diff --git a/docs/agent-lifecycle/agent-roster.md b/docs/agent-lifecycle/agent-roster.md
index c8e1ec65..14189b60 100644
--- a/docs/agent-lifecycle/agent-roster.md
+++ b/docs/agent-lifecycle/agent-roster.md
@@ -80,19 +80,14 @@ module docs for the exact call chain.
 
 The **manager (`ruth`)** differs from other agents in naming/bootstrap,
 its socket flavour and its default permissions; its prompt, tool
-allow-list and state dirs work as for every other agent. A hive with
-`services.hyperhive.ruthless = true` runs no manager: `hive-c0re` skips
-its root-agent create/start sweep
-(`hive-c0re/src/workers/auto_update.rs`), and this section doesn't
-apply.
+allow-list and state dirs work as for every other agent.
 
 <!-- vale write-good.Passive = NO -->
 
 - **Naming/bootstrap** — the manager's broker recipient name, state-dir
   key, and nixos-container name are all `ruth` (container `h-ruth`).
-  `hive-c0re` spawns it directly at boot if missing, with no operator
-  approval step — every other agent is created at swarm level
-  (`swarmctl agent create`).
+  Like every agent it comes from the swarm dashboard or
+  `swarmctl agent create`; `hive-c0re` creates nothing at boot.
   Roster-wise, `ruth` is just another entry.
 - **Wire-protocol** — `hive-core-agent-sock`'s unified `Request` enum
   is the same on both socket flavours. Container lifecycle
diff --git a/docs/agent-lifecycle/config-changes.md b/docs/agent-lifecycle/config-changes.md
index 03364edc..c39ca99f 100644
--- a/docs/agent-lifecycle/config-changes.md
+++ b/docs/agent-lifecycle/config-changes.md
@@ -106,9 +106,8 @@ notes) is
 reuses prior config + login. With `purge = true` the agent's
 `/var/lib/hyperhive/{agents,applied}/<name>/` trees are also
 wiped (config history + creds + notes gone forever). The
-root/bootstrap container is destroyable like any other — hive-c0re
-recreates it on the next startup if it's absent, so destroying it's
-transient.
+root/bootstrap container is destroyable like any other, and stays gone
+until you create ruth again from the swarm dashboard.
 
 ## Meta flake
 
@@ -143,7 +142,7 @@ autoupdate flake-rev bump (one shot before per-agent rebuilds).
 
 `meta::sync_agents(hive: &HiveEnv, agents: &[AgentSpec])` — `hive`
 carries `hyperhive_flake`, `dashboard_port`, and the rest of the
-per-hive config — is the idempotent reconciler called by `spawn`,
+per-hive config — is the idempotent reconciler called by `provision_container`,
 `destroy`, `rebuild`, and the startup migration. Renders `flake.nix`
 from the agent list; if it differs from disk, runs
 `nix flake lock` + commits as `regenerate meta flake` (or
@@ -314,11 +313,12 @@ No state loss in either migration: claude creds, `/state/` notes, the
 events DB, and both proposed + applied history all survive. The root
 agent keeps its session; sub-agents stay logged in.
 
-## The root/bootstrap container is hive-c0re-managed
+## The root/bootstrap container
 
 The root agent container runs through the **same lifecycle as
-sub-agents**. On `hive-c0re serve` startup, if `ruth` is missing,
-hive-c0re creates it. The root agent's flake lives at
+sub-agents**. Nothing creates it at hive boot: you create ruth from the
+swarm dashboard like any agent, and an existing ruth container starts with
+the hive like every other. The root agent's flake lives at
 `/var/lib/hyperhive/applied/ruth/`; its proposed config at
 `/var/lib/hyperhive/agents/ruth/config/`. The root agent can edit its own
 `agent.nix` (visible inside the container at `/agents/ruth/config/`)
@@ -336,14 +336,13 @@ Differences from sub-agents:
   and `/var/lib/hyperhive/applied` → `/applied` (RO) so the root agent
   can `git fetch` deployed/failed/denied tags from any agent's
   authoritative applied repo (see "Root-agent view of applied" below).
-- `socket_server::start_manager` binds the root agent's socket,
-  pure transport with no dedicated helpers — it uses the same
+- Its socket comes from the generic per-agent registration, in the same
   per-agent runtime dir as any other agent (`/run/hyperhive/agents/ruth/`),
   not a special manager-only path.
 
 **Migration note** (for older hosts): drop any `containers.root =
-{ ... }` block from your host NixOS config. hyperhive creates and
-updates the root agent itself.
+{ ... }` block from your host NixOS config, and any `services.hyperhive.ruthless`
+definition, then create ruth from the swarm dashboard.
 
 ## Root-agent policy
 
diff --git a/docs/agent-lifecycle/persistence.md b/docs/agent-lifecycle/persistence.md
index 06b255b4..bdcc6bf8 100644
--- a/docs/agent-lifecycle/persistence.md
+++ b/docs/agent-lifecycle/persistence.md
@@ -31,9 +31,9 @@ Beyond that:
   restart and rebuild** — only an explicit purge (or a hive
   `--purge`-style host operation, or the agent's own choices) touches
   them.
-- The **root/bootstrap agent is special**: it isn't really destroyable
-  in practice — hive-c0re recreates it automatically on its next
-  startup if it's ever gone.
+- The **root/bootstrap agent has no guard**: destroying ruth is as final as
+  for any agent, and she stays gone until you create her again from the
+  swarm dashboard.
 
 Everything below this point is implementation detail: exact table
 schemas, file layouts, and internal migration mechanics.
@@ -432,11 +432,9 @@ an agent's state. The mechanics, for completeness:
 - `PURG3` wipes `/var/lib/hyperhive/{agents,applied}/<name>/` — the
   union of everything `DESTR0Y` left behind.
 
-`actions::destroy` implements the root/bootstrap agent's specialness as a soft policy
-guard that refuses to destroy it, backstopped by
-`auto_update::ensure_root_agent`, which recreates it on the next
-hive-c0re startup if it's ever absent — so even without the guard,
-destroying it would only be transient.
+`actions::destroy` has no guard for the root/bootstrap agent: it destroys ruth
+like any other agent, and she stays gone until you create her again from the
+swarm dashboard.
 
 ### btrfs subvolumes for `/var/lib/hyperhive/agents/<name>`
 
diff --git a/docs/getting-started/setup.md b/docs/getting-started/setup.md
index 11b3fb72..973fdf8a 100644
--- a/docs/getting-started/setup.md
+++ b/docs/getting-started/setup.md
@@ -89,24 +89,20 @@ swarmctl forge make-admin mara
 If the forge already has a local account with your username, the first
 SSO login asks for its forge password once, to link the two.
 
-## 4 · Ruth's store identity
+## 4 · Ruth
 
-hive-c0re creates the manager agent, ruth, on its own at startup — so
-unlike agents made through the swarm, she has no store identity yet:
+hive-c0re creates no agent at startup. You create ruth, the manager agent,
+like any other: open the swarm UI start page and click the paperclip, which
+opens the create form with `ruth` filled in. The form declares her, creates
+her config repo and deploys her to the hive you pick.
 
-```bash
-swarmctl agent create ruth --hive <hive>   # on the swarm-controller's host
-hivectl agent ruth rebuild          # on ruth's hive: hands her the identity
-```
+The swarm declares a new agent `paused`, so without a further step ruth runs
+but drives no turns. Open `/agents` in the swarm UI and set her `up` from her
+card.
 
-`agent create` declares an agent the swarm has no declaration for as
-`paused`, so without a further step ruth keeps running but drives no turns.
-`swarmctl` has no verb for wanted state: open `/agents` in the swarm UI and set
-her `up` from her card.
-
-Within about ten minutes the controller creates her forge user and matrix
-account and mints their tokens into the store, where she fetches them.
-`swarmctl agent mint-forge-token ruth` skips the wait for the forge token.
+On a hive that already has a ruth container from an earlier release, create
+her once the same way, so that her config repo and store identity exist. The
+container keeps starting with the hive meanwhile.
 
 ## 5 · Matrix
 
diff --git a/docs/process/conventions.md b/docs/process/conventions.md
index 5fa052b6..0e5ad74a 100644
--- a/docs/process/conventions.md
+++ b/docs/process/conventions.md
@@ -174,9 +174,7 @@ Each row carries enough context that the caller renders
 it directly as a bulleted list, no follow-up fetch needed.
 
 `GetLooseEnds` takes no target — it always returns the caller's own
-rows, on both the agent and manager sockets alike (the manager, `ruth`,
-is a normal agent here, just deployed automatically with different
-default permissions). `Reminder` rows always carry `owner == self`.
+rows. `Reminder` rows always carry `owner == self`.
 
 Per-variant fields:
 
diff --git a/docs/scheduler/coordinator.md b/docs/scheduler/coordinator.md
index 82010b29..366b9638 100644
--- a/docs/scheduler/coordinator.md
+++ b/docs/scheduler/coordinator.md
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ Power toggles never commit to the meta repo. Every operator power surface —
 dashboard buttons, the MCP tools, and `hivectl stop/start/restart/kill` —
 rides the queue through that power layer, so intent, lease serialization,
 and crash-watch suppression can't drift per surface; the only direct starts
-left are the root-agent bootstrap and infra containers (no lease, no
+left are infra containers (no lease, no
 harness). Cancelling a still-queued power DAG reverts `wanted` to the
 observed state — a cancel means "don't do it," not "do it later." hive-c0re
 seeds agents without a row from observed state on first touch (running ⇒
diff --git a/docs/turn-loop/README.md b/docs/turn-loop/README.md
index f3a70e16..b686c942 100644
--- a/docs/turn-loop/README.md
+++ b/docs/turn-loop/README.md
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ variants regardless of who sends them):
 
 A small `Surface` trait, with one zero-sized impl, factors
 `hive-agent`'s wire types (`hive_core_agent_sock::{Request, Response}` —
-one unified enum shared by the agent and manager sockets) and its turn
+one unified enum shared by every agent socket) and its turn
 loop, so the loop itself has no per-role branches. See
 `hive-agent/src/main.rs`'s module
 doc for the trait shape.
diff --git a/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/args.rs b/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/args.rs
index cce44c42..a8f30f25 100644
--- a/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/args.rs
+++ b/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/args.rs
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ use rmcp::schemars;
 
 #[derive(Debug, serde::Deserialize, schemars::JsonSchema)]
 pub struct SendArgs {
-    /// Logical agent name to deliver the message to (e.g. `"manager"`,
+    /// Logical agent name to deliver the message to (e.g. `"bob"`,
     /// `"alice"`). `"operator"` is refused: reach the operator over matrix
     /// if you have it.
     pub to: String,
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ pub struct SetStatusArgs {
 
 #[derive(Debug, serde::Deserialize, schemars::JsonSchema)]
 pub struct GetAgentMetaArgs {
-    /// Logical name of the agent to query (e.g. `"iris"`, `"manager"`).
+    /// Logical name of the agent to query (e.g. `"iris"`, `"bob"`).
     /// Omit to query your own identity + status — replaces the
     /// previous `whoami` self-introspection tool.
     #[serde(default)]
diff --git a/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/mod.rs b/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/mod.rs
index d3fc036c..11e27d9c 100644
--- a/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/mod.rs
+++ b/hive-agent-mcp/src/mcp/mod.rs
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ impl AgentServer {
         let log = format!("{args:?}");
         let to = args.to.clone();
         // Check per-agent allow-list (services.hyperhive.agent.allowedRecipients). When no
-        // policy file is present (e.g. manager containers) the check is a no-op.
+        // policy file is present the check is a no-op.
         if let Err(refusal) = crate::send_allow::check_send_allowed(&to) {
             return run_tool_envelope("send", log, async move { refusal }).await;
         }
diff --git a/hive-agent-mcp/src/send_allow.rs b/hive-agent-mcp/src/send_allow.rs
index 585c1ac3..5d3fbb8c 100644
--- a/hive-agent-mcp/src/send_allow.rs
+++ b/hive-agent-mcp/src/send_allow.rs
@@ -7,8 +7,7 @@
 /// Where the NixOS module writes the per-agent send allow-list (see
 /// `nix/agent-modules/mcp.nix`). Empty list = unrestricted (the
 /// default). Non-empty list constrains `mcp__hyperhive__send`'s `to`
-/// field; the manager is always implicitly permitted regardless of
-/// the list contents.
+/// field.
 const SEND_ALLOW_PATH: &str = "/etc/hyperhive/send-allow.json";
 
 /// Enforce the per-agent send allow-list. Returns `Ok` when the
diff --git a/hive-agent/src/web_ui/state.rs b/hive-agent/src/web_ui/state.rs
index 1a3190bc..e86a00b7 100644
--- a/hive-agent/src/web_ui/state.rs
+++ b/hive-agent/src/web_ui/state.rs
@@ -394,7 +394,7 @@ struct ExtraLink {
 }
 
 /// Best-effort: pull the last 30 messages addressed to us via the
-/// per-agent / manager socket. Empty list on any transport / decode
+/// per-agent socket. Empty list on any transport / decode
 /// failure — the inbox section is decorative, not authoritative.
 async fn recent_inbox(socket: &std::path::Path) -> Vec<hive_sh4re::inbox::InboxRow> {
     const LIMIT: u64 = 30;
diff --git a/hive-c0re/README.md b/hive-c0re/README.md
index 758aed69..fb8c3ed7 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/README.md
+++ b/hive-c0re/README.md
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ to track it:
 - **`agent_config/`** — per-agent registries (permissions,
   resource limits, topology).
 - **`stats/`** — dashboard metrics aggregation + OTEL export.
-- **`socket_server/`** — the unix-socket request server shared by
-  per-agent + manager sockets.
+- **`socket_server/`** — the unix-socket request server for the
+  per-agent sockets.
 - **`forge/`** — optional Forgejo wiring (`docs/integrations/forge.md`).
 - **`coordinator.rs`** — top-level wiring for `serve`.
 - **`meta.rs`**, **`migrate.rs`** — the meta flake + schema/state
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/actions.rs b/hive-c0re/src/actions.rs
index 841e123e..dd9d72e6 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/actions.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/actions.rs
@@ -126,10 +126,9 @@ async fn ff_applied_main(
 /// is cleared because its contents (the mcp socket) don't survive restarts
 /// anyway. With `purge=true` the persistent trees are also wiped — config
 /// history, claude creds, notes — there is no undo.
-/// The bootstrap/root container is destroyable like any other: it's
-/// imperative infra that `auto_update::ensure_root_agent` recreates on the
-/// next hive-c0re startup if absent, so destroying it is transient rather
-/// than something to refuse at the API.
+/// The bootstrap/root container is destroyable like any other. Nothing
+/// recreates it afterwards: ruth stays gone until she is created again from
+/// the swarm dashboard.
 ///
 /// Submits the teardown DAG and returns — it does not wait for the container to
 /// go away. Same contract as every other lifecycle op (`rebuild`, `kill`,
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/agent_config/topology.rs b/hive-c0re/src/agent_config/topology.rs
index e7b13b84..e2374596 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/agent_config/topology.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/agent_config/topology.rs
@@ -165,14 +165,11 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn apply_reconcile_adds_missing_live_agent() {
-        let live = vec![
-            crate::lifecycle::MANAGER_NAME.to_owned(),
-            "newbie".to_owned(),
-        ];
+        let live = vec!["alice".to_owned(), "newbie".to_owned()];
         let (next, changed) = apply_reconcile(&BTreeSet::new(), &live, &[]);
         assert!(changed);
         assert!(next.contains("newbie"));
-        assert!(next.contains(crate::lifecycle::MANAGER_NAME));
+        assert!(next.contains("alice"));
     }
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/coordinator.rs b/hive-c0re/src/coordinator.rs
index 1592ed09..8fe5730c 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/coordinator.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/coordinator.rs
@@ -496,7 +496,7 @@ impl Coordinator {
     }
 
     /// Snapshot the hive-wide configuration fields as a [`HiveEnv`].
-    /// Pass the result to `lifecycle::spawn` / `rebuild` / `meta::sync_agents`
+    /// Pass the result to `lifecycle::provision_container` / `rebuild` / `meta::sync_agents`
     /// instead of threading the individual fields separately.
     #[must_use]
     pub fn hive_env(&self) -> HiveEnv {
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/gateway_nginx.rs b/hive-c0re/src/gateway_nginx.rs
index 40ffd856..26824385 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/gateway_nginx.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/gateway_nginx.rs
@@ -296,7 +296,6 @@ async fn reload_gateway_nginx() {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
-    use crate::lifecycle::MANAGER_NAME;
 
     // ── legacy mode (frontend_dir = None) ──────────────────────────────
 
@@ -309,13 +308,10 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn render_includes_manager() {
-        let names: Vec<String> = [MANAGER_NAME, "iris"]
-            .iter()
-            .map(|s| (*s).to_owned())
-            .collect();
+    fn render_includes_every_agent() {
+        let names: Vec<String> = ["alice", "iris"].iter().map(|s| (*s).to_owned()).collect();
         let body = render(&names, None);
-        assert!(body.contains(&format!("/agent/{MANAGER_NAME}/")));
+        assert!(body.contains("/agent/alice/"));
         assert!(body.contains("/agent/iris/"));
     }
 
@@ -461,13 +457,10 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn split_mode_includes_manager() {
-        let names: Vec<String> = [MANAGER_NAME, "iris"]
-            .iter()
-            .map(|s| (*s).to_owned())
-            .collect();
+    fn split_mode_includes_every_agent() {
+        let names: Vec<String> = ["alice", "iris"].iter().map(|s| (*s).to_owned()).collect();
         let body = render(&names, Some(FAKE_FRONTEND));
-        assert!(body.contains(&format!("/agent/{MANAGER_NAME}/")));
+        assert!(body.contains("/agent/alice/"));
         assert!(body.contains("/agent/iris/"));
     }
 
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/lifecycle/mod.rs b/hive-c0re/src/lifecycle/mod.rs
index 580e509b..e488b7af 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/lifecycle/mod.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/lifecycle/mod.rs
@@ -34,12 +34,6 @@ pub const MAX_AGENT_NAME: usize = 9;
 /// Logical name of the manager agent (broker recipient, state-dir key,
 /// meta flake attribute). All persistent state lives under `ruth/`.
 pub const MANAGER_NAME: &str = "ruth";
-/// Container name of the manager. Uses the same `h-` prefix as sub-agents
-/// so `nixos-container list` output is uniform and the list filter is
-/// a single `starts_with(AGENT_PREFIX)` check. Logical name → container
-/// name: `ruth` → `h-ruth`.
-pub const MANAGER_CONTAINER: &str = "h-ruth";
-
 /// Mount point of the per-agent runtime directory inside the container.
 pub const CONTAINER_RUNTIME_MOUNT: &str = "/run/hive";
 
@@ -225,15 +219,6 @@ async fn port_collision(self_name: &str) -> Result<Option<String>> {
     Ok(None)
 }
 
-pub async fn spawn(name: &str, hive: &HiveEnv, paths: &AgentPaths) -> Result<()> {
-    create_container(name, hive, paths).await?;
-    // Runtime dir must exist before nixos-container start (nspawn bind-mount
-    // source). Create it here so callers don't need a separate preamble step.
-    ensure_agent_runtime_dir(name)?;
-    write_dropins(name, hive, paths).await?;
-    priv_run("start", name).await
-}
-
 /// First-spawn pre-create provisioning — the job queue's `Provision`
 /// node. Fail fast on a port collision, set up the proposed/applied
 /// repos + state subvolume + claude/notes dirs, then register the new
@@ -266,16 +251,6 @@ pub async fn create_only(name: &str) -> Result<()> {
     priv_run("create", name).await
 }
 
-/// First-spawn provisioning + `nixos-container create`, without the
-/// drop-in write or the start. `spawn` composes this with
-/// `write_dropins` + start for direct callers (root-agent bootstrap);
-/// the job queue instead runs `provision_container` (`Provision` node)
-/// and `create_only` (`Create` node) as separate DAG steps.
-pub async fn create_container(name: &str, hive: &HiveEnv, paths: &AgentPaths) -> Result<()> {
-    provision_container(name, hive, paths).await?;
-    create_only(name).await
-}
-
 /// Rebuild-path preamble, run by the job queue's `Prebuild` node: fail fast on
 /// a port collision, then make sure the applied repo + state dirs exist.
 /// Container untouched.
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/loose_ends.rs b/hive-c0re/src/loose_ends.rs
index 28c57329..e783edd5 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/loose_ends.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/loose_ends.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 //! Loose-ends aggregator. Assembles a `Vec<LooseEnd>` for a single agent
 //! (`for_agent`) — always the caller's own. `Request::GetLooseEnds` from
-//! either the agent or manager socket lands here. Reminders and todos are
+//! an agent socket lands here. Reminders and todos are
 //! agent-local (in-container `hive-agent` stores) and never sourced from
 //! here.
 //!
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/main.rs b/hive-c0re/src/main.rs
index 761d32ea..a4f4bfaa 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/main.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/main.rs
@@ -267,26 +267,17 @@ async fn cmd_serve(
     // Copy value first for the dashboard + knowledge-webhook tasks.
     let dashboard_port = env.dashboard_port;
     let coord = Arc::new(Coordinator::open(&db, env, model_prices, build_slots)?);
-    socket_server::start_manager(coord.clone())?;
     // Idempotent pre-flight: rewrite pre-meta-layout applied
     // repos, ensure proposed repos carry the `applied`
     // remote, bootstrap the meta repo, repoint containers at
     // `meta#<name>` (one-shot, guarded by a marker file).
-    // Runs before manager auto-spawn so the new manager is
-    // built against meta from the first attempt.
+    // Runs before the boot reconcile, so agents are built against meta.
     if let Err(e) = migrate::run(&coord).await {
         tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "startup migration failed");
     }
     // Before any agent starts, so the bind mounts it gets from the stored
     // permissions are the meta repo's grants until the swarm answers.
     crate::workers::permissions_import::seed_local();
-    // Auto-create the root agent container if it isn't there yet. Block
-    // on this — without root the system has no manager harness.
-    // Failures are logged but allowed: a broken auto-spawn shouldn't
-    // make the dashboard unreachable for debugging.
-    if let Err(e) = auto_update::ensure_root_agent(&coord).await {
-        tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "auto-spawn root agent failed");
-    }
     // Auto-update in the background — don't block service start.
     // Sub-agent rebuilds can take tens of seconds; we want the admin
     // socket up immediately.
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/migrate.rs b/hive-c0re/src/migrate.rs
index 29bce958..002ae255 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/migrate.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/migrate.rs
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ use anyhow::{Context, Result};
 use tokio::process::Command;
 
 use crate::coordinator::Coordinator;
-use crate::lifecycle::{self, AGENT_PREFIX, MANAGER_CONTAINER, MANAGER_NAME};
+use crate::lifecycle::{self, AGENT_PREFIX};
 use crate::meta;
 
 const KILL_SWITCH: &str = "HIVE_SKIP_META_MIGRATION";
@@ -157,11 +157,7 @@ async fn enumerate_agents() -> Result<Vec<hive_types::Ident>> {
     Ok(containers
         .into_iter()
         .filter_map(|c| {
-            let name = if c == MANAGER_CONTAINER {
-                MANAGER_NAME
-            } else {
-                c.strip_prefix(AGENT_PREFIX)?
-            };
+            let name = c.strip_prefix(AGENT_PREFIX)?;
             hive_types::Ident::parse(name).ok()
         })
         .collect())
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/socket_server/mod.rs b/hive-c0re/src/socket_server/mod.rs
index b90145ed..7920801e 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/socket_server/mod.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/socket_server/mod.rs
@@ -1,11 +1,8 @@
-//! Unix-socket request server, shared by the per-agent sockets and the
-//! (pure-transport) manager socket. The socket file's existence on disk
-//! authenticates the caller: connecting to `<.../agents/foo/mcp.sock>` means
-//! you are `foo`; the manager socket simply serves as `ruth`. There is no
-//! privilege flag — both transports run the same [`serve`] / [`dispatch`]
-//! code, and authority derives uniformly from the caller's identity. An
-//! agent-targeting verb may name any agent, so `ruth` reaches every agent
-//! exactly the way every other agent does, not via any hardcoded name match.
+//! Unix-socket request server for the per-agent sockets. The socket file's
+//! existence on disk authenticates the caller: connecting to
+//! `<.../agents/foo/mcp.sock>` means you are `foo`. There is no privilege
+//! flag; [`serve`] / [`dispatch`] derive authority uniformly from the caller's
+//! identity. An agent-targeting verb may name any agent.
 
 use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::sync::Arc;
@@ -13,7 +10,6 @@ use std::sync::Arc;
 use anyhow::{Context, Result};
 use hive_core_agent_sock::{Request, Response};
 use hive_sh4re::inbox::Message;
-use hive_sh4re::manager::MANAGER_AGENT;
 use tokio::io::{AsyncBufRead, AsyncBufReadExt, AsyncReadExt, AsyncWriteExt, BufReader};
 use tokio::net::{UnixListener, UnixStream};
 use tokio::task::JoinHandle;
@@ -77,48 +73,6 @@ pub fn start(agent: &str, socket_path: &Path, coord: Arc<Coordinator>) -> Result
     Ok(AgentSocket { path, handle })
 }
 
-/// Bind + serve the manager socket. This is now **pure transport**: it grants
-/// no authority of its own — it just serves requests as `agent = MANAGER_AGENT`
-/// ("ruth"), and ruth's reach comes entirely from the permissions it
-/// holds, identical to connecting on a per-agent socket — ruth
-/// uses the standard per-agent runtime dir + socket, with no dedicated helpers.
-pub fn start_manager(coord: Arc<Coordinator>) -> Result<()> {
-    use std::os::unix::fs::PermissionsExt as _;
-    let dir = crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(crate::lifecycle::MANAGER_NAME);
-    std::fs::create_dir_all(&dir)
-        .with_context(|| format!("create manager dir {}", dir.display()))?;
-    let socket = Coordinator::socket_path(crate::lifecycle::MANAGER_NAME);
-    if socket.exists() {
-        std::fs::remove_file(&socket).context("remove stale manager socket")?;
-    }
-    let listener = UnixListener::bind(&socket)
-        .with_context(|| format!("bind manager socket {}", socket.display()))?;
-    // 0666 so the in-container root user (non-root) can connect; the bind
-    // source dir is manager-only on host (see the per-agent socket above).
-    std::fs::set_permissions(&socket, std::fs::Permissions::from_mode(0o666))
-        .with_context(|| format!("chmod manager socket {}", socket.display()))?;
-    tracing::info!(socket = %socket.display(), "manager socket listening");
-
-    tokio::spawn(async move {
-        let err = accept_until_fatal(
-            MANAGER_AGENT,
-            || async { listener.accept().await.map(|(stream, _)| stream) },
-            |stream| {
-                let coord = coord.clone();
-                tokio::spawn(async move {
-                    // Pure transport: serve as `ruth`, no privilege grant.
-                    if let Err(e) = serve(stream, MANAGER_AGENT.to_owned(), coord).await {
-                        tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "manager connection failed");
-                    }
-                });
-            },
-        )
-        .await;
-        exit_on_dead_listener(MANAGER_AGENT, &err);
-    });
-    Ok(())
-}
-
 /// Pause after an accept error that is not about a single connection. EMFILE
 /// and ENFILE leave the listener readable, so retrying at once would spin until
 /// some fd is closed. Same policy as axum's `serve`, which the dashboard runs.
@@ -164,9 +118,9 @@ where
 }
 
 /// Exit on a listener that can no longer accept. A running hive-c0re re-binds
-/// an agent socket only on that agent's next start, and the manager socket
-/// never; on restart (`Restart = "on-failure"` on the unit) `start_manager` and
-/// `mcp_sockets::sync_on_start` re-bind every one.
+/// an agent socket only on that agent's next start; on restart
+/// (`Restart = "on-failure"` on the unit) `mcp_sockets::sync_on_start` re-binds
+/// every one.
 fn exit_on_dead_listener(agent: &str, e: &std::io::Error) -> ! {
     tracing::error!(
         %agent,
@@ -176,7 +130,7 @@ fn exit_on_dead_listener(agent: &str, e: &std::io::Error) -> ! {
     std::process::exit(1)
 }
 
-/// Longest request line accepted on the agent and manager sockets, newline
+/// Longest request line accepted on the agent sockets, newline
 /// included. The largest request a client sends is an `OperatorMsg` from the
 /// agent web UI's `/send` (`hive-agent/src/web_ui/actions.rs:21`), whose body
 /// axum's default limit caps at 2 MiB; JSON escaping can roughly double that to
@@ -286,8 +240,7 @@ pub(crate) fn recv_timeout(wait_seconds: Option<u64>) -> std::time::Duration {
     }
 }
 
-/// Unified dispatch for every socket connection — per-agent sockets and the
-/// (now pure-transport) manager socket alike. There is no privilege bit;
+/// Unified dispatch for every socket connection. There is no privilege bit;
 /// authority derives uniformly from the caller's identity.
 async fn dispatch(
     req: &hive_core_agent_sock::Request,
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/workers/agent_sockets.rs b/hive-c0re/src/workers/agent_sockets.rs
index 3de04282..60f71d98 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/workers/agent_sockets.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/workers/agent_sockets.rs
@@ -209,7 +209,6 @@ pub fn spawn_poll() {
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
-    use crate::lifecycle::MANAGER_NAME;
 
     #[test]
     fn socket_path_for_uses_subdir_layout() {
@@ -235,13 +234,13 @@ mod tests {
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn build_map_includes_manager() {
-        let names: Vec<String> = ["iris", MANAGER_NAME, "argus"]
+    fn build_map_includes_every_agent() {
+        let names: Vec<String> = ["iris", "alice", "argus"]
             .iter()
             .map(|s| (*s).to_owned())
             .collect();
         let map = build_map_with(&names, |_| true);
-        assert!(map.contains_key(MANAGER_NAME));
+        assert!(map.contains_key("alice"));
         assert!(map.contains_key("iris"));
         assert!(map.contains_key("argus"));
     }
diff --git a/hive-c0re/src/workers/auto_update.rs b/hive-c0re/src/workers/auto_update.rs
index b02305b8..a11fbafd 100644
--- a/hive-c0re/src/workers/auto_update.rs
+++ b/hive-c0re/src/workers/auto_update.rs
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ use std::sync::Arc;
 use anyhow::Result;
 
 use crate::coordinator::Coordinator;
-use crate::lifecycle::{self, AGENT_PREFIX, MANAGER_NAME};
+use crate::lifecycle::{self, AGENT_PREFIX};
 
 /// Resolve the current rev of `hyperhive_flake`. For a path on disk we
 /// canonicalize (following symlinks) so a /etc/hyperhive → /nix/store/...
@@ -66,150 +66,6 @@ pub async fn agent_config_pending(name: &str, deployed_sha: Option<&str>) -> boo
     }
 }
 
-/// Whether this hive is "ruthless" — running with no root/manager agent at
-/// all (no ruth). When true, hive-c0re skips the root-agent create/start
-/// sweep entirely. Controlled by the host option
-/// `services.hyperhive.ruthless`, threaded in via the `HYPERHIVE_RUTHLESS`
-/// env var. Defaults to `false` when the var is unset (back-compat: the
-/// root agent was always auto-managed before this opt-out existed); only
-/// an explicit `true` / `1` / `yes` enables ruthless mode.
-fn ruthless() -> bool {
-    match std::env::var("HYPERHIVE_RUTHLESS") {
-        Ok(v) => matches!(v.trim().to_ascii_lowercase().as_str(), "true" | "1" | "yes"),
-        Err(_) => false,
-    }
-}
-
-/// What `ensure_root_agent` does with a `lifecycle::list()` result, before
-/// it even gets to check whether the manager is present.
-#[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
-enum RootAgentPlan {
-    /// The manager is in this readable list.
-    Present,
-    /// The manager is absent from this readable list: spawn it.
-    Absent,
-    /// The list could not be read. That is not "manager absent" — it
-    /// proves nothing either way, so the auto-spawn decision is skipped
-    /// for this attempt rather than risking a spawn over a manager that's
-    /// actually there.
-    Unreadable,
-}
-
-/// Turn a `lifecycle::list()` result into `ensure_root_agent`'s plan.
-fn plan_root_agent(list_result: anyhow::Result<Vec<String>>) -> RootAgentPlan {
-    match list_result {
-        Ok(names)
-            if names
-                .iter()
-                .any(|c| c.strip_prefix(AGENT_PREFIX) == Some(MANAGER_NAME)) =>
-        {
-            RootAgentPlan::Present
-        }
-        Ok(_) => RootAgentPlan::Absent,
-        Err(_) => RootAgentPlan::Unreadable,
-    }
-}
-
-/// Auto-create the manager container on startup if it isn't already there.
-/// hive-c0re manages the manager end-to-end: operators no longer declare
-/// `containers.h-ruth` in their host NixOS config. The root/manager is
-/// auto-managed by default. Operators who
-/// don't want a root agent at all set `services.hyperhive.ruthless = true`,
-/// which short-circuits this whole function. Idempotent.
-pub async fn ensure_root_agent(coord: &Arc<Coordinator>) -> Result<()> {
-    if ruthless() {
-        tracing::info!(
-            "ruthless mode (services.hyperhive.ruthless = true) - skipping root agent create/start"
-        );
-        return Ok(());
-    }
-    let list_result = lifecycle::list().await;
-    if let Err(e) = &list_result {
-        tracing::warn!(
-            error = ?e,
-            "manager container list unreadable — skipping auto-spawn check for this attempt"
-        );
-    }
-    let plan = plan_root_agent(list_result);
-    let current_rev = current_flake_rev(&coord.hyperhive_flake);
-    if plan == RootAgentPlan::Unreadable {
-        // An unreadable list is not "manager absent" — spawning on it would
-        // both waste `provision_container`'s work and hit `nixos-container
-        // create`'s "already exists" failure if the manager is actually
-        // there. Skip the decision this attempt; there is no periodic
-        // retry for this boot-time call, so the next chance is the next
-        // `hive-c0re` restart.
-        return Ok(());
-    }
-    if plan == RootAgentPlan::Present {
-        // Container exists already. If it predates the unified lifecycle
-        // (no applied flake on disk) we must rebuild — otherwise it's
-        // running whatever the host-declarative config was at create
-        // time, with a wrong systemd unit and port.
-        let applied_flake = crate::paths::applied_dir(MANAGER_NAME).join("flake.nix");
-        if !applied_flake.exists() && current_rev.is_some() {
-            tracing::warn!(
-                "manager container exists but no applied flake — forcing rebuild to migrate"
-            );
-            if let Err(e) = coord.job_queue.insert_job(|b| {
-                crate::job_queue::templates::rebuild(b, MANAGER_NAME, true);
-                Vec::new()
-            }) {
-                tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "manager migration rebuild insert failed");
-            }
-        } else {
-            tracing::debug!("manager container already present");
-        }
-        // hive-c0re auto-manages the root/manager by default, so a
-        // present-but-stopped root (e.g. a first-start failure on a fresh
-        // install) is brought back up here: the startup sweep's rebuild only
-        // restarts a container that was already running, so without this it
-        // stays down until a manual `nixos-container start`. The sub-agent
-        // `was_running` guard is intentionally left untouched. (Operators
-        // opt out of this whole auto-management with
-        // `services.hyperhive.ruthless = true`, gated at the top of
-        // this function.)
-        if !lifecycle::is_running(MANAGER_NAME).await {
-            tracing::info!("manager container present but not running — starting");
-            if let Err(e) = coord.power.set(MANAGER_NAME, crate::power::Wanted::Up) {
-                tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "agent_power: set manager wanted=up failed");
-            }
-            // Through the preamble: after a reboot its bind sources and limits
-            // drop-in in `/run` are gone, and nothing else recreates them.
-            let hive = coord.hive_env();
-            let started = async {
-                let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(
-                    MANAGER_NAME,
-                    crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(MANAGER_NAME),
-                )?;
-                let token = lifecycle::converge_start_preamble(MANAGER_NAME, &hive, &paths).await?;
-                lifecycle::start_with_fallback(token).await
-            }
-            .await;
-            if let Err(e) = started {
-                tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "manager start failed");
-            }
-        }
-        return Ok(());
-    }
-    tracing::info!("manager container missing — spawning");
-    // lifecycle::spawn creates the runtime dir internally; no manual
-    // ensure_agent_runtime_dir needed here.
-    let runtime = crate::paths::agent_runtime_dir(MANAGER_NAME);
-    let hive = coord.hive_env();
-    let paths = Coordinator::agent_paths(MANAGER_NAME, runtime)?;
-    lifecycle::spawn(MANAGER_NAME, &hive, &paths).await?;
-    if let Err(e) = coord.power.set(MANAGER_NAME, crate::power::Wanted::Up) {
-        tracing::warn!(error = ?e, "agent_power: set manager wanted=up failed");
-    }
-    if let Some(rev) = current_rev
-        && let Err(e) = std::fs::write(crate::paths::applied_rev_marker(MANAGER_NAME), &rev)
-    {
-        tracing::warn!(name = MANAGER_NAME, error = ?e, "write rev marker failed");
-    }
-    Ok(())
-}
-
 /// Boot reconcile (see the module doc): classify every agent by rev
 /// freshness + persisted `wanted` intent, submit one `Boot` DAG
 /// (hyperhive lock bump growing an in-DAG rebuild subgraph per stale
@@ -463,35 +319,9 @@ fn submit_boot_tree(
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
-    use super::{BootAction, MANAGER_NAME, RootAgentPlan, boot_action, plan_root_agent};
-    use crate::lifecycle::AGENT_PREFIX;
+    use super::{BootAction, boot_action};
     use crate::power::Wanted;
 
-    // -----------------------------------------------------------------------
-    // `ensure_root_agent`'s spawn-or-not decision. An unreadable list must
-    // never be read as "manager absent" — see `plan_root_agent`'s doc.
-
-    /// The regression this fix exists for: a read failure must not spawn.
-    #[test]
-    fn unreadable_list_skips_without_spawning() {
-        let result: anyhow::Result<Vec<String>> =
-            Err(anyhow::anyhow!("connect to hive-priv socket"));
-        assert_eq!(plan_root_agent(result), RootAgentPlan::Unreadable);
-    }
-
-    /// Control: a genuinely empty, readable list still plans a spawn.
-    #[test]
-    fn readable_list_missing_manager_spawns() {
-        let result: anyhow::Result<Vec<String>> = Ok(Vec::new());
-        assert_eq!(plan_root_agent(result), RootAgentPlan::Absent);
-    }
-
-    #[test]
-    fn readable_list_with_manager_present_is_a_noop() {
-        let result: anyhow::Result<Vec<String>> = Ok(vec![format!("{AGENT_PREFIX}{MANAGER_NAME}")]);
-        assert_eq!(plan_root_agent(result), RootAgentPlan::Present);
-    }
-
     // The regression the `Unreadable` variant exists for: the arm used to
     // substitute `from_running(running)`, which is `Noop` against BOTH
     // observations — so no combination of inputs could reach a reconcile.
diff --git a/hive-core-agent-sock/README.md b/hive-core-agent-sock/README.md
index 37bb158b..b249cb42 100644
--- a/hive-core-agent-sock/README.md
+++ b/hive-core-agent-sock/README.md
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 # hive-core-agent-sock
 
-Wire types for the **per-agent + manager socket** (`/run/hive/mcp.sock`) — the
+Wire types for the **per-agent socket** (`/run/hive/mcp.sock`) — the
 unified `Request` / `Response` protocol spoken between an agent's in-container
-harness (and the manager) and the `hive-c0re` daemon.
+harness and the `hive-c0re` daemon.
 
 ## Why it's its own crate
 
diff --git a/hive-core-agent-sock/src/lib.rs b/hive-core-agent-sock/src/lib.rs
index 426d430d..ad7d4c36 100644
--- a/hive-core-agent-sock/src/lib.rs
+++ b/hive-core-agent-sock/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-//! Per-agent + manager socket wire types (`/run/hive/mcp.sock`).
+//! Per-agent socket wire types (`/run/hive/mcp.sock`).
 //!
 //! The unified `Request` / `Response` protocol spoken between an agent's
-//! in-container harness (and the manager) and the `hive-c0re` daemon over the
+//! in-container harness and the `hive-c0re` daemon over the
 //! per-agent mcp socket. Re-homed out of `hive-sh4re` so this one socket owns
 //! its own protocol crate, mirroring `hive-host-sock` / `hive-priv-sock`. The
 //! shared payload types it references (`Message`, `LooseEnd`, …)
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ fn default_true() -> bool {
     true
 }
 
-/// Unified request enum for both agent and manager sockets. The agent's
+/// Unified request enum for the per-agent socket. The agent's
 /// identity is the socket it arrived on.
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 #[serde(tag = "cmd", rename_all = "snake_case")]
@@ -59,9 +59,7 @@ pub enum Request {
     /// Non-mutating — pulls from the broker without delivering. The
     /// per-agent web UI uses this to render its own inbox section.
     Recent { limit: u64 },
-    /// Loose-ends view — always the caller's own. Same shape on the agent
-    /// and manager sockets; the manager (`ruth`) is a normal agent here, it
-    /// just sees its own threads like anyone else. See
+    /// Loose-ends view — always the caller's own. See
     /// `docs/process/conventions.md::Loose-ends wire shape`.
     GetLooseEnds,
     /// Set a free-text status string visible on the dashboard. The harness
@@ -106,7 +104,7 @@ pub enum Request {
     PauseAcknowledged,
 }
 
-/// Unified response enum for both agent and manager sockets.
+/// Unified response enum for the per-agent socket.
 #[derive(Debug, Clone, Serialize, Deserialize)]
 #[serde(tag = "kind", rename_all = "snake_case")]
 pub enum Response {
diff --git a/hive-priv-sock/src/lib.rs b/hive-priv-sock/src/lib.rs
index 24844cf5..3de8f572 100644
--- a/hive-priv-sock/src/lib.rs
+++ b/hive-priv-sock/src/lib.rs
@@ -25,10 +25,6 @@ pub const PRIV_SOCK: &str = "/run/hive/priv.sock";
 /// exactly the failure mode a shared constant exists to prevent.
 pub const PAUSED_MARKER_FILE: &str = "paused";
 
-/// Manager logical agent name. The manager's system container name is
-/// `h-ruth` (same `h-` prefix convention as every other agent).
-pub const MANAGER_NAME: &str = "ruth";
-
 /// Sub-agent container prefix. System container name = `h-<agent_name>`.
 pub const AGENT_PREFIX: &str = "h-";
 
diff --git a/hive-sh4re/README.md b/hive-sh4re/README.md
index 8d4c01da..f5bbd947 100644
--- a/hive-sh4re/README.md
+++ b/hive-sh4re/README.md
@@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ split into their own smaller crates so specialised binaries don't have to pull
 in all of `hive-sh4re`:
 
 - `hive-host-sock` — host admin socket (`hivectl` ↔ `hive-c0re`)
-- `hive-core-agent-sock` — per-agent/manager socket (`/run/hive/mcp.sock`)
+- `hive-core-agent-sock` — per-agent socket (`/run/hive/mcp.sock`)
 - `hive-priv-sock` — the privileged-helper socket
 
 Those crates re-export or reference the payload types that still live here
diff --git a/hive-sh4re/src/manager.rs b/hive-sh4re/src/manager.rs
index 50689dbd..f5b24920 100644
--- a/hive-sh4re/src/manager.rs
+++ b/hive-sh4re/src/manager.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-//! Manager socket — `/run/hyperhive/manager/mcp.sock` on the host,
-//! bind-mounted into the manager container at `/run/hive/mcp.sock`.
 //! Reserved recipient names/senders and the out-of-band `HelperEvent`
 //! payload hive-c0re pushes into the manager's inbox.
 
diff --git a/nix/agent-modules/mcp.nix b/nix/agent-modules/mcp.nix
index d88831d2..82e32433 100644
--- a/nix/agent-modules/mcp.nix
+++ b/nix/agent-modules/mcp.nix
@@ -27,23 +27,19 @@ in
     default = [ ];
     example = [
       "alice"
-      "manager"
+      "bob"
     ];
     description = ''
       Names this agent is allowed to `send` to via
       `mcp__hyperhive__send`. Empty list (the default) means
-      unrestricted — the agent can message any peer or the
-      manager. Non-empty list constrains the
-      surface: only the listed names + the manager (always
-      allowed) get through; anything else returns an error
+      unrestricted — the agent can message any peer. A non-empty list
+      allows only the listed names; anything else returns an error
       string to claude without touching the broker.
       `operator` is refused either way: agents reach the operator
       over matrix.
 
       Useful for sandboxing untrusted sub-agents — set
-      `[ "manager" ]` to scope them to manager-only chatter.
-      The manager itself is always exempt; this option only
-      affects sub-agent `send`.
+      `[ "alice" ]` to scope one to chatter with alice.
     '';
   };
 
diff --git a/nix/host-modules/hive-c0re/environment.nix b/nix/host-modules/hive-c0re/environment.nix
index ad8ba96a..818afe55 100644
--- a/nix/host-modules/hive-c0re/environment.nix
+++ b/nix/host-modules/hive-c0re/environment.nix
@@ -46,10 +46,6 @@ in
   # prompts). `hive_sh4re::assets::*` reads paths underneath.
   # `forge/users.rs` reads the core avatar PNG from here on startup.
   HIVE_ASSETS_DIR = "${cfg.assets}/share/hyperhive";
-  # Whether this hive runs ruthless — no root/manager agent at all
-  # (`auto_update::ensure_root_agent`). Default false = root
-  # auto-managed; true makes the sweep a no-op.
-  HYPERHIVE_RUTHLESS = lib.boolToString config.services.hyperhive.ruthless;
 }
 // {
   # Identity env vars threaded into c0re's own service env and
diff --git a/nix/host-modules/hyperhive.nix b/nix/host-modules/hyperhive.nix
index 8d92f381..8741446a 100644
--- a/nix/host-modules/hyperhive.nix
+++ b/nix/host-modules/hyperhive.nix
@@ -19,6 +19,11 @@ in
       [ "services" "hyperhive" "swarmName" ]
       [ "services" "hyperhive" "swarm" "name" ]
     )
+    (lib.mkRemovedOptionModule [ "services" "hyperhive" "ruthless" ] ''
+      hive-c0re no longer creates ruth at boot. Remove this definition, and create
+      ruth from the swarm dashboard like any other agent; a ruth container that
+      already exists keeps starting with the hive.
+    '')
   ];
 
   # Canonical hive DNS domain shared by every subsystem that needs a
@@ -194,23 +199,6 @@ in
   # the values it asserts. It is a deployment mode rather than a setting
   # this module's options read, so it lives with its consequences.
 
-  # Whether this hive runs "ruthless" — with no root/manager agent at
-  # all. Some hives don't want a root agent — see issue tracker
-  # "scope concept: special agents".
-  options.services.hyperhive.ruthless = lib.mkOption {
-    type = lib.types.bool;
-    default = false;
-    example = true;
-    description = ''
-      Run this hive "ruthless" — with no root (manager) agent at all (no
-      ruth). When `true`, hive-c0re skips the root-agent auto-management
-      sweep entirely (it otherwise creates the root agent's container when
-      missing and restarts it when present but stopped). Defaults to
-      `false` (the root agent is auto-managed as required
-      infrastructure). Exposed to hive-c0re as `HYPERHIVE_RUTHLESS`.
-    '';
-  };
-
   options.services.hyperhive.github.enable = lib.mkOption {
     type = lib.types.bool;
     default = true;
diff --git a/nix/module-eval/core-toggle.nix b/nix/module-eval/core-toggle.nix
index 38837ea0..15d4f69b 100644
--- a/nix/module-eval/core-toggle.nix
+++ b/nix/module-eval/core-toggle.nix
@@ -1044,6 +1044,26 @@ let
         }
         && !(refusedHiveName { deploy.hive-controller.enable = false; });
     }
+    {
+      # The control is a host that defines no such option; the removal message
+      # must not appear for it.
+      name = "a definition of the removed services.hyperhive.ruthless option fails evaluation, pointing at the swarm dashboard";
+      ok =
+        let
+          refused =
+            m:
+            lib.any (
+              a:
+              !a.assertion
+              && lib.hasInfix "services.hyperhive.ruthless" a.message
+              && lib.hasInfix "swarm dashboard" a.message
+            ) m.assertions;
+        in
+        refused (hive {
+          ruthless = true;
+        })
+        && !(refused allLocal);
+    }
     {
       # Refused wherever any hyperhive service runs, the hive or a swarm
       # service alone. The host enabling nothing is the control that it is