diff --git a/scripts/unified-deployment-smoke.sh b/scripts/unified-deployment-smoke.sh
index 7e2e9661..9c409af7 100755
--- a/scripts/unified-deployment-smoke.sh
+++ b/scripts/unified-deployment-smoke.sh
@@ -1592,7 +1592,18 @@ task13_assert_server_runtime() {
     || task13_fail "server frontend did not use the smoke-built frontend image"
   task13_compose_logged "verify server runtime configuration and secret readability" exec -T core sh -ceu '
     check_readable() { test -r "$1" || { printf "server precondition failed: unreadable %s\n" "$1" >&2; exit 1; }; }
-    check_readable /run/thothii-auth/auth.yaml
+    check_readable /run/thothii-auth/CURRENT
+    projection_generation="$(node -e '\''
+      const fs = require("node:fs");
+      const selector = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync("/run/thothii-auth/CURRENT", "utf8"));
+      if (selector.version !== 1 || selector.state !== "ready" ||
+          typeof selector.generation !== "string" || !/^[0-9a-f]{64}$/.test(selector.generation)) {
+        process.exit(1);
+      }
+      process.stdout.write(selector.generation);
+    '\'')" || { printf "server precondition failed: invalid authentication projection selector\n" >&2; exit 1; }
+    check_readable "/run/thothii-auth/generations/$projection_generation/auth.yaml"
+    check_readable "/run/thothii-auth/generations/$projection_generation/manifest.json"
     test -d /data/auth || { printf "server precondition failed: missing /data/auth\n" >&2; exit 1; }
     test -z "${AUTH_MODE+x}" || { printf "server precondition failed: AUTH_MODE must be unset\n" >&2; exit 1; }
     test "$THT_SESSION_STORAGE" = postgres || { printf "server precondition failed: session storage\n" >&2; exit 1; }
@@ -2557,6 +2568,7 @@ task13_self_test_source_contract() {
   local server_auth_projection_override server_auth_projection_descriptor
   local server_auth_projection_environment server_auth_privileged_configure
   local server_fixture_reclamation server_runtime_config_probe server_workspace_config_permission
+  local server_runtime_selector_probe server_runtime_generation_probe server_runtime_direct_file_probe
   local server_secret_source_owner server_secret_source_preparation server_tht_wrapper
   root="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")/.." && pwd -P)"
   workflow="$root/.github/workflows/deployment.yml"
@@ -2589,6 +2601,9 @@ task13_self_test_source_contract() {
   server_auth_privileged_configure='sudo -n -- "$TASK13_''THT"'
   server_fixture_reclamation='task13_reclaim_server_fixture_''ownership'
   server_runtime_config_probe='task13_compose_''logged "verify server runtime configuration and secret readability"'
+  server_runtime_selector_probe='check_readable /run/thothii-auth/''CURRENT'
+  server_runtime_generation_probe='check_readable "/run/thothii-auth/generations/$projection_generation/''auth.yaml"'
+  server_runtime_direct_file_probe='check_readable /run/thothii-auth/''auth.yaml'
   server_secret_source_preparation='task13_prepare_server_secret_''sources'
   server_secret_source_owner='chown 10001:''10001 -- "$TASK13_SECRETS" "$TASK13_PI_AUTH"'
   server_tht_wrapper='task13_server_''tht'
@@ -2670,6 +2685,12 @@ task13_self_test_source_contract() {
     || task13_fail "the server smoke must reclaim its root- and core-owned fixture exactly once"
   grep -Fq -- "$server_runtime_config_probe" "$root/scripts/unified-deployment-smoke.sh" \
     || task13_fail "the server runtime preconditions must emit a named diagnostic"
+  grep -Fq -- "$server_runtime_selector_probe" "$root/scripts/unified-deployment-smoke.sh" \
+    || task13_fail "the server runtime preconditions must verify the projection selector"
+  grep -Fq -- "$server_runtime_generation_probe" "$root/scripts/unified-deployment-smoke.sh" \
+    || task13_fail "the server runtime preconditions must verify the selected generation"
+  ! grep -Fq -- "$server_runtime_direct_file_probe" "$root/scripts/unified-deployment-smoke.sh" \
+    || task13_fail "the server runtime preconditions must not require the forbidden direct-file fallback"
   grep -Fq -- "$server_workspace_config_permission" "$root/scripts/unified-deployment-smoke.sh" \
     || task13_fail "the server workspace fixture must be readable by the container UID"
   [[ "$(grep -Ec "^${server_secret_source_preparation}\\(\\)|^[[:space:]]+${server_secret_source_preparation}$" \