diff --git a/gateway/relay/adapter.py b/gateway/relay/adapter.py
index 5d75f956a7d6..0e3116a7ad4f 100644
--- a/gateway/relay/adapter.py
+++ b/gateway/relay/adapter.py
@@ -76,7 +76,25 @@ class RelayAdapter(BasePlatformAdapter):
         if self._transport is None:
             raise RuntimeError("RelayAdapter has no transport configured")
         self._transport.set_inbound_handler(self._on_inbound)
-        return await self._transport.connect()
+        ok = await self._transport.connect()
+        if not ok:
+            return False
+        # Negotiate the real capability descriptor from the connector and adopt
+        # it — the placeholder passed at construction is replaced by what the
+        # connector advertises for the platform this gateway actually fronts.
+        try:
+            descriptor = await self._transport.handshake()
+        except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 - a failed handshake = a failed connect
+            logger.warning("relay handshake failed: %s", exc)
+            return False
+        self._apply_descriptor(descriptor)
+        return True
+
+    def _apply_descriptor(self, descriptor: CapabilityDescriptor) -> None:
+        """Adopt a (re)negotiated descriptor into the live capability surface."""
+        self.descriptor = descriptor
+        self.MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH = descriptor.max_message_length
+        self.supports_code_blocks = descriptor.markdown_dialect not in ("", "plain")
 
     async def _on_inbound(self, event) -> None:
         """Bridge a connector-delivered MessageEvent into the normal adapter path."""
diff --git a/gateway/relay/ws_transport.py b/gateway/relay/ws_transport.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..75b892105ad4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gateway/relay/ws_transport.py
@@ -0,0 +1,267 @@
+"""Production WebSocket RelayTransport — the gateway's live link to the connector.
+
+The gateway dials OUT to the connector's relay endpoint over a WebSocket and
+speaks the newline-delimited JSON frame protocol defined in the connector repo
+(``gateway-gateway`` ``src/relay/protocol.ts``) and mirrored in
+``docs/relay-connector-contract.md``:
+
+  gateway -> connector : hello, outbound, interrupt
+  connector -> gateway : descriptor, inbound, outbound_result, interrupt_inbound
+
+Frames:
+  hello            {type, platform, botId}
+  descriptor       {type, descriptor}                       (handshake reply)
+  inbound          {type, event, bufferId?}                 (a normalized MessageEvent)
+  outbound         {type, requestId, action}                (send/edit/typing/follow_up)
+  outbound_result  {type, requestId, result}
+  interrupt        {type, session_key, reason?}             (gateway egresses /stop)
+  interrupt_inbound{type, session_key, chat_id}             (connector -> owning gateway)
+
+This is the concrete transport behind the ``RelayTransport`` Protocol; the
+``RelayAdapter`` delegates all wire I/O to it. Outbound calls block on a
+per-request future keyed by ``requestId`` until the matching ``outbound_result``
+arrives. A background reader task pumps inbound frames to the registered handler
+and resolves pending outbound futures.
+
+EXPERIMENTAL: the frame schema may change without a deprecation cycle until at
+least two Class-1 platforms validate it.
+"""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import asyncio
+import json
+import logging
+import uuid
+from typing import Any, Dict, Optional
+
+from gateway.platforms.base import MessageEvent, MessageType
+from gateway.session import SessionSource
+from gateway.relay.descriptor import CapabilityDescriptor
+from gateway.relay.transport import InboundHandler
+
+logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+
+try:  # lazy/optional dep — mirrors gateway/platforms/feishu.py
+    import websockets
+except ImportError:  # pragma: no cover - exercised only when the extra is absent
+    websockets = None  # type: ignore[assignment]
+
+WEBSOCKETS_AVAILABLE = websockets is not None
+
+# How long to wait for the handshake descriptor and for each outbound result.
+_HANDSHAKE_TIMEOUT_S = 30.0
+_OUTBOUND_TIMEOUT_S = 30.0
+
+
+def _event_from_wire(raw: Dict[str, Any]) -> MessageEvent:
+    """Rebuild a MessageEvent from the connector's normalized inbound payload.
+
+    The connector emits SessionSource as the snake_case wire form (§3); map it
+    back onto the gateway dataclasses. Unknown message types fall back to TEXT.
+    """
+    src = raw.get("source", {}) or {}
+    from gateway.config import Platform
+
+    platform = src.get("platform", "relay")
+    try:
+        platform_enum = Platform(platform)
+    except ValueError:
+        platform_enum = Platform.RELAY
+
+    source = SessionSource(
+        platform=platform_enum,
+        chat_id=src.get("chat_id", ""),
+        chat_type=src.get("chat_type", "dm"),
+        chat_name=src.get("chat_name"),
+        user_id=src.get("user_id"),
+        user_name=src.get("user_name"),
+        thread_id=src.get("thread_id"),
+        chat_topic=src.get("chat_topic"),
+        user_id_alt=src.get("user_id_alt"),
+        chat_id_alt=src.get("chat_id_alt"),
+        guild_id=src.get("guild_id"),
+        parent_chat_id=src.get("parent_chat_id"),
+        message_id=src.get("message_id"),
+    )
+    try:
+        msg_type = MessageType(raw.get("message_type", "text"))
+    except ValueError:
+        msg_type = MessageType.TEXT
+
+    return MessageEvent(
+        text=raw.get("text", ""),
+        message_type=msg_type,
+        source=source,
+        message_id=raw.get("message_id"),
+        reply_to_message_id=raw.get("reply_to_message_id"),
+        media_urls=raw.get("media_urls") or [],
+    )
+
+
+class WebSocketRelayTransport:
+    """RelayTransport over a WebSocket connection the gateway dials to the connector."""
+
+    def __init__(
+        self,
+        url: str,
+        platform: str,
+        bot_id: str,
+        *,
+        connect_timeout_s: float = _HANDSHAKE_TIMEOUT_S,
+        outbound_timeout_s: float = _OUTBOUND_TIMEOUT_S,
+    ) -> None:
+        if not WEBSOCKETS_AVAILABLE:
+            raise RuntimeError(
+                "WebSocketRelayTransport requires the 'websockets' package "
+                "(install the messaging extra)."
+            )
+        self._url = url
+        self._platform = platform
+        self._bot_id = bot_id
+        self._connect_timeout_s = connect_timeout_s
+        self._outbound_timeout_s = outbound_timeout_s
+
+        self._ws: Any = None
+        self._reader: Optional[asyncio.Task[None]] = None
+        self._inbound: Optional[InboundHandler] = None
+        self._descriptor: Optional[CapabilityDescriptor] = None
+        self._descriptor_ready: asyncio.Future[CapabilityDescriptor] | None = None
+        # requestId -> future awaiting the matching outbound_result.
+        self._pending: Dict[str, asyncio.Future[Dict[str, Any]]] = {}
+        self._closing = False
+
+    # ── lifecycle ────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    async def connect(self) -> bool:
+        loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
+        self._descriptor_ready = loop.create_future()
+        self._ws = await websockets.connect(self._url)  # type: ignore[union-attr]
+        self._reader = asyncio.create_task(self._read_loop(), name="relay-ws-reader")
+        # Send hello; the descriptor arrives via the reader and resolves handshake().
+        await self._send({"type": "hello", "platform": self._platform, "botId": self._bot_id})
+        return True
+
+    async def disconnect(self) -> None:
+        self._closing = True
+        if self._reader is not None:
+            self._reader.cancel()
+            try:
+                await self._reader
+            except (asyncio.CancelledError, Exception):  # noqa: BLE001 - best-effort teardown
+                pass
+            self._reader = None
+        if self._ws is not None:
+            try:
+                await self._ws.close()
+            except Exception:  # noqa: BLE001
+                pass
+            self._ws = None
+        # Fail any in-flight outbound waiters so callers don't hang.
+        for fut in self._pending.values():
+            if not fut.done():
+                fut.set_exception(RuntimeError("relay transport closed"))
+        self._pending.clear()
+
+    async def handshake(self) -> CapabilityDescriptor:
+        if self._descriptor is not None:
+            return self._descriptor
+        if self._descriptor_ready is None:
+            raise RuntimeError("handshake() called before connect()")
+        return await asyncio.wait_for(self._descriptor_ready, timeout=self._connect_timeout_s)
+
+    def set_inbound_handler(self, handler: InboundHandler) -> None:
+        self._inbound = handler
+
+    # ── outbound ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    async def send_outbound(self, action: Dict[str, Any]) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+        return await self._request_response(action)
+
+    async def send_follow_up(self, action: Dict[str, Any]) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+        # follow_up rides the same outbound frame; the connector dispatches by
+        # action.op. Kept as a distinct method to satisfy the transport Protocol
+        # and to make the A2 call site explicit.
+        return await self._request_response(action)
+
+    async def get_chat_info(self, chat_id: str) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+        result = await self._request_response(
+            {"op": "get_chat_info", "chat_id": chat_id}, frame_type="outbound"
+        )
+        # The connector answers chat-info inside the outbound_result envelope.
+        info = result.get("chat_info") or result
+        return {"name": info.get("name", chat_id), "type": info.get("type", "dm")}
+
+    async def send_interrupt(self, session_key: str, reason: Optional[str] = None) -> None:
+        await self._send({"type": "interrupt", "session_key": session_key, "reason": reason})
+
+    async def _request_response(
+        self, action: Dict[str, Any], frame_type: str = "outbound"
+    ) -> Dict[str, Any]:
+        if self._ws is None:
+            return {"success": False, "error": "relay transport not connected"}
+        request_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
+        loop = asyncio.get_running_loop()
+        fut: asyncio.Future[Dict[str, Any]] = loop.create_future()
+        self._pending[request_id] = fut
+        try:
+            await self._send({"type": frame_type, "requestId": request_id, "action": action})
+            return await asyncio.wait_for(fut, timeout=self._outbound_timeout_s)
+        except asyncio.TimeoutError:
+            return {"success": False, "error": "relay outbound timed out"}
+        finally:
+            self._pending.pop(request_id, None)
+
+    # ── wire I/O ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+    async def _send(self, frame: Dict[str, Any]) -> None:
+        if self._ws is None:
+            raise RuntimeError("relay transport not connected")
+        await self._ws.send(json.dumps(frame) + "\n")
+
+    async def _read_loop(self) -> None:
+        assert self._ws is not None
+        buf = ""
+        try:
+            async for chunk in self._ws:
+                buf += chunk if isinstance(chunk, str) else chunk.decode("utf-8")
+                # Newline-delimited frames; keep any trailing partial line.
+                *lines, buf = buf.split("\n")
+                for line in lines:
+                    if line.strip():
+                        await self._handle_frame(line)
+        except asyncio.CancelledError:
+            raise
+        except Exception as exc:  # noqa: BLE001 - log + let the task end; reconnection is caller policy
+            if not self._closing:
+                logger.warning("relay ws read loop ended: %s", exc)
+
+    async def _handle_frame(self, line: str) -> None:
+        try:
+            frame = json.loads(line)
+        except json.JSONDecodeError:
+            logger.warning("relay: skipping malformed frame")
+            return
+        ftype = frame.get("type")
+        if ftype == "descriptor":
+            descriptor = CapabilityDescriptor.from_json(json.dumps(frame.get("descriptor", {})))
+            self._descriptor = descriptor
+            if self._descriptor_ready is not None and not self._descriptor_ready.done():
+                self._descriptor_ready.set_result(descriptor)
+        elif ftype == "inbound":
+            if self._inbound is not None:
+                event = _event_from_wire(frame.get("event", {}))
+                await self._inbound(event)
+        elif ftype == "outbound_result":
+            fut = self._pending.get(frame.get("requestId", ""))
+            if fut is not None and not fut.done():
+                fut.set_result(frame.get("result", {}))
+        elif ftype == "interrupt_inbound":
+            # Bridged into the adapter's interrupt path by the runner wiring.
+            handler = getattr(self, "_interrupt_inbound_handler", None)
+            if handler is not None:
+                await handler(frame.get("session_key", ""), frame.get("chat_id", ""))
+        else:
+            # hello/outbound/interrupt are gateway->connector; ignore if echoed.
+            pass
+
+    def set_interrupt_inbound_handler(self, handler: Any) -> None:
+        """Register the callback for connector->gateway interrupt_inbound frames."""
+        self._interrupt_inbound_handler = handler