<!-- GENERATED FROM prd.json — DO NOT EDIT AS AN INDEPENDENT SOURCE. prd.json IS AUTHORITATIVE. -->
# DGR-054: Enforce the DeepSeek V4 Flash alpha gate

- **Status / triage:** specification only; `ready-for-human`; `passes: false`
- **Execution mode:** `HITL`
- **Milestone:** `M3`
- **Dependencies:** `DGR-017`, `DGR-019`, `DGR-020`, `DGR-039`, `DGR-042`, `DGR-043`, `DGR-052`, `DGR-053`
- **Blocks (derived):** `DGR-055`, `DGR-065`, `DGR-066`, `DGR-068`
- **Labels:** `area:deepseek-v4`, `area:release`, `milestone:alpha`, `priority:p0`, `gate:hitl`, `ready-for-human`
- **Evidence class:** `release`
- **Hardware:** `required`
- **Model:** `deepseek-v4-flash`
- **Upstream:** `yes`

## Objective / description

Fresh Ralph session: read `.scratch/distributed-gguf-runtime/RALPH-CONTEXT.md`, source issue `.scratch/distributed-gguf-runtime/issues/054-enforce-the-deepseek-v4-flash-alpha-gate.md`, and evidence READMEs for dependencies (DGR-017, DGR-019, DGR-020, DGR-039, DGR-042, DGR-043, DGR-052, DGR-053) before changing code. Inspect live source/tests rather than trusting legacy pass states. Objective: Release alpha only when V4 is correct and clears the pre-locked useful-speed requirement.

## Acceptance criteria

- [ ] Evaluate correctness, model fit, TTFT, prefill/decode speed, seam cost, memory, and failure rate against DGF-004 without changing thresholds.
- [ ] Separate quant/model-fit gains from runtime/transport gains.
- [ ] Decision is `alpha`, `optimize measured bottleneck`, or `stop`; failures cannot be relabeled as certification.
- [ ] Alpha documentation states MTP is reserved but not implemented and identifies every dark hardware lane.
- [ ] Applicable shared quality gates in `prd.json` pass, and the evidence handoff records exact commands/results, changed files, limitations, and dependency handoff.

## Shared quality gates

- Targeted deterministic tests pass; Python changes also pass `python -m compileall packages tests`.
- `git diff --check` passes.
- Default tests are model-download-free, API-credit-free, and GPU-free.
- Evidence README records exact changed files, commands/results, limitations, and dependency handoff; no fabricated evidence or inherited completion credit.
- Native changes pass focused out-of-tree CMake build and CTest; patch changes verify clean apply/check/reverse against the exact llama.cpp pin.
- Runs are opt-in and record exact artifact/split hashes, runtime/upstream pin, backend/driver, hardware, network, commands, and raw metrics. Model artifacts use configured mounted-drive storage and never `/home`.
- Preserve existing Transformers behavior and backend-agnostic Tracker routing/load balancing/billing/relay semantics unless an explicit versioned contract says otherwise. One scoped story commit is expected during execution, but this specification-materialization change is not committed.

## Evidence handoff

Write and verify `.scratch/distributed-gguf-runtime/evidence/DGR-054/README.md`. Until every criterion and applicable gate has real evidence, this story remains `passes: false`. Legacy evidence is provenance only, not completion credit.
