diff --git a/internal/agentruntime/signer.go b/internal/agentruntime/signer.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f026df62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/agentruntime/signer.go
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+package agentruntime
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"os/exec"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/ObolNetwork/obol-stack/internal/config"
+)
+
+// RemoteSignerStrategyPatchArgs builds the kubectl args that pin
+// strategy.type=Recreate on the remote-signer deployment while clearing the
+// k8s-defaulted strategy.rollingUpdate (the explicit null in a merge patch is
+// what removes the field — the API rejects type=Recreate while rollingUpdate
+// is still set).
+//
+// Pure / testable — no side effects.
+func RemoteSignerStrategyPatchArgs(namespace string) []string {
+	return []string{
+		"patch", "deployment/remote-signer",
+		"-n", namespace,
+		"--type=merge",
+		"-p", `{"spec":{"strategy":{"type":"Recreate","rollingUpdate":null}}}`,
+	}
+}
+
+// EnforceRemoteSignerRecreate pins the remote-signer deployment to the
+// Recreate strategy after a helmfile sync.
+//
+// The obol/remote-signer chart (0.3.3) does not expose spec.strategy, so the
+// deployment is created with the default RollingUpdate — but the signer is a
+// singleton over a ReadWriteOnce keystore PVC. On a multi-node cluster a
+// RollingUpdate surge pod can land on a different node and wedge forever on
+// the volume attach; on any cluster it briefly runs two signers over the
+// same keystore. Recreate is the same stance hermes and x402-buyer already
+// take for RWO-backed singletons. Patching spec.strategy does not touch the
+// pod template, so this never triggers a rollout by itself, and helm leaves
+// it alone on later upgrades because the chart never renders the field.
+//
+// Runs after (not before) helmfile sync so a fresh install is patched in the
+// same run that created the deployment. Best-effort: a missing deployment
+// (wallet-less instance) returns nil; other failures are returned for the
+// caller to warn on — sync must not fail over a strategy patch.
+func EnforceRemoteSignerRecreate(cfg *config.Config, namespace string) error {
+	kubectlBinary := filepath.Join(cfg.BinDir, "kubectl")
+	kubeconfigPath := filepath.Join(cfg.ConfigDir, "kubeconfig.yaml")
+
+	cmd := exec.Command(kubectlBinary, RemoteSignerStrategyPatchArgs(namespace)...)
+	cmd.Env = append(os.Environ(), "KUBECONFIG="+kubeconfigPath)
+	if out, err := cmd.CombinedOutput(); err != nil {
+		if strings.Contains(string(out), "NotFound") || strings.Contains(string(out), "not found") {
+			return nil
+		}
+		return fmt.Errorf("patch remote-signer strategy in %s: %w\n%s", namespace, err, strings.TrimSpace(string(out)))
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/agentruntime/signer_test.go b/internal/agentruntime/signer_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..313533a7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/agentruntime/signer_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,58 @@
+package agentruntime
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestRemoteSignerStrategyPatchArgs guards the post-sync pin of
+// strategy.type=Recreate on the remote-signer deployment. The chart (0.3.3)
+// cannot render spec.strategy, so this imperative patch is the only thing
+// keeping a RWO-keystore singleton off RollingUpdate — where a surge pod on
+// another node wedges on the volume attach. The patch must be a merge patch
+// that pins type=Recreate AND carries an explicit rollingUpdate:null — the
+// null is what removes the k8s-defaulted field the API would otherwise
+// reject the type flip over.
+func TestRemoteSignerStrategyPatchArgs(t *testing.T) {
+	args := RemoteSignerStrategyPatchArgs("hermes-obol-agent")
+
+	want := map[string]bool{
+		"patch":                    false,
+		"deployment/remote-signer": false,
+		"hermes-obol-agent":        false,
+		"--type=merge":             false,
+	}
+	var patchJSON string
+	for i, a := range args {
+		if _, ok := want[a]; ok {
+			want[a] = true
+		}
+		if a == "-p" && i+1 < len(args) {
+			patchJSON = args[i+1]
+		}
+	}
+	for arg, seen := range want {
+		if !seen {
+			t.Errorf("RemoteSignerStrategyPatchArgs missing expected arg %q in %v", arg, args)
+		}
+	}
+	if patchJSON == "" {
+		t.Fatal("RemoteSignerStrategyPatchArgs missing -p <patch>")
+	}
+
+	var patch struct {
+		Spec struct {
+			Strategy map[string]any `json:"strategy"`
+		} `json:"spec"`
+	}
+	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(patchJSON), &patch); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("patch is not valid JSON: %v\n%s", err, patchJSON)
+	}
+	if got := patch.Spec.Strategy["type"]; got != "Recreate" {
+		t.Errorf("strategy.type = %v, want Recreate", got)
+	}
+	ru, present := patch.Spec.Strategy["rollingUpdate"]
+	if !present || ru != nil {
+		t.Errorf("strategy.rollingUpdate = %v (present=%v), want explicit null — it is what clears the k8s-defaulted block", ru, present)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/embed/embed_pdb_test.go b/internal/embed/embed_pdb_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..41180c1e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/embed/embed_pdb_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+package embed
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestPodDisruptionBudgets pins the PDB stance for the singleton services on
+// user-facing paths. On multi-node clusters a `kubectl drain` would otherwise
+// silently evict the only pod of the payment gate (x402-verifier → every
+// /services/* route 5xxs) or the RPC front door (eRPC). minAvailable: 1 on a
+// single replica deliberately blocks voluntary eviction until the operator
+// deletes the pod explicitly — the same stance llm.yaml takes for litellm.
+//
+// Rollouts are NOT affected by PDBs; both deployments surge gaplessly via
+// RollingUpdate maxUnavailable 0 (default rounding at 1 replica).
+func TestPodDisruptionBudgets(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name         string
+		file         string
+		pdbName      string
+		namespace    string
+		wantSelector map[string]string
+	}{
+		{
+			name:      "x402-verifier payment gate",
+			file:      "base/templates/x402.yaml",
+			pdbName:   "x402-verifier",
+			namespace: "x402",
+			wantSelector: map[string]string{
+				"app": "x402-verifier",
+			},
+		},
+		{
+			name:      "erpc RPC front door",
+			file:      "base/templates/erpc.yaml",
+			pdbName:   "erpc",
+			namespace: "erpc",
+			// Must match the ethereum/erpc chart's selectorLabels, which the
+			// base chart does not control — verified against the live
+			// deployment's spec.selector.matchLabels.
+			wantSelector: map[string]string{
+				"app.kubernetes.io/name":     "erpc",
+				"app.kubernetes.io/instance": "erpc",
+			},
+		},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			data, err := ReadInfrastructureFile(tt.file)
+			if err != nil {
+				t.Fatalf("ReadInfrastructureFile(%s): %v", tt.file, err)
+			}
+
+			pdb := findDocByName(multiDoc(data), "PodDisruptionBudget", tt.pdbName)
+			if pdb == nil {
+				t.Fatalf("PodDisruptionBudget %q missing from %s", tt.pdbName, tt.file)
+			}
+			if ns := nested(pdb, "metadata", "namespace"); ns != tt.namespace {
+				t.Errorf("namespace = %v, want %s", ns, tt.namespace)
+			}
+			if ma := nested(pdb, "spec", "minAvailable"); ma != 1 {
+				t.Errorf("minAvailable = %v, want 1", ma)
+			}
+			sel, ok := nested(pdb, "spec", "selector", "matchLabels").(map[string]any)
+			if !ok {
+				t.Fatal("PDB missing spec.selector.matchLabels")
+			}
+			for k, v := range tt.wantSelector {
+				if sel[k] != v {
+					t.Errorf("selector[%s] = %v, want %s", k, sel[k], v)
+				}
+			}
+			if len(sel) != len(tt.wantSelector) {
+				t.Errorf("selector has %d labels %v, want exactly %v — extra labels risk matching no pods", len(sel), sel, tt.wantSelector)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// TestCloudflaredPDBTemplate pins the pre-existing tunnel-connector PDB: it
+// must stay gated on an active tunnel (local/remote mode) with >1 replica,
+// where minAvailable: 1 lets drains roll one connector at a time without
+// dropping the public path.
+func TestCloudflaredPDBTemplate(t *testing.T) {
+	data, err := ReadInfrastructureFile("cloudflared/templates/pdb.yaml")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("ReadInfrastructureFile: %v", err)
+	}
+	raw := string(data)
+
+	for _, want := range []string{
+		"kind: PodDisruptionBudget",
+		"minAvailable: 1",
+		"app.kubernetes.io/name: cloudflared",
+		"gt $persistentReplicas 1",
+	} {
+		if !strings.Contains(raw, want) {
+			t.Errorf("cloudflared pdb.yaml missing %q", want)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/embed/infrastructure/base/templates/erpc.yaml b/internal/embed/infrastructure/base/templates/erpc.yaml
index 635665d3..e80f92ac 100644
--- a/internal/embed/infrastructure/base/templates/erpc.yaml
+++ b/internal/embed/infrastructure/base/templates/erpc.yaml
@@ -98,3 +98,24 @@ data:
         }
       }
     }
+
+---
+# PodDisruptionBudget: eRPC is the single RPC front door for agents and the
+# frontend. The upstream ethereum/erpc chart (0.0.4) has no PDB template of
+# its own (its `podDisruptionBudget` value is unwired), so it lives here with
+# the other erpc-namespace resources. With one replica, minAvailable: 1 makes
+# voluntary evictions (multi-node drains, upgrades) require explicit operator
+# intent instead of silently gapping local RPC. Rollouts are unaffected — the
+# chart's RollingUpdate at 1 replica surges 0-unavailable behind its
+# readiness probe (`network add/remove` restarts stay gapless).
+apiVersion: policy/v1
+kind: PodDisruptionBudget
+metadata:
+  name: erpc
+  namespace: erpc
+spec:
+  minAvailable: 1
+  selector:
+    matchLabels:
+      app.kubernetes.io/name: erpc
+      app.kubernetes.io/instance: erpc
diff --git a/internal/embed/infrastructure/base/templates/x402.yaml b/internal/embed/infrastructure/base/templates/x402.yaml
index a1504973..6a053213 100644
--- a/internal/embed/infrastructure/base/templates/x402.yaml
+++ b/internal/embed/infrastructure/base/templates/x402.yaml
@@ -411,6 +411,26 @@ spec:
       targetPort: http
       protocol: TCP
 
+---
+# PodDisruptionBudget: the verifier is the ForwardAuth gate for every paid
+# route — evicting its only pod takes all /services/* traffic down. With the
+# deliberate single replica (see the Deployment comment on per-pod metric
+# registries), minAvailable: 1 makes voluntary evictions (multi-node drains,
+# upgrades) require explicit operator intent instead of silently gapping the
+# payment path. Same stance as the litellm PDB in llm.yaml. Rollouts are
+# unaffected — the default RollingUpdate surge at 1 replica is 0-unavailable,
+# gated by /readyz (config + routes loaded).
+apiVersion: policy/v1
+kind: PodDisruptionBudget
+metadata:
+  name: x402-verifier
+  namespace: x402
+spec:
+  minAvailable: 1
+  selector:
+    matchLabels:
+      app: x402-verifier
+
 ---
 # ServiceMonitor for x402-verifier — scrapes the stable Service endpoint
 # rather than per-pod IPs (which is what a PodMonitor would do). Lives
diff --git a/internal/hermes/hermes.go b/internal/hermes/hermes.go
index 479ca5a5..27d6db76 100644
--- a/internal/hermes/hermes.go
+++ b/internal/hermes/hermes.go
@@ -254,6 +254,13 @@ func Sync(cfg *config.Config, id string, u *ui.UI) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("helmfile sync failed: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	// The remote-signer chart cannot express strategy: Recreate itself; pin
+	// it post-sync so the RWO keystore PVC never faces a RollingUpdate surge
+	// (deadlocks on multi-node volume attach).
+	if err := agentruntime.EnforceRemoteSignerRecreate(cfg, agentruntime.Namespace(agentruntime.Hermes, id)); err != nil {
+		u.Warnf("Could not pin remote-signer Recreate strategy (continuing): %v", err)
+	}
+
 	// Publish wallet-metadata ConfigMap for the frontend (namespace now exists).
 	applyWalletMetadataConfigMap(cfg, id, deploymentDir)
 
diff --git a/internal/openclaw/openclaw.go b/internal/openclaw/openclaw.go
index 3fba946c..442735b4 100644
--- a/internal/openclaw/openclaw.go
+++ b/internal/openclaw/openclaw.go
@@ -454,6 +454,13 @@ func doSync(cfg *config.Config, id string, u *ui.UI) error {
 		return fmt.Errorf("helmfile sync failed: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	// The remote-signer chart cannot express strategy: Recreate itself; pin
+	// it post-sync so the RWO keystore PVC never faces a RollingUpdate surge
+	// (deadlocks on multi-node volume attach).
+	if err := agentruntime.EnforceRemoteSignerRecreate(cfg, namespace); err != nil {
+		u.Warnf("Could not pin remote-signer Recreate strategy (continuing): %v", err)
+	}
+
 	// Patch ConfigMap to inject heartbeat config that the chart template
 	// does not render. The chart's _helpers.tpl only outputs
 	// agents.defaults.model and agents.defaults.workspace into openclaw.json,