diff --git a/k8s/apps/llm-serving/clef-candle.yaml b/k8s/apps/llm-serving/clef-candle.yaml
index 248bccb..934fe08 100644
--- a/k8s/apps/llm-serving/clef-candle.yaml
+++ b/k8s/apps/llm-serving/clef-candle.yaml
@@ -37,7 +37,19 @@ spec:
           # and makes every linear-attention layer return zero. The symptom is
           # a well-formed /v1/systemone response with wrong answers, not an error.
           image: forgejo.riotpiao.com/riotpiao-poimen/candle-vllm:sm70
-          command: ["/usr/local/bin/candle-vllm"]
+          # :sm70 is a moving tag. Default IfNotPresent keeps a cached copy and a
+          # rebuilt image never reaches the pod, so a merged fix looks like it did
+          # not land. Always forces the pull on every pod start.
+          imagePullPolicy: Always
+          # Runs the fixed binary from the models PVC, not the one in the image.
+          # The published :sm70 predates the /v1/systemone route and the GDN conv
+          # fix (candle-vllm f3c00b2 is merged but CI has not republished the tag),
+          # so the in-image binary 404s on the route. The PVC copy at
+          # /mnt/models/bin/candle-vllm contains both fixes.
+          #
+          # RETIRE THIS once CI publishes a :sm70 built from f3c00b2: change the
+          # command back to /usr/local/bin/candle-vllm and delete the PVC copy.
+          command: ["/mnt/models/bin/candle-vllm"]
           # clef-flash is a hybrid Qwen3_5 model: 8 full-attention layers plus 24
           # GDN layers that carry per-sequence recurrent state. It runs on ONE
           # card because the state is not shardable the way attention KV is.
diff --git a/k8s/apps/llm-serving/clef-serve.yaml b/k8s/apps/llm-serving/clef-serve.yaml
index a8b820f..bd37506 100644
--- a/k8s/apps/llm-serving/clef-serve.yaml
+++ b/k8s/apps/llm-serving/clef-serve.yaml
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ spec:
   # Cold start is about four minutes: the pod pip-installs on every boot because the
   # torch base image cannot be pushed to the registry (Cloudflare answers 413 above
   # 100 MB per layer). startupProbe allows for that.
-  replicas: 1
+  replicas: 0
   # Recreate, not RollingUpdate. Every GPU card is allocated, so a rolling update leaves
   # the new pod Pending forever waiting for a card the old pod still holds.
   strategy: