diff --git a/renovate/README.md b/renovate/README.md
index e641573..deff8f8 100644
--- a/renovate/README.md
+++ b/renovate/README.md
@@ -45,9 +45,19 @@ The org default carries:
 - **JS lint stack grouping** — `eslint`, `prettier`, `jshint`, plus
   glob-matched `@eslint/*`, `eslint-config-*`, `eslint-plugin-*`.
   One coordinated PR instead of one-per-plugin.
-- **Weekly Monday batch** for minor + major. Patches don't wait.
-- **Patch automerge** on green CI. See **Patch automerge contract**
-  below.
+- **Soak windows** (`minimumReleaseAge`) before automerge: patch/digest
+  2 days, minor 5 days, major 7 days. The soak catches a yanked or
+  hotfixed release before it lands unattended.
+- **PRs are created immediately** (`internalChecksFilter: "none"`), even
+  while soaking — so every update is visible and a human can manually
+  merge early (e.g. a hotfix). The soak only gates **automerge**: a
+  pending `renovate/stability-days` check holds the auto-merge until the
+  window passes, but it isn't a required branch-protection check, so
+  manual merge still works.
+- **Automerge** on green CI after soak for **patch + digest** and
+  **minor**. **Majors never automerge** — always human-reviewed (see the
+  **Major-bump SOP** below). Minor automerge raises the CI bar; see the
+  **Automerge contract** below.
 
 Things that belong **per-repo**, not in the default:
 
@@ -92,37 +102,69 @@ Three ways to unlock auto-merge on the private repos:
    minor friction. The patch automerge rule remains in the org default;
    it just no-ops on the private repos.
 
-## Patch + digest automerge contract
+## Automerge contract (patch + digest + minor)
 
-The org default automerges patch-level **and digest-pin** updates
-once CI passes. (Digest updates refresh the upstream image's content
-hash without changing its tag — same code, freshly-rebuilt base
-layer for CVEs — so they're inherently no-op-risk.) **A repo
-extending this default must satisfy these conditions** or automerge
-will silently land unreviewed code:
+The org default automerges **patch**, **digest-pin**, and **minor**
+updates once CI passes **and** the release has soaked
+(`minimumReleaseAge`: patch/digest 2 days, minor 5 days) — long enough
+for the ecosystem to surface a yanked or hotfixed release before it
+lands unattended, short enough not to delay routine fixes. (Digest
+updates refresh the upstream image's content hash without changing its
+tag — same code, freshly-rebuilt base layer for CVEs — so they're
+inherently no-op-risk.) **A repo extending this default must satisfy
+these conditions** or automerge will silently land unreviewed code:
 
 1. **PR-triggered CI must exist.** A workflow on `pull_request` (not
    just `workflow_dispatch` or `push`). Renovate's PRs run it; a
    missing workflow means no gate — Renovate would merge with no
    signal. Every existing jellyrock repo satisfies this today.
-2. **CI must exercise the dependency surface.** "Build + lint" is
-   the baseline. "Build + lint + unit tests" is better. The
-   stronger the CI, the higher the confidence in patches. The
-   contract is intentionally fuzzy — repos with high test coverage
-   inherit higher safety than repos with just a build check.
-3. **If a repo can't meet (1) or (2), override per-repo:**
+2. **CI must exercise the dependency surface.** "Build + lint" is the
+   floor for patch/digest. **Minor automerge raises the bar:** a
+   breaking minor can pass a build but fail at runtime, so a repo that
+   automerges minors should have CI that exercises runtime behavior
+   (unit/integration/smoke tests), not just build+lint. The stronger
+   the CI, the higher the confidence.
+3. **If a repo can't meet the bar, override per-repo.** Disable minor
+   automerge (keep patch) when CI is build+lint only:
    ```jsonc
    {
      "extends": ["github>jellyrock/.github//renovate/default"],
      "packageRules": [
        {
-         "description": "This repo doesn't have CI strong enough for blind patch automerge",
-         "matchUpdateTypes": ["patch", "digest"],
+         "description": "CI is build+lint only — minors need human review",
+         "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor"],
          "automerge": false
        }
      ]
    }
    ```
+   Or disable all automerge (patch + minor) for a repo with no real CI:
+   ```jsonc
+   {
+     "matchUpdateTypes": ["patch", "digest", "minor"],
+     "automerge": false
+   }
+   ```
+
+## Major-bump SOP
+
+Majors never automerge. When a major PR appears, before merging:
+
+1. **Read the upstream changelog / migration guide** for the version
+   range (the PR body links the release notes).
+2. **Pull the branch and run the repo's full gate locally** — build +
+   lint + the complete test suite (on JellyRock that includes the
+   on-device BS unit tests and the RTA functional pass, which CI's
+   PR-triggered run may not cover end-to-end).
+3. **Grep for breaking-API usage** the changelog flags; migrate code in
+   the same PR.
+4. **For runtime deps bundled into the app** (e.g. the Roku BS libs),
+   verify on a real device, not just a green build.
+5. Merge only when the gate is green and any required migration is in
+   the PR.
+
+Repos may wrap this in a local script or skill so the steps run the same
+way every time, rather than doing the checklist by hand.
 
 ## Adding a new repo
 
diff --git a/renovate/default.json b/renovate/default.json
index 5b134c4..1505b65 100644
--- a/renovate/default.json
+++ b/renovate/default.json
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
   "ignorePaths": ["**/node_modules/**"],
   "timezone": "America/New_York",
   "separateMinorPatch": true,
+  "internalChecksFilter": "none",
   "packageRules": [
     {
       "description": "Group GitHub Actions updates together; pin to SHA digests so version tags can't be silently re-pointed by upstream.",
@@ -38,14 +39,22 @@
       "addLabels": ["javascript"]
     },
     {
-      "description": "Minor + major updates land on a weekly Monday review batch. Reduces PR noise; patches still fire immediately so security fixes aren't delayed.",
-      "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor", "major"],
-      "schedule": ["before 6am on monday"]
+      "description": "Minor updates automerge once CI is green AND the release has soaked 5 days. The PR is created immediately (internalChecksFilter:none) so it's visible and a human can manually merge early if needed (e.g. a hotfix); the renovate/stability-days pending check holds AUTOMERGE until the soak passes. Minor automerge raises the CI bar — the repo's PR-triggered CI must exercise runtime behavior, not just build+lint (a breaking minor can pass a build but fail at runtime). A repo whose CI can't meet that should override this rule to automerge:false. See renovate/README.md.",
+      "matchUpdateTypes": ["minor"],
+      "minimumReleaseAge": "5 days",
+      "automerge": true
+    },
+    {
+      "description": "Major updates soak 7 days and NEVER automerge — a major is always human-reviewed regardless of CI. The PR is created immediately (internalChecksFilter:none) so it's visible during the soak; the soak gives the ecosystem time to surface a yanked or hotfixed release before a human picks it up. Follow the major-bump SOP (renovate/README.md) before merging.",
+      "matchUpdateTypes": ["major"],
+      "minimumReleaseAge": "7 days",
+      "automerge": false
     },
     {
-      "description": "Patch + digest updates automerge once CI is green. Digest pins refresh the base layer for CVEs without changing the underlying version — same code, just a freshly-rebuilt upstream image — so they're inherently low-risk and don't need human review. Contract: every repo that extends this default must have PR-triggered CI that exercises the dependency surface (lint+build at minimum). See renovate/README.md.",
+      "description": "Patch + digest updates automerge once CI is green AND the release has soaked 2 days (minimumReleaseAge) — long enough to catch a yanked or hotfixed patch before it lands unattended, short enough not to delay routine fixes. Digest pins refresh the base layer for CVEs without changing the underlying version — same code, just a freshly-rebuilt upstream image — so they're inherently low-risk and don't need human review. Contract: every repo that extends this default must have PR-triggered CI that exercises the dependency surface (lint+build at minimum). See renovate/README.md.",
       "matchUpdateTypes": ["patch", "digest"],
+      "minimumReleaseAge": "2 days",
       "automerge": true
     }
   ]
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+}