diff --git a/scripts/recipe_engine.py b/scripts/recipe_engine.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4b8c7913
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/recipe_engine.py
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+recipe_engine.py — Deterministic Workflow Orchestrator for the Timmy Foundation.
+
+Executes "Recipes" — sequences of deterministic steps (shell commands, scripts)
+to reduce reliance on LLM reasoning for common, repetitive tasks.
+
+Usage:
+    python3 scripts/recipe_engine.py recipes/deploy_beacon.json --vars REPO_PATH=/opt/the-beacon
+"""
+
+import os
+import sys
+import json
+import subprocess
+import argparse
+import time
+from datetime import datetime
+from typing import List, Dict, Any
+
+class RecipeEngine:
+    def __init__(self, vars: Dict[str, str] = None):
+        self.vars = vars or {}
+        self.vars["TIMESTAMP"] = datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d-%H%M%S")
+
+    def log(self, message: str):
+        ts = datetime.now().strftime("%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
+        print(f"[{ts}] {message}")
+
+    def substitute_vars(self, text: str) -> str:
+        for k, v in self.vars.items():
+            text = text.replace(f"{{{{{k}}}}}", v)
+        return text
+
+    def execute_step(self, step: Dict[str, Any]) -> bool:
+        name = step.get("name", "Unnamed Step")
+        command = step.get("command")
+        if not command:
+            self.log(f"  [SKIP] {name}: No command provided.")
+            return True
+
+        command = self.substitute_vars(command)
+        self.log(f"  [EXEC] {name}: {command}")
+        
+        try:
+            start_time = time.time()
+            # Use shell=True to allow pipes and redirections in recipes
+            process = subprocess.run(command, shell=True, capture_output=True, text=True)
+            duration = time.time() - start_time
+            
+            if process.returncode == 0:
+                self.log(f"  [OK] {name} completed in {duration:.2f}s")
+                if process.stdout.strip():
+                    # Print first few lines of output
+                    lines = process.stdout.strip().split("\n")
+                    for line in lines[:3]:
+                        print(f"    > {line}")
+                    if len(lines) > 3:
+                        print(f"    > ... ({len(lines)-3} more lines)")
+                return True
+            else:
+                self.log(f"  [FAIL] {name} failed with exit code {process.returncode}")
+                print(f"    [ERR] {process.stderr.strip()}")
+                return False
+        except Exception as e:
+            self.log(f"  [ERROR] {name} encountered an exception: {e}")
+            return False
+
+    def run_recipe(self, recipe_path: str) -> bool:
+        try:
+            with open(recipe_path, "r") as f:
+                recipe = json.load(f)
+        except Exception as e:
+            self.log(f"Failed to load recipe {recipe_path}: {e}")
+            return False
+
+        name = recipe.get("name", "Unknown Recipe")
+        description = recipe.get("description", "")
+        steps = recipe.get("steps", [])
+
+        self.log(f"--- Starting Recipe: {name} ---")
+        if description:
+            self.log(f"Description: {description}")
+        
+        self.log(f"Steps to execute: {len(steps)}")
+        
+        for i, step in enumerate(steps, 1):
+            self.log(f"Step {i}/{len(steps)}: {step.get('name')}")
+            success = self.execute_step(step)
+            if not success and not step.get("continue_on_failure", False):
+                self.log(f"Recipe {name} aborted due to failure in step {i}.")
+                return False
+        
+        self.log(f"--- Recipe {name} completed successfully ---")
+        return True
+
+def main():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Deterministic Recipe Engine")
+    parser.add_argument("recipe", help="Path to the JSON recipe file")
+    parser.add_argument("--vars", nargs="*", help="Variables in KEY=VALUE format")
+    
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+    
+    variables = {}
+    if args.vars:
+        for v in args.vars:
+            if "=" in v:
+                k, val = v.split("=", 1)
+                variables[k] = val
+
+    engine = RecipeEngine(vars=variables)
+    success = engine.run_recipe(args.recipe)
+    if not success:
+        sys.exit(1)
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()