diff --git a/config/coordination-frame.json b/config/coordination-frame.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4ecbeea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/coordination-frame.json
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+{
+  "schema_version": "coordination-frame/v1",
+  "frame_seconds": 3600
+}
diff --git a/docs/coordination-frame.md b/docs/coordination-frame.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..350b911
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/coordination-frame.md
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+# Ecosystem coordination frame
+
+Founder decision in the NK-WP-0035 sitting, 2026-10-15: use a configurable base
+frame for long-term ecosystem coordination, initially **f = 1 hour**, replacing
+the daily pace. Authoritative configuration: `config/coordination-frame.json`.
+`frame_seconds` is the one operator setting. `coordination_engine.timing`
+validates it and derives durations and timezone-bound deadlines in frames.
+
+```sh
+PYTHONPATH=src python3 -m coordination_engine.timing --config config/coordination-frame.json
+```
+
+Coordination wait stages are expressed as 2f and 3f. Owners adopt the frame
+explicitly and retain the configuration digest in generated artifacts. The
+first adoption is NK-WP-0035: source heartbeat f, receiver registration 2f,
+then Audit Core's existing 1.5 grace gives an effective deadline of 3f.
+At the current setting those durations are 1h, 2h and 3h. Changing f to 24h
+reproduces the former 24h/48h/72h cadence without changing the multipliers.
+
+NetKingdom's `tools/coordination-frame/render.py` checks or regenerates the
+first source/runtime bindings. Generated consumer values are compiled copies
+of this configuration, with provenance; they are not independent knobs.
+Runtime owners review and deploy those artifacts through their normal change
+paths. A configuration edit or a local deadline calculation does not enable
+workers, apply a deployment, change a credential lifetime, or establish that
+any other ecosystem timer has adopted this frame. New owners must name their
+multipliers and verify adoption rather than silently scaling every timeout.
+
+Worker transport polling, leases, retry backoff, credential TTLs and approval
+validity are separate owner contracts. This parameter paces coordination and
+cadence; it grants no authority and does not extend security validity.
diff --git a/src/coordination_engine/timing.py b/src/coordination_engine/timing.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e02f758
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/coordination_engine/timing.py
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+"""Owner-defined coordination frame; no worker, credential or policy side effects."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import hashlib
+import json
+from dataclasses import dataclass
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+def _unique(pairs):
+    result = {}
+    for key, value in pairs:
+        if key in result:
+            raise ValueError("duplicate coordination frame key")
+        result[key] = value
+    return result
+
+
+@dataclass(frozen=True)
+class CoordinationFrame:
+    frame_seconds: int
+
+    def __post_init__(self):
+        if type(self.frame_seconds) is not int or self.frame_seconds <= 0:
+            raise ValueError("frame_seconds must be a positive integer")
+        self.duration(3)
+
+    def seconds(self, frames: int) -> int:
+        if type(frames) is not int or frames <= 0:
+            raise ValueError("frames must be a positive integer")
+        return self.frame_seconds * frames
+
+    def duration(self, frames: int) -> timedelta:
+        try:
+            return timedelta(seconds=self.seconds(frames))
+        except OverflowError as exc:
+            raise ValueError("coordination frame exceeds datetime range") from exc
+
+    def deadline(self, anchor: datetime, frames: int) -> datetime:
+        if anchor.tzinfo is None or anchor.utcoffset() is None:
+            raise ValueError("deadline anchor must include a timezone")
+        return anchor + self.duration(frames)
+
+    def as_dict(self):
+        return {
+            "frame_seconds": self.frame_seconds,
+            "2f_seconds": self.seconds(2),
+            "3f_seconds": self.seconds(3),
+        }
+
+
+def load_frame(path: Path) -> CoordinationFrame:
+    document = json.loads(path.read_text(), object_pairs_hook=_unique)
+    if not isinstance(document, dict) or set(document) != {"schema_version", "frame_seconds"}:
+        raise ValueError("coordination frame requires only schema_version and frame_seconds")
+    if document["schema_version"] != "coordination-frame/v1":
+        raise ValueError("unsupported coordination frame schema")
+    return CoordinationFrame(document["frame_seconds"])
+
+
+def main(argv=None):
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
+    parser.add_argument("--config", type=Path, required=True)
+    args = parser.parse_args(argv)
+    try:
+        frame = load_frame(args.config)
+        payload = frame.as_dict()
+        payload["config_sha256"] = hashlib.sha256(args.config.read_bytes()).hexdigest()
+    except (OSError, ValueError) as exc:
+        parser.error(str(exc))
+    print(json.dumps(payload, indent=2, sort_keys=True))
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    raise SystemExit(main())
diff --git a/tests/test_timing.py b/tests/test_timing.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7ec2be7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_timing.py
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+import json
+from datetime import datetime, timezone
+
+import pytest
+from coordination_engine.timing import CoordinationFrame, load_frame
+
+
+def test_one_hour_frame_sets_two_and_three_hour_deadlines():
+    frame = CoordinationFrame(3600)
+    anchor = datetime(2026, 10, 15, 12, tzinfo=timezone.utc)
+    assert frame.deadline(anchor, 2).hour == 14
+    assert frame.deadline(anchor, 3).hour == 15
+
+
+def test_frame_change_rescales_all_multiples():
+    assert CoordinationFrame(86400).as_dict() == {
+        "frame_seconds": 86400,
+        "2f_seconds": 172800,
+        "3f_seconds": 259200,
+    }
+    assert CoordinationFrame(600).as_dict() == {
+        "frame_seconds": 600,
+        "2f_seconds": 1200,
+        "3f_seconds": 1800,
+    }
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("value", [0, -1, True, 1.5, "3600", None])
+def test_invalid_base_frame_is_refused(value):
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        CoordinationFrame(value)
+
+
+def test_naive_deadline_anchor_is_refused():
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="timezone"):
+        CoordinationFrame(3600).deadline(datetime(2026, 10, 15), 2)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "raw",
+    [
+        '{"schema_version":"coordination-frame/v1","frame_seconds":3600,"frame_seconds":24}',
+        '{"schema_version":"other","frame_seconds":3600}',
+        '{"schema_version":"coordination-frame/v1","frame_seconds":3600,"ttl":5}',
+        "[]",
+        "{}",
+    ],
+)
+def test_invalid_configuration_is_refused_without_fallback(tmp_path, raw):
+    path = tmp_path / "frame.json"
+    path.write_text(raw)
+    with pytest.raises(ValueError):
+        load_frame(path)
+
+
+def test_explicit_config_is_read_without_wall_clock_or_environment_defaults(tmp_path):
+    path = tmp_path / "frame.json"
+    path.write_text(json.dumps({"schema_version": "coordination-frame/v1", "frame_seconds": 3600}))
+    assert load_frame(path).seconds(2) == 7200