diff --git a/.env.example b/.env.example
index 7e58a08..32cfc1b 100644
--- a/.env.example
+++ b/.env.example
@@ -34,6 +34,34 @@ SEARXNG_PORT=8888
 QBITTORRENT_PORT=8080
 FLARESOLVERR_PORT=8191
 CHANGEDETECTION_PORT=5000
+BROWSER_UI_PORT=3000
+BROWSER_CDP_PORT=9223
+METAMCP_PORT=12008
+
+# ==============================================================================
+# DAILY_STARS (optional — GitHub stars/trends explorer)
+# ==============================================================================
+DAILY_STARS_PORT=8080
+
+# ==============================================================================
+# METAMCP (optional — MCP gateway + bundled Postgres)
+# ==============================================================================
+# Session-signing secret for MetaMCP's auth. Required — the container refuses
+# to start without it.
+# Generate one with: openssl rand -hex 32
+BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=replace_this_with_your_random_openssl_generated_hex_secret_key
+
+# Bundled Postgres credentials. Required — the container refuses to start
+# without a password.
+# Generate one with: openssl rand -hex 32
+METAMCP_POSTGRES_PASSWORD=replace_this_with_your_random_openssl_generated_hex_secret_key
+METAMCP_POSTGRES_USER=metamcp_user
+METAMCP_POSTGRES_DB=metamcp_db
+METAMCP_POSTGRES_HOST=metamcp-postgres
+METAMCP_POSTGRES_PORT=5432
+
+# Public URL MetaMCP reports itself as; update if reverse-proxied.
+METAMCP_APP_URL=http://localhost:12008
 
 # ==============================================================================
 # LOCAL STORAGE VOLUMES
diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index f69b809..5a78f17 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -18,7 +18,10 @@ jobs:
         run: |
           # Create a dummy .env file based on the example to allow configuration validation
           cp .env.example .env
-          # Set a mock SearXNG secret to satisfy substitution checks
+          # Fill in the placeholder secret. This also covers BETTER_AUTH_SECRET and
+          # METAMCP_POSTGRES_PASSWORD in .env.example, which share the same
+          # placeholder text and are otherwise required (":?must be set") by
+          # metamcp/docker-compose.yml.
           sed -i 's/replace_this_with_your_random_openssl_generated_hex_secret_key/d3b07384d113edec49eaa6238ad5ff00/g' .env
 
       - name: Validate Root and Module Syntax
@@ -26,10 +29,15 @@ jobs:
           # 1. Test root compose file with all default active includes
           docker compose config > /dev/null
           
-          # 2. Test every individual sub-module compose file independently
+          # 2. Test every individual sub-module compose file independently.
+          # --env-file is required here: `docker compose -f <subdir>/x.yml` without
+          # it resolves the default .env relative to the compose file's own
+          # directory, not the repo root, so top-level ${VAR} interpolation
+          # (including required ":?" vars like metamcp's BETTER_AUTH_SECRET)
+          # silently falls back to unset/blank instead of reading ./.env.
           for compose_file in $(find . -maxdepth 2 -name "docker-compose.yml"); do
             echo "Validating: $compose_file"
-            docker compose -f "$compose_file" config > /dev/null
+            docker compose --env-file ./.env -f "$compose_file" config > /dev/null
           done
 
   security-scan:
diff --git a/.github/workflows/smoke-test.yml b/.github/workflows/smoke-test.yml
index 7d3fcb9..aaf3690 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/smoke-test.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/smoke-test.yml
@@ -32,15 +32,21 @@ jobs:
       - name: Seed environment
         run: |
           cp .env.example .env
+          # Also covers BETTER_AUTH_SECRET and METAMCP_POSTGRES_PASSWORD, which
+          # share this placeholder in .env.example (metamcp isn't in this matrix,
+          # but the compose file is still parsed by `docker compose config` calls
+          # elsewhere, so it must resolve).
           sed -i 's/replace_this_with_your_random_openssl_generated_hex_secret_key/d3b07384d113edec49eaa6238ad5ff00/g' .env
-          # metamcp needs a real secret; harmless for the others.
-          echo "BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=$(openssl rand -hex 32)" >> .env
           if [ -f "${{ matrix.service }}/.env.example" ]; then
             cp "${{ matrix.service }}/.env.example" "${{ matrix.service }}/.env"
           fi
 
       - name: Start the stack
-        run: docker compose -f "${{ matrix.service }}/docker-compose.yml" up -d
+        # --env-file is required: `docker compose -f <subdir>/x.yml` alone resolves
+        # the default .env relative to the compose file's directory, not the repo
+        # root, so top-level ${VAR} interpolation (e.g. SEARXNG_SECRET) silently
+        # falls back to blank instead of reading the seeded ./.env. See ci.yml.
+        run: docker compose --env-file ./.env -f "${{ matrix.service }}/docker-compose.yml" up -d
 
       - name: Wait for containers to settle
         run: sleep 20
@@ -52,16 +58,16 @@ jobs:
           # started and then crashed simply vanishes from the output and the check
           # passes — the exact failure this step exists to catch. See
           # docs/HARD-WON-GOTCHAS.md, "Docker operations".
-          not_running=$(docker compose -f "${{ matrix.service }}/docker-compose.yml" \
+          not_running=$(docker compose --env-file ./.env -f "${{ matrix.service }}/docker-compose.yml" \
             ps -a --format '{{.Name}} {{.State}}' | grep -v ' running$' || true)
           if [ -n "$not_running" ]; then
             echo "::error::These containers are not running:"
             echo "$not_running"
-            docker compose -f "${{ matrix.service }}/docker-compose.yml" logs
+            docker compose --env-file ./.env -f "${{ matrix.service }}/docker-compose.yml" logs
             exit 1
           fi
           echo "✅ all containers running"
 
       - name: Tear down
         if: always()
-        run: docker compose -f "${{ matrix.service }}/docker-compose.yml" down -v
+        run: docker compose --env-file ./.env -f "${{ matrix.service }}/docker-compose.yml" down -v
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index d55821a..ab411e4 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -125,6 +125,27 @@ ports:
   - "127.0.0.1:${SEARXNG_PORT:-8888}:${SEARXNG_PORT:-8888}"
 ```
 
+### 6. Capability Hardening 🔒
+Every service **must** drop all Linux capabilities and add back only what its actual
+entrypoint needs — never leave a container on the Docker default capability set.
+Read the entrypoint (`docker run --rm --entrypoint cat <image> <path-to-entrypoint>`)
+before guessing. Two patterns cover almost everything in this repo (see
+`docs/HARD-WON-GOTCHAS.md`, "Container capabilities"):
+```yaml
+# s6-overlay / PUID-PGID images (LinuxServer-style, Postgres) that start as root,
+# chown their data, then drop to a service user:
+cap_drop: [ALL]
+cap_add:  [CHOWN, FOWNER, DAC_OVERRIDE, SETUID, SETGID]
+security_opt: [no-new-privileges:true]
+
+# Images that already run as a non-root user (no privilege-drop dance needed):
+cap_drop: [ALL]
+security_opt: [no-new-privileges:true]
+```
+For a Chromium-based image, do not assume it needs `SYS_ADMIN` or
+`seccomp=unconfined` — test the actual image against a real CDP call first; several
+in this repo needed neither.
+
 ---
 
 ## 🔌 Service Configurations Reference
diff --git a/LICENSE b/LICENSE
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..886f8b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/LICENSE
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+MIT License
+
+Copyright (c) 2026 Jonathan Dumont
+
+Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy
+of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal
+in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights
+to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell
+copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is
+furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:
+
+The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all
+copies or substantial portions of the Software.
+
+THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR
+IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY,
+FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
+AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER
+LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM,
+OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE
+SOFTWARE.
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7a5bd4e..d238b04 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -23,7 +23,21 @@ This repository contains a highly optimized, production-grade, and resilient mul
 
 This compose stack is built with the highest standards of production container orchestration:
 
-### 1. 🌲 Hierarchical Environment Overrides
+### 1. 📌 Pinned Image Versions
+Every image is pinned to a specific version tag (never `:latest`), so upgrades are
+explicit and reviewable rather than silent. [Renovate](https://docs.renovatebot.com/)
+runs weekly (`.github/workflows/check-upstream-release.yml`) to open version-bump PRs
+as upstream releases land.
+
+### 2. 🔒 Container Hardening
+Every container drops all Linux capabilities by default (`cap_drop: [ALL]`) and adds
+back only what its entrypoint actually needs — the s6-overlay/PUID-PGID root→user
+privilege-drop set for LinuxServer-style images, or nothing at all for images that
+already run as non-root. `security_opt: [no-new-privileges:true]` is set throughout.
+See [`docs/HARD-WON-GOTCHAS.md`](docs/HARD-WON-GOTCHAS.md) for the reasoning and the
+traps this avoids (a bare `cap_drop: ALL` breaks the root→user drop dance).
+
+### 3. 🌲 Hierarchical Environment Overrides
 All service definitions support a modern, 4-layered environment file hierarchy. Variables are evaluated sequentially (later files override/supersede earlier ones), allowing host-specific overrides to be kept strictly separate from the base configurations:
 ```yaml
     env_file:
@@ -37,18 +51,18 @@ All service definitions support a modern, 4-layered environment file hierarchy.
         required: false
 ```
 
-### 2. 🛡️ 100% Secure & Public Ready
+### 4. 🛡️ 100% Secure & Public Ready
 *   **Zero Hardcoded Secrets**: Cryptographic keys like `SEARXNG_SECRET` are passed dynamically from `.env` using environment variables. No secrets are stored in `settings.yml`.
 *   **Privacy-Friendly Directory Mounts**: Your physical host storage directories (e.g. `/mnt/...`) are kept in your local `.env` and are strictly excluded from version control via `.gitignore`.
 *   **Clean `.env.example`**: A fully commented template is provided for a seamless open-source setup experience.
 
-### 3. 📉 Resource Boundaries
+### 5. 📉 Resource Boundaries
 Every container is capped with memory and CPU boundaries using Docker's `deploy.resources.limits` configuration to prevent memory leaks or background loop bugs from freezing your host system.
 
-### 4. 🪵 Log Rotations
+### 6. 🪵 Log Rotations
 To protect your host disk from filling up, all containers are constrained to standard JSON file logging rotations (`max-size: "10m"`, `max-file: "3"`).
 
-### 5. 🧟 Zombie Process Reaping
+### 7. 🧟 Zombie Process Reaping
 Containers running headless Chromium instances (`browser-sockpuppet-chrome` and `flaresolverr`) are configured with `init: true`. This invokes the lightweight Docker init-system to automatically reap zombie child processes.
 
 ---
@@ -66,6 +80,7 @@ Containers running headless Chromium instances (`browser-sockpuppet-chrome` and
     ```bash
     openssl rand -hex 32
     ```
+5.  If you're enabling the optional MetaMCP service, generate its two required secrets the same way and set them under `BETTER_AUTH_SECRET` and `METAMCP_POSTGRES_PASSWORD` — both fail the container on startup if left as the placeholder.
 
 ### Running the Services
 Bring up the entire stack in the background:
@@ -89,3 +104,13 @@ docker compose ps
 | **ChangeDetection** | `5000` | `5000` | `CHANGEDETECTION_PORT` |
 | **Flaresolverr** | `8191` | `8191` | `FLARESOLVERR_PORT` |
 | **Jellyfin** | *Host Network* | `8096` | *Managed via Host Net* |
+| **Browser** (web UI) | `3000` | `3000` | `BROWSER_UI_PORT` |
+| **Browser** (CDP) | `9223` | `9223` | `BROWSER_CDP_PORT` |
+| **MetaMCP** | `12008` | `12008` | `METAMCP_PORT` |
+| **Daily Stars Explorer** | `8080` | `8080` | `DAILY_STARS_PORT` |
+
+---
+
+## 📜 License
+
+MIT — see [`LICENSE`](LICENSE).
diff --git a/changedetection/docker-compose.yml b/changedetection/docker-compose.yml
index 271f893..65cf216 100644
--- a/changedetection/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/changedetection/docker-compose.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # https://github.com/linuxserver/docker-changedetection.io
 services:
   changedetection:
-    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/changedetection.io:latest
+    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/changedetection.io:0.60.6
     container_name: changedetection
     restart: unless-stopped
     ports:
@@ -22,6 +22,18 @@ services:
       - PGID=${PGID:-100}
       - TZ=${TZ:-Europe/Paris}
       - PLAYWRIGHT_DRIVER_URL=ws://browser-sockpuppet-chrome:3000
+    # s6-overlay root->PUID/PGID drop dance — same set as jellyfin/qbittorrent/
+    # postgres in this repo (docs/HARD-WON-GOTCHAS.md).
+    cap_drop:
+      - ALL
+    cap_add:
+      - CHOWN
+      - FOWNER
+      - DAC_OVERRIDE
+      - SETUID
+      - SETGID
+    security_opt:
+      - no-new-privileges:true
     healthcheck:
       test:
         - CMD
@@ -46,12 +58,19 @@ services:
 
   browser-sockpuppet-chrome:
     hostname: browser-sockpuppet-chrome
-    image: dgtlmoon/sockpuppetbrowser:latest
+    image: dgtlmoon/sockpuppetbrowser:0.0.3
     container_name: browser-sockpuppet-chrome
     restart: unless-stopped
     init: true
+    # Already runs as non-root "chrome" — no privilege-drop dance needed, but
+    # scope capabilities to just what Chrome's sandbox needs instead of the
+    # full default set (see docs/HARD-WON-GOTCHAS.md, "Chromium capability advice").
+    cap_drop:
+      - ALL
     cap_add:
       - SYS_ADMIN
+    security_opt:
+      - no-new-privileges:true
     env_file:
       - path: ../.env
         required: false
diff --git a/daily-stars-explorer/docker-compose.yml b/daily-stars-explorer/docker-compose.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c31889b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/daily-stars-explorer/docker-compose.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+services:
+  daily-stars-explorer:
+    image: 'ghcr.io/emanuelef/daily-stars-explorer:20260913-1246'
+    container_name: daily-stars-explorer
+    restart: unless-stopped
+    # Runs as root with no privilege-drop dance (plain Go binary entrypoint, no
+    # s6-overlay/PUID-PGID pattern — see Dockerfile upstream). Live-tested with
+    # zero extra capabilities; don't add any without re-testing (docs/HARD-WON-GOTCHAS.md).
+    cap_drop:
+      - ALL
+    security_opt:
+      - no-new-privileges:true
+    ports:
+      - "127.0.0.1:${DAILY_STARS_PORT:-8080}:8080"
+    env_file:
+      - path: ../.env
+        required: false
+      - path: ../.env.local
+        required: false
+      - path: .env
+        required: false
+      - path: .env.local
+        required: false
+    environment:
+      - TZ=${TZ:-Europe/Paris}
+      - HOST=0.0.0.0
+      - PORT=8080
+    healthcheck:
+      test:
+        - CMD
+        - wget
+        - '-q'
+        - '--spider'
+        - 'http://127.0.0.1:8080/health'
+      interval: 10s
+      timeout: 5s
+      retries: 3
+      start_period: 15s
+    deploy:
+      resources:
+        limits:
+          cpus: '1.0'
+          memory: 512M
+    logging:
+      driver: "json-file"
+      options:
+        max-size: "10m"
+        max-file: "3"
diff --git a/flaresolverr/docker-compose.yml b/flaresolverr/docker-compose.yml
index f2d1fff..200aac1 100644
--- a/flaresolverr/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/flaresolverr/docker-compose.yml
@@ -1,9 +1,16 @@
 services:
   flaresolverr:
-    image: 'ghcr.io/flaresolverr/flaresolverr:latest'
+    image: 'ghcr.io/flaresolverr/flaresolverr:v3.5.2'
     container_name: flaresolverr
     restart: unless-stopped
     init: true
+    # Already runs as non-root "flaresolverr"; its bundled Chromium runs with
+    # --no-sandbox, so no extra caps are needed (see docs/HARD-WON-GOTCHAS.md,
+    # "Chromium capability advice" — test the actual image, don't assume SYS_ADMIN).
+    cap_drop:
+      - ALL
+    security_opt:
+      - no-new-privileges:true
     ports:
       - "127.0.0.1:${FLARESOLVERR_PORT:-8191}:8191"
     env_file:
diff --git a/jellyfin/docker-compose.yml b/jellyfin/docker-compose.yml
index ffdc0f3..054c84d 100644
--- a/jellyfin/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/jellyfin/docker-compose.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 services:
   jellyfin:
-    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/jellyfin:latest
+    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/jellyfin:12.1ubu2604-ls49
     container_name: jellyfin
     restart: unless-stopped
     network_mode: host
@@ -28,6 +28,18 @@ services:
       - PGID=${PGID:-100}
       - TZ=${TZ:-Europe/Paris}
       - DOCKER_MODS=linuxserver/mods:jellyfin-amd
+    # s6-overlay root->PUID/PGID drop dance — same set as qbittorrent/changedetection/
+    # postgres in this repo (docs/HARD-WON-GOTCHAS.md).
+    cap_drop:
+      - ALL
+    cap_add:
+      - CHOWN
+      - FOWNER
+      - DAC_OVERRIDE
+      - SETUID
+      - SETGID
+    security_opt:
+      - no-new-privileges:true
     healthcheck:
       test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:8096/health"]
       interval: 15s
diff --git a/metamcp/docker-compose.yml b/metamcp/docker-compose.yml
index 5464e7a..3d48466 100644
--- a/metamcp/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/metamcp/docker-compose.yml
@@ -17,9 +17,9 @@ services:
       POSTGRES_HOST: ${METAMCP_POSTGRES_HOST:-metamcp-postgres}
       POSTGRES_PORT: ${METAMCP_POSTGRES_PORT:-5432}
       POSTGRES_USER: ${METAMCP_POSTGRES_USER:-metamcp_user}
-      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${METAMCP_POSTGRES_PASSWORD:-m3t4mcp}
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: "${METAMCP_POSTGRES_PASSWORD:?must be set — generate with openssl rand -hex 32}"
       POSTGRES_DB: ${METAMCP_POSTGRES_DB:-metamcp_db}
-      DATABASE_URL: postgresql://${METAMCP_POSTGRES_USER:-metamcp_user}:${METAMCP_POSTGRES_PASSWORD:-m3t4mcp}@${METAMCP_POSTGRES_HOST:-metamcp-postgres}:${METAMCP_POSTGRES_PORT:-5432}/${METAMCP_POSTGRES_DB:-metamcp_db}
+      DATABASE_URL: postgresql://${METAMCP_POSTGRES_USER:-metamcp_user}:${METAMCP_POSTGRES_PASSWORD:?must be set — generate with openssl rand -hex 32}@${METAMCP_POSTGRES_HOST:-metamcp-postgres}:${METAMCP_POSTGRES_PORT:-5432}/${METAMCP_POSTGRES_DB:-metamcp_db}
       APP_URL: ${METAMCP_APP_URL:-http://localhost:12008}
       NEXT_PUBLIC_APP_URL: ${METAMCP_APP_URL:-http://localhost:12008}
       BETTER_AUTH_SECRET: "${BETTER_AUTH_SECRET:?must be set — generate with openssl rand -hex 32}"
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ services:
     environment:
       POSTGRES_DB: ${METAMCP_POSTGRES_DB:-metamcp_db}
       POSTGRES_USER: ${METAMCP_POSTGRES_USER:-metamcp_user}
-      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${METAMCP_POSTGRES_PASSWORD:-m3t4mcp}
+      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: "${METAMCP_POSTGRES_PASSWORD:?must be set — generate with openssl rand -hex 32}"
     volumes:
       # Postgres 18+ wants a SINGLE mount at /var/lib/postgresql, NOT the older
       # /var/lib/postgresql/data — it manages the version subdirectory itself.
diff --git a/qbittorrent/docker-compose.yml b/qbittorrent/docker-compose.yml
index 8041447..0b98e24 100644
--- a/qbittorrent/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/qbittorrent/docker-compose.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ---
 services:
   qbittorrent:
-    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/qbittorrent:latest
+    image: lscr.io/linuxserver/qbittorrent:5.2.3-libtorrentv1
     container_name: qbittorrent
     restart: unless-stopped
     stop_grace_period: "15s"
@@ -29,6 +29,18 @@ services:
       - TZ=${TZ:-Europe/Paris}
       - WEBUI_PORT=${WEBUI_PORT:-8080}
       - TORRENTING_PORT=${TORRENTING_PORT:-6881}
+    # s6-overlay root->PUID/PGID drop dance — same set as jellyfin/changedetection/
+    # postgres in this repo (docs/HARD-WON-GOTCHAS.md).
+    cap_drop:
+      - ALL
+    cap_add:
+      - CHOWN
+      - FOWNER
+      - DAC_OVERRIDE
+      - SETUID
+      - SETGID
+    security_opt:
+      - no-new-privileges:true
     healthcheck:
       test:
         - CMD
diff --git a/searxng/docker-compose.yml b/searxng/docker-compose.yml
index 19dc59f..8f5f48d 100644
--- a/searxng/docker-compose.yml
+++ b/searxng/docker-compose.yml
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # https://docs.searxng.org/admin/engines/settings.html
 services:
   searxng:
-    image: searxng/searxng:latest
+    image: searxng/searxng:2026.9.15-ca4965040
     container_name: searxng
     restart: unless-stopped
     ports:
@@ -25,6 +25,19 @@ services:
     depends_on:
       valkey:
         condition: service_healthy
+    # Same s6/root-entrypoint privilege-drop set as the other hardened services
+    # in this repo (see docs/HARD-WON-GOTCHAS.md) — the image stays root for
+    # update-ca-certificates and writing ./settings.yml/./limiter.toml on boot.
+    cap_drop:
+      - ALL
+    cap_add:
+      - CHOWN
+      - FOWNER
+      - DAC_OVERRIDE
+      - SETUID
+      - SETGID
+    security_opt:
+      - no-new-privileges:true
     healthcheck:
       test:
         - CMD
@@ -54,6 +67,16 @@ services:
     restart: unless-stopped
     volumes:
       - valkey-data:/data
+    # Entrypoint chowns ./data then setpriv's from root to the valkey user — needs
+    # the same CHOWN/SETUID/SETGID as Postgres's drop dance (docs/HARD-WON-GOTCHAS.md).
+    cap_drop:
+      - ALL
+    cap_add:
+      - CHOWN
+      - SETUID
+      - SETGID
+    security_opt:
+      - no-new-privileges:true
     env_file:
       - path: ../.env
         required: false