What a “Milestone” Means Here
In Project Aingeal, a milestone is not a marketing claim and not a feature announcement. It is a reproducible validation run that produces verifiable outputs: a bounded set of artifacts, a structured record, and integrity material (e.g., hashes) that another person can independently verify on their own machine.
Milestones are designed to demonstrate accountability and clarity — specifically: that the system can preserve decision-grade evidence of change at the time of authorization, not via later reconstruction.
Spine vs. Milestones
The Spine is the architectural foundation: the governed structure, naming, constraints, and workflows that keep every run consistent. It is not a “milestone” by itself because it is framework, not a validation run.
Milestones are executed checkpoints that run through the Spine and produce sealed, reviewable outputs. This separation matters: the Spine is how the project stays disciplined; milestones are how progress is proven.
How Independent Verification Works
Each milestone is designed so another person can validate integrity independently. In plain terms: a milestone produces an export package (typically a ZIP) and a matching SHA-256 file. If the hash verifies, the recipient knows the package is intact and unmodified from the moment it was generated.
Inside the package, the recipient can inspect the included run outputs (for example: records, chain log, and selected artifacts) and confirm continuity end-to-end.
Milestone Set: M001–M013
The milestone list below is a public-facing index. It names the checkpoints and explains the intent at a high level. The detailed evidence (run outputs + integrity material) is preserved in private validation packages.
M001 — Foundations: Vault + Sealed Records
Establishes the minimum tamper-evident record structure: deterministic hashing, sealed records, and a continuity log suitable for later auditing without reconstruction.
M002 — Reference Validation (MVT Side-by-Side)
Public, high-level comparison framing against established approaches. The goal is not to “replace” tools, but to clarify what Aingeal uniquely preserves: decision-grade records and provenance at the moment of authorization.
M003 — Controlled Execution Checklist
Defines a repeatable, restraint-first execution procedure to avoid ad hoc runs. Reinforces that “milestone” means reproducible output with verification material, not an anecdote.
M004 — Integrity Baseline
Demonstrates a baseline snapshot concept: record a known-good state, preserve it, and enable later comparisons against an authorized reference point.
M005 — Delta & Change Evidence
Demonstrates that changes are captured as “what changed / when / why authorized,” and represented as evidence artifacts — not as an automated judgment or enforcement action.
M006 — Engine Guardrails Validation
Confirms governed constraints: no background execution, no passive monitoring, no third-party collection, and no system control pathways.
M007 — Case Structuring (Early Form)
Validates early case organization concepts: consistent labeling, separation of runs, and evidence packaging that remains understandable months later.
M008 — Evidence Export Packaging
Demonstrates packaging discipline: bounded exports that include integrity material and allow independent review without requiring access to the original environment.
M009 — Governance Binder Alignment
Confirms that public-facing language and system behavior remain aligned: explanatory-only public content, and governed, user-initiated execution posture.
M010 — Watchtower Read-Only Verification Loop
Demonstrates read-only inspection of previously created records: verify continuity and report status without modifying evidence or “watching” anything in the background.
M011 — Vault Verify Continuity Checks
Validates that sealed records and the continuity log remain consistent, and that mismatches are detectable as integrity issues rather than “opinions.”
M012 — Snapshot Pairing (A/B) Discipline
Demonstrates controlled snapshot pairing across time: two user-authorized states captured as comparable evidence. This supports later review without needing to “guess what happened.”
M013 — Deterministic Export + Independent Verification Package
Confirms an export package can be shared to a third party for independent validation: ZIP + SHA-256 integrity file + bounded contents. If the hash verifies, the package is intact, and the recipient can review the included continuity outputs without needing your machine.
Relationship to Other Pages
The Architecture page explains the conceptual structure and data boundaries. Governance & Ethics documents constraints and permitted use. This Milestones page shows how progress is validated through repeatable, verifiable checkpoints — while keeping the public surface intentionally non-operational.