diff --git a/docs/requirements/Component-DeploymentManager.md b/docs/requirements/Component-DeploymentManager.md
index 637c1b21..50bf6f79 100644
--- a/docs/requirements/Component-DeploymentManager.md
+++ b/docs/requirements/Component-DeploymentManager.md
@@ -84,7 +84,14 @@ All mutating operations on a single instance (deploy, disable, enable, delete) s
 |---------------|--------|---------|--------|--------|
 | Enabled | Yes | Yes | No (already enabled) | Yes |
 | Disabled | Yes (enables on apply) | No (already disabled) | Yes | Yes |
-| Not deployed | Yes (initial deploy) | No | No | No |
+| Not deployed | Yes (initial deploy) | No | No | Yes (removes the orphan record) |
+
+> **Delete from Not deployed:** permitted so an instance that was previously
+> undeployed (state `NotDeployed`) can have its record fully removed —
+> deployment history, snapshot, attribute/alarm overrides, and connection
+> bindings — rather than lingering as an unremovable orphan. There is no live
+> site configuration to tear down in this state, so the delete is a
+> central-side record cleanup (no site round-trip required).
 
 ## System-Wide Artifact Deployment Failure Handling
 
diff --git a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager/StateTransitionValidator.cs b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager/StateTransitionValidator.cs
index 84e91163..c12d4886 100644
--- a/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager/StateTransitionValidator.cs
+++ b/src/ZB.MOM.WW.ScadaBridge.DeploymentManager/StateTransitionValidator.cs
@@ -37,6 +37,14 @@ public static class StateTransitionValidator
     /// <summary>Returns true when a delete operation is allowed from the given state.</summary>
     /// <param name="currentState">The current instance state.</param>
     /// <returns><see langword="true"/> if delete is permitted; otherwise <see langword="false"/>.</returns>
+    /// <remarks>
+    /// Delete is allowed from <see cref="InstanceState.NotDeployed"/> by design: an
+    /// undeployed instance would otherwise linger as an unremovable orphan record.
+    /// Delete from <c>NotDeployed</c> is a central-side record cleanup (no live site
+    /// config to tear down). This matches the state-transition matrix in
+    /// Component-DeploymentManager.md ("Delete from Not deployed = Yes") — reconciled
+    /// in M2.17 (#31); the deliberate behaviour was introduced in commit 1d5465f3.
+    /// </remarks>
     public static bool CanDelete(InstanceState currentState) =>
         currentState is InstanceState.NotDeployed or InstanceState.Enabled or InstanceState.Disabled;