Route both begin() and reopen() through a pure mota_nrf52_stage_plan() that bottom-aligns a received .mota below the filesystem region (trailer ending at FS_START, where the bootloader scans) and refuses any size that would overrun that ceiling or overlap the running image — the single place the FS/prefs-safe bounds are enforced. Add compile-time static_asserts pinning the flash-layout ordering (app < staging ceiling < bootloader; in-place workspace ends at/below the ceiling) so an inconsistent constant fails the build instead of silently corrupting user prefs. Cover the pure planner in test/test_ota/test_ota_flashplan.cpp.