docs: correct release gate mechanics

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ Two consumption modes, split by what has a runtime:
   "runtime" is an agent reading the working tree of the repo it stands in —
   a doc that requires a cross-repo fetch before it governs is a doc that
   sometimes goes unread. So the agent-facing set — **AGENTS.md, TRIAGE.md,
-  BUILDER.md, REVIEWER.md, LABELS.md** — is vendored into each governed
+  BUILDER.md, REVIEWER.md, LABELS.md, RELEASES.md** — is vendored into each governed
   repo at **`.ceremony/`**, byte-identical to this repo at the pinned ref,
   by the sync tool (issue #19). A CI guard diffs the mirror against the pin
   on every PR: hand-editing a vendored file, or bumping the pin without

RELEASES.md

@@ -27,21 +27,24 @@ maps the ladder whose `0.1.2` working surface moved from the crufty ledger
 
 Each version epic declares `Blocked by <predecessor>`. Special ordering — a
 double gate or an out-of-chain gate — is written explicitly on that epic;
-there is no hidden global schedule. The epic carries `epic`, the repository's
-release label, and `blocked` while the gate stands. Shipping closes the current
-epic; the ordinary blocker-cleared sweep path then replaces `blocked` with
-`ready` on the next epic in the same pass. No special epic promotion exists or
-is required: the reconciler dispatches `blocked` before `epic`.
+there is no hidden global schedule. The epic carries `epic` and the
+repository's release label, with no queue label. Its `Blocked by` line is a
+declaration a human reads: shipping closes the predecessor, then triage opens
+the next window by hand as the first step of release-init. The issue-flow
+sweep does not promote version epics; automating that gate would require a
+separately specified change to its queue-category model.
 
 The gate orders windows, not their contents. Members enter a release only by
-decision during release-init. The double gate on heavy-duty/crew#163 and the
+decision during release-init. The double gate on
+[heavy-duty/crew#163](https://github.com/heavy-duty/crew/issues/163) and the
 out-of-chain track on [heavy-duty/crew#348](https://github.com/heavy-duty/crew/issues/348)
 are worked examples of exceptions declared where they apply.
 
 ## Release-init
 
-A `ready` version epic is the trigger, and today triage must notice it and run
-the cycle. [heavy-duty/ceremony#253](https://github.com/heavy-duty/ceremony/issues/253)
+The predecessor closing and clearing the next epic's declared gate is the
+trigger, and today triage must notice it and open that window by hand.
+[heavy-duty/ceremony#253](https://github.com/heavy-duty/ceremony/issues/253)
 tracks the not-yet-shipped sweep announcement of that duty; do not treat the
 announcement as present until the consumer's pin carries it. Triage runs five
 steps:
@@ -80,11 +83,14 @@ small crew-side bridge remains in the primary window.
 
 ## Flip mechanics
 
-To admit a member, strike its live `Blocked by <the epic>` declaration and
-swap `blocked` to `ready` in the same edit. Never preserve history by negating
-the marker phrase — the blocker parser unions declarations even when prose
-says they no longer apply. Preserve the old text only after striking or
-rewriting the parseable clause, then verify the parser's resulting set.
+To admit a member, delete or rewrite its literal, parseable
+`Blocked by <the epic>` declaration and swap `blocked` to `ready` in the same
+edit. Markdown or HTML strikethrough is insufficient: the blocker parser reads
+the raw marker text and still returns the reference. Never preserve history by
+negating the marker phrase — the parser unions declarations even when prose
+says they no longer apply. Preserve the history only after rewriting the
+marker into non-parseable prose, then verify that the parser returns an empty
+set for the release gate.
 
 Release membership is a decision, never a sweep default. Triage performs each
 flip only after the operator blesses the wave; the issue-flow sweep may resolve

changelog.d/248.md

@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 ### Added
 
-- Document the optional, operator-ruled release-epic flow for governed repositories.
+- Document the optional, operator-ruled release-epic flow for governed repositories. (#248)

docs/VENDORED.txt

@@ -3,3 +3,4 @@ TRIAGE.md
 BUILDER.md
 REVIEWER.md
 LABELS.md
+RELEASES.md

test/docs-sync.test.sh

@@ -18,6 +18,12 @@ SCRIPT="$ROOT/actions/docs-sync/docs-sync.sh"
 TMP="$(mktemp -d)"
 trap 'rm -rf "$TMP"' EXIT
 
+# RELEASES.md's consumer-availability promise is true only when the real
+# manifest carries it (#248's review round). The fixture cases below prove
+# manifest-driven behavior; this row binds that behavior to the promised file.
+check "real manifest includes the release doctrine" 0 "RELEASES.md" \
+  grep -Fx RELEASES.md "$ROOT/docs/VENDORED.txt"
+
 # --- fixture builders --------------------------------------------------------
 
 # The main fake ceremony tree: three manifest entries, one in a subdirectory