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Hardware Result-Pack Release Checklist

This checklist is mandatory for any tag, paper-facing update, website update, or release note that cites promoted IBM hardware evidence. It is intentionally offline: the release process must preserve committed artefacts and replay count-to-statistic paths, not submit new QPU jobs.

Required commands

Preferred generator from the release candidate commit:

scpn-generate-hardware-pack-evidence \
  --output-dir docs/internal/releases \
  --export-dir dist/hardware-result-packs

For a release that cites only selected packs, add one or more --pack-id arguments. For a release that cites no promoted hardware evidence, write a non-citing packet instead:

scpn-generate-hardware-pack-evidence \
  --non-citing \
  --reason "Release notes do not cite promoted IBM hardware evidence."

The generator runs the verifier, writes deterministic exports, runs every selected pack's reproduction command, stores logs under docs/internal/releases/, computes log SHA-256 digests, and writes the evidence packet. Manual verifier and export commands remain acceptable only when the packet matches the schema below.

Evidence packet schema

Pass the packet to the release audit with --hardware-result-pack-evidence <path>. The packet must be JSON with this shape:

{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "hardware_evidence_cited": true,
  "verifier_summary_path": "docs/internal/releases/hardware_result_packs_verify_YYYY-MM-DD.json",
  "export_summary_path": "docs/internal/releases/hardware_result_packs_export_YYYY-MM-DD.json",
  "reproduction_logs": [
    {
      "pack_id": "phase2_dla_parity_ag_ibm_kingston_2026_05_05",
      "command": "python scripts/analyse_phase2_dla_parity.py --verify-integrity",
      "log_path": "docs/internal/releases/phase2_dla_parity_ag_reproduction_YYYY-MM-DD.log",
      "sha256": "<sha256 of log file>"
    }
  ]
}

If no promoted hardware evidence is cited, use:

{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "hardware_evidence_cited": false,
  "reason": "Release notes do not cite promoted IBM hardware evidence."
}

Acceptance gates

  • schema_version is 1.
  • hardware_evidence_cited=true packets include verifier and export summaries.
  • Verifier summary reports at least one pack and no blockers.
  • Export summary includes one export digest per cited pack.
  • Every cited pack has a reproduction log entry.
  • Every reproduction log exists and matches its declared SHA-256 digest.
  • No packet may promote claims outside docs/hardware_status_ledger.md.

Claim boundary

The evidence packet proves integrity and replayability of committed artefacts. It does not prove new hardware performance, broad quantum advantage, clinical validity, or unregistered scaling claims.