diff --git a/.github/workflows/dependency-report.yml b/.github/workflows/dependency-report.yml
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..16908468b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/dependency-report.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+# Fortnightly dependency report. Surfaces outdated direct dependencies and audit
+# vulnerabilities into a rolling issue. REPORT ONLY — it never updates deps; acting
+# on the report means running the AGENTS.md `dependency` protocol by hand.
+#
+# SHIPPED DISABLED: workflow_dispatch only; the schedule is commented out. To enable
+# the cadence, uncomment `schedule:` and run one dispatch to confirm the issue.
+name: Dependency Report
+
+on:
+  workflow_dispatch: {}
+  # schedule:
+  #   # 07:00 UTC on the 1st and 15th.
+  #   - cron: "0 7 1,15 * *"
+
+concurrency:
+  group: dependency-report
+  cancel-in-progress: false
+
+permissions:
+  contents: read
+  issues: write
+
+jobs:
+  dependency-report:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-24.04
+    timeout-minutes: 15
+    steps:
+      - name: Checkout
+        uses: actions/checkout@v6
+        with:
+          persist-credentials: false
+
+      - name: Setup Node.js
+        uses: actions/setup-node@v5
+        with:
+          node-version-file: ".nvmrc"
+          cache: npm
+          cache-dependency-path: package-lock.json
+
+      - name: Install dependencies
+        run: npm ci
+
+      - name: Render dependency report
+        id: report
+        run: node scripts/dependency-report.mjs --out dependency-report.md
+
+      - name: Publish to rolling issue
+        uses: actions/github-script@v9
+        env:
+          # Pass step outputs via env (not inline template expansion) to avoid the
+          # GitHub Actions template-injection pattern, even though both values are
+          # currently a fixed enum / plain integer produced by our own script.
+          OUTDATED_COUNT: ${{ steps.report.outputs.outdated }}
+          SEVERITY: ${{ steps.report.outputs.severity }}
+        with:
+          script: |
+            const fs = require("fs");
+            const label = "dependency-report";
+            const body = fs.readFileSync("dependency-report.md", "utf8");
+            const outdated = Number(process.env.OUTDATED_COUNT || "0");
+            const severity = process.env.SEVERITY || "none";
+            const { data: existing } = await github.rest.issues.listForRepo({
+              owner: context.repo.owner,
+              repo: context.repo.repo,
+              state: "open",
+              labels: label,
+            });
+            let issueNumber;
+            if (existing.length > 0) {
+              issueNumber = existing[0].number;
+              await github.rest.issues.update({
+                owner: context.repo.owner,
+                repo: context.repo.repo,
+                issue_number: issueNumber,
+                body,
+              });
+            } else {
+              const created = await github.rest.issues.create({
+                owner: context.repo.owner,
+                repo: context.repo.repo,
+                title: "Dependency report",
+                labels: [label],
+                body,
+              });
+              issueNumber = created.data.number;
+            }
+            // Notify only when there are high/critical vulns.
+            if (severity === "high" || severity === "critical") {
+              await github.rest.issues.createComment({
+                owner: context.repo.owner,
+                repo: context.repo.repo,
+                issue_number: issueNumber,
+                body: `⚠ ${severity} vulnerability present (${outdated} outdated direct deps) — ${new Date().toISOString()}`,
+              });
+              core.warning(`Dependency audit highest severity: ${severity}`);
+            }
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 2d0406cc0..98934ff11 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@
     "sweep:branch-ledger": "node scripts/sweep-branch-ledger.mjs",
     "docs:check-links": "node scripts/check-docs-links.mjs",
     "docs:check-scripts": "node scripts/check-docs-script-refs.mjs",
+    "deps:report": "node scripts/dependency-report.mjs",
     "docs:check-index": "node scripts/check-codebase-index-coverage.mjs",
     "sitemap:update": "node scripts/run-tsx.mjs scripts/generate-site-map.ts",
     "sitemap:check": "node scripts/run-tsx.mjs scripts/generate-site-map.ts --check",
diff --git a/scripts/dependency-report.mjs b/scripts/dependency-report.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1959f80ad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/dependency-report.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,153 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+/**
+ * dependency-report — render a digest of outdated direct dependencies and audit
+ * vulnerabilities. REPORTS ONLY; it never updates anything.
+ *
+ * This repo's `dependency` maintenance is a careful, judgment-heavy protocol
+ * (compatibility audit, grouped upgrades — see AGENTS.md), never an unattended
+ * bulk-bump. So the cron just surfaces drift + vulnerabilities proactively; a
+ * human/agent then runs the real protocol. Reads only npm registry metadata.
+ *
+ * Flags:
+ *   --out <path>   also write the Markdown digest to a file (for the workflow)
+ *   --input <file> read a pre-captured { outdated, audit } JSON instead of running
+ *                  npm (used by tests / offline runs)
+ *
+ * Always exits 0 (`npm outdated`/`npm audit` exit non-zero merely because findings
+ * exist — that is normal, not a script failure).
+ */
+import { execFileSync } from "node:child_process";
+import { readFileSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs";
+import { pathToFileURL } from "node:url";
+
+function argValue(name) {
+  const i = process.argv.indexOf(name);
+  return i >= 0 ? process.argv[i + 1] : undefined;
+}
+
+// `npm outdated --json` and `npm audit --json` exit non-zero when they find
+// something; capture stdout regardless of exit code. But a REAL failure
+// (network/registry/auth) also lands in catch — surface its stderr so the run
+// logs show it instead of silently rendering a clean-looking report.
+function runNpmJson(args) {
+  try {
+    return execFileSync("npm", args, { encoding: "utf8", stdio: ["ignore", "pipe", "pipe"] });
+  } catch (error) {
+    if (error.stderr) process.stderr.write(String(error.stderr));
+    return error.stdout?.toString() ?? "";
+  }
+}
+
+function parseJsonSafe(text, fallback) {
+  try {
+    return text.trim() ? JSON.parse(text) : fallback;
+  } catch {
+    process.stderr.write(`[dependency-report] warning: failed to parse npm JSON output: ${text.slice(0, 200)}\n`);
+    return fallback;
+  }
+}
+
+function majorOf(version) {
+  const m = /^\D*(\d+)/.exec(String(version ?? ""));
+  return m ? Number.parseInt(m[1], 10) : null;
+}
+
+/**
+ * Pure renderer. `outdated` is the `npm outdated --json` object (pkg → {current,
+ * wanted, latest}), or `null` when the outdated check itself failed (rendered as
+ * "data unavailable" rather than a falsely-clean "none"). `audit` is the
+ * `npm audit --json` object. Returns Markdown.
+ */
+export function renderDependencyReport(outdated, audit) {
+  const stamp = new Date().toISOString();
+  const lines = [`### Dependency report — ${stamp}`, ""];
+
+  if (outdated == null) {
+    lines.push("**Outdated direct dependencies:** data unavailable (npm outdated failed — see run logs).");
+  } else if (Object.keys(outdated).length === 0) {
+    lines.push("**Outdated direct dependencies:** none 🎉");
+  } else {
+    const entries = Object.entries(outdated);
+    const majors = entries.filter(([, v]) => {
+      const cur = majorOf(v.current);
+      const latest = majorOf(v.latest);
+      return cur != null && latest != null && latest > cur;
+    });
+    lines.push(`**Outdated direct dependencies:** ${entries.length} (${majors.length} major)`, "");
+    lines.push("| package | current | wanted | latest | major? |", "| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |");
+    for (const [name, v] of entries.sort((a, b) => a[0].localeCompare(b[0]))) {
+      const isMajor = majorOf(v.latest) != null && majorOf(v.current) != null && majorOf(v.latest) > majorOf(v.current);
+      lines.push(
+        `| ${name} | ${v.current ?? "?"} | ${v.wanted ?? "?"} | ${v.latest ?? "?"} | ${isMajor ? "⚠ yes" : "—"} |`,
+      );
+    }
+  }
+
+  const vulns = audit?.metadata?.vulnerabilities;
+  lines.push("");
+  if (vulns) {
+    const { info = 0, low = 0, moderate = 0, high = 0, critical = 0, total = 0 } = vulns;
+    lines.push(
+      `**Vulnerabilities:** ${total} total — critical ${critical}, high ${high}, moderate ${moderate}, low ${low}, info ${info}`,
+    );
+  } else {
+    lines.push("**Vulnerabilities:** audit data unavailable.");
+  }
+
+  lines.push(
+    "",
+    "_Report only. Run the AGENTS.md `dependency` protocol (compatibility audit + grouped upgrades) to act — never a bulk auto-bump._",
+  );
+  return lines.join("\n") + "\n";
+}
+
+/** Highest severity present, for the workflow to decide whether to notify. */
+export function highestSeverity(audit) {
+  const v = audit?.metadata?.vulnerabilities ?? {};
+  for (const level of ["critical", "high", "moderate", "low"]) {
+    if ((v[level] ?? 0) > 0) return level;
+  }
+  return "none";
+}
+
+function main() {
+  const inputPath = argValue("--input");
+  let outdated;
+  let audit;
+  if (inputPath) {
+    const payload = parseJsonSafe(readFileSync(inputPath, "utf8"), {});
+    outdated = payload.outdated ?? {};
+    audit = payload.audit ?? {};
+  } else {
+    outdated = parseJsonSafe(runNpmJson(["outdated", "--json"]), {});
+    // Include dev dependencies: the repo's dependency-maintenance protocol covers the
+    // dev toolchain (Vitest/Playwright/ESLint), and prod-only high/critical is already
+    // gated by the CI safety job's `npm audit --omit=dev --audit-level=high`.
+    audit = parseJsonSafe(runNpmJson(["audit", "--json"]), {});
+  }
+
+  // A failed `npm outdated --json` can still emit a JSON error payload ({ error: … }) on
+  // stdout; treat that as "data unavailable" rather than counting `error` as a package.
+  if (outdated && typeof outdated === "object" && "error" in outdated) {
+    process.stderr.write(
+      `[dependency-report] warning: npm outdated failed: ${JSON.stringify(outdated.error).slice(0, 200)}\n`,
+    );
+    outdated = null;
+  }
+
+  const digest = renderDependencyReport(outdated, audit);
+  process.stdout.write(digest);
+  const out = argValue("--out");
+  if (out) writeFileSync(out, digest);
+
+  if (process.env.GITHUB_OUTPUT) {
+    const outdatedCount = Object.keys(outdated ?? {}).length;
+    writeFileSync(process.env.GITHUB_OUTPUT, `outdated=${outdatedCount}\nseverity=${highestSeverity(audit)}\n`, {
+      flag: "a",
+    });
+  }
+  process.exit(0);
+}
+
+const invokedDirectly = process.argv[1] && import.meta.url === pathToFileURL(process.argv[1]).href;
+if (invokedDirectly) main();
diff --git a/tests/dependency-report.test.ts b/tests/dependency-report.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..67df1aa50
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/dependency-report.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { highestSeverity, renderDependencyReport } from "../scripts/dependency-report.mjs";
+
+describe("renderDependencyReport", () => {
+  it("reports 'none' when nothing is outdated", () => {
+    const md = renderDependencyReport({}, { metadata: { vulnerabilities: { total: 0 } } });
+    expect(md).toContain("none 🎉");
+    expect(md).toContain("Vulnerabilities:** 0 total");
+  });
+
+  it("tables outdated deps and flags major bumps", () => {
+    const md = renderDependencyReport(
+      {
+        next: { current: "16.2.10", wanted: "16.2.10", latest: "16.3.0" },
+        zod: { current: "3.24.0", wanted: "3.24.1", latest: "4.4.3" },
+      },
+      { metadata: { vulnerabilities: { moderate: 2, total: 2 } } },
+    );
+    expect(md).toContain("2 (1 major)");
+    // zod 3 → 4 is a major bump
+    expect(md).toMatch(/\| zod \|.*⚠ yes \|/);
+    // next 16 → 16 is not
+    expect(md).toMatch(/\| next \|.*— \|/);
+    expect(md).toContain("moderate 2");
+  });
+
+  it("handles missing audit data gracefully", () => {
+    const md = renderDependencyReport({}, {});
+    expect(md).toContain("audit data unavailable");
+  });
+
+  it("renders 'data unavailable' (not 'none') when the outdated check failed", () => {
+    const md = renderDependencyReport(null, { metadata: { vulnerabilities: { total: 0 } } });
+    expect(md).toContain("data unavailable");
+    expect(md).not.toContain("none 🎉");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("highestSeverity", () => {
+  it("returns the most severe non-zero level", () => {
+    expect(highestSeverity({ metadata: { vulnerabilities: { high: 1, low: 3 } } })).toBe("high");
+    expect(highestSeverity({ metadata: { vulnerabilities: { low: 3 } } })).toBe("low");
+    expect(highestSeverity({ metadata: { vulnerabilities: {} } })).toBe("none");
+    expect(highestSeverity({})).toBe("none");
+  });
+});