diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/hive_stats.rs b/hive-c0re/src/hive_stats.rs
index 470fb457..413661d8 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/hive_stats.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/hive_stats.rs
@@ -98,23 +98,27 @@ pub struct Prices {
 /// every model uses [`builtin_prices`].
 pub type PriceTable = HashMap<String, Prices>;
 
-/// Built-in fallback pricing — the historical hard-coded table. Used
-/// when the operator's [`PriceTable`] has no key matching the model.
+/// Built-in fallback pricing, per **million** tokens. Used when the
+/// operator's [`PriceTable`] has no key matching the model. Figures are
+/// current Anthropic list prices for the Claude 4.x family (Opus 4.x,
+/// Sonnet 4.x, Haiku 4.5); `cache_write` uses the default 5-minute
+/// cache-TTL price. Keep in sync with the `services.hyperhive.modelPrices`
+/// nix default (`nix/modules/hive-c0re.nix`).
 fn builtin_prices(model: &str) -> Prices {
     let m = model.to_ascii_lowercase();
     if m.contains("opus") {
         Prices {
-            input: 15.0,
-            output: 75.0,
-            cache_read: 1.5,
-            cache_write: 18.75,
+            input: 5.0,
+            output: 25.0,
+            cache_read: 0.5,
+            cache_write: 6.25,
         }
     } else if m.contains("haiku") {
         Prices {
-            input: 0.8,
-            output: 4.0,
-            cache_read: 0.08,
-            cache_write: 1.0,
+            input: 1.0,
+            output: 5.0,
+            cache_read: 0.1,
+            cache_write: 1.25,
         }
     } else {
         // sonnet + unknown fallback
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/main.rs b/hive-c0re/src/main.rs
index 81c1bdf9..e37fec13 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/main.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/main.rs
@@ -89,9 +89,10 @@ enum Cmd {
         /// model id; models not covered fall back to the built-in
         /// estimate. Set via the `services.hyperhive.modelPrices` NixOS
         /// option (whose default carries the full opus/sonnet/haiku
-        /// table). Defaults to `{}` here so a bare `hive-c0re serve`
-        /// leans entirely on the in-code `builtin_prices` fallback —
-        /// keeping a single source of truth for the numbers.
+        /// table — kept in sync with the in-code `builtin_prices`).
+        /// Defaults to `{}` here so a bare `hive-c0re serve` leans
+        /// entirely on `builtin_prices`; the NixOS default (every real
+        /// deployment) shadows it with the same operator-tunable table.
         #[arg(long, default_value = "{}")]
         model_prices: String,
     },
diff --git a/nix/modules/hive-c0re.nix b/nix/modules/hive-c0re.nix
index 9b0d7b1f..28013c70 100644
--- a/nix/modules/hive-c0re.nix
+++ b/nix/modules/hive-c0re.nix
@@ -446,12 +446,16 @@ in
           };
         }
       );
+      # Current Anthropic list prices for the Claude 4.x family (Opus
+      # 4.x, Sonnet 4.x, Haiku 4.5); cache_write is the default 5-minute
+      # cache-TTL price. Keep in sync with `builtin_prices` in
+      # hive-c0re/src/hive_stats.rs.
       default = {
         opus = {
-          input = 15.0;
-          output = 75.0;
-          cache_read = 1.5;
-          cache_write = 18.75;
+          input = 5.0;
+          output = 25.0;
+          cache_read = 0.5;
+          cache_write = 6.25;
         };
         sonnet = {
           input = 3.0;
@@ -460,10 +464,10 @@ in
           cache_write = 3.75;
         };
         haiku = {
-          input = 0.8;
-          output = 4.0;
-          cache_read = 0.08;
-          cache_write = 1.0;
+          input = 1.0;
+          output = 5.0;
+          cache_read = 0.1;
+          cache_write = 1.25;
         };
       };
       example = {