diff --git a/src/brainy.ts b/src/brainy.ts
index f998336a..344a4d86 100644
--- a/src/brainy.ts
+++ b/src/brainy.ts
@@ -6269,11 +6269,18 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       relationCount,
       relationsByType,
       fieldRegistry,
-      indexHealth: {
-        hnsw: this.index.size() > 0 || entityCount === 0,
-        metadata: metadataStats.totalEntries > 0 || entityCount === 0,
-        graph: (await this.graphIndex.size()) > 0 || relationCount === 0
-      },
+      indexHealth: await (async () => {
+        // 8.0 rename: `vector` is the canonical name; `hnsw` is a compat
+        // alias that's removed in the final 8.0 cleanup commit.
+        const vectorHealthy = this.index.size() > 0 || entityCount === 0
+        const graphSize = await this.graphIndex.size()
+        return {
+          hnsw: vectorHealthy,
+          vector: vectorHealthy,
+          metadata: metadataStats.totalEntries > 0 || entityCount === 0,
+          graph: graphSize > 0 || relationCount === 0
+        }
+      })(),
       storage: {
         backend: storageBackend,
         rootDir: typeof rootDir === 'string' ? rootDir : undefined
@@ -9304,6 +9311,9 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       // { except: [...] }: strict, but listed types may omit subtype.
       // Becomes the default in 8.0.0.
       requireSubtype: config?.requireSubtype ?? false,
+      // Provider-knob mismatch strictness (8.0). Default is 'warn' (one-shot
+      // teaching message). See BRAINY-8.0-RENAME-COORDINATION § B.6.
+      strictConfig: config?.strictConfig ?? 'warn',
       // Multi-process safety
       mode: config?.mode ?? 'writer',
       force: config?.force ?? false
@@ -9464,6 +9474,13 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     const idMapper = this.metadataIndex.getIdMapper?.()
     if (!idMapper) return
 
+    // Feature-detect: only the JS HNSW path uses per-node connection lists.
+    // Native vector-index providers (DiskANN-style) persist the graph as a
+    // single mmap'd file and have no analogue, so skip the wiring there.
+    // Pre-8.0 the wire was unconditional and relied on the native wrapper
+    // exposing a no-op setConnectionsCodec(); 8.0 makes it feature-detected.
+    if (typeof (this.index as { setConnectionsCodec?: unknown }).setConnectionsCodec !== 'function') return
+
     const codec = new ConnectionsCodec(provider, idMapper)
     this.index.setConnectionsCodec(codec)
     if (!this.config.silent) {
diff --git a/src/types/brainy.types.ts b/src/types/brainy.types.ts
index 2a792a87..b8249070 100644
--- a/src/types/brainy.types.ts
+++ b/src/types/brainy.types.ts
@@ -1031,7 +1031,10 @@ export interface BrainyStats {
   fieldRegistry: string[]
   /** Per-index health flags. `true` = index has entries OR no entities exist yet. */
   indexHealth: {
+    /** @deprecated 8.0 — renamed to `vector`. Same boolean; kept as a compat alias until the final 8.0 cleanup. */
     hnsw: boolean
+    /** Vector index health (8.0 name — open-core JS HNSW path or a native acceleration provider). */
+    vector: boolean
     metadata: boolean
     graph: boolean
   }
@@ -1246,6 +1249,30 @@ export interface BrainyConfig {
    */
   requireSubtype?: boolean | { except: Array<import('../types/graphTypes.js').NounType | import('../types/graphTypes.js').VerbType> }
 
+  /**
+   * Validation strictness for provider-knob mismatches (Brainy 8.0).
+   *
+   * When a registered provider silently ignores a configuration knob the
+   * user passed (e.g. `config.vector.advanced.diskann.*` on the open-core JS
+   * HNSW path, or `config.vector.advanced.hnsw.*` on a native DiskANN-style
+   * path), the user otherwise gets no feedback that their override has no
+   * effect. This option controls the response:
+   *
+   * - `false` — no enforcement. Mismatched knobs are silently accepted.
+   * - `'warn'` — (default in 8.0) one-shot warning per call site via
+   *   `prodLog.warn`, listing the ignored knobs and the docs link to the
+   *   appropriate `advanced.*` escape hatch.
+   * - `true` — hard error at `init()`. Refuses to start until the config
+   *   is consistent with the resolved provider impl.
+   *
+   * The warning / error format matches the 7.30.1 teaching-error pattern:
+   * problem → escape valves → caller location → docs link.
+   *
+   * **Contract** locked in handoff thread BRAINY-8.0-RENAME-COORDINATION
+   * § B.6 (cortex-confirmed 2026-06-09).
+   */
+  strictConfig?: boolean | 'warn'
+
   /**
    * Process role for multi-process safety on filesystem storage.
    *