diff --git a/infra/ansible/roles/veza_haproxy_switch/README.md b/infra/ansible/roles/veza_haproxy_switch/README.md
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+# `veza_haproxy_switch` role
+
+Atomically swap HAProxy's active color. Runs against the
+`{{ veza_container_prefix }}haproxy` container after `veza_app` has
+recreated + health-probed all three components in the inactive color.
+
+## Why a separate role from `haproxy`?
+
+- `roles/haproxy` provisions a fresh HAProxy container — install
+  the package, lay down the *initial* config, enable the systemd
+  unit. It runs once when the staging/prod env is bootstrapped and
+  occasionally when the global config shape changes.
+- `roles/veza_haproxy_switch` performs the *per-deploy* delta —
+  re-template the cfg with a new `veza_active_color`, validate,
+  swap, HUP. It runs once at the end of every successful deploy.
+
+Splitting them keeps the per-deploy path narrow (no apt, no service
+install) and lets `roles/haproxy` remain idempotent when the global
+shape hasn't changed.
+
+## Inputs
+
+| variable                | required | meaning                                                              |
+| ----------------------- | -------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
+| `veza_active_color`     | yes      | Color to switch TO (`blue` or `green`). Becomes the new active.      |
+| `veza_release_sha`      | yes      | SHA being deployed. Logged in the active-color history file.         |
+| `veza_container_prefix` | inherit  | From group_vars/<env>.yml.                                           |
+| `haproxy_topology`      | inherit  | Should be `blue-green` for this role to make sense.                  |
+
+## Failure semantics
+
+The render → validate → atomic-swap → HUP sequence runs in an
+Ansible `block:` with a `rescue:` that restores `haproxy.cfg.bak`
+(captured before the swap) and re-HUPs. So an invalid config or a
+HUP failure leaves HAProxy serving the *previous* active color
+exactly as before — the deploy as a whole then fails on the playbook
+level.
+
+## What the role does NOT do
+
+- It does not destroy or recreate the HAProxy container. That's a
+  one-time operation under `roles/haproxy`.
+- It does not touch app containers — by the time this role runs,
+  blue/green app containers are both healthy.
+- It does not remove the previously-active color's containers. They
+  survive (intentional) so a rollback can flip back instantly. The
+  next deploy naturally recycles them.
diff --git a/infra/ansible/roles/veza_haproxy_switch/defaults/main.yml b/infra/ansible/roles/veza_haproxy_switch/defaults/main.yml
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+---
+# These should be set by the caller — defaults here are guards that
+# fail loud if the caller forgot to pass them.
+veza_active_color: ""
+veza_release_sha: ""
+
+# Paths inside the HAProxy container.
+haproxy_cfg_path: /etc/haproxy/haproxy.cfg
+haproxy_cfg_new_path: /etc/haproxy/haproxy.cfg.new
+haproxy_cfg_backup_path: /etc/haproxy/haproxy.cfg.bak
+haproxy_state_dir: /var/lib/veza
+haproxy_active_color_file: /var/lib/veza/active-color
+haproxy_active_color_history: /var/lib/veza/active-color.history
+
+# How many history entries to keep before pruning. The rollback role
+# offers point-in-time switch within this window without redeploying
+# the artefact.
+haproxy_active_color_history_keep: 5
diff --git a/infra/ansible/roles/veza_haproxy_switch/handlers/main.yml b/infra/ansible/roles/veza_haproxy_switch/handlers/main.yml
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+++ b/infra/ansible/roles/veza_haproxy_switch/handlers/main.yml
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+---
+# HUP haproxy via systemd reload (graceful — drains old workers).
+# Used both on success (after atomic swap) and on rescue (after
+# restoring backup).
+- name: Reload haproxy
+  ansible.builtin.systemd:
+    name: haproxy
+    state: reloaded
+  listen: "veza-haproxy reload"
diff --git a/infra/ansible/roles/veza_haproxy_switch/meta/main.yml b/infra/ansible/roles/veza_haproxy_switch/meta/main.yml
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+---
+galaxy_info:
+  role_name: veza_haproxy_switch
+  author: Veza Ops
+  description: >-
+    Atomically swap HAProxy's active color (blue/green) and persist
+    the new state. Runs once per deploy, after veza_app has health-
+    probed all components in the inactive color. Block/rescue
+    guarantees HAProxy never lands on a bad config.
+  license: proprietary
+  min_ansible_version: "2.15"
+  platforms:
+    - name: Debian
+      versions: ["13"]
+
+dependencies: []
diff --git a/infra/ansible/roles/veza_haproxy_switch/tasks/main.yml b/infra/ansible/roles/veza_haproxy_switch/tasks/main.yml
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+# Atomic blue/green switch. The HAProxy template lives in
+# roles/haproxy/templates/haproxy.cfg.j2 — it reads veza_active_color
+# to render the right `backup` directives. We re-template, validate,
+# atomic-swap, HUP.
+#
+# Block/rescue: any failure in the four-step sequence restores
+# haproxy.cfg from the backup we capture before touching anything.
+# That way, an invalid template or a HUP error never leaves HAProxy
+# serving from a stale or broken cfg — it stays on whatever was
+# active when the role started.
+---
+- name: Validate inputs
+  ansible.builtin.assert:
+    that:
+      - veza_active_color in ['blue', 'green']
+      - veza_release_sha | length == 40
+    fail_msg: >-
+      veza_haproxy_switch role requires veza_active_color (blue|green)
+      and veza_release_sha (40-char git SHA). Got: color={{ veza_active_color }}
+      sha={{ veza_release_sha }}.
+    quiet: true
+  tags: [veza_haproxy_switch, always]
+
+- name: Ensure veza state dir exists in HAProxy container
+  ansible.builtin.file:
+    path: "{{ haproxy_state_dir }}"
+    state: directory
+    owner: root
+    group: root
+    mode: "0755"
+  tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]
+
+- name: Read currently-active color (if any)
+  ansible.builtin.slurp:
+    src: "{{ haproxy_active_color_file }}"
+  register: prior_color_raw
+  failed_when: false
+  changed_when: false
+  tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]
+
+- name: Resolve prior_active_color (default blue if no history)
+  ansible.builtin.set_fact:
+    prior_active_color: >-
+      {{ (prior_color_raw.content | b64decode | trim) if prior_color_raw.content is defined
+         else 'blue' }}
+  tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]
+
+- name: Switch sequence (block/rescue — restores cfg on any failure)
+  block:
+    - name: Backup current haproxy.cfg
+      ansible.builtin.copy:
+        src: "{{ haproxy_cfg_path }}"
+        dest: "{{ haproxy_cfg_backup_path }}"
+        remote_src: true
+        mode: "0640"
+      tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]
+
+    - name: Render fresh haproxy.cfg with new active_color
+      ansible.builtin.template:
+        src: "{{ playbook_dir }}/../roles/haproxy/templates/haproxy.cfg.j2"
+        dest: "{{ haproxy_cfg_new_path }}"
+        owner: root
+        group: haproxy
+        mode: "0640"
+        validate: "haproxy -f %s -c -q"
+      vars:
+        # Make absolutely sure the template sees the new color we are
+        # switching to — set both names because the older template
+        # used `veza_active_color` and a future revision might use
+        # `haproxy_active_color`.
+        haproxy_active_color: "{{ veza_active_color }}"
+      tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]
+
+    - name: Atomic swap — mv haproxy.cfg.new → haproxy.cfg
+      ansible.builtin.command: mv -f "{{ haproxy_cfg_new_path }}" "{{ haproxy_cfg_path }}"
+      changed_when: true
+      tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]
+
+    - name: HUP haproxy (graceful reload, no connection drop)
+      ansible.builtin.systemd:
+        name: haproxy
+        state: reloaded
+      tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]
+  rescue:
+    - name: Restore haproxy.cfg from backup
+      ansible.builtin.command: mv -f "{{ haproxy_cfg_backup_path }}" "{{ haproxy_cfg_path }}"
+      when: haproxy_cfg_backup_path is file or true  # always try; benign if backup missing
+      changed_when: true
+      tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]
+
+    - name: HUP haproxy back to the prior config
+      ansible.builtin.systemd:
+        name: haproxy
+        state: reloaded
+      failed_when: false
+      tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]
+
+    - name: Report the failure
+      ansible.builtin.fail:
+        msg: >-
+          HAProxy switch to color {{ veza_active_color }} (sha
+          {{ veza_release_sha[:12] }}) failed — config rolled back
+          to the prior state. HAProxy continues serving from
+          {{ prior_active_color }}. Inspect the validate step's
+          stderr in the playbook output above.
+
+# Success path: persist new active color + history.
+- name: Write new active color
+  ansible.builtin.copy:
+    dest: "{{ haproxy_active_color_file }}"
+    content: "{{ veza_active_color }}\n"
+    owner: root
+    group: root
+    mode: "0644"
+  tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]
+
+- name: Append to active-color history
+  ansible.builtin.lineinfile:
+    path: "{{ haproxy_active_color_history }}"
+    line: "{{ ansible_date_time.iso8601 }} sha={{ veza_release_sha }} color={{ veza_active_color }} prior={{ prior_active_color }}"
+    create: true
+    insertbefore: BOF
+    mode: "0644"
+  tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]
+
+- name: Prune history beyond keep limit
+  ansible.builtin.shell: |
+    set -e
+    if [ -f "{{ haproxy_active_color_history }}" ]; then
+      head -n {{ haproxy_active_color_history_keep }} "{{ haproxy_active_color_history }}" > "{{ haproxy_active_color_history }}.tmp"
+      mv -f "{{ haproxy_active_color_history }}.tmp" "{{ haproxy_active_color_history }}"
+    fi
+  args:
+    executable: /bin/bash
+  changed_when: false
+  tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]
+
+- name: Drop the now-stale backup
+  ansible.builtin.file:
+    path: "{{ haproxy_cfg_backup_path }}"
+    state: absent
+  tags: [veza_haproxy_switch]