# Release Notes — v2.5 Candidate 16

**Release date:** August 27, 2026  
**Deployment mode:** Static production candidate  
**Rollback baseline:** v2.5 Candidate 15

## Purpose
Candidate 16 establishes two coordinated controls: a human-readable Master Evidence Registry and the first governed AI deployment-continuity context carried inside the deployment package itself.

## Changes
- Added `/evidence-cv/master-registry/` as the human-facing Master Evidence Registry.
- Changed “Open Master Registry” from raw JSON to the human-readable registry.
- Preserved `/evidence-cv/registry.json` as the machine-readable master representation.
- Synchronized the master registry with Applied Evidence, Public Evidence, Dissertation evidence, Deployment Provenance, ORCID identity infrastructure, and AI continuity context while preserving authority distinctions.
- Added root `AI_DEPLOYMENT_CONTEXT.md` and `AI_DEPLOYMENT_CONTEXT.json`.
- Registered the AI context files in `ai-manifest.json`, sitemap, and discovery structures.
- Advanced deployment RSS, deployment registry, and sitewide footer to Candidate 16.
- Preserved the static production architecture; no `/functions/` directory or API runtime was introduced.

## AI Continuity Research Boundary
Candidate 16 is the first release designed for later cold-start and cross-model continuity testing. Planned tests include memory-disabled ChatGPT and Claude receiving the same frozen control package and minimal task instruction. The package does not claim validated performance improvement yet.

Potential intellectual-property questions are preserved only as a research/IP-development lane. No claim of patentability, novelty, non-obviousness, or legal protectability is made without separate prior-art and legal review.

## Acceptance Gate
After deployment verify: custom production domain, Candidate 16 footer, mobile Master Registry, raw JSON availability, deployment RSS, AI context files, JSON/XML parsing, internal links, and preservation of Candidate 15 rollback package.