diff --git a/.github/workflows/private-names.yml b/.github/workflows/private-names.yml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7a1b5fa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/workflows/private-names.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+name: Private names
+
+on:
+  pull_request:
+  push:
+    branches: [main]
+
+jobs:
+  check:
+    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
+    timeout-minutes: 5
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v4
+      - name: No private machine, person, or agent names
+        run: python3 scripts/check-private-names.py
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7d9bee3..03e4c34 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ mutation — drop a file at the documented path and `ls`/`peek`/`send`/
 #   <url>  <label>            — peer with explicit label
 
 ssh://web1.example.com
-ssh://nathan@web2.example.com:2222     prod-web-2
+ssh://alex@web2.example.com:2222       prod-web-2
 ssh://db1.example.com                  primary-db
 
 # https://#pk.secret URLs work too (token-URL form from `pty-relay
diff --git a/browser/src/session-list-view.ts b/browser/src/session-list-view.ts
index ef07792..9f18050 100644
--- a/browser/src/session-list-view.ts
+++ b/browser/src/session-list-view.ts
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ export function formatAge(iso: string | null | undefined, now: number = Date.now
  *  testability — its branches are non-trivial. */
 export function shortenCwd(cwd: string): string {
   // Best-effort: we don't get HOME from the daemon, so we hard-code
-  // the macOS pattern. If we ever need to support /home/<user> we'll
+  // the macOS pattern. If we ever need to support Linux home directories we'll
   // pass the prefix in from the caller.
   const home = "/Users/";
   if (cwd.startsWith(home)) {
diff --git a/flake.lock b/flake.lock
index f1ba415..3d050f3 100644
--- a/flake.lock
+++ b/flake.lock
@@ -44,13 +44,13 @@
         "lastModified": 1784556029,
         "narHash": "sha256-52SqV7ANR/r+gqGNo/e2JUmQImpmCgmMUScd0KZlTW0=",
         "owner": "compoundingtech",
-        "repo": "pty",
+        "repo": "pty-original-experiment",
         "rev": "0a9be8c06bd9e3f0c1acbb34784762075ef53eb3",
         "type": "github"
       },
       "original": {
         "owner": "compoundingtech",
-        "repo": "pty",
+        "repo": "pty-original-experiment",
         "type": "github"
       }
     },
diff --git a/flake.nix b/flake.nix
index 452d3cb..f70db74 100644
--- a/flake.nix
+++ b/flake.nix
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
   inputs = {
     nixpkgs.url = "github:NixOS/nixpkgs/nixos-unstable";
     flake-utils.url = "github:numtide/flake-utils";
-    pty.url = "github:compoundingtech/pty";
+    pty.url = "github:compoundingtech/pty-original-experiment";
     pty.inputs.nixpkgs.follows = "nixpkgs";
   };
 
diff --git a/integration/e2e.test.ts b/integration/e2e.test.ts
index f656244..c2a700b 100644
--- a/integration/e2e.test.ts
+++ b/integration/e2e.test.ts
@@ -1084,7 +1084,7 @@ describe("client approval", () => {
     await client.waitForText("approval-works", 5000);
 
     // The client sent a hello message after approval; the token's label
-    // should have been backfilled from it (e.g. "Silber.local (cli)").
+    // should have been backfilled from it (e.g. "example.local (cli)").
     // Give it a moment to persist.
     await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 500));
     const afterData = await loadClients(await openStore(relayDir));
diff --git a/integration/peers-file.test.ts b/integration/peers-file.test.ts
index 864f51c..98a03ca 100644
--- a/integration/peers-file.test.ts
+++ b/integration/peers-file.test.ts
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ describe("pty-relay peers subcommand", () => {
 
 describe("peers file — declarative provisioning", () => {
   it("ls discovers a peer dropped into the peers file (zero commands run)", () => {
-    fs.writeFileSync(peersFile, "ssh://nathan@web1.example.com  prod-web\n");
+    fs.writeFileSync(peersFile, "ssh://alex@web1.example.com  prod-web\n");
     clearCallLog();
     const result = runCli(["ls", "--config-dir", configDir, "--json"]);
     if (result.status !== 0) {
@@ -183,9 +183,9 @@ describe("peers file — declarative provisioning", () => {
     }>;
     expect(parsed).toHaveLength(1);
     expect(parsed[0].label).toBe("prod-web");
-    expect(parsed[0].url).toBe("ssh://nathan@web1.example.com");
+    expect(parsed[0].url).toBe("ssh://alex@web1.example.com");
     expect(parsed[0].sessions.map((s) => s.name)).toEqual(["work"]);
-    expect(readCallLog()).toContain("nathan@web1.example.com pty list --json");
+    expect(readCallLog()).toContain("alex@web1.example.com pty list --json");
   });
 
   it("supports a mixed ssh + https://#pk.secret peers file", () => {
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ describe("phase-2 ssh wiring — every subcommand routes through ssh", () => {
   });
 
   // Fix B: ssh://user@host/session URLs. The pty TUI's attach-remote
-  // path hands us a URL of this shape (Nathan reported the "No known
+  // path hands us a URL of this shape (the reported "No known
   // host" bug); the "URL is a complete address" mental model has to
   // work from either side of the seam.
   describe("ssh:// URL with session in the path", () => {
diff --git a/integration/ssh-ls.test.ts b/integration/ssh-ls.test.ts
index a06dab6..a08b31a 100644
--- a/integration/ssh-ls.test.ts
+++ b/integration/ssh-ls.test.ts
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ describe("ssh:// transport — pty-relay ls", () => {
       [
         CLI_ENTRY,
         "add",
-        "ssh://nathan@beta",
+        "ssh://alex@beta",
         "--label",
         "beta",
         "--config-dir",
@@ -170,12 +170,12 @@ describe("ssh:// transport — pty-relay ls", () => {
       console.log("add stdout:", result.stdout);
     }
     expect(result.status).toBe(0);
-    expect(result.stdout).toContain("Added beta → ssh://nathan@beta");
+    expect(result.stdout).toContain("Added beta → ssh://alex@beta");
     expect(result.stdout).toContain("ok (pty 1.2.3-fake)");
 
     // The probe used `pty --version`, not `pty list --json`.
     const calls = fs.readFileSync(path.join(fakeSshDir, "calls.log"), "utf-8");
-    expect(calls).toContain("nathan@beta pty --version");
+    expect(calls).toContain("alex@beta pty --version");
 
     // Now reading back via ls should see the new entry. We need the
     // fake to keep responding to `list --json` for the second
@@ -196,6 +196,6 @@ describe("ssh:// transport — pty-relay ls", () => {
     expect(ls.status).toBe(0);
     const parsed = JSON.parse(ls.stdout);
     expect(parsed[0].label).toBe("beta");
-    expect(parsed[0].url).toBe("ssh://nathan@beta");
+    expect(parsed[0].url).toBe("ssh://alex@beta");
   }, 30_000);
 });
diff --git a/scripts/check-private-names.py b/scripts/check-private-names.py
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..9879744
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/check-private-names.py
@@ -0,0 +1,124 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Keep private machine, person, and agent names out of this public repository.
+
+Fails when a tracked file names one of the fleet's machines, a home directory
+under /home or /Users, a person/ ID, or an agent/fleet/ ID. Write invented
+examples instead: web1.example.com, /home/example, /Users/example,
+person/alex, agent/example/worker.
+
+Machine names are listed as SHA-256 digests of the lowercase name, so this
+file does not publish the names it keeps out. To add a machine, append the
+output of `printf %s NAME | shasum -a 256`.
+
+A line that must stay as it is goes in .private-names-allow: one regular
+expression per line, searched in `path:text of the line`. Blank lines and
+lines starting with # are ignored.
+
+Run it from anywhere inside the repository: python3 scripts/check-private-names.py
+"""
+
+import hashlib
+import re
+import subprocess
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+MACHINE_DIGESTS = {
+    "a994ffcab684f9e2136b0681c20d2a5ef5f23a5cb7b64ab8934d15a888cc4ea3",
+    "2c619e6895b513481a07dae6c4b5781282ef1eee7a7f16744fafe7dbbd3e5ca2",
+    "46b6312339466d3b206325f6f402e1fae56cd65f117c779e3b9259833ffbcdf0",
+    "9fe430e5274621be518924ed90d2355f39eeb1d4d98fb00ea0022f3a26ba5595",
+    "5881d66b8738b483578c8479c59f09856a5447b47bbd2660cff7dc92e1607a2d",
+    "294aa8d75483b8331e3ba6a7f24aea15202747f36de65197e7bc6194880b2558",
+}
+
+ALLOW_FILE = ".private-names-allow"
+
+WORD = re.compile(r"[a-z0-9]+(?:-[a-z0-9]+)*")
+HOME = re.compile(r"/(?:home|Users)/([A-Za-z0-9._-]+)")
+PERSON = re.compile(r"(?<![A-Za-z0-9_-])person/([A-Za-z0-9._-]+)")
+AGENT = re.compile(r"(?<![A-Za-z0-9_-])agent/fleet/")
+INVENTED_PEOPLE = {"alex"}
+
+
+def invented(name):
+    return name.lower().startswith("example")
+
+
+def digest(word):
+    return hashlib.sha256(word.encode()).hexdigest()
+
+
+def names_a_machine(line):
+    for word in WORD.findall(line.lower()):
+        for part in {word, *word.split("-")}:
+            if digest(part) in MACHINE_DIGESTS:
+                return True
+    return False
+
+
+def problems(line):
+    if names_a_machine(line):
+        yield "names a private machine"
+    for match in HOME.finditer(line):
+        if not invented(match.group(1)):
+            yield f"home path {match.group(0)!r}: use /home/example or /Users/example"
+    for match in PERSON.finditer(line):
+        name = match.group(1)
+        if not invented(name) and name.lower() not in INVENTED_PEOPLE:
+            yield f"person ID {match.group(0)!r}: use person/alex"
+    if AGENT.search(line):
+        yield "agent/fleet/ ID: use agent/example/..."
+
+
+def main():
+    root = Path(
+        subprocess.run(
+            ["git", "rev-parse", "--show-toplevel"],
+            check=True, capture_output=True, text=True,
+        ).stdout.strip()
+    )
+    script = Path(__file__).resolve()
+    this = script.relative_to(root).as_posix() if script.is_relative_to(root) else None
+    allow_path = root / ALLOW_FILE
+    allowed = []
+    if allow_path.exists():
+        for raw in allow_path.read_text().splitlines():
+            if raw.strip() and not raw.startswith("#"):
+                allowed.append(re.compile(raw))
+
+    files = subprocess.run(
+        ["git", "ls-files", "-z"],
+        cwd=root, check=True, capture_output=True,
+    ).stdout.decode().split("\0")
+
+    found = 0
+    for path in files:
+        if not path or path in (this, ALLOW_FILE):
+            continue
+        full = root / path
+        if not full.is_file():
+            continue
+        data = full.read_bytes()
+        if b"\0" in data:
+            continue
+        for number, line in enumerate(data.decode("utf-8", "replace").splitlines(), 1):
+            located = f"{path}:{line}"
+            if any(pattern.search(located) for pattern in allowed):
+                continue
+            for problem in problems(line):
+                print(f"{path}:{number}: {problem}")
+                found += 1
+
+    if found:
+        print(
+            f"\n{found} private name(s) found. Replace each with an invented "
+            f"example, or add a pattern to {ALLOW_FILE} if the line must stay.",
+            file=sys.stderr,
+        )
+        return 1
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    sys.exit(main())
diff --git a/src/relay/daemon-runtime.ts b/src/relay/daemon-runtime.ts
index 55bca43..9c66f03 100644
--- a/src/relay/daemon-runtime.ts
+++ b/src/relay/daemon-runtime.ts
@@ -39,7 +39,7 @@ export interface DaemonRuntime {
   /** Set when `--tailscale` was passed AND tailscale serve registration
    *  succeeded. Otherwise undefined. */
   tailscale?: {
-    /** Tailnet hostname, e.g. `silber.pancake-hake.ts.net`. */
+    /** Tailnet hostname, e.g. `example-host.example-tailnet.ts.net`. */
     hostname: string;
     /** Almost always 443 for the operator's tailnet serve config; left
      *  explicit so future non-443 setups slot in. */
diff --git a/test/daemon-runtime.test.ts b/test/daemon-runtime.test.ts
index 4c0bb9b..53d4c03 100644
--- a/test/daemon-runtime.test.ts
+++ b/test/daemon-runtime.test.ts
@@ -116,23 +116,23 @@ describe("buildExternalTokenUrl", () => {
     const runtime: DaemonRuntime = {
       port: 8099,
       bind: "127.0.0.1",
-      tailscale: { hostname: "silber.ts.net", port: 443, scheme: "https" },
+      tailscale: { hostname: "example.ts.net", port: 443, scheme: "https" },
       startedAt: 0,
     };
     const url = buildExternalTokenUrl(runtime, pk, secret, fakeCreateToken);
     // Default https port → no port in the URL.
-    expect(url).toBe("proto://silber.ts.net#fakepk.fakesecret");
+    expect(url).toBe("proto://example.ts.net#fakepk.fakesecret");
   });
 
   it("includes the tailscale port when it's non-default", () => {
     const runtime: DaemonRuntime = {
       port: 8099,
       bind: "127.0.0.1",
-      tailscale: { hostname: "silber.ts.net", port: 8443, scheme: "https" },
+      tailscale: { hostname: "example.ts.net", port: 8443, scheme: "https" },
       startedAt: 0,
     };
     const url = buildExternalTokenUrl(runtime, pk, secret, fakeCreateToken);
-    expect(url).toBe("proto://silber.ts.net:8443#fakepk.fakesecret");
+    expect(url).toBe("proto://example.ts.net:8443#fakepk.fakesecret");
   });
 
   it("falls back to localhost:<port> when no tailscale", () => {
diff --git a/test/local-status-probe.test.ts b/test/local-status-probe.test.ts
index 2c01b84..4666115 100644
--- a/test/local-status-probe.test.ts
+++ b/test/local-status-probe.test.ts
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ import { probeDaemon } from "../src/commands/local/status.ts";
  * Unit tests for `probeDaemon`'s dual-signal (PID alive + TCP port
  * listening). The full CLI shape of `pty-relay local status` is
  * exercised by the integration suite; here we just pin the probe's
- * logic since it's the load-bearing fix for Nathan's "stale pid
+ * logic since it's the load-bearing fix for the "stale pid
  * 12839 (process not found)" reading-it-wrong bug.
  */
 
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ describe("probeDaemon", () => {
     expect(probe.portListening).toBe(true);
   });
 
-  it("running:false, portListening:false when nothing's around (Nathan's clean-shutdown case)", async () => {
+  it("running:false, portListening:false when nothing's around (the clean-shutdown case)", async () => {
     const port = await pickUnusedPort();
     const probe = await probeDaemon(dir, port);
     expect(probe).toEqual({
diff --git a/test/peers-file.test.ts b/test/peers-file.test.ts
index 953f67d..defa2a6 100644
--- a/test/peers-file.test.ts
+++ b/test/peers-file.test.ts
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ describe("parsePeersFile — line grammar", () => {
 
   it("auto-label strips user@ but keeps the bare hostname", () => {
     const hosts = parsePeersFile(
-      "ssh://nathan@beta.host\n",
+      "ssh://alex@beta.host\n",
       "/test/peers",
     );
     expect(hosts[0].label).toBe("beta.host");
@@ -181,22 +181,22 @@ describe("peersFileCandidates", () => {
   it("PTY_RELAY_PEERS_FILE is checked first", () => {
     process.env.PTY_RELAY_PEERS_FILE = "/explicit/path";
     process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME = "/xdg";
-    process.env.HOME = "/home/u";
+    process.env.HOME = "/home/example";
     const list = peersFileCandidates();
     expect(list[0]).toBe("/explicit/path");
   });
 
   it("XDG_CONFIG_HOME comes second when set", () => {
     process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME = "/xdg";
-    process.env.HOME = "/home/u";
+    process.env.HOME = "/home/example";
     const list = peersFileCandidates();
     expect(list).toContain("/xdg/pty-relay/peers");
   });
 
   it("falls back to ~/.config/pty-relay/peers when XDG isn't set", () => {
-    process.env.HOME = "/home/u";
+    process.env.HOME = "/home/example";
     const list = peersFileCandidates();
-    expect(list).toContain("/home/u/.config/pty-relay/peers");
+    expect(list).toContain("/home/example/.config/pty-relay/peers");
   });
 });
 
diff --git a/test/session-list-view.test.ts b/test/session-list-view.test.ts
index 2ba4f32..d4c425c 100644
--- a/test/session-list-view.test.ts
+++ b/test/session-list-view.test.ts
@@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ afterEach(() => {
 
 describe("shortenCwd", () => {
   it("rewrites paths under /Users/<name>/ to ~/...", () => {
-    expect(shortenCwd("/Users/myobie/src/foo")).toBe("~/src/foo");
+    expect(shortenCwd("/Users/example/src/foo")).toBe("~/src/foo");
   });
 
   it("truncates absolute paths outside /Users with ellipsis + last 2 segments", () => {
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ describe("structure", () => {
   it("each row has all four columns with the right contents", () => {
     const c = mountContainer();
     const v = makeView(c);
-    v.update([{ name: "s", command: "bash", cwd: "/Users/me/x", tags: { env: "dev" } }]);
+    v.update([{ name: "s", command: "bash", cwd: "/Users/example/x", tags: { env: "dev" } }]);
     const row = c.querySelector(".session-rows .session-row");
     expect(row?.querySelector(".col-name")?.textContent).toBe("s");
     expect(row?.querySelector(".col-cmd")?.textContent).toBe("bash");
@@ -162,7 +162,7 @@ describe("structure", () => {
       {
         name: "<img src=x onerror=alert(1)>",
         command: "<script>alert(2)</script>",
-        cwd: "/Users/me/<x>",
+        cwd: "/Users/example/<x>",
         tags: { "<a>": "<b>" },
       },
     ]);
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ describe("filter", () => {
     const v = makeView(c);
     v.update([
       { name: "a", command: "claude --resume" },
-      { name: "b", cwd: "/Users/me/important-thing" },
+      { name: "b", cwd: "/Users/example/important-thing" },
       { name: "c", tags: { project: "the-thing" } },
     ]);
     setFilter(c, "thing");