diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 5da7e84564..e9b64d0ee6 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -1013,6 +1013,13 @@ PROVIDER_LIMITS_SYNC_SPACING_MS=1500
 # to disable the check. Used by: src/lib/db/migrationRunner.ts.  Default: 50.
 #OMNIROUTE_MAX_PENDING_MIGRATIONS=50
 
+# Working directory for the check:install-upgrade release gate. It builds two ~3 GB
+# install trees plus a ~275 MB tarball, so it needs roughly 12 GB — more than the
+# 12 GB RAM-backed tmpfs that /tmp is on the self-hosted runner, where it exhausted
+# the tmpfs and npm silently truncated the package. Defaults to <repo>/.install-upgrade
+# on real disk. Used by: scripts/check/check-install-upgrade.mjs.  Default: <repo>/.install-upgrade.
+#OMNIROUTE_INSTALL_UPGRADE_WORKDIR=/var/tmp/omniroute-install-upgrade
+
 # Trust user-managed RTK project filter rules without strict signature checks.
 # Used by: open-sse/services/compression/engines/rtk/filterLoader.ts.  Default: 0.
 #OMNIROUTE_RTK_TRUST_PROJECT_FILTERS=0
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml b/.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml
index a3caead30c..37578d6e4f 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/docker-publish.yml
@@ -195,6 +195,13 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Build and push BUN base platform image by digest
         id: build-bun-base
+        # Bun is a best-effort compatibility target, not a supported runtime
+        # (AGENTS.md -> Environment). Its `bun run build` has been OOM-killing on
+        # both arches; letting that sink the whole publish means the SUPPORTED
+        # runner-base / runner-web images never reach the registry either. The
+        # image is still built and pushed whenever it succeeds — only its power to
+        # block the release is removed.
+        continue-on-error: true
         uses: docker/build-push-action@53b7df96c91f9c12dcc8a07bcb9ccacbed38856a # v7
         with:
           context: .
@@ -213,6 +220,13 @@ jobs:
 
       - name: Build and push BUN web platform image by digest
         id: build-bun-web
+        # Bun is a best-effort compatibility target, not a supported runtime
+        # (AGENTS.md -> Environment). Its `bun run build` has been OOM-killing on
+        # both arches; letting that sink the whole publish means the SUPPORTED
+        # runner-base / runner-web images never reach the registry either. The
+        # image is still built and pushed whenever it succeeds — only its power to
+        # block the release is removed.
+        continue-on-error: true
         uses: docker/build-push-action@53b7df96c91f9c12dcc8a07bcb9ccacbed38856a # v7
         with:
           context: .
@@ -240,8 +254,15 @@ jobs:
           mkdir -p /tmp/digests/base /tmp/digests/web /tmp/digests/bun-base /tmp/digests/bun-web
           touch "/tmp/digests/base/${DIGEST_BASE#sha256:}"
           touch "/tmp/digests/web/${DIGEST_WEB#sha256:}"
-          touch "/tmp/digests/bun-base/${DIGEST_BUN_BASE#sha256:}"
-          touch "/tmp/digests/bun-web/${DIGEST_BUN_WEB#sha256:}"
+          # Empty when the (non-blocking) bun build produced no image. `if` blocks,
+          # not `[ -n ] && touch`: under `set -e` a failing AND-list aborts the step,
+          # which is precisely the case being handled here.
+          if [ -n "$DIGEST_BUN_BASE" ]; then
+            touch "/tmp/digests/bun-base/${DIGEST_BUN_BASE#sha256:}"
+          fi
+          if [ -n "$DIGEST_BUN_WEB" ]; then
+            touch "/tmp/digests/bun-web/${DIGEST_BUN_WEB#sha256:}"
+          fi
 
       - name: Upload base digests
         uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
@@ -264,7 +285,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           name: digests-bun-base-${{ matrix.arch }}
           path: /tmp/digests/bun-base/*
-          if-no-files-found: error
+          # `ignore`, not `error`: the bun build is non-blocking, so an absent
+          # digest is the expected outcome of a failed/skipped bun image — the
+          # manifest step already treats these tags as optional. Leaving `error`
+          # here just relocates the blocker from the manifest to the upload.
+          if-no-files-found: ignore
           retention-days: 1
 
       - name: Upload bun-web digests
@@ -272,7 +297,11 @@ jobs:
         with:
           name: digests-bun-web-${{ matrix.arch }}
           path: /tmp/digests/bun-web/*
-          if-no-files-found: error
+          # `ignore`, not `error`: the bun build is non-blocking, so an absent
+          # digest is the expected outcome of a failed/skipped bun image — the
+          # manifest step already treats these tags as optional. Leaving `error`
+          # here just relocates the blocker from the manifest to the upload.
+          if-no-files-found: ignore
           retention-days: 1
 
   merge:
@@ -330,6 +359,9 @@ jobs:
           merge-multiple: true
 
       - name: Download bun-base digests
+        # Non-blocking: the bun image is best-effort, so its artifact may not
+        # exist at all. The manifest step treats these tags as optional.
+        continue-on-error: true
         uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8
         with:
           pattern: digests-bun-base-*
@@ -337,6 +369,9 @@ jobs:
           merge-multiple: true
 
       - name: Download bun-web digests
+        # Non-blocking: the bun image is best-effort, so its artifact may not
+        # exist at all. The manifest step treats these tags as optional.
+        continue-on-error: true
         uses: actions/download-artifact@3e5f45b2cfb9172054b4087a40e8e0b5a5461e7c # v8
         with:
           pattern: digests-bun-web-*
@@ -348,7 +383,7 @@ jobs:
           set -euo pipefail
 
           create_manifest() {
-            local image="$1" suffix="$2" dir="$3"
+            local image="$1" suffix="$2" dir="$3" optional="${4:-}"
             local tags=(-t "${image}:${VERSION}${suffix}")
             if [ "$PROMOTE_LATEST" = "true" ]; then
               tags+=(-t "${image}:latest${suffix}")
@@ -358,6 +393,10 @@ jobs:
               refs+=("${image}@sha256:$(basename "$digest_file")")
             done < <(find "$dir" -type f | sort)
             if [ "${#refs[@]}" -eq 0 ]; then
+              if [ -n "$optional" ]; then
+                echo "::warning::No image digests in $dir — skipping optional tag ${image}:${VERSION}${suffix}" >&2
+                return 0
+              fi
               echo "No image digests in $dir" >&2
               exit 1
             fi
@@ -366,15 +405,15 @@ jobs:
 
           create_manifest "${IMAGE_NAME}" "" /tmp/digests/base
           create_manifest "${IMAGE_NAME}" "-web" /tmp/digests/web
-          create_manifest "${IMAGE_NAME}" "-bun" /tmp/digests/bun-base
-          create_manifest "${IMAGE_NAME}" "-web-bun" /tmp/digests/bun-web
+          create_manifest "${IMAGE_NAME}" "-bun" /tmp/digests/bun-base optional
+          create_manifest "${IMAGE_NAME}" "-web-bun" /tmp/digests/bun-web optional
 
       - name: Create GHCR manifest
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
 
           create_manifest() {
-            local image="$1" suffix="$2" dir="$3"
+            local image="$1" suffix="$2" dir="$3" optional="${4:-}"
             local tags=(-t "${image}:${VERSION}${suffix}")
             if [ "$PROMOTE_LATEST" = "true" ]; then
               tags+=(-t "${image}:latest${suffix}")
@@ -384,6 +423,10 @@ jobs:
               refs+=("${image}@sha256:$(basename "$digest_file")")
             done < <(find "$dir" -type f | sort)
             if [ "${#refs[@]}" -eq 0 ]; then
+              if [ -n "$optional" ]; then
+                echo "::warning::No image digests in $dir — skipping optional tag ${image}:${VERSION}${suffix}" >&2
+                return 0
+              fi
               echo "No image digests in $dir" >&2
               exit 1
             fi
@@ -392,8 +435,8 @@ jobs:
 
           create_manifest "${GHCR_IMAGE_NAME}" "" /tmp/digests/base
           create_manifest "${GHCR_IMAGE_NAME}" "-web" /tmp/digests/web
-          create_manifest "${GHCR_IMAGE_NAME}" "-bun" /tmp/digests/bun-base
-          create_manifest "${GHCR_IMAGE_NAME}" "-web-bun" /tmp/digests/bun-web
+          create_manifest "${GHCR_IMAGE_NAME}" "-bun" /tmp/digests/bun-base optional
+          create_manifest "${GHCR_IMAGE_NAME}" "-web-bun" /tmp/digests/bun-web optional
 
       - name: Inspect image
         if: needs.prepare.outputs.version != 'main'
diff --git a/.github/workflows/npm-publish.yml b/.github/workflows/npm-publish.yml
index 16dc215a92..b316ed6708 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/npm-publish.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/npm-publish.yml
@@ -63,10 +63,14 @@ jobs:
     # This job never runs on `pull_request`, so the fork-safety clause is always true here;
     # it is kept verbatim so the expression stays greppable against ci.yml.
     runs-on: ${{ (vars.USE_VPS_RUNNER == 'true' && (github.event_name != 'pull_request' || github.event.pull_request.head.repo.full_name == github.repository)) && fromJSON('["self-hosted","omni-release"]') || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
+    outputs:
+      version: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.version }}
+      tag: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.tag }}
+      skip: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.skip }}
     permissions:
       actions: read # find + download the CI run's next-build artifact for this SHA
       contents: write # gh release upload (attach SBOM to the GitHub Release)
-      id-token: write # npm provenance
+      id-token: write # npm provenance (GitHub Packages step)
       packages: write # publish to npm.pkg.github.com
     steps:
       - name: Checkout
@@ -226,6 +230,28 @@ jobs:
           JWT_SECRET: ci-build-secret-with-sufficient-length-for-validation
         run: npm run build:cli
 
+      # `build:cli` assembles dist/ but does NOT write dist/BUILD_SHA — only
+      # `build:release` does, by calling write-build-sha.mjs. The #10427 provenance
+      # guard inside check:pack-artifact rejects an artifact with no SHA (and rejects
+      # it even under OMNIROUTE_ALLOW_CANARY_BUILD=1: what cannot be identified cannot
+      # be vouched for). Without this step the build+validate pair in this job is
+      # structurally incompatible and fails 100% of the time — the same gap that was
+      # fixed in ci.yml's Package Artifact job.
+      - name: Stamp dist/BUILD_SHA for the provenance guard (#10427)
+        if: steps.resolve.outputs.skip != 'true'
+        env:
+          OMNIROUTE_BUILD_SHA: ${{ github.sha }}
+        run: |
+          export OMNIROUTE_BUILD_SHA="${OMNIROUTE_BUILD_SHA:0:7}"
+          node scripts/build/write-build-sha.mjs
+
+      # The guard checks ancestry against origin/main by default, which is correct
+      # here (a release tag is cut from main), but the ref has to exist locally for
+      # `git merge-base` to resolve it.
+      - name: Fetch main for the provenance probe
+        if: steps.resolve.outputs.skip != 'true'
+        run: git fetch --no-tags --depth=50 origin +refs/heads/main:refs/remotes/origin/main
+
       - name: Validate npm package artifact
         if: steps.resolve.outputs.skip != 'true'
         run: npm run check:pack-artifact
@@ -265,7 +291,12 @@ jobs:
       # a staged package that is never approved simply expires, with no `npm deprecate` needed.
       - name: Prove clean-install AND upgrade-over-previous both boot
         if: steps.resolve.outputs.skip != 'true'
-        timeout-minutes: 30
+        # 60, not 30. This gate was added in #8953 and the 2026-08-27 v3.8.50 publish
+        # was the FIRST run to ever reach it — every earlier attempt died upstream, so
+        # its budget had never been measured against a real run. It then blew the limit
+        # on its debut: `npm pack` alone took 24m37s, leaving 5 minutes for two installs
+        # and two boots. 30 was a guess; 60 is sized to the one measurement we have.
+        timeout-minutes: 60
         run: npm run check:install-upgrade
 
       # WS1.3 (D2, v3.8.49 plan): STAGED publishing by default — `npm stage publish`
@@ -287,41 +318,33 @@ jobs:
           fi
           npm --version
 
-      - name: Publish to npm (staged — owner approves with 2FA)
-        if: steps.resolve.outputs.skip != 'true' && (github.event_name != 'workflow_dispatch' || inputs.publish_mode != 'direct')
+      # The registry upload itself moved to the `stage-npm` job below: npm REFUSES
+      # `--provenance` from a self-hosted runner (422 "Unsupported GitHub Actions
+      # runner environment"), and the heavy verification above cannot move to a
+      # hosted one (16 GB is not enough for build:cli's next-build fallback — see
+      # this job's runs-on comment). So this job proves the bytes and hands them
+      # over; a tiny hosted job does the upload.
+      - name: Pack the verified tarball for the upload job
+        if: steps.resolve.outputs.skip != 'true'
         env:
           VERSION: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.version }}
-          TAG: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.tag }}
-          NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
-          # Always pass --tag explicitly. Defense in depth: even if VERSION is
-          # accidentally an older release, the historic tag will NOT claim `@latest`.
-          npm stage publish --provenance --access public --tag "$TAG"
-          {
-            echo "## 📦 omniroute@$VERSION STAGED (not yet installable)"
-            echo ""
-            echo "The exact bytes are parked on the registry. To release them:"
-            echo '```'
-            echo "npm stage list omniroute            # find the stage id"
-            echo "npm stage approve <id>              # owner 2FA — THE publish"
-            echo '```'
-            echo "To verify the staged bytes first: npm stage download <id> → run"
-            echo "scripts/check/check-pack-boot.mjs against them (see RELEASE_CHECKLIST)."
-            echo "To discard: npm stage reject <id>."
-          } >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
-          echo "✅ Staged omniroute@$VERSION (dist-tag=$TAG) — awaiting owner 'npm stage approve'"
+          # --ignore-scripts: prepublishOnly would re-run build:cli-api && build:cli,
+          # rebuilding bytes this job has already built, validated and boot-smoked.
+          npm pack --ignore-scripts
+          TARBALL="omniroute-${VERSION}.tgz"
+          test -f "$TARBALL" || { echo "expected $TARBALL to exist after npm pack" >&2; ls -la ./*.tgz || true; exit 1; }
+          echo "packed $TARBALL ($(du -h "$TARBALL" | cut -f1))"
 
-      - name: Publish to npm (DIRECT — emergency fallback)
-        if: steps.resolve.outputs.skip != 'true' && github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && inputs.publish_mode == 'direct'
-        env:
-          VERSION: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.version }}
-          TAG: ${{ steps.resolve.outputs.tag }}
-          NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
-        run: |
-          set -euo pipefail
-          npm publish --provenance --access public --tag "$TAG"
-          echo "✅ Published omniroute@$VERSION (dist-tag=$TAG) [DIRECT mode]"
+      - name: Hand the tarball to the hosted publish job
+        if: steps.resolve.outputs.skip != 'true'
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v7
+        with:
+          name: npm-tarball
+          path: omniroute-${{ steps.resolve.outputs.version }}.tgz
+          retention-days: 1
+          if-no-files-found: error
 
       - name: Publish to GitHub Packages
         if: steps.resolve.outputs.skip != 'true'
@@ -338,6 +361,91 @@ jobs:
             || echo "⚠️ omniroute@${VERSION} might already be published on GitHub Packages."
           echo "✅ Action finished for GitHub Packages"
 
+  # npm REFUSES `--provenance` from a self-hosted runner:
+  #   422 Unprocessable Entity - Error verifying sigstore provenance bundle:
+  #   Unsupported GitHub Actions runner environment: "self-hosted".
+  #   Only "github-hosted" runners are supported when publishing with provenance.
+  # v3.8.49 published fine because it predates USE_VPS_RUNNER being turned on
+  # (2026-08-02); v3.8.50 was the first release after it, so this had been latent
+  # for four weeks. Dropping --provenance was not an option: 3.8.49 carries a
+  # SLSA attestation and 3.8.50 must not regress that.
+  # The `publish` job cannot simply move to a hosted runner either — 16 GB is not
+  # enough for build:cli's next-build fallback. So it keeps proving the bytes and
+  # this job, which needs no memory at all, performs the upload.
+  stage-npm:
+    needs: publish
+    if: needs.publish.outputs.skip != 'true'
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    permissions:
+      contents: read
+      id-token: write # npm provenance — the whole reason this job is separate
+    steps:
+      - name: Download the tarball the publish job proved
+        uses: actions/download-artifact@v8
+        with:
+          name: npm-tarball
+          path: .
+
+      - name: Setup Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v7
+        with:
+          node-version: ${{ env.NPM_PUBLISH_NODE_VERSION }}
+          registry-url: https://registry.npmjs.org
+
+      - name: Ensure npm supports staged publishing
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          CUR=$(npm --version)
+          if ! node -e "const [a,b]='$(npm --version)'.split('.').map(Number); process.exit(a>11||(a===11&&b>=15)?0:1)"; then
+            # Pinned exact version (supply-chain: never float @latest in a publish
+            # job); bump deliberately when a newer npm is required.
+            echo "npm $CUR < 11.15 — installing pinned npm 11.15.0 for staged publishing"
+            npm install -g --ignore-scripts npm@11.15.0
+          fi
+          npm --version
+
+      - name: Publish to npm (staged — owner approves with 2FA)
+        if: github.event_name != 'workflow_dispatch' || inputs.publish_mode != 'direct'
+        env:
+          VERSION: ${{ needs.publish.outputs.version }}
+          TAG: ${{ needs.publish.outputs.tag }}
+          NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          TARBALL="omniroute-${VERSION}.tgz"
+          test -f "$TARBALL" || { echo "tarball $TARBALL did not arrive from the publish job" >&2; ls -la; exit 1; }
+          # Always pass --tag explicitly. Defense in depth: even if VERSION is
+          # accidentally an older release, the historic tag will NOT claim `@latest`.
+          # --ignore-scripts: publishing a built tarball must never re-run
+          # prepublishOnly (build:cli-api && build:cli) on this small runner.
+          npm stage publish "$TARBALL" --provenance --access public --tag "$TAG" --ignore-scripts
+          {
+            echo "## 📦 omniroute@$VERSION STAGED (not yet installable)"
+            echo ""
+            echo "The exact bytes are parked on the registry. To release them:"
+            echo '```'
+            echo "npm stage list omniroute            # find the stage id"
+            echo "npm stage approve <id>              # owner 2FA — THE publish"
+            echo '```'
+            echo "To verify the staged bytes first: npm stage download <id> → run"
+            echo "scripts/check/check-pack-boot.mjs against them (see RELEASE_CHECKLIST)."
+            echo "To discard: npm stage reject <id>."
+          } >> "$GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY"
+          echo "✅ Staged omniroute@$VERSION (dist-tag=$TAG) — awaiting owner 'npm stage approve'"
+
+      - name: Publish to npm (DIRECT — emergency fallback)
+        if: github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch' && inputs.publish_mode == 'direct'
+        env:
+          VERSION: ${{ needs.publish.outputs.version }}
+          TAG: ${{ needs.publish.outputs.tag }}
+          NODE_AUTH_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.NPM_TOKEN }}
+        run: |
+          set -euo pipefail
+          TARBALL="omniroute-${VERSION}.tgz"
+          test -f "$TARBALL" || { echo "tarball $TARBALL did not arrive from the publish job" >&2; ls -la; exit 1; }
+          npm publish "$TARBALL" --provenance --access public --tag "$TAG" --ignore-scripts
+          echo "✅ Published omniroute@$VERSION (dist-tag=$TAG) [DIRECT mode]"
+
   publish-opencode-plugin:
     runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     permissions:
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 07545f2a37..31c9e3b96a 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -293,3 +293,6 @@ docker-compose.yml.bak
 # Ad-hoc test sandboxes (never tracked — may contain local DBs)
 /.sandbox/
 .aider*
+
+# check:install-upgrade work trees (~12 GB, disposable)
+/.install-upgrade/
diff --git a/changelog.d/fixes/11741-install-upgrade-schema-convergence.md b/changelog.d/fixes/11741-install-upgrade-schema-convergence.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..6bdf6e846a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/fixes/11741-install-upgrade-schema-convergence.md
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+- **fix(db):** `model_capabilities` is created by a migration instead of lazily on the first
+  models.dev sync, so a clean install and an upgraded install converge on the same schema
+  regardless of which features have run
+- **fix(ci):** `check:install-upgrade` now fails on an `npm` install truncated by ENOSPC
+  (npm reports it as a warning and still exits 0), authenticates its health probe so the
+  version assertion works against the hardened health payload, frees the clean-install tree
+  before the upgrade phase, and no longer reports a schema divergence computed from a boot
+  that never served
diff --git a/changelog.d/fixes/11856-npm-payload-nft-manifests.md b/changelog.d/fixes/11856-npm-payload-nft-manifests.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0420d6f9c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/fixes/11856-npm-payload-nft-manifests.md
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+- Excluded Next.js Node File Trace manifests (`*.nft.json`) from the published npm
+  tarball. They are build-time metadata and are never read while serving, but had
+  grown to 668.7 MB — 61% of the package — which pushed the upload past the
+  registry limit and made `npm publish` fail with `413 Payload Too Large`.
diff --git a/changelog.d/fixes/11868-npm-provenance-hosted-runner.md b/changelog.d/fixes/11868-npm-provenance-hosted-runner.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4cc94111ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/fixes/11868-npm-provenance-hosted-runner.md
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+- Split the npm registry upload into its own GitHub-hosted job. npm refuses
+  `--provenance` from a self-hosted runner (`422 ... Only "github-hosted" runners
+  are supported`), which blocked the v3.8.50 publish; the heavy verification
+  cannot move to a hosted runner, so it now hands the proven tarball over instead.
diff --git a/config/quality/install-upgrade-allowlist.json b/config/quality/install-upgrade-allowlist.json
index 4e6f3c6891..0f6145223a 100644
--- a/config/quality/install-upgrade-allowlist.json
+++ b/config/quality/install-upgrade-allowlist.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
-  "_doc": "Tables that exist ONLY in databases upgraded from an older version — residue whose CREATE left the migration set in some past cycle but survives where it already existed. Harmless (nothing references them), but recorded here so check-install-upgrade.mjs can still fail on a NEW divergence. The opposite direction (a table a clean install creates but an upgrade does not) is NEVER allowlisted: it means every existing user is missing structure the code expects.",
+  "_doc": "Tables that exist ONLY in databases upgraded from an older version. Two causes, and they call for different fixes: (a) residue whose CREATE left the migration set in some past cycle but survives where it already existed — allowlist it here; (b) a table created LAZILY at runtime with `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS` inside a feature code path — whether a database has it depends on whether that feature ran, so it diverges by TIMING and can show up on EITHER side. Fix (b) with a migration instead of an entry here (see src/lib/db/migrations/163_model_capabilities.sql); an allowlist entry only hides it in one direction. Either way, recorded so check-install-upgrade.mjs can still fail on a NEW divergence. The opposite direction (a table a clean install creates but an upgrade does not) is NEVER allowlisted: it means every existing user is missing structure the code expects.",
   "residualTables": {
-    "cache_metrics": "Measured 2026-07-30 on a real 3.8.48 install upgraded to 3.8.49 (VPS .16, 165 MB database, 114 → 117 tables). Present in upgraded databases, absent from clean installs. No code path referenced it during the upgrade (zero `no such table` in 150 log lines, both installs healthy). Left in place rather than dropped: a DROP migration on a table we cannot prove is unused everywhere is the riskier change. Revisit when the cache subsystem is next touched."
+    "cache_metrics": "Measured 2026-07-30 on a real 3.8.48 install upgraded to 3.8.49 (VPS .16, 165 MB database, 114 → 117 tables). Present in upgraded databases, absent from clean installs. Cause identified 2026-08-27: it is case (b) above — created lazily by `ensureCacheMetricsTable()` at src/lib/semanticCache.ts:34, never by a migration, so it appears only where the semantic cache has run. No code path referenced it during the upgrade (zero `no such table` in 150 log lines, both installs healthy). Left as an allowlist entry rather than promoted to a migration or dropped: unlike model_capabilities it did not block a release, and creating a table for a subsystem we cannot prove is live is not a change to make blind. Revisit when the cache subsystem is next touched."
   }
 }
diff --git a/config/quality/quality-baseline.json b/config/quality/quality-baseline.json
index ec657bda20..951166eaac 100644
--- a/config/quality/quality-baseline.json
+++ b/config/quality/quality-baseline.json
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@
       "dedicatedGate": true
     },
     "zizmorFindings": {
-      "value": 192,
+      "value": 194,
       "_rebaseline_2026_08_20_radar_export_workflow": "190 -> 192 (+2). Workflow novo `.github/workflows/radar-export.yml` (passo 10 do go-live do Radar: publica o export estável do catálogo como asset de release para o servidor privado baixar via RADAR_EXPORT_URL). Os +2 são unpinned-uses @vN: actions/checkout@v7 + actions/setup-node@v7 — a MESMA convenção deliberada de todos os workflows (ver _scanner_harden_workflows_2026_06_16); fixar por SHA só este violaria a convenção. O findings artipacked do checkout foi CORRIGIDO com `persist-credentials: false` (o job publica via GH_TOKEN em `gh release`, não usa a credencial do checkout). Nenhuma classe nova de template-injection / cache-poisoning / dangerous-triggers. Medido local com zizmor 1.25.2 via `node scripts/check/check-workflows.mjs --ratchet` = 191; +1 do delta conhecido do runner (ver _rebaseline_2026_07_28_ci_runner_delta: o runner enxerga 1 unpinned-uses @vN a mais que o devbox no mesmo commit; a baseline segue o runner) => 192.",
       "_rebaseline_2026_07_20_aliasresolver_hook_split_7808": "175 -> 176 (+1). Companion to PR #7808 (CodeQL js/incomplete-url-substring-sanitization fix in bin/aliasResolver.mjs). The +1 is NOT caused by this PR's code changes (bin/* is not a workflow file) — it is a pre-existing drift that surfaced because the ratchet gate runs on this PR's CI: the zizmor scanner version on the GitHub runner gained a new rule (or extended an existing one) since the v3.8.49 baseline was seeded on 2026-07-17. Breakdown: the new finding is an unpinned-uses @vN class item on one of the existing workflows (same deliberate convention as _scanner_harden_workflows_2026_06_16 — @vN is intentional, SHA-pinning only this one would violate the convention). No new template-injection/artipacked/cache-poisoning/dangerous-triggers classes introduced. Measured by the Quality Gates (Extended) job on run 29713001401 = 176, baseline was 175. Note: by the time this landed on release/v3.8.49, the baseline was already at 176 via _rebaseline_2026_07_17_combo_recovery_hints — this entry is kept as historical record; no further bump applied.",
       "_rebaseline_2026_07_17_v3849_release": "169 -> 175 (+6). Cycle workflow drift (v3.8.48/v3.8.49): npm-publish.yml (new, WS1.3 #7092), electron-release.yml, nightly-compat.yml, nightly-release-green.yml, CI restructures (#7501 full-history base fetch, #7355 main-green, #7202 merge-queue gates, Trunk/Codecov). Breakdown vs v3.8.47: +3 unpinned-uses (@vN convention, deliberate per _scanner_harden_workflows_2026_06_16), +2 cache-poisoning (artifact upload/cache in the OWN electron-release/npm-publish RELEASE workflows -- operator-controlled, not fork-PR exploitable), +1 excessive-permissions (nightly-compat.yml permissions:issues). No new template-injection/artipacked/dangerous-triggers. Measured with zizmor 1.25.2 via `node scripts/check/check-workflows.mjs --ratchet` = 175 on da3a0be69.",
@@ -180,7 +180,8 @@
       "_rebaseline_2026_06_23_v3834_release": "152 -> 155 (+3). The 3 new unpinned-uses are in .github/workflows/nightly-release-green.yml (added by #4622 this cycle): actions/checkout@v7, actions/setup-node@v6, actions/upload-artifact@v4 — the SAME deliberate @vN convention as ci.yml's own checkout@v7/setup-node@v6 and every other workflow (see _scanner_harden_workflows_2026_06_16 + _zizmor_rebaseline_2026_06_20_ci_build_artifact_reuse). SHA-pinning only this workflow would violate the convention. The workflow-lint ratchet does NOT run on PR->release fast-gates, so it surfaced only on the release PR; measured locally via `npm run check:workflows -- --ratchet` = 155. No new template-injection/artipacked/cache-poisoning.",
       "_rebaseline_2026_07_13_v3847_release_preflight": "159 -> 169 (+10). Findings from cycle-merged workflow changes: #6716 (PR gate restructure), #6781 (unit fast-path shard 2->4), #6788 (TIA tsx loader split), #6881 (electron-updater latest.yml manifests in release assets) — same deliberate @vN unpinned-uses convention as prior rebaselines; no new template-injection/artipacked/cache-poisoning classes. Measured via `npm run check:workflows -- --ratchet` = 169 on the v3.8.47 release pre-flight.",
       "_rebaseline_2026_07_28_v3849_release_preflight": "176 -> 189 (+13). Pre-flight de fechamento da v3.8.49 (934 commits no ciclo). Deriva de workflow: 1 workflow novo (build-rinseaid-image.yml) mais os bumps de action do Dependabot ao longo do ciclo — todos da MESMA classe unpinned-uses @vN, convenção deliberada do repo (ver _scanner_harden_workflows_2026_06_16); fixar por SHA só estes violaria a convenção. Nenhuma classe nova de template-injection / artipacked / cache-poisoning / dangerous-triggers. Nesta mesma passada foram CORRIGIDAS 3 diretivas shellcheck malformadas (SC1125: `# shellcheck disable=SC2086 — texto`, em que o travessão invalida o par key=value) em ci.yml e nightly-release-green.yml. Medido com zizmor 1.25.2 via `npm run check:workflows -- --ratchet` = 189.",
-      "_rebaseline_2026_07_28_ci_runner_delta": "189 -> 190 (+1). Medido 189 no devbox e 190 no runner do GitHub no MESMO commit (run 30396592013, job Quality Gates (Extended)) — mesma classe já registrada em _rebaseline_2026_07_20_aliasresolver_hook_split_7808: a versão do zizmor no runner enxerga uma finding a mais que a local, sempre da classe unpinned-uses @vN. O valor do runner é o que o gate compara, então a baseline segue o runner."
+      "_rebaseline_2026_07_28_ci_runner_delta": "189 -> 190 (+1). Medido 189 no devbox e 190 no runner do GitHub no MESMO commit (run 30396592013, job Quality Gates (Extended)) — mesma classe já registrada em _rebaseline_2026_07_20_aliasresolver_hook_split_7808: a versão do zizmor no runner enxerga uma finding a mais que a local, sempre da classe unpinned-uses @vN. O valor do runner é o que o gate compara, então a baseline segue o runner.",
+      "_rebaseline_2026_08_28_npm_publish_hosted_stage_job": "192 -> 194 (+2). Job novo `stage-npm` em .github/workflows/npm-publish.yml: o npm RECUSA `--provenance` vindo de runner self-hosted (422 \"Unsupported GitHub Actions runner environment\"), e o job `publish` nao pode migrar para runner hospedado porque 16 GB nao bastam para o fallback next-build do build:cli (documentado no proprio runs-on). A separacao foi a unica saida que preserva a atestacao SLSA que a 3.8.49 ja tem. Os +2 sao da MESMA convencao deliberada de todos os workflows (ver _scanner_harden_workflows_2026_06_16): unpinned-uses @vN em actions/download-artifact@v8 + actions/setup-node@v7, mais o cache-poisoning que o proprio setup-node@v7 ja gera nos outros 2 jobs deste MESMO arquivo (linhas 85 e 463) e que ja esta na baseline. Fixar por SHA so este job violaria a convencao. Nenhuma classe nova: zero template-injection / artipacked / dangerous-triggers / excessive-permissions — o job declara apenas contents:read + id-token:write, que e o minimo para a proveniencia. Medido pelo job Quality Gates (Extended) no run 33162... da PR #11877 = 194."
     },
     "vulnCount": {
       "value": 22,
diff --git a/docs/reference/ENVIRONMENT.md b/docs/reference/ENVIRONMENT.md
index 228c97cf1c..b992b7a2b4 100644
--- a/docs/reference/ENVIRONMENT.md
+++ b/docs/reference/ENVIRONMENT.md
@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ OmniRoute uses **SQLite** (via `better-sqlite3`) for all persistence. These vari
 | `OMNIROUTE_MIGRATIONS_DIR`             | _(auto-detect)_      | `src/lib/db/migrationRunner.ts`                       | Override the directory that the migration runner scans. Useful when shipping bundled migrations in custom builds.                                                                                                                               |
 | `OMNIROUTE_EXTRA_MIGRATIONS_DIRS`      | _(unset)_            | `src/lib/db/migrationRunner/extraDirs.ts`             | Additional migration directories as `namespace=dir` entries separated by the platform path delimiter (e.g. `ee=/opt/app/enterprise/db/migrations`). Files found there are recorded as `<namespace>-<number>`, so a distribution shipping its own migrations never collides with the upstream numeric slots. A malformed entry, an invalid namespace or a missing directory throws at startup instead of silently skipping the schema. |
 | `OMNIROUTE_MAX_PENDING_MIGRATIONS`     | `50`                 | `src/lib/db/migrationRunner.ts`                       | Mass-pending-migrations safety threshold (#3416). Startup aborts if more than this many migrations are pending on an existing DB (guards against a wiped tracking table). Raise it to restore an older backup; set to `0` to disable the check. |
+| `OMNIROUTE_INSTALL_UPGRADE_WORKDIR`     | _(`<repo>/.install-upgrade`)_ | `scripts/check/check-install-upgrade.mjs`             | Working directory for the `check:install-upgrade` release gate. It needs roughly 12 GB (two ~3 GB install trees plus the tarball), so it must not run on a small tmpfs — on the self-hosted runner `/tmp` is a 12 GB RAM-backed tmpfs and the gate exhausted it, truncating the package. |
 | `OMNIROUTE_SPEND_FLUSH_INTERVAL_MS`    | _(default in code)_  | `src/lib/spend/batchWriter.ts`                        | Flush interval (ms) for the batched spend/cost writer. Lower values reduce write coalescing; higher values reduce DB contention.                                                                                                                |
 | `OMNIROUTE_SPEND_MAX_BUFFER_SIZE`      | _(default in code)_  | `src/lib/spend/batchWriter.ts`                        | Max buffered spend entries before a forced flush. Raise on high-QPS deployments; lower when bounded memory matters more.                                                                                                                        |
 | `OMNIROUTE_PROXY_FETCH_DEBUG`          | _(unset)_            | `open-sse/utils/proxyFetch.ts`                        | Set to `"true"` to emit `[ProxyFetch]` debug logs on the Vercel relay path. Off by default to avoid leaking routing hints.                                                                                                                      |
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 08e5122feb..c8f4a78aa8 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -52,7 +52,8 @@
     "!**/*.test.js",
     "!**/*.test.mjs",
     "!**/*.spec.ts",
-    "!**/*.spec.tsx"
+    "!**/*.spec.tsx",
+    "!**/*.nft.json"
   ],
   "workspaces": [
     "open-sse",
diff --git a/scripts/check/check-install-upgrade.mjs b/scripts/check/check-install-upgrade.mjs
index 87253c611d..a71ccdb1fe 100644
--- a/scripts/check/check-install-upgrade.mjs
+++ b/scripts/check/check-install-upgrade.mjs
@@ -30,10 +30,12 @@
  * Requires `npm run build:cli` first — this is a --with-build gate, like check:pack-boot.
  */
 
-import { execFileSync, spawn } from "node:child_process";
+import { execFileSync, spawn, spawnSync } from "node:child_process";
+import crypto from "node:crypto";
 import fs from "node:fs";
 import os from "node:os";
 import path from "node:path";
+import { pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
 import { DatabaseSync } from "node:sqlite";
 
 const BOOT_DEADLINE_MS = 180_000;
@@ -43,6 +45,59 @@ const ALLOWLIST_PATH = "config/quality/install-upgrade-allowlist.json";
 const log = (msg) => console.log(`[install-upgrade] ${msg}`);
 const warn = (msg) => console.log(`[install-upgrade] ⚠️  ${msg}`);
 
+/** Root of the installed package inside an `npm install -g --prefix` tree. */
+function packageRootFor(prefix) {
+  return path.join(prefix, "lib", "node_modules", "omniroute");
+}
+
+/**
+ * Credential for the health probe.
+ *
+ * GHSA-mvf8-qc78-5mxm hardened /api/monitoring/health: an ANONYMOUS caller now gets only
+ * `{ status }` — the version, node version, pid and provider config are reserved for a
+ * management principal (src/app/api/monitoring/health/route.ts → publicHealthView). An
+ * unauthenticated probe therefore reads `body.version === undefined`, and this gate's
+ * version assertion could never pass again; the v3.8.50 publish run failed with
+ * "clean: health reports version undefined, expected 3.8.50" for exactly that reason.
+ *
+ * The gate spawns the server itself, so it can mint the credential instead of guessing one:
+ * `OMNIROUTE_INTERNAL_SERVICE_TOKEN` + the `x-omniroute-internal-service-token` header is
+ * accepted by requireManagementAuth() via isTrustedLoopbackInternalServiceRequest(), and the
+ * probe is loopback by construction. Unlike the machine token `check:pack-boot` derives, this
+ * does not depend on a readable machine-id, and an older PREVIOUS version that never gated
+ * health simply ignores the header. The assertion keeps its full strength — it just presents
+ * a credential.
+ */
+const INTERNAL_SERVICE_TOKEN = crypto.randomBytes(32).toString("hex");
+const INTERNAL_SERVICE_HEADER = "x-omniroute-internal-service-token";
+
+/**
+ * Secondary credential: the same loopback machine token `check:pack-boot` derives from the
+ * packaged CLI. Sent alongside the internal-service token so a build that only honours one
+ * of the two still answers with the full payload.
+ */
+function derivePackagedCliToken(prefix) {
+  const cliModuleUrl = pathToFileURL(
+    path.join(packageRootFor(prefix), "bin", "cli", "utils", "cliToken.mjs")
+  ).href;
+  try {
+    return execFileSync(
+      process.execPath,
+      [
+        "--input-type=module",
+        "--eval",
+        "import(process.argv[1]).then(async m => process.stdout.write(await m.getCliToken()))",
+        cliModuleUrl,
+      ],
+      { encoding: "utf8", env: { ...process.env } }
+    ).trim();
+  } catch {
+    // A truncated/broken install cannot derive a token. Returning null keeps the boot
+    // probe running (it will fail loudly on its own) instead of crashing the gate here.
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
 function pickTarball(packJson) {
   const filename = JSON.parse(packJson)?.[0]?.filename;
   if (!filename) throw new Error("npm pack --json returned no filename");
@@ -121,6 +176,11 @@ async function bootAndProbe({ prefix, dataDir, port, expectVersion, label }) {
   if (!fs.existsSync(binPath)) {
     return { ok: false, failures: [`${label}: bin not found at ${binPath}`], tail: [] };
   }
+  const cliToken = derivePackagedCliToken(prefix);
+  const probeHeaders = {
+    [INTERNAL_SERVICE_HEADER]: INTERNAL_SERVICE_TOKEN,
+    ...(cliToken ? { "x-omniroute-cli-token": cliToken } : {}),
+  };
   const child = spawn(binPath, ["serve", "--port", String(port)], {
     env: {
       ...process.env,
@@ -130,6 +190,7 @@ async function bootAndProbe({ prefix, dataDir, port, expectVersion, label }) {
       API_KEY_SECRET: "install-upgrade-gate-api-key-secret-long",
       DISABLE_SQLITE_AUTO_BACKUP: "true",
       OMNIROUTE_SKIP_SYSTEM_TRUST: "1",
+      OMNIROUTE_INTERNAL_SERVICE_TOKEN: INTERNAL_SERVICE_TOKEN,
     },
     stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "pipe"],
     detached: true,
@@ -151,20 +212,33 @@ async function bootAndProbe({ prefix, dataDir, port, expectVersion, label }) {
   let result = { ok: false, failures: [`${label}: never became healthy`], tail };
   while (Date.now() < deadline) {
     if (childExit !== null) {
-      result = { ok: false, failures: [`${label}: exited with code ${childExit} before serving`], tail };
+      result = {
+        ok: false,
+        failures: [`${label}: exited with code ${childExit} before serving`],
+        tail,
+      };
       break;
     }
     try {
-      const res = await fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}/api/monitoring/health`);
+      const res = await fetch(`http://127.0.0.1:${port}/api/monitoring/health`, {
+        headers: probeHeaders,
+      });
       const body = await res.json().catch(() => null);
       if (res.status === 200 && body && typeof body === "object") {
         const failures = [];
         // `status` may legitimately report degraded (no providers configured) — the gate
         // targets boot crashes and version mismatches, not health of a bare install.
-        if (expectVersion && body.version !== expectVersion) {
-          failures.push(`${label}: health reports version ${body.version}, expected ${expectVersion}`);
+        const reportedVersion = body.version ?? body.system?.version;
+        if (expectVersion && reportedVersion !== expectVersion) {
+          failures.push(
+            `${label}: health reports version ${reportedVersion}, expected ${expectVersion}` +
+              (reportedVersion === undefined
+                ? " — the payload carries no version at all, which is the ANONYMOUS health " +
+                  "view: the probe's credentials were not accepted (see GHSA-mvf8-qc78-5mxm)"
+                : "")
+          );
         }
-        result = { ok: failures.length === 0, version: body.version, failures, tail };
+        result = { ok: failures.length === 0, version: reportedVersion, failures, tail };
         break;
       }
     } catch {
@@ -183,13 +257,72 @@ async function bootAndProbe({ prefix, dataDir, port, expectVersion, label }) {
   return result;
 }
 
-function npmInstallInto(prefix, spec) {
-  execFileSync("npm", ["install", "-g", "--prefix", prefix, "--no-audit", "--no-fund", spec], {
-    encoding: "utf8",
-    maxBuffer: 128 * 1024 * 1024,
-  });
+/**
+ * `npm install` reports ENOSPC as a *warning* per failed tar entry and still exits 0.
+ *
+ * That is not a theoretical concern: on the v3.8.50 publish run the Phase B upgrade install
+ * emitted 5611 `npm warn tar TAR_ENTRY_ERROR ENOSPC: no space left on device` lines, exited
+ * 0, and left a truncated package behind. `omniroute serve` then "exited with code 0 before
+ * serving", no migration ever ran, and the gate concluded the release was missing 15 tables
+ * — a full false alarm produced by a full disk. Each install tree is ~3 GB, and the run
+ * builds two of them plus a ~275 MB tarball.
+ *
+ * So: surface the truncation at the install, where it is unambiguous.
+ */
+function npmInstallInto(prefix, spec, label = spec) {
+  // spawnSync (not execFileSync): execFileSync forwards the child's stderr straight to the
+  // parent's, so the ENOSPC warnings scrolled past in CI without the script ever seeing
+  // them. spawnSync hands both streams back.
+  const run = spawnSync(
+    "npm",
+    ["install", "-g", "--prefix", prefix, "--no-audit", "--no-fund", spec],
+    { encoding: "utf8", maxBuffer: 512 * 1024 * 1024 }
+  );
+  const output = `${run.stdout ?? ""}${run.stderr ?? ""}`;
+  // Keep the install log visible, but a truncated package emits thousands of identical
+  // warnings — collapse them so the real message is not buried.
+  const stderrLines = String(run.stderr ?? "").split("\n");
+  const shown = stderrLines.length > 60 ? stderrLines.slice(0, 40) : stderrLines;
+  if (String(run.stderr ?? "").trim()) {
+    process.stderr.write(shown.join("\n") + "\n");
+    if (stderrLines.length > 60) {
+      process.stderr.write(`[install-upgrade] … ${stderrLines.length - 40} more npm line(s)\n`);
+    }
+  }
+  assertNoDiskExhaustion(output, label);
+  if (run.error) throw run.error;
+  if (run.status !== 0) {
+    throw new Error(`${label}: npm install exited with code ${run.status}`);
+  }
 }
 
+export function assertNoDiskExhaustion(output, label) {
+  if (!/ENOSPC|no space left on device/i.test(output)) return;
+  const count = (output.match(/ENOSPC/g) ?? []).length;
+  throw new Error(
+    `${label}: the install ran out of disk space (${count} ENOSPC error(s) from npm). ` +
+      `The package tree is truncated, so anything measured from it — boot, schema, ` +
+      `migrations — is meaningless. Free space in ${workDirForMessages} (each install tree is ` +
+      `~3 GB) and re-run. This is an environment failure, NOT a schema divergence.`
+  );
+}
+
+/** Best-effort free bytes on the filesystem backing `dir`, or null when unavailable. */
+function freeBytes(dir) {
+  try {
+    return fs.statfsSync(dir).bavail * fs.statfsSync(dir).bsize;
+  } catch {
+    return null;
+  }
+}
+
+const GB = 1024 ** 3;
+
+// Set once the work directory exists, so the ENOSPC message names the filesystem that
+// actually ran out — pointing at /tmp when the gate works elsewhere sends the reader to
+// free space on the wrong volume (which is what happened during the v3.8.50 publish).
+let workDirForMessages = os.tmpdir();
+
 function resolvePreviousVersion(current, explicit) {
   if (explicit) return explicit;
   const out = execFileSync("npm", ["view", "omniroute", "dist-tags.latest"], { encoding: "utf8" });
@@ -198,7 +331,9 @@ function resolvePreviousVersion(current, explicit) {
   if (latest === current) {
     // The version under test is already published (re-run of a shipped release): step back
     // to the highest published version strictly below it.
-    const all = JSON.parse(execFileSync("npm", ["view", "omniroute", "versions", "--json"], { encoding: "utf8" }));
+    const all = JSON.parse(
+      execFileSync("npm", ["view", "omniroute", "versions", "--json"], { encoding: "utf8" })
+    );
     const stable = all.filter((v) => !/-(rc|alpha|beta|pre|next)/.test(v) && v !== current);
     return stable[stable.length - 1];
   }
@@ -218,11 +353,25 @@ async function main() {
   }
   const version = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(ROOT, "package.json"), "utf8")).version;
   const allowlist = loadAllowlist(ROOT);
-  const tmp = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "omniroute-install-upgrade-"));
+  // NOT os.tmpdir(): on the self-hosted runner /tmp is a 12 GB tmpfs backed by RAM, while
+  // the root filesystem has ~66 GB free. This gate needs ~12 GB, so it exhausted the tmpfs
+  // and npm truncated the package — 58269 ENOSPC errors on the v3.8.50 publish, which the
+  // previous code could only report as a crash. Freeing disk did not help because the disk
+  // was never the constraint. Work on real disk beside the repo instead.
+  const workRoot =
+    process.env.OMNIROUTE_INSTALL_UPGRADE_WORKDIR || path.join(ROOT, ".install-upgrade");
+  fs.mkdirSync(workRoot, { recursive: true });
+  const tmp = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(workRoot, "omniroute-install-upgrade-"));
+  workDirForMessages = tmp;
   const failures = [];
   const warnings = [];
 
   try {
+    // Timed, because this turned out to be the expensive part: on the 2026-08-27
+    // v3.8.50 publish `npm pack` alone took 24m37s, leaving 5 of the step's 30-minute
+    // budget for two installs and two boots. Without a duration here the log showed
+    // only "packing…" then a timeout, which reads like a hang and is not.
+    const packStarted = Date.now();
     log(`packing v${version}…`);
     const packOut = execFileSync("npm", ["pack", "--json", "--pack-destination", tmp], {
       cwd: ROOT,
@@ -230,13 +379,31 @@ async function main() {
       maxBuffer: 128 * 1024 * 1024,
     });
     const tarball = path.join(tmp, pickTarball(packOut));
+    const packMb = (fs.statSync(tarball).size / 1024 / 1024).toFixed(1);
+    log(`packed in ${Math.round((Date.now() - packStarted) / 1000)}s (${packMb} MB)`);
+
+    // Each install tree is ~3 GB and this run builds two of them, side by side, plus the
+    // ~275 MB tarball. On the v3.8.50 publish run that overflowed the runner disk mid-way
+    // through the Phase B upgrade install; npm warned per truncated tar entry and still
+    // exited 0, and every later measurement was taken from a broken tree.
+    const availableBytes = freeBytes(tmp);
+    if (availableBytes !== null) {
+      log(`free space in ${tmp}: ${(availableBytes / GB).toFixed(1)} GB`);
+      if (availableBytes < 12 * GB) {
+        warn(
+          `only ${(availableBytes / GB).toFixed(1)} GB free — this gate needs roughly 12 GB ` +
+            `(two ~3 GB install trees, the second installed over twice, plus the tarball). ` +
+            `An install truncated by ENOSPC looks like a schema divergence.`
+        );
+      }
+    }
 
     // ---- Phase A: clean install -------------------------------------------------
     log("PHASE A — clean install of the packed tarball");
     const aPrefix = path.join(tmp, "a-prefix");
     const aData = path.join(tmp, "a-data");
     fs.mkdirSync(aData, { recursive: true });
-    npmInstallInto(aPrefix, tarball);
+    npmInstallInto(aPrefix, tarball, "clean install");
     const a = await bootAndProbe({
       prefix: aPrefix,
       dataDir: aData,
@@ -245,14 +412,34 @@ async function main() {
       label: "clean",
     });
     failures.push(...a.failures);
+    const cleanBooted = a.ok;
     if (a.ok) log(`clean install healthy on v${a.version}`);
+    else if (a.tail?.length) {
+      console.error("[install-upgrade] last output from the clean-install server:");
+      console.error(a.tail.join("").split("\n").slice(-40).join("\n"));
+    }
     const aDb = findDb(aData);
     const freshTables = aDb ? readTables(aDb) : null;
     if (!freshTables) failures.push("clean: no SQLite database was created");
     else log(`clean install schema: ${freshTables.size} tables`);
 
+    // Phase A is fully measured (boot verdict + schema snapshot); its ~3 GB install tree is
+    // dead weight from here on and Phase B needs the room. The DATA_DIR stays — only the
+    // node_modules tree goes.
+    if (!skipUpgrade) {
+      fs.rmSync(aPrefix, { recursive: true, force: true });
+      const reclaimed = freeBytes(tmp);
+      log(
+        "released the clean-install tree before the upgrade phase" +
+          (reclaimed !== null ? ` (${(reclaimed / GB).toFixed(1)} GB free)` : "")
+      );
+    }
+
     // ---- Phase B: upgrade over the previous published version -------------------
     let upgradedTables = null;
+    // `--skip-upgrade` never reaches the convergence block (upgradedTables stays null), so
+    // defaulting this to true keeps that path unchanged.
+    let upgradeBooted = true;
     if (skipUpgrade) {
       warn("PHASE B skipped (--skip-upgrade)");
     } else {
@@ -262,7 +449,7 @@ async function main() {
       const bData = path.join(tmp, "b-data");
       fs.mkdirSync(bData, { recursive: true });
 
-      npmInstallInto(bPrefix, `omniroute@${previous}`);
+      npmInstallInto(bPrefix, `omniroute@${previous}`, `previous(${previous}) install`);
       const before = await bootAndProbe({
         prefix: bPrefix,
         dataDir: bData,
@@ -273,14 +460,16 @@ async function main() {
       if (!before.ok) {
         // A broken PREVIOUS version is not this release's fault — degrade to a warning so a
         // historically bad publish cannot block the current one.
-        warnings.push(`previous version ${previous} did not boot cleanly — upgrade path unverified`);
+        warnings.push(
+          `previous version ${previous} did not boot cleanly — upgrade path unverified`
+        );
         for (const f of before.failures) warn(f);
       } else {
         const beforeDb = findDb(bData);
         const beforeTables = beforeDb ? readTables(beforeDb) : new Set();
         log(`previous(${previous}) schema: ${beforeTables.size} tables — upgrading in place`);
 
-        npmInstallInto(bPrefix, tarball);
+        npmInstallInto(bPrefix, tarball, "upgrade install");
         const after = await bootAndProbe({
           prefix: bPrefix,
           dataDir: bData,
@@ -290,6 +479,11 @@ async function main() {
         });
         failures.push(...after.failures);
         if (after.ok) log(`upgrade healthy on v${after.version}`);
+        upgradeBooted = after.ok;
+        if (!after.ok && after.tail?.length) {
+          console.error("[install-upgrade] last output from the upgraded server:");
+          console.error(after.tail.join("").split("\n").slice(-40).join("\n"));
+        }
 
         const afterDb = findDb(bData);
         upgradedTables = afterDb ? readTables(afterDb) : null;
@@ -306,7 +500,19 @@ async function main() {
     }
 
     // ---- Schema convergence -----------------------------------------------------
-    if (freshTables && upgradedTables) {
+    // Only meaningful when BOTH servers actually served. A boot that died before serving
+    // never ran a migration, so its database still holds the PREVIOUS release's schema and
+    // every post-baseline table shows up as "a clean install creates but an upgrade does
+    // not" — which is what the v3.8.50 publish run reported after ENOSPC truncated the
+    // upgrade install. Comparing there does not add information, it manufactures a
+    // 15-table false alarm on top of the real failure. The run still fails: the boot
+    // failure is already in `failures`.
+    if (freshTables && upgradedTables && !(cleanBooted && upgradeBooted)) {
+      warn(
+        "schema convergence NOT evaluated — a phase failed to boot, so its database was " +
+          "never migrated and any table difference would describe the broken boot, not the schema"
+      );
+    } else if (freshTables && upgradedTables) {
       const verdict = evaluateConvergence({
         freshTables,
         upgradedTables,
@@ -334,7 +540,10 @@ async function main() {
 
 // Only run the (expensive) gate when invoked directly — importing this module for the pure
 // helper above must not pack, install or boot anything.
-if (process.argv[1] && path.resolve(process.argv[1]) === path.resolve(new URL(import.meta.url).pathname)) {
+if (
+  process.argv[1] &&
+  path.resolve(process.argv[1]) === path.resolve(new URL(import.meta.url).pathname)
+) {
   main().catch((err) => {
     console.error(`[install-upgrade] crashed: ${err?.message ?? err}`);
     process.exit(1);
diff --git a/src/lib/db/migrations/163_model_capabilities.sql b/src/lib/db/migrations/163_model_capabilities.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bf81e76ae1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/db/migrations/163_model_capabilities.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+-- 163_model_capabilities.sql
+--
+-- Promote `model_capabilities` from a lazily-created runtime table to a real migration.
+--
+-- WHY: the table was only ever created by `ensureCapabilitiesTable()` in
+-- src/lib/modelsDevSync.ts, on demand, the first time a models.dev capability sync ran.
+-- Whether a database has it therefore depends on TIMING, not on the schema version — so a
+-- clean install and an upgraded install diverge for no structural reason. The v3.8.50
+-- publish run hit exactly that: `check:install-upgrade` reported `model_capabilities` as a
+-- table "present only after upgrade", because the older database had already run a sync
+-- and the freshly-installed one had not.
+--
+-- Creating it here makes both install paths converge deterministically.
+-- `ensureCapabilitiesTable()` stays in place as an idempotent safety net (it is a
+-- CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS and now always a no-op); tests/unit/db-install-upgrade-schema-parity.test.ts
+-- pins the two definitions against drift.
+--
+-- IF NOT EXISTS is required, not decorative: every database that ever ran a models.dev
+-- sync already has this table, and this migration must be a no-op there.
+
+CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS model_capabilities (
+  provider TEXT NOT NULL,
+  model_id TEXT NOT NULL,
+  tool_call BOOLEAN,
+  reasoning BOOLEAN,
+  attachment BOOLEAN,
+  structured_output BOOLEAN,
+  temperature BOOLEAN,
+  modalities_input TEXT,
+  modalities_output TEXT,
+  knowledge_cutoff TEXT,
+  release_date TEXT,
+  last_updated TEXT,
+  status TEXT,
+  family TEXT,
+  open_weights BOOLEAN,
+  limit_context INTEGER,
+  limit_input INTEGER,
+  limit_output INTEGER,
+  interleaved_field TEXT,
+  last_synced TEXT,
+  PRIMARY KEY (provider, model_id)
+);
diff --git a/src/lib/modelsDevSync.ts b/src/lib/modelsDevSync.ts
index c4c0f2f273..b4f4ec09c7 100644
--- a/src/lib/modelsDevSync.ts
+++ b/src/lib/modelsDevSync.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import { getDbInstance } from "./db/core";
 import { invalidateDbCache, getModelCatalogCacheVersion } from "./db/readCache";
 import { backupDbFile } from "./db/backup";
+import { registerDbStateResetter } from "./db/stateReset";
 
 import {
   transformModelsDevToPricing,
@@ -231,6 +232,15 @@ function mapCapabilityRecord(record: Record<string, unknown>): ModelCapabilityEn
 let pricingMemo: PricingByProvider | null = null;
 let pricingMemoVersion = -1; // -1: never equals a real cacheVersion (starts at 0), guarantees a miss on the first call
 
+// resetDbInstance() (tests, DB swaps) must also drop the pricing memo below —
+// ported from main's #10055 and wired to THIS memo (keyed on the catalog cache
+// version), not to a second cache of its own.
+function invalidateModelsDevPricingCache(): void {
+  pricingMemo = null;
+  pricingMemoVersion = -1;
+}
+registerDbStateResetter(invalidateModelsDevPricingCache);
+
 /**
  * Read synced pricing from `models_dev_pricing` namespace.
  * Results are memoized until `saveModelsDevPricing` / `clearModelsDevPricing`.
@@ -285,6 +295,7 @@ export function saveModelsDevPricing(data: PricingByProvider): void {
   });
   tx();
   backupDbFile("pre-write");
+  invalidateModelsDevPricingCache();
   invalidateDbCache("pricing");
 }
 
@@ -295,6 +306,7 @@ export function clearModelsDevPricing(): void {
   const db = getDbInstance();
   db.prepare("DELETE FROM key_value WHERE namespace = 'models_dev_pricing'").run();
   backupDbFile("pre-write");
+  invalidateModelsDevPricingCache();
   invalidateDbCache("pricing");
 }
 
diff --git a/tests/unit/check-install-upgrade-convergence.test.ts b/tests/unit/check-install-upgrade-convergence.test.ts
index de3b74716a..47f8c51087 100644
--- a/tests/unit/check-install-upgrade-convergence.test.ts
+++ b/tests/unit/check-install-upgrade-convergence.test.ts
@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@ import assert from "node:assert/strict";
 import test from "node:test";
 
 // @ts-expect-error — plain .mjs gate script, no type declarations by design
-import { evaluateConvergence } from "../../scripts/check/check-install-upgrade.mjs";
+import {
+  assertNoDiskExhaustion,
+  evaluateConvergence,
+} from "../../scripts/check/check-install-upgrade.mjs";
 
 /**
  * The whole point of this gate is that the two directions of schema divergence are NOT
@@ -66,7 +69,11 @@ test("UNKNOWN residue fails — a new divergence must not hide behind the allowl
   assert.equal(v.ok, false);
   assert.deepEqual(v.unknownResidue, ["surprise_table"]);
   assert.match(v.failures[0], /surprise_table/);
-  assert.doesNotMatch(v.failures[0], /cache_metrics/, "the known one must not be re-reported as new");
+  assert.doesNotMatch(
+    v.failures[0],
+    /cache_metrics/,
+    "the known one must not be re-reported as new"
+  );
 });
 
 test("both directions at once report both failures", () => {
@@ -93,3 +100,43 @@ test("empty/missing inputs do not crash", () => {
   assert.equal(v.ok, true);
   assert.deepEqual(v.onlyFresh, []);
 });
+
+// ─── ENOSPC guard ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+//
+// The v3.8.50 publish run (CI 33104507735) failed with "15 tables a CLEAN install creates
+// but an UPGRADE does not". None of them was missing: the Phase B upgrade install had hit
+// `npm warn tar TAR_ENTRY_ERROR ENOSPC: no space left on device` 5611 times, npm still
+// exited 0, the truncated `omniroute serve` "exited with code 0 before serving", and the
+// database therefore still held the 3.8.49 schema. npm reporting disk exhaustion as a
+// warning is what let a full disk masquerade as a schema defect.
+
+test("npm ENOSPC warnings are raised as an install failure, not ignored", () => {
+  const enospc = "npm warn tar TAR_ENTRY_ERROR ENOSPC: no space left on device, write\n".repeat(3);
+  assert.throws(
+    () => assertNoDiskExhaustion(enospc, "upgrade install"),
+    (err: Error) => {
+      assert.match(err.message, /upgrade install/);
+      assert.match(err.message, /ran out of disk space/);
+      assert.match(err.message, /3 ENOSPC error/);
+      // The operator must not go looking for a migration that is not missing.
+      assert.match(err.message, /NOT a schema divergence/);
+      return true;
+    }
+  );
+});
+
+test("a clean install log does not trip the disk guard", () => {
+  assert.doesNotThrow(() =>
+    assertNoDiskExhaustion(
+      "npm warn deprecated boolean@3.2.0: Package no longer supported.\nadded 900 packages\n",
+      "clean install"
+    )
+  );
+});
+
+test("the guard also catches the bare kernel message without the ENOSPC code", () => {
+  assert.throws(
+    () => assertNoDiskExhaustion("Error: no space left on device", "clean install"),
+    /ran out of disk space/
+  );
+});
diff --git a/tests/unit/db-install-upgrade-schema-parity.test.ts b/tests/unit/db-install-upgrade-schema-parity.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..9ce6c408c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/db-install-upgrade-schema-parity.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+// ENVIRONMENT NOTE (sandbox better-sqlite3 / glibc limitation, not a code defect):
+// This test opens a real SQLite database through `src/lib/db/core.ts`. better-sqlite3 is a
+// native addon; production and CI load it normally, but some sandboxes ship a system glibc
+// older than the prebuilt binary requires ("GLIBC_2.29 not found"), in which case the
+// runtime cascades to node:sqlite/sql.js. See tests/unit/_helpers/betterSqlite3Availability.ts.
+//
+// WHY THIS FILE EXISTS
+// --------------------
+// `npm run check:install-upgrade` (scripts/check/check-install-upgrade.mjs) proves that a
+// CLEAN install and an UPGRADE converge on the same schema, but it costs a full `npm pack`
+// plus three global installs and three boots (~17 min in CI) and it can only ever run at
+// publish time, against an already-published previous version. It is not a development
+// feedback loop, and the v3.8.50 publish run is what proved it: the gate reported 15
+// "missing" tables, and the deterministic half of that verdict was never checkable locally.
+//
+// This file pins the deterministic half in milliseconds:
+//
+//   1. Every migration file on disk is actually reachable by the runner on a fresh install.
+//      A file the runner never applies is a table no user ever gets.
+//   2. `model_capabilities` is created by the MIGRATION SET, not lazily at runtime.
+//      A table created on demand by `CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS` inside a feature code
+//      path exists or not depending on whether that feature happened to run before the
+//      snapshot — so it diverges between the two install paths by TIMING, not by schema.
+//      That is precisely how `model_capabilities` surfaced as a divergence on the v3.8.50
+//      publish run (present in the upgraded database, absent from the clean one).
+import test from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import os from "node:os";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+
+const REPO_ROOT = path.resolve(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), "..", "..");
+const MIGRATIONS_DIR = path.join(REPO_ROOT, "src", "lib", "db", "migrations");
+
+const TEST_DATA_DIR = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "omniroute-install-upgrade-parity-"));
+process.env.DATA_DIR = TEST_DATA_DIR;
+process.env.DISABLE_SQLITE_AUTO_BACKUP = "true";
+
+const core = await import("../../src/lib/db/core.ts");
+
+// A clean install: core.ts applies the inline SCHEMA_SQL, the `ensure*Columns()` helpers,
+// then runMigrations(). This is the exact code path Phase A of the gate exercises.
+const db = core.getDbInstance();
+
+test.after(() => {
+  try {
+    core.resetDbInstance();
+  } catch {
+    /* best effort */
+  }
+  fs.rmSync(TEST_DATA_DIR, { recursive: true, force: true });
+});
+
+function migrationFiles(): Array<{ version: string; name: string }> {
+  return fs
+    .readdirSync(MIGRATIONS_DIR)
+    .sort()
+    .map((file) => /^(\d{3,})_(.+)\.sql$/.exec(file))
+    .filter((m): m is RegExpExecArray => m !== null)
+    .map((m) => ({ version: m[1], name: m[2] }));
+}
+
+function hasTable(name: string): boolean {
+  return Boolean(
+    db.prepare("SELECT name FROM sqlite_master WHERE type = 'table' AND name = ?").get(name)
+  );
+}
+
+test("a clean install applies every migration file on disk", () => {
+  const ledger = new Set(
+    (
+      db.prepare("SELECT version FROM _omniroute_migrations").all() as Array<{ version: string }>
+    ).map((row) => row.version)
+  );
+  const unapplied = migrationFiles()
+    .filter((m) => !ledger.has(m.version))
+    .map((m) => `${m.version}_${m.name}`);
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    unapplied,
+    [],
+    "migration files the runner never applied — an upgrade would not create their tables either"
+  );
+});
+
+test("model_capabilities comes from the migration set, not from a lazy runtime CREATE", () => {
+  assert.ok(
+    hasTable("model_capabilities"),
+    "model_capabilities must be created by a migration so a clean install and an upgrade " +
+      "converge deterministically instead of depending on whether the models.dev sync ran"
+  );
+});
+
+test("the model_capabilities migration does not drift from ensureCapabilitiesTable()", () => {
+  const source = fs.readFileSync(path.join(REPO_ROOT, "src", "lib", "modelsDevSync.ts"), "utf8");
+  const ddl = /CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS model_capabilities\s*\(([\s\S]*?)\n\s*\)/.exec(source);
+  assert.ok(ddl, "ensureCapabilitiesTable() DDL not found in src/lib/modelsDevSync.ts");
+
+  const runtimeColumns = ddl[1]
+    .split("\n")
+    .map((line) => line.trim())
+    .filter((line) => line.length > 0 && !/^PRIMARY KEY/i.test(line))
+    .map((line) => line.replace(/,$/, "").split(/\s+/)[0])
+    .sort();
+
+  const migrationColumns = (
+    db.prepare("PRAGMA table_info(model_capabilities)").all() as Array<{ name: string }>
+  )
+    .map((column) => column.name)
+    .sort();
+
+  assert.deepEqual(
+    migrationColumns,
+    runtimeColumns,
+    "the migration and the runtime helper must create the same columns — a drift here means " +
+      "an upgraded database keeps the old shape while a clean install gets the new one"
+  );
+});
diff --git a/tests/unit/npm-payload-nft-manifests-excluded.test.ts b/tests/unit/npm-payload-nft-manifests-excluded.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4ab0ff0936
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/npm-payload-nft-manifests-excluded.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
+import test from "node:test";
+import assert from "node:assert/strict";
+import { readFileSync, readdirSync } from "node:fs";
+import type { Dirent } from "node:fs";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+
+/**
+ * v3.8.50 was refused by the registry with `413 Payload Too Large` on
+ * `POST /-/stage/package/omniroute`: the tarball had reached 288.7 MB packed
+ * (1.1 GB unpacked), against 174.5 MB for the 3.8.49 that published fine.
+ *
+ * 668.7 MB of that — 61% of the whole package — was 842 `*.nft.json` files.
+ * Those are Next.js Node File Trace manifests: build-time metadata used to
+ * COMPUTE the standalone bundle, never read while serving. They had doubled
+ * since 3.8.49 (325.0 MB across 748 files), which is what tipped the payload
+ * over the limit.
+ *
+ * The guard is the `files[]` negation, so a future entry that re-widens the
+ * glob (or a rewrite of the array) cannot silently put them back.
+ */
+const pkg = JSON.parse(readFileSync(join(import.meta.dirname, "../../package.json"), "utf8")) as {
+  files?: string[];
+};
+
+test("package.json files[] excludes Next's .nft.json trace manifests", () => {
+  const files = pkg.files ?? [];
+  assert.ok(files.length > 0, "package.json must declare files[]");
+  assert.ok(
+    files.includes("!**/*.nft.json"),
+    "files[] must negate **/*.nft.json — they are build metadata and were 61% of the 3.8.50 payload"
+  );
+});
+
+test("the negation sits after the positive dist/ entry it has to override", () => {
+  // npm applies files[] in order: a negation listed BEFORE the directory that
+  // pulls the files in is a no-op. Positive anchor, so this test cannot pass
+  // just because both strings happen to be present somewhere.
+  const files = pkg.files ?? [];
+  const dist = files.indexOf("dist/");
+  const negation = files.indexOf("!**/*.nft.json");
+  assert.notEqual(dist, -1, "dist/ must still be published");
+  assert.ok(negation > dist, "the .nft.json negation must come after dist/");
+});
+
+test("no source module reads a .nft.json at runtime", () => {
+  // If this ever stops holding, the exclusion above becomes a runtime break
+  // rather than a size win — which is exactly the assumption worth pinning.
+  const roots = ["src", "open-sse", "bin"];
+  const hits: string[] = [];
+  for (const root of roots) {
+    const dir = join(import.meta.dirname, "../..", root);
+    const stack = [dir];
+    while (stack.length > 0) {
+      const current = stack.pop() as string;
+      let entries: Dirent[];
+      try {
+        entries = readdirSync(current, { withFileTypes: true });
+      } catch {
+        continue;
+      }
+      for (const entry of entries) {
+        const full = join(current, entry.name);
+        if (entry.isDirectory()) {
+          if (entry.name !== "node_modules") stack.push(full);
+        } else if (/\.(ts|tsx|mjs|js)$/.test(entry.name)) {
+          if (readFileSync(full, "utf8").includes(".nft.json")) hits.push(full);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  assert.deepEqual(hits, [], `nothing may depend on .nft.json at runtime: ${hits.join(", ")}`);
+});