diff --git a/bench/watt_probe.py b/bench/watt_probe.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ae1737b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bench/watt_probe.py
@@ -0,0 +1,187 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""Zero-dependency GPU+CPU power probe — runs ON a worker (GPU) box.
+
+Split out of `bench/watt_bench.py` for the laptop-driver / worker-reporter
+architecture (fox 2026-05-20): the laptop holds the shards, runs
+retrieval + the judge + the workload loop, and drives the worker's LLM
+endpoint over the network; the worker boxes (3090 / 4090) only serve the
+model and **report their own power**. Power sampling must run on the box
+(nvidia-smi + RAPL are host-local), but everything else stays on the
+laptop — so the workers need NO shards, NO judge, NO arborist install,
+NO venv. This script is **stdlib-only** (python3 + nvidia-smi +
+readable RAPL); copy it over and run it, nothing to install.
+
+It samples GPU power (`nvidia-smi power.draw`) and CPU package energy
+(Intel RAPL `energy_uj`) over a window and emits a JSON energy report.
+The laptop orchestrates the window two ways:
+
+  * ``--duration SECONDS`` — sample for a fixed window (laptop sizes it
+    to the workload), or
+  * ``--until-file PATH`` — sample until PATH appears (laptop touches it
+    to stop), the tightly-correlated mode: start probe, run workload,
+    touch stop-file, collect JSON.
+
+Output (stdout, or ``--out PATH``): the same energy schema watt_bench's
+samplers produce — gpu mean/peak W + joules, cpu mean W + joules,
+window, gpu_name — so the laptop merges it into the cell record exactly
+as if sampled locally.
+
+Usage on the worker (driven by the laptop over SSH)::
+
+    # fixed window
+    python3 watt_probe.py --duration 60 --gpu-label 4090
+    # signalled window (laptop: start, run workload, then `touch /tmp/stop`)
+    python3 watt_probe.py --until-file /tmp/wattprobe.stop --out /tmp/p.json &
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import json
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import time
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+def _nvsmi(query: str, gpu_index: int) -> str | None:
+    try:
+        out = subprocess.run(
+            ["nvidia-smi", f"--id={gpu_index}", f"--query-gpu={query}",
+             "--format=csv,noheader,nounits"],
+            capture_output=True, text=True, timeout=5).stdout.strip()
+        return out.splitlines()[0] if out else None
+    except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001
+        return None
+
+
+def _gpu_name(gpu_index: int) -> str:
+    return _nvsmi("name", gpu_index) or "unknown"
+
+
+def _gpu_watts(gpu_index: int) -> float | None:
+    v = _nvsmi("power.draw", gpu_index)
+    try:
+        return float(v) if v is not None else None
+    except ValueError:
+        return None
+
+
+def _gpu_util(gpu_index: int) -> float | None:
+    v = _nvsmi("utilization.gpu", gpu_index)
+    try:
+        return float(v) if v is not None else None
+    except (ValueError, TypeError):
+        return None
+
+
+def _rapl_packages() -> list[Path]:
+    base = Path("/sys/class/powercap")
+    if not base.exists():
+        return []
+    # top-level packages only (intel-rapl:N) — NOT the :N:M core/uncore
+    # subdomains, which would double-count.
+    return sorted(p / "energy_uj" for p in base.glob("intel-rapl:*")
+                  if p.name.count(":") == 1 and (p / "energy_uj").exists())
+
+
+def _rapl_total_uj(pkgs: list[Path]) -> int | None:
+    if not pkgs:
+        return None
+    vals = []
+    for p in pkgs:
+        try:
+            vals.append(int(p.read_text().strip()))
+        except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001
+            return None
+    return sum(vals)
+
+
+def main() -> int:
+    ap = argparse.ArgumentParser()
+    ap.add_argument("--gpu-index", type=int, default=0)
+    ap.add_argument("--gpu-label", default="")
+    ap.add_argument("--interval", type=float, default=0.5)
+    g = ap.add_mutually_exclusive_group(required=True)
+    g.add_argument("--duration", type=float,
+                   help="sample for this many seconds then emit")
+    g.add_argument("--until-file", default=None,
+                   help="sample until this path exists (laptop touches "
+                        "it to stop) — the workload-correlated mode")
+    ap.add_argument("--out", default="",
+                    help="write JSON here (default stdout)")
+    a = ap.parse_args()
+
+    pkgs = _rapl_packages()
+    gpu_name = _gpu_name(a.gpu_index)
+    gpu_avail = _gpu_watts(a.gpu_index) is not None
+    cpu_e0 = _rapl_total_uj(pkgs)
+    cpu_avail = cpu_e0 is not None
+
+    samples: list[tuple[float, float, float | None]] = []  # (t, watts, util)
+    t_start = time.time()
+    stop_path = Path(a.until_file) if a.until_file else None
+
+    def _should_stop() -> bool:
+        if a.duration is not None:
+            return (time.time() - t_start) >= a.duration
+        return stop_path.exists() if stop_path else True
+
+    # If signalled mode and the stop-file already exists, clear our view
+    # by ignoring a pre-existing file would be wrong — caller is expected
+    # to remove it before starting. We just begin sampling.
+    while not _should_stop():
+        w = _gpu_watts(a.gpu_index)
+        if w is not None:
+            samples.append((time.time(), w, _gpu_util(a.gpu_index)))
+        time.sleep(a.interval)
+
+    t_end = time.time()
+    cpu_e1 = _rapl_total_uj(pkgs)
+
+    # GPU: trapezoid-integrate sampled instantaneous power → joules.
+    gpu_joules = None
+    gpu_mean = gpu_peak = None
+    util_mean = None
+    if samples:
+        ws = [w for _, w, _ in samples]
+        gpu_mean = round(sum(ws) / len(ws), 1)
+        gpu_peak = round(max(ws), 1)
+        utils = [u for _, _, u in samples if u is not None]
+        util_mean = round(sum(utils) / len(utils), 1) if utils else None
+        j = 0.0
+        for (t0, w0, _), (t1, w1, _) in zip(samples, samples[1:]):
+            j += (w0 + w1) / 2.0 * (t1 - t0)
+        gpu_joules = round(j, 1)
+
+    # CPU: RAPL energy is a direct cumulative counter — end minus start.
+    cpu_joules = cpu_mean = None
+    if cpu_avail and cpu_e1 is not None and cpu_e1 >= cpu_e0:
+        cpu_joules = round((cpu_e1 - cpu_e0) / 1_000_000.0, 1)
+        win = t_end - t_start
+        cpu_mean = round(cpu_joules / win, 1) if win else None
+
+    report = {
+        "gpu_label": a.gpu_label or "gpu",
+        "gpu_name": gpu_name,
+        "gpu_available": gpu_avail,
+        "cpu_rapl_available": cpu_avail,
+        "cpu_rapl_packages": len(pkgs),
+        "window_s": round(t_end - t_start, 1),
+        "n_samples": len(samples),
+        "gpu_mean_w": gpu_mean,
+        "gpu_peak_w": gpu_peak,
+        "gpu_util_mean_pct": util_mean,
+        "gpu_joules": gpu_joules,
+        "cpu_mean_w": cpu_mean,
+        "cpu_joules": cpu_joules,
+    }
+    blob = json.dumps(report, indent=2)
+    if a.out:
+        Path(a.out).write_text(blob + "\n")
+    else:
+        print(blob)
+    return 0
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    raise SystemExit(main())