arXiv:2609.17631v2 Announce Type: replace-cross Abstract: AI-assisted claims can appear authoritative when evidence, analysis, human authorization, presentation, and correction history describe different states. We develop Publication Authority: an exact-state, non-transferable, single-use publication capability within PAC-2026 (Publication-Accountability Calculus), an AIJIM Protocol candidate. The evaluated specification version (SF-4) defines six non-compensating obligations: evidence, runs and artifacts, measurement disclosure, authorization, surface correspondence, and lifecycle continuity. Each yields a target-bound witness, localized counterexample, or localized unverifiability. Only a fresh, complete all-pass record derives a permit consumed by one atomic publication transition. Ten models explored 110,764 distinct safe reachable states; 76 unsafe configurations yielded the expected violation or observer countermodel. A surface passing its correspondence check cannot authorize publication unless admitted by the accepted record. SF-4 separates evidence horizon from verification time and rejects authentic but causally invalid authorization. An in-house, instance-blind study (G7-B) matched 183 scored expectations after shared integration. Three author-led native comparisons identify gaps in a constructed in-toto/OPA profile: measurement-state admission, proof-expiry evaluation, and required-run identity. Repairs restore parity on the tested cases. An exploratory extension constructs exact claim-edit regions under existing e-closure semantics: a minimum retained core qualifies every permitted selection. For the full hypothesis universe (U=H), a quadratic frontier computes all strongest-core sizes. Enumeration and native controls distinguish reusable statistical qualification from the fresh publication authority each candidate requires. Results yield transferable protection rules; independent conformance and field evaluation remain open.