diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 8d36b78..84f9d65 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -2,5 +2,11 @@
 # These override values in config.yaml
 
 STEWARD_SECRET_KEY=change-me
-STEWARD_DATABASE__URL=postgresql+asyncpg://steward:password@localhost/steward
+STEWARD_DATABASE_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://steward:password@localhost/steward
 STEWARD_SMTP__PASSWORD=
+
+# --- compose.deploy.yml (remote instance) only ---
+# Password for the bundled Postgres; the steward service builds its
+# STEWARD_DATABASE_URL from it. Leave STEWARD_SECRET_KEY above unset to let the
+# app generate + persist one on the /data volume.
+POSTGRES_PASSWORD=change-me
diff --git a/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml b/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml
index ab6dea8..800746e 100644
--- a/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.forgejo/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -90,3 +90,40 @@ jobs:
             pip install -e '.[dev,ansible]'
           fi
           pytest tests/integration -v -m integration --durations=10
+
+  # Image-publish lane — FabledRulebook rule 46: every push to dev/main publishes
+  # an immutable commit-SHA image (the rollback unit); dev moves :dev, main moves
+  # :latest. Gated on the three test lanes via `needs:` so a red commit never
+  # produces a :dev image. Mechanics mirror CI-runner's build-ci-python.yml.
+  publish:
+    needs: [lint, unit, integration]
+    runs-on: python-ci
+    container:
+      # ci-builder carries docker + buildx + git. The docker socket is
+      # auto-mounted by act_runner (valid_volumes) — do NOT add a
+      # container.options "-v /var/run/docker.sock:..." mount; that duplicate
+      # mount fails the job at "Set up job".
+      image: git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/ci-builder:latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: Registry login
+        # The injected GITHUB_TOKEN lacks write:package scope, so docker push
+        # 401s with it. REGISTRY_TOKEN is a repo Actions secret holding a
+        # Forgejo token scoped read:package + write:package.
+        run: echo "${{ secrets.REGISTRY_TOKEN }}" | docker login git.fabledsword.com -u bvandeusen --password-stdin
+      - name: Build + push (commit-SHA always; :dev on dev, :latest on main)
+        run: |
+          set -euxo pipefail
+          IMAGE=git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/steward
+          docker build -t "$IMAGE:${{ github.sha }}" .
+          docker push "$IMAGE:${{ github.sha }}"
+          if [ "${{ github.ref }}" = "refs/heads/dev" ]; then
+            docker tag "$IMAGE:${{ github.sha }}" "$IMAGE:dev"
+            docker push "$IMAGE:dev"
+          elif [ "${{ github.ref }}" = "refs/heads/main" ]; then
+            docker tag "$IMAGE:${{ github.sha }}" "$IMAGE:latest"
+            docker push "$IMAGE:latest"
+          fi
+      - name: Prune dangling layers
+        if: always()
+        run: docker image prune -f
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index b7a6239..d7e2999 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -28,6 +28,42 @@ docker compose up -d
 
 Open `http://localhost:5000`. On first run you'll be prompted to create the admin account.
 
+This compose file builds the image locally and bind-mounts the source for live editing. To run a persistent instance off the published CI image instead, see **Remote dev instance** below.
+
+---
+
+## Remote dev instance
+
+For a long-lived instance on a remote server that tracks the `dev` CI line, use `compose.deploy.yml`. It pulls the published image (`git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/steward:dev`) rather than building, runs no source bind-mounts, and persists data in named volumes.
+
+**One-time prerequisite — registry push token (on the Git host).** CI publishes the image, so the FabledSteward repo needs a push credential. The injected `GITHUB_TOKEN` lacks `write:package`, so create a Forgejo token scoped **`read:package` + `write:package`** and add it as the repo Actions secret **`REGISTRY_TOKEN`**. Until this exists, the `publish` CI job 401s and no `:dev` image is produced.
+
+**Standup (on the server):**
+
+```bash
+# 1. Authenticate to the registry (read:package token is enough to pull)
+docker login git.fabledsword.com -u <user>
+
+# 2. Configure secrets
+cp .env.example .env
+# Set POSTGRES_PASSWORD. Leave STEWARD_SECRET_KEY unset to let the app
+# generate + persist one on the /data volume.
+
+# 3. Pull + boot
+docker compose -f compose.deploy.yml up -d
+```
+
+Open `http://<server>:5000` and create the admin account on first run.
+
+**Update to the latest dev build:**
+
+```bash
+docker compose -f compose.deploy.yml pull
+docker compose -f compose.deploy.yml up -d
+```
+
+Every push to `dev` that goes CI-green publishes a fresh `:dev` (and an immutable `:<commit-sha>` for rollback). To pin a specific commit, change the `image:` tag in `compose.deploy.yml` to `:<sha>`.
+
 ---
 
 ## Quick Start — Bare Metal
diff --git a/ci-requirements.md b/ci-requirements.md
index 01a73e4..86c04bd 100644
--- a/ci-requirements.md
+++ b/ci-requirements.md
@@ -14,8 +14,12 @@ git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/ci-python:3.14
 
 ## Per-job tool installs
 
-- `uv pip install --system -e '.[dev]'` (pip fallback) — in `unit` and `integration`
-  jobs. Steward declares its deps in `pyproject.toml`; the `[dev]` extra adds
+- `uv pip install --system -e '.[dev]'` (pip fallback) — in the `unit` job.
+- `uv pip install --system -e '.[dev,ansible]'` (pip fallback) — in the
+  `integration` job, which boots the real app and exercises the Ansible runner,
+  so it needs the `ansible` extra (`ansible>=10,<13`) at import time.
+
+  Steward declares its deps in `pyproject.toml`; the `[dev]` extra adds
   `pytest` + `pytest-asyncio`. No `requirements.txt` is tracked.
 
 ## Lanes
@@ -30,6 +34,13 @@ git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/ci-python:3.14
   (`create_app(testing=False)`), which runs core + every bundled plugin's
   migrations, then round-trips the DB. This is the guard that the folded-in
   plugin migration graph resolves.
+- **publish** — builds the runtime `Dockerfile` and pushes to the package
+  registry. Runs in `ci-builder:latest` (docker + buildx, socket auto-mounted),
+  gated on `needs: [lint, unit, integration]` so a red commit never ships an
+  image. Publishes `git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/steward:<sha>` always, plus
+  `:dev` on `dev` and `:latest` on `main` (FabledRulebook rule 46). Needs the
+  `REGISTRY_TOKEN` repo Actions secret (`read:package` + `write:package`) —
+  the injected `GITHUB_TOKEN` can't push packages.
 
 ## Notes
 
diff --git a/compose.deploy.yml b/compose.deploy.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2e19a38
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compose.deploy.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+# Remote deployment — pulls the published :dev image instead of building locally.
+#
+# This is NOT the local-dev compose. `docker-compose.yml` bind-mounts ./steward
+# + ./plugins and runs --debug for live editing; THIS file runs the image as the
+# source of truth (no bind-mounts, no reloader) for a persistent remote instance
+# that tracks the dev CI line.
+#
+# Standup + update runbook: see README → "Remote dev instance".
+
+services:
+  steward:
+    image: git.fabledsword.com/bvandeusen/steward:dev
+    container_name: steward
+    # Re-pull :dev on every `up` so restarting the stack picks up the latest
+    # green dev build without a manual `docker pull`.
+    pull_policy: always
+    ports:
+      - "5000:5000"
+    volumes:
+      # /data holds the auto-generated secret key, third-party plugins, and the
+      # Ansible playbook cache — all of which must survive image updates. No
+      # source bind-mounts: core + first-party plugins live inside the image.
+      - app_data:/data
+    environment:
+      - STEWARD_DATABASE_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://steward:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD:-steward}@db/steward
+      # Optional: if unset, the app generates a key and persists it to
+      # /data/secret.key, so sessions survive restarts via the app_data volume.
+      # Set STEWARD_SECRET_KEY in .env to pin it explicitly across volume resets.
+      - STEWARD_SECRET_KEY=${STEWARD_SECRET_KEY:-}
+    depends_on:
+      db:
+        condition: service_healthy
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+  db:
+    image: postgres:16-alpine
+    environment:
+      POSTGRES_USER: steward
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD:-steward}
+      POSTGRES_DB: steward
+    volumes:
+      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
+    # No host port published — Postgres is reachable only on the compose network.
+    healthcheck:
+      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U steward"]
+      interval: 5s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 5
+    restart: unless-stopped
+
+volumes:
+  pgdata:
+  app_data: