minecraft_protocol: foundation + per-version protocol docs 1.7.10->26.2

8 topical docs (overview, data types, lifecycle, handshake, status/ping,
login+encryption, configuration, version-differences) + proxy-forwarding set
+ 16 per-version release-line docs, sourced from minecraft.wiki, ViaVersion
(source + commits), minecraft-data, node-minecraft-protocol, Velocity, BungeeCord.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

references.md

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+# References & sources
+
+Everything in this repo is grounded in the spec + real reference implementations, cited inline as `path:line` / wiki-URL + fetch date. This is the catalog of what was used and **which source to read for what**.
+
+## Spec of record — minecraft.wiki (formerly wiki.vg)
+
+wiki.vg was merged into **minecraft.wiki** in 2024; the protocol documentation lives under the Java Edition protocol pages.
+
+| Page | Use |
+|---|---|
+| [`/w/Java_Edition_protocol`](https://minecraft.wiki/w/Java_Edition_protocol) | the live protocol: packet format, data types, per-state packet lists |
+| [`/w/Protocol_version`](https://minecraft.wiki/w/Protocol_version) | the authoritative version→protocol-number table |
+| `/w/Java_Edition_protocol/Server_List_Ping` | modern SLP + legacy `0xFE` ping |
+| `/w/Java_Edition_protocol/Protocol_Encryption` | the AES/RSA encryption handshake |
+| `/w/Java_Edition_<version>` | per-version **release notes** (gameplay + technical) |
+
+> Historical per-version protocol pages are spotty on minecraft.wiki (some archive URLs 404). For exact per-version packet layouts we relied on **minecraft-data** + **ViaVersion** instead, which are versioned by construction.
+
+## Reference implementations
+
+Cloned to `/tmp/mcproto-refs/` during the build (ephemeral — re-clone to reproduce). Read for:
+
+| Repo | Read for | Key files |
+|---|---|---|
+| [node-minecraft-protocol](https://github.com/PrismarineJS/node-minecraft-protocol) | clean reference impl of framing, encryption, ping, states | `src/states.js`, `src/transforms/encryption.js`, `src/client/encrypt.js`, `src/ping.js`, `src/transforms/framing.js`, `src/transforms/compression.js` |
+| [minecraft-data](https://github.com/PrismarineJS/minecraft-data) | **per-version `protocol.json`** — authoritative packet IDs + field types per version (the diff source for the version docs) | `data/pc/<version>/protocol.json`, `data/pc/<version>/version.json`, `data/pc/common/protocolVersions.json` |
+| [ViaVersion](https://github.com/ViaVersion/ViaVersion) | **what changed between adjacent versions** + the commit history that implemented it | `api/.../protocol/version/ProtocolVersion.java` (version constants), `common/.../protocols/v<X>to<Y>/` (per-step translation: `Protocol*.java`, `Clientbound/ServerboundPackets*.java`, `rewriter/`, `data/`), `git log -- <package>` |
+| [Velocity](https://github.com/PaperMC/Velocity) | modern forwarding, login flow, state registry | `proxy/.../connection/PlayerDataForwarding.java` (the HMAC forwarding payload), `connection/VelocityConstants.java`, `connection/backend/LoginSessionHandler.java`, `protocol/packet/EncryptionRequest/ResponsePacket.java`, `protocol/StateRegistry.java`, `connection/forge/legacy/LegacyForgeConstants.java` |
+| [BungeeCord](https://github.com/SpigotMC/BungeeCord) | legacy IP forwarding format | `proxy/.../connection/InitialHandler.java` (handshake parse), `ServerConnector.java` (the `\0`-delimited forward write), `forge/ForgeConstants.java` |
+
+## Related projects (named, not cloned)
+
+- **ViaBackwards** — extends ViaVersion so *newer* clients reach *older* servers (reverse direction).
+- **ViaRewind** / **ViaLegacy** — compatibility below ViaVersion's 1.8 floor (down to 1.7.x and older release/beta protocols).
+- **ViaForge** — Forge/FML handshake handling across versions.
+- **BungeeGuard** (lucko) — token hardening of legacy forwarding.
+- **Waterfall** — BungeeCord fork (now largely superseded by Velocity).
+
+## Citation conventions in this repo
+
+- Reference-impl facts: `repo/path/File.ext:line`.
+- ViaVersion change-provenance: the package path + `git log` commit subject/hash.
+- Spec facts: the minecraft.wiki URL + fetch date (`2026-06-19`).
+- Anything not confirmable from the above carries an inline `<!-- VERIFY -->` flag (see [PLAN §3 Phase 4](PLAN.md) — the open-flag resolution pass).