Release authoring checklist

Use this checklist when turning the living unreleased story into a tagged AppSurface release.

Before the release branch or tag

• make sure the pull request queue has updated unreleased.md
• regroup the story so the opening narrative explains what changed and why it matters
• confirm every breaking or behavior-changing update has migration guidance
• update CHANGELOG.md so the compact ledger matches the narrative release note

When cutting the tagged release note

• start from the tagged release template
• replace provisional language with tagged facts: version, date, shipped scope, and finalized migration steps
• keep the trust bar accurate for the release state and archive location
• link the tagged note from CHANGELOG.md

After the tag ships

• trim unreleased.md back to the next in-flight version
• keep only still-unreleased items in the proof artifact
• verify the /docs release hub resolves to the new tagged note and current policy pages