diff --git a/documentation/develop-a-plugin-and-see-it-live.md b/documentation/develop-a-plugin-and-see-it-live.md
index 8f07b6b17..5648482f7 100644
--- a/documentation/develop-a-plugin-and-see-it-live.md
+++ b/documentation/develop-a-plugin-and-see-it-live.md
@@ -201,6 +201,20 @@ nobody has watched it run, which is not the same as "nothing was produced". Veri
 `https://<platform>/plugin-assets/doxa-maps/<plugin>/<plugin>/index.html`.
 **Done = the live site shows it, not a green build.**
 
+> **Check the path itself, not just your plugin.** The catalog ships a one-element self-test of
+> everything above — open
+> `https://<platform>/plugin-assets/doxa-maps/golden-path-check/golden-path-check/index.html`.
+> It reads the manifest it was published beside and reports four things: how many bundles and
+> profiles the catalog holds, how many profiles describe themselves, and whether it can find
+> *itself* listed. If it answers, authoring → build → publish → serve all worked on this platform,
+> which is a different question from whether *your* plugin did. Verified on the live catalog
+> 2026-09-23: 19 bundles, 28 profiles, 28 of 28 self-describing, listed = yes, zero console errors.
+>
+> Read what it does **not** claim. Those are questions about the catalog's SHAPE, so it stays green
+> even if a bundle's CONTENT is stale — freshness belongs to `bun run check:catalog-currency`, which
+> compares every live bundle's bytes against your build. Run both: the self-test says the pipe
+> works, the currency gate says what came through it is current.
+
 ## Step 6 — Surface it (make it discoverable)
 
 A plugin reachable only by direct URL isn't really "seen live." Good news: **you usually don't have to do