docs(runbooks): the PR flow, not git push origin main -- that instruction is now blocked

main became a protected branch on 2026-09-29, so the direct push that 37 of 39 runbooks
instructed is REJECTED. The wording was merely stale before; it is now actively wrong,
and it is the line an operator reads mid-incident.

Every occurrence now describes the real path: push a branch, open a PR, merge once the
gate is green -- that merge is the deploy. 35 files shared one identical block;
flux-reconcile.md, README.md and plex-claim.md each said it their own way and were
corrected individually.

plex-claim.md is rewritten around the delivery loop and records that THE SERVER IS NOW
CLAIMED (PlexOnlineToken present in /config), so PLEX_CLAIM is a permanent no-op and the
page only applies after a /config wipe.

Adds infra/plex/claim-ship.sh, which drives branch -> commit -> push -> PR -> gate ->
merge -> reconcile -> pod roll -> verdict with a stopwatch. Three steps are easy to lose
under time pressure and two are SILENT when skipped: --with-source (without it the
Kustomization applies the previously-fetched revision), the mandatory rollout restart
(only the ciphertext changes, so the pod template is byte-identical and nothing restarts
itself), and the feat/ branch prefix (act_runner capacity is 1, and a prefix inside
gate.yml's push trigger fires a redundant run that serialises ahead of the PR run).

Drops the "~4-minute TTL" the page asserted in four places. It was uncited, and upstream
pms-docker documents no expiry at all. The countdown on plex.tv/claim is the authority.
Measured loop: ~2m45s.

DECISIONS-LOG carries the PM handoff: both halves of the 2026-08-31 CI claim were false,
the stale-.runner root cause, the four-deep Flux dependency cascade, and the correction
that a skipped Gitea job reports success rather than hanging.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 (1M context) <[email protected]>

runbooks/README.md

@@ -33,7 +33,8 @@ negative is how a CLI quirk becomes real data loss. Write `backups.velero.io`,
 `backups.postgresql.cnpg.io`, `clusters.postgresql.cnpg.io`, `settings.longhorn.io`,
 `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
-`git push origin main` **is** the deploy; there is no other apply step. Durable changes go through git.
+Merging a PR into `main` **is** the deploy; there is no other apply step. `main` is protected, so a
+direct push is rejected — durable changes go through a branch, a PR, and a green gate.
 
 ## Alerts you should not trust the silence of (measured 2026-09-13)
 

runbooks/backup-failure.md

@@ -62,8 +62,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/backup-missed.md

@@ -61,8 +61,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/backup-partial.md

@@ -78,8 +78,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/cdi-import-stuck.md

@@ -55,8 +55,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/cert-expiry.md

@@ -62,8 +62,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/cert-issuance.md

@@ -63,8 +63,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/cnpg-archiving.md

@@ -87,8 +87,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/cnpg-backup-missed.md

@@ -69,8 +69,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/cnpg-exporter.md

@@ -71,8 +71,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/cnpg-primary-spread.md

@@ -68,8 +68,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/cnpg-wal-growth.md

@@ -61,8 +61,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/denied-flows.md

@@ -62,8 +62,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/flux-reconcile.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 ## What this means here
 
 Something in the GitOps chain is stuck at Ready=False. On this cluster that is more consequential than
-it sounds, because **`git push origin main` IS the deploy** — there is no other apply step. A stuck
+it sounds, because **merging a PR into `main` IS the deploy** — there is no other apply step. A stuck
 Kustomization means git and the cluster have diverged and nothing will close the gap.
 
 The chain has **14 tiers**: `flux-system` → `cilium` → `platform` → `platform-config` →
@@ -61,8 +61,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/flux-suspended.md

@@ -58,8 +58,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/image-automation.md

@@ -53,8 +53,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/image-policy-stalled.md

@@ -53,8 +53,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/keycloak-client-secrets.md

@@ -87,8 +87,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/keycloak-db.md

@@ -67,8 +67,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/keycloak-down.md

@@ -59,8 +59,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/kubevirt-control-plane.md

@@ -57,8 +57,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/kubevirt-crashloop.md

@@ -53,8 +53,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/kubevirt-launch-failed.md

@@ -62,8 +62,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/longhorn-capacity.md

@@ -83,8 +83,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/longhorn-degraded.md

@@ -74,8 +74,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/longhorn-faulted.md

@@ -75,8 +75,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/monitoring-capacity.md

@@ -52,8 +52,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/node-cpu.md

@@ -49,8 +49,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/node-disk.md

@@ -56,8 +56,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/node-down.md

@@ -56,8 +56,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/node-io.md

@@ -227,8 +227,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/node-memory.md

@@ -52,8 +52,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/plex-claim.md

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# plex-claim — claiming the Plex Media Server inside the 4-minute token window
+# plex-claim — claiming the Plex Media Server inside the token window
 
 **Alert:** none. This is an **operator procedure**, not an incident page — it is indexed here because
 it is the page you need at the moment you need it, with a stopwatch running.
@@ -14,10 +14,11 @@ server to a plex.tv account. It is a **one-shot** operation: the token is exchan
 the `PLEX_CLAIM` env is **ignored on every start** (upstream gate:
 `[ ! -z "${PLEX_CLAIM}" ] && [ -z "${token}" ]` in `root/etc/cont-init.d/40-plex-first-run`).
 
-**A `https://plex.tv/claim` token lives ~4 minutes.** That is shorter than commit → push → Flux's
-10-minute reconcile interval → pod roll if you let those run on their own timers, which is why this
-page exists: every step below is written to be run back-to-back, with the reconcile **forced** rather
-than waited for. Budget: token in hand at T+0, pod restarted by roughly T+2:00.
+**A `https://plex.tv/claim` token is short-lived — minutes, not hours.** Read the countdown the
+claim page shows you; do not budget against a number written here. That is shorter than PR → gate →
+merge → Flux's 10-minute reconcile interval → pod roll if you let those run on their own timers,
+which is why this page exists: the loop is scripted and the reconcile is **forced** rather than
+waited for. Measured end to end on 2026-09-29: **~2m45s**.
 
 **An expired or wrong token does not break anything.** Verified against the image's own first-run
 script (and the copy inside `plexinc/pms-docker:latest`): a failed exchange gets a 403 with an empty
@@ -66,81 +67,84 @@ infra/devcontainer/dev.sh run bash -c \
   'kubectl --context k3s-prod -n flux-system get kustomization apps-wave-0'
 ```
 
-## The 4-minute procedure
+## The procedure
 
-Have this page open and do not stop between steps.
+> **STATUS: this server was CLAIMED on 2026-09-29** and `PlexOnlineToken` is present in
+> `/config` on the `plex-config` PVC. The upstream exchange is gated on that pref being
+> *absent*, so `PLEX_CLAIM` is now a **no-op on every start** whatever it holds. You only need
+> this page again after a `/config` wipe or a rebuild onto an empty PVC.
+
+**On the clock.** The token is short-lived — **read the countdown that plex.tv/claim shows you**
+rather than trusting a number written here. (Earlier revisions of this page asserted a "~4-minute
+TTL" in four places with no citation; upstream `pms-docker` documents no expiry at all. The page
+is the only authority, and it is on screen at T+0.)
+
+**A burnt token costs nothing.** An expired token gets a 403 with an empty body, `curl`'s status is
+never checked, the `if` does not fire, there is no `else` and no `exit 1`, and the script (no
+`set -e`) exits 0. The pod comes up unclaimed and serving. So retry freely.
+
+### One command
 
 1. **T+0 — get the token.** Sign in to plex.tv as the account that should OWN this server, open
-   <https://plex.tv/claim>, copy the `claim-…` string. The clock starts now.
+   <https://plex.tv/claim>, copy the `claim-…` string.
 
-2. **T+0:15 — put it in the Secret**, in place, encrypted, without it ever touching a plaintext file:
+2. **Put it in the Secret** — in place, encrypted, never touching a plaintext file:
 
    ```
    infra/devcontainer/dev.sh run sops apps/wave-0/plex-claim-secret.sops.yaml
    ```
 
-   Replace the `PLEX_CLAIM:` value (the placeholder `replace-me-with-a-fresh-plex-tv-claim-token`, or
-   a previous expired token) and save. `sops` re-encrypts on write to the committed age recipient.
-
-3. **T+0:45 — commit and push.** `git push origin main` **is** the deploy; there is no other apply
-   step.
+3. **Ship it.** This drives the whole delivery loop and prints a running stopwatch:
 
    ```
-   git add apps/wave-0/plex-claim-secret.sops.yaml
-   git commit -m 'chore(plex): fresh plex.tv claim token'
-   git push origin main
+   ./infra/plex/claim-ship.sh
    ```
 
-4. **T+1:00 — force the reconcile immediately. This is the one command that saves the window** — it
-   pulls the new commit and re-applies wave 0 instead of waiting up to 10 minutes for the interval:
+   branch → commit → push → PR → gate → merge → `flux reconcile --with-source` → `rollout restart`
+   → verdict. It refuses to run if the file is unchanged or not encrypted.
 
-   ```
-   infra/devcontainer/dev.sh run bash -c \
-     'flux --context k3s-prod -n flux-system reconcile kustomization apps-wave-0 --with-source'
-   ```
+**Measured end to end, 2026-09-29: ~2m45s.** Gate ~1m40s, merge + reconcile ~25s, pod roll and
+container start ~30s.
 
-   `--with-source` is the load-bearing flag: it reconciles the `flux-system` GitRepository first, so
-   the Kustomization applies **your commit** and not the previously-fetched revision.
+### Why it is a script and not six pasted commands
 
-5. **T+1:30 — roll the pod.** This step is **mandatory and easy to forget**: a changed Secret does
-   **not** restart anything. `PLEX_CLAIM` is injected by `secretKeyRef` and read only at container
-   start, and the Deployment's pod template is byte-identical across this change, so Flux applies the
-   new Secret and the running pod keeps the old value forever.
+`main` is a **protected branch** — the direct push this page used to instruct is now rejected — so
+the deploy is a PR merged after a green gate. Three of those steps are easy to get wrong under time
+pressure, and two are silent when skipped:
 
-   ```
-   infra/devcontainer/dev.sh run bash -c \
-     'kubectl --context k3s-prod -n plex rollout restart deployment/plex'
-   ```
+- **`--with-source` is load-bearing.** Without it the Kustomization applies the previously-fetched
+  revision, not your commit.
+- **The pod roll is mandatory.** Only the Secret's ciphertext changes, so the Deployment's pod
+  template is byte-identical and *nothing restarts on its own*. `PLEX_CLAIM` is read once, at
+  container start. Skip this and the new Secret sits in the cluster while the running pod keeps the
+  old value forever.
+- **The branch is named `feat/…` on purpose.** `act_runner` capacity is 1, and `gate.yml`'s push
+  trigger covers `feature/** fix/** docs/** chore/**` but *not* `feat/**`. A `chore/` branch fires a
+  second redundant run that serialises ahead of the PR run and roughly doubles the wall clock.
 
-6. **T+2:00 — confirm the exchange happened**, in the new pod's init log:
+### Reading the verdict
 
-   ```
-   infra/devcontainer/dev.sh run bash -c \
-     'kubectl --context k3s-prod -n plex logs deploy/plex --since=5m | grep -i -e claim -e token'
-   ```
+* `Attempting to obtain server token from claim token` **and** `Token obtained successfully`
+  ⇒ **claimed.** Re-run the First-commands `PlexOnlineToken=` check to confirm it persisted, then
+  create the libraries over `/media/movies`, `/media/tv`, `/media/photos`.
+* `Attempting…` with **no** success line ⇒ the token was expired or invalid. Nothing is broken; go
+  back to step 1 with a new one.
+* **Neither line** ⇒ the exchange was skipped: `/config` already had a `PlexOnlineToken` (already
+  claimed — the expected case now), or the env did not reach the container. Check by NAME only:
 
-   * `Attempting to obtain server token from claim token` **and** `Token obtained successfully`
-     ⇒ **claimed.** Re-run the First-commands `PlexOnlineToken=` check to confirm it persisted, then
-     create the libraries over `/media/movies`, `/media/tv`, `/media/photos`.
-   * `Attempting to obtain server token from claim token` with **no** success line ⇒ the token was
-     expired or invalid. Nothing is broken; go back to step 1 with a new token.
-   * **Neither line** ⇒ the exchange was skipped, which means `/config` already had a
-     `PlexOnlineToken` (already claimed) or the env did not reach the container. Check the pod actually
-     has the variable, by NAME only:
-
-     ```
-     infra/devcontainer/dev.sh run bash -c \
-       'kubectl --context k3s-prod -n plex get pod -l app.kubernetes.io/name=plex \
-          -o jsonpath="{.items[0].spec.containers[0].env[*].name}"'
-     ```
+  ```
+  infra/devcontainer/dev.sh run bash -c \
+    'kubectl --context k3s-prod -n plex get pod -l app.kubernetes.io/name=plex \
+       -o jsonpath="{.items[0].spec.containers[0].env[*].name}"'
+  ```
 
 ## Likely causes, most likely first
 
 When the claim does not take, in order of how often it is the answer here:
 
-1. **The token expired** — you spent more than ~4 minutes, usually in step 3 or waiting on step 4.
-   Symptom: the "Attempting…" line with no success line. Remedy: a new token, and force the reconcile
-   rather than waiting for it.
+1. **The token expired** — you exceeded the countdown, usually by reviewing the PR instead of
+   merging it the moment the gate went green. Symptom: the "Attempting…" line with no success line.
+   Remedy: a new token, and let `claim-ship.sh` drive the loop rather than pasting steps.
 2. **The pod was never restarted** (step 5 skipped). Symptom: no claim log lines at all from a pod
    whose `AGE` predates your push. The Secret is correct in git and in the cluster and the running
    container still holds the placeholder.

runbooks/pvc-capacity.md

@@ -58,8 +58,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/targets-down.md

@@ -60,8 +60,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/update-rollback.md

@@ -54,8 +54,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands
 

runbooks/vpn-down.md

@@ -66,8 +66,10 @@ a cluster holding 6 Velero backups and 27 CNPG backups. Verified on prod 2026-09
 `settings.longhorn.io`, `volumes.longhorn.io`, `nodes.longhorn.io`.
 
 Mutating kubectl (`apply`, `patch`, `annotate`, `rollout`) and `flux reconcile` are blocked for
-agents here: every durable change goes through git (`git push origin main` **is** the deploy).
-Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator, and it says so.
+agents here: every durable change goes through git. **`main` is a protected branch — a direct push
+is rejected.** A change lands by pushing a branch, opening a PR, and merging it once the gate is
+green; that merge is the deploy. Where this runbook gives a mutating command it is for an operator,
+and it says so.
 
 ## First commands