diff --git a/machine-docs/DECISIONS.md b/machine-docs/DECISIONS.md
index 74ecf0b..6c4375e 100644
--- a/machine-docs/DECISIONS.md
+++ b/machine-docs/DECISIONS.md
@@ -1033,3 +1033,24 @@ Orchestrator policy (plan.md §9 + cc-ci-plan/plan-prefer-env-over-compose-overl
 
 Follow-ups (F2-14 / sub-plan E1-E6, DONE veto'd until cleared): ghost start_period overlay →
 APP_START_PERIOD env PR (E1); mumble host-ports overlay → justify-as-last-resort or migrate (E4).
+
+## 2026-05-30 — FINDING: abra rejects env-interpolated healthcheck start_period → literal recipe-PR bump (§9)
+
+While migrating discourse off its cc-ci compose overlay per plan §9 (prefer an upstream env-var
+recipe-PR over a cc-ci `compose.*.yml`), discovered abra CANNOT env-interpolate the healthcheck
+`start_period` field: both `start_period: ${APP_START_PERIOD:-5m}` and the quoted
+`start_period: "${APP_START_PERIOD:-5m}"` FATA at `abra app new` with
+`services.app.healthcheck.start_period Does not match format 'duration'`. abra validates the compose
+schema's duration format on the LITERAL template string before any `.env` substitution, and NO recipe
+in the catalogue env-interpolates start_period (grep confirmed empty).
+
+**Consequence for §9 pt1:** "expose the cc-ci-tuned value as an env var" is NOT achievable for
+`start_period` specifically. The §9-compliant alternative is a **LITERAL bump in the upstream
+recipe-PR** — still NOT a cc-ci compose overlay (the change lives in the recipe everyone runs), and a
+larger start_period is strictly safer for all users (it only widens the startup failure-grace; a
+healthy check still marks healthy immediately, so fast hosts are unaffected). Precedent: the
+sub-plan's own lasuite-drive collabora "start_period [KEYSTONE]" recipe-PR.
+
+- **discourse**: recipe-PR `recipe-maintainers/discourse#1` sets `start_period: 20m` (covers the
+  15-25min Rails first-boot; default was 5m). cc-ci recipe_meta no longer sets APP_START_PERIOD.
+- **ghost (E1)**: must use the SAME literal-bump approach, NOT an env var (same abra limitation).
diff --git a/tests/discourse/recipe_meta.py b/tests/discourse/recipe_meta.py
index 8503a85..2505c45 100644
--- a/tests/discourse/recipe_meta.py
+++ b/tests/discourse/recipe_meta.py
@@ -9,16 +9,20 @@ HEALTH_OK = (200,)
 DEPLOY_TIMEOUT = 2400  # slow Rails cold boot (15-25min); matches the EXTRA_ENV TIMEOUT below
 HTTP_TIMEOUT = 1200
 
-# Slow-cold-boot handling via env, NOT a cc-ci compose overlay (plan.md §9 anti-drift guardrail):
-# discourse's 15-25min Rails cold boot exceeds the recipe healthcheck's default start_period (5m) +
-# grace, so swarm would kill the still-booting app and the deploy never converges. Rather than fork
-# the recipe with a compose.*.yml overlay (which drifts from what ships), the recipe-PR
-# (recipe-maintainers/discourse#1) parameterizes the app healthcheck as
-# `start_period: ${APP_START_PERIOD:-5m}` (default unchanged for real users); cc-ci just sets a larger
-# value here. TIMEOUT (abra's internal convergence wait) is raised to outlast the boot.
+# Slow-cold-boot handling via a LITERAL recipe-PR start_period bump, NOT a cc-ci compose overlay
+# (plan.md §9 anti-drift guardrail). discourse's 15-25min Rails cold boot exceeds the recipe
+# healthcheck's default start_period (5m) + grace, so swarm would kill the still-booting app and the
+# deploy never converges. §9 pt1 prefers exposing such a value as an env var — but abra REJECTS
+# env-interpolation in healthcheck `start_period` (`FATA ...Does not match format 'duration'` for both
+# `${VAR}` and quoted `"${VAR:-5m}"`; it validates the literal compose duration before substitution,
+# and no catalogue recipe env-interpolates start_period). So the §9-compliant fix is a LITERAL bump in
+# the recipe-PR (recipe-maintainers/discourse#1): `start_period: 20m` on the app healthcheck — a change
+# to the recipe EVERYONE runs (not a cc-ci fork), and strictly safer (start_period only widens the
+# startup grace; a healthy check still marks healthy immediately, so fast hosts are unaffected).
+# Precedent: the lasuite-drive collabora start_period recipe-PR. (See DECISIONS.md 2026-05-30.)
+# TIMEOUT (abra's internal convergence wait) is raised to outlast the boot.
 EXTRA_ENV = {
     "TIMEOUT": "2400",
-    "APP_START_PERIOD": "1200s",
 }
 
 # Upgrade tier — N/A (declared NOT-TESTABLE under cc-ci; Adversary §7.1 sign-off GRANTED, REVIEW-2