diff --git a/src/review/selftune-wire.ts b/src/review/selftune-wire.ts
index eb0971255..67e7f1b66 100644
--- a/src/review/selftune-wire.ts
+++ b/src/review/selftune-wire.ts
@@ -22,17 +22,15 @@
 // The mapping is deliberately conservative: it only ever populates the would-MERGE side of the matrix, so the
 // advisor can only ever recommend a TIGHTENING (raise the floor) or a no-op — never a loosening.
 //
-// CONFIG-APPLICATION — DEFERRED (NOT wired here), by design and per the convergence task:
-//   The ported override model is `confidenceFloor` (an auto-merge confidence floor in [0,1]) + `scopeCap`.
-//   Gittensory's gate has NEITHER concept — its live tunables are `qualityGateMinScore` / `slopGateMinScore`
-//   (integer score thresholds) and gate MODES (off/advisory/block), resolved via resolveRepositorySettings →
-//   GateCheckPolicy. There is no field a promoted `confidenceFloor`/`scopeCap` override maps onto, and
-//   gittensory's native accuracy signal measures gate FALSE POSITIVES (blocked-then-merged → a LOOSENING
-//   direction). Wiring a promoted override into the live gate is therefore engine-coupled AND points the wrong
-//   way, so it is intentionally NOT read by the gate yet: this module does the MIGRATION + shadow-soak + audit
-//   + recommendation recording, and a promoted override sits inert in `tunables_overrides`. Reading it into the
-//   live gate-config resolution is a noted follow-up that must not risk loosening the gate. (See loadOverride /
-//   resolveRepositorySettings — the seam exists; closing it needs a gittensory-native tightening tunable.)
+// CONFIG-APPLICATION — WIRED (live read-back, tightening-only):
+//   The ported override model is `confidenceFloor` (a proceed-confidence floor in [0,1]) + `scopeCap`. The live
+//   read-back lives in resolveRepositorySettings → `applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings`, gated by the SAME default-OFF
+//   GITTENSORY_REVIEW_SELFTUNE flag: it translates a promoted `confidenceFloor` into gittensory's NATIVE readiness
+//   tunable by RAISING an EXISTING `qualityGateMinScore` to `round(confidenceFloor * 100)` via a `max()`. By
+//   construction this can ONLY tighten — it never CREATES a readiness gate the operator didn't set, and never
+//   LOWERS one — so the always-tightening recommendation (this module only ever populates the would-merge error
+//   side, so the advisor can only raise the floor) reaches the live gate with no risk of loosening it. Flag-OFF
+//   (default) the override is never read and settings are byte-identical. (See applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings.)
 
 import { listRepositories } from "../db/repositories";
 import { isAgentConfigured } from "../settings/autonomy";
@@ -48,11 +46,11 @@ export function isSelfTuneEnabled(env: { GITTENSORY_REVIEW_SELFTUNE?: string | u
   return /^(1|true|yes|on)$/i.test(env.GITTENSORY_REVIEW_SELFTUNE ?? "");
 }
 
-/** The project's base confidence floor the tightening direction is judged against. Gittensory has no live
- *  confidenceFloor tunable (config-application is deferred), so a no-override project starts from an UNSET
- *  base — the apply path treats "no live floor" as the loosest state, so any positive floor recommendation is
- *  strictly tightening (it can only HOLD more, never add a bad auto-merge). Exposed as a constant so the
- *  config-application follow-up has a single place to source the real per-project base from. */
+/** The project's base confidence floor the tightening direction is judged against IN THE SOAK. Gittensory has no
+ *  live `confidenceFloor` tunable (the live read-back instead RAISES `qualityGateMinScore` — see
+ *  applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings), so a no-override project starts the soak from an UNSET base — the apply path
+ *  treats "no live floor" as the loosest state, so any positive floor recommendation is strictly tightening (it
+ *  can only HOLD more, never add a bad auto-merge). */
 export const SELFTUNE_BASE_CONFIDENCE_FLOOR = 0;
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/settings/repository-settings.ts b/src/settings/repository-settings.ts
index ddba01e79..ec44a8969 100644
--- a/src/settings/repository-settings.ts
+++ b/src/settings/repository-settings.ts
@@ -1,13 +1,44 @@
 import { getRepositorySettings } from "../db/repositories";
+import { loadOverride, type StorageEnv } from "../review/auto-apply";
 import { resolveEffectiveSettings } from "../signals/focus-manifest";
 import { loadRepoFocusManifest } from "../signals/focus-manifest-loader";
 import type { RepositorySettings } from "../types";
 
-/** Effective repository settings: DB values overlaid with `.gittensory.yml` (config-as-code). */
+/** Default-OFF self-tune flag (mirrors selftune-wire's `isSelfTuneEnabled`; inlined here to avoid a
+ *  selftune-wire → repository-settings → selftune-wire import cycle). */
+function selfTuneFlagOn(env: { GITTENSORY_REVIEW_SELFTUNE?: string | undefined }): boolean {
+  return /^(1|true|yes|on)$/i.test(env.GITTENSORY_REVIEW_SELFTUNE ?? "");
+}
+
+/** PURE: overlay a promoted (always TIGHTENING-only) self-tune override onto resolved settings. The auto-tune's
+ *  `confidenceFloor` [0,1] is translated to a readiness-score floor [0,100] and applied as a `max()`, so it can
+ *  ONLY RAISE an EXISTING `qualityGateMinScore` — never CREATE one (a repo with no readiness threshold keeps
+ *  none, respecting the operator's choice) and never LOWER it. No override / no floor / no existing threshold /
+ *  a floor at-or-below the current ⇒ settings are returned unchanged. This is the live read-back of the loop
+ *  that `auto-apply.ts` shadow-soaks + promotes into `tunables_overrides` (the read-back was previously deferred). */
+export function applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings(
+  settings: RepositorySettings,
+  override: { confidenceFloor?: number | undefined } | null,
+): RepositorySettings {
+  const floor = override?.confidenceFloor;
+  if (floor === undefined) return settings; // no override / no promoted floor
+  const current = settings.qualityGateMinScore;
+  if (typeof current !== "number") return settings; // never CREATE a readiness gate the operator didn't set
+  const floorScore = Math.max(0, Math.min(100, Math.round(floor * 100)));
+  return floorScore > current ? { ...settings, qualityGateMinScore: floorScore } : settings; // raise only
+}
+
+/** Effective repository settings: DB values overlaid with `.gittensory.yml` (config-as-code), then — when the
+ *  self-improvement loop is enabled (`GITTENSORY_REVIEW_SELFTUNE`, default OFF) — with the repo's promoted,
+ *  soak-passed, tightening-only auto-tune override. Flag-OFF (default) ⇒ no override read, byte-identical to before. */
 export async function resolveRepositorySettings(env: Env, repoFullName: string): Promise<RepositorySettings> {
   const [dbSettings, manifest] = await Promise.all([
     getRepositorySettings(env, repoFullName),
     loadRepoFocusManifest(env, repoFullName),
   ]);
-  return resolveEffectiveSettings(dbSettings, manifest);
+  const effective = resolveEffectiveSettings(dbSettings, manifest);
+  if (!selfTuneFlagOn(env)) return effective;
+  // loadOverride is internally fail-safe (returns null on a DB blip), so this never breaks settings resolution.
+  const override = await loadOverride(env as unknown as StorageEnv, repoFullName);
+  return applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings(effective, override);
 }
diff --git a/test/unit/selftune-readback.test.ts b/test/unit/selftune-readback.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..874afc080
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/selftune-readback.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { upsertRepositorySettings } from "../../src/db/repositories";
+import { writeLiveOverride, type StorageEnv } from "../../src/review/auto-apply";
+import { applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings, resolveRepositorySettings } from "../../src/settings/repository-settings";
+import type { RepositorySettings } from "../../src/types";
+import { createTestEnv } from "../helpers/d1";
+
+// The promoted override is ALWAYS a tightening (selftune-wire only ever populates the would-merge error side),
+// so the read-back must only ever RAISE an existing readiness threshold — never create or lower one.
+const baseSettings = { qualityGateMinScore: 50 } as RepositorySettings;
+
+describe("applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings — tightening-only live read-back (#self-improve)", () => {
+  it("RAISES an existing readiness threshold to the promoted floor (confidenceFloor 0.7 → 70)", () => {
+    expect(applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings(baseSettings, { confidenceFloor: 0.7 }).qualityGateMinScore).toBe(70);
+  });
+
+  it("NEVER lowers — a floor at or below the current threshold is a no-op (same object back)", () => {
+    expect(applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings(baseSettings, { confidenceFloor: 0.5 })).toBe(baseSettings); // 50 ≯ 50
+    expect(applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings(baseSettings, { confidenceFloor: 0.3 })).toBe(baseSettings); // 30 < 50
+  });
+
+  it("NEVER creates a gate the operator didn't set (null threshold ⇒ unchanged)", () => {
+    const noGate = { qualityGateMinScore: null } as RepositorySettings;
+    expect(applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings(noGate, { confidenceFloor: 0.9 })).toBe(noGate);
+  });
+
+  it("no override / no promoted floor ⇒ unchanged", () => {
+    expect(applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings(baseSettings, null)).toBe(baseSettings);
+    expect(applySelfTuneOverrideToSettings(baseSettings, {})).toBe(baseSettings);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("resolveRepositorySettings — self-tune override overlay (flag-gated)", () => {
+  const repo = "acme/widgets";
+  async function seed(env: Env): Promise<void> {
+    await env.DB.prepare("INSERT INTO repositories (full_name, owner, name, is_installed, is_registered) VALUES (?, 'acme', 'widgets', 1, 1)").bind(repo).run();
+    await upsertRepositorySettings(env, { repoFullName: repo, qualityGateMinScore: 50 });
+    await writeLiveOverride(env as unknown as StorageEnv, repo, { confidenceFloor: 0.7 });
+  }
+
+  it("flag ON: overlays the promoted tightening override (50 → 70)", async () => {
+    const env = createTestEnv({ GITTENSORY_REVIEW_SELFTUNE: "true" });
+    await seed(env);
+    expect((await resolveRepositorySettings(env, repo)).qualityGateMinScore).toBe(70);
+  });
+
+  it("flag OFF (default): the override is never read — settings stay byte-identical (50)", async () => {
+    const env = createTestEnv();
+    await seed(env);
+    expect((await resolveRepositorySettings(env, repo)).qualityGateMinScore).toBe(50);
+  });
+});