diff --git a/SOUL.md b/SOUL.md
index d185da1..a681260 100644
--- a/SOUL.md
+++ b/SOUL.md
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ We are a small, self-hosted, privacy-first AI agent collective operated by Sam (
 
 - **Self-hosted over SaaS.** Forgejo, Vaultwarden, Colibri, Tailscale — we own our infrastructure.
 - **Pull before work.** Always `git pull` before analyzing, coding, or reviewing. Stale context is waste. Other agents may have landed changes since your last session.
-- **Plan first, implement second.** We think through systemic risks before deploying. E2E testing with reproducible artifacts is non-negotiable.
+- **Verify facts, then act.** Never assume hardware, OS, timezone, locale, disk names, ZFS pools, jails, agent versions, or git state. Use `scripts/verify_facts_probe.py` to gather exact environment facts before making decisions. What you guess will be wrong; what you probe will be right. This applies to: OS/kernel, timezone/locale, disk/partition names, ZFS pool topology, jail/container inventory, Tailscale IPs, agent harness versions, layered-soul commit, git repo SHAs and dirty state, build tool versions, and secrets infrastructure reachability.
 - **Tokenomics is the golden line.** Cost-per-intelligence > cost-per-token. Cache-hit arbitrage. Measure everything.
 - **Local-first.** Media processing, inference, builds — run locally when possible. Cloud is a fallback, not a default.
 - **Zero public exposure.** No open ports, no public IPs beyond what Tailscale negotiates. Each agent gets its own SSH key — never copy private keys between hosts.
diff --git a/scripts/verify_facts_probe.py b/scripts/verify_facts_probe.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8abb055
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/verify_facts_probe.py
@@ -0,0 +1,362 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Verify-facts probe — gather exact environment facts before acting.
+
+Never assume what hardware, OS, timezone, storage, agents, or config you're
+running on. This probe collects verified facts and emits them as structured
+JSON. Use it at the start of any session where the environment matters.
+
+Usage:
+    python3 verify_facts_probe.py          # all facts
+    python3 verify_facts_probe.py --hw     # hardware only
+    python3 verify_facts_probe.py --agents # agent/harness only
+    python3 verify_facts_probe.py --json   # JSON output (default)
+    python3 verify_facts_probe.py --text   # human-readable output
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import json
+import os
+import platform
+import re
+import shutil
+import socket
+import subprocess
+import sys
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+def run(cmd: list[str], timeout: int = 10) -> str:
+    """Run a command and return stripped stdout, or error string."""
+    try:
+        result = subprocess.run(
+            cmd, capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=timeout
+        )
+        return result.stdout.strip() or result.stderr.strip()
+    except Exception as e:
+        return f"ERROR: {e}"
+
+
+def probe_os() -> dict:
+    return {
+        "system": platform.system(),
+        "release": platform.release(),
+        "version": platform.version(),
+        "machine": platform.machine(),
+        "hostname": socket.gethostname(),
+        "kernel": run(["uname", "-a"]),
+        "freebsd_version": run(["freebsd-version"]) if shutil.which("freebsd-version") else None,
+    }
+
+
+def probe_timezone_locale() -> dict:
+    tz = None
+    # Linux
+    if os.path.exists("/etc/timezone"):
+        tz = Path("/etc/timezone").read_text().strip()
+    elif os.path.exists("/etc/localtime"):
+        tz = os.path.realpath("/etc/localtime")
+    tz_env = os.environ.get("TZ", "")
+    timedatectl = run(["timedatectl", "show", "--property=Timezone"]) if shutil.which("timedatectl") else None
+
+    locale = {}
+    for key in ("LANG", "LC_ALL", "LC_TIME", "LC_CTYPE", "LC_MESSAGES"):
+        val = os.environ.get(key, "")
+        if val:
+            locale[key] = val
+    localectl = run(["localectl", "status"]) if shutil.which("localectl") else None
+
+    return {
+        "timezone": {
+            "system": tz,
+            "env_TZ": tz_env or None,
+            "timedatectl": timedatectl,
+            "now_utc": datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(),
+            "now_local": datetime.now().astimezone().isoformat(),
+        },
+        "locale": {
+            "env": locale or None,
+            "localectl": localectl,
+        },
+    }
+
+
+def probe_hardware() -> dict:
+    disks = []
+    # Linux
+    if shutil.which("lsblk"):
+        out = run(["lsblk", "-o", "NAME,PATH,SIZE,MODEL,SERIAL,TRAN,RM,HOTPLUG,MOUNTPOINTS", "-b", "-n"])
+        for line in out.split("\n"):
+            parts = line.split()
+            if parts:
+                disks.append({"name": parts[0], "path": parts[1] if len(parts) > 1 else ""})
+    # FreeBSD
+    elif shutil.which("camcontrol"):
+        out = run(["camcontrol", "devlist"])
+        for line in out.split("\n"):
+            disks.append({"device": line.strip()})
+
+    memory = {}
+    if shutil.which("free"):
+        out = run(["free", "-h"])
+        memory["free"] = out
+    elif shutil.which("sysctl"):
+        out = run(["sysctl", "-n", "hw.physmem"])
+        memory["physmem"] = f"{int(out) // (1024**3)} GiB" if out.isdigit() else out
+
+    cpu = {}
+    if shutil.which("lscpu"):
+        out = run(["lscpu"])
+        for line in out.split("\n"):
+            if "Model name" in line:
+                cpu["model"] = line.split(":", 1)[1].strip()
+            if "CPU(s)" in line and "NUMA" not in line:
+                cpu["cores"] = line.split(":", 1)[1].strip()
+    elif shutil.which("sysctl"):
+        cpu["model"] = run(["sysctl", "-n", "hw.model"])
+        cpu["cores"] = run(["sysctl", "-n", "hw.ncpu"])
+
+    gpu = run(["lspci", "|", "grep", "-i", "vga"]) if shutil.which("lspci") else None
+
+    return {
+        "disks": disks,
+        "memory": memory,
+        "cpu": cpu,
+        "gpu": gpu,
+    }
+
+
+def probe_storage() -> dict:
+    zfs = {}
+    if shutil.which("zpool"):
+        zfs["pools"] = run(["zpool", "list", "-H", "-o", "name,size,health"])
+        zfs["datasets"] = run(["zfs", "list", "-H", "-o", "name,mountpoint,used,available"])
+
+    mounts = run(["mount"]) if shutil.which("mount") else run(["df", "-h"])
+
+    return {
+        "zfs": zfs or None,
+        "mounts": mounts[:500] if mounts else None,
+    }
+
+
+def probe_jails_containers() -> dict:
+    jails = run(["jls", "-n"]) if shutil.which("jls") else None
+    docker = run(["docker", "ps", "--format", "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}"]) if shutil.which("docker") else None
+    return {
+        "freebsd_jails": jails,
+        "docker_containers": docker,
+    }
+
+
+def probe_network() -> dict:
+    tailscale = {}
+    if shutil.which("tailscale"):
+        tailscale["status"] = run(["tailscale", "status"])
+
+    interfaces = run(["ip", "addr"]) if shutil.which("ip") else run(["ifconfig"])
+    dns = Path("/etc/resolv.conf").read_text().strip() if os.path.exists("/etc/resolv.conf") else None
+
+    return {
+        "tailscale": tailscale or None,
+        "interfaces": interfaces[:500],
+        "dns": dns,
+    }
+
+
+def probe_agents() -> dict:
+    agents = {}
+
+    # Hermes
+    hermes_bin = shutil.which("hermes")
+    if hermes_bin:
+        agents["hermes"] = {
+            "binary": hermes_bin,
+            "version": run(["hermes", "--version"], timeout=5),
+            "home": os.environ.get("HERMES_HOME", str(Path.home() / ".hermes")),
+        }
+
+    # Colibri daemon
+    colibri_bin = shutil.which("colibri")
+    if colibri_bin:
+        out = run(["colibri", "status"], timeout=5)
+        agents["colibri"] = {
+            "binary": colibri_bin,
+            "status": out[:500] if out else "no response",
+        }
+
+    # Zot
+    zot_bin = shutil.which("zot")
+    if zot_bin:
+        agents["zot"] = {"binary": zot_bin}
+
+    # Codex
+    codex_bin = shutil.which("codex")
+    if codex_bin:
+        agents["codex"] = {"binary": codex_bin, "version": run(["codex", "--version"], timeout=5)}
+
+    # Claude Code
+    claude_bin = shutil.which("claude")
+    if claude_bin:
+        agents["claude-code"] = {"binary": claude_bin}
+
+    return agents
+
+
+def probe_layered_soul() -> dict:
+    """Find and report layered-soul identity version."""
+    candidates = [
+        Path.home() / "ai" / "layered-soul",
+        Path(os.environ.get("LAYERED_SOUL_PATH", "")),
+    ]
+    for path in candidates:
+        if (path / "manifest.json").exists():
+            try:
+                manifest = json.loads((path / "manifest.json").read_text())
+                import subprocess as sp
+                commit = sp.run(
+                    ["git", "-C", str(path), "rev-parse", "--short", "HEAD"],
+                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5
+                ).stdout.strip()
+                return {
+                    "path": str(path),
+                    "schema": manifest.get("schema"),
+                    "commit": commit,
+                    "skills": len(list((path / "skills").rglob("SKILL.md"))),
+                    "memories": len(list((path / "memories" / "curated").rglob("*.md"))),
+                }
+            except Exception:
+                pass
+    return {"found": False}
+
+
+def probe_git() -> dict:
+    """Check common repos for current state."""
+    repos = {}
+    for name in ["colibri", "layered-soul", "clawdie-iso", "clawdie-ai", "hermes-bsd", "hermes-soul"]:
+        path = Path.home() / "ai" / name
+        if (path / ".git").exists():
+            try:
+                branch = subprocess.run(
+                    ["git", "-C", str(path), "branch", "--show-current"],
+                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5
+                ).stdout.strip()
+                sha = subprocess.run(
+                    ["git", "-C", str(path), "rev-parse", "--short", "HEAD"],
+                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5
+                ).stdout.strip()
+                dirty = subprocess.run(
+                    ["git", "-C", str(path), "status", "--porcelain"],
+                    capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5
+                ).stdout.strip()
+                repos[name] = {
+                    "branch": branch,
+                    "sha": sha,
+                    "dirty": bool(dirty),
+                }
+            except Exception:
+                pass
+    return repos
+
+
+def probe_build_tools() -> dict:
+    return {
+        "rust": run(["rustc", "--version"]) if shutil.which("rustc") else None,
+        "go": run(["go", "version"]) if shutil.which("go") else None,
+        "zig": run(["zig", "version"]) if shutil.which("zig") else None,
+        "python": f"{sys.version_info.major}.{sys.version_info.minor}.{sys.version_info.micro}",
+        "node": run(["node", "--version"]) if shutil.which("node") else None,
+        "npm": run(["npm", "--version"]) if shutil.which("npm") else None,
+        "gmake": run(["gmake", "--version"]) if shutil.which("gmake") else None,
+        "uv": run(["uv", "--version"]) if shutil.which("uv") else None,
+    }
+
+
+def probe_secrets() -> dict:
+    """Check secrets infrastructure reachability."""
+    result = {"vaultwarden": {}}
+    bw_bin = shutil.which("bw")
+    if bw_bin:
+        result["vaultwarden"]["bw_installed"] = True
+        result["vaultwarden"]["server"] = os.environ.get("BW_SERVER", "not set")
+        try:
+            status = run(["bw", "status"], timeout=5)
+            result["vaultwarden"]["status"] = status[:200]
+        except Exception:
+            result["vaultwarden"]["status"] = "unreachable"
+    else:
+        result["vaultwarden"]["bw_installed"] = False
+    return result
+
+
+# ── Main ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+FACTS = {
+    "os": probe_os,
+    "timezone_locale": probe_timezone_locale,
+    "hardware": probe_hardware,
+    "storage": probe_storage,
+    "jails_containers": probe_jails_containers,
+    "network": probe_network,
+    "agents": probe_agents,
+    "layered_soul": probe_layered_soul,
+    "git": probe_git,
+    "build_tools": probe_build_tools,
+    "secrets": probe_secrets,
+}
+
+
+def main():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(
+        description="Verify facts — gather exact environment facts before acting"
+    )
+    parser.add_argument("--json", action="store_true", default=True)
+    parser.add_argument("--text", action="store_true")
+    # Per-category flags
+    for key in FACTS:
+        parser.add_argument(f"--{key.replace('_', '-')}", action="store_true")
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    # Determine which probes to run
+    specific = [k for k in FACTS if getattr(args, k.replace("-", "_"), False)]
+    probes = specific if specific else list(FACTS)
+
+    output: dict = {"probed_at": datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat()}
+    for key in probes:
+        try:
+            output[key] = FACTS[key]()
+        except Exception as e:
+            output[key] = {"error": str(e)}
+
+    if args.text:
+        _print_text(output)
+    else:
+        print(json.dumps(output, indent=2, default=str))
+
+
+def _print_text(data: dict) -> None:
+    """Human-readable output."""
+    for section, content in data.items():
+        if section == "probed_at":
+            print(f"=== PROBED {content} ===\n")
+            continue
+        print(f"--- {section.upper()} ---")
+        if isinstance(content, dict):
+            for k, v in content.items():
+                if v is not None:
+                    print(f"  {k}: {_fmt(v)}")
+        print()
+
+
+def _fmt(val) -> str:
+    if isinstance(val, dict):
+        return json.dumps(val, default=str)[:200]
+    if isinstance(val, list):
+        return f"[{len(val)} items]"
+    return str(val)[:200]
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()