diff --git a/docs/governance/stage-01-baseline.md b/docs/governance/stage-01-baseline.md
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+# Stage 01: Governance Baseline
+
+Date: 2026-07-29
+
+Baseline commit: `0030bb8cc18c5aa7107dd8fd866355a6507bd6da`
+
+## Purpose
+
+This baseline freezes observable behavior before architecture governance begins. Later stages
+may move code and introduce internal contracts, but must not change API behavior, account
+boundaries, persisted user data, desktop presentation, or existing workflows unless a change
+is approved separately.
+
+## Deployment Contract
+
+- One Python process serves the API and static browser client.
+- One SQLite database is persisted at `data/review.db`.
+- Docker exposes `0.0.0.0:8765` and mounts only `./data` at `/app/data`.
+- Public market data is shared; private records are scoped by `user_id`.
+- Market-data and LLM credentials remain server-side.
+
+## Verified Baseline
+
+- Python: 169 tests passed.
+- Playwright: 45 tests passed at desktop and mobile viewports.
+- JavaScript entry points pass `node --check`.
+- `git diff --check` reports no patch errors.
+- SQLite `PRAGMA integrity_check` returns `ok`.
+- The database was backed up with the SQLite backup API to
+  `data/backups/governance-stage-01-0030bb8.db` and the backup independently passed
+  `PRAGMA integrity_check`. The backup is intentionally excluded from Git.
+
+## Repeatable Verification
+
+Run the fast baseline on every structural change:
+
+```shell
+python tools/verify_baseline.py
+```
+
+Run the browser suite at phase boundaries:
+
+```shell
+python tools/verify_baseline.py --e2e
+```
+
+## Regression Gates
+
+1. API routes and response fields remain compatible until a versioned contract says otherwise.
+2. Existing SQLite files must upgrade without deleting or reassigning user-owned rows.
+3. A failed external data request must not synthesize market prices.
+4. Ordinary, member, and administrator permissions must remain distinct.
+5. Desktop visual refactors require 1080P and 4K comparison in both themes.
+6. Mobile work is isolated from the approved desktop shell and workflows.
+7. Old code is deleted only after its replacement is active and reference scans are clean.
+
+## Rollback
+
+Code can return to this point with Git commit `0030bb8`. Database rollback must use the
+matching backup above; a code rollback alone is not sufficient after a schema migration.
diff --git a/tools/verify_baseline.py b/tools/verify_baseline.py
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+++ b/tools/verify_baseline.py
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+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import shutil
+import sqlite3
+import subprocess
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+
+
+def run(label: str, command: list[str]) -> None:
+    print(f"\n[{label}] {' '.join(command)}", flush=True)
+    subprocess.run(command, cwd=ROOT, check=True)
+
+
+def verify_database() -> None:
+    database = ROOT / "data" / "review.db"
+    if not database.exists():
+        print("\n[database] skipped: data/review.db does not exist")
+        return
+    with sqlite3.connect(f"file:{database.as_posix()}?mode=ro", uri=True) as connection:
+        result = connection.execute("PRAGMA integrity_check").fetchone()
+    if not result or result[0] != "ok":
+        raise RuntimeError(f"SQLite integrity check failed: {result}")
+    print(f"\n[database] integrity_check=ok size={database.stat().st_size}")
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Verify the governance regression baseline")
+    parser.add_argument(
+        "--e2e",
+        action="store_true",
+        help="also run the Playwright browser suite",
+    )
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    run("python", [sys.executable, "-m", "unittest", "discover", "-s", "tests"])
+    node = shutil.which("node")
+    if not node:
+        raise RuntimeError("node is required for JavaScript syntax checks")
+    for script in ("static/app.js", "static/heaven-loading-v2.js"):
+        run("javascript", [node, "--check", script])
+    run("patch", ["git", "diff", "--check"])
+    verify_database()
+
+    if args.e2e:
+        npm = shutil.which("npm.cmd" if sys.platform == "win32" else "npm")
+        if not npm:
+            raise RuntimeError("npm is required for the Playwright suite")
+        run("playwright", [npm, "run", "test:e2e"])
+    print("\nBaseline verification passed.")
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    raise SystemExit(main())