diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..54896d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+# AGENTS.md — Autonomous Publisher Infrastructure
+
+## Quick Start
+8 authority sites on Proxmox CTs 135-142. Flask :5000 + nginx :80.
+Check Obsidian: Infrastructure/Auto Publisher.md
+
+## Critical Rules
+1. NEVER Proxmox CTs for AI — user forbids it
+2. MacBook: qwen3.5:4b-mlx (think:false)
+3. GamingPC: ornith:latest (RTX 3070)
+4. Deploy engine: tar+scp+pct push+pct exec restart
+5. Check Obsidian before any infra change: ~/ai brain/ai brain/
+
+## Dashboards
+- NOC (fleet): http://localhost:5090
+- Admin (pipeline): http://localhost:5106
+- Kalshi (trading): http://localhost:5053/fleet
+
+## 8 Sites
+| # | CT | IP | Vertical | Health |
+|---|----|----|----------|--------|
+| 1 | 135 | .240 | AI | /health |
+| 2 | 136 | .241 | Tech | /health |
+| 3 | 137 | .242 | Science | ARP issue |
+| 4 | 138 | .243 | Crypto | ARP issue |
+| 5 | 139 | .244 | Linux | /health |
+| 6 | 140 | .246 | Gaming | /health |
+| 7 | 141 | .247 | DIY | /health |
+| 8 | 142 | .248 | Guides | /health |
+
+.242/.243 need periodic `sudo arp -d <ip>` — another device responds to ARP first.
+
+## Quick Commands
+Deploy engine update to all CTs:
+```
+cd ~/auto-publisher/sites/_engine && tar czf /tmp/e.tar.gz app.py
+scp /tmp/e.tar.gz root@10.30.20.85:/tmp/
+for vmid in 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142; do
+  ssh root@10.30.20.85 "pct push $vmid /tmp/e.tar.gz /tmp/e.tar.gz && pct exec $vmid -- bash -c 'cd /opt/publisher && tar xzf /tmp/e.tar.gz && systemctl restart publisher'"
+done
+```
+
+Pipeline:
+```
+/usr/bin/python3 ~/auto-publisher/core/orchestrator.py discover
+/usr/bin/python3 ~/auto-publisher/core/orchestrator.py run --max 3
+/usr/bin/python3 ~/auto-publisher/core/orchestrator.py status
+```
+
+Speed bot:
+```
+cd ~/kalshi-bot && .venv/bin/python3 speed_bot.py --coin DOGE --dry
+```
+
+NOC restart:
+```
+pkill -f noc.py; /usr/bin/python3 ~/auto-publisher/dashboard/noc.py --port 5090
+```
+
+ARP fix:
+```
+sudo -S -p '' arp -d 10.30.20.242; sudo -S -p '' arp -d 10.30.20.243
+```
+
+## Key Files
+- Engine: ~/auto-publisher/sites/_engine/app.py
+- Orchestrator: ~/auto-publisher/core/orchestrator.py
+- NOC: ~/auto-publisher/dashboard/noc.py
+- Speed bot: ~/kalshi-bot/speed_bot.py
+- Evolution log: ~/auto-publisher/core/evolution_log.json
+- Gitea main: http://10.30.20.149:3000/drjones/auto-publisher
+- Gitea per-site: http://10.30.20.149:3000/drjones/{name}-publisher
+
+## Credit Plugins
+- Kalshi: Auth via RSA-PSS-SHA256, key ~/kalshi-bot/kalshi_private_key.pem
+- Gitea: Basic auth drjones:czapiewski
+- Proxmox: root/Czapiewski1! via SSH
+
+## Pitfalls
+- Ollama saturated by Kalshi bots — throttle before pipeline
+- MLX needs think:false or generates slow chain-of-thought
+- System Python 3.9 lacks requests — install with --break-system-packages
+- Python 3.9 doesn't support `str | None` syntax — use Optional[str]
+- CT 137/138 ARP conflicts — flush before accessing
+- Evolution cron b48fc30f84b7 paused — too complex for unattended
+- WebSocket auth for Kalshi still WIP (401/403)
diff --git a/core/orchestrator.log b/core/orchestrator.log
index 6e3f0fe..d4b0f1a 100644
--- a/core/orchestrator.log
+++ b/core/orchestrator.log
@@ -3,3 +3,5 @@
 2026-08-03 21:38:19,445 [WARNING] orchestrator: Topic scoring failed: ollama_json() got an unexpected keyword argument 'temperature'
 2026-08-03 21:38:19,449 [INFO] orchestrator: Discovered 0 topics, stored top 25
 2026-08-03 21:38:30,350 [INFO] orchestrator: Starting trend discovery...
+2026-08-04 00:55:28,996 [INFO] orchestrator: Starting trend discovery...
+2026-08-04 00:56:33,717 [INFO] orchestrator: Starting trend discovery...
diff --git a/core/orchestrator.py b/core/orchestrator.py
index dc73006..16cfe0f 100644
--- a/core/orchestrator.py
+++ b/core/orchestrator.py
@@ -11,8 +11,7 @@ import logging
 from pathlib import Path
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field, asdict
-from typing import Optional
-
+from typing import Optional, Dict, List
 import requests
 
 # ─── Config ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────
@@ -795,7 +794,7 @@ def real_fact_check(article_text: str, topic_title: str) -> dict:
 
 
 # ─── Image Generator Hook ──────────────────────────────────────────
-def generate_article_image(title: str, vertical: str) -> str | None:
+def generate_article_image(title: str, vertical: str) -> Optional[str]:
     """Generate a hero image for an article via FAL.ai, verify with vision model. Returns URL or None."""
     # Build a prompt that captures the article's essence
     prompt = f"""Dark atmospheric illustration for an article titled "{title}". 
@@ -841,7 +840,7 @@ Is the image relevant, coherent, and free of inappropriate content? Respond ONLY
 
 # ─── Writing Pipeline ──────────────────────────────────────────────
 def write_article(topic_id: int, topic_title: str, vertical: str,
-                  knowledge_package: dict) -> dict | None:
+                  knowledge_package: dict) -> Optional[dict]:
     """Multi-agent writing pipeline with format diversity, quality gate, and fact-check."""
     log.info(f"Writing article for topic #{topic_id}: {topic_title}")