diff --git a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/deployment-installability.md b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/deployment-installability.md
index 15c753252..99362e15c 100644
--- a/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/deployment-installability.md
+++ b/docs/release-control/v6/internal/subsystems/deployment-installability.md
@@ -111,6 +111,11 @@ that promotion metadata. Human-visible workflow inputs, summaries, and error
 messages must describe the path as a prerelease or preview flow rather than
 implying a near-ready release candidate, while machine-owned identifiers such
 as `rc`, `rc-to-ga-*`, and `v6.0.0-rc.1` remain the canonical internal keys.
+That same prerelease framing requirement also applies to installer and update
+runtime copy: `install.sh`, `scripts/pulse-auto-update.sh`, and
+`internal/updates/manager.go` must present `rc`-tagged builds as prerelease or
+preview paths in menus, operator diagnostics, and runtime logs rather than as
+release-candidate promises.
 Those same workflows must also fetch and dispatch the governed release branch
 derived from release-control metadata instead of hardcoding `pulse/v6`,
 `pulse/v6-release`, or any later branch literal inline.
@@ -190,6 +195,10 @@ That same managed browser proof pack must also keep the desktop Recovery page
 layout guard on the canonical entrypoint, so `dev:verify` catches right-edge
 history-table overflow regressions introduced by more human-readable subject
 labels instead of leaving that check as a hidden one-off Playwright command.
+That same proof pack must also keep the Patrol blocked-runtime page contract on
+the canonical entrypoint, so `dev:verify` catches stale healthy-summary
+regressions where the real `/ai` route would otherwise look healthy even after
+the backend reports `runtime_state=blocked`.
 That same launcher boundary now also owns the one-command verification entry
 point for that proof. `./scripts/hot-dev-bg.sh verify` must prepare a coherent
 managed runtime, run the canonical browser recovery proof with the managed dev
@@ -257,9 +266,10 @@ and restart it when the owner process exits unexpectedly, so a killed or wedged
 foreground owner does not leave both `5173` and `7655` down until a human
 notices.
 That self-healing guarantee must be covered by the canonical managed browser
-proof pack as well: `dev:verify` must prove both backend-bounce recovery and
-owner-process-death recovery on the browser entrypoint, rather than leaving the
-supervision contract to shell-only smoke tests.
+proof pack as well: `dev:verify` must prove backend-bounce recovery,
+owner-process-death recovery, and the Patrol blocked-runtime page contract on
+the browser entrypoint, rather than leaving supervision and Patrol-shell drift
+to shell-only smoke tests.
 The same wrapper-first rule applies to launcher help text: `hot-dev-bg` usage
 output must present the repo-root npm entrypoints first and reserve raw
 subcommands as secondary script-local controls for direct troubleshooting.
diff --git a/install.sh b/install.sh
index fc31e06d0..ef8d2e9e0 100755
--- a/install.sh
+++ b/install.sh
@@ -2133,13 +2133,13 @@ download_pulse() {
                 CONFIGURED_CHANNEL=$(cat "$CONFIG_DIR/system.json" 2>/dev/null | grep -o '"updateChannel"[[:space:]]*:[[:space:]]*"[^"]*"' | sed 's/.*"\([^"]*\)"$/\1/' || true)
                 if [[ "$CONFIGURED_CHANNEL" == "rc" ]]; then
                     UPDATE_CHANNEL="rc"
-                    print_info "RC channel detected in configuration"
+                    print_info "Prerelease channel detected in configuration"
                 fi
             fi
         fi
 
         # Get appropriate release based on channel (with timeout)
-        # Both stable and RC channels now use /releases endpoint to handle draft releases
+        # Both stable and prerelease channels now use /releases endpoint to handle draft releases
         if command -v timeout >/dev/null 2>&1; then
             RELEASES_JSON=$(timeout 15 curl -s --connect-timeout 10 --max-time 30 https://api.github.com/repos/$GITHUB_REPO/releases 2>/dev/null || true)
         else
@@ -2148,7 +2148,7 @@ download_pulse() {
 
         if [[ -n "$RELEASES_JSON" ]]; then
             if [[ "$UPDATE_CHANNEL" == "rc" ]]; then
-                # RC channel: Get latest release (including pre-releases, but skip drafts)
+                # Prerelease channel: get latest release (including prereleases, but skip drafts)
                 if command -v jq >/dev/null 2>&1; then
                     LATEST_RELEASE=$(echo "$RELEASES_JSON" | jq -r '[.[] | select(.draft == false)][0].tag_name' 2>/dev/null || true)
                 else
@@ -3428,7 +3428,7 @@ main() {
         fi
         
         if [[ -n "$RC_VERSION" ]] && [[ "$RC_VERSION" != "$STABLE_VERSION" ]] && [[ "$RC_VERSION" != "$CURRENT_VERSION" ]]; then
-            echo "${menu_option}) Update to $RC_VERSION (release candidate)"
+            echo "${menu_option}) Update to $RC_VERSION (prerelease preview)"
             ((menu_option++))
         fi
         
diff --git a/internal/updates/manager.go b/internal/updates/manager.go
index a067728bb..78dd5fef0 100644
--- a/internal/updates/manager.go
+++ b/internal/updates/manager.go
@@ -714,12 +714,12 @@ func (m *Manager) getLatestReleaseForChannel(ctx context.Context, channel string
 	}
 
 	// Find latest release based on channel
-	// RC channel: return newest release (RC or stable), even if not newer than current
+	// Prerelease channel: return newest release (prerelease or stable), even if not newer than current
 	// Stable channel: return newest stable release, even if not newer than current
 	// The caller will determine if it's actually an update by comparing versions
 	if channel == "rc" {
-		// For RC channel: find newest release (RC or stable)
-		// RC users should see both RCs and stable releases
+		// For the prerelease channel: find newest release (prerelease or stable)
+		// Prerelease users should see both prereleases and stable releases
 		var newestRC *ReleaseInfo
 		var newestStable *ReleaseInfo
 
@@ -737,7 +737,7 @@ func (m *Manager) getLatestReleaseForChannel(ctx context.Context, channel string
 			}
 
 			if releases[i].Prerelease {
-				// Track newest RC
+				// Track newest prerelease
 				if newestRC == nil {
 					newestRC = &releases[i]
 				} else {
@@ -767,7 +767,7 @@ func (m *Manager) getLatestReleaseForChannel(ctx context.Context, channel string
 			if stableVer.IsNewerThan(rcVer) {
 				isUpdate := stableVer.IsNewerThan(currentVer)
 				if isUpdate {
-					log.Info().Str("version", newestStable.TagName).Msg("Found stable update for RC user")
+					log.Info().Str("version", newestStable.TagName).Msg("Found stable update for prerelease user")
 				} else {
 					log.Info().Str("version", newestStable.TagName).Msg("On latest stable version")
 				}
@@ -775,15 +775,15 @@ func (m *Manager) getLatestReleaseForChannel(ctx context.Context, channel string
 			}
 			isUpdate := rcVer.IsNewerThan(currentVer)
 			if isUpdate {
-				log.Info().Str("version", newestRC.TagName).Msg("Found RC update")
+				log.Info().Str("version", newestRC.TagName).Msg("Found prerelease update")
 			} else {
-				log.Info().Str("version", newestRC.TagName).Msg("On latest RC version")
+				log.Info().Str("version", newestRC.TagName).Msg("On latest prerelease version")
 			}
 			return newestRC, nil
 		} else if newestStable != nil {
 			isUpdate := newestStable.TagName != currentVer.String()
 			if isUpdate {
-				log.Info().Str("version", newestStable.TagName).Msg("Found stable update for RC user")
+				log.Info().Str("version", newestStable.TagName).Msg("Found stable update for prerelease user")
 			} else {
 				log.Info().Str("version", newestStable.TagName).Msg("On latest stable version")
 			}
@@ -791,9 +791,9 @@ func (m *Manager) getLatestReleaseForChannel(ctx context.Context, channel string
 		} else if newestRC != nil {
 			isUpdate := newestRC.TagName != currentVer.String()
 			if isUpdate {
-				log.Info().Str("version", newestRC.TagName).Msg("Found RC update")
+				log.Info().Str("version", newestRC.TagName).Msg("Found prerelease update")
 			} else {
-				log.Info().Str("version", newestRC.TagName).Msg("On latest RC version")
+				log.Info().Str("version", newestRC.TagName).Msg("On latest prerelease version")
 			}
 			return newestRC, nil
 		}
diff --git a/internal/updates/manager_test.go b/internal/updates/manager_test.go
index 1990116c4..58655525d 100644
--- a/internal/updates/manager_test.go
+++ b/internal/updates/manager_test.go
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ func mockGitHubReleases(releases []ReleaseInfo) *httptest.Server {
 	}))
 }
 
-func TestRCUpdateNotifications(t *testing.T) {
+func TestPrereleaseUpdateNotifications(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name            string
 		currentVersion  string
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ func TestRCUpdateNotifications(t *testing.T) {
 		description     string
 	}{
 		{
-			name:           "RC user with newer RC available",
+			name:           "prerelease user with newer prerelease available",
 			currentVersion: "4.22.0-rc.1",
 			releases: []ReleaseInfo{
 				{TagName: "v4.22.0-rc.3", Prerelease: true},
@@ -61,10 +61,10 @@ func TestRCUpdateNotifications(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			expectedVersion: "v4.22.0-rc.3",
 			expectUpdate:    true,
-			description:     "RC users should see newer RC releases",
+			description:     "Prerelease users should see newer prerelease releases",
 		},
 		{
-			name:           "RC user with newer stable available",
+			name:           "prerelease user with newer stable available",
 			currentVersion: "4.22.0-rc.3",
 			releases: []ReleaseInfo{
 				{TagName: "v4.22.0", Prerelease: false},
@@ -73,10 +73,10 @@ func TestRCUpdateNotifications(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			expectedVersion: "v4.22.0",
 			expectUpdate:    true,
-			description:     "RC users should see newer stable releases (stable > RC for same version)",
+			description:     "Prerelease users should see newer stable releases (stable > prerelease for the same version)",
 		},
 		{
-			name:           "RC user with both newer RC and stable (stable wins)",
+			name:           "prerelease user with both newer prerelease and stable (stable wins)",
 			currentVersion: "4.22.0-rc.1",
 			releases: []ReleaseInfo{
 				{TagName: "v4.23.0-rc.1", Prerelease: true},
@@ -86,10 +86,10 @@ func TestRCUpdateNotifications(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			expectedVersion: "v4.23.0-rc.1",
 			expectUpdate:    true,
-			description:     "When both RC and stable are available, return the highest version",
+			description:     "When both a prerelease and stable release are available, return the highest version",
 		},
 		{
-			name:           "RC user with only older releases",
+			name:           "prerelease user with only older releases",
 			currentVersion: "4.23.0-rc.1",
 			releases: []ReleaseInfo{
 				{TagName: "v4.22.0", Prerelease: false},
@@ -97,10 +97,10 @@ func TestRCUpdateNotifications(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			expectedVersion: "v4.22.0",
 			expectUpdate:    true, // Returns latest version even if not newer (Available will be false)
-			description:     "Returns latest stable version even when user is on newer RC",
+			description:     "Returns the latest stable version even when the user is on a newer prerelease",
 		},
 		{
-			name:           "RC user already on latest stable",
+			name:           "prerelease user already on latest stable",
 			currentVersion: "4.22.0-rc.1",
 			releases: []ReleaseInfo{
 				{TagName: "v4.22.0", Prerelease: false},
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ func TestRCUpdateNotifications(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			expectedVersion: "v4.22.0",
 			expectUpdate:    true,
-			description:     "RC user should see stable release even if RC number is same (4.22.0 > 4.22.0-rc.1)",
+			description:     "A prerelease user should see the stable release even when the prerelease number matches (4.22.0 > 4.22.0-rc.1)",
 		},
 	}
 
@@ -152,6 +152,36 @@ func TestRCUpdateNotifications(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestPrereleaseUpdateLogCopy(t *testing.T) {
+	content, err := os.ReadFile("manager.go")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read manager.go: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	source := string(content)
+	required := []string{
+		`Found stable update for prerelease user`,
+		`Found prerelease update`,
+		`On latest prerelease version`,
+	}
+	for _, needle := range required {
+		if !strings.Contains(source, needle) {
+			t.Fatalf("manager.go missing prerelease runtime log fragment: %s", needle)
+		}
+	}
+
+	forbidden := []string{
+		`Found stable update for RC user`,
+		`Found RC update`,
+		`On latest RC version`,
+	}
+	for _, needle := range forbidden {
+		if strings.Contains(source, needle) {
+			t.Fatalf("manager.go preserved stale release-candidate runtime log fragment: %s", needle)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 func TestStableUpdateNotifications(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := []struct {
 		name            string
diff --git a/scripts/installtests/root_install_sh_test.go b/scripts/installtests/root_install_sh_test.go
index 55690d661..4804634e0 100644
--- a/scripts/installtests/root_install_sh_test.go
+++ b/scripts/installtests/root_install_sh_test.go
@@ -113,3 +113,44 @@ func TestRootInstallScriptAutoRegisterUsesSecureContractShape(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestPrereleaseUpdateCopyUsesPreviewFraming(t *testing.T) {
+	rootInstall, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join("..", "..", "install.sh"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read root install.sh: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	installScript := string(rootInstall)
+	requiredInstall := []string{
+		`Update to $RC_VERSION (prerelease preview)`,
+		`Prerelease channel detected in configuration`,
+		`Prerelease channel: get latest release (including prereleases, but skip drafts)`,
+	}
+	for _, needle := range requiredInstall {
+		if !strings.Contains(installScript, needle) {
+			t.Fatalf("root install.sh missing prerelease framing fragment: %s", needle)
+		}
+	}
+	forbiddenInstall := []string{
+		`Update to $RC_VERSION (release candidate)`,
+		`RC channel detected in configuration`,
+		`RC channel: Get latest release (including pre-releases, but skip drafts)`,
+	}
+	for _, needle := range forbiddenInstall {
+		if strings.Contains(installScript, needle) {
+			t.Fatalf("root install.sh preserved stale release-candidate framing fragment: %s", needle)
+		}
+	}
+
+	autoUpdate, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join("..", "..", "scripts", "pulse-auto-update.sh"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read pulse-auto-update.sh: %v", err)
+	}
+	autoUpdateScript := string(autoUpdate)
+	if !strings.Contains(autoUpdateScript, `Prerelease channel detected; unattended auto-updates run only on stable`) {
+		t.Fatalf("pulse-auto-update.sh missing prerelease channel log message")
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(autoUpdateScript, `RC channel detected; unattended auto-updates run only on stable`) {
+		t.Fatalf("pulse-auto-update.sh preserved stale release-candidate channel log message")
+	}
+}
diff --git a/scripts/pulse-auto-update.sh b/scripts/pulse-auto-update.sh
index 0a95d2e7f..7fdf7980c 100755
--- a/scripts/pulse-auto-update.sh
+++ b/scripts/pulse-auto-update.sh
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ check_auto_updates_enabled() {
             exit 0
         fi
         if [[ "$channel" == "rc" ]]; then
-            log info "RC channel detected; unattended auto-updates run only on stable"
+            log info "Prerelease channel detected; unattended auto-updates run only on stable"
             exit 0
         fi
     fi