diff --git a/src/cluster.rs b/src/cluster.rs
index 16b78b8..f5bfffc 100644
--- a/src/cluster.rs
+++ b/src/cluster.rs
@@ -2,9 +2,62 @@
 //!
 //! c1: feature flag + optional deps. c2: the owned envelope. c3: the
 //! transport trait (control connection), framed codec, and the TCP +
-//! loopback impls. c5: the handshake state machine. Everything above them
-//! lands in later chunks.
+//! loopback impls. c5: the handshake state machine. c6: the connection
+//! [`manager`] (registry) and per-peer connection actors ([`conn`]), started
+//! as an explicit supervision subtree. Everything above them lands in later
+//! chunks.
 
+pub mod conn;
 pub mod envelope;
 pub mod handshake;
+pub mod manager;
 pub mod transport;
+
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use crate::gen_server::{self, GenServerBuilder};
+use crate::monitor::monitor;
+use crate::scheduler::{sleep, spawn, JoinHandle};
+use crate::supervisor::{ChildSpec, OneForOne, Restart};
+
+pub use conn::{spawn_established, ConnHandle};
+pub use manager::{Manager, MANAGER};
+
+/// A running cluster subtree: an explicitly-started supervisor over the
+/// connection [`Manager`]. Roles will eventually mount this subtree; until the
+/// role mechanism lands it is started by hand (RFC 010 §7). Dropping the handle
+/// detaches the subtree, which keeps running for the life of the runtime.
+pub struct Cluster {
+    _sup: JoinHandle,
+}
+
+/// Start the cluster subtree and block until the manager is registered and
+/// ready to answer. The manager is a supervised child (restarted on crash);
+/// per-peer connection actors are dynamic and monitored by the manager rather
+/// than statically supervised — a lost connection is re-established by dialing
+/// (c7), never resurrected onto a stale socket.
+pub fn start() -> Cluster {
+    let sup = spawn(|| {
+        OneForOne::new()
+            .child(ChildSpec::new(Restart::Permanent, manager_child))
+            .run()
+    });
+    while gen_server::whereis_server(MANAGER).is_none() {
+        sleep(Duration::from_millis(1));
+    }
+    Cluster { _sup: sup }
+}
+
+/// The supervised manager child body. It *is* the child actor: it starts the
+/// named manager, then parks on the manager's own termination so this actor's
+/// lifetime tracks the manager's — the supervisor's restart accounting keys off
+/// this actor exiting.
+fn manager_child() {
+    let m = match GenServerBuilder::new(Manager::new()).named(MANAGER).start() {
+        Ok(m) => m,
+        // Name still held by a not-yet-reaped prior instance: return and let
+        // the supervisor retry under its restart policy.
+        Err(_) => return,
+    };
+    let _ = monitor(m.pid()).rx.recv();
+}
diff --git a/src/cluster/conn.rs b/src/cluster/conn.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..78122e7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cluster/conn.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,120 @@
+//! RFC 010 c6 — the per-peer connection actor.
+//!
+//! One actor per established control connection. It owns the whole
+//! [`FramedConn`] and, in a single [`select`](crate::select), waits on two
+//! things at once: its command inbox and the connection becoming readable (the
+//! [`FdArm`](crate::scheduler::FdArm) the transport hands back). That is why it
+//! is a plain select-loop actor rather than a `gen_server` or `gen_statem` —
+//! neither of those can fold fd-readiness into its wait, and folding it in is
+//! the whole job. The single owner sends and receives on the one `FramedConn`,
+//! so no read/write split is needed.
+//!
+//! The handshake completes *before* this actor exists (on the accept/connect
+//! path — c6b) and produces the [`Peer`]; the actor registers that peer with
+//! the [`manager`](crate::cluster::manager), which monitors it so any exit
+//! deregisters the connection. Heartbeat send and fixed-timeout liveness join
+//! the loop in c6c (the timeout arm of the same `select`).
+
+use crate::channel::{channel, Receiver, Selectable, Sender};
+use crate::cluster::handshake::Peer;
+use crate::cluster::manager::{Call, Registered, Reply, MANAGER};
+use crate::cluster::transport::FramedConn;
+use crate::gen_server;
+use crate::scheduler::{self, spawn};
+
+/// Commands to a running connection actor.
+enum Cmd {
+    Shutdown,
+}
+
+/// A handle to a running connection actor.
+pub struct ConnHandle {
+    cmd_tx: Sender<Cmd>,
+}
+
+impl ConnHandle {
+    /// Ask the connection to close and exit. Idempotent, and a no-op if the
+    /// actor has already gone.
+    pub fn shutdown(&self) {
+        let _ = self.cmd_tx.send(Cmd::Shutdown);
+    }
+}
+
+/// Spawn a connection actor for an **already-established** connection: the
+/// handshake has completed elsewhere and produced `peer`. Returns as soon as
+/// the actor is spawned; the actor's first act is to register with the manager.
+pub fn spawn_established(framed: FramedConn, peer: Peer) -> ConnHandle {
+    let (cmd_tx, cmd_rx) = channel();
+    spawn(move || run(framed, peer, cmd_rx));
+    ConnHandle { cmd_tx }
+}
+
+fn run(mut framed: FramedConn, peer: Peer, cmd_rx: Receiver<Cmd>) {
+    let me = scheduler::self_pid();
+    match gen_server::call(
+        MANAGER,
+        Call::Register {
+            name: peer.node_name.clone(),
+            pid: me,
+        },
+    ) {
+        Ok(Reply::Registered(Registered::Ok)) => {}
+        // Duplicate name, or the manager is unreachable: do not run. The
+        // connection drops (closing the socket) as `framed` falls out of scope.
+        _ => return,
+    }
+
+    loop {
+        match framed.readable_arm() {
+            Some(arm) => {
+                let arms: [&dyn Selectable; 2] = [&cmd_rx, &arm];
+                match crate::channel::try_select(&arms) {
+                    Ok(0) => {
+                        if should_stop(&cmd_rx) {
+                            break;
+                        }
+                    }
+                    Ok(_) => {
+                        if pump_readable(&mut framed) {
+                            break;
+                        }
+                    }
+                    // The fd arm failed to register — the connection is gone.
+                    Err(_) => break,
+                }
+            }
+            None => {
+                // No fd to select on (loopback): only a command can end the
+                // wait. Liveness over such a transport is out of scope.
+                let arms: [&dyn Selectable; 1] = [&cmd_rx];
+                let _ = crate::channel::select(&arms);
+                if should_stop(&cmd_rx) {
+                    break;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    framed.close();
+}
+
+/// Drain the command arm. Returns `true` when the actor should exit — a
+/// shutdown was requested, or the last handle was dropped.
+fn should_stop(cmd_rx: &Receiver<Cmd>) -> bool {
+    match cmd_rx.try_recv() {
+        Ok(Some(Cmd::Shutdown)) => true,
+        Ok(None) => false, // spurious wake
+        Err(_) => true,    // all senders dropped
+    }
+}
+
+/// Consume whatever is readable now. Returns `true` when the connection has
+/// ended (clean EOF or an unrecoverable stream error). This chunk does not
+/// interpret frames; c6c handles heartbeats and resets the liveness timer here.
+fn pump_readable(framed: &mut FramedConn) -> bool {
+    match framed.recv() {
+        Ok(Some(_frame)) => false,
+        Ok(None) => true, // clean EOF at a frame boundary
+        Err(_) => true,   // corrupt / truncated / io
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/cluster/manager.rs b/src/cluster/manager.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ab3218
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/cluster/manager.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+//! RFC 010 c6 — the cluster connection manager.
+//!
+//! One manager per runtime: the single registry of live peer connections and
+//! the source of truth for whether a peer name is already claimed. Every
+//! connection actor registers here as its first act and is *monitored* by the
+//! manager, so the table self-heals on any exit path — a connection that
+//! panics, is cancelled, or closes cleanly is removed without cooperation from
+//! the dying actor.
+//!
+//! Membership as consumers will see it (the `node_up`/`node_down` interface and
+//! the view) and the connector dial loop are c7, built on top of this table.
+//! What lives here is only the table itself and the uniqueness rule the
+//! handshake's `NameTaken` verdict depends on.
+
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+
+use crate::gen_server::{GenServer, GenServerCtx, GenServerName, Watcher};
+use crate::monitor::{monitor, Down};
+use crate::pid::Pid;
+
+/// Well-known name of the singleton manager within a runtime. Connection
+/// actors reach it by name rather than by a passed-around ref, so a restarted
+/// manager is always found at the same key.
+pub const MANAGER: GenServerName<Manager> = GenServerName::new("smarm.cluster.manager");
+
+/// The connection registry: peer name → the connection actor that owns that
+/// peer's control connection.
+pub struct Manager {
+    conns: HashMap<String, Pid>,
+    watcher: Option<Watcher<Manager>>,
+}
+
+impl Manager {
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
+        Manager {
+            conns: HashMap::new(),
+            watcher: None,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl Default for Manager {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Manager::new()
+    }
+}
+
+/// Outcome of a [`Call::Register`].
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub enum Registered {
+    /// The name was free; this connection is now the peer of record.
+    Ok,
+    /// Another live connection already holds this name — the caller lost the
+    /// race (or is a duplicate) and must not run.
+    Duplicate,
+}
+
+/// Requests to the manager.
+pub enum Call {
+    /// A freshly-established connection actor claims its peer's name. The pid
+    /// is the calling connection actor, which the manager then monitors.
+    Register { name: String, pid: Pid },
+    /// The current peer names, sorted. For observation and tests.
+    Peers,
+}
+
+/// Replies from the manager.
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub enum Reply {
+    Registered(Registered),
+    Peers(Vec<String>),
+}
+
+impl GenServer for Manager {
+    type Call = Call;
+    type Reply = Reply;
+    type Cast = ();
+    type Info = ();
+    type Timer = ();
+
+    fn init(&mut self, ctx: &GenServerCtx<Self>) {
+        self.watcher = Some(ctx.watcher());
+    }
+
+    fn handle_call(&mut self, request: Call) -> Reply {
+        match request {
+            Call::Register { name, pid } => {
+                if self.conns.contains_key(&name) {
+                    return Reply::Registered(Registered::Duplicate);
+                }
+                if let Some(w) = &self.watcher {
+                    w.watch(monitor(pid));
+                }
+                self.conns.insert(name, pid);
+                Reply::Registered(Registered::Ok)
+            }
+            Call::Peers => {
+                let mut names: Vec<String> = self.conns.keys().cloned().collect();
+                names.sort();
+                Reply::Peers(names)
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn handle_cast(&mut self, _request: ()) {}
+
+    fn handle_down(&mut self, down: Down) {
+        self.conns.retain(|_, pid| *pid != down.pid);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/cluster/transport.rs b/src/cluster/transport.rs
index f16057d..d62d786 100644
--- a/src/cluster/transport.rs
+++ b/src/cluster/transport.rs
@@ -50,6 +50,17 @@ pub trait Conn: Send {
     /// Diagnostic label for logs only. Mesh identity comes from the
     /// handshake (`Hello`/`HelloAck`), never from the transport.
     fn peer_addr(&self) -> String;
+
+    /// Readiness as a [`select`](crate::select) arm, for transports backed by
+    /// a file descriptor. `Some` lets a driver wait on "this connection is
+    /// readable" alongside an ordinary command inbox in a single `select`, so
+    /// one actor can interleave reading with control messages without a
+    /// second thread. The default is `None`: a transport with no fd (the
+    /// in-memory loopback) cannot be selected on and must be driven another
+    /// way.
+    fn readable_arm(&self) -> Option<crate::scheduler::FdArm> {
+        None
+    }
 }
 
 /// A bound listen point producing inbound [`Conn`]s.
@@ -191,4 +202,10 @@ impl FramedConn {
     pub fn peer_addr(&self) -> String {
         self.conn.peer_addr()
     }
+
+    /// The underlying connection's readiness arm, if it is fd-backed (see
+    /// [`Conn::readable_arm`]).
+    pub fn readable_arm(&self) -> Option<crate::scheduler::FdArm> {
+        self.conn.readable_arm()
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/cluster/transport/tcp.rs b/src/cluster/transport/tcp.rs
index c725088..d3764e6 100644
--- a/src/cluster/transport/tcp.rs
+++ b/src/cluster/transport/tcp.rs
@@ -180,6 +180,10 @@ impl Conn for TcpConn {
             Err(_) => "<disconnected>".to_string(),
         }
     }
+
+    fn readable_arm(&self) -> Option<crate::scheduler::FdArm> {
+        Some(crate::scheduler::FdArm::readable(self.fd()))
+    }
 }
 
 // ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
diff --git a/tests/cluster_conn_lifecycle.rs b/tests/cluster_conn_lifecycle.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..040afbc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/cluster_conn_lifecycle.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+//! RFC 010 c6a — connection-actor lifecycle against the manager table.
+//!
+//! The handshake is bypassed here (c6b wires it): each connection is
+//! constructed already-established over a real localhost TCP pair, handed a
+//! fabricated `Peer`, and spawned. The actor registers with the manager, which
+//! monitors it, so the table reflects the connection while it lives and reaps
+//! it on any exit path. This proves three things at once: a live connection
+//! shows up, a commanded shutdown removes exactly that one, and a peer close
+//! (EOF, no command) removes the other.
+//!
+//! TCP parks the calling actor, so everything runs inside `smarm::run`; the
+//! single-threaded runtime is fine because every wait is a cooperative fd park.
+#![cfg(feature = "cluster")]
+
+use std::time::Duration;
+
+use smarm::cluster::envelope::NodeMeta;
+use smarm::cluster::handshake::Peer;
+use smarm::cluster::manager::{Call, Manager, Reply, MANAGER};
+use smarm::cluster::spawn_established;
+use smarm::cluster::transport::tcp::TcpTransport;
+use smarm::cluster::transport::{Conn, FramedConn, Transport};
+use smarm::gen_server::{self, GenServerBuilder};
+use smarm::pg::Incarnation;
+use smarm::{run, sleep};
+
+/// A fabricated post-handshake peer identity. Only `node_name` matters to the
+/// manager table; the rest is filler until c7 consumes it.
+fn peer(name: &str) -> Peer {
+    Peer {
+        node_name: name.to_string(),
+        incarnation: Incarnation::new(1),
+        meta: NodeMeta {
+            role: "test".to_string(),
+            region: "test".to_string(),
+        },
+    }
+}
+
+/// One established transport pair over localhost. Relies on TCP backlog so the
+/// sequential dial-then-accept needs no concurrent acceptor (same assumption as
+/// the c3 conformance suite).
+fn pair(t: &dyn Transport) -> (Box<dyn Conn>, Box<dyn Conn>) {
+    let mut l = t.listen("127.0.0.1:0").unwrap();
+    let a = t.dial(&l.local_addr()).unwrap();
+    let b = l.accept().unwrap();
+    (a, b)
+}
+
+/// Poll the manager until its peer set matches `expected` (sorted), or fail.
+/// The bound is generous against a sub-millisecond real cost.
+fn wait_peers(expected: &[&str]) {
+    let want: Vec<String> = expected.iter().map(|s| s.to_string()).collect();
+    for _ in 0..2000 {
+        if let Ok(Reply::Peers(got)) = gen_server::call(MANAGER, Call::Peers) {
+            if got == want {
+                return;
+            }
+        }
+        sleep(Duration::from_millis(1));
+    }
+    let got = gen_server::call(MANAGER, Call::Peers);
+    panic!("timed out waiting for peers == {want:?}; last = {got:?}");
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn connection_up_commanded_shutdown_and_eof_all_reflected_in_table() {
+    run(|| {
+        // The manager, started plainly and reachable at its well-known name.
+        // (The supervised subtree in `cluster::start` is permanent by design;
+        // a plainly-started manager lets this test terminate cleanly.)
+        let mgr = GenServerBuilder::new(Manager::new())
+            .named(MANAGER)
+            .start()
+            .expect("manager name is free");
+
+        let t = TcpTransport;
+        let (a1, b1) = pair(&t);
+        let (a2, b2) = pair(&t);
+
+        // Manage the `a` ends as peers node-b and node-c; keep the `b` far ends
+        // open so neither socket is closed from the far side yet.
+        let h1 = spawn_established(FramedConn::new(a1), peer("node-b"));
+        let _h2 = spawn_established(FramedConn::new(a2), peer("node-c"));
+
+        // Up: both connections register and the table shows them.
+        wait_peers(&["node-b", "node-c"]);
+
+        // A commanded shutdown reaps exactly its own connection.
+        h1.shutdown();
+        wait_peers(&["node-c"]);
+
+        // A peer close (EOF) reaps the other with no command at all.
+        drop(b2);
+        wait_peers(&[]);
+
+        // node-b's far end stayed open until here, so its removal above was the
+        // shutdown command and not an EOF.
+        drop(b1);
+
+        // All connection actors have exited; stop the manager so `run` returns.
+        mgr.shutdown();
+    });
+}