diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 70b7a1266..999546f0c 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -234,6 +234,13 @@ built-harness Chrome regression, every public edit operation, and generated
 media/audio rendering. Real-GPU effects remain an explicit operator/release
 gate because hosted PR CI does not provide a portable WebGPU adapter.
 
+### QA Gates
+
+Every PR to `staging` runs the full QA gate set (head binding, static checks,
+provenance, consumer smoke, browser QA, redaction) and posts a canonical QA
+report; a PR stays DRAFT until a trusted judge returns PASS. See
+[docs/qa/README.md](docs/qa/README.md).
+
 ### Performance Checks
 
 - `npm run dev` is best for correctness and iteration, but includes React/Vite dev overhead, HMR, and debug instrumentation.
diff --git a/docs/qa/README.md b/docs/qa/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a6c5edf14
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/qa/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+# FreeCut QA Gates
+
+FreeCut's QA gate set mirrors the CodePress delivery gates. Every PR to
+`staging` must run the full gate set at its **exact head** and post a
+[canonical QA report](./canonical-report.md) as a PR comment. A PR stays
+**DRAFT** until a trusted judge returns PASS — no self-merge, no report
+comment or evaluator may mark a PR ready.
+
+## Docs-first rule
+
+Before touching any area, read its doc: `docs/` for packaging/provenance and
+render decomposition, `packages/freecut-editor/README.md` for the published
+editor surface, `headless/` sources for the browser harness, and this
+directory for the QA gates themselves. Cross-feature couplings that break
+silently are recorded in [verification-graph.md](./verification-graph.md) —
+check your blast radius there before and after a change.
+
+## The gate set
+
+Run everything at the PR head, from a clean tree, in this order:
+
+| # | Gate | Command | Notes |
+|---|------|---------|-------|
+| 1 | Head binding | `npm run qa:binding -- --check` | Emits/validates the exact base/head + dirty-tree block for the report |
+| 2 | Type check | `npm run check` | Focused: `npx vp check --no-fmt <paths>` |
+| 3 | Lint | `npm run lint` | Focused: `npx vp lint <paths>`. Needs `packages/freecut-editor/dist` — run `npm run build:editor-surface` first on a fresh tree, else a pre-existing TS2307 on the self-referencing `@quantfive/freecut-editor-surface` import (present at base too) |
+| 4 | Unit tests | `npm run test:run` | Selective: `npx vp test run <file>` |
+| 5 | Build | `npm run build` | |
+| 6 | Feature boundaries | `npm run check:boundaries` | |
+| 7 | Deps contract boundaries | `npm run check:deps-contracts` | |
+| 8 | Legacy lib imports | `npm run check:legacy-lib-imports` | |
+| 9 | Deps wrapper health | `npm run check:deps-wrapper-health` | |
+| 10 | Unused exports | `npm run check:unused-exports` | Allowlists are ratchet baselines — never bulk-fix |
+| 11 | Unused class members | `npm run check:unused-class-members` | Same ratchet rule |
+| 12 | Changed-health | `npm run check:changed-health` | |
+| 13 | Edge budgets | `npm run check:edge-budgets` | |
+| 14 | Provenance/reproducibility | `npm run verify:provenance` | Verifies baseline manifest, license/notices, dependency + asset inventory SHA256s. `npm run package:reproducible` additionally rebuilds and writes a deterministic tarball (never publish from QA) |
+| 15 | Editor-surface package build | `npm run build:editor-surface` | |
+| 16 | Installed consumer smoke | `npm run test:editor-surface:consumer` | Packs `@quantfive/freecut-editor-surface` into a tarball, installs it into a fresh temp consumer project, and runs the consumer test — no publish |
+| 17 | Headless contract tests (Node) | `npm run headless:test:node` | |
+| 18 | Browser QA | `npm run qa:browser -- --skip-build` | Discovers a browser session (system Chrome, then Playwright chromium), renders a frame, writes screenshot/log artifacts + manifest to `artifacts/qa/`. Exit 3 = BLOCKED (no browser) — see below |
+| 19 | Full headless browser suite | `npm run headless:test:chrome` | Render/edit/frame/layout contract checks in a real browser |
+| 20 | Redaction | `npm run check:qa-redaction` | QA docs + artifacts must carry no secrets, tokens, absolute local paths, or embedded media bytes; the command also runs the fail-closed self-test (`scripts/qa-redaction-check.test.mjs`) proving the gate rejects the negative fixtures |
+
+`npm run verify` aggregates gates 2 and 4–13 (type check, unit tests, build,
+and all boundary/deps/fallow/edge gates) plus the portable headless suite
+(`headless:test:portable` = gates 17 + 19 plus the media harness tests). Lint
+(gate 3) and the remaining gates run on demand.
+
+## Browser QA and the BLOCKED rule
+
+Gates 18–19 need a real browser. Discovery order: system Chrome
+(`channel: 'chrome'`), then the Playwright-bundled chromium. If neither
+exists, `qa:browser` exits **3** and prints a BLOCKED notice — that is a hard
+environment blocker, not a failure of the code, but it also means **no
+browser evidence exists**. A QA report must record the gate as `⚠️ BLOCKED`
+with the exact reason; it must never claim browser evidence that was not
+produced, and a missing browser session never waives the gate — it blocks
+readiness until re-run in an environment that has one. GPU tuning goes
+through `FREECUT_CHROME_ARGS` / `FREECUT_CHROME_ARGS_REPLACE` (see
+`headless/lib/cli.mjs`).
+
+## Baseline failures are disclosed, never hidden
+
+If a gate fails on `staging` before your change (an inherited baseline
+failure — e.g. full-suite jsdom/localStorage failures), record it as FAIL in
+the report with the note `inherited from base <sha>` and reproduce it at the
+base SHA. Never edit allowlists, skip lists, or config to make an inherited
+failure disappear.
+
+## Draft-to-ready discipline
+
+1. Open the PR as **DRAFT** at the exact head you verified.
+2. Run the full gate set at that head from a clean tree.
+3. Post the canonical QA report (format: [canonical-report.md](./canonical-report.md))
+   as a PR comment, including the revision-binding block from `qa:binding`.
+4. Any new commit re-arms every gate: re-run and re-post.
+5. Only a **trusted judge** PASS transitions the PR out of draft. Verdicts
+   are binary and fail closed. The verifier's strongest self-verdict is
+   `PASS — PENDING JUDGE`; only the judge may say `READY TO MERGE`.
+
+## Privacy
+
+QA artifacts and reports contain no secrets, tokens, cookies, raw absolute
+local paths (use repo-relative paths), or embedded media bytes. Screenshots
+and logs live in gitignored `artifacts/qa/` and are referenced by
+repo-relative path or uploaded to a durable URL before being cited.
+`npm run check:qa-redaction` enforces this over `docs/qa` and `artifacts/qa`:
+a generic absolute-path pattern (any Unix root or Windows drive, not a list of
+known roots), any media data URI regardless of payload length, and the secret
+patterns. Browser logs are sanitized with the same generic path pattern before
+being written. Intentional examples in docs may carry the per-line marker
+`qa-redaction:allow` (secrets are never allowlisted). The gate is proven
+fail-closed by `scripts/qa-redaction-check.test.mjs`: the negative fixtures in
+`scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/` (a tmp path, a generic absolute path, a short
+media data URI, a Windows path) must each fail the gate, and the clean fixture
+set must pass.
diff --git a/docs/qa/canonical-report.md b/docs/qa/canonical-report.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..abf692919
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/qa/canonical-report.md
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+# Canonical QA Report
+
+Posted as a PR comment once the full gate set has run at the exact head.
+Verdicts per gate: `✅ PASS`, `❌ FAIL`, `⚠️ BLOCKED` (BLOCKED is reserved for
+hard environment blockers — missing browser session, missing credentials,
+outage; anything else is FAIL).
+
+Template:
+
+```
+## Canonical QA Report
+
+### Verifier revision binding
+base: <40-hex> (origin/staging)
+head: <40-hex>
+git rev-parse HEAD -> <40-hex>
+git status --porcelain -> (empty)
+
+### Gate results
+| # | Gate | Result | Evidence |
+|---|------|--------|----------|
+| 1 | Head binding | ✅ PASS | clean tree, head descends from base |
+| ... | ... | ... | one line each: command + key output |
+
+### Inherited baseline failures
+- <gate>: FAIL at base <sha> with <one-line reason> — reproduced at base, not caused by this PR
+
+### Environment blockers
+- <gate>: BLOCKED — <exact reason and what re-run requires>
+
+### Visual / browser artifacts
+- artifacts/qa/browser-<short-sha>/manifest.json (+ frame.png, harness.png, console.log)
+
+### Overall
+✅ PASS — PENDING JUDGE   (or: ❌ FAIL — NOT READY TO MERGE)
+
+No merge until trusted judge PASS.
+```
+
+Rules:
+
+- The revision-binding block comes verbatim from `npm run qa:binding -- --check`.
+  A dirty tree forces FAIL/BLOCKED; there are no exemptions.
+- Evidence lines are bounded (one line per gate) and redacted — no tokens,
+  no absolute local paths, no media bytes (`npm run check:qa-redaction`).
+- The verifier never writes `READY TO MERGE`. The strongest self-verdict is
+  `PASS — PENDING JUDGE`. The judge's verdict is binary and fails closed:
+  `READY TO MERGE` (PASS) or `NOT READY TO MERGE` (FAIL).
+- The report is valid only for the exact head in the binding block. Any new
+  commit re-arms the gate set; the report must be regenerated and re-posted.
+- Inherited baseline failures are disclosed in their own section and
+  reproduced at the base SHA — never hidden by allowlist or config edits.
diff --git a/docs/qa/verification-graph.md b/docs/qa/verification-graph.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0a034172f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/qa/verification-graph.md
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+# FreeCut verification graph
+
+Cross-feature couplings that break **silently** — i.e. not caught by the
+typechecker or imports alone. Format per edge:
+`<source> -> <target> | mechanism | how it breaks | check that catches it`.
+Blast radius of an area: grep its name below. When a change touches any edge,
+run the named check at the PR head.
+
+## Edges
+
+- `packages/freecut-editor/src -> src/features/editor/host` | the published
+  package re-exports the real host surface (`FreeCutEditorSurface`,
+  `EditorHostProvider`, `EditorHost` contract); a signature drift compiles in
+  the repo but breaks installed consumers | `npm run test:editor-surface:consumer`
+- `packages/freecut-editor package.json exports -> vite.editor-package.config.ts`
+  | `main`/`module`/`types`/`./style.css` point at `dist/` names produced by
+  the package build; renaming an output breaks consumers without any in-repo
+  error | `npm run build:editor-surface && npm run test:editor-surface:consumer`
+- `standalone app -> host surface` | the same editor surface runs with the
+  standalone bootstrap (router, workspace, local project storage) that the
+  package deliberately excludes; a surface change that silently depends on
+  the bootstrap breaks the package, and vice versa | `npm run build` +
+  `npm run build:editor-surface` + consumer smoke
+- `src/headless (window.freecut API) -> headless/*.mjs harness` | the harness
+  waits on `window.freecut.ready` and calls `renderTimeline`, `renderProject`,
+  `renderFrame`, `dumpLayout`, `editProject`, `probeMedia` by name; a rename
+  or readiness-change times out with no compile error | `npm run headless:test:chrome`,
+  `npm run qa:browser`
+- `codec capability override -> headless tests` | tests force codec fallback
+  via the `globalThis.__freecutSupportedCodecsOverride` seam; removing or
+  renaming the seam makes fallback coverage silently untestable |
+  `node headless/test.mjs`
+- `project schemaVersion -> project JSON fixtures` | saved projects, headless
+  fixtures, and the consumer smoke fixture carry `schemaVersion`; a migration
+  that changes semantics without bumping deserializes stale projects without
+  error | `npm run test:run` + `node headless/test.mjs`
+- `provenance/freecut-baseline.json -> package.json + package-lock.json +
+  LICENSE + notices + tracked assets` | the manifest pins SHA256s of the
+  upstream revision, dependency inventory, license/notice files, and asset
+  roots; any drift fails only when the provenance gate runs |
+  `npm run verify:provenance`
+- `packages/freecut-editor consumer-smoke fixtures -> vite.editor-package.test.config.ts`
+  | `scripts/test-editor-surface-consumer.mjs` copies the smoke
+  test/setup/style-declaration plus the test vite config into a temp consumer;
+  renaming any of those files breaks the smoke with a missing-file error only
+  at run time | `npm run test:editor-surface:consumer`
+- `headless/server.mjs harness contract -> headless tests + qa:browser` |
+  `createHarnessServer({ distDir, resolveMedia })` returns
+  `harnessUrl`/`mediaUrl(id)`; tests and the browser QA script both consume
+  that shape | `npm run headless:test:node` + `npm run qa:browser`
+- `fallow allowlists (scripts/*.allowlist.json) -> unused-export/member gates`
+  | the allowlists are ratchet baselines; editing them to silence a new
+  finding hides real dead code | `npm run check:unused-exports`,
+  `npm run check:unused-class-members`
+- `feature-edge budgets -> feature boundaries` | `check:edge-budgets` caps
+  cross-feature import edges; growing an edge count past the budget fails
+  only when the budget gate runs | `npm run check:edge-budgets`
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 5e5d5cdb4..1f84b65e2 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -14,10 +14,10 @@
     "package:reproducible": "node scripts/package-reproducible.mjs",
     "package:editor-surface": "node scripts/package-editor-surface.mjs",
     "build:perf": "vp build --mode perf",
-    "lint": "vp lint src packages/freecut-editor/src packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.test.tsx packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.setup.ts packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke-style.d.ts scripts/package-editor-surface.mjs scripts/test-editor-surface-consumer.mjs headless vite.config.ts vite.editor-package.config.ts vite.editor-package.test.config.ts",
-    "lint:fix": "vp lint src packages/freecut-editor/src packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.test.tsx packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.setup.ts packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke-style.d.ts scripts/package-editor-surface.mjs scripts/test-editor-surface-consumer.mjs headless vite.config.ts vite.editor-package.config.ts vite.editor-package.test.config.ts --fix",
-    "format": "vp fmt src packages/freecut-editor/src packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.test.tsx packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.setup.ts packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke-style.d.ts scripts/package-editor-surface.mjs scripts/test-editor-surface-consumer.mjs headless vite.config.ts vite.editor-package.config.ts vite.editor-package.test.config.ts package.json packages/freecut-editor/package.json .oxlintrc.json .oxfmtrc.json",
-    "format:check": "vp fmt src packages/freecut-editor/src packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.test.tsx packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.setup.ts packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke-style.d.ts scripts/package-editor-surface.mjs scripts/test-editor-surface-consumer.mjs headless vite.config.ts vite.editor-package.config.ts vite.editor-package.test.config.ts package.json packages/freecut-editor/package.json .oxlintrc.json .oxfmtrc.json --check",
+    "lint": "vp lint src packages/freecut-editor/src packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.test.tsx packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.setup.ts packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke-style.d.ts scripts/package-editor-surface.mjs scripts/test-editor-surface-consumer.mjs scripts/qa-head-binding.mjs scripts/qa-browser-check.mjs scripts/qa-redaction-check.mjs scripts/qa-redaction-check.test.mjs headless vite.config.ts vite.editor-package.config.ts vite.editor-package.test.config.ts",
+    "lint:fix": "vp lint src packages/freecut-editor/src packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.test.tsx packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.setup.ts packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke-style.d.ts scripts/package-editor-surface.mjs scripts/test-editor-surface-consumer.mjs scripts/qa-head-binding.mjs scripts/qa-browser-check.mjs scripts/qa-redaction-check.mjs scripts/qa-redaction-check.test.mjs headless vite.config.ts vite.editor-package.config.ts vite.editor-package.test.config.ts --fix",
+    "format": "vp fmt src packages/freecut-editor/src packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.test.tsx packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.setup.ts packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke-style.d.ts scripts/package-editor-surface.mjs scripts/test-editor-surface-consumer.mjs scripts/qa-head-binding.mjs scripts/qa-browser-check.mjs scripts/qa-redaction-check.mjs scripts/qa-redaction-check.test.mjs headless vite.config.ts vite.editor-package.config.ts vite.editor-package.test.config.ts package.json packages/freecut-editor/package.json .oxlintrc.json .oxfmtrc.json",
+    "format:check": "vp fmt src packages/freecut-editor/src packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.test.tsx packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke.setup.ts packages/freecut-editor/consumer-smoke-style.d.ts scripts/package-editor-surface.mjs scripts/test-editor-surface-consumer.mjs scripts/qa-head-binding.mjs scripts/qa-browser-check.mjs scripts/qa-redaction-check.mjs scripts/qa-redaction-check.test.mjs headless vite.config.ts vite.editor-package.config.ts vite.editor-package.test.config.ts package.json packages/freecut-editor/package.json .oxlintrc.json .oxfmtrc.json --check",
     "check:boundaries": "node scripts/check-feature-boundaries.mjs",
     "check:deps-contracts": "node scripts/check-deps-contract-boundaries.mjs",
     "check:legacy-lib-imports": "node scripts/check-legacy-lib-imports.mjs",
@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@
     "check:changed-health": "node scripts/check-fallow-changed-health.mjs",
     "report:deps-wrapper-health:json": "node scripts/check-deps-wrapper-health.mjs --json",
     "check:edge-budgets": "node scripts/check-feature-edge-budgets.mjs",
+    "qa:binding": "node scripts/qa-head-binding.mjs",
+    "qa:browser": "node scripts/qa-browser-check.mjs",
+    "check:qa-redaction": "node scripts/qa-redaction-check.mjs && node --test scripts/qa-redaction-check.test.mjs",
     "report:feature-edges": "node scripts/report-feature-edges.mjs",
     "report:feature-edges:json": "node scripts/report-feature-edges.mjs --json",
     "check": "vp check --no-fmt src packages/freecut-editor/src headless vite.config.ts vite.editor-package.config.ts vite.editor-package.test.config.ts",
diff --git a/provenance/dependency-inventory.json b/provenance/dependency-inventory.json
index a9efc1877..01634da1d 100644
--- a/provenance/dependency-inventory.json
+++ b/provenance/dependency-inventory.json
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
   "generatedFrom": "package.json",
   "packageName": "freecut",
   "packageVersion": "0.0.0",
-  "packageJsonSha256": "331cb27e2fa2e50dbf9759e625e6d2b9c97db2205ee5870c8157ffbb2b14f971",
+  "packageJsonSha256": "d585b800f4a701f45a5415e588c282fbb9067cbebc78316add16397052a6a493",
   "lockfile": {
     "path": "package-lock.json",
     "lockfileVersion": 3,
diff --git a/provenance/freecut-baseline.json b/provenance/freecut-baseline.json
index 5346dde91..421eb09c2 100644
--- a/provenance/freecut-baseline.json
+++ b/provenance/freecut-baseline.json
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@
   ],
   "dependencies": {
     "packageJson": "package.json",
-    "packageJsonSha256": "331cb27e2fa2e50dbf9759e625e6d2b9c97db2205ee5870c8157ffbb2b14f971",
+    "packageJsonSha256": "d585b800f4a701f45a5415e588c282fbb9067cbebc78316add16397052a6a493",
     "lockfile": "package-lock.json",
     "lockfileVersion": 3,
     "lockfileSha256": "b4a86741ce7891da1f63df01b6fdd4ed507e8887d5097c6a0f93fc2ea6f3420e",
@@ -79,14 +79,7 @@
     "packageCommand": "npm run package:reproducible",
     "artifactPattern": "artifacts/freecut-<source-revision>.tar.gz",
     "archiveFormat": "deterministic tar.gz with sorted paths, zeroed mtimes, and uid/gid 0",
-    "contents": [
-      "dist/",
-      "LICENSE",
-      "notices/",
-      "package.json",
-      "package-lock.json",
-      "provenance/"
-    ]
+    "contents": ["dist/", "LICENSE", "notices/", "package.json", "package-lock.json", "provenance/"]
   },
   "ciVerification": {
     "workflow": ".github/workflows/reproducible-package.yml",
diff --git a/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/clean/example.md b/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/clean/example.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..d24fba91e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/clean/example.md
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+# Clean fixture
+
+QA artifacts are referenced by repo-relative path only:
+`artifacts/qa/browser-<short-sha>/manifest.json` and `docs/qa/README.md`.
+
+URLs are not local paths: https://example.com/qa/artifacts/manifest.json is fine.
+Single-segment URL paths like /headless.html are fine too.
+
+Intentional examples can be allowlisted per line. The next line demonstrates a
+path example that a doc may legitimately show:
+Run the checker against /tmp/example-output/ to see a finding. qa-redaction:allow
diff --git a/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-generic-path.txt b/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-generic-path.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..9a7c74dc9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-generic-path.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Pipeline config loaded from /opt/acme/pipeline/config.yaml at startup.
diff --git a/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-short-data-uri.txt b/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-short-data-uri.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..0f488c2c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-short-data-uri.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Inline icon: data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///
diff --git a/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-tmp-path.txt b/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-tmp-path.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3c0d871ff
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-tmp-path.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+QA scratch log was written to /tmp/freecut-qa-run-9f2c/output.log before cleanup.
diff --git a/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-windows-forward-slash.txt b/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-windows-forward-slash.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..34608a85c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-windows-forward-slash.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Build output at C:/Users/builder/freecut/dist/bundle.js was archived.
diff --git a/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-windows-path.txt b/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-windows-path.txt
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..8fcf86676
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/fixtures/qa-redaction/negative-windows-path.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Build output at C:\Users\builder\freecut\dist\bundle.js was archived.
diff --git a/scripts/qa-browser-check.mjs b/scripts/qa-browser-check.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..40bf1cabc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/qa-browser-check.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,254 @@
+// Browser QA gate. Discovers a usable browser session, exercises the headless
+// render harness in it, and writes screenshot/log artifacts plus a manifest to
+// artifacts/qa/browser-<short-head-sha>/ (gitignored).
+//
+// Exit codes:
+//   0  PASS — artifacts written
+//   1  FAIL — a check failed
+//   3  BLOCKED — no browser session available in this environment
+//
+// BLOCKED is reserved for hard environment blockers (no browser binary). A
+// BLOCKED result never counts as browser evidence; the QA report must say so.
+//
+// Run: node scripts/qa-browser-check.mjs [--skip-build]
+import { chromium } from 'playwright'
+import { execFileSync, execSync } from 'node:child_process'
+import crypto from 'node:crypto'
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
+import fs from 'node:fs'
+import path from 'node:path'
+import { createHarnessServer } from '../headless/server.mjs'
+import { chromeLaunchArgs } from '../headless/lib/cli.mjs'
+
+const ROOT = path.resolve(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '..')
+
+const FRAME_PROJECT = {
+  id: 'qa-browser-project',
+  name: 'QA Browser',
+  description: '',
+  createdAt: 1735689600000,
+  updatedAt: 1735689600000,
+  duration: 30,
+  schemaVersion: 10,
+  metadata: { width: 640, height: 360, fps: 30, backgroundColor: '#101418' },
+  timeline: {
+    masterBusDb: 0,
+    tracks: [
+      {
+        id: 'track-1',
+        name: 'V1',
+        kind: 'video',
+        height: 60,
+        locked: false,
+        syncLock: true,
+        visible: true,
+        muted: false,
+        solo: false,
+        order: 0,
+        items: [],
+      },
+    ],
+    items: [
+      {
+        id: 'text-1',
+        trackId: 'track-1',
+        from: 0,
+        durationInFrames: 30,
+        label: 'Title',
+        type: 'text',
+        text: 'qa-browser',
+        color: '#ffffff',
+        fontSize: 64,
+        fontWeight: 'bold',
+        textAlign: 'center',
+        verticalAlign: 'middle',
+        transform: {},
+      },
+    ],
+    transitions: [],
+    keyframes: [],
+    compositions: [],
+  },
+}
+
+function blocked(message) {
+  console.error(`[qa-browser] BLOCKED: ${message}`)
+  console.error('[qa-browser] no browser evidence was produced; the QA report must record this gate as BLOCKED')
+  process.exit(3)
+}
+
+function sha256File(filePath) {
+  return crypto.createHash('sha256').update(fs.readFileSync(filePath)).digest('hex')
+}
+
+function describeLaunchError(label, error) {
+  return `${label}: ${String(error?.message ?? error).split('\n')[0]}`
+}
+
+async function tryLaunch({ label, options }) {
+  const browser = await chromium.launch({
+    ...options,
+    headless: true,
+    args: chromeLaunchArgs(),
+  })
+  console.log(`[qa-browser] browser session: ${label} (${browser.version()})`)
+  return { browser, label }
+}
+
+async function launchBrowser() {
+  const attempts = [
+    { label: 'system Chrome (channel: chrome)', options: { channel: 'chrome' } },
+    { label: 'Playwright bundled chromium', options: {} },
+  ]
+  const errors = []
+  for (const attempt of attempts) {
+    const launched = await tryLaunch(attempt).catch((error) => {
+      errors.push(describeLaunchError(attempt.label, error))
+      return null
+    })
+    if (launched) return launched
+  }
+  blocked(`browser discovery found no available browser session — ${errors.join(' | ')}`)
+}
+
+async function ensureBuild() {
+  if (!process.argv.includes('--skip-build')) {
+    execSync('npm run build', { cwd: ROOT, stdio: 'inherit' })
+    return
+  }
+  if (!fs.existsSync(path.join(ROOT, 'dist', 'headless.html'))) {
+    throw new Error('dist/headless.html missing — run npm run build first or drop --skip-build')
+  }
+}
+
+function prepareOutDir(head) {
+  const outDir = path.join(ROOT, 'artifacts', 'qa', `browser-${head.slice(0, 12)}`)
+  fs.rmSync(outDir, { recursive: true, force: true })
+  fs.mkdirSync(outDir, { recursive: true })
+  return outDir
+}
+
+function report(failures, name, condition, detail) {
+  if (condition) {
+    console.log(`  PASS  ${name}`)
+    return
+  }
+  failures.push(name)
+  console.error(`  FAIL  ${name}${detail ? ` — ${detail}` : ''}`)
+}
+
+function pngSize(filePath) {
+  if (!fs.existsSync(filePath)) return 0
+  return fs.statSync(filePath).size
+}
+
+async function grabFrame(page, outDir, failures) {
+  const frameDownloadPromise = page.waitForEvent('download', { timeout: 60_000 })
+  frameDownloadPromise.catch(() => {})
+  const frameSummary = await page.evaluate((input) => window.freecut.renderFrame(input), {
+    project: FRAME_PROJECT,
+    atSeconds: 0.5,
+  })
+  const framePath = path.join(outDir, 'frame.png')
+  const frameDownload = await frameDownloadPromise
+  await frameDownload.saveAs(framePath)
+  report(failures, 'renderFrame returns ok', frameSummary.ok === true)
+  report(failures, 'frame matches project width', frameSummary.width === 640, `got ${frameSummary.width}`)
+  report(
+    failures,
+    'frame PNG has real pixels (>1KB)',
+    pngSize(framePath) > 1000,
+    `${pngSize(framePath)} bytes`,
+  )
+}
+
+async function runPageChecks(browser, server, outDir) {
+  const failures = []
+  const consoleLines = []
+  const context = await browser.newContext({ acceptDownloads: true })
+  const page = await context.newPage()
+  page.on('console', (message) => consoleLines.push(`[console:${message.type()}] ${message.text()}`))
+  page.on('pageerror', (error) => {
+    failures.push('page error')
+    consoleLines.push(`[pageerror] ${error.message}`)
+    console.error('  FAIL  page error —', error.message)
+  })
+
+  await page.goto(server.harnessUrl, { waitUntil: 'load', timeout: 60_000 })
+  await page.waitForFunction(() => Boolean(window.freecut?.ready), { timeout: 30_000 })
+  report(failures, 'harness reports ready', true)
+
+  await grabFrame(page, outDir, failures)
+  await page.screenshot({ path: path.join(outDir, 'harness.png') })
+  return { failures, consoleLines }
+}
+
+// Generic absolute local path (same contract as qa-redaction-check): any Unix
+// absolute path of 2+ segments not embedded in a URL, or any Windows drive
+// path with either separator. Sanitization must not depend on knowing the
+// specific roots in advance.
+const ABSOLUTE_PATH =
+  /(?<![\w:/+.~>-])(?:[A-Za-z]:[\\/][^\s'"<>|]*|\/(?:[A-Za-z0-9._~-]+\/)+[A-Za-z0-9._~-]*)/g
+
+function sanitizeLogText(text) {
+  return text.replace(ABSOLUTE_PATH, '<path>')
+}
+
+function writeConsoleLog(outDir, consoleLines) {
+  // Defensive redaction: no absolute local path may reach the log artifact,
+  // regardless of which root it lives under.
+  const logText = sanitizeLogText(consoleLines.join('\n'))
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(outDir, 'console.log'), `${logText}\n`)
+}
+
+function writeManifest(outDir, { head, label, version, failures }) {
+  const artifacts = ['frame.png', 'harness.png', 'console.log']
+  const manifest = {
+    schema: 'freecut-qa-browser/v1',
+    head,
+    browser: { label, version },
+    generatedAt: new Date().toISOString(),
+    artifacts: Object.fromEntries(
+      artifacts.map((name) => [
+        name,
+        { bytes: fs.statSync(path.join(outDir, name)).size, sha256: sha256File(path.join(outDir, name)) },
+      ]),
+    ),
+    result: failures.length === 0 ? 'PASS' : 'FAIL',
+  }
+  fs.writeFileSync(path.join(outDir, 'manifest.json'), `${JSON.stringify(manifest, null, 2)}\n`)
+  console.log(
+    `[qa-browser] artifacts: artifacts/qa/browser-${head.slice(0, 12)}/ (${artifacts.join(', ')}, manifest.json)`,
+  )
+}
+
+function reportOutcome(failures) {
+  if (failures.length > 0) {
+    console.error(`[qa-browser] ${failures.length} check(s) FAILED`)
+    process.exit(1)
+  }
+  console.log('[qa-browser] PASS')
+}
+
+async function main() {
+  await ensureBuild()
+  const head = execFileSync('git', ['rev-parse', 'HEAD'], { cwd: ROOT, encoding: 'utf8' }).trim()
+  const outDir = prepareOutDir(head)
+
+  const { browser, label } = await launchBrowser()
+  const server = await createHarnessServer({ distDir: path.join(ROOT, 'dist'), resolveMedia: () => null })
+  try {
+    const { failures, consoleLines } = await runPageChecks(browser, server, outDir)
+    writeConsoleLog(outDir, consoleLines)
+    writeManifest(outDir, { head, label, version: browser.version(), failures })
+    reportOutcome(failures)
+  } finally {
+    await browser.close()
+    await server.close()
+  }
+}
+
+main().catch((error) => {
+  console.error(`[qa-browser] crashed: ${error?.message ?? error}`)
+  process.exit(1)
+})
diff --git a/scripts/qa-head-binding.mjs b/scripts/qa-head-binding.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..ef7d6c5c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/qa-head-binding.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+// QA head-binding gate. Emits (and with --check, validates) the exact
+// base/head revision-binding block that every canonical QA report must carry.
+//
+// A QA report is only valid for one exact head SHA on top of one exact base
+// SHA, produced from a clean working tree. Any new commit re-arms the gate:
+// the binding must be re-emitted and every gate re-run at the new head.
+//
+// Usage:
+//   node scripts/qa-head-binding.mjs [--base <sha|ref>]   print the block
+//   node scripts/qa-head-binding.mjs --check [--base <sha|ref>]
+//        exit 1 if the tree is dirty, HEAD is not a descendant of base,
+//        or base cannot be resolved
+//
+// Output contains only SHAs and repo-relative state — never local paths.
+import { execFileSync, spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'
+import path from 'node:path'
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
+
+const ROOT = path.resolve(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '..')
+const DEFAULT_BASE_REF = 'origin/staging'
+
+function fail(message) {
+  console.error(`[qa-head-binding] ${message}`)
+  process.exit(1)
+}
+
+function git(args, { allowFailure = false } = {}) {
+  const result = spawnSync('git', args, { cwd: ROOT, encoding: 'utf8' })
+  if (result.status !== 0) {
+    if (allowFailure) return null
+    fail(`git ${args.join(' ')} failed: ${(result.stderr ?? '').trim()}`)
+  }
+  return result.stdout.trim()
+}
+
+function readFlag(name) {
+  const index = process.argv.indexOf(name)
+  if (index < 0) return null
+  const value = process.argv[index + 1]
+  if (!value || value.startsWith('--')) fail(`${name} requires a value`)
+  return value
+}
+
+function resolveSha(ref, label) {
+  const sha = git(['rev-parse', '--verify', `${ref}^{commit}`], { allowFailure: true })
+  if (!sha) fail(`could not resolve ${label} ref: ${ref}`)
+  return sha
+}
+
+function emitBindingBlock({ base, baseRef, head, porcelain, clean }) {
+  console.log('### Verifier revision binding')
+  console.log(`base: ${base} (${baseRef})`)
+  console.log(`head: ${head}`)
+  console.log(`git rev-parse HEAD -> ${head}`)
+  console.log(`git status --porcelain -> ${clean ? '(empty)' : '\n' + porcelain}`)
+}
+
+function validateBinding({ check, clean, descendant, base, head }) {
+  if (!check) return
+  if (!clean) fail('working tree is dirty — QA evidence must come from a clean tree')
+  if (!descendant) fail(`head ${head} is not a descendant of base ${base}`)
+  console.log('[qa-head-binding] OK: clean tree, head descends from base')
+}
+
+function resolveBase(baseRef) {
+  if (/^[0-9a-f]{40}$/.test(baseRef)) return baseRef
+  return resolveSha(baseRef, 'base')
+}
+
+function main() {
+  const check = process.argv.includes('--check')
+  const baseRef = readFlag('--base') ?? DEFAULT_BASE_REF
+  const base = resolveBase(baseRef)
+  const head = git(['rev-parse', 'HEAD'])
+  const porcelain = git(['status', '--porcelain'])
+  const clean = porcelain.length === 0
+  const descendant =
+    spawnSync('git', ['merge-base', '--is-ancestor', base, head], { cwd: ROOT }).status === 0
+
+  emitBindingBlock({ base, baseRef, head, porcelain, clean })
+  validateBinding({ check, clean, descendant, base, head })
+}
+
+main()
diff --git a/scripts/qa-redaction-check.mjs b/scripts/qa-redaction-check.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b73d4f24f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/qa-redaction-check.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,134 @@
+// QA privacy/redaction gate. Scans QA docs and artifacts for content that must
+// never appear in committed files, PR bodies, or QA reports: secrets/tokens,
+// raw absolute local paths (any Unix root or Windows drive path, matched
+// generically — not a list of known roots), and embedded media bytes (any
+// image/video/audio data URI, regardless of payload length).
+//
+// A line carrying the marker `qa-redaction:allow` is exempt from the
+// path/data-URI patterns only, for intentional documentation examples.
+//
+// Usage: node scripts/qa-redaction-check.mjs [path ...]
+//   Defaults: docs/qa and artifacts/qa (missing paths are skipped with a note).
+//   Exits 1 on any finding, 0 when clean.
+//   Fail-closed proof: scripts/qa-redaction-check.test.mjs (negative fixtures).
+import fs from 'node:fs'
+import path from 'node:path'
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
+
+const ROOT = path.resolve(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '..')
+
+const TEXT_EXTENSIONS = new Set(['.md', '.txt', '.log', '.json', '.mjs', '.ts', '.tsx', '.html'])
+const ALLOWED_BINARY_EXTENSIONS = new Set(['.png', '.jpg', '.jpeg', '.webm'])
+
+// Lines carrying this marker are skipped by the path/data-URI patterns. It
+// exists ONLY for intentional examples in documentation (e.g. a doc that must
+// show what a violating line looks like); secrets are never allowlisted.
+const ALLOW_MARKER = 'qa-redaction:allow'
+
+// Generic absolute local path: any Unix absolute path of 2+ segments that is
+// not part of a URL (lookbehind rejects matches preceded by a scheme or host
+// character), or any Windows drive path with either separator. Covers /Users,
+// /home, /tmp, /var, /opt, /mnt, /private, and every other root — there is no
+// exhaustive list.
+const ABSOLUTE_PATH =
+  /(?<![\w:/+.~>-])(?:[A-Za-z]:[\\/][^\s'"<>|]*|\/(?:[A-Za-z0-9._~-]+\/)+[A-Za-z0-9._~-]*)/
+
+const SECRET_PATTERNS = [
+  { name: 'GitHub token', regex: /\b(ghp|gho|ghs|ghr)_[A-Za-z0-9]{20,}\b|github_pat_[A-Za-z0-9_]{20,}\b/ },
+  { name: 'npm token', regex: /\bnpm_[A-Za-z0-9]{30,}\b/ },
+  { name: 'OpenAI-style key', regex: /\bsk-[A-Za-z0-9_-]{20,}\b/ },
+  { name: 'Slack token', regex: /\bxox[baprs]-[A-Za-z0-9-]{10,}\b/ },
+  { name: 'AWS access key', regex: /\bAKIA[0-9A-Z]{16}\b/ },
+  { name: 'private key block', regex: /-----BEGIN [A-Z ]*PRIVATE KEY-----/ },
+  { name: 'bearer credential', regex: /\bBearer [A-Za-z0-9._-]{20,}\b/ },
+]
+
+const PATH_PATTERNS = [
+  { name: 'absolute local path', regex: ABSOLUTE_PATH },
+  // Any embedded media data URI, regardless of payload length.
+  { name: 'embedded media data URI', regex: /data:(image|video|audio)\/[A-Za-z0-9.+-]*;base64,/i },
+]
+
+function collectFiles(target, files) {
+  const stat = fs.statSync(target)
+  if (stat.isDirectory()) {
+    for (const entry of fs.readdirSync(target)) collectFiles(path.join(target, entry), files)
+    return
+  }
+  files.push(target)
+}
+
+function collectTargetFiles(args) {
+  const targets = args.length > 0 ? args : ['docs/qa', 'artifacts/qa']
+  const files = []
+  for (const target of targets) {
+    const absolute = path.resolve(ROOT, target)
+    if (!fs.existsSync(absolute)) {
+      console.log(`[qa-redaction] note: ${target} does not exist, skipped`)
+      continue
+    }
+    collectFiles(absolute, files)
+  }
+  return files
+}
+
+function scanBinaryArtifact(relative, extension) {
+  if (ALLOWED_BINARY_EXTENSIONS.has(extension)) return []
+  return [`${relative}: unexpected binary artifact type "${extension}"`]
+}
+
+function secretFindings(relative, lineNumber, line) {
+  const findings = []
+  for (const { name, regex } of SECRET_PATTERNS) {
+    if (regex.test(line)) findings.push(`${relative}:${lineNumber}: ${name}`)
+  }
+  return findings
+}
+
+function pathFindings(relative, lineNumber, line) {
+  if (line.includes(ALLOW_MARKER)) return []
+  const findings = []
+  for (const { name, regex } of PATH_PATTERNS) {
+    if (regex.test(line)) findings.push(`${relative}:${lineNumber}: ${name}`)
+  }
+  return findings
+}
+
+function lineFindings(relative, lineNumber, line) {
+  return [
+    ...secretFindings(relative, lineNumber, line),
+    ...pathFindings(relative, lineNumber, line),
+  ]
+}
+
+function scanTextFile(file, relative) {
+  const lines = fs.readFileSync(file, 'utf8').split('\n')
+  return lines.flatMap((line, index) => lineFindings(relative, index + 1, line))
+}
+
+function scanFile(file) {
+  const relative = path.relative(ROOT, file)
+  const extension = path.extname(file).toLowerCase()
+  if (!TEXT_EXTENSIONS.has(extension)) return scanBinaryArtifact(relative, extension)
+  return scanTextFile(file, relative)
+}
+
+function reportFindings(findings, fileCount) {
+  if (findings.length > 0) {
+    for (const finding of findings) console.error(`[qa-redaction] FAIL ${finding}`)
+    console.error(
+      `[qa-redaction] ${findings.length} finding(s) — remove secrets, local paths, and embedded media before publishing`,
+    )
+    process.exit(1)
+  }
+  console.log(`[qa-redaction] OK: ${fileCount} file(s) scanned, no findings`)
+}
+
+function main() {
+  const args = process.argv.slice(2).filter((arg) => !arg.startsWith('--'))
+  const files = collectTargetFiles(args)
+  const findings = files.flatMap(scanFile)
+  reportFindings(findings, files.length)
+}
+
+main()
diff --git a/scripts/qa-redaction-check.test.mjs b/scripts/qa-redaction-check.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e48ed2ef3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/qa-redaction-check.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+// Fail-closed proof for the QA redaction gate (scripts/qa-redaction-check.mjs).
+// Each negative fixture must make the gate exit non-zero; the clean fixture set
+// must exit zero. Wired into the gate itself via `npm run check:qa-redaction`.
+import assert from 'node:assert/strict'
+import { spawnSync } from 'node:child_process'
+import path from 'node:path'
+import { fileURLToPath } from 'node:url'
+import { test } from 'node:test'
+
+const ROOT = path.resolve(path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url)), '..')
+const CHECKER = path.join(ROOT, 'scripts', 'qa-redaction-check.mjs')
+const FIXTURES = path.join(ROOT, 'scripts', 'fixtures', 'qa-redaction')
+
+function runChecker(target) {
+  return spawnSync(process.execPath, [CHECKER, target], { cwd: ROOT, encoding: 'utf8' })
+}
+
+const NEGATIVE_FIXTURES = [
+  'negative-tmp-path.txt',
+  'negative-generic-path.txt',
+  'negative-short-data-uri.txt',
+  'negative-windows-path.txt',
+  'negative-windows-forward-slash.txt',
+]
+
+for (const name of NEGATIVE_FIXTURES) {
+  test(`redaction gate FAILS (fail-closed) on ${name}`, () => {
+    const result = runChecker(path.join(FIXTURES, name))
+    assert.notEqual(result.status, 0, `expected non-zero exit, got 0: ${result.stdout}`)
+    assert.match(result.stderr, /\[qa-redaction\] FAIL/)
+  })
+}
+
+test('redaction gate PASSES on the clean fixture set (incl. allow-marker line)', () => {
+  const result = runChecker(path.join(FIXTURES, 'clean'))
+  assert.equal(result.status, 0, `expected zero exit: ${result.stderr}`)
+})