diff --git a/deploy/railiance/apps/charts/state-hub/templates/deployment.yaml b/deploy/railiance/apps/charts/state-hub/templates/deployment.yaml
index 1e4988c..41c1faf 100644
--- a/deploy/railiance/apps/charts/state-hub/templates/deployment.yaml
+++ b/deploy/railiance/apps/charts/state-hub/templates/deployment.yaml
@@ -97,6 +97,14 @@ spec:
               readOnly: true
             {{- end }}
           env:
+            {{- if .Values.renamePreflight.enabled }}
+            - name: REPOSITORY_RENAME_PREFLIGHT_SECRET
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: {{ .Values.renamePreflight.secretName | quote }}
+                  key: REPOSITORY_RENAME_PREFLIGHT_SECRET
+                  optional: false
+            {{- end }}
             - name: HOME
               value: /tmp
             {{- if .Values.sweep.enabled }}
diff --git a/deploy/railiance/apps/charts/state-hub/values.yaml b/deploy/railiance/apps/charts/state-hub/values.yaml
index bc7bf9f..97bb087 100644
--- a/deploy/railiance/apps/charts/state-hub/values.yaml
+++ b/deploy/railiance/apps/charts/state-hub/values.yaml
@@ -190,3 +190,8 @@ sweep:
   hostname: ""
   hostPath: /home/tegwick
   sshHostPath: /home/tegwick/.ssh
+
+# RPF-WP-0035-T04: API-only, separately owned ESO Secret; no secret values here.
+renamePreflight:
+  enabled: false
+  secretName: state-hub-rename-preflight
diff --git a/tests/test_preflight_signing_rotation.py b/tests/test_preflight_signing_rotation.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae0e3d6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_preflight_signing_rotation.py
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+"""Single-key invalidation guarantees needed by the platform rotation fence."""
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta, timezone
+
+import pytest
+
+from api.config import settings
+from api.services.repository_rename import (
+    RenamePreconditionFailed, RenameServiceUnavailable,
+    _sign_preflight, _verify_preflight_token,
+)
+
+
+def test_rotation_invalidates_predecessor_and_accepts_successor(monkeypatch):
+    payload = {'expires_at': (datetime.now(timezone.utc) + timedelta(minutes=15)).isoformat()}
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, 'repository_rename_preflight_secret', 'fixture-old-key')
+    predecessor = _sign_preflight(payload)
+    assert _verify_preflight_token(predecessor) == payload
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, 'repository_rename_preflight_secret', 'fixture-new-key')
+    with pytest.raises(RenamePreconditionFailed):
+        _verify_preflight_token(predecessor)
+    assert _verify_preflight_token(_sign_preflight(payload)) == payload
+
+
+def test_tamper_expiry_and_no_key_fail_closed(monkeypatch):
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, 'repository_rename_preflight_secret', 'fixture-key')
+    future = {'expires_at': (datetime.now(timezone.utc) + timedelta(minutes=15)).isoformat()}
+    token = _sign_preflight(future)
+    encoded, signature = token.split('.')
+    with pytest.raises(RenamePreconditionFailed):
+        _verify_preflight_token(encoded + '.' + ('A' if signature[0] != 'A' else 'B') + signature[1:])
+    past = {'expires_at': (datetime.now(timezone.utc) - timedelta(seconds=1)).isoformat()}
+    with pytest.raises(RenamePreconditionFailed, match='expired'):
+        _verify_preflight_token(_sign_preflight(past))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(settings, 'repository_rename_preflight_secret', None)
+    with pytest.raises(RenameServiceUnavailable):
+        _sign_preflight(future)
+    with pytest.raises(RenameServiceUnavailable):
+        _verify_preflight_token(token)
diff --git a/workplans/STATE-WP-0088-preflight-signing-runtime-acceptance.md b/workplans/STATE-WP-0088-preflight-signing-runtime-acceptance.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b9f5eb6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/workplans/STATE-WP-0088-preflight-signing-runtime-acceptance.md
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+---
+id: STATE-WP-0088
+type: workplan
+title: "Accept the platform preflight signing lane in the State Hub API"
+domain: infotech
+repo: state-hub
+status: active
+owner: codex
+topic_slug: infotech
+created: "2026-09-05"
+updated: "2026-09-05"
+related:
+  - RPF-WP-0035
+  - STATE-WP-0085
+  - FLEX-WP-0020
+quality_dor: DoR-Ok
+quality_dor_note: "Exact platform design and user-requested task reviewed against live primary; bounded API-only delivery and controlled-outage rotation fence."
+---
+
+## Wire and validate API-only delivery
+
+```task
+id: STATE-WP-0088-T01
+status: done
+priority: high
+```
+
+Chart opt-in `renamePreflight.enabled` adds a required explicit Secret ref only
+to the API container. Default disabled; no plaintext chart values or shared env
+Secret ownership. Helm rendering proves MCP/migration exclusion. Existing
+repository-rename API tests pass (13 tests). Platform owns CCR-2026-0015 and ESO.
+
+## Accept live signing and fenced rotation
+
+```task
+id: STATE-WP-0088-T02
+status: progress
+priority: high
+```
+
+Fresh live flex-auth -> access-engine preflight returns exactly the
+`preflight_signing_unavailable` blocker. Target is primary/railiance01,
+namespace/release/deployment state-hub, current API SA state-hub and one replica.
+After platform custody verification, enable the chart, prove API-only delivery,
+all-replica key equality, health and non-mutating signed preflight. Then stop all
+API replicas (including terminating pods), rotate with CAS through platform,
+wait ESO, restart and prove predecessor invalidation and forward recovery.
+Runbook: railiance-platform/docs/credential-lane-designs/state-hub-preflight-activation.md.
+No repository rename is in scope. Live completion is pending attended OpenBao
+OIDC/MFA; ambient session returned 403.