diff --git a/modules/photos/client.ts b/modules/photos/client.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index ce968eb..0000000
--- a/modules/photos/client.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,110 +0,0 @@
-// The photo app's API client — photos' own code, living in the module (novox/hq ADR 0039). The
-// module packages a self-hosted photo library (immich-shaped: a REST API under `/api`, authenticated
-// by an API key sent as the `x-api-key` header). The client speaks only what the tools and the
-// item-added event need: server version and statistics, albums, and recent assets.
-
-import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
-
-export interface PhotosServerInfo {
-  version: string;
-  photos?: number;
-  videos?: number;
-  usageBytes?: number;
-}
-
-export interface PhotosAlbum {
-  id: string;
-  name: string;
-  assetCount: number;
-  shared: boolean;
-}
-
-export interface PhotosAsset {
-  id: string;
-  fileName?: string;
-  type?: string;
-  createdAt?: string;
-}
-
-/** The settings-merged config the mesh delivers (novox/hq ADR 0046): { url, apiKey, token, password, user, ... }. */
-function meshConfig(file?: string): Record<string, string> {
-  if (!file) return {};
-  try { return JSON.parse(readFileSync(file, "utf8")) as Record<string, string>; }
-  catch { return {}; }
-}
-
-export class PhotosClient {
-  readonly baseUrl: string;
-
-  constructor(
-    url: string,
-    private readonly apiKey: string,
-  ) {
-    this.baseUrl = url.replace(/\/$/, "");
-  }
-
-  /** Build from the module's environment. Unlike an open service, a photo library holds private data:
-   *  the API key is required, and without it the module contributes nothing rather than reaching an
-   *  unauthenticated endpoint. */
-  static fromEnv(env: NodeJS.ProcessEnv = process.env): PhotosClient {
-    const cfg = meshConfig(env.MESH_PHOTOS_CONFIG_FILE);
-    const url = cfg.url ?? env.MESH_PHOTOS_URL ?? `http://127.0.0.1:${env.PHOTOS_PORT ?? "2283"}`;
-    const key = cfg.apiKey ?? env.MESH_PHOTOS_API_KEY;
-    if (!key) throw new Error("no photos API key — set MESH_PHOTOS_API_KEY");
-    return new PhotosClient(url, key);
-  }
-
-  private async request<T>(path: string, init: RequestInit = {}): Promise<T> {
-    const res = await fetch(`${this.baseUrl}${path}`, {
-      ...init,
-      headers: {
-        Accept: "application/json",
-        "x-api-key": this.apiKey,
-        ...(init.body ? { "Content-Type": "application/json" } : {}),
-        ...(init.headers ?? {}),
-      },
-    });
-    if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`photos API ${path}: ${res.status} ${await res.text()}`);
-    return (await res.json()) as T;
-  }
-
-  async getServerInfo(): Promise<PhotosServerInfo> {
-    const version = await this.request<{ major: number; minor: number; patch: number }>("/api/server/version");
-    const info: PhotosServerInfo = { version: `${version.major}.${version.minor}.${version.patch}` };
-    // Statistics needs an admin key; a scoped key still gives version, so treat stats as best-effort.
-    try {
-      const stats = await this.request<{ photos: number; videos: number; usage: number }>("/api/server/statistics");
-      info.photos = stats.photos;
-      info.videos = stats.videos;
-      info.usageBytes = stats.usage;
-    } catch {
-      // leave the counts unset
-    }
-    return info;
-  }
-
-  async getAlbums(): Promise<PhotosAlbum[]> {
-    const albums = await this.request<
-      { id: string; albumName: string; assetCount: number; shared: boolean }[]
-    >("/api/albums");
-    return albums.map((a) => ({ id: a.id, name: a.albumName, assetCount: a.assetCount, shared: a.shared }));
-  }
-
-  /** Recent assets, newest first — via the metadata search, which is how this API returns a bounded,
-   *  ordered slice of the library. The poll that emits item.added builds on this. */
-  async getRecentAssets(limit = 20): Promise<PhotosAsset[]> {
-    const data = await this.request<{
-      assets?: { items?: { id: string; originalFileName?: string; type?: string; fileCreatedAt?: string }[] };
-    }>("/api/search/metadata", {
-      method: "POST",
-      body: JSON.stringify({ size: limit, order: "desc" }),
-    });
-    const items = data.assets?.items ?? [];
-    return items.map((a) => ({
-      id: a.id,
-      fileName: a.originalFileName,
-      type: a.type,
-      createdAt: a.fileCreatedAt,
-    }));
-  }
-}
diff --git a/modules/photos/index.ts b/modules/photos/index.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 747b171..0000000
--- a/modules/photos/index.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,40 +0,0 @@
-// photos' events. The tool runtime imports this once the broker is bound. It watches the library and
-// announces newly added assets.
-//
-// Emits (novox/hq ADR 0041/0042):
-//   module.photos.item.added   — a new asset appeared in the library
-//
-// New assets are found by diffing the recent-assets slice by asset id. Primed silently on the first
-// look, so a restart does not re-announce the whole recent list as freshly added.
-
-import { emit } from "@novox/mesh-sdk/events";
-import { PhotosClient } from "./client.js";
-
-const photos = PhotosClient.fromEnv();
-
-const seen = new Set<string>();
-let primed = false;
-
-async function pollRecent(): Promise<void> {
-  const items = await photos.getRecentAssets(50);
-  for (const asset of items) {
-    if (!seen.has(asset.id)) {
-      if (primed) {
-        await emit("item.added", {
-          id: asset.id,
-          fileName: asset.fileName,
-          kind: asset.type,
-          createdAt: asset.createdAt,
-        });
-      }
-      seen.add(asset.id);
-    }
-  }
-  primed = true;
-}
-
-const run = (): void => void pollRecent().catch((err) => console.error(`[photos] ${err}`));
-setInterval(run, 60_000);
-run();
-
-console.log("[photos] watching for newly added assets");
diff --git a/modules/photos/module.json b/modules/photos/module.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 75fc0d8..0000000
--- a/modules/photos/module.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,99 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "module": "photos",
-  "version": "1",
-  "capabilities": [
-    "container-runtime"
-  ],
-  "emits": [
-    "item.added"
-  ],
-  "requires": [
-    "s3-bucket",
-    "mongodb-database",
-    "route"
-  ],
-  "contributes": {
-    "mongodb-database": {
-      "name": "photos"
-    },
-    "route": {
-      "label": "photos",
-      "endpoint": "web"
-    }
-  },
-  "binds": {
-    "s3-bucket": "${dir:state}/store.json",
-    "mongodb-database": "${dir:state}/database.json",
-    "route": "${dir:state}/route.json"
-  },
-  "secrets": {
-    "s3-bucket": "${dir:state}/store.secret",
-    "mongodb-database": "${dir:state}/database.secret"
-  },
-  "listens": [
-    {
-      "name": "api",
-      "port": 9000,
-      "protocol": "tcp",
-      "from": "mesh",
-      "why": "the photos backend API; the client sites on the module network call it"
-    },
-    {
-      "name": "web",
-      "port": 4001,
-      "protocol": "tcp",
-      "from": "mesh",
-      "why": "the admin client site over http; its public name is a route grant, and route-proxy reaches it on this published port"
-    }
-  ],
-  "resources": [
-    {
-      "id": "state",
-      "type": "directory",
-      "mode": "0700",
-      "place": "."
-    },
-    {
-      "id": "server-env",
-      "type": "file",
-      "path": "${dir:state}/server.env",
-      "mode": "0600",
-      "content": "NODE_ENV=production\nPORT=9000\nMONGO_URL=mongodb://${bound:mongodb-database:as}:${secret:mongodb-database}@${bound:mongodb-database:at}:${bound:mongodb-database:port}/${bound:mongodb-database:as}?authSource=${bound:mongodb-database:as}\nMONGO_DB=${bound:mongodb-database:as}\nMINIO_ENDPOINT=${bound:s3-bucket:at}\nMINIO_PORT=${bound:s3-bucket:port}\nMINIO_BUCKET=${bound:s3-bucket:bucket}\nMINIO_ACCESSKEY=${bound:s3-bucket:as}\nMINIO_SECRET=${secret:s3-bucket}\nMINIO_USE_SSL=false\n"
-    },
-    {
-      "id": "net",
-      "type": "network",
-      "name": "photos"
-    },
-    {
-      "id": "server",
-      "type": "container",
-      "name": "photos-server",
-      "image": "registry-api.novox.be/novox/photos-server@sha256:3f165acbbd1fd731b12fe798c95879c081a44b00e2c569ef7f47165f6a527201",
-      "network": "photos",
-      "env-file": [
-        "${dir:state}/server.env"
-      ],
-      "ports": [
-        "9000"
-      ],
-      "secrets-in-environment": "the application's own code reads MONGO_URL and MINIO_SECRET from the environment (photos server/src/config.js); converting is that repository's change",
-      "names-on-purpose": {
-        "registry-api.novox.be": "built outside the mesh, from the application's own repository, and pulled from the registry that built it; moves when that repository is a build source on the git seat (novox/hq ADR 0155, issue 122)"
-      }
-    },
-    {
-      "id": "admin-client",
-      "type": "container",
-      "name": "photos-admin-client",
-      "image": "registry-api.novox.be/novox/photos-admin-client@sha256:f437fa9ed28b29a012f715fb8d9b809a15cff4a672794c620d5d400f57695580",
-      "network": "photos",
-      "ports": [
-        "4001:80"
-      ],
-      "names-on-purpose": {
-        "registry-api.novox.be": "built outside the mesh, from the application's own repository, and pulled from the registry that built it; moves when that repository is a build source on the git seat (novox/hq ADR 0155, issue 122)"
-      }
-    }
-  ]
-}
diff --git a/modules/photos/package.json b/modules/photos/package.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 8667c81..0000000
--- a/modules/photos/package.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,14 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "name": "@novox/module-photos",
-  "version": "0.1.0",
-  "description": "photos — self-hosted photo library. Its API client, tools and events live here (novox/hq ADR 0039).",
-  "type": "module",
-  "private": true,
-  "dependencies": {
-    "@novox/mesh-sdk": "^0.1.0"
-  },
-  "devDependencies": {
-    "@types/node": "^22.0.0",
-    "typescript": "^5.6.0"
-  }
-}
diff --git a/modules/photos/tools/index.ts b/modules/photos/tools/index.ts
deleted file mode 100644
index 63eb37c..0000000
--- a/modules/photos/tools/index.ts
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,43 +0,0 @@
-// photos' tools (novox/hq ADR 0039), importing photos' own client.
-
-import { registerModuleTools, type ToolDefinition } from "@novox/mesh-sdk/tools";
-import { PhotosClient } from "../client.js";
-
-export function getPhotosTools(photos: PhotosClient): ToolDefinition[] {
-  return [
-    {
-      name: "photos_status",
-      description: "Photo library status: server version and, where the key allows, photo/video counts and storage used.",
-      input: {},
-      run: async () => {
-        const [server, albums] = await Promise.all([photos.getServerInfo(), photos.getAlbums()]);
-        return { server, albumCount: albums.length };
-      },
-    },
-    {
-      name: "photos_albums",
-      description: "List the albums in the photo library, each with its asset count and whether it is shared.",
-      input: {},
-      run: async () => {
-        const albums = await photos.getAlbums();
-        return { count: albums.length, albums };
-      },
-    },
-    {
-      name: "photos_recent",
-      description: "Most recently added assets in the photo library, newest first.",
-      input: { limit: { type: "number", description: "how many assets (default 20)" } },
-      run: async (args) => ({ items: await photos.getRecentAssets(args.limit ? Number(args.limit) : 20) }),
-    },
-  ];
-}
-
-// The tools exist only when an API key is configured; without one, photos contributes none rather
-// than reaching an unauthenticated endpoint or failing the whole runtime.
-registerModuleTools("photos", (env) => {
-  try {
-    return getPhotosTools(PhotosClient.fromEnv(env));
-  } catch {
-    return [];
-  }
-});
diff --git a/modules/photos/tsconfig.json b/modules/photos/tsconfig.json
deleted file mode 100644
index 3677859..0000000
--- a/modules/photos/tsconfig.json
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,12 +0,0 @@
-{
-  "compilerOptions": {
-    "target": "ES2022",
-    "module": "NodeNext",
-    "moduleResolution": "NodeNext",
-    "strict": true,
-    "esModuleInterop": true,
-    "skipLibCheck": true,
-    "noEmit": true
-  },
-  "include": ["client.ts", "index.ts", "tools/index.ts"]
-}