diff --git a/.dockerignore b/.dockerignore
index 6d6c2571..e1c8604d 100644
--- a/.dockerignore
+++ b/.dockerignore
@@ -29,3 +29,5 @@ harness/artifacts
 harness/indexes
 harness/corpus
 deploy
+!deploy/vector/
+!deploy/vector/secret-policy.sh
diff --git a/.superpowers/sdd/task-3-report.md b/.superpowers/sdd/task-3-report.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c1e9b183
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.superpowers/sdd/task-3-report.md
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+# Task 3 report — vector port and wrappers
+
+## Status
+
+Complete. Added the transport-neutral vector port, HTTP and legacy-direct wrappers, and
+routed the existing `RestSearcher` and `DirectSearcher` through them while retaining the
+canonical `VectorRecord` and `VectorHit` models.
+
+## TDD evidence
+
+- RED: `cd harness && .venv/bin/pytest tests/test_vector_port_contract.py -q`
+  - Result: collection failed with `ModuleNotFoundError: No module named
+    'tht.adapters.vector'` (expected missing-port failure).
+- GREEN: `cd harness && .venv/bin/pytest tests/test_vector_port_contract.py -q`
+  - Result: `4 passed in 0.11s`.
+
+## Verification
+
+- Required regression command:
+  `cd harness && .venv/bin/pytest tests/test_vector_port_contract.py
+  tests/test_vector_dual_key.py tests/test_search_similar_kinds.py
+  tests/test_memory_save_one.py tests/test_solved_question.py -q`
+  - Result: `26 passed in 0.12s` (fresh final run; earlier run: 26 passed in 0.16s).
+- Broader vector-focused regression:
+  `cd harness && .venv/bin/pytest tests -q -k 'vector or search_similar or
+  memory_save_one or solved_question'`
+  - Result: `29 passed, 370 deselected in 0.49s`.
+- Scoped lint:
+  `cd harness && .venv/bin/ruff check tht/ports/vector.py tht/adapters/vector
+  tht/vectorstore/reader.py tests/test_vector_port_contract.py`
+  - Result: `All checks passed!`.
+- Whitespace check: `git diff --check`
+  - Result: exit 0, no output.
+- Staged whitespace check: `git diff --cached --check`
+  - Result: exit 0, no output.
+
+## Commit
+
+`ff4d662 refactor(vector): define store contract`
+
+Only the six Task 3 implementation/test files were included in the commit.
+
+## Self-review / concerns
+
+- Reader and writer clients remain separate: search and health use only the reader;
+  hashes and upsert use only the writer.
+- A missing writer reports `upsert=False` and raises `VectorWriteUnavailable`, including
+  for an empty upsert, so deployments cannot silently bypass the write credential gate.
+- Existing REST kind forwarding, legacy-404 fallback, post-filtering, global similarity
+  merge, and direct table-per-kind behavior remain delegated to their established code.
+- The port re-exports existing vector models instead of duplicating result types.
+- Non-blocking design constraint: embedded values for the new generic `upsert` contract are
+  carried in `VectorRecord.metadata['embedding']`; this preserves the existing canonical
+  record model and REST payload without changing out-of-scope `records.py`. A later direct
+  pgvector implementation may choose to formalize that field across adapters.
+
+## Authorized contract correction
+
+Status: complete. Commit: `fe8d70d fix(vector): separate write transport fields`.
+
+The earlier metadata-envelope concern above is superseded. The contract now exports a
+dedicated frozen `VectorWriteRecord` containing the canonical `VectorRecord`, precomputed
+embedding, and content hash. `VectorStore.upsert` accepts only that envelope. HTTP row
+serialization takes transport fields from the envelope and preserves `record.metadata`
+unchanged, including legitimate metadata keys named `embedding` and `content_hash`.
+
+### Corrective TDD evidence
+
+- RED: `cd harness && .venv/bin/pytest tests/test_vector_port_contract.py -q`
+  - Result: collection failed with `ImportError: cannot import name 'VectorWriteRecord' from
+    'tht.ports.vector'` (expected missing-envelope failure).
+- GREEN: `cd harness && .venv/bin/pytest tests/test_vector_port_contract.py -q`
+  - Result: `7 passed in 0.11s`.
+- Required regression suite:
+  `cd harness && .venv/bin/pytest tests/test_vector_port_contract.py
+  tests/test_vector_dual_key.py tests/test_search_similar_kinds.py
+  tests/test_memory_save_one.py tests/test_solved_question.py -q`
+  - Result: `29 passed in 0.15s` (fresh final run; earlier run: 29 passed in 0.14s).
+- Scoped lint:
+  `cd harness && .venv/bin/ruff check tht/ports/__init__.py tht/ports/vector.py
+  tht/adapters/vector tht/vectorstore/reader.py tests/test_vector_port_contract.py`
+  - Result: `All checks passed!`.
+- Whitespace check: `git diff --check`
+  - Result: exit 0, no output.
+
+### Corrective self-review
+
+- A real `evidence_records(...)` canonical builder record is serialized in the contract tests.
+- Collision coverage proves semantic `embedding` and `content_hash` metadata survive while
+  distinct envelope values occupy the RPC row's top-level transport fields.
+- Reader health/search still use only the reader client; hashes/upsert still use only writer.
+- Existing kind forwarding, legacy 404 fallback, post-filtering, similarity merge, and direct
+  search behavior remain unchanged and covered by the required regression suite.
+- The tracked plan, regenerated Task 3 scratch brief, port exports, adapter signature, and this
+  report now consistently describe `VectorWriteRecord`.
+- Concerns: none known.
+
+---
+
+# Task simple-config-3 report — one bundle for local-vector and preprocess
+
+## Status
+
+Complete. Local pgvector bootstrap, reconciliation, migration, and preprocess services now
+mount only `/run/secrets/thothii.secrets`. `deploy/vector/secret-policy.sh` validates the
+whole bundle (allowlist, duplicate/empty/unknown keys, comments/blank lines, mode and symlink
+policy) and returns only the requested value. The core entrypoint exposes DWH/vector/CA values
+to the harness and materializes short-lived 0600 password files for workspace resolution.
+
+## TDD evidence
+
+- RED: `./scripts/test-preprocess-compose-config.sh` failed on the pre-existing
+  `vector_reader_password` Compose secret declaration.
+- GREEN: the same command passes after the bundle conversion and verifies local-vector
+  workspace interpolation and shared secret mounts.
+- Added bundle parser regressions to `./scripts/test-vector-secret-policy.sh`: comments/blank
+  lines are accepted and an unrelated duplicate key is rejected.
+
+## Verification
+
+- `./scripts/test-vector-secret-policy.sh` — passed.
+- `./scripts/test-preprocess-compose-config.sh` — passed.
+- `./scripts/test-vector-backup-restore-safety.sh` — passed.
+- `./scripts/test-default-compose.sh` — passed.
+- `./scripts/test-container-deployment.sh` — passed.
+- `./scripts/local-vector-smoke.sh` — passed (real Docker; bootstrap rotation, role
+  reconciliation, migration, persistence and restart).
+- `./scripts/preprocess-smoke.sh` — passed (real Docker; unchanged rerun, mutation, DWH job,
+  ACTIVE publication and cleanup).
+- `git diff --check` and `sh -n` gates — passed.
+
+## Commit
+
+Pending: `feat(compose): use one secret bundle for local services`.
+
+## Concerns
+
+The rotation helper still accepts old/new scratch files because that is its explicit CLI
+contract; the smoke script keeps those files outside Compose and mounts only the bundle.
diff --git a/deploy/compose.local-vector.yaml b/deploy/compose.local-vector.yaml
index 53b01364..0bf41337 100644
--- a/deploy/compose.local-vector.yaml
+++ b/deploy/compose.local-vector.yaml
@@ -6,9 +6,8 @@ services:
       THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_USER: "${THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_USER:-postgres}"
       THT_VECTOR_READER_USER: "${THT_VECTOR_READER_USER:-thoth_vector_reader}"
       THT_VECTOR_WRITER_USER: "${THT_VECTOR_WRITER_USER:-thoth_vector_writer}"
-      THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_FILE: /run/secrets/vector_reader_password
-      THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_FILE: /run/secrets/vector_writer_password
-    secrets: [vector_reader_password, vector_writer_password]
+      THT_SECRETS_FILE: /run/secrets/thothii.secrets
+    secrets: [{source: thothii_secrets, target: thothii.secrets}]
     depends_on:
       vector-migrate:
         condition: service_completed_successfully
@@ -23,12 +22,16 @@ services:
     environment:
       POSTGRES_DB: "${THT_VECTOR_DATABASE:-thoth}"
       POSTGRES_USER: "${THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_USER:-postgres}"
-      POSTGRES_PASSWORD_FILE: /run/secrets/vector_bootstrap_password
       THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_USER: "${THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_USER:-thoth_vector_migrator}"
       THT_VECTOR_READER_USER: "${THT_VECTOR_READER_USER:-thoth_vector_reader}"
       THT_VECTOR_WRITER_USER: "${THT_VECTOR_WRITER_USER:-thoth_vector_writer}"
-    secrets: [vector_bootstrap_password, vector_migrator_password, vector_reader_password, vector_writer_password]
-    volumes: [vector_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data]
+      THT_SECRETS_FILE: /run/secrets/thothii.secrets
+    secrets: [{source: thothii_secrets, target: thothii.secrets}]
+    entrypoint: [/opt/thoth/vector-db-entrypoint.sh]
+    volumes:
+      - vector_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
+      - ./deploy/vector/vector-db-entrypoint.sh:/opt/thoth/vector-db-entrypoint.sh:ro
+      - ./deploy/vector/secret-policy.sh:/opt/thoth/secret-policy.sh:ro
     healthcheck:
       test: [CMD-SHELL, "pg_isready -U $$POSTGRES_USER -d $$POSTGRES_DB"]
       interval: 5s
@@ -50,8 +53,9 @@ services:
       THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_USER: "${THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_USER:-thoth_vector_migrator}"
       THT_VECTOR_READER_USER: "${THT_VECTOR_READER_USER:-thoth_vector_reader}"
       THT_VECTOR_WRITER_USER: "${THT_VECTOR_WRITER_USER:-thoth_vector_writer}"
+      THT_SECRETS_FILE: /run/secrets/thothii.secrets
     entrypoint: [/opt/thoth/reconcile-roles.sh]
-    secrets: [vector_bootstrap_password, vector_migrator_password, vector_reader_password, vector_writer_password]
+    secrets: [{source: thothii_secrets, target: thothii.secrets}]
     volumes:
       - ./deploy/vector/reconcile-roles.sh:/opt/thoth/reconcile-roles.sh:ro
       - ./deploy/vector/secret-policy.sh:/opt/thoth/secret-policy.sh:ro
@@ -69,10 +73,14 @@ services:
     entrypoint: [sh, -ec]
     command:
       - |
-        password=$$(cat /run/secrets/vector_migrator_password)
-        encoded=$$(python -c 'import sys, urllib.parse; print(urllib.parse.quote(sys.argv[1], safe=""))' "$$password")
-        exec /opt/venv/bin/tht vector migrate --database-url "postgresql+psycopg2://${THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_USER:-thoth_vector_migrator}:$$encoded@vector-db:5432/${THT_VECTOR_DATABASE:-thoth}" --json
-    secrets: [vector_migrator_password]
+        . /opt/thoth/secret-policy.sh
+        export PGPASSWORD=$$(read_bundle_secret /run/secrets/thothii.secrets THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD)
+        exec /opt/venv/bin/tht vector migrate --database-url "postgresql+psycopg2://${THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_USER:-thoth_vector_migrator}@vector-db:5432/${THT_VECTOR_DATABASE:-thoth}" --json
+    secrets: [{source: thothii_secrets, target: thothii.secrets}]
+    environment:
+      THT_SECRETS_FILE: /run/secrets/thothii.secrets
+    volumes:
+      - ./deploy/vector/secret-policy.sh:/opt/thoth/secret-policy.sh:ro
     depends_on:
       vector-reconcile: {condition: service_completed_successfully}
     restart: "no"
@@ -80,13 +88,3 @@ services:
 volumes:
   vector_data:
     labels: {io.thothii.smoke-owner: "${THOTH_SMOKE_OWNER:-operator}"}
-
-secrets:
-  vector_bootstrap_password:
-    file: ${THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE:-deploy/secrets/vector_bootstrap_password}
-  vector_migrator_password:
-    file: ${THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE:-deploy/secrets/vector_migrator_password}
-  vector_reader_password:
-    file: ${THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE:-deploy/secrets/vector_reader_password}
-  vector_writer_password:
-    file: ${THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE:-deploy/secrets/vector_writer_password}
diff --git a/deploy/compose.preprocess-local-vector.yaml b/deploy/compose.preprocess-local-vector.yaml
index 3b8b8376..8ce48d61 100644
--- a/deploy/compose.preprocess-local-vector.yaml
+++ b/deploy/compose.preprocess-local-vector.yaml
@@ -1,21 +1,14 @@
 services:
   preprocess-evidence:
     environment:
-      THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_FILE: /run/secrets/vector_reader_password
-      THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_FILE: /run/secrets/vector_writer_password
-    secrets: [vector_reader_password, vector_writer_password]
+      THT_SECRETS_FILE: /run/secrets/thothii.secrets
+    secrets: [{source: thothii_secrets, target: thothii.secrets}]
     depends_on:
       vector-migrate: {condition: service_completed_successfully}
 
   preprocess-dwh:
     environment:
-      THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_FILE: /run/secrets/vector_reader_password
-    secrets: [vector_reader_password]
+      THT_SECRETS_FILE: /run/secrets/thothii.secrets
+    secrets: [{source: thothii_secrets, target: thothii.secrets}]
     depends_on:
       vector-migrate: {condition: service_completed_successfully}
-
-secrets:
-  vector_reader_password:
-    file: ${THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE:?set THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE}
-  vector_writer_password:
-    file: ${THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE:?set THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE}
diff --git a/deploy/compose.preprocess.yaml b/deploy/compose.preprocess.yaml
index 794a9e58..0b18e140 100644
--- a/deploy/compose.preprocess.yaml
+++ b/deploy/compose.preprocess.yaml
@@ -10,6 +10,8 @@ services:
     environment:
       THT_DATA_ROOT: /data
       THT_OLLAMA_URL: "${THT_OLLAMA_URL:-http://host.docker.internal:11434}"
+      THT_SECRETS_FILE: /run/secrets/thothii.secrets
+    secrets: [{source: thothii_secrets, target: thothii.secrets}]
     volumes:
       - thoth_data:/data
       - ./deploy/workspaces:/app/harness/workspaces:ro
@@ -25,6 +27,8 @@ services:
     command: ["mkdir -p /data/workspaces/preprocess-dwh && exec /app/docker/core-entrypoint.sh preprocess dwh --steps introspect --json -c /app/harness/workspaces/preprocess-dwh.yaml"]
     environment:
       THT_DATA_ROOT: /data
+      THT_SECRETS_FILE: /run/secrets/thothii.secrets
+    secrets: [{source: thothii_secrets, target: thothii.secrets}]
     volumes:
       - thoth_data:/data
       - ./deploy/workspaces:/app/harness/workspaces:ro
diff --git a/deploy/vector/reconcile-roles.sh b/deploy/vector/reconcile-roles.sh
index b2f09719..74f14afe 100755
--- a/deploy/vector/reconcile-roles.sh
+++ b/deploy/vector/reconcile-roles.sh
@@ -3,10 +3,11 @@ set -eu
 
 . /opt/thoth/secret-policy.sh
 
-export PGPASSWORD=$(read_secret_file /run/secrets/vector_bootstrap_password vector_bootstrap_password)
-migrator_password=$(read_secret_file /run/secrets/vector_migrator_password vector_migrator_password)
-reader_password=$(read_secret_file /run/secrets/vector_reader_password vector_reader_password)
-writer_password=$(read_secret_file /run/secrets/vector_writer_password vector_writer_password)
+bundle=${THT_SECRETS_FILE:-/run/secrets/thothii.secrets}
+export PGPASSWORD=$(read_bundle_secret "$bundle" THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD)
+migrator_password=$(read_bundle_secret "$bundle" THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD)
+reader_password=$(read_bundle_secret "$bundle" THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD)
+writer_password=$(read_bundle_secret "$bundle" THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD)
 
 psql --set=ON_ERROR_STOP=1 \
   --set=migrator_user="$THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_USER" \
diff --git a/deploy/vector/secret-policy.sh b/deploy/vector/secret-policy.sh
index 6f039011..09f34823 100755
--- a/deploy/vector/secret-policy.sh
+++ b/deploy/vector/secret-policy.sh
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 validate_secret_file() {
   secret_path=$1
   secret_name=$2
-  if [ ! -f "$secret_path" ] || [ ! -r "$secret_path" ] || [ ! -s "$secret_path" ]; then
+  if [ -L "$secret_path" ] || [ ! -f "$secret_path" ] || [ ! -r "$secret_path" ] || [ ! -s "$secret_path" ]; then
     echo "$secret_name must be a readable, non-empty regular file" >&2
     return 2
   fi
@@ -22,3 +22,49 @@ read_secret_file() {
   validate_secret_file "$1" "$2" || return
   cat "$1"
 }
+
+# Read one value from the deployment bundle without putting the bundle itself in
+# a service environment.  The parser is deliberately strict: one KEY=VALUE per
+# line, no duplicate keys, no unknown syntax, and no whitespace in credentials.
+read_bundle_secret() {
+  bundle_path=$1
+  bundle_key=$2
+  if [ -L "$bundle_path" ] || [ ! -f "$bundle_path" ] || [ ! -r "$bundle_path" ] || [ ! -s "$bundle_path" ]; then
+    echo "secret bundle must be a readable, non-empty regular file" >&2
+    return 2
+  fi
+  mode=$(stat -c '%a' "$bundle_path" 2>/dev/null || stat -f '%Lp' "$bundle_path" 2>/dev/null) || return 2
+  case "$bundle_path:$mode" in
+    /run/secrets/*:444|/run/secrets/*:400|/run/secrets/*:600|*:600|*:400) ;;
+    *) echo "secret bundle must have mode 0600 or stricter (Docker secrets may be 0444)" >&2; return 2 ;;
+  esac
+  case "$bundle_key" in
+    THT_[A-Z0-9_]*|PI_PROVIDER_API_KEY) ;;
+    *) echo "invalid secret bundle key" >&2; return 2 ;;
+  esac
+  value=$(awk -v wanted="$bundle_key" '
+    /^[[:space:]]*$/ || /^[[:space:]]*#/ { next }
+    /^[A-Z][A-Z0-9_]*=/ {
+      key=$0; sub(/=.*/, "", key)
+      val=$0; sub(/^[^=]*=/, "", val)
+      if (key !~ /^(THT_MODEL_API_KEY|THT_DWH_API_KEY|THT_VEC_API_KEY|THT_VEC_WRITE_API_KEY|THT_CA|THT_SSL_CA|THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD|THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD|THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD|THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD|PI_PROVIDER_API_KEY)$/) exit 6
+      if (val == "") exit 7
+      if (++seen[key] > 1) exit 8
+      if (key == wanted) {
+        if (found) exit 3
+        found=1; print val
+      }
+      next
+    }
+    { exit 4 }
+    END { if (!found) exit 5 }
+  ' "$bundle_path") || {
+    echo "$bundle_key is unavailable in secret bundle" >&2
+    return 2
+  }
+  if [ -z "$value" ] || printf '%s' "$value" | LC_ALL=C grep -q '[[:space:]]'; then
+    echo "$bundle_key must contain no whitespace" >&2
+    return 2
+  fi
+  printf '%s' "$value"
+}
diff --git a/deploy/vector/vector-db-entrypoint.sh b/deploy/vector/vector-db-entrypoint.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..75cd0e40
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/vector/vector-db-entrypoint.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -eu
+
+. /opt/thoth/secret-policy.sh
+
+bundle=${THT_SECRETS_FILE:-/run/secrets/thothii.secrets}
+export POSTGRES_PASSWORD=$(read_bundle_secret "$bundle" THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD)
+unset THT_SECRETS_FILE
+exec /usr/local/bin/docker-entrypoint.sh postgres
diff --git a/docker/core-entrypoint.sh b/docker/core-entrypoint.sh
index c0da216b..900b4f40 100755
--- a/docker/core-entrypoint.sh
+++ b/docker/core-entrypoint.sh
@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 #!/bin/sh
 set -eu
 
+if [ -r /app/docker/secret-policy.sh ]; then
+  . /app/docker/secret-policy.sh
+else
+  . "$(CDPATH= cd -- "$(dirname -- "$0")/../deploy/vector" && pwd)/secret-policy.sh"
+fi
+
 if [ -n "${PI_PROVIDER_API_KEY:-}" ]; then
   echo "PI_PROVIDER_API_KEY is unsupported; configure THT_MODEL_API_KEY_FILE" >&2
   exit 2
@@ -24,6 +30,49 @@ load_secret THT_DWH_API_KEY THT_DWH_API_KEY_FILE
 load_secret THT_VEC_API_KEY THT_VEC_API_KEY_FILE
 load_secret THT_VEC_WRITE_API_KEY THT_VEC_WRITE_API_KEY_FILE
 
+secret_tmp_dir=
+cleanup_secret_tmp() {
+  if [ -n "${secret_tmp_dir:-}" ]; then rm -rf "$secret_tmp_dir"; fi
+}
+trap cleanup_secret_tmp EXIT HUP INT TERM
+
+bundle=${THT_SECRETS_FILE:-}
+if [ -n "$bundle" ] && [ -r "$bundle" ]; then
+  # REST adapters consume these values while the harness is running.  They are
+  # loaded here (before `tht` starts), not only in the backend/Pi process.
+  load_bundle_env() {
+    env_name=$1
+    key=$2
+    value=$(read_bundle_secret "$bundle" "$key" 2>/dev/null || true)
+    if [ -n "$value" ]; then export "$env_name=$value"; fi
+  }
+  load_bundle_env THT_DWH_API_KEY THT_DWH_API_KEY
+  load_bundle_env THT_VEC_API_KEY THT_VEC_API_KEY
+  load_bundle_env THT_VEC_WRITE_API_KEY THT_VEC_WRITE_API_KEY
+  load_bundle_env THT_SSL_CA THT_SSL_CA
+  if [ -z "${THT_SSL_CA:-}" ]; then load_bundle_env THT_SSL_CA THT_CA; fi
+
+  # DatabaseConfig intentionally accepts password_file paths.  Materialize
+  # short-lived 0600 files so workspace interpolation never puts a password in
+  # YAML, a URL, or the container's immutable Config.Env.
+  umask 077
+  secret_tmp_dir=$(mktemp -d "${TMPDIR:-/tmp}/thothii-secrets.XXXXXX")
+  materialize_password() {
+    env_name=$1
+    key=$2
+    value=$(read_bundle_secret "$bundle" "$key" 2>/dev/null || true)
+    if [ -n "$value" ]; then
+      file="$secret_tmp_dir/$key"
+      printf '%s' "$value" >"$file"
+      export "$env_name=$file"
+    fi
+  }
+  materialize_password THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD_FILE THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD
+  materialize_password THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD_FILE THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD
+  materialize_password THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_FILE THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD
+  materialize_password THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_FILE THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD
+fi
+
 case "${1:-server}" in
   server)
     shift || true
diff --git a/docker/core.Dockerfile b/docker/core.Dockerfile
index 8af924f4..a199e489 100644
--- a/docker/core.Dockerfile
+++ b/docker/core.Dockerfile
@@ -46,8 +46,9 @@ RUN python -m venv /opt/venv \
 COPY --from=backend-build /src/backend/dist /app/backend/dist
 COPY --from=backend-build /src/backend/node_modules /app/backend/node_modules
 COPY docker/core-entrypoint.sh /app/docker/core-entrypoint.sh
+COPY deploy/vector/secret-policy.sh /app/docker/secret-policy.sh
 COPY docker/smoke/core-smoke.sh /app/docker/smoke/core-smoke.sh
-RUN chmod 0555 /app/docker/core-entrypoint.sh /app/docker/smoke/core-smoke.sh \
+RUN chmod 0555 /app/docker/core-entrypoint.sh /app/docker/secret-policy.sh /app/docker/smoke/core-smoke.sh \
     && test ! -e /app/harness/.env \
     && test ! -d /app/harness/workspaces
 
diff --git a/scripts/local-vector-smoke.sh b/scripts/local-vector-smoke.sh
index 3ec07fcc..071757ac 100755
--- a/scripts/local-vector-smoke.sh
+++ b/scripts/local-vector-smoke.sh
@@ -22,16 +22,27 @@ marker="local-vector-$smoke_project"
 restore_container="${smoke_project}-restore"
 restore_volume="${smoke_project}-restore-data"
 
-for secret in bootstrap migrator reader writer; do
-  password="smoke-${secret}-${smoke_project}"
-  printf '%s' "$password" >"$secret_dir/$secret"
-  chmod 0600 "$secret_dir/$secret"
-done
-
-export THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE="$secret_dir/bootstrap"
-export THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE="$secret_dir/migrator"
-export THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE="$secret_dir/reader"
-export THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE="$secret_dir/writer"
+bootstrap_password="smoke-bootstrap-$smoke_project"
+migrator_password="smoke-migrator-$smoke_project"
+reader_password="smoke-reader-$smoke_project"
+writer_password="smoke-writer-$smoke_project"
+bundle="$secret_dir/thothii.secrets"
+write_bundle() {
+  umask 077
+  {
+    printf 'THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD=%s\n' "$bootstrap_password"
+    printf 'THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD=%s\n' "$migrator_password"
+    printf 'THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD=%s\n' "$reader_password"
+    printf 'THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD=%s\n' "$writer_password"
+  } >"$bundle"
+  chmod 0600 "$bundle"
+}
+write_bundle
+export THT_SECRETS_FILE="$bundle"
+# The rotation helper has an old/new file interface; these are test-only
+# scratch files and are never mounted into a Compose service.
+printf '%s' "$bootstrap_password" >"$secret_dir/bootstrap"
+chmod 0600 "$secret_dir/bootstrap"
 export THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_USER=thoth_bootstrap_smoke
 export THOTH_SMOKE_OWNER="$smoke_owner"
 
@@ -109,7 +120,16 @@ if [ "$mode" = "--live-collision-test" ]; then
 fi
 
 probe_vector() {
-  compose exec -T core /opt/venv/bin/python - "$marker" "$1" <<'PY'
+  compose exec -T core sh -ec '
+    . /app/docker/secret-policy.sh
+    tmp=$(mktemp -d); trap "rm -rf \"$tmp\"" EXIT
+    for role in READER WRITER; do
+      file="$tmp/$role"
+      read_bundle_secret /run/secrets/thothii.secrets "THT_VECTOR_${role}_PASSWORD" >"$file"
+      export "THT_VECTOR_${role}_PASSWORD_FILE=$file"
+    done
+    exec /opt/venv/bin/python - "$1" "$2"
+  ' sh "$marker" "$1" <<'PY'
 import hashlib
 import os
 import sys
@@ -173,23 +193,23 @@ if printf '%s' "$inspect_env" | grep -q "smoke-\(reader\|writer\)-${smoke_projec
   echo "docker inspect exposed a direct vector password" >&2
   exit 1
 fi
-printf '%s' "$inspect_env" | grep -q 'THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/vector_reader_password'
-printf '%s' "$inspect_env" | grep -q 'THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/vector_writer_password'
+printf '%s' "$inspect_env" | grep -q 'THT_SECRETS_FILE=/run/secrets/thothii.secrets'
 migration_status=$(compose run --rm --no-deps vector-migrate)
 printf '%s\n' "$migration_status" | grep -q '"pending": \[\]'
 migrator_flags=$(compose run --rm --no-deps --entrypoint sh vector-reconcile -ec '
-  export PGPASSWORD=$(cat /run/secrets/vector_bootstrap_password)
+  . /opt/thoth/secret-policy.sh
+  export PGPASSWORD=$(read_bundle_secret /run/secrets/thothii.secrets THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD)
   psql -At --host vector-db --username "$THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_USER" --dbname thoth \
     --command "SELECT (NOT rolcreaterole) AND (NOT rolcreatedb) AND (NOT rolsuper) FROM pg_roles WHERE rolname = '\''thoth_vector_migrator'\''"
 ')
 test "$migrator_flags" = t
 probe_vector write
 
-old_reader_password=$(cat "$secret_dir/reader")
-for secret in migrator reader writer; do
-  password="rotated-${secret}-${smoke_project}"
-  printf '%s' "$password" >"$secret_dir/$secret"
-done
+old_reader_password="$reader_password"
+migrator_password="rotated-migrator-$smoke_project"
+reader_password="rotated-reader-$smoke_project"
+writer_password="rotated-writer-$smoke_project"
+write_bundle
 
 compose run --rm vector-reconcile
 rotation_status=$(compose run --rm --no-deps vector-migrate)
@@ -205,7 +225,7 @@ fi
 compose up --force-recreate --no-deps --wait core
 probe_vector read
 
-old_bootstrap_password=$(cat "$secret_dir/bootstrap")
+old_bootstrap_password="$bootstrap_password"
 printf '%s' "wrong-bootstrap-${smoke_project}" >"$secret_dir/bootstrap-wrong"
 printf '%s' "next-bootstrap-'quoted-${smoke_project}" >"$secret_dir/bootstrap-next"
 cp "$secret_dir/bootstrap" "$secret_dir/bootstrap-before-negative"
@@ -238,6 +258,8 @@ COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME="$smoke_project" \
   ./scripts/vector-rotate-bootstrap-password.sh \
   "$secret_dir/bootstrap" "$secret_dir/bootstrap-next"
 new_bootstrap_password=$(cat "$secret_dir/bootstrap")
+bootstrap_password="$new_bootstrap_password"
+write_bundle
 test "$new_bootstrap_password" != "$old_bootstrap_password"
 if compose run --rm --no-deps --entrypoint psql \
     -e PGPASSWORD="$old_bootstrap_password" vector-reconcile \
@@ -271,9 +293,12 @@ if [ "$mode" = "--backup-restore" ]; then
     --label "io.thothii.smoke-owner=$smoke_owner" \
     --network "$network" --network-alias vector-db-restore \
     --mount "type=volume,source=$restore_volume,target=/var/lib/postgresql/data" \
-    --mount "type=bind,source=$secret_dir/bootstrap,target=/run/secrets/bootstrap,readonly" \
+    --mount "type=bind,source=$bundle,target=/run/secrets/thothii.secrets,readonly" \
+    --mount "type=bind,source=$(pwd)/deploy/vector/vector-db-entrypoint.sh,target=/opt/thoth/vector-db-entrypoint.sh,readonly" \
+    --mount "type=bind,source=$(pwd)/deploy/vector/secret-policy.sh,target=/opt/thoth/secret-policy.sh,readonly" \
     -e POSTGRES_DB=thoth -e POSTGRES_USER="$THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_USER" \
-    -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/bootstrap "$image" >/dev/null
+    -e THT_SECRETS_FILE=/run/secrets/thothii.secrets \
+    --entrypoint /opt/thoth/vector-db-entrypoint.sh "$image" >/dev/null
   attempts=0
   until docker exec "$restore_container" pg_isready \
       -U "$THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_USER" -d thoth >/dev/null 2>&1; do
@@ -300,7 +325,8 @@ if [ "$mode" = "--backup-restore" ]; then
     --output /scratch/vector.dump
 
   compose exec -T vector-db sh -ec '
-    export PGPASSWORD=$(cat /run/secrets/vector_bootstrap_password)
+    . /opt/thoth/secret-policy.sh
+    export PGPASSWORD=$(read_bundle_secret /run/secrets/thothii.secrets THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD)
     psql -X -U "$POSTGRES_USER" -d thoth -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 --command \
       "UPDATE vectors.memory SET content_hash = '\''mutated-after-backup'\'' WHERE record_key = '\''$1'\''"' \
     sh "$marker" >/dev/null
@@ -339,23 +365,25 @@ if [ "$mode" = "--backup-restore" ]; then
   docker run --rm --network "$network" \
     --mount "type=bind,source=$(pwd)/deploy/vector/reconcile-roles.sh,target=/opt/thoth/reconcile-roles.sh,readonly" \
     --mount "type=bind,source=$(pwd)/deploy/vector/secret-policy.sh,target=/opt/thoth/secret-policy.sh,readonly" \
-    --mount "type=bind,source=$secret_dir/bootstrap,target=/run/secrets/vector_bootstrap_password,readonly" \
-    --mount "type=bind,source=$secret_dir/migrator,target=/run/secrets/vector_migrator_password,readonly" \
-    --mount "type=bind,source=$secret_dir/reader,target=/run/secrets/vector_reader_password,readonly" \
-    --mount "type=bind,source=$secret_dir/writer,target=/run/secrets/vector_writer_password,readonly" \
+    --mount "type=bind,source=$bundle,target=/run/secrets/thothii.secrets,readonly" \
     -e PGHOST=vector-db-restore -e PGDATABASE=thoth \
     -e PGUSER="$THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_USER" \
+    -e THT_SECRETS_FILE=/run/secrets/thothii.secrets \
     -e THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_USER=thoth_vector_migrator \
     -e THT_VECTOR_READER_USER=thoth_vector_reader \
     -e THT_VECTOR_WRITER_USER=thoth_vector_writer \
     --entrypoint /opt/thoth/reconcile-roles.sh "$image" >/dev/null
 
-  docker run --rm -i --network "$network" \
-    --mount "type=bind,source=$secret_dir/reader,target=/run/secrets/vector_reader_password,readonly" \
-    --mount "type=bind,source=$secret_dir/writer,target=/run/secrets/vector_writer_password,readonly" \
-    -e THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/vector_reader_password \
-    -e THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_FILE=/run/secrets/vector_writer_password \
-    --entrypoint /opt/venv/bin/python thothii-core:local - "$marker" <<'PY'
+  compose exec -T core sh -ec '
+    . /app/docker/secret-policy.sh
+    tmp=$(mktemp -d); trap "rm -rf \"$tmp\"" EXIT
+    for role in READER WRITER; do
+      file="$tmp/$role"
+      read_bundle_secret /run/secrets/thothii.secrets "THT_VECTOR_${role}_PASSWORD" >"$file"
+      export "THT_VECTOR_${role}_PASSWORD_FILE=$file"
+    done
+    exec /opt/venv/bin/python - "$1"
+  ' sh "$marker" <<'PY'
 import hashlib
 import os
 import sys
diff --git a/scripts/preprocess-smoke.sh b/scripts/preprocess-smoke.sh
index ae3d4820..c9a6486d 100755
--- a/scripts/preprocess-smoke.sh
+++ b/scripts/preprocess-smoke.sh
@@ -48,14 +48,15 @@ trap 'exit 130' INT
 trap 'exit 143' TERM
 mkdir -p "$tmp/source/evidence"
 printf '%s\n' '# Evidence' 'generation one' >"$tmp/source/evidence/a.md"
-for name in bootstrap migrator reader writer; do
-  printf '%s' "smoke-$name-$project" >"$tmp/$name"
-  chmod 0600 "$tmp/$name"
-done
-export THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE="$tmp/bootstrap"
-export THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE="$tmp/migrator"
-export THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE="$tmp/reader"
-export THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE="$tmp/writer"
+bundle="$tmp/thothii.secrets"
+{
+  printf 'THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD=smoke-bootstrap-%s\n' "$project"
+  printf 'THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD=smoke-migrator-%s\n' "$project"
+  printf 'THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD=smoke-reader-%s\n' "$project"
+  printf 'THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD=smoke-writer-%s\n' "$project"
+} >"$bundle"
+chmod 0600 "$bundle"
+export THT_SECRETS_FILE="$bundle"
 export THT_OLLAMA_URL=http://mock-embeddings:8081
 
 cat >"$tmp/smoke.yaml" <<YAML
diff --git a/scripts/test-preprocess-compose-config.sh b/scripts/test-preprocess-compose-config.sh
index 1bc9f917..3249247a 100755
--- a/scripts/test-preprocess-compose-config.sh
+++ b/scripts/test-preprocess-compose-config.sh
@@ -3,10 +3,16 @@ set -eu
 
 cd "$(dirname "$0")/.."
 
-export THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE=${THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE:-/tmp/vector-bootstrap}
-export THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE=${THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE:-/tmp/vector-migrator}
-export THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE=${THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE:-/tmp/vector-reader}
-export THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE=${THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_SECRET_FILE:-/tmp/vector-writer}
+tmp_bundle=$(mktemp)
+trap 'rm -f "$tmp_bundle"' EXIT HUP INT TERM
+cat >"$tmp_bundle" <<'EOF'
+THT_VECTOR_BOOTSTRAP_PASSWORD=test-bootstrap
+THT_VECTOR_MIGRATOR_PASSWORD=test-migrator
+THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD=test-reader
+THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD=test-writer
+EOF
+chmod 0600 "$tmp_bundle"
+export THT_SECRETS_FILE="$tmp_bundle"
 
 local_files="-f compose.yaml -f deploy/compose.local-vector.yaml -f deploy/compose.preprocess.yaml -f deploy/compose.preprocess-local-vector.yaml"
 local_json=$(docker compose $local_files --profile local-vector --profile preprocess config --format json)
@@ -16,6 +22,16 @@ import json, sys
 
 config = json.load(sys.stdin)
 services = config["services"]
+assert "thothii_secrets" in config.get("secrets", {}), config.get("secrets")
+assert "vector_bootstrap_password" not in config.get("secrets", {})
+assert "vector_migrator_password" not in config.get("secrets", {})
+assert "vector_reader_password" not in config.get("secrets", {})
+assert "vector_writer_password" not in config.get("secrets", {})
+for name, service in services.items():
+    if name.startswith("vector-") or name.startswith("preprocess-") or name == "core":
+        assert any(item.get("target") == "thothii.secrets" for item in service.get("secrets", []) if isinstance(item, dict)), (name, service.get("secrets"))
+        assert "vector_reader_password" not in str(service)
+        assert "vector_writer_password" not in str(service)
 for name in ("preprocess-evidence", "preprocess-dwh"):
     dependency = services[name].get("depends_on", {}).get("vector-migrate")
     assert dependency is not None, f"{name} does not depend on vector-migrate"
@@ -37,7 +53,32 @@ assert "vector-reconcile" not in services
 for name in ("preprocess-evidence", "preprocess-dwh"):
     service = services[name]
     assert "depends_on" not in service
-    assert not service.get("secrets"), service.get("secrets")
+    assert all(item.get("target") == "thothii.secrets" for item in service.get("secrets", []) if isinstance(item, dict)), service.get("secrets")
+    assert "vector_reader_password" not in str(service)
+    assert "vector_writer_password" not in str(service)
 '
 
+python3 - <<'PY'
+import os
+from pathlib import Path
+
+os.environ.update({
+    "THT_DB_NAME": "thoth",
+    "THT_DWH_REST_URL": "http://dwh.invalid",
+    "THT_DWH_API_KEY": "dwh",
+    "THT_VECTOR_DATABASE": "thoth",
+    "THT_VECTOR_READER_USER": "reader",
+    "THT_VECTOR_WRITER_USER": "writer",
+    "THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_FILE": "/tmp/generated-reader",
+    "THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_FILE": "/tmp/generated-writer",
+    "THT_DOCS_ROOT": "/data/source",
+    "THT_OLLAMA_URL": "http://ollama.invalid",
+})
+text = Path("deploy/workspaces/local-vector.yaml").read_text()
+assert "password_file: ${THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD_FILE}" in text
+assert "password_file: ${THT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD_FILE}" in text
+assert "${THT_SECRETS_FILE}" not in text
+print("local-vector workspace resolution contract: ok")
+PY
+
 echo "preprocess compose config: ok"
diff --git a/scripts/test-vector-backup-restore-safety.sh b/scripts/test-vector-backup-restore-safety.sh
index 68188fd6..76845eea 100755
--- a/scripts/test-vector-backup-restore-safety.sh
+++ b/scripts/test-vector-backup-restore-safety.sh
@@ -88,6 +88,13 @@ grep -q -- '--exit-on-error' "$tmp/restore.log"
 
 # The live restore smoke must follow the packaged migration set instead of a stale
 # hard-coded count when a new migration is added.
+if grep -Eq 'vector_(bootstrap|migrator|reader|writer)_password' \
+    deploy/compose.local-vector.yaml deploy/compose.preprocess-local-vector.yaml; then
+  echo "local-vector Compose still declares legacy per-password secrets" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+grep -Fq 'thothii_secrets' deploy/compose.local-vector.yaml
+grep -Fq 'thothii_secrets' deploy/compose.preprocess-local-vector.yaml
 if grep -Fq 'SELECT count(*) = 3 FROM public.tht_vector_migrations' \
     scripts/local-vector-smoke.sh; then
   echo "local vector smoke hard-codes the pre-004 migration count" >&2
diff --git a/scripts/test-vector-secret-policy.sh b/scripts/test-vector-secret-policy.sh
index d271ae01..8369ed68 100755
--- a/scripts/test-vector-secret-policy.sh
+++ b/scripts/test-vector-secret-policy.sh
@@ -14,10 +14,13 @@ printf 'safe-quoted-\047-dollar-$' >"$tmp/valid"
 printf 'docker-secret' >"$tmp/docker"
 printf 'owner-readonly' >"$tmp/readonly"
 printf 'too-open' >"$tmp/open"
+printf '# comment\n\nTHT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD=reader\nTHT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD=writer\n' >"$tmp/bundle"
+printf 'THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD=reader\nTHT_VECTOR_WRITER_PASSWORD=writer\nTHT_DWH_API_KEY=one\nTHT_DWH_API_KEY=two\n' >"$tmp/duplicate-bundle"
 chmod 0600 "$tmp/valid"
 chmod 0444 "$tmp/docker"
 chmod 0400 "$tmp/readonly"
 chmod 0640 "$tmp/open"
+chmod 0600 "$tmp/bundle" "$tmp/duplicate-bundle"
 
 for invalid in empty newline space; do
   if validate_secret_file "$tmp/$invalid" "$invalid" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
@@ -36,5 +39,10 @@ if validate_secret_file "$tmp/open" open >/dev/null 2>&1; then
   exit 1
 fi
 test "$(read_secret_file "$tmp/valid" valid)" = "safe-quoted-'-dollar-$"
+test "$(read_bundle_secret "$tmp/bundle" THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD)" = reader
+if read_bundle_secret "$tmp/duplicate-bundle" THT_VECTOR_READER_PASSWORD >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+  echo "secret policy accepted a duplicate unrelated bundle key" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
 
 echo "shared vector secret policy contracts passed."