> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.soterislabs.xyz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Release conditions

> What release means from outside, and what it deliberately does not mean.

Release is the moment a deliverable becomes externally real. From outside, it answers one question: is there an authorized, available deliverable yet. It is not the internal approval process, and it does not expose the criteria that approval applied.

## What release means

1. A deliverable has been authorized by review authority.
2. A released record exists, with its own version and access boundary.
3. A verification receipt can confirm the released record's metadata.

## What release does not mean

1. Release does not expose the reasoning behind the deliverable.
2. The internal criteria for approval are not disclosed.
3. No private workpaper, evidence, or client data becomes visible.
4. No public write surface comes into existence.

<Info>
  Treat release as a state plus a receipt. The state signals that a deliverable is available within access. A check against the receipt confirms what was released: which artifact, which version, and its current standing. Everything upstream of release stays private.

  The record shapes are in [Release records](/records/release-record) and [Verification receipts](/records/verification-receipt). How to check a receipt is in the [Verification model](/verification/verification-model).
</Info>