diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index ceddcdeb..05e3ad04 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-.PHONY: help demo test lint ci clean bench-leakage bench-multi-negatives bench-baseline bench-hidden-active bench-cluster-split bench-expert-ablation bench-expert-ablation-500 bench-selectivity bench-feature-decomp bench-gate bench-easy-baseline bench-charge-matched bench-order-dependent bench-precision-at-k bench-per-family bench-simulation-ablation bench-simulation-ablation-within-amp simulation-gate bench-strategy-compare regenerate-all generate phase3 pilot validate-scoring validate-scoring-phase3 validate-scoring-strict external-pilot pilot-confident presynth-qc gold-standard diversity synthesis-order novelty-broad external-consensus questionnaire gate-check ip-report benchmark-card wave0-5-gate-check wave0-5-novelty-audit wave0-5-novelty-audit-v2 wave0-5-panel wave0-5-evidence wave0-5-fill-external wave0-5b-generate wave0-5b-filter recalibration-engine recalibration-engine-dry-run validate-policy-version generate-synthetic-lab-results bump-policy-version generate-review-packet failed-candidate-report safe-publication-filter classify-negative-informativeness validate-rejection-events negative-result-dashboard calibration-audit calibration-audit-example calibration-overfit-check result-quality-filter synthetic-result-policy-check calibration-decision-checklist calibration-rollback-plan simulation-registry validate-simulation-result-schema simulation-baseline-check adapter-gate-check simulation-provenance simulation-ensemble-check simulation-ci-report simulation-deprecation-check simulation-scope-check simulation-evidence-packet artifact-version candidate-manifest artifact-changelog integration-check adapter-author-check license-check artifact-compat-check contribution-check adoption-scorecard release-gate-check decision-log release-request-check coi-check rotation-plan-check security-report-check citation-check
+.PHONY: help demo test lint ci clean bench-leakage bench-multi-negatives bench-baseline bench-hidden-active bench-cluster-split bench-expert-ablation bench-expert-ablation-500 bench-selectivity bench-feature-decomp bench-gate bench-easy-baseline bench-charge-matched bench-order-dependent bench-precision-at-k bench-per-family bench-simulation-ablation bench-simulation-ablation-within-amp simulation-gate bench-strategy-compare regenerate-all generate phase3 pilot validate-scoring validate-scoring-phase3 validate-scoring-strict external-pilot pilot-confident presynth-qc gold-standard diversity synthesis-order novelty-broad external-consensus questionnaire gate-check ip-report benchmark-card wave0-5-gate-check wave0-5-novelty-audit wave0-5-novelty-audit-v2 wave0-5-panel wave0-5-evidence wave0-5-fill-external wave0-5b-generate wave0-5b-filter recalibration-engine recalibration-engine-dry-run validate-policy-version generate-synthetic-lab-results bump-policy-version generate-review-packet failed-candidate-report safe-publication-filter classify-negative-informativeness validate-rejection-events negative-result-dashboard calibration-audit calibration-audit-example calibration-overfit-check result-quality-filter synthetic-result-policy-check calibration-decision-checklist calibration-rollback-plan simulation-registry validate-simulation-result-schema simulation-baseline-check adapter-gate-check simulation-provenance simulation-ensemble-check simulation-ci-report simulation-deprecation-check simulation-scope-check simulation-evidence-packet artifact-version candidate-manifest artifact-changelog integration-check adapter-author-check license-check artifact-compat-check contribution-check adoption-scorecard release-gate-check decision-log release-request-check coi-check rotation-plan-check security-report-check citation-check roadmap-sync-check
 
 PYTHON := $(shell [ -f .venv/bin/python ] && echo .venv/bin/python || echo python3)
 PYTEST  := $(shell [ -f .venv/bin/pytest ] && echo .venv/bin/pytest || echo pytest)
@@ -870,3 +870,8 @@ citation-check:
 	.venv/bin/openamp-foundry citation-check \
 		--citation-json '{"artifact_id":"OAMP-v0.7.5","citation_type":"software","title":"OpenAMP Foundry","version":"v0.7.5","authors":["Open-Problem-Lab"],"year":"2026","license_identifier":"MIT","reuse_class":"open","url":"https://github.com/Open-Problem-Lab/OpenAMP-Foundry","bibtex_key":"openamp_foundry_2026"}'
 	@echo "Citation check complete."
+
+roadmap-sync-check:
+	.venv/bin/openamp-foundry roadmap-sync-check \
+		--entry-json '{"item_id":"J8","phase":"J","description":"Add roadmap-to-issue sync checklist","priority":"B","sync_status":"synced","issue_number":807}'
+	@echo "Roadmap sync check complete."
diff --git a/docs/evidence/METRICS_CURRENT.md b/docs/evidence/METRICS_CURRENT.md
index 725e60b2..e5fe6f06 100644
--- a/docs/evidence/METRICS_CURRENT.md
+++ b/docs/evidence/METRICS_CURRENT.md
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@ Machine-readable snapshot: `outputs/metrics_snapshot.json` regenerated with `mak
 > **Purpose:** One authoritative table of current pipeline metrics. If any doc disagrees
 > with this file, this file wins. Updated whenever benchmark/benchmark config changes.
 >
-> **Last updated:** 2026-07-09 (Phase J J7 — citation and reuse guide — v0.7.5)
+> **Last updated:** 2026-07-09 (Phase J J8 — roadmap-to-issue sync checklist — v0.7.6)
+> **New in v0.7.6:** Roadmap-to-issue sync checklist (J8 — Loop 116) — docs/governance/ROADMAP_ISSUE_SYNC_CHECKLIST.md with 5-section sync checklist (roadmap items → issues, issues → roadmap, completed items, priority alignment, version consistency). src/openamp_foundry/governance/roadmap_sync.py with RoadmapSyncEntry dataclass (10 fields: item_id, phase, description, priority, sync_status, issue_number, pr_number, completed, completion_date, dry_lab_only), RoadmapSyncResult dataclass (5 fields: item_id, phase, passed, errors, warnings, dry_lab_only=True), VALID_SYNC_STATUSES (5: synced, missing_issue, orphaned_issue, stale, completed), VALID_PRIORITY_LEVELS (4: A, B, C, D), VALID_PHASES (7: E, F, G, H, I, J, K), validate_roadmap_sync_entry() (8 checks: non-empty item_id, valid phase, non-empty description, valid priority, valid sync_status, dry_lab_only must be True, completed must have completion_date, completion_date must be YYYY-MM-DD; priority A + missing_issue warns, stale warns, orphaned_issue warns, no issue_number warns), validate_roadmap_sync_dict() (5 required fields guard). CLI (openamp-foundry roadmap-sync-check) with --entry-json, --format text|json. make roadmap-sync-check target. 24 tests. Keeps strategy actionable: roadmap sync entries are now machine-validated.
+>
 > **New in v0.7.5:** Citation and reuse guide (J7 — Loop 115) — docs/governance/CITATION_AND_REUSE_GUIDE.md with citation formats (inline, BibTeX), reuse table (4 artifact types, open/attribution_required/contact_required/restricted classes), attribution requirements, honest-use boundary. src/openamp_foundry/governance/citation_policy.py with CitationEntry (11 fields: artifact_id, citation_type, title, version, authors, year, license_identifier, reuse_class, url, bibtex_key, dry_lab_only), CitationValidationResult (6 fields, dry_lab_only=True), VALID_CITATION_TYPES (4: dataset, method, schema, software), VALID_REUSE_CLASSES (4: attribution_required, contact_required, open, restricted), VALID_LICENSE_IDENTIFIERS (5: Apache-2.0, CC-BY-4.0, CC-BY-NC-4.0, MIT, Proprietary), validate_citation_entry() (9 checks: non-empty artifact_id, valid citation_type, non-empty title, non-empty version, non-empty authors, 4-digit year, valid license_identifier, valid reuse_class, dry_lab_only must be True; restricted warns, contact_required+no-url warns, empty bibtex_key warns), validate_citation_dict() (8 required fields guard). CLI (openamp-foundry citation-check) with --citation-json, --format text|json. make citation-check target. 24 tests. Ecosystem clarity: citation entries are now machine-validated.
 >
 > **New in v0.7.4:** Security policy (J6 — Loop 114) — `docs/governance/SECURITY_POLICY.md` with private vulnerability reporting process, response timeline (48h acknowledgment, 30d patch), severity classification (critical/high/medium/low), 5 vulnerability categories (code_vulnerability, secret_leakage, dependency_vulnerability, safety_guardrail_bypass, dual_use_risk), out-of-scope items, disclosure process. `src/openamp_foundry/governance/security_policy.py` with `VulnerabilityReport` dataclass (9 fields: report_id, severity, category, description, affected_version, reporter_handle, report_date, status, dry_lab_only), `SecurityReportValidationResult` dataclass (6 fields, dry_lab_only=True), `VALID_SEVERITY_LEVELS` (4: critical, high, medium, low), `VALID_VULNERABILITY_CATEGORIES` (5: code_vulnerability, secret_leakage, dependency_vulnerability, safety_guardrail_bypass, dual_use_risk), `VALID_REPORT_STATUSES` (6: received, acknowledged, under_review, patched, disclosed, not_applicable), `validate_vulnerability_report()` (9 checks: report_id SEC- prefix, valid severity, valid category, non-empty description, non-empty affected_version, non-empty reporter_handle, YYYY-MM-DD date, valid status, dry_lab_only must be True; critical+received warning, safety_guardrail_bypass warning), `validate_report_dict()` (dict input with 8 required fields guard). CLI (`openamp-foundry security-report-check`) with `--report-json`, `--format text|json`. `make security-report-check` target. 18 tests. Dry-lab only. Private vulnerability reporting now has a validated structure and documented process.
@@ -104,7 +106,7 @@ Machine-readable snapshot: `outputs/metrics_snapshot.json` regenerated with `mak
 > **New in v0.5.31:** Added dipeptide-order features for sequence-order awareness. `dipeptide_order_score` achieves AUROC 0.7861 on AMP-vs-scrambled discrimination — the strongest order-dependent feature in the pipeline. Only 7/31 features survive scrambling (amphipathicity/helix-wheel + dipeptide). All composition features are purely position-independent (exactly 0.5000 AUROC on scrambled test).
 > **New in v0.5.30:** Easy baseline benchmark added — charge density alone (AUROC 0.8166) outperforms the full pipeline ensemble (0.7792) on AMP-vs-Swiss-Prot-decoy discrimination. Honest finding documented: expected because pipeline optimizes for safety, not raw discrimination.
 > **New in v0.5.29:** Expanded benchmark to 500 AMPs + 500 composition-matched decoys (n=1000). AUROC 0.7792 (CI₉₅: 0.7505–0.8065) confirms signal generalizes. Cluster-aware CI: 0.746–0.8102. Representative AUROC: 0.778. Standard benchmark (n=191) retained for backward comparison.
-> **Pipeline version:** v0.7.5 (J7 — citation and reuse guide)
+> **Pipeline version:** v0.7.6 (J8 — roadmap-to-issue sync checklist)
 > **Branch:** main
 
 ---
diff --git a/docs/governance/ROADMAP_ISSUE_SYNC_CHECKLIST.md b/docs/governance/ROADMAP_ISSUE_SYNC_CHECKLIST.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c305281a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/governance/ROADMAP_ISSUE_SYNC_CHECKLIST.md
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+# Roadmap-to-Issue Sync Checklist
+
+This checklist ensures that items in `docs/research/ROADMAP.md` and
+`docs/research/NEXT_100_PR_MAP.md` remain actionable by keeping them linked
+to tracked GitHub issues or pull requests.
+
+## Purpose
+
+The roadmap drives research direction. Without linking roadmap items to GitHub
+issues, work can stall, duplicate, or drift from the stated plan. This
+checklist is run by maintainers before each release and can be validated
+by the CLI tool `openamp-foundry roadmap-sync-check`.
+
+## Sync Checklist (run before each release)
+
+### 1. Roadmap items → Issues
+
+For each open item in ROADMAP.md and NEXT_100_PR_MAP.md:
+
+- [ ] Item has a corresponding open GitHub issue or PR number
+- [ ] Issue title matches the roadmap item description closely
+- [ ] Issue is assigned to a milestone matching the roadmap version
+- [ ] Issue labels include `roadmap` and the relevant phase (e.g. `phase-j`)
+- [ ] Issue body references the roadmap item by ID (e.g. `J8`)
+
+### 2. Issues → Roadmap
+
+For each open issue labeled `roadmap`:
+
+- [ ] Issue maps to a specific item in ROADMAP.md or NEXT_100_PR_MAP.md
+- [ ] No orphaned issues labeled `roadmap` without a matching roadmap item
+- [ ] Closed issues are reflected in the roadmap as `✓` completed items
+
+### 3. Completed items
+
+For each completed (✓) item in ROADMAP.md:
+
+- [ ] Corresponding GitHub issue or PR is closed
+- [ ] PR number is referenced in the roadmap entry
+- [ ] METRICS_CURRENT.md is updated with the version bump
+- [ ] ROADMAP.md entry includes the completion date
+
+### 4. Priority alignment
+
+- [ ] NEXT_100_PR_MAP.md priority column (A/B/C/D) reflects current bottlenecks
+- [ ] Top-priority items (A) have open issues already filed
+- [ ] No item has been at priority A for more than 2 release cycles without progress
+
+### 5. Version consistency
+
+- [ ] ROADMAP.md versions match METRICS_CURRENT.md pipeline version
+- [ ] Each version bump in ROADMAP.md has a corresponding git tag or PR
+- [ ] No version appears in ROADMAP.md without a corresponding METRICS_CURRENT.md entry
+
+## Machine Validation
+
+Roadmap sync entries can be validated with:
+
+```bash
+openamp-foundry roadmap-sync-check --entry-json '{\"item_id\": \"J8\", ...}'
+```
+
+See `src/openamp_foundry/governance/roadmap_sync.py` for the RoadmapSyncEntry schema.
+
+## When to Run
+
+- Before every minor version release
+- When adding new items to NEXT_100_PR_MAP.md
+- When closing issues labeled `roadmap`
+- Monthly, as part of the governance review cycle
+
+## Linked Policies
+
+- [docs/research/ROADMAP.md](../research/ROADMAP.md) — live roadmap
+- [docs/research/NEXT_100_PR_MAP.md](../research/NEXT_100_PR_MAP.md) — backlog
+- [docs/evidence/METRICS_CURRENT.md](../evidence/METRICS_CURRENT.md) — version history
+- [GOVERNANCE.md](../../GOVERNANCE.md) — governance structure
+- [docs/governance/MAINTAINER_ROTATION_PLAN.md](MAINTAINER_ROTATION_PLAN.md) — maintainer responsibilities
diff --git a/docs/research/ROADMAP.md b/docs/research/ROADMAP.md
index ed349b48..cfbafa41 100644
--- a/docs/research/ROADMAP.md
+++ b/docs/research/ROADMAP.md
@@ -1,5 +1,29 @@
 # Roadmap
 
+## v0.7.6 — Loop 116: Phase J J8 — Roadmap-to-Issue Sync Checklist ✓ (2026-07-09)
+
+`docs/governance/ROADMAP_ISSUE_SYNC_CHECKLIST.md` with 5-section checklist:
+roadmap items → issues (5 checks), issues → roadmap (3 checks), completed
+items (4 checks), priority alignment (3 checks), version consistency (3 checks).
+
+`src/openamp_foundry/governance/roadmap_sync.py` with `RoadmapSyncEntry`
+dataclass (10 fields: item_id, phase, description, priority, sync_status,
+issue_number, pr_number, completed, completion_date, dry_lab_only),
+`RoadmapSyncResult` dataclass (5 fields, dry_lab_only=True),
+`VALID_SYNC_STATUSES` (5: synced, missing_issue, orphaned_issue, stale,
+completed), `VALID_PRIORITY_LEVELS` (4: A, B, C, D), `VALID_PHASES` (7:
+E, F, G, H, I, J, K), `validate_roadmap_sync_entry()` (8 checks + 4 warning
+conditions), `validate_roadmap_sync_dict()` (5 required fields guard).
+
+CLI (`openamp-foundry roadmap-sync-check`) with `--entry-json` (required),
+`--format text|json`. Handler `_run_roadmap_sync_check` in reports.py.
+
+`make roadmap-sync-check` target. 24 tests. **3624 total.**
+
+Keeps strategy actionable: roadmap sync entries are machine-validated,
+priority A items without issues get an immediate warning, and stale or
+orphaned items are flagged for cleanup.
+
 ## v0.7.5 — Loop 115: Phase J J7 — Citation and Reuse Guide ✓ (2026-07-09)
 
 `docs/governance/CITATION_AND_REUSE_GUIDE.md` with citation formats (inline,
diff --git a/src/openamp_foundry/cli/commands/reports.py b/src/openamp_foundry/cli/commands/reports.py
index 30f41d39..7097a39c 100644
--- a/src/openamp_foundry/cli/commands/reports.py
+++ b/src/openamp_foundry/cli/commands/reports.py
@@ -2715,3 +2715,37 @@ def _run_citation_check(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
             print("  Citation entry validated. Ready for publication reference.")
 
     return 0 if result.passed else 3
+
+
+def _run_roadmap_sync_check(args: argparse.Namespace) -> int:
+    """Validate a roadmap sync entry."""
+    import json as _json
+    from openamp_foundry.governance.roadmap_sync import validate_roadmap_sync_dict
+
+    try:
+        d = _json.loads(args.entry_json)
+    except _json.JSONDecodeError as exc:
+        print(_json.dumps({"status": "error", "error": f"Invalid JSON: {exc}"}))
+        return 2
+
+    if not isinstance(d, dict):
+        print(_json.dumps({"status": "error", "error": "--entry-json must be a JSON object"}))
+        return 2
+
+    result = validate_roadmap_sync_dict(d)
+    output_format = getattr(args, "format", "text")
+
+    if output_format == "json":
+        import dataclasses
+        print(_json.dumps(dataclasses.asdict(result), indent=2))
+    else:
+        status = "PASS" if result.passed else "FAIL"
+        print(f"Roadmap sync entry {result.item_id} (phase {result.phase}): {status}")
+        for e in result.errors:
+            print(f"  ERROR: {e}")
+        for w in result.warnings:
+            print(f"  WARN:  {w}")
+        if result.passed:
+            print("  Roadmap sync entry validated. Strategy is actionable.")
+
+    return 0 if result.passed else 3
diff --git a/src/openamp_foundry/cli/main.py b/src/openamp_foundry/cli/main.py
index 305dafba..a8e97a61 100644
--- a/src/openamp_foundry/cli/main.py
+++ b/src/openamp_foundry/cli/main.py
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 from openamp_foundry.cli.commands.reports import _run_rotation_plan_check
 from openamp_foundry.cli.commands.reports import _run_security_report_check
 from openamp_foundry.cli.commands.reports import _run_citation_check
+from openamp_foundry.cli.commands.reports import _run_roadmap_sync_check
 
 import argparse
 import json
@@ -1962,6 +1963,24 @@ def build_parser() -> argparse.ArgumentParser:
         help="Output format (default: text).",
     )
 
+    # ── Roadmap sync check (Phase J J8) ─────────────────────────────
+    rsc = sub.add_parser(
+        "roadmap-sync-check",
+        help=(
+            "Validate a roadmap-to-issue sync entry. Ensures roadmap items "
+            "are tracked and actionable. Dry-lab only."
+        ),
+    )
+    rsc.add_argument(
+        "--entry-json", type=str, required=True,
+        help="JSON string of a RoadmapSyncEntry dict (required).",
+    )
+    rsc.add_argument(
+        "--format", type=str, default="text",
+        choices=["text", "json"],
+        help="Output format (default: text).",
+    )
+
     # ── Simulation-result confidence interval report (H7) ────────────
     sicr = sub.add_parser(
         "simulation-ci-report",
@@ -2221,6 +2240,9 @@ def main(argv: list[str] | None = None) -> int:
     if args.command == "citation-check":
         return _run_citation_check(args)
 
+    if args.command == "roadmap-sync-check":
+        return _run_roadmap_sync_check(args)
+
     parser.error("unknown command")
     return 2
 
diff --git a/src/openamp_foundry/governance/roadmap_sync.py b/src/openamp_foundry/governance/roadmap_sync.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c225356b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/openamp_foundry/governance/roadmap_sync.py
@@ -0,0 +1,162 @@
+"""Roadmap-to-issue sync validation for OpenAMP Foundry."""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import re
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from typing import List, Optional
+
+VALID_SYNC_STATUSES: set[str] = {
+    "synced",
+    "missing_issue",
+    "orphaned_issue",
+    "stale",
+    "completed",
+}
+VALID_PRIORITY_LEVELS: set[str] = {"A", "B", "C", "D"}
+VALID_PHASES: set[str] = {
+    "E",
+    "F",
+    "G",
+    "H",
+    "I",
+    "J",
+    "K",
+}
+
+
+@dataclass
+class RoadmapSyncEntry:
+    """A single roadmap item with its sync status."""
+
+    item_id: str
+    phase: str
+    description: str
+    priority: str
+    sync_status: str
+    issue_number: Optional[int] = None
+    pr_number: Optional[int] = None
+    completed: bool = False
+    completion_date: str = ""
+    dry_lab_only: bool = True
+
+
+@dataclass
+class RoadmapSyncResult:
+    """Result of validating a RoadmapSyncEntry."""
+
+    item_id: str
+    phase: str
+    passed: bool
+    errors: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
+    warnings: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
+    dry_lab_only: bool = True
+
+
+def validate_roadmap_sync_entry(entry: RoadmapSyncEntry) -> RoadmapSyncResult:
+    """Validate a RoadmapSyncEntry against policy rules."""
+    errors: list[str] = []
+    warnings: list[str] = []
+
+    if not entry.item_id or not entry.item_id.strip():
+        errors.append("item_id must be non-empty")
+
+    if entry.phase not in VALID_PHASES:
+        errors.append(
+            f"phase must be one of {sorted(VALID_PHASES)}, got: {entry.phase!r}"
+        )
+
+    if not entry.description or not entry.description.strip():
+        errors.append("description must be non-empty")
+
+    if entry.priority not in VALID_PRIORITY_LEVELS:
+        errors.append(
+            f"priority must be one of {sorted(VALID_PRIORITY_LEVELS)}, "
+            f"got: {entry.priority!r}"
+        )
+
+    if entry.sync_status not in VALID_SYNC_STATUSES:
+        errors.append(
+            f"sync_status must be one of {sorted(VALID_SYNC_STATUSES)}, "
+            f"got: {entry.sync_status!r}"
+        )
+
+    if not entry.dry_lab_only:
+        errors.append("dry_lab_only must be True for roadmap sync entries")
+
+    # Completed items must have a completion_date
+    if entry.completed and not entry.completion_date:
+        errors.append(
+            "completed items must have a non-empty completion_date"
+        )
+
+    # completion_date must be YYYY-MM-DD if provided
+    if entry.completion_date and not re.match(r"^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$", entry.completion_date):
+        errors.append(
+            f"completion_date must be YYYY-MM-DD, got: {entry.completion_date!r}"
+        )
+
+    # Warnings
+    if entry.sync_status == "missing_issue" and entry.priority == "A":
+        warnings.append(
+            "priority A item has sync_status 'missing_issue': "
+            "file a GitHub issue immediately"
+        )
+
+    if entry.sync_status == "stale":
+        warnings.append(
+            "sync_status is 'stale': this item may have drifted from the "
+            "roadmap — review and update"
+        )
+
+    if entry.sync_status == "orphaned_issue":
+        warnings.append(
+            "sync_status is 'orphaned_issue': a GitHub issue exists with "
+            "no matching roadmap item — add to roadmap or close the issue"
+        )
+
+    if entry.issue_number is None and not entry.completed:
+        warnings.append(
+            "no issue_number: open a GitHub issue to track this roadmap item"
+        )
+
+    return RoadmapSyncResult(
+        item_id=entry.item_id,
+        phase=entry.phase,
+        passed=len(errors) == 0,
+        errors=errors,
+        warnings=warnings,
+        dry_lab_only=True,
+    )
+
+
+def validate_roadmap_sync_dict(d: dict) -> RoadmapSyncResult:
+    """Validate a dict representation of a RoadmapSyncEntry."""
+    required = [
+        "item_id",
+        "phase",
+        "description",
+        "priority",
+        "sync_status",
+    ]
+    missing = [f for f in required if f not in d]
+    if missing:
+        return RoadmapSyncResult(
+            item_id=d.get("item_id", ""),
+            phase=d.get("phase", ""),
+            passed=False,
+            errors=[f"Missing required fields: {missing}"],
+            dry_lab_only=True,
+        )
+    entry = RoadmapSyncEntry(
+        item_id=d["item_id"],
+        phase=d["phase"],
+        description=d["description"],
+        priority=d["priority"],
+        sync_status=d["sync_status"],
+        issue_number=d.get("issue_number"),
+        pr_number=d.get("pr_number"),
+        completed=d.get("completed", False),
+        completion_date=d.get("completion_date", ""),
+        dry_lab_only=d.get("dry_lab_only", True),
+    )
+    return validate_roadmap_sync_entry(entry)
diff --git a/tests/governance/test_roadmap_sync.py b/tests/governance/test_roadmap_sync.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b5203536
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/governance/test_roadmap_sync.py
@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+"""Tests for roadmap-to-issue sync validation."""
+import pytest
+from openamp_foundry.governance.roadmap_sync import (
+    VALID_PHASES,
+    VALID_PRIORITY_LEVELS,
+    VALID_SYNC_STATUSES,
+    RoadmapSyncEntry,
+    RoadmapSyncResult,
+    validate_roadmap_sync_dict,
+    validate_roadmap_sync_entry,
+)
+
+
+def _valid_entry(**kwargs) -> RoadmapSyncEntry:
+    defaults = dict(
+        item_id="J8",
+        phase="J",
+        description="Add roadmap-to-issue sync checklist",
+        priority="B",
+        sync_status="synced",
+        issue_number=807,
+        pr_number=807,
+        completed=False,
+        completion_date="",
+        dry_lab_only=True,
+    )
+    defaults.update(kwargs)
+    return RoadmapSyncEntry(**defaults)
+
+
+class TestValidSyncEntry:
+    def test_valid_entry_passes(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry())
+        assert result.passed is True
+        assert result.errors == []
+
+    def test_result_has_correct_item_id(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry())
+        assert result.item_id == "J8"
+
+    def test_result_has_correct_phase(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry())
+        assert result.phase == "J"
+
+    def test_all_phases_accepted(self):
+        for phase in VALID_PHASES:
+            result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry(phase=phase))
+            assert result.passed is True, f"Expected phase {phase} to pass"
+
+    def test_all_priorities_accepted(self):
+        for priority in VALID_PRIORITY_LEVELS:
+            result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry(priority=priority))
+            assert result.passed is True, f"Expected priority {priority} to pass"
+
+    def test_all_sync_statuses_accepted(self):
+        for status in VALID_SYNC_STATUSES:
+            result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry(sync_status=status))
+            assert result.passed is True, f"Expected status {status} to pass"
+
+    def test_completed_entry_with_date_passes(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(
+            _valid_entry(completed=True, completion_date="2026-07-09")
+        )
+        assert result.passed is True
+
+
+class TestInvalidSyncEntry:
+    def test_empty_item_id_fails(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry(item_id=""))
+        assert result.passed is False
+        assert any("item_id" in e for e in result.errors)
+
+    def test_invalid_phase_fails(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry(phase="Z"))
+        assert result.passed is False
+        assert any("phase" in e for e in result.errors)
+
+    def test_empty_description_fails(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry(description=""))
+        assert result.passed is False
+        assert any("description" in e for e in result.errors)
+
+    def test_invalid_priority_fails(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry(priority="E"))
+        assert result.passed is False
+        assert any("priority" in e for e in result.errors)
+
+    def test_invalid_sync_status_fails(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry(sync_status="unknown"))
+        assert result.passed is False
+        assert any("sync_status" in e for e in result.errors)
+
+    def test_dry_lab_only_false_fails(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry(dry_lab_only=False))
+        assert result.passed is False
+        assert any("dry_lab_only" in e for e in result.errors)
+
+    def test_completed_without_date_fails(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(
+            _valid_entry(completed=True, completion_date="")
+        )
+        assert result.passed is False
+        assert any("completion_date" in e for e in result.errors)
+
+    def test_invalid_completion_date_format_fails(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(
+            _valid_entry(completed=True, completion_date="09-07-2026")
+        )
+        assert result.passed is False
+        assert any("completion_date" in e for e in result.errors)
+
+
+class TestSyncWarnings:
+    def test_priority_a_missing_issue_warns(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(
+            _valid_entry(priority="A", sync_status="missing_issue")
+        )
+        assert result.passed is True
+        assert any("missing_issue" in w for w in result.warnings)
+
+    def test_stale_status_warns(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry(sync_status="stale"))
+        assert result.passed is True
+        assert any("stale" in w for w in result.warnings)
+
+    def test_orphaned_issue_warns(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(
+            _valid_entry(sync_status="orphaned_issue")
+        )
+        assert result.passed is True
+        assert any("orphaned_issue" in w for w in result.warnings)
+
+    def test_no_issue_number_warns(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(
+            _valid_entry(issue_number=None, sync_status="missing_issue")
+        )
+        assert result.passed is True
+        assert any("issue_number" in w for w in result.warnings)
+
+
+class TestValidateRoadmapSyncDict:
+    def test_valid_dict_passes(self):
+        d = {
+            "item_id": "J8",
+            "phase": "J",
+            "description": "Add roadmap-to-issue sync checklist",
+            "priority": "B",
+            "sync_status": "synced",
+            "issue_number": 807,
+        }
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_dict(d)
+        assert result.passed is True
+
+    def test_missing_fields_fails(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_dict({"item_id": "J8"})
+        assert result.passed is False
+        assert any("Missing" in e for e in result.errors)
+
+
+class TestConstants:
+    def test_valid_sync_statuses_has_5(self):
+        assert len(VALID_SYNC_STATUSES) == 5
+
+    def test_valid_priority_levels_has_4(self):
+        assert len(VALID_PRIORITY_LEVELS) == 4
+
+    def test_valid_phases_has_7(self):
+        assert len(VALID_PHASES) == 7
+
+    def test_all_results_dry_lab_only_true(self):
+        result = validate_roadmap_sync_entry(_valid_entry())
+        assert result.dry_lab_only is True
diff --git a/tests/test_test_count_regression.py b/tests/test_test_count_regression.py
index e5fc127a..b41cee02 100644
--- a/tests/test_test_count_regression.py
+++ b/tests/test_test_count_regression.py
@@ -2,11 +2,11 @@
 import subprocess
 import sys
 
-# Baseline: 3599 tests as of Loop 115 (2026-07-09) -- Phase J J7 (citation and reuse guide)
+# Baseline: 3624 tests as of Loop 116 (2026-07-09) -- Phase J J8 (roadmap-to-issue sync checklist)
 # Note: 3 pre-existing collection errors in test_benchmark_calibration.py,
 # test_benchmark_charge_distribution.py, test_benchmark_cheap_enemies.py.
 # Raise threshold if legitimate tests are removed; lower threshold is okay.
-BASELINE = 3599
+BASELINE = 3624
 TOLERANCE = 0.05  # allow 5% fluctuation