diff --git a/loopx/control_plane/quota/effect_program.py b/loopx/control_plane/quota/effect_program.py
index c99a27974d..e0e8da4e1d 100644
--- a/loopx/control_plane/quota/effect_program.py
+++ b/loopx/control_plane/quota/effect_program.py
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@
 from ..goals.goal_ref_validation import exact_goal_ref
 from ..work_items.delivery_batch_scale import DELIVERY_BATCH_SCALE_INPUT_CHOICES
 from ..turn_driver.native_context_profile import NATIVE_CONTEXT_PAGE_OUTPUT_BYTES
-from ..turn_driver.decision_capture import private_capture_supported
 
 _PLATFORM_IS_POSIX = os.name == "posix"
 
@@ -268,6 +267,10 @@ def writeback_command(boundary: str) -> str:
         writeback_command(" --delivery-boundary semantic_closeout")
         + " --agent-vision-json <file>"
     )
+    # Imported here so the settlement-plan kernel stays loadable on its own: the
+    # capture-binding owner is orchestration a command template never needs.
+    from ..turn_driver.decision_capture import private_capture_supported
+
     max_output_arg = (
         f" --max-page-output-bytes {NATIVE_CONTEXT_PAGE_OUTPUT_BYTES}"
         if private_capture_supported()
diff --git a/tests/control_plane/test_quota_settlement.py b/tests/control_plane/test_quota_settlement.py
index 82fadb397c..076fdfd50f 100644
--- a/tests/control_plane/test_quota_settlement.py
+++ b/tests/control_plane/test_quota_settlement.py
@@ -826,7 +826,9 @@ def test_private_capture_support_matches_uid_boundary(
 def test_settlement_command_uses_private_capture_support() -> None:
     # The generated command and the CLI's private-capture check must share one
     # platform qualification; a POSIX-looking host without getuid is unsupported.
-    with patch.object(quota_effect_program, "private_capture_supported", return_value=False):
+    # The settlement kernel resolves the predicate at its owner, because keeping
+    # capture IO out of the plan module's cold import is itself a guard.
+    with patch.object(decision_capture_module, "private_capture_supported", return_value=False):
         plan = quota_effect_program.build_turn_scoped_cli_settlement_plan(
             goal_id=GOAL_ID, agent_id=AGENT_ID, todo_id=TODO_ID,
             turn_instance_id=TURN_ID, scoped_cli_args="", lifecycle_actor_args="",
@@ -835,7 +837,7 @@ def test_settlement_command_uses_private_capture_support() -> None:
         assert command is not None
         assert "--max-page-output-bytes" not in command
 
-    with patch.object(quota_effect_program, "private_capture_supported", return_value=True):
+    with patch.object(decision_capture_module, "private_capture_supported", return_value=True):
         plan = quota_effect_program.build_turn_scoped_cli_settlement_plan(
             goal_id=GOAL_ID, agent_id=AGENT_ID, todo_id=TODO_ID,
             turn_instance_id=TURN_ID, scoped_cli_args="", lifecycle_actor_args="",