diff --git a/deploy/README.md b/deploy/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..04e701e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+# Deploy
+
+## Dream cycle (`lyra-dream.service`)
+
+Lyra's unattended inner loop. Runs `lyra-dream --loop 1800` so she consolidates
+memory and reflects every 30 min between conversations. Installed as a
+**systemd user service** on `lyra-cortex` (10.0.0.41), running as `serversdown`
+— no root needed to manage it.
+
+### Install / update
+
+```bash
+cp deploy/lyra-dream.service ~/.config/systemd/user/lyra-dream.service
+systemctl --user daemon-reload
+systemctl --user enable --now lyra-dream.service
+```
+
+### Persist across reboot / logout (one-time, needs sudo)
+
+A user service stops when the user logs out and doesn't start at boot until
+login — unless lingering is enabled:
+
+```bash
+sudo loginctl enable-linger serversdown
+```
+
+### Operate
+
+```bash
+systemctl --user status lyra-dream.service      # is she ticking?
+journalctl --user -u lyra-dream.service -f       # watch her think (logbus -> stderr)
+systemctl --user restart lyra-dream.service      # after a code change
+systemctl --user stop lyra-dream.service         # quiet her down
+```
+
+Tunables live in `lyra/dream.py` (drive thresholds, curiosity gains) and the
+`--loop` interval in the unit's `ExecStart`. The consolidation backend follows
+`SUMMARY_BACKEND` in `.env` (cloud gpt-4o-mini for bulk; the MI50 is too slow
+for the summarization backfill).
diff --git a/deploy/lyra-dream.service b/deploy/lyra-dream.service
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff9b4c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deploy/lyra-dream.service
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+[Unit]
+Description=Lyra dream cycle — unattended consolidation + reflection loop
+Documentation=https://github.com/serversdown/project-lyra
+
+[Service]
+Type=simple
+WorkingDirectory=/home/serversdown/project-lyra
+# Clear any stray VIRTUAL_ENV so uv resolves the project's own .venv.
+UnsetEnvironment=VIRTUAL_ENV
+ExecStart=/home/serversdown/.local/bin/uv run lyra-dream --loop 1800
+Restart=on-failure
+RestartSec=30
+
+[Install]
+WantedBy=default.target
diff --git a/lyra/logbus.py b/lyra/logbus.py
index 08aefd4..3026a94 100644
--- a/lyra/logbus.py
+++ b/lyra/logbus.py
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ ephemeral — it's an activity feed, not durable logging.
 """
 from __future__ import annotations
 
+import sys
 import threading
 import time
 from collections import deque
@@ -23,6 +24,10 @@ def log(level: str, msg: str, **fields) -> None:
         _EVENTS.append(
             {"seq": _SEQ, "ts": time.time(), "level": level, "msg": msg, "fields": fields}
         )
+    # Mirror to stderr so out-of-band runs (e.g. the dream service under
+    # systemd/journald) are observable, not just via the in-process SSE feed.
+    extra = " ".join(f"{k}={v}" for k, v in fields.items())
+    print(f"[{level}] {msg}{(' ' + extra) if extra else ''}", file=sys.stderr, flush=True)
 
 
 def since(seq: int) -> list[dict]: