diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager/ArtifactDeploymentService.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager/ArtifactDeploymentService.cs
index 16e0601f..9c580cbe 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager/ArtifactDeploymentService.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager/ArtifactDeploymentService.cs
@@ -50,12 +50,6 @@ public class ArtifactDeploymentService
     /// <param name="deploymentRepo">Repository for deployment records.</param>
     /// <param name="templateRepo">Repository for templates.</param>
     /// <param name="externalSystemRepo">Repository for external systems.</param>
-    /// <param name="notificationRepo">
-    /// Retained on the signature for DI/source compatibility but
-    /// intentionally NOT consumed. Notification lists and SMTP configuration are
-    /// central-only and are never shipped to sites, so the artifact path must not read
-    /// the notification repository at all.
-    /// </param>
     /// <param name="communicationService">Service for communicating with sites.</param>
     /// <param name="auditService">Service for audit logging.</param>
     /// <param name="options">Deployment manager options.</param>
@@ -75,7 +69,6 @@ public class ArtifactDeploymentService
         IDeploymentManagerRepository deploymentRepo,
         ITemplateEngineRepository templateRepo,
         IExternalSystemRepository externalSystemRepo,
-        INotificationRepository notificationRepo,
         CommunicationService communicationService,
         IAuditService auditService,
         IOptions<DeploymentManagerOptions> options,
@@ -87,9 +80,6 @@ public class ArtifactDeploymentService
         _deploymentRepo = deploymentRepo;
         _templateRepo = templateRepo;
         _externalSystemRepo = externalSystemRepo;
-        // notificationRepo is deliberately not stored — notification
-        // lists and SMTP configs are central-only and are never fetched for shipping to sites.
-        _ = notificationRepo;
         _communicationService = communicationService;
         _auditService = auditService;
         _options = options.Value;
diff --git a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.CentralUI.Tests/Admin/SitesPageTests.cs b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.CentralUI.Tests/Admin/SitesPageTests.cs
index 84155d8a..0b7bed72 100644
--- a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.CentralUI.Tests/Admin/SitesPageTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.CentralUI.Tests/Admin/SitesPageTests.cs
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ public class SitesPageTests : BunitContext
             Substitute.For<IDeploymentManagerRepository>(),
             Substitute.For<ITemplateEngineRepository>(),
             Substitute.For<IExternalSystemRepository>(),
-            Substitute.For<INotificationRepository>(),
             comms,
             Substitute.For<IAuditService>(),
             Options.Create(new DeploymentManagerOptions()),
diff --git a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager.Tests/ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests.cs b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager.Tests/ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests.cs
index 999612aa..a6bab7e8 100644
--- a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager.Tests/ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager.Tests/ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests.cs
@@ -26,7 +26,6 @@ public class ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests : TestKit
     private readonly IDeploymentManagerRepository _deploymentRepo;
     private readonly ITemplateEngineRepository _templateRepo;
     private readonly IExternalSystemRepository _externalSystemRepo;
-    private readonly INotificationRepository _notificationRepo;
     private readonly IAuditService _audit;
     private readonly ArtifactRevisionHashService _hashService = new();
     private readonly ISecretStore _secretStore;
@@ -41,7 +40,6 @@ public class ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests : TestKit
         // The notification repo is retained only so the
         // tests can assert the artifact path NEVER touches it (it is no longer a
         // constructor dependency of ArtifactDeploymentService).
-        _notificationRepo = Substitute.For<INotificationRepository>();
         _audit = Substitute.For<IAuditService>();
         // Unconfigured GetAsync returns null (NSubstitute default), i.e. "not in the store" —
         // exactly the fail-closed posture a test wants unless it explicitly seeds a row.
@@ -208,11 +206,10 @@ public class ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests : TestKit
         await _templateRepo.Received(1).GetAllSharedScriptsAsync(Arg.Any<CancellationToken>());
         await _externalSystemRepo.Received(1).GetAllExternalSystemsAsync(Arg.Any<CancellationToken>());
         await _externalSystemRepo.Received(1).GetAllDatabaseConnectionsAsync(Arg.Any<CancellationToken>());
-        // Notification lists and SMTP configuration are
-        // central-only — the artifact path must NEVER fetch them, and the per-site
-        // command must NEVER carry them.
-        await _notificationRepo.DidNotReceive().GetAllNotificationListsAsync(Arg.Any<CancellationToken>());
-        await _notificationRepo.DidNotReceive().GetAllSmtpConfigurationsAsync(Arg.Any<CancellationToken>());
+        // Notification lists and SMTP configuration are central-only — the service has no
+        // notification repository at all (see
+        // Constructor_TakesNoNotificationRepository), and the per-site command must NEVER
+        // carry them.
         Assert.All(recorder.Received, cmd =>
         {
             Assert.Null(cmd.NotificationLists);
@@ -278,9 +275,7 @@ public class ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests : TestKit
         await _templateRepo.Received(1).GetAllSharedScriptsAsync(Arg.Any<CancellationToken>());
         await _externalSystemRepo.Received(1).GetAllExternalSystemsAsync(Arg.Any<CancellationToken>());
         await _externalSystemRepo.Received(1).GetAllDatabaseConnectionsAsync(Arg.Any<CancellationToken>());
-        // Central-only — never fetched, never shipped.
-        await _notificationRepo.DidNotReceive().GetAllNotificationListsAsync(Arg.Any<CancellationToken>());
-        await _notificationRepo.DidNotReceive().GetAllSmtpConfigurationsAsync(Arg.Any<CancellationToken>());
+        // Central-only — never fetched (no notification repository), never shipped.
         Assert.All(recorder.Received, cmd =>
         {
             Assert.Null(cmd.NotificationLists);
@@ -1105,6 +1100,21 @@ public class ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests : TestKit
         Assert.DoesNotContain("Ciphertext", json, StringComparison.OrdinalIgnoreCase);
     }
 
+    /// <summary>
+    /// review 2026-10-21 04/U4: notification lists and SMTP configs are central-only and never
+    /// shipped, so the service must not depend on the notification repository at all — a
+    /// dead DI edge kept a spurious DeploymentManager→Notification dependency alive.
+    /// </summary>
+    [Fact]
+    public void Constructor_TakesNoNotificationRepository()
+    {
+        var parameterTypes = typeof(ArtifactDeploymentService).GetConstructors()
+            .SelectMany(c => c.GetParameters())
+            .Select(p => p.ParameterType);
+
+        Assert.DoesNotContain(typeof(INotificationRepository), parameterTypes);
+    }
+
     private ArtifactDeploymentService CreateService(ILogger<ArtifactDeploymentService>? logger = null)
     {
         var comms = new CommunicationService(
@@ -1112,7 +1122,7 @@ public class ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests : TestKit
             NullLogger<CommunicationService>.Instance);
 
         return new ArtifactDeploymentService(
-            _siteRepo, _deploymentRepo, _templateRepo, _externalSystemRepo, _notificationRepo,
+            _siteRepo, _deploymentRepo, _templateRepo, _externalSystemRepo,
             comms, _audit,
             Options.Create(new DeploymentManagerOptions()),
             logger ?? NullLogger<ArtifactDeploymentService>.Instance,
@@ -1132,7 +1142,7 @@ public class ArtifactDeploymentServiceTests : TestKit
         comms.SetCommunicationActor(commActor);
 
         return new ArtifactDeploymentService(
-            _siteRepo, _deploymentRepo, _templateRepo, _externalSystemRepo, _notificationRepo,
+            _siteRepo, _deploymentRepo, _templateRepo, _externalSystemRepo,
             comms, _audit,
             Options.Create(new DeploymentManagerOptions
             {
diff --git a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager.Tests/PendingUpdatesEvaluatorTests.cs b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager.Tests/PendingUpdatesEvaluatorTests.cs
index caa4e62e..26d5cc23 100644
--- a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager.Tests/PendingUpdatesEvaluatorTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager.Tests/PendingUpdatesEvaluatorTests.cs
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ public class PendingUpdatesEvaluatorTests
     private readonly ISiteRepository _siteRepo = Substitute.For<ISiteRepository>();
     private readonly ITemplateEngineRepository _templateRepo = Substitute.For<ITemplateEngineRepository>();
     private readonly IExternalSystemRepository _externalSystemRepo = Substitute.For<IExternalSystemRepository>();
-    private readonly INotificationRepository _notificationRepo = Substitute.For<INotificationRepository>();
     private readonly IDeploymentManagerRepository _deploymentRepo = Substitute.For<IDeploymentManagerRepository>();
     private readonly IFlatteningPipeline _pipeline = Substitute.For<IFlatteningPipeline>();
     private readonly IAuditService _audit = Substitute.For<IAuditService>();
@@ -63,7 +62,7 @@ public class PendingUpdatesEvaluatorTests
             NullLogger<CommunicationService>.Instance);
 
         _artifactService = new ArtifactDeploymentService(
-            _siteRepo, _deploymentRepo, _templateRepo, _externalSystemRepo, _notificationRepo,
+            _siteRepo, _deploymentRepo, _templateRepo, _externalSystemRepo,
             comms, _audit,
             Options.Create(new DeploymentManagerOptions()),
             NullLogger<ArtifactDeploymentService>.Instance,
diff --git a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.ManagementService.Tests/ManagementActorTests.cs b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.ManagementService.Tests/ManagementActorTests.cs
index 66badb49..6b977f20 100644
--- a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.ManagementService.Tests/ManagementActorTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.ManagementService.Tests/ManagementActorTests.cs
@@ -81,7 +81,6 @@ public class ManagementActorTests : TestKit, IDisposable
             Substitute.For<IDeploymentManagerRepository>(),
             Substitute.For<ITemplateEngineRepository>(),
             Substitute.For<IExternalSystemRepository>(),
-            Substitute.For<INotificationRepository>(),
             comms,
             Substitute.For<IAuditService>(),
             Options.Create(new DeploymentManagerOptions()),