diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b32bc90..8007670 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -29,10 +29,13 @@ The homelab consists of several nodes connected via a Tailscale internal mesh.
 ## Documentation Index
 
 - [Infrastructure Standards](docs/standards.md)
+- [Agent Operating Procedures](docs/agents.md) (For AI/Non-Human Agents)
 - [Deployment Conventions](docs/deployment.md)
 - [Hardware](docs/hardware.md)
 - [Networking](docs/networking.md)
 - [Services](docs/services.md)
+- [Node Capabilities](docs/capabilities.md)
+- [Action Model](services/agent-system/action-model.md)
 
 ---
 *Note: This repository documents the state of the homelab. Runtime state lives outside the repository in `/opt/homelab`.*
diff --git a/docs/agents.md b/docs/agents.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8861c31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/agents.md
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+# Agent Operating Procedures
+
+This document defines the operating procedures, constraints, and interaction protocols for non-human agents (AI agents, autonomous scripts) within the Homelab Codex ecosystem.
+
+## 1. Core Principles for Agents
+
+1.  **Read-Only by Default**: Agents should assume read-only access to the `/opt/homelab` runtime unless explicitly executing an approved action.
+2.  **Git as Authority**: The repository on **SATURN** is the source of truth. Agents must not modify the runtime state on nodes directly without corresponding (or pending) Git state, unless it's an emergency mitigation.
+3.  **Human-in-the-Loop (HIL)**: All destructive or structural changes (restarts, deployments, config changes) must follow the [Action Approval Model](../services/agent-system/action-model.md).
+4.  **Idempotency**: All scripts and actions proposed or executed by agents MUST be idempotent.
+5.  **Context-Awareness**: Agents MUST read the `README.md` and `docs/agents.md` at the start of every session to align with current infrastructure standards.
+
+## 2. Agent Roles
+
+| Role | Responsibility | Scope |
+|------|----------------|-------|
+| **Observer** | Monitors health, logs, and events. | Read-only access to `/opt/homelab/events` and `logs`. |
+| **Stability Agent** | Local node watchdog, event emitter. | Local node runtime, `service.yaml` healthchecks. |
+| **Orchestrator** | High-level planning, workload placement. | Repository-wide, multi-node topology. |
+| **Materializer** | Translates high-level intent into Docker/System state. | Execution of `approved` actions. |
+
+## 3. Discovery Protocol
+
+Agents must use the following entry points to understand the system:
+
+1.  **Topology**: `inventory/topology.yaml` for node list and roles.
+2.  **Capabilities**: `hosts/<node>/capabilities.yaml` to understand hardware/software constraints.
+3.  **Service Contract**: `services/<service>/service.yaml` to understand how to check health and manage a service.
+4.  **Operational State**: `/opt/homelab/state/` on local nodes for real-time status.
+
+## 4. Interaction with Humans
+
+Agents communicate with the operator via the `agent-system/telegram-bot`. 
+
+- **Alerting**: Agents emit events to the event system. Critical events are forwarded to Telegram.
+- **Proposals**: When an agent identifies a need for change (e.g., "Service X is failing, suggest restart"), it creates a `pending` action in `/opt/homelab/actions/pending/`.
+- **Approval**: Agents must wait for the action status to transition to `approved` before execution.
+
+## 5. Decision Logic (Reasoning)
+
+When making decisions, agents MUST prioritize:
+1.  **Safety**: Do not violate power constraints (see `capabilities.yaml`).
+2.  **Stability**: Prefer keeping services on their `owner_node` unless it's down.
+3.  **Connectivity**: On intermittent nodes (CHELSTY), avoid actions requiring heavy WAN traffic during low-signal periods.
+
+## 6. Access Control for Agents
+
+- **Filesystem**: Agents should run as the `homelab` user or equivalent with restricted sudo access to `docker compose`.
+- **Secrets**: Agents MUST NOT attempt to read `.env` files unless specifically tasked with credential rotation. They should treat secrets as opaque handles.
diff --git a/docs/capabilities.md b/docs/capabilities.md
index 46fb283..3c56b4b 100644
--- a/docs/capabilities.md
+++ b/docs/capabilities.md
@@ -83,3 +83,10 @@ Future autonomous agents will use this metadata to:
 2.  **Generate Plans:** Create step-by-step deployment or migration plans based on hardware compatibility.
 3.  **Validate Topology:** Ensure that a proposed multi-node setup doesn't violate networking or operational constraints (e.g., don't put a DB on an intermittent node).
 4.  **Propose Failover:** Automatically suggest the best alternative node during an outage.
+
+## Agent Reasoning Logic
+
+When an agent parses `capabilities.yaml`, it should apply these heuristics:
+- **Intermittent Connectivity**: If `operational.connectivity == "intermittent"`, do not schedule high-bandwidth syncs or critical cloud-dependent services.
+- **Power Constraints**: If `operational.power_constraint == "low-power"`, avoid heavy LLM inference or continuous high-CPU tasks.
+- **Availability Target**: If `availability_target == "high"`, this node is a candidate for hosting control-plane failovers.
diff --git a/docs/standards.md b/docs/standards.md
index 5cd8304..69e9318 100644
--- a/docs/standards.md
+++ b/docs/standards.md
@@ -49,9 +49,10 @@ Runtime state must live outside the repository to keep it immutable and clean.
 ## Service Standards
 
 1.  **Normalization**: Every service MUST follow the `services/<service>/` layout.
-2.  **Metadata**: Every service MUST have a `service.yaml` defining its operational contract.
-3.  **Healthchecks**: Every service MUST have a `healthcheck.sh` for verification.
-4.  **Secrets**: NEVER commit secrets to Git. Use `env.example` as a template and populate `/opt/homelab/config/<service>/.env` on the host.
+2.  **Metadata**: Every service MUST have a `service.yaml` defining its operational contract. This is the primary source of truth for AI agents.
+3.  **Healthchecks**: Every service MUST have a `healthcheck.sh` for verification. Agents use this to emit stability events.
+4.  **Actionability**: Any automated recovery action proposed by an agent must be backed by a `service.yaml` definition.
+5.  **Secrets**: NEVER commit secrets to Git. Use `env.example` as a template and populate `/opt/homelab/config/<service>/.env` on the host. Agents must treat these as "black box" configurations.
 
 ## Docker Compose Standards
 
diff --git a/hosts/vps/services.yaml b/hosts/vps/services.yaml
index 7115a92..f9d391d 100644
--- a/hosts/vps/services.yaml
+++ b/hosts/vps/services.yaml
@@ -13,3 +13,22 @@ services:
       config_path: /opt/homelab/config/stability-agent
       data_path: /opt/homelab/state
       logs_path: /opt/homelab/events
+
+  control-plane:
+    role: management-and-orchestration
+    deployment_model: docker-compose
+    exposure: tailscale-internal
+    offline_required: false
+    depends_on:
+      local:
+        - stability-agent
+      external:
+        - piha:agent-system-redis
+    ports:
+      - name: http
+        container_port: 18180
+        protocol: tcp
+    runtime:
+      config_path: /opt/homelab/config/control-plane
+      data_path: /opt/homelab/data/control-plane
+      logs_path: /opt/homelab/logs/control-plane
diff --git a/services/agent-system/action-model.md b/services/agent-system/action-model.md
index 0930b34..29c2253 100644
--- a/services/agent-system/action-model.md
+++ b/services/agent-system/action-model.md
@@ -3,13 +3,20 @@
 Actions are JSON files stored in `/opt/homelab/actions/{status}/{action_id}.json`.
 
 #### Statuses
-- `pending`: Waiting for operator approval.
+- `pending`: Waiting for operator approval. AI agents create actions in this state.
 - `approved`: Approved by operator, ready for execution.
 - `rejected`: Rejected by operator, will not be executed.
-- `running`: Currently being executed by an agent.
+- `running`: Currently being executed by an agent (e.g. `materializer`).
 - `completed`: Successfully executed.
 - `failed`: Execution failed.
 
+#### Human-in-the-Loop (HIL) Protocol
+1. **Request**: Agent identifies a required change and writes a JSON to `actions/pending/`.
+2. **Notification**: System notifies the human operator.
+3. **Audit**: Human reviews `details.reason` and `details.diff`.
+4. **Authorization**: Human moves file to `approved/`.
+5. **Execution**: Agent monitors `approved/` and executes the task.
+
 #### Schema
 ```json
 {