Posting as a new issue rather than trying to coordinate with comments on various other PRs. In the community meeting earlier this week we discussed that we are almost ready, and @charris planned to branch maintenance/2.0.x today. We still have a few more things to be done though it looks like.

Here is what I'd propose we do today:

• Merge API: Make descr->f only accessible through PyDataType_GetArrFuncs #25897
• Finalize and merge MAINT: remove numpy.array_api module #25911 (@rgommers)
• Revert API: Introduce copy argument for np.asarray [Array API] #25168 (because of __array__ copy keyword changes incomplete #25916) (Done in BUG: fix handling of copy keyword argument when calling __array__ #25922)
• Then build new nightlies (@rgommers) (Triggered manually by @mattip)
• Once the nightlies are up: ensure things work with using npy_2_compat.h in SciPy (MAINT: shim for descr->f access scipy/scipy#20108), getting that merged and uploading new SciPy nightlies

After that (tomorrow?):

• Fix up API: Introduce copy argument for np.asarray [Array API] #25168 and get it merged again (@mtsokol and @ngoldbaum)
• If blocking for 2.0.0rc1: get MAINT,API: Make metadata, c_metadata, fields, and names only exist on old-style dtypes #25802 in (@seberg)
• Last ABI-breaking PR, still to be opened by @seberg: API: Restructure the dtype struct to be new dtype friendly #25943

Other things:

• Another pass over the release notes (@rgommers) (DOC: update and copy-edit 2.0.0 release notes #25921, DOC: 2.0 release highlights and compat notes changes #25937)
• May want to get API: Remove broadcasting ambiguity from np.linalg.solve #25914 in if there are no objections to that one

Everything else under the 2.0.0 milestone seems like it can wait.