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+# ADR001: Deterministic Runtime Policy
+
+- Status: Accepted
+- Date: 2026-05-16
+
+## Context
+
+The backend must behave consistently across local development, CI, and production.
+Historically, floating dependency constraints and non-enforced runtime assumptions can
+introduce drift and hard-to-diagnose failures.
+
+This branch introduced:
+- Python 3.14 as the required runtime baseline
+- Exact dependency pinning for backend runtime and development tooling
+- Startup compatibility checks that fail fast when runtime policy is violated
+- A compatibility endpoint for operational visibility
+
+## Decision
+
+Adopt a deterministic backend runtime policy:
+
+1. Backend runtime is pinned to Python major/minor 3.14.
+2. Runtime dependencies are exact pinned versions.
+3. Application startup performs runtime policy validation and fails fast on mismatch.
+4. Compatibility status is exposed through an API endpoint for diagnostics.
+5. The lockfile is treated as the source of truth for reproducible dependency resolution.
+
+## Consequences
+
+Positive:
+- Reduced environment drift across dev/CI/prod
+- Earlier and clearer failure mode for runtime mismatches
+- Improved reproducibility and troubleshooting
+
+Negative:
+- More frequent explicit dependency maintenance updates
+- Stricter upgrade process for Python/runtime packages
+
+## Alternatives Considered
+
+- Floating dependency constraints with periodic updates
+  - Rejected due to non-deterministic installs and regression risk
+- Runtime checks only in CI, not application startup
+  - Rejected because deployment/runtime drift can still bypass CI assumptions
diff --git a/docs/adr/ADR002-cicd_base_image_tagging.md b/docs/adr/ADR002-cicd_base_image_tagging.md
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+# ADR002: CICD Base Image Tagging
+
+- Status: Accepted
+- Date: 2026-05-16
+
+## Context
+
+CICD builds depend on a shared base image containing stable system dependencies.
+To optimize build times while preserving correctness, the pipeline uses cache-aware
+image reuse and fallback behavior.
+
+This branch reinforced the workflow by ensuring hash-driven base tags are always
+computed and non-empty before tagging/pushing, preventing invalid image references.
+
+## Decision
+
+Adopt hash-based tagging for the CICD base image with latest fallback:
+
+1. Compute a deterministic hash from Dockerfile.cicd-base content.
+2. Publish base image as both:
+   - hash-specific tag: cicd-base:<hash>
+   - rolling tag: cicd-base:latest
+3. Prefer pulling hash-specific image; fallback to latest when needed.
+4. Validate/fallback hash propagation in workflow to avoid empty tag references.
+
+## Consequences
+
+Positive:
+- Faster CI via stable base-layer reuse
+- Better traceability from base image to Dockerfile content
+- Reduced risk of malformed image references in workflow execution
+
+Negative:
+- Slightly more workflow complexity
+- Registry stores additional hash-tagged images
+
+## Alternatives Considered
+
+- Latest-only base image strategy
+  - Rejected due to reduced traceability and cache precision
+- Build base image every run
+  - Rejected due to slower pipelines and wasted compute