diff --git a/.github/workflows/deploy-backend.yml b/.github/workflows/deploy-backend.yml
index b8f0f389c..3856121a3 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/deploy-backend.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/deploy-backend.yml
@@ -177,6 +177,9 @@ jobs:
             # Restart the Next.js service
             sudo systemctl restart eliza-cloud
             
+            # Restart the provisioning worker (VPS owns container lifecycle)
+            sudo systemctl restart milady-provisioning-worker
+            
             echo "=== Deploy complete ==="
 
       - name: Health Check
diff --git a/INFRASTRUCTURE.md b/INFRASTRUCTURE.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..43a3635ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/INFRASTRUCTURE.md
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+# Infrastructure Overview
+
+This document describes the deployment architecture for elizaOS/cloud, with a clear separation
+of concerns between Vercel (frontend/billing) and the Milady VPS (container lifecycle).
+
+---
+
+## Ownership Split
+
+| Concern                     | Owner     | Notes                                      |
+|-----------------------------|-----------|--------------------------------------------|
+| Frontend dashboard          | Vercel    | Next.js SSR via `vercel.json`              |
+| User auth (Privy)           | Vercel    | `/api/auth/*` routes                       |
+| Billing crons               | Vercel    | See retained crons in `vercel.json`        |
+| Container provisioning      | **VPS**   | `milady-provisioning-worker` systemd unit  |
+| Container health checks     | **VPS**   | Polled by provisioning worker              |
+| Deployment monitor          | **VPS**   | Polled by provisioning worker              |
+| SSH to docker nodes         | **VPS**   | Uses `/root/.ssh/clawdnet_nodes`           |
+
+---
+
+## Components
+
+### Vercel (frontend + billing)
+
+- **URL**: https://cloud.elizaos.ai (production)
+- **Crons retained** (DB operations only, safe to run on Vercel):
+  - `/api/cron/milady-billing` — hourly usage billing
+  - `/api/cron/container-billing` — daily container cost rollup
+  - `/api/cron/auto-top-up` — auto top-up credits
+  - `/api/cron/social-automation` — social media posting
+  - `/api/cron/sample-eliza-price` — price sampling
+  - `/api/cron/process-redemptions` — credit redemptions
+  - `/api/cron/agent-budgets` — budget enforcement
+  - `/api/cron/release-pending-earnings` — creator payouts
+  - `/api/cron/cleanup-*` — stale record cleanup
+  - `/api/cron/compute-metrics` — analytics
+  - `/api/v1/cron/refresh-model-catalog` — model list sync
+- **Crons removed** (moved to VPS):
+  - `/api/v1/cron/process-provisioning-jobs` → `milady-provisioning-worker`
+  - `/api/v1/cron/health-check` → `milady-provisioning-worker`
+  - `/api/v1/cron/deployment-monitor` → `milady-provisioning-worker`
+
+### Milady VPS (`89.167.63.246`)
+
+- **OS**: Ubuntu (root managed)
+- **Services**:
+  - `eliza-cloud` (systemd) — Next.js app on port 3000, serves API routes called by VPS crons
+  - `milady-provisioning-worker` (systemd) — owns all container lifecycle operations
+- **Config**: `/opt/eliza-cloud/.env.local`
+- **Deploy**: triggered by `deploy-backend.yml` GitHub Actions workflow on push to `main`/`dev`
+- **Steward sidecar**: `http://localhost:3200` (Docker bridge: `http://172.18.0.1:3200`)
+
+### Docker Nodes
+
+Six bare-metal/VM nodes running eliza agent containers:
+
+| Host           | Role                        |
+|----------------|-----------------------------|
+| milady-core-1  | Agent container node        |
+| milady-core-2  | Agent container node        |
+| milady-core-3  | Agent container node        |
+| milady-core-4  | Agent container node        |
+| milady-core-5  | Agent container node        |
+| milady-core-6  | Agent container node        |
+
+- Container image: `ghcr.io/milady-ai/agent:v2.0.0-steward-8`
+- Base domain: `milady.ai` — agents accessible at `<agent-id>.milady.ai`
+- Bridge port: `2138` (`MILADY_BRIDGE_INTERNAL_PORT`)
+- SSH access via `MILADY_SSH_KEY` (base64 RSA) + `MILADY_SSH_USER=root`
+
+### Neon DB (PostgreSQL)
+
+- **Provider**: Neon (serverless Postgres)
+- **Shared between**: Vercel and VPS (same `DATABASE_URL`)
+- **Migrations**: run automatically by `deploy-backend.yml` before deploy
+- **API access**: `NEON_API_KEY` used for project-level operations (branch creation, etc.)
+
+### Redis (Upstash)
+
+- **Provider**: Upstash (`apt-bass-23833.upstash.io`)
+- **Shared between**: Vercel and VPS
+- **Connection**: `REDIS_URL` / `KV_URL` — TLS (`rediss://`)
+- **Rate limiting**: enabled (`REDIS_RATE_LIMITING=true`)
+- **Note**: env vars are now synced between Vercel and VPS to prevent drift
+
+---
+
+## GitHub Actions Secrets Required
+
+The `deploy-backend.yml` workflow requires these secrets on the `elizaOS/cloud` repo:
+
+| Secret              | Description                                 | Status      |
+|---------------------|---------------------------------------------|-------------|
+| `MILADY_VPS_HOST`   | VPS IP or hostname (`89.167.63.246`)        | ⚠️ MISSING  |
+| `MILADY_VPS_SSH_KEY`| SSH private key for `deploy` user on VPS   | ⚠️ MISSING  |
+| `NEON_DATABASE_URL` | Neon connection string for migrations       | ⚠️ MISSING  |
+| `DISCORD_WEBHOOK`   | Discord webhook for deploy notifications    | ⚠️ MISSING  |
+
+> **Action required**: Add the above secrets in GitHub → Settings → Secrets and variables → Actions.
+
+---
+
+## Deployment Flow
+
+```
+git push main
+    │
+    ▼
+GitHub Actions: deploy-backend.yml
+    │
+    ├── Run DB migrations (Neon)
+    │
+    └── SSH to VPS
+            ├── git pull
+            ├── bun install && bun run build
+            ├── systemctl restart eliza-cloud
+            └── systemctl restart milady-provisioning-worker
+```
+
+---
+
+## Environment Variable Sync
+
+To update VPS env vars when production secrets change:
+
+```bash
+ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_ed25519 root@89.167.63.246
+vim /opt/eliza-cloud/.env.local
+sudo systemctl restart eliza-cloud milady-provisioning-worker
+```
+
+Production env reference: `.env.production` in repo root (Vercel CLI managed, not committed).
diff --git a/vercel.json b/vercel.json
index c1f06b407..93b5e52a3 100644
--- a/vercel.json
+++ b/vercel.json
@@ -18,18 +18,6 @@
       "path": "/api/cron/auto-top-up",
       "schedule": "*/15 * * * *"
     },
-    {
-      "path": "/api/v1/cron/deployment-monitor",
-      "schedule": "* * * * *"
-    },
-    {
-      "path": "/api/v1/cron/health-check",
-      "schedule": "* * * * *"
-    },
-    {
-      "path": "/api/v1/cron/process-provisioning-jobs",
-      "schedule": "* * * * *"
-    },
     {
       "path": "/api/cron/sample-eliza-price",
       "schedule": "*/5 * * * *"