diff --git a/load-v3.sh b/load-v3.sh
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+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# load-v3.sh — one-time migration: import the v2 base into v3, push it, and deploy
+# v3 IN PLACE of v2 (same host port, same container name, same live-state volume).
+#
+# Run on hal-blackpearl:   bash load-v3.sh
+# If the push step needs credentials:   GITEA_TOKEN=<your token> bash load-v3.sh
+#
+# Rollback at any time:    cd ~/newbury-exhibit && docker compose up -d --build
+set -e
+GITEA_HOST="gitea.hideawaygaming.com.au"
+V2_URL="https://${GITEA_HOST}/jessikitty/newbury-exhibit-v2.git"
+V3_URL="https://${GITEA_HOST}/jessikitty/newbury-exhibit-v3.git"
+DIR="$HOME/newbury-exhibit-v3"
+OLD="$HOME/newbury-exhibit"
+
+# 1) clone or update v3
+if [ ! -d "$DIR/.git" ]; then git clone "$V3_URL" "$DIR"; fi
+cd "$DIR"
+git fetch origin && git reset --hard origin/main
+
+# 2) import unchanged v2 base files (only ones v3 doesn't already define),
+#    then PUSH — required, so future `deploy.sh` hard-resets keep the base.
+if [ ! -f server/server.js ]; then
+  echo "== importing v2 base files =="
+  TMP="$(mktemp -d)"
+  git clone --depth 1 "$V2_URL" "$TMP/v2"
+  rm -rf "$TMP/v2/.git"
+  rm -f "$TMP"/v2/*.bat            # v2-era upload helpers target the old repo
+  if command -v rsync >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    rsync -a --ignore-existing "$TMP/v2/" "$DIR/"
+  else
+    cp -rn "$TMP/v2/." "$DIR/"
+  fi
+  rm -rf "$TMP"
+  git add -A
+  git -c user.name="load-v3" -c user.email="load-v3@local" commit -m "Import v2 base (unchanged files)"
+  if [ -n "$GITEA_TOKEN" ]; then
+    git push "https://jessikitty:${GITEA_TOKEN}@${GITEA_HOST}/jessikitty/newbury-exhibit-v3.git" main:main
+  else
+    if ! git push origin main; then
+      echo ""
+      echo "!! Push failed (no credentials on this machine)."
+      echo "!! Re-run as:  GITEA_TOKEN=your-api-token bash load-v3.sh"
+      echo "!! Not deploying yet — deploy.sh hard-resets to origin/main, so the"
+      echo "!! base import must be on the remote first."
+      exit 1
+    fi
+  fi
+fi
+
+# 3) carry deployment config + locally-dropped OBJ models over from v2
+if [ -f "$OLD/.env" ]; then cp -n "$OLD/.env" .env 2>/dev/null || true
+elif [ ! -f .env ]; then cp .env.example .env; fi
+if [ -d "$OLD/public/models" ]; then
+  mkdir -p public/models
+  cp -an "$OLD/public/models/." public/models/ 2>/dev/null || true
+fi
+
+# 4) swap containers in place. Same compose project name => same container,
+#    ports, and exhibit-live volume; live state carries over automatically.
+if [ -d "$OLD" ]; then (cd "$OLD" && docker compose down) || true; fi
+docker compose up -d --build
+docker image prune -f >/dev/null
+echo ""
+echo "v3 is live at the same address (host port unchanged)."
+echo "Future deploys:  cd $DIR && bash deploy.sh"
+echo "Rollback:        cd $OLD && docker compose up -d --build"