diff --git a/internal/backup/backup.go b/internal/backup/backup.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0462058
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/backup/backup.go
@@ -0,0 +1,349 @@
+// Package backup implements orca's signed tarball backup/restore
+// subsystem (P04, v0.11 milestone).
+//
+// The model is tar.gz + HMAC-SHA256 signature:
+//
+//   - Backup walks the ORCA_HOME recursively, excludes ephemeral
+//     paths (/run/orca/*), unix sockets (*.sock), and SQLite WAL/SHM
+//     sidecars (*.db-wal, *.db-shm), packs the rest into a tar.gz, and
+//     computes an HMAC-SHA256 of the tarball using the cluster master
+//     key. The tarball is written to OutputPath; the hex-encoded
+//     signature to OutputPath + ".sig".
+//   - VerifySignature recomputes the HMAC and compares it (constant
+//     time) against the recorded signature.
+//   - Restore verifies the signature first (refuses on mismatch), then
+//     extracts the tarball to TargetDir. With Force=false it refuses to
+//     clobber a non-empty TargetDir; with Force=true it overwrites.
+//
+// The package never logs key material. slog calls carry only metadata.
+package backup
+
+import (
+	"archive/tar"
+	"compress/gzip"
+	"crypto/hmac"
+	"crypto/sha256"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"log/slog"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// ErrSignatureMismatch is returned when the recorded HMAC-SHA256
+// signature does not match the recomputed one (tampering or wrong key).
+var ErrSignatureMismatch = errors.New("backup: signature mismatch")
+
+// ErrTargetNotEmpty is returned when Restore is called with Force=false
+// against a non-empty TargetDir.
+var ErrTargetNotEmpty = errors.New("backup: target directory not empty (use Force to overwrite)")
+
+// BackupOptions configures Backup.
+type BackupOptions struct {
+	SourceDir  string // ORCA_HOME — the tree to back up
+	OutputPath string // destination tarball path (.tar.gz)
+	MasterKey  []byte // HMAC-SHA256 key (cluster master.key)
+}
+
+// RestoreOptions configures Restore.
+type RestoreOptions struct {
+	InputPath string // source tarball path (.tar.gz)
+	TargetDir string // destination ORCA_HOME
+	MasterKey []byte // HMAC-SHA256 key (for verification)
+	Force     bool   // overwrite non-empty target
+}
+
+// excludeGlobSuffixes are the suffixes excluded from the backup. We
+// exclude SQLite WAL/SHM sidecars (the main db is backed up) and unix
+// sockets.
+var excludeGlobSuffixes = []string{".sock", ".db-wal", ".db-shm"}
+
+// shouldExclude reports whether a path should be excluded from the
+// backup. It excludes /run/orca/* (ephemeral runtime), *.sock, *.db-wal,
+// and *.db-shm. The /run/orca match is done on the absolute path; the
+// suffix matches are done on the base name.
+func shouldExclude(absPath string) bool {
+	clean := filepath.Clean(absPath)
+	if strings.HasPrefix(clean, "/run/orca/") || clean == "/run/orca" {
+		return true
+	}
+	if idx := strings.LastIndex(clean, string(filepath.Separator)+"run"+string(filepath.Separator)+"orca"+string(filepath.Separator)); idx >= 0 {
+		return true
+	}
+	if strings.HasSuffix(clean, string(filepath.Separator)+"run"+string(filepath.Separator)+"orca") {
+		return true
+	}
+	base := filepath.Base(clean)
+	for _, suf := range excludeGlobSuffixes {
+		if strings.HasSuffix(base, suf) {
+			return true
+		}
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
+// Backup creates a signed tar.gz of SourceDir. The tarball is written
+// to OutputPath and the hex-encoded HMAC-SHA256 signature to
+// OutputPath + ".sig". The write is atomic: the tarball is streamed to
+// a temp file in the same directory and renamed on success; the
+// signature is written after the rename so a crash never leaves a
+// tarball with a stale or missing signature.
+func Backup(opts BackupOptions) error {
+	if opts.SourceDir == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: SourceDir is empty")
+	}
+	if opts.OutputPath == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: OutputPath is empty")
+	}
+	if len(opts.MasterKey) == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: MasterKey is empty")
+	}
+
+	src, err := filepath.Abs(opts.SourceDir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: resolve SourceDir: %w", err)
+	}
+	info, err := os.Stat(src)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: stat SourceDir: %w", err)
+	}
+	if !info.IsDir() {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: SourceDir %q is not a directory", src)
+	}
+
+	outDir := filepath.Dir(opts.OutputPath)
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(outDir, 0o755); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: mkdir output dir: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	tmp, err := os.CreateTemp(outDir, ".orca-backup-*.tar.gz.tmp")
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: create temp tarball: %w", err)
+	}
+	tmpPath := tmp.Name()
+	defer func() {
+		tmp.Close()
+		_ = os.Remove(tmpPath)
+	}()
+
+	gw := gzip.NewWriter(tmp)
+	tw := tar.NewWriter(gw)
+
+	var walked int
+	walkErr := filepath.Walk(src, func(path string, fi os.FileInfo, err error) error {
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if shouldExclude(path) {
+			if fi.IsDir() {
+				return filepath.SkipDir
+			}
+			return nil
+		}
+		rel, rerr := filepath.Rel(src, path)
+		if rerr != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("rel path %s: %w", path, rerr)
+		}
+		if rel == "." {
+			return nil
+		}
+		hdr, herr := tar.FileInfoHeader(fi, "")
+		if herr != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("tar header for %s: %w", path, herr)
+		}
+		hdr.Name = filepath.ToSlash(rel)
+		if err := tw.WriteHeader(hdr); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("write header %s: %w", rel, err)
+		}
+		if !fi.Mode().IsRegular() {
+			return nil
+		}
+		f, oerr := os.Open(path)
+		if oerr != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("open %s: %w", path, oerr)
+		}
+		defer f.Close()
+		if _, err := io.Copy(tw, f); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("copy %s: %w", rel, err)
+		}
+		walked++
+		return nil
+	})
+	if walkErr != nil {
+		tw.Close()
+		gw.Close()
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: walk: %w", walkErr)
+	}
+	if err := tw.Close(); err != nil {
+		gw.Close()
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: close tar writer: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := gw.Close(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: close gzip writer: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := tmp.Close(); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: close temp tarball: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := os.Rename(tmpPath, opts.OutputPath); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: rename tarball: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	sig, err := computeSignature(opts.OutputPath, opts.MasterKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: compute signature: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(opts.OutputPath+".sig", []byte(hex.EncodeToString(sig)), 0o644); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: write signature: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	slog.Info("backup complete", "path", opts.OutputPath, "files", walked, "sig", opts.OutputPath+".sig")
+	return nil
+}
+
+// computeSignature reads the file at path and returns its HMAC-SHA256
+// MAC under key.
+func computeSignature(path string, key []byte) ([]byte, error) {
+	f, err := os.Open(path)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("open %s: %w", path, err)
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+	mac := hmac.New(sha256.New, key)
+	if _, err := io.Copy(mac, f); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("hash %s: %w", path, err)
+	}
+	return mac.Sum(nil), nil
+}
+
+// VerifySignature recomputes the HMAC-SHA256 of the tarball at
+// tarballPath and compares it (constant time) against the hex-encoded
+// signature at sigPath. Returns ErrSignatureMismatch on a mismatch.
+func VerifySignature(tarballPath, sigPath string, masterKey []byte) error {
+	if len(masterKey) == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("backup: MasterKey is empty")
+	}
+	got, err := computeSignature(tarballPath, masterKey)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("compute signature: %w", err)
+	}
+	wantHex, err := os.ReadFile(sigPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("read signature: %w", err)
+	}
+	want, err := hex.DecodeString(strings.TrimSpace(string(wantHex)))
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("decode signature: %w", err)
+	}
+	if !hmac.Equal(got, want) {
+		return ErrSignatureMismatch
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Restore verifies the signature on (InputPath, InputPath+".sig") using
+// MasterKey, then extracts the tarball to TargetDir. With Force=false
+// a non-empty TargetDir is refused (ErrTargetNotEmpty); with Force=true
+// existing files are overwritten.
+func Restore(opts RestoreOptions) error {
+	if opts.InputPath == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("restore: InputPath is empty")
+	}
+	if opts.TargetDir == "" {
+		return fmt.Errorf("restore: TargetDir is empty")
+	}
+	if len(opts.MasterKey) == 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("restore: MasterKey is empty")
+	}
+
+	sigPath := opts.InputPath + ".sig"
+	if err := VerifySignature(opts.InputPath, sigPath, opts.MasterKey); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("restore: verify signature: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	target := filepath.Clean(opts.TargetDir)
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(target, 0o755); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("restore: mkdir target: %w", err)
+	}
+	if !opts.Force {
+		empty, err := dirIsEmpty(target)
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("restore: check target: %w", err)
+		}
+		if !empty {
+			return ErrTargetNotEmpty
+		}
+	}
+
+	f, err := os.Open(opts.InputPath)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("restore: open tarball: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer f.Close()
+	gz, err := gzip.NewReader(f)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("restore: gzip reader: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer gz.Close()
+	tr := tar.NewReader(gz)
+	var extracted int
+	for {
+		hdr, err := tr.Next()
+		if err == io.EOF {
+			break
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("restore: read tar entry: %w", err)
+		}
+		name := filepath.FromSlash(hdr.Name)
+		if strings.HasPrefix(name, "/") || strings.HasPrefix(name, "..") {
+			return fmt.Errorf("restore: unsafe path %q", hdr.Name)
+		}
+		dest := filepath.Join(target, name)
+		switch hdr.Typeflag {
+		case tar.TypeDir:
+			if err := os.MkdirAll(dest, os.FileMode(hdr.Mode)); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("restore: mkdir %s: %w", name, err)
+			}
+			continue
+		case tar.TypeSymlink:
+			if err := os.Remove(dest); err != nil && !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+				return fmt.Errorf("restore: clear symlink %s: %w", name, err)
+			}
+			if err := os.Symlink(hdr.Linkname, dest); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("restore: symlink %s: %w", name, err)
+			}
+			continue
+		case tar.TypeReg:
+			if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(dest), 0o755); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("restore: mkdir parent %s: %w", name, err)
+			}
+			out, err := os.OpenFile(dest, os.O_CREATE|os.O_WRONLY|os.O_TRUNC, os.FileMode(hdr.Mode))
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("restore: create %s: %w", name, err)
+			}
+			if _, err := io.Copy(out, tr); err != nil {
+				out.Close()
+				return fmt.Errorf("restore: write %s: %w", name, err)
+			}
+			out.Close()
+			extracted++
+		default:
+			slog.Warn("restore: skipping non-regular entry", "name", name, "type", hdr.Typeflag)
+		}
+	}
+	slog.Info("restore complete", "path", target, "files", extracted)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// dirIsEmpty reports whether dir contains no entries.
+func dirIsEmpty(dir string) (bool, error) {
+	entries, err := os.ReadDir(dir)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+	return len(entries) == 0, nil
+}
diff --git a/internal/backup/backup_test.go b/internal/backup/backup_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5c4657b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/backup/backup_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,316 @@
+package backup
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"encoding/hex"
+	"errors"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func keyA() []byte { return []byte("0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef") }
+func keyB() []byte { return []byte("abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789") }
+
+func writeFiles(t *testing.T, root string, files map[string]string) {
+	t.Helper()
+	for name, body := range files {
+		p := filepath.Join(root, name)
+		if err := os.MkdirAll(filepath.Dir(p), 0o755); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("mkdir %s: %v", filepath.Dir(p), err)
+		}
+		if err := os.WriteFile(p, []byte(body), 0o644); err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("write %s: %v", p, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func runBackup(t *testing.T, src, out string, key []byte) {
+	t.Helper()
+	if err := Backup(BackupOptions{
+		SourceDir:  src,
+		OutputPath: out,
+		MasterKey:  key,
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Backup: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBackupRestoreRoundTrip(t *testing.T) {
+	src := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "b.tar.gz")
+	target := t.TempDir()
+	os.RemoveAll(target)
+
+	writeFiles(t, src, map[string]string{
+		"cluster/master.key":            "KEYMATERIAL",
+		"_defaults/db/orca.db":          "SQLITE",
+		"_defaults/.env":                "FOO=bar",
+		"_defaults/jobs/job1.md":        "job body",
+		"cluster/peers/host1/peer.json": "{}",
+	})
+
+	runBackup(t, src, out, keyA())
+
+	if _, err := os.Stat(out + ".sig"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("sig file missing: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	if err := Restore(RestoreOptions{
+		InputPath: out,
+		TargetDir: target,
+		MasterKey: keyA(),
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Restore: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	for name, body := range map[string]string{
+		"cluster/master.key":            "KEYMATERIAL",
+		"_defaults/db/orca.db":          "SQLITE",
+		"_defaults/.env":                "FOO=bar",
+		"_defaults/jobs/job1.md":        "job body",
+		"cluster/peers/host1/peer.json": "{}",
+	} {
+		got, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(target, name))
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("restored file %s missing: %v", name, err)
+			continue
+		}
+		if string(got) != body {
+			t.Errorf("restored %s = %q, want %q", name, string(got), body)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestVerifySignatureSameKey(t *testing.T) {
+	src := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "b.tar.gz")
+	writeFiles(t, src, map[string]string{"a.txt": "hello"})
+	runBackup(t, src, out, keyA())
+	if err := VerifySignature(out, out+".sig", keyA()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("verify same key: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestVerifySignatureWrongKey(t *testing.T) {
+	src := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "b.tar.gz")
+	writeFiles(t, src, map[string]string{"a.txt": "hello"})
+	runBackup(t, src, out, keyA())
+	err := VerifySignature(out, out+".sig", keyB())
+	if !errors.Is(err, ErrSignatureMismatch) {
+		t.Fatalf("verify wrong key: got %v, want ErrSignatureMismatch", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestVerifySignatureTampered(t *testing.T) {
+	src := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "b.tar.gz")
+	writeFiles(t, src, map[string]string{"a.txt": "hello"})
+	runBackup(t, src, out, keyA())
+
+	body, err := os.ReadFile(out)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read tarball: %v", err)
+	}
+	body[0] ^= 0xff
+	if err := os.WriteFile(out, body, 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("rewrite tampered tarball: %v", err)
+	}
+	err = VerifySignature(out, out+".sig", keyA())
+	if !errors.Is(err, ErrSignatureMismatch) {
+		t.Fatalf("verify tampered: got %v, want ErrSignatureMismatch", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestExclusionSocketsAndRunOrca(t *testing.T) {
+	src := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "b.tar.gz")
+	target := t.TempDir()
+	os.RemoveAll(target)
+
+	writeFiles(t, src, map[string]string{
+		"keep.txt":           "keep me",
+		"normal.db":          "main db",
+		"sock-excluded.sock": "sock",
+		"side.db-wal":        "wal",
+		"side.db-shm":        "shm",
+	})
+
+	runOrcaDir := filepath.Join(src, "run", "orca")
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(runOrcaDir, 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("mkdir run/orca: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(runOrcaDir, "ephemeral.txt"), []byte("eph"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write ephemeral: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	runBackup(t, src, out, keyA())
+
+	if err := Restore(RestoreOptions{
+		InputPath: out,
+		TargetDir: target,
+		MasterKey: keyA(),
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Restore: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	for _, excluded := range []string{
+		"sock-excluded.sock",
+		"side.db-wal",
+		"side.db-shm",
+		"run/orca/ephemeral.txt",
+	} {
+		if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(target, excluded)); !os.IsNotExist(err) {
+			t.Errorf("excluded file %s should not be in restore (err=%v)", excluded, err)
+		}
+	}
+	for _, kept := range []string{"keep.txt", "normal.db"} {
+		if _, err := os.Stat(filepath.Join(target, kept)); err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("kept file %s missing from restore: %v", kept, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRestoreForceFalseRefusesNonEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	src := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "b.tar.gz")
+	writeFiles(t, src, map[string]string{"a.txt": "hello"})
+	runBackup(t, src, out, keyA())
+
+	target := t.TempDir()
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(target, "existing.txt"), []byte("x"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed target: %v", err)
+	}
+	err := Restore(RestoreOptions{
+		InputPath: out,
+		TargetDir: target,
+		MasterKey: keyA(),
+		Force:     false,
+	})
+	if !errors.Is(err, ErrTargetNotEmpty) {
+		t.Fatalf("restore to non-empty: got %v, want ErrTargetNotEmpty", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRestoreForceTrueOverwritesNonEmpty(t *testing.T) {
+	src := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "b.tar.gz")
+	writeFiles(t, src, map[string]string{"a.txt": "new"})
+	runBackup(t, src, out, keyA())
+
+	target := t.TempDir()
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(target, "stale.txt"), []byte("old"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("seed target: %v", err)
+	}
+	err := Restore(RestoreOptions{
+		InputPath: out,
+		TargetDir: target,
+		MasterKey: keyA(),
+		Force:     true,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("restore force: %v", err)
+	}
+	got, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(target, "a.txt"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("restored a.txt missing: %v", err)
+	}
+	if string(got) != "new" {
+		t.Errorf("restored a.txt = %q, want %q", string(got), "new")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestEmptyBackup(t *testing.T) {
+	src := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "b.tar.gz")
+	target := t.TempDir()
+	os.RemoveAll(target)
+
+	runBackup(t, src, out, keyA())
+
+	if err := VerifySignature(out, out+".sig", keyA()); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("verify empty backup: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := Restore(RestoreOptions{
+		InputPath: out,
+		TargetDir: target,
+		MasterKey: keyA(),
+	}); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("restore empty backup: %v", err)
+	}
+	entries, err := os.ReadDir(target)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read target: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(entries) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("empty backup restored %d entries, want 0", len(entries))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRestoreSignatureMismatchFailsBeforeExtract(t *testing.T) {
+	src := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "b.tar.gz")
+	writeFiles(t, src, map[string]string{"a.txt": "hello"})
+	runBackup(t, src, out, keyA())
+
+	target := t.TempDir()
+	os.RemoveAll(target)
+	err := Restore(RestoreOptions{
+		InputPath: out,
+		TargetDir: target,
+		MasterKey: keyB(),
+	})
+	if !errors.Is(err, ErrSignatureMismatch) {
+		t.Fatalf("restore wrong key: got %v, want ErrSignatureMismatch", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(target); err == nil {
+		entries, _ := os.ReadDir(target)
+		if len(entries) != 0 {
+			t.Errorf("target should be empty after failed verify, got %d entries", len(entries))
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRestoreBadSignatureContent(t *testing.T) {
+	src := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "b.tar.gz")
+	writeFiles(t, src, map[string]string{"a.txt": "hello"})
+	runBackup(t, src, out, keyA())
+
+	if err := os.WriteFile(out+".sig", []byte("not-hex!!"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write bad sig: %v", err)
+	}
+	err := VerifySignature(out, out+".sig", keyA())
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("verify bad sig content: expected error, got nil")
+	}
+	if strings.Contains(err.Error(), "decode signature") {
+		return
+	}
+	if errors.Is(err, ErrSignatureMismatch) {
+		return
+	}
+	t.Errorf("verify bad sig content: got unexpected err %v", err)
+}
+
+func TestBackupSignatureFileContent(t *testing.T) {
+	src := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "b.tar.gz")
+	writeFiles(t, src, map[string]string{"a.txt": "hello"})
+	runBackup(t, src, out, keyA())
+	sig, err := os.ReadFile(out + ".sig")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read sig: %v", err)
+	}
+	if dec, err := hexDecode(string(bytes.TrimSpace(sig))); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("sig not hex: %v", err)
+	} else if len(dec) != 32 {
+		t.Errorf("sig len = %d, want 32", len(dec))
+	}
+}
+
+func hexDecode(s string) ([]byte, error) {
+	return hex.DecodeString(s)
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/backup.go b/internal/cli/backup.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..592856d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/backup.go
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+// Package cli: backup.go implements the `orca backup` and `orca restore`
+// subcommands (P04, v0.11 milestone).
+//
+//	orca backup --out <path>   — create a signed tar.gz of ORCA_HOME
+//	orca restore --in <path>   — restore a verified backup
+//
+// `backup` reads the master key at paths.MasterKeyPath() and backs up
+// paths.Root() (ORCA_HOME). The tarball + HMAC-SHA256 signature are
+// written to --out and --out+".sig". `restore` verifies the signature
+// before extracting; with --force it overwrites a non-empty target.
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+
+	"git.cloudinit.dev/coreci/orca/internal/backup"
+	"git.cloudinit.dev/coreci/orca/internal/paths"
+	"git.cloudinit.dev/coreci/orca/internal/secrets"
+)
+
+var (
+	backupOutPath    string
+	restoreInPath    string
+	restoreTargetDir string
+	restoreForce     bool
+)
+
+var backupCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "backup",
+	Short: "Create a signed tar.gz backup of ORCA_HOME",
+	Long: `Create a signed tar.gz backup of ORCA_HOME (P04).
+
+Walks ` + "`ORCA_HOME`" + ` recursively, excludes /run/orca/*, *.sock,
+*.db-wal, *.db-shm, packs the rest into a tar.gz, and computes an
+HMAC-SHA256 signature using the cluster master key. The tarball is
+written to --out; the hex-encoded signature to --out + ".sig".`,
+	Args: cobra.NoArgs,
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		mk, err := secrets.LoadMasterKey(paths.MasterKeyPath())
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("load master key: %w", err)
+		}
+		out := backupOutPath
+		if out == "" {
+			ts := time.Now().UTC().Format("20060102-150405")
+			out = fmt.Sprintf("orca-backup-%s.tar.gz", ts)
+		}
+		opts := backup.BackupOptions{
+			SourceDir:  paths.Root(),
+			OutputPath: out,
+			MasterKey:  mk,
+		}
+		if err := backup.Backup(opts); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if jsonOutput {
+			return printJSON(map[string]string{
+				"path": out,
+				"sig":  out + ".sig",
+			})
+		}
+		fmt.Fprintf(cmd.OutOrStdout(), "✓ Backup written: %s (sig: %s)\n", out, out+".sig")
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+var restoreCmd = &cobra.Command{
+	Use:   "restore",
+	Short: "Restore ORCA_HOME from a verified signed backup",
+	Long: `Restore ORCA_HOME from a verified signed backup (P04).
+
+Verifies the HMAC-SHA256 signature on --in (using the cluster master
+key) before extracting. With --force, overwrites a non-empty target;
+without it, refuses to clobber an existing ORCA_HOME.`,
+	Args: cobra.NoArgs,
+	RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+		if restoreInPath == "" {
+			return fmt.Errorf("--in is required")
+		}
+		mk, err := secrets.LoadMasterKey(paths.MasterKeyPath())
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("load master key: %w", err)
+		}
+		target := restoreTargetDir
+		if target == "" {
+			target = paths.Root()
+		}
+		opts := backup.RestoreOptions{
+			InputPath: restoreInPath,
+			TargetDir: target,
+			MasterKey: mk,
+			Force:     restoreForce,
+		}
+		if err := backup.Restore(opts); err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+		if jsonOutput {
+			return printJSON(map[string]string{
+				"path":   restoreInPath,
+				"target": target,
+			})
+		}
+		fmt.Fprintf(cmd.OutOrStdout(), "✓ Restored to: %s\n", target)
+		return nil
+	},
+}
+
+func init() {
+	backupCmd.Flags().StringVar(&backupOutPath, "out", "", "output tarball path (default: orca-backup-<timestamp>.tar.gz in CWD)")
+	restoreCmd.Flags().StringVar(&restoreInPath, "in", "", "input tarball path (required)")
+	restoreCmd.Flags().StringVar(&restoreTargetDir, "target", "", "restore target dir (default: ORCA_HOME)")
+	restoreCmd.Flags().BoolVar(&restoreForce, "force", false, "overwrite a non-empty target directory")
+	rootCmd.AddCommand(backupCmd)
+	rootCmd.AddCommand(restoreCmd)
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/backup_test.go b/internal/cli/backup_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..68e47bf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/cli/backup_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,177 @@
+package cli
+
+import (
+	"bytes"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"git.cloudinit.dev/coreci/orca/internal/paths"
+	"git.cloudinit.dev/coreci/orca/internal/secrets"
+)
+
+func setupBackupTestEnv(t *testing.T) string {
+	t.Helper()
+	dir := t.TempDir()
+	t.Setenv("ORCA_HOME", dir)
+	mk, err := secrets.GenerateMasterKey()
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("GenerateMasterKey: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.MkdirAll(paths.ClusterDir(), 0o755); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("mkdir cluster dir: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := secrets.SaveMasterKey(paths.MasterKeyPath(), mk); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("SaveMasterKey: %v", err)
+	}
+	return dir
+}
+
+func TestBackupCmdRegistered(t *testing.T) {
+	found := false
+	for _, cmd := range rootCmd.Commands() {
+		if cmd.Name() == "backup" {
+			found = true
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	if !found {
+		t.Fatal("backup command not registered on root")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRestoreCmdRegistered(t *testing.T) {
+	found := false
+	for _, cmd := range rootCmd.Commands() {
+		if cmd.Name() == "restore" {
+			found = true
+			break
+		}
+	}
+	if !found {
+		t.Fatal("restore command not registered on root")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBackupRestoreCmdRoundTrip(t *testing.T) {
+	home := setupBackupTestEnv(t)
+
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(home, "keep.txt"), []byte("payload"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write keep.txt: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	outDir := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(outDir, "orca-backup.tar.gz")
+
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	resetRootFlags(t)
+	rootCmd.SetOut(&buf)
+	rootCmd.SetErr(&buf)
+	rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"backup", "--out", out})
+	if err := rootCmd.Execute(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("orca backup: %v", err)
+	}
+	if _, err := os.Stat(out + ".sig"); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("sig missing: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	target := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "restored")
+	var buf2 bytes.Buffer
+	resetRootFlags(t)
+	rootCmd.SetOut(&buf2)
+	rootCmd.SetErr(&buf2)
+	rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"restore", "--in", out, "--target", target})
+	if err := rootCmd.Execute(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("orca restore: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	got, err := os.ReadFile(filepath.Join(target, "keep.txt"))
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("restored keep.txt missing: %v", err)
+	}
+	if string(got) != "payload" {
+		t.Errorf("restored keep.txt = %q, want %q", string(got), "payload")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRestoreCmdBadSignature(t *testing.T) {
+	setupBackupTestEnv(t)
+
+	outDir := t.TempDir()
+	out := filepath.Join(outDir, "orca-backup.tar.gz")
+	body := []byte("not a real tarball")
+	if err := os.WriteFile(out, body, 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write fake tarball: %v", err)
+	}
+	if err := os.WriteFile(out+".sig", []byte("deadbeef"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write fake sig: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	target := filepath.Join(t.TempDir(), "restored")
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	resetRootFlags(t)
+	rootCmd.SetOut(&buf)
+	rootCmd.SetErr(&buf)
+	rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"restore", "--in", out, "--target", target})
+	err := rootCmd.Execute()
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("restore with bad signature should fail")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRestoreCmdRequiresInFlag(t *testing.T) {
+	setupBackupTestEnv(t)
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	resetRootFlags(t)
+	rootCmd.SetOut(&buf)
+	rootCmd.SetErr(&buf)
+	rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"restore"})
+	err := rootCmd.Execute()
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("restore without --in should fail")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestBackupCmdDefaultOut(t *testing.T) {
+	home := setupBackupTestEnv(t)
+	if err := os.WriteFile(filepath.Join(home, "f.txt"), []byte("x"), 0o644); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("write f.txt: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	work := t.TempDir()
+	orig, _ := os.Getwd()
+	if err := os.Chdir(work); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("chdir: %v", err)
+	}
+	defer os.Chdir(orig)
+
+	var buf bytes.Buffer
+	resetRootFlags(t)
+	rootCmd.SetOut(&buf)
+	rootCmd.SetErr(&buf)
+	rootCmd.SetArgs([]string{"backup"})
+	if err := rootCmd.Execute(); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("orca backup default out: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	entries, err := os.ReadDir(work)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("read work: %v", err)
+	}
+	var foundTar, foundSig bool
+	for _, e := range entries {
+		if e.Name() == "orca-backup" || strings.HasPrefix(e.Name(), "orca-backup-") && strings.HasSuffix(e.Name(), ".tar.gz") {
+			foundTar = true
+		}
+		if strings.HasSuffix(e.Name(), ".tar.gz.sig") {
+			foundSig = true
+		}
+	}
+	if !foundTar {
+		t.Errorf("default backup tarball not created in CWD (entries: %d)", len(entries))
+	}
+	if !foundSig {
+		t.Errorf("default backup sig not created in CWD (entries: %d)", len(entries))
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/cli/namespace_test.go b/internal/cli/namespace_test.go
index c728d06..d22ca25 100644
--- a/internal/cli/namespace_test.go
+++ b/internal/cli/namespace_test.go
@@ -34,6 +34,8 @@ func resetCommandFlags() {
 	stopID, runTarget, runIDKey, jobWatch = "", "", "", false
 	capSetCPU, capSetMem, capSetDisk, capNodeID = 0, 0, 0, ""
 	auditLimit = 50
+	backupOutPath, restoreInPath, restoreTargetDir = "", "", ""
+	restoreForce = false
 	resetNSFlags()
 }