diff --git a/.github/scripts/tests/post-merge-runner-routing.test.mjs b/.github/scripts/tests/post-merge-runner-routing.test.mjs
index 95c2a1c5ef..68a2cada62 100644
--- a/.github/scripts/tests/post-merge-runner-routing.test.mjs
+++ b/.github/scripts/tests/post-merge-runner-routing.test.mjs
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ const base = {
   ref: "refs/heads/master", event_name: "push", sha,
 };
 const expectedJobs = {
-  "cloud-readiness.yml": ["artifacts", "source_verified", "ready"],
+  "cloud-readiness.yml": [],
   "cloud-artifacts.yml": ["dispatch_migrator"],
   "release-verify.yml": ["typecheck", "general_tests", "serialized_tests", "runner_workflow_evals", "verify_paperclip_runner", "build"],
   "runner-chaos-evals.yml": ["chaos_and_recovery"],
@@ -81,3 +81,27 @@ for (const [file, expectedNames] of Object.entries(expectedJobs)) {
     });
   }
 }
+
+
+test("Cloud readiness bookkeeping never waits for the AWS verification fleet", () => {
+  const workflow = readFileSync(new URL("../../workflows/cloud-readiness.yml", import.meta.url), "utf8");
+  const bodies = new Map();
+  for (const [name, needs] of [
+    ["artifacts", null],
+    ["source_verified", "[verify]"],
+    ["ready", "[verify, image, artifacts]"],
+  ]) {
+    const body = workflow.match(new RegExp(`^  ${name}:\\n([\\s\\S]*?)(?=^  [a-z_]+:|(?![\\s\\S]))`, "m"))?.[1];
+    assert.ok(body, `missing ${name} job`);
+    bodies.set(name, body);
+    assert.match(body, /^    runs-on: ubuntu-latest$/m);
+    assert.doesNotMatch(body, /^ +continue-on-error:|^ +if:.*always\(\)/m);
+    assert.match(body, /^    if: github.repository == 'paperclipai\/paperclip' && github.ref == 'refs\/heads\/master'$/m);
+    assert.match(body, /^ +SOURCE_SHA: \$\{\{ github.sha \}\}$/m);
+    assert.equal(body.match(/^    needs: (.+)$/m)?.[1] ?? null, needs, `${name} prerequisites`);
+  }
+  assert.match(bodies.get("artifacts"), /^        run: node scripts\/cloud-readiness.mjs "\$SOURCE_SHA"$/m);
+  assert.match(bodies.get("source_verified"), /^        run: node --test scripts\/cloud-source-verification.test.mjs$/m);
+  assert.match(bodies.get("source_verified"), /echo "Cloud source verified v1: \$SOURCE_SHA"/);
+  assert.match(bodies.get("ready"), /echo "Cloud deployable v1: \$SOURCE_SHA"/);
+});
diff --git a/.github/workflows/cloud-readiness.yml b/.github/workflows/cloud-readiness.yml
index 002da29614..453cad2172 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cloud-readiness.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cloud-readiness.yml
@@ -32,7 +32,8 @@ jobs:
   artifacts:
     if: github.repository == 'paperclipai/paperclip' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/master'
     name: Wait for exact-source cloud artifacts
-    runs-on: ${{ vars.AWS_POST_MERGE_CI_ENABLED == 'true' && github.repository == 'paperclipai/paperclip' && github.repository_id == '1170821064' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' && (github.event_name == 'push' || github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch') && 'runs-on/fleet=paperclip-post-merge-x64/env=public-ci' || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
+    # Bookkeeping must not wait for the AWS builders it observes.
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 35
     permissions:
       contents: read
@@ -55,7 +56,8 @@ jobs:
     name: Cloud source verified v1
     needs: [verify]
     if: github.repository == 'paperclipai/paperclip' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/master'
-    runs-on: ${{ vars.AWS_POST_MERGE_CI_ENABLED == 'true' && github.repository == 'paperclipai/paperclip' && github.repository_id == '1170821064' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' && (github.event_name == 'push' || github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch') && 'runs-on/fleet=paperclip-post-merge-x64/env=public-ci' || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
+    # Bookkeeping must not wait for the AWS builders it observes.
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 5
     permissions:
       contents: read
@@ -81,7 +83,8 @@ jobs:
     name: Cloud deployable v1
     needs: [verify, image, artifacts]
     if: github.repository == 'paperclipai/paperclip' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/master'
-    runs-on: ${{ vars.AWS_POST_MERGE_CI_ENABLED == 'true' && github.repository == 'paperclipai/paperclip' && github.repository_id == '1170821064' && github.ref == 'refs/heads/master' && (github.event_name == 'push' || github.event_name == 'workflow_dispatch') && 'runs-on/fleet=paperclip-post-merge-x64/env=public-ci' || 'ubuntu-latest' }}
+    # Bookkeeping must not wait for the AWS builders it observes.
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
     timeout-minutes: 5
     steps:
       - name: Record cloud readiness
diff --git a/doc/RELEASE-AUTOMATION-SETUP.md b/doc/RELEASE-AUTOMATION-SETUP.md
index 4817e5d7fc..5e5afc481d 100644
--- a/doc/RELEASE-AUTOMATION-SETUP.md
+++ b/doc/RELEASE-AUTOMATION-SETUP.md
@@ -399,3 +399,18 @@ fixture setup; it does not make a single test faster.
 The file-duration manifest also records the native Codex Runner integration
 suite's measured import and execution cost, so the existing file balancer
 accounts for it in both ordinary PR and release verification.
+
+
+## Cloud readiness runner placement
+
+When AWS routing is enabled, Cloud image builds use `paperclip-cloud-build-x64`
+and source verification uses `paperclip-post-merge-x64`. The artifact wait and
+the `Cloud source verified v1` and `Cloud deployable v1` marker jobs run on
+GitHub-hosted runners. These small jobs must not hold or wait for capacity in
+the source-verification fleet. During a merge
+burst, even a completed build must wait for its marker before consumers can
+recognize readiness.
+
+Runner placement does not change readiness requirements: exact-source artifacts,
+all source checks, and the image verification must still pass. The versioned
+markers and their dependency gates are unchanged.