diff --git a/controlplane/trino_rollout_config.go b/controlplane/trino_rollout_config.go
index de9a6c9a..366d7806 100644
--- a/controlplane/trino_rollout_config.go
+++ b/controlplane/trino_rollout_config.go
@@ -27,6 +27,24 @@ func buildTrinoRolloutReadiness(fleet trinoFleet, store rolloutCanaryStore) (*tr
 	if tokenPath == "" && canaryPath == "" {
 		return nil, nil
 	}
+	// Pool Gateway authentication reuses the token without enabling fixed-slot readiness.
+	// An explicit canary file still requests validation, even for a pool-only fleet.
+	var fixed trinoFleet
+	hasPool := false
+	for _, wire := range fleet {
+		if wire.Cell.PublicID == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		if wire.Cell.Mode == trinoPoolModeShared {
+			hasPool = true
+			continue
+		}
+		fixed = append(fixed, wire)
+	}
+	if hasPool && len(fixed) == 0 && canaryPath == "" {
+		return nil, nil
+	}
+	fleet = fixed
 	if tokenPath == "" || canaryPath == "" || len(fleet) == 0 {
 		return nil, errors.New("rollout readiness requires token, canaries, and registered cells")
 	}
diff --git a/controlplane/trino_rollout_config_test.go b/controlplane/trino_rollout_config_test.go
index 6f68af3d..8acef326 100644
--- a/controlplane/trino_rollout_config_test.go
+++ b/controlplane/trino_rollout_config_test.go
@@ -72,3 +72,73 @@ func TestTrinoRolloutReadinessConfigurationExplicitAndPrivate(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 	}
 }
+
+func TestTrinoRolloutReadinessScopesFixedCells(t *testing.T) {
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	tokenPath := filepath.Join(dir, "token")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(tokenPath, []byte(strings.Repeat("x", 48)), 0600); err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	legacy := &trinoWiring{Cell: trinoCell{ID: "legacy"}}
+	pool := &trinoWiring{Cell: trinoCell{PublicID: "pool-test", Mode: trinoPoolModeShared}}
+	fixed := &trinoWiring{
+		Cell: trinoCell{PublicID: "fixed-test", RoutingGroup: "group-test", Namespace: "test",
+			Backends: []trinoRegisteredBackend{{ID: "blue", CoordinatorURL: "https://blue.example.test"}, {ID: "green", CoordinatorURL: "https://green.example.test"}}},
+		Kubernetes: fake.NewSimpleClientset(),
+	}
+	validCanary := `{"canaries":[{"cell":"fixed-test","orgID":"canary-org","principal":"canary-test","password":"test-password"}]}`
+	for _, tc := range []struct {
+		name        string
+		fleet       trinoFleet
+		canaries    string
+		noToken     bool
+		wantHandler bool
+		wantError   bool
+	}{
+		{name: "pool token does not enable fixed readiness", fleet: trinoFleet{pool}},
+		{name: "pool with legacy single", fleet: trinoFleet{legacy, pool}},
+		{name: "pool without either readiness setting", fleet: trinoFleet{pool}, noToken: true},
+		{name: "token without any registered cells", wantError: true},
+		{name: "legacy single token is incomplete", fleet: trinoFleet{legacy}, wantError: true},
+		{name: "fixed token is incomplete", fleet: trinoFleet{fixed}, wantError: true},
+		{name: "mixed token is incomplete", fleet: trinoFleet{pool, fixed}, wantError: true},
+		{name: "mixed fixed without backends rejected", fleet: trinoFleet{pool, &trinoWiring{Cell: trinoCell{PublicID: "empty-test", Mode: "fixed"}}}, wantError: true},
+		{name: "mixed unknown mode rejected", fleet: trinoFleet{pool, &trinoWiring{Cell: trinoCell{PublicID: "unknown-test", Mode: "unknown"}}}, wantError: true},
+		{name: "fixed valid", fleet: trinoFleet{fixed}, canaries: validCanary, wantHandler: true},
+		{name: "mixed valid", fleet: trinoFleet{legacy, pool, fixed}, canaries: validCanary, wantHandler: true},
+		{name: "explicit pool canary rejected", fleet: trinoFleet{pool}, canaries: `{"canaries":[]}`, wantError: true},
+		{name: "mixed malformed canary rejected", fleet: trinoFleet{pool, fixed}, canaries: `{`, wantError: true},
+		{name: "mixed canary without token rejected", fleet: trinoFleet{pool, fixed}, canaries: validCanary, noToken: true, wantError: true},
+		{name: "mixed extra pool canary rejected", fleet: trinoFleet{pool, fixed},
+			canaries: `{"canaries":[{"cell":"fixed-test","orgID":"canary-org","principal":"canary-test","password":"test-password"},{"cell":"pool-test","orgID":"pool-org","principal":"pool-canary","password":"test-password"}]}`, wantError: true},
+	} {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			t.Setenv("DUCKGRES_TRINO_ROLLOUT_TOKEN_FILE", tokenPath)
+			if tc.noToken {
+				t.Setenv("DUCKGRES_TRINO_ROLLOUT_TOKEN_FILE", "")
+			}
+			t.Setenv("DUCKGRES_TRINO_ROLLOUT_CANARIES_FILE", "")
+			if tc.canaries != "" {
+				path := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "canaries.json")
+				if err := os.WriteFile(path, []byte(tc.canaries), 0600); err != nil {
+					t.Fatal(err)
+				}
+				t.Setenv("DUCKGRES_TRINO_ROLLOUT_CANARIES_FILE", path)
+			}
+			handler, err := buildTrinoRolloutReadiness(tc.fleet, rolloutEligibilityStub{})
+			if (err != nil) != tc.wantError || (handler != nil) != tc.wantHandler {
+				t.Fatalf("handler=%v error=%v; want handler=%v error=%v", handler != nil, err, tc.wantHandler, tc.wantError)
+			}
+			if handler != nil {
+				if len(handler.slots) != 2 {
+					t.Fatalf("fixed readiness includes unexpected slots: %d", len(handler.slots))
+				}
+				for _, slot := range handler.slots {
+					if slot.cell != fixed.Cell.PublicID {
+						t.Fatalf("fixed readiness includes cell %q", slot.cell)
+					}
+				}
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/docs/runbooks/trino-rollout-readiness.md b/docs/runbooks/trino-rollout-readiness.md
index 3fe89505..d1b85e7f 100644
--- a/docs/runbooks/trino-rollout-readiness.md
+++ b/docs/runbooks/trino-rollout-readiness.md
@@ -13,7 +13,15 @@ provisioning state, or Gateway routes.
 
 Both variables are empty by default; the endpoint is then not registered.
 Supplying only one variable, invalid content, or incomplete cell configuration
-fails startup.
+fails startup for fixed-cell readiness.
+
+Shared-pool Gateway authentication reuses `DUCKGRES_TRINO_ROLLOUT_TOKEN_FILE`,
+but this does not enable the fixed-slot endpoint. When all registered cells use
+`mode: shared-pool` and no canary file is configured, the endpoint stays disabled;
+the legacy single coordinator can coexist with those pools. The pool Gateway
+client still validates its token independently. A mixed registry requires canaries
+only for its fixed cells. Explicit canary configuration remains fail-closed, and
+a canary entry for a shared-pool cell is rejected.
 
 | Variable | Content |
 | --- | --- |
diff --git a/tests/mw-dev/README.md b/tests/mw-dev/README.md
index db00c263..ed5450eb 100644
--- a/tests/mw-dev/README.md
+++ b/tests/mw-dev/README.md
@@ -884,6 +884,24 @@ IDs, TLS service names, auth projections, and cache-manager configuration. Run
 namespace before retrying. Namespace teardown removes both clusters, cached
 catalog rows in the throwaway database, and all ephemeral cache volumes.
 
+### Shared-pool startup acceptance
+
+The existing `trino_shared_pool_active` assertion in `e2e/harness.sh` requires
+`E2E_TRINO_POOL=1` and a separately configured shared-pool deployment. Its
+structure stage waits for ready, independent coordinator instances; subsequent
+opt-in stages check warehouse admission and a real query with an existing login.
+Run it after rolling a candidate control-plane image with a shared-pool registry,
+the Gateway token file, and no `DUCKGRES_TRINO_ROLLOUT_CANARIES_FILE`. Reusing
+the token must not activate the obsolete fixed-slot canary endpoint or crash
+control-plane startup.
+
+The default in-Job fixture does not configure a shared pool, and its harness runs
+only after the control plane starts. It cannot reproduce this startup failure by
+changing its own environment: the control plane reads these settings at process
+startup. `TestTrinoRolloutReadinessScopesFixedCells` covers the startup selection
+and malformed fixed/mixed configurations locally. The active-pool harness remains
+the real-cluster acceptance check; passing unit tests alone does not prove it ran.
+
 ### Optional shared catalog rollout lane
 
 `TRINO_SHARED_CATALOGS_ENABLED=true` adds an isolated, real Gateway to the