diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/auto_update.rs b/hive-c0re/src/auto_update.rs
index a21b5b3..1ac2add 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/auto_update.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/auto_update.rs
@@ -206,10 +206,9 @@ pub async fn run(coord: Arc<Coordinator>) -> Result<()> {
         }
     };
 
-    let current_rev =
-        current_flake_rev(&coord.hyperhive_flake).unwrap_or_default();
+    let _current_rev = current_flake_rev(&coord.hyperhive_flake).unwrap_or_default();
 
-    tracing::info!(agents = containers.len(), "auto-update: rebuilding all on startup");
+    tracing::info!(agents = containers.len(), "auto-update: queueing all on startup");
     for container in containers {
         let logical = if container == MANAGER_NAME {
             Some(MANAGER_NAME.to_owned())
@@ -217,9 +216,14 @@ pub async fn run(coord: Arc<Coordinator>) -> Result<()> {
             container.strip_prefix(AGENT_PREFIX).map(str::to_owned)
         };
         let Some(name) = logical else { continue };
-        if let Err(e) = rebuild_agent(&coord, &name, &current_rev).await {
-            tracing::warn!(%name, error = ?e, "auto-update: rebuild failed");
-        }
+        coord.rebuild_queue.enqueue(
+            crate::rebuild_queue::QueueKind::Rebuild,
+            name,
+            crate::rebuild_queue::QueueSource::AutoUpdate,
+            "startup sweep".to_owned(),
+            None,
+        );
     }
+    coord.emit_rebuild_queue_snapshot();
     Ok(())
 }
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/dashboard.rs b/hive-c0re/src/dashboard.rs
index 1cc418f..8c5d7eb 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/dashboard.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/dashboard.rs
@@ -1571,82 +1571,18 @@ async fn post_meta_update(
     if inputs.is_empty() {
         return error_response("meta-update: no inputs selected");
     }
-    let coord = state.coord.clone();
-    let inputs_clone = inputs.clone();
-    tokio::spawn(async move {
-        run_meta_update(&coord, &inputs_clone).await;
-        // Lock file changed — emit so dashboards refresh the
-        // meta-inputs panel without a snapshot poll.
-        emit_meta_inputs_snapshot(&coord);
-    });
+    state.coord.rebuild_queue.enqueue_with_inputs(
+        crate::rebuild_queue::QueueKind::MetaUpdate,
+        "hyperhive".to_owned(),
+        crate::rebuild_queue::QueueSource::Manual,
+        format!("meta-update via dashboard ({})", inputs.join(", ")),
+        None,
+        inputs,
+    );
+    state.coord.emit_rebuild_queue_snapshot();
     (StatusCode::OK, "ok").into_response()
 }
 
-/// Background task: run `nix flake update <inputs>` in meta + commit,
-/// then rebuild every agent whose input was touched (or all agents
-/// when `hyperhive` was bumped, since that's the shared base). Each
-/// rebuild fires `Rebuilt { ok, note, ... }` to the manager so the
-/// operator and manager get the same feedback they'd see from an
-/// auto-update / manual dashboard rebuild.
-async fn run_meta_update(coord: &Arc<crate::coordinator::Coordinator>, inputs: &[String]) {
-    // Held for the whole run (incl. the early `return` on lock failure):
-    // emits `MetaUpdateRunning { running: true }` now and `false` on
-    // drop so the META INPUTS panel shows progress (issue #259).
-    let _progress = coord.meta_update_guard();
-    tracing::info!(?inputs, "meta-update: starting");
-    if let Err(e) = crate::meta::lock_update(inputs).await {
-        tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "meta-update: lock_update failed");
-        return;
-    }
-
-    // Decide which agents to rebuild. Inputs are slash-paths from
-    // the meta root — `hyperhive`, `hyperhive/nixpkgs`,
-    // `agent-coder`, `agent-coder/mcp-matrix`, etc. Anything in the
-    // hyperhive subtree affects every agent (shared base); anything
-    // in `agent-<n>/...` only the named agent.
-    let touched_hyperhive = inputs
-        .iter()
-        .any(|i| i == "hyperhive" || i.starts_with("hyperhive/"));
-    let touched_agents: Vec<String> = inputs
-        .iter()
-        .filter_map(|i| i.strip_prefix("agent-"))
-        .map(|rest| rest.split('/').next().unwrap_or(rest).to_owned())
-        .collect();
-    let agents_to_rebuild: Vec<String> = if touched_hyperhive {
-        crate::lifecycle::list()
-            .await
-            .unwrap_or_default()
-            .into_iter()
-            .filter_map(|c| {
-                if c == crate::lifecycle::MANAGER_NAME {
-                    Some(crate::lifecycle::MANAGER_NAME.to_owned())
-                } else {
-                    c.strip_prefix(crate::lifecycle::AGENT_PREFIX)
-                        .map(str::to_owned)
-                }
-            })
-            .collect()
-    } else {
-        touched_agents
-    };
-
-    let current_rev =
-        crate::auto_update::current_flake_rev(&coord.hyperhive_flake).unwrap_or_default();
-    // Sequential rebuild loop — the META_LOCK guards meta-side
-    // races but parallel nix builds also serialise via nix-daemon,
-    // so sequential is just as fast in practice and keeps logs
-    // readable.
-    for name in agents_to_rebuild {
-        tracing::info!(%name, "meta-update: rebuilding agent");
-        if let Err(e) = crate::auto_update::rebuild_agent(coord, &name, &current_rev).await {
-            tracing::warn!(%name, error = ?e, "meta-update: rebuild failed");
-            // continue: surface each per-agent failure via its own
-            // Rebuilt event; don't abort the whole batch.
-        }
-    }
-    tracing::info!("meta-update: done");
-}
-
 async fn post_op_send(State(state): State<AppState>, Form(form): Form<OpSendForm>) -> Response {
     let to = form.to.trim().to_owned();
     let body = form.body.trim().to_owned();
@@ -1708,28 +1644,16 @@ async fn post_request_spawn(
 }
 
 async fn post_rebuild(State(state): State<AppState>, AxumPath(name): AxumPath<String>) -> Response {
-    let Some(current_rev) = crate::auto_update::current_flake_rev(&state.coord.hyperhive_flake)
-    else {
-        return error_response(
-            "rebuild: hyperhive_flake has no canonical path; manual rebuild only via `hive-c0re rebuild`",
-        );
-    };
-    let coord = state.coord.clone();
-    lifecycle_action(
-        &state,
-        &name,
-        crate::coordinator::TransientKind::Rebuilding,
-        "rebuild",
-        move |n| {
-            let coord = coord.clone();
-            let rev = current_rev.clone();
-            async move { crate::auto_update::rebuild_agent(&coord, &n, &rev).await }
-        },
-        // rebuild_agent fires kick_agent on success itself, so the
-        // extra-closure is a no-op here.
-        |_, _| {},
-    )
-    .await
+    let logical = strip_container_prefix(&name);
+    state.coord.rebuild_queue.enqueue(
+        crate::rebuild_queue::QueueKind::Rebuild,
+        logical,
+        crate::rebuild_queue::QueueSource::Manual,
+        "manual via dashboard ↻ R3BU1LD button".to_owned(),
+        None,
+    );
+    state.coord.emit_rebuild_queue_snapshot();
+    (StatusCode::OK, "ok").into_response()
 }
 
 /// Common shape for the simple lifecycle action handlers (start /
@@ -1816,12 +1740,7 @@ async fn post_start(State(state): State<AppState>, AxumPath(name): AxumPath<Stri
 }
 
 async fn post_update_all(State(state): State<AppState>) -> Response {
-    let Some(current_rev) = crate::auto_update::current_flake_rev(&state.coord.hyperhive_flake)
-    else {
-        return error_response("update-all: hyperhive_flake has no canonical path");
-    };
     let containers = lifecycle::list().await.unwrap_or_default();
-    let mut errors = Vec::new();
     for container in containers {
         let logical = if container == lifecycle::MANAGER_NAME {
             lifecycle::MANAGER_NAME.to_owned()
@@ -1830,21 +1749,16 @@ async fn post_update_all(State(state): State<AppState>) -> Response {
         } else {
             continue;
         };
-        if let Err(e) =
-            crate::auto_update::rebuild_agent(&state.coord, &logical, &current_rev).await
-        {
-            errors.push(format!("{logical}: {e:#}"));
-        }
-    }
-    if errors.is_empty() {
-        // Each rebuild_agent rescanned; no extra refetch needed.
-        (StatusCode::OK, "ok").into_response()
-    } else {
-        error_response(&format!(
-            "update-all partial failure:\n{}",
-            errors.join("\n")
-        ))
+        state.coord.rebuild_queue.enqueue(
+            crate::rebuild_queue::QueueKind::Rebuild,
+            logical,
+            crate::rebuild_queue::QueueSource::Manual,
+            "manual via dashboard 🌀 UPDATE ALL".to_owned(),
+            None,
+        );
     }
+    state.coord.emit_rebuild_queue_snapshot();
+    (StatusCode::OK, "ok").into_response()
 }
 
 fn transient_label(k: crate::coordinator::TransientKind) -> &'static str {
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/manager_server.rs b/hive-c0re/src/manager_server.rs
index ae29b83..fb0ef12 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/manager_server.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/manager_server.rs
@@ -291,25 +291,16 @@ async fn dispatch(req: &ManagerRequest, coord: &Arc<Coordinator>) -> ManagerResp
             }
         }
         ManagerRequest::Update { name } => {
-            tracing::info!(%name, "manager: update");
-            let Some(current_rev) = crate::auto_update::current_flake_rev(&coord.hyperhive_flake)
-            else {
-                return ManagerResponse::Err {
-                    message: "update: hyperhive_flake has no canonical path".into(),
-                };
-            };
-            let guard = coord.transient_guard(name, crate::coordinator::TransientKind::Rebuilding);
-            let result = crate::auto_update::rebuild_agent(coord, name, &current_rev).await;
-            drop(guard);
-            match result {
-                Ok(()) => {
-                    coord.kick_agent(name, "container rebuilt");
-                    ManagerResponse::Ok
-                }
-                Err(e) => ManagerResponse::Err {
-                    message: format!("{e:#}"),
-                },
-            }
+            tracing::info!(%name, "manager: enqueue update");
+            coord.rebuild_queue.enqueue(
+                crate::rebuild_queue::QueueKind::Rebuild,
+                name.to_owned(),
+                crate::rebuild_queue::QueueSource::Manual,
+                "manager `update` tool".to_owned(),
+                None,
+            );
+            coord.emit_rebuild_queue_snapshot();
+            ManagerResponse::Ok
         }
         ManagerRequest::RequestUpdateMetaInputs {
             inputs,