diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 125973e..d8c2a15 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -94,6 +94,31 @@ paper-format-agent-mcp
 Tools: `format_paper`, `extract_format_rules`, `score_paper`. Client config in
 [docs/MCP.md](docs/MCP.md).
 
+## regression manifest
+
+[`docs/regression_manifest.sample.json`](docs/regression_manifest.sample.json)
+declares synthetic end-to-end checks for the formatter. Each case names a fake
+fixture, optional strict flags, and expected score thresholds. It is a sample
+only: it references fixture names that you create locally, never real papers or
+private templates. The `note` field explains each case and is ignored by the
+runner.
+
+To run the regression suite against fixtures you have created:
+
+```bash
+python tools/regression_runner.py \
+  --manifest docs/regression_manifest.sample.json \
+  --out-dir ./regression_out
+```
+
+Expected output: a `regression_summary.json` in `--out-dir` with one result per
+case (`ok`, `score_before`, `score_after`, `content_changed`, `failed_checks`).
+A case passes when it exits 0, the engine reported success, content stayed
+unchanged (unless `allow_content_change`), and the score thresholds hold. The
+command exits 0 only if every case passes. You must validate the JSON yourself
+(`python -c "import json; json.load(open('docs/regression_manifest.sample.json'))"`)
+because the sample contains documentation notes, not code comments.
+
 ## contributing
 
 Small PRs are welcome. Adding a synthetic test for a school or journal
diff --git a/docs/regression_manifest.sample.json b/docs/regression_manifest.sample.json
index 7eea5b8..a597332 100644
--- a/docs/regression_manifest.sample.json
+++ b/docs/regression_manifest.sample.json
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 {
+  "_about": "Synthetic regression manifest for Paper Format Agent. Each entry points at fake fixture names only; no real papers or private templates. The 'note' field is informational and ignored by tools/regression_runner.py. Replace fixture paths with your own synthetic .docx files before running.",
   "cases": [
     {
       "name": "synthetic_thesis_case",
@@ -9,7 +10,55 @@
       "require_content_unchanged": true,
       "require_engine_success": true,
       "min_score_after": 90,
-      "min_score_improvement": 3
+      "min_score_improvement": 3,
+      "note": "Baseline synthetic thesis: formatting must finish on the python engine, keep the body text unchanged, and lift the score by at least 3 points to stay at or above 90."
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "synthetic_journal_strict_sections",
+      "format_file": "examples/fixtures/synthetic_journal_format_guide.docx",
+      "paper_file": "examples/fixtures/synthetic_journal_paper.docx",
+      "engine": "python",
+      "strict_required_sections": true,
+      "require_content_unchanged": true,
+      "require_engine_success": true,
+      "min_score_after": 85,
+      "min_score_improvement": 2,
+      "note": "Journal-style case with strict required-section enforcement (abstract, keywords, headings). Expected output: required sections present, score_after >= 85, score_improvement >= 2, content_changed == false."
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "synthetic_ieee_conference_case",
+      "format_file": "examples/fixtures/synthetic_ieee_format_guide.docx",
+      "paper_file": "examples/fixtures/synthetic_ieee_paper.docx",
+      "engine": "python",
+      "strict_required_sections": true,
+      "require_content_unchanged": true,
+      "require_engine_success": true,
+      "min_score_after": 90,
+      "min_score_improvement": 5,
+      "note": "IEEE-style conference: tight formatting rules. Expected output: score_after >= 90, score jumps by at least 5 points while leaving prose untouched."
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "synthetic_toc_refresh_case",
+      "format_file": "examples/fixtures/synthetic_format_guide.docx",
+      "paper_file": "examples/fixtures/synthetic_toc_paper.docx",
+      "engine": "word-com",
+      "strict_required_sections": false,
+      "allow_content_change": true,
+      "require_content_unchanged": false,
+      "require_engine_success": true,
+      "min_score_after": 80,
+      "note": "Shows an opt-in case: the word-com engine refreshes the table of contents, so content_changed may be true and require_content_unchanged must be disabled. Only the score_after floor is enforced."
+    },
+    {
+      "name": "synthetic_minimal_reliability_case",
+      "format_file": "examples/fixtures/synthetic_format_guide.docx",
+      "paper_file": "examples/fixtures/synthetic_paper.docx",
+      "engine": "python",
+      "strict_required_sections": false,
+      "require_content_unchanged": false,
+      "require_engine_success": true,
+      "min_score_after": 60,
+      "note": "Minimal reliability guard: only requires the engine to succeed and produce a report with score_after >= 60. No content/improvement constraints."
     }
   ]
-}
+}
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