diff --git a/engagements/2026-08-22-audit-core-e2-03.json b/engagements/2026-08-22-audit-core-e2-03.json
index bc9fde5..9a954e9 100644
--- a/engagements/2026-08-22-audit-core-e2-03.json
+++ b/engagements/2026-08-22-audit-core-e2-03.json
@@ -1,19 +1,19 @@
 {
   "engagement_id": "WH-ENG-20260822-AUDIT-E2-03",
-  "status": "proposed",
+  "status": "approved",
   "proposal_at": "2026-08-22T21:15:00Z",
   "proposal_reason": "Fresh attended attempt after -02 proved exact cleanup and exposed the now-implemented WP-0025 custody receipt handoff. No terminal identifier, identity, tenant, object, or Kubernetes Secret is reused.",
   "authorization_id": "operator-session-2026-08-22-e2-03-approval",
-  "authorizer": "pending explicit repository operator approval",
-  "approved_at": "",
+  "authorizer": "repository operator and infrastructure owner",
+  "approved_at": "2026-08-22T21:29:21Z",
   "expires_at": "2026-08-22T22:15:00Z",
   "target": "http://audit-core.audit-core.svc.cluster.local:8080",
   "target_id": "audit-core",
   "target_owner": "audit-core / infrastructure operator",
-  "target_owner_acknowledged_at": "",
-  "target_owner_acknowledgement_status": "pending direct review after operator approval",
+  "target_owner_acknowledged_at": "2026-08-22T21:29:22Z",
+  "target_owner_acknowledgement_status": "audit-core accepted the exact -03 identifier, WP-0025 contract, new identities, tenants, fixtures, runner pod and Secret, target digest, 22:00Z-22:15Z window, abort thresholds, report finalization, and cleanup obligation after operator approval",
   "environment": "production",
-  "production_approval": "pending explicit approval of this exact -03 package",
+  "production_approval": "Explicit operator approval of the exact WH-ENG-20260822-AUDIT-E2-03 package in the coordinating session at 2026-08-22T21:29:21Z",
   "approval_class": "live-e2",
   "plane_namespace": "whitehat",
   "runner_image_digest": "sha256:c2fe39a0185b99be3fc0cb14d2de69772b8e66e20490097c9d11d90cc39719a6",
diff --git a/engagements/2026-08-22-audit-core-e2-03.md b/engagements/2026-08-22-audit-core-e2-03.md
index 9d6e6af..bcc56dc 100644
--- a/engagements/2026-08-22-audit-core-e2-03.md
+++ b/engagements/2026-08-22-audit-core-e2-03.md
@@ -1,13 +1,14 @@
 # WH-ENG-20260822-AUDIT-E2-03
 
-Status: **proposed** for `2026-08-22T22:00:00Z`–`22:15:00Z`.
+Status: **approved** for `2026-08-22T22:00:00Z`–`22:15:00Z`.
 
 This is a fresh, terminal-unique attempt. It does not reuse the `-01` or `-02`
 identifier, senders, tenants, objects, mounted Secret, or runner pod. The
 projection gate closes at `22:03:00Z`; all custody resources expire and must be
-cleaned by `22:15:00Z`.
+cleaned by `22:15:00Z`. The repository operator approved the exact package at
+`21:29:21Z`; audit-core acknowledged it after approval at `21:29:22Z`.
 
 The run uses the canonical RAILIANCE-WP-0025 projection contract, Whitehat
 broker-readiness receipt, projection receipt, contract-bound `admit-plane`,
-cleanup receipt, and finalized report. No live action is authorized while this
-record remains proposed.
+cleanup receipt, and finalized report. Projection remains forbidden before
+`22:00:00Z` and after `22:03:00Z`.