[DanielThomas]

Summary

• validate a newly created HotSpot AOT cache by loading it before publishing it
• discard invalid caches and fall back in automatic mode
• preserve strict failure semantics for explicit -L-aot=create

Validation

• full Ja test suite: 499 passed, 3 skipped
• launcher test suite: 55 passed, 3 skipped
• Maven standalone archive on JDK 25: cache created, validated, published, and reused
• Maven standalone archive on JDK 27: VM load errors detected, cache discarded, automatic mode falls back without retrying, explicit create fails
• Railguard diff scan: no findings (bcedd307-1c5a-48b3-a543-ff8573f35361)