diff --git a/Cargo.lock b/Cargo.lock
index 18f49bdf..8d8e0734 100644
--- a/Cargo.lock
+++ b/Cargo.lock
@@ -52,6 +52,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "memchr",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "alloca"
+version = "0.4.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "e5a7d05ea6aea7e9e64d25b9156ba2fee3fdd659e34e41063cd2fc7cd020d7f4"
+dependencies = [
+ "cc",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "android_log-sys"
 version = "0.3.2"
@@ -147,7 +156,7 @@ version = "0.38.0+1.3.281"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "0bb44936d800fea8f016d7f2311c6a4f97aebd5dc86f09906139ec848cf3a46f"
 dependencies = [
- "libloading",
+ "libloading 0.8.9",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -167,9 +176,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "asn1-rs"
-version = "0.6.2"
+version = "0.7.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "5493c3bedbacf7fd7382c6346bbd66687d12bbaad3a89a2d2c303ee6cf20b048"
+checksum = "b7f43a50ac4fdca5df8e885c21b835997f0a1cdee65494a6847694a98652d9d8"
 dependencies = [
  "asn1-rs-derive",
  "asn1-rs-impl",
@@ -177,15 +186,15 @@ dependencies = [
  "nom 7.1.3",
  "num-traits",
  "rusticata-macros",
- "thiserror 1.0.69",
+ "thiserror 2.0.20",
  "time",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
 name = "asn1-rs-derive"
-version = "0.5.1"
+version = "0.6.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "965c2d33e53cb6b267e148a4cb0760bc01f4904c1cd4bb4002a085bb016d1490"
+checksum = "3109e49b1e4909e9db6515a30c633684d68cdeaa252f215214cb4fa1a5bfee2c"
 dependencies = [
  "proc-macro2",
  "quote",
@@ -505,7 +514,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "bitflags 2.13.1",
  "cexpr",
  "clang-sys",
- "itertools 0.13.0",
+ "itertools",
  "log",
  "prettyplease",
  "proc-macro2",
@@ -522,7 +531,7 @@ version = "0.8.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "08807e080ed7f9d5433fa9b275196cfc35414f66a0c79d864dc51a0d825231a3"
 dependencies = [
- "bit-vec",
+ "bit-vec 0.8.0",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -531,6 +540,15 @@ version = "0.8.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "5e764a1d40d510daf35e07be9eb06e75770908c27d411ee6c92109c9840eaaf7"
 
+[[package]]
+name = "bit-vec"
+version = "0.9.1"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "b71798fca2c1fe1086445a7258a4bc81e6e49dcd24c8d0dd9a1e57395b603f51"
+dependencies = [
+ "serde",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "bitflags"
 version = "1.3.2"
@@ -797,7 +815,7 @@ checksum = "157a8ba7b480713b56f4c09fd13fc3e0a22a5dfab8097ba61cbc5feef950788a"
 dependencies = [
  "glob",
  "libc",
- "libloading",
+ "libloading 0.8.9",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -951,23 +969,22 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "criterion"
-version = "0.5.1"
+version = "0.8.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "f2b12d017a929603d80db1831cd3a24082f8137ce19c69e6447f54f5fc8d692f"
+checksum = "950046b2aa2492f9a536f5f4f9a3de7b9e2476e575e05bd6c333371add4d98f3"
 dependencies = [
+ "alloca",
  "anes",
  "cast",
  "ciborium",
  "clap",
  "criterion-plot",
- "is-terminal",
- "itertools 0.10.5",
+ "itertools",
  "num-traits",
- "once_cell",
  "oorandom",
+ "page_size",
  "regex",
  "serde",
- "serde_derive",
  "serde_json",
  "tinytemplate",
  "walkdir",
@@ -975,12 +992,12 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "criterion-plot"
-version = "0.5.0"
+version = "0.8.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "6b50826342786a51a89e2da3a28f1c32b06e387201bc2d19791f622c673706b1"
+checksum = "d8d80a2f4f5b554395e47b5d8305bc3d27813bacb73493eb1001e8f76dae29ea"
 dependencies = [
  "cast",
- "itertools 0.10.5",
+ "itertools",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1068,7 +1085,7 @@ version = "0.16.6"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "17200eb07e7d85a243aa1bf4569a7aa998385ba98d14833973a817a63cc86e92"
 dependencies = [
- "libloading",
+ "libloading 0.8.9",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -1161,9 +1178,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "der-parser"
-version = "9.0.0"
+version = "10.0.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "5cd0a5c643689626bec213c4d8bd4d96acc8ffdb4ad4bb6bc16abf27d5f4b553"
+checksum = "07da5016415d5a3c4dd39b11ed26f915f52fc4e0dc197d87908bc916e51bc1a6"
 dependencies = [
  "asn1-rs",
  "displaydoc",
@@ -2144,16 +2161,6 @@ dependencies = [
  "tower-service",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "if-addrs"
-version = "0.13.4"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "69b2eeee38fef3aa9b4cc5f1beea8a2444fc00e7377cafae396de3f5c2065e24"
-dependencies = [
- "libc",
- "windows-sys 0.59.0",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "if-addrs"
 version = "0.15.0"
@@ -2203,32 +2210,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "hybrid-array",
 ]
 
-[[package]]
-name = "is-terminal"
-version = "0.4.17"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "3640c1c38b8e4e43584d8df18be5fc6b0aa314ce6ebf51b53313d4306cca8e46"
-dependencies = [
- "hermit-abi",
- "libc",
- "windows-sys 0.61.2",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "is_terminal_polyfill"
 version = "1.70.2"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "a6cb138bb79a146c1bd460005623e142ef0181e3d0219cb493e02f7d08a35695"
 
-[[package]]
-name = "itertools"
-version = "0.10.5"
-source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "b0fd2260e829bddf4cb6ea802289de2f86d6a7a690192fbe91b3f46e0f2c8473"
-dependencies = [
- "either",
-]
-
 [[package]]
 name = "itertools"
 version = "0.13.0"
@@ -2366,7 +2353,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "6aae1df220ece3c0ada96b8153459b67eebe9ae9212258bb0134ae60416fdf76"
 dependencies = [
  "libc",
- "libloading",
+ "libloading 0.8.9",
 ]
 
 [[package]]
@@ -2446,6 +2433,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "windows-link 0.2.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "libloading"
+version = "0.9.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "754ca22de805bb5744484a5b151a9e1a8e837d5dc232c2d7d8c2e3492edc8b60"
+dependencies = [
+ "cfg-if",
+ "windows-link 0.2.1 (registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index)",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "libm"
 version = "0.2.16"
@@ -2560,13 +2557,13 @@ checksum = "47e1ffaa40ddd1f3ed91f717a33c8c0ee23fff369e3aa8772b9605cc1d22f4c3"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "mdns-sd"
-version = "0.20.3"
+version = "0.21.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "86dbb9f00c8c367f75ed3a775d3eb31d0375a72f58275ef64a1bc53c255a2ce2"
+checksum = "ba97b4c886eea3c2823388120d92063c011ac866919ffc4200a0e4b1642a54a5"
 dependencies = [
  "fastrand",
  "flume",
- "if-addrs 0.15.0",
+ "if-addrs",
  "log",
  "mio",
  "socket-pktinfo",
@@ -2842,9 +2839,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "oid-registry"
-version = "0.7.1"
+version = "0.8.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "a8d8034d9489cdaf79228eb9f6a3b8d7bb32ba00d6645ebd48eef4077ceb5bd9"
+checksum = "12f40cff3dde1b6087cc5d5f5d4d65712f34016a03ed60e9c08dcc392736b5b7"
 dependencies = [
  "asn1-rs",
 ]
@@ -2913,6 +2910,16 @@ dependencies = [
  "pin-project-lite",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "page_size"
+version = "0.6.0"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "30d5b2194ed13191c1999ae0704b7839fb18384fa22e49b57eeaa97d79ce40da"
+dependencies = [
+ "libc",
+ "winapi",
+]
+
 [[package]]
 name = "pango"
 version = "0.22.8"
@@ -3039,7 +3046,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "ash",
  "async-channel",
  "libc",
- "libloading",
+ "libloading 0.9.0",
  "mdns-sd",
  "openh264",
  "opus",
@@ -3124,7 +3131,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "ash",
  "ffmpeg-next",
  "libc",
- "libloading",
+ "libloading 0.9.0",
  "libvpl-sys",
  "nvidia-video-codec-sdk",
  "openh264",
@@ -3237,7 +3244,7 @@ version = "0.27.0"
 dependencies = [
  "anyhow",
  "aws-lc-rs",
- "base64 0.22.1",
+ "base64 0.23.1",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
  "ureq",
@@ -3315,7 +3322,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "ash",
  "khronos-egl",
  "libc",
- "libloading",
+ "libloading 0.9.0",
  "serde",
  "serde_json",
  "tempfile",
@@ -3507,7 +3514,7 @@ source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "4b45fcc2344c680f5025fe57779faef368840d0bd1f42f216291f0dc4ace4744"
 dependencies = [
  "bit-set",
- "bit-vec",
+ "bit-vec 0.8.0",
  "bitflags 2.13.1",
  "num-traits",
  "rand 0.9.5",
@@ -3606,7 +3613,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "criterion",
  "fec-rs",
  "hmac 0.13.0",
- "if-addrs 0.13.4",
+ "if-addrs",
  "libc",
  "opus",
  "proptest",
@@ -3648,7 +3655,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "aws-lc-rs",
  "axum",
  "axum-server",
- "base64 0.22.1",
+ "base64 0.23.1",
  "cbc",
  "futures-util",
  "hex",
@@ -3656,9 +3663,9 @@ dependencies = [
  "http-body-util",
  "hyper",
  "hyper-util",
- "if-addrs 0.13.4",
+ "if-addrs",
  "libc",
- "libloading",
+ "libloading 0.9.0",
  "log",
  "mac_address",
  "mdns-sd",
@@ -3679,7 +3686,7 @@ dependencies = [
  "pipewire",
  "punktfunk-core",
  "quinn",
- "rand 0.8.7",
+ "rand 0.9.5",
  "rcgen",
  "roxmltree",
  "rsa",
@@ -3855,7 +3862,6 @@ version = "0.8.7"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
 checksum = "22f6172bdec972074665ed81ed53b71da00bfc44b65a753cfde883ec4c702a1a"
 dependencies = [
- "libc",
  "rand_chacha 0.3.1",
  "rand_core 0.6.4",
 ]
@@ -4001,14 +4007,15 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "rcgen"
-version = "0.13.2"
+version = "0.14.9"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "75e669e5202259b5314d1ea5397316ad400819437857b90861765f24c4cf80a2"
+checksum = "091e7a8e7d86e6feb87a27ce8e2cba29d49eff9507afeebefab7eeb2ca667fb4"
 dependencies = [
  "aws-lc-rs",
  "pem",
  "rustls-pki-types",
  "time",
+ "x509-parser",
  "yasna",
 ]
 
@@ -6152,18 +6159,19 @@ checksum = "acf4d1bc32aa46eec18caa634ec3cf4c05bfa151f12b93b510b15190f69a1ca8"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "x509-parser"
-version = "0.16.0"
+version = "0.18.1"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "fcbc162f30700d6f3f82a24bf7cc62ffe7caea42c0b2cba8bf7f3ae50cf51f69"
+checksum = "d43b0f71ce057da06bc0851b23ee24f3f86190b07203dd8f567d0b706a185202"
 dependencies = [
  "asn1-rs",
+ "aws-lc-rs",
  "data-encoding",
  "der-parser",
  "lazy_static",
  "nom 7.1.3",
  "oid-registry",
  "rusticata-macros",
- "thiserror 1.0.69",
+ "thiserror 2.0.20",
  "time",
 ]
 
@@ -6196,10 +6204,11 @@ checksum = "b9cc00251562a284751c9973bace760d86c0276c471b4be569fe6b068ee97a56"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "yasna"
-version = "0.5.2"
+version = "0.6.0"
 source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
-checksum = "e17bb3549cc1321ae1296b9cdc2698e2b6cb1992adfa19a8c72e5b7a738f44cd"
+checksum = "b5f6765e852b9b4dc8e2a76843e4d64d1cea8e79bcde0b6901aea8e7c7f08282"
 dependencies = [
+ "bit-vec 0.9.1",
  "time",
 ]
 
diff --git a/clients/android/native/Cargo.toml b/clients/android/native/Cargo.toml
index e6b629a6..d3e82609 100644
--- a/clients/android/native/Cargo.toml
+++ b/clients/android/native/Cargo.toml
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ log = "0.4"
 # `NsdManager` system daemon with one tested browse path. Pure Rust (socket2/if-addrs/mio), so it
 # cross-compiles to the Android targets AND builds on the host (the JNI seam links into
 # `cargo build --workspace`). Kotlin keeps only the Wi-Fi `MulticastLock` + permission UX.
-mdns-sd = "0.20"
+mdns-sd = "0.21"
 
 # Android-only deps. Gated so `cargo build --workspace` on the Linux/macOS dev boxes + CI still
 # compiles this crate (as a host cdylib) — the Android-framework glue (logging, AMediaCodec + AAudio
diff --git a/clients/probe/Cargo.toml b/clients/probe/Cargo.toml
index bd8b7a0e..7f14a802 100644
--- a/clients/probe/Cargo.toml
+++ b/clients/probe/Cargo.toml
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ tracing = "0.1"
 tracing-subscriber = { version = "0.3", features = ["env-filter"] }
 # LAN host discovery (`--discover`): browse the native `_punktfunk._udp` mDNS service the host
 # advertises (same crate/version the host advertises with).
-mdns-sd = "0.20"
+mdns-sd = "0.21"
 # Opus: multistream DECODE of the host's audio plane (the surround validator) + `--mic-test`'s
 # encoder. libopus is already in the graph via `punktfunk-core`'s quic feature; this exposes the
 # name directly. Cross-platform (cmake-vendored), so the probe builds + validates everywhere.
diff --git a/clients/windows/Cargo.toml b/clients/windows/Cargo.toml
index 55bf7f05..762ede90 100644
--- a/clients/windows/Cargo.toml
+++ b/clients/windows/Cargo.toml
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ windows = { git = "https://github.com/microsoft/windows-rs", rev = "acb5a1a74410
 # (see the `gamepad` field in app/); the spawned punktfunk-session does the actual forwarding. SDL3
 # itself (built from source via the bundled CMake on Windows) is pulled transitively by
 # pf-client-core with the same `build-from-source,hidapi` features, so it is not a direct dep here.
-mdns-sd = "0.20"
+mdns-sd = "0.21"
 async-channel = "2"
 serde_json = "1"
 tracing = "0.1"
diff --git a/crates/pf-client-core/Cargo.toml b/crates/pf-client-core/Cargo.toml
index 80640b7a..8df23866 100644
--- a/crates/pf-client-core/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/pf-client-core/Cargo.toml
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ libc = "0.2"
 # with libavcodec (`pf-encode`); nothing in this crate does.
 opus = "0.3"
 
-mdns-sd = "0.20"
+mdns-sd = "0.21"
 
 # PyroWave decode (the opt-in wired-LAN wavelet codec, design/pyrowave-codec-plan.md
 # §4.5) — pure Vulkan compute on the presenter's shared device, so it builds wherever the
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ pf-vaadec = { path = "../pf-vaadec" }
 # libva itself is dlopen'd, never linked (see `video_vaapi_native`'s module docs): the
 # container can then compile and clippy the whole rung without `libva-dev`, and a machine
 # without a VAAPI runtime gets a clean refusal instead of a packaging dependency.
-libloading = "0.8"
+libloading = "0.9"
 # The gamescope overlay watcher (`overlay_focus`): read two CARDINAL properties off a
 # gamescope root window and block on PropertyNotify. `default-features = false` keeps the
 # pure-Rust `RustConnection` — no libxcb link, so no new C dependency on any client package
diff --git a/crates/pf-encode/Cargo.toml b/crates/pf-encode/Cargo.toml
index 4313fa1f..8c03a5f0 100644
--- a/crates/pf-encode/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/pf-encode/Cargo.toml
@@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ libc = "0.2"
 # the dep stays unconditional to mirror the host's Linux target — unused-but-declared is harmless).
 ash = "0.38"
 # `libnvidia-encode.so.1` is dlopen'd at runtime for the direct-SDK NVENC/CUDA backend.
-libloading = "0.8"
+libloading = "0.9"
 # Direct-SDK NVENC (raw `sys::nvEncodeAPI` types; entry points resolved at runtime). `ci-check` =
 # vendored bindings, no CUDA toolkit at build.
 nvidia-video-codec-sdk = { version = "0.4", features = ["ci-check"], optional = true }
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ nvidia-video-codec-sdk = { version = "0.4", features = ["ci-check"], optional =
 # AMD (AMF) + Intel (QSV) hardware encode via libavcodec (behind `amf-qsv`; link-imports FFmpeg).
 ffmpeg-next = { version = "9", optional = true }
 # `libnvidia-encode`/`nvEncodeAPI64.dll` resolved at runtime; the NVENC status→cause table dlopen.
-libloading = "0.8"
+libloading = "0.9"
 # Native Intel QSV (VPL): vendored static MIT dispatcher + bindgen'd C API, only under `qsv`.
 libvpl-sys = { path = "../libvpl-sys", optional = true }
 # PyroWave (opt-in wired-LAN wavelet codec) — vendored codec + bindgen'd C API, only under
diff --git a/crates/pf-update-check/Cargo.toml b/crates/pf-update-check/Cargo.toml
index 90df57d7..525e2f34 100644
--- a/crates/pf-update-check/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/pf-update-check/Cargo.toml
@@ -33,7 +33,9 @@ serde_json = "1"
 # runner. Naming it here makes the crate build standalone instead of relying on who else is in
 # the selection.
 aws-lc-rs = { version = "1", features = ["prebuilt-nasm"] }
-base64 = "0.22"
+# Feature selection matched to ureq's (and punktfunk-host's) on purpose — 0.23's default-on
+# `simd-unsafe` engine stays off, so a currency bump doesn't quietly add unsafe SIMD to the tree.
+base64 = { version = "0.23", default-features = false, features = ["std"] }
 # Small, sync, bundles webpki roots — no system cert store dependency, which matters on the
 # Deck (Decky's embedded Python has no usable roots either; see clients/decky/main.py).
 # ⚠ `rustls-no-provider`, NEVER the default `rustls` feature — that one pulls `_ring`, which would
diff --git a/crates/pf-zerocopy/Cargo.toml b/crates/pf-zerocopy/Cargo.toml
index 16df1add..d9014114 100644
--- a/crates/pf-zerocopy/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/pf-zerocopy/Cargo.toml
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ tracing = "0.1"
 libc = "0.2"
 # `libcuda.so.1` is dlopen'd at runtime (NOT link-time) so one Linux binary runs on NVIDIA
 # (zero-copy via CUDA) AND on AMD/Intel (VAAPI, no NVIDIA driver present) — see `cuda::ffi`.
-libloading = "0.8"
+libloading = "0.9"
 # EGL imports the PipeWire dmabuf, CUDA maps it (`dynamic` = load the NVIDIA libEGL at runtime).
 khronos-egl = { version = "6", features = ["dynamic"] }
 # Vulkan bridge for LINEAR dmabufs (gamescope): VK_EXT_external_memory_dma_buf import,
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-core/Cargo.toml b/crates/punktfunk-core/Cargo.toml
index f8e9cc6d..5d3805bc 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-core/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-core/Cargo.toml
@@ -55,7 +55,12 @@ zeroize = "1"
 # Interface enumeration for Wake-on-LAN: computes each NIC's subnet-directed broadcast so a
 # magic packet reaches the host's L2 segment on multi-homed clients (VPN/docker/multiple LANs),
 # not just the default route. Tiny, cross-platform (getifaddrs / GetAdaptersAddresses), no cmake.
-if-addrs = "0.13"
+# `link-local` is named EXPLICITLY, not inherited. mdns-sd declares if-addrs with it, so any build
+# containing both (every host and every client) unifies it on regardless — and a crate whose
+# enumeration silently changes depending on who else is in the selection is the worst of both. On
+# means fe80::/169.254 interfaces are enumerated too, which for WoL is the behaviour we want: a NIC
+# is wake-capable whether or not it currently holds a routable address.
+if-addrs = { version = "0.15", features = ["link-local"] }
 
 # Crypto backend is aws-lc-rs, and rustls/quinn/rcgen must all name it: they each select a
 # backend independently, so one dissenter pulls a SECOND crypto stack in via feature unification.
@@ -72,7 +77,7 @@ quinn = { version = "0.11", optional = true, default-features = false, features
 ] }
 rustls = { version = "0.23", optional = true, default-features = false, features = ["aws_lc_rs", "prefer-post-quantum", "std"] }
 # `generate_simple_self_signed` is backend-agnostic, so the swap is transparent here.
-rcgen = { version = "0.13", optional = true, default-features = false, features = ["aws_lc_rs", "pem"] }
+rcgen = { version = "0.14", optional = true, default-features = false, features = ["aws_lc_rs", "pem"] }
 rustls-pki-types = { version = "1", optional = true }
 # `rustls-no-provider`, NOT the default `rustls` feature — ureq's `rustls` feature body pulls
 # `_ring`, which would drag the whole ring backend back into a tree that has deliberately moved to
@@ -121,7 +126,7 @@ windows-sys = { version = "0.59", features = [
 proptest = "1"
 # Tier-1 microbenchmarks (benches/pipeline.rs). default-features off → no plotters/HTML (headless
 # CI just needs the measurement + target/criterion/**/estimates.json for the regression compare).
-criterion = { version = "0.5", default-features = false, features = ["cargo_bench_support"] }
+criterion = { version = "0.8", default-features = false, features = ["cargo_bench_support"] }
 
 [[bench]]
 name = "pipeline"
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-core/benches/pipeline.rs b/crates/punktfunk-core/benches/pipeline.rs
index f875f61b..e4276fa7 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-core/benches/pipeline.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-core/benches/pipeline.rs
@@ -10,11 +10,15 @@
 //! The GPU capture/NVENC encode path is deliberately out of scope here (no GPU in CI) — that's the
 //! Tier-3 stream benchmark on a self-hosted GPU runner. Run locally with `cargo bench -p punktfunk-core`.
 
-use criterion::{black_box, criterion_group, criterion_main, BenchmarkId, Criterion, Throughput};
+use criterion::{criterion_group, criterion_main, BenchmarkId, Criterion, Throughput};
 use punktfunk_core::config::{Config, FecConfig, FecScheme, ProtocolPhase, Role};
 use punktfunk_core::crypto::{SessionCrypto, SessionKey};
 use punktfunk_core::session::Session;
 use punktfunk_core::transport::loopback_pair;
+// NOT `criterion::black_box`: it still exists in 0.8 but is deprecated, and now just forwards to
+// this one. Benches compile under `--all-targets -D warnings`, so importing criterion's would fail
+// the lint gate rather than merely warn.
+use std::hint::black_box;
 
 const TAG_LEN: usize = 16; // AEAD authentication tag (GCM and Poly1305 share the size)
 const SHARD: usize = punktfunk_core::config::mtu1500_shard_payload(); // one MTU-safe data shard
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/endpoint.rs b/crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/endpoint.rs
index def498e4..3f605abd 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/endpoint.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-core/src/quic/endpoint.rs
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ pub fn server(addr: std::net::SocketAddr) -> anyhow_result::Result<quinn::Endpoi
     let cert = rcgen::generate_simple_self_signed(vec!["punktfunk".into()])
         .map_err(|e| anyhow_result::Error::msg(format!("self-signed cert: {e}")))?;
     let cert_der = rustls::pki_types::CertificateDer::from(cert.cert);
-    let key_der = rustls::pki_types::PrivatePkcs8KeyDer::from(cert.key_pair.serialize_der());
+    let key_der = rustls::pki_types::PrivatePkcs8KeyDer::from(cert.signing_key.serialize_der());
     server_from_der(cert_der, key_der.into(), addr, DEFAULT_IDLE_TIMEOUT)
 }
 
@@ -198,7 +198,7 @@ fn server_from_der(
 pub fn generate_identity() -> anyhow_result::Result<(String, String)> {
     let cert = rcgen::generate_simple_self_signed(vec!["punktfunk-client".into()])
         .map_err(|e| anyhow_result::Error::msg(format!("self-signed cert: {e}")))?;
-    Ok((cert.cert.pem(), cert.key_pair.serialize_pem()))
+    Ok((cert.cert.pem(), cert.signing_key.serialize_pem()))
 }
 
 /// Fingerprint of the client certificate a connection presented (host side), if any.
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/Cargo.toml b/crates/punktfunk-host/Cargo.toml
index 0d142a08..bb0de840 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/Cargo.toml
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/Cargo.toml
@@ -68,36 +68,59 @@ tracing-log = "0.2"
 # tracing-log bridge with `ignore_crate("wasapi")`). Already in the tree transitively.
 log = "0.4"
 axum = "0.8"
-mdns-sd = "0.20"
+mdns-sd = "0.21"
 # Wake-on-LAN: report the host's wake-capable NIC MAC(s) to clients via the mDNS `mac` TXT record.
 # `mac_address` reads a NIC's hardware address; `if-addrs` maps the routed IP to its interface name.
 mac_address = "1"
-if-addrs = "0.13"
+# `link-local` named explicitly for the same reason as in punktfunk-core: mdns-sd (right above)
+# turns it on by unification anyway, and `wake_macs` should not enumerate a different set of NICs
+# depending on which other crates share the build.
+if-addrs = { version = "0.15", features = ["link-local"] }
 tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }
 # GameStream-only (behind the `gamestream` feature): the Moonlight RSA-2048 identity generator +
 # pairing signer (cert.rs, pairing.rs) and the legacy-client-cert leniency verifier (tls.rs).
 # The native planes use the P-256 identity (src/identity.rs) and never touch this crate — so a
 # native-only build also sheds the accepted Marvin advisory (RUSTSEC-2023-0071, .cargo/audit.toml).
 #
-# `features = ["sha2"]` re-exports the `sha2` that `rsa`'s OWN trait generation speaks. `rsa` 0.9
-# is built on `digest 0.10`, and the rest of this crate is on the `digest 0.11` wave (sha2 0.11 /
-# hmac 0.13) — so the digest types that appear as `rsa` TYPE PARAMETERS (`SigningKey<Sha256>` in
-# cert.rs, `VerifyingKey<_>` in pairing.rs and tls.rs) must come from `rsa::sha2`, not from the
-# `sha2` below. Everything else (plain hashing, HMAC) uses the 0.11 one. Collapsing the two needs
-# `rsa` 0.10, which is still release-candidate only — not something the Moonlight pairing
-# ceremony should ride.
-rsa = { version = "0.9", optional = true, features = ["sha2"] }
+# TWO independent `rsa` features, arriving from two different bumps in this wave — both are load-
+# bearing, and taking either side alone breaks the build:
+#
+# `sha2` re-exports the `sha2` that `rsa`'s OWN trait generation speaks. `rsa` 0.9 is built on
+# `digest 0.10`, and the rest of this crate is on the `digest 0.11` wave (sha2 0.11 / hmac 0.13) —
+# so the digest types that appear as `rsa` TYPE PARAMETERS (`SigningKey<Sha256>` in cert.rs,
+# `VerifyingKey<_>` in pairing.rs and tls.rs) must come from `rsa::sha2`, not from the `sha2`
+# below. Everything else (plain hashing, HMAC) uses the 0.11 one. Collapsing the two needs `rsa`
+# 0.10, which is still release-candidate only — not something the Moonlight pairing ceremony
+# should ride.
+#
+# `getrandom` is NOT one of rsa's defaults; we ask for it because `RsaPrivateKey::new` wants an
+# rng implementing rand_core **0.6**'s traits, and since our own `rand` moved to 0.9 no rng we
+# hold satisfies that bound any more. The feature exposes `rsa::rand_core::OsRng`, which does —
+# see the keygen in gamestream/cert.rs. Getting it from rsa's own re-export is what keeps the two
+# rand_core majors from being something this crate has to name.
+rsa = { version = "0.9", optional = true, features = ["sha2", "getrandom"] }
 # `oid` is default-on in sha2 0.11 and was only ever needed for the RSA signer, which now takes
 # its digest from `rsa::sha2` (above).
 sha2 = "0.11"
 aes = "0.9"
 aes-gcm = "0.11"
 cbc = { version = "0.2", features = ["alloc"] }
-rand = "0.8"
+# 0.9, matching punktfunk-core and pf-client-core — the host was the last 0.8 holdout, and that
+# was drift, not a pin. NOTE this does NOT take rand 0.8 out of the gamestream build: `rsa` pulls
+# it transitively through `num-bigint-dig`, so 0.8 only disappears from the native-only host
+# (`--no-default-features`, where `rsa` is absent). What it does buy everywhere is that OUR calls
+# all speak one rand major.
+rand = "0.9"
 hex = "0.4"
 # Cover-art delivery in the game library: encode Lutris's local JPEGs into `data:` URLs and decode
 # the Epic launcher's base64 `catcache.bin`. Cross-platform (Linux Lutris art + Windows Epic art).
-base64 = "0.22"
+# `default-features = false` + `std` deliberately: 0.23 added a default-ON `simd-unsafe` feature
+# (hand-written AVX2/NEON engines). ureq already declares base64 exactly this way, so taking the
+# defaults here would unify the feature ON and pull that unsafe code into every build as a side
+# effect of a version bump. Turning it on is a perf decision worth making on purpose, with a
+# measurement — not one to inherit silently. `std` covers everything we call (`Engine::encode`,
+# `decode` to a `Vec`).
+base64 = { version = "0.23", default-features = false, features = ["std"] }
 # Blocking HTTP for the library cover-art warmer (no-auth GOG api.gog.com + Xbox displaycatalog),
 # run on a background thread off the hot path. `ureq` is small + sync (no tokio here) and bundles
 # webpki roots (no system cert dependency). Cross-platform so the fetch/parse code is compiled +
@@ -109,8 +132,12 @@ ureq = { version = "3", default-features = false, features = [
     "rustls-webpki-roots",
     "gzip",
 ] }
-rcgen = { version = "0.13", default-features = false, features = ["aws_lc_rs", "pem"] }
-x509-parser = "0.16"
+rcgen = { version = "0.14", default-features = false, features = ["aws_lc_rs", "pem"] }
+# ⚠ Do not float this back below 0.18. 0.16 was the LAST crate pulling `thiserror` 1.0 into the
+# host graph (via asn1-rs 0.6 / der-parser 9 / oid-registry 0.7); 0.18 moves that chain to asn1-rs
+# 0.7 + thiserror 2, so the host now links exactly one thiserror major. `cargo tree -p
+# punktfunk-host -i thiserror@1` must keep reporting no match.
+x509-parser = "0.18"
 # Only used for the plain-HTTP nvhttp listener (`bind().serve()`); HTTPS/mTLS is hand-rolled over
 # tokio-rustls (axum-server can't surface the peer cert), so we do NOT enable `tls-rustls` — that
 # feature is what pulled the unmaintained `rustls-pemfile` (security-review dep hygiene).
@@ -198,7 +225,7 @@ pipewire = "0.9"
 rusqlite = { version = "0.40", features = ["bundled"] }
 # `libcuda.so.1` is dlopen'd at runtime (NOT link-time) so one Linux binary runs on NVIDIA
 # (zero-copy via CUDA) AND on AMD/Intel (VAAPI, no NVIDIA driver present) — see `zerocopy::cuda`.
-libloading = "0.8"
+libloading = "0.9"
 
 [target.'cfg(target_os = "windows")'.dependencies]
 # Windows host backends. `windows` covers the Win32/CCD APIs the SudoVDA virtual-display backend
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/cert.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/cert.rs
index 3ad65cb7..9204d331 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/cert.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/cert.rs
@@ -88,8 +88,14 @@ fn generate() -> Result<(String, String)> {
     //
     // This path runs ONLY when no cert exists yet — a fresh install — so an upgraded box never
     // re-executes it.
-    let mut rng = rand::thread_rng();
-    let priv_key = RsaPrivateKey::new(&mut rng, 2048).context("generate RSA-2048 host key")?;
+    //
+    // The rng comes from `rsa`'s OWN rand_core re-export, not from our `rand`. `RsaPrivateKey::new`
+    // is bounded on rand_core **0.6**'s `CryptoRngCore`, and since the host moved to rand 0.9 its
+    // `ThreadRng` implements rand_core 0.9's traits instead — a different trait of the same name,
+    // so it no longer satisfies the bound. `rsa::rand_core::OsRng` is the OS CSPRNG under the
+    // exact traits `rsa` compiled against, which keeps the two rand_core majors from meeting.
+    let priv_key = RsaPrivateKey::new(&mut rsa::rand_core::OsRng, 2048)
+        .context("generate RSA-2048 host key")?;
     let key_pem = priv_key
         .to_pkcs8_pem(LineEnding::LF)
         .context("encode host key as PKCS#8 PEM")?
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/crypto.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/crypto.rs
index d8e31446..5fc6a92d 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/crypto.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/gamestream/crypto.rs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ use sha2::{Digest, Sha256};
 /// `n` cryptographically-random bytes.
 pub fn random<const N: usize>() -> [u8; N] {
     let mut b = [0u8; N];
-    rand::thread_rng().fill_bytes(&mut b);
+    rand::rng().fill_bytes(&mut b);
     b
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/mgmt_token.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/mgmt_token.rs
index ee1c6435..fdf2b098 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/mgmt_token.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/mgmt_token.rs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ fn load_or_generate_impl(env_var: &str, file: &str) -> Result<String> {
         }
     }
     let mut buf = [0u8; 32];
-    rand::thread_rng().fill_bytes(&mut buf);
+    rand::rng().fill_bytes(&mut buf);
     let token = hex::encode(buf);
     write_token(&path, env_var, &token)?;
     tracing::info!(path = %path.display(), "generated and persisted API token (owner-only)");
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/handshake.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/handshake.rs
index 60afb95b..afb53a78 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/handshake.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native/handshake.rs
@@ -502,14 +502,14 @@ pub(super) async fn negotiate(
     let shard_payload = wire_mtu::negotiated_shard_payload(conn, hello.max_shard_payload).await;
 
     let mut key = [0u8; 16];
-    rand::thread_rng().fill_bytes(&mut key);
+    rand::rng().fill_bytes(&mut key);
     // Fresh per-session salt alongside the fresh key. GCM nonce uniqueness only *requires* one
     // of the two to be unique per session (the nonce is salt || sequence under the session
     // key), but a constant salt would make a key-reuse bug catastrophic instead of merely
     // wrong — this keeps the second line of defense real. Negotiated via Welcome, so clients
     // just follow.
     let mut salt = [0u8; 4];
-    rand::thread_rng().fill_bytes(&mut salt);
+    rand::rng().fill_bytes(&mut salt);
     // Session AEAD: ChaCha20-Poly1305 when the client asked for it (VIDEO_CAP_CHACHA20 — the
     // soft-AES armv7 targets, whose GCM decrypt caps at ~100 Mbps) and the operator
     // kill-switch allows (PUNKTFUNK_CHACHA20, default on — pure rollout safety; perf-only,
@@ -520,7 +520,7 @@ pub(super) async fn negotiate(
     let chacha = client_wants_chacha && pf_host_config::config().chacha20;
     let key_chacha = chacha.then(|| {
         let mut k = [0u8; 32];
-        rand::thread_rng().fill_bytes(&mut k);
+        rand::rng().fill_bytes(&mut k);
         k
     });
     tracing::info!(
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native_pairing/arming.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native_pairing/arming.rs
index 8230bc9a..c628b099 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native_pairing/arming.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/native_pairing/arming.rs
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ pub enum PinAttempt {
 
 fn random_pin() -> String {
     use rand::Rng;
-    format!("{:04}", rand::thread_rng().gen_range(0..10_000u32))
+    format!("{:04}", rand::rng().random_range(0..10_000u32))
 }
 
 /// A snapshot of the arming window for the management API: `(armed, pin, expires_in_secs)`.
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/send_pacing.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/send_pacing.rs
index ae205e54..68e4b0c6 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/send_pacing.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/send_pacing.rs
@@ -288,9 +288,9 @@ pub(crate) fn inject_video_drop<T>(packets: &mut Vec<T>) -> u64 {
         return 0;
     }
     use rand::Rng;
-    let mut rng = rand::thread_rng();
+    let mut rng = rand::rng();
     let before = packets.len();
-    packets.retain(|_| rng.gen_range(0..100) >= pct);
+    packets.retain(|_| rng.random_range(0..100) >= pct);
     (before - packets.len()) as u64
 }
 
diff --git a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/windows/install.rs b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/windows/install.rs
index 931b9976..ab16acb7 100644
--- a/crates/punktfunk-host/src/windows/install.rs
+++ b/crates/punktfunk-host/src/windows/install.rs
@@ -801,7 +801,7 @@ fn random_password() -> String {
     use base64::Engine;
     use rand::RngCore;
     let mut b = [0u8; 24];
-    rand::thread_rng().fill_bytes(&mut b);
+    rand::rng().fill_bytes(&mut b);
     base64::engine::general_purpose::STANDARD
         .encode(b)
         .chars()