diff --git a/deploy/charts/buzz/README.md b/deploy/charts/buzz/README.md
index aa7985bab9..91a2b59ea3 100644
--- a/deploy/charts/buzz/README.md
+++ b/deploy/charts/buzz/README.md
@@ -52,7 +52,6 @@ security boundaries.
 
 See:
 
-- [`docs/argo-rollouts.md`](docs/argo-rollouts.md) — optional manual canary updates and Deployment handover
 - [`examples/argocd-app.yaml`](examples/argocd-app.yaml) — ArgoCD Application
 - [`examples/flux-helmrelease.yaml`](examples/flux-helmrelease.yaml) — Flux HelmRelease v2
 - [`examples/secret-sample.yaml`](examples/secret-sample.yaml) — Secret schema
diff --git a/deploy/charts/buzz/docs/argo-rollouts.md b/deploy/charts/buzz/docs/argo-rollouts.md
deleted file mode 100644
index d114e4e3e1..0000000000
--- a/deploy/charts/buzz/docs/argo-rollouts.md
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,114 +0,0 @@
-# Optional Argo Rollouts
-
-The chart uses a Kubernetes Deployment by default. Setting `rollout.enabled: true`
-adds an Argo `Rollout` in the same namespace. Install the Argo Rollouts controller
-and its CRDs separately before enabling it. This configuration targets the
-`argoproj.io/v1alpha1` API used by Argo Rollouts v1.8.3.
-
-The Deployment still contains the image, environment variables, probes, volumes,
-and other pod settings. The Rollout reads those settings through `workloadRef`
-and creates **new pods of its own**. It does not adopt the Deployment's pods.
-Both sets use the existing Service and PodDisruptionBudget selectors.
-
-This first version supports fixed replica counts and manual promotion. It does
-not add health analyses, automatic abort decisions, traffic routing, or HPA
-support. `autoscaling.enabled: true` is rejected while Rollouts are enabled.
-Existing installations with Rollouts disabled retain their Deployment/HPA path.
-
-## First handover: two replicas
-
-Keep the relay image, secrets, and pod settings unchanged throughout handover.
-Use an immutable image digest. Confirm that both existing pods are healthy and
-that the cluster has room for one extra pod. Redis must be configured for the
-overlapping pods; all pods must use the same external database, Redis, and storage.
-
-Start with this addition to your existing production values:
-
-```yaml
-replicaCount: 2
-autoscaling:
-  enabled: false
-rollout:
-  enabled: true
-  deploymentReplicas: 2
-  replicas: 0
-  minReadySeconds: 60
-  progressDeadlineSeconds: 900
-  weights: [50, 100]
-```
-
-The two replica fields are intentionally required. Enabling the feature alone
-fails rendering instead of silently scaling down the Deployment. `replicaCount`
-remains the desired fleet size; the two explicit counts divide that fleet
-between controllers during the handover.
-
-Apply **one row at a time** through your normal Helm or GitOps process:
-
-| Stage | `rollout.deploymentReplicas` | `rollout.replicas` | Action |
-|---|---:|---:|---|
-| Prepare | 2 | 0 | Create the Rollout with no requested pods. |
-| Add first pod | 2 | 1 | Wait for the new Rollout pod to be healthy. |
-| Drain first old pod | 1 | 1 | Wait for client reconnections and recovery. |
-| Add second pod | 1 | 2 | Wait for the second Rollout pod to be healthy. |
-| Finish | 0 | 2 | Drain the last Deployment pod and check recovery. |
-
-Before every drain, verify the replacement has been Ready for at least 60 seconds,
-is serving through the Service, and the fleet has recovered: connections,
-authenticated sessions, subscriptions, error rates, and database load. Before
-each next row, wait for the previous change to finish, including pod termination.
-If recovery is incomplete, stop and investigate. Desired counts alone do not prove
-healthy capacity. The chart checks only that the desired counts total two or
-three and that neither controller requests more than two.
-
-Argo skips canary steps when creating the first revision. **The pauses do not
-protect this handover.** The explicit replica changes and checks above do.
-`workloadRef.scaleDown: never` ensures Argo does not also scale the Deployment;
-your values remain its replica source of truth.
-
-Keep the zero-replica Deployment after handover. Argo still needs its pod
-configuration. Argo CD continues applying both the Deployment and the Rollout.
-There is no switch that tells Argo CD to stop managing the Deployment.
-
-## Later image updates
-
-Leave the counts at Deployment `0`, Rollout `2`, and change the usual `image.tag`
-or `image.digest`. Argo observes the changed Deployment template and manages the
-new revision. With `[50, 100]`, the generated steps are:
-
-```yaml
-- pause: {}
-- setWeight: 50
-- pause: {}
-- setWeight: 100
-- pause: {}
-```
-
-Each pause requires an operator to inspect health and promote one step using the
-Argo Rollouts UI or `kubectl argo rollouts promote <release-name>`. Do not use
-`--full` to bypass the checks. The controller allows one surge pod and requests
-zero unavailable pods; this does not guarantee every client has reconnected.
-For larger fleets, choose smaller weights before enabling the feature.
-
-The weights approximate the share of Rollout pods running the new revision.
-They do not split WebSocket traffic by percentage or move existing connections.
-Pauses also do not stop ordinary scaling, pod replacement after failures, or a
-direct change to the replica counts.
-
-## Returning to a Deployment
-
-Do not disable Rollouts while they still own serving pods: removing the Rollout
-can delete its pods before the Deployment has replaced them. Freeze image and
-pod settings, then reverse the table above. Add and verify one Deployment pod
-before draining a Rollout pod. Once the Deployment has two healthy pods and the
-Rollout has zero remaining pods, set `rollout.enabled: false` and remove the
-unused rollout overrides. Leave `replicaCount: 2`.
-
-## What this does not prove
-
-This chart is a prerequisite for a staged migration, not an automatic recovery
-system. Enabling it with nonzero replicas affects real pods and traffic. It is
-not a report-only or shadow mode. Observation-only health analyses and enforced
-recovery checks require a separate change and validation before activation.
-
-See the upstream [migration guide](https://argo-rollouts.readthedocs.io/en/stable/migrating/)
-and [canary behavior](https://argo-rollouts.readthedocs.io/en/stable/features/canary/).
diff --git a/deploy/charts/buzz/templates/NOTES.txt b/deploy/charts/buzz/templates/NOTES.txt
index 6347fc0603..3cfbbb893c 100644
--- a/deploy/charts/buzz/templates/NOTES.txt
+++ b/deploy/charts/buzz/templates/NOTES.txt
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@
 {{- if $rollout.enabled }}
   kubectl -n {{ .Release.Namespace }} get deployment,rollout {{ include "buzz.fullname" . }}
   Argo Rollouts is enabled. The Deployment supplies the pod template.
-  Updates pause for manual promotion. See docs/argo-rollouts.md before handover.
+  Later updates pause for manual promotion; the initial revision skips pauses.
 {{- else }}
   kubectl -n {{ .Release.Namespace }} rollout status deployment/{{ include "buzz.fullname" . }}
 {{- end }}
diff --git a/deploy/charts/buzz/templates/_rollout.tpl b/deploy/charts/buzz/templates/_rollout.tpl
deleted file mode 100644
index 929cd36a22..0000000000
--- a/deploy/charts/buzz/templates/_rollout.tpl
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,38 +0,0 @@
-{{/* Missing rollout values must remain compatible with --reuse-values. */}}
-{{- define "buzz.validateRollout" -}}
-{{- $rollout := .Values.rollout | default dict -}}
-{{- if $rollout.enabled -}}
-  {{- if .Values.autoscaling.enabled -}}
-    {{- fail "rollout.enabled requires autoscaling.enabled=false; this chart currently supports fixed-replica Rollouts only" -}}
-  {{- end -}}
-  {{- if or (not (hasKey $rollout "deploymentReplicas")) (eq $rollout.deploymentReplicas nil) (not (hasKey $rollout "replicas")) (eq $rollout.replicas nil) -}}
-    {{- fail "rollout.enabled requires explicit rollout.deploymentReplicas and rollout.replicas; start with replicaCount and 0 for an existing Deployment" -}}
-  {{- end -}}
-  {{- $deployment := int $rollout.deploymentReplicas -}}
-  {{- $replicas := int $rollout.replicas -}}
-  {{- $target := int .Values.replicaCount -}}
-  {{- if or (lt $deployment 0) (lt $replicas 0) (gt $deployment $target) (gt $replicas $target) (lt (add $deployment $replicas) $target) (gt (add $deployment $replicas) (add $target 1)) -}}
-    {{- fail "rollout replica counts must each be between 0 and replicaCount, and their sum must be replicaCount or replicaCount + 1" -}}
-  {{- end -}}
-  {{- if and (not .Values.redis.enabled) (not .Values.externalRedis.url) (not .Values.secrets.existingSecret) -}}
-    {{- fail "rollout.enabled requires Redis for overlapping relay pods; configure redis.enabled, externalRedis.url, or secrets.existingSecret with REDIS_URL" -}}
-  {{- end -}}
-  {{- if not $rollout.weights -}}
-    {{- fail "rollout.weights must contain increasing percentages ending at 100" -}}
-  {{- end -}}
-  {{- if le (int ($rollout.progressDeadlineSeconds | default 900)) (int ($rollout.minReadySeconds | default 60)) -}}
-    {{- fail "rollout.progressDeadlineSeconds must exceed rollout.minReadySeconds" -}}
-  {{- end -}}
-  {{- $previous := 0 -}}
-  {{- range $rollout.weights -}}
-    {{- $weight := int . -}}
-    {{- if or (le $weight $previous) (gt $weight 100) -}}
-      {{- fail "rollout.weights must contain increasing percentages ending at 100" -}}
-    {{- end -}}
-    {{- $previous = $weight -}}
-  {{- end -}}
-  {{- if ne $previous 100 -}}
-    {{- fail "rollout.weights must contain increasing percentages ending at 100" -}}
-  {{- end -}}
-{{- end -}}
-{{- end -}}
diff --git a/deploy/charts/buzz/templates/_validate.tpl b/deploy/charts/buzz/templates/_validate.tpl
index 1b95ae543d..ef3ec04021 100644
--- a/deploy/charts/buzz/templates/_validate.tpl
+++ b/deploy/charts/buzz/templates/_validate.tpl
@@ -5,7 +5,42 @@ surface at template time regardless of which manifest helm renders first.
 
 {{- define "buzz.validate" -}}
 
-{{- include "buzz.validateRollout" . -}}
+{{/* Missing rollout values must remain compatible with --reuse-values. */}}
+{{- $rollout := .Values.rollout | default dict -}}
+{{- if $rollout.enabled -}}
+  {{- if .Values.autoscaling.enabled -}}
+    {{- fail "rollout.enabled requires autoscaling.enabled=false; this chart currently supports fixed-replica Rollouts only" -}}
+  {{- end -}}
+  {{- if or (not (hasKey $rollout "deploymentReplicas")) (eq $rollout.deploymentReplicas nil) (not (hasKey $rollout "replicas")) (eq $rollout.replicas nil) -}}
+    {{- fail "rollout.enabled requires explicit rollout.deploymentReplicas and rollout.replicas; start with replicaCount and 0 for an existing Deployment" -}}
+  {{- end -}}
+  {{- $deployment := int $rollout.deploymentReplicas -}}
+  {{- $replicas := int $rollout.replicas -}}
+  {{- $target := int .Values.replicaCount -}}
+  {{- if or (lt $deployment 0) (lt $replicas 0) (gt $deployment $target) (gt $replicas $target) (lt (add $deployment $replicas) $target) (gt (add $deployment $replicas) (add $target 1)) -}}
+    {{- fail "rollout replica counts must each be between 0 and replicaCount, and their sum must be replicaCount or replicaCount + 1" -}}
+  {{- end -}}
+  {{- if and (not .Values.redis.enabled) (not .Values.externalRedis.url) (not .Values.secrets.existingSecret) -}}
+    {{- fail "rollout.enabled requires Redis for overlapping relay pods; configure redis.enabled, externalRedis.url, or secrets.existingSecret with REDIS_URL" -}}
+  {{- end -}}
+  {{- if not $rollout.weights -}}
+    {{- fail "rollout.weights must contain increasing percentages ending at 100" -}}
+  {{- end -}}
+  {{- if le (int ($rollout.progressDeadlineSeconds | default 900)) (int ($rollout.minReadySeconds | default 60)) -}}
+    {{- fail "rollout.progressDeadlineSeconds must exceed rollout.minReadySeconds" -}}
+  {{- end -}}
+  {{- $previous := 0 -}}
+  {{- range $rollout.weights -}}
+    {{- $weight := int . -}}
+    {{- if or (le $weight $previous) (gt $weight 100) -}}
+      {{- fail "rollout.weights must contain increasing percentages ending at 100" -}}
+    {{- end -}}
+    {{- $previous = $weight -}}
+  {{- end -}}
+  {{- if ne $previous 100 -}}
+    {{- fail "rollout.weights must contain increasing percentages ending at 100" -}}
+  {{- end -}}
+{{- end -}}
 
 {{/* relayUrl is required */}}
 {{- if not .Values.relayUrl -}}
diff --git a/deploy/charts/buzz/values.yaml b/deploy/charts/buzz/values.yaml
index 26ef527c02..04e2523439 100644
--- a/deploy/charts/buzz/values.yaml
+++ b/deploy/charts/buzz/values.yaml
@@ -43,7 +43,8 @@ replicaCount: 1
 # Requires a separately installed Argo Rollouts controller and CRDs.
 # The Deployment remains the pod-template source via workloadRef. Set BOTH
 # counts explicitly; enabling this flag alone cannot scale down the Deployment.
-# For a two-pod handover, see docs/argo-rollouts.md before changing these values.
+# Start an existing Deployment handover with deploymentReplicas=replicaCount
+# and replicas=0, then change one count at a time after verifying health.
 rollout:
   enabled: false
   deploymentReplicas: null