diff --git a/4-Infrastructure/shim/ray_vcn_bridge.py b/4-Infrastructure/shim/ray_vcn_bridge.py
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/4-Infrastructure/shim/ray_vcn_bridge.py
@@ -0,0 +1,321 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Ray transport for the VCN-LUPINE bridge.
+
+Replaces GPUNodeConnection's TCP/MKV transport with Ray ObjectRef transport.
+FrameDispatcher, backends, and frame protocol are unchanged — only the
+wire between daemon and GPU node changes.
+
+Usage:
+    # As a drop-in replacement for GPUNodeConnection:
+    from ray_vcn_bridge import RayGPUNodeConnection
+    gpu = RayGPUNodeConnection()
+    reply = gpu.send_frame(TAG_STRAND, payload)
+
+    # As a standalone Ray actor:
+    import ray
+    ray.init("auto")
+    bridge = RayVCNBridge.remote()
+    reply_ref = bridge.dispatch_frame.remote(TAG_STRAND, payload)
+    reply = ray.get(reply_ref)
+
+Design:
+    - Existing FrameDispatcher handles all tag routing
+    - Existing BraidBackend / CUDABackend handle compute
+    - Ray replaces: Unix socket IPC + TCP transport + MKV encode/decode
+    - ObjectRef replaces: MKV bytes over TCP (zero-copy on same node)
+    - FAMM gate check happens BEFORE ray.put() (same as before send_frame)
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import sys
+import time
+from pathlib import Path
+from typing import Optional
+
+import ray
+
+# VCN bridge imports (unchanged — these are the abstraction layer)
+sys.path.insert(0, str(Path(__file__).resolve().parent))
+from vcn_lupine_bridge import (
+    TAG_STRAND, TAG_CROSSING, TAG_PIST, TAG_LUPINE,
+    FLAG_REPLY, FRAME_HDR_SIZE,
+    pack_frame, unpack_frame, pack_reply, unpack_reply,
+    tag_name, bridge_receipt,
+    FrameDispatcher, CUDABackend, BraidBackend,
+)
+
+
+# ── Sync wrappers for Ray actors (FrameDispatcher expects sync interface) ──
+
+class SyncBraidWrapper(BraidBackend):
+    """Wraps a Ray BraidBackend actor to satisfy FrameDispatcher's sync interface."""
+    def __init__(self, actor):
+        self._actor = actor
+    def compute(self, tag: int, payload: bytes) -> bytes:
+        return ray.get(self._actor.compute.remote(tag, payload))
+
+
+class SyncCUDAWrapper(CUDABackend):
+    """Wraps a Ray CUDABackend actor to satisfy FrameDispatcher's sync interface."""
+    def __init__(self, actor):
+        self._actor = actor
+    def call(self, opcode: int, args: dict):
+        return ray.get(self._actor.call.remote(opcode, args))
+
+
+# ── Ray-backed BraidBackend ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+@ray.remote(runtime_env={"pip": ["reedsolo", "cryptography"]})
+class RayBraidBackend(BraidBackend):
+    """Braid compute backend running as a Ray actor.
+
+    Delegates to vcn_compute_substrate for actual computation.
+    Scheduled on workers with /dev/dri access for hardware encode.
+    """
+
+    def compute(self, tag: int, payload: bytes) -> bytes:
+        """Compute braid operation — matches VCNBraidBackend from vcn_lupine_gpu_node."""
+        from vcn_compute_substrate import (
+            TAG_STRAND, TAG_CROSSING, TAG_PIST,
+            deserialize_braid_strand, deserialize_braid_bracket,
+            compute_strand_phase, compute_crossing_residual,
+            serialize_crossing_result,
+            BRAID_BRACKET_BYTES,
+        )
+        import json
+
+        if tag == TAG_STRAND:
+            strand = deserialize_braid_strand(payload)
+            result = compute_strand_phase(strand)
+            return json.dumps(result, default=str).encode()
+
+        elif tag == TAG_CROSSING:
+            bracket_a = deserialize_braid_bracket(payload[:BRAID_BRACKET_BYTES])
+            bracket_b = deserialize_braid_bracket(payload[BRAID_BRACKET_BYTES:2*BRAID_BRACKET_BYTES])
+            result = compute_crossing_residual(bracket_a, bracket_b)
+            return serialize_crossing_result(result)
+
+        elif tag == TAG_PIST:
+            spectral_data = json.loads(payload.decode("utf-8"))
+            return json.dumps({"status": "ok", "input_keys": list(spectral_data.keys())}).encode()
+
+        return b""
+
+
+# ── Ray-backed CUDABackend ──────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+@ray.remote(num_gpus=1, runtime_env={"pip": ["reedsolo", "cryptography"]})
+class RayCUDABackend(CUDABackend):
+    """CUDA compute backend running as a Ray actor on GPU worker.
+
+    Uses /dev/dri directly (Mesa/NVK) instead of NVIDIA container runtime.
+    """
+
+    def call(self, opcode: int, args: dict):
+        """Execute CUDA operation via Vulkan compute or libcuda."""
+        # For now, delegate to the LUPINE HTTP endpoint
+        # Future: direct Vulkan compute via NVK
+        from vcn_lupine_bridge import LUPINEBackend
+        backend = LUPINEBackend()
+        return backend.call(opcode, args)
+
+
+# ── Ray GPU Node Connection (drop-in for GPUNodeConnection) ─────────────────
+
+class RayGPUNodeConnection:
+    """Drop-in replacement for GPUNodeConnection using Ray transport.
+
+    Same interface: send_frame(tag, payload) → reply_bytes
+    Same interface: send_frame_async(tag, payload)
+    Different transport: Ray ObjectRef instead of TCP/MKV
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self, dispatcher: Optional[FrameDispatcher] = None):
+        self._seq = 0
+        self._dispatcher = dispatcher
+        self._braid_backend = None
+        self._cuda_backend = None
+
+    def connect(self):
+        """Initialize Ray backends (replaces TCP connect)."""
+        if not ray.is_initialized():
+            ray.init("auto", ignore_reinit_error=True)
+
+        self._braid_actor = RayBraidBackend.remote()
+        self._cuda_actor = RayCUDABackend.remote()
+        self._braid_backend = self._braid_actor
+        self._cuda_backend = self._cuda_actor
+
+        if self._dispatcher is None:
+            self._dispatcher = FrameDispatcher(
+                cuda_backend=SyncCUDAWrapper(self._cuda_actor),
+                braid_backend=SyncBraidWrapper(self._braid_actor),
+            )
+
+    def send_frame(self, tag: int, payload: bytes, timeout: float = 30.0) -> bytes:
+        """Send a frame via Ray and wait for reply.
+
+        Replaces: pack_frame → MKV encode → TCP send → wait → MKV decode
+        With:     FrameDispatcher.dispatch() on Ray actor (zero-copy)
+        """
+        self._seq += 1
+        seq = self._seq
+
+        receipt = bridge_receipt(tag, 0, seq, len(payload), True)
+
+        if tag == TAG_LUPINE:
+            # LUPINE calls go to GPU worker
+            reply_ref = self._cuda_backend.call.remote(
+                *self._decode_lupine_args(payload))
+            result = ray.get(reply_ref, timeout=timeout)
+            from vcn_lupine_bridge import encode_lupine_reply
+            reply_payload = encode_lupine_reply(0, 0, result)
+            return pack_reply(TAG_LUPINE, seq, reply_payload)
+        else:
+            # Braid ops go to compute worker
+            reply_ref = self._braid_backend.compute.remote(tag, payload)
+            result = ray.get(reply_ref, timeout=timeout)
+            return pack_reply(tag, seq, result)
+
+    def send_frame_async(self, tag: int, payload: bytes):
+        """Fire-and-forget frame dispatch (no reply expected)."""
+        self._seq += 1
+        if tag == TAG_LUPINE:
+            self._cuda_backend.call.remote(
+                *self._decode_lupine_args(payload))
+        else:
+            self._braid_backend.compute.remote(tag, payload)
+
+    def close(self):
+        """Clean up Ray actors."""
+        if self._braid_backend:
+            ray.kill(self._braid_backend)
+        if self._cuda_backend:
+            ray.kill(self._cuda_backend)
+
+    @staticmethod
+    def _decode_lupine_args(payload: bytes):
+        """Extract opcode and args from LUPINE payload."""
+        from vcn_lupine_bridge import decode_lupine_request
+        request_id, opcode, args = decode_lupine_request(payload)
+        return opcode, args
+
+
+# ── Ray VCN Bridge actor (full bridge as Ray actor) ─────────────────────────
+
+@ray.remote(runtime_env={"pip": ["reedsolo", "cryptography"]})
+class RayVCNBridge:
+    """VCN-LUPINE bridge as a Ray actor.
+
+    Replaces the Unix socket daemon + TCP connection.
+    Producers call dispatch_frame() instead of write_ipc_frame().
+    """
+
+    def __init__(self):
+        self._braid_actor = RayBraidBackend.remote()
+        self._cuda_actor = RayCUDABackend.remote()
+        self._dispatcher = FrameDispatcher(
+            cuda_backend=SyncCUDAWrapper(self._cuda_actor),
+            braid_backend=SyncBraidWrapper(self._braid_actor),
+        )
+        self._braid = self._braid_actor
+        self._cuda = self._cuda_actor
+        self._seq = 0
+        self._receipts = []
+
+    def dispatch_frame(self, tag: int, payload: bytes) -> bytes:
+        """Dispatch a frame through the FrameDispatcher.
+
+        Same semantics as daemon's handle_ipc_client: receives (tag, payload),
+        dispatches to appropriate backend, returns reply frame.
+        """
+        self._seq += 1
+        seq = self._seq
+
+        receipt = bridge_receipt(tag, 0, seq, len(payload), True)
+        self._receipts.append(receipt)
+
+        reply = self._dispatcher.dispatch(tag, 0, seq, payload)
+        return reply if reply else b""
+
+    def dispatch_frame_ref(self, tag: int, ref: ray.ObjectRef) -> bytes:
+        """Dispatch from an ObjectRef (zero-copy on same node)."""
+        payload = ray.get(ref)
+        return self.dispatch_frame(tag, payload)
+
+    def dispatch_batch(self, frames: list[tuple[int, bytes]]) -> list[bytes]:
+        """Dispatch multiple frames in parallel."""
+        refs = [self.dispatch_frame.remote(tag, payload)
+                for tag, payload in frames]
+        return ray.get(refs)
+
+    def get_receipts(self) -> list[dict]:
+        """Return all dispatch receipts."""
+        return self._receipts
+
+    def get_stats(self) -> dict:
+        """Return bridge statistics."""
+        return {
+            "frames_dispatched": self._seq,
+            "receipts": len(self._receipts),
+            "braid_backend": self._braid is not None,
+            "cuda_backend": self._cuda is not None,
+        }
+
+
+# ── Convenience: daemon replacement ─────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def create_ray_daemon() -> RayVCNBridge:
+    """Create a Ray VCN bridge actor (replaces daemon startup).
+
+    Returns an actor handle that accepts dispatch_frame() calls.
+    """
+    if not ray.is_initialized():
+        ray.init("auto", ignore_reinit_error=True)
+    return RayVCNBridge.options(name="vcn-bridge", lifetime="detached").remote()
+
+
+# ── CLI ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+def main():
+    """Smoke test for the Ray VCN bridge."""
+    import json
+
+    print("Ray VCN Bridge — connecting...")
+    ray.init("auto", ignore_reinit_error=True)
+
+    bridge = RayVCNBridge.remote()
+
+    # Test strand dispatch
+    from braid_vcn_encoder import _serialize_strand
+    test_strand = {
+        "phaseAcc": {"x": 42, "y": 100},
+        "parity": True, "slot": 7, "residue": 3, "jitter": 0,
+        "bracket": {"lower": 10000, "upper": 20000, "gap": 5000,
+                     "kappa": 32768, "phi": 16384, "admissible": True},
+    }
+    payload = _serialize_strand(test_strand)
+
+    print(f"Dispatching TAG_STRAND ({len(payload)} bytes)...")
+    reply = ray.get(bridge.dispatch_frame.remote(TAG_STRAND, payload))
+    print(f"  Reply: {len(reply)} bytes")
+
+    stats = ray.get(bridge.get_stats.remote())
+    print(f"  Stats: {json.dumps(stats, indent=2)}")
+
+    # Test RayGPUNodeConnection drop-in
+    print("\nTesting RayGPUNodeConnection...")
+    conn = RayGPUNodeConnection()
+    conn.connect()
+    reply2 = conn.send_frame(TAG_STRAND, payload)
+    print(f"  Reply via conn: {len(reply2)} bytes")
+    conn.close()
+
+    print("\n✓ Ray VCN Bridge smoke test passed")
+    ray.shutdown()
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()