diff --git a/internal/fleet/configstore.go b/internal/fleet/configstore.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d4914e4a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/fleet/configstore.go
@@ -0,0 +1,369 @@
+// Copyright (C) NHR@FAU, University Erlangen-Nuremberg.
+// All rights reserved. This file is part of cc-backend.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a MIT-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package fleet
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"hash/fnv"
+	"io/fs"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"sync/atomic"
+	"time"
+
+	cclog "github.com/ClusterCockpit/cc-lib/v2/ccLogger"
+)
+
+// ErrNoConfig is returned by ConfigStore.Resolve when no configuration file
+// applies to the requested member — not even a global default. Callers should
+// treat this as "nothing to deploy", distinct from a malformed tree.
+var ErrNoConfig = errors.New("fleet: no configuration found")
+
+// errTreeChanged is an internal, transient signal that a file changed while it
+// was being read during a scan. The scan is discarded and retried; the current
+// snapshot keeps serving in the meantime.
+var errTreeChanged = errors.New("fleet: config tree changed during scan")
+
+// ConfigStore serves central configuration to fleet members from a
+// hand-edited, hierarchical tree of JSON files on disk. Humans author the tree
+// directly (editing redundant options in UI forms was rejected as too
+// tedious); because options are shared, config is resolved by deep-merging
+// from broad to specific so a value set once high in the tree is inherited and
+// only overridden where it differs.
+//
+// Tree layout (missing layers are skipped, never an error):
+//
+//	<root>/
+//	  defaults.json                     global defaults, every member
+//	  <service_type>/
+//	    defaults.json                   per service_type defaults
+//	    <cluster>/defaults.json         cluster-scope only: per-cluster defaults
+//	    <cluster>/<hostname>.json       cluster-scope leaf
+//	    <hostname>.json                 infra-scope leaf
+//
+// Merge order (later overrides earlier, objects merge recursively, scalars and
+// arrays overwrite wholesale):
+//
+//	cluster: global -> type -> cluster-defaults -> cluster/host
+//	infra:   global -> type -> host
+//
+// # Snapshot swap
+//
+// Pulls never read the filesystem. A loader parses the entire tree into an
+// immutable in-memory snapshot and publishes it via an atomic pointer swap;
+// Resolve reads only the currently-published snapshot. This gives two
+// guarantees the request path could not otherwise make while the tree is being
+// hand-edited:
+//
+//   - No torn reads. Each file is read whole and parsed by the loader; a file
+//     caught mid-write fails to parse (or its size/mtime changes across the
+//     read), so that scan is discarded and the previous good snapshot keeps
+//     serving. A partial or invalid tree is never published.
+//   - Consistency and last-known-good. A generation is an all-or-nothing view
+//     of the tree; a broken edit does not break running services — they keep
+//     the last successfully-loaded config until the tree parses cleanly again.
+//
+// Freshness comes from Start (periodic reload) or an explicit Reload; the hot
+// path stays allocation-light and lock-free on the snapshot pointer.
+//
+// The resolved config's revision is a content hash (fnv-1a 64-bit), so it
+// changes exactly when the merged result changes and needs no manual counter
+// kept in sync with the files. It fits the config_revision INTEGER column and
+// the *Registry.AckConfig(int64) handshake.
+type ConfigStore struct {
+	root string
+
+	snap atomic.Pointer[snapshot] // currently published generation (nil until first load)
+
+	vmu        sync.RWMutex
+	validators map[string]func(json.RawMessage) error
+}
+
+// snapshot is an immutable, fully-parsed view of the config tree. Once
+// published it is never mutated; a reload builds a fresh one and swaps it in.
+type snapshot struct {
+	generation uint64
+	signature  string                    // path:mtime:size of every file, for change detection
+	files      map[string]map[string]any // relpath -> parsed JSON object
+	cache      sync.Map                  // memberKey -> resolved (lazily filled, generation-scoped)
+}
+
+type resolved struct {
+	blob     json.RawMessage
+	revision int64
+}
+
+// NewConfigStore returns a ConfigStore rooted at dir. No filesystem access
+// happens until the first Reload/Start or the first Resolve (which lazily
+// loads once).
+func NewConfigStore(dir string) *ConfigStore {
+	return &ConfigStore{
+		root:       dir,
+		validators: make(map[string]func(json.RawMessage) error),
+	}
+}
+
+// SetValidator registers an optional validator for a service_type. When set,
+// the merged config is validated before it is served; a validation error fails
+// the resolve rather than shipping broken config. Intended to be called during
+// initialization, before Start/Resolve.
+func (c *ConfigStore) SetValidator(serviceType string, fn func(json.RawMessage) error) {
+	c.vmu.Lock()
+	defer c.vmu.Unlock()
+	c.validators[serviceType] = fn
+}
+
+// Start loads the tree once synchronously, then reloads it every interval until
+// ctx is cancelled. A failed reload (torn write, malformed file) is logged and
+// the previous snapshot keeps serving. Mirrors Registry.StartSweep's lifecycle.
+func (c *ConfigStore) Start(ctx context.Context, interval time.Duration) {
+	if err := c.Reload(); err != nil {
+		cclog.Errorf("fleet: initial config load failed: %v", err)
+	}
+	go func() {
+		ticker := time.NewTicker(interval)
+		defer ticker.Stop()
+		for {
+			select {
+			case <-ctx.Done():
+				return
+			case <-ticker.C:
+				if err := c.Reload(); err != nil {
+					cclog.Errorf("fleet: config reload failed, keeping previous snapshot: %v", err)
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}()
+}
+
+// Reload rescans the tree and, if it changed and parses cleanly, atomically
+// publishes it as the new snapshot. It is a no-op when the tree is unchanged.
+// On any error the currently-published snapshot is left untouched.
+func (c *ConfigStore) Reload() error {
+	files, signature, err := c.scan()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	cur := c.snap.Load()
+	if cur != nil && cur.signature == signature {
+		return nil
+	}
+	var gen uint64 = 1
+	if cur != nil {
+		gen = cur.generation + 1
+	}
+	c.snap.Store(&snapshot{generation: gen, signature: signature, files: files})
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Resolve merges the applicable layers for a fleet member and returns the
+// merged configuration plus its content-hash revision. scope must be
+// ScopeCluster or ScopeInfra; cluster is ignored (and may be empty) for infra.
+func (c *ConfigStore) Resolve(scope, cluster, serviceType, hostname string) (json.RawMessage, int64, error) {
+	if err := validComponent(serviceType); err != nil {
+		return nil, 0, fmt.Errorf("fleet: invalid service_type: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := validComponent(hostname); err != nil {
+		return nil, 0, fmt.Errorf("fleet: invalid hostname: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	rels, err := c.layerRelPaths(scope, cluster, serviceType, hostname)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, 0, err
+	}
+
+	snap := c.snap.Load()
+	if snap == nil {
+		// Lazy first load for callers that never called Start (tests, or a
+		// pull racing startup).
+		if err := c.Reload(); err != nil {
+			return nil, 0, err
+		}
+		snap = c.snap.Load()
+	}
+
+	key := scope + "|" + cluster + "|" + serviceType + "|" + hostname
+	if v, ok := snap.cache.Load(key); ok {
+		r := v.(resolved)
+		return cloneRaw(r.blob), r.revision, nil
+	}
+
+	merged := make(map[string]any)
+	found := false
+	for _, rel := range rels {
+		obj, ok := snap.files[rel]
+		if !ok {
+			continue
+		}
+		deepMerge(merged, obj) // deepMerge copies nested maps; snap.files stays immutable
+		found = true
+	}
+	if !found {
+		return nil, 0, ErrNoConfig
+	}
+
+	// json.Marshal sorts map keys, so the encoding — and therefore the
+	// revision — is stable across resolves of an unchanged tree.
+	blob, merr := json.Marshal(merged)
+	if merr != nil {
+		return nil, 0, merr
+	}
+
+	c.vmu.RLock()
+	validate := c.validators[serviceType]
+	c.vmu.RUnlock()
+	if validate != nil {
+		if verr := validate(blob); verr != nil {
+			return nil, 0, fmt.Errorf("fleet: config for service_type %q failed validation: %w", serviceType, verr)
+		}
+	}
+
+	h := fnv.New64a()
+	_, _ = h.Write(blob)
+	revision := int64(h.Sum64() >> 1) // >>1 keeps it non-negative
+
+	snap.cache.Store(key, resolved{blob: blob, revision: revision})
+	return cloneRaw(blob), revision, nil
+}
+
+// scan walks the tree, reads and parses every *.json file, and returns the
+// parsed files keyed by path relative to root plus a signature of their
+// mtimes/sizes. It refuses to return a partial view: a file that fails to parse
+// is an error, and a file whose size/mtime changes across its own read yields
+// errTreeChanged so the caller can retry rather than publish a torn generation.
+func (c *ConfigStore) scan() (map[string]map[string]any, string, error) {
+	if _, err := os.Stat(c.root); errors.Is(err, fs.ErrNotExist) {
+		// An absent tree is a valid empty configuration, not an error.
+		return map[string]map[string]any{}, "", nil
+	}
+
+	var paths []string
+	walkErr := filepath.WalkDir(c.root, func(p string, d fs.DirEntry, err error) error {
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if !d.IsDir() && strings.HasSuffix(p, ".json") {
+			paths = append(paths, p)
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+	if walkErr != nil {
+		return nil, "", walkErr
+	}
+	sort.Strings(paths) // deterministic signature/merge order
+
+	files := make(map[string]map[string]any, len(paths))
+	var sig strings.Builder
+	for _, p := range paths {
+		fi1, err := os.Stat(p)
+		if err != nil {
+			if errors.Is(err, fs.ErrNotExist) {
+				return nil, "", errTreeChanged // removed mid-scan
+			}
+			return nil, "", err
+		}
+		raw, err := os.ReadFile(p)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, "", err
+		}
+		fi2, err := os.Stat(p)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, "", err
+		}
+		// Detect a write that overlapped this file's read.
+		if fi1.Size() != fi2.Size() || !fi1.ModTime().Equal(fi2.ModTime()) {
+			return nil, "", errTreeChanged
+		}
+
+		obj := make(map[string]any)
+		// Unmarshalling into a map also enforces that every layer is a JSON
+		// object; arrays or scalars at the top level are a config error.
+		rel, relErr := filepath.Rel(c.root, p)
+		if relErr != nil {
+			return nil, "", relErr
+		}
+		if uerr := json.Unmarshal(raw, &obj); uerr != nil {
+			return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("fleet: invalid config %s: %w", rel, uerr)
+		}
+		files[rel] = obj
+		fmt.Fprintf(&sig, "%s:%d:%d;", rel, fi2.ModTime().UnixNano(), fi2.Size())
+	}
+	return files, sig.String(), nil
+}
+
+// layerRelPaths returns the ordered list of candidate layer files (broad ->
+// specific) for a member, as paths relative to root — the keys into a
+// snapshot's files map.
+func (c *ConfigStore) layerRelPaths(scope, cluster, serviceType, hostname string) ([]string, error) {
+	switch scope {
+	case ScopeCluster:
+		if err := validComponent(cluster); err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("fleet: invalid cluster: %w", err)
+		}
+		return []string{
+			"defaults.json",
+			filepath.Join(serviceType, "defaults.json"),
+			filepath.Join(serviceType, cluster, "defaults.json"),
+			filepath.Join(serviceType, cluster, hostname+".json"),
+		}, nil
+	case ScopeInfra:
+		return []string{
+			"defaults.json",
+			filepath.Join(serviceType, "defaults.json"),
+			filepath.Join(serviceType, hostname+".json"),
+		}, nil
+	default:
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("fleet: unknown scope %q", scope)
+	}
+}
+
+// deepMerge overlays src onto dst: nested objects merge recursively; every
+// other value (scalars, arrays) overwrites wholesale. src is never mutated —
+// nested source maps are deep-copied — so a shared, immutable snapshot map can
+// be passed as src safely.
+func deepMerge(dst, src map[string]any) {
+	for k, v := range src {
+		if sv, ok := v.(map[string]any); ok {
+			if dv, ok := dst[k].(map[string]any); ok {
+				deepMerge(dv, sv)
+				continue
+			}
+			nv := make(map[string]any, len(sv))
+			deepMerge(nv, sv)
+			dst[k] = nv
+			continue
+		}
+		dst[k] = v
+	}
+}
+
+// validComponent rejects path components that are empty or could escape the
+// config root (path separators, "." / ".."). service_type/cluster/hostname all
+// become directory or file names, so they must be safe.
+func validComponent(s string) error {
+	if s == "" {
+		return errors.New("empty")
+	}
+	if s == "." || s == ".." {
+		return errors.New("must not be '.' or '..'")
+	}
+	if strings.ContainsAny(s, `/\`) || strings.Contains(s, "..") {
+		return errors.New("must not contain path separators or '..'")
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func cloneRaw(b json.RawMessage) json.RawMessage {
+	out := make(json.RawMessage, len(b))
+	copy(out, b)
+	return out
+}
diff --git a/internal/fleet/configstore_test.go b/internal/fleet/configstore_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..57f54803
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/fleet/configstore_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,280 @@
+// Copyright (C) NHR@FAU, University Erlangen-Nuremberg.
+// All rights reserved. This file is part of cc-backend.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a MIT-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package fleet
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func writeFile(t *testing.T, path, content string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(path), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(content), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestConfigStoreResolve(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	// global defaults, per-type override + new key, infra host leaf override.
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "defaults.json"), `{"interval":10,"log":{"level":"info","file":"/var/log/a"}}`)
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "metric-store", "defaults.json"), `{"interval":30,"retention":7}`)
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "metric-store", "ms01.json"), `{"log":{"level":"debug"}}`)
+
+	cs := NewConfigStore(root)
+	blob, rev, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeInfra, "", "metric-store", "ms01")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var got map[string]any
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(blob, &got); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// interval: type(30) overrides global(10); retention only from type;
+	// log deep-merges: level from leaf(debug), file preserved from global.
+	if got["interval"].(float64) != 30 {
+		t.Errorf("interval = %v, want 30", got["interval"])
+	}
+	if got["retention"].(float64) != 7 {
+		t.Errorf("retention = %v, want 7", got["retention"])
+	}
+	log := got["log"].(map[string]any)
+	if log["level"] != "debug" {
+		t.Errorf("log.level = %v, want debug", log["level"])
+	}
+	if log["file"] != "/var/log/a" {
+		t.Errorf("log.file = %v, want /var/log/a (inherited)", log["file"])
+	}
+	if rev == 0 {
+		t.Error("revision should be non-zero")
+	}
+
+	// Stable across resolves of an unchanged tree (served from cache).
+	_, rev2, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeInfra, "", "metric-store", "ms01")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if rev2 != rev {
+		t.Errorf("revision changed without edit: %d -> %d", rev, rev2)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestConfigStoreClusterScope(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "defaults.json"), `{"a":1}`)
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "agent", "fritz", "defaults.json"), `{"a":2,"b":2}`)
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "agent", "fritz", "node01.json"), `{"b":3}`)
+
+	cs := NewConfigStore(root)
+	blob, _, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeCluster, "fritz", "agent", "node01")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	var got map[string]any
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(blob, &got); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got["a"].(float64) != 2 || got["b"].(float64) != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected merge result: %v", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestConfigStoreRevisionChangesOnEdit(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	leaf := filepath.Join(root, "metric-store", "ms01.json")
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "defaults.json"), `{"x":1}`)
+	writeFile(t, leaf, `{"y":1}`)
+
+	cs := NewConfigStore(root)
+	_, rev1, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeInfra, "", "metric-store", "ms01")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Rewrite the leaf with different content and a bumped mtime, then reload
+	// so the new generation is published.
+	writeFile(t, leaf, `{"y":2}`)
+	future := time.Unix(1<<40, 0)
+	if err := os.Chtimes(leaf, future, future); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := cs.Reload(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	_, rev2, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeInfra, "", "metric-store", "ms01")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if rev1 == rev2 {
+		t.Errorf("revision unchanged after edit: %d", rev1)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestConfigStoreErrors(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("no config", func(t *testing.T) {
+		cs := NewConfigStore(t.TempDir())
+		_, _, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeInfra, "", "metric-store", "nope")
+		if !errors.Is(err, ErrNoConfig) {
+			t.Fatalf("want ErrNoConfig, got %v", err)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("malformed json is not published", func(t *testing.T) {
+		root := t.TempDir()
+		writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "bad", "h1.json"), `{not json`)
+		cs := NewConfigStore(root)
+		// A malformed tree must fail the load rather than publish a snapshot.
+		if err := cs.Reload(); err == nil || errors.Is(err, ErrNoConfig) {
+			t.Fatalf("want parse error from Reload, got %v", err)
+		}
+		_, _, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeInfra, "", "bad", "h1")
+		if err == nil || errors.Is(err, ErrNoConfig) {
+			t.Fatalf("want parse error, got %v", err)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("path traversal rejected", func(t *testing.T) {
+		cs := NewConfigStore(t.TempDir())
+		_, _, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeInfra, "", "../etc", "h1")
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Fatal("want error for traversal in service_type")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("unknown scope", func(t *testing.T) {
+		root := t.TempDir()
+		writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "defaults.json"), `{"a":1}`)
+		cs := NewConfigStore(root)
+		_, _, err := cs.Resolve("bogus", "", "t", "h")
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Fatal("want error for unknown scope")
+		}
+	})
+}
+
+func TestConfigStoreLastKnownGood(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	leaf := filepath.Join(root, "metric-store", "ms01.json")
+	writeFile(t, leaf, `{"y":1}`)
+
+	cs := NewConfigStore(root)
+	if err := cs.Reload(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	blob1, rev1, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeInfra, "", "metric-store", "ms01")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	// Corrupt the file (simulating a mid-edit / broken save) and reload:
+	// the reload must fail and NOT publish, so the previous good snapshot
+	// keeps serving.
+	writeFile(t, leaf, `{broken`)
+	future := time.Unix(1<<40, 0)
+	if err := os.Chtimes(leaf, future, future); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := cs.Reload(); err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("reload of a broken tree should fail")
+	}
+	blob2, rev2, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeInfra, "", "metric-store", "ms01")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("resolve after broken edit should still serve last-good, got %v", err)
+	}
+	if rev2 != rev1 || string(blob2) != string(blob1) {
+		t.Fatalf("served config changed after a broken edit: %s (rev %d) -> %s (rev %d)",
+			blob1, rev1, blob2, rev2)
+	}
+
+	// Fix the file: the next reload publishes the corrected generation.
+	writeFile(t, leaf, `{"y":2}`)
+	if err := os.Chtimes(leaf, future.Add(time.Second), future.Add(time.Second)); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if err := cs.Reload(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	_, rev3, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeInfra, "", "metric-store", "ms01")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if rev3 == rev1 {
+		t.Fatal("revision should change once the fixed config is published")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestConfigStoreConcurrentResolveReload(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	leaf := filepath.Join(root, "metric-store", "ms01.json")
+	writeFile(t, leaf, `{"y":0}`)
+
+	cs := NewConfigStore(root)
+	if err := cs.Reload(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	stop := make(chan struct{})
+
+	// Readers hammer Resolve; the writer edits + reloads underneath them.
+	for i := 0; i < 8; i++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			for {
+				select {
+				case <-stop:
+					return
+				default:
+					if _, _, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeInfra, "", "metric-store", "ms01"); err != nil && !errors.Is(err, ErrNoConfig) {
+						t.Errorf("resolve: %v", err)
+						return
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		}()
+	}
+
+	base := time.Unix(1<<40, 0)
+	for i := 1; i <= 50; i++ {
+		writeFile(t, leaf, fmt.Sprintf(`{"y":%d}`, i))
+		ts := base.Add(time.Duration(i) * time.Second)
+		if err := os.Chtimes(leaf, ts, ts); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		if err := cs.Reload(); err != nil && !errors.Is(err, errTreeChanged) {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+	}
+	close(stop)
+	wg.Wait()
+}
+
+func TestConfigStoreValidator(t *testing.T) {
+	root := t.TempDir()
+	writeFile(t, filepath.Join(root, "metric-store", "ms01.json"), `{"y":1}`)
+
+	cs := NewConfigStore(root)
+	sentinel := errors.New("rejected")
+	cs.SetValidator("metric-store", func(json.RawMessage) error { return sentinel })
+
+	_, _, err := cs.Resolve(ScopeInfra, "", "metric-store", "ms01")
+	if !errors.Is(err, sentinel) {
+		t.Fatalf("want validator error, got %v", err)
+	}
+}