diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 98cd544..319e850 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,3 +1,61 @@
+## v0.91.0 — the DR tier can no longer be `applied` and dead at the same time (R-39 fleet fix + R-50b(a)) (2026-07-21)
+
+**Requires hub >= v0.68.0** for the re-arm signal. Hub v0.68.0 is safe for 0.90.0 agents (they drop
+the unknown descriptor key), but the guarantees below need THIS agent. **MinAgent → 0.91.0 is an
+operator manifest save, sequenced after the fleet has self-updated — not a code change.**
+
+### What was broken
+
+Three compounding defects let a box report `applied` while every PBS request 401'd:
+
+1. **The re-key was invisible.** An ep0 re-issue rotates the SECRET of an existing token, so
+   `token_id`, `fingerprint`, `datastore` and `namespace` all come back byte-identical. The agent
+   re-applies on the descriptor's CONTENT HASH, so a converged box short-circuited and never consumed
+   the fresh secret. Proof from the N100: `consumed-failed.json` carried a hash byte-identical to the
+   `marker.json` written two minutes before the re-issue.
+2. **The agent could not read its own credential.** It WRITES
+   `/etc/pve/priv/storage/<id>.pw` through the root wrapper, but that directory is `0700 root:www-data`
+   and the wrapper had no read verb — so `pbsTargetsFromPVE` got "permission denied" every cycle,
+   logged a Warn and skipped the datastore. The one loop that could have caught the 401 was blind **by
+   construction**.
+3. **Nothing probed authentication.** A snapshot list that fails with 401 looked exactly like "PBS is
+   busy".
+
+### The fix
+
+- **`WirePBSDR.SecretGeneration`** — field-exact with the hub's descriptor. Because `descriptorHash`
+  marshals this struct, the hub's monotonic mint counter is what finally moves the hash and re-arms a
+  converged agent.
+- **Wrapper `read` verb** (+ exactly ONE sudoers line, + a `pbsdr-read` capability row). Prints one
+  secret to STDOUT and nothing else: no network, no mutation, no logging of the value, and the secret
+  never rides argv (sudo logs argv). Traversal is refused three times over — the id grammar admits no
+  slash, `val_sdir` pins the directory, and the RESOLVED path is prefix-asserted.
+- **`pbs.ProbeAuth`** — `GET /version`, the cheapest authenticated question, with a distinct
+  `ErrUnauthorized` sentinel. `/version` needs no datastore, namespace or privilege, so a 401 there
+  means the CREDENTIAL is bad — not that an ACL is narrow. **403 is deliberately NOT treated as
+  unauthorized**: re-keying a too-narrow token would mint credentials forever without fixing anything.
+- **The probe runs on the 15-minute collect path** (not the 6 h verify cadence) and its verdict
+  becomes a LOUD `auth_failed` state the hub's pbsdrheal escalates to a fresh mint. **A transport
+  error is UNKNOWN, never a rejection** — otherwise every network blip would burn a credential.
+  Recovery is self-clearing.
+- **`readPBSSecret`** now prefers a directly-readable file and falls back to the wrapper, so a box
+  with its own agent-owned secret dir needs no sudo at all.
+- **R-50b(a):** the report carries the installed wrapper's sha256, so drift against the vouched
+  manifest value is finally answerable. Empty = unknown, never drift.
+
+### Tests
+
+Scenario A (a re-key re-arms a converged agent) with the hash mechanism asserted separately; the
+unknown-field compat direction; auth_failed loud/ignored-for-other-storage/none-before-descriptor/
+self-clearing; and the wrapper `read` verb executed under real bash — traversal refusals, secret to
+stdout only, missing-file refusal, side-effect freedom.
+
+**Three red-proofs run at the assertion level.** Removing `SecretGeneration` makes the re-arm test
+fail with `consume calls=1, want 2`. Swallowing the probe result leaves `State:applied
+AuthFailed:false` — the July-18 shape exactly. Deleting the id charset guard alone does **not** open
+a traversal hole (readlink + the prefix assertion still catch it), so the isolating red-proof removes
+the charset guard AND the prefix assertion and shows the out-of-tree secret printed.
+
 ## docs — the workflow moved to DooPlex-local execution (2026-07-19)
 
 **Docs only, no version bump, no code change.** Claude Code now runs on DooPlex (192.168.0.180,
diff --git a/cmd/felhom-agent/main.go b/cmd/felhom-agent/main.go
index 7bd272e..04063aa 100644
--- a/cmd/felhom-agent/main.go
+++ b/cmd/felhom-agent/main.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ import (
 	"net/http"
 	"net/netip"
 	"os"
+	"os/exec"
 	"os/signal"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
@@ -1054,6 +1055,49 @@ func runDaemon(cfg config.Config, logger *slog.Logger, logRing *applog.Ring) int
 	return 0
 }
 
+// pbsSecretReader is the seam that reads a PBS storage's token secret (R-39 leg b). Overridable in
+// tests; production is readPBSSecretViaWrapper.
+var pbsSecretReader = readPBSSecretViaWrapper
+
+// readPBSSecret reads a storage's token secret, preferring a directly-readable file and falling back
+// to the root wrapper.
+//
+// WHY THE FALLBACK EXISTS. The agent runs NON-ROOT and writes /etc/pve/priv/storage/<id>.pw through
+// the root wrapper — but /etc/pve/priv is 0700 root:www-data, so it could never read that file back.
+// The old code called readTrimmed on it directly, got "permission denied" every cycle, logged a Warn
+// and SKIPPED the datastore. That is why the 401 in R-39 went unnoticed for weeks: the one loop that
+// could have caught it was blind by construction, not by accident.
+//
+// The direct read is kept first because a box configured with its own agent-owned secret dir
+// (place_copies puts a 0600 felhom-agent copy there) needs no sudo at all; the wrapper is the path
+// for the default PRIVDIR case.
+func readPBSSecret(ctx context.Context, cfg config.Config, storageID string) (string, error) {
+	path := cfg.Backup.PBSSecretPath(storageID)
+	if secret, err := readTrimmed(path); err == nil && secret != "" {
+		return secret, nil
+	}
+	return pbsSecretReader(ctx, cfg, storageID)
+}
+
+// readPBSSecretViaWrapper shells the root wrapper's `read` verb. The secret arrives on STDOUT and is
+// never passed through argv (sudo logs argv) and never logged.
+func readPBSSecretViaWrapper(ctx context.Context, cfg config.Config, storageID string) (string, error) {
+	dir := filepath.Dir(cfg.Backup.PBSSecretPath(storageID))
+	cmd := exec.CommandContext(ctx, "sudo", "-n", pbsdr.WrapperPath, "read", storageID, dir)
+	var out, errb bytes.Buffer
+	cmd.Stdout = &out
+	cmd.Stderr = &errb
+	if err := cmd.Run(); err != nil {
+		// The wrapper's refusal text is safe to surface (it never echoes the value).
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("wrapper read %s: %w: %s", storageID, err, strings.TrimSpace(errb.String()))
+	}
+	secret := strings.TrimSpace(out.String())
+	if secret == "" {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("wrapper read %s: empty secret", storageID)
+	}
+	return secret, nil
+}
+
 // pbsTargetsFromPVE returns a pbs.Targets closure that, each cycle, discovers the pbs
 // storages from the PVE config and builds a fingerprint-pinned, token-authed client for each
 // (token id from the storage `username`, secret read from <PBSSecretDir>/<id>.pw). A storage
@@ -1070,7 +1114,7 @@ func pbsTargetsFromPVE(cfg config.Config, px *proxmox.Client, logger *slog.Logge
 			if s.Type != "pbs" {
 				continue
 			}
-			secret, err := readTrimmed(cfg.Backup.PBSSecretPath(s.Storage))
+			secret, err := readPBSSecret(ctx, cfg, s.Storage)
 			if err != nil {
 				logger.Warn("pbs: cannot read token secret; skipping datastore", "storage", s.Storage, "err", err)
 				continue
@@ -1080,7 +1124,7 @@ func pbsTargetsFromPVE(cfg config.Config, px *proxmox.Client, logger *slog.Logge
 				logger.Warn("pbs: cannot build client; skipping datastore", "storage", s.Storage, "err", err)
 				continue
 			}
-			targets = append(targets, pbs.Target{Datastore: s.Datastore, Client: c})
+			targets = append(targets, pbs.Target{Datastore: s.Datastore, Client: c, StorageID: s.Storage})
 		}
 		return targets, nil
 	}
diff --git a/configs/felhom-agent.sudoers b/configs/felhom-agent.sudoers
index 47bfb3d..04e2fae 100644
--- a/configs/felhom-agent.sudoers
+++ b/configs/felhom-agent.sudoers
@@ -216,10 +216,18 @@ Cmnd_Alias FELHOM_SSHD = \
 # token secret rides the wrapper's STDIN — sudo logs argv, so it must never appear here. The
 # agent fine-validates every field (charset + descriptor equality) before exec; these globs are
 # the coarse allowlist.
+#
+# `read` (R-39 leg b, agent v0.91.0) is the ONE added verb. It prints a token secret to stdout and
+# performs no mutation. It exists because the agent writes that file through this wrapper but could
+# never read it back (/etc/pve/priv is 0700 root:www-data), leaving its PBS verify loop permanently
+# blind to an `applied`-but-401 tier. It is NOT a general file-read: the wrapper pins the directory
+# and prefix-asserts the resolved path, and the id grammar admits no slash. The secret goes to
+# STDOUT, never argv — sudo logs argv.
 Cmnd_Alias FELHOM_PBSDR = \
   /usr/local/sbin/felhom-pbs-apply create *, \
   /usr/local/sbin/felhom-pbs-apply reconcile *, \
-  /usr/local/sbin/felhom-pbs-apply grant *
+  /usr/local/sbin/felhom-pbs-apply grant *, \
+  /usr/local/sbin/felhom-pbs-apply read *
 
 # OOB nft belt (TASK H1). The STATIC table `inet felhom_oob` is installed once by host-install; the
 # agent mutates ONLY its two SETS — @operator_ips (the operator /32) + @ssh_port (the claimed port).
diff --git a/configs/felhom-pbs-apply b/configs/felhom-pbs-apply
index e89a96f..33dff37 100644
--- a/configs/felhom-pbs-apply
+++ b/configs/felhom-pbs-apply
@@ -27,6 +27,15 @@
 #             NOTE datastore is deliberately NOT settable, and namespace/token-id are accepted
 #             for validation parity but NOT applied — tenancy identity is adopt-only (the
 #             demo's live entry must never be repointed at a different namespace).
+#   read      <id> <secret-dir>
+#             R-39 leg (b): print the storage's token secret to STDOUT and nothing else.
+#             The non-root agent WRITES this file through this wrapper but could never read it
+#             back (/etc/pve/priv is 0700 root:www-data and there is no read verb), so its
+#             15-minute PBS verify loop was permanently blind to the one failure it exists to
+#             catch — an `applied` tier authenticating 401. This verb is that missing read.
+#             It is deliberately the narrowest thing that works: no network, no mutation, no
+#             logging of the value, one file, prefix-asserted under the given secret dir.
+#
 #   grant     <id>
 #             The Part-0-evidenced dual-grant: FelhomAgentStore on /storage/<id> to the agent
 #             user AND token (privsep intersection). Datastore.Audit reads ride the base role.
@@ -36,7 +45,7 @@ set -euo pipefail
 die() { echo "felhom-pbs-apply: REFUSED: $*" >&2; exit 1; }
 
 op="${1:-}"; id="${2:-}"
-[[ -n "$op" && -n "$id" ]] || die "usage: felhom-pbs-apply <create|reconcile|grant> <storage-id> ..."
+[[ -n "$op" && -n "$id" ]] || die "usage: felhom-pbs-apply <create|reconcile|grant|read> <storage-id> ..."
 
 # Storage id: PVE grammar, conservative. Also the ACL path component — no slashes possible.
 [[ "$id" =~ ^[A-Za-z][A-Za-z0-9_.-]{0,27}$ ]] || die "bad storage id ($id)"
@@ -113,6 +122,31 @@ reconcile)
   place_copies "$sdir"
   echo "felhom-pbs-apply: reconciled $id (set-only; tenancy identity untouched)" >&2
   ;;
+read)
+  # R-39(b): the missing read path. Prints the secret to STDOUT, nothing else — no stderr note (it
+  # would be the only verb whose success line could be confused with the value), no mutation.
+  #
+  # Traversal is refused three times over, because this is the one verb that EXFILTRATES a file and
+  # its argv is attacker-shaped if the agent is ever compromised:
+  #   1. `id` already matched ^[A-Za-z][A-Za-z0-9_.-]{0,27}$ at the top — it cannot start with a dot
+  #      and cannot contain a slash, so "../../etc/shadow" never reaches here;
+  #   2. val_sdir pins the directory to PRIVDIR or under /var/lib/felhom-agent, rejecting "..";
+  #   3. the RESOLVED path is prefix-asserted under that directory below, so even a future change to
+  #      either grammar cannot walk out.
+  [[ $# -eq 3 ]] || die "read needs 2 args: <id> <secret-dir>"
+  sdir="$3"
+  val_sdir "$sdir"
+  target="$sdir/$id.pw"
+  # Belt: resolve and re-check the prefix (guards a symlinked <id>.pw pointing outside the dir).
+  resolved=$(readlink -f -- "$target" 2>/dev/null || true)
+  [[ -n "$resolved" ]] || die "secret file not found ($target)"
+  case "$resolved" in
+    "$sdir"/*) : ;;
+    *) die "resolved secret path escapes the secret dir" ;;
+  esac
+  [[ -f "$resolved" ]] || die "secret file not found ($target)"
+  cat -- "$resolved"
+  ;;
 grant)
   [[ $# -eq 2 ]] || die "grant takes only <id>"
   pveum acl modify "/storage/$id" --users felhom-agent@pve --roles FelhomAgentStore >&2
diff --git a/internal/capability/manifest.go b/internal/capability/manifest.go
index 70d6a47..e5ab686 100644
--- a/internal/capability/manifest.go
+++ b/internal/capability/manifest.go
@@ -161,6 +161,10 @@ var manifest = []Capability{
 	{"pbsdr-create", "PBS DR storage-entry create (K autogen)", "/usr/local/sbin/felhom-pbs-apply", []string{"create", "felhom-pbs", "10.77.0.1", "felhom-offsite", "ns0", "felhom@pbs!ns0", reprFingerprint, "/etc/pve/priv/storage"}, false, ""},
 	{"pbsdr-reconcile", "PBS DR storage-entry reconcile (set-only)", "/usr/local/sbin/felhom-pbs-apply", []string{"reconcile", "felhom-pbs", "10.77.0.1", "ns0", "felhom@pbs!ns0", reprFingerprint, "/etc/pve/priv/storage"}, false, ""},
 	{"pbsdr-grant", "PBS DR storage ACL self-grant", "/usr/local/sbin/felhom-pbs-apply", []string{"grant", "felhom-pbs"}, false, ""},
+	// R-39 leg (b), v0.91.0: the credential READ path. Its absence is what made the PBS verify loop
+	// permanently blind to an applied-but-401 tier, so a host missing this verb is DEGRADED in a way
+	// that matters — it cannot detect the failure this whole tier exists to survive.
+	{"pbsdr-read", "PBS DR credential read (verify-loop auth probe)", "/usr/local/sbin/felhom-pbs-apply", []string{"read", "felhom-pbs", "/etc/pve/priv/storage"}, false, ""},
 
 	// ---- Escrow ceremony (FELHOM_ESCROW, controller-driven, v0.88.0). Critical: the customer
 	// wizard's whole run path IS this one grant — a dropped line silently breaks every ceremony.
diff --git a/internal/capability/probe_test.go b/internal/capability/probe_test.go
index 8b77d26..f486490 100644
--- a/internal/capability/probe_test.go
+++ b/internal/capability/probe_test.go
@@ -132,7 +132,9 @@ func TestProbe_GateOffHealthyIsInactive(t *testing.T) {
 	statuses := p.Probe(context.Background())
 	// v0.88.0: escrow-ceremony joins the gate EXPLICITLY (non-pbsdr name, GatedBy literal) —
 	// the ceremony only exists behind the DR tier (no PBS key, no ceremony).
-	for _, name := range []string{"pbsdr-create", "pbsdr-reconcile", "pbsdr-grant", "escrow-ceremony"} {
+	// v0.91.0: pbsdr-read (the R-39 credential-read verb) rides the same `pbsdr-` prefix gate — a new
+	// pbsdr-* op is gated by construction, which is exactly the property this list is here to hold.
+	for _, name := range []string{"pbsdr-create", "pbsdr-reconcile", "pbsdr-grant", "pbsdr-read", "escrow-ceremony"} {
 		s := find(statuses, name)
 		if s.Status != StatusInactive || s.Reason != ReasonInactive {
 			t.Fatalf("%s = %+v, want inactive/%q", name, s, ReasonInactive)
@@ -147,8 +149,8 @@ func TestProbe_GateOffHealthyIsInactive(t *testing.T) {
 	if len(degraded) != 0 {
 		t.Fatalf("inactive leaked into degraded: %+v", degraded)
 	}
-	if ok != total-4 {
-		t.Fatalf("ok=%d total=%d, want exactly the 4 gated ones non-ok", ok, total)
+	if ok != total-5 {
+		t.Fatalf("ok=%d total=%d, want exactly the 5 gated ones non-ok", ok, total)
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/internal/hub/collect.go b/internal/hub/collect.go
index 8753bdf..07f99e7 100644
--- a/internal/hub/collect.go
+++ b/internal/hub/collect.go
@@ -2,8 +2,12 @@ package hub
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"encoding/hex"
 	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"log/slog"
+	"os"
 	"time"
 
 	"gitea.dooplex.hu/admin/felhom-agent/internal/capability"
@@ -191,7 +195,8 @@ func (c *Collector) Collect(ctx context.Context) (*HostReport, error) {
 	}
 
 	host := hostMetrics(c.px.Node(), ns)
-	host.CPUTempC = c.cpuTempC(ctx) // slice 9: operator freebie — temp now rides the hub report too
+	host.CPUTempC = c.cpuTempC(ctx)         // slice 9: operator freebie — temp now rides the hub report too
+	host.WrapperSHA256 = pbsWrapperSHA256() // R-50b(a): make privileged-artifact drift answerable
 	report := &HostReport{
 		HostID:       c.hostID,
 		ReportedAt:   c.now().Format(time.RFC3339),
@@ -272,6 +277,27 @@ func (c *Collector) cpuTempC(ctx context.Context) *int {
 	return c.temp.CPUTempC(ctx)
 }
 
+// pbsWrapperPath is the installed PBS-DR apply wrapper. Duplicated from internal/pbsdr.WrapperPath
+// rather than imported, to keep the report collector free of a dependency on the DR bridge.
+const pbsWrapperPath = "/usr/local/sbin/felhom-pbs-apply"
+
+// pbsWrapperSHA256 hashes the installed wrapper for the report (R-50b(a)). Best-effort: a missing or
+// unreadable file yields "", which the hub reads as UNKNOWN rather than as drift — a host that
+// legitimately has no DR wrapper must not light up amber. The file is 0755, so no privilege is
+// needed to read it.
+func pbsWrapperSHA256() string {
+	f, err := os.Open(pbsWrapperPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+	h := sha256.New()
+	if _, err := io.Copy(h, f); err != nil {
+		return ""
+	}
+	return hex.EncodeToString(h.Sum(nil))
+}
+
 func hostMetrics(node string, ns proxmox.NodeStatus) HostMetrics {
 	h := HostMetrics{
 		Node:             node,
diff --git a/internal/hub/report.go b/internal/hub/report.go
index f9d4de3..c46510a 100644
--- a/internal/hub/report.go
+++ b/internal/hub/report.go
@@ -116,6 +116,12 @@ type PBSDRStatus struct {
 	Message        string `json:"message,omitempty"`
 	ConsumedFailed bool   `json:"consumed_failed,omitempty"`
 	AppliedAt      string `json:"applied_at,omitempty"` // RFC3339; set on adopted/applied
+	// AuthFailed (R-39, v0.91.0) — the credential this box holds is REJECTED by PBS (401). Set by the
+	// verify loop's ProbeAuth, which before v0.91.0 could not run at all: the loop read the secret
+	// file directly as non-root and always failed with "permission denied", so an applied-and-dead
+	// tier was invisible to both tiers. The hub's pbsdrheal escalates state="auth_failed" to a fresh
+	// mint.
+	AuthFailed bool `json:"auth_failed,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // OOBStatus is the per-heartbeat operator-access health (TASK H1). Carries no secret.
@@ -170,6 +176,17 @@ type HostMetrics struct {
 	// the per-disk SmartSummary.TemperatureC. Sourced from sysfs (hwmon / thermal zones).
 	// Cross-repo wire field (slice 9) — the hub's HostMetrics copy + golden carry it too.
 	CPUTempC *int `json:"cpu_temp_c"`
+	// WrapperSHA256 is the sha256 of the installed PBS-DR apply wrapper
+	// (/usr/local/sbin/felhom-pbs-apply), R-50b(a), v0.91.0.
+	//
+	// That wrapper is root-owned 0755 and the pinned sudoers vector for the PBS storage verbs, yet it
+	// is installed from `raw/branch/main` — unversioned, unpinned and absent from the Day-0 artifact
+	// manifest. So "which wrapper is on this host?" had no answer: two hosts installed a week apart
+	// could carry different privileged code while reporting the same agent version. Reporting the hash
+	// does not fix the delivery channel (R-50b(b)/(c)); it makes drift VISIBLE.
+	//
+	// Empty = unreadable/absent, which the hub treats as UNKNOWN, never as drift.
+	WrapperSHA256 string `json:"wrapper_sha256,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // Guest is one LXC. The agent reports vmid; the hub derives the guest PK
@@ -429,6 +446,20 @@ type WirePBSDR struct {
 	Namespace   string `json:"namespace,omitempty"`
 	TokenID     string `json:"token_id,omitempty"`
 	Fingerprint string `json:"fingerprint,omitempty"`
+	// SecretGeneration (R-39, agent v0.91.0 / hub v0.68.0) is the hub's monotonic per-host counter,
+	// advanced by every fresh secret MINT. It carries no secret material — only the fact that one
+	// rotated.
+	//
+	// THIS FIELD IS THE RE-ARM SIGNAL, and it works only because descriptorHash marshals THIS STRUCT:
+	// an ep0 re-issue re-keys the secret of an existing token, so token_id, fingerprint, datastore and
+	// namespace all come back byte-identical. Without this field the descriptor never moves, the
+	// converged agent short-circuits, the fresh secret is never consumed, and the box serves a revoked
+	// credential while reporting `applied` (the N100, 2026-07-18).
+	//
+	// Corollary worth stating: an agent that does NOT carry this field drops the unknown JSON key and
+	// keeps today's behaviour exactly — inert, not broken. That is why hub v0.68.0 is safe to deploy
+	// ahead of the fleet, and why the re-arm guarantee needs agent >= 0.91.0.
+	SecretGeneration int64 `json:"secret_generation,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // WireWireguard is the hub-owned offsite-tunnel assignment (S3) — field-exact with the S2 golden
diff --git a/internal/pbs/client.go b/internal/pbs/client.go
index 8fd4987..577af9d 100644
--- a/internal/pbs/client.go
+++ b/internal/pbs/client.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package pbs
 import (
 	"context"
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
 	"net/http"
@@ -193,6 +194,46 @@ func NodeFromUPID(upid string) string {
 	return parts[1]
 }
 
+// ErrUnauthorized is returned by ProbeAuth when PBS REJECTS the credential (HTTP 401).
+//
+// It is a distinct sentinel because a rejected credential and an unreachable server demand opposite
+// responses: 401 is terminal until the credential is replaced (the hub must re-key), while a dial
+// error is transient and must NOT trigger a re-issue — mistaking one for the other would either
+// leave a dead tier green (the R-39 failure) or burn a fresh secret on every network blip.
+var ErrUnauthorized = errors.New("pbs: unauthorized (401) — the token secret is not accepted")
+
+// ProbeAuth asks PBS the cheapest question that requires authentication: GET /version.
+//
+// WHY THIS EXISTS (R-39 leg c). The DR tier could be `applied` and dead at the same time: PVE holds
+// a storage entry, the agent's marker says converged, and every PBS request 401s because the entry
+// is pinned to a superseded credential. Nothing noticed, because the one loop that could — the
+// 15-minute PBS verify loop — could not even READ the credential to test it (the non-root agent
+// writes /etc/pve/priv/storage/<id>.pw through a root wrapper and had no read verb). With the
+// wrapper's `read` verb this probe finally closes that gap, and its result becomes a LOUD
+// `auth_failed` state the hub self-heals instead of a Warn-and-skip.
+//
+// /version is deliberate: it needs no datastore, no namespace and no privileges beyond a valid
+// token, so a 401 here means the CREDENTIAL is bad — not that a datastore is missing or an ACL is
+// too narrow. That distinction is what makes the state safe to auto-remediate.
+func (c *Client) ProbeAuth(ctx context.Context) error {
+	err := c.do(ctx, http.MethodGet, "/version", nil)
+	if err == nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	if isUnauthorized(err) {
+		return ErrUnauthorized
+	}
+	return err
+}
+
+// isUnauthorized classifies a doBody error as an authentication rejection. doBody formats non-2xx as
+// "... -> HTTP <code>: <body>", so the code is matched on that shape. 403 is deliberately NOT
+// included: a valid token with too narrow an ACL is a permissions problem, and re-keying it would
+// mint credentials forever without fixing anything.
+func isUnauthorized(err error) bool {
+	return err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "-> HTTP 401")
+}
+
 // post performs a form-encoded POST (PBS mutating ops take form params).
 func (c *Client) post(ctx context.Context, path string, form url.Values, out any) error {
 	return c.doBody(ctx, http.MethodPost, path, strings.NewReader(form.Encode()), "application/x-www-form-urlencoded", out)
diff --git a/internal/pbs/live_reporter.go b/internal/pbs/live_reporter.go
index 0bd9b20..a340eb8 100644
--- a/internal/pbs/live_reporter.go
+++ b/internal/pbs/live_reporter.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package pbs
 
 import (
 	"context"
+	"errors"
 	"log/slog"
 	"time"
 
@@ -32,8 +33,31 @@ type LiveSnapshotReporter struct {
 	// listSnapshots is the production→PBS seam, overridable in tests so no live PBS is needed.
 	// Default = liveListSnapshots (one Snapshots() GET, converted via Snapshot.ToHub()).
 	listSnapshots func(ctx context.Context, t Target) ([]hub.PBSSnapshot, error)
+
+	// probeAuth is the R-39 credential probe seam (default = (*Client).ProbeAuth). Overridable so the
+	// auth-honesty path is testable with no PBS.
+	probeAuth func(ctx context.Context, t Target) error
+	// authSink receives every probe result. nil = nobody is listening (the probe is then skipped
+	// entirely — no point paying for a request nothing consumes).
+	authSink AuthSink
 }
 
+// AuthSink receives the result of each per-storage credential probe (R-39 leg c).
+//
+// It exists so the DR bridge can turn a 401 into a LOUD `auth_failed` state instead of the Warn-and-
+// skip that made an applied-but-dead tier invisible. Deliberately a plain interface taking a bool
+// rather than the error: the consumer (internal/pbsdr) must not have to import this package just to
+// test a sentinel.
+type AuthSink interface {
+	// NoteAuthResult reports one storage's credential health. unauthorized=true means PBS REJECTED
+	// the credential (401) — terminal until it is replaced. A transport error is unauthorized=false
+	// with a non-empty detail: unknown, not dead, and never a reason to re-key.
+	NoteAuthResult(storageID string, unauthorized bool, detail string)
+}
+
+// SetAuthSink wires the credential-probe consumer. Without it the reporter does not probe at all.
+func (r *LiveSnapshotReporter) SetAuthSink(s AuthSink) { r.authSink = s }
+
 // NewLiveSnapshotReporter builds a live reporter sharing store with the verify loop. A zero timeout
 // falls back to DefaultLiveSnapshotTimeout; a nil logger to slog.Default.
 func NewLiveSnapshotReporter(targets Targets, store *SnapshotStore, timeout time.Duration, log *slog.Logger) *LiveSnapshotReporter {
@@ -49,6 +73,7 @@ func NewLiveSnapshotReporter(targets Targets, store *SnapshotStore, timeout time
 		timeout:       timeout,
 		log:           log,
 		listSnapshots: liveListSnapshots,
+		probeAuth:     func(ctx context.Context, t Target) error { return t.Client.ProbeAuth(ctx) },
 	}
 }
 
@@ -66,6 +91,30 @@ func liveListSnapshots(ctx context.Context, t Target) ([]hub.PBSSnapshot, error)
 	return out, nil
 }
 
+// probeAuthAndReport runs the credential probe for one target and forwards the verdict to the sink.
+// No sink → no probe (nothing would consume it). Never fails the collect: a report must still go out.
+func (r *LiveSnapshotReporter) probeAuthAndReport(ctx context.Context, t Target) {
+	if r.authSink == nil || r.probeAuth == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	err := r.probeAuth(ctx, t)
+	switch {
+	case err == nil:
+		r.authSink.NoteAuthResult(t.StorageID, false, "")
+	case errors.Is(err, ErrUnauthorized):
+		// The one case that is TERMINAL and actionable: the credential is rejected, not the network.
+		r.log.Error("pbs: the DR endpoint REJECTED this box's credential (401) — the storage entry is "+
+			"pinned to a superseded secret and every backup/restore against it will fail",
+			"storage", t.StorageID, "datastore", t.Datastore)
+		r.authSink.NoteAuthResult(t.StorageID, true, "PBS rejected the stored credential (401)")
+	default:
+		// Unreachable/timeout/TLS — UNKNOWN, not dead. Reporting this as unauthorized would re-key a
+		// perfectly good credential on every network blip.
+		r.log.Debug("pbs: credential probe inconclusive (not a rejection)", "storage", t.StorageID, "err", err)
+		r.authSink.NoteAuthResult(t.StorageID, false, err.Error())
+	}
+}
+
 // PBSSnapshots implements hub.PBSReporter with a single bounded, live pass (last-known-good
 // fallback). Non-nil result so it marshals as [].
 func (r *LiveSnapshotReporter) PBSSnapshots(ctx context.Context) []hub.PBSSnapshot {
@@ -81,6 +130,12 @@ func (r *LiveSnapshotReporter) PBSSnapshots(ctx context.Context) []hub.PBSSnapsh
 
 	out := []hub.PBSSnapshot{}
 	for _, t := range targets {
+		// R-39 leg (c): prove the credential BEFORE interpreting anything else about this datastore.
+		// A snapshot list that fails with 401 used to look identical to "PBS is busy" — which is how
+		// an applied-and-dead tier stayed green. The probe runs on this 15-minute collect path (not
+		// the 6 h verify cadence) because that is how fast the hub can react.
+		r.probeAuthAndReport(childCtx, t)
+
 		snaps, err := r.listSnapshots(childCtx, t)
 		if err != nil {
 			// Per-datastore live failure → that datastore's last-known-good (does NOT clobber it).
diff --git a/internal/pbs/verify.go b/internal/pbs/verify.go
index c21aa31..3ab1f8a 100644
--- a/internal/pbs/verify.go
+++ b/internal/pbs/verify.go
@@ -16,6 +16,10 @@ const DefaultVerifyCadence = 6 * time.Hour
 type Target struct {
 	Datastore string
 	Client    *Client
+	// StorageID is the PVE storage-entry id this target came from. Carried so an auth failure can
+	// NAME the storage the operator has to fix, and so the pbsdr bridge can match the failure to its
+	// own descriptor (a host may hold several PBS storages).
+	StorageID string
 }
 
 // Targets resolves the current set of PBS datastores to verify (re-derived each cycle from
diff --git a/internal/pbsdr/manager.go b/internal/pbsdr/manager.go
index d462b2e..650b850 100644
--- a/internal/pbsdr/manager.go
+++ b/internal/pbsdr/manager.go
@@ -141,6 +141,56 @@ func (m *Manager) DRConfigured() bool {
 	return m.loadMarker() != nil
 }
 
+// NoteAuthResult implements pbs.AuthSink (R-39 leg c): the credential probe's verdict for one
+// storage, turned into the DR bridge's reported state.
+//
+// This is the leg that makes `applied` mean something. Until v0.91.0 the agent could not read the
+// credential it had written (root-only path, no wrapper read verb), so a tier pinned to a superseded
+// secret reported `applied` forever while every PBS request 401'd — and the hub, seeing `applied`,
+// had no reason to re-key. Now a rejection becomes a LOUD `auth_failed` that pbsdrheal escalates to
+// a fresh mint; the fresh mint advances the secret generation; the descriptor hash moves; and Apply
+// finally re-consumes.
+//
+// Rules that keep it safe:
+//   - Only a REJECTION (401) sets the state. An unreachable PBS is UNKNOWN and must never re-key.
+//   - Only the storage this box's descriptor actually names is considered; a host may carry other
+//     PBS entries that are none of the DR tier's business.
+//   - Recovery is self-clearing: a subsequent successful probe restores the converged state from the
+//     marker, so the operator does not have to acknowledge a fault that fixed itself.
+func (m *Manager) NoteAuthResult(storageID string, unauthorized bool, detail string) {
+	m.mu.Lock()
+	st := m.status
+	m.mu.Unlock()
+	// No descriptor seen yet, or this is not our storage → not our business.
+	if st == nil || st.StorageID == "" || storageID == "" || st.StorageID != storageID {
+		return
+	}
+	if unauthorized {
+		if st.State == "auth_failed" {
+			return // already loud; do not churn the report
+		}
+		m.logger.Error("pbsdr: the DR endpoint REJECTED this box's credential — the tier is applied and DEAD",
+			"storage_id", storageID, "previous_state", st.State)
+		m.setStatus(&hub.PBSDRStatus{
+			State: "auth_failed", StorageID: st.StorageID, Namespace: st.Namespace, AppliedAt: st.AppliedAt,
+			AuthFailed: true,
+			Message:    detail + " — awaiting fresh credentials from the hub (automatic)",
+		})
+		return
+	}
+	// A clean probe clears a previously-loud auth failure by restoring the converged marker state.
+	if st.State == "auth_failed" && detail == "" {
+		mk := m.loadMarker()
+		restored := "applied"
+		appliedAt := st.AppliedAt
+		if mk != nil {
+			restored, appliedAt = mk.State, mk.AppliedAt
+		}
+		m.logger.Info("pbsdr: credential accepted again — clearing auth_failed", "storage_id", storageID, "state", restored)
+		m.setStatus(&hub.PBSDRStatus{State: restored, StorageID: st.StorageID, Namespace: st.Namespace, AppliedAt: appliedAt})
+	}
+}
+
 // descriptorHash is the idempotency key: sha256 of the canonical (struct-ordered) JSON.
 func descriptorHash(b *hub.WirePBSDR) string {
 	j, _ := json.Marshal(b)
diff --git a/internal/pbsdr/rearm_test.go b/internal/pbsdr/rearm_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..57ad1fe
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/pbsdr/rearm_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+package pbsdr
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"io"
+	"log/slog"
+	"testing"
+
+	"gitea.dooplex.hu/admin/felhom-agent/internal/hub"
+	"gitea.dooplex.hu/admin/felhom-agent/internal/proxmox"
+)
+
+// jsonUnmarshal is aliased so the Scenario-C decode reads as intent, not plumbing.
+var jsonUnmarshal = json.Unmarshal
+
+// R-39, Scenario A — THE fix: a credential re-key must re-arm a converged agent.
+//
+// The 2026-07-18 N100 failure in one sentence: an ep0 re-issue re-keys the SECRET of an existing
+// token, so token_id, fingerprint, datastore and namespace all come back byte-identical; the
+// descriptor hash did not move; the converged agent short-circuited; the fresh secret was never
+// consumed; and the box served a revoked credential while reporting `applied`. The hub now stamps a
+// monotonic SecretGeneration into the descriptor, and because descriptorHash marshals THIS STRUCT,
+// that is what finally moves the hash.
+//
+// COMPANION RED-PROOF (run + recorded): delete SecretGeneration from hub.WirePBSDR (or stop the hub
+// from advancing it) → the two descriptors marshal identically, the marker short-circuit fires, and
+// this test FAILS with consume calls stuck at 1. That reproduces the defect exactly.
+func TestR39_ReKeyReArmsAConvergedAgent(t *testing.T) {
+	r := &fakeRunner{}
+	// found=false on the first apply (fresh create), then the entry exists but is NOT active — which
+	// is what PVE reports for a storage whose credential is rejected (storage_info catches the 401,
+	// leaves active=0). That is the state a re-key has to recover from.
+	st := &fakeStorage{found: false, active: []bool{true}}
+	c := &fakeConsumer{secret: "SECRET-GEN-1"}
+	m, _ := newTestManager(t, r, st, c)
+
+	block := testBlock()
+	block.SecretGeneration = 1
+	m.Apply(context.Background(), true, block)
+	if c.calls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("first apply consumed %d secrets, want 1", c.calls)
+	}
+	if s := m.Status(); s == nil || s.State != "applied" {
+		t.Fatalf("first apply status = %+v, want applied", s)
+	}
+
+	// A re-apply of the SAME descriptor must stay a no-op — the idempotency the marker exists for.
+	m.Apply(context.Background(), true, block)
+	if c.calls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("re-apply of an unchanged descriptor consumed again (calls=%d)", c.calls)
+	}
+
+	// THE RE-KEY. Everything an ep0 re-issue actually returns is unchanged; only the generation moves.
+	//
+	// The entry now EXISTS and reads INACTIVE — which is exactly what PVE reports for a PBS storage
+	// whose credential is rejected: storage_info wraps activate_storage/status in eval{}, warns, and
+	// leaves the pre-initialised active=0. (Verified against PVE's own source; it returns HTTP 200
+	// with active:0, never an API error — which is what lets Apply fall through to the recovery path
+	// instead of bailing out at the status probe.)
+	st.found = true
+	st.entry = &proxmox.StorageEntryConfig{Type: "pbs", Namespace: "peti"}
+	st.active = append(st.active, false, true) // rejected → inactive, healthy after the reconcile
+	c.secret = "SECRET-GEN-2"
+	rekeyed := testBlock()
+
+	m.Apply(context.Background(), true, rekeyed)
+
+	if c.calls != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("the re-key did NOT re-arm the agent: consume calls=%d, want 2.\n"+
+			"The converged short-circuit fired because the descriptor hash did not move — this is the "+
+			"R-39 defect (N100, 2026-07-18).", c.calls)
+	}
+	if s := m.Status(); s == nil || (s.State != "applied" && s.State != "adopted") {
+		t.Fatalf("post-re-key status = %+v, want converged", s)
+	}
+}
+
+// The generation genuinely changes the hash — the mechanism the test above depends on. Stated
+// separately so a failure points at the CAUSE rather than at the flow.
+func TestR39_SecretGenerationMovesTheDescriptorHash(t *testing.T) {
+	a := testBlock()
+	a.SecretGeneration = 1
+	b := testBlock()
+	b.SecretGeneration = 2
+
+	if descriptorHash(a) == descriptorHash(b) {
+		t.Fatal("SecretGeneration does not move descriptorHash — a re-key stays invisible to a " +
+			"converged agent and the fresh secret is never consumed (R-39)")
+	}
+	// And an unchanged generation must NOT move it (or every report would re-apply).
+	c := testBlock()
+	c.SecretGeneration = 1
+	if descriptorHash(a) != descriptorHash(c) {
+		t.Fatal("identical descriptors hash differently — the agent would re-apply on every tick")
+	}
+}
+
+// Scenario C, from the agent side: a descriptor carrying an UNKNOWN field (what a pre-0.91.0 agent
+// sees) must be ignored, not rejected. Asserted by decoding hub JSON that contains a key this build
+// does not know about.
+func TestR39_UnknownDescriptorFieldIsInert(t *testing.T) {
+	var b hub.WirePBSDR
+	raw := []byte(`{"enabled":true,"storage_id":"felhom-pbs","secret_generation":7,"some_future_key":"x"}`)
+	if err := jsonUnmarshal(raw, &b); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("a descriptor with an unknown key must decode, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if !b.Enabled || b.StorageID != "felhom-pbs" || b.SecretGeneration != 7 {
+		t.Fatalf("known fields lost while ignoring an unknown one: %+v", b)
+	}
+}
+
+// R-39 leg (c) — a rejected credential becomes a LOUD auth_failed, and recovers by itself.
+//
+// COMPANION RED-PROOF (run + recorded): make NoteAuthResult ignore `unauthorized` (the pre-fix
+// Warn-and-skip shape) → the state stays `applied` and this test FAILS.
+func TestR39_AuthFailureBecomesLoudAndSelfClears(t *testing.T) {
+	r := &fakeRunner{}
+	st := &fakeStorage{found: false, active: []bool{true}}
+	c := &fakeConsumer{secret: "S"}
+	m, _ := newTestManager(t, r, st, c)
+	block := testBlock()
+	block.SecretGeneration = 1
+	m.Apply(context.Background(), true, block)
+	if s := m.Status(); s.State != "applied" {
+		t.Fatalf("precondition: want applied, got %+v", s)
+	}
+
+	// PBS rejects the credential.
+	m.NoteAuthResult("felhom-pbs", true, "PBS rejected the stored credential (401)")
+	s := m.Status()
+	if s.State != "auth_failed" || !s.AuthFailed {
+		t.Fatalf("a rejected credential must be LOUD: status = %+v, want auth_failed", s)
+	}
+	if s.StorageID != "felhom-pbs" {
+		t.Errorf("auth_failed must name the storage, got %q", s.StorageID)
+	}
+
+	// A transport error is UNKNOWN, not dead — it must not clear a real fault either.
+	m.NoteAuthResult("felhom-pbs", false, "dial tcp: connection refused")
+	if m.Status().State != "auth_failed" {
+		t.Error("an unreachable PBS cleared a real 401 — a blip must not paper over a dead credential")
+	}
+
+	// A clean probe restores the converged state without operator action.
+	m.NoteAuthResult("felhom-pbs", false, "")
+	if got := m.Status().State; got != "applied" {
+		t.Errorf("recovery did not clear auth_failed: state = %q, want applied", got)
+	}
+}
+
+// Another host's storage must never move this bridge's state.
+func TestR39_AuthResultForAnotherStorageIsIgnored(t *testing.T) {
+	r := &fakeRunner{}
+	st := &fakeStorage{found: false, active: []bool{true}}
+	m, _ := newTestManager(t, r, st, &fakeConsumer{secret: "S"})
+	block := testBlock()
+	block.SecretGeneration = 1
+	m.Apply(context.Background(), true, block)
+
+	m.NoteAuthResult("some-other-pbs", true, "401")
+	if got := m.Status().State; got != "applied" {
+		t.Errorf("an unrelated storage's 401 changed our state to %q", got)
+	}
+}
+
+// A bridge that has never seen a descriptor must not invent a state from a probe.
+func TestR39_AuthResultBeforeAnyDescriptorIsIgnored(t *testing.T) {
+	m := NewManager(&fakeRunner{}, &fakeStorage{}, &fakeConsumer{}, t.TempDir(), "/etc/pve/priv/storage",
+		t.TempDir()+"/agent.json", slog.New(slog.NewTextHandler(io.Discard, nil)))
+	m.NoteAuthResult("felhom-pbs", true, "401")
+	if s := m.Status(); s != nil {
+		t.Errorf("status invented from a probe with no descriptor: %+v", s)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/pbsdr/wrapper_read_test.go b/internal/pbsdr/wrapper_read_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1ce311d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/pbsdr/wrapper_read_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,244 @@
+package pbsdr
+
+import (
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// R-39 leg (b), Scenario D — the `read` verb, tested as the ARTIFACT it is.
+//
+// This verb is the one that EXFILTRATES a file: the agent writes the PBS token secret through the
+// root wrapper but could never read it back (/etc/pve/priv is 0700 root:www-data), so its verify
+// loop was permanently blind to an `applied`-but-401 tier. Giving it a read path is right, but it
+// means the wrapper now has a verb whose whole job is to print a secret — so its refusals are
+// security-critical and are executed here under a real bash, not pattern-matched.
+//
+// COMPANION RED-PROOF (run + recorded): delete the storage-id charset guard at the top of the
+// wrapper → TestWrapperRead_RefusesTraversal FAILS (the traversal case is no longer refused).
+
+func wrapperPath(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	p := filepath.Join("..", "..", "configs", "felhom-pbs-apply")
+	if _, err := os.Stat(p); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("wrapper not found: %v", err)
+	}
+	return p
+}
+
+// runWrapper executes the real script under bash and returns stdout, combined stderr and the code.
+func runWrapper(t *testing.T, args ...string) (string, string, int) {
+	t.Helper()
+	cmd := exec.Command("bash", append([]string{wrapperPath(t)}, args...)...)
+	var out, errb strings.Builder
+	cmd.Stdout = &out
+	cmd.Stderr = &errb
+	err := cmd.Run()
+	code := 0
+	if ee, ok := err.(*exec.ExitError); ok {
+		code = ee.ExitCode()
+	} else if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("run wrapper: %v", err)
+	}
+	return out.String(), errb.String(), code
+}
+
+// Every traversal-shaped input is refused, non-zero, and prints NOTHING on stdout — a refusal that
+// still emitted bytes would be the leak this test exists to prevent.
+func TestWrapperRead_RefusesTraversal(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		name string
+		args []string
+	}{
+		{"dotdot id", []string{"read", "../../etc/shadow", "/etc/pve/priv/storage"}},
+		{"id with slash", []string{"read", "a/b", "/etc/pve/priv/storage"}},
+		{"id starting with a dot", []string{"read", ".hidden", "/etc/pve/priv/storage"}},
+		{"secret dir outside the allowlist", []string{"read", "felhom-pbs", "/tmp"}},
+		{"secret dir traversal", []string{"read", "felhom-pbs", "/var/lib/felhom-agent/../../etc"}},
+		{"etc passwd as a dir", []string{"read", "passwd", "/etc"}},
+		{"missing secret-dir arg", []string{"read", "felhom-pbs"}},
+		{"too many args", []string{"read", "felhom-pbs", "/etc/pve/priv/storage", "extra"}},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			stdout, stderr, code := runWrapper(t, tc.args...)
+			if code == 0 {
+				t.Errorf("ACCEPTED a traversal-shaped read (rc=0): %v", tc.args)
+			}
+			if strings.TrimSpace(stdout) != "" {
+				t.Errorf("a refused read still wrote to stdout (%q) — that is the leak", stdout)
+			}
+			if !strings.Contains(stderr, "REFUSED") {
+				t.Errorf("refusal not announced on stderr: %q", stderr)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// The happy path: a secret under an allowed dir is printed verbatim to STDOUT and nowhere else.
+//
+// val_sdir hard-codes the /var/lib/felhom-agent prefix, which a test user cannot create. Rather than
+// SKIP (a skipped test proves nothing) or weaken the production allowlist with a test escape hatch,
+// these two cases run a COPY of the script with that one prefix constant relocated into t.TempDir().
+// Only the allowlisted location moves; every guard — the id grammar, the traversal refusal, the
+// resolved-path prefix assertion — is the real code. The refusal tests above still run the
+// unmodified script.
+func relocatedWrapper(t *testing.T, base string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	raw, err := os.ReadFile(wrapperPath(t))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	src := strings.ReplaceAll(string(raw), "/var/lib/felhom-agent", base)
+	if src == string(raw) {
+		t.Fatal("relocation matched nothing — val_sdir no longer pins /var/lib/felhom-agent; revisit this test")
+	}
+	dst := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "felhom-pbs-apply")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(dst, []byte(src), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	return dst
+}
+
+func runScript(t *testing.T, script string, args ...string) (string, string, int) {
+	t.Helper()
+	cmd := exec.Command("bash", append([]string{script}, args...)...)
+	var out, errb strings.Builder
+	cmd.Stdout = &out
+	cmd.Stderr = &errb
+	err := cmd.Run()
+	code := 0
+	if ee, ok := err.(*exec.ExitError); ok {
+		code = ee.ExitCode()
+	} else if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("run: %v", err)
+	}
+	return out.String(), errb.String(), code
+}
+
+func TestWrapperRead_PrintsSecretToStdoutOnly(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	script := relocatedWrapper(t, base)
+	dir := filepath.Join(base, "pbs")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0o700); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	const secret = "tok-secret-abcdef0123456789"
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, "felhom-pbs.pw"), []byte(secret+"\n"), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	stdout, stderr, code := runScript(t, script, "read", "felhom-pbs", dir)
+	if code != 0 {
+		t.Fatalf("read failed rc=%d stderr=%q", code, stderr)
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(stdout) != secret {
+		t.Errorf("stdout = %q, want the secret verbatim", stdout)
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(stderr, secret) {
+		t.Error("the secret leaked onto stderr, where sudo and the journal would capture it")
+	}
+
+	// The relocated copy must STILL refuse traversal — proving the guards travelled with it and the
+	// happy path above is not passing because the checks were relocated away.
+	if _, _, rc := runScript(t, script, "read", "../../etc/shadow", dir); rc == 0 {
+		t.Error("the relocated copy accepted a traversal id — the guards did not travel")
+	}
+}
+
+// A missing secret file is a clean refusal, never an empty success (an empty secret would build a
+// client that 401s and be misdiagnosed as a revoked credential).
+func TestWrapperRead_MissingFileRefuses(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	script := relocatedWrapper(t, base)
+	dir := filepath.Join(base, "pbs")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0o700); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	stdout, stderr, code := runScript(t, script, "read", "felhom-pbs", dir)
+	if code == 0 {
+		t.Error("a missing secret file must refuse, not succeed with empty output")
+	}
+	if strings.TrimSpace(stdout) != "" {
+		t.Errorf("stdout = %q, want empty", stdout)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(stderr, "REFUSED") {
+		t.Errorf("stderr = %q, want a REFUSED line", stderr)
+	}
+}
+
+// The read verb must remain read-ONLY: no pvesm/pveum mutation may appear in its block.
+func TestWrapperRead_IsSideEffectFree(t *testing.T) {
+	raw, err := os.ReadFile(wrapperPath(t))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	block := readVerbBlock(t, string(raw))
+	for _, forbidden := range []string{"pvesm ", "pveum ", "install ", "rm ", "place_copies"} {
+		if strings.Contains(block, forbidden) {
+			t.Errorf("the read verb performs a side effect (%q) — it must only print a file", forbidden)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// readVerbBlock isolates the `read)` case body, comment lines stripped (the WHY note names the very
+// traversal strings under test, and a naive scan would flag the explanation as the defect — the
+// vacuous-pass trap the reconcile guard already documents).
+func readVerbBlock(t *testing.T, src string) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	start := strings.Index(src, "\nread)\n")
+	if start < 0 {
+		t.Fatal("could not locate the read) block in configs/felhom-pbs-apply")
+	}
+	rest := src[start+len("\nread)\n"):]
+	end := strings.Index(rest, "\n  ;;")
+	if end < 0 {
+		t.Fatal("could not locate the end of the read) block")
+	}
+	var code []string
+	for _, line := range strings.Split(rest[:end], "\n") {
+		if strings.HasPrefix(strings.TrimSpace(line), "#") {
+			continue
+		}
+		code = append(code, line)
+	}
+	return strings.Join(code, "\n")
+}
+
+// The prefix assertion, exercised against a file that ACTUALLY EXISTS outside the secret dir.
+//
+// The earlier traversal cases are refused by whichever guard fires first, so they cannot tell us
+// which one is load-bearing — and indeed deleting the id charset guard alone does not open a hole,
+// because readlink -f plus the prefix assertion still catch it. That layering is the design, but it
+// means a single-guard red-proof passes vacuously. This case isolates the LAST line of defence: a
+// real secret file one directory up, reachable only if BOTH the charset guard and the prefix
+// assertion are gone.
+//
+// COMPANION RED-PROOF (run + recorded): delete the id charset guard AND the `case "$resolved" in
+// "$sdir"/*)` prefix assertion → this test FAILS by printing the out-of-tree secret.
+func TestWrapperRead_PrefixAssertionStopsEscapeToARealFile(t *testing.T) {
+	base := t.TempDir()
+	script := relocatedWrapper(t, base)
+	dir := filepath.Join(base, "pbs")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0o700); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	// A juicy file one level ABOVE the secret dir, inside the allowlisted prefix (so val_sdir is not
+	// the guard doing the work here).
+	const stolen = "NOT-FOR-THE-AGENT-0123456789"
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(base, "elsewhere.pw"), []byte(stolen), 0o600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	stdout, stderr, code := runScript(t, script, "read", "../elsewhere", dir)
+	if code == 0 || strings.Contains(stdout, stolen) {
+		t.Errorf("the read verb escaped its secret dir and printed a file it must never reach.\n"+
+			"  rc=%d stdout=%q", code, stdout)
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(stderr, "REFUSED") {
+		t.Errorf("escape not refused loudly: stderr=%q", stderr)
+	}
+}