diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml
index e15185e..5352f72 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml
@@ -23,11 +23,25 @@ jobs:
         run: bash infra/bootstrap/test-host-guard.sh
       - name: Check verifier helper argument guard
         run: bash infra/bootstrap/test-verify-helper.sh
+      - name: Check host audit root guard
+        run: bash infra/bootstrap/test-audit-host.sh
+      - name: Check Compose helper allowlist
+        run: bash infra/deploy/test-compose-helper.sh
+      - name: Check production config root guard
+        run: bash infra/deploy/test-production-config-guard.sh
+      - name: Check runner config and isolation guards
+        run: |
+          bash infra/runner/test-runner-config.sh
+          bash infra/runner/test-install-runner-guard.sh
       - name: Check infrastructure shell syntax
         run: |
           bash -n infra/bootstrap/bootstrap-ubuntu-24.04.sh infra/bootstrap/host-guard.sh \
-            infra/bootstrap/verify.sh infra/bootstrap/verify-helper.sh infra/deploy/install-helper.sh \
-            infra/bootstrap/test-verify-helper.sh
+            infra/bootstrap/verify.sh infra/bootstrap/verify-helper.sh infra/bootstrap/audit-host.sh \
+            infra/deploy/install-helper.sh infra/deploy/compose-helper.sh infra/deploy/test-compose-helper.sh \
+            infra/deploy/prepare-production-config.sh infra/deploy/test-production-config-guard.sh \
+            infra/bootstrap/test-audit-host.sh infra/bootstrap/test-verify-helper.sh \
+            infra/runner/install-runner.sh infra/runner/act-runner-healthcheck.sh \
+            infra/runner/test-runner-config.sh infra/runner/test-install-runner-guard.sh
       - name: Run rollback helper tests
         run: python3 -m unittest discover -s infra/deploy -p 'test_*.py' -v
       - name: Validate production Compose and Caddyfile
diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/runner-smoke.yaml b/.gitea/workflows/runner-smoke.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e7ca9c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/runner-smoke.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+name: Runner smoke test
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+  workflow_dispatch:
+
+jobs:
+  runner-smoke:
+    runs-on: akyldash-ci
+    steps:
+      - name: Verify isolated runner boundary
+        run: |
+          host_uid=$(awk 'NR == 1 {print $2}' /proc/self/uid_map)
+          test "$host_uid" -gt 0
+          test ! -S /var/run/docker.sock
+          test ! -e /run/user/1000/docker.sock
+          test -z "${DOCKER_HOST:-}"
+          test ! -e /etc/akyldash/production.env
+          test ! -e /etc/akyldash/review_secret
+          test ! -e /opt/akyldash/current
+          printf 'Isolated runner: version=%s host=%s uid-map=%s\n' \
+            "$GITEA_ACTIONS_RUNNER_VERSION" "$(hostname)" "$host_uid"
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 07077e7..6d5c131 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -13,6 +13,13 @@ Python, SQLite и OpenSearch. Production пока не развернут.
 - SSH alias — `akyldash_vps`; используй только read-only диагностику. Не давай
   `codex` общий sudo или доступ к Docker socket. Root-действия требует владелец.
   Для Gitea используй `gitea-api`, не читай файлы с учётными данными.
+- Репозиторный Gitea Actions runner описан в
+  [CI_RUNNER.md](docs/operations/CI_RUNNER.md). Регистрация выполняется
+  владельцем через Settings → Actions → Runners для `admin/akyldash`; токен
+  вводится интерактивно и не попадает в Git. Runner использует отдельный
+  rootless Docker daemon; job-контейнеры не получают Docker socket или
+  production secrets. Не включай production deployment из CI без отдельного
+  проверенного deploy-helper.
 - Локальные проверки: `PYTHONPATH=backend python3 -m unittest discover -s backend -p 'test_*.py' -v` и
   `python3 -m unittest discover -s tools/telegram-bot -p 'test_*.py' -v`,
   `python3 -m unittest discover -s infra/backup -p 'test_*.py' -v` и
diff --git a/deploy/production/README.md b/deploy/production/README.md
index ec0b0d3..b6caa67 100644
--- a/deploy/production/README.md
+++ b/deploy/production/README.md
@@ -14,18 +14,26 @@ account is intentionally outside the `sudo` and `docker` groups because access
 to the Docker socket grants root-equivalent control. Run host operations with
 the narrowly required `sudo` command; do not use `docker` as `codex` directly.
 
-```bash
-sudo install -d -o root -g root -m 0700 /etc/akyldash
-sudo install -o root -g root -m 0600 deploy/production/.env.example /etc/akyldash/production.env
-sudo sh -c 'umask 077; openssl rand -hex 32 > /etc/akyldash/review_secret'
-sudoedit /etc/akyldash/production.env
-```
+After reviewing the host audit and confirming these files do not already exist,
+the owner can create them from the approved checkout with
+`sudo bash infra/deploy/prepare-production-config.sh`. The script refuses to
+overwrite existing configuration, installs the tracked env example with mode
+`0600`, and generates a random review secret with mode `0600`. It does not
+start Compose or create volumes. Review and set `DATA_ROOT` in the protected
+env file before deployment.
 
 Set `DATA_ROOT` to the approved data directory and ensure the normalized corpus
 is at `$DATA_ROOT/minjust-normalized/`. The first host setup is documented in
 [`docs/operations/DEPLOYMENT.md`](../../docs/operations/DEPLOYMENT.md); the
 root bootstrap installs packages and creates directories, but does not deploy
-the application or alter SSH, firewall, user groups, or sudoers.
+the application or alter SSH, firewall, user groups, or sudoers. The restricted
+`akyldash-compose` helper allows only root-owned Compose `config` and `status`;
+service start/stop remains an owner-run root operation.
+
+The repository Gitea Actions runner is an isolated CI worker described in
+[`docs/operations/CI_RUNNER.md`](../../docs/operations/CI_RUNNER.md). It has no
+production Docker socket, production env files, or application checkout. CI
+does not deploy or change production; all deployment remains owner-run.
 
 ## First deployment and upgrades
 
diff --git a/docs/operations/ACCESS.md b/docs/operations/ACCESS.md
index c33fd9b..156f89c 100644
--- a/docs/operations/ACCESS.md
+++ b/docs/operations/ACCESS.md
@@ -8,7 +8,8 @@ printing key contents, then check the connection:
 ```bash
 ssh -F ~/.ssh/config -G akyldash_vps | awk '$1 == "hostname" || $1 == "user" || $1 == "port" || $1 == "identityfile" { print }'
 test -r ~/.ssh/akyldash_codex && echo 'SSH key is available'
-ssh -F ~/.ssh/config -o BatchMode=yes akyldash_vps 'id; hostname'
+ssh -F ~/.ssh/config -o BatchMode=yes akyldash_vps id
+ssh -F ~/.ssh/config -o BatchMode=yes akyldash_vps hostname -f
 gitea-api GET /version
 gitea-api GET /repos/admin/akyldash
 ```
@@ -21,14 +22,24 @@ checks. Never print a private key, token, or complete environment file.
 - SSH alias: `akyldash_vps`, user `codex`, host `206.223.249.118`, port `22`.
 - SSH configuration: `~/.ssh/config`.
 - Identity file: `~/.ssh/akyldash_codex` (path only; never copy its contents).
-- `codex` can run unprivileged read-only diagnostics. The audited account has no
-  non-interactive sudo and must not be added to `sudo` or the `docker` group.
-- Host package installation, service setup, firewall changes, secret creation,
-  backup creation, recovery apply, and deployment require owner approval and a
-  reviewed root command. After the owner installs the root-owned repository
-  checkout, `infra/deploy/install-helper.sh` can grant a fixed read-only
-  verifier and guarded rollback command through sudoers; neither helper is
-  installed on the audited VPS.
+- `codex` can run unprivileged read-only diagnostics. It has no sudo or Docker
+  group membership; Docker CLI access to the daemon is denied. Do not add it to
+  either group.
+- Bootstrap is complete. Docker and Compose are active, but no root-owned
+  repository checkout or restricted helper is installed yet. The owner can run
+  `infra/bootstrap/audit-host.sh` from the reviewed root-owned checkout to
+  report Docker containers/volumes, protected-file metadata, UFW rules, ports,
+  and ISPmanager status without showing secret contents or changing state.
+- Host package/service configuration, firewall changes, protected env/secret
+  creation, backup creation, recovery apply, and production deployment require
+  a reviewed owner/root command. `infra/deploy/install-helper.sh` grants the
+  fixed verifier, read-only Compose `config`/`status`, and guarded rollback
+  commands. It does not grant general sudo or Docker access; it is not
+  installed on the VPS.
+- `infra/deploy/prepare-production-config.sh` is an owner-run root operation.
+  It refuses to overwrite existing files, copies only the tracked env example,
+  generates a random review secret, and writes both files with mode `0600`.
+  It does not start Compose or create volumes.
 - Never connect to other VPS hosts or Synology as part of this deployment.
 
 This execution environment is WSL2. The repository is on the Windows-mounted
@@ -47,19 +58,27 @@ limitation and do not retrieve it elsewhere.
   environment. Never inspect local credential files, print environment values,
   or construct HTTP authorization headers.
 - The audited API token can read/write this repository and create issues, but
-  does not have `read:user` or `read:package`. An API `403` caused by a missing
-  scope is not evidence that the account itself lacks the permission.
+  does not have `read:user` or `read:package`. Listing repository Actions
+  runners returns `403` because the API principal is not the repository owner.
+  An API `403` caused by missing scope/ownership is not evidence that no runner
+  exists.
 - Protected `main` requires one approval. Do not push directly to `main`, merge
   automatically, or start a review. Work on a feature branch and use a PR.
-- Gitea Actions and package features are enabled for the repository, but runner
-  availability and package publishing permissions have not been confirmed.
+- Gitea Actions and package features are enabled for the repository. The Actions
+  task API currently returns no runs, but runner availability and package
+  publishing permissions have not been confirmed. The repository-level runner
+  is prepared by `infra/runner/install-runner.sh`, but is not installed or
+  registered yet. Only a repository owner may obtain its registration token in
+  `admin/akyldash` Settings → Actions → Runners; do not use organization or
+  instance tokens and never put the token in Git, a command argument, or a
+  report. See [CI_RUNNER.md](CI_RUNNER.md).
 
 ## Who can do what
 
 | Role | Operations |
 |---|---|
-| `codex` over SSH | Read-only host diagnostics; inspect service health and public listeners |
-| Restricted verifier | Runs the root-owned read-only drift check; not installed on the audited VPS |
+| `codex` over SSH | Unprivileged diagnostics; Docker daemon, UFW rules, and protected paths require the root audit script |
+| Restricted helpers | Read-only drift check and Compose `config`/`status`, plus guarded rollback; not installed on the audited VPS |
 | Restricted rollback helper | Can restore prior local backend/OpenSearch images from a verified backup after an explicit data-compatibility confirmation; not installed on the audited VPS |
 | VPS owner/root | Bootstrap, package installation, SSH/firewall, secret setup, recovery, and approval of production changes |
 | Gitea repository writer | Feature branch push and PR creation; protected-main merge needs an approval |
diff --git a/docs/operations/CI_RUNNER.md b/docs/operations/CI_RUNNER.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..410335c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/operations/CI_RUNNER.md
@@ -0,0 +1,138 @@
+# AkylDash Gitea Actions runner
+
+## Scope and isolation
+
+The deployment follows the official [Gitea 1.25 act_runner guide](https://docs.gitea.com/1.25/usage/actions/act-runner/)
+for repository-scoped registration. Gitea warns that access to a Docker daemon
+is root-equivalent; the dedicated rootless daemon is used instead of the
+production daemon. The pinned binary and checksum are published in the
+[official Gitea download directory](https://dl.gitea.com/gitea-runner/0.2.13/).
+
+The runner is reserved to repository `admin/akyldash`, using the token under
+`https://git.vakanaut.ru/admin/akyldash/settings/actions/runners`. Do not use
+organization or instance runner settings. Pin the official `act_runner`
+`0.2.13` x86_64 binary from `dl.gitea.com`; the installer verifies its SHA-256
+before placing it on the host.
+
+CI jobs run in `docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-24.04` containers with
+capacity 1, per-job limits of 2 CPU, 3 GiB RAM and 512 processes, and a 15 GiB
+dedicated ext4 loop-backed Docker data filesystem. The rootless Docker daemon
+and runner user are separate from production Docker; `codex` is not added to
+sudo or Docker groups. Jobs do not receive the rootless Docker socket, the
+production Docker socket, production environment/secrets, or arbitrary host
+bind mounts. The runner account has no access to `/etc/akyldash` or the
+root-owned application checkout. These are host permission boundaries, not a
+claim that untrusted project code is safe; review workflow changes and actions
+before merging them.
+
+The runner service restarts on failure and boot. Systemd caps the runner
+account's shared slice to 2.5 CPU, 4 GiB RAM and 2048 tasks; the rootless
+daemon is separately capped to 2 CPU, 4 GiB and 1024 tasks, while each job has
+the limits above. Runner logs go to a rotated file (10 MiB, 7 copies). A
+systemd timer checks the runner service and the rootless Docker API each minute;
+on failure it restarts the fixed runner service. No UFW changes or public
+metrics ports are needed. Runner cache is disabled.
+
+The label `akyldash-ci` is used by `runner-smoke.yaml` on pull requests, pushes
+to `main`, and manual dispatch. Existing CI image-build work remains on its current
+`ubuntu-latest` target until it has been tested separately against the
+isolated runner.
+Production deployment is not automated.
+
+## Installation and registration
+
+Review the root script and host audit output before running it. It installs
+`uidmap`, `dbus-user-session`, `curl`, `logrotate`, and Docker's rootless extras;
+creates the dedicated system user and selects the first free, shared 65536-ID
+range from `/etc/subuid` and `/etc/subgid`; reserves 15 GiB
+for runner images/workspaces; and configures systemd services. It starts only
+the separate rootless Docker daemon; the runner and health timer stay disabled
+until repository registration. It does not change
+SSH/UFW, production Docker configuration, application data, or production
+secrets. It refuses to overwrite existing runner paths and requires at least
+25 GiB free on `/` before reserving storage.
+
+If the reviewed checkout is not present at the inventoried path, first verify
+that the target is absent and clone the reviewed PR branch there. This path is
+currently absent per the read-only audit; do not overwrite it if that changes.
+
+```bash
+sudo test ! -e /opt/akyldash/current
+sudo git clone --branch feature/infrastructure-deployment-phase-2 \
+  --single-branch https://git.vakanaut.ru/admin/akyldash.git \
+  /opt/akyldash/current
+```
+
+From that root-owned reviewed checkout on the VPS:
+
+```bash
+sudo bash /opt/akyldash/current/infra/runner/install-runner.sh
+```
+
+Then, as a repository owner, open repository **Settings → Actions → Runners**,
+create a repository-level runner, and copy its registration token locally. Do
+not send the token in chat or save it in the checkout. Register interactively
+in a terminal so it is not placed in shell history or process arguments:
+
+```bash
+sudo -u akyldash-runner -H /usr/local/bin/act_runner \
+  --config /etc/akyldash-runner/config.yaml register
+```
+
+Enter `https://git.vakanaut.ru/`, the token, runner name `akyldash-ci-vps-01`,
+and label `akyldash-ci:docker://docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-24.04`
+when prompted. The config sets the label and capacity; verify them in the
+repository runner settings. The token is saved only in the mode-0700 runner
+state directory, outside Git. Start/enable the runner after registration:
+
+```bash
+sudo systemctl enable --now akyldash-act-runner.service
+sudo systemctl enable --now akyldash-runner-healthcheck.timer
+sudo systemctl status akyldash-act-runner.service
+sudo systemctl status akyldash-runner-healthcheck.timer
+```
+
+The interactive command's terminal behavior should be confirmed before pasting
+the token. If it echoes input, stop and use the repository settings to revoke
+that token; do not put it in command-line arguments or environment variables.
+
+## Validation
+
+1. Confirm the runner is **Online** in the repository runner settings, with the
+   expected name and `akyldash-ci` label.
+2. Confirm **Runner smoke test** runs for the open PR (or dispatch it manually).
+   It checks that production
+   sockets, files, environment secrets, and writable application paths are not
+   present in the job container.
+3. Confirm the run reports the expected runner, succeeds, and the runner
+   service and health timer remain active.
+4. Only after the repository owner reviews this boundary should CI jobs be moved
+   to `akyldash-ci`. Do not add a production deploy workflow or secrets to this
+   runner until a separate restricted deploy mechanism is reviewed.
+
+## Upgrade
+
+Update `runner_version` and its expected official SHA-256 together in
+`infra/runner/install-runner.sh`, review upstream release compatibility with
+the installed Gitea, and open a PR. From the reviewed checkout, re-run the
+installer only after resolving its existing-path guards. Do not replace the
+binary while a job is active. Stop the runner, install/verify the new binary,
+then start it and confirm Online plus a smoke run. Preserve `/var/lib/akyldash-runner/.runner`.
+
+## Recovery and rollback
+
+The runner is disposable: production data and secrets are not on its filesystem.
+For a runner process failure, inspect `systemctl status` and
+`journalctl -u akyldash-act-runner.service`; restart the fixed runner service.
+For lost/corrupt registration state, stop the service and obtain a fresh
+repository-level token from Settings → Actions → Runners. Preserve the 15 GiB
+data image and state for diagnosis; re-register only after the repository
+owner confirms/revokes the old runner in Gitea. The images/cache can be rebuilt
+from the workflow. Never format or remove an existing runner store as an
+automatic recovery step.
+
+## Status
+
+The configuration and scripts are prepared in Git. They have not been
+installed on the VPS, a repository-level token is not available to this agent,
+and no runner Online state or workflow execution is claimed yet.
diff --git a/docs/operations/CURRENT_STATE.md b/docs/operations/CURRENT_STATE.md
index 5aaf858..a3cbb8d 100644
--- a/docs/operations/CURRENT_STATE.md
+++ b/docs/operations/CURRENT_STATE.md
@@ -1,31 +1,46 @@
 # Infrastructure current state
 
-Last audit: 2026-10-11. Source: read-only SSH session as `codex`, local
-repository inspection, and Gitea API. This document separates measured facts
-from planned configuration.
+Last audit: 2026-10-12. Source: read-only SSH session as `codex`, owner-reported
+UFW state, local repository inspection, and Gitea API. Root-only Docker state,
+UFW rule details, and protected file metadata remain unverified.
 
 ## VPS facts
 
 - Host: `avprogs.hlab.kz`, `206.223.249.118`, SSH port `22`, user `codex`.
-- OS/kernel: Ubuntu Server `24.04.5 LTS`, `6.8.0-142-generic`.
-- Resources: 4 vCPU, 7.7 GiB RAM, 3.8 GiB swap, 99 GiB disk with 93 GiB free.
+- OS: Ubuntu Server `24.04.5 LTS`; kernel `6.8.0-142-generic` from the prior
+  inventory audit.
+- Resources: 4 vCPU, 7.7 GiB RAM, 3.8 GiB swap, 99 GiB disk with 92 GiB free
+  at this audit.
 - Network: interface `ens3`, IPv4 `206.223.249.118/32`.
 - `codex` is UID/GID 1000, groups `codex` and `users`; `sudo -n true` requires
-  a password. The current WSL2 session verified the SSH alias using the
-  explicit user config and approved read-only SSH execution.
+  a password. Docker CLI cannot access `/var/run/docker.sock` as `codex`.
 - SSH service is running. The inspected sshd configuration has public-key and
   password authentication enabled and `PermitRootLogin yes`; no SSH changes
   were made.
-- Docker, Docker Compose, Git, Nginx, Caddy, Certbot, application paths, and
-  application services are absent. Only base OS services and SSH were running.
-- Public listeners observed: TCP `22`; DNS listeners are limited to loopback
-  (`127.0.0.53` and `127.0.0.54`).
-- UFW is reported active in the supplied VPS notes, but the audit account could
-  not independently read its status. Treat firewall state and rules as
-  unverified.
-- `akyldash.kg` resolves to Cloudflare IPv4/IPv6 edge addresses from the VPS.
-  Both HTTP and HTTPS return Cloudflare `521`; the origin is currently
-  unreachable through the proxy.
+- Bootstrap completed. Docker CE/CLI `29.9.0`, Compose `5.6.0`, containerd
+  `2.4.1`, and runc `1.5.2` are installed; package versions and active Docker
+  service were independently checked. The Docker daemon API remains root-only.
+- `/etc/docker/daemon.json` has the expected `local` log driver and `10m` / `3`
+  rotation limits. Bootstrap paths exist with root ownership: `/opt/akyldash`
+  mode `0755`, `/etc/akyldash` and `/var/backups/akyldash` mode `0700`, and
+  `/var/lib/akyldash/data` mode `0750`.
+- `/opt/akyldash/current`, verifier/rollback binaries, and the sudoers file are
+  absent. `codex` has not received sudo or Docker-group access. Metadata for
+  `/etc/akyldash/production.env` and `/etc/akyldash/review_secret` could not be
+  checked because `/etc/akyldash` is root-only.
+- TCP listeners observed: SSH `22` and loopback DNS only; no listener on `1500`,
+  `80`, or `443`. No ISPmanager package or service unit was found through the
+  unprivileged checks; root can confirm with the audit script below.
+- Owner reports UFW is active and allows TCP `22`, `80`, `443`, and `1500`.
+  Rule details were not independently read; no firewall changes were made.
+- Additional read-only runner checks on 2026-10-12 confirmed `/` is ext4 with
+  about 92 GiB free at the prior audit, `/usr/bin/dockerd-rootless.sh` exists,
+  and `git.vakanaut.ru` resolves to `195.209.48.28`. From the VPS,
+  `https://git.vakanaut.ru/api/v1/version` returned Gitea `1.25.5`; runner
+  registration and Gitea Actions protocol connectivity are not confirmed.
+- `akyldash.kg` resolves to Cloudflare IPv4/IPv6 edge addresses. From the VPS,
+  HTTP, HTTPS, and `/review` still return Cloudflare `521`; origin TLS and
+  Cloudflare Full (strict) are not verified.
 
 ## Application and Gitea facts
 
@@ -33,35 +48,51 @@ from planned configuration.
 - The repository API reports push permission, Actions and packages enabled, and
   PRs enabled. `main` is protected and requires one approval; the current API
   principal cannot push or merge directly to `main`.
-- The Gitea token lacks `read:user` and `read:package`; runner status and package
-  publishing permissions could not be checked. This change adds
-  `.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml`; PR #42's run remains `Waiting to run` at the last
-  status check, so a compatible runner is not confirmed.
-- Nothing is running on the VPS. Repository Compose now describes Caddy
-  `2.11.6` pinned by digest, Python Search API `0.11.3`, SQLite account/review
-  data, and OpenSearch `3.7.0` with `analysis-icu`.
+- The repository runner-list API returns `403` because this API principal is
+  not the repository owner. The Actions task API currently reports no workflow
+  runs; this does not establish runner availability. Runner inventory and
+  package publishing permissions remain unverified.
+- No public application listener is observed on TCP `80`/`443`. Docker
+  container/volume state still requires the root audit. Repository Compose describes
+  Caddy `2.11.6` pinned by digest, Python Search API `0.11.3`, SQLite
+  account/review data, and OpenSearch `3.7.0` with `analysis-icu`.
 - The target publishes only Caddy on TCP `80`/`443`. Backend and Caddy share a
   proxy network; OpenSearch and backend share a separate internal network, and
-  the backend has no host port. Caddy certificate storage, OpenSearch, and
-  application data use persistent volumes/bind mounts. TLS, registry digest
-  deployment for backend/OpenSearch, backup, rollback helper, and systemd
-  deployment are not configured on the host.
+  backend has no host port. Caddy certificate storage, OpenSearch, and
+  application data use persistent volumes/bind mounts.
+- The root-owned repository checkout, production env/secret files, Compose
+  volumes/containers, backup, verifier/rollback helpers, and application are
+  not confirmed installed. TLS and registry digest deployment for
+  backend/OpenSearch are not configured.
 - The repository has a cold-backup archive/verification tool and a one-shot
   restore apply tool that requires a marked replacement host. Backup/restore
   tests use synthetic data; neither tool has run against production. The
-  archive preflight now permits a clean first deployment to skip backup,
-  requires backup for existing persistent data even without containers,
-  allows absent named volumes only in explicit corpus-only initial-deployment
-  mode, and rejects inaccessible/ambiguous mounts and incomplete/running
-  service containers. Initial deployment docs require a second verified backup
-  after index and admin initialization.
+  archive preflight permits a clean first deployment to skip backup, requires
+  backup for existing persistent data even without containers, allows absent
+  named volumes only in explicit corpus-only initial-deployment mode, and
+  rejects inaccessible/ambiguous mounts and incomplete/running service
+  containers. Initial deployment docs require a second verified backup after
+  index and admin initialization.
 - Recovery bootstrap has an explicit `--recovery-target` mode that refuses the
   inventoried production hostname/IP; its host-identity guard has shell tests.
   The mode has not been run on a VPS.
-- The repository defines a root-owned read-only verifier, rollback helper, and
-  owner-run installer with exact sudoers command rules. None is installed on
-  the VPS.
-- An isolated local Compose smoke test built the backend/OpenSearch images,
+- The repository defines a root-owned read-only verifier, Compose `config` and
+  `status` helper, guarded rollback helper, and installer with exact sudoers
+  command rules. None is installed on the VPS. CI contains no production
+  deployment job; starting/stopping services remains owner-run.
+- A repository-scoped official `act_runner` `0.2.13` installation is prepared
+  in `infra/runner/`: rootless Docker under `akyldash-runner`, 15 GiB ext4
+  loop-backed image/workspace storage, capacity 1, per-job limits (2 CPU,
+  3 GiB RAM, 512 processes), account slice limits (2.5 CPU, 4 GiB RAM, 2048
+  tasks), rotated file logs, and a systemd health timer. Jobs use the
+  `akyldash-ci` label and do not receive the rootless or production Docker
+  socket. This is repository code only: no runner package, account, store,
+  service, token, or registration is installed on the VPS.
+- Gitea repository runner inventory could not be read by the current API
+  principal (403). The owner has not supplied runner state, and no runner
+  Online status or runner-hosted workflow is claimed. The manual
+  `runner-smoke.yaml` workflow is prepared but has not run.
+- An isolated local Compose smoke test built backend/OpenSearch images,
   reached healthy status for OpenSearch, backend, and Caddy, and returned HTTP
   200 for `/review` through Caddy. Its containers, networks, and volumes were
   removed afterward. This does not verify VPS startup, DNS, or public TLS.
@@ -71,27 +102,38 @@ from planned configuration.
 
 ## Checks not completed
 
-- SSH completed with the user config explicitly selected; plain SSH was blocked
-  by permissions on a system config include. The private key was not read.
-- UFW rules require root and remain unverified.
+- Docker Engine version from the server API, container and volume inventory,
+  protected env/secret metadata, sudoers, and detailed UFW rules require root.
+  `infra/bootstrap/audit-host.sh` is provided for an owner-run read-only audit.
 - The backup archive/restore tool was tested with synthetic local data; a backup
   and restore of real production data remain unverified because production is
   not deployed.
-- Production instructions now use `/etc/akyldash/production.env` and root-run
-  Docker commands, consistent with the `codex` account's restricted access.
-  Initial deployment and upgrade backup ordering are documented; no production
-  host was changed for this PR.
-- The Cloudflare edge response was checked, but origin DNS configuration,
-  Cloudflare Full (strict), certificate validity, Actions runner availability,
-  registry publishing, and production deployment have not been tested.
-- No packages or services were installed or changed on the VPS.
+- Cloudflare edge response was checked; origin DNS target, origin certificate,
+  Full (strict), runner registration/Online state, registry publishing, and production
+  deployment have not been verified.
+- This audit made no host changes. No package or service was installed by this
+  audit; the owner performed the initial bootstrap beforehand.
 
 ## Next owner actions
 
-1. Review and run the root bootstrap on the dedicated host.
-2. Review SSH/password/root policy and firewall rules separately; this change
-   did not touch them.
-3. Set up DNS, origin certificate, reverse proxy, protected secret files, and
-   initial corpus/index.
-4. Confirm a Gitea Actions runner and package permissions, then test CI and
-   backup/restore before considering automated production deploy.
+1. Install the approved root-owned checkout after its PR is reviewed, then run
+   `sudo bash /opt/akyldash/current/infra/bootstrap/audit-host.sh` and share
+   the output. The script prints no secret values and does not mutate the host.
+2. After reviewing the audit output and confirming the target files are absent,
+   run
+   `sudo bash /opt/akyldash/current/infra/deploy/prepare-production-config.sh`;
+   it refuses to overwrite existing files. Set the approved `DATA_ROOT` and
+   place the approved corpus/index and Cloudflare origin configuration. Do not
+   deploy until data/service state and the required backup path are reviewed.
+3. Run `sudo bash /opt/akyldash/current/infra/deploy/install-helper.sh` after
+   reviewing the checkout; it grants only fixed verification, Compose
+   `config`/`status`, and guarded rollback commands.
+4. After PR review and root audit, run
+   `sudo bash /opt/akyldash/current/infra/runner/install-runner.sh`. In the
+   repository Settings → Actions → Runners create a repository-level runner;
+   enter the token only at the interactive registration prompt as documented
+   in [CI_RUNNER.md](CI_RUNNER.md). Then enable the runner and health timer,
+   confirm **Online**, and dispatch the smoke workflow. Production deployment
+   remains manual and has no CI job.
+5. Test backup/restore and rollback only with synthetic data in an isolated
+   environment before any production deployment.
diff --git a/docs/operations/DEPLOYMENT.md b/docs/operations/DEPLOYMENT.md
index 5ec86dd..167947c 100644
--- a/docs/operations/DEPLOYMENT.md
+++ b/docs/operations/DEPLOYMENT.md
@@ -2,37 +2,53 @@
 
 ## Current status
 
-Production deployment is not enabled or tested on the VPS. An isolated local
-Compose smoke test passed; the VPS has no Docker, Git,
-application data, proxy, registry pull configuration, backup process, or
-restricted verification/rollback helpers. Do not deploy until the owner has
-completed the root bootstrap, provided a protected secret file and a reviewed
-proxy/firewall configuration, and a backup and restore have been tested.
+Production deployment is not enabled or tested on the VPS. The owner completed
+the root bootstrap: Docker/Compose are active and target directories exist.
+The `codex` account cannot access the Docker socket. No root-owned checkout or
+restricted helpers are installed; protected env/secret metadata and Docker
+container/volume state remain unverified because they require root.
+The unprivileged audit sees no listener on `80`, `443`, or `1500`; Cloudflare
+still returns `521`. Do not deploy until the owner has reviewed root-only host
+state, supplied protected configuration and the approved corpus/index, and
+backup/restore have been tested.
 
 ## First host preparation
 
-1. Review the current inventory and state, then have the owner run
-   `sudo bash infra/bootstrap/bootstrap-ubuntu-24.04.sh` from a verified copy
-   of this branch on the VPS. The script installs Docker Engine/Compose and Git,
-   sets Docker log rotation, and creates root-owned paths. It refuses other OS
-   versions and does not change SSH, UFW, sudoers, or user groups. Use
-   `--recovery-target` only on a replacement host; it refuses the known
-   production host identity.
-2. Install the approved repository checkout at `/opt/akyldash/current`,
-   root-owned and not group/world-writable. Copy
-   `deploy/production/.env.example` to `/etc/akyldash/production.env`, set
-   `DATA_ROOT`, and configure
-   `/etc/akyldash/production.env` plus `/etc/akyldash/review_secret` outside
-   Git. The secret file must be root-readable only.
-3. After reviewing the root-owned checkout, run
-   `sudo bash infra/deploy/install-helper.sh`. It installs the backup reader,
-   read-only verifier, and rollback helper with exact sudoers command rules; it
-   does not grant general sudo or Docker access.
-4. Confirm DNS points through Cloudflare to this origin, then have the owner
-   review firewall rules and open only TCP `80` and `443` in addition to the
-   existing SSH access. The Compose Caddy service obtains and renews its HTTPS
-   certificate automatically; Cloudflare Full (strict) still needs owner-side
-   verification.
+1. The initial root bootstrap is complete. After reviewing and merging the
+   infrastructure PR, the owner must install that approved `main` checkout at
+   `/opt/akyldash/current` (the path was absent during the unprivileged audit):
+
+   ```bash
+   sudo git clone --branch main --single-branch https://git.vakanaut.ru/admin/akyldash.git /opt/akyldash/current
+   ```
+
+   The checkout is root-owned by default. Then run
+   `sudo bash /opt/akyldash/current/infra/bootstrap/audit-host.sh`. This
+   read-only audit reports Docker state, protected-file metadata, UFW rules,
+   listeners, and ISPmanager without printing secret contents. Resolve any
+   existing containers, volumes, or data before proceeding; do not overwrite
+   or delete them.
+2. After confirming the existing env and secret do not exist and reviewing the
+   tracked defaults, run
+   `sudo bash /opt/akyldash/current/infra/deploy/prepare-production-config.sh`.
+   It creates `/etc/akyldash/production.env` from the tracked example and
+   generates `/etc/akyldash/review_secret`; both are root-owned mode `0600`.
+   It refuses to overwrite either file and does not start services or create
+   volumes. Review `DATA_ROOT` and place the approved normalized corpus there
+   before deployment.
+3. After reviewing the root-owned checkout and audit output, run
+   `sudo bash /opt/akyldash/current/infra/deploy/install-helper.sh`. It installs
+   the backup reader, read-only verifier, `akyldash-compose config|status`, and
+   rollback helper with exact sudoers command rules. The Compose helper has no
+   start/stop/build operation and grants no direct Docker access. Actual
+   deployments remain owner-run through the documented Compose commands.
+4. Confirm DNS points through Cloudflare to this origin. The owner reports UFW
+   already allows TCP `80` and `443`; read and document the full rules before
+   any firewall decision. TCP `1500` is allowed by owner report but has no
+   observed listener and no ISPmanager package/service was found; the owner
+   must identify its purpose. Do not change UFW as part of this procedure. The
+   Compose Caddy service obtains and renews HTTPS certificates automatically;
+   Cloudflare Full (strict) still needs end-to-end verification.
 5. For a clean first deployment, skip backup only when Compose confirms there
    are no containers and all persistent mounts are empty. If any data exists,
    create and verify a backup before starting a new version. For a preloaded
@@ -49,14 +65,19 @@ proxy/firewall configuration, and a backup and restore have been tested.
    sudo chmod 0600 /opt/akyldash/deployed-image.txt
    ```
 
-Application deployment remains owner-run until registry permissions, a live
-Gitea runner, and a controlled deploy procedure are tested. The helper only
-supports a guarded application rollback.
+Application deployment remains owner-run. A repository-level Actions runner
+installation is prepared in [CI_RUNNER.md](CI_RUNNER.md), but it is not yet
+installed or registered; its Online state and smoke workflow are unverified.
+The runner's job containers have no Docker socket or production secrets. CI has
+no image publishing or production deployment step. The installed sudo helpers
+support fixed verification, read-only Compose `config`/`status`, and guarded
+rollback. They do not start or stop services.
 
 ## CI
 
 `.gitea/workflows/ci.yaml` runs the Python unit suites and builds both
 production images on pull requests and pushes to `main`. It does not publish an
-image or deploy production. Gitea Actions is enabled at repository level, but a
-successful workflow run has not yet confirmed that a compatible runner is
-online.
+image or deploy production. `.gitea/workflows/runner-smoke.yaml` exercises the
+`akyldash-ci` runner on pull requests, pushes to `main`, or manual dispatch.
+Runner registration is incomplete, so neither workflow execution on that
+runner nor current `ubuntu-latest` runner availability has been confirmed.
diff --git a/infra/bootstrap/audit-host.sh b/infra/bootstrap/audit-host.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f48593a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/bootstrap/audit-host.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+if [[ $EUID -ne 0 ]]; then
+  echo "Run this read-only audit as root." >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo '== Host =='
+hostname -f
+grep -E '^(PRETTY_NAME|VERSION_ID)=' /etc/os-release
+nproc
+free -h
+df -h /
+
+echo '== Packages and services =='
+dpkg-query -W docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin
+docker version --format 'Docker Engine {{.Server.Version}}'
+docker compose version
+containerd --version
+runc --version
+systemctl is-active docker
+python3 -c 'import json; d=json.load(open("/etc/docker/daemon.json")); print("Docker logs:", d.get("log-driver"), d.get("log-opts"))'
+
+echo '== Account and paths =='
+id codex
+for path in /opt/akyldash /opt/akyldash/current /etc/akyldash /etc/akyldash/production.env /etc/akyldash/review_secret /var/lib/akyldash/data /var/backups/akyldash /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-verify /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-rollback /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-compose /etc/sudoers.d/akyldash-codex; do
+  if [[ -e $path ]]; then
+    stat -c '%n owner=%U:%G mode=%a type=%F' "$path"
+  else
+    printf '%s absent\n' "$path"
+  fi
+done
+
+echo '== ISPmanager =='
+dpkg-query -W -f='${binary:Package} ${Version}\n' 'ispmanager*' 'ispmgr*' 2>/dev/null || true
+systemctl list-unit-files --type=service --no-legend | grep -iE 'ispmanager|ispmgr' || echo 'No ISPmanager service unit found.'
+
+echo '== Docker state =='
+docker ps -a --format 'table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}\t{{.Ports}}'
+docker volume ls
+
+echo '== Gitea Actions runner (read-only) =='
+if id akyldash-runner >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  id akyldash-runner
+else
+  echo 'akyldash-runner user absent'
+fi
+if command -v act_runner >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  act_runner --version
+else
+  echo 'act_runner binary absent from PATH'
+fi
+for path in /etc/akyldash-runner/config.yaml /var/lib/akyldash-runner/.runner /var/lib/akyldash-runner/docker-store.img; do
+  if [[ -e $path ]]; then
+    stat -c '%n owner=%U:%G mode=%a type=%F' "$path"
+  else
+    printf '%s absent\n' "$path"
+  fi
+done
+systemctl status akyldash-act-runner.service --no-pager --full || true
+systemctl status akyldash-runner-healthcheck.timer --no-pager --full || true
+findmnt /var/lib/akyldash-runner/docker-data || true
+
+echo '== Firewall and listeners (read-only) =='
+ufw status verbose
+ufw status numbered
+ss -lntup
diff --git a/infra/bootstrap/test-audit-host.sh b/infra/bootstrap/test-audit-host.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..63a4adf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/bootstrap/test-audit-host.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+output=$(mktemp)
+trap 'rm -f "$output"' EXIT
+if bash "$(dirname "$0")/audit-host.sh" >"$output" 2>&1; then
+  echo 'Host audit unexpectedly succeeded without root.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+grep -qx 'Run this read-only audit as root.' "$output"
diff --git a/infra/bootstrap/verify.sh b/infra/bootstrap/verify.sh
index 115b367..ffa8f3b 100755
--- a/infra/bootstrap/verify.sh
+++ b/infra/bootstrap/verify.sh
@@ -129,13 +129,14 @@ for endpoint in $udp_listeners; do
   failed=1
 done
 
-expected_sudoers=$'codex ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-verify\ncodex ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-rollback *'
+expected_sudoers=$'codex ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-verify\ncodex ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-rollback *\ncodex ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-compose config\ncodex ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-compose status'
 if [[ -x /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-verify && $(stat -c %U:%a /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-verify) == root:750 && \
       -x /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-rollback && $(stat -c %U:%a /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-rollback) == root:750 && \
+      -x /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-compose && $(stat -c %U:%a /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-compose) == root:750 && \
       -f /usr/local/lib/akyldash/archive.py && $(stat -c %U:%a /usr/local/lib/akyldash/archive.py) == root:644 && \
       -f /etc/sudoers.d/akyldash-codex && $(stat -c %U:%a /etc/sudoers.d/akyldash-codex) == root:440 && \
       $(cat /etc/sudoers.d/akyldash-codex) == "$expected_sudoers" ]]; then
-  echo 'PASS read-only verifier, rollback helper, and exact sudoers rules present'
+  echo 'PASS read-only verifier, Compose status/config helper, rollback helper, and exact sudoers rules present'
 else
   echo 'FAIL restricted helper or sudoers installation missing/different'
   failed=1
diff --git a/infra/deploy/compose-helper.sh b/infra/deploy/compose-helper.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3de785a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/deploy/compose-helper.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,28 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+if [[ $# -ne 1 || ( $1 != config && $1 != status ) ]]; then
+  echo 'Usage: akyldash-compose {config|status}' >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+if [[ $EUID -ne 0 ]]; then
+  echo 'Run this helper through its fixed sudoers command.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+checkout=/opt/akyldash/current
+if [[ ! -d $checkout/.git || -L $checkout || $(stat -c %U "$checkout") != root ]]; then
+  echo 'Refusing Compose access: approved root-owned checkout is unavailable.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+unsafe=$(find "$checkout" -xdev \( ! -user root -o -perm /022 \) -print -quit)
+if [[ -n $unsafe ]]; then
+  echo 'Refusing Compose access: checkout contains a writable or non-root-owned path.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+compose=(docker compose --env-file /etc/akyldash/production.env -f "$checkout/deploy/production/compose.yaml")
+case $1 in
+  config) "${compose[@]}" config --quiet ;;
+  status) "${compose[@]}" ps ;;
+esac
diff --git a/infra/deploy/install-helper.sh b/infra/deploy/install-helper.sh
index 258af93..728c134 100644
--- a/infra/deploy/install-helper.sh
+++ b/infra/deploy/install-helper.sh
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@ checkout=/opt/akyldash/current
 rollback_source=$checkout/infra/deploy/rollback.py
 backup_source=$checkout/infra/backup/archive.py
 verify_source=$checkout/infra/bootstrap/verify-helper.sh
-if [[ ! -d $checkout/.git || ! -f $rollback_source || ! -f $backup_source || ! -f $verify_source ]]; then
+compose_source=$checkout/infra/deploy/compose-helper.sh
+if [[ ! -d $checkout/.git || ! -f $rollback_source || ! -f $backup_source || ! -f $verify_source || ! -f $compose_source ]]; then
   echo "Install the approved repository checkout at $checkout first." >&2
   exit 1
 fi
@@ -43,7 +44,7 @@ if ! command -v visudo >/dev/null 2>&1; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
-for path in /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-verify /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-rollback /usr/local/lib/akyldash/archive.py /etc/sudoers.d/akyldash-codex; do
+for path in /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-verify /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-rollback /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-compose /usr/local/lib/akyldash/archive.py /etc/sudoers.d/akyldash-codex; do
   if [[ -L $path ]]; then
     echo "Refusing symlink at $path." >&2
     exit 1
@@ -54,9 +55,10 @@ install -d -o root -g root -m 0755 /usr/local/lib/akyldash
 install -o root -g root -m 0644 "$backup_source" /usr/local/lib/akyldash/archive.py
 install -o root -g root -m 0750 "$verify_source" /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-verify
 install -o root -g root -m 0750 "$rollback_source" /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-rollback
+install -o root -g root -m 0750 "$compose_source" /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-compose
 
 sudoers_file=/etc/sudoers.d/akyldash-codex
-expected=$'codex ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-verify\ncodex ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-rollback *'
+expected=$'codex ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-verify\ncodex ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-rollback *\ncodex ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-compose config\ncodex ALL=(root) NOPASSWD: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-compose status'
 created=false
 if [[ -e $sudoers_file ]]; then
   if [[ $(stat -c %U:%a "$sudoers_file") != root:440 || $(cat "$sudoers_file") != "$expected" ]]; then
@@ -85,4 +87,4 @@ if ! visudo -c -f /etc/sudoers; then
   echo "Sudoers validation failed; the newly added rule was removed." >&2
   exit 1
 fi
-echo "Installed read-only verification and guarded rollback helpers; codex receives no general sudo or Docker access."
+echo "Installed fixed read-only verification/Compose commands and guarded rollback; codex receives no general sudo or Docker access."
diff --git a/infra/deploy/prepare-production-config.sh b/infra/deploy/prepare-production-config.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dcfdd35
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/deploy/prepare-production-config.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+if [[ $EUID -ne 0 ]]; then
+  echo 'Run this configuration step as root.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+checkout=/opt/akyldash/current
+example=$checkout/deploy/production/.env.example
+config_dir=/etc/akyldash
+env_file=$config_dir/production.env
+secret_file=$config_dir/review_secret
+if [[ ! -d $checkout/.git || -L $checkout || $(stat -c %U "$checkout") != root || ! -f $example ]]; then
+  echo 'Refusing configuration: approved root-owned checkout is unavailable.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+unsafe=$(find "$checkout" -xdev \( ! -user root -o -perm /022 \) -print -quit)
+if [[ -n $unsafe ]] || ! git -C "$checkout" diff --quiet HEAD -- deploy/production/.env.example; then
+  echo 'Refusing configuration: checkout is writable or .env.example differs from Git.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+if [[ ! -d $config_dir || $(stat -c %U:%G:%a "$config_dir") != root:root:700 ]]; then
+  echo 'Expected /etc/akyldash to be root-owned mode 0700.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+if [[ -e $env_file || -L $env_file || -e $secret_file || -L $secret_file ]]; then
+  echo 'Production env or review secret already exists; refusing to overwrite either file.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+env_tmp=$(mktemp "$config_dir/.production.env.XXXXXX")
+secret_tmp=$(mktemp "$config_dir/.review_secret.XXXXXX")
+trap 'rm -f "$env_tmp" "$secret_tmp"' EXIT
+install -o root -g root -m 0600 "$example" "$env_tmp"
+openssl rand -hex 32 > "$secret_tmp"
+chown root:root "$secret_tmp"
+chmod 0600 "$secret_tmp"
+mv -n "$env_tmp" "$env_file"
+if [[ -e $env_tmp ]]; then
+  echo 'Production env already appeared; refusing to continue.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+mv -n "$secret_tmp" "$secret_file"
+if [[ -e $secret_tmp ]]; then
+  rm -f "$env_file"
+  echo 'Review secret already appeared; removed the new env file and stopped.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+echo 'Created root-owned production.env and review_secret with mode 0600. No services or volumes were changed.'
diff --git a/infra/deploy/test-compose-helper.sh b/infra/deploy/test-compose-helper.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4ca3a66
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/deploy/test-compose-helper.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+helper=$(dirname "$0")/compose-helper.sh
+for action in deploy up down docker; do
+  if bash "$helper" "$action" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    printf 'FAIL Compose helper accepted %s\n' "$action" >&2
+    exit 1
+  fi
+done
+echo 'PASS Compose helper rejects operations outside its read-only allowlist'
diff --git a/infra/deploy/test-production-config-guard.sh b/infra/deploy/test-production-config-guard.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cf7ed3e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/deploy/test-production-config-guard.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -euo pipefail
+
+output=$(mktemp)
+trap 'rm -f "$output"' EXIT
+if bash "$(dirname "$0")/prepare-production-config.sh" >"$output" 2>&1; then
+  echo 'Production config setup unexpectedly succeeded without root.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+grep -qx 'Run this configuration step as root.' "$output"
diff --git a/infra/inventory/production.yml b/infra/inventory/production.yml
index 0c3917c..c728847 100644
--- a/infra/inventory/production.yml
+++ b/infra/inventory/production.yml
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ facts:
   memory_gib: 7.7
   swap_gib: 3.8
   disk_gib: 99
-  disk_free_gib: 93
+  disk_free_gib: 92
   network_interface: ens3
   ipv4: 206.223.249.118/32
   domain_resolution: akyldash.kg resolves to Cloudflare IPv4 and IPv6 edge addresses
@@ -26,12 +26,37 @@ facts:
     - OpenSSH server
     - systemd-resolved
     - unattended-upgrades
-  absent:
-    - Docker Engine
-    - Docker Compose plugin
+    - Docker CE and CLI 29.9.0
+    - Docker Compose plugin 5.6.0
+    - containerd 2.4.1
+    - runc 1.5.2
     - Git
-    - reverse proxy
-  access_audit_date: 2026-10-11
+  absent:
+    - ISPmanager package/service (unprivileged package and unit checks)
+    - root-owned application checkout
+    - restricted verifier and rollback helper
+    - non-loopback listeners on TCP 80, 443, 1500
+  access_audit_date: 2026-10-12
+  docker_service_active: true
+  docker_api_accessible_to_codex: false
+  docker_daemon_log_config:
+    driver: local
+    max_size: 10m
+    max_file: 3
+  bootstrap_paths:
+    /opt/akyldash: root:root 0755
+    /etc/akyldash: root:root 0700
+    /var/lib/akyldash/data: root:root 0750
+    /var/backups/akyldash: root:root 0700
+  unprivileged_nonloopback_tcp_listeners: [22]
+  owner_reported_ufw_allowed_tcp: [22, 80, 443, 1500]
+  port_1500_listener: false
+  rootless_docker_command_present: /usr/bin/dockerd-rootless.sh
+  runner_gitea_host_resolution: git.vakanaut.ru resolves to 195.209.48.28
+  runner_gitea_https_probe: /api/v1/version returned Gitea 1.25.5 (Actions protocol unverified)
+  cloudflare_edge_status:
+    http: 521
+    https: 521
 target:
   compose_file_in_repository: deploy/production/compose.yaml
   compose_file_on_host: /opt/akyldash/current/deploy/production/compose.yaml
@@ -58,7 +83,7 @@ target:
       persistent_data: named Compose volume opensearch-data
   reverse_proxy:
     target: Caddy in Compose; Caddyfile proxies akyldash.kg to backend:8080
-    status: repository configuration exists; not installed or running on VPS
+    status: no listener observed on 80/443; container state needs root Docker audit
   external_ports_target: [22, 80, 443]
   compose_networks:
     proxy: caddy and backend
@@ -70,15 +95,31 @@ target:
   restricted_helper:
     path: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-rollback
     status: repository code and owner-run installer exist; not installed on VPS
+  compose_read_only_helper:
+    path: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-compose
+    allowed_operations: [config, status]
+    status: repository code and owner-run installer exist; not installed on VPS
   read_only_verifier:
     path: /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-verify
     status: repository code and owner-run installer exist; not installed on VPS
+  gitea_actions_runner:
+    repository: admin/akyldash
+    registration_scope: repository
+    implementation: official act_runner 0.2.13; pinned binary SHA-256 in infra/runner/install-runner.sh
+    label: akyldash-ci
+    capacity: 1
+    job_limits: {cpu: 2, memory_gib: 3, pids: 512}
+    account_slice_limits: {cpu: 2.5, memory_gib: 4, tasks: 2048}
+    docker_store_limit_gib: 15
+    docker_boundary: rootless dedicated daemon; no production socket; job socket injection disabled
+    service_status: configuration prepared, not installed or registered; Online unverified
+    owner_action: run the root installer from the reviewed checkout; register through repository runner settings
   checks:
     - infra/bootstrap/verify.sh akyldash_vps
     - docker compose -f deploy/production/compose.yaml ps
     - curl -fsS https://akyldash.kg/review
     - python3 infra/backup/archive.py verify /var/backups/akyldash/<archive>.tar.gz
-  backup_path: /var/backups/akyldash (target; archive script in infra/backup/archive.py is not installed or run)
+  backup_path: /var/backups/akyldash (directory exists; archive script in infra/backup/archive.py is not installed or run)
   deployed_backend_image_record: /opt/akyldash/deployed-image.txt (required by drift verifier; not present before first deployment)
 versions:
   application:
@@ -87,4 +128,7 @@ versions:
     telegram_bot: 0.2.2
   infrastructure: unknown; no production install or release exists
   caddy_image: 2.11.6-alpine pinned by manifest digest in Compose
-  docker_engine: not installed
+  docker_engine: 29.9.0 (daemon active; server API unverified as codex)
+  docker_compose: 5.6.0
+  containerd: 2.4.1
+  runc: 1.5.2
diff --git a/infra/runner/act-runner-healthcheck.sh b/infra/runner/act-runner-healthcheck.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3c0b687
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/runner/act-runner-healthcheck.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -Eeuo pipefail
+systemctl is-active --quiet akyldash-act-runner.service
+runner_uid=$(id -u akyldash-runner)
+runuser -u akyldash-runner -- env HOME=/var/lib/akyldash-runner \
+  DOCKER_HOST="unix:///run/user/$runner_uid/docker.sock" \
+  /usr/bin/docker info --format '{{.ServerVersion}}' >/dev/null
diff --git a/infra/runner/akyldash-runner-healthcheck.service b/infra/runner/akyldash-runner-healthcheck.service
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4f40792
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/runner/akyldash-runner-healthcheck.service
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Check AkylDash Gitea Actions runner health
+OnFailure=akyldash-runner-restart.service
+
+[Service]
+Type=oneshot
+ExecStart=/usr/local/sbin/akyldash-runner-healthcheck
diff --git a/infra/runner/akyldash-runner-healthcheck.timer b/infra/runner/akyldash-runner-healthcheck.timer
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7d1170b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/runner/akyldash-runner-healthcheck.timer
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Periodically check AkylDash Gitea Actions runner health
+
+[Timer]
+OnBootSec=2m
+OnUnitActiveSec=1m
+Unit=akyldash-runner-healthcheck.service
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=timers.target
diff --git a/infra/runner/akyldash-runner-restart.service b/infra/runner/akyldash-runner-restart.service
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..17cd9e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/runner/akyldash-runner-restart.service
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Restart AkylDash Gitea Actions runner after a failed health check
+
+[Service]
+Type=oneshot
+ExecStart=/bin/systemctl restart akyldash-act-runner.service
diff --git a/infra/runner/config.yaml b/infra/runner/config.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f892ac
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/runner/config.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+log:
+  level: info
+runner:
+  file: /var/lib/akyldash-runner/.runner
+  capacity: 1
+  labels:
+    - "akyldash-ci:docker://docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-24.04"
+container:
+  privileged: false
+  options: --cpus=2 --memory=3g --pids-limit=512
+  valid_volumes: []
+  docker_host: "-"
+  force_pull: true
+cache:
+  enabled: false
diff --git a/infra/runner/find-free-subid-range.awk b/infra/runner/find-free-subid-range.awk
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6c1542a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/runner/find-free-subid-range.awk
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+BEGIN { FS = ":" }
+/^[[:space:]]*$/ || /^[[:space:]]*#/ { next }
+NF != 3 || $2 !~ /^[0-9]+$/ || $3 !~ /^[0-9]+$/ || $3 < 1 { invalid = 1; next }
+{
+  start[FILENAME, ++count[FILENAME]] = $2
+  end[FILENAME, count[FILENAME]] = $2 + $3 - 1
+  files[FILENAME] = 1
+}
+END {
+  if (invalid) exit 2
+  for (base = 100000; base + 65535 <= 4294901760; base += 65536) {
+    overlap = 0
+    for (file in files)
+      for (i = 1; i <= count[file]; i++)
+        if (start[file, i] <= base + 65535 && end[file, i] >= base) overlap = 1
+    if (!overlap) {
+      print base "-" base + 65535
+      exit
+    }
+  }
+  exit 1
+}
diff --git a/infra/runner/install-runner.sh b/infra/runner/install-runner.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c3e7dc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/runner/install-runner.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,172 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -Eeuo pipefail
+
+readonly runner_user=akyldash-runner
+readonly runner_home=/var/lib/akyldash-runner
+readonly runner_store="$runner_home/docker-data"
+readonly runner_image="$runner_home/docker-store.img"
+readonly runner_mount_unit="/etc/systemd/system/$(systemd-escape --path --suffix=mount /var/lib/akyldash-runner/docker-data)"
+readonly runner_version=0.2.13
+readonly runner_sha256=3acac8b506ac8cadc88a55155b5d6378f0fab0b8f62d1e0c0450f4ccd69733e2
+readonly runner_url="https://dl.gitea.com/gitea-runner/$runner_version/act_runner-$runner_version-linux-amd64"
+readonly checkout=/opt/akyldash/current
+
+die() { printf 'ERROR: %s\n' "$*" >&2; exit 1; }
+[[ $EUID -eq 0 ]] || die 'run this script as root'
+[[ -r /etc/os-release ]] || die 'cannot identify operating system'
+. /etc/os-release
+[[ ${ID:-} == ubuntu && ${VERSION_ID:-} == 24.04 ]] || die 'Ubuntu 24.04 is required'
+[[ $(uname -m) == x86_64 ]] || die 'this pinned binary is for x86_64 only'
+[[ $(stat -fc %T /sys/fs/cgroup) == cgroup2fs ]] || die 'rootless Docker requires cgroup v2'
+[[ $(findmnt -n -o FSTYPE /) == ext4 ]] || die 'the bounded runner store currently requires ext4 on /'
+[[ -d $checkout/.git && ! -L $checkout && $(stat -c %U "$checkout") == root ]] || die 'install the reviewed root-owned checkout at /opt/akyldash/current first'
+for directory in /opt /opt/akyldash; do
+  [[ $(stat -c %U "$directory") == root ]] || die "$directory must be owned by root"
+  mode=$(stat -c %a "$directory")
+  (( (8#$mode & 022) == 0 )) || die "$directory must not be group/world-writable"
+done
+unsafe=$(find "$checkout" -xdev \( ! -user root -o -perm /022 \) -print -quit)
+[[ -z $unsafe ]] || die 'the repository checkout contains files writable by non-root users'
+git -C "$checkout" diff --quiet HEAD -- infra/runner || die 'runner files differ from the reviewed Git revision'
+[[ -r /etc/subuid && -r /etc/subgid ]] || die 'subordinate ID allocation files are unavailable'
+subid_range=$(awk -f "$(dirname "$0")/find-free-subid-range.awk" /etc/subuid /etc/subgid) || die 'could not find a free 65536-ID range shared by /etc/subuid and /etc/subgid'
+
+for path in "$runner_home" "$runner_image" "$runner_store" /etc/akyldash-runner; do
+  [[ ! -e $path ]] || die "$path already exists; inspect it and follow the documented recovery procedure"
+done
+! id "$runner_user" >/dev/null 2>&1 || die "user $runner_user already exists; inspect it before continuing"
+[[ ! -e /usr/local/bin/act_runner ]] || die '/usr/local/bin/act_runner already exists'
+[[ ! -e /etc/systemd/system/akyldash-act-runner.service ]] || die 'runner service already exists'
+[[ ! -e /etc/systemd/system/akyldash-runner-healthcheck.service ]] || die 'runner health monitor already exists'
+[[ ! -e /etc/logrotate.d/akyldash-runner ]] || die 'runner logrotate policy already exists'
+[[ ! -e $runner_mount_unit ]] || die 'runner data mount unit already exists'
+[[ $(df -Pk / | awk 'NR==2 {print $4}') -ge 25000000 ]] || die 'need at least 25 GiB free before reserving 15 GiB for runner data'
+
+apt-get update
+DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive apt-get install -y uidmap dbus-user-session curl logrotate docker-ce-rootless-extras
+
+useradd --system --create-home --home-dir "$runner_home" --shell /usr/sbin/nologin "$runner_user"
+usermod --add-subuids "$subid_range" --add-subgids "$subid_range" "$runner_user"
+runner_uid=$(id -u "$runner_user")
+
+install -d -o "$runner_user" -g "$runner_user" -m 0700 "$runner_home" "$runner_store" "$runner_home/.config/docker" "$runner_home/.config/systemd/user/docker.service.d"
+install -d -o root -g "$runner_user" -m 0750 /etc/akyldash-runner
+install -d -o "$runner_user" -g "$runner_user" -m 0750 /var/log/akyldash-runner
+
+fallocate -l 15G "$runner_image"
+mkfs.ext4 -F -q "$runner_image"
+cat >"$runner_mount_unit" <<EOF
+[Unit]
+Description=Bounded storage for the AkylDash CI runner
+Before=local-fs.target
+
+[Mount]
+What=$runner_image
+Where=$runner_store
+Type=ext4
+Options=loop,nosuid,nodev
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=local-fs.target
+EOF
+systemctl daemon-reload
+systemctl enable --now "$(basename "$runner_mount_unit" .mount)"
+chown "$runner_user:$runner_user" "$runner_store"
+chmod 0700 "$runner_store"
+
+install -o root -g root -m 0755 "$(dirname "$0")/act-runner-healthcheck.sh" /usr/local/sbin/akyldash-runner-healthcheck
+install -o root -g "$runner_user" -m 0640 "$(dirname "$0")/config.yaml" /etc/akyldash-runner/config.yaml
+tmp_binary=$(mktemp)
+trap 'rm -f "$tmp_binary"' EXIT
+curl --fail --location --silent --show-error "$runner_url" -o "$tmp_binary"
+printf '%s  %s\n' "$runner_sha256" "$tmp_binary" | sha256sum --check --status || die 'official act_runner checksum mismatch'
+install -o root -g root -m 0755 "$tmp_binary" /usr/local/bin/act_runner
+
+cat >"$runner_home/.config/docker/daemon.json" <<EOF
+{
+  "data-root": "$runner_store",
+  "log-driver": "local",
+  "log-opts": {"max-size": "10m", "max-file": "2"}
+}
+EOF
+chown "$runner_user:$runner_user" "$runner_home/.config/docker/daemon.json"
+chmod 0600 "$runner_home/.config/docker/daemon.json"
+cat >"$runner_home/.config/systemd/user/docker.service.d/limits.conf" <<'EOF'
+[Service]
+Delegate=yes
+CPUQuota=200%
+MemoryMax=4G
+TasksMax=1024
+Restart=always
+RestartSec=5
+EOF
+chown -R "$runner_user:$runner_user" "$runner_home/.config"
+
+install -o root -g root -m 0644 /dev/stdin /etc/systemd/system/akyldash-act-runner.service <<EOF
+[Unit]
+Description=AkylDash repository Gitea Actions runner
+After=network-online.target local-fs.target
+Wants=network-online.target
+RequiresMountsFor=$runner_store
+
+[Service]
+Type=simple
+Slice=user-$runner_uid.slice
+User=$runner_user
+Group=$runner_user
+Environment=HOME=$runner_home
+Environment=XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=/run/user/$runner_uid
+Environment=DOCKER_HOST=unix:///run/user/$runner_uid/docker.sock
+ExecStartPre=/bin/sh -c 'for i in \$(seq 1 60); do /usr/bin/docker info >/dev/null 2>&1 && exit 0; sleep 2; done; exit 1'
+ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/act_runner --config /etc/akyldash-runner/config.yaml daemon
+Restart=always
+RestartSec=10
+CPUQuota=50%
+MemoryMax=768M
+TasksMax=256
+NoNewPrivileges=yes
+PrivateTmp=yes
+ProtectSystem=strict
+ProtectHome=yes
+ProtectKernelTunables=yes
+ProtectKernelModules=yes
+ProtectKernelLogs=yes
+RestrictSUIDSGID=yes
+ReadWritePaths=$runner_home /var/log/akyldash-runner /run/user/$runner_uid
+StandardOutput=append:/var/log/akyldash-runner/act_runner.log
+StandardError=append:/var/log/akyldash-runner/act_runner.log
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=multi-user.target
+EOF
+
+mkdir -p "/etc/systemd/system/user-$runner_uid.slice.d"
+cat >"/etc/systemd/system/user-$runner_uid.slice.d/limits.conf" <<EOF
+[Slice]
+CPUQuota=250%
+MemoryMax=4G
+TasksMax=2048
+EOF
+cat >/etc/logrotate.d/akyldash-runner <<'EOF'
+/var/log/akyldash-runner/act_runner.log {
+    daily
+    rotate 7
+    size 10M
+    compress
+    missingok
+    notifempty
+    copytruncate
+}
+EOF
+install -o root -g root -m 0644 "$(dirname "$0")/akyldash-runner-healthcheck.service" /etc/systemd/system/akyldash-runner-healthcheck.service
+install -o root -g root -m 0644 "$(dirname "$0")/akyldash-runner-healthcheck.timer" /etc/systemd/system/akyldash-runner-healthcheck.timer
+install -o root -g root -m 0644 "$(dirname "$0")/akyldash-runner-restart.service" /etc/systemd/system/akyldash-runner-restart.service
+
+loginctl enable-linger "$runner_user"
+systemctl daemon-reload
+systemctl start "user@$runner_uid.service"
+runuser -u "$runner_user" -- env HOME="$runner_home" XDG_RUNTIME_DIR="/run/user/$runner_uid" DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS="unix:path=/run/user/$runner_uid/bus" dockerd-rootless-setuptool.sh install --force
+runuser -u "$runner_user" -- env HOME="$runner_home" XDG_RUNTIME_DIR="/run/user/$runner_uid" DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS="unix:path=/run/user/$runner_uid/bus" systemctl --user daemon-reload
+runuser -u "$runner_user" -- env HOME="$runner_home" XDG_RUNTIME_DIR="/run/user/$runner_uid" DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS="unix:path=/run/user/$runner_uid/bus" systemctl --user enable --now docker.service
+
+printf '\nRunner runtime installed. Register it interactively, then enable its services as described in docs/operations/CI_RUNNER.md.\n'
diff --git a/infra/runner/test-install-runner-guard.sh b/infra/runner/test-install-runner-guard.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4e52819
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/runner/test-install-runner-guard.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -Eeuo pipefail
+
+output=$(mktemp)
+trap 'rm -f "$output"' EXIT
+if bash "$(dirname "$0")/install-runner.sh" >"$output" 2>&1; then
+  echo 'Runner installer unexpectedly succeeded without root.' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+grep -qx 'ERROR: run this script as root' "$output"
diff --git a/infra/runner/test-runner-config.sh b/infra/runner/test-runner-config.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..24f2cb8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/infra/runner/test-runner-config.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+set -Eeuo pipefail
+config=infra/runner/config.yaml
+installer=infra/runner/install-runner.sh
+assert_absent() {
+  local pattern=$1 file=$2
+  if grep -Eq "$pattern" "$file"; then
+    echo "Forbidden content matched in $file" >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+}
+grep -Eq '^  capacity: 1$' "$config"
+grep -Fq 'akyldash-ci:docker://docker.gitea.com/runner-images:ubuntu-24.04' "$config"
+grep -Fq 'docker_host: "-"' "$config"
+grep -Eq '^  privileged: false$' "$config"
+grep -Eq '^  valid_volumes: \[\]$' "$config"
+grep -Fq -- '--cpus=2 --memory=3g --pids-limit=512' "$config"
+assert_absent 'var/run/docker.sock|metrics:|health_check:|production.env|review_secret' "$config"
+grep -Fq 'docker-ce-rootless-extras' "$installer"
+grep -Fq 'fallocate -l 15G' "$installer"
+grep -Fq 'runner_sha256=3acac8b506ac8cadc88a55155b5d6378f0fab0b8f62d1e0c0450f4ccd69733e2' "$installer"
+grep -Fq 'find-free-subid-range.awk' "$installer"
+grep -Fq 'usermod --add-subuids "$subid_range" --add-subgids "$subid_range"' "$installer"
+assert_absent 'usermod.*(sudo|docker)|/var/run/docker.sock|/etc/sudoers' "$installer"
+grep -Fq 'runs-on: akyldash-ci' .gitea/workflows/runner-smoke.yaml
+grep -Fq 'test ! -S /var/run/docker.sock' .gitea/workflows/runner-smoke.yaml
+grep -Fq 'test ! -e /etc/akyldash/production.env' .gitea/workflows/runner-smoke.yaml
+grep -Fq 'test ! -e /etc/akyldash/review_secret' .gitea/workflows/runner-smoke.yaml
+assert_absent '(^|[[:space:]])(docker|docker-compose|deploy)([[:space:]]|$)|production.env=|review_secret=' .gitea/workflows/runner-smoke.yaml
+
+fixture=$(mktemp)
+fixture_g=$(mktemp)
+trap 'rm -f "$fixture" "$fixture_g"' EXIT
+printf 'production.env\n' >"$fixture"
+if assert_absent 'deploy|production.env|review_secret|docker.sock' "$fixture" 2>/dev/null; then
+  echo 'Negative guard regression: prohibited fixture was accepted' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+printf 'codex:100000:65536\n' >"$fixture"
+printf 'codex:165000:1000\n' >"$fixture_g"
+range=$(awk -f infra/runner/find-free-subid-range.awk "$fixture" "$fixture_g")
+[[ $range == 231072-296607 ]]
+: >"$fixture_g"
+range=$(awk -f infra/runner/find-free-subid-range.awk "$fixture" "$fixture_g")
+[[ $range == 165536-231071 ]]
+: >"$fixture"
+range=$(awk -f infra/runner/find-free-subid-range.awk "$fixture" "$fixture_g")
+[[ $range == 100000-165535 ]]
+printf 'broken\n' >"$fixture_g"
+if awk -f infra/runner/find-free-subid-range.awk "$fixture" "$fixture_g" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo 'Malformed subordinate ID allocation was accepted' >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+echo 'runner configuration guards passed'