diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/main.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/main.go
index 694da81e7..618c43b08 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/main.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/main.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ package main
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
 	"strconv"
@@ -345,24 +346,20 @@ func tools(h *Holder, l *listening) []stdio.Tool {
 			Input: map[string]any{"type": "object", "properties": map[string]any{
 				"branch": str("the watched branch, escaped as a key name is; absent: the list of the branches the gate keeps a source revision of")}},
 			Run: func(a map[string]any) (any, error) { return h.SourceRevision(strArg(a, "branch")), nil }},
-		{Name: seat + "checks",
-			Description: "What the mesh's checks said of a pull request's head or of one commit: each of the commit's " +
-				"statuses (mesh/check, mesh/delivery, …) with its state, description and when it " +
-				"was set; the merge check's verdict as the checker's mesh/check line says it, and when it was heard; and whether the branch's protection would let it " +
-				"merge, every required status being success.",
+		{Name: seat + "recovery",
+			Description: "Name a merge a recovery (design 47 G §81): the delivery record that holds the commit is marked with who named it " +
+				"(the caller the runtime proved), why and the commit, and recovery-merged is said for every channel.",
 			Input: map[string]any{"type": "object", "properties": map[string]any{"repository": str("owner/repository"),
-				"number": str("a pull request's number: its head is read"),
-				"commit": str("a commit's sha, or the start of one, instead of a pull request")},
-				"required": []string{"repository"}},
+				"commit": str("the merge commit"), "why": str("why the merge is a recovery")},
+				"required": []string{"repository", "commit", "why"}},
 			Run: func(a map[string]any) (any, error) {
-				if err := need(a, "repository"); err != nil {
+				if err := need(a, "repository", "commit", "why"); err != nil {
 					return nil, err
 				}
-				number, err := intArg(a, "number")
-				if err != nil {
-					return nil, err
+				if h.Records == nil {
+					return nil, errors.New("this gate keeps no delivery records")
 				}
-				return h.Checks(strArg(a, "repository"), number, strArg(a, "commit"))
+				return h.Records.Recovery(strArg(a, "repository"), strArg(a, "commit"), strArg(a, "why"), stdio.CallerOf(a))
 			}},
 		{Name: seat + "stalled",
 			Description: "Every delivery held past its state's bound, with the transition the table lets healer H2 take. " +
diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/manifest_test.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/manifest_test.go
index d21a57d0c..d16a2bf9b 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/manifest_test.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/manifest_test.go
@@ -76,8 +76,8 @@ func TestItClaimsTheDeliverySeatAndFollowsWhatItHandles(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatal("the manifest declares a seat; mesh-delivery is the mesh's own")
 	}
 	// The verbs the seat keeps: times, what-if, release, stop and retire-history went with the plans (ADR 0539 §17), and
-	// settle with the merge states (design 47 G §431).
-	if want := []string{"deliveries", "show", "groups", "source", "checks", "stalled"}; !reflect.DeepEqual(m.Claims[0].Serves, want) {
+	// settle and checks with the merge states (design 47 G §431); recovery is G's (§81, A-23).
+	if want := []string{"deliveries", "show", "groups", "source", "recovery", "stalled"}; !reflect.DeepEqual(m.Claims[0].Serves, want) {
 		t.Fatalf("serves %v, wanted %v", m.Claims[0].Serves, want)
 	}
 	// The forge messages' layout is the bridge's published package forgemsg, taken by its series (ADR 0634 §3, design 32).
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ func TestTheGateHoldsTheSeatAsTheSDKsTableOfRelease6HasIt(t *testing.T) {
 			served[verb] = true
 		}
 	}
-	for _, removed := range []string{"settle"} { // design 47 G §431
+	for _, removed := range []string{"settle", "checks"} { // design 47 G §431
 		if served[removed] {
 			t.Errorf("the gate serves %s, which G removed with the merge states", removed)
 		}
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ func TestTheGateHoldsTheSeatAsTheSDKsTableOfRelease6HasIt(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Errorf("the manifest serves %s, which G removed with the merge states", removed)
 		}
 	}
-	for _, verb := range []string{"deliveries", "show", "groups", "checks", "stalled"} {
+	for _, verb := range []string{"deliveries", "show", "groups", "stalled", "recovery"} {
 		if !served[verb] {
 			t.Errorf("the gate does not serve %s, which the seat keeps", verb)
 		}
diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/record.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/record.go
index 27e998d4e..9e5d214be 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/record.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/record.go
@@ -98,6 +98,16 @@ type Record struct {
 	// Acts are the acts owed the forge for the record's pull requests, by id, with their outcomes (owedended.go).
 	Acts  map[string]RecordAct `json:"acts,omitempty"`
 	Ended *RecordEnded         `json:"ended,omitempty"`
+	// Recovery marks the merge its author named a recovery by the seat's verb recovery (design 47 G §81, A-23).
+	Recovery *RecordRecovery `json:"recovery,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// RecordRecovery is the field recovery of a record: who named the merge a recovery (the caller the runtime proved), why,
+// and the merge commit.
+type RecordRecovery struct {
+	By     string `json:"by"`
+	Why    string `json:"why"`
+	Commit string `json:"commit"`
 }
 
 // RecordGroup is the group's state as the record keeps it: what `merges` held for the group, and its members.
diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/record_test.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/record_test.go
index 066cb1d55..21f70d038 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/record_test.go
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/record_test.go
@@ -789,6 +789,37 @@ func TestTheRecordsToolsReadThemAndEndOneByHand(t *testing.T) {
 			t.Fatalf("a second repair did something: %+v", lines)
 		}
 	})
+	t.Run("recovery marks the record that holds the commit through its ordinary update and says recovery-merged once (design 47 G A-23)", func(t *testing.T) {
+		rs, r, said := setup(t)
+		commit := strings.Repeat("1", 40)
+		got, err := rs.Recovery("novox/app", commit, "the live delivery was broken", "jochen")
+		if err != nil || !got.Recovery || got.By != "jochen" || got.Commit != commit || got.Repository != "novox/app" {
+			t.Fatalf("%+v %v", got, err)
+		}
+		held, err := rs.Read(r.Instance)
+		if err != nil || held.Recovery == nil || *held.Recovery != (RecordRecovery{By: "jochen", Why: "the live delivery was broken", Commit: commit}) {
+			t.Fatalf("the record is not marked: %+v %v", held, err)
+		}
+		subject := meshdelivery.SubjectRecoveryMerged
+		if _, err := rs.Recovery("novox/app", commit[:12], "the live delivery was broken", "jochen"); err != nil {
+			t.Fatal(err)
+		}
+		n := 0
+		for _, s := range *said {
+			if strings.HasPrefix(s, subject+" ") {
+				n++
+			}
+		}
+		if n != 1 {
+			t.Fatalf("recovery-merged said %d times: %v", n, *said)
+		}
+		if _, err := rs.Recovery("novox/other", commit, "why", "jochen"); err == nil {
+			t.Fatal("a commit no record holds was marked")
+		}
+		if _, err := rs.Recovery("novox/app", commit, " ", "jochen"); err == nil {
+			t.Fatal("a recovery with no why was taken")
+		}
+	})
 	t.Run("a removal asks the runtime's ledger removal of the instance, and one said twice changes nothing", func(t *testing.T) {
 		was := ledgerCall
 		t.Cleanup(func() { ledgerCall = was })
diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/recovery.go b/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/recovery.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..2c7764c25
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/cmd/mesh-delivery-gate/recovery.go
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+
+	"git.novox.be/novox/mesh-delivery/contracts/go/seats/meshdelivery"
+)
+
+// Recovery names a merge a recovery (design 47 G §81, A-23): the delivery record that holds the commit is marked through its
+// ordinary update, with one field recovery holding who named it (the caller the runtime proved), why and the commit, and
+// recovery-merged is said. Said twice for the same mark, it changes nothing and says nothing more.
+func (rs *Records) Recovery(repository, commit, why, by string) (meshdelivery.RecoveryAnswer, error) {
+	repository, commit, why = strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(repository)), strings.TrimSpace(commit), strings.TrimSpace(why)
+	if repository == "" || commit == "" || why == "" {
+		return meshdelivery.RecoveryAnswer{}, errors.New("a recovery names its repository, its merge commit and why")
+	}
+	kept, err := rs.Kept()
+	if err != nil {
+		return meshdelivery.RecoveryAnswer{}, fmt.Errorf("the delivery records cannot be read: %w", err)
+	}
+	for _, r := range kept {
+		for id, head := range r.Heads {
+			if !strings.HasPrefix(strings.ToLower(id), repository+"@") || !strings.HasPrefix(head, commit) {
+				continue
+			}
+			want := RecordRecovery{By: by, Why: why, Commit: head}
+			if r.Recovery != nil && *r.Recovery == want {
+				return meshdelivery.RecoveryAnswer{By: by, Commit: head, Recovery: true, Repository: repository}, nil
+			}
+			seq, err := rs.Ledger.Apply(r.Instance, OpTrace, map[string]any{"recovery": want})
+			if err != nil {
+				return meshdelivery.RecoveryAnswer{}, err
+			}
+			r.Recovery, r.Sequence = &want, seq
+			now := rs.now()
+			if err := rs.say(meshdelivery.SubjectRecoveryMerged, meshdelivery.RecoveryMergedEvent{At: &now, By: by, Commit: head,
+				Repository: repository, V: 1, Why: why}, "recovery-merged."+r.Instance+"."+head); err != nil {
+				return meshdelivery.RecoveryAnswer{}, fmt.Errorf("the record %s is marked but recovery-merged is not said: %w", r.Instance, err)
+			}
+			return meshdelivery.RecoveryAnswer{By: by, Commit: head, Recovery: true, Repository: repository}, nil
+		}
+	}
+	return meshdelivery.RecoveryAnswer{}, fmt.Errorf("no delivery record holds %s at %s: the merge is taken in first", repository, commit)
+}
diff --git a/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/module.json b/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/module.json
index ce584cab1..09398c700 100644
--- a/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/module.json
+++ b/modules/mesh-delivery-gate/module.json
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
         "show",
         "groups",
         "source",
-        "checks",
+        "recovery",
         "stalled"
       ]
     }
@@ -127,6 +127,9 @@
             },
             "words": {
               "type": "string"
+            },
+            "recovery": {
+              "type": "object"
             }
           },
           "operations": [
@@ -154,7 +157,8 @@
               "name": "trace",
               "effect": "set-fields",
               "fields": [
-                "trace"
+                "trace",
+                "recovery"
               ],
               "sequence": true
             },