diff --git a/src/tiararodney/sekft/eval.py b/src/tiararodney/sekft/eval.py
new file mode 100644
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+++ b/src/tiararodney/sekft/eval.py
@@ -0,0 +1,101 @@
+"""Behavioural eval: the metric that matters.
+
+Train loss says nothing about whether the model operates the shell and leaves.
+This loads a fine-tuned model (base + LoRA adapter), drops it into held-out
+scenarios with NO scaffold (the trained behaviour must stand on its own), and
+reports the rates that count: does it reach command-mode, does it terminate,
+does the checker pass.
+
+    python eval.py --base <hf-dir> --adapter ./ckpt-mistral-r16 \
+                   --scenarios ./holdout-scenarios --n 10
+
+Reuses the rollout loop with a *local* operator: the model formats and
+generates in the same role-delimited render it was trained on (train == eval ==
+deploy, or the prompts go out of distribution). Prerequisites on the box: torch
++ transformers + peft, the ``sekft-dash`` image, and held-out SCENARIO bundles
+(from ``generate.py`` -- not trajectories; the eval stands up and verifies each).
+"""
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import argparse
+import json
+from pathlib import Path
+
+from tiararodney.posix_sdc.factory.dashdocker import DashDocker, available
+from tiararodney.posix_sdc.factory.rollout import rollout
+from tiararodney.posix_sdc.schema import Scenario
+
+from .sft import normalize_for_template
+
+
+def make_local_operator(base: str, adapter: str, max_new_tokens: int = 64,
+                        temperature: float = 0.7):
+    """A ``messages -> command`` callable backed by base + LoRA adapter.
+
+    Renders the conversation exactly as the model was trained, appends the
+    assistant header, generates one turn, and cuts at the first stop marker.
+    """
+    import torch
+    from peft import PeftModel
+    from transformers import AutoModelForCausalLM, AutoTokenizer
+
+    tok = AutoTokenizer.from_pretrained(adapter)
+    model = AutoModelForCausalLM.from_pretrained(
+        base, torch_dtype=torch.float16, device_map="auto")
+    model = PeftModel.from_pretrained(model, adapter)
+    model.eval()
+
+    def operator(messages):
+        msgs = normalize_for_template(messages)
+        ids = tok.apply_chat_template(
+            msgs, add_generation_prompt=True, return_tensors="pt").to(model.device)
+        with torch.no_grad():
+            out = model.generate(
+                ids, max_new_tokens=max_new_tokens,
+                do_sample=temperature > 0, temperature=max(temperature, 1e-2),
+                eos_token_id=tok.eos_token_id, pad_token_id=tok.eos_token_id)
+        return tok.decode(out[0][ids.shape[1]:], skip_special_tokens=True).strip()
+
+    return operator
+
+
+def evaluate(base: str, adapter: str, scenarios_dir: Path, n: int,
+             max_steps: int, temperature: float) -> dict:
+    if not available():
+        raise SystemExit("sekft-dash image unavailable; `docker build -t sekft-dash .`")
+    operator = make_local_operator(base, adapter, temperature=temperature)
+    backend = DashDocker()
+    rows = []
+    for f in sorted(scenarios_dir.glob("*.json"))[:n]:
+        sc = Scenario.from_dict(json.loads(f.read_text()))
+        tj = rollout(sc, backend, max_steps=max_steps, temperature=temperature,
+                     operator=operator, use_scaffold=False)
+        rows.append(tj)
+        print(f"  {sc.id}: {tj.outcome} (terminal={tj.terminal} "
+              f"verified={tj.verified} steps={tj.steps})")
+    d = len(rows) or 1
+    return {
+        "n": len(rows),
+        "operate_rate": round(sum(t.steps > 0 and t.meta.get("clean") for t in rows) / d, 3),
+        "terminate_rate": round(sum(t.terminal in ("exit", "panic") for t in rows) / d, 3),
+        "verified_rate": round(sum(t.verified for t in rows) / d, 3),
+        "clean_rate": round(sum(t.keep for t in rows) / d, 3),
+    }
+
+
+def main() -> None:
+    ap = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="Behavioural eval of a tuned model.")
+    ap.add_argument("--base", required=True)
+    ap.add_argument("--adapter", required=True)
+    ap.add_argument("--scenarios", type=Path, required=True)
+    ap.add_argument("--n", type=int, default=10)
+    ap.add_argument("--max-steps", type=int, default=30)
+    ap.add_argument("--temperature", type=float, default=0.7)
+    ns = ap.parse_args()
+    m = evaluate(ns.base, ns.adapter, ns.scenarios, ns.n, ns.max_steps, ns.temperature)
+    print("\n=== behavioural metrics ===")
+    print(json.dumps(m, indent=2))
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()