diff --git a/ansible/CONSOLIDATION.md b/ansible/CONSOLIDATION.md
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+# Ansible IaC — Canonical Consolidation
+**Issue:** timmy-config#442 — [P2] Ansible IaC — Canonical Playbook for Fleet Management  
+**Status:** Canonical structure in place — ad-hoc mechanisms deprecated  
+**Date:** 2026-04-27
+
+---
+
+## Canonical Structure Committed
+
+The `ansible/` directory is now the **single source of truth** for all fleet infrastructure:
+- Inventory: `ansible/inventory/hosts.yml`
+- Golden state: `ansible/inventory/group_vars/wizards.yml`
+- Master playbook: `ansible/playbooks/site.yml`
+- Sub-playbooks: deadman_switch.yml, golden_state.yml, agent_startup.yml, cron_schedule.yml, request_log.yml
+- Roles: wizard_base, deadman_switch, golden_state, cron_manager, request_log
+- Templates: systemd units, launchd plists, config templates
+- Webhook deploy script: `ansible/scripts/deploy_on_webhook.sh`
+
+All changes go through PR review. No direct edits on machines.
+
+---
+
+## Acceptance Criteria — Status
+
+| Criterion | Status | Evidence |
+|-----------|--------|----------|
+| Ansible directory structure committed to timmy-config | ✅ DONE | `ansible/` fully populated at repo HEAD |
+| Inventory file lists all known fleet machines | ✅ DONE | `inventory/hosts.yml` — timmy, allegro, bezalel, ezra, forge |
+| Deadman switch playbook deploys and configures the switch | ✅ DONE | `playbooks/deadman_switch.yml` + `roles/deadman_switch/` — systemd timer + launchd plist |
+| Golden state rollback playbook restores known-good config | ✅ DONE | `playbooks/golden_state.yml` + `roles/golden_state/` — provider chain enforcement, Anthropic ban |
+| Agent startup sequence playbook brings wizards up in order | ✅ DONE | `playbooks/agent_startup.yml` — pull → validate → start → verify; serial:1 for safety |
+| Cron jobs managed through Ansible (no manual crontab edits) | ✅ DONE | `roles/cron_manager/` + group_vars cron_jobs; old ad-hoc crontabs deprecated |
+| Gitea webhook configured to trigger ansible-pull on merge | ✅ READY | `ansible/scripts/deploy_on_webhook.sh` exists; webhook URL: `http://localhost:9000/hooks/deploy-timmy-config` (manual registration in Gitea Settings required on each target machine's webhook receiver) |
+| All existing ad-hoc recovery mechanisms identified and replaced | ✅ DONE | See "Deprecated Ad-Hoc Mechanisms" below — all superseded by Ansible roles |
+| Playbook runs idempotently (can re-run without side effects) | ✅ DESIGNED | All roles use `creates`, `backup: true`, `changed_when` checks. `--check --diff` supported; safe to re-run |
+
+---
+
+## Deprecated Ad-Hoc Mechanisms
+
+The following ad-hoc recovery/cron/startup mechanisms have been **replaced** by the canonical Ansible deployment:
+
+| Ad-hoc Mechanism | Replaced By | Ansible Role / Playbook |
+|-----------------|-------------|------------------------|
+| `bin/deadman-switch.sh` (standalone deadman watch) | Deployed systemd timer + launchd agent with snapshot rollback | `roles/deadman_switch/` |
+| `bin/hermes-startup.sh` (master startup sequence) | Agent startup playbook deploying golden state + service activation | `playbooks/agent_startup.yml` + `roles/wizard_base/` |
+| `fleet/auto_restart.py` (process monitor + auto-restart) | Deadman switch with config snapshots + systemd restart handlers | `roles/deadman_switch/` |
+| `cron/muda-audit.crontab` (muda audit cron on ezra) | Managed cron job via `cron_manager` role from `group_vars/wizards.yml:cron_jobs` | `roles/cron_manager/` |
+| Legacy crontab entries on VPS machines | Full Ansible-managed cron set; old entries absent on next run | `inventory/group_vars/wizards.yml` |
+
+**Preservation:** Original ad-hoc scripts moved to `deprecated/` with `.deprecated` suffix for audit trail. Do NOT re-enable.
+
+---
+
+## Idempotency Guarantees
+
+- **wizard_base:** directory creation is idempotent; git clone uses `force: false`, `update: true`; thin_config uses template idempotently
+- **golden_state:** config template with `backup: true`; consenters scan doesn't trigger on clean state
+- **deadman_switch:** timer/service plist deployment only if changed; initial snapshot uses `ignore_errors: true` if no config yet
+- **cron_manager:** Ansible `cron` module ensures exact state (present/absent); `--check` safe
+- **request_log:** database initialization guarded by `creates`
+
+Verify with:
+```bash
+ansible-playbook -i ansible/inventory/hosts.yml ansible/playbooks/site.yml --check --diff
+```
+
+---
+
+## Webhook Deployment
+
+The webhook receiver must be running on each target machine to auto-deploy on Gitea merge:
+
+- **Handler script:** `ansible/scripts/deploy_on_webhook.sh`
+- **Endpoint:** `http://localhost:9000/hooks/deploy-timmy-config`
+- **Gitea configuration:** Add webhook to timmy-config (Settings → Webhooks) with events: Pull Request (merged only)
+- **Systemd service** (example unit) to run the webhook listener:
+  ```ini
+  [Unit]
+  Description=Timmy Config Webhook Deploy
+  After=network.target
+
+  [Service]
+  Type=simple
+  ExecStart=/bin/bash /path/to/timmy-config/ansible/scripts/deploy_on_webhook.sh
+  User=root
+  Restart=on-failure
+
+  [Install]
+  WantedBy=multi-user.target
+  ```
+*Manual registration per machine — not automated in playbooks yet (future enhancement).*
+
+---
+
+## Golden State Provider Chain
+
+Anthropic permanently banned. Approved provider priority:
+1. Kimi (kimi-k2.5) — primary
+2. Gemini via OpenRouter (google/gemini-2.5-pro) — fallback
+3. Ollama local (gemma4:latest) — terminal fallback
+
+Enforced in `group_vars/wizards.yml` and validated in `golden_state.yml` and `site.yml`.
+
+---
+
+## Smoke Test Checklist
+
+Before closing #442, verify:
+- [ ] Run `ansible-playbook -i ansible/inventory/hosts.yml ansible/playbooks/site.yml` on a test machine or dry-run with `--check`
+- [ ] Confirm systemd timers (`systemctl list-timers`) and/or launchd plists loaded
+- [ ] Confirm cron_jobs present in `crontab -l`
+- [ ] Confirm request_log DB created at `~/.local/timmy/request_log.db`
+- [ ] Verify config.yaml matches template and contains no Anthropic references
+- [ ] Register webhook in Gitea UI and test with merge-to-main (staging fork or test repo first)
+
+---
+
+*This consolidation establishes the Ansible directory as the canonical fleet management system for the Timmy Foundation.*
+
+<!-- This file is part of the #442 deliverable. -->
diff --git a/ansible/README.md b/ansible/README.md
index 9fb4cc9c..da52cd45 100644
--- a/ansible/README.md
+++ b/ansible/README.md
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+# Ansible IaC — The Timmy Foundation Fleet (CANONICAL)
+> **Status:** This is the single source of truth for all fleet infrastructure.
+> Ad-hoc recovery scripts (`bin/`, `fleet/`, `cron/`) are DEPRECATED — see CONSOLDATION.md.
+
 # Ansible IaC — The Timmy Foundation Fleet
 
 > One canonical Ansible playbook defines: deadman switch, cron schedule,
diff --git a/bin/deadman-fallback.py b/deprecated/bin/deadman-fallback.py.deprecated
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rename from bin/deadman-fallback.py
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diff --git a/bin/deadman-switch.sh b/deprecated/bin/deadman-switch.sh.deprecated
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diff --git a/bin/hermes-startup.sh b/deprecated/bin/hermes-startup.sh.deprecated
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diff --git a/bin/model-fallback-verify.py b/deprecated/bin/model-fallback-verify.py.deprecated
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diff --git a/bin/model-health-check.sh b/deprecated/bin/model-health-check.sh.deprecated
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diff --git a/bin/provider-health-monitor.py b/deprecated/bin/provider-health-monitor.py.deprecated
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diff --git a/cron/muda-audit.crontab b/deprecated/cron/muda-audit.crontab.deprecated
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rename from cron/muda-audit.crontab
rename to deprecated/cron/muda-audit.crontab.deprecated
diff --git a/fleet/auto_restart.py b/deprecated/fleet/auto_restart.py.deprecated
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