diff --git a/docs/registry-manifest-design.md b/docs/registry-manifest-design.md
index 88ea41d1..f501f3c3 100644
--- a/docs/registry-manifest-design.md
+++ b/docs/registry-manifest-design.md
@@ -13,14 +13,26 @@ its "discovery/authenticity" layer).
 
 ---
 
-## 1. Where we are today
+## 1. Where we started (the pre-Phase-1 baseline)
 
-Two distinct mechanisms, only one of which is registry-distributed:
+This section is the problem statement the design was written against, kept for
+context. **It no longer describes the running system** — Phases 1–3 shipped, so
+see "Where we are now" below.
 
-| Thing | Source | Reaches node via | Carries |
+Two distinct mechanisms, only one of which was registry-distributed:
+
+| Thing | Source | Reaches node via | Carried |
 |-------|--------|------------------|---------|
-| `apps/*/manifest.yml` (48) | repo working tree | **OTA**: `self-update.sh` rsyncs `apps/ → /opt/archipelago/apps/` | full manifest (the orchestrator's real source of truth) |
-| `app-catalog.json` (28) | `releases/app-catalog.json` | **registry HTTP fetch**, hourly, **signed** (`app_catalog::refresh_catalog`) | version + image override only |
+| `apps/*/manifest.yml` | repo working tree | **OTA**: `self-update.sh` rsyncs `apps/ → /opt/archipelago/apps/` | full manifest (the orchestrator's real source of truth) |
+| `app-catalog.json` | `releases/app-catalog.json` | **registry HTTP fetch**, hourly, **signed** (`app_catalog::refresh_catalog`) | version + image override only |
+
+### Where we are now
+
+`releases/app-catalog.json` carries 66 entries, and 56 of them embed a full
+`manifest` block — one for every `apps/*/manifest.yml` in the tree. So the
+"catalog carries an image override only" gap below is closed for image-only
+apps; what remains is build-context apps (Phase 4) and dropping `apps/` from the
+OTA rsync (Phase 5).
 
 - Orchestrator registry = in-memory `state.manifests: HashMap<app_id, LoadedManifest>`,
   populated by `ProdContainerOrchestrator::load_manifests()` walking the disk dir.
@@ -44,7 +56,8 @@ binary OTA, no disk manifest.
 publisher: apps/*/manifest.yml  ──generate──▶  releases/app-catalog.json (embeds + signs)
 node:      refresh_catalog() ──fetch+verify──▶ <data_dir>/app-catalog.json
            load_manifests()  ──merge──▶ state.manifests   (catalog wins; disk = fallback)
-           install(app_id)   ──▶ render Quadlet unit (rootless, systemd-managed)
+           install(app_id)   ──▶ create the rootless container (Quadlet unit when
+                                 use_quadlet_backends is on; podman create+start otherwise)
 ```
 
 ## 3. Schema change (`app_catalog::AppCatalogEntry`)
@@ -143,6 +156,8 @@ Add a generator (extend `create-release.sh` / a small `scripts/gen-app-catalog`)
   separate signed blob? Inline is simplest for Phase 1; hashing aligns with the
   DHT image-by-digest plan and keeps the catalog small. Lean inline now, revisit
   at Phase 4 when build contexts (large) need addressing anyway.
-- `generated_files` with inline content (vs. source-dir) — already supported in the
-  manifest schema? If so, registry manifests can carry small rendered files inline,
-  removing another disk dependency.
+- ~~`generated_files` with inline content (vs. source-dir) — already supported in
+  the manifest schema?~~ **Answered: yes.** `app.files[]` takes inline `content`
+  (with `{{HOST_IP}}` / `{{NETWORK_GATEWAY}}` / `{{secret:NAME}}` rendering), so
+  registry manifests already carry small rendered files inline and that disk
+  dependency is gone. See [`app-manifest-spec.md`](app-manifest-spec.md).