diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/AuditLogPurgeOptions.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/AuditLogPurgeOptions.cs
index 43d5bc74..0ba1bc00 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/AuditLogPurgeOptions.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/AuditLogPurgeOptions.cs
@@ -17,8 +17,10 @@ namespace ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog.Central;
 /// </para>
 /// <para>
 /// <see cref="IntervalOverride"/> exists for tests to drop the cadence to
-/// milliseconds without polluting the production config surface; production
-/// binds <see cref="IntervalHours"/> only.
+/// milliseconds; production config is expected to set <see cref="IntervalHours"/>
+/// only. Because this options class is <c>Bind</c>-ed wholesale, a config value
+/// at <c>AuditLog:Purge:IntervalOverride</c> would bind if present (and would
+/// bypass the <see cref="Interval"/> minimum clamp) — operators must not set it.
 /// </para>
 /// </remarks>
 public sealed class AuditLogPurgeOptions
@@ -29,15 +31,44 @@ public sealed class AuditLogPurgeOptions
     /// <summary>
     /// Test-only override for finer control over the tick cadence than
     /// whole-hour resolution allows. When non-null, takes precedence over
-    /// <see cref="IntervalHours"/>. Not bound from config — production
-    /// config exposes <see cref="IntervalHours"/> only.
+    /// <see cref="IntervalHours"/> AND bypasses the <see cref="Interval"/>
+    /// minimum clamp (so tests can use millisecond cadences). Production
+    /// config exposes <see cref="IntervalHours"/> only and never sets this
+    /// knob — but because the options class is <c>Bind</c>-ed wholesale, a
+    /// config value at <c>AuditLog:Purge:IntervalOverride</c> WOULD bind if
+    /// present; operators must not set it.
     /// </summary>
     public TimeSpan? IntervalOverride { get; set; }
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Resolves the effective tick interval, honouring the test override
-    /// when set. Falls back to <see cref="IntervalHours"/>.
+    /// Minimum interval the config-bound <see cref="IntervalHours"/> can
+    /// resolve to. Clamps a misconfigured <c>IntervalHours: 0</c> (or a
+    /// negative value) away from <see cref="TimeSpan.Zero"/> — a zero
+    /// interval would make Akka's <c>ScheduleTellRepeatedlyCancelable</c>
+    /// spin, looping the partition drop/rebuild dance into a sustained SQL
+    /// outage. The test-only <see cref="IntervalOverride"/> bypasses this
+    /// clamp so unit tests can still drop the cadence to milliseconds.
     /// </summary>
-    public TimeSpan Interval =>
-        IntervalOverride ?? TimeSpan.FromHours(IntervalHours);
+    private static readonly TimeSpan MinConfiguredInterval = TimeSpan.FromMinutes(1);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Resolves the effective tick interval, honouring the test override
+    /// when set. Falls back to <see cref="IntervalHours"/>, clamped to at
+    /// least <see cref="MinConfiguredInterval"/> so a zero/negative config
+    /// value can never yield <see cref="TimeSpan.Zero"/> (which would spin
+    /// the scheduler).
+    /// </summary>
+    public TimeSpan Interval
+    {
+        get
+        {
+            if (IntervalOverride is { } overrideValue)
+            {
+                return overrideValue;
+            }
+
+            var resolved = TimeSpan.FromHours(IntervalHours);
+            return resolved < MinConfiguredInterval ? MinConfiguredInterval : resolved;
+        }
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/ISiteEnumerator.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/ISiteEnumerator.cs
index cc8cae1f..25a5a4c7 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/ISiteEnumerator.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/ISiteEnumerator.cs
@@ -9,11 +9,12 @@ namespace ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog.Central;
 /// <remarks>
 /// The production implementation wraps <c>ISiteRepository.GetAllSitesAsync</c>
 /// and projects each <c>Site</c> to a <see cref="SiteEntry"/> using the
-/// site's configured <c>GrpcNodeAAddress</c> (falling back to
-/// <c>GrpcNodeBAddress</c> when NodeA is unset). Sites with NO gRPC address
-/// configured are silently skipped — the reconciliation pull cannot reach
-/// them, but absence of an address is a configuration decision, not a runtime
-/// error.
+/// site's configured <c>GrpcNodeAAddress</c>. This is a NodeA-only first cut:
+/// sites with a blank <c>GrpcNodeAAddress</c> are silently SKIPPED — the
+/// reconciliation pull cannot reach them, but absence of an address is a
+/// configuration decision, not a runtime error. NodeB-fallback endpoint
+/// selection (dial NodeB when NodeA is unset/unreachable) is a follow-up
+/// (mirrors the comment in <c>SiteEnumerator.cs</c>).
 /// </remarks>
 public interface ISiteEnumerator
 {
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/SiteAuditReconciliationActor.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/SiteAuditReconciliationActor.cs
index fb08bc57..8c6a297b 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/SiteAuditReconciliationActor.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/SiteAuditReconciliationActor.cs
@@ -182,6 +182,10 @@ public class SiteAuditReconciliationActor : ReceiveActor
         IReadOnlyList<SiteEntry> sites;
         try
         {
+            // No ambient CancellationToken in a ReceiveActor message handler —
+            // CancellationToken.None (the EnumerateAsync default) is intentional.
+            // The work is bounded by the 5-min reconciliation tick plus the
+            // 10s graceful-stop drain on PhaseClusterLeave.
             sites = await _sites.EnumerateAsync().ConfigureAwait(false);
         }
         catch (Exception ex)
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/SiteAuditReconciliationOptions.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/SiteAuditReconciliationOptions.cs
index 31796ad9..b58b3fb4 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/SiteAuditReconciliationOptions.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/SiteAuditReconciliationOptions.cs
@@ -31,18 +31,45 @@ public sealed class SiteAuditReconciliationOptions
     /// <summary>
     /// Test-only override for finer control over the tick cadence than
     /// whole-second resolution allows. When non-null, takes precedence over
-    /// <see cref="ReconciliationIntervalSeconds"/>. Not bound from config —
-    /// production config exposes <see cref="ReconciliationIntervalSeconds"/>
-    /// only.
+    /// <see cref="ReconciliationIntervalSeconds"/> AND bypasses the
+    /// <see cref="ReconciliationInterval"/> minimum clamp (so tests can use
+    /// millisecond cadences). Production config exposes
+    /// <see cref="ReconciliationIntervalSeconds"/> only and never sets this
+    /// knob — but because the options class is <c>Bind</c>-ed wholesale, a
+    /// config value at <c>AuditLog:Reconciliation:ReconciliationIntervalOverride</c>
+    /// WOULD bind if present; operators must not set it.
     /// </summary>
     public TimeSpan? ReconciliationIntervalOverride { get; set; }
 
     /// <summary>
-    /// Resolves the effective tick interval, honouring the test override when
-    /// set. Falls back to <see cref="ReconciliationIntervalSeconds"/>.
+    /// Minimum interval the config-bound <see cref="ReconciliationIntervalSeconds"/>
+    /// can resolve to. Clamps a misconfigured <c>ReconciliationIntervalSeconds: 0</c>
+    /// (or a negative value) away from <see cref="TimeSpan.Zero"/>, which would make
+    /// Akka's <c>ScheduleTellRepeatedlyCancelable</c> spin. The test-only
+    /// <see cref="ReconciliationIntervalOverride"/> bypasses this clamp so unit tests
+    /// can still drop the cadence to milliseconds.
     /// </summary>
-    public TimeSpan ReconciliationInterval =>
-        ReconciliationIntervalOverride ?? TimeSpan.FromSeconds(ReconciliationIntervalSeconds);
+    private static readonly TimeSpan MinConfiguredInterval = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(1);
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// Resolves the effective tick interval, honouring the test override when
+    /// set. Falls back to <see cref="ReconciliationIntervalSeconds"/>, clamped to at
+    /// least <see cref="MinConfiguredInterval"/> so a zero/negative config value can
+    /// never yield <see cref="TimeSpan.Zero"/> (which would spin the scheduler).
+    /// </summary>
+    public TimeSpan ReconciliationInterval
+    {
+        get
+        {
+            if (ReconciliationIntervalOverride is { } overrideValue)
+            {
+                return overrideValue;
+            }
+
+            var resolved = TimeSpan.FromSeconds(ReconciliationIntervalSeconds);
+            return resolved < MinConfiguredInterval ? MinConfiguredInterval : resolved;
+        }
+    }
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Maximum number of <see cref="ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Commons.Entities.Audit.AuditEvent"/>
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/SiteEnumerator.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/SiteEnumerator.cs
index 159b4ae1..357ee4ee 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/SiteEnumerator.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/Central/SiteEnumerator.cs
@@ -67,7 +67,9 @@ public sealed class SiteEnumerator : ISiteEnumerator
                 continue;
             }
 
-            entries.Add(new SiteEntry(site.SiteIdentifier, site.GrpcNodeAAddress));
+            // The IsNullOrWhiteSpace guard above proves GrpcNodeAAddress is
+            // non-null here; explicit null-forgiving for clarity.
+            entries.Add(new SiteEntry(site.SiteIdentifier, site.GrpcNodeAAddress!));
         }
 
         return entries;
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
index c1114c1e..632e2317 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog/ServiceCollectionExtensions.cs
@@ -333,6 +333,24 @@ public static class ServiceCollectionExtensions
             .Bind(config.GetSection(PartitionMaintenanceSectionName));
         services.AddHostedService<AuditLogPartitionMaintenanceService>();
 
+        // I1 (review): bind the two central-singleton options HERE rather than in
+        // AddAuditLogCentralReconciliationClient. AkkaHostedService.RegisterCentralActors
+        // resolves IOptions<AuditLogPurgeOptions> / <SiteAuditReconciliationOptions>
+        // via GetRequiredService when it wires the AuditLogPurgeActor +
+        // SiteAuditReconciliationActor singletons; AddAuditLogCentralMaintenance is
+        // ALWAYS called on the central path (the reconciliation-client helper is the
+        // one that could in principle be dropped), so binding the options here means
+        // the singletons get a valid IOptions even if the gRPC-client helper is not
+        // wired — instead of a cryptic InvalidOperationException at GetRequiredService.
+        // Defaults are fine when the section is absent (24 h purge cadence /
+        // 5 min reconciliation tick); production exposes IntervalHours /
+        // ReconciliationIntervalSeconds only — the test-only *Override knobs are
+        // not intended to be set from config (see the options classes' remarks).
+        services.AddOptions<AuditLogPurgeOptions>()
+            .Bind(config.GetSection(PurgeSectionName));
+        services.AddOptions<SiteAuditReconciliationOptions>()
+            .Bind(config.GetSection(ReconciliationSectionName));
+
         // M6 Bundle E (T8 + T9): central health snapshot — a single object
         // that owns the CentralAuditWriteFailures + AuditRedactionFailure
         // Interlocked counters AND surfaces them on
@@ -397,19 +415,21 @@ public static class ServiceCollectionExtensions
     /// </para>
     /// <para>
     /// The production <see cref="ISiteEnumerator"/> (<see cref="SiteEnumerator"/>,
-    /// wrapping the scoped <c>ISiteRepository</c>) IS registered here, alongside
-    /// the <see cref="AuditLogPurgeOptions"/> + <see cref="SiteAuditReconciliationOptions"/>
-    /// bindings — so the two central singletons wired in the Host
-    /// (<see cref="AuditLogPurgeActor"/> + <see cref="SiteAuditReconciliationActor"/>)
-    /// can resolve their collaborators + options from the same central-only
-    /// helper. Keeping the enumerator + options on this central path preserves
-    /// the "every <c>Add*</c> call is safe from any composition root" invariant:
-    /// a site host never calls this helper, so it never registers a
-    /// site-dialing enumerator.
+    /// wrapping the scoped <c>ISiteRepository</c>) IS registered here — so the
+    /// <see cref="SiteAuditReconciliationActor"/> singleton wired in the Host can
+    /// resolve its enumerator + gRPC client from this central-only helper. Keeping
+    /// the enumerator on this central path preserves the "every <c>Add*</c> call is
+    /// safe from any composition root" invariant: a site host never calls this
+    /// helper, so it never registers a site-dialing enumerator. The
+    /// <see cref="AuditLogPurgeOptions"/> + <see cref="SiteAuditReconciliationOptions"/>
+    /// bindings live in <see cref="AddAuditLogCentralMaintenance"/> instead (I1
+    /// review fix) — that helper is unconditionally called on the central path, so
+    /// the two maintenance singletons get a valid <c>IOptions</c> even if this
+    /// gRPC-client helper is ever dropped.
     /// </para>
     /// </remarks>
     /// <param name="services">The service collection to register into.</param>
-    /// <param name="config">Application configuration used to bind the purge + reconciliation options sections.</param>
+    /// <param name="config">Application configuration used to bind the gRPC client's communication options (purge + reconciliation options are bound by <see cref="AddAuditLogCentralMaintenance"/>).</param>
     /// <returns>The same <see cref="IServiceCollection"/> for chaining.</returns>
     public static IServiceCollection AddAuditLogCentralReconciliationClient(
         this IServiceCollection services,
@@ -425,15 +445,12 @@ public static class ServiceCollectionExtensions
         // in SiteAuditReconciliationActor / AuditLogPurgeActor).
         services.TryAddSingleton<ISiteEnumerator>(sp => new SiteEnumerator(sp));
 
-        // Bind the two central-singleton options to their config sections.
-        // Defaults are fine when the section is absent (24 h purge cadence /
-        // 5 min reconciliation tick); production exposes IntervalHours /
-        // ReconciliationIntervalSeconds only — the test-only *Override knobs
-        // are intentionally not bound.
-        services.AddOptions<AuditLogPurgeOptions>()
-            .Bind(config.GetSection(PurgeSectionName));
-        services.AddOptions<SiteAuditReconciliationOptions>()
-            .Bind(config.GetSection(ReconciliationSectionName));
+        // I1 (review): the AuditLogPurgeOptions / SiteAuditReconciliationOptions
+        // bindings moved to AddAuditLogCentralMaintenance — that helper is always
+        // called on the central path, so the two maintenance singletons resolve a
+        // valid IOptions even if this gRPC-client helper is ever dropped. Keep the
+        // ISiteEnumerator + gRPC client registrations here (they dial sites and are
+        // central-only by design).
 
         // The invoker owns the per-endpoint GrpcChannel cache, so it must be a
         // singleton — a fresh invoker per resolution would leak channels.
diff --git a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Host.Tests/AkkaHostedServiceAuditWiringTests.cs b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Host.Tests/AkkaHostedServiceAuditWiringTests.cs
index f0f101f7..7855d876 100644
--- a/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Host.Tests/AkkaHostedServiceAuditWiringTests.cs
+++ b/tests/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.Host.Tests/AkkaHostedServiceAuditWiringTests.cs
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ using Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Hosting;
 using Microsoft.Extensions.Options;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog;
+using ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog.Central;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog.Site;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.AuditLog.Site.Telemetry;
 using ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.ClusterInfrastructure;
@@ -238,6 +239,36 @@ public class CentralAuditWiringTests : IDisposable
         Assert.NotNull(forwarder);
         Assert.IsType<CachedCallTelemetryForwarder>(forwarder);
     }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// I4 (review): the central composition root must register the production
+    /// reconciliation collaborators via
+    /// <c>AddAuditLogCentralReconciliationClient</c>. Asserting the concrete
+    /// implementations resolve here is a faster, clearer signal than a runtime
+    /// "actor not found" / cryptic <c>GetRequiredService</c> throw in
+    /// <c>AkkaHostedService.RegisterCentralActors</c> if that helper is ever
+    /// dropped from <c>Program.cs</c>.
+    /// </summary>
+    [Fact]
+    public void Central_Resolves_ISiteEnumerator_AsSiteEnumerator()
+    {
+        var enumerator = _factory.Services.GetService<ISiteEnumerator>();
+        Assert.NotNull(enumerator);
+        Assert.IsType<SiteEnumerator>(enumerator);
+    }
+
+    /// <summary>
+    /// I4 (review): companion to <see cref="Central_Resolves_ISiteEnumerator_AsSiteEnumerator"/>
+    /// — the production gRPC pull client must resolve on the central composition
+    /// root so the SiteAuditReconciliationActor singleton can dial sites.
+    /// </summary>
+    [Fact]
+    public void Central_Resolves_IPullAuditEventsClient_AsGrpcClient()
+    {
+        var client = _factory.Services.GetService<IPullAuditEventsClient>();
+        Assert.NotNull(client);
+        Assert.IsType<GrpcPullAuditEventsClient>(client);
+    }
 }
 
 /// <summary>