diff --git a/plugins/config-audit/CHANGELOG.md b/plugins/config-audit/CHANGELOG.md
index 5f6ca20..c6b60df 100644
--- a/plugins/config-audit/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/plugins/config-audit/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -5,6 +5,31 @@ All notable changes to this project will be documented in this file.
 The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.1.0/),
 and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0.html).
 
+## [5.0.0-rc.1] - 2026-05-01
+
+### Summary
+Release candidate for v5.0.0 — knowledge rensing and tokenizer calibration. Three deliverables: M8 (Sonnet-era → Opus 4.7 best-practices rewrite), M7 (cache-telemetry recipe in `knowledge/` plus an opt-in CLI flag), and N5 (`--accurate-tokens` API calibration via Anthropic's `count_tokens` endpoint).
+
+### Added
+- **N5 — `--accurate-tokens` flag** on `scanners/token-hotspots-cli.mjs`. When `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` is set, the CLI calls Anthropic's `count_tokens` endpoint for the top 3 hotspots and populates `output.calibration = { actual_tokens, source: 'count_tokens_api', sampled_hotspots: 3 }`. When the key is absent, `calibration = { skipped: 'no-api-key' }` and a stderr warning is emitted. Designed for the manual SC-6b release-gate verification, not routine use.
+- **`scanners/lib/tokenizer-api.mjs`** — wrapper around `count_tokens` with a 5-second AbortController timeout, exponential-backoff retry on HTTP 429 (max 3 retries: 1s, 2s, 4s), and required headers (`x-api-key`, `anthropic-version: 2023-06-01`, `content-type`). API key is masked to `${key.slice(0,8)}...` in every error message and every thrown error; non-429 HTTP errors throw status code only — response body is never included (it may echo the key on auth failures). `maskKey()` is exported for callers that need safe logging.
+- **M7 — `knowledge/cache-telemetry-recipe.md`** (new). Manual `jq` recipe for verifying prompt-cache hit rate from Claude Code session transcripts (`~/.claude/projects/<slug>/*.jsonl`). Sums `cache_read_input_tokens` and `cache_creation_input_tokens` per turn and reports a hit-rate ratio. Recipe-form (not bundled scanner) keeps the project's "no transcript-parsing as core feature" non-goal intact while giving users a runtime escape hatch.
+- **M7 — `--with-telemetry-recipe` flag** on the same CLI. When passed, emits `telemetry_recipe_path` in the JSON output pointing to the recipe file. Without the flag, output is unchanged. Committed as a default deliverable, opt-in at invocation time.
+
+### Changed
+- **M8 — knowledge-base rensing:** replaced the "Keep CLAUDE.md under 200 lines" rule in `knowledge/configuration-best-practices.md` with cache-stability guidance (first 30 lines stable, volatile content below the cache threshold). Added a footnote that the 200-line rule was a Sonnet-era adherence heuristic; Opus 4.7 uses prompt-cache structure as the dominant cost lever. Cross-references `knowledge/opus-4.7-patterns.md`.
+- **`commands/tokens.md` next-steps:** documents `--with-telemetry-recipe` as the cache-verification path after a structural fix.
+
+### Tests
+- 625 → 635 (+10): `--with-telemetry-recipe` (×2), tokenizer-api unit tests (×6 — masking, body-leak protection, AbortController signal, 429 retry, header set, fetch mock happy path), `--accurate-tokens` no-key subprocess test (×1), absent-flag negative test (×1).
+- New file: `tests/scanners/accurate-tokens.test.mjs`. No new fixtures (re-uses `marketplace-large`).
+
+### Notes
+- **SC-6b release gate is NOT closed by these commits.** Step 26's tests use mocked `globalThis.fetch` to verify the integration contract; ±5% accuracy against real `count_tokens` requires a live API key and must be verified manually before tagging v5.0.0 in Session 5.
+- The plan's specified `mock.method(tokenizerApi, 'callCountTokensApi', ...)` pattern collides with ESM read-only export bindings in Node 18+. Tests mock at the `globalThis.fetch` boundary instead — equivalent coverage, no module-export rebinding required.
+- README/CLAUDE.md badge counts and `plugin.json` version still target v4.0.0; Step 28+29 will sync those during the release wrap.
+- `[skip-docs]` tag on the N5 feat commit; M7 and M8 are `docs(...)` commits and don't need it.
+
 ## [5.0.0-beta.1] - 2026-05-01
 
 ### Summary