diff --git a/index.html b/index.html
index d7ef795..f4bcc66 100644
--- a/index.html
+++ b/index.html
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
     <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
     <meta name="theme-color" content="#0e0a14" />
     <meta name="description" content="amerc is the agent mercenary tavern — hire, run, publish, and remotely deliver AI agents across software boundaries. No infrastructure, just skills." />
-    <meta name="version" content="0.41.0-mansion" />
+    <meta name="version" content="0.42.0-gatehouse" />
     <link rel="icon" href="/favicon.svg" type="image/svg+xml" />
     <link rel="icon" href="/app-192.png" type="image/png" sizes="192x192" />
     <link rel="apple-touch-icon" href="/apple-touch-icon.png" />
diff --git a/src/Scene2D.jsx b/src/Scene2D.jsx
index 28ffdfc..2cb42c6 100644
--- a/src/Scene2D.jsx
+++ b/src/Scene2D.jsx
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import Account from './Account.jsx';
 import TavernGame from './TavernGame.jsx';
 import { api } from './api.js';
 
-const RELEASE = '0.41.0-mansion';
+const RELEASE = '0.42.0-gatehouse';
 
 const NAV = [
   { id: 'home', label: 'Tavern' },
@@ -189,6 +189,44 @@ function Footer({ setRoute }) {
   );
 }
 
+const GATE_BENEFITS = [
+  { icon: '🍺', title: 'Hire agents like mercenaries', body: 'Browse the roster and put a skilled agent to work in seconds.' },
+  { icon: '🗡️', title: 'Publish & run your own', body: 'Register an agent class — your broker brings the runtime, no servers to rent.' },
+  { icon: '🔌', title: 'Deliver anywhere', body: 'Embed a chatbox, drive a live web terminal, or expose a local port to the internet.' },
+];
+function Gatehouse({ auth, setRoute }) {
+  const [stats, setStats] = useState(null);
+  useEffect(() => { api('/agents/stats').then(setStats).catch(() => {}); }, []);
+  return (
+    <div className="gate">
+      <div className="gate-pitch">
+        <span className="gate-tag">⛩ THE GATEHOUSE</span>
+        <h2>Join the tavern.</h2>
+        <p className="gate-lead">One amerc account opens every door — hire mercenaries, run your own, and deliver them across software boundaries. No infrastructure, just skills.</p>
+        <ul className="gate-benefits">
+          {GATE_BENEFITS.map((b) => (
+            <li key={b.title}><span className="gate-bi" aria-hidden="true">{b.icon}</span><div><strong>{b.title}</strong><p>{b.body}</p></div></li>
+          ))}
+        </ul>
+        <div className="gate-sso"><span>🔓</span> One sign-in works across <b>tavern</b>, <b>docs</b>, <b>PM</b> and <b>git</b>.</div>
+        {stats && (
+          <div className="gate-live">
+            <span><b>{stats.classes}</b> classes</span><i />
+            <span><b>{stats.online}</b> online</span><i />
+            <span><b>{stats.sessions}</b> sessions</span>
+          </div>
+        )}
+      </div>
+      <div className="gate-form">
+        <div className="px-board gate-board">
+          <header className="px-board-head"><span className="px-board-tag">OPEN BOOTH</span><h2>Welcome, mercenary</h2><p>Log in, or create your account in seconds.</p></header>
+          <AuthPanel auth={auth} onDone={() => setRoute('booth')} />
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
+
 function Page({ children, setRoute }) { return <div className="td-page"><div className="td-page-inner">{children}</div><Footer setRoute={setRoute} /></div>; }
 
 function Scene({ route, setRoute, auth }) {
@@ -197,10 +235,7 @@ function Scene({ route, setRoute, auth }) {
   if (route === 'mansion') return <Page setRoute={setRoute}><Mansion auth={auth} setRoute={setRoute} /></Page>;
   if (route === 'booth') return <Page setRoute={setRoute}><BoothDashboard auth={auth} setRoute={setRoute} /></Page>;
   if (route === 'account') return <Page setRoute={setRoute}><Account auth={auth} setRoute={setRoute} /></Page>;
-  if (route === 'signin') return <Page setRoute={setRoute}><div className="td-signin"><div className="px-board" style={{ position: 'static', transform: 'none', width: 'min(380px,92vw)', margin: '0 auto' }}>
-    <header className="px-board-head"><span className="px-board-tag">GATEHOUSE</span><h2>Open Booth</h2><p>One amerc account across tavern, docs, PM and git.</p></header>
-    <AuthPanel auth={auth} onDone={() => setRoute('booth')} />
-  </div></div></Page>;
+  if (route === 'signin') return <Page setRoute={setRoute}><Gatehouse auth={auth} setRoute={setRoute} /></Page>;
   if (route === 'admin') return <Page setRoute={setRoute}><div className="px-board" style={{ position: 'static', transform: 'none', width: 'min(720px,94vw)', margin: '0 auto' }}>
     <header className="px-board-head"><span className="px-board-tag">BACKDOOR</span><h2>Quartermaster</h2><p>Tenant, key, session and risk controls.</p></header>
     <AdminConsole auth={auth} />
diff --git a/src/styles.css b/src/styles.css
index 325fd5f..72c373e 100644
--- a/src/styles.css
+++ b/src/styles.css
@@ -1218,3 +1218,27 @@ button {
 .gm-say { position: absolute; bottom: 102%; left: 50%; transform: translateX(-50%); width: max-content; max-width: 200px; padding: 8px 11px; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 1.5; color: #1c1206; background: #fff0d7; border: 2px solid #3a2410; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 0 6px 16px rgba(0,0,0,0.5); z-index: 8; text-align: left; }
 .gm-say strong { display: block; color: #7a3d0c; font-size: 11px; margin-bottom: 3px; }
 .gm-say::after { content: ''; position: absolute; top: 100%; left: 50%; transform: translateX(-50%); border: 7px solid transparent; border-top-color: #3a2410; }
+
+/* gatehouse — split join page (0.42 vividness) */
+.gate { display: grid; grid-template-columns: 1.05fr 0.95fr; gap: 32px; align-items: center; max-width: 1000px; margin: 0 auto; padding: 20px 0 40px; }
+.gate-tag { display: inline-block; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; letter-spacing: 2px; color: var(--gold); margin-bottom: 10px; }
+.gate-pitch h2 { font-size: 34px; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0 0 12px; color: #fff; text-shadow: 2px 2px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.4); }
+.gate-lead { font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.7; color: #b6a7d4; margin: 0 0 22px; max-width: 52ch; }
+.gate-benefits { list-style: none; margin: 0 0 20px; padding: 0; display: flex; flex-direction: column; gap: 14px; }
+.gate-benefits li { display: flex; gap: 13px; align-items: flex-start; }
+.gate-bi { font-size: 22px; line-height: 1.2; flex: 0 0 auto; width: 40px; height: 40px; display: grid; place-items: center; border-radius: 11px;
+  background: radial-gradient(120% 120% at 30% 20%, #2a1a3e, #160d22); border: 1px solid #34254e; box-shadow: inset 0 1px 0 rgba(255,255,255,0.05); }
+.gate-benefits strong { display: block; color: #f0e9ff; font-size: 14.5px; margin-bottom: 2px; }
+.gate-benefits p { margin: 0; font-size: 12.5px; line-height: 1.55; color: #9d8fc0; }
+.gate-sso { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 8px; font-size: 12.5px; color: #cfe6ff; background: rgba(39,216,255,0.07); border: 1px solid rgba(39,216,255,0.18);
+  border-radius: 10px; padding: 9px 13px; margin-bottom: 16px; }
+.gate-sso b { color: #7fe9ff; font-weight: 600; }
+.gate-live { display: flex; align-items: center; gap: 12px; font-size: 13px; color: #b6a7d4; }
+.gate-live b { color: #fff; font-size: 16px; } .gate-live i { width: 4px; height: 4px; border-radius: 50%; background: #4a3a68; }
+.gate-form { display: flex; justify-content: center; }
+.gate-board { position: static !important; transform: none !important; left: auto; top: auto; width: 100%; max-width: 400px; margin: 0; animation: none; }
+@media (max-width: 860px) {
+  .gate { grid-template-columns: 1fr; gap: 24px; max-width: 460px; }
+  .gate-form { order: -1; }
+  .gate-pitch h2 { font-size: 28px; }
+}