diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 5a9bf41..578af4b 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -1,6 +1,3 @@
-[submodule "vendor/cultcache-py"]
-	path = vendor/cultcache-py
-	url = https://github.com/GameCult/cultcache-py.git
 [submodule "vendor/eve"]
 	path = vendor/eve
 	url = https://github.com/GameCult/Eve.git
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 6f1c37d..d0ad6d4 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -53,15 +53,22 @@ inside another project.
 - Architecture rationale: `F:\Projects\Ghostlight\notes\architecture-rationale.md`
 - State CLI: `F:\Projects\Ghostlight\tools\ghostlight_state.py`
 - CultCache state seam: `F:\Projects\Ghostlight\tools\ghostlight_state_store.py`
-- CultCache-Py submodule: `F:\Projects\Ghostlight\vendor\cultcache-py`
+- CultCache-Py dependency: pinned `cultcache-py==0.2.0` from PyPI, declared in
+  `F:\Projects\Ghostlight\tools\requirements.txt`
 - CultCache state store: `F:\Projects\Ghostlight\state\ghostlight-state.cultcache.jsonl`
 - Pre-compaction helper: `F:\Projects\Ghostlight\tools\ghostlight_prepare_compaction.py`
 
 ## Useful Commands
 
-Use the bundled Python runtime if `python` is not on PATH:
+Use the bundled Python runtime if `python` is not on PATH. `npm run state:status`
+and `npm run state:prepare-compaction` install the pinned `cultcache-py`
+dependency automatically (a `pre*` npm hook runs `state:bootstrap` first, an
+idempotent `pip install -r tools/requirements.txt`). A direct
+`ghostlight_state.py` invocation does not go through npm, so run
+`state:bootstrap` once per session before the first direct call:
 
 ```powershell
+npm run state:bootstrap
 npm run state:status
 npm run state:prepare-compaction
 & 'C:\Users\Meta\.cache\codex-runtimes\codex-primary-runtime\dependencies\python\python.exe' '.\tools\ghostlight_state.py' add-evidence --type research --status ok --note '...'
@@ -94,6 +101,8 @@ On fresh session load, do this before wandering off into implementation:
    - `notes/ghostlight-current-system-map.md`
    - `notes/ghostlight-implementation-plan.md`
 2. run:
+   - `npm run state:bootstrap` (installs the pinned `cultcache-py` dependency;
+     idempotent, safe to rerun)
    - `npm run state:status`
 3. restate the current next action from the persisted state before starting
    edits
diff --git a/docs/architecture/persistence-spine.md b/docs/architecture/persistence-spine.md
index a0bd5ab..c15e615 100644
--- a/docs/architecture/persistence-spine.md
+++ b/docs/architecture/persistence-spine.md
@@ -3,14 +3,19 @@
 Ghostlight's machine-managed state is moving behind a small CultCache-style
 persistence layer instead of letting every tool paw raw files directly.
 
-The Python port lives in `vendor/cultcache-py`, backed by the standalone
-GameCult repository `cultcache-py`.
+The Python port is `cultcache-py`, published by CultLib to PyPI and pinned in
+`tools/requirements.txt`. It used to be vendored as the `vendor/cultcache-py`
+git submodule against the now-retired standalone `GameCult/cultcache-py`
+repository; PyPI distribution replaced that fork.
 
 ## Current Store
 
 - Cache store: `state/ghostlight-state.cultcache.jsonl`
 - Ghostlight seam: `tools/ghostlight_state_store.py`
-- Library submodule: `vendor/cultcache-py`
+- Library dependency: pinned `cultcache-py==0.2.0`, declared in
+  `tools/requirements.txt` and installed by `npm run state:bootstrap`
+  (an idempotent `pip install -r tools/requirements.txt`, wired as a `pre*`
+  hook ahead of `state:status` and `state:prepare-compaction`)
 - Readable exports: `state/branches.json`, `state/evidence.jsonl`
 
 The JSONL store is deliberate bootstrap plumbing. The package also exposes a
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 29d2640..ace65ef 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -9,7 +9,10 @@
     "dungeon:run": "cargo run -p ghostlight-dungeon",
     "sdk:build": "npm --prefix sidecar/claude-sdk run build",
     "sdk:test": "npm --prefix sidecar/claude-sdk test",
+    "state:bootstrap": "\"C:\\Users\\Meta\\.cache\\codex-runtimes\\codex-primary-runtime\\dependencies\\python\\python.exe\" -m pip install -q -r tools\\requirements.txt",
+    "prestate:status": "npm run state:bootstrap",
     "state:status": "\"C:\\Users\\Meta\\.cache\\codex-runtimes\\codex-primary-runtime\\dependencies\\python\\python.exe\" .\\tools\\ghostlight_state.py status",
+    "prestate:prepare-compaction": "npm run state:bootstrap",
     "state:prepare-compaction": "\"C:\\Users\\Meta\\.cache\\codex-runtimes\\codex-primary-runtime\\dependencies\\python\\python.exe\" .\\tools\\ghostlight_prepare_compaction.py",
     "agent-state:validate": "\"C:\\Users\\Meta\\.cache\\codex-runtimes\\codex-primary-runtime\\dependencies\\python\\python.exe\" .\\tools\\validate_agent_state.py",
     "schema:validate": "npm run agent-state:validate && npm run projection:validate && npm run projected-context:validate && npm run lore-grounding:validate && npm run coordinator:validate && npm run responder-packets:validate && npm run responder-outputs:validate && npm run training-loop:validate && npm run initiative:validate && npm run ink:validate && npm run coverage:status",
diff --git a/state/map.yaml b/state/map.yaml
index 19aee29..59aa3c1 100644
--- a/state/map.yaml
+++ b/state/map.yaml
@@ -292,7 +292,7 @@ current_artifacts:
   live_examples:
     - state/ghostlight-state.cultcache.jsonl
     - tools/ghostlight_state_store.py
-    - vendor/cultcache-py
+    - tools/requirements.txt
     - state/corpus-coverage.json
     - examples/agent-state.call-of-the-void.json
     - examples/projections/call-of-the-void.scene-broken-taxi-oz.jsonl
diff --git a/tools/ghostlight_state_store.py b/tools/ghostlight_state_store.py
index 6d5839e..fc36f92 100644
--- a/tools/ghostlight_state_store.py
+++ b/tools/ghostlight_state_store.py
@@ -2,24 +2,28 @@ from __future__ import annotations
 
 import hashlib
 import json
-import sys
 from pathlib import Path
 from typing import Any
 
+try:
+    from cultcache_py import CultCache, JsonLinesBackingStore, define_document_type
+except ModuleNotFoundError as error:
+    if error.name != "cultcache_py":
+        raise
+    raise SystemExit(
+        "Ghostlight state tooling needs cultcache-py. Install it with "
+        "`npm run state:bootstrap`, or with this interpreter directly: "
+        "`python -m pip install -r tools/requirements.txt`."
+    ) from error
+
 
 ROOT = Path(__file__).resolve().parents[1]
 STATE_DIR = ROOT / "state"
-VENDOR_SRC = ROOT / "vendor" / "cultcache-py" / "src"
 CACHE_PATH = STATE_DIR / "ghostlight-state.cultcache.jsonl"
 BRANCHES_PATH = STATE_DIR / "branches.json"
 EVIDENCE_PATH = STATE_DIR / "evidence.jsonl"
 ARCHIVE_PATH = STATE_DIR / "evidence.archive.jsonl"
 
-if str(VENDOR_SRC) not in sys.path:
-    sys.path.insert(0, str(VENDOR_SRC))
-
-from cultcache_py import CultCache, JsonLinesBackingStore, define_document_type
-
 
 BRANCHES_DOC = define_document_type(
     "ghostlight.branches.v0",
diff --git a/tools/requirements.txt b/tools/requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..25fb93a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tools/requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+cultcache-py==0.2.0
diff --git a/vendor/cultcache-py b/vendor/cultcache-py
deleted file mode 160000
index 9b4bbb8..0000000
--- a/vendor/cultcache-py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit 9b4bbb8a4d842dd02dc8b2eefda7e742aa47578c