GoldenMatch

Changed

• Auto-config commits by zero-label confidence by default (#489). The controller's pick_committed tiebreaker prefers the higher -overall_confidence candidate over the higher -mass_separation one among same-health-rank candidates carrying a zero_label profile (precision-collapse rank-3 demotion still precedes it). DQbench composite 92.03 (>= 91.04 floor; byte-identical on T1/T2/T3). Opt out: GOLDENMATCH_AUTOCONFIG_ZERO_LABEL_COMMIT=0.

Fixed - auto-config recall

• Composite name+DOB identity matchkey (#538). When individual name/year columns fall below the cardinality>=0.5 exact-matchkey gate, auto-config previously degraded to a single weighted matchkey that averaged every field, so one corrupted field (e.g. an abbreviated address scored by token_sort) could sink an otherwise-clean true pair. Auto-config now also emits an exact matchkey on the name+DOB combination (highly unique even when the individual fields aren't). Date-anchor gated; matchkeys are OR'd, so it only adds candidate pairs. NCVR F1 0.871 -> 0.969, Febrl3 0.897 -> 0.912; DBLP-ACM and DQbench unchanged.
• Phonetic name+DOB identity matchkey (#491). A soundex sibling of the composite: equal-sounding spellings (Smith/Smyth) sharing a DOB still match when the exact composite misses them. Same date-anchor gate (DQbench, no DOB, untouched). Febrl3 F1 0.912 -> 0.924.

Internal

• CI Febrl3 smoke-gate floor raised 0.85 -> 0.90 (#438).

Full changelog: packages/python/goldenmatch/CHANGELOG.md.