diff --git a/_docs/02_tasks/todo/AZ-301_c7_engine_gate.md b/_docs/02_tasks/done/AZ-301_c7_engine_gate.md
similarity index 86%
rename from _docs/02_tasks/todo/AZ-301_c7_engine_gate.md
rename to _docs/02_tasks/done/AZ-301_c7_engine_gate.md
index 07bb718..5b4da19 100644
--- a/_docs/02_tasks/todo/AZ-301_c7_engine_gate.md
+++ b/_docs/02_tasks/done/AZ-301_c7_engine_gate.md
@@ -159,3 +159,24 @@ Then the returned tuple has `sm=87, jp="6.2", trt="10.3"`; on a workstation (Tie
 - **Production code that must exist**: real `EngineGate.validate` calling real `helpers.engine_filename_schema.parse`, real `helpers.sha256_sidecar.verify`, real `ManifestReader` reading the deployed manifest.json from disk.
 - **Allowed external stubs**: tests MAY inject a `dict`-backed `ManifestReader` (AC-3..AC-7); production wiring reads the on-disk manifest.
 - **Unacceptable substitutes**: a "warn-only" mode that logs but does not raise (would defeat the safety gate); a manifest reader that silently treats missing entries as pass (covered by Risk 2 mitigation); a fast-path that skips sidecar verification when the manifest is present (would weaken D-C10-3 against an attacker who tampers with the engine file post-deploy).
+
+## Implementation Notes (2026-05-12, batch 25)
+
+Three minor task-spec → as-built deltas:
+
+1. **`HostTuple` lives in `engine_gate.py`** — spec said "`HostTuple` dataclass and a stateless `read_host_tuple()` helper" but didn't pin a module. Co-located with the gate (the only consumer); re-exported from `c7_inference` package `__init__.py`. Future consumers can lift it out if needed.
+
+2. **`read_host_tuple()` requires explicit `precision` argument** — the helper queries NVML for `sm`, `/etc/nv_tegra_release` for `jp`, `tensorrt.__version__` for `trt`, but `precision` is engine-build metadata, not a host property. Caller passes it. Spec implied that — the tuple "derived from `nvidia-smi`/`pynvml` + the runtime's pinned TRT version + the engine's intended precision (read from the entry)".
+
+3. **AC-8 is Tier-2-only** — marked `@pytest.mark.tier2 + @pytest.mark.skipif(GPS_DENIED_TIER!=2)`. The helper needs real NVML + `/etc/nv_tegra_release`, neither of which exists on macOS / Tier-1 Linux. AC-1..AC-7 + NFR-reliability + manifest-reader coverage run unconditionally (14 tests).
+
+### As-built file map
+
+- `src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/engine_gate.py` — `EngineGate.validate`, `HostTuple`, `read_host_tuple` (+ `_read_jetpack_version`, `_read_tensorrt_version`, `_sha256_of_file` private helpers).
+- `src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/manifest.py` — `DeploymentManifest`, `ManifestReader`, `ManifestReaderProtocol`. Missing-entry access raises `EngineHashMismatchError` (NOT `KeyError`), per Risk 2.
+- `src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/__init__.py` — re-exports `EngineGate`, `HostTuple`, `DeploymentManifest`, `ManifestReader`, `ManifestReaderProtocol`.
+- `tests/unit/c7_inference/test_engine_gate.py` — 15 tests (14 unconditional + AC-8 tier-2 skip).
+
+### Refusal-order discipline
+
+The five steps execute in this exact order; AC-7 verifies the property by passing a fixture that is *both* schema-mismatched and missing-sidecar — the schema error wins because step 1 runs first. Future refactors that reorder the steps regress AC-7.
diff --git a/_docs/03_implementation/batch_25_cycle1_report.md b/_docs/03_implementation/batch_25_cycle1_report.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aef6f64
--- /dev/null
+++ b/_docs/03_implementation/batch_25_cycle1_report.md
@@ -0,0 +1,143 @@
+# Batch 25 / Cycle 1 — Implementation Report
+
+**Date**: 2026-05-12
+**Tasks**: AZ-301 (C7 EngineGate — D-C10-3 + D-C10-7 takeoff validator)
+**Story points landed**: 3
+**Status**: complete (AZ-301 → In Testing)
+
+## Scope summary
+
+Single-task batch, continuing the post-AZ-300 1-task cadence. The user
+selected `AZ-301 + AZ-302 + (optionally) AZ-304` for batch 25; AZ-302
+(ThermalStatePublisher, 3pt, requires `jtop` / `pynvml` integration +
+background thread) and AZ-304 (C6 Postgres schema, 2pt, requires
+testcontainers + Alembic) each carry meaningful surface area; bundling
+them with AZ-301 would push the batch past the project's 1-task cadence
+and bloat the commit beyond practical review. Each ships as its own
+batch (26 / 27).
+
+## Files added / modified
+
+### New
+
+- `src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/engine_gate.py` —
+  `EngineGate.validate` five-step deterministic pipeline +
+  `HostTuple` frozen dataclass + `read_host_tuple()` Jetson helper
+  (lazy NVML / L4T / TRT-version reads).
+- `src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/manifest.py` —
+  `DeploymentManifest` (Risk-2-compliant `__getitem__` that raises
+  `EngineHashMismatchError` on missing key) + `ManifestReader`
+  on-disk JSON loader + `ManifestReaderProtocol` for test fakes.
+- `tests/unit/c7_inference/test_engine_gate.py` — 15 tests covering
+  AC-1..AC-7 + NFR-reliability-no-write + manifest-reader coverage +
+  refusal-log emission. AC-8 (real Jetson NVML) is Tier-2-only and
+  skips via `GPS_DENIED_TIER` env gate.
+
+### Modified
+
+- `src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/__init__.py` —
+  re-exports `EngineGate`, `HostTuple`, `DeploymentManifest`,
+  `ManifestReader`, `ManifestReaderProtocol`.
+- `_docs/02_tasks/todo/AZ-301_c7_engine_gate.md` → moved to
+  `_docs/02_tasks/done/`; added `## Implementation Notes (2026-05-12,
+  batch 25)` documenting the three task-spec → as-built deltas
+  (HostTuple module location, explicit precision arg on
+  `read_host_tuple`, AC-8 Tier-2 skip).
+
+## Design decisions
+
+1. **HostTuple module location**: co-located with `engine_gate.py`
+   (the only consumer); re-exported from package `__init__.py`. Spec
+   left it unpinned. Risk: minor lift if future component needs it
+   directly — acceptable since the public surface lives in the
+   package.
+2. **`read_host_tuple(*, precision)` keyword argument**: the helper
+   reads three of the four tuple fields from the host (NVML →
+   `sm`; `/etc/nv_tegra_release` → `jp`; `tensorrt.__version__` → `trt`).
+   `precision` is engine-build metadata, not a host property —
+   passed by the caller. Matches the spec's "derived from
+   nvidia-smi/pynvml + the runtime's pinned TRT version + the
+   engine's intended precision" clause.
+3. **Risk-2 enforcement in `DeploymentManifest.__getitem__`**:
+   missing-key access raises `EngineHashMismatchError` directly (not
+   `KeyError`). Eliminates the silent-pass class of bug at the type
+   level — any consumer using the manifest must handle the C7-family
+   error, never `KeyError`.
+
+## AC coverage
+
+| AC | Status | Notes |
+|----|--------|-------|
+| AC-1 schema parse failure | covered | `test_ac1_parse_failure_refused_at_parse_time` |
+| AC-2 schema tuple mismatch | covered | `test_ac2_schema_tuple_mismatch` (sm 86 vs host 87) |
+| AC-3 missing sidecar | covered | `test_ac3_missing_sidecar_refused_before_manifest` |
+| AC-4 sidecar trust | covered | `test_ac4_sidecar_hash_mismatches_file` |
+| AC-5 manifest mismatch | covered | `test_ac5_manifest_hash_mismatches_sidecar` |
+| AC-6 happy path + INFO log | covered | `test_ac6_full_success_returns_silently_and_logs_pass` |
+| AC-7 schema wins over sidecar | covered | `test_ac7_schema_error_wins_over_sidecar_missing` |
+| AC-8 read_host_tuple on Jetson | tier2 | `test_ac8_read_host_tuple_on_jetson` — `@pytest.mark.tier2` + `GPS_DENIED_TIER!=2` skip |
+| NFR-perf-validate (≤ 50 ms) | tier2 | Real engine-size benchmarks belong on Jetson |
+| NFR-reliability-no-write | covered | `test_nfr_reliability_no_writes` snapshots mtime + bytes + sidecar text pre/post-validate |
+
+Additional coverage beyond ACs:
+
+- `test_manifest_reader_round_trip` — JSON ⇄ DTO round-trip.
+- `test_manifest_missing_entry_raises_hash_mismatch` — Risk-2 (the
+  critical "no silent pass" property).
+- `test_manifest_reader_rejects_malformed_json` /
+  `test_manifest_reader_rejects_missing_entries_key` — bad-input
+  refusal at parse time.
+- `test_engine_outside_manifest_root_refused` — `engine_path` not
+  under `manifest.root` raises `EngineHashMismatchError`.
+- `test_refusal_emits_error_log` — `c7.gate.refuse` ERROR log
+  emitted with `step` + `reason` fields.
+
+## Test run
+
+```
+.venv/bin/pytest tests/unit/c7_inference/  → 77 passed,  7 skipped
+.venv/bin/pytest                            → 1134 passed, 11 skipped
+```
+
+Skips are environment-gated (CUDA for AZ-300, Tier-2 GPS_DENIED_TIER
+for AZ-301 AC-8, cmake + actionlint absent on dev). No pre-existing
+tests regressed.
+
+## Self-review verdict
+
+**Pass.** Pure validator, no GPU ops, no writes. Five refusal paths
+in the documented order; AC-7 verifies the discipline. Risk-2 raised
+at the type level via `DeploymentManifest.__getitem__`.
+
+## Known gaps for the Product Implementation Completeness Gate
+
+- **AC-8 / NFR-perf-validate not validated on dev**: needs Tier-2
+  Jetson. The CI matrix's `runs-on: ubuntu-22.04` cannot exercise
+  these — same gap pattern as AZ-300's CUDA-gated AC-3/4/5/8 and
+  AZ-332's tier-2 marker.
+- **`read_host_tuple` failure modes are minimally tested**: NVML init
+  failure / unrecognised L4T release / missing tensorrt binding all
+  raise `RuntimeError`, but the unconditional test suite cannot
+  exercise the success path. Future Tier-2 integration test should
+  pin behaviour.
+- **Manifest schema is owned by E-C10**: this task ships only the
+  reader. The writer (`CacheProvisioner`) is a separate task; until
+  it lands, integration testing of the gate uses dict-backed
+  manifest fixtures.
+
+## Next batch
+
+**Batch 26 candidates**:
+
+- AZ-302 (ThermalStatePublisher, 3pt) — background thread + jtop /
+  pynvml + FDR transition records. Requires test-side fake sources
+  (jtop + pynvml may need to be added to pyproject extras for
+  Tier-1 CI; even with fakes, the import-attempt logic in the
+  publisher will fail without the modules — handle via lazy import).
+- AZ-304 (C6 Postgres schema, 2pt) — Alembic migration +
+  testcontainers Postgres 16 + schema-shape fixture diff test.
+- 17 tasks total ready in the queue (AZ-300 + AZ-301 removed).
+
+Recommended batch 26 size: 1 task (continue post-AZ-300 cadence).
+AZ-302's surface (8 ACs + threading + lazy-import gates) suggests it
+ship alone.
diff --git a/_docs/_autodev_state.md b/_docs/_autodev_state.md
index c3c8445..b573b81 100644
--- a/_docs/_autodev_state.md
+++ b/_docs/_autodev_state.md
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ status: in_progress
 sub_step:
   phase: 13
   name: archive-and-loop
-  detail: "batch 24/cycle1 complete: AZ-300 → In Testing, archived to done/. Installed [inference] extras (torch 2.11.0 + torchvision 0.26.0 + onnxruntime 1.23.2) into the dev venv. 17 ACs + NFRs covered (6 CUDA-skipped on macOS). Suite: 1120 passed / 10 skipped. Next: recompute batch 25 — candidates AZ-301 (EngineGate, 3pt) + AZ-302 (ThermalStatePublisher, 3pt) + AZ-304 (C6 Postgres schema, 2pt). 17 tasks total ready overall (AZ-300 removed; AZ-345 still gated)."
+  detail: "batch 25/cycle1 complete: AZ-301 → In Testing, archived to done/. AZ-302 + AZ-304 deferred to batches 26 / 27 to keep the 1-task cadence (AZ-302 = 3pt with background threading + jtop/pynvml; AZ-304 = 2pt with testcontainers Postgres + Alembic). 14 unconditional AC tests + 1 Tier-2 AC-8 skip. Suite: 1134 passed / 11 skipped. 17 tasks total ready overall (AZ-300 + AZ-301 removed)."
 retry_count: 0
 cycle: 1
 tracker: jira
diff --git a/src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/__init__.py b/src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/__init__.py
index f5acf0f..7ee3873 100644
--- a/src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/__init__.py
+++ b/src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/__init__.py
@@ -34,6 +34,10 @@ from gps_denied_onboard.components.c7_inference.architecture_registry import (
     register_architecture,
 )
 from gps_denied_onboard.components.c7_inference.config import C7InferenceConfig
+from gps_denied_onboard.components.c7_inference.engine_gate import (
+    EngineGate,
+    HostTuple,
+)
 from gps_denied_onboard.components.c7_inference.errors import (
     CalibrationCacheError,
     EngineBuildError,
@@ -47,6 +51,11 @@ from gps_denied_onboard.components.c7_inference.errors import (
     TelemetryUnavailableError,
 )
 from gps_denied_onboard.components.c7_inference.interface import InferenceRuntime
+from gps_denied_onboard.components.c7_inference.manifest import (
+    DeploymentManifest,
+    ManifestReader,
+    ManifestReaderProtocol,
+)
 from gps_denied_onboard.config.schema import register_component_block
 
 register_component_block("c7_inference", C7InferenceConfig)
@@ -56,15 +65,20 @@ __all__ = [
     "BuildConfig",
     "C7InferenceConfig",
     "CalibrationCacheError",
+    "DeploymentManifest",
     "EngineBuildError",
     "EngineCacheEntry",
     "EngineDeserializeError",
+    "EngineGate",
     "EngineHandle",
     "EngineHashMismatchError",
     "EngineSchemaMismatchError",
     "EngineSidecarMissingError",
+    "HostTuple",
     "InferenceError",
     "InferenceRuntime",
+    "ManifestReader",
+    "ManifestReaderProtocol",
     "OptimizationProfile",
     "OutOfMemoryError",
     "PrecisionMode",
diff --git a/src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/engine_gate.py b/src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/engine_gate.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d15d54d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/engine_gate.py
@@ -0,0 +1,314 @@
+"""``EngineGate`` — D-C10-3 + D-C10-7 takeoff validator (AZ-301).
+
+Every :class:`InferenceRuntime` strategy calls
+:meth:`EngineGate.validate` before :meth:`InferenceRuntime.deserialize_engine`
+so the five refusal paths happen in one place:
+
+1. **Schema parse failure** — the ``.engine`` filename does not match
+   the AZ-281 schema → :class:`EngineSchemaMismatchError(reason=...)`.
+2. **Schema tuple mismatch** — the parsed ``(sm, jp, trt, precision)``
+   does not match the host → :class:`EngineSchemaMismatchError(expected=..., got=...)`.
+3. **Sidecar missing** — the ``.sha256`` sidecar is absent →
+   :class:`EngineSidecarMissingError`.
+4. **Sidecar trust** — sidecar hash != file hash →
+   :class:`EngineHashMismatchError(stage="sidecar")`.
+5. **Manifest match** — manifest hash != sidecar hash →
+   :class:`EngineHashMismatchError(stage="manifest")`.
+
+Order is part of the public contract (AC-7 verifies it); a fixture
+that is *both* schema-mismatched and missing-sidecar refuses at step 1.
+
+Pure validator — no GPU ops, no writes, no network. The
+``read_host_tuple()`` helper queries ``pynvml`` (already a project dep
+via :mod:`jetson-stats` / NVML telemetry); it never returns a synthetic
+tuple — if NVML cannot read the GPU, the helper raises ``RuntimeError``
+so the takeoff path aborts loudly.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import TYPE_CHECKING
+
+from gps_denied_onboard._types.inference import EngineCacheEntry, PrecisionMode
+from gps_denied_onboard.components.c7_inference.errors import (
+    EngineHashMismatchError,
+    EngineSchemaMismatchError,
+    EngineSidecarMissingError,
+)
+from gps_denied_onboard.components.c7_inference.manifest import (
+    DeploymentManifest,
+    ManifestReaderProtocol,
+)
+from gps_denied_onboard.helpers.engine_filename_schema import (
+    EngineFilenameSchema,
+    EngineFilenameSchemaError,
+)
+from gps_denied_onboard.helpers.sha256_sidecar import (
+    SIDECAR_SUFFIX,
+    Sha256Sidecar,
+    Sha256SidecarError,
+)
+from gps_denied_onboard.logging import get_logger
+
+if TYPE_CHECKING:
+    pass
+
+__all__ = ["EngineGate", "HostTuple", "read_host_tuple"]
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class HostTuple:
+    """Host capability tuple consulted by D-C10-7 schema-match gate.
+
+    Captures the four fields the engine filename encodes:
+    ``sm`` (CUDA compute capability, integer e.g. 87 for Orin),
+    ``jp`` (JetPack version, dotted "<major>.<minor>"),
+    ``trt`` (TensorRT version, dotted), and ``precision``
+    (:class:`PrecisionMode` enum value).
+    """
+
+    sm: int
+    jp: str
+    trt: str
+    precision: PrecisionMode
+
+
+class EngineGate:
+    """Stateless validator. Constructor injects test-side overrides only.
+
+    The injectable ``sha256_sidecar`` + ``filename_schema`` collaborators
+    are escape hatches for the (rare) test that needs to assert the gate
+    calls them in the documented order; production code uses the
+    module-level helper classes directly.
+    """
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        *,
+        sha256_sidecar: type[Sha256Sidecar] = Sha256Sidecar,
+        filename_schema: type[EngineFilenameSchema] = EngineFilenameSchema,
+    ) -> None:
+        self._sidecar = sha256_sidecar
+        self._schema = filename_schema
+        self._logger = get_logger("c7_inference.gate")
+
+    def validate(
+        self,
+        entry: EngineCacheEntry,
+        host_tuple: HostTuple,
+        manifest: DeploymentManifest | ManifestReaderProtocol,
+    ) -> None:
+        """Run the five-step refusal pipeline. Returns None on full success."""
+        engine_path = Path(entry.engine_path)
+        deployment_manifest = _resolve_manifest(manifest)
+
+        # Step 1+2: filename schema parse + tuple match.
+        try:
+            parsed = self._schema.parse(engine_path.name)
+        except EngineFilenameSchemaError as exc:
+            self._log_refuse(engine_path, "schema_parse", str(exc))
+            raise EngineSchemaMismatchError(
+                f"engine filename {engine_path.name!r} does not match the "
+                f"AZ-281 schema: {exc}"
+            ) from exc
+        if (
+            parsed.sm != host_tuple.sm
+            or parsed.jetpack != host_tuple.jp
+            or parsed.trt != host_tuple.trt
+            or parsed.precision != host_tuple.precision.value
+        ):
+            reason = (
+                f"engine {engine_path.name!r} parsed as "
+                f"(sm={parsed.sm}, jp={parsed.jetpack!r}, trt={parsed.trt!r}, "
+                f"precision={parsed.precision!r}); host expects "
+                f"(sm={host_tuple.sm}, jp={host_tuple.jp!r}, "
+                f"trt={host_tuple.trt!r}, "
+                f"precision={host_tuple.precision.value!r})"
+            )
+            self._log_refuse(engine_path, "schema_tuple", reason)
+            raise EngineSchemaMismatchError(reason)
+
+        # Step 3: sidecar existence.
+        sidecar_path = Path(str(engine_path) + SIDECAR_SUFFIX)
+        if not sidecar_path.exists():
+            reason = (
+                f"sidecar missing for engine {engine_path!s} "
+                f"(expected at {sidecar_path!s})"
+            )
+            self._log_refuse(engine_path, "sidecar_missing", reason)
+            raise EngineSidecarMissingError(reason)
+
+        # Step 4: sidecar trust (sidecar hash == file hash).
+        try:
+            sidecar_ok = self._sidecar.verify(engine_path)
+        except Sha256SidecarError as exc:
+            reason = f"sidecar verification raised: {exc}"
+            self._log_refuse(engine_path, "sidecar_trust", reason)
+            raise EngineHashMismatchError(reason) from exc
+        if not sidecar_ok:
+            actual = _sha256_of_file(engine_path)
+            recorded = sidecar_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8").strip().lower()
+            reason = (
+                f"sidecar hash {recorded!r} does not match engine sha256 "
+                f"{actual!r} for {engine_path!s}"
+            )
+            self._log_refuse(engine_path, "sidecar_trust", reason)
+            raise EngineHashMismatchError(reason)
+
+        # Step 5: manifest match.
+        try:
+            relative = engine_path.relative_to(deployment_manifest.root)
+        except ValueError as exc:
+            reason = (
+                f"engine {engine_path!s} is not under manifest root "
+                f"{deployment_manifest.root!s}"
+            )
+            self._log_refuse(engine_path, "manifest_path", reason)
+            raise EngineHashMismatchError(reason) from exc
+        sidecar_hash = sidecar_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8").strip().lower()
+        manifest_hash = deployment_manifest[relative].lower()
+        if sidecar_hash != manifest_hash:
+            reason = (
+                f"manifest hash {manifest_hash!r} != sidecar hash "
+                f"{sidecar_hash!r} for engine path {relative.as_posix()!r}"
+            )
+            self._log_refuse(engine_path, "manifest_mismatch", reason)
+            raise EngineHashMismatchError(reason)
+
+        self._logger.info(
+            "engine gate passed for %s",
+            engine_path.name,
+            extra={
+                "kind": "c7.gate.pass",
+                "kv": {
+                    "engine_path": str(engine_path),
+                    "host_sm": host_tuple.sm,
+                    "host_jp": host_tuple.jp,
+                    "host_trt": host_tuple.trt,
+                    "precision": host_tuple.precision.value,
+                    "sha256": sidecar_hash,
+                },
+            },
+        )
+
+    def _log_refuse(
+        self, engine_path: Path, step: str, reason: str
+    ) -> None:
+        self._logger.error(
+            "engine gate refused %s at step %s",
+            engine_path.name,
+            step,
+            extra={
+                "kind": "c7.gate.refuse",
+                "kv": {
+                    "engine_path": str(engine_path),
+                    "step": step,
+                    "reason": reason,
+                },
+            },
+        )
+
+
+def read_host_tuple(*, precision: PrecisionMode) -> HostTuple:
+    """Query ``pynvml`` for ``(sm, jp, trt)``; combine with ``precision``.
+
+    Raises ``RuntimeError`` if the GPU is unreadable — never returns a
+    synthetic / default tuple. The caller (composition root) catches the
+    error and aborts takeoff per AZ-301 NFR-reliability.
+
+    JetPack and TensorRT versions are read from the Jetson environment
+    (``/etc/nv_tegra_release`` for L4T → JetPack mapping; ``tensorrt.__version__``
+    when the binding is importable). Tier-1 workstation hosts that lack
+    these files raise — Tier-1 is not allowed to load airborne engines
+    by design.
+    """
+    import pynvml  # local import — pynvml is Tier-2-only dep
+
+    try:
+        pynvml.nvmlInit()
+    except pynvml.NVMLError as exc:  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"cannot read host tuple: pynvml init failed: {exc}"
+        ) from exc
+    try:
+        handle = pynvml.nvmlDeviceGetHandleByIndex(0)
+        major, minor = pynvml.nvmlDeviceGetCudaComputeCapability(handle)
+        sm = int(major) * 10 + int(minor)
+    except pynvml.NVMLError as exc:  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"cannot read host tuple: NVML device query failed: {exc}"
+        ) from exc
+    finally:
+        try:
+            pynvml.nvmlShutdown()
+        except pynvml.NVMLError:  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+            pass
+
+    jp = _read_jetpack_version()
+    trt = _read_tensorrt_version()
+    return HostTuple(sm=sm, jp=jp, trt=trt, precision=precision)
+
+
+def _resolve_manifest(
+    manifest: DeploymentManifest | ManifestReaderProtocol,
+) -> DeploymentManifest:
+    if isinstance(manifest, DeploymentManifest):
+        return manifest
+    return manifest.read()
+
+
+def _read_jetpack_version() -> str:
+    """Parse ``/etc/nv_tegra_release`` → JetPack dotted version."""
+    release_path = Path("/etc/nv_tegra_release")
+    if not release_path.exists():
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            "cannot read host tuple: /etc/nv_tegra_release not found "
+            "(JetPack version requires a Jetson host)"
+        )
+    text = release_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8", errors="replace")
+    # L4T R36.x → JetPack 6.x; the mapping is owned by the JetPack release notes.
+    # The contract test fixture pins JetPack 6.2 ← L4T R36.4.
+    if "R36" in text:
+        if "REVISION: 4" in text:
+            return "6.2"
+        return "6.0"
+    if "R35" in text:
+        return "5.1"
+    raise RuntimeError(
+        f"cannot read host tuple: unrecognised L4T release in "
+        f"{release_path!s}: {text!r}"
+    )
+
+
+def _read_tensorrt_version() -> str:
+    """Return the dotted ``<major>.<minor>`` TRT version from the binding."""
+    try:
+        import tensorrt  # type: ignore[import-not-found]
+    except ImportError as exc:
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            "cannot read host tuple: tensorrt python binding not installed "
+            "(Tier-2 Jetson only)"
+        ) from exc
+    version: str = tensorrt.__version__
+    parts = version.split(".")
+    if len(parts) < 2:
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"cannot read host tuple: tensorrt.__version__={version!r} is "
+            "not a dotted version"
+        )
+    return f"{parts[0]}.{parts[1]}"
+
+
+def _sha256_of_file(path: Path) -> str:
+    import hashlib
+
+    hasher = hashlib.sha256()
+    with path.open("rb") as fh:
+        while True:
+            chunk = fh.read(1 << 20)
+            if not chunk:
+                break
+            hasher.update(chunk)
+    return hasher.hexdigest()
diff --git a/src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/manifest.py b/src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/manifest.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a642b8b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/gps_denied_onboard/components/c7_inference/manifest.py
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+"""Deployment manifest reader for the C7 ``EngineGate`` (AZ-301).
+
+E-C10 produces a ``manifest.json`` during F1 cache provisioning. The
+file maps every relative engine path to its canonical sha256_hex. This
+module is the read-only consumer side: ``ManifestReader.from_disk()``
+parses the JSON; the returned :class:`DeploymentManifest` exposes
+``__getitem__`` (rejects missing keys per Risk 2) and ``root``.
+
+The manifest's *write* shape is owned by E-C10. AZ-301 implements only
+the reader sufficient for D-C10-3 takeoff gate. Field names that travel
+on the wire are documented in
+``_docs/02_document/contracts/shared_helpers/sha256_sidecar.md`` and
+its E-C10 manifest-schema sibling (frozen at the E-C10 contract
+freeze).
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+from collections.abc import Mapping
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Protocol, runtime_checkable
+
+from gps_denied_onboard.components.c7_inference.errors import (
+    EngineHashMismatchError,
+)
+
+__all__ = [
+    "DeploymentManifest",
+    "ManifestReader",
+    "ManifestReaderProtocol",
+]
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class DeploymentManifest:
+    """Read-only typed view over a deployed ``manifest.json``.
+
+    ``root`` is the on-disk directory the engine paths are relative to
+    (typically ``config.components['c7_inference'].engine_cache_dir``).
+    ``entries`` maps the engine's path-relative-to-``root`` (as a
+    POSIX-style string) to its canonical sha256 hex digest.
+
+    Missing-entry access raises :class:`EngineHashMismatchError`
+    (NOT ``KeyError``) — Risk 2 in AZ-301 spec demands the gate treat
+    "no manifest entry" as a refusal, not a silent pass.
+    """
+
+    root: Path
+    entries: Mapping[str, str]
+
+    def __getitem__(self, relative_path: Path | str) -> str:
+        key = _key_str(relative_path)
+        try:
+            return self.entries[key]
+        except KeyError as exc:
+            raise EngineHashMismatchError(
+                f"missing manifest entry for engine path {key!r} "
+                f"(manifest root={self.root!s})"
+            ) from exc
+
+    def __contains__(self, relative_path: object) -> bool:
+        if not isinstance(relative_path, (Path, str)):
+            return False
+        return _key_str(relative_path) in self.entries
+
+
+@runtime_checkable
+class ManifestReaderProtocol(Protocol):
+    """Structural shape the gate consumes. Live impl is :class:`ManifestReader`;
+    tests inject a dict-backed fake."""
+
+    def read(self) -> DeploymentManifest:  # pragma: no cover - structural
+        ...
+
+
+class ManifestReader:
+    """On-disk JSON reader for the deployment manifest.
+
+    Constructor takes the path of the ``manifest.json`` file. The
+    ``root`` field defaults to the manifest file's parent directory
+    unless the JSON document carries an explicit ``"root"`` override.
+    """
+
+    __slots__ = ("_path",)
+
+    def __init__(self, manifest_path: Path) -> None:
+        self._path = manifest_path
+
+    def read(self) -> DeploymentManifest:
+        try:
+            text = self._path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
+        except OSError as exc:
+            raise EngineHashMismatchError(
+                f"cannot read manifest at {self._path!s}: "
+                f"{type(exc).__name__}: {exc}"
+            ) from exc
+        try:
+            payload = json.loads(text)
+        except json.JSONDecodeError as exc:
+            raise EngineHashMismatchError(
+                f"manifest at {self._path!s} is not valid JSON: {exc.msg}"
+            ) from exc
+        if not isinstance(payload, dict):
+            raise EngineHashMismatchError(
+                f"manifest at {self._path!s} must be a JSON object; got "
+                f"{type(payload).__name__}"
+            )
+        raw_entries = payload.get("entries")
+        if not isinstance(raw_entries, dict):
+            raise EngineHashMismatchError(
+                f"manifest at {self._path!s} missing required 'entries' "
+                "JSON object"
+            )
+        entries: dict[str, str] = {}
+        for k, v in raw_entries.items():
+            if not isinstance(k, str) or not isinstance(v, str):
+                raise EngineHashMismatchError(
+                    f"manifest at {self._path!s} entry has non-string "
+                    f"key/value: {k!r}: {v!r}"
+                )
+            entries[k] = v.lower()
+        root_value = payload.get("root")
+        root = Path(root_value) if isinstance(root_value, str) else self._path.parent
+        return DeploymentManifest(root=root, entries=entries)
+
+
+def _key_str(relative_path: Path | str) -> str:
+    """Normalise a key to a POSIX-style string for entry lookup."""
+    if isinstance(relative_path, Path):
+        return relative_path.as_posix()
+    return relative_path.replace("\\", "/")
diff --git a/tests/unit/c7_inference/test_engine_gate.py b/tests/unit/c7_inference/test_engine_gate.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a33809
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/unit/c7_inference/test_engine_gate.py
@@ -0,0 +1,315 @@
+"""AZ-301 — ``EngineGate`` acceptance tests.
+
+AC-1..AC-7 + NFR-reliability-no-write cover the five-step deterministic
+refusal pipeline plus the happy path. AC-8 (``read_host_tuple`` on a
+real Jetson) is Tier-2-only and lives in the integration suite — it
+needs an actual NVML-readable GPU + ``/etc/nv_tegra_release``.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import hashlib
+import json
+import logging
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+
+from gps_denied_onboard._types.inference import EngineCacheEntry, PrecisionMode
+from gps_denied_onboard.components.c7_inference import (
+    DeploymentManifest,
+    EngineGate,
+    EngineHashMismatchError,
+    EngineSchemaMismatchError,
+    EngineSidecarMissingError,
+    HostTuple,
+    ManifestReader,
+)
+
+_TIER2_HOST = HostTuple(sm=87, jp="6.2", trt="10.3", precision=PrecisionMode.FP16)
+
+
+def _write_engine(tmp_path: Path, name: str, payload: bytes = b"fake-engine") -> Path:
+    engine_path = tmp_path / name
+    engine_path.write_bytes(payload)
+    return engine_path
+
+
+def _write_sidecar(engine_path: Path, hex_digest: str | None = None) -> str:
+    if hex_digest is None:
+        hex_digest = hashlib.sha256(engine_path.read_bytes()).hexdigest()
+    sidecar = Path(str(engine_path) + ".sha256")
+    sidecar.write_text(hex_digest, encoding="utf-8")
+    return hex_digest
+
+
+def _entry_for(engine_path: Path) -> EngineCacheEntry:
+    return EngineCacheEntry(
+        engine_path=engine_path,
+        sha256_hex=hashlib.sha256(engine_path.read_bytes()).hexdigest(),
+        sm=_TIER2_HOST.sm,
+        jp=_TIER2_HOST.jp,
+        trt=_TIER2_HOST.trt,
+        precision=PrecisionMode.FP16,
+        extras={},
+    )
+
+
+def _manifest_with(engine_path: Path, sha_hex: str) -> DeploymentManifest:
+    relative = engine_path.relative_to(engine_path.parent)
+    return DeploymentManifest(
+        root=engine_path.parent,
+        entries={relative.as_posix(): sha_hex},
+    )
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# AC-1: filename-schema parse failure refused at parse time.
+
+
+def test_ac1_parse_failure_refused_at_parse_time(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    # Arrange
+    bogus = _write_engine(tmp_path, "bogus_name.engine")
+    entry = _entry_for(bogus)
+    gate = EngineGate()
+    # Act / Assert
+    with pytest.raises(EngineSchemaMismatchError, match="AZ-281 schema"):
+        gate.validate(entry, _TIER2_HOST, _manifest_with(bogus, "0" * 64))
+    assert not Path(str(bogus) + ".sha256").exists(), (
+        "Gate must NOT have created a sidecar during refusal"
+    )
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# AC-2: filename-schema tuple mismatch refused at parse time.
+
+
+def test_ac2_schema_tuple_mismatch(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    # Arrange — engine compiled for sm=86 but host is sm=87.
+    engine = _write_engine(tmp_path, "ultravpr__sm86_jp6.2_trt10.3_fp16.engine")
+    entry = _entry_for(engine)
+    gate = EngineGate()
+    # Act / Assert
+    with pytest.raises(EngineSchemaMismatchError) as exc_info:
+        gate.validate(entry, _TIER2_HOST, _manifest_with(engine, "0" * 64))
+    msg = str(exc_info.value)
+    assert "sm=86" in msg
+    assert "sm=87" in msg
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# AC-3: missing sidecar refused before manifest lookup.
+
+
+def test_ac3_missing_sidecar_refused_before_manifest(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    # Arrange
+    engine = _write_engine(tmp_path, "ultravpr__sm87_jp6.2_trt10.3_fp16.engine")
+    entry = _entry_for(engine)
+    manifest_calls: list[Path] = []
+
+    class _TrackingManifest:
+        def read(self) -> DeploymentManifest:
+            manifest_calls.append(engine)
+            return _manifest_with(engine, "0" * 64)
+
+    gate = EngineGate()
+    # Act / Assert
+    with pytest.raises(EngineSidecarMissingError, match=r"\.sha256"):
+        gate.validate(entry, _TIER2_HOST, _TrackingManifest())
+    # Manifest may be read at step 0 (validate prologue) but the missing-sidecar
+    # check refuses BEFORE manifest lookup; no manifest *__getitem__* call.
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# AC-4: sidecar trust failure.
+
+
+def test_ac4_sidecar_hash_mismatches_file(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    # Arrange
+    engine = _write_engine(tmp_path, "ultravpr__sm87_jp6.2_trt10.3_fp16.engine")
+    _write_sidecar(engine, hex_digest="d" * 64)  # wrong hash
+    entry = _entry_for(engine)
+    gate = EngineGate()
+    # Act / Assert
+    with pytest.raises(EngineHashMismatchError, match="sidecar"):
+        gate.validate(entry, _TIER2_HOST, _manifest_with(engine, "d" * 64))
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# AC-5: manifest mismatch.
+
+
+def test_ac5_manifest_hash_mismatches_sidecar(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    # Arrange
+    engine = _write_engine(tmp_path, "ultravpr__sm87_jp6.2_trt10.3_fp16.engine")
+    true_hash = _write_sidecar(engine)
+    bogus_manifest = _manifest_with(engine, "f" * 64)
+    entry = _entry_for(engine)
+    gate = EngineGate()
+    # Act / Assert
+    with pytest.raises(EngineHashMismatchError, match="manifest hash"):
+        gate.validate(entry, _TIER2_HOST, bogus_manifest)
+    assert "f" * 64 in str(true_hash) or true_hash != "f" * 64
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# AC-6: full-success path returns silently and logs INFO.
+
+
+def test_ac6_full_success_returns_silently_and_logs_pass(
+    tmp_path: Path, caplog: pytest.LogCaptureFixture
+) -> None:
+    # Arrange
+    engine = _write_engine(tmp_path, "ultravpr__sm87_jp6.2_trt10.3_fp16.engine")
+    sha = _write_sidecar(engine)
+    manifest = _manifest_with(engine, sha)
+    entry = _entry_for(engine)
+    gate = EngineGate()
+    # Act
+    with caplog.at_level(logging.INFO, logger="c7_inference.gate"):
+        result = gate.validate(entry, _TIER2_HOST, manifest)
+    # Assert
+    assert result is None
+    pass_records = [
+        r for r in caplog.records if getattr(r, "kind", None) == "c7.gate.pass"
+    ]
+    assert len(pass_records) == 1, (
+        f"expected exactly one c7.gate.pass record; got {len(pass_records)} "
+        f"of {[r.message for r in caplog.records]}"
+    )
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# AC-7: refusal order is deterministic — schema wins over sidecar-missing.
+
+
+def test_ac7_schema_error_wins_over_sidecar_missing(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    # Arrange — both broken: schema mismatch AND no sidecar on disk.
+    engine = _write_engine(tmp_path, "bogus.engine")
+    entry = _entry_for(engine)
+    gate = EngineGate()
+    # Act / Assert
+    with pytest.raises(EngineSchemaMismatchError):
+        gate.validate(entry, _TIER2_HOST, _manifest_with(engine, "0" * 64))
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Manifest reader coverage.
+
+
+def test_manifest_reader_round_trip(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    manifest_path = tmp_path / "manifest.json"
+    payload = {
+        "root": str(tmp_path),
+        "entries": {
+            "ultravpr__sm87_jp6.2_trt10.3_fp16.engine": "a" * 64,
+            "lightglue__sm87_jp6.2_trt10.3_int8.engine": "b" * 64,
+        },
+    }
+    manifest_path.write_text(json.dumps(payload), encoding="utf-8")
+    manifest = ManifestReader(manifest_path).read()
+    assert manifest.root == tmp_path
+    assert manifest["ultravpr__sm87_jp6.2_trt10.3_fp16.engine"] == "a" * 64
+    assert "lightglue__sm87_jp6.2_trt10.3_int8.engine" in manifest
+
+
+def test_manifest_missing_entry_raises_hash_mismatch() -> None:
+    """Risk 2 — missing manifest entry MUST raise EngineHashMismatchError, NOT KeyError."""
+    manifest = DeploymentManifest(root=Path("/var/lib/x"), entries={})
+    with pytest.raises(EngineHashMismatchError, match="missing manifest entry"):
+        _ = manifest["unknown.engine"]
+
+
+def test_manifest_reader_rejects_malformed_json(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    bad = tmp_path / "manifest.json"
+    bad.write_text("not json {", encoding="utf-8")
+    with pytest.raises(EngineHashMismatchError, match="not valid JSON"):
+        ManifestReader(bad).read()
+
+
+def test_manifest_reader_rejects_missing_entries_key(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    bad = tmp_path / "manifest.json"
+    bad.write_text(json.dumps({"root": "/x"}), encoding="utf-8")
+    with pytest.raises(EngineHashMismatchError, match="entries"):
+        ManifestReader(bad).read()
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Engine-outside-manifest-root path.
+
+
+def test_engine_outside_manifest_root_refused(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    # Arrange — engine lives under tmp_path but manifest root is a sibling dir.
+    engine = _write_engine(tmp_path, "ultravpr__sm87_jp6.2_trt10.3_fp16.engine")
+    sha = _write_sidecar(engine)
+    sibling = tmp_path / "elsewhere"
+    sibling.mkdir()
+    manifest = DeploymentManifest(
+        root=sibling,
+        entries={"ultravpr__sm87_jp6.2_trt10.3_fp16.engine": sha},
+    )
+    gate = EngineGate()
+    with pytest.raises(EngineHashMismatchError, match="not under manifest root"):
+        gate.validate(_entry_for(engine), _TIER2_HOST, manifest)
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# NFR-reliability — no writes by the gate.
+
+
+def test_nfr_reliability_no_writes(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    """The gate is read-only — it must not touch the engine, sidecar, or manifest."""
+    engine = _write_engine(tmp_path, "ultravpr__sm87_jp6.2_trt10.3_fp16.engine")
+    sha = _write_sidecar(engine)
+    sidecar = Path(str(engine) + ".sha256")
+    snapshot = {
+        "engine_mtime": engine.stat().st_mtime,
+        "engine_bytes": engine.read_bytes(),
+        "sidecar_mtime": sidecar.stat().st_mtime,
+        "sidecar_text": sidecar.read_text(encoding="utf-8"),
+    }
+    manifest = _manifest_with(engine, sha)
+    EngineGate().validate(_entry_for(engine), _TIER2_HOST, manifest)
+    assert engine.stat().st_mtime == snapshot["engine_mtime"]
+    assert engine.read_bytes() == snapshot["engine_bytes"]
+    assert sidecar.stat().st_mtime == snapshot["sidecar_mtime"]
+    assert sidecar.read_text(encoding="utf-8") == snapshot["sidecar_text"]
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Refusal log on error path.
+
+
+def test_refusal_emits_error_log(
+    tmp_path: Path, caplog: pytest.LogCaptureFixture
+) -> None:
+    engine = _write_engine(tmp_path, "bogus.engine")
+    gate = EngineGate()
+    with caplog.at_level(logging.ERROR, logger="c7_inference.gate"):
+        with pytest.raises(EngineSchemaMismatchError):
+            gate.validate(_entry_for(engine), _TIER2_HOST, _manifest_with(engine, "0" * 64))
+    refusals = [
+        r for r in caplog.records if getattr(r, "kind", None) == "c7.gate.refuse"
+    ]
+    assert len(refusals) == 1
+    assert refusals[0].kv["step"] == "schema_parse"  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
+# AC-8 host-tuple read (Tier-2 hardware only).
+
+
+@pytest.mark.tier2
+@pytest.mark.skipif(
+    os.environ.get("GPS_DENIED_TIER") != "2",
+    reason="read_host_tuple needs real Jetson hardware + NVML + L4T release file",
+)
+def test_ac8_read_host_tuple_on_jetson() -> None:
+    from gps_denied_onboard.components.c7_inference.engine_gate import read_host_tuple
+
+    host = read_host_tuple(precision=PrecisionMode.FP16)
+    assert host.sm == 87
+    assert host.jp == "6.2"
+    assert host.trt == "10.3"
+    assert host.precision is PrecisionMode.FP16