## 1. Runtime
- [ ] 1.1 Skip persisted ring registration/heartbeat for SQLite single-instance runtime.
- [ ] 1.2 Skip persisted ring lookups for HTTP bridge owner checks when dynamic ring membership is disabled.
- [ ] 1.3 Make API-key reservation release best-effort.

## 2. Verification
- [ ] 2.1 Add unit coverage for SQLite single-instance static ring fallback.
- [ ] 2.2 Run targeted proxy/runtime tests plus lint.
