diff --git a/tools/workers/publish-workers.sh b/tools/workers/publish-workers.sh
index 49caf5b0b..852c0a456 100755
--- a/tools/workers/publish-workers.sh
+++ b/tools/workers/publish-workers.sh
@@ -2,9 +2,14 @@
 # Put the worker dashboard page next to the fleet page and deploy the folder through publish-fleet.sh's mechanism.
 #   tools/workers/publish-workers.sh              copy workers.html, shape.js, workers.demo.json; one push.mjs pass; deploy
 #   tools/workers/publish-workers.sh --no-deploy  copy only (the fleet orchestrator's next deploy carries it)
+# Refuses on a Mac (exit 97): the page is served by build-1 since 8 Oct 2026 (merge-workers.mjs); see docs/release/dl-publish.md.
 # The folder is $DLSITE/<fleet-path>/ (dlsite-dir and fleet-path in ~/.config/igneum). The fleet index.html gets the
 # Workers nav link if it does not carry one yet (the fleet page has no repo source; this is the only edit made to it).
 set -euo pipefail
+# 8 Oct 2026, the founder's 20:21 order: nothing publishes to the dl host from a Mac except the site lane's one deploy script.
+# The workers page is served by build-1's Caddy at build.igneum.network (tools/workers/merge-workers.mjs, no Vercel), so this
+# script has no Mac job left at all; it refuses before it touches the folder. A box may still run it (--no-deploy stages the copy).
+[ "$(uname)" = Darwin ] && { echo "refused: the workers page is served by build-1 (build.igneum.network); nothing publishes from a Mac (8 Oct 2026)" >&2; exit 97; }
 HERE="$(cd "$(dirname "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"; ROOT="$(cd "$HERE/../.." && pwd)"
 DLSITE="$(cat "$HOME/.config/igneum/dlsite-dir")"; P="$(cat "$HOME/.config/igneum/fleet-path")"
 DIR="$DLSITE/$P"; [ -d "$DIR" ] || { echo "no $DIR" >&2; exit 1; }
@@ -25,7 +30,9 @@ fi
 node "$HERE/push.mjs" --no-deploy
 if [ "${1:-}" != --no-deploy ]; then
   tmp="$(mktemp)"; cp "$DIR/fleet.json" "$tmp"
-  "$ROOT/tools/fleet/publish-fleet.sh" "$tmp" >/dev/null || "/Users/joshm/Projects/igneum/tools/fleet/publish-fleet.sh" "$tmp"
+  # One deploy, this tree's script only. The former "|| <master checkout>/publish-fleet.sh" fallback spawned a SECOND
+  # vercel deploy of the whole 5.9 GB folder whenever the first was stopped (8 Oct 2026, three at once reached 17 GB RSS).
+  "$ROOT/tools/fleet/publish-fleet.sh" "$tmp" >/dev/null
   rm -f "$tmp"
   for i in $(seq 1 12); do
     if curl -fsS --max-time 10 "https://dl.igneum.network/$P/workers.html?t=$(date +%s)" | grep -c "Igneum Workers" >/dev/null; then echo "live: https://dl.igneum.network/$P/workers.html"; exit 0; fi