diff --git a/src/brainy.ts b/src/brainy.ts
index fb1c1614..38980a4d 100644
--- a/src/brainy.ts
+++ b/src/brainy.ts
@@ -3907,6 +3907,12 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     uuid: string,
     options?: { direction?: 'in' | 'out' | 'both'; limit?: number; offset?: number }
   ): Promise<string[]> {
+    // READ-SURFACE READINESS GATE (the 4.2.4 blackout's brainy half): every
+    // index read funnels through this helper, so the gate here makes
+    // serve-while-not-ready UNREPRESENTABLE — a production store once acked
+    // writes while every non-find() read served empty from a not-ready
+    // provider for 15 minutes. Fast path after the latch is one boolean.
+    await this.ensureIndexesLoaded()
     const entityInt = this.graphEntityInt(uuid)
     if (entityInt === undefined) return []
     const neighborInts = await this.graphIndex.getNeighbors(entityInt, options)
@@ -11807,6 +11813,12 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     filter: unknown,
     opts?: { limit?: number; offset?: number }
   ): Promise<string[]> {
+    // READ-SURFACE READINESS GATE (the 4.2.4 blackout's brainy half): every
+    // index read funnels through this helper, so the gate here makes
+    // serve-while-not-ready UNREPRESENTABLE — a production store once acked
+    // writes while every non-find() read served empty from a not-ready
+    // provider for 15 minutes. Fast path after the latch is one boolean.
+    await this.ensureIndexesLoaded()
     try {
       return await this.metadataIndex.getIdsForFilter(filter, opts)
     } catch (err) {
@@ -14279,6 +14291,12 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
     verbTypes?: Set<VerbType>,
     limit?: number
   ): Promise<string[]> {
+    // READ-SURFACE READINESS GATE (the 4.2.4 blackout's brainy half): every
+    // index read funnels through this helper, so the gate here makes
+    // serve-while-not-ready UNREPRESENTABLE — a production store once acked
+    // writes while every non-find() read served empty from a not-ready
+    // provider for 15 minutes. Fast path after the latch is one boolean.
+    await this.ensureIndexesLoaded()
     // 8.0 BigInt boundary: unmapped node → no relations.
     const nodeInt = this.graphEntityInt(nodeId)
     if (nodeInt === undefined) return []
@@ -16217,7 +16235,15 @@ export class Brainy<T = any> implements BrainyInterface<T> {
       return
     }
 
-    // Start lazy rebuild (with mutex to prevent concurrent rebuilds)
+    // Start lazy rebuild (with mutex to prevent concurrent rebuilds).
+    // ALWAYS narrated (prodLog, never the silent-suppressible console): a
+    // read that triggers an index build must be visible to the operator —
+    // fifteen silent minutes of a production blackout taught this line.
+    prodLog.warn(
+      `[Brainy] first read on this instance is building the derived indexes ` +
+        `(deferred at open by disableAutoRebuild) — reads WAIT and then serve; ` +
+        `nothing serves empty. Bounded by store size; progress under [MetadataIndex]/[GraphIndex].`
+    )
     this.lazyRebuildInProgress = true
     this.lazyRebuildPromise = this.rebuildIndexesIfNeeded(true)
       .then(() => {
diff --git a/tests/integration/read-surface-readiness.test.ts b/tests/integration/read-surface-readiness.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0215d81f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/integration/read-surface-readiness.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+/**
+ * @module tests/integration/read-surface-readiness
+ * @description THE READ-SURFACE READINESS GATE (a production blackout's
+ * brainy half): with `disableAutoRebuild: true`, init defers index builds —
+ * and before this gate, only find() waited for the lazy rebuild while
+ * related() and every VFS path served EMPTY from the not-ready providers
+ * (writes acked into canonical, readback empty — fifteen live minutes).
+ * The pins: on a fresh instance over a populated store, the FIRST read on
+ * every surface serves truth (it waits for the build), never empty.
+ */
+import { describe, it, expect, afterEach } from 'vitest'
+import { mkdtempSync, rmSync } from 'node:fs'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import { Brainy } from '../../src/index.js'
+import { NounType, VerbType } from '../../src/types/graphTypes.js'
+
+const dirs: string[] = []
+const brains: Brainy[] = []
+afterEach(async () => {
+  for (const b of brains.splice(0)) await b.close().catch(() => {})
+  for (const d of dirs.splice(0)) rmSync(d, { recursive: true, force: true })
+})
+
+async function openLazy(dir: string): Promise<Brainy> {
+  const brain = new Brainy({
+    storage: { type: 'filesystem', path: dir },
+    requireSubtype: false,
+    silent: true,
+    disableAutoRebuild: true
+  })
+  await brain.init()
+  brains.push(brain)
+  return brain
+}
+
+describe('read-surface readiness gate', () => {
+  it('related() as the FIRST read on a fresh lazy instance serves truth, never empty', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-readgate-'))
+    dirs.push(dir)
+    const writer = await openLazy(dir)
+    const a = await writer.add({ data: 'hub row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 1 } })
+    const b = await writer.add({ data: 'leaf row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { n: 2 } })
+    await writer.relate({ from: a, to: b, type: VerbType.RelatedTo })
+    await writer.flush()
+    await brains.pop()!.close()
+
+    // Fresh instance: indexes deferred at open. The production shape called
+    // related() FIRST (no find() to trigger the old, only gate).
+    const reader = await openLazy(dir)
+    const rels = await reader.related({ from: a })
+    expect(rels.length, 'the FIRST related() read waits for the build and serves').toBeGreaterThan(0)
+    expect(rels.some((r) => r.to === b || (r as { target?: string }).target === b)).toBe(true)
+  }, 120000)
+
+  it('a metadata-filtered read as the FIRST read serves truth, never empty', async () => {
+    const dir = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), 'brainy-readgate2-'))
+    dirs.push(dir)
+    const writer = await openLazy(dir)
+    await writer.add({ data: 'tagged row', type: NounType.Document, metadata: { team: 'atlas' } })
+    await writer.flush()
+    await brains.pop()!.close()
+
+    const reader = await openLazy(dir)
+    const rows = await reader.find({ where: { team: 'atlas' } })
+    expect(rows.length, 'filtered find on a cold lazy instance serves').toBe(1)
+  }, 120000)
+})