ptr727 · Jul 22, 2026 · Jul 22, 2026 · Jul 22, 2026 · Jul 22, 2026 · Jul 22, 2026
diff --git a/STANDUP.md b/STANDUP.md
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ Implement the Actions that satisfy [`WORKFLOW.md`][workflow] for the repo's type
 
 ## 4. Apply Settings, Rulesets, and Secrets
 
-Run `repo-config/configure.sh [owner/repo] [release|operational]` (the repo defaults to the current one, the model to the registry lookup or, absent a registry, to the carried payload) to apply the fleet settings and the two rulesets idempotently (import the JSON, never hand-build - see [`docs/repo-config-carry.md`][repo-config-carry]). Configure every required secret per [`spec/secrets.json`][secrets] (the registry `requiredSecrets[]` list plus the implicit baseline) in the right store(s) - Actions, and Dependabot where the mechanism needs it - and confirm no forbidden secret is present. The required check binds by name (`Check pull request workflow status job`) and turns green only after the PR workflow has run once.
+Run `repo-config/configure.sh apply [owner/repo] [release|operational]` (the repo defaults to the current one, the model to the registry lookup or, absent a registry, to the carried payload) to apply the fleet settings, the Dependabot security features, and the two rulesets idempotently (import the JSON, never hand-build - see [`docs/repo-config-carry.md`][repo-config-carry]), then `repo-config/configure.sh check [owner/repo] [release|operational]` to validate the repo and exit non-zero on any drift. Configure every required secret per [`spec/secrets.json`][secrets] (the registry `requiredSecrets[]` list plus the implicit baseline) in the right store(s) - Actions, and Dependabot where the mechanism needs it - and confirm no forbidden secret is present. The required check binds by name (`Check pull request workflow status job`) and turns green only after the PR workflow has run once.
 
 ## 5. Verify - Run the Audit
 

diff --git a/docs/repo-config-carry.md b/docs/repo-config-carry.md
@@ -16,13 +16,13 @@ Every fleet repo carries the `repo-config/` directory. The hub keeps the canonic
 
 **Configure by importing the JSON payloads, never by hand-building the rules** (hand reconstruction has gone wrong on past setups). The result must be **exactly two rulesets named `develop` and `main`** - the names are load-bearing (`AGENTS.md` and the workflows reference them). Only the `develop` *content* varies by model.
 
-First remove all legacy classic branch-protection rules and any stray rulesets, then run `configure.sh` (which picks the `develop` payload from the repo's `workflowModel`, or infers it from the carried payload when no registry is present, and applies `settings.json` alongside the rulesets):
+First remove all legacy classic branch-protection rules and any stray rulesets, then run `configure.sh apply` (which picks the `develop` payload from the repo's `workflowModel`, or infers it from the carried payload when no registry is present, and applies `settings.json` and the Dependabot security features alongside the rulesets):
 
 ```sh
-repo-config/configure.sh [owner/repo] [release|operational]
+repo-config/configure.sh apply [owner/repo] [release|operational]
 ```
 
-Or import each ruleset by hand with `gh api -X POST repos/<owner>/<repo>/rulesets --input repo-config/<name>.json` (operational repos use `operational/develop.json` for `develop`). `gh ruleset` is read-only, so creation goes through `gh api`. The required check binds by name and only turns green after the repo's PR workflow runs once. To edit a live ruleset, GET it, change the field, and PUT the whole writable subset back (a partial PUT `422`s).
+Then validate the result with `repo-config/configure.sh check [owner/repo] [release|operational]`, which asserts every applied ruleset, setting, and security feature and exits non-zero on drift (the ruleset and settings checks are driven by the committed payloads, so they stay repo-agnostic). Or import each ruleset by hand with `gh api -X POST repos/<owner>/<repo>/rulesets --input repo-config/<name>.json` (operational repos use `operational/develop.json` for `develop`). `gh ruleset` is read-only, so creation goes through `gh api`. The required check binds by name and only turns green after the repo's PR workflow runs once. To edit a live ruleset, GET it, change the field, and PUT the whole writable subset back (a partial PUT `422`s).
 
 ## Regenerating the Payloads
 

diff --git a/repo-config/README.md b/repo-config/README.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ Repository and branch configuration held as committed files, kept out of `.githu
 
 - `main.json` plus one `develop` variant - the branch rulesets as the writable API subset (`name`, `target`, `enforcement`, `bypass_actors`, `conditions`, `rules`). The `develop` payload is `develop.json` (`release` repos) or `operational/develop.json` (`operational` repos). These are the canonical expected payloads that the self-audit (`AUDIT.md`) diffs the live rulesets against.
 - `operational/develop.json` - the `develop` ruleset for **operational** repos (registry `workflowModel: operational`): direct signed pushes, no PR gate. Present in operational repos only - a `release` repo does not have it. See "Rulesets" below.
-- `configure.sh` - applies the rulesets and settings to a repository via the GitHub API (create or full-payload update, idempotent). Run `repo-config/configure.sh [owner/repo] [release|operational]`; the model may also be passed as the sole argument (`repo-config/configure.sh operational`). The model defaults to the registry `workflowModel` lookup where a registry is present, else it is inferred from which `develop` payload is present (an ambiguous layout aborts rather than guesses).
+- `configure.sh` - two modes over the GitHub API. `configure.sh apply [owner/repo] [release|operational]` creates-or-updates the settings, the Dependabot security features, and the rulesets idempotently (a full-payload update). `configure.sh check [owner/repo] [release|operational]` is the read-only inverse and exits non-zero on any drift, with the ruleset and settings assertions driven by the committed payloads so they stay repo-agnostic (rule presence, merge methods, and required checks, not a byte diff - so a GitHub-normalized stored ruleset does not false-positive). The command defaults to `apply`, the repo to the current one, and the model to the registry `workflowModel` lookup (or, absent a registry, inference from the carried `develop` payload - an ambiguous layout aborts rather than guesses). The model may be passed as the sole positional (`configure.sh check operational`).
 
 ## Rulesets
 
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ Publish credentials required per mechanism are enumerated in `spec/secrets.json`
 
 ## Repo Settings
 
-The fleet-standard general settings live in [`settings.json`][settings-json] and are applied idempotently by `configure.sh` alongside the rulesets (`gh api PATCH /repos/{owner}/{repo}`). The two settings that depend on per-repo state - `has_discussions` (visibility) and `default_branch` (main-must-exist) - are computed by the script, not stored in the file.
+The fleet-standard general settings live in [`settings.json`][settings-json] and are applied idempotently by `configure.sh apply` alongside the rulesets (`gh api PATCH /repos/{owner}/{repo}`). The two settings that depend on per-repo state - `has_discussions` (visibility) and `default_branch` (main-must-exist) - are computed by the script, not stored in the file. `configure.sh apply` also enables Dependabot vulnerability alerts and automated security updates - fleet policy applied via the API, not a `settings.json` key. `configure.sh check` validates all of these and exits non-zero on drift.
 
 - **Default branch `main`** (the script sets it only when a `main` branch exists, never pointing the default at a missing branch).
 - **Merge methods**: `Allow merge commits` and `Allow squash merging` on, **rebase off** - each branch ruleset then picks its method (merge on `main`, squash on `develop`).