The gate composes every machine with the node-engine's own validator, vendored at mesh-host of 2026-10-15, which refuses the `unknown` and `knows` keys mesh-host #117 added; every catalogue manifest using them was refused on every machine (mesh-catalog #349). The pin moves to #117's merge, 6469e8238443, delivered; only the declaration validator changes in vendor/. A test holds the gate to taking such a directory.