diff --git a/docker-compose.yml b/docker-compose.yml
index a8f57db..dd5a8d6 100644
--- a/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/docker-compose.yml
@@ -66,6 +66,27 @@ services:
     depends_on:
       - forgejo
 
+  runner:
+    image: disinto/agents:latest
+    profiles: ["runner"]
+    volumes:
+      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
+      - /usr/local/bin/claude:/usr/local/bin/claude:ro
+      - ${HOME}/.claude:/home/agent/.claude
+      - ${HOME}/.claude.json:/home/agent/.claude.json:ro
+    entrypoint: ["bash", "/home/agent/disinto/docker/runner/entrypoint-runner.sh"]
+    environment:
+      - DISINTO_CONTAINER=1
+      - FORGE_URL=${FORGE_URL:-}
+      - FORGE_TOKEN=${FORGE_TOKEN:-}
+      - FORGE_REPO=${FORGE_REPO:-disinto-admin/disinto}
+      - FORGE_OPS_REPO=${FORGE_OPS_REPO:-}
+      - PRIMARY_BRANCH=${PRIMARY_BRANCH:-main}
+      - ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=${ANTHROPIC_API_KEY:-}
+      - CLAUDE_MODEL=${CLAUDE_MODEL:-}
+    networks:
+      - default
+
   reproduce:
     build:
       context: .
diff --git a/docker/edge/dispatcher.sh b/docker/edge/dispatcher.sh
index 18beb69..d126b46 100755
--- a/docker/edge/dispatcher.sh
+++ b/docker/edge/dispatcher.sh
@@ -408,17 +408,10 @@ launch_runner() {
   local secrets_array
   secrets_array="${VAULT_ACTION_SECRETS:-}"
 
-  # Build command array (safe from shell injection)
-  local -a cmd=(docker run --rm
-    --name "vault-runner-${action_id}"
-    --network disinto_disinto-net
-    -e "FORGE_URL=${FORGE_URL}"
-    -e "FORGE_TOKEN=${FORGE_TOKEN}"
-    -e "FORGE_REPO=${FORGE_REPO}"
-    -e "FORGE_OPS_REPO=${FORGE_OPS_REPO}"
-    -e "PRIMARY_BRANCH=${PRIMARY_BRANCH}"
-    -e DISINTO_CONTAINER=1
-  )
+  # Build docker compose run command (delegates to compose runner service)
+  # The runner service definition handles image, network, volumes, and base env.
+  # The dispatcher only adds declared secrets and the ops repo mount.
+  local -a cmd=(docker compose run --rm)
 
   # Add environment variables for secrets (if any declared)
   if [ -n "$secrets_array" ]; then
@@ -438,27 +431,13 @@ launch_runner() {
     log "Action ${action_id} has no secrets declared — runner will execute without extra env vars"
   fi
 
-  # Add formula and action id as arguments (safe from shell injection)
-  local formula="${VAULT_ACTION_FORMULA:-}"
-  cmd+=(disinto-agents:latest bash -c
-    "cd /home/agent/disinto && bash formulas/${formula}.sh ${action_id}")
+  # Mount the ops repo so the runner entrypoint can read the action TOML
+  cmd+=(-v "${OPS_REPO_ROOT}:/home/agent/ops:ro")
 
-  # Log command skeleton (hide all -e flags for security)
-  local -a log_cmd=()
-  local skip_next=0
-  for arg in "${cmd[@]}"; do
-    if [[ $skip_next -eq 1 ]]; then
-      skip_next=0
-      continue
-    fi
-    if [[ "$arg" == "-e" ]]; then
-      log_cmd+=("$arg" "<redacted>")
-      skip_next=1
-    else
-      log_cmd+=("$arg")
-    fi
-  done
-  log "Running: ${log_cmd[*]}"
+  # Service name and action-id argument
+  cmd+=(runner "$action_id")
+
+  log "Running: docker compose run --rm runner ${action_id} (secrets: ${secrets_array:-none})"
 
   # Create temp file for logs
   local log_file
diff --git a/docker/runner/entrypoint-runner.sh b/docker/runner/entrypoint-runner.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..48e7258
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docker/runner/entrypoint-runner.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# entrypoint-runner.sh — Vault runner entrypoint
+#
+# Receives an action-id, reads the vault action TOML to get the formula name,
+# then dispatches to the appropriate executor:
+#   - formulas/<name>.sh  → bash (mechanical operations like release)
+#   - formulas/<name>.toml → claude -p (reasoning tasks like triage, architect)
+#
+# Usage: entrypoint-runner.sh <action-id>
+#
+# Expects:
+#   OPS_REPO_ROOT  — path to the ops repo (mounted by compose)
+#   FACTORY_ROOT   — path to disinto code (default: /home/agent/disinto)
+#
+# Part of #516.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+FACTORY_ROOT="${FACTORY_ROOT:-/home/agent/disinto}"
+OPS_REPO_ROOT="${OPS_REPO_ROOT:-/home/agent/ops}"
+
+log() {
+  printf '[%s] runner: %s\n' "$(date -u '+%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ')" "$*"
+}
+
+# ── Argument parsing ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+action_id="${1:-}"
+if [ -z "$action_id" ]; then
+  log "ERROR: action-id argument required"
+  echo "Usage: entrypoint-runner.sh <action-id>" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# ── Read vault action TOML ───────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+action_toml="${OPS_REPO_ROOT}/vault/actions/${action_id}.toml"
+if [ ! -f "$action_toml" ]; then
+  log "ERROR: vault action TOML not found: ${action_toml}"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Extract formula name from TOML
+formula=$(grep -E '^formula\s*=' "$action_toml" \
+  | sed -E 's/^formula\s*=\s*"(.*)"/\1/' | tr -d '\r')
+
+if [ -z "$formula" ]; then
+  log "ERROR: no 'formula' field found in ${action_toml}"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Extract context for logging
+context=$(grep -E '^context\s*=' "$action_toml" \
+  | sed -E 's/^context\s*=\s*"(.*)"/\1/' | tr -d '\r')
+
+log "Action: ${action_id}, formula: ${formula}, context: ${context:-<none>}"
+
+# ── Dispatch: .sh (mechanical) vs .toml (Claude reasoning) ──────────────
+
+formula_sh="${FACTORY_ROOT}/formulas/${formula}.sh"
+formula_toml="${FACTORY_ROOT}/formulas/${formula}.toml"
+
+if [ -f "$formula_sh" ]; then
+  # Mechanical operation — run directly
+  log "Dispatching to shell script: ${formula_sh}"
+  exec bash "$formula_sh" "$action_id"
+
+elif [ -f "$formula_toml" ]; then
+  # Reasoning task — launch Claude with the formula as prompt
+  log "Dispatching to Claude with formula: ${formula_toml}"
+
+  formula_content=$(cat "$formula_toml")
+  action_context=$(cat "$action_toml")
+
+  prompt="You are a vault runner executing a formula-based operational task.
+
+## Vault action
+\`\`\`toml
+${action_context}
+\`\`\`
+
+## Formula
+\`\`\`toml
+${formula_content}
+\`\`\`
+
+## Instructions
+Execute the steps defined in the formula above. The vault action context provides
+the specific parameters for this run. Execute each step in order, verifying
+success before proceeding to the next.
+
+FACTORY_ROOT=${FACTORY_ROOT}
+OPS_REPO_ROOT=${OPS_REPO_ROOT}
+"
+
+  exec claude -p "$prompt" \
+    --dangerously-skip-permissions \
+    ${CLAUDE_MODEL:+--model "$CLAUDE_MODEL"}
+
+else
+  log "ERROR: no formula found for '${formula}' — checked ${formula_sh} and ${formula_toml}"
+  exit 1
+fi
diff --git a/formulas/release.sh b/formulas/release.sh
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73c3213
--- /dev/null
+++ b/formulas/release.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,186 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# formulas/release.sh — Mechanical release script
+#
+# Implements the release workflow without Claude:
+#   1. Validate prerequisites
+#   2. Tag Forgejo main via API
+#   3. Push tag to mirrors (Codeberg, GitHub) via token auth
+#   4. Build and tag the agents Docker image
+#   5. Restart agent containers
+#
+# Usage: release.sh <action-id>
+#
+# Expects env vars:
+#   FORGE_URL, FORGE_TOKEN, FORGE_REPO, PRIMARY_BRANCH
+#   GITHUB_TOKEN    — for pushing tags to GitHub mirror
+#   CODEBERG_TOKEN  — for pushing tags to Codeberg mirror
+#
+# The action TOML context field must contain the version, e.g.:
+#   context = "Release v1.2.0"
+#
+# Part of #516.
+
+set -euo pipefail
+
+FACTORY_ROOT="${FACTORY_ROOT:-/home/agent/disinto}"
+OPS_REPO_ROOT="${OPS_REPO_ROOT:-/home/agent/ops}"
+
+log() {
+  printf '[%s] release: %s\n' "$(date -u '+%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ')" "$*"
+}
+
+# ── Argument parsing ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+action_id="${1:-}"
+if [ -z "$action_id" ]; then
+  log "ERROR: action-id argument required"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+action_toml="${OPS_REPO_ROOT}/vault/actions/${action_id}.toml"
+if [ ! -f "$action_toml" ]; then
+  log "ERROR: vault action TOML not found: ${action_toml}"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Extract version from context field (e.g. "Release v1.2.0" → "v1.2.0")
+context=$(grep -E '^context\s*=' "$action_toml" \
+  | sed -E 's/^context\s*=\s*"(.*)"/\1/' | tr -d '\r')
+RELEASE_VERSION=$(echo "$context" | grep -oE 'v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+') || true
+
+if [ -z "${RELEASE_VERSION:-}" ]; then
+  log "ERROR: could not extract version from context: '${context}'"
+  log "Context must contain a version like v1.2.0"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+log "Starting release ${RELEASE_VERSION} (action: ${action_id})"
+
+# ── Step 1: Preflight ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+log "Step 1/6: Preflight checks"
+
+# Validate version format
+if ! echo "$RELEASE_VERSION" | grep -qE '^v[0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+$'; then
+  log "ERROR: invalid version format: ${RELEASE_VERSION}"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Required env vars
+for var in FORGE_URL FORGE_TOKEN FORGE_REPO PRIMARY_BRANCH; do
+  if [ -z "${!var:-}" ]; then
+    log "ERROR: required env var not set: ${var}"
+    exit 1
+  fi
+done
+
+# Check Docker access
+if ! docker info >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  log "ERROR: Docker not accessible"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Check tag doesn't already exist on Forgejo
+if curl -sf -H "Authorization: token ${FORGE_TOKEN}" \
+  "${FORGE_URL}/api/v1/repos/${FORGE_REPO}/tags/${RELEASE_VERSION}" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  log "ERROR: tag ${RELEASE_VERSION} already exists on Forgejo"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+log "Preflight passed"
+
+# ── Step 2: Tag main via Forgejo API ─────────────────────────────────────
+
+log "Step 2/6: Creating tag ${RELEASE_VERSION} on Forgejo"
+
+# Get HEAD SHA of primary branch
+head_sha=$(curl -sf -H "Authorization: token ${FORGE_TOKEN}" \
+  "${FORGE_URL}/api/v1/repos/${FORGE_REPO}/branches/${PRIMARY_BRANCH}" \
+  | jq -r '.commit.id // empty')
+
+if [ -z "$head_sha" ]; then
+  log "ERROR: could not get HEAD SHA for ${PRIMARY_BRANCH}"
+  exit 1
+fi
+
+# Create tag via API
+curl -sf -X POST \
+  -H "Authorization: token ${FORGE_TOKEN}" \
+  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+  "${FORGE_URL}/api/v1/repos/${FORGE_REPO}/tags" \
+  -d "{\"tag_name\":\"${RELEASE_VERSION}\",\"target\":\"${head_sha}\",\"message\":\"Release ${RELEASE_VERSION}\"}" \
+  >/dev/null
+
+log "Tag ${RELEASE_VERSION} created (SHA: ${head_sha})"
+
+# ── Step 3: Push tag to mirrors ──────────────────────────────────────────
+
+log "Step 3/6: Pushing tag to mirrors"
+
+# Extract org/repo from FORGE_REPO (e.g. "disinto-admin/disinto" → "disinto")
+project_name="${FORGE_REPO##*/}"
+
+# Push to GitHub mirror (if GITHUB_TOKEN is available)
+if [ -n "${GITHUB_TOKEN:-}" ]; then
+  log "Pushing tag to GitHub mirror"
+  # Create tag on GitHub via API
+  if curl -sf -X POST \
+    -H "Authorization: token ${GITHUB_TOKEN}" \
+    -H "Accept: application/vnd.github+json" \
+    "https://api.github.com/repos/Disinto/${project_name}/git/refs" \
+    -d "{\"ref\":\"refs/tags/${RELEASE_VERSION}\",\"sha\":\"${head_sha}\"}" \
+    >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    log "GitHub: tag pushed"
+  else
+    log "WARNING: GitHub tag push failed (may already exist)"
+  fi
+else
+  log "WARNING: GITHUB_TOKEN not set — skipping GitHub mirror"
+fi
+
+# Push to Codeberg mirror (if CODEBERG_TOKEN is available)
+if [ -n "${CODEBERG_TOKEN:-}" ]; then
+  log "Pushing tag to Codeberg mirror"
+  # Codeberg uses Gitea-compatible API
+  # Extract owner from FORGE_REPO for Codeberg (use same owner)
+  codeberg_owner="${FORGE_REPO%%/*}"
+  if curl -sf -X POST \
+    -H "Authorization: token ${CODEBERG_TOKEN}" \
+    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+    "https://codeberg.org/api/v1/repos/${codeberg_owner}/${project_name}/tags" \
+    -d "{\"tag_name\":\"${RELEASE_VERSION}\",\"target\":\"${head_sha}\",\"message\":\"Release ${RELEASE_VERSION}\"}" \
+    >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    log "Codeberg: tag pushed"
+  else
+    log "WARNING: Codeberg tag push failed (may already exist)"
+  fi
+else
+  log "WARNING: CODEBERG_TOKEN not set — skipping Codeberg mirror"
+fi
+
+# ── Step 4: Build agents Docker image ────────────────────────────────────
+
+log "Step 4/6: Building agents Docker image"
+
+cd "$FACTORY_ROOT/.." || exit 1
+docker compose build --no-cache agents 2>&1 | tail -5
+log "Image built"
+
+# ── Step 5: Tag image with version ───────────────────────────────────────
+
+log "Step 5/6: Tagging image"
+
+docker tag disinto/agents:latest "disinto/agents:${RELEASE_VERSION}"
+log "Tagged disinto/agents:${RELEASE_VERSION}"
+
+# ── Step 6: Restart agent containers ─────────────────────────────────────
+
+log "Step 6/6: Restarting agent containers"
+
+docker compose stop agents agents-llama 2>/dev/null || true
+docker compose up -d agents agents-llama
+log "Agent containers restarted"
+
+# ── Done ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+log "Release ${RELEASE_VERSION} completed successfully"
diff --git a/lib/release.sh b/lib/release.sh
index 6eb03ee..1f993ec 100644
--- a/lib/release.sh
+++ b/lib/release.sh
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ disinto_release() {
 id = "${id}"
 formula = "release"
 context = "Release ${version}"
-secrets = []
+secrets = ["GITHUB_TOKEN", "CODEBERG_TOKEN"]
 EOF
 
   echo "Created vault item: ${vault_toml}"
diff --git a/vault/examples/release.toml b/vault/examples/release.toml
index f8af6d1..0f1ce66 100644
--- a/vault/examples/release.toml
+++ b/vault/examples/release.toml
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 #   id = "release-v120"
 #   formula = "release"
 #   context = "Release v1.2.0"
-#   secrets = []
+#   secrets = ["GITHUB_TOKEN", "CODEBERG_TOKEN"]
 #
 # Steps executed by the release formula:
 #   1. preflight - Validate prerequisites (version, FORGE_TOKEN, Docker)
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 id = "release-v120"
 formula = "release"
 context = "Release v1.2.0 — includes vault redesign, .profile system, architect agent"
-secrets = []
+secrets = ["GITHUB_TOKEN", "CODEBERG_TOKEN"]
 
 # Optional: specify a larger model for complex release logic
 # model = "sonnet"
diff --git a/vault/vault-env.sh b/vault/vault-env.sh
index 43a4721..d9a17db 100644
--- a/vault/vault-env.sh
+++ b/vault/vault-env.sh
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ fi
 # =============================================================================
 
 # Allowed secret names - must match keys in .env.vault.enc
-VAULT_ALLOWED_SECRETS="CLAWHUB_TOKEN GITHUB_TOKEN DEPLOY_KEY NPM_TOKEN DOCKER_HUB_TOKEN"
+VAULT_ALLOWED_SECRETS="CLAWHUB_TOKEN GITHUB_TOKEN CODEBERG_TOKEN DEPLOY_KEY NPM_TOKEN DOCKER_HUB_TOKEN"
 
 # Validate a vault action TOML file
 # Usage: validate_vault_action <path-to-toml>
@@ -99,9 +99,9 @@ validate_vault_action() {
     return 1
   fi
 
-  # Validate formula exists in formulas/
-  if [ ! -f "$formulas_dir/${formula}.toml" ]; then
-    echo "ERROR: Formula not found: $formula" >&2
+  # Validate formula exists in formulas/ (.toml for Claude reasoning, .sh for mechanical)
+  if [ ! -f "$formulas_dir/${formula}.toml" ] && [ ! -f "$formulas_dir/${formula}.sh" ]; then
+    echo "ERROR: Formula not found: $formula (checked .toml and .sh)" >&2
     return 1
   fi