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ADR-0009: Block unproven minimal startup and permanently deny legacy ELF

Status: accepted Date: 2026-07-17

Context

SDK v0.41's stock crt1.o performs prohibited kernel credential and syscall-bound writes before project main. Phase 0.5 tested whether omitting the CRT could support a deterministic freestanding entry. Compiler and linker evidence proves omission is mechanically possible, but no exact pinned loader caller is locally available to prove stack, argument ownership, safe return, post-return cleanup, crash handling, or pre-entry process changes.

The already-built firmware-9.60 capability probe has SHA-256 4be1c17b4964f2b68c39b5145bc4af4619c32512d60269ecf5c39728b390fa63 and must remain permanently blocked.

Decision

Do not create a minimal-startup source or PS5 ELF while the caller contract is unproven. Keep CHIMERA_GFX_BUILD_PS5_MINIMAL_STARTUP as an unconditional configure-time failure with the evidence blocker stated in its message.

Require every artifact manifest to state execution_eligible explicitly. New manifests default to false. Maintain a permanent SHA-256 denylist and a fail-closed policy tool that refuses false eligibility, malformed records, changed bytes, or a denylist match. Passing this static layer does not grant execution authority.

Consequences

  • no Phase-0.5 PS5 ELF, linker map, artifact disassembly, or artifact hash exists;
  • stock CRT evidence remains available for review without making a safe-runtime claim;
  • the legacy firmware-9.60 ELF cannot become eligible through a later manifest edit or approval record;
  • a Payload Manager can consume the JSON policy tool, but the manager's own implementation remains outside this repository and cannot be claimed reviewed here;
  • work may continue through mock/software backends or a separately scoped Linux-on-PS5 backend.