diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index e655893..2becef8 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ This file provides guidance to Claude Code (claude.ai/code) when working with co
 
 The `sancta-choir` configuration (x86_64 Hetzner VPS) hosts the **OpenClaw AI gateway**. It is built in CI but deployed separately. Only build or deploy `sancta-choir` when the user explicitly asks for it by name.
 
+> **⚠️ Remote VPS deploys are NOT atomic.** On the GRUB-based Hetzner hosts (`sancta-choir`, `sancta-claw`, `hermes-claw`), `nixos-rebuild switch` builds → updates GRUB → activates; an OOM-killed build on a small-RAM box can leave an unbootable system (the ~10h #252 outage). For any remote VPS deploy: gate the switch on a successful build **and throttle it** — `nixos-rebuild build --flake .#<host> --max-jobs 1 --cores 1 && nixos-rebuild switch …` — and prefer `nixos-rebuild boot` (or `system.autoUpgrade.operation = "boot"`) for risky changes, so a bad generation only needs a reboot. `scripts/deploy.sh` and `scripts/install.sh` already apply the `--max-jobs 1 --cores 1` throttle; all three VPS hosts carry a swapfile.
+
 **Tailscale hostname:**
 - `rpi5` or `rpi5.tail4249a9.ts.net`
 
diff --git a/hosts/hermes-claw/configuration.nix b/hosts/hermes-claw/configuration.nix
index 0d6b772..ace4d32 100644
--- a/hosts/hermes-claw/configuration.nix
+++ b/hosts/hermes-claw/configuration.nix
@@ -53,6 +53,18 @@
     useUserPackages = true;
   };
 
+  # ── Swap (4GB — OOM headroom for builds/manual switch on this CX33 GRUB VPS) ──
+  # No disk swap otherwise (only RAM-backed zram from common.nix, useless under a
+  # build RSS spike). Mirrors sancta-choir; guards against the #451/#252 build-OOM
+  # brick on a remote GRUB host. No kernel pin — hermes-claw has no corrupted-store
+  # history, and a prophylactic pin would just be unretired maintenance debt.
+  swapDevices = [
+    {
+      device = "/swapfile";
+      size = 4096; # 4GB
+    }
+  ];
+
   # ── SSH authorized keys (cross-host management from sancta-choir + rpi5) ──
   users.users.root.openssh.authorizedKeys.keys = [
     "ssh-ed25519 AAAAC3NzaC1lZDI1NTE5AAAAIPw5RFrFfZQUWlyfGSU1Q8BlEHnvIdBtcnCn+uYtEzal nixos-sancta-choir"
diff --git a/hosts/sancta-choir/configuration.nix b/hosts/sancta-choir/configuration.nix
index 7a7043f..59a392f 100644
--- a/hosts/sancta-choir/configuration.nix
+++ b/hosts/sancta-choir/configuration.nix
@@ -6,7 +6,14 @@
 }:
 
 {
-  # Pin kernel to 6.6 LTS to avoid store corruption from incomplete 6.12 build
+  # Pin kernel to 6.6 LTS — workaround for the Feb-2026 #252 incident, where an
+  # OOM-killed build left corrupted 6.12.63 store paths that would not boot. The
+  # 6.12 kernel itself is not broken; the corruption was build-time only.
+  # EXIT CRITERIA (unpin only when ALL hold): (1) GC the corrupt paths on-host
+  # (`nix-collect-garbage -d`); (2) a clean `nixos-rebuild build` of a 6.12 kernel
+  # succeeds on-host; (3) validate via `nixos-rebuild boot` + manual reboot first.
+  # Do NOT unpin remotely-untested — a bad kernel on a headless VPS needs
+  # rescue-mode recovery.
   boot.kernelPackages = pkgs.linuxPackages_6_6;
 
   # Enable aarch64 emulation for cross-building RPi5 images
diff --git a/hosts/sancta-claw/configuration.nix b/hosts/sancta-claw/configuration.nix
index 5980a67..b18278d 100644
--- a/hosts/sancta-claw/configuration.nix
+++ b/hosts/sancta-claw/configuration.nix
@@ -107,10 +107,14 @@
   # --update-input is intentionally omitted: with a remote GitHub flake URL
   # there is no local path to write an updated lock file back to, so the flag
   # would be a no-op. allowReboot=false: never reboots automatically (VPS —
-  # schedule manual reboots for kernel updates).
+  # schedule manual reboots for kernel updates). operation="boot": build the new
+  # generation and set it as the boot default WITHOUT activating it — avoids the
+  # non-atomic GRUB-mutating `switch` on an unattended remote box (#451/#252); the
+  # update takes effect on the next manual reboot.
   system.autoUpgrade = {
     enable = true;
     flake = "github:alexandru-savinov/nixos-config#sancta-claw";
+    operation = "boot";
     dates = "04:30";
     randomizedDelaySec = "30min";
     allowReboot = false;