diff --git a/CONTRACT.md b/CONTRACT.md
index 35567b8..d420599 100644
--- a/CONTRACT.md
+++ b/CONTRACT.md
@@ -1,10 +1,15 @@
 ---
-tier: S
+name: steev-contract
+tier: T1
 status: active
 owner: jp
 source: hand
+last_reviewed: 2026-05-23
 review_by: 2026-08-21
-note: Steev profile contract — this file wins for the Steev profile
+description: steev profile behavior contract — what Steev does, doesn't do, edge cases. Tier T1 — this file wins for the steev profile.
+depends_on:
+  - profile-distribution-protocol
+note: legacy tier S remapped to T1 per FRONTMATTER-SPEC 2026-05-23. Required fields filled (name, last_reviewed, description) per §7 audit.
 ---
 
 # Steev — Source of Truth
diff --git a/credbridge.sh b/credbridge.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..763ebb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/credbridge.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,94 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# credbridge.sh — resolve credctl credentials into env vars for steev's
+# personal-flow tools, then exec the CLI. Secrets NEVER echoed, logged, or
+# written to disk.
+#
+# Usage:  credbridge.sh <tool> [args...]
+#   tools: google-workspace | proton-bridge | perplexity
+#
+# Per PROFILE-DISTRIBUTION-PROTOCOL §3 (shared core, "credbridge" row) and §6
+# (Conventions → Secrets), every profile distribution exposes credentials via
+# this verb chain: credctl set → credenv → exec, with secrets per-call only.
+#
+# This is the personal-assistant variant of the credbridge pattern. Steev's
+# cred surface is narrow by design:
+#
+#   - google-workspace:  Gmail + Calendar + Contacts (OAuth blob from credctl)
+#   - proton-bridge:     IMAP/SMTP password for the local Proton Bridge T6
+#                        sidecar — gives Steev access to JP's Proton mail via
+#                        himalaya (cleartext on 127.0.0.1 only)
+#   - perplexity:        Perplexity API key for WebSearch toolset (lightweight
+#                        — most Steev work uses the perplexity MCP instead)
+#
+# Plan B marketing platforms (WooCommerce, Mailchimp, Meta, GA4, etc.) are OUT
+# OF SCOPE here — that's cmo-planb's credbridge. Steev MUST NEVER resolve a
+# marketing platform credential. The CLAUDE.md "no access to Plan B marketing
+# platform credentials" rule is enforced by omission from this case statement.
+#
+# Design notes (same as cmo/credbridge.sh — shared core):
+#   - credctl values read into local vars, exported straight to the child env
+#   - JSON-valued creds (google-workspace OAuth) parsed via `node -e` reading
+#     from stdin so the value never lands on argv / process list
+#   - No `echo $secret`. set +x stays off.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+# Paths env-overridable for portability; defaults match the JP install.
+CREDCTL="${CREDCTL:-/home/svrnty/workspaces/cortex/L6-svrnty.core-credentials/credctl}"
+STEEV_LIB="${STEEV_LIB:-/home/svrnty/.hermes/steev}"
+
+die() { printf '{"error":"%s"}\n' "$1" >&2; exit 1; }
+
+[ $# -ge 1 ] || die "usage: credbridge.sh <google-workspace|proton-bridge|perplexity> [args...]"
+TOOL="$1"; shift
+
+[ -x "$CREDCTL" ] || die "credctl not found/executable at $CREDCTL"
+
+# cred_raw <name> — print unmasked credential value to stdout. Caller captures
+# into a var; value never displayed. Strips the "Value:" header from credctl.
+cred_raw() {
+  "$CREDCTL" get "$1" --unmask 2>/dev/null \
+    | sed -n '/^Value:/,$p' | sed '1s/^Value:[[:space:]]*//'
+}
+
+# json_field <json> <key> — extract a string field via node; value never on argv.
+json_field() {
+  printf '%s' "$1" | node -e '
+    let s="";process.stdin.on("data",d=>s+=d);
+    process.stdin.on("end",()=>{try{const o=JSON.parse(s);
+      const v=o[process.argv[1]];process.stdout.write(v==null?"":String(v));
+    }catch(e){process.stdout.write("");}});' "$2"
+}
+
+case "$TOOL" in
+  google-workspace)
+    # Gmail Data API + Calendar API + People API all expect a bearer token
+    # minted from this service-account / OAuth blob. The blob is JSON; we
+    # export the whole document so the child CLI can introspect scope.
+    GW_JSON="$(cred_raw google-workspace)"
+    [ -n "$GW_JSON" ] || die "credctl: google-workspace not set"
+    export GOOGLE_WORKSPACE_CREDENTIALS_JSON="$GW_JSON"
+    exec "$@"
+    ;;
+  proton-bridge)
+    # Steev reads JP's Proton inbox via the local Proton Bridge IMAP daemon
+    # (T6 sidecar — see PROFILE-DISTRIBUTION-PROTOCOL §4.T6). credctl stores
+    # the bridge password (rotates when JP rotates the bridge).
+    PB_PASS="$(cred_raw proton-bridge-imap)"
+    [ -n "$PB_PASS" ] || die "credctl: proton-bridge-imap not set"
+    export PROTON_BRIDGE_IMAP_PASSWORD="$PB_PASS"
+    exec "$@"
+    ;;
+  perplexity)
+    # Lightweight WebSearch path. Most Steev research goes through the
+    # perplexity MCP server (which holds its own key); this credbridge entry
+    # exists for scripts that need a raw key (rare).
+    PPL_KEY="$(cred_raw perplexity-api)"
+    [ -n "$PPL_KEY" ] || die "credctl: perplexity-api not set"
+    export PERPLEXITY_API_KEY="$PPL_KEY"
+    exec "$@"
+    ;;
+  *)
+    die "unknown tool: $TOOL (allowed: google-workspace|proton-bridge|perplexity)"
+    ;;
+esac
diff --git a/cron/steev-daily-briefing.json.template b/cron/steev-daily-briefing.json.template
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96bea81
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cron/steev-daily-briefing.json.template
@@ -0,0 +1,40 @@
+{
+  "id": "steev-daily-briefing",
+  "name": "steev-daily-briefing",
+  "prompt": "Steev daily briefing. DB=${HERMES_HOME}/steev/steev.db, helper=${HERMES_HOME}/steev/steev_db.py.\n1. runtime-get: if agent_runtime.status='halted' → STOP, output \"halted, skipping\", do nothing else.\n2. Aggregate today's context:\n   - calendar events from google-workspace (today + tomorrow morning)\n   - flagged + unread emails from proton-bridge (himalaya) + google-workspace (gmail)\n   - due tasks from apple-reminders + obsidian vault (~/vaults/steev/Tasks/)\n   - carried items from steev.db (briefings.carried_over)\n   - brief news scan via perplexity (1-2 items only)\n3. Compose a single digest in JP's voice (FR/EN per JP's language preference for that day). Surface only what needs JP's attention.\n4. Persist digest to steev.db (briefings table) as status='draft'.\n5. Output a 5W summary of items surfaced.\n6. NEVER auto-send. NEVER touch business comms surface (that's CEO → CMO).",
+  "skills": [
+    "steev-agent"
+  ],
+  "skill": "steev-agent",
+  "model": null,
+  "provider": null,
+  "base_url": null,
+  "script": null,
+  "no_agent": false,
+  "context_from": null,
+  "schedule": {
+    "kind": "cron",
+    "expr": "30 6 * * *",
+    "display": "06:30 daily"
+  },
+  "schedule_display": "06:30 daily",
+  "repeat": {
+    "times": null,
+    "completed": 0
+  },
+  "enabled": false,
+  "state": "paused",
+  "paused_at": null,
+  "paused_reason": "installed paused — enable via: hermes cron resume steev-daily-briefing",
+  "created_at": null,
+  "next_run_at": null,
+  "last_run_at": null,
+  "last_status": null,
+  "last_error": null,
+  "last_delivery_error": null,
+  "deliver": "local",
+  "origin": null,
+  "enabled_toolsets": null,
+  "workdir": "${HERMES_HOME}/steev",
+  "profile": "steev"
+}
diff --git a/distribution.yaml b/distribution.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..97462d4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/distribution.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# Hermes profile distribution manifest — native Hermes install contract.
+# Used by `hermes profile install`. Distinct from manifest.yaml (our workspace
+# convention layered on top — see ../sot/03-PROTOCOLS/PROFILE-DISTRIBUTION-PROTOCOL.md).
+name: steev
+version: 1.0.0
+description: "Steev — JP's personal AI chief of staff. Daily briefing (calendar + flagged emails + due tasks + carried items + brief news scan), inbox triage, comms drafting in JP's voice (French/English bilingual), and business-task delegation to ceo-planb. Personal-flow manager — no Plan B marketing surface. Sovereign on qwen3.6-35b-a3b."
+hermes_requires: ">=0.14.0"
+author: "Svrnty / JP <mathias@openharbor.io>"
+license: "proprietary"
+
+# Steev is personal/agnostic per CORTEX-OS-FRAMEWORK §6.1 — no org suffix.
+# Profile name = `steev` (not `steev-<org>`) because there is exactly one
+# principal: JP. Cloning steev for another principal = rename in
+# distribution.yaml only; no other code changes.
+
+env_requires: []   # credentials provisioned via credctl at install/runtime, never in env
+
+distribution_owned:
+  - AGENT.md
+  - CONTRACT.md
+  - CLAUDE.md
+  - README.md
+  - manifest.yaml
+  - schema.sql
+  - install.sh
+  - credbridge.sh
+  - validate_access.sh
+  - skills/
+  - cron/
diff --git a/manifest.yaml b/manifest.yaml
index cc73e5f..329c0ad 100644
--- a/manifest.yaml
+++ b/manifest.yaml
@@ -1,19 +1,73 @@
 # Steev profile distribution manifest — machine-readable identity + install contract.
-# Read by install.sh. Convention shared by all profile distributions (see PROFILE-DISTRIBUTION-SPEC.md).
-profile: steev
-kind: profile-distribution
-role: steev
+# Read by install.sh. Convention shared by all Hermes profile distributions
+# (see ../sot/03-PROTOCOLS/PROFILE-DISTRIBUTION-PROTOCOL.md — the canonical protocol).
+profile: steev                 # Hermes profile name (personal — no org suffix per FRAMEWORK §6.1)
+kind: profile-distribution     # family marker; steev = personal-assistant reference impl
+role: personal-assistant       # function — Chief of Staff for one principal (JP)
+# org: ~                       # intentionally omitted — steev is personal/agnostic
 version: 1.0.0
-identity: AGENT.md
-reference: docs/STEEV-MASTER.md
+identity: AGENT.md             # WHO (role, mission, boundaries)
+contract: CONTRACT.md          # behavior contract — tier T1 (this file wins)
+reference: docs/STEEV-MASTER.md   # full operating source of truth
 
-skills:
-  - skills/steev-agent    # personal assistant orchestrator
+skills:                        # exposed to Hermes via skills.external_dirs (→ <repo>/skills)
+  - skills/steev-agent         # orchestrator — daily briefing, inbox triage, comms drafting,
+                               #                business delegation to ceo-planb
+  - skills/proton-tools        # Proton Calendar + Email + Contacts (24-tool reference) —
+                               #   uses the 3 cortex MCP servers (proton-calendar/-email/-contacts)
+
+# Role tools = scripts at repo root (the "lib"), reached through credbridge.
+# Personal-flow surface only; Plan B marketing CLIs out of scope (cmo-planb owns those).
+lib:
+  - credbridge.sh              # credctl → env → google-workspace / proton-bridge / perplexity
+  - validate_access.sh         # PASS / BLOCKED / FAIL per credential per §7
+
+# Hermes built-in / external skills Steev reuses but does NOT vendor (per CLAUDE.md
+# "reuse existing core skills"). Informational — these come from Hermes' global skills
+# tree (~/.hermes/skills/) or external skill libraries the principal already installed.
+expected_external_skills:
+  - google-workspace           # Gmail + Calendar + Contacts
+  - apple-notes                # macOS-local via osascript
+  - apple-reminders            # macOS-local via osascript
+  - obsidian                   # ~/vaults/steev PKM
+  - himalaya                   # IMAP/SMTP via proton-bridge sidecar
+  - imessage                   # macOS-local
+  - perplexity                 # WebSearch toolset (lightweight; MCP preferred)
+
+# MCP servers Steev consumes. Names match runtime-prefixed form (mcp_<server>_<tool>).
+optional_tools:
+  - mcp_proton_calendar        # 8-tool Proton Calendar facade
+  - mcp_proton_email           # 10-tool Proton Email facade
+  - mcp_proton_contacts        # 6-tool Proton Contacts facade
+  - mcp_perplexity             # research / WebSearch (key held by MCP server, not credbridge)
 
 requires_tools: [terminal, memory_tool]
 
-db:
-  file: steev.db          # runtime state; created from schema.sql; never committed
-  schema: schema.sql
+credentials:                   # validated by validate_access.sh
+  - name: google-workspace
+    purpose: Gmail + Calendar + Contacts read/write for daily briefing + inbox triage
+    resolved_via: credbridge.sh
+  - name: proton-bridge-imap
+    purpose: local Proton Bridge IMAP/SMTP password (himalaya path)
+    resolved_via: credbridge.sh
+  - name: perplexity-api
+    purpose: Perplexity API key for raw WebSearch (MCP path preferred)
+    resolved_via: credbridge.sh
 
-cron: []   # daily-briefing cron registered disabled at launch
+db:
+  file: steev.db               # runtime state; created from schema.sql; never committed
+  schema: schema.sql           # briefings + inbox_items + invocations + agent_runtime
+
+cron:
+  - id: steev-daily-briefing
+    schedule: "30 6 * * *"     # 06:30 local — well before JP's start of day
+    skill: steev-agent
+    input: { mode: daily-briefing }
+    disabled_on_install: true  # ships disabled per profile protocol §6 (Safety)
+    template: cron/steev-daily-briefing.json.template
+
+sovereignty:
+  llm_model: qwen-local/qwen3.6-35b-a3b
+  host: dgx-spark
+  external_api_dependencies:
+    - perplexity   # WebSearch only; build-time research path. Daily briefing scan uses 1-2 items.
diff --git a/validate_access.sh b/validate_access.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..630b480
--- /dev/null
+++ b/validate_access.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# validate_access.sh — report PASS / BLOCKED / FAIL per credential, per
+# PROFILE-DISTRIBUTION-PROTOCOL §7 (readiness checklist, "credbridge resolves
+# every credential the manifest lists; validate_access reports PASS/BLOCKED/
+# FAIL"). Sourceable from install.sh and standalone.
+#
+# Usage: validate_access.sh
+# Exit code: always 0. Emits one JSON line per credential, suitable for jq /
+# log aggregation.
+#
+# Statuses:
+#   PASS    credctl key set + non-empty
+#   BLOCKED key absent or empty — actionable: run `credctl set <name>`
+#   FAIL    credctl itself missing or broken — environmental issue
+
+set -uo pipefail
+
+CREDCTL="${CREDCTL:-/home/svrnty/workspaces/cortex/L6-svrnty.core-credentials/credctl}"
+
+CREDENTIALS=(
+  google-workspace
+  proton-bridge-imap
+  perplexity-api
+)
+
+check() {
+  local name="$1" status reason
+  if [ ! -x "$CREDCTL" ]; then
+    status="FAIL"; reason="credctl not found at $CREDCTL"
+  elif ! "$CREDCTL" list 2>/dev/null | grep -q "^${name}[[:space:]]"; then
+    status="BLOCKED"; reason="credctl key not set — run: credctl set ${name}"
+  elif [ -z "$("$CREDCTL" get "$name" --unmask 2>/dev/null | sed -n '/^Value:/,$p' | sed '1s/^Value:[[:space:]]*//')" ]; then
+    status="BLOCKED"; reason="key exists but value empty"
+  else
+    status="PASS"; reason="present"
+  fi
+  printf '{"credential":"%s","status":"%s","reason":"%s"}\n' "$name" "$status" "$reason"
+}
+
+for cred in "${CREDENTIALS[@]}"; do
+  check "$cred"
+done