diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 296cda8..0a331f1 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -42,4 +42,6 @@ The boundary and source material come from:
 
 - `declarations/rail.yaml` — source-controlled rail contract
 - `docs/` — wave-1 contract and import plan
+- `schemas/` — machine-readable workload contract schema
+- `examples/` — canonical example workload declarations for the rail
 - `workplans/` — repo-local execution work
diff --git a/WORK-RECORDS.md b/WORK-RECORDS.md
index a266b74..98e3aed 100644
--- a/WORK-RECORDS.md
+++ b/WORK-RECORDS.md
@@ -12,4 +12,4 @@
 | task | RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-T01 | done | — | workplans/RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-bootstrap-and-wave1-import.md |
 | task | RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-T02 | progress | — | workplans/RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-bootstrap-and-wave1-import.md |
 | task | RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-T03 | wait | — | workplans/RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-bootstrap-and-wave1-import.md |
-| task | RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-T04 | wait | — | workplans/RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-bootstrap-and-wave1-import.md |
+| task | RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-T04 | progress | — | workplans/RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-bootstrap-and-wave1-import.md |
diff --git a/docs/README.md b/docs/README.md
index 6534413..1c50899 100644
--- a/docs/README.md
+++ b/docs/README.md
@@ -1,4 +1,6 @@
 # rail-kubernetes Docs
 
+- `app-toml-contract.md` — canonical workload declaration contract for the rail
+- `deployment-lifecycle.md` — canonical stage 1 / 2 / 3 lifecycle contract
 - `wave-1-contract.md` — current rail contract and boundary summary
 - `source-import-plan.md` — source material and migration direction from existing repos
diff --git a/docs/app-toml-contract.md b/docs/app-toml-contract.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3088047
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/app-toml-contract.md
@@ -0,0 +1,240 @@
+# Railiance app.toml Contract
+
+This document defines the repository-local `railiance/app.toml` contract used by
+Railiance staged promotion tooling. The file tells Railiance how a workload
+moves through Stage 1 local validation, Stage 2 production canary, and Stage 3
+production promotion without relying on bespoke operator notes.
+
+The contract is intentionally declarative. Commands, health checks, platform
+dependencies, and secret references are described by stable names. Plaintext
+secrets, bearer tokens, kubeconfigs, and private key material must never appear
+in `railiance/app.toml`.
+
+Ownership note: this contract now lives in `rail-kubernetes` as part of the
+wave-1 split. `railiance-cluster` may keep compatibility copies during the
+migration window, but long-term ownership belongs with the generic
+workload-on-Kubernetes contract here rather than with S2 cluster substrate
+ownership.
+
+The machine-readable schema lives at `schemas/railiance-app.schema.json`. A
+minimal example lives at `examples/railiance/app.toml`.
+
+## File Location
+
+Participating workload repositories declare the contract at:
+
+```text
+railiance/app.toml
+```
+
+Overlay repositories for third-party applications use the same path in the
+overlay repo, not in the upstream source repository.
+
+## Versioning
+
+Every file must include:
+
+```toml
+schema_version = "railiance.app.v1"
+```
+
+Breaking contract changes require a new schema version. Tooling must fail closed
+when it sees an unsupported `schema_version`.
+
+## Top-Level Sections
+
+### app
+
+Identifies the workload and its ownership boundary.
+
+Required fields:
+
+- `id`: stable lowercase id using letters, numbers, and hyphens.
+- `name`: human-readable workload name.
+- `repo`: owning source or overlay repository slug.
+- `owner`: owning team, domain, or operator group.
+- `criticality`: one of `low`, `medium`, `high`, or `critical`.
+- `description`: short purpose statement.
+
+Production-critical workloads include source forge, identity, State Hub,
+Inter-Hub, databases, object stores, backup systems, ingress, and cluster-wide
+policy controllers. For those workloads, `criticality = "critical"` requires
+explicit human approval before Stage 2 traffic exposure and Stage 3 promotion.
+
+### source
+
+Identifies the candidate under promotion.
+
+Required fields:
+
+- `revision`: commit id, tag, or immutable source revision expression.
+- `artifact`: artifact kind, normally `image`, `helm-chart`, or `bundle`.
+- `digest_policy`: one of `required`, `preferred`, or `not-applicable`.
+
+If an image is promoted, Stage 2 and Stage 3 tooling should prefer immutable
+image digests over mutable tags.
+
+### platform.dependencies
+
+Declares platform services required before canary or production promotion.
+
+Each dependency has:
+
+- `name`: stable service name.
+- `kind`: dependency kind such as `postgres`, `redis`, `object-store`,
+  `identity`, `state-hub`, `inter-hub`, `network`, or `other`.
+- `required`: boolean.
+- `stage`: earliest stage that needs it, one of `stage1`, `stage2`, `stage3`.
+- `evidence`: non-secret evidence expected before promotion, such as a health
+  endpoint result, Kubernetes Ready condition, or State Hub progress id.
+
+### secrets.references
+
+Declares required secret references without secret values.
+
+Each reference has:
+
+- `name`: workload-local secret name.
+- `route`: approved credential route id, for example `openbao-api-key`,
+  `key-cape-oidc-login`, or `activity-core-issue-sink`.
+- `target`: non-secret target reference such as a Kubernetes Secret name,
+  ExternalSecret name, OpenBao path, or environment variable name.
+- `stage`: earliest stage that needs the secret.
+- `required`: boolean.
+
+Forbidden fields include plaintext values, tokens, passwords, kubeconfigs, or
+private keys. Tooling must reject suspicious field names such as `value`,
+`token`, `password`, `secret`, `private_key`, or `kubeconfig` inside secret
+reference objects unless they are part of the approved non-secret `target` text.
+
+### observability
+
+Defines how promotion tooling proves the workload is alive and observable.
+
+Required fields:
+
+- `health_endpoints`: one or more HTTP health endpoint declarations.
+- `metrics`: optional metrics endpoint or query references.
+- `logs`: optional log selectors or query references.
+
+Health endpoint declarations include `name`, `url`, `stage`, and expected
+status code. URLs may be internal service URLs for Stage 2/3; they must not
+embed credentials.
+
+### rollback
+
+Defines how the workload returns to a previous stable state.
+
+Required fields:
+
+- `strategy`: one of `helm-revision`, `image-digest`, `traffic-shift`,
+  `manual-runbook`, or `none`.
+- `command`: command name or runbook path. This may be a placeholder before
+  T07 implements automation, but it must tell the operator where rollback lives.
+- `verification`: non-secret check to confirm rollback succeeded.
+
+`strategy = "none"` is allowed only for Stage 1-only workloads and must not be
+used for production-critical workloads.
+
+## Stage Sections
+
+The contract has one table for each stage:
+
+```toml
+[stages.stage1]
+[stages.stage2]
+[stages.stage3]
+```
+
+Each stage includes:
+
+- `enabled`: boolean.
+- `namespace`: target Kubernetes namespace, or a local namespace for Stage 1.
+- `release`: release identity.
+- `commands`: ordered command aliases or shell commands that tooling may run.
+- `checks`: ordered check ids to evaluate.
+- `evidence`: expected non-secret evidence outputs.
+- `requires_approval`: boolean.
+
+Stage 2 additionally includes `canary_mode`, one of `weighted`, `header`,
+`path`, `shadow`, or `isolated`, plus `observation_minutes` and optional
+`traffic_percent` when weighted routing is used.
+
+Stage 3 additionally includes `promotion_mode`, one of `traffic-shift`,
+`release-replace`, `selector-switch`, or `workflow`, plus `previous_stable`.
+
+## Check Definitions
+
+Checks live under `[[checks]]` entries and are referenced by stage `checks`.
+
+Required fields:
+
+- `id`: stable check id.
+- `type`: one of `command`, `http`, `kubernetes`, `helm`, `metric`, `log`, or
+  `manual`.
+- `stage`: earliest stage that may run the check.
+- `description`: human-readable purpose.
+- `required`: boolean.
+
+Type-specific fields:
+
+- `command`: `run` command string and optional `timeout_seconds`.
+- `http`: `url`, `expected_status`, and optional `timeout_seconds`.
+- `kubernetes`: `namespace`, `resource`, and `condition`.
+- `helm`: `chart`, `values`, and `mode` such as `template` or
+  `server-dry-run`.
+- `metric`: `query`, `window_minutes`, and `threshold`.
+- `log`: `selector`, `window_minutes`, and `forbidden_patterns`.
+- `manual`: `evidence_required` text.
+
+Checks must not print secrets. If a check needs secret-backed access, the result
+records only the route, target object, and pass/fail state.
+
+## Command Semantics
+
+Commands in `app.toml` are declarations for Railiance tooling. Stage 1, Stage
+2, and Stage 3 commands now have local CLI support; workload scripts may still
+wrap them for service-specific checks.
+
+Expected mapping:
+
+- Stage 1 commands are consumed by `bin/railiance run <overlay-dir>`.
+- Stage 2 commands are consumed by `bin/railiance deploy --stage 2 <overlay-dir>`
+  and `bin/railiance observe --stage 2 <overlay-dir>`.
+- Stage 3 commands are consumed by `bin/railiance promote <overlay-dir>` and
+  `bin/railiance rollback <overlay-dir>`.
+
+Tooling must emit machine-readable results with workload identity, candidate
+revision, checks run, pass/fail status, non-secret evidence, rollback target,
+and approval state.
+
+## Minimal Example
+
+See `examples/railiance/app.toml`. It declares a critical internal service with:
+
+- immutable image digest requirement;
+- Stage 1 local validation;
+- Stage 2 isolated canary;
+- Stage 3 release replacement;
+- OpenBao-routed secret references without values;
+- HTTP, Helm, Kubernetes, and manual approval checks.
+
+## Adoption Rules
+
+A workload can enter Stage 1 when `app.toml` passes schema validation and all
+Stage 1 required checks are declared.
+
+A workload can enter Stage 2 only when:
+
+- Stage 1 passed for the same candidate artifact;
+- Stage 2 namespace, release, canary mode, health checks, dependencies, and
+  rollback target are declared;
+- secret references use approved routes and contain no values;
+- production-critical workloads have explicit approval.
+
+A workload can enter Stage 3 only when:
+
+- Stage 2 acceptance gates passed for the same candidate artifact;
+- `previous_stable` and rollback verification are recorded;
+- backup/restore posture is current for stateful workloads;
+- production-critical workloads have explicit human approval.
diff --git a/docs/deployment-lifecycle.md b/docs/deployment-lifecycle.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..58f2939
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/deployment-lifecycle.md
@@ -0,0 +1,340 @@
+# Railiance Deployment Lifecycle
+
+This document defines the Railiance three-stage promotion lifecycle for
+workloads that run on the Railiance Kubernetes substrate.
+
+The lifecycle exists so production workloads move through repeatable gates
+instead of one-off operator memory. It is intentionally conservative: every
+stage must leave evidence, every promotion must have a rollback path, and
+critical workloads require explicit human approval before production traffic is
+changed.
+
+Ownership note: this specification now lives in `rail-kubernetes` as the
+wave-1 home of the default Kubernetes execution rail. `railiance-cluster` may
+retain compatibility shims during migration, but long-term ownership of the
+generic lifecycle contract belongs here rather than in the S2 substrate repo.
+
+## Scope
+
+This specification now lives beside the Kubernetes rail contract rather than
+beside the cluster substrate. The compatibility tooling may still live
+elsewhere during migration, but long-term ownership is not S2.
+
+Repo boundaries:
+
+- `rail-kubernetes` owns lifecycle semantics, generic promotion gates,
+  canary validation, production routing expectations, rollback expectations,
+  and the generic workload contract.
+- `railiance-cluster` owns only the substrate prerequisites published to that
+  rail: cluster connectivity, namespace behavior, ingress availability, and
+  operator/runtime expectations.
+- `railiance-apps` owns workload-specific Helm values, application release
+  definitions, and production workload configuration.
+- `railiance-platform` owns shared platform services such as databases,
+  caches, object storage, and backup targets.
+- `railiance-enablement` owns developer-facing templates, CI workflows, and
+  local ergonomics.
+- `railiance-infra` owns host provisioning, OS hardening, SSH, firewall, and
+  node bootstrap below Kubernetes.
+
+## Lifecycle Overview
+
+Railiance promotes a workload through three stages:
+
+1. Stage 1: local validation.
+2. Stage 2: production canary.
+3. Stage 3: production promotion.
+
+The stages are sequential. A workload may return to an earlier stage at any
+time, but it must not skip a stage when moving toward production unless an
+operator records an emergency exception in State Hub.
+
+Each stage emits a machine-readable result with:
+
+- workload identity;
+- source revision or image digest;
+- target environment;
+- checks run;
+- pass/fail status;
+- non-secret evidence references;
+- rollback target, when applicable;
+- approving human or explicit "not required" decision.
+
+## Workload Declaration
+
+Each participating workload should declare its promotion contract in a
+repository-local `railiance/app.toml`. The contract is defined in
+`docs/app-toml-contract.md`, with a machine-readable schema at
+`schemas/railiance-app.schema.json`. This lifecycle expects every workload
+declaration to provide at least:
+
+- stable workload name and owning repo;
+- source revision, image tag, or image digest policy;
+- stage-specific namespaces or release names;
+- health checks and observability endpoints;
+- ingress or routing targets;
+- platform dependencies;
+- rollback command or previous-stable reference;
+- secret references by name or path, never plaintext secret values.
+
+If a workload cannot provide a machine-readable declaration yet, it may still
+use this lifecycle through a written operator runbook, but that is a temporary
+compatibility path. The runbook must identify the missing declaration fields.
+
+## Stage 1: Local Validation
+
+Stage 1 proves that the workload can be built, configured, and checked outside
+production traffic.
+
+Typical Stage 1 targets:
+
+- local container runtime;
+- local Kubernetes such as k3d, kind, or a disposable namespace;
+- dry-run Helm rendering;
+- unit, integration, migration, and smoke checks that do not require production
+  credentials.
+
+Required Stage 1 checks:
+
+- source revision is cleanly identified;
+- build or artifact selection is deterministic;
+- Helm templates or manifests render without invalid Kubernetes objects;
+- local health checks pass;
+- required secrets are referenced by name only and are not printed;
+- database migrations, if any, are classified as reversible, forward-only, or
+  requiring human approval;
+- a Stage 2 candidate artifact is named by immutable digest or equivalent
+  immutable revision.
+
+Stage 1 fails closed when:
+
+- local checks are skipped without an approved reason;
+- generated manifests contain plaintext secrets;
+- the artifact cannot be traced to source;
+- the workload cannot state how it will be observed in Stage 2.
+
+Stage 1 completion does not authorize production traffic. It only makes a
+workload eligible for Stage 2 review.
+
+## Stage 2: Production Canary
+
+Stage 2 deploys the candidate to production infrastructure with limited or
+isolated exposure. The goal is to observe the candidate against real platform
+dependencies while keeping blast radius small.
+
+Acceptable canary forms:
+
+- weighted ingress split between stable and canary;
+- header-based or path-based routing for operator traffic only;
+- shadow deployment receiving replicated non-mutating traffic;
+- isolated production namespace with manually triggered probes.
+
+The selected canary form must be declared before deployment. If weighted
+routing is unavailable, the fallback must preserve the same safety property:
+the candidate can be observed without silently replacing stable production.
+
+Required Stage 2 prechecks:
+
+- Stage 1 result passed for the same candidate artifact;
+- cluster connectivity and namespace readiness are verified;
+- target image digest or immutable tag exists in the registry;
+- Helm server-side dry-run succeeds;
+- ingress, certificate, and DNS prerequisites are present where applicable;
+- platform dependencies are healthy or explicitly degraded with operator
+  approval;
+- rollback target is known before the canary is applied;
+- monitoring and log queries are available for the canary release.
+
+Required Stage 2 evidence:
+
+- rendered release identity;
+- applied namespace and release name;
+- pod readiness and restart status;
+- ingress or routing state;
+- key health endpoint result;
+- relevant metrics window or explicit "metrics unavailable" note;
+- State Hub progress note with non-secret evidence;
+- operator approval when the workload is production-critical.
+
+Canary acceptance gates:
+
+- canary pods remain ready for the configured observation window;
+- no crash loops, repeated restarts, or pending pods remain unexplained;
+- health checks pass from inside and outside the cluster when both are
+  applicable;
+- error rate, latency, and saturation do not regress beyond the workload's
+  declared threshold;
+- no unexpected schema, storage, or queue side effects are observed;
+- logs show no secret leakage and no repeated authorization failures;
+- rollback has been tested previously or is a single documented command with a
+  known previous-stable target.
+
+Default observation windows:
+
+- non-critical internal service: 15 minutes;
+- user-facing or shared platform service: 30 minutes;
+- production-critical infrastructure such as Forgejo, identity, registry, or
+  State Hub: operator-defined window, minimum 60 minutes unless explicitly
+  waived.
+
+Stage 2 fails closed when:
+
+- the canary cannot be distinguished from stable production;
+- production routing changes more traffic than intended;
+- any required evidence is missing and no operator waiver is recorded;
+- rollback target is unknown;
+- the candidate needs a secret, credential, or platform dependency that was not
+  declared before the canary.
+
+## Stage 3: Production Promotion
+
+Stage 3 promotes the accepted candidate to the stable production path.
+
+Promotion may mean:
+
+- shifting weighted traffic to the canary release;
+- replacing the stable Helm release with the accepted candidate;
+- changing an ingress selector or service target;
+- activating an operator-approved rollout workflow.
+
+Required Stage 3 prechecks:
+
+- Stage 2 acceptance gates passed for the same candidate artifact;
+- the previous stable version is recorded;
+- backup and restore posture is current for stateful workloads;
+- migrations are approved and sequenced;
+- production-critical workloads have explicit human approval;
+- a rollback command and rollback verification check are available.
+
+Required Stage 3 evidence:
+
+- promotion command or workflow id;
+- previous stable version;
+- new stable version;
+- production routing state after promotion;
+- smoke result after promotion;
+- rollback target retained;
+- State Hub progress note with non-secret evidence.
+
+Stage 3 is complete only after the post-promotion smoke passes and the
+workload's stable routing points at the promoted candidate.
+
+## Rollback Expectations
+
+Rollback is part of every promotion, not an afterthought.
+
+Every Stage 2 and Stage 3 action must identify one of:
+
+- previous stable Helm release revision;
+- previous image digest and values file;
+- previous ingress/routing configuration;
+- documented manual recovery path when automation is not yet safe.
+
+Rollback must be immediate when:
+
+- production availability is degraded;
+- canary traffic escapes the declared blast radius;
+- the workload emits repeated authorization or secret-handling errors;
+- data integrity is at risk;
+- an operator revokes approval during the observation window.
+
+Rollback may be deferred only when the rollback itself is more dangerous than
+the incident state. That decision requires a State Hub note and human approval.
+
+After rollback, record:
+
+- triggering symptom;
+- rollback action;
+- final stable version;
+- remaining cleanup;
+- whether the failed candidate is blocked, abandoned, or returned to Stage 1.
+
+## Human Approval Gates
+
+Human approval is required before production traffic changes for
+production-critical workloads.
+
+Production-critical workloads include:
+
+- source forge and package registry workloads such as Forgejo or Gitea;
+- identity, MFA, SSO, or authorization systems;
+- State Hub, Inter-Hub, and operator coordination services;
+- databases, object stores, and backup systems;
+- ingress, certificate, or cluster-wide policy controllers;
+- any workload whose failure blocks multiple repos or domains.
+
+Approval must be recorded as a non-secret State Hub note or task comment. The
+approval record should name:
+
+- approving operator;
+- candidate artifact;
+- stage being approved;
+- observation window;
+- rollback target;
+- any waived gates and why.
+
+Emergency approval can be retrospective only when delaying the action would
+increase production risk. Retrospective approval must be recorded immediately
+after stabilization.
+
+## Evidence And Secret Handling
+
+Lifecycle evidence must be useful without being sensitive.
+
+Allowed evidence:
+
+- commit ids;
+- image tags and digests;
+- workflow ids;
+- Kubernetes object names;
+- pod status summaries;
+- HTTP status codes;
+- timestamps;
+- State Hub progress ids;
+- pass/fail summaries.
+
+Forbidden evidence:
+
+- plaintext secrets;
+- bearer tokens;
+- static API keys;
+- kubeconfigs;
+- private key material;
+- full environment dumps;
+- logs that contain credentials or user private data.
+
+When a check needs secret-backed access, record only the access path and result,
+for example: "OpenBao path configured, token exchange returned 200".
+
+## Forgejo Readiness Interpretation
+
+This lifecycle is clear enough for Forgejo when a future Forgejo workplan can
+answer these questions before production cutover:
+
+- What source revision and image digest are being promoted?
+- What local checks prove the candidate is viable?
+- How is the production canary isolated or traffic-limited?
+- Which health, registry, SSH, web, Actions, and email recovery checks define
+  acceptance?
+- Who approves the Stage 3 traffic switch?
+- What is the previous stable target?
+- How is repository data protected before and after promotion?
+- How will rollback be verified without losing package or repository state?
+
+If any answer is missing, Forgejo remains in Stage 1 or Stage 2 preparation and
+must not cut over to Stage 3.
+
+## Minimum Command Contract
+
+The Railiance CLI makes these lifecycle operations repeatable:
+
+```text
+bin/railiance run <overlay-dir>                       # Stage 1 local validation
+bin/railiance deploy --stage 2 <overlay-dir> --plan     # Stage 2 canary plan
+bin/railiance observe --stage 2 <overlay-dir> --plan    # Stage 2 evidence targets
+bin/railiance promote <overlay-dir> --plan              # Stage 3 production promotion
+bin/railiance rollback <overlay-dir> --plan             # rollback to previous stable
+```
+
+The exact command names may change as implementation lands, but the behavior
+must preserve the stage gates and evidence requirements in this document.
diff --git a/docs/source-import-plan.md b/docs/source-import-plan.md
index 8a6cf7b..591047f 100644
--- a/docs/source-import-plan.md
+++ b/docs/source-import-plan.md
@@ -4,12 +4,22 @@
 
 Record which reviewed source materials are expected to seed this repo.
 
-## First-Wave Imports
+## Imported In The Current Wave
 
-Expected source documents from `railiance-cluster`:
+Imported source documents from `railiance-cluster`:
 
 - `docs/deployment-lifecycle.md`
 - `docs/app-toml-contract.md`
+
+Imported source assets from `railiance-cluster`:
+
+- `schemas/railiance-app.schema.json`
+- `examples/railiance/app.toml`
+
+## Pending First-Wave Imports
+
+Expected source documents from `railiance-cluster`:
+
 - `docs/overlay-repo-pattern.md`
 - `docs/canary-helm-template.md`
 - `docs/stage2-deploy-observe.md`
@@ -18,8 +28,6 @@ Expected source documents from `railiance-cluster`:
 
 Expected source assets from `railiance-cluster`:
 
-- `schemas/railiance-app.schema.json`
-- `examples/railiance/app.toml`
 - `tools/create_railiance_overlay_repo.sh`
 - `tools/cmd/railiance-run`
 - `tools/cmd/railiance-stage2`
diff --git a/examples/railiance/app.toml b/examples/railiance/app.toml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d97f37b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/railiance/app.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,176 @@
+schema_version = "railiance.app.v1"
+
+[app]
+id = "example-service"
+name = "Example Service"
+repo = "railiance-apps/example-service"
+owner = "platform"
+criticality = "critical"
+description = "Reference declaration for the Railiance staged promotion lifecycle."
+
+[source]
+revision = "git:main"
+artifact = "image"
+digest_policy = "required"
+
+[rollback]
+strategy = "helm-revision"
+command = "bin/railiance rollback example-service"
+verification = "GET /health returns 200 on the restored stable release."
+
+[[platform.dependencies]]
+name = "state-hub"
+kind = "state-hub"
+required = true
+stage = "stage2"
+evidence = "State Hub /healthz returns ok from the cluster path."
+
+[[platform.dependencies]]
+name = "postgres"
+kind = "postgres"
+required = true
+stage = "stage2"
+evidence = "Target database reports Ready and backup posture is current."
+
+[[secrets.references]]
+name = "runtime-api-key"
+route = "openbao-api-key"
+target = "ExternalSecret/example-service-runtime"
+stage = "stage2"
+required = true
+
+[[observability.health_endpoints]]
+name = "local-health"
+url = "http://127.0.0.1:8080/health"
+stage = "stage1"
+expected_status = 200
+
+[[observability.health_endpoints]]
+name = "cluster-health"
+url = "http://example-service.example-service.svc.cluster.local:8080/health"
+stage = "stage2"
+expected_status = 200
+
+[[observability.metrics]]
+name = "request-errors"
+reference = 'promql:rate(http_requests_total{status=~"5.."}[5m])'
+stage = "stage2"
+
+[[observability.logs]]
+name = "secret-leak-scan"
+reference = "kubectl logs -n example-service deploy/example-service-canary"
+stage = "stage2"
+
+[stages.stage1]
+enabled = true
+namespace = "local"
+release = "example-service-local"
+commands = ["make test", "helm template charts/example-service"]
+checks = ["unit-tests", "helm-template", "local-health"]
+evidence = ["pytest output", "helm template success", "local health 200"]
+requires_approval = false
+
+[stages.stage2]
+enabled = true
+namespace = "example-service"
+release = "example-service-canary"
+commands = ["bin/railiance deploy --stage 2 example-service", "bin/railiance observe example-service"]
+checks = ["server-dry-run", "canary-ready", "cluster-health", "operator-approval"]
+evidence = ["release name", "pod readiness", "health 200", "State Hub progress id"]
+requires_approval = true
+canary_mode = "isolated"
+observation_minutes = 60
+
+[stages.stage3]
+enabled = true
+namespace = "example-service"
+release = "example-service"
+commands = ["bin/railiance promote example-service", "bin/railiance observe example-service"]
+checks = ["stage2-accepted", "rollback-target", "cluster-health", "operator-approval"]
+evidence = ["promotion command id", "new stable digest", "post-promotion smoke"]
+requires_approval = true
+promotion_mode = "release-replace"
+previous_stable = "helm:example-service:previous"
+
+[[checks]]
+id = "unit-tests"
+type = "command"
+stage = "stage1"
+description = "Run repository unit tests."
+required = true
+run = "make test"
+timeout_seconds = 600
+
+[[checks]]
+id = "helm-template"
+type = "helm"
+stage = "stage1"
+description = "Render Helm templates locally."
+required = true
+chart = "charts/example-service"
+values = "values/local.yaml"
+mode = "template"
+
+[[checks]]
+id = "local-health"
+type = "http"
+stage = "stage1"
+description = "Confirm local service health."
+required = true
+url = "http://127.0.0.1:8080/health"
+expected_status = 200
+timeout_seconds = 10
+
+[[checks]]
+id = "server-dry-run"
+type = "helm"
+stage = "stage2"
+description = "Render and submit a server-side dry run before canary."
+required = true
+chart = "charts/example-service"
+values = "values/canary.yaml"
+mode = "server-dry-run"
+
+[[checks]]
+id = "canary-ready"
+type = "kubernetes"
+stage = "stage2"
+description = "Canary deployment reaches Available."
+required = true
+namespace = "example-service"
+resource = "deploy/example-service-canary"
+condition = "Available"
+
+[[checks]]
+id = "cluster-health"
+type = "http"
+stage = "stage2"
+description = "Cluster health endpoint returns 200."
+required = true
+url = "http://example-service.example-service.svc.cluster.local:8080/health"
+expected_status = 200
+timeout_seconds = 10
+
+[[checks]]
+id = "operator-approval"
+type = "manual"
+stage = "stage2"
+description = "Human approval is recorded before production-critical traffic changes."
+required = true
+evidence_required = "State Hub approval note id, candidate digest, rollback target."
+
+[[checks]]
+id = "stage2-accepted"
+type = "manual"
+stage = "stage3"
+description = "Stage 2 gates passed for the same candidate artifact."
+required = true
+evidence_required = "State Hub Stage 2 acceptance progress id."
+
+[[checks]]
+id = "rollback-target"
+type = "manual"
+stage = "stage3"
+description = "Previous stable release is recorded before promotion."
+required = true
+evidence_required = "Previous Helm revision or image digest."
diff --git a/schemas/railiance-app.schema.json b/schemas/railiance-app.schema.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2ff92a5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/schemas/railiance-app.schema.json
@@ -0,0 +1,596 @@
+{
+  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
+  "$id": "https://railiance.local/schemas/railiance-app.schema.json",
+  "title": "Railiance app.toml contract",
+  "type": "object",
+  "additionalProperties": false,
+  "required": [
+    "schema_version",
+    "app",
+    "source",
+    "platform",
+    "secrets",
+    "observability",
+    "rollback",
+    "stages",
+    "checks"
+  ],
+  "properties": {
+    "schema_version": {
+      "const": "railiance.app.v1"
+    },
+    "app": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "id",
+        "name",
+        "repo",
+        "owner",
+        "criticality",
+        "description"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "id": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "pattern": "^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*$"
+        },
+        "name": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "repo": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "owner": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "criticality": {
+          "enum": [
+            "low",
+            "medium",
+            "high",
+            "critical"
+          ]
+        },
+        "description": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "source": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "revision",
+        "artifact",
+        "digest_policy"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "revision": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "artifact": {
+          "enum": [
+            "image",
+            "helm-chart",
+            "bundle",
+            "manifest",
+            "other"
+          ]
+        },
+        "digest_policy": {
+          "enum": [
+            "required",
+            "preferred",
+            "not-applicable"
+          ]
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "platform": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "dependencies"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "dependencies": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "$ref": "#/$defs/dependency"
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "secrets": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "references"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "references": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "$ref": "#/$defs/secretReference"
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "observability": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "health_endpoints"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "health_endpoints": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "minItems": 1,
+          "items": {
+            "$ref": "#/$defs/healthEndpoint"
+          }
+        },
+        "metrics": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "default": [],
+          "items": {
+            "$ref": "#/$defs/observationReference"
+          }
+        },
+        "logs": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "default": [],
+          "items": {
+            "$ref": "#/$defs/observationReference"
+          }
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "rollback": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "strategy",
+        "command",
+        "verification"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "strategy": {
+          "enum": [
+            "helm-revision",
+            "image-digest",
+            "traffic-shift",
+            "manual-runbook",
+            "none"
+          ]
+        },
+        "command": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "verification": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "stages": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "stage1",
+        "stage2",
+        "stage3"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "stage1": {
+          "$ref": "#/$defs/stage1"
+        },
+        "stage2": {
+          "$ref": "#/$defs/stage2"
+        },
+        "stage3": {
+          "$ref": "#/$defs/stage3"
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "checks": {
+      "type": "array",
+      "minItems": 1,
+      "items": {
+        "$ref": "#/$defs/check"
+      }
+    }
+  },
+  "$defs": {
+    "stageName": {
+      "enum": [
+        "stage1",
+        "stage2",
+        "stage3"
+      ]
+    },
+    "dependency": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "name",
+        "kind",
+        "required",
+        "stage",
+        "evidence"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "name": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "kind": {
+          "enum": [
+            "postgres",
+            "redis",
+            "object-store",
+            "identity",
+            "state-hub",
+            "inter-hub",
+            "network",
+            "other"
+          ]
+        },
+        "required": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "stage": {
+          "$ref": "#/$defs/stageName"
+        },
+        "evidence": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "secretReference": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "name",
+        "route",
+        "target",
+        "stage",
+        "required"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "name": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "route": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "target": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "stage": {
+          "$ref": "#/$defs/stageName"
+        },
+        "required": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        }
+      },
+      "not": {
+        "anyOf": [
+          {
+            "required": [
+              "value"
+            ]
+          },
+          {
+            "required": [
+              "token"
+            ]
+          },
+          {
+            "required": [
+              "password"
+            ]
+          },
+          {
+            "required": [
+              "secret"
+            ]
+          },
+          {
+            "required": [
+              "private_key"
+            ]
+          },
+          {
+            "required": [
+              "kubeconfig"
+            ]
+          }
+        ]
+      }
+    },
+    "healthEndpoint": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "name",
+        "url",
+        "stage",
+        "expected_status"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "name": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "url": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "stage": {
+          "$ref": "#/$defs/stageName"
+        },
+        "expected_status": {
+          "type": "integer",
+          "minimum": 100,
+          "maximum": 599
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "observationReference": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "name",
+        "reference",
+        "stage"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "name": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "reference": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "stage": {
+          "$ref": "#/$defs/stageName"
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "check": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": true,
+      "required": [
+        "id",
+        "type",
+        "stage",
+        "description",
+        "required"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "id": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "type": {
+          "enum": [
+            "command",
+            "http",
+            "kubernetes",
+            "helm",
+            "metric",
+            "log",
+            "manual"
+          ]
+        },
+        "stage": {
+          "$ref": "#/$defs/stageName"
+        },
+        "description": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "required": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "stage1": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "enabled",
+        "namespace",
+        "release",
+        "commands",
+        "checks",
+        "evidence",
+        "requires_approval"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "enabled": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "namespace": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "release": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "commands": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "minLength": 1
+          }
+        },
+        "checks": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "minLength": 1
+          }
+        },
+        "evidence": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "minLength": 1
+          }
+        },
+        "requires_approval": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "stage2": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "enabled",
+        "namespace",
+        "release",
+        "commands",
+        "checks",
+        "evidence",
+        "requires_approval",
+        "canary_mode",
+        "observation_minutes"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "enabled": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "namespace": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "release": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "commands": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "minLength": 1
+          }
+        },
+        "checks": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "minLength": 1
+          }
+        },
+        "evidence": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "minLength": 1
+          }
+        },
+        "requires_approval": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "canary_mode": {
+          "enum": [
+            "weighted",
+            "header",
+            "path",
+            "shadow",
+            "isolated"
+          ]
+        },
+        "observation_minutes": {
+          "type": "integer",
+          "minimum": 1
+        },
+        "traffic_percent": {
+          "type": "integer",
+          "minimum": 0,
+          "maximum": 100
+        }
+      }
+    },
+    "stage3": {
+      "type": "object",
+      "additionalProperties": false,
+      "required": [
+        "enabled",
+        "namespace",
+        "release",
+        "commands",
+        "checks",
+        "evidence",
+        "requires_approval",
+        "promotion_mode",
+        "previous_stable"
+      ],
+      "properties": {
+        "enabled": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "namespace": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "release": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        },
+        "commands": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "minLength": 1
+          }
+        },
+        "checks": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "minLength": 1
+          }
+        },
+        "evidence": {
+          "type": "array",
+          "items": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "minLength": 1
+          }
+        },
+        "requires_approval": {
+          "type": "boolean"
+        },
+        "promotion_mode": {
+          "enum": [
+            "traffic-shift",
+            "release-replace",
+            "selector-switch",
+            "workflow"
+          ]
+        },
+        "previous_stable": {
+          "type": "string",
+          "minLength": 1
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/workplans/RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-bootstrap-and-wave1-import.md b/workplans/RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-bootstrap-and-wave1-import.md
index c401528..2c4237a 100644
--- a/workplans/RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-bootstrap-and-wave1-import.md
+++ b/workplans/RAIL-K8S-WP-0001-bootstrap-and-wave1-import.md
@@ -73,6 +73,12 @@ Acceptance:
 import plan. Full import of docs, schema, examples, and helper surfaces is
 still pending.
 
+2026-07-25: Imported the first core generic contract artifacts from
+`railiance-cluster`: `docs/deployment-lifecycle.md`,
+`docs/app-toml-contract.md`, `schemas/railiance-app.schema.json`, and
+`examples/railiance/app.toml`. Helper command surfaces and the remaining
+supporting docs are still pending.
+
 ## T03 - Prepare the compatibility handoff from `railiance-cluster`
 
 ```task