diff --git a/docs/agent-networks/01-end-to-end-flows.md b/docs/agent-networks/01-end-to-end-flows.md
index b8891001b..0de6b4c33 100644
--- a/docs/agent-networks/01-end-to-end-flows.md
+++ b/docs/agent-networks/01-end-to-end-flows.md
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ sequenceDiagram
         Resp->>Resp: parse usage tokens, completion
         Note over Resp: capture_completion gates raw<br/>completion capture
         Resp->>Cost: tokens
-        Cost->>Cost: lookup pricing.yaml + compute cost
+        Cost->>Cost: lookup rates from config-delivered<br/>pricing table + compute cost
         Cost->>Rec: tokens + cost
         Rec->>MgmtGrpc: RecordLLMUsage(provider, model, prompt_t, completion_t, cost, groups, user)
         Rec-->>Log: emit access-log entry<br/>(if EnableLogCollection)
diff --git a/docs/agent-networks/modules/21-management-agentnetwork.md b/docs/agent-networks/modules/21-management-agentnetwork.md
index cc74206e9..f91c369f7 100644
--- a/docs/agent-networks/modules/21-management-agentnetwork.md
+++ b/docs/agent-networks/modules/21-management-agentnetwork.md
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ Inside the package: `manager.go` is the CRUD + permissions-gated facade; `synthe
 | ---- | ---- |
 | `agentnetwork/manager.go` | Manager interface + CRUD + permission gates + bootstrap-settings + reconcile trigger |
 | `agentnetwork/synthesizer.go` | Settings/policy → wire-format synthesis; sole writer of the proxy middleware chain |
+| `agentnetwork/synthesizer_pricing.go` | `buildCostMeterConfigJSON` — default table + per-provider prices → `cost_meter` config |
+| `agentnetwork/pricing/defaults.go` | Default pricing table derived from the catalog + supplementals; `DefaultTable`, `LookupDefault`, wire `Entry` |
+| `agentnetwork/pricing/override.go` | `LoadFile`/`StartReloader` for `AgentNetwork.PricingDefaultsFile` (mtime poll, merge over compiled-in base) |
+| `agentnetwork/pricing/{exampleyaml,gen}.go` | Generates `defaults_llm_pricing.example.yaml` from the compiled-in table (golden-tested) |
 | `agentnetwork/policyselect.go` | Per-request policy attribution + account-budget ceiling (min-wins) |
 | `agentnetwork/reconcile.go` | Per-account synth diff vs in-memory cache → Create/Update/Delete |
 | `agentnetwork/catalog/catalog.go` | Static provider catalogue (auth headers, identity-injection shapes) |
@@ -48,6 +52,8 @@ flowchart TD
     I --> J[indexProviderGroups: providerID -> sorted source groups]
     J --> K[buildRouterConfigJSON drops orphan providers]
     J --> L[buildIdentityInjectConfigJSON per catalog entry]
+    J --> K2[buildCostMeterConfigJSON: default table + per-provider prices]
+    K2 --> P
     H --> M[mergeGuardrails: union allowlist, OR redact]
     M --> N[applyAccountCollectionControls account toggle = SOLE capture control]
     N --> O[marshalGuardrailConfig]
@@ -60,6 +66,84 @@ flowchart TD
     R --> T[accountManager.UpdateAccountPeers — fans synth ACLs into network map]
 ```
 
+### LLM pricing (management is the sole authority)
+
+**The proxy carries no price list.** Management synthesizes the entire pricing
+table and ships it inside `cost_meter`'s `ConfigJSON`, so a price change reaches
+the proxies as an ordinary mapping push — the chain rebuild installs a fresh
+table and there is nothing to reload on the proxy side.
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart TD
+    A[catalog.All — PricingSurfaces x Models] --> B[buildDefaultTable + supplementalDefaults]
+    B --> C{AgentNetwork.PricingDefaultsFile}
+    C -- absent --> D[compiled-in table serves]
+    C -- loaded --> E[LoadFile: merge file entries WHOLE over compiled base]
+    E --> F[mergedTable atomic.Pointer]
+    D --> G[DefaultTable]
+    F --> G
+    G --> H[buildCostMeterConfigJSON — pricing.defaults]
+    I[types.Provider.Models operator prices] --> J[normalizePricingModelID<br/>bedrock ARN/region/version, vertex @version]
+    J --> K[materializeEntry: default entry as base,<br/>operator input/output verbatim,<br/>cache pointers only when non-nil]
+    K --> L[pricing.providers keyed by provider record ID]
+    H --> M[cost_meter ConfigJSON]
+    L --> M
+    G --> N[GET /catalog — applyDefaultPricing prefills dashboard rows]
+    O[StartReloader: mtime poll every ReloadInterval 1m] --> E
+```
+
+**Two tiers, resolved per request on the proxy** (`synthesizer_pricing.go:22-35`):
+
+- `pricing.defaults` — surface (`openai`/`anthropic`/`bedrock`) → normalized model
+  id → rates. The **full** default table ships to every account: it is small
+  (~10 KB) and it is what keeps gateway-style providers (which enumerate no
+  models, so they claim every model) priced.
+- `pricing.providers` — provider **record** id → normalized model id → rates,
+  matched against the `llm.resolved_provider_id` the router stamps. Entries are
+  **fully materialized here**, at synth time: `materializeEntry` starts from the
+  default entry for that model so cache rates the operator didn't state are
+  inherited, overlays operator `input`/`output` verbatim (**including an explicit
+  0**, which prices a self-hosted or internal endpoint as free rather than
+  silently reverting to list price), and overlays cache-rate **pointers only when
+  non-nil** — `nil` means "inherit the default", an explicit `0` means "no
+  discount, bill this bucket at the input rate". The proxy therefore does two map
+  lookups and no merging.
+
+Same orphan rule as the router: a provider no enabled policy authorises is
+unreachable, so its prices aren't shipped. Model ids are normalized with the
+**same** functions the request parser uses (`NormalizeBedrockModel` /
+`NormalizeVertexModel`), which is what makes the per-record lookup key compare
+equal to the `llm.model` the proxy meters. Post-normalization duplicates resolve
+first-occurrence-wins, matching the routing dedup order.
+
+**`AgentNetwork.PricingDefaultsFile`** (`config.go:190-207`) lets an operator
+replace default rates without a rebuild. Schema is `surface → model → rates`
+(`input_per_1k`, `output_per_1k`, and optional `cached_input_per_1k` /
+`cache_read_per_1k` / `cache_creation_per_1k`). Semantics:
+
+- A **relative** path resolves against `<Datadir>`, so a bare filename lands
+  alongside the store. Empty config probes `<Datadir>/defaults_llm_pricing.yaml`.
+- An **explicitly configured** path is *required to load*: a typo or malformed
+  file fails startup, because the operator believes those rates are live. The
+  conventional probe is optional — an absent file just serves compiled-in
+  defaults, and the path stays watched in case it appears later.
+- File entries **replace** the compiled-in entry for the same (surface, model)
+  **whole** — they are not field-merged, so an entry must repeat the cache rates
+  it wants to keep. Everything the file doesn't mention keeps built-in rates.
+- Unknown YAML fields are rejected (`KnownFields(true)`) and every rate must be
+  finite and non-negative — the same constraints the HTTP API enforces on
+  operator per-provider prices.
+- Reload is an mtime poll (`ReloadInterval`, 1 min) and is **lenient at runtime**:
+  a parse error keeps the previous table, a deleted file reverts to compiled-in
+  defaults. A mid-edit save can never take pricing down.
+
+The live table feeds **both** consumers, which is what keeps them consistent: the
+synthesizer (what proxies actually bill with) and `GET /api/agent-network/catalog`
+via `applyDefaultPricing` (what the dashboard's model-row prices prefill with).
+`defaults_llm_pricing.example.yaml` is generated from the compiled-in table
+(`go generate ./management/internals/modules/agentnetwork/pricing`) and
+golden-tested, so operators start from a file matching the built-in rates exactly.
+
 ### Budget rule resolution (min-wins, group+user bound)
 
 ```mermaid
@@ -124,7 +208,7 @@ At request time the path is independent: the proxy calls `SelectPolicyForRequest
   | on_request | 3 | `llm_identity_inject` | `{"providers":[{provider_id, header_pair?, json_metadata?, extra_headers?}]}` | **true** |
   | on_request | 4 | `llm_guardrail` | `{"provider_allowlists"?: {providerID: []model}, "prompt_capture":{enabled,redact_pii}}` | – |
   | on_response | 5 | `llm_limit_record` | `{}` (runs LAST at runtime) | – |
-  | on_response | 6 | `cost_meter` | `{}` | – |
+  | on_response | 6 | `cost_meter` | `{"pricing":{"defaults":{surface:{model:rates}},"providers"?:{providerRecordID:{model:rates}}}}` — rates are `{input_per_1k, output_per_1k, cached_input_per_1k?, cache_read_per_1k?, cache_creation_per_1k?}` | – |
   | on_response | 7 | `llm_response_parser` | `{"capture_completion": <bool>, "redact_pii"?: true}` | – |
 - **Synthesized service shape** (`synthesizer.go:739`): `Mode=HTTP`, `Private=true`, `Domain=<subdomain>.<cluster>`, `AccessGroups=unionSourceGroups(enabledPolicies)`, one `TargetTypeCluster` target with `Host=noop.invalid:443` (router rewrites per request), `Options.{DirectUpstream,AgentNetwork}=true`, `DisableAccessLog=!settings.EnableLogCollection`, `CaptureMax{Req,Resp}Bytes=1<<20`, `CaptureContentTypes=["application/json","text/event-stream"]`.
 
@@ -139,6 +223,12 @@ At request time the path is independent: the proxy calls `SelectPolicyForRequest
 - **Orphan providers (no enabled policy authorises them) NEVER reach the router** (`synthesizer.go:351-357`); skipped from `identity_inject` for symmetry.
 - **Provider creation refuses empty `api_key`** (`manager.go:175`); **deletion refuses while any policy still references it** (`manager.go:265-273`).
 - **Session keypair stability across provider edits** (`manager.go:226-228`) — server-managed, copied through every `UpdateProvider`, never API-surfaced.
+- **Management is the sole pricing authority.** The proxy has no embedded price list, so an account whose `cost_meter` config carries no `pricing` block bills **nothing** (`cost.skipped=unknown_model`, $0) rather than falling back to stale built-ins. The top-level `pricing` wrapper is also the feature-detection signal in both directions: an old proxy ignores it as an unknown field, and a new proxy reads its absence as "old management".
+- **Per-provider prices are materialized at synth time, not merged on the proxy** (`synthesizer_pricing.go:114-131`). A per-record entry is always complete, so the proxy's lookup is per-record-then-defaults with no field-level fallback between tiers.
+- **An explicit operator price of `0` prices the model as free** — it must not be treated as "unset" and reverted to list price (`synthesizer_pricing.go:49-54`). Only *cache*-rate fields distinguish unset from zero, via `*float64`.
+- **Pricing model ids are normalized with the same functions the request parser uses** (`normalizePricingModelID`). If the two ever diverge, per-record prices silently stop matching and every request falls through to surface defaults.
+- **The default table's coverage is structural, not curated.** It is derived from the catalog via each provider's `PricingSurfaces`; `TestDefaultTable_CoversEveryCatalogModel` fails on an unpriced catalog model and `TestDefaultTable_NoConflictingContributions` fails if two providers contribute the same (surface, model) at different rates.
+- **A pricing-defaults file failure is fatal only at startup, and only for an explicitly configured path.** Runtime reload failures keep the previous table; a deleted file reverts to compiled-in defaults (`pricing/override.go:62-81, 113-148`).
 
 ## Things to scrutinize
 
@@ -176,10 +266,12 @@ At request time the path is independent: the proxy calls `SelectPolicyForRequest
 - **Capture-pointer semantics (restated):** non-agent-network callers see no field → legacy nil-default emit, identical to pre-PR. Agent-network targets always carry an explicit `capture_*` value.
 - **`TestSynthesizeServices_HappyPath` was updated:** request-parser config moved from `{}` to `{"capture_prompt":false}` (`synthesizer_test.go:174`). External snapshot tests against synth output need updating.
 - **`MergedGuardrails` retains zeroed `TokenLimits`/`Budget`/`Retention`** even though `Policy.Limits` carries the real values now; `llm_limit_check` is the authoritative enforcement. Comment at `synthesizer.go:940-948` calls this out.
+- **`cost_meter`'s `pricing` block is version-skew-safe in both directions.** A proxy predating config-delivered pricing ignores the field as unknown JSON (it previously priced from its own embedded table, so it keeps billing — at its own rates, which is the skew to be aware of during a rolling upgrade). A current proxy paired with old management sees no `pricing` block, logs one warning at chain-build time, and records `cost.skipped=unknown_model` — token counting and cap enforcement are unaffected, only the USD annotation goes to $0.
 
 ### Performance
 
 - **`SynthesizeServices` runs on every controller tick / mutation reconcile.** Cost: 4 store reads + optional per-provider keypair backfill. Sort + index + merge are O(N log N) / O(P × G); dominant cost is JSON marshalling. No nested loops escape these dimensions.
+- **The full default pricing table is marshalled into every account's `cost_meter` config on every synth** (~10 KB serialized). This is a deliberate trade: it keeps gateway-style providers priced for every catalog model, and it is the largest single contributor to the synth JSON. `DefaultTable()` itself is a pointer load (or a `sync.Once`-built map) — the cost is the marshal, not the build.
 - **`reconcile.diffMappings` is O(N + M)** with N=M=1 per account today — effectively constant.
 - **`SynthesizeServicesForCluster`** (`synthesizer.go:71`) walks every account on a cluster; per-account failures are **swallowed** (`synthesizer.go:91-93`) so a single misconfigured account doesn't drop the cluster. Runs per proxy reconnect.
 
@@ -188,6 +280,7 @@ At request time the path is independent: the proxy calls `SelectPolicyForRequest
 - **Activity codes:** `AgentNetwork{Provider,Policy,Guardrail,BudgetRule}{Created,Updated,Deleted}`; `AgentNetworkSettingsUpdated` with `log_collection/prompt_collection/redact_pii` payload (`manager.go:567-571`). **No activity code for `SelectPolicyForRequest` denies** — surfaced via proxy access log only (likely intentional given volume).
 - **Deny codes** namespaced: `llm_policy.{token,budget}_cap_exceeded`, `llm_account.{token,budget}_cap_exceeded` (`policyselect.go:18-26`).
 - **Reconcile failures are logged at warn and swallowed** (`reconcile.go:42-44`). Persistent synth failures (e.g. unknown catalog id) silently keep the proxy out of sync — consider a manager-level synth-health surface if this becomes a support burden.
+- **Pricing-file lifecycle logs at info** (load, reload, revert-to-built-ins) and **at warn** for a runtime reload failure; the mtime check itself is `Debugf`. There is no metric on reload failures, so an operator who breaks the file mid-flight keeps billing at the previous table with only a log line to show it (`pricing/override.go:113-148`).
 
 ## Test coverage
 
@@ -198,6 +291,9 @@ At request time the path is independent: the proxy calls `SelectPolicyForRequest
 | `synthesizer_guardrail_realstore_test.go` | `PromptCaptureAccountIsSoleControl`; `PromptCaptureFlowsWhenAccountOptsIn`; `AccountRedactWithoutGuardrailRedact`; `NoGuardrail_CaptureOff`. |
 | `synthesizer_log_collection_realstore_test.go` | `LogCollection{Off_SuppressesAccessLog,On_PermitsAccessLog}` — verifies `DisableAccessLog` propagation through `ToProtoMapping`. |
 | `synthesizer_parser_redact_realstore_test.go` | **Capture-pointer regression suite:** `ParserConfigsCarryRedactPii`; `ParserConfigsSuppressCaptureWhenLogCollectionOnly` (log=on/prompt=off ⇒ both capture flags false); `ParserConfigsOmitRedactPiiWhenOff`. |
+| `synthesizer_pricing_test.go` | `BuildCostMeterConfig_{BedrockModelNormalization,CacheRateNilVsZero,OrphanAndGatewayProviders}` — the per-record tier's three load-bearing rules: keys normalized like the parser's, `nil` cache pointer inherits vs explicit `0` bills at input rate, and orphan / gateway (empty `Models`) providers ship no per-record entry. |
+| `pricing/defaults_test.go` | `DefaultTable_{CoversEveryCatalogModel,NoConflictingContributions,AllRatesFiniteNonNegative,PinnedRates}`; `LookupDefault_SurfaceOrder`. Catalog-derived coverage + rate sanity are structural, not curated. |
+| `pricing/override_test.go` | `LoadFile_{MergesOverCompiledDefaults,MissingPath,RejectsInvalid}`; `Reload_LifeCycle` (mtime detect, parse error keeps previous, delete reverts to built-ins); `ExampleYAML_InSyncWithBuiltins` golden. |
 | `policyselect_test.go` | Mock-store: `NoApplicablePolicies`; `AllowWithLowestGroupAttribution`; `LargerPoolWinsAcrossUsageLevels`; `StaysOnLargerPoolAfterPartialDrain`; `FallsThroughToSmallerPoolWhenLargerExhausted`; `TiebreakBy{LargerGroupPool,CreatedAt}`; `DeniesWhenAllExhausted`; `UncappedPolicyAlwaysWinsAgainstCapped`; `DisabledPolicyIgnored`; `StoreErrorPropagates`; `RejectsEmptyAccount`; `SharesGroupCounterAcrossPolicies`; `AntiFallThroughOnLowestGroup`; `BudgetOnlyExhaustionDenies`; `BudgetTighterThanTokenWins`. |
 | `policyselect_realstore_test.go` | Real-sqlite regression guard: `NoApplicablePolicies`; `AllowAndLowestGroupAttribution`; `LargerPoolWins_FallsThroughWhenExhausted`; `BudgetCapDenies`; `GroupCounterSharedAcrossPolicies`; `DisabledPolicyIgnored`. |
 | `policyselect_account_realstore_test.go` | Account budget rules: `AccountCeilingBindsEvenWithUncappedPolicy` (min-wins); `AccountGroupCeiling`; `AccountTargetUsersBindsOnlyThatUser`; `AccountRuleRecordsToOwnWindow`. |
diff --git a/docs/agent-networks/modules/31-proxy-middleware-builtin.md b/docs/agent-networks/modules/31-proxy-middleware-builtin.md
index efe1bc4ce..ad56feb77 100644
--- a/docs/agent-networks/modules/31-proxy-middleware-builtin.md
+++ b/docs/agent-networks/modules/31-proxy-middleware-builtin.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ LLM request. The two highest-blast-radius areas are the **capture-pointer
 semantics** and the **limit_check ⇒ limit_record** record-once invariant.
 
 Sibling module: [32-proxy-llm-parsers.md](./32-proxy-llm-parsers.md) — the SDK
-adapters + pricing catalog this chain delegates to.
+adapters + pricing table and cost formula this chain delegates to.
 
 ---
 
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ rewrites.
 | `llm_identity_inject` | OnRequest | `llm.{resolved_provider_id,authorising_groups}`, `Input.{UserEmail,UserID,UserGroups,UserGroupNames}` | none | header strip/inject + optional body rewrite |
 | `llm_guardrail` | OnRequest | `llm.{model,request_prompt_raw}` | `llm_policy.{decision,reason}`, `llm.request_prompt` | none (model allowlist deny) |
 | `llm_response_parser` | OnResponse | `llm.provider`, `Input.{RespHeaders,RespBody,Status}` | `llm.{input,output,total,cached_input,cache_creation}_tokens`, `llm.response_completion` | none |
-| `cost_meter` | OnResponse | `llm.{provider,model}`, token buckets | `cost.usd_total` or `cost.skipped` | pricing lookup |
+| `cost_meter` | OnResponse | `llm.{provider,model,resolved_provider_id}`, token buckets | `cost.usd_{input,cached_input,cache_creation,output,total,cache}` or `cost.skipped` | none (in-memory pricing lookup) |
 | `llm_limit_record` | OnResponse | `llm.{attribution_group_id,attribution_window_seconds,input_tokens,output_tokens}`, `cost.usd_total` | none | gRPC `RecordLLMUsage` |
 
 [all_test.go:26–40](../../../proxy/internal/middleware/builtin/all_test.go)
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ locks the ID set; adding or removing one is a conscious extension.
 
 | File | LOC | Notes |
 |---|---:|---|
-| `builtin.go` | 86 | Registry + `FactoryContext` (ctx, data dir, meter, logger, mgmt client) |
+| `builtin.go` | 90 | Registry + `FactoryContext` (ctx, meter, logger, mgmt client) |
 | `all_test.go` | 41 | Locks the 8-ID registry surface |
 | `agentnetwork_chain_integration_test.go` | 319 | Live sqlite + real gRPC bufconn; gate→recorder wire path |
 | `llm_request_parser/*` | 162 / 66 / 356 | Provider detection, body parse, prompt extraction with capture-pointer gating |
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ locks the ID set; adding or removing one is a conscious extension.
 | `llm_identity_inject/*` | 440 / 108 / 666 | HeaderPair (LiteLLM) + JSONMetadata (Portkey) + ExtraHeaders |
 | `llm_guardrail/*` | 176 / 82 / 75 / 219 / 217 | Model allowlist + optional prompt capture with PII redaction |
 | `llm_response_parser/*` | 258 / 222 / 43 / 433 / 169 / 111 | Buffered + SSE accumulation; AWS event-stream accumulator (`streaming_bedrock.go`) for Bedrock; capture-pointer gates completion emit |
-| `cost_meter/*` | 181 / 84 / 439 | Token → USD via `proxy/internal/llm/pricing` |
+| `cost_meter/*` | 236 / 98 / 586 | Token → USD via `proxy/internal/llm/pricing`; both pricing tiers arrive in the middleware config |
 | `llm_limit_record/*` | 144 / 35 / 191 | Post-flight `RecordLLMUsage` (5s, debug-on-error) |
 
 ## Per-middleware
@@ -168,12 +168,46 @@ token schema.
 
 ### cost_meter
 
-Reads `llm.provider` + `llm.model` + token buckets, looks up per-1k rate via
-`pricing.Loader`, emits `cost.usd_total` or a closed-set `cost.skipped`
-reason (`missing_provider/model/tokens`, `unparseable_tokens`, `zero_tokens`,
-`unknown_model`). Loader's hot-reload goroutine is bound to proxy-lifetime
-context via `startReloader`. **Key invariant:** provider-shape switch lives
-in `pricing.Table.Cost` (sibling doc) — `cost_meter` stays provider-agnostic.
+Reads `llm.provider` + `llm.model` + token buckets, looks up the per-1k rates,
+and emits the full `cost.usd_*` breakdown (four per-bucket values plus the
+`_total` and `_cache` aggregates) or a closed-set `cost.skipped` reason
+(`missing_provider/model/tokens`, `unparseable_tokens`, `zero_tokens`,
+`unknown_model`).
+
+**Management owns pricing.** The proxy carries no embedded price list: the whole
+table arrives in this middleware's `ConfigJSON` as
+`{pricing: {defaults, providers}}`, synthesized by management from the catalog
+plus the operator's stored per-provider prices
+([factory.go:13–34](../../../proxy/internal/middleware/builtin/cost_meter/factory.go)).
+Both tiers are validated by `pricing.NewTable` / `pricing.NewEntries` at
+construction, so a non-finite or negative rate fails the chain build. A price
+change is an ordinary mapping push — the chain rebuild yields a fresh instance
+over a fresh immutable table, so there is no data dir, no pricing file, no
+reload goroutine, and nothing to invalidate.
+
+**Two-tier lookup**
+([middleware.go:165–183](../../../proxy/internal/middleware/builtin/cost_meter/middleware.go)):
+
+1. **Per-provider-record** — the operator's stored price for the route that
+   actually served the request, keyed by the `llm.resolved_provider_id` that
+   `llm_router` stamped on the allow path, then by normalized model id. Entries
+   arrive fully materialized (management folds default cache rates in at synth
+   time), so there is no merging here. Absent metadata — no router in the chain
+   — skips this tier.
+2. **Surface defaults** — the catalog-derived table keyed by `llm.provider`
+   (`openai`/`anthropic`/`bedrock`). This is also what prices gateway-style
+   providers, which enumerate no models and therefore get no per-record entry.
+
+**Backward compatibility:** a config with no `pricing` block means management
+predates config-delivered pricing. The factory logs one warning at build time
+and the instance records `cost.skipped=unknown_model` ($0) for every request
+rather than falling back to a stale built-in price list
+([factory.go:55–60](../../../proxy/internal/middleware/builtin/cost_meter/factory.go)).
+
+**Key invariant:** the provider-shape switch lives in `pricing.EntryCosts`
+(sibling doc) and is selected by the **surface**, not by which tier the entry
+came from — `cost_meter` stays provider-agnostic, and a per-record override on
+an Anthropic route still bills its cache buckets additively.
 
 ### llm_limit_record
 
@@ -246,12 +280,14 @@ no mocks. Tests: `TestChain_AllowPath_StampsAttributionAndRecordsCounter`
 | `llm_identity_inject` | `{providers: [{provider_id, header_pair?|json_metadata?, extra_headers?}]}` |
 | `llm_guardrail` | `{provider_allowlists: {providerID: []string}, prompt_capture: {enabled, redact_pii}}` — allowlist keyed by resolved provider id; a provider absent from the map is unrestricted (fail-closed backstop; authoritative per-policy/group check is management's `CheckLLMPolicyLimits`) |
 | `llm_response_parser` | `{redact_pii?, capture_completion?: *bool}` |
-| `cost_meter` | `{pricing_path?}` (basename inside data-dir; defaults `pricing.yaml`) |
+| `cost_meter` | `{pricing: {defaults: {surface: {model: rates}}, providers: {providerRecordID: {model: rates}}}}` — rates are `{input_per_1k, output_per_1k, cached_input_per_1k?, cache_read_per_1k?, cache_creation_per_1k?}`. A missing `pricing` key means "management predates config-delivered pricing": every request records `cost.skipped=unknown_model` |
 | `llm_limit_record` | `{}` — same pattern as `llm_limit_check` |
 
 All factories accept empty / null / `{}` / whitespace as zero-value config;
 only structurally invalid JSON is rejected so misconfig surfaces at chain
-build time.
+build time. `cost_meter` adds a semantic check on top of that: a `pricing`
+block carrying a negative or non-finite rate fails the build too, rather than
+mispricing live traffic.
 
 ## Invariants
 
@@ -320,10 +356,11 @@ non-object `metadata` field
 — header path still attributes, but body-level tag-budget enforcement
 doesn't run for that request.
 
-**Concurrency.** `cost_meter` shares a `pricing.Loader` via
-`atomic.Pointer[Table]`; readers always see a consistent table. Every
-middleware is a stateless value receiver. Integration test uses real bufconn
-gRPC — race detector is the meaningful bar.
+**Concurrency.** `cost_meter`'s two pricing tables are built once from the
+middleware config and never mutated, so the lookup path needs no lock or atomic
+swap — a price change replaces the whole instance. Every middleware is
+otherwise a stateless value receiver. Integration test uses real bufconn gRPC —
+race detector is the meaningful bar.
 
 **Perf.** Hot path is `lookupKV` linear scan over <10 KVs; `cost_meter.Cost`
 is O(1); SSE accumulation is single-pass. No map allocation per call.
@@ -349,13 +386,13 @@ counter accuracy.
 | `llm_guardrail/redact_test.go` | 15 | Email, SSN, phone (E.164 + NA), bearer, IPv4; fixture-driven |
 | `llm_response_parser/middleware_test.go` | 18 | Buffered OAI+Anthro, capture-pointer, redact, truncation |
 | `llm_response_parser/streaming_test.go` | 7 | OAI usage frame, Anthro message_delta, truncated body best-effort |
-| `cost_meter/middleware_test.go` | 17 | Each skip reason, provider-shape, pricing loader integration |
+| `cost_meter/middleware_test.go` | 22 | Each skip reason, provider-shape formulas, config-delivered defaults, per-record-beats-defaults + miss-falls-back, per-record uses surface formula, nil-pricing skips everything, invalid-rate rejection |
 | `llm_limit_record/middleware_test.go` | 7 | Skip-on-no-signal, skip-on-missing-attribution, RPC failure swallowed |
 
 ## Cross-references
 
 - Sibling: [32-proxy-llm-parsers.md](./32-proxy-llm-parsers.md) — SDK adapters
-  + SSE framer + pricing loader.
+  + SSE framer + pricing table and cost formula.
 - Path-routed providers (Vertex AI + Bedrock), `keyfile::` credential, GCP
   token minting, `/bedrock` prefix:
   [50-path-routed-providers.md](./50-path-routed-providers.md).
diff --git a/docs/agent-networks/modules/32-proxy-llm-parsers.md b/docs/agent-networks/modules/32-proxy-llm-parsers.md
index 0376bc988..52faeaac1 100644
--- a/docs/agent-networks/modules/32-proxy-llm-parsers.md
+++ b/docs/agent-networks/modules/32-proxy-llm-parsers.md
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ pricing table's per-provider cost formula is the highest-leverage place a
 small bug would silently mis-bill operators.
 
 Sibling module: [31-proxy-middleware-builtin.md](./31-proxy-middleware-builtin.md)
-— the 8 middlewares that consume this package's parsers + pricing loader.
+— the 8 middlewares that consume this package's parsers + pricing table.
 
 ---
 
@@ -24,8 +24,9 @@ proxy-framework dependencies:
 - `openai.go` / `anthropic.go` / `bedrock.go` — per-provider `Parser` impls.
 - `sse.go` — SSE scanner (`Scanner`, `Event`, `NewScanner`).
 - `errors.go` — sentinels callers branch on with `errors.Is`.
-- `pricing/` — embedded-default + hot-reload override table with
-  symlink-safe Unix loader (build-tagged stub elsewhere).
+- `pricing/` — immutable pricing table + the per-surface cost formula. The
+  rates themselves come from management inside `cost_meter`'s middleware
+  config; this package holds no price list and reads no files.
 - `fixtures/` — captured request/response/stream bodies the tests replay.
 
 The package carries zero proxy-framework dependencies so the same parsers can
@@ -47,12 +48,9 @@ be reused later by a WASM adapter
 | `sse_test.go` | 175 | 12 tests; fixture replay + multiline + size limits |
 | `parser_test.go` | 53 | `Parsers()`, `DetectParser`, provider enum values |
 | `errors.go` | 31 | 6 sentinels: `Err{Unknown,Unsupported}Provider/Model`, `Err{NotLLM,Malformed}Response`, `ErrStreamingUnsupported`, `ErrMalformedRequest` |
-| `pricing/pricing.go` | 421 | `Loader`, `Table`, `Entry`; embedded defaults + atomic swap + mtime reload |
-| `pricing/pricing_unix.go` | 69 | `O_NOFOLLOW` + fstat-from-FD + 1 MiB cap |
-| `pricing/pricing_other.go` | 21 | Stub returning "not supported on this platform" |
-| `pricing/pricing_test.go` | 432 | 21 tests — symlink rejection, reload race, path traversal, oversize |
-| `pricing/defaults_pricing.yaml` | 85 | go:embed source of truth |
-| `fixtures/*` | 21–59 | OAI chat/responses/stream + Anthro messages/stream + pricing starter |
+| `pricing/pricing.go` | 234 | `Table`, `Entry`, `EntryJSON`, `Costs`; `NewTable`/`NewEntries` validation + `EntryCosts` formula. No I/O, no reload, no embedded rates |
+| `pricing/pricing_test.go` | 177 | 10 tests — provider-shape formulas, cached clamp, rate fallback, nil-safety, rate validation |
+| `fixtures/*` | 21–59 | OAI chat/responses/stream + Anthro messages/stream |
 
 ## Request body → parser dispatch
 
@@ -188,9 +186,11 @@ response leg, covering both Bedrock body shapes:
   `totalTokens`). `firstNonZero` folds the two naming conventions into one
   `Usage`; when Converse omits `totalTokens` the parser sums the buckets.
 
-`ProviderName()` returns `"bedrock"` — its own `defaults_pricing.yaml` block,
-keyed by the **normalised** model id (region prefix + version suffix stripped by
-the request parser). `ParseResponse` returns `ErrStreamingUnsupported` for an
+`ProviderName()` returns `"bedrock"` — its own pricing surface in the table
+management ships, keyed by the **normalised** model id (region prefix + version
+suffix stripped by the request parser; management normalises its keys the same
+way at synth time so the two compare equal). `ParseResponse` returns
+`ErrStreamingUnsupported` for an
 AWS binary event-stream content-type (`application/vnd.amazon.eventstream`,
 `isAWSEventStream`) so the caller routes to the streaming accumulator instead.
 
@@ -205,11 +205,34 @@ response body. Streaming accumulators live in the middleware package
 ([llm_response_parser/streaming.go](../../../proxy/internal/middleware/builtin/llm_response_parser/streaming.go))
 but use `llm.NewScanner` so the framing contract stays here.
 
-### Pricing catalog
+### Pricing table
 
-`Table.Cost`
-([pricing.go:129–174](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go))
-is the cost formula — most security-relevant math in this module:
+**Management is the sole pricing authority.** The proxy carries no embedded
+price list and reads no pricing file: the whole table arrives inside
+`cost_meter`'s `ConfigJSON` on the ordinary mapping push, and a price change
+is just another push — the chain rebuild constructs a fresh `Table`, so there
+is nothing to reload
+([pricing.go:1–7](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)). The
+management side of the contract (catalog defaults, the operator's stored
+per-provider prices, and `AgentNetwork.PricingDefaultsFile`) is covered in the
+management-side module guide; `cost_meter`'s wire shape is in
+[31-proxy-middleware-builtin.md](./31-proxy-middleware-builtin.md).
+
+`EntryJSON`
+([pricing.go:36–45](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)) is the
+management→proxy contract — five USD-per-1k rates under `input_per_1k`,
+`output_per_1k`, `cached_input_per_1k`, `cache_read_per_1k`,
+`cache_creation_per_1k`. Management's `pricing.Entry` marshals the identical
+names, and `EntryJSON`/`Entry` are field-identical so `NewEntries` converts by
+direct struct conversion rather than field-by-field copying (a new rate can't
+be silently dropped in transit).
+
+`EntryCosts`
+([pricing.go:183–234](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go))
+is the cost formula — most security-relevant math in this module. The
+**surface** (the `llm.provider` value the request parser stamped) selects the
+formula, never the tier the entry came from: a per-provider-record override on
+an Anthropic route still bills its cache buckets additively.
 
 | Provider | Formula |
 |---|---|
@@ -218,7 +241,7 @@ is the cost formula — most security-relevant math in this module:
 | default | `inTokens × InputPer1K + outTokens × OutputPer1K` |
 
 `bedrock` shares the Anthropic additive-cache formula
-([pricing.go:172-174](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)):
+([pricing.go:214–229](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)):
 Anthropic-on-Bedrock reports the same additive cache buckets, while non-Anthropic
 Bedrock models (Nova, Llama) simply report zero in those buckets so cost reduces
 to `input + output`.
@@ -226,15 +249,12 @@ to `input + output`.
 Each per-bucket rate falls back to `InputPer1K` when zero — operators opt in
 to discounts by setting the field.
 
-`Loader`
-([pricing.go:212–268](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go))
-overlays an optional `pricing.yaml` from data-dir on top of the go:embed
-defaults. Atomic pointer swap means readers never observe a partial update.
-The mtime-poll reloader (30s default cadence) keeps the previous table on
-parse failure so cost annotation never goes blank during a botched edit.
-
-`defaults_pricing.yaml` is the source of truth for built-in pricing.
-Operator overrides only carry the entries they want to change.
+`Costs`
+([pricing.go:143–163](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)) is the
+per-request split. The four per-bucket fields are the base; `TotalUSD` and
+`CacheUSD` are **derived** in `newCosts` so the aggregates can never drift from
+the breakdown. `InputUSD` is always the non-cached input bucket on both
+provider shapes, so input and cached-input never double-count.
 
 ## Public contracts
 
@@ -264,29 +284,38 @@ Order matters: `DetectFromURL` ties resolve by registration order.
 `ProviderBedrock = 3`. Numeric values are persisted in nothing today but treat
 them as wire-stable — new providers must take fresh numbers.
 
-**`Pricing` lookup**
-([pricing.go:129](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)):
+**`Pricing` construction + lookup**
+([pricing.go:60–130](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)):
 
 ```go
+func NewEntries(raw map[string]map[string]EntryJSON) (map[string]map[string]Entry, error)
+func NewTable(raw map[string]map[string]EntryJSON) (*Table, error)
+
+func (t *Table) Lookup(provider, model string) (Entry, bool)
 func (t *Table) Cost(provider, model string, inTokens, outTokens, cachedInput, cacheCreation int64) (float64, bool)
+func (t *Table) Costs(provider, model string, inTokens, outTokens, cachedInput, cacheCreation int64) (Costs, bool)
+func EntryCosts(entry Entry, surface string, inTokens, outTokens, cachedInput, cacheCreation int64) Costs
 ```
 
-Nil-safe: `t.Cost` on a nil receiver returns `(0, false)`
-([pricing.go:130–132](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)).
-`ok=false` means provider or model is absent from the loaded table; the caller
-emits `cost.skipped=unknown_model`.
+`NewTable` is the surface-keyed defaults table; `NewEntries` returns the raw
+two-level map `cost_meter` uses for the per-provider-record tier (it looks up an
+`Entry` directly and calls `EntryCosts`, so it needs no `Table` wrapper). Both
+reject any non-finite or negative rate, so a corrupt config fails the chain
+build rather than mispricing silently. Nil input yields an empty,
+never-matching table.
+
+Nil-safe: `t.Cost`/`t.Lookup` on a nil receiver returns `ok=false`
+([pricing.go:96–99](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)).
+`ok=false` means the surface or model is absent from the table management sent;
+the caller emits `cost.skipped=unknown_model`.
 
 ## Invariants
 
-1. **Cross-platform pricing build.** `pricing_unix.go` carries the only
-   functional `loadPricing` (uses `syscall.O_NOFOLLOW` and `f.Stat()` on an
-   open descriptor — both Unix-only). `pricing_other.go` is a build-tag
-   fallback that returns `"not supported on this platform"`
-   ([pricing_other.go:14–16](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing_other.go)).
-   The proxy is Linux-only in production today; a Windows port needs an
-   equivalent path-as-handle implementation. Reviewers building on Windows
-   should expect this surface to return an error at startup if an override
-   file is configured.
+1. **The pricing package is pure and platform-independent.** No file I/O, no
+   `//go:embed`, no goroutines, no build tags — the rates arrive as config, so
+   there is nothing platform-specific left to port. Anything reintroducing a
+   read-from-disk path here re-splits pricing authority between management and
+   the proxy, which is exactly what this design removed.
 
 2. **SSE scanner handles partial chunks.** A buffered prefix that doesn't end
    in `\n\n` still yields its accumulated event before `io.EOF`
@@ -298,38 +327,45 @@ emits `cost.skipped=unknown_model`.
    usage rather than aborting
    ([streaming.go:68–73, 144–150](../../../proxy/internal/middleware/builtin/llm_response_parser/streaming.go)).
 
-3. **`defaults_pricing.yaml` is the source of truth.** Compiled into the
-   binary via `//go:embed`
-   ([pricing.go:29–30](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)).
-   `DefaultTable()` parses once and panics on parse failure
-   ([pricing.go:42–49](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go))
-   — by design: a broken embedded YAML must not ship to production.
+3. **Management is the only source of rates.** `Table` has no constructor that
+   invents prices: the only way in is `NewTable`/`NewEntries` over the wire map
+   management sent. A missing or empty `pricing` block therefore means *no
+   prices at all* (`cost_meter` records `cost.skipped=unknown_model`, $0) —
+   never a stale built-in fallback that would silently bill list price.
 
-4. **Loader path validation.** `resolveMiddlewareDataPath`
-   ([pricing.go:370–394](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go))
-   rejects absolute paths, traversal segments, and basenames that fail
-   `basenameRegex = ^[a-zA-Z0-9._-]+$`. The resolved path must remain
-   inside `baseDir` even after `filepath.Clean`. Tests:
-   `TestNewLoader_PathValidation`, `TestNewLoader_PathValidation_Extended`,
-   `TestNewLoader_SymlinkOutsideBaseDirRejected`, `TestNewLoader_SymlinkRejected`.
+4. **Tables are immutable once built.** `Table.entries` is written only in
+   `NewEntries` and never mutated afterwards, and `cost_meter`'s `perRecord`
+   map is likewise build-time-only
+   ([pricing.go:47–52](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)). This
+   is what makes the no-reload design safe: a price change arrives as a mapping
+   push that builds a new middleware instance over a new table, so concurrent
+   readers can't observe a half-updated price list and no atomic swap or lock
+   is needed on the hot path.
 
-5. **Unix loader symlink safety.** `O_NOFOLLOW` on open, `f.Stat()` on the
-   open descriptor (never re-stat by path), `info.Mode().IsRegular()` check,
-   `io.LimitReader(f, maxPricingBytes+1)` with a final size assertion
-   ([pricing_unix.go:25–57](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing_unix.go)).
-   A mid-read symlink swap is detected because the fstat is on the original
-   fd. Test: `TestNewLoader_RejectsOversizedFile_FixesM4`.
+5. **Rate validation happens at chain-build time, not per request.**
+   `NewEntries` rejects negative, NaN, and ±Inf rates field by field
+   ([pricing.go:60–83](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)), naming
+   the offending surface/model/field in the error. Management enforces the same
+   constraints at its API boundary and in its YAML parser, so this is
+   defense-in-depth — but it means a corrupt push fails loudly at build instead
+   of producing negative costs on live traffic. Test:
+   `TestNewTable_ValidatesRates`.
 
-6. **`yaml.NewDecoder(...).KnownFields(true)`**
-   ([pricing.go:397–398](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go))
-   rejects YAML files that carry fields not in the schema. A typo in an
-   operator override file fails loud instead of silently zeroing rates.
+6. **New rates must be added to `Entry`, `EntryJSON`, *and* management's
+   `pricing.Entry` together.** `NewEntries` converts by direct struct
+   conversion `Entry(e)`
+   ([pricing.go:76–78](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)), which
+   only compiles while the two structs stay field-identical — so the proxy half
+   is compiler-enforced. The management half is not: a rate added there but not
+   here unmarshals into nothing and prices that bucket at `InputPer1K`.
 
 ## Things to scrutinise
 
-**Correctness.** Verify OpenAI cached-prompt clamp at
-[pricing.go:147–149](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)
-short-circuits before subtraction. `Anthropic.TotalTokens` sums all four
+**Correctness.** Verify the OpenAI cached-prompt clamp at
+[pricing.go:203–206](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)
+short-circuits before subtraction. Negative token counts are clamped to zero up
+front ([pricing.go:186–197](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/pricing.go)) so
+no formula can yield a negative cost. `Anthropic.TotalTokens` sums all four
 buckets (in + out + cache_read + cache_creation) — downstream dashboards
 need to know this differs from `input + output`.
 `OpenAIParser.ExtractPrompt` falls through `messages → input → prompt`; a
@@ -338,22 +374,27 @@ noting).
 
 **Security.** `Scanner.maxLine = 1 MiB`; a 2 MiB single-line `data:` event
 errors from `Scanner.Next` and both accumulators stop with partial usage.
-Pricing file 1 MiB cap is orders of magnitude larger than realistic. Confirm
-new schema additions are mirrored in both `pricingFile` and `Entry`;
-`KnownFields(true)` will reject silently-typo'd operator overrides
-otherwise.
+Pricing is no longer file-backed, so the loader's path-traversal / symlink /
+oversize surface is gone entirely — the config channel (an authenticated
+mapping push from management) is now the only way rates enter the proxy, and
+`NewEntries` is the validation boundary on it. A new rate added to management's
+`pricing.Entry` but not to `EntryJSON` here is the remaining silent-mispricing
+path (see invariant 6).
 
-**Concurrency.** `Loader.table` is `atomic.Pointer[Table]`; readers never
-block or see a torn table. `Loader.Reload` is one goroutine, cancelled via
-context (`TestLoader_ReloadBackgroundLoopCancellation`). `DefaultTable()`
-uses `sync.Once`. Per-call `Scanner` instances mean no shared state across
-concurrent response-parser calls.
+**Concurrency.** Nothing in this package is shared mutable state: tables are
+built once and never written again, so `cost_meter`'s hot path is lock-free by
+construction rather than by atomic swap. Per-call `Scanner` instances mean no
+shared state across concurrent response-parser calls.
 
-**Perf.** `Table.Cost` is two map lookups + multiplications, O(1).
-`Scanner.Next` is one `ReadString('\n')` per line. Pricing reload poll 30s.
+**Perf.** `Table.Cost` is two map lookups + multiplications, O(1); the
+per-provider-record tier adds at most one more lookup. `Scanner.Next` is one
+`ReadString('\n')` per line. No background goroutines and no per-request
+allocation of pricing state.
 
-**Observability.** Reload failures count via `metric.Int64Counter` keyed
-`plugin`; warning log rate-limited at 5 min so a broken file doesn't flood.
+**Observability.** A config carrying no `pricing` block logs one warning at
+chain-build time (`cost_meter` factory) and then records
+`cost.skipped=unknown_model` per request, so an old-management deployment is
+visible in both logs and the access log rather than quietly reporting $0.
 Parser errors return sentinels — middleware uses `errors.Is` to map to the
 right `cost.skipped` reason.
 
@@ -365,7 +406,7 @@ right `cost.skipped` reason.
 | `openai_test.go` | 11 | Chat Completions + Responses API + legacy `prompt`; cached-tokens subset for both naming conventions; fixture replays |
 | `anthropic_test.go` | 7 | Messages + legacy `/v1/complete`; streaming REJECTED on `ParseResponse` (must use scanner); fixture replays |
 | `sse_test.go` | 12 | Fixture replay both providers; multiline `data:`; CRLF; comment skip; trailing-event-without-blank-line; oversize rejection |
-| `pricing/pricing_test.go` | 21 | Provider-shape switch; cached-rate fallback; cached-clamp; symlink rejection (target outside basedir + symlink to file); path validation matrix; oversize rejection; reload-keeps-previous-on-parse-error; mtime change detection; goroutine cancellation |
+| `pricing/pricing_test.go` | 10 | Provider-shape switch (surface selects the formula); cached-rate + cache-read/creation fallback to `InputPer1K`; cached-clamp; negative-token clamp; nil-receiver safety; rate validation (negative / NaN / Inf rejected); nil + empty table |
 
 **Fixtures** ([proxy/internal/llm/fixtures/](../../../proxy/internal/llm/fixtures/)):
 `openai_chat_completion.json` (chat.completions with usage),
@@ -373,14 +414,15 @@ right `cost.skipped` reason.
 `openai_stream.txt` (3 deltas + usage + `[DONE]`),
 `anthropic_messages.json` (Messages API non-streaming),
 `anthropic_stream.txt` (full 7-event sequence: message_start →
-content_block_{start,delta×2,stop} → message_delta (usage) → message_stop),
-`pricing.yaml` (realistic-pricing starter for operator overrides).
+content_block_{start,delta×2,stop} → message_delta (usage) → message_stop).
+No pricing fixture: the table is config-delivered, so pricing tests construct
+it in-process from a wire-shape map.
 
 ## Cross-references
 
 - Sibling: [31-proxy-middleware-builtin.md](./31-proxy-middleware-builtin.md)
   — the chain that calls `llm.Parsers()`, `llm.ParserByName`,
-  `llm.NewScanner`, `pricing.NewLoader`.
+  `llm.NewScanner`, `pricing.NewTable` / `pricing.NewEntries`.
 - Path-routed providers (Vertex AI + Bedrock), credential syntax, and the
   Bedrock AWS event-stream accumulator:
   [50-path-routed-providers.md](./50-path-routed-providers.md).
diff --git a/docs/agent-networks/modules/33-proxy-runtime.md b/docs/agent-networks/modules/33-proxy-runtime.md
index f553473f8..54046b614 100644
--- a/docs/agent-networks/modules/33-proxy-runtime.md
+++ b/docs/agent-networks/modules/33-proxy-runtime.md
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # proxy/runtime — translate + serve + log
 
 > **Risk level:** High — every config push from management is translated here, and the chain runs on every HTTP request to a synth target.
-> **Backward-compat impact:** Additive at the wire (`PathTargetOptions.middlewares`, `agent_network`, `disable_access_log`, capture caps) and on the proxy `Server` struct (`MiddlewareDataDir`, `MiddlewareCaptureBudgetBytes`). Non-agent-network targets stay on the no-middleware fast path.
+> **Backward-compat impact:** Additive at the wire (`PathTargetOptions.middlewares`, `agent_network`, `disable_access_log`, capture caps) and on the proxy `Server` struct (`MiddlewareCaptureBudgetBytes`). Non-agent-network targets stay on the no-middleware fast path. Middleware config is entirely wire-delivered — no proxy-side data dir is involved, including for LLM pricing, which management ships inside `cost_meter`'s config.
 
 ## Module boundary
 
@@ -114,8 +114,7 @@ At **request time** the access-log middleware stamps `CapturedData`; the auth ch
 
 ## Public contracts touched
 
-- `proxy.Server.MiddlewareDataDir` (string) — base dir for file-backed middleware config (server.go:238-241).
-- `proxy.Server.MiddlewareCaptureBudgetBytes` (int64) — process-wide capture cap; defaults to 256 MiB (server.go:248-250).
+- `proxy.Server.MiddlewareCaptureBudgetBytes` (int64) — process-wide capture cap; defaults to 256 MiB (server.go:249-253). There is no `MiddlewareDataDir`: no built-in middleware reads config from disk, so `builtin.FactoryContext` carries only the proxy-lifetime context, meter, logger, and management client.
 - `proxy/internal/proxy.WithMiddlewareManager(*middleware.Manager) Option` — new option on `NewReverseProxy`; nil keeps the fast path (reverseproxy.go:48-56).
 - `proxy/internal/proxy.PathTarget` adds `Middlewares`, `CaptureConfig`, `AgentNetwork`, `DisableAccessLog` (servicemapping.go:27-51), all zero-default.
 - `proxy/internal/proxy.CapturedData` adds `agentNetwork`, `suppressAccessLog`, `userGroupNames` behind `sync.RWMutex`; slices deep-copied (context.go:47-66, 183-258).
diff --git a/docs/agent-networks/modules/50-path-routed-providers.md b/docs/agent-networks/modules/50-path-routed-providers.md
index b7cda3a97..08c976c5f 100644
--- a/docs/agent-networks/modules/50-path-routed-providers.md
+++ b/docs/agent-networks/modules/50-path-routed-providers.md
@@ -87,9 +87,9 @@ strips the `@version` suffix from the model, and maps the publisher to a parser
 surface via `vertexPublisherVendor`:
 
 - `anthropic` → `llm.provider="anthropic"` → metered through the Anthropic
-  parser, priced under the **`anthropic`** block in `defaults_pricing.yaml`
-  (the parser emits the standard Anthropic provider label, so Vertex Claude
-  reuses first-party Anthropic prices).
+  parser, priced under the **`anthropic`** surface of the pricing table
+  management ships (the parser emits the standard Anthropic provider label, so
+  Vertex Claude reuses first-party Anthropic prices).
 - `openai` → `llm.provider="openai"` (reserved; not in the catalog lineup
   today).
 - anything else (notably `google` / Gemini) → empty vendor → **no parser**.
@@ -104,8 +104,9 @@ is omitted from the catalog.
 
 > Caveat: cross-region inference profiles in `eu` / `apac` carry a ~10% price
 > premium that the base per-token rates do **not** model — cost annotations for
-> those regions read low. Operators who need exact regional billing override
-> the affected entries in `pricing.yaml`.
+> those regions read low. Operators who need exact regional billing set the
+> affected models' prices on the provider record, or replace the default entries
+> via management's `AgentNetwork.PricingDefaultsFile`.
 
 ## AWS Bedrock (`bedrock_api`)
 
@@ -211,15 +212,19 @@ so a model-listing call can't be rewritten onto an upstream that would 404 it.
 ## Catalog ↔ pricing cross-check
 
 Catalog prices and context windows are cross-checked against LiteLLM's
-`model_prices_and_context_window.json`. The proxy's embedded
-`defaults_pricing.yaml` covers **every metered first-party model** the catalog
-enumerates — guarded by
-`TestDefaultTable_FirstPartyModelCoverage`
-([pricing/defaults_coverage_test.go](../../../proxy/internal/llm/pricing/defaults_coverage_test.go)),
-which fails if a catalog model has no embedded price. Bedrock entries are keyed
-by the **normalised** id the request parser emits (region prefix + version
-suffix stripped). Vertex Claude carries no Bedrock-style prefix, so it prices
-straight off the `anthropic` block.
+`model_prices_and_context_window.json`. The **catalog is the source of default
+prices**: management's `pricing.DefaultTable` folds every catalog provider's
+models into the surfaces that provider declares (`PricingSurfaces`), so coverage
+is structural rather than maintained in a parallel file
+([pricing/defaults.go](../../../management/internals/modules/agentnetwork/pricing/defaults.go)).
+`TestDefaultTable_CoversEveryCatalogModel` fails if a catalog model ends up
+unpriced, and `TestDefaultTable_NoConflictingContributions` fails if two
+providers contribute the same (surface, model) at different rates. Bedrock
+entries are keyed by the **normalised** id the request parser emits (region
+prefix + version suffix stripped) — management applies the same normalisation to
+per-provider prices at synth time, so the two keys compare equal. Vertex Claude
+carries no Bedrock-style prefix, so it prices straight off the `anthropic`
+surface.
 
 ## Things to scrutinise
 
@@ -232,16 +237,17 @@ operator-misconfigured Vertex provider and unmetered Gemini traffic; verify
 publishers).
 
 **Correctness.** `normalizeBedrockModel` is the join between the wire id and the
-pricing key — a model that normalises to something not in `defaults_pricing.yaml`
-meters at `cost.skipped=unknown_model` rather than failing the request. The
+pricing key — a model that normalises to something absent from the shipped
+pricing table meters at `cost.skipped=unknown_model` rather than failing the
+request. The
 `/bedrock` prefix strip must run on both the parser side (so the model is
 extracted) and the router side (so the upstream path is native); a regression in
 either silently breaks the other.
 
 **Metering caveats.** eu/apac cross-region Bedrock + Vertex profiles carry a
-~10% premium not modelled by base pricing — flagged in both the catalog comment
-and `defaults_pricing.yaml`. Operators needing exact regional billing override
-the relevant entries.
+~10% premium not modelled by base pricing — flagged in the catalog comment.
+Operators needing exact regional billing set per-provider prices on the model
+rows (or replace the default entries via `AgentNetwork.PricingDefaultsFile`).
 
 ## Cross-references