diff --git a/bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/Fleetd.java b/bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/Fleetd.java
index 74b35c6..5838b97 100644
--- a/bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/Fleetd.java
+++ b/bridged/src/main/java/dev/ltms/fleet/Fleetd.java
@@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ import io.javalin.Javalin;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
+import java.nio.file.Files;
 import java.nio.file.Path;
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.LinkedHashMap;
@@ -80,8 +81,24 @@ public final class Fleetd {
     private static final long HERDR_WAIT_SECONDS = 30;
     private static final long HERDR_WAIT_POLL_MILLIS = 500;
 
+    /**
+     * CB-632: prefer {@code fleetd.yaml} in {@code dir}; fall back to {@code bridged.yaml} when
+     * the new name is not there. The operator's live file is still named {@code bridged.yaml},
+     * so the old name keeps working until that file moves.
+     */
+    static Path chooseDefaultConfigFile(Path dir) {
+        Path fleetd = dir.resolve("fleetd.yaml");
+        if (Files.exists(fleetd)) {
+            return fleetd;
+        }
+        return dir.resolve("bridged.yaml");
+    }
+
     static void main(String[] args) {
-        Path configPath = Path.of(args.length > 0 ? args[0] : "bridged.yaml");
+        Path configPath = args.length > 0 ? Path.of(args[0]) : chooseDefaultConfigFile(Path.of(""));
+        // CB-632: the config file is being renamed bridged.yaml -> fleetd.yaml. Name the file we
+        // actually loaded, whichever of the two names it carries.
+        log.info("Using configuration file {}", configPath);
         FleetConfig cfg = FleetConfig.load(configPath);
         // CB-594: report which secret env vars the config actually needs, by name, before anything
         // else can fail on a silently-empty one. A daemon started without a login shell (launchd)
@@ -642,7 +659,7 @@ public final class Fleetd {
         log.warn("memberCredentials: absent or empty — the daemon will start anyway, and every "
                 + "member pane inherits the operator's WHOLE secret store, unblocked (CB-592's "
                 + "protection is lost). Add a memberCredentials: block (policy/allow/known) to "
-                + "bridged.yaml — see bridged.example.yaml — and restart.");
+                + "bridged.yaml — see fleetd.example.yaml — and restart.");
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdDefaultConfigFileTest.java b/bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdDefaultConfigFileTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..43de031
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bridged/src/test/java/dev/ltms/fleet/FleetdDefaultConfigFileTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+package dev.ltms.fleet;
+
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.io.TempDir;
+
+import java.nio.file.Files;
+import java.nio.file.Path;
+
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
+
+/**
+ * CB-632: the no-argument config lookup prefers {@code fleetd.yaml} but still falls back to
+ * {@code bridged.yaml}, because the operator's live file carries the old name until this rename
+ * finishes. An explicit argument never goes through this logic, so these three cases cover all
+ * of it.
+ */
+class FleetdDefaultConfigFileTest {
+
+    @Test
+    void onlyFleetdYamlPresentChoosesFleetdYaml(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        Files.writeString(dir.resolve("fleetd.yaml"), "");
+        assertEquals("fleetd.yaml", Fleetd.chooseDefaultConfigFile(dir).getFileName().toString());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void onlyBridgedYamlPresentFallsBackToBridgedYaml(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        Files.writeString(dir.resolve("bridged.yaml"), "");
+        assertEquals("bridged.yaml", Fleetd.chooseDefaultConfigFile(dir).getFileName().toString());
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    void bothPresentPrefersFleetdYaml(@TempDir Path dir) throws Exception {
+        Files.writeString(dir.resolve("fleetd.yaml"), "");
+        Files.writeString(dir.resolve("bridged.yaml"), "");
+        assertEquals("fleetd.yaml", Fleetd.chooseDefaultConfigFile(dir).getFileName().toString());
+    }
+}