diff --git a/qa/plans/v3.6.0-rc.md b/qa/plans/v3.6.0-rc.md
index 9c60d959..8f995d62 100644
--- a/qa/plans/v3.6.0-rc.md
+++ b/qa/plans/v3.6.0-rc.md
@@ -91,8 +91,10 @@ Run `scripts/api-contract-diff.sh BASELINE_URL TARGET_URL` once. Report the scri
 ### 10. Node blacklist
 | # | Step | Pass criteria | Source | Mode |
 |---|---|---|---|---|
-| 10.1 | Add node pubkey to nodeBlacklist config; restart | Hidden from listings/map/neighbor graph | #742 | human |
-| 10.2 | Packets still in DB | Yes (filter not delete) | #742 | human |
+| 10.1 | Add node pubkey to nodeBlacklist config; restart | Hidden from listings/map/neighbor graph | #742 | auto: blacklist-test.sh |
+| 10.2 | Packets still in DB | Yes (filter not delete) | #742 | auto: blacklist-test.sh |
+
+`blacklist-test.sh` covers both 10.1 and 10.2 in one run. Required env: `TEST_NODE_PUBKEY` (hex, of a real visible node on TARGET), `TARGET_SSH_HOST`, `TARGET_CONFIG_PATH`, `TARGET_CONTAINER`. Optional: `TARGET_DB_PATH` or `ADMIN_API_TOKEN` for §10.2 probe; `TARGET_SSH_KEY` (default `/root/.ssh/id_ed25519`). Mandatory teardown removes the pubkey and verifies the node returns to listings.
 
 ### 11. Deploy/ops
 | # | Step | Pass criteria | Source | Mode |
diff --git a/qa/scripts/blacklist-test.sh b/qa/scripts/blacklist-test.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..94b5b412
--- /dev/null
+++ b/qa/scripts/blacklist-test.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,271 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# blacklist-test.sh — verify nodeBlacklist hides a pubkey from API surface
+# while retaining its packets in the DB. Implements QA plan §10.1 + §10.2.
+#
+# Usage:
+#   blacklist-test.sh BASELINE_URL TARGET_URL
+#
+# BASELINE_URL is currently unused for assertions but kept as a positional
+# arg for parity with other qa-suite scripts (always called with two URLs).
+#
+# Required env (target host control + test data):
+#   TEST_NODE_PUBKEY      — hex pubkey of a real, currently-visible node on TARGET_URL
+#   TARGET_SSH_HOST       — e.g. runner@example
+#   TARGET_SSH_KEY        — path to ssh private key (default: /root/.ssh/id_ed25519)
+#   TARGET_CONFIG_PATH    — absolute path to config.json on the target
+#   TARGET_CONTAINER      — docker container name on the target
+# Optional env:
+#   TARGET_DB_PATH        — sqlite db path on the target (for §10.2 sqlite probe)
+#   ADMIN_API_TOKEN       — if /api/admin/transmissions exists, use it instead of ssh+sqlite
+#                            (read from env, not argv — never appears in ps)
+#   CURL_TIMEOUT          — per-request curl timeout, seconds (default 60)
+#   RESTART_WAIT_S        — max wait for /api/stats after restart (default 120)
+#
+# Distinguishes:
+#   ssh-failed     → cannot reach/control target
+#   restart-stuck  → /api/stats not 200 within RESTART_WAIT_S
+#   hide-failed    → blacklisted pubkey still surfaced via API (§10.1 fail)
+#   retain-failed  → blacklisted pubkey absent from DB (§10.2 fail)
+#   teardown-failed→ post-test removal did not restore listing
+#
+# Exit code = number of failures (0 = pass).
+# PUBLIC repo: zero PII — no real pubkeys, IPs, or hostnames as defaults.
+
+set -uo pipefail
+
+BASELINE_URL="${1:-}"
+TARGET_URL="${2:-}"
+if [[ -z "$BASELINE_URL" || -z "$TARGET_URL" ]]; then
+  echo "usage: $0 BASELINE_URL TARGET_URL  (TEST_NODE_PUBKEY+TARGET_* via env)" >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+TEST_PUBKEY="${TEST_NODE_PUBKEY:-}"
+TARGET_SSH_HOST="${TARGET_SSH_HOST:-}"
+TARGET_SSH_KEY="${TARGET_SSH_KEY:-/root/.ssh/id_ed25519}"
+TARGET_CONFIG_PATH="${TARGET_CONFIG_PATH:-}"
+TARGET_CONTAINER="${TARGET_CONTAINER:-}"
+TARGET_DB_PATH="${TARGET_DB_PATH:-}"
+ADMIN_API_TOKEN="${ADMIN_API_TOKEN:-}"
+
+if [[ -z "$TEST_PUBKEY" || -z "$TARGET_SSH_HOST" || -z "$TARGET_CONFIG_PATH" || -z "$TARGET_CONTAINER" ]]; then
+  echo "error: TEST_NODE_PUBKEY, TARGET_SSH_HOST, TARGET_CONFIG_PATH, TARGET_CONTAINER are required" >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+# Hard input validation — these strings are interpolated into remote shell/SQL.
+# Pubkey must be hex (MeshCore pubkeys are hex-encoded ed25519 prefixes).
+if ! [[ "$TEST_PUBKEY" =~ ^[0-9a-fA-F]+$ ]]; then
+  echo "error: TEST_NODE_PUBKEY must be hex (got: redacted)" >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+# Container name must match docker's allowed chars: [a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9_.-]*
+if ! [[ "$TARGET_CONTAINER" =~ ^[a-zA-Z0-9][a-zA-Z0-9_.-]*$ ]]; then
+  echo "error: TARGET_CONTAINER has illegal chars" >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+# Config path must be an absolute, sane path (no spaces, quotes, $, ;, etc.).
+if ! [[ "$TARGET_CONFIG_PATH" =~ ^/[A-Za-z0-9_./-]+$ ]]; then
+  echo "error: TARGET_CONFIG_PATH must be a sane absolute path" >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+if [[ -n "$TARGET_DB_PATH" ]] && ! [[ "$TARGET_DB_PATH" =~ ^/[A-Za-z0-9_./-]+$ ]]; then
+  echo "error: TARGET_DB_PATH must be a sane absolute path" >&2
+  exit 2
+fi
+
+CURL_TIMEOUT="${CURL_TIMEOUT:-60}"
+RESTART_WAIT_S="${RESTART_WAIT_S:-120}"
+
+SSH_OPTS=(-i "$TARGET_SSH_KEY" -o StrictHostKeyChecking=accept-new -o ConnectTimeout=15 -o BatchMode=yes)
+ssh_t() { ssh "${SSH_OPTS[@]}" "$TARGET_SSH_HOST" "$@"; }
+
+TMP=$(mktemp -d)
+fails=0
+TEARDOWN_DONE=0
+
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Teardown — MANDATORY in all exit paths.
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+teardown() {
+  local rc=$?
+  if [[ "$TEARDOWN_DONE" == "1" ]]; then rm -rf "$TMP"; exit "$rc"; fi
+  TEARDOWN_DONE=1
+  echo "=== teardown: removing $TEST_PUBKEY from nodeBlacklist ==="
+  if remove_from_blacklist && restart_target && wait_for_stats; then
+    if node_visible; then
+      echo "  ✅ teardown ok — node returned to listings"
+    else
+      echo "  ❌ teardown-failed: node still hidden after removal"
+      rc=$((rc + 1))
+    fi
+  else
+    echo "  ❌ teardown-failed: could not restore config / restart / stats"
+    rc=$((rc + 1))
+  fi
+  rm -rf "$TMP"
+  exit "$rc"
+}
+trap teardown EXIT INT TERM
+
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# Helpers
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+fetch_code() {
+  local url="$1" out="$2"
+  curl -s -m "$CURL_TIMEOUT" -o "$out" -w "%{http_code}" "$url" 2>/dev/null || echo "000"
+}
+
+wait_for_stats() {
+  local deadline code
+  echo "  waiting up to ${RESTART_WAIT_S}s for $TARGET_URL/api/stats ..."
+  deadline=$(( $(date +%s) + RESTART_WAIT_S ))
+  while (( $(date +%s) < deadline )); do
+    code=$(fetch_code "$TARGET_URL/api/stats" "$TMP/stats.json")
+    if [[ "$code" == "200" ]]; then echo "  stats OK"; return 0; fi
+    sleep 3
+  done
+  echo "  ❌ restart-stuck: /api/stats never returned 200"
+  return 1
+}
+
+restart_target() {
+  echo "  restarting container $TARGET_CONTAINER ..."
+  # TARGET_CONTAINER is validated above; still quote defensively.
+  if ! ssh_t "docker restart $(printf %q "$TARGET_CONTAINER")" >/dev/null; then
+    echo "  ❌ ssh-failed: docker restart failed"
+    return 1
+  fi
+  return 0
+}
+
+# Mutate config.json on target. Values pass via env (printf %q + single-quoted
+# heredoc) so $TEST_PUBKEY etc. never enter the remote shell as code.
+set_blacklist_state() {
+  local mode="$1"  # add | remove
+  ssh_t "CFG=$(printf %q "$TARGET_CONFIG_PATH") PK=$(printf %q "$TEST_PUBKEY") MODE=$(printf %q "$mode") bash -s" <<'REMOTE'
+set -euo pipefail
+TMP="$(mktemp)"
+trap 'rm -f "$TMP"' EXIT
+if command -v jq >/dev/null; then
+  if [ "$MODE" = "add" ]; then
+    jq --arg pk "$PK" '.nodeBlacklist = ((.nodeBlacklist // []) + [$pk] | unique)' "$CFG" > "$TMP"
+  else
+    jq --arg pk "$PK" '.nodeBlacklist = ((.nodeBlacklist // []) - [$pk])' "$CFG" > "$TMP"
+  fi
+else
+  python3 - "$CFG" "$PK" "$MODE" "$TMP" <<'PY'
+import json, sys
+cfg, pk, mode, out = sys.argv[1:]
+with open(cfg) as f: d = json.load(f)
+bl = list(dict.fromkeys(d.get("nodeBlacklist") or []))
+if mode == "add":
+    if pk not in bl: bl.append(pk)
+else:
+    bl = [x for x in bl if x != pk]
+d["nodeBlacklist"] = bl
+with open(out, "w") as f: json.dump(d, f, indent=2)
+PY
+fi
+# Preserve mode and ownership; mv across same FS is atomic.
+chmod --reference="$CFG" "$TMP" 2>/dev/null || true
+chown --reference="$CFG" "$TMP" 2>/dev/null || true
+mv "$TMP" "$CFG"
+trap - EXIT
+REMOTE
+  local rc=$?
+  if (( rc != 0 )); then
+    echo "  ❌ ssh-failed: could not edit $TARGET_CONFIG_PATH ($mode)"
+    return 1
+  fi
+  return 0
+}
+
+add_to_blacklist()      { set_blacklist_state add; }
+remove_from_blacklist() { set_blacklist_state remove; }
+
+node_visible() {
+  # Returns 0 if the pubkey is currently visible via API.
+  local code
+  code=$(fetch_code "$TARGET_URL/api/nodes/$TEST_PUBKEY" "$TMP/node.json")
+  if [[ "$code" == "200" ]]; then return 0; fi
+  fetch_code "$TARGET_URL/api/nodes?limit=10000" "$TMP/nodes.json" >/dev/null
+  if grep -qF -- "\"$TEST_PUBKEY\"" "$TMP/nodes.json" 2>/dev/null; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+  return 1
+}
+
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# §10.1 — hide
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo "=== §10.1 add $TEST_PUBKEY to nodeBlacklist ==="
+if ! add_to_blacklist; then fails=$((fails+1)); exit "$fails"; fi
+if ! restart_target;    then fails=$((fails+1)); exit "$fails"; fi
+if ! wait_for_stats;    then fails=$((fails+1)); exit "$fails"; fi
+
+detail_code=$(fetch_code "$TARGET_URL/api/nodes/$TEST_PUBKEY" "$TMP/detail.json")
+list_code=$(fetch_code "$TARGET_URL/api/nodes?limit=10000" "$TMP/list.json")
+in_list=0
+if [[ "$list_code" == "200" ]] && grep -qF -- "\"$TEST_PUBKEY\"" "$TMP/list.json"; then
+  in_list=1
+fi
+if [[ "$detail_code" == "404" || "$in_list" == "0" ]]; then
+  echo "  ✅ hide ok: detail=$detail_code in_list=$in_list"
+else
+  echo "  ❌ hide-failed: detail=$detail_code in_list=$in_list — pubkey still surfaced"
+  fails=$((fails+1))
+fi
+
+topo_code=$(fetch_code "$TARGET_URL/api/topology" "$TMP/topo.json")
+if [[ "$topo_code" != "200" ]]; then
+  echo "  ⚠️  /api/topology HTTP $topo_code — skipping topology assertion"
+elif grep -qF -- "$TEST_PUBKEY" "$TMP/topo.json"; then
+  echo "  ❌ hide-failed: /api/topology references blacklisted pubkey"
+  fails=$((fails+1))
+else
+  echo "  ✅ topology clean"
+fi
+
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+# §10.2 — DB retain
+# -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+echo "=== §10.2 verify packets retained in DB ==="
+count=""
+if [[ -n "$ADMIN_API_TOKEN" ]]; then
+  # Read auth header from stdin so the token never enters argv (ps-safe).
+  code=$(printf 'header = "Authorization: Bearer %s"\n' "$ADMIN_API_TOKEN" | \
+    curl -s -m "$CURL_TIMEOUT" -K - -o "$TMP/admin.json" -w "%{http_code}" \
+      "$TARGET_URL/api/admin/transmissions?from_node=$TEST_PUBKEY&count=1" 2>/dev/null || echo "000")
+  if [[ "$code" == "200" ]]; then
+    count=$(jq -r '.count // ((.transmissions // []) | length)' "$TMP/admin.json" 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+  fi
+fi
+if [[ -z "$count" ]]; then
+  if [[ -z "$TARGET_DB_PATH" ]]; then
+    echo "  ❌ retain-failed: TARGET_DB_PATH unset and no ADMIN_API_TOKEN — cannot probe"
+    fails=$((fails+1))
+  else
+    # TEST_PUBKEY is hex-validated → safe to inline single-quoted in SQL.
+    # Container/db path also validated; printf %q for defense in depth.
+    q="SELECT COUNT(*) FROM transmissions WHERE from_node = '$TEST_PUBKEY';"
+    qq=$(printf %q "$q")
+    if ! count=$(ssh_t "docker exec $(printf %q "$TARGET_CONTAINER") sqlite3 $(printf %q "$TARGET_DB_PATH") $qq" 2>/dev/null); then
+      count=$(ssh_t "sqlite3 $(printf %q "$TARGET_DB_PATH") $qq" 2>/dev/null || echo "")
+    fi
+  fi
+fi
+
+if [[ -z "$count" ]]; then
+  echo "  ❌ retain-failed: could not read transmissions count"
+  fails=$((fails+1))
+elif [[ "$count" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] && (( count > 0 )); then
+  echo "  ✅ DB retains $count packets from $TEST_PUBKEY"
+else
+  echo "  ❌ retain-failed: count=$count (expected > 0)"
+  fails=$((fails+1))
+fi
+
+echo "=== summary: $fails failure(s) before teardown ==="
+# trap handles teardown + exit
+exit "$fails"