# Production Readiness Gap Matrix

> **Living audit** — last updated **2026-07-12** after curriculum + delivery refresh (26 phases, `labs/`, docs, CI).

## Verdict (26-phase curriculum + labs)

| Target | Syllabus | With labs + rubric | Notes |
|---|---:|---:|---|
| Ethereum full-stack / L2 dApp contributor | **8/10** | **7.5/10** | Strong path; Phase 7 now requires simulation; reference UI patterns in labs |
| Production smart-contract author | **7.5/10** | **6.5/10** | Phase 17/21 labs + capstone rubric; independent review still external |
| DeFi protocol engineer | **7.5/10** | **6.5/10** | Phase 22 lending + ve-tokenomics sim; fork tests pinned in labs |
| Web3 infrastructure / indexer engineer | **8/10** | **7/10** | Phase 23 indexer lab; relayer runbooks in 15/20/26 |
| Smart-contract security auditor | **7.5/10** | **6.5/10** | Phase 21 exploit lab, Echidna, mutation, responsible disclosure |
| ZK engineer | **6/10** | **5/10** | Phase 24 underconstraint lab; not a substitute for dedicated ZK employment track |
| Bitcoin developer | **7/10** | **5.5/10** | Phases 19/25 + regtest scripts; needs local Core + optional hardware wallet |

**Honest summary:** The course is a **production-oriented curriculum with runnable lab scaffolds**. It is **not** a substitute for employment-grade mentorship or a paid audit—but a senior SWE who completes one track, all labs, and the capstone rubric can **credibly contribute** with experienced review.

## Gap status

| Area | Topic | Status | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solidity / EVM | Advanced composition (CREATE2, factories, fallback) | **Closed** | Phase 17 §2 + lab |
| Solidity / EVM | Storage & upgrade safety | **Closed** | 15, 17, 21 + vault lab |
| Solidity / EVM | EVM execution (ABI, delegatecall, gas diagnosis) | **Closed** | Phase 17 §2b + gas snapshot lab |
| Testing | Foundry-first workflow | **Closed** | 17 + all EVM labs |
| Testing | Property / invariant / Echidna | **Closed** | 17, 21, 22 labs |
| Testing | Fork / integration | **Closed** | Pinned blocks in lab READMEs |
| Testing | Mutation / differential | **Closed** | Phase 21 medusa section + lab |
| Deployment | Reproducible releases | **Closed** | 17 deploy scripts + manifest |
| Deployment | Launch readiness drills | **Closed** | Phase 15 §11b, 17 §5b, `docs/LAUNCH_DRILL.md` |
| Security | Threat model & audit workflow | **Closed** | 21 + `CAPSTONE_RUBRIC.md` |
| Security | Modern attack surface | **Closed** | 10, 17, 21 labs |
| Security | MEV-aware design | **Closed** | 18, 22 AMM caller lab |
| Security | Responsible disclosure | **Closed** | 21 + `SECURITY.md` template in labs |
| Token integrations | Production ERC-20/4626 quirks | **Closed** | 17, 21 labs |
| DeFi | Lending mechanism design | **Closed** | 18, 22 + lending lab |
| DeFi | AMM / vault integration (incl. v4 hooks) | **Closed** | 22 §2b, Uniswap v4 hooks section |
| DeFi | Protocol economics / ve-tokenomics | **Closed** | 22 §3b + emissions simulation |
| Oracles | Defense in depth | **Closed** | 14, 18, 23 |
| Cross-chain | Bridge security | **Closed** | 14 (LZ v2), 23 bridge lab |
| Cross-chain | Light-client trust models | **Closed** | 23 §1b |
| L2 | Rollup execution & exits | **Closed** | 12, 18, 23 chain profiles |
| Account abstraction | ERC-4337 / EIP-7702 | **Closed** | 16, 17 §6 |
| Frontend | wagmi/viem, simulation | **Closed** | 7, 17; Phase 7 project updated |
| Backend / infra | Node & RPC operations | **Closed** | 8, 15, 23 |
| Backend / infra | Relayer operations | **Closed** | 15, 20, 23, `docs/RELAYER_RUNBOOK.md` |
| Observability | Protocol monitoring | **Closed** | 15, 20, 23, 26 |
| ZK | Circuit security & proving ops | **Closed** | 24 + zk lab |
| ZK | Modern proving systems | **Partial** | 24; formal tooling optional |
| Bitcoin | Node & developer workflow | **Closed** | 19, 25 + `labs/phase-25-bitcoin/` |
| Bitcoin | UTXO transactions | **Closed** | 19, 25 |
| Bitcoin | Script / Taproot / Miniscript | **Closed** | 19, 25 |
| Bitcoin | Wallets & custody | **Closed** | 25 + air-gapped signing drill |
| Bitcoin | Mempool / fees / package relay | **Closed** | 25 §3b |
| Bitcoin | Lightning | **Closed** | 20, 26 + `labs/phase-26-lightning/` |
| Lightning | LDK / watchtower depth | **Closed** | 20 §1b, 26 §1b |
| Learning delivery | Runnable reference projects | **Closed** | `labs/` starter + solution + CI |
| Learning delivery | Production assessment | **Closed** | `docs/CAPSTONE_RUBRIC.md` |
| Curriculum maintenance | Version matrix | **Closed** | `docs/TOOLCHAIN.md` |

## Still partial or external

| Item | Why |
|------|-----|
| Formal verification (Certora/Halmos) | Optional extension in Phase 21; not required for capstone |
| Independent security audit | Must be obtained outside the course |
| Mainnet deployment with real TVL | Capstone uses testnet/regtest/signet only |
| Hardware wallet in CI | Documented manual drill; not automated |

## Minimum completion standard

Before treating the course as sufficient for **mainnet** contract work:

1. Complete one production track in [`docs/TRACKS.md`](docs/TRACKS.md).
2. Pass every **Required** row in [`docs/CAPSTONE_RUBRIC.md`](docs/CAPSTONE_RUBRIC.md).
3. Obtain independent reviewer sign-off (template in rubric).
4. For Bitcoin: PSBT flow on regtest/signet + Lightning reconciliation lab.
5. Pin toolchain per [`docs/TOOLCHAIN.md`](docs/TOOLCHAIN.md).

## Re-audit trigger

Re-run this matrix when:

- Any lab CI fails on a toolchain bump
- A major exploit class becomes industry-standard (add to Phase 21)
- Ethereum/Bitcoin hard fork changes lab assumptions