diff --git a/playbooks/update-stack-image.yaml b/playbooks/update-stack-image.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..73179a4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/playbooks/update-stack-image.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+# Pull the newest image for one compose stack and recreate it.
+#
+# The generic "update a stack that tracks a floating tag" playbook. Works for
+# any stack laid out per the house convention
+# (`/opt/docker/compose/<stack>/compose.yaml`).
+#
+# Usage:
+#   scripts/elway esh-docker-vm --playbook playbooks/update-stack-image.yaml \
+#     --var stack=drawio
+#
+#   `service` and `container` default to `stack`. Override them when the
+#   compose service name or `container_name:` differs from the directory name.
+#
+# ⚠ SCOPED TO ONE SERVICE ON PURPOSE. The recreate is `up -d <service>`, never
+# a bare `up -d` — a bare one recreates every service in the project
+# (auto-memory `feedback_compose_up_recreates_whole_stack`). A stack that
+# really needs all its services bounced gets one run per service.
+#
+# ⚠ For stacks tracking a FLOATING tag (`:latest` and friends). A SHA-pinned
+# stack has nothing to pull; updating that means moving the pin, which is a
+# deliberate edit and not this.
+#
+# ⚠ Go template format strings are written bare (`{{.Image}}`). elway's
+# substitution only matches `{{ identifier }}`, so those pass through
+# untouched — but `{{end}}` / `{{else}}` DO match and would die as undefined
+# variables. Hence `{{json .State.Health}}` below instead of an if/else.
+
+vars:
+  compose_root: /opt/docker/compose
+  stack: ""
+  service: ""
+  container: ""
+
+steps:
+  - name: Refuse to run without a stack name
+    shell: test -n "{{ stack }}"
+    changed_when: "false"
+
+  - name: Record the image the service runs BEFORE the pull
+    # Written to a file, not just echoed, so the verify phase can compare
+    # against it — an "updated" claim nobody can falsify is not a result.
+    shell: |
+      ctr="{{ container }}"; [ -n "$ctr" ] || ctr="{{ service }}"; [ -n "$ctr" ] || ctr="{{ stack }}"
+      docker inspect "$ctr" --format '{{.Image}}' | tee /tmp/elway-update-{{ stack }}.before
+    changed_when: "false"
+
+  - name: Pull the newest image for the service
+    shell: |
+      svc="{{ service }}"; [ -n "$svc" ] || svc="{{ stack }}"
+      cd {{ compose_root }}/{{ stack }}
+      docker compose pull "$svc"
+
+  - name: Recreate the service on the pulled image
+    shell: |
+      svc="{{ service }}"; [ -n "$svc" ] || svc="{{ stack }}"
+      cd {{ compose_root }}/{{ stack }}
+      docker compose up -d "$svc"
+
+verify:
+  - name: Service runs the image its tag now resolves to
+    # `docker ps` saying "Up" only proves something is running. This asserts
+    # the container's image id equals what the tag resolves to right now, and
+    # reports whether that is actually a move off the pre-pull image.
+    shell: |
+      svc="{{ service }}"; [ -n "$svc" ] || svc="{{ stack }}"
+      ctr="{{ container }}"; [ -n "$ctr" ] || ctr="$svc"
+      cd {{ compose_root }}/{{ stack }}
+      tag=$(docker compose config --images "$svc" | head -1)
+      want=$(docker image inspect "$tag" --format '{{.Id}}')
+      have=$(docker inspect "$ctr" --format '{{.Image}}')
+      test "$want" = "$have" || { echo "MISMATCH: $ctr runs $have, $tag is $want"; exit 1; }
+      before=$(cat /tmp/elway-update-{{ stack }}.before 2>/dev/null)
+      if [ "$before" = "$have" ]; then
+        echo "already current: $tag == $have (nothing newer upstream)"
+      else
+        echo "updated: $before -> $have ($tag)"
+      fi
+    changed_when: "false"
+
+  - name: Container is up, and healthy if it declares a healthcheck
+    shell: |
+      ctr="{{ container }}"; [ -n "$ctr" ] || ctr="{{ service }}"; [ -n "$ctr" ] || ctr="{{ stack }}"
+      docker inspect "$ctr" --format 'status={{.State.Status}} started={{.State.StartedAt}}'
+      echo "health=$(docker inspect "$ctr" --format '{{json .State.Health}}' | head -c 120)"
+      test "$(docker inspect "$ctr" --format '{{.State.Status}}')" = running
+    changed_when: "false"