diff --git a/.github/workflows/validation-suite.yml b/.github/workflows/validation-suite.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4787336
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/validation-suite.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+name: Validation Suite
+
+on:
+  schedule:
+    # Run quarterly: Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct on the 1st at 00:00 UTC
+    - cron: '0 0 1 1,4,7,10 *'
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+
+jobs:
+  validate:
+    name: Run validation on ${{ matrix.os }}
+    runs-on: ${{ matrix.os }}
+    strategy:
+      matrix:
+        os: [ubuntu-latest, windows-latest]
+
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Set up Go
+        uses: actions/setup-go@v5
+        with:
+          go-version-file: go.mod
+
+      - name: Build glassbox binary
+        run: |
+          go build -o bin/glassbox ./cmd/glassbox
+
+      - name: Set up Node
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
+        with:
+          node-version: '20'
+
+      - name: Install npm dependencies
+        run: npm ci --prefer-offline
+
+      - name: Build TypeScript artifacts (if present)
+        run: |
+          npm run build --if-present || true
+
+      - name: Make validation runner executable
+        run: |
+          chmod +x scripts/run-validation-suite.sh || true
+
+      - name: Run validation suite
+        id: run_validation
+        env:
+          GLASSBOX_BINARY: ${{ github.workspace }}/bin/glassbox
+          ARTIFACT_MAX_MB: '50'
+        run: |
+          scripts/run-validation-suite.sh || true
+
+      - name: Upload validation artifacts
+        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
+        with:
+          name: validation-${{ matrix.os }}-${{ github.run_id }}
+          path: ci-artifacts/validation/
+          retention-days: 30
diff --git a/VALIDATION_RUN.md b/VALIDATION_RUN.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d492612
--- /dev/null
+++ b/VALIDATION_RUN.md
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+# Running the Validation Suite
+
+This file documents how to run the scheduled validation suite locally and in CI.
+
+Prerequisites (local)
+- Go toolchain installed and on PATH (matched to `go.mod`).
+- Node.js (v20 recommended) and `npm` available for TypeScript artifacts.
+- Bash and `python3` available for the runner scripts.
+
+Local run
+
+```bash
+# Build the Go binary
+go build -o bin/glassbox ./cmd/glassbox
+
+# Install Node deps (if needed) and build TS artifacts
+npm ci --prefer-offline
+npm run build --if-present
+
+# Make scripts executable then run the validation runner
+chmod +x scripts/run-validation-suite.sh scripts/generate-compat-report.sh
+GLASSBOX_BINARY=./bin/glassbox scripts/run-validation-suite.sh
+
+# After a run, artifacts are written to ci-artifacts/validation/
+# You can aggregate compatibility reports across runs:
+scripts/generate-compat-report.sh ci-artifacts/validation ci-artifacts/validation/compatibility_report.md
+```
+
+CI notes
+- The GitHub workflow `.github/workflows/validation-suite.yml` runs the suite
+  quarterly on `ubuntu-latest` and `windows-latest`. Artifacts are uploaded
+  with a 30-day retention. The workflow will run in hosted runners that include
+  the required toolchains.
+
+Troubleshooting
+- If `go` or `bash` are not available locally, install them or run the suite
+  inside a CI environment or container that matches the workflow (Ubuntu).
diff --git a/docs/validation-suite.md b/docs/validation-suite.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f9b2c62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/validation-suite.md
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+# Validation Suite
+
+Purpose
+- A scheduled, versioned validation suite exercising primary user journeys
+  using deterministic, sanitized fixtures.
+
+Goals
+- Exercise transaction debug, replay/trace, profile export, session save, audit
+  signing surface, protocol registration, and release metadata verification.
+- Run against at least Linux and one additional platform (Windows).
+- Produce sanitized artifacts and a machine-readable summary so failures map to
+  the broken stage and include fingerprints for regression detection.
+
+Running locally
+
+Build the binary and run the suite locally:
+
+```bash
+go build -o bin/glassbox ./cmd/glassbox
+npm ci --prefer-offline
+npm run build --if-present
+chmod +x scripts/run-validation-suite.sh
+GLASSBOX_BINARY=./bin/glassbox scripts/run-validation-suite.sh
+```
+
+CI Integration
+
+- A GitHub Actions workflow `.github/workflows/validation-suite.yml` runs the
+  suite quarterly on `ubuntu-latest` and `windows-latest` and uploads artifacts
+  under `validation-<os>-<run-id>` with a 30-day retention. Artifacts are
+  redacted via `scripts/redact-logs.sh` before upload to remove test-only
+  secrets and PEM blocks.
+
+Reporting & Retention
+
+- Per-run artifacts are retained by GitHub Actions for 30 days (configured in
+  the workflow). The validation runner writes `ci-artifacts/validation/summary.json`
+  and `report.md` which are uploaded as part of the artifact bundle.
+
+- A helper script `scripts/generate-compat-report.sh` aggregates multiple
+  `summary.json` files into `compatibility_report.md` to support quarterly
+  compatibility reviews and follow-up issue tracking.
+
+- Long-term retention of specific failing-run artifacts should be performed by
+  maintainers downloading the artifact and storing it in an internal archive
+  if required for extended investigations. By default, the CI retention policy
+  is intentionally short to limit exposure of debugging data.
+
+Fixtures
+
+- Deterministic fixtures live under `test/validation/fixtures/` and must avoid
+  any real keys, hashes, or network credentials. Audit fixtures must use the
+  `testonly_` filename prefix.
+
+Acceptance checklist
+
+- Every journey has a deterministic fixture and documented prerequisites.
+- Failures produce per-journey logs and a consolidated `report.md` describing
+  exit codes and fingerprints.
+- The workflow runs quarterly and covers Linux + Windows.
+- Artifacts are redacted via `scripts/redact-logs.sh` before upload and
+  retained per CI policy.
diff --git a/scripts/generate-compat-report.sh b/scripts/generate-compat-report.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6376c05
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/generate-compat-report.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Aggregate one or more validation summary.json files into a quarterly compatibility report.
+# Usage: scripts/generate-compat-report.sh <dir-with-summary-jsons> <output-md>
+
+INPUT_DIR=${1:-ci-artifacts/validation}
+OUTFILE=${2:-ci-artifacts/validation/compatibility_report.md}
+
+echo "Generating compatibility report from: $INPUT_DIR -> $OUTFILE"
+
+echo "# Quarterly Compatibility Report" > "$OUTFILE"
+echo "Generated: $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)" >> "$OUTFILE"
+echo "" >> "$OUTFILE"
+
+for f in $(find "$INPUT_DIR" -name summary.json -print 2>/dev/null); do
+  echo "Processing $f"
+  echo "## Run: $f" >> "$OUTFILE"
+  python3 - <<PY >> "$OUTFILE"
+import json,sys
+f=sys.argv[1]
+data=json.load(open(f))
+for e in data:
+    print('- %s: exit=%s fingerprint=%s' % (e.get('name'), e.get('exitcode'), e.get('fingerprint')))
+PY
+done
+
+echo "Compatibility report written to $OUTFILE"
diff --git a/scripts/run-validation-suite.sh b/scripts/run-validation-suite.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..92ac66f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/run-validation-suite.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,116 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Validation suite runner
+# - Executes a small set of deterministic journeys against the built
+#   `glassbox` binary using fixtures in `test/validation/fixtures/`.
+# - Produces `ci-artifacts/validation/summary.json`, per-journey logs, and
+#   `report.md` suitable for CI artifact upload. Runs redaction if available.
+
+GLASSBOX_BINARY=${GLASSBOX_BINARY:-bin/glassbox}
+OUTDIR=${OUTDIR:-ci-artifacts/validation}
+ARTIFACT_MAX_MB=${ARTIFACT_MAX_MB:-50}
+mkdir -p "$OUTDIR"
+
+SUMMARY_JSON="$OUTDIR/summary.json"
+echo '[]' > "$SUMMARY_JSON"
+
+run_cmd() {
+  name="$1"; shift
+  outfile="$OUTDIR/${name}.log"
+  echo "=== RUN: $name ($(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)) ===" > "$outfile"
+  if "$@" >> "$outfile" 2>&1; then
+    code=0
+  else
+    code=$?
+  fi
+  if command -v sha256sum >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    fp=$(sha256sum "$outfile" | awk '{print $1}')
+  else
+    fp=$(shasum -a 256 "$outfile" | awk '{print $1}')
+  fi
+
+  SUMMARY_JSON="$SUMMARY_JSON" \
+    RUN_NAME="$name" RUN_CODE="$code" RUN_FP="$fp" RUN_OUT="$outfile" \
+    python3 - <<'PY'
+import os,json
+f=os.environ['SUMMARY_JSON']
+try:
+    a=json.load(open(f))
+except Exception:
+    a=[]
+a.append({
+    'name': os.environ['RUN_NAME'],
+    'exitcode': int(os.environ['RUN_CODE']),
+    'fingerprint': os.environ['RUN_FP'],
+    'output': os.environ['RUN_OUT'],
+})
+json.dump(a, open(f,'w'), indent=2)
+PY
+}
+
+echo "Validation runner: using binary: $GLASSBOX_BINARY"
+
+# Canonical tx hash from regression guide
+CANONICAL_TX=5c0a1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890ab
+
+# 1) Transaction debug (dry-run path to validate inputs deterministically)
+run_cmd debug "$GLASSBOX_BINARY" debug --dry-run --network testnet "$CANONICAL_TX" || true
+
+# 2) Trace command (load a deterministic trace fixture)
+run_cmd trace "$GLASSBOX_BINARY" trace test/validation/fixtures/trace/sample.trace.json || true
+
+# 3) Profile: analyze a trace fixture and export JSON
+run_cmd profile "$GLASSBOX_BINARY" profile test/validation/fixtures/trace/sample.trace.json --out-json "$OUTDIR/profile.json" || true
+
+# 4) Session save plan (dry run of session save to exercise save validations)
+run_cmd session_plan "$GLASSBOX_BINARY" session save --plan || true
+
+# 5) Audit verify directory using test-only keys
+run_cmd audit_verify_dir "$GLASSBOX_BINARY" audit:verify-dir --dir test/validation/fixtures/audit || true
+
+# 6) WASM local replay dry-run: validates local WASM replay path
+run_cmd wasm_replay "$GLASSBOX_BINARY" debug --wasm test/validation/fixtures/sourcemap/placeholder.wasm --demo || true
+
+# 7) Protocol register dry-run (OS writes are not performed in dry-run)
+run_cmd protocol_register "$GLASSBOX_BINARY" protocol:register --dry-run || true
+
+# 8) Release verification: get version metadata
+run_cmd version "$GLASSBOX_BINARY" version --json || true
+
+# Run redaction if available before uploading
+if [ -f scripts/redact-logs.sh ]; then
+  echo "Running redact-logs.sh on $OUTDIR"
+  bash scripts/redact-logs.sh "$OUTDIR" "$ARTIFACT_MAX_MB" || true
+fi
+
+# Produce a human-readable markdown report from the JSON summary
+REPORT_MD="$OUTDIR/report.md"
+python3 - <<'PY'
+import json,os,time
+f=os.environ.get('SUMMARY_JSON','ci-artifacts/validation/summary.json')
+try:
+    data=json.load(open(f))
+except Exception:
+    data=[]
+out=[]
+out.append('# Validation Suite Report')
+out.append('Generated: %s' % time.strftime('%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ', time.gmtime()))
+out.append('')
+out.append('| Journey | Exit code | Fingerprint | Log |')
+out.append('|---|---:|---|---|')
+for e in data:
+    name=e.get('name')
+    code=e.get('exitcode')
+    fp=e.get('fingerprint')
+    logpath=e.get('output')
+    out.append('| %s | %s | %s | %s |' % (name, code, fp, logpath))
+
+open('%s' % ('%s' % (os.path.join(os.path.dirname(f),'report.md'))),'w').write('\n'.join(out))
+print('Wrote report.md')
+PY
+
+echo "Validation run complete. Artifacts in: $OUTDIR"
+echo "Summary: $SUMMARY_JSON"
+
+exit 0
diff --git a/test/validation/README.md b/test/validation/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a26e1e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/validation/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+# Validation Fixtures
+
+Fixtures used by the scheduled validation suite live under `test/validation/fixtures/`.
+
+Rules
+- Use deterministic, minimal data.
+- Do not include real keys, hashes, or credentials.
+- Audit fixtures must use `testonly_` semantics or filename prefixes and be
+  marked clearly at the top of the file.
diff --git a/test/validation/fixtures/audit/testonly_key.pem b/test/validation/fixtures/audit/testonly_key.pem
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f9b6516
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/validation/fixtures/audit/testonly_key.pem
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----
+TESTONLY-PRIVATE-KEY-FOR-VALIDATION-SUITE
+-----END PRIVATE KEY-----
diff --git a/test/validation/fixtures/sourcemap/placeholder.wasm b/test/validation/fixtures/sourcemap/placeholder.wasm
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..a9cf37b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/validation/fixtures/sourcemap/placeholder.wasm
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+;; placeholder binary for source-mapping validation