diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index f0046ef..efb7576 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -18,7 +18,15 @@ jobs:
           # mock addresses from the mocked test environment, not real
           # deployed addresses, and are committed deliberately for
           # reproducibility (see CONTRIBUTING.md's testing section).
-          if grep -rnE --exclude-dir=.git --exclude-dir=target --exclude-dir=test_snapshots '\bC[A-Z2-7]{55}\b' .; then
+          #
+          # docs/src/DEPLOYMENT.md is excluded: its "Canonical testnet
+          # deployment" section deliberately documents the one shared,
+          # long-lived Tholos instance integrators should point at (see
+          # INTEGRATION.md), which is exactly where that address belongs.
+          # This exception is for that one reference table, not a general
+          # license to hardcode addresses elsewhere; application code and
+          # examples must still use placeholder env vars.
+          if grep -rnE --exclude-dir=.git --exclude-dir=target --exclude-dir=test_snapshots --exclude=DEPLOYMENT.md '\bC[A-Z2-7]{55}\b' .; then
             echo "::error::Found what looks like a Stellar contract address committed to the repo. Contract addresses must never be committed, since a deployed address can't be tied to a specific source commit without an independent rebuild. Use placeholder env vars in examples instead (see CONTRIBUTING.md)."
             exit 1
           fi
diff --git a/demos/freelance-escrow/README.md b/demos/freelance-escrow/README.md
index a04f350..a904215 100644
--- a/demos/freelance-escrow/README.md
+++ b/demos/freelance-escrow/README.md
@@ -42,12 +42,14 @@ client and freelancer actually agreed to pay for the milestone.
 ## Running it
 
 Contract addresses are never committed to source (see CONTRIBUTING.md), so
-point this at a deployed Tholos instance yourself:
+point this at a deployed Tholos instance yourself. The
+[canonical testnet deployment](../../docs/src/DEPLOYMENT.md#canonical-testnet-deployment)
+works for this app out of the box:
 
 ```sh
 cp .env.example .env.local
-# fill in VITE_THOLOS_CONTRACT_ID with a deployed contract id
-# (see docs/src/DEPLOYMENT.md to deploy one)
+# fill in VITE_THOLOS_CONTRACT_ID with the canonical testnet contract id from
+# docs/src/DEPLOYMENT.md (or your own deployment, if you have a reason to need one)
 
 pnpm install
 pnpm dev
diff --git a/docs/src/DEPLOYMENT.md b/docs/src/DEPLOYMENT.md
index f250875..5c7fdd3 100644
--- a/docs/src/DEPLOYMENT.md
+++ b/docs/src/DEPLOYMENT.md
@@ -21,6 +21,25 @@ can be changed after `initialize`:
 | `resolvers` | Odd-length, non-zero, distinct, and at most 21 addresses. `initialize` rejects duplicates with `DuplicateResolvers`. Pick people who'll actually be reachable to vote within a reasonable time of a dispute; a slow resolver committee stalls every disputed assertion until it acts. |
 | `finalize_reward_bps` | Basis points (0–1000) of the bond paid to whoever calls `finalize`. `caller` must authorize the call unconditionally, even at 0. 0 means no reward: the full bond returns to the asserter. A non-zero value creates an economic incentive for prompt finalization at the cost of a small bond haircut the asserter accepts when posting. 100 bps (1 %) is a reasonable starting point; 1000 bps (10 %) is the maximum enforced by the contract. |
 
+## Canonical testnet deployment
+
+Before deploying your own instance, check whether this one already fits: it's
+meant to be the shared, long-lived Tholos deployment on testnet, so that trust
+in the resolver committee's track record accumulates in one place instead of
+fragmenting across many one-off deployments. Deploy your own only if you
+genuinely need different parameters (a different bond size or token, for
+example); see [INTEGRATION.md](INTEGRATION.md#should-you-deploy-your-own-instance-or-share-one).
+
+| Field | Value |
+| --- | --- |
+| Network | Stellar testnet |
+| Contract id | `CAOSNC2SKQPGT7WHXKQJQ2RL2J7RECXE5QKZFYIMEHYA3DZTOZG76YYI` |
+| `token` | Native XLM SAC (`CDLZFC3SYJYDZT7K67VZ75HPJVIEUVNIXF47ZG2FB2RMQQVU2HHGCYSC`) |
+| `bond_amount` | `50000000` (5 XLM), per `BOND_SIZING.md`'s public-testnet/low-value profile |
+| `challenge_window_secs` | `21600` (6 hours) |
+| `finalize_reward_bps` | `100` (1%) |
+| `resolvers` | `resolver1`/`resolver2`/`resolver3` test identities from this repo's own testnet workflow, a stopgap: they have no real-world accountability behind them yet. Revisit before treating this instance's dispute history as trustworthy long-term. |
+
 ## Deploying
 
 ```sh
diff --git a/docs/src/INTEGRATION.md b/docs/src/INTEGRATION.md
index bbf9f67..0d3a031 100644
--- a/docs/src/INTEGRATION.md
+++ b/docs/src/INTEGRATION.md
@@ -7,15 +7,21 @@ you're looking for the function-by-function reference instead, see
 
 ## Should you deploy your own instance, or share one?
 
-Each Tholos deployment is initialized once with a single token, bond amount,
-challenge window, and resolver committee (`initialize` in [CONTRACT.md](CONTRACT.md)).
-There's no per-call override. That means:
-
-- If your markets all want the same bond size, token, and challenge window, they can
-  share one deployed instance and just track the assertion `id`s that belong to them.
-- If you need different bond sizes per market (a $10 market and a $10,000 market
-  probably shouldn't share a bond amount), deploy a separate instance per
-  configuration, or wait for a future version that supports per-call bonds.
+Default to sharing the [canonical deployment](DEPLOYMENT.md#canonical-testnet-deployment).
+Tholos is only trustworthy as an oracle if its resolver committee's track
+record accumulates somewhere: one committee, one dispute history, building a
+reputation over time. Fragmenting into a separate deployment per integrator
+throws that away, each new instance starts with zero history and a
+committee nobody's evaluated yet, which is no better than each integrator
+building its own bespoke escrow logic instead of using Tholos at all.
+
+Each deployment is initialized once with a single token, bond amount,
+challenge window, and resolver committee (`initialize` in [CONTRACT.md](CONTRACT.md)),
+with no per-call override, so a separate deployment is only justified when your
+parameters are genuinely incompatible with the canonical one: a materially
+different bond size for a much higher- or lower-value market, or a token the
+canonical instance doesn't use. If that's not your situation, share the
+canonical instance and just track the assertion `id`s that belong to you.
 
 There is currently no built-in way for a calling contract to distinguish "its"
 assertions from anyone else's within one instance beyond tracking the `id`s it