diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/README.md b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/README.md
index 8d6dbae..b62df15 100644
--- a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/README.md
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/README.md
@@ -12,11 +12,11 @@ Installs **Authentik** (Helm `goauthentik/authentik`) as the cluster IdP, **oaut
 
 ## Variables
 
-See **`defaults/main.yml`**. Hostnames default to **`auth.apps.noble.lab.pcenicni.dev`** and **`oauth2.apps.noble.lab.pcenicni.dev`**.
+See **`defaults/main.yml`**. Hostnames default to **`auth.apps.noble.lab.pcenicni.dev`** and **`oauth2.apps.noble.lab.pcenicni.dev`**. **`noble_authentik_ensure_admin_ui_access`** (default **true**) re-applies **authentik Admins** superuser membership via the worker on each **`--tags authentik`** run so the admin UI keeps working under **2026+** RBAC.
 
 ## IdP configuration
 
-When **`noble_authentik_configure_idp`** is true, Ansible runs **`files/configure_authentik.py`** (Python 3, stdlib only) with the bootstrap token to create/update OAuth2 providers and applications for **argocd**, **grafana**, **headlamp**, and **oauth2-proxy**, create **`noble-admins`** / **`noble-editors`**, and add the bootstrap user (by email) to those groups.
+When **`noble_authentik_configure_idp`** is true, Ansible creates/updates OAuth2 providers and applications for **argocd**, **grafana**, **headlamp**, and **oauth2-proxy** using either the **worker ORM path** (default **`noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via: worker`**: **`kubectl exec`** + **`ak shell`** + **`files/worker_upsert_oauth_oidc.py`**, which avoids **2026+** REST **403** on **`GET …/providers/oauth2/**`) or the **REST-only path** (**`noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via: rest`**: **`files/configure_authentik.py`** needs a token that can list/patch OAuth2 providers). With the worker path and a bootstrap email, it also runs **`files/worker_add_bootstrap_user_groups.py`** so **`User.groups.add`** does not depend on **`GET …/core/users/**`. It then runs **`configure_authentik.py`** with **`AUTHENTIK_SKIP_OIDC_REST`** / **`AUTHENTIK_SKIP_USER_GROUP_REST`** when those worker steps ran, so the script only calls **`ensure_group`** over the API (skipped when **`AUTHENTIK_NOBLE_*_GROUP_PK`** are set).
 
 ## RBAC notes
 
@@ -25,17 +25,24 @@ When **`noble_authentik_configure_idp`** is true, Ansible runs **`files/configur
 
 ## Troubleshooting
 
+- **oauth2-proxy shows 500** on **`oauth2.apps…/oauth2/callback`** (logs: `email in id_token (...) isn't verified`): Authentik’s id_token often lacks **`email_verified: true`** for bootstrap users. **`clusters/noble/bootstrap/oauth2-proxy/values.yaml`** sets **`insecure-oidc-allow-unverified-email`** for the lab; otherwise verify the user’s email in Authentik, then **`helm upgrade oauth2-proxy`** (or **`--tags authentik`**).
 - Re-run **`configure_authentik.py`** only by executing **`noble.yml`** with **`--tags authentik`** after fixing `.env`.
 - If Authentik API calls fail, check flows exist (slug **`default-provider-authorization-implicit-consent`**) and TLS reaches **`AUTHENTIK_API_BASE`**.
 - **`GET …/flows/instances/…` → HTTP 403** with **`Token invalid/expired`**: the bootstrap API token is not accepted yet (common right after install: worker still creating it) or **`NOBLE_AUTHENTIK_BOOTSTRAP_TOKEN`** in `.env` does not match the value Helm applied. Re-run **`--tags authentik`** (the role waits for **`GET …/core/applications/`** to return **200** with your token). If you rotated the token in `.env` only, run the play again so Helm picks up the new value, or mint a new API token for **`akadmin`** in the admin UI.
-- **`GET …/flows/instances/…` → HTTP 403** with **permission** errors (Authentik **2026+** RBAC): the bearer token’s user must be able to **view flows**. The Helm bootstrap token belongs to **`akadmin`**, which must be in the **`authentik Admins`** group. Add **`akadmin`** to **Directory → Groups → authentik Admins**, or create a new **API token** for `akadmin` after fixing groups, and put that token in **`NOBLE_AUTHENTIK_BOOTSTRAP_TOKEN`**. As a workaround, set **`noble_authentik_oauth_authorization_flow_pk`** and **`noble_authentik_oauth_invalidation_flow_pk`** (both required) to the flows’ **UUID** primary keys from **Admin → Flows** (or `-e` / `group_vars`); the configure script then skips flow list API calls.
-- **`/if/admin/` redirects to `/if/user/`** (even as **`akadmin`**): the admin UI only loads when **`canAccessAdmin`** is true. That comes from **`user.isSuperuser`** on **`GET /api/v3/core/users/me/`**, which is **not** the Django username — in Authentik **2026.x** it is derived from **membership in a group with the superuser flag** (bootstrap blueprint: **`authentik Admins`**). If **`isSuperuser`** is false in **`/me`**, `akadmin` is missing that membership or the group’s flag is off. Fix in **Directory → Groups** when you can, or run the worker shell below, then **log out** and sign in again.
+- **`GET …/flows/instances/…` → HTTP 403** with **permission** errors (Authentik **2026+** RBAC): the bootstrap API token often cannot **view flows**. The role reads flow UUIDs from the **worker** database (`kubectl exec` + **`ak shell`**) when **`noble_authentik_oauth_authorization_flow_pk`** / **`noble_authentik_oauth_invalidation_flow_pk`** are unset. The same pattern applies to **`/crypto/certificatekeypairs/`**, **`/propertymappings/…`**, **`/core/groups/`**, and the matching **`noble_authentik_*`** inventory variables. If a lookup fails, fix **`akadmin`** / **authentik Admins** / token, or set the UUID variables manually (see below).
+- **`GET …/crypto/certificatekeypairs/…` → HTTP 403** (permission): same RBAC issue as flows. When **`noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_pk`** is unset, the role resolves the first **CertificateKeyPair** UUID from the **worker** DB. You can also set **`noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_pk`** manually (Admin → **System** → **Certificates**).
+- **`GET …/propertymappings/…` → HTTP 403** (permission): when **`noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_pks`** is unset, the role resolves **ScopeMapping** UUIDs from the **worker** DB: **openid**, **email**, **profile**, **offline_access**, and **groups** only if a separate **`groups`** mapping exists (Authentik **2026.x** defaults put **groups** inside **profile** only).
+- **`GET …/core/groups/…` → HTTP 403** (permission): when **`noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_admins`** and **`noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_editors`** are unset, the role runs **`resolve_noble_group_pks.py`** in the worker (**`get_or_create`** for **noble-admins** / **noble-editors**), then passes **`AUTHENTIK_NOBLE_*_GROUP_PK`** into **`configure_authentik.py`** so it skips group list/create via REST.
+- **`GET …/providers/oauth2/…` → HTTP 403** (permission): bootstrap tokens often cannot list OAuth2 providers. With the default **`noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via: worker`**, the role upserts providers and applications in **`authentik-worker`** via Django ORM (**`worker_upsert_oauth_oidc.py`**) instead of **`configure_authentik.py`** REST. Set **`noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via: rest`** only if your API token has **view_oauth2provider** / provider edit permissions (e.g. a full **akadmin** token from the UI).
+- **`GET …/core/users/…` → HTTP 403** when adding the bootstrap user to **noble-admins** / **noble-editors**: with **`noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via: worker`** and a non-empty bootstrap email, the role runs **`worker_add_bootstrap_user_groups.py`** in the worker (ORM **`User.groups.add`**) and sets **`AUTHENTIK_SKIP_USER_GROUP_REST`** so **`configure_authentik.py`** does not call the users API for membership.
+- **Manual flow / signing / scope / group UUIDs (optional):** set **`noble_authentik_oauth_authorization_flow_pk`** and **`noble_authentik_oauth_invalidation_flow_pk`** (both together), optionally **`noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_pk`**, **`noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_pks`**, **`noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_admins`**, and **`noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_editors`**, from the admin UI or `-e` / `group_vars`; **`configure_authentik.py`** then skips the matching REST discovery calls.
+- **`/if/admin/` redirects to `/if/user/`** (lost admin panel): in **2026.x**, **`canAccessAdmin`** follows **`isSuperuser`**, which is true only when the user belongs to a group with the **superuser** flag (**`authentik Admins`** by default). **`noble_authentik_ensure_admin_ui_access`** (default **true**) makes **`--tags authentik`** run **`files/worker_ensure_authentik_admin_access.py`** in **authentik-worker** (adds **akadmin** or the **bootstrap email** user to **authentik Admins** and forces **`is_superuser`** on that group). **Log out** of Authentik (private window is fine) and sign in again. Set **`noble_authentik_ensure_admin_ui_access: false`** to skip. Without Ansible, you can fix it in **Directory → Groups → authentik Admins** (superuser flag + membership) or run **`ak shell`** with the same logic as that script.
 
-### Fix `akadmin` superuser / admin redirect (worker shell)
+### Fix admin access manually (worker shell, no Ansible)
 
 ```bash
-kubectl exec -it deploy/authentik-worker -n authentik -- ak shell -c "from authentik.core.models import User, Group; u=User.objects.get(username='akadmin'); adm,_=Group.objects.get_or_create(name='authentik Admins', defaults={'is_superuser': True}); adm.is_superuser=True; adm.save(update_fields=['is_superuser']); adm.users.add(u); u=User.objects.get(pk=u.pk); print('all_groups', list(u.all_groups().values_list('name', flat=True))); print('is_superuser', u.is_superuser)"
+kubectl exec -it deploy/authentik-worker -n authentik -- ak shell -c "from authentik.core.models import User, Group; u=User.objects.get(username='akadmin'); adm,_=Group.objects.get_or_create(name='authentik Admins', defaults={'is_superuser': True}); adm.is_superuser=True; adm.save(update_fields=['is_superuser']); u.groups.add(adm); u=User.objects.get(pk=u.pk); print('is_superuser', u.is_superuser)"
 ```
 
-Then **log out** of Authentik (or use a private window) and sign in again as **`akadmin`**.
+Then **log out** of Authentik and sign in again.
 - **Grafana / Headlamp / ForwardAuth “Unauthorized” or Authentik “Not found”** (Authentik **2026.x**): OAuth endpoints are no longer under **`/application/o/<app>/oauth2/...`**. Use **issuer discovery** (Grafana **`server_url`** at **`…/application/o/<slug>/`**; oauth2-proxy **`oidc-issuer-url`**; Headlamp **`-oidc-idp-issuer-url`**). Re-apply **Traefik** (**`allowCrossNamespace`** so Ingresses can use Middleware in **`oauth2-proxy`**), **kube-prometheus-stack**, and **Headlamp** after updating values (e.g. **`ansible-playbook playbooks/noble.yml --tags authentik`**).
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/defaults/main.yml b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/defaults/main.yml
index 08ee577..35b040a 100644
--- a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/defaults/main.yml
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/defaults/main.yml
@@ -3,8 +3,16 @@
 noble_authentik_install: false
 # When true, run **configure_authentik.py** against the Authentik API (requires bootstrap token + client secrets).
 noble_authentik_configure_idp: true
+# **worker** — upsert OAuth2 providers + applications via **ak shell** + Django ORM (avoids **GET …/providers/oauth2/** 403
+# for bootstrap tokens). **rest** — use the Authentik API only (needs a token that can list/patch OAuth2 providers).
+# When true (default), run **worker_ensure_authentik_admin_access.py** so **akadmin** / bootstrap email is in
+# **authentik Admins** with **is_superuser** on the group (fixes **/if/admin/** redirecting to user UI in 2026+).
+noble_authentik_ensure_admin_ui_access: true
 
 noble_authentik_chart_version: "2026.2.3"
+noble_authentik_namespace: authentik
+# Helm release name (deployments: **{release}-server**, **{release}-worker**).
+noble_authentik_release_name: authentik
 noble_authentik_oauth2_proxy_chart_version: "10.4.3"
 
 noble_authentik_host: auth.apps.noble.lab.pcenicni.dev
@@ -33,9 +41,21 @@ noble_authentik_client_secret_oauth2_proxy: ""
 noble_authentik_oauth2_proxy_cookie_secret: ""
 
 # Optional: OAuth2 provider flow PKs (UUID strings). When **both** are set, **configure_authentik.py**
-# skips **GET /flows/instances/** (avoids 403 if the API token user is not a superuser). See role README.
+# skips **GET /flows/instances/** (avoids 403 if the API token cannot view flows). If unset, the role
+# tries **kubectl exec** into **authentik-worker** + **ak shell** to read the same slugs from the DB.
 noble_authentik_oauth_authorization_flow_pk: ""
 noble_authentik_oauth_invalidation_flow_pk: ""
+# Optional: OAuth2 signing key (**CertificateKeyPair** UUID). When set, **configure_authentik.py** skips
+# **GET /crypto/certificatekeypairs/** (often 403 for bootstrap tokens). If unset, the role resolves it
+# from the worker DB when possible (see **resolve_oauth_signing_key_pk.py**).
+noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_pk: ""
+# Optional: comma-separated **ScopeMapping** UUIDs (openid, email, profile, offline_access; optional **groups**
+# if you created a separate mapping — 2026.x defaults embed groups in **profile** only).
+# When set, **configure_authentik.py** skips **GET /propertymappings/...** (often 403 for bootstrap tokens).
+noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_pks: ""
+# Optional: **Group** UUIDs for **noble-admins** / **noble-editors** (skip **GET /core/groups/** when set).
+noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_admins: ""
+noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_editors: ""
 
 noble_authentik_helm_wait_timeout: 25m
 
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/__pycache__/configure_authentik.cpython-314.pyc b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/__pycache__/configure_authentik.cpython-314.pyc
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diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/__pycache__/resolve_noble_group_pks.cpython-314.pyc b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/__pycache__/resolve_noble_group_pks.cpython-314.pyc
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diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/__pycache__/worker_upsert_oauth_oidc.cpython-314.pyc b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/__pycache__/worker_upsert_oauth_oidc.cpython-314.pyc
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diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/configure_authentik.py b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/configure_authentik.py
index 10db75a..f3ec571 100644
--- a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/configure_authentik.py
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/configure_authentik.py
@@ -6,9 +6,17 @@ Environment:
   AUTHENTIK_TOKEN      bootstrap API token (Bearer) for user **akadmin** (see README if flows return 403)
   BOOTSTRAP_EMAIL      initial admin email (added to noble-admins)
   CLIENT_JSON          path to JSON file: { "argocd": {"client_id","client_secret","redirect_uri"}, ... }
-Optional (skip flow API discovery; Authentik 2026+ flow **pk** UUID strings):
+Optional (skip API discovery; Authentik 2026+ RBAC — use UUID strings from worker shell or Admin UI):
   AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_AUTHORIZATION_FLOW_PK
   AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_INVALIDATION_FLOW_PK
+  AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_SIGNING_KEY_PK
+  AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_SCOPE_MAPPING_PKS   comma-separated ScopeMapping UUIDs (openid,email,profile,offline_access[,groups])
+  AUTHENTIK_NOBLE_ADMINS_GROUP_PK     noble-admins Group UUID (skip GET /core/groups/)
+  AUTHENTIK_NOBLE_EDITORS_GROUP_PK    noble-editors Group UUID
+  AUTHENTIK_SKIP_OIDC_REST            if 1/true/yes, skip OAuth2 provider + application REST calls (Ansible
+                                      uses **worker_upsert_oauth_oidc.py** when bootstrap tokens cannot **GET …/providers/oauth2/**)
+  AUTHENTIK_SKIP_USER_GROUP_REST      if 1/true/yes, skip **GET/PATCH …/core/users/** for bootstrap group membership (Ansible uses
+                                      **worker_add_bootstrap_user_groups.py** when the token cannot **view_user**)
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
@@ -173,10 +181,19 @@ def find_flow_pk_first(base: str, slugs: list[str]) -> str:
 
 
 def signing_key_pk(base: str):
-    code, payload = req("GET", f"{base}/crypto/certificatekeypairs/?ordering=pk&page_size=1")
-    if code != 200 or not isinstance(payload, dict) or not payload.get("results"):
+    raw = (os.environ.get("AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_SIGNING_KEY_PK") or "").strip()
+    if raw:
+        return primary_key(raw)
+    code, payload = req_any("GET", f"{base}/crypto/certificatekeypairs/?ordering=pk&page_size=1")
+    if code != 200:
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"GET certificatekeypairs -> HTTP {code}: {payload!r}. "
+            "Authentik 2026+ RBAC: set AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_SIGNING_KEY_PK (CertificateKeyPair UUID) or let "
+            "Ansible resolve it from the worker DB (noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_pk)."
+        )
+    if not isinstance(payload, dict) or not payload.get("results"):
         raise RuntimeError("no signing certificate keypairs returned")
-    return payload["results"][0]["pk"]
+    return primary_key(payload["results"][0]["pk"])
 
 
 def _collect_scope_mappings(base: str) -> list:
@@ -187,7 +204,7 @@ def _collect_scope_mappings(base: str) -> list:
             return collect(base, path)
         except RuntimeError as exc:
             err = str(exc)
-            if " 404" in err or "404:" in err:
+            if " 404" in err or "404:" in err or " 403" in err or "403:" in err:
                 last_err = exc
                 continue
             raise
@@ -195,6 +212,17 @@ def _collect_scope_mappings(base: str) -> list:
 
 
 def scope_mapping_pks(base: str) -> list[int | str]:
+    raw = (os.environ.get("AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_SCOPE_MAPPING_PKS") or "").strip()
+    if raw:
+        parts = [p.strip() for p in raw.split(",") if p.strip()]
+        uniq = dedupe_pks_preserve_order([primary_key(p) for p in parts])
+        if len(uniq) < 3:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                f"AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_SCOPE_MAPPING_PKS must list at least 3 UUIDs (got {len(uniq)}); "
+                "use comma-separated ScopeMapping primary keys in order "
+                "openid,email,profile,offline_access,groups from the worker helper or Admin UI."
+            )
+        return uniq
     mappings = _collect_scope_mappings(base)
     want_scopes = {"openid", "email", "profile", "offline_access", "groups"}
     pks: list[int | str] = []
@@ -225,7 +253,11 @@ def scope_mapping_pks(base: str) -> list[int | str]:
         hints = ", ".join(
             f"GET {base}{p.split('?', 1)[0]}/" for p in _OAUTH_SCOPE_MAPPING_LIST_PATHS
         )
-        raise RuntimeError(f"too few oauth scope mappings resolved ({uniq}); inspect one of: {hints}")
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"too few oauth scope mappings resolved ({uniq}); inspect one of: {hints}. "
+            "Authentik 2026+ RBAC: set AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_SCOPE_MAPPING_PKS (comma-separated UUIDs) or "
+            "let Ansible resolve them from the worker DB."
+        )
     return uniq
 
 
@@ -234,9 +266,13 @@ def find_oauth2_provider_by_client_id(base: str, client_id: str) -> dict | None:
     url = f"{base}/providers/oauth2/?page_size=100"
     origin = base.split("/api/v3", 1)[0] if "/api/v3" in base else base
     while url:
-        code, payload = req("GET", url)
+        code, payload = req_any("GET", url)
         if code != 200 or not isinstance(payload, dict):
-            raise RuntimeError(f"provider list failed: GET {url} -> {code}")
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                f"provider list failed: GET {url} -> {code}: {payload!r}. "
+                "Authentik 2026+ RBAC: the token may not list OAuth2 providers; use an **akadmin** API token "
+                "with provider permissions, or grant **view_oauth2provider** (see Admin → Roles)."
+            )
         for row in payload.get("results") or []:
             if row.get("client_id") == client_id:
                 return row
@@ -319,22 +355,52 @@ def upsert_application(base: str, slug: str, name: str, provider_pk: int | str)
     raise RuntimeError(f"GET application {slug} -> {code}: {payload!r}")
 
 
+def _group_pk_from_env(name: str) -> str | None:
+    env_keys = {
+        "noble-admins": "AUTHENTIK_NOBLE_ADMINS_GROUP_PK",
+        "noble-editors": "AUTHENTIK_NOBLE_EDITORS_GROUP_PK",
+    }
+    key = env_keys.get(name)
+    if not key:
+        return None
+    raw = (os.environ.get(key) or "").strip()
+    return raw or None
+
+
 def ensure_group(base: str, name: str) -> int | str:
-    code, payload = req("GET", f"{base}/core/groups/?name={urllib.parse.quote(name)}")
-    if code != 200 or not isinstance(payload, dict):
+    env_pk = _group_pk_from_env(name)
+    if env_pk:
+        return primary_key(env_pk)
+    code, payload = req_any("GET", f"{base}/core/groups/?name={urllib.parse.quote(name)}")
+    if code != 200:
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"GET groups name={name!r} -> HTTP {code}: {payload!r}. "
+            "Authentik 2026+ RBAC: set AUTHENTIK_NOBLE_ADMINS_GROUP_PK and "
+            "AUTHENTIK_NOBLE_EDITORS_GROUP_PK (Group UUIDs), or let Ansible resolve/create them via the worker DB."
+        )
+    if not isinstance(payload, dict):
         raise RuntimeError("group list failed")
     results = payload.get("results") or []
     if results:
         return primary_key(results[0]["pk"])
-    code2, created = req("POST", f"{base}/core/groups/", {"name": name})
+    code2, created = req_any("POST", f"{base}/core/groups/", {"name": name})
     if code2 not in (200, 201) or not isinstance(created, dict):
-        raise RuntimeError(f"POST group {name} -> {code2}")
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"POST group {name} -> {code2}: {created!r}. "
+            "If the API user cannot create groups, run the noble_authentik worker helper or create the group in Admin."
+        )
     return primary_key(created["pk"])
 
 
 def add_user_to_groups(base: str, email: str, group_pks: list[int | str]) -> None:
-    code, payload = req("GET", f"{base}/core/users/?email={urllib.parse.quote(email)}")
-    if code != 200 or not isinstance(payload, dict):
+    code, payload = req_any("GET", f"{base}/core/users/?email={urllib.parse.quote(email)}")
+    if code != 200:
+        raise RuntimeError(
+            f"GET users email={email!r} -> HTTP {code}: {payload!r}. "
+            "Authentik 2026+ RBAC: the token may not list users; add the bootstrap user to **noble-admins** / "
+            "**noble-editors** in Admin, or use a token with **view_user** permission."
+        )
+    if not isinstance(payload, dict):
         raise RuntimeError("user list failed")
     results = payload.get("results") or []
     if not results:
@@ -350,9 +416,13 @@ def add_user_to_groups(base: str, email: str, group_pks: list[int | str]) -> Non
     merged = dedupe_pks_preserve_order([*existing, *group_pks])
     if {str(x) for x in merged} == {str(x) for x in existing}:
         return
-    code2, _ = req("PATCH", f"{base}/core/users/{upk}/", {"groups": merged})
+    code2, err = req_any("PATCH", f"{base}/core/users/{upk}/", {"groups": merged})
     if code2 not in (200, 204):
-        raise RuntimeError(f"PATCH user groups -> {code2}")
+        raise RuntimeError(f"PATCH user groups -> {code2}: {err!r}")
+
+
+def _truthy_env(name: str) -> bool:
+    return (os.environ.get(name) or "").strip().lower() in ("1", "true", "yes")
 
 
 def main() -> int:
@@ -360,62 +430,83 @@ def main() -> int:
     tok = os.environ.get("AUTHENTIK_TOKEN", "")
     cfg_path = os.environ.get("CLIENT_JSON", "")
     email = os.environ.get("BOOTSTRAP_EMAIL", "")
-    if not base or not tok or not cfg_path:
-        print("AUTHENTIK_API_BASE, AUTHENTIK_TOKEN, CLIENT_JSON required", file=sys.stderr)
+    skip_oidc_rest = _truthy_env("AUTHENTIK_SKIP_OIDC_REST")
+    skip_user_group_rest = _truthy_env("AUTHENTIK_SKIP_USER_GROUP_REST")
+    if not base or not tok:
+        print("AUTHENTIK_API_BASE and AUTHENTIK_TOKEN required", file=sys.stderr)
         return 2
-    with open(cfg_path, encoding="utf-8") as f:
-        clients = json.load(f)
-    if not isinstance(clients, dict):
-        print("CLIENT_JSON must be an object keyed by provider slug", file=sys.stderr)
+    if not skip_oidc_rest and not cfg_path:
+        print("CLIENT_JSON required unless AUTHENTIK_SKIP_OIDC_REST is set", file=sys.stderr)
         return 2
 
-    auth_pk = (os.environ.get("AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_AUTHORIZATION_FLOW_PK") or "").strip()
-    inv_pk = (os.environ.get("AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_INVALIDATION_FLOW_PK") or "").strip()
-    if auth_pk and inv_pk:
-        auth_flow, invalidation_flow = auth_pk, inv_pk
-    elif auth_pk or inv_pk:
-        print(
-            "Set both AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_AUTHORIZATION_FLOW_PK and AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_INVALIDATION_FLOW_PK "
-            "or neither",
-            file=sys.stderr,
-        )
-        return 2
-    else:
-        auth_flow = find_flow_pk(base, "default-provider-authorization-implicit-consent")
-        invalidation_flow = find_flow_pk_first(
-            base,
-            ["default-invalidation-flow", "default-provider-invalidation-flow"],
-        )
+    clients: dict = {}
+    if not skip_oidc_rest:
+        with open(cfg_path, encoding="utf-8") as f:
+            clients = json.load(f)
+        if not isinstance(clients, dict):
+            print("CLIENT_JSON must be an object keyed by provider slug", file=sys.stderr)
+            return 2
 
-    signing_key = signing_key_pk(base)
-    pmap = scope_mapping_pks(base)
+    auth_flow: str | None = None
+    invalidation_flow: str | None = None
+    signing_key = None
+    pmap: list[int | str] = []
+
+    if not skip_oidc_rest:
+        auth_pk = (os.environ.get("AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_AUTHORIZATION_FLOW_PK") or "").strip()
+        inv_pk = (os.environ.get("AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_INVALIDATION_FLOW_PK") or "").strip()
+        if auth_pk and inv_pk:
+            auth_flow, invalidation_flow = auth_pk, inv_pk
+        elif auth_pk or inv_pk:
+            print(
+                "Set both AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_AUTHORIZATION_FLOW_PK and AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_INVALIDATION_FLOW_PK "
+                "or neither",
+                file=sys.stderr,
+            )
+            return 2
+        else:
+            auth_flow = find_flow_pk(base, "default-provider-authorization-implicit-consent")
+            invalidation_flow = find_flow_pk_first(
+                base,
+                ["default-invalidation-flow", "default-provider-invalidation-flow"],
+            )
+
+        signing_key = signing_key_pk(base)
+        pmap = scope_mapping_pks(base)
 
     admins_pk = ensure_group(base, "noble-admins")
     editors_pk = ensure_group(base, "noble-editors")
 
     try:
-        for slug, meta in clients.items():
-            name = meta.get("name") or slug
-            cid = meta["client_id"]
-            csec = meta["client_secret"]
-            redir = meta["redirect_uri"]
-            ppk = upsert_oauth_provider(
-                base,
-                slug,
-                name,
-                cid,
-                csec,
-                redir,
-                auth_flow,
-                invalidation_flow,
-                signing_key,
-                pmap,
-            )
-            upsert_application(base, slug, name, ppk)
+        if not skip_oidc_rest:
+            assert auth_flow is not None and invalidation_flow is not None
+            for slug, meta in clients.items():
+                name = meta.get("name") or slug
+                cid = meta["client_id"]
+                csec = meta["client_secret"]
+                redir = meta["redirect_uri"]
+                ppk = upsert_oauth_provider(
+                    base,
+                    slug,
+                    name,
+                    cid,
+                    csec,
+                    redir,
+                    auth_flow,
+                    invalidation_flow,
+                    signing_key,
+                    pmap,
+                )
+                upsert_application(base, slug, name, ppk)
 
-        if email:
+        if email and not skip_user_group_rest:
             add_user_to_groups(base, email, [admins_pk, editors_pk])
-        print("authentik: providers + applications configured", flush=True)
+        if skip_oidc_rest and skip_user_group_rest:
+            print("authentik: noble groups verified; OAuth2 apps + bootstrap group membership via worker", flush=True)
+        elif skip_oidc_rest:
+            print("authentik: groups verified; OAuth2 apps via worker (user membership via API)", flush=True)
+        else:
+            print("authentik: providers + applications configured", flush=True)
         return 0
     except RuntimeError as exc:
         print(str(exc), file=sys.stderr)
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/resolve_noble_group_pks.py b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/resolve_noble_group_pks.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1d87878
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/resolve_noble_group_pks.py
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# Run inside the Authentik worker image (see noble_authentik Ansible role).
+# Ensures **noble-admins** and **noble-editors** exist, then prints their UUIDs (one per line).
+# Order: noble-admins, noble-editors — matches **configure_authentik.py** usage.
+from authentik.core.models import Group
+
+_NAMES = ("noble-admins", "noble-editors")
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    for name in _NAMES:
+        g, _ = Group.objects.get_or_create(name=name, defaults={"is_superuser": False})
+        print(str(g.pk))
+
+
+main()
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/resolve_oauth_flow_pks.py b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/resolve_oauth_flow_pks.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..2eef434
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/resolve_oauth_flow_pks.py
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+# Run inside the Authentik worker image: `ak shell -c "exec(open('/tmp/...').read())"`.
+# Prints two lines: authorization flow UUID, invalidation flow UUID (for configure_authentik.py).
+from authentik.flows.models import Flow
+
+
+def _pk(slug: str) -> str:
+    return str(Flow.objects.get(slug=slug).pk)
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    auth = _pk("default-provider-authorization-implicit-consent")
+    inv_slug = None
+    for candidate in ("default-invalidation-flow", "default-provider-invalidation-flow"):
+        if Flow.objects.filter(slug=candidate).exists():
+            inv_slug = candidate
+            break
+    if not inv_slug:
+        raise SystemExit("no default invalidation flow (expected one of: default-invalidation-flow, default-provider-invalidation-flow)")
+    print(auth)
+    print(_pk(inv_slug))
+
+
+main()
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/resolve_oauth_scope_mapping_pks.py b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/resolve_oauth_scope_mapping_pks.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..edf0b53
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/resolve_oauth_scope_mapping_pks.py
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+# Run inside the Authentik worker image (see noble_authentik Ansible role).
+# Prints one UUID per line for **ScopeMapping** rows used by configure_authentik.py.
+#
+# Authentik 2026.x default blueprint puts **groups** inside the **profile** mapping expression;
+# there is often no separate scope_name **groups** — so **groups** is optional here.
+from authentik.providers.oauth2.models import ScopeMapping
+
+_REQUIRED = ("openid", "email", "profile", "offline_access")
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    for scope in _REQUIRED:
+        m = ScopeMapping.objects.filter(scope_name=scope).order_by("name").first()
+        if not m:
+            raise SystemExit(f"no ScopeMapping for scope_name={scope!r}")
+        print(str(m.pk))
+    groups = ScopeMapping.objects.filter(scope_name="groups").order_by("name").first()
+    if groups:
+        print(str(groups.pk))
+
+
+main()
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/resolve_oauth_signing_key_pk.py b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/resolve_oauth_signing_key_pk.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9fd5d5e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/resolve_oauth_signing_key_pk.py
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+# Run inside the Authentik worker image (see noble_authentik Ansible role).
+# Prints one line: default **CertificateKeyPair** UUID (same ordering as REST: by pk).
+from authentik.crypto.models import CertificateKeyPair
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    ckp = CertificateKeyPair.objects.order_by("kp_uuid").first()
+    if not ckp:
+        raise SystemExit("no CertificateKeyPair in database")
+    print(str(ckp.pk))
+
+
+main()
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/worker_add_bootstrap_user_groups.py b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/worker_add_bootstrap_user_groups.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab40040
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/worker_add_bootstrap_user_groups.py
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+# Run inside the Authentik worker image (**ak shell**; see noble_authentik Ansible role).
+# Adds the bootstrap user to the given **Group** rows by primary key (ORM; bypasses **GET /core/users/** RBAC).
+#
+# Env:
+#   AUTHENTIK_WORKER_USER_GROUPS_SPEC  absolute path inside the container to JSON:
+#     {"email": "<bootstrap email>", "group_pks": ["<uuid>", ...]}
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import os
+import sys
+from typing import Any
+
+from django.db import transaction
+
+from authentik.core.models import Group, User
+
+
+def _load_spec() -> dict[str, Any]:
+    path = (os.environ.get("AUTHENTIK_WORKER_USER_GROUPS_SPEC") or "").strip()
+    if not path:
+        print("AUTHENTIK_WORKER_USER_GROUPS_SPEC must point to the JSON spec file", file=sys.stderr)
+        raise SystemExit(2)
+    with open(path, encoding="utf-8") as f:
+        spec = json.load(f)
+    if not isinstance(spec, dict):
+        raise SystemExit("spec root must be an object")
+    return spec
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    spec = _load_spec()
+    email = (spec.get("email") or "").strip()
+    pks = spec.get("group_pks")
+    if not email:
+        print("spec.email is required", file=sys.stderr)
+        raise SystemExit(2)
+    if not isinstance(pks, list) or not pks:
+        print("spec.group_pks must be a non-empty list of UUIDs", file=sys.stderr)
+        raise SystemExit(2)
+
+    user = User.objects.filter(email__iexact=email).first()
+    if user is None:
+        print(f"WARN: no user with email {email!r}; skip group membership (ORM)", file=sys.stderr)
+        return
+
+    groups = [Group.objects.get(pk=pk) for pk in pks]
+    with transaction.atomic():
+        user.groups.add(*groups)
+
+    print("worker: bootstrap user group membership updated", flush=True)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/worker_ensure_authentik_admin_access.py b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/worker_ensure_authentik_admin_access.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4c6b229
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/worker_ensure_authentik_admin_access.py
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
+# Run inside the Authentik worker image (**ak shell**; see noble_authentik Ansible role).
+# Restores **Admin interface** access for the bootstrap account: ensures the **authentik Admins** group
+# exists with **is_superuser** set and adds **akadmin** (or the bootstrap user by email) to that group.
+# Authentik 2026+ derives **canAccessAdmin** from **User.is_superuser**, which requires membership in a
+# group with **is_superuser=True** (see role README).
+#
+# Env:
+#   AUTHENTIK_WORKER_ADMIN_ACCESS_SPEC  path inside the container to JSON: {"bootstrap_email": "..."}
+#   (email may be empty — then only **username=akadmin** is considered)
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import os
+import sys
+from typing import Any
+
+from django.db import transaction
+
+from authentik.core.models import Group, User
+
+_ADMINS = "authentik Admins"
+
+
+def _load_spec() -> dict[str, Any]:
+    path = (os.environ.get("AUTHENTIK_WORKER_ADMIN_ACCESS_SPEC") or "").strip()
+    if not path:
+        print("AUTHENTIK_WORKER_ADMIN_ACCESS_SPEC must point to the JSON spec file", file=sys.stderr)
+        raise SystemExit(2)
+    with open(path, encoding="utf-8") as f:
+        spec = json.load(f)
+    if not isinstance(spec, dict):
+        raise SystemExit("spec root must be an object")
+    return spec
+
+
+def _resolve_user(spec: dict[str, Any]) -> User | None:
+    u = User.objects.filter(username="akadmin").first()
+    if u is not None:
+        return u
+    email = (spec.get("bootstrap_email") or "").strip()
+    if not email:
+        return None
+    return User.objects.filter(email__iexact=email).first()
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    spec = _load_spec()
+    user = _resolve_user(spec)
+    if user is None:
+        print(
+            "WARN: no user with username=akadmin and no bootstrap_email match; skip authentik Admins repair",
+            file=sys.stderr,
+        )
+        return
+
+    with transaction.atomic():
+        adm, _ = Group.objects.get_or_create(
+            name=_ADMINS,
+            defaults={"is_superuser": True},
+        )
+        if not adm.is_superuser:
+            adm.is_superuser = True
+            adm.save(update_fields=["is_superuser"])
+        user.groups.add(adm)
+
+    print(
+        f"worker: {user.username!r} is in {_ADMINS!r} (superuser group); log out of Authentik and sign in again",
+        flush=True,
+    )
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/worker_upsert_oauth_oidc.py b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/worker_upsert_oauth_oidc.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b0c0c8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/files/worker_upsert_oauth_oidc.py
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+# Run inside the Authentik worker image (**ak shell**; see noble_authentik Ansible role).
+# Upserts **OAuth2Provider** + **Application** from a JSON spec (Django ORM; bypasses OAuth2 provider REST RBAC).
+#
+# Env:
+#   AUTHENTIK_WORKER_OIDC_SPEC  absolute path inside the container to the JSON spec file
+#
+# Spec JSON:
+#   {
+#     "authorization_flow": "<uuid>",
+#     "invalidation_flow": "<uuid>",
+#     "signing_key": "<uuid>",
+#     "property_mappings": ["<uuid>", ...],
+#     "clients": { "<slug>": {"name","client_id","client_secret","redirect_uri"}, ... }
+#   }
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import json
+import os
+import sys
+from typing import Any
+
+from django.db import transaction
+
+from authentik.core.models import Application, PropertyMapping
+from authentik.flows.models import Flow
+from authentik.crypto.models import CertificateKeyPair
+from authentik.providers.oauth2.models import (
+    ClientTypes,
+    OAuth2Provider,
+    RedirectURI,
+    RedirectURIMatchingMode,
+)
+
+
+def _load_spec() -> dict[str, Any]:
+    path = (os.environ.get("AUTHENTIK_WORKER_OIDC_SPEC") or "").strip()
+    if not path:
+        print("AUTHENTIK_WORKER_OIDC_SPEC must point to the JSON spec file", file=sys.stderr)
+        raise SystemExit(2)
+    with open(path, encoding="utf-8") as f:
+        spec = json.load(f)
+    if not isinstance(spec, dict):
+        raise SystemExit("spec root must be an object")
+    return spec
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    spec = _load_spec()
+    auth_id = spec.get("authorization_flow")
+    inv_id = spec.get("invalidation_flow")
+    sk_id = spec.get("signing_key")
+    pmap_ids = spec.get("property_mappings")
+    clients = spec.get("clients")
+    if not auth_id or not inv_id or not sk_id:
+        print("spec requires authorization_flow, invalidation_flow, signing_key", file=sys.stderr)
+        raise SystemExit(2)
+    if not isinstance(pmap_ids, list) or len(pmap_ids) < 1:
+        print("spec.property_mappings must be a non-empty list of UUIDs", file=sys.stderr)
+        raise SystemExit(2)
+    if not isinstance(clients, dict) or not clients:
+        print("spec.clients must be a non-empty object", file=sys.stderr)
+        raise SystemExit(2)
+
+    auth_flow = Flow.objects.get(pk=auth_id)
+    inv_flow = Flow.objects.get(pk=inv_id)
+    signing_key = CertificateKeyPair.objects.get(pk=sk_id)
+    mappings = list(PropertyMapping.objects.filter(pk__in=pmap_ids))
+    if len(mappings) != len(pmap_ids):
+        found = {str(m.pk) for m in mappings}
+        missing = [p for p in pmap_ids if str(p) not in found]
+        print(f"property_mappings: unknown pk(s): {missing}", file=sys.stderr)
+        raise SystemExit(1)
+
+    with transaction.atomic():
+        for slug, meta in clients.items():
+            if not isinstance(meta, dict):
+                print(f"clients[{slug!r}] must be an object", file=sys.stderr)
+                raise SystemExit(2)
+            name = (meta.get("name") or slug).strip()
+            cid = meta["client_id"]
+            csec = meta["client_secret"]
+            redir = meta["redirect_uri"].strip()
+            redirect = [RedirectURI(matching_mode=RedirectURIMatchingMode.STRICT, url=redir)]
+
+            prov = OAuth2Provider.objects.filter(client_id=cid).first()
+            if prov is None:
+                prov = OAuth2Provider(client_id=cid)
+            prov.name = name
+            prov.client_secret = csec
+            prov.client_type = ClientTypes.CONFIDENTIAL
+            prov.authorization_flow = auth_flow
+            prov.invalidation_flow = inv_flow
+            prov.signing_key = signing_key
+            prov.redirect_uris = redirect
+            prov.save()
+            prov.property_mappings.set(mappings)
+
+            app = Application.objects.filter(slug=slug).first()
+            if app is None:
+                Application.objects.create(name=name, slug=slug, provider=prov)
+            else:
+                app.name = name
+                app.provider = prov
+                app.save()
+
+    print("worker: OAuth2 providers + applications upserted", flush=True)
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/tasks/main.yml b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/tasks/main.yml
index 13fb0e3..db98aef 100644
--- a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/tasks/main.yml
@@ -129,6 +129,249 @@
         mode: "0600"
       no_log: true
 
+    # Authentik 2026+ RBAC: bootstrap tokens often cannot **GET /flows/instances/** (403). Resolve UUIDs
+    # from the worker DB via **ak shell** when inventory PKs are unset (same slugs as configure_authentik.py).
+    - name: Resolve OAuth provider flow UUIDs from authentik-worker (DB; bypasses flows API RBAC)
+      ansible.builtin.shell: |
+        set -euo pipefail
+        NS="{{ noble_authentik_namespace }}"
+        POD="$(kubectl get pods -n "$NS" \
+          -l "app.kubernetes.io/name=authentik,app.kubernetes.io/component=worker" \
+          -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}')"
+        REM=/tmp/ansible_resolve_oauth_flow_pks.py
+        kubectl cp "{{ role_path }}/files/resolve_oauth_flow_pks.py" "${NS}/${POD}:${REM}"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- ak shell -c "exec(compile(open('${REM}').read(), 'ansible_resolve_oauth_flow_pks.py', 'exec'))"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- rm -f "$REM" || true
+      environment:
+        KUBECONFIG: "{{ noble_kubeconfig }}"
+      register: noble_authentik_oauth_flow_pk_resolve
+      changed_when: false
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
+        - (noble_authentik_oauth_authorization_flow_pk | default('') | trim | length) == 0
+        - (noble_authentik_oauth_invalidation_flow_pk | default('') | trim | length) == 0
+
+    - name: Apply OAuth flow PKs from worker resolution for configure_authentik.py
+      ansible.builtin.set_fact:
+        noble_authentik_oauth_authorization_flow_pk: "{{ (noble_authentik_oauth_flow_pk_resolve.stdout_lines | select('match', '^[0-9a-fA-F-]{36}$') | list)[0] }}"
+        noble_authentik_oauth_invalidation_flow_pk: "{{ (noble_authentik_oauth_flow_pk_resolve.stdout_lines | select('match', '^[0-9a-fA-F-]{36}$') | list)[1] }}"
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_oauth_flow_pk_resolve is defined
+        - not (noble_authentik_oauth_flow_pk_resolve.skipped | default(false))
+        - (noble_authentik_oauth_flow_pk_resolve.rc | default(-1)) == 0
+        - (noble_authentik_oauth_flow_pk_resolve.stdout_lines | default([]) | select('match', '^[0-9a-fA-F-]{36}$') | list | length) >= 2
+
+    # Bootstrap tokens often cannot list **/crypto/certificatekeypairs/** (403).
+    - name: Resolve OAuth signing key UUID from authentik-worker (DB; bypasses crypto API RBAC)
+      ansible.builtin.shell: |
+        set -euo pipefail
+        NS="{{ noble_authentik_namespace }}"
+        POD="$(kubectl get pods -n "$NS" \
+          -l "app.kubernetes.io/name=authentik,app.kubernetes.io/component=worker" \
+          -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}')"
+        REM=/tmp/ansible_resolve_oauth_signing_key_pk.py
+        kubectl cp "{{ role_path }}/files/resolve_oauth_signing_key_pk.py" "${NS}/${POD}:${REM}"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- ak shell -c "exec(compile(open('${REM}').read(), 'ansible_resolve_oauth_signing_key_pk.py', 'exec'))"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- rm -f "$REM" || true
+      environment:
+        KUBECONFIG: "{{ noble_kubeconfig }}"
+      register: noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_resolve
+      changed_when: false
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
+        - (noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_pk | default('') | trim | length) == 0
+
+    - name: Apply OAuth signing key PK from worker resolution for configure_authentik.py
+      ansible.builtin.set_fact:
+        noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_pk: "{{ (noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_resolve.stdout_lines | select('match', '^[0-9a-fA-F-]{36}$') | list)[0] }}"
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_resolve is defined
+        - not (noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_resolve.skipped | default(false))
+        - (noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_resolve.rc | default(-1)) == 0
+        - (noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_resolve.stdout_lines | default([]) | select('match', '^[0-9a-fA-F-]{36}$') | list | length) >= 1
+
+    # Bootstrap tokens often cannot list **/propertymappings/provider/scope/** (403).
+    - name: Resolve OAuth scope mapping UUIDs from authentik-worker (DB; bypasses propertymappings API RBAC)
+      ansible.builtin.shell: |
+        set -euo pipefail
+        NS="{{ noble_authentik_namespace }}"
+        POD="$(kubectl get pods -n "$NS" \
+          -l "app.kubernetes.io/name=authentik,app.kubernetes.io/component=worker" \
+          -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}')"
+        REM=/tmp/ansible_resolve_oauth_scope_mapping_pks.py
+        kubectl cp "{{ role_path }}/files/resolve_oauth_scope_mapping_pks.py" "${NS}/${POD}:${REM}"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- ak shell -c "exec(compile(open('${REM}').read(), 'ansible_resolve_oauth_scope_mapping_pks.py', 'exec'))"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- rm -f "$REM" || true
+      environment:
+        KUBECONFIG: "{{ noble_kubeconfig }}"
+      register: noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_resolve
+      changed_when: false
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
+        - (noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_pks | default('') | trim | length) == 0
+
+    - name: Apply OAuth scope mapping PKs from worker resolution for configure_authentik.py
+      ansible.builtin.set_fact:
+        noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_pks: "{{ (noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_resolve.stdout_lines | default([]) | select('match', '^[0-9a-fA-F-]{36}$') | list) | join(',') }}"
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_resolve is defined
+        - not (noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_resolve.skipped | default(false))
+        - (noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_resolve.rc | default(-1)) == 0
+        - (noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_resolve.stdout_lines | default([]) | select('match', '^[0-9a-fA-F-]{36}$') | list | length) >= 4
+
+    # Bootstrap tokens often cannot **GET /core/groups/** (403). Worker **get_or_create** ensures groups exist.
+    - name: Resolve noble-admins / noble-editors group UUIDs from authentik-worker (DB; bypasses groups API RBAC)
+      ansible.builtin.shell: |
+        set -euo pipefail
+        NS="{{ noble_authentik_namespace }}"
+        POD="$(kubectl get pods -n "$NS" \
+          -l "app.kubernetes.io/name=authentik,app.kubernetes.io/component=worker" \
+          -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}')"
+        REM=/tmp/ansible_resolve_noble_group_pks.py
+        kubectl cp "{{ role_path }}/files/resolve_noble_group_pks.py" "${NS}/${POD}:${REM}"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- ak shell -c "exec(compile(open('${REM}').read(), 'ansible_resolve_noble_group_pks.py', 'exec'))"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- rm -f "$REM" || true
+      environment:
+        KUBECONFIG: "{{ noble_kubeconfig }}"
+      register: noble_authentik_noble_group_resolve
+      changed_when: false
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
+        - (noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_admins | default('') | trim | length) == 0
+        - (noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_editors | default('') | trim | length) == 0
+
+    - name: Apply noble group PKs from worker resolution for configure_authentik.py
+      ansible.builtin.set_fact:
+        noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_admins: "{{ (noble_authentik_noble_group_resolve.stdout_lines | default([]) | select('match', '^[0-9a-fA-F-]{36}$') | list)[0] }}"
+        noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_editors: "{{ (noble_authentik_noble_group_resolve.stdout_lines | default([]) | select('match', '^[0-9a-fA-F-]{36}$') | list)[1] }}"
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_noble_group_resolve is defined
+        - not (noble_authentik_noble_group_resolve.skipped | default(false))
+        - (noble_authentik_noble_group_resolve.rc | default(-1)) == 0
+        - (noble_authentik_noble_group_resolve.stdout_lines | default([]) | select('match', '^[0-9a-fA-F-]{36}$') | list | length) >= 2
+
+    - name: Render Authentik worker admin-access spec (JSON for ak shell)
+      ansible.builtin.template:
+        src: authentik-worker-admin-access-spec.json.j2
+        dest: "{{ noble_repo_root }}/ansible/.ansible-tmp/authentik-worker-admin-access-spec.json"
+        mode: "0600"
+      no_log: true
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
+        - noble_authentik_ensure_admin_ui_access | default(true) | bool
+
+    - name: Ensure authentik Admins + superuser group flag (worker ORM; restores admin UI access)
+      ansible.builtin.shell: |
+        set -euo pipefail
+        NS="{{ noble_authentik_namespace }}"
+        POD="$(kubectl get pods -n "$NS" \
+          -l "app.kubernetes.io/name=authentik,app.kubernetes.io/component=worker" \
+          -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}')"
+        SPEC=/tmp/ansible_authentik_worker_admin_access_spec.json
+        REM=/tmp/ansible_worker_ensure_authentik_admin_access.py
+        kubectl cp "{{ noble_repo_root }}/ansible/.ansible-tmp/authentik-worker-admin-access-spec.json" "${NS}/${POD}:${SPEC}"
+        kubectl cp "{{ role_path }}/files/worker_ensure_authentik_admin_access.py" "${NS}/${POD}:${REM}"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- env AUTHENTIK_WORKER_ADMIN_ACCESS_SPEC="${SPEC}" ak shell -c "exec(compile(open('${REM}').read(), 'ansible_worker_ensure_authentik_admin_access.py', 'exec'))"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- rm -f "$SPEC" "$REM" || true
+      environment:
+        KUBECONFIG: "{{ noble_kubeconfig }}"
+      register: noble_authentik_worker_admin_access
+      changed_when: true
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
+        - noble_authentik_ensure_admin_ui_access | default(true) | bool
+
+    - name: Require OAuth PKs for worker OIDC upsert (ORM path)
+      ansible.builtin.assert:
+        that:
+          - (noble_authentik_oauth_authorization_flow_pk | default('') | trim | length) > 0
+          - (noble_authentik_oauth_invalidation_flow_pk | default('') | trim | length) > 0
+          - (noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_pk | default('') | trim | length) > 0
+          - (noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_pks | default('') | trim | length) > 0
+        fail_msg: >-
+          Worker OIDC provisioning needs flow UUIDs, signing key UUID, and comma-separated scope-mapping UUIDs.
+          Ensure worker resolution tasks ran, or set noble_authentik_oauth_* inventory vars (see role README).
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
+        - (noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via | default('worker') | lower) == 'worker'
+
+    - name: Render Authentik worker OIDC spec (JSON for ak shell upsert)
+      ansible.builtin.template:
+        src: authentik-worker-oidc-spec.json.j2
+        dest: "{{ noble_repo_root }}/ansible/.ansible-tmp/authentik-worker-oidc-spec.json"
+        mode: "0600"
+      no_log: true
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
+        - (noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via | default('worker') | lower) == 'worker'
+
+    - name: Upsert OAuth2 providers + applications in authentik-worker (ORM; bypasses provider REST RBAC)
+      ansible.builtin.shell: |
+        set -euo pipefail
+        NS="{{ noble_authentik_namespace }}"
+        POD="$(kubectl get pods -n "$NS" \
+          -l "app.kubernetes.io/name=authentik,app.kubernetes.io/component=worker" \
+          -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}')"
+        SPEC=/tmp/ansible_authentik_worker_oidc_spec.json
+        REM=/tmp/ansible_worker_upsert_oauth_oidc.py
+        kubectl cp "{{ noble_repo_root }}/ansible/.ansible-tmp/authentik-worker-oidc-spec.json" "${NS}/${POD}:${SPEC}"
+        kubectl cp "{{ role_path }}/files/worker_upsert_oauth_oidc.py" "${NS}/${POD}:${REM}"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- env AUTHENTIK_WORKER_OIDC_SPEC="${SPEC}" ak shell -c "exec(compile(open('${REM}').read(), 'ansible_worker_upsert_oauth_oidc.py', 'exec'))"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- rm -f "$SPEC" "$REM" || true
+      environment:
+        KUBECONFIG: "{{ noble_kubeconfig }}"
+      register: noble_authentik_worker_oidc_upsert
+      changed_when: true
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
+        - (noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via | default('worker') | lower) == 'worker'
+
+    - name: Require noble group PKs for worker bootstrap group membership
+      ansible.builtin.assert:
+        that:
+          - (noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_admins | default('') | trim | length) > 0
+          - (noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_editors | default('') | trim | length) > 0
+        fail_msg: >-
+          Worker bootstrap group membership needs noble-admins / noble-editors UUIDs (worker DB resolve or inventory).
+          See noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_* in defaults/README.
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
+        - (noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via | default('worker') | lower) == 'worker'
+        - (noble_authentik_bootstrap_email | default('') | trim | length) > 0
+
+    - name: Render Authentik worker user-groups spec (JSON for ak shell)
+      ansible.builtin.template:
+        src: authentik-worker-user-groups-spec.json.j2
+        dest: "{{ noble_repo_root }}/ansible/.ansible-tmp/authentik-worker-user-groups-spec.json"
+        mode: "0600"
+      no_log: true
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
+        - (noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via | default('worker') | lower) == 'worker'
+        - (noble_authentik_bootstrap_email | default('') | trim | length) > 0
+
+    - name: Add bootstrap user to noble groups in authentik-worker (ORM; bypasses users API RBAC)
+      ansible.builtin.shell: |
+        set -euo pipefail
+        NS="{{ noble_authentik_namespace }}"
+        POD="$(kubectl get pods -n "$NS" \
+          -l "app.kubernetes.io/name=authentik,app.kubernetes.io/component=worker" \
+          -o jsonpath='{.items[0].metadata.name}')"
+        SPEC=/tmp/ansible_authentik_worker_user_groups_spec.json
+        REM=/tmp/ansible_worker_add_bootstrap_user_groups.py
+        kubectl cp "{{ noble_repo_root }}/ansible/.ansible-tmp/authentik-worker-user-groups-spec.json" "${NS}/${POD}:${SPEC}"
+        kubectl cp "{{ role_path }}/files/worker_add_bootstrap_user_groups.py" "${NS}/${POD}:${REM}"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- env AUTHENTIK_WORKER_USER_GROUPS_SPEC="${SPEC}" ak shell -c "exec(compile(open('${REM}').read(), 'ansible_worker_add_bootstrap_user_groups.py', 'exec'))"
+        kubectl exec -n "$NS" "$POD" -- rm -f "$SPEC" "$REM" || true
+      environment:
+        KUBECONFIG: "{{ noble_kubeconfig }}"
+      register: noble_authentik_worker_user_groups
+      changed_when: true
+      when:
+        - noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
+        - (noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via | default('worker') | lower) == 'worker'
+        - (noble_authentik_bootstrap_email | default('') | trim | length) > 0
+
     - name: Configure Authentik OAuth2/OIDC providers (API)
       ansible.builtin.command:
         argv:
@@ -141,6 +384,12 @@
         CLIENT_JSON: "{{ noble_repo_root }}/ansible/.ansible-tmp/authentik-clients.json"
         AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_AUTHORIZATION_FLOW_PK: "{{ noble_authentik_oauth_authorization_flow_pk | default('') }}"
         AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_INVALIDATION_FLOW_PK: "{{ noble_authentik_oauth_invalidation_flow_pk | default('') }}"
+        AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_SIGNING_KEY_PK: "{{ noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_pk | default('') }}"
+        AUTHENTIK_OAUTH_SCOPE_MAPPING_PKS: "{{ noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_pks | default('') }}"
+        AUTHENTIK_NOBLE_ADMINS_GROUP_PK: "{{ noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_admins | default('') }}"
+        AUTHENTIK_NOBLE_EDITORS_GROUP_PK: "{{ noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_editors | default('') }}"
+        AUTHENTIK_SKIP_OIDC_REST: "{{ '1' if (noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via | default('worker') | lower) == 'worker' else '' }}"
+        AUTHENTIK_SKIP_USER_GROUP_REST: "{{ '1' if ((noble_authentik_oidc_provision_via | default('worker') | lower) == 'worker' and (noble_authentik_bootstrap_email | default('') | trim | length) > 0) else '' }}"
       when: noble_authentik_configure_idp | default(true) | bool
       changed_when: true
 
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/templates/authentik-worker-admin-access-spec.json.j2 b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/templates/authentik-worker-admin-access-spec.json.j2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..198b56c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/templates/authentik-worker-admin-access-spec.json.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+{
+  "bootstrap_email": {{ noble_authentik_bootstrap_email | default('') | trim | to_json }}
+}
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/templates/authentik-worker-oidc-spec.json.j2 b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/templates/authentik-worker-oidc-spec.json.j2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7f295b6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/templates/authentik-worker-oidc-spec.json.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+{
+  "authorization_flow": {{ noble_authentik_oauth_authorization_flow_pk | trim | to_json }},
+  "invalidation_flow": {{ noble_authentik_oauth_invalidation_flow_pk | trim | to_json }},
+  "signing_key": {{ noble_authentik_oauth_signing_key_pk | trim | to_json }},
+  "property_mappings": {{ (noble_authentik_oauth_scope_mapping_pks | default('')).split(',') | map('trim') | reject('equalto', '') | list | to_json }},
+  "clients": {
+    "argocd": {
+      "name": "Argo CD",
+      "client_id": {{ noble_authentik_client_id_argocd | to_json }},
+      "client_secret": {{ noble_authentik_client_secret_argocd | to_json }},
+      "redirect_uri": "https://argo.apps.noble.lab.pcenicni.dev/auth/callback"
+    },
+    "grafana": {
+      "name": "Grafana",
+      "client_id": {{ noble_authentik_client_id_grafana | to_json }},
+      "client_secret": {{ noble_authentik_client_secret_grafana | to_json }},
+      "redirect_uri": "https://grafana.apps.noble.lab.pcenicni.dev/login/generic_oauth"
+    },
+    "headlamp": {
+      "name": "Headlamp",
+      "client_id": {{ noble_authentik_client_id_headlamp | to_json }},
+      "client_secret": {{ noble_authentik_client_secret_headlamp | to_json }},
+      "redirect_uri": "https://headlamp.apps.noble.lab.pcenicni.dev/oidc-callback"
+    },
+    "oauth2-proxy": {
+      "name": "oauth2-proxy (ForwardAuth)",
+      "client_id": {{ noble_authentik_client_id_oauth2_proxy | to_json }},
+      "client_secret": {{ noble_authentik_client_secret_oauth2_proxy | to_json }},
+      "redirect_uri": "https://{{ noble_authentik_oauth2_proxy_host }}/oauth2/callback"
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/templates/authentik-worker-user-groups-spec.json.j2 b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/templates/authentik-worker-user-groups-spec.json.j2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..214d48c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ansible/roles/noble_authentik/templates/authentik-worker-user-groups-spec.json.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{
+  "email": {{ noble_authentik_bootstrap_email | trim | to_json }},
+  "group_pks": [
+    {{ noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_admins | trim | to_json }},
+    {{ noble_authentik_group_pk_noble_editors | trim | to_json }}
+  ]
+}
diff --git a/ansible/roles/talos_phase_a/tasks/apply_talos_node_config.yml b/ansible/roles/talos_phase_a/tasks/apply_talos_node_config.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..07dba46
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ansible/roles/talos_phase_a/tasks/apply_talos_node_config.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,69 @@
+---
+# Included once per **talos_node** (see **main.yml**). When the cluster probe used **joined** mode,
+# a straggler may still expose the maintenance API cert (**x509: certificate signed by unknown authority**);
+# we retry that node with **--insecure** so apply-config can complete.
+
+- name: Apply machine config (full cluster maintenance — insecure)
+  ansible.builtin.command:
+    argv:
+      - talosctl
+      - apply-config
+      - --insecure
+      - -n
+      - "{{ talos_node.ip }}"
+      - --file
+      - "{{ noble_talos_dir }}/out/{{ talos_node.machine }}"
+  when: noble_talos_apply_insecure | bool
+  changed_when: true
+
+- name: Apply machine config (joined cluster — TLS with per-node maintenance fallback)
+  when: not (noble_talos_apply_insecure | bool)
+  block:
+    - name: Reset CA mismatch flag for this node
+      ansible.builtin.set_fact:
+        noble_talos_apply_node_ca_mismatch: false
+
+    - name: Try TLS (TALOSCONFIG / cluster CA)
+      ansible.builtin.command:
+        argv:
+          - talosctl
+          - apply-config
+          - -n
+          - "{{ talos_node.ip }}"
+          - --file
+          - "{{ noble_talos_dir }}/out/{{ talos_node.machine }}"
+      environment:
+        TALOSCONFIG: "{{ noble_talos_dir }}/out/talosconfig"
+      changed_when: true
+
+  rescue:
+    - name: Detect Talos API still on maintenance / unknown CA (straggler vs first node)
+      ansible.builtin.set_fact:
+        noble_talos_apply_node_ca_mismatch: >-
+          {{
+            ('unknown authority' in (ansible_failed_result.stderr | default('')))
+            or ('certificate signed by unknown authority' in (ansible_failed_result.stderr | default('')))
+            or ('authentication handshake failed' in (ansible_failed_result.stderr | default('')))
+          }}
+
+    - name: Apply machine config with --insecure (node not yet trusting cluster CA)
+      ansible.builtin.command:
+        argv:
+          - talosctl
+          - apply-config
+          - --insecure
+          - -n
+          - "{{ talos_node.ip }}"
+          - --file
+          - "{{ noble_talos_dir }}/out/{{ talos_node.machine }}"
+      when: noble_talos_apply_node_ca_mismatch | bool
+      register: noble_talos_apply_node_insecure_cmd
+      changed_when: true
+      failed_when: noble_talos_apply_node_insecure_cmd.rc != 0
+
+    - name: Fail when apply-config failed for reasons other than unknown CA
+      ansible.builtin.fail:
+        msg: >-
+          talosctl apply-config failed on {{ talos_node.ip }} (TLS, no insecure fallback):
+          {{ ansible_failed_result.stderr | default('no stderr') }}
+      when: not (noble_talos_apply_node_ca_mismatch | bool)
diff --git a/ansible/roles/talos_phase_a/tasks/main.yml b/ansible/roles/talos_phase_a/tasks/main.yml
index d292ab6..c20bd3e 100644
--- a/ansible/roles/talos_phase_a/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/ansible/roles/talos_phase_a/tasks/main.yml
@@ -114,38 +114,12 @@
       apply-config: {{ 'maintenance (--insecure)' if noble_talos_apply_insecure | bool else 'joined (TALOSCONFIG)' }}
       (noble_talos_apply_mode={{ noble_talos_apply_mode | default('auto') }})
 
-- name: Apply machine config to each node (first install — insecure)
-  ansible.builtin.command:
-    argv:
-      - talosctl
-      - apply-config
-      - --insecure
-      - -n
-      - "{{ item.ip }}"
-      - --file
-      - "{{ noble_talos_dir }}/out/{{ item.machine }}"
+- name: Apply machine config to each Talos node (TLS or insecure; per-node CA fallback when joined)
+  ansible.builtin.include_tasks: apply_talos_node_config.yml
   loop: "{{ noble_talos_nodes }}"
   loop_control:
-    label: "{{ item.ip }}"
-  when: noble_talos_apply_insecure | bool
-  changed_when: true
-
-- name: Apply machine config to each node (cluster already has TLS — no insecure)
-  ansible.builtin.command:
-    argv:
-      - talosctl
-      - apply-config
-      - -n
-      - "{{ item.ip }}"
-      - --file
-      - "{{ noble_talos_dir }}/out/{{ item.machine }}"
-  environment:
-    TALOSCONFIG: "{{ noble_talos_dir }}/out/talosconfig"
-  loop: "{{ noble_talos_nodes }}"
-  loop_control:
-    label: "{{ item.ip }}"
-  when: not (noble_talos_apply_insecure | bool)
-  changed_when: true
+    label: "{{ talos_node.ip }}"
+    loop_var: talos_node
 
 # apply-config triggers reboots; apid on :50000 must accept connections before talosctl bootstrap / kubeconfig.
 - name: Wait for Talos machine API (apid) on bootstrap node
diff --git a/clusters/noble/bootstrap/oauth2-proxy/values.yaml b/clusters/noble/bootstrap/oauth2-proxy/values.yaml
index d5e3242..6d94361 100644
--- a/clusters/noble/bootstrap/oauth2-proxy/values.yaml
+++ b/clusters/noble/bootstrap/oauth2-proxy/values.yaml
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ ingress:
 extraArgs:
   provider: oidc
   skip-provider-button: "true"
+  # Authentik bootstrap / local users often omit **email_verified** in the id_token; without this,
+  # oauth2-proxy returns **500** on `/oauth2/callback` with: "email in id_token (...) isn't verified".
+  # Prefer marking the account verified in Authentik (Directory) in production.
+  insecure-oidc-allow-unverified-email: "true"
   oidc-issuer-url: "https://auth.apps.noble.lab.pcenicni.dev/application/o/oauth2-proxy/"
   redirect-url: "https://oauth2.apps.noble.lab.pcenicni.dev/oauth2/callback"
   scope: "openid profile email groups"
diff --git a/talos/README.md b/talos/README.md
index 89564a4..99ffa61 100644
--- a/talos/README.md
+++ b/talos/README.md
@@ -51,6 +51,8 @@ talosctl apply-config -n 192.168.50.20 --file out/noble-neon.yaml
 
 **Do not pass `--insecure` for (B).** With `--insecure`, `talosctl` does not use client certificates from `TALOSCONFIG`, so the node still responds with `tls: certificate required`. The flag means “maintenance API only,” not “skip server verification.”
 
+**Mixed state:** the first node may already present the **cluster CA** (TLS works with `TALOSCONFIG`) while another node is still on the **maintenance** cert (`x509: certificate signed by unknown authority`). **`ansible-playbook playbooks/deploy.yml`** (`talos_phase_a`) probes only the first node in **`noble_talos_nodes`**; for each remaining node it tries TLS first, then retries with **`--insecure`** when stderr indicates an unknown CA / handshake failure.
+
 **Wrong (what triggers the error):**
 
 ```bash