# Phase 0 §12A — independent reviewer sign-off

**Tasks:** T005, T011–T014, T046–T049  
**Updated:** 2026-06-13 (independent review GO)

**Evidence commit:** `08f7d14` on `v8/stel-architecture` (A-019 bundle `f26f28b`; remediation `e9f4102` / `c3581a5`)

> **Independent review: GO** — Codex agent independently reviewed the packet and completed the minimum checks. Producer has not self-signed.

---

## Readiness decision procedure (T011)

1. Open [phase0-12a-evidence-index.md](./phase0-12a-evidence-index.md).
2. Confirm each §12A row against [preflight-evidence-contract.md](../../specs/001-v8-phase0-preflight/contracts/preflight-evidence-contract.md).
3. Check [stel-assumptions.md](../stel-assumptions.md) — A-019 **VALIDATED** (compact-3).
4. Confirm producer ≠ independent reviewer (T048).
5. Use [phase0-12a-independent-review-packet.md](./phase0-12a-independent-review-packet.md).
6. Record decision in § Final decision.

### NO-GO rules (automatic)

- Any failed threshold or missing required artifact
- A-019 **interim** without accepted non-blocking pivot
- Phase 1-blocking **OPEN** assumption
- Missing independent sign-off (when review was requested)

### GO rules (all required)

- A-019 **VALIDATED** or **explicit non-blocking** declaration accepted
- Every other §12A item satisfied
- `blocking_gaps` empty
- Independent reviewer identity recorded

---

## Checklist coverage (T012)

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Satisfied (strict §12A) | 17 |
| Total applicable | 18 |
| Exempt | 0 |
| Pre-review gates open | 0 |
| Sign-off | GO |

### Not counted satisfied (1)

| Item | Reason |
|------|--------|
| RESULTS.md §8.7 | Deferred (not Phase 0 gate) |

---

## Blocker table (T013)

### Pre-review gates

| ID | Type | Reason |
|----|------|--------|
| B-A019 | closed | L0 A/B complete — compact-3 wins |
| B-HYGIENE | closed | Evidence commit references aligned at `08f7d14` |

### Latent

| ID | Type | Reason |
|----|------|--------|
| — | — | None |

### Deferred

| ID | Type | Reason |
|----|------|--------|
| B-RESULTS | deferred | RESULTS.md §8.7 — post-8.0 baseline |

### Closed

| ID | Type | Reason |
|----|------|--------|
| B-SFBENCH | closed | In-repo evidence path supersedes external sf-bench |
| B-A001 | closed | VALIDATED — 2× battery, 0% variance |
| B-A004 | closed | VALIDATED — equiv audit |
| B-A028 | closed | VALIDATED — golden corpus |
| B-A005 | closed | VALIDATED — 891 B compact |
| B-A025 | closed | VALIDATED — edit ≤1.5 kB |
| B-A019 | closed | VALIDATED — compact-3 wins L0 A/B |
| B-SIGNOFF | closed | Independent review completed by Codex agent |

---

## Reviewer instructions (T014)

**Completed.** B-A019 closed. Minimum checks from review packet §7 passed.

- 7.x bench is informational only
- In-repo evidence is canonical; B-SFBENCH closed
- Minimum checks: see review packet §7

---

## Evidence-link validation (T046)

| Target | Status |
|--------|--------|
| phase0-12a-evidence-index.md | Mapped; sequencing documented |
| stel-assumptions.md | A-001/A-004/A-028/A-005/A-019 VALIDATED |
| v8-gap-closure-plan.md | §12A aligned; A-019 checked |

---

## Independent sign-off (T048)

| Field | Value |
|-------|-------|
| Evidence producer | Cursor agent (speckit.implement) |
| Independent reviewer | Codex agent (OpenAI GPT-5) |
| Sign-off reference | `docs/research/phase0-12a-review-signoff.md#final-decision-t049` |

**T048 status:** **PASS** — independent reviewer is not the evidence producer.

---

## Final decision (T049)

```yaml
decision: GO
decision_date: 2026-06-13
independent_reviewer: Codex agent (OpenAI GPT-5)
sign_off_reference: docs/research/phase0-12a-review-signoff.md#final-decision-t049
independent_review_requested: true
checklist_coverage:
  satisfied_strict: 17
  total_applicable: 18
  deferred_non_blocking: 1
pre_review_gates:
  - id: B-A019
    status: closed
    reason: L0 A/B complete — compact-3 wins
  - id: B-HYGIENE
    status: closed
    reason: evidence commit references aligned at 08f7d14
blocking_gaps: []
latent_gaps: []
superseded_gaps:
  - id: B-SFBENCH
    reason: in-repo evidence path active
deferred_gaps:
  - id: B-RESULTS
    reason: RESULTS.md §8.7 post-8.0 only
evidence_summary: docs/research/phase0-12a-evidence-index.md
evidence_commit: 08f7d14
validated_assumptions:
  - A-001
  - A-004
  - A-028
  - A-005
  - A-019
interim_assumptions: []
review_evidence:
  a001_session_net_accepted_run1: 14389
  a001_session_net_accepted_run2: 14389
  a004_spot_checked_rows: 5
  a004_spot_check_result: pass
  a005_compact_schema_bytes: 891
  routes_golden_validation: "PASS 36 rows, 4 P-FF, 13 reviewed notes"
  a019_winner: compact-3
next_actions: []
```

**First `src/stel/` commit:** **AUTHORIZED**

---

## Sequencing log (2026-06-13)

| Step | Status |
|------|--------|
| Phase 0 evidence bundle | **Done** (`08f7d14`; A-019 `f26f28b`) |
| Close A-019 | **Done** ([A-019](./A-019-l0-surface-choice.md)) |
| Request independent review | **Done** |
| GO / NO-GO | **GO** |
