diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index dce3245..31aa17f 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@ the evidence ledger is read-only: cached prices cannot grade pending signals,
 expire horizons, or create new observations.
 
 Build 124 targets five-minute slots with a serialized, self-chained GitHub Actions runtime.
+The mutable snapshot stays on the dedicated `runtime-state` branch, which is
+explicitly excluded from Vercel Git deployments through
+`git.deploymentEnabled`. This prevents high-frequency state commits from
+consuming Preview deployment quota while ordinary `main` source commits still
+produce Production deployments.
 It continues from the previous agent snapshot and runs the next due paper cycle
 even when no browser is open. After each successful cycle, one repo-scoped
 workflow dispatch waits for the next five-minute boundary; one concurrency group
diff --git a/scripts/test-autonomous-runtime.mjs b/scripts/test-autonomous-runtime.mjs
index 56a0c99..060507a 100644
--- a/scripts/test-autonomous-runtime.mjs
+++ b/scripts/test-autonomous-runtime.mjs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ const index = fs.readFileSync(new URL("../index.html", import.meta.url), "utf8")
 const api = fs.readFileSync(new URL("../api/state.js", import.meta.url), "utf8");
 const workflow = fs.readFileSync(new URL("../.github/workflows/autonomous-cycle.yml", import.meta.url), "utf8");
 const releaseWorkflow = fs.readFileSync(new URL("../.github/workflows/release-build-124.yml", import.meta.url), "utf8");
+const vercelConfig = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(new URL("../vercel.json", import.meta.url), "utf8"));
 const runner = fs.readFileSync(new URL("./run-autonomous-cycle.mjs", import.meta.url), "utf8");
 const resolutionAudit = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(new URL("../research/resolution-week-no-audit.json", import.meta.url), "utf8"));
 const sportsContestAudit = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(new URL("../research/sports-contest-no-exploration-audit.json", import.meta.url), "utf8"));
@@ -16,6 +17,7 @@ const sportsEvaluator = fs.readFileSync(new URL("./evaluate-sports-favorites.mjs
 const build = Number(index.match(/const BUILD_VERSION = (\d+);/)?.[1]);
 
 assert.equal(build, 124);
+assert.equal(vercelConfig.git?.deploymentEnabled?.["runtime-state"], false);
 assert.equal(settlementCalibrationAudit.requested_markets, 5000);
 assert.equal(settlementCalibrationAudit.train_passed, 0);
 assert.equal(settlementCalibrationAudit.validation_selected, 0);
diff --git a/vercel.json b/vercel.json
index a31f431..a477fa4 100644
--- a/vercel.json
+++ b/vercel.json
@@ -1,4 +1,10 @@
 {
+  "$schema": "https://openapi.vercel.sh/vercel.json",
+  "git": {
+    "deploymentEnabled": {
+      "runtime-state": false
+    }
+  },
   "rewrites": [
     {
       "source": "/api/liquidity",