diff --git a/services/avatar-cpu/server.py b/services/avatar-cpu/server.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a2c99e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/services/avatar-cpu/server.py
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+"""CPU avatar fallback: still image + low-fps frames stream placeholder."""
+from pathlib import Path
+from flask import Flask, jsonify
+
+app = Flask(__name__)
+FPS = int(os.getenv("FPS", "12"))
+
+@app.get("/health")
+def health():
+    return {"status": "ok", "fps": FPS, "mode": "cpu"}
+
+@app.get("/frames")
+def frames():
+    return jsonify({"fps": FPS, "mode": "still"})
+
+@app.post("/render")
+def render():
+    return jsonify({"status": "queued"})
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    import os
+    app.run(host="0.0.0.0", port=5003)
\ No newline at end of file