diff --git a/charts/access-engine/templates/deployment.yaml b/charts/access-engine/templates/deployment.yaml
index 744c8b2..a899ab3 100644
--- a/charts/access-engine/templates/deployment.yaml
+++ b/charts/access-engine/templates/deployment.yaml
@@ -29,8 +29,10 @@ metadata:
     {{- include "access-engine.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
 spec:
   {{- if .Values.outbox.enabled }}
-  {{- if ne (int .Values.replicaCount) 1 }}
-  {{- fail "outbox requires replicaCount=1: one writer per source and PVC" }}
+  {{- $replicas := .Values.replicaCount }}
+  {{- $numericKind := has (kindOf $replicas) (list "int" "int64" "int32" "uint" "uint64" "float64" "float32") }}
+  {{- if or (not $numericKind) (not (or (eq (toString $replicas) "0") (eq (toString $replicas) "1"))) }}
+  {{- fail "outbox requires numeric integer replicaCount 0 (stopped) or 1 (single writer)" }}
   {{- end }}
   strategy:
     type: Recreate
diff --git a/charts/flex-auth/templates/deployment.yaml b/charts/flex-auth/templates/deployment.yaml
index 62f84ba..3afef53 100644
--- a/charts/flex-auth/templates/deployment.yaml
+++ b/charts/flex-auth/templates/deployment.yaml
@@ -28,8 +28,10 @@ metadata:
     {{- include "flex-auth.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
 spec:
   {{- if .Values.outbox.enabled }}
-  {{- if ne (int .Values.replicaCount) 1 }}
-  {{- fail "outbox requires replicaCount=1: one writer per source and PVC" }}
+  {{- $replicas := .Values.replicaCount }}
+  {{- $numericKind := has (kindOf $replicas) (list "int" "int64" "int32" "uint" "uint64" "float64" "float32") }}
+  {{- if or (not $numericKind) (not (or (eq (toString $replicas) "0") (eq (toString $replicas) "1"))) }}
+  {{- fail "outbox requires numeric integer replicaCount 0 (stopped) or 1 (single writer)" }}
   {{- end }}
   strategy:
     type: Recreate
diff --git a/tests/test_outbox_replicas_chart.py b/tests/test_outbox_replicas_chart.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..aa4a155
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_outbox_replicas_chart.py
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Actual Helm stop/start renders and unsafe replica value rejection; offline only."""
+import copy
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+import subprocess
+import tempfile
+import yaml
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+
+def render(chart, value, encoding="yaml", success=True):
+    with tempfile.TemporaryDirectory() as directory:
+        command = ["helm", "template", "flex-auth-secrets-engine", str(ROOT / "charts" / chart),
+                   "--namespace", "flex-auth", "-f", str(ROOT / "values/secrets-engine.yaml"),
+                   "--set", "outbox.enabled=true", "--set", "outbox.source=flex-auth.secrets-engine",
+                   "--set", "envelopeSigning.enabled=true", "--set", "envelopeSigning.kid=test-kid",
+                   "--set", "envelopeSigning.secretName=proposed-seed", "--set", "envelopeSigning.secretKey=seed"]
+        if encoding == "yaml":
+            overlay = Path(directory) / "values.yaml"
+            overlay.write_text(yaml.safe_dump({"replicaCount": value}))
+            command += ["-f", str(overlay)]
+        elif encoding == "json":
+            command += ["--set-json", "replicaCount=" + json.dumps(value)]
+        elif encoding == "string":
+            command += ["--set-string", "replicaCount=" + str(value)]
+        else:
+            command += ["--set", "replicaCount=" + str(value)]
+        result = subprocess.run(command, capture_output=True, text=True)
+    if not success:
+        assert result.returncode != 0, (chart, encoding, value)
+        assert "replicaCount" in result.stderr, result.stderr
+        return
+    assert result.returncode == 0, result.stderr
+    documents = [d for d in yaml.safe_load_all(result.stdout) if d]
+    deployment = next(d for d in documents if d["kind"] == "Deployment")
+    assert deployment["spec"]["strategy"] == {"type": "Recreate"}
+    assert type(deployment["spec"]["replicas"]) is int
+    assert deployment["spec"]["replicas"] == value
+    return documents
+
+count = 0
+for chart in ("flex-auth", "access-engine"):
+    for encoding in ("yaml", "json", "cli"):
+        stopped = render(chart, 0, encoding)
+        ready = render(chart, 1, encoding)
+        normalized = copy.deepcopy(ready)
+        next(d for d in normalized if d["kind"] == "Deployment")["spec"]["replicas"] = 0
+        assert stopped == normalized, "stop must change replicas only, including identical pod projection/PVC"
+        count += 2
+    for encoding in ("yaml", "json"):
+        for value in (-1, 2, 1.5, 0.5, True, False, None, "0", "1", [], {}):
+            render(chart, value, encoding, success=False)
+            count += 1
+        # Helm loses lexical 0 vs0.0 and1 vs1.0 before template evaluation.
+        for value in (0.0, 1.0):
+            render(chart, value, encoding)
+            count += 1
+    for value in ("-1", "2", "0.5", "1.5", "true", "false", "null", "0.0", "1.0"):
+        render(chart, value, "cli", success=False)
+        count += 1
+    for value in ("0", "1"):
+        render(chart, value, "string", success=False)
+        count += 1
+print(f"stopped/single-writer chart checks passed: {count} actual Helm renders")
diff --git a/workplans/FLEX-WP-0024-decision-envelope-authenticity.md b/workplans/FLEX-WP-0024-decision-envelope-authenticity.md
index 1481c1d..f737349 100644
--- a/workplans/FLEX-WP-0024-decision-envelope-authenticity.md
+++ b/workplans/FLEX-WP-0024-decision-envelope-authenticity.md
@@ -302,3 +302,26 @@ unchanged. Exact local source resolution is no central/private read-placement,
 reef binding, custody, native rollout or consumer trust admission. Future signer
 image/config adoption remains separate. T06 remains `progress`; no second work
 item duplicates this bounded dependency.
+
+
+2026-10-16 bounded stopped-chart source preparation (Custodian
+`access-native-admission/stopped-chart-r2`): both outbox charts admit numeric
+replicaCount exactly 0 (maintenance stop) or 1 (single writer), with Recreate,
+process flock and bounded persistence unchanged. Fractions, strings, booleans,
+negative values and 2+ refuse; Helm decodes YAML/JSON integral 0.0/1.0 as the same
+numeric values as 0/1, so lexical float spelling is not distinguished. Actual
+Helm stopped/ready renders differ only in replicas and retain the same Platform
+source-rendered deployment projection. Owner preparation and independent
+coordinator checks approve this bounded source change only; 86 Helm renders and
+the existing outbox/delivery/receiver-port suite pass. No native stop, bootstrap,
+rollout, custody, public trust, resource or protected-effect approval follows.
+The proposed immutable image remains source revision
+`84c78e072c8f3daf2bc3b90f8efc8fbeb16c3cf0`, ordinary CI402 verified digest
+`sha256:09a83b273740133518cc7e7915fb211381e06545d347d2dd1974042525ac981f`.
+This chart-only successor requires its own exact source/chart pin and reviewed
+runtime scope; it can explicitly select the unchanged verified 84 image without
+rebuilding it or claiming that its revision label names the new chart commit.
+These chart/test/workplan-only paths do not trigger the existing image workflow.
+Frozen rollout R1, Platform P2 and the package extraction2b/current05a remain
+unchanged. T06 stays `progress`; actual stopped-fence verification and all native
+admission gates remain open under the same existing task.