diff --git a/docs/automation-runbook.md b/docs/automation-runbook.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fd0c55d81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/automation-runbook.md
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+# Phase-21 Automation Runbook (the unattended grind)
+
+The automation manager: a **token-free grinder** (CPU permuter) + a **token-heavy worker** (LLM
+agent waves), both banking through the **incorruptible whole-binary byte-gate** (G3/P9 — a wrong
+match can NEVER bank) and logging every near-miss to a **ranked backlog** for hand-finishing.
+
+## What is running right now
+
+- **Grinder** (`tools/grinder.py` under `tools/auto_supervisor.sh`) — **LAUNCHED**, token-free.
+  Permutes the backlog's closest near-misses → byte-gate → banks the real matches → propagates ×134.
+  Idles when the backlog is drained (waiting for worker-produced near-misses). Survives crashes
+  (supervisor relaunches). Heartbeat: `.run/auto/grinder_heartbeat.json`.
+
+## Monitor (read-only, from anywhere)
+
+```sh
+bash tools/auto_status.sh                 # grinder + worker heartbeats, backlog size, recent commits
+cat .run/auto/grinder_heartbeat.json      # grinder: state/current/banked/fleet
+.venv/bin/python tools/orchestrator.py status   # worker ROI state (pool, waves, banked_total)
+.venv/bin/python tools/backlog.py show -n 40     # the ranked near-miss backlog (docs/backlog.md)
+git log --oneline -15 | grep phase-21     # what banked
+make report BINARY=main                   # fleet % (+ dedup byte-honesty check, must be 0 failed)
+```
+
+## STOP everything (the kill switch)
+
+```sh
+bash tools/auto_stop.sh        # touches .run/auto/STOP -> grinder finishes its current step, exits;
+                               # the supervisor sees STOP and does not relaunch. Safe at any time.
+rm .run/auto/STOP              # to allow a relaunch later
+```
+
+## Launch the WORKER waves (token-heavy — the high-yield engine)
+
+The worker drafts matching C with LLM agents (the §17–20 toolkit: register pins, array-of-struct
+%lo-fold, call-site casts) — it cracks the hard tail the grinder can't. It needs a **Claude session**
+(only a session can invoke the Workflow tool), so it runs as a self-paced **`/loop`**:
+
+1. In a Claude Code session in this repo, run **`/loop`** with this cycle as the prompt:
+   > Run one orchestrator cycle: `tools/orchestrator.py prep --n 24` → read `.run/auto/wave_batch.json`
+   > → launch the `tools/workflows/worker_wave.js` Workflow with `args={draftDir:".run/drafts-wave",
+   > targets:<the batch>}` → after it completes, `tools/orchestrator.py finish --drafts
+   > .run/drafts-wave --commit` → report the JSON summary. Stop if `.run/auto/STOP` exists.
+2. `/loop` self-paces (one wave per tick, ~15–20 min/wave, ~275k tokens/wave of ~24 agents).
+   The grinder runs alongside, draining the near-misses each wave produces (CPU vs token budget).
+3. Cost note: ~24 xHigh agents/wave. The ROI gate rotates pools (tractable → giants → o0 → capped)
+   when a pool's bank-rate drops, so it doesn't grind a wall. Stop anytime with `auto_stop.sh`.
+
+**Remote management (Drew has laptop + can remote into the dev box):** you don't need a bulletproof
+keep-alive — if the worker `/loop` session dies, just remote in and re-run `/loop` (the grinder daemon
+keeps running regardless, and every bank is already committed, so nothing is lost). Monitor with
+`tools/auto_status.sh`; stop with `tools/auto_stop.sh`; resume by re-launching. The byte-gate guarantees
+correctness while unattended, so the worst case of a crash is "it paused," never "it broke something."
+
+## Re-prefetch fuel (only if adding fresh targets, needs Ghidra)
+
+The run is **cache-based** (no live MCP needed). To add targets to the Ghidra-C cache later:
+```sh
+bash tools/ghidra_mcp_stop.sh                                    # R23 (free the project lock)
+.venv/bin/python tools/build_fuel_manifest.py --emit-prefetch .run/prefetch_addrs.txt
+"$HOME/ghidra_12.1_PUBLIC/support/analyzeHeadless" "$HOME/bfm-decomp/ghidra" bfm \
+  -process ov_SC01_077 -noanalysis -readOnly -scriptPath tools/ghidra_scripts \
+  -postScript DecompileFunctions.java .run/prefetch_addrs.txt .run/ghidra_c
+```
+
+## Safety invariants (why this is safe to leave running)
+
+- **Byte-gate is the sole arbiter (G3/P9):** every bank is whole-binary SHA1-verified; a wrong draft
+  is reverted, never banked. `make check-all` stays 136/136.
+- **git is the crash-safe state machine:** every bank is a checkpoint commit (push is manual, R6 —
+  nothing leaves the machine on its own); `dedup_propagate --auto-from` is additive/resumable.
+- **`auto_stop.sh`** halts both engines at the next safe boundary.
+- **Honest measurement (P9):** only byte-matches bank; near-misses go to `docs/backlog.md`, ranked.
diff --git a/tools/auto_status.sh b/tools/auto_status.sh
index dc067fce5..60a4de6ef 100644
--- a/tools/auto_status.sh
+++ b/tools/auto_status.sh
@@ -1,9 +1,16 @@
 #!/bin/bash
-# auto_status.sh — show the unattended run's heartbeat + recent checkpoints (remote check-in).
+# auto_status.sh — show the unattended run's state (grinder + worker) for a remote check-in.
 cd "$(dirname "$0")/.."
-echo "=== heartbeat (.run/auto/heartbeat.json) ==="
-[ -f .run/auto/heartbeat.json ] && cat .run/auto/heartbeat.json || echo "(no heartbeat yet)"
-echo; echo "=== STOP requested? ==="; [ -f .run/auto/STOP ] && echo "YES (.run/auto/STOP present)" || echo "no"
-echo; echo "=== last 8 phase-16 checkpoints ==="
-git log --oneline -8 --grep='phase-16' 2>/dev/null || git log --oneline -8
+echo "=== grinder heartbeat (.run/auto/grinder_heartbeat.json) ==="
+[ -f .run/auto/grinder_heartbeat.json ] && cat .run/auto/grinder_heartbeat.json || echo "(no grinder heartbeat yet)"
+echo; echo "=== worker orchestrator state (.run/auto/orch_state.json) ==="
+[ -f .run/auto/orch_state.json ] && cat .run/auto/orch_state.json || echo "(worker loop not started)"
+echo; echo "=== legacy auto_driver heartbeat ==="
+[ -f .run/auto/heartbeat.json ] && cat .run/auto/heartbeat.json || echo "(none)"
+echo; echo "=== STOP requested? ==="; [ -f .run/auto/STOP ] && echo "YES — run is halting (rm .run/auto/STOP to resume)" || echo "no (running)"
+echo; echo "=== backlog (open near-misses, ranked) ==="
+[ -f .run/backlog.jsonl ] && .venv/bin/python tools/backlog.py show -n 12 2>/dev/null || echo "(backlog empty)"
+echo; echo "=== last 12 phase-21 checkpoints ==="
+git log --oneline -12 --grep='phase-21' 2>/dev/null || git log --oneline -12
 echo; echo "=== supervisor tail ==="; tail -6 .run/auto/supervisor.log 2>/dev/null || echo "(none)"
+echo; echo "=== running daemons ==="; pgrep -af 'grinder.py|auto_supervisor' | sed 's/ -c .*//' | head -4 || echo "(none)"