diff --git a/backend/deploy/helm/templates/ci-secrets.yaml b/backend/deploy/helm/templates/ci-secrets.yaml
index ef4f5ad..ea4e1bc 100644
--- a/backend/deploy/helm/templates/ci-secrets.yaml
+++ b/backend/deploy/helm/templates/ci-secrets.yaml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-{{- if or .Values.ai.apiKey .Values.turnstile.secretKey }}
+{{- if or .Values.ai.apiKey .Values.turnstile.secretKey .Values.discovery.token }}
 apiVersion: v1
 kind: Secret
 metadata:
@@ -17,4 +17,7 @@ stringData:
   {{- if .Values.turnstile.secretKey }}
   TURNSTILE_SECRET_KEY: {{ .Values.turnstile.secretKey | quote }}
   {{- end }}
+  {{- if .Values.discovery.token }}
+  DISCOVERY_TOKEN: {{ .Values.discovery.token | quote }}
+  {{- end }}
 {{- end }}
diff --git a/backend/deploy/helm/templates/deployment.yaml b/backend/deploy/helm/templates/deployment.yaml
index 7ef22b9..6610ab1 100644
--- a/backend/deploy/helm/templates/deployment.yaml
+++ b/backend/deploy/helm/templates/deployment.yaml
@@ -51,8 +51,8 @@ spec:
             - secretRef:
                 name: {{ include "marktvogt-backend.fullname" . }}-smtp
             {{- end }}
-            {{- if or .Values.ai.apiKey .Values.turnstile.secretKey }}
-            # AI + Turnstile credentials (Helm-managed, passed via CI)
+            {{- if or .Values.ai.apiKey .Values.turnstile.secretKey .Values.discovery.token }}
+            # AI, Turnstile + Discovery credentials (Helm-managed, passed via CI)
             - secretRef:
                 name: {{ include "marktvogt-backend.fullname" . }}-ci-secrets
             {{- end }}
@@ -92,6 +92,19 @@ spec:
                 secretKeyRef:
                   name: {{ include "marktvogt-backend.pgAppSecret" . }}
                   key: dbname
+            - name: DISCOVERY_TOKEN
+              valueFrom:
+                secretKeyRef:
+                  name: {{ include "marktvogt-backend.fullname" . }}-ci-secrets
+                  key: DISCOVERY_TOKEN
+            - name: AI_AGENT_DISCOVERY
+              value: {{ .Values.ai.agentDiscovery | quote }}
+            - name: AI_RATE_LIMIT_RPS
+              value: {{ .Values.ai.rateLimitRps | default 1 | quote }}
+            - name: DISCOVERY_BATCH_SIZE
+              value: {{ .Values.discovery.batchSize | default 4 | quote }}
+            - name: DISCOVERY_FORWARD_MONTHS
+              value: {{ .Values.discovery.forwardMonths | default 12 | quote }}
           startupProbe:
             httpGet:
               path: /healthz
diff --git a/backend/deploy/helm/templates/discovery-cron.yaml b/backend/deploy/helm/templates/discovery-cron.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..531a978
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/deploy/helm/templates/discovery-cron.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,37 @@
+{{- if .Values.discovery.enabled }}
+apiVersion: batch/v1
+kind: CronJob
+metadata:
+  name: {{ include "marktvogt-backend.fullname" . }}-discovery-tick
+  namespace: {{ .Release.Namespace }}
+  labels:
+    {{- include "marktvogt-backend.labels" . | nindent 4 }}
+spec:
+  schedule: {{ .Values.discovery.schedule | quote }}
+  concurrencyPolicy: Forbid
+  successfulJobsHistoryLimit: 3
+  failedJobsHistoryLimit: 3
+  jobTemplate:
+    spec:
+      backoffLimit: 2
+      template:
+        spec:
+          restartPolicy: OnFailure
+          containers:
+            - name: tick
+              image: curlimages/curl:8.9.1
+              command:
+                - sh
+                - -c
+                - |
+                  curl -fsS --retry 2 --retry-delay 10 \
+                    -X POST \
+                    -H "Authorization: Bearer $DISCOVERY_TOKEN" \
+                    "http://{{ include "marktvogt-backend.fullname" . }}:8080/api/v1/admin/discovery/tick"
+              env:
+                - name: DISCOVERY_TOKEN
+                  valueFrom:
+                    secretKeyRef:
+                      name: {{ include "marktvogt-backend.fullname" . }}-ci-secrets
+                      key: DISCOVERY_TOKEN
+{{- end }}
diff --git a/backend/deploy/helm/values.yaml b/backend/deploy/helm/values.yaml
index 712184d..09fed88 100644
--- a/backend/deploy/helm/values.yaml
+++ b/backend/deploy/helm/values.yaml
@@ -96,6 +96,16 @@ smtp:
 ai:
   apiKey: ""
   agentSimple: ""
+  agentDiscovery: ""          # ag_019d9ec1702675dbbd80e526c8957ce2 in production
+  rateLimitRps: 1
+
+# Discovery cron — token passed via CI secrets during deploy.
+discovery:
+  enabled: true
+  schedule: "0 */4 * * *"
+  token: ""
+  batchSize: 4
+  forwardMonths: 12
 
 # Cloudflare Turnstile — passed via Woodpecker secrets during deploy.
 turnstile:
diff --git a/backend/internal/config/config.go b/backend/internal/config/config.go
index 7f4c362..a5e4a7b 100644
--- a/backend/internal/config/config.go
+++ b/backend/internal/config/config.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package config
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
 	"os"
 	"strconv"
 	"time"
@@ -21,12 +22,21 @@ type Config struct {
 	Turnstile    TurnstileConfig
 	Notification NotificationConfig
 	AI           AIConfig
+	Discovery    DiscoveryConfig
+}
+
+type DiscoveryConfig struct {
+	Token         string // bearer token for /tick endpoint
+	BatchSize     int    // buckets per tick (default 4)
+	ForwardMonths int    // forward window in months (default 12)
 }
 
 type AIConfig struct {
-	APIKey       string
-	AgentSimple  string // Pre-created Mistral agent ID for Pass 1 (extraction + web search)
-	ModelComplex string // Model for Pass 2 (description + retry, e.g. mistral-large-latest)
+	APIKey         string
+	AgentSimple    string  // Pre-created Mistral agent ID for Pass 1 (extraction + web search)
+	AgentDiscovery string  // Agent ID for discovery pipeline (Task 7)
+	ModelComplex   string  // Model for Pass 2 (description + retry, e.g. mistral-large-latest)
+	RateLimitRPS   float64 // Max requests per second to Mistral (0 = disabled)
 }
 
 type AppConfig struct {
@@ -169,6 +179,26 @@ func Load() (*Config, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("SMTP_PORT: %w", err)
 	}
 
+	rpsAI, err := envFloat("AI_RATE_LIMIT_RPS", 1.0)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("AI_RATE_LIMIT_RPS: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	batchSize, err := envInt("DISCOVERY_BATCH_SIZE", 4)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("DISCOVERY_BATCH_SIZE: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	forwardMonths, err := envInt("DISCOVERY_FORWARD_MONTHS", 12)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("DISCOVERY_FORWARD_MONTHS: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	discoveryToken := envStr("DISCOVERY_TOKEN", "")
+	if discoveryToken == "" {
+		slog.Warn("DISCOVERY_TOKEN is empty; /api/v1/admin/discovery/tick is disabled")
+	}
+
 	jwtSecret := envStr("JWT_SECRET", "")
 	if jwtSecret == "" {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("JWT_SECRET is required")
@@ -248,9 +278,16 @@ func Load() (*Config, error) {
 			FrontendURL: envStr("FRONTEND_URL", "http://localhost:5173"),
 		},
 		AI: AIConfig{
-			APIKey:       envStr("AI_API_KEY", ""),
-			AgentSimple:  envStr("AI_AGENT_SIMPLE", ""),
-			ModelComplex: envStr("AI_MODEL_COMPLEX", "mistral-large-latest"),
+			APIKey:         envStr("AI_API_KEY", ""),
+			AgentSimple:    envStr("AI_AGENT_SIMPLE", ""),
+			AgentDiscovery: envStr("AI_AGENT_DISCOVERY", ""),
+			ModelComplex:   envStr("AI_MODEL_COMPLEX", "mistral-large-latest"),
+			RateLimitRPS:   rpsAI,
+		},
+		Discovery: DiscoveryConfig{
+			Token:         discoveryToken,
+			BatchSize:     batchSize,
+			ForwardMonths: forwardMonths,
 		},
 	}, nil
 }
diff --git a/backend/internal/domain/discovery/agent_client.go b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/agent_client.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fac0f31
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/agent_client.go
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+package discovery
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+
+	"marktvogt.de/backend/internal/pkg/ai"
+)
+
+// AgentClient wraps the Mistral Pass 0 agent for discovery.
+type AgentClient struct {
+	ai      *ai.Client
+	agentID string
+}
+
+func NewAgentClient(aiClient *ai.Client, agentID string) *AgentClient {
+	return &AgentClient{ai: aiClient, agentID: agentID}
+}
+
+func (c *AgentClient) Enabled() bool {
+	return c.ai != nil && c.agentID != ""
+}
+
+// Discover runs Pass 0 for the given bucket. The agent's full instructions
+// are set in the Mistral console (see spec §6.2). We only inject the bucket
+// parameters here.
+func (c *AgentClient) Discover(ctx context.Context, b Bucket) (Pass0Response, error) {
+	if !c.Enabled() {
+		return Pass0Response{}, fmt.Errorf("discovery agent not configured")
+	}
+	prompt := fmt.Sprintf(
+		"Bucket:\nland: %s\nregion: %s\njahr_monat: %s\n\nFinde alle Maerkte in diesem Bucket und antworte im vorgegebenen JSON-Format.",
+		b.Land, b.Region, b.YearMonth,
+	)
+	result, err := c.ai.Pass0(ctx, c.agentID, prompt)
+	if err != nil {
+		return Pass0Response{}, fmt.Errorf("mistral pass0: %w", err)
+	}
+	return parsePass0Response(result.Content)
+}
+
+func parsePass0Response(raw string) (Pass0Response, error) {
+	cleaned := extractJSON(raw)
+	cleaned = stripJSONComments(cleaned)
+	var out Pass0Response
+	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(cleaned), &out); err != nil {
+		return Pass0Response{}, fmt.Errorf("unmarshal pass0: %w (raw first 500: %q)", err, truncate(raw, 500))
+	}
+	return out, nil
+}
+
+// --- JSON helpers (independent copy; logic mirrors domain/market/research.go).
+// Do not import from the market package — keeping packages decoupled.
+
+func extractJSON(s string) string {
+	start := strings.IndexByte(s, '{')
+	if start < 0 {
+		return s
+	}
+	s = s[start:]
+	depth := 0
+	for i := 0; i < len(s); i++ {
+		switch s[i] {
+		case '{':
+			depth++
+		case '}':
+			depth--
+			if depth == 0 {
+				return s[:i+1]
+			}
+		}
+	}
+	return s
+}
+
+func stripJSONComments(s string) string {
+	var result []byte
+	inString := false
+	escaped := false
+	for i := 0; i < len(s); i++ {
+		c := s[i]
+		if escaped {
+			result = append(result, c)
+			escaped = false
+			continue
+		}
+		if c == '\\' && inString {
+			result = append(result, c)
+			escaped = true
+			continue
+		}
+		if c == '"' {
+			inString = !inString
+			result = append(result, c)
+			continue
+		}
+		if !inString && c == '/' && i+1 < len(s) && s[i+1] == '/' {
+			for i < len(s) && s[i] != '\n' {
+				i++
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+		result = append(result, c)
+	}
+	return string(result)
+}
+
+func truncate(s string, n int) string {
+	if len(s) <= n {
+		return s
+	}
+	return s[:n]
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/domain/discovery/agent_client_test.go b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/agent_client_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7932881
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/agent_client_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
+package discovery
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestParsePass0_Valid(t *testing.T) {
+	raw := `{
+  "bucket": {"land": "Deutschland", "region": "Bayern", "jahr_monat": "2026-09"},
+  "recherche_datum": "2026-04-18",
+  "quellen_gesamt": ["https://a.example", "https://b.example"],
+  "maerkte": [
+    {
+      "markt_name": "Mittelaltermarkt Trostberg",
+      "stadt": "Trostberg",
+      "bundesland": "Bayern",
+      "start_datum": "2026-09-12",
+      "end_datum": "2026-09-14",
+      "website": "https://trostberg.example",
+      "quellen": ["https://a.example"],
+      "extraktion": "verbatim",
+      "hinweis": null
+    }
+  ]
+}`
+	got, err := parsePass0Response(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse err: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got.Bucket.Region != "Bayern" {
+		t.Errorf("region = %q, want Bayern", got.Bucket.Region)
+	}
+	if len(got.Maerkte) != 1 || got.Maerkte[0].MarktName != "Mittelaltermarkt Trostberg" {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected markets: %+v", got.Maerkte)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePass0_WithCommentsAndTrailingText(t *testing.T) {
+	raw := `Here is the JSON:
+{
+  "bucket": {"land": "Deutschland", "region": "Bayern", "jahr_monat": "2026-09"},
+  // a comment the agent added
+  "recherche_datum": "2026-04-18",
+  "quellen_gesamt": [],
+  "maerkte": []
+}
+end.`
+	got, err := parsePass0Response(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse err: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got.Bucket.Region != "Bayern" || len(got.Maerkte) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected: %+v", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePass0_Malformed(t *testing.T) {
+	raw := `not JSON at all`
+	if _, err := parsePass0Response(raw); err == nil {
+		t.Error("expected error on non-JSON input")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParsePass0_EmptyMaerkte(t *testing.T) {
+	raw := `{"bucket":{"land":"Deutschland","region":"Bayern","jahr_monat":"2026-09"},"recherche_datum":"","quellen_gesamt":[],"maerkte":[]}`
+	got, err := parsePass0Response(raw)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("parse err: %v", err)
+	}
+	if got.Maerkte == nil {
+		got.Maerkte = []Pass0Market{} // nil vs empty is fine
+	}
+	if len(got.Maerkte) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("expected empty, got %+v", got.Maerkte)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/domain/discovery/handler.go b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/handler.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..90e978c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/handler.go
@@ -0,0 +1,118 @@
+package discovery
+
+import (
+	"log/slog"
+	"net/http"
+	"strconv"
+
+	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+
+	"marktvogt.de/backend/internal/pkg/apierror"
+)
+
+type Handler struct {
+	service *Service
+}
+
+func NewHandler(s *Service) *Handler {
+	return &Handler{service: s}
+}
+
+func (h *Handler) Tick(c *gin.Context) {
+	summary, err := h.service.Tick(c.Request.Context())
+	if err != nil {
+		slog.ErrorContext(c.Request.Context(), "discovery tick failed", "error", err)
+		apiErr := apierror.Internal("tick failed")
+		c.JSON(apiErr.Status, apierror.NewResponse(apiErr))
+		return
+	}
+	c.JSON(http.StatusOK, gin.H{"data": summary})
+}
+
+func (h *Handler) ListQueue(c *gin.Context) {
+	limit, _ := strconv.Atoi(c.DefaultQuery("limit", "50"))
+	offset, _ := strconv.Atoi(c.DefaultQuery("offset", "0"))
+	if limit < 1 || limit > 200 {
+		limit = 50
+	}
+	if offset < 0 {
+		offset = 0
+	}
+	rows, err := h.service.ListPendingQueue(c.Request.Context(), limit, offset)
+	if err != nil {
+		apiErr := apierror.Internal("list queue failed")
+		c.JSON(apiErr.Status, apierror.NewResponse(apiErr))
+		return
+	}
+	c.JSON(http.StatusOK, gin.H{"data": rows})
+}
+
+func (h *Handler) Accept(c *gin.Context) {
+	id, err := uuid.Parse(c.Param("id"))
+	if err != nil {
+		apiErr := apierror.BadRequest("invalid_id", "invalid queue id")
+		c.JSON(apiErr.Status, apierror.NewResponse(apiErr))
+		return
+	}
+	reviewer, ok := currentUserID(c)
+	if !ok {
+		apiErr := apierror.Unauthorized("no user in context")
+		c.JSON(apiErr.Status, apierror.NewResponse(apiErr))
+		return
+	}
+	seriesID, editionID, err := h.service.Accept(c.Request.Context(), id, reviewer)
+	if err != nil {
+		slog.WarnContext(c.Request.Context(), "accept failed", "queue_id", id, "error", err)
+		apiErr := apierror.Internal("accept failed")
+		c.JSON(apiErr.Status, apierror.NewResponse(apiErr))
+		return
+	}
+	c.JSON(http.StatusOK, gin.H{"data": gin.H{"series_id": seriesID, "edition_id": editionID}})
+}
+
+type rejectRequest struct {
+	Reason string `json:"reason" validate:"max=2000"`
+}
+
+func (h *Handler) Reject(c *gin.Context) {
+	id, err := uuid.Parse(c.Param("id"))
+	if err != nil {
+		apiErr := apierror.BadRequest("invalid_id", "invalid queue id")
+		c.JSON(apiErr.Status, apierror.NewResponse(apiErr))
+		return
+	}
+	var req rejectRequest
+	// Empty body is OK (reason is optional). Non-EOF parse errors are tolerated;
+	// we fall through with zero-value req in all error cases.
+	_ = c.ShouldBindJSON(&req)
+	reviewer, ok := currentUserID(c)
+	if !ok {
+		apiErr := apierror.Unauthorized("no user in context")
+		c.JSON(apiErr.Status, apierror.NewResponse(apiErr))
+		return
+	}
+	if err := h.service.Reject(c.Request.Context(), id, reviewer, req.Reason); err != nil {
+		slog.WarnContext(c.Request.Context(), "reject failed", "queue_id", id, "error", err)
+		apiErr := apierror.Internal("reject failed")
+		c.JSON(apiErr.Status, apierror.NewResponse(apiErr))
+		return
+	}
+	c.Status(http.StatusNoContent)
+}
+
+func currentUserID(c *gin.Context) (uuid.UUID, bool) {
+	raw, exists := c.Get("user_id")
+	if !exists {
+		return uuid.Nil, false
+	}
+	switch v := raw.(type) {
+	case uuid.UUID:
+		return v, true
+	case string:
+		id, err := uuid.Parse(v)
+		return id, err == nil
+	default:
+		return uuid.Nil, false
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/domain/discovery/mock_repo_test.go b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/mock_repo_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e90a7e2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/mock_repo_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+package discovery
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	"github.com/jackc/pgx/v5"
+)
+
+// Compile-time guard: mockRepo must fully satisfy Repository.
+var _ Repository = (*mockRepo)(nil)
+
+type mockRepo struct {
+	pickStaleFn     func(ctx context.Context, forwardMonths, limit int) ([]Bucket, error)
+	updateBucketFn  func(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, errMsg string) error
+	listSeriesFn    func(ctx context.Context, cityNormalized string) ([]SeriesCandidate, error)
+	editionExistsFn func(ctx context.Context, seriesID uuid.UUID, year int) (bool, error)
+	insertDiscFn    func(ctx context.Context, d DiscoveredMarket) (uuid.UUID, error)
+	isRejectedFn    func(ctx context.Context, nameNormalized, stadt string, year int) (bool, error)
+	queuePendingFn  func(ctx context.Context, nameNormalized, stadt string, startDatum *time.Time) (bool, error)
+	getDiscoveredFn func(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) (DiscoveredMarket, error)
+	beginTxFn       func(ctx context.Context) (pgx.Tx, error)
+	markAcceptedFn  func(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx, id, eid, r uuid.UUID) error
+	markRejectedFn  func(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx, id, r uuid.UUID) error
+	insertRejFn     func(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx, rej RejectedDiscovery) error
+}
+
+func (m *mockRepo) PickStaleBuckets(ctx context.Context, fm, lim int) ([]Bucket, error) {
+	return m.pickStaleFn(ctx, fm, lim)
+}
+func (m *mockRepo) UpdateBucketQueried(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, errMsg string) error {
+	return m.updateBucketFn(ctx, id, errMsg)
+}
+func (m *mockRepo) ListSeriesByCity(ctx context.Context, c string) ([]SeriesCandidate, error) {
+	return m.listSeriesFn(ctx, c)
+}
+func (m *mockRepo) EditionExists(ctx context.Context, sid uuid.UUID, y int) (bool, error) {
+	return m.editionExistsFn(ctx, sid, y)
+}
+func (m *mockRepo) InsertDiscovered(ctx context.Context, d DiscoveredMarket) (uuid.UUID, error) {
+	return m.insertDiscFn(ctx, d)
+}
+func (m *mockRepo) IsRejected(ctx context.Context, n, s string, y int) (bool, error) {
+	return m.isRejectedFn(ctx, n, s, y)
+}
+func (m *mockRepo) QueueHasPending(ctx context.Context, n, s string, sd *time.Time) (bool, error) {
+	return m.queuePendingFn(ctx, n, s, sd)
+}
+func (m *mockRepo) ListQueue(ctx context.Context, status string, l, o int) ([]DiscoveredMarket, error) {
+	return nil, nil
+}
+func (m *mockRepo) GetDiscovered(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) (DiscoveredMarket, error) {
+	if m.getDiscoveredFn != nil {
+		return m.getDiscoveredFn(ctx, id)
+	}
+	return DiscoveredMarket{}, nil
+}
+func (m *mockRepo) BeginTx(ctx context.Context) (pgx.Tx, error) {
+	if m.beginTxFn != nil {
+		return m.beginTxFn(ctx)
+	}
+	return nil, nil
+}
+func (m *mockRepo) MarkAccepted(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx, id, eid, r uuid.UUID) error {
+	if m.markAcceptedFn != nil {
+		return m.markAcceptedFn(ctx, tx, id, eid, r)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+func (m *mockRepo) MarkRejected(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx, id, r uuid.UUID) error {
+	if m.markRejectedFn != nil {
+		return m.markRejectedFn(ctx, tx, id, r)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+func (m *mockRepo) InsertRejection(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx, r RejectedDiscovery) error {
+	if m.insertRejFn != nil {
+		return m.insertRejFn(ctx, tx, r)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/domain/discovery/model.go b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/model.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..df4809a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/model.go
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+// backend/internal/domain/discovery/model.go
+package discovery
+
+import (
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+)
+
+// Bucket is a scheduler row: one (land, region, year_month) tuple.
+type Bucket struct {
+	ID            uuid.UUID
+	Land          string
+	Region        string
+	YearMonth     string // 'YYYY-MM'
+	LastQueriedAt *time.Time
+	LastError     string
+	CreatedAt     time.Time
+}
+
+// DiscoveredMarket is a queue entry awaiting admin review.
+type DiscoveredMarket struct {
+	ID               uuid.UUID
+	BucketID         uuid.UUID
+	MarktName        string
+	Stadt            string
+	Bundesland       string
+	Land             string
+	StartDatum       *time.Time
+	EndDatum         *time.Time
+	Website          string
+	Quellen          []string
+	Extraktion       string
+	Hinweis          string
+	NameNormalized   string
+	MatchedSeriesID  *uuid.UUID
+	Status           string // 'pending' | 'accepted' | 'rejected'
+	DiscoveredAt     time.Time
+	ReviewedAt       *time.Time
+	ReviewedBy       *uuid.UUID
+	CreatedEditionID *uuid.UUID
+}
+
+// RejectedDiscovery stores a sticky rejection scoped to (normalized_name, city, year).
+type RejectedDiscovery struct {
+	ID             uuid.UUID
+	NameNormalized string
+	Stadt          string
+	Year           int
+	RejectedAt     time.Time
+	RejectedBy     *uuid.UUID
+	Reason         string
+}
+
+// Pass0Response is the parsed shape of the Mistral Pass 0 agent reply.
+type Pass0Response struct {
+	Bucket         Pass0Bucket   `json:"bucket"`
+	RechercheDatum string        `json:"recherche_datum"`
+	QuellenGesamt  []string      `json:"quellen_gesamt"`
+	Maerkte        []Pass0Market `json:"maerkte"`
+}
+
+type Pass0Bucket struct {
+	Land      string `json:"land"`
+	Region    string `json:"region"`
+	JahrMonat string `json:"jahr_monat"`
+}
+
+type Pass0Market struct {
+	MarktName  string   `json:"markt_name"`
+	Stadt      string   `json:"stadt"`
+	Bundesland string   `json:"bundesland"`
+	StartDatum string   `json:"start_datum"` // 'YYYY-MM-DD' or ""
+	EndDatum   string   `json:"end_datum"`
+	Website    string   `json:"website"`
+	Quellen    []string `json:"quellen"`
+	Extraktion string   `json:"extraktion"`
+	Hinweis    string   `json:"hinweis"`
+}
+
+// Status constants for discovered_markets.
+const (
+	StatusPending  = "pending"
+	StatusAccepted = "accepted"
+	StatusRejected = "rejected"
+)
diff --git a/backend/internal/domain/discovery/normalize.go b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/normalize.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1496678
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/normalize.go
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+package discovery
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+	"unicode"
+)
+
+// umlautMap expands German diacritics.
+var umlautMap = map[rune]string{
+	'ä': "ae", 'ö': "oe", 'ü': "ue", 'ß': "ss",
+	'Ä': "ae", 'Ö': "oe", 'Ü': "ue",
+}
+
+// stripWords are removed from the start and end of normalized market names.
+// Kept short intentionally — over-aggressive stripping collides unrelated markets.
+var stripWords = map[string]struct{}{
+	"mittelaltermarkt":  {},
+	"mittelalterlicher": {},
+	"markt":             {},
+	"zu":                {},
+	"am":                {},
+	"der":               {},
+	"die":               {},
+	"das":               {},
+	"auf":               {},
+	"dem":               {},
+	"den":               {},
+	"in":                {},
+	"im":                {},
+}
+
+// NormalizeName returns a stable, dedup-safe form of a market name:
+// lowercase, umlauts expanded, punctuation stripped, whitespace collapsed,
+// leading/trailing filler words removed.
+//
+// Used exclusively for matching. NOT suitable for slugs — see slugify() in service.go
+// for the URL-safe form that preserves identifying words.
+func NormalizeName(s string) string {
+	s = expandUmlauts(s)
+	s = toLowerAlnumSpace(s)
+	return trimStripWords(s)
+}
+
+// NormalizeCity lowercases, expands umlauts, and collapses internal whitespace.
+// Keeps hyphens (Baden-Baden) and punctuation (St. Wendel). Used for
+// pre-filtering series candidates by city.
+func NormalizeCity(s string) string {
+	s = expandUmlauts(s)
+	s = strings.ToLower(s)
+	return strings.Join(strings.Fields(s), " ")
+}
+
+func expandUmlauts(s string) string {
+	var b strings.Builder
+	b.Grow(len(s))
+	for _, r := range s {
+		if rep, ok := umlautMap[r]; ok {
+			b.WriteString(rep)
+		} else {
+			b.WriteRune(r)
+		}
+	}
+	return b.String()
+}
+
+func toLowerAlnumSpace(s string) string {
+	var b strings.Builder
+	b.Grow(len(s))
+	for _, r := range s {
+		switch {
+		case unicode.IsLetter(r) || unicode.IsDigit(r):
+			b.WriteRune(unicode.ToLower(r))
+		default:
+			b.WriteRune(' ')
+		}
+	}
+	return b.String()
+}
+
+func trimStripWords(s string) string {
+	tokens := strings.Fields(s)
+	// trim from left
+	for len(tokens) > 0 {
+		if _, ok := stripWords[tokens[0]]; !ok {
+			break
+		}
+		if shouldStopStripping(tokens[1:]) {
+			break
+		}
+		tokens = tokens[1:]
+	}
+	// trim from right
+	for len(tokens) > 0 {
+		if _, ok := stripWords[tokens[len(tokens)-1]]; !ok {
+			break
+		}
+		if shouldStopStripping(tokens[:len(tokens)-1]) {
+			break
+		}
+		tokens = tokens[:len(tokens)-1]
+	}
+	return strings.Join(tokens, " ")
+}
+
+// shouldStopStripping reports whether the tokens remaining after a hypothetical
+// edge-strip would be "meaningless" — i.e., contain only stripwords and purely
+// numeric tokens. When true, the caller should preserve the edge stripword to
+// avoid destroying identifying content (e.g. "Markt 2026" → "2026"). When the
+// remaining set is entirely stripwords (no numerics), stripping continues;
+// that's what lets "der die das" reduce to "".
+func shouldStopStripping(remaining []string) bool {
+	nonStripwordCount := 0
+	allNumeric := true
+	for _, t := range remaining {
+		if _, ok := stripWords[t]; ok {
+			continue
+		}
+		nonStripwordCount++
+		if !isNumericOnly(t) {
+			allNumeric = false
+		}
+	}
+	return nonStripwordCount > 0 && allNumeric
+}
+
+func isNumericOnly(s string) bool {
+	if s == "" {
+		return false
+	}
+	for _, r := range s {
+		if !unicode.IsDigit(r) {
+			return false
+		}
+	}
+	return true
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/domain/discovery/normalize_test.go b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/normalize_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ab94ca8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/normalize_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+package discovery
+
+import "testing"
+
+func TestNormalizeName(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name, in, want string
+	}{
+		{"lowercase", "Trostberg", "trostberg"},
+		{"umlauts", "Rüdesheim", "ruedesheim"},
+		{"eszett", "Straßburg", "strassburg"},
+		{"punctuation", "St. Goar!", "st goar"},
+		{"collapse_whitespace", "Bad  Muskau", "bad muskau"},
+		{"strip_market_prefix", "Mittelaltermarkt zu Trostberg", "trostberg"},
+		{"strip_market_suffix", "Trostberg Mittelaltermarkt", "trostberg"},
+		{"strip_der", "Markt der Ritter", "ritter"},
+		{"preserve_numbers", "Markt 2026", "markt 2026"},
+		{"empty", "", ""},
+		{"only_stripwords", "der die das", ""},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := NormalizeName(tc.in)
+			if got != tc.want {
+				t.Errorf("NormalizeName(%q) = %q, want %q", tc.in, got, tc.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNormalizeCity(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name, in, want string
+	}{
+		{"umlaut", "München", "muenchen"},
+		{"hyphen_preserved", "Baden-Baden", "baden-baden"},
+		{"whitespace_trim", "  Trostberg  ", "trostberg"},
+		{"empty", "", ""},
+		{"eszett", "Großenhain", "grossenhain"},
+		{"internal_double_whitespace", "Bad  Muskau", "bad muskau"},
+		{"punctuation_preserved", "St. Wendel", "st. wendel"},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := NormalizeCity(tc.in)
+			if got != tc.want {
+				t.Errorf("NormalizeCity(%q) = %q, want %q", tc.in, got, tc.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/domain/discovery/repository.go b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/repository.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4425ab9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/repository.go
@@ -0,0 +1,216 @@
+// backend/internal/domain/discovery/repository.go
+package discovery
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	"github.com/jackc/pgx/v5"
+	"github.com/jackc/pgx/v5/pgxpool"
+)
+
+type Repository interface {
+	PickStaleBuckets(ctx context.Context, forwardMonths, limit int) ([]Bucket, error)
+	UpdateBucketQueried(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, errMsg string) error
+	ListSeriesByCity(ctx context.Context, cityNormalized string) ([]SeriesCandidate, error)
+	EditionExists(ctx context.Context, seriesID uuid.UUID, year int) (bool, error)
+	InsertDiscovered(ctx context.Context, d DiscoveredMarket) (uuid.UUID, error)
+	IsRejected(ctx context.Context, nameNormalized, stadt string, year int) (bool, error)
+	QueueHasPending(ctx context.Context, nameNormalized, stadt string, startDatum *time.Time) (bool, error)
+	ListQueue(ctx context.Context, status string, limit, offset int) ([]DiscoveredMarket, error)
+	GetDiscovered(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) (DiscoveredMarket, error)
+	MarkAccepted(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx, id, editionID, reviewer uuid.UUID) error
+	MarkRejected(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx, id uuid.UUID, reviewer uuid.UUID) error
+	InsertRejection(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx, r RejectedDiscovery) error
+	BeginTx(ctx context.Context) (pgx.Tx, error)
+}
+
+// SeriesCandidate is a minimal projection used for name-normalization comparison in Go.
+type SeriesCandidate struct {
+	ID   uuid.UUID
+	Name string
+	City string
+}
+
+type pgRepository struct {
+	pool *pgxpool.Pool
+}
+
+func NewRepository(pool *pgxpool.Pool) Repository {
+	return &pgRepository{pool: pool}
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) PickStaleBuckets(ctx context.Context, forwardMonths, limit int) ([]Bucket, error) {
+	q := `
+SELECT id, land, region, year_month, last_queried_at, coalesce(last_error, ''), created_at
+FROM discovery_buckets
+WHERE year_month >= to_char(date_trunc('month', now()), 'YYYY-MM')
+  AND year_month <= to_char(date_trunc('month', now()) + ($1 * interval '1 month'), 'YYYY-MM')
+  AND (last_queried_at IS NULL OR last_queried_at < now() - interval '7 days')
+ORDER BY last_queried_at NULLS FIRST, year_month
+LIMIT $2`
+	rows, err := r.pool.Query(ctx, q, forwardMonths, limit)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("pick buckets: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	var out []Bucket
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var b Bucket
+		if err := rows.Scan(&b.ID, &b.Land, &b.Region, &b.YearMonth, &b.LastQueriedAt, &b.LastError, &b.CreatedAt); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		out = append(out, b)
+	}
+	return out, rows.Err()
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) UpdateBucketQueried(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID, errMsg string) error {
+	var errValue any
+	if errMsg == "" {
+		errValue = nil
+	} else {
+		errValue = errMsg
+	}
+	_, err := r.pool.Exec(ctx,
+		`UPDATE discovery_buckets SET last_queried_at = now(), last_error = $2 WHERE id = $1`,
+		id, errValue)
+	return err
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) ListSeriesByCity(ctx context.Context, cityNormalized string) ([]SeriesCandidate, error) {
+	rows, err := r.pool.Query(ctx,
+		`SELECT id, name, city FROM market_series WHERE LOWER(city) = $1`,
+		cityNormalized)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	var out []SeriesCandidate
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var c SeriesCandidate
+		if err := rows.Scan(&c.ID, &c.Name, &c.City); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		out = append(out, c)
+	}
+	return out, rows.Err()
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) EditionExists(ctx context.Context, seriesID uuid.UUID, year int) (bool, error) {
+	var exists bool
+	err := r.pool.QueryRow(ctx,
+		`SELECT EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM market_editions WHERE series_id = $1 AND year = $2)`,
+		seriesID, year).Scan(&exists)
+	return exists, err
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) InsertDiscovered(ctx context.Context, d DiscoveredMarket) (uuid.UUID, error) {
+	var id uuid.UUID
+	err := r.pool.QueryRow(ctx, `
+INSERT INTO discovered_markets
+  (bucket_id, markt_name, stadt, bundesland, land, start_datum, end_datum, website,
+   quellen, extraktion, hinweis, name_normalized, matched_series_id)
+VALUES ($1,$2,$3,$4,$5,$6,$7,$8,$9,$10,$11,$12,$13)
+RETURNING id`,
+		d.BucketID, d.MarktName, d.Stadt, d.Bundesland, d.Land, d.StartDatum, d.EndDatum, d.Website,
+		d.Quellen, d.Extraktion, d.Hinweis, d.NameNormalized, d.MatchedSeriesID).Scan(&id)
+	return id, err
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) IsRejected(ctx context.Context, nameNormalized, stadt string, year int) (bool, error) {
+	var exists bool
+	err := r.pool.QueryRow(ctx,
+		`SELECT EXISTS(SELECT 1 FROM rejected_discoveries WHERE name_normalized=$1 AND stadt=$2 AND year=$3)`,
+		nameNormalized, stadt, year).Scan(&exists)
+	return exists, err
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) QueueHasPending(ctx context.Context, nameNormalized, stadt string, startDatum *time.Time) (bool, error) {
+	var exists bool
+	err := r.pool.QueryRow(ctx, `
+SELECT EXISTS(
+  SELECT 1 FROM discovered_markets
+  WHERE status='pending'
+    AND name_normalized=$1 AND stadt=$2
+    AND start_datum IS NOT DISTINCT FROM $3
+)`, nameNormalized, stadt, startDatum).Scan(&exists)
+	return exists, err
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) ListQueue(ctx context.Context, status string, limit, offset int) ([]DiscoveredMarket, error) {
+	rows, err := r.pool.Query(ctx, `
+SELECT id, bucket_id, markt_name, stadt, coalesce(bundesland,''), land,
+       start_datum, end_datum, coalesce(website,''), quellen, coalesce(extraktion,''),
+       coalesce(hinweis,''), name_normalized, matched_series_id, status,
+       discovered_at, reviewed_at, reviewed_by, created_edition_id
+FROM discovered_markets
+WHERE status = $1
+ORDER BY discovered_at DESC
+LIMIT $2 OFFSET $3`, status, limit, offset)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	defer rows.Close()
+	var out []DiscoveredMarket
+	for rows.Next() {
+		var d DiscoveredMarket
+		if err := rows.Scan(
+			&d.ID, &d.BucketID, &d.MarktName, &d.Stadt, &d.Bundesland, &d.Land,
+			&d.StartDatum, &d.EndDatum, &d.Website, &d.Quellen, &d.Extraktion,
+			&d.Hinweis, &d.NameNormalized, &d.MatchedSeriesID, &d.Status,
+			&d.DiscoveredAt, &d.ReviewedAt, &d.ReviewedBy, &d.CreatedEditionID,
+		); err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+		out = append(out, d)
+	}
+	return out, rows.Err()
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) GetDiscovered(ctx context.Context, id uuid.UUID) (DiscoveredMarket, error) {
+	var d DiscoveredMarket
+	err := r.pool.QueryRow(ctx, `
+SELECT id, bucket_id, markt_name, stadt, coalesce(bundesland,''), land,
+       start_datum, end_datum, coalesce(website,''), quellen, coalesce(extraktion,''),
+       coalesce(hinweis,''), name_normalized, matched_series_id, status,
+       discovered_at, reviewed_at, reviewed_by, created_edition_id
+FROM discovered_markets WHERE id = $1`, id).Scan(
+		&d.ID, &d.BucketID, &d.MarktName, &d.Stadt, &d.Bundesland, &d.Land,
+		&d.StartDatum, &d.EndDatum, &d.Website, &d.Quellen, &d.Extraktion,
+		&d.Hinweis, &d.NameNormalized, &d.MatchedSeriesID, &d.Status,
+		&d.DiscoveredAt, &d.ReviewedAt, &d.ReviewedBy, &d.CreatedEditionID,
+	)
+	return d, err
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) MarkAccepted(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx, id, editionID, reviewer uuid.UUID) error {
+	_, err := tx.Exec(ctx, `
+UPDATE discovered_markets
+SET status='accepted', reviewed_at=now(), reviewed_by=$2, created_edition_id=$3
+WHERE id = $1 AND status='pending'`, id, reviewer, editionID)
+	return err
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) MarkRejected(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx, id uuid.UUID, reviewer uuid.UUID) error {
+	_, err := tx.Exec(ctx, `
+UPDATE discovered_markets
+SET status='rejected', reviewed_at=now(), reviewed_by=$2
+WHERE id = $1 AND status='pending'`, id, reviewer)
+	return err
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) InsertRejection(ctx context.Context, tx pgx.Tx, rej RejectedDiscovery) error {
+	_, err := tx.Exec(ctx, `
+INSERT INTO rejected_discoveries (name_normalized, stadt, year, rejected_by, reason)
+VALUES ($1, $2, $3, $4, $5)
+ON CONFLICT (name_normalized, stadt, year) DO NOTHING`,
+		rej.NameNormalized, rej.Stadt, rej.Year, rej.RejectedBy, rej.Reason)
+	return err
+}
+
+func (r *pgRepository) BeginTx(ctx context.Context) (pgx.Tx, error) {
+	return r.pool.BeginTx(ctx, pgx.TxOptions{})
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/domain/discovery/routes.go b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/routes.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6aba4ce
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/routes.go
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+package discovery
+
+import "github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
+
+// RegisterRoutes mounts both the admin-session routes (queue mgmt) and the
+// bearer-token route (tick). The two middlewares are passed in separately.
+func RegisterRoutes(
+	rg *gin.RouterGroup,
+	h *Handler,
+	requireAuth, requireAdmin, requireTickToken gin.HandlerFunc,
+) {
+	// Machine-driven tick (bearer token).
+	rg.POST("/admin/discovery/tick", requireTickToken, h.Tick)
+
+	// Admin-session queue routes.
+	admin := rg.Group("/admin/discovery", requireAuth, requireAdmin)
+	{
+		admin.GET("/queue", h.ListQueue)
+		admin.POST("/queue/:id/accept", h.Accept)
+		admin.POST("/queue/:id/reject", h.Reject)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/domain/discovery/service.go b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/service.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c42f09c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/service.go
@@ -0,0 +1,316 @@
+package discovery
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+
+	"marktvogt.de/backend/internal/domain/market"
+)
+
+type marketCreator interface {
+	Create(ctx context.Context, req market.CreateMarketRequest) (market.Market, error)
+	CreateEditionForSeries(ctx context.Context, seriesID uuid.UUID, req market.CreateEditionRequest) (market.Market, error)
+}
+
+// Service orchestrates bucket scheduling, agent invocation, and queue management.
+type Service struct {
+	repo          Repository
+	agent         *AgentClient
+	marketCreator marketCreator
+	batchSize     int
+	forwardMonths int
+}
+
+// NewService constructs a Service. batchSize and forwardMonths configure bucket picking.
+func NewService(repo Repository, agent *AgentClient, mc marketCreator, batchSize, forwardMonths int) *Service {
+	return &Service{
+		repo:          repo,
+		agent:         agent,
+		marketCreator: mc,
+		batchSize:     batchSize,
+		forwardMonths: forwardMonths,
+	}
+}
+
+// PickBuckets returns stale buckets eligible for the next discovery run.
+func (s *Service) PickBuckets(ctx context.Context) ([]Bucket, error) {
+	return s.repo.PickStaleBuckets(ctx, s.forwardMonths, s.batchSize)
+}
+
+// TickSummary reports what happened in one tick.
+type TickSummary struct {
+	BucketsProcessed int `json:"buckets_processed"`
+	Discovered       int `json:"markets_discovered"`
+	DedupedExisting  int `json:"deduped_existing"`
+	DedupedRejected  int `json:"deduped_rejected"`
+	DedupedQueue     int `json:"deduped_queue"`
+	Errors           int `json:"errors"`
+}
+
+// Tick picks N stale buckets and runs Pass 0 for each, writing net-new discoveries.
+func (s *Service) Tick(ctx context.Context) (TickSummary, error) {
+	if s.agent == nil || !s.agent.Enabled() {
+		return TickSummary{}, errors.New("discovery agent not configured")
+	}
+	buckets, err := s.PickBuckets(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return TickSummary{}, fmt.Errorf("pick buckets: %w", err)
+	}
+	var summary TickSummary
+	summary.BucketsProcessed = len(buckets)
+	for _, b := range buckets {
+		s.processOneBucket(ctx, b, &summary)
+	}
+	return summary, nil
+}
+
+func (s *Service) processOneBucket(ctx context.Context, b Bucket, summary *TickSummary) {
+	resp, err := s.agent.Discover(ctx, b)
+	if err != nil {
+		// Retry once after 2s per spec §9.
+		select {
+		case <-ctx.Done():
+			return
+		case <-time.After(2 * time.Second):
+		}
+		resp, err = s.agent.Discover(ctx, b)
+		if err != nil {
+			slog.WarnContext(ctx, "pass0 failed twice", "bucket_id", b.ID, "error", err)
+			_ = s.repo.UpdateBucketQueried(ctx, b.ID, err.Error())
+			summary.Errors++
+			return
+		}
+	}
+	sub := s.processBucketResponse(ctx, b, resp)
+	summary.Discovered += sub.Discovered
+	summary.DedupedExisting += sub.DedupedExisting
+	summary.DedupedRejected += sub.DedupedRejected
+	summary.DedupedQueue += sub.DedupedQueue
+	if err := s.repo.UpdateBucketQueried(ctx, b.ID, ""); err != nil {
+		slog.ErrorContext(ctx, "update bucket queried", "bucket_id", b.ID, "error", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func (s *Service) processBucketResponse(ctx context.Context, b Bucket, resp Pass0Response) TickSummary {
+	var summary TickSummary
+	seen := make(map[string]bool) // in-request dedup
+	for _, m := range resp.Maerkte {
+		key := NormalizeName(m.MarktName) + "|" + NormalizeCity(m.Stadt) + "|" + m.StartDatum
+		if seen[key] {
+			continue
+		}
+		seen[key] = true
+
+		// Series candidates pre-filtered by city.
+		candidates, err := s.repo.ListSeriesByCity(ctx, NormalizeCity(m.Stadt))
+		if err != nil {
+			slog.WarnContext(ctx, "list series by city", "city", m.Stadt, "error", err)
+			continue
+		}
+		matchedSeriesID := findSeriesMatch(m.MarktName, candidates)
+
+		startDatum, endDatum := parseOptionalDate(m.StartDatum), parseOptionalDate(m.EndDatum)
+		year := 0
+		if startDatum != nil {
+			year = startDatum.Year()
+		}
+
+		// Dedup checks in order (spec §7.1.e).
+		if matchedSeriesID != nil && year > 0 {
+			exists, err := s.repo.EditionExists(ctx, *matchedSeriesID, year)
+			if err != nil {
+				slog.WarnContext(ctx, "edition exists check", "error", err)
+				continue
+			}
+			if exists {
+				summary.DedupedExisting++
+				continue
+			}
+		}
+		nameNorm := NormalizeName(m.MarktName)
+		if year > 0 {
+			rejected, err := s.repo.IsRejected(ctx, nameNorm, m.Stadt, year)
+			if err != nil {
+				slog.WarnContext(ctx, "is rejected check", "error", err)
+				continue
+			}
+			if rejected {
+				summary.DedupedRejected++
+				continue
+			}
+		}
+		pending, err := s.repo.QueueHasPending(ctx, nameNorm, m.Stadt, startDatum)
+		if err != nil {
+			slog.WarnContext(ctx, "queue pending check", "error", err)
+			continue
+		}
+		if pending {
+			summary.DedupedQueue++
+			continue
+		}
+
+		dm := DiscoveredMarket{
+			BucketID:        b.ID,
+			MarktName:       m.MarktName,
+			Stadt:           m.Stadt,
+			Bundesland:      m.Bundesland,
+			Land:            b.Land,
+			StartDatum:      startDatum,
+			EndDatum:        endDatum,
+			Website:         m.Website,
+			Quellen:         m.Quellen,
+			Extraktion:      m.Extraktion,
+			Hinweis:         m.Hinweis,
+			NameNormalized:  nameNorm,
+			MatchedSeriesID: matchedSeriesID,
+		}
+		if _, err := s.repo.InsertDiscovered(ctx, dm); err != nil {
+			slog.WarnContext(ctx, "insert discovered", "error", err)
+			continue
+		}
+		summary.Discovered++
+	}
+	return summary
+}
+
+func parseOptionalDate(s string) *time.Time {
+	if s == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+	t, err := time.Parse("2006-01-02", s)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return &t
+}
+
+// Accept transitions a pending queue entry into a market edition.
+// Returns (seriesID, editionID, error).
+func (s *Service) Accept(ctx context.Context, queueID, reviewerID uuid.UUID) (uuid.UUID, uuid.UUID, error) {
+	d, err := s.repo.GetDiscovered(ctx, queueID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return uuid.Nil, uuid.Nil, fmt.Errorf("load queue entry: %w", err)
+	}
+	if d.Status != StatusPending {
+		return uuid.Nil, uuid.Nil, fmt.Errorf("queue entry is %s, expected pending", d.Status)
+	}
+	if d.StartDatum == nil || d.EndDatum == nil {
+		return uuid.Nil, uuid.Nil, errors.New("cannot accept entry without start/end date")
+	}
+
+	var created market.Market
+	if d.MatchedSeriesID != nil {
+		req := market.CreateEditionRequest{
+			Name:      d.MarktName,
+			City:      d.Stadt,
+			State:     d.Bundesland,
+			Country:   landToISO(d.Land),
+			StartDate: d.StartDatum.Format("2006-01-02"),
+			EndDate:   d.EndDatum.Format("2006-01-02"),
+			Website:   d.Website,
+		}
+		created, err = s.marketCreator.CreateEditionForSeries(ctx, *d.MatchedSeriesID, req)
+	} else {
+		req := market.CreateMarketRequest{
+			Name:      d.MarktName,
+			City:      d.Stadt,
+			State:     d.Bundesland,
+			Country:   landToISO(d.Land),
+			StartDate: d.StartDatum.Format("2006-01-02"),
+			EndDate:   d.EndDatum.Format("2006-01-02"),
+			Website:   d.Website,
+		}
+		created, err = s.marketCreator.Create(ctx, req)
+	}
+	if err != nil {
+		return uuid.Nil, uuid.Nil, fmt.Errorf("create market: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Discovery-side transition.
+	tx, err := s.repo.BeginTx(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return created.SeriesID, created.ID, fmt.Errorf("begin tx: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = tx.Rollback(ctx) }()
+	if err := s.repo.MarkAccepted(ctx, tx, queueID, created.ID, reviewerID); err != nil {
+		return created.SeriesID, created.ID, fmt.Errorf("mark accepted: %w", err)
+	}
+	if err := tx.Commit(ctx); err != nil {
+		return created.SeriesID, created.ID, fmt.Errorf("commit accept tx: %w", err)
+	}
+	return created.SeriesID, created.ID, nil
+}
+
+// Reject marks a pending entry rejected and records a sticky rejection.
+func (s *Service) Reject(ctx context.Context, queueID, reviewerID uuid.UUID, reason string) error {
+	d, err := s.repo.GetDiscovered(ctx, queueID)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("load queue entry: %w", err)
+	}
+	if d.Status != StatusPending {
+		return fmt.Errorf("queue entry is %s, expected pending", d.Status)
+	}
+	year := time.Now().Year()
+	if d.StartDatum != nil {
+		year = d.StartDatum.Year()
+	}
+
+	tx, err := s.repo.BeginTx(ctx)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("begin tx: %w", err)
+	}
+	defer func() { _ = tx.Rollback(ctx) }()
+	if err := s.repo.MarkRejected(ctx, tx, queueID, reviewerID); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("mark rejected: %w", err)
+	}
+	rejection := RejectedDiscovery{
+		NameNormalized: d.NameNormalized,
+		Stadt:          d.Stadt,
+		Year:           year,
+		RejectedBy:     &reviewerID,
+		Reason:         reason,
+	}
+	if err := s.repo.InsertRejection(ctx, tx, rejection); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("insert rejection: %w", err)
+	}
+	return tx.Commit(ctx)
+}
+
+// landToISO maps the Pass 0 land string to ISO-2 codes required by market.CreateMarketRequest.
+func landToISO(land string) string {
+	switch land {
+	case "Deutschland":
+		return "DE"
+	case "Österreich", "Oesterreich":
+		return "AT"
+	case "Schweiz":
+		return "CH"
+	}
+	return ""
+}
+
+// ListPendingQueue exposes queue listing for the handler layer.
+func (s *Service) ListPendingQueue(ctx context.Context, limit, offset int) ([]DiscoveredMarket, error) {
+	return s.repo.ListQueue(ctx, StatusPending, limit, offset)
+}
+
+// findSeriesMatch returns the ID of the first candidate whose normalized name matches
+// incomingName after normalization. Candidates are expected to be pre-filtered by city.
+func findSeriesMatch(incomingName string, candidates []SeriesCandidate) *uuid.UUID {
+	target := NormalizeName(incomingName)
+	if target == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+	for _, c := range candidates {
+		if NormalizeName(c.Name) == target {
+			id := c.ID
+			return &id
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/domain/discovery/service_test.go b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/service_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6177274
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/domain/discovery/service_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,219 @@
+package discovery
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	"github.com/jackc/pgx/v5"
+
+	"marktvogt.de/backend/internal/domain/market"
+)
+
+func TestFindSeriesMatch(t *testing.T) {
+	target := SeriesCandidate{
+		ID:   uuid.MustParse("11111111-1111-1111-1111-111111111111"),
+		Name: "Mittelaltermarkt Trostberg",
+		City: "Trostberg",
+	}
+	other := SeriesCandidate{
+		ID:   uuid.MustParse("22222222-2222-2222-2222-222222222222"),
+		Name: "Ritterfest Straßburg",
+		City: "Straßburg",
+	}
+	tests := []struct {
+		name     string
+		incoming string
+		cands    []SeriesCandidate
+		wantID   *uuid.UUID
+	}{
+		{"exact match", "Mittelaltermarkt Trostberg", []SeriesCandidate{target, other}, &target.ID},
+		{"suffix variant matches", "Trostberg Mittelaltermarkt", []SeriesCandidate{target}, &target.ID},
+		{"umlaut match", "Ritterfest Strassburg", []SeriesCandidate{other}, &other.ID},
+		{"no match", "Ganz anderer Markt", []SeriesCandidate{target, other}, nil},
+		{"empty candidates", "Mittelaltermarkt Trostberg", nil, nil},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := findSeriesMatch(tc.incoming, tc.cands)
+			switch {
+			case tc.wantID == nil && got == nil:
+				// ok
+			case tc.wantID != nil && got != nil && *got == *tc.wantID:
+				// ok
+			default:
+				t.Errorf("got %v, want %v", got, tc.wantID)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestPickBucketsPassesConfigToRepo(t *testing.T) {
+	var gotFM, gotLim int
+	m := &mockRepo{
+		pickStaleFn: func(_ context.Context, fm, lim int) ([]Bucket, error) {
+			gotFM, gotLim = fm, lim
+			return []Bucket{{ID: uuid.New(), Land: "Deutschland", Region: "Bayern", YearMonth: "2026-09"}}, nil
+		},
+	}
+	svc := NewService(m, nil, nil, 4, 12)
+	got, err := svc.PickBuckets(context.Background())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("err: %v", err)
+	}
+	if len(got) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("got %d buckets, want 1", len(got))
+	}
+	if gotFM != 12 || gotLim != 4 {
+		t.Errorf("forwarded fm=%d lim=%d, want 12,4", gotFM, gotLim)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProcessBucket_DedupsExisting(t *testing.T) {
+	bucket := Bucket{
+		ID: uuid.New(), Land: "Deutschland", Region: "Bayern", YearMonth: "2026-09",
+	}
+	seriesID := uuid.New()
+	var inserted []DiscoveredMarket
+	m := &mockRepo{
+		listSeriesFn: func(_ context.Context, city string) ([]SeriesCandidate, error) {
+			return []SeriesCandidate{{ID: seriesID, Name: "Mittelaltermarkt Trostberg", City: city}}, nil
+		},
+		editionExistsFn: func(_ context.Context, _ uuid.UUID, year int) (bool, error) {
+			return year == 2026, nil // 2026 edition exists → dedup
+		},
+		isRejectedFn:   func(_ context.Context, _, _ string, _ int) (bool, error) { return false, nil },
+		queuePendingFn: func(_ context.Context, _, _ string, _ *time.Time) (bool, error) { return false, nil },
+		insertDiscFn: func(_ context.Context, d DiscoveredMarket) (uuid.UUID, error) {
+			inserted = append(inserted, d)
+			return uuid.New(), nil
+		},
+		updateBucketFn: func(_ context.Context, _ uuid.UUID, _ string) error { return nil },
+	}
+	svc := NewService(m, nil, nil, 4, 12)
+
+	resp := Pass0Response{
+		Bucket: Pass0Bucket{Land: "Deutschland", Region: "Bayern", JahrMonat: "2026-09"},
+		Maerkte: []Pass0Market{
+			{MarktName: "Mittelaltermarkt Trostberg", Stadt: "Trostberg", StartDatum: "2026-09-12", EndDatum: "2026-09-14", Quellen: []string{"https://x"}},
+		},
+	}
+	summary := svc.processBucketResponse(context.Background(), bucket, resp)
+	if summary.Discovered != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 0 discovered, got %d", summary.Discovered)
+	}
+	if summary.DedupedExisting != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 deduped_existing, got %d", summary.DedupedExisting)
+	}
+	if len(inserted) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("expected no inserts, got %d", len(inserted))
+	}
+}
+
+func TestProcessBucket_InsertsNetNew(t *testing.T) {
+	bucket := Bucket{
+		ID: uuid.New(), Land: "Deutschland", Region: "Bayern", YearMonth: "2026-09",
+	}
+	var inserted []DiscoveredMarket
+	m := &mockRepo{
+		listSeriesFn:    func(_ context.Context, _ string) ([]SeriesCandidate, error) { return nil, nil },
+		editionExistsFn: func(_ context.Context, _ uuid.UUID, _ int) (bool, error) { return false, nil },
+		isRejectedFn:    func(_ context.Context, _, _ string, _ int) (bool, error) { return false, nil },
+		queuePendingFn:  func(_ context.Context, _, _ string, _ *time.Time) (bool, error) { return false, nil },
+		insertDiscFn: func(_ context.Context, d DiscoveredMarket) (uuid.UUID, error) {
+			inserted = append(inserted, d)
+			return uuid.New(), nil
+		},
+		updateBucketFn: func(_ context.Context, _ uuid.UUID, _ string) error { return nil },
+	}
+	svc := NewService(m, nil, nil, 4, 12)
+
+	resp := Pass0Response{
+		Bucket: Pass0Bucket{Land: "Deutschland", Region: "Bayern", JahrMonat: "2026-09"},
+		Maerkte: []Pass0Market{
+			{MarktName: "Neuer Markt", Stadt: "Passau", StartDatum: "2026-09-20", EndDatum: "2026-09-22", Quellen: []string{"https://x"}},
+		},
+	}
+	summary := svc.processBucketResponse(context.Background(), bucket, resp)
+	if summary.Discovered != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 discovered, got %d", summary.Discovered)
+	}
+	if len(inserted) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 1 insert, got %d", len(inserted))
+	}
+	if inserted[0].NameNormalized != "neuer" {
+		t.Errorf("name_normalized = %q, want 'neuer'", inserted[0].NameNormalized)
+	}
+}
+
+type stubCreator struct {
+	createCalls                 int
+	createEditionForSeriesCalls int
+	returnErr                   error
+}
+
+func (c *stubCreator) Create(_ context.Context, _ market.CreateMarketRequest) (market.Market, error) {
+	c.createCalls++
+	if c.returnErr != nil {
+		return market.Market{}, c.returnErr
+	}
+	return market.Market{ID: uuid.New(), SeriesID: uuid.New()}, nil
+}
+
+func (c *stubCreator) CreateEditionForSeries(_ context.Context, sid uuid.UUID, _ market.CreateEditionRequest) (market.Market, error) {
+	c.createEditionForSeriesCalls++
+	if c.returnErr != nil {
+		return market.Market{}, c.returnErr
+	}
+	return market.Market{ID: uuid.New(), SeriesID: sid}, nil
+}
+
+type noopTx struct{ pgx.Tx }
+
+func (noopTx) Commit(_ context.Context) error   { return nil }
+func (noopTx) Rollback(_ context.Context) error { return nil }
+
+func TestAccept_NewSeries_CallsCreate(t *testing.T) {
+	start := time.Date(2026, 9, 12, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	end := time.Date(2026, 9, 14, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	qID := uuid.New()
+	m := &mockRepo{
+		getDiscoveredFn: func(_ context.Context, _ uuid.UUID) (DiscoveredMarket, error) {
+			return DiscoveredMarket{ID: qID, Status: StatusPending, MarktName: "X", Stadt: "Y", Land: "Deutschland", StartDatum: &start, EndDatum: &end}, nil
+		},
+		beginTxFn:      func(_ context.Context) (pgx.Tx, error) { return noopTx{}, nil },
+		markAcceptedFn: func(_ context.Context, _ pgx.Tx, _, _, _ uuid.UUID) error { return nil },
+	}
+	mc := &stubCreator{}
+	svc := NewService(m, nil, mc, 4, 12)
+	_, _, err := svc.Accept(context.Background(), qID, uuid.New())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("accept err: %v", err)
+	}
+	if mc.createCalls != 1 || mc.createEditionForSeriesCalls != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("expected Create=1 CreateEdition=0, got %d/%d", mc.createCalls, mc.createEditionForSeriesCalls)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestAccept_ExistingSeries_CallsCreateEditionForSeries(t *testing.T) {
+	start := time.Date(2026, 9, 12, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	end := time.Date(2026, 9, 14, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	sid := uuid.New()
+	m := &mockRepo{
+		getDiscoveredFn: func(_ context.Context, _ uuid.UUID) (DiscoveredMarket, error) {
+			return DiscoveredMarket{Status: StatusPending, MarktName: "X", Stadt: "Y", Land: "Deutschland", StartDatum: &start, EndDatum: &end, MatchedSeriesID: &sid}, nil
+		},
+		beginTxFn:      func(_ context.Context) (pgx.Tx, error) { return noopTx{}, nil },
+		markAcceptedFn: func(_ context.Context, _ pgx.Tx, _, _, _ uuid.UUID) error { return nil },
+	}
+	mc := &stubCreator{}
+	svc := NewService(m, nil, mc, 4, 12)
+	_, _, err := svc.Accept(context.Background(), uuid.New(), uuid.New())
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("accept err: %v", err)
+	}
+	if mc.createCalls != 0 || mc.createEditionForSeriesCalls != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("expected Create=0 CreateEdition=1, got %d/%d", mc.createCalls, mc.createEditionForSeriesCalls)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/middleware/bearer_token.go b/backend/internal/middleware/bearer_token.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b524590
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/middleware/bearer_token.go
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+package middleware
+
+import (
+	"crypto/subtle"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
+
+	"marktvogt.de/backend/internal/pkg/apierror"
+)
+
+// RequireBearerToken validates Authorization: Bearer <token> against the given
+// secret using constant-time compare. An empty secret disables the route (all
+// requests are rejected) — a safety default for dev environments that haven't
+// set the token.
+func RequireBearerToken(secret string) gin.HandlerFunc {
+	return func(c *gin.Context) {
+		if secret == "" {
+			apiErr := apierror.Unauthorized("endpoint disabled")
+			c.AbortWithStatusJSON(apiErr.Status, apierror.NewResponse(apiErr))
+			return
+		}
+		auth := c.GetHeader("Authorization")
+		const prefix = "Bearer "
+		if !strings.HasPrefix(auth, prefix) {
+			apiErr := apierror.Unauthorized("missing bearer token")
+			c.AbortWithStatusJSON(apiErr.Status, apierror.NewResponse(apiErr))
+			return
+		}
+		provided := strings.TrimPrefix(auth, prefix)
+		if subtle.ConstantTimeCompare([]byte(provided), []byte(secret)) != 1 {
+			apiErr := apierror.Unauthorized("invalid bearer token")
+			c.AbortWithStatusJSON(apiErr.Status, apierror.NewResponse(apiErr))
+			return
+		}
+		c.Next()
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/middleware/bearer_token_test.go b/backend/internal/middleware/bearer_token_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..46b0526
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/middleware/bearer_token_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+package middleware
+
+import (
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
+)
+
+func TestRequireBearerToken(t *testing.T) {
+	gin.SetMode(gin.TestMode)
+	secret := "s3cret"
+	mw := RequireBearerToken(secret)
+
+	tests := []struct {
+		name       string
+		header     string
+		wantStatus int
+	}{
+		{"missing", "", http.StatusUnauthorized},
+		{"wrong scheme", "Basic abcd", http.StatusUnauthorized},
+		{"wrong token", "Bearer wrong", http.StatusUnauthorized},
+		{"correct", "Bearer s3cret", http.StatusOK},
+	}
+	for _, tc := range tests {
+		t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+			_, r := gin.CreateTestContext(w)
+			r.Use(mw)
+			r.GET("/t", func(c *gin.Context) { c.Status(http.StatusOK) })
+			req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/t", nil)
+			if tc.header != "" {
+				req.Header.Set("Authorization", tc.header)
+			}
+			r.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+			if w.Code != tc.wantStatus {
+				t.Errorf("status=%d want %d", w.Code, tc.wantStatus)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRequireBearerToken_EmptySecretRejectsAll(t *testing.T) {
+	gin.SetMode(gin.TestMode)
+	mw := RequireBearerToken("") // feature disabled → all requests 401
+	w := httptest.NewRecorder()
+	_, r := gin.CreateTestContext(w)
+	r.Use(mw)
+	r.GET("/t", func(c *gin.Context) { c.Status(http.StatusOK) })
+	req := httptest.NewRequest(http.MethodGet, "/t", nil)
+	req.Header.Set("Authorization", "Bearer anything")
+	r.ServeHTTP(w, req)
+	if w.Code != http.StatusUnauthorized {
+		t.Errorf("expected 401 when secret is empty, got %d", w.Code)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/pkg/ai/client.go b/backend/internal/pkg/ai/client.go
index f78da70..4d85d5d 100644
--- a/backend/internal/pkg/ai/client.go
+++ b/backend/internal/pkg/ai/client.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package ai
 import (
 	"context"
 	"fmt"
+	"sync"
 	"time"
 
 	"github.com/VikingOwl91/mistral-go-sdk"
@@ -10,13 +11,46 @@ import (
 	"github.com/VikingOwl91/mistral-go-sdk/conversation"
 )
 
+// rateLimiter enforces a minimum interval between calls. Set rps<=0 to disable.
+// Mirrors backend/internal/pkg/geocode/nominatim.go's lastReq gate.
+type rateLimiter struct {
+	mu          sync.Mutex
+	lastReq     time.Time
+	minInterval time.Duration
+}
+
+func newRateLimiter(rps float64) *rateLimiter {
+	if rps <= 0 {
+		return &rateLimiter{minInterval: 0}
+	}
+	return &rateLimiter{minInterval: time.Duration(float64(time.Second) / rps)}
+}
+
+// TODO: wait() does not honor context cancellation — a cancelled caller will
+// block up to minInterval while holding a mutex, and queued callers block up
+// to N*minInterval. Mirror pkg/geocode/nominatim.go which has the same gap.
+// Fix both sites together by taking ctx and using time.NewTimer + select.
+func (rl *rateLimiter) wait() {
+	if rl.minInterval == 0 {
+		return
+	}
+	rl.mu.Lock()
+	defer rl.mu.Unlock()
+	since := time.Since(rl.lastReq)
+	if since < rl.minInterval {
+		time.Sleep(rl.minInterval - since)
+	}
+	rl.lastReq = time.Now()
+}
+
 type Client struct {
 	sdk          *mistral.Client
 	agentSimple  string
 	modelComplex string
+	limiter      *rateLimiter
 }
 
-func New(apiKey, agentSimple, modelComplex string) *Client {
+func New(apiKey, agentSimple, modelComplex string, rps float64) *Client {
 	if modelComplex == "" {
 		modelComplex = "mistral-large-latest"
 	}
@@ -33,6 +67,7 @@ func New(apiKey, agentSimple, modelComplex string) *Client {
 		sdk:          sdk,
 		agentSimple:  agentSimple,
 		modelComplex: modelComplex,
+		limiter:      newRateLimiter(rps),
 	}
 }
 
@@ -54,6 +89,7 @@ type PassResult struct {
 
 // Pass1 uses the Conversations API to call the pre-created agent (with web search).
 func (c *Client) Pass1(ctx context.Context, prompt string) (PassResult, error) {
+	c.limiter.wait()
 	storeFalse := false
 	resp, err := c.sdk.StartConversation(ctx, &conversation.StartRequest{
 		AgentID: c.agentSimple,
@@ -76,8 +112,39 @@ func (c *Client) Pass1(ctx context.Context, prompt string) (PassResult, error) {
 	}, nil
 }
 
+// Pass0 uses the Conversations API to call a discovery agent identified by agentID.
+// The agent ID is passed explicitly so the discovery domain can configure its own
+// agent independently of the agentSimple field used by Pass1.
+func (c *Client) Pass0(ctx context.Context, agentID, prompt string) (PassResult, error) {
+	c.limiter.wait()
+	if c.sdk == nil || agentID == "" {
+		return PassResult{}, fmt.Errorf("pass0: ai client not configured (sdk=%v agentID=%q)", c.sdk != nil, agentID)
+	}
+	storeFalse := false
+	resp, err := c.sdk.StartConversation(ctx, &conversation.StartRequest{
+		AgentID: agentID,
+		Inputs:  conversation.TextInputs(prompt),
+		Store:   &storeFalse,
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return PassResult{}, fmt.Errorf("pass0 conversation: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	content := extractConversationContent(resp)
+	if content == "" {
+		return PassResult{}, fmt.Errorf("pass0: no assistant message in response")
+	}
+
+	return PassResult{
+		Content: content,
+		Usage:   convertConvUsage(resp.Usage),
+		Model:   "agent:" + agentID,
+	}, nil
+}
+
 // Pass2 uses chat completions for description generation + retry fields.
 func (c *Client) Pass2(ctx context.Context, systemPrompt, userPrompt string) (PassResult, error) {
+	c.limiter.wait()
 	resp, err := c.sdk.ChatComplete(ctx, &chat.CompletionRequest{
 		Model: c.modelComplex,
 		Messages: []chat.Message{
diff --git a/backend/internal/pkg/ai/rate_limiter_test.go b/backend/internal/pkg/ai/rate_limiter_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9629be4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/internal/pkg/ai/rate_limiter_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+package ai
+
+import (
+	"sort"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+)
+
+func TestRateLimiterSerializesCalls(t *testing.T) {
+	rl := newRateLimiter(2.0) // 2 req/s → minInterval 500ms
+	var (
+		mu    sync.Mutex
+		times []time.Time
+	)
+	var wg sync.WaitGroup
+	for i := 0; i < 3; i++ {
+		wg.Add(1)
+		go func() {
+			defer wg.Done()
+			rl.wait()
+			mu.Lock()
+			times = append(times, time.Now())
+			mu.Unlock()
+		}()
+	}
+	wg.Wait()
+
+	// Sort times; gaps between consecutive must be >= 500ms - small tolerance.
+	sort.Slice(times, func(i, j int) bool { return times[i].Before(times[j]) })
+	if gap := times[1].Sub(times[0]); gap < 400*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Errorf("gap[0->1] = %v, want >= 400ms", gap)
+	}
+	if gap := times[2].Sub(times[1]); gap < 400*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Errorf("gap[1->2] = %v, want >= 400ms", gap)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestRateLimiterDisabledWhenRPSZero(t *testing.T) {
+	rl := newRateLimiter(0) // disabled
+	start := time.Now()
+	for i := 0; i < 5; i++ {
+		rl.wait()
+	}
+	if elapsed := time.Since(start); elapsed > 50*time.Millisecond {
+		t.Errorf("expected no throttling when rps=0, elapsed %v", elapsed)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/backend/internal/server/routes.go b/backend/internal/server/routes.go
index 9d54155..1ddb409 100644
--- a/backend/internal/server/routes.go
+++ b/backend/internal/server/routes.go
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/gin-gonic/gin"
 
 	"marktvogt.de/backend/internal/domain/auth"
+	"marktvogt.de/backend/internal/domain/discovery"
 	"marktvogt.de/backend/internal/domain/market"
 	"marktvogt.de/backend/internal/domain/user"
 	"marktvogt.de/backend/internal/middleware"
@@ -64,10 +65,24 @@ func (s *Server) registerRoutes() {
 
 	// Admin market routes
 	adminMarketHandler := market.NewAdminHandler(marketSvc)
-	aiClient := ai.New(s.cfg.AI.APIKey, s.cfg.AI.AgentSimple, s.cfg.AI.ModelComplex)
+	aiClient := ai.New(s.cfg.AI.APIKey, s.cfg.AI.AgentSimple, s.cfg.AI.ModelComplex, s.cfg.AI.RateLimitRPS)
 	researchHandler := market.NewResearchHandler(marketSvc, aiClient)
 	requireAdmin := middleware.RequireRole("admin")
 	market.RegisterAdminRoutes(v1, adminMarketHandler, researchHandler, requireAuth, requireAdmin)
+
+	// Discovery routes
+	discoveryRepo := discovery.NewRepository(s.db)
+	discoveryAgent := discovery.NewAgentClient(aiClient, s.cfg.AI.AgentDiscovery)
+	discoveryService := discovery.NewService(
+		discoveryRepo,
+		discoveryAgent,
+		marketSvc,
+		s.cfg.Discovery.BatchSize,
+		s.cfg.Discovery.ForwardMonths,
+	)
+	discoveryHandler := discovery.NewHandler(discoveryService)
+	requireTickToken := middleware.RequireBearerToken(s.cfg.Discovery.Token)
+	discovery.RegisterRoutes(v1, discoveryHandler, requireAuth, requireAdmin, requireTickToken)
 }
 
 func (s *Server) healthz(c *gin.Context) {
diff --git a/backend/migrations/000011_discovery_buckets.down.sql b/backend/migrations/000011_discovery_buckets.down.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4268c71
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/migrations/000011_discovery_buckets.down.sql
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS discovery_buckets;
diff --git a/backend/migrations/000011_discovery_buckets.up.sql b/backend/migrations/000011_discovery_buckets.up.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0b9736a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/migrations/000011_discovery_buckets.up.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+CREATE TABLE discovery_buckets (
+  id               uuid PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
+  land             text NOT NULL,
+  region           text NOT NULL,
+  year_month       char(7) NOT NULL,
+  last_queried_at  timestamptz,
+  last_error       text,
+  created_at       timestamptz NOT NULL DEFAULT now(),
+  UNIQUE (land, region, year_month)
+);
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_discovery_buckets_stale
+  ON discovery_buckets (last_queried_at NULLS FIRST);
diff --git a/backend/migrations/000012_discovered_markets.down.sql b/backend/migrations/000012_discovered_markets.down.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..af5140d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/migrations/000012_discovered_markets.down.sql
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS discovered_markets;
diff --git a/backend/migrations/000012_discovered_markets.up.sql b/backend/migrations/000012_discovered_markets.up.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0f72c55
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/migrations/000012_discovered_markets.up.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+CREATE TABLE discovered_markets (
+  id                  uuid PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
+  bucket_id           uuid NOT NULL REFERENCES discovery_buckets(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
+  markt_name          text NOT NULL,
+  stadt               text NOT NULL,
+  bundesland          text,
+  land                text NOT NULL,
+  start_datum         date,
+  end_datum           date,
+  website             text,
+  quellen             text[] NOT NULL DEFAULT '{}',
+  extraktion          text,
+  hinweis             text,
+  name_normalized     text NOT NULL,
+  matched_series_id   uuid REFERENCES market_series(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+  status              text NOT NULL DEFAULT 'pending'
+    CHECK (status IN ('pending', 'accepted', 'rejected')),
+  discovered_at       timestamptz NOT NULL DEFAULT now(),
+  reviewed_at         timestamptz,
+  reviewed_by         uuid REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+  created_edition_id  uuid REFERENCES market_editions(id) ON DELETE SET NULL
+);
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_discovered_markets_pending
+  ON discovered_markets (status, discovered_at)
+  WHERE status = 'pending';
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_discovered_markets_dedup
+  ON discovered_markets (name_normalized, stadt, start_datum)
+  WHERE status = 'pending';
diff --git a/backend/migrations/000013_rejected_discoveries.down.sql b/backend/migrations/000013_rejected_discoveries.down.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6f6e210
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/migrations/000013_rejected_discoveries.down.sql
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+DROP TABLE IF EXISTS rejected_discoveries;
diff --git a/backend/migrations/000013_rejected_discoveries.up.sql b/backend/migrations/000013_rejected_discoveries.up.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..47fb1b8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/migrations/000013_rejected_discoveries.up.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+CREATE TABLE rejected_discoveries (
+  id              uuid PRIMARY KEY DEFAULT gen_random_uuid(),
+  name_normalized text NOT NULL,
+  stadt           text NOT NULL,
+  year            int  NOT NULL,
+  rejected_at     timestamptz NOT NULL DEFAULT now(),
+  rejected_by     uuid REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE SET NULL,
+  reason          text,
+  UNIQUE (name_normalized, stadt, year)
+);
+
+CREATE INDEX idx_rejected_discoveries_lookup
+  ON rejected_discoveries (name_normalized, stadt, year);
diff --git a/backend/migrations/000014_seed_discovery_buckets.down.sql b/backend/migrations/000014_seed_discovery_buckets.down.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1c8ad88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/migrations/000014_seed_discovery_buckets.down.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+-- Do not delete rows on rollback — `last_queried_at` and `last_error` may carry
+-- operational state. The table itself is dropped by 000011's down migration.
+SELECT 1;
diff --git a/backend/migrations/000014_seed_discovery_buckets.up.sql b/backend/migrations/000014_seed_discovery_buckets.up.sql
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4a2e9d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/backend/migrations/000014_seed_discovery_buckets.up.sql
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+-- Seed buckets for the 24-month window starting current month.
+WITH regions(land, region) AS (
+  VALUES
+    ('Deutschland', 'Baden-Württemberg'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Bayern'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Berlin'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Brandenburg'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Bremen'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Hamburg'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Hessen'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Mecklenburg-Vorpommern'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Niedersachsen'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Nordrhein-Westfalen'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Rheinland-Pfalz'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Saarland'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Sachsen'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Sachsen-Anhalt'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Schleswig-Holstein'),
+    ('Deutschland', 'Thüringen'),
+    ('Österreich', 'Burgenland'),
+    ('Österreich', 'Kärnten'),
+    ('Österreich', 'Niederösterreich'),
+    ('Österreich', 'Oberösterreich'),
+    ('Österreich', 'Salzburg'),
+    ('Österreich', 'Steiermark'),
+    ('Österreich', 'Tirol'),
+    ('Österreich', 'Vorarlberg'),
+    ('Österreich', 'Wien'),
+    ('Schweiz', 'Schweiz')
+),
+months AS (
+  SELECT to_char(date_trunc('month', now())::date + (n || ' month')::interval, 'YYYY-MM') AS year_month
+  FROM generate_series(0, 23) AS n
+)
+INSERT INTO discovery_buckets (land, region, year_month)
+SELECT r.land, r.region, m.year_month
+FROM regions r CROSS JOIN months m
+ON CONFLICT (land, region, year_month) DO NOTHING;
diff --git a/web/src/routes/admin/discovery/+page.server.ts b/web/src/routes/admin/discovery/+page.server.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..cf0427e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/routes/admin/discovery/+page.server.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+import type { PageServerLoad, Actions } from './$types.js';
+import { redirect, fail } from '@sveltejs/kit';
+import { serverFetch } from '$lib/api/client.server.js';
+
+type DiscoveredMarket = {
+	id: string;
+	markt_name: string;
+	stadt: string;
+	bundesland: string;
+	land: string;
+	start_datum: string | null;
+	end_datum: string | null;
+	website: string;
+	quellen: string[];
+	extraktion: string;
+	hinweis: string;
+	matched_series_id: string | null;
+	discovered_at: string;
+};
+
+export const load: PageServerLoad = async ({ cookies, url }) => {
+	const limit = Number(url.searchParams.get('limit') ?? 50);
+	const offset = Number(url.searchParams.get('offset') ?? 0);
+	const res = await serverFetch<DiscoveredMarket[]>(
+		`/admin/discovery/queue?limit=${limit}&offset=${offset}`,
+		cookies
+	);
+	return { queue: res.data, limit, offset };
+};
+
+export const actions: Actions = {
+	accept: async ({ request, cookies, fetch }) => {
+		const form = await request.formData();
+		const id = String(form.get('id') ?? '');
+		if (!id) return fail(400, { error: 'missing id' });
+
+		try {
+			const res = await serverFetch<{ series_id: string; edition_id: string }>(
+				`/admin/discovery/queue/${id}/accept`,
+				cookies,
+				{ method: 'POST', fetch }
+			);
+			// Fire research asynchronously — don't await, the edit page handles streaming suggestions.
+			void serverFetch(`/admin/markets/${res.data.edition_id}/research`, cookies, {
+				method: 'POST',
+				fetch
+			}).catch(() => {
+				// Silent: the edit page shows a toast if research hasn't completed.
+			});
+			redirect(303, `/admin/maerkte/${res.data.edition_id}/edit`);
+		} catch (err) {
+			if (err instanceof Response || (err as { status?: number })?.status === 303) throw err;
+			const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : 'Accept fehlgeschlagen.';
+			return fail(500, { error: message });
+		}
+	},
+
+	reject: async ({ request, cookies, fetch }) => {
+		const form = await request.formData();
+		const id = String(form.get('id') ?? '');
+		const reason = String(form.get('reason') ?? '');
+		if (!id) return fail(400, { error: 'missing id' });
+
+		try {
+			await serverFetch(`/admin/discovery/queue/${id}/reject`, cookies, {
+				method: 'POST',
+				body: JSON.stringify({ reason }),
+				fetch
+			});
+			return { success: true };
+		} catch (err) {
+			const message = err instanceof Error ? err.message : 'Reject fehlgeschlagen.';
+			return fail(500, { error: message });
+		}
+	}
+};
diff --git a/web/src/routes/admin/discovery/+page.svelte b/web/src/routes/admin/discovery/+page.svelte
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85622de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/web/src/routes/admin/discovery/+page.svelte
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+<script lang="ts">
+	import { enhance } from '$app/forms';
+	let { data } = $props();
+</script>
+
+<svelte:head>
+	<title>Admin · Discovery Queue</title>
+</svelte:head>
+
+<div class="mx-auto max-w-7xl px-4 py-8">
+	<h1 class="text-2xl font-bold">Discovery Queue</h1>
+	<p class="mt-1 text-sm text-stone-500">
+		{data.queue.length} pending · showing from offset {data.offset}
+	</p>
+
+	{#if data.queue.length === 0}
+		<p class="mt-8 rounded border border-stone-200 bg-stone-50 p-6 text-center text-stone-600">
+			Keine Einträge in der Warteschlange.
+		</p>
+	{:else}
+		<table class="mt-6 w-full text-left text-sm">
+			<thead class="border-b border-stone-200 text-stone-500">
+				<tr>
+					<th class="py-2">Land</th>
+					<th>Region</th>
+					<th>Markt</th>
+					<th>Stadt</th>
+					<th>Datum</th>
+					<th>Website</th>
+					<th>Quellen</th>
+					<th>Extraktion</th>
+					<th class="text-right">Aktion</th>
+				</tr>
+			</thead>
+			<tbody>
+				{#each data.queue as row (row.id)}
+					<tr class="border-b border-stone-100">
+						<td class="py-2">{row.land}</td>
+						<td>{row.bundesland}</td>
+						<td class="font-medium">{row.markt_name}</td>
+						<td>{row.stadt}</td>
+						<td>
+							{#if row.start_datum}
+								{row.start_datum}{row.end_datum ? ` – ${row.end_datum}` : ''}
+							{:else}
+								<span class="text-stone-400">—</span>
+							{/if}
+						</td>
+						<td>
+							{#if row.website}
+								<a
+									href={row.website}
+									target="_blank"
+									rel="noreferrer noopener"
+									class="text-blue-600 underline">link</a
+								>
+							{:else}
+								<span class="text-stone-400">—</span>
+							{/if}
+						</td>
+						<td>{row.quellen?.length ?? 0}</td>
+						<td>
+							<span
+								class="inline-block rounded px-2 py-0.5 text-xs {row.extraktion === 'verbatim'
+									? 'bg-emerald-100 text-emerald-700'
+									: 'bg-amber-100 text-amber-700'}"
+							>
+								{row.extraktion || '—'}
+							</span>
+						</td>
+						<td class="text-right">
+							<form method="POST" action="?/accept" use:enhance class="inline">
+								<input type="hidden" name="id" value={row.id} />
+								<button
+									type="submit"
+									class="rounded bg-emerald-600 px-2 py-1 text-xs text-white hover:bg-emerald-700"
+								>
+									Accept
+								</button>
+							</form>
+							<form method="POST" action="?/reject" use:enhance class="inline">
+								<input type="hidden" name="id" value={row.id} />
+								<button
+									type="submit"
+									class="ml-1 rounded bg-stone-200 px-2 py-1 text-xs text-stone-700 hover:bg-stone-300"
+								>
+									Reject
+								</button>
+							</form>
+						</td>
+					</tr>
+				{/each}
+			</tbody>
+		</table>
+	{/if}
+</div>