diff --git a/deploy/deploy.sh b/deploy/deploy.sh
index 4d73724..e250c34 100644
--- a/deploy/deploy.sh
+++ b/deploy/deploy.sh
@@ -97,16 +97,79 @@ resolve_existing_web_proxy_subnet() {
   fi
 
   local project_name="${COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME:-$(basename "$PWD")}" network_name subnet
+  local labelled_networks labelled_network_id labelled_project
   network_name="${project_name}_web_proxy"
   if ! docker network inspect "$network_name" >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-    return 0
+    # Compose projects may have been created from a differently named checkout.
+    # A unique network carrying Compose's logical `web_proxy` label is the same
+    # production fact even when its generated resource name differs.
+    labelled_networks=""
+    if [ -z "${COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME:-}" ]; then
+      labelled_networks="$(docker network ls --filter label=com.docker.compose.network=web_proxy -q 2>/dev/null || true)"
+    fi
+    if [ "$(printf '%s\n' "$labelled_networks" | sed '/^$/d' | wc -l | tr -d '[:space:]')" = "1" ]; then
+      labelled_network_id="$(printf '%s\n' "$labelled_networks" | sed '/^$/d')"
+      labelled_project="$(docker network inspect -f '{{index .Labels "com.docker.compose.project"}}' "$labelled_network_id" 2>/dev/null || true)"
+      if [[ "$labelled_project" =~ ^[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9_.-]*$ ]]; then
+        export COMPOSE_PROJECT_NAME="$labelled_project"
+        network_name="$labelled_network_id"
+      else
+        network_name=""
+      fi
+    else
+      network_name=""
+    fi
   fi
 
-  subnet="$(docker network inspect -f '{{range .IPAM.Config}}{{println .Subnet}}{{end}}' "$network_name" 2>/dev/null | head -n 1 | tr -d '[:space:]')"
+  subnet=""
+  if [ -n "$network_name" ]; then
+    subnet="$(docker network inspect -f '{{range .IPAM.Config}}{{println .Subnet}}{{end}}' "$network_name" 2>/dev/null | head -n 1 | tr -d '[:space:]')"
+  fi
   if [[ "$subnet" =~ ^([0-9]{1,3}\.){3}[0-9]{1,3}/([0-9]|[12][0-9]|3[0-2])$ ]]; then
     export WEB_PROXY_SUBNET="$subnet"
     echo "Reusing WEB_PROXY_SUBNET from the existing ${network_name} Docker network."
+    return 0
   fi
+
+  # First creation of the isolated proxy network: use the documented default
+  # only after proving it does not overlap any network currently on this host.
+  local candidate="172.31.250.0/29" existing_output existing
+  local candidate_start candidate_end existing_start existing_end
+  local -a network_ids=()
+  mapfile -t network_ids < <(docker network ls -q 2>/dev/null)
+  if [ "${#network_ids[@]}" -eq 0 ]; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+  if ! existing_output="$(docker network inspect -f '{{range .IPAM.Config}}{{println .Subnet}}{{end}}' "${network_ids[@]}" 2>/dev/null)"; then
+    return 0
+  fi
+
+  read -r candidate_start candidate_end < <(ipv4_cidr_bounds "$candidate") || return 0
+  while IFS= read -r existing; do
+    [[ "$existing" =~ ^([0-9]{1,3}\.){3}[0-9]{1,3}/([0-9]|[12][0-9]|3[0-2])$ ]] || continue
+    read -r existing_start existing_end < <(ipv4_cidr_bounds "$existing") || continue
+    if (( candidate_start <= existing_end && existing_start <= candidate_end )); then
+      return 0
+    fi
+  done <<< "$existing_output"
+
+  export WEB_PROXY_SUBNET="$candidate"
+  echo "Using non-overlapping WEB_PROXY_SUBNET ${candidate} after Docker network inventory."
+}
+
+ipv4_cidr_bounds() {
+  local cidr="$1" address prefix a b c d value ip size start
+  address="${cidr%/*}"
+  prefix="${cidr#*/}"
+  IFS='.' read -r a b c d <<< "$address"
+  for value in "$a" "$b" "$c" "$d"; do
+    [[ "$value" =~ ^[0-9]{1,3}$ ]] && ((10#$value <= 255)) || return 1
+  done
+  [[ "$prefix" =~ ^[0-9]+$ ]] && ((10#$prefix <= 32)) || return 1
+  ip=$(( (10#$a << 24) + (10#$b << 16) + (10#$c << 8) + 10#$d ))
+  size=$(( 1 << (32 - 10#$prefix) ))
+  start=$(( ip & ~(size - 1) ))
+  printf '%s %s\n' "$start" "$((start + size - 1))"
 }
 
 validate_deploy_config() {
diff --git a/docs/verification/sec-002-ingress-compose.md b/docs/verification/sec-002-ingress-compose.md
index c30ed93..39de697 100644
--- a/docs/verification/sec-002-ingress-compose.md
+++ b/docs/verification/sec-002-ingress-compose.md
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ No image was pulled and no production or persistent service was changed. Ephemer
 ## Limitations and production gates
 
 - No Traefik configuration exists in this repository. Verify its exact `Host()` rule, TLS route, replacement of forwarding headers, selected Docker network, and hostile-Host rejection on the operator host.
-- `WEB_PROXY_SUBNET` must be chosen after production Docker-network inventory; the example value is not a production fact. Deploys may recover a missing value only from the existing Compose `web_proxy` network, preserving the already-running production CIDR without guessing a new one.
+- `WEB_PROXY_SUBNET` must be chosen after production Docker-network inventory. Deploys recover a missing value from a uniquely labelled existing Compose `web_proxy` network. On its first creation, the documented `172.31.250.0/29` candidate is accepted only after a complete Docker network inventory proves it does not overlap; unreadable or overlapping inventory remains fail-closed.
 - Host firewall and `docker ps`/published-port state are unverified.
 - The exact `nginx:1.29.8-alpine` base image was not installed locally. Syntax was checked with the existing local nginx frontend image; approved CI must build the pinned Dockerfile.
 - A complete local proxy/browser smoke was not run because rebuilding the pinned container would require an unavailable base image/package access. No browser claim is made.