diff --git a/gateway/config_loader.py b/gateway/config_loader.py
index a985c841b1..052d3f2fa7 100644
--- a/gateway/config_loader.py
+++ b/gateway/config_loader.py
@@ -27,11 +27,6 @@ def load_legacy_gateway_json(home: Path) -> Any:
     try:
         with open(path, "r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
             data = json.load(f) or {}
-        # Relay accepts a legacy opt-out as authoritative, just like YAML.
-        platforms = data.get("platforms") if isinstance(data, dict) else None
-        relay = platforms.get("relay") if isinstance(platforms, dict) else None
-        if isinstance(relay, dict) and "enabled" in relay:
-            _dict_slot(relay, "extra")["_enabled_explicit"] = True
         logger.info("Loaded legacy %s — consider moving settings to config.yaml", path)
         return data
     except Exception as e:
diff --git a/gateway/relay/__init__.py b/gateway/relay/__init__.py
index f0fbfa7c7d..148715a65a 100644
--- a/gateway/relay/__init__.py
+++ b/gateway/relay/__init__.py
@@ -71,38 +71,27 @@ def _env_or_cfg_url(env_var: str, cfg_key: str) -> Optional[str]:
 
 
 def relay_explicitly_disabled() -> bool:
-    """The profile's normalized opt-out, before any URL/credential activation.
+    """``platforms.relay.enabled: false`` in the profile's YAML (user or managed).
 
-    Reuse the gateway's platform merge and boolean normalization without running
-    its env/plugin side effects. Absence is not a disable: URL-only deployments
-    predate the platform flag. The raw loader includes managed configuration.
+    Same merge and boolean normalization as the gateway loader, minus its env/plugin
+    side effects, so a standalone scheduler can ask without bootstrapping the gateway.
+    Mirrors the loader's ``_enabled_explicit`` rule: only a YAML ``enabled`` key is
+    authoritative — a legacy ``gateway.json`` block is advisory for relay exactly as it
+    is for every other platform, and an absent key keeps URL-only activation.
     """
     from gateway.config import Platform, PlatformConfig
-    from gateway.config_loader import (
-        bridge_platform_shared_keys, load_legacy_gateway_json, merge_platform_sections,
-    )
-    from hermes_constants import get_hermes_home
+    from gateway.config_loader import bridge_platform_shared_keys, merge_platform_sections
     from hermes_cli.config import read_raw_config
     from hermes_cli.managed_scope import apply_managed_overlay
 
-    # Do not import gateway.run here: standalone routing must not bootstrap
-    # runtime flags, config-to-env bridges or dotenv. The shared cached reader
-    # resolves the context-local home; the same managed overlay is used by the
-    # runtime loader, without introducing CLI defaults into platform precedence.
     cfg = apply_managed_overlay(read_raw_config())
-    data = load_legacy_gateway_json(get_hermes_home())
-    platforms = merge_platform_sections(cfg, cfg.get("gateway"), data)
-    gateway = cfg.get("gateway") or {}
-    bridge_platform_shared_keys(
-        cfg, gateway.get("platforms") if isinstance(gateway, dict) else None,
-        data, platforms, [Platform.RELAY],
-    )
+    gateway = cfg.get("gateway") if isinstance(cfg.get("gateway"), dict) else {}
+    platforms = merge_platform_sections(cfg, gateway, {})
+    bridge_platform_shared_keys(cfg, gateway.get("platforms"), {}, platforms, [Platform.RELAY])
     block = platforms.get("relay")
-    return (
-        isinstance(block, dict)
-        and "enabled" in block
-        and not PlatformConfig.from_dict(block).enabled
-    )
+    if not isinstance(block, dict) or not block.get("extra", {}).get("_enabled_explicit"):
+        return False
+    return not PlatformConfig.from_dict(block).enabled
 
 
 def relay_url() -> Optional[str]:
diff --git a/tests/gateway/relay/test_cold_opt_out.py b/tests/gateway/relay/test_cold_opt_out.py
index b113739fa5..ac6705e5db 100644
--- a/tests/gateway/relay/test_cold_opt_out.py
+++ b/tests/gateway/relay/test_cold_opt_out.py
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import pytest
 import yaml
 
 
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("case", ["native", "url-only", "disabled", "managed", "managed-only", "scoped", "scoped-json"])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("case", ["native", "url-only", "disabled", "managed", "managed-only", "scoped"])
 def test_cold_fronted_platforms_is_read_only(tmp_path, case):
     home = tmp_path / "primary"
     home.mkdir()
@@ -27,8 +27,6 @@ def test_cold_fronted_platforms_is_read_only(tmp_path, case):
         (managed / "config.yaml").write_text("platforms:\n  relay:\n    enabled: false\n")
     if case == "scoped":
         (scoped / "config.yaml").write_text("platforms:\n  relay:\n    enabled: false\n")
-    elif case == "scoped-json":
-        (scoped / "gateway.json").write_text(json.dumps({"platforms": {"relay": {"enabled": False}}}))
     for root in (home, scoped):
         (root / ".env").write_text("GATEWAY_RELAY_SECRET=dotenv-only-test-secret\n")
     # Allowlist only: never inherit live credentials, profile selectors, or
@@ -45,7 +43,7 @@ def test_cold_fronted_platforms_is_read_only(tmp_path, case):
     code = textwrap.dedent("""
         import json, os, sys
         from hermes_constants import set_hermes_home_override
-        if sys.argv[1].startswith("scoped"):
+        if sys.argv[1] == "scoped":
             set_hermes_home_override(sys.argv[2])
         before = dict(os.environ)
         assert "gateway.run" not in sys.modules
diff --git a/tests/gateway/relay/test_explicit_disable.py b/tests/gateway/relay/test_explicit_disable.py
index b20f677770..de5c04485a 100644
--- a/tests/gateway/relay/test_explicit_disable.py
+++ b/tests/gateway/relay/test_explicit_disable.py
@@ -64,10 +64,7 @@ def configure(home, state, source, monkeypatch):
         monkeypatch.setenv("GATEWAY_RELAY_URL", URL)
         assert not (home / "config.yaml").exists()
         return
-    if source == "legacy-json":
-        (home / "gateway.json").write_text(json.dumps({"platforms": cfg.pop("platforms")}))
-        monkeypatch.setenv("GATEWAY_RELAY_URL", URL)
-    elif source == "env":
+    if source == "env":
         monkeypatch.setenv("GATEWAY_RELAY_URL", URL)
     elif source == "managed":
         managed = home / "managed"
@@ -200,17 +197,9 @@ async def test_production_startup_respects_profile_opt_out(profile, monkeypatch,
             assert "relay-fronted" in error
 
 
-@pytest.mark.asyncio
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("pinned", [False, True], ids=["unprovisioned", "inherited-secret"])
-async def test_legacy_json_disable_preserves_startup_and_native_delivery(profile, monkeypatch, pinned):
-    await test_production_startup_respects_profile_opt_out(
-        profile, monkeypatch, False, "legacy-json", pinned,
-    )
-
-
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("yaml_state", ["absent", "empty", "sibling", "enabled"])
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("disabled", [False, "false"])
-def test_legacy_json_disable_agrees_with_normalized_config(profile, monkeypatch, yaml_state, disabled):
+def test_legacy_json_disable_is_advisory_like_other_platforms(profile, monkeypatch, yaml_state, disabled):
     (profile / "gateway.json").write_text(json.dumps({"platforms": {
         "relay": {"enabled": disabled},
         "slack": {"enabled": True, "token": "native-test-token"},
@@ -225,11 +214,12 @@ def test_legacy_json_disable_agrees_with_normalized_config(profile, monkeypatch,
         (profile / "config.yaml").write_text(yaml.safe_dump(cfg))
     monkeypatch.setenv("GATEWAY_RELAY_URL", URL)
     monkeypatch.setenv("TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN", "native-telegram-test-token")
-    # Other legacy platforms keep their existing credential-driven enablement.
     monkeypatch.setenv("GATEWAY_RELAY_ALLOW_DIRECT_PLATFORMS", "true")
     config = load_gateway_config()
-    assert relay.relay_explicitly_disabled() is (yaml_state != "enabled")
-    assert config.platforms[Platform.RELAY].enabled is (yaml_state == "enabled")
+    # A legacy gateway.json ``enabled`` is advisory for relay exactly as it is for telegram:
+    # env presence (the URL / the token) re-enables both. Only YAML sets ``_enabled_explicit``.
+    assert relay.relay_explicitly_disabled() is False
+    assert config.platforms[Platform.RELAY].enabled
     assert config.platforms[Platform.SLACK].enabled
     assert config.platforms[Platform.TELEGRAM].enabled
 
@@ -289,7 +279,7 @@ def test_managed_layer_agrees_with_native_config(profile, monkeypatch, user_yaml
 
 @pytest.mark.asyncio
 @pytest.mark.parametrize("entry", ["url", "provision", "policy", "registration", "forced-registration", "fronted"])
-@pytest.mark.parametrize("spelling", ["top", "nested", "normalized", "legacy-json", "yaml-wins", "gateway-relay", "top-relay", "managed-disable", "sibling-keeps-disable"])
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("spelling", ["top", "nested", "normalized", "yaml-wins", "gateway-relay", "top-relay", "managed-disable", "sibling-keeps-disable"])
 async def test_disabled_standalone_paths_have_no_relay_side_effects(profile, monkeypatch, entry, spelling):
     block = {"enabled": "false" if spelling == "normalized" else False}
     cfg = {"gateway": {"relay_url": URL}}
@@ -301,8 +291,6 @@ async def test_disabled_standalone_paths_have_no_relay_side_effects(profile, mon
     elif spelling == "top-relay":
         cfg["relay"] = block
         cfg["gateway"]["relay"] = {"enabled": True}
-    elif spelling == "legacy-json":
-        (profile / "gateway.json").write_text(json.dumps({"platforms": {"relay": block}}))
     elif spelling == "managed-disable":
         cfg["platforms"] = {"relay": {"enabled": True}}
         managed = profile / "managed"