diff --git a/backend/tests/test_delivery.py b/backend/tests/test_delivery.py
index 88a871c..0f479c2 100644
--- a/backend/tests/test_delivery.py
+++ b/backend/tests/test_delivery.py
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import json
 import os
 import secrets
 import stat
+import struct
 import subprocess
 import sys
 from contextlib import nullcontext
@@ -29,6 +30,7 @@ factory_service = importlib.import_module("scripts.release.factory_service")
 dependencies = importlib.import_module("scripts.release.dependencies")
 dependency_install = importlib.import_module("scripts.release.dependency_install")
 dependency_initialize = importlib.import_module("scripts.release.dependency_initialize")
+credentials = importlib.import_module("scripts.release.credentials")
 node_health = importlib.import_module("scripts.release.node_health")
 broker_health = importlib.import_module("scripts.release.broker_health")
 lifecycle = importlib.import_module("scripts.release.lifecycle")
@@ -1240,6 +1242,96 @@ def test_database_initializer_refuses_empty_multiline_or_noncanonical_password(c
         dependency_initialize.validate_password(contents)
 
 
+def credential_acl(uid=1203, *, owner=4, user=4, group=0, mask=4, other=0):
+    return struct.pack("<I", 2) + b"".join(
+        struct.pack("<HHI", *row)
+        for row in [
+            (1, owner, 0xFFFFFFFF),
+            (2, user, uid),
+            (4, group, 0xFFFFFFFF),
+            (16, mask, 0xFFFFFFFF),
+            (32, other, 0xFFFFFFFF),
+        ]
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("uid", [1201, 1202, 1203])
+def test_credential_acl_has_exactly_one_service_reader(uid):
+    assert credentials.validate_acl(credential_acl(uid), uid) is None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "raw",
+    [
+        b"",
+        credential_acl()[:-1],
+        b"\x01" + credential_acl()[1:],
+        credential_acl(1202),
+        credential_acl(owner=6),
+        credential_acl(user=6),
+        credential_acl(group=4),
+        credential_acl(mask=7),
+        credential_acl(other=4),
+        credential_acl() + struct.pack("<HHI", 2, 4, 9999),
+    ],
+)
+def test_credential_acl_refuses_extra_readers_writers_or_noncanonical_acl(raw):
+    with pytest.raises(policy.DeliveryError, match="credential ACL differs"):
+        credentials.validate_acl(raw, 1203)
+
+
+def credential_metadata(monkeypatch, **overrides):
+    values = dict(st_mode=stat.S_IFREG | 0o440, st_nlink=1, st_uid=0, st_gid=0, st_size=65)
+    values.update(overrides)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(Path, "lstat", lambda _: SimpleNamespace(**values))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(credentials.os, "statvfs", lambda _: SimpleNamespace(f_flag=os.ST_RDONLY))
+    monkeypatch.setattr(credentials.os, "getxattr", lambda *args: credential_acl())
+    monkeypatch.setattr(credentials.preflight, "protected", lambda *args, **kwargs: None)
+
+
+def test_acl_credential_is_limited_to_fixed_readonly_systemd_binding(monkeypatch):
+    credential_metadata(monkeypatch)
+    path = Path("/run/credentials/kf-postgres-initialize.service/bootstrap")
+    assert credentials.validate_metadata(path, 1203, 65).st_size == 65
+    monkeypatch.setattr(credentials.os, "statvfs", lambda _: SimpleNamespace(f_flag=0))
+    with pytest.raises(policy.DeliveryError, match="bounded systemd credential"):
+        credentials.validate_metadata(path, 1203, 65)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "path,uid",
+    [
+        ("/tmp/kf-postgres-initialize.service/bootstrap", 1203),
+        ("/run/credentials/foreign.service/bootstrap", 1203),
+        ("/run/credentials/kf-postgres-initialize.service/foreign", 1203),
+        ("/run/credentials/kf-postgres-initialize.service/bootstrap", 1202),
+    ],
+)
+def test_acl_credential_refuses_wrong_directory_member_or_role(monkeypatch, path, uid):
+    credential_metadata(monkeypatch)
+    with pytest.raises(policy.DeliveryError, match="bounded systemd credential"):
+        credentials.validate_metadata(Path(path), uid, 65)
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "overrides",
+    [
+        {"st_uid": 1203},
+        {"st_gid": 1203},
+        {"st_nlink": 2},
+        {"st_size": 66},
+        {"st_mode": stat.S_IFREG | 0o444},
+        {"st_mode": stat.S_IFLNK | 0o440},
+    ],
+)
+def test_acl_credential_refuses_unknown_file_identity_or_bounds(monkeypatch, overrides):
+    credential_metadata(monkeypatch, **overrides)
+    with pytest.raises(policy.DeliveryError, match="bounded systemd credential"):
+        credentials.validate_metadata(
+            Path("/run/credentials/kf-postgres-initialize.service/bootstrap"), 1203, 65
+        )
+
+
 def test_database_initialization_receipt_does_not_prove_migration_or_authentication():
     receipt = {
         "schema_version": 1,
diff --git a/scripts/release/credentials.py b/scripts/release/credentials.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ebaf082
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/release/credentials.py
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+"""Strict systemd credential metadata, including service-only POSIX ACLs."""
+
+import os
+import stat
+import struct
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from . import preflight
+from .policy import DeliveryError
+
+ACL_INPUTS = {
+    "kf-coordinator.service": (1201, {"coordinator.json"}),
+    "kf-worker.service": (1202, {"worker.json"}),
+    "kf-postgres-initialize.service": (1203, {"bootstrap"}),
+    "kf-postgres-recover.service": (1203, {"bootstrap", "connections"}),
+}
+
+
+def validate_acl(contents: bytes, uid: int) -> None:
+    # Linux POSIX ACL xattr v2: owner and exactly this user may read;
+    # the owning group and other users have no rights. The group mode bits
+    # describe the ACL mask, rather than an owning-group permission grant.
+    undefined = 0xFFFFFFFF
+    entries = [
+        (1, 4, undefined),
+        (2, 4, uid),
+        (4, 0, undefined),
+        (16, 4, undefined),
+        (32, 0, undefined),
+    ]
+    expected = struct.pack("<I", 2) + b"".join(struct.pack("<HHI", *row) for row in entries)
+    if contents != expected:
+        raise DeliveryError("service-only credential ACL differs")
+
+
+def validate_metadata(path: Path, uid: int, maximum: int) -> os.stat_result:
+    """Call after the fixed service identity/cgroup/budgets have been verified."""
+    info = path.lstat()
+    if (
+        not stat.S_ISREG(info.st_mode)
+        or info.st_nlink != 1
+        or info.st_uid not in {0, uid}
+        or not 1 <= info.st_size <= maximum
+    ):
+        raise DeliveryError("private bounded systemd credential required")
+    mode = stat.S_IMODE(info.st_mode)
+    if mode in {0o400, 0o600}:
+        return info
+    bound_uid, members = ACL_INPUTS.get(path.parent.name, (None, set()))
+    if (
+        mode != 0o440
+        or (info.st_uid, info.st_gid) != (0, 0)
+        or path.parent.parent != Path("/run/credentials")
+        or uid != bound_uid
+        or path.name not in members
+        or not os.statvfs(path).f_flag & os.ST_RDONLY
+    ):
+        raise DeliveryError("private bounded systemd credential required")
+    preflight.protected(path.parent, directory=True)
+    validate_acl(os.getxattr(path, "system.posix_acl_access"), uid)
+    return info
diff --git a/scripts/release/dependency_initialize.py b/scripts/release/dependency_initialize.py
index 8896019..0ae8f1d 100644
--- a/scripts/release/dependency_initialize.py
+++ b/scripts/release/dependency_initialize.py
@@ -9,7 +9,15 @@ import subprocess
 import time
 from pathlib import Path
 
-from . import configuration, dependencies, dependency_install, install, preflight, service_install
+from . import (
+    configuration,
+    credentials,
+    dependencies,
+    dependency_install,
+    install,
+    preflight,
+    service_install,
+)
 from .policy import DeliveryError, canonical, digest, fields, read_json, sha256
 from .services import python_environment
 
@@ -93,14 +101,8 @@ def run_in_unit() -> dict:
     interfaces = Path("/proc/net/dev").read_text().splitlines()[2:]
     if {line.split(":", 1)[0].strip() for line in interfaces} != {"lo"}:
         raise DeliveryError("network-isolated database initializer required")
-    credential = CREDENTIAL.lstat()
-    if (
-        not stat.S_ISREG(credential.st_mode)
-        or credential.st_nlink != 1
-        or credential.st_uid not in {0, 1203}
-        or stat.S_IMODE(credential.st_mode) not in {0o400, 0o600}
-        or credential.st_size != 65
-    ):
+    credential = credentials.validate_metadata(CREDENTIAL, 1203, 65)
+    if credential.st_size != 65:
         raise DeliveryError("private database initialization credential required")
     validate_password(CREDENTIAL.read_bytes())
     if DATA.exists() or DATA.is_symlink():
@@ -173,7 +175,12 @@ def initialize(password_file: Path, password_sha: str) -> dict:
     validate_password(password_file.read_bytes())
     selected, original = service_install.current_receipt()
     payload = install.RELEASES / selected["release_id"] / "payload"
-    for name in ("dependencies.py", "dependency_install.py", "dependency_initialize.py"):
+    for name in (
+        "credentials.py",
+        "dependencies.py",
+        "dependency_install.py",
+        "dependency_initialize.py",
+    ):
         shipped = payload / "delivery/scripts/release" / name
         preflight.protected(shipped)
         if digest(shipped) != digest(Path(__file__).parent / name):
diff --git a/scripts/release/recovery_identity.py b/scripts/release/recovery_identity.py
index 616a0e0..df40295 100644
--- a/scripts/release/recovery_identity.py
+++ b/scripts/release/recovery_identity.py
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import time
 from pathlib import Path
 from urllib.parse import urlsplit
 
-from . import configuration, database, dependencies, dependency_initialize, preflight
+from . import configuration, credentials, database, dependencies, dependency_initialize, preflight
 from .policy import DeliveryError, canonical, read_json
 
 UNIT = "kf-postgres-recover.service"
@@ -300,15 +300,7 @@ def run_in_unit() -> dict:
         raise DeliveryError("identity recovery refuses standby/replay signal files")
     dependency_initialize.cluster_identity()
     for name, maximum in (("connections", 16384), ("bootstrap", 65)):
-        info = (CREDENTIALS / name).lstat()
-        if (
-            not stat.S_ISREG(info.st_mode)
-            or info.st_nlink != 1
-            or info.st_uid not in {0, 1203}
-            or stat.S_IMODE(info.st_mode) not in {0o400, 0o600}
-            or info.st_size > maximum
-        ):
-            raise DeliveryError("private recovery credential identity differs")
+        credentials.validate_metadata(CREDENTIALS / name, 1203, maximum)
     endpoints = configuration.validate_connections(read_json(CREDENTIALS / "connections", 16384))
     raw = (CREDENTIALS / "bootstrap").read_bytes()
     dependency_initialize.validate_password(raw)
diff --git a/scripts/release/service_bootstrap.py b/scripts/release/service_bootstrap.py
index 8b35be6..805928e 100644
--- a/scripts/release/service_bootstrap.py
+++ b/scripts/release/service_bootstrap.py
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import resource
 import stat
 from pathlib import Path
 
-from . import preflight
+from . import credentials, preflight
 from .policy import DeliveryError, sha256
 from .services import PROFILES
 
@@ -193,15 +193,7 @@ def python_command(role: str, release: str) -> tuple[list[str], dict]:
 
 
 def read_credential(path: Path, expected: str, uid: int) -> bytes:
-    info = path.lstat()
-    if (
-        not stat.S_ISREG(info.st_mode)
-        or info.st_nlink != 1
-        or info.st_uid not in {0, uid}
-        or stat.S_IMODE(info.st_mode) not in {0o400, 0o600}
-        or not 1 <= info.st_size <= 32768
-    ):
-        raise DeliveryError("private bounded systemd credential required")
+    info = credentials.validate_metadata(path, uid, 32768)
     content = path.read_bytes()
     if len(content) != info.st_size or hashlib.sha256(content).hexdigest() != sha256(expected):
         raise DeliveryError("service credential fingerprint mismatch")