diff --git a/cmd/panel/envdoc_test.go b/cmd/panel/envdoc_test.go
index 2cb1b6a..64368d2 100644
--- a/cmd/panel/envdoc_test.go
+++ b/cmd/panel/envdoc_test.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ var documentedPublic = []string{
 	"TRUSTED_PROXY_CIDR",
 }
 
-// documentedInternal matches guide.md "Internal variables (not part of the operator interface)".
+// documentedInternal matches architecture.md § Configuration "Internal env vars".
 var documentedInternal = []string{
 	"SELFPOST_DATA_DIR",
 	"SELFPOST_DB_PATH",
diff --git a/docs/architecture.md b/docs/architecture.md
index 731545e..c620700 100644
--- a/docs/architecture.md
+++ b/docs/architecture.md
@@ -319,5 +319,33 @@ origin check, no CSRF tokens) are documented there separately.
 
 ## Configuration
 
-Public and internal env vars: [guide § Environment variables](guide.md#environment-variables).
+Public env vars: [guide § Environment variables](guide.md#environment-variables).
 Regression test: [cmd/panel/envdoc_test.go](../cmd/panel/envdoc_test.go).
+
+**Internal env vars.** The following are read by the panel or startup scripts
+but are not part of the operator interface — not meant to be changed in a
+normal deployment; documented here so an accidental override reads as
+unsupported rather than as a missing doc:
+
+- **Panel paths and tuning:** `SELFPOST_DATA_DIR` (`/data`), `SELFPOST_DB_PATH`
+  (`/data/selfpost.db`), `SELFPOST_SETUP_TOKEN_FILE`
+  (`/data/setup-token`), `PANEL_HTTP_ADDR` (`:8080`),
+  `JOURNAL_MILTER_SOCKET` (`/run/selfpost/journal.sock`), `MAIL_LOG`
+  (`/data/log/mail.log` — read by the panel and written by Postfix, so a change
+  here has to be matched in `build/postfix-config.sh`),
+  `PANEL_COOKIE_SECURE` (`true`), `OPENDKIM_SOCKET`
+  (`/run/opendkim/opendkim.sock`), `OPENDKIM_DIR` (`/data/opendkim`),
+  `DKIM_SELECTOR_DEFAULT` (`selfpost`), `SASL_DB_PATH`
+  (`/data/sasl/sasldb2`), `SASL_REALM` (defaults to `SELFPOST_HOSTNAME`),
+  `POSTFIX_DIR` (`/data/postfix`), `POSTFIX_SENDER_LOGIN_MAPS`
+  (`/data/postfix/sender_login_maps` — read by Postfix config only; the panel
+  always writes `<POSTFIX_DIR>/sender_login_maps`, so overriding this env alone
+  desyncs the map Postfix reads from the file the panel maintains).
+- **Milter and Postfix startup:** `MILTER_CONNECT_TIMEOUT` (`15s`),
+  `MILTER_COMMAND_TIMEOUT` (`15s`), `MILTER_CONTENT_TIMEOUT` (`30s`),
+  `MILTER_WAIT_TIMEOUT` (`30` seconds).
+- **Background maintenance:** `TLS_RELOAD_INTERVAL_SECONDS` (`86400` — daily
+  `postfix reload` to pick up renewed certificates),
+  `LOGROTATE_INTERVAL_SECONDS` (`21600` — check `mail.log` rotation every six
+  hours; logrotate keeps 14 rotated files on a daily schedule, and each
+  rotation triggers `postfix reload`).
diff --git a/docs/guide.md b/docs/guide.md
index fc215a2..a43bf5f 100644
--- a/docs/guide.md
+++ b/docs/guide.md
@@ -196,33 +196,10 @@ TLS certificate paths (`TLS_CERT_FILE`, `TLS_KEY_FILE`) are fixed in
 [deploy/docker-compose.yml](../deploy/docker-compose.yml) to match the `./certs`
 bind mount — configure the mount, not these variables.
 
-**Internal variables (not part of the operator interface).** The following are
-read by the panel or startup scripts but are not meant to be changed in a
-normal deployment; documenting them here avoids treating accidental overrides as
-supported configuration:
-
-- **Panel paths and tuning:** `SELFPOST_DATA_DIR` (`/data`), `SELFPOST_DB_PATH`
-  (`/data/selfpost.db`), `SELFPOST_SETUP_TOKEN_FILE`
-  (`/data/setup-token`), `PANEL_HTTP_ADDR` (`:8080`),
-  `JOURNAL_MILTER_SOCKET` (`/run/selfpost/journal.sock`), `MAIL_LOG`
-  (`/data/log/mail.log` — read by the panel and written by Postfix, so a change
-  here has to be matched in `build/postfix-config.sh`),
-  `PANEL_COOKIE_SECURE` (`true`), `OPENDKIM_SOCKET`
-  (`/run/opendkim/opendkim.sock`), `OPENDKIM_DIR` (`/data/opendkim`),
-  `DKIM_SELECTOR_DEFAULT` (`selfpost`), `SASL_DB_PATH`
-  (`/data/sasl/sasldb2`), `SASL_REALM` (defaults to `SELFPOST_HOSTNAME`),
-  `POSTFIX_DIR` (`/data/postfix`), `POSTFIX_SENDER_LOGIN_MAPS`
-  (`/data/postfix/sender_login_maps` — read by Postfix config only; the panel
-  always writes `<POSTFIX_DIR>/sender_login_maps`, so overriding this env alone
-  desyncs the map Postfix reads from the file the panel maintains).
-- **Milter and Postfix startup:** `MILTER_CONNECT_TIMEOUT` (`15s`),
-  `MILTER_COMMAND_TIMEOUT` (`15s`), `MILTER_CONTENT_TIMEOUT` (`30s`),
-  `MILTER_WAIT_TIMEOUT` (`30` seconds).
-- **Background maintenance:** `TLS_RELOAD_INTERVAL_SECONDS` (`86400` — daily
-  `postfix reload` to pick up renewed certificates),
-  `LOGROTATE_INTERVAL_SECONDS` (`21600` — check `mail.log` rotation every six
-  hours; logrotate keeps 14 rotated files on a daily schedule, and each
-  rotation triggers `postfix reload`).
+The image also reads a number of internal, non-operator env vars (paths,
+timeouts, tuning) — not part of this interface; see
+[architecture.md § Configuration](architecture.md#configuration) if you need
+them.
 
 ### Reverse proxy (mandatory)