diff --git a/docs/reference/plans/2026-07-14-ssh-relay-github-release-implementation-checklist-summary.md b/docs/reference/plans/2026-07-14-ssh-relay-github-release-implementation-checklist-summary.md
index c40bbd3e6c7..5a40324b38c 100644
--- a/docs/reference/plans/2026-07-14-ssh-relay-github-release-implementation-checklist-summary.md
+++ b/docs/reference/plans/2026-07-14-ssh-relay-github-release-implementation-checklist-summary.md
@@ -21,8 +21,9 @@ Approved design decisions are listed separately and are not presented as impleme
- Active work package: exact runtime closure is green on all six native runner families. The first
metadata run failed closed before Windows build/upload because its linker-version probe was
silent and direct inspection found versionless Linux strip records. The bounded probe and reviewed
- Windows 19045/26100 build-floor corrections are locally green and await a fresh all-six native
- proof. Archive safety, oldest-baseline execution, and native trust remain open.
+ Windows 19045/26100 build-floor corrections fixed Linux, but linker help remained silent on both
+ Windows runners. Reading the hashed linker's PE file version is locally green and awaits a fresh
+ all-six native proof. Archive safety, oldest-baseline execution, and native trust remain open.
## Locked rollout decisions
diff --git a/docs/reference/plans/2026-07-14-ssh-relay-github-release-implementation-checklist.md b/docs/reference/plans/2026-07-14-ssh-relay-github-release-implementation-checklist.md
index d9b7c2762cb..e1acae31a28 100644
--- a/docs/reference/plans/2026-07-14-ssh-relay-github-release-implementation-checklist.md
+++ b/docs/reference/plans/2026-07-14-ssh-relay-github-release-implementation-checklist.md
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ work; keep exact commands, runner identities, hashes, metrics, and residual gaps
Date created: 2026-07-14
Last updated: 2026-07-14
-Current phase: Milestone 3 / Work Package 2 SBOM/provenance closure — **In progress — 2026-07-14, Codex implementation owner**; exact-head run [29368482959](https://github.com/stablyai/orca/actions/runs/29368482959) proves exact metadata/build equality and upload on all four POSIX cells but fails closed in both Windows contract-test cells before build or upload because direct no-argument `link.exe` invocation returns no selectable version line (E-M3-METADATA-CI-RED-001); artifact inspection also shows both Linux `strip` records contain a usage line rather than a version; exact implementation commit `e3f76d3ba` requests bounded linker help and GNU strip version output, encodes the reviewed single monotonic Windows build floors as x64 19045 and arm64 26100, and passes 20 files / 96 tests plus static gates under E-M3-METADATA-CORRECTION-LOCAL-001; the next exact-head run must pass all six native cells and direct metadata inspection before any remaining SBOM/provenance/toolchain box is checked; oldest-baseline, native-trust, cross-family remote, and measured-baseline gates remain open; production/default behavior and every tuple state remain unchanged; no bundled-runtime path is enabled
+Current phase: Milestone 3 / Work Package 2 SBOM/provenance closure — **In progress — 2026-07-14, Codex implementation owner**; exact-head run [29369350259](https://github.com/stablyai/orca/actions/runs/29369350259) proves corrected GNU strip versions, exact metadata/build equality, and upload on all four POSIX cells but shows `link.exe /?` is also silent when piped on both Windows architectures, which fail closed before build or upload (E-M3-METADATA-CI-RED-002); exact implementation commit `e85f0c700` retains SHA-256 of the resolved linker and reads its authenticated PE `FileVersion` through non-interactive PowerShell with the path passed as a positional argument, and passes 20 files / 97 tests plus static gates under E-M3-WINDOWS-LINKER-FILE-VERSION-LOCAL-001; the next exact-head run must pass all six native cells and direct metadata inspection before any remaining SBOM/provenance/toolchain box is checked; oldest-baseline, native-trust, cross-family remote, and measured-baseline gates remain open; production/default behavior and every tuple state remain unchanged; no bundled-runtime path is enabled
Primary design: [SSH relay GitHub Release plan](./2026-07-14-ssh-relay-github-release-plan.html)
Motivating issues: [#8450](https://github.com/stablyai/orca/issues/8450), [#1693](https://github.com/stablyai/orca/issues/1693)
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ same change as the work it records.
per-target opt-in selects bundled-preferred behavior, and implementing the setting does not
authorize default-on rollout or legacy removal (E-M1-ROLLOUT-DECISION-001).
- Legacy fallback removal: not authorized.
-- Next required action: push exact correction commit `e3f76d3ba` plus its evidence-ledger head and
+- Next required action: push exact correction commit `e85f0c700` plus its evidence-ledger head and
rerun all six target-native cells. Require exact SPDX ownership, archive-scoped document identity,
commit-pinned builder identity, resolved runner identity, complete bounded tool records with
SHA-256, clean-build metadata equality, smoke, upload, and regenerated Windows identities before
@@ -6294,6 +6294,91 @@ the bounded depth` before opening or parsing a candidate. Starting at the comple
native-trust boxes remain unchecked.
- Follow-up: push the exact implementation and ledger head, then require all six native jobs plus
direct inspection of every uploaded metadata document before closing the metadata/toolchain gate.
+- Subsequent native evidence: E-M3-METADATA-CI-RED-002 disproves the locally inferred
+ `link.exe /?` behavior;
+ both hosted Windows architectures remain silent when the help output is piped by Node.
+
+### E-M3-METADATA-CI-RED-002 — Linker help remains silent on native Windows
+
+- Date: 2026-07-14
+- Commit SHA / PR: exact tested head `c906c21ce117021885ec4db68c62ef28c141d7ba`;
+ stacked draft PR [#8741](https://github.com/stablyai/orca/pull/8741)
+- Runner: [GitHub Actions run 29369350259](https://github.com/stablyai/orca/actions/runs/29369350259),
+ final conclusion `failure` after 6m15s. Native job IDs: Linux x64 `87208675566`, Linux arm64
+ `87208675357`, macOS x64 `87208675363`, macOS arm64 `87208675377`, Windows x64 `87208675364`,
+ and Windows arm64 `87208675391`.
+- Remote and transport: none; target-native artifact-only build workflow
+- Exact evidence commands:
+
+ ```sh
+ gh run view 29369350259 --repo stablyai/orca --json status,conclusion,headSha,jobs
+ gh api repos/stablyai/orca/actions/jobs/87208675364/logs
+ gh api repos/stablyai/orca/actions/jobs/87208675391/logs
+ gh api repos/stablyai/orca/actions/runs/29369350259/artifacts
+ gh run download 29369350259 --repo stablyai/orca --dir /tmp/orca-8450-metadata-red-29369350259
+ # Parse every downloaded identity/SPDX/provenance document and hash every archive locally.
+ ```
+
+- Result: EXPECTED RED. Linux x64 completed in 2m53s, Linux arm64 in 3m30s, macOS arm64 in 2m52s,
+ and macOS x64 in 6m14s; each passed native contracts, built twice, smoked, compared every
+ runtime/archive/identity/SPDX/provenance byte exactly, and uploaded. Windows x64 failed in 1m24s
+ and Windows arm64 in 3m51s at the same linker-version selector before input download, build,
+ smoke, comparison, or upload. Explicit `link.exe /?` is still silent when invoked through the
+ bounded Node child-process pipe on both hosted MSVC environments. The four POSIX artifact IDs are
+ Linux x64 `8325461679`, Linux arm64 `8325476952`, macOS arm64 `8325460610`, and macOS x64
+ `8325542377`; no Windows artifact exists for this run.
+- Downloaded-artifact audit: all four archive hashes match identity and provenance; every SPDX
+ namespace is scoped to the exact archive SHA-256; all 34 Linux and 35 macOS files have exactly one
+ package owner and eight dependency relationships; builder URLs pin exact commit `c906c21ce`;
+ runner identities are complete; Linux x64/arm64 now record `GNU strip (GNU Binutils for Ubuntu)
+2.42`; and no tool record contains a usage line. POSIX content IDs remain unchanged.
+- Oracle proved: the corrected GNU version probe works and stays reproducible on both Linux
+ architectures; all four POSIX metadata contracts are complete for this head; direct linker banner
+ parsing is not a portable Windows provenance source and fails closed on both native architectures.
+- Does not prove: Windows metadata/build output, regenerated Windows content identities, native
+ linker file versions, oldest baselines, native trust/signing, SSH, publication, or an enabled tuple.
+- Checklist items satisfied: no new completion box; the compiler/toolchain item remains in progress.
+- Follow-up: retain SHA-256 of the resolved linker but obtain its actual PE file version without
+ relying on linker stdout/stderr, then rerun every native cell from one exact head.
+
+### E-M3-WINDOWS-LINKER-FILE-VERSION-LOCAL-001 — Authenticated linker PE version
+
+- Date: 2026-07-14
+- Commit SHA / PR: exact implementation commit
+ `e85f0c700c1bd40e76e08ef5063f9b3128acb600`; stacked draft PR
+ [#8741](https://github.com/stablyai/orca/pull/8741)
+- Runner: local macOS 26.2 build 25C56, Darwin 25.2.0 arm64 on Apple Silicon; Node v26.0.0 and
+ pnpm 10.24.0 for pure invocation/metadata tests
+- Remote and transport: none; artifact-only local contract tests
+- Exact evidence commands:
+
+ ```sh
+ pnpm exec vitest run --config config/vitest.config.ts \
+ config/scripts/ssh-relay-*.test.mjs \
+ src/main/ssh/ssh-relay-artifact-selector.test.ts
+ pnpm run typecheck
+ pnpm run lint
+ pnpm exec oxfmt --check \
+ config/scripts/ssh-relay-runtime-toolchain.mjs \
+ config/scripts/ssh-relay-runtime-toolchain.test.mjs
+ git diff --check
+ ```
+
+- Result: PASS. Twenty test files passed 97 tests; typecheck, full lint and its
+ reliability/localization/line-budget sub-gates, focused formatting, and diff checks passed. The
+ linker record still hashes the resolved `link.exe` bytes. Its version now comes from
+ `System.Diagnostics.FileVersionInfo` through `pwsh.exe -NoLogo -NoProfile -NonInteractive`; the
+ resolved path is a separate positional argument and is never interpolated into executable script
+ text. Only a bounded numeric three- or four-component file version is accepted.
+- Oracle proved: the native-silent banner is no longer a provenance dependency; exact linker bytes
+ remain authenticated; paths containing spaces cannot alter the PowerShell expression; malformed,
+ missing, or nonnumeric file versions still fail closed.
+- Does not prove: the PE file-version call on either native Windows architecture, the exact returned
+ linker versions, Windows build/equality/upload, regenerated Windows content IDs, oldest baselines,
+ native trust/signing, SSH, publication, or an enabled tuple.
+- Checklist items satisfied: local correction only; the compiler/toolchain item remains unchecked.
+- Follow-up: push this exact implementation plus the ledger head and require all six native jobs and
+ direct inspection of every uploaded metadata document before closing the metadata/toolchain gate.
## Accepted Gaps
@@ -6352,7 +6437,7 @@ The project is not complete until every applicable item below is checked with ev
## Next Required Action
-Push exact correction commit `e3f76d3ba` plus this evidence-ledger head and rerun all six
+Push exact correction commit `e85f0c700` plus this evidence-ledger head and rerun all six
target-native cells. Require exact SPDX ownership, archive-scoped document identity, commit-pinned
builder identity, resolved runner identity, complete bounded tool records with SHA-256, clean-build
metadata equality, smoke, upload, and regenerated Windows content identities before checking the