@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+---
+'@fluentui-react-native/storybook-desktop': patch
+'@fluentui-react-native/storybook-desktop-runtime': patch
+---
+
+Separate Storybook bridge and attachment credentials in owner-private storage, validate versioned generated manifests, and pin native helper provenance through the trusted parent handoff before child processes can spawn helpers.
+
+Use helper-selected per-user namespaces on Windows and forward private-storage adapters into platform-neutral CLI contracts. Resolve protected Windows projections through a digest-keyed Metro transformer on the constant workspace stub, avoiding cross-volume file-map paths and public secret copies. Normalize Windows namespace path identities while preserving macOS behavior.
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+'@fluentui-react-native/desktop-test': patch
+---
+
+Record F6 Storybook manifest provenance, independent credential purposes, and platform qualification evidence in the lifecycle submission ledger.
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+'@fluentui-react-native/desktop-driver': patch
+---
+
+Identify the unsafe ancestor when macOS private storage rejects directory aliases, permissions, or ACLs.
+
+Expose the Windows helper's validated storage root so consumers can create protected namespaces beneath its OS-selected per-user location.
@@ -78,6 +78,9 @@ specifiers, so keep it that way.
 - Propagate `AbortSignal` to every host operation.
 - Do not release queues or input locks until a timed-out native command settles.
 - Preserve attached apps and clean only exact owned resources.
+- Callers resolve existing private-storage parent directories before opening them.
+  macOS storage keeps rejecting symlink ancestors on subsequent operations and
+  identifies the failing ancestor in ownership/permissions diagnostics.
 - Keep native events advisory and queries authoritative.
 - Use opaque public window/element IDs and native liveness checks.
 - A Storybook preview reset invalidates preview elements, not app chrome or
 
@@ -175,7 +175,10 @@ process recovery, automatic discovery, or supervisor wiring.
 `PrivateStorage` contract through the verified Windows helper's one-shot
 `--private-storage` mode, so the operating system judges ownership from open
 handles and Node never trusts a path check. The default root is a per-user
-folder under the local application data folder. An override must be a canonical
+folder under the local application data folder, resolved through the OS
+known-folder API rather than an environment variable. The returned `root`
+identifies that validated directory, allowing consumers to open independently
+protected child namespaces without guessing the platform location. An override must be a canonical
 absolute local-drive path of at most 240 characters whose parent exists. A
 missing root is created atomically with an owner-only protected DACL (one allow
 entry giving the current user full control); an existing root is validated and
 
@@ -154,12 +154,16 @@ async function validateRoot(root: string, uid: number): Promise<Stats> {
 
 async function validateAncestors(directory: string, uid: number): Promise<void> {
   for (let current = directory; ; current = path.dirname(current)) {
-    const info = await lstat(current);
-    const rootOwnedSticky = info.uid === 0 && (info.mode & 0o1000) !== 0;
-    if (!info.isDirectory() || (info.uid !== uid && info.uid !== 0) || ((info.mode & 0o022) !== 0 && !rootOwnedSticky)) {
-      throw unsafeStorage();
+    try {
+      const info = await lstat(current);
+      const rootOwnedSticky = info.uid === 0 && (info.mode & 0o1000) !== 0;
+      if (!info.isDirectory() || (info.uid !== uid && info.uid !== 0) || ((info.mode & 0o022) !== 0 && !rootOwnedSticky)) {
+        throw unsafeStorage();
+      }
+      await rejectACL(current, true);
+    } catch {
+      throw unsafeStorage(current);
     }
-    await rejectACL(current, true);
     if (current === path.dirname(current)) break;
   }
 }
@@ -194,6 +198,11 @@ function hasCode(error: unknown, code: string): boolean {
   return typeof error === 'object' && error !== null && 'code' in error && error.code === code;
 }
 
-function unsafeStorage(): Error {
-  return new Error('Desktop Driver private storage is unsafe or inaccessible.');
+function unsafeStorage(ancestor?: string): Error {
+  return new Error(
+    'Desktop Driver private storage is unsafe or inaccessible.' +
+      (ancestor === undefined
+        ? ''
+        : ` Check ancestor "${ancestor}": resolve directory aliases and require owner/root ownership without writable shared permissions or ACL grants.`),
+  );
 }
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ macosDescribe('owner-validated macOS private storage', () => {
     await mkdir(real, { mode: 0o700 });
     await symlink(real, root);
     await expect(createMacOSPrivateStorage(root)).rejects.toThrow();
-    await expect(createMacOSPrivateStorage(path.join(root, 'nested'))).rejects.toThrow();
+    await expect(createMacOSPrivateStorage(path.join(root, 'nested'))).rejects.toThrow(`Check ancestor "${root}"`);
     expect(await readdir(real)).toEqual([]);
   });
 
 
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+import path from 'node:path';
+
 import type { NativeDriverArtifact } from '../native/types';
 import { FakeAuthorityHelper } from '../native/windows/fakeAuthorityHelper';
 import { createWindowsPrivateStorage } from './windowsPrivateStorage';
@@ -98,6 +100,22 @@ describe('creating Windows private storage', () => {
     expect(requests()).toEqual([{ operation: 'open' }, { identity, name: 'connection.json', operation: 'read', root: defaultRoot }]);
   });
 
+  test('opens a protected child namespace beneath the root selected by the helper', async () => {
+    const defaultRoot = 'C:\\Users\\agent\\AppData\\Local\\com.microsoft.fluentui-react-native.desktop-driver';
+    const childRoot = path.win32.join(defaultRoot, 'storybook-fixture');
+    helper.answer({ identity, ok: true, root: defaultRoot }).answer({ identity, ok: true, root: childRoot }).answer({ ok: true });
+
+    const parent = await createWindowsPrivateStorage({ artifact });
+    const child = await createWindowsPrivateStorage({ artifact, root: path.win32.join(parent.root, 'storybook-fixture') });
+    await child.publish('record', 'protected');
+
+    expect(requests()).toEqual([
+      { operation: 'open' },
+      { operation: 'open', root: childRoot },
+      { contents: base64('protected'), identity, name: 'record', operation: 'publish', root: childRoot },
+    ]);
+  });
+
   test('maps a helper refusal to the unsafe-storage failure', async () => {
     helper.answer({ detail: 'C:\\Users\\agent\\secret', ok: false, reason: 'dacl' });
 
 
@@ -35,9 +35,12 @@ const publicationFailed = (reason: string): Error =>
 
 /**
  * Opens the Windows owner-only state root through the Windows helper. The parent must already exist. Existing roots are
- * validated, never repaired. Failures carry a fixed message and a non-enumerable `reason` for diagnostics only.
+ * validated, never repaired. The returned root is the canonical directory validated by the helper, including when the
+ * helper selected its per-user default. Failures carry a fixed message and a non-enumerable `reason` for diagnostics only.
  */
-export async function createWindowsPrivateStorage(options: WindowsPrivateStorageOptions): Promise<PrivateStorage> {
+export async function createWindowsPrivateStorage(
+  options: WindowsPrivateStorageOptions,
+): Promise<PrivateStorage & { readonly root: string }> {
   if (process.platform !== 'win32') {
     throw new Error('Windows private storage is unsupported on this platform; use a validated native ownership adapter.');
   }
@@ -77,6 +80,7 @@ export async function createWindowsPrivateStorage(options: WindowsPrivateStorage
   }
 
   return {
+    root,
     async read(name) {
       assertPrivateRecordName(name);
       const answer = await call({ name, operation: 'read' }, readAnswer, unsafeStorage);
-Original file line number
+Diff line change
@@ @@ -0,0 +1,5 @@ @@
 +---
 +'@fluentui-react-native/desktop-test': patch
 +---
++
 +Record F6 Storybook manifest provenance, independent credential purposes, and platform qualification evidence in the lifecycle submission ledger.