# GEARM 0.1 Release Closure — GEARM-A15

GEARM-A15 closes the planned GEARM 0.1 executable-artifact programme as an **Executable Release Candidate**.

The release candidate is identified as `GEARM-0.1-RC1`. The human-readable GEARM 0.1 specification remains the normative semantic authority. Machine-readable artifacts implement, index, validate, and test that authority; they do not redefine it.

## Closure artifacts

- `manifest.json` — release identity, frozen artifact inventory, expected gate results, authority boundaries, and known limitations.
- `SHA256SUMS` — SHA-256 checksums for the frozen release subject and A15 closure support files. The checksum file and generated closure report are intentionally excluded from their own checksum set.
- `RELEASE-NOTES.md` — release-candidate summary, established artifact stages, corrections made during formalization, and limitations.
- `requirements-release.txt` — runtime dependencies for the release-closure gate.
- `run_release_closure.py` — deterministic fail-closed A15 closure runner.
- `release-closure-report.json` — packaged result of the final A15 gate.

## Release gate

From `static/specs/gearm/0.1/` run:

```bash
python release/run_release_closure.py --suite
```

To write a deterministic JSON report:

```bash
python release/run_release_closure.py \
  --suite \
  --json-report release/release-closure-report.json
```

The runner verifies the release manifest and checksum set, validates the frozen artifact inventory, confirms normative-source release metadata, checks machine/semantic-assessment boundary metadata, and executes GEARM-A14 live. A14 in turn executes A13, which executes the complete A12 testcase suite.

The release chain is therefore:

```text
A12  46-case machine conformance regression
  ↓
A13  51-check cross-artifact reconciliation
  ↓
A14  19-check governed regression baseline
  ↓
A15  release-closure gate
```

## Exit status

- `0` — release-candidate closure gate passed.
- `2` — dependency, package, parsing, or runtime error.
- `6` — one or more release-closure requirements failed.

## Status boundary

An A15 PASS means that the declared `GEARM-0.1-RC1` artifact set is internally closed against its manifest, checksums, and established A12-A14 machine gates. It does **not** mean that every GEARM semantic judgement is machine-executable, that an arbitrary implementation is GEARM-conformant, or that independent BPS/AIPS/Data Product/GEARA conformance has been established.

Promotion from **Executable Release Candidate** to **Released** is a separate governed publication decision. A15 does not silently make that promotion.