diff --git a/scripts/patch-ap-syndication.mjs b/scripts/patch-ap-syndication.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..eff241e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/patch-ap-syndication.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+/**
+ * Consolidated patch: AP syndication guards in syndicator.js.
+ *
+ * Absorbs:
+ *   - patch-ap-syndicate-dedup        (prevent double-posting)
+ *   - patch-ap-syndicate-skip-checkin (skip location checkins)
+ *   - patch-ap-syndicate-skip-draft   (skip draft posts)
+ *   - patch-ap-syndicate-skip-unlisted (skip unlisted posts)
+ *
+ * ORDER MATTERS: dedup → checkin → draft → unlisted
+ *   checkin/draft/unlisted chain (each newSnippet is the next oldSnippet).
+ *   dedup patches a separate anchor and must run first (before checkin
+ *   rewrites the surrounding context).
+ */
+
+import { access, readFile, writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+
+const AP_BASE = "@rmdes/indiekit-endpoint-activitypub";
+const AP_ROOTS = [
+  `node_modules/${AP_BASE}`,
+  `node_modules/@indiekit/indiekit/node_modules/${AP_BASE}`,
+];
+
+function apPath(rel) {
+  return AP_ROOTS.map(r => `${r}/${rel}`);
+}
+
+async function fileExists(p) {
+  try { await access(p); return true; } catch { return false; }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Apply a single patch to a file.
+ * Returns: "applied" | "already_applied" | "snippet_not_found" | "file_not_found"
+ */
+async function applyPatch(filePath, marker, oldSnippet, newSnippet) {
+  if (!(await fileExists(filePath))) return "file_not_found";
+  const src = await readFile(filePath, "utf8");
+  if (src.includes(marker)) return "already_applied";
+  if (!src.includes(oldSnippet)) return "snippet_not_found";
+  await writeFile(filePath, src.replace(oldSnippet, newSnippet), "utf8");
+  return "applied";
+}
+
+const SCRIPT = "patch-ap-syndication";
+
+const PATCHES = [
+  // ORDER: dedup → checkin → draft → unlisted (each builds on prior output)
+
+  {
+    name: "dedup",
+    files: apPath("lib/syndicator.js"),
+    marker: "// [patch] ap-syndicate-dedup",
+    oldSnippet: `      try {
+        const actorUrl = plugin._getActorUrl();`,
+    newSnippet: `      // Dedup: skip re-federation if we've already sent an activity for this URL. // [patch] ap-syndicate-dedup
+      // ap_activities is the authoritative record of "already federated".
+      try {
+        const existingActivity = await plugin._collections.ap_activities?.findOne({
+          direction: "outbound",
+          type: { $in: ["Create", "Announce", "Update"] },
+          objectUrl: properties.url,
+        });
+        if (existingActivity) {
+          console.info(\`[ActivityPub] Skipping duplicate syndication for \${properties.url} — already sent (\${existingActivity.type})\`);
+          return properties.url || undefined;
+        }
+      } catch { /* DB unavailable — proceed */ }
+
+      try {
+        const actorUrl = plugin._getActorUrl();`,
+  },
+
+  {
+    name: "skip-checkin",
+    files: apPath("lib/syndicator.js"),
+    marker: "// [patch] ap-syndicate-skip-checkin",
+    oldSnippet: `    async syndicate(properties) {
+      if (!plugin._federation) {
+        return undefined;
+      }`,
+    newSnippet: `    async syndicate(properties) {
+      if (!plugin._federation) {
+        return undefined;
+      }
+
+      // Skip location checkins — they have a JF2 \`location\` property. // [patch] ap-syndicate-skip-checkin
+      if (properties.location) {
+        console.info(\`[ActivityPub] Skipping syndication for location checkin: \${properties.url}\`);
+        return undefined;
+      }`,
+  },
+
+  {
+    name: "skip-draft",
+    files: apPath("lib/syndicator.js"),
+    marker: "// [patch] ap-syndicate-skip-draft",
+    oldSnippet: `      // Skip location checkins — they have a JF2 \`location\` property. // [patch] ap-syndicate-skip-checkin
+      if (properties.location) {
+        console.info(\`[ActivityPub] Skipping syndication for location checkin: \${properties.url}\`);
+        return undefined;
+      }`,
+    newSnippet: `      // Skip location checkins — they have a JF2 \`location\` property. // [patch] ap-syndicate-skip-checkin
+      if (properties.location) {
+        console.info(\`[ActivityPub] Skipping syndication for location checkin: \${properties.url}\`);
+        return undefined;
+      }
+
+      // Skip draft posts — they should not be federated to followers. // [patch] ap-syndicate-skip-draft
+      if (properties["post-status"] === "draft") {
+        console.info(\`[ActivityPub] Skipping syndication for draft post: \${properties.url}\`);
+        return undefined;
+      }`,
+  },
+
+  {
+    name: "skip-unlisted",
+    files: apPath("lib/syndicator.js"),
+    marker: "// [patch] ap-syndicate-skip-unlisted",
+    oldSnippet: `      // Skip draft posts — they should not be federated to followers. // [patch] ap-syndicate-skip-draft
+      if (properties["post-status"] === "draft") {
+        console.info(\`[ActivityPub] Skipping syndication for draft post: \${properties.url}\`);
+        return undefined;
+      }`,
+    newSnippet: `      // Skip draft posts — they should not be federated to followers. // [patch] ap-syndicate-skip-draft
+      if (properties["post-status"] === "draft") {
+        console.info(\`[ActivityPub] Skipping syndication for draft post: \${properties.url}\`);
+        return undefined;
+      }
+
+      // Skip unlisted posts — they should not be federated to followers. // [patch] ap-syndicate-skip-unlisted
+      if (properties.visibility === "unlisted") {
+        console.info(\`[ActivityPub] Skipping syndication for unlisted post: \${properties.url}\`);
+        return undefined;
+      }`,
+  },
+];
+
+let total = 0;
+for (const p of PATCHES) {
+  let done = false;
+  for (const f of p.files) {
+    const r = await applyPatch(f, p.marker, p.oldSnippet, p.newSnippet);
+    if (r === "applied") {
+      console.log(`[postinstall] ${SCRIPT}: applied ${p.name} to ${f}`);
+      total++; done = true; break;
+    } else if (r === "already_applied") {
+      console.log(`[postinstall] ${SCRIPT}: ${p.name} already applied in ${f}`);
+      done = true; break;
+    } else if (r === "snippet_not_found") {
+      console.warn(`[postinstall] ${SCRIPT}: ${p.name} — snippet not found in ${f}, skipping`);
+    }
+  }
+  if (!done) console.log(`[postinstall] ${SCRIPT}: ${p.name} — no target file found`);
+}
+console.log(`[postinstall] ${SCRIPT}: done (${total} patch(es) applied)`);