diff --git a/.claude/memory/project-status.md b/.claude/memory/project-status.md
index 8c26a8b..adbf7e7 100644
--- a/.claude/memory/project-status.md
+++ b/.claude/memory/project-status.md
@@ -8,6 +8,15 @@ metadata:
 
 # Project Status (2026-07-13)
 
+## Selected-node model placement (2026-07-14)
+
+- Admin Model placement now opens a node selector for load and release; the control-plane accepts optional `node_id` and targets only that registry assignment. Multi-model serving remains supported through `ADD_SHARD` and `max_loaded_shards`.
+- Total node pool resource values are rendered from `/v1/network/map`'s `node.capacity` contract. Route selection remains assignment/capability/throughput/queue based; capacity is used for placement and falls back to tracker defaults only if a node truly omits it.
+
+## Distributed inference performance (2026-07-14)
+
+`DIP-001` is done in `.scratch/distributed-inference-performance/`: the deterministic two-node Route Session stub benchmark covers direct/relay plus cached/stateless prefill and decode. Its JSON and concise summary explicitly attribute model execution, activation encode/decode, compression, connection setup, relay queueing, local HTTP forwarding, and end-to-end seam latency. `PYTHONPATH=packages/node pytest -q tests/test_route_session_benchmark.py` passed (7); the fixture assertion checks output-token identity and connection attempts.
+
 > Doc reconciliation 2026-07-13: `docs/prd.json` tracks US-001…US-050 (048 memory budget, 049 mainnet pilot, 050 Qwen demand placement). ADRs 0025–0026 added (TAI phase B/C, assignment ownership).
 
 All 35 user stories in docs/prd.json are done (35/35), including the reward-system arc US-030…US-035 completed 2026-07-02:
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 9298b32..3c6cbc2 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ dist/
 !.env.testnet
 .rocm-local/*
 .pytest-tmp/*
+.cache/
 
 # Local tracker/node sqlite databases (never commit runtime state)
 *.sqlite
diff --git a/.scratch/dashboard-test-runner/PRD.md b/.scratch/dashboard-test-runner/PRD.md
index e7782a2..ef01546 100644
--- a/.scratch/dashboard-test-runner/PRD.md
+++ b/.scratch/dashboard-test-runner/PRD.md
@@ -12,4 +12,10 @@ Provide an opt-in, admin-only tracker Dashboard Testing tab that dynamically dis
 - One active run.
 - Real inference stays separately environment-gated and excluded from default suites.
 
+## Operator workflow
+
+See [`docs/dev/dashboard-test-runner.md`](../../docs/dev/dashboard-test-runner.md)
+for launch configuration, default safe suites vs the gated real-inference suite,
+and required environment variables.
+
 See `prd.json` for executable Ralph user stories and acceptance criteria.
diff --git a/.scratch/dashboard-test-runner/prd.json b/.scratch/dashboard-test-runner/prd.json
index 334e875..d57977e 100644
--- a/.scratch/dashboard-test-runner/prd.json
+++ b/.scratch/dashboard-test-runner/prd.json
@@ -51,15 +51,16 @@
         "uv run pytest tests/test_dashboard.py tests/test_dynamic_routing.py -q passes."
       ],
       "priority": 3,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Do not reintroduce --enable-test-runner without implementing its CLI argument in US-001.",
       "dependsOn": [
         "US-001",
         "US-002"
-      ]
+      ],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     }
   ],
   "metadata": {
-    "updatedAt": "2026-07-11T17:02:30.520Z"
+    "updatedAt": "2026-07-12T01:58:06.286Z"
   }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.scratch/distributed-inference-performance/issues/01-baseline-profiling-harness.md b/.scratch/distributed-inference-performance/issues/01-baseline-profiling-harness.md
index 0847134..79d1170 100644
--- a/.scratch/distributed-inference-performance/issues/01-baseline-profiling-harness.md
+++ b/.scratch/distributed-inference-performance/issues/01-baseline-profiling-harness.md
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-Status: ready-for-agent
+Status: done (2026-07-14)
 
 # 01 — Baseline and profiling harness
 
@@ -12,16 +12,15 @@ sizes and connection counts without requiring a real model or external host.
 
 ## Acceptance criteria
 
-- [ ] The harness runs a fixed prompt and fixed generated-token count through a
+- [x] The harness runs a fixed prompt and fixed generated-token count through a
   two-node route in direct and relay modes.
-- [ ] It reports p50/p95 per-token latency, per-hop latency, payload bytes,
+- [x] It reports p50/p95 per-token latency, per-hop latency, payload bytes,
   compression ratio, connection attempts, and queue wait.
-- [ ] It distinguishes prefill from decode and cached from stateless mode.
-- [ ] It emits machine-readable JSON suitable for CI artifacts and a concise
+- [x] It distinguishes prefill from decode and cached from stateless mode.
+- [x] It emits machine-readable JSON suitable for CI artifacts and a concise
   human-readable summary.
-- [ ] A test fixture can assert connection attempts and output token identity.
+- [x] A test fixture can assert connection attempts and output token identity.
 
 ## Blocked by
 
-None - can start immediately.
-
+None - completed. Verified with `PYTHONPATH=packages/node pytest -q tests/test_route_session_benchmark.py` (7 passed).
diff --git a/.scratch/distributed-inference-performance/prd.json b/.scratch/distributed-inference-performance/prd.json
index a9000e7..9006c66 100644
--- a/.scratch/distributed-inference-performance/prd.json
+++ b/.scratch/distributed-inference-performance/prd.json
@@ -15,9 +15,10 @@
         "Can assert connection count and output token identity"
       ],
       "priority": 1,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Source issue: .scratch/distributed-inference-performance/issues/01-baseline-profiling-harness.md",
-      "dependsOn": []
+      "dependsOn": [],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     },
     {
       "id": "DIP-002",
@@ -31,9 +32,12 @@
         "Tests cover binary, JSON, timeout, disconnect, cancellation, and cleanup"
       ],
       "priority": 2,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Source issue: .scratch/distributed-inference-performance/issues/02-relay-session-compatibility.md",
-      "dependsOn": ["DIP-001"]
+      "dependsOn": [
+        "DIP-001"
+      ],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     },
     {
       "id": "DIP-003",
@@ -47,9 +51,12 @@
         "Benchmark shows healthy-session connection count independent of token count"
       ],
       "priority": 3,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Source issue: .scratch/distributed-inference-performance/issues/03-http-keepalive.md",
-      "dependsOn": ["DIP-001"]
+      "dependsOn": [
+        "DIP-001"
+      ],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     },
     {
       "id": "DIP-004",
@@ -63,9 +70,12 @@
         "Tests verify cadence and cleanup"
       ],
       "priority": 4,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Source issue: .scratch/distributed-inference-performance/issues/04-seam-telemetry.md",
-      "dependsOn": ["DIP-001"]
+      "dependsOn": [
+        "DIP-001"
+      ],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     },
     {
       "id": "DIP-005",
@@ -79,9 +89,12 @@
         "Tests cover compressible, incompressible, threshold, malformed, and legacy bodies"
       ],
       "priority": 5,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Source issue: .scratch/distributed-inference-performance/issues/05-adaptive-compression.md",
-      "dependsOn": ["DIP-001"]
+      "dependsOn": [
+        "DIP-001"
+      ],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     },
     {
       "id": "DIP-006",
@@ -95,9 +108,12 @@
         "Wire and token-output regression tests pass"
       ],
       "priority": 6,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Source issue: .scratch/distributed-inference-performance/issues/06-activation-framing-copies.md",
-      "dependsOn": ["DIP-001"]
+      "dependsOn": [
+        "DIP-001"
+      ],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     },
     {
       "id": "DIP-007",
@@ -111,9 +127,13 @@
         "Tests cover chunking, slow consumers, failure, and legacy peers"
       ],
       "priority": 7,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Source issue: .scratch/distributed-inference-performance/issues/07-prefill-backpressure.md",
-      "dependsOn": ["DIP-001", "DIP-004"]
+      "dependsOn": [
+        "DIP-001",
+        "DIP-004"
+      ],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     },
     {
       "id": "DIP-008",
@@ -127,9 +147,20 @@
         "Gate verifies token identity, session stability, and resource cleanup"
       ],
       "priority": 8,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Source issue: .scratch/distributed-inference-performance/issues/08-end-to-end-performance-gate.md",
-      "dependsOn": ["DIP-002", "DIP-003", "DIP-004", "DIP-005", "DIP-006", "DIP-007"]
+      "dependsOn": [
+        "DIP-002",
+        "DIP-003",
+        "DIP-004",
+        "DIP-005",
+        "DIP-006",
+        "DIP-007"
+      ],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     }
-  ]
-}
+  ],
+  "metadata": {
+    "updatedAt": "2026-07-12T02:35:28.752Z"
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/.scratch/node-capability-admission/prd.json b/.scratch/node-capability-admission/prd.json
index dad87ae..1cfe28d 100644
--- a/.scratch/node-capability-admission/prd.json
+++ b/.scratch/node-capability-admission/prd.json
@@ -35,11 +35,12 @@
         "Full pytest passes or an exact unrelated blocker is recorded"
       ],
       "priority": 2,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Source issue: .scratch/node-capability-admission/issues/02-doctor-real-forward.md",
       "dependsOn": [
         "NCA-001"
-      ]
+      ],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     },
     {
       "id": "NCA-003",
@@ -54,12 +55,13 @@
         "Full pytest passes or an exact unrelated blocker is recorded"
       ],
       "priority": 3,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Source issue: .scratch/node-capability-admission/issues/03-fail-closed-startup-admission.md",
       "dependsOn": [
         "NCA-001",
         "NCA-002"
-      ]
+      ],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     },
     {
       "id": "NCA-004",
@@ -76,12 +78,13 @@
         "Full pytest passes or an exact unrelated blocker is recorded"
       ],
       "priority": 4,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Source issue: .scratch/node-capability-admission/issues/04-tracker-validated-capability-routing.md",
       "dependsOn": [
         "NCA-001",
         "NCA-003"
-      ]
+      ],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     },
     {
       "id": "NCA-005",
@@ -96,15 +99,16 @@
         "Full pytest passes or an exact unrelated blocker is recorded"
       ],
       "priority": 5,
-      "passes": false,
+      "passes": true,
       "notes": "Source issue: .scratch/node-capability-admission/issues/05-docs-hardware-lane-contract.md",
       "dependsOn": [
         "NCA-002",
         "NCA-004"
-      ]
+      ],
+      "completionNotes": "Completed by agent"
     }
   ],
   "metadata": {
-    "updatedAt": "2026-07-11T19:16:52.768Z"
+    "updatedAt": "2026-07-12T01:54:03.030Z"
   }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/_DEV_NOTES.md b/_DEV_NOTES.md
index 28f7987..acb8dc4 100644
--- a/_DEV_NOTES.md
+++ b/_DEV_NOTES.md
@@ -16,12 +16,9 @@
 
 
 .\.venv\Scripts\meshnet-node.exe start http://192.168.0.179:8081 --model-id Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct  --advertise-host 192.168.0.20
- .\.venv\Scripts\meshnet-node.exe start --tracker http://ai.neuron.d-popov.com  --model-id Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct  --advertise-host 192.168.0.20      
+ .\.venv\Scripts\meshnet-node.exe start --tracker http://ai.neuron.d-popov.com  --model Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct  --advertise-host 192.168.0.20      
 
- we .\.venv\Scripts\meshnet-node.exe start `                                                                                                                                            
-    --tracker http://192.168.0.179:8081 `                                                                                                                                             
-    --model Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct `                                                                                                                                              
-    --advertise-host 192.168.0.20                                                                                                                                                     
+ we .\.venv\Scripts\meshnet-node.exe start --tracker http://192.168.0.179:8081 --model Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct
    #  trackers:
  https://meshnet.2.d-popov.com 
  https://ai.neuron.d-popov.com 
diff --git a/docs/issues/42-gguf-llamacpp-node-backend.md b/docs/issues/42-gguf-llamacpp-node-backend.md
index dc26ac4..3a33c05 100644
--- a/docs/issues/42-gguf-llamacpp-node-backend.md
+++ b/docs/issues/42-gguf-llamacpp-node-backend.md
@@ -1,9 +1,16 @@
 # US-042 — GGUF/llama.cpp node backend
 
 Status: planned
-Priority: High (whole-model GGUF shortcut; distributed path in [ADR-0024](../adr/0024-distributed-gguf-runtime.md))
+Priority: High (unlocks DeepSeek-V4-Flash on volunteer hardware — the pool's core value)
 Stage: Draft design
 
+## Goal
+
+Run **DeepSeek-V4-Flash** as the first real large-model target on volunteer
+hardware via GGUF/llama.cpp. This epic is no longer GLM-oriented: the initial
+objective is to prove that DeepSeek-V4-Flash can load and serve correctly on
+consumer/unified-memory nodes, then expand from there.
+
 ## Context
 
 The node backend is transformers-only (`model_backend.py` →
@@ -35,17 +42,7 @@ to it (single-hop route). Smallest step, no cross-node activation work, and
 already useful: Strix Halo 128 GB serves DeepSeek-V4-Flash IQ3_XXS (114 GB)
 via llama.cpp Vulkan today.
 
-Recommended sequencing: **C first** (US-042), then **ADR-0024 benchmark gate** (DGR-001), then distributed native worker (DGR-002+). Direction B (llama.cpp RPC) is rejected per ADR-0024.
-
-## Runtime sequencing
-
-| Stage | Track | Delivers |
-|---|---|---|
-| **C — Whole-model GGUF** | US-042 (this issue) | Single-hop llama.cpp, billing, relay streaming |
-| **0 — Benchmark gate** | ADR-0024 DGR-001 | Safetensors vs GGUF measured contract |
-| **1 — Distributed GGUF** | ADR-0024 `.scratch/distributed-gguf-runtime/` | gRPC C++ worker, layer-range GGUF |
-
-Phase C uses the existing tracker hop path (whole model, one node). ADR-0024 direction A (layer-range GGUF + activations) merges into the native worker track after the benchmark gate — not in parallel with phase C on the same backend without an integration plan.
+Recommended sequencing: C first (small, real value), then A/B investigation.
 
 ## Also in scope
 
diff --git a/packages/node/meshnet_node/hardware.py b/packages/node/meshnet_node/hardware.py
index 7c97a06..9bffa9a 100644
--- a/packages/node/meshnet_node/hardware.py
+++ b/packages/node/meshnet_node/hardware.py
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 import json
 import os
+import shutil
 import subprocess
 import time
 
@@ -183,6 +184,17 @@ def with_forced_cpu(hw: dict) -> dict:
     return forced
 
 
+def _with_model_drive(profile: dict) -> dict:
+    """Attach free space for the default model cache drive to tracker diagnostics."""
+    try:
+        cache_root = os.path.expanduser("~/.cache/meshnet/shards")
+        profile["model_drive_free_bytes"] = shutil.disk_usage(os.path.expanduser("~")).free
+        profile["model_drive_path"] = cache_root
+    except OSError:
+        pass
+    return profile
+
+
 def detect_hardware() -> dict:
     """Detect GPU model and available VRAM. Returns hardware profile dict."""
     ram_mb = _detect_ram_mb()
@@ -208,23 +220,23 @@ def detect_hardware() -> dict:
             }
             if torch_gpu is not None and torch_gpu.get("gcn_arch"):
                 profile["gcn_arch"] = torch_gpu["gcn_arch"]
-            return profile
+            return _with_model_drive(profile)
     except ImportError:
         pass
 
     torch_inventory = _gpu_inventory_profile(torch_gpu, ram_mb)
     if torch_inventory is not None:
-        return torch_inventory
+        return _with_model_drive(torch_inventory)
 
     nvidia_gpu = _gpu_inventory_profile(_detect_nvidia_smi_gpu_memory(), ram_mb)
     if nvidia_gpu is not None:
-        return nvidia_gpu
+        return _with_model_drive(nvidia_gpu)
 
     windows_gpu = _gpu_inventory_profile(_detect_windows_gpu_memory(), ram_mb)
     if windows_gpu is not None:
-        return windows_gpu
+        return _with_model_drive(windows_gpu)
 
-    return {
+    return _with_model_drive({
         "device": "cpu",
         "gpu_name": None,
         "vram_mb": 0,
@@ -232,7 +244,7 @@ def detect_hardware() -> dict:
         "shared_vram_mb": 0,
         "ram_mb": ram_mb,
         "cuda_available": False,
-    }
+    })
 
 
 def benchmark_throughput_checked(device_str: str = "cpu") -> tuple[float, bool, str | None]:
diff --git a/packages/node/meshnet_node/route_session_benchmark.py b/packages/node/meshnet_node/route_session_benchmark.py
index f83eb5f..fdcfef4 100644
--- a/packages/node/meshnet_node/route_session_benchmark.py
+++ b/packages/node/meshnet_node/route_session_benchmark.py
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ class SeamSample:
     cache_mode: CacheMode
     model_ms: float
     encode_ms: float
+    activation_decode_ms: float
     framing_ms: float
     metadata_ms: float
     copy_allocation_ms: float
@@ -52,6 +53,7 @@ class SeamSample:
     decompression_ms: float
     connection_setup_ms: float
     queue_wait_ms: float
+    local_http_forwarding_ms: float
     transport_ms: float
     seam_latency_ms: float
     payload_bytes: int
@@ -120,6 +122,10 @@ def _summary(samples: list[SeamSample]) -> dict[str, float | int]:
         "compression_cpu_ms": round(
             sum(sample.compression_ms + sample.decompression_ms for sample in samples), 4
         ),
+        "model_execution_ms": round(sum(sample.model_ms for sample in samples), 4),
+        "activation_encoding_ms": round(sum(sample.encode_ms for sample in samples), 4),
+        "activation_decoding_ms": round(sum(sample.activation_decode_ms for sample in samples), 4),
+        "local_http_forwarding_ms": round(sum(sample.local_http_forwarding_ms for sample in samples), 4),
         "peak_buffered_bytes": max((sample.copy_allocation_bytes for sample in samples), default=0),
     }
 
@@ -159,6 +165,7 @@ class _StubTransport:
         queue_wait_ms = 0.0 if self.mode == "direct" else 0.18 + (0.05 if token_index is not None and token_index % 2 else 0.0)
         model_ms = 1.6 if phase == "prefill" else 0.45
         encode_ms = 0.16 if phase == "prefill" else 0.06
+        activation_decode_ms = 0.055 if phase == "prefill" else 0.02
         # Keep framing/metadata/copy costs explicit rather than hiding them in
         # serialization or transport time.  The stub owns one binary frame and
         # one response body per hop; no base64 body is modeled.
@@ -168,20 +175,26 @@ class _StubTransport:
         copy_allocation_bytes = wire_bytes + payload_bytes
         compression_ms = 0.09 if self.scenario.compression else 0.0
         decompression_ms = 0.07 if self.scenario.compression else 0.0
+        # Both routes finish by forwarding the decoded activation to the local
+        # tail-node HTTP handler; relay adds its own queue before that hop.
+        local_http_forwarding_ms = 0.11 if self.mode == "direct" else 0.16
         transport_ms = (0.32 if self.mode == "direct" else 0.61) + wire_bytes / 100_000
         seam_latency_ms = round(
-            model_ms + encode_ms + framing_ms + metadata_ms + copy_allocation_ms
-            + compression_ms + decompression_ms + connection_setup_ms + queue_wait_ms + transport_ms,
+            model_ms + encode_ms + activation_decode_ms + framing_ms + metadata_ms + copy_allocation_ms
+            + compression_ms + decompression_ms + connection_setup_ms + queue_wait_ms + transport_ms
+            + local_http_forwarding_ms,
             4,
         )
         return SeamSample(
             phase=phase, token_index=token_index, session_id=self.session_id,
             activation_id=f"benchmark-activation-{self._activation_count}", seam="head->tail", mode=self.mode,
             cache_mode=self.cache_mode, model_ms=model_ms, encode_ms=encode_ms,
+            activation_decode_ms=activation_decode_ms,
             framing_ms=framing_ms, metadata_ms=metadata_ms,
             copy_allocation_ms=copy_allocation_ms, copy_allocation_bytes=copy_allocation_bytes,
             compression_ms=compression_ms, decompression_ms=decompression_ms,
             connection_setup_ms=connection_setup_ms, queue_wait_ms=queue_wait_ms,
+            local_http_forwarding_ms=local_http_forwarding_ms,
             transport_ms=round(transport_ms, 4), seam_latency_ms=seam_latency_ms,
             payload_bytes=payload_bytes, wire_bytes=wire_bytes,
             compression_ratio=round(payload_bytes / wire_bytes, 4), connection_attempted=connection_attempted,
@@ -329,9 +342,10 @@ def run_real_model_lan_benchmark(url: str, *, model: str, timeout: float = 120.0
     sample = SeamSample(
         phase="decode", token_index=0, session_id=session_id, activation_id="lan-activation-1",
         seam="head->tail", mode="direct", cache_mode="cached", model_ms=0.0, encode_ms=0.0,
+        activation_decode_ms=0.0,
         framing_ms=0.0, metadata_ms=0.0, copy_allocation_ms=0.0, copy_allocation_bytes=0,
         compression_ms=0.0, decompression_ms=0.0, connection_setup_ms=elapsed_ms,
-        queue_wait_ms=0.0, transport_ms=elapsed_ms, seam_latency_ms=elapsed_ms,
+        queue_wait_ms=0.0, local_http_forwarding_ms=0.0, transport_ms=elapsed_ms, seam_latency_ms=elapsed_ms,
         payload_bytes=len(body), wire_bytes=len(body) + len(response_body), compression_ratio=1.0,
         connection_attempted=True,
     )
@@ -354,6 +368,10 @@ def format_summary(report: dict) -> str:
             f"{decode['tokens_per_sec']:.1f} tok/s; {decode['bytes_per_token']:.0f} B/tok; "
             f"seam {seam['payload_bytes']}/{seam['wire_bytes']} B "
             f"({seam['compression_ratio']:.2f}x); connections {run['connections']['attempts']}; "
+            f"model/encode/decode {decode['model_execution_ms']:.2f}/"
+            f"{decode['activation_encoding_ms']:.2f}/{decode['activation_decoding_ms']:.2f} ms; "
+            f"compression {decode['compression_cpu_ms']:.2f} ms; "
+            f"HTTP {decode['local_http_forwarding_ms']:.2f} ms; "
             f"queue p95 {decode['p95_queue_wait_ms']:.2f} ms"
         )
     return "\n".join(lines)
diff --git a/packages/node/meshnet_node/startup.py b/packages/node/meshnet_node/startup.py
index 77192f0..dd8a4df 100644
--- a/packages/node/meshnet_node/startup.py
+++ b/packages/node/meshnet_node/startup.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ import urllib.error
 import urllib.parse
 import urllib.request
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import Any
+from typing import Any, Callable
 
 from .admission import (
     AdmissionRequirement,
@@ -419,6 +419,7 @@ def _start_heartbeat(
     interval: float = _HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL_IDLE,
     node_ref: Any | None = None,
     start_time: float | None = None,
+    refresh_capability: Callable[[dict], dict | None] | None = None,
 ) -> threading.Thread:
     """Daemon thread: sends heartbeats and re-registers automatically after tracker restarts.
 
@@ -430,6 +431,7 @@ def _start_heartbeat(
     which is logged for now (hot-reload implemented in US-026).
     """
     _start_time = start_time or time.monotonic()
+    completed_directives: list[dict] = []
 
     def _current_requests_snapshot() -> list[dict]:
         if node_ref is None:
@@ -454,6 +456,8 @@ def _start_heartbeat(
         current_requests = _current_requests_snapshot()
         if current_requests:
             stats["current_requests"] = current_requests
+        if completed_directives:
+            stats["completed_directives"] = list(completed_directives)
         return stats
 
     def _sleep_interval() -> float:
@@ -461,9 +465,26 @@ def _start_heartbeat(
             return _HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL_BUSY
         return interval
 
+    def _refresh_proof(payload: dict) -> None:
+        """Re-prove the current shard so a re-registration never presents an aged proof.
+
+        The tracker refuses proofs older than its freshness budget: re-sending the
+        startup-time report after an outage would re-register the node unroutable.
+        """
+        if refresh_capability is None or "capability_report" not in payload:
+            return
+        try:
+            fresh = refresh_capability(payload)
+        except Exception as exc:
+            print(f"  [node] WARNING: capability re-validation failed: {exc}", flush=True)
+            return
+        if fresh:
+            payload["capability_report"] = fresh
+
     def _reregister() -> bool:
         nonlocal node_id
         try:
+            _refresh_proof(register_payload)
             resp = _post_json(f"{tracker_url}/v1/nodes/register", register_payload)
             node_id = resp.get("node_id", node_id)
             if node_ref is not None:
@@ -485,6 +506,7 @@ def _start_heartbeat(
             "managed_assignment": True,
         }
         try:
+            _refresh_proof(extra_payload)
             reg_resp = _post_json(f"{tracker_url}/v1/nodes/register", extra_payload)
             print(
                 f"  [node] registered additional model — node ID: {reg_resp.get('node_id')}",
@@ -493,21 +515,26 @@ def _start_heartbeat(
         except Exception as exc:
             print(f"  [node] WARNING: additional model registration failed: {exc}", flush=True)
 
-    def _apply_directives(directives: list[dict]) -> None:
+    def _apply_directives(directives: list[dict]) -> dict | None:
         if not directives:
-            return
+            return None
         if node_ref is None or not hasattr(node_ref, "apply_tracker_directives"):
             print(f"  [node] tracker directives received: {directives}", flush=True)
-            return
+            return None
         try:
             applied = node_ref.apply_tracker_directives(directives)
         except Exception as exc:
             print(f"  [node] WARNING: failed to apply tracker directives: {exc}", flush=True)
-            return
+            return None
         if applied:
+            completed_directives.append(dict(applied))
             if applied.get("action") == "ADD_SHARD":
                 _register_additional_assignment(applied)
-                return
+                return applied
+            if applied.get("action") in {"DROP_SHARD", "DROP_ALL_SHARDS"}:
+                # A release has no replacement range. It is not a failed
+                # heartbeat and must not re-register the released assignment.
+                return applied
             model_id = applied.get("model", register_payload.get("hf_repo") or register_payload.get("model"))
             register_payload["model"] = str(model_id).split("/")[-1]
             register_payload["hf_repo"] = model_id
@@ -515,6 +542,7 @@ def _start_heartbeat(
             register_payload["shard_end"] = applied["shard_end"]
             register_payload["quantization"] = applied.get("quantization", register_payload.get("quantization"))
             register_payload["tracker_mode"] = bool(applied.get("tracker_mode", False))
+        return applied
 
     def _loop() -> None:
         nonlocal node_id
@@ -542,7 +570,10 @@ def _start_heartbeat(
                 continue
 
             try:
-                resp = _post_json(hb_url, _get_stats())
+                heartbeat = _get_stats()
+                resp = _post_json(hb_url, heartbeat)
+                if heartbeat.get("completed_directives"):
+                    completed_directives.clear()
                 _apply_directives(resp.get("directives", []))
                 new_asgn = resp.get("new_assignment")
                 if new_asgn:
@@ -579,6 +610,7 @@ def _register_with_tracker(
     reg_payload: dict,
     node: Any,
     start_time: float,
+    refresh_capability: Callable[[dict], dict | None] | None = None,
 ) -> str | None:
     """Register with the tracker, or start background retries when it is unreachable."""
     try:
@@ -586,7 +618,14 @@ def _register_with_tracker(
         tracker_node_id = str(reg_resp.get("node_id") or "?")
         setattr(node, "tracker_node_id", tracker_node_id)
         print(f"  Registered with tracker — node ID: {tracker_node_id}", flush=True)
-        _start_heartbeat(tracker_url, tracker_node_id, reg_payload, node_ref=node, start_time=start_time)
+        _start_heartbeat(
+            tracker_url,
+            tracker_node_id,
+            reg_payload,
+            node_ref=node,
+            start_time=start_time,
+            refresh_capability=refresh_capability,
+        )
         return tracker_node_id
     except Exception as exc:
         setattr(node, "tracker_node_id", None)
@@ -598,6 +637,7 @@ def _register_with_tracker(
             reg_payload,
             node_ref=node,
             start_time=start_time,
+            refresh_capability=refresh_capability,
         )
         return None
 
@@ -718,6 +758,54 @@ def _admit_capability(
     return report
 
 
+def _capability_refresher(
+    node: Any,
+    *,
+    manifest: RecipeManifest,
+    recipe: Recipe,
+    detected_device: str,
+    cache_dir: Path | None,
+    force_cpu: bool,
+    validator: CapabilityValidator | None = None,
+) -> Callable[[dict], dict | None]:
+    """A fresh proof for what the node serves *now*, run at re-registration time.
+
+    The startup proof ages past the tracker's freshness budget, and directives
+    can move the node to a shard the startup proof never covered — so every
+    re-registration re-proves against the currently loaded backend rather than
+    replaying the report captured at boot.
+    """
+    def refresh(payload: dict) -> dict | None:
+        target_model = payload.get("hf_repo") or payload.get("model")
+        backend = None
+        accessor = getattr(node, "backend_for", None)
+        if callable(accessor) and target_model:
+            backend = accessor(str(target_model))
+        if backend is None:
+            backend = getattr(node, "backend", None)
+        if backend is None:
+            return None
+        context = CapabilityContext(
+            backend=backend,
+            selection=DoctorSelection(
+                model_id=str(getattr(backend, "model_id", target_model)),
+                shard_start=int(getattr(backend, "shard_start", 0) or 0),
+                shard_end=int(getattr(backend, "shard_end", 0) or 0),
+                quantization=str(getattr(backend, "quantization", None) or "auto"),
+                cache_dir=cache_dir,
+                force_cpu=force_cpu,
+            ),
+            recipe=recipe,
+            manifest=manifest,
+            device=_capability_device(backend, detected_device),
+        )
+        report = (validator or probe_capability)(context)
+        setattr(node, "capability_report", report)
+        return report.to_dict()
+
+    return refresh
+
+
 def run_startup(
     tracker_url: str,
     port: int = 0,
@@ -1026,6 +1114,15 @@ def run_startup(
         }
         tracker_node_id = _register_with_tracker(
             tracker_url, reg_payload, node, _node_start_time,
+            refresh_capability=_capability_refresher(
+                node,
+                manifest=manifest,
+                recipe=recipe,
+                detected_device=device,
+                cache_dir=cache_dir,
+                force_cpu=force_cpu,
+                validator=capability_validator,
+            ),
         )
 
         print(
@@ -1197,6 +1294,15 @@ def run_startup(
         }
         tracker_node_id = _register_with_tracker(
             tracker_url, auto_reg_payload, node, _node_start_time,
+            refresh_capability=_capability_refresher(
+                node,
+                manifest=manifest,
+                recipe=recipe,
+                detected_device=device,
+                cache_dir=cache_dir,
+                force_cpu=force_cpu,
+                validator=capability_validator,
+            ),
         )
         shard_label = _format_shard_label(
             assigned_shard_start,
@@ -1389,6 +1495,15 @@ def run_startup(
         }
         tracker_node_id = _register_with_tracker(
             tracker_url, reg_payload, node, _node_start_time,
+            refresh_capability=_capability_refresher(
+                node,
+                manifest=manifest,
+                recipe=recipe,
+                detected_device=device,
+                cache_dir=cache_dir,
+                force_cpu=force_cpu,
+                validator=capability_validator,
+            ),
         )
         print(
             f"\n{'=' * 32}\n"
@@ -1474,7 +1589,22 @@ def run_startup(
         )
         node_id = str(reg_resp["node_id"])
         setattr(node, "tracker_node_id", node_id)
-        _start_heartbeat(tracker_url, node_id, reg_payload, node_ref=node, start_time=_node_start_time)
+        _start_heartbeat(
+            tracker_url,
+            node_id,
+            reg_payload,
+            node_ref=node,
+            start_time=_node_start_time,
+            refresh_capability=_capability_refresher(
+                node,
+                manifest=manifest,
+                recipe=recipe,
+                detected_device=device,
+                cache_dir=shard_path,
+                force_cpu=force_cpu,
+                validator=capability_validator,
+            ),
+        )
     except Exception:
         node.stop()
         raise
diff --git a/packages/node/meshnet_node/torch_server.py b/packages/node/meshnet_node/torch_server.py
index e58cf6d..d464561 100644
--- a/packages/node/meshnet_node/torch_server.py
+++ b/packages/node/meshnet_node/torch_server.py
@@ -1543,8 +1543,52 @@ class TorchNodeServer:
     def loaded_model_ids(self) -> list[str]:
         return list(self._backends.keys())
 
+    def backend_for(self, model_id: str) -> TorchModelShard | None:
+        """The loaded backend serving `model_id` — full repo id or short name."""
+        backend = self._backends.get(model_id)
+        if backend is not None:
+            return backend
+        short = model_id.split("/")[-1].lower()
+        for key, candidate in self._backends.items():
+            if key.split("/")[-1].lower() == short:
+                return candidate
+        return None
+
     def apply_tracker_directives(self, directives: list[dict]) -> dict | None:
         """Apply tracker shard directives (LOAD_SHARD replace, ADD_SHARD load-more)."""
+        drop_all_directive = next(
+            (directive for directive in reversed(directives) if directive.get("action") == "DROP_ALL_SHARDS"),
+            None,
+        )
+        if drop_all_directive is not None:
+            self._backends.clear()
+            self._backend = None
+            self._tracker_mode = False
+            if self._server is not None:
+                self._server.backends = {}
+                self._server.backend = None
+                self._server.tracker_mode = False
+            return {"action": "DROP_ALL_SHARDS"}
+        drop_directive = next(
+            (directive for directive in reversed(directives) if directive.get("action") == "DROP_SHARD"),
+            None,
+        )
+        if drop_directive is not None:
+            model_id = str(drop_directive.get("model") or "")
+            removed = self._backends.pop(model_id, None)
+            if removed is None:
+                return None
+            if self._backends:
+                self._backend = next(iter(self._backends.values()))
+                self._tracker_mode = self._backend.shard_start == 0
+            else:
+                self._backend = None
+                self._tracker_mode = False
+            if self._server is not None:
+                self._server.backends = dict(self._backends)
+                self._server.backend = self._backend
+                self._server.tracker_mode = self._tracker_mode
+            return {"action": "DROP_SHARD", "model": model_id}
         add_directive = next(
             (directive for directive in reversed(directives) if directive.get("action") == "ADD_SHARD"),
             None,
@@ -1574,6 +1618,8 @@ class TorchNodeServer:
             flush=True,
         )
         try:
+            if replacing:
+                self._backends.clear()
             new_backend = _load_backend(model_id, shard_start, shard_end, quantization, self._cache_dir)
         except TypeError:
             new_backend = _load_backend(model_id, shard_start, shard_end, quantization)
diff --git a/packages/tracker/meshnet_tracker/dashboard.html b/packages/tracker/meshnet_tracker/dashboard.html
index 03fd932..0984262 100644
--- a/packages/tracker/meshnet_tracker/dashboard.html
+++ b/packages/tracker/meshnet_tracker/dashboard.html
@@ -22,8 +22,9 @@
            border-bottom:1px solid var(--border); flex-shrink:0; }
   header h1 { font-size:16px; margin:0; color:var(--accent); }
   header .meta { color:var(--dim); font-size:12px; }
-  main { display:grid; grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(340px,1fr));
+  main { display:grid; grid-template-columns:1fr;
           gap:14px; padding:14px 20px; }
+  main > section { width:100%; min-width:0; }
   body.chat-tab-active main {
     flex:1; min-height:0; display:flex; flex-direction:column;
     padding:0; gap:0; overflow:hidden;
@@ -43,12 +44,15 @@
   .empty { color:var(--dim); font-style:italic; }
   .pill { display:inline-block; padding:0 7px; border-radius:9px;
           border:1px solid var(--border); font-size:11px; }
-  input, button { font:inherit; color:var(--fg); background:var(--bg);
+  input, button, select { font:inherit; color:var(--fg); background:var(--bg);
           border:1px solid var(--border); border-radius:6px; padding:5px 8px; }
   input { width:100%; margin-bottom:6px; }
   button { cursor:pointer; color:var(--accent); }
   button:hover { border-color:var(--accent); }
   button.small { font-size:11px; padding:1px 7px; }
+  dialog { color:var(--fg); background:var(--panel); border:1px solid var(--border); border-radius:8px; min-width:min(420px,calc(100vw - 32px)); }
+  dialog::backdrop { background:rgba(0,0,0,.55); }
+  .placement-dialog-actions { display:flex; justify-content:flex-end; gap:8px; margin-top:12px; }
   .form-row { display:flex; gap:8px; }
   .form-row button { white-space:nowrap; }
   .error-msg { color:var(--bad); font-size:12px; min-height:16px; }
@@ -71,6 +75,12 @@
           background:transparent; color:var(--dim); padding:5px 0 8px; }
   .dashboard-tabs button.active { color:var(--accent); border-bottom-color:var(--accent); }
   .wide { grid-column:1 / -1; }
+  /* Compact status cards fan out on desktop; tables remain readable at half width. */
+  @media (min-width:900px) {
+    main { grid-template-columns:repeat(4,minmax(0,1fr)); }
+    main > section { grid-column:span 1; }
+    .wide { grid-column:span 2; }
+  }
   section[hidden] { display:none !important; }
   section.chat-section {
     padding:0; border:0; border-radius:0; background:var(--bg); min-height:0;
@@ -205,7 +215,7 @@
   .chat-compose button:disabled { opacity:.45; cursor:not-allowed; }
   .console {
     background:var(--bg); border:1px solid var(--border); border-radius:6px;
-    min-height:160px; max-height:280px; overflow:auto; padding:7px 9px;
+    min-height:160px; max-height:520px; overflow-y:auto; overflow-x:auto; padding:7px 9px;
     white-space:pre-wrap; word-break:break-word; font-size:11px;
   }
   .console-line { padding:1px 0; border-bottom:1px solid #161b22; }
@@ -288,6 +298,8 @@
   <section data-tab="billing" data-admin-only><h2>Node pending payouts</h2><div id="pending" class="empty">admin login required</div></section>
   <section data-tab="billing" data-admin-only><h2>Settlement history</h2><div id="settlements" class="empty">admin login required</div></section>
   <section data-tab="admin"><h2>Tracker hive</h2><div id="hive" class="empty">loading…</div></section>
+  <section data-tab="admin" class="wide"><h2>Model placement</h2><div id="admin-model-placement-status" class="dim">Choose a model to load or release.</div><div id="admin-model-placement" class="empty">admin login required</div></section>
+  <section data-tab="admin" class="wide"><h2>Total node pool</h2><div id="admin-node-pool" class="empty">admin login required</div></section>
   <section data-tab="admin" id="admin-section"><h2>All accounts (admin)</h2><div id="admin" class="empty"></div></section>
   <section data-tab="admin" data-admin-only><h2>Strikes / bans / forfeitures</h2><div id="fraud" class="empty">admin login required</div></section>
   <section data-tab="admin"><h2>Client balances</h2><div id="clients" class="empty">admin login required</div></section>
@@ -315,6 +327,16 @@
     <div id="testing-log" class="console empty">no test output yet</div>
   </section>
 </main>
+<dialog id="model-placement-dialog">
+  <form method="dialog">
+    <div id="model-placement-dialog-title"></div>
+    <label for="model-placement-node">Node</label>
+    <select id="model-placement-node"></select>
+    <label id="model-placement-replace" style="display:none"><input type="checkbox" id="model-placement-replace-confirm"> Unload the currently loaded model before loading this one</label>
+    <div id="model-placement-replace-error" class="bad" style="display:none"></div>
+    <div class="placement-dialog-actions"><button value="cancel">Cancel</button><button type="button" id="model-placement-confirm">Confirm</button></div>
+  </form>
+</dialog>
 <script>
 "use strict";
 const $ = id => document.getElementById(id);
@@ -1074,6 +1096,7 @@ function renderBillingUsage(records) {
 }
 
 let consoleClearedAt = 0;
+const CONSOLE_MAX_LINES = 1000;
 
 function clearConsole() {
   consoleClearedAt = Date.now() / 1000;
@@ -1087,7 +1110,7 @@ function renderConsole(data) {
     $("console").innerHTML = '<div class="empty">no console events</div>';
     return;
   }
-  $("console").innerHTML = events.slice(-120).map(e => {
+  $("console").innerHTML = events.slice(-CONSOLE_MAX_LINES).map(e => {
     const level = String(e.level || "info");
     const cls = level === "error" ? "console-level-error" : level === "warn" ? "console-level-warn" : "console-level-info";
     const fields = e.fields && Object.keys(e.fields).length ? " " + JSON.stringify(e.fields) : "";
@@ -1781,7 +1804,7 @@ async function requestSelectedModelLoad() {
   if (!selectedChatModel) return;
   const button = $("request-model-load");
   if (button) button.disabled = true;
-  const result = await apiCall("/v1/models/load", "POST", { model: selectedChatModel });
+  const result = await apiCall("/v1/models/load", "POST", { model: selectedChatModel, force: isAdmin });
   if (button) button.disabled = false;
   if (!result.ok) {
     alert(result.data.error || "model load request failed");
@@ -1791,6 +1814,136 @@ async function requestSelectedModelLoad() {
   $("chat-status").textContent = `load queued on ${short(assignment.node_id || "node")} for layers ${assignment.shard_start}-${assignment.shard_end}`;
 }
 
+async function requestAdminModelLoad(model, nodeId, replacing) {
+  const result = await apiCall("/v1/models/load", "POST", { model, node_id: nodeId, force: replacing });
+  if (!result.ok) return showAdminModelPlacementStatus(result.data.error || "model load request failed", true);
+  const assignment = result.data.assignment || {};
+  showAdminModelPlacementStatus(`Load queued on ${short(assignment.node_id || "node")} for ${model}.`);
+  await refreshActiveTab(true);
+}
+
+async function releaseAdminModel(model, nodeId) {
+  const result = await apiCall("/v1/models/release", "POST", { model, node_id: nodeId });
+  if (!result.ok) return showAdminModelPlacementStatus(result.data.error || "model release request failed", true);
+  showAdminModelPlacementStatus(`Release queued for ${result.data.released || 0} node(s) serving ${model}.`);
+  await refreshActiveTab(true);
+}
+
+async function releaseAllNodeModels(nodeId) {
+  if (!confirm("Unload every model from this node?")) return;
+  const result = await apiCall("/v1/nodes/release-all", "POST", { node_id: nodeId });
+  if (!result.ok) return showAdminModelPlacementStatus(result.data.error || "node unload failed", true);
+  showAdminModelPlacementStatus(`Unload queued for ${short(nodeId)}.`);
+  await refreshActiveTab(true);
+}
+
+function showAdminModelPlacementStatus(message, isError) {
+  const status = $("admin-model-placement-status");
+  status.textContent = message;
+  status.className = isError ? "bad" : "ok";
+}
+
+function gib(bytes) { return bytes == null ? "not reported" : `${(Number(bytes) / 1073741824).toFixed(1)} GiB`; }
+
+function renderAdminNodePool(map) {
+  const groups = {};
+  for (const node of (map && map.nodes) || []) {
+    const account = node.wallet_address || "unbound account";
+    (groups[account] = groups[account] || []).push(node);
+  }
+  let html = "";
+  for (const [account, nodes] of Object.entries(groups).sort(([a], [b]) => a.localeCompare(b))) {
+    html += `<div style="margin-top:10px"><b>${esc(short(account, 20))}</b> <span class="dim">${nodes.length} node(s)</span></div>`;
+    html += table(["node", "assignment", "state / slots", "model RAM", "RAM", "GPU / VRAM", "model drive", "action"], nodes.map(node => {
+      const hw = node.hardware_profile || {};
+      const cap = node.capacity || {};
+      // The network map keeps reported resource capacity under `capacity`.
+      node.ram_bytes = cap.ram_bytes ?? node.ram_bytes;
+      node.vram_bytes = cap.vram_bytes ?? node.vram_bytes;
+      const disk = hw.model_drive_free_bytes ?? hw.model_path_free_bytes ?? hw.disk_free_bytes;
+      const gpu = hw.gpu_name || (hw.cuda_available ? "CUDA GPU" : "CPU only");
+      const row = [nodeDisplayCell(node), esc(node.hf_repo || node.model || "unassigned"),
+        esc(`${node.stats?.status || "?"} · ${cap.loaded_slots ?? "?"}/${cap.max_loaded_shards ?? node.max_loaded_shards ?? "?"} slots`),
+        esc(gib(cap.loaded_model_bytes)),
+        esc(gib(node.ram_bytes || (hw.ram_mb && hw.ram_mb * 1048576))),
+        esc(`${gpu} · ${gib(node.vram_bytes || (hw.vram_mb && hw.vram_mb * 1048576))}`), esc(gib(disk))];
+      return row.concat([
+        node.shard_start == null ? '<span class="dim">empty</span>' :
+          `<button class="small" data-admin-node-release="${esc(node.node_id)}">unload all</button>`,
+      ]);
+    }));
+  }
+  $("admin-node-pool").innerHTML = html || '<div class="empty">no nodes registered</div>';
+}
+
+$("admin-node-pool").addEventListener("click", event => {
+  const unload = event.target.closest("[data-admin-node-release]");
+  if (unload) void releaseAllNodeModels(unload.dataset.adminNodeRelease);
+});
+
+function renderAdminModelPlacement(models, map) {
+  const nodes = (map && map.nodes) || [];
+  const rows = ((models && models.data) || []).map(model => {
+    const aliases = new Set([model.id, model.hf_repo, ...(model.aliases || [])].filter(Boolean));
+    const serving = nodes.filter(node => aliases.has(node.model) || aliases.has(node.hf_repo)).length;
+    const downloaded = nodes.filter(node => aliases.has(node.model) || aliases.has(node.hf_repo) ||
+      (node.downloaded_models || []).some(item => aliases.has(item.model) || aliases.has(item.hf_repo))).length;
+    const loadable = model.id !== "stub-model";
+    const actions = `<button class="small" data-admin-model-load="${esc(model.id)}"${loadable ? "" : " disabled"}>load</button> ` +
+      `<button class="small" data-admin-model-release="${esc(model.id)}"${serving ? "" : " disabled"}>release</button>`;
+    return [esc(model.name || model.id), String(serving), String(downloaded), actions];
+  });
+  $("admin-model-placement").innerHTML = rows.length
+    ? table(["model", "serving nodes", "downloaded on nodes", "admin action"], rows)
+    : '<div class="empty">no model presets configured</div>';
+}
+
+$("admin-model-placement").addEventListener("click", event => {
+  const load = event.target.closest("[data-admin-model-load]");
+  const release = event.target.closest("[data-admin-model-release]");
+  if (load) void chooseModelPlacementNode("load", load.dataset.adminModelLoad);
+  if (release) void chooseModelPlacementNode("release", release.dataset.adminModelRelease);
+});
+
+function chooseModelPlacementNode(action, model) {
+  const dialog = $("model-placement-dialog");
+  const select = $("model-placement-node");
+  const targetAlias = modelAliasKey(model);
+  const nodes = (lastNetworkMap?.nodes || []).filter(node => action === "load" ||
+    modelAliasKey(node.model) === targetAlias || modelAliasKey(node.hf_repo) === targetAlias);
+  if (!nodes.length) return showAdminModelPlacementStatus(`No node can ${action} ${model}.`, true);
+  $("model-placement-dialog-title").textContent = `${action === "load" ? "Load" : "Release"} ${model} on a node`;
+  select.innerHTML = nodes.map(node => `<option value="${esc(node.node_id)}">${esc(short(node.friendly_name || node.node_id, 20))} — ${esc(node.hf_repo || node.model || "unassigned")}</option>`).join("");
+  const replace = $("model-placement-replace");
+  const replaceConfirm = $("model-placement-replace-confirm");
+  const replaceError = $("model-placement-replace-error");
+  const confirmButton = $("model-placement-confirm");
+  const selectedNode = () => nodes.find(node => node.node_id === select.value);
+  const updateReplacementWarning = () => {
+    const node = selectedNode();
+    const occupied = action === "load" && node && node.shard_start != null && node.shard_end != null &&
+      modelAliasKey(node.hf_repo || node.model) !== targetAlias;
+    replace.style.display = occupied ? "" : "none";
+    replaceConfirm.checked = false;
+    replaceError.style.display = "none";
+  };
+  select.onchange = updateReplacementWarning;
+  updateReplacementWarning();
+  dialog.onclose = null;
+  confirmButton.onclick = () => {
+    const replacing = replace.style.display !== "none";
+    if (replacing && !replaceConfirm.checked) {
+      replaceError.textContent = "Tick the box to confirm that this will unload the current model.";
+      replaceError.style.display = "";
+      return;
+    }
+    dialog.close("confirm");
+    if (action === "load") void requestAdminModelLoad(model, select.value, replacing);
+    else void releaseAdminModel(model, select.value);
+  };
+  dialog.showModal();
+}
+
 function chatAuthToken() {
   if (accountApiKeys.length) return accountApiKeys[0];
   return null;
@@ -2427,14 +2580,19 @@ async function fetchAdminTab() {
     fetchJson("/v1/console"),
     fetchJson("/v1/billing/summary"),
     fetchJson("/v1/registry/wallets"),
+    fetchJson("/v1/models"),
+    fetchJson("/v1/network/map"),
   ];
   if (isAdmin) fetches.push(apiCall("/v1/admin/accounts"));
   const results = await Promise.all(fetches);
-  const [raft, consoleData, summary, wallets, adminResp] = results;
+  const [raft, consoleData, summary, wallets, models, map, adminResp] = results;
+  if (map) lastNetworkMap = map;
   renderIfChanged("hive", raft, renderHive);
   renderIfChanged("console", consoleData, renderConsole);
   renderIfChanged("billing-summary", summary, data => renderBilling(data));
   renderIfChanged("fraud", { wallets, summary }, data => renderFraud(data.wallets, data.summary));
+  renderIfChanged("admin-model-placement", { models, map }, data => renderAdminModelPlacement(data.models, data.map));
+  renderIfChanged("admin-node-pool", map, renderAdminNodePool);
   if (adminResp && adminResp.ok) {
     renderIfChanged("admin", adminResp.data.accounts || [], accounts => {
       const rows = accounts.map(a => {
diff --git a/packages/tracker/meshnet_tracker/server.py b/packages/tracker/meshnet_tracker/server.py
index 8159ce7..0df0bd0 100644
--- a/packages/tracker/meshnet_tracker/server.py
+++ b/packages/tracker/meshnet_tracker/server.py
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ from .model_files import files_for_layer_range, snapshot_dir_for_repo
 from .raft import RaftNode
 
 
-_CONSOLE_LIMIT = 300
+_CONSOLE_LIMIT = 1000
 _PROXY_PROGRESS_LOG_INTERVAL = 5.0
 _SESSION_COOKIE_NAME = "meshnet_session"
 
@@ -1101,12 +1101,15 @@ def _registration_quantization(body: dict, quantizations: list[str]) -> str | No
 
     An absent field predates the protocol adding it: it means "unknown", not
     "unsupported", so the node keeps the best precision it advertises and stays
-    routable. Anything the node states explicitly is taken at its word -- a null,
-    a non-string, or an unsupported name leaves it with no usable precision and
-    routing excludes it.
+    routable. An explicit "auto" means the same thing — the node's CLI default
+    delegates the choice, it does not refuse one. Anything else the node states
+    explicitly is taken at its word -- a null, a non-string, or an unsupported
+    name leaves it with no usable precision and routing excludes it.
     """
-    if "quantization" in body:
-        return _normalize_quantization(body["quantization"])
+    declared = body.get("quantization")
+    declared_auto = isinstance(declared, str) and declared.strip().lower() == "auto"
+    if "quantization" in body and not declared_auto:
+        return _normalize_quantization(declared)
     supported = [
         normalized for value in quantizations
         if (normalized := _normalize_quantization(value)) is not None
@@ -1225,6 +1228,7 @@ def _node_capacity_summary(node: _NodeEntry, preset: dict | None = None) -> dict
         "quantization": node.quantization,
         "benchmark_tokens_per_sec": node.benchmark_tokens_per_sec,
         "effective_throughput": round(_effective_throughput(node), 4),
+        "loaded_model_bytes": _assignment_memory_bytes(node, preset),
     }
     if preset is not None:
         summary["max_assignable_layers"] = _node_layer_capacity(node, preset)
@@ -1494,7 +1498,9 @@ def _scale_demanded_models_locked(server: "_TrackerHTTPServer") -> None:
             break
 
 
-def _request_model_load_locked(server: "_TrackerHTTPServer", model_key: str) -> dict | None:
+def _request_model_load_locked(
+    server: "_TrackerHTTPServer", model_key: str, node_id: str | None = None,
+) -> dict | None:
     """Queue an explicitly requested model on the best available joined node."""
     resolved_name, preset = _resolve_model_preset(server.model_presets, model_key)
     if preset is None or not preset.get("hf_repo"):
@@ -1510,6 +1516,8 @@ def _request_model_load_locked(server: "_TrackerHTTPServer", model_key: str) ->
             continue
         host_nodes = [server.registry[item["node_id"]] for item in host["loaded"] if item["node_id"] in server.registry]
         placeable = [node for node in host_nodes if _has_usable_quantization(node)]
+        if node_id is not None:
+            placeable = [node for node in placeable if node.node_id == node_id]
         if not placeable:
             continue
         anchor = max(placeable, key=lambda node: node.benchmark_tokens_per_sec)
@@ -1528,6 +1536,68 @@ def _request_model_load_locked(server: "_TrackerHTTPServer", model_key: str) ->
     return None
 
 
+def _force_model_load_locked(
+    server: "_TrackerHTTPServer", model_key: str, node_id: str | None = None,
+) -> dict | None:
+    """Replace the fastest ready assignment after an explicit admin eviction."""
+    resolved_name, preset = _resolve_model_preset(server.model_presets, model_key)
+    if preset is None or not preset.get("hf_repo"):
+        return None
+    start, end = _preset_layer_bounds(preset)
+    # An explicit admin eviction is permitted to recover a stuck/loading node
+    # and to use the preset default precision. It must only avoid a node that
+    # already has another assignment in flight.
+    candidates = [
+        node for node in server.registry.values()
+        if node.pending_new_assignment is None
+        and (node_id is None or node.node_id == node_id)
+    ]
+    if not candidates:
+        return None
+    node = max(candidates, key=lambda item: item.benchmark_tokens_per_sec)
+    shard_end = min(end, start + max(1, min(_node_layer_capacity(node, preset), end - start + 1)) - 1)
+    quantization = _node_quantization(node, preset)
+    directive = _load_directive(node, str(preset["hf_repo"]), start, shard_end, quantization)
+    replaced = node.hf_repo or node.model
+    node.model, node.hf_repo = resolved_name, str(preset["hf_repo"])
+    node.shard_start, node.shard_end, node.quantization = start, shard_end, quantization
+    node.managed_assignment, node.pending_new_assignment = True, directive
+    node.pending_directives.append(directive)
+    _tracker_log(server, "warn", "model load forced", node_id=node.node_id,
+                 model=resolved_name, replaced_model=replaced, shard=f"{start}-{shard_end}")
+    return {"node_id": node.node_id, "model": resolved_name, "hf_repo": preset["hf_repo"],
+            "shard_start": start, "shard_end": shard_end, "replaced_model": replaced}
+
+
+def _release_model_locked(
+    server: "_TrackerHTTPServer", model_key: str, node_id: str | None = None,
+) -> int:
+    """Queue DROP_SHARD for every served shard and remove it from routing immediately."""
+    resolved_name, preset = _resolve_model_preset(server.model_presets, model_key)
+    if preset is None:
+        return 0
+    released = 0
+    for node in server.registry.values():
+        if node_id is not None and node.node_id != node_id:
+            continue
+        if not _node_matches_preset(node, resolved_name, preset) or node.shard_start is None or node.shard_end is None:
+            continue
+        node.pending_directives.append(_drop_directive(node, str(preset.get("hf_repo") or resolved_name), node.shard_start, node.shard_end, node.quantization or "bfloat16"))
+        node.status = "loading"
+        released += 1
+    return released
+
+
+def _release_all_node_models_locked(server: "_TrackerHTTPServer", node_id: str) -> int:
+    """Queue removal of every loaded assignment on one node."""
+    node = server.registry.get(node_id)
+    if node is None or node.shard_start is None or node.shard_end is None:
+        return 0
+    node.pending_directives.append({"action": "DROP_ALL_SHARDS"})
+    node.status = "loading"
+    return 1
+
+
 def _preferred_node_quantization(
     node: _NodeEntry,
     preset: dict,
@@ -3108,6 +3178,12 @@ class _TrackerHandler(http.server.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
         if self.path == "/v1/models/load":
             self._handle_model_load_request()
             return
+        if self.path == "/v1/models/release":
+            self._handle_model_release_request()
+            return
+        if self.path == "/v1/nodes/release-all":
+            self._handle_node_release_all_request()
+            return
         if self.path == "/v1/models/vote":
             self._handle_model_coverage_vote()
             return
@@ -3235,8 +3311,6 @@ class _TrackerHandler(http.server.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
         seen_ids: set[str] = set()
         for name, preset in server.model_presets.items():
             model_nodes = [node for node in alive if _node_matches_preset(node, name, preset)]
-            if not model_nodes and not preset.get("recommended"):
-                continue
             required_start, required_end = _preset_layer_bounds(preset)
             coverage = _coverage_percentage(
                 model_nodes,
@@ -3286,7 +3360,12 @@ class _TrackerHandler(http.server.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
             node.hf_repo or node.model
             for node in alive
             if node.model is not None
-            and node.model not in server.model_presets
+            # The same model can be registered under its HF repository while
+            # the catalogue exposes its short preset id.  Do not emit a second
+            # repo-keyed entry when either node identifier resolves to a preset.
+            and _resolve_model_preset(
+                server.model_presets, node.hf_repo or node.model,
+            )[1] is None
             and node.shard_start is not None
             and node.shard_end is not None
             and node.num_layers is not None
@@ -3387,6 +3466,11 @@ class _TrackerHandler(http.server.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
                     "endpoint": node.endpoint,
                     "relay_addr": node.relay_addr,
                     "peer_id": node.peer_id,
+                    "wallet_address": node.wallet_address,
+                    "hardware_profile": dict(node.hardware_profile),
+                    "ram_bytes": node.ram_bytes,
+                    "vram_bytes": node.vram_bytes,
+                    "max_loaded_shards": node.max_loaded_shards,
                 }
                 for node in tracker_nodes
             ],
@@ -3410,12 +3494,7 @@ class _TrackerHandler(http.server.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
             memory_pool = _memory_pool_map(server)
 
         def capacity_for(node: _NodeEntry) -> dict:
-            preset = None
-            if node.model:
-                preset = server.model_presets.get(node.model)
-            if preset is None and node.hf_repo and node.num_layers:
-                preset = _hf_rebalance_preset([node])
-            return _node_capacity_summary(node, preset)
+            return _node_capacity_summary(node, _preset_for_node(server, node))
 
         def throughput_for(node: _NodeEntry) -> dict:
             if server.stats is None:
@@ -4838,6 +4917,20 @@ class _TrackerHandler(http.server.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
                 entry.uptime_seconds = float(body["uptime_seconds"])
             if "status" in body and body["status"] in ("ready", "loading"):
                 entry.status = body["status"]
+            completed_directives = body.get("completed_directives", [])
+            if isinstance(completed_directives, list):
+                for directive in completed_directives:
+                    if not isinstance(directive, dict) or directive.get("action") not in {"DROP_SHARD", "DROP_ALL_SHARDS"}:
+                        continue
+                    # A node has confirmed the release.  Stop advertising its
+                    # old route immediately so the dashboard and routing state
+                    # agree with the runtime.
+                    entry.model = "stub-model"
+                    entry.hf_repo = None
+                    entry.shard_start = None
+                    entry.shard_end = None
+                    entry.tracker_mode = False
+                    entry.status = "ready"
             if "friendly_name" in body:
                 try:
                     entry.friendly_name = _normalize_friendly_name(body.get("friendly_name"))
@@ -4909,14 +5002,68 @@ class _TrackerHandler(http.server.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
         if not isinstance(model, str) or not model.strip():
             self._send_json(400, {"error": "model is required"})
             return
+        node_id = body.get("node_id")
+        if node_id is not None and (not isinstance(node_id, str) or not node_id):
+            self._send_json(400, {"error": "node_id must be a non-empty string"})
+            return
+        _resolved_name, preset = _resolve_model_preset(server.model_presets, model)
+        if preset is None or str(preset.get("hf_repo") or "").strip().lower() == "stub-model":
+            self._send_json(400, {"error": "stub-model is a local test backend and cannot be loaded onto a node"})
+            return
         with server.lock:
             self._purge_expired_nodes()
-            assignment = _request_model_load_locked(server, model)
+            assignment = _request_model_load_locked(server, model, node_id)
+            if assignment is None and body.get("force") is True:
+                assignment = _force_model_load_locked(server, model, node_id)
         if assignment is None:
             self._send_json(409, {"error": "no ready joined node has an available model slot and sufficient capacity"})
             return
         self._send_json(202, {"status": "queued", "assignment": assignment})
 
+    def _handle_model_release_request(self):
+        server: _TrackerHTTPServer = self.server  # type: ignore[assignment]
+        if not self._require_role("admin", "validator"):
+            return
+        body = self._read_json_body()
+        if body is None:
+            return
+        model = body.get("model")
+        if not isinstance(model, str) or not model.strip():
+            self._send_json(400, {"error": "model is required"})
+            return
+        node_id = body.get("node_id")
+        if node_id is not None and (not isinstance(node_id, str) or not node_id):
+            self._send_json(400, {"error": "node_id must be a non-empty string"})
+            return
+        with server.lock:
+            self._purge_expired_nodes()
+            released = _release_model_locked(server, model, node_id)
+        if not released:
+            self._send_json(404, {"error": "no served shards found for model"})
+            return
+        self._send_json(202, {"status": "release_queued", "released": released})
+
+    def _handle_node_release_all_request(self):
+        server: _TrackerHTTPServer = self.server  # type: ignore[assignment]
+        if not self._require_role("admin", "validator"):
+            return
+        body = self._read_json_body()
+        if body is None:
+            return
+        node_id = body.get("node_id")
+        if not isinstance(node_id, str) or not node_id:
+            self._send_json(400, {"error": "node_id must be a non-empty string"})
+            return
+        with server.lock:
+            self._purge_expired_nodes()
+            released = _release_all_node_models_locked(server, node_id)
+        if not released:
+            self._send_json(404, {"error": "no loaded models found for node"})
+            return
+        self._send_json(202, {
+            "status": "release_queued", "released": released, "node_id": node_id,
+        })
+
     def _handle_model_coverage_vote(self):
         """Record a rolling wish-list signal for an unavailable precision."""
         server: _TrackerHTTPServer = self.server  # type: ignore[assignment]
diff --git a/tests/test_dashboard.py b/tests/test_dashboard.py
index dbe7283..b476412 100644
--- a/tests/test_dashboard.py
+++ b/tests/test_dashboard.py
@@ -39,9 +39,14 @@ def test_dashboard_served_with_all_panels():
         assert "resolveModelGroup" in html
         assert "buildModelAliasMap" in html
         assert "modelAliasKey(raw)" in html
-        assert "main { display:grid; grid-template-columns:repeat(auto-fit,minmax(340px,1fr));" in html
+        assert "@media (min-width:900px)" in html
+        assert "grid-template-columns:repeat(4,minmax(0,1fr));" in html
+        assert ".wide { grid-column:span 2; }" in html
         assert 'onclick="clearConsole()"' in html
         assert "let consoleClearedAt = 0;" in html
+        assert "max-height:520px; overflow-y:auto; overflow-x:auto;" in html
+        assert "const CONSOLE_MAX_LINES = 1000;" in html
+        assert "events.slice(-CONSOLE_MAX_LINES)" in html
     finally:
         tracker.stop()
 
@@ -100,6 +105,39 @@ def test_dashboard_allows_admin_to_request_selected_model_load():
     assert '$("request-model-load").style.display = enabled ? "" : "none"' in html
 
 
+def test_dashboard_exposes_admin_model_inventory_and_release_controls():
+    "Admin placement controls show the full model inventory and can release capacity."
+    html = _dashboard_html()
+
+    assert 'id="admin-model-placement"' in html
+    assert "renderAdminModelPlacement" in html
+    assert '"/v1/models/release"' in html
+    assert "requestAdminModelLoad" in html
+    assert "releaseAdminModel" in html
+    assert 'data-admin-model-load=' in html
+    assert 'data-admin-model-release=' in html
+    assert "admin-model-placement-status" in html
+    assert 'id="admin-node-pool"' in html
+    assert "renderAdminNodePool" in html
+    assert "model drive" in html
+    # RAM and VRAM live in the network-map capacity object, not at node top level.
+    assert "node.ram_bytes = cap.ram_bytes" in html
+    assert "node.vram_bytes = cap.vram_bytes" in html
+    assert 'id="model-placement-dialog"' in html
+    assert "chooseModelPlacementNode" in html
+    assert "node_id: nodeId" in html
+    assert "modelAliasKey(node.model)" in html
+    assert 'id="model-placement-replace"' in html
+    assert 'id="model-placement-confirm"' in html
+    assert 'id="model-placement-replace-error"' in html
+    assert "force: replacing" in html
+    assert "Tick the box to confirm" in html
+    assert "releaseAllNodeModels" in html
+    assert '"/v1/nodes/release-all"' in html
+    assert "model RAM" in html
+    assert "loaded_model_bytes" in html
+
+
 def test_network_map_includes_node_friendly_name():
     "Network map includes node friendly name\n\nTags: dashboard, http"
     tracker = TrackerServer()
diff --git a/tests/test_dynamic_routing.py b/tests/test_dynamic_routing.py
index 83a9d2f..5fa202d 100644
--- a/tests/test_dynamic_routing.py
+++ b/tests/test_dynamic_routing.py
@@ -355,6 +355,75 @@ def test_admin_model_load_request_queues_directive_on_joined_node():
     assert heartbeat["directives"][0]["model"] == "Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct"
 
 
+def test_admin_can_replace_a_served_model_and_release_it():
+    "Forced admin placement replaces a served shard; release queues DROP_SHARD."
+    tracker = TrackerServer(enable_billing=False, validator_service_token="test-admin")
+    port = tracker.start()
+    try:
+        node = _post_json(
+            f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/v1/nodes/register",
+            {"endpoint": "http://127.0.0.1:9912", "model": "stub-model",
+             "shard_start": 0, "shard_end": 3, "managed_assignment": True,
+             "max_loaded_shards": 1, "memory_mb": 1,
+             "hardware_profile": {"host_id": "full-host"}},
+        )
+        headers = {"Content-Type": "application/json", "Authorization": "Bearer test-admin"}
+        load = urllib.request.Request(
+            f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/v1/models/load",
+            data=json.dumps({
+                "model": "qwen2.5-0.5b-instruct",
+                "node_id": node["node_id"],
+                "force": True,
+            }).encode(),
+            headers=headers, method="POST")
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(load) as response:
+            assert json.loads(response.read())["assignment"]["node_id"] == node["node_id"]
+        heartbeat = _post_json(f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/v1/nodes/{node['node_id']}/heartbeat", {})
+        _post_json(
+            f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/v1/nodes/{node['node_id']}/heartbeat",
+            {"completed_directives": [{"action": "DROP_SHARD", "model": "Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct"}]},
+        )
+        network = _get_json(f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/v1/network/map")
+        assert heartbeat["directives"][0]["action"] == "LOAD_SHARD"
+        release = urllib.request.Request(
+            f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/v1/models/release",
+            data=json.dumps({"model": "qwen2.5-0.5b-instruct"}).encode(), headers=headers, method="POST")
+        with urllib.request.urlopen(release) as response:
+            assert json.loads(response.read())["released"] == 1
+        heartbeat = _post_json(f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/v1/nodes/{node['node_id']}/heartbeat", {})
+    finally:
+        tracker.stop()
+
+    assert heartbeat["directives"][0]["action"] == "DROP_SHARD"
+    released_node = next(item for item in network["nodes"] if item["node_id"] == node["node_id"])
+    assert released_node["shard_start"] is None
+    assert released_node["shard_end"] is None
+
+
+def test_models_list_does_not_duplicate_a_preset_registered_by_hf_repo():
+    """A preset and its canonical repository are one selectable model."""
+    tracker = TrackerServer(enable_billing=False)
+    port = tracker.start()
+    try:
+        _post_json(
+            f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/v1/nodes/register",
+            {
+                "endpoint": "http://127.0.0.1:9913",
+                "model": "Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct",
+                "hf_repo": "Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct",
+                "num_layers": 24,
+                "shard_start": 0,
+                "shard_end": 23,
+            },
+        )
+        models = _get_json(f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}/v1/models")["data"]
+    finally:
+        tracker.stop()
+
+    assert [model["id"] for model in models].count("qwen2.5-0.5b-instruct") == 1
+    assert not any(model["id"] == "Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct" for model in models)
+
+
 def test_endpoint_key_distinguishes_same_port_different_hosts():
     "Endpoint key distinguishes same port different hosts\n\nTags: http, performance, routing, tracker"
     from meshnet_node.torch_server import _clamp_downstream_hops, _endpoint_key
diff --git a/tests/test_node_admission.py b/tests/test_node_admission.py
index 9b606e2..109e664 100644
--- a/tests/test_node_admission.py
+++ b/tests/test_node_admission.py
@@ -358,6 +358,73 @@ def test_a_stale_report_cannot_be_reused_to_register(startup_env):
     assert startup_env == []
 
 
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Re-registration: the proof presented is fresh, never the one captured at boot
+# ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
+def test_run_startup_hands_the_heartbeat_a_refresher_for_the_current_shard(startup_env, monkeypatch):
+    "The tracker refuses aged proofs, so the heartbeat must be able to re-prove what the node serves now.\n\nTags: node, admission, startup"
+    import meshnet_node.startup as startup_mod
+
+    captured: dict = {}
+    monkeypatch.setattr(
+        startup_mod, "_start_heartbeat", lambda *a, **kw: captured.update(kw)
+    )
+
+    _start(capability_validator=capability_stub())
+
+    refresh = captured.get("refresh_capability")
+    assert callable(refresh), "run_startup no longer wires a capability refresher"
+    fresh = refresh({"hf_repo": MODEL, "model": MODEL.split("/")[-1]})
+    assert fresh is not None
+    assert fresh["model"]["model_id"] == MODEL
+    assert (fresh["shard"]["start"], fresh["shard"]["end"]) == (0, 23)
+    assert fresh["validated_at"] > time.time() - 60
+
+
+def test_a_reregistration_presents_a_refreshed_proof(monkeypatch):
+    "Replaying the boot-time report after an outage re-registers the node unroutable; the re-register path must present a fresh proof.\n\nTags: node, admission, startup"
+    import json
+
+    import meshnet_node.startup as startup_mod
+
+    model = "acme/refresh-model-7b"
+    boot_report = {"validated_at": 1.0, "marker": "boot"}
+    fresh_report = {"validated_at": 2.0, "marker": "fresh"}
+    posted: list[dict] = []
+
+    def _record(url, payload, timeout=10.0):
+        if url.endswith("/v1/nodes/register") and payload.get("hf_repo") == model:
+            posted.append(json.loads(json.dumps(payload)))
+            return {"node_id": "node-refresh"}
+        raise SystemExit  # first heartbeat POST ends the daemon loop
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(startup_mod, "_post_json", _record)
+
+    payload = {
+        "hf_repo": model,
+        "model": model.split("/")[-1],
+        "capability_report": dict(boot_report),
+    }
+    thread = startup_mod._start_heartbeat(
+        "http://tracker.invalid",
+        startup_mod._PENDING_NODE_ID,  # forces a re-registration on the first tick
+        payload,
+        interval=0.02,
+        refresh_capability=lambda _payload: dict(fresh_report),
+    )
+
+    # The loop must be dead before this test returns: once monkeypatch restores
+    # `_post_json`, a surviving thread would re-register through whatever the
+    # *next* test patches in and corrupt its call counts.
+    thread.join(timeout=5.0)
+
+    assert not thread.is_alive(), "the heartbeat loop outlived the test"
+    assert posted, "the heartbeat never re-registered"
+    assert posted[0]["capability_report"] == fresh_report
+
+
 def test_a_matching_passing_report_registers_and_travels_with_the_payload(startup_env):
     "Registration carries the proof for exactly the model/shard/recipe it advertises.\n\nTags: node, admission, startup"
     node = _start()  # production validator against a working fake backend
diff --git a/tests/test_node_startup.py b/tests/test_node_startup.py
index 1c302a7..264c530 100644
--- a/tests/test_node_startup.py
+++ b/tests/test_node_startup.py
@@ -287,6 +287,47 @@ def test_configure_torch_threads_applies_explicit_settings(monkeypatch):
     assert active == {"torch_threads": 12, "torch_interop_threads": 2}
 
 
+def test_heartbeat_applies_release_without_reregistering(monkeypatch):
+    """DROP_SHARD has no replacement range and must not look like an outage."""
+    import meshnet_node.startup as startup_mod
+
+    released = threading.Event()
+    requests: list[tuple[str, dict]] = []
+
+    class FakeNode:
+        def apply_tracker_directives(self, directives):
+            assert directives == [{"action": "DROP_SHARD", "model": "Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct"}]
+            return {"action": "DROP_SHARD", "model": "Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct"}
+
+    def fake_post(url, payload, timeout=10.0):
+        requests.append((url, dict(payload)))
+        released.set()
+        return {"directives": [{"action": "DROP_SHARD", "model": "Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct"}]}
+
+    sleep_calls = 0
+
+    def one_heartbeat(_seconds):
+        nonlocal sleep_calls
+        sleep_calls += 1
+        if sleep_calls > 1:
+            raise SystemExit
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(startup_mod, "_post_json", fake_post)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(startup_mod.time, "sleep", one_heartbeat)
+    payload = {
+        "model": "Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct",
+        "hf_repo": "Qwen/Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct",
+        "shard_start": 0,
+        "shard_end": 23,
+    }
+    startup_mod._start_heartbeat("http://tracker", "node-1", payload, interval=0, node_ref=FakeNode())
+
+    assert released.wait(1), "heartbeat did not receive the queued release"
+    assert len(requests) == 1, "release must not trigger a re-registration"
+    assert payload["shard_start"] == 0
+    assert payload["shard_end"] == 23
+
+
 def test_benchmark_throughput_is_registered_in_payload(monkeypatch, tmp_path):
     "benchmark_tokens_per_sec from the benchmark is included in the tracker registration.\n\nTags: node, performance, startup"
     import meshnet_node.startup as startup_mod
diff --git a/tests/test_route_session_benchmark.py b/tests/test_route_session_benchmark.py
index c1a9294..603bd50 100644
--- a/tests/test_route_session_benchmark.py
+++ b/tests/test_route_session_benchmark.py
@@ -32,12 +32,18 @@ def test_matrix_reports_direct_relay_prefill_decode_and_machine_readable_metrics
         assert {"p50_latency_ms", "p95_latency_ms", "payload_bytes", "compression_ratio",
                 "connection_attempts", "p95_queue_wait_ms"} <= set(run["phases"]["decode"])
         sample = run["samples"][0]
+        assert sample["model_ms"] > 0
+        assert sample["encode_ms"] > 0
+        assert sample["activation_decode_ms"] > 0
         assert sample["framing_ms"] > 0
         assert sample["metadata_ms"] > 0
         assert sample["copy_allocation_ms"] > 0
         assert sample["copy_allocation_bytes"] >= sample["payload_bytes"]
+        assert sample["local_http_forwarding_ms"] > 0
         assert len(run["samples"]) == 1 + len(run["output_tokens"])
-        assert {"tokens_per_sec", "bytes_per_token", "compression_cpu_ms", "peak_buffered_bytes"} <= set(run["phases"]["decode"])
+        assert {"tokens_per_sec", "bytes_per_token", "compression_cpu_ms", "peak_buffered_bytes",
+                "model_execution_ms", "activation_encoding_ms", "activation_decoding_ms",
+                "local_http_forwarding_ms"} <= set(run["phases"]["decode"])
 
 
 def test_cached_sessions_reuse_one_connection_and_preserve_stub_tokens():
@@ -74,7 +80,10 @@ def test_cli_writes_json_artifact_and_human_summary(tmp_path, capsys):
     report = json.loads(output.read_text())
     assert report["schema_version"] == 1
     assert "Route Session benchmark" in capsys.readouterr().out
-    assert "relay" in format_summary(report)
+    summary = format_summary(report)
+    assert "relay" in summary
+    assert "model/encode/decode" in summary
+    assert "HTTP" in summary
 
 
 def test_performance_gate_checks_comparison_identity_session_and_cleanup():
diff --git a/tests/test_tracker_routing.py b/tests/test_tracker_routing.py
index 5f938b5..60884e3 100644
--- a/tests/test_tracker_routing.py
+++ b/tests/test_tracker_routing.py
@@ -2874,6 +2874,43 @@ def test_same_endpoint_can_register_multiple_models():
         tracker.stop()
 
 
+def test_explicit_model_placement_targets_only_the_selected_node():
+    "An admin can add and release a model on one chosen multi-model node.\n\nTags: http, routing, tracker"
+    from meshnet_tracker.server import _release_model_locked, _request_model_load_locked
+
+    tracker = _tracker(model_presets={
+        "model-a": {"total_layers": 4, "bytes_per_layer": {"bfloat16": 1_000}, "hf_repo": "org/ModelA"},
+        "model-b": {"total_layers": 4, "bytes_per_layer": {"bfloat16": 1_000}, "hf_repo": "org/ModelB"},
+    })
+    tracker_port = tracker.start()
+    try:
+        registrations = []
+        for port in (9062, 9063):
+            registrations.append(_post_json(
+                f"http://127.0.0.1:{tracker_port}/v1/nodes/register",
+                {"endpoint": f"http://127.0.0.1:{port}", "model": "model-a", "hf_repo": "org/ModelA",
+                 "num_layers": 4, "shard_start": 0, "shard_end": 3, "max_loaded_shards": 2,
+                 "vram_bytes": 20_000, "ram_bytes": 20_000, "quantizations": ["bfloat16"],
+                 "benchmark_tokens_per_sec": 1.0, "hardware_profile": {}, "score": 1.0},
+            ))
+        selected, other = (item["node_id"] for item in registrations)
+
+        with tracker._lock:
+            assignment = _request_model_load_locked(tracker._server, "model-b", selected)  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+        assert assignment is not None
+        assert assignment["node_id"] == selected
+        assert tracker._registry[selected].pending_new_assignment is not None
+        assert tracker._registry[other].pending_new_assignment is None
+
+        with tracker._lock:
+            released = _release_model_locked(tracker._server, "model-a", selected)  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+        assert released == 1
+        assert len(tracker._registry[selected].pending_directives) == 2
+        assert tracker._registry[other].pending_directives == []
+    finally:
+        tracker.stop()
+
+
 def test_scale_demanded_models_queues_add_shard_on_spare_host():
     "Scale demanded models queues add shard on spare host\n\nTags: http, routing, tracker"
     tracker = _tracker(model_presets={
@@ -3010,6 +3047,13 @@ def test_a_node_declaring_an_unsupported_quantization_is_never_routed():
     assert status == 503
 
 
+def test_a_node_declaring_auto_quantization_serves_a_default_precision_request():
+    "'auto' is the CLI default that delegates the choice — it is not a refusal, so the node must resolve to its best advertised precision and route.\n\nTags: http, routing, tracker"
+    status, response = _proxy_chat_status(POLICY_COMPAT, quantization="auto")
+    assert status == 200
+    assert response["choices"][0]["message"]["content"] == "ok"
+
+
 def test_a_node_declaring_a_null_quantization_is_never_routed():
     "An explicit null states 'no usable precision' -- only an absent field is legacy.\n\nTags: http, routing, tracker"
     node = http.server.HTTPServer(("127.0.0.1", 0), _EchoChatHandler)