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+# Runbook
+
+This runbook explains how to execute and maintain the scripts in this repository.
+
+## Execution Model
+
+Most scripts can be executed directly with Bash:
+
+```bash
+bash scripts/script_name.sh --help
+```
+
+For production usage, prefer absolute paths and explicit options:
+
+```bash
+/usr/bin/bash /opt/devops/scripts/system_health_report.sh --output /var/tmp/health.txt
+```
+
+## Logging
+
+Scripts print timestamped messages to standard output and standard error.
+When running through cron or a scheduler, redirect output to a dedicated log file:
+
+```bash
+bash scripts/docker_cleanup.sh --dry-run >> /var/log/docker-cleanup.log 2>&1
+```
+
+## Permissions
+
+Some scripts require elevated privileges:
+
+- Docker maintenance requires access to the Docker daemon.
+- User bootstrap usually requires root.
+- Reading system services may require systemd access.
+- Writing into deployment paths may require ownership or sudo.
+
+Avoid running scripts as root unless the operation requires it.
+
+## Safety Checklist
+
+Before scheduling or automating a script:
+
+1. Confirm the script exits non-zero on failure.
+2. Confirm the script handles missing dependencies.
+3. Confirm retention settings are aligned with business needs.
+4. Confirm secrets are supplied through secure environment variables or secret stores.
+5. Confirm logs do not expose passwords, tokens, or private keys.
+
+## Suggested CI Validation
+
+At minimum, run:
+
+```bash
+bash tests/syntax_check.sh
+```
+
+If ShellCheck is available:
+
+```bash
+shellcheck scripts/*.sh tests/*.sh
+```
+