diff --git a/docs/channels.md b/docs/channels.md
index 28ab34807..f1fd2217d 100644
--- a/docs/channels.md
+++ b/docs/channels.md
@@ -46,21 +46,32 @@ import * as http from 'node:http';
 import { createAgent, createMockProvider, httpChannel, mountChannels } from '@lousho/build-ai-agent';
 
 const agent = createAgent({ instructions: 'You are helpful.', provider: createMockProvider() });
-const channels = mountChannels(agent, [httpChannel()]);
+const channels = mountChannels(agent, [
+  httpChannel({ verify: async (req) => req.headers.authorization === `Bearer ${process.env.API_TOKEN}` }),
+]);
 
 const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
   void channels(req, res).then((handled) => {
     if (!handled) res.writeHead(404).end();
   });
 });
-server.listen(3000);
+server.listen(3000, '127.0.0.1');
 ```
 
 ```bash
-curl -s localhost:3000/channels/http -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"sessionKey":"user-42","input":"Hi, I am Ali"}'
+curl -s localhost:3000/channels/http -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_TOKEN" -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"sessionKey":"user-42","input":"Hi, I am Ali"}'
 # {"sessionId":"http_user-42-...","text":"...","finishReason":"stop"}
 ```
 
+### Securing the http channel
+
+Sessions are keyed by the `sessionKey` the caller sends, so an `httpChannel()`
+without `verify` lets anyone who can reach the port read or continue another
+user's conversation by guessing a key. It logs a warning once when created.
+Always pass `verify` (a bearer-token check, as above, or your own session
+check), bind to `127.0.0.1` unless a proxy or firewall fronts it, and derive
+`sessionKey` from the authenticated user rather than trusting the client.
+
 The handler resolves `true` when it served the request and `false` (nothing
 written) for any other route, like the `/chat` routes of `lousho dev`, so you
 can mount it next to your own routes.
diff --git a/docs/deployment.md b/docs/deployment.md
index 6c361efc3..a70f6c9ae 100644
--- a/docs/deployment.md
+++ b/docs/deployment.md
@@ -172,9 +172,11 @@ curl -N http://127.0.0.1:3000/chat -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
 ### Auth
 
 Set `LOUSHO_API_TOKEN` (on the Worker target, as a secret: `npx wrangler secret
-put LOUSHO_API_TOKEN`) and every route except `/health` requires
-`Authorization: Bearer <token>`; anything else gets `401` with a JSON error
-(the token is compared in constant time). Without it the server is open: that
+put LOUSHO_API_TOKEN`) and the `/chat` routes and any channel without its
+own `verify` require `Authorization: Bearer <token>`; anything else gets `401`
+with a JSON error (the token is compared in constant time). `/health` is
+open, and channels that authenticate themselves (a `verify` function, or a
+platform signature check such as Slack's) are not gated by the token. Without it the server is open: that
 is fine on `127.0.0.1`, but **treat the token as required for anything that is
 not on localhost** (the server logs a warning when it listens on another
 interface without one, and the `docker` image listens on all interfaces).
diff --git a/llms-full.txt b/llms-full.txt
index 75415ce30..7f6e5d675 100644
--- a/llms-full.txt
+++ b/llms-full.txt
@@ -4034,21 +4034,32 @@ import * as http from 'node:http';
 import { createAgent, createMockProvider, httpChannel, mountChannels } from '@lousho/build-ai-agent';
 
 const agent = createAgent({ instructions: 'You are helpful.', provider: createMockProvider() });
-const channels = mountChannels(agent, [httpChannel()]);
+const channels = mountChannels(agent, [
+  httpChannel({ verify: async (req) => req.headers.authorization === `Bearer ${process.env.API_TOKEN}` }),
+]);
 
 const server = http.createServer((req, res) => {
   void channels(req, res).then((handled) => {
     if (!handled) res.writeHead(404).end();
   });
 });
-server.listen(3000);
+server.listen(3000, '127.0.0.1');
 ```
 
 ```bash
-curl -s localhost:3000/channels/http -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"sessionKey":"user-42","input":"Hi, I am Ali"}'
+curl -s localhost:3000/channels/http -H "Authorization: Bearer $API_TOKEN" -H 'Content-Type: application/json' -d '{"sessionKey":"user-42","input":"Hi, I am Ali"}'
 # {"sessionId":"http_user-42-...","text":"...","finishReason":"stop"}
 ```
 
+### Securing the http channel
+
+Sessions are keyed by the `sessionKey` the caller sends, so an `httpChannel()`
+without `verify` lets anyone who can reach the port read or continue another
+user's conversation by guessing a key. It logs a warning once when created.
+Always pass `verify` (a bearer-token check, as above, or your own session
+check), bind to `127.0.0.1` unless a proxy or firewall fronts it, and derive
+`sessionKey` from the authenticated user rather than trusting the client.
+
 The handler resolves `true` when it served the request and `false` (nothing
 written) for any other route, like the `/chat` routes of `lousho dev`, so you
 can mount it next to your own routes.
@@ -7193,9 +7204,11 @@ curl -N http://127.0.0.1:3000/chat -H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
 ### Auth
 
 Set `LOUSHO_API_TOKEN` (on the Worker target, as a secret: `npx wrangler secret
-put LOUSHO_API_TOKEN`) and every route except `/health` requires
-`Authorization: Bearer <token>`; anything else gets `401` with a JSON error
-(the token is compared in constant time). Without it the server is open: that
+put LOUSHO_API_TOKEN`) and the `/chat` routes and any channel without its
+own `verify` require `Authorization: Bearer <token>`; anything else gets `401`
+with a JSON error (the token is compared in constant time). `/health` is
+open, and channels that authenticate themselves (a `verify` function, or a
+platform signature check such as Slack's) are not gated by the token. Without it the server is open: that
 is fine on `127.0.0.1`, but **treat the token as required for anything that is
 not on localhost** (the server logs a warning when it listens on another
 interface without one, and the `docker` image listens on all interfaces).
diff --git a/src/channels/httpChannel.test.ts b/src/channels/httpChannel.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..89b98ccb3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/channels/httpChannel.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { httpChannel } from './httpChannel';
+
+describe('httpChannel verify warning', () => {
+  afterEach(() => {
+    vi.restoreAllMocks();
+  });
+
+  it('warns exactly once per channel when no verify is given', () => {
+    const warn = vi.spyOn(console, 'warn').mockImplementation(() => {});
+    httpChannel();
+    expect(warn).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+    const message = String(warn.mock.calls[0]?.[0]);
+    expect(message).toContain('[lousho]');
+    expect(message).toMatch(/unauthenticated/);
+    expect(message).toMatch(/sessionKey/);
+    expect(message).toMatch(/verify/);
+  });
+
+  it('does not warn when verify is given', () => {
+    const warn = vi.spyOn(console, 'warn').mockImplementation(() => {});
+    httpChannel({ verify: async () => true });
+    expect(warn).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/channels/httpChannel.ts b/src/channels/httpChannel.ts
index 15aab8f3b..98e337873 100644
--- a/src/channels/httpChannel.ts
+++ b/src/channels/httpChannel.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ export interface HttpChannelOptions {
    * every request that is not a browser's cross-site one (`403`) and has a
    * JSON `Content-Type` (else `415`), so a web page cannot post to it with a
    * form; under `lousho dev` its `Host` is checked like the dev routes'.
+   * Omitting it logs a one-time warning: sessions are keyed by the
+   * caller-chosen `sessionKey`, so an unauthenticated channel exposes them.
    */
   verify?: (req: ChannelRequest) => Promise<boolean>;
 }
@@ -34,6 +36,13 @@ export interface HttpChannelOptions {
  * ```
  */
 export function httpChannel(options: HttpChannelOptions = {}): Channel {
+  if (!options.verify) {
+    console.warn(
+      '[lousho] httpChannel() has no `verify`: the channel is unauthenticated, and sessions are keyed by the caller-chosen `sessionKey`, ' +
+        "so anyone who can reach it can read or continue another user's conversation by guessing a key. " +
+        'Pass `verify: async (req) => req.headers.authorization === `Bearer ${token}`` (see docs/channels.md#securing-the-http-channel).'
+    );
+  }
   return defineChannel({
     name: options.name ?? 'http',
     verify: options.verify,