diff --git a/stacks/zonos-engine/.env.example b/stacks/zonos-engine/.env.example
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+# zonos-engine tunables — ZONOS2 native TTS engine (:1920, irv-ml1 3090).
+# Copy to .env on the host. These feed both zonos2-server.sh (native) and the
+# eventual container CMD/compose. Values captured from the live process 2026-07-16.
+
+# Upstream repo (github.com/Zyphra/Zonos2) commit to pin — reproducibility.
+ZONOS_COMMIT=194c0a3
+ZONOS_MODEL=Zyphra/ZONOS2
+
+# Endpoint
+ZONOS_PORT=1920
+
+# GPU — 3090 (irv-ml1 device 0). Operator 2026-07-16: keep OFF the A6000 (it OOMs
+# under ComfyUI load). Container: NVIDIA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=0; native: the 3090 UUID.
+ZONOS_ENGINE_GPU_ID=0
+
+# Serving/perf flags (paged KV + cuda graphs; tuned to co-exist on the packed 3090).
+ZONOS_CUDA_GRAPH_MAX_BS=1
+ZONOS_NUM_PAGES=16384
+ZONOS_MAX_RUNNING_REQUESTS=2
+ZONOS_MEMORY_RATIO=0.3
+
+# HF weights cache (~15 GB, models--Zyphra--ZONOS2) — MOUNT, do not bake into the image.
+HF_HOME=/home/lkraven/.cache/huggingface
diff --git a/stacks/zonos-engine/README.md b/stacks/zonos-engine/README.md
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+# zonos-engine — ZONOS2 native TTS engine (`:1920`, irv-ml1 3090)
+
+The production Zonos TTS **engine** that `zonos-gateway` (`stacks/zonos`, `:8890`)
+fronts via `ZONOS_URL=http://host.docker.internal:1920`, feeding asset-engine +
+gateway-chat. This is the ENGINE; `stacks/zonos/` is the OpenAI-compatible ADAPTER.
+
+## Status (2026-07-16): NATIVE, config was live-only — now captured here
+
+The engine currently runs as a **bare native process** on irv-ml1 (launched
+detached, reparented to init — **no systemd, won't survive a reboot**). This dir
+captures its real config so it isn't lost, ahead of containerizing it (below).
+
+⚠️ **The old `~/tts-audition/harness/zonos_server.sh` on irv-ml1 is STALE** — it
+says A6000 / port **1919** / no perf flags, but the live process runs on the
+**3090** / port **1920** with the perf flags below. `zonos2-server.sh` here is the
+CORRECTED, canonical invocation (verified against the live process's argv).
+
+## The engine
+
+- **Upstream (stock):** `github.com/Zyphra/Zonos2.git` @ commit **`194c0a3`**, cloned
+  at `~/tts-audition/models/zonos2` on irv-ml1 (uv-managed `.venv`). No custom PFI
+  server code — the `zonos2` package ships its own server (`python -m zonos2`). The
+  only "custom" part is the launch flags + this stack.
+- **Stack:** torch **2.9.1+cu128** (CUDA 12.8); heavy compiled-CUDA deps
+  (flashinfer / sgl_kernel / cutlass-dsl / apache-tvm-ffi / pynini). `uv.lock` in the
+  repo pins the whole env deterministically.
+- **GPU:** **3090** (irv-ml1 device 0, `GPU-12c15b3c-…`). Kept on the 3090 by operator
+  decision 2026-07-16 — the A6000 already OOMs under ComfyUI load, so it can't host
+  Zonos too. Footprint ~17 GB (the 3090 runs Zonos + chatterbox-fast + parakeet, ~1.4 GB free).
+- **Model weights:** `Zyphra/ZONOS2`, ~15 GB HF cache at
+  `~/.cache/huggingface/hub/models--Zyphra--ZONOS2` — MOUNT this into the container,
+  do NOT bake it.
+- **Endpoint:** `:1920` (`/tts/generate`), reused across prompts; emotion directions
+  auto-load from the repo's `emotion_directions/`.
+
+## Live invocation (source of truth)
+
+```
+uv run python -m zonos2 \
+  --model-path Zyphra/ZONOS2 \
+  --host 0.0.0.0 --port 1920 \
+  --tts-default-voices-dir ./default_voices/ \
+  --cuda-graph-max-bs 1 \
+  --num-pages 16384 \
+  --max-running-requests 2 \
+  --memory-ratio 0.3
+```
+
+## Containerization plan (pending build)
+
+Target shape = a self-contained image (fleet-standard, like `stacks/zonos` +
+comfyui): `FROM` a CUDA 12.8 base → `uv sync` against the committed `uv.lock` (env
+baked, reproducible) → mount the 15 GB HF weights + `default_voices/` → pin the 3090
+(`NVIDIA_VISIBLE_DEVICES=0`) → `restart: unless-stopped` → CMD = the invocation above.
+Cutover = stop the native process (frees ~17 GB on the 3090) → `docker compose up -d`
+(re-allocates ~17 GB, same footprint) → repoint `zonos-gateway` `ZONOS_URL` at the
+container (or keep the `:1920` host-port publish). Brief prod-TTS blip at cutover.
+Build risk = getting the compiled-CUDA deps to install in the base image (mostly
+prebuilt wheels + the `uv.lock`, so likely a couple of build iterations).
diff --git a/stacks/zonos-engine/zonos2-server.sh b/stacks/zonos-engine/zonos2-server.sh
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+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# CANONICAL launch invocation for the production ZONOS2 TTS engine (:1920, irv-ml1 3090).
+# Captured 2026-07-16 from the LIVE process argv — supersedes the stale
+# ~/tts-audition/harness/zonos_server.sh (which wrongly said A6000 / port 1919).
+# This is the reference invocation the container CMD encodes; it also works as a
+# direct native launcher until the container lands.
+#
+# Usage:
+#   zonos2-server.sh          # foreground
+#   zonos2-server.sh --bg     # detached, log to $ROOT/logs/zonos2_server.log
+set -euo pipefail
+
+ROOT="${ZONOS_ROOT:-/home/lkraven/tts-audition}"
+REPO="${ZONOS_REPO:-$ROOT/models/zonos2}"       # github.com/Zyphra/Zonos2 @ 194c0a3
+GPU_3090_UUID="GPU-12c15b3c-0827-0bab-b0cd-31aaa37a8e72"
+
+export CUDA_HOME="${CUDA_HOME:-/usr/local/cuda}"
+export PATH="$CUDA_HOME/bin:$PATH"
+export CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES="${CUDA_VISIBLE_DEVICES:-$GPU_3090_UUID}"  # 3090 (operator: keep off the A6000)
+
+cd "$REPO"
+CMD=(uv run python -m zonos2
+     --model-path "${ZONOS_MODEL:-Zyphra/ZONOS2}"
+     --host 0.0.0.0 --port "${ZONOS_PORT:-1920}"
+     --tts-default-voices-dir ./default_voices/
+     --cuda-graph-max-bs "${ZONOS_CUDA_GRAPH_MAX_BS:-1}"
+     --num-pages "${ZONOS_NUM_PAGES:-16384}"
+     --max-running-requests "${ZONOS_MAX_RUNNING_REQUESTS:-2}"
+     --memory-ratio "${ZONOS_MEMORY_RATIO:-0.3}")
+
+if [[ "${1:-}" == "--bg" ]]; then
+  mkdir -p "$ROOT/logs"
+  nohup "${CMD[@]}" > "$ROOT/logs/zonos2_server.log" 2>&1 &
+  echo "zonos2 engine started (bg) pid $! -> $ROOT/logs/zonos2_server.log"
+else
+  exec "${CMD[@]}"
+fi