diff --git a/infra/ASGARD-RUNNER.md b/infra/ASGARD-RUNNER.md
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+# Gitea Act Runner Setup (Asgard Build Server)
+
+**Purpose**: Run CI/CD builds on asgard's powerful hardware (Ryzen 9 7945HX, 64GB DDR5) while Gitea runs on the public docker stack.
+
+---
+
+## Architecture
+
+```
+Public Stack:                    Asgard (Build Server):
+┌──────────────────┐            ┌──────────────────────┐
+│ Gitea Container  │◄───────────│ Act Runner (daemon)  │
+│ git.corrosion... │  registers │ • Docker socket      │
+│ Port: 8090       │            │ • Go/Rust toolchains │
+└──────────────────┘            │ • 16C/32T, 64GB RAM  │
+                                └──────────────────────┘
+```
+
+---
+
+## Prerequisites on Asgard
+
+1. **Docker installed**
+   ```bash
+   docker --version
+   ```
+
+2. **Go installed** (already present per Commander)
+   ```bash
+   go version
+   ```
+
+3. **Rust installed** (already present per Commander)
+   ```bash
+   rustc --version
+   ```
+
+---
+
+## Installation Steps
+
+### Step 1: Download act_runner Binary
+
+On **asgard**, download the latest act_runner:
+
+```bash
+# Create directory for runner
+mkdir -p ~/gitea-runner
+cd ~/gitea-runner
+
+# Download act_runner (check for latest version at gitea.com/gitea/act_runner)
+wget https://dl.gitea.com/act_runner/0.2.6/act_runner-0.2.6-linux-amd64 -O act_runner
+chmod +x act_runner
+```
+
+### Step 2: Generate Registration Token
+
+On the **public docker stack** (where Gitea runs):
+
+1. Navigate to `https://git.corrosionmgmt.com`
+2. Login as admin
+3. Go to **Site Administration** → **Actions** → **Runners**
+4. Click **"Create new Runner"**
+5. Copy the **registration token** (looks like: `A1B2C3D4E5F6G7H8...`)
+
+### Step 3: Register Runner on Asgard
+
+Back on **asgard**, register the runner with your Gitea instance:
+
+```bash
+cd ~/gitea-runner
+
+# Register runner (replace TOKEN with the token from Gitea)
+./act_runner register \
+  --instance https://git.corrosionmgmt.com \
+  --token YOUR_REGISTRATION_TOKEN_HERE \
+  --name asgard-runner \
+  --labels ubuntu-latest:docker://node:20-bullseye,golang:docker://golang:1.22,rust:docker://rust:latest
+```
+
+**Important labels:**
+- `ubuntu-latest` - Generic Linux builds (Node.js)
+- `golang` - Go companion agent builds
+- `rust` - Rust backend builds (if needed)
+
+This creates a `.runner` config file with credentials.
+
+### Step 4: Start Runner as Daemon
+
+Create systemd service for persistent runner:
+
+```bash
+sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/gitea-runner.service
+```
+
+**Service file contents:**
+```ini
+[Unit]
+Description=Gitea Actions Runner (Asgard)
+After=docker.service
+Requires=docker.service
+
+[Service]
+Type=simple
+User=YOUR_USERNAME
+WorkingDirectory=/home/YOUR_USERNAME/gitea-runner
+ExecStart=/home/YOUR_USERNAME/gitea-runner/act_runner daemon
+Restart=always
+RestartSec=10
+
+# Security hardening
+NoNewPrivileges=true
+PrivateTmp=true
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=multi-user.target
+```
+
+**Replace `YOUR_USERNAME`** with your actual username on asgard.
+
+### Step 5: Enable and Start Service
+
+```bash
+# Reload systemd
+sudo systemctl daemon-reload
+
+# Enable runner to start on boot
+sudo systemctl enable gitea-runner
+
+# Start the runner
+sudo systemctl start gitea-runner
+
+# Check status
+sudo systemctl status gitea-runner
+```
+
+**Expected output:**
+```
+● gitea-runner.service - Gitea Actions Runner (Asgard)
+   Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/gitea-runner.service; enabled)
+   Active: active (running) since ...
+```
+
+### Step 6: Verify Registration
+
+Back in Gitea web UI:
+1. Go to **Site Administration** → **Actions** → **Runners**
+2. You should see **"asgard-runner"** with status: **Online**
+
+---
+
+## Testing the Runner
+
+### Create Test Workflow
+
+In any Gitea repo, create `.gitea/workflows/test.yml`:
+
+```yaml
+name: Test Asgard Runner
+on: [push]
+
+jobs:
+  test:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    steps:
+      - name: Check runner
+        run: |
+          echo "Running on: $(hostname)"
+          echo "CPU cores: $(nproc)"
+          echo "Memory: $(free -h | grep Mem | awk '{print $2}')"
+          echo "Go version: $(go version)"
+          echo "Rust version: $(rustc --version)"
+```
+
+Push to trigger the workflow. Check logs in Gitea Actions tab.
+
+---
+
+## Companion Agent Build Workflow (Example)
+
+Create `.gitea/workflows/build-companion.yml` in the companion-agent repo:
+
+```yaml
+name: Build Companion Agent
+on:
+  push:
+    tags:
+      - 'v*'
+
+jobs:
+  build:
+    runs-on: golang
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+
+      - name: Build Linux AMD64
+        run: |
+          cd companion-agent
+          GOOS=linux GOARCH=amd64 go build -o companion-linux-amd64 ./cmd/agent
+
+      - name: Build Windows AMD64
+        run: |
+          cd companion-agent
+          GOOS=windows GOARCH=amd64 go build -o companion-windows-amd64.exe ./cmd/agent
+
+      - name: Create Release
+        uses: actions/gitea-release-action@v1
+        with:
+          files: |
+            companion-agent/companion-linux-amd64
+            companion-agent/companion-windows-amd64.exe
+```
+
+---
+
+## Monitoring & Logs
+
+```bash
+# View runner logs
+sudo journalctl -u gitea-runner -f
+
+# Check runner status
+sudo systemctl status gitea-runner
+
+# Restart runner
+sudo systemctl restart gitea-runner
+```
+
+---
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+### Runner shows offline in Gitea
+
+1. Check service status: `sudo systemctl status gitea-runner`
+2. Check logs: `sudo journalctl -u gitea-runner -n 50`
+3. Verify network connectivity: `curl https://git.corrosionmgmt.com`
+4. Re-register if needed (delete `.runner` file and repeat Step 3)
+
+### Docker permission errors
+
+If runner can't access Docker socket:
+
+```bash
+# Add your user to docker group
+sudo usermod -aG docker YOUR_USERNAME
+
+# Logout and login again for group changes to take effect
+```
+
+### Build fails with "command not found"
+
+Ensure the label matches available Docker images:
+- `ubuntu-latest:docker://node:20-bullseye` - Has Node, but not Go/Rust
+- `golang:docker://golang:1.22` - Has Go
+- `rust:docker://rust:latest` - Has Rust
+
+Or install tools on asgard host and use `runs-on: self-hosted`.
+
+---
+
+## Security Notes
+
+- Runner has access to Docker socket (can run privileged containers)
+- Only trusted repos should trigger builds on this runner
+- Consider using webhook secrets for production deployments
+- Runner credentials stored in `~/.runner` - keep secure
+
+---
+
+## Upgrade Act Runner
+
+```bash
+cd ~/gitea-runner
+./act_runner --version  # Check current version
+
+# Download new version
+wget https://dl.gitea.com/act_runner/NEW_VERSION/act_runner-NEW_VERSION-linux-amd64 -O act_runner.new
+chmod +x act_runner.new
+mv act_runner.new act_runner
+
+# Restart service
+sudo systemctl restart gitea-runner
+```
diff --git a/infra/README.md b/infra/README.md
index 133538d..9b25221 100644
--- a/infra/README.md
+++ b/infra/README.md
@@ -21,7 +21,15 @@
 
 ## Deployment
 
-### First-time setup:
+### Architecture Note
+
+**This stack runs on the PUBLIC docker host** (where Nginx Proxy Manager is).
+
+The **Gitea act_runner** runs separately on **asgard** (the build server) and connects to the public Gitea instance remotely.
+
+See `ASGARD-RUNNER.md` for act_runner setup instructions.
+
+### First-time setup (on public docker host):
 ```bash
 cd infra
 docker compose up -d