feat(bundles): add bounded lazy reference reads

ARCHITECTURE.md

@@ -374,6 +374,8 @@ Pure utility functions with no domain or infrastructure coupling:
 - **`kdfPolicy.js`** — KDF parameter validation and sensible defaults.
 - **`aesGcmMeta.js`** — AES-GCM metadata validation (IV length, tag length).
 - **`canonicalBase64.js`** — base64 encoding round-trip integrity check.
+- **`boundedPromiseCache.js`** — fixed-residency LRU coalescing for immutable
+  async reads; rejected work is never retained.
 
 ## Storage Model
 

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -7,6 +7,23 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Added
+
+- **Direct bundle references** - `bundles.getMemberReference()` and
+  `bundles.iterateMemberReferences()` validate bundle structure, canonical
+  descriptors, direct Git edges, and direct target object types without
+  recursively resolving each member's support graph. Existing member and root
+  methods retain complete-validation semantics.
+
+### Performance
+
+- **Bounded immutable Git metadata coalescing** - repeated exact tree-entry and
+  object-info reads now share successful in-flight and completed work through a
+  fixed-residency LRU. BundleService separately retains only structural
+  descriptor bytes under both entry and byte bounds. Rejected work is evicted,
+  mutable records are cloned for callers, and no application payloads or ref
+  state enter either cache.
+
 ## [6.4.0] — 2026-07-17
 
 ### Added

README.md

@@ -138,8 +138,8 @@ Core capabilities:
   read-only, and `sweep()` can release only markers whose expiry has passed.
 - **Application storage**: `assets`, `pages`, `bundles`, `retention`, and
   `publications` compose streaming CAS writes, bounded structured
-  materializations, targeted member reads, reachability roots,
-  compare-and-swap refs, and immutable lifecycle evidence.
+  materializations, direct-reference or complete-validation member reads,
+  reachability roots, compare-and-swap refs, and immutable lifecycle evidence.
 - **Scoped staging workspaces**: `workspaces.open()` mirrors application writes
   behind one renewable temporary RootSet, returns only after each handle is
   anchored, promotes destination-first, and exposes bounded age, expiry,

docs/API.md

@@ -1077,6 +1077,47 @@ The canonical bundle token is:
 git-cas:1:bundle:fanout-tree:<codec>:<sha1|sha256>:<oid>
 ```
 
+### Direct bundle references
+
+```javascript
+const reference = await cas.bundles.getMemberReference({
+  handle: materializationHandle,
+  path: 'nodes/root',
+});
+
+for await (const reference of cas.bundles.iterateMemberReferences({
+  handle: materializationHandle,
+})) {
+  indexHandle(reference.path, reference.handle);
+}
+```
+
+`getMemberReference()` and `iterateMemberReferences()` are the explicit lazy
+integrity surfaces. They validate the bundle root, persisted limits, fanout
+summaries, canonical member descriptor, direct Git tree edge, and direct target
+object type. They do not recursively resolve the referenced member's complete
+support graph. Use them for indexes and manifests that dereference only selected
+members.
+
+Each immutable `BundleMemberReference` contains `version`, `path`, `handle`,
+`type`, and declared `size`. Missing paths return `null`; malformed bundle
+structure, mismatched edges, and missing or mistyped direct targets fail closed.
+Completing reference iteration still validates root and fanout summaries.
+
+The Git persistence adapter coalesces successful exact tree-entry and
+object-info reads in one process-local LRU with a fixed 2,048-entry default.
+Bundle traversal separately retains immutable structural descriptor bytes under
+a 1,024-entry and 16 MiB total bound. Rejected work is removed, returned
+tree-entry records are cloned, and application payloads, refs, and collection
+state are never cached. Advanced direct adapter construction may set
+`metadataCacheEntries` to another positive safe integer.
+
+Object identity is immutable, but external pruning can change whether an
+unretained object remains available. Keep roots retained for the adapter's
+operation lifetime and do not race active reads with destructive repository
+maintenance. Payload access performs authoritative Git I/O if availability
+changes despite that precondition.
+
 ### `bundles.getMember()`, `bundles.iterateMembers()`, and `bundles.openMember()`
 
 ```javascript