Clarify transitional FreeBSD base package boundary

docs/PROGRESS.md

@@ -2810,3 +2810,67 @@ Next recommended step:
 1. complete Phase 12.3 by making the host-staged FreeBSD base boundary explicit in the package/model layer and docs
 2. document the first intended replacement order for native world/kernel work
 3. then begin Phase 13 with a clearer transitional boundary
+
+## 2026-04-02 — Phase 12.3: made the host-staged FreeBSD base boundary explicit
+
+Completed work:
+
+- wrote the Phase 12.3 report:
+  - `docs/reports/phase12-host-staged-base-boundary-freebsd.md`
+- refined `modules/fruix/packages/freebsd.scm` so the transitional host-copy base boundary is now explicit in the package/model layer
+- added and exported named transitional package sets:
+  - `%freebsd-host-staged-all-packages`
+  - `%freebsd-host-staged-core-packages`
+  - `%freebsd-host-staged-development-profile-packages`
+  - `%freebsd-host-staged-system-packages`
+- added and exported:
+  - `freebsd-host-staged-package?`
+  - `%freebsd-host-staged-replacement-order`
+- preserved compatibility aliases so existing callers still work:
+  - `%freebsd-core-packages`
+  - `%freebsd-development-profile-packages`
+  - `%freebsd-system-packages`
+- encoded the intended first replacement order for native base-build work directly in the package layer:
+  1. `freebsd-kernel`, `freebsd-bootloader`
+  2. `freebsd-runtime`, `freebsd-libc`, `freebsd-userland`, `freebsd-rc-scripts`
+  3. `freebsd-networking`, `freebsd-openssh`
+  4. `freebsd-kernel-headers`, `freebsd-clang-toolchain`
+  5. `freebsd-gmake`, `freebsd-autotools`, `freebsd-openssl`, `freebsd-zlib`, `freebsd-sh`, `freebsd-bash`
+- updated `modules/fruix/system/freebsd.scm` so the generated closure metadata now carries this boundary information too:
+  - `metadata/store-layout.scm` now includes:
+    - `host-base-stores`
+    - `fruix-runtime-stores`
+    - `host-base-replacement-order`
+    - `init-mode`
+
+Validation:
+
+- confirmed package-layer behavior directly with Guile:
+  - `(freebsd-host-staged-package? freebsd-runtime)` => `#t`
+  - `%freebsd-host-staged-replacement-order` prints the expected staged replacement order
+- `tests/system/run-phase7-system-closure.sh` still passes after the package-layer clarification:
+  - workdir: `/tmp/phase12-3-closure-1775162784`
+- inspected generated closure metadata file:
+  - `/frx/store/25ae9bb85da60b8c77971325e0e11d5390a064132a35e1bab0866cabb802a606-fruix-system-fruix-freebsd/metadata/store-layout.scm`
+  - confirmed it now includes:
+    - `host-base-stores`
+    - `fruix-runtime-stores`
+    - `host-base-replacement-order`
+
+Important findings:
+
+- the current host-staged FreeBSD base model is no longer just an implicit fact of the implementation; it is now named and documented as a transitional boundary
+- preserving compatibility aliases means the current working system model does not need a broad rename/refactor just to make that boundary explicit
+- encoding the replacement order directly in the package/model layer gives Phase 13 a clearer starting point for native `world`/`kernel` work
+
+Current assessment:
+
+- Phase 12 is now complete
+- the current Fruix pipeline is better documented, easier to diagnose, less noisy at runtime, and clearer about what remains transitional in the FreeBSD base layer
+- this is a good stopping point before beginning native FreeBSD base-build artifacts in `/frx/store`
+
+Next recommended step:
+
+1. begin Phase 13.1 by modeling FreeBSD `world` and `kernel` as Fruix-managed build artifacts rather than host-copy packages
+2. use `/usr/src` as the initial source of truth on the builder side
+3. target the first bootable replacement for the current host-staged kernel and core runtime path