Production readiness: 10-item checklist complete

- Add exact scope statement to README, LIMITATIONS, VALIDATION, RELEASE_NOTES, NVIDIA_ENGINEERING_BRIEF
- Create docs/ACCURACY.md with error metrics and benchmark corpus
- Create docs/SAFE_USE.md with safe/caution/not-for tables
- Create docs/INSTALL_VERIFY.md with install, verify, smoke test
- Create docs/EXTERNAL_VALIDATION.md framework
- Create docs/REPRODUCIBILITY.md with seed/tolerance/gold policy
- Create docs/SUPPORT_POLICY.md and docs/SEMVER.md
- Create docs/benchmark_protocol.md with suite classification
- Create docs/CASE_STUDY_SOC.md (47% throughput reallocation)
- Create docs/CASE_STUDY_PARADIGM.md (SiC 232%, diamond 1387%)
- Add 20-case production benchmark suite with release gates
- Freeze gold outputs for regression detection
- Add scripts/release_check.py, freeze_gold_outputs.py, gather_accuracy_metrics.py
- Add --smoke flag to run_all_validations.py
- Add production suite + gold verify + release check to CI
- Add issue templates: validation_discrepancy, model_question
- Update README documentation table with all new docs
- Delete stale RELEASE_NOTES_v0.1.0.md
- Create reports/release_v1.0.0_benchmark_report.md

All release gates pass. 20/20 production cases valid. Gold outputs verified.

Author: Aethermor

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/model_question.md

@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+---
+name: Model Question
+about: Ask whether a specific use case is in scope or how to interpret results
+title: "[Model] "
+labels: question
+assignees: ''
+---
+
+**What are you trying to do?**
+Describe your engineering question or analysis goal.
+
+**What Aethermor features are you using?**
+Which modules, classes, or functions are involved?
+
+**What's unclear?**
+What part of the behavior or output is confusing or unexpected?
+
+**Have you checked the documentation?**
+- [ ] [docs/SAFE_USE.md](docs/SAFE_USE.md) — Is your use case listed?
+- [ ] [docs/ACCURACY.md](docs/ACCURACY.md) — Are the error metrics relevant?
+- [ ] [LIMITATIONS.md](LIMITATIONS.md) — Is your scenario within scope?
+
+**Environment**
+- Aethermor version: 
+- Python version: 

.github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/validation_discrepancy.md

@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+---
+name: Validation Discrepancy
+about: Report a case where Aethermor's output doesn't match your expected or measured value
+title: "[Validation] "
+labels: validation
+assignees: ''
+---
+
+**What did you benchmark?**
+Describe the chip, material, cooling configuration, or analytical case.
+
+**Expected value and source**
+What value did you expect, and where did it come from? (datasheet, measurement, textbook, other tool)
+
+**Aethermor value**
+What did Aethermor produce?
+
+**Script or code to reproduce**
+```python
+# Paste the code or command that produces the discrepancy
+```
+
+**Error magnitude**
+- Expected: 
+- Got: 
+- Delta: 
+- Percent error: 
+
+**Environment**
+- Aethermor version: 
+- Python version: 
+- OS: 
+
+**Additional context**
+Any relevant details about your setup, assumptions, or interpretation.

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -53,6 +53,15 @@ jobs:
       - name: Run case study - mobile SoC
         run: python benchmarks/case_study_mobile_soc.py
 
+      - name: Run production benchmark suite (20 cases, release gates)
+        run: python benchmarks/production_suite/run_production_suite.py
+
+      - name: Verify gold outputs (regression check)
+        run: python scripts/freeze_gold_outputs.py --verify-only
+
+      - name: Run release readiness check
+        run: python scripts/release_check.py
+
   security:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 20

LIMITATIONS.md

@@ -1,8 +1,11 @@
 # Scope and Model Architecture
 
 Aethermor is a **production thermal engineering toolkit** for chip thermal
-analysis, cooling tradeoffs, and compute-density optimization. This document
-describes what the project provides, the physics it models, and its
+analysis, cooling tradeoffs, and compute-density optimization.
+
+> **Scope: Production-stable for architecture-stage thermal exploration and inverse design; not intended for sign-off, transient package verification, or transistor-level thermal closure.**
+
+This document describes what the project provides, the physics it models, and its
 validation coverage.
 
 ---

NVIDIA_ENGINEERING_BRIEF.md

@@ -180,6 +180,8 @@ on a screen share, without writing a single line of Python.
 design space *before* committing to a detailed simulation — so your ANSYS runs
 confirm rather than surprise.
 
+> **Scope: Production-stable for architecture-stage thermal exploration and inverse design; not intended for sign-off, transient package verification, or transistor-level thermal closure.**
+
 **Note:** HotSpot (open-source, UVA) also provides fast thermal simulation with
 compact-model accuracy. Its HotFloorplan module supports layout-level
 optimization. Where Aethermor adds value is in substrate-aware inverse design

README.md

@@ -26,9 +26,7 @@ All models use real physics in SI units, validated against CODATA 2018, the CRC
 Handbook, ITRS/IRDS roadmaps, published specifications for real chips
 (NVIDIA A100, Apple M1, AMD EPYC, Intel i9-13900K), and published hardware
 measurements (JEDEC θ_jc thermal resistance, IR thermal imaging, HotSpot
-benchmarks). Aethermor is **production-ready** for architecture-stage
-thermal engineering — design-space exploration, material comparison,
-cooling-strategy tradeoffs, and compute-density optimization.
+benchmarks). **Scope: Production-stable for architecture-stage thermal exploration and inverse design; not intended for sign-off, transient package verification, or transistor-level thermal closure.**
 See [LIMITATIONS.md](LIMITATIONS.md) for scope and validation status.
 
 ---
@@ -377,8 +375,7 @@ validated with 680+ independent checks against:
 - Published JEDEC-standard thermal resistance measurements and IR thermal imaging data
 - HotSpot simulation benchmarks
 
-Aethermor is **production-ready** for architecture-stage thermal engineering:
-design-space exploration, material comparison, cooling-strategy tradeoffs.
+**Scope: Production-stable for architecture-stage thermal exploration and inverse design; not intended for sign-off, transient package verification, or transistor-level thermal closure.**
 Detailed die-level correlation with proprietary floorplan data is a
 planned next step.
 
@@ -388,11 +385,21 @@ See [LIMITATIONS.md](LIMITATIONS.md) for the full discussion.
 
 | Document | What It Covers |
 |----------|---------------|
-| [docs/CASE_STUDY.md](docs/CASE_STUDY.md) | Decision-changing case study: cooling vs substrate vs redistribution |
+| [docs/CASE_STUDY.md](docs/CASE_STUDY.md) | Case study: cooling vs substrate vs redistribution |
+| [docs/CASE_STUDY_SOC.md](docs/CASE_STUDY_SOC.md) | Case study: SoC bottleneck reallocation (47% throughput for free) |
+| [docs/CASE_STUDY_PARADIGM.md](docs/CASE_STUDY_PARADIGM.md) | Case study: material + paradigm selection (SiC 232%, diamond 1387%) |
+| [docs/ACCURACY.md](docs/ACCURACY.md) | Error metrics, benchmark corpus, operating envelope |
+| [docs/SAFE_USE.md](docs/SAFE_USE.md) | Safe / caution / not-for use-case tables |
+| [docs/INSTALL_VERIFY.md](docs/INSTALL_VERIFY.md) | Install, verify, smoke test, troubleshooting |
+| [docs/EXTERNAL_VALIDATION.md](docs/EXTERNAL_VALIDATION.md) | External correlation and pilot user framework |
+| [docs/REPRODUCIBILITY.md](docs/REPRODUCIBILITY.md) | Seed policy, tolerance policy, gold outputs |
+| [docs/benchmark_protocol.md](docs/benchmark_protocol.md) | Benchmark suite classification and release-gate thresholds |
 | [docs/API_REFERENCE.md](docs/API_REFERENCE.md) | Complete API reference — all classes, methods, parameters |
 | [VALIDATION.md](VALIDATION.md) | Physics validation methodology & references |
 | [LIMITATIONS.md](LIMITATIONS.md) | Scope, simplifications, path to hardware validation |
 | [HONEST_REVIEW.md](HONEST_REVIEW.md) | Self-audit with grades and competitive comparison |
+| [docs/SUPPORT_POLICY.md](docs/SUPPORT_POLICY.md) | Version support, response expectations, deprecation |
+| [docs/SEMVER.md](docs/SEMVER.md) | Semantic versioning policy |
 | [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) | Version history |
 | [RELEASE_NOTES_v1.0.0.md](RELEASE_NOTES_v1.0.0.md) | v1.0.0 release details |
 

RELEASE_NOTES_v0.1.0.md

@@ -2,10 +2,12 @@
 
 ## What's New in 1.0.0
 
-Aethermor v1.0.0 upgrades the project from Beta to **Production/Stable** for
-architecture-stage thermal engineering. The key addition is experimental
-measurement validation — closing the gap between "matches published specs" and
-"matches real hardware measurements."
+Aethermor v1.0.0 upgrades the project from Beta to **Production/Stable**.
+
+> **Scope: Production-stable for architecture-stage thermal exploration and inverse design; not intended for sign-off, transient package verification, or transistor-level thermal closure.**
+
+The key addition is experimental measurement validation — closing the gap between
+"matches published specs" and "matches real hardware measurements."
 
 ## Experimental Measurement Validation (18 checks)
 

RELEASE_NOTES_v1.0.0.md

@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 # Aethermor Validation Report
 
+> **Scope: Production-stable for architecture-stage thermal exploration and inverse design; not intended for sign-off, transient package verification, or transistor-level thermal closure.**
+
 **Verify everything:**
 ```bash
 python -m validation.validate_all              # 133 physics cross-checks