diff --git a/apps/machine/electron/hal-service.ts b/apps/machine/electron/hal-service.ts
index 1331d15..27508b0 100644
--- a/apps/machine/electron/hal-service.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/electron/hal-service.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,13 @@
 import type { BillValidator, BillDispenser } from '@bitSpire/hal'
 
 export interface CassetteConfig {
+  /**
+   * Physical bay index (1-based). Position is the addressable unit:
+   * multiple cassettes may share the same denomination on a single
+   * machine (real production machines load N cassettes of the same
+   * denomination for cash-out throughput on a single bill class).
+   */
+  position: number
   denomination: number
   count?: number
 }
@@ -120,15 +127,20 @@ export async function initializeHal(config: HalConfig): Promise<HalInstance> {
     validator = null
   }
 
-  // Track inventory. Mutated in-place by dispense + setCassettes;
-  // `cassetteDenominations` is rebuilt fresh on setCassettes so the
-  // dispense lookup at line ~190 picks up the new index.
-  const inventory: Record<number, number> = {}
-  for (const cassette of dispConfig.cassettes) {
-    inventory[cassette.denomination] = cassette.count ?? 0
-  }
-
-  let cassetteDenominations = dispConfig.cassettes.map((c) => c.denomination)
+  // Per-physical-bay state. Order matches the dispenser's internal note
+  // array exactly. Two bays may carry the same denomination (real machines
+  // load N cassettes of one denomination for cash-out throughput) — that's
+  // why position, not denomination, is the addressable unit. The dispense
+  // path below distributes a denomination ask across all matching bays.
+  type BayState = { position: number; denomination: number; count: number }
+  let bays: BayState[] = dispConfig.cassettes
+    .slice()
+    .sort((a, b) => a.position - b.position)
+    .map((c) => ({
+      position: c.position,
+      denomination: c.denomination,
+      count: c.count ?? 0,
+    }))
 
   return {
     connectValidator: (callbacks: ValidatorCallbacks) => {
@@ -196,10 +208,26 @@ export async function initializeHal(config: HalConfig): Promise<HalInstance> {
         console.log('[HAL] Dispenser re-initialized')
       }
 
-      const notes: number[] = new Array(cassetteDenominations.length).fill(0)
+      // Build the per-bay note array. For each `{denomination, count}` ask,
+      // walk every bay whose denomination matches, draining greedy bay by
+      // bay until the request is satisfied or all matching bays are empty.
+      // This is the multi-same-denom support: a machine with four $20 bays
+      // asked for 60 $20s will pull 20 from each of three bays (or whatever
+      // shape the inventory has), not crash on the first one running short.
+      const notes: number[] = new Array(bays.length).fill(0)
       for (const { denomination, count } of amounts) {
-        const idx = cassetteDenominations.indexOf(denomination)
-        if (idx === -1) {
+        let remaining = count
+        let matched = false
+        for (let i = 0; i < bays.length && remaining > 0; i++) {
+          const bay = bays[i]!
+          if (bay.denomination !== denomination) continue
+          matched = true
+          const take = Math.min(remaining, bay.count)
+          if (take <= 0) continue
+          notes[i] = (notes[i] ?? 0) + take
+          remaining -= take
+        }
+        if (!matched) {
           return {
             bills: amounts.map((a) => ({
               denomination: a.denomination,
@@ -210,36 +238,61 @@ export async function initializeHal(config: HalConfig): Promise<HalInstance> {
             error: `No cassette loaded with denomination: ${denomination}`,
           }
         }
-        notes[idx] = count
+        if (remaining > 0) {
+          return {
+            bills: amounts.map((a) => ({
+              denomination: a.denomination,
+              dispensed: 0,
+              rejected: 0,
+            })),
+            dispensed: false,
+            error: `Insufficient inventory for denomination ${denomination}: short ${remaining}`,
+          }
+        }
       }
 
       const result = await dispenser.dispense(notes)
 
-      // Build per-cassette results (position-aware, matches result.value ordering)
-      const cassetteResults = cassetteDenominations.map((denom, i) => ({
-        name: `cassette${i + 1}`,
-        position: i,
-        denomination: denom,
+      // Build per-bay results — position is the AUTHORITATIVE field, name
+      // / synthetic position-by-index left for backwards-compat. The
+      // dispenser's `result.value` order matches our `bays` (sorted by
+      // position at init / setCassettes time), so index == bay slot.
+      const cassetteResults = bays.map((bay, i) => ({
+        name: `cassette${bay.position}`,
+        position: bay.position,
+        denomination: bay.denomination,
         provisioned: notes[i] ?? 0,
         dispensed: result.value[i]?.dispensed ?? 0,
         rejected: result.value[i]?.rejected ?? 0,
       }))
 
-      // Update inventory based on what was ACTUALLY dispensed (per-cassette)
-      for (const c of cassetteResults) {
-        if (c.dispensed > 0 && inventory[c.denomination] !== undefined) {
-          inventory[c.denomination] -= c.dispensed
+      // Decrement bay-local count by what ACTUALLY dispensed from that bay.
+      for (let i = 0; i < bays.length; i++) {
+        const bay = bays[i]!
+        const dispensed = result.value[i]?.dispensed ?? 0
+        if (dispensed > 0) {
+          bay.count = Math.max(0, bay.count - dispensed)
         }
       }
 
-      // Build per-denomination result (backward compatible, only requested denoms)
-      const bills = cassetteResults
-        .filter((c) => c.provisioned > 0)
-        .map((c) => ({
+      // Build per-denomination aggregate result (for the renderer's
+      // existing per-denom callers). Sum across bays sharing a denom.
+      const billsByDenom = new Map<
+        number,
+        { denomination: number; dispensed: number; rejected: number }
+      >()
+      for (const c of cassetteResults) {
+        if (c.provisioned <= 0) continue
+        const acc = billsByDenom.get(c.denomination) ?? {
           denomination: c.denomination,
-          dispensed: c.dispensed,
-          rejected: c.rejected,
-        }))
+          dispensed: 0,
+          rejected: 0,
+        }
+        acc.dispensed += c.dispensed
+        acc.rejected += c.rejected
+        billsByDenom.set(c.denomination, acc)
+      }
+      const bills = Array.from(billsByDenom.values())
 
       const totalRequested = amounts.reduce((s, a) => s + a.count, 0)
       const totalDispensed = bills.reduce((s, b) => s + b.dispensed, 0)
@@ -257,20 +310,36 @@ export async function initializeHal(config: HalConfig): Promise<HalInstance> {
       return { bills, cassettes: cassetteResults, dispensed: totalRequested === totalDispensed }
     },
 
-    getInventory: () => ({ ...inventory }),
+    /**
+     * Aggregate inventory keyed by denomination (sum across bays). The
+     * renderer's "have we got enough $20s" gates use this denom-summed
+     * view; per-bay detail is internal HAL state.
+     */
+    getInventory: () => {
+      const inv: Record<number, number> = {}
+      for (const bay of bays) {
+        if (bay.count > 0) inv[bay.denomination] = (inv[bay.denomination] ?? 0) + bay.count
+      }
+      return inv
+    },
 
     setCassettes: async (cassettes: CassetteConfig[]): Promise<void> => {
       console.log(
         '[HAL] Hot-reloading cassette layout:',
-        cassettes.map((c) => `${c.denomination}×${c.count ?? 0}`).join(', ')
+        cassettes
+          .map((c) => `bay${c.position}:${c.denomination}×${c.count ?? 0}`)
+          .join(', ')
       )
-      // Rebuild the local view first so subsequent dispense calls see the
-      // new layout even if the dispenser re-init is slow / fails.
-      for (const k of Object.keys(inventory)) delete inventory[Number(k)]
-      for (const cassette of cassettes) {
-        inventory[cassette.denomination] = cassette.count ?? 0
-      }
-      cassetteDenominations = cassettes.map((c) => c.denomination)
+      // Rebuild bays first so subsequent dispense calls see the new layout
+      // even if the dispenser re-init is slow / fails.
+      bays = cassettes
+        .slice()
+        .sort((a, b) => a.position - b.position)
+        .map((c) => ({
+          position: c.position,
+          denomination: c.denomination,
+          count: c.count ?? 0,
+        }))
       dispenserInitData = { fiatCode: valConfig.fiatCode, cassettes }
       // Close + re-init the dispenser so its internal per-bay state matches
       // the new layout. Errors here surface to the caller (operator-config
diff --git a/apps/machine/electron/main.ts b/apps/machine/electron/main.ts
index fb4f9d8..f76cfb2 100644
--- a/apps/machine/electron/main.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/electron/main.ts
@@ -401,15 +401,20 @@ let pendingBillDenomination: number | null = null
 
 ipcMain.handle('hal:init', async (_event, config) => {
   try {
-    // Override cassette config with DB values (operator may have changed them via atm-tui)
+    // Override cassette config with DB values (operator may have changed them via atm-tui
+    // or via an operator-config publish from satmachineadmin). Pass per-position so the
+    // HAL knows about every bay including duplicates of the same denomination — real
+    // machines load N cassettes of one denomination for cash-out throughput.
     const dbCassettes = loadCassettes()
     if (dbCassettes.length > 0) {
-      config.dispenser.cassettes = dbCassettes.map(
-        (c: { denomination: number; count: number }) => ({
+      config.dispenser.cassettes = dbCassettes
+        .slice()
+        .sort((a, b) => a.position - b.position)
+        .map((c) => ({
+          position: c.position,
           denomination: c.denomination,
           count: c.count,
-        })
-      )
+        }))
       console.log('[Electron] Using DB cassettes for HAL init:', config.dispenser.cassettes)
     }
 
@@ -526,7 +531,7 @@ ipcMain.handle(
   'hal:reload-cassettes',
   async (
     _event,
-    cassettes: { denomination: number; count?: number }[]
+    cassettes: { position: number; denomination: number; count?: number }[]
   ): Promise<{ ok: boolean; error?: string }> => {
     if (!halInstance) {
       return { ok: false, error: 'HAL not initialized' }
diff --git a/apps/machine/electron/preload.ts b/apps/machine/electron/preload.ts
index 524ca06..4ac7306 100644
--- a/apps/machine/electron/preload.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/electron/preload.ts
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('electronAPI', {
     ipcRenderer.invoke('state:mark-bootstrap-published', unixTimestamp),
   applyOperatorCassettesConfig: (
     payload: {
-      denominations: Record<string, { position: number; count: number }>
+      positions: Record<string, { denomination: number; count: number }>
     },
     eventCreatedAt: number
   ): Promise<{ applied: true } | { applied: false; reason: string }> =>
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('electronAPI', {
   halRejectBill: (): Promise<void> => ipcRenderer.invoke('hal:reject-bill'),
   halGetInventory: (): Promise<Record<number, number>> => ipcRenderer.invoke('hal:get-inventory'),
   halReloadCassettes: (
-    cassettes: { denomination: number; count?: number }[]
+    cassettes: { position: number; denomination: number; count?: number }[]
   ): Promise<{ ok: boolean; error?: string }> =>
     ipcRenderer.invoke('hal:reload-cassettes', cassettes),
   halCleanup: (): Promise<void> => ipcRenderer.invoke('hal:cleanup'),
@@ -195,7 +195,7 @@ declare global {
       getBootstrapPublishedAt: () => Promise<number | null>
       markBootstrapPublished: (unixTimestamp: number) => Promise<void>
       applyOperatorCassettesConfig: (
-        payload: { denominations: Record<string, { position: number; count: number }> },
+        payload: { positions: Record<string, { denomination: number; count: number }> },
         eventCreatedAt: number
       ) => Promise<{ applied: true } | { applied: false; reason: string }>
       getSupportPages: () => Promise<{ id: string; title: string; content: string }[]>
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ declare global {
       halRejectBill: () => Promise<void>
       halGetInventory: () => Promise<Record<number, number>>
       halReloadCassettes: (
-        cassettes: { denomination: number; count?: number }[]
+        cassettes: { position: number; denomination: number; count?: number }[]
       ) => Promise<{ ok: boolean; error?: string }>
       halCleanup: () => Promise<void>
       onHalBillRead: (callback: (denomination: number) => void) => void
diff --git a/apps/machine/electron/state-store.ts b/apps/machine/electron/state-store.ts
index a9ab8f0..11db2ac 100644
--- a/apps/machine/electron/state-store.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/electron/state-store.ts
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ import fs from 'node:fs'
 
 let db: Database.Database | null = null
 
-const SCHEMA_VERSION = '8'
+const SCHEMA_VERSION = '9'
 
 function getDbPath(): string {
   const prodDir = '/var/lib/bitspire'
@@ -52,9 +52,9 @@ export function initDatabase(dbPath?: string): void {
     );
 
     CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS cassettes (
-      denomination INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
-      count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0,
-      position INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0
+      position INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
+      denomination INTEGER NOT NULL,
+      count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0
     );
 
     CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS cashbox (
@@ -243,6 +243,39 @@ export function initDatabase(dbPath?: string): void {
     db.prepare('INSERT INTO meta (key, value) VALUES (?, ?)').run('bootstrapPublishedAt', '')
     db.prepare('UPDATE meta SET value = ? WHERE key = ?').run('8', 'schema_version')
     console.log('[StateStore] Migrated schema v7 → v8 (seeded operator-config meta rows)')
+    existing.value = '8'
+  }
+
+  if (existing && existing.value === '8') {
+    // Migration v8 → v9: rebuild `cassettes` so `position` is the PK, NOT
+    // `denomination`. Real production machines (Tejo, batm3) load multiple
+    // cassettes with the same denomination for cash-out throughput on a
+    // single bill class — the v1.0 schema's denomination-PK silently
+    // collapsed duplicates and the HAL `indexOf(denomination)` first-match
+    // semantics meant only one bay of any given denom could ever dispense.
+    // v9 makes `position` the addressable unit (matches the hardware bay
+    // layout) and allows `denomination` to repeat across rows.
+    //
+    // The cassette-config wire shape (operator → ATM kind-30078) flips
+    // alongside this from `{denominations: {...}}` → `{positions: {...}}`.
+    // See aiolabs/lamassu-next#56 + ~/dev/coordination/log.md 2026-05-30
+    // entries (06:30Z → 18:45Z) for the design history.
+    db.pragma('foreign_keys = OFF')
+    db.exec(`
+      DROP TABLE IF EXISTS cassettes_new;
+      CREATE TABLE cassettes_new (
+        position INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
+        denomination INTEGER NOT NULL,
+        count INTEGER NOT NULL DEFAULT 0
+      );
+      INSERT INTO cassettes_new (position, denomination, count)
+        SELECT position, denomination, count FROM cassettes;
+      DROP TABLE cassettes;
+      ALTER TABLE cassettes_new RENAME TO cassettes;
+    `)
+    db.pragma('foreign_keys = ON')
+    db.prepare('UPDATE meta SET value = ? WHERE key = ?').run('9', 'schema_version')
+    console.log('[StateStore] Migrated schema v8 → v9 (cassettes PK position; allow duplicate denominations)')
   }
 
   // Defensive: a fresh install at SCHEMA_VERSION skips all migrations.
@@ -304,7 +337,7 @@ export function markBootstrapPublished(unixTimestamp: number): void {
 }
 
 export type OperatorCassettesPayload = {
-  denominations: Record<string, { position: number; count: number }>
+  positions: Record<string, { denomination: number; count: number }>
 }
 
 export type ApplyResult =
@@ -319,13 +352,17 @@ export type ApplyResult =
  *
  * 1. Rechecks replay-protection against `meta.lastKnownConfigCreatedAt`
  *    (defense-in-depth — caller should have done this too).
- * 2. Validates the payload's `denominations` key set is *exactly* the set
- *    of denominations currently in the `cassettes` table.
- * 3. Validates per-entry `position` is a positive int, `count` is a
- *    non-negative int.
- * 4. In a single SQLite transaction: updates `cassettes` rows (PK is
- *    denomination — only `position` and `count` mutate) AND advances the
- *    `meta.lastKnownConfigCreatedAt` watermark to `eventCreatedAt`.
+ * 2. Validates the payload's `positions` key set is *exactly* the set of
+ *    positions currently in the `cassettes` table. The bay count is
+ *    hardware-determined and can't be added to or removed from via this
+ *    path; only the per-bay denomination and count are operator-mutable.
+ * 3. Validates per-entry `denomination` is a positive int, `count` is a
+ *    non-negative int. **Duplicate denominations across positions are
+ *    intentionally permitted** — real machines load multiple cassettes
+ *    with the same denomination for cash-out throughput.
+ * 4. In a single SQLite transaction: updates `cassettes` rows by position
+ *    (denomination + count both mutable per row) AND advances
+ *    `meta.lastKnownConfigCreatedAt` to `eventCreatedAt`.
  *
  * Mid-write crashes roll back cleanly; on restart the same event is
  * re-delivered by the relay and the watermark check drops it as already
@@ -347,58 +384,58 @@ export function applyOperatorCassettesConfig(
   }
 
   const currentRows = db
-    .prepare('SELECT denomination FROM cassettes')
-    .all() as { denomination: number }[]
-  const currentDenoms = new Set(currentRows.map((r) => r.denomination))
-  const payloadDenoms = new Set(Object.keys(payload.denominations).map((k) => Number(k)))
+    .prepare('SELECT position FROM cassettes')
+    .all() as { position: number }[]
+  const currentPositions = new Set(currentRows.map((r) => r.position))
+  const payloadPositions = new Set(Object.keys(payload.positions).map((k) => Number(k)))
 
-  if (currentDenoms.size !== payloadDenoms.size) {
+  if (currentPositions.size !== payloadPositions.size) {
     return {
       applied: false,
-      reason: `denomination count mismatch: state.db has ${currentDenoms.size}, payload has ${payloadDenoms.size}`,
+      reason: `position count mismatch: state.db has ${currentPositions.size}, payload has ${payloadPositions.size}`,
     }
   }
-  for (const d of currentDenoms) {
-    if (!payloadDenoms.has(d)) {
-      return { applied: false, reason: `payload missing denomination ${d}` }
+  for (const p of currentPositions) {
+    if (!payloadPositions.has(p)) {
+      return { applied: false, reason: `payload missing position ${p}` }
     }
   }
-  for (const d of payloadDenoms) {
-    if (!currentDenoms.has(d)) {
-      return { applied: false, reason: `payload includes unknown denomination ${d}` }
+  for (const p of payloadPositions) {
+    if (!currentPositions.has(p)) {
+      return { applied: false, reason: `payload includes unknown position ${p}` }
     }
   }
 
-  for (const [denomKey, entry] of Object.entries(payload.denominations)) {
-    if (!Number.isInteger(entry.position) || entry.position <= 0) {
+  for (const [posKey, entry] of Object.entries(payload.positions)) {
+    if (!Number.isInteger(entry.denomination) || entry.denomination <= 0) {
       return {
         applied: false,
-        reason: `position must be positive int (denomination ${denomKey}, got ${entry.position})`,
+        reason: `denomination must be positive int (position ${posKey}, got ${entry.denomination})`,
       }
     }
     if (!Number.isInteger(entry.count) || entry.count < 0) {
       return {
         applied: false,
-        reason: `count must be non-negative int (denomination ${denomKey}, got ${entry.count})`,
+        reason: `count must be non-negative int (position ${posKey}, got ${entry.count})`,
       }
     }
   }
 
   const updateCassette = db.prepare(
-    'UPDATE cassettes SET position = ?, count = ? WHERE denomination = ?'
+    'UPDATE cassettes SET denomination = ?, count = ? WHERE position = ?'
   )
   const setWatermark = db.prepare('UPDATE meta SET value = ? WHERE key = ?')
 
   const run = db.transaction(() => {
-    for (const [denomKey, entry] of Object.entries(payload.denominations)) {
-      updateCassette.run(entry.position, entry.count, Number(denomKey))
+    for (const [posKey, entry] of Object.entries(payload.positions)) {
+      updateCassette.run(entry.denomination, entry.count, Number(posKey))
     }
     setWatermark.run(String(eventCreatedAt), 'lastKnownConfigCreatedAt')
   })
 
   run()
   console.log(
-    `[StateStore] Applied operator cassettes config @ created_at=${eventCreatedAt} (${Object.keys(payload.denominations).length} denominations)`
+    `[StateStore] Applied operator cassettes config @ created_at=${eventCreatedAt} (${Object.keys(payload.positions).length} positions)`
   )
   return { applied: true }
 }
@@ -421,7 +458,10 @@ export function loadCassettes(): CassetteRow[] {
 }
 
 /**
- * Upsert cassette counts. Replaces all existing rows.
+ * Upsert cassette rows. Position is the addressable unit; the same
+ * denomination may legitimately appear on multiple positions (real
+ * machines load N cassettes of the same denomination for cash-out
+ * throughput).
  */
 export function setCassettes(
   cassettes: { denomination: number; count: number; position?: number }[]
@@ -429,14 +469,14 @@ export function setCassettes(
   if (!db) throw new Error('Database not initialized')
 
   const upsert = db.prepare(
-    'INSERT INTO cassettes (denomination, count, position) VALUES (?, ?, ?) ON CONFLICT(denomination) DO UPDATE SET count = excluded.count, position = excluded.position'
+    'INSERT INTO cassettes (position, denomination, count) VALUES (?, ?, ?) ON CONFLICT(position) DO UPDATE SET denomination = excluded.denomination, count = excluded.count'
   )
 
   const run = db.transaction(
     (rows: { denomination: number; count: number; position?: number }[]) => {
       for (let i = 0; i < rows.length; i++) {
         const row = rows[i]!
-        upsert.run(row.denomination, row.count, row.position ?? i + 1)
+        upsert.run(row.position ?? i + 1, row.denomination, row.count)
       }
     }
   )
@@ -446,26 +486,31 @@ export function setCassettes(
 }
 
 /**
- * Increment or decrement a cassette count (e.g., after dispensing).
+ * Decrement the count for a specific physical bay (position). Use this
+ * after a successful dispense — the dispenser returns per-position
+ * results, so the caller already knows which bay drained how many.
  */
-export function updateCassetteCount(denomination: number, delta: number): void {
+export function updateCassetteCountByPosition(position: number, delta: number): void {
   if (!db) throw new Error('Database not initialized')
 
-  db.prepare('UPDATE cassettes SET count = MAX(0, count + ?) WHERE denomination = ?').run(
+  db.prepare('UPDATE cassettes SET count = MAX(0, count + ?) WHERE position = ?').run(
     delta,
-    denomination
+    position
   )
 }
 
 /**
- * Get inventory as a denomination -> count map.
+ * Get aggregate inventory as denomination → total-count-across-positions.
+ * Used by the renderer / state machine for "do we have enough $20s to
+ * cover this withdraw" gating where the per-bay breakdown doesn't matter.
+ * For per-bay state use `loadCassettes()`.
  */
 export function getInventory(): Record<number, number> {
   const rows = loadCassettes()
   const inv: Record<number, number> = {}
   for (const row of rows) {
     if (row.count > 0) {
-      inv[row.denomination] = row.count
+      inv[row.denomination] = (inv[row.denomination] ?? 0) + row.count
     }
   }
   return inv
diff --git a/apps/machine/src/services/operator-config.ts b/apps/machine/src/services/operator-config.ts
index 21b9b93..c9b26f8 100644
--- a/apps/machine/src/services/operator-config.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/src/services/operator-config.ts
@@ -148,7 +148,7 @@ async function handleOperatorConfigEvent(
   }
 
   // 4. Decrypt content (NIP-44 v2).
-  let parsed: { denominations: Record<string, { position: number; count: number }> }
+  let parsed: { positions: Record<string, { denomination: number; count: number }> }
   try {
     const plaintext = decryptContentV2(cfg.identity, event.pubkey, event.content)
     parsed = JSON.parse(plaintext) as typeof parsed
@@ -156,16 +156,18 @@ async function handleOperatorConfigEvent(
     console.error('[OperatorConfig] Decrypt/parse failed:', err)
     return
   }
-  if (!parsed || typeof parsed !== 'object' || !parsed.denominations) {
-    console.error('[OperatorConfig] Payload missing `denominations` field')
+  if (!parsed || typeof parsed !== 'object' || !parsed.positions) {
+    console.error('[OperatorConfig] Payload missing `positions` field')
     return
   }
 
   // 5. Atomic apply (cassettes + meta watermark) via IPC. The state-store
-  //    function re-validates watermark + denomination key-set equality +
-  //    per-entry types inside the SQLite transaction.
+  //    function re-validates watermark + position key-set equality +
+  //    per-entry types inside the SQLite transaction. Duplicate
+  //    denominations across positions are allowed — real machines load
+  //    N cassettes of the same denomination for cash-out throughput.
   const result = await api.applyOperatorCassettesConfig(
-    { denominations: parsed.denominations },
+    { positions: parsed.positions },
     event.created_at
   )
   if (!result.applied) {
@@ -174,20 +176,24 @@ async function handleOperatorConfigEvent(
   }
 
   // 6. Hot-reload the HAL with the new cassette layout so dispense math
-  //    picks up the new denomination set. state.db is already updated;
-  //    HAL re-init failure means the renderer's persistedInventory may
-  //    be ahead of the HAL until next service restart — log loudly but
-  //    don't unwind the state.db apply (the operator wants their config
-  //    landed; HAL can catch up).
+  //    picks up the new per-position mapping. state.db is already updated;
+  //    HAL re-init failure means the renderer's persistedInventory may be
+  //    ahead of the HAL until next service restart — log loudly but don't
+  //    unwind the state.db apply (the operator wants their config landed;
+  //    HAL can catch up).
   const cassettesAfter = await api.loadCassettes()
   const halResult = await api.halReloadCassettes(
-    cassettesAfter.map((c) => ({ denomination: c.denomination, count: c.count }))
+    cassettesAfter.map((c) => ({
+      position: c.position,
+      denomination: c.denomination,
+      count: c.count,
+    }))
   )
   if (!halResult.ok) {
     console.error('[OperatorConfig] HAL reload failed:', halResult.error)
   }
   console.log(
-    `[OperatorConfig] Applied — created_at=${event.created_at}, denominations=${Object.keys(parsed.denominations).join(',')}`
+    `[OperatorConfig] Applied — created_at=${event.created_at}, positions=${Object.keys(parsed.positions).join(',')}`
   )
 }
 
@@ -213,11 +219,11 @@ async function maybePublishBootstrap(
     return
   }
 
-  const denominations: Record<string, { position: number; count: number }> = {}
+  const positions: Record<string, { denomination: number; count: number }> = {}
   for (const c of cassettes) {
-    denominations[String(c.denomination)] = { position: c.position, count: c.count }
+    positions[String(c.position)] = { denomination: c.denomination, count: c.count }
   }
-  const ciphertext = encryptContentV2(cfg.identity, operatorPubkey, { denominations })
+  const ciphertext = encryptContentV2(cfg.identity, operatorPubkey, { positions })
 
   const dTag = atmStateDTag(machineId)
   const event = createSignedEvent(cfg.identity, {
diff --git a/apps/machine/src/types/electron.d.ts b/apps/machine/src/types/electron.d.ts
index 0ff2f3b..48aaef4 100644
--- a/apps/machine/src/types/electron.d.ts
+++ b/apps/machine/src/types/electron.d.ts
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ declare global {
       getBootstrapPublishedAt: () => Promise<number | null>
       markBootstrapPublished: (unixTimestamp: number) => Promise<void>
       applyOperatorCassettesConfig: (
-        payload: { denominations: Record<string, { position: number; count: number }> },
+        payload: { positions: Record<string, { denomination: number; count: number }> },
         eventCreatedAt: number
       ) => Promise<{ applied: true } | { applied: false; reason: string }>
       getSupportPages: () => Promise<{ id: string; title: string; content: string }[]>
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ declare global {
       halRejectBill: () => Promise<void>
       halGetInventory: () => Promise<Record<number, number>>
       halReloadCassettes: (
-        cassettes: { denomination: number; count?: number }[]
+        cassettes: { position: number; denomination: number; count?: number }[]
       ) => Promise<{ ok: boolean; error?: string }>
       halCleanup: () => Promise<void>
       onHalBillRead: (callback: (denomination: number) => void) => void