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--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -22,6 +22,10 @@ The intended pattern is:
 - review stale/orphaned material before deletion
 - reconcile repositories periodically so small omissions do not accumulate
 
+## Research stewardship — proposed
+
+[`RESEARCH_STEWARDSHIP.md`](RESEARCH_STEWARDSHIP.md) routes to the review-pending publication, licensing, attribution, and collaboration safeguards in the main research repository. It is a thin pointer, not a second policy home or a change to existing licenses, project authority, or release permissions.
+
 ## Workflow template
 
 [`workflow-templates/repository-coherence.yml`](workflow-templates/repository-coherence.yml) is an organization workflow template for repositories that expose maintenance scripts such as:
diff --git a/RESEARCH_STEWARDSHIP.md b/RESEARCH_STEWARDSHIP.md
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+# Research stewardship — proposal route
+
+**Status:** routing note for a review-pending proposal; not policy adoption.  
+**Prepared:** 2026-10-22; AI-assisted.
+
+The proposed publication, licensing, attribution, and collaboration safeguards have one substantive home in `Root-Sequence/root-sequence/governance/`.
+
+- [Review the source proposal: root-sequence #50](https://github.com/Root-Sequence/root-sequence/pull/50).
+- [Read the exact draft governance index](https://github.com/Root-Sequence/root-sequence/blob/8590f16c6bf8ea2fd010f9fe27be9b53006823a9/governance/README.md).
+- [Inspect the preliminary public licensing baseline](https://github.com/Root-Sequence/root-sequence/blob/8590f16c6bf8ea2fd010f9fe27be9b53006823a9/governance/licensing-audit-2026-10-22.md).
+- [Follow the implementation and decision checklist](https://github.com/Root-Sequence/root-sequence/blob/8590f16c6bf8ea2fd010f9fe27be9b53006823a9/governance/implementation-checklist.md).
+
+The exact-revision links intentionally resolve before a merge. They are snapshots, not assertions that the proposal is adopted. If the source is accepted, update this thin route to its maintained home through review; do not copy the substantive policy here.
+
+## Boundaries
+
+[Project Stewardship](PROJECT_STEWARDSHIP.md) continues to own maintenance and deterministic documentation propagation. The new proposal covers narrower research-publication and reuse decisions. Existing project-specific consent, safety, contributor, archive, and release rules remain distinct.
+
+Nothing here changes licenses, makes private material public, grants access, adopts another project's proposal, or appoints a governing body. Public branches and draft PRs are public. Attribution or responsible-use requests are not retroactive restrictions on CC0 material. Confidential employment/IP records do not belong in this public repository.
+
+The existing commons-guidance proposal in [.github #9](https://github.com/Root-Sequence/.github/pull/9) and professional-profile proposal in [.github #10](https://github.com/Root-Sequence/.github/pull/10) remain separate. This route does not edit the profile, substitute for their review, or authorize their merge.
+
+[Organization defaults](README.md)