diff --git a/core/src/modules/runtime.ts b/core/src/modules/runtime.ts
index 111005d..42ab1de 100644
--- a/core/src/modules/runtime.ts
+++ b/core/src/modules/runtime.ts
@@ -4,12 +4,17 @@ import {
   type CapabilityRegistrar,
   type CapabilityResolver,
   capabilityIdSchema,
+  type ModuleHttpRouteRegistrar,
   type ModuleId,
   type ModuleRegistrationContext,
+  type ModuleRouteDefinitionInput,
   type ModuleRuntimeContext,
   type ModuleRuntimeDefinition,
+  moduleRouteShapeKey,
   parseModuleRuntimeDefinition,
   type RegisteredCapability,
+  type RegisteredModuleHttpRoute,
+  safeParseModuleRouteDefinition,
 } from "@ekklesia/contracts";
 import {
   type DiscoveredModule,
@@ -27,6 +32,12 @@ export type ModuleRuntimeIssueCode =
   | "MODULE_CAPABILITY_UNREGISTERED"
   | "MODULE_REGISTER_FAILED"
   | "MODULE_ROLLBACK_FAILED"
+  | "MODULE_ROUTE_DEFINITION_INVALID"
+  | "MODULE_ROUTE_DUPLICATE"
+  | "MODULE_ROUTE_METHOD_INVALID"
+  | "MODULE_ROUTE_PATH_INVALID"
+  | "MODULE_ROUTE_PERMISSION_INVALID"
+  | "MODULE_ROUTE_PERMISSION_UNDECLARED"
   | "MODULE_RUNTIME_EXPORT_INVALID"
   | "MODULE_RUNTIME_ID_MISMATCH"
   | "MODULE_RUNTIME_IMPORT_FAILED"
@@ -53,6 +64,9 @@ export interface RunningModule {
 export interface StartedModuleRuntime {
   readonly capabilities: CapabilityRegistry;
   readonly modules: readonly RunningModule[];
+  /** One immutable startup snapshot: discovered-module order, then registration order within each
+   * module. Never mutated after startup — there is no dynamic route addition or removal. */
+  readonly routes: readonly RegisteredModuleHttpRoute[];
   stop(): Promise<void>;
 }
 
@@ -63,11 +77,16 @@ interface LoadedModule {
   readonly discovered: DiscoveredModule;
 }
 
-interface RegistrationStage {
-  readonly context: ModuleRegistrationContext;
+interface CapabilityRegistrationStage {
+  readonly capabilities: CapabilityRegistrar;
   commit(): readonly ModuleRuntimeIssue[];
 }
 
+interface HttpRouteRegistrationStage {
+  readonly http: ModuleHttpRouteRegistrar;
+  commit(): void;
+}
+
 class ModuleRuntimeSignal extends Error {
   readonly issue: ModuleRuntimeIssue;
 
@@ -109,7 +128,7 @@ function defaultExport(moduleNamespace: unknown): unknown {
 class StagedCapabilityRegistry {
   readonly #registered = new Map<CapabilityId, RegisteredCapability>();
 
-  createRegistrationStage(module: DiscoveredModule): RegistrationStage {
+  createRegistrationStage(module: DiscoveredModule): CapabilityRegistrationStage {
     const local = new Map<CapabilityId, RegisteredCapability>();
     const declarations = new Map(
       module.manifest.capabilities.map((declaration) => [declaration.id, declaration] as const),
@@ -154,13 +173,9 @@ class StagedCapabilityRegistry {
       },
       resolve,
     });
-    const context: ModuleRegistrationContext = Object.freeze({
-      capabilities,
-      moduleId: module.manifest.id,
-    });
 
     return {
-      context,
+      capabilities,
       commit: (): readonly ModuleRuntimeIssue[] => {
         const missing = [...declarations.keys()]
           .filter((capabilityId) => !local.has(capabilityId))
@@ -252,6 +267,88 @@ class StagedCapabilityRegistry {
   }
 }
 
+/**
+ * Stages a module's HTTP route registrations during `register`, exactly like
+ * `StagedCapabilityRegistry` stages capability provision: routes accumulate in a per-module local
+ * list, validated and rejected immediately (`ModuleRuntimeSignal`) at the `http.route(...)` call
+ * site, and are only merged into the shared, eventually-published list by `commit()` — called only
+ * after the module's `register` hook returns without throwing. Unlike capabilities, there is no
+ * "declared but never provided" concept for routes (a manifest never declares routes), so `commit`
+ * has nothing to validate; it only publishes what already passed validation.
+ */
+class StagedModuleHttpRoutes {
+  readonly #routes: RegisteredModuleHttpRoute[] = [];
+
+  createRegistrationStage(module: DiscoveredModule): HttpRouteRegistrationStage {
+    const local: RegisteredModuleHttpRoute[] = [];
+    const shapes = new Set<string>();
+    const ownedPermissionIds = new Set(
+      module.manifest.permissions.map((declaration) => declaration.id),
+    );
+
+    const http: ModuleHttpRouteRegistrar = Object.freeze({
+      route: (definition: ModuleRouteDefinitionInput): void => {
+        const parsed = safeParseModuleRouteDefinition(definition);
+        if (!parsed.success) {
+          throw new ModuleRuntimeSignal(
+            runtimeIssue(
+              parsed.code,
+              "register",
+              module.manifest.id,
+              `Module ${module.manifest.id} registered an invalid HTTP route.`,
+            ),
+          );
+        }
+        // Ownership is checked against this module's own manifest-declared permissions only, never
+        // the composed platform registry — a module can therefore never gate a route with Core's or
+        // another module's permission, structurally, regardless of what that other permission is.
+        if (!ownedPermissionIds.has(parsed.data.permission)) {
+          throw new ModuleRuntimeSignal(
+            runtimeIssue(
+              "MODULE_ROUTE_PERMISSION_UNDECLARED",
+              "register",
+              module.manifest.id,
+              `Module ${module.manifest.id} registered an HTTP route with a permission its own manifest does not declare.`,
+            ),
+          );
+        }
+        const shapeKey = moduleRouteShapeKey(parsed.data.method, parsed.data.path);
+        if (shapes.has(shapeKey)) {
+          throw new ModuleRuntimeSignal(
+            runtimeIssue(
+              "MODULE_ROUTE_DUPLICATE",
+              "register",
+              module.manifest.id,
+              `Module ${module.manifest.id} registered a duplicate HTTP route.`,
+            ),
+          );
+        }
+        shapes.add(shapeKey);
+        local.push(
+          Object.freeze({
+            handler: parsed.data.handler,
+            method: parsed.data.method,
+            moduleId: module.manifest.id,
+            path: parsed.data.path,
+            permission: parsed.data.permission,
+          }),
+        );
+      },
+    });
+
+    return {
+      http,
+      commit: (): void => {
+        this.#routes.push(...local);
+      },
+    };
+  }
+
+  publish(): readonly RegisteredModuleHttpRoute[] {
+    return Object.freeze([...this.#routes]);
+  }
+}
+
 async function loadRuntimeDefinitions(
   discoveredModules: readonly DiscoveredModule[],
 ): Promise<readonly LoadedModule[]> {
@@ -327,12 +424,19 @@ async function loadRuntimeDefinitions(
 
 async function registerModules(
   modules: readonly LoadedModule[],
-  registry: StagedCapabilityRegistry,
+  capabilityRegistry: StagedCapabilityRegistry,
+  httpRoutes: StagedModuleHttpRoutes,
 ): Promise<void> {
   for (const module of modules) {
-    const stage = registry.createRegistrationStage(module.discovered);
+    const capabilityStage = capabilityRegistry.createRegistrationStage(module.discovered);
+    const routeStage = httpRoutes.createRegistrationStage(module.discovered);
+    const context: ModuleRegistrationContext = Object.freeze({
+      capabilities: capabilityStage.capabilities,
+      http: routeStage.http,
+      moduleId: module.discovered.manifest.id,
+    });
     try {
-      await module.definition.register?.(stage.context);
+      await module.definition.register?.(context);
     } catch (error) {
       if (error instanceof ModuleRuntimeSignal) {
         throw new ModuleRuntimeError([error.issue]);
@@ -346,10 +450,15 @@ async function registerModules(
         ),
       ]);
     }
-    const issues = stage.commit();
+    const issues = capabilityStage.commit();
     if (issues.length > 0) {
       throw new ModuleRuntimeError(issues);
     }
+    // Routes are only merged into the shared published list once this module's registration has
+    // fully succeeded (register hook did not throw, and every declared capability was provided) —
+    // a failed registration therefore publishes no routes for this module, matching the same
+    // all-or-nothing guarantee capabilities already have.
+    routeStage.commit();
   }
 }
 
@@ -405,16 +514,25 @@ async function startModules(
   }
 }
 
-export async function startModuleRuntime(
-  options: StartModuleRuntimeOptions,
+/**
+ * Starts the module runtime from a module list the caller already discovered — performs no
+ * module-directory scan or manifest read of its own, and preserves the given list's order exactly.
+ * `startModuleRuntime` below is the convenient discovery-plus-start wrapper most callers want;
+ * `apps/api`'s production startup (pass 2) will call this form directly so permission composition
+ * and module HTTP/runtime startup share Phase 5A's exact same one-time discovery rather than
+ * discovering modules twice.
+ */
+export async function startDiscoveredModuleRuntime(
+  discoveredModules: readonly DiscoveredModule[],
 ): Promise<StartedModuleRuntime> {
-  const discovered = await discoverModules(options);
-  const modules = await loadRuntimeDefinitions(discovered);
-  const stagedRegistry = new StagedCapabilityRegistry();
-  await registerModules(modules, stagedRegistry);
-  await startModules(modules, stagedRegistry);
+  const modules = await loadRuntimeDefinitions(discoveredModules);
+  const capabilityRegistry = new StagedCapabilityRegistry();
+  const httpRoutes = new StagedModuleHttpRoutes();
+  await registerModules(modules, capabilityRegistry, httpRoutes);
+  await startModules(modules, capabilityRegistry);
 
-  const capabilities = stagedRegistry.publish();
+  const capabilities = capabilityRegistry.publish();
+  const routes = httpRoutes.publish();
   const runningModules = Object.freeze(
     modules.map((module) =>
       Object.freeze({
@@ -428,9 +546,10 @@ export async function startModuleRuntime(
   return Object.freeze({
     capabilities,
     modules: runningModules,
+    routes,
     stop: (): Promise<void> => {
       stopPromise ??= (async () => {
-        const issues = await stopModules(modules, stagedRegistry, "stop");
+        const issues = await stopModules(modules, capabilityRegistry, "stop");
         if (issues.length > 0) {
           throw new ModuleRuntimeError(issues);
         }
@@ -439,3 +558,10 @@ export async function startModuleRuntime(
     },
   });
 }
+
+export async function startModuleRuntime(
+  options: StartModuleRuntimeOptions,
+): Promise<StartedModuleRuntime> {
+  const discovered = await discoverModules(options);
+  return startDiscoveredModuleRuntime(discovered);
+}
diff --git a/core/tests/module-http-import.test.ts b/core/tests/module-http-import.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1c425e9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/tests/module-http-import.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+
+const readdir = vi.fn();
+const readFile = vi.fn();
+const realpath = vi.fn();
+const stat = vi.fn();
+
+vi.mock("node:fs/promises", async (importOriginal) => ({
+  ...(await importOriginal<typeof import("node:fs/promises")>()),
+  readdir,
+  readFile,
+  realpath,
+  stat,
+}));
+
+describe("module HTTP contract and runtime import safety", () => {
+  it("performs no filesystem I/O merely by importing the module runtime or the module-http contract", async () => {
+    await import("../src/modules/index.js");
+    await import("@ekklesia/contracts");
+
+    expect(readdir).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(readFile).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(realpath).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    expect(stat).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/core/tests/module-runtime.test.ts b/core/tests/module-runtime.test.ts
index 28b02d9..aefc443 100644
--- a/core/tests/module-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/core/tests/module-runtime.test.ts
@@ -1,14 +1,21 @@
 import { mkdir, mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
 import { tmpdir } from "node:os";
 import path from "node:path";
-import { afterEach, describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
+import { discoverModules } from "../src/modules/discovery.js";
 import {
   ModuleDiscoveryError,
   ModuleRuntimeError,
   type ModuleRuntimeIssueCode,
+  startDiscoveredModuleRuntime,
   startModuleRuntime,
 } from "../src/modules/index.js";
 
+vi.mock("../src/modules/discovery.js", async (importOriginal) => {
+  const actual = await importOriginal<typeof import("../src/modules/discovery.js")>();
+  return { ...actual, discoverModules: vi.fn(actual.discoverModules) };
+});
+
 interface RuntimeModuleFixture {
   readonly directory?: string;
   readonly manifest?: Record<string, unknown>;
@@ -40,6 +47,7 @@ function manifestFor(
   options: {
     capabilities?: Array<{ id: string; version: string }>;
     dependencies?: Record<string, unknown>;
+    permissions?: Array<{ id: string; baseline: string; description: string }>;
   } = {},
 ): Record<string, unknown> {
   return {
@@ -52,7 +60,7 @@ function manifestFor(
       moduleSdk: "^0.1.0",
     },
     capabilities: options.capabilities ?? [],
-    permissions: [],
+    permissions: options.permissions ?? [],
     ...(options.dependencies ? { dependencies: options.dependencies } : {}),
     entrypoints: {
       server: "./dist/server/index.js",
@@ -370,3 +378,482 @@ describe("module runtime", () => {
     expect(JSON.stringify(error.issues)).not.toContain(modulesDirectory);
   });
 });
+
+function noopHandlerSource(): string {
+  return "() => new Response(null, { status: 204 })";
+}
+
+function permissionDeclaration(
+  id: string,
+  baseline: "authenticated" | "public" | "restricted" = "restricted",
+): { id: string; baseline: string; description: string } {
+  return { id, baseline, description: `Test permission ${id}.` };
+}
+
+describe("module HTTP routes", () => {
+  it("registers one route and publishes it on the started runtime", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "single", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("single", {
+        permissions: [permissionDeclaration("single.items.read")],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "single", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({
+            method: "GET",
+            path: "/items",
+            permission: "single.items.read",
+            handler: ${noopHandlerSource()},
+          });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const runtime = await startModuleRuntime(runtimeOptions(modulesDirectory));
+    expect(runtime.routes).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(runtime.routes[0]).toMatchObject({
+      moduleId: "single",
+      method: "GET",
+      path: "/items",
+      permission: "single.items.read",
+    });
+    await runtime.stop();
+  });
+
+  it("retains registration order within a module and discovery order across modules", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "alpha", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("alpha", {
+        permissions: [
+          permissionDeclaration("alpha.first.read"),
+          permissionDeclaration("alpha.second.read"),
+        ],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "alpha", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/first", permission: "alpha.first.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/second", permission: "alpha.second.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "beta", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("beta", {
+        permissions: [permissionDeclaration("beta.third.read")],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "beta", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/third", permission: "beta.third.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const runtime = await startModuleRuntime(runtimeOptions(modulesDirectory));
+    expect(
+      runtime.routes.map((route) => `${route.moduleId}:${route.method}:${route.path}`),
+    ).toEqual(["alpha:GET:/first", "alpha:GET:/second", "beta:GET:/third"]);
+    await runtime.stop();
+  });
+
+  it("allows the same path under different methods", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "same-path", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("same-path", {
+        permissions: [
+          permissionDeclaration("same-path.items.read"),
+          permissionDeclaration("same-path.items.write"),
+        ],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "same-path", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/items", permission: "same-path.items.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+          http.route({ method: "POST", path: "/items", permission: "same-path.items.write", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const runtime = await startModuleRuntime(runtimeOptions(modulesDirectory));
+    expect(runtime.routes.map((route) => `${route.method} ${route.path}`)).toEqual([
+      "GET /items",
+      "POST /items",
+    ]);
+    await runtime.stop();
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a duplicate method/path route registered by the same module", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "dup", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("dup", {
+        permissions: [permissionDeclaration("dup.items.read")],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "dup", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/items", permission: "dup.items.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/items", permission: "dup.items.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const error = await captureRuntimeError(modulesDirectory);
+    expect(runtimeIssueCodes(error)).toEqual(["MODULE_ROUTE_DUPLICATE"]);
+  });
+
+  it("collides parameter-name-only path variants under the same method", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "param-shape", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("param-shape", {
+        permissions: [permissionDeclaration("param-shape.events.read")],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "param-shape", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/events/:eventId", permission: "param-shape.events.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/events/:id", permission: "param-shape.events.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const error = await captureRuntimeError(modulesDirectory);
+    expect(runtimeIssueCodes(error)).toEqual(["MODULE_ROUTE_DUPLICATE"]);
+  });
+
+  it("fails a malformed route with its specific structured issue code", async () => {
+    const badMethodDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(badMethodDirectory, "bad-method", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("bad-method", {
+        permissions: [permissionDeclaration("bad-method.items.read")],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "bad-method", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "get", path: "/items", permission: "bad-method.items.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+    expect(runtimeIssueCodes(await captureRuntimeError(badMethodDirectory))).toEqual([
+      "MODULE_ROUTE_METHOD_INVALID",
+    ]);
+
+    const badPathDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(badPathDirectory, "bad-path", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("bad-path", {
+        permissions: [permissionDeclaration("bad-path.items.read")],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "bad-path", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "items", permission: "bad-path.items.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+    expect(runtimeIssueCodes(await captureRuntimeError(badPathDirectory))).toEqual([
+      "MODULE_ROUTE_PATH_INVALID",
+    ]);
+
+    const badDefinitionDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(badDefinitionDirectory, "bad-shape", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("bad-shape", {
+        permissions: [permissionDeclaration("bad-shape.items.read")],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "bad-shape", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({
+            method: "GET",
+            path: "/items",
+            permission: "bad-shape.items.read",
+            baseline: "public",
+            handler: ${noopHandlerSource()},
+          });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+    expect(runtimeIssueCodes(await captureRuntimeError(badDefinitionDirectory))).toEqual([
+      "MODULE_ROUTE_DEFINITION_INVALID",
+    ]);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a route permission the registering module does not itself declare", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "undeclared", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("undeclared"),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "undeclared", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/items", permission: "undeclared.items.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const error = await captureRuntimeError(modulesDirectory);
+    expect(runtimeIssueCodes(error)).toEqual(["MODULE_ROUTE_PERMISSION_UNDECLARED"]);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a module gating a route with a Core-owned permission it cannot declare", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "coreattempt", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("coreattempt"),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "coreattempt", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({
+            method: "GET",
+            path: "/items",
+            permission: "core.authorization.grants.manage",
+            handler: ${noopHandlerSource()},
+          });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const error = await captureRuntimeError(modulesDirectory);
+    expect(runtimeIssueCodes(error)).toEqual(["MODULE_ROUTE_PERMISSION_UNDECLARED"]);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a module gating a route with another module's permission", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "alpha", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("alpha", {
+        permissions: [permissionDeclaration("alpha.items.read")],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default { id: "alpha", version: "0.1.0" };`,
+    });
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "beta", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("beta"),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "beta", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/items", permission: "alpha.items.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const error = await captureRuntimeError(modulesDirectory);
+    expect(runtimeIssueCodes(error)).toEqual(["MODULE_ROUTE_PERMISSION_UNDECLARED"]);
+  });
+
+  it("accepts a declared public, authenticated, or restricted permission without interpreting its baseline", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "baselines", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("baselines", {
+        permissions: [
+          permissionDeclaration("baselines.public.read", "public"),
+          permissionDeclaration("baselines.authenticated.read", "authenticated"),
+          permissionDeclaration("baselines.restricted.read", "restricted"),
+        ],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "baselines", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/public", permission: "baselines.public.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/authenticated", permission: "baselines.authenticated.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/restricted", permission: "baselines.restricted.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const runtime = await startModuleRuntime(runtimeOptions(modulesDirectory));
+    expect(runtime.routes).toHaveLength(3);
+    for (const route of runtime.routes) {
+      expect(Object.keys(route).sort()).toEqual([
+        "handler",
+        "method",
+        "moduleId",
+        "path",
+        "permission",
+      ]);
+    }
+    await runtime.stop();
+  });
+
+  it("never invokes a route handler while registering or starting", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    const recorder = createEventRecorder();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "never-invoked", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("never-invoked", {
+        permissions: [permissionDeclaration("never-invoked.items.read")],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "never-invoked", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({
+            method: "GET",
+            path: "/items",
+            permission: "never-invoked.items.read",
+            handler: () => { ${recorder.expression}.push("handler:called"); return new Response(null, { status: 204 }); },
+          });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const runtime = await startModuleRuntime(runtimeOptions(modulesDirectory));
+    expect(recorder.events).toEqual([]);
+    await runtime.stop();
+    expect(recorder.events).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it("publishes frozen, immutable routes as a frozen route list", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "frozen", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("frozen", {
+        permissions: [permissionDeclaration("frozen.items.read")],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "frozen", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/items", permission: "frozen.items.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const runtime = await startModuleRuntime(runtimeOptions(modulesDirectory));
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(runtime.routes)).toBe(true);
+    expect(Object.isFrozen(runtime.routes[0])).toBe(true);
+    await runtime.stop();
+  });
+
+  it("does not let a module mutate the published route by mutating its own definition afterward", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "mutate", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("mutate", {
+        permissions: [
+          permissionDeclaration("mutate.items.read"),
+          permissionDeclaration("mutate.other.read"),
+        ],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "mutate", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          const definition = {
+            method: "GET",
+            path: "/items",
+            permission: "mutate.items.read",
+            handler: ${noopHandlerSource()},
+          };
+          http.route(definition);
+          definition.method = "POST";
+          definition.path = "/mutated";
+          definition.permission = "mutate.other.read";
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const runtime = await startModuleRuntime(runtimeOptions(modulesDirectory));
+    expect(runtime.routes[0]).toMatchObject({
+      method: "GET",
+      path: "/items",
+      permission: "mutate.items.read",
+    });
+    await runtime.stop();
+  });
+
+  it("publishes no runtime when a later module's route registration fails", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "first-ok", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("first-ok", {
+        permissions: [permissionDeclaration("first-ok.items.read")],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "first-ok", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/items", permission: "first-ok.items.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "second-bad", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("second-bad"),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "second-bad", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/items", permission: "second-bad.items.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const error = await captureRuntimeError(modulesDirectory);
+    expect(runtimeIssueCodes(error)).toEqual(["MODULE_ROUTE_PERMISSION_UNDECLARED"]);
+    expect(error.issues[0]?.moduleId).toBe("second-bad");
+  });
+
+  it("preserves existing rollback behavior when a registered route's module later fails to start", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    const recorder = createEventRecorder();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "routed", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("routed", {
+        permissions: [permissionDeclaration("routed.items.read")],
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "routed", version: "0.1.0",
+        register({ http }) {
+          http.route({ method: "GET", path: "/items", permission: "routed.items.read", handler: ${noopHandlerSource()} });
+        },
+        start() { ${recorder.expression}.push("routed:start"); },
+        stop() { ${recorder.expression}.push("routed:stop"); }
+      };`,
+    });
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "failing", {
+      manifest: manifestFor("failing", {
+        dependencies: { modules: { required: { routed: "^0.1.0" } } },
+      }),
+      serverSource: `export default {
+        id: "failing", version: "0.1.0",
+        start() { throw new Error("boom"); }
+      };`,
+    });
+
+    const error = await captureRuntimeError(modulesDirectory);
+    expect(runtimeIssueCodes(error)).toEqual(["MODULE_START_FAILED"]);
+    expect(recorder.events).toEqual(["routed:start", "routed:stop"]);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("already-discovered module runtime", () => {
+  it("starts from an already-discovered inventory without a second directory scan", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "already-discovered", {
+      serverSource: `export default { id: "already-discovered", version: "0.1.0" };`,
+    });
+
+    vi.mocked(discoverModules).mockClear();
+    const discovered = await discoverModules(runtimeOptions(modulesDirectory));
+    expect(discoverModules).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+    const runtime = await startDiscoveredModuleRuntime(discovered);
+    expect(discoverModules).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    expect(runtime.modules.map((module) => module.id)).toEqual(["already-discovered"]);
+    await runtime.stop();
+  });
+
+  it("preserves the given discovered-module list order exactly, without re-sorting", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "first", {
+      serverSource: `export default { id: "first", version: "0.1.0" };`,
+    });
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "second", {
+      serverSource: `export default { id: "second", version: "0.1.0" };`,
+    });
+
+    const discovered = await discoverModules(runtimeOptions(modulesDirectory));
+    expect(discovered.map((module) => module.manifest.id)).toEqual(["first", "second"]);
+
+    const runtime = await startDiscoveredModuleRuntime([...discovered].reverse());
+    expect(runtime.modules.map((module) => module.id)).toEqual(["second", "first"]);
+    await runtime.stop();
+  });
+
+  it("startModuleRuntime remains backward-compatible and discovers exactly once", async () => {
+    const modulesDirectory = await createModulesDirectory();
+    await createRuntimeModule(modulesDirectory, "compat", {
+      serverSource: `export default { id: "compat", version: "0.1.0" };`,
+    });
+
+    vi.mocked(discoverModules).mockClear();
+    const runtime = await startModuleRuntime(runtimeOptions(modulesDirectory));
+    expect(discoverModules).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    await runtime.stop();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/docs/module-development/README.md b/docs/module-development/README.md
index b11449f..429158c 100644
--- a/docs/module-development/README.md
+++ b/docs/module-development/README.md
@@ -177,6 +177,75 @@ Entrypoint imports must have no top-level side effects. Modules are trusted back
 evaluation cannot be rolled back. Keep registration declarative; open resources in `start` and
 close them in `stop`.
 
+## HTTP routes
+
+A module registers plain Fetch (`Request` in, `Response` out) route handlers during `register`,
+through the `http` registrar `ModuleRegistrationContext` provides alongside `capabilities`:
+
+```ts
+import { defineModuleRuntime } from "@ekklesia/module-sdk";
+
+export default defineModuleRuntime({
+  id: "calendar",
+  version: "0.1.0",
+
+  register({ capabilities, http }) {
+    capabilities.provide("calendar.events", calendarEvents);
+
+    http.route({
+      method: "GET",
+      path: "/events/:eventId",
+      permission: "calendar.events.read",
+      async handler(request, context) {
+        return Response.json({
+          eventId: context.params.eventId,
+          principal: context.principal.kind,
+        });
+      },
+    });
+  },
+});
+```
+
+A route definition has exactly four fields — `method`, `path`, `permission`, `handler` — and nothing
+else; an unknown field (a baseline, a mount prefix, CORS/origin policy, middleware, audit metadata,
+authentication behavior, or another module's namespace) fails registration outright rather than
+being ignored. `method` is one of `GET`, `POST`, `PUT`, `PATCH`, `DELETE`, always uppercase; there is
+no `OPTIONS` (the platform owns CORS preflight) and no wildcard/all-method registration.
+
+`path` is local to the module, never the path a caller actually sends. The platform alone owns the
+production mount prefix, `/api/v1/modules/<module-id>`: `"/"` is the module's own root, `"/events"`
+means `/api/v1/modules/calendar/events`, and `"/events/:eventId"` is a parameterized route using the
+same `:name` syntax a caller's request is matched against. A canonical path begins with `/`, a
+non-root path never ends with `/`, and every segment is either a lowercase kebab-case static segment
+or one `:parameterName` segment — no empty or repeated slashes, no query string or fragment, no
+backslash or percent-encoding, no dot segments, and no wildcard/catch-all segment. A malformed path
+is rejected outright, never silently normalized.
+
+Every route — including a route meant to be publicly reachable — names exactly one `permission` the
+owning module's own manifest declares; there is no way to register an unprotected, no-permission
+route. A module cannot supply a baseline directly: the permission's trusted `public`, `authenticated`,
+or `restricted` baseline always comes from the composed platform registry, exactly like any other
+enforcement decision. Public access is therefore expressed by referencing a permission whose manifest
+declaration has `baseline: "public"`, never by omitting a permission. A module may only reference a
+permission its own manifest declares — never a Core-owned permission, and never another module's —
+so it can never gate a route behind authority it does not itself own. The same local path may be
+registered under more than one method, but registering the same module twice under the identical
+method and path (or two paths that are identical once every parameter is treated as an anonymous
+placeholder, such as `/events/:eventId` and `/events/:id` under `GET`) fails as a duplicate route.
+
+The handler receives the standard `Request` plus a context of exactly `moduleId`, the caller's
+already-authorized `EkklesiaPrincipal`, and the immutable decoded path parameters — never a database
+connection, authorization store, grant/platform-owner state, storage, jobs, configuration, secrets,
+a framework-specific request context, or a raw Better Auth session. The full query string remains
+available through `Request.url`; there is no separate query or body abstraction.
+
+This pass only defines, validates, and collects routes into `StartedModuleRuntime`'s immutable route
+snapshot — Core never invokes a handler here. Mounting routes into the production `apps/api` Hono
+application, enforcing each route's permission through `requirePermission`, applying
+`requireTrustedOrigin`, mapping handler errors to sanitized responses, and wiring this into
+`startApi`'s production lifecycle are later work.
+
 ## Drizzle schema definition
 
 A module with tables keeps the generator-facing declarations in `src/schema/tables.ts`:
@@ -327,10 +396,12 @@ not misreported as a successful check.
 
 Core completes discovery before importing any server entrypoint. It then loads and verifies every
 runtime definition before running hooks, registers all modules dependency-first into an unpublished
-staged capability registry, and starts them in the same order. Shutdown is reverse-order. If a later
-module fails to start, Core stops already-started modules in reverse order and reports any cleanup
-failures without leaking caught exceptions or machine paths. A failing `start` hook must clean up
-its own partial work before rejecting.
+staged capability registry and an unpublished staged HTTP route list side by side, and starts them in
+the same order. Neither the capability registry nor the route list is published — visible on
+`StartedModuleRuntime` — unless every module registers and starts successfully. Shutdown is
+reverse-order. If a later module fails to start, Core stops already-started modules in reverse order
+and reports any cleanup failures without leaking caught exceptions or machine paths. A failing
+`start` hook must clean up its own partial work before rejecting.
 
 ## Start from the template
 
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/index.ts b/packages/contracts/src/index.ts
index 3fd62c0..8577526 100644
--- a/packages/contracts/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/index.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 export * from "./authorization.js";
 export * from "./identifiers.js";
 export * from "./identity.js";
+export * from "./module-http.js";
 export * from "./module-lifecycle.js";
 export * from "./module-manifest.js";
 export * from "./module-migration.js";
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/module-http.ts b/packages/contracts/src/module-http.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ccbbdd6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/module-http.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,256 @@
+import { z } from "zod";
+import type { EkklesiaPrincipal } from "./identity.js";
+import { type ModuleId, type PermissionId, permissionIdSchema } from "./identifiers.js";
+
+// Not imported from `./module-runtime.js`'s own `Awaitable` (structurally identical) — importing
+// it would create a source dependency cycle with that module, which also imports from this one for
+// `ModuleHttpRouteRegistrar`. `scripts/check-boundaries.ts` rejects any source cycle, including one
+// formed only by `import type`, so this tiny, fixed-shape utility type is kept private here instead.
+type Awaitable<Value> = Value | PromiseLike<Value>;
+
+/** The exact, canonical HTTP methods a module route may declare. Uppercase only — a module never
+ * gets `OPTIONS` (the platform owns CORS preflight) or a wildcard/all-methods registration. */
+export const MODULE_HTTP_METHODS = ["DELETE", "GET", "PATCH", "POST", "PUT"] as const;
+
+export type ModuleHttpMethod = (typeof MODULE_HTTP_METHODS)[number];
+
+const moduleHttpMethods: ReadonlySet<string> = new Set(MODULE_HTTP_METHODS);
+
+export function isModuleHttpMethod(value: unknown): value is ModuleHttpMethod {
+  return typeof value === "string" && moduleHttpMethods.has(value);
+}
+
+const MODULE_ROUTE_PATH_MAX_LENGTH = 256;
+const staticSegmentPattern = /^[a-z0-9]+(?:-[a-z0-9]+)*$/u;
+const parameterSegmentPattern = /^:[a-z][a-zA-Z0-9]*$/u;
+
+/**
+ * A module-local route path — never the production-mounted `/api/v1/modules/<module-id>` path a
+ * caller actually sends (pass 2). Not branded (unlike `PermissionId`): like `PackageRelativePath`,
+ * this is a validated location, not an opaque cross-system identifier. `"/"` is the module root;
+ * any other canonical path begins with `/`, never ends with `/`, and is composed only of lowercase
+ * kebab-case static segments or single `:parameterName` segments — no empty or repeated slashes, no
+ * query string or fragment, no backslash or percent-encoding, no dot segments, and no wildcard or
+ * catch-all segment, since none of those can ever match either segment grammar. Malformed input is
+ * rejected outright rather than normalized, so a module can never register a path Core silently
+ * reinterpreted.
+ */
+export const moduleRoutePathSchema = z
+  .string()
+  .max(MODULE_ROUTE_PATH_MAX_LENGTH)
+  .superRefine((value, context) => {
+    if (
+      !value.startsWith("/") ||
+      value.includes("\\") ||
+      value.includes("%") ||
+      value.includes("?") ||
+      value.includes("#")
+    ) {
+      context.addIssue({
+        code: "custom",
+        message:
+          "Module route paths must begin with / and must not contain backslashes, " +
+          "percent-encoding, query strings, or fragments.",
+      });
+      return;
+    }
+    if (value === "/") {
+      return;
+    }
+    if (value.endsWith("/")) {
+      context.addIssue({
+        code: "custom",
+        message: "Non-root module route paths must not end with /.",
+      });
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const segments = value.slice(1).split("/");
+    const parameterNames = new Set<string>();
+    for (const segment of segments) {
+      const isParameter = segment.startsWith(":");
+      const matchesGrammar = isParameter
+        ? parameterSegmentPattern.test(segment)
+        : staticSegmentPattern.test(segment);
+      if (!matchesGrammar) {
+        context.addIssue({
+          code: "custom",
+          message:
+            "Module route path segments must be lowercase kebab-case static segments or a " +
+            "single :parameterName segment.",
+        });
+        return;
+      }
+      if (isParameter) {
+        const parameterName = segment.slice(1);
+        if (parameterNames.has(parameterName)) {
+          context.addIssue({
+            code: "custom",
+            message: "Module route path parameter names must be unique within the path.",
+          });
+          return;
+        }
+        parameterNames.add(parameterName);
+      }
+    }
+  });
+
+export type ModuleRoutePath = z.output<typeof moduleRoutePathSchema>;
+
+export function parseModuleRoutePath(input: unknown): ModuleRoutePath {
+  return moduleRoutePathSchema.parse(input);
+}
+
+export function safeParseModuleRoutePath(input: unknown): z.ZodSafeParseResult<ModuleRoutePath> {
+  return moduleRoutePathSchema.safeParse(input);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Produces a deterministic key identifying a route's shape — method plus path with every parameter
+ * segment collapsed to one placeholder — so `/events/:eventId` and `/events/:id` collide under the
+ * same method exactly like the identical route they are, regardless of the parameter's chosen name.
+ * Takes an already-validated `ModuleRoutePath`; never re-validates or echoes the original path.
+ */
+export function moduleRouteShapeKey(method: ModuleHttpMethod, path: ModuleRoutePath): string {
+  if (path === "/") {
+    return `${method} /`;
+  }
+  const shapeSegments = path
+    .slice(1)
+    .split("/")
+    .map((segment) => (segment.startsWith(":") ? ":param" : segment));
+  return `${method} /${shapeSegments.join("/")}`;
+}
+
+/**
+ * What a module's route handler receives about the caller and the match — never a database
+ * connection, authorization-store, grant-management, storage, jobs, configuration, secrets, the
+ * Hono `Context`, or a raw Better Auth session. `principal` is already authorized by the time a
+ * handler runs (pass 2 mounts and enforces); this pass never invokes a handler at all.
+ */
+export interface ModuleRouteHandlerContext {
+  readonly moduleId: ModuleId;
+  readonly principal: EkklesiaPrincipal;
+  readonly params: Readonly<Record<string, string>>;
+}
+
+/** A framework-neutral Fetch handler: standard `Request` in, standard `Response` out. The full
+ * query string remains available through `Request.url`; there is no competing query or body
+ * abstraction. */
+export type ModuleRouteHandler = (
+  request: Request,
+  context: ModuleRouteHandlerContext,
+) => Awaitable<Response>;
+
+/**
+ * What a module passes to `http.route(...)` during `register`. `permission` is a plain string here
+ * (never the branded `PermissionId`) so a module can write a literal permission id without an
+ * explicit parse call first; `http.route` validates and brands it. The type has exactly these four
+ * fields — a module cannot specify a baseline, mount prefix, absolute path, CORS/origin policy,
+ * authentication behavior, grant/platform-owner state, middleware, audit metadata, another module's
+ * namespace, or an unprotected/no-permission route.
+ */
+export interface ModuleRouteDefinitionInput {
+  readonly method: ModuleHttpMethod;
+  readonly path: string;
+  readonly permission: string;
+  readonly handler: ModuleRouteHandler;
+}
+
+/** The validated, canonical form of a `ModuleRouteDefinitionInput` — what `http.route` produces
+ * only after every field passes its own grammar. */
+export interface ModuleRouteDefinition {
+  readonly method: ModuleHttpMethod;
+  readonly path: ModuleRoutePath;
+  readonly permission: PermissionId;
+  readonly handler: ModuleRouteHandler;
+}
+
+/** The Fetch-based registrar exposed as `context.http` during `register` only — never on
+ * `ModuleRuntimeContext`, so `start`/`stop` cannot register a route after the fact. */
+export interface ModuleHttpRouteRegistrar {
+  route(definition: ModuleRouteDefinitionInput): void;
+}
+
+/** One published route in `StartedModuleRuntime`'s immutable route snapshot — the same validated
+ * fields as `ModuleRouteDefinition` plus the owning module's ID, which the production mount prefix
+ * (pass 2) uses to keep two modules' routes from ever colliding regardless of their own local
+ * paths. */
+export interface RegisteredModuleHttpRoute {
+  readonly moduleId: ModuleId;
+  readonly method: ModuleHttpMethod;
+  readonly path: ModuleRoutePath;
+  readonly permission: PermissionId;
+  readonly handler: ModuleRouteHandler;
+}
+
+const moduleRouteDefinitionKeys = new Set(["method", "path", "permission", "handler"]);
+
+function isRecord(value: unknown): value is Record<string, unknown> {
+  return typeof value === "object" && value !== null && !Array.isArray(value);
+}
+
+function hasModuleRouteDefinitionShape(
+  value: unknown,
+): value is { method: unknown; path: unknown; permission: unknown; handler: unknown } {
+  if (!isRecord(value)) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  const keys = Object.keys(value);
+  return (
+    keys.length === moduleRouteDefinitionKeys.size &&
+    keys.every((key) => moduleRouteDefinitionKeys.has(key)) &&
+    typeof value.handler === "function"
+  );
+}
+
+export type ModuleRouteDefinitionIssueCode =
+  | "MODULE_ROUTE_DEFINITION_INVALID"
+  | "MODULE_ROUTE_METHOD_INVALID"
+  | "MODULE_ROUTE_PATH_INVALID"
+  | "MODULE_ROUTE_PERMISSION_INVALID";
+
+export type ModuleRouteDefinitionParseResult =
+  | { readonly success: true; readonly data: ModuleRouteDefinition }
+  | { readonly success: false; readonly code: ModuleRouteDefinitionIssueCode };
+
+/**
+ * Validates every field-level rule a route definition must satisfy on its own — exact shape,
+ * canonical method, canonical path, well-formed permission id — but never whether the permission is
+ * actually declared by the registering module. That ownership check needs the module's own manifest
+ * and belongs to the caller (Core's module runtime), not this framework-neutral contract. Never
+ * echoes the rejected input in the returned code.
+ */
+export function safeParseModuleRouteDefinition(value: unknown): ModuleRouteDefinitionParseResult {
+  if (!hasModuleRouteDefinitionShape(value)) {
+    return { success: false, code: "MODULE_ROUTE_DEFINITION_INVALID" };
+  }
+  if (!isModuleHttpMethod(value.method)) {
+    return { success: false, code: "MODULE_ROUTE_METHOD_INVALID" };
+  }
+  const parsedPath = moduleRoutePathSchema.safeParse(value.path);
+  if (!parsedPath.success) {
+    return { success: false, code: "MODULE_ROUTE_PATH_INVALID" };
+  }
+  const parsedPermission = permissionIdSchema.safeParse(value.permission);
+  if (!parsedPermission.success) {
+    return { success: false, code: "MODULE_ROUTE_PERMISSION_INVALID" };
+  }
+  return {
+    success: true,
+    data: Object.freeze({
+      method: value.method,
+      path: parsedPath.data,
+      permission: parsedPermission.data,
+      handler: value.handler as ModuleRouteHandler,
+    }),
+  };
+}
+
+export function parseModuleRouteDefinition(value: unknown): ModuleRouteDefinition {
+  const result = safeParseModuleRouteDefinition(value);
+  if (!result.success) {
+    throw new TypeError("Invalid Ekklesia module route definition.");
+  }
+  return result.data;
+}
diff --git a/packages/contracts/src/module-runtime.ts b/packages/contracts/src/module-runtime.ts
index 7bb16e7..e61d5c7 100644
--- a/packages/contracts/src/module-runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/contracts/src/module-runtime.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import type { CapabilityId, ModuleId } from "./identifiers.js";
 import { moduleIdSchema } from "./identifiers.js";
+import type { ModuleHttpRouteRegistrar } from "./module-http.js";
 import { semanticVersionSchema } from "./versions.js";
 
 export type Awaitable<Value> = Value | PromiseLike<Value>;
@@ -21,6 +22,10 @@ export interface CapabilityRegistrar extends CapabilityResolver {
 
 export interface ModuleRegistrationContext {
   readonly capabilities: CapabilityRegistrar;
+  /** Available only during `register` — never on `ModuleRuntimeContext` — so a route can only ever
+   * be declared while Core is still building the immutable startup snapshot, never added or removed
+   * afterward from `start`, `stop`, or any other post-registration code path. */
+  readonly http: ModuleHttpRouteRegistrar;
   readonly moduleId: ModuleId;
 }
 
diff --git a/packages/contracts/tests/module-http.test.ts b/packages/contracts/tests/module-http.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ee281b1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/contracts/tests/module-http.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,255 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vitest";
+import {
+  isModuleHttpMethod,
+  MODULE_HTTP_METHODS,
+  type ModuleRouteDefinitionInput,
+  moduleRoutePathSchema,
+  moduleRouteShapeKey,
+  parseModuleRouteDefinition,
+  parseModuleRoutePath,
+  safeParseModuleRouteDefinition,
+  safeParseModuleRoutePath,
+} from "../src/index.js";
+
+function noopHandler(): Response {
+  return new Response(null, { status: 204 });
+}
+
+function validDefinition(
+  overrides: Partial<ModuleRouteDefinitionInput> = {},
+): ModuleRouteDefinitionInput {
+  return {
+    method: "GET",
+    path: "/events/:eventId",
+    permission: "calendar.events.read",
+    handler: noopHandler,
+    ...overrides,
+  };
+}
+
+describe("ModuleHttpMethod", () => {
+  it("accepts every supported method", () => {
+    for (const method of MODULE_HTTP_METHODS) {
+      expect(isModuleHttpMethod(method)).toBe(true);
+    }
+    expect(MODULE_HTTP_METHODS).toEqual(["DELETE", "GET", "PATCH", "POST", "PUT"]);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects lowercase, unknown, OPTIONS, HEAD, and wildcard methods", () => {
+    for (const method of ["get", "post", "TRACE", "OPTIONS", "HEAD", "*", "ALL", ""]) {
+      expect(isModuleHttpMethod(method)).toBe(false);
+    }
+    expect(isModuleHttpMethod(42)).toBe(false);
+    expect(isModuleHttpMethod(undefined)).toBe(false);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("moduleRoutePathSchema", () => {
+  it("accepts the root, static, nested, and parameterized canonical paths", () => {
+    for (const path of [
+      "/",
+      "/events",
+      "/events/upcoming",
+      "/events/:eventId",
+      "/events/:eventId/attendees/:attendeeId",
+    ]) {
+      expect(parseModuleRoutePath(path)).toBe(path);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("rejects paths that do not begin with /", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("events").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("").success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a non-root path ending with /", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events/").success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects empty and repeated segments", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events//upcoming").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("//events").success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects query strings and fragments", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events?limit=10").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events#upcoming").success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects backslashes and percent-encoded path syntax", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events\\upcoming").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events%2Fupcoming").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/%2e%2e/events").success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects dot segments and traversal syntax", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events/..").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events/.").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/../events").success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects wildcard or catch-all segments", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events/*").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events/**").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/*").success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects non-kebab-case static segments", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/Events").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events_list").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events--upcoming").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/-events").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events-").success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a malformed parameter segment", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events/:").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events/:Event-Id").success).toBe(false);
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events/:1id").success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects duplicate parameter names within one path", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath("/events/:id/attendees/:id").success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("rejects an unreasonably long path", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRoutePath(`/${"a".repeat(300)}`).success).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it("never echoes the rejected raw path in its issue messages", () => {
+    const secret = "/machine/private/path/traversal-attempt-%2e%2e";
+    const result = moduleRoutePathSchema.safeParse(secret);
+    expect(result.success).toBe(false);
+    expect(JSON.stringify(result.error?.issues)).not.toContain(secret);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("moduleRouteShapeKey", () => {
+  it("collapses different parameter names into the same shape for the same method", () => {
+    const eventId = parseModuleRoutePath("/events/:eventId");
+    const id = parseModuleRoutePath("/events/:id");
+    expect(moduleRouteShapeKey("GET", eventId)).toBe(moduleRouteShapeKey("GET", id));
+  });
+
+  it("distinguishes shapes by method and by static path structure", () => {
+    const path = parseModuleRoutePath("/events/:eventId");
+    expect(moduleRouteShapeKey("GET", path)).not.toBe(moduleRouteShapeKey("POST", path));
+    expect(moduleRouteShapeKey("GET", parseModuleRoutePath("/events"))).not.toBe(
+      moduleRouteShapeKey("GET", parseModuleRoutePath("/events/:eventId")),
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("treats the root path as its own shape", () => {
+    expect(moduleRouteShapeKey("GET", parseModuleRoutePath("/"))).toBe("GET /");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("safeParseModuleRouteDefinition", () => {
+  it("accepts a well-formed definition and brands its path and permission", () => {
+    const result = safeParseModuleRouteDefinition(validDefinition());
+    expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+    if (result.success) {
+      expect(result.data).toEqual({
+        method: "GET",
+        path: "/events/:eventId",
+        permission: "calendar.events.read",
+        handler: noopHandler,
+      });
+      expect(Object.isFrozen(result.data)).toBe(true);
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a non-object, null, or array definition", () => {
+    for (const value of [null, undefined, "route", 42, []]) {
+      expect(safeParseModuleRouteDefinition(value)).toEqual({
+        success: false,
+        code: "MODULE_ROUTE_DEFINITION_INVALID",
+      });
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("rejects an unknown route-definition field", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRouteDefinition({ ...validDefinition(), baseline: "public" })).toEqual({
+      success: false,
+      code: "MODULE_ROUTE_DEFINITION_INVALID",
+    });
+    expect(
+      safeParseModuleRouteDefinition({ ...validDefinition(), mountPrefix: "/custom" }),
+    ).toEqual({ success: false, code: "MODULE_ROUTE_DEFINITION_INVALID" });
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a missing required field", () => {
+    const { handler: _handler, ...withoutHandler } = validDefinition();
+    expect(safeParseModuleRouteDefinition(withoutHandler)).toEqual({
+      success: false,
+      code: "MODULE_ROUTE_DEFINITION_INVALID",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("rejects a non-function handler", () => {
+    expect(
+      safeParseModuleRouteDefinition({ ...validDefinition(), handler: "not-a-function" }),
+    ).toEqual({ success: false, code: "MODULE_ROUTE_DEFINITION_INVALID" });
+  });
+
+  it("rejects an invalid method", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRouteDefinition({ ...validDefinition(), method: "get" })).toEqual({
+      success: false,
+      code: "MODULE_ROUTE_METHOD_INVALID",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("rejects an invalid path", () => {
+    expect(safeParseModuleRouteDefinition({ ...validDefinition(), path: "events" })).toEqual({
+      success: false,
+      code: "MODULE_ROUTE_PATH_INVALID",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("rejects an invalid permission id", () => {
+    expect(
+      safeParseModuleRouteDefinition({ ...validDefinition(), permission: "not namespaced" }),
+    ).toEqual({ success: false, code: "MODULE_ROUTE_PERMISSION_INVALID" });
+    expect(safeParseModuleRouteDefinition({ ...validDefinition(), permission: "*" })).toEqual({
+      success: false,
+      code: "MODULE_ROUTE_PERMISSION_INVALID",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("does not retain the caller's mutable definition object: mutating it afterward cannot change the parsed result", () => {
+    const source = { ...validDefinition() };
+    const result = safeParseModuleRouteDefinition(source);
+    expect(result.success).toBe(true);
+    source.method = "POST";
+    source.path = "/mutated";
+    source.permission = "mutated.permission.id";
+    if (result.success) {
+      expect(result.data.method).toBe("GET");
+      expect(result.data.path).toBe("/events/:eventId");
+      expect(result.data.permission).toBe("calendar.events.read");
+    }
+  });
+});
+
+describe("parseModuleRouteDefinition", () => {
+  it("returns the parsed definition for valid input", () => {
+    expect(parseModuleRouteDefinition(validDefinition())).toMatchObject({
+      method: "GET",
+      path: "/events/:eventId",
+      permission: "calendar.events.read",
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("throws without echoing the rejected input", () => {
+    const secret = "secret-token-value";
+    expect(() => parseModuleRouteDefinition({ ...validDefinition(), permission: secret })).toThrow(
+      "Invalid Ekklesia module route definition.",
+    );
+    try {
+      parseModuleRouteDefinition({ ...validDefinition(), permission: secret });
+      throw new Error("expected parseModuleRouteDefinition to throw");
+    } catch (error) {
+      expect(String(error)).not.toContain(secret);
+    }
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/module-sdk/tests/define-module-runtime.test.ts b/packages/module-sdk/tests/define-module-runtime.test.ts
index e53213f..4fd4106 100644
--- a/packages/module-sdk/tests/define-module-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/packages/module-sdk/tests/define-module-runtime.test.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 import { describe, expect, it, vi } from "vitest";
-import { defineModuleRuntime } from "../src/index.js";
+import {
+  defineModuleRuntime,
+  isModuleHttpMethod,
+  MODULE_HTTP_METHODS,
+  type ModuleHttpRouteRegistrar,
+  type ModuleRegistrationContext,
+} from "../src/index.js";
 
 describe("defineModuleRuntime", () => {
   it("defines a frozen server runtime without duplicating the static manifest", async () => {
@@ -22,4 +28,42 @@ describe("defineModuleRuntime", () => {
       }),
     ).toThrow("Invalid Ekklesia module runtime definition.");
   });
+
+  it("re-exports the module-http contract so a module's register hook can declare routes", async () => {
+    expect(MODULE_HTTP_METHODS).toContain("GET");
+    expect(isModuleHttpMethod("GET")).toBe(true);
+    expect(isModuleHttpMethod("get")).toBe(false);
+
+    const registeredRoutes: unknown[] = [];
+    const http: ModuleHttpRouteRegistrar = {
+      route: (definition) => {
+        registeredRoutes.push(definition);
+      },
+    };
+    const runtime = defineModuleRuntime({
+      id: "example",
+      version: "0.1.0",
+      register({ http: registrar }) {
+        registrar.route({
+          method: "GET",
+          path: "/records",
+          permission: "example.records.read",
+          handler: () => new Response(null, { status: 204 }),
+        });
+      },
+    });
+
+    const context: ModuleRegistrationContext = {
+      capabilities: {
+        provide: () => undefined,
+        resolve: () => undefined,
+      },
+      http,
+      moduleId: "example",
+    };
+    await runtime.register?.(context);
+
+    expect(registeredRoutes).toHaveLength(1);
+    expect(registeredRoutes[0]).toMatchObject({ method: "GET", path: "/records" });
+  });
 });
diff --git a/templates/module/tests/manifest.test.ts b/templates/module/tests/manifest.test.ts
index 0b3b1e3..32b429f 100644
--- a/templates/module/tests/manifest.test.ts
+++ b/templates/module/tests/manifest.test.ts
@@ -70,6 +70,11 @@ describe("module template", () => {
           return undefined;
         },
       },
+      http: {
+        route() {
+          throw new Error("The template does not register any HTTP route.");
+        },
+      },
       moduleId: "example",
     });