diff --git a/scripts/renew-runtime-lease.sh b/scripts/renew-runtime-lease.sh
index 67fb69d..559e068 100755
--- a/scripts/renew-runtime-lease.sh
+++ b/scripts/renew-runtime-lease.sh
@@ -1,23 +1,127 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env bash
-# Attended remint of the ESO orphan token, then force-sync the runtime lease.
-# Never prints secret values. Run inside:
+# Contained remint of the ESO orphan token, then force-sync the runtime lease.
+#
+# Must be silent: `warden access --exec` fails closed on any child stdout/stderr
+# even when the command succeeds. Persist metadata only. Never print a token.
+#
 #   warden access openbao-platform-admin-login --exec -- \
 #     env RAILIANCE01_KUBECONFIG="$HOME/.kube/config-railiance01" \
-#     "$PWD/scripts/renew-runtime-lease.sh"
+#         BAO_ADDR="${BAO_ADDR:-https://bao.coulomb.social}" \
+#     /home/worsch/audit-core/scripts/renew-runtime-lease.sh
 set -euo pipefail
 
 ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")/.." && pwd)"
-export RAILIANCE01_KUBECONFIG="${RAILIANCE01_KUBECONFIG:-$HOME/.kube/config-railiance01}"
+export RAILIANCE01_KUBECONFIG="${RAILIANCE01_KUBECONFIG:-/home/worsch/.kube/config-railiance01}"
 export KUBECONFIG="$RAILIANCE01_KUBECONFIG"
 export BAO_ADDR="${BAO_ADDR:-https://bao.coulomb.social}"
+# Contained login persists the session in $HOME/.vault-token and unsets
+# BAO_TOKEN/VAULT_TOKEN. Do not prompt; do not re-export a token.
+unset BAO_TOKEN VAULT_TOKEN OPENBAO_TOKEN || true
 
-"$ROOT/scripts/openbao-eso-token-apply.sh"
+SECRET_NAME="${OPENBAO_AUDIT_CORE_ESO_SECRET:-openbao-audit-core-eso-token}"
+SECRET_NS="${OPENBAO_AUDIT_CORE_ESO_NAMESPACE:-external-secrets}"
+POLICY="${OPENBAO_AUDIT_CORE_POLICIES:-external-secrets-audit-core}"
+TTL="${OPENBAO_AUDIT_CORE_ESO_TTL:-768h}"
+EVIDENCE="$ROOT/docs/evidence/$(date -u +%Y-%m-%d)-eso-token-remint.json"
+WORKDIR="${HOME:-/tmp}/audit-core-remint"
+mkdir -p "$WORKDIR"
+chmod 700 "$WORKDIR" 2>/dev/null || true
 
-# One read of database/creds/audit-core-runtime = one new lease. Annotate
-# only the runtime ExternalSecret; migrate/senders follow on their own
-# refresh once the store is Ready.
-kubectl -n audit-core annotate externalsecret audit-core-database \
-  force-sync="$(date -u +%s)" --overwrite
+_write_evidence() {
+  python3 - "$EVIDENCE" "$@" <<'PY' >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+import json, sys
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+from pathlib import Path
+path, step = Path(sys.argv[1]), sys.argv[2]
+extra = sys.argv[3] if len(sys.argv) > 3 else "{}"
+try:
+    payload = json.loads(extra)
+except Exception:
+    payload = {}
+doc = {
+    "step": step,
+    "observed_at": datetime.now(timezone.utc).replace(microsecond=0).isoformat(),
+    "secret": "external-secrets/openbao-audit-core-eso-token",
+    "lease_path": "database/creds/audit-core-runtime",
+}
+doc.update(payload)
+path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+path.write_text(json.dumps(doc, indent=2) + "\n")
+PY
+}
 
-echo "ESO token reminted and audit-core-database force-sync requested."
-echo "Wait for ExternalSecret Ready=True; do not restart the receiver."
+_write_evidence started '{"kubeconfig_set": true}'
+
+if ! command -v bao >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  _write_evidence failed '{"reason": "bao_missing"}'
+  exit 1
+fi
+if ! command -v kubectl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  _write_evidence failed '{"reason": "kubectl_missing"}'
+  exit 1
+fi
+if [[ ! -f "$RAILIANCE01_KUBECONFIG" ]]; then
+  _write_evidence failed '{"reason": "kubeconfig_missing"}'
+  exit 1
+fi
+if ! kubectl get ns audit-core >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  _write_evidence failed '{"reason": "not_railiance01"}'
+  exit 1
+fi
+if kubectl get ns core-hub-staging >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  _write_evidence failed '{"reason": "coulombcore_kubeconfig"}'
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+health="$(curl -fsS "$BAO_ADDR/v1/sys/health" 2>/dev/null || true)"
+if printf '%s' "$health" | grep -q '"sealed":true'; then
+  _write_evidence failed '{"reason": "openbao_sealed"}'
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+token_json_file="$WORKDIR/token-create.json"
+rm -f "$token_json_file"
+if ! bao token create -policy="$POLICY" -ttl="$TTL" -renewable=true -orphan -format=json \
+     >"$token_json_file" 2>/dev/null; then
+  _write_evidence failed '{"reason": "token_create_failed"}'
+  rm -f "$token_json_file"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+child_file="$WORKDIR/eso.token"
+python3 - "$token_json_file" "$child_file" <<'PY' >/dev/null 2>&1
+import json, sys
+from pathlib import Path
+raw = json.loads(Path(sys.argv[1]).read_text())
+token = (raw.get("auth") or {}).get("client_token") or ""
+if len(token) < 8:
+    raise SystemExit(1)
+Path(sys.argv[2]).write_text(token)
+Path(sys.argv[2]).chmod(0o600)
+PY
+create_status=$?
+rm -f "$token_json_file"
+if [[ $create_status -ne 0 || ! -s "$child_file" ]]; then
+  _write_evidence failed '{"reason": "token_parse_failed"}'
+  rm -f "$child_file"
+  exit 1
+fi
+_write_evidence token_created '{"ttl": "768h", "orphan": true, "renewable": true}'
+
+kubectl -n "$SECRET_NS" delete secret "$SECRET_NAME" --ignore-not-found >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+if ! kubectl -n "$SECRET_NS" create secret generic "$SECRET_NAME" \
+      --from-file=token="$child_file" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  _write_evidence failed '{"reason": "secret_create_failed"}'
+  rm -f "$child_file"
+  exit 1
+fi
+rm -f "$child_file"
+_write_evidence secret_replaced '{"namespace": "external-secrets"}'
+
+if ! kubectl -n audit-core annotate externalsecret audit-core-database \
+      force-sync="$(date -u +%s)" --overwrite >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  _write_evidence failed '{"reason": "annotate_failed"}'
+  exit 1
+fi
+_write_evidence annotated '{"externalsecret": "audit-core/audit-core-database"}'
+exit 0