diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index af9d435..6c4fe33 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -35,6 +35,9 @@ curl -s -X POST http://192.168.20.13:8788/ask \
 
 The Hub reads `HUB_TOKEN_*`, `OMNIROUTE_API_KEY`, and the project tokens from
 `~/.config/environment.d/10-secrets.conf` (mounted read-only, never committed).
+Add the five Hub client tokens with the idempotent script
+`scripts/provision-hub-tokens.sh`; it keeps mode 600 and never prints a value.
+A new token needs Sam's OK (`AGENTS.md` "ask first: credentials").
 
 ### Test without a network
 
diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index e7949bf..97853ca 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -6,6 +6,10 @@ services:
     image: central-ai-hub:local
     container_name: hub
     restart: unless-stopped
+    # The secrets file is bind-mounted read-only with mode 0600, owned by the
+    # host user. The image's distroless nonroot user (65532) cannot read it, so
+    # the container runs as the host user instead. No host file change needed.
+    user: "${HUB_UID:-1000}:${HUB_GID:-100}"
     ports:
       - "8788:8788"
     environment:
diff --git a/docs/outline/02-config-and-env.md b/docs/outline/02-config-and-env.md
index 5df638b..744f93a 100644
--- a/docs/outline/02-config-and-env.md
+++ b/docs/outline/02-config-and-env.md
@@ -23,6 +23,14 @@ Relevant keys:
 | `HUB_TOKEN_CONSOLE` | Hub token for the console portal. |
 | `HUB_TOKEN_ADMIN` | Hub token for the admin app. The only trusted door. |
 
+Add the five Hub tokens with `scripts/provision-hub-tokens.sh`. It is
+idempotent, keeps mode 600, and never prints a value. A new token needs Sam's OK
+(`AGENTS.md` "ask first: credentials").
+
+The container runs as the host user (`HUB_UID`/`HUB_GID`, default `1000:100`),
+not the image's `nonroot` user, because the secrets file has mode 0600 and the
+`nonroot` user cannot read it. See `docs/outline/04-agent-runbook.md`.
+
 ## Hub Environment Keys
 
 The Hub reads these keys from the environment, then from the secrets file. The
diff --git a/docs/outline/04-agent-runbook.md b/docs/outline/04-agent-runbook.md
index cf88c78..89b9a9c 100644
--- a/docs/outline/04-agent-runbook.md
+++ b/docs/outline/04-agent-runbook.md
@@ -161,6 +161,87 @@ The `docker-compose.yml` mounts `routing.md` and the secrets file read-only, and
 uses a `/tmp` tmpfs for the log. To deploy: build the image, then restart the
 container. A `HUB_TOKEN_*` key per client must exist in the secrets file first.
 
+## Phase 2 — Deploy the Hub (AUD-56)
+
+The AUD-49 image is built as `central-ai-hub:local`. The `hub` container on port
+8788 must serve that image, and the secrets file must hold one token per door.
+
+### Step 1 — Provision the Hub client tokens
+
+Run the script. It adds only the missing `HUB_TOKEN_*` keys. It never prints a
+token value and never overwrites a token.
+
+```bash
+scripts/provision-hub-tokens.sh --check   # report present or missing, no change
+scripts/provision-hub-tokens.sh           # add the missing keys
+```
+
+The script writes the keys to `~/.config/environment.d/10-secrets.conf`, keeps
+mode 600, and leaves a mode-600 timestamped backup. The keys are:
+`HUB_TOKEN_PHONE`, `HUB_TOKEN_ESP32`, `HUB_TOKEN_DSH`, `HUB_TOKEN_CONSOLE`,
+`HUB_TOKEN_ADMIN`.
+
+This step changes host credentials. It needs Sam's OK first
+(`AGENTS.md` "ask first: credentials").
+
+> This host has no `openssl`. The script uses `openssl rand -hex 32` when it is
+> present, and `/dev/urandom` (32 bytes, hex) otherwise. Both give 64 hex
+> characters.
+
+### Step 2 — Deploy the image
+
+```bash
+cd /home/sam/paseo/projects/central_ai_llm_master
+docker compose up -d --build
+```
+
+### Step 3 — Verify
+
+```bash
+curl -s http://192.168.20.13:8788/health
+docker inspect hub --format '{{.State.Health.Status}}'
+```
+
+Expected: `ok: true`, `omniroute: ok`, and `healthy`. The control action must be
+refused:
+
+```bash
+curl -s -X POST http://192.168.20.13:8788/ask \
+  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HUB_TOKEN_ESP32" \
+  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+  -d '{"text":"cut the kids internet","asker":"sam","source":"esp32"}'
+```
+
+Expected: `status: "refused"`, `route.kind: "refused"`.
+
+`HUB_PROJECTS` is empty in this phase. A project question therefore returns
+`status: "unavailable"` with `route.reason: "no_client"`. That is correct.
+
+### Finding — the container user
+
+The secrets file has mode 0600 and is owned by the host user. The image's
+distroless `nonroot` user (65532) cannot read that file. With `nonroot`, the Hub
+starts but reads no tokens: every `/ask` returns 401 and `/health` reports
+`omniroute: unknown`.
+
+Fix: `docker-compose.yml` runs the container as the host user
+(`user: "${HUB_UID:-1000}:${HUB_GID:-100}"`). No host file change is needed.
+
+### Dry-run evidence — 2026-10-10
+
+The AUD-49 image (`sha256:eb062c638da5`) ran on port 18788 against a scratch
+secrets file with freshly generated tokens. It did not touch the host secrets
+file or the running `hub` container.
+
+| Check | Result |
+|---|---|
+| `GET /health` | `ok: true`, `checks.omniroute: ok`, `checks.log: ok` |
+| `POST /ask` `"cut the kids internet"` | `status: "refused"`, `route.kind: "refused"` |
+| `POST /ask` with a bad token | HTTP 401 `unauthorized` |
+| `POST /ask` a project question (no project) | `status: "unavailable"`, `route.reason: "no_client"` |
+| `docker exec <container> /app/hub -healthcheck` | exit 0 (the compose healthcheck) |
+| Container with the image's default `nonroot` user | 401 on `/ask`, `omniroute: unknown` (the finding above) |
+
 ## After Phase 1
 
 Follow the build order in `AGENTS.md`. Do not start a destination before the
diff --git a/scripts/provision-hub-tokens.sh b/scripts/provision-hub-tokens.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..e500818
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/provision-hub-tokens.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,102 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+#
+# provision-hub-tokens.sh - add one Hub client token per door to the secrets
+# file.
+#
+# The Hub accepts one bearer token per client, not per person
+# (docs/hub-api.md section 3). This script adds the five HUB_TOKEN_* keys to
+# ~/.config/environment.d/10-secrets.conf.
+#
+# It is idempotent. It adds only the keys that are missing. It never prints a
+# token value and never overwrites an existing token.
+#
+# This changes host credentials. It needs Sam's OK before it runs
+# (AGENTS.md "ask first: credentials").
+#
+# Usage:
+#   scripts/provision-hub-tokens.sh --check     # report present/missing, change nothing
+#   scripts/provision-hub-tokens.sh --dry-run   # same as --check, no change
+#   scripts/provision-hub-tokens.sh             # add the missing keys
+#
+# Exit codes:
+#   0  done (or all keys already present)
+#   1  the secrets file is missing or is not usable
+#   2  bad usage
+#
+set -euo pipefail
+
+readonly SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
+readonly PROJECT_DIR="$(cd -- "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
+readonly SECRETS_FILE="${HUB_SECRETS_FILE:-$HOME/.config/environment.d/10-secrets.conf}"
+
+# The five doors from docs/hub-api.md section 3.
+readonly TOKEN_KEYS=(HUB_TOKEN_PHONE HUB_TOKEN_ESP32 HUB_TOKEN_DSH HUB_TOKEN_CONSOLE HUB_TOKEN_ADMIN)
+
+mode="apply"
+case "${1:-}" in
+  --check|--dry-run) mode="check" ;;
+  "") ;;
+  *) echo "usage: $(basename "$0") [--check|--dry-run]" >&2; exit 2 ;;
+esac
+
+# gen_hex32 prints 64 hex characters (32 random bytes). It uses openssl when
+# it is installed, and /dev/urandom otherwise. This host has no openssl.
+gen_hex32() {
+  if command -v openssl >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    openssl rand -hex 32
+    return
+  fi
+  od -An -N32 -tx1 /dev/urandom | tr -d ' \n'
+}
+
+if [[ ! -f "$SECRETS_FILE" ]]; then
+  echo "error: secrets file not found: $SECRETS_FILE" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# has_key reports whether KEY is already set in the file.
+has_key() {
+  local key="$1"
+  grep -qE "^[[:space:]]*${key}=" "$SECRETS_FILE"
+}
+
+missing=()
+for key in "${TOKEN_KEYS[@]}"; do
+  if has_key "$key"; then
+    echo "present: $key"
+  else
+    echo "missing: $key"
+    missing+=("$key")
+  fi
+done
+
+if [[ ${#missing[@]} -eq 0 ]]; then
+  echo "done: all ${#TOKEN_KEYS[@]} Hub tokens are present. No change."
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+if [[ "$mode" == "check" ]]; then
+  echo "check only: ${#missing[@]} token(s) would be added. No change."
+  exit 0
+fi
+
+# Back up first. The backup keeps the same restrictive mode.
+backup="${SECRETS_FILE}.bak.$(date -u +%Y%m%dT%H%M%SZ)"
+cp -p "$SECRETS_FILE" "$backup"
+chmod 600 "$backup"
+echo "backup: $backup"
+
+# Add the missing keys. openssl writes the value; nothing prints it.
+{
+  echo ""
+  echo "# Hub client tokens (one per door, docs/hub-api.md section 3)."
+  echo "# Added by scripts/provision-hub-tokens.sh on $(date -u +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ)."
+  for key in "${missing[@]}"; do
+    value="$(gen_hex32)"
+    printf '%s="%s"\n' "$key" "$value"
+  done
+} >> "$SECRETS_FILE"
+
+chmod 600 "$SECRETS_FILE"
+
+echo "done: added ${#missing[@]} key(s) to $SECRETS_FILE (values not shown)."