diff --git a/asset/nginx/quantus.internal.conf b/asset/nginx/quantus.internal.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..db51da4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/asset/nginx/quantus.internal.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,56 @@
+# Mesh-only vhost for the Quantus node's JSON-RPC, fronted by the hanzalova edge
+# proxy (office site). Gives tooling a `wss://` endpoint, which matters because
+# subxt — and therefore quantus-cli — refuses plain `ws://` to any host but
+# localhost (InsecureUrl), so without this every client needs an ssh tunnel.
+#
+# Cert: internal `lair` CA, minted from the operator box and renewed by
+# step@quantus.timer (architecture internal-tls.md). Operator-installed, NOT
+# CI-deployed: the runner has no rights on the edge proxy
+# (reverse-proxies.md §4, and the same split lair/mail uses).
+#   ln -sf ../sites-available/quantus.internal.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
+#
+# listen 14443 + proxy_protocol, NOT 443: the nginx stream SNI router owns TCP
+# 443 on this host and forwards every non-passthrough name to the local https
+# tier (reverse-proxies.md §5). Copy this from a currently-ENABLED vhost, not
+# from sites-available — several of those are stale (see the repo readme).
+#
+# NOTE ON EXPOSURE: this is an unauthenticated RPC. `--rpc-methods safe` on the
+# node blocks the dangerous calls, but anyone who reaches this name can read all
+# chain state and submit signed extrinsics. It is mesh-only by construction —
+# `.internal` has no public record and must never get one.
+
+upstream quantus_rpc_up {
+    server bob.hanzalova.internal:9944;
+    keepalive 8;
+}
+
+server {
+    listen 127.0.0.1:14443 ssl proxy_protocol;
+    http2 on;
+    server_name quantus.internal;
+
+    ssl_certificate     /etc/nginx/tls/cert/quantus.internal.pem;
+    ssl_certificate_key /etc/nginx/tls/key/quantus.internal.pem;
+    ssl_protocols       TLSv1.3;
+    ssl_trusted_certificate /etc/pki/ca-trust/source/anchors/root-internal.pem;
+
+    # Substrate subscriptions (chainHead_follow, new heads) are long-lived and
+    # can sit idle between blocks. The 60s default would drop them mid-session
+    # and surface to the client as an unexplained disconnect.
+    proxy_read_timeout  3600s;
+    proxy_send_timeout  3600s;
+
+    # RPC bodies are small; a large limit here only widens the DoS surface.
+    client_max_body_size 2m;
+
+    location / {
+        proxy_pass http://quantus_rpc_up;
+        proxy_http_version 1.1;
+        proxy_set_header Upgrade    $http_upgrade;
+        proxy_set_header Connection $connection_upgrade;
+        proxy_set_header Host       $host;
+        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP  $remote_addr;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For   $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
+        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md
index 6d34d29..3343fd8 100644
--- a/readme.md
+++ b/readme.md
@@ -138,6 +138,48 @@ Still to decide before launch day, none of which the deploy can settle for you:
 Sync at launch is trivial — a new chain starts at genesis — so the long testnet
 sync is not a preview of mainnet day.
 
+## `wss://quantus.internal`
+
+`subxt` — and therefore `quantus-cli` — refuses plain `ws://` to any host but
+localhost (`InsecureUrl`), so without TLS every client needs an ssh tunnel:
+
+```sh
+ssh -f -N -L 19944:127.0.0.1:9944 <node>
+quantus balance --node-url ws://127.0.0.1:19944 --address <addr>
+```
+
+The tunnel-free answer is a vhost on the site's edge proxy, per
+`architecture/reverse-proxies.md` and `internal-tls.md`:
+
+```sh
+./script/infra-setup.sh --pubkey ~/.ssh/id_gitea_ci.pub   # includes the edge role
+```
+
+It mints an internal-CA cert for `quantus.internal`, installs
+`asset/nginx/quantus.internal.conf`, arms `step@quantus.timer` for renewal, and
+reloads nginx. **Operator-run, never CI-deployed** — the runner has no rights to
+read certificate keys or reload nginx on a shared edge proxy.
+
+Split-horizon DNS is a separate manual step (the record lives in the site
+router's Unbound, not here):
+
+```sh
+opn-cli --config ~/.opn-cli/<site>.yml unbound host create \
+  --hostname quantus --domain internal --server <edge mesh ip>
+```
+
+Two traps worth knowing:
+
+- **`listen 127.0.0.1:14443 ssl proxy_protocol;`, not `listen 443`.** A stream
+  SNI router owns TCP 443 on the edge proxies and hands non-passthrough names to
+  the local https tier. Copy the `listen` line from a currently **enabled**
+  vhost — on hanzalova, 11 of 19 enabled vhosts are regular files that have
+  drifted from their `sites-available` counterparts since that migration, so the
+  `sites-available` copy can be stale and wrong.
+- The RPC behind this is **unauthenticated**. `--rpc-methods safe` blocks the
+  dangerous calls, but anyone reaching the name reads all state and can submit
+  signed extrinsics. `.internal` is mesh-only and must never get a public record.
+
 ## Reaching the JSON-RPC from other machines
 
 Loopback by default, which is the right posture for a validator. Opening it
diff --git a/script/infra-setup.sh b/script/infra-setup.sh
index 9da9b5b..55e0b44 100755
--- a/script/infra-setup.sh
+++ b/script/infra-setup.sh
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@
 #   metrics (--metrics-hosts)  the fleet Prometheus/Grafana host: a scrape
 #                          config drop-in and a provisioned dashboard
 #                                                   -> deploy.yaml deploy-metrics
+#   edge  (--edge-hosts)   the site reverse proxy: an internal TLS cert and an
+#                          nginx vhost giving `wss://quantus.internal`. NOT
+#                          CI-deployed — the runner has no rights on the edge
+#                          proxy, deliberately (reverse-proxies.md §4).
 #
 # The roles are separate deliberately: the miner host holds a GPU and an
 # outbound-only process, and a compromise of the miner deploy must not be able
@@ -42,6 +46,14 @@ ADMIN_USER="${ADMIN_USER:-$USER}"
 NODE_HOSTS="${NODE_HOSTS-bob.hanzalova.internal}"
 MINER_HOSTS="${MINER_HOSTS-benjy.hanzalova.internal quadbrat.hanzalova.internal}"
 METRICS_HOSTS="${METRICS_HOSTS-golgafrinchans.kosherinata.internal}"
+# The site reverse proxy that fronts quantus.internal. Empty to skip the edge role.
+EDGE_HOSTS="${EDGE_HOSTS-hanzalova.internal}"
+# Vanity name served by the edge proxy. Dot-free short name: the step@ renewal
+# unit is a template instance and %i cannot carry dots (internal-tls.md §1).
+EDGE_NAME="${EDGE_NAME:-quantus}"
+# step-ca JWK provisioner password, shipped to the edge host just long enough to
+# mint the first cert and removed even on failure (internal-tls.md §4).
+STEP_PROVISIONER="${STEP_PROVISIONER:-${HOME}/.step/secrets/provisioner}"
 PUBKEY="${PUBKEY:-${HOME}/.ssh/id_gitea_ci.pub}"
 CHAIN="${CHAIN:-planck}"
 NODE_VERSION="${NODE_VERSION:-0.10.0}"
@@ -52,6 +64,7 @@ while [[ $# -gt 0 ]]; do
     --node-hosts)       NODE_HOSTS="$2"; shift 2 ;;
     --miner-hosts)      MINER_HOSTS="$2"; shift 2 ;;
     --metrics-hosts)    METRICS_HOSTS="$2"; shift 2 ;;
+    --edge-hosts)       EDGE_HOSTS="$2"; shift 2 ;;
     --admin)            ADMIN_USER="$2"; shift 2 ;;
     --node-version)     NODE_VERSION="$2"; shift 2 ;;
     *) echo "unknown arg: $1" >&2; exit 2 ;;
@@ -322,6 +335,78 @@ SUDO
 REMOTE
 }
 
+
+# The site reverse proxy. Gives tooling a `wss://quantus.internal` endpoint,
+# which matters because subxt — and therefore quantus-cli — refuses plain `ws://`
+# to anything but localhost, so without this every client needs an ssh tunnel.
+#
+# Operator-run rather than CI-deployed on purpose: the runner's rights never
+# extend to reading certificate keys or reloading nginx on a shared edge proxy.
+# Same split lair/mail uses for its edge role.
+provision_edge() {
+  local host="$1" name="$2"
+  echo "== ${host} (edge: ${name}.internal) =="
+  if ! ssh -o ConnectTimeout=8 -o BatchMode=yes "${ADMIN_USER}@${host}" true; then
+    echo "  ! unreachable as ${ADMIN_USER} — skipping" >&2
+    return 1
+  fi
+
+  local cert="/etc/nginx/tls/cert/${name}.internal.pem"
+  local key="/etc/nginx/tls/key/${name}.internal.pem"
+
+  # verify checks chain and expiry, not the name — good enough to decide whether
+  # to mint, and it keeps re-runs from burning a provisioner use each time.
+  local state
+  state=$(ssh "${ADMIN_USER}@${host}" "[ -f ${cert} ] && sudo step certificate verify ${cert} \
+      --roots /etc/pki/ca-trust/source/anchors/root-internal.pem >/dev/null 2>&1 \
+      && echo valid || echo missing")
+
+  if [ "$state" = valid ]; then
+    echo "  = ${name}.internal cert already valid"
+  else
+    [[ -s "$STEP_PROVISIONER" ]] || {
+      echo "  ! provisioner password not found at ${STEP_PROVISIONER}" >&2
+      return 1
+    }
+    rsync -az --rsync-path='sudo rsync' --chmod=0600 \
+      "$STEP_PROVISIONER" "${ADMIN_USER}@${host}:/tmp/${name}-provisioner"
+    ssh "${ADMIN_USER}@${host}" "
+      sudo mkdir -p /etc/nginx/tls/cert /etc/nginx/tls/key
+      rc=0
+      sudo step ca certificate --force \
+        --provisioner lair \
+        --provisioner-password-file /tmp/${name}-provisioner \
+        --ca-url https://ca.internal \
+        --root /etc/pki/ca-trust/source/anchors/root-internal.pem \
+        --san ${name}.internal \
+        ${name}.internal ${cert} ${key} || rc=\$?
+      sudo rm -f /tmp/${name}-provisioner
+      [ \$rc -eq 0 ] || { echo 'mint failed' >&2; exit \$rc; }
+      sudo chown root:root ${cert} ${key}
+      sudo chmod 644 ${cert}; sudo chmod 640 ${key}
+      sudo setfacl -m u:nginx:r ${key}"
+    echo "  + minted ${name}.internal"
+  fi
+
+  # Ship the vhost and enable it as a SYMLINK. Several vhosts on this host are
+  # regular files that have drifted from sites-available since the SNI-router
+  # migration; a symlink keeps this one honest.
+  rsync -az --rsync-path='sudo rsync' --chmod=F0644 \
+    "asset/nginx/${name}.internal.conf" \
+    "${ADMIN_USER}@${host}:/etc/nginx/sites-available/${name}.internal.conf"
+  ssh "${ADMIN_USER}@${host}" "
+    sudo ln -sfn ../sites-available/${name}.internal.conf \
+      /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/${name}.internal.conf
+    sudo nginx -t"
+  ssh "${ADMIN_USER}@${host}" "sudo systemctl reload nginx.service"
+  ssh "${ADMIN_USER}@${host}" "sudo systemctl enable --now step@${name}.timer"
+  echo "  = vhost enabled, nginx reloaded, step@${name}.timer armed"
+
+  echo "  NOTE: split-horizon DNS is a separate step —"
+  echo "    opn-cli --config ~/.opn-cli/<site>.yml unbound host create \\"
+  echo "      --hostname ${name} --domain internal --server <edge mesh ip>"
+}
+
 # The node's libp2p identity. It must exist BEFORE the first start — without it
 # the node exits with NetworkKeyNotFound(".../network/secret_dilithium") rather
 # than generating one. It is also the node's stable identity on the network, so
@@ -377,6 +462,9 @@ done
 for h in $METRICS_HOSTS; do
   provision_metrics "$h" || rc=1
 done
+for h in $EDGE_HOSTS; do
+  provision_edge "$h" "$EDGE_NAME" || rc=1
+done
 
 echo
 echo "done. remaining operator steps:"