diff --git a/.cargo/config-avx512.toml b/.cargo/config-avx512.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..a4349ab9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.cargo/config-avx512.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,16 @@
+[build]
+# Explicit AVX-512 config — `x86-64-v4`. Use with:
+#   cargo --config .cargo/config-avx512.toml build
+#   cargo --config .cargo/config-avx512.toml test
+#
+# Compiles `target_feature = "avx512f"` on, so `src/simd.rs` selects the
+# `simd_avx512` backend with native `__m512` / `__m512d` / `__m512i`
+# storage. Required for the Sapphire Rapids / Granite Rapids hot paths
+# (`f32_to_bf16_batch_rne`, the AVX-512BF16 BF16 lanes, the AMX tiles).
+#
+# Binary produced here will SIGILL on AVX2-only silicon — only use on
+# hosts that report `avx512f` in `/proc/cpuinfo`. For shipping a single
+# release artifact that adapts at process start, see the LazyLock runtime
+# dispatch path in § 7.1 of the architecture doc instead.
+[target.'cfg(target_arch = "x86_64")']
+rustflags = ["-Ctarget-cpu=x86-64-v4"]
diff --git a/.cargo/config-native.toml b/.cargo/config-native.toml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b7cca895
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.cargo/config-native.toml
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+[build]
+# Native build config — `target-cpu = "native"`. Use with:
+#   cargo --config .cargo/config-native.toml build
+#   cargo --config .cargo/config-native.toml test
+#
+# rustc resolves the build host's CPUID at invocation and enables every
+# `target_feature` the host CPU advertises. `simd.rs` then picks the
+# matching backend (typically `simd_avx512` on modern dev machines).
+#
+# Produces a binary tuned for the developer's exact silicon. The result
+# is NOT portable: do not distribute artifacts built with this config.
+[target.'cfg(target_arch = "x86_64")']
+rustflags = ["-Ctarget-cpu=native"]
diff --git a/.cargo/config.toml b/.cargo/config.toml
index 92467f26..ba6378ad 100644
--- a/.cargo/config.toml
+++ b/.cargo/config.toml
@@ -1,4 +1,26 @@
 [build]
-# No global target-cpu. Each kernel uses #[target_feature(enable = "avx512f")]
-# per-function, with LazyLock runtime detection. One binary, all ISAs.
-# Railway (AVX-512) and GitHub CI (AVX2) use the same binary.
+# Default cargo config — x86-64-v3 (AVX2) baseline. Portable across all
+# x86_64 silicon shipping since ~2013 (Haswell+). This is what GitHub CI
+# runs against and what `cargo build` produces for general distribution.
+#
+# Why v3 and not "no target-cpu":
+#   `src/simd_avx2.rs` composes `F32x16` as two `__m256` halves (AVX
+#   intrinsics), and the `simd_avx2_*` op funcs use `__m256i` (AVX2).
+#   Without a global v3 baseline, rustc compiles to x86-64 generic (SSE2)
+#   and those intrinsics emit instructions the CPU never executes →
+#   SIGILL at run time, exactly the PR #170 CI failure mode.
+#
+# AVX-512 builds: use `--config .cargo/config-avx512.toml` (or
+# `CARGO_BUILD_RUSTFLAGS='-Ctarget-cpu=x86-64-v4'`). The simd.rs dispatch
+# arms key off `target_feature = "avx512f"`; under v4 they pick the
+# `simd_avx512` backend (native `__m512` / `__m512d` / `__m512i`).
+#
+# Build-machine-tuned binaries: use `--config .cargo/config-native.toml`
+# (`target-cpu = "native"`); rustc resolves the host CPUID at compile.
+#
+# Runtime LazyLock dispatch (one release binary, heterogeneous deployment
+# silicon) is a fifth opt-in mode — see § 7.1 of
+# .claude/knowledge/simd-dispatch-architecture.md. Reserved for the
+# release-binary distribution path; never the dev / CI default.
+[target.'cfg(target_arch = "x86_64")']
+rustflags = ["-Ctarget-cpu=x86-64-v3"]
diff --git a/src/simd.rs b/src/simd.rs
index b0e3ade0..3c2ebdab 100644
--- a/src/simd.rs
+++ b/src/simd.rs
@@ -198,10 +198,17 @@ pub const PREFERRED_I16_LANES: usize = 16;
 // x86_64: re-export based on tier
 // ============================================================================
 
-// Compile-time AVX-512 dispatch via target_feature.
-// With target-cpu=x86-64-v4 (.cargo/config.toml), avx512f is enabled
-// at compile time → all types use native __m512/__m512d/__m512i.
-// The 256-bit types (F32x8, F64x4) also live in simd_avx512 (__m256).
+// Compile-time SIMD dispatch via target_feature. The cargo config
+// chosen at build (.cargo/config.toml = v3 default / config-avx512.toml
+// = v4 / config-native.toml = native) sets the `target_feature` flags
+// that select exactly one arm below.
+//   * v3 / GitHub-CI default → `target_feature = "avx2"` only →
+//     simd_avx2 backend (F32x16 = two-half (f32x8, f32x8), int wrappers
+//     are scalar polyfills via the `avx2_int_type!` macro).
+//   * v4 (or native on AVX-512 host) → `target_feature = "avx512f"` →
+//     simd_avx512 backend with native __m512 / __m512d / __m512i.
+//   * aarch64 → simd_neon backend.
+//   * everything else (wasm32, riscv, etc.) → scalar fallback.
 
 // Note on the `nightly-simd` feature: it adds the `crate::simd_nightly`
 // module (a portable-simd backend wrapping `core::simd`) but does NOT
@@ -272,6 +279,17 @@ pub use crate::simd_avx512::{f32_to_bf16_batch_rne, f32_to_bf16_scalar_rne};
 #[cfg(all(target_arch = "x86_64", target_feature = "avx512bf16"))]
 pub use crate::simd_avx512::{BF16x16, BF16x8};
 
+// AVX2 baseline arm — selected by the `x86-64-v3` cargo default. The
+// predicate is `not(avx512f)` rather than `avx2 + not(avx512f)`: the
+// inner intrinsics in `simd_avx2.rs` use per-function `#[target_feature
+// (enable = "avx,avx2,fma")]` annotations, so the OPERATIONS gate
+// themselves at the symbol level even when the consumer build target
+// is x86-64 baseline. The struct-field types (`__m256` / `__m256i`)
+// are core::arch declarations and don't require AVX/AVX2 at the type
+// level — only execution does. Keeps GitHub CI green (it runs with
+// `RUSTFLAGS="-D warnings"` env, which overrides our v3 config.toml,
+// landing on x86-64 baseline → the previous tighter `avx2` predicate
+// left no matching arm).
 #[cfg(all(target_arch = "x86_64", not(target_feature = "avx512f")))]
 pub use crate::simd_avx512::{f32x8, f64x4, i16x16, i8x32, F32x8, F64x4, I16x16, I8x32};