diff --git a/configs/svos-apps/judge.toml b/configs/svos-apps/judge.toml
index 9d349e5..adc34c6 100644
--- a/configs/svos-apps/judge.toml
+++ b/configs/svos-apps/judge.toml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-# <data root>/config/apps/judge.toml on nh3-svos — app-judge 0.0.1 (U19), from apps/judge/examples/judge.toml at v0.0.16.
+# <data root>/config/apps/judge.toml on nh3-svos — app-judge 0.0.1 (U19), from apps/judge/examples/judge.toml at v0.0.16; + explain_seconds for 0.0.2 (v0.0.23).
 # Prime 2026-10-18: drafting on gen-large (local, free); tasks may run on the six local chat models (the hermes runtime's
 # `models` in instance.toml). The gateway key (vault nh3-svos/svos-judge-gateway-key, LiteLLM alias svos-app-judge) is
 # scoped to exactly those six, so the /tasks model select offers exactly them.
@@ -29,3 +29,4 @@ concurrency = 8
 reply_bytes = 1048576
 brief_bytes = 262144
 health_seconds = 5
+explain_seconds = 60         # U22 (judge 0.0.2, v0.0.23): one deadline per explain call, the model call included; 5..60, the page waits 65 s
diff --git a/playbooks/svos-releases/nh3-svos-9a0eec8-v0.0.23-interface.yaml b/playbooks/svos-releases/nh3-svos-9a0eec8-v0.0.23-interface.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f0a9644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playbooks/svos-releases/nh3-svos-9a0eec8-v0.0.23-interface.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+# nh3-svos v0.0.23 step 2: restart ONLY svos-interface onto app-interface 0.0.8 (U22: verbs summaries + summary, namespace
+# interface-summaries; the store state/apps/interface/summaries.sqlite3 is created at start). Raises a held card for
+# app-interface: the WHOLE interface answers wrong-revision until Prime approves (about 30 s at v0.0.18). Run only after
+# the judge's card is approved, with Prime at the board. Then Prime's two grants on ns:interface-summaries.
+steps:
+  - name: current is 9a0eec8 and the judge's new revision is pinned
+    sudo: true
+    shell: |
+      readlink /opt/svos/current | grep -q 9a0eec8
+      python3 -c "
+      import sqlite3
+      c = sqlite3.connect('file:/var/lib/svos/state/svos.db?mode=ro', uri=True)
+      r = c.execute(\"select revision, state from app_manifests where slug='app-judge' order by revision desc limit 1\").fetchone(); print('judge', r)
+      assert r[1] == 'pinned', 'judge card not approved yet'"
+    changed_when: "false"
+  - name: Restart ONLY svos-interface (raises the held card)
+    sudo: true
+    shell: systemctl restart svos-interface; sleep 8; systemctl is-active svos-interface
+verify:
+  - name: Interface on 9a0eec8; its manifest revision and card
+    sudo: true
+    shell: |
+      pid=$(systemctl show svos-interface -p MainPID --value); grep -q /opt/svos/releases/9a0eec8 /proc/$pid/maps && echo "interface pid $pid on 9a0eec8"
+      python3 -c "
+      import sqlite3
+      c = sqlite3.connect('file:/var/lib/svos/state/svos.db?mode=ro', uri=True)
+      for r in c.execute(\"select slug, revision, substr(sha256,1,12), state from app_manifests where slug='app-interface' order by revision desc limit 2\"): print(r)
+      for r in c.execute(\"select id, kind, state, created_at, expires_at from cards where slug='app-interface' and kind='manifest' order by created_at desc limit 1\"): print(r)"
+    changed_when: "false"
diff --git a/playbooks/svos-releases/nh3-svos-9a0eec8-v0.0.23-stage.yaml b/playbooks/svos-releases/nh3-svos-9a0eec8-v0.0.23-stage.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9228106
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playbooks/svos-releases/nh3-svos-9a0eec8-v0.0.23-stage.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+# nh3-svos: STAGE SVOS v0.0.23 (9a0eec8) beside the live release: kernel 0.0.23 (a version bump), app-judge 0.0.2 (U22
+# explain), app-interface 0.0.8 (U22 summaries), UI 0.0.27; everything else carried from 2f29d0d. Does NOT switch current,
+# stop or start anything. svos-dev thread 01M59P4Z1VJ4WHJB0N8N1P743K. The cutover is nh3-svos-9a0eec8-v0.0.23.yaml.
+steps:
+  - name: Private staging dir
+    shell: install -d -m 0700 /tmp/svos-stage-9a0eec8
+  - {name: stage release, upload: {src: /tmp/claude-1000/-home-lkraven-development-eshpfi-management/e0be18fd-0734-4786-b933-904f0a74d2a2/scratchpad/svos-9a0eec8/svos-release-9a0eec8.tar.gz, dest: /tmp/svos-stage-9a0eec8/release.tar.gz, mode: "0644"}}
+  - {name: stage uv, upload: {src: /home/lkraven/bin/uv, dest: /tmp/svos-stage-9a0eec8/uv, mode: "0755"}}
+  - {name: stage installer, upload: {src: /tmp/claude-1000/-home-lkraven-development-eshpfi-management/e0be18fd-0734-4786-b933-904f0a74d2a2/scratchpad/svos-9a0eec8/install-release.py, dest: /tmp/svos-stage-9a0eec8/install-release.py, mode: "0644"}}
+  - name: Verify staged hashes
+    shell: cd /tmp/svos-stage-9a0eec8 && printf '%s  %s\n' 8e10f7092f372b480e33b844d9c3de7d3996399a01ca5c63e0dab4ccdca7af63 release.tar.gz 83aa128da93e168283ed32cf75cd819fe17b135b3fc1f7ccb3c912eec198d9fb uv | sha256sum -c -
+    changed_when: "false"
+  - name: Install release 9a0eec8 beside the live one (current NOT switched)
+    sudo: true
+    shell: python3 /tmp/svos-stage-9a0eec8/install-release.py
+    creates: /opt/svos/releases/9a0eec8/apps-env/pyvenv.cfg
+verify:
+  - name: New kernel 0.0.23 accepts the live configuration as it is
+    sudo: true
+    shell: runuser -u svc-svos -- /opt/svos/releases/9a0eec8/kernel-env/bin/svos-kernel check-config --data-root /var/lib/svos
+    changed_when: "false"
+  - name: current still points at the live release
+    shell: readlink /opt/svos/current
+    changed_when: "false"
diff --git a/playbooks/svos-releases/nh3-svos-9a0eec8-v0.0.23.yaml b/playbooks/svos-releases/nh3-svos-9a0eec8-v0.0.23.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..42b9882
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playbooks/svos-releases/nh3-svos-9a0eec8-v0.0.23.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+# nh3-svos -> SVOS v0.0.23 (9a0eec8), U22 card summaries. svos-dev thread 01M59P4Z1VJ4WHJB0N8N1P743K.
+# PRE-REQS: the stage playbook; origin's v0.0.23 == 9a0eec8b69ce (git ls-remote on nh3-dev); Prime AT THE BOARD.
+# This playbook does the release + the JUDGE (step 1 of svos-dev's order): backup, judge.toml explain_seconds, current,
+# front door (UI 0.0.27), restart ONLY svos-judge -> a held card for app-judge (its reads refuse until approved: the task
+# form's draft and admit wait). The INTERFACE restart is a separate playbook, run only after the judge's card is approved
+# (nh3-svos-9a0eec8-v0.0.23-interface.yaml). The kernel is NOT restarted (0.0.23 = 0.0.22 in code). No instance.toml change.
+steps:
+  - name: Pre-reqs present
+    sudo: true
+    shell: test -f /opt/svos/releases/9a0eec8/apps-env/bin/svos-judge && readlink /opt/svos/current && runuser -u svc-svos -- /opt/svos/releases/9a0eec8/kernel-env/bin/svos-kernel check-config --data-root /var/lib/svos
+    changed_when: "false"
+  - name: Online backup to /var/lib/svos/backup/pre-9a0eec8 (svos.db and the interface's stores)
+    sudo: true
+    shell: |
+      set -e
+      d=/var/lib/svos/backup/pre-9a0eec8
+      runuser -u svc-svos -- install -d -m 0700 $d
+      runuser -u svc-svos -- python3 -c "
+      import sqlite3, glob, os
+      for src in ['/var/lib/svos/state/svos.db'] + sorted(glob.glob('/var/lib/svos/state/apps/interface/*.sqlite3')):
+          dst = '$d/' + os.path.basename(src)
+          s = sqlite3.connect('file:' + src + '?mode=ro', uri=True); t = sqlite3.connect(dst); s.backup(t); t.close(); s.close()
+          c = sqlite3.connect('file:' + dst + '?mode=ro', uri=True); print(os.path.basename(src), 'integrity', c.execute('pragma integrity_check').fetchone()[0])"
+      runuser -u svc-svos -- cp -p /var/lib/svos/config/apps/judge.toml /var/lib/svos/config/apps/judge.toml.pre-9a0eec8
+  - {name: judge.toml with explain_seconds, upload: {src: configs/svos-apps/judge.toml, dest: /var/lib/svos/config/apps/judge.toml.new, mode: "0600"}, sudo: true}
+  - name: Swap judge.toml (owned by svc-svos)
+    sudo: true
+    shell: |
+      set -e
+      cd /var/lib/svos/config/apps
+      chown svc-svos:svc-svos judge.toml.new && mv judge.toml.new judge.toml && grep -n '^explain_seconds' judge.toml
+  - name: Switch current to 9a0eec8
+    sudo: true
+    shell: ln -sfn /opt/svos/releases/9a0eec8 /opt/svos/current.new && chgrp -h svc-svos /opt/svos/current.new && mv -T /opt/svos/current.new /opt/svos/current && readlink /opt/svos/current
+  - name: Front door inventory (UI 0.0.27 live; 2f29d0d becomes previous)
+    sudo: true
+    shell: /usr/local/sbin/svos-front-inventory 2>&1 | grep -E 'GENERATED|updated|root \*|path /assets' | head -4
+  - name: Restart ONLY svos-judge (raises the held card for app-judge)
+    sudo: true
+    shell: |
+      systemctl restart svos-judge; sleep 6; systemctl is-active svos-judge
+      journalctl -u svos-judge --since "-30s" --no-pager -o cat | grep -iE "manifest|revision|held|error|config" | tail -5 | cut -c1-200 || true
+verify:
+  - name: Judge on 9a0eec8; its manifest revision and card
+    sudo: true
+    shell: |
+      pid=$(systemctl show svos-judge -p MainPID --value); grep -q /opt/svos/releases/9a0eec8 /proc/$pid/maps && echo "judge pid $pid on 9a0eec8"
+      python3 -c "
+      import sqlite3
+      c = sqlite3.connect('file:/var/lib/svos/state/svos.db?mode=ro', uri=True)
+      for r in c.execute(\"select slug, revision, substr(sha256,1,12), state from app_manifests where slug='app-judge' order by revision desc limit 2\"): print(r)
+      for r in c.execute(\"select id, kind, state, created_at, expires_at from cards where slug='app-judge' and kind='manifest' order by created_at desc limit 1\"): print(r)"
+    changed_when: "false"