diff --git a/docs/agent-lifecycle/approvals.md b/docs/agent-lifecycle/approvals.md
index 07dd6db0..5daaa0d1 100644
--- a/docs/agent-lifecycle/approvals.md
+++ b/docs/agent-lifecycle/approvals.md
@@ -216,15 +216,15 @@ target drives `push_todo`'s own upsert-by-key dedup: a re-fire of the
 *same schedule* against a target that hasn't reviewed the last one
 collapses into that one todo instead of stacking up.
 
-**`operator` is the one exception** — it's a valid schedule target but
-has no in-container todo inbox, so it keeps the original broker
-`Message` path (the dashboard mirrors `to == operator` into its own
-pane, same as before).
+`operator` is not a valid schedule target — she isn't a container with
+a todo inbox to push a wake into, and this mechanism is for fanning a
+prompt out to agents, not scheduling something at her. Rejected at
+submit/edit time (`ScheduledPrompts::submit`/`update`).
 
 ### Missing-target failure
 
 When a target name doesn't resolve to a known agent (container
-destroyed, operator typo, etc.) the worker:
+destroyed, typo, etc.) the worker:
 
 1. Records `last_result = "no such agent: <name>"` on the
    per-target row.
diff --git a/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/schedules.js b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/schedules.js
index a0b6edca..611133a1 100644
--- a/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/schedules.js
+++ b/frontend/packages/dashboard/src/schedules.js
@@ -238,22 +238,23 @@ function intervalSecondsFromFormData(fd, namePrefix) {
 
 // Targets multi-select chip box — shared between the new-schedule
 // form and the edit-schedule form. Same DOM shape, same candidate
-// list (containers + operator + root); only the chip element id
+// list (containers + root); only the chip element id
 // prefix and checkbox field name vary. Used to be inlined twice in
 // near-identical 18-line blocks; consolidated here so a future
 // change (new chip kind, candidate-list source swap, etc.) lives in
 // one place. Returns the wrapping `<label class="schedule-field">`
 // ready to append to the form.
 function buildTargetChips({ idPrefix, fieldName, checked, extraNames = [] }) {
-  const candidates = ["operator"];
+  const candidates = [];
   const containerNames = Array.from(containersState.values())
     .map((c) => c.name)
     .filter((n) => n !== "operator")
     .sort();
   for (const n of containerNames) candidates.push(n);
   // `extraNames` lets the edit form keep showing an already-active
-  // target that's vanished from the live container list (operator's
-  // typo, container destroyed mid-schedule, etc.) so it's still
+  // target that's vanished from the live container list (container
+  // destroyed mid-schedule, a pre-existing schedule created before
+  // operator stopped being a valid target, etc.) so it's still
   // explicitly uncheckable. New-schedule callers pass `[]`.
   for (const n of extraNames) if (!candidates.includes(n)) candidates.push(n);
 
@@ -606,12 +607,12 @@ async function submitNewScheduleInline(tr, submitBtn) {
     }
   });
 }
-// The set of agent columns in the schedules table: operator + root
-// (manager) first, then live containers (sorted), then any extra names
-// that appear as a schedule target but aren't in the live container list
-// (operator typo, container destroyed mid-schedule, etc.) — same
-// membership rule as `buildTargetChips` so the table and the new-/
-// edit-form chip boxes agree on what's addressable.
+// The set of agent columns in the schedules table: root (manager) first,
+// then live containers (sorted), then any extra names that appear as a
+// schedule target but aren't in the live container list (container
+// destroyed mid-schedule, etc.) — same membership rule as
+// `buildTargetChips` so the table and the new-/edit-form chip boxes
+// agree on what's addressable.
 function schedulesTableAgentSet() {
   const seen = new Set();
   const out = [];
@@ -621,7 +622,6 @@ function schedulesTableAgentSet() {
       out.push(n);
     }
   };
-  push("operator");
   const containerNames = Array.from(containersState.values())
     .map((c) => c.name)
     .filter((n) => n !== "operator")
@@ -643,14 +643,14 @@ function renderSchedulesTableHead(agents) {
     el("th", {}, "owner"),
     el("th", { class: "schedules-table-body-th" }, "body"),
   );
-  // 'operator' is always a valid target; every other column maps to a
-  // container, so flag any column whose agent is no longer in the live
-  // roster — its past schedules linger in the table but the agent is gone.
+  // Every column maps to a container, so flag any column whose agent is
+  // no longer in the live roster — its past schedules linger in the
+  // table but the agent is gone.
   const liveNames = new Set(
     Array.from(containersState.values()).map((c) => c.name),
   );
   for (const a of agents) {
-    const gone = a !== "operator" && !liveNames.has(a);
+    const gone = !liveNames.has(a);
     headerRow.append(
       el(
         "th",
diff --git a/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/args.rs b/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/args.rs
index 292d6844..b4576b08 100644
--- a/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/args.rs
+++ b/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/args.rs
@@ -196,9 +196,10 @@ pub struct UpdateMetaInputsArgs {
 #[derive(Debug, serde::Deserialize, schemars::JsonSchema)]
 pub struct RequestSchedulePromptArgs {
     /// Recipient agents — one schedule fires to many inboxes at the
-    /// scheduled time. `operator` is a legitimate target (mara: "we
-    /// want to get rid of the manager special case so yes manager
-    /// can be recipient" — the operator slot follows the same rule).
+    /// scheduled time. `operator` is not a valid target — she isn't a
+    /// container with a todo inbox to push a wake into, and this is
+    /// for fanning a prompt out to agents, not scheduling something
+    /// at her.
     pub targets: Vec<String>,
     /// Message body delivered to each target's inbox at fire time.
     /// Same size budget as `send` bodies.
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/dashboard/schedules.rs b/hive-c0re/src/dashboard/schedules.rs
index 79322a72..ec82bbd5 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/dashboard/schedules.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/dashboard/schedules.rs
@@ -98,6 +98,14 @@ pub(super) async fn post_schedule_new(
         return Err(ProblemDetails::from_status_code(StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST)
             .with_detail("schedule must have at least one target"));
     }
+    if payload
+        .targets
+        .iter()
+        .any(|t| t == hive_sh4re::manager::OPERATOR_RECIPIENT)
+    {
+        return Err(ProblemDetails::from_status_code(StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST)
+            .with_detail("operator is not a valid schedule target"));
+    }
     if payload.body.trim().is_empty() {
         return Err(ProblemDetails::from_status_code(StatusCode::BAD_REQUEST)
             .with_detail("schedule body must be non-empty"));
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/socket_server/schedules.rs b/hive-c0re/src/socket_server/schedules.rs
index 987009a1..c2b07254 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/socket_server/schedules.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/socket_server/schedules.rs
@@ -47,6 +47,15 @@ pub(super) fn handle_request_schedule_prompt(
             message: "schedule must have at least one target".into(),
         };
     }
+    if payload
+        .targets
+        .iter()
+        .any(|t| t == hive_sh4re::manager::OPERATOR_RECIPIENT)
+    {
+        return Response::Err {
+            message: "operator is not a valid schedule target".into(),
+        };
+    }
     if payload.body.trim().is_empty() {
         return Response::Err {
             message: "schedule body must be non-empty".into(),
@@ -310,8 +319,7 @@ pub fn schedule_to_wire_public(
 /// the dashboard's schedule table doesn't render ghost columns for
 /// destroyed agents. `live` is the set of logical agent names from the
 /// last `nixos-container list` scan (stopped agents included, destroyed
-/// ones absent); the `operator` pseudo-target is always retained since
-/// it isn't a container. Applied only to the dashboard wire paths
+/// ones absent). Applied only to the dashboard wire paths
 /// (`api_schedules` + the `SchedulesChanged` SSE emit) — `list_schedules`
 /// doesn't apply this filter (it still returns every live target, ghost
 /// or not, on the schedules the requester is authorized to see) so an
@@ -323,9 +331,7 @@ pub(crate) fn filter_ghost_schedule_targets(
     live: &std::collections::HashSet<String>,
 ) {
     for s in schedules.iter_mut() {
-        s.targets.retain(|t| {
-            t.target == hive_sh4re::manager::OPERATOR_RECIPIENT || live.contains(&t.target)
-        });
+        s.targets.retain(|t| live.contains(&t.target));
     }
 }
 
@@ -417,19 +423,19 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn ghost_filter_drops_dead_agents_keeps_live_and_operator() {
+    fn ghost_filter_drops_dead_agents_keeps_live() {
         let live: std::collections::HashSet<String> = ["iris".to_owned(), "damocles".to_owned()]
             .into_iter()
             .collect();
-        let mut schedules = vec![schedule(&["iris", "ghost", "operator", "damocles"])];
+        let mut schedules = vec![schedule(&["iris", "ghost", "damocles"])];
         filter_ghost_schedule_targets(&mut schedules, &live);
         let kept: Vec<&str> = schedules[0]
             .targets
             .iter()
             .map(|t| t.target.as_str())
             .collect();
-        // `ghost` (destroyed) dropped; live agents + operator pseudo-target kept.
-        assert_eq!(kept, vec!["iris", "operator", "damocles"]);
+        // `ghost` (destroyed) dropped; live agents kept.
+        assert_eq!(kept, vec!["iris", "damocles"]);
     }
 
     #[test]
@@ -437,8 +443,6 @@ mod tests {
         let live: std::collections::HashSet<String> = std::collections::HashSet::new();
         let mut schedules = vec![schedule(&["gone1", "gone2"])];
         filter_ghost_schedule_targets(&mut schedules, &live);
-        // operator is never in the live set but is always retained; here
-        // there's no operator target, so everything drops.
         assert!(schedules[0].targets.is_empty());
     }
 }
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/stores/scheduled_prompts.rs b/hive-c0re/src/stores/scheduled_prompts.rs
index a4b213fe..2e82488a 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/stores/scheduled_prompts.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/stores/scheduled_prompts.rs
@@ -220,11 +220,21 @@ impl ScheduledPrompts {
 
     /// Insert a new schedule. Returns the new id. Empty `targets` is
     /// rejected — a schedule with no recipients would silently
-    /// never fan out, masking caller bugs.
+    /// never fan out, masking caller bugs. `operator` is rejected too
+    /// — it isn't a container with a todo inbox to push a wake into,
+    /// and scheduling a prompt at the operator herself doesn't fit the
+    /// "fan a prompt out to agent inboxes" shape this exists for.
     pub fn submit(&self, new: &NewSchedule) -> Result<i64> {
         if new.targets.is_empty() {
             bail!("schedule must have at least one target");
         }
+        if new
+            .targets
+            .iter()
+            .any(|t| t == hive_sh4re::manager::OPERATOR_RECIPIENT)
+        {
+            bail!("operator is not a valid schedule target");
+        }
         let mut conn = self.conn.lock().unwrap();
         let tx = conn.transaction()?;
         tx.execute(
@@ -435,6 +445,12 @@ impl ScheduledPrompts {
         if let Some(Some(0)) = patch.interval_seconds {
             bail!("interval_seconds must be > 0 (use None for one-shot)");
         }
+        if patch.targets_add.as_deref().is_some_and(|list| {
+            list.iter()
+                .any(|t| t == hive_sh4re::manager::OPERATOR_RECIPIENT)
+        }) {
+            bail!("operator is not a valid schedule target");
+        }
         // Single transaction so a partial failure can't leave a
         // half-updated row.
         let tx = conn.transaction()?;
@@ -747,6 +763,39 @@ mod tests {
         assert!(format!("{err:#}").contains("at least one target"));
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn submit_rejects_operator_as_a_target() {
+        let (_dir, db) = open();
+        let err = db
+            .submit(&NewSchedule {
+                owner: "operator".into(),
+                targets: vec!["operator".into()],
+                body: "wake".into(),
+                first_fire_at_unix: 100,
+                interval_seconds: None,
+                description: None,
+                source: ScheduleSource::Operator,
+            })
+            .unwrap_err();
+        assert!(format!("{err:#}").contains("operator is not a valid schedule target"));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn update_rejects_operator_in_targets_add() {
+        let (_dir, db) = open();
+        let id = submit_one_shot(&db, 100, &["alice"]);
+        let err = db
+            .update(
+                id,
+                UpdateSchedule {
+                    targets_add: Some(vec!["operator".into()]),
+                    ..Default::default()
+                },
+            )
+            .unwrap_err();
+        assert!(format!("{err:#}").contains("operator is not a valid schedule target"));
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn due_returns_only_past_active_rows() {
         let (_dir, db) = open();
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/workers/scheduled_prompts_worker.rs b/hive-c0re/src/workers/scheduled_prompts_worker.rs
index 6c5b6045..ce988735 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/workers/scheduled_prompts_worker.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/workers/scheduled_prompts_worker.rs
@@ -102,11 +102,7 @@ async fn fire_schedule(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>, schedule: &Schedule, now: i64)
             continue;
         }
         let target = &target_row.target;
-        // `operator` is a valid recipient (mara c4) — the operator has
-        // no in-container todo inbox, so it keeps the regular broker
-        // `Message` path; the dashboard mirrors `to == operator` into
-        // its own pane.
-        if target != hive_sh4re::manager::OPERATOR_RECIPIENT && !known.contains(target) {
+        if !known.contains(target) {
             let reason = format!("no such agent: {target}");
             if let Err(e) =
                 coord
@@ -159,17 +155,16 @@ async fn fire_schedule(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>, schedule: &Schedule, now: i64)
     }
 }
 
-/// Deliver `body` to a single already-known-live `target` — a broker
-/// `Message` when `target` is the operator (no in-container todo inbox
-/// to push into there), a `push_todo` otherwise, keyed on the
-/// schedule's own identity (`schedule:{schedule_id}`) so a re-fire
-/// against a target that hasn't reviewed the last one collapses via
-/// `push_todo`'s own upsert-by-key dedup — but `reopen_if_acked = true`
-/// means that collapse only holds while unreviewed; once acked, the next
-/// fire reopens regardless of whether the body changed. Shared by the periodic
-/// `fire_schedule` tick and the manual `fire_now` dashboard action —
-/// the only difference between them is what each caller does with the
-/// `Result` (log/prefix and per-target `last_result`/`FireNowReport`
+/// Deliver `body` to a single already-known-live `target` via
+/// `push_todo`, keyed on the schedule's own identity
+/// (`schedule:{schedule_id}`) so a re-fire against a target that hasn't
+/// reviewed the last one collapses via `push_todo`'s own upsert-by-key
+/// dedup — but `reopen_if_acked = true` means that collapse only holds
+/// while unreviewed; once acked, the next fire reopens regardless of
+/// whether the body changed. Shared by the periodic `fire_schedule`
+/// tick and the manual `fire_now` dashboard action — the only
+/// difference between them is what each caller does with the `Result`
+/// (log/prefix and per-target `last_result`/`FireNowReport`
 /// bookkeeping), not the delivery choice itself.
 async fn deliver_to_target(
     coord: &Arc<Coordinator>,
@@ -177,36 +172,23 @@ async fn deliver_to_target(
     target: &str,
     body: &str,
 ) -> Result<(), String> {
-    if target == hive_sh4re::manager::OPERATOR_RECIPIENT {
-        let msg = Message {
-            from: hive_sh4re::manager::trusted_sender("scheduled"),
-            to: target.to_owned(),
-            body: body.to_owned(),
-            in_reply_to: None,
-        };
-        coord
-            .broker
-            .send(&msg)
-            .map_err(|e| format!("broker send failed: {e:#}"))
-    } else {
-        coord
-            .push_todo(
-                target,
-                "schedule",
-                Some(format!("schedule:{schedule_id}")),
-                body.to_owned(),
-                Some("scheduled".to_owned()),
-                // Each fire is a distinct occurrence, not a restatement of
-                // a persisting condition — an agent that already acked the
-                // *previous* firing hasn't acked *this* one, so an acked
-                // row must reopen even when the body is byte-identical
-                // (the common case: most schedules don't vary their text
-                // per fire). See `Todos::upsert`'s doc comment for the
-                // full reconciler-vs-event rationale.
-                true,
-            )
-            .await
-    }
+    coord
+        .push_todo(
+            target,
+            "schedule",
+            Some(format!("schedule:{schedule_id}")),
+            body.to_owned(),
+            Some("scheduled".to_owned()),
+            // Each fire is a distinct occurrence, not a restatement of
+            // a persisting condition — an agent that already acked the
+            // *previous* firing hasn't acked *this* one, so an acked
+            // row must reopen even when the body is byte-identical
+            // (the common case: most schedules don't vary their text
+            // per fire). See `Todos::upsert`'s doc comment for the
+            // full reconciler-vs-event rationale.
+            true,
+        )
+        .await
 }
 
 /// Send the operator a one-line advisory when a schedule fires
@@ -307,7 +289,7 @@ pub async fn fire_now(
             continue;
         }
         let target = &target_row.target;
-        if target != hive_sh4re::manager::OPERATOR_RECIPIENT && !known.contains(target) {
+        if !known.contains(target) {
             let reason = format!("manual fire: no such agent: {target}");
             if let Err(e) =
                 coord
@@ -374,10 +356,10 @@ pub async fn fire_now(
 /// Always seeds the manager name (which is always reachable);
 /// adds every live nspawn container that matches the `h-` prefix.
 /// On `lifecycle::list` failure the set stays at just the manager
-/// — fail-CLOSED, meaning every non-operator/non-manager target
-/// looks missing this tick and gets the same treatment as a
-/// genuinely-destroyed agent: operator advisory + per-target
-/// `last_result` annotation + skipped delivery. Recurring
+/// — fail-CLOSED, meaning every non-manager target looks missing
+/// this tick and gets the same treatment as a genuinely-destroyed
+/// agent: operator advisory + per-target `last_result` annotation +
+/// skipped delivery. Recurring
 /// schedules recover automatically on the next tick (the lifecycle
 /// listing usually works); one-shots that land on this window
 /// lose their single delivery. Logged at `warn`, not propagated.