diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 355c717..cbe7e7b 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -21,6 +21,21 @@ it was tested, and which beacons didn't answer.
 Use it as a web app, a CLI, a batch log scanner, a headless log watcher or an MCP server for AI assistants.
 Where it's headed: [ROADMAP.md](ROADMAP.md), on unmasking borrowed legitimacy.
 
+## Status and known limits
+
+This is a working beta: a triage aid for an analyst to check, not something to act on without a person. Today:
+
+- **Accuracy rests on a small set.** Calibration uses 55 labeled IPs. Most paradoxes on known-malicious IPs fall away
+  once VirusTotal is on, as [the note on the results](#calibration) explains.
+- **Evidence from OTX alone can be gamed.** In synthetic tests, 5 new OTX accounts take a clean IP to Likely malicious,
+  and OTX's own whitelist or padded pulses can hide real OTX evidence. Independent beacons hold up against the same
+  attacks. See [the adversarial results](ROADMAP.md#35-adversarial-test-suite--m).
+- **Not yet tested:** use by real analysts, prompt injection against the summary, and attackers hiding on CDNs, cloud
+  hosts or Tor.
+- **VirusTotal's free tier** rules out commercial use, and its limits make a 25-IP scan take at least 6 minutes.
+
+The threat model and its open gaps are in [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md).
+
 ## Install
 
 ```bash
@@ -469,6 +484,7 @@ paradox/cli.py        the `paradox` command: app + headless subcommands
 paradox/sources.py    beacon adapters -> Signal
 paradox/scoring.py    tier scores, paradox, threat
 paradox/engine.py     concurrent scan + caching
+paradox/quota.py      keeps VirusTotal inside its free limits
 paradox/history.py    SQLite scan history + lag measurement
 paradox/logscan.py    batch mode: extract IPs from logs, scan, rank
 paradox/watch.py      headless sensor: follow logs, alert, periodic rescans
diff --git a/ROADMAP.md b/ROADMAP.md
index 50e1057..a699881 100644
--- a/ROADMAP.md
+++ b/ROADMAP.md
@@ -24,13 +24,14 @@ Effort: **S** is about a day, **M** a few days, **L** a week or more.
 
 Each item has a permanent story ID (`PDX-n`) and a "done when" line for the
 [Muster board](https://github.com/Castor-o7/muster/blob/main/docs/board.md). A checked box means shipped, not verified.
-The watchman keeps each story's state.
+The watchman keeps each story's state. **Progress: 21 of 40 stories shipped (52%),** counting each story the same
+whatever its size, and the total grows as work finds new stories.
 
 ---
 
 ## Where we stand
 
-What the 2026-10-29 calibration (run 5) and the live tests showed, which sets the priorities below. A ✅ marks a shipped fix; the rescore after 1.1, 1.2 and 3.2 is in the README:
+What the 2026-10-29 calibration (run 5), the live tests and later measurements showed, which sets the priorities below. A ✅ marks a shipped fix; the rescore after 1.1, 1.2 and 3.2 is in the README:
 
 | Finding | Evidence | Addressed by |
 |---|---|---|
@@ -40,6 +41,8 @@ What the 2026-10-29 calibration (run 5) and the live tests showed, which sets th
 | Blocklists used as labels include research scanners | Shodan and Palo Alto Xpanse IPs were in the "malicious" set | 3.2 ✅ |
 | We assume which beacons are fast and slow, and never measured it | Tiers are hard-coded in `BEACONS` | 3.4 |
 | Veneer has no ground truth, so we can't state its precision | No labeled veneer cases exist | 3.3 |
+| Evidence from OTX alone can be gamed | Synthetic attacks: 5 new accounts take a clean IP to Likely malicious; OTX's whitelist or padding can hide real evidence | 3.5 ✅ measured; 3.8, 3.9, 3.10 to fix |
+| Most paradoxes on malicious IPs reflected the missing VirusTotal key | With it on, malicious at paradox 35+ fell from 28 to 4 of 30 | Open: how to frame the score |
 
 ---