diff --git a/.github/scripts/test_npm_binary_package_scaffold.py b/.github/scripts/test_npm_binary_package_scaffold.py
index 6f613a29..51caea60 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/test_npm_binary_package_scaffold.py
+++ b/.github/scripts/test_npm_binary_package_scaffold.py
@@ -40,21 +40,21 @@
 NOTICE = PACKAGE_DIR / "NOTICE"
 LICENSE = PACKAGE_DIR / "LICENSE"
 VENDOR_MANIFEST = PACKAGE_DIR / "vendor" / "manifest.json"
-# Bound to the reviewed v0.5.0 release commit bfb7197 ("prepare npm B from frozen
-# v0.5 core"). binary_sha256 is independently re-verified against the vendored bytes
-# below; release_asset_sha256 comes from that release closeout.
+# Bound to the v0.6.0 release run 33325655578 on tag v0.6.0, source commit 8adda91, recorded in
+# docs/validation/v0-6-0-release-promotion.md. binary_sha256 is independently re-verified against
+# the vendored bytes below; release_asset_sha256 comes from that run's published sidecars.
 SUPPORTED_TARGETS = {
     "darwin:arm64": {
         "binary": "ethos-darwin-arm64",
-        "binary_sha256": "df2d46efb96501b8071cd8665ca525ee5af4787804cd04d07262354199ead913",
+        "binary_sha256": "038bfd4f4443784c9410278e63709e21d6f40dc4d204a5842a6df73d1b165180",
         "release_asset": "ethos-macos-arm64.tar.gz",
-        "release_asset_sha256": "30fa34afda745d168e1af39a134e2281f4a409d425765f3dc85c2e312fcbbcc2",
+        "release_asset_sha256": "c116b3449a3de1f4bddc6217e7717a1307a6ef58c240e5404be0850af81789bb",
     },
     "linux:x64": {
         "binary": "ethos-linux-x64",
-        "binary_sha256": "7b6b7cb03c1d16183b6cdd56f6d2ebe593a25ef257baa5b6553a0055c53e8f44",
+        "binary_sha256": "ba9c648edecd3579c4d9acf2b901d9ac9a2e194bd108ae0a4c485a17bf47e7a6",
         "release_asset": "ethos-linux-x64.tar.gz",
-        "release_asset_sha256": "592b175c00d147625f2f2ccc8bc5c74fb8a00ee37f178c363757f2c72404876e",
+        "release_asset_sha256": "c12772255ba8a85b020bd9b6bb8bf77d01eaf11a6928a0d7348536eff7c378f2",
     },
 }
 EXPECTED_PACKAGE_FILES = {
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ def test_vendor_manifest_binds_supported_targets_to_release_assets(self) -> None
 
         self.assertEqual(1, manifest["version"])
         self.assertEqual("@docushell/ethos-pdf", manifest["package"])
-        self.assertEqual("0.5.0", manifest["cli_version"])
+        self.assertEqual("0.6.0", manifest["cli_version"])
         self.assertEqual(SUPPORTED_TARGETS, manifest["targets"])
         for target in manifest["targets"].values():
             self.assertRegex(target["release_asset_sha256"], r"^[a-f0-9]{64}$")
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ def test_package_docs_keep_pdfium_and_publication_boundaries(self) -> None:
         self.assertIn("ETHOS_PDFIUM_LIBRARY_PATH", text)
         self.assertIn("QUICKSTART.md", text)
         self.assertIn("current published npm package is `@docushell/ethos-pdf@0.5.0`", text)
-        self.assertIn("`ethos 0.5.0`", text)
+        self.assertIn("`ethos 0.6.0`", text)
         self.assertIn("release-archive and extracted-executable SHA256 values", text)
         self.assertIn("does not include public benchmark reports or claims", normalized)
 
diff --git a/.github/scripts/test_package_registry_source_consistency.py b/.github/scripts/test_package_registry_source_consistency.py
index 0b5f38ea..cef218c2 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/test_package_registry_source_consistency.py
+++ b/.github/scripts/test_package_registry_source_consistency.py
@@ -130,7 +130,13 @@ def validate_registry_surfaces(root: Path) -> list[str]:
     expected_publication = (
         f"The current published npm package is `{published_npm_name}@{published_npm_version}`."
     )
-    expected_binary_version = f"Its vendored CLI binaries report `ethos {published_npm_version}`."
+    # The vendored binaries are whatever the payload currently carries, which during a refresh
+    # window is the activated version, not the published one. The two sentences describe
+    # different things and the README must be free to say so: the package on the registry is
+    # still 0.5.0 while the bytes in the tree are already 0.6.0. Deriving this from the
+    # published version made the refreshed README state something false about its own payload.
+    vendored_cli_version = str(cli_version)
+    expected_binary_version = f"Its vendored CLI binaries report `ethos {vendored_cli_version}`."
     expected_npm_install = f"npm install -g {published_npm_name}@{published_npm_version}"
     forbidden_postures = (
         re.compile(r"source package candidate", re.IGNORECASE),
@@ -154,9 +160,9 @@ def validate_registry_surfaces(root: Path) -> list[str]:
                 f"{path.relative_to(root)} is missing CLI version wording: {expected_binary_version}"
             )
         reported_versions = re.findall(rf"`ethos ({SEMVER})`", text)
-        if reported_versions != [published_npm_version]:
+        if reported_versions != [vendored_cli_version]:
             failures.append(
-                f"{path.relative_to(root)} must report only CLI version {published_npm_version}; "
+                f"{path.relative_to(root)} must report only CLI version {vendored_cli_version}; "
                 f"found {reported_versions}"
             )
         for pattern in forbidden_postures:
@@ -226,7 +232,7 @@ def write_fixture(
     )
     npm_text = (
         f"The current published npm package is `@docushell/ethos-pdf@{published_npm_version}`. "
-        f"Its vendored CLI binaries report `ethos {published_npm_version}`.\n"
+        f"Its vendored CLI binaries report `ethos {cli_version}`.\n"
     )
     (root / "python/README.md").write_text(python_text, encoding="utf-8")
     (root / "python/QUICKSTART.md").write_text(python_text, encoding="utf-8")
@@ -277,13 +283,13 @@ def test_rejects_npm_wording_stale_against_release_state(self) -> None:
             failures = validate_registry_surfaces(root)
         self.assertTrue(any("missing current-publication wording" in failure for failure in failures))
 
-    def test_rejects_cli_wording_stale_against_published_npm_version(self) -> None:
+    def test_rejects_cli_wording_stale_against_the_vendored_cli_version(self) -> None:
         with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory(prefix="ethos-registry-consistency-") as temp:
             root = Path(temp)
             write_fixture(root)
             readme = root / "packages/npm/ethos-pdf/README.md"
             readme.write_text(
-                read(readme).replace("`ethos 0.3.1`", "`ethos 0.3.2`"), encoding="utf-8"
+                read(readme).replace("`ethos 0.3.0`", "`ethos 0.3.2`"), encoding="utf-8"
             )
             failures = validate_registry_surfaces(root)
         self.assertTrue(any("missing CLI version wording" in failure for failure in failures))
diff --git a/.github/scripts/test_v0_6_0_version_activation.py b/.github/scripts/test_v0_6_0_version_activation.py
index 0376243f..0f3af67e 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/test_v0_6_0_version_activation.py
+++ b/.github/scripts/test_v0_6_0_version_activation.py
@@ -48,6 +48,16 @@ def read(path: str) -> str:
     return (ROOT / path).read_text(encoding="utf-8")
 
 
+def _registry_claims(claims_json: str) -> list[str]:
+    """Every claim string in docs/public-boundary-claims.json, flattened."""
+    registry = json.loads(claims_json)
+    return [
+        claim
+        for surface in registry["surfaces"].values()
+        for claim in surface["claims"]
+    ]
+
+
 class V060CoreVersionActivationTests(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_core_release_metadata_is_activated_in_lockstep(self) -> None:
         cargo = read("Cargo.toml")
@@ -86,7 +96,19 @@ def test_public_install_wording_is_not_advanced_to_the_candidate(self) -> None:
             self.assertNotIn(command, active_readme, command)
             self.assertNotIn(command, claims, command)
         self.assertIn(f"npm install -g @docushell/ethos-pdf@{PUBLISHED}", active_readme)
-        self.assertNotIn(ACTIVATED, claims)
+
+        # The activated version may appear in the registry only where it states a fact about the
+        # bytes in this tree, never where it advertises something installable. After a payload
+        # refresh the vendored binaries really do report the activated version, and saying so is
+        # the honest claim; a blanket ban forced the registry to describe its own payload wrongly.
+        for claim in _registry_claims(claims):
+            if ACTIVATED not in claim:
+                continue
+            self.assertEqual(
+                f"Its vendored CLI binaries report `ethos {ACTIVATED}`.",
+                claim,
+                f"only the vendored-binary claim may name the activated version: {claim}",
+            )
 
     def test_npm_payload_stays_on_the_published_release_until_refreshed(self) -> None:
         manifest = json.loads(read("packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/manifest.json"))
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 5cc2d4e3..1c953257 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,50 @@
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+### The npm payload carries the v0.6.0 CLI
+
+- boundary-exception: refresh the v0.6.0 npm B payload from frozen core-A. Both vendored
+  binaries and all four digests in `packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/manifest.json` move to the
+  v0.6.0 release, together with `cli_version`, `package.json`, and both `package-lock.json`
+  version fields. `test_v0_6_0_version_activation.py` holds those four as one value, which is
+  why 1d23604 moved three and was reverted; they move as a set here.
+
+  Bytes come from release run 33325655578 on tag `v0.6.0`, source commit `8adda91`, bound in
+  `docs/validation/v0-6-0-release-promotion.md` — not from a local build, which
+  `RELEASE_OPERATOR_RUNBOOK.md` forbids and which would not reproduce these digests anyway,
+  since `cli-draft-artifacts` builds once and does not compare.
+
+  `prepare:vendor` assembled and verified the darwin binary end to end on macOS arm64: archive
+  digest, extracted-binary digest, `--help` grounding support, the new `--version` binding, and
+  the destination digest after copying. It correctly refused the linux binary on this host,
+  because it executes what it copies. That binary was taken from the same verified archive and
+  its digest checked against the manifest; its version is evidenced by the release run's own
+  Linux smoke step, which recorded `version_stdout: ethos 0.6.0` against archive
+  `c12772255ba8a85b020bd9b6bb8bf77d01eaf11a6928a0d7348536eff7c378f2`. Stated plainly because it
+  is weaker than the darwin path: the binding ran on CI's Linux runner, not here.
+
+- The npm README and QUICKSTART said the vendored binaries report `ethos 0.5.0`, and both ship
+  inside the tarball. `test_package_registry_source_consistency.py` derived that sentence from
+  the published npm version, so a refreshed payload would have published a README stating
+  something false about the bytes beside it. The two sentences describe different things: the
+  package on the registry is still `0.5.0`, and the vendored binaries are already `0.6.0`. The
+  publication sentence still follows `docs/release-state.json`; the vendored-binary sentence now
+  follows `vendor/manifest.json`'s `cli_version`.
+
+- `test_npm_binary_package_scaffold.py`'s `SUPPORTED_TARGETS` is rebound from the v0.5.0 closeout
+  to the v0.6.0 run, and `test/platform-selection.test.js` follows `cli_version`.
+
+  `docs/release-state.json` is untouched: `version` stays `0.5.0` because nothing is published
+  yet, and `activated` already reads `0.6.0`.
+
+- `test_v0_6_0_version_activation.py`'s blanket `assertNotIn(ACTIVATED, claims)` is narrowed. Its
+  six explicit install-command checks already cover every installable form; the trailing catch-all
+  additionally forbade the string anywhere in the registry, which forced
+  `docs/public-boundary-claims.json` to describe its own payload wrongly once that payload moved.
+  The activated version may now appear only in the vendored-binary claim, which is a fact about
+  the bytes in this tree rather than an advertisement of something installable. Verified that the
+  narrowed rule still fails when an install command is advanced to the activated version.
+
 ### The ledger separates what is published from what is being prepared
 
 - boundary-exception: `docs/release-state.json` gains `release.activated` and
diff --git a/docs/public-boundary-claims.json b/docs/public-boundary-claims.json
index e9febbb5..7dece04d 100644
--- a/docs/public-boundary-claims.json
+++ b/docs/public-boundary-claims.json
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@
       "path": "packages/npm/ethos-pdf/README.md",
       "claims": [
         "The current published npm package is `@docushell/ethos-pdf@0.5.0`.",
-        "Its vendored CLI binaries report `ethos 0.5.0`.",
+        "Its vendored CLI binaries report `ethos 0.6.0`.",
         "The package is prepared as a binary distribution package.",
         "PDFium-backed commands use caller-provided PDFium through `ETHOS_PDFIUM_LIBRARY_PATH`."
       ]
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
       "claims": [
         "npm install -g @docushell/ethos-pdf@0.5.0",
         "The current published npm package is `@docushell/ethos-pdf@0.5.0`.",
-        "Its vendored CLI binaries report `ethos 0.5.0`.",
+        "Its vendored CLI binaries report `ethos 0.6.0`.",
         "The package does not bundle PDFium."
       ]
     }
diff --git a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/QUICKSTART.md b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/QUICKSTART.md
index 5c89e3ea..7248a444 100644
--- a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/QUICKSTART.md
+++ b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/QUICKSTART.md
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ npm install -g @docushell/ethos-pdf@0.5.0
 ```
 
 The current published npm package is `@docushell/ethos-pdf@0.5.0`. Its vendored CLI binaries report
-`ethos 0.5.0`.
+`ethos 0.6.0`.
 
 ## Vendor Binary Assembly
 
diff --git a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/README.md b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/README.md
index e76e6868..177464be 100644
--- a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/README.md
+++ b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/README.md
@@ -35,4 +35,4 @@ Vendor assembly:
   `vendor/ethos-darwin-arm64` and `vendor/ethos-linux-x64`.
 
 The current published npm package is `@docushell/ethos-pdf@0.5.0`. Its vendored CLI binaries report
-`ethos 0.5.0`.
+`ethos 0.6.0`.
diff --git a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/package-lock.json b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/package-lock.json
index 1c20b9e6..1efcfdaf 100644
--- a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/package-lock.json
+++ b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/package-lock.json
@@ -1,12 +1,12 @@
 {
   "name": "@docushell/ethos-pdf",
-  "version": "0.5.0",
+  "version": "0.6.0",
   "lockfileVersion": 3,
   "requires": true,
   "packages": {
     "": {
       "name": "@docushell/ethos-pdf",
-      "version": "0.5.0",
+      "version": "0.6.0",
       "cpu": [
         "arm64",
         "x64"
diff --git a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/package.json b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/package.json
index 037fe12b..6952608b 100644
--- a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/package.json
+++ b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "@docushell/ethos-pdf",
-  "version": "0.5.0",
+  "version": "0.6.0",
   "description": "Ethos PDF CLI binary package for document evidence workflows.",
   "license": "Apache-2.0",
   "main": "./index.js",
diff --git a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/test/platform-selection.test.js b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/test/platform-selection.test.js
index bbf98234..b76c66e3 100644
--- a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/test/platform-selection.test.js
+++ b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/test/platform-selection.test.js
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ assert.throws(
 const manifest = readVendorManifest();
 assert.strictEqual(manifest.version, 1);
 assert.strictEqual(manifest.package, "@docushell/ethos-pdf");
-assert.strictEqual(manifest.cli_version, "0.5.0");
+assert.strictEqual(manifest.cli_version, "0.6.0");
 validateVendorManifest(manifest);
 for (const [key, binaryName] of SUPPORTED_TARGETS.entries()) {
   assert.strictEqual(manifest.targets[key].binary, binaryName);
diff --git a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/ethos-darwin-arm64 b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/ethos-darwin-arm64
index 05132673..f77a73d5 100755
Binary files a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/ethos-darwin-arm64 and b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/ethos-darwin-arm64 differ
diff --git a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/ethos-linux-x64 b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/ethos-linux-x64
index cf0ee30c..c2dd49ff 100755
Binary files a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/ethos-linux-x64 and b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/ethos-linux-x64 differ
diff --git a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/manifest.json b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/manifest.json
index b4355cc9..11b1de28 100644
--- a/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/manifest.json
+++ b/packages/npm/ethos-pdf/vendor/manifest.json
@@ -1,19 +1,19 @@
 {
   "version": 1,
   "package": "@docushell/ethos-pdf",
-  "cli_version": "0.5.0",
+  "cli_version": "0.6.0",
   "targets": {
     "darwin:arm64": {
       "binary": "ethos-darwin-arm64",
-      "binary_sha256": "df2d46efb96501b8071cd8665ca525ee5af4787804cd04d07262354199ead913",
+      "binary_sha256": "038bfd4f4443784c9410278e63709e21d6f40dc4d204a5842a6df73d1b165180",
       "release_asset": "ethos-macos-arm64.tar.gz",
-      "release_asset_sha256": "30fa34afda745d168e1af39a134e2281f4a409d425765f3dc85c2e312fcbbcc2"
+      "release_asset_sha256": "c116b3449a3de1f4bddc6217e7717a1307a6ef58c240e5404be0850af81789bb"
     },
     "linux:x64": {
       "binary": "ethos-linux-x64",
-      "binary_sha256": "7b6b7cb03c1d16183b6cdd56f6d2ebe593a25ef257baa5b6553a0055c53e8f44",
+      "binary_sha256": "ba9c648edecd3579c4d9acf2b901d9ac9a2e194bd108ae0a4c485a17bf47e7a6",
       "release_asset": "ethos-linux-x64.tar.gz",
-      "release_asset_sha256": "592b175c00d147625f2f2ccc8bc5c74fb8a00ee37f178c363757f2c72404876e"
+      "release_asset_sha256": "c12772255ba8a85b020bd9b6bb8bf77d01eaf11a6928a0d7348536eff7c378f2"
     }
   }
 }