diff --git a/dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json b/dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json
index d7afd29..9ee6d62 100644
--- a/dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json
+++ b/dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 {
-  "task_file": "dev/tasks/DEV-000203-local-agent-execution-fallback.json",
-  "task_id": "DEV-000203",
+  "task_file": "dev/tasks/DEV-000204-gpu-discovery-evidence.json",
+  "task_id": "DEV-000204",
   "task_revision": 1
 }
diff --git a/dev/tasks/DEV-000204-gpu-discovery-evidence.json b/dev/tasks/DEV-000204-gpu-discovery-evidence.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c4965ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/dev/tasks/DEV-000204-gpu-discovery-evidence.json
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+{
+  "task_id": "DEV-000204",
+  "task_revision": 1,
+  "architecture_revision": "ADR-0018",
+  "base_repo_revision": "b4d166480e5d06049718618ffeea0ccdbb993336",
+  "risk_tier": "E",
+  "intent": "Record protected GPU model discovery without equating hardware availability with intelligence, qualification or routing priority.",
+  "requirement_ids": ["WP-200", "model fleet/failover", "hardware-neutral routing"],
+  "allowed_change_scope": {"modules": ["governance status", "evidence"], "paths": ["docs/PROJECT_STATUS.md", "docs/evidence/gpu-discovery-2026-08-23-v1.json", "dev/ACTIVE_TASK.json", "dev/tasks/DEV-000204-gpu-discovery-evidence.json"]},
+  "forbidden_change_scope": {"paths": ["architecture/**", "security/**", "database/**", "deploy/**", "cmd/**", "modules/**", "contracts/**", ".gitea/**"]},
+  "allowed_architecture_delta": {"new_cross_module_dependencies": 0, "new_canonical_owners": 0, "new_privileges": 0, "new_third_party_dependencies": 0, "new_database_owner_roles": 0},
+  "contracts": {"consume": ["protected provider discovery", "model fleet policy"], "may_change": ["status and evidence projection only"]},
+  "semantic_owner": "governance",
+  "canonical_state": ["capability discovery projection"],
+  "state_transitions": ["HEAVY degraded -> provider AVAILABLE; models remain DISCOVERED/INACTIVE"],
+  "side_effects_and_privileges": ["protected read/discovery request only"],
+  "persistence_and_migrations": ["no migration"],
+  "failure_retry_restart": ["retain unqualified/unpromoted state until task-specific evidence exists"],
+  "assumptions": ["cognitive-worker uses the configured protected GPU credential"],
+  "acceptance_scenarios": ["two GPU models are observed", "both remain unpromoted", "status rejects GPU-as-intelligence inference"],
+  "required_tests": ["go test ./cmd/cognitive-worker", "go vet ./cmd/cognitive-worker", "protected provider discovery smoke", "preflight", "check-diff", "check-architecture", "independent", "git diff --check", "production public health"],
+  "terminal_gap_states": ["BLOCKED_BY_MISSING_CAPABILITY"]
+}
diff --git a/docs/PROJECT_STATUS.md b/docs/PROJECT_STATUS.md
index ab4da5a..d8bb065 100644
--- a/docs/PROJECT_STATUS.md
+++ b/docs/PROJECT_STATUS.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
 - `CURRENT_PRODUCTION_STATUS = LIVE_HEALTHY`; public `/healthz` is healthy. The exact deployed revision is authoritative in the deployment log and merge record, not duplicated in this mutable status projection. Evidence: `docs/evidence/audit-runtime-status-2026-08-23-v1.json`.
 - `FAST_PROVIDER_STATUS = LIVE_SMOKE_SUPPORTED`: local CPU gateway authentication is configured through a protected file reference; four bounded local-only advisory cases completed through cognitive-worker. Evidence: `docs/evidence/wp-601-fast-gateway-live-smoke-2026-08-22-v1.json`.
 - `MEDIUM_PROVIDER_STATUS = LIVE_BOUNDED_SMOKE_SUPPORTED_UNPROMOTED`; four bounded local-provider cases passed with template thinking disabled. This is availability/response-shape evidence only; lifecycle qualification, activation and promotion remain unclaimed. Evidence: `docs/evidence/medium-live-bounded-smoke-2026-08-23-v1.json`.
-- `HEAVY_PROVIDER_STATUS = LIVE_QUALIFIED_UNACTIVATED`; the qualified GPU binding remains inactive. Evidence: `docs/evidence/wp-200-heavy-qualification-2026-08-22-v2.json`.
+- `HEAVY_PROVIDER_STATUS = LIVE_DISCOVERED_AVAILABLE_UNPROMOTED`; protected GPU discovery currently sees two available models, both `DISCOVERED`/`INACTIVE` with capability and invokability not yet observed. GPU availability is not treated as intelligence or routing priority. Evidence: `docs/evidence/gpu-discovery-2026-08-23-v1.json`.
 - `AGENT_EXECUTION_STATUS = DURABLE_DRY_RUN_CANARY_VERIFIED`; the explicit production canary persisted a dispatch intent, an ACTIVE lease and callback head sequence 2. No independently operated bridge endpoint is configured, so bridge-backed execution remains unavailable. Evidence: `docs/evidence/agent-execution-dry-run-canary-2026-08-23-v1.json`.
 - `FLEET_EXECUTION_EVIDENCE = docs/evidence/audit-runtime-status-2026-08-23-v1.json`; FAST, MEDIUM and LIFEBOAT are ready, HEAVY is explicitly degraded by provider timeout, FAST remains preferred/selected, and LIFEBOAT is the fallback tier.
 - `TRUTH_RESEARCH_STATUS = LIVE_CANARY_PERSISTED`; the web research canary preserved an OBSERVED/COMPLETE/NO-CONFLICT source chain while leaving the claim UNVERIFIED and belief PROVISIONAL. Evidence: `docs/evidence/truth-runtime-canary-2026-08-23-v1.json`.
diff --git a/docs/evidence/gpu-discovery-2026-08-23-v1.json b/docs/evidence/gpu-discovery-2026-08-23-v1.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4dc174c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/evidence/gpu-discovery-2026-08-23-v1.json
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+{
+  "captured_at": "2026-08-23",
+  "production_revision": "b4d166480e5d06049718618ffeea0ccdbb993336",
+  "provider_instance_id": "local-gpu-opportunistic",
+  "provider_health": "AVAILABLE",
+  "credential_source": "protected Domovoy credential reference; secret value not exposed",
+  "models": [
+    {
+      "provider_model_id": "Qwen3.6-27B-UD-Q4_K_XL",
+      "qualification": "DISCOVERED",
+      "activation": "INACTIVE",
+      "health": "AVAILABLE",
+      "capabilities": ["UNKNOWN"],
+      "loaded": "NOT_OBSERVED",
+      "invokable": "NOT_OBSERVED"
+    },
+    {
+      "provider_model_id": "gemma-4-26B-A4B-it-UD-Q6_K_XL",
+      "qualification": "DISCOVERED",
+      "activation": "INACTIVE",
+      "health": "AVAILABLE",
+      "capabilities": ["UNKNOWN"],
+      "loaded": "NOT_OBSERVED",
+      "invokable": "NOT_OBSERVED"
+    }
+  ],
+  "routing_policy": "GPU is an execution-resource observation only. Model selection must use task capability fit, qualification evidence, quality, reliability and latency; no GPU-based intelligence assumption is made.",
+  "secrets_exposed": false
+}