# Evidence & retention policy

Every inspection outcome must be traceable to the artifacts and context that produced it.

### Evidence tiers

| Evidence tier        | Stored                                                                                 | Retention                   | Location                 |
| -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| Always (all events)  | Metadata JSON: `event_id`, timestamp, station, SKU, verdict, confidence, model version | Indefinite                  | Edge DB                  |
| FAIL + REVIEW events | Defect frame(s), boxes, detection JSON, rule results, audit log                        | 90 days local, then archive | Edge → Site object store |
| RCA events           | Causal triple: defect + cause + action + outcome + operator disposition                | Indefinite                  | Edge → Site DB           |
| Optional raw video   | Rolling ring buffer                                                                    | 7 days (overwrite)          | Edge NVMe                |

### Continuity rule

Storage pressure must never prevent defect metadata from being recorded.

### Audit rule

If an outcome is reviewed later, it must have:

* an immutable `event_id`.
* the model version and config fingerprint.
* enough evidence artifacts to justify the verdict.


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