diff --git a/tools/ca3-v4-amend/pc-card-in.ps1 b/tools/ca3-v4-amend/pc-card-in.ps1
index 52ecc5e9f..298d0f83e 100644
--- a/tools/ca3-v4-amend/pc-card-in.ps1
+++ b/tools/ca3-v4-amend/pc-card-in.ps1
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@
 # Known-failed first: no new card reads "RESULT card-in no new card" and does nothing else (exit 0, status no_new_card); the
 # first run on a PC writes the baseline and does nothing else (status baseline). Never two cards: more than one new key
 # stops the job (status ambiguous) with the keys named. Nothing escalates, nothing is installed, settings.json is never
-# written (the app's own /api/cards path switches the card off for the quiet rows and back on after, with the exact choices).
+# written (the runner's --cards-off switches the card off for the quiet rows and back on after; a script never switches cards).
 $ErrorActionPreference = 'Continue'
 $jobName = 'pc-card-in'
 $started = Get-Date
@@ -121,23 +121,15 @@ if ($haveV5) {
   if ($null -ne $clDev) { "RESULT card opencl device=$clDev line=$($clLine.Trim())" } else { "RESULT card opencl: no --list device matches '$name' (code $($card.code)); the OpenCL rows are skipped" }
 }
 
-# ---- the card quiet: its app choices saved, the card switched off through /api/cards ----
+# ---- the card's quiet state is the RUNNER's: a script never switches cards (the playbook-quit rule). The detect run reads the
+# new card with the app mining on it; the measured pass is published again with --cards-off <the new key> and finds it off here.
 $choices = @($cards | ForEach-Object { [ordered]@{ key = $_.key; enabled = [bool]$_.enabled; identities = [int]$_.identities; power_pct = [int]$_.power_pct } })
-function ApplyCards($list) { return (Post 'api/cards' (([ordered]@{ cards = $list }) | ConvertTo-Json -Compress -Depth 4)) }
-$off = @($choices | ForEach-Object { $c = [ordered]@{} + $_; if ($c.key -eq $key) { $c.enabled = $false }; $c })
-$restored = $false
+$restored = $true
 function Workers { @(Get-CimInstance Win32_Process -Filter "Name = 'igneum-worker-opencl.exe' OR Name = 'igneum-worker-cuda.exe' OR Name = 'igneum-worker-metal.exe'" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue | ForEach-Object { "$($_.Name):$($_.ProcessId):[$($_.CommandLine -replace '\s+', ' ')]" }) }
 "RESULT workers_before $(Stamp) $((@(Workers)) -join ' ')"
-$quiet = $false
-if (ApplyCards $off) {
-  $t = 0
-  while ($t -lt 120) {
-    Start-Sleep -Seconds 5; $t += 5
-    $st = State; $cc = $null; if ($st) { $cc = $st.mining.cards | Where-Object { $_.key -eq $key } | Select-Object -First 1 }
-    if ($cc -and -not $cc.enabled -and ($cc.hash_now -eq 0 -or $cc.state -match 'off|idle|stopped')) { $quiet = $true; break }
-  }
-  "RESULT card $(Stamp) $(if ($quiet) { "quiet after $t s (switched off through /api/cards; its choices saved: " + (($choices | Where-Object { $_.key -eq $key } | ForEach-Object { 'enabled=' + $_.enabled + ' identities=' + $_.identities + ' power_pct=' + $_.power_pct }) -join '') + ')' } else { "UNCONFIRMED after $t s (the app still reports it mining); the rows below are LOADED-card figures" })"
-} else { 'RESULT card /api/cards refused; the rows below are LOADED-card figures' }
+$quiet = -not $card.enabled
+"RESULT card $(Stamp) $(if ($quiet) { 'quiet: the runner switched it off (--cards-off) before this script' } else { 'LOADED: the card mines in the app (a detect run, or a pass published without --cards-off); the rows below are LOADED-card figures' })"
+if (-not $quiet -and $env:IGNEUM_CARDIN_DETECT_ONLY -eq '1') { WriteLast; "RESULT next: detect only; publish the pass with --cards-off $key"; Summary 'detected' @{ key = $key; name = $name; vendor = $vendor; vram_mb = $vram; fits = $fits }; exit 0 }
 
 $rowsOut = [ordered]@{}
 $samples = Join-Path $stateDir 'nv-samples.csv'
@@ -299,13 +291,12 @@ try {
 } finally {
   if ($viaHelper) { "RESULT restore rgc: $(ResetClocks)" }
   if ($sampler) { try { Stop-Process -Id $sampler.Id -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue } catch { }; 'RESULT restore sampler stopped' }
-  $restored = ApplyCards $choices
-  "RESULT restore cards $(if ($restored) { 'put back through /api/cards with the saved choices' } else { '/api/cards refused; the card stays as the app has it' })"
+  'RESULT restore cards: the runner puts the card back with its own choices on exit (nothing switched here)'
 }
 
 # 4. the app row (every vendor): the card mining in the app, 75 s settle, the median of 30 s of hash_now and power_w
 $appMhs = $null; $appW = $null
-if ($restored -and $card.enabled) {
+if ($card.enabled) {
   Start-Sleep -Seconds 75
   $hs = @(); $ws = @()
   for ($i = 0; $i -lt 6; $i++) { $st = State; if ($st) { $cc = $st.mining.cards | Where-Object { $_.key -eq $key } | Select-Object -First 1; if ($cc -and $cc.hash_now -gt 0) { $hs += [double]$cc.hash_now; $ws += [double]$cc.power_w } }; Start-Sleep -Seconds 5 }