Separating Ordering, Calibration, and Audit Evidence in Text-to-SQL Acceptance

Text-to-SQL acceptance can improve without changing SQL candidates or the judge body. A SOURCE-trained Qwen residual readout raises disjoint WikiSQL coverage from 2.066% to 3.327% and reduces accepted-error risk from 7.104% to 2.667%. Producer-aware native-prefix controls and matched scalar-spline readouts retain the ordering advantage on the fixed bank. SOURCE-database exclusions preserve fixed-quota gains but reverse CAL-selected correct-mass gains in two of eight conditions. Across 256 paired calibration draws, scalar-plus-residual correct-mass gain over the scalar readout averages 1.264 percentage points and reverses in 50 draws; the residual policy exceeds one-percent risk in 225. Exact acceptance decompositions and without-replacement confidence sequences separate correct-mass gain, risk reduction, and strict dominance. Every-question inspection resolves correct-mass gain earlier; risk reduction and dominance generally require nearly all accepted-union questions in these replays. Calibration-component matching supplies no consistent benefit. Frozen-readout gains on new Mistral answers to exposed questions remain unestablished. Producer-specific adaptation establishes neither incremental ordering gain nor a sufficiently supported one-percent endpoint. These controls support conditional ordering improvement while separating operating-point stability, portability, and claim-specific audit evidence.