test: gate unified compose deployment

README.md

@@ -89,6 +89,45 @@ volume afterward. It never targets the fixed `thothii` operator project or its v
 `KEEP_SMOKE_RESOURCES=1` to retain that smoke project's resources for inspection; remove them
 later with `docker compose --project-name "$SMOKE_PROJECT" down --volumes`.
 
+## Unified deployment release gates
+
+Task 13 adds a no-secret release gate around the canonical base plus local Compose profile. Its
+deterministic safety check does not contact the Docker daemon:
+
+```sh
+bash scripts/unified-deployment-smoke.sh --self-test
+```
+
+The two Docker smokes are separate release jobs. Each creates a unique Compose project, temporary
+Git workspace remote, fixture provider, image names, and run label. Its exit trap removes only
+resources carrying that exact run identity and never performs a global Docker prune.
+
+```sh
+bash scripts/unified-deployment-smoke.sh
+bash scripts/thothctl-update-smoke.sh
+```
+
+The unified smoke builds and starts `frontend` and `core`, verifies the embedded Pi and internal
+registry, recreates with the Git remote offline, activates a valid Git update, rejects invalid Git
+content while retaining the valid snapshot, and checks the four persistence volumes. Both smokes
+inject a digest-pinned non-core candidate under a deliberately mismatched Pi version and require
+`thothctl pi update` to roll back while preserving settings, sessions, Pi state, registry revision,
+and mount identity. Fixture credentials are generated locally; neither command needs a real
+provider key or a repository secret. CI gives each smoke one 30-minute outer timeout and does not
+retry it.
+
+On a native Windows clone, the release contract is:
+
+```powershell
+.\scripts\test-windows-clone-contract.ps1 `
+  -ThothctlPath "$PWD\dist\thothctl\thothctl-windows-amd64.exe"
+```
+
+It checks Git's CRLF/LF attributes and bytes, renders exactly `core` plus `frontend` with Docker
+Compose without starting containers, and invokes the native Windows `thothctl`. The GitHub Actions
+deployment workflow runs the deterministic Linux gates, both bounded Docker smokes, and this
+Windows clone contract with immutable action pins and supported pinned Node/Go toolchains.
+
 ## Optional local pgvector and recovery
 
 The local-vector overlay reads `THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD`,