diff --git a/INTENT.md b/INTENT.md
index 62a3db9..e7b7c9b 100644
--- a/INTENT.md
+++ b/INTENT.md
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ declared_at: "2026-08-29"
 
 > **Layer: Engine. Role: Lifecycle.** This is this repository's own declaration
 > under the accepted NetKingdom Security Layer Model
-> (`net-kingdom/canon/standards/security-layer-model_v0.7.md`) and its working
+> (`net-kingdom/canon/standards/security-layer-model_v0.8.md`) and its working
 > companion (`net-kingdom/SECURITY-COMPANION.md`). The machine-readable form
 > required by §11 is `layer.yaml`. A layer stated about this repository by
 > another repository is not a declaration; this file, in this repository's
diff --git a/docs/evidence/2026-10-11-security-layer-v08-migration.json b/docs/evidence/2026-10-11-security-layer-v08-migration.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7601038
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/evidence/2026-10-11-security-layer-v08-migration.json
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+{
+  "owner": "secrets-engine",
+  "accepted_standard_sha256": "3d8298560069ef471fba28d2b1245fb2309328f231dad1a667cdf0ce5a5a7c8b",
+  "accepted_source": "net-kingdom/canon/standards/security-layer-model_v0.8.md",
+  "acceptance_receipt": "net-kingdom/docs/security-layer-v0.8-acceptance.md",
+  "tests": {
+    "layer_conformance_passed": 40,
+    "source": "staged modified scripts/tests + read-only current source support",
+    "limitations": "mechanical declared scope only, not complete estate/runtime conformance"
+  },
+  "checker_runs": [
+    {
+      "argv": [],
+      "returncode": 0,
+      "stdout": "validated against: net-kingdom/canon/standards/security-layer-model_v0.8.md (accepted; sha256:3d8298560069ef471fba28d2b1245fb2309328f231dad1a667cdf0ce5a5a7c8b)\nscope: single repository secrets-engine (catalogued in \u00a74); declaration = INTENT.md frontmatter + layer.yaml (every key and value); source = src/secrets_engine/**/*.py; not reached by A12: pep-stance.yaml, evidence-classification.yaml\nPASS \u2014 Engine/Lifecycle declaration present, no decision surface, 1 OpenBao adapter module(s) owned; validated against net-kingdom/canon/standards/security-layer-model_v0.8.md (accepted; sha256:3d8298560069ef471fba28d2b1245fb2309328f231dad1a667cdf0ce5a5a7c8b).\n",
+      "stderr": ""
+    },
+    {
+      "argv": [
+        "--report"
+      ],
+      "returncode": 0,
+      "stdout": "validated against: net-kingdom/canon/standards/security-layer-model_v0.8.md (accepted; sha256:3d8298560069ef471fba28d2b1245fb2309328f231dad1a667cdf0ce5a5a7c8b)\nscope: single repository secrets-engine (catalogued in \u00a74); declaration = INTENT.md frontmatter + layer.yaml (every key and value); source = src/secrets_engine/**/*.py; not reached by A12: pep-stance.yaml, evidence-classification.yaml\nsecrets-engine \u2014 layer: Engine role: Lifecycle (declared in INTENT.md; \u00a711 governing form)\nlayer.yaml: derived from INTENT.md, layer: engine\ndeclared by INTENT.md\npep stance: pep-stance.yaml\nowned OpenBao modules: ['openbao.py']\nOpenBao argv adapters found: ['openbao.py']\n\nPASS \u2014 declaration, owned tooling, and PEP stance path hold; validated against net-kingdom/canon/standards/security-layer-model_v0.8.md (accepted; sha256:3d8298560069ef471fba28d2b1245fb2309328f231dad1a667cdf0ce5a5a7c8b).\n",
+      "stderr": ""
+    }
+  ],
+  "meaningful_regressions": {
+    "unicode_token_original_fold": "staff",
+    "original_accepted_non_ascii_token": true
+  },
+  "source_changes": [
+    {
+      "repo": "secrets-engine",
+      "path": "scripts/check_layer_conformance.py",
+      "staged_path": "/tmp/layer-migration-stage/secrets-engine/scripts/check_layer_conformance.py",
+      "original_sha256": "9c5eaf2ee3b0caddc01bf3a78add43123e61318145fc35d83e45f6ead3f5d586",
+      "staged_sha256": "990ef566b336509cf5c7cfe75c00ce37d091396a27e1e78b7ce77aad920e8de5"
+    },
+    {
+      "repo": "secrets-engine",
+      "path": "tests/test_layer_conformance.py",
+      "staged_path": "/tmp/layer-migration-stage/secrets-engine/tests/test_layer_conformance.py",
+      "original_sha256": "1e1f04ec54223dc2090917610b3490ad481aa7bf3e397dba107bdd080f83cda5",
+      "staged_sha256": "c91f69d27189d012fbf2622e92d5933793aed79647db9e14be7885f2261ecbd0"
+    },
+    {
+      "repo": "secrets-engine",
+      "path": "INTENT.md",
+      "staged_path": "/tmp/layer-migration-stage/secrets-engine/INTENT.md",
+      "original_sha256": "0f65fdd03f3197dfdf1c77051adb64da7da5998a6f64d9e88ae0868939e6b358",
+      "staged_sha256": "188dc6d99ca9a441e7389a3715ba48275ab6e8745deaff686bd27d2aac34d678"
+    }
+  ],
+  "knowledge_orientation": {
+    "package_version": "0.2.6",
+    "package_digest": "8d1d6a9d4d07fec7b619618de7dfe2be2254c1790f85f4198c7fe19db9751c02",
+    "start_status": "withheld due changed sources; source reviewed directly"
+  },
+  "native_runtime_changed": false,
+  "pushed": false
+}
diff --git a/scripts/check_layer_conformance.py b/scripts/check_layer_conformance.py
index ffaa525..752a45f 100644
--- a/scripts/check_layer_conformance.py
+++ b/scripts/check_layer_conformance.py
@@ -60,14 +60,16 @@ DECISION_SURFACE = re.compile(
 LAYER_VOCABULARY = {"taxonomy", "tooling", "engine", "staff"}
 EXPECTED_LAYER = "engine"
 
-# The accepted text and rulings enforced by this run (GH-DEC-2026-021 §2).
-# Update together with the reference detector when the accepted text changes.
+# Accepted v0.8 publication; version provenance belongs to this run, never
+# the standing layer declaration (§11). Exact publisher artifact is retained
+# in net-kingdom/docs/security-layer-v0.8-acceptance.md.
 VALIDATED_AGAINST = (
-    "net-kingdom/canon/standards/security-layer-model_v0.7.md (net-kingdom@66dc491) "
-    "as amended by GH-DEC-2026-017, GH-DEC-2026-020 and GH-DEC-2026-021 "
-    "(A9-A13, A12 r3; gate-house@39d9287)"
+    "net-kingdom/canon/standards/security-layer-model_v0.8.md "
+    "(accepted; sha256:3d8298560069ef471fba28d2b1245fb2309328f231dad1a667cdf0ce5a5a7c8b)"
 )
+
 SCOPE = (
+    "single repository secrets-engine (catalogued in §4); "
     "declaration = INTENT.md frontmatter + layer.yaml (every key and value); "
     "source = src/secrets_engine/**/*.py; "
     "not reached by A12: pep-stance.yaml, evidence-classification.yaml"
@@ -109,7 +111,8 @@ def find_version_pins(node, where: str = "", identity: bool = False) -> list[str
 
 def _fold(value: object) -> str:
     """ASCII case-fold, per §3 as amended: two spellings of a token are one token."""
-    return str(value).strip().encode("ascii", "ignore").decode().lower()
+    return str(value).strip().translate(str.maketrans(
+        "ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ", "abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz"))
 
 
 def _no_standard_version(where: str, data: dict) -> None:
diff --git a/tests/test_layer_conformance.py b/tests/test_layer_conformance.py
index 25ff306..a3ea3e6 100644
--- a/tests/test_layer_conformance.py
+++ b/tests/test_layer_conformance.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-"""Layer-model conformance (security-layer-model_v0.7 §3.3, §6, §11).
+"""Layer-model conformance (security-layer-model_v0.8 §3.3, §6, §11).
 
 The declaration must be this repository's own, machine-readable, and equal to
 the shipped production fail-closed gate. A published stance map that may drift
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ def test_every_run_states_version_and_scope():
         )
         assert result.returncode == 0, result.stdout + result.stderr
         assert f"validated against: {checker.VALIDATED_AGAINST}" in result.stdout
-        assert "scope: declaration = INTENT.md frontmatter + layer.yaml" in result.stdout
+        assert "scope: single repository secrets-engine (catalogued in §4); declaration = INTENT.md frontmatter + layer.yaml" in result.stdout
         pass_line = [l for l in result.stdout.splitlines() if l.startswith("PASS")]
         assert pass_line and checker.VALIDATED_AGAINST in pass_line[0]
 
@@ -380,3 +380,35 @@ def test_proposed_contracts_exist_and_forbid_secret_material():
     assert "secret values" in secret_use.lower() or "secret value" in secret_use.lower()
     assert "audit-core" in secret_use
     assert "completeness is not claimed" in secret_use.lower()
+
+
+def test_accepted_v08_run_provenance_and_catalog_scope():
+    checker = _checker()
+    assert "security-layer-model_v0.8.md" in checker.VALIDATED_AGAINST
+    assert "sha256:3d8298560069ef471fba28d2b1245fb2309328f231dad1a667cdf0ce5a5a7c8b" in checker.VALIDATED_AGAINST
+    assert "single repository secrets-engine (catalogued in §4)" in checker.SCOPE
+
+
+def test_reference_semantics_propagate_identity_through_nested_sequences():
+    checker = _checker()
+    for data in (
+        {"nested": {"standard": ["Security Layer Model v0.8"]}},
+        {"companion": [["Security Companion 0.3"]]},
+        {"standard": {"alternate": ["Security Layer Model v0.7"]}},
+    ):
+        # A dictionary begins a fresh identity key; only sequence descendants
+        # inherit the immediate standard:/companion: identity in the reference.
+        if isinstance(data.get("standard"), dict):
+            assert checker.find_version_pins(data) == []
+        else:
+            assert checker.find_version_pins(data), data
+    assert checker.find_version_pins({"rationale": "Assented at v0.7; migrated at v0.8."}) == []
+    assert checker.find_version_pins({"intent_version": "0.2.0", "schema_version": "0.1"}) == []
+
+
+def test_ascii_folding_never_discards_non_ascii_letters():
+    checker = _checker()
+    assert checker._fold("Staff") == "staff"
+    assert checker._fold("Engine") == "engine"
+    # Deleting non-ASCII bytes would turn this fifth token into Staff.
+    assert checker._fold("Stαaff") not in checker.LAYER_VOCABULARY