diff --git a/docs/PROGRESS.md b/docs/PROGRESS.md
index d608d1f..4989ce3 100644
--- a/docs/PROGRESS.md
+++ b/docs/PROGRESS.md
@@ -2486,3 +2486,58 @@ Next recommended step:
 1. try the `shepherd-pid1` image on the real XCP-ng VM
 2. if it boots there too, decide whether to keep `shepherd-pid1` as an experimental selectable boot mode or advance it further toward the main Fruix boot path
 3. continue reducing the remaining Guile / Shepherd compatibility-prefix shims now that the broader `rc.d` boot-manager dependency has been locally bypassed
+
+## 2026-04-02 — Post-Phase-10: Shepherd-as-PID-1 boot also passed on the real XCP-ng VM
+
+Completed work:
+
+- took the locally validated `shepherd-pid1` boot mode and tested it on the real XCP-ng deployment path
+- wrote the follow-up report:
+  - `docs/reports/postphase10-shepherd-pid1-xcpng-freebsd.md`
+- expanded the Shepherd-PID-1 operating-system template so the generated guest remains compatible with both local virtio and the real Xen NIC path:
+  - `tests/system/phase11-shepherd-pid1-operating-system.scm.in`
+  - now includes:
+    - `ifconfig_xn0=SYNCDHCP`
+    - `ifconfig_em0=SYNCDHCP`
+    - `ifconfig_vtnet0=SYNCDHCP`
+- added a dedicated real-VM Shepherd-PID-1 deployment/validation harness:
+  - `tests/system/run-phase11-shepherd-pid1-xcpng.sh`
+
+Validation:
+
+- `tests/system/run-phase11-shepherd-pid1-xcpng.sh` now passes on the operator-approved VM and existing VDI:
+  - VM `90490f2e-e8fc-4b7a-388e-5c26f0157289`
+  - VDI `0f1f90d3-48ca-4fa2-91d8-fc6339b95743`
+- passing run workdir:
+  - `/tmp/pid1-xcpng-1775129768`
+- passing real-guest metadata confirmed:
+  - `ready_marker=ready`
+  - `run_current_system_target=/frx/store/2940c952e9d35e47f98fe62f296be2b6ab4fceb3eee8248d6a7823decd42a305-fruix-system-fruix-freebsd`
+  - `pid1_command=[guile]`
+  - `shepherd_pid=1`
+  - `shepherd_socket=present`
+  - `shepherd_status=running`
+  - `sshd_status=running`
+  - `init_mode=shepherd-pid1`
+
+Important findings:
+
+- the local QEMU PID 1 prototype was not a simulator-only artifact; the same general boot design also works on the real XCP-ng/Xen guest
+- as expected for a Guile-script entry point, the PID 1 process image shows up as Guile, but the meaningful architectural check is that:
+  - `/var/run/shepherd.pid` contains `1`
+- this means Fruix has now validated two distinct real-VM boot architectures on FreeBSD:
+  - `freebsd-init+rc.d-shepherd`
+  - `shepherd-pid1`
+- however, this still does not remove the current Guile / Shepherd compatibility-prefix shims; those remain a separate runtime-artifact issue rather than an init-manager issue
+
+Current assessment:
+
+- Shepherd-as-PID-1 is now no longer merely a local prototype; it is validated on the real XCP-ng VM as well
+- this significantly strengthens the path toward a more Guix-like Fruix system architecture on FreeBSD
+- the main remaining native-runtime gap is now the baked-prefix / compatibility-shim problem, not whether Fruix can boot with Shepherd as PID 1
+
+Next recommended step:
+
+1. focus directly on eliminating the remaining Guile / Shepherd compatibility-prefix shims from the guest runtime
+2. preserve `shepherd-pid1` as an experimental selectable boot mode while that cleanup proceeds
+3. once the runtime-prefix issue is reduced, reassess whether `shepherd-pid1` should replace the older `freebsd-init+rc.d-shepherd` path as the preferred Fruix boot architecture
diff --git a/docs/reports/postphase10-shepherd-pid1-xcpng-freebsd.md b/docs/reports/postphase10-shepherd-pid1-xcpng-freebsd.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5109e2c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/reports/postphase10-shepherd-pid1-xcpng-freebsd.md
@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+# Post-Phase-10: Shepherd-as-PID-1 boot validated on the real XCP-ng FreeBSD VM
+
+Date: 2026-04-02
+
+## Goal
+
+Take the locally validated Shepherd-as-PID-1 Fruix boot prototype and test it on the real operator-approved XCP-ng VM.
+
+Target objects remained the same constrained deployment path used for Phase 9:
+
+- VM: `90490f2e-e8fc-4b7a-388e-5c26f0157289`
+- VDI: `0f1f90d3-48ca-4fa2-91d8-fc6339b95743`
+
+The concrete goal for this subphase was to confirm that the new `shepherd-pid1` init mode was not merely a local QEMU curiosity, but could also:
+
+- boot on the real Xen guest,
+- reach DHCP and SSH,
+- keep Shepherd running as PID 1,
+- and still reach the Fruix ready marker.
+
+## Result
+
+The real XCP-ng boot succeeded.
+
+A new deployment/validation harness was added:
+
+- `tests/system/run-phase11-shepherd-pid1-xcpng.sh`
+
+This harness reuses the existing real-VM deployment method:
+
+- build a full-size image matching the existing VDI
+- convert it to dynamic VHD
+- overwrite the existing VDI
+- boot the real VM
+- rediscover the guest by MAC/IP
+- validate the booted guest over SSH
+
+The new Shepherd-PID-1 image passes that full path.
+
+## Validation
+
+Passing real-VM run:
+
+- `PASS phase11-shepherd-pid1-xcpng`
+- workdir: `/tmp/pid1-xcpng-1775129768`
+
+Validated metadata from the real guest:
+
+```text
+ready_marker=ready
+run_current_system_target=/frx/store/2940c952e9d35e47f98fe62f296be2b6ab4fceb3eee8248d6a7823decd42a305-fruix-system-fruix-freebsd
+pid1_command=[guile]
+shepherd_pid=1
+shepherd_socket=present
+shepherd_status=running
+sshd_status=running
+guest_ip=192.168.213.62
+boot_backend=xcp-ng-xo-cli
+init_mode=shepherd-pid1
+```
+
+The key architectural confirmation is:
+
+- `shepherd_pid=1`
+
+That shows the running Shepherd instance in the real guest is PID 1.
+
+As in the local QEMU prototype, the process image is Guile because Shepherd is launched as a Guile script; however, the service manager itself is the PID 1 process according to Shepherd's own pidfile and control socket state.
+
+## What changed to make the real VM pass
+
+The most important refinement after the first local PID 1 work was making the generated activation path more tolerant of immutable store-backed configuration files during very early boot.
+
+Specifically, the generated activation script now treats these as best-effort:
+
+- `cap_mkdb /etc/login.conf`
+- `pwd_mkdb -p /etc/master.passwd`
+
+That matters because on the PID 1 path they happen earlier and should not abort the system if the current `/etc` representation is not suitable for in-place database regeneration.
+
+The Shepherd-PID-1 operating-system template was also expanded to keep the NIC configuration broad enough for both local virtio and the real Xen path:
+
+- `ifconfig_xn0=SYNCDHCP`
+- `ifconfig_em0=SYNCDHCP`
+- `ifconfig_vtnet0=SYNCDHCP`
+
+## Assessment
+
+This is a stronger result than the earlier local-only prototype.
+
+Fruix now has a real deployment-validated FreeBSD boot mode where:
+
+- FreeBSD `init(8)` hands off immediately via `init_exec`
+- the generated Fruix launcher performs the minimal bootstrap
+- Shepherd becomes PID 1
+- networking and SSH still work on the real XCP-ng VM
+- and the system still reaches the Fruix ready marker
+
+That means the project has now validated both of these boot architectures on the real VM:
+
+1. `freebsd-init+rc.d-shepherd`
+2. `shepherd-pid1`
+
+## Remaining limitations
+
+This does not yet eliminate the current locally built Guile/Shepherd compatibility-prefix shims.
+
+Those shims are still needed because the locally staged runtime artifacts continue to embed historical build prefixes.  The current result proves that the broader init/boot-manager dependency can be removed, but it does not yet fully solve the store-native runtime-prefix problem.
+
+## Conclusion
+
+The Shepherd-as-PID-1 Fruix boot mode now works not only under local QEMU/UEFI, but also on the real operator-approved XCP-ng VM.
+
+This substantially strengthens the case that Fruix can move beyond the transitional `rc.d` bridge design and toward a more Guix-like PID-1-centered system architecture on FreeBSD.
diff --git a/tests/system/phase11-shepherd-pid1-operating-system.scm.in b/tests/system/phase11-shepherd-pid1-operating-system.scm.in
index 65ca18c..aefa371 100644
--- a/tests/system/phase11-shepherd-pid1-operating-system.scm.in
+++ b/tests/system/phase11-shepherd-pid1-operating-system.scm.in
@@ -70,6 +70,8 @@
                        ("hostid_enable" . "NO")
                        ("sendmail_enable" . "NONE")
                        ("sshd_enable" . "YES")
+                       ("ifconfig_xn0" . "SYNCDHCP")
+                       ("ifconfig_em0" . "SYNCDHCP")
                        ("ifconfig_vtnet0" . "SYNCDHCP"))
    #:init-mode 'shepherd-pid1
    #:ready-marker "/var/lib/fruix/ready"
diff --git a/tests/system/run-phase11-shepherd-pid1-xcpng.sh b/tests/system/run-phase11-shepherd-pid1-xcpng.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..bc2c9c4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/system/run-phase11-shepherd-pid1-xcpng.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,217 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+set -eu
+
+repo_root=$(CDPATH= cd -- "$(dirname "$0")/../.." && pwd)
+vm_id=90490f2e-e8fc-4b7a-388e-5c26f0157289
+os_template=${OS_TEMPLATE:-$repo_root/tests/system/phase11-shepherd-pid1-operating-system.scm.in}
+system_name=${SYSTEM_NAME:-phase11-operating-system}
+metadata_target=${METADATA_OUT:-}
+root_authorized_key_file=${ROOT_AUTHORIZED_KEY_FILE:-$HOME/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub}
+root_ssh_private_key_file=${ROOT_SSH_PRIVATE_KEY_FILE:-$HOME/.ssh/id_ed25519}
+requested_disk_capacity=${DISK_CAPACITY:-}
+
+cleanup=0
+if [ -n "${WORKDIR:-}" ]; then
+  workdir=$WORKDIR
+  mkdir -p "$workdir"
+else
+  workdir=$(mktemp -d /tmp/fruix-phase11-xcpng.XXXXXX)
+  cleanup=1
+fi
+if [ "${KEEP_WORKDIR:-0}" -eq 1 ]; then
+  cleanup=0
+fi
+
+phase11_os_file=$workdir/phase11-shepherd-pid1-operating-system.scm
+phase8_log=$workdir/phase8-system-image.log
+phase8_metadata=$workdir/phase8-system-image-metadata.txt
+arp_scan_log=$workdir/arp-scan.log
+ssh_stdout=$workdir/ssh.out
+ssh_stderr=$workdir/ssh.err
+metadata_file=$workdir/phase11-shepherd-pid1-xcpng-metadata.txt
+vdi_info_json=$workdir/vdi-info.json
+vm_info_json=$workdir/vm-info.json
+upload_image=$workdir/disk.vhd
+
+cleanup_workdir() {
+  if [ "$cleanup" -eq 1 ]; then
+    rm -rf "$workdir"
+  fi
+}
+trap cleanup_workdir EXIT INT TERM
+
+[ -f "$root_authorized_key_file" ] || {
+  echo "missing root authorized key file: $root_authorized_key_file" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+[ -f "$root_ssh_private_key_file" ] || {
+  echo "missing root SSH private key file: $root_ssh_private_key_file" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+root_authorized_key=$(tr -d '\n' < "$root_authorized_key_file")
+
+xo-cli list-objects id=$vm_id >"$vm_info_json"
+vdi_id=$(xo-cli list-objects type=VBD | jq -r '.[] | select(.VM=="'$vm_id'" and .is_cd_drive==false and .position=="0") | .VDI' | head -n 1)
+[ -n "$vdi_id" ] || { echo "failed to discover target VDI for VM $vm_id" >&2; exit 1; }
+xo-cli list-objects type=VDI | jq '[.[] | select(.id=="'$vdi_id'")]' >"$vdi_info_json"
+vdi_size=$(jq -r '.[0].size' "$vdi_info_json")
+[ -n "$vdi_size" ] || { echo "failed to discover VDI size for $vdi_id" >&2; exit 1; }
+
+if [ -n "$requested_disk_capacity" ] && [ "$requested_disk_capacity" != "$vdi_size" ]; then
+  echo "existing XCP-ng import path requires an image that matches the target VDI size; use DISK_CAPACITY=$vdi_size or leave it unset" >&2
+  exit 1
+fi
+disk_capacity=$vdi_size
+requested_disk_bytes=$vdi_size
+
+sed "s|__ROOT_AUTHORIZED_KEY__|$root_authorized_key|g" "$os_template" > "$phase11_os_file"
+
+KEEP_WORKDIR=1 WORKDIR=$workdir/phase8-build OS_FILE=$phase11_os_file SYSTEM_NAME=$system_name DISK_CAPACITY=$disk_capacity \
+  METADATA_OUT=$phase8_metadata "$repo_root/tests/system/run-phase8-system-image.sh" \
+  >"$phase8_log" 2>&1
+
+disk_image=$(sed -n 's/^disk_image=//p' "$phase8_metadata")
+closure_path=$(sed -n 's/^closure_path=//p' "$phase8_metadata")
+closure_base=$(basename "$closure_path")
+raw_sha256=$(sed -n 's/^raw_sha256=//p' "$phase8_metadata")
+image_store_path=$(sed -n 's/^image_store_path=//p' "$phase8_metadata")
+
+command -v qemu-img >/dev/null 2>&1 || {
+  echo "qemu-img is required to convert the raw Fruix image to XCP-ng-compatible VHD" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+qemu-img convert -f raw -O vpc -o subformat=dynamic,force_size=on "$disk_image" "$upload_image"
+upload_sha256=$(sha256 -q "$upload_image")
+upload_size_bytes=$(stat -f '%z' "$upload_image")
+
+xo-cli vm.stop id=$vm_id force=true >/dev/null 2>&1 || true
+xo-cli disk.importContent id=$vdi_id @=$upload_image >"$workdir/disk-import.out"
+xo-cli vm.setBootOrder vm=$vm_id order=dcn >"$workdir/set-boot-order.out"
+xo-cli vm.start id=$vm_id >"$workdir/vm-start.out"
+
+vm_mac=$(jq -r '.[0].VIFs[0]' "$vm_info_json")
+if [ -n "$vm_mac" ] && [ "$vm_mac" != null ]; then
+  vm_mac=$(xo-cli list-objects type=VIF | jq -r '.[] | select(.id=="'$vm_mac'") | .MAC' | tr 'A-Z' 'a-z')
+else
+  vm_mac=
+fi
+host_interface=$(route -n get default | awk '/interface:/{print $2; exit}')
+host_ip=$(ifconfig "$host_interface" | awk '/inet /{print $2; exit}')
+subnet_prefix=${host_ip%.*}
+
+ssh_guest() {
+  ssh -i "$root_ssh_private_key_file" \
+    -o BatchMode=yes \
+    -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no \
+    -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null \
+    -o ConnectTimeout=5 \
+    root@"$guest_ip" "$@"
+}
+
+guest_ip=
+for attempt in $(jot 90 1 90); do
+  : >"$arp_scan_log"
+  for host in $(jot 254 1 254); do
+    ip=$subnet_prefix.$host
+    (
+      ping -c 1 -W 1000 "$ip" >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo "$ip" >>"$arp_scan_log"
+    ) &
+  done
+  wait
+  if [ -n "$vm_mac" ]; then
+    guest_ip=$(arp -an | awk -v mac="$vm_mac" 'tolower($4)==mac {gsub(/[()]/,"",$2); print $2; exit}')
+  fi
+  if [ -n "$guest_ip" ]; then
+    if ssh -i "$root_ssh_private_key_file" \
+         -o BatchMode=yes \
+         -o StrictHostKeyChecking=no \
+         -o UserKnownHostsFile=/dev/null \
+         -o ConnectTimeout=3 \
+         root@"$guest_ip" 'test -f /var/lib/fruix/ready' >"$ssh_stdout" 2>"$ssh_stderr"; then
+      break
+    fi
+  fi
+  sleep 5
+done
+
+[ -n "$guest_ip" ] || {
+  echo "guest IP was not discovered; manual console inspection is likely required" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+
+ready_marker=$(ssh_guest 'cat /var/lib/fruix/ready')
+run_current_system_target=$(ssh_guest 'readlink /run/current-system')
+pid1_command=$(ssh_guest 'ps -p 1 -o command= | sed "s/^ *//"')
+shepherd_pid=$(ssh_guest 'cat /var/run/shepherd.pid')
+shepherd_socket=$(ssh_guest 'test -S /var/run/shepherd.sock && echo present || echo missing')
+shepherd_status=$(ssh_guest 'test -f /var/run/shepherd.pid && kill -0 "$(cat /var/run/shepherd.pid)" >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo running || echo stopped')
+logger_log=$(ssh_guest 'cat /var/log/fruix-shepherd.log' | tr '\n' ' ')
+sshd_status=$(ssh_guest 'service sshd onestatus >/dev/null 2>&1 && echo running || echo stopped')
+uname_output=$(ssh_guest 'uname -sr')
+operator_home_listing=$(ssh_guest 'ls -d /home/operator')
+activate_preview=$(ssh_guest 'head -n 5 /run/current-system/activate' | tr '\n' ' ')
+
+[ "$ready_marker" = ready ] || { echo "unexpected ready marker contents: $ready_marker" >&2; exit 1; }
+[ "$shepherd_pid" = 1 ] || { echo "shepherd is not PID 1: pid=$shepherd_pid command=$pid1_command" >&2; exit 1; }
+[ "$shepherd_socket" = present ] || { echo "shepherd socket is missing" >&2; exit 1; }
+[ "$shepherd_status" = running ] || { echo "shepherd is not running" >&2; exit 1; }
+[ "$sshd_status" = running ] || { echo "sshd is not running" >&2; exit 1; }
+[ "$run_current_system_target" = "/frx/store/$closure_base" ] || {
+  echo "unexpected /run/current-system target in guest: $run_current_system_target" >&2
+  exit 1
+}
+[ "$operator_home_listing" = /home/operator ] || { echo "operator home missing" >&2; exit 1; }
+
+cat >"$metadata_file" <<EOF
+workdir=$workdir
+vm_id=$vm_id
+vdi_id=$vdi_id
+vdi_size=$vdi_size
+disk_capacity=$disk_capacity
+requested_disk_capacity=${requested_disk_capacity:-<auto>}
+requested_disk_bytes=$requested_disk_bytes
+phase11_os_file=$phase11_os_file
+phase8_log=$phase8_log
+phase8_metadata=$phase8_metadata
+image_store_path=$image_store_path
+disk_image=$disk_image
+upload_image=$upload_image
+upload_format=vhd-dynamic
+upload_sha256=$upload_sha256
+upload_size_bytes=$upload_size_bytes
+closure_path=$closure_path
+closure_base=$closure_base
+raw_sha256=$raw_sha256
+guest_ip=$guest_ip
+vm_mac=$vm_mac
+ready_marker=$ready_marker
+run_current_system_target=$run_current_system_target
+pid1_command=$pid1_command
+shepherd_pid=$shepherd_pid
+shepherd_socket=$shepherd_socket
+shepherd_status=$shepherd_status
+sshd_status=$sshd_status
+logger_log=$logger_log
+uname_output=$uname_output
+operator_home_listing=$operator_home_listing
+activate_preview=$activate_preview
+boot_backend=xcp-ng-xo-cli
+init_mode=shepherd-pid1
+operator_access=ssh-root-key
+root_authorized_key_file=$root_authorized_key_file
+root_ssh_private_key_file=$root_ssh_private_key_file
+EOF
+
+if [ -n "$metadata_target" ]; then
+  mkdir -p "$(dirname "$metadata_target")"
+  cp "$metadata_file" "$metadata_target"
+fi
+
+printf 'PASS phase11-shepherd-pid1-xcpng\n'
+printf 'Work directory: %s\n' "$workdir"
+printf 'Metadata file: %s\n' "$metadata_file"
+if [ -n "$metadata_target" ]; then
+  printf 'Copied metadata to: %s\n' "$metadata_target"
+fi
+printf '%s\n' '--- metadata ---'
+cat "$metadata_file"