diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index cad2da45..131bd33e 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -51,3 +51,6 @@ src/apps/officer-web/index.gen.html
 
 # Sidecar assets published at install time — copies of files that live in each sidecar's own tree.
 public/plugins/
+
+# Written by machine-setup.sh to record completed steps; per-machine, never shared.
+.setup-progress
diff --git a/scripts/setup/machine-setup/machine-setup.sh b/scripts/setup/machine-setup/machine-setup.sh
index 0bffe285..da456ccd 100755
--- a/scripts/setup/machine-setup/machine-setup.sh
+++ b/scripts/setup/machine-setup/machine-setup.sh
@@ -120,6 +120,19 @@ if ! skip; then
   step_ok
 fi
 
+# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+# WIP BOUNDARY — everything below is still the original script
+# ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+#
+# Move this block down as each section is worked through, and delete it when the
+# walk reaches the end. It exists so the rewritten part can be run start to
+# finish on its own without the untouched sections acting on the machine.
+echo ""
+info "Stopping here — sections below this point have not been rewritten yet."
+info "Run again from scratch with:  sudo rm -f $PROGRESS_FILE"
+echo ""
+exit 0
+
 # =============================================================================
 # 3. Locale
 # =============================================================================