diff --git a/deploy/scripts/rein-aharness-claim b/deploy/scripts/rein-aharness-claim
index f5471d8..e68963c 100755
--- a/deploy/scripts/rein-aharness-claim
+++ b/deploy/scripts/rein-aharness-claim
@@ -88,6 +88,22 @@ def _resolve_env(env: dict[str, str]) -> dict[str, str]:
     return env
 
 
+def _apply_runtime_defaults(env: dict[str, str], home: Path) -> dict[str, str]:
+    """Provide the non-secret host wiring required by legacy mail intake."""
+    env.setdefault("BAO_ADDR", "https://bao.coulomb.social")
+    env.setdefault("VAULT_ADDR", env["BAO_ADDR"])
+    env.setdefault(
+        "EXECUTOR_APPROLE_DIR",
+        str(home / ".local/rein-aharness/approle-binky-mail"),
+    )
+
+    local_bin = str(home / ".local/bin")
+    path_parts = [part for part in env.get("PATH", "").split(os.pathsep) if part]
+    if local_bin not in path_parts:
+        env["PATH"] = os.pathsep.join([local_bin, *path_parts])
+    return env
+
+
 def main() -> None:
     home = Path.home()
     env = os.environ.copy()
@@ -95,6 +111,7 @@ def main() -> None:
     env.setdefault("KUBECONFIG", "/etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml")
     file_env = _load_env_file(home / ".config/rein-aharness/claim-loop.env")
     env.update(file_env)
+    env = _apply_runtime_defaults(env, home)
     env = _resolve_env(env)
 
     rein = home / "rein-aharness" / ".venv" / "bin" / "rein-aharness"
diff --git a/deploy/systemd/claim-loop.env.example b/deploy/systemd/claim-loop.env.example
index a30aa80..6ea660b 100644
--- a/deploy/systemd/claim-loop.env.example
+++ b/deploy/systemd/claim-loop.env.example
@@ -15,3 +15,6 @@ AGENT_HARNESS_REPO_ROOTS=/home/tegwick:/home/tegwick/work
 LLM_CONNECT_URL=k8s://activity-core/llm-connect:8080
 STATE_HUB_URL=k8s://activity-core/actcore-statehub-edge-relay:8000
 KUBECONFIG=/etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml
+BAO_ADDR=https://bao.coulomb.social
+VAULT_ADDR=https://bao.coulomb.social
+EXECUTOR_APPROLE_DIR=/home/tegwick/.local/rein-aharness/approle-binky-mail
diff --git a/deploy/systemd/rein-aharness-claim-loop.service b/deploy/systemd/rein-aharness-claim-loop.service
index 14a66c2..acdd2a7 100644
--- a/deploy/systemd/rein-aharness-claim-loop.service
+++ b/deploy/systemd/rein-aharness-claim-loop.service
@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ Environment=PYTHONUNBUFFERED=1
 Environment=KUBECONFIG=/etc/rancher/k3s/k3s.yaml
 # Temporary profile-absent compatibility; remove after the four tenant migrations.
 Environment=AGENT_HARNESS_LEGACY_APPROACHES_UNTIL=2026-12-31
-# Ensure kubectl is available for k8s:// URL resolution in rein-aharness-claim
-Environment=PATH=/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:%h/bin
+# Ensure kubectl and the host-installed OpenBao client are available.
+Environment=PATH=%h/.local/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:%h/bin
 # Wrapper loads claim-loop.env (JSON-safe) and resolves k8s:// ClusterIPs
 # Do not use EnvironmentFile= for claim-loop.env — REPO_MAP JSON breaks systemd parser
 ExecStart=%h/bin/rein-aharness-claim claim-loop
diff --git a/tests/test_claim_launcher.py b/tests/test_claim_launcher.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7ed7d6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_claim_launcher.py
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import os
+import runpy
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
+SCRIPT = ROOT / "deploy" / "scripts" / "rein-aharness-claim"
+
+
+def _launcher_namespace() -> dict:
+    return runpy.run_path(str(SCRIPT), run_name="rein_aharness_claim_test")
+
+
+def test_runtime_defaults_expose_bao_and_approle(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    apply_defaults = _launcher_namespace()["_apply_runtime_defaults"]
+
+    env = apply_defaults({"PATH": "/usr/bin:/bin"}, tmp_path)
+
+    assert env["BAO_ADDR"] == "https://bao.coulomb.social"
+    assert env["VAULT_ADDR"] == env["BAO_ADDR"]
+    assert env["EXECUTOR_APPROLE_DIR"] == str(
+        tmp_path / ".local/rein-aharness/approle-binky-mail"
+    )
+    assert env["PATH"].split(os.pathsep)[0] == str(tmp_path / ".local/bin")
+
+
+def test_runtime_defaults_preserve_explicit_configuration(tmp_path: Path) -> None:
+    apply_defaults = _launcher_namespace()["_apply_runtime_defaults"]
+    configured_bin = str(tmp_path / ".local/bin")
+    env = {
+        "BAO_ADDR": "https://bao.example.test",
+        "VAULT_ADDR": "https://vault.example.test",
+        "EXECUTOR_APPROLE_DIR": "/run/approle",
+        "PATH": f"{configured_bin}:/usr/bin",
+    }
+
+    resolved = apply_defaults(env, tmp_path)
+
+    assert resolved["BAO_ADDR"] == "https://bao.example.test"
+    assert resolved["VAULT_ADDR"] == "https://vault.example.test"
+    assert resolved["EXECUTOR_APPROLE_DIR"] == "/run/approle"
+    assert resolved["PATH"] == f"{configured_bin}:/usr/bin"
diff --git a/workplans/ADHOC-2026-09-04.md b/workplans/ADHOC-2026-09-04.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e220258
--- /dev/null
+++ b/workplans/ADHOC-2026-09-04.md
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+---
+id: HARNESS-WP-ADHOC-2026-09-04
+type: workplan
+title: "Restore Binky mail-scan OpenBao runtime discovery"
+domain: infotech
+repo: rein-aharness
+status: finished
+owner: codex
+topic_slug: activity-core
+created: "2026-09-04"
+updated: "2026-09-04"
+---
+
+# Restore Binky mail-scan OpenBao runtime discovery
+
+## Repair and verify the claim-loop runtime
+
+```task
+id: HARNESS-WP-ADHOC-2026-09-04-T01
+status: done
+priority: high
+```
+
+Make the railiance01 claim-loop discover the existing host-installed OpenBao
+client and the already-provisioned Binky mail AppRole directory. Preserve
+explicit environment overrides, install the corrected launcher/unit, and prove
+an AppRole login plus allowlisted IMAP field presence without exposing values.
+
+Completed 2026-09-04. The launcher now supplies non-secret defaults for
+`BAO_ADDR`, `VAULT_ADDR`, and `EXECUTOR_APPROLE_DIR`, and ensures
+`~/.local/bin` is present in `PATH`; explicit overrides remain authoritative.
+The corrected wrapper and unit were installed on railiance01 and the claim loop
+restarted cleanly. Its child environment resolves OpenBao v2.5.4 at the
+expected address and the existing mode-0600 AppRole files. A capabilities-safe
+smoke proved `read` on `tenants/data/binky/company-email/imap`, `deny` on the
+sibling Qonto path, and field presence for `IMAP_USERNAME` and `IMAP_PASSWORD`
+without printing either value. Focused launcher and mail-scan tests passed
+5 tests. Pre-change live launcher and unit backups carry suffix
+`.pre-bao-fix-20260904`.