diff --git a/autorender.sh b/autorender.sh
index 4215fa5..a53c6b2 100755
--- a/autorender.sh
+++ b/autorender.sh
@@ -65,10 +65,13 @@ fi
 
 log "autorender start (HEAD $(git -C "$GNOMMO_DIR" rev-parse --short HEAD 2>/dev/null), user $(whoami))"
 
-# ── Step 2: render loop — pending `gnommo auto` ────────────────────────────────
-# When gnommo auto lands, replace the placeholder with:
-#   cd "$GNOMMO_DIR" && ./venv/bin/python -m gnommo auto 2>&1 | tee -a "$LOG" \
-#       || notify "autorender: gnommo auto reported failures"
-log "render step not wired yet (gnommo auto pending) — code-deploy path is live"
-
-log "autorender done"
+# ── Step 2: render loop — per-project down → gated render → handoff ────────────
+# `gnommo auto` scans video* under the cwd, so cd into the repo first. It returns
+# non-zero if any project failed; we ping on that.
+cd "$GNOMMO_DIR"
+if ./venv/bin/python -m gnommo auto 2>&1 | tee -a "$LOG"; then
+    log "autorender done (all projects ok)"
+else
+    log "autorender done WITH FAILURES (see log above)"
+    notify "autorender: one or more projects failed on the rig — check autorender.log"
+fi
diff --git a/gnommo/cli.py b/gnommo/cli.py
index 8bff113..781e0e5 100644
--- a/gnommo/cli.py
+++ b/gnommo/cli.py
@@ -131,6 +131,7 @@ Examples:
             "grade",
             "all",
             "align",
+            "auto",
             "import",
             "description",
             "archive",
@@ -341,6 +342,8 @@ Examples:
     if args.project is None:
         if action == "pexels" and args.search:
             project_path = Path.cwd()  # placeholder; cmd_pexels won't use it in search mode
+        elif action == "auto":
+            project_path = Path.cwd()  # auto scans this root for video* projects
         else:
             parser.error("argument -p/--project is required")
             return 1
@@ -425,6 +428,8 @@ Examples:
             return cmd_all(
                 project_path, args.verbose, args.dry_run, args.res, args.force
             )
+        elif action == "auto":
+            return cmd_auto(project_path, args.verbose, args.dry_run, args.res)
         elif action == "description":
             return cmd_description(project_path, args.verbose)
         elif action == "archive":
@@ -6171,6 +6176,100 @@ def cmd_all(
     return cmd_up(project_path, verbose, dry_run)
 
 
+# =============================================================================
+# Auto Command — unattended render driver for the rig (called by autorender.sh)
+# =============================================================================
+
+
+def cmd_auto(
+    root: Path,
+    verbose: bool,
+    dry_run: bool,
+    res: str = "full",
+    prod: bool = True,
+) -> int:
+    """Unattended per-project driver: down → (commit-gated) render → handoff.
+
+    For every ``video*`` project under ``root`` (default: the current directory,
+    which autorender.sh cd's into), pull the latest tree from the relay, then —
+    only when the project's commits.log has an entry newer than the one this rig
+    last handled — run the gated pipeline (preprocess → trim → render, each of
+    which self-skips when its own inputs are unchanged) and hand the result off.
+    The commit timestamp is the explicit "this is ready" trigger, so incidental
+    file touches don't cause spurious re-renders or version bumps.
+
+    Returns non-zero if any project failed, so autorender.sh can ping on failure.
+    """
+    from .transfer import cmd_down, _read_log_lines, _last_timestamp, _COMMITS_LOG
+    from .handoff import cmd_handoff
+    from . import state as _state
+
+    projects = sorted(
+        d for d in Path(root).glob("video*")
+        if d.is_dir() and (d / "project.json").exists()
+    )
+    if not projects:
+        print(f"  No video* projects with project.json under {root}")
+        return 0
+
+    print(f"=== auto: {len(projects)} project(s) under {root} ===")
+    rendered: list[str] = []
+    skipped: list[str] = []
+    failed: list[tuple[str, str]] = []
+
+    for proj in projects:
+        name = proj.name
+        print(f"\n--- {name} ---")
+
+        # 1. Sync from the relay (brings the newest commits.log + inputs). Skipped
+        #    in dry-run so it stays side-effect-free — we just report intent.
+        if not dry_run and cmd_down(proj, verbose, dry_run=False) != 0:
+            print(f"  {name}: down failed")
+            failed.append((name, "down"))
+            continue
+
+        # 2. Commit trigger: is commits.log newer than what we last handled here?
+        latest = _last_timestamp(_read_log_lines(proj / _COMMITS_LOG))
+        handled = _state.get_items(proj, "auto").get("handled")
+        if latest is None:
+            print(f"  {name}: no commits.log — skipping")
+            skipped.append(name)
+            continue
+        if latest == handled:
+            print(f"  {name}: unchanged since {handled} — skipping")
+            skipped.append(name)
+            continue
+
+        print(f"  {name}: new commit {latest} (last handled: {handled or 'never'})")
+        if dry_run:
+            print("  [dry-run] would preprocess → trim → render → handoff")
+            rendered.append(name)
+            continue
+
+        # 3. Gated pipeline — each stage self-skips when its inputs are unchanged;
+        #    `or` short-circuits at the first non-zero (failing) stage.
+        rc = (
+            cmd_preprocess(proj, verbose, False, force=False, workers=1, res=res)
+            or cmd_trim(proj, verbose, force=False)
+            or cmd_render(proj, verbose, False, res=res, force=False)
+            or cmd_handoff(proj, verbose, None, prod, res)
+        )
+        if rc != 0:
+            print(f"  {name}: pipeline failed (rc={rc})")
+            failed.append((name, f"rc={rc}"))
+            continue
+
+        # 4. Record this commit as handled so we don't re-render it next run.
+        _state.record_items(proj, "auto", {"handled": latest})
+        rendered.append(name)
+
+    print("\n=== auto summary ===")
+    print(f"  rendered: {', '.join(rendered) or '—'}")
+    print(f"  skipped:  {', '.join(skipped) or '—'}")
+    print(f"  failed:   {', '.join(f'{n}({r})' for n, r in failed) or '—'}")
+    return 1 if failed else 0
+
+
 # =============================================================================
 # Description Command
 # =============================================================================