Partner conf cache (/tmp/.vv/) was only refreshed at array start. If a partner updated their conf mid-day, this host's RAM cache went stale until next reboot. Intermediate orchestrator now pulls partner confs every 4 hours as step 1. conf_sync.sh --pull-only: pulls partner confs into local cache, skips push (push is already handled by conf_populate.sh --push-only on conf save).