docs(governance): track context docs and add relay rollout controls

memory-bank/decisions.md

@@ -80,3 +80,35 @@ Related:
 
 - `memory-bank/change-log.md` (CL-030, CL-031)
 - `tests/phase21/relay-forwarding-hardening.test.cjs`
+
+---
+
+### D-003: Relay policy changes require governance gate + rollout evidence
+
+date: 2026-03-24  
+author: Cline  
+scope: relay policy changes (`pages/api/middleware/relayForwarding.js`) and related rollout docs  
+type: decision  
+rationale: Prevent regression risk from reliability-policy changes by requiring explicit pre-merge controls and operational smoke evidence.  
+impact: Improves production safety and auditability for relay behavior changes without altering endpoint API contracts.  
+status: accepted
+
+Decision:
+
+- Any relay policy change (timeout/retry/logging classification) must include:
+    - explicit PR governance checklist completion
+    - non-prod smoke matrix evidence for deterministic + transient classes
+    - rollback path and monitoring checks
+- Policy and rollout guidance source-of-truth is maintained in:
+    - `context/runbook.md` Relay Hardening Rollout Playbook
+    - memory-bank change/decsion/pattern entries for traceability
+
+Consequences:
+
+- Relay hardening changes are treated as operationally sensitive even when endpoint contracts do not change.
+- Future contributors have a repeatable gate for shipping policy changes safely.
+
+Related:
+
+- `context/runbook.md`
+- `memory-bank/change-log.md` (CL-032)