diff --git a/scripts/work/dispatch.mjs b/scripts/work/dispatch.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..33aa481
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/work/dispatch.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,203 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+/**
+ * pnpm work dispatch — orchestrator that picks the next ready task and
+ * (with --execute) invokes sandcastle to run the implementer then reviewer.
+ *
+ * Default mode prints the dispatch plan without invoking sandcastle —
+ * safe to run anywhere. --execute requires ANTHROPIC_API_KEY in the env.
+ */
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import path from "node:path";
+import { fileURLToPath } from "node:url";
+import { execSync } from "node:child_process";
+import { buildState } from "./state-builder.mjs";
+
+const __dirname = path.dirname(fileURLToPath(import.meta.url));
+const REPO_ROOT = path.resolve(__dirname, "..", "..");
+const WORK_ROOT = path.join(REPO_ROOT, "docs", "work");
+const SANDCASTLE_DIR = path.join(REPO_ROOT, ".sandcastle");
+
+/**
+ * Returns the first ready story's first unchecked AC bullet, or null if
+ * there's no work to dispatch.
+ *
+ * Shape: { epic, story, title, storyPath, storyContent, bulletLine, bulletIndex }
+ */
+export function findNextTask(workRoot = WORK_ROOT) {
+  const state = buildState(workRoot);
+  if (state.ready.length === 0) return null;
+  const next = state.ready[0];
+  const storyPath = path.join(workRoot, next.epic, next.story, "_story.md");
+  if (!fs.existsSync(storyPath)) return null;
+  const storyContent = fs.readFileSync(storyPath, "utf8");
+  const { bulletLine, bulletIndex } = findFirstUncheckedBullet(storyContent);
+  if (bulletLine === null) return null;
+  return {
+    epic: next.epic,
+    story: next.story,
+    title: next.title,
+    storyPath,
+    storyContent,
+    bulletLine,
+    bulletIndex,
+  };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Scans the story content for the first `- [ ]` bullet INSIDE the `## Tasks`
+ * section. Returns the matched line + its 0-based index within the file's
+ * line array (used by the orchestrator if it later tick-edits the file).
+ */
+export function findFirstUncheckedBullet(content) {
+  const lines = content.split("\n");
+  let inTasks = false;
+  for (let i = 0; i < lines.length; i++) {
+    const line = lines[i];
+    if (line.startsWith("## ")) {
+      inTasks = /^##\s+Tasks\b/i.test(line);
+      continue;
+    }
+    if (!inTasks) continue;
+    if (/^[\s>-]*\[\s\]/.test(line)) {
+      return { bulletLine: line, bulletIndex: i };
+    }
+  }
+  return { bulletLine: null, bulletIndex: -1 };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Builds the task spec string passed to sandcastle as TASK_FILE_CONTENT.
+ * The implementer prompt template uses this verbatim.
+ */
+export function buildTaskSpec(next) {
+  return `# Current task
+
+## Epic
+${next.epic}
+
+## Story
+${next.story} — ${next.title}
+
+## Current bullet
+${next.bulletLine.trim()}
+
+## Full story for context
+
+${next.storyContent}`;
+}
+
+function printPlan() {
+  const next = findNextTask();
+  if (!next) {
+    console.log("No ready task to dispatch.");
+    console.log("Run `pnpm work blocked` to see what's waiting on what.");
+    process.exit(0);
+  }
+  console.log("=== Dispatch plan ===");
+  console.log(`  Epic:     ${next.epic}`);
+  console.log(`  Story:    ${next.story} — ${next.title}`);
+  console.log(`  Bullet:   ${next.bulletLine.trim()}`);
+  console.log(`  Prompt:   .sandcastle/implementer.prompt.md`);
+  console.log();
+  console.log("To execute this dispatch, run:");
+  console.log("  ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=... pnpm work dispatch --execute");
+  console.log();
+  console.log(
+    "(Execute mode requires @ai-hero/sandcastle, a sandbox provider, and an agent API key.)",
+  );
+}
+
+async function executeDispatch() {
+  const next = findNextTask();
+  if (!next) {
+    console.log("No ready task to dispatch.");
+    process.exit(0);
+  }
+  if (!process.env.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY && !process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY) {
+    console.error(
+      "✗ --execute requires ANTHROPIC_API_KEY or OPENAI_API_KEY in env.",
+    );
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+
+  console.log(
+    `Dispatching: ${next.epic} / ${next.story} / ${next.bulletLine.trim()}`,
+  );
+  const taskSpec = buildTaskSpec(next);
+
+  let sandcastle;
+  let dockerSandbox;
+  try {
+    sandcastle = await import("@ai-hero/sandcastle");
+    ({ docker: dockerSandbox } =
+      await import("@ai-hero/sandcastle/sandboxes/docker"));
+  } catch {
+    console.error(
+      "✗ @ai-hero/sandcastle is not installed. Run `pnpm install` first.",
+    );
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+
+  const implementerPrompt = path.join(SANDCASTLE_DIR, "implementer.prompt.md");
+  let implResult;
+  try {
+    implResult = await sandcastle.run({
+      agent: sandcastle.claudeCode("claude-sonnet-4-6"),
+      sandbox: dockerSandbox({
+        imageName: `sandcastle-dispatch:local`,
+      }),
+      promptFile: implementerPrompt,
+      promptArgs: { TASK_FILE_CONTENT: taskSpec },
+      cwd: REPO_ROOT,
+    });
+  } catch (e) {
+    console.error("✗ Implementer dispatch failed:", e.message);
+    console.error(
+      "  See .sandcastle/README.md for setup. Provider name(s) may need updating.",
+    );
+    process.exit(1);
+  }
+  console.log(
+    `Implementer returned. Branch: ${implResult.branch}, Commits: ${implResult.commits.length}`,
+  );
+
+  // Reviewer: pass the diff as DIFF prompt variable.
+  let diff = "";
+  try {
+    diff = execSync(`git diff main..${implResult.branch}`, {
+      encoding: "utf8",
+      cwd: REPO_ROOT,
+    });
+  } catch {
+    diff = "(diff unavailable)";
+  }
+  const reviewerPrompt = path.join(SANDCASTLE_DIR, "reviewer.prompt.md");
+  const reviewResult = await sandcastle.run({
+    agent: sandcastle.claudeCode("claude-sonnet-4-6"),
+    sandbox: dockerSandbox({
+      imageName: `sandcastle-dispatch:local`,
+    }),
+    promptFile: reviewerPrompt,
+    promptArgs: { TASK_FILE_CONTENT: taskSpec, DIFF: diff },
+    cwd: REPO_ROOT,
+  });
+  console.log(`Reviewer returned. stdout follows:\n${reviewResult.stdout}`);
+
+  // V1: the orchestrator does NOT auto-mutate state. Print what should happen.
+  console.log();
+  console.log("=== Suggested state mutation ===");
+  console.log(`  Edit ${next.storyPath} — tick the bullet:`);
+  console.log(`    ${next.bulletLine.trim().replace("[ ]", "[x]")}`);
+  console.log(
+    `  Then: pnpm work rebuild-state && git add -A && git commit -m "feat(...): ..."`,
+  );
+  console.log();
+  console.log("(Automatic state mutation by the orchestrator is v2.)");
+}
+
+const args = process.argv.slice(2);
+if (args.includes("--execute")) {
+  executeDispatch();
+} else {
+  printPlan();
+}
diff --git a/scripts/work/dispatch.test.mjs b/scripts/work/dispatch.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..7e80811
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/work/dispatch.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,139 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+import path from "node:path";
+import os from "node:os";
+import fs from "node:fs";
+import {
+  findNextTask,
+  findFirstUncheckedBullet,
+  buildTaskSpec,
+} from "./dispatch.mjs";
+
+function makeWorkTree({ epics }) {
+  const root = fs.mkdtempSync(path.join(os.tmpdir(), "dispatch-"));
+  for (const [epicId, epicData] of Object.entries(epics)) {
+    const epicDir = path.join(root, epicId);
+    fs.mkdirSync(epicDir, { recursive: true });
+    fs.writeFileSync(
+      path.join(epicDir, "_epic.md"),
+      `---\nid: ${epicId}\ntitle: ${epicId}\nstatus: ${epicData.status ?? "in-progress"}\n---\n`,
+    );
+    for (const [storyId, storyData] of Object.entries(epicData.stories ?? {})) {
+      const storyDir = path.join(epicDir, storyId);
+      fs.mkdirSync(storyDir, { recursive: true });
+      const tasks = (storyData.tasks ?? [])
+        .map((t) => `- [${t.done ? "x" : " "}] ${t.label}`)
+        .join("\n");
+      const deps = storyData.depends_on
+        ? `depends-on: [${storyData.depends_on.join(", ")}]\n`
+        : "";
+      fs.writeFileSync(
+        path.join(storyDir, "_story.md"),
+        `---\nid: ${storyId}\ntitle: ${storyId}\nstatus: ${storyData.status ?? "todo"}\n${deps}---\n\n## Tasks\n${tasks}\n`,
+      );
+    }
+  }
+  return root;
+}
+
+describe("findFirstUncheckedBullet", () => {
+  it("returns the first - [ ] line under ## Tasks", () => {
+    const content = `## Tasks
+- [x] done
+- [ ] open
+- [ ] another
+`;
+    const { bulletLine } = findFirstUncheckedBullet(content);
+    expect(bulletLine).toBe("- [ ] open");
+  });
+
+  it("returns null when no unchecked bullets remain", () => {
+    const content = `## Tasks
+- [x] done
+- [x] also done
+`;
+    expect(findFirstUncheckedBullet(content).bulletLine).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("only checks inside the Tasks section", () => {
+    const content = `## Goal
+- [ ] not a task
+
+## Tasks
+- [x] done
+`;
+    expect(findFirstUncheckedBullet(content).bulletLine).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
+describe("findNextTask", () => {
+  it("returns the next bullet from the first ready story", () => {
+    const root = makeWorkTree({
+      epics: {
+        e: {
+          stories: {
+            s: {
+              status: "todo",
+              tasks: [
+                { label: "a", done: true },
+                { label: "b", done: false },
+              ],
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    const next = findNextTask(root);
+    expect(next.epic).toBe("e");
+    expect(next.story).toBe("s");
+    expect(next.bulletLine.trim()).toBe("- [ ] b");
+  });
+
+  it("returns null when no stories are ready", () => {
+    const root = makeWorkTree({
+      epics: {
+        e: {
+          stories: {
+            s: {
+              status: "done",
+              tasks: [{ label: "a", done: true }],
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    expect(findNextTask(root)).toBeNull();
+  });
+
+  it("returns null when ready story has no unchecked bullets", () => {
+    const root = makeWorkTree({
+      epics: {
+        e: {
+          stories: {
+            s: {
+              status: "todo",
+              tasks: [{ label: "a", done: true }],
+            },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    });
+    expect(findNextTask(root)).toBeNull();
+  });
+});
+
+describe("buildTaskSpec", () => {
+  it("includes epic, story, bullet, and full story content", () => {
+    const next = {
+      epic: "e",
+      story: "s",
+      title: "Story",
+      storyContent: "## Goal\n\nSomething.\n## Tasks\n- [ ] do thing",
+      bulletLine: "- [ ] do thing",
+    };
+    const spec = buildTaskSpec(next);
+    expect(spec).toContain("e");
+    expect(spec).toContain("s — Story");
+    expect(spec).toContain("- [ ] do thing");
+    expect(spec).toContain("## Goal");
+  });
+});