I read this as an independent verification - I will recompute and validate every requested binding without modifying any artifact.


I read this as independent verification - I completed read-only recomputation and isolated verification.

## PASS

No mismatches found.

- Isolated bundled verifier, run with `env -i ... /usr/bin/python3 -I -B verify_candidate.py verifier-input.json`, passed for both candidates. Pre/post candidate-tree fingerprints were identical.
- Successor: full `653cc2f0b47873e95f985ea3eb32b8f2c044d6de64cd9e8fe37ebcec67c7a723`; core `a03f84f7db67afe0ace8d31541dd373852af052fbb1a23a8e70dd96c6263f5ef`.
  - Manifest `23b72148af7412b292555107c6b29616d9436c437871787763667c9fb62fca26`
  - Checkpoint `6acc31bdf597dfb51151fb4c2cd76cb7da2ceb33579a8cd840490fbbfdbbd4be`
  - Verifier input `4fc3b6e46ae3e0e20fdf3dffe323268a14c0b37ebc05c9325f941b519920f8d5`
  - Freeze `07873d35557e5fc797786f6095bf7fe6bd957a0d200f034179fb129c9e0384ed`
- Superseded candidate remains valid and immutable: full `3b42723d...d527`, core `0cd460da...6f5b3`, manifest `c6d10ff1...8ccdd`, checkpoint `6f05fb3a...f0bcf`.
- Candidate modes: all candidate files `0400`, directories/root `0500`, no symlinks, all files single-link.
  - Old tree fingerprint `d502087d...25781`; 16 files, 5 subdirs.
  - New tree fingerprint `5e4ca5c9...121f2ef`; 19 files, 6 subdirs.
  - Freeze and supersession receipt are `0400`, single-link.

Integrity recomputation:
- Status: `ca1ce2705c0c406f30461e5f05e8d09468dee33348960c3650b6b98758895478`, 80,547 bytes, 1,294 NUL records; pre/post snapshots are byte-identical.
- New wheel: `af4a9d0a1ffffb6eb7551c1d6dc2b32853ca6d024332a4f8f5702bbf992f141b`, 8,105,936 bytes; 860 members; member digest `cf69ab359af54bfe5d7e4e6edd25c89a1869a4a0f9fbe2c5f21aaf4ec13cc364`; canonical ZIP timestamp.
- Old wheel: `367193718538f755971df1d2bfdc5851c3495bcd8c75f4cc16412aa0f19b1e12`, 8,105,890 bytes; 860 members; member digest `59fcdfb0407140eff2d29cc2a28b1e6b5c280859cb13e34007bbeef34e713fc5`.
- New closure artifact `c3e443f0...54380`; 2,374 entries; entry digest `7d7fb32d...d986dd`.
- Archive binding artifact `0f388e58...1752d`; canonical binding `b6f459ad...d3613`.
- Archive: 23 scopes; manifest `ca481144...a84c1`; receipt `e81a84a8...e7fb3`; scope digest `86478968...ff102`; canonical archive digest `644d74b0...43bcf`.
- Reconciliation artifact `7594fcfc...db2f`; four indexes digest `419511b6...cb0abe`; live index modes `0600`, sealed copies `0400`, with all four hashes matching.

Exact executable delta:
- Exactly one of 2,374 closure entries changed, digest `f3820c5f2dc5ec7170b53966bb3f84e71865f69252711128c98de92658a71355`:
  - `gateway/status.py`: `7a04d81f...c5115` / 60,499 / `0664` -> `8641bae4...d308c` / 60,653 / `0664`.
- `tests/gateway/test_status.py` is unchanged: `1976b3530484b105704fdf2bcf1c6302ec7416fcec33f675e515177ef7447c5d`, 59,025 bytes, `0664`.
- Current `/home/cube/projects/richard/hermes-agent` closure matched all 2,374 successor entries with zero mismatches. Current `gateway/status.py` is byte-identical to the successor wheel member.
- PID fix is present in source and wheel: cleanup now requires `primary_record is not None`, preserving unvalidated authority files fail-closed.
- Wheel member delta additionally contains only regenerated `RECORD` metadata; no additional executable-source member changed.

Archive and supersession:
- External archive manifest/receipt byte-match sealed copies; external modes are `0600`, archive root `0700`.
- Binding and reconciliation both declare `historical_execution_retargeted_to_successor: false`; `archive_restores: 0`.
- Supersession receipt `8805062af465e95e7ceb1eaa2c1b9bea02cf8d179b9af693c9dd18dc7ad401cd` exactly matches its derived 16-field receipt, links old/new digests, freeze, wheel, delta, test pin, and archive binding.

Cleanup/non-touch:
- No temporary `.task26-successor-*` directories or candidate `__pycache__` directories exist.
- No edits or profile/runtime/archive/service/network/Telegram/provider/Git actions were performed.