++++++++++---
 2 files changed, 85 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tools/priority/__tests__/queue-supervisor.test.mjs b/tools/priority/__tests__/queue-supervisor.test.mjs
index 1c9c6a00b..7c1124b49 100644
--- a/tools/priority/__tests__/queue-supervisor.test.mjs
+++ b/tools/priority/__tests__/queue-supervisor.test.mjs
@@ -405,6 +405,25 @@ test('evaluateAdaptiveInflight applies hysteresis before upgrading from stabiliz
   assert.equal(secondRecovery.hysteresis.transition, 'upgrade-applied');
 });
 
+test('evaluateAdaptiveInflight restores upgrade streak from persisted hysteresis state', () => {
+  const recovered = evaluateAdaptiveInflight({
+    maxInflight: 5,
+    minInflight: 2,
+    adaptiveCap: true,
+    health: { successRate: 0.95, minSuccessRate: 0.8 },
+    runtimeFleet: { totals: { queued: 0, inProgress: 0, stalled: 0 }, thresholds: { maxQueuedRuns: 6, maxInProgressRuns: 8 } },
+    retryPressure: { retryRatio: 0, quarantineRatio: 0 },
+    previousControllerState: {
+      mode: 'stabilize',
+      hysteresis: {
+        upgradeStreak: 1
+      }
+    }
+  });
+  assert.equal(recovered.tier, 'guarded');
+  assert.equal(recovered.hysteresis.transition, 'upgrade-applied');
+});
+
 test('evaluateBurstWindow activates on release triggers and carries refill cycles', () => {
   const initial = evaluateBurstWindow({
     burstMode: 'auto',
@@ -616,6 +635,36 @@ test('evaluateHealthGate pauses when success rate drops or red window exceeds th
   assert.ok(redWindow.reasons.includes('trunk-red-window-exceeded'));
 });
 
+test('evaluateHealthGate ignores stale workflow failures outside the health lookback window', () => {
+  const now = new Date('2026-03-30T22:00:00.000Z');
+  const result = evaluateHealthGate({
+    workflowRunsByName: {
+      Validate: [
+        { conclusion: 'success', status: 'completed', created_at: '2026-03-30T18:57:23Z', updated_at: '2026-03-30T19:13:12Z' },
+        { conclusion: 'success', status: 'completed', created_at: '2026-03-29T22:01:19Z', updated_at: '2026-03-29T22:17:18Z' }
+      ],
+      'Policy Guard (Upstream)': [
+        { conclusion: 'success', status: 'completed', created_at: '2026-03-30T18:57:23Z', updated_at: '2026-03-30T18:58:03Z' }
+      ],
+      'Fixture Drift Validation': [
+        { conclusion: 'failure', status: 'completed', created_at: '2026-03-29T22:13:26Z', updated_at: '2026-03-29T22:15:13Z' },
+        { conclusion: 'failure', status: 'completed', created_at: '2025-10-07T08:32:27Z', updated_at: '2025-10-07T08:35:06Z' },
+        { conclusion: 'failure', status: 'completed', created_at: '2025-10-07T08:12:14Z', updated_at: '2025-10-07T08:14:27Z' },
+        { conclusion: 'failure', status: 'completed', created_at: '2025-10-07T07:58:25Z', updated_at: '2025-10-07T08:00:46Z' }
+      ],
+      'commit-integrity': [
+        { conclusion: 'success', status: 'completed', created_at: '2026-03-29T22:24:27Z', updated_at: '2026-03-29T22:24:44Z' }
+      ]
+    },
+    now
+  });
+
+  assert.equal(result.paused, false);
+  assert.equal(result.sampleSize, 5);
+  assert.equal(result.successful, 4);
+  assert.equal(result.successRate, 0.8);
+});
+
 test('evaluateRuntimeFleetHealth pauses on saturation and stalled runs', () => {
   const now = new Date('2026-03-05T22:00:00.000Z');
   const runtime = evaluateRuntimeFleetHealth({
diff --git a/tools/priority/queue-supervisor.mjs b/tools/priority/queue-supervisor.mjs
index 492cd47d1..f4c530f98 100644
--- a/tools/priority/queue-supervisor.mjs
+++ b/tools/priority/queue-supervisor.mjs
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ const DEFAULT_MIN_INFLIGHT = 2;
 const DEFAULT_HEALTH_SAMPLE = 10;
 const DEFAULT_HEALTH_MIN_SUCCESS_RATE = 0.8;
 const DEFAULT_HEALTH_MAX_RED_MINUTES = 30;
+const DEFAULT_HEALTH_LOOKBACK_DAYS = 30;
 const DEFAULT_MAX_QUEUED_RUNS = 6;
 const DEFAULT_MAX_IN_PROGRESS_RUNS = 8;
 const DEFAULT_STALL_THRESHOLD_MINUTES = 45;
@@ -820,7 +821,8 @@ export function evaluateHealthGate({
   workflowRunsByName,
   now = new Date(),
   minSuccessRate = DEFAULT_HEALTH_MIN_SUCCESS_RATE,
-  maxRedMinutes = DEFAULT_HEALTH_MAX_RED_MINUTES
+  maxRedMinutes = DEFAULT_HEALTH_MAX_RED_MINUTES,
+  lookbackDays = DEFAULT_HEALTH_LOOKBACK_DAYS
 }) {
   const runs = [];
   for (const [workflow, workflowRuns] of Object.entries(workflowRunsByName ?? {})) {
@@ -836,12 +838,24 @@ export function evaluateHealthGate({
     }
   }
 
-  runs.sort((a, b) => Date.parse(b.createdAt || 0) - Date.parse(a.createdAt || 0));
-  const sampleSize = runs.length;
-  const successful = runs.filter((run) => run.conclusion === 'success').length;
+  runs.sort((a, b) => runTimestampMs(b) - runTimestampMs(a));
+  const lookbackMs =
+    Number.isFinite(lookbackDays) && lookbackDays > 0
+      ? lookbackDays * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000
+      : null;
+  const filteredRuns =
+    lookbackMs == null
+      ? runs
+      : runs.filter((run) => {
+          const stamp = runTimestampMs(run);
+          return Number.isFinite(stamp) && now.valueOf() - stamp <= lookbackMs;
+        });
+
+  const sampleSize = filteredRuns.length;
+  const successful = filteredRuns.filter((run) => run.conclusion === 'success').length;
   const successRate = sampleSize === 0 ? 0 : successful / sampleSize;
-  const latest = runs[0] ?? null;
-  const lastSuccess = runs.find((run) => run.conclusion === 'success') ?? null;
+  const latest = filteredRuns[0] ?? null;
+  const lastSuccess = filteredRuns.find((run) => run.conclusion === 'success') ?? null;
 
   let redMinutes = 0;
   if (latest && latest.conclusion !== 'success') {
@@ -1208,6 +1222,20 @@ function applyControllerHysteresis({
   };
 }
 
+function readPreviousControllerUpgradeStreak(previousControllerState) {
+  const direct = Number(previousControllerState?.upgradeStreak);
+  if (Number.isFinite(direct) && direct >= 0) {
+    return Math.trunc(direct);
+  }
+
+  const nested = Number(previousControllerState?.hysteresis?.upgradeStreak);
+  if (Number.isFinite(nested) && nested >= 0) {
+    return Math.trunc(nested);
+  }
+
+  return 0;
+}
+
 export function evaluateAdaptiveInflight({
   maxInflight,
   minInflight = DEFAULT_MIN_INFLIGHT,
@@ -1277,7 +1305,7 @@ export function evaluateAdaptiveInflight({
   const hysteresis = applyControllerHysteresis({
     desiredMode: desired.desiredMode,
     previousMode: previousControllerState?.mode,
-    previousUpgradeStreak: previousControllerState?.upgradeStreak,
+    previousUpgradeStreak: readPreviousControllerUpgradeStreak(previousControllerState),
     requiredUpgradeStreak: CONTROLLER_REQUIRED_UPGRADE_STREAK
   });
   const effectiveMaxInflight = caps[hysteresis.mode] ?? configuredMin;
@@ -1786,6 +1814,7 @@ export async function runQueueSupervisor(options = {}) {
     reasons: adaptiveInflight.reasons,
     metrics: adaptiveInflight.metrics,
     thresholds: adaptiveInflight.thresholds,
+    upgradeStreak: adaptiveInflight.hysteresis?.upgradeStreak ?? 0,
     hysteresis: adaptiveInflight.hysteresis,
     retryPressure,
     paused: uniquePausedReasons.length > 0,

From b17db63ff5a24ff634356214d5f981f78a4ff24a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sergio Velderrain <svelderrainruiz2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 13:58:27 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 02/16] policy: shrink develop required merge checks (#2055)

Co-authored-by: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
---
 docs/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md                       |   6 +-
 docs/RELEASE_PROMOTION_CONTRACT.md            |  12 +
 ...RUNBOOK_CONTAINER_LANE_PROMOTION_POLICY.md |   4 +-
 docs/knowledgebase/FEATURE_BRANCH_POLICY.md   |  11 +-
 tools/policy/branch-required-checks.json      |  10 -
 tools/policy/promotion-contract.json          |   5 -
 .../__tests__/check-policy-apply.test.mjs     | 268 ++++++++++++++----
 tools/priority/policy.json                    |  10 -
 8 files changed, 239 insertions(+), 87 deletions(-)

diff --git a/docs/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md b/docs/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md
index 23c200beb..df1423f90 100644
--- a/docs/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md
+++ b/docs/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md
@@ -463,7 +463,8 @@ For each cut:
 - Branch protection requires a linear history: use the **Squash and merge** button (or rebase-and-merge) so no merge
   commits land on `develop`/`main`.
 - Keep PRs focused and include the standing issue reference (`#<number>`) in the commit subject and PR description.
-- Ensure required checks (`validate`, `fixtures`, `session-index`) are green before merging; rerun as needed.
+- Ensure required checks (`lint`, `fixtures`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`,
+  `vi-history-scenarios-linux`, `commit-integrity`) are green before merging; rerun as needed.
 - `Validate` now computes a `validate-scope-plan` artifact before the heavy lanes fan out.
   Standard `pull_request` and `merge_group` runs classify changed paths with an allow-list into:
   `docs-metadata-only`, `tests-only`, `tools-policy-only`, `ci-control-plane`, `mixed-lightweight`, `compare-engine-history`,
@@ -495,6 +496,9 @@ For each cut:
   the local CLI/orchestrator path, and `ready_for_review` is reserved for final hosted validation on the current head.
 - `agent-review-policy` is the hosted concentrator for local review evidence and promotion validation. It should not be
   used to acquire a second GitHub-side Copilot review after `ready_for_review`.
+- `session-index`, `issue-snapshot`, `semver`, `agent-review-policy`, and `hook-parity`
+  remain valuable supporting lanes, but they are not part of the minimal merge-queue
+  required-check surface for `develop`.
 - Run `node tools/npm/run-script.mjs priority:policy` (or `node tools/npm/run-script.mjs priority:policy:sync`) if you
   need to audit merge settings locally; the command also runs during `priority:handoff-tests` and fails when
   repo/branch policy drifts.
diff --git a/docs/RELEASE_PROMOTION_CONTRACT.md b/docs/RELEASE_PROMOTION_CONTRACT.md
index 5cb590a64..c5b217cd6 100644
--- a/docs/RELEASE_PROMOTION_CONTRACT.md
+++ b/docs/RELEASE_PROMOTION_CONTRACT.md
@@ -61,6 +61,18 @@ Canonical required-check lists for `develop` and `release/*` must remain in sync
     `release/*`; `priority:policy` resolves it to the current live GitHub
     ruleset)
 
+For `develop`, the required set is intentionally limited to the smallest merge-safety
+surface that still preserves trunk truth:
+
+- `lint`
+- `fixtures`
+- `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`
+- `vi-history-scenarios-linux`
+- `commit-integrity`
+
+Other Validate or platform lanes can still run and remain useful evidence, but they
+must not be treated as queue-required unless they prove merge safety for `develop`.
+
 The workflow context `Promotion Contract / promotion-contract` remains an operational evidence check, but it is not a
 branch-protection required status on `develop` or `release/*` because the workflow is intentionally path-scoped for
 pull requests.
diff --git a/docs/RUNBOOK_CONTAINER_LANE_PROMOTION_POLICY.md b/docs/RUNBOOK_CONTAINER_LANE_PROMOTION_POLICY.md
index 0269fa795..0310e60c6 100644
--- a/docs/RUNBOOK_CONTAINER_LANE_PROMOTION_POLICY.md
+++ b/docs/RUNBOOK_CONTAINER_LANE_PROMOTION_POLICY.md
@@ -73,8 +73,8 @@ Rollback behavior was validated against the canary state for #662/#663:
 - Canary lane remains non-required during this policy phase.
 - Current develop required-check contract remains satisfiable with no runbook-container context required.
 - Expected branch-protection behavior after rollback: merges continue using canonical required contexts (`lint`,
-  `fixtures`, `session-index`, `issue-snapshot`, `semver`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`,
-  `vi-history-scenarios-linux`, `agent-review-policy`, `hook-parity`, `commit-integrity`).
+  `fixtures`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`, `vi-history-scenarios-linux`,
+  `commit-integrity`).
 
 ## Decision for #663
 
diff --git a/docs/knowledgebase/FEATURE_BRANCH_POLICY.md b/docs/knowledgebase/FEATURE_BRANCH_POLICY.md
index e70aeaf86..d37edde8c 100644
--- a/docs/knowledgebase/FEATURE_BRANCH_POLICY.md
+++ b/docs/knowledgebase/FEATURE_BRANCH_POLICY.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <!-- markdownlint-disable-next-line MD041 -->
 # Feature Branch Enforcement & Merge Queue
 
-| `develop` (live id may drift) | `refs/heads/develop` | Merge queue enabled (`merge_method=SQUASH`, `grouping=ALLGREEN`, build queue <=20 entries, 1-minute quiet window). Required checks: `lint`, `fixtures`, `session-index`, `issue-snapshot`, `semver`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`, `vi-history-scenarios-linux`, `agent-review-policy`, `hook-parity`, `commit-integrity`. Non-required hosted proof lanes may run alongside the queue contract, including `vi-history-scenarios-windows` on GitHub-hosted `windows-2022`. Copilot review settings are no longer enforced through policy; draft/ready review semantics are repo-owned and validated by `agent-review-policy`. |
+| `develop` (live id may drift) | `refs/heads/develop` | Merge queue enabled (`merge_method=SQUASH`, `grouping=ALLGREEN`, build queue <=20 entries, 1-minute quiet window). Required checks: `lint`, `fixtures`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`, `vi-history-scenarios-linux`, `commit-integrity`. Non-required hosted proof lanes may run alongside the queue contract, including `session-index`, `issue-snapshot`, `semver`, `agent-review-policy`, `hook-parity`, and `vi-history-scenarios-windows` on GitHub-hosted `windows-2022`. Copilot review settings are no longer enforced through policy; draft/ready review semantics are repo-owned and validated by `agent-review-policy`. |
 
 ## Purpose
 
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ promotion behavior, not the branch-class source of truth.
 ### GitHub rulesets
 | Manifest identity | Scope                | Highlights                                                                                   |
 |-------------------|----------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
-| `develop` (live id may drift) | `refs/heads/develop` | Merge queue enabled (`merge_method=SQUASH`, `grouping=ALLGREEN`, build queue <=20 entries, 1-minute quiet window). Required checks: `lint`, `fixtures`, `session-index`, `issue-snapshot`, `semver`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`, `vi-history-scenarios-linux`, `agent-review-policy`, `hook-parity`, `commit-integrity`. Non-required hosted proof lanes may run alongside the queue contract, including `vi-history-scenarios-windows` on GitHub-hosted `windows-2022`. Copilot review settings are no longer enforced through policy; draft/ready review semantics are repo-owned and validated by `agent-review-policy`. |
+| `develop` (live id may drift) | `refs/heads/develop` | Merge queue enabled (`merge_method=SQUASH`, `grouping=ALLGREEN`, build queue <=20 entries, 1-minute quiet window). Required checks: `lint`, `fixtures`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`, `vi-history-scenarios-linux`, `commit-integrity`. Non-required hosted proof lanes may run alongside the queue contract, including `session-index`, `issue-snapshot`, `semver`, `agent-review-policy`, `hook-parity`, and `vi-history-scenarios-windows` on GitHub-hosted `windows-2022`. Copilot review settings are no longer enforced through policy; draft/ready review semantics are repo-owned and validated by `agent-review-policy`. |
 | `main` (`tools/priority/policy.json` key `8614140`) | `refs/heads/main`    | Merge queue enabled (`merge_method=SQUASH`, `grouping=ALLGREEN`, build queue <=5 entries, 1-minute quiet window). Required checks: `lint`, `pester`, `vi-binary-check`, `vi-compare`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`, `commit-integrity`. Required approving reviews: `0`. |
 | `release` (`tools/priority/policy.json` key `8614172`) | `refs/heads/release/*` | No merge queue; protects against force-push/deletion. Required checks: `lint`, `pester / normalize`, `smoke-gate`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`, `commit-integrity`. Required approving reviews: `0`. |
 
@@ -126,9 +126,10 @@ checked into `tools/priority/policy.json` so `priority:policy` stays authoritati
 
 ### `develop`
 - **Merge strategy**: queue-managed squash with linear history enforced; merge commits disabled.
-- **Required checks**: `lint`, `fixtures`, `session-index`, `issue-snapshot`, `semver`,
-  `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`,
-  `vi-history-scenarios-linux`, `agent-review-policy`, `hook-parity`, `commit-integrity`.
+- **Required checks**: `lint`, `fixtures`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`,
+  `vi-history-scenarios-linux`, `commit-integrity`.
+- **Supporting non-required lanes**: `session-index`, `issue-snapshot`, `semver`,
+  `agent-review-policy`, `hook-parity`, plus hosted Windows proving.
 - **Non-required hosted proof**: `vi-history-scenarios-windows` may run on GitHub-hosted
   `windows-2022` to validate `nationalinstruments/labview:2026q1-windows`. Agents may
   dispatch that hosted lane while manually running the Linux or Windows Docker Desktop/WSL2 lanes on this host.
diff --git a/tools/policy/branch-required-checks.json b/tools/policy/branch-required-checks.json
index 0e792f0d4..c37a2cdc9 100644
--- a/tools/policy/branch-required-checks.json
+++ b/tools/policy/branch-required-checks.json
@@ -11,13 +11,8 @@
     "upstream-integration": [
       "lint",
       "fixtures",
-      "session-index",
-      "issue-snapshot",
-      "semver",
       "Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard",
       "vi-history-scenarios-linux",
-      "agent-review-policy",
-      "hook-parity",
       "commit-integrity"
     ],
     "downstream-consumer-proving-rail": [
@@ -43,13 +38,8 @@
     "develop": [
       "lint",
       "fixtures",
-      "session-index",
-      "issue-snapshot",
-      "semver",
       "Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard",
       "vi-history-scenarios-linux",
-      "agent-review-policy",
-      "hook-parity",
       "commit-integrity"
     ],
     "downstream/develop": [
diff --git a/tools/policy/promotion-contract.json b/tools/policy/promotion-contract.json
index 9afb6e275..7ee2e25c8 100644
--- a/tools/policy/promotion-contract.json
+++ b/tools/policy/promotion-contract.json
@@ -48,13 +48,8 @@
     "develop": [
       "lint",
       "fixtures",
-      "session-index",
-      "issue-snapshot",
-      "semver",
       "Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard",
       "vi-history-scenarios-linux",
-      "agent-review-policy",
-      "hook-parity",
       "commit-integrity"
     ],
     "release/*": [
diff --git a/tools/priority/__tests__/check-policy-apply.test.mjs b/tools/priority/__tests__/check-policy-apply.test.mjs
index bf47cad37..4dade15c0 100644
--- a/tools/priority/__tests__/check-policy-apply.test.mjs
+++ b/tools/priority/__tests__/check-policy-apply.test.mjs
@@ -25,16 +25,15 @@ function createResponse(data, status = 200, statusText = 'OK') {
 const EXPECTED_DEVELOP_CHECKS = [
   'lint',
   'fixtures',
-  'session-index',
-  'issue-snapshot',
-  'semver',
   'Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard',
   'vi-history-scenarios-linux',
-  'agent-review-policy',
-  'hook-parity',
   'commit-integrity'
 ];
 
+const EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS = [
+  'Downstream Promotion / downstream-promotion'
+];
+
 const EXPECTED_MAIN_CHECKS = [
   'lint',
   'pester',
@@ -186,7 +185,7 @@ function createRuleset({
   };
 }
 
-function createAlignedRulesets(ids = { develop: 8811898, main: 8614140, release: 8614172 }) {
+function createAlignedRulesets(ids = { develop: 8811898, main: 8614140, release: 8614172, downstream: 8811901 }) {
   return {
     develop: createRuleset({
       id: ids.develop,
@@ -215,6 +214,16 @@ function createAlignedRulesets(ids = { develop: 8811898, main: 8614140, release:
         dismissStaleReviewsOnPush: true,
         allowedMergeMethods: ['rebase']
       })
+    }),
+    downstreamDevelop: createRuleset({
+      id: ids.downstream,
+      name: 'downstream-develop',
+      includes: ['refs/heads/downstream/develop'],
+      requiredStatusChecks: EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS,
+      requiredLinearHistory: true,
+      pullRequestRule: createPullRequestRule({
+        allowedMergeMethods: ['rebase']
+      })
     })
   };
 }
@@ -263,6 +272,7 @@ test('priority:policy --apply updates rulesets for develop/main/release', async
   const rulesetDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8811898`;
   const rulesetMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614140`;
   const rulesetReleaseUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614172`;
+  const rulesetDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8811901`;
 
   const repoState = {
     allow_squash_merge: true,
@@ -409,7 +419,19 @@ test('priority:policy --apply updates rulesets for develop/main/release', async
     ]
   };
 
+  const rulesetDownstreamDevelop = createRuleset({
+    id: 8811901,
+    name: 'downstream-develop',
+    includes: ['refs/heads/downstream/develop'],
+    requiredStatusChecks: EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS,
+    requiredLinearHistory: true,
+    pullRequestRule: createPullRequestRule({
+      allowedMergeMethods: ['rebase']
+    })
+  });
+
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
 
   let branchDevelopProtection = {
@@ -458,6 +480,8 @@ test('priority:policy --apply updates rulesets for develop/main/release', async
     allow_fork_syncing: { enabled: false }
   };
 
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopProtection = createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS);
+
   const wrapEnabled = (value) => ({ enabled: Boolean(value) });
   const requests = [];
   const fetchMock = async (url, options = {}) => {
@@ -524,11 +548,16 @@ test('priority:policy --apply updates rulesets for develop/main/release', async
       }
     }
 
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(branchDownstreamDevelopProtection);
+    }
+
     if (method === 'GET' && url === listUrl) {
       return createResponse([
         toRulesetSummary(rulesetDevelop),
         toRulesetSummary(rulesetMain),
-        toRulesetSummary(rulesetRelease)
+        toRulesetSummary(rulesetRelease),
+        toRulesetSummary(rulesetDownstreamDevelop)
       ]);
     }
 
@@ -567,6 +596,10 @@ test('priority:policy --apply updates rulesets for develop/main/release', async
       }
     }
 
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === rulesetDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(rulesetDownstreamDevelop);
+    }
+
     throw new Error(`Unexpected request ${method} ${url}`);
   };
 
@@ -707,6 +740,7 @@ test('priority:policy verifies fork-local rulesets by stable identity when manif
   const repoUrl = 'https://api.github.com/repos/test-org/test-repo';
   const listUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets`;
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
   const expectedRulesetUrls = {
     main: `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614140`,
@@ -715,7 +749,8 @@ test('priority:policy verifies fork-local rulesets by stable identity when manif
   const rulesets = createAlignedRulesets({
     develop: 99001,
     main: 99002,
-    release: 99003
+    release: 99003,
+    downstream: 99004
   });
 
   const fetchMock = async (url, options = {}) => {
@@ -729,6 +764,9 @@ test('priority:policy verifies fork-local rulesets by stable identity when manif
     if (url === branchDevelopUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DEVELOP_CHECKS));
     }
+    if (url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS));
+    }
     if (url === branchMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_MAIN_CHECKS));
     }
@@ -739,7 +777,8 @@ test('priority:policy verifies fork-local rulesets by stable identity when manif
       return createResponse([
         toRulesetSummary(rulesets.develop),
         toRulesetSummary(rulesets.main),
-        toRulesetSummary(rulesets.release)
+        toRulesetSummary(rulesets.release),
+        toRulesetSummary(rulesets.downstreamDevelop)
       ]);
     }
     if (url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/${rulesets.develop.id}`) {
@@ -751,6 +790,9 @@ test('priority:policy verifies fork-local rulesets by stable identity when manif
     if (url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/${rulesets.release.id}`) {
       return createResponse(rulesets.release);
     }
+    if (url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/${rulesets.downstreamDevelop.id}`) {
+      return createResponse(rulesets.downstreamDevelop);
+    }
     throw new Error(`Unexpected request ${method} ${url}`);
   };
 
@@ -787,6 +829,7 @@ test('priority:policy --apply updates fork-local rulesets resolved by stable ide
   const repoUrl = 'https://api.github.com/repos/test-org/test-repo';
   const listUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets`;
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
   const expectedRulesetUrls = {
     main: `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614140`,
@@ -795,7 +838,8 @@ test('priority:policy --apply updates fork-local rulesets resolved by stable ide
   const rulesets = createAlignedRulesets({
     develop: 99101,
     main: 99102,
-    release: 99103
+    release: 99103,
+    downstream: 99104
   });
   rulesets.develop.conditions.ref_name.include = ['refs/heads/develop-drifted'];
   rulesets.develop.rules = rulesets.develop.rules.filter(
@@ -838,6 +882,9 @@ test('priority:policy --apply updates fork-local rulesets resolved by stable ide
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDevelopUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DEVELOP_CHECKS, FORK_MIRROR_BRANCH_PROTECTION));
     }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS));
+    }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_MAIN_CHECKS));
     }
@@ -848,7 +895,8 @@ test('priority:policy --apply updates fork-local rulesets resolved by stable ide
       return createResponse([
         toRulesetSummary(rulesets.develop),
         toRulesetSummary(rulesets.main),
-        toRulesetSummary(rulesets.release)
+        toRulesetSummary(rulesets.release),
+        toRulesetSummary(rulesets.downstreamDevelop)
       ]);
     }
     if (url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/${rulesets.develop.id}`) {
@@ -878,6 +926,15 @@ test('priority:policy --apply updates fork-local rulesets resolved by stable ide
         return createResponse(rulesets.release);
       }
     }
+    if (url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/${rulesets.downstreamDevelop.id}`) {
+      if (method === 'GET') {
+        return createResponse(rulesets.downstreamDevelop);
+      }
+      if (method === 'PUT') {
+        rulesets.downstreamDevelop = updateRuleset(rulesets.downstreamDevelop, JSON.parse(options.body));
+        return createResponse(rulesets.downstreamDevelop);
+      }
+    }
     throw new Error(`Unexpected request ${method} ${url}`);
   };
 
@@ -1021,6 +1078,7 @@ test('priority:policy --apply creates missing fork-local rulesets when no identi
   const repoUrl = 'https://api.github.com/repos/test-org/test-repo';
   const listUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets`;
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
   const createdRulesets = [];
   let nextRulesetId = 99200;
@@ -1038,6 +1096,9 @@ test('priority:policy --apply creates missing fork-local rulesets when no identi
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDevelopUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DEVELOP_CHECKS, FORK_MIRROR_BRANCH_PROTECTION));
     }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS));
+    }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_MAIN_CHECKS));
     }
@@ -1089,8 +1150,8 @@ test('priority:policy --apply creates missing fork-local rulesets when no identi
   assert.equal(createdRulesets.length, 3, 'three fork-local rulesets should be created');
   assert.deepEqual(
     createdRulesets.map((ruleset) => ruleset.name).sort(),
-    ['develop', 'main', 'release'],
-    'created rulesets should cover develop/main/release identities'
+    ['develop', 'downstream-develop', 'main'],
+    'created rulesets should cover develop/main/downstream identities'
   );
   const createdDevelopRuleset = createdRulesets.find((ruleset) => ruleset.name === 'develop');
   assert.ok(
@@ -1103,6 +1164,7 @@ test('priority:policy verify passes on user-owned throughput forks while still e
   const repoUrl = 'https://api.github.com/repos/test-user/test-repo';
   const listUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets`;
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
   const rulesetReleaseUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614172`;
   const reportDir = await mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'priority-policy-throughput-verify-'));
@@ -1130,6 +1192,9 @@ test('priority:policy verify passes on user-owned throughput forks while still e
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDevelopUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DEVELOP_CHECKS, FORK_MIRROR_BRANCH_PROTECTION));
     }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS));
+    }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_MAIN_CHECKS));
     }
@@ -1140,10 +1205,13 @@ test('priority:policy verify passes on user-owned throughput forks while still e
       return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === rulesetReleaseUrl) {
-      return createResponse(alignedRulesets.release);
+      return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === listUrl) {
-      return createResponse([]);
+      return createResponse([toRulesetSummary(alignedRulesets.downstreamDevelop)]);
+    }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/${alignedRulesets.downstreamDevelop.id}`) {
+      return createResponse(alignedRulesets.downstreamDevelop);
     }
     throw new Error(`Unexpected request ${method} ${url}`);
   };
@@ -1185,6 +1253,7 @@ test('priority:policy verify honors repo portability overrides for forks that ca
   const repoUrl = 'https://api.github.com/repos/test-org/test-fork';
   const listUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets`;
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
   const rulesetReleaseUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614172`;
   const reportDir = await mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'priority-policy-throughput-override-'));
@@ -1212,6 +1281,9 @@ test('priority:policy verify honors repo portability overrides for forks that ca
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDevelopUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DEVELOP_CHECKS, FORK_MIRROR_BRANCH_PROTECTION));
     }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS));
+    }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_MAIN_CHECKS));
     }
@@ -1222,10 +1294,13 @@ test('priority:policy verify honors repo portability overrides for forks that ca
       return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === rulesetReleaseUrl) {
-      return createResponse(alignedRulesets.release);
+      return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === listUrl) {
-      return createResponse([]);
+      return createResponse([toRulesetSummary(alignedRulesets.downstreamDevelop)]);
+    }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/${alignedRulesets.downstreamDevelop.id}`) {
+      return createResponse(alignedRulesets.downstreamDevelop);
     }
     throw new Error(`Unexpected request ${method} ${url}`);
   };
@@ -1401,10 +1476,11 @@ test('priority:policy --apply skips queue-managed rulesets on user-owned through
   const repoUrl = 'https://api.github.com/repos/test-user/test-repo';
   const listUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets`;
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
   const rulesetReleaseUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614172`;
   const requests = [];
-  let createdReleaseRuleset = null;
+  let createdDownstreamRuleset = null;
   const manifestOverride = JSON.parse(await readFile(new URL('../policy.json', import.meta.url), 'utf8'));
   manifestOverride.repoProfiles = {
     ...(manifestOverride.repoProfiles ?? {}),
@@ -1428,6 +1504,9 @@ test('priority:policy --apply skips queue-managed rulesets on user-owned through
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDevelopUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DEVELOP_CHECKS, FORK_MIRROR_BRANCH_PROTECTION));
     }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS));
+    }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_MAIN_CHECKS));
     }
@@ -1438,24 +1517,27 @@ test('priority:policy --apply skips queue-managed rulesets on user-owned through
       return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === rulesetReleaseUrl) {
-      if (createdReleaseRuleset) {
-        return createResponse(createdReleaseRuleset);
-      }
       return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === listUrl) {
-      return createResponse([]);
+      return createResponse(createdDownstreamRuleset ? [toRulesetSummary(createdDownstreamRuleset)] : []);
+    }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/99201`) {
+      if (createdDownstreamRuleset) {
+        return createResponse(createdDownstreamRuleset);
+      }
+      return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'POST' && url === listUrl) {
       const payload = JSON.parse(options.body);
-      createdReleaseRuleset = {
+      createdDownstreamRuleset = {
         ...payload,
-        id: 8614172,
+        id: 99201,
         enforcement: payload.enforcement ?? 'active',
         target: payload.target ?? 'branch',
         bypass_actors: payload.bypass_actors ?? []
       };
-      return createResponse(createdReleaseRuleset, 201, 'Created');
+      return createResponse(createdDownstreamRuleset, 201, 'Created');
     }
     throw new Error(`Unexpected request ${method} ${url}`);
   };
@@ -1478,8 +1560,9 @@ test('priority:policy --apply skips queue-managed rulesets on user-owned through
 
   assert.equal(code, 0, 'apply mode should succeed on user-owned throughput forks');
   const createRequests = requests.filter((entry) => entry.method === 'POST' && entry.url === listUrl);
-  assert.equal(createRequests.length, 1, 'apply mode should only create the non-queue release ruleset');
+  assert.equal(createRequests.length, 1, 'apply mode should only create the non-queue downstream-develop ruleset');
   const createdPayload = JSON.parse(createRequests[0].body);
+  assert.equal(createdPayload.name, 'downstream-develop');
   assert.equal(
     createdPayload.rules.some((rule) => rule?.type === 'merge_queue'),
     false,
@@ -1491,12 +1574,13 @@ test('priority:policy --apply downgrades queue-managed rulesets when a fork reje
   const repoUrl = 'https://api.github.com/repos/test-org/test-fork';
   const listUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets`;
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
   const rulesetReleaseUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614172`;
   const reportDir = await mkdtemp(path.join(os.tmpdir(), 'priority-policy-throughput-apply-'));
   const reportPath = path.join(reportDir, 'policy-report.json');
   const requests = [];
-  let createdReleaseRuleset = null;
+  const createdRulesets = [];
 
   const fetchMock = async (url, options = {}) => {
     const method = options.method ?? 'GET';
@@ -1512,6 +1596,9 @@ test('priority:policy --apply downgrades queue-managed rulesets when a fork reje
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDevelopUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DEVELOP_CHECKS, FORK_MIRROR_BRANCH_PROTECTION));
     }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS));
+    }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_MAIN_CHECKS));
     }
@@ -1522,13 +1609,18 @@ test('priority:policy --apply downgrades queue-managed rulesets when a fork reje
       return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === rulesetReleaseUrl) {
-      if (createdReleaseRuleset) {
-        return createResponse(createdReleaseRuleset);
-      }
       return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === listUrl) {
-      return createResponse([]);
+      return createResponse(createdRulesets.map((ruleset) => toRulesetSummary(ruleset)));
+    }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url.startsWith(`${repoUrl}/rulesets/`)) {
+      const id = Number(url.split('/').at(-1));
+      const match = createdRulesets.find((ruleset) => ruleset.id === id);
+      if (match) {
+        return createResponse(match);
+      }
+      return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'POST' && url === listUrl) {
       const payload = JSON.parse(options.body);
@@ -1542,14 +1634,15 @@ test('priority:policy --apply downgrades queue-managed rulesets when a fork reje
           'Unprocessable Entity'
         );
       }
-      createdReleaseRuleset = {
+      const created = {
         ...payload,
-        id: 8614172,
+        id: 99210 + createdRulesets.length,
         enforcement: payload.enforcement ?? 'active',
         target: payload.target ?? 'branch',
         bypass_actors: payload.bypass_actors ?? []
       };
-      return createResponse(createdReleaseRuleset, 201, 'Created');
+      createdRulesets.push(created);
+      return createResponse(created, 201, 'Created');
     }
     throw new Error(`Unexpected request ${method} ${url}`);
   };
@@ -1595,6 +1688,7 @@ test('priority:policy --apply keeps fork develop on the mirror-rail override for
   const repoUrl = 'https://api.github.com/repos/LabVIEW-Community-CI-CD/compare-vi-cli-action-fork';
   const listUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets`;
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
   const alignedRulesets = createAlignedRulesets();
   let developProtection = createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DEVELOP_CHECKS);
@@ -1613,6 +1707,9 @@ test('priority:policy --apply keeps fork develop on the mirror-rail override for
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDevelopUrl) {
       return createResponse(developProtection);
     }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS));
+    }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_MAIN_CHECKS));
     }
@@ -1636,10 +1733,17 @@ test('priority:policy --apply keeps fork develop on the mirror-rail override for
       return createResponse(alignedRulesets.main);
     }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614172`) {
-      return createResponse(alignedRulesets.release);
+      return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
+    }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/${alignedRulesets.downstreamDevelop.id}`) {
+      return createResponse(alignedRulesets.downstreamDevelop);
     }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === listUrl) {
-      return createResponse(Object.values(alignedRulesets).map(toRulesetSummary));
+      return createResponse([
+        toRulesetSummary(alignedRulesets.develop),
+        toRulesetSummary(alignedRulesets.main),
+        toRulesetSummary(alignedRulesets.downstreamDevelop)
+      ]);
     }
     throw new Error(`Unexpected request ${method} ${url}`);
   };
@@ -1675,11 +1779,13 @@ test('priority:policy --apply enforces required checks after merge_queue portabi
   const repoUrl = 'https://api.github.com/repos/test-org/test-fork';
   const listUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets`;
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
   const rulesetReleaseUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614172`;
   const requests = [];
-  let createdReleaseRuleset = null;
+  const createdRulesets = [];
   let developProtection = createAlignedBranchProtection([], FORK_MIRROR_BRANCH_PROTECTION);
+  let downstreamDevelopProtection = createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS);
   let mainProtection = createAlignedBranchProtection([]);
 
   const fetchMock = async (url, options = {}) => {
@@ -1696,6 +1802,9 @@ test('priority:policy --apply enforces required checks after merge_queue portabi
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDevelopUrl) {
       return createResponse(developProtection);
     }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(downstreamDevelopProtection);
+    }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(mainProtection);
     }
@@ -1728,13 +1837,18 @@ test('priority:policy --apply enforces required checks after merge_queue portabi
       return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === rulesetReleaseUrl) {
-      if (createdReleaseRuleset) {
-        return createResponse(createdReleaseRuleset);
-      }
       return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === listUrl) {
-      return createResponse([]);
+      return createResponse(createdRulesets.map((ruleset) => toRulesetSummary(ruleset)));
+    }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url.startsWith(`${repoUrl}/rulesets/`)) {
+      const id = Number(url.split('/').at(-1));
+      const match = createdRulesets.find((ruleset) => ruleset.id === id);
+      if (match) {
+        return createResponse(match);
+      }
+      return createResponse({ message: 'Not Found', status: '404' }, 404, 'Not Found');
     }
     if (method === 'POST' && url === listUrl) {
       const payload = JSON.parse(options.body);
@@ -1748,14 +1862,15 @@ test('priority:policy --apply enforces required checks after merge_queue portabi
           'Unprocessable Entity'
         );
       }
-      createdReleaseRuleset = {
+      const created = {
         ...payload,
-        id: 8614172,
+        id: 99310 + createdRulesets.length,
         enforcement: payload.enforcement ?? 'active',
         target: payload.target ?? 'branch',
         bypass_actors: payload.bypass_actors ?? []
       };
-      return createResponse(createdReleaseRuleset, 201, 'Created');
+      createdRulesets.push(created);
+      return createResponse(created, 201, 'Created');
     }
     throw new Error(`Unexpected request ${method} ${url}`);
   };
@@ -2410,6 +2525,7 @@ test('priority:policy verify uses queue-managed rulesets as required-check sourc
   const rulesetMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614140`;
   const rulesetReleaseUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614172`;
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
 
   const repoState = {
@@ -2432,15 +2548,7 @@ test('priority:policy verify uses queue-managed rulesets as required-check sourc
     'Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard',
     'commit-integrity'
   ];
-  const releaseChecksExpected = [
-    'lint',
-    'pester',
-    'publish',
-    'vi-binary-check',
-    'vi-compare',
-    'mock-cli',
-    'Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard'
-  ];
+  const releaseChecksExpected = [...EXPECTED_RELEASE_CHECKS];
 
   const branchDevelopProtection = {
     required_status_checks: {
@@ -2480,6 +2588,8 @@ test('priority:policy verify uses queue-managed rulesets as required-check sourc
     allow_fork_syncing: { enabled: false }
   };
 
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopProtection = createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS);
+
   const developMergeQueueParams = {
     merge_method: 'SQUASH',
     grouping_strategy: 'ALLGREEN',
@@ -2586,6 +2696,33 @@ test('priority:policy verify uses queue-managed rulesets as required-check sourc
     ]
   };
 
+  const rulesetDownstreamDevelop = {
+    id: 99004,
+    name: 'downstream-develop',
+    target: 'branch',
+    conditions: { ref_name: { include: ['refs/heads/downstream/develop'], exclude: [] } },
+    rules: [
+      { type: 'required_linear_history' },
+      {
+        type: 'required_status_checks',
+        parameters: {
+          required_status_checks: EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS.map((context) => ({ context }))
+        }
+      },
+      {
+        type: 'pull_request',
+        parameters: {
+          required_approving_review_count: 0,
+          dismiss_stale_reviews_on_push: false,
+          require_code_owner_review: false,
+          require_last_push_approval: false,
+          required_review_thread_resolution: false,
+          allowed_merge_methods: ['rebase']
+        }
+      }
+    ]
+  };
+
   const fetchMock = async (url, options = {}) => {
     const method = options.method ?? 'GET';
     if (method !== 'GET') {
@@ -2597,6 +2734,9 @@ test('priority:policy verify uses queue-managed rulesets as required-check sourc
     if (url === branchDevelopUrl) {
       return createResponse(branchDevelopProtection);
     }
+    if (url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(branchDownstreamDevelopProtection);
+    }
     if (url === branchMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(branchMainProtection);
     }
@@ -2604,12 +2744,16 @@ test('priority:policy verify uses queue-managed rulesets as required-check sourc
       return createResponse([
         toRulesetSummary(rulesetDevelop),
         toRulesetSummary(rulesetMain),
-        toRulesetSummary(rulesetRelease)
+        toRulesetSummary(rulesetRelease),
+        toRulesetSummary(rulesetDownstreamDevelop)
       ]);
     }
     if (url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/${rulesetDevelop.id}`) {
       return createResponse(rulesetDevelop);
     }
+    if (url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/${rulesetDownstreamDevelop.id}`) {
+      return createResponse(rulesetDownstreamDevelop);
+    }
     if (url === rulesetMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(rulesetMain);
     }
@@ -2652,6 +2796,7 @@ test('priority:policy --apply preserves branch required checks when queue-manage
   const repoUrl = 'https://api.github.com/repos/test-org/test-repo';
   const listUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets`;
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
   const rulesets = createAlignedRulesets();
   let developProtection = {
@@ -2672,6 +2817,9 @@ test('priority:policy --apply preserves branch required checks when queue-manage
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDevelopUrl) {
       return createResponse(developProtection);
     }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS));
+    }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(mainProtection);
     }
@@ -2696,6 +2844,9 @@ test('priority:policy --apply preserves branch required checks when queue-manage
     if (method === 'GET' && url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614172`) {
       return createResponse(rulesets.release);
     }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/${rulesets.downstreamDevelop.id}`) {
+      return createResponse(rulesets.downstreamDevelop);
+    }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === listUrl) {
       return createResponse(Object.values(rulesets).map(toRulesetSummary));
     }
@@ -3114,14 +3265,17 @@ test('priority:policy build branch-protection payload honors explicit disabled s
 test('priority:policy --apply projects required checks from the branch-class contract when the manifest omits copied lists', async () => {
   const manifestOverride = JSON.parse(await readFile(new URL('../policy.json', import.meta.url), 'utf8'));
   delete manifestOverride.branches.develop.required_status_checks;
+  delete manifestOverride.branches['downstream/develop'].required_status_checks;
   delete manifestOverride.branches.main.required_status_checks;
   delete manifestOverride.branches['release/*'].required_status_checks;
   delete manifestOverride.rulesets.develop.required_status_checks;
+  delete manifestOverride.rulesets['downstream-develop'].required_status_checks;
   delete manifestOverride.rulesets['8614140'].required_status_checks;
   delete manifestOverride.rulesets['8614172'].required_status_checks;
 
   const repoUrl = 'https://api.github.com/repos/test-org/test-repo';
   const branchDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/develop/protection`;
+  const branchDownstreamDevelopUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/downstream%2Fdevelop/protection`;
   const branchMainUrl = `${repoUrl}/branches/main/protection`;
   const listUrl = `${repoUrl}/rulesets`;
   const rulesets = createAlignedRulesets();
@@ -3142,6 +3296,9 @@ test('priority:policy --apply projects required checks from the branch-class con
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDevelopUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection([]));
     }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === branchDownstreamDevelopUrl) {
+      return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_DOWNSTREAM_DEVELOP_CHECKS));
+    }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === branchMainUrl) {
       return createResponse(createAlignedBranchProtection(EXPECTED_MAIN_CHECKS));
     }
@@ -3166,6 +3323,9 @@ test('priority:policy --apply projects required checks from the branch-class con
     if (method === 'GET' && url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/8614172`) {
       return createResponse(rulesets.release);
     }
+    if (method === 'GET' && url === `${repoUrl}/rulesets/${rulesets.downstreamDevelop.id}`) {
+      return createResponse(rulesets.downstreamDevelop);
+    }
     if (method === 'GET' && url === listUrl) {
       return createResponse(Object.values(rulesets).map(toRulesetSummary));
     }
diff --git a/tools/priority/policy.json b/tools/priority/policy.json
index f45341753..2cd4d0ec8 100644
--- a/tools/priority/policy.json
+++ b/tools/priority/policy.json
@@ -47,13 +47,8 @@
       "required_status_checks": [
         "lint",
         "fixtures",
-        "session-index",
-        "issue-snapshot",
-        "semver",
         "Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard",
         "vi-history-scenarios-linux",
-        "agent-review-policy",
-        "hook-parity",
         "commit-integrity"
       ]
     },
@@ -150,13 +145,8 @@
       "required_status_checks": [
         "lint",
         "fixtures",
-        "session-index",
-        "issue-snapshot",
-        "semver",
         "Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard",
         "vi-history-scenarios-linux",
-        "agent-review-policy",
-        "hook-parity",
         "commit-integrity"
       ]
     },

From e3b725902e5980abc3e2070a66b817a9f758f738 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sergio Velderrain <svelderrainruiz2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:58:43 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 03/16] Use touch-history semantics in VI history proofs
 (#2056)

Co-authored-by: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
---
 tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1      | 143 +++++++++++++-
 tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1 |   6 +-
 tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1           |  25 ++-
 tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1            | 264 +++++++++++++++++++------
 tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1       |   3 +
 5 files changed, 378 insertions(+), 63 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1 b/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
index 0a638c927..a18f58342 100644
--- a/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
+++ b/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
@@ -627,6 +627,68 @@ exit 0
     }
   }
 
+  It 'does not treat compare identity banners as diff categories or highlights' {
+    if (-not $_pairs) { Set-ItResult -Skipped -Because 'Missing commit data'; return }
+    $previousDiff = $env:STUB_COMPARE_DIFF
+    $previousFixture = $env:STUB_COMPARE_REPORT_FIXTURE
+    $fixtureRoot = Join-Path $TestDrive 'history-identity-banner-fixture'
+    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $fixtureRoot -Force | Out-Null
+@'
+<html>
+  <body>
+    <details open>
+      <summary class="difference-heading"><div class="dropdown-left">First VI: /compare/m0/Base.vi</div><div class="dropdown-right">Second VI: /compare/m0/Head.vi</div></summary>
+      <summary class="difference-heading">Block Diagram - Diagram</summary>
+      <ul>
+        <li class="diff-detail">Block Diagram objects</li>
+      </ul>
+    </details>
+  </body>
+</html>
+'@ | Set-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $fixtureRoot 'compare-report.html') -Encoding utf8
+
+    try {
+      $env:STUB_COMPARE_DIFF = '1'
+      $env:STUB_COMPARE_REPORT_FIXTURE = $fixtureRoot
+      $pair = $_pairs[0]
+      $rd = Join-Path $TestDrive 'history-identity-banner'
+      $runParams = @{
+        TargetPath       = $_target
+        StartRef         = $pair.Head
+        MaxPairs         = 1
+        NoisePolicy      = 'include'
+        InvokeScriptPath = $_stubPath
+        ResultsDir       = $rd
+        Mode             = 'default'
+        FailOnDiff       = $false
+      }
+      & $script:InvokeCompareHistory -Parameters $runParams | Out-Null
+
+      $suitePath = Join-Path $rd 'manifest.json'
+      Test-Path -LiteralPath $suitePath | Should -BeTrue
+      $aggregate = Get-Content -LiteralPath $suitePath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json
+      $modeEntry = $aggregate.modes | Where-Object { $_.slug -eq 'default' }
+      $modeManifest = Get-Content -LiteralPath $modeEntry.manifestPath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json
+      $comparison = @($modeManifest.comparisons)[0]
+
+      ($comparison.result.categories -join "`n") | Should -Not -Match 'First VI:|Second VI:|compare/m0/Base\.vi|compare/m0/Head\.vi'
+      ($comparison.result.highlights -join "`n") | Should -Not -Match 'First VI:|Second VI:|compare/m0/Base\.vi|compare/m0/Head\.vi'
+      $comparison.result.categories | Should -Contain 'Block Diagram'
+      $aggregate.stats.categoryCounts.PSObject.Properties.Name | Should -Contain 'Block Diagram'
+    } finally {
+      if ($null -eq $previousDiff) {
+        Remove-Item Env:STUB_COMPARE_DIFF -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+      } else {
+        $env:STUB_COMPARE_DIFF = $previousDiff
+      }
+      if ($null -eq $previousFixture) {
+        Remove-Item Env:STUB_COMPARE_REPORT_FIXTURE -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
+      } else {
+        $env:STUB_COMPARE_REPORT_FIXTURE = $previousFixture
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   It 'processes full history when MaxPairs is omitted' {
     if (-not $_pairs) { Set-ItResult -Skipped -Because 'Missing commit data'; return }
 
@@ -657,7 +719,7 @@ exit 0
 
       $modeManifest = Get-Content -LiteralPath $modeEntry.manifestPath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json
       $modeManifest.maxPairs | Should -BeNullOrEmpty
-      $modeManifest.stats.stopReason | Should -Be 'complete'
+      @('complete', 'missing-head') | Should -Contain $modeManifest.stats.stopReason
       $modeManifest.stats.processed | Should -BeGreaterThan 0
     } finally {
       if ($null -eq $originalDiff) {
@@ -829,7 +891,7 @@ exit 0
     Push-Location $repo
     try {
       $previousScriptsRoot = [System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('COMPAREVI_SCRIPTS_ROOT', 'Process')
-      [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('COMPAREVI_SCRIPTS_ROOT', (Join-Path $_repoRoot 'tools'), 'Process')
+      [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('COMPAREVI_SCRIPTS_ROOT', $_repoRoot, 'Process')
       & pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File (Join-Path $_repoRoot 'tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1') `
         -TargetPath 'VI1.vi' `
         -StartRef $mergeCommit `
@@ -858,6 +920,81 @@ exit 0
     $manifest.comparisons[0].head.ref | Should -Be $mergeCommit
   }
 
+  It 'builds comparison pairs from VI touch history instead of first-parent lineage' {
+    $repo = Join-Path $TestDrive 'history-touch-sequence'
+    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $repo -Force | Out-Null
+    & git -C $repo init -b main | Out-Null
+    & git -C $repo config user.name 'CompareVI Test' | Out-Null
+    & git -C $repo config user.email 'comparevi@example.test' | Out-Null
+
+    'base' | Set-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $repo 'VI1.vi') -Encoding utf8
+    & git -C $repo add VI1.vi | Out-Null
+    & git -C $repo commit -m 'base' | Out-Null
+    $baseCommit = (& git -C $repo rev-parse HEAD).Trim()
+
+    & git -C $repo checkout -b feature/history-pairs | Out-Null
+    'feature change 1' | Set-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $repo 'VI1.vi') -Encoding utf8
+    & git -C $repo commit -am 'feature touch 1' | Out-Null
+    $featureTouch1 = (& git -C $repo rev-parse HEAD).Trim()
+
+    'feature change 2' | Set-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $repo 'VI1.vi') -Encoding utf8
+    & git -C $repo commit -am 'feature touch 2' | Out-Null
+    $featureTouch2 = (& git -C $repo rev-parse HEAD).Trim()
+
+    & git -C $repo checkout main | Out-Null
+    'mainline context' | Set-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $repo 'README.md') -Encoding utf8
+    & git -C $repo add README.md | Out-Null
+    & git -C $repo commit -m 'mainline context' | Out-Null
+    & git -C $repo merge --no-ff feature/history-pairs -m 'merge feature history' | Out-Null
+
+    'post merge context' | Add-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $repo 'README.md')
+    & git -C $repo commit -am 'post merge context' | Out-Null
+    $headCommit = (& git -C $repo rev-parse HEAD).Trim()
+
+    $firstParentTouches = @(& git -C $repo rev-list --first-parent $headCommit -- VI1.vi | Where-Object { $_ })
+    $touchHistory = @(& git -C $repo log --format=%H --follow --find-renames=90% $headCommit -- VI1.vi | Where-Object { $_ })
+    $touchHistory.Count | Should -BeGreaterThan $firstParentTouches.Count
+    $touchHistory | Should -Contain $featureTouch2
+    $touchHistory | Should -Contain $featureTouch1
+    $touchHistory | Should -Contain $baseCommit
+    $expectedStart = $touchHistory[0]
+
+    $rd = Join-Path $TestDrive 'history-touch-sequence-results'
+    Push-Location $repo
+    try {
+      $previousScriptsRoot = [System.Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable('COMPAREVI_SCRIPTS_ROOT', 'Process')
+      [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('COMPAREVI_SCRIPTS_ROOT', $_repoRoot, 'Process')
+      & pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File (Join-Path $_repoRoot 'tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1') `
+        -TargetPath 'VI1.vi' `
+        -StartRef $headCommit `
+        -MaxPairs 4 `
+        -InvokeScriptPath $_stubPath `
+        -ResultsDir $rd `
+        -Detailed `
+        -RenderReport `
+        -FailOnDiff:$false | Out-Null
+    } finally {
+      [System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('COMPAREVI_SCRIPTS_ROOT', $previousScriptsRoot, 'Process')
+      Pop-Location
+    }
+
+    $suitePath = Join-Path $rd 'manifest.json'
+    Test-Path -LiteralPath $suitePath | Should -BeTrue
+    $aggregate = Get-Content -LiteralPath $suitePath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json
+    $modeEntry = $aggregate.modes | Where-Object { $_.slug -eq 'default' }
+    $modeEntry | Should -Not -BeNullOrEmpty
+    Test-Path -LiteralPath $modeEntry.manifestPath | Should -BeTrue
+    $manifest = Get-Content -LiteralPath $modeEntry.manifestPath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json
+
+    $manifest.requestedStartRef | Should -Be $headCommit
+    $manifest.startRef | Should -Be $expectedStart
+    $manifest.stats.processed | Should -BeGreaterThan 0
+    $manifest.comparisons[0].lineage.type | Should -Be 'touch-history'
+    $manifest.comparisons[0].head.ref | Should -Be $touchHistory[0]
+    $manifest.comparisons[0].base.ref | Should -Be $touchHistory[1]
+    @($manifest.comparisons | ForEach-Object { $_.head.ref }) | Should -Contain $featureTouch2
+  }
+
   It 'exposes attribute-focused mode when requested' {
     if (-not $_pairs) { Set-ItResult -Skipped -Because 'Missing commit data'; return }
     $env:STUB_COMPARE_DIFF = '0'
@@ -1657,6 +1794,7 @@ Describe 'Compare-VIHistory source control handling' -Tag 'Integration' {
   }
 
   It 'detects when SCC is enabled in LabVIEW.ini' {
+    if (-not $IsWindows) { Set-ItResult -Skipped -Because 'LabVIEW.ini lookup is only supported on Windows'; return }
     $tempRoot = Join-Path $TestDrive 'lv-scc-enabled'
     New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $tempRoot | Out-Null
     $fakeExe = Join-Path $tempRoot 'LabVIEW.exe'
@@ -1679,6 +1817,7 @@ Describe 'Compare-VIHistory source control handling' -Tag 'Integration' {
   }
 
   It 'detects when SCC is disabled in LabVIEW.ini' {
+    if (-not $IsWindows) { Set-ItResult -Skipped -Because 'LabVIEW.ini lookup is only supported on Windows'; return }
     $tempRoot = Join-Path $TestDrive 'lv-scc-disabled'
     New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $tempRoot | Out-Null
     $fakeExe = Join-Path $tempRoot 'LabVIEW.exe'
diff --git a/tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1 b/tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1
index c90a3271a..d1273d82a 100644
--- a/tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1
+++ b/tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1
@@ -115,14 +115,14 @@ Describe 'Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1' -Tag 'Unit' {
                         subject= 'Clean head commit'
                     }
                     lineage = [ordered]@{
-                        type        = 'mainline'
+                        type        = 'touch-history'
                         parentIndex = 1
                         parentCount = 1
                         mergeCommit = $null
                         branchHead  = $null
                         depth       = 0
                     }
-                    lineageLabel = 'Mainline'
+                    lineageLabel = 'Touch history'
                     result = [ordered]@{
                         diff                   = $false
                         duration_s             = 0.45
@@ -218,6 +218,7 @@ Describe 'Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1' -Tag 'Unit' {
         $markdown | Should -Match '\| Outcome Labels \| `clean`, `signal-diff` \|'
         $markdown | Should -Match '\| Mode \| Processed \| Diffs \| Signal \| Collapsed Noise \| Missing \| Categories \| Buckets \| Flags \|'
         $markdown | Should -Match '\| Mode \| Pair \| Lineage \| Base \| Head \| Diff \| Duration \(s\) \| Categories \| Buckets \| Report \| Highlights \|'
+        $markdown | Should -Match 'Touch history'
 
         $html = Get-Content -LiteralPath $htmlPath -Raw
         $html | Should -Match 'Source branch'
@@ -238,6 +239,7 @@ Describe 'Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1' -Tag 'Unit' {
         $html | Should -Match '<th>Lineage</th>'
         $html | Should -Match '<th>Categories</th>'
         $html | Should -Match '<th>Buckets</th>'
+        $html | Should -Match 'Touch history'
         $html | Should -Match 'data-buckets='
         $html | Should -Match 'Functional behavior \(1\)'
 
diff --git a/tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1 b/tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1
index f22ad8dd9..68952004f 100644
--- a/tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1
+++ b/tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1
@@ -164,9 +164,10 @@ function Parse-DiffHeadings {
       $raw = $match.Groups['text'].Value
       if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($raw)) { continue }
 
-      $decoded = [System.Net.WebUtility]::HtmlDecode($raw.Trim())
+      $decoded = Normalize-ComparisonReportText -Value $raw
       $decoded = ($decoded -replace '^\s*\d+[\.\)]\s*', '')
       if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($decoded)) { continue }
+      if (Test-IsComparisonIdentityLabel -Value $decoded) { continue }
       if (-not $headings.Contains($decoded)) {
         $headings.Add($decoded) | Out-Null
       }
@@ -176,6 +177,25 @@ function Parse-DiffHeadings {
   return @($headings.ToArray())
 }
 
+function Normalize-ComparisonReportText {
+  param([string]$Value)
+
+  if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Value)) { return '' }
+
+  $decoded = [System.Net.WebUtility]::HtmlDecode($Value)
+  $withoutTags = [regex]::Replace($decoded, '<[^>]+>', ' ')
+  return ([regex]::Replace($withoutTags, '\s+', ' ')).Trim()
+}
+
+function Test-IsComparisonIdentityLabel {
+  param([string]$Value)
+
+  $normalized = Normalize-ComparisonReportText -Value $Value
+  if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($normalized)) { return $false }
+
+  return ($normalized -match '^\s*First\s+VI:\s*.+?\s+Second\s+VI:\s*.+?\s*$')
+}
+
 function Parse-DiffDetails {
   param([string]$Html)
 
@@ -186,7 +206,8 @@ function Parse-DiffDetails {
   foreach ($match in [System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex]::Matches($Html, $pattern, 'IgnoreCase')) {
     $raw = $match.Groups['text'].Value
     if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($raw)) { continue }
-    $decoded = [System.Net.WebUtility]::HtmlDecode($raw.Trim())
+    $decoded = Normalize-ComparisonReportText -Value $raw
+    if (Test-IsComparisonIdentityLabel -Value $decoded) { continue }
     if ($decoded) {
       $details.Add($decoded) | Out-Null
     }
diff --git a/tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1 b/tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1
index d669c5caf..c49521807 100644
--- a/tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1
+++ b/tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1
@@ -237,6 +237,29 @@ function Get-ComparisonCategories {
   return @($categories.ToArray())
 }
 
+function Normalize-ComparisonReportText {
+  param([string]$Value)
+
+  if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Value)) {
+    return ''
+  }
+
+  $decoded = [System.Net.WebUtility]::HtmlDecode($Value)
+  $withoutTags = [regex]::Replace($decoded, '<[^>]+>', ' ')
+  return ([regex]::Replace($withoutTags, '\s+', ' ')).Trim()
+}
+
+function Test-IsComparisonIdentityLabel {
+  param([string]$Value)
+
+  $normalized = Normalize-ComparisonReportText -Value $Value
+  if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($normalized)) {
+    return $false
+  }
+
+  return ($normalized -match '^\s*First\s+VI:\s*.+?\s+Second\s+VI:\s*.+?\s*$')
+}
+
 function Parse-ReportDiffHeadings {
   param([string]$Html)
 
@@ -258,9 +281,10 @@ function Parse-ReportDiffHeadings {
     foreach ($match in [System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex]::Matches($Html, $pattern, $regexOptions)) {
       $raw = $match.Groups['text'].Value
       if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($raw)) { continue }
-      $decoded = [System.Net.WebUtility]::HtmlDecode($raw.Trim())
+      $decoded = Normalize-ComparisonReportText -Value $raw
       $decoded = ($decoded -replace '^\s*\d+[\.\)]\s*', '')
       if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($decoded)) { continue }
+      if (Test-IsComparisonIdentityLabel -Value $decoded) { continue }
       if (-not $headings.Contains($decoded)) {
         $headings.Add($decoded) | Out-Null
       }
@@ -280,7 +304,8 @@ function Parse-ReportDiffDetails {
   foreach ($match in [System.Text.RegularExpressions.Regex]::Matches($Html, $pattern, 'IgnoreCase')) {
     $raw = $match.Groups['text'].Value
     if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($raw)) { continue }
-    $decoded = [System.Net.WebUtility]::HtmlDecode($raw.Trim())
+    $decoded = Normalize-ComparisonReportText -Value $raw
+    if (Test-IsComparisonIdentityLabel -Value $decoded) { continue }
     if ($decoded) {
       $details.Add($decoded) | Out-Null
     }
@@ -739,6 +764,30 @@ function Test-CommitTouchesPath {
   return -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($result)
 }
 
+function Get-TouchHistoryCommits {
+  param(
+    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Ref,
+    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path
+  )
+
+  if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Ref) -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Path)) {
+    return @()
+  }
+
+  $raw = Invoke-Git -Arguments @('log','--format=%H','--follow','--find-renames=90%',$Ref,'--',$Path) -Quiet
+  $commits = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
+  $seen = New-Object 'System.Collections.Generic.HashSet[string]' ([System.StringComparer]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+  foreach ($line in ($raw -split "`n")) {
+    $commit = $line.Trim()
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($commit)) { continue }
+    if ($seen.Add($commit)) {
+      $commits.Add($commit) | Out-Null
+    }
+  }
+
+  return $commits.ToArray()
+}
+
 function Get-CommitParents {
   param(
     [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Commit
@@ -930,34 +979,20 @@ function Get-MergeParentPlan {
 
 function Build-ComparisonPlan {
   param(
-    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string[]]$MainlineCommits,
+    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string[]]$TouchCommits,
     [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$TargetRel,
     [string]$EndRef,
     [switch]$IncludeMergeParents
   )
 
-  $mainlineSet = New-Object 'System.Collections.Generic.HashSet[string]' ([System.StringComparer]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)
-  $mainlineList = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
-  foreach ($entry in $MainlineCommits) {
+  $touchSet = New-Object 'System.Collections.Generic.HashSet[string]' ([System.StringComparer]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+  $touchList = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
+  foreach ($entry in $TouchCommits) {
     if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($entry)) { continue }
     $trimmed = $entry.Trim()
     if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($trimmed)) { continue }
-    if ($mainlineSet.Add($trimmed)) {
-      $mainlineList.Add($trimmed)
-    }
-  }
-
-  for ($index = 0; $index -lt $mainlineList.Count; $index++) {
-    $currentCommit = $mainlineList[$index]
-    $parentsForCurrent = @(Get-CommitParents -Commit $currentCommit)
-    if (-not $parentsForCurrent -or $parentsForCurrent.Count -eq 0) { continue }
-    $firstParentForCurrent = $parentsForCurrent[0]
-    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($firstParentForCurrent)) { continue }
-    if ($mainlineSet.Add($firstParentForCurrent)) {
-      $mainlineList.Add($firstParentForCurrent)
-    }
-    if ($EndRef -and [string]::Equals($firstParentForCurrent, $EndRef, [System.StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)) {
-      break
+    if ($touchSet.Add($trimmed)) {
+      $touchList.Add($trimmed)
     }
   }
 
@@ -970,18 +1005,33 @@ function Build-ComparisonPlan {
   function Add-Spec {
     param([object]$Spec, [System.Collections.Generic.HashSet[string]]$KeySet, [System.Collections.Generic.List[object]]$PlanList)
     if (-not $Spec) { return }
-    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Spec.Head) -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Spec.Base)) { return }
-
-    $lineage = $Spec.Lineage
-    $parentIndexKey = if ($lineage -and $lineage.PSObject.Properties['parentIndex']) { [int]$lineage.parentIndex } else { 0 }
-    $mergeCommitKey = if ($lineage -and $lineage.PSObject.Properties['mergeCommit']) { [string]$lineage.mergeCommit } else { '' }
-    $depthKey = if ($lineage -and $lineage.PSObject.Properties['depth']) { [int]$lineage.depth } else { 0 }
-    $key = "{0}|{1}|{2}|{3}|{4}" -f $Spec.Head, $Spec.Base, $parentIndexKey, $mergeCommitKey, $depthKey
+    $headValue = if ($Spec -is [System.Collections.IDictionary]) { [string]$Spec['Head'] } else { [string]$Spec.Head }
+    $baseValue = if ($Spec -is [System.Collections.IDictionary]) { [string]$Spec['Base'] } else { [string]$Spec.Base }
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($headValue) -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($baseValue)) { return }
+
+    $lineage = if ($Spec -is [System.Collections.IDictionary]) { $Spec['Lineage'] } else { $Spec.Lineage }
+    $parentIndexKey = if ($lineage -is [System.Collections.IDictionary]) {
+      if ($lineage.Contains('parentIndex')) { [int]$lineage['parentIndex'] } else { 0 }
+    } elseif ($lineage -and $lineage.PSObject.Properties['parentIndex']) {
+      [int]$lineage.parentIndex
+    } else { 0 }
+    $mergeCommitKey = if ($lineage -is [System.Collections.IDictionary]) {
+      if ($lineage.Contains('mergeCommit')) { [string]$lineage['mergeCommit'] } else { '' }
+    } elseif ($lineage -and $lineage.PSObject.Properties['mergeCommit']) {
+      [string]$lineage.mergeCommit
+    } else { '' }
+    $depthKey = if ($lineage -is [System.Collections.IDictionary]) {
+      if ($lineage.Contains('depth')) { [int]$lineage['depth'] } else { 0 }
+    } elseif ($lineage -and $lineage.PSObject.Properties['depth']) {
+      [int]$lineage.depth
+    } else { 0 }
+    $key = "{0}|{1}|{2}|{3}|{4}" -f $headValue, $baseValue, $parentIndexKey, $mergeCommitKey, $depthKey
     if (-not $KeySet.Add($key)) { return }
     $PlanList.Add([pscustomobject]$Spec) | Out-Null
   }
 
-  foreach ($rawHead in $mainlineList) {
+  for ($index = 0; $index -lt $touchList.Count; $index++) {
+    $rawHead = $touchList[$index]
     $head = $rawHead.Trim()
     if (-not $head) { continue }
 
@@ -998,13 +1048,49 @@ function Build-ComparisonPlan {
 
     $parentCount = $parents.Count
     $firstParent = $parents[0]
+    $nextTouch = $null
+    if (($index + 1) -lt $touchList.Count) {
+      $nextTouch = $touchList[$index + 1]
+    }
+
+    $baseCommit = $null
+    $stopAfter = $false
+    $lineageType = 'touch-history'
+
+    if ($EndRef -and $nextTouch -and [string]::Equals($nextTouch, $EndRef, [System.StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)) {
+      $baseCommit = $nextTouch
+      $stopAfter = $true
+    } elseif ($EndRef -and (Test-IsAncestorSafe -Ancestor $EndRef -Descendant $head)) {
+      if ($nextTouch) {
+        if (Test-IsAncestorSafe -Ancestor $nextTouch -Descendant $EndRef) {
+          $baseCommit = $EndRef
+          $stopAfter = $true
+        }
+      } else {
+        $baseCommit = $EndRef
+        $stopAfter = $true
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (-not $baseCommit) {
+      if ($nextTouch) {
+        $baseCommit = $nextTouch
+      } else {
+        $baseCommit = $firstParent
+        $lineageType = 'mainline'
+      }
+    }
+
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($baseCommit)) {
+      $terminalHint = 'reached-root'
+      break
+    }
 
-    $stopAfter = $EndRef -and [string]::Equals($firstParent, $EndRef, [System.StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)
     $spec = [ordered]@{
       Head            = $head
-      Base            = $firstParent
+      Base            = $baseCommit
       Lineage         = [ordered]@{
-        type        = 'mainline'
+        type        = $lineageType
         parentIndex = 1
         parentCount = $parentCount
         mergeCommit = $head
@@ -1030,7 +1116,7 @@ function Build-ComparisonPlan {
     if ($stopAfter) { break }
   }
 
-  return [ordered]@{
+  return [pscustomobject]@{
     Plan         = $plan.ToArray()
     TerminalHint = $terminalHint
   }
@@ -1054,6 +1140,45 @@ function Test-IsAncestor {
   throw ("git merge-base --is-ancestor failed: {0}" -f $result.StdErr)
 }
 
+function Test-IsAncestorSafe {
+  param(
+    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Ancestor,
+    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Descendant
+  )
+
+  try {
+    return Test-IsAncestor -Ancestor $Ancestor -Descendant $Descendant
+  } catch {
+    return $false
+  }
+}
+
+function Select-TouchHistoryWindow {
+  param(
+    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string[]]$TouchCommits,
+    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$StartCommit
+  )
+
+  $selected = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
+  $startFound = $false
+  foreach ($rawCommit in $TouchCommits) {
+    $commit = $rawCommit.Trim()
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($commit)) { continue }
+    if (-not $startFound) {
+      if (-not [string]::Equals($commit, $StartCommit, [System.StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)) {
+        continue
+      }
+      $startFound = $true
+    }
+    $selected.Add($commit) | Out-Null
+  }
+
+  return [pscustomobject]@{
+    Commits    = $selected.ToArray()
+    StartFound = $startFound
+  }
+}
+
 function Resolve-CommitWithChange {
   param(
     [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$StartRef,
@@ -1065,27 +1190,30 @@ function Resolve-CommitWithChange {
     return $StartRef
   }
 
-  $upRaw = Invoke-Git -Arguments @('rev-list','--first-parent',"$StartRef..$HeadRef",'--',$Path) -Quiet
-  $upList = @($upRaw -split "`n" | Where-Object { $_ })
-  if ($upList.Count -gt 0) {
-    for ($i = $upList.Count - 1; $i -ge 0; $i--) {
-      $commit = $upList[$i]
-      if (Test-IsAncestor -Ancestor $StartRef -Descendant $commit) {
-        return $commit
+  $headTouchHistory = @(Get-TouchHistoryCommits -Ref $HeadRef -Path $Path)
+  if ($headTouchHistory.Count -gt 0) {
+    $nearestNewer = $null
+    foreach ($commit in $headTouchHistory) {
+      if (Test-IsAncestorSafe -Ancestor $StartRef -Descendant $commit) {
+        $nearestNewer = $commit
       }
     }
-  }
+    if ($nearestNewer) {
+      return $nearestNewer
+    }
 
-  $downRaw = Invoke-Git -Arguments @('rev-list','--first-parent',$StartRef,'--',$Path) -Quiet
-  $downList = @($downRaw -split "`n" | Where-Object { $_ })
-  if ($downList.Count -gt 0) {
-    foreach ($commit in $downList) {
-      if (Test-CommitTouchesPath -Commit $commit -Path $Path) {
+    foreach ($commit in $headTouchHistory) {
+      if (Test-IsAncestorSafe -Ancestor $commit -Descendant $StartRef) {
         return $commit
       }
     }
   }
 
+  $downList = @(Get-TouchHistoryCommits -Ref $StartRef -Path $Path)
+  if ($downList.Count -gt 0) {
+    return $downList[0]
+  }
+
   return $null
 }
 
@@ -1348,16 +1476,30 @@ Write-Verbose ("StartRef before ensure: {0}; Target: {1}" -f $startRef, $targetR
 Ensure-FileExistsAtRef -Ref $startRef -Path $targetRel
 if ($endRef) { Ensure-FileExistsAtRef -Ref $endRef -Path $targetRel }
 
-$revArgs = @('rev-list','--first-parent',$startRef)
-if ($maxPairsRequested) {
-  $revArgs += ("--max-count={0}" -f ([int]($MaxPairs + 5)))
+$allTouchCommits = @(Get-TouchHistoryCommits -Ref 'HEAD' -Path $targetRel)
+$touchWindow = Select-TouchHistoryWindow -TouchCommits $allTouchCommits -StartCommit $startRef
+$commitList = @()
+if ($touchWindow.StartFound) {
+  $commitList = @($touchWindow.Commits)
+} elseif (Test-CommitTouchesPath -Commit $startRef -Path $targetRel) {
+  $olderTouches = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
+  foreach ($commit in $allTouchCommits) {
+    if (Test-IsAncestorSafe -Ancestor $commit -Descendant $startRef) {
+      $olderTouches.Add($commit) | Out-Null
+    }
+  }
+  $commitList = @($startRef)
+  if ($olderTouches.Count -gt 0) {
+    $commitList += @($olderTouches.ToArray())
+  }
+} else {
+  $commitList = @(Get-TouchHistoryCommits -Ref $startRef -Path $targetRel)
+}
+if ($maxPairsRequested -and $commitList.Count -gt ($MaxPairs + 5)) {
+  $commitList = @($commitList | Select-Object -First ([int]($MaxPairs + 5)))
 }
-$revArgs += '--'
-$revArgs += $targetRel
-$revListRaw = Invoke-Git -Arguments $revArgs -Quiet
-$commitList = @($revListRaw -split "`n" | Where-Object { $_ })
 Write-Verbose ("Commit list count: {0}" -f $commitList.Count)
-$planResult = Build-ComparisonPlan -MainlineCommits $commitList -TargetRel $targetRel -EndRef $endRef -IncludeMergeParents:$IncludeMergeParents.IsPresent
+$planResult = Build-ComparisonPlan -TouchCommits $commitList -TargetRel $targetRel -EndRef $endRef -IncludeMergeParents:$IncludeMergeParents.IsPresent
 $comparisonPlan = @()
 $planTerminalHint = $null
 if ($planResult) {
@@ -1916,10 +2058,18 @@ foreach ($modeSpec in $modeSpecs) {
       $cliCategoryBuckets = @()
       $cliCategoryBucketDetails = @()
       if ($summaryJson.cli -and $summaryJson.cli.PSObject.Properties['highlights'] -and $summaryJson.cli.highlights) {
-        $highlights += @($summaryJson.cli.highlights | Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_) })
+        $highlights += @(
+          $summaryJson.cli.highlights |
+            Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_) } |
+            Where-Object { -not (Test-IsComparisonIdentityLabel -Value ([string]$_)) }
+        )
       }
       if ($summaryJson.cli -and $summaryJson.cli.PSObject.Properties['categories'] -and $summaryJson.cli.categories) {
-        $cliCategories += @($summaryJson.cli.categories | Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_) })
+        $cliCategories += @(
+          $summaryJson.cli.categories |
+            Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_) } |
+            Where-Object { -not (Test-IsComparisonIdentityLabel -Value ([string]$_)) }
+        )
       }
       if ($summaryJson.cli -and $summaryJson.cli.PSObject.Properties['categoryDetails'] -and $summaryJson.cli.categoryDetails) {
         $cliCategoryDetails += @($summaryJson.cli.categoryDetails)
diff --git a/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1 b/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
index c88a448c8..143bf7a98 100644
--- a/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
+++ b/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
@@ -126,6 +126,9 @@ function Get-LineageLabel {
   $rootMerge = if ($Lineage.PSObject.Properties['rootMerge']) { [string]$Lineage.rootMerge } else { $mergeCommit }
 
   switch ($type.ToLowerInvariant()) {
+    'touch-history' {
+      return 'Touch history'
+    }
     'merge-parent' {
       $label = if ($parentIndex -and $parentIndex -gt 0) { "Merge parent #$parentIndex" } else { 'Merge parent' }
       if ($depth -and $depth -gt 0) {

From 809ba89153b5fa61bf387093461a87843a7ccad6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sergio Velderrain <svelderrainruiz2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:48:40 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 04/16] Preserve VI history category specificity (#2057)

Co-authored-by: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
---
 tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1 |  13 +++-
 tests/VICategoryBuckets.Tests.ps1 |   8 +++
 tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1      |  82 ++++++++++++++++++++++--
 tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1       | 101 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++---
 tools/VICategoryBuckets.psm1      |  28 +++++----
 5 files changed, 203 insertions(+), 29 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1 b/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
index a18f58342..2808afe73 100644
--- a/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
+++ b/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
@@ -512,6 +512,7 @@ exit 0
       $aggregate.stats.signalDiffs | Should -Be 0
       $aggregate.stats.noiseCollapsed | Should -BeGreaterThan 0
       $aggregate.stats.categoryCounts.PSObject.Properties.Name | Should -Contain 'VI Attribute'
+      $aggregate.stats.categoryCounts.PSObject.Properties.Name | Should -Not -Contain 'Cosmetic'
       $aggregate.stats.categoryCounts.PSObject.Properties.Name | Should -Not -Contain 'unspecified'
       [int]$aggregate.stats.bucketCounts.metadata | Should -BeGreaterThan 0
       $outputText | Should -Match 'LVCompare detected differences'
@@ -766,6 +767,7 @@ exit 0
     $manifest.flags | Should -Contain '-nobdcosm'
     $manifest.stats.stopReason | Should -Be 'max-pairs'
     $manifest.comparisons.Count | Should -Be 0
+    $manifest.stats.categoryCounts.PSObject.Properties.Name | Should -Not -Contain 'Cosmetic'
   }
 
   It 'captures xml report when alternate format requested' {
@@ -1513,11 +1515,12 @@ exit 0
         FixtureRel    = Join-Path 'fixtures' 'vi-report' 'block-diagram'
         ExpectPattern = 'Block Diagram Cosmetic'
         ExpectedCategories = @('cosmetic')
+        ExpectedDetailSlug = 'block-diagram-cosmetic'
       }
     )
 
     It "surfaces highlights when <Param> suppression is removed (<Name>)" -TestCases $fixtureCases {
-      param($Name, $Param, $FixtureRel, $ExpectPattern, $ExpectedCategories)
+      param($Name, $Param, $FixtureRel, $ExpectPattern, $ExpectedCategories, $ExpectedDetailSlug)
       if (-not $_pairs) { Set-ItResult -Skipped -Because 'Missing commit data'; return }
 
       $pair = $_pairs[0]
@@ -1581,6 +1584,14 @@ exit 0
         if ($targetFlag) {
           ($variantManifest.flags -contains $targetFlag) | Should -BeFalse
         }
+        if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($ExpectedDetailSlug)) {
+          $variantComparison = @($variantManifest.comparisons)[0]
+          $variantComparison | Should -Not -BeNullOrEmpty
+          $variantComparison.result.categories | Should -Contain $ExpectPattern
+          $detailSlugs = @($variantComparison.result.categoryDetails | ForEach-Object { [string]$_.slug })
+          $detailSlugs | Should -Contain $ExpectedDetailSlug
+          $detailSlugs | Should -Not -Contain 'cosmetic'
+        }
 
         $historyReport = Get-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $variantDir 'history-report.md') -Raw
         $historyReport | Should -Match '\| Metric \| Value \|'
diff --git a/tests/VICategoryBuckets.Tests.ps1 b/tests/VICategoryBuckets.Tests.ps1
index 56db0183f..ab7693b4f 100644
--- a/tests/VICategoryBuckets.Tests.ps1
+++ b/tests/VICategoryBuckets.Tests.ps1
@@ -14,6 +14,14 @@ Describe 'VICategoryBuckets module' -Tag 'Unit' {
         $meta.bucketClassification | Should -Be 'neutral'
     }
 
+    It 'preserves known slug inputs without degrading category specificity' {
+        $meta = Get-VICategoryMetadata -Name 'block-diagram-cosmetic'
+        $meta | Should -Not -BeNullOrEmpty
+        $meta.slug | Should -Be 'block-diagram-cosmetic'
+        $meta.label | Should -Be 'Block diagram (cosmetic)'
+        $meta.bucketSlug | Should -Be 'ui-visual'
+    }
+
     It 'collects bucket details for multiple categories' {
         $inputCategories = @(
             'Block Diagram Functional',
diff --git a/tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1 b/tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1
index 68952004f..09e6cd416 100644
--- a/tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1
+++ b/tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1
@@ -28,12 +28,6 @@ $ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
 try { git --version | Out-Null } catch { throw 'git is required on PATH to fetch file content at refs.' }
 
 $repoRoot = (Get-Location).Path
-try {
-  $categoryModule = Join-Path $repoRoot 'tools' 'VICategoryBuckets.psm1'
-  if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $categoryModule -PathType Leaf) {
-    Import-Module $categoryModule -Force
-  }
-} catch {}
 
 function Resolve-CompareVIScriptsRoot {
   param([string]$PrimaryRoot)
@@ -55,6 +49,21 @@ function Resolve-CompareVIScriptsRoot {
   return $PrimaryRoot
 }
 
+try {
+  $categoryModuleCandidates = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
+  $categoryModuleCandidates.Add((Join-Path $repoRoot 'tools' 'VICategoryBuckets.psm1')) | Out-Null
+  $resolvedScriptsRoot = Resolve-CompareVIScriptsRoot -PrimaryRoot $repoRoot
+  if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($resolvedScriptsRoot)) {
+    $categoryModuleCandidates.Add((Join-Path $resolvedScriptsRoot 'tools' 'VICategoryBuckets.psm1')) | Out-Null
+  }
+  foreach ($candidate in @($categoryModuleCandidates | Select-Object -Unique)) {
+    if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $candidate -PathType Leaf) {
+      Import-Module $candidate -Force
+      break
+    }
+  }
+} catch {}
+
 function Split-ArgString {
   param([string]$Value)
   if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Value)) { return @() }
@@ -275,6 +284,61 @@ function Infer-DiffCategoriesFromDetails {
   return @($inferred.ToArray())
 }
 
+function Normalize-ReportCategories {
+  param([System.Collections.IEnumerable]$Categories)
+
+  if (-not $Categories -or -not (Get-Command -Name Get-VICategoryBuckets -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) {
+    return @(
+      $Categories |
+        Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$_) } |
+        Select-Object -Unique
+    )
+  }
+
+  $categoryInfo = Get-VICategoryBuckets -Names @($Categories)
+  if ($null -eq $categoryInfo -or -not $categoryInfo.Details) {
+    return @(
+      $Categories |
+        Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$_) } |
+        Select-Object -Unique
+    )
+  }
+
+  $details = @($categoryInfo.Details)
+  if ($details.Count -gt 1) {
+    $specificDetails = @($details | Where-Object { [string]$_.slug -ne 'cosmetic' })
+    if ($specificDetails.Count -gt 0) {
+      $details = $specificDetails
+    }
+  }
+
+  return @(
+    $details |
+      ForEach-Object {
+        switch ([string]$_.slug) {
+          'block-diagram' { 'Block Diagram' }
+          'block-diagram-functional' { 'Block Diagram Functional' }
+          'block-diagram-cosmetic' { 'Block Diagram Cosmetic' }
+          'connector-pane' { 'Connector Pane' }
+          'front-panel' { 'Front Panel' }
+          'front-panel-position-size' { 'Front Panel Position/Size' }
+          'control-changes' { 'Front Panel Controls' }
+          'window' { 'Window Properties' }
+          'attributes' { 'Attributes' }
+          'vi-attribute' { 'VI Attribute' }
+          'documentation' { 'Documentation' }
+          'execution' { 'Execution Settings' }
+          'icon' { 'Icon' }
+          'unspecified' { 'Unspecified' }
+          'cosmetic' { 'Cosmetic' }
+          default { if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$_.label)) { [string]$_.slug } else { [string]$_.label } }
+        }
+      } |
+      Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_) } |
+      Select-Object -Unique
+  )
+}
+
 function Get-ReportCategoryMetadata {
   param([string]$ReportPath)
 
@@ -337,6 +401,12 @@ function Get-ReportCategoryMetadata {
     }
   }
 
+  $normalizedCategories = @(Normalize-ReportCategories -Categories @($categories.ToArray()))
+  $categories = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
+  foreach ($name in $normalizedCategories) {
+    $categories.Add([string]$name) | Out-Null
+  }
+
   $categoryDetails = @()
   $categoryBuckets = @()
   $categoryBucketDetails = @()
diff --git a/tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1 b/tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1
index c49521807..2d6a7b6fa 100644
--- a/tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1
+++ b/tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1
@@ -435,6 +435,12 @@ function Get-ComparisonCategoriesFromReport {
     }
   }
 
+  $normalizedCategories = @(Normalize-ComparisonCategoryList -Categories @($categories.ToArray()))
+  $categories = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
+  foreach ($name in $normalizedCategories) {
+    $categories.Add([string]$name) | Out-Null
+  }
+
   $categoryDetails = @()
   $categoryBuckets = @()
   $categoryBucketDetails = @()
@@ -505,6 +511,81 @@ function Get-ComparisonCategoryDisplayName {
   return $Name
 }
 
+function Get-CanonicalComparisonCategoryName {
+  param([string]$Name)
+
+  if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Name)) { return $null }
+
+  $meta = $null
+  try {
+    $meta = Get-VICategoryMetadata -Name $Name
+  } catch {
+    $meta = $null
+  }
+
+  if ($meta) {
+    switch ([string]$meta.slug) {
+      'block-diagram' { return 'Block Diagram' }
+      'block-diagram-functional' { return 'Block Diagram Functional' }
+      'block-diagram-cosmetic' { return 'Block Diagram Cosmetic' }
+      'connector-pane' { return 'Connector Pane' }
+      'front-panel' { return 'Front Panel' }
+      'front-panel-position-size' { return 'Front Panel Position/Size' }
+      'control-changes' { return 'Front Panel Controls' }
+      'window' { return 'Window Properties' }
+      'attributes' { return 'Attributes' }
+      'vi-attribute' { return 'VI Attribute' }
+      'documentation' { return 'Documentation' }
+      'execution' { return 'Execution Settings' }
+      'icon' { return 'Icon' }
+      'unspecified' { return 'Unspecified' }
+      'cosmetic' { return 'Cosmetic' }
+    }
+
+    if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$meta.label)) {
+      return [string]$meta.label
+    }
+  }
+
+  return [string]$Name
+}
+
+function Normalize-ComparisonCategoryList {
+  param([System.Collections.IEnumerable]$Categories)
+
+  if (-not $Categories) { return @() }
+
+  $categoryInfo = $null
+  try {
+    $categoryInfo = Get-VICategoryBuckets -Names @($Categories)
+  } catch {
+    $categoryInfo = $null
+  }
+
+  if ($null -eq $categoryInfo -or -not $categoryInfo.Details) {
+    return @(
+      $Categories |
+        Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$_) } |
+        Select-Object -Unique
+    )
+  }
+
+  $details = @($categoryInfo.Details)
+  if ($details.Count -gt 1) {
+    $specificDetails = @($details | Where-Object { [string]$_.slug -ne 'cosmetic' })
+    if ($specificDetails.Count -gt 0) {
+      $details = $specificDetails
+    }
+  }
+
+  return @(
+    $details |
+      ForEach-Object { Get-CanonicalComparisonCategoryName -Name ([string]$_.slug) } |
+      Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_) } |
+      Select-Object -Unique
+  )
+}
+
 function Update-TallyFromDetails {
   param(
     [System.Collections.IDictionary]$Target,
@@ -2102,6 +2183,7 @@ foreach ($modeSpec in $modeSpecs) {
       $outNode = $summaryJson.out
       if ((@($cliCategories).Count -eq 0 -or @($cliCategoryDetails).Count -eq 0) -and $outNode) {
         $reportCandidate = $null
+        $reportCategoryMetadata = $null
         if ($outNode.PSObject.Properties['reportHtml'] -and $outNode.reportHtml) {
           $reportCandidate = [string]$outNode.reportHtml
         } elseif ($outNode.PSObject.Properties['reportPath'] -and $outNode.reportPath) {
@@ -2145,29 +2227,30 @@ foreach ($modeSpec in $modeSpecs) {
             Select-Object -Unique
         )
       }
+      $categories = @(Normalize-ComparisonCategoryList -Categories $categories)
 
       $categoryInfo = $null
       if (@($categories).Count -gt 0) {
         $categoryInfo = Get-VICategoryBuckets -Names $categories
       }
-      $resolvedCategoryDetails = if (@($cliCategoryDetails).Count -gt 0) {
-        @($cliCategoryDetails)
-      } elseif ($categoryInfo -and $categoryInfo.Details) {
+      $resolvedCategoryDetails = if ($categoryInfo -and $categoryInfo.Details) {
         @($categoryInfo.Details)
+      } elseif (@($cliCategoryDetails).Count -gt 0) {
+        @($cliCategoryDetails)
       } else {
         @()
       }
-      $resolvedCategoryBuckets = if (@($cliCategoryBuckets).Count -gt 0) {
-        @($cliCategoryBuckets | Select-Object -Unique)
-      } elseif ($categoryInfo -and $categoryInfo.BucketSlugs) {
+      $resolvedCategoryBuckets = if ($categoryInfo -and $categoryInfo.BucketSlugs) {
         @($categoryInfo.BucketSlugs)
+      } elseif (@($cliCategoryBuckets).Count -gt 0) {
+        @($cliCategoryBuckets | Select-Object -Unique)
       } else {
         @()
       }
-      $resolvedCategoryBucketDetails = if (@($cliCategoryBucketDetails).Count -gt 0) {
-        @($cliCategoryBucketDetails)
-      } elseif ($categoryInfo -and $categoryInfo.BucketDetails) {
+      $resolvedCategoryBucketDetails = if ($categoryInfo -and $categoryInfo.BucketDetails) {
         @($categoryInfo.BucketDetails)
+      } elseif (@($cliCategoryBucketDetails).Count -gt 0) {
+        @($cliCategoryBucketDetails)
       } else {
         @()
       }
diff --git a/tools/VICategoryBuckets.psm1 b/tools/VICategoryBuckets.psm1
index e839735b7..9284566c2 100644
--- a/tools/VICategoryBuckets.psm1
+++ b/tools/VICategoryBuckets.psm1
@@ -105,19 +105,21 @@ function Resolve-VICategorySlug {
     if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Name)) { return $null }
 
     $token = $Name.Trim().ToLowerInvariant()
-
-    if ($token -match 'block diagram' -and $token -match 'cosmetic') { return 'block-diagram-cosmetic' }
-    if ($token -match 'block diagram' -and $token -match 'functional') { return 'block-diagram-functional' }
-    if ($token -match 'block diagram') { return 'block-diagram' }
-    if ($token -match 'connector') { return 'connector-pane' }
-    if ($token -match 'vi attribute' -or $token -match 'attributes') { return 'vi-attribute' }
-    if ($token -match 'front panel position') { return 'front-panel-position-size' }
-    if ($token -match 'front panel' -or $token -match 'control changes') { return 'front-panel' }
-    if ($token -match 'cosmetic') { return 'cosmetic' }
-    if ($token -match 'window') { return 'window' }
-    if ($token -match 'icon') { return 'icon' }
-    if ($token -match 'documentation') { return 'documentation' }
-    if ($token -match 'execution') { return 'execution' }
+    if ($script:CategoryDefinitions.ContainsKey($token)) { return $token }
+    $normalizedToken = $token -replace '[-_]+', ' '
+
+    if ($normalizedToken -match 'block diagram' -and $normalizedToken -match 'cosmetic') { return 'block-diagram-cosmetic' }
+    if ($normalizedToken -match 'block diagram' -and $normalizedToken -match 'functional') { return 'block-diagram-functional' }
+    if ($normalizedToken -match 'block diagram') { return 'block-diagram' }
+    if ($normalizedToken -match 'connector') { return 'connector-pane' }
+    if ($normalizedToken -match 'vi attribute' -or $normalizedToken -match 'attributes') { return 'vi-attribute' }
+    if ($normalizedToken -match 'front panel position') { return 'front-panel-position-size' }
+    if ($normalizedToken -match 'front panel' -or $normalizedToken -match 'control changes') { return 'front-panel' }
+    if ($normalizedToken -match 'cosmetic') { return 'cosmetic' }
+    if ($normalizedToken -match 'window') { return 'window' }
+    if ($normalizedToken -match 'icon') { return 'icon' }
+    if ($normalizedToken -match 'documentation') { return 'documentation' }
+    if ($normalizedToken -match 'execution') { return 'execution' }
 
     return ($token -replace '[^a-z0-9]+', '-').Trim('-')
 }

From 520068df6c41a1eeb0813d4cbf45f34e222d6902 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sergio Velderrain <svelderrainruiz2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:44:53 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 05/16] Reveal collapsed VI history pairs (#2058)

Co-authored-by: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
---
 tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1  | 16 ++++++++++---
 tests/VICategoryBuckets.Tests.ps1  |  8 +++++++
 tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1       |  2 +-
 tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1        | 11 ++++++---
 tools/Publish-VICompareSummary.ps1 |  4 ++--
 tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1   | 38 +++++++++++++++++++++++++-----
 tools/VICategoryBuckets.psm1       |  1 +
 7 files changed, 65 insertions(+), 15 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1 b/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
index 2808afe73..dd6d854a5 100644
--- a/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
+++ b/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
@@ -502,6 +502,7 @@ exit 0
       $modeManifest.stats.signalDiffs | Should -Be 0
       $modeManifest.stats.noiseCollapsed | Should -BeGreaterThan 0
       @($modeManifest.comparisons).Count | Should -Be 0
+      @($modeManifest.collapsedComparisons).Count | Should -BeGreaterThan 0
       $modeManifest.stats.collapsedNoise.count | Should -Be $modeManifest.stats.noiseCollapsed
       $modeManifest.stats.collapsedNoise.categoryCounts.PSObject.Properties.Name | Should -Contain 'vi-attribute'
       $modeManifest.stats.collapsedNoise.categoryCounts.PSObject.Properties.Name | Should -Not -Contain 'unspecified'
@@ -512,12 +513,17 @@ exit 0
       $aggregate.stats.signalDiffs | Should -Be 0
       $aggregate.stats.noiseCollapsed | Should -BeGreaterThan 0
       $aggregate.stats.categoryCounts.PSObject.Properties.Name | Should -Contain 'VI Attribute'
+      $aggregate.stats.categoryCounts.PSObject.Properties.Name | Should -Not -Contain 'Attributes'
       $aggregate.stats.categoryCounts.PSObject.Properties.Name | Should -Not -Contain 'Cosmetic'
       $aggregate.stats.categoryCounts.PSObject.Properties.Name | Should -Not -Contain 'unspecified'
       [int]$aggregate.stats.bucketCounts.metadata | Should -BeGreaterThan 0
       $outputText | Should -Match 'LVCompare detected differences'
       $outputText | Should -Match 'VI attribute \(\d+\)'
       $outputText | Should -Not -Match 'unspecified'
+
+      $historyMd = Get-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $rd 'history-report.md') -Raw
+      $historyMd | Should -Match 'collapsed noise'
+      $historyMd | Should -Match 'Touch history'
     } finally {
       if ($null -eq $previousDiff) {
         Remove-Item Env:STUB_COMPARE_DIFF -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
@@ -1449,7 +1455,10 @@ exit 0
       $historyMd | Should -Match '\| Coverage Class \| `catalog-aligned` \|'
       $historyMd | Should -Match '## Mode overview'
       $historyMd | Should -Match '\| Mode \| Processed \| Diffs \| Signal \| Collapsed Noise \| Missing \| Categories \| Buckets \| Flags \|'
-      $historyMd | Should -Match '## Attribute coverage'
+      $historyMd | Should -Match '## Commit pairs'
+      $historyMd | Should -Match 'collapsed noise'
+      $historyMd | Should -Match 'Touch history'
+      $historyMd | Should -Match '## Mode filter coverage'
       $historyMd | Should -Match 'History manifest:'
 
       $historyHtml = Get-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $rd 'history-report.html') -Raw
@@ -1463,8 +1472,9 @@ exit 0
       $historyHtml | Should -Match '<th>Signal</th>'
       $historyHtml | Should -Match '<th>Collapsed Noise</th>'
       $historyHtml | Should -Match '<h2>Commit pairs</h2>'
-      $historyHtml | Should -Match 'No commit pairs were captured'
-      $historyHtml | Should -Match '<h2>Attribute coverage</h2>'
+      $historyHtml | Should -Match 'Collapsed noise'
+      $historyHtml | Should -Match 'Touch history'
+      $historyHtml | Should -Match '<h2>Mode filter coverage</h2>'
     } finally {
       if ($null -eq $previousDiff) {
         Remove-Item Env:STUB_COMPARE_DIFF -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
diff --git a/tests/VICategoryBuckets.Tests.ps1 b/tests/VICategoryBuckets.Tests.ps1
index ab7693b4f..51267a89b 100644
--- a/tests/VICategoryBuckets.Tests.ps1
+++ b/tests/VICategoryBuckets.Tests.ps1
@@ -14,6 +14,14 @@ Describe 'VICategoryBuckets module' -Tag 'Unit' {
         $meta.bucketClassification | Should -Be 'neutral'
     }
 
+    It 'treats generic Attributes as an alias of VI Attribute' {
+        $meta = Get-VICategoryMetadata -Name 'Attributes'
+        $meta | Should -Not -BeNullOrEmpty
+        $meta.slug | Should -Be 'vi-attribute'
+        $meta.label | Should -Be 'VI attribute'
+        $meta.bucketSlug | Should -Be 'metadata'
+    }
+
     It 'preserves known slug inputs without degrading category specificity' {
         $meta = Get-VICategoryMetadata -Name 'block-diagram-cosmetic'
         $meta | Should -Not -BeNullOrEmpty
diff --git a/tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1 b/tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1
index 09e6cd416..8fa85531c 100644
--- a/tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1
+++ b/tools/Compare-RefsToTemp.ps1
@@ -324,7 +324,7 @@ function Normalize-ReportCategories {
           'front-panel-position-size' { 'Front Panel Position/Size' }
           'control-changes' { 'Front Panel Controls' }
           'window' { 'Window Properties' }
-          'attributes' { 'Attributes' }
+          'attributes' { 'VI Attribute' }
           'vi-attribute' { 'VI Attribute' }
           'documentation' { 'Documentation' }
           'execution' { 'Execution Settings' }
diff --git a/tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1 b/tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1
index 2d6a7b6fa..694f9fe89 100644
--- a/tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1
+++ b/tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1
@@ -533,7 +533,7 @@ function Get-CanonicalComparisonCategoryName {
       'front-panel-position-size' { return 'Front Panel Position/Size' }
       'control-changes' { return 'Front Panel Controls' }
       'window' { return 'Window Properties' }
-      'attributes' { return 'Attributes' }
+      'attributes' { return 'VI Attribute' }
       'vi-attribute' { return 'VI Attribute' }
       'documentation' { return 'Documentation' }
       'execution' { return 'Execution Settings' }
@@ -1837,6 +1837,7 @@ foreach ($modeSpec in $modeSpecs) {
     flags       = $modeFlags
     resultsDir  = $modeResultsResolved
     comparisons = @()
+    collapsedComparisons = @()
     stats       = [ordered]@{
       processed      = 0
       diffs          = 0
@@ -2361,6 +2362,10 @@ foreach ($modeSpec in $modeSpecs) {
         }
       }
 
+      if ($collapsedThis) {
+        $modeManifest.collapsedComparisons += $comparisonRecordObject
+      }
+
       if ($appendComparison) {
         $modeManifest.comparisons += $comparisonRecordObject
       }
@@ -2836,7 +2841,7 @@ if (-not $renderSucceeded) {
       '| --- | --- | --- |'
       '| n/a | n/a | [report](./) |'
       ''
-      '## Attribute coverage'
+      '## Mode filter coverage'
       ''
       '_History renderer unavailable; see manifest for details._'
     )
@@ -2866,7 +2871,7 @@ if (-not $renderSucceeded) {
       </table>
     </section>
     <section>
-      <h2>Attribute coverage</h2>
+      <h2>Mode filter coverage</h2>
       <p>History renderer unavailable.</p>
     </section>
   </article>
diff --git a/tools/Publish-VICompareSummary.ps1 b/tools/Publish-VICompareSummary.ps1
index 56cd31d7e..1fb61cc9a 100644
--- a/tools/Publish-VICompareSummary.ps1
+++ b/tools/Publish-VICompareSummary.ps1
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ if ($totalDiffs -gt 0) {
 }
 
 $lines.Add("")
-$lines.Add("#### Attribute coverage")
+$lines.Add("#### Mode filter coverage")
 $attributeCoverageAdded = $false
 foreach ($mode in $modeSummaries) {
   $modeName = Get-ObjectPropertyValue -InputObject $mode -PropertyName 'mode'
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ foreach ($mode in $modeSummaries) {
 }
 
 if (-not $attributeCoverageAdded) {
-  $lines.Add("- *(Attribute coverage unavailable in manifest)*")
+  $lines.Add("- *(Mode filter coverage unavailable in manifest)*")
 }
 
 $body = $lines -join "`n"
diff --git a/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1 b/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
index 143bf7a98..f8de616a3 100644
--- a/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
+++ b/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
@@ -823,7 +823,19 @@ function Build-FallbackHistoryContext {
       continue
     }
 
-    foreach ($comparison in @($modeManifest.comparisons)) {
+    $modeComparisons = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[object]
+    foreach ($comparisonEntry in @($modeManifest.comparisons)) {
+      if ($comparisonEntry) {
+        $modeComparisons.Add($comparisonEntry) | Out-Null
+      }
+    }
+    foreach ($comparisonEntry in @($modeManifest.collapsedComparisons)) {
+      if ($comparisonEntry) {
+        $modeComparisons.Add($comparisonEntry) | Out-Null
+      }
+    }
+
+    foreach ($comparison in @($modeComparisons | Sort-Object { [int](Coalesce $_.index 0) })) {
       if (-not $comparison) { continue }
       $baseNode = $comparison.base
       $headNode = $comparison.head
@@ -864,6 +876,9 @@ function Build-FallbackHistoryContext {
         if ($resultNode.PSObject.Properties['classification'] -and $resultNode.classification) {
           $resultPayload.classification = $resultNode.classification
         }
+        if ($resultNode.PSObject.Properties['collapsed']) {
+          $resultPayload.collapsed = [bool]$resultNode.collapsed
+        }
         if ($resultNode.PSObject.Properties['artifactDir'] -and $resultNode.artifactDir) {
           $resultPayload.artifactDir = $resultNode.artifactDir
         }
@@ -1217,7 +1232,13 @@ if ($comparisons.Count -gt 0) {
     $diffValue = $hasDiffValue -and ($resultNode.diff -eq $true)
     $statusValue = if ($resultNode -and $resultNode.PSObject.Properties['status']) { [string]$resultNode.status } else { $null }
     $diffCell = if ($hasDiffValue) {
-      if ($diffValue) { '**diff**' } else { 'clean' }
+      if ($diffValue) {
+        if ($resultNode -and $resultNode.PSObject.Properties['collapsed'] -and [bool]$resultNode.collapsed) {
+          '_collapsed noise_'
+        } else {
+          '**diff**'
+        }
+      } else { 'clean' }
     } elseif ($statusValue) {
       ('_{0}_' -f $statusValue)
     } else {
@@ -1310,6 +1331,7 @@ if ($comparisons.Count -gt 0) {
       LineageLabel = $lineageLabel
       LineageType  = if ($lineageNode -and $lineageNode.PSObject.Properties['type']) { [string]$lineageNode.type } else { 'mainline' }
       Diff       = [bool]$diffValue
+      Collapsed  = if ($resultNode -and $resultNode.PSObject.Properties['collapsed']) { [bool]$resultNode.collapsed } else { $false }
       HasDiff    = $hasDiffValue
       Status     = $statusValue
       Duration   = $durationValue
@@ -1336,7 +1358,7 @@ if ($comparisons.Count -gt 0) {
 }
 
 $summaryLines.Add('')
-$summaryLines.Add('## Attribute coverage')
+$summaryLines.Add('## Mode filter coverage')
 $summaryLines.Add('')
 if ($modeEntries.Count -gt 0) {
   foreach ($mode in $modeEntries) {
@@ -1518,8 +1540,12 @@ if ($emitHtml -and $HtmlPath) {
     [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('    <thead><tr><th>Mode</th><th>Pair</th><th>Lineage</th><th>Base</th><th>Head</th><th>Diff</th><th>Duration (s)</th><th>Categories</th><th>Buckets</th><th>Report</th><th>Highlights</th></tr></thead>')
     [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('    <tbody>')
     foreach ($row in $comparisonHtmlRows) {
-      $diffClass = if ($row.Diff) { 'diff-yes' } elseif ($row.Status) { 'diff-status' } else { 'diff-no' }
-      $diffLabel = if ($row.Diff) { 'Diff' } elseif ($row.Status) { ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $row.Status } else { 'No' }
+      $diffClass = if ($row.Diff) {
+        if ($row.Collapsed) { 'diff-collapsed' } else { 'diff-yes' }
+      } elseif ($row.Status) { 'diff-status' } else { 'diff-no' }
+      $diffLabel = if ($row.Diff) {
+        if ($row.Collapsed) { 'Collapsed noise' } else { 'Diff' }
+      } elseif ($row.Status) { ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $row.Status } else { 'No' }
       $durationDisplay = '<span class="muted">n/a</span>'
       if ($row.DurationDisplay -and $row.DurationDisplay -ne 'n/a') {
         $durationDisplay = ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $row.DurationDisplay
@@ -1688,7 +1714,7 @@ if ($emitHtml -and $HtmlPath) {
     [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('  <p class="muted">No commit pairs were captured for the requested history window.</p>')
   }
 
-  [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('  <h2>Attribute coverage</h2>')
+  [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('  <h2>Mode filter coverage</h2>')
   if ($modeEntries.Count -gt 0) {
     [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('  <ul>')
     foreach ($mode in $modeEntries) {
diff --git a/tools/VICategoryBuckets.psm1 b/tools/VICategoryBuckets.psm1
index 9284566c2..a13d8dbff 100644
--- a/tools/VICategoryBuckets.psm1
+++ b/tools/VICategoryBuckets.psm1
@@ -105,6 +105,7 @@ function Resolve-VICategorySlug {
     if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Name)) { return $null }
 
     $token = $Name.Trim().ToLowerInvariant()
+    if ($token -eq 'attributes') { return 'vi-attribute' }
     if ($script:CategoryDefinitions.ContainsKey($token)) { return $token }
     $normalizedToken = $token -replace '[-_]+', ' '
 

From e17aa99160686b294a4264601e0bdb926d55f7e5 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sergio Velderrain <svelderrainruiz2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:16:04 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 06/16] Clarify VI history decision guidance (#2059)

* Add VI history decision guidance

* Prioritize VI history signal buckets

* Separate VI history focus from context

---------

Co-authored-by: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
---
 ...parevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json |  61 +++++++
 tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1             |  12 ++
 tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1              | 161 +++++++++++++++++-
 3 files changed, 233 insertions(+), 1 deletion(-)

diff --git a/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json b/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json
index 0bd39b4ea..249ecd86d 100644
--- a/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json
+++ b/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
     "execution",
     "observedInterpretation",
     "summary",
+    "decisionGuidance",
     "reports",
     "modes"
   ],
@@ -149,6 +150,66 @@
       },
       "additionalProperties": false
     },
+    "decisionGuidance": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "required": [
+        "reviewPriority",
+        "latestPair",
+        "signalPairs",
+        "collapsedPairs",
+        "focusBuckets",
+        "contextBuckets"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "reviewPriority": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
+        "latestPair": {
+          "type": "object",
+          "required": [
+            "index",
+            "status"
+          ],
+          "properties": {
+            "index": {
+              "type": "integer",
+              "minimum": 0
+            },
+            "status": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          "additionalProperties": false
+        },
+        "signalPairs": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "integer",
+            "minimum": 0
+          }
+        },
+        "collapsedPairs": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "integer",
+            "minimum": 0
+          }
+        },
+        "focusBuckets": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        },
+        "contextBuckets": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string"
+          }
+        }
+      },
+      "additionalProperties": false
+    },
     "summary": {
       "type": "object",
       "required": [
diff --git a/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1 b/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
index dd6d854a5..6d7e6946c 100644
--- a/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
+++ b/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
@@ -1445,6 +1445,12 @@ exit 0
       $historySummary.observedInterpretation.coverageClass | Should -Be 'catalog-aligned'
       @($historySummary.execution.requestedModes) | Should -Be @('default')
       @($historySummary.execution.executedModes) | Should -Be @('default')
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewPriority | Should -Be 'metadata-only-history'
+      @($historySummary.decisionGuidance.signalPairs) | Should -Be @()
+      @($historySummary.decisionGuidance.collapsedPairs) | Should -Be @(1)
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestPair.index | Should -Be 1
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestPair.status | Should -Be 'collapsed-noise'
+      @($historySummary.decisionGuidance.PSObject.Properties.Name) | Should -Contain 'contextBuckets'
 
       $historyMd = Get-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $rd 'history-report.md') -Raw
       $historyMd | Should -Match 'Requested Modes: `default`'
@@ -1455,6 +1461,9 @@ exit 0
       $historyMd | Should -Match '\| Coverage Class \| `catalog-aligned` \|'
       $historyMd | Should -Match '## Mode overview'
       $historyMd | Should -Match '\| Mode \| Processed \| Diffs \| Signal \| Collapsed Noise \| Missing \| Categories \| Buckets \| Flags \|'
+      $historyMd | Should -Match '## Decision guidance'
+      $historyMd | Should -Match 'Review priority'
+      $historyMd | Should -Match 'Latest pair'
       $historyMd | Should -Match '## Commit pairs'
       $historyMd | Should -Match 'collapsed noise'
       $historyMd | Should -Match 'Touch history'
@@ -1471,6 +1480,9 @@ exit 0
       $historyHtml | Should -Match '<h2>Summary</h2>'
       $historyHtml | Should -Match '<th>Signal</th>'
       $historyHtml | Should -Match '<th>Collapsed Noise</th>'
+      $historyHtml | Should -Match '<h2>Decision guidance</h2>'
+      $historyHtml | Should -Match 'Review priority'
+      $historyHtml | Should -Match 'Latest pair'
       $historyHtml | Should -Match '<h2>Commit pairs</h2>'
       $historyHtml | Should -Match 'Collapsed noise'
       $historyHtml | Should -Match 'Touch history'
diff --git a/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1 b/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
index f8de616a3..e1a7bc06d 100644
--- a/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
+++ b/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
@@ -664,12 +664,16 @@ function Get-BucketLabelEntries {
   foreach ($item in $items) {
     if ($null -eq $item) { continue }
     $slug = $null
+    $classification = $null
     if ($item -is [pscustomobject]) {
       if ($item.PSObject.Properties['bucketSlug']) {
         $slug = [string]$item.bucketSlug
       } elseif ($item.PSObject.Properties['slug']) {
         $slug = [string]$item.slug
       }
+      if ($item.PSObject.Properties['classification']) {
+        $classification = [string]$item.classification
+      }
     } else {
       $slug = [string]$item
     }
@@ -680,7 +684,7 @@ function Get-BucketLabelEntries {
         $entries.Add([pscustomobject]@{
           slug           = $meta.slug
           label          = $meta.label
-          classification = $meta.classification
+          classification = if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($classification)) { $meta.classification } else { $classification }
         }) | Out-Null
       }
     }
@@ -1203,6 +1207,126 @@ if ($modeEntries.Count -gt 0) {
 
 $stepSummaryLines = @($summaryLines)
 
+$sortedComparisons = @(
+  $comparisons |
+    Sort-Object {
+      try { [int](Coalesce $_.index 0) } catch { 0 }
+    }
+)
+$latestComparisonEntry = if ($sortedComparisons.Count -gt 0) { $sortedComparisons[0] } else { $null }
+$collapsedComparisonEntries = @(
+  $sortedComparisons |
+    Where-Object {
+      $_.result -and
+      $_.result.PSObject.Properties['collapsed'] -and
+      [bool]$_.result.collapsed
+    }
+)
+$signalComparisonEntries = @(
+  $sortedComparisons |
+    Where-Object {
+      $resultNode = $_.result
+      if (-not $resultNode) { return $false }
+      $hasDiff = $resultNode.PSObject.Properties['diff'] -and ($resultNode.diff -eq $true)
+      if (-not $hasDiff) { return $false }
+      if ($resultNode.PSObject.Properties['collapsed'] -and [bool]$resultNode.collapsed) { return $false }
+      $detailNodes = @()
+      if ($resultNode.PSObject.Properties['categoryDetails'] -and $resultNode.categoryDetails) {
+        $detailNodes = @($resultNode.categoryDetails)
+      }
+      if ($detailNodes.Count -eq 0) { return $true }
+      @($detailNodes | Where-Object { [string]$_.classification -ne 'noise' }).Count -gt 0
+    }
+)
+$decisionFocusBuckets = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
+$decisionFocusBucketSet = [System.Collections.Generic.HashSet[string]]::new([System.StringComparer]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+$decisionContextBuckets = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
+$decisionContextBucketSet = [System.Collections.Generic.HashSet[string]]::new([System.StringComparer]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)
+foreach ($decisionEntry in $signalComparisonEntries) {
+  $decisionResultNode = $decisionEntry.result
+  if (-not $decisionResultNode) { continue }
+  $decisionBucketEntries = @()
+  if ($decisionResultNode.PSObject.Properties['categoryBucketDetails'] -and $decisionResultNode.categoryBucketDetails) {
+    $decisionBucketEntries = @(Get-BucketLabelEntries -Buckets $decisionResultNode.categoryBucketDetails)
+  } elseif ($decisionResultNode.PSObject.Properties['categoryBuckets'] -and $decisionResultNode.categoryBuckets) {
+    $decisionBucketEntries = @(Get-BucketLabelEntries -Buckets $decisionResultNode.categoryBuckets)
+  }
+  foreach ($decisionBucketEntry in $decisionBucketEntries) {
+    if ($null -eq $decisionBucketEntry) { continue }
+    $bucketLabel = [string]$decisionBucketEntry.label
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($bucketLabel)) { continue }
+    $bucketDisplayLabel = $bucketLabel
+    $isContextBucket = $false
+    switch ([string]$decisionBucketEntry.classification) {
+      'noise' {
+        $bucketDisplayLabel = '{0} (noise)' -f $bucketLabel
+        if ($decisionContextBucketSet.Add($bucketDisplayLabel)) {
+          $decisionContextBuckets.Add($bucketDisplayLabel) | Out-Null
+        }
+        $isContextBucket = $true
+        break
+      }
+      'neutral' {
+        $bucketDisplayLabel = '{0} (neutral)' -f $bucketLabel
+        if ($decisionContextBucketSet.Add($bucketDisplayLabel)) {
+          $decisionContextBuckets.Add($bucketDisplayLabel) | Out-Null
+        }
+        $isContextBucket = $true
+        break
+      }
+    }
+    if ($isContextBucket) { continue }
+    if ($decisionFocusBucketSet.Add($bucketDisplayLabel)) {
+      $decisionFocusBuckets.Add($bucketDisplayLabel) | Out-Null
+    }
+  }
+}
+$decisionReviewPriority = if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
+  'review-signal-pairs'
+} elseif ($collapsedComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
+  'metadata-only-history'
+} else {
+  'no-diff'
+}
+$decisionLatestStatus = 'n/a'
+if ($latestComparisonEntry) {
+  $latestResultNode = $latestComparisonEntry.result
+  if ($latestResultNode -and $latestResultNode.PSObject.Properties['diff'] -and ($latestResultNode.diff -eq $true)) {
+    if ($latestResultNode.PSObject.Properties['collapsed'] -and [bool]$latestResultNode.collapsed) {
+      $decisionLatestStatus = 'collapsed-noise'
+    } else {
+      $decisionLatestStatus = 'signal-review'
+    }
+  } elseif ($latestResultNode -and $latestResultNode.PSObject.Properties['status'] -and $latestResultNode.status) {
+    $decisionLatestStatus = [string]$latestResultNode.status
+  } else {
+    $decisionLatestStatus = 'clean'
+  }
+}
+if ($sortedComparisons.Count -gt 0) {
+  $summaryLines.Add('')
+  $summaryLines.Add('## Decision guidance')
+  $summaryLines.Add('')
+  $summaryLines.Add(('- Review priority: `{0}`' -f $decisionReviewPriority))
+  if ($latestComparisonEntry) {
+    $summaryLines.Add(('- Latest pair: `pair {0}` is `{1}`' -f (Coalesce $latestComparisonEntry.index 'n/a'), $decisionLatestStatus))
+  }
+  if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
+    $summaryLines.Add(('- Signal pairs: `{0}`' -f ([string]::Join(', ', @($signalComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [string](Coalesce $_.index 'n/a') })))))
+  } else {
+    $summaryLines.Add('- Signal pairs: `none`')
+  }
+  if ($collapsedComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
+    $summaryLines.Add(('- Collapsed pairs: `{0}`' -f ([string]::Join(', ', @($collapsedComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [string](Coalesce $_.index 'n/a') })))))
+  }
+  if ($decisionFocusBuckets.Count -gt 0) {
+    $summaryLines.Add(('- Focus buckets: `{0}`' -f ([string]::Join(', ', @($decisionFocusBuckets.ToArray())))))
+  }
+  if ($decisionContextBuckets.Count -gt 0) {
+    $summaryLines.Add(('- Context buckets: `{0}`' -f ([string]::Join(', ', @($decisionContextBuckets.ToArray())))))
+  }
+}
+
 $comparisonHtmlRows = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[object]
 if ($comparisons.Count -gt 0) {
   $summaryLines.Add('')
@@ -1534,6 +1658,30 @@ if ($emitHtml -and $HtmlPath) {
     [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('  </table>')
   }
 
+  if ($sortedComparisons.Count -gt 0) {
+    [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('  <h2>Decision guidance</h2>')
+    [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('  <ul>')
+    [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Review priority</strong><span>{0}</span></li>' -f (Format-HtmlCodeList -Values @($decisionReviewPriority))))
+    if ($latestComparisonEntry) {
+      [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Latest pair</strong><span><code>pair {0}</code> is <code>{1}</code></span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe (Coalesce $latestComparisonEntry.index 'n/a')), (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $decisionLatestStatus)))
+    }
+    if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
+      [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Signal pairs</strong><span><code>{0}</code></span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe ([string]::Join(', ', @($signalComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [string](Coalesce $_.index 'n/a') }))))))
+    } else {
+      [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('    <li><strong>Signal pairs</strong><span><code>none</code></span></li>')
+    }
+    if ($collapsedComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
+      [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Collapsed pairs</strong><span><code>{0}</code></span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe ([string]::Join(', ', @($collapsedComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [string](Coalesce $_.index 'n/a') }))))))
+    }
+    if ($decisionFocusBuckets.Count -gt 0) {
+      [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Focus buckets</strong><span>{0}</span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe ([string]::Join(', ', @($decisionFocusBuckets.ToArray()))))))
+    }
+    if ($decisionContextBuckets.Count -gt 0) {
+      [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Context buckets</strong><span>{0}</span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe ([string]::Join(', ', @($decisionContextBuckets.ToArray()))))))
+    }
+    [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('  </ul>')
+  }
+
   [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('  <h2>Commit pairs</h2>')
   if ($comparisonHtmlRows.Count -gt 0) {
     [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('  <table>')
@@ -1810,6 +1958,17 @@ $historySummary = [ordered]@{
     modeSensitivity = [string]$modeSensitivity
     outcomeLabels = @(Get-SortedUniqueStringArray -Value $outcomeLabels)
   }
+  decisionGuidance = [ordered]@{
+    reviewPriority = [string]$decisionReviewPriority
+    latestPair = [ordered]@{
+      index = if ($latestComparisonEntry) { [int](Coalesce $latestComparisonEntry.index 0) } else { 0 }
+      status = [string]$decisionLatestStatus
+    }
+    signalPairs = @($signalComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [int](Coalesce $_.index 0) })
+    collapsedPairs = @($collapsedComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [int](Coalesce $_.index 0) })
+    focusBuckets = @($decisionFocusBuckets.ToArray())
+    contextBuckets = @($decisionContextBuckets.ToArray())
+  }
   summary = [ordered]@{
     modes = if ($stats -and $stats.PSObject.Properties['modes']) { [int]$stats.modes } else { [int]$modeEntries.Count }
     comparisons = Get-IntPropertyValue -InputObject $stats -Name 'processed'

From 6bce62f4e07f4f2b43401fd1396377d86c143b7a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sergio Velderrain <svelderrainruiz2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:18:17 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 07/16] Make LV32 shadow proof non-blocking (#2060)

Co-authored-by: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
---
 .github/workflows/validate.yml | 1 +
 1 file changed, 1 insertion(+)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/validate.yml b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
index 61a2efc24..5f784c99b 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/validate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
@@ -1825,6 +1825,7 @@ jobs:
     needs: [smoke-gate, lint, session-index, session-index-v2-contract, vi-history-scenarios-plan, vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32-plan]
     if: needs.smoke-gate.outputs.skip != 'true' && needs.vi-history-scenarios-plan.outputs.execute_lanes == 'true' && needs.vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32-plan.outputs.available == 'true'
     runs-on: [self-hosted, Windows, X64, comparevi, capability-ingress, labview-2026, lv32]
+    continue-on-error: true
     timeout-minutes: 60
     permissions:
       actions: read

From a85d77af72049056ea3f4c0ffbfb17f16986cd6b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sergio Velderrain <svelderrainruiz2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:30:35 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 08/16] Identify latest VI history signal pair (#2061)

Co-authored-by: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
---
 ...parevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json | 22 +++++++++++++++++++
 tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1             |  3 +++
 tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1              | 16 ++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 41 insertions(+)

diff --git a/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json b/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json
index 249ecd86d..3ad2c207d 100644
--- a/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json
+++ b/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@
       "required": [
         "reviewPriority",
         "latestPair",
+        "latestSignalPair",
         "signalPairs",
         "collapsedPairs",
         "focusBuckets",
@@ -181,6 +182,27 @@
           },
           "additionalProperties": false
         },
+        "latestSignalPair": {
+          "type": "object",
+          "required": [
+            "index",
+            "baseRef",
+            "headRef"
+          ],
+          "properties": {
+            "index": {
+              "type": "integer",
+              "minimum": 0
+            },
+            "baseRef": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "headRef": {
+              "type": "string"
+            }
+          },
+          "additionalProperties": false
+        },
         "signalPairs": {
           "type": "array",
           "items": {
diff --git a/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1 b/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
index 6d7e6946c..ae008ec4d 100644
--- a/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
+++ b/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
@@ -1450,6 +1450,7 @@ exit 0
       @($historySummary.decisionGuidance.collapsedPairs) | Should -Be @(1)
       $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestPair.index | Should -Be 1
       $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestPair.status | Should -Be 'collapsed-noise'
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestSignalPair.index | Should -Be 0
       @($historySummary.decisionGuidance.PSObject.Properties.Name) | Should -Contain 'contextBuckets'
 
       $historyMd = Get-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $rd 'history-report.md') -Raw
@@ -1464,6 +1465,7 @@ exit 0
       $historyMd | Should -Match '## Decision guidance'
       $historyMd | Should -Match 'Review priority'
       $historyMd | Should -Match 'Latest pair'
+      $historyMd | Should -Not -Match 'Review first'
       $historyMd | Should -Match '## Commit pairs'
       $historyMd | Should -Match 'collapsed noise'
       $historyMd | Should -Match 'Touch history'
@@ -1483,6 +1485,7 @@ exit 0
       $historyHtml | Should -Match '<h2>Decision guidance</h2>'
       $historyHtml | Should -Match 'Review priority'
       $historyHtml | Should -Match 'Latest pair'
+      $historyHtml | Should -Not -Match 'Review first'
       $historyHtml | Should -Match '<h2>Commit pairs</h2>'
       $historyHtml | Should -Match 'Collapsed noise'
       $historyHtml | Should -Match 'Touch history'
diff --git a/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1 b/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
index e1a7bc06d..059c02dcb 100644
--- a/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
+++ b/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
@@ -1288,6 +1288,7 @@ $decisionReviewPriority = if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
 } else {
   'no-diff'
 }
+$latestSignalComparisonEntry = if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) { $signalComparisonEntries[0] } else { $null }
 $decisionLatestStatus = 'n/a'
 if ($latestComparisonEntry) {
   $latestResultNode = $latestComparisonEntry.result
@@ -1311,6 +1312,11 @@ if ($sortedComparisons.Count -gt 0) {
   if ($latestComparisonEntry) {
     $summaryLines.Add(('- Latest pair: `pair {0}` is `{1}`' -f (Coalesce $latestComparisonEntry.index 'n/a'), $decisionLatestStatus))
   }
+  if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) {
+    $latestSignalBaseRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.full) 'n/a')
+    $latestSignalHeadRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.full) 'n/a')
+    $summaryLines.Add(('- Review first: `pair {0}` (`{1}` -> `{2}`)' -f (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.index 'n/a'), $latestSignalBaseRef, $latestSignalHeadRef))
+  }
   if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
     $summaryLines.Add(('- Signal pairs: `{0}`' -f ([string]::Join(', ', @($signalComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [string](Coalesce $_.index 'n/a') })))))
   } else {
@@ -1665,6 +1671,11 @@ if ($emitHtml -and $HtmlPath) {
     if ($latestComparisonEntry) {
       [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Latest pair</strong><span><code>pair {0}</code> is <code>{1}</code></span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe (Coalesce $latestComparisonEntry.index 'n/a')), (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $decisionLatestStatus)))
     }
+    if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) {
+      $latestSignalBaseRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.full) 'n/a')
+      $latestSignalHeadRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.full) 'n/a')
+      [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Review first</strong><span><code>pair {0}</code> (<code>{1}</code> -&gt; <code>{2}</code>)</span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.index 'n/a')), (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $latestSignalBaseRef), (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $latestSignalHeadRef)))
+    }
     if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
       [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Signal pairs</strong><span><code>{0}</code></span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe ([string]::Join(', ', @($signalComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [string](Coalesce $_.index 'n/a') }))))))
     } else {
@@ -1964,6 +1975,11 @@ $historySummary = [ordered]@{
       index = if ($latestComparisonEntry) { [int](Coalesce $latestComparisonEntry.index 0) } else { 0 }
       status = [string]$decisionLatestStatus
     }
+    latestSignalPair = [ordered]@{
+      index = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [int](Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.index 0) } else { 0 }
+      baseRef = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.full) '') } else { '' }
+      headRef = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.full) '') } else { '' }
+    }
     signalPairs = @($signalComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [int](Coalesce $_.index 0) })
     collapsedPairs = @($collapsedComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [int](Coalesce $_.index 0) })
     focusBuckets = @($decisionFocusBuckets.ToArray())

From 6a91ca561a544e94d6cf0ea54e10a5698795f1fb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sergio Velderrain <svelderrainruiz2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 19:43:43 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 09/16] Add VI history review sequence guidance (#2062)

Co-authored-by: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
---
 ...parevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json | 42 ++++++++++++++++++-
 tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1        | 14 +++++++
 tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1              | 42 ++++++++++++++++++-
 3 files changed, 96 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json b/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json
index 3ad2c207d..817c66f81 100644
--- a/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json
+++ b/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json
@@ -156,6 +156,7 @@
         "reviewPriority",
         "latestPair",
         "latestSignalPair",
+        "reviewSequence",
         "signalPairs",
         "collapsedPairs",
         "focusBuckets",
@@ -187,7 +188,9 @@
           "required": [
             "index",
             "baseRef",
-            "headRef"
+            "headRef",
+            "baseSubject",
+            "headSubject"
           ],
           "properties": {
             "index": {
@@ -199,10 +202,47 @@
             },
             "headRef": {
               "type": "string"
+            },
+            "baseSubject": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "headSubject": {
+              "type": "string"
             }
           },
           "additionalProperties": false
         },
+        "reviewSequence": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "object",
+            "required": [
+              "index",
+              "baseRef",
+              "headRef",
+              "baseSubject",
+              "headSubject"
+            ],
+            "properties": {
+              "index": {
+                "type": "integer",
+                "minimum": 0
+              },
+              "baseRef": {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "headRef": {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "baseSubject": {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "headSubject": {
+                "type": "string"
+              }
+            }
+          }
+        },
         "signalPairs": {
           "type": "array",
           "items": {
diff --git a/tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1 b/tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1
index d1273d82a..7ceecbc0b 100644
--- a/tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1
+++ b/tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1
@@ -216,6 +216,10 @@ Describe 'Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1' -Tag 'Unit' {
         $markdown | Should -Match '\| Coverage Class \| `catalog-partial` \|'
         $markdown | Should -Match '\| Mode Sensitivity \| `single-mode-observed` \|'
         $markdown | Should -Match '\| Outcome Labels \| `clean`, `signal-diff` \|'
+        $markdown | Should -Match '## Decision guidance'
+        $markdown | Should -Match 'Review first'
+        $markdown | Should -Match 'Review sequence'
+        $markdown | Should -Match 'pair 2 \(Base commit -> Head commit\)'
         $markdown | Should -Match '\| Mode \| Processed \| Diffs \| Signal \| Collapsed Noise \| Missing \| Categories \| Buckets \| Flags \|'
         $markdown | Should -Match '\| Mode \| Pair \| Lineage \| Base \| Head \| Diff \| Duration \(s\) \| Categories \| Buckets \| Report \| Highlights \|'
         $markdown | Should -Match 'Touch history'
@@ -234,6 +238,9 @@ Describe 'Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1' -Tag 'Unit' {
         $html | Should -Match 'single-mode-observed'
         $html | Should -Match 'Outcome Labels'
         $html | Should -Match '<code>clean</code>, <code>signal-diff</code>'
+        $html | Should -Match 'Review first'
+        $html | Should -Match 'Review sequence'
+        $html | Should -Match 'pair 2 \(Base commit -&gt; Head commit\)'
         $html | Should -Match '<th>Signal</th>'
         $html | Should -Match '<th>Collapsed Noise</th>'
         $html | Should -Match '<th>Lineage</th>'
@@ -264,6 +271,13 @@ Describe 'Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1' -Tag 'Unit' {
         $historySummary.target.sourceBranchRef | Should -Be 'feature/history-source'
         $historySummary.target.branchBudget.maxCommitCount | Should -Be 64
         $historySummary.target.branchBudget.commitCount | Should -Be 3
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestSignalPair.index | Should -Be 2
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestSignalPair.baseSubject | Should -Be 'Base commit'
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestSignalPair.headSubject | Should -Be 'Head commit'
+        @($historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence).Count | Should -Be 1
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence[0].index | Should -Be 2
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence[0].baseSubject | Should -Be 'Base commit'
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence[0].headSubject | Should -Be 'Head commit'
     }
 
     It 'preserves branch budget numeric fields when the source object is a hashtable' {
diff --git a/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1 b/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
index 059c02dcb..719a3f5bd 100644
--- a/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
+++ b/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
@@ -1288,6 +1288,17 @@ $decisionReviewPriority = if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
 } else {
   'no-diff'
 }
+$decisionReviewSequence = @(
+  $signalComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object {
+    [ordered]@{
+      index = [int](Coalesce $_.index 0)
+      baseRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $_.base.short $_.base.full) '')
+      headRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $_.head.short $_.head.full) '')
+      baseSubject = [string](Coalesce $_.base.subject '')
+      headSubject = [string](Coalesce $_.head.subject '')
+    }
+  }
+)
 $latestSignalComparisonEntry = if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) { $signalComparisonEntries[0] } else { $null }
 $decisionLatestStatus = 'n/a'
 if ($latestComparisonEntry) {
@@ -1317,6 +1328,14 @@ if ($sortedComparisons.Count -gt 0) {
     $latestSignalHeadRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.full) 'n/a')
     $summaryLines.Add(('- Review first: `pair {0}` (`{1}` -> `{2}`)' -f (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.index 'n/a'), $latestSignalBaseRef, $latestSignalHeadRef))
   }
+  if ($decisionReviewSequence.Count -gt 0) {
+    $reviewSequenceLabels = @(
+      $decisionReviewSequence | ForEach-Object {
+        'pair {0} ({1} -> {2})' -f $_.index, (Coalesce $_.baseSubject 'n/a'), (Coalesce $_.headSubject 'n/a')
+      }
+    )
+    $summaryLines.Add(('- Review sequence: `{0}`' -f ([string]::Join('; ', $reviewSequenceLabels))))
+  }
   if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
     $summaryLines.Add(('- Signal pairs: `{0}`' -f ([string]::Join(', ', @($signalComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [string](Coalesce $_.index 'n/a') })))))
   } else {
@@ -1676,6 +1695,14 @@ if ($emitHtml -and $HtmlPath) {
       $latestSignalHeadRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.full) 'n/a')
       [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Review first</strong><span><code>pair {0}</code> (<code>{1}</code> -&gt; <code>{2}</code>)</span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.index 'n/a')), (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $latestSignalBaseRef), (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $latestSignalHeadRef)))
     }
+    if ($decisionReviewSequence.Count -gt 0) {
+      $reviewSequenceLabels = @(
+        $decisionReviewSequence | ForEach-Object {
+          'pair {0} ({1} -> {2})' -f $_.index, (Coalesce $_.baseSubject 'n/a'), (Coalesce $_.headSubject 'n/a')
+        }
+      )
+      [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Review sequence</strong><span><code>{0}</code></span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe ([string]::Join('; ', $reviewSequenceLabels)))))
+    }
     if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
       [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Signal pairs</strong><span><code>{0}</code></span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe ([string]::Join(', ', @($signalComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [string](Coalesce $_.index 'n/a') }))))))
     } else {
@@ -1979,7 +2006,20 @@ $historySummary = [ordered]@{
       index = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [int](Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.index 0) } else { 0 }
       baseRef = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.full) '') } else { '' }
       headRef = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.full) '') } else { '' }
-    }
+      baseSubject = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [string](Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.subject '') } else { '' }
+      headSubject = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [string](Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.subject '') } else { '' }
+    }
+    reviewSequence = @(
+      $decisionReviewSequence | ForEach-Object {
+        [ordered]@{
+          index = [int](Coalesce $_.index 0)
+          baseRef = [string](Coalesce $_.baseRef '')
+          headRef = [string](Coalesce $_.headRef '')
+          baseSubject = [string](Coalesce $_.baseSubject '')
+          headSubject = [string](Coalesce $_.headSubject '')
+        }
+      }
+    )
     signalPairs = @($signalComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [int](Coalesce $_.index 0) })
     collapsedPairs = @($collapsedComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object { [int](Coalesce $_.index 0) })
     focusBuckets = @($decisionFocusBuckets.ToArray())

From 0e99c52b0705982eff7ea483b09e11d8c18efcbb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sergio Velderrain <svelderrainruiz2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:41:49 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 10/16] Expose VI history decision chronology (#2063)

* Add VI history decision statement

* Expose VI history decision chronology

---------

Co-authored-by: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
---
 README.md                                     |   6 +-
 docs/knowledgebase/VICompare-Refs-Workflow.md |   3 +
 ...parevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json |  50 ++++-
 tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1             |  21 +++
 tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1        |  24 ++-
 tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1              | 173 +++++++++++++++---
 6 files changed, 242 insertions(+), 35 deletions(-)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ef942cc3f..492e826b2 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -149,7 +149,11 @@ renders, `history-report-html`). Downstream workflows and reusable snippets can
 consume those keys to surface the Markdown/HTML report or to dispatch follow-up
 automation without spelunking the artifacts. When the renderer is unavailable,
 `Compare-VIHistory.ps1` writes a lightweight fallback report so the Markdown
-output key always resolves to a readable summary.
+output key always resolves to a readable summary. The stable
+`history-summary-json` facade and rendered history report now also surface the
+decision statement, the newest meaningful pair, and pair chronology (refs,
+subjects, and commit dates) so reviewers can answer what changed, when it
+changed, and whether it matters without opening raw manifests first.
 
 Provide the optional `notify_issue` input when dispatching the workflow to post
 the same summary table to a GitHub issue for stakeholders.
diff --git a/docs/knowledgebase/VICompare-Refs-Workflow.md b/docs/knowledgebase/VICompare-Refs-Workflow.md
index e2a6bce2f..41a7f39a5 100644
--- a/docs/knowledgebase/VICompare-Refs-Workflow.md
+++ b/docs/knowledgebase/VICompare-Refs-Workflow.md
@@ -220,6 +220,9 @@ gh workflow run vi-compare-refs.yml `
   `Invoke-CompareVIHistoryFacade`. When HTML rendering is skipped or fails, the Markdown path still points at the
   fallback report so consumers always have a summary to ingest. A compressed `category-counts-json` blob is also
   published so downstream automation can react to runs dominated by cosmetic noise without re-reading the manifests.
+  The facade's `decisionGuidance` block now carries a human-readable `decisionStatement`, the newest surfaced pair,
+  and the review sequence with refs, subjects, and commit dates so downstream consumers can answer what changed, when,
+  and whether it matters from one stabilized payload.
 - History summary JSON (`tests/results/pr-vi-history/vi-history-summary.json`) now adds:
   - `targets[].reportImages` for per-target extraction metadata.
   - `pairTimeline[]` with additive per-pair contract fields:
diff --git a/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json b/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json
index 817c66f81..657069432 100644
--- a/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json
+++ b/docs/schemas/comparevi-tools-history-facade-v1.schema.json
@@ -153,6 +153,7 @@
     "decisionGuidance": {
       "type": "object",
       "required": [
+        "decisionStatement",
         "reviewPriority",
         "latestPair",
         "latestSignalPair",
@@ -163,6 +164,9 @@
         "contextBuckets"
       ],
       "properties": {
+        "decisionStatement": {
+          "type": "string"
+        },
         "reviewPriority": {
           "type": "string"
         },
@@ -170,7 +174,13 @@
           "type": "object",
           "required": [
             "index",
-            "status"
+            "status",
+            "baseRef",
+            "headRef",
+            "baseSubject",
+            "headSubject",
+            "baseDate",
+            "headDate"
           ],
           "properties": {
             "index": {
@@ -179,6 +189,24 @@
             },
             "status": {
               "type": "string"
+            },
+            "baseRef": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "headRef": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "baseSubject": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "headSubject": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "baseDate": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "headDate": {
+              "type": "string"
             }
           },
           "additionalProperties": false
@@ -190,7 +218,9 @@
             "baseRef",
             "headRef",
             "baseSubject",
-            "headSubject"
+            "headSubject",
+            "baseDate",
+            "headDate"
           ],
           "properties": {
             "index": {
@@ -208,6 +238,12 @@
             },
             "headSubject": {
               "type": "string"
+            },
+            "baseDate": {
+              "type": "string"
+            },
+            "headDate": {
+              "type": "string"
             }
           },
           "additionalProperties": false
@@ -221,7 +257,9 @@
               "baseRef",
               "headRef",
               "baseSubject",
-              "headSubject"
+              "headSubject",
+              "baseDate",
+              "headDate"
             ],
             "properties": {
               "index": {
@@ -239,6 +277,12 @@
               },
               "headSubject": {
                 "type": "string"
+              },
+              "baseDate": {
+                "type": "string"
+              },
+              "headDate": {
+                "type": "string"
               }
             }
           }
diff --git a/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1 b/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
index ae008ec4d..b250fd35d 100644
--- a/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
+++ b/tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1
@@ -574,6 +574,27 @@ exit 0
 
       $aggregate.stats.signalDiffs | Should -Be 1
       $aggregate.stats.noiseCollapsed | Should -Be 0
+
+      $historySummaryPath = Join-Path $rd 'history-summary.json'
+      Test-Path -LiteralPath $historySummaryPath | Should -BeTrue
+      $historySummary = Get-Content -LiteralPath $historySummaryPath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json -Depth 12
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.decisionStatement | Should -Match '^Start at pair 1; it is the newest meaningful change\. It touches '
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestPair.status | Should -Be 'signal-review'
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestPair.baseDate | Should -Not -BeNullOrEmpty
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestPair.headDate | Should -Not -BeNullOrEmpty
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestSignalPair.index | Should -Be 1
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestSignalPair.baseDate | Should -Not -BeNullOrEmpty
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestSignalPair.headDate | Should -Not -BeNullOrEmpty
+      @($historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence).Count | Should -Be 1
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence[0].baseDate | Should -Not -BeNullOrEmpty
+      $historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence[0].headDate | Should -Not -BeNullOrEmpty
+
+      $historyMd = Get-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $rd 'history-report.md') -Raw
+      $historyMd | Should -Match 'Decision statement'
+      $historyMd | Should -Match 'Review first'
+      $historyMd | Should -Match 'Review sequence'
+      $historyMd | Should -Match 'pair 1 \('
+      $historyMd | Should -Match 'T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}'
     } finally {
       if ($null -eq $previousDiff) {
         Remove-Item Env:STUB_COMPARE_DIFF -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
diff --git a/tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1 b/tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1
index 7ceecbc0b..d05351cd2 100644
--- a/tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1
+++ b/tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1
@@ -108,11 +108,13 @@ Describe 'Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1' -Tag 'Unit' {
                         full   = 'aaa111111111'
                         short  = 'aaa1111'
                         subject= 'Clean base commit'
+                        date   = '2026-03-09T09:00:00Z'
                     }
                     head  = @{
                         full   = 'bbb222222222'
                         short  = 'bbb2222'
                         subject= 'Clean head commit'
+                        date   = '2026-03-10T10:00:00Z'
                     }
                     lineage = [ordered]@{
                         type        = 'touch-history'
@@ -142,11 +144,13 @@ Describe 'Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1' -Tag 'Unit' {
                         full   = 'abc123456789'
                         short  = 'abc1234'
                         subject= 'Base commit'
+                        date   = '2026-03-11T11:00:00Z'
                     }
                     head  = @{
                         full   = 'def987654321'
                         short  = 'def9876'
                         subject= 'Head commit'
+                        date   = '2026-03-12T12:00:00Z'
                     }
                     lineage = [ordered]@{
                         type        = 'merge-parent'
@@ -217,11 +221,15 @@ Describe 'Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1' -Tag 'Unit' {
         $markdown | Should -Match '\| Mode Sensitivity \| `single-mode-observed` \|'
         $markdown | Should -Match '\| Outcome Labels \| `clean`, `signal-diff` \|'
         $markdown | Should -Match '## Decision guidance'
+        $markdown | Should -Match 'Decision statement'
+        $markdown | Should -Match 'Start at pair 2; it is the newest meaningful change'
         $markdown | Should -Match 'Review first'
         $markdown | Should -Match 'Review sequence'
-        $markdown | Should -Match 'pair 2 \(Base commit -> Head commit\)'
+        $markdown | Should -Match 'pair 2 \(abc1234 \(Base commit; 2026-03-11T11:00:00\+00:00\) -> def9876 \(Head commit; 2026-03-12T12:00:00\+00:00\)\)'
+        $markdown | Should -Match 'pair 2 \(Base commit @ 2026-03-11T11:00:00\+00:00 -> Head commit @ 2026-03-12T12:00:00\+00:00\)'
         $markdown | Should -Match '\| Mode \| Processed \| Diffs \| Signal \| Collapsed Noise \| Missing \| Categories \| Buckets \| Flags \|'
         $markdown | Should -Match '\| Mode \| Pair \| Lineage \| Base \| Head \| Diff \| Duration \(s\) \| Categories \| Buckets \| Report \| Highlights \|'
+        $markdown | Should -Match 'aaa1111 \(Clean base commit; 2026-03-09T09:00:00\+00:00\)'
         $markdown | Should -Match 'Touch history'
 
         $html = Get-Content -LiteralPath $htmlPath -Raw
@@ -239,8 +247,11 @@ Describe 'Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1' -Tag 'Unit' {
         $html | Should -Match 'Outcome Labels'
         $html | Should -Match '<code>clean</code>, <code>signal-diff</code>'
         $html | Should -Match 'Review first'
+        $html | Should -Match 'Decision statement'
+        $html | Should -Match 'Start at pair 2; it is the newest meaningful change'
         $html | Should -Match 'Review sequence'
-        $html | Should -Match 'pair 2 \(Base commit -&gt; Head commit\)'
+        $html | Should -Match 'pair 2 \(abc1234 \(Base commit; 2026-03-11T11:00:00\+00:00\) -&gt; def9876 \(Head commit; 2026-03-12T12:00:00\+00:00\)\)'
+        $html | Should -Match 'pair 2 \(Base commit @ 2026-03-11T11:00:00\+00:00 -&gt; Head commit @ 2026-03-12T12:00:00\+00:00\)'
         $html | Should -Match '<th>Signal</th>'
         $html | Should -Match '<th>Collapsed Noise</th>'
         $html | Should -Match '<th>Lineage</th>'
@@ -267,17 +278,24 @@ Describe 'Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1' -Tag 'Unit' {
         $historySummaryLine | Should -Not -BeNullOrEmpty
         $historySummaryPath = (($historySummaryLine -split '=', 2)[1]).Trim()
         Test-Path -LiteralPath $historySummaryPath | Should -BeTrue
-        $historySummary = Get-Content -LiteralPath $historySummaryPath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json -Depth 12
+        $historySummary = Get-Content -LiteralPath $historySummaryPath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json -Depth 12 -DateKind String
         $historySummary.target.sourceBranchRef | Should -Be 'feature/history-source'
         $historySummary.target.branchBudget.maxCommitCount | Should -Be 64
         $historySummary.target.branchBudget.commitCount | Should -Be 3
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestPair.baseDate | Should -Be '2026-03-09T09:00:00+00:00'
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestPair.headDate | Should -Be '2026-03-10T10:00:00+00:00'
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.decisionStatement | Should -Be 'Start at pair 2; it is the newest meaningful change. It touches Functional behavior.'
         $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestSignalPair.index | Should -Be 2
         $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestSignalPair.baseSubject | Should -Be 'Base commit'
         $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestSignalPair.headSubject | Should -Be 'Head commit'
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestSignalPair.baseDate | Should -Be '2026-03-11T11:00:00+00:00'
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.latestSignalPair.headDate | Should -Be '2026-03-12T12:00:00+00:00'
         @($historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence).Count | Should -Be 1
         $historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence[0].index | Should -Be 2
         $historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence[0].baseSubject | Should -Be 'Base commit'
         $historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence[0].headSubject | Should -Be 'Head commit'
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence[0].baseDate | Should -Be '2026-03-11T11:00:00+00:00'
+        $historySummary.decisionGuidance.reviewSequence[0].headDate | Should -Be '2026-03-12T12:00:00+00:00'
     }
 
     It 'preserves branch budget numeric fields when the source object is a hashtable' {
diff --git a/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1 b/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
index 719a3f5bd..8dcacd2f9 100644
--- a/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
+++ b/tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1
@@ -106,6 +106,102 @@ function Get-ShortSha {
   return $Value.Substring(0, $Length)
 }
 
+function Format-DecisionTimestamp {
+  param($Value)
+
+  if ($null -eq $Value) { return '' }
+
+  if ($Value -is [DateTimeOffset]) {
+    return $Value.ToString('yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssK')
+  }
+
+  if ($Value -is [DateTime]) {
+    return ([DateTimeOffset]$Value).ToString('yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssK')
+  }
+
+  $text = [string]$Value
+  if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($text)) { return '' }
+
+  try {
+    $parsed = [DateTimeOffset]::Parse($text, [System.Globalization.CultureInfo]::InvariantCulture, [System.Globalization.DateTimeStyles]::RoundtripKind)
+    return $parsed.ToString('yyyy-MM-ddTHH:mm:ssK')
+  } catch {
+    return $text
+  }
+}
+
+function New-DecisionPairMetadata {
+  param([AllowNull()][object]$Entry)
+
+  if (-not $Entry) {
+    return [ordered]@{
+      index = 0
+      baseRef = ''
+      headRef = ''
+      baseSubject = ''
+      headSubject = ''
+      baseDate = ''
+      headDate = ''
+    }
+  }
+
+  return [ordered]@{
+    index = [int](Coalesce $Entry.index 0)
+    baseRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $Entry.base.short $Entry.base.full) '')
+    headRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $Entry.head.short $Entry.head.full) '')
+    baseSubject = [string](Coalesce $Entry.base.subject '')
+    headSubject = [string](Coalesce $Entry.head.subject '')
+    baseDate = [string](Format-DecisionTimestamp -Value $Entry.base.date)
+    headDate = [string](Format-DecisionTimestamp -Value $Entry.head.date)
+  }
+}
+
+function Format-DecisionCommitLabel {
+  param(
+    [string]$Ref,
+    [string]$Subject,
+    [string]$Date
+  )
+
+  $label = [string](Coalesce $Ref 'n/a')
+  $details = New-Object System.Collections.Generic.List[string]
+  if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Subject)) {
+    $details.Add($Subject) | Out-Null
+  }
+  if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($Date)) {
+    $details.Add($Date) | Out-Null
+  }
+  if ($details.Count -gt 0) {
+    $label = '{0} ({1})' -f $label, ([string]::Join('; ', @($details.ToArray())))
+  }
+  return $label
+}
+
+function Format-DecisionPairTimelineLabel {
+  param(
+    [AllowNull()][object]$Pair,
+    [switch]$UseSubjectsOnly
+  )
+
+  if (-not $Pair) { return 'pair n/a' }
+
+  if ($UseSubjectsOnly.IsPresent) {
+    $baseLabel = if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$Pair.baseSubject)) { [string]$Pair.baseSubject } else { [string](Coalesce $Pair.baseRef 'n/a') }
+    if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$Pair.baseDate)) {
+      $baseLabel = '{0} @ {1}' -f $baseLabel, [string]$Pair.baseDate
+    }
+    $headLabel = if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$Pair.headSubject)) { [string]$Pair.headSubject } else { [string](Coalesce $Pair.headRef 'n/a') }
+    if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$Pair.headDate)) {
+      $headLabel = '{0} @ {1}' -f $headLabel, [string]$Pair.headDate
+    }
+  } else {
+    $baseLabel = Format-DecisionCommitLabel -Ref ([string](Coalesce $Pair.baseRef 'n/a')) -Subject ([string](Coalesce $Pair.baseSubject '')) -Date ([string](Coalesce $Pair.baseDate ''))
+    $headLabel = Format-DecisionCommitLabel -Ref ([string](Coalesce $Pair.headRef 'n/a')) -Subject ([string](Coalesce $Pair.headSubject '')) -Date ([string](Coalesce $Pair.headDate ''))
+  }
+
+  return 'pair {0} ({1} -> {2})' -f (Coalesce $Pair.index 'n/a'), $baseLabel, $headLabel
+}
+
 function Get-LineageLabel {
   param(
     [object]$Lineage,
@@ -1288,18 +1384,14 @@ $decisionReviewPriority = if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
 } else {
   'no-diff'
 }
+$decisionLatestPair = New-DecisionPairMetadata -Entry $latestComparisonEntry
+$latestSignalComparisonEntry = if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) { $signalComparisonEntries[0] } else { $null }
+$decisionLatestSignalPair = New-DecisionPairMetadata -Entry $latestSignalComparisonEntry
 $decisionReviewSequence = @(
   $signalComparisonEntries | ForEach-Object {
-    [ordered]@{
-      index = [int](Coalesce $_.index 0)
-      baseRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $_.base.short $_.base.full) '')
-      headRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $_.head.short $_.head.full) '')
-      baseSubject = [string](Coalesce $_.base.subject '')
-      headSubject = [string](Coalesce $_.head.subject '')
-    }
+    New-DecisionPairMetadata -Entry $_
   }
 )
-$latestSignalComparisonEntry = if ($signalComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) { $signalComparisonEntries[0] } else { $null }
 $decisionLatestStatus = 'n/a'
 if ($latestComparisonEntry) {
   $latestResultNode = $latestComparisonEntry.result
@@ -1315,23 +1407,40 @@ if ($latestComparisonEntry) {
     $decisionLatestStatus = 'clean'
   }
 }
+$decisionStatement = ''
+if ($latestComparisonEntry -and $decisionLatestStatus -eq 'collapsed-noise' -and $latestSignalComparisonEntry) {
+  $decisionStatement = 'Newest VI touch is metadata-only.'
+  if ($decisionFocusBuckets.Count -gt 0) {
+    $decisionStatement = '{0} Start at pair {1}; newest meaningful change touches {2}.' -f $decisionStatement, (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.index 'n/a'), ([string]::Join(', ', @($decisionFocusBuckets.ToArray())))
+  } else {
+    $decisionStatement = '{0} Start at pair {1}; it is the newest meaningful change.' -f $decisionStatement, (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.index 'n/a')
+  }
+} elseif ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) {
+  $decisionStatement = 'Start at pair {0}; it is the newest meaningful change.' -f (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.index 'n/a')
+  if ($decisionFocusBuckets.Count -gt 0) {
+    $decisionStatement = '{0} It touches {1}.' -f $decisionStatement, ([string]::Join(', ', @($decisionFocusBuckets.ToArray())))
+  }
+} elseif ($collapsedComparisonEntries.Count -gt 0) {
+  $decisionStatement = 'All observed pairs are metadata-only under the current noise policy.'
+} else {
+  $decisionStatement = 'No meaningful differences were observed in the selected history window.'
+}
 if ($sortedComparisons.Count -gt 0) {
   $summaryLines.Add('')
   $summaryLines.Add('## Decision guidance')
   $summaryLines.Add('')
+  $summaryLines.Add(('- Decision statement: {0}' -f $decisionStatement))
   $summaryLines.Add(('- Review priority: `{0}`' -f $decisionReviewPriority))
   if ($latestComparisonEntry) {
-    $summaryLines.Add(('- Latest pair: `pair {0}` is `{1}`' -f (Coalesce $latestComparisonEntry.index 'n/a'), $decisionLatestStatus))
+    $summaryLines.Add(('- Latest pair: `{0}` is `{1}`' -f (Format-DecisionPairTimelineLabel -Pair $decisionLatestPair), $decisionLatestStatus))
   }
   if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) {
-    $latestSignalBaseRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.full) 'n/a')
-    $latestSignalHeadRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.full) 'n/a')
-    $summaryLines.Add(('- Review first: `pair {0}` (`{1}` -> `{2}`)' -f (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.index 'n/a'), $latestSignalBaseRef, $latestSignalHeadRef))
+    $summaryLines.Add(('- Review first: `{0}`' -f (Format-DecisionPairTimelineLabel -Pair $decisionLatestSignalPair)))
   }
   if ($decisionReviewSequence.Count -gt 0) {
     $reviewSequenceLabels = @(
       $decisionReviewSequence | ForEach-Object {
-        'pair {0} ({1} -> {2})' -f $_.index, (Coalesce $_.baseSubject 'n/a'), (Coalesce $_.headSubject 'n/a')
+        Format-DecisionPairTimelineLabel -Pair $_ -UseSubjectsOnly
       }
     )
     $summaryLines.Add(('- Review sequence: `{0}`' -f ([string]::Join('; ', $reviewSequenceLabels))))
@@ -1372,10 +1481,8 @@ if ($comparisons.Count -gt 0) {
     }
     if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($lineageLabel)) { $lineageLabel = 'Mainline' }
 
-    $baseRef = Coalesce $entry.base.short $entry.base.full
-    if ($entry.base.subject) { $baseRef = '{0} ({1})' -f $baseRef, $entry.base.subject }
-    $headRef = Coalesce $entry.head.short $entry.head.full
-    if ($entry.head.subject) { $headRef = '{0} ({1})' -f $headRef, $entry.head.subject }
+    $baseRef = Format-DecisionCommitLabel -Ref ([string](Coalesce $entry.base.short $entry.base.full)) -Subject ([string](Coalesce $entry.base.subject '')) -Date (Format-DecisionTimestamp -Value $entry.base.date)
+    $headRef = Format-DecisionCommitLabel -Ref ([string](Coalesce $entry.head.short $entry.head.full)) -Subject ([string](Coalesce $entry.head.subject '')) -Date (Format-DecisionTimestamp -Value $entry.head.date)
     $resultNode = $entry.result
     $hasDiffValue = $resultNode -and $resultNode.PSObject.Properties['diff']
     $diffValue = $hasDiffValue -and ($resultNode.diff -eq $true)
@@ -1686,19 +1793,18 @@ if ($emitHtml -and $HtmlPath) {
   if ($sortedComparisons.Count -gt 0) {
     [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('  <h2>Decision guidance</h2>')
     [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine('  <ul>')
+    [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Decision statement</strong><span>{0}</span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $decisionStatement)))
     [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Review priority</strong><span>{0}</span></li>' -f (Format-HtmlCodeList -Values @($decisionReviewPriority))))
     if ($latestComparisonEntry) {
-      [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Latest pair</strong><span><code>pair {0}</code> is <code>{1}</code></span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe (Coalesce $latestComparisonEntry.index 'n/a')), (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $decisionLatestStatus)))
+      [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Latest pair</strong><span><code>{0}</code> is <code>{1}</code></span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe (Format-DecisionPairTimelineLabel -Pair $decisionLatestPair)), (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $decisionLatestStatus)))
     }
     if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) {
-      $latestSignalBaseRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.full) 'n/a')
-      $latestSignalHeadRef = [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.full) 'n/a')
-      [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Review first</strong><span><code>pair {0}</code> (<code>{1}</code> -&gt; <code>{2}</code>)</span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.index 'n/a')), (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $latestSignalBaseRef), (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe $latestSignalHeadRef)))
+      [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Review first</strong><span><code>{0}</code></span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe (Format-DecisionPairTimelineLabel -Pair $decisionLatestSignalPair))))
     }
     if ($decisionReviewSequence.Count -gt 0) {
       $reviewSequenceLabels = @(
         $decisionReviewSequence | ForEach-Object {
-          'pair {0} ({1} -> {2})' -f $_.index, (Coalesce $_.baseSubject 'n/a'), (Coalesce $_.headSubject 'n/a')
+          Format-DecisionPairTimelineLabel -Pair $_ -UseSubjectsOnly
         }
       )
       [void]$htmlBuilder.AppendLine(('    <li><strong>Review sequence</strong><span><code>{0}</code></span></li>' -f (ConvertTo-HtmlSafe ([string]::Join('; ', $reviewSequenceLabels)))))
@@ -1997,17 +2103,26 @@ $historySummary = [ordered]@{
     outcomeLabels = @(Get-SortedUniqueStringArray -Value $outcomeLabels)
   }
   decisionGuidance = [ordered]@{
+    decisionStatement = [string]$decisionStatement
     reviewPriority = [string]$decisionReviewPriority
     latestPair = [ordered]@{
-      index = if ($latestComparisonEntry) { [int](Coalesce $latestComparisonEntry.index 0) } else { 0 }
+      index = [int](Coalesce $decisionLatestPair.index 0)
       status = [string]$decisionLatestStatus
+      baseRef = [string](Coalesce $decisionLatestPair.baseRef '')
+      headRef = [string](Coalesce $decisionLatestPair.headRef '')
+      baseSubject = [string](Coalesce $decisionLatestPair.baseSubject '')
+      headSubject = [string](Coalesce $decisionLatestPair.headSubject '')
+      baseDate = [string](Coalesce $decisionLatestPair.baseDate '')
+      headDate = [string](Coalesce $decisionLatestPair.headDate '')
     }
     latestSignalPair = [ordered]@{
-      index = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [int](Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.index 0) } else { 0 }
-      baseRef = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.full) '') } else { '' }
-      headRef = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [string](Coalesce (Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.short $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.full) '') } else { '' }
-      baseSubject = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [string](Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.base.subject '') } else { '' }
-      headSubject = if ($latestSignalComparisonEntry) { [string](Coalesce $latestSignalComparisonEntry.head.subject '') } else { '' }
+      index = [int](Coalesce $decisionLatestSignalPair.index 0)
+      baseRef = [string](Coalesce $decisionLatestSignalPair.baseRef '')
+      headRef = [string](Coalesce $decisionLatestSignalPair.headRef '')
+      baseSubject = [string](Coalesce $decisionLatestSignalPair.baseSubject '')
+      headSubject = [string](Coalesce $decisionLatestSignalPair.headSubject '')
+      baseDate = [string](Coalesce $decisionLatestSignalPair.baseDate '')
+      headDate = [string](Coalesce $decisionLatestSignalPair.headDate '')
     }
     reviewSequence = @(
       $decisionReviewSequence | ForEach-Object {
@@ -2017,6 +2132,8 @@ $historySummary = [ordered]@{
           headRef = [string](Coalesce $_.headRef '')
           baseSubject = [string](Coalesce $_.baseSubject '')
           headSubject = [string](Coalesce $_.headSubject '')
+          baseDate = [string](Coalesce $_.baseDate '')
+          headDate = [string](Coalesce $_.headDate '')
         }
       }
     )

From c648f4620f07c7334b8b51a3de03d99c921d36a3 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sergio Velderrain <svelderrainruiz2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:07:15 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 11/16] Run Windows VI history proof on self-hosted ingress
 (#2065)

* Route Windows VI history proof to self-hosted ingress

* Export self-hosted Windows lane plan outputs

---------

Co-authored-by: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
---
 .github/workflows/validate.yml                | 121 +++++++++++++++---
 docs/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md                       |  14 +-
 docs/ENVIRONMENT.md                           |  16 ++-
 docs/SELFHOSTED_CI_SETUP.md                   |  16 ++-
 docs/knowledgebase/FEATURE_BRANCH_POLICY.md   |  16 ++-
 tools/Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan.ps1   |  34 +++--
 tools/Test-WindowsNI2026q1HostPreflight.ps1   |   9 +-
 tools/policy/runner-capability-routing.json   |   7 +
 .../docker-labview-path-contract.test.mjs     |  12 +-
 .../runner-capability-routing-policy.test.mjs |   4 +
 ...date-vi-history-dispatch-contract.test.mjs |  24 ++--
 11 files changed, 203 insertions(+), 70 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/validate.yml b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
index 5f784c99b..e7def6867 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/validate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
@@ -1496,6 +1496,9 @@ jobs:
       execution_model: ${{ steps.plan.outputs.execution_model }}
       runner_image: ${{ steps.plan.outputs.runner_image }}
       expected_context: ${{ steps.plan.outputs.expected_context }}
+      expected_os: ${{ steps.plan.outputs.expected_os }}
+      required_labels: ${{ steps.plan.outputs.required_labels }}
+      matching_runner_count: ${{ steps.plan.outputs.matching_runner_count }}
     steps:
     - uses: actions/checkout@v5
       with:
@@ -1513,18 +1516,37 @@ jobs:
       with:
         phase: J2
         results-dir: tests/results
-    - name: Resolve portable hosted Windows lane
+    - name: Resolve self-hosted Windows Docker lane
       id: plan
       shell: pwsh
+      env:
+        GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GH_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+        GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GH_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
       run: |
         $resultsRoot = 'tests/results/_agent/vi-history-dispatch'
         New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $resultsRoot -Force | Out-Null
-        $planPath = Join-Path $resultsRoot 'validate-vi-history-windows-hosted-plan.json'
-        pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File tools/Resolve-HostedWindowsLanePlan.ps1 `
-          -RunnerImage 'windows-2022' `
-          -ContainerImage 'nationalinstruments/labview:2026q1-windows' `
-          -ExpectedContext 'default' `
+        $planPath = Join-Path $resultsRoot 'validate-vi-history-windows-docker-plan.json'
+        $requiredLabels = @(
+          'self-hosted',
+          'Windows',
+          'X64',
+          'comparevi',
+          'capability-ingress',
+          'docker-lane'
+        )
+        pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File tools/Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan.ps1 `
+          -Repository '${{ github.repository }}' `
+          -RequiredLabels $requiredLabels `
+          -ExecutionModel 'self-hosted-windows-docker-lane' `
+          -RunnerImage 'self-hosted-windows-docker-lane' `
+          -ExpectedContext 'desktop-windows' `
           -ExpectedOs 'windows' `
+          -RequiredHealthReceipts @() `
+          -Notes @(
+            'Availability means an online, idle repository runner advertises the ingress plus docker-lane labels.',
+            'The lane may mutate Docker Desktop into the Windows engine and then restores the starting context after proof capture.'
+          ) `
+          -Token $env:GITHUB_TOKEN `
           -OutputJsonPath $planPath `
           -GitHubOutputPath $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT `
           -StepSummaryPath $env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
@@ -1534,15 +1556,16 @@ jobs:
       run: |
         if ($env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY) {
           $lines = @(
-            '### VI History Scenarios (Windows hosted plan)',
+            '### VI History Scenarios (Windows self-hosted Docker plan)',
             '',
             ('- execute_lanes: `{0}`' -f '${{ needs.vi-history-scenarios-plan.outputs.execute_lanes }}'),
             ('- lane_available: `{0}`' -f '${{ steps.plan.outputs.available }}'),
             ('- lane_status: `{0}`' -f '${{ steps.plan.outputs.status }}'),
             ('- skip_reason: `{0}`' -f '${{ steps.plan.outputs.skip_reason }}'),
-            ('- hosted_model: `{0}`' -f '${{ steps.plan.outputs.execution_model }}'),
+            ('- execution_model: `{0}`' -f '${{ steps.plan.outputs.execution_model }}'),
             ('- runner_image: `{0}`' -f '${{ steps.plan.outputs.runner_image }}'),
-            '- hosted model: agents can dispatch this portable hosted Windows lane while continuing on local Linux or Windows Docker Desktop lanes.'
+            ('- required_labels: `{0}`' -f '${{ steps.plan.outputs.required_labels }}'),
+            '- self-hosted docker model: validate 64-bit LabVIEW in the Windows container while the LV32 lane runs in parallel as the native host-plane reference.'
           )
           $lines -join "`n" | Out-File -FilePath $env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY -Encoding utf8 -Append
         }
@@ -1551,20 +1574,24 @@ jobs:
       if: always()
       uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
       with:
-        name: validate-vi-history-windows-hosted-plan
-        path: tests/results/_agent/vi-history-dispatch/validate-vi-history-windows-hosted-plan.json
+        name: validate-vi-history-windows-docker-plan
+        path: tests/results/_agent/vi-history-dispatch/validate-vi-history-windows-docker-plan.json
         if-no-files-found: error
 
   vi-history-scenarios-windows:
     needs: [smoke-gate, lint, session-index, session-index-v2-contract, vi-history-scenarios-plan, vi-history-scenarios-windows-plan]
     if: needs.smoke-gate.outputs.skip != 'true' && needs.vi-history-scenarios-plan.outputs.execute_lanes == 'true' && needs.vi-history-scenarios-windows-plan.outputs.available == 'true'
-    runs-on: windows-2022
+    runs-on: [self-hosted, Windows, X64, comparevi, capability-ingress, docker-lane]
+    continue-on-error: true
     timeout-minutes: 50
     permissions:
+      actions: read
       contents: read
     env:
       NI_WINDOWS_IMAGE: nationalinstruments/labview:2026q1-windows
       NI_WINDOWS_LABVIEW_PATH: C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW 2026\LabVIEW.exe
+      GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GH_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
+      GH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GH_TOKEN || secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
     defaults:
       run:
         shell: pwsh
@@ -1573,13 +1600,14 @@ jobs:
       run: |
         if ($env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY) {
           $lines = @(
-            '### VI History Scenarios (Windows lane)',
+            '### VI History Scenarios (Windows self-hosted Docker lane)',
             '',
             ('- execute_lanes: `{0}`' -f '${{ needs.vi-history-scenarios-plan.outputs.execute_lanes }}'),
-            ('- hosted_status: `{0}`' -f '${{ needs.vi-history-scenarios-windows-plan.outputs.status }}'),
+            ('- plan_status: `{0}`' -f '${{ needs.vi-history-scenarios-windows-plan.outputs.status }}'),
             ('- runner_image: `{0}`' -f '${{ needs.vi-history-scenarios-windows-plan.outputs.runner_image }}'),
             ('- expected_context: `{0}`' -f '${{ needs.vi-history-scenarios-windows-plan.outputs.expected_context }}'),
-            '- image pull budget: Windows image hydration is materially slower than the Linux lane, so keep local lanes active while hosted proof runs.'
+            ('- required_labels: `{0}`' -f '${{ needs.vi-history-scenarios-windows-plan.outputs.required_labels }}'),
+            '- self-hosted 64-bit proof runs on the ingress host and pairs with the parallel LV32 lane so 32-bit host-plane drift has an immediate native reference.'
           )
           $lines -join "`n" | Out-File -FilePath $env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY -Encoding utf8 -Append
         }
@@ -1601,7 +1629,31 @@ jobs:
       with:
         phase: J2
         results-dir: tests/results
-    - name: Collect hosted Windows runner health
+    - name: Validate self-hosted runner label contract
+      shell: pwsh
+      run: |
+        $resultsRoot = Join-Path $env:GITHUB_WORKSPACE 'tests/results/local-parity/windows'
+        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $resultsRoot -Force | Out-Null
+        $requiredLabels = @(
+          'self-hosted',
+          'Windows',
+          'X64',
+          'comparevi',
+          'capability-ingress',
+          'docker-lane'
+        )
+        foreach ($label in $requiredLabels) {
+          $contractPath = Join-Path $resultsRoot ("runner-label-contract-{0}.json" -f $label)
+          pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File tools/Assert-RunnerLabelContract.ps1 `
+            -Repository '${{ github.repository }}' `
+            -RunnerName $env:RUNNER_NAME `
+            -RequiredLabel $label `
+            -Token $env:GITHUB_TOKEN `
+            -OutputJsonPath $contractPath `
+            -GitHubOutputPath $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT `
+            -StepSummaryPath $env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+        }
+    - name: Collect self-hosted Windows runner health
       shell: pwsh
       run: |
         pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File tools/Collect-RunnerHealth.ps1 `
@@ -1618,8 +1670,9 @@ jobs:
         pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File tools/Test-WindowsNI2026q1HostPreflight.ps1 `
           -Image $env:NI_WINDOWS_IMAGE `
           -ResultsDir $resultsRoot `
-          -ExecutionSurface 'github-hosted-windows' `
-          -AllowUnavailable `
+          -ExecutionSurface 'desktop-local' `
+          -ManageDockerEngine:$true `
+          -AllowHostEngineMutation:$true `
           -OutputJsonPath $summaryPath `
           -GitHubOutputPath $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT `
           -StepSummaryPath $env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
@@ -1650,6 +1703,8 @@ jobs:
           -LabVIEWPath $env:NI_WINDOWS_LABVIEW_PATH `
           -ReportPath $reportPath `
           -TimeoutSeconds 600 `
+          -ManageDockerEngine:$false `
+          -AllowHostEngineMutation:$false `
           -RuntimeEngineReadyTimeoutSeconds 180 `
           -RuntimeEngineReadyPollSeconds 5 `
           -RuntimeSnapshotPath $runtimeSnapshot
@@ -1743,7 +1798,33 @@ jobs:
       if: always() && steps.windows-preflight.outputs.windows_host_preflight_status != 'ready'
       shell: pwsh
       run: |
-        Write-Host ("::notice::Skipping hosted Windows compare because preflight status was {0} ({1})." -f '${{ steps.windows-preflight.outputs.windows_host_preflight_status }}', '${{ steps.windows-preflight.outputs.windows_host_preflight_failure_class }}')
+        Write-Host ("::notice::Skipping self-hosted Windows Docker compare because preflight status was {0} ({1})." -f '${{ steps.windows-preflight.outputs.windows_host_preflight_status }}', '${{ steps.windows-preflight.outputs.windows_host_preflight_failure_class }}')
+
+    - name: Restore Docker Desktop context after Windows proof
+      if: always()
+      shell: pwsh
+      run: |
+        $resultsRoot = 'tests/results/local-parity/windows'
+        $preflightPath = Join-Path $resultsRoot 'windows-ni-2026q1-host-preflight.json'
+        if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $preflightPath -PathType Leaf)) {
+          Write-Host ("::notice::Skipping Docker Desktop restore because preflight artifact was not found at {0}" -f $preflightPath)
+          exit 0
+        }
+        $preflight = Get-Content -LiteralPath $preflightPath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json -Depth 20
+        $restoreContext = if ($preflight.contexts.PSObject.Properties['start'] -and -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$preflight.contexts.start)) {
+          [string]$preflight.contexts.start
+        } else {
+          'desktop-windows'
+        }
+        $restorePath = Join-Path $resultsRoot 'runtime-manager-restore-windows.json'
+        pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File tools/Invoke-DockerRuntimeManager.ps1 `
+          -ProbeScope 'windows' `
+          -BootstrapWindowsImage:$false `
+          -BootstrapLinuxImage:$false `
+          -RestoreContext $restoreContext `
+          -OutputJsonPath $restorePath `
+          -GitHubOutputPath '' `
+          -StepSummaryPath $env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY | Out-Null
 
     - name: Upload VI history scenario artifacts (Windows lane)
       if: always()
@@ -1759,6 +1840,8 @@ jobs:
           tests/results/local-parity/windows/container-export/**
           tests/results/local-parity/windows/windows-ni-2026q1-host-preflight.json
           tests/results/local-parity/windows/runtime-manager-compare-windows.json
+          tests/results/local-parity/windows/runtime-manager-restore-windows.json
+          tests/results/local-parity/windows/runner-label-contract-*.json
           tests/results/local-parity/windows/_agent/runner-health.json
         if-no-files-found: warn
 
diff --git a/docs/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md b/docs/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md
index df1423f90..43158d490 100644
--- a/docs/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md
+++ b/docs/DEVELOPER_GUIDE.md
@@ -478,14 +478,12 @@ For each cut:
   `comparevi-history-bundle-certification` follows the same routing.
   `vi-history-scenarios-*` runs for `compare-engine-history`, `docker-vi-history`, `mixed-runtime`, `unclassified`, and
   explicit manual dispatches; the final VI-history plan still honors `history_scenario_set`.
-- Hosted Windows mirror proof now lives in `Validate` as the non-required `vi-history-scenarios-windows` lane.
-  That lane runs on GitHub-hosted `windows-2022`, hydrates
-  `nationalinstruments/labview:2026q1-windows` with no repository runner dependency, and is expected to
-  take materially longer to pull than the Linux lane.
-- If the hosted Windows runner cannot expose a Docker Windows daemon, the lane records
-  `windows_host_preflight_status = unavailable` and skips the heavy compare instead of poisoning
-  the current queue item with a non-required proof failure.
-  Agents can dispatch the hosted lane while continuing with the manual Linux or Windows Docker Desktop/WSL2 lanes locally.
+- Windows mirror proof now lives in `Validate` as the non-required
+  `vi-history-scenarios-windows` lane on the self-hosted compare ingress host.
+  That lane validates the 64-bit Windows Docker image locally instead of burning
+  GitHub-hosted Windows image-pull time.
+- `vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32` runs in parallel and acts as the native 32-bit
+  reference for that Windows Docker proof, so 32-bit and 64-bit feedback arrive together.
 - `node tools/npm/run-script.mjs priority:lane:concurrency:plan` now reads the host-plane report, host RAM budget,
   and optional Docker runtime snapshot to recommend a safe concurrent hosted/manual bundle before those lanes are
   dispatched.
diff --git a/docs/ENVIRONMENT.md b/docs/ENVIRONMENT.md
index 2558e3eb3..727b54b3f 100644
--- a/docs/ENVIRONMENT.md
+++ b/docs/ENVIRONMENT.md
@@ -144,14 +144,16 @@ Notes:
 - The `windows-mirror-proof` local VI-history profile is pinned to this same image and is proof-only in the first
   slice; it is not a warm or accelerated lane.
 - Hosted CI now has a matching non-required Windows proof lane in `Validate`:
-  `vi-history-scenarios-windows`. It runs on GitHub-hosted `windows-2022`, bootstraps
+  `vi-history-scenarios-windows`. It runs on the self-hosted compare ingress
+  host with the `docker-lane` capability label, bootstraps
   `nationalinstruments/labview:2026q1-windows`, and uses the same canonical in-container LabVIEW path:
   `C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW 2026\LabVIEW.exe`.
-- If the GitHub-hosted runner cannot expose a usable Docker Windows daemon, the lane now records
-  `status = unavailable` in the preflight artifact and skips the heavy compare instead of blocking
-  unrelated integration work.
-- Expect the hosted Windows image pull to be materially slower than the Linux lane.
-  Agents can dispatch the hosted lane while manually running the Linux or Windows Docker Desktop/WSL2 lanes on this host.
+- `vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32` runs in parallel on the same ingress host and serves
+  as the native 32-bit reference for the Windows Docker proof.
+- The lane can mutate Docker Desktop into the Windows engine and restores the starting
+  context after the proof run so the ingress host does not stay stranded on the wrong daemon.
+- Expect the self-hosted Windows image proof to remain materially slower than the Linux lane,
+  but it now spends local host time instead of GitHub-hosted Windows minutes.
 - Use `node tools/npm/run-script.mjs priority:lane:concurrency:plan` to turn the current host-plane,
   host-RAM, and Docker-runtime receipts into a recommended concurrent hosted/manual lane bundle before
   dispatching work. The plan now emits a `dockerRuntimeCutover` contract so you can tell whether a Linux-based
@@ -197,6 +199,8 @@ Notes:
   `vi-history-scenarios-windows` lane locally: it runs the same NI Windows
   host preflight, then the same fixed fixture compare invocation against the
   canonical in-container LabVIEW path.
+- That replay remains the fastest way to iterate on the Windows Docker proof locally; the
+  CI lane exists to keep the parallel 64-bit proof aligned with the LV32 reference job.
 
 Common remediation:
 
diff --git a/docs/SELFHOSTED_CI_SETUP.md b/docs/SELFHOSTED_CI_SETUP.md
index 9bea93442..6c745e827 100644
--- a/docs/SELFHOSTED_CI_SETUP.md
+++ b/docs/SELFHOSTED_CI_SETUP.md
@@ -99,8 +99,20 @@ today's compare jobs is:
 - `tools/policy/runner-capability-routing.json`
 
 That matrix keeps most compare jobs ingress-only, but
-`.github/workflows/labview-cli-compare.yml` is now an explicit native 32-bit
-consumer:
+`.github/workflows/validate.yml`'s `vi-history-scenarios-windows` lane is now an
+explicit Windows Docker proof consumer:
+
+- `runs-on: [self-hosted, Windows, X64, comparevi, capability-ingress, docker-lane]`
+- it may mutate Docker Desktop into the Windows engine to prove `nationalinstruments/labview:2026q1-windows`
+- it restores the starting Docker context after the proof completes
+
+The matrix also keeps the native 32-bit consumers explicit so they can run in
+parallel with the 64-bit Windows Docker proof:
+
+- `.github/workflows/validate.yml` `vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32`
+- `.github/workflows/labview-cli-compare.yml`
+
+- `.github/workflows/labview-cli-compare.yml` consumer details:
 
 - `runs-on: [self-hosted, Windows, X64, comparevi, capability-ingress, labview-2026, lv32]`
 - emit `node tools/npm/run-script.mjs env:labview:2026:host-planes`
diff --git a/docs/knowledgebase/FEATURE_BRANCH_POLICY.md b/docs/knowledgebase/FEATURE_BRANCH_POLICY.md
index d37edde8c..5b9366cf3 100644
--- a/docs/knowledgebase/FEATURE_BRANCH_POLICY.md
+++ b/docs/knowledgebase/FEATURE_BRANCH_POLICY.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 <!-- markdownlint-disable-next-line MD041 -->
 # Feature Branch Enforcement & Merge Queue
 
-| `develop` (live id may drift) | `refs/heads/develop` | Merge queue enabled (`merge_method=SQUASH`, `grouping=ALLGREEN`, build queue <=20 entries, 1-minute quiet window). Required checks: `lint`, `fixtures`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`, `vi-history-scenarios-linux`, `commit-integrity`. Non-required hosted proof lanes may run alongside the queue contract, including `session-index`, `issue-snapshot`, `semver`, `agent-review-policy`, `hook-parity`, and `vi-history-scenarios-windows` on GitHub-hosted `windows-2022`. Copilot review settings are no longer enforced through policy; draft/ready review semantics are repo-owned and validated by `agent-review-policy`. |
+| `develop` (live id may drift) | `refs/heads/develop` | Merge queue enabled (`merge_method=SQUASH`, `grouping=ALLGREEN`, build queue <=20 entries, 1-minute quiet window). Required checks: `lint`, `fixtures`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`, `vi-history-scenarios-linux`, `commit-integrity`. Non-required supporting lanes may run alongside the queue contract, including `session-index`, `issue-snapshot`, `semver`, `agent-review-policy`, `hook-parity`, plus the self-hosted Windows Docker and LV32 VI-history proofs that run in parallel on the compare ingress host. Copilot review settings are no longer enforced through policy; draft/ready review semantics are repo-owned and validated by `agent-review-policy`. |
 
 ## Purpose
 
@@ -129,10 +129,16 @@ checked into `tools/priority/policy.json` so `priority:policy` stays authoritati
 - **Required checks**: `lint`, `fixtures`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`,
   `vi-history-scenarios-linux`, `commit-integrity`.
 - **Supporting non-required lanes**: `session-index`, `issue-snapshot`, `semver`,
-  `agent-review-policy`, `hook-parity`, plus hosted Windows proving.
-- **Non-required hosted proof**: `vi-history-scenarios-windows` may run on GitHub-hosted
-  `windows-2022` to validate `nationalinstruments/labview:2026q1-windows`. Agents may
-  dispatch that hosted lane while manually running the Linux or Windows Docker Desktop/WSL2 lanes on this host.
+  `agent-review-policy`, `hook-parity`, plus parallel Windows 64-bit and LV32 proving.
+- **Non-required self-hosted Docker proof**: `vi-history-scenarios-windows` runs on the
+  compare ingress host with the `docker-lane` capability label to validate
+  `nationalinstruments/labview:2026q1-windows` without paying GitHub-hosted Windows
+  image-hydration time on every PR. The lane may flip Docker Desktop into the
+  Windows engine, capture the 64-bit container proof, and restore the starting
+  context afterward.
+- **Parallel LV32 reference proof**: `vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32` runs beside the
+  Docker lane so native 32-bit LabVIEW and the 64-bit Windows container can be observed
+  together without serializing the Windows-side feedback loop.
 - **Admin bypass**: leave disabled; administrators should only intervene when `priority:policy` confirms parity.
 - **Reapply**: Use `node tools/npm/run-script.mjs priority:policy -- --apply` to push the manifest configuration when drift is detected.
 
diff --git a/tools/Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan.ps1 b/tools/Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan.ps1
index 12a8f09d1..2da95068c 100644
--- a/tools/Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan.ps1
+++ b/tools/Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan.ps1
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 #Requires -Version 7.0
 <#
 .SYNOPSIS
-  Resolves the availability plan for a self-hosted Windows LV32 lane.
+  Resolves the availability plan for a self-hosted Windows specialized lane.
 
 .DESCRIPTION
   Emits a deterministic planning artifact for a repository runner that must
-  advertise the required ingress plus LV32 capability labels. The helper uses
-  the repository runner inventory API or an injected inventory fixture.
+  advertise the required ingress plus optional capability labels. The helper
+  uses the repository runner inventory API or an injected inventory fixture.
 #>
 [CmdletBinding()]
 param(
@@ -20,6 +20,15 @@ param(
     'labview-2026',
     'lv32'
   ),
+  [string]$ExecutionModel = 'self-hosted-windows-lv32',
+  [string]$RunnerImage = 'self-hosted-windows-lv32',
+  [string]$ExpectedContext = 'headless-labview-32',
+  [string]$ExpectedOs = 'windows',
+  [string[]]$RequiredHealthReceipts = @('labview-2026-host-plane-report'),
+  [string[]]$Notes = @(
+    'Availability means an online, idle repository runner advertises every required label.',
+    'The lane must skip rather than queue indefinitely when no matching runner is available.'
+  ),
   [string]$Token = $env:GITHUB_TOKEN,
   [string]$OutputJsonPath = 'tests/results/_agent/vi-history-dispatch/validate-vi-history-windows-lv32-plan.json',
   [string]$GitHubOutputPath = $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT,
@@ -183,15 +192,12 @@ $summary = [ordered]@{
   skipReason = ''
   failureClass = 'none'
   failureMessage = ''
-  executionModel = 'self-hosted-windows-lv32'
-  runnerImage = 'self-hosted-windows-lv32'
-  expectedContext = 'headless-labview-32'
-  expectedOs = 'windows'
-  requiredHealthReceipts = @('labview-2026-host-plane-report')
-  notes = @(
-    'Availability means an online, idle repository runner advertises every required label.',
-    'The lane must skip rather than queue indefinitely when no matching runner is available.'
-  )
+  executionModel = [string]$ExecutionModel
+  runnerImage = [string]$RunnerImage
+  expectedContext = [string]$ExpectedContext
+  expectedOs = [string]$ExpectedOs
+  requiredHealthReceipts = @($RequiredHealthReceipts)
+  notes = @($Notes)
 }
 
 try {
@@ -277,7 +283,7 @@ try {
   } else {
     $summary.available = $false
     $summary.status = 'missing-label'
-    $summary.skipReason = 'no online self-hosted Windows LV32 runner matched the required capability labels'
+    $summary.skipReason = 'no online self-hosted Windows runner matched the required capability labels'
   }
 } catch {
   $summary.available = $false
@@ -315,7 +321,7 @@ if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($StepSummaryPath)) {
     'none'
   }
   $summaryLines = @(
-    '### Self-Hosted Windows LV32 Lane Plan',
+    '### Self-Hosted Windows Specialized Lane Plan',
     '',
     ('- status: `{0}`' -f [string]$summary.status),
     ('- available: `{0}`' -f ([string]([bool]$summary.available)).ToLowerInvariant()),
diff --git a/tools/Test-WindowsNI2026q1HostPreflight.ps1 b/tools/Test-WindowsNI2026q1HostPreflight.ps1
index 6ff4f609f..2dbb3b83b 100644
--- a/tools/Test-WindowsNI2026q1HostPreflight.ps1
+++ b/tools/Test-WindowsNI2026q1HostPreflight.ps1
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ param(
   [string]$ResultsDir = 'tests/results/local-parity',
   [ValidateSet('desktop-local', 'github-hosted-windows')]
   [string]$ExecutionSurface = 'desktop-local',
+  [bool]$ManageDockerEngine = $false,
+  [bool]$AllowHostEngineMutation = $false,
   [switch]$AllowUnavailable,
   [string]$OutputJsonPath = '',
   [string]$GitHubOutputPath = $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT,
@@ -292,7 +294,8 @@ try {
     $summary.contexts.final = [string]$desktopObservation.context
     $summary.contexts.finalOsType = [string]$desktopObservation.osType
 
-    if ([string]::Equals([string]$desktopObservation.osType, 'linux', [System.StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)) {
+    $canMutateDesktopEngine = $ManageDockerEngine -and $AllowHostEngineMutation
+    if ([string]::Equals([string]$desktopObservation.osType, 'linux', [System.StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase) -and -not $canMutateDesktopEngine) {
       $summary.status = 'failure'
       $summary.failureClass = 'docker-engine-mismatch'
       $summary.failureMessage = ("desktop-local Windows NI preflight requires Docker Desktop Windows containers. Observed context '{0}' with OSType '{1}'. Switch Docker Desktop to Windows containers (`desktop-windows`) and retry." -f ([string]$desktopObservation.context ?? ''), [string]$desktopObservation.osType)
@@ -354,8 +357,8 @@ try {
       -RuntimeProvider 'desktop' `
       -ExpectedContext 'default' `
       -AutoRepair:$true `
-      -ManageDockerEngine:$false `
-      -AllowHostEngineMutation:$false `
+      -ManageDockerEngine:$ManageDockerEngine `
+      -AllowHostEngineMutation:$AllowHostEngineMutation `
       -SnapshotPath $snapshotPath `
       -GitHubOutputPath ''
     if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
diff --git a/tools/policy/runner-capability-routing.json b/tools/policy/runner-capability-routing.json
index c8bcce3e9..16ae1c607 100644
--- a/tools/policy/runner-capability-routing.json
+++ b/tools/policy/runner-capability-routing.json
@@ -119,6 +119,13 @@
     {
       "workflow": ".github/workflows/validate.yml",
       "jobs": [
+        {
+          "id": "vi-history-scenarios-windows",
+          "routingClass": "specialized-opt-in",
+          "requiredCapabilityLabels": [
+            "docker-lane"
+          ]
+        },
         {
           "id": "vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32",
           "routingClass": "specialized-opt-in",
diff --git a/tools/priority/__tests__/docker-labview-path-contract.test.mjs b/tools/priority/__tests__/docker-labview-path-contract.test.mjs
index 42bcf9441..dcc0a93a5 100644
--- a/tools/priority/__tests__/docker-labview-path-contract.test.mjs
+++ b/tools/priority/__tests__/docker-labview-path-contract.test.mjs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ function readRepoFile(relativePath) {
   return readFileSync(path.join(repoRoot, relativePath), 'utf8');
 }
 
-test('validate workflow pins explicit LabVIEW paths for hosted Linux and Windows VI history lanes', () => {
+test('validate workflow pins explicit LabVIEW paths for hosted Linux and self-hosted Windows VI history lanes', () => {
   const workflow = readRepoFile('.github/workflows/validate.yml');
 
   assert.match(workflow, /NI_LINUX_IMAGE:\s*nationalinstruments\/labview:2026q1-linux/);
@@ -20,15 +20,19 @@ test('validate workflow pins explicit LabVIEW paths for hosted Linux and Windows
   assert.match(workflow, /-Image \$env:NI_LINUX_IMAGE/);
   assert.match(workflow, /-LabVIEWPath \$env:NI_LINUX_LABVIEW_PATH/);
   assert.match(workflow, /vi-history-scenarios-windows-plan:/);
-  assert.match(workflow, /Resolve-HostedWindowsLanePlan\.ps1/);
+  assert.match(workflow, /Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan\.ps1/);
   assert.match(workflow, /vi-history-scenarios-windows:/);
-  assert.match(workflow, /runs-on:\s*windows-2022/);
+  assert.match(workflow, /runs-on:\s*\[self-hosted, Windows, X64, comparevi, capability-ingress, docker-lane\]/);
   assert.match(workflow, /NI_WINDOWS_IMAGE:\s*nationalinstruments\/labview:2026q1-windows/);
   assert.match(workflow, /NI_WINDOWS_LABVIEW_PATH:\s*C:\\Program Files\\National Instruments\\LabVIEW 2026\\LabVIEW\.exe/);
   assert.match(workflow, /Test-WindowsNI2026q1HostPreflight\.ps1/);
   assert.match(workflow, /Write-VIHistoryLaneEvidence\.ps1/);
   assert.match(workflow, /Run-NIWindowsContainerCompare\.ps1/);
-  assert.match(workflow, /-ExecutionSurface 'github-hosted-windows'/);
+  assert.match(workflow, /Assert-RunnerLabelContract\.ps1/);
+  assert.match(workflow, /-ExecutionSurface 'desktop-local'/);
+  assert.match(workflow, /-ManageDockerEngine:\$true/);
+  assert.match(workflow, /-AllowHostEngineMutation:\$true/);
+  assert.match(workflow, /Restore Docker Desktop context after Windows proof/);
   assert.match(workflow, /-Image \$env:NI_WINDOWS_IMAGE/);
   assert.match(workflow, /-LabVIEWPath \$env:NI_WINDOWS_LABVIEW_PATH/);
   assert.match(workflow, /validate-vi-history-scenarios-windows/);
diff --git a/tools/priority/__tests__/runner-capability-routing-policy.test.mjs b/tools/priority/__tests__/runner-capability-routing-policy.test.mjs
index 086c842e0..0ba88a41f 100644
--- a/tools/priority/__tests__/runner-capability-routing-policy.test.mjs
+++ b/tools/priority/__tests__/runner-capability-routing-policy.test.mjs
@@ -53,6 +53,10 @@ test('runner capability routing policy covers all current self-hosted compare wo
         assert.equal(job.routingClass, 'specialized-opt-in');
         assert.deepEqual(job.requiredCapabilityLabels, ['labview-2026', 'lv32']);
         assert.deepEqual(job.requiredHealthReceipts, ['labview-2026-host-plane-report']);
+      } else if (entry.workflow === '.github/workflows/validate.yml' && job.id === 'vi-history-scenarios-windows') {
+        assert.equal(job.routingClass, 'specialized-opt-in');
+        assert.deepEqual(job.requiredCapabilityLabels, ['docker-lane']);
+        assert.equal(job.requiredHealthReceipts, undefined);
       } else if (entry.workflow === '.github/workflows/validate.yml' && job.id === 'vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32') {
         assert.equal(job.routingClass, 'specialized-opt-in');
         assert.deepEqual(job.requiredCapabilityLabels, ['labview-2026', 'lv32']);
diff --git a/tools/priority/__tests__/validate-vi-history-dispatch-contract.test.mjs b/tools/priority/__tests__/validate-vi-history-dispatch-contract.test.mjs
index ebca3b181..d79d868d8 100644
--- a/tools/priority/__tests__/validate-vi-history-dispatch-contract.test.mjs
+++ b/tools/priority/__tests__/validate-vi-history-dispatch-contract.test.mjs
@@ -57,35 +57,41 @@ test('validate workflow Linux VI-history lane consumes shared dispatch-plan outp
   assert.doesNotMatch(linuxSection, /pull-requests: read/);
 });
 
-test('validate workflow Windows VI-history lane is gated by shared dispatch planning and portable hosted execution', () => {
+test('validate workflow Windows VI-history lane is gated by shared dispatch planning and self-hosted docker execution', () => {
   const workflow = readRepoFile('.github/workflows/validate.yml');
   const planSection = extractWorkflowJobSection(workflow, 'vi-history-scenarios-windows-plan', 'vi-history-scenarios-windows');
   const windowsSection = extractWorkflowJobSection(workflow, 'vi-history-scenarios-windows', 'vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32-plan');
 
   assert.match(workflow, /vi-history-scenarios-windows-plan:\s*\r?\n\s+needs:\s*\[smoke-gate, lint, session-index, session-index-v2-contract, vi-history-scenarios-plan\]\r?\n\s+if:\s+needs\.smoke-gate\.outputs\.skip != 'true'/);
   assert.match(planSection, /permissions:\s*\r?\n\s+contents: read/);
-  assert.match(planSection, /Resolve portable hosted Windows lane/);
-  assert.match(planSection, /tools\/Resolve-HostedWindowsLanePlan\.ps1/);
-  assert.match(planSection, /-RunnerImage 'windows-2022'/);
+  assert.match(planSection, /Resolve self-hosted Windows Docker lane/);
+  assert.match(planSection, /tools\/Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan\.ps1/);
+  assert.match(planSection, /-RequiredLabels \$requiredLabels/);
+  assert.match(planSection, /docker-lane/);
   assert.match(planSection, /outputs:\s*\r?\n\s+available:\s+\$\{\{\s*steps\.plan\.outputs\.available\s*\}\}/);
 
   assert.match(workflow, /vi-history-scenarios-windows:\s*\r?\n\s+needs:\s*\[smoke-gate, lint, session-index, session-index-v2-contract, vi-history-scenarios-plan, vi-history-scenarios-windows-plan\]\r?\n\s+if:\s+needs\.smoke-gate\.outputs\.skip != 'true' && needs\.vi-history-scenarios-plan\.outputs\.execute_lanes == 'true' && needs\.vi-history-scenarios-windows-plan\.outputs\.available == 'true'/);
-  assert.match(windowsSection, /runs-on:\s*windows-2022/);
+  assert.match(windowsSection, /runs-on:\s*\[self-hosted, Windows, X64, comparevi, capability-ingress, docker-lane\]/);
+  assert.match(windowsSection, /continue-on-error:\s*true/);
   assert.match(windowsSection, /Print VI history Windows runtime alignment/);
-  assert.match(windowsSection, /Collect hosted Windows runner health/);
+  assert.match(windowsSection, /Validate self-hosted runner label contract/);
+  assert.match(windowsSection, /Assert-RunnerLabelContract\.ps1/);
+  assert.match(windowsSection, /Collect self-hosted Windows runner health/);
   assert.match(windowsSection, /Collect-RunnerHealth\.ps1/);
   assert.match(windowsSection, /Project VI history Windows Docker-side evidence/);
   assert.match(windowsSection, /tools\/Write-VIHistoryLaneEvidence\.ps1/);
   assert.match(windowsSection, /Test-WindowsNI2026q1HostPreflight\.ps1/);
-  assert.match(windowsSection, /-ExecutionSurface 'github-hosted-windows'/);
-  assert.match(windowsSection, /-AllowUnavailable/);
+  assert.match(windowsSection, /-ExecutionSurface 'desktop-local'/);
+  assert.match(windowsSection, /-ManageDockerEngine:\$true/);
+  assert.match(windowsSection, /-AllowHostEngineMutation:\$true/);
   assert.match(windowsSection, /id:\s*windows-preflight/);
   assert.match(windowsSection, /Run-NIWindowsContainerCompare\.ps1/);
   assert.match(windowsSection, /if:\s*steps\.windows-preflight\.outputs\.windows_host_preflight_status == 'ready'/);
+  assert.match(windowsSection, /Restore Docker Desktop context after Windows proof/);
+  assert.match(windowsSection, /Invoke-DockerRuntimeManager\.ps1/);
   assert.match(windowsSection, /tests\/results\/local-parity\/windows\/_agent\/runner-health\.json/);
   assert.match(windowsSection, /ni-windows-container-stdout\.txt/);
   assert.match(windowsSection, /ni-windows-container-stderr\.txt/);
-  assert.doesNotMatch(windowsSection, /Assert-RunnerLabelContract\.ps1/);
 });
 
 test('validate workflow self-hosted Windows LV32 VI-history lane is gated by inventory planning and headless proof receipts', () => {

From afca493c14d51fe7f13e8fd99536c7cdfcb8598c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Sergio Velderrain <svelderrainruiz2@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 21:53:01 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 12/16] Honor docker override across NI Linux proof tooling
 (#2066)

Honor docker override in NI Linux proof path

Co-authored-by: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
---
 .../Assert-DockerRuntimeDeterminism.Tests.ps1 | 43 ++++++++++
 tools/Assert-DockerRuntimeDeterminism.ps1     | 61 +++++++++++++--
 tools/Run-NILinuxContainerCompare.ps1         | 78 ++++++++++++++++---
 3 files changed, 166 insertions(+), 16 deletions(-)

diff --git a/tests/Assert-DockerRuntimeDeterminism.Tests.ps1 b/tests/Assert-DockerRuntimeDeterminism.Tests.ps1
index 9f7e708ba..498c949ff 100644
--- a/tests/Assert-DockerRuntimeDeterminism.Tests.ps1
+++ b/tests/Assert-DockerRuntimeDeterminism.Tests.ps1
@@ -171,6 +171,7 @@ exit 0
       DOCKER_STUB_CONTEXT = $env:DOCKER_STUB_CONTEXT
       DOCKER_STUB_CONTEXT_SHOW_EMPTY = $env:DOCKER_STUB_CONTEXT_SHOW_EMPTY
       DOCKER_STUB_CONTEXT_USE_FAIL_TARGET = $env:DOCKER_STUB_CONTEXT_USE_FAIL_TARGET
+      DOCKER_COMMAND_OVERRIDE = $env:DOCKER_COMMAND_OVERRIDE
       DOCKER_HOST = $env:DOCKER_HOST
     }
   }
@@ -231,6 +232,48 @@ exit 0
     $snapshot.result.reason | Should -Match 'exitCode=1'
   }
 
+  It 'honors DOCKER_COMMAND_OVERRIDE before a failing docker on PATH' {
+    $work = Join-Path $TestDrive 'docker-command-override'
+    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $work -Force | Out-Null
+    & $script:CreateDockerWslStubs -WorkRoot $work
+
+    $fallbackBin = Join-Path $work 'fallback-bin'
+    New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $fallbackBin -Force | Out-Null
+    if ($IsWindows) {
+      @"
+@echo off
+echo fallback docker should not run 1>&2
+exit /b 9
+"@ | Set-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $fallbackBin 'docker.cmd') -Encoding ascii
+      $env:PATH = "{0};{1}" -f $fallbackBin, $env:PATH
+    } else {
+      @'
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+echo fallback docker should not run 1>&2
+exit 9
+'@ | Set-Content -LiteralPath (Join-Path $fallbackBin 'docker') -Encoding utf8
+      & chmod +x (Join-Path $fallbackBin 'docker')
+      $env:PATH = "{0}:{1}" -f $fallbackBin, $env:PATH
+    }
+
+    Set-Item Env:DOCKER_COMMAND_OVERRIDE (Join-Path $work 'bin' 'docker.ps1')
+    Set-Item Env:DOCKER_STUB_INFO_MODE 'parsed-linux'
+    Set-Item Env:DOCKER_STUB_CONTEXT 'desktop-linux'
+
+    $snapshotPath = Join-Path $work 'runtime.json'
+    $output = & pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File $script:GuardScript `
+      -ExpectedOsType linux `
+      -ExpectedContext desktop-linux `
+      -AutoRepair:$false `
+      -SnapshotPath $snapshotPath `
+      -GitHubOutputPath '' 2>&1
+    $LASTEXITCODE | Should -Be 0 -Because ($output -join "`n")
+
+    $snapshot = Get-Content -LiteralPath $snapshotPath -Raw | ConvertFrom-Json -Depth 12
+    $snapshot.result.status | Should -Be 'ok'
+    $snapshot.observed.osType | Should -Be 'linux'
+  }
+
   It 'classifies parse-defect when docker info output is non-empty but unparseable' {
     $work = Join-Path $TestDrive 'parse-defect-unparseable'
     New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $work -Force | Out-Null
diff --git a/tools/Assert-DockerRuntimeDeterminism.ps1 b/tools/Assert-DockerRuntimeDeterminism.ps1
index c516284d9..5de4003c7 100644
--- a/tools/Assert-DockerRuntimeDeterminism.ps1
+++ b/tools/Assert-DockerRuntimeDeterminism.ps1
@@ -113,6 +113,38 @@ function Split-OutputLines {
   return @($Text -split "(`r`n|`n|`r)" | Where-Object { -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($_) })
 }
 
+function Resolve-DockerCommandSource {
+  $override = $env:DOCKER_COMMAND_OVERRIDE
+  if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($override) -and (Test-Path -LiteralPath $override -PathType Leaf)) {
+    return [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath($override)
+  }
+
+  $pathSeparator = [System.IO.Path]::PathSeparator
+  $pathEntries = @($env:PATH -split [regex]::Escape([string]$pathSeparator))
+  $candidates = if ($IsWindows) {
+    @('docker.exe', 'docker.cmd', 'docker.ps1', 'docker.bat', 'docker')
+  } else {
+    @('docker', 'docker.sh', 'docker.exe', 'docker.ps1', 'docker.cmd')
+  }
+
+  foreach ($entry in $pathEntries) {
+    if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($entry)) { continue }
+    foreach ($name in $candidates) {
+      $candidatePath = Join-Path $entry $name
+      if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $candidatePath -PathType Leaf) {
+        return [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath($candidatePath)
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  $command = Get-Command -Name 'docker' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object -First 1
+  if ($null -eq $command -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$command.Source)) {
+    return $null
+  }
+
+  return [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath([string]$command.Source)
+}
+
 function Invoke-ProcessWithTimeout {
   [CmdletBinding()]
   param(
@@ -123,16 +155,31 @@ function Invoke-ProcessWithTimeout {
 
   $safeTimeout = [math]::Max(5, [int]$TimeoutSeconds)
   $resolvedFilePath = $FilePath
+  $effectiveArguments = @($Arguments)
+  if ([string]::Equals($FilePath, 'docker', [System.StringComparison]::OrdinalIgnoreCase)) {
+    $dockerCommandSource = Resolve-DockerCommandSource
+    if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($dockerCommandSource)) {
+      $dockerCommandExtension = [System.IO.Path]::GetExtension($dockerCommandSource)
+      if ([System.StringComparer]::OrdinalIgnoreCase.Equals($dockerCommandExtension, '.ps1')) {
+        $resolvedFilePath = (Get-Command -Name 'pwsh' -ErrorAction Stop | Select-Object -First 1).Source
+        $effectiveArguments = @('-NoLogo', '-NoProfile', '-File', $dockerCommandSource) + @($Arguments)
+      } else {
+        $resolvedFilePath = $dockerCommandSource
+      }
+    }
+  }
   try {
-    $resolvedCommand = Get-Command -Name $FilePath -CommandType Application -ErrorAction Stop | Select-Object -First 1
-    if ($resolvedCommand -and $resolvedCommand.Source) {
-      $resolvedFilePath = [string]$resolvedCommand.Source
-    } elseif ($resolvedCommand -and $resolvedCommand.Path) {
-      $resolvedFilePath = [string]$resolvedCommand.Path
+    if ([string]::Equals($resolvedFilePath, $FilePath, [System.StringComparison]::Ordinal)) {
+      $resolvedCommand = Get-Command -Name $FilePath -CommandType Application -ErrorAction Stop | Select-Object -First 1
+      if ($resolvedCommand -and $resolvedCommand.Source) {
+        $resolvedFilePath = [string]$resolvedCommand.Source
+      } elseif ($resolvedCommand -and $resolvedCommand.Path) {
+        $resolvedFilePath = [string]$resolvedCommand.Path
+      }
     }
   } catch {}
 
-  $argText = if ($Arguments -and $Arguments.Count -gt 0) { [string]::Join(' ', $Arguments) } else { '' }
+  $argText = if ($effectiveArguments -and $effectiveArguments.Count -gt 0) { [string]::Join(' ', $effectiveArguments) } else { '' }
   $commandText = if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($argText)) { $resolvedFilePath } else { "$resolvedFilePath $argText" }
 
   $result = [ordered]@{
@@ -150,7 +197,7 @@ function Invoke-ProcessWithTimeout {
   $psi.RedirectStandardOutput = $true
   $psi.RedirectStandardError = $true
   $psi.CreateNoWindow = $true
-  foreach ($arg in @($Arguments)) {
+  foreach ($arg in @($effectiveArguments)) {
     [void]$psi.ArgumentList.Add([string]$arg)
   }
 
diff --git a/tools/Run-NILinuxContainerCompare.ps1 b/tools/Run-NILinuxContainerCompare.ps1
index 3b2752836..3735b49c8 100644
--- a/tools/Run-NILinuxContainerCompare.ps1
+++ b/tools/Run-NILinuxContainerCompare.ps1
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ function Resolve-DockerCommandSource {
   $candidates = if ($IsWindows) {
     @('docker.exe', 'docker.cmd', 'docker.ps1', 'docker.bat', 'docker')
   } else {
-    @('docker', 'docker.sh')
+    @('docker', 'docker.sh', 'docker.exe', 'docker.ps1', 'docker.cmd')
   }
   foreach ($entry in $pathEntries) {
     if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($entry)) { continue }
@@ -173,6 +173,24 @@ function Resolve-DockerCommandSource {
   return [string]$command.Source
 }
 
+function Invoke-DirectDockerCommand {
+  param([Parameter(Mandatory)][string[]]$DockerArgs)
+
+  $dockerCommandSource = Resolve-DockerCommandSource
+  $dockerCommandExtension = [System.IO.Path]::GetExtension($dockerCommandSource)
+  $stdout = @()
+  if ([System.StringComparer]::OrdinalIgnoreCase.Equals($dockerCommandExtension, '.ps1')) {
+    $stdout = @(& pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File $dockerCommandSource @DockerArgs)
+  } else {
+    $stdout = @(& $dockerCommandSource @DockerArgs)
+  }
+
+  return [pscustomobject]@{
+    ExitCode = [int]$LASTEXITCODE
+    StdOut = @($stdout)
+  }
+}
+
 function Get-EffectiveCompareFlags {
   param(
     [AllowNull()][string[]]$InputFlags
@@ -377,8 +395,8 @@ function Resolve-OutputReportPath {
 
 function Test-DockerImageExists {
   param([Parameter(Mandatory)][string]$Tag)
-  & docker image inspect $Tag *> $null
-  return ($LASTEXITCODE -eq 0)
+  $inspectResult = Invoke-DirectDockerCommand -DockerArgs @('image', 'inspect', $Tag) 2>$null
+  return ($inspectResult.ExitCode -eq 0)
 }
 
 function Get-OrAddMountPath {
@@ -405,6 +423,44 @@ function Convert-HostFileToContainerPath {
   return (Join-Path $containerDir (Split-Path -Leaf $HostFilePath)).Replace('\', '/')
 }
 
+function Resolve-DockerBindMountHostPath {
+  param(
+    [Parameter(Mandatory)][string]$HostPath,
+    [AllowEmptyString()][string]$DockerCommandSource
+  )
+
+  $resolvedHostPath = [System.IO.Path]::GetFullPath($HostPath)
+  if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($DockerCommandSource)) {
+    return $resolvedHostPath
+  }
+
+  $dockerCommandExtension = [System.IO.Path]::GetExtension($DockerCommandSource)
+  if (-not [System.StringComparer]::OrdinalIgnoreCase.Equals($dockerCommandExtension, '.exe')) {
+    return $resolvedHostPath
+  }
+
+  if (-not $resolvedHostPath.StartsWith('/')) {
+    return $resolvedHostPath
+  }
+
+  $wslCommand = Get-Command -Name 'wsl.exe' -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | Select-Object -First 1
+  if ($null -eq $wslCommand -or [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$wslCommand.Source)) {
+    return $resolvedHostPath
+  }
+
+  $translatedOutput = & $wslCommand.Source wslpath -w $resolvedHostPath 2>$null
+  if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+    return $resolvedHostPath
+  }
+
+  $translatedPath = [string](@($translatedOutput) | Select-Object -Last 1)
+  if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($translatedPath)) {
+    return $resolvedHostPath
+  }
+
+  return $translatedPath.Trim()
+}
+
 function Test-HostPathWithinRoot {
   param(
     [Parameter(Mandatory)][string]$RootPath,
@@ -460,10 +516,11 @@ function Convert-HostPathToExistingContainerPath {
 function Get-DockerContainerRecord {
   param([Parameter(Mandatory)][string]$ContainerName)
 
-  $inspectOutput = & docker inspect $ContainerName 2>$null
-  if ($LASTEXITCODE -ne 0) {
+  $inspectResult = Invoke-DirectDockerCommand -DockerArgs @('inspect', $ContainerName) 2>$null
+  if ($inspectResult.ExitCode -ne 0) {
     return $null
   }
+  $inspectOutput = @($inspectResult.StdOut)
 
   try {
     $records = $inspectOutput | ConvertFrom-Json -Depth 12 -ErrorAction Stop
@@ -1739,8 +1796,8 @@ function Invoke-DockerExecWithTimeout {
     while (-not $process.HasExited) {
       if ((Get-Date) -ge $deadline) {
         try { Stop-Process -Id $process.Id -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue } catch {}
-        try { & docker exec $ContainerName sh -lc 'pkill -f LabVIEWCLI || true' *> $null } catch {}
-        try { & docker stop --time 1 $ContainerName *> $null } catch {}
+        try { Invoke-DirectDockerCommand -DockerArgs @('exec', $ContainerName, 'sh', '-lc', 'pkill -f LabVIEWCLI || true') *> $null } catch {}
+        try { Invoke-DirectDockerCommand -DockerArgs @('stop', '--time', '1', $ContainerName) *> $null } catch {}
         $capturedOutput = Complete-DockerProcessInvocation -Invocation $invocation
         return [pscustomobject]@{
           TimedOut = $true
@@ -2467,6 +2524,7 @@ try {
     $containerBaseVi = ''
     $containerHeadVi = ''
     $containerReportPath = ''
+    $dockerCommandSource = Resolve-DockerCommandSource
     if ($useExistingContainer) {
       $reuseRepoHostPathResolved = if ([string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($ReuseRepoHostPath)) {
         if ($viHistoryEnabled -and -not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace([string]$resolvedRuntimeBootstrap.viHistory.repoHostPath)) {
@@ -2661,11 +2719,13 @@ try {
     }
     if (-not $useExistingContainer) {
       foreach ($entry in ($mounts.GetEnumerator() | Sort-Object Name)) {
-        $volumeSpec = '{0}:{1}' -f $entry.Name, $entry.Value
+        $mountHostPath = Resolve-DockerBindMountHostPath -HostPath ([string]$entry.Name) -DockerCommandSource $dockerCommandSource
+        $volumeSpec = '{0}:{1}' -f $mountHostPath, $entry.Value
         $dockerArgs += @('-v', $volumeSpec)
       }
       foreach ($runtimeMount in $resolvedRuntimeInjectionMounts) {
-        $dockerArgs += @('-v', ('{0}:{1}' -f $runtimeMount.hostPath, $runtimeMount.containerPath))
+        $runtimeMountHostPath = Resolve-DockerBindMountHostPath -HostPath ([string]$runtimeMount.hostPath) -DockerCommandSource $dockerCommandSource
+        $dockerArgs += @('-v', ('{0}:{1}' -f $runtimeMountHostPath, $runtimeMount.containerPath))
       }
     }
     if (-not [string]::IsNullOrWhiteSpace($containerBaseVi)) {

From 1639d485c3004634069c22650fd5ee4a27682af4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:02:02 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 13/16] chore(release): prepare v0.6.10

---
 Directory.Build.props                      | 6 +++---
 package-lock.json                          | 4 ++--
 package.json                               | 2 +-
 tools/CompareVI.Tools/CompareVI.Tools.psd1 | 2 +-
 4 files changed, 7 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/Directory.Build.props b/Directory.Build.props
index eb5b0923f..6529d87ce 100644
--- a/Directory.Build.props
+++ b/Directory.Build.props
@@ -7,9 +7,9 @@
     <GenerateDocumentationFile>false</GenerateDocumentationFile>
     <Deterministic>true</Deterministic>
     <ContinuousIntegrationBuild>true</ContinuousIntegrationBuild>
-    <Version>0.6.9</Version>
-    <AssemblyVersion>0.6.9.0</AssemblyVersion>
-    <FileVersion>0.6.9.0</FileVersion>
+    <Version>0.6.10</Version>
+    <AssemblyVersion>0.6.10.0</AssemblyVersion>
+    <FileVersion>0.6.10.0</FileVersion>
     <InformationalVersion>$(Version)+local</InformationalVersion>
     <CompareViSharedSource Condition="'$(CompareViSharedSource)' == ''">package-first</CompareViSharedSource>
     <CompareViSharedFallbackSource Condition="'$(CompareViSharedFallbackSource)' == ''">project</CompareViSharedFallbackSource>
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index cceb48561..c752efe8d 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "compare-vi-cli-action",
-  "version": "0.6.9",
+  "version": "0.6.10",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "compare-vi-cli-action",
-      "version": "0.6.9",
+      "version": "0.6.10",
       "license": "BSD-3-Clause",
       "dependencies": {
         "argparse": "^2.0.1",
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 42d318920..31861bc97 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
   "name": "compare-vi-cli-action",
   "private": true,
-  "version": "0.6.9",
+  "version": "0.6.10",
   "license": "BSD-3-Clause",
   "type": "module",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/tools/CompareVI.Tools/CompareVI.Tools.psd1 b/tools/CompareVI.Tools/CompareVI.Tools.psd1
index 39a3ba310..4dfcc78a5 100644
--- a/tools/CompareVI.Tools/CompareVI.Tools.psd1
+++ b/tools/CompareVI.Tools/CompareVI.Tools.psd1
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 @{
   RootModule        = 'CompareVI.Tools.psm1'
-  ModuleVersion     = '0.6.9'
+  ModuleVersion     = '0.6.10'
   GUID              = '1f9b5f7f-1ab6-4db9-8e36-6b7a6d5e9c8f'
   Author            = 'LabVIEW Community CI'
   CompanyName       = 'LabVIEW Community'

From 12779e09babe9cafc03983257eab1c01a67e0b2a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:06:15 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 14/16] docs(release): prepare v0.6.10 maintenance packet

---
 CHANGELOG.md                                  |  33 ++++++
 .../archive/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v0.6.10.md |  62 ++++++++++
 docs/release/PR_NOTES.md                      | 109 ++++++++++--------
 docs/release/TAG_PREP_CHECKLIST.md            |  74 +++++++-----
 4 files changed, 199 insertions(+), 79 deletions(-)
 create mode 100644 docs/archive/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v0.6.10.md

diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index eece0d86d..84b9a6ad2 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -7,6 +7,39 @@ The format is based on Keep a Changelog, and this project adheres to Semantic Ve
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+## [v0.6.10] - 2026-03-30
+
+### Changed
+
+- `Compare-VIHistory.ps1`, `Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1`, and the supporting
+  category helpers now preserve touch-history chronology, keep collapsed noise
+  pairs visible, canonicalize history labels, and emit review-order guidance so
+  the canonical VI-history proof answers which pair to inspect first instead of
+  flattening the newest meaningful change into report noise.
+- `validate.yml` now treats Windows VI-history proofing as a self-hosted split:
+  `vi-history-scenarios-windows` runs the 64-bit Windows Docker proof on the
+  ingress host, while `vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32` runs in parallel as
+  the native 32-bit reference lane.
+- The NI Linux proof tooling and local `comparevi-history` fast loop now honor
+  `DOCKER_COMMAND_OVERRIDE`, making WSL-hosted `docker.exe` and wrapper-based
+  runtimes behave consistently during canonical proof replay.
+
+### Added
+
+- Chronology-aware decision guidance in the VI-history report facade,
+  including newest-pair status, explicit review sequence, and focus/context
+  bucket summaries for the canonical proof target.
+- Workflow-planner coverage for the self-hosted Windows Docker split,
+  including regression checks for the empty health-receipt binding path.
+- Local fast-loop regression coverage proving the released facade can pre-pull
+  the proof image through a docker override path before the hosted proof runs.
+
+### Documentation
+
+- Updated the release helper packet for the `v0.6.10` maintenance cut and
+  shifted the canonical product proof references from `DrawIcon.vi` to
+  `Tooling/deployment/VIP_Pre-Install Custom Action.vi`.
+
 ## [v0.6.9] - 2026-03-30
 
 ### Fixed
diff --git a/docs/archive/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v0.6.10.md b/docs/archive/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v0.6.10.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b5fd91903
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/archive/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v0.6.10.md
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+# Release Notes v0.6.10
+
+`v0.6.10` is the first stable cut that carries the post-`v0.6.9` VI-history
+product work: chronology-aware decision guidance, the self-hosted Windows proof
+split, and the Docker-override/runtime fixes that keep the canonical proof
+reproducible on this machine.
+
+## Highlights
+
+- The VI-history report now preserves touch-history chronology and tells the
+  developer which pair to inspect first instead of hiding the newest meaningful
+  change behind collapsed report noise.
+- Windows proofing now uses the intended split architecture:
+  `vi-history-scenarios-windows` proves the 64-bit Windows Docker lane on the
+  ingress host, while `vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32` runs in parallel as
+  the native 32-bit reference.
+- The NI Linux proof tooling and local fast loop now honor
+  `DOCKER_COMMAND_OVERRIDE`, keeping WSL-hosted `docker.exe` and wrapper-based
+  runtimes deterministic during canonical proof replay.
+- This cut supersedes the unpublished `v0.6.9` draft. It is the first stable
+  release that combines the bundle-contract recovery work with the merged
+  product-semantic history improvements.
+
+## Included maintenance slice
+
+- `#2056` feat: use touch-history semantics in VI history proofs
+- `#2057` fix: preserve VI history category specificity
+- `#2058` feat: reveal collapsed VI history pairs
+- `#2059` docs: clarify VI history decision guidance
+- `#2060` fix: make LV32 shadow proof non-blocking
+- `#2061` feat: identify latest VI history signal pair
+- `#2062` feat: add VI history review sequence guidance
+- `#2063` feat: expose VI history decision chronology
+- `#2065` feat: run Windows VI history proof on self-hosted ingress
+- `#2066` fix: honor docker override across NI Linux proof tooling
+
+## Validation highlights
+
+- Release branch `release/v0.6.10` updates the stable backend version surfaces
+  to `0.6.10`.
+- The merged-state canonical proof succeeded for:
+  - target:
+    `Tooling/deployment/VIP_Pre-Install Custom Action.vi`
+  - outcome:
+    3 comparisons, 2 signal diffs, 1 collapsed noise
+  - decision statement:
+    newest VI touch is metadata-only; review starts at pair 2 for the newest
+    meaningful functional change
+- The self-hosted Windows planner contract was re-proved after the split:
+  - the 64-bit Docker lane resolves through the self-hosted ingress inventory
+  - the LV32 lane resolves in parallel as the native reference
+  - planner regressions for the empty health-receipt binding path now fail
+    closed in focused tests
+
+## Consumer impact
+
+- Stable consumers should move from `@v0.6.8` to `@v0.6.10`.
+- `comparevi-history` should treat `v0.6.10` as the minimum backend ref for the
+  canonical `VIP_Pre-Install Custom Action.vi` proof going forward.
+- The GitLab benchmark should only refresh after the canonical proof is rerun on
+  the published `v0.6.10` backend ref, not on the merged-state maintainer
+  override.
diff --git a/docs/release/PR_NOTES.md b/docs/release/PR_NOTES.md
index 5f40607bd..a8495ff08 100644
--- a/docs/release/PR_NOTES.md
+++ b/docs/release/PR_NOTES.md
@@ -1,41 +1,44 @@
 <!-- markdownlint-disable-next-line MD041 -->
-# Release v0.6.9 - PR Notes Helper
+# Release v0.6.10 - PR Notes Helper
 
-Reference sheet for the `v0.6.9` maintenance release. This cut repairs the
-published `CompareVI.Tools` bundle so released downstream consumers can execute
-the hosted NI Linux VI-history contract without a maintainer checkout.
+Reference sheet for the `v0.6.10` maintenance release. This cut carries the
+merged VI-history product work after the stale `v0.6.9` draft: decision-useful
+history guidance, the self-hosted Windows proof split, and the Docker-override
+runtime fixes that make the canonical proof reproducible on this machine.
 
 ## 1. Summary
 
-Release `v0.6.9` focuses on three themes:
+Release `v0.6.10` focuses on four themes:
 
-- **Executable released bundle**: `CompareVI.Tools-v0.6.9.zip` now carries the
-  hosted NI Linux helper `tools/Get-LabVIEWContainerShellContract.ps1` instead
-  of shipping an incomplete runtime contract.
-- **Faster local replay**: maintainers can now mirror
-  `vi-history-scenarios-windows` through the checked-in Windows Docker replay
-  lane instead of waiting on the hosted proof for every iteration.
-- **Released-backend recovery**: downstream VI-history consumers can once again
-  rely on the published bundle rather than a maintainer override or local
-  source tree to execute the canonical proof path.
-- **Narrow maintenance scope**: this cut only repairs released bundle
-  executability and local maintainer replay. It does not expand the public
-  VI-history surface or add new product claims.
+- **Decision-useful history output**: the canonical VI-history report now
+  preserves touch-history chronology, surfaces collapsed-noise pairs, and tells
+  the developer which pair to review first.
+- **Windows proof split**: `vi-history-scenarios-windows` now runs as the
+  self-hosted Windows Docker 64-bit lane, while
+  `vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32` runs in parallel as the native 32-bit
+  reference.
+- **Docker override determinism**: the NI Linux proof tooling and local fast
+  loop now honor `DOCKER_COMMAND_OVERRIDE`, keeping WSL-hosted `docker.exe`
+  and wrapper-based runtimes deterministic.
+- **Released-backend proof target**: `comparevi-history` can now re-pin to the
+  released backend and rerun the canonical
+  `VIP_Pre-Install Custom Action.vi` proof without a maintainer-only runtime
+  path.
 
 ## 2. Maintenance Highlights
 
-- `tools/Publish-CompareVIToolsArtifact.ps1` now places
-  `tools/Get-LabVIEWContainerShellContract.ps1` in the bundle and advertises it
-  through the published hosted-runner contract metadata.
-- `tools/Test-CompareVIHistoryBundleCertification.ps1` now fails closed if the
-  extracted bundle omits the hosted NI Linux support scripts required by the
-  released consumer path.
-- `tools/priority/windows-workflow-replay-lane.mjs` now supports a local
-  `vi-history-scenarios-windows` replay mode so hosted Windows scenario fixes
-  can be iterated on this machine without changing the hosted certification
-  contract.
-- Stable release surfaces now pin `0.6.9`, isolating the bundle-contract repair
-  in an immutable stable cut after the broken `v0.6.8` publication.
+- `tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1`, `tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1`, and
+  `tools/VICategoryBuckets.psm1` now keep touch-history pairs visible and
+  emit chronology-aware decision guidance instead of hiding the newest
+  meaningful change behind report noise.
+- `validate.yml` now routes Windows VI-history proofing through the self-hosted
+  ingress host: Docker-backed 64-bit proof plus parallel LV32 reference.
+- `tools/Run-NILinuxContainerCompare.ps1`,
+  `tools/Assert-DockerRuntimeDeterminism.ps1`, and the local fast-loop facade
+  now honor `DOCKER_COMMAND_OVERRIDE`, keeping the canonical proof runnable
+  under WSL-hosted `docker.exe`.
+- Stable release surfaces now pin `0.6.10`, superseding the unpublished
+  `v0.6.9` draft with the merged product-semantic work.
 
 ## 3. Validation Snapshot
 
@@ -45,17 +48,21 @@ Release `v0.6.9` focuses on three themes:
   - `smoke-gate`
   - `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`
   - `commit-integrity`
-- [x] Direct bundle proof restored the published hosted NI Linux contract:
-  - extracted bundle contains both `tools/Run-NILinuxContainerCompare.ps1` and
-    `tools/Get-LabVIEWContainerShellContract.ps1`
-  - bundle certification summary reports `status: producer-native-ready`
-- [ ] `node tools/npm/run-script.mjs release:finalize -- 0.6.9` completes from
+- [x] Direct merged-state proof succeeded for the canonical VI target:
+  - target: `Tooling/deployment/VIP_Pre-Install Custom Action.vi`
+  - outcome:
+    3 comparisons, 2 signal diffs, 1 collapsed noise
+  - decision statement:
+    newest VI touch is metadata-only; review starts at pair 2 for the newest
+    meaningful functional change
+- [ ] `node tools/npm/run-script.mjs release:finalize -- 0.6.10` completes from
       a clean helper lane and writes fresh finalize metadata under
       `tests/results/_agent/release/`
-- [ ] Published release `v0.6.9` includes the signed distribution assets,
+- [ ] Published release `v0.6.10` includes the signed distribution assets,
       `SHA256SUMS.txt`, `sbom.spdx.json`, and `provenance.json`
-- [ ] `comparevi-history` repins `comparevi-backend-ref.txt` to `v0.6.9`
-      before the canonical `DrawIcon.vi` product proof is rerun
+- [ ] `comparevi-history` repins `comparevi-backend-ref.txt` to `v0.6.10`
+      before the canonical `VIP_Pre-Install Custom Action.vi` product proof is
+      rerun on the released backend
 
 ## 4. Reviewer Focus
 
@@ -63,22 +70,30 @@ Release `v0.6.9` focuses on three themes:
   - `package.json`
   - `Directory.Build.props`
   - `tools/CompareVI.Tools/CompareVI.Tools.psd1`
-- Review the released bundle contract repair for correctness:
-  - `tools/Publish-CompareVIToolsArtifact.ps1`
-  - `tools/Test-CompareVIHistoryBundleCertification.ps1`
-  - `docs/schemas/comparevi-history-bundle-certification-v1.schema.json`
+- Review the decision-useful VI-history surface for correctness:
+  - `tools/Compare-VIHistory.ps1`
+  - `tools/Render-VIHistoryReport.ps1`
+  - `tools/VICategoryBuckets.psm1`
+  - `tests/CompareVI.History.Tests.ps1`
+  - `tests/Render-VIHistoryReport.Tests.ps1`
+- Review the Windows proof split and Docker override behavior:
+  - `.github/workflows/validate.yml`
+  - `tools/Run-NILinuxContainerCompare.ps1`
+  - `tools/Assert-DockerRuntimeDeterminism.ps1`
 - Review the release helper packet for consistency:
   - `CHANGELOG.md`
   - `docs/release/TAG_PREP_CHECKLIST.md`
-  - `docs/archive/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v0.6.9.md`
+  - `docs/archive/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v0.6.10.md`
 
 ## 5. Follow-Up After Stable
 
-1. Re-pin `comparevi-history` from `v0.6.8` to `v0.6.9` and rerun the
-   canonical `DrawIcon.vi` proof on the released backend.
-2. Re-evaluate the current emitted history surface against the real developer
+1. Re-pin `comparevi-history` from `v0.6.8` to `v0.6.10` and rerun the
+   canonical `VIP_Pre-Install Custom Action.vi` proof on the released backend.
+2. Supersede the stale `v0.6.9` draft release so `v0.6.10` is the only active
+   unpublished stable cut during final publication.
+3. Re-evaluate the current emitted history surface against the real developer
    question before treating any mode as decision-ready.
-3. Reduce the public mode surface again if the rerun product proof only
+4. Reduce the public mode surface again if the rerun product proof only
    justifies a narrower mode set.
 
---- Updated: 2026-03-30 (prepared for the `v0.6.9` maintenance cut).
+--- Updated: 2026-03-30 (prepared for the `v0.6.10` maintenance cut).
diff --git a/docs/release/TAG_PREP_CHECKLIST.md b/docs/release/TAG_PREP_CHECKLIST.md
index eed74fb64..cfcc38386 100644
--- a/docs/release/TAG_PREP_CHECKLIST.md
+++ b/docs/release/TAG_PREP_CHECKLIST.md
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
-# v0.6.9 Tag Preparation Checklist
+# v0.6.10 Tag Preparation Checklist
 <!-- markdownlint-disable-next-line MD041 -->
 
-Helper reference for cutting or replaying the `v0.6.9` maintenance release.
+Helper reference for cutting or replaying the `v0.6.10` maintenance release.
 Aligns with the archived release notes
-(`../archive/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v0.6.9.md`) and the checked-in stable
+(`../archive/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v0.6.10.md`) and the checked-in stable
 release surfaces.
 
 ## 1. Pre-flight Verification
 
-- [ ] Work from `release/v0.6.9` and ensure it contains the final maintenance
+- [ ] Work from `release/v0.6.10` and ensure it contains the final maintenance
       changes.
 - [ ] CI is green on the release branch (`lint`, `pester / normalize`,
       `smoke-gate`, `Policy Guard (Upstream) / policy-guard`,
@@ -22,30 +22,34 @@ release surfaces.
 ## 2. Version & Metadata Consistency
 
 - [ ] `CHANGELOG.md` contains a finalized
-      `## [v0.6.9] - 2026-03-30` section.
-- [ ] Stable docs reference `v0.6.8` consistently until `v0.6.9` publication
-      completes, and the release helper packet references `v0.6.9`
+      `## [v0.6.10] - 2026-03-30` section.
+- [ ] Stable docs reference `v0.6.8` consistently until `v0.6.10` publication
+      completes, and the release helper packet references `v0.6.10`
       consistently.
 - [ ] `package.json`, `Directory.Build.props`, and
-      `tools/CompareVI.Tools/CompareVI.Tools.psd1` all report `0.6.9`.
+      `tools/CompareVI.Tools/CompareVI.Tools.psd1` all report `0.6.10`.
 - [ ] `docs/action-outputs.md` still matches `action.yml`.
 - [ ] Update `docs/documentation-manifest.json` if release-doc coverage changed.
 
-## 3. Bundle Contract Regression Validation
+## 3. Canonical Proof & Runtime Validation
 
-- [ ] Focused bundle regression tests pass locally:
+- [ ] Focused canonical proof replay succeeds on the release branch:
 
 ```bash
-pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File tools/Test-CompareVIHistoryBundleCertification.ps1 -BundleArchivePath tests/results/_agent/bundle-fix/artifacts/CompareVI.Tools-v0.6.9.zip -ResultsDir tests/results/_agent/bundle-fix/certification -SummaryJsonPath tests/results/_agent/bundle-fix/certification/summary.json
+DOCKER_COMMAND_OVERRIDE="$(command -v docker.exe)" pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File <comparevi-history-root>/scripts/Invoke-CompareVIHistoryManualExplorationFastLoop.ps1 -ConsumerRepositoryRoot <consumer-root> -ConsumerRef develop -ViPath 'Tooling/deployment/VIP_Pre-Install Custom Action.vi' -ToolingRoot <compare-vi-cli-action-root> -InvokeScriptPath <consumer-proof-script> -ResultsDir <results-dir> -NoisePolicy collapse
 ```
 
-- [ ] Confirm the published bundle preserves the hosted NI Linux consumer contract:
-
-- [ ] The extracted bundle contains:
-      `tools/Run-NILinuxContainerCompare.ps1`
-      and
-      `tools/Get-LabVIEWContainerShellContract.ps1`
-- [ ] Bundle certification reports `status: producer-native-ready`
+- [ ] Confirm the merged-state proof remains decision-useful:
+  - 3 comparisons
+  - 2 signal diffs
+  - 1 collapsed noise
+  - decision statement routes review to pair 2 as the newest meaningful change
+- [ ] Confirm the self-hosted Windows split remains healthy:
+  - `vi-history-scenarios-windows` plans and executes as the 64-bit Windows
+    Docker lane
+  - `vi-history-scenarios-windows-lv32` plans in parallel as the native
+    32-bit reference
+  - planner regressions for the empty health-receipt binding path remain green
 - [ ] `comparevi-history` pin-bump coordination is queued immediately after
       publication so the canonical product proof uses the released backend
       instead of a maintainer override.
@@ -53,9 +57,11 @@ pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File tools/Test-CompareVIHistoryBundleCertification.ps1
 ## 4. Release Materials Review
 
 - [ ] `PR_NOTES.md`, this checklist, and
-      `../archive/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v0.6.9.md` are consistent.
+      `../archive/releases/RELEASE_NOTES_v0.6.10.md` are consistent.
 - [ ] `README.md` and `docs/USAGE_GUIDE.md` still treat `v0.6.8` as the
-      previously released stable pin until `v0.6.9` publication completes.
+      previously released stable pin until `v0.6.10` publication completes.
+- [ ] The release packet consistently calls the canonical proof target
+      `Tooling/deployment/VIP_Pre-Install Custom Action.vi`.
 
 ## 5. Tag Creation
 
@@ -63,7 +69,7 @@ pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File tools/Test-CompareVIHistoryBundleCertification.ps1
 
 ```pwsh
 node tools/npm/run-script.mjs priority:release:signing:readiness
-node tools/npm/run-script.mjs priority:release:conductor -- --apply --channel stable --version 0.6.9
+node tools/npm/run-script.mjs priority:release:conductor -- --apply --channel stable --version 0.6.10
 ```
 
 - [ ] Confirm `tests/results/_agent/release/release-signing-readiness.json`
@@ -74,34 +80,38 @@ node tools/npm/run-script.mjs priority:release:conductor -- --apply --channel st
 - [ ] Create an annotated stable tag:
 
 ```pwsh
-git tag -a v0.6.9 -m "v0.6.9: repair CompareVI.Tools hosted bundle contract"
+git tag -a v0.6.10 -m "v0.6.10: ship decision-useful VI history proofing"
 ```
 
 - [ ] Push the tag:
 
 ```pwsh
-git push origin v0.6.9
+git push origin v0.6.10
 ```
 
 ## 6. Validation After Publish
 
-- [ ] Run `node tools/npm/run-script.mjs release:finalize -- 0.6.9` from a
+- [ ] Run `node tools/npm/run-script.mjs release:finalize -- 0.6.10` from a
       clean helper lane to fast-forward `main` and `develop`, then record the
       finalize metadata.
-- [ ] Install the bundle via `@v0.6.9` in a sample workflow and confirm the
+- [ ] Install the bundle via `@v0.6.10` in a sample workflow and confirm the
       released hosted NI Linux VI-history contract executes without a local
       source-tree override.
 - [ ] Optional maintainer fast loop: run the local Windows Docker replay lane
       for `vi-history-scenarios-windows` and confirm it still mirrors the
-      hosted contract without replacing the hosted proof requirement.
-- [ ] Re-pin `comparevi-history` to `v0.6.9` and confirm the canonical
-      `DrawIcon.vi` proof reaches real comparisons on the released backend.
+      self-hosted certification contract without replacing the release proof.
+- [ ] Re-pin `comparevi-history` to `v0.6.10` and confirm the canonical
+      `VIP_Pre-Install Custom Action.vi` proof reaches real comparisons on the
+      released backend.
+- [ ] Supersede the stale draft `v0.6.9` release record once `v0.6.10`
+      publishes so consumers do not see competing unpublished stable cuts.
 
 ## 7. Communication
 
-- [ ] Announce the maintenance cut, calling out the released bundle-contract
-      repair and the required `comparevi-history` repin.
-- [ ] Notify consumers that `v0.6.9` supersedes `v0.6.8` as the supported
+- [ ] Announce the maintenance cut, calling out the decision-useful history
+      guidance, the Windows proof split, and the required `comparevi-history`
+      repin.
+- [ ] Notify consumers that `v0.6.10` supersedes `v0.6.8` as the supported
       stable pin.
 
---- Updated: 2026-03-30 (prepared for the `v0.6.9` maintenance cut).
+--- Updated: 2026-03-30 (prepared for the `v0.6.10` maintenance cut).

From b30421cd0fdc6297d030e837cae8f77e3c31dea4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:42:03 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 15/16] Fix release Windows planner binding

---
 .github/workflows/validate.yml                                 | 3 ++-
 .../__tests__/resolve-selfhosted-windows-lane-plan.test.mjs    | 2 +-
 2 files changed, 3 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/validate.yml b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
index e7def6867..f6d2cf760 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/validate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
@@ -1534,6 +1534,7 @@ jobs:
           'capability-ingress',
           'docker-lane'
         )
+        $requiredHealthReceipts = @()
         pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File tools/Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan.ps1 `
           -Repository '${{ github.repository }}' `
           -RequiredLabels $requiredLabels `
@@ -1541,7 +1542,7 @@ jobs:
           -RunnerImage 'self-hosted-windows-docker-lane' `
           -ExpectedContext 'desktop-windows' `
           -ExpectedOs 'windows' `
-          -RequiredHealthReceipts @() `
+          -RequiredHealthReceipts $requiredHealthReceipts `
           -Notes @(
             'Availability means an online, idle repository runner advertises the ingress plus docker-lane labels.',
             'The lane may mutate Docker Desktop into the Windows engine and then restores the starting context after proof capture.'
diff --git a/tools/priority/__tests__/resolve-selfhosted-windows-lane-plan.test.mjs b/tools/priority/__tests__/resolve-selfhosted-windows-lane-plan.test.mjs
index ec277b440..369be2938 100644
--- a/tools/priority/__tests__/resolve-selfhosted-windows-lane-plan.test.mjs
+++ b/tools/priority/__tests__/resolve-selfhosted-windows-lane-plan.test.mjs
@@ -119,5 +119,5 @@ test('Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan reports unavailable when the LV32 labels
   assert.equal(plan.available, false);
   assert.equal(plan.status, 'missing-label');
   assert.equal(plan.matchingRunnerCount, 0);
-  assert.match(plan.skipReason, /no online self-hosted Windows LV32 runner/i);
+  assert.match(plan.skipReason, /no online self-hosted Windows runner matched the required capability labels/i);
 });

From c472531eb586da3ad9bff45e9385d42e38b34a2e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: svelderrainruiz <noreply@github.com>
Date: Tue, 31 Mar 2026 04:34:51 -0700
Subject: [PATCH 16/16] Invoke Windows planner directly in release lane

---
 .github/workflows/validate.yml                | 32 +++++++++++--------
 ...date-vi-history-dispatch-contract.test.mjs |  4 ++-
 2 files changed, 21 insertions(+), 15 deletions(-)

diff --git a/.github/workflows/validate.yml b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
index f6d2cf760..6e950e414 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/validate.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/validate.yml
@@ -1535,22 +1535,26 @@ jobs:
           'docker-lane'
         )
         $requiredHealthReceipts = @()
-        pwsh -NoLogo -NoProfile -File tools/Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan.ps1 `
-          -Repository '${{ github.repository }}' `
-          -RequiredLabels $requiredLabels `
-          -ExecutionModel 'self-hosted-windows-docker-lane' `
-          -RunnerImage 'self-hosted-windows-docker-lane' `
-          -ExpectedContext 'desktop-windows' `
-          -ExpectedOs 'windows' `
-          -RequiredHealthReceipts $requiredHealthReceipts `
-          -Notes @(
+        $plannerArgs = @{
+          Repository = '${{ github.repository }}'
+          RequiredLabels = $requiredLabels
+          ExecutionModel = 'self-hosted-windows-docker-lane'
+          RunnerImage = 'self-hosted-windows-docker-lane'
+          ExpectedContext = 'desktop-windows'
+          ExpectedOs = 'windows'
+          Notes = @(
             'Availability means an online, idle repository runner advertises the ingress plus docker-lane labels.',
             'The lane may mutate Docker Desktop into the Windows engine and then restores the starting context after proof capture.'
-          ) `
-          -Token $env:GITHUB_TOKEN `
-          -OutputJsonPath $planPath `
-          -GitHubOutputPath $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT `
-          -StepSummaryPath $env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+          )
+          Token = $env:GITHUB_TOKEN
+          OutputJsonPath = $planPath
+          GitHubOutputPath = $env:GITHUB_OUTPUT
+          StepSummaryPath = $env:GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY
+        }
+        if ($requiredHealthReceipts.Count -gt 0) {
+          $plannerArgs.RequiredHealthReceipts = $requiredHealthReceipts
+        }
+        & tools/Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan.ps1 @plannerArgs
 
     - name: Append VI history Windows runner plan
       shell: pwsh
diff --git a/tools/priority/__tests__/validate-vi-history-dispatch-contract.test.mjs b/tools/priority/__tests__/validate-vi-history-dispatch-contract.test.mjs
index d79d868d8..36c58791b 100644
--- a/tools/priority/__tests__/validate-vi-history-dispatch-contract.test.mjs
+++ b/tools/priority/__tests__/validate-vi-history-dispatch-contract.test.mjs
@@ -66,7 +66,9 @@ test('validate workflow Windows VI-history lane is gated by shared dispatch plan
   assert.match(planSection, /permissions:\s*\r?\n\s+contents: read/);
   assert.match(planSection, /Resolve self-hosted Windows Docker lane/);
   assert.match(planSection, /tools\/Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan\.ps1/);
-  assert.match(planSection, /-RequiredLabels \$requiredLabels/);
+  assert.match(planSection, /\$plannerArgs = @\{/);
+  assert.match(planSection, /RequiredLabels = \$requiredLabels/);
+  assert.match(planSection, /& tools\/Resolve-SelfHostedWindowsLanePlan\.ps1 @plannerArgs/);
   assert.match(planSection, /docker-lane/);
   assert.match(planSection, /outputs:\s*\r?\n\s+available:\s+\$\{\{\s*steps\.plan\.outputs\.available\s*\}\}/);