diff --git a/packaging/linux/README.md b/packaging/linux/README.md
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+# Colibri bridge — Linux (systemd)
+
+Linux/systemd peer of `packaging/freebsd/colibri_bridge.in`. Exposes the
+colibri-daemon control-plane Unix socket as a TCP port **on the Tailscale
+interface only**, so other mesh hosts can drive the control plane.
+
+The FreeBSD bridge already runs on hermes (binds hermes's own tailnet address);
+this is the matching domedog side. The network gate (ufw) is **already applied
+on domedog** (see "domedog host facts"); the systemd unit here is the proposed
+service — review the open questions with hermes before `enable --now`.
+
+> Real `100.x` Tailscale addresses are never committed to git. Each host's
+> address is supplied at deploy time (`tailscale ip -4`) via
+> `/etc/colibri/bridge.env` — see `COLIBRI_BRIDGE_LISTEN_ADDR=TAILSCALE_IP_REQUIRED`.
+
+## Files
+
+| File | Purpose |
+|---|---|
+| `colibri-bridge.service` | systemd unit running socat (peer of the rc.d script) |
+| `colibri-bridge.env.example` | tunables — install to `/etc/colibri/bridge.env` |
+| `colibri-bridge.nft` | nftables ruleset **for hosts without ufw** (see facts below) |
+
+## Install (one-time, as root)
+
+```sh
+install -D -m 0644 packaging/linux/colibri-bridge.service \
+    /etc/systemd/system/colibri-bridge.service
+install -D -m 0644 packaging/linux/colibri-bridge.env.example \
+    /etc/colibri/bridge.env          # then edit for this host
+
+# Firewall: scope port 9190 to tailscale0 (peer of the hermes pf rule).
+# domedog runs ufw (active, default-deny input) — the allow goes in ufw, and
+# ufw's default-deny already blocks 9190 on every other interface:
+ufw allow in on tailscale0 to any port 9190 proto tcp comment 'colibri-bridge'
+# On a host WITHOUT ufw / with a default-accept input, use the nft table instead:
+#   install -D -m 0644 packaging/linux/colibri-bridge.nft /etc/colibri/colibri-bridge.nft
+#   nft -f /etc/colibri/colibri-bridge.nft
+
+systemctl daemon-reload
+systemctl enable --now colibri-bridge.service
+systemctl status colibri-bridge.service
+```
+
+Quick check from another tailnet host:
+
+```sh
+printf '{"cmd":"status"}\n' | nc -w2 "$(tailscale ip -4)" 9190   # run on/against this host
+```
+
+## domedog host facts (verified 26.jun.2026)
+
+The networking reality this packaging assumes, recorded so the next person
+doesn't have to re-derive it:
+
+- **Tailnet IPv4:** each host has a distinct `100.x` address — get it with
+  `tailscale ip -4` (not committed to git per policy).
+- **Init / service mgr:** systemd (Ubuntu 24.04). FreeBSD/hermes uses rc.d.
+- **Daemon user:** `clawdija` (hermes: `clawdie`). No dedicated `colibri`
+  group exists on domedog; the bridge runs as the daemon's own user so it can
+  reach the 0770 socket.
+- **Firewall:** **ufw active + enabled**, default **deny (incoming)** /
+  allow (outgoing), backed by nftables, with fail2ban on top. Live packet
+  counters confirm it's enforcing, not just configured.
+- **Currently-allowed inbound ports:** 22/tcp (ssh), 80/tcp, 443 (tcp+udp),
+  8433–8443/tcp, and now **9190/tcp scoped to `tailscale0`** (the bridge, added
+  for this work).
+- **Port 8443 = CloudPanel** server control panel (nginx vhost
+  `cloudpanel.conf`, run by the `clp` user from `/home/clp/services/nginx/`).
+  Only 8443 actually listens; 8433–8442 are allowed but unused (range wider
+  than needed). ⚠️ CloudPanel's admin login is exposed to **Anywhere** (public),
+  not tailnet-scoped — the opposite posture from this bridge; flagged for the
+  host-exposure review.
+
+## Open questions for the hermes discussion
+
+1. **The socket has no auth — the tailnet boundary is the auth.** With both
+   hosts bridging the control plane, any tailnet peer that can reach either host
+   can issue full control-plane commands (`spawn-agent`, `kill-agent`,
+   `terminal-*`). Consider a Tailscale ACL scoping `:9190` to specific peers.
+2. **Socket path parity.** Both sides assume `/run/colibri/colibri.sock`
+   (FreeBSD: `/var/run/colibri/colibri.sock`). domedog's daemon must be started
+   with a matching `COLIBRI_DAEMON_SOCKET`; the daemon's default is under
+   `$XDG_DATA_HOME`, which the bridge can't see under `ProtectHome=yes`.
+3. **CloudPanel public exposure** (8443) — decide whether to keep it public or
+   move it behind the tailnet like the bridge.
+
+## Notes
+
+- The FreeBSD `colibri_bridge.in` `health`/`status` block bug (scrambled
+  function definitions) was **fixed and pushed** on the hermes side during this
+  work.
+- `colibri-bridge.nft` is retained for hosts with a default-accept input chain;
+  on a ufw host its `accept` is not reliable (ufw's `drop` is terminal across
+  base chains) and its `drop` is redundant (ufw already default-denies). Kept as
+  documentation of intent and for the no-ufw case.
diff --git a/packaging/linux/colibri-bridge.env.example b/packaging/linux/colibri-bridge.env.example
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+# Colibri bridge configuration — systemd EnvironmentFile.
+# Install to /etc/colibri/bridge.env (root:root, 0644).
+# This is the systemd parallel to the sysrc vars in the FreeBSD rc.d script
+# (packaging/freebsd/colibri_bridge.in).
+
+# Tailscale IPv4 of THIS host. socat binds here — never 0.0.0.0 — so the control
+# plane is not exposed on any other interface even if the firewall rule is
+# removed. Fill in with this host's own address from `tailscale ip -4`.
+# (Real 100.x addresses are never committed to git — set it at deploy time.)
+COLIBRI_BRIDGE_LISTEN_ADDR=TAILSCALE_IP_REQUIRED
+
+# TCP port. MUST match the firewall allow-rule that scopes 9190 to tailscale0.
+COLIBRI_BRIDGE_LISTEN_PORT=9190
+
+# colibri-daemon Unix socket. MUST equal the daemon's COLIBRI_DAEMON_SOCKET.
+# The daemon default is under $XDG_DATA_HOME; for a system bridge point both at
+# a stable /run path (and keep it off /home so ProtectHome=yes can stay on).
+COLIBRI_BRIDGE_SOCKET=/run/colibri/colibri.sock
diff --git a/packaging/linux/colibri-bridge.nft b/packaging/linux/colibri-bridge.nft
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+#!/usr/sbin/nft -f
+#
+# Colibri bridge firewall — restrict the control-plane TCP port to the Tailscale
+# interface only. Linux/nftables peer of the hermes pf rule:
+#
+#   pass in quick on tailscale0 proto tcp to port 9190 flags S/SA keep state
+#
+# Load standalone:        sudo nft -f packaging/linux/colibri-bridge.nft
+# Verify:                 sudo nft list table inet colibri
+# Persist (Debian/Ubuntu): `include "/etc/colibri/colibri-bridge.nft"` from
+#                          /etc/nftables.conf, then `systemctl enable --now nftables`.
+
+table inet colibri {
+    chain input {
+        # Base-chain declaration — REQUIRED. Without `type … hook input …` the
+        # chain is inert and filters nothing. policy accept keeps this table
+        # surgical: it governs ONLY port 9190; all other traffic falls through
+        # to the host's existing rules.
+        type filter hook input priority 0; policy accept;
+
+        # Reach the bridge only over the tailnet…
+        iifname "tailscale0" tcp dport 9190 accept
+        # …and drop it on every other interface. `drop` is a terminal verdict,
+        # so this reliably blocks 9190 from the public side even if another
+        # table would otherwise accept it.
+        tcp dport 9190 drop
+    }
+}
diff --git a/packaging/linux/colibri-bridge.service b/packaging/linux/colibri-bridge.service
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+[Unit]
+# Colibri control-plane TCP bridge — Linux/systemd peer of the hermes rc.d
+# service in packaging/freebsd/colibri_bridge.in.
+#
+# Bridges the colibri-daemon Unix socket to a TCP port on the Tailscale
+# interface so other mesh hosts can reach the Colibri control plane. socat runs
+# in the foreground; systemd supervises it (restart on crash, journald logs) —
+# the systemd equivalent of FreeBSD running socat under daemon(8).
+Description=Colibri control-plane TCP bridge (Tailscale -> Unix socket)
+Documentation=https://code.smilepowered.org/clawdie/colibri
+After=network-online.target tailscaled.service colibri-daemon.service
+Wants=network-online.target
+# Ordering + lifecycle: the bridge is useless without the daemon, and the
+# socket vanishes if the daemon stops — so bind our lifecycle to it.
+Requires=colibri-daemon.service
+BindsTo=colibri-daemon.service
+# Keep retrying while we wait for tailscaled to assign the address at boot
+# (paired with freebind below, this race is largely moot, but be forgiving).
+StartLimitIntervalSec=0
+
+[Service]
+Type=exec
+# Must be a user in the colibri-daemon socket's group (the daemon chmods its
+# socket 0770 owner+group). On domedog that is the daemon's own user.
+User=clawdija
+Group=clawdija
+
+# Tunables live here (systemd parallel to the rc.d sysrc vars). See
+# colibri-bridge.env.example.
+EnvironmentFile=/etc/colibri/bridge.env
+
+# Refuse to start until the daemon socket actually exists, mirroring the rc.d
+# prestart check (clearer failure than a socat connect error).
+ExecStartPre=/usr/bin/test -S ${COLIBRI_BRIDGE_SOCKET}
+
+# bind=<tailscale-ip> keeps us off every other interface even if the firewall
+# is flushed. freebind (Linux IP_FREEBIND, no privilege needed) lets socat bind
+# the tailnet address before tailscaled has finished bringing it up, avoiding a
+# boot-order race — the one place this unit improves on the FreeBSD version.
+ExecStart=/usr/bin/socat -d \
+    TCP-LISTEN:${COLIBRI_BRIDGE_LISTEN_PORT},bind=${COLIBRI_BRIDGE_LISTEN_ADDR},freebind,fork,reuseaddr \
+    UNIX-CONNECT:${COLIBRI_BRIDGE_SOCKET}
+Restart=on-failure
+RestartSec=2
+
+# --- hardening: socat needs only TCP + Unix sockets and no privileges ---
+NoNewPrivileges=yes
+ProtectSystem=strict
+# ProtectHome=yes is safe ONLY while the socket lives outside /home (it does, by
+# default, under /run). If you repoint COLIBRI_BRIDGE_SOCKET into a home dir,
+# relax this to read-only or the connect will fail.
+ProtectHome=yes
+PrivateTmp=yes
+PrivateDevices=yes
+ProtectControlGroups=yes
+ProtectKernelModules=yes
+ProtectKernelTunables=yes
+RestrictAddressFamilies=AF_INET AF_UNIX
+RestrictNamespaces=yes
+LockPersonality=yes
+MemoryDenyWriteExecute=yes
+SystemCallFilter=@system-service
+SystemCallErrorNumber=EPERM
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=multi-user.target