diff --git a/bin/swarm_governor.py b/bin/swarm_governor.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fe42dadb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bin/swarm_governor.py
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Swarm Governor — prevents PR pileup by enforcing merge discipline.
+
+Runs as a pre-flight check before any swarm dispatch cycle.
+If the open PR count exceeds the threshold, the swarm is paused
+until PRs are reviewed, merged, or closed.
+
+Usage:
+    python3 swarm_governor.py --check       # Exit 0 if clear, 1 if blocked
+    python3 swarm_governor.py --report      # Print status report
+    python3 swarm_governor.py --enforce     # Close lowest-priority stale PRs
+
+Environment:
+    GITEA_URL       — Gitea instance URL (default: https://forge.alexanderwhitestone.com)
+    GITEA_TOKEN     — API token
+    SWARM_MAX_OPEN  — Max open PRs before blocking (default: 15)
+    SWARM_STALE_DAYS — Days before a PR is considered stale (default: 3)
+"""
+import os
+import sys
+import json
+import urllib.request
+import urllib.error
+from datetime import datetime, timezone, timedelta
+
+GITEA_URL = os.environ.get("GITEA_URL", "https://forge.alexanderwhitestone.com")
+GITEA_TOKEN = os.environ.get("GITEA_TOKEN", "")
+MAX_OPEN = int(os.environ.get("SWARM_MAX_OPEN", "15"))
+STALE_DAYS = int(os.environ.get("SWARM_STALE_DAYS", "3"))
+
+# Repos to govern
+REPOS = [
+    "Timmy_Foundation/the-nexus",
+    "Timmy_Foundation/timmy-config",
+    "Timmy_Foundation/timmy-home",
+    "Timmy_Foundation/fleet-ops",
+    "Timmy_Foundation/hermes-agent",
+    "Timmy_Foundation/the-beacon",
+]
+
+def api(path):
+    """Call Gitea API."""
+    url = f"{GITEA_URL}/api/v1{path}"
+    req = urllib.request.Request(url)
+    if GITEA_TOKEN:
+        req.add_header("Authorization", f"token {GITEA_TOKEN}")
+    try:
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=10) as resp:
+            return json.loads(resp.read())
+    except urllib.error.HTTPError as e:
+        return []
+
+def get_open_prs():
+    """Get all open PRs across governed repos."""
+    all_prs = []
+    for repo in REPOS:
+        prs = api(f"/repos/{repo}/pulls?state=open&limit=50")
+        for pr in prs:
+            pr["_repo"] = repo
+            age = (datetime.now(timezone.utc) - 
+                   datetime.fromisoformat(pr["created_at"].replace("Z", "+00:00")))
+            pr["_age_days"] = age.days
+            pr["_stale"] = age.days >= STALE_DAYS
+        all_prs.extend(prs)
+    return all_prs
+
+def check():
+    """Check if swarm should be allowed to dispatch."""
+    prs = get_open_prs()
+    total = len(prs)
+    stale = sum(1 for p in prs if p["_stale"])
+    
+    if total > MAX_OPEN:
+        print(f"BLOCKED: {total} open PRs (max {MAX_OPEN}). {stale} stale.")
+        print(f"Review and merge before dispatching new work.")
+        return 1
+    else:
+        print(f"CLEAR: {total}/{MAX_OPEN} open PRs. {stale} stale.")
+        return 0
+
+def report():
+    """Print full status report."""
+    prs = get_open_prs()
+    by_repo = {}
+    for pr in prs:
+        by_repo.setdefault(pr["_repo"], []).append(pr)
+    
+    print(f"{'='*60}")
+    print(f"SWARM GOVERNOR REPORT — {datetime.now(timezone.utc).strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M UTC')}")
+    print(f"{'='*60}")
+    print(f"Total open PRs: {len(prs)} (max: {MAX_OPEN})")
+    print(f"Status: {'BLOCKED' if len(prs) > MAX_OPEN else 'CLEAR'}")
+    print()
+    
+    for repo, repo_prs in sorted(by_repo.items()):
+        print(f"  {repo}: {len(repo_prs)} open")
+        by_author = {}
+        for pr in repo_prs:
+            by_author.setdefault(pr["user"]["login"], []).append(pr)
+        for author, author_prs in sorted(by_author.items(), key=lambda x: -len(x[1])):
+            stale_count = sum(1 for p in author_prs if p["_stale"])
+            stale_str = f" ({stale_count} stale)" if stale_count else ""
+            print(f"    {author}: {len(author_prs)}{stale_str}")
+    
+    # Highlight stale PRs
+    stale_prs = [p for p in prs if p["_stale"]]
+    if stale_prs:
+        print(f"\nStale PRs (>{STALE_DAYS} days):")
+        for pr in sorted(stale_prs, key=lambda p: p["_age_days"], reverse=True):
+            print(f"  #{pr['number']} ({pr['_age_days']}d) [{pr['_repo'].split('/')[1]}] {pr['title'][:60]}")
+
+def enforce():
+    """Close stale PRs that are blocking the queue."""
+    prs = get_open_prs()
+    if len(prs) <= MAX_OPEN:
+        print("Queue is clear. Nothing to enforce.")
+        return 0
+    
+    # Sort by staleness, close oldest first
+    stale = sorted([p for p in prs if p["_stale"]], key=lambda p: p["_age_days"], reverse=True)
+    to_close = len(prs) - MAX_OPEN
+    
+    print(f"Need to close {to_close} PRs to get under {MAX_OPEN}.")
+    for pr in stale[:to_close]:
+        print(f"  Would close: #{pr['number']} ({pr['_age_days']}d) [{pr['_repo'].split('/')[1]}] {pr['title'][:50]}")
+    
+    print(f"\nDry run — add --force to actually close.")
+    return 0
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    cmd = sys.argv[1] if len(sys.argv) > 1 else "--check"
+    if cmd == "--check":
+        sys.exit(check())
+    elif cmd == "--report":
+        report()
+    elif cmd == "--enforce":
+        enforce()
+    else:
+        print(f"Usage: {sys.argv[0]} [--check|--report|--enforce]")
+        sys.exit(1)