diff --git a/scripts/config_drift_detector.py b/scripts/config_drift_detector.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e7cf37c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/config_drift_detector.py
@@ -0,0 +1,480 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+config_drift_detector.py — Detect config drift across fleet nodes.
+
+Collects config from all wizard nodes via SSH, compares against
+canonical timmy-config golden state, and reports differences.
+
+Usage:
+  python3 scripts/config_drift_detector.py                    # Report only
+  python3 scripts/config_drift_detector.py --auto-sync        # Auto-fix drift with golden state
+  python3 scripts/config_drift_detector.py --node allegro      # Check single node
+  python3 scripts/config_drift_detector.py --json              # JSON output for automation
+
+Exit codes:
+  0 — no drift detected
+  1 — drift detected
+  2 — error (SSH failure, missing deps, etc.)
+"""
+
+import argparse
+import json
+import os
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import tempfile
+from dataclasses import dataclass, field
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Any
+
+import yaml
+
+# ── Constants ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+SCRIPT_DIR = Path(__file__).resolve().parent
+REPO_ROOT = SCRIPT_DIR.parent
+ANSIBLE_INVENTORY = REPO_ROOT / "ansible" / "inventory" / "hosts.yml"
+GOLDEN_STATE_PLAYBOOK = REPO_ROOT / "ansible" / "playbooks" / "golden_state.yml"
+
+# Config files to check on each node
+CONFIG_PATHS = [
+    ".hermes/config.yaml",
+    "wizards/{name}/config.yaml",
+]
+
+# Keys that define golden state (from ansible inventory vars)
+GOLDEN_KEYS = [
+    "providers",
+    "provider",
+    "model",
+    "base_url",
+    "api_key_env",
+    "banned_providers",
+    "banned_models_patterns",
+]
+
+
+# ── Data Models ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+@dataclass
+class NodeConfig:
+    name: str
+    host: str
+    configs: dict[str, Any] = field(default_factory=dict)
+    errors: list[str] = field(default_factory=list)
+    reachable: bool = True
+
+
+@dataclass
+class DriftResult:
+    node: str
+    file_path: str
+    diff_type: str  # "missing", "value_mismatch", "key_missing", "extra_key"
+    key: str
+    canonical_value: Any = None
+    node_value: Any = None
+    severity: str = "warning"  # "info", "warning", "critical"
+
+
+# ── Inventory Parsing ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def load_inventory() -> dict:
+    """Load Ansible inventory and extract wizard node definitions."""
+    if not ANSIBLE_INVENTORY.exists():
+        print(f"ERROR: Inventory not found at {ANSIBLE_INVENTORY}", file=sys.stderr)
+        sys.exit(2)
+
+    with open(ANSIBLE_INVENTORY) as f:
+        inventory = yaml.safe_load(f)
+
+    wizards = inventory.get("all", {}).get("children", {}).get("wizards", {}).get("hosts", {})
+    global_vars = inventory.get("all", {}).get("vars", {})
+
+    nodes = {}
+    for name, config in wizards.items():
+        nodes[name] = {
+            "host": config.get("ansible_host", "localhost"),
+            "user": config.get("ansible_user", ""),
+            "wizard_name": config.get("wizard_name", name),
+            "hermes_home": config.get("hermes_home", "~/.hermes"),
+            "wizard_home": config.get("wizard_home", f"~/wizards/{name}"),
+            "machine_type": config.get("machine_type", "unknown"),
+        }
+
+    return nodes, global_vars
+
+
+def load_golden_state(inventory_vars: dict) -> dict:
+    """Extract golden state from inventory vars."""
+    golden = {
+        "providers": inventory_vars.get("golden_state_providers", []),
+        "banned_providers": inventory_vars.get("banned_providers", []),
+        "banned_models_patterns": inventory_vars.get("banned_models_patterns", []),
+    }
+    return golden
+
+
+# ── SSH Collection ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def ssh_collect(node_name: str, node_info: dict, timeout: int = 15) -> NodeConfig:
+    """SSH into a node and collect config files."""
+    host = node_info["host"]
+    user = node_info.get("user", "")
+    hermes_home = node_info.get("hermes_home", "~/.hermes")
+    wizard_home = node_info.get("wizard_home", f"~/wizards/{node_name}")
+
+    result = NodeConfig(name=node_name, host=host)
+
+    # Build SSH target
+    if host in ("localhost", "127.0.0.1"):
+        ssh_target = None  # local
+    else:
+        ssh_target = f"{user}@{host}" if user else host
+
+    # Collect each config path
+    for path_template in CONFIG_PATHS:
+        # Resolve path template
+        remote_path = path_template.replace("{name}", node_name)
+        if not remote_path.startswith("/"):
+            # Resolve relative to home
+            if "wizards/" in remote_path:
+                full_path = f"{wizard_home}/config.yaml"
+            else:
+                full_path = f"{hermes_home}/config.yaml" if ".hermes" in remote_path else f"~/{remote_path}"
+        else:
+            full_path = remote_path
+
+        config_content = _remote_cat(ssh_target, full_path, timeout)
+        if config_content is not None:
+            try:
+                parsed = yaml.safe_load(config_content)
+                if parsed:
+                    result.configs[full_path] = parsed
+            except yaml.YAMLError as e:
+                result.errors.append(f"YAML parse error in {full_path}: {e}")
+        # Don't flag missing files as errors — some paths may not exist on all nodes
+
+    # Also collect banned provider scan
+    banned_check = _remote_grep(
+        ssh_target,
+        hermes_home,
+        r"anthropic|claude-sonnet|claude-opus|claude-haiku",
+        timeout
+    )
+    if banned_check:
+        result.configs["__banned_scan__"] = banned_check
+
+    return result
+
+
+def _remote_cat(ssh_target: str | None, path: str, timeout: int) -> str | None:
+    """Cat a file remotely (or locally)."""
+    if ssh_target is None:
+        cmd = ["cat", path]
+    else:
+        cmd = ["ssh", "-o", "ConnectTimeout=5", "-o", "StrictHostKeyChecking=no",
+               ssh_target, f"cat {path}"]
+
+    try:
+        proc = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout)
+        if proc.returncode == 0:
+            return proc.stdout
+    except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
+        pass
+    except FileNotFoundError:
+        pass
+    return None
+
+
+def _remote_grep(ssh_target: str | None, base_path: str, pattern: str, timeout: int) -> dict:
+    """Grep for banned patterns in config files."""
+    if ssh_target is None:
+        cmd = ["grep", "-rn", "-i", pattern, base_path, "--include=*.yaml", "--include=*.yml"]
+    else:
+        cmd = ["ssh", "-o", "ConnectTimeout=5", "-o", "StrictHostKeyChecking=no",
+               ssh_target, f"grep -rn -i '{pattern}' {base_path} --include='*.yaml' --include='*.yml' 2>/dev/null || true"]
+
+    try:
+        proc = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout)
+        if proc.stdout.strip():
+            lines = proc.stdout.strip().split("\n")
+            return {"matches": lines, "count": len(lines)}
+    except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
+        pass
+    return {}
+
+
+# ── Drift Detection ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def detect_drift(nodes: list[NodeConfig], golden: dict) -> list[DriftResult]:
+    """Compare each node's config against golden state."""
+    results = []
+
+    for node in nodes:
+        if not node.reachable:
+            continue
+
+        # Check for banned providers
+        banned_scan = node.configs.get("__banned_scan__", {})
+        if banned_scan.get("count", 0) > 0:
+            for match in banned_scan.get("matches", []):
+                results.append(DriftResult(
+                    node=node.name,
+                    file_path="(config files)",
+                    diff_type="banned_provider_found",
+                    key="banned_provider_reference",
+                    node_value=match,
+                    severity="critical"
+                ))
+
+        # Check each config file
+        for path, config in node.configs.items():
+            if path == "__banned_scan__":
+                continue
+
+            # Check provider chain
+            if isinstance(config, dict):
+                node_providers = _extract_provider_chain(config)
+                golden_providers = golden.get("providers", [])
+
+                if node_providers and golden_providers:
+                    # Compare provider names in order
+                    node_names = [p.get("name", "") for p in node_providers]
+                    golden_names = [p.get("name", "") for p in golden_providers]
+
+                    if node_names != golden_names:
+                        results.append(DriftResult(
+                            node=node.name,
+                            file_path=path,
+                            diff_type="value_mismatch",
+                            key="provider_chain",
+                            canonical_value=golden_names,
+                            node_value=node_names,
+                            severity="critical"
+                        ))
+
+                    # Check for banned providers in node config
+                    for banned in golden.get("banned_providers", []):
+                        for provider in node_providers:
+                            prov_name = provider.get("name", "").lower()
+                            prov_model = provider.get("model", "").lower()
+                            if banned in prov_name or banned in prov_model:
+                                results.append(DriftResult(
+                                    node=node.name,
+                                    file_path=path,
+                                    diff_type="banned_provider_found",
+                                    key=f"provider.{provider.get('name', 'unknown')}",
+                                    node_value=provider,
+                                    severity="critical"
+                                ))
+
+                # Check for missing critical keys
+                critical_keys = ["display", "providers", "tools", "delegation"]
+                for key in critical_keys:
+                    if key not in config and key in str(config):
+                        results.append(DriftResult(
+                            node=node.name,
+                            file_path=path,
+                            diff_type="key_missing",
+                            key=key,
+                            canonical_value="(present in golden state)",
+                            severity="warning"
+                        ))
+
+    return results
+
+
+def _extract_provider_chain(config: dict) -> list[dict]:
+    """Extract provider list from a config dict (handles multiple formats)."""
+    # Direct providers key
+    if "providers" in config:
+        providers = config["providers"]
+        if isinstance(providers, list):
+            return providers
+
+    # Nested in display or model config
+    for key in ["model", "inference", "llm"]:
+        if key in config and isinstance(config[key], dict):
+            if "providers" in config[key]:
+                return config[key]["providers"]
+
+    # Single provider format
+    if "provider" in config and "model" in config:
+        return [{"name": config["provider"], "model": config["model"]}]
+
+    return []
+
+
+# ── Auto-Sync ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def auto_sync(drifts: list[DriftResult], nodes: list[NodeConfig]) -> list[str]:
+    """Auto-sync drifted nodes using golden state playbook."""
+    actions = []
+
+    drifted_nodes = set(d.node for d in drifts if d.severity == "critical")
+    if not drifted_nodes:
+        actions.append("No critical drift to sync.")
+        return actions
+
+    for node_name in drifted_nodes:
+        node_info = next((n for n in nodes if n.name == node_name), None)
+        if not node_info:
+            continue
+
+        actions.append(f"[{node_name}] Running golden state sync...")
+
+        # Run ansible-playbook for this node
+        cmd = [
+            "ansible-playbook",
+            str(GOLDEN_STATE_PLAYBOOK),
+            "-i", str(ANSIBLE_INVENTORY),
+            "-l", node_name,
+            "--tags", "golden",
+        ]
+
+        try:
+            proc = subprocess.run(
+                cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=120,
+                cwd=str(REPO_ROOT)
+            )
+            if proc.returncode == 0:
+                actions.append(f"[{node_name}] Sync completed successfully.")
+            else:
+                actions.append(f"[{node_name}] Sync FAILED: {proc.stderr[:200]}")
+        except subprocess.TimeoutExpired:
+            actions.append(f"[{node_name}] Sync timed out after 120s.")
+        except FileNotFoundError:
+            actions.append(f"[{node_name}] ansible-playbook not found. Install Ansible or run manually.")
+
+    return actions
+
+
+# ── Reporting ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def print_report(drifts: list[DriftResult], nodes: list[NodeConfig], golden: dict):
+    """Print human-readable drift report."""
+    print("=" * 70)
+    print("CONFIG DRIFT DETECTION REPORT")
+    print("=" * 70)
+    print()
+
+    # Summary
+    reachable = sum(1 for n in nodes if n.reachable)
+    print(f"Nodes checked: {len(nodes)} (reachable: {reachable})")
+    print(f"Golden state providers: {' → '.join(p['name'] for p in golden.get('providers', []))}")
+    print(f"Banned providers: {', '.join(golden.get('banned_providers', []))}")
+    print()
+
+    if not drifts:
+        print("[OK] No config drift detected. All nodes match golden state.")
+        return
+
+    # Group by node
+    by_node: dict[str, list[DriftResult]] = {}
+    for d in drifts:
+        by_node.setdefault(d.node, []).append(d)
+
+    for node_name, node_drifts in sorted(by_node.items()):
+        print(f"--- {node_name} ---")
+        for d in node_drifts:
+            severity_icon = {"critical": "[!!]", "warning": "[!]", "info": "[i]"}.get(d.severity, "[?]")
+            print(f"  {severity_icon} {d.diff_type}: {d.key}")
+            if d.canonical_value is not None:
+                print(f"       canonical: {d.canonical_value}")
+            if d.node_value is not None:
+                print(f"       actual:    {d.node_value}")
+        print()
+
+    # Severity summary
+    critical = sum(1 for d in drifts if d.severity == "critical")
+    warning = sum(1 for d in drifts if d.severity == "warning")
+    print(f"Total: {len(drifts)} drift(s) — {critical} critical, {warning} warning")
+
+
+def print_json_report(drifts: list[DriftResult], nodes: list[NodeConfig], golden: dict):
+    """Print JSON report for automation."""
+    report = {
+        "nodes_checked": len(nodes),
+        "reachable": sum(1 for n in nodes if n.reachable),
+        "golden_providers": [p["name"] for p in golden.get("providers", [])],
+        "drift_count": len(drifts),
+        "critical_count": sum(1 for d in drifts if d.severity == "critical"),
+        "drifts": [
+            {
+                "node": d.node,
+                "file": d.file_path,
+                "type": d.diff_type,
+                "key": d.key,
+                "canonical": d.canonical_value,
+                "actual": d.node_value,
+                "severity": d.severity,
+            }
+            for d in drifts
+        ],
+    }
+    print(json.dumps(report, indent=2, default=str))
+
+
+# ── CLI ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def main():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Detect config drift across fleet nodes")
+    parser.add_argument("--node", help="Check only this node")
+    parser.add_argument("--auto-sync", action="store_true", help="Auto-fix critical drift with golden state")
+    parser.add_argument("--json", action="store_true", help="JSON output")
+    parser.add_argument("--timeout", type=int, default=15, help="SSH timeout per node (seconds)")
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    # Load inventory
+    print("Loading inventory...", file=sys.stderr)
+    node_defs, global_vars = load_inventory()
+    golden = load_golden_state(global_vars)
+
+    # Filter to single node if requested
+    if args.node:
+        if args.node not in node_defs:
+            print(f"ERROR: Node '{args.node}' not in inventory. Available: {', '.join(node_defs.keys())}")
+            sys.exit(2)
+        node_defs = {args.node: node_defs[args.node]}
+
+    # Collect configs from each node
+    print(f"Collecting configs from {len(node_defs)} node(s)...", file=sys.stderr)
+    nodes = []
+    for name, info in node_defs.items():
+        print(f"  {name} ({info['host']})...", file=sys.stderr, end=" ", flush=True)
+        node_config = ssh_collect(name, info, timeout=args.timeout)
+        if node_config.reachable:
+            print(f"OK ({len(node_config.configs)} files)", file=sys.stderr)
+        else:
+            print("UNREACHABLE", file=sys.stderr)
+        nodes.append(node_config)
+
+    # Detect drift
+    print("\nAnalyzing drift...", file=sys.stderr)
+    drifts = detect_drift(nodes, golden)
+
+    # Output
+    if args.json:
+        print_json_report(drifts, nodes, golden)
+    else:
+        print()
+        print_report(drifts, nodes, golden)
+
+    # Auto-sync if requested
+    if args.auto_sync and drifts:
+        print("\n--- AUTO-SYNC ---")
+        actions = auto_sync(drifts, nodes)
+        for a in actions:
+            print(a)
+
+    # Exit code
+    if any(d.severity == "critical" for d in drifts):
+        sys.exit(1)
+    elif drifts:
+        sys.exit(1)
+    else:
+        sys.exit(0)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()