diff --git a/docs/internal/MULTITENANT-HANDOFF.md b/docs/internal/MULTITENANT-HANDOFF.md
index ea644dd..7bda765 100644
--- a/docs/internal/MULTITENANT-HANDOFF.md
+++ b/docs/internal/MULTITENANT-HANDOFF.md
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@ Also updated:
   - `just tenant-list`
   - `just tenant-show <tenant>`
   - `just tenant-plan <tenant>`
+  - `just tenant-apply <tenant>` (dry-run)
   - `just tenant-add <tenant>`
   - `just tenant-remove <tenant>` (dry-run)
 - tenant lifecycle validation is now stricter:
@@ -167,6 +168,10 @@ Also updated:
   - whether the registry entry would be added or is already present
   - what is explicitly out of scope, such as per-tenant hostd, Unix users,
     repo checkouts, or live resource creation
+- `tenant-apply` now acts as a separate dry-run apply contract:
+  - what a future live apply would be allowed to touch
+  - prerequisites before any host mutation could exist
+  - what remains manual or explicitly out of scope
 
 ## Recommended first code tasks
 
@@ -221,6 +226,7 @@ with live host migration:
 - define what a safe `create tenant` operation must provision as logical
   resources only, beyond writing the registry
 - keep the declarative contract explicit before any live apply step exists
+- keep any future live apply non-destructive and tenant-owned only by default
 - keep `tenant-remove` as dry-run until deletion boundaries are explicit
 - define what a safe `remove tenant` operation must refuse to delete
 - current removal planning now distinguishes:
diff --git a/justfile b/justfile
index c933871..576bbee 100644
--- a/justfile
+++ b/justfile
@@ -304,6 +304,11 @@ tenant-show tenant:
 tenant-plan tenant:
   @npx tsx scripts/tenant-lifecycle.ts plan {{ tenant }}
 
+# Show what a future live apply would be allowed to touch (dry-run only)
+[group("system")]
+tenant-apply tenant:
+  @npx tsx scripts/tenant-lifecycle.ts apply {{ tenant }}
+
 # Add a logical tenant to the registry
 [group("system")]
 tenant-add tenant:
diff --git a/scripts/tenant-lifecycle.ts b/scripts/tenant-lifecycle.ts
index f08a022..a6461be 100644
--- a/scripts/tenant-lifecycle.ts
+++ b/scripts/tenant-lifecycle.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 import {
   addTenantRecord,
   getTenantRecord,
+  planTenantApply,
   listTenantRecords,
   planTenantProvisioning,
   planTenantRemoval,
@@ -8,7 +9,7 @@ import {
 
 function usage(): never {
   console.error(
-    'Usage: npx tsx scripts/tenant-lifecycle.ts <list|show|plan|add|remove> [tenant-id]\n' +
+    'Usage: npx tsx scripts/tenant-lifecycle.ts <list|show|plan|apply|add|remove> [tenant-id]\n' +
       '       [--domain value] [--display-name value] [--internal-domain value]\n' +
       '       [--service value] [--dataset zroot/path ...]',
   );
@@ -155,6 +156,36 @@ function printRemovalPlan(
   console.log('No changes were made. This is a dry-run only.');
 }
 
+function printApplyPlan(
+  plan: ReturnType<typeof planTenantApply>,
+): void {
+  console.log(`Apply plan for tenant ${plan.tenant.id}:`);
+  console.log(`Display: ${plan.tenant.displayName}`);
+  console.log(`Allowed databases: ${plan.allowedResources.databases.join(', ')}`);
+  console.log(`Allowed worker jails: ${plan.allowedResources.workerJails.join(', ')}`);
+  console.log(`Allowed datasets: ${plan.allowedResources.datasets.join(', ') || '(none)'}`);
+  if (plan.blockers.length > 0) {
+    console.log('Blockers:');
+    for (const blocker of plan.blockers) {
+      console.log(`- ${blocker}`);
+    }
+  }
+  console.log('Prerequisites:');
+  for (const item of plan.prerequisites) {
+    console.log(`- ${item}`);
+  }
+  console.log('Manual steps:');
+  for (const item of plan.manualSteps) {
+    console.log(`- ${item}`);
+  }
+  console.log('Policy:');
+  for (const note of plan.policyNotes) {
+    console.log(`- ${note}`);
+  }
+  console.log('');
+  console.log('No changes were made. This is a dry-run only.');
+}
+
 function main(argv: string[]): void {
   try {
     const [command, ...rest] = argv;
@@ -201,6 +232,12 @@ function main(argv: string[]): void {
       return;
     }
 
+    if (command === 'apply') {
+      const plan = planTenantApply(options.tenantId);
+      printApplyPlan(plan);
+      return;
+    }
+
     if (command === 'remove') {
       const plan = planTenantRemoval(options.tenantId);
       printRemovalPlan(plan);
diff --git a/src/tenant-registry.test.ts b/src/tenant-registry.test.ts
index d2172f1..e04c125 100644
--- a/src/tenant-registry.test.ts
+++ b/src/tenant-registry.test.ts
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ import {
   deriveTenantRecord,
   getTenantRecord,
   listTenantRecords,
+  planTenantApply,
   loadTenantRegistry,
   planTenantProvisioning,
   planTenantRemoval,
@@ -77,6 +78,24 @@ describe('tenant-registry', () => {
     expect(plan.declarativeChanges.addRegistryEntry).toBe(false);
   });
 
+  it('builds a dry-run apply contract for a declared tenant', () => {
+    const registryPath = makeTempRegistry();
+    const plan = planTenantApply('mevy', registryPath);
+    expect(plan.tenant.id).toBe('mevy');
+    expect(plan.allowedResources.databases).toContain('mevy_brain');
+    expect(plan.allowedResources.workerJails).toContain('mevy_ctrl_worker');
+    expect(plan.manualSteps).toContain(
+      'No live resources are created by this workflow today.',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('fails to build an apply contract for an unknown tenant', () => {
+    const registryPath = makeTempRegistry();
+    expect(() => planTenantApply('unknown', registryPath)).toThrow(
+      'Unknown tenant: unknown',
+    );
+  });
+
   it('preserves diacritics in the default display name when the raw input differs from the slug', () => {
     const draft = deriveTenantRecord('Saša');
     expect(draft.id).toBe('sasa');
diff --git a/src/tenant-registry.ts b/src/tenant-registry.ts
index 4cb9e5c..c19a7e4 100644
--- a/src/tenant-registry.ts
+++ b/src/tenant-registry.ts
@@ -135,6 +135,20 @@ export interface TenantProvisioningPlan {
   policyNotes: string[];
 }
 
+export interface TenantApplyPlan {
+  tenant: TenantRecord;
+  registryPath: string;
+  allowedResources: {
+    databases: string[];
+    workerJails: string[];
+    datasets: string[];
+  };
+  prerequisites: string[];
+  manualSteps: string[];
+  blockers: string[];
+  policyNotes: string[];
+}
+
 let cachedRegistry: PlatformRegistry | null = null;
 
 function parseTenantRecord(
@@ -647,6 +661,45 @@ export function planTenantProvisioning(
   };
 }
 
+export function planTenantApply(
+  tenantId: string,
+  registryPath = REGISTRY_PATH,
+): TenantApplyPlan {
+  const registry = loadTenantRegistry(registryPath);
+  const tenant = getTenantRecord(tenantId, registry);
+
+  if (!tenant) {
+    throw new Error(`Unknown tenant: ${deriveTenantId(tenantId)}`);
+  }
+
+  return {
+    tenant,
+    registryPath,
+    allowedResources: {
+      databases: Object.values(tenant.databases),
+      workerJails: tenant.workerJails,
+      datasets: tenant.datasets,
+    },
+    prerequisites: [
+      'Tenant must already exist in the registry.',
+      'Platform-owned shared services must already remain outside tenant apply.',
+      'Planned tenant resources must stay disjoint from shared platform resources and other tenants.',
+      'Operator review is required before any future live apply writes host state.',
+    ],
+    manualSteps: [
+      'No live resources are created by this workflow today.',
+      'Any future jail, dataset, or database creation must remain an explicit host-level step.',
+      'Per-tenant hostd, Unix users, and repo workspaces remain out of scope.',
+    ],
+    blockers: [],
+    policyNotes: [
+      'Tenant apply is dry-run planning only.',
+      'Shared platform services, datasets, and jails must never be created or modified through tenant apply.',
+      'Future live apply should create only tenant-owned resources and remain non-destructive by default.',
+    ],
+  };
+}
+
 export function planTenantRemoval(
   tenantId: string,
   registryPath = REGISTRY_PATH,