diff --git a/persistent-memory.d/2026-09-01-pfi-gx10-onboarding.md b/persistent-memory.d/2026-09-01-pfi-gx10-onboarding.md
index 8245553..d7b0555 100644
--- a/persistent-memory.d/2026-09-01-pfi-gx10-onboarding.md
+++ b/persistent-memory.d/2026-09-01-pfi-gx10-onboarding.md
@@ -77,3 +77,40 @@ across kernels; MACs do not).
 
 ⚠ **The GX10 is NOT the Ada box.** Two separate machines — see
 [[2026-09-01-ada-migration-branch-a]].
+
+
+## `[2026-09-01 23:09]` Liveness check — alive, idle, and STILL BARE (nothing has changed)
+
+Probed at **2026-09-01T23:09:51-07:00**, read-only:
+
+    host       pfi-gx10   Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS   kernel 6.17.0-1031-nvidia   aarch64
+    uptime     11h48m (booted 2026-09-01 11:21)   load 0.00 0.01 0.00 — idle
+    GPU        NVIDIA GB10   driver 580.173.02
+    memory     121 GB unified, 118 GB free
+    disk       /dev/nvme0n1p2  916 GB, 48 G used, 822 G free (6%)
+    net        wlP9s9  10.100.10.226/24 (DHCP)  |  enP7s7 DOWN, NO-CARRIER (no cable)
+    sessions   2x lkraven desktop (seat0 + :1) — sitting at a GUI login screen
+
+**Compute stack unchanged and still absent:** no `torch`, no `nvcc`, no `uv`. Docker daemon
+present but `infra-ops` is **not in the docker group**. Nothing has been installed since
+onboarding.
+
+⚠ **`nvidia-smi` reports FB Memory / BAR1 as `N/A`. That is CORRECT, not a fault** — GB10 is a
+Grace Blackwell superchip with **unified** LPDDR5X shared between CPU and GPU, so there is no
+discrete VRAM figure to report. Do not chase it as a driver problem.
+
+## ⚠ RACKING IS **NOT** A PREREQUISITE — the Wi-Fi is not the bottleneck
+
+Assumed the temp Wi-Fi would gate getting a 49 GB base onto the box. **Measured, and it does
+not:**
+
+    link       SSID PFI, 6 GHz, 160 MHz, EHT (Wi-Fi 7), -48 dBm
+               rx/tx bitrate 2401.9 Mbit/s both directions
+    measured   300 MB nh3-dev -> gx10 in 4.5 s = 67 MB/s over SSH
+               (SSH cipher is the limiter, not the radio — link is ~300 MB/s)
+    implies    49 GB bf16 base transfers in ~12 min
+
+So the throughput probe (ARM64 torch, load base, ten steps, report s/it) can proceed **from the
+desk, today**, without racking first. Racking remains one command
+(`playbooks/gx10-rack-network.yaml`, VLAN 50, static `10.100.50.60`) and is worth doing for
+permanence, but it does not gate the decision the probe exists to answer.
diff --git a/persistent-memory.md b/persistent-memory.md
index 1b8d6fd..fe26081 100644
--- a/persistent-memory.md
+++ b/persistent-memory.md
@@ -118,6 +118,11 @@ _As of 2026-09-01 — **the GX10 is on the operator's desk, NOT racked. Standing
   report s/it — that decides whether 604 steps is an overnight run or unusable. Racking is
   one command afterwards (`playbooks/gx10-rack-network.yaml`, VLAN 50, static `10.100.50.60`).
   ⚠ Triton has no sm_121 support; compiled deps are per-arch unknowns.
+  ✅ **Liveness confirmed 2026-09-01 23:09** — up 11h48m, idle, 118/121 GB free, 822 GB disk
+  free, still bare (no torch/nvcc/uv), still on Wi-Fi at `10.100.10.226`, wired NIC has no
+  cable. ⚠ **Racking is NOT a prerequisite** — the Wi-Fi 7 link measures **67 MB/s over SSH**
+  (49 GB base in ~12 min), so the throughput probe can run from the desk today.
+  ⚠ `nvidia-smi` FB Memory `N/A` is CORRECT for GB10 unified memory, not a fault.
   → `persistent-memory.d/2026-09-01-pfi-gx10-onboarding.md`
 - **▶ ADA INFERENCE SERVER (R750xa `JPJ1ZP3`) — awaiting an iDRAC inventory.** 2× RTX 6000
   Ada to be fitted; ComfyUI's new home at NH3. **Order regardless: 8× `M04W6` RDIMM (restores