diff --git a/internal/browserrot/browserrot.go b/internal/browserrot/browserrot.go
index 59c147a..3d903ec 100644
--- a/internal/browserrot/browserrot.go
+++ b/internal/browserrot/browserrot.go
@@ -110,7 +110,13 @@ type Site struct {
 	ChangeURL string
 	Form      Form
 	Login     Login
-	Proof     rotate.ProofLevel
+	// LoginBeforeChange makes Rotate authenticate through the Login flow (with the
+	// OLD secret) BEFORE navigating to the change page. Real account settings pages
+	// (Gitea /user/settings/account, most dashboards) are reachable only inside an
+	// authenticated session; a directly-served change form (the lab target, or a
+	// public reset link) does not need it. Requires a non-empty Login.
+	LoginBeforeChange bool
+	Proof             rotate.ProofLevel
 }
 
 // Rotator drives one Site. Unlike the stateless API drivers, a browser Rotator is
@@ -163,6 +169,25 @@ func (r *Rotator) Rotate(ctx context.Context, c discover.Credential, v *vault.Va
 	}
 	defer sess.Close()
 
+	// Sites whose change page lives behind auth (Gitea /user/settings/account, most
+	// dashboards) must be logged in first, using the OLD secret. The same login flow
+	// Verify uses; here the session's cookies then carry into the change-page fetch.
+	if r.site.LoginBeforeChange {
+		oldBuf, err := v.Open(c.Secret)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("browserrot: open old secret (pre-change login): %w", err)
+		}
+		txt, err := r.login(ctx, sess, oldBuf.Bytes())
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("browserrot: pre-change login: %w", err)
+		}
+		if !strings.Contains(txt, r.site.Login.SuccessText) {
+			// A login wall we could not clear with the old secret is also where MFA
+			// would appear: the marker won't match. Keep the old secret, flag the human.
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("browserrot: pre-change login did not succeed (needs human / MFA?): got %q", strings.TrimSpace(txt))
+		}
+	}
+
 	if _, err := sess.Goto(ctx, changeURL); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("browserrot: goto change page: %w", err)
 	}
@@ -304,6 +329,32 @@ func (r *Rotator) Healed() bool { return r.healed }
 // HealedSite returns the Site with any healed selectors folded in — the recipe to persist.
 func (r *Rotator) HealedSite() Site { return r.site }
 
+// login runs the Site's Login flow with the given password on an already-open session
+// and returns the post-login status text. It is the shared core of both Rotate's
+// optional pre-change auth (with the OLD secret) and Verify's re-login (with the NEW
+// secret). The password crosses as []byte and is never logged; each field self-heals.
+func (r *Rotator) login(ctx context.Context, sess Session, password []byte) (string, error) {
+	if _, err := sess.Goto(ctx, r.site.Login.URL); err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("browserrot: goto login: %w", err)
+	}
+	if r.site.Login.UserSel != "" {
+		if err := r.fill(ctx, sess, &r.site.Login.UserSel, "the username or email input field", []byte(r.username)); err != nil {
+			return "", err
+		}
+	}
+	if err := r.fill(ctx, sess, &r.site.Login.PassSel, "the password input field", password); err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	if err := r.click(ctx, sess, &r.site.Login.SubmitSel, "the log-in button"); err != nil {
+		return "", err
+	}
+	txt, err := r.text(ctx, sess, &r.site.Login.SuccessSel, "the post-login status message")
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("browserrot: read login result: %w", err)
+	}
+	return txt, nil
+}
+
 // Verify proves the new secret authenticates by re-logging-in through the Site's
 // Login flow (hard rule 2: verify-new-before-revoke-old). If the Site has no Login
 // flow, Verify REFUSES — the spine then keeps the old secret and flags the human,
@@ -318,27 +369,13 @@ func (r *Rotator) Verify(ctx context.Context, newSecret *vault.Handle, v *vault.
 	}
 	defer sess.Close()
 
-	if _, err := sess.Goto(ctx, r.site.Login.URL); err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("browserrot: goto login: %w", err)
-	}
-	if r.site.Login.UserSel != "" {
-		if err := r.fill(ctx, sess, &r.site.Login.UserSel, "the username or email input field", []byte(r.username)); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-	}
 	buf, err := v.Open(newSecret)
 	if err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("browserrot: open new secret (verify): %w", err)
 	}
-	if err := r.fill(ctx, sess, &r.site.Login.PassSel, "the password input field", buf.Bytes()); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	if err := r.click(ctx, sess, &r.site.Login.SubmitSel, "the log-in button"); err != nil {
-		return err
-	}
-	txt, err := r.text(ctx, sess, &r.site.Login.SuccessSel, "the post-login status message")
+	txt, err := r.login(ctx, sess, buf.Bytes())
 	if err != nil {
-		return fmt.Errorf("browserrot: read login result: %w", err)
+		return err
 	}
 	if !strings.Contains(txt, r.site.Login.SuccessText) {
 		return fmt.Errorf("browserrot: new password did NOT authenticate: got %q", strings.TrimSpace(txt))
diff --git a/internal/browserrot/browserrot_test.go b/internal/browserrot/browserrot_test.go
index 7961865..2a81ac1 100644
--- a/internal/browserrot/browserrot_test.go
+++ b/internal/browserrot/browserrot_test.go
@@ -337,3 +337,185 @@ func runLiveRotationProof(t *testing.T, drv Driver, mutators ...func(*Site)) *Ro
 }
 
 func hostForDebug(c discover.Credential) string { return links.HostFor(c) }
+
+func TestGiteaSite_recipeShape(t *testing.T) {
+	s := GiteaSite("https://git.churchofmalware.org/", "trilltechnician")
+	if s.Host != "git.churchofmalware.org" {
+		t.Fatalf("host: got %q", s.Host)
+	}
+	if s.ChangeURL != "https://git.churchofmalware.org/user/settings/account" {
+		t.Fatalf("changeURL: got %q", s.ChangeURL)
+	}
+	if !s.LoginBeforeChange {
+		t.Fatal("Gitea account page is auth-gated; LoginBeforeChange must be true")
+	}
+	if s.Login.URL == "" || s.Form.CurrentSel == "" || s.Form.NewSel == "" || s.Form.SubmitSel == "" {
+		t.Fatalf("recipe has empty required selectors: %+v", s)
+	}
+	// A seed recipe is UNPROVEN until actually run against the real instance (proof-as-data).
+	if s.Proof != rotate.ProofUnproven {
+		t.Fatalf("a fresh curated recipe must be ProofUnproven, got %v", s.Proof)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestIntegration_loginBeforeChangeRotation proves the Site.LoginBeforeChange path against
+// a real Chromium: the change page is reachable ONLY inside an authenticated session (a
+// Gitea-style cookie gate — 302 → /login when unauthenticated). Rotate must log in with the
+// OLD secret first, carry the cookie into the change page, rotate, and then Verify re-logs-in
+// with the NEW secret. This is the engine change M-B4 needs for real account-settings pages.
+func TestIntegration_loginBeforeChangeRotation(t *testing.T) {
+	bin := os.Getenv("CHROME_BIN")
+	if bin == "" {
+		t.Skip("set CHROME_BIN to a Chromium executable to run the LIVE-VM login-gated proof")
+	}
+
+	const oldPW = "OLD-corr3ct-horse-battery"
+	const user = "trilltechnician"
+	var mu sync.Mutex
+	stored := oldPW
+	const cookie = "sess=authok"
+
+	authed := func(r *http.Request) bool {
+		c, err := r.Cookie("sess")
+		return err == nil && c.Value == "authok"
+	}
+
+	mux := http.NewServeMux()
+	// /login: GET renders the form; POST checks the CURRENT stored password and, on
+	// success, sets the session cookie (this is what gates the settings page).
+	mux.HandleFunc("/user/login", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if r.Method == http.MethodPost {
+			r.ParseForm()
+			mu.Lock()
+			ok := r.FormValue("user_name") == user && r.FormValue("password") == stored
+			mu.Unlock()
+			if ok {
+				http.SetCookie(w, &http.Cookie{Name: "sess", Value: "authok", Path: "/"})
+				fmt.Fprint(w, `<h1 id="dash">Dashboard SUCCESS</h1>`)
+				return
+			}
+			fmt.Fprint(w, `<h1 id="dash">DENIED</h1>`)
+			return
+		}
+		fmt.Fprint(w, `<!doctype html><meta charset=utf-8><form method=POST>
+		  <input id=user_name name=user_name>
+		  <input id=password name=password type=password>
+		  <button id=signin type=submit>Sign In</button></form>`)
+	})
+	// /user/settings/account: the change-password page, gated behind the cookie.
+	mux.HandleFunc("/user/settings/account", func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		if !authed(r) {
+			http.Redirect(w, r, "/user/login", http.StatusSeeOther)
+			return
+		}
+		if r.Method == http.MethodPost {
+			r.ParseForm()
+			mu.Lock()
+			ok := r.FormValue("old_password") == stored
+			if ok {
+				stored = r.FormValue("password")
+			}
+			mu.Unlock()
+			if !ok {
+				fmt.Fprint(w, `<div id="flash">error: incorrect old password</div>`)
+				return
+			}
+			fmt.Fprint(w, `<div id="flash">Your password has been updated.</div>`)
+			return
+		}
+		fmt.Fprint(w, `<!doctype html><meta charset=utf-8><form method=POST>
+		  <input id=old_password name=old_password type=password>
+		  <input id=new_password name=password type=password>
+		  <input id=retype name=retype type=password>
+		  <button id=save type=submit>Update Password</button></form>`)
+	})
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(mux)
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	host := strings.TrimPrefix(srv.URL, "http://")
+	site := Site{
+		Host:      host,
+		ChangeURL: srv.URL + "/user/settings/account",
+		Form: Form{
+			CurrentSel: "#old_password", NewSel: "#new_password", ConfirmSel: "#retype",
+			SubmitSel: "#save", SuccessSel: "#flash", SuccessText: "has been updated",
+		},
+		Login: Login{
+			URL: srv.URL + "/user/login", UserSel: "#user_name", PassSel: "#password",
+			SubmitSel: "#signin", SuccessSel: "#dash", SuccessText: "SUCCESS",
+		},
+		LoginBeforeChange: true,
+		Proof:             rotate.ProofLiveVM,
+	}
+
+	v := vault.New()
+	defer v.Purge()
+	c := discover.Credential{
+		Source: "file", Identity: user + " @ " + host, Location: "imported/file/x",
+		Secret: v.Store([]byte(oldPW)),
+		Meta:   map[string]string{"username": user},
+	}
+
+	drv := &RodDriver{Bin: bin, Headless: true, Timeout: 30 * time.Second}
+	r := New(site, drv, pwgen.DefaultPolicy())
+
+	ctx := context.Background()
+	newH, err := r.Rotate(ctx, c, v)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Rotate (login-before-change): %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := r.Verify(ctx, newH, v); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Verify (new pw must authenticate): %v", err)
+	}
+	mu.Lock()
+	oldStillWorks := stored == oldPW
+	mu.Unlock()
+	if oldStillWorks {
+		t.Fatal("old password still stored — rotation did not take effect")
+	}
+	t.Log("LIVE-VM login-before-change proof passed: login(old)→settings→rotate→verify(new)→old-rejected")
+}
+
+// TestRotate_loginBeforeChangeOrder asserts (no browser) that LoginBeforeChange makes
+// Rotate hit the login flow BEFORE the change page, using the fake driver's op log.
+func TestRotate_loginBeforeChangeOrder(t *testing.T) {
+	v := vault.New()
+	defer v.Purge()
+	c := gitHubPAT(t, v, "OLD-pw")
+
+	site := testSite()
+	site.ChangeURL = "https://github.com/settings/password"
+	site.Login = Login{
+		URL: "https://github.com/login", UserSel: "#u", PassSel: "#p",
+		SubmitSel: "#go", SuccessSel: "#welcome", SuccessText: "SUCCESS",
+	}
+	site.LoginBeforeChange = true
+
+	drv := &fakeDriver{success: "SUCCESS"}
+	r := New(site, drv, pwgen.DefaultPolicy())
+
+	newH, err := r.Rotate(context.Background(), c, v)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Rotate: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer v.Forget(newH)
+
+	// The first op must be the login goto, and the login submit must precede the change goto.
+	var seq []string
+	for _, o := range drv.ops {
+		seq = append(seq, o.kind+":"+o.arg)
+	}
+	joined := strings.Join(seq, ",")
+	loginGoto := "goto:https://github.com/login"
+	changeGoto := "goto:https://github.com/settings/password"
+	if seq[0] != loginGoto {
+		t.Fatalf("first op must be the login goto, got %q (seq=%v)", seq[0], seq)
+	}
+	if strings.Index(joined, loginGoto) > strings.Index(joined, changeGoto) {
+		t.Fatalf("login must precede change navigation: %v", seq)
+	}
+	// The OLD secret authenticates the pre-change login (fill #p before the change goto).
+	if drv.fields["#p"] != "OLD-pw" {
+		t.Fatalf("pre-change login must use the OLD secret, got %q", drv.fields["#p"])
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/browserrot/sites.go b/internal/browserrot/sites.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9081dd5
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/browserrot/sites.go
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+package browserrot
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+
+	"incredigo/internal/rotate"
+)
+
+// Curated recipes for self-hosted software whose markup is stable and known. These
+// seed the Tier-1 selector table; on a first real run any miss is repaired by the
+// Tier-2 self-heal (Healer) and re-persisted (recipes.go), so a slightly-off seed
+// self-corrects rather than failing permanently. A recipe stays ProofUnproven until
+// it has actually driven a rotation on that host — same proof-as-data discipline as
+// the API drivers (rotate/proofs.go); only then does it promote to LIVE-REAL.
+
+// GiteaSite builds a change-password recipe for a Gitea instance. baseURL is the
+// scheme+host (e.g. "https://git.churchofmalware.org"), username the account login.
+//
+// Gitea reaches the change-password controls only inside an authenticated session
+// (/user/settings/account 302s to /user/login otherwise), so LoginBeforeChange is on.
+// The password form on the account page carries old_password / password / retype; the
+// result renders in a flash message. These selectors match current Gitea markup but are
+// UNPROVEN against any specific instance/version — VERIFY on first run (self-heal will
+// rewrite any that drift). The SuccessText markers are the one part self-heal cannot fix
+// (they are content, not selectors): a wrong marker only makes Rotate fail SAFE (old
+// secret kept, human flagged), never a silent bad rotation.
+func GiteaSite(baseURL, username string) Site {
+	base := strings.TrimRight(baseURL, "/")
+	return Site{
+		Host:      strings.TrimPrefix(strings.TrimPrefix(base, "https://"), "http://"),
+		ChangeURL: base + "/user/settings/account",
+		Form: Form{
+			CurrentSel:  "#old_password",
+			NewSel:      "#password",
+			ConfirmSel:  "#retype",
+			SubmitSel:   "form[action$='/user/settings/account'] button[type=submit]",
+			SuccessSel:  ".ui.positive.message, .flash-success",
+			SuccessText: "has been updated",
+		},
+		Login: Login{
+			URL:       base + "/user/login",
+			UserSel:   "#user_name",
+			PassSel:   "#password",
+			SubmitSel: ".ui.primary.button[type=submit], button[type=submit]",
+			// Post-login, Gitea lands on the dashboard. The sign-out control's text is a
+			// stable "logged in" marker across themes; confirm on first run.
+			SuccessSel:  "body",
+			SuccessText: username,
+		},
+		LoginBeforeChange: true,
+		Proof:             rotate.ProofUnproven,
+	}
+}