diff --git a/MobileGL/Config.h b/MobileGL/Config.h
index 9d807937..90513647 100644
--- a/MobileGL/Config.h
+++ b/MobileGL/Config.h
@@ -745,6 +745,14 @@ namespace MobileGL::MG_Config {
         return Transport == TransportMode::Spawn && Ipc.Surface == IpcSurface::Server;
     }
 
+#else
+    // The whole point: in a build without MG_Remote this folds at compile time, so
+    // `if (MG_Config::Transport != MG_Config::TransportMode::Monolith)` in Init.cpp is a
+    // discarded statement and the pull build gains no symbol, no branch and no byte.
+    inline constexpr TransportMode Transport = TransportMode::Monolith;
+#endif
+
+#if MOBILEGL_BUILD_RECORD_ARM
     // P13 W4: THE DATA-ARM QUESTION - do the backends read RECORDS (the applier's twins, the staged
     // stores, the verb's own handles) rather than frontend objects? Under a wire the answer has
     // always been yes; P13 makes it yes for monolith too ("monolith is the push variant"), one
@@ -765,12 +773,8 @@ namespace MobileGL::MG_Config {
         return Transport == TransportMode::Monolith && MonolithTakesRecordArm;
     }
 #else
-    // The whole point: in a build without MG_Remote this folds at compile time, so
-    // `if (MG_Config::Transport != MG_Config::TransportMode::Monolith)` in Init.cpp is a
-    // discarded statement and the pull build gains no symbol, no branch and no byte.
-    inline constexpr TransportMode Transport = TransportMode::Monolith;
-    // P13 W4: a build without MG_Remote stays on the frontend arm until W5 moves the record arm
-    // out of the disaggregated gating (ID-P13-1 / A2).
+    // A build without the record arm reads frontend objects everywhere (the negative control a
+    // library built with MOBILEGL_BUILD_RECORD_ARM=0 keeps until W6 deletes the frontend arms).
     inline constexpr Bool DataArmIsRecord() { return false; }
     inline constexpr Bool RecordArmAliasesFrontend() { return false; }
 #endif
diff --git a/MobileGL/ConfigLoader.cpp b/MobileGL/ConfigLoader.cpp
index 45d00915..20444cd9 100644
--- a/MobileGL/ConfigLoader.cpp
+++ b/MobileGL/ConfigLoader.cpp
@@ -38,9 +38,9 @@ namespace MobileGL::MG_Config {
     String TransportEndpoint;
     Bool SplitTransportRequestedByConfig = false;
     IpcTable Ipc;
-    Bool MonolithTakesRecordArm = false;
 #endif
 #if MOBILEGL_BUILD_RECORD_ARM
+    Bool MonolithTakesRecordArm = false;
     RecordArmTable RecordArm;
 #endif
 } // namespace MobileGL::MG_Config
@@ -459,37 +459,6 @@ namespace MobileGL::MG_ConfigLoader {
     // rather than silent, because the failure this avoids is a P6 lane that set
     // MOBILEGL_TRANSPORT=spawn, fell back to monolith, and went green on the wrong arm.
     // The mode is left at Monolith so nothing half-initializes.
-    // P13 W4 (Config.h DataArmIsRecord). Read after InitTransport: `frontend` names monolith's
-    // arm only - a wire has no frontend objects on its server half to read, so there it is
-    // ignored by name rather than half-honoured.
-    inline void InitDataArm() {
-        String value;
-        QueryEnvVariable("MOBILEGL_PIPE_DATA_ARM", value, "record");
-        String lowered = value;
-        std::transform(lowered.begin(), lowered.end(), lowered.begin(),
-                       [](unsigned char c) { return static_cast<char>(std::tolower(c)); });
-        // P13 W4: both backends' monolith runs the record arm - Espryt's from W4a, family by family;
-        // Magma's at its single flip (its verb entry points pick one arm for every family at once).
-        const Bool backendReady = MG_Config::ActiveBackendType == BackendType::DirectGLES ||
-                                  MG_Config::ActiveBackendType == BackendType::DirectVulkan;
-        MG_Config::MonolithTakesRecordArm = backendReady;
-        if (lowered.empty() || lowered == "record") return;
-        if (lowered == "frontend") {
-            if (MG_Config::Transport != MG_Config::TransportMode::Monolith) {
-                MGLOG_W("Config: MOBILEGL_PIPE_DATA_ARM=frontend is ignored under a transport - the "
-                        "record arm is the only arm a wire has");
-                return;
-            }
-            MG_Config::MonolithTakesRecordArm = false;
-            MGLOG_I("Config: MOBILEGL_PIPE_DATA_ARM=frontend - monolith reads frontend objects in "
-                    "the record families switched so far");
-            return;
-        }
-        MGLOG_W("Config: Ignoring invalid env variable MOBILEGL_PIPE_DATA_ARM='%s'; expected "
-                "record|frontend, using record",
-                value.c_str());
-    }
-
     inline void InitTransport() {
         String value;
         QueryEnvVariable("MOBILEGL_TRANSPORT", value, "monolith");
@@ -710,6 +679,37 @@ namespace MobileGL::MG_ConfigLoader {
 #endif
 
 #if MOBILEGL_BUILD_RECORD_ARM
+    // P13 W4 (Config.h DataArmIsRecord). Read after InitTransport: `frontend` names monolith's
+    // arm only - a wire has no frontend objects on its server half to read, so there it is
+    // ignored by name rather than half-honoured.
+    inline void InitDataArm() {
+        String value;
+        QueryEnvVariable("MOBILEGL_PIPE_DATA_ARM", value, "record");
+        String lowered = value;
+        std::transform(lowered.begin(), lowered.end(), lowered.begin(),
+                       [](unsigned char c) { return static_cast<char>(std::tolower(c)); });
+        // P13 W4: both backends' monolith runs the record arm - Espryt's from W4a, family by family;
+        // Magma's at its single flip (its verb entry points pick one arm for every family at once).
+        const Bool backendReady = MG_Config::ActiveBackendType == BackendType::DirectGLES ||
+                                  MG_Config::ActiveBackendType == BackendType::DirectVulkan;
+        MG_Config::MonolithTakesRecordArm = backendReady;
+        if (lowered.empty() || lowered == "record") return;
+        if (lowered == "frontend") {
+            if (MG_Config::Transport != MG_Config::TransportMode::Monolith) {
+                MGLOG_W("Config: MOBILEGL_PIPE_DATA_ARM=frontend is ignored under a transport - the "
+                        "record arm is the only arm a wire has");
+                return;
+            }
+            MG_Config::MonolithTakesRecordArm = false;
+            MGLOG_I("Config: MOBILEGL_PIPE_DATA_ARM=frontend - monolith reads frontend objects in "
+                    "the record families switched so far");
+            return;
+        }
+        MGLOG_W("Config: Ignoring invalid env variable MOBILEGL_PIPE_DATA_ARM='%s'; expected "
+                "record|frontend, using record",
+                value.c_str());
+    }
+
     // P13 W5: the record arm's knobs (Config.h RecordArmTable), in every build that has the arm.
     inline void InitRecordArm() {
         MG_Config::RecordArmTable& ipc = MG_Config::RecordArm;
@@ -747,7 +747,11 @@ namespace MobileGL::MG_ConfigLoader {
         // After InitFeatures, so the one line InitIpc logs is the last word on this run's
         // configuration, and before the accepted-env map is destroyed just below.
         InitTransport();
+#endif
+#if MOBILEGL_BUILD_RECORD_ARM
         InitDataArm();
+#endif
+#if MOBILEGL_BUILD_DISAGGREGATED
         InitIpc();
 #endif