diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/agent.yml b/.gitea/workflows/agent.yml
index c210a1a..a233df2 100644
--- a/.gitea/workflows/agent.yml
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/agent.yml
@@ -162,6 +162,7 @@ jobs:
           MODE: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.mode }}
           HAS_IMAGES: ${{ steps.imgs.outputs.has_images }}
           BRANCH: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.branch }}
+          AUTOPILOT: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.autopilot }}   # 'true' when the issue carries the `autopilot` label
           NUM: ${{ github.event.issue.number }}
           TITLE: ${{ github.event.issue.title }}
           IBODY: ${{ github.event.issue.body }}
@@ -192,6 +193,9 @@ jobs:
           TITLE: ${{ github.event.issue.title }}
           BRANCH: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.branch }}
           NEW: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.new }}
+          IS_PR: ${{ github.event.issue.pull_request }}   # set when this run is on a PR thread
+          AUTOPILOT: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.autopilot }}   # 'true' when the origin issue carries `autopilot`
+          ISSNUM: ${{ steps.prep.outputs.issnum }}          # origin issue number (resolved from branch on PR threads)
         run: bash "$SCRIPTS/publish.sh"
 
       # Failure-safe: if any step above failed AFTER a dev agent already pushed commits, the normal
diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/scripts/publish.sh b/.gitea/workflows/scripts/publish.sh
index a0d93f5..2fc4db7 100755
--- a/.gitea/workflows/scripts/publish.sh
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/scripts/publish.sh
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 # Required env (provided by the workflow step):
 #   GT AGENT_TOKEN TOKEN_PM TOKEN_SENIOR TOKEN_JUNIOR TOKEN_LEAD TOKEN_QA
 #   NAME MODE NUM TITLE BRANCH NEW GITHUB_SERVER_URL GITHUB_REPOSITORY
+#   IS_PR AUTOPILOT ISSNUM  (autopilot: @qa label-gated merge/halt + auto-trigger @qa on a fresh PR)
 set +e   # publish is best-effort: a grep-no-match / curl non-zero must NOT kill the step
 # Post/PR as the agent's OWN Gitea user when its token is configured; else the built-in bot.
 case "$NAME" in
@@ -17,14 +18,30 @@ API="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}"
 hdr=(-H "Authorization: token $TOK" -H "Content-Type: application/json")
 post() { curl -sS -w 'comment -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' -X POST "${hdr[@]}" \
   "$API/issues/$NUM/comments" -d "$(jq -nc --arg b "$1" '{body:$b}')"; }
+# Remove the 'autopilot' label from an issue by resolving its ID first (Gitea's DELETE label
+# endpoint is by ID, not name). Arg $1 = issue number. Used as the autopilot kill switch.
+del_autopilot_label() {
+  local iss="$1" lid
+  lid=$(curl -sS "${hdr[@]}" "$API/issues/$iss/labels" 2>/dev/null \
+        | jq -r 'if type=="array" then ([.[]|select(.name=="autopilot")][0].id // empty) else empty end')
+  if [ -n "$lid" ]; then
+    curl -sS -X DELETE "${hdr[@]}" "$API/issues/$iss/labels/$lid" \
+      -w '\nunlabel -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true
+  else
+    echo "no 'autopilot' label found on #$iss to remove"
+  fi
+}
 
-# drop machine-readable markers: DELEGATE / CLOSE_ISSUE, and the BEGIN_SUBTASKS..END_SUBTASKS and
-# BEGIN_PR_DESCRIPTION..END_PR_DESCRIPTION blocks (the PR description is published separately).
+# drop machine-readable markers: DELEGATE / CLOSE_ISSUE / MERGE_PR / HALT_AUTOPILOT, and the
+# BEGIN_SUBTASKS..END_SUBTASKS and BEGIN_PR_DESCRIPTION..END_PR_DESCRIPTION blocks (the PR
+# description is published separately).
 reply=$(awk '
   /^[[:space:]]*BEGIN_SUBTASKS/{s=1}
   /^[[:space:]]*BEGIN_PR_DESCRIPTION/{p=1}
   /^[[:space:]]*DELEGATE:[[:space:]]*@/{next}
   /^[[:space:]]*CLOSE_ISSUE[[:space:]]*$/{next}
+  /^[[:space:]]*MERGE_PR[[:space:]]*$/{next}
+  /^[[:space:]]*HALT_AUTOPILOT[[:space:]]*$/{next}
   s{ if(/^[[:space:]]*END_SUBTASKS/){s=0}; next }
   p{ if(/^[[:space:]]*END_PR_DESCRIPTION/){p=0}; next }
   {print}
@@ -91,6 +108,43 @@ if [ "$MODE" != "pr" ]; then
     subtext=$(printf '\n\n---\n🤖 **@%s** — created sub-issues%s (mention an agent on each when ready):%b' "$NAME" "${ms:+ under milestone **$ms**}" "$links")
   fi
   post "$(printf '🤖 **@%s**\n\n%s%s' "$NAME" "$msg" "$subtext")"
+
+  # --- AUTOPILOT: @qa's narrow, label-gated merge / halt authority ---
+  # Only @qa, only when 'autopilot' is set, and only on a PR thread. The MERGE_PR / HALT_AUTOPILOT
+  # markers come from the QA prompt. Merge + label ops use TOKEN_QA (the QA user's PAT, which the
+  # maintainer must grant write+merge scope). ISSNUM is the origin issue (resolved from the branch).
+  if [ "$NAME" = "qa" ] && [ "$AUTOPILOT" = "true" ]; then
+    if grep -qiE '^[[:space:]]*MERGE_PR[[:space:]]*$' /tmp/agent_out.md; then
+      if [ -z "$IS_PR" ]; then
+        echo "MERGE_PR marker but this run is not on a PR thread — skipping merge"
+      else
+        echo "@qa autopilot: merging PR #$NUM (origin issue #${ISSNUM:-$NUM})"
+        mc=$(curl -sS -o /tmp/merge_resp.txt -w '%{http_code}' -X POST "${hdr[@]}" \
+              "$API/pulls/$NUM/merge" -d '{"Do":"merge"}')
+        echo "merge -> HTTP $mc"; cat /tmp/merge_resp.txt 2>/dev/null || true
+        case "$mc" in
+          200|201|204)
+            echo "closing origin issue #${ISSNUM:-$NUM}"
+            curl -sS -X PATCH "${hdr[@]}" "$API/issues/${ISSNUM:-$NUM}" \
+              -d '{"state":"closed"}' -w '\nclose -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true
+            post "$(printf '🤖 **@qa** — ✅ verified & merged PR #%s (autopilot). Closed issue #%s.' "$NUM" "${ISSNUM:-$NUM}")"
+            ;;
+          *)
+            # Merge failed (checks not green, conflicts, or TOKEN_QA lacks merge scope) — do NOT
+            # silently proceed: drop the label so it reverts to human control and report.
+            del_autopilot_label "${ISSNUM:-$NUM}"
+            post "$(printf '🤖 **@qa** — ⚠️ tried to merge PR #%s but the API returned HTTP %s (checks not green, a conflict, or missing merge permission on TOKEN_QA). Removed the `autopilot` label — @ffaerber please take a look.' "$NUM" "$mc")"
+            ;;
+        esac
+      fi
+    elif grep -qiE '^[[:space:]]*HALT_AUTOPILOT[[:space:]]*$' /tmp/agent_out.md; then
+      echo "@qa autopilot: HALT — removing 'autopilot' label from #${ISSNUM:-$NUM}"
+      del_autopilot_label "${ISSNUM:-$NUM}"
+      post "$(printf '🤖 **@qa** — 🛑 found a problem, so I did NOT merge. Removed the `autopilot` label (back to human control). @ffaerber please decide next steps (details above).')"
+    fi
+    exit 0
+  fi
+
   # Auto-delegate: if the plan names a teammate, trigger them via AGENT_TOKEN (a PAT, so it
   # fires a new workflow run — the built-in token cannot). Never targets @pm or self, so the
   # chain always terminates at a dev. The '🤖' guard on the trigger stops status-comment loops.
@@ -185,6 +239,17 @@ prpost() {
 
 if [ "$NEW" = "true" ]; then
   prpost "$prnum" "$(printf '🤖 **@%s** — ✅ PR ready for review — @ffaerber please review & merge:\n- %s%s' "$NAME" "$url" "$activity")"
+  # AUTOPILOT: hand the fresh PR to @qa automatically (via AGENT_TOKEN, so it fires a new run).
+  # @qa then verifies and — if green — merges + closes via its MERGE_PR marker. The comment lands
+  # on the PR thread ($prnum) so the next run resolves the origin issue's label from the branch
+  # name. The '🤖' guard on the trigger gate stops status-comment loops.
+  if [ "$AUTOPILOT" = "true" ] && [ -n "$AGENT_TOKEN" ] && [ -n "$prnum" ]; then
+    echo "autopilot: auto-triggering @qa to review PR #$prnum"
+    curl -sS -X POST -H "Authorization: token $AGENT_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
+      "$API/issues/$prnum/comments" \
+      -d "$(jq -nc --arg b "@qa please verify this PR (autopilot: issue #$NUM is labeled autopilot). Merge it if correct, or halt and remove the label if you find a problem." '{body:$b}')" \
+      -w '\ntrigger-qa -> HTTP %{http_code}\n' || true
+  fi
 else
   # Resume: just link the PR — its body and the diff already carry the description, so we don't
   # repeat the full write-up in the comment (the reasoning trail below shows what this run did).
diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/scripts/route.sh b/.gitea/workflows/scripts/route.sh
index f4452f9..32328dd 100755
--- a/.gitea/workflows/scripts/route.sh
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/scripts/route.sh
@@ -51,8 +51,10 @@ git config user.name "$name"
 git config user.email "$name@ffaerber.duckdns.org"
 API="${GITHUB_SERVER_URL}/api/v1/repos/${GITHUB_REPOSITORY}"
 hdr=(-H "Authorization: token $TOK" -H "Content-Type: application/json")
+branch_ref=""
 if [ -n "$IS_PR" ]; then                     # comment on a PR -> resume its branch
   ref=$(curl -s -H "Authorization: token $GT" "$API/pulls/$NUM" | jq -r .head.ref)
+  branch_ref="$ref"
   git fetch origin "$ref" && git checkout "$ref"
   { echo "branch=$ref"; echo "new=false"; } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 elif git ls-remote --exit-code --heads origin "ai/issue-$NUM" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
@@ -72,3 +74,18 @@ else                                         # comment on an issue, no branch ye
       -d "$(jq -nc --arg b "🔨 **@$name** is on it — building on branch [\`ai/issue-$NUM\`]($url). I'll open a PR when it's ready." '{body:$b}')" >/dev/null || true
   fi
 fi
+
+# --- Autopilot gate: read the `autopilot` label FRESH every run. ---
+# Presence of this label is the opt-in switch (and the kill switch: remove it mid-flight and the
+# next run reverts to normal human-approval behavior). When @qa is triggered on a PR thread, the
+# label lives on the ORIGIN issue (ai/issue-N), so resolve N from the branch name.
+issnum="$NUM"
+case "$IS_PR" in ?*) issnum=$(printf '%s' "$branch_ref" | sed -nE 's,^ai/issue-([0-9]+).*,\1,p');; esac
+[ -z "$issnum" ] && issnum="$NUM"
+autopilot=false
+if curl -sS -H "Authorization: token $GT" "$API/issues/$issnum/labels" 2>/dev/null \
+     | jq -e 'any(.[]?; .name=="autopilot")' >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  autopilot=true
+fi
+echo "autopilot (autopilot label on #$issnum)=$autopilot"
+{ echo "autopilot=$autopilot"; echo "issnum=$issnum"; } >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
diff --git a/.gitea/workflows/scripts/run-agent.sh b/.gitea/workflows/scripts/run-agent.sh
index d913160..3903df4 100755
--- a/.gitea/workflows/scripts/run-agent.sh
+++ b/.gitea/workflows/scripts/run-agent.sh
@@ -3,8 +3,10 @@
 # plain-text reply (/tmp/agent_out.md) plus the raw event stream (/tmp/events.jsonl).
 #
 # Required env (provided by the workflow step):
-#   ANTHROPIC_API_KEY AGENT_TOKEN NAME MODEL VISION MODE HAS_IMAGES BRANCH NUM TITLE IBODY CMT
+#   ANTHROPIC_API_KEY AGENT_TOKEN NAME MODEL VISION MODE HAS_IMAGES BRANCH AUTOPILOT NUM TITLE
+#   IBODY CMT
 #   FILES   (the opencode -f image flags, from the imgs step output)
+#   AUTOPILOT is 'true' when the issue carries the `autopilot` label (label-gated autopilot mode).
 set -u
 
 [ -z "$CMT" ] && CMT="(a new issue was just opened — assess it)"
@@ -51,6 +53,36 @@ if [ "$MODE" = "comment" ]; then
    END_SUBTASKS
    The automation creates the milestone + one sub-issue per line (each linked to this issue). It
    does NOT auto-start any dev — the maintainer @mentions an agent on each sub-issue when ready."
+    if [ "$AUTOPILOT" = "true" ]; then
+      ACTION="$ACTION
+   AUTOPILOT MODE IS ACTIVE (this issue carries the 'autopilot' label). This OVERRIDES the
+   two-phase approval gate above: do NOT ask '@ffaerber ready to start building?' and do NOT wait
+   for a 'yes'. When the task is clear, present your SHORT plan naming the best teammate to build it
+   AND end your reply with a 'DELEGATE: @<agent>' line in the SAME turn to hand off immediately.
+   Prefer @junior for small/low-risk (mostly YAML/compose/config), @senior/@lead for complex or
+   multi-file work. Only skip delegating (and instead ask @ffaerber) if the task is genuinely
+   ambiguous or unsafe — otherwise plan-and-delegate now."
+    fi
+  fi
+  if [ "$NAME" = "qa" ]; then
+    ACTION="$ACTION
+   As QA you verify a change works: read the PR/issue, drive the web app with your headless
+   browser if there is a URL, and report bugs or confirm behavior. You normally do NOT merge —
+   a human does that."
+    if [ "$AUTOPILOT" = "true" ]; then
+      ACTION="$ACTION
+   AUTOPILOT MODE IS ACTIVE (this issue/PR carries the 'autopilot' label). This grants you a
+   NARROW, one-time merge authority for THIS PR only:
+   - If, after verifying, the PR is correct and any CI checks are green, end your reply with EXACTLY
+     one line: 'MERGE_PR'. The automation will then merge the PR and close the linked issue for you.
+     Do NOT merge via any other means; only the MERGE_PR marker triggers the merge.
+   - If you find ANY bug, doubt, or the change is not clearly correct, do NOT merge. Instead describe
+     the problem clearly and end your reply with EXACTLY one line: 'HALT_AUTOPILOT'. The automation
+     removes the 'autopilot' label (returning this issue to normal human control) and leaves
+     it for @ffaerber to decide next steps. Never auto-bounce back to a dev.
+   Emit AT MOST one of MERGE_PR or HALT_AUTOPILOT, and only after you have actually verified. When in
+   doubt, prefer HALT_AUTOPILOT."
+    fi
   fi
 else
   ACTION="You start on git branch '${BRANCH}', with git and push credentials already configured.
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index d6c8856..cab0f69 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -11,10 +11,26 @@ the loop guards.
 ## Golden rules
 - You may edit **any file**. **NEVER push to `main`, NEVER merge a PR** — all work goes on a branch
   and becomes a PR a human reviews and merges.
+  - **Narrow exception — `@qa` autopilot merge:** `@qa` (and only `@qa`) MAY merge a single PR **only**
+    when the linked issue carries the `autopilot` label, the PR is clearly correct, and any CI
+    checks are green. `@qa` triggers the merge by ending its reply with the `MERGE_PR` marker (the
+    workflow performs the merge + closes the issue). On **any** doubt or bug, `@qa` must NOT merge:
+    it ends with `HALT_AUTOPILOT` instead, which removes the `autopilot` label and returns the
+    issue to human control. No other agent may merge, and `@qa` may not merge without the label.
 - **Never print, exfiltrate, or invent secret values.**
 - Keep changes **minimal** and match the conventions already in the file you're editing.
 - Do the work on a **branch** — never paste code or diffs into the issue thread.
 
+## Autopilot (`autopilot` label)
+An issue labeled **`autopilot`** runs without the usual human checkpoints:
+- `@pm` plans **and** delegates in the same turn (skips the "ready to build? reply yes" gate).
+- After the dev's PR is opened, `@qa` is auto-triggered to verify it, and merges + closes on success
+  (see the QA merge exception above).
+- **Kill switch:** remove the `autopilot` label at any time. The label is re-read fresh at the
+  start of every run, so the next agent turn reverts to normal human-approval behavior. `@qa` also
+  removes the label itself whenever it halts on a bug or a failed merge.
+No label (the default) = today's behavior, unchanged.
+
 ## Branches & pull requests
 Start on `ai/issue-<N>`. Split independent changes into separate branches (one PR each). Commit and
 push incrementally. Do NOT open PRs yourself (automated). End your reply with the PR description