diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/forge.rs b/hive-c0re/src/forge.rs
index 512f9351..61e4597a 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/forge.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/forge.rs
@@ -302,6 +302,12 @@ async fn mint_and_persist_token(name: &str, path: &Path, scopes: &str) -> Result
     let token = mint_token(name, scopes).await?;
 
     // Agent state paths must go through hive-priv.
+    // Heuristic: any path containing an "agents" component is considered
+    // an agent state path (matches `/var/lib/hyperhive/agents/<name>/...`).
+    // All current callers pass either CORE_TOKEN_PATH (no "agents" component)
+    // or `token_path(name)` (under AGENT_STATE_ROOT which contains "agents").
+    // If a future non-agent path ever gains an "agents" component, this guard
+    // would incorrectly route it to priv — add an explicit exclusion then.
     if path.components().any(|c| c.as_os_str() == "agents") {
         let filename = path
             .file_name()
diff --git a/hive-priv/src/main.rs b/hive-priv/src/main.rs
index 3bbd1f09..44726272 100644
--- a/hive-priv/src/main.rs
+++ b/hive-priv/src/main.rs
@@ -334,20 +334,19 @@ async fn exec(req: PrivRequest, writer: &mut OwnedWriteHalf) -> Result<(String,
     }
 }
 
-/// Validate a filename destined for `WriteAgentStateFile`. Rejects
-/// path separators, null bytes, newlines, and `..` to prevent path traversal.
+/// Explicit allowlist of filenames `WriteAgentStateFile` may write.
+/// New credential files must be added here deliberately — hive-priv
+/// rejects any filename not in this list.
+const ALLOWED_STATE_FILENAMES: &[&str] = &["forge-token", "matrix-token"];
+
+/// Validate a filename destined for `WriteAgentStateFile` against the
+/// explicit allowlist. Only known credential filenames are accepted.
 fn validate_state_filename(filename: &str) -> Result<()> {
-    if filename.is_empty() {
-        bail!("state filename must not be empty");
-    }
-    if filename == ".." || filename == "." {
-        bail!("state filename must not be . or ..");
-    }
-    if filename
-        .bytes()
-        .any(|b| b == 0 || b == b'\n' || b == b'\r' || b == b'/')
-    {
-        bail!("state filename {filename:?} contains null byte, newline, or path separator");
+    if !ALLOWED_STATE_FILENAMES.contains(&filename) {
+        bail!(
+            "state filename {filename:?} not in allowlist {:?}",
+            ALLOWED_STATE_FILENAMES
+        );
     }
     Ok(())
 }
@@ -366,6 +365,13 @@ fn write_agent_state_file(
     let state_dir = PathBuf::from(AGENT_STATE_ROOT)
         .join(agent_name)
         .join("state");
+    // NOTE: `create_dir_all` is normally a no-op — lifecycle creates and chowns
+    // the state dir during spawn. On the rare edge where the dir doesn't exist
+    // yet (container being provisioned for the first time), the newly created dir
+    // is root:root. The `stat state_dir` chown below will then see uid=0 and
+    // leave the file root-owned (0600). The agent won't be able to read it until
+    // its lifecycle completes. If that happens, a `systemctl restart hive-c0re`
+    // after provisioning will re-mint and re-write the token correctly.
     std::fs::create_dir_all(&state_dir)
         .with_context(|| format!("create state dir {}", state_dir.display()))?;
 
diff --git a/hive-sh4re/src/priv_proto.rs b/hive-sh4re/src/priv_proto.rs
index de631736..d04002b7 100644
--- a/hive-sh4re/src/priv_proto.rs
+++ b/hive-sh4re/src/priv_proto.rs
@@ -241,12 +241,13 @@ pub enum PrivRequest {
     ///
     /// Required because hive-c0re runs as the unprivileged `hive-core`
     /// user and cannot write to agent-owned (0755) state directories
-    /// after the privsep introduced in #702.
+    /// after the privsep that moved c0re from root to a dedicated unix user.
     WriteAgentStateFile {
         /// Logical agent name (validated by `validate_agent_name`).
         agent_name: String,
-        /// Plain filename within the state dir — no path separators allowed.
-        /// Example: `"forge-token"`, `"matrix-token"`.
+        /// Allowlisted credential filename within the state dir.
+        /// Only `"forge-token"` and `"matrix-token"` are accepted;
+        /// hive-priv rejects any other value.
         filename: String,
         /// File content to write. Written as-is; caller is responsible for
         /// including any trailing newline.