diff --git a/.github/workflows/docs-deploy.yml b/.github/workflows/docs-deploy.yml
index 2f94e747..ca172826 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docs-deploy.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docs-deploy.yml
@@ -25,6 +25,10 @@ jobs:
         with:
           ref: ${{ github.sha }}
           persist-credentials: false
+      - uses: actions/setup-go@b7ad1dad31e06c5925ef5d2fc7ad053ef454303e # v7
+        with:
+          go-version-file: go.mod
+          cache: true
       - uses: actions/setup-node@949feb2413d6458794dcd2491c4babbbce0c15c1 # v7
         with:
           node-version: '24'
@@ -32,6 +36,10 @@ jobs:
       - run: npm ci
         env:
           ELECTRON_SKIP_BINARY_DOWNLOAD: '1'
+      - name: Initialize protocol artifacts and SDK for example tests
+        run: |
+          npm run generate
+          npm run build
       - run: npm install --prefix "$RUNNER_TEMP/wrangler" --no-save wrangler@4.140.0
       - run: echo "$RUNNER_TEMP/wrangler/node_modules/.bin" >> "$GITHUB_PATH"
       - run: npm run check:docs
diff --git a/apps/docs/README.md b/apps/docs/README.md
index 7671613f..7e546b56 100644
--- a/apps/docs/README.md
+++ b/apps/docs/README.md
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ npm run storybook:docs            # http://localhost:6007
 npm run build:storybook:docs
 ```
 
+On a clean checkout, run `npm run generate` with the Go version in `go.mod`
+before `test:docs`. The published SDK examples are typechecked against the actual
+SDK source and its generated protocol declarations. This test prerequisite does
+not add an SDK or daemon dependency to the deployed site.
+
 Install Chromium once with `npx playwright install chromium` (CI uses
 `--with-deps`). Browser tests require a completed `build:docs`, build Storybook
 automatically, and start static servers on ports 3101 and 6008. Content-independent
diff --git a/docs/release-readiness.md b/docs/release-readiness.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..57197616
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/release-readiness.md
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+# Development release after backend reorganization
+
+The reorganization froze development at `271c0f8d2a35648d1b45056d57432590b783483c`
+(protocol 6.9). The release PR targets older main
+`88764670f1c6e2a57e22463e96cfb0d6021aea33` (protocol 6.8). Strict equality with
+that older main also rejects intentional features already present before the
+reorganization. The frozen baseline, SDK, generated protocol, database schema,
+and runtime behavior are unchanged by this release-readiness repair.
+
+## Historical differences checked for this release
+
+| Origin | Observable change in the deterministic compatibility fixture |
+| --- | --- |
+| [f62b5eec6](https://github.com/context-labs/whip/commit/f62b5eec628b2d583793aa788dc2eb677941e0f8) — concrete effort vocabulary | Protocol minor 8 → 9; new root session and agent effort resolves from empty to `low`. |
+| [54fca9c1a](https://github.com/context-labs/whip/commit/54fca9c1af25fb85bbf581f05ed5a401bcc5fb2f) — title generation | Removes `session.autotitle`; advertises `session_title_notifications`; admission emits one `session.title.updated` event before `turn.started`. This advances subsequent event/trace sequences and cursors by one. The fallback title grows from 64 to 128 characters, and user messages retain their originating turn. |
+| [12f0ea076](https://github.com/context-labs/whip/commit/12f0ea076) — native folder creation | Adds `host.directory.create` beside `host.directory.pick`. |
+| [b8cc56a48](https://github.com/context-labs/whip/commit/b8cc56a48d781998784fc7ce1cc541bea2cd59fb) — conversation cleanup | An empty compaction model selects the conversation's model/provider rather than a built-in DeepSeek route. Configuration/provider revision hashes change accordingly. Assistant messages retain recording timestamps. |
+
+These differences were reproduced in both Linux and macOS release CI artifacts;
+their normalized parent and frozen-reference transcripts match across platforms.
+They are expectations for this exact historical release pair, not permission
+for further changes to these fields.
+
+`scripts/backend-compat/release-transition.mjs` checks the old values before
+constructing the expected release transcript. It requires that transcript to
+match both the independently built frozen reference and the candidate, including
+all untouched fields, event order, payloads, counts, identities and cursors.
+The ordinary immediate-base comparison remains strict for every other base SHA.
+Existing fixed-SDK, generated-artifact, lifecycle, schema, checkpoint, trace and
+base → candidate → base rollback checks remain enabled.
+
+## Docs deployment prerequisite
+
+The deployment workflow omitted protocol generation after generated files
+stopped being tracked. The same prerequisite was already restored in regular
+docs CI by [567bdebba](https://github.com/context-labs/whip/commit/567bdebbae9aa21a7a09a7686a979824ea998a51).
+Set up Go from `go.mod`, generate the protocol and build the SDK before checking
+the published examples. The static site still has no SDK or daemon runtime
+dependency.
+
+## Release acceptance
+
+Require full CI, the docs preview deployment, and isolated desktop acceptance
+before merging development to main. Exercise REPL/child state and traces through
+the compatibility lifecycle/rollback scenarios; verify the shared renderer's
+REPL, agent, provider and effort controls; and run the staged desktop lifecycle
+smoke against temporary homes. These checks use local fixture providers and
+must not consume personal provider credentials or existing sessions.
diff --git a/scripts/backend-compat/README.md b/scripts/backend-compat/README.md
index b9bb7412..b15d88fe 100644
--- a/scripts/backend-compat/README.md
+++ b/scripts/backend-compat/README.md
@@ -62,6 +62,15 @@ forces two separate fixture fragments; smaller fragments could validly coalesce
 and would be a poor exact-event regression oracle. Comparator tests prove that
 response, omission, error, cursor, event order/count and identity mutations fail.
 
+The release from main `88764670` to the pre-reorganization development baseline
+has an explicit, commit-scoped expectation for previously reviewed protocol 6.8
+→ 6.9 features. See [release readiness](../../docs/release-readiness.md) for the
+source commits and every expected difference. The gate checks those exact old
+values and requires the result to match both the frozen reference and candidate.
+It does not skip the immediate-base comparison or normalize away changed fields.
+All other base revisions retain strict equality, and all rollback checks remain
+enabled. The frozen baseline and source/artifact freeze are unchanged.
+
 This is a cross-cutting regression gate, not exhaustive behavioral equivalence.
 It does not replace existing provider encoding/retry tests, detailed trace body
 and pagination tests, REPL/mail/budget tests, or product acceptance. Add focused
diff --git a/scripts/backend-compat/release-transition.mjs b/scripts/backend-compat/release-transition.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e4ba54d7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/backend-compat/release-transition.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { compare } from './compare.mjs';
+
+// The already reviewed features between main and the frozen pre-reorganization
+// development baseline. This expectation applies to this exact pair only.
+// Provenance and scope: docs/release-readiness.md.
+export const releaseTransition = {
+  base: '88764670f1c6e2a57e22463e96cfb0d6021aea33',
+  baseline: '271c0f8d2a35648d1b45056d57432590b783483c',
+};
+
+function replace(object, key, before, after) {
+  assert.ok(Object.hasOwn(object, key), `missing release source field ${key}`);
+  assert.deepEqual(object[key], before, `unexpected release source field ${key}`);
+  object[key] = after;
+}
+
+function add(object, key, value) {
+  assert.ok(!Object.hasOwn(object, key), `release source already has ${key}`);
+  object[key] = value;
+}
+
+export function expectedReleaseTranscript(parent) {
+  const expected = structuredClone(parent);
+  const { initialization, configuration, updated, provider, initial, snapshot, history, live, replay } = expected;
+
+  // f62b5eec6: protocol 6.9 and concrete effort resolved at session creation.
+  replace(initialization, 'protocol_minor', 8, 9);
+  for (const state of [initial, snapshot]) {
+    replace(state.meta, 'effort', '', 'low');
+    replace(state.agents[0], 'effort', '', 'low');
+  }
+
+  // b8cc56a48: compaction defaults to the conversation model/provider. Revision
+  // hashes are exact fixture values, not wildcarded configuration differences.
+  for (const state of [configuration, updated]) replace(state, 'compact_model', 'deepseek-v4-flash-0731', '');
+  replace(configuration, 'revision', 'f82bc34858a0838f80a01e6e9b9c319905987aa2721f374d499a3b918f555f85', '4f2ca9fffdfa2e329309d36d357715e0abdaca3765524f3d651a0dbaef8de834');
+  for (const state of [updated, provider]) replace(state, 'revision', 'a5719c0971e0b596bcc0ae551e8d8f85b84c0f28a3337b8252b416a3b271e44f', 'aa5d3e546d8cbfd6980e2452c78200a2419b5d88ea4d1b35fd61ad745d2a3b68');
+
+  // 12f0ea076: create a folder from the native directory picker.
+  const operations = initialization.operations;
+  assert.ok(!operations.some(operation => operation.name === 'host.directory.create'));
+  const picker = operations.findIndex(operation => operation.name === 'host.directory.pick');
+  assert.ok(picker >= 0, 'release source lost directory picker');
+  operations.splice(picker, 0, { name: 'host.directory.create', surface: 'rpc', execution: 'ephemeral', permission: 'host-runtime' });
+
+  // 54fca9c1a: title ownership moved to admission, replacing the explicit
+  // autotitle command with a notification and an ordered durable title event.
+  const autotitle = operations.findIndex(operation => operation.name === 'session.autotitle');
+  assert.ok(autotitle >= 0, 'release source lost autotitle');
+  assert.deepEqual(operations[autotitle], { name: 'session.autotitle', surface: 'runtime', execution: 'command', permission: 'root-association' });
+  operations.splice(autotitle, 1);
+  for (const capabilities of [initialization.capabilities, initialization.negotiated_capabilities]) {
+    assert.ok(!capabilities.includes('session_title_notifications'));
+  }
+  initialization.capabilities.push('session_title_notifications');
+  const engine = initialization.negotiated_capabilities.indexOf('execution_engines');
+  assert.ok(engine >= 0, 'release source lost execution engine capability');
+  initialization.negotiated_capabilities.splice(engine, 0, 'session_title_notifications');
+  const title = 'A'.repeat(127) + '…';
+  replace(snapshot.meta, 'title', 'A'.repeat(63) + '…', title);
+  for (const events of [live, replay.events]) {
+    assert.deepEqual(events.map(event => event.kind), ['command.queued', 'turn.started', 'span.started', 'stream.text', 'stream.text', 'turn.succeeded', 'span.ended']);
+    for (let i = 0; i < events.length; i++) {
+      assert.equal(events[i].seq, String(i + 1));
+      if (i === 0) continue;
+      if (events[i].kind.startsWith('span.')) replace(events[i].payload, 'updated_seq', String(i + 1), String(i + 2));
+      events[i].seq = String(i + 2);
+    }
+    const event = { root_id: events[0].root_id, seq: '2', kind: 'session.title.updated', payload: { title } };
+    if (Object.hasOwn(events[0], 'subscription_id')) event.subscription_id = events[0].subscription_id;
+    events.splice(1, 0, event);
+  }
+  replace(replay, 'latest', '7', '8');
+  replace(snapshot, 'cursor', '7', '8');
+  replace(snapshot.accounting, 'revision', '7', '8');
+  replace(snapshot.agents[0].last_turn, 'event_seq', '6', '7');
+  for (const messages of [snapshot.messages, history.messages.map(entry => entry.message)]) {
+    assert.equal(messages[0].role, 'user');
+    add(messages[0], 'presentation', { version: 1, turn_id: snapshot.agents[0].last_turn.turn_id });
+    // b8cc56a48: preserve assistant recording time in the durable transcript.
+    assert.equal(messages[1].role, 'assistant');
+    add(messages[1], 'sent_at', '<timestamp>');
+  }
+  return expected;
+}
+
+export function comparePRBase(parent, candidate, { baseRevision, baselineRevision, baseline, label }) {
+  if (baseRevision !== releaseTransition.base) {
+    compare(parent, candidate, label);
+    return 'strict';
+  }
+  assert.equal(baselineRevision, releaseTransition.baseline, 'release expectation belongs to a different frozen baseline');
+  const expected = expectedReleaseTranscript(parent);
+  // Prove the exception describes the pre-reorganization reference itself.
+  // A new candidate response can never become its own compatibility oracle.
+  compare(expected, baseline, `${label}: reviewed pre-reorganization transition`);
+  compare(expected, candidate, label);
+  return 'reviewed 6.8 to 6.9 transition';
+}
diff --git a/scripts/backend-compat/release-transition.test.mjs b/scripts/backend-compat/release-transition.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f37b210d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/backend-compat/release-transition.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict';
+import { test } from 'node:test';
+import { comparePRBase, releaseTransition } from './release-transition.mjs';
+
+function transcript(upgraded) {
+  const revision = upgraded ? 'aa5d3e546d8cbfd6980e2452c78200a2419b5d88ea4d1b35fd61ad745d2a3b68' : 'a5719c0971e0b596bcc0ae551e8d8f85b84c0f28a3337b8252b416a3b271e44f';
+  const title = 'A'.repeat(upgraded ? 127 : 63) + '…';
+  const kinds = ['command.queued', ...(upgraded ? ['session.title.updated'] : []), 'turn.started', 'span.started', 'stream.text', 'stream.text', 'turn.succeeded', 'span.ended'];
+  const events = kinds.map((kind, i) => ({ root_id: 'root', seq: String(i + 1), kind,
+    payload: kind === 'session.title.updated' ? { title } : kind.startsWith('span.') ? { updated_seq: String(i + 1), trace_id: 'trace' } : { text: 'preserved payload' },
+  }));
+  const messages = () => [
+    { role: 'user', content: 'input', ...(upgraded ? { presentation: { version: 1, turn_id: 'turn' } } : {}) },
+    { role: 'assistant', content: 'output', ...(upgraded ? { sent_at: '<timestamp>' } : {}) },
+  ];
+  const effort = upgraded ? 'low' : '';
+  return {
+    initialization: {
+      protocol_minor: upgraded ? 9 : 8,
+      capabilities: ['commands', 'execution_engines', ...(upgraded ? ['session_title_notifications'] : [])],
+      negotiated_capabilities: ['commands', ...(upgraded ? ['session_title_notifications'] : []), 'execution_engines'],
+      operations: [
+        ...(upgraded ? [{ name: 'host.directory.create', surface: 'rpc', execution: 'ephemeral', permission: 'host-runtime' }] : []),
+        { name: 'host.directory.pick', surface: 'rpc', execution: 'query', permission: 'host-runtime' },
+        ...(!upgraded ? [{ name: 'session.autotitle', surface: 'runtime', execution: 'command', permission: 'root-association' }] : []),
+      ],
+    },
+    configuration: { compact_model: upgraded ? '' : 'deepseek-v4-flash-0731', revision: upgraded ? '4f2ca9fffdfa2e329309d36d357715e0abdaca3765524f3d651a0dbaef8de834' : 'f82bc34858a0838f80a01e6e9b9c319905987aa2721f374d499a3b918f555f85' },
+    updated: { compact_model: upgraded ? '' : 'deepseek-v4-flash-0731', revision },
+    provider: { revision, name: 'unchanged provider' },
+    initial: { meta: { effort }, agents: [{ effort }] },
+    snapshot: { meta: { effort, title }, agents: [{ effort, last_turn: { turn_id: 'turn', event_seq: upgraded ? '7' : '6' } }],
+      cursor: upgraded ? '8' : '7', accounting: { revision: upgraded ? '8' : '7' }, messages: messages() },
+    history: { messages: messages().map(message => ({ message })) },
+    live: events.map(event => ({ ...structuredClone(event), subscription_id: 'subscription' })),
+    replay: { latest: upgraded ? '8' : '7', events },
+    error: { code: -32000, message: 'unchanged error', data: null },
+  };
+}
+
+const options = () => ({ baseRevision: releaseTransition.base, baselineRevision: releaseTransition.baseline, baseline: transcript(true), label: 'test release' });
+
+test('accepts the exact reviewed historical transition without modifying inputs', () => {
+  const parent = transcript(false), candidate = transcript(true);
+  assert.equal(comparePRBase(parent, candidate, options()), 'reviewed 6.8 to 6.9 transition');
+  assert.deepEqual(parent, transcript(false));
+  assert.deepEqual(candidate, transcript(true));
+});
+
+for (const [name, mutate] of Object.entries({
+  effort: value => { value.snapshot.meta.effort = 'high'; },
+  configuration: value => { value.configuration.revision = 'unexpected'; },
+  provider: value => { value.provider.name = 'changed provider'; },
+  error: value => { value.error.data = {}; },
+  title: value => { value.live[1].payload.title = 'different title'; },
+  eventOrder: value => { value.live.reverse(); },
+  eventCount: value => { value.replay.events.splice(1, 1); },
+  cursor: value => { value.snapshot.cursor = '9'; },
+  identity: value => { value.history.messages[0].message.presentation.turn_id = 'other-turn'; },
+  addedField: value => { value.snapshot.meta.new_field = true; },
+})) test(`rejects an additional candidate ${name} change`, () => {
+  const candidate = transcript(true); mutate(candidate);
+  assert.throws(() => comparePRBase(transcript(false), candidate, options()), assert.AssertionError);
+});
+
+test('an unexpected historical value cannot be overwritten by a release expectation', () => {
+  const parent = transcript(false); parent.initial.meta.effort = 'off';
+  assert.throws(() => comparePRBase(parent, transcript(true), options()), /unexpected release source field effort/);
+});
+
+test('release expectations must describe the independently built frozen baseline', () => {
+  const config = options(); config.baseline.updated.compact_model = 'another-model';
+  assert.throws(() => comparePRBase(transcript(false), transcript(true), config), /reviewed pre-reorganization transition/);
+  assert.throws(() => comparePRBase(transcript(false), transcript(true), { ...options(), baselineRevision: '0'.repeat(40) }), /different frozen baseline/);
+});
+
+test('every other PR base retains exact transcript equality', () => {
+  const config = { ...options(), baseRevision: '1'.repeat(40) };
+  assert.throws(() => comparePRBase(transcript(false), transcript(true), config), assert.AssertionError);
+  assert.equal(comparePRBase(transcript(true), transcript(true), config), 'strict');
+});
diff --git a/scripts/backend-compat/run.mjs b/scripts/backend-compat/run.mjs
index 63a7b271..05469140 100644
--- a/scripts/backend-compat/run.mjs
+++ b/scripts/backend-compat/run.mjs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import { join, resolve } from 'node:path';
 import { parseArgs } from 'node:util';
 import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url';
 import { compare } from './compare.mjs';
+import { comparePRBase } from './release-transition.mjs';
 import { loadSDK, smoke, lifecycle, rollback } from './scenarios.mjs';
 
 const { values } = parseArgs({ options: { candidate: { type: 'string' }, base: { type: 'string' }, output: { type: 'string' } } });
@@ -83,7 +84,7 @@ try {
   for (const path of manifest.generatedPaths) compare(await tree(join(baseline, path)), await tree(join(candidate, path)), `fresh generated ${path}`);
   compare(await tree(join(baseline, 'packages/sdk/dist')), await tree(join(candidate, 'packages/sdk/dist')), 'compiled SDK artifact freeze');
   evidence.artifacts = { baselineBinary: digest(await readFile(baseBinary)), parentBinary: digest(await readFile(parentBinary)), candidateBinary: digest(await readFile(candidateBinary)), sdk: await tree(join(baseline, 'packages/sdk/dist')), protocol: await tree(join(baseline, 'packages/protocol/generated')), lockfile: digest(await readFile(join(baseline, 'package-lock.json'))) };
-  await command(process.execPath, ['--test', fileURLToPath(new URL('./compare.test.mjs', import.meta.url))]);
+  await command(process.execPath, ['--test', ...['compare.test.mjs', 'release-transition.test.mjs'].map(name => fileURLToPath(new URL(name, import.meta.url)))]);
   const sdk = await loadSDK(baseline);
   // Every invocation gets new state, including repeated calibration runs.
   const runs = await mkdtemp(join(output, 'runs-'));
@@ -103,7 +104,10 @@ try {
     compare(reference, actual, `${transport} fixed-SDK differential`);
     const parentTranscript = parentBinary === baseBinary ? reference : await smoke(sdk, parentBinary, join(runs, `parent-${transport}`), transport);
     await writeFile(join(runs, `parent-${transport}.json`), JSON.stringify(parentTranscript, null, 2));
-    compare(parentTranscript, actual, `${transport} immediate-PR-base differential`);
+    evidence.results[`${transport}PRBase`] = comparePRBase(parentTranscript, actual, {
+      baseRevision: evidence.parentRevision, baselineRevision: manifest.revision,
+      baseline: reference, label: `${transport} immediate-PR-base differential`,
+    });
     evidence.results[transport] = 'passed: calibrated response/error/event transcript';
   }
   for (const [name, binary] of [['baseline', baseBinary], ['candidate', candidateBinary]]) {