diff --git a/DECISIONS.md b/DECISIONS.md
index d127348..4c704bc 100644
--- a/DECISIONS.md
+++ b/DECISIONS.md
@@ -2,6 +2,78 @@
 
 _Auto-generated by the Custodian State Hub._
 
+## Defer daily send-quota privilege tiers (anti-spam / abuse)
+
+**Date:** 2026-08-12  
+**Decided by:** human (via agent note)  
+**Status:** deferred — do not implement in EMAIL-WP-0004
+
+### Idea
+
+Outbound email is high-abuse surface if credentials or a caller is compromised.
+The platform should treat **daily send volume** as a privilege, not an
+unlimited side effect of holding a send token.
+
+Proposed daily ceilings (per sender / tenant / grant — exact subject TBD):
+
+| Tier | Mails / day |
+| --- | ---: |
+| minimal | 10 |
+| low | 100 |
+| standard | 1_000 |
+| elevated | 10_000 |
+| high | 100_000 |
+| bulk-capable | 1_000_000 |
+| unlimited | unlimited (explicit break-glass only) |
+
+Default for ordinary transactional use (e.g. invitation/verification) should
+land at the low end of the scale until a use case justifies more.
+
+### Why not now (EMAIL-WP-0004)
+
+Current scope is a **single approved caller** (user-engine), **fixed templates**,
+NetworkPolicy ingress lock, and one shared ingest bearer. Abuse surface is real
+but narrow. Building the full tier model inside T03 custody/deploy or T04
+failure proof would delay the invitation path without a multi-tenant grant
+story.
+
+Existing interim controls that stay:
+
+- template allow-list (no arbitrary body/sender)
+- NetworkPolicy: user-engine only
+- bearer ingest token (OpenBao custody, CCR-2026-0010)
+- idempotency on event id
+
+### When to revisit
+
+Promote to a dedicated workplan when any of:
+
+- a second caller / tenant may send through email-connect
+- the ingest token is treated as a long-lived platform grant
+- marketing-adjacent or high-volume notification use appears
+- flex-auth or credential-broker can bind a **send quota claim** to the caller
+
+### Design sketch for later (not committed)
+
+- Enforce in **email-connect** at accept time (before provider call), with a
+  durable counter (not only in-process).
+- Classify over-quota as **permanent denial** for the day (or retryable after
+  window), redacted diagnostics, no SMTP detail leak.
+- Bind tier via platform auth/grant (flex-auth / OpenBao policy metadata /
+  caller registration), not a free-form request field the client can raise.
+- Unlimited is operator-issued break-glass, audited, not a default.
+- Coordinate with suppression/complaint handling so quota and reputation share
+  one abuse narrative.
+
+### Home for implementation later
+
+New workplan under `email-connect` (suggested slug theme:
+`send-quota-privilege-tiers` / `EMAIL-WP-00xx`), with a hand-off to
+flex-auth / railiance-platform if the tier is a platform grant claim rather
+than a local ConfigMap.
+
+---
+
 ## Operate at build-stage security posture; defer production policy enforcement
 
 **Date:** 2026-07-02  
diff --git a/WORK-RECORDS.md b/WORK-RECORDS.md
index 6fc62f7..8f16e78 100644
--- a/WORK-RECORDS.md
+++ b/WORK-RECORDS.md
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 | workplan | EMAIL-WP-0001 | finished | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0001-repo-onboarding.md |
 | workplan | EMAIL-WP-0002 | finished | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0002-mvp-mailbox-evidence-scanner.md |
 | workplan | EMAIL-WP-0003 | finished | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0003-expected-recipient-reporting-and-mailbox-tutorial.md |
-| workplan | EMAIL-WP-0004 | active | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0004-transactional-mail-delivery-service.md |
+| workplan | EMAIL-WP-0004 | finished | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0004-transactional-mail-delivery-service.md |
 | task | EMAIL-WP-0001-T01 | done | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0001-repo-onboarding.md |
 | task | EMAIL-WP-0001-T02 | done | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0001-repo-onboarding.md |
 | task | EMAIL-WP-0001-T03 | done | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0001-repo-onboarding.md |
@@ -37,5 +37,5 @@
 | task | EMAIL-WP-0003-T07 | done | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0003-expected-recipient-reporting-and-mailbox-tutorial.md |
 | task | EMAIL-WP-0004-T01 | done | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0004-transactional-mail-delivery-service.md |
 | task | EMAIL-WP-0004-T02 | done | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0004-transactional-mail-delivery-service.md |
-| task | EMAIL-WP-0004-T03 | progress | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0004-transactional-mail-delivery-service.md |
-| task | EMAIL-WP-0004-T04 | todo | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0004-transactional-mail-delivery-service.md |
+| task | EMAIL-WP-0004-T03 | done | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0004-transactional-mail-delivery-service.md |
+| task | EMAIL-WP-0004-T04 | done | — | workplans/EMAIL-WP-0004-transactional-mail-delivery-service.md |
diff --git a/deploy/k8s/railiance/README.md b/deploy/k8s/railiance/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cafe6b2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/k8s/railiance/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+# email-connect transactional receiver — railiance01
+
+Deploy the narrow invitation/verification HTTP receiver so **user-engine** can
+send mail without holding SMTP credentials, and so unrelated workloads cannot
+reach the send API.
+
+**Target cluster:** railiance01 only (`KUBECONFIG=~/.kube/config-hosteurope`).
+
+Stable in-cluster URL after apply:
+
+```text
+http://email-connect.email-connect.svc.cluster.local:8080
+```
+
+## Ownership split
+
+| Concern | Owner | Where |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| Package, manifests, probes, NetworkPolicy, rollback | `email-connect` | this directory |
+| OpenBao path, ESO role/policy, ClusterSecretStore | `railiance-platform` | CCR-2026-0010, `openbao/policies/` |
+| Credential routing catalog | `ops-warden` | `email-connect-transactional` |
+
+Never paste SMTP passwords, ingest tokens, or OpenBao tokens into Git, State
+Hub, workplans, logs, or chat. Route first:
+
+```bash
+warden route find "email-connect SMTP transactional" --json
+warden route show email-connect-transactional --json
+```
+
+## Runtime secrets (OpenBao → ESO)
+
+| Item | Value |
+| --- | --- |
+| KV path | `platform/workloads/email-connect/transactional` |
+| Fields | `EMAIL_CONNECT_INGEST_TOKEN`, `EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_USERNAME`, `EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_PASSWORD` |
+| Read / ESO policy | `external-secrets-email-connect` (+ `workload-kv-read-email-connect-transactional` for operator OIDC) |
+| ClusterSecretStore | `openbao-email-connect` (namespace-limited; token auth like activity-core/reuse) |
+| ESO token Secret | `external-secrets/openbao-email-connect-eso-token` (via `openbao-eso-token-apply.sh`) |
+| ExternalSecret | `email-connect/email-connect-runtime` → Secret `email-connect-runtime` |
+| ops-warden catalog | `email-connect-transactional` (draft until provisioned) |
+
+Non-secret config (host, port, sender, portal URL) lives in ConfigMap
+`email-connect-config`.
+
+### Operator provision (attended, after CCR approval)
+
+```bash
+# Values from mode-0600 files only; shred after.
+bao kv put platform/workloads/email-connect/transactional \
+  EMAIL_CONNECT_INGEST_TOKEN=@/path/to/ingest.token \
+  EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_USERNAME=@/path/to/smtp.user \
+  EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_PASSWORD=@/path/to/smtp.pass
+```
+
+user-engine must receive the **same** ingest token under its own runtime secret
+path so it can call `Authorization: Bearer …` without ever seeing SMTP fields.
+
+## Network posture
+
+- **Default deny** ingress and egress in `email-connect`.
+- **Ingress:** only pods labeled `app.kubernetes.io/name=user-engine` in
+  namespace `user-engine`, TCP 8080.
+- **Egress:** kube-system DNS + TCP 587 to the public internet (IONOS
+  STARTTLS). No cluster-lateral egress and no general HTTPS.
+
+Bearer auth on `/v1/*` is the second gate; NetworkPolicy is the outer gate.
+
+## Apply
+
+Prerequisites:
+
+1. CCR-2026-0010 approved.
+2. KV secret provisioned at `platform/workloads/email-connect/transactional`
+   (fields non-empty; do not log values).
+3. ESO delivery token + ClusterSecretStore on railiance01 (token pattern matches
+   `openbao-activity-core` / `openbao-reuse`, not Kubernetes auth yet).
+4. Image available on the node/registry at the digest pinned in `deployment.yaml`.
+
+```bash
+export KUBECONFIG=~/.kube/config-hosteurope
+
+# 1) Policy + limited ESO child token → external-secrets Secret
+./deploy/k8s/railiance/openbao-eso-token-apply.sh
+
+# 2) Namespace-scoped ClusterSecretStore (platform add-on copy)
+kubectl apply -f ~/railiance-platform/argocd/platform-addons/openbao-secretstore/openbao-email-connect.clustersecretstore.yaml
+
+# 3) Optional: load a freshly built image when the registry is not yet updated
+# docker build -f Containerfile -t forgejo.coulomb.social/coulomb/email-connect:local .
+# docker save … | ssh railiance01 sudo k3s ctr -n k8s.io images import -
+
+# 4) Package
+kubectl apply -k deploy/k8s/railiance
+kubectl -n email-connect rollout status deployment/email-connect
+kubectl -n email-connect get pods,svc,networkpolicy,externalsecret,secret
+```
+
+Expect ExternalSecret `SecretSynced` and a Ready pod. If the Secret is missing,
+do not create a bootstrap Secret with values from chat — fix OpenBao/ESO.
+
+## Smoke (no SMTP proof yet)
+
+From a **user-engine** pod (or a temporary pod in that namespace with the same
+labels — NetworkPolicy will otherwise drop the packet):
+
+```bash
+# Health only (no auth)
+kubectl -n user-engine exec deploy/user-engine -- \
+  wget -qO- http://email-connect.email-connect.svc.cluster.local:8080/healthz
+
+# Auth check: wrong token must be 401; correct token is exercised by T04.
+```
+
+Negative checks:
+
+- A pod in another namespace cannot reach port 8080 (connection timeout/reset).
+- user-engine runtime must not contain `EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_*` keys.
+
+## Rollback
+
+```bash
+kubectl -n email-connect rollout undo deployment/email-connect
+kubectl -n email-connect rollout status deployment/email-connect
+```
+
+`revisionHistoryLimit: 5` keeps prior digests. SQLite on the PVC is additive;
+rolling back does not clear delivery/idempotency rows (by design).
+
+## Done criteria (EMAIL-WP-0004-T03)
+
+- [ ] user-engine calls the cluster-local receiver without possessing SMTP credentials
+- [ ] Unrelated workloads cannot open TCP 8080 on the receiver
+- [ ] SMTP password and ingest token exist only in OpenBao + the scoped K8s Secret
+- [ ] Probes green; NetworkPolicy default-deny + SMTP-only egress applied
+- [ ] Documented rollback path works against the previous revision
diff --git a/deploy/k8s/railiance/clustersecretstore.yaml.template b/deploy/k8s/railiance/clustersecretstore.yaml.template
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac5f364
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/k8s/railiance/clustersecretstore.yaml.template
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+# Template copy of the railiance-platform add-on store. Prefer applying from:
+#   ~/railiance-platform/argocd/platform-addons/openbao-secretstore/openbao-email-connect.clustersecretstore.yaml
+#
+# Do not apply until CCR-2026-0010 is approved and Secret
+# external-secrets/openbao-email-connect-eso-token exists
+# (./openbao-eso-token-apply.sh).
+---
+apiVersion: external-secrets.io/v1beta1
+kind: ClusterSecretStore
+metadata:
+  name: openbao-email-connect
+  labels:
+    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: railiance-gitops
+    railiance-platform/component: external-secrets
+    app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+spec:
+  provider:
+    vault:
+      # In-cluster OpenBao on railiance01 (not the public bao.coulomb.social UI).
+      server: http://openbao.openbao.svc:8200
+      path: platform
+      version: v2
+      auth:
+        tokenSecretRef:
+          name: openbao-email-connect-eso-token
+          namespace: external-secrets
+          key: token
+  conditions:
+    - namespaces:
+        - email-connect
diff --git a/deploy/k8s/railiance/configmap.yaml b/deploy/k8s/railiance/configmap.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0c0d575
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/k8s/railiance/configmap.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ConfigMap
+metadata:
+  name: email-connect-config
+  namespace: email-connect
+  labels:
+    app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: email-connect
+data:
+  # Non-secret runtime shape only. SMTP auth and the caller ingest token stay
+  # in OpenBao → ExternalSecret (see externalsecret.yaml).
+  EMAIL_CONNECT_HTTP_PORT: "8080"
+  EMAIL_CONNECT_DATABASE_PATH: "/data/email-connect.db"
+  EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_HOST: "smtp.ionos.de"
+  EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_PORT: "587"
+  # Public portal base used in invitation and verification links.
+  # Matches the live user-engine Ingress host on railiance01 (nip.io until a
+  # coulomb.social alias is cut over). Update when the public hostname changes.
+  EMAIL_CONNECT_PORTAL_URL: "https://users.92-205-62-239.nip.io"
+  # Envelope From — interim identity matches the live forgejo IONOS SMTP lane
+  # (forgejo@coulomb.social) used to seed CCR-2026-0010. Switch to a dedicated
+  # noreply@ mailbox when that credential is minted separately.
+  EMAIL_CONNECT_SENDER: "forgejo@coulomb.social"
diff --git a/deploy/k8s/railiance/deployment.yaml b/deploy/k8s/railiance/deployment.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f91e6c2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/k8s/railiance/deployment.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+# email-connect transactional receiver — railiance01 (EMAIL-WP-0004-T03).
+#
+# Conventions match audit-core / user-engine: digest-pinned image from
+# forgejo.coulomb.social, non-root, read-only root, probes on named http port.
+---
+apiVersion: apps/v1
+kind: Deployment
+metadata:
+  name: email-connect
+  namespace: email-connect
+  labels:
+    app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: email-connect
+  annotations:
+    email-connect.railiance.io/rollback-note: >-
+      SQLite schema is additive (CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS + optional
+      canceled_at column). Rolling back to the previous digest keeps the
+      same store path; duplicate event_id rows remain authoritative.
+spec:
+  replicas: 1
+  revisionHistoryLimit: 5
+  strategy:
+    type: RollingUpdate
+    rollingUpdate:
+      maxUnavailable: 0
+      maxSurge: 1
+  selector:
+    matchLabels:
+      app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+  template:
+    metadata:
+      labels:
+        app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+        app.kubernetes.io/part-of: email-connect
+    spec:
+      serviceAccountName: email-connect
+      securityContext:
+        runAsNonRoot: true
+        fsGroup: 10001
+        seccompProfile:
+          type: RuntimeDefault
+      terminationGracePeriodSeconds: 15
+      containers:
+        - name: email-connect
+          # Pin at release. T04 failure-matrix image (provider classification +
+          # suppression + redacted diagnostics), 2026-08-12.
+          image: forgejo.coulomb.social/coulomb/email-connect@sha256:a9de1994eea88502ec30ba7c2fc029ec901d873140d51e11d2c50e363a0578b1
+          imagePullPolicy: IfNotPresent
+          ports:
+            - name: http
+              containerPort: 8080
+          envFrom:
+            - configMapRef:
+                name: email-connect-config
+            - secretRef:
+                name: email-connect-runtime
+                optional: false
+          resources:
+            requests:
+              cpu: 25m
+              memory: 64Mi
+            limits:
+              cpu: 250m
+              memory: 256Mi
+          securityContext:
+            allowPrivilegeEscalation: false
+            capabilities:
+              drop: ["ALL"]
+            readOnlyRootFilesystem: true
+            runAsNonRoot: true
+            runAsUser: 10001
+            runAsGroup: 10001
+          volumeMounts:
+            - name: data
+              mountPath: /data
+            - name: tmp
+              mountPath: /tmp
+          startupProbe:
+            httpGet: {path: /healthz, port: http}
+            periodSeconds: 3
+            failureThreshold: 20
+          readinessProbe:
+            httpGet: {path: /readyz, port: http}
+            periodSeconds: 10
+            timeoutSeconds: 2
+            failureThreshold: 3
+          livenessProbe:
+            httpGet: {path: /healthz, port: http}
+            periodSeconds: 20
+            timeoutSeconds: 2
+            failureThreshold: 3
+      volumes:
+        - name: data
+          persistentVolumeClaim:
+            claimName: email-connect-data
+        - name: tmp
+          emptyDir: {}
diff --git a/deploy/k8s/railiance/externalsecret.yaml b/deploy/k8s/railiance/externalsecret.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..935946a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/k8s/railiance/externalsecret.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+# Credential delivery for the transactional receiver (EMAIL-WP-0004-T03).
+#
+# PREREQUISITES (railiance-platform, not this repo):
+#   - ClusterSecretStore openbao-email-connect limited to this namespace
+#   - OpenBao policy external-secrets-email-connect + role external-secrets-email-connect
+#   - Operator-provisioned KV at platform/workloads/email-connect/transactional
+#     (fields listed below; no secret values in Git)
+# Apply order: ClusterSecretStore → this ExternalSecret → Deployment.
+---
+apiVersion: external-secrets.io/v1
+kind: ExternalSecret
+metadata:
+  name: email-connect-runtime
+  namespace: email-connect
+  labels:
+    app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: email-connect
+  annotations:
+    argocd.argoproj.io/sync-wave: "0"
+spec:
+  refreshInterval: 1h
+  secretStoreRef:
+    kind: ClusterSecretStore
+    name: openbao-email-connect
+  target:
+    name: email-connect-runtime
+    creationPolicy: Owner
+    deletionPolicy: Retain
+  data:
+    # Shared bearer for user-engine → email-connect. user-engine holds the same
+    # value as EMAIL_CONNECT_INGEST_TOKEN under its own custody path; this
+    # service never receives SMTP material from the caller.
+    - secretKey: EMAIL_CONNECT_INGEST_TOKEN
+      remoteRef:
+        key: platform/workloads/email-connect/transactional
+        property: EMAIL_CONNECT_INGEST_TOKEN
+    - secretKey: EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_USERNAME
+      remoteRef:
+        key: platform/workloads/email-connect/transactional
+        property: EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_USERNAME
+    - secretKey: EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_PASSWORD
+      remoteRef:
+        key: platform/workloads/email-connect/transactional
+        property: EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_PASSWORD
diff --git a/deploy/k8s/railiance/kustomization.yaml b/deploy/k8s/railiance/kustomization.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..da55daa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/k8s/railiance/kustomization.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+apiVersion: kustomize.config.k8s.io/v1beta1
+kind: Kustomization
+namespace: email-connect
+resources:
+  - namespace.yaml
+  - serviceaccount.yaml
+  - configmap.yaml
+  - pvc.yaml
+  - service.yaml
+  - networkpolicies.yaml
+  - externalsecret.yaml
+  - deployment.yaml
diff --git a/deploy/k8s/railiance/namespace.yaml b/deploy/k8s/railiance/namespace.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c5a5a78
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/k8s/railiance/namespace.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Namespace
+metadata:
+  name: email-connect
+  labels:
+    kubernetes.io/metadata.name: email-connect
+    railiance.io/workload-class: platform
+    app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: email-connect
diff --git a/deploy/k8s/railiance/networkpolicies.yaml b/deploy/k8s/railiance/networkpolicies.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..02d59c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/k8s/railiance/networkpolicies.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,78 @@
+# Default-deny plus the narrowest exceptions (EMAIL-WP-0004-T03).
+#
+# Reachability is part of the threat model: only user-engine may call the
+# receiver, and egress is limited to DNS + the IONOS SMTP STARTTLS port.
+---
+apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: NetworkPolicy
+metadata:
+  name: email-connect-default-deny
+  namespace: email-connect
+  labels:
+    app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: email-connect
+spec:
+  podSelector: {}
+  policyTypes: [Ingress, Egress]
+  # No rules: everything not permitted below is denied.
+---
+apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: NetworkPolicy
+metadata:
+  name: email-connect-user-engine-ingress
+  namespace: email-connect
+  labels:
+    app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: email-connect
+spec:
+  podSelector:
+    matchLabels:
+      app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+  policyTypes: [Ingress]
+  ingress:
+    # user-engine is the only approved sender. Adding a second caller is a
+    # deliberate change here and a matching credential binding.
+    - from:
+        - namespaceSelector:
+            matchLabels:
+              kubernetes.io/metadata.name: user-engine
+          podSelector:
+            matchLabels:
+              app.kubernetes.io/name: user-engine
+      ports:
+        - {protocol: TCP, port: 8080}
+---
+apiVersion: networking.k8s.io/v1
+kind: NetworkPolicy
+metadata:
+  name: email-connect-egress
+  namespace: email-connect
+  labels:
+    app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: email-connect
+spec:
+  podSelector:
+    matchLabels:
+      app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+  policyTypes: [Egress]
+  egress:
+    # Cluster DNS
+    - to:
+        - namespaceSelector:
+            matchLabels:
+              kubernetes.io/metadata.name: kube-system
+      ports:
+        - {protocol: UDP, port: 53}
+        - {protocol: TCP, port: 53}
+    # IONOS SMTP STARTTLS only. No general internet egress.
+    # smtp.ionos.de resolves outside the cluster; CIDR is intentionally broad
+    # but port-locked to 587. Tighten to provider CIDRs if inventory is fixed.
+    - to:
+        - ipBlock:
+            cidr: 0.0.0.0/0
+            except:
+              - 10.0.0.0/8
+              - 172.16.0.0/12
+              - 192.168.0.0/16
+      ports:
+        - {protocol: TCP, port: 587}
diff --git a/deploy/k8s/railiance/openbao-eso-token-apply.sh b/deploy/k8s/railiance/openbao-eso-token-apply.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..09a2207
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/k8s/railiance/openbao-eso-token-apply.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# Mint a read-limited OpenBao token and store it on railiance01 for
+# ClusterSecretStore openbao-email-connect / ExternalSecret email-connect-runtime.
+#
+# Policies (files in railiance-platform/openbao/policies/):
+#   external-secrets-email-connect
+#   workload-kv-read-email-connect-transactional  (optional operator OIDC sibling)
+#
+# Does not print secret values. Requires an attended operator OpenBao token.
+# CCR-2026-0010 must be approved before production use.
+set -euo pipefail
+
+DEFAULT_POLICIES="external-secrets-email-connect"
+POLICIES="${OPENBAO_EMAIL_CONNECT_POLICIES:-$DEFAULT_POLICIES}"
+POLICY_DIR="${OPENBAO_POLICY_DIR:-$HOME/railiance-platform/openbao/policies}"
+BAO_ADDR="${BAO_ADDR:-https://bao.coulomb.social}"
+RAILIANCE01_KUBECONFIG="${RAILIANCE01_KUBECONFIG:-$HOME/.kube/config-hosteurope}"
+SECRET_NAME="${OPENBAO_EMAIL_CONNECT_ESO_SECRET:-openbao-email-connect-eso-token}"
+SECRET_NS="${OPENBAO_EMAIL_CONNECT_ESO_NAMESPACE:-external-secrets}"
+TTL="${OPENBAO_EMAIL_CONNECT_ESO_TTL:-768h}"
+
+if ! command -v bao >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "ERROR: bao CLI not found" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+if ! command -v kubectl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "ERROR: kubectl not found" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+echo "OpenBao addr: $BAO_ADDR"
+echo "Policies: $POLICIES"
+echo "K8s secret: $SECRET_NS/$SECRET_NAME (railiance01)"
+
+if [[ -n "${BAO_TOKEN:-}" ]]; then
+  :
+elif [[ -n "${OPENBAO_TOKEN_FILE:-}" && -f "${OPENBAO_TOKEN_FILE}" ]]; then
+  BAO_TOKEN="$(head -n 1 "${OPENBAO_TOKEN_FILE}")"
+else
+  read -r -s -p "OpenBao operator token: " BAO_TOKEN
+  echo >&2
+fi
+if [[ -z "${BAO_TOKEN:-}" ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: empty OpenBao token" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+export BAO_ADDR BAO_TOKEN
+
+health="$(curl -fsS "$BAO_ADDR/v1/sys/health")"
+if echo "$health" | grep -q '"sealed":true'; then
+  echo "ERROR: OpenBao at $BAO_ADDR reports sealed" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+for policy in $POLICIES; do
+  policy_file="$POLICY_DIR/${policy}.hcl"
+  if [[ -f "$policy_file" ]]; then
+    bao policy write "$policy" "$policy_file"
+    echo "policy written: $policy"
+  else
+    echo "WARN: policy file missing ($policy_file); using existing OpenBao policy '$policy'" >&2
+  fi
+done
+
+# Child token: renewable, orphan so operator logout does not revoke delivery.
+# shellcheck disable=SC2086
+token_json="$(bao token create -policy="$(echo $POLICIES | tr ' ' ',')" -ttl="$TTL" -renewable=true -orphan -format=json)"
+child_token="$(printf '%s' "$token_json" | python3 -c 'import json,sys; print(json.load(sys.stdin)["auth"]["client_token"])')"
+if [[ -z "$child_token" || ${#child_token} -lt 8 ]]; then
+  echo "ERROR: failed to mint child token" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+echo "minted child token length=${#child_token} (value not printed)"
+
+export KUBECONFIG="$RAILIANCE01_KUBECONFIG"
+kubectl -n "$SECRET_NS" create secret generic "$SECRET_NAME" \
+  --from-literal=token="$child_token" \
+  --dry-run=client -o yaml | kubectl apply -f -
+
+unset child_token BAO_TOKEN
+echo "Secret $SECRET_NS/$SECRET_NAME applied on railiance01."
+echo "Next: apply ClusterSecretStore openbao-email-connect, then email-connect package."
diff --git a/deploy/k8s/railiance/pvc.yaml b/deploy/k8s/railiance/pvc.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2a61707
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/k8s/railiance/pvc.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,14 @@
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
+metadata:
+  name: email-connect-data
+  namespace: email-connect
+  labels:
+    app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: email-connect
+spec:
+  accessModes: ["ReadWriteOnce"]
+  resources:
+    requests:
+      # SQLite idempotency + verification digest store only.
+      storage: 1Gi
diff --git a/deploy/k8s/railiance/service.yaml b/deploy/k8s/railiance/service.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2c994a3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/k8s/railiance/service.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: Service
+metadata:
+  name: email-connect
+  namespace: email-connect
+  labels:
+    app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: email-connect
+spec:
+  type: ClusterIP
+  selector:
+    app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+  ports:
+    - name: http
+      port: 8080
+      targetPort: http
+      protocol: TCP
diff --git a/deploy/k8s/railiance/serviceaccount.yaml b/deploy/k8s/railiance/serviceaccount.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b438301
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/k8s/railiance/serviceaccount.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+apiVersion: v1
+kind: ServiceAccount
+metadata:
+  name: email-connect
+  namespace: email-connect
+  labels:
+    app.kubernetes.io/name: email-connect
+    app.kubernetes.io/part-of: email-connect
+automountServiceAccountToken: false
diff --git a/docs/EMAIL-WP-0004-T04-failure-evidence.md b/docs/EMAIL-WP-0004-T04-failure-evidence.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..666dc27
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/EMAIL-WP-0004-T04-failure-evidence.md
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+# EMAIL-WP-0004-T04 — invitation delivery failure evidence
+
+**Date:** 2026-08-12  
+**Cluster:** railiance01  
+**Service:** `http://email-connect.email-connect.svc.cluster.local:8080`  
+**Image:** `forgejo.coulomb.social/coulomb/email-connect@sha256:a9de1994eea88502ec30ba7c2fc029ec901d873140d51e11d2c50e363a0578b1`  
+**Unit tests:** `PYTHONPATH=src python3 -m pytest tests/test_transactional.py` — **9 passed**
+
+This note is the non-secret hand-back for **NK-WP-0024**. No SMTP passwords,
+ingest tokens, or raw provider exception text are included.
+
+## Contract for user-engine
+
+| HTTP | `error` / `status` | `retryable` | Meaning for outbox |
+| --- | --- | --- | --- |
+| 401 | `unauthorized` | — | Wrong or missing bearer; fail closed |
+| 400 | `template_not_allowed` | — | Event type/source not on allow-list |
+| 400 | `invalid_recipient` | — | Address failed local validation |
+| 400 | `idempotency_key_mismatch` | — | `Idempotency-Key` ≠ event `id` |
+| 400 | `recipient_suppressed` | — | Address on suppression list; do not retry as send |
+| 400 | `invitation_id_required` | — | Missing invitation id |
+| 200 | `status=duplicate` + `reference` | — | Same event id already accepted; safe replay |
+| 202 | `status=accepted` + `reference` + `event_id` | — | Provider accepted message; **not** inbox delivery |
+| 503 | `provider_timeout` / `temporary_deferral` / `provider_unavailable` | `true` | Bounded retry |
+| 422 | `permanent_rejection` | `false` | Do not retry; surface failure evidence |
+
+### Evidence ceilings (must not become authorization)
+
+- Invitation accept: `evidence_ceiling=provider_accepted` — transport only.
+- Registration consume/cancel: `authorization=false`, ceilings
+  `mailbox_challenge_consumed` / `mailbox_challenge_canceled`.
+- `assurance.mailbox_control=true` is **channel evidence**, not identity proof
+  and not a flex-auth decision.
+
+Mailbox ownership challenges and provider acceptance **must never** alter
+user-engine authorization decisions.
+
+## Unit matrix (local)
+
+| Case | Result |
+| --- | --- |
+| Template allow-list denial | `400 template_not_allowed` |
+| Invalid recipient | `400 invalid_recipient` |
+| Idempotency mismatch | `400 idempotency_key_mismatch` |
+| Auth denial | `401 unauthorized` |
+| Duplicate event id | `200 duplicate` + same `reference`; provider called once |
+| Resend (`family_invitation.resent`) | New event id → second provider send |
+| Suppression | `400 recipient_suppressed`; no provider call |
+| Provider timeout / temporary / unavailable | `503` + `retryable=true`, redacted codes |
+| Permanent rejection | `422` + `retryable=false` |
+| SMTPRecipientsRefused → permanent | ProviderError mapping unit-tested |
+| Redaction | Response JSON has no password/SMTP host/exception text |
+| Mailbox evidence ≠ authz | `authorization=false` on consume/cancel |
+
+## Live matrix (railiance01, from `user-engine` pod)
+
+| Case | HTTP | Body (redacted) |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| Unauth | 401 | `{"error":"unauthorized"}` |
+| Template deny | 400 | `{"error":"template_not_allowed"}` |
+| Invalid recipient | 400 | `{"error":"invalid_recipient"}` |
+| Idempotency mismatch | 400 | `{"error":"idempotency_key_mismatch"}` |
+| Accept (to `forgejo@coulomb.social`) | 202 | `status=accepted`, `evidence_ceiling=provider_accepted`, `event_id` set |
+| Duplicate same event id | 200 | `status=duplicate`, same `reference` |
+| Resend new event id | 202 | `status=accepted` |
+| Bad domain `nobody@invalid.invalid` | 422 | `{"error":"permanent_rejection","retryable":false}` |
+| Suppressed `suppressed@example.test` | 400 | `{"error":"recipient_suppressed"}` (seeded in SQLite for smoke) |
+| Redaction | — | No `password` / `smtp.ionos` in any body |
+
+Negative path (unchanged from T03): pods outside `user-engine` cannot reach
+TCP 8080 (Connection refused).
+
+## Non-secret references for NK-WP-0024
+
+- Cluster-local base URL:
+  `http://email-connect.email-connect.svc.cluster.local:8080`
+- Paths: `POST /v1/send`, `POST /v1/registration-verifications`,
+  `…/consume`, `…/cancel`
+- Auth: shared ingest bearer (OpenBao
+  `platform/workloads/email-connect/transactional` field
+  `EMAIL_CONNECT_INGEST_TOKEN` only — never SMTP fields in user-engine)
+- Idempotency: header `Idempotency-Key` = event `id`
+- Allowed send types: `family_member.invited`, `family_invitation.resent`
+- Catalog route: `email-connect-transactional` (ops-warden)
+
+## Temporary deferral / timeout note
+
+Live temporary deferral depends on provider behavior and was covered by unit
+classification (`temporary_deferral`, `provider_timeout` → 503 retryable).
+Live permanent path was observed via invalid domain → `422 permanent_rejection`.
+
+## Follow-ups (out of T04)
+
+- Mount ingest token into user-engine runtime for production outbox (NK-WP-0024).
+- Operator API to manage suppressions (currently SQLite; smoke seeded manually).
+- Daily send-quota tiers deferred (`DECISIONS.md`).
diff --git a/src/email_connect/transactional.py b/src/email_connect/transactional.py
index dee539e..91b7ba3 100644
--- a/src/email_connect/transactional.py
+++ b/src/email_connect/transactional.py
@@ -19,54 +19,109 @@ from wsgiref.simple_server import make_server
 ALLOWED_EVENTS = {"family_member.invited", "family_invitation.resent"}
 
 
+class ProviderError(Exception):
+    """Provider outcome with stable redacted code and retry classification."""
+
+    def __init__(self, code: str, *, retryable: bool) -> None:
+        super().__init__(code)
+        self.code = code
+        self.retryable = retryable
+
+
 class SQLiteDeliveryStore:
     def __init__(self, path: str) -> None:
         self.db = sqlite3.connect(path, check_same_thread=False)
         self.lock = RLock()
-        self.db.execute("CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS deliveries (event_id TEXT PRIMARY KEY, provider_ref TEXT NOT NULL)")
-        self.db.execute("""CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS verifications (
+        self.db.execute(
+            "CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS deliveries (event_id TEXT PRIMARY KEY, provider_ref TEXT NOT NULL)"
+        )
+        self.db.execute(
+            """CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS verifications (
           request_id TEXT PRIMARY KEY, handle_hash TEXT UNIQUE NOT NULL,
           registration_id TEXT NOT NULL, email TEXT NOT NULL, username TEXT NOT NULL,
           client_id TEXT NOT NULL, tenant TEXT NOT NULL, display_name TEXT,
           expires_at TEXT NOT NULL, consumed_at TEXT, canceled_at TEXT
-        )""")
+        )"""
+        )
+        self.db.execute(
+            """CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS suppressions (
+          email TEXT PRIMARY KEY NOT NULL,
+          reason TEXT NOT NULL,
+          created_at TEXT NOT NULL
+        )"""
+        )
         columns = {row[1] for row in self.db.execute("PRAGMA table_info(verifications)")}
         if "canceled_at" not in columns:
             self.db.execute("ALTER TABLE verifications ADD COLUMN canceled_at TEXT")
         self.db.commit()
 
     def reference(self, event_id: str) -> str | None:
-        row = self.db.execute("SELECT provider_ref FROM deliveries WHERE event_id=?", (event_id,)).fetchone()
+        row = self.db.execute(
+            "SELECT provider_ref FROM deliveries WHERE event_id=?", (event_id,)
+        ).fetchone()
         return row[0] if row else None
 
     def record(self, event_id: str, reference: str) -> None:
         with self.db:
             self.db.execute("INSERT INTO deliveries VALUES (?, ?)", (event_id, reference))
 
+    def is_suppressed(self, email: str) -> bool:
+        row = self.db.execute(
+            "SELECT 1 FROM suppressions WHERE email=?", (email.lower(),)
+        ).fetchone()
+        return row is not None
+
+    def suppress(self, email: str, reason: str = "manual") -> None:
+        with self.db:
+            self.db.execute(
+                "INSERT OR REPLACE INTO suppressions VALUES (?,?,?)",
+                (email.lower(), reason, datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat()),
+            )
+
     def create_verification(self, payload: dict, handle_hash: str, expires_at: str) -> str:
         request_id = f"vrq_{secrets.token_hex(12)}"
         with self.db:
-            self.db.execute("""INSERT INTO verifications
+            self.db.execute(
+                """INSERT INTO verifications
               (request_id, handle_hash, registration_id, email, username,
                client_id, tenant, display_name, expires_at, consumed_at, canceled_at)
-              VALUES (?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,NULL,NULL)""", (
-                request_id, handle_hash, payload["registration_id"], payload["normalized_email"],
-                payload["preferred_username"], payload["client_id"], payload["tenant"],
-                payload.get("display_name"), expires_at,
-            ))
+              VALUES (?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,?,NULL,NULL)""",
+                (
+                    request_id,
+                    handle_hash,
+                    payload["registration_id"],
+                    payload["normalized_email"],
+                    payload["preferred_username"],
+                    payload["client_id"],
+                    payload["tenant"],
+                    payload.get("display_name"),
+                    expires_at,
+                ),
+            )
         return request_id
 
     def consume_verification(self, handle_hash: str) -> dict:
         with self.lock, self.db:
-            row = self.db.execute("SELECT * FROM verifications WHERE handle_hash=?", (handle_hash,)).fetchone()
+            row = self.db.execute(
+                "SELECT * FROM verifications WHERE handle_hash=?", (handle_hash,)
+            ).fetchone()
             if row is None or row[9] is not None or row[10] is not None:
                 raise ValueError("verification_invalid")
             if datetime.fromisoformat(row[8]) <= datetime.now(timezone.utc):
                 raise ValueError("verification_expired")
-            self.db.execute("UPDATE verifications SET consumed_at=? WHERE request_id=?",
-                (datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(), row[0]))
-        return {"request_id":row[0],"registration_id":row[2],"email":row[3],
-            "preferred_username":row[4],"client_id":row[5],"tenant":row[6],"display_name":row[7]}
+            self.db.execute(
+                "UPDATE verifications SET consumed_at=? WHERE request_id=?",
+                (datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(), row[0]),
+            )
+        return {
+            "request_id": row[0],
+            "registration_id": row[2],
+            "email": row[3],
+            "preferred_username": row[4],
+            "client_id": row[5],
+            "tenant": row[6],
+            "display_name": row[7],
+        }
 
     def cancel_verification(self, handle_hash: str) -> dict:
         with self.lock, self.db:
@@ -81,22 +136,50 @@ class SQLiteDeliveryStore:
                 "UPDATE verifications SET canceled_at=? WHERE request_id=?",
                 (datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(), row[0]),
             )
-        return {"request_id":row[0],"registration_id":row[2],"email":row[3],
-            "preferred_username":row[4],"client_id":row[5],"tenant":row[6],"display_name":row[7]}
+        return {
+            "request_id": row[0],
+            "registration_id": row[2],
+            "email": row[3],
+            "preferred_username": row[4],
+            "client_id": row[5],
+            "tenant": row[6],
+            "display_name": row[7],
+        }
 
 
 class SMTPProvider:
     def __init__(self, host: str, port: int, username: str, password: str, sender: str) -> None:
-        self.host, self.port, self.username, self.password, self.sender = host, port, username, password, sender
+        self.host, self.port, self.username, self.password, self.sender = (
+            host,
+            port,
+            username,
+            password,
+            sender,
+        )
 
     def send(self, recipient: str, subject: str, text: str) -> str:
         message = EmailMessage()
         message["From"], message["To"], message["Subject"] = self.sender, recipient, subject
         message.set_content(text)
-        with smtplib.SMTP(self.host, self.port, timeout=10) as smtp:
-            smtp.starttls()
-            smtp.login(self.username, self.password)
-            smtp.send_message(message)
+        try:
+            with smtplib.SMTP(self.host, self.port, timeout=10) as smtp:
+                smtp.starttls()
+                smtp.login(self.username, self.password)
+                smtp.send_message(message)
+        except TimeoutError as exc:
+            raise ProviderError("provider_timeout", retryable=True) from exc
+        except smtplib.SMTPRecipientsRefused as exc:
+            # 5xx recipient refusals are permanent; never surface SMTP text.
+            raise ProviderError("permanent_rejection", retryable=False) from exc
+        except smtplib.SMTPResponseException as exc:
+            code = int(getattr(exc, "smtp_code", 0) or 0)
+            if 400 <= code < 500:
+                raise ProviderError("temporary_deferral", retryable=True) from exc
+            if 500 <= code < 600:
+                raise ProviderError("permanent_rejection", retryable=False) from exc
+            raise ProviderError("provider_unavailable", retryable=True) from exc
+        except (OSError, smtplib.SMTPException) as exc:
+            raise ProviderError("provider_unavailable", retryable=True) from exc
         return message["Message-ID"] or f"smtp:{abs(hash((recipient, subject)))}"
 
 
@@ -107,15 +190,23 @@ class TransactionalApplication:
 
     def __call__(self, environ, start_response):
         if environ.get("PATH_INFO") in ("/healthz", "/readyz"):
-            return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.OK, {"status":"ok"})
+            return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.OK, {"status": "ok"})
         path = environ.get("PATH_INFO")
-        if path not in ("/v1/send", "/v1/registration-verifications", "/v1/registration-verifications/consume", "/v1/registration-verifications/cancel") or environ.get("REQUEST_METHOD") != "POST":
-            return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.NOT_FOUND, {"error":"not_found"})
-        if not hmac.compare_digest(str(environ.get("HTTP_AUTHORIZATION", "")), f"Bearer {self.token}"):
-            return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.UNAUTHORIZED, {"error":"unauthorized"})
+        if path not in (
+            "/v1/send",
+            "/v1/registration-verifications",
+            "/v1/registration-verifications/consume",
+            "/v1/registration-verifications/cancel",
+        ) or environ.get("REQUEST_METHOD") != "POST":
+            return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.NOT_FOUND, {"error": "not_found"})
+        if not hmac.compare_digest(
+            str(environ.get("HTTP_AUTHORIZATION", "")), f"Bearer {self.token}"
+        ):
+            return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.UNAUTHORIZED, {"error": "unauthorized"})
         try:
             length = int(environ.get("CONTENT_LENGTH") or 0)
-            if length <= 0 or length > 128 * 1024: raise ValueError("invalid_size")
+            if length <= 0 or length > 128 * 1024:
+                raise ValueError("invalid_size")
             payload = json.loads(environ["wsgi.input"].read(length))
             if path == "/v1/registration-verifications":
                 return self._request_verification(start_response, payload)
@@ -123,71 +214,141 @@ class TransactionalApplication:
                 return self._consume_verification(start_response, payload)
             if path == "/v1/registration-verifications/cancel":
                 return self._cancel_verification(start_response, payload)
-            event_id = str(payload["id"])
-            if environ.get("HTTP_IDEMPOTENCY_KEY") != event_id: raise ValueError("idempotency_key_mismatch")
-            if payload.get("source") != "user-engine" or payload.get("type") not in ALLOWED_EVENTS: raise ValueError("template_not_allowed")
-            recipient = str(payload.get("data", {}).get("primary_email", ""))
-            if not _valid_address(recipient): raise ValueError("invalid_recipient")
-            existing = self.store.reference(event_id)
-            if existing:
-                return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.OK, {"status":"duplicate","reference":existing})
-            invitation_id = str(payload.get("data", {}).get("invitation_id", ""))
-            if not invitation_id: raise ValueError("invitation_id_required")
-            reference = self.provider.send(recipient, "Your NetKingdom invitation",
-                f"You have been invited. Continue securely at {self.portal_url}/invitations/{invitation_id}\n")
-            self.store.record(event_id, reference)
+            return self._send_invitation(start_response, environ, payload)
+        except ProviderError as exc:
+            status = (
+                HTTPStatus.SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE if exc.retryable else HTTPStatus.UNPROCESSABLE_ENTITY
+            )
+            return self._json(
+                start_response,
+                status,
+                {"error": exc.code, "retryable": exc.retryable},
+            )
         except (KeyError, TypeError, ValueError, json.JSONDecodeError) as exc:
-            return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.BAD_REQUEST, {"error":str(exc)})
+            return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.BAD_REQUEST, {"error": str(exc)})
         except (TimeoutError, OSError, smtplib.SMTPException):
-            return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE, {"error":"provider_unavailable","retryable":True})
-        return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.ACCEPTED, {"status":"accepted","reference":reference})
+            # Safety net: never leak provider exception text.
+            return self._json(
+                start_response,
+                HTTPStatus.SERVICE_UNAVAILABLE,
+                {"error": "provider_unavailable", "retryable": True},
+            )
+
+    def _send_invitation(self, start_response, environ, payload):
+        event_id = str(payload["id"])
+        if environ.get("HTTP_IDEMPOTENCY_KEY") != event_id:
+            raise ValueError("idempotency_key_mismatch")
+        if payload.get("source") != "user-engine" or payload.get("type") not in ALLOWED_EVENTS:
+            raise ValueError("template_not_allowed")
+        recipient = str(payload.get("data", {}).get("primary_email", ""))
+        if not _valid_address(recipient):
+            raise ValueError("invalid_recipient")
+        if self.store.is_suppressed(recipient):
+            raise ValueError("recipient_suppressed")
+        existing = self.store.reference(event_id)
+        if existing:
+            return self._json(
+                start_response, HTTPStatus.OK, {"status": "duplicate", "reference": existing}
+            )
+        invitation_id = str(payload.get("data", {}).get("invitation_id", ""))
+        if not invitation_id:
+            raise ValueError("invitation_id_required")
+        reference = self.provider.send(
+            recipient,
+            "Your NetKingdom invitation",
+            f"You have been invited. Continue securely at {self.portal_url}/invitations/{invitation_id}\n",
+        )
+        self.store.record(event_id, reference)
+        # Provider acceptance is transport evidence only — not identity or auth.
+        return self._json(
+            start_response,
+            HTTPStatus.ACCEPTED,
+            {
+                "status": "accepted",
+                "reference": reference,
+                "event_id": event_id,
+                "evidence_ceiling": "provider_accepted",
+            },
+        )
 
     def _request_verification(self, start_response, payload):
-        required = ("registration_id", "normalized_email", "preferred_username", "client_id", "tenant", "correlation_id")
-        if any(not payload.get(key) for key in required) or not _valid_address(str(payload["normalized_email"])):
+        required = (
+            "registration_id",
+            "normalized_email",
+            "preferred_username",
+            "client_id",
+            "tenant",
+            "correlation_id",
+        )
+        if any(not payload.get(key) for key in required) or not _valid_address(
+            str(payload["normalized_email"])
+        ):
             raise ValueError("invalid_verification_request")
+        email = str(payload["normalized_email"])
+        if self.store.is_suppressed(email):
+            raise ValueError("recipient_suppressed")
         handle = secrets.token_urlsafe(32)
         expires_at = datetime.now(timezone.utc) + timedelta(minutes=30)
         request_id = self.store.create_verification(
             payload, hashlib.sha256(handle.encode()).hexdigest(), expires_at.isoformat()
         )
         self.provider.send(
-            str(payload["normalized_email"]), "Verify your NetKingdom registration",
+            email,
+            "Verify your NetKingdom registration",
             f"Continue securely at {self.portal_url}/registration/verify?handle={handle}\n"
             f"Cancel this request at {self.portal_url}/registration/cancel?handle={handle}\n"
             "These links expire in 30 minutes.\n",
         )
-        return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.ACCEPTED,
-                          {"request_id":request_id,"accepted":True})
+        return self._json(
+            start_response, HTTPStatus.ACCEPTED, {"request_id": request_id, "accepted": True}
+        )
 
     def _consume_verification(self, start_response, payload):
         handle = str(payload.get("handle") or "")
         if len(handle) < 32:
             raise ValueError("verification_invalid")
         evidence = self.store.consume_verification(hashlib.sha256(handle.encode()).hexdigest())
-        return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.OK, {
-            "purpose":"public-registration", "verification_id":f"fvr_{secrets.token_hex(12)}",
-            **evidence, "source_system":"email-connect",
-            "assurance":{"mailbox_control":True},
-        })
+        # mailbox_control is channel evidence only; never an authorization decision.
+        return self._json(
+            start_response,
+            HTTPStatus.OK,
+            {
+                "purpose": "public-registration",
+                "verification_id": f"fvr_{secrets.token_hex(12)}",
+                **evidence,
+                "source_system": "email-connect",
+                "assurance": {"mailbox_control": True},
+                "authorization": False,
+                "evidence_ceiling": "mailbox_challenge_consumed",
+            },
+        )
 
     def _cancel_verification(self, start_response, payload):
         handle = str(payload.get("handle") or "")
         if len(handle) < 32:
             raise ValueError("verification_invalid")
-        evidence = self.store.cancel_verification(
-            hashlib.sha256(handle.encode()).hexdigest()
+        evidence = self.store.cancel_verification(hashlib.sha256(handle.encode()).hexdigest())
+        return self._json(
+            start_response,
+            HTTPStatus.OK,
+            {
+                "purpose": "public-registration-cancel",
+                "verification_id": f"fvc_{secrets.token_hex(12)}",
+                **evidence,
+                "source_system": "email-connect",
+                "assurance": {"mailbox_control": True},
+                "authorization": False,
+                "evidence_ceiling": "mailbox_challenge_canceled",
+            },
         )
-        return self._json(start_response, HTTPStatus.OK, {
-            "purpose":"public-registration-cancel",
-            "verification_id":f"fvc_{secrets.token_hex(12)}",
-            **evidence, "source_system":"email-connect",
-            "assurance":{"mailbox_control":True},
-        })
 
     @staticmethod
     def _json(start_response, status, payload):
-        body=json.dumps(payload).encode(); start_response(f"{status.value} {status.phrase}", [("Content-Type","application/json"),("Content-Length",str(len(body)))])
+        body = json.dumps(payload).encode()
+        start_response(
+            f"{status.value} {status.phrase}",
+            [("Content-Type", "application/json"), ("Content-Length", str(len(body)))],
+        )
         return [body]
 
 
@@ -197,8 +358,18 @@ def _valid_address(value: str) -> bool:
 
 
 def main() -> None:
-    provider = SMTPProvider(os.environ["EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_HOST"], int(os.environ.get("EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_PORT", "587")),
-        os.environ["EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_USERNAME"], os.environ["EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_PASSWORD"], os.environ["EMAIL_CONNECT_SENDER"])
-    app = TransactionalApplication(SQLiteDeliveryStore(os.environ.get("EMAIL_CONNECT_DATABASE_PATH", "/data/email-connect.db")),
-        provider, os.environ["EMAIL_CONNECT_INGEST_TOKEN"].strip(), os.environ["EMAIL_CONNECT_PORTAL_URL"])
-    with make_server("0.0.0.0", int(os.environ.get("EMAIL_CONNECT_HTTP_PORT", "8080")), app) as server: server.serve_forever()
+    provider = SMTPProvider(
+        os.environ["EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_HOST"],
+        int(os.environ.get("EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_PORT", "587")),
+        os.environ["EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_USERNAME"],
+        os.environ["EMAIL_CONNECT_SMTP_PASSWORD"],
+        os.environ["EMAIL_CONNECT_SENDER"],
+    )
+    app = TransactionalApplication(
+        SQLiteDeliveryStore(os.environ.get("EMAIL_CONNECT_DATABASE_PATH", "/data/email-connect.db")),
+        provider,
+        os.environ["EMAIL_CONNECT_INGEST_TOKEN"].strip(),
+        os.environ["EMAIL_CONNECT_PORTAL_URL"],
+    )
+    with make_server("0.0.0.0", int(os.environ.get("EMAIL_CONNECT_HTTP_PORT", "8080")), app) as server:
+        server.serve_forever()
diff --git a/tests/test_transactional.py b/tests/test_transactional.py
index 146caa7..f43cbc8 100644
--- a/tests/test_transactional.py
+++ b/tests/test_transactional.py
@@ -1,56 +1,278 @@
-import io, json
-from email_connect.transactional import SQLiteDeliveryStore, TransactionalApplication
+import io
+import json
+import smtplib
+
+from email_connect.transactional import (
+    ProviderError,
+    SQLiteDeliveryStore,
+    TransactionalApplication,
+)
+
 
 class Provider:
-    def __init__(self): self.calls=[]
-    def send(self,*args): self.calls.append(args); return "message:1"
+    def __init__(self):
+        self.calls = []
+
+    def send(self, *args):
+        self.calls.append(args)
+        return "message:1"
+
+
+class FailingProvider:
+    def __init__(self, error: ProviderError):
+        self.error = error
+        self.calls = 0
+
+    def send(self, *args):
+        self.calls += 1
+        raise self.error
+
+
+def event(event_id="evt-1", typ="family_member.invited", email="person@example.test"):
+    return {
+        "id": event_id,
+        "type": typ,
+        "source": "user-engine",
+        "data": {"primary_email": email, "invitation_id": "inv-1"},
+    }
+
+
+def invoke(app, payload, token="opaque", key=None, path="/v1/send"):
+    raw = json.dumps(payload).encode()
+    result = {}
+    env = {
+        "PATH_INFO": path,
+        "REQUEST_METHOD": "POST",
+        "CONTENT_LENGTH": str(len(raw)),
+        "wsgi.input": io.BytesIO(raw),
+        "HTTP_AUTHORIZATION": f"Bearer {token}",
+    }
+    if path == "/v1/send":
+        env["HTTP_IDEMPOTENCY_KEY"] = key if key is not None else payload.get("id", "evt-1")
+    body = b"".join(app(env, lambda s, h: result.update(status=s)))
+    return result["status"], json.loads(body)
 
-def event(): return {"id":"evt-1","type":"family_member.invited","source":"user-engine","data":{"primary_email":"person@example.test","invitation_id":"inv-1"}}
-def invoke(app,payload,token="opaque",key="evt-1"):
-    raw=json.dumps(payload).encode(); result={}; body=b"".join(app({"PATH_INFO":"/v1/send","REQUEST_METHOD":"POST","CONTENT_LENGTH":str(len(raw)),"wsgi.input":io.BytesIO(raw),"HTTP_AUTHORIZATION":f"Bearer {token}","HTTP_IDEMPOTENCY_KEY":key},lambda s,h:result.update(status=s))); return result["status"],json.loads(body)
 
 def test_sends_fixed_template_once(tmp_path):
-    provider=Provider(); app=TransactionalApplication(SQLiteDeliveryStore(str(tmp_path/"mail.db")),provider,"opaque","https://users.example")
-    assert invoke(app,event())[0].startswith("202")
-    assert invoke(app,event())[1]["status"] == "duplicate"
-    assert len(provider.calls)==1 and "/invitations/inv-1" in provider.calls[0][2]
+    provider = Provider()
+    app = TransactionalApplication(
+        SQLiteDeliveryStore(str(tmp_path / "mail.db")), provider, "opaque", "https://users.example"
+    )
+    status, body = invoke(app, event())
+    assert status.startswith("202")
+    assert body["evidence_ceiling"] == "provider_accepted"
+    assert body["event_id"] == "evt-1"
+    assert invoke(app, event())[1]["status"] == "duplicate"
+    assert len(provider.calls) == 1 and "/invitations/inv-1" in provider.calls[0][2]
+
 
 def test_rejects_auth_recipient_template_and_key(tmp_path):
-    app=TransactionalApplication(SQLiteDeliveryStore(str(tmp_path/"mail.db")),Provider(),"opaque","https://users.example")
-    assert invoke(app,event(),token="bad")[0].startswith("401")
-    bad=event(); bad["data"]["primary_email"]="bad\n@example.test"; assert invoke(app,bad)[1]["error"]=="invalid_recipient"
-    bad=event(); bad["type"]="arbitrary.send"; assert invoke(app,bad)[1]["error"]=="template_not_allowed"
-    assert invoke(app,event(),key="other")[1]["error"]=="idempotency_key_mismatch"
+    app = TransactionalApplication(
+        SQLiteDeliveryStore(str(tmp_path / "mail.db")), Provider(), "opaque", "https://users.example"
+    )
+    assert invoke(app, event(), token="bad")[0].startswith("401")
+    bad = event()
+    bad["data"]["primary_email"] = "bad\n@example.test"
+    assert invoke(app, bad)[1]["error"] == "invalid_recipient"
+    bad = event()
+    bad["type"] = "arbitrary.send"
+    assert invoke(app, bad)[1]["error"] == "template_not_allowed"
+    assert invoke(app, event(), key="other")[1]["error"] == "idempotency_key_mismatch"
+
+
+def test_resend_is_separate_event_and_sends_again(tmp_path):
+    provider = Provider()
+    app = TransactionalApplication(
+        SQLiteDeliveryStore(str(tmp_path / "mail.db")), provider, "opaque", "https://users.example"
+    )
+    assert invoke(app, event("evt-1", "family_member.invited"))[0].startswith("202")
+    status, body = invoke(app, event("evt-2", "family_invitation.resent"))
+    assert status.startswith("202") and body["status"] == "accepted"
+    assert len(provider.calls) == 2
+
+
+def test_suppression_blocks_send(tmp_path):
+    store = SQLiteDeliveryStore(str(tmp_path / "mail.db"))
+    store.suppress("person@example.test", "complaint")
+    provider = Provider()
+    app = TransactionalApplication(store, provider, "opaque", "https://users.example")
+    status, body = invoke(app, event())
+    assert status.startswith("400")
+    assert body["error"] == "recipient_suppressed"
+    assert provider.calls == []
+
+
+def test_provider_timeout_temporary_and_permanent_are_redacted(tmp_path):
+    cases = [
+        (ProviderError("provider_timeout", retryable=True), "503", True),
+        (ProviderError("temporary_deferral", retryable=True), "503", True),
+        (ProviderError("permanent_rejection", retryable=False), "422", False),
+        (ProviderError("provider_unavailable", retryable=True), "503", True),
+    ]
+    for err, code_prefix, retryable in cases:
+        app = TransactionalApplication(
+            SQLiteDeliveryStore(str(tmp_path / f"{err.code}.db")),
+            FailingProvider(err),
+            "opaque",
+            "https://users.example",
+        )
+        status, body = invoke(app, event(event_id=f"evt-{err.code}"))
+        assert status.startswith(code_prefix), (err.code, status, body)
+        assert body["error"] == err.code
+        assert body["retryable"] is retryable
+        # Diagnostics must stay redacted: no SMTP host, password, or exception text.
+        blob = json.dumps(body)
+        assert "smtp" not in blob.lower()
+        assert "password" not in blob.lower()
+        assert "exception" not in blob.lower()
+
+
+def test_smtp_provider_maps_recipient_refused_to_permanent():
+    class Boom(smtplib.SMTP):
+        def __init__(self, *a, **k):
+            pass
+
+        def __enter__(self):
+            return self
+
+        def __exit__(self, *a):
+            return False
+
+        def starttls(self):
+            return None
+
+        def login(self, *a):
+            return None
+
+        def send_message(self, msg):
+            raise smtplib.SMTPRecipientsRefused({"x@y.z": (550, b"user unknown")})
+
+    import email_connect.transactional as mod
+
+    original = mod.smtplib.SMTP
+    mod.smtplib.SMTP = Boom
+    try:
+        provider = mod.SMTPProvider("smtp.example", 587, "u", "p", "from@example")
+        try:
+            provider.send("x@y.z", "s", "b")
+            assert False, "expected ProviderError"
+        except ProviderError as exc:
+            assert exc.code == "permanent_rejection" and exc.retryable is False
+    finally:
+        mod.smtplib.SMTP = original
+
 
 def test_registration_verification_is_digest_only_and_single_use(tmp_path):
-    provider=Provider(); store=SQLiteDeliveryStore(str(tmp_path/"mail.db")); app=TransactionalApplication(store,provider,"opaque","https://users.example")
-    request={"registration_id":"reg-1","normalized_email":"person@example.test","preferred_username":"person","client_id":"coulomb-social","tenant":"tenant:coulomb","correlation_id":"corr-1"}
-    raw=json.dumps(request).encode(); result={}; response=json.loads(b"".join(app({"PATH_INFO":"/v1/registration-verifications","REQUEST_METHOD":"POST","CONTENT_LENGTH":str(len(raw)),"wsgi.input":io.BytesIO(raw),"HTTP_AUTHORIZATION":"Bearer opaque"},lambda s,h:result.update(status=s))))
+    provider = Provider()
+    store = SQLiteDeliveryStore(str(tmp_path / "mail.db"))
+    app = TransactionalApplication(store, provider, "opaque", "https://users.example")
+    request = {
+        "registration_id": "reg-1",
+        "normalized_email": "person@example.test",
+        "preferred_username": "person",
+        "client_id": "coulomb-social",
+        "tenant": "tenant:coulomb",
+        "correlation_id": "corr-1",
+    }
+    raw = json.dumps(request).encode()
+    result = {}
+    response = json.loads(
+        b"".join(
+            app(
+                {
+                    "PATH_INFO": "/v1/registration-verifications",
+                    "REQUEST_METHOD": "POST",
+                    "CONTENT_LENGTH": str(len(raw)),
+                    "wsgi.input": io.BytesIO(raw),
+                    "HTTP_AUTHORIZATION": "Bearer opaque",
+                },
+                lambda s, h: result.update(status=s),
+            )
+        )
+    )
     assert result["status"].startswith("202") and response["accepted"]
-    text=provider.calls[0][2]; handle=text.split("handle=",1)[1].splitlines()[0]
-    stored=store.db.execute("SELECT handle_hash FROM verifications").fetchone()[0]
+    text = provider.calls[0][2]
+    handle = text.split("handle=", 1)[1].splitlines()[0]
+    stored = store.db.execute("SELECT handle_hash FROM verifications").fetchone()[0]
     assert handle not in stored and stored
-    consume=json.dumps({"handle":handle}).encode(); env={"PATH_INFO":"/v1/registration-verifications/consume","REQUEST_METHOD":"POST","CONTENT_LENGTH":str(len(consume)),"wsgi.input":io.BytesIO(consume),"HTTP_AUTHORIZATION":"Bearer opaque"}
-    evidence=json.loads(b"".join(app(env,lambda s,h:result.update(status=s))))
-    assert evidence["purpose"]=="public-registration" and evidence["email"]=="person@example.test"
-    env["wsgi.input"]=io.BytesIO(consume)
-    replay=json.loads(b"".join(app(env,lambda s,h:result.update(status=s))))
-    assert replay["error"]=="verification_invalid"
+    consume = json.dumps({"handle": handle}).encode()
+    env = {
+        "PATH_INFO": "/v1/registration-verifications/consume",
+        "REQUEST_METHOD": "POST",
+        "CONTENT_LENGTH": str(len(consume)),
+        "wsgi.input": io.BytesIO(consume),
+        "HTTP_AUTHORIZATION": "Bearer opaque",
+    }
+    evidence = json.loads(b"".join(app(env, lambda s, h: result.update(status=s))))
+    assert evidence["purpose"] == "public-registration"
+    assert evidence["email"] == "person@example.test"
+    assert evidence["authorization"] is False
+    assert evidence["evidence_ceiling"] == "mailbox_challenge_consumed"
+    env["wsgi.input"] = io.BytesIO(consume)
+    replay = json.loads(b"".join(app(env, lambda s, h: result.update(status=s))))
+    assert replay["error"] == "verification_invalid"
+
 
 def test_registration_cancellation_is_single_use_and_prevents_verification(tmp_path):
-    provider=Provider(); store=SQLiteDeliveryStore(str(tmp_path/"mail.db")); app=TransactionalApplication(store,provider,"opaque","https://users.example")
-    request={"registration_id":"reg-cancel","normalized_email":"person@example.test","preferred_username":"person","client_id":"coulomb-social","tenant":"tenant:coulomb","correlation_id":"corr-cancel"}
-    raw=json.dumps(request).encode(); result={}
-    app({"PATH_INFO":"/v1/registration-verifications","REQUEST_METHOD":"POST","CONTENT_LENGTH":str(len(raw)),"wsgi.input":io.BytesIO(raw),"HTTP_AUTHORIZATION":"Bearer opaque"},lambda s,h:result.update(status=s))
-    text=provider.calls[0][2]; handle=text.split("handle=",1)[1].splitlines()[0]
+    provider = Provider()
+    store = SQLiteDeliveryStore(str(tmp_path / "mail.db"))
+    app = TransactionalApplication(store, provider, "opaque", "https://users.example")
+    request = {
+        "registration_id": "reg-cancel",
+        "normalized_email": "person@example.test",
+        "preferred_username": "person",
+        "client_id": "coulomb-social",
+        "tenant": "tenant:coulomb",
+        "correlation_id": "corr-cancel",
+    }
+    raw = json.dumps(request).encode()
+    result = {}
+    app(
+        {
+            "PATH_INFO": "/v1/registration-verifications",
+            "REQUEST_METHOD": "POST",
+            "CONTENT_LENGTH": str(len(raw)),
+            "wsgi.input": io.BytesIO(raw),
+            "HTTP_AUTHORIZATION": "Bearer opaque",
+        },
+        lambda s, h: result.update(status=s),
+    )
+    text = provider.calls[0][2]
+    handle = text.split("handle=", 1)[1].splitlines()[0]
     assert f"/registration/cancel?handle={handle}" in text
-    payload=json.dumps({"handle":handle}).encode()
-    cancel_env={"PATH_INFO":"/v1/registration-verifications/cancel","REQUEST_METHOD":"POST","CONTENT_LENGTH":str(len(payload)),"wsgi.input":io.BytesIO(payload),"HTTP_AUTHORIZATION":"Bearer opaque"}
-    canceled=json.loads(b"".join(app(cancel_env,lambda s,h:result.update(status=s))))
-    assert canceled["purpose"]=="public-registration-cancel"
-    consume_env={"PATH_INFO":"/v1/registration-verifications/consume","REQUEST_METHOD":"POST","CONTENT_LENGTH":str(len(payload)),"wsgi.input":io.BytesIO(payload),"HTTP_AUTHORIZATION":"Bearer opaque"}
-    rejected=json.loads(b"".join(app(consume_env,lambda s,h:result.update(status=s))))
-    assert rejected["error"]=="verification_invalid"
-    cancel_env["wsgi.input"]=io.BytesIO(payload)
-    replay=json.loads(b"".join(app(cancel_env,lambda s,h:result.update(status=s))))
-    assert replay["error"]=="verification_invalid"
+    payload = json.dumps({"handle": handle}).encode()
+    cancel_env = {
+        "PATH_INFO": "/v1/registration-verifications/cancel",
+        "REQUEST_METHOD": "POST",
+        "CONTENT_LENGTH": str(len(payload)),
+        "wsgi.input": io.BytesIO(payload),
+        "HTTP_AUTHORIZATION": "Bearer opaque",
+    }
+    canceled = json.loads(b"".join(app(cancel_env, lambda s, h: result.update(status=s))))
+    assert canceled["purpose"] == "public-registration-cancel"
+    assert canceled["authorization"] is False
+    consume_env = {
+        "PATH_INFO": "/v1/registration-verifications/consume",
+        "REQUEST_METHOD": "POST",
+        "CONTENT_LENGTH": str(len(payload)),
+        "wsgi.input": io.BytesIO(payload),
+        "HTTP_AUTHORIZATION": "Bearer opaque",
+    }
+    rejected = json.loads(b"".join(app(consume_env, lambda s, h: result.update(status=s))))
+    assert rejected["error"] == "verification_invalid"
+    cancel_env["wsgi.input"] = io.BytesIO(payload)
+    replay = json.loads(b"".join(app(cancel_env, lambda s, h: result.update(status=s))))
+    assert replay["error"] == "verification_invalid"
+
+
+def test_mailbox_evidence_is_not_authorization(tmp_path):
+    """Provider acceptance and mailbox challenge never grant user-engine authority."""
+    provider = Provider()
+    app = TransactionalApplication(
+        SQLiteDeliveryStore(str(tmp_path / "mail.db")), provider, "opaque", "https://users.example"
+    )
+    _, accepted = invoke(app, event())
+    assert accepted.get("authorization") is None or accepted.get("authorization") is False
+    assert accepted["evidence_ceiling"] == "provider_accepted"
+    # Ceiling is explicit; user-engine must not elevate this to authz.
+    assert "authorized" not in accepted
diff --git a/workplans/EMAIL-WP-0004-transactional-mail-delivery-service.md b/workplans/EMAIL-WP-0004-transactional-mail-delivery-service.md
index 142b159..d873b76 100644
--- a/workplans/EMAIL-WP-0004-transactional-mail-delivery-service.md
+++ b/workplans/EMAIL-WP-0004-transactional-mail-delivery-service.md
@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@ type: workplan
 title: "Provide transactional invitation mail delivery"
 domain: infotech
 repo: email-connect
-status: active
+status: finished
 owner: codex
 topic_slug: netkingdom
 created: "2026-08-08"
-updated: "2026-08-10"
+updated: "2026-08-12"
 depends_on:
   - NK-WP-0024
 state_hub_workstream_id: "a37e5e4d-090a-4a75-88d2-aacd0c0fd235"
@@ -20,6 +20,10 @@ Extend email-connect beyond mailbox evidence scanning with a narrow,
 provider-neutral transactional-send service for user-engine invitations and
 verification messages. Email evidence remains non-authoritative.
 
+Deferred (not in this workplan): daily send-quota privilege tiers
+(10 / 100 / 1e3 / 1e4 / 1e5 / 1e6 / unlimited) as anti-spam abuse control —
+see `DECISIONS.md` “Defer daily send-quota privilege tiers”.
+
 ## T01 - Define the send and evidence contract
 
 ```task
@@ -79,7 +83,7 @@ registration without accepting browser identity claims. All 24 tests pass.
 
 ```task
 id: EMAIL-WP-0004-T03
-status: progress
+status: done
 priority: high
 state_hub_task_id: "13428364-29b1-4e0d-aaf5-c0b254c829b9"
 ```
@@ -93,11 +97,31 @@ user-engine ingress, SMTP-only egress, and rollback.
 Done when user-engine can call the cluster-local receiver without possessing
 SMTP credentials and unrelated workloads cannot send through it.
 
+Done 2026-08-12 after CCR-2026-0010 approval:
+
+* OpenBao path `platform/workloads/email-connect/transactional` provisioned
+  (ingest token new; SMTP username/password seeded from live forgejo IONOS
+  lane — sender ConfigMap uses `forgejo@coulomb.social`).
+* Policies applied; ESO child token Secret
+  `external-secrets/openbao-email-connect-eso-token`; ClusterSecretStore
+  `openbao-email-connect` Ready; ExternalSecret SecretSynced (3 keys).
+* Package applied on railiance01: Deployment Ready 1/1, PVC Bound, probes
+  green, image digest `sha256:bc7a01b4…`.
+* Network: email-connect default-deny + user-engine ingress + SMTP-587 egress;
+  user-engine-runtime egress allow to email-connect:8080 (net-kingdom
+  `sso-mfa/k8s/user-engine/runtime.yaml`).
+* Smoke: user-engine `/healthz`/`/readyz` 200; unauth `/v1/send` 401; bearer
+  `template_not_allowed` / `invalid_recipient` 400; default-ns probe
+  Connection refused. user-engine secret has no SMTP keys.
+* Catalog `email-connect-transactional` promoted active/resolvable.
+* Follow-up (not T03): mount same ingest token into user-engine for NK outbox
+  (NK-WP-0024); optional dedicated noreply@ mailbox; T04 failure proof.
+
 ## T04 - Prove invitation delivery failure behavior
 
 ```task
 id: EMAIL-WP-0004-T04
-status: todo
+status: done
 priority: high
 state_hub_task_id: "34127b3e-f7c6-4ebe-a86c-743ba1b27640"
 ```
@@ -110,3 +134,18 @@ failure evidence back to NK-WP-0024.
 
 Done when deployed invitation and verification flows are observable,
 idempotent, retry-safe, and conservative about delivery evidence.
+
+Done 2026-08-12:
+
+* ProviderError classification: timeout/temporary/unavailable → 503
+  `retryable=true`; permanent_rejection → 422 `retryable=false`; no SMTP text
+  in responses. SQLite suppressions → `recipient_suppressed`. Accept body
+  carries `evidence_ceiling=provider_accepted`; verification consume/cancel set
+  `authorization=false`.
+* Unit matrix: 9 tests pass (`tests/test_transactional.py`).
+* Live matrix on railiance01 (image
+  `sha256:a9de1994…`): unauth 401, template/invalid/idempotency 400, accept
+  202 + duplicate 200, resend 202, bad domain 422 permanent_rejection,
+  suppression 400; redaction checked. Evidence note for NK-WP-0024:
+  `docs/EMAIL-WP-0004-T04-failure-evidence.md`.
+* Workplan finished when T01–T04 all done (this completes EMAIL-WP-0004).