[IanFrelinger]

Summary

This is the release commit for 0.4.0. It follows steps 4 to 7 and step 9 of the "Before you tag" section of docs/RELEASE_RUNBOOK.md, the same way #828 did for 0.3.0.

nuget.org and GHCR keep serving 0.3.0 until v0.4.0 is published. The owner delegated the release decision on 2026-10-25, and the decision is recorded in the SPEC-007 decisions log (#861).

Changes

• Step 4, version files: VERSION, ci/published-version and consumer-template/Directory.Packages.props (AshlarConsumerPackageVersion) all move to 0.4.0 together.
• Step 5, trust rows: the trust row in consumer-template/CONSUMING.md now names the 0.4.0 pin. Trust behaviour is unchanged, because nothing under src/Ashlar.Certification.Contracts changed since v0.3.0.
• Step 6, docs sweep: the release-commit-pin wording now appears in these files:
  • consumer-template/CONSUMING.md, docs/AuthoringBricks.md, docs/DistributionModels.md, docs/certification-evidence.md and docs/TesterQuickstart.md;
  • README.md: the docker example stays on :0.3.0, the image that exists today;
  • assets/brand/BRAND.md, docs/SdkCompatibilityPolicy.md (the 0.4.x line), SECURITY.md and docs/sdk.md.
• Step 7, PublicAPI review: no line moves.
  • Ashlar.Abstractions keeps the same 160 ASHLAREXP002 lines it had at v0.3.0, under the owner decision of 2026-10-13.
  • The other five PublicAPI.Unshipped.txt files contain only the header.
  • The stable API added since v0.3.0 (BrickInput.TryGet, BrickOutput.Get/TryGet, BrickInputValidation and BrickInputValidationException) went straight into PublicAPI.Shipped.txt for Brick.Contracts. The notes list it.
• CHANGELOG: the [Unreleased] section is folded into [0.4.0] - 2026-10-25. Four new sections at the top cover:
  • the version pin;
  • the new packages, Ashlar.Bricks.GitHub and Ashlar.Mcp.Server.Host (dnx);
  • the PublicAPI review;
  • what 0.4.0 changes by default (step 9). Egress behaviour is unchanged: AirGapped and SecureWorkstation still enforce by default, SecureWorkstation keeps the ASHLAR_EGRESS_MODE=report break-glass, and AirGapped ignores it. The Authoring dependency change is restated here.
• Merged work in the fold: every merged entry since 0.3.0 now sits under 0.4.0, including ashlar new brick: restore hint says nuget.org is enough for a published version #863, Authoring: drop the Ashlar.Hosting dependency (first restore 998 MiB → 144 MiB), no public API change #866, mcp bricks: fail closed when the audit record cannot be written #868, mcp host: stop pruning the brick audit trail after ten server starts #869, mcp: record the calls the bridge refuses (unknown tool names, gate denials) #870, mcp bricks: hash-chain the audit records so tampering is detectable #873 and fix(github.blockers): read required checks and reviews without admin rights (F1–F3) #874. github.blockers: quote text read from GitHub so it reaches the answer as data #872's change is a bullet under fix(github.blockers): read required checks and reviews without admin rights (F1–F3) #874's github.blockers entry.

Testing

• bash scripts/release-preflight-local.sh 0.4.0 in the devtest container: Preflight OK.
  • Pack-graph alignment: OK (17 packed, 16 from MSBuild, 1 allowlisted extra).
  • Stable SDK host sample packages: OK.
  • 0.4.0 is not yet on nuget.org.
• bash scripts/verify-docs-published-version.sh: C6 ok (published=0.4.0, VERSION=0.4.0, template=0.4.0).
• bash scripts/ci/run-repo-gates.sh: all 43 gates passed. The knowledge graph is current.

Checklist

• Documentation updated
• Breaking changes are documented. There is no public API break. The Authoring dependency change and its migration (reference Ashlar.Hosting.Bundle) are in the notes.

Release

• Preflight: bash scripts/release-preflight-local.sh 0.4.0
• After merge (runbook step 8): dispatch release-nuget.yml with 0.4.0-rc1 from this commit, then verify the rc1 on nuget.org.
• Step 10: bash scripts/release/readiness-verdict-for-sha.sh <merge SHA> must print VERIFIED. After that, a ReleaseSignOff row for the verified SHA.
• Tag: push v0.4.0 on the verified SHA (release.yml). The owner runs the dispatch and the tag. After the release, re-pin deploy/node.yml's digest.