diff --git a/docs/chelsty-runtime.md b/docs/chelsty-runtime.md
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+# CHELSTY Runtime
+
+This document describes the runtime environment and deployment flow for CHELSTY, an offline-capable home automation edge node.
+
+## Runtime Layout
+
+The CHELSTY runtime is located at `/opt/homelab`.
+
+- `/opt/homelab/config/`: Service-specific configurations and compose overrides.
+- `/opt/homelab/data/`: Persistent data for services.
+- `/opt/homelab/logs/`: Service logs.
+
+### Key Service Locations
+- **Mosquitto**: `/opt/homelab/config/mosquitto/`
+- **Zigbee2MQTT**: `/opt/homelab/config/zigbee2mqtt/`
+
+## SLZB-06U Integration
+
+CHELSTY uses a SMLIGHT SLZB-06U Zigbee coordinator connected via Ethernet/TCP.
+
+- **Coordinator IP**: 192.168.1.105
+- **Port**: 6638
+- **Protocol**: TCP (ezsp adapter)
+
+Zigbee2MQTT is configured to connect to this coordinator over the local network.
+
+## Offline & LTE Assumptions
+
+- **WAN Resilience**: All core automation (Zigbee, MQTT) runs locally on CHELSTY.
+- **Connectivity**: LTE provides intermittent uplink for remote management and Tailscale access.
+- **Home Assistant**: Runs in a separate VM, connecting to the Mosquitto broker on CHELSTY.
+
+## Deployment Flow
+
+1. **Initial Bootstrap**:
+   Run the bootstrap script on the CHELSTY node:
+   ```bash
+   ./scripts/bootstrap/chelsty-runtime.sh
+   ```
+
+2. **Manual Configuration**:
+   - Edit `/opt/homelab/config/zigbee2mqtt/.env` with MQTT credentials.
+   - Add Mosquitto user:
+     ```bash
+     sudo mosquitto_passwd -b /opt/homelab/data/mosquitto/config/password.txt <user> <password>
+     ```
+
+3. **Service Deployment**:
+   Use the staged deployment runtime:
+   ```bash
+   ./scripts/deploy/deploy-node.sh chelsty
+   ```
+
+## Recovery Procedure
+
+In case of runtime failure:
+1. Verify Docker and Compose plugin: `docker compose version`
+2. Re-run bootstrap script to ensure directory structure and basic configs.
+3. Check Mosquitto logs: `tail -f /opt/homelab/data/mosquitto/log/mosquitto.log`
+4. Verify SLZB-06U reachability: `ping 192.168.1.105`
diff --git a/hosts/chelsty/runtime/mosquitto/docker-compose.override.yml b/hosts/chelsty/runtime/mosquitto/docker-compose.override.yml
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+services:
+  mosquitto:
+    volumes:
+      - ./mosquitto.conf:/mosquitto/config/mosquitto.conf:ro
+      - /opt/homelab/data/mosquitto/config/password.txt:/mosquitto/config/password.txt:ro
+    # Healthcheck compatibility
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "mosquitto_sub -t '$SYS/broker/version' -C 1 || exit 1"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
diff --git a/hosts/chelsty/runtime/mosquitto/mosquitto.conf b/hosts/chelsty/runtime/mosquitto/mosquitto.conf
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+++ b/hosts/chelsty/runtime/mosquitto/mosquitto.conf
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+persistence true
+persistence_location /mosquitto/data/
+log_dest file /mosquitto/log/mosquitto.log
+log_dest stdout
+
+# Default listener
+listener 1883
+allow_anonymous false
+password_file /mosquitto/config/password.txt
+
+# Local-only listener by default (inside Docker network, it's open to other containers)
+# To expose to Tailscale, one might add:
+# listener 1883 <tailscale_ip>
diff --git a/hosts/chelsty/runtime/zigbee2mqtt/configuration.yaml b/hosts/chelsty/runtime/zigbee2mqtt/configuration.yaml
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+# Zigbee2MQTT configuration for CHELSTY
+homeassistant: true
+permit_join: false
+
+mqtt:
+  base_topic: zigbee2mqtt
+  server: mqtt://mosquitto:1883
+  user: ${MQTT_USER}
+  password: ${MQTT_PASSWORD}
+
+serial:
+  # SLZB-06U network coordinator
+  port: tcp://192.168.1.105:6638
+  adapter: ezsp
+
+frontend:
+  port: 8080
+
+advanced:
+  network_key: GENERATE
+  pan_id: GENERATE
+  ext_pan_id: GENERATE
+  channel: 11
diff --git a/hosts/chelsty/runtime/zigbee2mqtt/docker-compose.override.yml b/hosts/chelsty/runtime/zigbee2mqtt/docker-compose.override.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7f4d641
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hosts/chelsty/runtime/zigbee2mqtt/docker-compose.override.yml
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+services:
+  zigbee2mqtt:
+    volumes:
+      - ./configuration.yaml:/app/data/configuration.yaml:ro
+    environment:
+      - MQTT_USER=${MQTT_USER}
+      - MQTT_PASSWORD=${MQTT_PASSWORD}
+    # Healthcheck is already defined in base service, but we ensure compatibility
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:8080"]
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 3
diff --git a/scripts/bootstrap/chelsty-runtime.sh b/scripts/bootstrap/chelsty-runtime.sh
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+++ b/scripts/bootstrap/chelsty-runtime.sh
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+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# chelsty-runtime.sh - Bootstrap script for CHELSTY edge node runtime
+
+set -e
+
+SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+REPO_ROOT="$(cd "$SCRIPT_DIR/../.." && pwd)"
+RUNTIME_DIR="/opt/homelab"
+CHELSTY_CONFIG="$REPO_ROOT/hosts/chelsty/runtime"
+
+# Colors for output
+RED='\033[0;31m'
+GREEN='\033[0;32m'
+YELLOW='\033[1;33m'
+NC='\033[0m' # No Color
+
+log() { echo -e "${GREEN}[INFO]${NC} $1"; }
+warn() { echo -e "${YELLOW}[WARN]${NC} $1"; }
+error() { echo -e "${RED}[ERROR]${NC} $1"; exit 1; }
+
+log "Starting CHELSTY runtime bootstrap..."
+
+# 1. Validate Docker availability
+if ! command -v docker &> /dev/null; then
+    error "Docker is not installed. Please install Docker first."
+fi
+
+# 2. Validate compose plugin
+if ! docker compose version &> /dev/null; then
+    error "Docker Compose plugin is not installed."
+fi
+
+log "Docker and Compose plugin verified."
+
+# 3. Create runtime directories
+log "Creating runtime directories in $RUNTIME_DIR..."
+sudo mkdir -p "$RUNTIME_DIR/data/mosquitto/config" \
+             "$RUNTIME_DIR/data/mosquitto/data" \
+             "$RUNTIME_DIR/data/mosquitto/log" \
+             "$RUNTIME_DIR/data/zigbee2mqtt/data" \
+             "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/mosquitto" \
+             "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/zigbee2mqtt"
+
+# 4. Copy runtime templates if absent
+log "Deploying runtime configurations..."
+# Mosquitto
+if [ ! -f "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/mosquitto/mosquitto.conf" ]; then
+    sudo cp "$CHELSTY_CONFIG/mosquitto/mosquitto.conf" "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/mosquitto/"
+    log "Copied mosquitto.conf"
+fi
+
+if [ ! -f "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/mosquitto/docker-compose.override.yml" ]; then
+    sudo cp "$CHELSTY_CONFIG/mosquitto/docker-compose.override.yml" "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/mosquitto/"
+fi
+
+# Zigbee2MQTT
+if [ ! -f "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/zigbee2mqtt/configuration.yaml" ]; then
+    sudo cp "$CHELSTY_CONFIG/zigbee2mqtt/configuration.yaml" "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/zigbee2mqtt/"
+    log "Copied zigbee2mqtt configuration.yaml"
+fi
+
+if [ ! -f "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/zigbee2mqtt/docker-compose.override.yml" ]; then
+    sudo cp "$CHELSTY_CONFIG/zigbee2mqtt/docker-compose.override.yml" "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/zigbee2mqtt/"
+fi
+
+# 5. Create missing .env files from examples
+log "Checking for environment files..."
+if [ ! -f "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/zigbee2mqtt/.env" ]; then
+    warn "Creating template .env for Zigbee2MQTT. PLEASE EDIT IT!"
+    echo "MQTT_USER=admin" | sudo tee "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/zigbee2mqtt/.env" > /dev/null
+    echo "MQTT_PASSWORD=password" | sudo tee -a "$RUNTIME_DIR/config/zigbee2mqtt/.env" > /dev/null
+fi
+
+# 6. Ensure password file exists for Mosquitto
+if [ ! -f "$RUNTIME_DIR/data/mosquitto/config/password.txt" ]; then
+    log "Creating empty mosquitto password file..."
+    sudo touch "$RUNTIME_DIR/data/mosquitto/config/password.txt"
+    warn "Mosquitto password file is empty. Use 'mosquitto_passwd' to add users."
+fi
+
+log "Bootstrap complete!"
+
+echo -e "\n${YELLOW}Next-step instructions:${NC}"
+echo "1. Edit $RUNTIME_DIR/config/zigbee2mqtt/.env with real credentials."
+echo "2. Add Mosquitto user: sudo mosquitto_passwd -b $RUNTIME_DIR/data/mosquitto/config/password.txt <user> <password>"
+echo "3. Deploy services using the homelab deployment framework:"
+echo "   ./scripts/deploy/deploy-node.sh chelsty"
+echo "4. Verify Zigbee2MQTT logs to ensure it connects to SLZB-06U."
+echo "5. Check Home Assistant (separate VM) for MQTT discovery."