[Wave 4] Low/info — Module sweep: Verification toolbelt: verify-audit, verify-annex-iv, verify-gguf, verify-integrity (part 2/2) #716

Wave 4 · 2 finding(s) in 2 fix package(s). Fix these whenever a pull request touches this module ("clean the module you touch").

Findings

• CR-A09-053 (code, Low) — Annex IV and pipeline-manifest verifiers accept duplicate JSON keys, and manifest_hash does not change. verify-annex-iv (single and --pipeline, Tier 3 corroborated) exits 0 while a first-wins reader…
  severity Low · reachability default · intent intended-but-harmful · confidence likely · independently confirmed · reproduced end to end
  Failure scenario. After a pipeline whose stage_b actually stopped, an output-dir writer without the audit secret inserts "status": "completed", before the authentic "status": "failed" and "final_status": "completed", before the authentic value. The same works for an Annex IV intended_purpose. CI runs forgelm verify-annex-iv --pipeline and gets exit 0, hash verified and audit-corroborated, because ForgeLM sees the authentic values. A first-wins dashboard, a human reviewer, or any process that recorded t…
  Where. forgelm/verify/_annex_iv.py:112, forgelm/verify/_annex_iv.py:162-178, forgelm/verify/_io_safety.py:79, forgelm/verify/_pipeline_evidence.py:372
  Recommended fix. Give _io_safety one strict loader: an object_pairs_hook that raises on a repeated name. Use it in verify_annex_iv_artifact (which this same change can move onto _read_capped_json) and in both pipeline reads. Treat a repeat as an integrity violation (exit 6): a ForgeLM writer cannot produce one from str-keyed dicts. Also reject mixed int/str keys in build_annex_iv_artifact, the one input from whic…

• CR-A09-054 (code, Low) — Mutation-adequacy gaps: ten non-equivalent mutants of _pipeline_evidence.py and the census replay survive the three test files
  severity Low · reachability default · intent contract-violation · confidence confirmed · independently confirmed · reproduced end to end
  Failure scenario. A refactor that swaps any/all, removes the islink guard, or changes the -1 default keeps CI green while deleting a middle stage row from a pipeline manifest, or following a symlinked legacy sibling out of the pipeline directory, becomes undetected.
  Where. forgelm/verify/_pipeline_evidence.py:271, forgelm/verify/_pipeline_evidence.py:360, forgelm/compliance.py:3290, forgelm/compliance.py:3357
  Recommended fix. Add tests: delete first and middle stage rows of a 3-stage run (assert contradicted); legacy manifest (forgelm_version 0.9.0) with a symlinked annex_iv_metadata.json sibling; all-blank annex_iv identity block routes to UNVERIFIED; _manifest_stage_positions with duplicate names; unpositioned-name restart retires only that name; reordered and duplicate-name manifests against corroboration.

Done when

• Every finding above is fixed or closed with a reason (tick it here).
• Code fixes carry a test; doc fixes update the Turkish mirror in the same PR.

_{Found by the October 2026 ForgeLM code and documentation review against commit cab2947. Code links point at that commit; line numbers may have moved since. Finding IDs (CR-…, DOC-…, TECH-…) are stable references for this backlog.}