docs: record factory approval consumer progress and next gate

docs/assessments/2026-09-09-helixforge-approval-consumer.md

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+# HelixForge approval consumer — 2026-09-09
+
+The consumer implementation now removes manual approval-token renewal from the
+intended factory path. Secrets Engine exchanges its own client secret immediately
+before claim and consume, requests only the relevant scope, and holds the access
+token in memory. Live credential delivery remains separately gated.
+
+The pinned KeyCape image exposed a consumer incompatibility missed by its old
+fixtures: `assurance.aal/method` was assumed; the issuer emits
+`assurance.level/methods`. The shared consumer now validates the actual shape.
+OpenBao and approval client identities retain their distinct audiences, tenants
+and scopes. Mixed providers, fallback identities and credential redirects are
+refused.
+
+Validation: **350 tests passed**. A repeatable disposable exercise also passed
+**nine checks** using the pinned KeyCape image and real Approval Engine source,
+JWT/JWKS verifier and SQLite store. It proved operator create/approve, consumer
+claim/check/consume, idempotent retry and the specified action/claim/secret/scope
+refusals. Temporary resources were removed; exact consumer module hashes are
+recorded in the [evidence](2026-09-09-helixforge-approval-consumer.json).
+
+The PDP was a sequencing double. This proves the identity/consumer integration,
+not a production authorization path, native OpenBao delivery or factory
+throughput. No live credential was retrieved and no paid model ran.
+
+Work coordination now reflects the actual scope:
+
+- **RPF-WP-0035-T05 is done** against the completed verifier-only acceptance.
+  **RPF-WP-0035-T06** is its live client-side admission residual. The already
+  completed CCR reviews must not recur as blockers.
+- **SECRETS-WP-0008-T02 is progress** for the returned FLEX-DEC-2026-012 contract.
+  The consumer must use `submitted_request_digest` for its exact request and
+  compare the approval digest between evaluator outputs. This is actionable
+  local implementation, with no outstanding interpretation question.
+- **SECRETS-WP-0009-T03 remains wait** for that replay correction plus separate
+  client-side admission, audit custody, live approval deployment and native
+  credential authority/delivery. The identity exercise does not close these.
+
+The next implementation is the submitted-request replay and approval-digest join,
+tested against independently published owner fixtures. Then complete the two
+consumer admissions and audit sender/receiver custody, deploy Approval Engine,
+and prove native delivery before admitting a bounded Railiance worker run.
+
+The first internal capability remains reuse-surface; Railiance Fabric remains a
+candidate for broader reuse. vergabe-teilnahme remains the primary customer
+product repository. Progress toward that goal is reduced manual integration and
+fewer misleading waits; sustained factory throughput has not yet been measured.