diff --git a/REDESIGN.md b/REDESIGN.md
index 039bc91..8d75618 100644
--- a/REDESIGN.md
+++ b/REDESIGN.md
@@ -530,6 +530,89 @@ The safe order is:
 The rule is: do not create a new provider process until the caller can receive a
 formal reply from it and can handle provider failure centrally.
 
+## `nwserv` as control plane, not data-plane router
+
+Future provider processes need a way to find and trust each other, but normal
+request payloads should not all be routed through `nwserv`.  `nwserv` should stay
+the supervisor and registry for the mars-nwe process tree.  It should not become
+a central payload broker for every decoded NCP request.
+
+The preferred split is:
+
+```text
+nwserv:
+  control plane
+  process supervision
+  provider registry
+  endpoint/socket ownership
+  restart and shutdown coordination
+
+nwconn <-> provider:
+  data plane
+  direct request/reply IPC
+  normalized handoff messages
+```
+
+So a future request path should look like this:
+
+```text
+client -> nwconn -> direct provider IPC -> provider -> nwconn -> client
+```
+
+not like this:
+
+```text
+client -> nwconn -> nwserv -> provider -> nwserv -> nwconn -> client
+```
+
+`nwserv` may still create, own, or advertise IPC endpoints.  For example, it can
+start `nwbind`, `nwqueue`, `nwdirectory`, or `nwnds`, create a protected runtime
+directory such as `/run/mars-nwe`, assign socket paths or inherited file
+descriptors, and record which provider is currently alive.  A `nwconn` process
+can then discover provider endpoints from configuration, inherited descriptors,
+or a small `nwserv` registry query.  After discovery, normal handoff traffic
+should go directly to the provider.
+
+This keeps `nwserv` small and avoids several failure modes:
+
+- no extra copy and latency for every NCP handoff;
+- no single data-plane bottleneck;
+- no need for `nwserv` to understand every provider payload;
+- fewer decoded password/auth/directory payloads visible to the supervisor;
+- easier provider-specific timeouts and back-pressure;
+- clearer ownership: `nwconn` owns the client connection, providers own their
+  service logic, and `nwserv` owns lifecycle.
+
+The kinds of messages that should go through `nwserv` are control messages:
+
+- provider started, registered, unhealthy, or exited;
+- provider restart requested or refused;
+- global shutdown or graceful drain;
+- configuration reload notification;
+- socket/FD registration and permission setup;
+- health and version/capability queries.
+
+The kinds of messages that should not normally go through `nwserv` are data-plane
+messages:
+
+- decoded NCP request payloads;
+- Bindery object/property operations;
+- Queue job lifecycle operations;
+- Directory/NDS authentication or schema operations;
+- file/volume provider payloads;
+- provider replies carrying completion/status and reply payloads.
+
+There can be narrow exceptions during migration, especially for existing legacy
+`nwconn`/`nwbind` plumbing, but those exceptions should be documented as legacy
+wrappers.  New provider processes should be designed around direct normalized IPC
+from the caller to the provider.
+
+This also fits the secure IPC policy: local direct IPC can use protected
+Unix-domain sockets, pipes, or inherited descriptors.  If a future provider is
+connected over TCP instead, that specific provider IPC channel must use the
+separate wolfSSL/mTLS policy described below.  `nwserv` discovery must not be used
+as an excuse to downgrade provider data-plane traffic to plaintext TCP.
+
 
 ## Secure internal provider IPC and client transport compatibility