diff --git a/checks/images/go.mod b/checks/images/go.mod
deleted file mode 100644
index 1137f5f0..00000000
--- a/checks/images/go.mod
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,3 +0,0 @@
-module git.novox.be/novox/mesh-catalog/checks/images
-
-go 1.22
diff --git a/checks/images/main.go b/checks/images/main.go
deleted file mode 100644
index ddd408a1..00000000
--- a/checks/images/main.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,80 +0,0 @@
-// Command images refuses any manifest but build-agent's declaring an artifact of kind `image`, an image built from a
-// Dockerfile (novox/hq ADR 0452 clause 1, ADR 0480 clause 11 as ADR 0487 clause 13 changed it). From R4d a module
-// runs a pinned upstream image with its programs mounted in; build-agent is the one builder that still builds an
-// image until R4g, when the catalogue refuses the kind outright (issue 1619) and this check goes with it.
-//
-//	go run . <catalogue root>
-//
-// Exits 1 on a finding.
-package main
-
-import (
-	"encoding/json"
-	"fmt"
-	"os"
-	"path/filepath"
-	"sort"
-)
-
-// Exempt is the one module still allowed to declare the kind, until R4g.
-var Exempt = map[string]bool{"build-agent": true}
-
-// Finding is one refusal: Module's artifact Artifact is an image built from a Dockerfile.
-type Finding struct{ Module, Artifact string }
-
-// Check reads every manifest under root/modules and answers what it refuses.
-func Check(root string) ([]Finding, error) {
-	manifests, err := filepath.Glob(filepath.Join(root, "modules", "*", "module.json"))
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	sort.Strings(manifests)
-	var out []Finding
-	for _, path := range manifests {
-		raw, err := os.ReadFile(path)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		var m struct {
-			Module string `json:"module"`
-			Build  struct {
-				Artifacts []struct {
-					Name string `json:"name"`
-					Kind string `json:"kind"`
-				} `json:"artifacts"`
-			} `json:"build"`
-		}
-		if err := json.Unmarshal(raw, &m); err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", path, err)
-		}
-		if Exempt[m.Module] {
-			continue
-		}
-		for _, a := range m.Build.Artifacts {
-			if a.Kind == "image" {
-				out = append(out, Finding{Module: m.Module, Artifact: a.Name})
-			}
-		}
-	}
-	return out, nil
-}
-
-func main() {
-	root := "."
-	if len(os.Args) > 1 {
-		root = os.Args[1]
-	}
-	found, err := Check(root)
-	if err != nil {
-		fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
-		os.Exit(1)
-	}
-	for _, f := range found {
-		fmt.Printf("%s declares the artifact %s as an image built from a Dockerfile: run a pinned upstream image with the "+
-			"module's programs mounted in (novox/hq ADR 0452 clause 1, ADR 0480 clause 11)\n", f.Module, f.Artifact)
-	}
-	if len(found) > 0 {
-		os.Exit(1)
-	}
-	fmt.Println("images: no module but build-agent builds an image from a Dockerfile")
-}
diff --git a/checks/images/main_test.go b/checks/images/main_test.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 677c6009..00000000
--- a/checks/images/main_test.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,51 +0,0 @@
-package main
-
-import (
-	"os"
-	"path/filepath"
-	"reflect"
-	"testing"
-)
-
-func catalogue(t *testing.T, manifests map[string]string) string {
-	t.Helper()
-	root := t.TempDir()
-	for name, body := range manifests {
-		dir := filepath.Join(root, "modules", name)
-		if err := os.MkdirAll(dir, 0o755); err != nil {
-			t.Fatal(err)
-		}
-		if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(dir, "module.json"), []byte(body), 0o644); err != nil {
-			t.Fatal(err)
-		}
-	}
-	return root
-}
-
-// A fixture manifest with an image artifact is refused, the builder's is not, and an upstream image is no image.
-func TestOnlyBuildAgentMayDeclareAnImageBuiltFromADockerfile(t *testing.T) {
-	root := catalogue(t, map[string]string{
-		"old":         `{"module":"old","build":{"artifacts":[{"name":"server","kind":"image","from":"Dockerfile"}]}}`,
-		"build-agent": `{"module":"build-agent","build":{"artifacts":[{"name":"agent","kind":"image","from":"Dockerfile"}]}}`,
-		"new":         `{"module":"new","build":{"artifacts":[{"name":"server","kind":"upstream","from":"alpine@sha256:00"},{"name":"p","kind":"bundle"}]}}`,
-		"none":        `{"module":"none"}`,
-	})
-	got, err := Check(root)
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	if want := []Finding{{Module: "old", Artifact: "server"}}; !reflect.DeepEqual(got, want) {
-		t.Errorf("found %v, want %v", got, want)
-	}
-}
-
-// The catalogue this check lives in passes it.
-func TestTheCatalogueDeclaresNoImage(t *testing.T) {
-	got, err := Check("../..")
-	if err != nil {
-		t.Fatal(err)
-	}
-	if len(got) > 0 {
-		t.Errorf("the catalogue declares %v", got)
-	}
-}
diff --git a/merge-check.sh b/merge-check.sh
index ab97f138..fb1d9b8b 100755
--- a/merge-check.sh
+++ b/merge-check.sh
@@ -57,8 +57,6 @@ set -eu
 (cd checks/words && go test -count=1 . && go run . ../..)
 # The toolchains (novox/hq ADR 0477 clause 4): the package go only in modules/go, nodejs and npm only in modules/nodejs.
 (cd checks/toolchains && go test -count=1 . && go run . ../..)
-# The image (novox/hq ADR 0480 clause 11): no manifest but build-agent's declares an image built from a Dockerfile.
-(cd checks/images && go test -count=1 . && go run . ../..)
 # The image builder (novox/hq ADR 0487 §3): only modules/buildah provides rootless-image-build, docker never.
 (cd checks/imagebuild && go test -count=1 . && go run . ../..)
 # The image's place (novox/hq ADR 0487 §1): every image builds from a Dockerfile in its own module's directory.
diff --git a/modules/mailu/cmd/automx/manifest_test.go b/modules/mailu/cmd/automx/manifest_test.go
index cf88b181..057c3b1b 100644
--- a/modules/mailu/cmd/automx/manifest_test.go
+++ b/modules/mailu/cmd/automx/manifest_test.go
@@ -107,8 +107,9 @@ func TestAutomxIsAGoBundleForAlpineMountedAtOptMeshAndRestartedWithIt(t *testing
 	}
 }
 
-// Clause 3: an upstream artifact pinned by digest, the one route-proxy's trust artifact runs; never an image
-// built from a Dockerfile (clause 11), and no Dockerfile or base to build one on.
+// Clause 3: an upstream artifact pinned by digest, the one route-proxy's trust artifact runs. automx's own design
+// builds no image from a Dockerfile and has no Dockerfile or base to build one on; the catalogue as such does not
+// refuse the image kind (novox/hq ADR 0487 clause 13).
 func TestAutomxRunsTheMirroredAlpineImageAndBuildsNoImage(t *testing.T) {
 	m := readManifest(t)
 	c := m.resource("automx")
@@ -121,7 +122,7 @@ func TestAutomxRunsTheMirroredAlpineImageAndBuildsNoImage(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 	for _, a := range m.Build["artifacts"].([]any) {
 		if a.(map[string]any)["kind"] == "image" {
-			t.Errorf("artifact %v is an image built from a Dockerfile (ADR 0452)", a)
+			t.Errorf("artifact %v is an image built from a Dockerfile, which automx's design (ADR 0480) does not use", a)
 		}
 	}
 	if _, has := m.Build["on"]; has {