diff --git a/build_files/firewall/snitchwatch-system-verify.py b/build_files/firewall/snitchwatch-system-verify.py
index 1d99efa..76793d0 100644
--- a/build_files/firewall/snitchwatch-system-verify.py
+++ b/build_files/firewall/snitchwatch-system-verify.py
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ def verify(root):
         raise ValueError('system candidate changes more than the daemon address')
     if config.get('DefaultAction') != 'allow' or config.get('ProcMonitorMethod') != 'proc' or config.get('Server', {}).get('Address') != 'unix:opensnitchd.sock':
         raise ValueError('incorrect system candidate policy/transport')
-    expected_dropin = b'[Unit]\nRequires=snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket\nAfter=snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket\n\n[Service]\nWorkingDirectory=/run/snitchwatch\n'
+    expected_dropin = b'[Unit]\nWants=snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket\nAfter=snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket\n\n[Service]\nWorkingDirectory=/run/snitchwatch\n'
     if contents[DROPIN] != expected_dropin or contents['/usr/share/bazzite-tower/snitchwatch/opensnitch.service.d/20-system-bridge.conf'] != expected_dropin:
         raise ValueError('incorrect daemon system-socket ordering/drop-in')
     artifact = json.loads(contents['/usr/share/snitchwatch/schema1-artifact-MANIFEST.json'])
diff --git a/docs/research/snitchwatch-system-bridge.md b/docs/research/snitchwatch-system-bridge.md
index 7aca84d..8c4ecda 100644
--- a/docs/research/snitchwatch-system-bridge.md
+++ b/docs/research/snitchwatch-system-bridge.md
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ leaving a slash-containing HTTP/2 authority that the bridge rejects with
 then subscribed successfully with this configuration:
 
 - `Server.Address: unix:opensnitchd.sock`
-- `opensnitch.service`: `WorkingDirectory=/run/snitchwatch`, with `Requires=`
+- `opensnitch.service`: `WorkingDirectory=/run/snitchwatch`, with `Wants=`
   and `After=` on `snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket`.
 
 This VM-only workaround retains the absolute root-owned 0600 listener and root-peer check.
@@ -456,7 +456,9 @@ Open items:
   send point). The daemon now accepts exactly those two notification actions
   in the system variant (others get an error reply) and refuses `lists.*`
   operands from the UI channel until Snitchwatch blocklists (#45 PR B) define
-  a confined directory under `/var/lib/snitchwatch/blocklists/`.
+  a confined directory under `/var/lib/snitchwatch/blocklists/`. The owner confirmed on
+  2026-10-08 that this two-action allowlist is policy: any further action
+  needs its own change, with validation and review.
 - ~~The daemon factory and CI do not run the patch's Go tests.~~ Fixed
   2026-10-07: `just test-snitchwatch-daemon-patch` and the path-filtered
   `snitchwatch-daemon-patch.yml` workflow run them, `-race` included.
@@ -568,6 +570,12 @@ a prompt pending before a pause keeps the prompt slot (Snitchwatch #78), and
 stopping `snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket` also stops `opensnitch.service`
 (its drop-in `Requires=` the socket) until it is started by hand. Evidence:
 `output/snitchwatch-fresh-vm-r8.xZd346/R8-VM-ACCEPTANCE-RESULT.json`.
+The owner chose to keep the firewall up: the drop-in now uses `Wants=` (with
+the same `After=`), so the socket is still pulled in and ordered first at boot,
+but stopping it no longer stops the daemon, which falls back to its default
+action while no UI is connected. The build verifier, readiness helper and boot
+check now require `Wants=`. Daemon reconnection after the socket comes back
+is checked on the r9 VM.
 
 The fixed target-image acceptance limits are 5 seconds for no-GUI fallback,
 2 seconds for pending cleanup and 15 seconds for daemon stop. Preserve the
diff --git a/system_files/usr/libexec/bazzite-tower-snitchwatch-common.py b/system_files/usr/libexec/bazzite-tower-snitchwatch-common.py
index 215e148..2c4f754 100644
--- a/system_files/usr/libexec/bazzite-tower-snitchwatch-common.py
+++ b/system_files/usr/libexec/bazzite-tower-snitchwatch-common.py
@@ -210,11 +210,13 @@ def unit_contract(ctx):
         props = ctx.props(unit, ["Listen", "SocketUser", "SocketGroup", "SocketMode", "Accept", "Triggers", "FragmentPath", "DropInPaths", "NeedDaemonReload"])
         loaded_current(unit, props)
         require({k: v for k, v in props.items() if k != "NeedDaemonReload"} == dict(Listen=path+" (Stream)", SocketUser="root", SocketGroup=group, SocketMode=mode, Accept="no", Triggers=SERVICE, FragmentPath="/usr/lib/systemd/system/"+unit, DropInPaths=""), "effective socket contract drift: "+unit)
-    daemon = ctx.props("opensnitch.service", ["WorkingDirectory", "Requires", "After", "ExecStart", "FragmentPath", "DropInPaths", "NeedDaemonReload"])
+    daemon = ctx.props("opensnitch.service", ["WorkingDirectory", "Wants", "After", "Requires", "Requisite", "BindsTo", "PartOf", "ExecStart", "FragmentPath", "DropInPaths", "NeedDaemonReload"])
     loaded_current("opensnitch.service", daemon)
     daemon_unit_contract(ctx, daemon)
     daemon_exec_contract(daemon["ExecStart"])
-    require(daemon["WorkingDirectory"] == "/run/snitchwatch" and SOCKETS[0] in daemon["Requires"].split() and SOCKETS[0] in daemon["After"].split(), "OpenSnitch effective Unix socket CWD/dependencies drift")
+    require(daemon["WorkingDirectory"] == "/run/snitchwatch" and SOCKETS[0] in daemon["Wants"].split() and SOCKETS[0] in daemon["After"].split(), "OpenSnitch effective Unix socket CWD/dependencies drift")
+    # A stop of the gRPC socket must never take the firewall down with it.
+    require(not any(SOCKETS[0] in daemon[key].split() for key in ("Requires", "Requisite", "BindsTo", "PartOf")), "OpenSnitch must only Want the bridge gRPC socket: a socket stop would stop the firewall")
     return actual
 
 
diff --git a/system_files/usr/share/bazzite-tower/snitchwatch/opensnitch.service.d/20-system-bridge.conf b/system_files/usr/share/bazzite-tower/snitchwatch/opensnitch.service.d/20-system-bridge.conf
index 17e131d..69aec36 100644
--- a/system_files/usr/share/bazzite-tower/snitchwatch/opensnitch.service.d/20-system-bridge.conf
+++ b/system_files/usr/share/bazzite-tower/snitchwatch/opensnitch.service.d/20-system-bridge.conf
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 [Unit]
-Requires=snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket
+Wants=snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket
 After=snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket
 
 [Service]
diff --git a/tests/boot-check.sh b/tests/boot-check.sh
index 3e41aed..a8da855 100755
--- a/tests/boot-check.sh
+++ b/tests/boot-check.sh
@@ -156,7 +156,8 @@ assert set(p.get("TriggeredBy","").split())=={"snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.so
 import re, subprocess
 p=dict(line.split("=",1) for line in subprocess.check_output(["systemctl","show","opensnitch.service"],text=True,timeout=5).splitlines() if "=" in line)
 assert p.get("WorkingDirectory")=="/run/snitchwatch"
-assert "snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket" in p.get("Requires","").split()
+assert "snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket" in p.get("Wants","").split()
+assert not any("snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket" in p.get(k,"").split() for k in ("Requires","Requisite","BindsTo","PartOf"))
 assert "snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket" in p.get("After","").split()
 assert re.findall(r"(?:^|[ {])path=([^ ;}]+)",p.get("ExecStart",""))==["/usr/bin/opensnitchd"]
 assert re.findall(r"argv\[\]=([^;]+)",p.get("ExecStart",""))==["/usr/bin/opensnitchd "]'
diff --git a/tests/test-snitchwatch-image-build.py b/tests/test-snitchwatch-image-build.py
index b27491a..7e0957a 100644
--- a/tests/test-snitchwatch-image-build.py
+++ b/tests/test-snitchwatch-image-build.py
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ def make_fixture(self):
         self.write('usr/share/bazzite-tower/snitchwatch-bridge-profile', 'system\n')
         self.write('usr/share/bazzite-tower/opensnitchd-default-config.json', (ROOT / 'system_files/usr/share/bazzite-tower/opensnitchd-default-config.json').read_bytes())
         self.write('usr/share/bazzite-tower/opensnitchd-system-bridge-config.json', (ROOT / 'system_files/usr/share/bazzite-tower/opensnitchd-system-bridge-config.json').read_bytes())
-        dropin = '[Unit]\nRequires=snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket\nAfter=snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket\n\n[Service]\nWorkingDirectory=/run/snitchwatch\n'
+        dropin = '[Unit]\nWants=snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket\nAfter=snitchwatch-system-bridge-grpc.socket\n\n[Service]\nWorkingDirectory=/run/snitchwatch\n'
         for name in ['usr/lib/systemd/system/opensnitch.service.d/20-system-bridge.conf', 'usr/share/bazzite-tower/snitchwatch/opensnitch.service.d/20-system-bridge.conf']:
             self.write(name, dropin)
         self.write('usr/libexec/snitchwatch/verify-system-manifest.py', (FACTORY / 'snitchwatch-system-verify.py').read_bytes(), 0o755)
diff --git a/tests/test-snitchwatch-system.py b/tests/test-snitchwatch-system.py
index 6cc20c9..25010e2 100644
--- a/tests/test-snitchwatch-system.py
+++ b/tests/test-snitchwatch-system.py
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ def __init__(self, root):
                 ExecStart="{ path=/usr/bin/snitchwatch-bridge-cli ; argv[]=/usr/bin/snitchwatch-bridge-cli ; ignore_errors=no ; }",
                 Environment="SNITCHWATCH_SYSTEM_BRIDGE=1 SNITCHWATCH_WS_SOCKET=/run/snitchwatch/bridge.sock SNITCHWATCH_WS_TOKEN_PATH=/run/snitchwatch-auth/token HOME=/var/lib/snitchwatch XDG_STATE_HOME=/var/lib",
                 TriggeredBy=" ".join(common.SOCKETS), RestrictAddressFamilies="AF_UNIX AF_INET AF_INET6", MainPID="0", NeedDaemonReload="no"),
-            "opensnitch.service": dict(MainPID="501", ExecStart="{ path=/usr/bin/opensnitchd ; argv[]=/usr/bin/opensnitchd ; ignore_errors=no ; }", WorkingDirectory="/run/snitchwatch", Requires=common.SOCKETS[0]+" network.target", After=common.SOCKETS[0]+" network.target", NeedDaemonReload="no",
+            "opensnitch.service": dict(MainPID="501", ExecStart="{ path=/usr/bin/opensnitchd ; argv[]=/usr/bin/opensnitchd ; ignore_errors=no ; }", WorkingDirectory="/run/snitchwatch", Wants=common.SOCKETS[0]+" network.target", After=common.SOCKETS[0]+" network.target", Requires="", Requisite="", BindsTo="", PartOf="", NeedDaemonReload="no",
                 FragmentPath="/usr/lib/systemd/system/opensnitch.service", DropInPaths="/usr/lib/systemd/system/opensnitch.service.d/20-system-bridge.conf")}
         for unit, path, group, mode in ((common.SOCKETS[0], "/run/snitchwatch/opensnitchd.sock", "root", "0600"), (common.SOCKETS[1], "/run/snitchwatch/bridge.sock", "snitchwatch-ui", "0660")):
             self.properties[unit] = dict(Listen=path+" (Stream)", SocketUser="root", SocketGroup=group, SocketMode=mode, Accept="no", Triggers=common.SERVICE, FragmentPath="/usr/lib/systemd/system/"+unit, DropInPaths="", NeedDaemonReload="no")
@@ -349,6 +349,15 @@ def test_units_changed_on_disk_since_load_refuse(self):
                 try: self.refuse_readiness("daemon-reload")
                 finally: self.ctx.properties[unit]["NeedDaemonReload"] = "no"
 
+    def test_hard_dependency_on_grpc_socket_refuses(self):
+        for key in ("Requires", "Requisite", "BindsTo", "PartOf"):
+            with self.subTest(key=key):
+                daemon = self.ctx.properties["opensnitch.service"]
+                daemon[key] = common.SOCKETS[0]
+                with self.assertRaisesRegex(common.Refusal, "only Want the bridge gRPC socket"):
+                    common.unit_contract(self.ctx)
+                daemon[key] = ""
+
     def test_daemon_unit_file_and_dropins_are_pinned(self):
         # NeedDaemonReload only proves systemd loaded what is on disk; it says
         # nothing about which file and drop-ins it loaded for the daemon.