diff --git a/.github/workflows/standards-sync.yml b/.github/workflows/standards-sync.yml
index f9a0cc1..3235d95 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/standards-sync.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/standards-sync.yml
@@ -7,12 +7,11 @@ name: standards-sync
 # synced files are read-only-by-convention downstream (change them in `standards`,
 # which re-cascades). See standards docs/dedup-program/config-distribution-plan.md.
 #
-# DRAFT — NOT YET ACTIVE. Two gates must clear before this runs (both tracked in
-# the plan doc): (1) a GitHub App with contents:write + pull-requests:write on the
-# targets, provisioned via github-iac (Pulumi) and its app-id/private-key wired as
-# secrets; (2) the caller pinning this workflow by SHA. Until then `dry-run`
-# defaults true (plan only, no writes). Validate against this repo's actionlint +
-# zizmor lanes before first merge.
+# Activation is gated in the standards caller (see the plan doc): real runs need
+# the GitHub App secrets (contents:write + pull-requests:write on the targets)
+# and the caller pinning this workflow by SHA. `dry-run` defaults true, so a
+# caller without secrets can still plan; `targets` narrows a run to named repos
+# for the pilot and the staged rollout.
 
 on:
   workflow_call:
@@ -31,6 +30,12 @@ on:
           opening PRs. Default true keeps the workflow inert until activated.
         type: boolean
         default: true
+      targets:
+        description: >-
+          Comma-separated allowlist of manifest targets (owner/name) to sync;
+          empty means all. Narrows a run for the pilot / staged rollout.
+        type: string
+        default: ''
     secrets:
       # Optional so a caller can invoke dry-run (the default, inert mode) without
       # wiring secrets before the App exists. The sync job validates they are
@@ -79,21 +84,49 @@ jobs:
         id: build
         env:
           MANIFEST: ${{ inputs.manifest }}
+          TARGETS: ${{ inputs.targets }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           # yq is preinstalled on ubuntu-latest runners. Emit one matrix entry
           # per target: { repo, layout }. The per-file mapping is resolved in the
           # sync job from the same manifest (kept out of the matrix to bound size).
-          matrix="$(yq -o=json -I=0 '{"include": [.targets[] | {"repo": .repo, "repo_owner": (.repo | split("/")[0]), "repo_name": (.repo | split("/")[1]), "layout": .layout}]}' "$MANIFEST")"
+          # TARGETS narrows to an exact-match repo allowlist (the set subtraction
+          # is empty iff .repo is listed — no substring matching). Normalize it —
+          # strip spaces, squeeze/trim commas — so "a, b" and "a,b" filter alike
+          # and split never yields empty tokens; a filter with no repo names at
+          # all (e.g. ",,") is a hard error, not a silent plan-nothing run.
+          only="$(tr -d '[:space:]' <<<"$TARGETS" | tr -s ',' | sed 's/^,//; s/,$//')"
+          if [ -n "$(tr -d '[:space:]' <<<"$TARGETS")" ] && [ -z "$only" ]; then
+            echo "::error::targets filter '$TARGETS' contains no repo names"
+            exit 1
+          fi
+          matrix="$(only="$only" yq -o=json -I=0 '
+            {"include": [.targets[]
+              | select(strenv(only) == "" or ([.repo] - (strenv(only) | split(",")) | length) == 0)
+              | {"repo": .repo, "repo_owner": (.repo | split("/")[0]), "repo_name": (.repo | split("/")[1]), "layout": .layout}]}
+          ' "$MANIFEST")"
+          # Fail on ANY unmatched filter entry, not just an empty matrix — a
+          # typo in one of several targets must not silently drop that repo
+          # from a staged rollout while the rest sync "successfully".
+          if [ -n "$only" ]; then
+            unmatched="$(only="$only" yq -r '((strenv(only) | split(",")) - [.targets[].repo]) | join(",")' "$MANIFEST")"
+            if [ -n "$unmatched" ]; then
+              echo "::error::targets filter names unknown manifest targets: $unmatched"
+              exit 1
+            fi
+          fi
           echo "matrix=$matrix" >> "$GITHUB_OUTPUT"
 
       - name: Log distribution plan
         # The dry-run preview: list source -> dest per target from the manifest
         # alone — no target checkout, no token — so it works before the App is
         # provisioned and on every real run as a record of what will sync.
+        # Iterates the built matrix (not the raw manifest) so the logged plan is
+        # exactly the target set the sync job will run, filter included.
         env:
           MANIFEST: ${{ inputs.manifest }}
           DRY_RUN: ${{ inputs.dry-run }}
+          MATRIX: ${{ steps.build.outputs.matrix }}
         run: |
           set -euo pipefail
           echo "Distribution plan (dry-run=${DRY_RUN}):"
@@ -106,7 +139,7 @@ jobs:
               if [ "$dest" = "null" ]; then echo "  $tool: (skipped — not for layout $layout)"; continue; fi
               echo "  $tool: $src -> $dest"
             done < <(repo="$repo" yq -r '.targets[] | select(.repo == strenv(repo)) | .include[]' "$MANIFEST")
-          done < <(yq -r '.targets[].repo' "$MANIFEST")
+          done < <(yq -p=json -r '.include[].repo' <<<"$MATRIX")
 
   sync:
     needs: plan
@@ -137,6 +170,10 @@ jobs:
           private-key: ${{ secrets.app-private-key }}
           owner: ${{ matrix.repo_owner }}
           repositories: ${{ matrix.repo_name }}
+          # Narrow the minted token to the sync's needs (push branch + open PR)
+          # even if the App installation ever carries wider grants.
+          permission-contents: write
+          permission-pull-requests: write
 
       - name: Check out standards (sources)
         uses: actions/checkout@9c091bb21b7c1c1d1991bb908d89e4e9dddfe3e0 # v7.0.0