diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index cb910ab..8004bac 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -28,12 +28,14 @@ pub mod conn_registry;
 pub mod serve;
 pub mod sse;
 pub mod ws;
+pub mod pubsub;
 
 // Re-exports — what most users want at the crate root.
 pub use conn::{Assigns, Body, Conn, HeaderMap, HttpVersion, Method, Params, RespBody, StreamBody};
 pub use plug::{Next, Pipeline, Plug};
 pub use router::Router;
 pub use sse::{EventSender, SseClosed};
+pub use pubsub::{PubSub, PubSubDown};
 pub use ws::{Message, WsClosed, WsHandler, WsSender};
 pub use serve::{
     serve, serve_with, serve_with_shutdown, shutdown_handle, Config, Handle, ShutdownSignal,
diff --git a/src/pubsub.rs b/src/pubsub.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..4991b5b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/pubsub.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,495 @@
+//! `urus::pubsub` — local-node topic pub/sub, phoenix_pubsub-shaped.
+//!
+//! Deliberately independent of HTTP: nothing here imports the rest of
+//! urus, only smarm. Usable from any smarm app; candidate for crate
+//! extraction later.
+//!
+//! # Shape (v0.5 design, user-ratified)
+//!
+//! - **Generic per instance** (`PubSub<M>`): zero-cost dispatch, no
+//!   downcasts. One instance per message domain; heterogeneous events on
+//!   one bus are an app-side `enum M`.
+//! - **Subscribe returns a `Receiver<Arc<M>>`**: the subscriber owns its
+//!   receive loop and composes with the v0.4 ws outbound pattern (a relay
+//!   actor pumping the receiver into a `WsSender` clone). One fresh
+//!   receiver per subscription; fan-in (`subscribe_with(topic, sender)`)
+//!   is a compatible later addition if wanted.
+//! - **Unbounded mailboxes**: `broadcast` never blocks the topic table —
+//!   a bounded-block policy would head-of-line-block *every* topic behind
+//!   one slow subscriber, and bounded-drop silently loses messages.
+//!   Memory risk is a live-but-not-receiving subscriber, bounded by two
+//!   cleanup paths: monitor `Down` on subscriber death, and pruning on
+//!   send failure when a receiver was dropped. Bench before sharding.
+//! - **User-owned handle**: construct a `PubSub<M>`, clone it around
+//!   (handler closures already thread state this way). No global named
+//!   instance — see the module note on `register` below.
+//! - **One subscription per `(pid, topic)`**: subscribe is idempotent;
+//!   re-subscribing replaces the sender (the old receiver's channel
+//!   closes). Kills the silent double-delivery bug class.
+//!
+//! # Cleanup mechanics
+//!
+//! The table monitors each subscriber pid **once** (first subscribe) via
+//! the gen_server [`Watcher`]; the `Down` removes the pid from every
+//! topic — a full table scan, deliberately: deaths are rare and topic
+//! counts small at this stage, a pid→topics reverse index is the
+//! documented optimisation if that ever measures hot (same spirit as the
+//! roadmap's "don't pre-shard"). A pid that unsubscribes from everything
+//! but stays alive keeps its (one-shot, inert) monitor until death;
+//! that's a bounded bookkeeping entry, not a leak.
+//!
+//! # Why there is no `register(name)` helper (yet)
+//!
+//! smarm's registry maps `name → Pid`, but a `Pid` cannot be turned back
+//! into a `ServerRef` (the ref *is* the inbox sender). A useful named
+//! lookup therefore needs either smarm support (registry-held senders)
+//! or a process-global type-erased map here — both against the grain of
+//! the ratified design. Deferred; pass the handle.
+
+use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
+use std::fmt;
+use std::sync::Arc;
+
+use smarm::gen_server::{self, GenServer, ServerCtx};
+use smarm::{channel, Down, Pid, Receiver, Sender, ServerRef, Watcher};
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Public handle
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+/// The topic table is gone — its gen_server actor exited (panic or runtime
+/// shutdown). Every operation on the handle fails with this from then on.
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub struct PubSubDown;
+
+impl fmt::Display for PubSubDown {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
+        write!(f, "pubsub topic table is down")
+    }
+}
+
+impl std::error::Error for PubSubDown {}
+
+/// A clonable handle to one pub/sub instance (one topic table actor).
+///
+/// Payloads are broadcast as `Arc<M>`: one allocation per broadcast, not
+/// per subscriber.
+pub struct PubSub<M: Send + Sync + 'static> {
+    server: ServerRef<Table<M>>,
+}
+
+impl<M: Send + Sync + 'static> Clone for PubSub<M> {
+    fn clone(&self) -> Self {
+        PubSub { server: self.server.clone() }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<M: Send + Sync + 'static> Default for PubSub<M> {
+    fn default() -> Self {
+        Self::new()
+    }
+}
+
+impl<M: Send + Sync + 'static> PubSub<M> {
+    /// Start a fresh topic table. Must run inside the smarm runtime (it
+    /// spawns the table's gen_server actor). The table lives until the
+    /// last handle is dropped.
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
+        PubSub { server: gen_server::start(Table::new()) }
+    }
+
+    /// Subscribe the **calling actor** to `topic`. Returns the receiving
+    /// end; messages arrive as `Arc<M>`. Idempotent per `(pid, topic)`:
+    /// subscribing again replaces the sender, closing the previously
+    /// returned receiver.
+    ///
+    /// The subscription is cleaned up when the calling actor dies. If the
+    /// receive loop runs in a *different* actor than the session that
+    /// should scope the subscription, use [`subscribe_as`](Self::subscribe_as)
+    /// to pin cleanup to the right pid (e.g. a ws connection actor
+    /// subscribing, with a spawned relay doing the receiving).
+    pub fn subscribe(&self, topic: impl Into<String>) -> Result<Receiver<Arc<M>>, PubSubDown> {
+        self.subscribe_as(smarm::self_pid(), topic)
+    }
+
+    /// [`subscribe`](Self::subscribe), but the subscription's lifetime is
+    /// tied to `pid` instead of the calling actor.
+    pub fn subscribe_as(
+        &self,
+        pid: Pid,
+        topic: impl Into<String>,
+    ) -> Result<Receiver<Arc<M>>, PubSubDown> {
+        let (tx, rx) = channel();
+        // A call, not a cast: when this returns the table is updated, so
+        // a broadcast issued right after by the same caller is seen.
+        match self.server.call(Call::Subscribe { topic: topic.into(), pid, tx }) {
+            Ok(_) => Ok(rx),
+            Err(_) => Err(PubSubDown),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Drop the calling actor's subscription to `topic` (its receiver's
+    /// channel closes). No-op if not subscribed.
+    pub fn unsubscribe(&self, topic: impl Into<String>) -> Result<(), PubSubDown> {
+        self.unsubscribe_as(smarm::self_pid(), topic)
+    }
+
+    /// [`unsubscribe`](Self::unsubscribe) for an explicit pid.
+    pub fn unsubscribe_as(&self, pid: Pid, topic: impl Into<String>) -> Result<(), PubSubDown> {
+        self.server
+            .cast(Cast::Unsubscribe { topic: topic.into(), pid })
+            .map_err(|_| PubSubDown)
+    }
+
+    /// Broadcast `msg` to every subscriber of `topic`. Never blocks on
+    /// subscribers (unbounded mailboxes); returns once the table has the
+    /// request queued.
+    pub fn broadcast(&self, topic: impl Into<String>, msg: M) -> Result<(), PubSubDown> {
+        self.cast_broadcast(topic.into(), msg, None)
+    }
+
+    /// [`broadcast`](Self::broadcast), skipping delivery to `from` —
+    /// pass `smarm::self_pid()` for the phoenix `broadcast_from` shape
+    /// ("everyone in the room but me").
+    pub fn broadcast_from(
+        &self,
+        from: Pid,
+        topic: impl Into<String>,
+        msg: M,
+    ) -> Result<(), PubSubDown> {
+        self.cast_broadcast(topic.into(), msg, Some(from))
+    }
+
+    /// Number of live subscriptions on `topic`. Counts entries in the
+    /// table — a subscriber whose receiver was dropped but hasn't been
+    /// pruned yet (no broadcast since, still alive) is still counted.
+    pub fn subscriber_count(&self, topic: impl Into<String>) -> Result<usize, PubSubDown> {
+        match self.server.call(Call::Count { topic: topic.into() }) {
+            Ok(Reply::Count(n)) => Ok(n),
+            Ok(Reply::Subscribed) => unreachable!("Count call answered with Subscribed"),
+            Err(_) => Err(PubSubDown),
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// The topic table actor's pid — for introspection / registry use.
+    pub fn pid(&self) -> Pid {
+        self.server.pid()
+    }
+
+    fn cast_broadcast(&self, topic: String, msg: M, skip: Option<Pid>) -> Result<(), PubSubDown> {
+        self.server
+            .cast(Cast::Broadcast { topic, msg: Arc::new(msg), skip })
+            .map_err(|_| PubSubDown)
+    }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// The table gen_server
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+enum Call<M> {
+    Subscribe { topic: String, pid: Pid, tx: Sender<Arc<M>> },
+    Count { topic: String },
+}
+
+enum Reply {
+    Subscribed,
+    Count(usize),
+}
+
+enum Cast<M> {
+    Unsubscribe { topic: String, pid: Pid },
+    Broadcast { topic: String, msg: Arc<M>, skip: Option<Pid> },
+}
+
+struct Table<M: Send + Sync + 'static> {
+    topics: HashMap<String, HashMap<Pid, Sender<Arc<M>>>>,
+    /// Pids we already hold a monitor for. Monitors are one-shot and
+    /// created at most once per live pid (first subscribe); `handle_down`
+    /// retires the entry so a reused-slot pid (fresh generation) gets a
+    /// fresh monitor.
+    monitored: HashSet<Pid>,
+    watcher: Option<Watcher>,
+}
+
+impl<M: Send + Sync + 'static> Table<M> {
+    fn new() -> Self {
+        Table { topics: HashMap::new(), monitored: HashSet::new(), watcher: None }
+    }
+}
+
+impl<M: Send + Sync + 'static> GenServer for Table<M> {
+    type Call = Call<M>;
+    type Reply = Reply;
+    type Cast = Cast<M>;
+    type Info = ();
+
+    fn init(&mut self, ctx: &ServerCtx) {
+        self.watcher = Some(ctx.watcher());
+    }
+
+    fn handle_call(&mut self, request: Call<M>) -> Reply {
+        match request {
+            Call::Subscribe { topic, pid, tx } => {
+                if self.monitored.insert(pid) {
+                    let m = smarm::monitor(pid);
+                    self.watcher
+                        .as_ref()
+                        .expect("watcher set in init")
+                        .watch(m);
+                }
+                // Insert replaces: idempotent per (pid, topic); the old
+                // sender drops and the stale receiver's channel closes.
+                self.topics.entry(topic).or_default().insert(pid, tx);
+                Reply::Subscribed
+            }
+            Call::Count { topic } => {
+                Reply::Count(self.topics.get(&topic).map_or(0, HashMap::len))
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn handle_cast(&mut self, request: Cast<M>) {
+        match request {
+            Cast::Unsubscribe { topic, pid } => {
+                if let Some(subs) = self.topics.get_mut(&topic) {
+                    subs.remove(&pid);
+                    if subs.is_empty() {
+                        self.topics.remove(&topic);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            Cast::Broadcast { topic, msg, skip } => {
+                let Some(subs) = self.topics.get_mut(&topic) else { return };
+                // Prune-on-send-failure: a dropped receiver (subscriber
+                // alive but done listening, e.g. ws conn reaped at
+                // write_timeout) is removed lazily here; subscriber
+                // *death* is handled eagerly by the monitor.
+                subs.retain(|pid, tx| {
+                    if skip == Some(*pid) {
+                        return true;
+                    }
+                    tx.send(Arc::clone(&msg)).is_ok()
+                });
+                if subs.is_empty() {
+                    self.topics.remove(&topic);
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    fn handle_down(&mut self, down: Down) {
+        self.monitored.remove(&down.pid);
+        // Full scan, by design — see the module docs.
+        self.topics.retain(|_, subs| {
+            subs.remove(&down.pid);
+            !subs.is_empty()
+        });
+    }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Tests (runtime-backed: results collected outside, asserted after run)
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+    use std::sync::Mutex;
+    use std::time::Duration;
+
+    /// Poll `f` until it returns true or ~2s elapse. For the
+    /// asynchronous cleanup paths (monitor Down delivery).
+    fn eventually(mut f: impl FnMut() -> bool) -> bool {
+        for _ in 0..200 {
+            if f() {
+                return true;
+            }
+            smarm::sleep(Duration::from_millis(10));
+        }
+        false
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn broadcast_reaches_all_subscribers_once() {
+        let got = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::<(u32, String)>::new()));
+        let got2 = got.clone();
+        smarm::run(move || {
+            let ps = PubSub::<String>::new();
+            let mut handles = Vec::new();
+            for i in 0..2u32 {
+                let ps = ps.clone();
+                let got = got2.clone();
+                handles.push(smarm::spawn(move || {
+                    let rx = ps.subscribe("room:a").unwrap();
+                    let msg = rx.recv().unwrap();
+                    got.lock().unwrap().push((i, (*msg).clone()));
+                }));
+            }
+            // Subscribes are calls from the spawned actors; wait until
+            // both are in the table before broadcasting.
+            assert!(eventually(|| ps.subscriber_count("room:a").unwrap() == 2));
+            ps.broadcast("room:a", "hello".to_string()).unwrap();
+            for h in handles {
+                h.join().unwrap();
+            }
+        });
+        let mut v = got.lock().unwrap().clone();
+        v.sort();
+        assert_eq!(v, vec![(0, "hello".into()), (1, "hello".into())]);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn arc_payload_is_shared_not_cloned() {
+        let ptrs = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::<usize>::new()));
+        let ptrs2 = ptrs.clone();
+        smarm::run(move || {
+            let ps = PubSub::<Vec<u8>>::new();
+            let mut handles = Vec::new();
+            for _ in 0..2 {
+                let ps = ps.clone();
+                let ptrs = ptrs2.clone();
+                handles.push(smarm::spawn(move || {
+                    let rx = ps.subscribe("t").unwrap();
+                    let msg = rx.recv().unwrap();
+                    ptrs.lock().unwrap().push(Arc::as_ptr(&msg) as usize);
+                }));
+            }
+            assert!(eventually(|| ps.subscriber_count("t").unwrap() == 2));
+            ps.broadcast("t", vec![1, 2, 3]).unwrap();
+            for h in handles {
+                h.join().unwrap();
+            }
+        });
+        let v = ptrs.lock().unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(v.len(), 2);
+        assert_eq!(v[0], v[1], "both subscribers should see the same allocation");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn broadcast_from_skips_the_sender() {
+        let got = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::<String>::new()));
+        let got2 = got.clone();
+        smarm::run(move || {
+            let ps = PubSub::<String>::new();
+            let ps_loud = ps.clone();
+            let got = got2.clone();
+            let loud = smarm::spawn(move || {
+                let rx = ps_loud.subscribe("room").unwrap();
+                ps_loud
+                    .broadcast_from(smarm::self_pid(), "room", "from loud".into())
+                    .unwrap();
+                // Must receive the OTHER broadcast only.
+                let msg = rx.recv().unwrap();
+                got.lock().unwrap().push(format!("loud got {}", *msg));
+            });
+            let rx = ps.subscribe("room").unwrap();
+            assert!(eventually(|| ps.subscriber_count("room").unwrap() == 2));
+            ps.broadcast("room", "for everyone".into()).unwrap();
+            let first = rx.recv().unwrap();
+            let second = rx.recv().unwrap();
+            got2.lock()
+                .unwrap()
+                .push(format!("root got {} then {}", *first, *second));
+            loud.join().unwrap();
+        });
+        let v = got.lock().unwrap();
+        assert!(v.contains(&"loud got for everyone".to_string()), "{v:?}");
+        // Root (not the broadcast_from sender) receives both, in order.
+        assert!(
+            v.contains(&"root got from loud then for everyone".to_string())
+                || v.contains(&"root got for everyone then from loud".to_string()),
+            "{v:?}"
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn unsubscribe_closes_the_receiver_and_stops_delivery() {
+        let ok = Arc::new(Mutex::new(false));
+        let ok2 = ok.clone();
+        smarm::run(move || {
+            let ps = PubSub::<u32>::new();
+            let rx = ps.subscribe("t").unwrap();
+            ps.unsubscribe("t").unwrap();
+            // Unsubscribe is a cast; the table holds the only sender, so
+            // once processed the channel closes and recv errs.
+            assert!(eventually(|| ps.subscriber_count("t").unwrap() == 0));
+            assert!(rx.recv().is_err());
+            ps.broadcast("t", 7).unwrap(); // no subscribers: no-op, no panic
+            *ok2.lock().unwrap() = true;
+        });
+        assert!(*ok.lock().unwrap());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn resubscribe_replaces_the_old_subscription() {
+        let got = Arc::new(Mutex::new((0u32, false)));
+        let got2 = got.clone();
+        smarm::run(move || {
+            let ps = PubSub::<u32>::new();
+            let rx_old = ps.subscribe("t").unwrap();
+            let rx_new = ps.subscribe("t").unwrap();
+            assert_eq!(ps.subscriber_count("t").unwrap(), 1, "idempotent per (pid, topic)");
+            ps.broadcast("t", 42).unwrap();
+            let v = *rx_new.recv().unwrap();
+            let old_closed = rx_old.recv().is_err();
+            *got2.lock().unwrap() = (v, old_closed);
+        });
+        assert_eq!(*got.lock().unwrap(), (42, true));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn dead_subscriber_is_pruned_by_the_monitor() {
+        let ok = Arc::new(Mutex::new(false));
+        let ok2 = ok.clone();
+        smarm::run(move || {
+            let ps = PubSub::<u32>::new();
+            let ps2 = ps.clone();
+            let h = smarm::spawn(move || {
+                let _rx = ps2.subscribe("t").unwrap();
+                // Exit without ever receiving: rx drops with the stack.
+            });
+            h.join().unwrap();
+            // No broadcast issued — this MUST be the monitor path, not
+            // prune-on-send-failure.
+            *ok2.lock().unwrap() = eventually(|| ps.subscriber_count("t").unwrap() == 0);
+        });
+        assert!(*ok.lock().unwrap(), "monitor Down never pruned the dead subscriber");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn dropped_receiver_is_pruned_on_next_broadcast() {
+        let counts = Arc::new(Mutex::new((0usize, 0usize)));
+        let counts2 = counts.clone();
+        smarm::run(move || {
+            let ps = PubSub::<u32>::new();
+            let rx = ps.subscribe("t").unwrap();
+            drop(rx);
+            let before = ps.subscriber_count("t").unwrap();
+            ps.broadcast("t", 1).unwrap();
+            let mut after = ps.subscriber_count("t").unwrap();
+            // Casts are ordered but count is a call that can overtake
+            // nothing here — same inbox, so after the broadcast cast is
+            // handled. Still poll defensively.
+            if after != 0 {
+                after = if eventually(|| ps.subscriber_count("t").unwrap() == 0) { 0 } else { after };
+            }
+            *counts2.lock().unwrap() = (before, after);
+        });
+        assert_eq!(*counts.lock().unwrap(), (1, 0));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn topics_are_independent() {
+        let got = Arc::new(Mutex::new(Vec::<u32>::new()));
+        let got2 = got.clone();
+        smarm::run(move || {
+            let ps = PubSub::<u32>::new();
+            let rx_a = ps.subscribe("a").unwrap();
+            ps.broadcast("b", 99).unwrap(); // nobody on b; must not reach a
+            ps.broadcast("a", 1).unwrap();
+            got2.lock().unwrap().push(*rx_a.recv().unwrap());
+        });
+        assert_eq!(*got.lock().unwrap(), vec![1]);
+    }
+}